Information processing system and information processing method

Abstract

To provide an information processing system and an information processing method which suppress reduction in receptivity of a user.SOLUTION: In the information processing system, an information processing server comprises a content distribution control unit 57 which controls presentation of content on the basis of context information De corresponding to a current position Db of a user. The context information De includes information about a level of easy in recognizing a visible feature associated with content in the current position, and the content distribution control unit 57 controls presentation of content on the basis of the level of easy in recognizing the visible feature in the current position and, if the level of easy in recognizing the visible feature in the current position is equal to or higher than a prescribed value and a level of recognition of the user for content associated with the visible feature is equal to or higher than a prescribed value, distributes the content associated with the visible feature.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an information processing system and an information processing method.

Background Art

[0002] There is a system that introduces content to a user or proposes playback of the content. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a technique for extracting and introducing music that matches a user's preference. Also, Patent Document 2 discloses a technique for selecting content corresponding to a driving situation of a vehicle (for example, vehicle position information, traffic information, vehicle speed information) and proposing playback of the content to a passenger in the vehicle.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] However, the conventional technology has room for improvement in terms of suppressing a decrease in the user's acceptance of the presented content. That is, in a content distribution service that provides content corresponding to the location where a user is present to the user, if a user who has received the provision of a certain content has difficulty understanding the reason why the content was provided at that time, the acceptance of the content decreases.

[0005] An object of the present invention is to provide an information processing system and an information processing method capable of suppressing a decrease in user acceptance.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] One aspect of the present invention includes a position acquisition unit that acquires the user's position, a context information acquisition unit that acquires context information corresponding to the position, a content presentation control unit that controls the presentation of content based on the context information, and the user's level of awareness of the content. Based on any of the following: whether or not the user has played the content, the number of times it has been played, the publicity or public awareness of the content, and the degree of discrepancy between the content and the user's preferences, The system comprises a cognitive level estimation unit, wherein the context information includes information relating to the ease of recognition of a feature related to the content at the location, and the content presentation control unit controls the presentation of the content based on the ease of recognition of the feature at the location, and if the ease of recognition of the feature at the location is greater than or equal to a predetermined value and, This information processing system is characterized by presenting content related to a geographic feature when the user's level of awareness of that content is above a predetermined value.

[0007] One aspect of the present invention is an information processing system comprising a work load estimation unit that estimates the workload of the work being performed by the user, and a content presentation control unit that, when the ease of recognition of the feature at the location is less than a predetermined value, presents content related to the feature when the user's recognition level for content related to the feature is above a predetermined value and the magnitude of the workload is less than a predetermined value.

[0008] One aspect of the present invention is an information processing system characterized in that the information relating to ease of recognition includes information relating to the visibility of the feature at the location.

[0009] One aspect of the present invention is an information processing system characterized in that the context information is set for features whose visibility is greater than or equal to a predetermined value.

[0010] One aspect of the present invention is an information processing system characterized in that the information relating to ease of recognition includes information relating to the ease of identification of the feature at the location.

[0011] One aspect of the present invention is an information processing system characterized in that the ease of identification is set based on the number of similar features present within a certain range from the location.

[0012] One aspect of the present invention involves a computer that performs the following steps: a first step of acquiring the user's location; a second step of acquiring contextual information corresponding to the location; a third step of controlling the presentation of content based on the contextual information; and a third step of determining the user's level of awareness of the content. Based on any of the following: whether or not the user has played the content, the number of times it has been played, the publicity or public awareness of the content, and the degree of discrepancy between the content and the user's preferences, The third step comprises an estimation step, wherein the context information includes information relating to the ease of recognition of a feature related to the content at the location, and the third step controls the presentation of the content based on the ease of recognition of the feature at the location, and if the ease of recognition of the feature at the location is greater than or equal to a predetermined value and, This information processing method is characterized by presenting content related to the aforementioned feature when the user's level of awareness of the content related to the aforementioned feature is above a predetermined value. [Effects of the Invention]

[0013] According to one aspect of the present invention, a decrease in user acceptance can be suppressed. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0014] [Figure 1] This figure shows the configuration of an information processing system according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] This diagram shows the functional configuration of the client equipment. [Figure 3] This diagram shows the functional configuration of the database server. [Figure 4] This diagram shows the functional configuration of the content delivery server. [Figure 5] This diagram shows the functional configuration of the information processing server. [Figure 6] This is a flowchart showing the operation of an information processing system. [Figure 7]It is a flowchart of content distribution control processing.

