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

Abstract

To provide a technique that enhances user convenience when presenting information about supply facilities around a vehicle.SOLUTION: An information processing device includes a control unit that performs information processing to output information about one or more supply facilities located in a first area around a vehicle. The control unit acquires a first market price being the market price of a selling price of a supply object in one or more supply facilities located in the first area that includes the current position of the vehicle in response to establishment of a first condition. The control unit outputs market price information that includes the acquired first market price.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 10

Description

Technical Field

[0005] , , ,

[0006] , ,

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an information processing apparatus, an information processing method, and an information processing system.

Background Art

[0002] Devices that acquire information on the fuel sales prices of a plurality of fueling facilities and display the fuel sales prices and / or price rankings and locations of each fueling facility are known (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] An object of the present disclosure is to provide a technology capable of improving the convenience of a user when presenting information on supply facilities around a vehicle.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0005] One aspect of the present disclosure is an information processing apparatus. In that case, the information processing apparatus may be configured to include, for example, <~ acquiring a first market price, which is the market price of the supply target for one or more supply facilities located within a first area including the current position of the vehicle, in response to the satisfaction of a first condition; outputting market price information including the first market price; and a control unit configured to execute the above.

[0006] Another aspect of the present disclosure is an information processing method. In that case, the information processing method may be, for example, Upon fulfillment of the first condition, the system obtains a first market price, which is the market price of the items to be supplied at one or more supply facilities located within the first area, including the vehicle's current location. Outputting market information including the aforementioned first market price, You may have a computer execute this.

[0007] Another aspect of this disclosure is an information processing system including a terminal associated with a vehicle and a server device that communicates with the terminal. In that case, the information processing system is, for example, The terminal transmits the current location of the vehicle to the server device in response to the fulfillment of the second condition. The server device, in response to the fulfillment of the third condition, acquires a first market price, which is the market price of the items to be supplied at one or more supply facilities located within the first area including the current location of the vehicle, and transmits market price information, including the acquired first market price, to the terminal. The terminal may be configured to output the market price information.

[0008] This disclosure can also be interpreted as an information processing program for causing a computer to execute the information processing method described above, or as a non-temporary storage medium for storing said information processing program. [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] This disclosure provides a technology that can improve user convenience when presenting information about refueling facilities around a vehicle. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0010] [Figure 1] This diagram shows an overview of the system in one embodiment. [Figure 2] This figure shows an example of the hardware configuration of the terminal and server devices included in the system in the embodiment. [Figure 3] A block diagram showing an example of the software configuration of a terminal in an embodiment. [Figure 4] This is a block diagram showing an example of the software configuration of a server device in an embodiment. [Figure 5] This figure shows an example of the information stored in the vehicle information database in the embodiment. [Figure 6] This figure shows an example of the information stored in the facility information database in the embodiment. [Figure 7] This is a sequence diagram illustrating the processing performed by the terminal and server devices in the embodiment. [Figure 8] This figure shows an example of the first screen output by the terminal in the embodiment. [Figure 9] This flowchart shows an example of a processing routine executed on the terminal in the embodiment. [Figure 10] This flowchart shows an example of a processing routine executed by the server device in the embodiment. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0011] When a user drives a vehicle in an unfamiliar area, they may have difficulty deciding which refueling station to use. Conventionally, devices have been known that display the fuel prices and locations of multiple refueling stations within the area. However, with conventional devices, this information is displayed even when the vehicle is traveling on a highway, within the user's living area, or when the vehicle's remaining range is sufficiently long, which can be annoying for the user and impair convenience. Therefore, there is a need for measures to improve user convenience when displaying refueling stations near the vehicle.

[0012] Therefore, in the information processing device relating to this disclosure, the control unit acquires the market price (first market price) of the sales price of the replenishment target at one or more replenishment facilities within the first area, in response to the fulfillment of the first condition, and outputs market price information including the acquired first market price.

[0013] As an example, the first condition may include at least one of the following: the vehicle has entered from a highway onto a general road; the current position of the vehicle is outside the living area of the user of the vehicle; more than a first period of time has elapsed since the output of the previous market information or the current position of the vehicle is outside the previous first area; and the remaining travelable distance of the vehicle is less than a first distance length.

[0014] Here, the market price of the replenishment target sold at the replenishment facilities attached to the highway is often uniformly determined for the entire highway or the whole country. Also, when the vehicle is traveling on the highway, when the remaining amount of the replenishment target decreases, it is expected that the user will purchase the replenishment target (replenish the vehicle with the replenishment target) at the replenishment facilities attached to the highway regardless of the market price of the replenishment target. Therefore, if market information is presented while the vehicle is traveling on the highway, there is a high possibility that the user will feel annoyed.

[0015] Also, when the current position of the vehicle is within the living area of the user, there is a high possibility that the user knows the market price of the replenishment target sold at the replenishment facilities around the vehicle. Therefore, if market information is presented when the current position of the vehicle is within the living area of the user, there is a high possibility that the user will feel annoyed.

[0016] Also, the price of the replenishment target sold at the replenishment facility may vary every first period of time (for example, 24 hours (one day)). However, if the elapsed time since the output of the previous market information is shorter than the first period of time and the current position of the vehicle is within the previous first area, the same market information as the previous time is output, and there is a high possibility that the user will feel annoyed. of the market information is output, and there is a high possibility that the user will feel annoyed.

[0017] Also, when the remaining travelable distance of the vehicle is sufficiently long, the need to replenish the replenishment target is low. Therefore, if market information is output when the remaining travelable distance of the vehicle is sufficiently long, there is a high possibility that the user will feel annoyed.

[0018] Therefore, by outputting market price information only when the first condition described above is met, market price information can be presented to the user while reducing user inconvenience. As a result, user convenience can be improved when presenting information about refueling facilities around the vehicle.

[0019] Refueling facilities include, for example, gas stations, hydrogen stations, or charging stations. The products sold at such facilities include, for example, premium gasoline, regular gasoline, diesel fuel, hydrogen, and electricity.

[0020] Furthermore, the control unit of the information processing device relating to this disclosure may, for example, acquire the first market price by acquiring the sales price of the supply items at each of the one or more supply facilities located within the first area, and by calculating the first market price according to the sales price of the supply items at each of the one or more supply facilities. In one example, the first market price may be the average value of the sales prices of the supply items at each of the one or more supply facilities. As another example, the first market price may be the median value of the sales prices of the supply items at each of the one or more supply facilities.

