Information processing apparatus

Abstract

To provide a technology for allowing a user to easily use a telematics service.SOLUTION: An information processing apparatus includes a control unit which executes: acquiring information, from a first terminal, on a request to start using a service, including information specifying a vehicle and information specifying a user who uses the service; and executing processing to start the use of the service, in response to the start of the vehicle, after acquiring the information on the request to start using the service from the first terminal.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 7

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an information processing apparatus.

Background Art

[0002] A technique is known in which a terminal device for mail distribution is provided at a sales store, an in-vehicle terminal is provided in a user's automobile, and information including a guidance mail is exchanged between the two via an information center (for example, Patent Document 1).

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] An object of the present disclosure is to provide a technique for a user to more easily use a telematics service.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0005] One aspect of the present disclosure is obtaining, from a first terminal, information regarding a request to start using the service, the information including information for specifying a vehicle and information for specifying a user who uses the service; after obtaining, from the first terminal, the information regarding the request to start using the service, executing a process to start using the service, triggered by the vehicle being started; and an information processing apparatus including a control unit that executes the above.

[0006] In addition, another aspect of the present disclosure is an information processing method in which a computer executes the processing in the above-described information processing apparatus, a program for causing the computer to execute the information processing method, or a storage medium that non-temporarily stores the program.

Advantages of the Invention

[0007] According to the present disclosure, a user can more easily use a telematics service.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0008]

Figure 1

Figure 2

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Figure 9

Modes for Carrying Out the Invention

[0009] An information processing apparatus according to one aspect of the present disclosure obtains, from a first terminal, information related to a request to start using a service, the information including information for identifying a vehicle and information for identifying a user who uses the service, and after obtaining the information related to the request to start using the service from the first terminal, executes a process for starting using the service triggered by the vehicle being started, and includes a control unit that executes the above.

[0010] By obtaining information for identifying a vehicle and information for identifying a user who uses the service in a linked state, for example, a user who is the owner of the vehicle can be identified. Furthermore, a user who uses the service in the vehicle can be identified. The service is, for example, a telematics service.

[0011] The information related to the request to start using the service includes information necessary for the user to perform initial settings for using the service. The first terminal is a terminal other than an in-vehicle terminal, and may be, for example, a terminal used by an employee at a vehicle dealership, or a terminal that does not need to be brought into the vehicle.

[0012] Then, the control unit executes a process for starting using the service triggered by the vehicle being started. The vehicle being started includes the vehicle transitioning to a drivable state and power supply to the devices provided in the vehicle being started. The vehicle being started can be exemplified by, for example, a case where a user having an electronic key presses the vehicle's start switch, a case where a user having an electronic key gets into the vehicle, or a case where an ignition switch or an accessory switch is turned on by a physical key. In such a case, the control unit executes a process for starting using the service without the user performing an operation to start using the service. As a result, the service becomes available to the user without the user operating the terminal himself / herself.

[0013] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. The configurations of the following embodiments are examples, and the present disclosure is not limited to the configurations of the embodiments. Also, the following embodiments can be combined as much as possible.

[0014] <First Embodiment> FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a system 1 according to this embodiment. The system 1 is a system that enables a user to use a telematics service (hereinafter also simply referred to as a service) without the user performing service usage procedures every time the vehicle 10 is first started or started, by registering for the use of the service at the dealership terminal 20 when the vehicle 10 is purchased. At the dealership terminal 20 when the vehicle 10 is purchased, information about the user and information about the vehicle 10 are associated, and these pieces of information are transmitted to the server 30.

[0015] Here, conventionally, at a dealership, a user makes a vehicle contract and a service contract, the dealership associates the user with the vehicle, and further, at the start of use, the user himself / herself performs a use start procedure with the vehicle. Therefore, an operation for the user to start using at the in-vehicle terminal is required, and it is necessary for the dealership and the user to perform two processes. On the other hand, in the system 1 according to the present disclosure, by performing one process at the dealership, the user can use the service.

[0016] In the example of FIG. 1, the system 1 includes a vehicle 10, a dealership terminal 20, and a server 30. The dealership terminal 20 is a terminal used by, for example, an employee at the dealership of the vehicle 10. Also, the vehicle 10 is a vehicle owned by the user. The vehicle 10, the dealership terminal 20, and the server 30 are interconnected by a network N1. Note that the network N1 is, for example For example, a worldwide public communication network such as the Internet, and a WAN (Wide Area Network) or other communication networks may be adopted. Also, the network N1 may include a telephone communication network such as a mobile phone, and a wireless communication network such as Wi-Fi (registered trademark).

