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

Abstract

To provide an information processing device, an information processing method, and an information processing program capable of detecting a theft of a vehicle relatively in an early stage.SOLUTION: An information processing device includes: a first acquisition section for acquiring traveling information related to traveling of a vehicle in a predetermined period; a second acquisition section for acquiring vehicle traveling information related to the traveling of the vehicle from the traveling vehicle; an estimation section for estimating whether a traveling content related to the traveling of the vehicle is different from a content related to the traveling of the vehicle in the predetermined period based on the traveling information acquired by the first acquisition section and the vehicle traveling information acquired by the second acquisition section; and an output control section for issuing a predetermined output when the estimation section estimates that the traveling content of the vehicle is different from the traveling content in the predetermined period.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

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

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, since vehicle theft may occur, vehicle manufacturers and the like have installed a system for dealing with vehicle theft in the vehicle. For example, in the vehicle monitoring system described in Patent Document 1, when vehicle theft is committed by relay attack, an image captured inside the vehicle is transmitted to a device outside the vehicle (for example, a user outside the vehicle), and the user is made aware that a suspicious person is driving the vehicle (vehicle theft). Further, the vehicle monitoring system can convey the facial features of the thief to the police or the like based on the image inside the vehicle, leading to the recovery of the vehicle and the arrest of the criminal.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] In the vehicle monitoring system described above, although the image inside the vehicle is transmitted to the device, if the device and the user are in a separated state, it may not be possible to detect vehicle theft relatively early. When vehicle theft occurs, it is required to detect it relatively early and find the vehicle relatively early.

[0005] The present disclosure provides an information processing apparatus, an information processing method, and an information processing program capable of detecting vehicle theft relatively early.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] One embodiment of the information processing device includes: a first acquisition unit that acquires driving information relating to the driving of a vehicle within a predetermined period; a second acquisition unit that acquires vehicle driving information relating to the driving of a vehicle from a vehicle in motion; an estimation unit that estimates whether the driving details relating to the driving of a vehicle differ from the details relating to the driving of a vehicle within a predetermined period based on the driving information acquired by the first acquisition unit and the vehicle driving information acquired by the second acquisition unit; and an output control unit that outputs a predetermined output when the estimation unit estimates that the driving details of the vehicle differ from the driving details within a predetermined period. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to one embodiment, vehicle theft can be detected relatively early. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0008] [Figure 1] This is a diagram illustrating an information processing device according to one embodiment. [Figure 2] This is a block diagram illustrating an information processing device according to one embodiment. [Figure 3] This diagram illustrates an example of how tracking information is output. (A) shows the first example of outputting tracking information, (B) shows the second example, and (C) shows the third example. [Figure 4] This is a flowchart illustrating an information processing method according to one embodiment. [Figure 5] This is a diagram illustrating variations. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0009] One embodiment will be described below.

[0010] [Overview of Information Processing Device 100] First, an overview of the information processing device 100 according to one embodiment will be described. Figure 1 is a diagram illustrating an information processing device 100 according to one embodiment.

[0011] The information processing device 100 may be configured, for example, as an estimation device that estimates whether vehicle 200 has been stolen. Alternatively, the information processing device 100 may be configured, for example, as a tracking device that tracks the stolen vehicle 200. Furthermore, the information processing device 100 may be configured, for example, as an output device that outputs information indicating the theft and the tracking details of the stolen vehicle 200. The information processing device 100 is not limited to the example device described above, but may be configured in various ways. The information processing device 100 may be a computer such as a server, desktop, laptop, tablet, or smartphone.

[0012] The information processing device 100 acquires driving information and vehicle driving information. Both the driving information and vehicle driving information are information relating to the driving of the same vehicle 200. Note that "driving information" may be rephrased as "vehicle owner identification information". In particular, the driving information may be, for example, information summarizing the driving details of vehicle 200 within a predetermined period, based on the driving of a regular user. That is, the driving information may be, for example, information summarizing the driving details of vehicle 200 based on one or more vehicle driving information of the same vehicle 200 generated within a predetermined period. On the other hand, vehicle driving information is information generated by, for example, a vehicle 200 while it is in motion. That is, the vehicle 200, while in motion, transmits vehicle driving information to the information processing device 100, etc. The vehicle driving information may be transmitted from the vehicle 200 to the information processing device 100 in real time (or near real time) via, for example, a server 300, or it may be transmitted from the vehicle 200 to the information processing device 100 in real time (or near real time) without going through the server 300.

[0013] The information processing device 100 estimates, based on driving information and vehicle driving information, whether the driving content A of the vehicle 200 in motion differs from the driving content B of the vehicle 200 within a predetermined period. The information processing device 100 may, for example, estimate whether the position of the vehicle 200 while it is in motion (driving content A) differs from the driving range within a predetermined period (for example, the range in which the vehicle 200 normally travels) (driving content B), based on the position and driving range (range of activity) of the vehicle 200 as driving content (estimation of range of activity). Furthermore, the information processing device 100 may, for example, estimate whether the time of travel (or time of travel) (travel content A) of a vehicle 200 in motion differs from the time of travel within a predetermined period (for example, the time of travel when the vehicle 200 is normally traveling) (travel content B), based on the time of travel and time of travel of the vehicle 200 as travel content (estimated behavioral pattern). Furthermore, the information processing device 100 may estimate whether the driving characteristics of the vehicle 200 while it is in motion (driving content A) differ from the driving characteristics of the vehicle 200 during a predetermined period (for example, the driving characteristics when the vehicle 200 is driven on a daily basis) (driving content B), based on, for example, the acceleration of the vehicle 200 as driving content (e.g., average acceleration), driving speed (e.g., average driving speed), engine rotation speed (e.g., average rotation speed), and brake operation amount (e.g., average operation amount) (driving characteristics) (estimation of driving characteristics).

