Information Processing Systems

Abstract

To provide a technique that enables users to efficiently register to use connected services.SOLUTION: In an information processing system, a server sends to a first vehicle a first command to transmit first identification information, which is identification information of the first vehicle, by visible light communication. The first vehicle that has received the first command transmits the first identification information by visible light communication. The first terminal receives the first identification information through visible light communication with the first vehicle. The first terminal transmits a first signal including the first identification information received through visible light communication to the server. When the server succeeds in authentication based on the first signal, the server registers the use of a connected service concerning the combination of the first user and the first vehicle.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an information processing system. [Background technology]

[0002] There is a known technology in which a user scans the vehicle identification number displayed on a vehicle with a camera and performs a predetermined operation to be authenticated to use connected services (see, for example, Non-Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Non-patent literature]

[0003] [Non-Patent Document 1] Mazda Motor Corporation, "Connected Services Instruction Manual," [online], [searched August 25, 2022], Internet <https: / / www2.mazda.co.jp / carlife / owner / manual / connectedservice / 7g / connectedservice_v1 / chapter3 / section4.html> Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] An object of the present disclosure is to provide a technology that allows a user to efficiently register for use of connected services. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] The present disclosure relates to an information processing system including a first terminal used by a first user, a first vehicle purchased by the first user, and a server connected to the first terminal and the first vehicle via a network. The first terminal acquires a first passcode, which is information for identifying the first vehicle; the first terminal transmitting the first passcode to the server; The server identifies the first vehicle based on the first passcode received from the first terminal; The server transmits a first command to the first vehicle to transmit first identification information, which is identification information of the first vehicle, by visible light communication; the first vehicle transmitting the first identification information by visible light communication in accordance with the first command received from the server; The first terminal transmits to the server a first signal including the first identification information received from the first vehicle through visible light communication and second identification information that is user identification information; The server identifies a second passcode that is pre-associated with the first identification information included in the first signal received from the first terminal; the server comparing the first passcode with the second passcode; When the matching is successful, the server registers information linking the second identification information included in the first signal with the first vehicle in a first database; The following may be executed. [Effects of the Invention]

[0006] According to the present disclosure, it is possible to provide a technology that allows a user to efficiently register for use of connected services. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0007] [Figure 1] 1 is a block diagram schematically illustrating an example of the configuration of a vehicle management system according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of information stored in a vehicle management DB according to the present embodiment. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a sequence of processes executed by each component of the vehicle management system according to the present embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0008] In an information processing system according to the present disclosure, a first terminal acquires a first passcode. The first terminal transmits the first passcode to a server. The server identifies a first vehicle based on the first passcode received from the first terminal. The server transmits a first command to the first vehicle. The first vehicle transmits first identification information using visible light communication in accordance with the first command transmitted from the server. The first terminal, having received the first identification information transmitted from the first vehicle via visible light communication, transmits a first signal including the first identification information and second identification information to the server.

[0009] The server that receives the first signal identifies the second passcode based on the first identification information included in the first signal. The server compares the first passcode with the second passcode. If the comparison between the first passcode and the second passcode is successful, the server registers information linking the second identification information included in the first signal with the first vehicle in a first database.

[0010] According to the present disclosure, when a first user who has purchased a first vehicle registers for use of a connected service, the first identification information can be imported into the first terminal by capturing visible light transmitted from the first vehicle with a camera on the first terminal. This reduces the user's effort in importing the first identification information into the first terminal and prevents incorrect information from being imported into the first terminal. This allows the user to efficiently register for use of a connected service.

[0011] Specific embodiments of the present disclosure will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. The configurations of the following embodiments are examples, and the present disclosure is not limited to the configurations of the embodiments.

[0012] <Embodiment> An embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to Fig. 1 to Fig. 3. In this embodiment, an example will be described in which an information processing system according to the present disclosure is applied to a system that provides connected services (hereinafter, sometimes referred to as a "vehicle management system").

[0013] (System configuration) Fig. 1 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration example of a vehicle management system according to this embodiment. The vehicle management system according to this embodiment includes a vehicle 1, a user terminal 200, and a server 300. In the example shown in Fig. 1, only one vehicle 1 and one user terminal 200 are shown, but multiple vehicles 1 and multiple user terminals 200 may be under the management of the server 300.

[0014] The vehicle 1 in this embodiment is a vehicle purchased by a first user and corresponds to the "first vehicle" according to the present disclosure. As shown in FIG. 1, the vehicle 1 is equipped with a communication terminal 100, an ECU 10, an in-vehicle device 11, and the like.

