Method, non-transitory computer-readable medium, and information processing device

Abstract

A method executed by an information processing device 20, said method involving: displaying an image of an engine compartment of a vehicle 10 upon detecting the occurrence of a prescribed trigger relating to the vehicle 10; identifying a consumable good to be replenished to the vehicle 10; and displaying assistance information including the location, in the engine compartment, of a replenishment port corresponding to the identified consumable good.

Description

Method, non-transitory computer-readable medium and information processing device CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] This application claims priority to Japanese Patent Application No. 2023-223334, filed in Japan on December 28, 2023, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.

[0002] The present disclosure relates to a method, a non-transitory computer-readable medium, and an information processing device.

[0003] In a conventional vehicle such as an automobile, consumables such as washer fluid are replenished through a refill port provided in the engine compartment of the vehicle. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses an information notification system that displays the amount of washer fluid used and when it should be renewed.

[0004] JP 2016-002929 A

[0005] Generally, the engine compartment of a vehicle is provided with dedicated refill ports for a number of consumables, not just washer fluid, but also brake fluid, battery fluid, etc. For this reason, if a user is unfamiliar with vehicle maintenance, for example, and refills a consumable through the wrong refill port, there is a high possibility that the vehicle will break down.

[0006] The present disclosure was made in consideration of the above circumstances and aims to reduce the probability of a vehicle breaking down when consumables are replenished in the vehicle.

[0007] A method according to one embodiment of the present disclosure is a method executed by an information processing device, and includes, upon detecting the occurrence of a predetermined trigger related to a vehicle, displaying an image of an engine compartment of the vehicle, identifying consumables to be replenished for the vehicle, and displaying support information including the location of a refill port in the engine compartment corresponding to the identified consumables.

[0008] A non-transitory computer-readable medium according to one embodiment of the present disclosure stores a program that causes a computer to perform operations including: upon detecting the occurrence of a predetermined trigger related to a vehicle, displaying an image of an engine compartment of the vehicle; identifying consumable items to be replenished for the vehicle; and displaying support information including the location of a refill port in the engine compartment corresponding to the identified consumable items.

[0009] An information processing device according to one embodiment of the present disclosure is an information processing device including a control unit, which, when detecting the occurrence of a predetermined trigger related to a vehicle, displays an image of the engine compartment of the vehicle on a display, identifies consumables to be replenished for the vehicle, and displays support information on the display including the location of a refill port in the engine compartment corresponding to the identified consumables.

[0010] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, the probability of a vehicle breaking down when replenishing consumables in the vehicle is reduced.

[0011] It is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. It is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a vehicle. It is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of an information processing device. It is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a server. It is a flowchart showing an operation of the information processing device.

[0012] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described.

[0013] (Overview of the embodiment) An overview of a system 1 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to Fig. 1. The system 1 includes a vehicle 10, an information processing device 20, and a server 30. The server 30 is capable of communicating with each of the vehicle 10 and the information processing device 20 via a network 40 such as the Internet.

[0014] Vehicle 10 is, for example, a gasoline-powered automobile, but is not limited thereto, and may be any automobile in which a person can ride, such as an electric vehicle (BEV; Battery Electric Vehicle), a hybrid electric vehicle (HEV; Hybrid Electric Vehicle), a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV; Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle), or a fuel cell electric vehicle (FCEV; Fuel Cell Electric Vehicle). In this embodiment, an engine compartment of vehicle 10 is provided with dedicated refill ports corresponding to a plurality of consumables, such as brake fluid or battery fluid.

[0015] The information processing device 20 is, for example, a computer such as a mobile phone or a smartphone. In this embodiment, the information processing device 20 is used by a user of the vehicle 10.

[0016] The server 30 includes one or more computers that can communicate with each other. In this embodiment, the vehicle 10 and the information processing device 20 can communicate with each other via the server 30. However, the vehicle 10 and the information processing device 20 may also be able to communicate directly with each other without going through the server 30.

