UI setting method, UI setting system, and target device

Abstract

In this target device, the content of a user interface is specified by parameters of a plurality of function items, and the parameter of each function item corresponds to one of a plurality of options. By the target device or by cooperation between the target device and another device capable of bidirectional communication with each other, a generation instruction prompt (CC) based on UI specification information (AA) representing information on each option for each function item and characteristic information (BB) corresponding to a preference of a user of the target device is created. By inputting the generation instruction prompt to a generative AI (4a), AI output information (DD) is generated by the generation AI and is reflected in the user interface.

Description

UI setting method, UI setting system, and target device

[0001] The present invention relates to a UI setting method, a UI setting system, and a target device.

[0002] Various devices with user interfaces have a function to change the content of the user interface according to the user's preferences. For example, there is a function that allows the user to customize the screen design, color scheme, font size, etc., of the user interface through touch panel operation on a settings screen. A remote control device equipped with this type of function is disclosed in Patent Document 1. In the method of Patent Document 1, the layout of operation keys on the touch panel is customized in response to user operations.

[0003] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2006-32407

[0004] However, customizing the user interface can often be time-consuming and cumbersome for users. Reducing the number of settings lessens the effort, but it also limits the degree of customization. Conversely, adding too many settings increases the complexity of the configuration, making it difficult to achieve the desired user interface. Furthermore, achieving a preferred configuration state may require a certain level of specialized knowledge.

[0005] The present invention aims to easily obtain a user interface that aligns with the user's preferences.

[0006] The UI setting method according to the present invention is a UI setting method for setting the content of a user interface used in a target device. In the target device, the content of the user interface is specified by the parameters of a plurality of functional items, and the parameters of each functional item are one of a plurality of choices. The target device, or the target device and other devices that can communicate bidirectionally with each other, create a generation instruction prompt based on UI specification information representing the information of each choice for each functional item and characteristic information according to the user preferences of the target device, and by inputting the generation instruction prompt to a generation AI, the AI ​​output information generated by the generation AI is reflected in the user interface.

[0007] According to the UI configuration method described above, a generation instruction prompt tailored to the user's preferences is input to the generation AI, and the generation results of the generation AI are reflected in the user interface. Therefore, simply by identifying the user's preferences, it becomes possible to provide the user with a user interface tailored to those preferences. In other words, a user interface that matches the user's preferences can be easily obtained without placing a significant burden on the user. Furthermore, by including UI specification information in the generation instruction prompt, the generation AI can generate AI output information in a form that can be used on the target device. If only characteristic information tailored to the user's preferences is provided to the generation AI, the degree of freedom in the generation AI's generation increases, and as a result, the content generated by the generation AI may not be usable on the target device.

[0008] This is an overall configuration diagram of a system according to an embodiment of the present invention. This is an internal configuration diagram of an in-vehicle device according to an embodiment of the present invention. This is an internal configuration diagram of a server device according to an embodiment of the present invention. This is an internal configuration diagram of a management device according to an embodiment of the present invention. This is a diagram showing an example of the display content of a display screen according to an embodiment of the present invention (display state ST). ＭＡＩＮ). This is a diagram showing the transition of display states of a display screen according to an embodiment of the present invention. This is a diagram showing an example of the display content of a display screen according to an embodiment of the present invention (display state ST[1]). This is a diagram showing an example of the display content of a display screen according to an embodiment of the present invention (display state ST[2]). This is a diagram showing the configuration of UI specification information according to an embodiment of the present invention. This is a diagram showing the configuration of UI setting information according to an embodiment of the present invention. According to an embodiment of the present invention, Figure 11(a) shows UI setting information relating to one example, and Figure 11(b) shows UI setting information relating to another example. This is a diagram showing an example of the display content of a display screen in a setting display state according to an embodiment of the present invention. This is a diagram showing an example of the change of the display screen due to a change in UI setting information according to an embodiment of the present invention. This is a configuration diagram related to the realization of the UI setting function according to an embodiment of the present invention. According to an embodiment of the present invention, Figures 15(a) to 15(e) are diagrams showing the distribution method of a plurality of processing units in configuration methods α1 to α5. Figures 16(c) to 16(c) are explanatory diagrams for the method of storing and acquiring UI specification information, relating to Example EX_1A, which belongs to an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 16(c) is an explanatory diagram for the method of acquiring UI specification information, relating to Example EX_1B, which belongs to an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 16(c) is a diagram illustrating a specific example related to the acquisition of UI specification information, relating to Example EX_1B, which belongs to an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 16(c) is a diagram illustrating the input / output information of multiple processing units, relating to Example EX_2A, which belongs to an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 21(a) is a diagram showing how UI setting information is changed, and Figure 21(b) is a diagram showing how the display screen is changed in accordance with the change in UI setting information, relating to Example EX_2B, which belongs to an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 21(a) is a diagram showing the input / output information of multiple processing units, relating to Example EX_2B, which belongs to an embodiment of the present invention. This relates to Embodiment EX_2B, which is an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 24(a) shows how UI setting information is changed, and Figure 24(b) shows how the display screen is changed in accordance with the change in UI setting information. This relates to Embodiment EX_3A, which is an embodiment of the present invention. This is an operation flowchart of the system related to the UI setting function.This is a detailed flowchart of the steps related to the UI reflection process, relating to Example EX_3A, which belongs to an embodiment of the present invention. This is an operation flowchart of an in-vehicle device related to the UI setting function, relating to Example EX_3B, which belongs to an embodiment of the present invention. This is an operation flowchart of a server device related to the UI setting function, relating to Example EX_3B, which belongs to an embodiment of the present invention. This is a partial configuration diagram of the system, relating to Example EX_5A, which belongs to an embodiment of the present invention. This is a configuration diagram of UI setting information, relating to Example EX_6, which belongs to an embodiment of the present invention. This is a diagram showing an example of the display content of the display screen, relating to Example EX_6, which belongs to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0009] Hereinafter, examples of embodiments of the present invention will be specifically described with reference to the drawings. In each of the referenced drawings, the same parts are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant descriptions relating to the same parts will be omitted as a general rule. In this specification, for the sake of simplification of the description, symbols or reference numerals that refer to information, signals, physical quantities, functional parts, circuits, elements, or components may be indicated, and the names of the information, signals, physical quantities, functional parts, circuits, elements, or components corresponding to such symbols or reference numerals may be omitted or abbreviated. In addition, for any image of interest, image data refers to data (image signals) that represent the content of the image of interest.

[0010] Figure 1 shows a schematic configuration diagram of the system SYS according to this embodiment. The system SYS is equipped with an on-board device 10 and a server device 20, which are vehicle-side devices. Of the management device 30, database 40, microphone MC, and speaker SP shown in Figure 1, all or any part may be included as components of the system SYS, or they may not be included as components of the system SYS. Furthermore, when focusing on the UI setting function described later, the system SYS can be referred to as a UI setting system.

[0011] The on-board device 10 is installed in the vehicle VV. The vehicle VV can be any vehicle (such as an automobile) capable of traveling on a road surface. The on-board device 10 is installed in a suitable location inside the vehicle VV, such as in front of the driver's seat. The on-board device 10 may be a device designed to be mounted in the vehicle VV, or it may be an information terminal (mobile information terminal) such as a smartphone or tablet brought into the vehicle VV. The on-board device 10, the server device 20, and the management device 30 are each connected to a communication network NET, which includes mobile communication lines, intranets, and the Internet. The on-board device 10, the server device 20, and the management device 30 can communicate bidirectionally with each other via the communication network NET.

[0012] User UU is a user of the in-vehicle device 10 and rides in the vehicle VV. In this embodiment, occupants refer to the occupants of the vehicle VV. User UU is included in the occupants of the vehicle VV. A microphone MC and a speaker SP are arranged in the passenger compartment of the vehicle VV. The microphone MC and speaker SP are connected to the in-vehicle device 10 by wire or wireless.

[0013] The microphone MC converts the sound inside the vehicle VV's cabin into an acoustic signal (electrical signal). The acoustic signal obtained by the conversion of the microphone MC is transmitted to the in-vehicle device 10. When the occupants of the vehicle VV speak, the sound of the occupants' speech is included in the sound inside the vehicle VV's cabin, and therefore the acoustic signal from the microphone MC includes the acoustic signal of the speech. The microphone MC is positioned in an appropriate location inside the vehicle VV's cabin so that the speech of the occupants (in this case, especially the user UU) can be properly captured. The microphone MC may also be installed in the in-vehicle device 10. The microphone MC may also be installed in an information terminal (smartphone) brought into the vehicle VV. The microphone MC may consist of multiple microphones.

[0014] The speaker SP outputs sound signals supplied from the in-vehicle device 10. The speaker SP is positioned in an appropriate location within the vehicle VV so that each occupant can hear the output sound. The speaker SP may also be installed in the in-vehicle device 10. The speaker SP may also be installed in an information terminal (smartphone) brought into the vehicle VV. The speaker SP may consist of multiple speakers.

[0015] Figure 2 shows the internal configuration of the in-vehicle device 10. The in-vehicle device 10 comprises a controller 11, memory 12, communication circuit 13, recording medium 14, and display unit 15.

[0016] The controller 11 includes a processing unit, including a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), as hardware resources. The controller 11 may implement any functions, operations, and processes to be realized by the controller 11 by executing a program recorded in the memory 12 or any other recording medium. The controller 11 is sometimes referred to as the vehicle-side controller 11 in order to clearly distinguish it from other controllers described later.

[0017] Memory 12 is composed of non-volatile memory such as ROM (Read-only memory) or flash memory, and volatile memory such as RAM (Random Access Memory). Memory 12 stores various data that the controller 11 refers to, as well as various programs that should be executed by the controller 11.

[0018] The communication circuit 13 is a communication module that transmits and receives arbitrary signals to and from a counterpart device different from the in-vehicle device 10. The communication circuit 13 may be a communication module provided outside the in-vehicle device 10. The communication module provided outside the in-vehicle device 10 may be a communication module shared by the in-vehicle device 10 and other electrical equipment provided in the vehicle VV. The communication circuit 13 may be a communication module provided in an information terminal (smartphone) brought into the vehicle VV. The counterpart device for the communication circuit 13 includes the server device 20 and the management device 30 shown in FIG. 1. The communication circuit 13 can communicate with any device (including the server device 20 and the management device 30) connected to the communication network NET via the communication network NET. Incidentally, the controller 11 can transmit and receive arbitrary information to and from the counterpart device using the communication circuit 13, but hereinafter, the description of the communication circuit 13 may be omitted.

[0019] The recording medium 14 is a non-volatile recording medium composed of a magnetic disk or a flash memory or the like, and stores (records) arbitrary information in a non-volatile manner. The controller 11 can record arbitrary information on the recording medium 14 and can read out arbitrary information recorded on the recording medium 14. Incidentally, the recording medium 14 may be provided outside the in-vehicle device 10 and inside the vehicle VV. In this case, the controller 11 uses the communication circuit 13 to access the recording medium 14 via an in-vehicle network formed in the vehicle VV.

[0020] The display unit 15 is a display device having a display screen 16 composed of a liquid crystal display panel or the like, and displays an arbitrary image (video) under the control of the controller 11. The display unit 15 may be a display device in an information terminal (smartphone) brought into the vehicle VV.

[0021] In this embodiment, the display screen 16 is configured as a touch panel. The user UU can input various operations to the in-vehicle device 10. Operations on the in-vehicle device 10 by the user UU include operations on the display screen 16, and operations on the display screen 16 are sometimes specifically referred to as touch panel operations. In other words, touch panel operations on the display screen 16 are a form of operation on the in-vehicle device 10, and are sometimes expressed as touch panel operations on the in-vehicle device 10. Touch panel operations include operations in which the user UU touches or presses a specific part (button icon, etc.) on the display screen 16 with their finger, or operations in which the finger moves while in contact with the display screen 16. The in-vehicle device 10 is provided with an operation input unit that receives operations from the user UU, and the pointing device provided on the touch panel is a component of the operation input unit. The operation input unit may also include operating members other than the components of the touch panel (mechanical push-button switches, etc.). In this embodiment, when simply referred to as "display," it refers to the display on the display screen 16 unless otherwise specified.

[0022] Fig. 3 shows the internal configuration of the server device 20. The server device 20 includes a controller 21, a memory 22, and a communication circuit 23. The server device 20 is composed of one or more computer devices connected to the communication network NET. The server device 20 may be configured using cloud computing. The controller 21 includes an arithmetic processing unit including a CPU, a GPU, etc. as hardware resources. The controller 21 may realize any function, operation, and process to be realized by the controller 21 by executing a program recorded in the memory 22 or any other recording medium. Incidentally, the controller 21 may be referred to as the server-side controller 21 in order to clearly distinguish it from other controllers. The memory 22 is configured to have a non-volatile memory such as a ROM or a flash memory and a volatile memory such as a RAM. In the memory 22, each data referred to by the controller 21 is stored, and various programs to be executed by the controller 21 are also stored. The communication circuit 23 is a communication module that transmits and receives arbitrary signals to and from a counterpart device different from the server device 20. The counterpart device for the communication circuit 23 includes the in-vehicle device 10 and the management device 30. In addition, the communication circuit 23 can communicate with any device connected to the communication network NET via the communication network NET. Incidentally, the controller 21 can transmit and receive arbitrary information to and from the counterpart device using the communication circuit 23, but hereinafter, the description of the communication circuit 23 may be omitted.

[0023] Figure 4 shows the internal configuration of the management device 30. The management device 30 comprises a controller 31, a memory 32, and a communication circuit 33. The management device 30 is composed of one or more computer devices connected to a communication network NET. The management device 30 may also be configured using cloud computing. The controller 31 is equipped with a processing unit including a CPU and a GPU as hardware resources. The controller 31 may realize any functions, operations, and processes to be implemented by the controller 31 by executing a program recorded in the memory 32 or any other recording medium. Note that the controller 31 is sometimes referred to as the management controller 31 to clearly distinguish it from other controllers. The memory 32 is composed of non-volatile memory such as ROM or flash memory and volatile memory such as RAM. The memory 32 stores various data that the controller 31 refers to, as well as various programs to be executed by the controller 31. The communication circuit 33 is a communication module that sends and receives arbitrary signals between the management device 30 and a different counterpart device. The counterpart devices for the communication circuit 33 include the in-vehicle device 10 and the server device 20. In addition, the communication circuit 33 can communicate with any device connected to the communication network NET via the communication network NET. The controller 31 can send and receive arbitrary information with the other device using the communication circuit 33, but the description of the communication circuit 33 may be omitted below.

