Information processing device, information processing method, information processing program, and information processing system

Abstract

The present invention provides an information processing device, an information processing method, and an information processing program that enable the understanding of the status of a moving object using appropriate information about that object. [Solution] Based on mobile object identification information that identifies a mobile object, mobile object-related information is acquired from multiple management devices. Then, based on the time information contained in the acquired mobile object-related information, the mobile object-related information is ordered in chronological order to generate a group of mobile object-related information. Finally, the group of mobile object-related information is output.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an information processing apparatus, an information processing method 、 and an information processing program. and information processing systems

Background Art

[0002] Manufacturers (manufacturing makers) of moving bodies such as vehicles, mobility, and small aircraft (drones, etc.), and their sales stores, after selling those moving bodies, in addition to maintenance such as maintenance and repair performed on the moving bodies, regarding changes in ownership status such as sale and disassembly, can be grasped only when the moving body is brought into the manufacturing maker or the sales store. When the moving body is brought into another repair shop or maintenance shop and maintenance, etc. is performed, it is difficult for the manufacturing maker or the sales store to know the details thereof without a special network.

[0003] In particular, assuming a vehicle such as an automobile which is an example of a moving body, vehicle manufacturers rarely have their own maintenance factories, and maintenance, etc. is often performed at vehicle sales stores (dealers) equipped with maintenance factories, etc. or specialized maintenance factories.

[0004] In addition, it is difficult for an insurance company to know the details of maintenance such as what kind of maintenance such as maintenance and repair has been performed on a vehicle that is the subject of insurance, how the vehicle has been used in terms of its background (maintenance history, attachment of parts, usage), and what routes it has traveled until an accident occurs when the insurance is applied due to an accident, etc.

[0005] For example, in Patent Document 1, for example, in paragraph

[0027] etc., vehicle-related information related to a cargo-carrying vehicle (including processed information obtained by processing this information) is acquired and accumulated, and the vehicle-related information is used for a second use (for example, a value estimation use). ​Furthermore, Patent Document 2 describes a system that performs predetermined tasks on vehicles and receives and compiles information on the details of the tasks performed and the amounts of money spent by sections (stores, factories, etc.) that are responsible for the used car distribution business. [Prior art documents] [Patent Documents]

[0006] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2017-208090 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2010-009572 [Overview of the project] [Problems that the invention aims to solve]

[0007] Patent Document 1 describes acquiring and accumulating vehicle-related information (including processed information derived from this information) as necessary information, and that it is collected solely for a second purpose (for example, for value estimation). This second purpose involves using the vehicle-related information for the original purpose of transporting cargo vehicles. Furthermore, Patent Document 2 describes how, in order to perform predetermined tasks on a vehicle, the necessary information is collected from a section other than the section that performs those predetermined tasks (such as a store or factory).

[0008] Conventional technologies, as described above, merely collect information necessary for specific processing or applications from specific parties. It is difficult to grasp the latest status of a moving object, such as a vehicle, by using information about various operations and processing performed on that object. Furthermore, it becomes extremely difficult to determine whether the status (condition) of the moving object is actually in the desired state (condition) using information related to the work or processing involved.

[0009] Therefore, the present invention provides an information processing device and an information processing method that enable the status of a moving object to be grasped using appropriate information about that moving object. 、 Information processing program and information processing systems The purpose is to provide. Furthermore, the present invention relates to an information processing device and information processing method that enable the status of a moving object to be grasped using more reliable information. 、 Information processing program and information processing systems The purpose is to provide. [Means for solving the problem]

[0010] An information processing device according to one aspect of the present invention is Transfer Based on mobile object identification information that identifies moving objects 、 An acquisition unit that acquires mobile body-related information related to the mobile body from the management device, A partner identification unit identifies the partner from external collaboration information, which is included in the mobile body-related information, indicating the ordering of parts or processing of work requested from an external partner, and a confirmation processing unit authenticates the external collaboration information upon receiving a response from the identified partner indicating that the order or processing request has been received. Based on the time information included in the acquired mobile object-related information, The aforementioned authenticated external information includes The system comprises an information generation processing unit that generates a group of mobile object-related information by chronologically ordering the aforementioned mobile object-related information, and an information output unit that outputs the group of mobile object-related information.

[0011] An information processing method according to another aspect of the present invention is a process in which a computer obtains mobile object-related information related to a mobile object from a management device based on mobile object identification information that identifies the mobile object, The process includes identifying the external partner from the external collaboration information contained in the mobile body-related information, which indicates the ordering of parts or processing of work requested from the external partner, and authenticating the external collaboration information upon receiving a response from the identified partner indicating that the order or processing request has been received. Based on the time information included in the acquired mobile object-related information, The aforementioned authenticated external information includes The process involves arranging the aforementioned mobile object-related information in chronological order to generate a group of mobile object-related information, and then executing a process to output the group of mobile object-related information.

[0012] An information processing program according to another aspect of the present invention provides a computer based on mobile object identification information that identifies a mobile object. 、 A process for obtaining mobile body-related information related to the mobile body from the management device, The process includes identifying the external partner from the external collaboration information contained in the mobile body-related information, which indicates the ordering of parts or processing of work requested from the external partner, and authenticating the external collaboration information upon receiving a response from the identified partner indicating that the order or processing request has been received. Based on the time information included in the acquired mobile object-related information, The aforementioned authenticated external information includesExecute a process of ordering the moving body related information in time series to generate a moving body related information group, and a process of outputting the moving body related information group. An information processing system according to another aspect of the present invention comprises a management device, an acquisition unit that acquires mobile body-related information related to a mobile body from the management device based on mobile body identification information that identifies the mobile body, a partner identification unit that identifies a partner from external partner information that indicates the ordering of parts or processing of work requested from an external partner included in the mobile body-related information, a confirmation processing unit that authenticates the external partner information, an information generation processing unit that generates a group of mobile body-related information by ordering the mobile body-related information, including the authenticated external partner information, in chronological order based on time information included in the acquired mobile body-related information, and an information output unit that outputs the group of mobile body-related information, wherein the confirmation processing unit authenticates the external partner information upon receiving a response indicating that the identified partner has requested the order or processing.

Advantages of the Invention

[0013] According to the present invention, it is possible to grasp the situation of the moving body by using appropriate information related to the moving body. Also, as another effect, it is possible to grasp the situation of the moving body by using more reliable information. Also, as another effect, it is possible to grasp how the current state of the moving body has come to be through what kind of process (maintenance history, driving history, etc.). Also, as another effect, when a malfunction occurs in the vehicle, it is possible not only to eliminate the malfunction but also to improve the root cause of the malfunction based on the process. Also, as another effect, it is possible to grasp the process (maintenance history, driving history, etc.) that has led to the vehicle state at a specific point in time. That is, when the vehicle is in a normal state, it is possible to grasp the process (maintenance history, driving history, etc.) that maintains the normal vehicle state, and when the vehicle is in an abnormal state, the possibility of grasping the process that has led to the abnormal vehicle state is increased. Also, as another effect, even for a device that does not possess information, it is possible to easily grasp the situation of the moving body in that device.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0014] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a system configuration diagram of an information processing system in an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the detailed configurations of an information processing device, a user terminal, and a control device that constitute the information processing system in an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 3]FIG. 3 is an example of a hardware configuration when a control device, an instruction device, and a management device that constitute an information processing system in an embodiment of the present invention are each realized by a computer. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a processing order table stored in an information processing apparatus in an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of a management device list table stored in an information processing apparatus in an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a sequence showing the flow of authentication processing of mobile body related information performed in an information processing system in an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is similar to FIG. 6 and shows the content of authentication processing for authenticating mobile body related information. [Figure 8] FIG. 15 is a flowchart showing the flow of selection / sorting processing performed by an information processing apparatus in an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 9] FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of an authentication information table stored in an information processing apparatus in an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 10] FIG. 9 is a diagram showing a screen for reading a receipt or the like using an imaging device for storing information as usage history information at this time. [Figure 11] FIG. 10 is a table diagram showing a list of usage history information registered in a user terminal 200 constituting an information processing system in an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 12] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of displaying a mobile body related information group created in an information processing apparatus in an embodiment of the present invention on a screen. [Figure 13] FIG. 12 is similar to FIG. 11 and shows an example of displaying a mobile body related information group on a screen. [Figure 14] FIG. 13 is a sequence diagram showing the flow of processing of an information processing system in an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 15] FIG. 14 is a diagram showing the flow of information disclosure processing performed in a control device and a management device that constitute an information processing system in an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 16] Figure 16 shows the flow of the request determination process in the information processing device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 17] Figure 17 shows the flow of the verification process performed in the information processing device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 18] Figure 18 shows the flow of access control processing performed in an information processing device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 19] Figure 19 is a table diagram showing "information on types of information whose public release is restricted." [Figure 20] Figure 20 shows the flow of the evaluation process performed in the information processing device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0015] One embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that the following embodiments, including modifications, can be applied to each other. Furthermore, the following embodiments are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention, and modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the claims.

