Equipment Recommendation System

Abstract

To provide a technology capable of recommending a device having a high possibility that a target user can perform a favorite experience.SOLUTION: A device recommendation system includes a history information acquisition part for acquiring history information obtained by associating an experience attribute showing a destination or an experience attribute obtained by traveling to the destination to a user history in the case that a device provided by a vehicle when the vehicle travels to the destination with a user's evaluation to the experience: the history information defined for each user of the vehicle, a recommendation information acquisition part for acquiring a destination and a device corresponding to an experience attribute whose evaluation of a reference user is higher than reference as a recommended destination and a recommended device on the basis of history information of the reference user whose preference is similar to that of a target user to be a recommendation object of the device, and an output control part recommending use of the recommended device or operates the recommended device at the recommended destination or in traveling to the recommended destination.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a device recommendation system. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a technology that determines whether or not there is a scenic spot on the vehicle's current route, and if it is determined that a scenic spot exists, notifies the vehicle occupants of this fact before the vehicle approaches the scenic spot. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2006-329792 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] The situations in which a user feels comfortable while driving a vehicle are not limited to predetermined places with beautiful scenery. For example, a user may feel comfortable by experiencing the warmth of the surrounding air or sunlight, regardless of the quality of the scenery. However, in conventional technologies, the scenic spots to be presented are predetermined. Therefore, it is only possible to guide the user to predetermined places with beautiful scenery. The present invention has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned problems, and aims to provide a technology that can recommend a device that is likely to provide an experience that a target user will like. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the device recommendation system includes: a history information acquisition unit that acquires history information defined for each user of the vehicle, in which experience attributes indicating attributes of the experience gained at the destination or when traveling to the destination are associated with the user's evaluation of the experience, for a usage history of when a device equipped in the vehicle is used when the vehicle travels to the destination; a recommendation information acquisition unit that acquires, based on the history information of a reference user who has similar preferences to the target user to whom the device is recommended, the destination and the device corresponding to the experience attributes that are rated higher than a standard by the reference user, as a recommended destination and a recommended device; and an output control unit that recommends the use of the recommended device at the recommended destination or when traveling to the recommended destination, or operates the recommended device.

[0006] That is, in the technology related to the device recommendation system, it is believed that a user can gain some kind of experience by using a device at a destination or while traveling to the destination. Furthermore, in the device recommendation system, it is believed that the experience will differ depending on the destination. To analyze such experiences, the device recommendation system defines the attributes of the experience as experience attributes. The experience attributes of an experience gained at a destination or while traveling to the destination and the user's evaluation of the experience are associated with the device usage history. Therefore, the experience attributes of an experience gained through the use of a device and the user's evaluation of that experience are accumulated for each user. Therefore, by referring to the history information of reference users with similar preferences to the target user and identifying destinations and devices corresponding to experience attributes rated higher by the reference users than a standard, it is possible to identify destinations and devices that will provide an experience that the target user is likely to prefer. Therefore, by designating such destinations and devices as recommended destinations and devices, the device recommendation system is able to recommend destinations and devices that are likely to provide an experience that the target user will prefer. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0007] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a device recommendation system. [Figure 2] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of history information. [Figure 3] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a method for determining experience attributes. [Figure 4] FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an in-vehicle system. [Figure 5] 5A and 5B are flowcharts of the history information acquisition process, and FIG. 5C is a flowchart of the history information recording process. [Figure 6] 10 is a flowchart of a recommended information output process. [Figure 7] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of default recommendation information. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0008] Here, the embodiments of the present invention will be described in the following order. (1) System configuration: (1-1) Recommended system configuration: (1-2) Vehicle configuration: (2) History information acquisition process: (3) History information recording processing: (4) Recommended information output processing: (5) Other embodiments:

[0009] (1) System configuration: FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a device recommendation system 10 according to the present invention. In this embodiment, the device recommendation system 10 cooperates with a plurality of vehicles C (on-board systems used in the vehicles C) and an information management system 50 via communication. The vehicles C are vehicles used by users of the vehicles C, and although three vehicles C are shown in FIG. 1, the number of vehicles C is not limited. The information management system 50 is a system that collects and stores information related to weather and congestion levels. In response to a request from the device recommendation system 10, the information management system 50 transmits information indicating the weather and congestion levels at the requested date, time, and location to the device recommendation system 10.

[0010] (1-1) Recommended system configuration: In this embodiment, the device recommendation system 10 is a stationary server computer, but of course the device recommendation system 10 may take any form. The device recommendation system 10 includes a control unit 20 including a CPU, RAM, ROM, etc., a storage medium 30, and a communication unit 40. The communication unit 40 is a device for communicating with other devices. In this embodiment, the control unit 20 can communicate with an in-vehicle system and an information management system 50 used in the vehicle C via the communication unit 40.

[0011] The storage medium 30 stores history information 30b collected from the vehicle C. The history information 30b is information indicating the usage history of devices provided in the vehicle when the vehicle C traveled to a destination. In this embodiment, the usage history is associated with the device usage conditions, the destination of the vehicle C, experience attributes indicating attributes of the experience obtained at the destination, and the user's evaluation of the experience. Furthermore, the history information 30b is defined for each user of the vehicle C.

[0012] In this embodiment, the devices equipped in vehicle C include devices that can be used while driving vehicle C by, for example, setting the device on / off by the user of vehicle C. The devices equipped in vehicle C also include devices that automatically operate when a control start condition is met, such as when the temperature inside the vehicle cabin deviates from a reference range. The devices are not limited and may differ for each vehicle C. For example, the devices may include at least one of the vehicle's sunroof, tailgate, sliding door, seats, windows, mirrors, speed control device, wipers, headlights, gear ratio change device, air conditioning system, and audio system. Note that the windows include the power windows for the driver's seat, passenger seat, and rear seat, as well as the opening and closing mechanism for the glass window of the tailgate. History data may be collected separately for each device, or may be collected without distinction. The speed control device may be any device capable of adjusting the speed of vehicle C. In this embodiment, the speed control device is an adaptive cruise control device (adaptive cruise control device). The gear ratio changing device may be any of a variety of devices, such as an automatic transmission, a continuously variable transmission, a manual transmission, or an E-axle that uses a motor, an inverter, and a reducer.

[0013] The usage history only needs to indicate the history of operation of these devices, and in this embodiment, it is information indicating whether or not the device operated and the operating state. That is, if a device operates while vehicle C is traveling or while parked at a destination, information indicating that the device operated and information indicating the operating state are recorded in the history information 30b. The operating state is, for example, information indicating the degree of operation, and in the example shown in FIG. 2, the operating state of the sunroof is shown as being open, half-open, or closed.