[0024] The in-vehicle device 10 can implement multiple functions. For example, a navigation function that assists in driving the vehicle VV to its destination may be included in the above multiple functions. Also, for example, a drive record function that records images captured by a camera that photographs the exterior or interior of the vehicle VV onto a recording medium 14 may be included in the above multiple functions. Also, for example, an AV function that plays arbitrary video and audio signals may be included in the above multiple functions. The playback of video and audio signals may be the playback of video and audio signals recorded on a magnetic disk or optical disk, or the playback of video and audio signals from television broadcast waves. Also, a radio function that outputs sound based on radio broadcast waves from a speaker SP may be included in the above multiple functions. In addition, various functions can be implemented by the in-vehicle device 10, but in this embodiment, we will focus in particular on the UI setting function implemented by the in-vehicle device 10, or implemented through the cooperation of the in-vehicle device 10 and the server device 20.

[0025] UI is an abbreviation for user interface. The user interface is the user interface between the user UU and the in-vehicle device 10. In the in-vehicle device 10, the content of the user interface can be changed and set in various ways using the UI setting function. The user interface described in this embodiment is a graphical user interface using the display screen 16, and therefore it is the user interface on the display screen 16. Thus, the content of the user interface related to the changes or settings of the UI setting function refers to the display content (display design) of the user interface. The user UU can customize the display content on the display screen 16 in various ways using the UI setting function to suit their preferences. The operation command signals (operation content detected by the controller 11) output from the user interface to the controller 11 will correspond to the changed or set display content of the user interface.

[0026] Figure 5 shows the display state ST ＭＡＩＮ The content of the display screen 16 is shown. Display state ST ＭＡＩＮOn the display screen 16, a main menu image is displayed. The main menu image includes a plurality of button icons. In the example of FIG. 5, the main menu image includes button icons 601 to 608. Display state ST ＭＡＩＮ In, when a touch panel operation is performed by the user UU to select any one of the button icons, the controller 11 performs the process associated with the selected button icon. A touch panel operation for selecting a certain button icon is, for example, an operation of touching or pressing the button icon with a finger. The process associated with the button icon often includes a process of changing the display content of the display screen 16. For example, when a touch panel operation is performed to instruct to change the position of the button icon 601 from the first position to the second position, a change in the display content of the display screen 16 accompanied by the change of the display position of the button icon 601 from the first position to the second position occurs according to the touch panel operation. Thereafter, when there is a touch panel operation for touching the second position on the display screen 16, the controller 11 will perform the process associated with the button icon 601 (it will detect the selection operation of the button icon 601).

[0027] FIG. 6 is a transition diagram of the display state of the display screen 16. Immediately after the in-vehicle device 10 is started, the controller 11 sets the display state of the display screen 16 to the display state ST ＭＡＩＮ which is the initial display state. Display state ST ＭＡＩＮ is the display state of the first layer which is the highest layer. When the display screen 16 is in the display state ST ＭＡＩＮ and an operation OP[i] is input from the user UU to the in-vehicle device 10, the controller 11 switches the display state of the display screen 16 from the display state ST ＭＡＩＮ to the display state ST[i]. i represents an arbitrary natural number. The display state ST[i] is the display state of the second layer. In FIG. 6, only the display states ST[1] to ST[3] are shown as examples of the display states of the second layer, but the total number of the display states of the second layer is arbitrary.

[0028] For example, when the display screen 16 is in the display state ST ＭＡＩＮWhen the user UU inputs an operation OP [1] to the in-vehicle device 10, the controller 11 changes the display state of the display screen 16 to display state ST. ＭＡＩＮ Switch to display state ST[1] in Figure 7. Here, operation OP[1] is display state ST ＭＡＩＮ This is the operation of selecting a button icon 601 on the display screen 16. Also, for example, when the display screen 16 is in display state ST ＭＡＩＮ When the user UU inputs an operation OP [2] to the in-vehicle device 10, the controller 11 changes the display state of the display screen 16 to display state ST ＭＡＩＮ Switch to display state ST[2] in Figure 8. Here, operation OP[2] is display state ST ＭＡＩＮ This operation selects the button icon 602 on the display screen 16. Similarly, operations OP[3] to OP[8] each select the display state ST. ＭＡＩＮ This is the operation of selecting button icons 603 to 608 on the display screen 16.

[0029] When the display screen 16 is in the second-level display state [i], if an operation OP [i,j] is input from the user UU to the in-vehicle device 10, the controller 11 switches the display state of the display screen 16 from display state [i] to display state ST [i,j]. j represents any natural number. Display state ST [i,j] is the third-level display state. In Figure 6, only display states ST [1,1] to ST [1,3], ST [2,1] to ST [2,3] and ST [3,1] to ST [3,3] are shown as examples of third-level display states, but the total number of third-level display states is arbitrary. Operation OP [i,j] is a specific touch panel operation on the display screen 16 in display state ST [i], and operation OP [i,j Ａ ] and OP[i,j Ｂ ] are different from each other (where j Ａ and j Ｂ (These are all distinct integers.)

[0030] The second level is a lower level than the first level, and the third level is an even lower level than the second level. Although not shown in Figure 6, there are also display states of levels lower than the third level (for example, the fourth level). That is, when the display screen 16 is in the third level display state [i, j], if a specific operation is input from the user UU to the in-vehicle device 10, the controller 11 can switch the display state of the display screen 16 from the display state [i, j] to the fourth level display state corresponding to the input operation. Although not shown in Figure 6, there are also operations to transition the display state of the display screen 16 from a lower level display state to a higher level display state.

[0031] Figure 9 is a diagram showing the configuration of UI specification information AA in the in-vehicle device 10. Figure 10 is a diagram showing the configuration of UI setting information SS in the in-vehicle device 10. Hereinafter, in this specification, UI specification information AA and UI setting information SS will be mainly referred to as specification information AA and setting information SS, respectively, for the sake of simplicity in description. Specification information AA and setting information SS each include functional items F[1] to F[m] (in other words, functional items F[1] to F[m] are defined in specification information AA and setting information SS, respectively). m represents any integer greater than or equal to 2, but often has an integer value of 10 or greater.

[0032] The setting information SS is stored in a setting memory area provided in the controller 11. The setting memory area is a non-volatile memory area. Parameters are set for each of the functional items F[1] to F[m] in the setting information SS. In Figure 10, the illustration of the parameters for each functional item is omitted. Depending on the parameter settings, the setting information SS may be, for example, setting information SS1 in Figure 11(a) or setting information SS2 in Figure 11(b).

[0033] In the in-vehicle device 10, the content of the user interface, that is, the display content (display design) of the user interface, is specified (characterized) by each parameter of the functional items F[1] to F[m] in the setting information SS. In the specification information AA, multiple options for parameters are defined for each functional item. In the setting information SS, it is specified for each functional item which of the multiple options the parameter of that functional item is.

[0034] Functional item F[1] represents the font size. Font size refers to the size of the characters displayed on the display screen 16. In specification information AA, "small," "medium," and "large" are defined as the first, second, and third options for functional item F[1], respectively. The controller 11 makes the font size different depending on whether the parameter of functional item F[1] in the setting information SS is "small," "medium," or "large." Specifically, the controller 11 sets the font size on the display screen 16 to small, medium, and large, respectively, when the parameter of functional item F[1] in the setting information SS is "small," "medium," or "large." Here, medium is larger than small, and large is even larger than medium. Hereafter, "small," "medium," and "large" in the parameters of functional item F[1] may be written as small size, medium size, and large size, respectively. Furthermore, the total number of options for functional item F[1] is arbitrary as long as it is two or more.

[0035] Functional item F[2] represents the screen color scheme. The screen color scheme refers to the overall color tone of the display image on the display screen 16. In the specification information AA, "Light," "Normal," and "Dark" are defined as the first, second, and third options for functional item F[2], respectively. The controller 11 makes the screen color scheme different depending on whether the parameter of functional item F[2] in the setting information SS is "Light," "Normal," or "Dark." Specifically, the controller 11 makes the screen color scheme brighter when the parameter of functional item F[2] in the setting information SS is "Light" than when the parameter of functional item F[2] in the setting information SS is "Normal." The controller 11 makes the screen color scheme darker when the parameter of functional item F[2] in the setting information SS is "Dark" than when the parameter of functional item F[2] in the setting information SS is "Normal." Furthermore, the total number of options for functional item F[2] is arbitrary as long as it is two or more.

[0036] Functional item F[3] represents the background design. The background design is the design of the background area in the display image of the display screen 16. The background area refers to areas other than the display area to which a function is assigned, such as button icons. When a touch panel operation is performed on the display area to which a function is assigned, the controller 11 executes a process corresponding to that function (such as a transition process of the display state). In contrast, the controller 11 treats the touch panel operation on the background area as invalid. In the specification information AA, "Normal," "Forest," "Sea," and "Starry Sky" are defined as the first, second, third, and fourth options for functional item F[3], respectively. The controller 11 makes the display content of the background area different depending on whether the parameter of functional item F[3] in the setting information SS is "Normal," "Forest," "Sea," or "Starry Sky." Specifically, when the parameter of function item F[3] in the setting information SS is "forest", "sea", or "starry sky", the controller 11 displays a background image with a forest motif, a background image with a sea motif, or a background image with a starry sky motif in the background area, respectively. When the parameter of function item F[3] in the setting information SS is "normal", the controller 11 displays a default background image in the background area. The default background image is different from the background images with a forest motif, a background image with a sea motif, and a background image with a starry sky motif. The total number of choices for function item F[3] is arbitrary, as long as it is two or more.

[0037] Functional item F[4] represents the button design. The button design refers to the design of the button icons displayed on the display screen 16 (for example, button icons 601 to 608 in Figure 5). In the specification information AA, "Normal," "Cookie-like," and "Metal-like" are defined as the first, second, and third options for functional item F[4], respectively. The controller 11 makes the design of the button icons (and therefore the displayed content) different depending on whether the parameter of functional item F[4] in the setting information SS is "Normal," "Cookie-like," or "Metal-like." Specifically, when the parameter of functional item F[4] in the setting information SS is "Cookie-like," the controller 11 sets the design of the button icons to a design based on cookies (confectionery cookies). When the parameter of functional item F[4] in the setting information SS is "Metal-like," the controller 11 sets the design of the button icons to a design based on metal. When the parameter of function item F[4] in the setting information SS is "normal", the controller 11 sets the default button design to the button icon design. The default button design is different from the cookie-themed design and the metal-themed design. The total number of choices for function item F[4] is arbitrary, as long as it is two or more.

[0038] The setting information SS1 in Figure 11(a) is an example of setting information SS. In setting information SS1, the parameters of function items F[1], F[2], F[3], and F[4] are "small", "dark", "normal", and "normal", respectively. The setting information SS2 in Figure 11(b) is another example of setting information SS. In setting information SS2, the parameters of function items F[1], F[2], F[3], and F[4] are "large", "light", "starry sky", and "cookie-like", respectively.

[0039] In the configuration information SS, the parameters of each functional item are actually represented by numerical values ​​associated with the parameters. That is, for example, the first, second, and third options for functional item F[1] are associated with the numerical values ​​"1", "2", and "3", respectively. Therefore, the parameter for functional item F[1] in configuration information SS1 is set to the numerical value "1", indicating that the font size is "small". The parameter for functional item F[1] in configuration information SS2 is set to the numerical value "3", indicating that the font size is "large". Similarly, for example, the first, second, third, and fourth options for functional item F[3] are associated with the numerical values ​​"1", "2", "3", and "4", respectively. Therefore, the parameter for functional item F[3] in configuration information SS1 is set to the numerical value "1", indicating that the background design is "normal". The parameter for functional item F[3] in configuration information SS2 is set to the numerical value "4", indicating that the background design is "starry sky". The same applies to other functional items.

[0040] While functional items F[1] to F[4] are of particular interest here, there are many other functional items besides F[1] to F[4]. For example, functional items other than F[1] to F[4] may include functional items corresponding to landmarks and functional items corresponding to characters. Functional items corresponding to landmarks determine how landmarks are displayed when a map image is displayed on the display screen 16. Functional items corresponding to characters determine what kind of character is displayed when a character is displayed on the display screen 16. The displayed character may be an image representing a virtual agent. In the controller 11, artificial intelligence that performs conversations with the occupants of the vehicle VV and autonomous operation of equipment inside the vehicle VV is formed as a pseudo-personality. This pseudo-personality is the virtual agent. Also, for example, functional items other than F[1] to F[4] may include functional items corresponding to the arrangement order of button icons. Functional items corresponding to the arrangement order of button icons determine the arrangement order of multiple button icons on the display screen 16 when multiple button icons are displayed on the display screen 16. Possible arrangement orders include default order, alphabetical order, and frequency of use. The default order refers to the predetermined initial arrangement order. Alphabetical order options include, for example, Japanese alphabetical order (using the Japanese syllabary), English alphabetical order (using the English alphabet), and numerical order. For functional items corresponding to the button icon arrangement order, multiple options are provided for that arrangement order.

[0041] Figure 12 shows an example of the display screen 16 in the setting display state. The setting display state is one type of display state of the display screen 16. The display state of the display screen 16 is display state ST. ＭＡＩＮFrom that point onward, in response to the sequential execution of multiple touch panel operations, including the selection of a button icon 608, in a fixed procedure, the controller 11 transitions the display state of the display screen 16 to the setting display state. The state in which the display screen 16 is in the setting display state is referred to as the setting acceptance state. In the setting acceptance state, the controller 11 accepts a manual setting operation from the user UU. The manual setting operation here is an operation that the user UU inputs to the in-vehicle device 10, and is a touch panel operation that specifies which option to set the parameters of the function items F[1] to F[m] in the setting information SS to.

