Information processing device

Abstract

To provide a technology that is effective in suppressing decrease in residual value of a vehicle, while suppressing excessive maintenance from being performed on the vehicle.SOLUTION: In an information processing device, a control unit acquires a recommended time period in which maintenance of a leased vehicle is recommended at a predetermined station. The control unit transmits information including the recommended time period to a terminal associated with a user of the leased vehicle. The control unit outputs information on a reward to be provided to the user when the maintenance of the leased vehicle is performed at a predetermined station within the recommended time period.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an information processing apparatus.

Background Art

[0002] In a method of selling fuel to a leased vehicle, for a leased vehicle whose maintenance items in the lease contract include oil change, it is known that the discount rate of the fuel price is set higher than that of a leased vehicle whose maintenance items in the lease contract do not include oil change (for example, see 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 technique effective in suppressing excessive maintenance of a vehicle and suppressing a decrease in the residual value of the 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, for example, acquires a recommended period during which it is recommended to perform maintenance of a leased vehicle at a predetermined base, transmits information including the recommended period to a terminal related to a user of the leased vehicle, and outputs information on rewards provided to the user when the maintenance of the leased vehicle is performed at the predetermined base within the recommended period, and includes a control unit configured to execute the above.

[0006] Other aspects of this disclosure may include an information processing method in which a computer performs the above-described processing, a program for causing a computer to perform the information processing method, or a non-temporary storage medium for storing the program. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to this disclosure, it is possible to provide a technology that is effective in suppressing excessive maintenance on vehicles while suppressing the decline in the residual value of vehicles. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0008] [Figure 1] This diagram shows an overview of the vehicle management system. [Figure 2] This block diagram shows the configuration of in-vehicle devices and servers included in a vehicle management system. [Figure 3] This figure shows an example of information stored in the vehicle database. [Figure 4] This figure shows an example of the information stored in the maintenance database. [Figure 5] This flowchart shows the processing flow executed on the server when vehicle information is received. [Figure 6] This flowchart shows the processing flow executed on the server when maintenance is completed. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0009] A well-known vehicle leasing service is one that includes maintenance costs. In such lease services, maintenance schedules are predetermined for each item. For example, engine oil is scheduled to be replaced at regular intervals or after a certain mileage.

[0010] Incidentally, depending on how the user drives the vehicle, the predetermined maintenance schedule may not be appropriate. For example, in the case of a vehicle driven by a user who does not drive in a way that causes the engine oil to deteriorate easily, the engine oil may not deteriorate to the point of needing replacement within the predetermined mileage or period. In such cases, if oil changes are performed according to the predetermined mileage or period, it may result in excessive maintenance, which could increase the burden on the leasing service provider and lead to excessive consumption of engine oil resources.

[0011] Therefore, a method of flexibly determining maintenance timing according to the vehicle's condition can be considered. However, if such a method is adopted, failure to actually perform maintenance at the determined maintenance time could lead to a decrease in the vehicle's market value (residual value). In particular, for leased vehicles, a decrease in residual value could make it difficult to find a renter or buyer for the vehicle after its return. Therefore, measures are needed to suppress the decrease in residual value while also curbing excessive maintenance.

[0012] In contrast, the information processing device relating to this disclosure has a control unit that obtains a recommended period during which it is recommended that the leased vehicle be maintained at a designated location. The designated location is a maintenance factory operated by the lease service provider, or a maintenance factory operated by a contractor commissioned by the lease service provider. The recommended period is a period determined according to the condition of the leased vehicle. Obtaining such a recommended period includes, for example, determining whether the degree of deterioration of vehicle parts corresponding to each of several items subject to maintenance, based on the vehicle condition periodically obtained from the leased vehicle, exceeds a predetermined threshold, and determining a recommended period for the items corresponding to the vehicle parts whose degree of deterioration exceeds the predetermined threshold.

[0013] The control unit of the information processing device relating to this disclosure transmits information, including the acquired recommendation period, to a terminal associated with the user of the leased vehicle. The information including the recommendation period may, for example, be information encouraging the user to bring the leased vehicle to a designated location within the recommendation period. The terminal associated with the user of the leased vehicle is, for example, a terminal used by the user.

