Information processing device and method

Abstract

To accurately identify a search target.SOLUTION: An information processing apparatus determines, when detecting an instruction from a user to search for a facility, whether position information of the user indicates that the user is in a first area where visit frequency of the user is higher than a predetermined threshold. The information processing apparatus detects, when the position information of the user indicates that the user is in the first area, a new facility by searching within a predetermined range based on the position information, and outputs information on the detected new facility to a predetermined device. The information processing apparatus registers, as the first area, an area where visit frequency is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold on the basis of movement history information indicating movement history of the user.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an information processing device and method. [Background technology]

[0002] A navigation device has been disclosed that is equipped with a camera that starts viewing the scenery ahead, a camera that monitors the driver's line of sight, and a detailed building information database, and when the driver asks a question such as "What's that?", it displays detailed information about the building the driver is looking at on the display (for example, Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2001-330450 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] One aspect of the disclosure is to provide an information processing device and an information processing method that are capable of identifying a search target with high accuracy. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] One aspect of the present disclosure is When location information of a user indicates a first area where the frequency of visits by the user is higher than a predetermined threshold, detecting a new facility by searching within a predetermined range based on the location information, and outputting information about the detected new facility to a predetermined device; A control unit that executes The information processing device includes:

[0006] Another aspect of the present disclosure is The computer When location information of a user indicates a first area where the frequency of visits by the user is higher than a predetermined threshold, detecting a new facility by searching within a predetermined range based on the location information, and outputting information about the detected new facility to a predetermined device; This is a method for carrying out the above.

[0007] Another aspect of the present disclosure is Obtaining location information; receiving, from a server, information about new facilities obtained as a result of a search within a predetermined range based on the location information when the location information indicates a first area where the visit frequency is higher than a predetermined threshold; outputting information about the new facility; A control unit that executes The information processing device includes: Effect of the Invention

[0008] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, the target of a search can be specified with high accuracy. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of a system configuration of a facility search system according to the first embodiment and a process executed in the facility search system. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 shows an example of a hardware configuration of the server and the vehicle. [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of a functional configuration of the server and the vehicle. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of the excluded area. [Diagram 5] FIG. 5 is an example of a flowchart of an exclusion area initial setting process executed by the server. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is an example of a flowchart of the excluded area management process executed by the server. [Figure 7]FIG. 7 is an example of a flowchart of a facility search process executed by the server. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0010] For example, when a vehicle occupant asks a question such as "What's that?" while the vehicle is traveling, it is highly likely that the object is something the occupant has never seen before. For example, in the vicinity of the driver's home and in areas that the driver frequently visits, a facility that the driver has never seen before is highly likely to have been recently built. Therefore, in one aspect of the present disclosure, the accuracy of facility search is improved by searching for recently built facilities in areas where the vehicle frequently travels.

[0011] Specifically, one aspect of the present disclosure is an information processing device including a control unit, which, when location information of a user indicates a first area where the frequency of visits is higher than a predetermined threshold, executes a search within a predetermined range based on the location information to detect a new facility, and outputs information about the detected new facility to a predetermined device.

[0012] The information processing device is, for example, a server, an in-vehicle device, a smartphone, a tablet terminal, a wearable terminal, a PC (Personal Computer), etc. The control unit is, for example, a processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit). The predetermined range based on the user's location information may or may not include the user's location. The predetermined range based on the user's location information is, for example, a range within a predetermined distance from the user's location, a range within a predetermined distance from a point that is a predetermined distance away from the user's location, etc. The facility is, for example, a building, a store, a hospital, a school, an art gallery, a museum, a park, a shrine, a temple, an amusement park, and a public facility. A new facility is a facility that has been newly constructed, opened, or started business within a recent predetermined period. The predetermined device that is the output destination of information related to the new facility obtained as a result of the search is, for example, a display, a speaker, and other devices.

[0013] The first area is an area where the user visits more frequently than a predetermined threshold, i.e., the user frequently visits. According to one aspect of the present disclosure, when the user is in the first area, information about new facilities is output. This increases the likelihood that the user will be able to find the object of his or her search when in the first area. In other words, the accuracy of the search is improved.

[0014] In one aspect of the present disclosure, when the user's location information indicates that the user is outside the first area, the control unit may detect new facilities and facilities other than the new facilities by searching within a predetermined range based on the location information, and output information about the detected facilities to a predetermined device. In this way, when the user is in an area other than the first area, all facilities within the predetermined range can be searched.

[0015] In one aspect of the present disclosure, the information processing device may further include a storage unit that stores search history information indicating a history of searches for facilities by the user. In this case, the control unit may exclude facilities that are indicated to have a search history by the search history information from a plurality of new facilities obtained as a result of the search. Facilities with search history are likely to be already known by the user. It is highly likely that the user does not want information about the facility. Therefore, by excluding facilities with search history from multiple new facilities obtained as a result of the search, it is possible to prevent information about facilities that the user does not want to see being presented. It is also possible to improve the possibility of hitting the target of the user's search.

[0016] In one aspect of the present disclosure, when a facility search instruction is detected from a user, the control unit may determine whether the user's location information indicates that the location is within the first area. This allows the execution of a facility search to be limited to when an instruction from the user is detected, thereby reducing the processing load of the information processing device.