[0042] In the settings display state, the display screen 16 shows the names of multiple function items, along with multiple selectable options for each function item. In Figure 12, only the names of function items F[1] to F[4] are shown, but upon receiving input such as a predetermined scroll operation, the controller 11 displays the names of other function items on the display screen 16. In the settings acceptance state, the controller 11 changes and sets the parameters of one or more function items from function items F[1] to F[m] in the settings information SS according to the manual setting operation from the user UU. For example, in the settings display state, the controller 11 can set the parameter of function item F[1] in the settings information SS to the first option (small), second option (medium), or third option (large) according to the manual setting operation. Similarly, for example, in the settings display state, the controller 11 can set the parameter of function item F[2] in the settings information SS to the first option (light), second option (normal), or third option (dark) according to the manual setting operation. The same applies to other function items.

[0043] Figure 13 shows an example of how the display content changes before and after changing the parameters of function items F[1] to F[4] in the setting information SS. The display screen 16 shown on the left in Figure 13 is the display screen 16 before changing the parameters of function items F[1] to F[4]. The display screen 16 shown on the right in Figure 13 is the display screen 16 after changing the parameters of function items F[1] to F[4]. The setting information SS related to the example in Figure 13 is setting information SS1 in Figure 11(a) before changing the parameters of function items F[1] to F[4], and setting information SS2 in Figure 11(b) after changing the parameters of function items F[1] to F[4]. In other words, in the example in Figure 13, the parameter of function item F[1] corresponding to the font size is changed from the first option (small) to the third option (large). In addition, along with the change in the parameter of function item F[1], the sensing area for touch panel operation to select the displayed characters is also changed. That is, for example, when a button icon with text is displayed, if the parameter of function item F[1] is changed from the first option (small) to the third option (large), the size of the touch panel sensing area for that button icon expands from the size corresponding to the first option (small) to the size corresponding to the third option (large). In the example in Figure 13, the parameter of function item F[2] corresponding to the screen color scheme is changed from the third option (dark) to the first option (light). In the example in Figure 13, the parameter of function item F[3] corresponding to the background design is changed from the first option (normal) to the fourth option (starry sky). In the example in Figure 13, the parameter of function item F[4] corresponding to the button design is changed from the first option (normal) to the second option (cookie style).

[0044] As described above, the operation of setting, changing, or updating the user interface content based on manual setting operations received from the user UU in the setting acceptance state will be referred to for convenience as manual UI setting operation or simply manual setting operation. The in-vehicle device 10 can perform manual setting operations on its own (the controller 11 can also perform manual setting operations). Through manual setting operations, the user interface can be customized to the user UU's preferences.

[0045] However, given the usage patterns of the in-vehicle device 10, it is presumed that frequent changes to the user interface content are not required. Therefore, the display state ST ＭＡＩＮ In many cases, the in-vehicle device 10 is designed so that multiple touch panel operations are required to reach the settings display state. As a result, it tends to take a relatively long time to reach the settings display state, and in some cases, it can be difficult for the user to reach the settings display state. In addition, manual setting operations for each function item are often cumbersome for the user.

[0046] Considering this, the in-vehicle device 10 is configured to enable the use of a UI setting function utilizing a generation AI. Unlike manual setting operations, the operation of setting, changing, or updating the content of the user interface using a generation AI is, for convenience, referred to as the automatic UI setting operation or simply the automatic setting operation. Figure 14 shows the configuration involved in realizing the automatic UI setting operation. The system SYS in Figure 1 is provided with processing units (processors) 1 to 5. Processing unit 4 is provided with a generation AI 4a. In this specification, AI is an abbreviation for Artificial Intelligence. The generation AI 4a receives prompt input. The prompt for the generation AI 4a is text data indicating an instruction (command) to the generation AI 4a. However, the prompt for the generation AI 4a may include or be attached to data other than text data. The generation AI 4a generates and outputs a creative work according to the content of the input prompt. The creative work that the generation AI 4a can generate is a user interface (graphical user interface) for any electronic device. The generation AI4a can generate text data as information that identifies the content of a user interface, which is a creative work, and can also generate data in various formats (image data, programs, etc.) according to prompts.

[0047] Furthermore, each of the processing units 1 to 5 is capable of reading information stored in the database 40. In this case, processing units 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5 read the information stored in the database 40 through the management device 30. That is, for example, when processing unit 1 reads the information to be read stored in the database 40, it requests the management device 30 to read the information to be read. The management controller 31 responds to this request by reading the information to be read from the database 40 and outputting the information to processing unit 1. As a result, processing unit 1 obtains the information to be read. The same applies to processing units 2 to 5. However, some of the processing units 1 to 5 may not be able to read the information stored in the database 40.

[0048] Furthermore, each of the processing units 1 to 5 may be capable of writing arbitrary information to the database 40. In this case, processing units 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5 write the arbitrary information to the database 40 through the management device 30. That is, for example, when processing unit 1 writes information to be written to the database 40, it requests the management device 30 to write the information to be written. The management controller 31 responds to the request and writes the information to be written to the database 40. The same applies to processing units 2 to 5. However, some of the processing units 1 to 5 may be incapable of writing information to the database 40.

[0049] Processing Unit 1 functions as a specification information acquisition unit. Processing Unit 1 acquires the specification information AA (UI specification information) shown in Figure 9 and outputs the acquired specification information AA to Processing Unit 3. Processing Unit 1 may simply be a block that holds pre-registered specification information AA. In this case, Processing Unit 1 may also be called a specification information registration unit or a specification information holding unit, and Processing Unit 1 outputs the registered specification information AA to Processing Unit 3 at the necessary timing. Processing Unit 2 functions as a characteristic information acquisition unit. Processing Unit 2 acquires characteristic information BB that indicates the user UU's preferences, etc., and outputs the acquired characteristic information BB to Processing Unit 3. The specification information AA from Processing Unit 1 and the characteristic information BB from Processing Unit 2 are input to Processing Unit 3. Processing Unit 3 functions as a prompt creation unit. Processing Unit 3 creates a UI generation instruction prompt CC based on the specification information AA and characteristic information BB, and outputs the created generation instruction prompt CC to Processing Unit 4. The generation instruction prompt CC from Processing Unit 3 is input to Processing Unit 4.

[0050] The generation instruction prompt CC is a prompt that instructs (commands) the generation of a UI. However, the generation result of generation AI4a itself is not necessarily the UI of the in-vehicle device 10. For this reason, more precisely, it can be said that the generation instruction prompt CC is a prompt that instructs (commands) the generation of a recommended UI. The recommended UI is an interface (user interface) that is recommended to be used as the UI of the in-vehicle device 10. Since the generation instruction prompt CC is created according to the specification information AA and characteristic information BB, it is expected that an appropriate UI (recommended UI) according to the specification information AA and characteristic information BB will be generated by generation AI4a.

[0051] The processing unit 4 functions as a UI generation unit. The processing unit 4 inputs a generation instruction prompt CC from the processing unit 3 to the generation AI 4a. The generation AI 4a generates a creative work DD (AI output information) according to the generation instruction prompt CC input to it. In the system SYS, the creative work DD generated by the generation AI 4a is a recommended UI and includes data indicating the content of the recommended UI (data that identifies the content of the recommended UI). The recommended UI is a UI recommended by the generation AI 4a (a UI that is recommended to be adopted in the in-vehicle device 10, derived according to the specification information AA and characteristic information BB).

[0052] Generating AI 4a is an AI (a post-machine learning AI) trained to generate creative works DD according to the information indicated in the generation instruction prompt CC. Various generating AIs capable of generating UI according to the input prompt have been proposed, and existing generating AIs can be used as generating AI 4a, or a generating AI designed and trained for the system SYS can be used as generating AI 4a.

[0053] The processing unit 4 outputs the creative work DD generated by the generation AI 4a to the processing unit 5. The creative work DD from the processing unit 4 is input to the processing unit 5. The processing unit 5 displays a UI on the display screen 16 that has content according to each parameter in the setting information SS. The processing unit 5 functions as a generation result reflection unit and performs UI reflection processing to reflect the creative work DD in the UI of the in-vehicle device 10. In the UI reflection processing, the processing unit 5 sets and updates each parameter in the setting information SS according to the creative work DD, thereby setting the content of the recommended UI to the content of the UI of the in-vehicle device 10 (i.e., updating the content of the UI of the in-vehicle device 10 with the content of the recommended UI). Specifically, each parameter in the setting information SS refers to the parameters of each functional item (F[1] to F[m]) in the setting information SS.

[0054] Processing units 1 to 5 may all be provided in the in-vehicle device 10. In this case, processing units 1 to 5 are built into the controller 11 of the in-vehicle device 10. A configuration may also be adopted in which some of the processing units 1 to 5 are provided in the in-vehicle device 10 and the remaining processing units are provided in the server device 20. In this case, some of the processing units are built into the controller 11 of the in-vehicle device 10 and the remaining processing units are built into the controller 21 of the server device 20. When one processing unit is provided in the in-vehicle device 10 and another processing unit is provided in the server device 20, the output (transmission) of information from the former processing unit to the latter processing unit is performed via the communication circuit 13, and the information is input (received) to the latter processing unit via the communication circuit 23. The same applies to the output and input of data or signals. When one processing unit is provided in the server device 20 and another processing unit is provided in the in-vehicle device 10, the output (transmission) of information from the former processing unit to the latter processing unit is performed via the communication circuit 23, and the information is input (received) to the latter processing unit via the communication circuit 13. The same applies to the output and input of data or signals.

[0055] Each of the processing units 1 to 5 may be an independent arithmetic processing unit. An arithmetic processing unit is, for example, an MCU (Micro Controller Unit) or an SOC (System on a Chip). If any two or more of the processing units 1 to 5 are built into the controller 11, these two or more processing units may be two or more arithmetic processing units within the controller 11, or a single arithmetic processing unit within the controller 11 may function as these two or more processing units. If any two or more of the processing units 1 to 5 are built into the controller 21, these two or more processing units may be two or more arithmetic processing units within the controller 21, or a single arithmetic processing unit within the controller 21 may function as these two or more processing units.

[0056] Referring to Figures 15(a) to (e), configuration methods α1 to α5 are illustrated to show which device each of the processing units 1 to 5 is installed in. Any of configuration methods α1 to α5 can be adopted in the system SYS, and configuration methods other than those α1 to α5 can also be adopted.

[0057] In configuration method α1, as shown in Figure 15(a), processing units 2 and 5 are provided in the in-vehicle device 10 (and therefore the controller 11), while processing units 1, 3, and 4 are provided in the server device 20 (and therefore the controller 21). In configuration method α2, as shown in Figure 15(b), processing units 2, 3, and 5 are provided in the in-vehicle device 10 (and therefore the controller 11), while processing units 1 and 4 are provided in the server device 20 (and therefore the controller 21). In configuration method α3, as shown in Figure 15(c), processing units 1, 2, 3, and 5 are provided in the in-vehicle device 10 (and therefore the controller 11), while processing unit 4 is provided in the server device 20 (and therefore the controller 21). In configuration method α4, as shown in Figure 15(d), processing units 2, 3, 4, and 5 are provided in the in-vehicle device 10 (and therefore the controller 11), while processing unit 1 is provided in the server device 20 (and therefore the controller 21). In configuration method α5, as shown in Figure 15(e), all processing units 1 to 5 are provided in the in-vehicle device 10 (and therefore the controller 11). When configuration method α5 is adopted, the automatic UI setting operation is realized by the in-vehicle device 10 alone, without using the server device 20.

[0058] If the processing unit 3 is located on an external device to the in-vehicle device 10, the device on which the processing unit 3 is located may be a computer device owned or managed by a service provider different from the manufacturer or distributor of the in-vehicle device 10. If the generated AI 4a is located on an external device to the in-vehicle device 10, the device on which the generated AI 4a is located may be a computer device owned or managed by an AI operator different from the manufacturer or distributor of the in-vehicle device 10. The service provider and the AI ​​operator may be the same company or different companies.

[0059] The following describes several specific operational examples, application technologies, and modification technologies related to the SYS system within the context of multiple embodiments. Unless otherwise specified and without contradiction, the matters described above apply to each of the following embodiments. In the event of any inconsistency between the above and the embodiments described above, the description in the respective embodiment may take precedence. Furthermore, unless contradictory, the matters described in any of the embodiments shown below can be applied to any other embodiment (i.e., any two or more embodiments from the multiple embodiments can be combined).

[0060] <<Example EX_1A>> Example EX_1A will be described. Example EX_1A will describe the first method for acquiring specification information AA (in other words, the first registration method). The processing unit 1 can adopt the first acquisition method. The specification information AA related to the first acquisition method is determined at the design stage of the in-vehicle device 10. The specification information AA related to the first acquisition method is stored in a non-volatile memory area 610, as shown in Figure 16(a).

[0061] The processing unit 1 for the first acquisition method is configured to read information from the storage area 610, and acquires specification information AA by reading the specification information AA from the storage area 610. This makes it possible to acquire specification information AA easily (the load on the processing unit 1 is small). As described above, the processing unit 1 may be provided in the in-vehicle device 10 or the server device 20.

[0062] As shown in Figure 16(b), the storage area 610 may be provided in the in-vehicle device 10, for example, in the recording medium 14 or in the non-volatile memory within the memory 12. In particular, when the configuration method α3 in Figure 15(c) or the configuration method α5 in Figure 15(e) is adopted, it is preferable to provide the storage area 610 in the in-vehicle device 10 (however, it is also possible to provide the storage area 610 in the database 40).

[0063] Alternatively, as shown in Figure 16(c), the storage area 610 may be provided in the database 40. In this case, the processing unit 1 obtains the specification information AA by reading the information in the storage area 610 in the database 40 through the management device 30. The database 40 stores UI specification information for each of the multiple types of in-vehicle devices. Multiple UI specification information for multiple types of in-vehicle devices may differ from one another. For example, the first type of in-vehicle device may have a font size that can be set to one of three types, while the second type of in-vehicle device may have a font size that can be set to one of two types. One of the multiple types of in-vehicle devices is the in-vehicle device 10 that is the focus of this embodiment. For example, the first type of in-vehicle device is the in-vehicle device 10, and the other types of in-vehicle devices are in-vehicle devices other than the in-vehicle device 10.