[0017] An overview of this embodiment will be described below, and details will be provided later. When an information processing device 20 according to this embodiment detects the occurrence of a predetermined trigger related to the vehicle 10, it displays an image of the engine compartment of the vehicle 10. The information processing device 20 identifies consumables to be replenished for the vehicle 10. The information processing device 20 then displays support information including the location of a refill port in the engine compartment that corresponds to the identified consumables.

[0018] As described above, according to the present embodiment, in response to the occurrence of a predetermined trigger related to the vehicle 10, an image of the engine compartment of the vehicle 10 and support information including, for example, the location of a refill port corresponding to a consumable item to be refilled for the vehicle 10 are displayed. Therefore, even if a user who wants to refill washer fluid for the vehicle 10 is unfamiliar with maintaining the vehicle 10, the user can perform the refilling work while referring to the image of the engine compartment and the support information displayed on the information processing device 20, thereby reducing the likelihood of refilling the washer fluid through the wrong refill port. Therefore, the likelihood of the vehicle 10 breaking down when refilling consumable items for the vehicle 10 is reduced.

[0019] Next, each component of the system 1 will be described in detail.

[0020] (Configuration of the Vehicle) The components of the vehicle 10 will be described with reference to Fig. 2. The vehicle 10 includes a communication unit 11, a sensor unit 12, a storage unit 13, and a control unit 14.

[0021] The communication unit 11 includes one or more communication interfaces that connect to the network 40. The communication interfaces are compatible with mobile communication standards such as 4G (4th Generation) and 5G (5th Generation), but are not limited to these and may be compatible with any communication standard.

[0022] The sensor unit 12 includes one or more sensors that detect the state of the vehicle 10. In this embodiment, the sensor unit 12 includes an opening / closing sensor that detects whether the hood is open or closed.

[0023] The storage unit 13 includes one or more memories. The memories may be, for example, semiconductor memories, magnetic memories, optical memories, or the like, but are not limited to these. Each memory included in the storage unit 13 may function as, for example, a main storage device, an auxiliary storage device, or a cache memory. The storage unit 13 stores any information used in the operation of the vehicle 10. For example, the storage unit 13 may store system programs, application programs, embedded software, map information, and the like.

[0024] The control unit 14 includes one or more processors, one or more programmable circuits, one or more dedicated circuits, or a combination thereof. The processor may be, for example, but is not limited to, a general-purpose processor such as a central processing unit (CPU) or a graphics processing unit (GPU), or a dedicated processor specialized for a specific process. The programmable circuit may be, for example, but is not limited to, a field-programmable gate array (FPGA). The dedicated circuit may be, for example, but is not limited to, an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC). The control unit 14 controls the overall operation of the vehicle 10.

[0025] (Configuration of Information Processing Apparatus) As shown in FIG. 3 , the information processing apparatus 20 includes a communication unit 21 , an output unit 22 , an input unit 23 , a storage unit 24 , and a control unit 25 .

[0026] The communication unit 21 includes one or more communication interfaces that connect to the network 40. The communication interfaces correspond to, for example, a mobile communication standard, a wired LAN (Local Area Network) standard, or a wireless LAN standard, but are not limited to these and may correspond to any communication standard.

[0027] The output unit 22 includes one or more output devices that output information. Examples of the output devices include, but are not limited to, a display that outputs information as a video or a speaker that outputs information as a sound. Alternatively, the output unit 22 may include an interface for connecting an external output device.

[0028] The input unit 23 includes one or more input devices that detect input operations by a user. Examples of the input devices include, but are not limited to, physical keys, capacitive keys, a mouse, a touch panel, a touch screen integrated with the display of the output unit 22, a camera, or a microphone. Alternatively, the input unit 23 may include an interface for connecting an external input device.

[0029] The storage unit 24 includes one or more memories. Each memory included in the storage unit 24 may function as, for example, a main storage device, an auxiliary storage device, or a cache memory. The storage unit 24 stores any information used in the operation of the information processing device 20. For example, the storage unit 24 may store system programs, application programs, vehicle information, etc. The vehicle information includes, for example, an image of the engine compartment of the vehicle 10 and the positions of refill ports for each consumable item in the engine compartment, but is not limited to these, and may also include any information related to the vehicle 10.