[0014] The information processing device 100 may, if the driving details A of a moving vehicle 200 differ from (or is presumed to differ from) the driving details B within a predetermined period, as in the example described above, presum that the moving vehicle 200 may have been stolen, that is, that the vehicle 200 is being driven by a third party other than the legitimate user (for example, a thief). In this case, the information processing device 100 will produce a predetermined output. That is, for example, the information processing device 100 may, as a predetermined output, send a notification such as a warning to the user terminal 410 used by the legitimate user of the vehicle 200. The information processing device 100 may also, as a predetermined output, send a notification such as a warning to the terminal 420 used by security companies and police, etc. Note that the user terminal 410 and terminal 420 may be collectively referred to as the notification terminal 400.

[0015] [Details of the information processing device 100] Next, the information processing apparatus 100 according to an embodiment will be described in detail. FIG. 2 is a block diagram for explaining the information processing apparatus 100 according to an embodiment.

[0016] The information processing apparatus 100 includes, for example, a communication unit 121, a storage unit 122, a display unit 123, a control unit 110, and the like. The communication unit 121, the storage unit 122, and the display unit 123 may be an embodiment of an output unit. The control unit 110 includes, for example, a first acquisition unit 111, a second acquisition unit 112, an estimation unit 113, a tracking unit 114, an output control unit 115, a third acquisition unit 116, a specifying unit 117, a recording unit 118, and the like. The control unit 110 may be configured by, for example, an arithmetic processing unit of the information processing apparatus 100. The control unit 110 (for example, an arithmetic processing unit or the like) realizes the functions of each unit (for example, the first acquisition unit 111, the second acquisition unit 112, the estimation unit 113, the tracking unit 114, the output control unit 115, the third acquisition unit 116, the specifying unit 117, the recording unit 118, and the like) by appropriately reading and executing various programs and the like stored in the storage unit 122 and the like.

[0017] The communication unit 121 is, for example, a communication interface capable of transmitting and receiving various information to and from a device (external device) outside the information processing apparatus 100. The communication unit may communicate with, for example, a vehicle 200, a server 300, a notification terminal 400 (user terminal 410 and terminal 420), and the like.

[0018] The storage unit 122 may store various information and programs. An example of the storage unit 122 may be a memory, a solid state drive, a hard disk drive, or the like. Note that the storage unit 122 may be, for example, a storage area and a server on the cloud. The storage unit 122 may store map information regarding a road map.

[0019] The display unit 123 is, for example, a display capable of displaying various characters, symbols, images, and the like.

[0020] The first acquisition unit 111 acquires driving information relating to the vehicle's travel within a predetermined period. Note that "driving information" may be rephrased as "vehicle owner identification information." The first acquisition unit 111 may acquire driving information from, for example, the server 300 or the vehicle 200. That is, the first acquisition unit 111 may acquire driving information generated by, for example, the server 300 or the vehicle 200 via the communication unit 121. Alternatively, the first acquisition unit 111 may generate and acquire driving information itself, for example, based on the vehicle driving information acquired by the second acquisition unit 112, which will be described later.

[0021] As an example, as described above, the first acquisition unit 111 generates driving information based on the vehicle driving information acquired by the second acquisition unit 112. In this case, the first acquisition unit 111 may generate driving information based on one or more vehicle driving information records generated by the same vehicle within a predetermined period. The predetermined period is preferably a period close to the present, for example, but may be a period set as appropriate. As a specific example, the predetermined period may be various periods such as one month, two months, three months, four months, six months, eight months, nine months, and one year.

[0022] The first acquisition unit 111 may generate driving information by, for example, summarizing at least one of the driving pattern and driving characteristics of the vehicle within a predetermined period based on the vehicle driving information of the same vehicle. The driving pattern includes, for example, at least one of the vehicle's driving range (range of activity) and the vehicle's activity pattern.

[0023] The first acquisition unit 111 aggregates multiple location information (information indicating the vehicle's driving location) of the same vehicle within a predetermined period and summarizes the vehicle's driving range (range of activity). In other words, the first acquisition unit 111 acquires, for example, the range (range of activity) in which the vehicle normally travels.

[0024] Furthermore, the first acquisition unit 111 aggregates multiple time information (time information acquired while the vehicle is in motion) for the same vehicle within a predetermined period and combines them as the vehicle's operating time zone. That is, the first acquisition unit 111 acquires, for example, the time zone (behavioral pattern) during which the vehicle is typically in motion. Here, the time zone may be, for example, a time zone corresponding to the time from the first time zone to the second time zone, or it may be a time zone (time zone Z) corresponding to the date, day of the week, working days, and month of the calendar. The time zone Z may be, for example, a time zone corresponding to the date, the beginning or end of the month, the day of the week, weekdays or holidays, and the season, year-end and New Year, end or beginning of the fiscal year, etc.

[0025] Furthermore, the first acquisition unit 111 aggregates multiple driving characteristics of the same vehicle within a predetermined period to acquire the driving characteristics of the vehicle during its daily operation. Examples of driving characteristics may include acceleration applied to the vehicle (e.g., average acceleration), vehicle speed (e.g., average speed), vehicle engine speed (e.g., average speed), and brake operation amount (e.g., average operation amount). As a specific example, the first acquisition unit 111 may acquire the range of speed (speed range) of the vehicle during its daily operation. The first acquisition unit 111 also acquires other driving characteristics besides speed, such as the range of acceleration (acceleration range), range of rotation speed (speed range), and range of brake operation amount (operation amount range). Note that the driving characteristics may also include, for example, the steering wheel rotation angle per unit time (rotation angle range).

