Signal processing device and method

Abstract

The present technology relates to a signal processing device and method that make it possible to travel more enjoyably. This signal processing device comprises: an acquisition unit that acquires first vehicle information relating to a first vehicle and acquires second vehicle information relating to a second vehicle different from the first vehicle; and a determination unit that determines content to be presented in the first vehicle on the basis of the first vehicle information and the second vehicle information. The present technology can be applied to a content presentation system.

Description

Signal Processing Device and Method

[0001] The present technology relates to a signal processing device and method, and particularly to a signal processing device and method that enable more enjoyable movement.

[0002] For example, when moving to a destination for entertainment such as a theme park or a music live venue, vehicles such as private cars and taxis are often used.

[0003] Information about the local area (destination) on the day can only be known through various media, websites, SNS (Social Networking Service), etc. However, when moving to the destination by vehicle, during the movement, passengers will view information about the destination through limited information presentation means such as smartphones, so the excitement during the movement may be lacking.

[0004] Also, for example, in a complex facility consisting of multiple theme parks, when moving between theme parks by a dedicated vehicle, a technology has been proposed to replace the people in the video obtained by shooting the outside of the vehicle with characters related to the departure park and perform AR (Augmented Reality) display (see, for example, Patent Document 1). According to this technology, passengers can enjoy the worldview of the departure park even after leaving the departure park by viewing the AR-displayed video inside the dedicated vehicle.

[0005] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2022-97826

[0006] However, in the above-described technology, since only the characters related to the theme park are simply AR-displayed, there are cases where passengers moving by vehicle cannot fully enjoy the movement.

[0007] The present technology has been made in view of such a situation and enables more enjoyable movement.

[0008] The signal processing device of the first aspect of this technology includes an acquisition unit that acquires first vehicle information relating to a first vehicle and second vehicle information relating to a second vehicle different from the first vehicle, and a determination unit that determines the content to be presented in the first vehicle based on the first vehicle information and the second vehicle information.

[0009] The signal processing method of the first aspect of this technology includes the steps of: acquiring first vehicle information relating to a first vehicle; acquiring second vehicle information relating to a second vehicle different from the first vehicle; and determining content to be presented in the first vehicle based on the first vehicle information and the second vehicle information.

[0010] In the first aspect of this technology, the steps include: acquiring first vehicle information relating to a first vehicle; acquiring second vehicle information relating to a second vehicle different from the first vehicle; and determining content to be presented in the first vehicle based on the first vehicle information and the second vehicle information.

[0011] The signal processing device of the second aspect of this technology includes an acquisition unit that supplies vehicle information relating to its own vehicle to a server and acquires content determined from the server based on the vehicle information relating to other vehicles, and a control unit that controls the presentation of the content.

[0012] The signal processing method of the second aspect of this technology includes the steps of supplying vehicle information relating to the own vehicle to a server, obtaining content from the server determined based on the vehicle information relating to other vehicles, and controlling the presentation of the content.

[0013] A second aspect of this technology includes the steps of supplying vehicle information relating to the vehicle to a server, obtaining content from the server determined based on the vehicle information relating to other vehicles, and controlling the presentation of the content.

[0014] This is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a content presentation system. This is a diagram showing an example of the presentation unit. This is a diagram showing an example of the presentation unit. This is a flowchart explaining the process of transmitting information about other vehicles. This is a flowchart explaining the process of transmitting information about the own vehicle. This is a flowchart explaining the process of transmitting content. This is a flowchart explaining the process of receiving content. This is a diagram showing an example of content presentation. This is a diagram showing an example of content presentation. This is a diagram showing an example of content presentation. This is a diagram showing an example of content presentation. This is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a content presentation system. This is a flowchart explaining the process of transmitting information about other vehicles. This is a flowchart explaining the process of transmitting content. This is a flowchart explaining the process of receiving content. This is a diagram showing an example of content presentation. This is a diagram showing an example of content presentation. This is a diagram showing an example of content presentation. This is a diagram showing an example of content presentation. This is a diagram showing an example of content presentation. This is a flowchart explaining the process of transmitting information about other vehicles. This is a flowchart explaining the process of generating information about the own vehicle. This is a flowchart explaining the process of transmitting content. This is a flowchart explaining the process of receiving content. This is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a content presentation system. This is a flowchart explaining the process of transmitting information about the own vehicle. This is a flowchart explaining the content transmission process. This is a flowchart explaining the content reception process. This is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a content presentation system. This is a flowchart explaining the vehicle information transmission process. This is a flowchart explaining the content transmission process. This is a flowchart explaining the content reception process. This is a diagram showing an example of the computer configuration.

[0015] The following describes embodiments to which this technology is applied, with reference to the drawings.

[0016] <First Embodiment> <Example of Content Presentation System Configuration> This technology makes the journey to the destination more enjoyable by determining the content to be presented in the vehicle based on information about the vehicle itself and other vehicles, particularly the interests of the vehicle's occupants, the vehicle's location, and the route to the destination.

[0017] In the following explanation, we will use the example of a vehicle being an automobile, but the vehicle may be something other than an automobile, and this technology can also be applied to other moving objects such as ships. Furthermore, in the following explanation, the vehicle of particular interest will be referred to as "our vehicle," and other vehicles, i.e., vehicles different from our own vehicle, will be referred to as "other vehicles."

[0018] In the first embodiment, we will describe an example in which content related to other vehicles is presented as content. More specifically, we will describe an example in which a performance based on the movement trajectory and position of other vehicles is presented in the own vehicle as content.

[0019] Figure 1 shows an example configuration of one embodiment of a content presentation system to which this technology is applied. The content presentation system 11 shown in Figure 1 is an information processing system that presents XR (Extended Reality) content for occupants to enjoy inside a vehicle such as an automobile.

[0020] The content presentation system 11 includes its own vehicle 21, other vehicles 22-1 to 22-N, and a content server 23. The own vehicle 21 and other vehicles 22-1 to 22-N are connected to the content server 23 via a network. Hereafter, when there is no need to distinguish between other vehicles 22-1 to 22-N, they will simply be referred to as other vehicles 22.

[0021] Vehicle 21 travels along a road towards a predetermined destination. While traveling to the destination or before departure, Vehicle 21 uploads vehicle information, which is information about Vehicle 21, to the content server 23, and downloads content from the content server 23. It functions as a signal processing device that presents this content to the occupants of Vehicle 21. In the following, when referring to the vehicle in motion, the state immediately before travel (before departure), such as just before driving, may also be included as appropriate.

[0022] The destination of the vehicle 21 can be any location. For example, the destination of the vehicle 21 can be an entertainment facility such as a theme park or a live music venue. For example, entertainment facilities may have equipment that follows a certain theme (worldview), performances that follow the theme, or events that follow the theme.

[0023] Furthermore, although an example in which the vehicle 21 functions as a signal processing device will be described below, the signal processing device may be composed of at least a part of the vehicle 21 and one or more devices located within the vehicle 21. In other words, the functions of the vehicle 21 described below may be realized by an information processing system consisting of at least a part of the vehicle 21 and one or more devices located within the vehicle 21.

[0024] The devices referred to here include, for example, information processing terminals such as smartphones and tablets owned by the occupants, wearable devices such as AR glasses and HMDs (Head Mounted Displays) worn by the occupants, and displays installed in the center or rear seats of the vehicle, as well as head-up displays. When the signal processing device is implemented by the vehicle 21 and one or more devices, the vehicle 21 and the devices communicate with each other as appropriate to exchange information (send and receive) and to acquire content from the content server 23 or to present content.

[0025] The vehicle 21 includes a destination setting unit 41, a browsing history acquisition unit 42, a search processing unit 43, a voice input unit 44, an external camera 45, a location information acquisition unit 46, an input unit 47, a route analysis / recording unit 48, an in-vehicle interest event extraction unit 49, a communication unit 50, a performance determination unit 51, a performance control unit 52, and a presentation unit 53.

[0026] The destination setting unit 41 sets the destination of the vehicle 21 according to the operator's input or voice input, and supplies the setting result (destination setting result) to the input unit 47. For example, the destination setting result may be location information indicating the location of the destination.

[0027] The browsing history acquisition unit 42 acquires the browsing history of content such as web pages, social media, music videos (promotion videos), and other moving images and still images (hereinafter also referred to as in-vehicle browsing content) viewed (played) within the vehicle 21 in response to operations by the occupants, and supplies it to the input unit 47. In-vehicle browsing content is different from the content acquired from the content server 23 and is selected and viewed by operations by the occupants of the vehicle 21. Furthermore, in the following, the content provided by the content server 23 will be specifically referred to as performance content. Performance content is, for example, content that realizes performances (performance effects) that will enhance the occupants' mood.

[0028] The search processing unit 43 performs search processing for various types of information, such as web pages and videos, based on keywords entered by the crew member, and supplies the search history to the input unit 47. The search history includes, for example, the information (keywords) used as the search key. For example, content selected from the search results and viewed becomes the in-vehicle viewing content mentioned above.

[0029] The audio input unit 44 consists of, for example, a microphone, and captures sounds inside the vehicle 21, such as conversations between occupants or sounds intentionally entered by occupants, i.e., ambient sounds, and supplies the resulting in-vehicle audio (in-vehicle audio data) to the input unit 47.

[0030] The external camera 45 photographs subjects outside the vehicle 21, that is, subjects around the vehicle 21, and supplies the resulting external video (external video data) to the input unit 47. The external video may include subjects such as roads, streets, street trees, buildings, and people around the vehicle 21.

[0031] The location information acquisition unit 46 acquires measured location information indicating the position of the vehicle 21, for example using GPS (Global Positioning System), and supplies it to the input unit 47.

[0032] The input unit 47 inputs (supplies) information received from various parts of the vehicle 21 to the route analysis / recording unit 48 and the in-vehicle interest event extraction unit 49.

[0033] For example, the input unit 47 supplies the destination setting result supplied from the destination setting unit 41 and the measured location information supplied from the location information acquisition unit 46 to the route analysis / recording unit 48.

[0034] Furthermore, the input unit 47 supplies the in-vehicle interest event extraction unit 49 with the browsing history of in-vehicle content supplied from the browsing history acquisition unit 42, the search history supplied from the search processing unit 43, and the in-vehicle audio supplied from the voice input unit 44. In addition, the input unit 47 supplies external video from the external camera 45 to the performance control unit 52 as needed. For example, the external video is used when displaying content (performance content) supplied from the content server 23 as a video see-through display, that is, when displaying performance content overlaid on top of other content.

[0035] The route analysis / recording unit 48 performs route analysis based on the destination setting results and measured location information supplied from the input unit 47, generating vehicle position trajectory information, which is information about the current position of the vehicle 21 and its movement (driving) to the destination, and supplies it to the in-vehicle interest event extraction unit 49.

[0036] For example, the vehicle position trajectory information includes position information indicating the current position (driving position) of the vehicle 21, i.e., measured position information obtained by the position information acquisition unit 46, route information, trajectory information, proximity stage information, etc. Note that the vehicle position trajectory information only needs to include information on at least one of the position information, route information, trajectory information, and proximity stage information, and in particular, in this embodiment, the vehicle position trajectory information does not necessarily need to include proximity stage information.

[0037] Route information is information that shows the route (path) from the starting point (starting position) of the vehicle 21 to the destination indicated by the destination setting result. Trajectory information is information that shows the path from the starting point to the current position of the vehicle 21, that is, the trajectory of the vehicle 21's movement (driving), as shown by the route information.

[0038] Proximity stage information is information that indicates the proximity stage (degree of proximity) to the destination on a route from the origin to the destination, determined based on route information and track information. Here, proximity stage refers to the degree of proximity to the destination, indicating how close the user is to the destination at the present time, relative to the origin. The proximity stage may be determined based on the remaining distance to the destination, or based on the time until arrival, etc. For example, proximity stage information may indicate which segment the current location is included in when the route from the origin to the destination is segmented (divided) into multiple segments.

[0039] Furthermore, the route analysis / recording unit 48 saves (records) necessary information as appropriate, such as vehicle position trajectory information, and more specifically, the current position information and trajectory information of the vehicle 21.

[0040] The in-vehicle interest event extraction unit 49 identifies the interests (interest events of the occupants) of the occupants of the vehicle 21 based on at least one of the following: the browsing history of in-vehicle content supplied from the input unit 47, the information search history, and the in-vehicle audio, and generates interest event information indicating the results of that identification. In other words, the in-vehicle interest event extraction unit 49 functions as an interest event acquisition unit that acquires the interest events (interest event information) of the occupants of the vehicle 21.

[0041] For example, the in-vehicle interesting event extraction unit 49 performs analysis processing on in-vehicle voice, extracts words indicating events that are presumed to be of interest to the passengers from the conversation as in-vehicle voice, and uses the information indicating those words as interesting event information. The words (interesting events) to be extracted may be related to the destination of the host vehicle 21 or may have no relation to the destination.

[0042] Also, for example, the in-vehicle interesting event extraction unit 49 may extract words related to in-vehicle browsing content indicated by the browsing history as interesting events, or may use the keywords in the search history as interesting events.

[0043] The in-vehicle interesting event extraction unit 49 uses the information composed of the generated interesting event information and the vehicle position trajectory information supplied from the route analysis / recording unit 48 as vehicle information related to the host vehicle 21, and supplies the vehicle information to the communication unit 50 and the production determination unit 51.

[0044] The communication unit 50 communicates (external communication) with the content server 23 via the network. The communication unit 50 functions as an acquisition unit (content acquisition unit) that supplies (transmits) the vehicle information to the content server 23 and acquires the content determined based on the vehicle information of the host vehicle 21 and other vehicles 22 from the content server 23.

[0045] That is, for example, the communication unit 50 transmits (uploads) the vehicle information supplied from the in-vehicle interesting event extraction unit 49 to the content server 23. Also, for example, the communication unit 50 receives (downloads) the content transmitted from the content server 23 and the vehicle position trajectory information of other vehicles 22 and supplies them to the production determination unit 51.

[0046] The production determination unit 51 selects, based on the vehicle position trajectory information of other vehicles 22 supplied from the communication unit 50 and the vehicle information supplied from the in-vehicle interesting event extraction unit 49, the content to be presented in the host vehicle 21 from among the plurality of contents supplied from the communication unit 50, and supplies it to the production control unit 52. Also, the production determination unit 51 supplies, as necessary, the vehicle position trajectory information of other vehicles 22 and the vehicle information of the host vehicle 21 to the production control unit 52.

[0047] For example, in the production determination unit 51, production content corresponding to a positional relationship such as the distance between the host vehicle 21 and other vehicles 22 is selected, or production content of a predetermined production effect is selected from the production content for each of a plurality of production effects.