[0017] The hardware configurations of the vehicle 10, the dealer terminal 20, and the server 30 will be described with reference to Fig. 2. Fig. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of the vehicle 10, the dealer terminal 20, and the server 30 constituting the system 1 according to the present embodiment.

[0018] The server 30 has a typical computer configuration. The server 30 provides services to a user in the vehicle 10. The server 30 has a processor 301, a main memory unit 302, an auxiliary memory unit 303, and a communication unit 304. These are connected to each other by a bus. The processor 301 corresponds to a control unit according to the present disclosure.

[0019] The processor 301 is a central processing unit (CPU) or a digital signal processor (DSP), etc. The processor 301 controls the server 30 and performs various information processing operations. The main memory unit 302 is a RAM (Random Access Memory), a ROM (Read Only Memory), etc. The auxiliary memory unit 303 is an EPROM (Erasable Programmable ROM), Hard disk drives (HDDs), removable media, etc. The auxiliary storage unit 303 stores an operating system (OS), various programs, various tables, and the like. The processor 301 loads the programs stored in the auxiliary storage unit 303 into a working area of ​​the main storage unit 302 and executes them, and each component unit, etc. is controlled through the execution of the programs. This allows the server 30 to realize a function that meets a predetermined purpose. The main storage unit 302 and the auxiliary storage unit 303 are computer-readable recording media. The server 30 may be a single computer or a combination of multiple computers. The information stored in the auxiliary storage unit 303 may be stored in the main storage unit 302. The information stored in the main storage unit 302 may be stored in the auxiliary storage unit 303.

[0020] The communication unit 304 is a means for communicating with the vehicle 10 and the dealership terminal 20 via the network N1. The communication unit 304 is, for example, a LAN (Local Area Network) interface board or a wireless communication circuit for wireless communication. The LAN interface board and the wireless communication circuit are connected to the network N1.

[0021] Next, the dealership terminal 20 will be described. The dealership terminal 20 is a small computer such as, for example, a smartphone, a mobile phone, a tablet terminal, a personal information terminal, a wearable computer (such as a smartwatch), or a personal computer (PC). Note that the dealership terminal 20 is an example of the first terminal according to the present disclosure. The dealership terminal 20 includes a processor 201, a main memory unit 202, an auxiliary storage unit 203, an input unit 204, an output unit 205, and a communication unit 206. These are interconnected by a bus. Since the processor 201, the main memory unit 202, the auxiliary storage unit 203, and the communication unit 206 are the same as the processor 301, the main memory unit 302, the auxiliary storage unit 303, and the communication unit 304 of the server 30, the description thereof will be omitted.

[0022] The input unit 204 is a means for receiving an input operation performed by an employee, and is, for example, a touch panel, a mouse, a keyboard, or a microphone, etc. The output unit 205 is a means for presenting information to the employee, and is, for example, an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display), an EL (Electroluminescence) panel, a speaker, a lamp, etc. The input unit 204 and the output unit 205 may be configured as a single touch panel display.

[0023] Next, the vehicle 10 will be described. The vehicle 10 includes a processor 101, a main memory unit 102, It has an auxiliary storage unit 103, a touch panel 104, a speaker 105, and a communication unit 106. These are interconnected by a bus. For the processor 101, the main storage unit 102, the auxiliary storage unit 103, and the communication unit 106, since they are the same as the processor 201, the main storage unit 202, the auxiliary storage unit 203, and the communication unit 206 of the store terminal 20, the description thereof is omitted.

[0024] The touch panel 104 is a means for receiving input operations performed by the user and is also a means for presenting information to the user. The touch panel 104 can include, for example, an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display), or an EL (Electroluminescence) panel, etc. The speaker 105 is a device for playing sound inside the vehicle.

[0025] Next, the functions of the server 30 will be described. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating the functional configuration of the server 30. The server 30 includes a control unit 31 and a vehicle information DB 32 as functional components. The processor 301 of the server 30 executes the processing of the control unit 31 by a computer program on the main storage unit 302. Note that a part of the processing of the control unit 31 may be executed by another computer connected to the network N1.

