Server, vehicle identification method and program

Abstract

To provide a vehicle identification method which can identify a vehicle name of a specific target vehicle and classification information in few procedures with ease.SOLUTION: A server comprises a communication unit and a control unit. The communication unit transmits / receives information to / from a client terminal. The control unit acquires vehicle identification information from the client terminal via the communication unit. The control unit uniquely identifies the vehicle specific information based on the identification information when the vehicle is included in the vehicles of a first group. The control unit identifies one or more pieces of the vehicle specific information based on the identification information when the vehicle is not included in the vehicles of the first group. The control unit transmits the vehicle specific information identified uniquely or the one or more pieces of the vehicle specific information to the client terminal via the communication unit. The vehicle specific information includes the classification information indicating at least the vehicle name and the classification of the vehicle with the vehicle name.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a server, a vehicle identification method, and a program. [Background technology]

[0002] When a new car dealer buys a trade-in vehicle, or when a used car dealer buys a used vehicle, it is necessary to determine the vehicle's appraisal price. The vehicle name, model year, grade, etc. (hereinafter, information such as model year and grade will be referred to as "classification information") of the vehicle being appraised are the basic information for determining the appraisal price. The vehicle name and classification information are related to some extent to information contained in the license plate, vehicle inspection certificate, caution plate, etc. However, it is sometimes not easy to arrive at the accurate vehicle name and classification information using only this information.

[0003] For example, in Patent Document 1, a server that performs vehicle appraisals searches a database that stores data on vehicles for sale for vehicles similar to the vehicle being appraised and calculates the appraisal price. Patent Document 1 describes that the manufacturer name, vehicle name, model year, and grade are selected sequentially for all vehicles. Cited Document 1 also describes that the manufacturer name, vehicle name, and model year can be identified by entering the classification number and model designation number listed on the vehicle inspection certificate. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2008-65474 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] In the system of Cited Document 1, classification information such as grade must be entered by the user. However, identifying a vehicle grade can be difficult because a vehicle with the same model name may have many different grades set over time. In addition, the same model designation number and classification number may be assigned to vehicles with different models. Therefore, with conventional methods, identifying a vehicle's name and classification information, including its model year and grade, can require many steps, and it can be difficult to identify the vehicle's name and classification information.

[0006] In view of the above circumstances, an object of the present disclosure is to provide a server, a vehicle identification method, and a program that can easily identify the vehicle name and classification information of a vehicle to be identified with a small number of steps. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] A server according to an embodiment of the present disclosure includes a communication unit and a control unit. The communication unit transmits and receives information to and from a client terminal. The control unit acquires vehicle identification information from the client terminal via the communication unit. If the vehicle is included in a first group of vehicles, the control unit uniquely identifies vehicle identification information based on the identification information. If the vehicle is not included in the first group of vehicles, the control unit identifies one or more pieces of vehicle identification information based on the identification information. The control unit transmits the uniquely identified vehicle identification information or the one or more pieces of vehicle identification information to the client terminal via the communication unit. The vehicle identification information includes at least the vehicle name of the vehicle and classification information indicating the classification of vehicles having that vehicle name.

[0008] The vehicle identification method disclosed herein is a vehicle identification method executed by a control unit of a server, and includes acquiring vehicle identification information from a client terminal, uniquely identifying vehicle identification information based on the identification information if the vehicle is included in a first group of vehicles, identifying one or more pieces of vehicle identification information based on the identification information if the vehicle is not included in the first group of vehicles, and transmitting the uniquely identified vehicle identification information or the one or more pieces of vehicle identification information to the client terminal. The vehicle identification information includes at least a vehicle name of the vehicle and classification information indicating a classification of vehicles having the vehicle name.

[0009] A program according to an embodiment of the present disclosure causes a computer to execute a process including acquiring vehicle identification information from a client terminal, uniquely identifying vehicle identification information based on the identification information if the vehicle is included in a first group of vehicles, identifying one or more pieces of vehicle identification information based on the identification information if the vehicle is not included in the first group of vehicles, and transmitting the uniquely identified vehicle identification information or the one or more pieces of vehicle identification information to the client terminal. The vehicle identification information includes at least a name of the vehicle and classification information indicating a classification of vehicles having the name. [Effects of the Invention]