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0015] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0016] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the configuration of an information processing system 1 according to the present embodiment. The information processing system 1 is a system that provides a content distribution service to a client device C through a telecommunication line 4 such as the Internet. The content distribution service of the present embodiment is a service that timely distributes content Da corresponding to the current position of the client device C (hereinafter referred to as the current position Db). Further, the content Da distributed in this content distribution service is determined based on the ground objects (hereinafter referred to as visible ground objects Dc) that the user A of the client device C can visually recognize at the current position Db.

[0017] In the present embodiment, the content Da is data including appropriate information such as music, videos, and various texts. The visible ground object Dc is a natural or artificial object existing on the ground, and includes landmarks and landscapes (mountains, seas, rivers, grasslands, illuminations, etc.).

[0018] Furthermore, the information processing system 1 of the present embodiment controls the distribution of the content Da based on the ease of recognition of the visible ground object Dc at the current position Db, and distributes appropriate content Da according to the recognition status of the visible ground object Dc of the user A. As a result, it is possible to suppress the distribution of the content Da related to the visible ground object Dc that the user A is highly likely not to recognize, that is, the content Da for which the user A may not understand the reason for distribution, and it is possible to suppress a decrease in the acceptance of the content Da by the user A.

[0019] Next, the configuration of the information processing system 1 will be described in detail.

[0020] Figure 2 shows the functional configuration of client device C. Client device C is a device that moves with user A and receives content Da from information processing system 1 (content distribution server 14). Such client device C may be a portable device such as a smartphone, a wearable device such as a wearable computer, or an in-vehicle device installed in vehicle 2 (Figure 1) in which user A is riding.

[0021] The client device C in this embodiment is an in-vehicle device and, as shown in Figure 2, comprises an operating device 20, a communication device 21, a position detection device 22, a content playback device 23, and a computer 24. The operating device 20 is a device that receives input from user A, and can be a button, touch panel, or the like. The communication device 21 is a device that communicates with the content distribution server 14 via the telecommunications line 4. The position detection device 22 is a device that detects the current position Db. The position detection device 22 in this embodiment is equipped with a GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) receiver that receives positioning signals transmitted from multiple positioning satellites and identifies the current position Db based on these positioning signals. The content playback device 23 is a device that plays various types of content Da, such as music, videos, and text information.

[0022] Computer 24 has a processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) or MPU (Micro-Processing Unit), memory devices such as ROM (Read Only Memory) or RAM (Random Access Memory) (also called main memory), storage devices such as HDD (Hard Disk Drive) or SSD (Solid State Drive) (also called secondary memory), and interface circuits for connecting various peripheral devices (such as an operating device 20, a communication device 21, a position detection device 22, and a content playback device 23). The processor then executes computer programs stored in memory devices or storage devices to realize various functions related to client computers that receive content distribution services from information processing system 1.

[0023] Specifically, the computer 24 includes, as a functional configuration, a distribution request transmission control unit 25, a location information transmission control unit 26, an operation status information transmission control unit 27, a distribution reception control unit 28, and a content playback control unit 29. The distribution request transmission control unit 25 executes control to send a content distribution request Dg from the communication device 21 to the content distribution server 14 when user A makes an operation (instruction) or when it is determined that user A is in a predetermined location. The determination of whether or not user A is in a predetermined location can be performed using the location detection device 22 and known or well-known techniques using map information. The distribution request transmission control unit 25 may perform such determination, or the computer 24 may have a separate function unit for such determination from the distribution request transmission control unit 25. The distribution request transmission control unit 25 also includes or associates user identification information Dg1 (for example, a member ID of the content distribution service) that identifies user A and sends it to the content distribution server 14.

[0024] The location information transmission control unit 26 executes control to transmit the current location Db from the communication device 21 to the content distribution server 14, and the operation status information transmission control unit 27 executes control to transmit the operation status information Dk from the communication device 21 to the content distribution server 14. These current location Db and driving status information Dk may be transmitted together with the content delivery request Dg. The driving status information Dk is information that indicates the status of the driver's operation of vehicle 2 (i.e., the work being performed by user A), and more precisely, it is information that can be used to estimate the magnitude of the driver's driving burden. Such driving status information Dk includes, for example, information on operation status such as brake operation, accelerator operation, and steering operation, as well as driving speed, type of road (general road, highway, parking lot, etc.), presence or absence of obstacles in the surroundings, and distance between vehicles. The driving status information transmission control unit 27 acquires this information from, for example, an on-board ECU (Electronic Control Unit) installed in vehicle 2.

[0025] The distribution reception control unit 28 executes control to receive content Da from the content distribution server 14 via the communication device 21, and the content playback control unit 29 controls the content playback device 23 to play back the content Da.

[0026] Next, we will describe information processing system 1 in detail.