[0017] The control unit may obtain voice data of the user's speech and analyze the voice data to detect an instruction to search for facilities from the user. This allows the user to give an instruction to search for facilities by voice. In addition, when the information processing device is a server, the control unit may receive the voice data of the user's speech and location information from the user terminal of the user.

[0018] In one aspect of the present disclosure, the control unit may further execute the following: acquiring movement history information indicating the movement history of the user; and registering an area in which the visit frequency indicated by the movement history information of the user is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold as a first area. The movement history information of the user includes, for example, at least location information and time information. This allows the first area to be registered based on the movement history of the user.

[0019] The control unit may monitor the user's movement history information, and add to the first area an area whose visit frequency in the most recent specified period has changed to a predetermined threshold or more, and delete from the first area an area whose visit frequency in the most recent specified period has changed to less than the predetermined threshold. This allows the first area to be updated based on the user's movement history information, and allows the first area to flexibly respond to changes in the user's behavior.

[0020] The control unit may register an area including the user's home and an urban area around the user's home in the first area. The user's home and the urban area around the user's home are areas that the user is known to frequently visit. Therefore, by registering the areas that the user is known to frequently visit in the first area in advance, it is possible to perform a facility search with high accuracy, for example, even if sufficient movement history information of the user is not available.

[0021] Another aspect of the present disclosure can be specified as a method in which a computer executes the processing of the information processing device. The method is a method in which, when the user's location information indicates a first area where the user's visit frequency is higher than a predetermined threshold, the computer detects a new facility by searching within a predetermined range based on the location information, and outputs information about the detected new facility to a predetermined device. Another aspect of the present disclosure can also be specified as a program for causing a computer to execute the processing of the information processing device. Another aspect of the present disclosure can also be specified as a computer-readable and non-transitory recording medium for the program.

[0022] Another aspect of the present disclosure is an information processing device including a control unit that acquires location information, and when the location information indicates a first area where the visit frequency is higher than a predetermined threshold, receives information about new facilities obtained as a result of a search within a predetermined range based on the location information from a server, and outputs information about the new facilities. The information processing device is, for example, a terminal such as a smartphone, a tablet terminal, or an in-vehicle device. According to one aspect of the present disclosure, when the information processing device is in the first area, it can obtain from the server search results that are likely to hit the target of the user's search.

[0023] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. The configurations of the following embodiments are merely examples, and the present disclosure is not limited to the configurations of the embodiments.

[0024] First Embodiment 1 is a diagram showing an example of a system configuration of a facility search system 100 according to a first embodiment and a process executed in the facility search system 100. The facility search system 100 is a system that searches for a target facility in response to a user's voice command to search for a facility, and presents information on the target facility. Facilities that are search targets include, for example, buildings, stores, hospitals, schools, art galleries, museums, parks, shrines, temples, amusement parks, and public facilities. However, facilities that are search targets are not limited to these.

[0025] The facility search system 100 includes a server 1 and a vehicle 2. The facility search system 100 includes a plurality of vehicles 2, but for convenience, only one vehicle 2 is shown in FIG.

[0026] The vehicle 2 is equipped with, for example, an in-vehicle device 210 and a microphone 220. The server 1 and the in-vehicle device 210 are connected to a network N1 and are capable of communicating with each other through the network N1. The network N1 is, for example, a public line network such as the Internet.

[0027] For example, when a user in the vehicle 2 looks at the surroundings and wants to know about a certain facility, the user utters a question such as "What's that?" The uttered voice is picked up by the transmitting unit 22, and the in-vehicle device 210 acquires the voice data of the uttered voice. The in-vehicle device 210 transmits the voice data of the uttered voice and the location information to the server 1 via N1.

[0028] When the server 1 receives the voice data and the position information from the in-vehicle device 210, the server 1 performs the processes from S11 to S43. In S11, the server 1 specifies the position indicated by the received position information as the utterance position. In S12, the server 1 determines whether the utterance position is within the excluded area. The excluded area is an area where the visit frequency of the user associated with the vehicle 2 is equal to or higher than a predetermined threshold, that is, an area where the vehicle 2 often travels. The user associated with the vehicle 2 is a user who is associated with the vehicle 2 and registered in advance in the facility search system 100. More specifically, the user associated with the vehicle 2 is the owner of the vehicle 2, the driver of the vehicle 2, etc. Note that the user riding in the vehicle 2 includes the user of the vehicle 2 and the user riding in the vehicle 2. Hereinafter, when simply referring to the user of the vehicle 2, it refers to the user riding in the vehicle 2.

[0029] In S13, the server 1 searches for facilities within a predetermined range based on the utterance position. In S14, the server 1 searches for new facilities among the facilities within a predetermined range based on the utterance position. A new facility is a facility that has been newly constructed, opened, or started business within a recent predetermined period. Note that new facilities may also include facilities that are under construction or scheduled to open. The period that is considered to be a new facility is set arbitrarily, for example, within a range of one month to one year.

[0030] In S21, the server 1 executes a voice recognition process on the received voice data to obtain the spoken content. In S22, the server 1 performs a syntax analysis on the spoken content obtained by the process of S21. In S23, the server 1 determines, based on the result of the syntax analysis by the transmission unit 22, whether or not the spoken content indicates an instruction to search for facilities.