[0010] According to the present disclosure, it is possible to provide a server, a vehicle identification method, and a program that can easily identify the vehicle name and classification information of a vehicle to be identified with a small number of steps. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0011] [Figure 1] 1 is a block diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of a vehicle identification system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of the server in FIG. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of the client terminal of FIG. [Figure 4]FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of vehicle inspection certificate information and data held in a database of an automobile manufacturer. [Figure 5] 2 is a flowchart showing an example of processing executed by the server of FIG. 1; [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a method in which the server acquires vehicle identification information. [Figure 7] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of an image displayed on the client terminal when a vehicle is uniquely identified. [Figure 8] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of an image displayed on a client terminal when a plurality of pieces of vehicle identification information are acquired. [Figure 9] 10 is a flowchart showing another example of the process executed by the server of FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0012] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that the drawings used in the following description are schematic. The dimensional ratios and the like in the drawings do not necessarily correspond to the actual ones.

[0013] As shown in Fig. 1, a vehicle identification system 1 including a server 10 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure includes the server 10 and a plurality of client terminals 20. The vehicle identification system 1 may be part of an appraisal system that determines the appraisal value of a used vehicle. In this case, the vehicle to be identified is the vehicle to be appraised by the appraisal system.

[0014] The server 10 and the client terminal 20 are connected via a communication network 30 so that they can send and receive data to and from each other. The communication network 30 may include at least one of a public network such as the Internet, a network using a dedicated line, and a VPN (Virtual Private Network).

[0015] (server) The server 10 acquires identification information of the vehicle to be identified from the client terminal 20 and executes processing to identify vehicle identification information including the vehicle name of the vehicle to be identified and classification information indicating the classification of the vehicle having the vehicle name. Vehicles in the present disclosure include passenger cars. Passenger cars include, but are not limited to, gasoline-powered vehicles, hybrid vehicles, electric vehicles, and fuel cell vehicles. The vehicle identification information includes a vehicle registration number and a vehicle identification number (VIN), which are information that uniquely identifies the vehicle. The vehicle registration number is a number printed on the vehicle's license plate. The vehicle identification number is a serial number used to identify individual vehicles. In Japan, the chassis number is the VIN. The vehicle identification information includes a designated classification number, which is a number officially assigned by a country or public institution that indicates the vehicle's classification. The designated classification number includes a model designation number and a classification number in Japan. The vehicle classification information includes information on the vehicle's year and grade.

[0016] The server 10 is a computer such as a personal computer, a workstation, or a general-purpose computer. The functions of the server 10 may be implemented on one computer or may be distributed and implemented on multiple computers that can communicate with each other via a communication network 30. As an example, the server 10 includes a first communication unit 11 (communication unit), a first control unit 12 (control unit), and a first storage unit 13, as shown in FIG.

[0017] The first communication unit 11 includes a communication module and is configured to be able to communicate with a plurality of client terminals 20 via the communication network 30. The first communication unit 11 is connected to the communication network 30 by wired or wireless communication means. The first communication unit 11 may be connected to the communication network 30 via an in-house communication network 31 such as a LAN. The first communication unit 11 can perform processes such as protocol processing related to the transmission and reception of information, modulation of transmission signals, and demodulation of reception signals.

[0018] The first control unit 12 controls the entire server 10 and executes various arithmetic processes. The first control unit 12 includes one or more processors. The first control unit 12 may include various processors. The processor may include a general-purpose processor that executes programmed functions by loading a specific program, and a dedicated processor specialized for specific processing. The dedicated processor may be a DSP (Digital Signal Processor), an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), an FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array), or the like. The first control unit 12 may further include a memory. The memory can store the program executed by the processor, information during calculations by the processor, and the like.

[0019] The first storage unit 13 is configured to store programs executed by the first control unit 12, information required for the processing executed by the first control unit 12, and information obtained as a result of the execution by the first control unit 12. The first storage unit 13 may include at least one of a semiconductor storage device, a magnetic storage device, and an optical storage device. The semiconductor storage device may include volatile memory such as DRAM (Dynamic Random Access Memory) and SRAM (Static Random Access Memory), and non-volatile memory such as ROM (Read Only Memory) and flash memory. The semiconductor storage device includes an SSD (Solid State Drive) using flash memory. The magnetic storage device includes magnetic tape, floppy disks, hard disks, etc., and their drive devices. The optical storage device includes, for example, CDs (Compact Discs), DVDs (Digital Versatile Discs), and Blu-ray (Blu-ray®), etc., and their drive devices.