[0021] Furthermore, the output of market price information by the control unit of the information processing device relating to this disclosure may include, for example, outputting a first market price and outputting the location of one or more supply facilities located within the first area and the selling price of the supplies they supply. This makes it possible for users to understand the location of one or more supply facilities located within the first area and the selling price of the supplies they supply, as well as to determine whether the selling price of the supplies at each supply facility is higher or lower than the first market price.

[0022] Furthermore, if the sales price and the first market price are output for types of refueling that are not compatible with the vehicle, users are likely to find it inconvenient. Therefore, the output of the sales price and the first market price may be performed only for types of refueling that are compatible with the vehicle. For example, if the type of refueling that is compatible with the vehicle is premium gasoline, only the sales price and the first market price for premium gasoline may be output. This will further reduce the inconvenience experienced by users.

[0023] Furthermore, the output of market price information by the control unit of the information processing device relating to this disclosure may further include outputting a first date, which is the date on which the sales price of the replenishment item at each of the one or more replenishment facilities located within the first area was posted. This allows the user to understand what date the posted sales price and the first market price are based on.

[0024] Furthermore, the information processing device relating to this disclosure may be a terminal installed in a vehicle or a terminal carried by the vehicle user. In that case, the control unit of the information processing device may be the terminal's processor. When such a terminal is the information processing device, the control unit may acquire market price information through an external device (for example, a server or database). Also, as an example, the control unit may output market price information through the terminal's car navigation program. In that case, the control unit may output the location of one or more refueling facilities located within the first area and the sales price of the refueling items on the map screen of the car navigation program. Furthermore, the control unit may The market price of 1 may be output as audio, and / or text information representing the first market price may be output outside the margin of the map screen.

[0025] Furthermore, the information processing device relating to this disclosure may also be a server device. In that case, the control unit of the information processing device may acquire the current location of the vehicle through a terminal installed in the vehicle or a terminal carried by the vehicle user. Furthermore, the control unit of the information processing device may output market price information through a terminal installed in the vehicle or a terminal carried by the vehicle user.

[0026] Furthermore, this disclosure can also be considered as an information processing system including a terminal and a server device. In that case, the terminal may be configured to transmit the vehicle's current location to the server device and output market price information transmitted from the server device in response to the fulfillment of the second condition. The server device may also be configured to acquire the first market price and transmit market price information, including the acquired first market price, to the terminal in response to the fulfillment of the third condition.

[0027] Here, the second condition may include a part of the first condition described above. For example, the second condition may include that the vehicle has entered a general road from a highway, and / or that the vehicle's remaining range is less than a first distance. The third condition may also include the remaining part of the first condition described above. For example, the third condition may include that the vehicle's current location is outside the user's living area, and / or that a first time length has elapsed since the previous output of market price information, or that the vehicle's current location is outside the previous first area.

[0028] According to the information processing system described above, the same effects and advantages as those of the information processing device described above can be obtained.

[0029] The following describes specific embodiments of this disclosure with reference to the drawings. Unless otherwise specified, the hardware configurations, module configurations, functional configurations, etc., described in the following embodiments are not intended to limit the technical scope of the disclosure to those configurations alone.

[0030] <Embodiment> In this embodiment, an example is described in which the information processing device according to this disclosure is applied to a system for providing information on a vehicle having a power supply function.

[0031] (System Overview) Figure 1 is a diagram illustrating the system in this embodiment. The system in this embodiment consists of a terminal 100 and a server device 200. The terminal 100 and the server device 200 are connected via a network N1, which will be described later. In the example shown in Figure 1, only one terminal 100 is illustrated, but the server device 200 may have multiple terminals 100 (vehicles 10) under its management.

[0032] Terminal 100 is associated with vehicle 10. Vehicle 10 is a vehicle that is refueled with fuel (premium gasoline or regular gasoline) (such as an ICEV (Internal Combustion Engine Vehicle), HEV (Hybrid Electric Vehicle), PHEV (Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle)), a vehicle that is refueled with hydrogen (such as an FCEV (Fuel Cell Electric Vehicle)), or a vehicle that is refueled with electricity (such as a BEV (Battery Electric Vehicle), PHEV (Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle)).

[0033] Terminal 100 is, for example, a terminal installed in vehicle 10 or a portable terminal used by a user of vehicle 10. Terminal 100 is triggered by the fulfillment of the activation conditions described later, and first information The terminal 100 is configured to send information to the server device 200. In one example, the first information includes the vehicle's current location and identifier (vehicle ID). The terminal 100 is also configured to output market price information included in the second information when it is triggered by receiving the second information transmitted from the server device 200. In one example, the market price information includes the market price (first market price) of the items to be replenished in the area surrounding the vehicle 10 (first area).

[0034] The refueling targets subject to the first price described above are those of a type compatible with vehicle 10. For example, if the refueling target compatible with vehicle 10 is premium gasoline, premium gasoline will be subject to the first price. Also, if the refueling target compatible with vehicle 10 is regular gasoline, regular gasoline will be subject to the first price. Also, if the refueling target compatible with vehicle 10 is diesel fuel, diesel fuel will be subject to the first price. Also, if the refueling target compatible with vehicle 10 is hydrogen, hydrogen will be subject to the first price. Also, if the refueling target compatible with vehicle 10 is electricity, electricity will be subject to the first price.

[0035] The server device 200 is configured to determine whether the notification conditions described below are met when it receives the first information transmitted from the terminal 100. If it is determined that the notification conditions are met, the server device 200 is configured to identify one or more supply facilities located within a first area including the current location of the vehicle 10, and to calculate a first market price corresponding to the sales price of the supply items at each of the identified one or more supply facilities. The server device 200 is configured to generate market price information including the calculated first market price. Furthermore, the server device 200 is configured to transmit second information, including the generated market price information, to the terminal 100.

[0036] According to System 1 in this embodiment, market price information is output by terminal 100 only when the second and third conditions are met. As a result, market price information can be presented to the user while reducing user inconvenience.