[0016] Figure 1 is a system configuration diagram of an information processing system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0017] The information processing system 1 shown in Figure 1 comprises an information processing device 100, a user terminal 200, and a control device 300A (management device 300B). The names of the control device 300A and management device 300B are designated by the roles they play through the processing performed by the individual devices themselves. In other words, a single information processing device can function as both a control device 300A and a management device 300B, depending on its role. Furthermore, although Figure 1 shows only one of each of these devices, this is merely for illustrative purposes, and it is naturally possible to have multiple instances of each device. Moreover, this information processing system does not have to exist independently; it may also be part of another system. In other words, it may be implemented as a function within another system.

[0018] The information processing device 100 is connected to a database (DB), and is capable of performing information processing using the information stored in this DB. This DB is a database that stores various types of information (configuration information, table information, etc.). This DB may also be implemented in the storage unit 104 of the information processing device 100, which will be described later. Furthermore, the user terminal 200 is a portable electronic device such as a small PC or tablet, and is equipped with an imaging device capable of capturing information, a display device (display screen) capable of displaying the information, and an input device capable of inputting the information, as part of its function for reading predetermined information. For example, a user using the user terminal 200 can read receipts for goods purchased at stores or websites, receipts for services received, as well as documents and electronic data such as invoices and purchase slips related to the purchase of such goods or provision of services, using the imaging device, store the read data in the storage unit, and display it on the display device. Furthermore, the control device 300A and the management device 300B are devices that perform predetermined processing in organizations (companies, organizations, individuals, etc.) that sell and provide various goods and services. More specifically, the control device 300A is a device that performs control processing based on arbitrary information managed by the management device 300B, and in performing this control processing, it requests the information processing device 100 (described later) for request information and receives response information for that request information. This control device 300A may also be referred to as the "requesting source," "requesting device," or "information requesting device." The management device 300B is a device that provides a predetermined service and manages service information related to the service provided. This management device 300B provides the necessary service information in response to information requests from the information processing device 100. This management device 300B may also be referred to as the "information provider," "information provider device," or "information provider device."

[0019] Figure 2 is a block diagram showing the detailed configuration of an information processing device 100, a user terminal 200, a control device 300A, and a management device 300B, which comprise the information processing system 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The information processing device 100 comprises a communication unit 101, an information analysis unit 102, an information identification unit 103, a storage unit 104, a search processing unit 105, an information processing unit 106, and an information output unit 107. The information processing unit 106 also comprises a selection / sorting processing unit 106a, a request judgment processing unit 106b, a confirmation processing unit 106c, an access control processing unit 106d, an information generation processing unit 106e, and an evaluation processing unit 106f. The user terminal 200 is comprised of a communication unit 201, an information processing unit 202, a setting unit 203, a storage unit 204, an imaging unit 205, and a display unit 206. The control device 300A is configured to include a communication unit 401, a request information creation unit 402, a setting unit 403, a storage unit 404, and an information disclosure processing unit 405. The management device 300B is comprised of a communication unit 301, an information processing unit 302, a storage unit 303, an information registration unit 304, an information setting unit 305, and an information disclosure processing unit 306. The user terminal 200 is comprised of a communication unit 201, an information processing unit 202, a setting unit 203, a storage unit 204, an imaging unit 205, and a display unit 206.

[0020] The following explanation will use Figures 1 and 2. As mentioned above, the control device 300A and the management device 300B are devices that can function as a single unit according to their respective roles, but for the sake of explanation, they will be described as separate devices.

[0021] <Management device 300B> The management device 300B is a computer (also referred to as the "fourth computer") with the configuration shown in Figure 3, and is a device that provides predetermined services. Furthermore, this management device 300B manages information related to the services provided (service-related information) in association with the objects to which the services are provided. This service-related information refers to the information provided to the information processing device 100, which will be described later, and is referred to as "mobile device-related information" below as an example. Furthermore, since this management device 300B transmits and receives various types of information, processes that information, and stores it, each of these components is also referred to as an "information processing device" or an "information processing terminal."

[0022] The example shown in Figure 1 illustrates management devices 300B installed in facilities such as "vehicle manufacturers," "new car dealerships," "parts stores," "used car dealerships," "repair shops," "insurance companies," "dismantling plants," "parts manufacturing plants," "national and local governments," and "parts dealers." Vehicle manufacturers provide services such as design, manufacturing, and parts management for vehicles, which are an example of a mobile entity; new car dealerships provide services such as vehicle sales and vehicle maintenance; parts stores (gasoline dealerships), also called service stations, provide sales of various supplies (including gasoline, which is fuel); used car dealerships provide services such as sales of used vehicles and vehicle maintenance; repair shops (body shops) provide services such as vehicle maintenance and sheet metal work; insurance companies provide insurance services for vehicles; dismantling plants provide vehicle dismantling and disposal services; parts manufacturing plants provide services for manufacturing vehicle parts; national and local governments provide information on vehicles; and parts dealers provide services such as wholesaling (providing) new or used parts to repair shops, body shops, etc. In other words, the management device 300B defines the target of the service as a mobile vehicle and manages "mobile vehicle-related information," which is information (service-related information) regarding the services provided to that mobile vehicle. In this context, a vehicle is an example of a mobile body capable of traveling a certain distance, and such mobile bodies include, for example, automobiles, motorcycles, ships, aircraft, small aircraft (drones, etc.), wheelchairs, agricultural vehicles, and other mobility devices.

[0023] The management device 300B performs tasks (service provision tasks) and processes (service provision processes) related to the services provided, and manages (stores) information related to those services (service-related information) in association with the objects to which those services are provided (hereinafter also referred to as "service-provided objects," one example being "mobile objects"). Information related to tasks and processes related to the services is also referred to as "service-related information." This system stores, in addition to the details of the work and processing involved, information regarding the sequence of operations and processing, as well as external linkage information indicating that necessary information and materials for the work or processing were provided by external devices. In this context, the terms "work" and "processing" may be expressed differently depending on the type of service provided by the management device 300B, but their content is the same. That is, the work and processing related to the services provided by the management device 300B are identical. Therefore, "work content" and "processing content" refer to the same thing, "work sequence" and "processing sequence" refer to the same thing, "work request" and "processing request" refer to the same thing, and "work request" and "processing request" refer to the same thing. In other words, the management device 300B stores service-related information (service content, service sequence, coordination information with external devices during service provision, etc.) associated with the service provided to the vehicle, which is the mobile form of the service being provided, in association with the service target object. When the service target object is a vehicle, this service-related information is also called "mobile body-related information." In other words, the management device 300B manages mobile body-related information associated with the mobile body, in association with that mobile body.

[0024] In the following, we will explain the services provided by the management device 300B, using the maintenance service for mobile objects as an example. In this case, the mobile object is the object to which the service is provided, and is referred to as the "service recipient." A vehicle is used as an example of such an object in the explanation below. Furthermore, the information related to this maintenance service (service-related information) will be referred to as "mobile object-related information."

[0025] One example of a service recipient is a vehicle user (also referred to as a user, owner, or possessor) or an employee or worker associated with the control device 300A who brings the vehicle to a service provider such as a repair shop to receive maintenance services. The management device 300B then receives the maintenance service via an input unit (not shown) and a communication unit 301, and the information processing unit 302 provides the maintenance service requested by the vehicle user or the maintenance service requested (processing instruction) by the control device 300A.

[0026] In the reception process, triggered by instructions from the service provider (worker) or the control device 300A, the system performs a process to acquire user information to identify the user, and also performs a process to acquire vehicle information of the vehicle to be serviced from the storage unit 303 and by inspecting the vehicle. This allows for the identification of users and the vehicles to which the service is applied.

[0027] User information refers to information about the user, such as user identification information (user ID) to identify the user, user name, and address. Vehicle information refers to information about the vehicle, and consists of (includes) vehicle identification information that uniquely identifies the vehicle and vehicle status information that indicates the vehicle's condition. The former type of vehicle identification information includes vehicle identification information (vehicle ID, chassis ID, chassis number, VIN) that identifies the vehicle, vehicle characteristic information (also called "full model") that can narrow down the vehicle by identifying its characteristics, and information that combines the vehicle model number, which identifies the vehicle's model, with a classification number that represents the differences in vehicle specifications and equipment within that model. One of these types of information is used to identify the vehicle. Furthermore, the latter type of vehicle condition information includes the year of manufacture, mileage, registration year, user ID, vehicle image, maintenance history, whether or not the vehicle has passed inspection, and information obtained from various sensors (for example, information obtained from atmospheric pressure sensors, intake pressure sensors, throttle position sensors, oxygen sensors, air-fuel ratio sensors, etc.).

[0028] Next, the management device 300B identifies the type of work (also referred to as "processing type") instructed by the service provider (worker) or the type of work requested (processing instruction) by the control device 300A, which is included in the reception information received through the reception process, and performs the work based on that work type for the vehicle identified in the vehicle identification information. This work is related to the maintenance service to be provided. In the management device 300B, the storage unit 303 stores, for each vehicle type, the work content to be performed according to the work type, the work sequence of that work content (work process (process sequence information consisting of multiple work processes)), the tools to be used, the parts to be used, etc. This information is managed in a processing sequence table as shown in Figure 4, and the details will be described later. As a result, the management device 300B can target vehicles identified by vehicle identification information and perform pre-specified tasks for the instructed work type, based on a specified work sequence.