[0026] In other words, as described above, the first acquisition unit 111 may acquire driving information based on at least one of the driving pattern of the vehicle 200 within a predetermined period and the driving characteristics when the vehicle 200 is driven within a predetermined period. For example, the first acquisition unit 111 may acquire driving information based on at least one of the driving pattern and driving characteristics when a regular user, as described later, drives the vehicle 200 within a predetermined period. In this case, the first acquisition unit 111 may generate driving information by, for example, associating the driving pattern with a road map, that is, associating the vehicle's daily area tendencies and the time of day the vehicle is driving with a road map. Similarly, the first acquisition unit 111 may generate driving information by, for example, associating driving characteristics with a road map, that is, associating acceleration, driving speed, engine speed, brake operation amount, etc., based on vehicle driving information with a road map. As an example, associating driving characteristics may involve associating the location where each driving characteristic is acquired with a location on the road map.

[0027] For example, a single vehicle may be used by multiple users. Examples include a family sharing one vehicle, or multiple employees of a company sharing one vehicle. In these cases, the family member or employee becomes the official user of the vehicle. Therefore, the first acquisition unit 111 may, for example, acquire driving information for each vehicle user (authorized user). In this case, the vehicle driving information may include user identification information that identifies the user (authorized user) driving the vehicle. That is, the first acquisition unit 111 may, for example, acquire driving information based on the vehicle driving information (and user identification information) and at least one of the driving pattern for each vehicle user (authorized user) within a predetermined period and the driving characteristics for each vehicle user (authorized user) within a predetermined period. In the processing of the first acquisition unit, etc., the concept of acquiring the driving pattern and driving characteristics for each authorized user may be included in the concept of acquiring the vehicle's driving pattern and driving characteristics.

[0028] The first acquisition unit 111 may acquire driving information from, for example, a server 300 or a vehicle 200. In this case, the server 300 or the vehicle 200 may generate driving information for the same vehicle (and each user) by the same process as when the first acquisition unit 111 described above acquires driving information.

[0029] The second acquisition unit 112 acquires vehicle driving information from the moving vehicle 200. The second acquisition unit 112 acquires vehicle driving information from the vehicle 200 or the server 300, for example, via the communication unit 121. When the second acquisition unit 112 acquires vehicle driving information from the server 300, the vehicle 200 transmits the vehicle driving information to the server 300. The vehicle 200 may generate the vehicle driving information based on, for example, a typical run from engine start to stop. In this case as well, the second acquisition unit 112 may acquire the vehicle driving information transmitted from the vehicle 200 in real time (or near real time) via the server 300.

[0030] Vehicle driving information may include, for example, CAN information and probe information. Vehicle driving information may also include, for example, position information and time information acquired by vehicle 200 when vehicle 200 is driving, as well as information on the driving characteristics of vehicle 200 (driving characteristics information). Driving characteristics (driving characteristics information) may include, for example, the acceleration applied to vehicle 200 (e.g., average acceleration) (acceleration information), the driving speed of vehicle 200 (e.g., average acceleration) (driving speed information), the engine speed of vehicle 200 (e.g., average rotational speed) (rotational speed information), and the amount of operation of the brakes mounted on vehicle 200 (e.g., average operation amount) (operation amount information).

[0031] The estimation unit 113 estimates, based on the driving information acquired by the first acquisition unit 111 and the vehicle driving information acquired by the second acquisition unit 112, whether the driving content (driving content A) related to the driving of the vehicle 200 differs from the driving content (driving content B) related to the driving of the vehicle 200 within a predetermined period. In other words, the estimation unit 113 estimates whether the driving content A of a vehicle in motion, based on the vehicle driving information, differs from the driving content B of that vehicle within a predetermined period, based on the driving information. Furthermore, if the same vehicle is used by multiple users, the estimation unit 113 may also estimate whether the driving content A differs from the driving content B of all those users.

[0032] The estimation unit 113 may, for example, estimate whether the position of a vehicle in motion (driving content A) is within a predetermined driving range (driving content B) (or within the driving range) based on the vehicle's position and driving range (range of activity) as driving content (estimation of range of activity).

[0033] Furthermore, the estimation unit 113 may, for example, estimate whether the time of travel (or time of travel) (travel content A) of a vehicle in motion falls within the range of a predetermined time period (travel content B) (or whether it falls within the range of a predetermined time period) based on the time of travel and time of travel of the vehicle as travel content (estimate of behavioral patterns).

[0034] Furthermore, the estimation unit 113 may estimate, for example, whether the driving characteristics of a vehicle in motion (driving content A) are within the range of driving characteristics (driving content B) within a predetermined period (or whether they are within the range of driving characteristics) based on at least one driving characteristic such as the vehicle's acceleration, driving speed, engine rotation speed, and brake operation amount as driving content (estimation of driving characteristics).

[0035] If the estimation unit 113 estimates that the driving content A of vehicle 200 differs from the driving content B within a predetermined period, it may estimate that vehicle 200 is being driven by a third party other than the user. In other words, based on at least one of the estimations of the range of activity, behavioral pattern, and driving characteristics described above, if the driving content A of a vehicle in motion differs from (or is estimated to differ from) the driving content B within a predetermined period, the estimation unit 113 may estimate that the vehicle in motion may have been stolen, that is, that the vehicle is being driven by a third party other than the legitimate user (for example, a thief). As an example, the estimation unit 113 may estimate that a vehicle may have been stolen if, in one of the estimations (or two or three estimations) of the range of activity, activity pattern, and driving characteristics, the driving content A of the vehicle in motion differs from the driving content B within a predetermined period.