[0064] Each of the multiple types of in-vehicle devices is assigned a unique model identification ID (model number, etc.), and each of the multiple types of in-vehicle devices stores its own model identification ID in its built-in ROM. Each UI specification information stored in database 40 is assigned a corresponding model identification ID. That is, in database 40, the UI specification information of the first type of in-vehicle device is assigned the model identification ID of the first type of in-vehicle device, and the UI specification information of the second type of in-vehicle device is assigned the model identification ID of the second type of in-vehicle device. The same applies to other types of in-vehicle devices.

[0065] The processing unit 1 sends a request signal to the management device 30 requesting that the specification information AA of the in-vehicle device 10 be read as the information to be read, and at this time, the model identification ID of the in-vehicle device 10 is added to the request signal. Upon receiving the request signal, the management controller 31 extracts and reads the UI specification information (specification information AA) of the in-vehicle device 10 from among the multiple UI specification information stored in the database 40 based on the model identification ID in the request signal. The management controller 31 then outputs the read UI specification information (specification information AA) to the processing unit 1. As a result, the processing unit 1 obtains the UI specification information (specification information AA) as requested.

[0066] <<Example EX_1B>> Example EX_1B will be described. Example EX_1B will describe the second method for obtaining specification information AA (in other words, the second registration method). The second acquisition method can be adopted in the processing unit 1. Furthermore, the first method for obtaining specification information AA related to Example EX_1A or the second method for obtaining specification information AA related to Example EX_1B can be combined with any of the examples described later.

[0067] The manufacturer or distributor of the in-vehicle device 10 creates an instruction manual for the in-vehicle device 10, and the data for the instruction manual is made public on the communication network NET in a file format that can be read by a computer. As shown in Figure 17, the data for the instruction manual for the in-vehicle device 10 (hereinafter, it may be referred to as instruction manual data 621) is stored in a non-volatile storage area 620. The storage area 620 may be provided in the in-vehicle device 10, but in the following, it is assumed that the storage area 620 is provided in the database 40.

[0068] The processing unit 1 reads the instruction manual data 621 from the storage area 620 in the database 40 via the management device 30. The database 40 stores instruction manual data for each of several types of in-vehicle devices. For example, the first type of in-vehicle device is the in-vehicle device 10, and the other types of in-vehicle devices are in-vehicle devices other than the in-vehicle device 10.

[0069] Each of the various types of in-vehicle devices is assigned a unique model identification ID (model number, etc.), and each of the various types of in-vehicle devices stores its own model identification ID in its built-in ROM. The data for each instruction manual stored in database 40 is assigned a corresponding model identification ID. That is, in database 40, the instruction manual data for the first type of in-vehicle device is assigned the model identification ID of the first type of in-vehicle device, and the instruction manual data for the second type of in-vehicle device is assigned the model identification ID of the second type of in-vehicle device. The same applies to other types of in-vehicle devices.

[0070] The processing unit 1 sends a request signal to the management device 30 requesting that the data from the instruction manual for the in-vehicle device 10 be read as target information, and at this time, the model identification ID of the in-vehicle device 10 is added to the request signal. Upon receiving the request signal, the management controller 31 extracts and reads the data from the instruction manual for the in-vehicle device 10 (i.e., instruction manual data 621) from among the multiple instruction manual data stored in the database 40 based on the model identification ID in the request signal. The management controller 31 then outputs the read instruction manual data 621 to the processing unit 1. As a result, the processing unit 1 obtains the instruction manual data 621 as requested.

[0071] The instruction manual contains information that identifies the UI specifications. Therefore, the instruction manual data 621 indicates that, regarding the UI settings for the in-vehicle device 10, the font size can be set to "small," "medium," or "large," and the screen color scheme can be set to "light," "normal," or "dark."

[0072] On the other hand, the processing unit 1 in Example EX_1B is provided with a prompt creation unit 1a, a generated AI 1b, and a specification registration unit 1c, as shown in Figure 17.

[0073] The instruction manual data 621 is input to the prompt creation unit 1a. The prompt creation unit 1a creates a prompt 622 corresponding to the instruction manual data 621 and outputs the created prompt 622 to the generation AI 1b. The prompt 622 is input to the generation AI 1b. The prompt 622 includes text data indicating an instruction (command) to the generation AI 1b. The generation AI 1b generates and outputs a creative work 623 according to the content of the input prompt 622. The generation AI 1b can generate text data according to the content of the prompt 622 as a creative work 623.

[0074] Prompt 622 instructs generation AI1b to extract and output information indicating the UI specification information (specification information AA) of the in-vehicle device 10 from the instruction manual data 621. Therefore, generation AI1b extracts information indicating the UI specification information (specification information AA) of the in-vehicle device 10 from the instruction manual data 621 in accordance with prompt 622. Generation AI1b converts the extracted information into text data in the manner specified by prompt 622, and generates and outputs a creative work 623 containing the text data obtained through this conversion.

[0075] The creative work 623 is input to the specification registration unit 1c. The specification registration unit 1c holds and registers the creative work 623 as specification information AA. The specification registration unit 1c may have a non-volatile memory for holding the specification information AA from the creative work 623. The specification information AA held by the specification registration unit 1c is output to the processing unit 3 (see Figure 14). If the data format of the creative work 623 is different from the data format of the specification information AA to be input to the processing unit 3, the specification registration unit 1c may create the specification information AA by performing a predetermined format conversion on the creative work 623.

[0076] Figure 18 shows an example of prompt 622 and creative work 623. In the example in Figure 18, prompt 622 is composite text data obtained by combining text data 622a and 622b in that order.

[0077] In the example in Figure 18, text data 622a is text data representing the sentence "Please tell me about the customization functions related to the user interface from the following instruction manuals for in-vehicle devices." Text data 622b is text data representing the instruction manual data 621 itself. If the instruction manual data 621 is in image file format, the prompt creation unit 1a may obtain text data 622b by converting the instruction manual data 621 in image file format into text data using well-known character recognition. If the generating AI 1b is an AI capable of recognizing characters in an image, the instruction manual data 621 in image file format may be attached to the prompt 622 instead of text data 622b.

[0078] In the example in Figure 18, the creative work 623 is composite text data obtained by combining text data 623a and 623b in that order. In the example in Figure 18, text data 623a is text data that shows the sentence "The user interface customization functions in the in-vehicle device are as follows." In the example in Figure 18, text data 623b is text data that shows the UI specification information (specification information AA) of the in-vehicle device 10, extracted and summarized from text data 622b. In the example in Figure 18, text data 623b includes text data that shows the sentence "• You can set the font size to small, medium, or large," indicating that the parameter of function item F[1] can be selected and set from three options. In the example in Figure 18, text data 623b includes text data that shows the sentence "• You can set the screen color scheme to light, normal, or dark," indicating that the parameter of function item F[2] can be selected and set from three options. Although not shown in Figure 18, text data 623b also includes text data of sentences related to functional items F[3] to F[m].

[0079] In this way, the processing unit 1 related to the second acquisition method generates specification information AA from the instruction manual data (instruction manual data 621) of the in-vehicle device 10. This makes it possible to create specification information AA from the existing instruction manual using the processing unit 1, without having to prepare the specification information AA in advance manually. As described above, the processing unit 1 may be provided in the in-vehicle device 10 or the server device 20.

[0080] <<Example EX_2A>> Example EX_2A will be described. Example EX_2A describes an example of the flow in which the UI is set and updated by an automatic UI setting operation. Figures 19 and 20 show the input and output information of processing units 1 to 5 related to Example EX_2A.

[0081] The processing unit 1 outputs text data 710 showing specification information AA to the processing unit 3. The method for obtaining specification information AA is as shown in Example EX_1A or EX_1B. The text data 710 includes the text data of the sentence "• You can set the font size to small, medium, or large," which indicates that the parameter of function item F[1] can be selected and set from three options. The text data 710 also includes the text data of the sentence "• You can set the screen color scheme to light, normal, or dark," which indicates that the parameter of function item F[2] can be selected and set from three options. Although not shown in Figure 19, the text data 710 also includes text data of sentences related to function items F[3] to F[m] based on specification information AA.

[0082] The processing unit 2 outputs text data 720 representing characteristic information BB to the processing unit 3. The text data 720 is the text data of the sentence "• Use large fonts and bright colors" which indicates the user UU's preferences. For example, when the user UU speaks a sentence indicating the user UU's preferences, the acoustic signal of the spoken sentence is transmitted from the microphone MC to the in-vehicle device 1, and the acoustic signal is input to the processing unit 2. The processing unit 2 generates characteristic information BB by converting the input acoustic signal into text data using well-known speech recognition technology. In the example in Figure 19, when the user UU speaks the sentence "Use large fonts and bright colors", the text data of that sentence is generated as text data 720 in the processing unit 2.

[0083] The processing unit 3 generates text data 730 based on text data 710 corresponding to specification information AA and text data 720 corresponding to characteristic information BB. Text data 730 is the generation instruction prompt CC related to Example EX_2A. Text data 730 is composite text data obtained by combining text data 731, 732, 733, 734, and 735 in that order. However, text data other than text data 731 to 735 may be included in text data 730.

[0084] Text data 731 is the text data of the sentence "The functions of the user interface in the in-vehicle device are as follows." Text data 731 may be a predetermined standard text data. Text data 732 is the same as text data 710. However, text data 732 may differ slightly from text data 710. The processing unit 3 may generate text data 732 by slightly modifying text data 710 into an expression format suitable as a prompt for generated AI 4a.

[0085] Text data 733 is the text data of the sentence "User opinions on the user interface are as follows." Text data 733 may be a predetermined standard text data. Text data 734 is the same as text data 720. However, text data 734 may differ slightly from text data 720. Processing unit 3 may generate text data 734 by slightly modifying text data 720 into an expression format suitable as a prompt to generated AI 4a. For example, text data 734 may be the text data of the sentence "Users prefer large fonts. Users prefer bright color schemes." based on text data 720.

[0086] Text data 735 is text data that instructs the generation of a user interface. Since the in-vehicle device 10 already has a hardware user interface (display screen 16), the generation of a user interface does not refer to creating the user interface (display screen 16) as a physical object, but rather to generating the content of the user interface (display content, display design). Text data 735 can also be said to instruct the generation of data that indicates the content of the recommended UI. In the example in Figure 19, text data 735 is the text data of the sentence "Please generate a recommended user interface." Text data 735 may be predefined standard text data.

[0087] The processing unit 4 receives text data 730 corresponding to the generation instruction prompt CC and inputs the text data 730 to the generation AI 4a. The generation AI 4a generates the creative work DD according to the generation instruction prompt CC in the text data 730 (see Figures 19 and 20). The creative work DD generated in Example EX_2A is text data 740. Text data 740 is composite text data obtained by combining text data 741 and 742 in that order. However, text data other than text data 741 and 742 may be included in text data 740.

[0088] Text data 741 is the text data for the sentence "The recommended user interface is as follows." Text data 741 is merely an introductory sentence stating that it answers the request in text data 730, and may not be included in text data 740 (it does not have to be included).

[0089] Text data 742 is the actual part of the creative work DD and represents the response to the request in text data 730. Generating AI 4a is an AI (AI after machine learning) that has been trained to generate a creative work DD in accordance with the information shown in the generation instruction prompt CC. Generating AI 4a identifies the content of the recommended UI from text data 732 corresponding to specification information AA and text data 734 corresponding to characteristic information BB, and sets the content of the recommended UI in text data 742. In the example in Figure 20, text data 742 includes the sentence "• The font size is large." which indicates that the parameter of functional item F[1] in the recommended UI is the third option (large). The sentence "• The font size is large." in text data 742 can also be said to be a sentence that recommends setting the parameter of functional item F[1] to the third option (large). In the example in Figure 20, text data 742 includes the sentence "• The screen color scheme is light." which indicates that the parameter of function item F[2] in the recommended UI is the first option (light). The sentence "• The screen color scheme is light." in text data 742 can also be said to be a sentence recommending that the parameter of function item F[2] be set to the first option (light). Although not shown in Figure 20, text data 742 also includes text data for sentences related to function items F[3] to F[m].

[0090] The processing unit 5 performs a UI reflection process to reflect the creative work DD in the UI of the in-vehicle device 10. In the UI reflection process, the processing unit 5 sets and updates each parameter in the setting information SS according to the creative work DD. As a result, in the UI reflection process, the processing unit 5 sets the content of the recommended UI to the content of the UI of the in-vehicle device 10 (i.e., updates the content of the UI of the in-vehicle device 10 with the content of the recommended UI).

[0091] When setting the UI content of the in-vehicle device 10 according to the creative work DD based on the text data 740, the processing unit 5 related to the UI reflection process updates the setting information SS (UI setting information) as shown in Figure 21(a). The setting information SS shown on the left in Figure 21(a) is the setting information SS before the UI content of the in-vehicle device 10 is set according to the creative work DD based on the text data 740. In this setting information SS before setting, the parameter of function item F[1] is "small" and the parameter of function item F[2] is "dark". The setting information SS shown on the right in Figure 21(a) is the setting information SS after the UI content of the in-vehicle device 10 is set according to the creative work DD based on the text data 740. In this setting information SS after setting, the parameter of function item F[1] is "large" and the parameter of function item F[2] is "light". In other words, in the UI reflection process, the processing unit 5 in the example shown in Figure 21(a) changes the parameter of function item F[1] in the setting information SS from "small" to "large" based on the text data 740, and changes the parameter of function item F[2] in the setting information SS from "dark" to "light". In this embodiment, only function items F[1] and F[2] are focused on, but the parameters of other function items can be similarly set and changed according to the creative work DD.