[0029] Next, the management device 300B stores information such as the actual work performed, the order of the work, the tools used, and the parts used as work history information in the storage unit 303 of the information registration unit 304, as the result of the work performed on the vehicle. As a result, the storage unit 303 of the management device 300B can store the work history information (work record information) itself related to the work actually performed by the management device 300B. Therefore, this work history information can include whether the work was performed appropriately based on the work content and work sequence specified for the work type, or whether it was performed inappropriately with content different from the work content and work sequence specified for the work type. This work history information can also store detailed information about each work content, such as the work environment and the reason for the work, in association with that information.

[0030] The information setting unit 305 allows the management device 300B to either disclose (select) the work history information for each task performed based on the instructed work type to other devices (including the control device 300A and the information processing device, etc.) or to keep it confidential. The memory unit 303 stores the setting information, which determines whether to make the information public or not, set by the information setting unit 305, and associates this setting information with each piece of work history information. While the information setting unit 305 can arbitrarily set whether to make the work history information public or not, the operator (user) operating the management device 300B can also set whether to make the work history information public or not for each individual task. This allows the management device 300B to arbitrarily set which information to make public and which to keep private, thereby obtaining the advantages of making information public or private.

[0031] Furthermore, in the management device 300B, the information disclosure processing unit 306 performs the information disclosure processing (work history information) based on the public / private settings set by the information setting unit 305. In this information disclosure processing unit 306, based on the information provision request (search request) from the information processing device 100, the information that has been set to be public (work history information) is disclosed.

[0032] <Control device 300A> The control device 300A is comprised of a computer (also referred to as the "third computer") having the configuration shown in Figure 3. It specifies a predetermined service to be provided by the management device 300B (specifying the "type of work") and, via the communication unit 401, requests the management device 300B to provide the vehicle with the specified predetermined service (work request). In other words, the control device 300A is a device that makes processing requests to the management device 300B regarding the vehicle, which is a mobile object. Furthermore, the control device 300A transmits request information to the information processing device 100 requesting the acquisition of mobile object-related information managed by the management device 300B, and obtains a response. Because this control device 300A performs various types of information transmission, processing, and storage, it is also referred to as an "information processing device" or "information processing terminal." As described above, the processing request at this time is made by specifying the type of work to be performed on the vehicle. The processing request information related to the processing request is then stored in the storage unit 404 in association with the vehicle from which mobile body-related information is to be acquired and the management device 300B that made the processing request.

[0033] Furthermore, the control device 300A first requests the information processing device 100 to objectively acquire information (service-related information (mobile-related information)) related to the services provided by the management device 300B based on the processing request made by the control device 300A to the management device 300B (first request). Furthermore, the control device 300A secondly requests the information processing device 100 to provide information regarding the services that one or more management devices 300B have provided to the serviced vehicle (second request). The identification of the first and second requests can be set in the setting unit 403, and the request information creation unit 402 creates request information that includes the identification of the first and second requests set in the setting unit 403 and information corresponding to that identification.

[0034] When the control device 300A makes a first request to the information processing device 100, the request information creation unit 402 creates request information that includes at least the "work content," "work type," "vehicle information to be worked on," and "management device 300B that made the processing request" that were instructed to the management device 300B. This request information may further include the accuracy of the information (credibility (reliability)) required in the response from the information processing device 100 to that request. In other words, the request information relating to the first request enables the control device 300A to obtain from the information processing device 100, along with the judgment result information described later, information about the services actually provided based on the above-mentioned instructions (processing requests) that the control device 300A made to the management device 300B.

[0035] Furthermore, when the control device 300A makes a second request to the information processing device 100, the request information creation unit 402 creates request information that includes at least "vehicle information to be worked on" and "type of work". This request information may also include the accuracy of the information (information credibility (reliability)) that the information processing device 100 requests in response to that request. In other words, the request information relating to the second request enables the control device 300A to acquire information related to the vehicle designated as the work target (mobile body-related information) that is managed by one or more management devices 300B, via the information processing device 100.

[0036] Based on the above, the control device 300A can request necessary information from the information processing device 100 from the information managed by the management device 300B (service-related information (mobile-related information)).

[0037] <User terminal 200> The user terminal 200 is a computer (also referred to as the "second computer") with the configuration shown in Figure 3, and is operated by a user (vehicle user) who uses any of the services, such as vehicle maintenance services. It is also called a user terminal and is an electronic device owned by the user. This user terminal 200 can also be implemented as a function of an electronic device owned by the user, in which case it is implemented as an application or software installed on the electronic device. Furthermore, since this user terminal 200 transmits and receives various types of information via the communication unit 201, processes that information, and stores it, these components are also referred to as an "information processing device" or "information processing terminal."

[0038] This user terminal 200 is a device that provides instructions, contacts, and communications for receiving predetermined services provided by the management device 300B, and can switch between and use the services provided by one or more management devices 300B by communicating with those management devices 300B.

[0039] On the user terminal 200, the information processing unit 202 performs user authentication processing to authenticate the user when using various services provided by the management device 300B, and identifies the user and the vehicle associated with that user. In this case, if multiple vehicles are identified, the user may be allowed to arbitrarily select one of the vehicles. The information processing unit 202 then stores usage history information in the storage unit 204 when the user uses a service or purchases goods. In addition, the user terminal 200 uses an imaging unit 205, which consists of an imaging device, to capture documents or document data such as receipts and invoices issued by the management device 300B, etc., when using the service, generating images of the documents such as receipts and invoices, and obtaining service-related information from these images to store as usage history information in the storage unit 204. This service-related information includes the name of the service used (maintenance service, vehicle inspection service, etc.), the name of the purchased product, the amount, labor hours, quantity, etc., and the details of the service.

[0040] The usage history information stored in the storage unit 204 of the user terminal 200 can also be stored in an external storage device that the user terminal 200 can connect to, as information that can be provided in response to a request from the information processing device 100, rather than being stored in the storage unit 204 of the user terminal 200.

[0041] <Information Processing Device 100> The information processing device 100 is comprised of a computer (also referred to as the "first computer") having the configuration shown in Figure 3. It receives a request based on request information (first request) from the control device 300A via the communication unit 101. The information analysis unit 102 analyzes the request information, and the information identification unit 103 identifies the "information type," "vehicle information to be processed," and "management device 300B to which the control device 300A made the processing request" contained in the request information. This "information type" indicates the type of information stored by the management device 300B and includes "work type" and "processing type." Then, using the identified information, the search processing unit 105 makes a search request to its management device 300B, and retrieves information (mobile object-related information) based on that request information from the management device 300B and stores it in the storage unit 104. The information processing device 100 performs the following processing in the information processing unit 106.

[0042] In the selection and sorting processing unit 106a, which constitutes the information processing unit 106, sequence information is set for the acquired mobile object-related information, and sorting is performed based on that sequence information. The request determination processing unit 106b then determines whether the sorted mobile object-related information is suitable for the processing request. Then, for each of the rearranged mobile object-related pieces of information, the access control processing unit 106d performs access control processing to set whether the control device 300A allows or denies access. The information generation processing unit 106e creates (generates) a "mobile object-related information group" of the rearranged mobile object-related pieces of information, and the evaluation processing unit 106f evaluates this mobile object-related information group. The information output unit 107 outputs (responds to) this mobile object-related information group. In this context, "a group" refers to a single unit of data handling.

[0043] In addition, the information processing device 100 receives a request based on the request information (second request) from the control device 300A, analyzes the request information in the information analysis unit 102, and identifies the "information type" and "vehicle information to be processed" included in the request in the information identification unit 103. Then, based on the identified information, the search processing unit 105 sends a search request to one or more management devices 300B, retrieves mobile device-related information from the management devices 300B and external storage devices, and stores it in the storage unit 104. At this time, the information processing device 100 identifies the management device 300B for which the information type is specified in the management device table shown in Figure 5, creates search condition information specifying the information type for that management device 300B, and sends it to the management device 300B, thereby performing the information retrieval process. The information processing device 100 then stores the mobile object-related information, which is acquired from the management device 300B, in the storage unit 104, and the information processing unit 106 performs the following processing.

[0044] In the selection and sorting processing unit 106a, which constitutes the information processing unit 106, sequence information is set for the acquired mobile object-related information, and sorting is performed based on that sequence information. The request determination processing unit 106b then determines whether the sorted mobile object-related information is suitable for the processing request. Then, for each of the rearranged mobile object-related pieces of information, the access control processing unit 106d performs access control processing to set whether the control device 300A allows or denies access. The information generation processing unit 106e creates (generates) a "mobile object-related information group" of the rearranged mobile object-related pieces of information, and the evaluation processing unit 106f evaluates this mobile object-related information group. The information output unit 107 outputs (responds to) this mobile object-related information group.

[0045] At this time, if the information acquired from the management device 300B (mobile device-related information) includes external linkage information, the confirmation processing unit 106c sends a confirmation request to the linkage destination of that external linkage information regarding the content of the external linkage included in that external linkage information (for example, the requested items). Then, based on the confirmation response to that confirmation request, it performs a process to confirm whether or not the partner included in the external linkage information has received the request for those items. As described above, the information processing device 100 is also called an "information processing terminal" because it performs various types of information transmission and reception, information processing, and storage.