[0014] The usage conditions indicate the conditions under which the device was used, and in this embodiment, include the location where the device was used, the date and time when it was used, the environment in which it was used, and the state of the vehicle when it was used. The environment in which the device was used is the environment around vehicle C when it was used, and in this embodiment, includes the weather and the degree of congestion. The state of vehicle C when the device was used may be defined by various elements, and in this embodiment, it is the speed of vehicle C. Of course, other states, such as when driving in a straight line or when driving around a curve, may also be the state of the vehicle when it was used.

[0015] FIG. 2 shows an example of history information 30b. History information 30b is a history for each device equipped in vehicle C, and therefore records information for each device equipped in vehicle C, such as a sunroof. History items indicate items of values ​​recorded as history information 30b, and include multiple items indicating usage history, usage conditions, destinations, experience attributes, and evaluations. For the sunroof, the usage history indicates the history of when the sunroof changed from a closed state to an open state as "open" or "half-open." Open and half-open are determined by the opening degree. Furthermore, the history of when the sunroof changed from a closed state to an open state is indicated as "closed." For other devices, the usage state is also defined for each device. In this embodiment, usage conditions such as the date and time and location at which each device was used are associated with the history of when the device was open, half-open, closed, etc. Furthermore, in history information 30b, the history of when the sunroof changed from an open state to a closed state is indicated as "closed," and usage conditions such as the date and time and location at which the sunroof was closed are associated with the history of when the sunroof was closed. Therefore, by identifying the period from the date and time associated with the opening history to the date and time associated with the closing history, it is also possible to identify the length of time that the sunroof was in the open state.

[0016] The destination is a point that is set as the destination when vehicle C is traveling. The destination may be identified by various methods. For example, it may be a destination that is set when the route of vehicle C is searched, or it may be a point where the vehicle has been traveling for a certain period of time and then parked for a certain period of time. In this embodiment, the destination is identified by coordinates, but a range of a certain distance from the coordinates is also considered to be the destination. Therefore, the usage conditions are information about the range of the certain distance. For example, the congestion level and speed are statistical values ​​for the range of the certain distance.

[0017] The experience attribute is information indicating the attribute of the experience to be obtained at the destination, and in this embodiment, is defined for each destination. The experience attribute may be any information indicating the type of experience. In this embodiment, the experience attribute is determined based on measurable values ​​related to the destination. Values ​​are defined for multiple types of items, and the experience attribute is determined based on the value associated with each item.

[0018] In this embodiment, the multiple items for determining the experience attributes include the time period spent at the destination, the positional relationship between the user and the scenery associated with the destination, the temperature difference between the destination and the departure point, the temperature difference between the destination and the vehicle interior, and the weather at the destination.

[0019] The time period spent at a destination is obtained by dividing 24 hours into a plurality of predetermined time period segments. Figure 3 shows a method for determining experience attributes. Figure 3 shows an example in which the time period is divided into three time period segments: morning, afternoon, and night. The time of day that falls into each time period is predetermined.

[0020] The positional relationship between the scenery associated with the destination and the user indicates the positional relationship between the user and a good scenery that the user at the destination is expected to see in the experience indicated by the experience attribute, and is classified into a plurality of positional relationship categories. For example, if the experience attribute indicates an experience that can be obtained while viewing a scenery that spreads horizontally from the user's perspective, the positional relationship is classified into an XY direction category. If the experience attribute indicates an experience that can be obtained while viewing a scenery that spreads upward from the user's perspective, the positional relationship is classified into a Z direction category (the +Z direction when the Z axis is the vertical axis and the positive direction of the Z axis points upward). Of course, the XY and Z directions may have ranges, may extend in different axial directions, or the positional relationship may be classified in other ways.

[0021] The temperature difference between the destination and the departure point indicates the difference between the temperature at the departure point when the vehicle starts traveling to the destination and the temperature at the destination when the vehicle arrives at the destination, and is classified into multiple temperature difference categories. The temperature difference may be determined in various ways, such as by actual measurement, by collection using a weather information collection system, or by statistical values. In any case, the experience associated with using the device, for example, the experience when the sunroof or windows are open, may differ depending on whether the temperature difference between the destination and the departure point is large or small. Note that ±5°C shown in FIG. 3 is an example, and the temperature difference may be classified into more categories.

[0022] The temperature difference between the destination and the vehicle cabin indicates the difference between the temperature in the vehicle cabin at the time of departure when the vehicle starts traveling toward the destination and the temperature in the vehicle cabin at the time the vehicle arrives at the destination, and is classified into multiple temperature difference categories. The temperature difference may be determined in various ways, such as by actual measurement, by determining based on values ​​collected by a weather information collection system or the like and values ​​collected by a vehicle cabin temperature sensor, or by using statistical values. In any case, the experience associated with using the device, for example, the experience when the sunroof or windows are open, may differ depending on whether the temperature difference between the destination and the vehicle cabin is large or small. Note that ±5°C shown in FIG. 3 is an example, and the temperature difference may be classified into more categories.

[0023] The weather at the destination is the weather at the destination, and is classified into known weather categories such as sunny, cloudy, rainy, etc. The weather at the destination may be actually measured, collected by a weather information collection system or the like, or may be a statistical value, and may be specified in various ways.

[0024] In any case, when determining the experience attribute, the value of each item at the destination (such as a value indicating the stay time or the weather) is identified, and it is determined which of the categories associated with each item the value of each item falls into. The experience attribute is then determined based on the category to which the value of each item belongs. For example, in the case of an item regarding the time period spent at the destination, the time at which each user stayed at the destination is identified, and it is determined which of the time period categories this time belongs to. The experience attribute is determined based on the category to which the value of each item belongs.

[0025] In FIG. 3, a value of 1 or 0 is associated with each category of an item. 1 indicates that the value's belonging to that category is a condition for the attribute to be an experience. For example, if the user's stay at the destination is in the morning or afternoon, the positional relationship between the scenery visible from the destination and the user is in the XY direction, the temperature difference between the destination and the departure point and the temperature difference between the destination and the vehicle cabin are arbitrary, and the weather at the destination is sunny or cloudy, the user's experience at the destination is classified as a daytime view. Note that the conditions (values ​​of 1 and 0) for each category of experience attributes shown in FIG. 3 are examples. Furthermore, the user's experience at the destination may be classified into multiple experience attributes.

[0026] Returning to the explanation of FIG. 2, as shown in FIG. 2, the history information 30b includes a user's evaluation of the experience. In this embodiment, the evaluation is a user's evaluation of the experience obtained at the destination, and is input by the user after the experience. The evaluation may be defined in various ways, and in this embodiment, it is assumed that the evaluation is performed on a five-point scale. Note that if the user has not yet obtained an evaluation, the evaluation is undefined.