[0015] The communication terminal 100 is a computer mounted on the vehicle 1. The communication terminal 100 of this embodiment communicates with the server 300 through an external vehicle network. The external vehicle network may be, for example, a WAN, which is a global public communication network such as the Internet, or another communication network. The communication terminal 100 is connected to an external vehicle network by, for example, a mobile communication system or a wireless communication system.

[0016] The communication terminal 100 also communicates with the ECU 10 through an in-vehicle network. The in-vehicle network is, for example, a network based on a standard such as CAN, LIN, or FlexRay. The communication terminal 100 also communicates with the user terminal 200 through short-range wireless communication. The short-range wireless communication is, for example, wireless communication based on the BLE standard or wireless communication such as NFC.

[0017] The communication terminal 100 of this embodiment receives a first command transmitted from the server 300 via the external vehicle network. The first command is a signal including a command to transmit a vehicle ID via visible light communication. The vehicle ID in this embodiment is information for identifying the vehicle 1, and corresponds to the "first identification information" according to the present disclosure. Note that in this embodiment, identification information of the communication terminal 100 mounted on the vehicle 1 (for example, the serial number of the communication terminal 100, etc.) is used as the vehicle ID. Accordingly, the vehicle ID is stored in the storage device of the communication terminal 100. When the communication terminal 100 receives the first command transmitted from the server 300, the communication terminal 100 transmits the first command and the vehicle ID to the ECU 10 via the internal vehicle network.

[0018] The ECU 10 is a computer that controls the on-vehicle devices 11. The on-vehicle devices 11 are devices mounted on the vehicle 1, and include turn signal lights 110 and the like. In this embodiment, the turn signal lights 110 are lights that use LEDs (Light Emitting Diodes) or laser diodes as light sources. Note that the devices included in the on-vehicle devices 11 are not limited to the example shown in FIG. 1 , and may include headlights, parking lights, taillights, brake lights, room lights, air conditioners, multimedia devices, motors, transmissions, advanced safety systems, and the like.

[0019] The ECU 10 of this embodiment has a function of performing visible light communication with the user terminal 200 in accordance with a first command. Specifically, when the ECU 10 receives the first command and the vehicle ID transmitted from the communication terminal 100 via the in-vehicle network, the ECU 10 controls the turn signal light 110 to transmit the vehicle ID by visible light communication. The method of transmitting the vehicle ID by visible light communication is not limited to a specific method, and various known methods can be used. As an example, a subcarrier method may be used in which the intensity of visible light emitted from the turn signal light 110 is oscillated at a specific frequency and modulated by the vehicle ID.

[0020] The object of control by visible light communication is not limited to the turn signal light 110, but may be a headlight, a parking light, a taillight, a brake light, or a room light, as long as it has a light source that can be flashed at high speed (for example, a speed that cannot be recognized by human vision), such as an LED or a laser diode.

[0021] The user terminal 200 is a portable computer used by a first user who purchased the vehicle 1, and corresponds to the "first terminal" according to the present disclosure. The user terminal 200 is, for example, a smartphone, a mobile phone, a tablet terminal, or a wearable computer. As shown in FIG. 1, the user terminal 200 in this embodiment includes a communication unit 201, a control unit 202, an input / output unit 203, a camera 204, and the like.

[0022] The communication unit 201 is a communication interface having a function of communicating with the server 300 via an external vehicle network and a function of communicating with the communication terminal 100 of the vehicle 1 via short-range wireless communication.

[0023] The control unit 202 controls the processor of the user terminal 200 to execute the application stored in the storage device. The control unit 202 realizes the following functions: to acquire a first passcode, to transmit the first passcode to the server 300, to acquire a vehicle ID by performing visible light communication with the vehicle 1, and to transmit a first signal including the vehicle ID and the user ID to the server 300.

[0024] The first passcode is information that identifies the vehicle 1 purchased by the first user, and is provided to the first user by a dealer or the like of the vehicle 1 in the form of a QR code (registered trademark). The control unit 202 acquires the first passcode by reading the QR code (registered trademark) using the camera 204 described below. The control unit 202 transmits the acquired first passcode to the server 300 via the communication unit 201. At this time, the control unit 202 may access a URL included in the above-mentioned QR code (registered trademark) via the communication unit 201, thereby uploading the first passcode to the server 300.

[0025] Furthermore, when the turn signal light 110 of the vehicle 1 is transmitting a vehicle ID by visible light communication and the first user communicates the visible light transmitted from the turn signal light 110 through the camera 204 (described later) of the user terminal 200, the control unit 202 demodulates the image captured by the camera 204 into an electrical signal to acquire the vehicle ID of the vehicle 1. The method for demodulating the image captured by the camera 204 into an electrical signal is not limited to a specific method, and various known methods can be used. For example, a method may be used in which the camera 204 is operated using a line scan method to acquire an image of a striped pattern that reflects the brightness of each line, and the striped pattern in the acquired image is converted into a digital signal.