[0036] The estimation unit 113 may perform estimation in at least one of the following cases: when the second acquisition unit 112 acquires vehicle driving information that includes information indicating the possibility of unauthorized deactivation when there is a possibility that the monitoring of the vehicle 200 has been unauthorizedly deactivated based on monitoring by a monitoring device 201 (see Figure 1) installed on the vehicle 200; and when the second acquisition unit 112 acquires vehicle driving information transmitted from a vehicle 200 that is not equipped with a monitoring device 201.

[0037] The monitoring device 201 may be, for example, various sensor devices mounted on the vehicle, and imaging devices (camera devices) that capture images of the inside (and outside) of the vehicle. The monitoring device 201 detects various malfunctions, for example, when there is a risk of vehicle theft. The monitoring device 201 operates, for example, when the legitimate user is not using the vehicle (when the vehicle is parked), based on the legitimate user's operation. The monitoring device 201 also stops operating, for example, when the legitimate user uses the vehicle, based on the legitimate user's operation. When a thief steals a vehicle, the thief may disable the monitoring by the monitoring device 201 through fraudulent means, rather than the correct operations performed by a legitimate user (fraudulent disabling). The monitoring device 201 is capable of detecting such fraudulent operations (operations different from legitimate operations). In this case, the monitoring device 201 may include information indicating the possibility of fraudulent disabling (fraudulent disabling information) in the vehicle driving information. Similarly, the monitoring device 201 may include information indicating that monitoring has not been deactivated (non-deactivation information) in the vehicle information.

[0038] If the vehicle driving information acquired by the second acquisition unit 112 includes information about unauthorized deactivation or non-deactivation, the estimation unit 113 may estimate whether the vehicle's driving content A differs from the driving content B within a predetermined period. In other words, in this case, the estimation unit 113 may estimate whether the vehicle is being driven by a third party other than the legitimate user (for example, a thief).

[0039] Furthermore, vehicles may not be equipped with monitoring devices 201, such as the example described above. Vehicles cannot include information on unauthorized deactivation or non-deactivation in their vehicle driving information. In this case, even when the second acquisition unit 112 acquires vehicle driving information that does not include unauthorized deactivation information or non-deactivation information (information related to the monitoring device 201), the estimation unit 113 may estimate whether the vehicle's driving content A differs from the driving content B within a predetermined period. That is, the estimation unit 113 may estimate whether the vehicle is being driven by a third party other than the legitimate user (for example, a thief).

[0040] If the tracking unit 114 estimates that the driving content A of vehicle 200 differs from the driving content B within a predetermined period, it tracks vehicle 200 by mapping the location of vehicle 200 onto a road map based on the location information included in the vehicle driving information acquired by the second acquisition unit 112. That is, for example, the tracking unit 114 maps the location information of a moving vehicle (a vehicle suspected of being stolen) onto a road map. In this case, the tracking unit 114 may, for example, map the location of the vehicle onto the road map in real time (or near real time). The tracking unit 114 may also track the vehicle based on the location of the vehicle mapped onto the road map.

[0041] In this case, the tracking unit 114 may, for example, record the vehicle's travel time on the road map, associating it with the vehicle's location mapped on the road map, based on location information and time information included in the vehicle travel information. That is, the tracking unit 114 may, for example, record the vehicle's location and the travel time corresponding to that location on the road map. Furthermore, the tracking unit 114 may, for example, record the vehicle's travel trajectory on a road map based on the vehicle's position mapped on the road map.

[0042] The output control unit 115 outputs a predetermined output if the estimation unit 113 estimates that the driving content A of the vehicle 200 differs from the driving content B within a predetermined period. In this case, the output control unit 115 may, for example, control the output unit to output the predetermined output. The output unit may be, for example, a communication unit 121, a storage unit 122, and a display unit 123. As an example, the output control unit 115 may control the communication unit 121 to send a notification, such as a warning, to a user terminal 410 used by the vehicle's legitimate user, as a predetermined output. As another example, the output control unit 115 may control the communication unit 121 to send a notification, such as a warning, to a terminal 420 used by a security company, police, etc., as a predetermined output. The user terminals 410 and 420 (notification terminals 400) mentioned above may be, for example, desktop computers, laptops, tablets, and smartphones. The warning may be, for example, a warning that the vehicle may have been stolen. The vehicle's legitimate user may be, for example, a family member or employee who uses the vehicle. As another example, the output control unit 115 may control the storage unit 122 to store information indicating that driving content A differs from driving content B, and information regarding the time when driving content A differed from driving content B (time of abnormality), as a predetermined output (log information). As another example, the output control unit 115 may control the display unit 123 to display a warning or the like as a predetermined output. In this case as well, the warning may be, for example, a warning that the vehicle may have been stolen.

[0043] Figure 3 illustrates an example of how tracking information is output. Figure 3(A) shows the first example of outputting tracking information, Figure 3(B) shows the second example, and Figure 3(C) shows the third example.

[0044] The output control unit 115 may output the tracking information from the tracking unit 114 as a predetermined output. That is, the output control unit 115 may control the output unit to output at least one of the following: a road map showing the location of a moving vehicle (a vehicle suspected of being stolen), and the location of the moving vehicle (a vehicle suspected of being stolen) (e.g., coordinates). The output control unit 115 may also control the output unit to output the corresponding travel time and travel trajectory along with the road map, along with the vehicle's travel position. In this case as well, the output unit may be, for example, a communication unit 121, a storage unit 122, and a display unit 123. As an example, as shown in Figure 3(A), the output control unit 115 may control the output unit to output a road map 520 that maps the position 510 of a moving vehicle 200 as a predetermined output. As an example, as shown in Figure 3(B), the output control unit 115 may control the output unit to record and output the position 510 of the moving vehicle 200 and the corresponding travel time 530 to the road map 520 as predetermined outputs. As an example, as shown in Figure 3(C), the output control unit 115 may control the output unit to record and output the following as predetermined outputs to the road map 520: the position 510 of the moving vehicle 200, the trajectory (driving trajectory) 510A of that position 510, and the driving time 530 corresponding to that position 510. In Figure 3(C), the position 510 of the vehicle 200 may include the current position shown by a double dot and the past position shown by a single dot. The driving trajectory 510A may be a trajectory formed by a plurality of positions 510 including the current position and past position of the vehicle 200.