[0014] The control unit of the information processing device relating to this disclosure outputs information about a reward to be provided to the user when maintenance of the leased vehicle is performed at a designated location within the recommended period. The reward should be something that can motivate the user to bring the leased vehicle to the designated location within the recommended period. For example, the reward may be a discount on the lease fee. As another example, the reward may be a coupon, points, or gift certificate.

[0015] Here, the size of the above reward may be determined according to the date on which the leased vehicle receives maintenance at a designated location. For example, the control unit may increase the reward the closer the date on which the leased vehicle receives maintenance at a designated location is to a specific date within the recommended period (recommended date). The recommended date may be a date arbitrarily determined by the lease service provider, a date on which the designated location is available to perform maintenance (a date with availability in the work schedule), the first day of the recommended period, or the last day of the recommended period. The recommended date may be flexibly changed depending on the embodiment.

[0016] Furthermore, the size of the above reward may be determined based on past performance. For example, the control unit may increase the reward the more times maintenance has been performed on leased vehicles at designated locations within the recommended period.

[0017] In addition, the magnitude of the above reward may be determined according to the maintenance items received by the leased vehicle at a predetermined base. In one example, the control unit may increase the reward as the importance of the maintenance items received by the leased vehicle at a predetermined base during the recommended period increases. The importance may be the importance in the safety standards. Also, the importance may be determined according to the degree of influence on the residual value of the leased vehicle, or may be determined according to the price of the parts replaced during the implementation of the maintenance.

[0018] Note that the determination of the reward by the above various methods may be executed each time the maintenance of the leased vehicle is carried out at a predetermined base during the recommended period, or may be executed at the end of the lease period (when the leased vehicle is returned).

[0019] Outputting reward information in the information processing apparatus according to the present disclosure may include presenting the reward information to the operator through a display included in the information processing apparatus, and / or transmitting the reward information to the user's terminal.

[0020] According to the present disclosure, it is possible to encourage the user to receive the maintenance of the leased vehicle during the recommended period. Thereby, it is possible to suppress the excessive maintenance and suppress the decrease in the residual value of the vehicle.

[0021] <Embodiment> Hereinafter, specific embodiments of the present disclosure will be described based on the drawings. The configurations of the following embodiments are examples, and the present disclosure is not limited to the configurations of the embodiments.

[0022] (Overview of Vehicle Management System) A vehicle management system to which the information processing device described herein is applied will be explained with reference to Figure 1. Figure 1 is a diagram showing an overview of the vehicle management system. The vehicle management system in this embodiment consists of an in-vehicle device 100 installed in a vehicle 1, a server 2, and a terminal 3 used by the user of the vehicle 1. The server 2 is connected to the in-vehicle device 100 and the terminal 3 through a network N1 described later. In the example shown in Figure 1, only one vehicle 1 under the management of the server 2 is shown, but there may be multiple vehicles.

[0023] Vehicle 1 is a vehicle whose usage rights are granted to the user by paying a fixed usage fee periodically (for example, monthly). In this embodiment, the lease agreement for Vehicle 1 includes a contract that allows for maintenance (vehicle inspection, inspection, and servicing, etc.) during the lease period without additional charges. The on-board device 100 is installed in Vehicle 1 and is configured to periodically transmit vehicle information to Server 2. In one example, the on-board device 100 transmits vehicle information to Server 2 for each trip (from when the start switch is turned on until it is turned off). The vehicle information transmitted from the on-board device 100 to Server 2 includes the history of the vehicle status during one trip, and diagnostic information, etc. The on-board device 100 may also transmit vehicle information to Server 2 at predetermined intervals (several days or one month).

[0024] Server 2 is an example of an information processing device related to this disclosure and is operated by the lease service provider. Server 2 receives and stores vehicle information transmitted from the in-vehicle device 100 for each trip, and determines whether there are any items whose maintenance period has arrived based on the stored vehicle information. If it is determined that there are items whose maintenance period has arrived, Server 2 determines the period during which maintenance of those items is recommended (recommended period). Server 2 sends information (maintenance encouragement information) to the terminal 3 used by the user of vehicle 1, encouraging the user to have vehicle 1 maintained at a designated location during the determined recommended period. The designated location is a maintenance factory operated by the lease service provider or a maintenance factory etc. commissioned by the lease service provider. In conclusion, Server 2 determines the incentive to be offered to the user. Server 2 outputs information about the determined incentive.