[0092] When the setting information SS is changed based on the creative work DD as shown in Figure 21(a), the display state of the display screen 16 changes. In Figure 21(b), the display screen 16 shown on the left is the display screen 16 before the UI content of the in-vehicle device 10 is set according to the creative work DD based on the text data 740. In Figure 21(b), the display screen 16 shown on the right is the display screen 16 after the UI content of the in-vehicle device 10 has been set according to the creative work DD based on the text data 740. Figure 21(b) shows how, as a result of this setting, the font size on the display screen 16 changes from "small" to "large," and the screen color scheme changes from "dark" to "light."

[0093] In this automatic UI setting operation, a generation instruction prompt CC is created based on the specification information AA and characteristic information BB corresponding to the user UU's preferences, and the generation instruction prompt CC is input to the generation AI 4a. The processing unit 5 related to the automatic UI setting operation can reflect the creative work DD generated by the generation AI 4a based on the generation instruction prompt CC to the UI of the in-vehicle device 10 (i.e., set the UI content based on the creative work DD). With this automatic setting operation, the user UU can easily use a UI that suits their preferences. In other words, the user UU can use a UI that suits their preferences without having to expend effort to reach the setting display state (Figure 12) or perform manual setting operations for each function item. Furthermore, by including the specification information AA of the in-vehicle device 10 in the generation instruction prompt CC, the generation AI 4a can generate a creative work DD (AI output information) in a form that can be used by the in-vehicle device 10. If the specification information AA were not included in the generation instruction prompt CC, the degree of freedom in generating the AI4a would increase, and as a result, a UI that cannot be used by the in-vehicle device 10 may be generated by the AI4a.

[0094] The processing unit 3 creates a generation instruction prompt CC by combining multiple text data, including the text data of specification information AA, the text data of characteristic information BB, and text data instructing the generation of a UI (generation of UI content). This makes it possible to automatically generate a UI that conforms to the UI specifications of the in-vehicle device 10 and matches the user's preferences. In the example in Figure 19, multiple text data (731 to 735), including text data 732, 734, and 735, are combined to generate text data 730 as the generation instruction prompt CC. What is generated by generation AI 4a is not the UI of the in-vehicle device 10 itself, but a recommended UI. Therefore, strictly speaking, UI generation refers to the generation of a recommended UI (generation of the content of the recommended UI).

[0095] The creative work DD specifies (in other words, recommends) which option to assign to the parameter of each functional item F[1] to F[m] in the setting information SS. In the creative work DD shown in the example in Figure 20, the text data 742 specifies that the parameter of functional item F[1] in the setting information SS should be assigned the third option (large) and that the parameter of functional item F[2] in the setting information SS should be assigned the first option (light). The same may apply to other functional items. This allows the processing unit 5 to easily and appropriately set and update the setting information SS based on the creative work DD, thereby easily reflecting the contents of the creative work DD in the UI of the in-vehicle device 10 (see Figures 21(a) and (b)).

[0096] In other words, after the UI reflection process, the processing unit 5 displays an image based on the UI of the creative work DD (for example, the display image on the right side of Figure 21(b)) on the display screen 16. This makes it possible to provide the user UU with a user interface that is tailored to the user UU's preferences.

[0097] Furthermore, the processing unit 3 may include text data in the generation instruction prompt CC to ensure that the processing unit 5 reliably generates a creative work DD in the manner expected by the processing unit 5. For example, the processing unit 3 may include text data in the generation instruction prompt CC that instructs the processing unit 3 to specify which option should be assigned to the parameter of each functional item for each functional item in the setting information SS, specifically for functional items F[1] to F[m] (and therefore may include this in the text data 735).

[0098] <<Example EX_2B>> Example EX_2B will be described. Example EX_2B describes another example of the flow in which the UI is set and updated by an automatic UI setting operation. According to the automatic setting operation of this embodiment, the user UU can reflect their preferences in the UI with an extremely high degree of freedom. Figures 22 and 23 show the input and output information of processing units 1 to 5 related to Example EX_2B.

[0099] The processing unit 1 outputs text data 710 showing specification information AA to the processing unit 3. The method for obtaining specification information AA is as shown in the example EX_1A or EX_1B. The text data 710 includes the text "• You can set the font size to small, medium, or large," indicating that the parameter of function item F[1] can be selected and set from three options. The text data 710 includes the text "• You can set the screen color scheme to light, normal, or dark," indicating that the parameter of function item F[2] can be selected and set from three options. The text data 710 in Figure 22 is the same as the text data 710 in Figure 19, but Figure 22 also illustrates information regarding function items F[3] and F[4]. The text data 710 includes the text "• You can set the background design to normal, forest, sea, or starry sky," indicating that the parameter of function item F[3] can be selected and set from four options. Text data 710 includes the text "You can set the button design to normal, cookie-like, or metallic," which indicates that the parameter of functional item F[4] can be selected and set from three options. Although not shown in Figure 22, text data 710 also includes text data of the sentences relating to functional items F[5] to F[m] based on specification information AA.

[0100] The processing unit 2 outputs text data 720a representing characteristic information BB to the processing unit 3. The text data 720a is the text data of the sentence "• Set the screen to be easy to see and sparkly, something that children will like." which indicates the user UU's preferences. For example, the user UU speaks a sentence indicating the user UU's preferences, and the acoustic signal of the spoken sentence is transmitted from the microphone MC to the in-vehicle device 1, thereby inputting the acoustic signal to the processing unit 2. The processing unit 2 generates characteristic information BB by converting the input acoustic signal into text data using well-known speech recognition technology. In the example in Figure 22, when the user UU speaks the sentence "Set the screen to be easy to see and sparkly, something that children will like," the text data of that sentence is generated as text data 720a by the processing unit 2.

[0101] The processing unit 3 generates text data 730a based on text data 710 corresponding to specification information AA and text data 720a corresponding to characteristic information BB. Text data 730a is the generation instruction prompt CC related to Example EX_2B. Text data 730a is composite text data obtained by combining text data 731, 732, 733, 734a and 735 in this order. However, text data other than text data 731-733, 734a and 735 may be included in text data 730a.

[0102] Text data 731, 733, and 735 in text data 730a are the same as text data 731, 733, and 735 in text data 730 in Figure 19. Text data 732 in text data 730a is the same as text data 710. However, text data 732 may differ slightly from text data 710. Processing unit 3 may generate text data 732 by slightly modifying text data 710 into an expression format suitable as a prompt to generated AI 4a. Text data 734a is the same as text data 720a. However, text data 734a may differ slightly from text data 720a. Processing unit 3 may generate text data 734a by slightly modifying text data 720a into an expression format suitable as a prompt to generated AI 4a.

[0103] The processing unit 4 receives text data 730a corresponding to the generation instruction prompt CC and inputs the text data 730a to the generation AI 4a. The generation AI 4a generates the creative work DD according to the generation instruction prompt CC provided by the text data 730a (see Figures 22 and 23). In Example EX_2B, the creative work DD generated is text data 740a. Text data 740a is composite text data obtained by combining text data 741 and 742a in that order. However, text data other than text data 741 and 742a may be included in text data 740a.

[0104] Text data 741 is the text data for the sentence "The recommended user interface is as follows." Text data 741 is merely an introductory sentence stating that it answers the request in text data 730a, and may not be included in text data 740a (it does not have to be included).

[0105] Text data 742a is the actual part of the creative work DD and represents the response to the request in text data 730a. The generating AI 4a is an AI (AI after machine learning) that has been trained to generate a creative work DD in accordance with the information shown in the generation instruction prompt CC. The generating AI 4a identifies the content of the recommended UI from text data 732 corresponding to the specification information AA and text data 734a corresponding to the characteristic information BB, and sets the content of the recommended UI in text data 742a. ​​In the example in Figure 23, text data 742a includes the sentence "• The font size is large." which indicates that the parameter of functional item F[1] in the recommended UI is the third option (large). The sentence "• The font size is large." in text data 742a can also be said to be a sentence that recommends setting the parameter of functional item F[1] to the third option (large). In the example in Figure 23, text data 742a includes the sentence "• The screen color scheme is light." which indicates that the parameter of function item F[2] in the recommended UI is the first option (light). The sentence "• The screen color scheme is light." in text data 742a can also be said to be a sentence recommending that the parameter of function item F[2] be set to the first option (light). In the example in Figure 23, text data 742a includes the sentence "• The background design is a starry sky." which indicates that the parameter of function item F[3] in the recommended UI is the fourth option (starry sky). The sentence "• The background design is a starry sky." in text data 742a can also be said to be a sentence recommending that the parameter of function item F[3] be set to the fourth option (starry sky). In the example in Figure 23, text data 742a includes the sentence "• The button design is a cookie style." which indicates that the parameter of function item F[4] in the recommended UI is the second option (cookie style). This includes the sentence "The button design is cookie-like." in text data 742a can also be interpreted as a recommendation to set the second option (cookie-like) for the parameter of functional item F[4]. Although not illustrated in Figure 23, text data 742a also includes text data for the sentences related to functional items F[5] to F[m].

[0106] The processing unit 5 performs a UI reflection process to reflect the creative work DD in the UI of the in-vehicle device 10. In the UI reflection process, the processing unit 5 sets and updates each parameter in the setting information SS according to the creative work DD. As a result, in the UI reflection process, the processing unit 5 sets the content of the recommended UI to the content of the UI of the in-vehicle device 10 (i.e., updates the content of the UI of the in-vehicle device 10 with the content of the recommended UI).

[0107] When setting the UI content of the in-vehicle device 10 according to the creative work DD based on the text data 740a, the processing unit 5 related to the UI reflection process updates the setting information SS (UI setting information) as shown in Figure 24(a). The setting information SS shown on the left in Figure 24(a) is the setting information SS before the UI content of the in-vehicle device 10 is set according to the creative work DD based on the text data 740a, and is equivalent to the setting information SS1 in Figure 11(a). In this setting information SS before setting, the parameters of the function items F[1], F[2], F[3], and F[4] are assumed to be "small", "dark", "normal", and "normal", respectively. The setting information SS shown on the right in Figure 24(a) is the setting information SS after the UI content of the in-vehicle device 10 has been set according to the creative work DD based on the text data 740a, and is equivalent to the setting information SS2 in Figure 11(b). In the configuration information SS after the settings have been made, the parameters of the functional items F[1], F[2], F[3], and F[4] are "Large," "Light," "Starry Sky," and "Cookie Style," respectively. In other words, in the UI reflection process, the processing unit 5 in the example of Figure 24(a) changes the parameter of functional item F[1] in the configuration information SS from "Small" to "Large" based on the text data 740a, and changes the parameter of functional item F[2] in the configuration information SS from "Dark" to "Light." The processing unit 5 in the example of Figure 24(a) changes the parameter of functional item F[3] in the configuration information SS from "Normal" to "Starry Sky" based on the text data 740a, and changes the parameter of functional item F[4] in the configuration information SS from "Normal" to "Cookie Style." In this embodiment, only functional items F[1] to F[4] are focused on, but the parameters of other functional items can also be set and changed in the same way according to the creative work DD.

[0108] When the setting information SS is changed based on the creative work DD as shown in Figure 24(a), the display state of the display screen 16 changes. In Figure 24(b), the display screen 16 shown on the left is the display screen 16 before the UI content of the in-vehicle device 10 is set according to the creative work DD based on the text data 740a. In Figure 24(b), the display screen 16 shown on the right is the display screen 16 after the UI content of the in-vehicle device 10 has been set according to the creative work DD based on the text data 740a. As a result of these settings, Figure 24(b) shows how the font size changes from "small" to "large", the screen color scheme changes from "dark" to "light", the background design changes from "normal" to "starry sky", and the button design changes from "normal" to "cookie style" on the display screen 16.

[0109] The creative work DD specifies (in other words, recommends) which option to assign to the parameter of each functional item F[1] to F[m] in the setting information SS. In the creative work DD example shown in Figure 23, the text data 742a specifies that the parameter of functional item F[1] in the setting information SS should be assigned the third option (large) and that the parameter of functional item F[2] in the setting information SS should be assigned the first option (light). In addition, the text data 742a specifies that the parameter of functional item F[3] in the setting information SS should be assigned the fourth option (starry sky) and that the parameter of functional item F[4] in the setting information SS should be assigned the second option (cookie-like). Other functional items may be treated similarly. This allows the processing unit 5 to easily and appropriately set and update the setting information SS based on the creative work DD, thereby easily reflecting the contents of the creative work DD in the UI of the in-vehicle device 10 (see Figures 24(a) and (b)).

[0110] <<Example EX_3A>> Example EX_3A will now be described. Figure 25 shows an operation flowchart related to the UI setting function of the system SYS. As described above, the UI setting function is realized by the in-vehicle device 10 or by the cooperation of the in-vehicle device 10 and the server device 20. The server device 20 is always in operation. Assuming that at least processing units 2 and 5 of processing units 1 to 5 are provided in the in-vehicle device 10, the operation flowchart of Figure 25 will be explained. When the ignition switch of the vehicle VV is operated and driving power is supplied to the in-vehicle device 10 from a power source (not shown) provided in the vehicle VV, the in-vehicle device 10 starts up.

[0111] When the in-vehicle device 10 is started, in step S11, the controller 11 checks whether the UI setting mode is automatic setting mode. The UI setting mode can be manual setting mode or automatic setting mode. The controller 11 is provided with a flag storage area (not shown), which is a non-volatile memory, and the mode flag F is stored in the flag storage area. ＭＯＤＥ Mode flag F is stored. ＭＯＤＥ It has a value of "0" or "1". Mode flag F immediately after manufacturing (immediately after shipment) of the in-vehicle device 10. ＭＯＤＥ It may have a value of "0" or it may have a value of "1".

[0112] In response to a predetermined mode setting operation input from the user UU to the in-vehicle device 10, the controller 11 sets the mode flag F ＭＯＤＥ Set the value to "0" or "1". Mode Flag F ＭＯＤＥ A state where the value is "0" corresponds to the state where the UI setting mode is set to manual setting mode, and the mode flag F ＭＯＤＥ A state in which the mode flag F has a value of "1" corresponds to a state in which the UI setting mode is set to automatic setting mode. Therefore, in step S11, the mode flag F ＭＯＤＥ If the value is "1", the controller 11 determines that the UI setting mode is automatic setting mode (Yes in step S11) and proceeds to step S12.