[0027] The control unit 20 can execute a program stored in the storage medium 30, a ROM (not shown), or the like. In this embodiment, the control unit 20 can execute this program, which is a device recommendation program 21. When the device recommendation program 21 is executed, the control unit 20 functions as a history information acquisition unit 21a, a recommendation information acquisition unit 21b, an output control unit 21c, and a history information update unit 21d.

[0028] The history information acquisition unit 21a has a function of acquiring the history information 30b. That is, the control unit 20 uses the function of the history information acquisition unit 21a to collect the history information 30b from the vehicle C and the information management system 50 via the communication unit 40 and store the history information 30b in the storage medium 30.

[0029] Specifically, vehicle C collects the destination of vehicle C, the usage history of the device of vehicle C used at the destination, and part of the usage conditions (date and time of use, location, and speed of vehicle C when used). The destination is specified by identification information indicating the destination (such as POI-1 shown in FIG. 2). The identification information of the destination, the usage history of the device, and part of the usage conditions are associated with the identification information of the user of vehicle C, and are transmitted to the device recommendation system 10 at a predetermined transmission timing. In this embodiment, the user identification information is the identification information of vehicle C, and does not distinguish between individual people who use vehicle C, although of course, each person may be distinguished.

[0030] Furthermore, vehicle C collects values ​​for each item that defines the experience attributes for the destination where the above-mentioned device was used. That is, vehicle C collects values ​​related to the time spent at the destination, the positional relationship between the user and the scenery visible from the destination, the temperature difference between the destination and the departure point, the temperature difference between the destination and the vehicle interior, and the weather at the destination. Furthermore, vehicle C identifies to which category of each item of the experience attributes these values ​​belong, and identifies the experience attributes based on the category. The experience attributes are transmitted to device recommendation system 10 together with the above-mentioned usage history, etc.

[0031] The control unit 20 acquires the information transmitted from the vehicle C via the communication unit 40 and stores it in the storage medium 30 as history information 30b. Furthermore, the control unit 20 references the received history information 30b to acquire the date and time when the device was used (or use was terminated) and the location of the vehicle C. The control unit 20 then outputs a request to the information management system 50 via the communication unit 40 to transmit the weather and congestion level at the relevant date, time, and location. In response to this request, the information management system 50 replies with information indicating the weather and congestion level at the relevant date, time, and location. The control unit 20 receives this information via the communication unit 40 and adds it to the history information 30b.

[0032] Furthermore, in vehicle C, the user's evaluation of the experience at the destination is input to the in-vehicle system and transmitted to the device recommendation system 10 together with the above-mentioned usage history, etc. The control unit 20 acquires the evaluation value via the communication unit 40 using the function of the history information update unit 21d described below, and adds it to the history information 30b. Note that if an evaluation corresponding to the same experience attribute for the same destination already exists, it is updated to the latest information. The control unit 20 collects history information 30b for each destination for each user through the above-mentioned processing. As a result, history information 30b as shown in FIG. 2 is collected.

[0033] The recommended information acquisition unit 21b has a function of acquiring, as recommended destinations and recommended devices, destinations and devices corresponding to experience attributes rated higher than a standard by the reference user, based on the history information of the reference user whose preferences are similar to those of the target user to whom the device is recommended. In this embodiment, recommendation is made when predetermined conditions are met. The predetermined conditions may be various conditions, and various conditions can be adopted, such as when the user of vehicle C issues an instruction to execute a recommended destination or when a destination is searched for. When the predetermined conditions are met, a recommendation request is transmitted from vehicle C. When the control unit 20 receives the recommendation request via the communication unit 40, the control unit 20 acquires recommended destinations and recommended devices as follows.

[0034] In this embodiment, the user is a person who uses vehicle C, and the target user is a user to whom a recommended device is provided. The reference user is a user who has similar preferences to the target user. In this embodiment, the reference user is a user associated with history information 30b similar to the history information 30b of the target user. An example of a method for identifying the reference user will be described later.

[0035] Furthermore, the control unit 20 refers to the history information 30b of the reference user and identifies experience attributes for which the reference user has rated higher than a standard. The standard may be determined in advance, and it is sufficient if experience attributes for which the reference user has rated relatively highly can be identified by satisfying the standard. In this embodiment, the experience attributes included in the history information 30b of the reference user are sorted in descending order of rating, and a predetermined number of the top experience attributes are considered to be higher than the standard. Of course, the top-ranked experience attributes may be limited to those with ratings equal to or higher than a threshold.

[0036] When an experience attribute for which the reference user has rated it higher than the standard is identified, the control unit 20 acquires a destination and a device corresponding to the experience attribute as a recommended destination and a recommended device. For example, in the example shown in FIG. 2, if user 1 is the reference user and "POI-1," a destination with a rating of 4, is included in a predetermined number of the top ratings, the destination "POI-1" with a rating of 4 is acquired as a recommended destination. In addition, a sunroof, which is a device whose usage history is associated with the destination, is acquired as a recommended device. In other words, the use of a sunroof at destination "POI-1" can be recommended.

[0037] The output control unit 21c has a function of recommending the use of a recommended device or operating a recommended device at the recommended destination or when traveling to the recommended destination. In this embodiment, the recommended device is recommended for use and the recommended device operates at the recommended destination. Either the recommended device is recommended for use or the recommended device operates, or both may be performed. In this embodiment, a mode is described in which the use of a recommended device is recommended and the recommended device is automatically controlled and operated.

[0038] When the recommended destination and recommended device are acquired by the function of the recommended information acquisition unit 21b, the control unit 20, by the function of the output control unit 21c, associates the recommended destination and recommended device with the experience attributes and transmits them to the vehicle C that sent the recommendation request via the communication unit 40. Recommendation may be implemented in various ways. In this embodiment, a configuration is adopted in which the recommended destination and recommended device are recommended to the target user, and if the recommended destination is selected, the recommended device is automatically controlled by the in-vehicle system when the vehicle C arrives at the recommended destination.

[0039] In the above configuration, the recommended destination is a location where the reference user has given a high rating to the experience that can be obtained when using the recommended device at the recommended destination. The reference user has similar preferences to the target user. Therefore, according to this embodiment, it is possible to recommend a device that is likely to provide an experience that the target user will like. Furthermore, if the user accepts the suggestion, selects the recommended destination as their destination, and uses the recommended device at the recommended destination, the user will be able to have the same or similar experience as the reference user.

[0040] The history information update unit 21d has a function of receiving an input of the target user's evaluation of the experience obtained by operating the recommended device at the recommended destination or when traveling to the recommended destination, and updating the history information based on the received evaluation. In this embodiment, when a recommended operation is performed at a recommended destination, the function of the history information acquisition unit 21a described above collects the device's usage history, usage conditions, etc., and records them in the storage medium 30 as history information 30b.