[0020] (Client terminal) The client terminal 20 is placed in a store or the like that performs appraisals of used vehicles, and can acquire identification information of a specific target vehicle through user operation and transmit it to the server 10. In this embodiment, the user is, for example, an employee of a car dealership in charge of vehicle appraisals. In one embodiment, the car dealership that performs vehicle appraisals may be a dealership that sells vehicles of a specific car manufacturer. For example, the car dealership may be a dealership that has a management or business relationship with a specific car manufacturer.

[0021] The client terminal 20 can acquire vehicle identification information including the name and classification information of the vehicle corresponding to the transmitted identification information, or one or more candidates for vehicle identification information, from the server 10. The client terminal 20 can acquire detailed information of the vehicle corresponding to the acquired vehicle identification information or candidate vehicle identification information from the server 10 and display it.

[0022] For example, a smartphone, a portable information terminal, or a PC (Personal Computer) can be used as the client terminal 20. As shown in FIG. 3 , the client terminal 20 includes a second communication unit 21, a second control unit 22, a second storage unit 23, an imaging unit 24, a display unit 25, and an input unit 26.

[0023] The second communication unit 21 includes a communication module and is configured to be able to communicate with the server 10 via the communication network 30. Similar to the first communication unit 11, the second communication unit 21 is connected to the communication network 30 by wired or wireless communication means. Similar to the first communication unit 11, the second communication unit 21 can perform processes such as protocol processing related to the transmission and reception of information, modulation of transmission signals, and demodulation of reception signals.

[0024] The second control unit 22 controls the entire client terminal 20 and executes various arithmetic processing. Like the first control unit 12, the second control unit 22 includes one or more processors. The second control unit 22 may execute a dedicated application corresponding to the processing of the vehicle identification system 1. Based on the application, the second control unit 22 processes an image acquired by an imaging unit 24 (described later) to extract identification information of the vehicle to be identified. The second control unit 22 transmits the identification information to the server 10 and acquires vehicle identification information of the vehicle corresponding to the identification information. The server 10 may acquire a single confirmed piece of vehicle identification information or may acquire multiple pieces of vehicle identification information presented as candidates. The second control unit 22 can display the vehicle identification information received from the server 10 on a display unit 25 (described later).

[0025] The first control unit 12 of the server 10 and the second control unit 22 of the client terminal 20 may share functions in any manner. For example, in the above description, the second control unit 22 processes the image captured by the imaging unit 24 to acquire identification information. However, the second control unit 22 may not perform image recognition processing, but may instead transmit the captured image to the server 10, where the first control unit 12 of the server 10 may perform image processing and acquire identification information.

[0026] The second storage unit 23 is configured to store programs executed by the second control unit 22, information necessary for the processing executed by the second control unit 22, and information obtained as a result of the execution by the second control unit 22. Similar to the first storage unit 13, the second storage unit 23 may include at least one of a semiconductor storage device, a magnetic storage device, and an optical storage device.

[0027] The imaging unit 24 includes a lens and an imaging element. The imaging unit 24 can acquire images of an object to be imaged outside the client terminal 20. The object to be imaged includes the license plate, vehicle inspection certificate, and caution plate of a specific vehicle. The imaging unit 24 transfers the acquired image to the second control unit 22.

[0028] The display unit 25 displays information to the user of the client terminal 20 under the control of the second control unit 22. The display unit 25 can use a known display such as a liquid crystal display (LCD), an organic electroluminescence (EL) display, or an inorganic EL display.

[0029] The input unit 26 is an input interface through which a user of the client terminal 20 inputs information to the client terminal 20. The input unit 26 includes a touch panel, a keyboard, a mouse, or the like. When the input unit 26 is a touch panel, the touch panel is configured integrally with the display unit 25 and accepts input in conjunction with the display content of the display unit 25. Touch panels include various types such as capacitive, resistive, and surface acoustic wave types. Input to the client terminal 20 may be made by voice. In this case, the input unit 26 includes a microphone that converts voice into an audio signal. In this case, the second control unit 22 acquires an audio signal of the person speaking and recognizes the content of the speech.