[0037] (System hardware configuration) Figure 2 shows an example of the hardware configuration of terminal 100 and server device 200 included in system 1 of this embodiment. In this embodiment, terminal 100 is a computer installed in vehicle 10 (for example, a computer that provides car navigation services, etc.) or a portable computer used by the user of vehicle 10 (for example, a smartphone or tablet device, etc.). In this embodiment, server device 200 is a computer connected to terminal 100 via network N1.

[0038] As shown in Figure 2, terminal 100 is composed of a processor 101, a main memory 102, an auxiliary memory 103, an input / output device 104, a position acquisition unit 105, and a communication module 106. In the example shown in Figure 2, only the hardware configuration related to the service for providing market price information is shown, but terminal 100 may include other hardware configurations.

[0039] Processor 101 is a processing unit such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit), GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), or DSP (Digital Signal Processor). The sesser 101 loads a program stored in the auxiliary storage device 103 into the main memory device 102 and executes it, thereby realizing a function (software module) that matches a predetermined purpose as described later.

[0040] The main memory 102 is composed of semiconductor memory such as RAM (Random Access Memory) and ROM (Read Only Memory). The main memory 102 provides a storage area and a working area for loading programs stored in the auxiliary storage device 103. The main memory 102 is also used as a buffer for arithmetic processing by the processor 101. It can be done.

[0041] The auxiliary storage device 103 is, for example, an EPROM (Erasable Programmable ROM), or H It is a DD (Hard Disk Drive). The auxiliary storage device 103 is a removable media, that is It may include a portable recording medium. Removable media are disk recording media such as USB (Universal Serial Bus) memory, CD (Compact Disc), or DVD (Digital Versatile Disc). The auxiliary storage device 103 stores various programs and data used by the processor 101 when executing each program.

[0042] The programs stored in the auxiliary storage device 103 include the OS (Operating System), as well as dedicated programs for causing the processor 101 to execute processes related to the service of providing market information.

[0043] The input / output device 104 receives input operations performed by the user of the vehicle 10 and presents information to the user. Specifically, the input / output device 104 includes, for example, a touch panel or push buttons that can input characters or other symbols, and an input device such as a microphone that can input voice. The input / output device 104 also includes an output device such as a display or speaker. The input / output device 104 may be configured as an integrated unit with the input device and output device using a touch panel display or the like. In that case, the touch panel display may be the touch panel display of a car navigation system.

[0044] The position acquisition unit 105 acquires the current position of the vehicle 10 (geographic coordinates such as latitude and longitude). In one example, the position acquisition unit 105 is a GPS (Global Positioning System) receiver. That's good. In another example, the location acquisition unit 105 may be a wireless communication circuit that uses the Wi-Fi® location information service.

[0045] The communication module 106 is a communication interface for connecting the terminal 100 to the network N1. In one example, the communication module 106 supports mobile communication methods (e.g., LTE (Long Term Evolution), LTE-Advanced, 5G (5th Generation)). It is configured to include a network interface that connects to network N1 using wireless communication methods such as 6G (6th Generation) or Wi-Fi (registered trademark). The communication module 106 communicates with server equipment 200, etc., through network N1. Network N1 is, for example, a WAN (Wide Area Network), which is a global public communication network such as the Internet. Area Network, or other communication network.

[0046] The hardware configuration of terminal 100 can be modified as appropriate, with some components omitted, replaced, or added depending on the embodiment. For example, terminal 100 may include multiple processors. Also, terminal 100 may be configured to include multiple computers (for example, a computer for communication and a computer for a car navigation system).

[0047] Next, as shown in Figure 2, the server device 200 is configured to include a processor 201, a main memory 202, an auxiliary memory 203, and a communication module 204. Note that in the example shown in Figure 2, only the hardware configuration related to the service for providing market information is shown; however, the server device 200 may include other hardware configurations.

[0048] The processor 201, main memory 202, and auxiliary storage 203 of the server device 200 are the same as the processor 101, main memory 102, and auxiliary storage 103 of the terminal 100, respectively, so their description is omitted.

[0049] The communication module 204 of the server device 200 connects the server device 200 to network N1. This is a communication interface for connection. In one example, the communication module 204 may be configured to include a network interface board and a wireless communication interface for wireless communication. The communication module 204 communicates with terminal 100, etc., through network N1.

[0050] (Device Functional Configuration) The functional configuration (software configuration) of terminal 100 in this embodiment will be described with reference to Figure 3. Figure 3 is a block diagram showing the software configuration of terminal 100. In this embodiment, terminal 100 is configured with two software modules: a control unit F110 and a storage unit F120.

[0051] The control unit F110 may be implemented by the processor 101 executing a program stored in the auxiliary storage device 103. Alternatively, the control unit F110 may be implemented by hardware circuits such as an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit) or an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array).

[0052] In this embodiment, the control unit F110 determines whether the activation conditions are met. The activation conditions in this embodiment include (1) that the vehicle 10 has entered a general road from a highway, and (2) that the remaining range of the vehicle 10 is less than the first distance. The combination of these conditions (1) and (2) corresponds to the "second condition" in this disclosure.

[0053] The determination of whether condition (1) is met may be made, for example, based on the driving route history of vehicle 10 acquired by the car navigation system and the current location of vehicle 10 acquired by the location acquisition unit 105, or by ETC (Electronic Toll Collection The decision may be made based on payment information from the in-vehicle device. Such information processing may be performed in the vehicle. This may be performed repeatedly at predetermined intervals while the vehicle 10 is traveling. Alternatively, such information processing may be performed repeatedly at predetermined intervals while the vehicle 10 is traveling on a highway.

[0054] If it is determined that condition (1) is met, the control unit F110 determines whether condition (2) is met. In making such a determination, the control unit F110 calculates the remaining range of the vehicle 10. For example, the remaining range may be calculated using the remaining amount of the vehicle 10 to be refueled (e.g., fuel level, hydrogen level, or battery level) and the average fuel consumption or average electric energy consumption of the vehicle 10. The first distance length can be set arbitrarily depending on the embodiment. For example, the first distance length may be the distance from the current position of the vehicle 10 to the outside of the first area plus a margin. For example, if the first area is set to a radius of several kilometers centered on the current position of the vehicle 10, the distance length obtained by adding a margin to that radius may be set as the first distance length. As another example, the first distance length may be the distance from the current position of the vehicle 10 to the target value set in the car navigation system plus a margin.

