JP2024040990A - Information processing device, information processing method, and information processing program - Google Patents

Abstract

[Problem] To provide information useful to a user. [Solution] An information processing device according to the present disclosure includes an acquisition unit, an output control unit, and a determination unit. The acquisition unit acquires content information to be output within a moving body. The output control unit outputs the content information when a type of the content information satisfies an output condition according to a current situation of an occupant of the moving body. The determination unit determines whether the moving body is moving outside the living area of the occupant of the moving body. Here, when it is determined that the moving body is moving outside the living area, the output control unit outputs a predetermined type of content information within an allowable range associated with the content information even if the output condition is not satisfied. [Selected Figure] Figure 10

Description

The present disclosure relates to an information processing device, an information processing method, and an information processing program.

Conventionally, techniques have been proposed for providing information by voice without causing discomfort to users.

JP2017-67852A

However, in the above-mentioned conventional technology, after detecting the end of the user's conversation in the vehicle, it waits for the waiting time to elapse before starting to provide audio information, so while it does not interrupt the user's conversation, Information whose presentation period has expired during that time will not be presented. Therefore, the above-mentioned conventional technology has room for improvement in terms of providing useful information to users.

The present disclosure has been made in view of the above, and proposes an information processing device, an information processing method, and an information processing program that can provide information useful to users.

The information processing device according to claim 1 includes an acquisition unit that acquires content information to be output into a moving body, and a type of the content information that satisfies an output condition according to a current situation of an occupant of the moving body. In this case, the output control unit includes an output control unit that outputs the content information, and a determination unit that determines whether the mobile body is moving outside the living area of the occupant of the mobile body, and the output control unit includes the output control unit that outputs the content information. If it is determined that the mobile object is moving outside the living area, even if the output condition is not satisfied, the permissible range associated with the content information of the predetermined type is determined. Output within.

The information processing method according to claim 7 is an information processing method executed by an information processing device, and includes an acquisition step of acquiring content information to be output into a mobile body, and a type of the content information is determined according to the type of the content information to be output into the mobile body. an output control step of outputting the content information when an output condition corresponding to the current situation of the occupant is satisfied; and determining whether the moving object is moving outside the living area of the occupant of the moving object. and a determination step, and in the output control step, if it is determined that the mobile object is moving outside the living area, content information of a predetermined type is output even if the output condition is not satisfied. is output within the permissible range associated with the content information.

The information processing program according to claim 8 is an information processing program executed by an information processing device, and includes an acquisition procedure for acquiring content information to be output into a moving body, and a type of the content information is set to be an output control procedure for outputting the content information when an output condition according to the current situation of the occupant of the vehicle is satisfied; and determining whether the moving object is moving outside the living area of the occupant of the moving object. The information processing device executes a determination procedure to determine whether the mobile object is moving outside the living area, and the output control procedure includes determining whether the mobile object is moving outside the living area, even if the output condition is not satisfied. , content information of a predetermined type is output within a permissible range associated with the content information.

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a system according to an embodiment. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a configuration example of each device according to the first embodiment. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of an output determination table according to the embodiment. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of a content information storage unit according to the embodiment. FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing the procedure of output control processing according to the first embodiment. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of a content information storage unit according to a modification of the first embodiment. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a configuration example of each device according to the second embodiment. FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing the procedure of output control processing for outputting unoutputted content. FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing the procedure of update processing for updating output conditions. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a configuration example of each device according to the third embodiment. FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing the procedure of output control processing according to the third embodiment. FIG. 12 is a hardware configuration diagram showing an example of a computer that implements the functions of the in-vehicle device 100.

Embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail below based on the drawings. Note that the information processing apparatus, information processing method, and information processing program according to the present disclosure are not limited to this embodiment. In addition, in the following embodiments, the same parts are given the same reference numerals, and redundant explanations will be omitted.

<Overview of embodiment>
[1. System configuration〕
First, the configuration of a system according to an embodiment will be described using FIG. 1. FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a system according to an embodiment. FIG. 1 shows a system 1 as an example of a system according to an embodiment. Various output control processes according to the embodiment may be realized in the system 1.

As shown in FIG. 1, the system 1 may include an in-vehicle device 100 and a server device 200. Further, the in-vehicle device 100 and the server device 200 may be connected via a network N so as to be able to communicate by wire or wirelessly. Further, the information processing system 1 shown in FIG. 1 may include any number of in-vehicle devices 100 and any number of server devices 200.

[2. Overview of each device included in the system]
(About the in-vehicle device 100)
The in-vehicle device 100 is an example of an information processing device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, and is a central device responsible for output control processing according to the embodiment. As shown in FIG. 1, the in-vehicle device 100 may be a dedicated navigation device built into or mounted on the vehicle VEx.

For example, the in-vehicle device 100 may include a navigation device and a recording device. As an example of this, the in-vehicle device 100 may be a composite device in which a navigation device and a recording device that are independent of each other are communicably connected. As another example, the in-vehicle device 100 may be a single device having a navigation function and a recording function.

Furthermore, the in-vehicle device 100 may include various sensors. For example, the in-vehicle device 100 may include various sensors such as a camera, an acceleration sensor, a gyro sensor, a GPS (Global Positioning System) sensor, and an atmospheric pressure sensor. For this reason, the in-vehicle device 100 also has a function to perform dialogue and provide information to support the driving of the user (for example, the occupant of the vehicle VEx) based on sensor information acquired by various sensors. It's fine.

Further, the in-vehicle device 100 can use not only the sensors provided in the device itself, but also sensor information detected by the sensors provided in the vehicle VEx itself as a safe driving system.

In addition, users can install predetermined application software on the portable terminal devices they use on a daily basis (e.g., smartphones, tablet terminals, notebook PCs, PDAs, etc.). It can be operated in the same manner as the in-vehicle device 100.

Here, an outline of the output control process executed by the on-vehicle device 100 will be described. For example, the in-vehicle device 100 causes the content information to be output when output conditions according to the current situation of the occupant CWx of the vehicle VEx are satisfied.

For example, the in-vehicle device 100 may be configured based on audio information collected by a microphone, images captured by a camera, behavior of the vehicle VEx detected by a sensor, attributes of the road on which the vehicle VEx is traveling detected by a sensor, etc. Then, the situation inside the vehicle VEx, that is, the current situation of the occupant CWx is specified. Then, the in-vehicle device 100 applies the set of the identified situation of the occupant CWx and the type of content information provided from the server device 200 to an output determination table to be described later, thereby refraining from outputting this content information. Determine whether or not the situation is favorable.

For example, when the in-vehicle device 100 determines that it is not necessary to refrain from outputting the content information (when the output conditions are met), the in-vehicle device 100 outputs the content information in the form of audio. At this time, the in-vehicle device 100 may display an image indicating content information in addition to the audio. On the other hand, if the in-vehicle device 100 determines that the output of the content information should be refrained from (if the output conditions are not met), the in-vehicle device 100 suspends the output of the content information.

Situations in which it is preferable to refrain from outputting content information include when occupant CWx is driving under heavy load, while occupant CWx is having a conversation, while occupant CWx is on the phone, or when occupant CWx is concentrating on his or her favorite music. Monaka et al.

In addition, the in-vehicle device 100 also executes various types of output control described below on the premise of the output control processing as described above.