[0041] Meanwhile, the quality of the experience of using the recommended device at the recommended destination is evaluated by the target user at a predetermined timing. When the target user's evaluation is input to the in-vehicle system, identification information indicating the target user, the recommended destination, and the recommended device are associated with the evaluation and transmitted to the device recommendation system 10. When this information is transmitted, the control unit 20 acquires this information via the communication unit 40 using the function of the history information update unit 21d. Then, the control unit 20 adds the acquired information to the history information 30b of the target user.

[0042] According to the above configuration, when a target user has an experience by using a recommended device at a recommended destination, an evaluation of the obtained experience is also accumulated. Therefore, if the experience obtained at the recommended destination and the recommended device is highly rated, users who have rated a similar experience highly are more likely to become reference users. Furthermore, users who have rated a similar experience low are less likely to become reference users. Similarly, if the experience obtained at the recommended destination and the recommended device is low rated, users who have rated a similar experience highly are less likely to become reference users. Furthermore, users who have rated a similar experience low are more likely to become reference users. Therefore, it is possible to more accurately select and recommend devices that are likely to provide an experience that the target user prefers.

[0043] (1-2) Vehicle configuration: Next, an in-vehicle system 100 that cooperates with the device recommendation system 10 will be described. Each vehicle C is equipped with an in-vehicle system 100 as shown in Fig. 4. Vehicle C also includes devices such as a sunroof 440, windows 441, and an air conditioner 442, as well as ECUs (Electronic Control Units) 430 to 432 that control each device. The sunroof 440, windows 441, and air conditioner 442 shown in Fig. 4 are examples of devices that are targets of collection of history information 30b, and other devices may also be included as targets of collection of history information 30b.

[0044] In this embodiment, the in-vehicle system 100 is a computer fixed to the vehicle C, but of course the in-vehicle system 100 may be any type, such as a portable system. The in-vehicle system 100 includes a control unit 200 including a CPU, RAM, ROM, etc., a communication unit 400, a position measurement unit 410, and a user I / F unit 420. The communication unit 400 is a device for communicating with other devices. In this embodiment, the control unit 200 can communicate with the device recommendation system 10.

[0045] The position measurement unit 410 is a device that measures the current position of vehicle C. The position measurement unit 410 may acquire the current location using various methods. In this embodiment, the position measurement unit 410 is equipped with a GNSS receiver, a vehicle speed sensor, and a gyro sensor, all of which are not shown. The GNSS receiver is a device that receives signals from the Global Navigation Satellite System, receives radio waves from navigation satellites, and outputs a signal for calculating the current location of vehicle C via an interface, all of which are not shown. The vehicle speed sensor outputs a signal corresponding to the rotation speed of the wheels of vehicle C. The gyro sensor detects the angular acceleration of vehicle C when turning in a horizontal plane, and outputs a signal corresponding to the orientation of vehicle C. The vehicle speed sensor, gyro sensor, and the like are used to identify the traveling trajectory of vehicle C. In this embodiment, the current location is identified based on the starting position and traveling trajectory of vehicle C, and the current location of vehicle C identified based on the starting position and traveling trajectory is corrected based on the output signal of the GNSS receiver.

[0046] The user I / F unit 420 is an interface unit for inputting user instructions and providing various information to the user, and includes a display unit consisting of a touch panel display (not shown), an input unit such as switches, and an audio output unit such as a speaker. The display unit of the user I / F unit 420 can display various information under the control of the control unit 200.

[0047] The control unit 200 can execute a program stored in a storage medium (not shown). In this embodiment, this program can be a recommended device proposal program 210. When the recommended device proposal program 210 is executed, the control unit 200 functions as a communication control unit 210a, a recommended device proposal unit 210b, and an evaluation input unit 210c.

[0048] The communication control unit 210a has a function of controlling the exchange of information through communication between the device recommendation system 10 and the in-vehicle system 100. In this embodiment, communication is used to send history information 30b including user ratings and device usage history, and to receive information about recommended destinations and recommended devices.

[0049] Specifically, the ECU 430 controls devices such as the sunroof 440 in response to user instructions, fulfillment of predetermined driving conditions, etc. The ECU 430 has a function of transmitting operation information in addition to the control function of these devices. That is, when a device to be controlled, such as the sunroof 440, operates, the ECU 430 transmits information indicating the operation content to the control unit 200.

[0050] The control unit 200 identifies the content of the operation and generates history information 30b. That is, when the device operates, the control unit 200 generates information indicating the usage history of the device. The control unit 200 also generates information indicating the usage conditions of the device. Specifically, the control unit 200 acquires the date and time when the device operated (date and time indicating the start and end of use of the operation) based on a timing circuit (not shown). Furthermore, the control unit 200 acquires the position of the vehicle C when the device operated based on output information from the position measurement unit 41. Furthermore, the control unit 200 acquires the speed of the vehicle C when the device operated based on an output signal from a vehicle speed sensor provided in the position measurement unit 41, etc.

[0051] In this embodiment, the history information 30b is collected for each destination. That is, the history information 30b is collected for the destination. That is, the usage history and usage conditions of the device at the destination are collected. On the other hand, when the usage history of the device during the travel to the destination is collected, the history information 30b is collected during the travel to the destination.

[0052] In either case, the control unit 200 regards the collected information as part of the device history information 30b and associates it with the identification information of the vehicle C. Furthermore, the control unit 200 identifies to which experience attribute the experience obtained by the user of the vehicle C corresponds, based on values ​​such as the stay time at the destination. Then, the control unit 200 adds the experience attribute to the history information 30b indicating the above-mentioned usage history, etc. Then, the control unit 200 transmits the history information 30b to the device recommendation system 10 via the communication unit 400. Note that the history information 30b also includes user evaluations acquired by the function of the evaluation input unit 210c, which will be described later.

[0053] Of course, the timing of transmitting the evaluation may be arbitrary, and the evaluation may be transmitted to the device recommendation system 10 at a timing different from that of transmitting the history information 30b indicating the usage history, etc. In the device recommendation system 10, information indicating the weather and the degree of congestion is added to the above information, and the information is recorded as the history information 30b in the storage medium 30. By performing such processing in each vehicle C, the device recommendation system 10 accumulates the history information 30b of multiple users.

[0054] In this embodiment, the recommendation of a recommended device is performed when the above-described predetermined conditions are satisfied. When the predetermined conditions are satisfied, the control unit 200, using the function of the communication control unit 210a, considers the user of vehicle C to be a target user and specifies the identification information of the target user. Then, the control unit 200 transmits a recommendation request together with the identification information of the target user to the device recommendation system 10 via the communication unit 400. The device recommendation system 10 identifies a reference user based on the identification information of the target user, and identifies a recommended destination and a recommended device based on the reference user's history information 30b, and transmits them to vehicle C that made the request. The control unit 200 receives the recommended destination and recommended device via the communication unit 400.