[0025] (Vehicle management system configuration) Figure 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the in-vehicle device 100 and server 2 included in the vehicle management system.

[0026] As shown in Figure 2, the in-vehicle device 100 includes an ECU (Electronic Control Unit) 101 and It is composed of an ECU 101 and a communication unit 102. The ECU 101 and the communication unit 102 are interconnected via an in-vehicle network (CAN-BUS) conforming to the CAN (Controller Area Network) standard. The configuration of the in-vehicle device 100 is not limited to the example shown in Figure 2, and components may be omitted, replaced, or added as appropriate.

[0027] ECU101 controls the equipment installed in vehicle 1. In this example, ECU101 includes multiple ECUs, such as an engine ECU that controls the engine, a motor ECU that controls the motor, a battery ECU that controls the battery, a hybrid ECU that controls the hybrid system, a brake ECU that controls the brakes, an air conditioning ECU that controls the air conditioner, and an electrical ECU that controls electrical components such as lighting and wipers.

[0028] The ECU101 collects a history of the vehicle's condition and diagnostic information (malfunction diagnosis results) during each trip, in accordance with signals from various sensors installed in the vehicle 1. The history of the vehicle's condition may include, for example, changes in engine rotational speed, changes in engine oil temperature and pressure (oil pressure) during each trip, changes in battery voltage, changes in brake operation status, changes in air conditioner operation status, and mileage. The diagnostic information may also include, for example, information identifying the in-vehicle equipment that has been diagnosed as malfunctioning.

[0029] The ECU 101 triggers the transmission of vehicle information, including the history of vehicle status and diagnostic information collected during each trip, to the server 2 via the communication unit 102 described later, triggered by the end of each trip of vehicle 1 (switching the start switch from on to off). The vehicle information may include the date and time of each trip (trip start date and time and trip end date and time). The vehicle information may also include the identification information of vehicle 1 (vehicle ID).

[0030] The communication unit 102 is an interface for connecting the in-vehicle device 100 to the network N1. In one example, the communication unit 102 connects to the network N1 using a wireless communication network and communicates with the server 2 through the network N1. The wireless communication network is, for example, a mobile communication network such as 5G (5th Generation) or LTE (Long Term Evolution), or Wi-Fi. And so on. Network N1 is, for example, a Wide Area Network (WAN), which is a global public communication network such as the Internet, or other communication networks.

[0031] Next, as shown in Figure 2, Server 2 is configured to include a processor 201, a main memory unit 202, an auxiliary memory unit 203, and a communication unit 204. Note that the configuration of Server 2 is not limited to the example shown in Figure 2, and in addition to the processor 201, main memory unit 202, auxiliary memory unit 203, and communication unit 204, it may also be equipped with input / output devices.

[0032] The processor 201 is, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit) or a DSP (Digital Signal Processor). The processor 201 is stored in the auxiliary storage unit 203. By loading the program into the work area of ​​the main memory unit 202 and executing it, a function that matches the predetermined purpose is realized. In this embodiment, the processor 201 that executes the program stored in the auxiliary memory unit 203 corresponds to the control unit according to this disclosure.

[0033] The main memory unit 202 is a recording medium that can be read by a computer. In this embodiment, the main memory unit 202 is used as a work area for loading programs stored in the auxiliary memory unit 203, and as a buffer for temporarily storing calculation results of the processor 201, etc. The main memory unit 202 includes, for example, RAM (Random Access Memory) and ROM (Read Only Memory).

[0034] The auxiliary storage unit 203 is a computer-readable recording medium. In this embodiment, the auxiliary storage unit 203 stores various programs to be executed by the processor 201, and various data used when the processor 201 executes these programs. The auxiliary storage unit 203 includes, for example, an EPROM (Erasable Programmable ROM) or an HDD (Hard Disk Drive). The auxiliary storage unit 203 may also include removable media, i.e., a portable recording medium. In addition to the OS (Operating System), the programs stored in the auxiliary storage unit 203 include programs to implement functions such as determining whether there are items that require maintenance, determining the recommended maintenance period, notifying the user of the recommended maintenance period, and determining the incentives to be provided to the user who has the vehicle 1 maintained during the recommended maintenance period. Some or all of the information stored in the auxiliary storage unit 203 may be stored in the main storage unit 202.