In the first embodiment, when the in-vehicle device 100 (in-vehicle device 100a to be described later) does not output content information because the output condition is not satisfied, the in-vehicle device 100 (in-vehicle device 100a described later) outputs information to the passenger CW and controls the output of content information according to the response of the occupant CWx corresponding to the call.

The calling information used for calling by the in-vehicle device 100 includes a plurality of meanings depending on the purpose. Specifically, the appeal information is output for the purpose of obtaining permission to output content information or for the purpose of calling attention to the content information, and is composed of appropriate expressions according to these purposes. . The call information may be output in various forms including video output, indicator lighting, etc. as long as it is compatible with these purposes, but typically it is output as audio. Furthermore, although the details will be described later, the in-vehicle device 100 may output summary information indicating an outline of the content information as well as the challenge information.

In the second embodiment, the in-vehicle device 100 (in-vehicle device 100b to be described later) outputs the output condition after the output condition is not satisfied and there is content information that was not output within the allowable range. If the conditions are satisfied, the content information that was not output is output again. At this time, the in-vehicle device 100 also outputs the reason why the content information was not output, that is, the reason why the output of the content information was suspended. Furthermore, in the second embodiment, the in-vehicle device 100 also performs a process of updating the contents of the output condition in response to a response from the occupant CWx in response to the output of content information anew.

In the third embodiment, the in-vehicle device 100 (in-vehicle device 100c described below) determines whether the vehicle VEx is moving outside the living area of the occupant CWx, and when it is determined that the vehicle VEx is moving outside the living area. Even if the output conditions are not met, content information of a predetermined type (for example, content information that recommends spots that exist outside the living area) is output within a permissible range.

Note that the allowable range here may be any of the geographical range, time range, travel distance range of the vehicle VEx, passing area range of the vehicle VEx, speed range of the vehicle, etc. in which the content information is to be output. Further, the limit value indicating the limit (boundary) of the allowable range can be interpreted as the output deadline of the content information.

For example, if the allowable range is information indicating a geographical range, the limit value corresponds to the area limit in the geographical range. Further, when the allowable range is information indicating a temporal range, the limit value corresponds to a time limit in the temporal range.

Further, the permissible range is added in association with each piece of content information provided by the server device 200.

(About the server device 200)
The server device 200 records user attribute information (for example, gender, age, hobbies, preferences, etc.) and various history information (for example, visited history, search history, etc.) as user information. Based on the information, content information to be output into the vehicle VEx by voice is specified. Then, the server device 200 transmits the specified content information to the in-vehicle device 100 to output it. For example, the server device 200 may provide content information to which information indicating a permissible range is added.

Content information provided by the server device 200 includes recommendation information (for example, information on various spots in the vicinity), news, weather information, and email information (for example, incoming call, sender, title, text information, etc.) , schedule, route guidance information, traffic information (for example, information on traffic jams, road closures, etc.).

<First embodiment>
[1. Functional configuration of in-vehicle device]
From here on, the first embodiment will be described. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a configuration example of each device according to the first embodiment. FIG. 2 shows a configuration example of the in-vehicle device 100a according to the first embodiment and a configuration example of the server device 200 according to the embodiment. First, a configuration example of the in-vehicle device 100a will be described.

As shown in FIG. 2, the in-vehicle device 100a according to the first embodiment includes a microphone MC, a speaker SP, a sensor SC, a communication section 110, a storage section 120, and a control section 130a.

(About microphone MC)
The microphone MC is a sound collection device that collects sounds generated within the vehicle VEx. For example, the microphone MC collects the voice uttered by the occupant CWx of the vehicle VEx.

(Speaker SP)
The speaker SP corresponds to an output device that outputs various information through audio. For example, the speaker SP outputs content information in accordance with output control by the control unit 130a.

(About sensor SC)
The sensor SC detects various types of information regarding the vehicle VEx, and identifies the situation regarding the vehicle VEx based on the detected information. For example, the sensor SC identifies the situation of the vehicle VEx by detecting the voice inside the vehicle VEx, the situation, the behavior of the vehicle VEx, and the like. For example, the sensor SC identifies the current situation of the occupant CWx of the vehicle VEx. Then, the sensor SC outputs situation information indicating the specified situation to the output control unit 133a.

For this reason, the sensor SC may be, for example, various sensors such as a microphone, a camera, an acceleration sensor, a gyro sensor, a GPS sensor, or an atmospheric pressure sensor.

(Communication Department 110)
The communication unit 110 is realized by, for example, a NIC (Network Interface Card). The communication unit 110 is connected to the network N by wire or wirelessly, and transmits and receives information to and from the server device 200, for example.

(Storage unit 120)
The storage unit 120 is realized by, for example, a semiconductor memory device such as a RAM (Random Access Memory) or a flash memory, or a storage device such as a hard disk or an optical disk. The storage unit 120 may store, for example, data and programs related to the output control process according to the embodiment. Further, according to the example of FIG. 2, the storage unit 120 includes a map information storage unit 121, an output determination table 122, and a content information storage unit 123.

(About map information storage unit 121)
The map information storage unit 121 stores map information corresponding to the area to which the current position CPTx of the vehicle VEx belongs. For example, the in-vehicle device 100a receives the map information corresponding to the area to which the current position CPTx belongs from the server device 200 by transmitting the current position information of the vehicle VEx to the server device 200, and stores it in the map information storage unit 121. Furthermore, the in-vehicle device 100a provides a navigation service based on this map information.

(About the output judgment table 122)
The output determination table 122 stores a determination table for determining whether the current situation SAy of the occupant CWx in the vehicle VEx is such that it is preferable to refrain from outputting audio content information. In the output determination table 122, output conditions for content information are defined based on the relationship between the situation SAy of the occupant CWx and the type of content information.

Here, FIG. 3 shows an example of the output determination table 122 according to the embodiment. The output determination table 122 is used regardless of the output control process according to the first embodiment.

According to the example of FIG. 3, the output determination table 122 includes "collision warning", "route guidance information", "traffic information", "news/weather information", and "email information" as examples of the types of content information. , "recommendation information", etc. In such an example, the server device 200 provides content information belonging to categories such as "collision warning", "route guidance information", "traffic information", "news/weather information", "mail information", "recommendation information", etc. Indicates that there is a possibility of

In addition, according to the example of FIG. 3, the output determination table 122 includes "occupant is talking on the phone" (situation SA1), "occupant is talking" as examples of situations SAy in which it is preferable to refrain from outputting content information. ``In the middle of the day'' (Situation SA2), ``While the occupant is driving with a heavy load'' (Situation SA3), ``While the occupant is concentrating on his or her favorite music'' (Situation SA4), etc. .

Here, the output condition will be specifically explained using situation SA2 as an example. According to the example in FIG. 3, "◯" is associated with the combination of situation SA2 "occupants talking" and the type of content information "collision warning." This example means that even if occupant CWx is "talking" in vehicle VEx, the condition is set to output content information belonging to "collision warning."