[0026] The vehicle information DB 32 is constructed by a program of a database management system (DBMS) executed by the processor 301 managing the data stored in the auxiliary storage unit 303. The vehicle information DB 32 is, for example, a relational database.

[0027] The control unit 31 receives a usage start request from the dealership terminal 20. The usage start request is a request to start using the service. The usage start request includes information for identifying the dealership (dealership ID), information regarding the vehicle 10, and information regarding the user. When the control unit 31 receives the usage start request, it executes a usage start process. In the usage start process, the information regarding the user is associated with the information regarding the vehicle 10 and stored in the vehicle information DB 32.

[0028] FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating the table configuration of the vehicle information stored in the vehicle information DB 32. The vehicle information table has fields for vehicle ID, user ID, dealership ID, and contract content. In the vehicle ID field, information for identifying the vehicle 10 (vehicle ID) is input. In the user ID field, information for identifying the user (user ID) is input. In the dealership ID field, information for identifying the dealership (dealership ID) is input. In the contract content field, information enabling determination of the content contracted by the user is input. The content includes, for example, something that conveys weather forecasts by voice, something that conveys news by voice, something that displays an Internet browser on the touch panel 104, or something that enables a call with an operator. The contract for the content can be made at the dealership at the time of purchasing the vehicle 10, but can also be added later by the user from the menu screen displayed on the touch panel 104.

[0029] Also, the control unit 31 transmits an activation command to the vehicle 10 in the utilization start process. The activation command is a command for the vehicle 10 to perform processes for enabling communication between the vehicle 10 and the server 30. For example, application software for enabling the use of services in the vehicle 10 is transmitted and installed in the vehicle 10. As an alternative method, the control unit 31 may transmit a command to unlock the application software that is stored in the auxiliary storage unit 103 of the vehicle 10 but whose execution is locked. The application software executed in the vehicle 10 establishes communication with the server 30 when the vehicle 10 is started, for example. Then, the control unit 31 receives activation information from the vehicle 10. The activation information is information indicating that the vehicle 10 has been started and includes, for example, a vehicle ID. When receiving the activation information, the control unit 31 performs a utilization start determination. The utilization start determination determines whether the content is available and is performed based on the contracted content stored in the vehicle information DB 32.

[0030] The control unit 31 transmits information for displaying the contracted content on the touch panel 104 of the vehicle 10 based on the contracted content stored in the vehicle information DB 32. After that, when the control unit 31 receives a request to use the content (content use request) from the vehicle 10, it transmits information corresponding to the content to the vehicle 10.

[0031] Next, the functions of the vehicle 10 will be described. FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating the functional configuration of the vehicle 10. The vehicle 10 includes a control unit 11 as a functional component. The processor 101 of the vehicle 10 executes the processing of the control unit 11 by a computer program on the main storage unit 102.

[0032] When the control unit 11 receives an activation command from the server 30, for example, it installs the application software included in the activation command. This application software establishes communication with the server 30 every time the vehicle 10 is started. Therefore, the control unit 11 communicates with the server 30 every time the vehicle 10 is started. Note that the start of the vehicle 10 includes at least the state where the content becomes available, including the so-called accessory mode (a mode in which the vehicle 10 cannot be driven but power is supplied to various devices). As an alternative method, the start of the vehicle 10 may include the so-called ignition switch being turned on. As yet another alternative method, it may be considered that the vehicle 10 is started when the user presses the start switch of the vehicle 10.

[0033] After the vehicle 10 is started, the control unit 11 receives information about the contract content (which may also be available content) from the server 30. Based on this information, the control unit 11 causes the touch panel 104 to display a menu screen of the available content. On this menu screen, touch buttons corresponding to the available content are displayed. When the user touches this touch button, the control unit 11 sends a request to use the content to the server 30. The control unit 11 provides the user with the information sent from the server 30 in response to the request. For example, when the user taps the touch button for the weather forecast on the menu screen, information about the weather forecast is sent from the server 30 to the vehicle 10. In the vehicle 10, for example, the control unit 11 plays the weather forecast as audio from the speaker 105.