[0030] (Database) The first control unit 12 can search a database that stores information on a large number of vehicles based on the identification information. For example, if the vehicle to be identified is included in a first group of vehicles, the first control unit 12 can search a first database 41 (hereinafter referred to as "first DB 41") that stores information on the first group of vehicles to uniquely identify the vehicle identification information. The first DB 41 may be included in the vehicle identification system 1 or may be external to the vehicle identification system 1. The first group of vehicles are, for example, vehicles provided by one or more specific automobile manufacturers. Automobile manufacturers manage data on vehicles manufactured by their own company or sold under their own brand name at the automobile production and sales stages, etc.

[0031] Individual data managed in a distributed manner within an automobile manufacturer may not be sufficient information to identify a target vehicle of that manufacturer. For example, as shown in Figure 4, an automobile manufacturer may have a production information database (hereinafter referred to as "production information DB") that manages data at the time of vehicle production, and a sales information database (hereinafter referred to as "sales information DB") that manages data at the time of vehicle sales. In Figure 4, the vehicle inspection certificate information row indicates the information listed on the vehicle inspection certificate. The production information DB row indicates information held by the production information DB. The sales information DB row indicates information held by the sales information DB.

[0032] In the example of Figure 4, the production information DB does not include the vehicle registration number, so it cannot be searched using the vehicle registration number. Also, the sales information DB does not include the designated classification number, so it cannot be searched using the designated classification number. Furthermore, the production information DB does not include information on the vehicle name or grade. On the other hand, the sales information DB does not include information on specifications. However, by integrating the information on the vehicle inspection certificate, the information on the production information DB, and the information on the sales information DB, it becomes possible to search for all of the items listed in this table using, for example, the vehicle identification number. Furthermore, because the vehicle registration number is associated with the vehicle identification number by the vehicle inspection certificate information, all of the items listed in this table can also be searched for using the vehicle registration number.

[0033] The first DB 41 is a database that aggregates data from various databases ("linked DB 43" in FIG. 1) managed by the automobile manufacturer. The linked DB 43 includes databases such as the production information DB and sales information DB described above. The first DB 41 may periodically collect data from the linked DBs by batch processing. Alternatively, the first DB 41 may be a virtually integrated database that is configured to acquire data in real time from the linked DB 43 when a data acquisition request is received from the server 10.

[0034] The first control unit 12 can uniquely identify a vehicle by searching the first DB 41 using identification information unique to each vehicle, such as a vehicle registration number or a vehicle identification number. Therefore, the first control unit 12 can uniquely identify vehicle identification information including the vehicle name and classification information for any vehicle in the first group registered in the first DB 41. The first DB 41 may be provided separately from the server 10 or may be included in the server 10.

[0035] The vehicle identification system 1 may further include a second database 42 (hereinafter referred to as "second DB42") that stores, for vehicles not included in the first group of vehicles, designated classification numbers (model designation numbers and classification division numbers) and vehicle identification information including classification information such as vehicle names, model years, and grades, in association with each other. The second DB42 may further store detailed information for each grade of a vehicle having each vehicle name, including at least one of specifications, equipment, price, and sales period. These detailed information may be information collected from publicly available information sources such as vehicle catalogs. The second DB42 may store the vehicle identification information and the detailed information in association with each other.

[0036] The first control unit 12 can search the second DB 42 using the specified classification number. As a result, the first control unit 12 can acquire one or more pieces of vehicle identification information including the vehicle name and classification information from the second DB 42 as candidates for vehicle identification information corresponding to the vehicle to be identified. The first control unit 12 can acquire detailed information corresponding to each piece of vehicle identification information along with the vehicle identification information.

[0037] (External system) The first control unit 12 of the server 10 can obtain the designated classification number of the identified vehicle from the external system 50 using identification information unique to each vehicle, such as the vehicle registration number or vehicle identification number. The external system 50 is, for example, a system provided by a government-related organization or public institution that manages vehicle registration information. In Japan, for example, the external system 50 is a system provided by the Automobile Inspection and Registration Information Association.

[0038] (Vehicle identification method) A vehicle identification method executed by the first control unit 12 of the server 10 will be described below with reference to Fig. 5. The method disclosed in this embodiment can be executed by a processor included in the server 10 according to a program. Such a program can be stored in a non-transitory computer-readable medium. Examples of non-transitory computer-readable media include, but are not limited to, a hard disk, RAM, ROM, flash memory, CD-ROM, optical storage device, magnetic storage device, etc.