That is, the information defined by the combination of the situation SA2 "occupant is talking" and the content information type "collision warning" ("O" in the example of FIG. 3) is an output condition corresponding to the combination. For this reason, the in-vehicle device 100 satisfies the output condition for the type "collision warning" if "occupant is talking" in a state where content information belonging to "collision warning" exists as content information to be output. It can be determined that In other words, the in-vehicle device 100 determines that it is not necessary to refrain from outputting if content information belonging to "collision warning" exists as content information to be output and "occupant is talking".

Further, according to the example of FIG. 3, "O" is associated with the combination of the situation SA2 "occupant is talking" and the content information type "route guidance information". Such an example means that even if the occupant CWx is "conversating" in the vehicle VEx, the content information belonging to "route guidance information" is conditioned to be output.

That is, the information defined by the combination of the situation SA2 "occupant is talking" and the content information type "route guidance information" ("○" in the example of FIG. 3) is the output condition corresponding to the combination. . Therefore, if there is content information belonging to "route guidance information" as content information to be output and "occupant is talking", the in-vehicle device 100 sets the output condition for the type "route guidance information". It can be determined that the following is satisfied. In other words, the in-vehicle device 100 determines that it is not necessary to refrain from outputting if "occupant is talking" in a state where content information belonging to "route guidance information" exists as content information to be output. .

Further, according to the example of FIG. 3, an "x" is associated with the combination of the situation SA2 "occupant is talking" and the content information type "recommendation information". Such an example means that if the occupant CWx is "conversating" in the vehicle VEx, the condition is such that content information belonging to "recommendation information" is not output.

That is, the information defined by the combination of the situation SA2 "occupant is talking" and the type of content information "recommendation information" ("x" in the example of FIG. 3) is an output condition corresponding to the combination. For this reason, the in-vehicle device 100 satisfies the output condition for the type "recommendation information" if "occupant is talking" in a state where content information belonging to "recommendation information" exists as content information to be output. It can be determined that there is no In other words, the in-vehicle device 100 determines that output should be refrained from if "occupant is talking" in a state where content information belonging to "recommendation information" exists as content information to be output.

(About content information storage unit 123)
The content information storage unit 123 stores content information Cx provided from the server device 200. Here, FIG. 4 shows an example of the content information storage unit 123 according to the embodiment. FIG. 4 shows a content information storage unit 123-1 as an example of the content information storage unit 123. In the example of FIG. 4, the content information storage unit 123-1 stores "content ID" (Cx), "category", "location information" (SPTx), "content data", "allowable range" (RAx), and "call". It has items such as "Call information" (CF).

“Content ID” is identification information that identifies content information. “Category” is information indicating the type of content information. "Position information" is information indicating the location of the spot targeted by the content information. "Content data" is data that is the substance of content information. It is preferable that the "content data" is, for example, text data as the data on which the audio output is based.

The "permissible range" is information indicating the range in which content information is allowed to be output, and includes any of the geographical range, time range, travel distance range of the vehicle VEx, passing area range of the vehicle VEx, speed range of the vehicle, etc. It may also be information that indicates. Further, although the "allowable range" is set for each piece of content information, a plurality of "allowable ranges" may be set for one piece of content information.

"Call information" is information used to call out to the occupant CWx of the vehicle VEx, and includes text data indicating content that inquires for permission to output content information, or content that urges attention to content information. It may be composed of various types of data. The “challenge information” may be provided by the server device 200 together with the content information. For this reason, the server device 200 may automatically generate challenge information according to the content information, or manually create challenge information for each content information and submit it to the server device 200. Good too.

In Figure 4, the content ID "C1", the category "Facility Recommendation", the location information "SPT1", the content data "There is a cafe with a reputation for cheesecake in...", and the allowable range " An example is shown in which "1,000m to 30m" is associated with the calling information "Are you sure now?".

In this example, content information C1 belonging to the category "facility recommendation" is provided from the server device 200 in response to the content "There is a cafe in ... that is famous for its cheesecake!" An example will be shown in which the in-vehicle device 100a stores this in the content information storage unit 123.

Further, this example shows an example in which the facility (XX cafe) recommended by the content information C1 exists at the location "SPT1". An example will be shown in which output of the content information C1 is permitted while the vehicle VEx is traveling within a range from "1,000 m" to "30 m" before the position "SPT1".

(About the control unit 130a)
Returning to FIG. 2, the control unit 130a uses a CPU (Central Processing Unit), an MPU (Micro Processing Unit), etc. to control various programs stored in the storage device inside the in-vehicle device 100a (for example, the information processing program according to the embodiment). ) is realized by executing the RAM as a work area. Further, the control unit 130a is realized by, for example, an integrated circuit such as an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit) or an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array).

As shown in FIG. 2, the control unit 130a includes an information matching engine 131, an acquisition unit 132, and an output control unit 133a, and realizes or executes information processing functions and operations described below. Note that the internal configuration of the control unit 130a is not limited to the configuration shown in FIG. 2, and may be any other configuration as long as it performs information processing to be described later. Further, the connection relationship between the respective processing units included in the control unit 130a is not limited to the connection relationship shown in FIG. 2, and may be other connection relationships.

(Information matching engine 131)
For example, the information matching engine 131 estimates the driving situation of the vehicle VEx from sensor information regarding the driving of the vehicle VEx, and based on the estimation result, assigns an output priority to each of a plurality of pieces of content information reserved for output. calculate. Then, the information matching engine 131 determines the output order when outputting the plurality of content information according to the calculated priority.

For example, when an allowable overlap between content information is detected, the information matching engine 131 determines the output order based on the driving situation of the vehicle VEx in the range corresponding to the detected overlap. good. For example, when an overlap is detected, the information matching engine 131 determines the running speed of the vehicle VEx in the range corresponding to the detected overlap, and the running speed at a predetermined timing estimated from the sensor information. , and the playback time of each piece of content information to be output in the range corresponding to the detected overlap, the distance traveled by the vehicle VEx is calculated according to the playback time of the content information. The information matching engine 131 may then determine the output order based on the calculated distance and the relationship of overlap.

More specifically, based on distance and relationship, the information matching engine 131 selects a combination of content information that can be output in order so as not to interfere with each other at a predetermined timing. The output order is determined for the extracted combinations. For example, the information matching engine 131 further uses the priorities calculated for each of the plurality of content information to extract appropriate combinations from the plurality of content information, and determines the output order of the extracted combinations according to the priority. However, the content information may be controlled to be output from the speakers SP in accordance with the output order.

(About the acquisition unit 132)
The acquisition unit 132 acquires content information Cx to be output into the vehicle VEx. For example, the content information Cx is provided in advance from the server device 200 at a timing until the permissible range is reached, with information indicating the permissible range added. That is, the content information Cx is provided from the server device 200 in the form of a reservation based on the permissible range. The acquisition unit 132 acquires the content information Cx provided in this way. Further, the acquisition unit 132 stores the acquired content information Cx in the content information storage unit 123.

(About the output control unit 133a)
The output control unit 133a acquires status information indicating the current status SAy of the occupant CWx when the acquisition unit 132 acquires the content information Cx. Context information may be provided by the sensor SC. Then, the output control unit 133a determines whether the output condition is satisfied by comparing the combination of the situation SAy of the occupant CWx and the type of the content information Cx with the output determination table 122. That is, the output control unit 133a determines whether the situation SAy of the occupant CWx is such that the output of the content information Cx should be refrained from.