[0046] The external collaboration information in this context refers to information indicating that the management device 300B requests (requests) items (parts) or operations (processes) necessary for providing services related to associated mobile information from a device (external) different from the management device 300B. In other words, it is information recorded when the management device 300B sends request information to the external collaboration partner requesting items (parts) or operations (processes) necessary for providing the service, and the external collaboration partner receives this information.

[0047] When transmitting request information to order parts necessary for providing a service, the request information is an order request for parts used in the service (processing) performed in response to a processing request made by the control device 300A. Furthermore, when transmitting request information to request processing necessary for providing a service, the request information is a processing request for the processing to be performed in response to a processing request made by the control device 300A to the management device 300B.

[0048] The external information linked to the mobile device-related information through this external linking process includes information about the external linking destination and information about the parts or processes required for the work.

[0049] In the information processing device 100, the confirmation process performed in the confirmation processing unit 106c to confirm whether a partner included in the external linkage information has received the request for the requested item is performed by checking whether the external linkage information contains order request information indicating that an order request for parts indicated in the external linkage information has been made to the partner, or by checking whether the external linkage information contains processing request information indicating that a processing request for the processing indicated in the external linkage information has been made to the partner. If the external linkage information includes order request information or processing request information, it can be confirmed that an order request or processing request for parts has been made to the external linkage. If it does not include such information, it will not be possible to confirm that an order has been placed with the external linkage. This means that even if there are fraudulent or erroneous entries in the data on the management device 300B indicating that a parts order has been placed, it is possible to verify and confirm whether the order was actually placed with the external partner.

[0050] Figure 3 illustrates an example of a hardware configuration when the information processing device 100, user terminal 200, control device 300A, and management device 300B are each implemented by a computer. Of course, it is also possible to implement the functions of each device using multiple devices.

[0051] Furthermore, since the information processing device 100, user terminal 200, control device 300A, and management device 300B perform various types of information transmission, processing, and storage, they can each be described as "information processing devices" or "information processing terminals." For this reason, the first computer 100, the second computer 200, the third computer 300A, and the fourth computer 300B can also each be described as "information processing devices" or "information processing terminals."

[0052] As shown in Figure 3, the first computer 100, the second computer 200, the third computer 300A, and the fourth computer 300B each include a processor 901, a storage device 902, an I / F 903, and a display device 904.

[0053] The processor 901 controls processing in the computers (first computer 100, second computer 200, third computer 300A, fourth computer 300B) by executing programs stored in the storage device 902. For example, each functional unit and processing unit of the information processing device 100, user terminal 200, control device 300A, and management device 300B are realized by the processor 901 executing programs stored in the storage device 902. These programs are executed by the computers (first computer 100, second computer 200, third computer 300A, fourth computer 300B). In particular, the processor 901 in the first computer 100 may be referred to as the "first processor," the processor 901 in the second computer 200 as the "second processor," the processor 901 in the third computer 300A as the "third processor," and the processor 901 in the fourth computer 300B as the "fourth processor."

[0054] The storage device 902 temporarily stores the source code of the program executed by the processor 901 and data required when the program is executed, and is a volatile or non-volatile storage medium such as RAM, ROM, hard disk drive (HDD), or flash memory. This storage device 902 also serves as a database for storing the operating system (OS), various programs for implementing the above configurations, configuration information, tables, and so on.

[0055] The processor 901 reads and executes these programs, configuration information, table information, etc., to realize various functions. In particular, the storage device 902 of the first computer 100 is sometimes referred to as the "first storage device (storage unit)", the storage device 902 of the second computer 200 is sometimes referred to as the "second storage device (storage unit)", the storage device 902 of the third computer 300A is sometimes referred to as the "third storage device (storage unit)", and the storage device 902 of the fourth computer 300B is sometimes referred to as the "fourth storage device (storage unit)".

[0056] The I / F903 is an input / output interface (also called the "communication unit") for receiving user input from keyboards, mice, touch panels, various sensors, wearable devices, etc. It is an interface for inputting and outputting data from external devices to a computer, and a communication interface for communicating data between computers or with external devices to a computer via a communication network, either wired or wirelessly.

[0057] The display device 904 is a device that displays various types of information. Specific examples include liquid crystal displays, organic EL (EleCtro-LuminCe) displays, and it may also be a wearable device. It may also be a touch panel or touch input device that combines an input / output interface with this display device 904.

[0058] Figure 4 shows an example of a processing sequence table and a processing result table stored in an information processing device according to an embodiment of the present invention. In Figure 4, Figure 4(A) is an example of a processing sequence table for a given vehicle, stored in the information processing device. The same processing based on this processing sequence table is performed when the management device 300B receives a processing request from the control device 300A. More specifically, it is a process that manages the content (work details, etc.) of the processing performed by the facility equipped with the management device 300B. In other words, if the control device 300B performs the same processing as the processing sequence table in response to a processing request from the control device 300A, it can be determined that the processing corresponding to that processing request has been performed by the control device 300B. On the other hand, if the control device 300B does not perform the same processing as the processing sequence table, it can be determined that the processing corresponding to that processing request has not been performed by the control device 300B.

[0059] This processing sequence table is a table set up for each vehicle (each vehicle type), and each management device 300B has an item for processing content that indicates the content of the processing in the service it provides, an item for the type of processing content, an item for the specific processing content, an item for the order of the processing content, an item for the parts required for the processing content, an item for the tools required for the processing content (hereinafter referred to as "conformity check items"), and an item for more detailed processing content. In this context, "processing content" refers to the content of the processing in the services provided by each management device 300B, as described above. Therefore, depending on the type of service provided, it may be referred to as "work content," etc., but all expressions refer to the same content. Similarly, "processing type" may also be referred to as "work type." In addition, "processing sequence" may be referred to as "work sequence."

[0060] This processing type (also simply referred to as "type") is information specified in the control device 300A.

[0061] The items of processing content include, for example, processing content related to a specified service, such as (1) 6-month inspection, 12-month inspection, statutory vehicle inspection (also simply called "vehicle inspection"), pre-drive inspection, pre-long-distance drive inspection, post-drive inspection, and post-long-distance drive inspection; (2) sheet metal repair, paint repair; and (3) disassembly and maintenance, electronic control unit maintenance. If any of the items in (1) are specified, the information type will be set to "inspection". If any of the items in (2) are specified, the information type will be set to "repair". If any of the items in (3) are specified, the information type will be set to "specific item confirmation".

[0062] In Figure 4, the processing content is "2nd year inspection," and the processing type for the record is "inspection." The conformity check items for this record are shown as follows: "[Processing content / sequence] (1) Engine room inspection → (2) Interior inspection → (3) Underbody inspection → (4) Underbody inspection → (5) Exterior inspection, [Parts] XX, YYY, ZZZZ, [Tools] Torque wrench, pliers, SSS." As is clear from this description, for a specified vehicle, if the requested service is a "2nd year inspection," it is necessary to perform the following service in this order: "[Service content and order] (1) Engine room inspection → (2) Interior inspection → (3) Underbody inspection → (4) Underbody inspection → (5) Exterior inspection." Figure 4(B) shows a processing result table managed for each user, such as vehicle owners and service requestors. The results are based on the processing order shown in Figure 4(A). The processing result table shown in Figure 4(B) consists of the processing result, processing content ID, processor, and processing date and time, clearly indicating the time information (date and time) and the processor for each processing result.

[0063] Figure 5 shows an example of a management device list table and an access permission recipient designation table stored in an information processing device according to an embodiment of the present invention. The management information list table shown in Figure 5(A) contains information about the management devices from which the information processing device obtains mobile device-related information. This table consists of the following items: management device ID, device type, connection information (address), types of information that can be provided, and authorized access recipients, and these are managed in an associated manner. The management device ID indicates the identification information of the management device, the device type, also called the service type, indicates the type of service provided by the management device, and the connection information indicates the information for connecting to the management device via a communication channel. In addition, the information that can be provided indicates the type of information provided by the management device 300B, and the access permission recipients are information about the recipients that can access the management device for each management device. Figure 5(A) shows a state in which a group to which one or more recipients belong is designated as an access permission recipient. The access permission recipient specification table shown in Figure 5(B) illustrates an example where the recipient type is specified as belonging to a group. For example, the recipient type belonging to Group A is specified as "vehicle manufacturers, new car dealerships, and used car dealerships," and access is permitted only from management devices belonging to this type.

[0064] Figure 6 shows a sequence illustrating the flow of authentication processing for mobile object-related information performed in the information processing system according to an embodiment of the present invention. The authentication process shown in Figure 6 is performed between the control device 300A, the management device 300B, the user terminal 200, and the external storage device, and the information processing device 100. The following explanation will use the management device 300B as an example. Upon providing the service, the management device 300B performs an information registration process to store mobile object-related information as information related to that service (S601), and sets whether to make each of the registered mobile object-related pieces of information public or private (S602). This allows for the public / private status to be set for each piece of mobile device-related information, enabling information to be made public as needed while ensuring high information security.

[0065] In the management device 300B, at any time, or when operated by a user, the management device 300B requests authentication of mobile object-related information from the information processing device 100 (S603). This authentication request requires that the mobile object-related information, which has been set to be made public, prove that the mobile object-related information existed at the time of authentication and that the content subject to authentication at the time of authentication.