[0048] The production control unit 52 functions as a control unit that controls the presentation of content to the occupant, that is, the presentation of production effects, based on one or more pieces of content supplied from the production determination unit 51. That is, the production control unit 52 causes the presentation unit 53 to reproduce (present) the content by supplying the content, more specifically, the video data and audio data of the content to the presentation unit 53. For the control of the presentation of the content, vehicle position trajectory information of the other vehicle 22, vehicle information of the host vehicle 21, external video obtained by the external camera 45, etc. are also used as necessary.

[0049] The presentation unit 53 includes, for example, a display unit that XR-displays content (production content), a speaker that outputs the audio of the content, and the like. The presentation unit 53 presents the content to the occupant by displaying the video of the content or outputting the audio of the content based on the video data and audio data of the content supplied from the production control unit 52.

[0050] Each other vehicle 22 basically has the same configuration as the host vehicle 21.

[0051] That is, the other vehicle 22 has a destination setting unit 71, a browsing history acquisition unit 72, a search processing unit 73, an audio input unit 74, an external camera 75, a position information acquisition unit 76, an input unit 77, a route analysis / recording unit 78, an in-vehicle interesting event extraction unit 79, a communication unit 80, a production determination unit 81, a production control unit 82, and a presentation unit 83. Since these destination setting unit 71 to presentation unit 83 are the same as the destination setting unit 41 to presentation unit 53 of the host vehicle 21, the description thereof is omitted.

[0052] Similar to the host vehicle 21, the other vehicle 22 can also download content from the content server 23 and present it to the occupant. However, in the following, for the sake of simplicity, it is described that the other vehicle 22 does not present content (production content).

[0053] Therefore, the other vehicle 22 only uploads vehicle information to the content server 23. In this case, the route analysis / recording unit 78 generates vehicle position trajectory information, including measured position information, route information, and trajectory information, based on the destination setting results and measured position information supplied from the input unit 77, and supplies it to the communication unit 80. The communication unit 80 then transmits (uploads) the vehicle position trajectory information supplied from the route analysis / recording unit 78 to the content server 23 as the vehicle information of the other vehicle 22. For this reason, the vehicle information of the other vehicle 22 does not include proximity stage information or interest event information.

[0054] In the following, the vehicle information of our own vehicle 21 will be specifically referred to as "our own vehicle information," and the vehicle information of other vehicles 22 will be specifically referred to as "other vehicle information."

[0055] The content server 23 receives vehicle information from its own vehicle 21 and other vehicles 22, and functions as a signal processing device that transmits content determined according to the vehicle information, more specifically, video data and audio data of the content, to its own vehicle 21.

[0056] The content server 23 has a communication unit 101 and a content determination unit 102.

[0057] The communication unit 101 communicates with its own vehicle 21 and other vehicles 22 via the network.

[0058] For example, the communication unit 101 receives vehicle information transmitted from its own vehicle 21 and other vehicles 22. In other words, the communication unit 101 functions as an acquisition unit that obtains vehicle information from its own vehicle 21 and other vehicles 22. The communication unit 101 also transmits vehicle position trajectory information and performance content of other vehicles 22 to its own vehicle 21.

[0059] The content determination unit 102 determines content for its own vehicle 21 (presentation content), in other words, a presentation method using the content, based on the vehicle information of its own vehicle 21 and the vehicle information of one or more other vehicles 22, and supplies the determined content to the communication unit 101. The content for its own vehicle 21 is the content that is presented in its own vehicle 21.

[0060] For example, the content determination unit 102 has a database (DB) in which multiple content (performance content) is recorded (registered) in advance, and a generation AI (Artificial Intelligence) which is a trained model for generating content.

[0061] The content determination unit 102 reads the determined content from the database and supplies it to the communication unit 101, or inputs vehicle information and other vehicle information into the generation AI to generate content, and supplies the generated content to the communication unit 101 as the determined content.

[0062] Content (performance content) may consist solely of video, video and accompanying sound, or sound alone. For example, content may include images showing the trajectory of a vehicle's movement, videos of performance effects such as characters or fictional buildings corresponding to the subject of interest, highlights or virtual illuminations, and music or background music (BGM) corresponding to the subject of interest.

[0063] <Specific Examples of the Presentation Unit> The presentation unit 53, or more specifically, the display unit constituting the presentation unit 53, can be any type as long as it is capable of displaying content in XR. Furthermore, as mentioned above, if the presentation unit 53 has a speaker, i.e., a device that provides sound output, that device (speaker) can be any type, such as an in-car speaker system or a portable speaker.

[0064] For example, the display unit 53 may be configured as an optical see-through type AR display device. Specifically, as shown in Figure 2, for example, a large-screen head-up display capable of displaying various information such as content within the range of the windshield 141 (front window) of the vehicle 21 as seen from the occupant, either near or far from the windshield 141 in the depth direction, can be used as the display unit 53.

[0065] In this example, the actual scenery visible from the car window (real scenery), that is, the objects surrounding the vehicle 21, are used as the superimposed object, and the content is superimposed and displayed on that superimposed object.

[0066] Furthermore, the display unit 53 may display content on transparent parts of the vehicle 21, such as the windshield, side windows, rear windows, sunroof, or pillars, if these parts are made of transparent material. The display unit 53 may also be a wearable device capable of optical see-through AR display, such as AR glasses.

[0067] The display unit 53 may be configured as a video see-through type AR display device. Specifically, for example, as shown in Figure 3, a center display 161 capable of video see-through AR display, located inside the vehicle 21, can be used as the display unit 53.

[0068] In this example, the content is superimposed on external video footage of the area surrounding the vehicle 21, captured by the external camera 45. Note that the video see-through type AR display device is not limited to the center display 161; it may also be a display in the rear seat of the vehicle, a wearable device such as an HMD worn by an occupant, or an information processing terminal such as a smartphone or tablet held by an occupant.

[0069] <Explanation of the process for transmitting information about other vehicles> The operation of the content presentation system 11 will be explained.

[0070] First, we will explain the process that takes place when each other vehicle 22 generates other vehicle information and uploads it to the content server 23. That is, the process of other vehicle information transmission by other vehicles 22 will be explained below with reference to the flowchart in Figure 4.

[0071] In step S11, the destination setting unit 71 sets the destination that the other vehicle 22 is heading to based on the operation input or voice input of the occupant of the other vehicle 22, and supplies the setting result to the input unit 77.

[0072] Furthermore, the location information acquisition unit 76 acquires measured location information indicating the position of other vehicles 22 and supplies it to the input unit 77. The input unit 77 supplies the destination setting result supplied from the destination setting unit 71 and the measured location information supplied from the location information acquisition unit 76 to the route analysis / recording unit 78.

[0073] In step S12, the route analysis / recording unit 78 performs a route analysis based on the destination setting result and measured position information supplied from the input unit 77, identifies the current position of the other vehicle 22 and the route to the destination, and records the results of this identification. The route analysis / recording unit 78 also identifies the trajectory of the other vehicle 22's movement (driving) from the starting point to its current position based on the results of past route analysis of the other vehicle 22, and records the results of this identification as well.

[0074] The route analysis / recording unit 78 generates vehicle position trajectory information, which includes location information indicating the current location, route information indicating the route to the destination, and trajectory information indicating the trajectory from the starting point to the current location. This vehicle position trajectory information is then supplied to the communication unit 80 as vehicle information (other vehicle information) of the other vehicle 22. If necessary, proximity information may be included in the vehicle position trajectory information, or interest event information of the other vehicle 22 may be included in the other vehicle information.

[0075] In step S13, the communication unit 80 transmits the other vehicle information supplied by the route analysis / recording unit 78 to the content server 23. Once the other vehicle information is transmitted (uploaded), the other vehicle information transmission process ends.

[0076] As described above, the other vehicle 22 generates other vehicle information, including vehicle position trajectory information, and transmits it to the content server 23. In this way, the content server 23 can use the vehicle information and other vehicle information to determine content for the vehicle 21. As a result, the vehicle 21 is presented with content (effects) that take into account information about the other vehicle 22, allowing it to travel to its destination in a more enjoyable way.

[0077] <Explanation of the process of transmitting vehicle information> In vehicle 21, the process of transmitting (uploading) vehicle information to the content server 23 is performed, similar to the case of other vehicles 22. The process of transmitting vehicle information by vehicle 21 will be explained below with reference to the flowchart in Figure 5.

[0078] In step S41, the destination setting unit 41 sets the destination of the vehicle 21 based on the operation input or voice input of the occupant of the vehicle 21, and supplies the setting result to the input unit 47.

[0079] Furthermore, the location information acquisition unit 46 acquires measured location information indicating the position of the vehicle 21 and supplies it to the input unit 47. The input unit 47 supplies the destination setting result supplied from the destination setting unit 41 and the measured location information supplied from the location information acquisition unit 46 to the route analysis / recording unit 48.

[0080] In step S42, the route analysis / recording unit 48 performs route analysis based on the destination setting result and measured position information supplied from the input unit 47, identifies the current position of the vehicle 21 and the route to the destination, and records the identification result.

[0081] Furthermore, the route analysis / recording unit 48 identifies the trajectory of the vehicle 21's movement (driving) from the starting point to its current location based on the results of past route analysis of the vehicle 21, and records the result of this identification. It also generates proximity stage information based on the route analysis results and the trajectory identification results.

[0082] The route analysis / recording unit 48 generates vehicle position trajectory information that includes location information indicating the current location, route information indicating the route to the destination, trajectory information indicating the trajectory from the starting point to the current location, and proximity stage information indicating the approach stage to the destination, and supplies this vehicle position trajectory information to the in-vehicle interest event extraction unit 49.

[0083] In step S43, the in-vehicle interest event extraction unit 49 extracts interest events.

[0084] For example, in the vehicle 21, search history acquired by the search processing unit 43 is supplied to the input unit 47 in response to the passenger's search for and viewing of in-vehicle content, and viewing history acquired by the viewing history acquisition unit 42 is supplied to the input unit 47. In addition, sounds inside the vehicle 21, such as conversations between passengers, are picked up by the audio input unit 44, and the resulting in-vehicle audio is supplied to the input unit 47. The input unit 47 then appropriately supplies the viewing history of in-vehicle content, search history, and in-vehicle audio to the in-vehicle interest event extraction unit 49.

[0085] The in-vehicle interest event extraction unit 49 extracts the interest events of the occupants of the vehicle 21 and generates interest event information based on the browsing history and search history of in-vehicle content supplied from the input unit 47, as well as in-vehicle audio.

[0086] For example, the passengers' interests could include keywords used in searches, information about in-vehicle content, and information extracted from conversations. For instance, if passengers are discussing their destination, a theme park, their interests might include the park's characters, events such as parades held at the theme park, and the theme park itself, all of which could be extracted from their conversation.

[0087] The in-vehicle interest event extraction unit 49 uses the generated interest event information and the vehicle position trajectory information supplied from the route analysis / recording unit 48 as vehicle information (own vehicle information) for the vehicle 21, and supplies this vehicle information to the communication unit 50 and the performance decision unit 51.

[0088] In step S44, the communication unit 50 transmits the vehicle information supplied by the in-vehicle interest event extraction unit 49 to the content server 23. Once the vehicle information is transmitted (uploaded), the vehicle information transmission process ends.

[0089] As described above, the vehicle 21 generates vehicle information including interest event information and vehicle position trajectory information, and transmits it to the content server 23. In this way, the content server 23 can use the vehicle information and other vehicle information to determine content for the vehicle 21, and as a result, the occupants of the vehicle 21 can travel to their destination in a more enjoyable way.

[0090] <Explanation of Content Transmission Process> When vehicle information is transmitted from its own vehicle 21 or other vehicles 22, the content server 23 receives that vehicle information and performs a process to determine the content for its own vehicle 21. The content transmission process by the content server 23 will be explained below with reference to the flowchart in Figure 6.

[0091] In step S71, the communication unit 101 receives vehicle information transmitted from each of the multiple vehicles and supplies it to the content determination unit 102. Specifically, the communication unit 101 receives other vehicle information transmitted from other vehicles 22 in step S13 in Figure 4, and its own vehicle information transmitted from its own vehicle 21 in step S44 in Figure 5.

[0092] Furthermore, the content determination unit 102 supplies the communication unit 101 with other vehicle information, specifically vehicle position trajectory information as other vehicle information, and instructs the communication unit 101 to transmit it to its own vehicle 21. In this case, the vehicle position trajectory information of other vehicles 22 whose distance from its own vehicle 21 is less than or equal to a predetermined distance may be transmitted.

[0093] In step S72, the communication unit 101 transmits the vehicle position trajectory information of the other vehicle 22, supplied by the content determination unit 102, to its own vehicle 21.

[0094] In step S73, the content determination unit 102 determines content for its own vehicle 21 based on the vehicle position trajectory information of each vehicle and the interest event information of its own vehicle 21. That is, the content for its own vehicle 21 is determined based on the other vehicle information (vehicle position trajectory information) of each other vehicle 22 and the own vehicle information (interest event information and vehicle position trajectory information) of its own vehicle 21.

[0095] In step S73, content related to the movement trajectory of other vehicles 22 is treated as content for the vehicle 21 itself.

[0096] Specifically, for example, the content determination unit 102 determines content for the vehicle 21 that displays the trajectories of other vehicles 22 that have already passed the road where the vehicle 21 is currently located, or the trajectories of other vehicles 22 that are likely to pass the road in the future. In this case, the content determination may be made in a way that reflects the interests of the vehicle 21. Specifically, for example, content that utilizes the interests of the vehicle 21 in its representation of the movement trajectories of other vehicles 22 may be made into content for the vehicle 21.

[0097] The content determination unit 102 reads the content determined for the vehicle 21 from the database and supplies it to the communication unit 101. Alternatively, the content determination unit 102 may input vehicle position trajectory information for each vehicle and information on events of interest for the vehicle 21 to the generating AI to generate content, and then supply the generated content to the communication unit 101 as the content determined for the vehicle 21.

[0098] In step S74, the communication unit 101 transmits the content supplied to the vehicle 21 from the content determination unit 102 to the vehicle 21. Once the content has been transmitted to the vehicle 21, the content transmission process ends.

[0099] As described above, the content server 23 determines content for the vehicle 21 based on information about other vehicles and its own vehicle, and transmits that content to the vehicle 21. In this way, the vehicle 21 is presented with content (effects) that also takes into account information about other vehicles 22, allowing the passenger to enjoy their journey to their destination more.

[0100] <Explanation of Content Reception Process> In the vehicle 21, after the vehicle information transmission process described with reference to Figure 5 is performed, the process of downloading (receiving) content from the content server 23 and presenting it is performed. The content reception process by the vehicle 21 will be explained below with reference to the flowchart in Figure 7.

[0101] In step S101, the communication unit 50 receives vehicle position trajectory information of other vehicles 22, in other words, other vehicle information of other vehicles 22, transmitted from the content server 23, and supplies it to the performance determination unit 51. In step S101, the vehicle position trajectory information transmitted in step S72 of Figure 6 is received.