[0030] The control unit 25 includes one or more processors, one or more programmable circuits, one or more dedicated circuits, or a combination thereof. The control unit 25 controls the overall operation of the information processing device 20.

[0031] (Configuration of Server) The components of the server 30 will be described with reference to Fig. 4. The server 30 includes a communication unit 31, a storage unit 32, and a control unit 33.

[0032] The communication unit 31 includes one or more communication interfaces that connect to the network 40. The communication interfaces are compatible with, for example, a wired LAN standard or a wireless LAN standard, but are not limited to these and may be compatible with any communication standard.

[0033] The storage unit 32 includes one or more memories. Each memory included in the storage unit 32 may function as, for example, a main storage device, an auxiliary storage device, or a cache memory. The storage unit 32 stores any information used in the operation of the server 30. For example, the storage unit 32 may store system programs, application programs, embedded software, databases, etc.

[0034] The control unit 33 includes one or more processors, one or more programmable circuits, one or more dedicated circuits, or a combination thereof. The control unit 33 controls the overall operation of the server 30.

[0035] (Operation of Information Processing Apparatus) The operation of the information processing apparatus 20 will be described with reference to FIG.

[0036] S100: The control unit 25 of the information processing device 20 determines whether or not a predetermined trigger related to the vehicle 10 has been detected. If it is determined that the trigger has been detected (S100—Yes), the process proceeds to S101. On the other hand, if it is determined that the trigger has not been detected (S100—No), the process repeats S100.

[0037] In this embodiment, the "predetermined trigger" is the opening of the hood of the vehicle 10. Specifically, when a user opens the hood to refill the vehicle 10 with consumables such as washer fluid, the control unit 14 of the vehicle 10 detects that the hood has been opened using the opening / closing sensor of the sensor unit 12. The control unit 14 transmits a notification indicating the occurrence of the predetermined trigger (i.e., a notification indicating that the hood has been opened) to the information processing device 20 via the communication unit 11 and the server 30. Then, when the control unit 25 of the information processing device 20 receives the notification via the communication unit 21, it determines that the occurrence of the predetermined trigger has been detected.

[0038] S101: If it is determined in S100 that the occurrence of a trigger has been detected (S100-Yes), the control unit 25 displays an image of the engine compartment of the vehicle 10 on the display of the output unit 22.

[0039] Specifically, the control unit 25 acquires an image of the engine room from the vehicle information stored in the storage unit 24 and displays it on the display of the output unit 22. The image of the engine room may be, for example, a photographed image of the engine room or a schematic diagram of the engine room.

[0040] S102: The control unit 25 identifies the consumables to be replenished for the vehicle 10.

[0041] In this embodiment, the control unit 25 identifies consumables to be replenished to the vehicle 10 from five types of consumables: washer fluid, brake fluid, battery fluid, coolant fluid, and engine oil. However, the types are not limited to these five types, and the control unit 25 may identify consumables to be replenished to the vehicle 10 from any six or more types of consumables.

[0042] Any method may be employed to identify the consumables to be replenished for the vehicle 10. For example, the control unit 25 may receive, via the input unit 23, a user input to select or specify the consumables to be replenished for the vehicle 10.

[0043] Furthermore, for example, the control unit 25 may acquire an image of a consumable item to be replenished to the vehicle 10 in response to a user operation, and identify the consumable item from the image by image recognition. Specifically, when the user photographs the consumable item to be replenished to the vehicle 10 using the camera of the input unit 23 of the information processing device 20, the control unit 25 identifies the consumable item from the photographed image by image recognition.

[0044] S103: The control unit 25 displays on the display of the output unit 22 support information including the location of the refill port in the engine compartment that corresponds to the consumable item identified in S102.