[0026] When the user terminal 200 acquires the vehicle ID transmitted from the blinker light 110 of the vehicle 1 through visible light communication, the control unit 202 transmits a first signal including the vehicle ID and the user ID to the server 300 through the communication unit 201. The user ID is information for identifying the first user. The user ID is assigned, for example, when the user registers with the seller of the vehicle 1 (e.g., an automobile manufacturer), and is stored in a storage device of the user terminal 200.

[0027] The input / output unit 203 receives input operations performed by the user and presents information to the user. The input / output unit 203 includes, for example, a touch panel display and its control circuit.

[0028] The camera 204 is a device that captures images of the periphery of the user terminal 200. The camera 204 captures images using an imaging element such as a CCD image sensor or a CMOS image sensor. In this embodiment, as described above, the camera 204 is used as a reader for a QR code (registered trademark) that indicates a first passcode, and as a receiver for visible light communication.

[0029] The server 300 is a computer installed outside the vehicle 1 and is operated by a connected service provider or the like. As shown in FIG. 1, the server 300 in this embodiment is configured to include a communication unit 301, a control unit 302, and a vehicle management DB 303.

[0030] The communication unit 301 is a communication interface for connecting the server 300 to an external network. The communication unit 301 connects to the external network via, for example, a LAN or Wi-Fi (registered trademark), and communicates with the communication terminal 100 and the user terminal 200 via the external network.

[0031] The control unit 302 is realized by the processor of the server 300 executing a program stored in the auxiliary storage unit. When the communication unit 301 receives the first passcode transmitted from the user terminal 200, the control unit 302 stores the first passcode in a vehicle management DB 303 (described later). Based on the stored information and the first passcode, the vehicle 1 purchased by the first user is identified. The control unit 302 transmits a first command to the communication terminal 100 of the identified vehicle 1 via the communication unit 301. As described above, the first command is a signal including a command to transmit the vehicle ID by visible light communication.

[0032] Furthermore, in this embodiment, when the communication unit 301 receives a first signal transmitted from the user terminal 200, the control unit 302 performs authentication based on the first information and information stored in a vehicle management DB 303 (described later). Specifically, the control unit 302 compares the first passcode received from the user terminal 200 with a second passcode. The second passcode is a passcode associated with the vehicle 1 in the vehicle management DB 303 (described later). If the first passcode and the second passcode match (authentication successful), the control unit 302 associates the user ID included in the first signal with the information about the vehicle 1 stored in the vehicle management DB 303. This enables the first user to use connected services related to the vehicle 1.

[0033] Vehicle management DB 303 is a relational database constructed in a storage device of server 300. Vehicle management DB 303 is realized, for example, by a processor of server 300 executing a DBMS program. In other words, vehicle management DB 303 is constructed by the DBMS program managing data stored in the storage device.

[0034] The vehicle management DB 303 stores information about a plurality of vehicles including vehicle 1. The "plurality of vehicles" referred to here refers to, for example, vehicles sold by the seller of vehicle 1. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of information stored in the vehicle management DB 303. As shown in FIG. 2, the vehicle management DB 303 in this embodiment has a record for each vehicle (hereinafter, sometimes referred to as a "vehicle information record"). As shown in FIG. 2, each vehicle information record has fields such as a vehicle ID, a passcode, vehicle information, and a user ID. Note that the configuration of the vehicle information record is not limited to the example shown in FIG. 2, and fields can be added, changed, or deleted as appropriate.

[0035] The vehicle ID field registers the vehicle ID of each vehicle. The passcode field registers the second passcode of each vehicle. The vehicle information field registers information such as the vehicle identification number, vehicle registration number, and model name of each vehicle. The user ID field registers the user ID of a user who has completed registration to use the connected service for each vehicle. Note that for vehicles for which registration to use the connected service has not been completed, the user ID field is left blank.

[0036] (Processing flow) The flow of processing performed by the vehicle management system in this embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 3. Fig. 3 is a diagram showing an example of a sequence of processing executed by each component of the vehicle management system when a first user registers for use of a connected service.

[0037] In FIG. 5, when the camera 204 of the user terminal 200 captures a QR code (registered trademark) indicating the first passcode, the control unit 202 of the user terminal 200 transmits the first passcode to the server 300 via the communication unit 201 (S11).