[0045] Here, the control unit 110 may, for example, acquire image information from an imaging device (camera device) (monitoring device 201) mounted on a moving vehicle (a vehicle suspected of being stolen) via the communication unit 121. In this case, the control unit 110 (second acquisition unit 112) may, for example, acquire vehicle driving information including image information. The control unit 110 may, for example, identify image information (image information that is temporally before or after the time the theft occurred (when the vehicle was stopped)) (crime time image information) included in the vehicle driving information used when the estimation unit 113 performed the estimation described above. The output control unit 115 may control the output unit to output at least one of the following: an image (image information) acquired from a moving vehicle, and an image of the time of the crime identified as described above (crime time image information). In this case, the output control unit 115 may control the output unit to output, for example, the road map output that maps the position of the moving vehicle and the image output in association with each other. That is, the output control unit 115 may control the output unit to output, for example, the road map output that maps the position of the moving vehicle and the image acquired by the vehicle in association with each other.

[0046] Furthermore, the control unit 110 may, for example, acquire seat belt usage status and door opening / closing status from a moving vehicle (a vehicle suspected of being stolen) via the communication unit 121. Information on seat belt usage status and door opening / closing status may be included in vehicle driving information, for example. In this case, the control unit 110 (second acquisition unit 112) may acquire vehicle driving information including, for example, information on seat belt usage status and door opening / closing status. The control unit 110 may, for example, estimate the number of people in the moving vehicle (a vehicle suspected of being stolen) based on at least one of the seat belt usage status and door opening / closing status. The output control unit 115 may control the output unit to output the estimated number of people as described above. In this case, the output control unit 115 may control the output unit to output, for example, a road map mapping the position of the moving vehicle as described above, an image output as described above, and an output of the number of people in association with each other. That is, the output control unit 115 may control the output unit to output, for example, a road map mapping the position of the moving vehicle, an image acquired by that vehicle, and the number of people riding in that vehicle in association with each other.

[0047] The third acquisition unit 116 may, after the output control unit 115 has made a predetermined output as in the example described above, acquire legitimate driving information indicating that the vehicle 200 is being driven by a legitimate user. The third acquisition unit 116 may, for example, acquire legitimate driving information from the vehicle 200 or user terminal 410 via the communication unit 121. The legitimate driving information may also be information indicating the legitimate user of the vehicle. Even if a legitimate user receives a notification from the information processing device 100, if they are the one driving the vehicle 200 that is the subject of the notification, they can, by various means, input to the vehicle 200 or user terminal 410 that they are the driver (legitimate user) of the vehicle 200.

[0048] The third acquisition unit 116 may, for example, acquire a reply from a user terminal 410 used by a legitimate user (a user terminal 410 that has produced a predetermined output) indicating that it is a legitimate user, as legitimate operation information. Furthermore, the third acquisition unit 116 may, for example, acquire the response as legitimate driving information if it receives various notifications from a vehicle suspected of being stolen, indicating that it is being driven by a legitimate user.

[0049] The identification unit 117 identifies vehicle driving information related to the driving of the vehicle 200 that corresponds to the acquisition of regular driving information by the third acquisition unit 116. That is, for example, the identification unit 117 identifies the vehicle driving information acquired by the second acquisition unit 112 that corresponds to the acquisition of regular driving information by the third acquisition unit 116. For example, as described above, the identification unit 117 makes an estimation based on the vehicle's driving information by the estimation unit 113, and the output control unit 115 makes a predetermined output to the vehicle's regular user according to that estimation. Therefore, when the third acquisition unit 116 acquires a reply (regular driving information) from the regular user, it is possible to identify the vehicle driving information corresponding to that reply (regular driving information).

[0050] When the recording unit 118 has acquired normal driving information a predetermined number of times or more by the third acquisition unit 116, it records at least one of the following as exception information in the driving information: the driving pattern of the vehicle 200 based on the vehicle driving information identified by the identification unit 117, and the driving characteristics when driving the vehicle 200. In other words, if the recording unit 118 acquires a threshold number of regular driving information corresponding to the same vehicle (or the same regular user) by the third acquisition unit 116, it may presume that the corresponding vehicle driving information was generated by the vehicle based on the regular user driving the vehicle. As a specific example, the recording unit 118 may estimate that the vehicle's legitimate user has begun driving it beyond the vehicle's driving range (range of activity) based on the driving information. The same applies to behavioral patterns and driving characteristics. Therefore, the recording unit 118 records in the driving information that the legitimate user has started driving beyond at least one of the driving range (range of activity), activity pattern, and driving characteristics recorded in the driving information, as exception information. In other words, the recording unit 118 records the exception pattern (driving pattern or driving characteristics) in the driving information so as not to presume that a third party other than the legitimate user (for example, a thief) will be driving the vehicle in subsequent instances.

[0051] [Information Processing Methods] Next, an information processing method according to one embodiment will be described. Figure 4 is a flowchart illustrating an information processing method according to one embodiment.

[0052] In step ST101, the first acquisition unit 111 acquires driving information relating to the vehicle 200's driving within a predetermined period. The first acquisition unit 111 may acquire driving information based, for example, on at least one of the following: the vehicle 200's driving pattern within a predetermined period and the driving characteristics when driving the vehicle 200 within a predetermined period.

[0053] In step ST102, the second acquisition unit 112 acquires vehicle driving information related to the vehicle's movement from the moving vehicle 200.