[0039] First, the first control unit 12 acquires information about the vehicle to be identified via the first communication unit 11 (step S101). The information about the vehicle to be identified is information input or acquired by the user operating the client terminal 20. The information about the vehicle to be identified may include vehicle identification information and information about whether the vehicle to be identified is included in the first group of vehicles, such as the vehicle manufacturer's name. The user may acquire the vehicle identification information by operating the imaging unit 24 of the client terminal 20 to capture an image of at least one of the vehicle's license plate 61, vehicle inspection certificate 62, or caution plate 63. The user may check the description on the vehicle inspection certificate 62, etc., and input the vehicle information from the input unit 26 of the client terminal 20.

[0040] As shown in FIG. 6 , the license plate 61 contains information about the vehicle registration number. The vehicle registration number can be obtained by reading characters from an image of the license plate 61 using image recognition technology, particularly OCR (Optical Character Recognition) technology. The vehicle inspection certificate 62 contains the vehicle registration number, chassis number, model designation number, and classification number. The vehicle inspection certificate 62 may also contain a code that encodes the information contained in the vehicle inspection certificate 62. For example, the Japanese vehicle inspection certificate 62 contains a QR code (Quick Response Code) (registered trademark). The QR code contains the information contained in the vehicle inspection certificate 62. The vehicle registration number, chassis number, model designation number, and classification number can be obtained by reading the image of the vehicle inspection certificate 62 using image recognition or by reading the code contained in the vehicle inspection certificate 62. The caution plate 63 contains information about the chassis number. The chassis number can be obtained from the image of the caution plate 63 using image recognition technology. The caution plate 63 is a metal plate attached to the engine compartment or center pillar of the vehicle, and has the vehicle's chassis number, model, color, etc. written on it.

[0041] The server 10 can acquire at least one of the vehicle registration number and the chassis number, which is a vehicle identification number, from the client terminal 20. Furthermore, when the client terminal 20 acquires information from the motor vehicle inspection certificate 62, the server 10 can acquire the model designation number and the classification number, which are classification numbers. When the server 10 has not acquired the model designation number and the classification number, the server 10 can transmit the vehicle registration number or the chassis number to the external system 50 and acquire the model designation number and the classification number corresponding to the transmitted vehicle registration number or the chassis number.

[0042] Next, the first control unit 12 determines whether the identified vehicle is included in the first group of vehicles based on the information of the identified vehicle acquired from the client terminal 20 (step S102). For example, if the information of the identified vehicle includes information indicating that the vehicle is a vehicle provided by a specific automobile manufacturer, the first control unit 12 can determine that the vehicle is a vehicle in the first group of vehicles.

[0043] When the vehicle to be identified is a vehicle of the first group, the first control unit 12 proceeds to the process of step S103. The first control unit 12 acquires vehicle identification information, in which a unique number is assigned to each vehicle, from the information of the vehicle to be identified acquired from the client terminal 20 (step S103). The vehicle identification information in this case is, for example, a vehicle identification number or a vehicle registration number.

[0044] Next, the first control unit 12 searches the first DB 41 using the acquired vehicle identification information (step S104). This allows unique identification of vehicle identification information including the vehicle name and classification information of the vehicle corresponding to the vehicle identification information. The first control unit 12 can acquire detailed information about the vehicle to be identified from the first DB 41 in addition to the vehicle identification information. The detailed information may include at least any of the vehicle specifications, equipment, price, sales period, registration date, vehicle color, etc.

[0045] The first control unit 12 transmits the vehicle identification information of the vehicle to be identified acquired from the first DB 41, and detailed information as necessary, to the client terminal 20, and displays it on the display unit 25 of the client terminal 20, thereby presenting it to the user (step S105). As shown in an example in FIG. 7, the display unit 25 of the client terminal 20 displays information such as the manufacturer name, model name, and grade of the vehicle to be identified. The user of the client terminal 20 can operate the input unit 26 of the client terminal 20 to acquire more detailed information and display it on the display unit 25.

[0046] In step S102, if the vehicle to be identified is not a vehicle included in the first group of vehicles (step S102: No), the first control unit 12 proceeds to the processing of step S106. For example, if the information on the vehicle to be identified includes information indicating that the vehicle is not provided by a specific manufacturer, the vehicle is determined to be not a vehicle in the first group. The contents of step S106 and the processing that follows will be described below.