[0035] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 2, various databases such as the vehicle DB 210 and the maintenance DB 220 are constructed in the auxiliary storage unit 203 of this embodiment. These databases are constructed by the processor 201 executing a DBMS (Database Management System) program.

[0036] The Vehicle DB210 is a database that stores vehicle information transmitted from Vehicle 1 to Server 2. As an example, as shown in Figure 3, the Vehicle DB210 has multiple tables corresponding to multiple vehicles under the management of Server 2. Each table stores the vehicle ID of the corresponding Vehicle 1, and also stores multiple records for each trip of the corresponding Vehicle 1. In the example shown in Figure 3, each record has a date and time field where the date and time of each trip (trip start date and time and trip end date and time) are registered, a history field where the history of the vehicle status collected during each trip is stored, and a diagnostic field where the diagnostic information collected during each trip is registered. Each time the communication unit 204 of Server 2 receives vehicle information transmitted from the in-vehicle device 100 of the corresponding Vehicle 1, a new record is added to each table stored in the Vehicle DB210, and the history of the vehicle status and diagnostic information contained in the received vehicle information are registered in the new record.

[0037] Maintenance DB220 is a database that stores information on maintenance performed on vehicle 1. As an example, as shown in Figure 4, Maintenance DB220 has multiple tables corresponding to multiple vehicles under the management of server 2. Each table stores the vehicle ID of the corresponding vehicle 1, and also stores multiple records for each maintenance item applicable to the corresponding vehicle 1. In the example shown in Figure 4, each record has an item field where the content of the item to be maintained is registered, a date and time field where the date and time the maintenance for each item was last performed is registered, and a mileage field where the mileage of vehicle 1 at the time the maintenance for each item was last performed is registered. The information registered in the date and time field and mileage field of each item is updated each time the corresponding vehicle 1 receives maintenance at a designated location.

[0038] The information registered in the date / time field and mileage field of each record in Maintenance DB220 may be updated, for example, triggered by the receipt of a maintenance completion notification from a designated location. The maintenance completion notification in this case includes the identification information of the target vehicle 1 (vehicle ID), the details of the items that were subject to maintenance, and the date the maintenance was performed. This may include the mileage of Vehicle 1 at the time the maintenance was performed. The above information may be updated by an operator who receives a maintenance completion notification from a designated location.

[0039] Next, the communication unit 204 of server 2 is an interface for connecting server 2 to network N1. In one example, the communication unit 204 is configured to include a LAN (Local Area Network) interface board and a wireless communication circuit for wireless communication. In this embodiment, the communication unit 204 communicates with the in-vehicle device 100 and terminal 3 through network N1.

[0040] In the server 2 configured as described above, when the communication unit 204 receives vehicle information transmitted from the in-vehicle device 100, the processor 201 executes the following processes by running a program stored in the auxiliary storage unit 203. First, the processor 201 identifies the table corresponding to vehicle 1 by accessing the vehicle DB 210 with the vehicle ID included in the vehicle information as an argument. The processor 201 adds a new record to the identified table and registers the vehicle status history and diagnostic information included in the vehicle information in the new record. Next, the processor 201 determines, based on the information stored in the vehicle DB 210 and the maintenance DB 220, whether there are any maintenance items corresponding to vehicle 1 for which maintenance is due.

[0041] Here, taking engine oil as an example, processor 201 accesses maintenance DB220 to identify the table corresponding to vehicle 1 (the table in which vehicle IDs matching vehicle ID of vehicle 1 are registered). In the identified table, processor 201 identifies the record in the item field where "engine oil" is registered. Processor 201 retrieves the information registered in the date and time field of the identified record (the date and time when the engine oil was last changed). Processor 201 accesses vehicle DB210 to identify the table corresponding to vehicle 1. In the identified table, processor 201 identifies the records of trips since the date and time when the engine oil was last changed. Based on the information registered in the history field of the identified record, processor 201 determines whether the degree of engine oil deterioration exceeds a predetermined threshold. For example, if, for all trips since the date and time when the engine oil was last changed, the cumulative value of the time the engine was operated with the engine oil temperature above a predetermined temperature and the engine rotation speed above a predetermined speed is longer than a predetermined time length, processor 201 determines that the degree of engine oil deterioration exceeds a predetermined threshold.