In the first embodiment, when the output condition is not satisfied and the content information Cx is not output, the output control unit 133a outputs the content information from the passenger CWx within the allowable range RAx in which output of the content information Cx is allowed. The challenge information CF for obtaining permission for output of Cx is output.

The output control unit 133a determines whether the current margin value remaining up to the tolerance limit, which is the limit value of the tolerance range RAx, is greater than or equal to the first threshold value. Then, when the margin value is greater than or equal to the first threshold value (that is, when it can be determined that there is margin before the deadline), the output control unit 133a does not output the challenge information CF, and the output condition is satisfied. You may re-judge whether or not it was successful. When rejudgment is performed in this way, the latest status information at this point is used.

Here, when the allowable range RAx is a time range, the margin value can be interpreted as the current grace period remaining until the time limit, which is the limit value of the allowable range RAx. In such a case, the output control unit 133a determines whether the grace period is equal to or greater than the first threshold.

On the other hand, when the allowable range RAx is a geographical range, the margin value can be interpreted as the current grace distance remaining before the area limit, which is the limit value of the allowable range RAx. In this case, the output control unit 133a determines whether the grace distance is equal to or greater than the first threshold.

Note that although the determination process based on the comparison between the margin value and the first threshold value has been described along with a specific example of the margin value, the same can be said for other threshold values (for example, the second threshold value) that will be described later.

Further, when the output control unit 133a determines that the margin value is less than the first threshold value in a state where the output condition is not satisfied, the output control unit 133a outputs the challenge information CF. At this time, if the passenger CWx does not permit the output of the content information Cx in response to the challenge information CF, the output control unit 133a suspends the output of the content information Cx and checks whether the output conditions are satisfied. Determine again. When rejudgment is performed in this way, the latest status information at this point is used.

Then, while the output condition is not satisfied and the occupant CWx does not permit the output of the content information Cx in response to the challenge information CF, the output control unit 133a outputs the output at a predetermined timing according to the decrease in the margin value. Output the calling information CF. For example, the output control unit 133a determines whether the margin value has fallen below a second threshold that is lower than the first threshold, and if it is determined that the margin value has fallen below the second threshold, outputs the challenge information CF again.

In this way, a plurality of threshold values may be set in association with the allowable range RAx in a plurality of stages so as to approach the limit value. Then, the output control unit 133a determines whether the margin value is greater than or equal to the threshold value using a new threshold value corresponding to the number of times the challenge information CF has been output and the current margin value.

The output control unit 133a determines whether the permissible range is satisfied when the output condition is satisfied or when the passenger CWx permits the output of the content information Cx in response to the challenge information CF. . Then, when the output control unit 133a determines that the permissible range is satisfied, the output control unit 133a outputs the content information Cx.

[2. Functional configuration of server device]
Continuing with FIG. 2, a configuration example of the server device 200 will be described. The configuration of the server device 200 may be common to each embodiment. As shown in FIG. 2, the server device 200 includes a communication section 211, a storage section 220, and a control section 230.

(Communication Department 210)
The communication unit 210 is realized by, for example, a NIC or the like. The communication unit 210 is connected to the network N by wire or wirelessly, and transmits and receives information to and from the in-vehicle device 100, for example.

(About storage unit 220)
The storage unit 220 is realized by, for example, a semiconductor memory device such as a RAM or a flash memory, or a storage device such as a hard disk or an optical disk. The storage unit 220 may include a user information storage unit 221 , a map information storage unit 222 , and a content information storage unit 223 .

(About the user information storage unit 221)
The user information storage unit 221 stores user attribute information (for example, gender, age, hobbies, preferences, etc.) and various history information (for example, visited history, search history, etc.) as user information. For example, the server device 200 may acquire user information via the in-vehicle device 100, or some of the user information may be registered by the user himself/herself.

(About the map information storage unit 222)
The map information storage unit 222 stores map information covering road link information nationwide. Map information may be updated regularly.

(About content information storage unit 223)
The content information storage unit 223 stores candidate content information provided to the in-vehicle device 100a. Content information may be input from an external server device. Additionally, the server device 200 may generate content information based on user information.

(About the control unit 230)
The control unit 230 is realized by the CPU, MPU, or the like executing various programs stored in the storage device inside the server device 200 using the RAM as a work area. Further, the control unit 230 is realized by, for example, an integrated circuit such as an ASIC or an FPGA.

As shown in FIG. 2, the control unit 230 includes an acquisition unit 231, a specification unit 232, and a provision unit 233, and implements or executes information processing functions and operations described below. Note that the internal configuration of the control unit 230 is not limited to the configuration shown in FIG. 2, and may be any other configuration as long as it performs information processing to be described later. Further, the connection relationship between the respective processing units included in the control unit 230 is not limited to the connection relationship shown in FIG. 2, and may be other connection relationships.

(About the acquisition unit 231)
The acquisition unit 231 acquires user information and stores it in the user information storage unit 221. For example, the acquisition unit 231 can acquire user information from the in-vehicle device 100.

(About the specific part 232)
The specifying unit 232 specifies content information Cx to be outputted into the vehicle VEx by voice based on the user information. Further, the specifying unit 232 may also specify additional information to be added to the specified content information Cx. For example, the specifying unit 232 specifies, as the additional information, information indicating the type of content information Cx, information indicating an allowable range in which output of content information Cx is permitted, challenge information, and summary information indicating an overview of content information Cx. You may do so.

Note that the specifying unit 232 may set an appropriate allowable range based on the contents of the content information Cx and the current position CPTx of the vehicle VEx. Further, the specifying unit 232 may set an appropriate allowable range based on the contents of the content information Cx and the current time when the vehicle VEx is traveling. Furthermore, the specifying unit 232 may set an appropriate allowable range based on the content of the content information Cx and the behavior of the vehicle VEx. On the other hand, the permissible range may be set in advance when submitting the content information Cx.

Note that the specifying unit 232 specifies individual content information Cx corresponding to each vehicle VEx. Therefore, the contents of the content information Cx acquired by the on-vehicle device 100a loaded on the vehicle VEx differ depending on the vehicle VEx.

(About the provision section 233)
The providing unit 233 provides the content information Cx specified by the specifying unit 232 to the occupant of the vehicle VEx. Specifically, the providing unit 233 transmits the content information Cx to the in-vehicle device 100a. Note that the providing unit 233 may provide the content information Cx with additional information specified by the specifying unit 232 added thereto.

[3. Processing procedure]
From now on, a specific example of the output control process according to the first embodiment will be described using FIG. 5. FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing the procedure of output control processing according to the first embodiment. FIG. 5 shows a scene in which the on-vehicle device 100a loaded on the vehicle VE1 performs output control processing. Note that the output control process shown in FIG. 5 may be started, for example, when the engine of the vehicle VE1 is started, and may be ended when the engine of the vehicle VE1 is stopped.

First, the acquisition unit 132 determines whether content information Cx to be output has been acquired (step S501). That is, the acquisition unit 132 determines whether or not the content information Cx has been acquired in response to the provision of the content information Cx by the server device 200.

While the acquisition unit 132 cannot acquire the content information Cx to be output (step S501; No), it waits until it can acquire the content information Cx to be output.