[0113] In step S11, the mode flag F ＭＯＤＥIf the value is "0", the controller 11 determines that the UI setting mode is manual setting mode (No. in step S11) and proceeds to step S21. In step S21, the controller 11 determines whether a manual setting operation has been input from the user UU. If a manual setting operation has been input to the in-vehicle device 10 (Yes in step S21), proceeds to step S22; if no manual setting operation has been input to the in-vehicle device 10 (No. in step S21), proceeds to step S23. In step S22, the controller 11 performs a manual setting operation of the UI based on the manual setting operation. After step S22, proceeds to step S23.

[0114] After the in-vehicle device 10 is started up, the controller 11 accepts the input for the mode setting operation described above, and when a mode setting operation is input, the mode flag F is set according to the mode setting operation. ＭＯＤＥ Set the value to "0" or "1". However, to avoid complicating the illustration, the step of accepting input for the mode setting operation and the mode flag F according to the mode setting operation are omitted. ＭＯＤＥ The step of setting the value is omitted in Figure 25. Input for mode setting operation is accepted only when, for example, the display state of the display screen 16 is in a specific display state. Mode setting operation may also be voice operation by the user UU. Voice operation refers to an operation in which the user UU inputs the operation intended by the user UU to the in-vehicle device 10 by the user UU's utterance. In step S23, the controller 11 sets the mode flag F ＭＯＤＥ The value of is confirmed to be "1", i.e., mode flag F ＭＯＤＥ It is confirmed that the value has switched from "0" to "1". Mode Flag F ＭＯＤＥ If the value of changes from "0" to "1" (Yes in step S23), proceed to step S12, and the mode flag F ＭＯＤＥ If the value remains "0" (No. in step S23), return to step S21.

[0115] In step S12, the controller 11 flags the mode flag F ＭＯＤＥ The value of is checked to be "0", i.e., mode flag F ＭＯＤＥIt is confirmed that the value has switched from "1" to "0". Mode Flag F ＭＯＤＥ If the value of changes from "1" to "0" (Yes in step S12), proceed to step S21, and the mode flag F ＭＯＤＥ If the value remains "1" (No. in step S12), proceed to step S13.

[0116] In step S13, the controller 11 checks whether the collection trigger condition has been met. If the collection trigger condition has been met, i.e., if it has been confirmed that the collection trigger condition has been met (Yes in step S13), the process proceeds to step S14. If the collection trigger condition has not been met, i.e., if it has not been confirmed that the collection trigger condition has been met (No in step S13), the process returns to step S12.

[0117] The collection trigger condition is a condition for distinguishing whether or not to perform the automatic setting operation by the processing units 1 to 5, and may be a predetermined condition. For example, when a user UU speaks a predetermined trigger keyword, and the acoustic signal of the trigger keyword is input to the controller 11 through the microphone MC, the first trigger condition is met. This first trigger condition may be the collection trigger condition. The trigger keyword may be a so-called wake-up keyword indicating that the user UU's speech is directed to the in-vehicle device 10. Alternatively, for example, when a user UU inputs a predetermined collection trigger operation (a predetermined touch panel operation, etc.) to the in-vehicle device 10, and the controller 11 confirms that the input of the collection trigger operation to the in-vehicle device 10 has been confirmed, the second trigger condition is met. This second trigger condition may be the collection trigger condition. Alternatively, for example, "F ＭＯＤＥ During the period in which "=1" is maintained, a third trigger condition is met at regular intervals. This third trigger condition may be a collection trigger condition. In addition, collection trigger conditions can be arbitrarily defined.

[0118] In step S14, the processing unit 2 acquires characteristic information BB. The characteristic information BB acquired here is characteristic information BB for the characteristic acquisition period. The characteristic acquisition period is a period set based on the time when the acquisition trigger condition is met, and may have a fixed time length or a variable time length. Typically, the characteristic acquisition period may be a period that starts from the time when the acquisition trigger condition is met. The characteristic acquisition period is set by the processing unit 2.

[0119] If the above first trigger condition is met as a collection trigger condition, the characteristic collection period may be a certain length of time following the utterance timing of the trigger keyword. If the above first trigger condition is met as a collection trigger condition, the characteristic collection period may be set to the period from immediately after the utterance timing of the trigger keyword until the user UU's utterance is interrupted. The processing unit 2 can recognize the content of the user UU's utterance and determine whether or not the user UU is uttering based on the acoustic signal from the microphone MC. For example, if there is no user UU utterance for a certain period of time after the utterance of the trigger keyword, the processing unit 2 will determine that the user UU's utterance has been interrupted.

[0120] If the above second trigger condition is met as a collection trigger condition, the characteristic collection period may be a certain length of time following the collection trigger operation. If the above second trigger condition is met as a collection trigger condition, the characteristic collection period may be set to the period from immediately after inputting the collection trigger operation until the user UU's utterance is interrupted. In the case where the collection trigger operation is an operation in which a specific button on the display screen 16 is pressed and held down, the characteristic collection period may be the period during which the specific button is pressed. The specific button may be a mechanical push-button switch provided on the in-vehicle device 10.

[0121] Here, based on the user UU's utterances during the characteristic collection period, the processing unit 2 collects the user UU's preference information, and characteristic information BB, which includes the user UU's preference information, is obtained. In the example in Figure 19, when the user UU utters the sentence "Use large fonts and bright colors" during the characteristic collection period, the text data 720 of that sentence is collected as the user UU's preference information (the same applies to the example in Figure 22). However, the user UU's preference information may also be transmitted to the in-vehicle device 1 by means other than speech. That is, for example, the user UU may input the sentence "Use large fonts and bright colors" into the in-vehicle device 10 via touch panel operation, and preference information corresponding to the input sentence may be input to the in-vehicle device 1 (processing unit 2).

[0122] In step S15, following step S14, the processing unit 1 acquires UI specification information AA. Then, the process proceeds to step S16. Here, step S15 is provided after step S14, but the timing of acquiring UI specification information AA is arbitrary as long as it is before step S16. The characteristic information BB acquired in step S14 is output from processing unit 2 to processing unit 3. The UI specification information AA acquired in step S15 is output from processing unit 1 to processing unit 3.

[0123] In step S16, the processing unit 3 creates a generation instruction prompt CC based on the UI specification information AA and characteristic information BB, and outputs it to the processing unit 4. After step S16, the process proceeds to step S17. Upon receiving the generation instruction prompt CC, the processing unit 4 inputs the generation instruction prompt CC to the generation AI 4a.

[0124] In step S17, the generating AI 4a generates the creative work DD according to the generation instruction prompt CC. The processing unit 4 outputs the generated creative work DD to the processing unit 5. The creative work DD generated by the generating AI 4a includes data indicating the content of the recommended UI (data that identifies the content of the recommended UI). The recommended UI is the UI recommended by the generating AI 4a (a UI that is recommended to be adopted in the in-vehicle device 10, derived according to the specification information AA and characteristic information BB). After step S17, the process proceeds to step S18.

[0125] In step S18, the processing unit 5 reflects the creative work DD in the UI of the in-vehicle device 10. After step S18, the process returns to step S12. The UI reflection process described above can be performed in step S18.

[0126] However, the UI reflection process based on the creative work DD may be performed with the approval of the user UU. Figure 26 shows an example of a detailed flowchart of the operations that can be performed in step S18. If the operations in Figure 26 are adopted, step S18 consists of the processes from steps S18a to S18e, and when proceeding from step S17 to step S18, the process of step S18a is executed first. In step S18a, the processing unit 5 displays a sample image based on the creative work DD on the display screen 16. The sample image is a sample image that will be displayed on the display screen 16 assuming that each parameter in the setting information SS is set according to the creative work DD. In step S18b following step S18a, the processing unit 5 accepts an approval or rejection operation from the user UU by inquiring whether the user UU likes the display of the sample image. The inquiry to the user UU is realized by displaying the inquiry text on the display screen 16 or outputting the inquiry text from the speaker SP. If the user (UU) likes the display of the sample image, they input an approval operation into the in-vehicle device 10; otherwise, they input a rejection operation into the in-vehicle device 10. If an approval or rejection operation is input, the process proceeds from step S18b to step S18c.

[0127] If the entered operation is an approval operation (Yes in step S18), proceed from step S18c to step S18d. If the entered operation is a rejection operation (No in step S18), proceed from step S18c to step S18e. Alternatively, if the entered operation is a rejection operation (No in step S18), the process may simply return to step S12 from step S18c.

[0128] In step S18d, the processing unit 5 performs UI reflection processing according to the creation DD, that is, it sets and updates each parameter in the setting information SS according to the creation DD. As a result, the content of the recommended UI is set as the content of the UI of the in-vehicle device 10 (that is, the content of the UI of the in-vehicle device 10 is updated with the content of the recommended UI).

[0129] In step S18e, the processing unit 5 performs UI modification processing. After step S18e, the process returns to step S12. In the UI modification processing, the processing unit 5 receives modification request information from the user UU indicating how the user wishes to modify the UI content based on a sample image. The modification request information may be input to the in-vehicle device 10 by voice operation based on the user UU's utterance, or by touch panel operation. Upon receiving the modification request information, the processing unit 5 sets and updates each parameter in the setting information SS based on the creative work DD and the modification request information. For example, consider a case where the font size of the recommended UI in the creative work DD is "large," and the user UU inputs modification request information to the in-vehicle device 10 requesting a reduction in font size. In this case, the processing unit 5 modifies the content of the recommended UI in the creative work DD according to the modification request information and sets the modified recommended UI content as the UI content of the in-vehicle device 10. In that case, in step S18e, the parameter of function item F[1] in setting information SS is set to, for example, "medium".

[0130] Furthermore, in the UI modification process, the processing unit 5 may transmit modification request information to the processing unit 3, and the processing unit 3 may instruct the processing unit 4 (generation AI 4a) to regenerate or modify the creative work DD by inputting a prompt based on the modification request information. In this case, the operation shown in Figure 26 may be performed from step S18a for the regenerated or modified creative work DD.

[0131] <<Example EX_3B>> Example EX_3B will now be described. In Example EX_3B, it is assumed that the configuration method α1 shown in Figure 15(a) is adopted in the system SYS, and the operation flow related to the UI setting function will be described. In Example EX_3B, it is understood that the vehicle-side controller 11 has built-in processing units 2 and 5, and the server-side controller 21 has built-in processing units 1, 3 and 4. However, as mentioned above, processing units 2 and 5 may be independent arithmetic processing units, and processing units 1, 3 and 4 may be independent arithmetic processing units. Processing units 1, 3 and 4 may be distributed across two or more computer devices.

[0132] Figure 27 is an operation flowchart of the controller 11 (vehicle-side controller) involved in the UI setting function. After the in-vehicle device 10 is started, the process begins with step S11. The controller 11 performs the processes in steps S11 to S14 and S21 to S23. The details of the processes in steps S11 to S14 and S21 to S23, as well as the flow up to step S14, are as described in Example EX_3A. However, in Example EX_3B, after step S14, the process proceeds to step S14_1.

[0133] In step S14_1, the controller 11 outputs (transmits) a generation request signal to the server device 20, which includes characteristic information BB and a model identification ID. The model identification ID in the generation request signal is the model identification ID assigned to the in-vehicle device 10. After step S14_1, the process proceeds to step S14_2.

[0134] In step S14_2, the controller 11 waits for a response signal containing the creative work DD to be received from the server device 20. When the in-vehicle device 10 receives a response signal containing the creative work DD (Yes in step S14_2), the process proceeds to step S18. Although not specifically shown, if a response signal is not received after a predetermined timeout period has elapsed since the transmission of the generation request signal, the controller 11 may perform predetermined error processing (such as retransmitting the generation request signal). In step S18, the processing unit 5 reflects the creative work DD in the UI of the in-vehicle device 10. Details of the processing in step S18 are as shown in Example EX_3A. After step S18, the process returns to step S12.

[0135] Figure 28 is an operation flowchart of the controller 21 (server-side controller) involved in the UI setting function. As mentioned above, the server device 20 is always in operation. In step S31, the server device 20 receives a generation request signal from the in-vehicle device 10, which includes characteristic information BB and a model identification ID (in other words, it is received by the controller 21). This reception triggers the sequential execution of steps S32 to S35. After step S31, the process proceeds to step S32.

[0136] In step S32, the processing unit 1 acquires UI specification information AA. The UI specification information AA acquired here is UI specification information corresponding to the in-vehicle device 10. Based on the model identification ID in the generation request signal, the processing unit 1 acquires the UI specification information (i.e., UI specification information AA) corresponding to the in-vehicle device 10 using the method shown in Example EX_1A or EX_1B. After step S32, the process proceeds to step S33.

[0137] In step S33, the processing unit 3 creates a generation instruction prompt CC based on the UI specification information AA and characteristic information BB, and outputs it to the processing unit 4. After step S33, the process proceeds to step S34. Upon receiving the generation instruction prompt CC, the processing unit 4 inputs the generation instruction prompt CC to the generation AI 4a. In step S34, the generation AI 4a generates the creative work DD according to the generation instruction prompt CC. After step S34, the process proceeds to step S35. In step S35, the controller 21 outputs (transmits) a response signal containing the creative work DD generated in step S34 to the in-vehicle device 10. With this output, the series of operations of the controller 21 that began in step S31 is completed.

[0138] <<Example EX_3C>> Example EX_3C will now be described. In automatic setting mode, the controller 11 (processing unit 5) can display an image on the display screen 16 using a UI based on the creative work DD (for example, the display image on the right side of Figure 21(b)). On the other hand, in manual setting mode, the controller 11 can display an image on the display screen 16 using a UI that does not rely on the generated AI 4a. An image using a UI that does not rely on the generated AI 4a is an image that does not rely on the creative work DD and may be an image using a UI customized through manual setting operations.