[0045] The "support information" is not limited to the location of the refill port corresponding to the identified consumable item, and may further include any information related to the consumable item. For example, the "support information" may further include a refill procedure for the identified consumable item.

[0046] As described above, when the information processing device 20 according to this embodiment detects the occurrence of a predetermined trigger related to the vehicle 10, it displays an image of the engine compartment of the vehicle 10. The information processing device 20 identifies consumables to be replenished for the vehicle 10. Then, the information processing device 20 displays support information including the location of a refill port in the engine compartment that corresponds to the identified consumables.

[0047] According to this configuration, in response to the occurrence of a predetermined trigger related to the vehicle 10, an image of the engine compartment of the vehicle 10 and support information including, for example, the location of a refill port corresponding to a consumable item to be refilled for the vehicle 10 are displayed. Therefore, even if a user who wants to refill washer fluid for the vehicle 10 is unfamiliar with maintaining the vehicle 10, the user can perform the refilling work while referring to the image of the engine compartment and the support information displayed on the information processing device 20, thereby reducing the likelihood of refilling the washer fluid through the wrong refill port. Therefore, the likelihood of the vehicle 10 breaking down when refilling consumable items for the vehicle 10 is reduced.

[0048] Although the present disclosure has been described based on the drawings and examples, it should be noted that those skilled in the art may make various modifications and alterations based on the present disclosure. Therefore, it should be noted that these modifications and alterations are included in the scope of the present disclosure. For example, the functions included in each component or step can be rearranged so as not to be logically inconsistent, and multiple components or steps can be combined or divided into one.

[0049] For example, in the above-described embodiment, the configuration and operation of the information processing device 20 may be distributed among multiple computers that can communicate with each other. Also, an embodiment in which an in-vehicle device (e.g., a navigation device) installed in the vehicle 10 is used as the information processing device 20 may be possible.

[0050] Also, for example, an embodiment is possible in which a general-purpose computer functions as the information processing device 20 according to the above-described embodiment. Specifically, a program describing the processing content for realizing each function of the information processing device 20 according to the above-described embodiment is stored in the memory of the general-purpose computer, and the program is read and executed by a processor. Therefore, the present disclosure can also be realized as a program executable by a processor or a non-transitory computer-readable medium storing the program.

[0051] Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, the sensor unit 12 of the vehicle 10 may further include a sensor that detects the remaining amount of a consumable item, such as washer fluid, in the vehicle 10. In such a case, when the control unit 14 of the vehicle 10 detects a consumable item whose remaining amount is less than a predetermined threshold, the control unit 14 may transmit a notification indicating the consumable item to the information processing device 20 via the communication unit 11 and the server 30. When the control unit 25 of the information processing device 20 receives the notification from the vehicle 10, the control unit 25 may display a web page (e.g., a web page of an e-commerce site) where the consumable item can be purchased on the display of the output unit 22.

[0052] In the above-described embodiment, the "predetermined trigger" is the opening of the hood of the vehicle 10. However, the "predetermined trigger" is not limited to this example.

[0053] For example, the "predetermined trigger" may be a user input indicating the start of a consumable replenishment operation for the vehicle 10. The user input may be made to the vehicle 10 or to the information processing device 20. The user input may also be detected via an input device such as a physical key, a capacitive key, a touch panel, a touch screen, or a microphone.

[0054] Alternatively, the "predetermined trigger" may be the activation of an application program related to the vehicle 10 that is installed in the information processing device 20. The application program related to the vehicle 10 is, for example, an application program that performs a predetermined operation on the vehicle 10, such as remotely controlling the vehicle 10 or changing settings of the vehicle 10, but is not limited to this.

[0055] Alternatively, the "predetermined trigger" may be, for example, the purchase of a consumable such as washer fluid from a web page of an e-commerce site, or the completion of delivery of the consumable. Specifically, the control unit 25 of the information processing device 20 may display the web page on the display of the output unit 22, and determine that the occurrence of the "predetermined trigger" has been detected when the user purchases the consumable. Alternatively, the control unit 25 may determine that the occurrence of the "predetermined trigger" has been detected when the control unit 25 receives a notification indicating the completion of delivery of the consumable purchased by the user (e.g., a delivery completion email from a logistics company).