When the content information Cx is acquired by the acquisition unit 132 (step S501; Yes), the output control unit 133a refers to the output determination table 122 and determines whether the output condition is satisfied (step S502). ). Specifically, the output control unit 133a acquires situation information indicating the current situation SAy of the occupant CW1 of the vehicle VE1, and compares the combination of the situation SAy and the type of content information Cx with the output determination table 122. This determines whether the output conditions are satisfied.

When the output control unit 133a determines that the output condition is satisfied (step S502; Yes), the output control unit 133a recognizes that the situation SAy of the occupant CW1 is such that there is no need to refrain from outputting the content information Cx. . Then, the output control unit 133a determines whether or not the allowable range RAx corresponding to the content information Cx is exceeded (step S503).

When the output control unit 133a determines that the allowable range RAx is not exceeded (step S503; No), the output control unit 133a performs output control so that the content information Cx is output from the speaker SP (step S504).

For example, it is assumed that the content information Cx is recommendation information such as "There is a cafe in... that is famous for its cheesecake!". In such a case, the output control unit 133a determines the position of the position SPTx starting from the current position CPT1 based on the position SPTx of the spot (○○ cafe) targeted by the content information Cx and the current position CPT1 of the vehicle VE1. Relationships (eg, distance and direction) may be calculated. The output control unit 133a may then process the contents of the content information Cx based on the calculation result, synthesize a voice that reads out the processed content information Cx, and output this voice from the speaker SP.

FIG. 5 shows an example in which the speaker SP outputs, as the processed content information Cx, "200 meters ahead and on the left side, there is a cafe with a reputation for cheesecake!".

On the other hand, if the output control unit 133a determines that the allowable range RAx is exceeded (step S503; Yes), the process proceeds to step A. The output control process executed after step A will be described as a second embodiment.

Returning to step S502, if the output control unit 133a determines that the output condition is not satisfied (step S502; No), the output control unit 133a determines that the situation SAy of the occupant CW1 is such that output of the content information Cx should be refrained from. Recognize. According to the example of the output determination table 122 shown in FIG. recognizes that it should refrain from outputting the content information Cx.

In such a state, the output control unit 133a first determines whether or not all of the threshold values that are set in stages toward the tolerance limit that is the limit value of the tolerance range RAx have been exhausted (step S505). .

For example, if the allowable range RAx is a geographical range of "1,000m to 30m", multiple thresholds are set such as a first threshold "500m", a second threshold "250m", and a third threshold "100m". There may be cases where In such an example, the output control unit 133a sets the area limit (which is the limit value of the allowable range RAx) while the output condition is not satisfied and the crew member CW1 does not permit output of the content information Cx in response to the challenge information CF. The call determines whether the current grace distance (margin value) remaining up to the tolerance limit) exceeds the first threshold, the second threshold, and the third threshold. The processing is performed in order according to the number of times the multiplication information CF is output.

As another example, if the allowable range RAx is the temporal range "July 12, 2022 11:00 to July 12, 2022 12:00", the first threshold "11:30" and the second threshold " A plurality of threshold values may be set, such as "11:40" and a third threshold "11:50." In such an example, the output control unit 133a sets the time limit (which is the limit value of the allowable range RAx) while the output condition is not satisfied and the crew member CW1 does not permit the output of the content information Cx in response to the challenge information CF. The call determines whether the current grace period (margin value) remaining until the tolerance limit) exceeds the first threshold, the second threshold, and the third threshold. The processing is performed in order according to the number of times the multiplication information CF is output.

According to the above example, the output control unit 133a determines that the current margin value remaining up to the allowable limit is less than the third threshold, and that the output control unit 133a has changed the challenge information CF to 3 so far according to the three thresholds. If the threshold value has been output twice, it can be determined that all the threshold values have been exhausted.

If the output control unit 133a determines that all of the threshold values set stepwise toward the allowable limit have been exhausted (step S505; Yes), the output control unit 133a moves the process to step S502 and determines that the output condition is satisfied. It is determined again whether or not it has been done.

On the other hand, if the output control unit 133a determines that all of the threshold values set stepwise toward the allowable limit have not been exhausted (step S505; No), the output control unit 133a outputs the challenge information CF at this time. The number of times n is specified (step S506).

An example of a method for outputting challenge information CF based on a threshold value will be described in more detail. For example, if the margin value is greater than or equal to the first threshold and the challenge information CF has not yet been output since the content information Cx was acquired, the output control unit 133a outputs the number of times n=1 (output number_1). Identify that there is. On the other hand, the output control unit 133a does not allow the crew member CW1 to output the content information Cx for the first challenge information CF outputted because the first threshold value has been exceeded, and the output condition is not yet satisfied. In this case, it is specified that the number of times n=2 (output number_2nd time). In addition, the output control unit 133a does not allow the crew member CW1 to output the content information Cx for the second call information CF that has been output because the second threshold has been exceeded, and the output condition is not yet satisfied. In this case, it is specified that the number of times n=3 (output number_3rd time). Such a specific loop is realized by the following steps.

Specifically, the output control unit 133a determines whether the margin value is equal to or greater than the threshold value corresponding to the number n (nth time) (step S507). For example, when the output control unit 133a specifies that the number of times n=1 (the number of outputs_1st time), the output control unit 133a determines whether or not the number of times n is equal to or greater than the first threshold value corresponding to the first time. Further, when the output control unit 133a specifies that the number of times n=2 (the number of outputs_second time), the output control unit 133a determines whether or not the number of times n is equal to or greater than the second threshold value corresponding to the second time. Moreover, when the output control unit 133a specifies that the number of times n=3 (the number of outputs_3rd time), the output control unit 133a determines whether or not the number of times n is equal to or higher than the third threshold value corresponding to the third time.

When the output control unit 133a determines that the margin value is greater than or equal to the threshold value corresponding to the number of times n (step S507; Yes), the output control unit 133a recognizes that there is margin until the timing to output the challenge information CF. In this case, the output control unit 133a temporarily suspends the output of the content information Cx (step S508), moves the process to step S502, and again determines whether the output condition is satisfied.

If the output control unit 133a determines that the margin value is less than the threshold value corresponding to the number of times n (step S507; No), the timing for outputting the challenge information CF has been exceeded (past) and there is no margin. Recognize that. In this case, the output control unit 133a performs output control so that the challenge information CF is output from the speaker SP (step S509).

For example, the output control unit 133a may synthesize a voice that reads out the challenge information CF, and output this voice from the speaker SP.

FIG. 5 shows an example in which the speaker SP outputs "Are you sure now?" as the challenge information CF.

Next, the output control unit 133a determines whether or not the occupant CW1 has permitted output of the content information Cx in response to the challenge information CF (step S510). For example, the output control unit 133a can determine whether the occupant CW1 has permitted output of the content information Cx based on the content of the utterance analyzed from the utterance audio data collected by the microphone MC. Alternatively, the output control unit 133a determines whether or not the occupant CW1 has permitted the output of the content information Cx, based on input content input by operating an affirmative button or a negative button provided on the in-vehicle device 100a. You may.

If the output control unit 133a determines that the occupant CW1 has permitted the output of the content information Cx (step S510; Yes), the output control unit 133a moves the process to step S503, and if the content information Cx exceeds the allowable range RAx. Determine whether or not the

On the other hand, if the output control unit 133a determines that the occupant CW1 has refused to output the content information Cx (step S510; No), the output control unit 133a temporarily suspends the output of the content information Cx and moves the process to step S502. do.