[0055] If it is determined that condition (2) is met, the control unit F110 obtains the current position of the vehicle 10 through the position acquisition unit 105. The control unit F110 reads the vehicle ID stored in the storage unit F120, which will be described later. The control unit F110 transmits the first information, including the current position of the vehicle 10 and the vehicle ID, to the server device 200 through the communication module 106.

[0056] When the second information transmitted from the server device 200 in response to the first information described above is received by the communication module 106, the control unit F110 determines whether the second information includes market price information. If the second information includes market price information, the control unit F110 outputs the market price information through the input / output device 104. Details of the output of market price information will be described later. If the second information does not include market price information, the control unit F110 does not output the information through the input / output device 104. Device 104 does not output any information.

[0057] Furthermore, the storage unit F120 of terminal 100 is a logical storage area constructed in the auxiliary storage device 103. In this embodiment, the storage unit F120 stores the vehicle ID of vehicle 10. The vehicle ID is information that identifies vehicle 10. For example, the vehicle ID may be the vehicle identification number of vehicle 10. As another example, the vehicle ID may be a string of characters inscribed on the vehicle registration plate of vehicle 10. The vehicle ID may also be a string of characters arbitrarily assigned by the server device 200.

[0058] The software configuration of terminal 100 is not limited to the example shown in Figure 3, and software components can be omitted, replaced, or added as appropriate.

[0059] (Server Functional Configuration) The functional configuration (software configuration) of the server device 200 in this embodiment will be described with reference to Figure 4. Figure 4 is a block diagram showing an example of the software configuration of the server device 200. The server device 200 in this embodiment is configured with two software modules: a control unit F210 and a storage unit F220.

[0060] The control unit F210 may be implemented by the processor 201 executing a program stored in the auxiliary storage device 203. Alternatively, the control unit F210 may be implemented by hardware circuits such as an ASIC or FPGA.

[0061] In this embodiment, the control unit F210 determines whether the notification conditions are met when it receives the first information transmitted from the terminal 100. The notification conditions in this embodiment include (3) the current location of the vehicle 10 is outside the user's living area, and (4) the current location of the vehicle 10 is outside the previous first area or a first time length has elapsed since the previous notification. A combination of these conditions (3) and (4) corresponds to the "third condition" in this disclosure.

[0062] The determination of whether condition (3) is met is made, for example, based on the current location of vehicle 10 included in the first information and the information stored in the vehicle information DB221 described later. The determination of whether condition (4) is met is made, for example, based on the current date and time and the information stored in the vehicle information DB221 described later.

[0063] If it is determined that conditions (3) and (4) are met, the control unit F210 sets a first area according to the current position of the vehicle 10 included in the first information. In one example, the first area is set to a radius of several kilometers centered on the current position of the vehicle 10. Note that the method of setting the first area is not limited to the method described above, and it can be set arbitrarily as long as it is within the range that includes the current position of the vehicle 10. In addition, the first area may be set so as to be defined by geographic coordinates.

[0064] Once the control unit F210 has finished setting the first area, it identifies one or more refueling facilities located within the first area based on the geographic coordinates of the first area and the information stored in the facility information DB222. At this time, refueling facilities attached to expressways and refueling facilities that do not sell refueling items of a type suitable for the vehicle 10 (hereinafter sometimes referred to as "the first type of refueling item") are excluded. In other words, one or more refueling facilities located along general roads that sell the first type of refueling item are identified from among the refueling facilities located within the first area.

[0065] The control unit F210 determines the first type of supply conditions at each of the one or more identified supply facilities. Based on the selling price of elephants, the control unit F210 calculates the market price (first market price) for the supply items within the first area. As an example, the control unit F210 may calculate the average or median selling price of the first type of supply items at one or more supply facilities and determine the calculated average or median as the first market price.

[0066] Once the control unit F210 has finished calculating the first market price, it generates market price information. In one example, the market price information may include the first market price, the location of each of the one or more supply facilities identified above, and the selling price of the first type of supply item at each of the one or more supply facilities identified above. The market price information may further include the names of each of the one or more supply facilities identified above.

[0067] The control unit F210 transmits second information, including the generated market price information, to the terminal 100 via the communication module 204. If it is determined that at least one of the above conditions (3) and (4) is not met, the control unit F210 transmits second information, which does not include the market price information, to the terminal 100 via the communication module 204.

[0068] Next, the storage unit F220 of the server device 200 is a logical storage area constructed on the auxiliary storage device 203. In this embodiment, the storage unit F220 contains a vehicle information DB 221 and a facility information DB 222. These vehicle information DB 221 and facility information DB 222 are constructed by the processor 201 of the server device 200 executing a DBMS (Database Management System) program. In this case, the vehicle information DB 221 and facility information DB 222 may be constructed as relational databases.

[0069] Figure 5 shows an example of the information stored in the vehicle information DB 221 in this embodiment. As illustrated in Figure 5, the vehicle information DB 221 in this embodiment has multiple records (hereinafter sometimes referred to as "vehicle information records") corresponding to each of the multiple vehicles 10 under the management of the server device 200. Each vehicle information record has fields such as vehicle ID, type of replenishment target, living area, last notification date and time, and last notification area, as shown in Figure 5. Note that the configuration of the vehicle information records is not limited to the example shown in Figure 5, and fields can be omitted, replaced, and added as appropriate.

[0070] The Vehicle ID field registers information (Vehicle ID) to identify each of the multiple vehicles 10 under the management of the server device 200. As mentioned above, the information registered in the Vehicle ID field may be the vehicle identification number of the vehicle 10 or the string of characters indicated on the vehicle registration plate.

[0071] The "Type of Refueling Target" field registers the type of refueling target (first type) that is suitable for each vehicle 10. For example, for a vehicle 10 whose first type of refueling target is premium gasoline, "Premium Gasoline" is registered in the "Type of Refueling Target" field. For a vehicle 10 whose first type of refueling target is regular gasoline, "Regular Gasoline" is registered in the "Type of Refueling Target" field. For a vehicle 10 whose first type of refueling target is diesel fuel, "Diesel Fuel" is registered in the "Type of Refueling Target" field. For a vehicle 10 whose first type of refueling target is hydrogen, "Hydrogen" is registered in the "Type of Refueling Target" field. For a vehicle 10 whose first type of refueling target is electricity, "Electricity" is registered in the "Type of Refueling Target" field.