[0139] Controller 11 has mode flag F ＭＯＤＥ Based on this, the system switches between a state in which an image created using a UI based on the creative work DD is displayed on the display screen 16, and a state in which an image created using a UI not based on the generated AI 4a is displayed on the display screen 16. This makes it possible to accommodate cases where customization by automatic settings is desired and cases where customization by manual settings is desired, according to the user UU's wishes.

[0140] <<Example EX_4>> Example EX_4 will be explained. In Example EX_4, the characteristic information BB will be explained.

[0141] The characteristic information BB includes user UU preference information. This makes it possible to create a UI that aligns with the user UU's preferences.

[0142] The user UU themselves may input their preference information to the in-vehicle device 10. This makes it easier for the in-vehicle device 10 to create a UI that matches the user UU's preferences.

[0143] The operation performed by the user UU to input preference information may be a voice operation. For example, in Figure 19, the user UU's utterance of the sentence "Use large fonts and bright colors" is a voice operation for inputting the user UU's preference information into the in-vehicle device 10. The operation performed by the user UU to input preference information may also be a touch panel operation on the display screen 16. For example, the user UU may input the sentence "Use large fonts and bright colors" into the in-vehicle device 10 as text via touch panel operation. Alternatively, the user UU may input the sentence "Use large fonts and bright colors" into an information terminal TM (not shown), and this sentence may be input into the in-vehicle device 10 via the information terminal TM as the user UU's preference information. Here, the information terminal TM is a portable information terminal (smartphone, etc.) owned by and associated with the user UU, and is brought into the vehicle VV by the user UU.

[0144] The processing unit 2 may extract user UU preference information from information that reflects the user's preferences (hereinafter referred to as source information). This makes it possible to create a UI that matches the user's preferences in the in-vehicle device 10 without requiring the input of preference information specifically for UI settings.

[0145] User attribute information already registered in the in-vehicle device 10 may be included in the source information. User attribute information refers to the attribute information of the user UU. When a user UU uses the in-vehicle device 10 for the first time, the user UU inputs user attribute information into the in-vehicle device 10 by touch panel operation or via an information terminal TM. The controller 11 saves the input user attribute information as profile data PD1 (not shown) in the recording medium 14. The controller 11 may also generate profile data PD1 by obtaining information from the user UU in the form of a questionnaire. Profile data PD1 includes the user UU's name, age, gender, nationality, address, language used, and dialect used, as well as information related to the user UU's preferences (favorite color, hobbies, favorite food, favorite season, etc.). When profile data PD1 is used as source information, the information related to the user UU's preferences included in profile data PD1 is extracted as the user UU's preference information.

[0146] User attribute information registered in the information terminal TM may be included in the source information. The user attribute information registered in the information terminal TM is profile data PD2. Like profile data PD1, profile data PD2 includes the user UU's name, age, gender, nationality, address, language used, and dialect used, as well as information related to the user UU's preferences (favorite color, hobbies, favorite food, favorite season, etc.). When profile data PD2 is used as source information, the information related to the user UU's preferences contained in profile data PD2 is extracted as the user UU's preference information. It is assumed that the processing unit 2 is given the authority to read profile data PD2 from the information terminal TM, and the processing unit 2 reads profile data PD2 through communication between the device where the processing unit 2 is installed and the information terminal TM.

[0147] The user's (UU) operation history of the in-vehicle device 10 (hereinafter simply referred to as "operation history") may be included in the source information. The operation history is a record of operations that the user (UU) input to the in-vehicle device 10 before the characteristic collection period (see Figure 25). The controller 11 can record the operation history in memory 12 or recording medium 14. The user's preferences are often reflected in the operation history, and therefore, user preference information can be extracted from the operation history.

[0148] Information about the user interface of the information terminal TM (hereinafter referred to as terminal UI information) may be included in the source information. Terminal UI information identifies the content of the user interface set for the information terminal TM. The user interface of the information terminal TM here refers to the user interface on the display screen provided on the information terminal TM (an interface provided by the display screen). If the font size on the display screen of the information terminal TM can be set to "small," "medium," or "large," the terminal UI information determines which of "small," "medium," or "large" the font size on the display screen of the information terminal TM should be. The font size on the display screen of the information terminal TM is determined according to the terminal UI information. The same applies to the screen color scheme of the display screen of the information terminal TM. The terminal UI information reflects the user UU's preferences regarding the UI. It is assumed that the processing unit 2 is given the authority to read terminal UI information from the information terminal TM, and the processing unit 2 reads the terminal UI information through communication between the device on which the processing unit 2 is installed and the information terminal TM.

[0149] If the generating AI 4a is an image-enabled AI, the terminal UI information may include image data of the display image on the information terminal TM's display screen. This is because the display image on the information terminal TM's display screen reflects the user UU's preferences regarding the UI. An image-enabled AI can generate creative works in response to input information (prompts) that include image data.

[0150] The characteristic information BB primarily includes user UU preference information, but may also include information other than user UU preference information. For example, the user UU's age, gender, nationality, address, language used, and dialect used in profile data PD1 or PD2 may be included in the characteristic information BB. The generated AI 4a may take age into consideration, for example, when estimating an appropriate font size.

[0151] Furthermore, the processing unit 2 may include information about the operating environment of the in-vehicle device 10 in the characteristic information BB. This makes it easier for the generation AI 4a to generate an appropriate UI that also takes the operating environment information into account, and therefore enables automatic UI setting that also takes the operating environment information into account. When the operating environment information of the in-vehicle device 10 is included in the characteristic information BB, the processing unit 2 includes text data indicating the operating environment information of the in-vehicle device 10 in the characteristic information BB. The operating environment information of the in-vehicle device 10 represents the operating environment of the in-vehicle device 10 during the characteristic collection period (see Figure 25).

[0152] The operating environment information of the in-vehicle device 10 may include, for example, illuminance information during the characteristic acquisition period. This makes it easier to create a UI that corresponds to the illuminance as a recommended UI. The operating environment information of the in-vehicle device 10 may include, for example, rainfall information during the characteristic acquisition period. This makes it easier to create a UI that corresponds to the presence or absence of rainfall as a recommended UI. The vehicle VV is equipped with an illuminance sensor (not shown) that detects the illuminance outside the vehicle VV and generates and outputs illuminance information representing the detected illuminance. The processing unit 2 can obtain illuminance information from the illuminance sensor. The vehicle VV is equipped with a rainfall sensor that detects whether it is raining outside the vehicle VV and generates and outputs rainfall information representing the detection result. The processing unit 2 can obtain rainfall information from the rainfall sensor.

[0153] The usage environment information for the in-vehicle device 10 may include, for example, seasonal information during the characteristics collection period. This makes it easier to create a recommended UI that is appropriate for the season. Seasonal information during the characteristics collection period refers to the season to which the characteristics collection period belongs in the region where the in-vehicle device 10 is located. In this embodiment, Japan is assumed to be the region where the in-vehicle device 10 is located, but other countries may also be used.

[0154] The usage environment information of the in-vehicle device 10 may include, for example, vehicle location information during the characteristics acquisition period. The vehicle location information indicates the location of the vehicle VV (latitude and longitude of the location of the vehicle VV). The processing unit 2 may acquire the vehicle location information from a location detection sensor (not shown) provided on the vehicle VV and which detects the location of the vehicle VV. Including vehicle location information in the usage environment information makes it easier to create a UI as a recommended UI that corresponds to the location of the vehicle VV. For example, if the vehicle VV is located in Fukuoka Prefecture, processing units 3 to 5 can be configured so that a character associated with Fukuoka Prefecture is displayed on the display screen 16.

[0155] Furthermore, the processing unit 2 may include proficiency information in the characteristic information BB that indicates the degree to which the user UU is familiar with operating the in-vehicle device 10 (or it may include text data of the proficiency information in the characteristic information BB). This is because the appropriate UI may change depending on the degree of familiarity. Based on the cumulative number of times the user UU has input operations to the in-vehicle device 10, or the cumulative usage period of the in-vehicle device 10 by the user UU, the processing unit 2 can generate proficiency information.

[0156] Furthermore, the processing unit 2 may include emotion information indicating the user UU's emotions during the characteristic acquisition period in the characteristic information BB (or include text data of the emotion information in the characteristic information BB). The processing unit 2 can estimate the user UU's emotions from the estimation information and include the estimated emotions in the emotion information. The estimation information may be the user UU's biometric data. The user UU's biometric data may be, for example, the user UU's heart rate and electroencephalogram (EEG) data. Known techniques can be used to estimate emotions from heart rate and EEG data. However, the biometric data may be other than heart rate and EEG, as long as it enables the estimation of the user UU's emotions. The estimation information may also include image data of the user UU's face, or it may include acoustic signals of the user UU's voice picked up by the microphone MC. For example, one possible application is to estimate the emotions of the user UU during the period when they are performing a certain touch panel operation on the in-vehicle device 10, and if the estimated emotion is negative, to improve the UI so that the cause of the negative emotion is eliminated.

[0157] <<Example EX_5A>> Example EX_5A will now be described. Figure 29 shows the internal configuration of the processing unit 5. The processing unit 5 comprises a setting update unit 5a, a display control unit 5b, and a setting storage area 5c. The processing unit 5 in Figure 29 is assumed to be provided in the controller 11. The setting storage area 5c is a non-volatile storage area and is provided within the controller 11. UI setting information SS (see Figure 10; as described above, UI setting information SS may be abbreviated as setting information SS) is stored in the setting storage area 5c.

[0158] The setting update unit 5a is responsible for setting, changing, or updating each parameter of the setting information SS, which is one of the functions of the controller 11. By setting, changing, or updating each parameter of the setting information SS, the setting update unit 5a can set, change, or update the contents of the UI of the in-vehicle device 10. In manual setting mode, the setting update unit 5a can set, change, or update each parameter of the setting information SS based on the manual setting operation received from the user UU in the setting acceptance state (see Figure 12). The manual setting operation in step S22 shown in Figure 25 or Figure 27 is understood to be performed by the setting update unit 5a.

[0159] Figure 29 shows the flow of information and signals in the processing unit 5 in automatic setting mode. In automatic setting mode, the creation data DD from the processing unit 4 is input to the setting update unit 5a. In automatic setting mode, the setting update unit 5a can set, change, or update the setting information SS based on the creation data DD.

[0160] The setting update unit 5a interprets the content of the creative work DD and performs information conversion processing to convert the content of the creative work DD into information in a format that the display control unit 5b can interpret. The information in a format that the display control unit 5b can interpret is, in this case, setting information SS having the data structure shown in Figure 10. An AI for interpreting the content of the creative work DD may be built into the setting update unit 5a. The UI reflection process in step S18d in Figure 26 is realized using the information conversion process.

[0161] The display control unit 5b reads the setting information SS from the setting storage area 5c and displays the UI on the display screen 16 according to each parameter of the read setting information SS. That is, for example, if the parameter of function item F[1] in the setting information SS is set to "small", the display control unit 5b sets the font size on the display screen 16 to small. Or, for example, if the parameter of function item F[1] in the setting information SS is set to "large", the display control unit 5b sets the font size on the display screen 16 to large. The same applies to the other function items F[2] to F[m].

[0162] In the processing unit 5, the setting memory area 5c may store separately setting information SS for manual setting mode (hereinafter referred to as manual setting information SS) and setting information SS for automatic setting mode (hereinafter referred to as automatic setting information SS). In this case, in manual setting mode, the setting update unit 5a sets, changes, or updates each parameter of the manual setting information SS based on the manual setting operation received from the user UU in the setting acceptance state. The setting memory area 5c stores the latest manual setting information SS set in manual setting mode. In automatic setting mode, the setting update unit 5a sets, changes, or updates the automatic setting information SS based on the creation work DD. The setting memory area 5c stores the latest automatic setting information SS set in automatic setting mode. The display control unit 5b then reads the manual setting information SS from the setting memory area 5c in manual setting mode and displays a UI on the display screen 16 with content according to each parameter of the read manual setting information SS. In automatic setting mode, the display control unit 5b reads automatic setting information SS from the setting storage area 5c and displays a UI on the display screen 16 according to each parameter of the read automatic setting information SS. Therefore, when the UI setting mode is switched from manual setting mode to automatic setting mode, the UI according to the latest automatic setting information SS set in the previous automatic setting mode is displayed on the display screen 16. Conversely, when the UI setting mode is switched from automatic setting mode to manual setting mode, the UI according to the latest manual setting information SS set in the previous manual setting mode is displayed on the display screen 16.

[0163] <<Example EX_5B>> Example EX_5B will now be described. The creative work DD may be information in a format that can be interpreted by the display control unit 5b. In Example EX_5B, it is assumed that the creative work DD is information in a format that can be interpreted by the display control unit 5b.

[0164] In this case, when the creative work DD is input to the setting update unit 5a in automatic setting mode, the setting update unit 5a does not need to perform the information conversion process described above, but can simply store the creative work DD itself as setting information SS in the setting storage area 5c.

[0165] Specifically, let's assume, for example, that the setting information SS stored in the setting memory area 5c at the first time step was the setting information SS1 shown in Figure 11(a). Then, after the first time step, a creative work DD is generated in automatic setting mode, and at the second time step, the creative work DD is input to the setting update unit 5a. Here, let's assume that the input creative work DD has the same data structure as the setting information SS2 shown in Figure 11(b) and is the same information as the setting information SS2. Immediately after the second time step, or after the second time step, after an approval operation from the user UU, the setting update unit 5a replaces the setting information SS stored in the setting memory area 5c from setting information SS1 to creative work DD. As a result, the setting information SS stored in the setting memory area 5c is updated from setting information SS1 to setting information SS2.

[0166] In order to implement the method described above in Example EX_5B, it is necessary to make the generation AI 4a recognize what kind of data structure the creative work DD should have. For this reason, in Example EX_5B, it is assumed that data structure information specifying what kind of data structure the creative work DD should have is included in the generation instruction prompt CC. The data structure information is information that identifies the data structure of the setting information SS. The data structure information may be held in advance by the processing unit 3. Alternatively, the data structure information may be included in the specification information AA so that the data structure information is transmitted from the processing unit 1 to the processing unit 3.