[0031] In S31, if the result of the determination in S23 is that the utterance content is an instruction to search for facilities, the server 1 selects facilities to be searched for. At this time, if the result of the determination in S12 is that the utterance position is within the excluded area, the server 1 selects the facility to be searched for. As a result, the server 1 selects new surrounding facilities as search target candidates. On the other hand, if the result of the determination in S12 is that the utterance position is outside the excluded area, the server 1 selects surrounding facilities as search target candidates as a search target in S13. In S32, the server 1 determines facilities to be presented to the user of the vehicle 2 from the facilities selected as search target candidates in S31.

[0032] In S41, the server 1 acquires information about facilities to be presented to the user, and creates a response to the facility search instruction. In S42, the server 1 synthesizes a voice corresponding to the response to the facility search instruction, and transmits the voice data to the in-vehicle device 210. In S43, the server 1 creates a screen corresponding to the response to the facility search instruction, and transmits image data to the in-vehicle device 210. Note that only either S42 or S43 may be performed.

[0033] In the first embodiment, an area that the user of the vehicle 2 frequently visits is set as an excluded area, and if the utterance position is within the excluded area, a new facility is selected as a candidate for the search target. If the area is frequently visited by the user, it is highly likely that the user already knows about facilities within the area or in the vicinity of the area. Therefore, when an utterance is made meaning an instruction to search for a facility in an area frequently visited by the user, it is highly likely that the facility to be searched for is a facility that the user of the vehicle 2 does not know. A facility that the user does not know in an area frequently visited by the user is highly likely to be a recently built facility. Therefore, according to the first embodiment, when an instruction to search for a facility is issued in an area frequently visited by the user, the accuracy rate of the facility that the user is searching for can be improved by selecting a new facility in the vicinity.

[0034] Fig. 2 shows an example of the hardware configuration of the server 1 and the vehicle 2. However, in Fig. 2, for the vehicle 2, only the hardware components related to the processing of the facility search system 100 are extracted and shown. The server 1 is, for example, a computer that operates as a server. The server 1 includes, as its hardware configuration, a CPU 101, a memory 102, an auxiliary storage device 103, and a network interface 104. The memory 102 and the auxiliary storage device 103 are each an example of a computer-readable recording medium.

[0035] The auxiliary storage device 103 stores various programs and data used by the CPU 101 when executing each program. The auxiliary storage device 103 is, for example, a hard disk drive (HDD), a solid state drive (SSD), a flash memory, etc. The programs held in the auxiliary storage device 103 include, for example, an operating system (OS), a voice recognition program, and a control program for the facility search system 100. The control program for the facility search system 100 is a program for identifying a facility that is the subject of a search by the user of the vehicle 2, and for providing information on the identified facility.

[0036] The memory 102 is a storage device that provides the CPU 101 with a storage area for loading programs stored in the auxiliary storage device 103 and a working area, and is used as a buffer. The memory 102 may be, for example, a ROM (Read Only Memory), a RAM (Random Access Memory), or the like. This includes semiconductor memories such as IEEE 802.11b / g and IEEE 802.11b / g.

[0037] The CPU 101 executes various processes by loading the OS and various other programs stored in the auxiliary storage device 103 into the memory 102 and executing them. The number of CPUs 101 is not limited to one, and may be multiple. The CPU 101 is an example of a "control unit."

[0038] The network interface 104 is an interface that connects to the network N1. The network interface 104 is, for example, an interface for a wired network such as a local area network (LAN) or a dedicated line, or may be a wireless communication circuit as an interface with a wireless network.

[0039] Next, the vehicle 2 includes, as hardware configurations, an in-vehicle device 210, a microphone 220, and a touch panel display 230. The in-vehicle device 210, the microphone 220, and the touch panel display 230 are connected to a CAN (Controller Area Network) network 250, for example.

[0040] The in-vehicle device 210 is, for example, a multimedia ECU of a car navigation system. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and a DCM (Data Communication Module) may be used instead of the ECU 1. The in-vehicle device 210 includes, for example, a CPU 211, a memory 212, , an auxiliary storage device 213, a wireless communication unit 214, a GPS receiver 215, and a CAN interface 216. The CPU 211, the memory 212, and the auxiliary storage device 213 are similar to the CPU 101, the memory 102, and the auxiliary storage device 103. However, the auxiliary storage device 213 stores an OS, a client program for the facility search system 100, and a number of other application programs.

[0041] The wireless communication unit 214 is, for example, a mobile communication system such as 5G (5th Generation), 6G, 4G, and LTE (Long Term Evolution), and wireless communication such as WiMAX and WiFi. The wireless communication unit 214 connects to an access network by wireless communication, connects to the network N1 through the access network, and enables communication with an external device such as the server 1.

[0042] The GPS receiver 215 receives signals from GPS satellites and measures position information indicating the current position based on the received signals. The position information acquired by the GPS receiver 215 is, for example, latitude and longitude. The GPS receiver 215 acquires the position information at a predetermined cycle and outputs it to the CPU 211.

[0043] The CAN interface 216 is an interface with the CAN network 250. The CAN interface 216 outputs data input from the CPU 211 to the CAN network 250. Note that the hardware configurations of the server 1 and the vehicle 2 shown in Fig. 2 are merely examples, and the hardware configurations of the server 1 and the vehicle 2 are not limited to the example shown in Fig. 2.