[0056] Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, the control unit 25 of the information processing device 20 displays an image of the engine compartment on the display of the output unit 22. Here, when the control unit 25 detects a user operation to designate a part in the engine compartment on the image via the input unit 23, the control unit 25 may display information about the designated part on the display of the output unit 22. For example, when a washer fluid refill port is designated by a user operation, a general explanation of the washer fluid, a refilling procedure, precautions, a link to a web page where the washer fluid can be purchased, or the like may be displayed.

[0057] Some embodiments of the present disclosure are exemplified below. However, it should be noted that the embodiments of the present disclosure are not limited to these. [Supplementary Note 1] A method executed by an information processing device, comprising: upon detecting the occurrence of a predetermined trigger related to a vehicle, displaying an image of an engine compartment of the vehicle; identifying consumables to be replenished for the vehicle; and displaying support information including a location of a refill port in the engine compartment corresponding to the identified consumables. [Supplementary Note 2] The method of Supplementary Note 1, wherein the trigger includes the hood of the vehicle being opened. [Supplementary Note 3] The method of Supplementary Note 1 or 2, wherein the support information further includes a procedure for refilling the identified consumables. [Supplementary Note 4] The method of any one of Supplements 1 to 3, further comprising: upon detecting a user operation of designating a location in the engine compartment on the image, displaying information regarding the designated location. [Supplementary Note 5] The method according to any one of Supplements 1 to 4, wherein the information processing device identifies washer fluid, brake fluid, battery fluid, coolant fluid, or engine oil as the consumable. [Supplementary Note 6] The method according to any one of Supplements 1 to 5, further comprising acquiring an image of the consumable in response to a user operation, and wherein the information processing device identifies the consumable from the image. [Supplementary Note 7] The method according to any one of Supplements 1 to 6, further comprising, when a consumable whose remaining amount is less than a threshold is detected in the vehicle, displaying a web page where the consumable can be purchased. [Supplementary Note 8] A program that, when detecting the occurrence of a predetermined trigger related to the vehicle, causes a computer to perform operations including: displaying an image of an engine compartment of the vehicle; identifying a consumable to be replenished for the vehicle; and displaying support information including the location of a refill port in the engine compartment corresponding to the identified consumable. [Supplementary Note 9] The program according to Supplementary Note 8, wherein the trigger includes the hood of the vehicle being opened.[Supplementary Note 10] The program according to Supplementary Note 8 or 9, wherein the support information further includes a procedure for replenishing the identified consumable item. [Supplementary Note 11] The program according to any one of Supplements 8 to 10, wherein the operation further includes, when a user operation of designating a part in the engine compartment on the image is detected, displaying information about the designated part. [Supplementary Note 12] The program according to any one of Supplements 8 to 11, wherein the computer identifies washer fluid, brake fluid, battery fluid, coolant fluid, or engine oil as the consumable item. [Supplementary Note 13] The program according to any one of Supplements 8 to 12, wherein the operation further includes: acquiring an image of the consumable item in response to a user operation, and the computer identifies the consumable item from the image. [Supplementary Note 14] The program according to any one of Supplements 8 to 13, wherein the operation further includes: when a consumable item whose remaining amount is less than a threshold is detected in the vehicle, displaying a web page where the consumable item can be purchased. [Supplementary Note 15] An information processing device including a control unit, wherein when the control unit detects the occurrence of a predetermined trigger related to the vehicle, it displays an image of an engine compartment of the vehicle on a display, identifies a consumable item to be replenished for the vehicle, and displays support information on the display including a location of a refill port in the engine compartment corresponding to the identified consumable item. [Supplementary Note 16] The information processing device according to Supplementary Note 15, wherein the trigger includes the hood of the vehicle being opened. [Supplementary Note 17] The information processing device according to Supplementary Note 15 or 16, wherein the support information further includes a procedure for replenishment of the identified consumable item. [Supplementary Note 18] The information processing device according to any one of Supplementary Notes 15 to 17, wherein, when the control unit detects a user operation of designating a part in the engine compartment on the image, the control unit displays information about the designated part on the display.[Supplementary Note 19] The information processing device according to any one of Supplements 15 to 18, wherein the control unit identifies washer fluid, brake fluid, battery fluid, coolant fluid, or engine oil as the consumable item. [Supplementary Note 20] The information processing device according to any one of Supplements 15 to 19, wherein the control unit acquires an image of the consumable item in response to a user operation, and identifies the consumable item from the image.