[0047] The first control unit 12 acquires the designated classification number of the vehicle based on the information acquired from the client terminal 20 (step S106). As described above, the designated classification number may be included in the identification information acquired from the client terminal 20 via the first communication unit 11, or may be acquired from the external system 50 using unique identification information such as the vehicle registration number or vehicle identification number.

[0048] The first control unit 12 searches the second DB 42 using the designated classification number (step S107). As a result of searching the second DB 42, there may be multiple combinations of vehicle name and classification information corresponding to a specific designated classification number. For example, a vehicle manufacturer may offer vehicles with the same designated classification number under different vehicle names and grade names corresponding to different sales channels. Therefore, the designated classification number may identify multiple pieces of vehicle identification information including combinations of vehicle name and classification information of the vehicle corresponding to the designated classification number. The first control unit 12 can obtain detailed information corresponding to one or more pieces of vehicle identification information from the second DB 42. The detailed information may include information such as vehicle specifications, standard and optional equipment, price, and sales period.

[0049] The first control unit 12 transmits the one or more pieces of vehicle identification information acquired from the second DB 42 to the client terminal 20 and displays them on the display unit 25 of the client terminal 20, thereby presenting them to the user (step S108). As shown in an example on the left side of FIG. 8, the display unit 25 of the client terminal 20 can display the manufacturer name, vehicle name, and sales period and equipment information by grade of vehicles related to the multiple candidates for vehicle identification information. The display unit 25 may display a button for selecting and registering one of the multiple pieces of vehicle identification information as the vehicle identification information for the vehicle to be identified, and a button for displaying detailed information about the vehicle related to the vehicle identification information.

[0050] A user of the client terminal 20 can operate the input unit 26 of the client terminal 20 to select one of the multiple pieces of vehicle identification information to obtain more detailed information. In response to a request from the client terminal 20, the first control unit 12 can display detailed information such as that shown on the right side of Fig. 8 on the display unit 25 of the client terminal 20 in accordance with each piece of vehicle identification information (step S109). The detailed information includes at least any of the specifications, equipment, price, and sales period of the vehicle related to the selected vehicle identification information.

[0051] When there is only one piece of vehicle identification information displayed on the client terminal 20, the user confirms whether the vehicle identification information matches the actual vehicle to be identified. When multiple pieces of vehicle identification information are displayed on the client terminal 20, the user compares the multiple pieces of vehicle identification information with the actual vehicle to be identified and determines which piece of vehicle identification information corresponds to the vehicle to be identified. The first control unit 12 may extract differences in the detailed information of each piece of vehicle identification information, transmit information on the differences in the detailed information to the client terminal 20 via the first communication unit 11, and present the information to the user. The client terminal 20 may display the differences in the detailed information associated with the multiple pieces of vehicle identification information on the display unit 25 by changing the display mode, such as color, to indicate the differences. The user may focus on the differences to determine which piece of vehicle identification information identifies the vehicle to be identified.

[0052] For example, assume that information on grade A and grade B of a vehicle with a specific vehicle name corresponding to one designated classification number is identified as vehicle identification information. If there is a difference in the sales period between grade A and grade B, the first control unit 12 transmits information indicating the difference in the sales period to the client terminal 20. The client terminal 20 displays the sales period information included in the detailed information of the vehicle identification information indicating each grade, for example, in red text, on the display unit 25. A user viewing this information can check the vehicle registration date information listed on the vehicle inspection certificate and determine whether the identified vehicle corresponds to grade A or grade B. Furthermore, for example, if the wheel sizes differ between grade A and grade B, the first control unit 12 transmits information indicating the difference in wheel size to the client terminal 20. The client terminal 20 may display information indicating the wheel size of the equipment included in the detailed information in red text on the display unit 25. A user can determine whether the identified vehicle is grade A or grade B by actually checking the wheel size of the identified vehicle.

[0053] When the user determines that the vehicle to be identified is a vehicle of one of the vehicle identification information, the user performs an operation to register the candidate vehicle as a vehicle to be identified. Registration can be performed, for example, by operating a "register button" displayed on the display unit 25. When the user registers one of the vehicle identification information, the second control unit 22 of the client terminal 20 transmits selection information indicating the selection of one of the vehicle identification information to the server 10. This allows the first control unit 12 of the server 10 to acquire selection information indicating the selection of one of the vehicle identification information from the plurality of vehicle identification information (step S110).