[0042] The method for determining whether the degree of engine oil degradation exceeds a predetermined threshold is not limited to the example described above, and may be determined by other known methods. For example, in the last trip of vehicle 1, if the oil pressure is below a predetermined pressure when the engine oil temperature is within a predetermined temperature range and the engine speed is within a predetermined speed range, the processor 201 may determine that the degree of engine oil degradation exceeds a predetermined threshold. Furthermore, the degree of degradation of items other than engine oil may also be determined by known methods.

[0043] Furthermore, the processor 201 may determine whether there are any in-vehicle devices whose maintenance period has arrived based on the diagnostic information from the last trip of vehicle 1. For example, if the diagnostic information from the last trip includes identification information of an in-vehicle device that was diagnosed as malfunctioning, the processor 201 may determine that the maintenance period for that in-vehicle device has arrived.

[0044] If the processor 201 determines that there are items that are due for maintenance, it will determine the recommended maintenance period for those items. The maintenance period may be determined according to the items whose maintenance time has arrived. In other words, a priority order may be set in advance among multiple items, and the higher the priority item, the earlier the recommended maintenance period may be determined. In this case, items related to critical safety parts and items that have a high degree of impact on the residual value of the vehicle (for example, items that induce a decline in the performance of in-vehicle equipment) may be set to a higher priority. Furthermore, for maintenance of in-vehicle equipment diagnosed as abnormal during abnormality diagnosis, a priority order may be set in advance according to the type of in-vehicle equipment, and the higher the priority of the in-vehicle equipment, the earlier the recommended maintenance period may be determined.

[0045] The processor 201 sends information (maintenance incentive information) to the user terminal 3 of vehicle 1, encouraging the user to have vehicle 1 maintained at a designated location during a determined recommended period. The maintenance incentive information may include information suggesting that an incentive will be provided for having vehicle 1 maintained at a designated location within the recommended period. This makes it easier to motivate the user to have vehicle 1 maintained at a designated location within the recommended period.

[0046] Here, when a user who has received maintenance encouragement information via terminal 3 has vehicle 1 maintained at a designated location, a maintenance completion notification is sent from the designated location to server 2 (or the operator of server 2). The maintenance completion notification includes the vehicle ID of vehicle 1 that underwent maintenance, the details of the items that were maintained, the date and time the maintenance was performed, and the mileage of vehicle 1 at the time the maintenance was performed. Upon receiving such a notification, the processor 201 of server 2 updates the information in the maintenance DB 220 based on the notification content.

[0047] Furthermore, the processor 201 of server 2 determines whether the maintenance date and time included in the above notification falls within the aforementioned recommended period. If it is determined that the maintenance date and time falls within the recommended period, the processor 201 outputs information about the incentives (rewards) to be provided to the user of vehicle 1. Outputting incentive information may include presenting the incentive information to the operator through the input / output device of server 2, presenting the incentive information to the user through terminal 3, and presenting the incentive information to the lease service provider through the lease service provider's terminal.

[0048] The incentive should be something that encourages the user to have vehicle 1 maintained at a designated location within the recommended period. For example, the incentive could be a discount on the lease fee. Other examples of incentives include coupons, points, or gift certificates.

[0049] Furthermore, the size of the incentive (for example, the discount rate on lease fees, the size of the benefits received with coupons, the amount of points, the value of goods that can be exchanged with gift certificates, etc.) may be a predetermined fixed size. Alternatively, the size of the incentive may be determined according to the date on which the user had maintenance on Vehicle 1 during the recommendation period (for example, the date on which Vehicle 1 was brought to a designated location or the date on which maintenance was completed) or the items for which maintenance was performed.

[0050] For example, the processor 201 may increase the incentive the closer the date on which the user receives maintenance on vehicle 1 at a designated location is to a specific date within the recommended period (recommended date). The recommended date may be a date arbitrarily determined by the lease service provider, a date on which the designated location is available to perform maintenance (a date with availability in the work schedule), the first day of the recommended period, or the last day of the recommended period. Furthermore, the recommended date may be set earlier within the recommended period if the item to be maintained is of higher urgency. The recommended date may be flexibly changed depending on the embodiment.