[0066] Upon receiving this authentication request, the information processing device 100 identifies the management device 300B that made the authentication request (S604) and determines whether it is possible to perform authentication processing based on the authentication request for mobile-related information from the authentication requester (S605). The management device 300B that initiated the authentication request can be identified from the source of the header information contained in the communication data (communication packet). Furthermore, whether or not authentication processing is possible is determined by whether or not the management device 300B of that source is registered in the management information list table shown in Figure 5.

[0067] If the information processing device 100 determines that authentication is possible because the source management device 300B is registered in the management information list table, it performs a process to establish a communication channel with the management device 300B (S606). On the other hand, if the sending management device 300B is not registered and the information processing device 100 does not determine that authentication processing is possible, it responds to the requesting management device 300B with a refusal to accept the authentication request. This prevents unauthorized information from being authenticated from unintended management devices 300B, thereby increasing the credibility of mobile-related information. As a result, this also leads to the high reliability of the mobile-related information group described later.

[0068] Once a communication channel is established, the information processing device 100 performs a hash operation to calculate a hash value for the mobile object-related information using a predetermined formula (S607). The information processing device 100 then stores the authentication request source, the hash value, and the date and time of the hash operation in a storage unit in association with each other (S608), and responds to the authentication request from the management device 300B indicating that it has been authenticated (S609). The hash value obtained at this time is also referred to as the "first hash value." The predetermined calculation formula is a calculation formula specified by the information processing device 100, and the information processing device 100 may specify a predetermined calculation formula, or it may specify a calculation formula corresponding to the management device 300B that provides the mobile-related information. The calculation formula shown in the authentication information table in Figure 8, which will be described later, is an example in which a calculation formula corresponding to the management device 300B is specified. In this way, the information processing device 100 sends a "response indicating that it is authenticated" to the management device 300B, and does not transmit the authenticated hash value or mobile device-related information itself. This reduces the load on the communication channel and prevents the leakage of hash value information.

[0069] Through this process, the information processing device 100 can distinguish between authenticated mobile object-related information and mobile object-related information that has not undergone authentication.

[0070] Figure 7 is similar to Figure 6 and shows the contents of the authentication process for authenticating mobile device-related information. In Figure 7, similar to Figure 6, the management device 300B, which is one example, performs an information registration process to store mobile-related information as information related to the service (S701), and sets whether to make the registered mobile-related information public or private (S702). When the authentication conditions for mobile object-related information are met in the information processing device 100 (S703), the information processing device 100 sequentially reads the mobile object-related information published by the management device 300B for the management devices managed in the management device list table shown in Figure 5 (S704). The authentication conditions at this time may be the passage of a certain amount of time or acceptance of a user operation by a user operating the information processing device 100.

[0071] Upon receiving this read request, the management device 300B performs a process to authenticate the requesting information processing device 100, and then performs a response process to the read request by sending the publicly available mobile-related information to the information processing device 100 (S705). When the information processing device 100 receives mobile object-related information from the management device 300B through response processing, it performs a hash operation to calculate a hash value for that mobile object-related information using a predetermined calculation formula (S706). Then, the information processing device 100 stores the authentication request source, the hash value, and the processing date and time of the hash operation in a storage unit, associating them (S707).

[0072] As shown in Figures 6 and 7 above, the process enables authentication of mobile device-related information, making it possible to distinguish between authenticated and unauthenticated mobile device-related information.

[0073] Figure 8 shows an example of an authentication information table stored in an information processing device according to an embodiment of the present invention. The authentication information table in Figure 8 is a table that manages the hash values ​​obtained when mobile object-related information is authenticated by the authentication process shown in Figures 6 and 7, by associating them with the management device 300B that stores the mobile object-related information. The authentication information table shown in Figure 8(a) associates the following items: a source item indicating the management device 300B that stores mobile object-related information; an item indicating the date and time of the hash value calculation; an item indicating the calculation formula (algorithm) used for the hash value calculation; an item indicating the calculation result (hash value); and an item indicating the data ID that identifies the mobile object-related information. Figure 8(b) also consists of similar items, and Figure 8(b) is sorted using the source item as the key. Figure 8(b) makes it easy to grasp the authenticated mobile object-related information for each management device 300B that stores the mobile object-related information.

[0074] Figure 9 shows a screen displayed on a user terminal 200 that constitutes an information processing system according to an embodiment of the present invention. The user terminal 200 uses an imaging unit 205, which consists of an imaging device, to capture images of receipts, invoices, etc., issued by the management device 300B, etc., when using the service. The imaging unit generates images of the receipts, invoices, etc., and then retrieves information from these images and stores it in the storage unit 204 as usage history information.

[0075] Figure 9 shows a screen displaying the reading of receipts and other documents using an imaging device to store information as usage history data. Figure 9(a) shows a screen displaying a registration page for registering information from receipts, etc., where the user can select either "manual input" or "scan input" which is registration by imaging using an imaging device. Figure 9(b) shows the screen for reading receipts, etc., Figure 9(c) shows the screen after data has been read from the receipts, etc., and Figure 9(d) shows that the information shown in Figure 9(c) has been stored (registered) as user history information in the user terminal 200 or external storage device.

[0076] This process allows users to register their own usage history information, making this usage history information available as mobile device-related information.

[0077] Figure 10 is a table diagram showing a list of usage history information registered in the user terminal 200 that constitutes the information processing system in an embodiment of the present invention. The usage history information table shown in Figure 10 shows, for example, the usage history information for each user, which is stored in an external storage device. In this usage history information table shown in Figure 10, one or more mobile device identification information is set for each user, and the above usage history information is stored in association with the identification information of the core mobile device. Each user's usage history information shows the mobile-related information, and the usage history information includes the information type and details. In particular, the processing type (task type) indicating what kind of usage was performed is shown, making it possible to understand the processing type of the usage history information (mobile-related information). This indicates that usage history information is managed for each user, as well as for each mode of transportation used by the user.

[0078] Figure 11 shows an example of a display of a group of mobile object-related information created in an information processing device according to an embodiment of the present invention. The screen shown in Figure 11 can be displayed on the information processing device 100, as well as on the control device 300A and the management device 300B. In particular, the control device 300A can display the screen as a result of requesting mobile-related information from the information processing device 100. The screen in Figure 11 shows vehicle information related to the vehicle, which is the mobile entity to which the service is provided, in the upper section, and a group of mobile entity-related information in the lower section.

[0079] First, the vehicle information section displays vehicle-related information, such as the registration number (license plate number), chassis number, registration date, type designation number, classification number, mileage, next vehicle inspection date, and vehicle inspection expiration date. Of these, the information processing device 100 always accepts the chassis number that identifies the mobile object, or a combination of the type designation number and classification number that can be used to select that mobile object, as requested information from the control device 300A. Therefore, at least one of these is always displayed. When the information processing device 100 receives input of a chassis number, it acquires that chassis number as mobile entity identification information to identify the vehicle that is a mobile entity. When it receives input of a combination of a type designation number and a classification number, it acquires the chassis number of a designated mobile entity from among the mobile entities selected based on that combination of type designation number and classification number as mobile entity identification information.

[0080] The lower section of mobile object-related information shows the mobile object-related information for the mobile object (vehicle) identified by this mobile object identification information, sorted and arranged based on the date and time information of each mobile object-related piece of information. In other words, it shows the state in which the information processing device 100 has sorted the mobile object-related information acquired from the management device 300B or the control device 300A. The mobile information at this time comes in two types: Firstly, by receiving a request based on the request information (first request) from the control device 300A, the information identification unit 103 identifies the management device 300B to which the control device 300A made the processing request, and the mobile object-related information received from the identified management device 300B. In other words, the mobile object-related information received from the specific management device 300B is used to display a group of mobile object-related information. Secondly, by receiving a request based on the request information (second request) from the control device 300A, the system makes a search request to one or more management devices 300B based on the information type and vehicle information to be processed included in the request information, and obtains mobile-related information from these management devices 300B or external storage devices. In other words, it displays a group of mobile-related information using the mobile-related information received from the management devices 300B that correspond to the condition information such as information type and vehicle information.