[0054] In step ST103, the estimation unit 113 estimates, based on the driving information acquired in step ST101 and the vehicle driving information acquired in step ST102, whether the driving details (driving details A) of the vehicle 200 differ from the driving details (driving details B) of the vehicle 200 within a predetermined period. If the estimation unit 113 estimates that the driving details A of the vehicle 200 differ from the driving details B within a predetermined period, it may estimate that the vehicle 200 is being driven by a third party other than the legitimate user. In this case, the estimation unit 113 may perform estimation in at least one of the following cases: when it obtains vehicle driving information including unauthorized deactivation information in step ST102, and when it obtains vehicle driving information transmitted from a vehicle 200 that is not equipped with the monitoring device 201.

[0055] In step ST104, if the tracking unit 114 estimates in step ST103 that the driving content A of vehicle 200 differs from the driving content B within a predetermined period, it maps the location of vehicle 200 onto a road map based on the location information included in the vehicle driving information acquired in step 102 and tracks vehicle 200.

[0056] In step ST105, if the output control unit 115 estimates in step ST103 that the driving content A of the vehicle 200 differs from the driving content B within a predetermined period, it outputs a predetermined output. Alternatively, the output control unit 115 may output the tracking content from step ST104 as a predetermined output.

[0057] In step ST106, the third acquisition unit 116 may acquire normal operation information after performing a predetermined output in step ST105.

[0058] In step ST107, the identification unit 117 identifies vehicle driving information related to the driving of the vehicle 200, corresponding to the case where regular driving information was acquired in step ST106.

[0059] In step ST108, if the recording unit 118 has acquired normal driving information a predetermined number of times or more in step ST106, it records at least one of the following as exception information in the driving information: the driving pattern of the vehicle 200 based on the vehicle driving information identified in step ST107, and the driving characteristics when driving the vehicle 200.

[0060] [Regarding functions and circuitry] Next, the functions and circuitry of the information processing device 100 described above will be explained. Each part of the information processing device 100 may be implemented as a function of a computer's arithmetic processing unit or the like. That is, the first acquisition unit 111, second acquisition unit 112, estimation unit 113, tracking unit 114, output control unit 115, third acquisition unit 116, identification unit 117, and recording unit 118 (control unit 110) of the information processing device 100 may be implemented as a first acquisition function, second acquisition function, estimation function, tracking function, output control function, third acquisition function, identification function, and recording function (control function), respectively, by a computer's arithmetic processing unit or the like. Information processing programs can enable computers to implement the functions described above. Information processing programs may be recorded on computer-readable, non-temporary recording media such as memory, solid-state drives, hard disk drives, or optical discs. The recording media may also be referred to as non-temporary computer-readable media. Furthermore, as described above, each part of the information processing device 100 may be implemented as a computer's arithmetic processing unit or the like. This arithmetic processing unit or the like is composed of, for example, an integrated circuit. For this reason, each part of the information processing device 100 may be implemented as a circuit that constitutes the arithmetic processing unit or the like. That is, the first acquisition unit 111, the second acquisition unit 112, the estimation unit 113, the tracking unit 114, the output control unit 115, the third acquisition unit 116, the identification unit 117, and the recording unit 118 (control unit 110) of the information processing device 100 may be implemented as a first acquisition circuit, a second acquisition circuit, an estimation circuit, a tracking circuit, an output control circuit, a third acquisition circuit, an identification circuit, and a recording circuit (control circuit) that constitute the computer's arithmetic processing unit or the like. Furthermore, the communication unit 121, storage unit 122, and display unit 123 (output unit) of the information processing device 100 may be implemented as a communication function, storage function, and display function (output function) that includes the functions of an arithmetic processing unit, for example. Also, the communication unit 121, storage unit 122, and display unit 123 (output unit) of the information processing device 100 may be implemented as a communication circuit, storage circuit, and display circuit (output circuit) by being composed of an integrated circuit, for example. Furthermore, the communication unit 121, storage unit 122, and display unit 123 (output unit) of the information processing device 100 may be configured as a communication device, storage device, and display device (output device) by being composed of a plurality of devices, for example.

[0061] The information processing device 100 can be configured to combine one or any multiple of the above-described parts. In this disclosure, the term "information" is used, but the term "information" can be replaced with "data," and the term "data" can be replaced with "information."

[0062] [Differentiation] Next, a modified example of this embodiment will be described. Figure 5 is a diagram illustrating a modified example.

[0063] In this modified example, we consider the case where vehicle 210, which has acquired driving information (the target vehicle), engages in aggressive driving towards another vehicle 220. In this case, the other vehicle 220 reports to the police 600 that it was subjected to aggressive driving (see (1) in Figure 5). When police officer 600 receives a report, it requests information processing device 100 to provide the information (see (2) in Figure 5). Along with the above-mentioned request, the information processing device 100 uses the processing of the above-described embodiment to obtain the current location of the other vehicle 220 and confirms the following information of the driving information linked to the road map. (i) Current location (ii) Images captured in the direction of travel by the camera device (onboard camera 211) (actual footage of aggressive driving) (iii) Information that can identify and distinguish vehicle 210, obtained from vehicle driving information (vehicle information) In other words, the information processing device 100 instructs vehicle 210, which is located at a position corresponding to the current position of other vehicle 220, to upload information (see (3) in Figure 5). In response to an information upload instruction, the vehicle 210 uploads, for example, images (image information) and location information captured by the onboard camera 211 to the information processing device 100 (see (4) in Figure 5). The information processing device 100 promptly provides the police 600 with various information contained in the driving information and the uploaded images (real video) (see (5) in Figure 5). By implementing the mechanisms described in (1) to (5) above as an information processing system, it becomes possible to apprehend users who engage in aggressive driving at an early stage. Furthermore, the existence of the mechanisms described in (1) to (5) above can also be expected to have a deterrent effect on aggressive driving itself.