[0027] As shown in Figure 1, the information processing system 1 comprises an information processing server 10, a database server 12, and a content distribution server 14, and is connected to each other via a telecommunications line 4 so that they can communicate with one another. Each of these information processing servers 10, database servers 12, and content distribution servers 14 is a computer equipped with a processor, a memory device, a storage device, a communication device (receiver and transmitter) that communicates via a telecommunication line 4, and an interface circuit for connecting various peripheral devices. The processor then executes computer programs stored in memory devices or storage devices to realize various functions. Furthermore, two or more of the information processing server 10, database server 12, and content distribution server 14 may be integrated into a single server computer. That is, for example, the information processing server 10 may also have the functions of the database server 12 and the content distribution server 14.

[0028] The information processing server 10 is a server computer that performs information processing such as acquiring the current location Db of client device C and controlling the distribution of content Da based on the said current location Db. The specific functional configuration will be described later.

[0029] Figure 3 shows the functional configuration of the database server 12. The database server 12 is a server computer that has the function of storing various types of information necessary for controlling the information processing server 10. Specifically, the database server 12 includes, as a functional configuration, a preference information storage unit 30, a context information storage unit 32, and a content information storage unit 34. The preference information storage unit 30 has a database for pre-storing preference information Dd, the context information storage unit 32 has a database for pre-storing context information De, and the content information storage unit 34 has a database for pre-storing content information Df related to content Da.

[0030] Preference information Dd is various information relating to user A's preferences regarding content Da, or more precisely, various information that makes it possible to estimate the content Da that user A likes. Examples of such preference information Dd include information that makes it possible to estimate user A's preference trends, such as the viewing history of content Da and the request history of user A, or information about user A's personal preferences that have been registered in advance (such as favorite genres, artists, and release dates).

[0031] Context information De includes at least visible feature information De1 regarding visible features Dc at user A's current location Db, and recognition ease information De2 regarding the recognition ease of each visible feature Dc, and is pre-set for each predetermined section or location on the map.

[0032] Visible feature information De1 contains information about the main visible features Dc that can be seen from the current location Db. For example, if a lighthouse (landmark) or the sea (scenery) is visible from the current location Db, then information such as "sea" and "lighthouse" will be recorded in Visible feature information De1.

[0033] Recognition ease information De2 includes information on the ease of identification (ease of distinguishing) and the visibility (ease of finding) of the target visible feature Dc. The identifiability score is set lower the more visible features Dc are within a certain range from the current location Db, and also lower the more similar visible features Dc (for example, a convenience store of a different series from the target visible feature Dc) are within that range. The visibility score will be lower, for example, if the number of visible features Dc visible from the current location Db is small, and if there are many obstructions.

[0034] In this embodiment, the context information De is set to target visible features Dc whose visibility is above a predetermined value, and visible features Dc that are difficult for user A to find (low visibility) are excluded in advance.

[0035] Content information Df is information about content Da, and makes content Da searchable for content Da corresponding to visible features Dc. In other words, content information Df includes at least information about features related to content Da. Such features include not only things that are clearly related to content Da (for example, if content Da is a company song, the building of the company that wrote the song), but also associative objects that many people who view content Da associate with content Da. Associative objects, taking content Da with the theme of "summer" as an example, would include features such as "sea" and "swimming pool".

[0036] Figure 4 shows the functional configuration of the content distribution server 14. The content distribution server 14 is a server computer that distributes content Da to client devices C based on content distribution control by the information processing server 10. Specifically, the content distribution server 14 includes, as a functional configuration, a content storage unit 40, a distribution request acquisition unit 42, a location acquisition unit 44, an operation status acquisition unit 45, an information processing request unit 46, and a content transmission control unit 48.

[0037] The content storage unit 40 stores the data of content Da. The distribution request acquisition unit 42 acquires the content distribution request Dg received by the communication device of the content distribution server 14. As described above, the content distribution request Dg in this embodiment includes user identification information Dg1.

[0038] The position acquisition unit 44 acquires the current position Db of the client device C, and the operation status acquisition unit 45 acquires operation status information Dk from the client device C. The method of sending and receiving the current location Db and operating status information Dk between the content distribution server 14 and the client device C is arbitrary. The content distribution server 14 may request the client device C to send the current location Db and operating status information Dk, or the client device C may voluntarily send the current location Db and operating status information Dk to the content distribution server 14 when sending a content distribution request Dg.

[0039] The information processing request unit 46 executes control to send an information processing request Dh to the information processing server 10. The information processing request Dh is a message requesting information processing to determine the content Da to be delivered based on the current location Db of the client device C. When the information processing request unit 46 receives a content distribution request Dg, it executes control to send the information processing request Dh to the information processing server 10 from the communication device. In this case, the information processing request unit 46 sends the user identification information Dg1 of user A of client device C, the current location Db of client device C, and the operating status information Dk, associated with the information processing request Dh.