[0044] 3 is a diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of the server 1 and the vehicle 2. The vehicle 2 includes, as its functional configuration, a receiver 21, a transmitter 22, and a controller 23. The processing of these functional components is achieved by the CPU 211 of the in-vehicle device 210 executing one or more predetermined programs held in the auxiliary storage device 213.

[0045] The receiving unit 21 receives data from the network N1 through the wireless communication unit 214. The receiving unit 21 outputs the received data to the control unit 23. In the first embodiment, the data received by the receiving unit 21 from the network N1 includes information about facilities as a search result.

[0046] The transmission unit 22 transmits the data input from the control unit 23 to the network N1 through the wireless communication unit 214. The data transmitted by the transmission unit 22 to the network N1 includes the driving history information, the search history information, the voice data, and the location information addressed to the server 1.

[0047] The control unit 23 transmits the driving history information to the server 1 through the transmission unit 22, for example, at a predetermined cycle. The cycle for transmitting the driving history information is set arbitrarily within a range of, for example, 0.1 to 10 seconds. The driving history information includes, for example, position information acquired by the GPS receiver 215 and a timestamp of the time when the position information was acquired. However, the information included in the driving history information is only an example, and other information such as speed and traveling direction may also be included.

[0048] Furthermore, when a facility search is performed by a user operation through the touch panel display 230, the control unit 23 generates search history information and transmits it to the server 1 through the transmission unit 22. A facility search by a user operation is, for example, a search in which a user inputs an explicit search instruction using a map application and a browser search engine. In such a search, the facility to be searched is specified on a map, by a keyword, or by voice. The search history information includes, for example, time information indicating the time when the search was performed, and identification information of the facility to be searched. The identification information of the facility to be searched may be, for example, any of identification information used to identify the facility in the facility search system 100 and the name of the facility. The identification information of the facility to be searched is obtained, for example, from the map application or browser in which the search was performed.

[0049] Furthermore, the control unit 23 receives voice data of the speech of the user aboard the vehicle 2, which is collected by the microphone 220, through the CAN interface 216. When the control unit 23 receives the voice data, it transmits the location information and the received voice data to the server 1 through the transmission unit 22. When the speech content of the user aboard indicates an instruction to search for a facility, the control unit 23 receives information about the facility from the server 1 through the reception unit 21. The control unit 23 outputs the information about the facility received from the server 1 to the microphone 220 and / or the touch panel display 230. Note that, hereinafter, transmission or reception from the in-vehicle device 210 will be referred to as transmission or reception from the vehicle 2 for convenience.

[0050] Next, the server 1 includes, as functional components, a receiving unit 11, a voice processing unit 12, a control unit 13, a transmitting unit 14, a driving history information DB 15, a search history information DB 16, a map information DB 17, a facility information DB 18, and an excluded area information DB 19. The processing of these functional components is achieved by the CPU 101 of the server 1 executing one or more predetermined programs held in the auxiliary storage device 103.

[0051] The receiving unit 11 receives data from the network N1 through the network interface 104. The receiving unit 11 outputs the data received from the network N1 to the control unit 13. In the first embodiment, the data received by the receiving unit 11 from the network N1 includes driving history information, search history information, and voice data and position information from the vehicle 2.

[0052] The transmission unit 14 transmits the data input from the control unit 13 to the network N1 through the network interface 104. The data transmitted by the transmission unit 14 to the network N1 includes information about facilities addressed to the vehicle 2 as a result of the search.

[0053] The processing of the voice processing unit 12 is achieved by the CPU 101 executing a voice recognition program stored in the auxiliary storage device 103. When the voice processing unit 12 receives voice data input from the control unit 13, it executes voice recognition processing on the input voice data. In the voice recognition processing, the voice data is converted into text data, and the text data is subjected to syntax analysis to obtain the spoken content. The voice processing unit 12 outputs data indicating the spoken content to the control unit 13.

[0054] When the control unit 13 receives input of driving history information of the vehicle 2 from the receiving unit 11, the control unit 13 stores the driving history information in the driving history information DB 15. When the control unit 13 receives input of search history information of the vehicle 2 from the receiving unit 11, the control unit 13 stores the search history information in the search history information DB 16.

[0055] When the control unit 13 receives an input of the spoken contents of the voice data of the user of the vehicle 2 from the voice processing unit 12, the control unit 13 determines whether or not the spoken contents of the voice data indicate an instruction to search for a facility. For example, the control unit 13 stores a plurality of spoken contents indicating an instruction to search for a facility in a predetermined storage area of ​​the auxiliary storage device 103 in advance. The pre-registered spoken contents indicating an instruction to search for a facility include questions such as "What's that?", "What's that?", "Did I have that?", "What's this?", and "What's this?". The control unit 13 compares the spoken contents of the user's voice data with the pre-registered spoken contents. When the spoken contents of the user's voice data match or are similar to the pre-registered spoken contents, the control unit 13 determines that the spoken contents of the user's voice data indicate an instruction to search for a facility.

[0056] When the contents of the voice data indicate an instruction to search for a facility, the control unit 13 sets a search range based on the position information received from the vehicle 2 together with the voice data, and searches the map information DB 17 to search for facilities. The search range for facilities is, for example, a range within a predetermined distance centered on the position of the vehicle 2, a range within a predetermined distance centered on a point a predetermined distance in a predetermined direction from the position of the vehicle 2, etc. The shape of the search range is not limited to a circle, and may be any of a sector, ellipse, or rectangle. In addition, the position of the vehicle 2 need not be included in the search range for facilities.