[4. Summary of output control according to the first embodiment]
According to the output control process according to the first embodiment described in FIG. Challenge information CF inquiring about the availability of content information Cx is output. Then, the output of the content information Cx is controlled according to the response content of the occupant CWx to the challenge information CF. According to such output control processing, it is possible to ask for an opportunity to output the content information Cx without damaging the confidence of the occupant CWx, and therefore it is possible to increase the opportunity to provide information useful to the user.

Further, according to the output control process according to the first embodiment, since the challenge information CF is output only at the timing when the margin value becomes less than the threshold value, for example, the challenge information CF is output continuously unless the output condition is met. It is possible to suppress the accumulation of user discomfort due to the information CF being output.

[5. Modification example according to the first embodiment]
The in-vehicle device 100a according to the first embodiment may be implemented in a manner different from the output control processing described in the first embodiment. Therefore, a modified example of the output control process according to the first embodiment will be described below.

(About the output control unit 133a according to the modified example)
In the first embodiment, when the output control unit 133a does not output the content information Cx because the output condition is not satisfied, the output control unit 133a obtains permission from the passenger CWx to output the content information Cx within the allowable range RAx. An example of outputting the challenge information CF is shown.

However, if the output condition is not satisfied and the content information Cx is not output, the output control unit 133a generates call information CFn (CF1 , CF2...) and summary information OVn (OV1, OV2...) indicating an outline of the content information.

For example, while not outputting the content information Cx, the output control unit 133a outputs the challenge information CFn and the summary information OVn associated with the challenge information CFn at every predetermined timing within the allowable range RAx, In addition, the content of at least one of the challenge information CFn and the summary information OVn is changed in accordance with the increase in the number of outputs.

Specifically, the output control unit 133a outputs the challenge information CFn and the summary information when the current margin value remaining up to the tolerance limit, which is the limit value of the tolerance range RAx, is equal to or higher than the first threshold value. Without outputting OVn, it is determined again whether the output condition is satisfied. Then, when the output condition is not satisfied and the margin value is less than the first threshold, the output control unit 133a outputs the challenge information CFn and the summary information OVn. For example, the output control unit 133a may output challenge information CFn to which summary information OVn is added.

When the passenger CWx shows a negative response (negative response) to the challenge information CFn to which the summary information OVn is added, the output control unit 133a does not output the content information Cx and sets the output condition to Determine again whether it is satisfied.

In this way, while the output condition is not satisfied and the occupant CWn shows a negative response to the challenge information CFn, the output control unit 133a makes a call at each predetermined timing according to the decrease in the margin value. The application information CFn and the summary information OVn are output. For example, the output control unit 133a outputs the challenge information CFn to which the summary information OVn is added, and changes the content of at least one of the challenge information CFn and the summary information OVn in accordance with the increase in the number of outputs. let

For example, in response to an increase in the number of outputs, the output control unit 133a outputs challenge information CFn (for example, , CF2) may be output. In addition, in accordance with the increase in the number of outputs, the output control unit 133a outputs summary information OVn (for example, OV2) whose content is more simplified compared to the summary information OVn (for example, OV1) that has been output so far. You can output it. The output control unit may output challenge information CFn associated with the current number of outputs (how many times the challenge is made), and output summary information OVn associated with the current number of outputs. .

Note that the in-vehicle device 100a stores a data structure that can realize output control processing according to a modified example of changing the content of at least one of the challenge information CFn and the summary information OVn in accordance with an increase in the number of outputs. The content information storage unit 123 may include a content information storage unit 123 that stores content information. Therefore, the content information storage unit 123 according to a modification of the first embodiment will be explained below using FIG. 6.

(Regarding the content information storage unit 123 according to the modified example)
FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of a case where a data structure capable of realizing output control processing according to a modification of the first embodiment is stored in the content information storage unit 123. FIG. 6 shows a content information storage unit 123-2 as an example of the content information storage unit 123 according to a modification of the first embodiment.

In the example of FIG. 6, the content information storage unit 123-2 stores "content ID" (Cx), "category", "location information" (SPTx), "content data", "allowable range" (RAx), and "call". It has items such as "Call information" (CF). These items are the same as those in the content information storage section 123-1, so a description thereof will be omitted.

Further, in the example of FIG. 6, the content information storage unit 123-2 has an item such as "number of outputs_nth". For example, as shown in FIG. 6, the content information storage unit 123-2 may have items for the number of outputs n times, such as "Number of outputs_1st time", "Number of outputs_2nd time", etc.

The "nth output count" corresponds to the current output count, which is specified according to the number of times the challenge information CFn to which the summary information OVn has been added is output.

Further, according to the example of FIG. 6, the challenge information CFn and the summary information OVn are registered in a state of being associated with each other for the "nth output count". For example, for the item "Number of output_1st" specified by the content ID "C1" (content information C1), the prompt information CF1 "Are you sure now?" and the summary information OV1 "Recommended for you" There is information about the cafe.'' are registered in a state where they are associated with each other. In addition, for the item "Number of output_2nd time" specified by content ID "C1", call information CF2 "We have information recommended for you!" and summary information OV2 "Information about the cafe." are registered in an associated state.

Here, if we compare the contents of the challenge information CF1 "Are you sure now?" and the challenge information CF2 "I have some information recommended for you.", we can see that the content of the challenge information CF2 is The content is more detailed and can attract more attention. As a result, as the number of outputs n increases, the output control unit 133a can output challenge information whose content is more attention-grabbing compared to challenge information output so far.

In addition, when comparing the contents of summary information OV1 "We have information about cafes recommended for you." and summary information OV2 "Information about cafes.", the content of summary information OV2 is better. Simplified. As a result, the output control unit 133a can output summary information with more simplified content compared to the summary information output so far, as the number of outputs n increases.

[6. Example of operation in modified example]
Next, an example of the operation realized as the output control process according to the modification of the first embodiment will be described. Specifically, a specific example of the operation of the in-vehicle device 100a that operates according to the data structure of the content information storage section 123-2 as shown in FIG. 6 will be described.

For example, FIG. 5 shows an example in which the output control unit 133a outputs the call information CF based on a threshold value corresponding to the current output number, which is determined according to the number of times the call information CF has been output, and a current margin value. Following this example, in a modified example, the output control unit 133a may output the call information CFn to which the summary information OVn has been added, based on a threshold value corresponding to the current output number, which is determined according to the number of times the call information has been output, and a current margin value.

For example, the output control unit 133a controls the content information Cx to remain within the permissible limit while the output condition is not met and the crew member CWx does not permit the output of the content information Cx for the challenge information CFn to which the summary information OVn is added. The determination as to whether or not the threshold value corresponding to the current margin value has been exceeded is performed in order according to the number of outputs of the challenge information. That is, using the example of FIG. 5, the output control unit 133a can output in stages the challenge information CFn to which the summary information OVn is added instead of the challenge information CF.

According to the example of FIG. 5, more specifically, when the output condition is not satisfied and the margin value is equal to or greater than the first threshold, the output control unit 133a outputs the number of times n=1 (the number of outputs_1st time). . As a result, the output control unit 133a outputs the challenge information CF1 to which the summary information OV1 is added. For example, under the control of the output control unit 133a, the speaker SP outputs, as the challenge information CF1 to which the summary information OV1 is added, "Are you sure now? (challenge information), information about a cafe recommended for you. (Summary information)" is output.