[0040] The content transmission control unit 48 executes control to transmit content Da to client device C from the communication device based on the distribution instruction Di transmitted by the information processing server 10. The distribution instruction Di includes information about content Da determined by the above information processing, and the content transmission control unit 48 reads the content Da corresponding to that information from the content storage unit 40 and executes control to transmit the content Da.

[0041] This allows content Da, corresponding to the current location Db, to be delivered to client device C.

[0042] Figure 5 shows the functional configuration of the information processing server 10. The information processing server 10 has the following functional configuration: an information processing request acquisition unit 50, a preference information acquisition unit 51, a context information acquisition unit 52, a feature-related content identification unit 53, a preference content identification unit 54, a cognitive level estimation unit 55, an operation load estimation unit 56, and a content distribution control unit 57.

[0043] The information processing request acquisition unit 50 acquires the information processing request Dh received by the communication device provided by the information processing server 10. The preference information acquisition unit 51 acquires user A's preference information Dd from the database server 12 based on the user identification information Dg1 corresponding to the information processing request Dh. The context information acquisition unit 52 acquires context information De for the current location Db from the database server 12 based on the current location Db corresponding to the information processing request Dh.

[0044] The feature-related content identification unit 53 identifies content Da related to the visible feature Dc. Specifically, the feature-related content identification unit 53 searches the content information storage unit 34 of the database server 12 using the visible feature Dc as a search key, and identifies the content Da corresponding to the visible feature Dc based on the matching content information Df. For example, if the visible feature Dc is "sea," then content information Df containing "sea" in the visible feature information De1 will be extracted as a search result, and content Da corresponding to that content information Df will be identified.

[0045] The preference content identification unit 54 identifies content Da that matches user A's preferences based on preference information Dd. More specifically, the preference content identification unit 54 identifies the classification (genre, release year, etc.) and characteristics (content atmosphere, etc.) of content Da that user A likes, based on preference information Dd. Then, the preference content identification unit 54 uses these as search keys to search the content information storage unit 34 of the database server 12, and identifies content Da that matches user A's preferences based on the corresponding content information Df.

[0046] The awareness level estimation unit 55 estimates user A's awareness level of content Da. The awareness level is an index value indicating the likelihood that user A is familiar with content Da. In this embodiment, the awareness level estimation unit 55 estimates the awareness level based on whether or not user A has a history of playing content Da, the number of times it has been played, the level of public awareness or recognition of content Da, and the degree of discrepancy between content Da and user A's preferences. In other words, the more times user A has played content Da, the more famous content Da is, and the closer content Da is to user A's preferences, the higher the estimated awareness level of content Da will be. Furthermore, the method for estimating cognitive levels is not limited to this; any publicly known or well-known technique may be used.

[0047] The operating load estimation unit 56 estimates the magnitude of the operating load (hereinafter referred to as the "operating load level") based on the operating status information Dk.

[0048] The content distribution control unit 57 determines the content Da to be distributed based on the context information De, preference information Dd, and driving status information Dk, and sends a distribution instruction Di to the content distribution server 14 instructing the content distribution server 14 to distribute the content Da. As a result, the content Da instructed by the distribution instruction Di is distributed from the content distribution server 14 to the client device C.

[0049] Figure 6 is a flowchart showing the operation of the information processing system 1. When user A gives an instruction, or when vehicle 2 enters a designated location, client device C sends a content distribution request Dg and its current location Db to the content distribution server 14 at an appropriate time (steps Sa1, Sa2). When content distribution server 14 receives the content distribution request Dg, it sends an information processing request Dh to the information processing server 10 (step Sa3). As described above, this information processing request Dh is associated with user identification information Dg1 of user A on client device C, the current location Db of client device C, and driving status information Dk.

[0050] When the information processing server 10 receives an information processing request Dh, it obtains preference information Dd corresponding to user identification information Dg1 and context information De corresponding to the current location Db from the database server 12 (steps Sa4, Sa5). Then, in the information processing server 10, the content distribution control unit 57 executes content distribution control processing to control the distribution of content Da based on context information De, preference information Dd, and driving status information Dk (step Sa6).

[0051] Figure 7 is a flowchart of the content distribution control process. First, the content distribution control unit 57 selects one of the visible features Dc (landmarks, scenery, etc.) visible at user A's current location Db based on the visible feature information De1 of the context information De (step Sb1). This selection method is flexible. For example, if there are multiple visible features Dc, the selection method could be to select the visible feature Dc that user A is most likely to have seen at their current location Db, using indicators such as scale, recognition, and prominence.