[0081] Figure 11 shows the mobile entity-related information associated with the "mobile entity (vehicle)" designated as the target of history management. This mobile entity-related information consists of four layers. The first layer, the highest level, contains the mobile entity-related information received from the management device 300B, namely "0 New car sales," "1 New car maintenance," "2 Gasoline," "3 Parking," "4 Gasoline," "5 Tire replacement," and "6 Inspection," which are arranged according to time information. In other words, the mobile entity-related information enables traceability of the work and procedures performed on the mobile entity. To put it another way, the vertical axis of the first layer (the first axis, also called the "first work axis" or "first procedure axis") represents the history (sequence) of the work and procedures performed on the target of history management (mobile entity (vehicle)). Furthermore, each piece of mobile object-related information is associated with the device type of the management device 300B that acquired that mobile object-related information. In the example shown in Figure 11, seven pieces of mobile object-related information are displayed, and among them, the mobile object-related information for "6 Inspection" shows a configuration in which more detailed information is associated. By operating the button that displays "6 Inspection" on this screen, the user can expand and display the detailed mobile object-related information as a second level. The mobile vehicle-related information for "6-Inspection" includes "6-1 Body Identification Confirmation," "6-2 Underbody Check," "6-3 Exterior (Underbody) Check," "6-4 Interior Check," "6-5 Engine Room Check," and "6-6 Driving Check." This detailed mobile vehicle-related information is included when the mobile vehicle-related information for "6-Inspection" is obtained from the repair shop. Furthermore, this "6-5 Engine Room Check" section displays a configuration associated with detailed information. By operating the button that displays "6-5 Engine Room Check," the user can expand and display the detailed information related to the moving parts as a third level. The mobile-related information for "6-5 Engine Room Check" includes "6-5-1 Power Steering," "6-5-2 Ignition System," "6-5-3 Battery Wiring," "6-5-4 Engine Speed," "6-5-5 Cooling System," and "6-5-6 Fuel System." This detailed mobile-related information is included when obtaining the mobile-related information for "6 Inspection" from the repair shop. Furthermore, the "6-5-2 ignition system" and "6-5-4 engine speed" are linked to a configuration with detailed information, and this detailed mobile-related information can be displayed and expanded as the lowest level, the fourth level. In other words, this represents the history (sequence) of operations and procedures performed on the object of history management (mobile object (vehicle)) on the vertical axis of the second and third levels (the first axis, also called the "work axis" or "procedure axis"). Based on the above, the first axis represents the history (sequence) of operations and procedures performed on the subject of history management (mobile object (vehicle)) at each of the first, second, and third levels.

[0082] Figure 11 shows that the details of "6-5-2 Ignition System" include external linkage information. This external linkage information indicates that "spark plug replacement" was performed as part of the "6-5-2 Ignition System" operation, and that the necessary part, "spark plug," was ordered and purchased from "A Parts Company" as an order request (order request information). In addition, it indicates that the operation of "ignition confirmation" was outsourced to an external company, "K Work Company," as a processing request item. Furthermore, as detailed information for "6-5-4 Engine RPM," external linkage information is set, indicating that the tasks performed under "6-5-4 Engine RPM" were "oil change," "filter change," and "RPM check." It also indicates that the "oil" required for the "oil change" task was ordered and purchased from "Parts Company B" (order request information), and the "filter" required for the "filter change" task was ordered and purchased from "Parts Company C" (order request information). In other words, the source (supplier) of the goods needed for a specific task (procedure) is linked. This makes it easy to identify the source of a product even if a problem occurs with the goods used in the task. In other words, the vertical axis (first axis) represents the work or procedure, while the horizontal axis (second axis, also called the "product axis" or "another axis different from the first axis") represents the history (sequence) of work and procedures performed on the object of history management (mobile object (vehicle)), including the products and parts used. Based on the above, the mobile information represents the history of work and procedures on the first axis, and the goods and parts used in the work and procedures on the second axis. This makes it easy to grasp a series of work histories and to easily identify the goods, parts, and tools used in those work. In other words, it is possible to improve the traceability of work histories as well as the traceability of goods and tools.

[0083] In this way, each piece of mobile body-related information is displayed as a group of mobile body-related information, and each piece of mobile body-related information is associated with a management device 300B that manages that mobile body-related information. If the mobile body-related information has external linkage information, that external linkage information includes information on parts ordering requests and processing requests.

[0084] Figure 12 shows an example of displaying mobile object-related information on the screen, similar to Figure 11. However, some of the displayed mobile object-related information is hidden due to access restrictions imposed by access control processing. As shown above, the mobile device-related information group can be displayed on any of the control device 300A, management device 300B, user terminal 200, or information processing device 100, but this example shows a case where the information displayed is restricted at the display destination. In the example shown in Figure 12, "2 Gasoline" shown in Figure 11 is hidden, and the information specified in "Type of information to restrict" for "Restricted target" in the restriction information type table shown in Figure 19, which will be described later, is hidden. As shown above, the examples in Figures 11 and 12 demonstrate how certain information can be hidden to restrict access (restrict display). Of course, access can be restricted hierarchically, or all content can be hidden. Furthermore, while Figures 11 and 12 show examples of display in a hierarchical format, a grid format is also possible, and the display format is not limited to this.

[0085] Figure 13 is a sequence diagram showing the processing flow of an information processing system in an embodiment of the present invention. In Figure 13, the management device 300B performs an information registration process to store mobile body-related information as information related to the service provided by the management device 300B (S1301), and sets whether to make each of the registered mobile body-related pieces of information public or private (S1302).

[0086] Furthermore, the control device 300A specifies vehicle information, information type, and accuracy information, and when it creates request information including a request to acquire mobile object-related information, it transmits this request information to the information processing device 100 (S1303). The vehicle information included in the request information at this time specifies the mobile object that is the subject of the mobile object-related information (a mobile object which is an example of an object that has received the service), the information type is the type of information for the mobile object (information indicating what kind of information it is), and the accuracy information is information indicating the degree of credibility (reliability) of the mobile object-related information to be acquired. Vehicle information includes, for example, a combination of a chassis number that identifies the vehicle, a type designation number that allows the vehicle to be selected, and a classification number.

[0087] Upon receiving such request information, the information processing device 100 analyzes the request information (S1304). In this analysis process, the vehicle information, information type, and accuracy information included in the request information are analyzed. In addition, as will be described later, if the request information includes instruction information given by the control device 300A to the management device 300B and management device identification information that identifies the management device 300B, these pieces of information are also analyzed. As a result of the analysis, when vehicle information such as a chassis number is received (input is accepted), the chassis number is acquired and stored as mobile body identification information for identifying a mobile body. On the other hand, when a combination of a type designation number and a classification number is received (input is accepted), if one mobile body is identified by that combination of type designation number and classification number, the chassis number of that mobile body is acquired as mobile body identification information. If multiple mobile bodies are selected, the chassis number of a selected mobile body from among the selected mobile bodies is acquired as mobile body identification information (S1305).

[0088] Then, the information processing device 100 identifies the type of information and, based on the identified type of information, identifies a management device ID (management device identification information) that identifies the management device 300B which stores mobile-related information of that type of information (S1306). This identification process is performed, for example, by identifying the management device ID from the information type based on the management information list table shown in Figure 5. Alternatively, if the request information includes instruction information given by the control device 300A to the management device 300B and management device identification information that identifies the management device 300B, the management device ID of the management device 300B is identified.

[0089] Next, the information processing device 100 creates search condition information that includes search conditions in response to the request information from the control device 300A (S1307). This search condition includes specifying the management device 300B and the control device 300A, which are the search destinations, as well as condition information that specifies the mobile object (vehicle) to be searched and the type of information indicating the content of the information to be searched. This mobile object identification information becomes the main search key. This makes it possible to obtain mobile object-related information only from the corresponding management device 300B, based on the request information transmitted by the control device 300A to the information processing device 100.

[0090] Next, the information processing device 100 performs information retrieval processing on the management device 300B and the control device 300A based on the created search condition information (S1308). In response to this search request, the management device 300B and the control device 300A perform information disclosure processing (S1309). Details of this information disclosure processing are shown in Figure 20. This information disclosure processing involves the management device 300B and the control device 300A transmitting the configured mobile object-related information to the information processing device 100.

[0091] As a result, the information processing device 100, having acquired the mobile object-related information, stores and remembers it as information for the main search key (S1310). In other words, it stores mobile object-related information for mobile object identification information that identifies the mobile object. Next, the information processing device 100 performs a selection and sorting process, selecting necessary mobile object-related information from the stored information based on accuracy information and sorting it according to predetermined conditions (S1311).

[0092] Next, the information processing device 100 performs a request determination process (S1312). Details of this request determination process are shown in Figure 16. In this request determination process, if the request information received from the control device 300A includes a request to evaluate whether the mobile object-related information conforms to the processing request, the information processing device 100 determines whether the ordered mobile object-related information is based on a processing request made by the control device 300A to the management device 300B. This request determination process is a process in which the information processing device 100 determines whether the ordered mobile object-related information conforms to the processing request based on the mobile object-related information, which has its processing content and processing order specified and is stored in the storage unit as a processing order table as shown in Figure 4.

[0093] Furthermore, the information processing device 100 performs a confirmation process (S1313). The details of this confirmation process are shown in Figure 17, and it consists of a process that, if the received mobile-related information includes external linkage information, uses that external linkage information to send a confirmation request to the linkage destination of the external linkage information regarding the request information requested by the management device, and a process that, based on the confirmation response received from the linkage destination in response to the confirmation request, confirms whether or not the linkage destination has received a request for the request information from the management device.

[0094] Next, the information processing device 100 performs access control processing (S1314). Details of this access control processing are shown in Figure 18, and this access control processing restricts access to information according to the output destination (the source that sent the request information) to which the mobile object-related information is output.

[0095] Next, the information processing device 100 performs a process to generate a group of mobile object-related information in response to the requester (S1315). This group of mobile object-related information is the kind of information shown in Figure 11, etc. This generation process involves ordering the mobile object-related information in chronological order based on the time information contained in each piece of mobile object-related information, and then generating (creating) a group of mobile object-related information arranged in that ordered order.