[0055] The recommended device suggestion unit 210b is a function that suggests recommended devices to the target user. That is, the control unit 200 controls the display unit of the user I / F unit 420 to display images, text, etc., for recommending the use of the recommended device at the recommended destination transmitted by the device recommendation system 10. In this case, the recommended destination and recommended device may be presented by the in-vehicle system, or the recommended destination may be presented by the in-vehicle system, and the use of the recommended device may be recommended when the recommended destination is selected by the user.

[0056] When a recommendation is made, the user of vehicle C operates the input unit or the like of the user I / F unit 420 based on the displayed content to select whether or not to make the recommended destination their destination. Once the recommended destination is selected and vehicle C starts traveling, the control unit 200 starts processing to identify the position of vehicle C based on the output information of the position measurement unit 410. Then, when vehicle C reaches the recommended destination, the control unit 200 outputs a control signal to the ECU of the recommended device, and the recommended device operates. As a result, the recommended device operates at the recommended destination, and the target user can have an experience that is the same as or similar to the experience attributes that the reference user highly rated.

[0057] The evaluation input unit 210c is a function that accepts an evaluation input by the user of vehicle C. In this embodiment, the user evaluates the experience when the recommended device operates at the recommended destination and when an arbitrary device operates at an arbitrary destination. The control unit 200 controls the user I / F unit 420 using the function of the evaluation input unit 210c to accept the evaluation by the user. In this embodiment, when transmitting the above-mentioned history information 30b, the control unit 200 adds the evaluation to the history information 30b and transmits it to the device recommendation system 10 via the communication unit 400.

[0058] (2) History information acquisition process: Next, the history information acquisition process executed in each vehicle C will be described. The history information acquisition process is executed both when a recommended device is automatically controlled (passive operation) and when a user voluntarily operates an arbitrary device (active operation). Figure 5A is a flowchart showing the history information acquisition process when a device is automatically controlled.

[0059] When the in-vehicle system 100 is activated and predetermined conditions are satisfied, the history information acquisition process shown in FIG. 5A is started. When the history information acquisition process is started, the control unit 200 acquires a recommended destination and a recommended device and provides guidance (step S100). That is, the control unit 200 outputs a recommendation request to the device recommendation system 10 via the communication unit 400. In response to this request, the device recommendation system 10 transmits the recommended destination, the recommended device, and the experience attributes of the experience obtained by these. The control unit 200 then acquires the recommended destination, the recommended device, and the experience attributes via the communication unit 400. The control unit 200 then controls the user I / F unit 420 to output guidance recommending the target user to visit the recommended destination and use the recommended device.

[0060] Next, the control unit 200 determines whether the target user of vehicle C to which guidance has been provided has selected a recommended destination (step S105). That is, the control unit 200 determines whether the target user has selected a recommended destination via the input unit of the user I / F unit 420. If the target user has not selected a recommended destination (if the target user has not complied with the recommendation), the control unit 200 ends the history information acquisition process shown in Fig. 5A. Of course, if the user has changed the operating state of the device, information after the change may be collected as the usage history.

[0061] On the other hand, if it is determined in step S105 that the target user has selected a recommended destination, the control unit 200 determines whether or not the target user has arrived at the recommended destination (step S110). That is, the control unit 200 monitors the current location of vehicle C identified based on the output information of the position measurement unit 410, and determines that the target user has arrived at the recommended destination when the current location of vehicle C is within a predetermined distance from the recommended destination. If it is not determined in step S110 that the target user has arrived at the recommended destination, the processing from step S110 onwards is repeated.

[0062] If it is determined in step S110 that the vehicle has arrived at the recommended destination, the control unit 200 controls the recommended device (step S115). That is, the control unit 200 outputs a control signal to the ECU 430 to operate the recommended device. Next, the control unit 200 acquires a usage history indicating that the recommended device has been used (step S120). That is, the control unit 200 acquires the usage state (for example, in the case of the sunroof 440, the state is open, half-open, closed, etc.) based on the output signal of the ECU 430, etc. Next, the control unit 200 acquires the usage conditions (step S125). That is, the control unit 200 acquires the date and time when the recommended device operated, the position of the vehicle C when the recommended device operated, and the speed of the vehicle C when the recommended device operated.

[0063] Next, the control unit 200 acquires the user's evaluation in association with the experience attributes (step S130). That is, the control unit 200 inquires of the target user via the user I / F unit 420 about the evaluation of the experience obtained by using the recommended device at the recommended destination. When the target user inputs the evaluation via the user I / F unit 420, the control unit 200 acquires the target user's evaluation of the experience. At this time, the control unit 200 associates the experience attributes acquired in step S100 with the evaluation.

[0064] Then, using the function of the communication control unit 210a, the control unit 200 associates the information acquired in steps S120 to S130 with the identification information of the target user to generate history information 30b, and transmits the history information 30b to the device recommendation system 10 via the communication unit 400 (step S135). Through the above processing, it is possible to collect history information including the target user's evaluation of the recommended destination and the experience obtained using the recommended device.

[0065] 5B is a flowchart showing the history information acquisition process when the user voluntarily operates an arbitrary device. The history information acquisition process shown in FIG. 5B is started when the in-vehicle system 100 is running. When the history information acquisition process is started, the control unit 200 determines whether or not the device has operated (step S150). That is, the control unit 200 monitors the output signal of the ECU 430 and determines whether or not the arbitrary device has operated based on the output signal. If it is not determined in step S150 that the device has operated, the control unit 200 repeats the process from step S150 onwards.

[0066] When the user uses the device of vehicle C at any timing, it is determined in step S150 that the device has operated. If it is determined in step S150 that the device has operated, the control unit 200 acquires a usage history indicating that the recommended device has been used (step S155). Next, the control unit 200 acquires the usage conditions (step S160). Steps S155 and S160 are similar to steps S120 and S125 described above.

[0067] Next, the control unit 200 acquires the experience attributes and the user's evaluation (step S165). That is, the control unit 200 identifies the value for each item as shown in FIG. 3 based on the use conditions acquired in step S160, and identifies the experience attributes by determining which category the value belongs to. Note that the location of vehicle C indicated by the use conditions may not be the destination, so the destination in each item shown in FIG. 3 can be interpreted as the location of vehicle C. For example, the temperature difference can be interpreted as the temperature difference between the location of vehicle C and the departure point, or the temperature difference between the location of vehicle C and the cabin. Note that the experience attributes may be identified by the device recommendation system 10.