[0052] Furthermore, the content distribution control unit 57 may obtain the direction of travel of the vehicle 2 (i.e., the direction of user A's line of sight) from the vehicle 2 via the client device C, and select one of the visible features Dc located in that direction of travel based on the current position Db, or it may select a visible feature Dc based on the typical line of sight of a person.

[0053] In the following, the visible feature Dc selected in step Sb1 will be referred to as "target feature Dct" to distinguish it from others.

[0054] Next, the content distribution control unit 57 decides whether to distribute content Da related to the target location Dct or content Da preferred by user A, based on the recognition ease information De2 of the context information De. More specifically, the content distribution control unit 57, in principle, distributes content Da related to the target location Dct if the recognition ease of the target location Dct is above a predetermined value, and distributes content Da preferred by user A if the recognition ease is below the predetermined value. The predetermined value related to recognition ease is an index value indicating that most people at the current location Db are able to recognize the target location Dct.

[0055] In this embodiment, as described above, two evaluation values ​​are set for ease of recognition: ease of identification and visibility. Based on these evaluation values, it is more appropriately determined whether to deliver content Da related to the target object Dct or content Da preferred by user A. Specifically, the content distribution control unit 57 determines whether the identifiability score of the target feature Dct is above a predetermined value (step Sb2), and also determines whether the visibility score of the target feature Dct is above a predetermined value (step Sb3).

[0056] If the identifiability score is above a predetermined value (Step Sb2: Yes), it indicates that there is a high degree of certainty that User A can identify (distinguish) the target object Dct. Furthermore, if the visibility score is above a predetermined value (Step Sb3: Yes), it indicates that there is a high probability that User A can see (find) the target object Dct. In other words, if both steps Sb2 and Sb3 are answered "Yes," there is a high degree of certainty that user A is aware of the target object Dct at their current location Db, and even if they are not aware of it at that time, they are in a position to easily recognize the target object Dct.

[0057] Next, in the information processing server 10, the feature-related content identification unit 53 identifies content Da related to the target feature Dct based on the target feature Dct (step Sb4). Hereinafter, the content Da identified based on the target feature Dct will be referred to as "target feature-related content Da1" to distinguish it from others.

[0058] Next, the content distribution control unit 57 determines whether user A's awareness level of the target location-related content Da1 is above a predetermined value (step Sb5). This awareness level is an estimated value by the awareness level estimation unit 55.

[0059] If User A's level of awareness of the target location-related content Da1 is above a predetermined value (Step Sb5: Yes), it indicates that User A is highly likely to already know the content of the target location-related content Da1 and is in a situation where it is easy to grasp the relationship between the target location-related content Da1 and the target location Dct. Therefore, the content distribution control unit 57 determines the target location-related content Da1 as the content to be distributed, and outputs a distribution instruction Di that instructs the distribution of the said target location-related content Da1 (step Sb6).

[0060] As a result, when user A is aware of the target location Dct, or in a situation where it is easy to recognize it (both steps Sb2 and Sb3 are Yes), the target location-related content Da1 delivered will be related to the target location Dct, and there will be a high degree of certainty that user A will understand that relationship, thereby suppressing a decrease in user A's acceptance of content Da.

[0061] However, even if User A is aware of the target feature Dct, or is in a situation where it is easy to recognize it (both steps Sb2 and Sb3 are Yes), if User A's level of awareness of the target feature-related content Da1 is below a predetermined value (step Sb5: No), it is unlikely that User A will understand the relationship between the target feature-related content Da1 and the target feature Dct. In this case, the content distribution control unit 57 decides whether or not to make the target feature-related content Da1 the content Da to be distributed, based on whether or not the target feature-related content Da1 is appropriate for User A. Specifically, if the content distribution control unit 57 determines that user A has a tendency to prefer new experiences, based on user A's preference information Dd (step Sb7: Yes), it will select target location-related content Da1 as the content Da to be distributed (step Sb6). This helps to minimize a decrease in user A's acceptance of target location-related content Da1, even if it is unfamiliar to user A. Furthermore, since the target location-related content Da1 is delivered when the target location Dct can be easily recognized, user A can easily recognize the connection to the target location Dct even if the target location-related content Da1 is unfamiliar to them, and can enjoy the target location-related content Da1 even more.

[0062] On the other hand, if user A does not tend to prefer new experiences (step Sb7: No), in order to prevent the delivery of content Da that user A does not want, the preference content identification unit 54 identifies content Da that matches user A's preferences based on preference information Dd, and the content delivery control unit 57 outputs a delivery instruction Di instructing the delivery of such content Da (step Sb9).