[0058] REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 System 10 Vehicle 11 Communication unit 12 Sensor unit 13 Storage unit 14 Control unit 20 Information processing device 21 Communication unit 22 Output unit 23 Input unit 24 Storage unit 25 Control unit 30 Server 31 Communication unit 32 Storage unit 33 Control unit 40 Network

Claims

1. A method executed by an information processing apparatus, comprising: when detecting the occurrence of a predetermined trigger related to a vehicle, displaying an image of the engine room of the vehicle; identifying consumables to be replenished for the vehicle; and displaying support information including the position of a replenishment port in the engine room corresponding to the identified consumables.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the trigger includes that the bonnet of the vehicle is opened.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the support information further includes a replenishment procedure for the identified consumables.

4. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: when detecting a user operation for designating a part in the engine room on the image, displaying information related to the designated part.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the information processing apparatus identifies washer fluid, brake fluid, battery fluid, coolant, or engine oil as the consumables.

6. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: acquiring an image of the consumables according to a user operation, and the information processing apparatus identifies the consumables from the image.

7. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: when detecting a consumable with a remaining amount less than a threshold in the vehicle, displaying a web page where the consumable can be purchased.

8. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing a program that causes a computer to execute an operation comprising: when detecting the occurrence of a predetermined trigger related to a vehicle, displaying an image of the engine room of the vehicle; identifying consumables to be replenished for the vehicle; and displaying support information including the position of a replenishment port in the engine room corresponding to the identified consumables.

9. The non-transitory computer-readable medium according to claim 8, wherein the trigger includes that the bonnet of the vehicle is opened.

10. The non-transitory computer-readable medium according to claim 8, wherein the support information further includes a replenishment procedure for the identified consumables.

11. A non - transitory computer - readable medium according to claim 8, wherein the operation further includes displaying information regarding the specified part when detecting a user operation that designates a part within the engine room on the image.

12. A non - transitory computer - readable medium according to claim 8, wherein the computer identifies washer fluid, brake fluid, battery fluid, coolant fluid, or engine oil as the consumable.

13. A non - transitory computer - readable medium according to claim 8, wherein the operation further includes acquiring an image of the consumable in response to a user operation, and the computer identifies the consumable from the image.

14. A non - transitory computer - readable medium according to claim 8, wherein the operation further includes displaying a web page on which the consumable can be purchased when a consumable with a remaining amount less than a threshold value is detected in the vehicle.

15. An information processing apparatus including a control unit, wherein when the control unit detects the occurrence of a predetermined trigger regarding the vehicle, it displays an image of the engine room of the vehicle on a display, identifies consumables to be replenished for the vehicle, and displays on the display support information including the position of the replenishment port within the engine room corresponding to the identified consumables.

16. The information processing apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the trigger includes that the bonnet of the vehicle is opened.

17. The information processing apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the support information further includes a replenishment procedure for the identified consumable.

18. The information processing apparatus according to claim 15, wherein when the control unit detects a user operation that designates a part within the engine room on the image, it displays information regarding the designated part on the display.

19. The information processing apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the control unit identifies washer fluid, brake fluid, battery fluid, coolant fluid, or engine oil as the consumable.

20. An information processing apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the control unit acquires an image of the consumable according to a user operation and identifies the consumable from the image.

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