[0072] The living area field registers the range of the living area for each of the 10 users in each vehicle. For example, the living area field may register the geographic coordinates of an area with a radius of several kilometers to tens of kilometers centered on the home of each of the 10 users in each vehicle, or the geographic coordinates of an area with a radius of several kilometers to tens of kilometers centered on the workplace of each of the 10 users in each vehicle.

[0073] The "Last Notification Date and Time" field registers the date and time when the second piece of information, including market price information, was last sent to the terminal 100 corresponding to each vehicle 10. In other words, the "Last Notification Date and Time" field registers the date and time when the second piece of information, including market price information, was last sent.

[0074] The "Previous Notification Area" field registers information indicating the first area at the time the second piece of information, including market price information, was last sent to the terminal 100 corresponding to each vehicle 10. In other words, the "Previous Notification Area" field registers information indicating the first area at the time the second piece of information, including market price information, was last sent.

[0075] The information registered in the "Last Notification Date and Time" field and the information registered in the "Last Notification Area" field are updated each time a second piece of information, including market price information, is transmitted to the terminal 100 corresponding to each vehicle 10.

[0076] Next, the information stored in the facility information DB222 in this embodiment will be described with reference to Figure 6. Figure 6 is a diagram showing an example of the information stored in the facility information DB222 in this embodiment. As shown in Figure 6, the facility information DB222 in this embodiment consists of multiple records (hereinafter sometimes referred to as "facility information records") corresponding to multiple supply facilities. In this embodiment, supply facilities laid on expressways are excluded from registration in the facility information DB222. That is, the registration targets for the facility information DB222 are limited to supply facilities located along general roads.

[0077] Each facility information record in the facility information DB222 has fields such as attributes, name, location, sales price, and posting date, as shown in Figure 6. Note that the structure of facility information records is not limited to the example shown in Figure 6; fields can be omitted, replaced, or added as appropriate.

[0078] The attribute field registers the attributes of each refueling facility. Here, "attribute" is defined according to the type of refueling product that each facility sells. For example, a refueling facility that sells fuels such as premium gasoline, regular gasoline, and diesel fuel will be registered as "gas station" in the attribute field. A refueling facility that sells hydrogen will be registered as "hydrogen station" in the attribute field. A refueling facility that sells electricity will be registered as "charging station" in the attribute field.

[0079] The Name field registers a unique name for each refueling facility. The Location field registers the geographic coordinates indicating the location of each refueling facility. The Sales Price field registers the price of the refueling items sold at each refueling facility. For refueling facilities belonging to gas stations, the prices of premium gasoline, regular gasoline, and diesel fuel are registered in the Sales Price field. For refueling facilities belonging to hydrogen stations, the price of hydrogen is registered in the Sales Price field. For refueling facilities belonging to charging stations, the price of electricity is registered in the Sales Price field. The Posting Date field registers the date on which the sales price registered in the Sales Price field of each refueling facility was posted.

[0080] The information registered in the sales price field and the information registered in the posting date field will be updated whenever the sales price posted at each supply facility changes.

[0081] The software configuration of the server device 200 is not limited to the example shown in Figure 4, and software components can be omitted, replaced, and added as appropriate. For example, the vehicle information DB 221 and / or facility information DB 222 may be built on an external device connected to the server device 200 via the network N1. In that case, the control unit F210 of the server device 200 can access the external device as needed to access the vehicle information DB 221 and / or facility information You may also retrieve the information stored in the report DB222.

[0082] (Process flow) Next, the processing performed by the terminal 100 and server device 200 of System 1 in this embodiment will be explained with reference to Figure 7. Figure 7 is a diagram showing the sequence of processing performed by the terminal 100 and server device 200 in this embodiment.

[0083] In the example shown in Figure 7, first, in step S11, the control unit F110 of terminal 100 determines whether the activation conditions are met. In one example, the control unit F110 determines whether (1) the vehicle 10 has entered a general road from a highway, and (2) the remaining range of the vehicle 10 is less than a first distance. If it is determined that conditions (1) and (2) are met, the control unit F110 executes the process in step S12.

[0084] In step S12, the control unit F110 of terminal 100 transmits the first information to the server device 200 via the communication module 106. The first information includes, as described above, the current location of vehicle 10 acquired by the location acquisition unit 105 and the vehicle ID stored in the storage unit F120.

[0085] In step S13, the first information transmitted from terminal 100 is received by the communication module 204 of server device 200.

[0086] In step S14, the control unit F210 of the server device 200 determines whether the notification conditions are met. In one example, the control unit F210 determines whether (3) the current location of the vehicle 10 is outside the user's living area, and (4) the current location of the vehicle 10 is outside the previous first area or whether a first time length has elapsed since the previous notification. If it is determined that conditions (3) and (4) are met, the control unit F210 executes the process in step S15.

[0087] In step S15, the control unit F210 of the server device 200 generates second information. Specifically, the control unit F210 generates market price information according to the current location of the vehicle 10 included in the first information and the information stored in the facility information DB222, and generates second information including the generated market price information. As an example, the market price information includes the first market price, the location of one or more supply facilities that sell the first type of supply item within the first area, the name of each of the one or more supply facilities, and the selling price of the first type of supply item at each of the one or more supply facilities. In this case, the first market price is obtained by calculating the average or median of the selling prices of the first type of supply item at each of the one or more supply facilities.

[0088] In step S16, the control unit F210 of the server device 200 transmits the second information to the terminal 100 via the communication module 204.

[0089] In step S17, the second piece of information transmitted from the server device 200 is received by the communication module 106 of the terminal 100.

[0090] In step S18, the control unit F110 of terminal 100 outputs the market price information included in the second information. For example, the control unit F110 of terminal 100 may output the first screen, illustrated in Figure 8, to the input / output device 104 via the car navigation system. In the example shown in Figure 8, the first screen includes a GUI component superimposed with an icon, name, and sales price of the first type of replenishment item at the location of each of the one or more replenishment facilities on the car navigation system map, and a GUI component containing text information of the first market price and the first date. In this case, the first market price and the first date may also be output by voice. The first date here refers to the posting date of the sales price used in calculating the first market price. If the posting dates of one or more selling prices used in calculating the first market price are different, the oldest posting date may be set as the first date.