[0102] In step S102, the communication unit 50 receives content (performance content) for the vehicle 21 transmitted from the content server 23 and supplies it to the performance determination unit 51. In step S102, the content transmitted in step S74 of Figure 6 is received.

[0103] In step S103, the performance determination unit 51 selects one or more contents to be presented in its own vehicle 21 from among the multiple contents supplied by the communication unit 50 and supplies them to the performance control unit 52. At this time, the performance determination unit 51 appropriately uses the vehicle position trajectory information of other vehicles 22 supplied by the communication unit 50 and the own vehicle information supplied by the in-vehicle interest event extraction unit 49 to select the contents.

[0104] For example, the performance determination unit 51 selects content related to the trajectory of another vehicle 22 if there is another vehicle 22 traveling on or currently traveling on the road that includes the current location of the vehicle 21. In this case, for example, content related to the trajectory of another vehicle 22 located at a predetermined distance or less from the vehicle 21 may be selected, or content related to the trajectory of another vehicle 22 whose time of passing the location that is the current location of the vehicle 21 is within a predetermined time from the current time may be selected. Alternatively, for example, content that realizes a specific type of performance effect from among multiple types (categories) of performance effects may be selected.

[0105] The performance determination unit 51 supplies the selected content to the performance control unit 52. The performance determination unit 51 also supplies the performance control unit 52 with vehicle position trajectory information of other vehicles 22 and vehicle information of its own vehicle 21, as needed.

[0106] In step S104, the performance control unit 52 controls the presentation of content by the presentation unit 53 by supplying some or all of the one or more contents supplied from the performance determination unit 51 to the presentation unit 53 at an appropriate timing.

[0107] In this case, the performance control unit 52 may control the presentation of content so that the number of content items presented, the types of performance effects presented, and the number of types of performance effects presented change in stages according to the current position of the vehicle 21, i.e., the approaching stage to the destination. For example, the number of content items presented and the number of types of performance effects presented may increase as the vehicle 21 approaches the destination. The number of content items presented, the types of performance effects presented, and the number of types of performance effects presented may be determined by the content determination unit 102. That is, the content determination unit 102 may determine the content so that the number of content items presented changes at each timing according to the current position of the vehicle 21.

[0108] The display unit 53 displays the content supplied by the performance control unit 52. Specifically, the display unit 53 displays the video (performance effects) of the supplied content based on the video data of the content, and outputs (plays) the audio of the content based on the audio data of the supplied content.

[0109] In addition, when controlling the presentation of content, vehicle position trajectory information of other vehicles 22, vehicle information of the own vehicle 21, and external images obtained from the external camera 45 are also used as appropriate.

[0110] Specifically, for example, when content is displayed as video see-through AR, the performance control unit 52 superimposes the content (performance content) onto the external image at an appropriate position and supplies the resulting video data to the presentation unit 53. As a result, the content is displayed superimposed on the external image.

[0111] Furthermore, for example, when content is displayed using optical see-through AR, the display positions of the movement trajectories of other vehicles 22, fictional buildings, characters, etc., as content may be adjusted based on the vehicle position trajectory information of other vehicles 22 and external video. In this way, the trajectories of other vehicles 22 can be accurately superimposed onto the scenery around the own vehicle 21, i.e., roads, buildings, and other vehicles 22 visible from the own vehicle 21.

[0112] When the content is presented to the occupants of vehicle 21, the content reception process ends.

[0113] As described above, the vehicle 21 receives content from the content server 23 and presents the content to its occupants. Since the vehicle 21 receives content that takes into account not only its own vehicle information but also information from other vehicles, the occupants of the vehicle 21 can travel to their destination in a more enjoyable way.

[0114] <Examples of Content Presentation> Figures 8 to 12 show specific examples of the content presented in step S104 of Figure 7.

[0115] In the example shown in Figure 8, the trajectory of another vehicle 22 is superimposed on the road on which the vehicle 21 is traveling, and displayed as visual content.

[0116] In other words, as shown in Figure 8A, when the process in step S104 of Figure 7 is performed while the vehicle 21 is traveling on the road, the trajectories TR11 and TR12 of the other vehicle 22 are displayed superimposed on the road on which the vehicle 21 is traveling, as shown in Figure 8B.

[0117] For example, the trajectory TR11 is a visual effect such as highlighting that represents the trajectory of one other vehicle 22 that passed through the current location of the vehicle 21 at a predetermined time in the past, including the current time. In other words, for example, the trajectory TR11 is an image that highlights the trajectory of the movement of the other vehicle 22. Similarly, the trajectory TR12 is also a visual effect that represents the trajectory of another vehicle 22 that passed through the current location of the vehicle 21 at a predetermined time in the past, including the current time.

[0118] The other vehicle 22 whose trajectory is displayed may be a vehicle heading to the same destination as the vehicle 21, or a vehicle heading to a different destination. In addition, trajectories TR11 and TR12 may be the future trajectories of the other vehicle 22 that will pass the position of the vehicle 21 at a predetermined future time within a range including the current time.

[0119] In addition, when displaying the tracks of other vehicles 22, the display may indicate, for example, that it is the track (route) of another vehicle 22 that passed through a few minutes ago from the current time, or that it is a route that no other vehicle 22 has traveled for several minutes. In such cases, the type of track (route) may be distinguished by, for example, the number, thickness, color, or shade of the tracks, or the number of other vehicles 22 that have passed through the route may be notified numerically.

[0120] The trajectories of other vehicles 22 may be displayed using illuminations or other lighting effects, as shown in Figure 9, for example.

[0121] In the example shown in Figure 9A, the trajectories of other vehicles 22 are represented by illumination images TR21 and TR22, which are superimposed on the street trees.

[0122] For example, if there is another vehicle 22 that passed through the current location of your vehicle 21 at a past time within a predetermined range including the current time, illumination images TR21 and TR22 representing the trajectory of the other vehicle 22 will be superimposed on street trees, etc., in the street area adjacent to the road where the other vehicle 22 traveled. In this case, the number of illumination images, i.e., the spacing (density) of the illumination images to be displayed, may be changed according to the number of other vehicles 22 whose trajectories are to be displayed.

[0123] In the example shown in Figure 9B, the trajectories of other vehicles 22 are represented by the light-based visual effects TR23 and TR24, which are superimposed on the road and street trees. Here, visual effect TR23 is an image that highlights the entire left side of the road with illumination or other light, and visual effect TR24 is an image that highlights the entire right side of the road with illumination or other light. In this case, for example, the visual effects may change depending on the number of other vehicles 22 that have passed on the road that the vehicle 21 is traveling on (the number of trajectories of other vehicles 22). In other words, content may be presented based on the number of trajectories of other vehicles 22.

[0124] Furthermore, the trajectories of other vehicles 22 may be represented by objects such as virtual buildings placed near the road, as shown in Figure 10, for example.

[0125] In the example shown in Figure 10, the trajectory of other vehicles 22 is represented by an image TR41 of a torii gate placed on the road, and images TR42 and TR43 of lanterns placed on the left and right sides of the road. In this case, the trajectory of other vehicles 22 may be represented by displaying multiple images TR41 of torii gates or multiple images TR42 and TR43 of lanterns arranged along the road, or more specifically, along the trajectory of other vehicles 22. Alternatively, the number of images TR41 of torii gates and images TR42 and TR43 of lanterns may be changed according to the number of other vehicles 22 whose trajectories are to be displayed.

[0126] Furthermore, the trajectory of other vehicles 22 may be represented, for example, by displaying virtual flowers or other objects on the road (street) or the sidewalk provided along that road, as shown in Figure 11.

[0127] In the example shown in Figure 11, although there are no actual flowers blooming on the road or sidewalk, images TR51 and TR52 of flowers are displayed along the road, and more specifically along the trajectory of other vehicles 22, as a visual effect representing the trajectory of other vehicles 22. For example, images TR51 and TR52 could be displayed on the actual street trees. In this way, a visual effect can be achieved that makes it appear as if the street trees are in bloom.

[0128] In addition, as shown in Figure 12, for example, images of characters extracted as events of interest to the occupants of the vehicle 21 may be displayed along the road, or more specifically, along the trajectory of other vehicles 22.

[0129] In the example shown in Figure 12, character images TR61 to TR63, arranged along the road, represent the trajectory of another vehicle 22. For example, character images TR61 to TR63 may be images of characters that the occupants are interested in, extracted from conversations inside the vehicle 21, or images of characters related to the destination of the vehicle 21.

[0130] Furthermore, character images TR61 to TR63 are not limited to those based on the interests of the own vehicle 21, but may also be based on the interests of other vehicles 22, or may be related to the destination of either the own vehicle 21 or the other vehicle 22.

[0131] Without this technology, the occupants of the vehicle 21 can only check or view information about the local area (destination) for the day, or content of their own interest, on limited devices such as smartphones, which can make the journey to the destination feel boring.

[0132] In contrast, in the examples shown in Figures 8 to 12 above, the performance content is superimposed (XR display) onto the actual scenery from the vehicle window (real landscape) or external images of the surroundings, creating a sense of realism. Moreover, in these examples, the performance content presented takes into account not only information about the vehicle 21 itself, but also information about other vehicles 22. Therefore, this technology enables a highly immersive and enjoyable experience through XR display, something previously unavailable. As a result, the occupants of the vehicle 21 can enjoy their journey to their destination more.

[0133] As a concrete example, consider a case where information regarding the trajectory of another vehicle 22 heading to the same destination as your own vehicle 21 is presented as a visual content.

[0134] In such cases, the trajectory of other vehicles 22 can be displayed as visual content. As described above, the trajectory of other vehicles 22 can be represented by virtually highlighting the road, superimposing virtual illuminations on street trees, or superimposing virtual structures such as shrine gates onto the street. Alternatively, the trajectory of other vehicles 22 could be represented by, for example, arranging and superimposing characters related to the destination along the road, or by placing music on the road like a melody line and playing the music as visual content.

[0135] In this way, by presenting the trajectories of other vehicles 22 heading to the same destination as entertainment content, it is possible to visualize and show the occupants of the own vehicle 21 that people other than the occupants of the own vehicle 21 are heading to the same destination. By seeing the trajectories of other vehicles 22 heading to the same destination, which are thus visualized, the occupants of the own vehicle 21 can feel empathy and a sense of unity, become excited, and enjoy the journey to their destination.

[0136] Furthermore, the occupants of other vehicles 22 and their own vehicle 21 can provide special effects to other vehicles by uploading vehicle information to the content server 23. For example, the occupants of another vehicle 22 can upload other vehicle information to leave a trace of the other vehicle 22's trajectory on the road it traveled on when displaying special content in their own vehicle 21. This allows them to provide their own vehicle 21 with an exciting special effect using special content.

[0137] In addition, in each of the examples shown in Figures 8 to 12 above, the performance control unit 52 may perform performance control such as gradually increasing the frequency and density of appearances of video objects that show the trajectory of other vehicles 22, such as illuminations, torii gates, flowers, and character images, as the vehicle 21 approaches its destination. Such performance control can be realized based on proximity information of the vehicle 21, etc.

[0138] By gradually changing the presentation in this way, a variety of effects become possible, which can enhance the passengers' mood compared to not applying this technology, and allow them to travel to their destination without getting bored. For example, through presentation control, content can be presented in a way that increases (excites) the passengers' mood as they approach their destination. Furthermore, displaying the presentation content on a large screen can provide a greater sense of realism.

[0139] <Second Embodiment> <Example of Content Presentation System Configuration> The above describes the case in which content related to the trajectory of another vehicle 22 is presented, but it is not limited to this, and it is also possible to display content based on the interests of the other vehicle 22 as content related to the other vehicle 22.

[0140] In such cases, the content presentation system 11 uploads information about other vehicles, including information about events of interest of other vehicles 22, as shown in Figure 13, for example. In Figure 13, the same reference numerals are used for parts corresponding to those in Figure 1, and their explanations are omitted as appropriate.

[0141] In the example shown in Figure 13, the route analysis / recording unit 78 generates vehicle position trajectory information and then supplies that vehicle position trajectory information to the in-vehicle interest event extraction unit 79.

[0142] The in-vehicle interest event extraction unit 79 generates interest event information indicating the interests of passengers in other vehicles 22 based on the browsing history and search history of in-vehicle browsing content supplied from the input unit 77, as well as in-vehicle audio, in the same manner as the in-vehicle interest event extraction unit 49.

[0143] Furthermore, the in-vehicle interest event extraction unit 79 supplies information consisting of the generated interest event information and the vehicle position trajectory information supplied from the route analysis / recording unit 78 to the communication unit 80 as other vehicle information. The communication unit 80 transmits (uploads) the other vehicle information supplied from the in-vehicle interest event extraction unit 79 to the content server 23.

[0144] In the content server 23, the content determination unit 102 determines the content for the local vehicle 21 based on the local vehicle information and other vehicle information. In particular, in this example, the other vehicle information includes information on the interests of other vehicle 22, and content related to the interests of other vehicle 22 is determined as the content for the local vehicle 21 and transmitted to the local vehicle 21.

[0145] <Explanation of the process for transmitting information about other vehicles> The specific operation of the content presentation system 11 shown in Figure 13 will be explained below.

[0146] First, we will explain the process of transmitting information about other vehicles by other vehicles 22, referring to the flowchart in Figure 14.

[0147] Note that the processing in steps S141 and S142 is the same as the processing in steps S11 and S12 in Figure 4, so their explanation will be omitted. However, the route analysis / recording unit 78 supplies the generated vehicle position trajectory information to the in-vehicle interest event extraction unit 79.

[0148] In step S143, the in-vehicle interest event extraction unit 79 extracts interest events. In step S143, for example, the same process as in step S43 in Figure 5 is performed.

[0149] In other words, for example, the in-vehicle interest event extraction unit 79 extracts the interest events of passengers in other vehicles 22 and generates interest event information based on the browsing history and search history of in-vehicle content supplied from the input unit 77, as well as in-vehicle audio.

[0150] The in-vehicle interest event extraction unit 79 provides the communication unit 80 with information consisting of the generated interest event information and the vehicle position trajectory information supplied from the route analysis / recording unit 78, as vehicle information of the other vehicle 22 (other vehicle information).

[0151] In step S144, the communication unit 80 transmits the other vehicle information (vehicle information) supplied from the in-vehicle interest event extraction unit 79 to the content server 23, and the other vehicle information transmission process ends.

[0152] As described above, the other vehicle 22 generates other vehicle information, including interest event information and vehicle position trajectory information, and transmits it to the content server 23. In this way, the content server 23 can make content decisions that also take into account the interest events of the occupants of the other vehicle 22. As a result, the occupant of the own vehicle 21 will be presented with content (performance effects) related to the interest events of the other vehicle 22, allowing them to travel to their destination in a more enjoyable way.

[0153] <Explanation of Content Transmission Process> In the example shown in Figure 13, the vehicle 21 performs the same process as the vehicle information transmission process described with reference to Figure 5, and uploads its vehicle information to the content server 23.