[0096] Once the mobile object-related information group is generated, the information processing device 100 performs an evaluation process (S1316). Details of this evaluation process are shown in Figure 20, and it is a process that evaluates the information accuracy of the mobile object-related information group based on the judgment result from the request judgment process and the confirmation result from the confirmation process.

[0097] In this manner, the information processing device 100 generates a group of mobile object-related information, and once evaluation processing is performed, it outputs this group of mobile object-related information to the control device 300A, the source of the request information (S1317). The control device 300A that transmitted the request information then stores and displays that information (S1318).

[0098] Through the above processing, the information processing device 100 can provide the control device 300A with information that allows it to grasp the status of the moving object using appropriate information about the moving object. Furthermore, the information used at this time will be highly reliable, enabling it to grasp the status of the moving object.

[0099] Figure 14 is a diagram showing the flow of information disclosure processing performed in the control device 300A and management device 300B that constitute the information processing system in an embodiment of the present invention. In Figure 14, when the control device 300A and the management device 300B receive a search request based on search conditions from the information processing device 100, they analyze the received request content to identify the information processing device 100 as the request source information and specify its search conditions (S1401). The control device 300A and the management device 300B determine whether or not there is any mobile-related information among the stored mobile-related information that is permitted to be made public (S1402). If none of the mobile-related information is permitted to be made public (NO in S1402), the control device 300A and the management device 300B notify the information processing device 100 that the information is not to be made public (S1403).

[0100] On the other hand, if permission for external disclosure is set for at least one piece of mobile-related information (YES in S1402), the control device 300A and the management device 300B determine whether or not an information type is set for the mobile-related information for which permission has been set (S1404). If no information type is set for any of the mobile object-related information (NO in S1404), the information type of that mobile object-related information cannot be identified, but the information is permitted to be made public. Therefore, the control device 300A and the management device 300B transmit all publicly available mobile object-related information to the information processing device 100 (S1405). In this way, the control device 300A and the management device 300B store information regarding the transmission of mobile-related information to the outside as transmission history information in the storage unit (S1406).

[0101] Furthermore, in the processing of S1404, if an information type is set for at least one of the mobile-related information that is permitted to be publicly disclosed (YES in S1404), the control device 300A and the management device 300B search for and identify the mobile-related information that matches the search conditions for the mobile-related information for which the information type has been set (S1407), and transmit the identified mobile-related information to the information processing device 100 (S1408). In this way, the control device 300A and the management device 300B store information regarding the transmission of mobile-related information to the outside as transmission history information in the storage unit (S1406).

[0102] Based on the above, the information disclosure process enables the control device 300A and the management device 300B to disclose necessary information to the external information processing device 100.

[0103] Figure 15 is a flowchart showing the flow of selection and sorting processing performed by the information processing device in an embodiment of the present invention. In Figure 15, after receiving the request information, the information processing device 100, having received the mobile object-related information provided by the control device 300A and the management device 300B, determines whether or not the request information includes precision information that specifies the precision of the mobile object-related information (S1501). If precision information is not included (NO in S1501), the information processing device 100 sorts all mobile object-related information based on the attribute information of the mobile object-related information for which a hash value has been calculated and the time information of the attribute information of the mobile object-related information for which a hash value has not been calculated, in order to indicate that precision information is not relevant (S1502). Note that S1501 and S1502 are not mandatory processes.

[0104] Next, if the requested information includes precision information that specifies the precision of the mobile object-related information (YES in S1501), the information processing device 100 determines whether the specified precision information is of a certain precision level or higher that has been specified in advance (S1503). As a precision level, a total of five levels from 1 to 5 can be set, with the lowest precision level being "1" and the highest precision level being "5". For example, if there is a certain level of precision level, "3", then it is determined whether a precision level of "3 to 5" is set. If the requested information does not contain a certain level of precision (NO in S1503), the information processing device 100, in order to indicate that precision information is not required, sorts all mobile object-related information based on the attribute information of mobile object-related information for which a hash value has been calculated and the time information of mobile object-related attribute information for which a hash value has not been calculated (S1502).

[0105] Furthermore, if the information contains information with a certain level of accuracy (YES in S1503), the information processing device 100 calculates (calculates) the hash value of each piece of mobile-related information stored for the mobile-identification information, which is the main search key, using a predetermined calculation formula (S1504). This hash value is referred to as the "second hash value". The calculation formula (algorithm) used to calculate the hash value at this time may be a formula predetermined by the information processing device 100, or it may be a formula corresponding to the management device 300B that provides the mobile-related information. The calculation formula shown in the authentication information table in Figure 8 is an example in which a formula corresponding to the management device 300B is specified.

[0106] The information processing device 100 then compares the stored first hash value with the second hash value and extracts (selects) only the mobile object-related information for the second hash value that is identical to the first hash value (S1505). Next, the information processing device 100 assigns an order to the mobile object-related information and rearranges it based on the time information contained in the attribute information of the mobile object-related information for which a second hash value has been calculated. In this case, the order is assigned, for example, starting with the oldest time information, and the rearrangement is performed based on this order.

[0107] As a result of the above processing, once the mobile object-related information has been rearranged, the information processing device 100 stores the requester who sent the request information, the request information itself, and the rearranged mobile object-related information (S1506).

[0108] Through the processing described above, the selection and sorting process can select and discard mobile object-related information according to the accuracy of the accuracy information.

[0109] Figure 16 is a diagram showing the flow of the request determination process in the information processing device according to an embodiment of the present invention. In Figure 16, with the mobile object-related information selected, sorted, and stored, the information processing device 100 determines whether the request information received from the information requesting device 300A includes instruction information indicating that the control device 300A should make a suitability judgment for the processing request made to the management device 300B (S1601). This instruction information is included when the control device 300A determines whether a service has been provided based on a processing request it has made to the management device 300B.

[0110] If this instruction information is not included in the request information (NO in S1601), the information processing device 100 terminates information processing. If the instruction information is included in the request information (YES in S1602), the information processing device 100 then reads out processing sequence data that specifies the processing content and processing order that are suitable for that instruction information (S1602). An example of this processing sequence data is shown in Figure 4.

[0111] Using the read processing sequence data, the information processing device 100 performs a process to determine whether the stored rearranged mobile object-related information is compatible (S1603), and determines whether the rearranged mobile object-related information is compatible with the processing sequence data (S1604). For example, the process involves comparing the mobile object-related information indicated by the processing order data with the reordered mobile object-related information.

[0112] If the rearranged mobile object-related information matches the processing order data (YES in S1604), the information processing device 100 stores the matching mobile object-related information as a determination result (S1605). In other words, it can be determined from the mobile object-related information that processing (work) based on the processing request made by the control device 300A to the management device 300B is being carried out.

[0113] On the other hand, if the rearranged mobile object-related information does not match the processing order data (NO in S1604), the information processing device 100 stores the fact that the matching mobile object-related information "does not match" as judgment result information (S1606). In other words, it can be determined from the mobile object-related information that the processing (work) based on the processing request made by the control device 300A to the management device 300B has not been performed, and that processing (work) is being performed with different processing content or processing order. In the latter case, the matching rate between the processing order data and the rearranged mobile object-related information is calculated as a result of the comparison, and this matching rate information is stored in association with the judgment result information (S1607).

[0114] Figure 17 is a diagram showing the flow of the verification process performed in the information processing device according to an embodiment of the present invention. In Figure 17, when the mobile object-related information has been selected, rearranged, and stored, the information processing device 100 determines whether or not external linkage information (also simply referred to as "external information") is associated with the mobile object-related information (S1701). If no external linkage information is associated (NO in S1701), the information processing device 100 terminates processing. If there is at least one piece of mobile-related information to which external linkage information is associated (YES in S1701), the information processing device 100 identifies the external linkage partner and the linkage content based on that external linkage information (S1702). For example, in the example shown above, the external linkage partners could be a supplier to whom parts are ordered and procured, or a contractor to whom processing (work) itself is outsourced.

[0115] The information processing device 100 determines whether the information of the partner at this time is stored as the information provider management device 300B of mobile-related information (S1703). If it is stored (YES in S1703), it requests confirmation of the requested collaboration details (request details) from the partner stored as the information provider (S1704).

[0116] Next, the information processing device 100 determines whether or not a response to the confirmation request has been received from the partner within a certain period of time (S1705). If a response has been received (YES in S1705), it then determines whether or not a request based on the request information in the content of the collaboration (request) has been made (whether or not it includes order request information indicating that an order for parts has been placed, or whether or not it includes processing request information indicating that a processing request has been made) (S1706). If it is determined that a request has been made based on the request information (YES in S1706), the information processing device 100 performs an authentication process for the external linkage information (authentication process) (S1707). This authentication process involves setting the external linkage information to indicate that it is authenticated. On the other hand, if it is not determined that a request has been made based on the request information (NO in S1706), the information processing device 100 performs a non-authentication process for the external linkage information (non-authentication process) (S1708). This non-authentication process involves either not setting the external linkage information to indicate that it is authenticated, or setting the external linkage information to indicate that it is not authenticated.

[0117] The information processing device 100 then stores (saves) the result of the authentication or non-authentication process as the result of confirming the external linkage information, in association with the external linkage information (S1709).