[0051] The method for determining incentives is not limited to the examples described above and can be flexibly changed depending on the embodiment. For example, the processor 201 determines if vehicle 1 is at a predetermined location within the recommended period. The higher the importance of the maintenance item received, the greater the incentive may be. Importance may be based on the importance level in safety standards, the degree of impact on the residual value of vehicle 1 (the greater the impact, the greater the importance), or the degree of cost of the parts replaced as a result of the maintenance (the higher the cost, the greater the importance; or the lower the cost, the greater the importance). Furthermore, processor 201 may increase the incentive the more times the user has actually had vehicle 1 maintained at a designated location within the recommended period in the past.

[0052] (Process flow) The processing flow executed by Server 2 in this embodiment will be explained with reference to Figures 5 and 6. Figure 5 is a flowchart showing the processing flow executed by Server 2 triggered by the receipt of vehicle information transmitted from Vehicle 1. Figure 6 is a flowchart showing the processing flow executed by Server 2 triggered by the receipt of a maintenance completion notification.

[0053] In Figure 5, the processor 201 receives vehicle information transmitted from vehicle 1 via the communication unit 204 (step S101). Upon receiving the vehicle information, the processor 201 executes the process in step S102.

[0054] In step S102, the processor 201 accesses the vehicle DB 210 using the vehicle ID included in the vehicle information as an argument, and identifies the table for the corresponding vehicle 1. The processor 201 adds a new record to the identified table and registers the information included in the vehicle information (trip date and time, vehicle status history, diagnostic information) in the corresponding fields of the new record. After completing the process in step S102, the processor 201 executes the process in step S103.

[0055] In step S103, the processor 201 determines, based on the information stored in the vehicle DB 210 and the maintenance DB 220, whether there are any maintenance items corresponding to vehicle 1 for which maintenance is due. For example, the processor 201 first accesses the maintenance DB 220 using the vehicle ID included in the vehicle information received in step S101 as an argument, and identifies the table corresponding to vehicle 1. In the identified table, the processor 201 identifies the record of the target maintenance item. The processor 201 retrieves the information registered in the date and time field of the identified record (the date and time when the maintenance of the target item was last performed).

[0056] Processor 201 accesses the vehicle DB 210 to identify the table corresponding to vehicle 1. In the identified table, Processor 201 identifies the trip records since the last maintenance performed on the target maintenance item. Based on the information registered in the history field of the identified record, Processor 201 determines whether the degree of deterioration of the vehicle part corresponding to the target maintenance item exceeds a predetermined threshold. If it is determined that the degree of deterioration of the vehicle part corresponding to the target item exceeds the predetermined threshold, Processor 201 determines that it is time for maintenance on that item.

[0057] The above check is performed on all items registered in the item fields of the table in Maintenance DB220.

[0058] Furthermore, the processor 201 determines whether there are any in-vehicle devices that are due for maintenance, based on the diagnostic information included in the vehicle information received in step S101. If the identification information of the in-vehicle device diagnosed as malfunctioning is included in the above diagnostic information, the processor Sass201 determines that the in-vehicle equipment is due for maintenance.

[0059] If it is determined in step S104 that there are no items (or in-vehicle equipment) whose maintenance period has arrived (negative determination), the processor 201 terminates the execution of the processing flow shown in Figure 5. On the other hand, if it is determined in step S104 that there are items (or in-vehicle equipment) whose maintenance period has arrived (positive determination), the processor 201 executes the processing in step S105.

[0060] In step S105, the processor 201 determines the recommended maintenance period for items (or in-vehicle equipment) that were determined to be due for maintenance in step S104. For example, the processor 201 determines an earlier recommended maintenance period for items with a higher priority than those determined to be due for maintenance. Furthermore, for maintenance of in-vehicle equipment diagnosed as abnormal in the abnormality diagnosis, the processor 201 determines an earlier recommended maintenance period for items with a higher priority than those of the type of in-vehicle equipment in question. After completing the process in step S105, the processor 201 executes the process in step S106.

[0061] In step S106, the processor 201 transmits maintenance encouragement information to the user terminal 3 of vehicle 1 via the communication unit 204. The maintenance encouragement information is information that prompts the user to have vehicle 1 serviced at a designated location within the recommended period determined in step S105. After completing the processing in step S106, the processor 201 terminates the execution of the processing flow shown in Figure 5.

[0062] Next, the processing that occurs when server 2 receives a maintenance completion notification from a designated location will be explained with reference to Figure 6. In Figure 6, processor 201 receives the maintenance completion notification transmitted from the designated location via communication unit 204 (step S201). Upon receiving the maintenance completion notification, processor 201 executes the processing in step S202.