[0057] If the vehicle 2 is equipped with a system for detecting the line of sight of the occupant, the in-vehicle device 210 may transmit information on the line of sight of the occupant together with the voice data and the position information to the server 1. In this case, the control unit 13 may set a predetermined range in the line of sight of the occupant as the search range for facilities.

[0058] The control unit 13 determines whether the location information of the vehicle 2 indicates that it is within an excluded area. An excluded area is an area where the frequency with which the vehicle 2 travels is higher than a threshold value. Areas included in the excluded area are registered in an excluded area information DB 19, which will be described later. If the location information of the vehicle 2 indicates that it is within the excluded area, the control unit 13 selects a new facility as a candidate for the search target from among the facilities within the search range. If the location information of the vehicle 2 indicates that it is outside the excluded area, the control unit 13 selects a candidate for the search target from among the facilities within the search range. At this time, the control unit 13 checks the search history information DB 16, facilities that have been searched for by the user of the vehicle 2 are excluded from the search candidates. If multiple facilities are detected within the search range, a predetermined number of facilities may be selected as candidates from the top rankings based on data such as an external search number ranking.

[0059] The control unit 13 acquires information about the facility selected as a candidate for the search target from the facility information DB 18. The control unit 13 generates screen data and / or audio data as a search result based on the acquired information about the facility, and transmits the screen data and / or audio data to the vehicle 2 via the transmission unit 14.

[0060] The control unit 13 also performs processing for registering and updating the excluded area. The processing for registering and updating the excluded area will be described in detail later.

[0061] The driving history information DB 15, the search history information DB 16, the map information DB 17, the facility information DB 18, and the excluded area information DB 19 are each created in a storage area of ​​the auxiliary storage device 103. The driving history information DB 15 holds driving history information of the vehicle 2. The search history information DB 16 holds search history information of the vehicle 2. The driving history information DB 15 and the search history information DB 16 are updated by the control unit 13 each time driving history information and search history information are received from the vehicle 2, respectively.

[0062] The map information DB 17 holds map information. The map information includes, for example, a map on which the position of each facility is plotted, and identification information of each facility. In the map information, the area is divided into zones in advance, and a tag indicating the purpose is assigned to each zone. Examples of tags assigned to zones include commercial zones, urban areas, farmland, and residential areas. Note that the types of tags assigned to each zone are not limited to these.

[0063] The facility information DB 18 holds information about each facility on the map. The information about the facility includes identification information of the facility, the facility name, the facility genre, the opening date or planned opening date of the facility, a description of the facility, and an image of the exterior and / or interior of the facility. The map information DB 17 and the facility information DB 18 may be created by, for example, a specified vendor. For example, when the vendor issues update information, the control unit 13 may obtain the update information from the vendor and update the map information DB 17 and the facility information DB 18. Alternatively, the map information DB 17 and the facility information DB 18 may be provided by an external database instead of being provided by the server 1.

[0064] The excluded area information DB 19 stores information about excluded areas. In the facility search system 100, the range of service provision is divided into areas. The areas may be geographical ranges that are set uniquely in the facility search system 100, or may be areas divided into regions on map information. The areas handled in the facility search system 100 may differ in shape and size. However, in the facility search system 100, areas are set so as not to overlap with other areas.

[0065] On the other hand, the excluded areas may be set independently of the areas handled in the facility search system 100, and the ranges of the excluded areas may overlap with the areas handled in the facility search system 100. Furthermore, the ranges of the excluded areas may also overlap with each other. Information related to the excluded areas held in the excluded area information DB 19 includes, for example, identification information of the excluded area and information indicating the range of the excluded area.

[0066] In addition, the driving history information DB 15, the search history information DB 16, and the excluded area information DB For example, the travel history information DB 15, the search history information DB 16, and the excluded area information DB 19 are created for each user registered in the facility search system 100. However, without being limited thereto, the travel history information DB 15, the search history information DB 16, and the excluded area information DB 19 may be created for each vehicle 2 registered in the facility search system 100.

[0067] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of an excluded area. In the first embodiment, a predetermined range including the home of a user associated with the vehicle 2 and an urban area or commercial area around the home of the user are registered as the excluded area in the initial setting. The predetermined range including the home is, for example, within a predetermined distance from the home. However, this is not limited, and the size and shape of the predetermined range including the home are not limited to a predetermined one. Information on the urban area or commercial area is acquired, for example, from the map information DB 17. The urban area or commercial area registered as the excluded area is, for example, a predetermined number of urban areas or commercial areas in order of proximity to the home of the user. Note that this is not limited, and a predetermined range including a point designated by the user associated with the vehicle 2, such as a workplace, a parent's home, and a store, may be registered as the excluded area in the initial setting.

[0068] In addition, the control unit 13 monitors driving history information of the vehicle 2, and when the number of times the vehicle 2 has driven an area in which the vehicle 2 has driven in a recent specified period is equal to or greater than a specified number, the control unit 13 registers a specified range including the driving position of the vehicle 2 as an excluded area. As a result, the vicinity of a route frequently used by the user of the vehicle 2 is registered as an excluded area. The most recent specified period is set arbitrarily, for example, within a range of one month to one year from the present. The driving position of the vehicle 2 that is registered as an excluded area The predetermined range including the location may be, for example, a range of a predetermined distance from the traveling location of the vehicle 2, or may be an area including the traveling location of the vehicle 2.