[0063] Furthermore, if the target object Dct is not easily recognizable (either step Sb2 or Sb3 is "No"), the content distribution control unit 57 determines the content Da to be distributed as follows. In other words, if the score for the ease of identification of the target feature Dct is low (step Sb2: No), even if the target feature-related content Da1 is delivered, there is a high probability that user A will not be able to recognize the target feature Dct associated with the target feature-related content Da1. Therefore, in this case, the content delivery control unit 57 proceeds to step Sb9 and outputs a delivery instruction Di that instructs the delivery of content Da that matches user A's preferences, rather than the target feature-related content Da1.

[0064] On the other hand, if the visibility score of the target location Dct is low (Step Sb3: No), it simply means that the target location Dct is difficult to find. Therefore, the distribution of target location-related content Da1 may trigger user A to discover the related target location Dct. First, the content distribution control unit 57 identifies the target location-related content Da1 based on the target location Dct (step Sb10), and determines whether user A's recognition level for the target location-related content Da1 is above a predetermined value (step Sb11). If the recognition level is below the predetermined value (step Sb11: No), since it is unlikely that user A will associate the target location Dct with the target location-related content Da1, the content distribution control unit 57 proceeds to step Sb9 and outputs a distribution instruction Di that instructs the distribution of content Da that matches user A's preferences.

[0065] Conversely, if the cognitive level is above a predetermined value (step Sb11: Yes), there is a high probability that user A will associate the target location Dct with the target location-related content Da1 and discover the target location Dct. In this case, the content distribution control unit 57 determines whether the operating load level estimated by the operating load estimation unit 56 is above a predetermined value (step Sb12). If the operating load level is below the predetermined value (step Sb12: No), there is a relatively high probability that user A has enough time to discover the surrounding target location Dct, so the content distribution control unit 57 proceeds to step Sb6 and determines that the target location-related content Da1 is the content Da to be distributed. As a result, user A can become aware of surrounding target locations Dct by receiving the target location-related content Da1, and user A can enjoy making new discoveries.

[0066] On the other hand, if the operating load level is above a predetermined value (step Sb12: Yes), user A is likely to be concentrating on the operation and not have the capacity to notice the surrounding target objects Dct. Therefore, the content distribution control unit 57 proceeds to step Sb9 and outputs a distribution instruction Di that instructs the distribution of content Da that matches user A's preferences. As a result, even if user A is familiar with the target location-related content Da1, in situations where there is a high probability that they will not recognize the target location Dct, content Da that matches their preferences will be delivered instead of the target location-related content Da1. This helps to suppress a decrease in user A's acceptance of the delivered content Da.

[0067] In this content distribution control process, if, as a result of the processing in step Sb1, the target feature Dct does not exist (i.e., the number of visible feature Dc is zero), the content distribution control unit 57 proceeds to step Sb9 and distributes content Da that matches the user A's preferences.

[0068] This embodiment provides the following effects.

[0069] The information processing system 1 of this embodiment includes a position acquisition unit 44 that acquires the current position Db of user A, a context information acquisition unit 52 that acquires context information De corresponding to the current position Db, and a content distribution control unit 57 that controls the distribution of content Da based on the context information De. The context information De includes recognition ease information De2 relating to the recognition ease of a visible feature Dc related to content Da at the current position Db, and the content distribution control unit 57 controls the distribution of content Da based on the recognition ease information De2. With this configuration, content Da is delivered according to user A's perception of the visible feature Dc. Therefore, it is possible to prevent situations where user A's acceptance of content Da decreases because the relationship between the delivered content Da and the visible feature Dc is difficult for user A to understand.

[0070] In the information processing system 1 of this embodiment, the content distribution control unit 57 distributes content Da (target feature-related content Da1) related to the visible feature Dc (target feature-related content Da1) when the ease of recognition of the visible feature Dc at the current location Db is greater than or equal to a predetermined value (when both steps Sb2 and Sb3 in Figure 7 are Yes). With this configuration, when user A is in a situation where they can easily recognize the visible feature Dc, content Da related to that visible feature Dc is delivered. This prevents situations where user A cannot understand the relationship between the delivered content Da and the visible feature Dc.

[0071] The information processing system 1 of this embodiment includes a cognitive level estimation unit 55 that estimates the user A's cognitive level regarding content Da. The content distribution control unit 57 then distributes content Da (target feature-related content Da1) related to visible feature Dc (target feature-related content Da1) when the ease of recognition of a visible feature Dc at the current location Db is above a predetermined value, and the user A's cognitive level regarding content Da related to said visible feature Dc is above a predetermined value (when step Sb5 in Figure 7 is Yes). With this configuration, if user A is in a situation where they can easily recognize the visible feature Dc, and user A is familiar with the target feature-related content Da1, then the target feature-related content Da1 will be delivered. This reliably prevents situations where user A cannot understand the relationship between the delivered content Da and the visible feature Dc.