[0068] Furthermore, the control unit 200 queries the target user for an evaluation of the experience obtained by using the device at the location (corresponding to the destination point or the road along the travel course) indicated by the use conditions via the user I / F unit 420. When the target user inputs the evaluation via the user I / F unit 420, the control unit 200 associates the evaluation with the experience attributes of the target user.

[0069] Then, the control unit 200, using the function of the communication control unit 210a, associates the information acquired in steps S155 to S165 with the identification information of the target user to generate history information, and transmits the history information to the device recommendation system 10 via the communication unit 400 (step S170). According to the above process, it is possible to collect history information including the target user's evaluation of the experience gained by using any device at any location.

[0070] (3) History information recording processing: Next, the history information recording process executed in each vehicle C will be described. FIG. 5C is a flowchart showing the history information recording process. When (a part of) history information is transmitted from any vehicle C by the process of FIG. 5A or FIG. 5B, the control unit 20 of the device recommendation system 10 executes the history information recording process. When the history information recording process is started, the control unit 20 receives the history information transmitted from the vehicle C via the communication unit 40 using the function of the history information acquisition unit 21a (step S200).

[0071] Next, the control unit 20, using the function of the history information acquisition unit 21a, refers to the history information received in step S200 and acquires the weather and congestion level at the date and time when the recommended device or the device voluntarily selected by the user operated, and the location of the vehicle C, based on the date and time of operation of the recommended device or the device voluntarily selected by the user (step S205). That is, the control unit 20 acquires the date and time when the device operated and the weather and congestion level at the location where the device operated from the information management system 50. Then, using the function of the history information acquisition unit 21a, the control unit 20 records the history information in association with the user (step S210). That is, the control unit 20 associates the information acquired in step S205 with the information acquired in steps S120 to S130 and steps S155 to S165, and further associates it with the user's identification information, and records the history information 30b in the storage medium.

[0072] (4) Recommended information output processing: Next, the recommended information output process executed by the device recommendation system 10 will be described. When a recommendation request is transmitted from the in-vehicle system 100 of vehicle C, the recommended information output process is executed. At this time, the user of vehicle C that made the recommendation request becomes the target user, and the identification information of the target user is also transmitted. Figure 6 is a flowchart showing the recommended information output process. When the control unit 20 receives the recommendation request together with the target user, the recommended information output process is initiated.

[0073] When the recommended information output process starts, the control unit 20 determines whether the required number of samples exists (step S300). The required number of samples indicates the amount of history information 30b sufficient to output recommended destinations and recommended devices. The control unit 20 determines that the required number of samples exists, for example, when the number of users and the amount of information of each user's history are equal to or greater than a predetermined standard.

[0074] If it is determined in step S300 that the required number of samples is not present, the control unit 20 outputs default recommended information using the function of the output control unit 21c (step S302). The default recommended information may be determined using various methods. For example, based on the target user's history information 30b, experience attributes of experiences obtained at past destinations or devices previously used are identified from statistical values ​​of the history information 30b, and destinations and devices that provide experiences with the same or similar experience attributes are set as recommended information. The default recommended information may be defined using various methods. FIG. 7 shows an example of default recommended information for outputting devices based on experience attributes of experiences obtained at devices previously used. In FIG. 7, devices and their operating states are associated with experience attributes. For example, if the target user previously had an experience that belongs to the experience attribute of daytime scenery, windows and air conditioners are recommended devices, and further, it is recommended that the windows be fully open and the air conditioner be turned off. Various methods can be used to determine experience attributes. For example, experience attributes may be associated with each destination, and experience attributes corresponding to the target user's past destinations may be adopted, and default recommendation information such as that shown in Fig. 7 may be referenced. Furthermore, the recommendation information may include the destination along with the device. When the recommended information is identified, the control unit 20 outputs the recommended information to the target user's in-vehicle system 100 via the communication unit 40 as a transmission destination. As a result, the target user's in-vehicle system 100 proposes recommended information to the target user. Even when such a proposal is made, the history information acquisition process in FIG. 5B is performed during the traveling process of the vehicle C. When a destination is recommended along with the device, the history information acquisition process in FIG. 5A is performed during the traveling process of the vehicle C. According to the above configuration, when the required number of samples is not met, default recommended information is output, and history information 30b is accumulated until the required number of samples is met.

[0075] If it is determined in step S300 that the required number of samples exists, the control unit 20 performs processing in steps S305 to S310 to identify history information 30b similar to the history information 30b of the target user and to designate the user associated with the history information 30b as a reference user. Specifically, the control unit 20 processes the history information 30b based on processing conditions using the function of the recommended information acquisition unit 21b (step S305). The processing is processing to make it easier to compare the history information 30b for each user. In this embodiment, the processing conditions are conditions for collating the history information 30b so as to determine the user's behavioral tendencies and preferences.

[0076] Specifically, the control unit 20 converts the values ​​of each of the items of usage history, usage conditions, destination, experience attributes, and evaluation as shown in FIG. 2 into values ​​belonging to one of a plurality of categories. This conversion is a process for reducing the number of possible values ​​for each item and classifying them into one of a plurality of categories. For example, with regard to date and time, each time indicated by the date and time is classified to belong to one of a plurality of time periods. More specifically, if 24 hours are divided into six equal parts, the date and time item is converted into one of six values ​​depending on which of the six resulting time periods 1 to 6 the time belongs to.

[0077] Similarly, the values ​​of other items are classified into one of multiple categories. Location categories may be defined using various methods, and areas may be defined by geographical classifications such as meshes or administrative districts, or by area characteristics or attributes such as urban areas, suburbs, tourist destinations, coastal areas, mountainous areas, or altitudes above a predetermined value. Destination categories may be defined by destination attributes, or by destination size, and various configurations are possible. Experience attributes may be converted into values ​​corresponding to each experience attribute.

[0078] After each item is converted and processed history information is obtained, the control unit 20 uses the function of the recommended information acquisition unit 21b to identify reference users whose history information is similar to that of the target user based on the processed history information (step S310). Whether the history information is similar can be determined using various methods. For example, by regarding the processed history information 30b processed in step S305 as a vector with the value of each item as its component and acquiring the cosine similarity, the similarity of the processed history information 30b can be identified. Then, by identifying the top k users (k is a predetermined number) with the highest similarity to the target user's history information 30b, it is possible to identify reference users whose history information 30b is similar to that of the target user. Of course, this example is just one example of processing for identifying reference users. The values ​​of each item may also be normalized to fall within the same range, and similarity may be compared.

[0079] When the reference user is identified, the control unit 20 extracts experience attributes with ratings higher than the standard from the history information 30b of the reference user using the function of the recommended information acquisition unit 21b (step S315). That is, the control unit 20 refers to the history information 30b of the reference user and sorts the experience attributes in descending order of rating based on the ratings of the experience attributes included in the history information 30b. Then, the control unit 20 considers a predetermined number of experience attributes at the top of the sorted list to be higher than the standard.