[0154] When vehicle information is transmitted from the own vehicle 21 or another vehicle 22, the content server 23 performs content transmission processing.

[0155] The content transmission process by the content server 23 will now be explained with reference to the flowchart in Figure 15. Note that the processes in steps S181 and S182 are the same as those in steps S71 and S72 in Figure 6, so their explanation will be omitted.

[0156] In step S183, the content determination unit 102 identifies content related to the interests of the occupants of each other vehicle 22 based on the other vehicle information of each other vehicle 22, particularly the interest event information contained in the other vehicle information. For example, in step S183, similar to the case in step S73 of Figure 6, content related to the interests of the occupants of the other vehicle 22 is read from the database or generated by the generation AI.

[0157] For example, content related to characters from the theme park that is the destination of other vehicle 22 that the passengers of other vehicle 22 are interested in, or content related to in-vehicle browsing content such as music being played inside the other vehicle 22, can be identified.

[0158] In step S184, the content determination unit 102, in the same manner as in step S183, identifies content related to the interests of the occupants of the vehicle 21 based on the vehicle information of the vehicle 21, particularly the interest event information included in the vehicle information.

[0159] In step S185, the content determination unit 102 determines content for its own vehicle 21 based on the vehicle position trajectory information of each vehicle, such as its own vehicle 21 and other vehicles 22, and the content identification results related to the interest events of each vehicle obtained in steps S183 and S184. For example, in step S185, content related to the interest events of the occupants of other vehicles 22 is determined as the content for its own vehicle 21.

[0160] For example, the content determination unit 102 determines that the content relating to the interests of the identified other vehicle 22 that matches (are common with) the interests of the vehicle 21 is to be used as content for the vehicle 21. Therefore, for example, the content identified in both step S183 and step S184 is to be used as content for the vehicle 21.

[0161] In this case, of the determined content, only content relating to the interests of other vehicles 22 that are currently within a predetermined distance from the vehicle 21 may be used as the final content for the vehicle 21. By doing so, the vehicle 21 can display the content superimposed on the other vehicle 22 as a real scene (real landscape) or on the other vehicle 22 in an external video. In addition, content relating to the interests of other vehicles 22 heading to the same destination as the vehicle 21, or content relating to the interests of other vehicles 22 whose route is partly the same as the route of the vehicle 21, may also be used as the final content for the vehicle 21. The selection (determination) of these final contents may be performed on the vehicle 21. Furthermore, although this series of explanations (processes) is based on the premise that the content determination is performed on the content server 23 (cloud) side, the content determination process may also be performed on the edge side, i.e., on the vehicle 21 side or the other vehicle 22 side. This is also true for each embodiment described below.

[0162] As another example, the content determination unit 102 may determine that content relating to interest events of other identified vehicles 22 that do not match (are unrelated to) the interest events of its own vehicle 21 is content intended for its own vehicle 21. In this case, for example, content identified in step S183 that was not obtained as a result of identification in step S184 is designated as content intended for its own vehicle 21.

[0163] Furthermore, content that is relevant to both the interests of other vehicles 22 and the interests of the vehicle itself 21 may be considered content for the vehicle itself 21. For example, if a certain artist, identified as an interest of other vehicles 22, has previously performed a live concert at a theme park identified as an interest of the vehicle itself 21, then content related to that concert, such as a music video for that concert, could be considered content for the vehicle itself 21.

[0164] The content determination unit 102 supplies the determined content for the vehicle 21 to the communication unit 101. In this case, information indicating which other vehicle 22's interest event the determined content is related to may be added to the content. Also, part of the processing from step S183 to step S185 may be performed in the vehicle 21, particularly in the performance determination unit 51 or performance control unit 52 in the vehicle 21.

[0165] In step S186, the communication unit 101 transmits the content supplied by the content determination unit 102 for the vehicle 21 to the vehicle 21, and the content transmission process ends.

[0166] As described above, the content server 23 converts content related to the interests of at least the other vehicle 22 into content for its own vehicle 21 and transmits that content to its own vehicle 21. In this way, the own vehicle 21 is presented with content (effects) related to the interests of the occupants of the other vehicle 22, allowing them to travel to their destination in a more enjoyable way.

[0167] <Explanation of Content Reception Process> In the vehicle 21, after the vehicle information transmission process described with reference to Figure 5 is performed, the content reception process is then performed.

[0168] The content reception process by the vehicle 21 will now be explained with reference to the flowchart in Figure 16. Note that the processes in steps S221 and S222 are the same as those in steps S101 and S102 in Figure 7, so their explanation will be omitted.

[0169] In step S223, the performance determination unit 51 selects one or more contents to be displayed on its own vehicle 21 from among the multiple contents supplied by the communication unit 50 and supplies them to the performance control unit 52. For example, in step S223, vehicle position trajectory information of other vehicles 22 received in step S221, and information about the own vehicle, etc., are used as appropriate for the selection.

[0170] For example, the performance determination unit 51 selects from the content received in step S222 content that relates to the interests of other vehicles 22 located near its own vehicle 21, for example, other vehicles 22 that are close enough to be visually confirmed by the occupants of its own vehicle 21. Alternatively, for example, only content relating to the interests of other vehicles 22 heading to the same destination as its own vehicle 21 may be selected.

[0171] In step S224, the performance control unit 52 controls the presentation of content by the presentation unit 53 by supplying one or more content items supplied from the performance determination unit 51 to the presentation unit 53 at an appropriate timing. In this case as well, the presentation of content may be controlled so that the number of content items presented, the types of performance effects presented, and the number of types of performance effects presented change in stages.

[0172] The display unit 53 displays the content supplied by the performance control unit 52. Specifically, the display unit 53 displays the video (performance effects) of the content and outputs (plays) the audio of the content.

[0173] For example, content related to the interests of the occupants of another vehicle 22 is superimposed on the vicinity of the other vehicle 22 as seen from the vehicle 21, or on the other vehicle 22 itself. That is, the content is superimposed on the portion of the other vehicle 22 in the external image or on the vicinity of the other vehicle 22, or on the portion of the other vehicle 22 or on the vicinity of the other vehicle 22 as part of the actual scenery. In addition, music or background music may be played as content related to the interests of the other vehicle 22.

[0174] In presenting content, for example, as the vehicle 21 approaches the other vehicle 22, more content related to the other vehicle 22's interests may be presented, or content related to the other vehicle 22's interests may be presented when the vehicle 21 has approached the other vehicle 22 to a certain extent. Alternatively, content related to the other vehicle 22's interests may be presented regardless of the position of the vehicle 21 or the other vehicle 22.

[0175] When the content is presented to the occupants of vehicle 21, the content reception process ends.

[0176] As described above, vehicle 21 receives content from content server 23 regarding the interests of other vehicle 22 and presents the content to its occupants. In other words, the presentation of content makes the interests of the occupants of other vehicle 22 visible.

[0177] In this way, the vehicle 21 presents content related to the interests of the occupants of the other vehicle 22, allowing the occupants of the vehicle 21 to develop new interests in things they hadn't noticed before, or to learn about the interests of others, thus enjoying their journey to their destination.

[0178] Furthermore, for example, if the destination of the vehicle 21 and the other vehicle 22 are the same, and content related to the other vehicle 22's interests that is relevant to that destination is presented, the occupants of the vehicle 21 can feel a sense of unity and empathy with others, and become more engaged.

[0179] For example, under normal circumstances, even if there are other vehicles 22 heading to the same destination around the vehicle 21, the occupants of vehicle 21 cannot know what interests the occupants of the other vehicles 22 have or how excited they are. However, with this technology, content related to the interests of the other vehicles 22 is presented, so the occupants of vehicle 21 can not only learn about the interests of the occupants of the other vehicles 22, but also feel a sense of unity and empathy, and enjoy traveling to their destination in an exciting way.

[0180] <Examples of Content Presentation> Figures 17 and 18 show specific examples of the content presented in step S224 of Figure 16.

[0181] In the example shown in Figure 17, as shown in Figure 17A, when the vehicle 21 approaches another vehicle 22 in front of it, content related to the other vehicle 22's interests is displayed, as shown in Figure 17B or Figure 17C.

[0182] For example, in the example shown in Figure 17B, the other vehicle 22 is highlighted, and an image CA11 of a character related to the interests (hobbies) of the occupants of the other vehicle 22, such as games, is displayed (AR display).

[0183] In particular, the character image CA11 is displayed near the roadside of the road on which the vehicle 21 is traveling, so that the driver can easily see the road. Also, because other vehicles 22 are highlighted, the occupants of the vehicle 21 can easily understand that the character image CA11 is content related to an event of interest to the nearby other vehicle 22.

[0184] In the example shown in Figure 17C, the other vehicle 22 is highlighted, and the character image CA11, which is of interest to the other vehicle 22, is displayed near the other vehicle 22 (AR display).

[0185] Furthermore, for example, if the other vehicle 22's area of ​​interest is a specific artist, when the vehicle 21 approaches the other vehicle 22 in front of it, an image CA21 of the artist's album cover may be displayed, as shown in Figure 18.

[0186] In the example shown in Figure 18A, another vehicle 22 is highlighted, and an image CA21 of the album cover of an artist whose interests (hobbies) are those of the occupants of the other vehicle 22 is displayed (AR display) near the road shoulder. In this case, in the user's own vehicle 21, the album cover image CA21 is displayed, and at the same time, the songs from the album corresponding to that cover are also presented (played) as content.

[0187] In the example shown in Figure 18B, the other vehicle 22 is highlighted, and the image CA21 of the album cover, which is content related to the other vehicle 22's interests, is displayed (AR display) near the other vehicle 22. Also, similar to the example in Figure 18A, the songs included in the album corresponding to the album cover are presented (played) as content simultaneously with the display of the album cover image CA21.

[0188] Furthermore, the interests of the other vehicle 22 may be related to the destination of the own vehicle 21 or the other vehicle 22, or they may be completely unrelated to the destination of the own vehicle 21 or the other vehicle 22. For example, the interests of the occupants of the other vehicle 22 may be events such as live concert songs, related music videos, theme park rides and shows, or characters that are presumed to be of particular interest to the destination of the other vehicle 22, based on conversations and information search history inside the other vehicle 22.

[0189] In addition to the examples shown in Figures 17 and 18, as an example of a method for presenting content related to the interests of other vehicles 22, i.e., a performance effect, it is also conceivable to decorate other vehicles 22 with characters, musical instruments, etc., related to the interests of other vehicles 22.

[0190] Furthermore, for example, it is conceivable to highlight the body of other vehicles 22 that are the target of the special effect, or to decorate their bodies with illuminations, etc. In addition, for example, it is conceivable to highlight (emphasize) other vehicles 22 heading to the same destination as the own vehicle 21 in real time, or to decorate parts such as the body, windows, taillights with illuminations, or to decorate them with characters related to the destination.

[0191] <Third Embodiment> <Example of Content Presentation System Configuration> When presenting content related to the interests of another vehicle 22 in the own vehicle 21, the in-vehicle viewing content viewed (played) in the other vehicle 22 may be presented as content related to the interests of the other vehicle 22.

[0192] In such cases, the content presentation system 11 uploads a vehicle-specific viewing list, which is a list of in-vehicle viewing content, to the content server 23 from each other vehicle 22, as shown in Figure 19. Note that in Figure 19, the same reference numerals are used for parts corresponding to the case in Figure 1, and their explanations are omitted as appropriate.

[0193] In the example shown in Figure 19, the in-vehicle interest event extraction unit 79 generates a vehicle-specific viewing list based on the vehicle position trajectory information supplied from the route analysis / recording unit 78 and the viewing history of in-vehicle viewed content supplied from the input unit 77.

[0194] The vehicle-specific viewing list is a list of in-vehicle viewing content viewed in other vehicles 22. As will be explained in detail later, in the vehicle-specific viewing list, each in-vehicle viewing content is weighted according to its proximity to the destination of the other vehicle 22. Since the in-vehicle viewing content in the vehicle-specific viewing list was viewed in other vehicles 22, it can also be said that it is content related to the interests of the occupants of other vehicles 22.

[0195] The in-vehicle interest event extraction unit 79 supplies the generated vehicle-specific viewing list to the communication unit 80 as other vehicle information. Note that the other vehicle information may also include vehicle location trajectory information in addition to the vehicle-specific viewing list. The communication unit 80 transmits (uploads) the other vehicle information (vehicle information) supplied by the in-vehicle interest event extraction unit 79 to the content server 23.

[0196] In the content server 23, when vehicle information is received from each vehicle by the communication unit 101, the content determination unit 102 generates a common viewing list based on the vehicle information, i.e., the vehicle-specific viewing list as vehicle information. The common viewing list is obtained by listing some or all of the multiple in-vehicle viewing contents included in the vehicle-specific viewing list of each vehicle. The communication unit 101 transmits the common viewing list to its own vehicle 21.

[0197] In the vehicle 21, as in the case of other vehicles 22, a vehicle-specific viewing list is generated by the in-vehicle interest event extraction unit 49, and this vehicle-specific viewing list is used as the vehicle information. This vehicle information is uploaded to the content server 23 by the communication unit 50 and is also supplied from the in-vehicle interest event extraction unit 49 to the performance determination unit 51.

[0198] The performance determination unit 51 determines content for the vehicle 21 based on the vehicle-specific viewing list, which is supplied as vehicle information from the in-vehicle interest event extraction unit 49, and the common viewing list received by the communication unit 50, and transmits the determination result to the content server 23 via the communication unit 50. As a result, the content server 23 transmits the content for the vehicle 21 determined by the performance determination unit 51, and the vehicle 21 receives the transmitted content and presents it to its occupants.

[0199] <Explanation of the process for transmitting information about other vehicles> The specific operation of the content presentation system 11 shown in Figure 19 will be explained below.

[0200] First, referring to the flowchart in Figure 20, we will explain the process of transmitting information about other vehicles by other vehicles 22.

[0201] Note that the processing in steps S261 and S262 is the same as the processing in steps S11 and S12 in Figure 4, so their explanation will be omitted. However, the route analysis / recording unit 78 supplies the generated vehicle position trajectory information to the in-vehicle interest event extraction unit 79.

[0202] In step S263, the in-vehicle interest event extraction unit 79 generates a vehicle-specific viewing list based on the vehicle position trajectory information supplied from the route analysis / recording unit 78 and the viewing history of in-vehicle viewing content supplied from the input unit 77. The in-vehicle interest event extraction unit 79 supplies the generated vehicle-specific viewing list to the communication unit 80 as other vehicle information.

[0203] For example, the in-vehicle interest content extraction unit 79 extracts in-vehicle content with high playback frequency based on the viewing history of in-vehicle content, and arranges the extracted in-vehicle content in descending order of playback frequency to create a viewing list for each vehicle.