[0063] In step S202, processor 201 updates the information in maintenance DB220 based on the information contained in the maintenance completion notice. Specifically, processor 201 accesses maintenance DB220 using the vehicle ID contained in the maintenance completion notice as an argument and identifies the table corresponding to the target vehicle 1. Processor 201 identifies the record in the identified table that matches the content of the maintenance item contained in the maintenance completion notice. Processor 201 changes the information registered in the date and time field and mileage field of the identified record to the maintenance date and time and mileage included in the maintenance completion notice. After completing the processing in step S202, processor 201 executes the processing in step S203.

[0064] In step S203, the processor 201 determines the incentive to be provided to the user of vehicle 1. Specifically, the processor 201 determines whether the maintenance date and time included in the maintenance completion notification falls within the recommended period determined in the processing flow of Figure 5. The recommended period determined in the processing flow of Figure 5 may be stored in the auxiliary storage unit 203 of server 2 in a form linked to vehicle 1 and the maintenance item in question. If the maintenance date and time falls within the recommended period, the processor 201 determines the incentive to be a predetermined fixed size (>0). The processor 201 may change the size of the incentive depending on the date the user received maintenance on vehicle 1, the item that was subject to maintenance, or the number of times the user has received maintenance on vehicle 1 at a designated location within the recommended period in the past. If the maintenance date and time falls outside the recommended period, the processor 201 determines the incentive to be 0 (no incentive is provided to the user). After completing the processing in step S203, the processor 201 executes the processing in step S204.

[0065] In step S204, the processor 201 outputs the incentive information determined in step S203. In one example, the processor 201 may present the incentive information to the operator through the input / output device of the server 2. In another example, the processor 201 may transmit the incentive information to the terminal 3 (present to the user) or to the terminal of the lease service provider (present to the lease service provider) through the communication unit 204. After completing the processing in step S204, the processor 201 terminates the execution of the processing flow shown in Figure 6.

[0066] According to the embodiments described above, it is possible to encourage users to have vehicle 1 maintained within the recommended period. This makes it possible to suppress excessive maintenance while suppressing the decrease in the residual value of vehicle 1.

[0067] <Variation> In the embodiment described above, an example was given in which the size of the incentive is determined each time the user receives maintenance on vehicle 1 at a designated location. However, the size of the incentive may also be determined at the end of the lease period (when vehicle 1 is returned).

[0068] Furthermore, although the above-described embodiment described an example in which Server 2 is composed of a single computer, it may also be composed of multiple computers interconnected via Network N1. In other words, the processing of Server 2 as described in the above-described embodiment may be divided and executed by multiple computers interconnected via Network N1. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0069] 1...Vehicle, 2...Server, 3...Terminal, 201...Processor, 202...Main memory, 203...Auxiliary memory, 210...Vehicle DB, 220...Maintenance DB, 204...Communication unit

Claims

1. Obtain a recommended period during which maintenance of the leased vehicle is recommended at a designated location. The information including the aforementioned recommended period is transmitted to a terminal associated with the user of the leased vehicle, and Outputting information about the reward provided to the user when the leased vehicle is maintained at the designated location within the recommended period. A control unit configured to perform the following actions: Obtaining the aforementioned recommended period means Based on the vehicle status periodically acquired from the leased vehicle, it is determined whether the degree of deterioration of the vehicle parts corresponding to each of the multiple items subject to maintenance exceeds a predetermined threshold, and For the items corresponding to vehicle parts whose degree of deterioration exceeds the predetermined threshold, the earlier the recommended period should be determined, the higher the priority given to the item in relation to its impact on the residual value of the leased vehicle. including, Information processing device.

2. The aforementioned recommended period includes the recommended dates on which it is recommended that the leased vehicle be maintained at the designated location. The control unit is further configured to increase the reward the closer the date on which maintenance of the leased vehicle is performed at the predetermined location is to the recommended date. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1.

3. The control unit is configured to further increase the reward the more times the leased vehicle has been maintained at the designated location within the recommended period. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1.

4. The control unit is further configured to increase the reward the higher the importance of the maintenance items that the leased vehicle received at the designated location within the recommended period. ru, The information processing apparatus according to claim 1.

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