If the output control unit 133a determines that the occupant CW1 has shown a negative response to the challenge information CF1, and also determines that the output condition is not satisfied even after the second condition determination, this time the number of times n= 2 (output count_2nd time). As a result, the output control unit 133a outputs the challenge information CF2 to which the summary information OV2 is added. For example, according to the control by the output control unit 133a, the speaker SP outputs, as the challenge information CF2 to which the summary information OV2 is added, ``I have some information recommended for you. (Challenge information) This is information about a cafe. (Summary information)" is output.

[7. Summary of modifications according to the first embodiment]
According to the output control process according to the modification of the first embodiment, the challenge information CFn is output in accordance with the decrease in the grace period for the content information output deadline. will be changed to more attention-grabbing content. As a result, it is possible to suppress repeated calls with the same content, and it is possible to realize natural calls. Furthermore, when adding summary information when repeating calls, the summary information is simplified as the number of calls increases, making it possible to convey the summary of content information in short words without repeating the same summary information. can.

<Second embodiment>
[1. Functional configuration of in-vehicle device]
From here on, the second embodiment will be described. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a configuration example of each device according to the second embodiment. FIG. 7 shows a configuration example of the in-vehicle device 100b according to the second embodiment and a configuration example of the server device 200 according to the embodiment. The configuration of the server device 200 may be the same between the first embodiment and the second embodiment, and a description thereof will be omitted.

Further, a detailed description of the processing units having the same reference numerals between the in-vehicle device 100a according to the first embodiment and the in-vehicle device 100b according to the second embodiment will be omitted, and below, only the second embodiment will be described. The description will focus on a new processing unit included in the in-vehicle device 100b according to this embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 7, the in-vehicle device 100b according to the second embodiment includes a microphone MC, a speaker SP, a sensor SC, a communication section 110, a storage section 120, and a control section 130b.

(About the control unit 130b)
The control unit 130b is realized by the CPU, MPU, etc. executing various programs (for example, the information processing program according to the embodiment) stored in the storage device inside the in-vehicle device 100b using the RAM as a work area. . Further, the control unit 130b is realized by, for example, an integrated circuit such as an ASIC or an FPGA.

As shown in FIG. 7, the control unit 130b includes an information matching engine 131, an acquisition unit 132, an output control unit 133b, a specification unit 134b, and an update unit 135b, and has information processing functions described below. to realize or carry out an action or action. Note that the internal configuration of the control unit 130b is not limited to the configuration shown in FIG. 7, and may be any other configuration as long as it performs information processing to be described later. Further, the connection relationship between the respective processing units included in the control unit 130b is not limited to the connection relationship shown in FIG. 7, and may be other connection relationships.

(About the specific part 134b)
The specifying unit 134b specifies the content information Cx that is not outputted because the output condition is not satisfied within the allowable range RAx associated with the content information Cx, as unoutputted content NCx.

(About the output control unit 133b)
The output control unit 133b performs output control regarding the unoutputted content NCx when the unoutputted content NCx is specified by the identifying unit 134b.

Specifically, when the output condition is satisfied for the unoutputted content NCx, the output control unit 133b outputs the unoutputted content NCx along with the reason why the unoutputted content NCx was not outputted at the intended timing. For example, the output control unit 133b may output the unoutputted content NCx by adding the current situation SAy of the occupant CWx within the allowable range RAx as a reason.

Further, the output control unit 133b identifies the original timing at which the unoutputted content NCx should have been output based on the movement history of the vehicle VEx and the allowable range RAx associated with the unoutputted content NCx, Information indicating the specified timing may be further output.

Here, assuming that the unoutputted content NCx is recommendation information that recommends a predetermined spot, the associated allowable range RAx may be determined as area information according to the position SPTx of this predetermined spot. In such an example, the output control unit 133b specifies the positional relationship between the predetermined spot position SPTx and the current position CPTx of the vehicle VEx at the timing of outputting the unoutputted content NCx, and outputs information indicating the specified positional relationship. It may be output together with the unoutputted content NCx. For example, the output control unit 133b may output the unoutput content NCx with information indicating the distance to a predetermined spot from the current position CPTx of the vehicle VEx as the information indicating the positional relationship. .

Note that the output control section 133b is substantially the same processing section as the output control section 133a according to the first embodiment, and also has the function of the output control section 133a.

(About the update section 135b)
The updating unit 135b updates the content of the output condition (that is, the content of the output determination table 122) according to the response content of the occupant CWx when the unoutputted content NCx is output.

As a premise of the function of the update section 135b, the output control section 133b first performs the following processing. Specifically, the output control unit 133b causes the output control unit 133b to output question information Q that inquires the passenger CWx about whether or not the content information can be output based on the reason why the unoutputted content NCx was not outputted within the allowable range RAx. More specifically, the output control unit 133b inquires of the occupant CWx whether content information may be output when the situation is SAy, based on the current situation SAy of the occupant CWx within the allowable range RAx. The question information Q is output.

The updating unit 135b updates the type of unoutput content NCx and the situation SAy targeted by the question information Q (specifically, the status of the occupant within the permissible range RAx) according to the response content of the passenger CWx to the question information Q. The output conditions defined based on the relationship with the current situation SAy) of CWx are updated. Specifically, when the passenger CWx permits the output of the content information in the situation SAy targeted by the question information Q, the updating unit 135b changes the content of the output condition in the output determination table 122 from now on. , the content is updated to output the above type of content in the target situation SAy.

[2. Processing procedure]
Next, a specific example of the output control process according to the second embodiment will be described using FIGS. 8 and 9. In FIG. 8, an output control procedure for unoutputted content NCx will be explained. In FIG. 9, an update processing procedure according to a response from the passenger CWx to the unoutputted content NCx will be described.

[2-1. Processing procedure (1)]
FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing the procedure of output control processing for outputting unoutputted content NCx. The output control process for outputting the unoutputted content NCx may be started when the process moves to step A, as described with reference to FIG. Specifically, the output control process for outputting the unoutputted content NCx may be started when it is determined in step S503 of FIG. 5 that the content exceeds the allowable range RAx. Therefore, the example of FIG. 5 will be continued and the output control processing procedure shown in FIG. 8 will be explained.

First, the specifying unit 134b specifies content information Cx that has not been output within the allowable range RAx as unoutput content NCx (step S801).

Next, the output control unit 133b identifies the situation SAy of the occupant CW1 at the time when the unoutputted content NCx was not outputted as the reason why the unoutputted content NCx was not outputted (step S802). Here, the situation SAy of the occupant CW1 at the time when the output was not output is the situation SAy of the occupant CW1 at the time when the allowable range RAx was exceeded before the output condition was satisfied, and when the situation was actually within the allowable range RAx. It points to the situation SAy at that time. In the following, the current situation SAy of the occupant CW1 of the vehicle VE1 will be referred to as "situation SAy (P)." Using the example of FIG. 5, the output control unit 133b satisfies the output condition (step S502; Yes), but the situation SAy (P ).