[0118] If, during processing S1703, it is determined that the information of the linked party is not stored as the information provider of mobile-related information management device 300B (NO in S1703), the information processing device 100 indicates that it cannot access the linked party and therefore requests confirmation from the information provider of mobile-related information including the external linked party information regarding the linked party details (request details) indicated by the external linked party information (S1710). In other words, the management device 300B, which is the source of mobile device-related information including external linkage information, is asked to make its own judgment.

[0119] The information processing device 100 determines whether a response to the confirmation request will be received within a certain period (S1711). If a response is received within the certain period (YES in S1711), the information processing device 100 performs a self-confirmation process to indicate that the external linkage information has been confirmed by its own judgment (S1712). This self-confirmation process is the process of setting a setting in the external linkage information to indicate that it has been self-confirmed. Furthermore, if no response is received within a certain period (NO in S1711), the information processing device 100 performs an unconfirmed process to indicate that the external linkage information is unconfirmed (S1713). This unconfirmed process is the process of setting the external linkage information to indicate that self-confirmation is unconfirmed.

[0120] The information processing device 100 then stores (saves) the result of the confirmation process or the unconfirmed process as the confirmation result of the external linkage information, in association with the external linkage information (S1709).

[0121] This verification process allows the information processing device 100 to objectively verify the external linkage information associated with the mobile object-related information, thereby increasing the credibility (reliability) of the mobile object-related information provided by the management device 300B. Conversely, if the content of the external linkage information cannot be objectively verified, the information processing device 100 can take appropriate action based on the result at the control device 300A that made the processing request that forms the basis of the mobile object-related information.

[0122] Figure 18 is a diagram showing the flow of access control processing performed in an information processing device according to an embodiment of the present invention. In Figure 18, the information processing device 100 identifies the information type for each of the mobile object-related pieces of information selected by the process shown in Figure 15 (S1801). The information processing device 100 also obtains information about information types whose disclosure is restricted from the requesting management device 300B that made the request for mobile object-related information (S1802). An example of this "information about information types whose disclosure is restricted" is shown in Figure 19. The "Information on Information Types with Restricted Disclosure" shown in Figure 19 is a table of information that specifies the types of information whose provision is restricted for each management device 300B that requests mobile-related information. For each management device 300B, the types of information to be restricted and the period of restriction are set.

[0123] When the information processing device 100 obtains this "information type whose disclosure is restricted," it determines whether the information type of the selected mobile-related information falls under the category of information types whose provision is restricted (S1803). If it does (YES in S1803), it configures the requesting control device 300A to restrict access to the corresponding mobile-related information (S1804). On the other hand, if it does not fall under the category (NO in S1803), the information processing device 100 configures the requesting control device 300A to allow access to the corresponding mobile-related information (S1805). The information processing device 100 determines whether such access control processing has been performed on all mobile object-related information (S1806), and terminates processing when processing has been performed on all mobile object-related information (YES in S1806). If processing has not been performed on all mobile object-related information (NO in S1806), the information processing device 100 performs the processing in S1803. In addition, the access control process can store information about the recipients of each type of information that are permitted to access it. Upon receiving an access request, it identifies the source of the access request and grants access to the information only if the source is included in the recipient information. Of course, if the source is not included in the recipient information, access is denied and access to the information is blocked.

[0124] Figure 20 is a diagram showing the flow of the evaluation process performed in the information processing device according to an embodiment of the present invention. In Figure 20, with the mobile object-related information group generated, the information processing device 100 reads out the judgment result information stored as a result of the judgment process performed by the process shown in Figure 16, and the confirmation result information stored as a result of the confirmation process performed by the process shown in Figure 17 (S2001). The information processing device 100 then determines whether the judgment result information indicates that the mobile-related information in the mobile-related information group is "compatible" (S2002). If it is "not compatible" rather than "compatible" (NO in S2002), the information processing device 100 sets the information accuracy to "low" (S2003).

[0125] On the other hand, if the judgment result information is "compliant" (YES in S2002), the information processing device 100 then determines whether the verification result information indicates that "authentication of external linkage information has been verified" (S2004). If the verification result information indicates that "authentication of external linkage information has been verified" (YES in S2004), the information processing device 100 sets the information accuracy to "high" (S2005). If the verification result information does not indicate that "authentication of external linkage information has been verified" (NO in S2004), the information processing device 100 sets the information accuracy to "medium" (S2006). The information processing device 100 then stores the information accuracy in association with the mobile object information group (S2007). In this way, the information processing device 100 performs a process to evaluate the accuracy of the mobile object-related information group based on the judgment result (judgment result information) from the judgment process and the confirmation result from the confirmation process.

[0126] In other words, the judgment result information is evaluated as having higher information accuracy when the sequence of ordered mobile object-related information is based on a processing request made from the control device to the management device, and the confirmation result information is that the partner has received a request for request information from the management device, compared to either the judgment result information being based on a processing request made from the control device to the management device, or the confirmation result information being that the partner has received a request for request information from the management device.

[0127] As used in the embodiments and claims described above, the terms “part,” “means,” “apparatus,” and “system” do not merely refer to physical means, but also include cases where the functions of these are realized by software or software services.

[0128] Furthermore, the functions of a single "part," "means," "apparatus," or "system" may not only be realized by a single physical means, software, software module, or apparatus, but may also be realized by multiple physical means, software, software modules, apparatus, or combinations thereof.

[0129] The terms used in the embodiments and claims described above should be interpreted as non-limiting terms. For example, the term "includes" should be interpreted as "not limited to those described as including." The term "contains" should be interpreted as "not limited to those described as containing." The term "equips" should be interpreted as "not limited to those described as equipped." The term "possesses" should be interpreted as "not limited to those described as possessing." The term "complements" should be interpreted as "not limited to those described as possessing." [Explanation of Symbols]

[0130] 100 Information Processing Devices 200 user terminals 300A control device 300B Management device

Claims

1. An acquisition unit that acquires mobile body-related information related to a mobile body from a management device based on mobile body identification information that identifies the mobile body, A partner identification unit identifies the partner from external partner information, which is included in the mobile body-related information and indicates the ordering of parts or processing of work requested from an external partner, A confirmation processing unit that authenticates the external linkage information upon receiving a response indicating that an order or request for processing has been received from the identified partner, An information generation processing unit generates a group of mobile object-related information by sequentially ordering the mobile object-related information, including the authenticated external linkage information, based on the time information contained in the acquired mobile object-related information, An information output unit that outputs the aforementioned mobile body-related information group and An information processing device equipped with the following:

2. The mobile body-related information obtained from the management device is used as input to calculate a first hash value using a predetermined calculation formula, and the first hash value is stored in the authentication information table in association with the identification information of the mobile body-related information. A second hash value is calculated using the same calculation formula as the predetermined calculation formula, with the aforementioned mobile body-related information as input. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein if the first hash value read from the authentication information table matches the second hash value calculated, the mobile body-related information is considered authenticated information that has not been modified.

3. The information processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein if the first hash value and the second hash value match, only the mobile body-related information is included in the mobile body-related information group.

4. An access control processing unit identifies the device type corresponding to the requester of mobile-related information, sets whether the information type included in the mobile-related information should be made public to the device type based on restriction information that associates the device type with the information type, permits access to the mobile-related information that has been set to be made public, and denies access to the mobile-related information that has been set not to be made public. The information processing apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising:

5. Computers A process to obtain mobile object-related information from a management device based on mobile object identification information that identifies the mobile object, A process to identify the external partner from the external cooperation information, which is included in the mobile body-related information and indicates the ordering of parts or processing of work requested from the external partner, A process to authenticate the external collaboration information upon receiving a response indicating that the specified collaborating partner has placed the order or requested the processing; A process to generate a group of mobile object-related information by chronologically ordering the mobile object-related information, including the authenticated external linkage information, based on the time information contained in the acquired mobile object-related information, A process to output the aforementioned mobile body-related information group. An information processing method that performs [this action].

6. On the computer, A process to obtain mobile object-related information from a management device based on mobile object identification information that identifies the mobile object, A process to identify the external partner from the external cooperation information, which is included in the mobile body-related information and indicates the ordering of parts or processing of work requested from the external partner, A process to authenticate the external collaboration information upon receiving a response indicating that the specified collaborating partner has placed the order or requested the processing; A process to generate a group of mobile object-related information by chronologically ordering the mobile object-related information, including the authenticated external linkage information, based on the time information contained in the acquired mobile object-related information, A process to output the aforementioned mobile body-related information group. An information processing program that executes [something].

7. A control device and An acquisition unit that acquires mobile body-related information related to the mobile body from the management device based on mobile body identification information that identifies the mobile body, A partner identification unit identifies the partner from external partner information, which is included in the mobile body-related information and indicates the ordering of parts or processing of work requested from an external partner, A verification processing unit that authenticates the aforementioned external linkage information, An information generation processing unit generates a group of mobile object-related information by sequentially ordering the mobile object-related information, including the authenticated external linkage information, based on the time information contained in the acquired mobile object-related information, An information output unit that outputs the aforementioned mobile body-related information group and An information processing device comprising, It is equipped with, The aforementioned verification processing unit, An information processing system that authenticates external collaboration information upon receiving a response indicating that an order or request for processing has been received from the identified collaborating partner.

Images