[0069] The driving history information of the vehicle 2 is an example of "user's movement history information." The number of times the vehicle 2 has driven in an area in a recent predetermined period is an example of "the user's visit frequency to the area." The excluded area is an example of "a first area in which the user's visit frequency is higher than a predetermined threshold."

[0070] <Processing flow> FIG. 5 is an example of a flowchart of an exclusion area initial setting process executed by the server 1. The process shown in FIG. 5 is started, for example, when a user registers in the facility search system 100, or when an address to be registered as an exclusion area is changed, added, or deleted by a user associated with the vehicle 2. User registration and changes, additions, and deletions of addresses to be registered as exclusion areas are performed through the in-vehicle device 210 or a user terminal such as a smartphone. The process shown in FIG. 5 is executed by the CPU 101 of the server 1, but for convenience, the process will be described mainly with respect to functional components. The same applies to the flowcharts of FIG. 5 and subsequent figures.

[0071] In OP101, the control unit 13 sets a predetermined range including a specified address such as a home as an excluded area, and registers information about the predetermined range as information about the excluded area in the excluded area information DB 19. In OP102, the control unit 13 refers to the map information DB 17, sets an urban area or commercial area around the specified address such as a home as an excluded area, and registers information about the predetermined range as information about the excluded area in the excluded area information DB 19. Thereafter, the process shown in FIG. 5 ends.

[0072] Fig. 6 is an example of a flowchart of the excluded area management process executed by the server 1. The process shown in Fig. 6 is repeatedly executed at a predetermined cycle. In OP201, the control unit 13 determines whether or not the driving history information has been received from the vehicle 2. If the driving history information has been received from the vehicle 2 (OP201: YES), the process proceeds to OP202. If the driving history information has not been received from the vehicle 2 (OP201: NO), the process shown in Fig. 6 ends.

[0073] In OP202, the control unit 13 determines whether or not the driving area of ​​the vehicle 2 has changed, based on the position information included in the driving history information received in OP201 and the position information included in the immediately previous driving history information. The driving area is the area in which the vehicle 2 is driving, that is, the area in which the vehicle 2 is currently located. If the driving area of ​​the vehicle 2 has changed (OP202: YES), the process proceeds to OP203. If the driving area of ​​the vehicle 2 has not changed (OP202: NO), the process shown in FIG. 6 ends.

[0074] In OP203, the control unit 13 refers to the travel history information DB 15 and acquires the number of times that the vehicle 2 has traveled in the travel area within the most recent predetermined period. In OP204, the control unit 13 determines whether or not the number of times that the vehicle 2 has traveled in the travel area within the most recent predetermined period is equal to or greater than a threshold. If the number of times that the vehicle 2 has traveled in the travel area within the most recent predetermined period is equal to or greater than the threshold (OP204: YES), the process proceeds to OP205.

[0075] In OP205, the control unit 13 refers to the excluded area information DB 19 and determines, for example, whether or not the position information included in the driving history information received in OP201, i.e., the driving position of the vehicle 2, is included in the excluded area. If the driving position of the vehicle 2 is included in the excluded area (OP205: YES), the processing shown in FIG. 6 ends. If the driving position of the vehicle 2 is not included in the excluded area (OP205: NO), the processing proceeds to OP206. In 6, the control unit 13 sets a predetermined range including the traveling position of the vehicle 2 as an excluded area, and adds information about the predetermined range to the excluded area information DB 19. After that, the process shown in FIG.

[0076] When the number of times the vehicle 2 has traveled in the driving area within the most recent predetermined period is equal to or greater than the threshold value (OP204: NO), the process proceeds to OP207. In OP207, the control unit 13 refers to the excluded area information DB 19 and determines, for example, whether or not the driving position of the vehicle 2 is included in the excluded area. When the driving position of the vehicle 2 is not included in the excluded area (OP207: NO), the process shown in FIG. 6 ends.

[0077] If the driving position of the vehicle 2 is included in the excluded area (OP207: YES), the process proceeds to OP208. In OP208, the control unit 13, for example, deletes information on the excluded area including the driving position of the vehicle 2 from the excluded area information DB 19. As a result, a predetermined range including the driving position of the vehicle 2 is deleted from the excluded area. Thereafter, the process shown in Fig. 6 ends. Note that, if multiple pieces of information on excluded areas including the driving position of the vehicle 2 are held in the excluded area information DB 19, the control unit 13 may, for example, delete information on all of the excluded areas.

[0078] Fig. 7 is an example of a flowchart of facility search processing executed by the server 1. The processing shown in Fig. 7 is repeatedly executed at a predetermined cycle.

[0079] In OP301, the control unit 13 determines whether or not voice data and position information have been received from the vehicle 2. If voice data and position information have been received from the vehicle 2 (OP301: YES), the process proceeds to OP302. If voice data and position information have not been received from the vehicle 2 (OP301: NO), the process shown in Fig. 7 ends.

[0080] In OP302, the control unit 13 instructs the voice processing unit 12 to perform voice recognition processing on the received voice data, and acquires the contents of the voice data from the vehicle 2. In OP303, the control unit 13 determines whether or not the contents of the voice data indicate an instruction to search for a facility. If the contents of the voice data indicate an instruction to search for a facility (OP303: YES), the process proceeds to OP304. If the contents of the voice data do not indicate an instruction to search for a facility (OP303: NO), the process shown in FIG. 7 ends.