[0080] Next, the control unit 20 acquires, by the function of the recommended information acquisition unit 21b, the destinations and devices corresponding to the extracted experience attributes as recommended destinations and recommended devices (step S320). That is, the control unit 20 acquires, from the reference user history information 30b, the combinations of destinations and devices associated with the experience attributes extracted in step S315, and regards them as recommended destinations and recommended devices.

[0081] The recommended destinations and recommended devices acquired in step S320 may be output to vehicle C as they are, or may be output after various corrections have been made to the recommended destinations and recommended devices. Fig. 6 shows an example in which corrections are made based on the results of steps S315 and S320. That is, in this example, the control unit 20 makes corrections to rank destinations and devices that are unexpected for the target user higher (step S325).

[0082] Surprisingness may be assessed in various ways. For example, a destination that the target user has never visited or that is the same as or similar to a destination that the target user has visited relatively infrequently may be considered a surprising destination. A device that the target user has never used or that is the same as or similar to a device that the target user has used relatively infrequently may be considered a surprising device.

[0083] Furthermore, the degree of surprise may be evaluated based on various information associated with a destination or device. For example, in a configuration in which information indicating user reviews of destinations or devices is accumulated, a destination or device that has more user reviews than a standard but fewer reviews by target users than a standard may be deemed to be surprising.

[0084] As described above, surprise can be evaluated using various methods. However, if the evaluation is corrected using a correction coefficient that increases with increasing surprise, and the corrected evaluation is used for sorting in step S315, a correction can be made to rank more surprising destinations and devices higher. The control unit 20 determines that a predetermined number of the top experience attributes in the corrected ranking are higher than the standard and extracts these experience attributes. The control unit 20 then acquires the destinations and devices corresponding to the extracted experience attributes as recommended destinations and recommended devices.

[0085] When the recommended destination and the recommended device are acquired, the control unit 20 outputs the recommended destination and the recommended device using the function of the output control unit 21c (step S330). That is, the control unit 20 outputs the recommended destination and the recommended device to the in-vehicle system 100 of the target user as the transmission destination via the communication unit 40. As a result, the in-vehicle system 100 of the target user proposes the recommended destination and the recommended device to the target user.

[0086] (5) Other embodiments: The above-described embodiment is an example for implementing the present invention, and various other embodiments can be adopted. For example, each system constituting the above-described embodiment may be configured with fewer devices. Such an example includes a case where at least one device shown in FIG. 1 is configured with the same device as one or more other devices. For example, the device recommendation system 10 and the information management system 50 may be configured as an integrated device, or the vehicle C may be configured as an integrated device with the information management system 50. Furthermore, the system shown in FIG. 1 may be configured with more systems. For example, at least some of the functions of the device recommendation system 10 may be configured as a cloud server.

[0087] Furthermore, at least some of the components constituting the device recommendation system 10 (the history information acquisition unit 21a, the recommended information acquisition unit 21b, the output control unit 21c, and the history information update unit 21d) and the components constituting the in-vehicle system 100 (the communication control unit 210a, the recommended device proposal unit 210b, and the evaluation input unit 210c) may be separated into multiple devices. Also, configurations in which some of the components of the above-described embodiments are omitted, or configurations in which processing is varied or omitted, are conceivable. For example, the processing shown in FIG. 5A is not limited to a configuration executed during automatic control of a recommended device at a recommended destination, but may be executed during automatic control of a device at any destination. Furthermore, the in-vehicle system 100 may communicate with the information management system 50 to acquire weather, congestion level, and the like, and use the acquired information as history information. In this case, step S205 in FIG. 5C is executed by the in-vehicle system 100.

[0088] The history information acquisition unit is only required to acquire history information defined for each user of the vehicle, in which experience attributes indicating attributes of the experience gained at the destination or while traveling to the destination and the user's evaluation of the experience are associated with the usage history of devices equipped in the vehicle when the vehicle travels to the destination. In other words, the history information is only required to indicate what devices each user uses and what experiences they prefer by including the usage history of devices that can change the experience, experience attributes indicating the experience gained by using the devices, and the user's evaluation of the experience.

[0089] The devices equipped in a vehicle are not limited to specific devices, and may be, for example, various devices used in response to instructions from a user such as a vehicle occupant, or various devices automatically controlled by the vehicle's ECU, etc. The devices equipped in a vehicle may change depending on the vehicle model and the selection of optional specifications, etc. Therefore, the history information for a vehicle not equipped with a device may not record the usage history of a specific device. In this case, the usage history of a non-existent device does not need to be taken into consideration when determining the similarity between the history information of the target user and the history information of the reference user, etc.

[0090] The usage history may be recorded in various ways, and various ways can be adopted other than the way in which information indicating the usage state of the device (sunroof open, half-open, closed) is recorded as in the above-mentioned embodiment. For example, whether or not the device is operating may be recorded. The experience attribute may indicate the type of experience that can be obtained in the vehicle cabin at the destination, or the type of experience that can be obtained in the vehicle cabin during the journey to the destination. Therefore, various classifications are possible other than the classification of experience attributes as in the above-mentioned embodiment.

[0091] For example, the items for determining the experience attributes (FIG. 3) may include the time period spent during the driving process to the destination. The items may also include the positional relationship between the user and scenery associated with the road to the destination. The items may also include the temperature difference between the road to the destination and the departure point. The items may also include the temperature difference between the road to the destination and the vehicle interior. The items may also include the weather on the road to the destination. When the experience attributes include items related to the driving process to the destination, date, time, location, temperature, etc. are collected while vehicle C is driving toward the destination. From the information obtained in this manner, history information 30b is generated, and the experience attributes are determined. The experience attribute items may also include other items, such as season, temperature (the temperature at one point, not the temperature difference between two points), etc., and various other items may also be included.

[0092] The user's evaluation may be an evaluation of the experience. Therefore, as in the above-described embodiment, the evaluation may be directly associated with an experience attribute, or may be associated with a destination or a journey to the destination. The evaluation may take various forms and is not limited to a multi-level evaluation as in the above-described embodiment. For example, the evaluation may be a two-level evaluation, or an evaluation corresponding to an emotional expression such as "encouraging" or "comfortable."

[0093] The user of a vehicle may be identified in various ways. Therefore, various configurations may be adopted in addition to the configuration in which different vehicles are considered to be different users, as in the above-described embodiment. For example, different users of the same vehicle may be distinguished as different users and history information may be recorded. For example, users may be distinguished by having the users themselves input identification information such as their names or user numbers, or by facial recognition based on images captured by an in-vehicle camera. Additionally, users may be distinguished based on identification information of mobile devices owned by the users, and various other configurations may be adopted.