[0038] When the communication unit 301 of the server 300 receives the first passcode transmitted from the user terminal 200, the control unit 302 of the server 300 identifies the vehicle 1 purchased by the first user (S12). Specifically, the control unit 302 accesses the vehicle management DB 303 to identify a vehicle information record in which a second passcode matching the first passcode is registered in the passcode field. The control unit 302 then Vehicle 1 is identified based on the vehicle ID registered in both ID fields.

[0039] The control unit 302 of the server 300 transmits a first command to the communication terminal 100 of the vehicle 1 identified in S12 (S13). The first command is a signal including a command to transmit the vehicle ID by visible light communication.

[0040] When the communication terminal 100 receives the first command transmitted from the server 300, the communication terminal 100 transmits the vehicle ID and the first command to the ECU 10 through the in-vehicle network (S14).

[0041] When the ECU 10 receives the vehicle ID and the first command transmitted from the communication terminal 100, the ECU 10 starts transmitting the vehicle ID by visible light communication through the blinker light 110 (S15, S16).

[0042] When the first user photographs the visible light modulated by the vehicle ID through the camera 204 of the user terminal 200 while the visible light modulated by the vehicle ID is being transmitted from the turn signal light 110, the control unit 202 of the user terminal 200 demodulates the image captured by the camera 204 into an electrical signal and obtains the vehicle ID of the vehicle 1 (S17).

[0043] When the vehicle ID is acquired by the user terminal 200, the control unit 202 of the user terminal 200 transmits a first signal including the vehicle ID and the user ID to the server 300 via the communication unit 201 (S18).

[0044] When the first signal transmitted from the user terminal 200 is received by the communication unit 301 of the server 300, the control unit 302 of the server 300 transmits a second command to the communication terminal 100 of the vehicle 1 through the communication unit 301 (S19). The second command is a signal including a command to end transmission of the vehicle ID by visible light communication.

[0045] When the second command transmitted from the server 300 is received by the communication terminal 100, the communication terminal 100 transmits the second command to the ECU 10 through the in-vehicle network (S20).

[0046] When the ECU 10 receives the second command transmitted from the communication terminal 100, the ECU 10 turns off the blinker light 110, thereby ending the transmission of the vehicle ID by visible light communication (S21).

[0047] After the server 300 has completed the process of S19, the control unit 302 executes a passcode authentication process based on the first signal and the information in the reservation management database D310 (S22). That is, the control unit 302 accesses the vehicle management database D303 and identifies a vehicle information record in which information matching the vehicle ID included in the first signal is registered in the vehicle ID field. The control unit 302 reads the second passcode registered in the passcode field of the identified vehicle information record. The control unit 302 authenticates the passcode by comparing the first passcode received in S11 with the second passcode.

[0048] If the passcode authentication in S22 is successful (the first passcode and the second passcode match), the control unit 302 executes a registration process for the first user's use of the connected service (S23). Specifically, the control unit 302 registers the user ID included in the first signal received in S18 in the user ID field of the vehicle information record identified in S22.

[0049] According to the above-described embodiment, the first user registers for use of the connected service. When registering a vehicle 1, the camera 204 of the user terminal 200 captures visible light transmitted from the blinker light 110 of the vehicle 1, and the vehicle ID can be captured by the user terminal 200. This reduces the user's effort in capturing the vehicle ID into the user terminal 200, and also prevents incorrect information from being captured by the user terminal 200. This allows the user to efficiently register for use of connected services. [Explanation of symbols]

[0050] 1 vehicle 10 ECU 11 In-vehicle equipment 100 communication terminal 110 Turn signal light 200 user terminals 201 Communications Department 202 Control section 204 Camera 300 servers 301 Communications Department 302 Control Unit 303 Vehicle Management DB

Claims

[Claim 1] An information processing system comprising: a first terminal used by a first user; a first vehicle purchased by the first user; and a server connected to the first terminal and the first vehicle via a network, The first terminal acquires a first passcode, which is information for identifying the first vehicle; the first terminal transmitting the first passcode to the server; The server identifies the first vehicle based on the first passcode received from the first terminal; The server transmits, to the first vehicle, a first command to transmit first identification information, which is identification information of the first vehicle, by visible light communication; the first vehicle transmitting the first identification information by visible light communication in accordance with the first command received from the server; The first terminal transmits to the server a first signal including the first identification information received from the first vehicle through visible light communication and second identification information that is user identification information; The server identifies a second passcode that is pre-associated with the first identification information included in the first signal received from the first terminal; the server comparing the first passcode with the second passcode; When the matching is successful, the server registers information linking the second identification information included in the first signal with the first vehicle in a first database; and To execute Information processing system.

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