[0072] The information processing system 1 of this embodiment includes an operation load estimation unit 56 that estimates the operation load status performed by user A. The content distribution control unit 57 then distributes content Da related to the visible feature Dc (target feature related content Da1) when the ease of recognition of the visible feature Dc at the current location Db is less than a predetermined value (when step Sb3 in Figure 7 is No), user A's recognition level for content Da related to the visible feature Dc is above a predetermined value, and the operation load level is less than a predetermined value (when step Sb11 in Figure 7 is Yes and step Sb12 is No). With this configuration, even if user A is not in a situation where it is easy to recognize (visually see in this embodiment) the visible feature Dc, the delivery of the target feature-related content Da1 can trigger user A to notice the surrounding visible features Dc and enjoy new discoveries.

[0073] In the information processing system 1 of this embodiment, the recognition ease information De2 includes information relating to the visibility of visible objects at the current location Db. This configuration allows for the control of content delivery based on cognitive difficulties arising from visibility.

[0074] In the information processing system 1 of this embodiment, context information De is set for visible features Dc whose visibility is equal to or greater than a predetermined value. This configuration allows for the pre-exclusion of visible features Dc that are difficult for user A to recognize.

[0075] In the information processing system 1 of this embodiment, the information relating to ease of recognition includes information relating to the ease of identification of the visible feature Dc at the current location Db. This configuration allows for the control of content delivery based on cognitive difficulties arising from ease of identification.

[0076] In the information processing system 1 of this embodiment, the ease of identification is set based on the number of similar visible features Dc that exist within a certain range from the current location Db. This configuration allows for the control of content delivery Da in response to situations where it is difficult to recognize a target visible feature Dc due to the large number of similar visible features Dc.

[0077] It should be noted that the embodiments described above are merely examples of one aspect of the present invention. That is, the embodiments described above can be arbitrarily modified and applied without departing from the spirit of the present invention, and these embodiments, modifications, and applications can be arbitrarily combined.

[0078] In the embodiment described above, one example of presenting content to user A is the distribution of content Da. However, the embodiment is not limited to this, and content Da may also be introduced or proposed.

[0079] In the embodiment described above, we illustrated the case where User A is traveling in Vehicle 2, but User A may also travel by other means of transportation (such as an airplane or ship), or on foot.

[0080] In the embodiment described above, the operation performed by user A was exemplified as driving operations, but it is not limited to this and any other operation may be performed.

[0081] The configuration diagrams shown in Figures 1 to 5 are diagrams that classify the components according to their main processing content in order to facilitate understanding of the present invention. Each component can be further classified into more components according to its processing content. Alternatively, a single component can be classified to perform even more processing.

[0082] In the flowcharts shown in Figures 6 and 7, the order of each step can be arbitrarily changed without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

[0083] (Configurations supported by the disclosures herein) The disclosures herein support the following configurations:

[0084] (Composition 1) An information processing system comprising: a position acquisition unit that acquires the user's position; a context information acquisition unit that acquires context information corresponding to the position; and a content presentation control unit that controls the presentation of content based on the context information, wherein the context information includes information relating to the ease of recognition of features related to the content at the position, and the content presentation control unit controls the presentation of the content based on the ease of recognition of the features at the position. According to Configuration 1, the decline in user acceptance can be suppressed.

[0085] (Configuration 2) The information processing system according to Configuration 1, characterized in that the content presentation control unit presents content related to the feature when the ease of recognition of the feature at the location is greater than or equal to a predetermined value. According to Configuration 2, it is possible to prevent situations where users are unable to understand the relationship between the presented content and the features.

[0086] (Composition 3) The information processing system according to configuration 2, comprising a cognitive level estimation unit for estimating the user's cognitive level to the content, wherein the content presentation control unit presents content related to the feature when the ease of recognition of the feature at the location is above a predetermined value, and the user's cognitive level to content related to the feature is above a predetermined value. According to Configuration 3, it is possible to prevent situations where users are unable to understand the relationship between the presented content and the features.

[0087] (Composition 4) The information processing system according to configuration 3, comprising a workload estimation unit that estimates the workload status of the work being performed by the user, wherein the content presentation control unit presents content related to the feature when the ease of recognition of the feature at the location is less than a predetermined value, the user's recognition level for content related to the feature is above a predetermined value, and the magnitude of the workload is less than a predetermined value. According to Configuration 4, even in situations where users are not easily able to recognize local features, the presentation of content can trigger users to notice the surrounding features.