[0034] Next, the functions of the dealership terminal 20 will be described. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating the functional configuration of the dealership terminal 20. The dealership terminal 20 includes a control unit 21 as a functional component. The processor 201 of the dealership terminal 20 executes the processing of the control unit 21 by a computer program on the main memory unit 202.

[0035] When the sales store terminal 20 associates a user with the vehicle 10 upon an employee of the sales store entering information of the user corresponding to the vehicle 10, it then transmits information regarding the vehicle 10 and information regarding the user to the server 30. The vehicle ID is input as the information regarding the vehicle 10 into the sales store terminal 20. Further, as the information regarding the user, a name, address, telephone number, email address, content to be contracted, credit card number, password, or PIN code, etc. may be input into the sales store terminal 20. Also, at this time, a user ID may be issued to the user. Note that an email address may be used as the user ID.

[0036] Next, the overall processing of the system 1 will be described. FIG. 7 is a sequence diagram showing the overall processing of the system 1. When an employee of the sales store inputs information regarding the user and information regarding the vehicle 10 into the input unit 204 of the sales store terminal 20, the sales store terminal 20 acquires user information and vehicle information (S10). Then, in the sales store terminal 20, the user is associated with the vehicle 1 0, and a usage start request is transmitted to the server 30 together with this information (S11). The usage start request includes information indicating that it requests to start using the content.

[0037] Upon receiving the usage start request, the server 30 executes a usage start process (S12). In the usage start process, information regarding the contracted content corresponding to the vehicle 10 is stored in the vehicle information DB 32. Also, in the usage start process, an activation command is transmitted from the server 30 to the vehicle 10 (S13). In the vehicle 10 that has received this activation command, for example, application software is installed, and it becomes a state where communication with the server 30 is possible.

[0038] When the vehicle 10 is started by the user pressing the start switch, for example (S14), start-up information is transmitted from the vehicle 10 to the server 30 (S15). The start-up information is information indicating that the vehicle 10 has been started, and is associated with the vehicle ID. The server 30 that has received the start-up information performs a usage start determination (S16). That is, triggered by the vehicle 10 being started, a process of starting the use of the service is executed. In the usage start determination, it is determined whether or not the service may be provided to the vehicle 10. The server 30 determines whether or not the service may be provided to the vehicle 10 based on the information in the vehicle information DB 32, and if it is determined that the service may be provided, information regarding available content is transmitted (S17).

[0039] When the vehicle 10 receives information regarding available content, the available content is displayed as a menu on the touch panel 104 (S18). When the user taps the touch button of the content being menu-displayed, a usage request for the content corresponding to the tapped button is transmitted from the vehicle 10 to the server 30 (S19). The server 30 transmits information corresponding to the requested content to the vehicle 10 (S20). The information corresponding to this content may be obtained from another server in which the server 30 provides information corresponding to the content. Then, in the vehicle 10, a service corresponding to the content is provided (S21).

[0040] Next, the processing in the server 30 will be described. FIG. 8 is a flowchart of the usage start processing executed by the server 30. The processing shown in FIG. 8 is repeatedly executed in the server 30 at predetermined time intervals.

[0041] In step S101, the control unit 31 determines whether or not a usage start request has been received from the dealership terminal 20. If an affirmative determination is made in step S101, the process proceeds to step S102, and if a negative determination is made, this routine is terminated.

[0042] In step S102, the control unit 31 determines whether the user and the vehicle 10 related to the usage start request are registrable. For example, the control unit 31 determines whether the usage start request is transmitted from a regular dealership terminal 20. At this time, the control unit 31 collates the dealership ID included in the usage start request with the dealership ID stored in the auxiliary storage unit 303. Also, when the user wishes to use paid content, for example, the control unit 31 accesses the server of the credit card company to authenticate the credit card. And when the authentication of the credit card is successful, it is determined that registration is possible. Also, the control unit 31 may determine whether the vehicle 10 is a regular vehicle. For example, in the case of a vehicle 10 registered as a stolen vehicle, it is determined that registration is not possible. If an affirmative determination is made in step S102, the process proceeds to step S103, and if a negative determination is made, the process proceeds to step S105.