[0167] Here, as information in a format that the display control unit 5b can interpret, we have given the setting information SS having the data structure shown in Figure 10. However, the data structure of the setting information SS can be designed in various ways, and the setting information SS may be configured in the form of a program.

[0168] <<Example EX_6>> Example EX_6 will now be explained. Figure 30 is a diagram of the UI setting information SS related to Example EX_6. In Example EX_6, in addition to the function items F[1] to F[m] described above, function items F[m+1] to F[m+n] are provided in the setting information SS. n represents any integer greater than or equal to 1. Function items F[1] to F[m] are normal function items, and their meanings are as described above. Function items F[m+1] to F[m+n] are special function items. Each of the function items F[m+1] to F[m+n] is associated with the 1st to the nth special function.

[0169] The controller 11 can individually enable or disable the first to nth special functions. Whether each special function is enabled or disabled is stored in the setting information SS. Immediately after the manufacture (immediately after shipment) of the in-vehicle device 10, each special function is set to disabled. When the first special function is set to enabled, the controller 11 (for example, the display control unit 5b) displays the special icon button B[1] associated with the first special function at a predetermined position on the display screen 16, as shown in Figure 31. The same applies to the second to nth special functions. Here, when the first special function is set to enabled, the display state ST ＭＡＩＮ It is assumed that the special icon button B[1] is displayed on the display screen 16. However, when the first special function is set to enabled, the display state ST ＭＡＩＮ Instead of or display state ST ＭＡＩＮ In addition, the special icon button B[1] may be displayed on the display screen 16 in other display states.

[0170] In Example EX_6, specification information AA includes display transition information. The display transition information is the transition information of the display state of the display screen 16, as explained with reference to Figure 6. Therefore, when the display screen 16 is in the first display state, if a focus operation is input from the user UU to the in-vehicle device 10, the unit transition information that the display state of the display screen 16 switches from the first display state to the second display state is included in the display transition information. Unit transition information exists for each type of first display state, and unit transition information for each type of first display state is included in the display transition information. For example, if the first display state is display state ST ＭＡＩＮ In that case, the operation of interest is operation OP[i], and the second display state is display state ST[i]. Also, for example, if the first display state is display state ST[i], then the operation of interest is operation OP[i,j], and the second display state is display state ST[i,j]. In Figure 6, only operations that transition the display state of the display screen 16 from a higher-level display state to a lower-level display state are illustrated, but operations that bring about the reverse transition also exist. Therefore, from the perspective of the first display state, the second display state can be a higher-level display state.

[0171] The controller 11 can set multiple operation parameters as parameters of the function item F[m+1]. Note that the parameters of the function item F[m+1] and the parameters of the first special function are synonymous with each other. Each operation parameter points to one of the operations that the user UU can input to the in-vehicle device 10. In the example in Figure 30, the multiple operation parameters in the function item F[m+1] are the first and second operation parameters, where the first operation parameter points to the first operation OP[2] and the second operation parameter points to the second operation OP[2,3]. In the example in Figure 30, the first special function is enabled.

[0172] When the first special function is enabled, if a user UU performs a touch panel operation by pressing the special icon button B[1] displayed on the display screen 16, the controller 11 performs an operation corresponding to the operation of each operation parameter of the function item F[m+1]. That is, when the function item F[m+1] is set as in the example of Figure 30, the display state ST ＭＡＩＮAssume that a user UU performs a touch panel operation by pressing the special icon button B[1] displayed on the display screen 16. Then, the controller 11 considers that the first operation OP[2] and the subsequent second operation OP[2,3] have been input to the in-vehicle device 10 based on the operation parameters of the function item F[m+1]. As a result, the controller 11 (for example, the display control unit 5b) responds to the touch panel operation of pressing the special icon button B[1] by changing the display state of the display screen 16 to display state ST ＭＡＩＮ The display state is transitioned to display state ST[2,3]. At this time, the display state of the display screen 16 is displayed to display state ST ＭＡＩＮ It is acceptable to transition directly from display state ST[2,3] without going through display state ST[2]. Alternatively, the display state of display screen 16 can be changed to display state ST ＭＡＩＮ It is also acceptable to change the display state from ST[2] to ST[2,3] and then transition to ST[2,3].

[0173] In Example EX_6, specification information AA includes special function information. The special function information defines the specifications of the first to nth special functions. The special function information is information for sharing the specifications of the first to nth special functions with the processing unit 3 and the generation AI 4a. The specification information AA included in the generation instruction prompt CC includes display transition information and special function information. Therefore, based on the generation instruction prompt CC, the generation AI 4a can understand what kind of display state transition will occur if what operation parameters are set for each special function item. Specifically, the special function information indicates that the first to nth special functions exist in the in-vehicle device 10 and that the first to nth special functions are available for use. The special function information indicates that the first to nth special functions can be individually enabled or disabled. When the ith special function is enabled, a specific display state (here, display state ST) is reached. ＭＡＩＮ The special function information indicates that the special icon button B[i] is displayed on the display screen 16 in the above. Furthermore, if the i-th special function is enabled, the special function information includes a statement that the touch panel operation pressed by the special icon button B[i] corresponds to the input of multiple touch panel operations corresponding to the i-th special function.

[0174] In Example EX_6, we will focus only on the automatic setting mode. To make the explanation more concrete, let's assume that information indicating that the user UU frequently sets the display state of the display screen 16 to display state ST[2,3] is included in the characteristic information BB as the user UU's preference information. Referring to Figure 19, for example, text data indicating that preference information is output from processing unit 2 to processing unit 3 instead of text data 720. Processing unit 1 outputs specification information AA, which includes the above-mentioned display transition information and special function information, to processing unit 3. For example, in addition to the text data 710 in Figure 19, specification information AA, which includes display transition information and special function information, is output from processing unit 1 to processing unit 3. Processing unit 3 outputs a generation instruction prompt CC to processing unit 4, which is a prompt that includes the specification information AA from processing unit 1 and the characteristic information BB from processing unit 2, and includes the text data 735 in Figure 19. This generation instruction prompt CC is input to generation AI4a. Furthermore, in the setting information SS of the in-vehicle device 10 prior to the input of the generation instruction prompt CC to the generation AI 4a, the first special function was disabled and no operation parameters were set for the first special function.

[0175] The generated AI 4a generates a recommended UI that, while considering the specification information AA, enables the first special function and sets the first operation OP[2] and the second operation OP[2,3] as the first and second operation parameters of the first special function, based on the user UU's preference information. The processing unit 4 outputs a creative work DD showing the content of the recommended UI to the processing unit 5. The processing unit 5 performs a UI reflection process to reflect the creative work DD in the UI of the in-vehicle device 10. In the specific example assumed in Example EX_6, the processing unit 5 enables the first special function in the setting information SS according to the creative work DD and sets the first operation OP[2] and the second operation OP[2,3] as the first and second operation parameters of the first special function. As a result, the setting information SS reaches the state shown in Figure 30. Consequently, the display state ST is reached after the UI reflection process. ＭＡＩＮThe display screen 16 shows a button icon B[1]. By performing a touch panel operation by pressing the button icon B[1], the display state of the display screen 16 transitions to display state ST[2,3] according to each operation parameter of the first special function (each operation parameter of function item F[m+1]). This is thought to be in line with the user UU's preference information.

[0176] When the configuration information SS is in the state shown in Figure 30, pressing button icon B[1] on the touch panel is assigned a composite function that combines the functions of the first operation OP[2] and the second operation OP[2,3]. It is also possible to assign a composite function that combines three or more functions to the touch panel operation of pressing button icon B[1].

[0177] For the sake of detail in the explanation, we have mainly focused on the first special function, but the same applies to the second to nth special functions. In Example EX_6, when the configuration of Figure 29 is adopted, the setting update unit 5a performs information conversion processing on the creative work DD, thereby reflecting the content of the recommended UI from the creative work DD in the setting information SS. However, as described in Example EX_5B, the necessary information may be included in the generation instruction prompt CC so that information conversion processing is unnecessary (so that information in a format that the display control unit 5b can interpret is generated as the creative work DD).

[0178] In Example EX_6, the transition of the display state described above (display state ST) ＭＡＩＮ A command (a command to the display control unit 5b) for causing a transition from to the display state ST[2,3] may be generated as a creative work DD. However, the information necessary to achieve this shall be included in the generation instruction prompt CC.

[0179] <<Example EX_7>> Example EX_7 will be explained. Example EX_7 will explain the modification techniques, application techniques, or supplementary matters related to the SYS system.

[0180] The UI setting function according to this embodiment allows the UI content of the target device to be set by automatic or manual setting operation. The in-vehicle device 10 is an example of a target device, and the server device 20 is an example of an external device provided outside the in-vehicle device 10 and the vehicle VV. The target device is not limited to a device located in the vehicle VV. In the present invention, the target device may be any device having a UI with a display screen. The system SYS and the present invention embodied in the system SYS can be applied to any application other than in-vehicle applications. Furthermore, the external device can be configured with one or more computer devices.

[0181] A program that causes a computer device to execute any method described in each embodiment of the present invention, and a non-volatile recording medium on which such program is recorded, are included within the scope of the embodiments of the present invention. The program that causes a computer (computer device) to execute any method described in the embodiments of the present invention may be a subprogram incorporated into or called by any main program. Each of the in-vehicle device 10 and the server device 20 is equipped with a computer capable of executing any program. The arithmetic processing unit or arithmetic processing unit provided in each of the in-vehicle device 10 and the server device 20 may be considered to be a computer. Any processing in the embodiments of the present invention may be realized by hardware such as semiconductor integrated circuits, software corresponding to the above program, or a combination of hardware and software.

[0182] The embodiments of the present invention can be modified in various ways as appropriate within the scope of the technical idea set forth in the claims. The embodiments described above are merely examples of embodiments of the present invention, and the meaning of the terms of the present invention or each constituent element is not limited to those described above. The specific numerical values ​​shown in the above description are merely examples and can, of course, be changed to various numerical values.

[0183] SYS System VV Vehicle UU User MC Microphone SP Speaker NET Communication Network 10 In-vehicle device 11 Controller (vehicle-side controller) 12 Memory 13 Communication circuit 14 Recording medium 15 Display unit 16 Display screen 20 Server device 21 Controller (server-side controller) 22 Memory 23 Communication circuit 30 Management device 31 Management controller 32 Memory 33 Communication circuit 1-5 Processing unit 4a Generation AI AA Specification information (UI specification information) BB Characteristic information CC Generation instruction prompt DD Creative work SS Setting information (UI setting information)

Claims

1. A UI setting method for setting the content of a user interface used in a target device using a controller provided in the target device, wherein in the target device, the content of the user interface is specified by parameters of a plurality of functional items, the parameters of each functional item are one of a plurality of choices, the target device, or the target device and other devices capable of bidirectional communication with each other, create a user interface generation instruction prompt based on UI specification information representing information of each choice for each functional item and characteristic information according to the user preferences of the target device, and input the generation instruction prompt to a generation AI to reflect the AI ​​output information generated by the generation AI in the user interface.

2. The UI setting method according to claim 1, wherein the generation instruction prompt is created by combining a plurality of text data, which includes text data of the UI specification information, text data of the characteristic information, and text data that instructs the generation of the user interface.

3. The UI setting method according to claim 1, wherein the generation instruction prompt instructs the generation of an interface that is recommended to be used as the user interface.

4. The UI setting method according to claim 1, wherein the AI ​​output information specifies which option to assign to the parameter of each functional item.

5. The UI setting method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the UI specification information is read from a storage area storing the UI specification information by the target device or the other device.

6. A UI setting method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the UI specification information is generated by the target device or the other device from the data of the instruction manual for the target device.

7. The UI setting method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the characteristic information includes the user's preference information, and the user's preference information is input to the target device by the user or extracted from information reflecting the user's preferences.

8. The UI setting method according to claim 7, wherein the characteristic information further includes information on the operating environment of the target device.

9. The UI setting method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the user interface is an interface on a display screen provided on the target device.

10. The UI setting method according to claim 9, wherein, in the target device, an image based on the AI ​​output information and the user interface is displayed on the display screen.

11. The UI setting method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the target device is an in-vehicle device installed in a vehicle.

12. A UI setting system comprising a target device and an external device capable of bidirectional communication with each other, wherein the system sets the content of a user interface used in the target device, the external device comprising one or more computer devices, the content of the user interface in the target device being specified by parameters of a plurality of functional items, the parameters of each functional item being one of a plurality of choices, the target device or the external device creating a user interface generation instruction prompt based on UI specification information representing information of each choice for each functional item and characteristic information according to the user preferences of the target device, the external device inputting the generation instruction prompt to a generation AI, thereby outputting AI output information generated by the generation AI to the target device, and the target device reflecting the AI ​​output information in the user interface.

13. The UI setting system according to claim 12, wherein the target device is an in-vehicle device installed in a vehicle.

14. A target device equipped with a controller for setting the content of a user interface, wherein the content of the user interface is specified by parameters of a plurality of functional items, the parameters of each functional item are one of a plurality of choices, the controller creates a user interface generation instruction prompt based on UI specification information representing information of each choice for each functional item and characteristic information according to the user preferences of the target device, inputs the generation instruction prompt to a generation AI provided by itself or in an external device, and thereby reflects the AI ​​output information generated by the generation AI in the user interface.

15. The target device according to claim 14, which is an in-vehicle device installed in a vehicle.

16. A target device equipped with a controller for setting the content of a user interface, wherein the controller creates a user interface generation instruction prompt based on the UI specification information of the target device and characteristic information corresponding to the user preferences of the target device, inputs the generation instruction prompt to a generation AI provided by itself or in an external device, and reflects the AI ​​output information generated by the generation AI based on the generation instruction prompt to the user interface.

17. A UI setting method for setting the content of a user interface used in a target device using a controller provided in the target device, the method comprising: creating a user interface generation instruction prompt based on UI specification information of the target device and characteristic information corresponding to the user preferences of the target device; inputting the generation instruction prompt to a generation AI provided in the controller or an external device; and reflecting the AI ​​output information generated by the generation AI based on the generation instruction prompt in the user interface.

18. A UI setting program that causes a computer to execute the UI setting method described in claim 17.

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