[0204] In this case, for example, the in-vehicle interest event extraction unit 79 calculates a weight coefficient for each in-vehicle viewed content based on the vehicle position trajectory information, and generates a viewing list for each vehicle by weighting the playback frequency of the in-vehicle viewed content based on that weight coefficient. For example, the weight coefficient is set to be higher for in-vehicle viewed content viewed at a location closer to the destination of another vehicle 22. That is, the weight coefficient is calculated according to the distance to the destination of the other vehicle 22, or more precisely, the degree of proximity to the destination.

[0205] In step S264, the communication unit 80 transmits the other vehicle information (vehicle information) supplied from the in-vehicle interest event extraction unit 79 to the content server 23, and the other vehicle information transmission process ends.

[0206] As described above, other vehicles 22 generate other vehicle information, including a vehicle-specific browsing list, and send it to the content server 23. In this way, vehicle 21 can present content (in-vehicle browsing content) related to the interests of other vehicles 22 based on a common browsing list generated from the vehicle-specific browsing lists of each other vehicle 22.

[0207] <Explanation of the Vehicle Information Generation Process> The vehicle 21 performs the vehicle information generation process shown in Figure 21. The vehicle information generation process by the vehicle 21 will be explained below with reference to the flowchart in Figure 21.

[0208] Note that the processing in steps S291 and S292 is the same as the processing in steps S41 and S42 in Figure 5, so their explanation will be omitted. However, the route analysis / recording unit 48 supplies the generated vehicle position trajectory information to the in-vehicle interest event extraction unit 49.

[0209] In step S293, the in-vehicle interest event extraction unit 49 generates a vehicle-specific viewing list based on the vehicle position trajectory information supplied from the route analysis / recording unit 48 and the viewing history of in-vehicle viewing content supplied from the input unit 47. For example, in step S293, the same processing as in step S263 in Figure 20 is performed to generate a vehicle-specific viewing list.

[0210] The in-vehicle interest event extraction unit 49 supplies the generated vehicle-specific viewing list as vehicle information to the performance determination unit 51. Alternatively, the vehicle information may be supplied from the in-vehicle interest event extraction unit 49 to the communication unit 50, and the communication unit 50 may transmit the vehicle information to the content server 23. Once the vehicle-specific viewing list is generated, the vehicle information generation process ends.

[0211] In this manner, the vehicle 21 generates its own vehicle information. By doing so, based on the vehicle-specific browsing list and the common browsing list included in the vehicle information, content related to the interests of other vehicles 22 is presented, allowing the user to travel to their destination in a more enjoyable way.

[0212] <Explanation of Content Transmission Process> Once the other vehicle information transmission process shown in Figure 20 is performed and other vehicle information is transmitted from each other vehicle 22, the content server 23 performs the content transmission process. The content transmission process by the content server 23 will be explained below with reference to the flowchart in Figure 22.

[0213] In step S331, the communication unit 101 receives vehicle information (vehicle information) transmitted from multiple other vehicles 22 and supplies it to the content determination unit 102. At this time, if vehicle information is transmitted from the own vehicle 21, the communication unit 101 also receives the vehicle information and supplies it to the content determination unit 102.

[0214] In step S332, the content determination unit 102 generates a common viewing list based on the vehicle information of each vehicle supplied from the communication unit 101, namely other vehicles 22 and its own vehicle 21.

[0215] For example, the content determination unit 102 generates a common viewing list by comparing the individual viewing lists contained in the vehicle information of multiple vehicles, i.e., other vehicles 22 and its own vehicle 21. More specifically, the common viewing list is generated by listing the in-vehicle viewing content in each vehicle's viewing list in order of playback frequency.

[0216] In this case, for example, when the content determination unit 102 finds that the same in-vehicle viewing content is included in multiple vehicle-specific viewing lists, it uses the sum of the playback frequencies of the same in-vehicle viewing content in those vehicle-specific viewing lists as the final playback frequency of the in-vehicle viewing content. The playback frequency of the in-vehicle viewing content in each vehicle-specific viewing list is weighted by the aforementioned weight coefficients. Furthermore, for example, the content determination unit 102 ensures that only a predetermined number of in-vehicle viewing content with high playback frequencies are included in the common viewing list. This results in a common viewing list containing in-vehicle viewing content that is frequently discussed, that is, content that interests a large number of people.

[0217] The content determination unit 102 supplies the generated common viewing list to the communication unit 101. The generation of the common viewing list based on the individual viewing lists of other vehicles 22 may be performed by the production determination unit 51 or the like in the vehicle 21 itself.

[0218] In step S333, the communication unit 101 transmits the common viewing list supplied by the content determination unit 102 to the vehicle 21.

[0219] Then, in vehicle 21, content intended for vehicle 21 is selected from the common viewing list, and a transmission request is sent requesting the transmission of the selected content.

[0220] In step S334, the communication unit 101 receives a content transmission request sent from the vehicle 21 and supplies it to the content determination unit 102.

[0221] The content determination unit 102, in accordance with the transmission request supplied from the communication unit 101, acquires the content for which transmission is requested by some means and supplies it to the communication unit 101.

[0222] In step S335, the communication unit 101 transmits the content supplied from the content determination unit 102 to the vehicle 21, and the content transmission process ends.

[0223] As described above, the content server 23 generates a common viewing list and sends it to its own vehicle 21, and also provides content in response to requests from its own vehicle 21. In this way, the own vehicle 21 can be presented with content that is of interest to a wider range of other users.

[0224] <Explanation of Content Reception Process> In the vehicle 21, after the vehicle information generation process described with reference to Figure 21 is performed, the content reception process is then performed. The content reception process by the vehicle 21 will be explained below with reference to the flowchart in Figure 23.

[0225] In step S371, the communication unit 50 receives the common viewing list transmitted from the content server 23 through the processing in step S333 in Figure 22 and supplies it to the production determination unit 51. For example, the processing in step S333 in Figure 22 is performed when the vehicle 21 requests the content server 23 to send the common viewing list.

[0226] In step S372, the content determination unit 51 determines content for the vehicle 21 by comparing the vehicle information supplied by the vehicle interest event extraction unit 49 in step S293 of Figure 21, more specifically the vehicle-specific viewing list for the vehicle 21 included in the vehicle information, with the common viewing list supplied by the communication unit 50.

[0227] For example, the production decision unit 51 selects (decides) content from the common viewing list (in-vehicle viewing content of other vehicles 22) that is not included in the vehicle-specific viewing list of its own vehicle 21 as content for its own vehicle 21. The production decision unit 51 generates a transmission request requesting the transmission of the selected content and supplies it to the communication unit 50. As a result, content that is not of interest to the occupants of its own vehicle 21 but is of interest to many other people will be selected.

[0228] The processing in step S372 may be performed by the content determination unit 102 of the content server 23. Alternatively, for example, the content determination unit 102 may generate content for the vehicle 21 based on the vehicle-specific viewing list and the common viewing list of the vehicle 21.

[0229] In step S373, the communication unit 50 sends a content transmission request, supplied by the production decision unit 51, to the content server 23. This transmission request is received in step S334 in Figure 22.

[0230] When a transmission request is sent, the content server 23 performs the process shown in step S335 of Figure 22, and the content server 23 sends content intended for the vehicle 21.

[0231] In step S374, the communication unit 50 receives the content transmitted from the content server 23 and supplies it to the production determination unit 51. Note that the content selected (determined) in step S372 may not be obtained from the content server 23, but rather from another device other than the content server 23 by some means, such as the communication unit 50.

[0232] In step S375, the performance decision unit 51 selects content to be presented to the occupants of its own vehicle 21 from the content supplied by the communication unit 50, and supplies the selected content to the performance control unit 52. For example, the performance decision unit 51 selects the supplied content in order from those at the top of the common viewing list, that is, those that are viewed frequently and attract the attention of others.

[0233] In step S376, the performance control unit 52 controls the presentation of content by the presentation unit 53 by supplying the content supplied from the performance determination unit 51 to the presentation unit 53 at an appropriate timing. The presentation unit 53 presents the content supplied from the performance control unit 52. That is, the presentation unit 53 displays the video of the content or outputs the audio of the content. Once the content is presented, the content reception process ends.

[0234] As described above, vehicle 21 retrieves (receives) selected content from content server 23 based on its own vehicle-specific viewing list and common viewing list, and presents that content. In this way, vehicle 21 is presented with content related to the interests of the occupants of other vehicles 22, so that the occupants of vehicle 21 can view the presented content and enjoy their journey to their destination.

[0235] <Fourth Embodiment> <Example of Content Presentation System Configuration> When one piece of content determined by the content server 23 is treated as one element (hereinafter also referred to as element content), and multiple element contents are combined and presented, it can be said that one piece of content is composed of multiple element contents. In other words, it can be said that one piece of content contains multiple element contents. Hereinafter, one piece of content consisting of multiple element contents will be specifically referred to as combined content.

[0236] If the content server 23 determines content for the vehicle 21 and includes elemental content, the vehicle 21 downloads and presents multiple pieces of content, including the elemental content, as shown in Figure 24, for example. In Figure 24, the same reference numerals are used for parts corresponding to those in Figure 1, and their explanations are omitted as appropriate.

[0237] In the example shown in Figure 24, the content presentation system 11 consists of the vehicle 21 and the content server 23. In this example, the content presentation system 11 may also have other vehicles 22.

[0238] In the vehicle 21, the in-vehicle interest event extraction unit 49 generates interest event information in the same manner as in Figure 1, and supplies this interest event information to the communication unit 50 as vehicle information. The in-vehicle interest event extraction unit 49 also supplies the generated interest event information and the vehicle position trajectory information supplied from the route analysis / recording unit 48 to the performance control unit 52 via the performance determination unit 51. Note that the interest event information does not necessarily need to be supplied to the performance control unit 52.

[0239] The communication unit 50 transmits (uploads) vehicle information supplied from the in-vehicle interest event extraction unit 49 to the content server 23, and also receives multiple content sent from the content server 23 in response to the transmission of vehicle information and supplies it to the performance control unit 52. Here, the multiple content received (downloaded) from the content server 23 includes elemental content that constitutes combined content.

[0240] The performance control unit 52 controls the presentation of content to the occupants based on one or more content supplied from the communication unit 50 and interest event information and vehicle position trajectory information supplied from the in-vehicle interest event extraction unit 49 via the performance determination unit 51. In particular, the performance control unit 52 presents a single combined content consisting of multiple elemental content by presenting multiple individual elemental content at appropriate timings based on the current position of the vehicle 21, i.e., the approach stage (degree of proximity) to the destination.

[0241] <Explanation of the vehicle information transmission process> The specific operation of the content presentation system 11 shown in Figure 24 will be explained below.

[0242] First, we will explain the process of transmitting vehicle information by the vehicle 21, referring to the flowchart in Figure 25.

[0243] Note that the processing from step S421 to step S423 is the same as the processing from step S41 to step S43 in Figure 5, so its explanation will be omitted.

[0244] However, in this example, the in-vehicle interest event extraction unit 49 supplies the generated interest event information to the communication unit 50 as vehicle information, and also supplies the interest event information and the vehicle position trajectory information supplied from the route analysis / recording unit 48 to the performance control unit 52 via the performance determination unit 51. Note that the vehicle information may also include vehicle position trajectory information in addition to interest event information.

[0245] In step S424, the communication unit 50 transmits the vehicle information (vehicle information) supplied from the in-vehicle interest event extraction unit 49 to the content server 23, and the vehicle information transmission process ends.

[0246] As described above, the vehicle 21 generates vehicle information consisting only of interest event information and transmits it to the content server 23. In this way, the content server 23 determines that content related to the interest events of the occupants of the vehicle 21 is to be used as content for the vehicle 21.

[0247] <Explanation of Content Transmission Process> In the example shown in Figure 24, when vehicle information is transmitted from the vehicle 21, the content server 23 performs the content transmission process. The content transmission process by the content server 23 will be explained below with reference to the flowchart in Figure 26.

[0248] In step S451, the communication unit 101 receives vehicle information (vehicle information) transmitted from the vehicle 21 and supplies it to the content determination unit 102. That is, the communication unit 101 receives vehicle information transmitted from the vehicle 21 in step S424 of Figure 25.

[0249] In step S452, the content determination unit 102 identifies (determines) content related to the interests of the occupants of the vehicle 21 as content for the vehicle 21, based on the vehicle information supplied from the communication unit 101, particularly the interest event information as vehicle information. In other words, content for the vehicle 21 is selected or generated.

[0250] For example, in step S452, similar to the case in step S73 in Figure 6, content related to the interests of the occupants of the vehicle 21 is read from the database or generated by the generation AI.

[0251] Furthermore, in this case, multiple content items, each containing at least one elemental content item, are considered content for the vehicle 21. In this case, only some of the multiple content items for the vehicle 21 may be elemental content items, or all of the content items may be elemental content items.

[0252] Furthermore, if the vehicle information includes vehicle position trajectory information, for example, content related not only to the interests of the occupants of the vehicle 21 but also to the destination of the vehicle 21 may be selected or generated, or content may be selected or generated according to the degree of proximity to the destination of the vehicle 21.

[0253] As a concrete example, when presenting combined content, the elemental content may be presented in stages according to the degree of proximity of the vehicle 21 to its destination.

[0254] In such a case, it is conceivable that in step S452, all elemental content constituting the combined content is selected or generated at once, and all of these elemental content are transmitted to the vehicle 21 simultaneously. In this example, the vehicle 21 decides which elemental content constituting the combined content to present and at what timing.

[0255] Alternatively, only element content corresponding to the current degree of proximity to the destination may be selected or generated, and at the next timing, element content corresponding to the degree of proximity at that timing may be selected or generated. In such cases, the vehicle 21 can simply present the received element content sequentially.

[0256] In addition, the content determination in step S452 may use not only the vehicle information of the own vehicle but also the vehicle information of the other vehicle 22 (other vehicle information). In such a case, for example, based on the vehicle information of the own vehicle and the other vehicle information, element content related to the interest events of the other vehicle 22 may be selected or generated from among multiple element content related to the interest events of the own vehicle 21.

[0257] The content determination unit 102 supplies the determined content for the vehicle 21 to the communication unit 101. Note that some of the processing in step S452 may be performed on the vehicle 21 side, for example, by the content determination unit 102 selecting candidate content for the vehicle 21 and then the production control unit 52 on the vehicle 21 side performing the final selection of the content to be presented from among those candidates.

[0258] In step S453, the communication unit 101 transmits the content supplied by the content determination unit 102 for the vehicle 21 to the vehicle 21, and the content transmission process ends.

[0259] As described above, the content server 23 determines multiple pieces of content, including elemental content, as content for the vehicle 21 based on the vehicle information, and transmits these pieces of content to the vehicle 21. In this way, the vehicle 21 can be presented with combined content related to the interests of its occupants, allowing them to travel to their destination in a more enjoyable way.