[0091] (Processing flow) Here, the information processing performed at terminal 100 in this embodiment will be explained with reference to Figure 9. Figure 9 is a flowchart showing the processing flow performed at terminal 100 (specific processing procedures for steps S11-S12 and S17-S18 above). The processing flow shown in Figure 9 is repeatedly executed at predetermined intervals while the vehicle 10 is in motion or while driving on a highway.

[0092] Although the execution entity of the processing flow in Figure 9 is the processor 101 of terminal 100, the explanation will be given using the software module of terminal 100 as the execution entity.

[0093] In the processing flow illustrated in Figure 9, the control unit F110 of terminal 100 determines whether vehicle 10 has entered a general road from a highway (step S101). In one example, the control unit F110 may determine whether vehicle 10 has entered a general road from a highway based on the vehicle 10's travel route history acquired by the car navigation system and the vehicle 10's current location acquired by the location acquisition unit 105. In another example, the control unit F110 may determine whether vehicle 10 has entered a general road from a highway based on payment information from the ETC onboard unit. If it is determined that vehicle 10 has not entered a general road from a highway (negative determination in step S101), the control unit F110 terminates the execution of the processing flow in Figure 9. On the other hand, if it is determined that vehicle 10 has entered a general road from a highway (positive determination in step S101), the control unit F110 executes the process in step S102.

[0094] In step S102, the control unit F110 obtains the remaining range of the vehicle 10. In one example, the control unit F110 may obtain the remaining range of the vehicle 10 by multiplying the remaining amount of fuel to be refueled in the vehicle 10 by the average fuel consumption or average electric energy consumption of the vehicle 10. After completing the process in step S102, the control unit F110 executes the process in step S103.

[0095] In step S103, the control unit F110 determines whether the cruising range obtained in step S102 is less than a first distance length. For example, the first distance length may be the distance from the current position of the vehicle 10 to the outside of the first area (the radius of the first area) plus a margin. As another example, the first distance length may be the distance from the current position of the vehicle 10 to the target value set in the car navigation system plus a margin. If it is determined that the cruising range is greater than or equal to the first distance length (negative determination in step S103), the control unit F110 terminates the execution of the processing flow in Figure 9. On the other hand, if it is determined that the cruising range is less than the first distance length (positive determination in step S103), the control unit F110 executes the process in step S104.

[0096] In step S104, the control unit F110 obtains the current position of the vehicle 10 through the position acquisition unit 105. After completing the process in step S104, the control unit F110 executes the process in step S105.

[0097] In step S105, the control unit F110 transmits the first information to the server device 200 via the communication module 106. Specifically, the control unit F110 reads the vehicle ID stored in the storage unit F120. Subsequently, the control unit F110 generates the first information, which includes the current position of the vehicle 10 obtained in step S104 and the vehicle ID read from the storage unit F120. Then, the control unit F110 transmits the generated first information to the server device 200 via the communication module 106. After completing the process in step S105, the control unit F110 executes the process in step S106.

[0098] In step S106, it is determined whether the communication module 106 has received the second information transmitted from the server device 200 in response to the first information. If the communication module 106 has not received the second information (negative determination in step S106), the control unit F110 waits until the communication module 106 receives the second information. If the communication module 106 has received the second information (positive determination in step S106), the control unit F110 executes the process in step S107.

[0099] In step S107, the control unit F110 determines whether the received second information contains market price information. If the received second information does not contain market price information (negative determination in step S107), the control unit F110 terminates the execution of the processing flow shown in Figure 9. On the other hand, if the received second information contains market price information (positive determination in step S107), the control unit F110 executes the process in step S108.

[0100] In step S108, the control unit F110 outputs the market price information contained in the second information through the input / output device 104. Specifically, the control unit F110 generates a first screen based on the location of one or more supply facilities (supply facilities that sell the first type of supply item) contained in the market price information, the name of each of the one or more supply facilities, the selling price of the first type of supply item at each of the one or more supply facilities, the first market price, and the first date. In one example, the first screen includes, as explained with reference to Figure 8, a GUI component in which an icon, name, and selling price of the first type of supply item are superimposed on the location of one or more supply facilities on the car navigation system map, and a GUI component containing text information of the first market price and the first date. Such a first screen is generated through the car navigation system and output through the input / output device 104.

[0101] Once the control unit F110 has finished executing the process in step S108, it terminates the execution of the processing flow shown in Figure 9.

[0102] Next, the information processing performed by the server device 200 in this embodiment will be described with reference to Figure 10. Figure 10 is a flowchart showing the processing flow (specific processing steps S13 to S16 above) performed by the server device 200. The processing flow shown in Figure 10 is executed when the communication module 204 receives the first information transmitted from the terminal 100.

[0103] Although the execution entity in the processing flow shown in Figure 10 is the processor 201 of the server device 200, the explanation will be given using the software module of the server device 200 as the execution entity.

[0104] In the processing flow illustrated in Figure 10, the control unit F210 of the server device 200 receives the first information transmitted from the terminal 100 via the communication module 204 (step S201). After completing the processing in step S201, the control unit F210 executes the processing in step S202.

[0105] In step S202, the control unit F210 determines whether the current location of vehicle 10 is outside the user's living area. Specifically, first, the control unit F210 accesses the vehicle information DB221 with the vehicle ID included in the first information as an argument, and identifies a vehicle information record in which information matching the vehicle ID is registered in the vehicle ID field. Based on the information registered in the living area field of the identified vehicle information record and the current location of vehicle 10 included in the first information, the control unit F210 determines whether the current location of vehicle 10 is outside the user's living area. If it is determined that the current location of vehicle 10 is outside the user's living area (affirmative determination in step S202), the control unit F210 executes the process in step S203.

[0106] In step S203, the control unit F210 determines whether the current location of vehicle 10 is within the previous first area. Specifically, first, the control unit F210 determines whether the current location of vehicle 10 is within the previous first area based on the information registered in the previous notification area field of the vehicle information record identified above and the current location of vehicle 10. If it is determined that the current location of vehicle 10 is within the previous first area (affirmative determination in step S203), the control unit F210 executes the process in step S204. If it is determined that the current location of vehicle 10 is outside the previous first area (negative determination in step S203), the control unit F210 skips the process in step S204 and executes the process in step S205.