[0043] In step S103, the control unit 31 stores the information included in the usage start request in the vehicle information DB 32. Then, in step S104, the control unit 31 transmits an activation command to the vehicle 10. The activation command is information for instructing, for example, to open a line for transmitting and receiving information related to content to the vehicle 10. On the other hand, in step S105, the control unit 31 transmits non-registrable information to the dealership terminal 20. The non-registrable information is information indicating that the corresponding user or vehicle 10 cannot use the content. When the non-registrable information is received at the dealership terminal 20, for example, an image indicating that registration cannot be performed is displayed on the output unit 205 of the dealership terminal 20.

[0044] Next, FIG. 9 is a flowchart of a process in which the server 30 provides a telematics service to the user. The process shown in FIG. 9 is repeatedly executed at predetermined time intervals in the server 30.

[0045] In step S201, the control unit 31 determines whether startup information has been received from the vehicle 10. If an affirmative determination is made in step S201, the process proceeds to step S202; if a negative determination is made, the process proceeds to step S204. In step S202, the control unit 31 performs a utilization start determination. The utilization start determination determines the content that can be used in the vehicle 10. The available content is content that the user can use and for which the user has a contract. Since the available content is stored in the vehicle information DB 32, the control unit 31 reads the information in the vehicle information DB 32. In step S203, the control unit 31 transmits the available content to the vehicle 10.

[0046] In step S204, the control unit 31 determines whether a content utilization request has been received from the vehicle 10. The content utilization request is a request to use the content that the user has tapped on the touch panel 104 of the vehicle 10. If an affirmative determination is made in step S204, the process proceeds to step S205; if a negative determination is made, this routine is terminated. In step S205, the control unit 31 transmits information regarding the requested content to the vehicle 10. For example, if a weather forecast is requested, voice data or image data regarding the weather is transmitted to the vehicle 10.

[0047] As described above, according to the present embodiment, since the procedure for using the telematics service is completed at the dealership terminal 20, the user can use the telematics service without performing the procedure for starting the use of the telematics service in the vehicle 10. Therefore, the user can more easily use the telematics service.

[0048] <Other Embodiments> The above-described embodiment is merely an example, and the present disclosure can be appropriately modified and implemented without departing from the gist thereof.

[0049] The processes and means described in the present disclosure can be freely combined and implemented as long as no technical contradiction occurs.

[0050] In addition, the processes described as being performed by one device may be executed in a distributed manner by a plurality of devices. Alternatively, the processes described as being performed by different devices may be executed by one device. In a computer system, it is possible to flexibly change how each function is realized by a hardware configuration (server configuration). For example, the vehicle 10 may have some or all of the functions of the store terminal 20.

[0051] The present disclosure can also be realized by supplying a computer program that implements the functions described in the above embodiments to a computer, and having one or more processors included in 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. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium includes, for example, any type of disk such as a magnetic disk (e.g., a floppy (registered trademark) disk, a hard disk drive (HDD), etc.), an optical disk (e.g., a CD-ROM, a DVD disk, a 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.

Description of Reference Numerals

[0052] 1 System 10 Vehicle 20 Store Terminal 30 Server 301 Processor 302 Main Memory Unit 303 Auxiliary Storage Unit 304 Communication Unit

Claims

【Claim 1】 An information processing apparatus including a memory unit and a control unit, wherein the memory unit stores, in mutual association, information for identifying a vehicle, information for identifying a user who uses a telematics service, information for identifying a dealership of the vehicle, and content information regarding content with which the user has contracted, and the control unit receives, from a dealership terminal used at the dealership, a request to start using the telematics service, the request including information in which the information for identifying the vehicle, the information for identifying the user, and the information for identifying the dealership are mutually associated; determines whether or not the request has been transmitted from a dealership terminal used at a legitimate dealership according to the information for identifying the dealership included in the received request and the information for identifying the dealership stored; when it is determined that the request has been transmitted from a dealership terminal used at a legitimate dealership, transmits, to the vehicle, an activation command instructing to open a line for transmitting and receiving the content information to and from the vehicle; receives, as information indicating that the content has become available in the vehicle, the information for identifying the vehicle including the activation information indicating that the vehicle has been started; using, as a trigger, the reception of the activation information from the vehicle that has received the activation command, transmits, to the vehicle, the content information stored in the memory unit and associated with the information for identifying the vehicle and the information for identifying the user included in the request; and executes wherein the content information is information for causing the vehicle to display, on a touch panel of the vehicle, the content with which the user has contracted, the information processing apparatus.

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