[0088] (Composition 5) The information processing system according to any one of configurations 1 to 4, characterized in that the information relating to the ease of recognition includes information relating to the visibility of the feature at the location. According to configuration 5, the presentation of content can be controlled based on cognitive difficulties arising from visibility.

[0089] (Composition 6) The information processing system according to configuration 5, characterized in that the context information is set for features whose visibility is above a predetermined value. According to configuration 6, features that are difficult to recognize can be excluded in advance.

[0090] (Composition 7) The information processing system according to any one of configurations 1 to 6, characterized in that the information relating to ease of recognition includes information relating to the ease of identification of the feature at the location. According to configuration 7, content presentation can be controlled based on cognitive difficulties arising from ease of identification.

[0091] (Composition 8) The information processing system according to configuration 7, characterized in that the ease of identification is set based on the number of similar features present within a certain range from the location. According to Configuration 8, content distribution can be controlled to accommodate situations where it is difficult to recognize a specific feature due to the abundance of similar features.

[0092] (Composition 9) An information processing method comprising: a first step of acquiring the user's location; a second step of acquiring contextual information corresponding to the location; and a third step of controlling the presentation of content based on the contextual information, wherein the contextual information includes information relating to the ease of recognition of features related to the content at the location, and in the third step, the presentation of the content is controlled based on the ease of recognition of the features at the location. According to configuration 9, the decline in user acceptance can be suppressed. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0093] 1. Information Processing System 10. Information Processing Server 12 Database Servers 14. Content distribution server 44 Position acquisition part 45. Operation Status Acquisition Unit 51. Preference Information Acquisition Department 52 Context Information Acquisition Unit 53. Specialized Department for Local Features and Related Content 54. Department for Identifying Preferred Content 55 Cognitive Level Estimation Unit 56 Operating load estimation unit 57. Content Distribution Control Unit (Content Presentation Control Unit) C Client Device Da Content Da1 Target Area Related Content Db Current position DC Visible features (features) Dct Target Area Dd Preference Information De context information De1 Visible Feature Information De2 Ease of recognition information Df Content Information Dk Driving Status Information

Claims

1. A location acquisition unit that acquires the user's location, A context information acquisition unit that acquires context information corresponding to the aforementioned position, A content presentation control unit controls the presentation of content based on the aforementioned context information, The system includes an awareness level estimation unit that estimates the user's awareness level of the content based on one of the following: whether or not the user has played the content or the number of times the content has been played, the level of awareness or public knowledge of the content, and the degree of discrepancy between the content and the user's preferences. The contextual information includes information relating to the ease of recognition of features related to the content at the location, The content presentation control unit, Based on the ease of recognition of the feature at the aforementioned location, the presentation of the content is controlled. When the ease of recognition of the feature at the aforementioned location is above a predetermined value, and the user's level of recognition of content related to the feature is above a predetermined value, the content related to the feature is presented. An information processing system characterized by the following:

2. The system includes a workload estimation unit that estimates the workload status of the tasks performed by the user. The content presentation control unit, If the ease of recognition of the feature at the aforementioned location is less than a predetermined value, and the user's recognition level of the content related to the feature is above a predetermined value, and the workload of the aforementioned task is less than a predetermined value, then the content related to the feature is presented. The information processing system according to feature 1.

3. The information relating to the ease of recognition includes information relating to the visibility of the feature at the location. The information processing system according to claim 1 or 2, characterized by the features described above.

4. The aforementioned context information is set for features whose visibility is above a predetermined value. The information processing system according to feature 3.

5. The information relating to the ease of recognition includes information relating to the ease of identification of the feature at the location. The information processing system according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

6. The ease of identification is determined based on the number of similar features present within a certain range from the location. The information processing system according to feature 5.

7. Computers The first step is to obtain the user's location, A second step is to obtain context information corresponding to the aforementioned position, A third step involves controlling the presentation of content based on the aforementioned contextual information, The fourth step involves estimating the user's level of awareness of the content based on any of the following: whether or not the user has played the content in the past or the number of times it has been played, the level of public awareness or public knowledge of the content, and the degree of discrepancy between the content and the user's preferences. The contextual information includes information relating to the ease of recognition of features related to the content at the location, In step 3, Based on the ease of recognition of the feature at the aforementioned location, the presentation of the content is controlled. When the ease of recognition of the feature at the aforementioned location is above a predetermined value, and the user's level of recognition of content related to the feature is above a predetermined value, the content related to the feature is presented. An information processing method characterized by the following:

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