[0107] In step S204, the control unit F210 determines whether a first time length has elapsed since the last notification. Specifically, first, the control unit F210 calculates the elapsed time from the last notification date and time to the current date and time for the second piece of information, which includes market price information, based on the information registered in the last notification date and time field of the vehicle information record identified above and the current date and time. The control unit F210 determines whether the calculated elapsed time length is greater than or equal to a first time length. The first time length may be the period in which the price of the replenishment items sold at the replenishment facility is updated (for example, 24 hours). If the calculated elapsed time length is greater than or equal to a first time length (affirmative determination in step S204), the control unit F210 executes the process in step S205.

[0108] In step S205, the control unit F210 identifies supply facilities within the first area (supply facilities that sell a first type of supply item within the first area). More specifically, the control unit F210 first sets the first area according to the current location of the vehicle 10 included in the first information. In one example, the control unit F210 sets the first area to a radius of several kilometers centered on the current location of the vehicle 10.

[0109] The control unit F210 accesses the facility information DB222 in the storage unit F220 and extracts all facility information records whose registered location in the location field is included in the first area. From the extracted refueling facility records, the control unit F210 identifies the refueling facility records whose registered information in the attribute field matches the first type. For example, if the first type is high-octane gasoline, regular gasoline, or diesel fuel, the control unit F210 should identify the refueling facility records from the extracted refueling facility records that have "gas station" registered in the attribute field. If the first type is hydrogen, the control unit F210 should identify the refueling facility records from the extracted refueling facility records that have "hydrogen station" registered in the attribute field. If the first type is electricity, the control unit F210 should identify the refueling facility records from the extracted refueling facility records that have "charging station" registered in the attribute field.

[0110] The control unit F210 identifies the supply facility corresponding to each supply facility record identified in the procedure described above as a supply facility located within the first area. After completing the process in step S205, the control unit F210 executes the process in step S206.

[0111] In step S206, the control unit F210 calculates the market price (first market price) for the first type of supply item within the first area. Specifically, the control unit F210 accesses the supply facility record corresponding to each of the one or more supply facilities identified in step S205 and retrieves the sales prices registered in the sales price field. The control unit F210 calculates the average or median of the one or more retrieved sales prices and determines the calculated average or median as the first market price. After completing the process in step S206, the control unit F210 executes the process in step S207.

[0112] In step S207, the control unit F210 generates market price information. Specifically, first, the control unit F210 generates market price information for each of the one or more supply facilities identified in step S205. The control unit F210 retrieves the information registered in the location field, name field, and sales price field of the supply facility record (location of the supply facility, name of the supply facility, and sales price of the first type of supply item at the supply facility). Subsequently, the control unit F210 generates market price information including the location of each of the one or more supply facilities identified in step S205, the name of each of the one or more supply facilities, the sales price of the first type of supply item at each of the one or more supply facilities, the first market price calculated in step S206, and the first date. The first date is the oldest date among the dates registered in the posting date field of the supply facility record corresponding to each of the one or more supply facilities identified in step S205. After the control unit F210 has finished executing the process in step S207, it executes the process in step S208.

[0113] In step S208, the control unit F210 transmits second information, including the market price information generated in step S207, to the terminal 100 via the communication module 204. Once the control unit F210 has finished executing the process in step S208, it terminates the execution of the processing flow shown in Figure 10.

[0114] Furthermore, if a negative determination is made in step S202 (i.e., if the current location of the vehicle 10 is determined to be within the user's living area), and if a negative determination is made in step S204 (i.e., if the elapsed time since the last notification is determined to be less than the first time length), the control unit F210 executes the process in step S209. In step S209, the control unit F210 transmits second information, which does not include market price information, to the terminal 100 via the communication module 204. After the control unit F210 has finished executing the process in step S209, it terminates the execution of the processing flow shown in Figure 10.

[0115] (Effects and workings of the embodiment) In the embodiments described above, market price information for the area around the vehicle 10 (the first area) is output from the terminal 100 only when both the activation condition and the notification condition are met. For example, market price information for the first area is output from the terminal 100 under the following conditions: the vehicle 10 has entered a public road from a highway; the vehicle 10's current location is outside the user's living area; more than a first time period has elapsed since the last notification or the vehicle 10's current location is outside the previous first area; and the vehicle 10's remaining range is less than a first distance.

[0116] Therefore, it is possible to suppress the output of market price information when vehicle 10 is traveling on a highway, when vehicle 10 is traveling within the user's living area (when the user is aware of the market price of the refueling target in the vicinity of vehicle 10), when market price information (the same market price information as last time) is output when less than a first time length has passed since the last notification and the vehicle 10's current location is within the first area from the previous notification, and when the remaining driving range is greater than or equal to a first distance length (when refueling of the refueling target is not necessary).

[0117] Therefore, according to this embodiment, information about facilities around the vehicle 10 (market price information) can be presented to the user while reducing user inconvenience. As a result, user convenience can be improved when presenting information about refueling facilities around the vehicle 10.

[0118] Furthermore, the market price information of this embodiment includes, in addition to the first market price, the location of one or more supply facilities located within the first area and the selling price of the items they supply. This allows users to understand the location of one or more supply facilities located within the first area and the selling price of the items they supply, and also to determine whether the selling price of the items at each of those supply facilities is higher or lower than the first market price.

[0119] Furthermore, the market price information in this embodiment includes only information related to the type of replenishment item (first type of replenishment item) that is compatible with the vehicle 10 (first market price corresponding to the first type of replenishment item, the location of replenishment facilities that sell the first type of replenishment item, and the selling price of the first type of replenishment item at each replenishment facility). This further reduces the inconvenience experienced by the user.

[0120] Furthermore, the market price information in this embodiment includes the posting date (first date) of the sales price used to calculate the first market price. This allows the user to understand the date on which the presented sales price and the first market price are based.

[0121] <Other> The embodiments described above are merely examples, and this disclosure may be modified and implemented as appropriate without departing from its essence. Furthermore, processes described as being performed by one device may be divided and executed by multiple devices. Alternatively, processes described as being performed by different devices may be executed by a single device. In a computer system, the hardware configuration used to implement each function can be flexibly changed.