[0064] [Aspects and Effects of This Embodiment] Next, an embodiment of this model and the effects of each embodiment will be described. Note that the embodiments described below are examples as of the time of filing, and this embodiment is not limited to the embodiments described below. In other words, this embodiment is not limited to the embodiments described below, and may be realized by appropriately combining the parts described above. Furthermore, lower-level embodiments may be referenced in any of the higher-level embodiments. Furthermore, the effects described below are merely examples, and the effects produced by each embodiment are not limited to those described below. Also, each embodiment may produce, for example, at least one of the effects described below.

[0065] The background to this disclosure is the recent increase in vehicle thefts using methods such as relay attacks utilizing the weak radio waves of smart keys, and CAN invaders who infiltrate the CAN bus to unlock the vehicle and start the engine without activating the monitoring device. Although each vehicle manufacturer is implementing new countermeasures such as immobilizers and fingerprint authentication, vehicle theft rings are constantly finding new methods of theft, and the reality is that it is not possible to completely eradicate vehicle theft. Relay attacks and CAN invaders allow for vehicle unlocking and engine starting without activating the vehicle's monitoring system, potentially delaying detection of theft. While some services send emails to vehicle owners when the engine is started, many thefts occur at night while the owner is sleeping, and the email may go unnoticed if the phone is on silent mode. To eradicate vehicle theft, it is crucial to detect stolen vehicles early, before they are hidden in yards or export containers, and to apprehend the perpetrators. Therefore, in this disclosure, by adopting the following configuration, it is possible to detect vehicle theft early and lead to the apprehension of the perpetrator.

[0066] (Aspect 1) One embodiment of the information processing device includes: a first acquisition unit that acquires driving information relating to the driving of a vehicle within a predetermined period; a second acquisition unit that acquires vehicle driving information relating to the driving of a vehicle from a vehicle in motion; an estimation unit that estimates whether the driving details relating to the driving of a vehicle differ from the details relating to the driving of a vehicle within a predetermined period based on the driving information acquired by the first acquisition unit and the vehicle driving information acquired by the second acquisition unit; and an output control unit that outputs a predetermined output when the estimation unit estimates that the driving details of the vehicle differ from the driving details within a predetermined period. This allows the information processing device to detect vehicle theft relatively early. Furthermore, the information processing device may output to terminals of security companies, etc., in addition to the user terminal, as a predetermined output. Therefore, even when the user (legitimate user) and the user terminal are separated, the security company, etc., can detect the theft of the vehicle.

[0067] (Aspect 2) In one embodiment of the information processing device, the first acquisition unit may acquire driving information based on at least one of the following: the driving pattern of the vehicle within a predetermined period and the driving characteristics when driving the vehicle within a predetermined period. The driving patterns and characteristics of a vehicle are thought to differ from one user to another, and to remain approximately constant for the same user within a specified period. The information processing device can estimate whether the vehicle belongs to a legitimate user or a third party (a thief) by utilizing the vehicle's driving pattern and driving characteristics.

[0068] (Aspect 3) In one embodiment of the information processing device, if the estimation unit estimates that the vehicle's driving history differs from the driving history within a predetermined period, it may estimate that the vehicle is being driven by a third party other than the user. As a result, the information processing device can assume that the (daily) driving patterns and characteristics within a predetermined period will be approximately constant depending on the user, as described above. Therefore, if they differ from these, it can be inferred that the vehicle is being driven by a third party (a thief).

[0069] (Aspect 4) In one embodiment of the information processing device, if the estimation unit estimates that the vehicle's driving content differs from the driving content within a predetermined period, the tracking unit tracks the vehicle by mapping the vehicle's position onto a road map based on the position information included in the vehicle driving information acquired by the second acquisition unit, and the output control unit may output the tracking content from the tracking unit as a predetermined output. This allows the information processing device to track vehicles, potentially leading to the apprehension of third parties (thieves) who are not legitimate users.

[0070] (Appendix 5) In one embodiment of the information processing device, the estimation unit may perform estimation when the second acquisition unit acquires vehicle driving information that includes information indicating the possibility of unauthorized deactivation when there is a possibility that the vehicle monitoring has been unauthorizedly deactivated based on monitoring by a monitoring device installed in the vehicle, and when the second acquisition unit acquires vehicle driving information transmitted from a vehicle that is not equipped with a monitoring device. As a result, the information processing device can reduce the estimation processing (e.g., processing load) performed by the estimation unit compared to a system where the estimation unit performs estimation processing based on all vehicle driving information.

[0071] (Aspect 6) An information processing device in one embodiment may include: a third acquisition unit capable of acquiring normal driving information indicating that a user is driving the vehicle after an output control unit has made a predetermined output; a specification unit that identifies vehicle driving information corresponding to the acquisition of normal driving information by the third acquisition unit; and a recording unit that, when the third acquisition unit has acquired normal driving information a predetermined number of times or more, records at least one of the vehicle driving pattern and the driving characteristics when driving the vehicle, based on the vehicle driving information identified by the specification unit, as exception information in the driving information. Regular users may drive their vehicles beyond their (daily) driving patterns and characteristics within a specified period. For example, a regular user's range of activity may expand due to an additional interest in something of their choosing or due to travel, etc. A specific example of "addition of interest" might be that someone who normally drives in urban areas starts visiting facilities located in the suburbs. In such cases, the information processing device generates exception information and records it in the driving information. After this recording, the legitimate user will no longer infer that the vehicle was being driven by a third party (a thief), allowing for more appropriate inference processing.