[0260] <Explanation of Content Reception Process> In the vehicle 21, after the vehicle information transmission process described with reference to Figure 25 is performed, the content reception process is then performed. The content reception process by the vehicle 21 will be explained below with reference to the flowchart in Figure 27.

[0261] In step S481, the communication unit 50 receives content for the vehicle 21 transmitted from the content server 23 and supplies it to the performance control unit 52. In step S481, the content transmitted in step S453 of Figure 26 is received.

[0262] In step S482, the performance control unit 52 controls the presentation of content based on the interest event information and vehicle position trajectory information supplied from the in-vehicle interest event extraction unit 49 via the performance determination unit 51, and the multiple content supplied from the communication unit 50, so that the combined content is completed as the vehicle 21 approaches its destination. That is, the performance control unit 52 supplies one or more content, including element content, to the presentation unit 53 in order at appropriate timings, and has the content presented.

[0263] For example, interest event information and vehicle position trajectory information are used as appropriate in selecting element content to be presented at each timing. Specifically, for example, character element content may be selected as an interest event indicated by interest event information, or element content may be selected in stages based on the proximity stage indicated by proximity stage information, i.e., the current position of the vehicle 21. In this case, the presentation of content may be controlled so that the types of effects presented and the number of types of effects presented also change in stages.

[0264] The display unit 53 displays the video (effects) of the supplied content based on the video data of the content, and outputs (plays) the audio of the content based on the audio data of the supplied content.

[0265] When the content is presented to the occupants of vehicle 21, the content reception process ends.

[0266] As described above, the vehicle 21 receives content including elemental content from the content server 23 and presents the content to the occupants. The vehicle 21 can present combined content related to the occupants' interests, allowing them to travel to their destination in a more enjoyable way.

[0267] <Example of content presentation> Figure 28 shows a specific example of the combined content presented in step S482 of Figure 27.

[0268] First, let's assume that the combined content consists of music played by multiple instruments, such as the official theme song of the destination theme park, and video related to that music. Specifically, let's assume that the music is played by percussion instruments, violin, and trumpet.

[0269] In such a case, for example as shown in Figure 28A, when the vehicle 21 starts moving towards its destination from a state where nothing is displayed immediately after departure, an image of a percussion instrument, which is an elemental content, is displayed at a predetermined timing, as shown in Figure 28B. Simultaneously with the display of the image of the percussion instrument, the sound of that percussion instrument is also displayed (played) as an elemental content.

[0270] As the vehicle 21 moves further and approaches its destination, as shown in Figure 28C, an image of a violin is presented as an element of content in addition to the image of a percussion instrument, and at the same time, the sound of a violin is played as an element of content in addition to the sound of the percussion instrument part.

[0271] For example, the timing of the addition of elemental content, such as when video and sound of a violin are presented, can be determined based on proximity stage information included in the vehicle position trajectory information of the vehicle 21. In this example, for example, video and sound of a violin are added when the degree of proximity to the destination increases by one stage.

[0272] Subsequently, when the vehicle 21 approaches its destination, as shown in Figure 28, as element content, an image of a trumpet is presented in addition to images of percussion instruments and a violin. Simultaneously, as element content, the sounds of the trumpet are played in addition to the sounds of the percussion instruments and a violin, and the completed combined content is presented. In this example, the images of each instrument as element content are presented at a location outside the road from the driver's perspective, for ease of driving. Although this example describes the presentation of images of instruments as well as music, the combined content can consist only of the sound of the music, and the images do not necessarily have to be displayed.

[0273] In the above example, the performance control unit 52 gradually increases the amount of elemental content to be presented as the vehicle 21 approaches its destination, and controls the presentation of combined content so that when it is close to the destination, the video and sound of all parts (instruments) are presented to complete the song and video.

[0274] Furthermore, the combined content could, for example, be video content featuring multiple characters from the theme park that is the destination of the vehicle 21.

[0275] In such a case, for example as shown in Figure 28A, when the vehicle 21 starts moving towards the destination from a state where nothing is displayed immediately after departure, an image of one of the theme park's elemental content characters is displayed at a predetermined timing, as shown in Figure 28E. In this case, for example, the image of the character may be displayed in the direction of the destination.

[0276] Furthermore, characters presented at predetermined timings, such as the first character presented, may be characters extracted as interests of the occupants of the vehicle 21. In such cases, the interest information of the vehicle 21 can be used to select the element content.

[0277] As the vehicle 21 moves further from this state and approaches the destination, images of two other characters are presented as element content, as shown in F of Figure 28. In other words, the number of characters presented increases in stages as the vehicle approaches the destination. In this case, additional characters may be presented in addition to the characters that have been presented so far, or the previously presented characters may be temporarily hidden, and only the other characters may be presented.

[0278] Subsequently, for example, when the vehicle 21 approaches an exit near its destination on the highway, as shown in Figure 28 G, images of all the characters from the theme park are presented as elemental content. In this case, for example, images of the characters may be presented indicating the direction of the exit (exit) or the location near the exit, so that the vehicle 21 can see which exit to take.

[0279] As shown in each of the above examples, the performance control unit 52 presents elemental content in stages according to the route and position of its own vehicle 21, that is, the degree of proximity to the destination, and finally presents a completed combined content consisting of multiple elemental content.

[0280] In other words, initially, only a portion of the complete combined content is presented. As the destination approaches, the remaining parts are presented sequentially, and the complete combined content is presented when the user reaches a predetermined distance from the destination or a predetermined time from arrival.

[0281] Furthermore, the same combination of content may be presented multiple times during the journey to the destination. For example, if the combination of content is a song, the first time it is played, only the sound of one instrument (part) will be played from beginning to end. The next time it is played, the sounds of other instruments will be added and played, and finally the complete song will be played from beginning to end. In addition, for combination of content with a long playback time, such as a song, it may be presented only once, with the elemental content being added sequentially during the presentation.

[0282] Let's further explain examples of combined content.

[0283] For example, one could combine songs (music) with vocals (singing voices) into a single piece of content. In this case, for instance, only the melody might be played initially, then the accompaniment might be added, and finally the vocals (singing voices) might be added to complete the combined content.

[0284] Another possibility is to combine songs composed of multiple instruments into content. In this case, for example, the performance of only the main instrument might be played first, then the performances of the other instruments would be added sequentially, and finally, the performances of all instruments would be played, completing the combined content.

[0285] Furthermore, it is conceivable to combine video content into a single piece of content. In this case, for example, only the central portion of the entire video is cropped and displayed, and then the cropping range, i.e., the display range, is gradually expanded until the entire video is displayed, completing the combined content. In this example, for example, the central portion that is initially displayed can be considered one element of content. Note that which area of ​​the entire video is to be displayed as element of content can be determined by the content determination unit 102 or the performance control unit 52 based on the vehicle's interest event information, etc.

[0286] Similarly, it is conceivable to combine live video footage into content. In this case, for example, only the main vocalist or the area around the member that is of interest to the vehicle 21 would be trimmed and displayed from the entire live video. Then, the trimmed area (display area) would gradually expand until the entire live video is displayed, completing the combined content.

[0287] In addition, for example, the combined content may consist of multiple elemental content pieces that have different types of visual effects. In such cases, it is conceivable to change the type of visual effect presented or increase the type of visual effect presented depending on the degree of proximity to the destination. By doing so, the occupants of the vehicle 21 can travel without getting bored, and their mood will be heightened as they approach their destination.

[0288] As described above, by presenting combined content consisting of multiple elements, it is possible to build excitement among passengers as they approach their destination, allowing them to look forward to their experiences at the destination while traveling.

[0289] Furthermore, the multiple elemental content components that make up the combined content may include not only information about the interests and destinations of the own vehicle 21, but also information about the interests and vehicle position trajectory of other vehicles 22. In this case, only information about the interests and vehicle position trajectory of other vehicles 22 heading to the same destination as the own vehicle 21 may be used, or information about the interests and vehicle position trajectory of any other vehicle 22 may be used regardless of the destination.

[0290] By also using information about other vehicles 22, it is possible to present content that combines (multiplies) parameters such as the interests, destinations, and current locations of the own vehicle 21 with parameters such as the interests, destinations, and current locations of other vehicles 22, or to present a combination of multiple different visual effects.

[0291] This allows, for example, the occupants of vehicle 21 to experience the process of creating a single piece of content (a work of art) in cooperation with other vehicles 22 while heading towards their destination, making the journey enjoyable.

[0292] Furthermore, for example, elemental content related to other vehicles 22 may be superimposed on the other vehicles 22, and the visual effects of the elemental content may differ for each other vehicle 22. In this case, the interesting events of other vehicles 22 will be visualized in real time, and as the destination approaches, the visual effects of each other vehicle 22 will be combined to complete a single combined content. As a result, the occupants of their own vehicle 21 can travel while feeling that the distance to the destination is getting closer, and feeling a sense of unity with others as the time to arrive is counting down.

[0293] <Fifth Embodiment> <Example of Content Presentation System Configuration> When controlling the presentation of content on the vehicle 21 in stages according to the position of the vehicle 21, that is, the degree of proximity to the destination, it is conceivable that the number of content items unrelated to the vehicle 21's interests decreases as the vehicle approaches the destination. As an example, one possible example is that the ratio of the number of content items unrelated to the vehicle 21's interests to the total number of content items presented simultaneously decreases.

[0294] In such cases, the content presentation system 11 downloads and presents content not only related to the vehicle's interests but also content unrelated to the vehicle's interests, as shown in Figure 29, for example. In Figure 29, the same reference numerals are used for parts corresponding to those in Figure 1, and their explanations are omitted as appropriate.

[0295] In the example shown in Figure 29, the content presentation system 11 consists of the vehicle 21 and the content server 23. In this example, the content presentation system 11 may also have other vehicles 22.

[0296] In the vehicle 21, the interest event information generated by the in-vehicle interest event extraction unit 49 is treated as vehicle information and transmitted (uploaded) to the content server 23 by the communication unit 50. The vehicle information may also include vehicle position trajectory information.

[0297] The content server 23 determines multiple pieces of content for the vehicle 21 based on the vehicle information (interest event information) received from the vehicle 21. In this case, the multiple pieces of content include not only content related to the vehicle 21, such as the vehicle 21's interests, but also content unrelated to the vehicle 21's interests. Content unrelated to the vehicle 21's interests includes, for example, advertising content related to any facility along the vehicle 21's route to its destination.

[0298] The vehicle 21 downloads and displays the content determined by the content server 23. Specifically, the communication unit 50 receives the content transmitted from the content server 23 and supplies it to the performance control unit 52. The performance control unit 52 controls the presentation of content to the occupants based on the content supplied by the communication unit 50 and the interest event information and vehicle position trajectory information supplied from the in-vehicle interest event extraction unit 49 via the performance determination unit 51.

[0299] <Explanation of the vehicle information transmission process> In the content presentation system 11 shown in Figure 29, the vehicle information transmission process shown in Figure 30 is performed in the vehicle 21.

[0300] The process of transmitting vehicle information by the vehicle 21 will be explained below with reference to the flowchart in Figure 30. Note that the process from step S531 to step S533 is the same as the process from step S421 to step S423 in Figure 25, so its explanation will be omitted.

[0301] In this example, the in-vehicle interest event extraction unit 49 supplies the generated interest event information to the communication unit 50 as vehicle information, and also supplies the interest event information and the vehicle position trajectory information supplied from the route analysis / recording unit 48 to the performance control unit 52 via the performance determination unit 51. Note that the vehicle information may include not only interest event information but also vehicle position trajectory information.

[0302] In step S534, the communication unit 50 transmits the vehicle information (vehicle information) supplied from the in-vehicle interest event extraction unit 49 to the content server 23, and the vehicle information transmission process ends.

[0303] As described above, the vehicle 21 generates vehicle information consisting only of interest event information and transmits it to the content server 23. In this way, the content server 23 can determine multiple pieces of content, including content related to the interest events of the occupants of the vehicle 21, as content for the vehicle 21.

[0304] <Explanation of Content Transmission Process> In the example shown in Figure 29, the content server 23 performs the content transmission process shown in Figure 31. The content transmission process by the content server 23 will be explained below with reference to the flowchart in Figure 31.

[0305] Note that the processes in steps S571 and S572 are the same as those in steps S451 and S452 in Figure 26, so their explanation will be omitted.

[0306] However, for the sake of simplicity, the specific results will not include combined content (elemental content), although the fourth and fifth embodiments described above may be combined. In such a case, for example, the elemental content to be presented or the presentation of combined content may be controlled so that the number of elemental content unrelated to the vehicle's interests decreases as the vehicle approaches its destination.

[0307] In step S573, the content determination unit 102 identifies content that is not related to the interests of the occupants of the vehicle 21. For example, in step S573, as in step S572, content that is not related to the interests of the occupants of the vehicle 21 is read from the database or generated by the generation AI.

[0308] As a specific example, the content determination unit 102 may designate content that is completely unrelated to either its own vehicle 21 or other vehicles 22 as content that is not related to the interests of its own vehicle 21. Also, if it is possible to receive information from other vehicles 22, content related to the interests and destinations of other vehicles 22 may be designated as content that is not related to the interests of its own vehicle 21.

[0309] In addition, for example, if the vehicle information includes vehicle position trajectory information of the vehicle 21, then content relating to the destination of the vehicle 21 but not to an event of interest of the vehicle 21 may be considered content not related to the event of interest of the vehicle 21.

[0310] In step S574, the content determination unit 102 determines the content for its own vehicle 21 based on the identification result of each content, and supplies the determined content to the communication unit 101.

[0311] In other words, the content determination unit 102 selects some or all of the content identified in step S572 and all of the content identified in step S573 as content for its own vehicle 21.

[0312] Furthermore, each piece of content designated for the vehicle 21 may be accompanied by flag information indicating whether or not it relates to an event of interest for the vehicle 21. In addition, some of the processing in steps S572 to S574 may be performed by the performance control unit 52 of the vehicle 21.

[0313] In step S575, the communication unit 101 transmits the content supplied by the content determination unit 102 for the vehicle 21 to the vehicle 21, and the content transmission process ends.

[0314] As described above, the content server 23 determines content for the vehicle 21 based on its own vehicle information, including content related to the vehicle 21's interests and content unrelated to the vehicle 21's interests, and transmits that content to the vehicle 21. In this way, the vehicle 21 can gradually control the presentation of multiple content, including content related to the occupants' interests, allowing them to travel to their destination in a more enjoyable manner.

[0315] <Explanation of Content Reception Process> In the vehicle 21, after the vehicle information transmission process described with reference to Figure 30 is performed, the content reception process is then performed. The content reception process by the vehicle 21 will be explained below with reference to the flowchart in Figure 32.

[0316] In step S611, the communication unit 50 receives content for the vehicle 21 transmitted from the content server 23 and supplies it to the performance control unit 52. In step S611, the content transmitted in step S575 of Figure 31 is received.