[0081] In OP304, the control unit 13 refers to the map information DB 17 and searches for facilities within a predetermined range from the position indicated by the position information of the vehicle 2. In OP305, the control unit 13 refers to the excluded area information DB 19 and determines whether or not the position information of the vehicle 2 indicates within any excluded area. If the position information of the vehicle 2 indicates within any excluded area (OP305: YES), the process proceeds to OP306. If the position information of the vehicle 2 does not indicate within any excluded area (OP305: NO), the process proceeds to OP307.

[0082] In OP306, the control unit 13 refers to the facility information DB 18 and extracts a new facility from among the multiple facilities detected as a result of the search in OP304. A new facility is, for example, a facility whose opening date falls within the immediately preceding specified period. In OP307, the control unit 13 refers to the search history information DB 16 and excludes facilities with search history from among the multiple facilities found as the search result.

[0083] In OP308, the control unit 13 selects a facility as a candidate for the search from one or more facilities that are detected as a result of the search and that remain in the processes in OP306 and OP307. For example, a predetermined number of facilities that are top-ranked in the search ranking may be selected as the facilities as candidates for the search, or a predetermined number of facilities that are top-ranked in order of proximity or furthest from the position indicated by the position information of the vehicle 2 may be selected. If no facility remains as a result of the search in the processes in OP306 and OP307, then there is no match, and the control unit 13 may transmit a response indicating that there is no match to the vehicle 2.

[0084] In OP309, the control unit 13 stores information about one or more candidate facilities in the facility information DB 18, generates screen data and / or voice data corresponding to information on the one or more candidate facilities, and transmits them to the vehicle 2. Then, the process shown in FIG. 7 ends.

[0085] Note that the processes of the server 1 shown in Figures 5 to 7 are all examples, and are not limited to the processes shown in Figures 5 to 7. For example, in the facility search process shown in Figure 7, before the process of searching for a facility in OP304, it may be determined in OP305 whether or not the vehicle 2 is in the excluded area. In this case, if the vehicle 2 is in the excluded area, the control unit 13 searches for new facilities in the vicinity, and if the vehicle 2 is outside the excluded area, the control unit 13 searches for facilities in the vicinity. Also, after the process of transmitting information about the candidate facility to the vehicle 2 in OP309 in Figure 7, feedback on whether or not the candidate facility was a target of the search may be received from the vehicle 2, and search history information may be generated based on the result and registered in the search history information DB 16.

[0086] <Effects of the First Embodiment> In the first embodiment, when an instruction to search for a facility by the user of vehicle 2 is detected and vehicle 2 is located within an excluded area, information about new facilities around vehicle 2 is presented to vehicle 2. The excluded area is an area where vehicle 2 often travels. In the excluded area, by limiting candidate facilities to be searched for by the user of vehicle 2 to new facilities, the facility to be searched for by the user of vehicle 2 can be accurately identified. In addition, since it is possible to reduce the possibility that information about facilities other than the facility to be searched for by the user of vehicle 2 is presented, it is possible to reduce the inconvenience caused to the user by the presentation of undesired information.

[0087] In the first embodiment, the excluded areas are updated as needed based on the driving history information of the vehicle 2. Therefore, even if there is a change in the behavioral tendency of the user of the vehicle 2 and the areas where the vehicle 2 often drives change, the excluded areas can be changed in response to the change.

[0088] <Other Modifications> The above-described embodiment is merely an example, and the present disclosure can be modified and implemented as appropriate without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure.

[0089] In the first embodiment, the case where the user uses the on-board device mounted on the vehicle has been described, but in the facility search system 100 in the first embodiment, other devices can be adopted instead of the on-board device. For example, in the facility search system 100, a user terminal such as a smartphone can be adopted instead of the on-board device. In this case, the user terminal transmits movement history information including location information and time information of the time when the location information was acquired to the server 1 at a predetermined period. In addition, the user terminal transmits the user's voice data and location information to the server 1, and the server 1 searches for facilities within a predetermined range based on the location information of the user terminal based on the voice data and the location information in the same manner as in the first embodiment. In the facility search system 100, in addition to a smartphone, examples of user terminals that can be adopted instead of the on-board device include tablet terminals, PCs, and wearable terminals.

[0090] In the first embodiment, the server 1 executes the processes in Fig. 5 to Fig. 7, but this is not limited to the above. The functional configuration of the server 1 may be transferred to a terminal device such as an in-vehicle device or a user terminal, and the terminal device may execute the processes in Fig. 5 to Fig. 7. Furthermore, the voice recognition process may be executed on the terminal device side.

[0091] The processes and means described in this disclosure can be freely combined and implemented as long as no technical contradiction occurs.

[0092] Furthermore, a process described as being performed by one device may be shared and executed by multiple devices. Alternatively, a process described as being performed by different devices may be executed by one device. In a computer system, the hardware configuration (server configuration) by which each function is realized can be flexibly changed.