[0054] As described above, the vehicle name and classification of the vehicle to be identified are identified. After steps S105 and S110, the process of identifying the vehicle ends. The server 10 may further perform a process of determining the assessed value of the vehicle based on the vehicle identification information of the identified vehicle.

[0055] As described above, according to this embodiment, if a vehicle is included in the first group of vehicles, the vehicle identification information is uniquely identified based on the identification information. For example, if the vehicle is provided by a specific manufacturer, the vehicle can be identified by searching the first DB 41, which aggregates the vehicle identification information of that manufacturer. Furthermore, if the vehicle is not included in the first group of vehicles, one or more pieces of vehicle identification information including a combination of the vehicle name and classification information are identified based on the designated classification number, and the identified vehicle identification information is sent to the client terminal 20. This makes it easy for the client terminal 20 to select the vehicle identification information for the vehicle. Therefore, according to this embodiment, the vehicle name and classification information of the vehicle to be identified can be easily identified with a few steps.

[0056] Furthermore, according to this embodiment, the user can input identification information simply by capturing an image of the vehicle using the client terminal 20, thereby reducing the input load and improving convenience. Furthermore, when the user captures an image of the license plate 61 or the caution plate 63, the first control unit 12 acquires the designated classification number from the external system 50 based on the vehicle identification information acquired from the image, thereby improving convenience for the user.

[0057] Furthermore, according to this embodiment, if the vehicle to be identified is not a vehicle of the first group, the first control unit 12 can display detailed information of the vehicle related to one or more pieces of vehicle identification information on the client terminal 20. This allows the user to compare this detailed information with the actual vehicle and easily determine which piece of vehicle identification information the vehicle to be identified belongs to. Furthermore, the first control unit 12 transmits difference information between vehicles related to multiple pieces of vehicle identification information to the client terminal 20 and displays it on the display unit 25, allowing the user to easily understand the points to compare between the multiple candidates for vehicle identification information. This allows the user to more quickly identify the vehicle name and classification information of the vehicle to be identified.

[0058] (Other vehicle identification methods) 5 in the above embodiment, the user of the client terminal 20 inputs information such as the vehicle manufacturer name indicating whether the vehicle belongs to the first group of vehicles. However, the information indicating whether the vehicle belongs to the first group can be determined by the first control unit 12 of the server 10 without being input from the client terminal 20. An example will be described using the flowchart in FIG. 9.

[0059] First, the first control unit 12 acquires information about the vehicle to be identified from the client terminal 20 via the first communication unit 11 (step S201). The information about the vehicle to be identified does not include information indicating whether the vehicle is included in the first group of vehicles, such as the manufacturer name of the vehicle.

[0060] Next, the first control unit 12 acquires vehicle identification information, which is a number unique to each vehicle, such as a vehicle registration number and a vehicle identification number, from the acquired information on the vehicle to be identified (step S202).

[0061] The first control unit 12 searches the first DB 41 using the vehicle identification information (step S203). If the vehicle to be identified is a vehicle of the first group, the vehicle to be identified is registered in the first DB 41, and therefore a search result of a unique vehicle is returned from the first DB 41. If the vehicle to be identified is not a vehicle of the first group, the vehicle to be identified is not registered in the first DB 41, and therefore a return is made from the first DB 41 indicating that there is no corresponding data.

[0062] When a matching vehicle is found by searching the first DB41 (step S204: Yes), the first control unit 12 presents the vehicle identification information of the unique vehicle identified by the search of the first DB41 by displaying it on the display unit 25 of the client terminal 20 (step S205).

[0063] On the other hand, when the first DB 41 is searched and no corresponding vehicle is found (step S204: No), the first control unit 12 executes the processes of steps S206 to S210. The processes of steps S206 to S210 are the same as the processes of steps S106 to S110 shown in FIG. 5, and therefore, description thereof will be omitted.

[0064] As described above, the method of the present disclosure can be carried out even if the vehicle information obtained from the client terminal 20 does not directly include information indicating whether the vehicle is included in the first group of vehicles.