[0122] For example, the server device 200 may perform both the determination of whether the startup conditions are met and the determination of whether the notification conditions are met. In that case, the server device 200 may obtain information necessary for determining the startup conditions (for example, the history of the vehicle 10's driving route and the remaining driving range) from the terminal 100 and determine whether the startup conditions are met based on the obtained information. Furthermore, the server device 200 may generate a user interface screen as shown in Figure 8 and transmit the generated user interface screen to the terminal 100. In such a configuration, the server device 200 corresponds to the "information processing device" in this disclosure. Also, the combination of the startup conditions and the notification conditions corresponds to the "first condition" in this disclosure.

[0123] Furthermore, terminal 100 may perform both the determination of whether the activation conditions are met and the determination of whether the notification conditions are met. In that case, a storage area similar to the vehicle information record described in Figure 5 may be constructed in the storage unit F120 of terminal 100. In addition, terminal 100 may perform information processing to generate market price information. In that case, a storage area similar to the facility information DB222 may be constructed in the storage unit F120 of terminal 100. Alternatively, a database similar to the facility information DB222 may be constructed in an external device connected to terminal 100 via network N1, and terminal 100 may access the database via network N1 to obtain the information necessary for generating market price information. In such a configuration, terminal 100 corresponds to the "information processing device" according to this disclosure.

[0124] Furthermore, this disclosure can also be realized by supplying a computer program (information processing program) implementing the functions described in the above embodiments to a computer, and having one or more processors in the computer read and execute the program. Such a computer program may be provided to the computer by a non-temporary computer-readable storage medium that can be connected to the computer's system bus, or it may be provided to the computer via a network. A non-temporary computer-readable storage medium is a recording medium that stores information such as data and programs by electrical, magnetic, optical, mechanical, or chemical means and can be read from a computer or the like. Examples of such recording media include any type of disk, such as magnetic disks (floppy disks or HDDs, etc.) and optical disks (CD-ROMs, DVDs, or Blu-ray discs, etc.). The recording medium may also be a medium such as ROM, RAM, EPROM, EEPROM, magnetic card, flash memory, optical card, or SSD (Solid State Drive). [Explanation of Symbols]

[0125] 1 System 10 vehicles 100 devices 101 Processors 102 Main storage 103 Auxiliary storage device 104 Input / Output Devices 105 Position acquisition part 106 Communication Module F110 Control Unit F120 storage section 200 Server Devices 201 Processor 202 Main storage 203 Auxiliary storage device 204 Communication Module 221 Vehicle Information Database 222 Facility Information Database F210 Control Unit F220 storage unit N1: Network

Claims

1. In response to the fulfillment of a first condition, which includes the vehicle entering an ordinary road from an expressway, a first market price is obtained, which is the market price of the items to be resupplied at one or more resupply facilities located within a first area including the current location of the vehicle. Outputting market information including the aforementioned first market price, A control unit configured to perform the following actions: Information processing device.

2. The first condition further includes that the current location of the vehicle is outside the user's living area. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1.

3. The first condition further includes that a first time period has elapsed since the previous output of the market price information, or that the current location of the vehicle is outside the first area from the previous time. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1.

4. The first condition further includes that the cruising range of the vehicle is less than a first distance. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1.

5. To obtain the aforementioned first market price, To obtain the sales price of the item to be supplied at each of the one or more supply facilities located within the first area, The first market price is calculated according to the sales price of the item to be supplied at each of the one or more of the supply facilities, including, The information processing apparatus according to claim 1.

6. The item to be supplied is an item of a type that is compatible with the vehicle. The information processing apparatus according to claim 5.

7. Outputting the aforementioned market information means Outputting the first market price, Output the location of each of the one or more supply facilities located within the first area and the sales price of the supply item, including, The information processing apparatus according to claim 6.

8. Outputting the aforementioned market information means Further includes outputting a first date which is the date on which the sales price of the item to be supplied is posted at each of the one or more supply facilities located within the first area. The information processing apparatus according to claim 7.

9. In response to the fulfillment of a first condition, which includes the vehicle entering an ordinary road from an expressway, a first market price is obtained, which is the market price of the items to be resupplied at one or more resupply facilities located within a first area including the current location of the vehicle. Outputting market information including the aforementioned first market price, The computer executes Information processing methods.

10. The first condition further includes that the current location of the vehicle is outside the user's living area. The information processing method according to claim 9.

11. The first condition further includes that a first time period has elapsed since the previous output of the market price information, or that the current position of the vehicle is outside the first area from the previous time. The information processing method according to claim 9.

12. The first condition further includes that the cruising range of the vehicle is less than a first distance. The information processing method according to claim 9.

13. To obtain the aforementioned first market price, To obtain the sales price of the item to be supplied at each of the one or more supply facilities located within the first area, The first market price is calculated according to the sales price of the item to be supplied at each of the one or more of the supply facilities, including, The information processing method according to claim 9.

14. The item to be supplied is an item of a type that is compatible with the vehicle. The information processing method according to claim 13.

15. Outputting the aforementioned market information means Outputting the first market price, Output the location of each of the one or more supply facilities located within the first area and the sales price of the supply item, including, The information processing method according to claim 14.

16. Outputting the aforementioned market information means Further includes outputting a first date which is the date on which the sales price of the item to be supplied is posted at each of the one or more supply facilities located within the first area. The information processing method according to claim 15.

17. An information processing system including a terminal associated with a vehicle and a server device that communicates with the terminal, The terminal transmits the vehicle's current location to the server device in response to the fulfillment of a second condition, which includes the vehicle entering a public road from a highway. The server device, in response to the fulfillment of the third condition, acquires a first market price, which is the market price of the items to be supplied at one or more supply facilities located within the first area including the current location of the vehicle, and transmits market price information, including the acquired first market price, to the terminal. The terminal outputs the market price information. Information processing system.

18. The second condition further includes that the cruising range of the vehicle is less than the first distance length, The third condition includes at least one of the following: the current location of the vehicle is outside the user's living area, and a first time period has elapsed since the previous output of the market price information, or the current location of the vehicle is outside the first area from the previous time. The information processing system according to claim 17.

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