[0094] The recommendation information acquisition unit is only required to acquire, as recommended destinations and recommended devices, destinations and devices corresponding to experience attributes rated higher than a standard by the reference user based on the history information of the reference user who has similar preferences to the target user to whom the device is recommended. In other words, by extracting experience attributes rated highly by a certain user based on the history information, it is possible to identify experience attributes that can be recommended to other users. Furthermore, because an experience is realized by combining driving to a destination with the device used at that time, it is possible to acquire recommended destinations and recommended devices by extracting destinations and devices corresponding to experience attributes rated highly by a certain user.

[0095] Furthermore, since the reference users who refer to the history information have similar preferences to the target user, referring to the history information of such reference users can increase the likelihood that the target user will be satisfied with the recommended information. Whether the preferences of the target user and the reference users are similar may be determined in various ways. For example, a history of actions that depend on the user's preferences, such as a vehicle driving history, a website visit history, or a history of comments on products or facilities, may be collected as a profile. In this case, similarities in user preferences are identified based on the similarities in the profiles, etc.

[0096] The criteria for determining whether a user's rating is high may be various. For example, in the above-described embodiment, a predetermined number of experiences are identified in descending order of the ratings of the reference user, and the identified experiences are considered to have ratings higher than the standard. However, this configuration is not limited to this. For example, experiences with ratings higher than a threshold value as the standard may be identified.

[0097] Furthermore, a recommended destination is a destination where the reference user can obtain an experience that is relatively highly rated, or a destination where the reference user can obtain an experience that is relatively highly rated during the driving process. The destination is not limited to a POI (point of interest) as a facility with a set location, and various points or areas may be destinations. A recommended device may be any device that, when operated, can obtain an experience that is relatively highly rated by the reference user. When a vehicle device, such as a sunroof, is used, the wind introduced into the vehicle cabin, the light, the scenery visible from the vehicle cabin, etc., change when the sunroof is open, and the content of the experience the user obtains may change compared to when the sunroof is not used. Therefore, if a target user uses the same device at the destination or during the driving process to the destination, it may be possible to provide the target user with the same or similar experience.

[0098] A destination that provides a highly rated experience during the driving process can be identified by various methods. For example, if the destination is a coast and an experience related to driving along the sea can be obtained during the driving process to the destination, the destination is a destination that provides an experience related to driving along the sea during the driving process. If there are various driving routes to the destination and the experience varies depending on the selected route, a configuration may be adopted in which combinations of destinations and routes are recommended.

[0099] The recommended destinations and devices may be selected in various ways. For example, by selecting destinations and devices that have been rated higher than a standard by reference users and that are used relatively infrequently by the target user, it is possible to propose an unknown experience to the target user.

[0100] The output control unit may be configured to recommend the use of a recommended device or operate a recommended device at a recommended destination or when traveling to the recommended destination. Therefore, various configurations other than a configuration in which a recommended destination is proposed and a recommended device is operated during the travel to the recommended destination or at the recommended destination can be adopted. For example, the in-vehicle system may be configured to propose a specific recommended destination and a recommended device. Alternatively, the in-vehicle system may be configured to propose multiple recommended destinations or recommended devices. In this case, a display may be provided that shows the order of highest ratings. Furthermore, the recommended destination or recommended device may be changed depending on the time of day when the target user plans to travel the vehicle or the vehicle's location.

[0101] When operating a recommended device, it is sufficient to output a control signal to an ECU that controls each device of the vehicle and operate each device. The control target for operating each device may be various control targets. For example, the operation details of each device (such as the opening degree of the sunroof or the intensity of the air conditioning) may be recorded in the historical information of the reference user, and a control target may be set to perform an operation that is the same as or similar to the operation details. Of course, various configurations other than this configuration may be adopted. For example, each device may be controlled to achieve a predetermined control target for each device, or the user may be allowed to input a control target.

[0102] Furthermore, the present invention can also be applied as a program or method. The above-described systems, programs, and methods may be realized as standalone devices or may be realized using components shared with various vehicle components, and thus encompass a variety of embodiments. For example, it is possible to provide a method or program realized by the above-described system. Furthermore, the invention can be implemented as a storage medium for a program that controls a device. Of course, the storage medium for the software may be a magnetic storage medium or a semiconductor memory, and any storage medium developed in the future can be considered in the same manner. [Explanation of symbols]

[0103] 10...device recommendation system, 20...control unit, 21a...history information acquisition unit, 21b...recommended information acquisition unit, 21c...output control unit, 21d...history information update unit, 30...storage medium, 30b...history information, 40...communication unit, 41...position measurement unit, 50...information management system, 100...in-vehicle system, 200...control unit, 210...recommended device proposal program, 210a...communication control unit, 210b...recommended device proposal unit, 210c...evaluation input unit, 400...communication unit, 410...position measurement unit, 420...user I / F unit, 430...ECU, 440...sunroof, 441...window, 442...air conditioning unit

Claims

1. a history information acquisition unit that acquires history information defined for each user of the vehicle, the history information being in association with experience attributes indicating attributes of the destination or an experience gained while traveling to the destination, and a user's evaluation of the experience, for a usage history of a device provided in the vehicle when the vehicle travels to the destination and the device is used; a recommendation information acquisition unit that acquires, as recommended destinations and recommended devices, the destinations and the devices corresponding to the experience attributes that are rated higher than a standard by the reference users based on the history information of the reference users who have similar tastes to the target user to whom the device is recommended; an output control unit that recommends use of the recommended device or operates the recommended device at the recommended destination or when traveling to the recommended destination; A device recommendation system comprising:

2. a history information update unit that receives an input of an evaluation by the target user regarding the experience obtained by operating the recommendation device at the recommended destination or when traveling to the recommended destination, and updates the history information based on the received evaluation; The device recommendation system of claim 1 .

3. The history information of the reference user is similar to the history information of the target user. The device recommendation system according to claim 1 or 2.

4. The experience attributes include: The time zone is defined based on a value associated with at least one of the following items: a time period spent at the destination or during the travel to the destination; a positional relationship between the user and scenery associated with the destination or the road to the destination; an air temperature difference between the destination or the road to the destination and the starting point; an air temperature difference between the destination or the road to the destination and the vehicle interior; and weather at the destination or the road to the destination. The device recommendation system according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

5. The device comprises: At least one of a sunroof, a back door, a sliding door, a seat, a window, a mirror, a speed control device, a wiper, a headlight, a gear ratio change device, an air conditioning device, and an audio device. The device recommendation system according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

6. The output control unit If the amount of information in the history information is less than a predetermined standard, recommending the use of or operating the device that is pre-associated with the experience attribute experienced by the target user. The device recommendation system according to any one of claims 1 to 5.

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