[0317] In step S612, the performance control unit 52 controls the presentation of content based on interest event information and vehicle position trajectory information supplied from the in-vehicle interest event extraction unit 49 via the performance determination unit 51, and multiple content items supplied from the communication unit 50, so that the number of content items not related to the interest events of the occupants of the vehicle 21 decreases as the vehicle 21 approaches its destination. That is, the performance control unit 52 supplies content related to the interest events of the occupants of the vehicle 21 and content not related to the interest events of the vehicle 21 to the presentation unit 53 at appropriate timings and in order, and has the presentation unit 53 display that content.

[0318] Furthermore, among the content supplied from the communication unit 50, which content relates to the vehicle 21's interests can be identified, for example, by flag information attached to the content, or by identifying it based on the vehicle 21's interests information.

[0319] Furthermore, information on points of interest and vehicle location trajectory information are appropriately used in selecting the content presented at each stage, for example.

[0320] Specifically, for example, the performance control unit 52, based on the proximity stage (degree of proximity) of the vehicle 21, i.e., the current position of the vehicle 21, selects (presents) more content that is not related to the vehicle 21's interests when the vehicle 21 is far from its destination.

[0321] The performance control unit 52 then selects (determines) content such that as the vehicle 21 approaches its destination, the number of content presented that is not related to the vehicle 21's interests (content unrelated to the vehicle 21) decreases, and the number of content presented that is related to the vehicle 21's interests gradually increases.

[0322] In this case, for example, the presentation of content may be controlled so that content previously presented that is not related to the vehicle's interests is replaced with content related to the vehicle's interests.

[0323] Furthermore, for example, on the content server 23 side, in step S574 of Figure 31, a decision (selection) of which content to present at each timing may be made based on the interest event information and vehicle position trajectory information of the vehicle 21. In other words, part of the processing performed in step S612 may be performed by the content determination unit 102. In such a case, the vehicle 21 side can achieve the desired content presentation control by sequentially presenting the received content.

[0324] The display unit 53 displays the video (effects) of the supplied content based on the video data of the content, and outputs (plays) the audio of the content based on the audio data of the supplied content.

[0325] Here, we will explain specific examples of content presented in the vehicle 21.

[0326] For example, suppose the content for vehicle 21 is related to a predetermined anime work A, and the interests of the occupants of vehicle 21 are characters B and C that appear in anime work A.

[0327] In this case, at the start of content presentation, content for the vehicle 21 is displayed, such as a character, a forest or rocks in the background from anime work A, or character D, who appears in anime work A. As the vehicle 21 approaches its destination, character B is displayed instead of the character, or character C is displayed instead of character D. In other words, the amount of content that is not of interest to the occupants decreases, and as a result, the amount of content related to the occupants' interests increases relatively.

[0328] In this way, as the crew approaches their destination, characters and other elements unrelated to their interests decrease, while characters and other elements that are of interest to the crew are displayed, allowing the crew to enjoy the content more while traveling to their destination.

[0329] As another example, let's assume that the content for vehicle 21 is content (AR content) related to an event taking place at vehicle 21's destination. Furthermore, let's assume that the occupants of vehicle 21 are interested in the event itself, but not in the shops or other vendors participating in the event.

[0330] In such cases, for example, at the start of content presentation, a large amount of content unrelated to the occupants' interests is presented as content for the vehicle 21, such as content related to event advertisements and content related to the layout of shops and various facilities participating in the event. Subsequently, as the vehicle 21 approaches its destination, more AR content that matches the theme and atmosphere of the event is presented, while the amount of content unrelated to the occupants' interests decreases.

[0331] In this embodiment as well, since the presentation of content is controlled in stages, the content presented at each timing can be considered as elemental content, and the video or other content consisting of one or more elements that is finally presented near the destination can be considered as completed content. In other words, it can be said that combined content is presented.

[0332] When the content is presented to the occupants of vehicle 21, the content reception process ends.

[0333] In this manner, the vehicle 21 receives multiple pieces of content from the content server 23, including content related to the vehicle 21's interests and content unrelated to the vehicle 21's interests, and presents the content to the occupants.

[0334] As vehicle 21 approaches its destination, the amount of content unrelated to the interests of its occupants decreases. As a result, the occupants become more excited as they approach their destination, allowing them to enjoy the journey more.

[0335] <Sixth Embodiment> <Example of Content Presentation System Configuration> When controlling the presentation of content on the vehicle 21 in stages according to the position of the vehicle 21, that is, the degree of proximity to the destination, it is conceivable that the number of content presentations related to the vehicle 21's interests increases as it approaches the destination.

[0336] In such cases, the content presentation system 11 downloads only content related to the vehicle 21 and presents it on the vehicle 21, as shown in Figure 33, for example. Note that parts in Figure 33 that correspond to those in Figure 1 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and their explanations are omitted as appropriate.

[0337] In the example shown in Figure 33, the content presentation system 11 consists of the vehicle 21 and the content server 23. In this example as well, the content presentation system 11 may also have other vehicles 22.

[0338] In the vehicle 21, the interest event information generated by the in-vehicle interest event extraction unit 49 is treated as vehicle information and transmitted (uploaded) to the content server 23 by the communication unit 50.

[0339] The content server 23 determines multiple pieces of content for the vehicle 21 based on the vehicle information (interest event information) received from the vehicle 21.

[0340] In the vehicle 21, content transmitted from the content server 23 is received by the communication unit 50 and supplied to the performance control unit 52. The performance control unit 52 then controls the presentation of content to the occupants based on the content supplied from the communication unit 50 and the vehicle position trajectory information supplied from the in-vehicle interest event extraction unit 49 via the performance determination unit 51.

[0341] <Explanation of the vehicle information transmission process> In the content presentation system 11 shown in Figure 33, the vehicle information transmission process shown in Figure 34 is performed in the vehicle 21.

[0342] The process of transmitting vehicle information by the vehicle 21 will be explained below with reference to the flowchart in Figure 34. Note that the process from step S651 to step S653 is the same as the process from step S421 to step S423 in Figure 25, so its explanation will be omitted.

[0343] In this example, the in-vehicle interest event extraction unit 49 supplies the generated interest event information to the communication unit 50 as vehicle information, and also supplies the vehicle position trajectory information supplied from the route analysis / recording unit 48 to the performance control unit 52 via the performance determination unit 51. Note that the vehicle information may include not only interest event information but also vehicle position trajectory information.

[0344] In step S654, the communication unit 50 transmits the vehicle information (vehicle information) supplied from the in-vehicle interest event extraction unit 49 to the content server 23, and the vehicle information transmission process ends.

[0345] As described above, the vehicle 21 generates vehicle information consisting only of interest event information and transmits it to the content server 23. In this way, the content server 23 can determine content related to the interest events of the occupants of the vehicle 21 as content for the vehicle 21.

[0346] <Explanation of Content Transmission Process> In the example shown in Figure 33, the content server 23 performs the content transmission process shown in Figure 35. The content transmission process by the content server 23 will be explained below with reference to the flowchart in Figure 35.

[0347] In step S681, the communication unit 101 receives vehicle information (vehicle information) transmitted from the vehicle 21 and supplies it to the content determination unit 102. In S681, the vehicle information transmitted in step S654 in Figure 34 is received.

[0348] In step S682, the content determination unit 102 determines content for the vehicle 21 based on the vehicle information supplied from the communication unit 101, particularly the interest event information for the vehicle 21 included in the vehicle information, and supplies the determined content to the communication unit 101.

[0349] For example, in step S682, the same process as in step S572 in Figure 31 is performed, and content related to the interests of the occupants of the vehicle 21 is read from the database or generated by the generation AI.

[0350] However, for the sake of simplicity, the content determined by the content determination unit 102 is assumed not to include combined content (elemental content), although the fourth and sixth embodiments described above may be combined. In such a case, for example, as the vehicle 21 approaches its destination, the elemental content to be presented is determined, or the presentation of combined content is controlled, such that the number of elemental content related to the vehicle 21's interests increases.

[0351] In step S682, content related to the interests of the occupants of the vehicle 21, as indicated by the interest information of the vehicle 21, is designated as content for the vehicle 21. If the vehicle information also includes vehicle position trajectory information, content related to the destination of the vehicle 21, such as content related to the interests of the occupants of the vehicle 21 and related to the destination of the vehicle 21, may also be designated as content for the vehicle 21. In such cases, the content presentation on the vehicle 21 side is controlled so that as the vehicle 21 approaches its destination, more content related to the interests of the occupants of the vehicle 21 and content related to the destination of the vehicle 21 are presented (increased).

[0352] In step S683, the communication unit 101 transmits the content supplied by the content determination unit 102 for the vehicle 21 to the vehicle 21, and the content transmission process ends.

[0353] As described above, the content server 23, based on its own vehicle information, selects only content related to the interests of the vehicle 21 as content intended for the vehicle 21 and transmits that content to the vehicle 21. In this way, the vehicle 21 can gradually control the presentation of content related to the interests of its occupants, allowing them to travel to their destination in a more enjoyable manner.

[0354] <Explanation of Content Reception Process> In the vehicle 21, after the vehicle information transmission process described with reference to Figure 34 is performed, the content reception process is then performed. The content reception process by the vehicle 21 will be explained below with reference to the flowchart in Figure 36.

[0355] In step S711, the communication unit 50 receives content for the vehicle 21 transmitted from the content server 23 and supplies it to the performance control unit 52. In step S711, the content transmitted in step S683 of Figure 35 is received.

[0356] In step S712, the performance control unit 52 controls the presentation of content based on the vehicle position trajectory information supplied from the in-vehicle interest event extraction unit 49 via the performance determination unit 51 and a plurality of content supplied from the communication unit 50, so that the number of content items related to the interest events of the occupants of the vehicle 21 increases as the vehicle 21 approaches its destination. That is, the performance control unit 52 supplies content related to the interest events of the occupants of the vehicle 21 to the presentation unit 53 at appropriate timings and in appropriate order, and has the presentation unit 53 display that content.

[0357] Furthermore, vehicle position trajectory information is appropriately used to determine, for example, the selection of content presented at each timing, that is, the number of pieces of content presented at each timing.

[0358] Specifically, for example, the performance control unit 52, based on the proximity stage (degree of proximity) of the vehicle 21, i.e., the current position of the vehicle 21, displays a relatively small number of content items when the vehicle 21 is far from the destination. Then, the performance control unit 52 controls the display of content so that the number of content items displayed increases in stages as the vehicle 21 approaches the destination.

[0359] In this case, for example, when the vehicle 21 is far from the destination, the content may be displayed only on the windshield, and as it approaches the destination, the content may be displayed on other locations such as the side windows and rear window. In other words, the number of locations where the content is displayed may increase as the vehicle approaches the destination.

[0360] Furthermore, for example, on the content server 23 side, in step S682 of Figure 35, a decision (selection) of which content to present at each timing may be made based on the vehicle position trajectory information of the vehicle 21. In other words, part of the processing performed in step S712 may be performed by the content determination unit 102. In such a case, the vehicle 21 side can achieve the desired content presentation control by sequentially presenting the received content.

[0361] The display unit 53 displays the video (effects) of the supplied content based on the video data of the content, and outputs (plays) the audio of the content based on the audio data of the supplied content.

[0362] Here, we will explain specific examples of content presented in the vehicle 21.

[0363] For example, let's say the content for vehicle 21 is AR content that matches the characters of an event taking place at vehicle 21's destination, or the atmosphere of the event.

[0364] In such cases, for example, as the vehicle 21 approaches its destination, more content such as character images and icons that create the atmosphere of the event will be displayed. In other words, as the vehicle approaches its destination, the number (amount) of content related to the event at that destination will increase. Alternatively, for example, initially, content may only be displayed on the windshield, but as the vehicle approaches its destination, content may also be displayed on the side windows, and as the vehicle approaches its destination even further, content may be displayed on other displays inside the vehicle.

[0365] In this way, by displaying characters and other elements that interest the passengers as they approach their destination, passengers can become more excited as they get closer to their destination, enjoying the content and looking forward to the experiences at their destination as they travel.

[0366] In this embodiment as well, since the presentation of content is controlled in stages, the content presented at each timing can be considered as elemental content, and the video or other content consisting of one or more elements that is finally presented near the destination can be considered as completed content. In other words, it can be said that combined content is presented.

[0367] When the content is presented to the occupants of vehicle 21, the content reception process ends.

[0368] As described above, the vehicle 21 receives content related to its interests from the content server 23 and presents the content to its occupants. As the vehicle 21 approaches its destination, more and more content related to the interests of its occupants is presented, so the occupants become more excited as they approach their destination and can enjoy the journey to their destination more.

[0369] Furthermore, the method by which the performance control unit 52 controls the presentation of content in stages is not limited to the examples of the fifth and sixth embodiments described above, but may be any method such as increasing predetermined performance effects, decreasing predetermined performance effects, or changing arbitrary combinations of performance effects. In this case, by displaying the content in AR (overlay display) on a particularly large screen, a higher sense of realism can be obtained compared to displaying the content on a small screen such as a smartphone or tablet.

[0370] Furthermore, it is possible to combine any of the embodiments described above. For example, the functions of the content determination unit 102, which are provided on the content server 23 side in each of the embodiments described above, may be provided on the vehicle 21 side or on the other vehicle 22 side.

[0371] <Example of Computer Configuration> Incidentally, the series of processes described above can be executed by hardware or by software. When the series of processes are executed by software, the programs that make up that software are installed on the computer. Here, a computer includes computers that are built into dedicated hardware, as well as general-purpose computers that can perform various functions by installing various programs.

[0372] Figure 37 is a block diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of a computer that executes the series of processes described above by a program.

[0373] In a computer, the CPU (Central Processing Unit) 501, ROM (Read Only Memory) 502, and RAM (Random Access Memory) 503 are interconnected by a bus 504.

[0374] An input / output interface 505 is further connected to the bus 504. An input unit 506, an output unit 507, a recording unit 508, a communication unit 509, and a drive 510 are connected to the input / output interface 505.

[0375] The input unit 506 consists of a keyboard, mouse, microphone, image sensor, etc. The output unit 507 consists of a display, speaker, etc. The recording unit 508 consists of a hard disk, non-volatile memory, etc. The communication unit 509 consists of a network interface, etc. The drive 510 drives a removable recording medium 511 such as a magnetic disk, optical disk, magneto-optical disk, or semiconductor memory.

[0376] In a computer configured as described above, the CPU 501 loads, for example, a program stored in the recording unit 508 into the RAM 503 via the input / output interface 505 and the bus 504, and executes it, thereby performing the series of processes described above.

[0377] The program executed by the computer (CPU 501) can be provided by recording it on a removable recording medium 511, such as a packaged medium. The program can also be provided via wired or wireless transmission media, such as a local area network, the internet, or digital satellite broadcasting.

[0378] In a computer, a program can be installed in the recording unit 508 via the input / output interface 505 by inserting the removable recording medium 511 into the drive 510. Alternatively, the program can be received by the communication unit 509 via a wired or wireless transmission medium and installed in the recording unit 508. Furthermore, the program can be pre-installed in the ROM 502 or the recording unit 508.