[0072] (Aspect 7) In one embodiment of the information processing method, the computer performs the following steps: a first acquisition step of acquiring driving information relating to the vehicle's driving within a predetermined period; a second acquisition step of acquiring vehicle driving information relating to the vehicle's driving from the vehicle while it is in motion; an estimation step of estimating whether the driving details relating to the vehicle's driving differ from the driving details relating to the vehicle within a predetermined period, based on the driving information acquired in the first acquisition step and the vehicle driving information acquired in the second acquisition step; and an output control step of performing a predetermined output if the estimation step estimates that the driving details of the vehicle differ from the driving details within a predetermined period. As a result, the information processing method can achieve the same effects as the information processing apparatus of the above-described embodiment.

[0073] (Pattern 8) One embodiment of an information processing program enables a computer to implement: a first acquisition function for acquiring driving information relating to the vehicle's driving within a predetermined period; a second acquisition function for acquiring vehicle driving information relating to the vehicle's driving from a vehicle in motion; an estimation function for estimating whether the details of the vehicle's driving differ from the details of the vehicle's driving within a predetermined period, based on the driving information acquired by the first acquisition function and the vehicle driving information acquired by the second acquisition function; and an output control function that performs a predetermined output if the estimation function estimates that the details of the vehicle's driving differ from the details of the driving within a predetermined period. As a result, the information processing program can achieve the same effects as the information processing apparatus of the above-described embodiment. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0074] 100 Information Processing Devices 110 Control Unit 111 First acquisition part 112 Second acquisition part 113 Estimation Department 114 Tracking Unit 115 Output control unit 116 Third Acquisition Department 117 Specific section 118 Records Section 121 Communications Department 122 Storage section 123 Display section 200 vehicles 201 Monitoring equipment 300 servers 410 User terminals 420 terminals

Claims

1. A first acquisition unit that acquires driving information regarding the vehicle's driving within a predetermined period, A second acquisition unit acquires vehicle driving information related to the vehicle's movement from the vehicle while it is in motion, When the second acquisition unit acquires vehicle driving information that includes information indicating the possibility of unauthorized deactivation when there is a possibility that the monitoring of the vehicle has been unauthorizedly deactivated based on monitoring by a monitoring device installed in the vehicle, and when it acquires vehicle driving information transmitted from the vehicle which is not equipped with a monitoring device, an estimation unit estimates whether the driving content related to the driving of the vehicle differs from the driving content related to the driving of the vehicle within a predetermined period, based on the driving information acquired by the first acquisition unit and the vehicle driving information acquired by the second acquisition unit. If the estimation unit estimates that the vehicle's driving conditions differ from those of a predetermined period, the output control unit outputs a predetermined output. An information processing device equipped with the following features.

2. The first acquisition unit acquires driving information based on at least one of the following: the driving pattern of the vehicle within a predetermined period and the driving characteristics when driving the vehicle within the predetermined period. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1.

3. If the estimation unit estimates that the vehicle's driving history differs from that of a predetermined period, it estimates that the vehicle is being driven by a third party other than the user. The information processing apparatus according to claim 2.

4. If the estimation unit estimates that the vehicle's driving history differs from that of a predetermined period, the tracking unit tracks the vehicle by mapping its location onto a road map based on the location information included in the vehicle driving information acquired by the second acquisition unit. The output control unit outputs the tracking information from the tracking unit as a predetermined output. The information processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

5. After the output control unit has produced a predetermined output, a third acquisition unit is capable of acquiring regular driving information indicating that the vehicle is being driven by a user, A specification unit that identifies vehicle driving information relating to the driving of the vehicle, corresponding to the acquisition of regular driving information by the third acquisition unit, When the third acquisition unit acquires normal driving information a predetermined number of times or more, the recording unit records at least one of the vehicle's driving pattern and the driving characteristics when driving the vehicle, based on the vehicle driving information identified by the identification unit, as exception information in the driving information. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, comprising:

6. Computers A first acquisition step involves acquiring driving information regarding the vehicle's driving within a predetermined period, A second acquisition step involves acquiring vehicle driving information related to the vehicle's movement from the vehicle while it is in motion, In the second acquisition step, if vehicle driving information is obtained that includes information indicating the possibility of unauthorized deactivation when there is a possibility that the monitoring of the vehicle has been unauthorizedly deactivated based on monitoring by a monitoring device installed in the vehicle, and in at least one of the cases in which vehicle driving information is transmitted from a vehicle that is not equipped with a monitoring device is obtained, an estimation step is made to estimate whether the driving content related to the driving of the vehicle differs from the driving content related to the driving of the vehicle within a predetermined period, based on the driving information obtained in the first acquisition step and the vehicle driving information obtained in the second acquisition step. If the estimation step estimates that the vehicle's driving conditions differ from those of a predetermined period, an output control step is performed to output a predetermined output. An information processing method that performs the following.

7. On the computer, A first acquisition function that acquires driving information regarding the vehicle's driving within a predetermined period, A second acquisition function that acquires vehicle driving information related to the vehicle's movement from the vehicle while it is in motion, When the second acquisition function acquires vehicle driving information that includes information indicating the possibility of unauthorized deactivation when there is a possibility that the monitoring of the vehicle has been unauthorizedly deactivated based on monitoring by a monitoring device installed in the vehicle, and when vehicle driving information transmitted from the vehicle that is not equipped with a monitoring device is acquired, an estimation function is provided to estimate whether the driving details related to the vehicle's driving differ from the driving details related to the vehicle's driving within a predetermined period, based on the driving information acquired by the first acquisition function and the vehicle driving information acquired by the second acquisition function. If the estimation function estimates that the vehicle's driving conditions differ from those of a predetermined period, an output control function is provided that outputs a predetermined value. An information processing program that makes this possible.

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