[0093] The present disclosure can also be realized by supplying a computer program implementing the functions described in the above embodiments to a computer, and having one or more processors of the computer read and execute the program. Such a computer program may be provided to the computer by a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium connectable to the system bus of the computer, or may be provided to the computer via a network. Non-transitory computer-readable storage media include, for example, any type of disk, such as a magnetic disk (floppy disk, hard disk drive (HDD), etc.), an optical disk (CD-ROM, DVD disk, Blu-ray disk, etc.), a read-only memory (ROM), a random access memory (RAM), an EPROM, an EEPROM, a magnetic card, a flash memory, an optical card, and any type of medium suitable for storing electronic instructions. [Explanation of symbols]

[0094] 1··Server 2. Vehicle 11, 21 Receiving section 12 Audio Processing Unit 13, 23 Control section 14, 22 Transmitter 15. Travel history information DB 16. Search history information DB 17··Map information database 18··Facility Information DB 19. Exclusion Area Information DB 100··Facility Search System 101, 211··CPU 102, 212...Memory 103, 213...Auxiliary storage device 104 Network Interface 210...In-vehicle equipment 214 Wireless Communication Section 215 GPS receiver

Claims

1. When location information of a user indicates a first area where the frequency of visits by the user is higher than a predetermined threshold, detecting new facilities that have opened within a recent predetermined period by searching within a predetermined range based on the location information; outputting information about the detected new facility to a predetermined device; A control unit that executes the above. A storage unit for storing search history information indicating a history of searches for facilities by the user; Equipped with The control unit is and excluding, from the plurality of new facilities obtained as a result of the search within the predetermined range, facilities for which the search history information indicates that there is a search history; outputting information about the new facility obtained after the exclusion to the predetermined device; Information processing device.

2. The control unit is When the location information indicates a location outside the first area, searching within a predetermined range based on the location information to detect facilities within the predetermined range, excluding facilities for which the search history information indicates that there is a search history; outputting information about the detected facility to the predetermined device; The information processing device according to claim 1 .

3. The control unit is when detecting an instruction from the user to search for a facility, determining whether the location information indicates a location within the first area; The information processing device according to claim 1 .

4. The control unit is Acquire speech data of the user; by analyzing the voice data, an instruction to search for facilities from the user is detected; The information processing device according to claim 3 .

5. The control unit is receiving, from a user terminal of the user, the voice data of the speech of the user and the location information; The information processing device according to claim 4.

6. The control unit is acquiring movement history information indicating a movement history of the user; registering an area where the visit frequency indicated by the movement history information of the user is equal to or greater than the predetermined threshold as the first area; Further execute The information processing device according to claim 1 .

7. The control unit is Monitor movement history information of the user; adding an area in which the visit frequency in the most recent predetermined period has changed to equal to or greater than the predetermined threshold to the first area; removing an area whose visit frequency in the most recent predetermined period has changed to less than the predetermined threshold from the first area; The information processing device according to claim 6.

8. The control unit is registering an area including the user's home and an urban area around the user's home as the first area; The information processing device according to claim 6.

9. The computer When location information of a user indicates a first area where the frequency of visits by the user is higher than a predetermined threshold, detecting new facilities that have opened within a recent predetermined period by searching within a predetermined range based on the location information; outputting information about the detected new facility to a predetermined device; storing search history information indicating a history of searches for facilities by the user in a storage unit; A method of carrying out the above-mentioned The computer includes: and excluding, from the plurality of new facilities obtained as a result of the search within the predetermined range, facilities for which the search history information indicates that there is a search history; outputting information about the new facility obtained after the exclusion to the predetermined device; method.

10. The computer, When the location information indicates a location outside the first area, searching within a predetermined range based on the location information to detect facilities including the new facility and facilities other than the new facility, excluding facilities for which the search history information indicates that there is a search history; outputting information about the detected facility to the predetermined device; 10. The method of claim 9.

11. The computer, when detecting an instruction from the user to search for a facility, determining whether the location information indicates a location within the first area; 10. The method of claim 9.

12. The computer comprising: Acquire speech data of the user; by analyzing the voice data, an instruction to search for facilities from the user is detected; The method of claim 11.

13. The computer comprising: receiving, from a user terminal of the user, the voice data of the speech of the user and the location information; The method of claim 12.

14. The computer comprising: acquiring movement history information indicating a movement history of the user; registering an area where the visit frequency indicated by the movement history information of the user is equal to or greater than the predetermined threshold as the first area; Further execute 14. The method according to any one of claims 9 to 13.

15. The computer comprising: Monitor movement history information of the user; adding an area in which the visit frequency in the most recent predetermined period has changed to equal to or greater than the predetermined threshold to the first area; removing an area whose visit frequency in the most recent predetermined period has changed to less than the predetermined threshold from the first area; The method of claim 14.

16. The computer, registering an area including the user's home and an urban area around the user's home as the first area; The method of claim 15.

17. The storage unit further holds information relating to the first area. The information processing device according to claim 1 .

18. The control unit: when the user's location information indicates within the first area, detecting a new facility that has opened within the most recent specified period by searching within a specified range in the user's line of sight based on the location information and information regarding the user's line of sight; The information processing device according to claim 1 .

19. The computer comprising: further storing information about the first area in the storage unit; 10. The method of claim 9.

20. The computer, When the user's location information indicates that the user is within the first area, a search is performed within a predetermined range in the user's line of sight based on the location information and information regarding the user's line of sight. Detecting new facilities that have opened within the most recent predetermined period; 10. The method of claim 9.

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