[0379] The programs executed by the computer may be programs that are processed chronologically in the order described herein, or they may be programs that are processed in parallel or at necessary times, such as when a call is made.

[0380] Furthermore, the embodiments of this technology are not limited to those described above, and various modifications are possible without departing from the gist of this technology.

[0381] For example, this technology can be configured as cloud computing, where a single function is shared and processed collaboratively by multiple devices via a network.

[0382] Furthermore, each step described in the flowchart above can be performed by a single device, or it can be divided and performed by multiple devices.

[0383] Furthermore, if a single step includes multiple processes, those processes can be executed by a single device or shared among multiple devices.

[0384] Furthermore, this technology can also be configured as follows:

[0385] (1) A signal processing device comprising: an acquisition unit that acquires first vehicle information relating to a first vehicle and second vehicle information relating to a second vehicle different from the first vehicle; and a determination unit that determines content to be presented in the first vehicle based on the first vehicle information and the second vehicle information. (2) The signal processing device according to (1), wherein the content is an image taken with the area around the first vehicle as the subject, or superimposed on an object located around the first vehicle. (3) The signal processing device according to (1) or (2), wherein the second vehicle is a vehicle moving to the same destination as the first vehicle. (4) The signal processing device according to any one of (1) to (3), wherein the first vehicle information includes at least one of the following: information relating to movement by the first vehicle and interest event information relating to events of interest to the occupants of the first vehicle. (5) The signal processing device according to (4), wherein the information relating to the movement of the first vehicle includes information relating to at least one of the position of the first vehicle, the trajectory of its movement, the route to the destination, and the approach stage to the destination. (6) The signal processing device according to any one of (1) to (5), wherein the information relating to the second vehicle includes information relating to the movement of the second vehicle, and interest event information relating to the interest events of the occupants of the second vehicle. (7) The signal processing device according to (6), wherein the information relating to the movement of the second vehicle includes information relating to at least one of the position of the second vehicle, the trajectory of its movement, the route of the second vehicle to the destination, and the approach stage of the second vehicle to the destination. (8) The signal processing device according to any one of (1) to (7), wherein the content is content relating to the second vehicle. (9) The signal processing device according to (8), wherein the content is content relating to the trajectory of the movement of the second vehicle. (10) The signal processing device according to (8), wherein the content is content relating to an event of interest to the occupants of the second vehicle. (11) The signal processing device according to (10), wherein the content is displayed in the vicinity of the second vehicle or superimposed on the second vehicle.(12) The signal processing device according to any one of (1) to (7), wherein the content includes a plurality of elemental content, and the presentation of the elemental content is controlled according to the position of the first vehicle. (13) The signal processing device according to (12), wherein the presentation of the elemental content is controlled such that a single piece of content consisting of a plurality of elemental content is completed as the first vehicle approaches its destination. (14) The signal processing device according to any one of (1) to (11), wherein the determination unit changes the number of content to be determined or the number of types of performance effects by the content according to the position of the first vehicle. (15) The signal processing device according to (14), wherein the determination unit determines the content such that the number of content or the number of types of performance effects increases as the first vehicle approaches its destination. (16) The signal processing device according to (14), wherein the determination unit determines the content such that the number of content unrelated to the first vehicle decreases as the first vehicle approaches its destination. (17) The signal processing device according to (14), wherein the determination unit determines the content such that the number of contents relating to the destination of the first vehicle or the interests of the occupants of the first vehicle increases as the first vehicle approaches the destination. (18) A signal processing method comprising the steps of: acquiring first vehicle information relating to a first vehicle; acquiring second vehicle information relating to a second vehicle different from the first vehicle; and determining content to be presented in the first vehicle based on the first vehicle information and the second vehicle information. (19) A signal processing device comprising: an acquisition unit that supplies local vehicle information relating to its own vehicle to a server and acquires content determined from the server based on the local vehicle information and other vehicle information relating to other vehicles; and a control unit that controls the presentation of the content. (20) The signal processing device according to (19), wherein the control unit causes the content to be superimposed on an image taken with the surroundings of the local vehicle as the subject, or on an object superimposed around the local vehicle.(21) The signal processing device according to (19) or (20), wherein the other vehicle is a vehicle moving to the same destination as the vehicle itself. (22) The signal processing device according to any one of (19) to (21), wherein the vehicle information includes at least one of the following: information relating to the movement of the vehicle itself, and interest event information relating to the interest events of the occupants of the vehicle itself. (23) The signal processing device according to (22), wherein the information relating to the movement of the vehicle itself includes at least one of the following: the position of the vehicle itself, the trajectory of its movement, the route to the destination, and the approach stage to the destination. (24) The signal processing device according to (22) or (23), further comprising an interest event acquisition unit that acquires the interest event information of the vehicle itself based on at least one of the browsing history of other content in the vehicle, the information retrieval history, and the sound recorded in the vehicle itself. (25) The signal processing device according to any one of (19) to (24), wherein the other vehicle information includes at least one of the following: information relating to the movement of the other vehicle and interest event information relating to the interest events of the occupants of the other vehicle. (26) The signal processing device according to (25), wherein the information relating to the movement of the other vehicle includes at least one of the following: the position of the other vehicle, the trajectory of its movement, the route of the other vehicle to its destination, and the approach stage of the other vehicle to its destination. (27) The signal processing device according to any one of (19) to (26), wherein the content is content relating to the other vehicle. (28) The signal processing device according to (27), wherein the content is content relating to the trajectory of the movement of the other vehicle. (29) The signal processing device according to (27), wherein the content is content relating to the interest events of the occupants of the other vehicle. (30) The signal processing device according to (29), wherein the control unit displays the content in the vicinity of the other vehicle or displays it superimposed on the other vehicle. (31) The signal processing device according to any one of (19) to (26), wherein the content includes a plurality of elemental content, and the control unit controls the presentation of the elemental content according to the position of the vehicle itself.(32) The signal processing device according to (31), wherein the control unit controls the presentation of the element content such that a single content consisting of multiple element content is completed as the vehicle approaches its destination. (33) The signal processing device according to any one of (19) to (29), wherein the control unit changes the number of content or the number of types of performance effects by the content according to the position of the vehicle. (34) The signal processing device according to (33), wherein the control unit controls the presentation of the content such that the number of content or the number of types of performance effects increases as the vehicle approaches its destination. (35) The signal processing device according to (33), wherein the control unit controls the presentation of the content such that the number of content unrelated to the vehicle decreases as the vehicle approaches its destination. (36) The signal processing device according to (33), wherein the control unit controls the presentation of the content such that the number of content related to the destination of the vehicle or the interests of the occupants of the vehicle increases as the vehicle approaches its destination. (37) A signal processing method comprising the steps of: supplying vehicle information relating to the vehicle to a server; acquiring content determined from the server based on the vehicle information and other vehicle information relating to other vehicles; and controlling the presentation of the content. (38) A signal processing device comprising: an acquisition unit that acquires interest event information relating to interest events of the occupants of the vehicle from the vehicle; and a determination unit that determines content to be presented in the vehicle, comprising a plurality of elemental content, wherein the presentation of the elemental content is controlled according to the position of the vehicle. (39) The signal processing device according to (38), wherein the content is an image taken with the area around the vehicle as the subject, or superimposed on an object located around the vehicle. (40) The signal processing device according to (38) or (39), wherein the acquisition unit acquires information relating to the movement of the vehicle, and the determination unit determines the content based on the information relating to the movement of the vehicle and the interest event information.(41) The signal processing device according to (40), wherein the information relating to the movement of the vehicle includes information relating to at least one of the vehicle's position, trajectory of movement, route to destination, and approach stage to destination. (42) The signal processing device according to any one of (38) to (41), wherein the presentation of element content is controlled such that a single piece of content consisting of multiple element content is completed as the vehicle approaches the destination. (43) The signal processing device according to any one of (38) to (42), wherein the determination unit determines the content such that the number of element content unrelated to the vehicle decreases as the vehicle approaches the destination. (44) The signal processing device according to any one of (38) to (43), wherein the determination unit determines the content such that the number of element content relating to the interests of the vehicle's occupants increases as the vehicle approaches the destination. (45) A signal processing method comprising the steps of: acquiring interest event information relating to the interests of the occupants of a vehicle from a vehicle; and determining, based on the interest event information, content to be presented in the vehicle, which includes a plurality of elemental content, and the presentation of the elemental content is controlled according to the position of the vehicle. (46) A signal processing device comprising: an interest event acquisition unit that acquires interest event information relating to the interests of the occupants of the vehicle; a content acquisition unit that acquires content including a plurality of elemental content determined based on the interest event information; and a control unit that controls the presentation of the elemental content according to the position of the vehicle. (47) The signal processing device according to (46), wherein the control unit causes the elemental content to be superimposed on an image taken with the area around the vehicle as the subject, or on an object superimposed around the vehicle. (48) The signal processing device according to (46) or (47), wherein the content is determined based on the interest event information and information relating to the movement of the vehicle. (49) The signal processing device according to (48), wherein the information relating to the movement of the vehicle includes information relating to at least one of the following: the position of the vehicle, the trajectory of the movement, the route to the destination, and the approach stage to the destination.(50) The signal processing device according to any one of (46) to (49), wherein the interest event acquisition unit acquires the interest event information based on at least one of the browsing history of other content in the vehicle, the information search history, and the sound picked up by the vehicle. (51) The signal processing device according to any one of (46) to (50), wherein the control unit controls the presentation of the element content such that a single content consisting of multiple element content is completed as the vehicle approaches its destination. (52) The signal processing device according to any one of (46) to (51), wherein the control unit controls the presentation of the element content such that the number of element content unrelated to the vehicle decreases as the vehicle approaches its destination. (53) The signal processing device according to any one of (46) to (52), wherein the control unit controls the presentation of the element content such that the number of element content related to the interest events of the occupants of the vehicle increases as the vehicle approaches its destination. (54) A signal processing method comprising the steps of: acquiring interest event information relating to the interests of the occupants of the vehicle; acquiring content including a plurality of elemental content determined based on the interest event information; and controlling the presentation of the elemental content according to the position of the vehicle. (55) An information processing system comprising: an acquisition unit that supplies vehicle information relating to the vehicle to a server and acquires content determined from the server based on the vehicle information and other vehicle information relating to other vehicles; a control unit that controls the presentation of the content; and a presentation unit that presents the content. (56) An information processing system comprising: an interest event acquisition unit that acquires interest event information relating to the interests of the occupants of the vehicle; a content acquisition unit that acquires content including a plurality of elemental content determined based on the interest event information; a control unit that controls the presentation of the elemental content according to the position of the vehicle; and a presentation unit that presents the elemental content.

[0386] 11 Content presentation system, 21 Own vehicle, 22-1 to 22-N, 22 Other vehicles, 23 Content server, 48 Route analysis / recording unit, 49 In-vehicle interest event extraction unit, 50 Communication unit, 51 Performance decision unit, 52 Performance control unit, 53 Presentation unit, 101 Communication unit, 102 Content decision unit

Claims

1. A signal processing device comprising: an acquisition unit that acquires first vehicle information relating to a first vehicle and second vehicle information relating to a second vehicle different from the first vehicle; and a determination unit that determines content to be presented in the first vehicle based on the first vehicle information and the second vehicle information.

2. The signal processing device according to claim 1, wherein the content is an image taken with the area around the first vehicle as the subject, or is superimposed on an object located around the first vehicle.

3. The signal processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the second vehicle is a vehicle that moves to the same destination as the first vehicle.

4. The signal processing device according to claim 1, wherein the first vehicle information includes at least one of the following: information relating to movement by the first vehicle and interest event information relating to interest events of the occupants of the first vehicle.

5. The signal processing device according to claim 4, wherein the information relating to the movement of the first vehicle includes information relating to at least one of the position of the first vehicle, the trajectory of the movement, the route to the destination, and the approach stage to the destination.

6. The signal processing device according to claim 1, wherein the second vehicle information includes at least one of the following: information relating to movement by the second vehicle and interest event information relating to the interest events of the occupants of the second vehicle.

7. The signal processing device according to claim 6, wherein the information relating to the movement of the second vehicle includes information relating to at least one of the following: the position of the second vehicle, the trajectory of its movement, the route of the second vehicle to its destination, and the approach stage of the second vehicle to its destination.

8. The signal processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the content is content relating to the second vehicle.

9. The signal processing device according to claim 8, wherein the content is content relating to the trajectory of the movement of the second vehicle.

10. The signal processing device according to claim 8, wherein the content is content relating to an event of interest to the occupant of the second vehicle.

11. The signal processing device according to claim 10, wherein the content is displayed in the vicinity of the second vehicle or superimposed on the second vehicle.

12. The signal processing device according to claim 1, wherein the content includes a plurality of elemental content, and the presentation of the elemental content is controlled according to the position of the first vehicle.

13. The signal processing device according to claim 12, wherein the presentation of the element content is controlled such that a single content consisting of multiple element content is completed as the first vehicle approaches its destination.

14. The signal processing device according to claim 1, wherein the determination unit changes the number of content items to be determined or the number of types of performance effects produced by the content items according to the position of the first vehicle.

15. The signal processing apparatus according to claim 14, wherein the determination unit determines the content such that the number of content items or the number of types of performance effects increases as the first vehicle approaches its destination.

16. The signal processing apparatus according to claim 14, wherein the determination unit determines the content such that the number of contents unrelated to the first vehicle decreases as the first vehicle approaches its destination.

17. The signal processing device according to claim 14, wherein the determination unit determines the content such that the number of contents relating to the destination of the first vehicle or the interests of the occupants of the first vehicle increases as the first vehicle approaches the destination.

18. A signal processing method comprising the steps of: acquiring first vehicle information relating to a first vehicle; acquiring second vehicle information relating to a second vehicle different from the first vehicle; and determining content to be presented in the first vehicle based on the first vehicle information and the second vehicle information.

19. A signal processing device comprising: an acquisition unit that supplies vehicle information relating to its own vehicle to a server and acquires content determined from the server based on the vehicle information relating to other vehicles; and a control unit that controls the presentation of the content.

20. The signal processing apparatus according to claim 19, wherein the control unit causes the control unit to superimpose the content onto an image taken with the area around the vehicle as the subject, or onto an object to be superimposed on the area around the vehicle.

21. The signal processing device according to claim 19, wherein the other vehicle is a vehicle moving to the same destination as the vehicle itself.

22. The signal processing device according to claim 19, wherein the vehicle information includes at least one of the following: information relating to movement by the vehicle and interest event information relating to the interest events of the occupants of the vehicle.

23. A signal processing method comprising the steps of: supplying vehicle information relating to the vehicle to a server; obtaining content determined from the server based on the vehicle information relating to other vehicles; and controlling the presentation of the content.

Images