[0065] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and many variations and modifications are possible. For example, the functions included in each means, step, etc. can be rearranged so as not to cause logical contradictions, and multiple means or steps can be combined into one or divided. [Explanation of symbols]

[0066] 1. Vehicle Identification System 10 Servers 11 First Communications Department (Communications Department) 12 First control section (control section) 13 1st memory section 20 Client Terminals 21 Second Communications Department 22 Second Control Section 23 2nd memory section 24 Imaging unit 25 Display section 26 Input section 30 Communication Network 31 Internal communication network 41 First DB (First Database) 42 Second DB (Second Database) 43 Collaborative DB 50 External Systems 61 License Plate 62 Vehicle Inspection Certificate 63 Caution Plate

Claims

1. a communication unit that transmits and receives information to and from a client terminal; acquiring vehicle identification information from the client terminal via the communication unit, and if the vehicle is included in a first group of vehicles, searching a first database that stores one piece of vehicle identification information associated with the identification information of one vehicle in the first group based on the identification information, thereby uniquely identifying the vehicle identification information; If the vehicle is not included in the first group of vehicles, the identification information is transmitted to an external system capable of acquiring a classification number indicating an officially assigned vehicle classification, and the classification number is acquired from the external system, and one or more pieces of vehicle identification information are identified by searching a second database that stores the classification number in association with the vehicle identification information; a control unit that transmits the uniquely identified vehicle identification information or the one or more pieces of vehicle identification information to the client terminal via the communication unit; wherein the vehicle identification information includes at least a name of the vehicle and classification information indicating a classification of vehicles having the name.

2. The server of claim 1 , wherein the first group of vehicles are vehicles offered by one or more particular manufacturers.

3. The server according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the classification number includes a model designation number and a category number.

4. 4. The server according to claim 1, wherein the control unit is configured to be able to transmit detailed information including at least one of specifications, equipment, price, and sales period corresponding to the vehicle identification information to the client terminal via the communication unit.

5. 5. The server according to claim 4, wherein the second database stores the vehicle identification information and the detailed information in association with each other, and when the vehicle is not included in the first group of vehicles, the control unit searches the second database to obtain the detailed information corresponding to the one or more pieces of vehicle identification information.

6. 6. The server according to claim 4 or 5, wherein when the one or more pieces of vehicle identification information include a plurality of pieces of vehicle identification information, the control unit extracts differences in the detailed information associated with each of the one or more pieces of vehicle identification information and transmits the differences in the detailed information to the client terminal via the communication unit.

7. The server according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the control unit is configured to acquire selection information for selecting one of the vehicle identification information from the client terminal via the communication unit when the plurality of vehicle identification information are sent to the client terminal, and when the selection information is acquired, registers the one of the vehicle identification information corresponding to the selection information as the vehicle identification information of the vehicle.

8. The server according to claim 1 , wherein the control unit acquires the identification information by acquiring an image of the vehicle inspection certificate of the vehicle and reading the identification information from the image.

9. The server according to claim 1 , wherein the classification information includes at least one of information on a model year and a grade of the vehicle.

10. A vehicle identification method executed by a control unit of a server, Obtaining vehicle identification information from a client terminal; If the vehicle is included in a first group of vehicles, uniquely identifying the vehicle identification information by searching a first database that stores one piece of vehicle identification information associated with the identification information of one vehicle in the first group, based on the identification information; If the vehicle is not included in the first group of vehicles, acquiring a classification number indicating an officially assigned vehicle classification from an external system that can acquire the classification number by transmitting the identification information, and identifying one or more pieces of vehicle identification information by searching a second database that stores the classification number and the vehicle identification information in association with each other; transmitting the uniquely identified vehicle identification information or the one or more vehicle identification information to the client terminal; wherein the vehicle identification information includes at least a name of the vehicle and classification information indicating a classification of vehicles having the name.

11. 11. The method of claim 10, wherein the first group of vehicles are vehicles offered by one or more particular manufacturers.

12. Obtaining vehicle identification information from a client terminal; If the vehicle is included in a first group of vehicles, uniquely identifying the vehicle identification information by searching a first database that stores one piece of vehicle identification information associated with the identification information of one vehicle in the first group, based on the identification information; If the vehicle is not included in the first group of vehicles, acquiring a classification number indicating an officially assigned vehicle classification from an external system that can acquire the classification number by transmitting the identification information, and identifying one or more pieces of vehicle identification information by searching a second database that stores the classification number and the vehicle identification information in association with each other; transmitting the uniquely identified vehicle identification information or the one or more vehicle identification information to the client terminal; wherein the vehicle identification information includes at least a name of the vehicle and classification information indicating a classification of vehicles having the name.

13. 13. The program of claim 12, wherein the first group of vehicles are vehicles offered by one or more particular manufacturers.

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