Next, the output control unit 133b identifies the original timing TM at which the content information Cx should have been output based on the movement history LG1 of the vehicle VE1 and the allowable range RAx (step S803). For example, the output control unit 133b determines, based on the movement history LG1 and the allowable range RAx, the date and time when the content information Cx was acquired (that is, the step The date and time at the time of S501) may be specified as the timing TM. Further, the output control unit 133b may also specify position information of the vehicle VE1 at the timing TM based on the movement history LG1.

Furthermore, the output control unit 133b generates preliminary information PF based on the situation SAy(P) and the timing TM (step S804). For example, the output control unit 133b may generate text information such as "We refrained from outputting earlier because we were talking, but we have information to provide at time TM." as the introductory information PF. I can do it. According to this example, "talking" included in the preface information PF corresponds to the situation SAy(P), and "time TM" corresponds to the timing TM.

Next, the output control unit 133b determines, based on the position SPTx of the target spot in the content information Cx and the current position CPT1 of the vehicle VE1, the positional relationship between the positions SPTx starting from the current position CPT1 (for example, (distance and direction) are calculated (step S805).

For example, it is assumed that the content information Cx is recommendation information such as "There is a cafe in... that is famous for its cheesecake!". In such a case, the output control unit 133b determines the position of the position SPTx starting from the current position CPT1 based on the position SPTx of the spot (○○ cafe) targeted by the content information Cx and the current position CPT1 of the vehicle VE1. Calculate relationships (e.g. distance and direction).

Then, the output control unit 133a processes the content information Cx by adding information indicating the calculated positional relationship to the content information Cx (step S806). For example, if the output control unit 133b calculates the positional relationship "300 m behind, on the left" in S805, it can process the content information Cx using this to generate content information TCx with the content "300 m behind, on the left, there is a XX cafe that is famous for its cheesecake."

In such a state, the output control unit 133b first performs output control so that the introductory information PF is output from the speaker SP (step S807). For example, the output control unit 133b may synthesize a voice that reads out the preface information PF, and output this voice from the speaker SP.

FIG. 8 shows an example in which the speaker SP outputs, as the introductory information PF, "I refrained from outputting it earlier because I was busy talking, but I have information to provide at time TM." It will be done.

Further, the output control unit 133b performs output control so that the processed content information TCx is output from the speaker SP (step S808). For example, the output control unit 133b may synthesize a voice that reads the content information TCx and output this voice from the speaker SP.

FIG. 8 shows an example in which the speaker SP outputs, as the content information TCx, "300 meters behind and on the left side, there was a cafe with a reputation for cheesecake."

Further, after this, the process moves to step B. The output control processing executed after step B will be explained with reference to FIG.

[2-2. Processing procedure (2)]
FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing the procedure of update processing for updating output conditions. The update process for updating the output conditions may be started when the processed content information TCx is output in step S808 of FIG. 8. Therefore, the example of FIG. 8 will be continued and the update processing procedure shown in FIG. 9 will be explained.

First, the output control unit 133b determines whether the occupant CW1 has shown any response to the content information TCx (step S901). For example, the output control unit 133a determines whether or not the occupant CW1 has shown any response to the content information TCx based on the uttered audio data collected by the microphone MC or the input content input by operating the in-vehicle device 100b. It is possible to determine whether

When the output control unit 133b determines that the occupant CW1 has responded to the content information TCx (step S901; Yes), the output control unit 133b determines whether the response content is positive (step S902). . For example, the output control unit 133b determines that the response content is positive based on the utterance content analyzed from the utterance audio data collected by the microphone MC or the input content input by operating the in-vehicle device 100b. It can be determined whether or not.

For example, when the occupant CW1 utters something like "Thank you! I'm fine." or when an "affirmation" button provided on the screen of the in-vehicle device 100b is pressed, the output control unit 133b controls the response content. can be determined to have positive content. On the other hand, the output control unit 133b responds when the occupant CW1 utters, "It's too late to tell me now!" or when the "Deny" button provided on the screen of the in-vehicle device 100b is pressed. It can be determined that the content is negative.

If the output control unit 133b determines that the response content is not positive (step S902; No), the output control unit 133b determines the situation SAy of the occupant CW1 at the time when the allowable range RAx was exceeded before the output condition was satisfied. Based on (P), question information Q that inquires the passenger CW1 as to whether content information can be output is output (step S903).

Specifically, the output control unit 133b generates question information Q that inquires of the crew member CW1 whether content information may be output when the situation SAy(P), and the question information Q is output from the speaker SP. Control the output so that it is output. For example, the output control unit 133b may synthesize a voice reading out the question information Q and output this voice from the speaker SP.

For example, the output control unit 133b can generate question information Q such as "Would you like me to inform you next time without waiting even if you are talking?" According to this example, "talking" included in the question information Q corresponds to the situation SAy(P).

FIG. 9 shows an example in which the speaker SP outputs, as the question information Q, "Would you like me to notify you next time without waiting even if you are talking?"

Next, the output control unit 133b determines whether or not the passenger CW1 has permitted output of the content information in the situation SA(y) for the question information Q (step S904). For example, the output control unit 133b generates content information in the situation SA(y) based on the utterance content analyzed from the utterance audio data collected by the microphone MC or the input content input by operating the in-vehicle device 100b. It can be determined whether or not the occupant CW1 has permitted the output.

If the passenger CW1 allows content information to be output even during the situation SA(y) (step S904; Yes), the update unit 135b updates the type of the unoutputted content NCx and the situation. The output conditions defined based on the relationship with SAy(P) are updated (step S905). Specifically, the updating unit 135b updates the content of the output condition in the output determination table 122 to the content that outputs the content of the type of unoutput content NCx in the situation SAy(P).

Here, taking as an example a case where the situation SAy(P) is the situation SA2, that is, "occupant is in conversation", and the type of the unoutput content NCx is "recommendation information", the update unit 135b updates the information as shown in FIG. As shown, the contents of the output conditions in the output determination table 122 are updated. That is, the updating unit 135b updates the condition information "x" defined by the combination of the situation SA2 "occupant is talking" and the type of content information "recommendation information" to "o".

Returning to the explanation, if the passenger CW1 does not respond to the content information TCx (step S901; No), or if it determines that the response content is positive (step S902; Yes), If the passenger CW1 does not permit the output of content information in the situation SA(y) (step S904; No), the process ends without performing the update process.

[3. Summary of output control according to second embodiment]
According to the output control process according to the second embodiment described in FIG. , along with the content information Cx that was not output within the output deadline, the reason why it was not output is output. According to such output control processing, it is possible to increase the opportunity to provide information useful to the user without damaging the confidence of the occupant CWx.

Furthermore, according to the output control process according to the second embodiment described in FIG. 9, if the situation SAy of the occupant CWx is such that output of the content information Cx should be refrained from, the content information Cx is not output. On the other hand, in the situation SAy where the output of the content information Cx has been refrained from being output, we ask the passenger CWx whether it is okay to output the content information Cx, and from now on, we will change the condition information so that the content information Cx will be output according to the passenger CWx's intention. The contents will be updated. According to such output control processing, it is possible to increase the opportunity to provide information useful to the user without damaging the confidence of the occupant CWx.

<Third embodiment>
[1. Functional configuration of in-vehicle device]
From here on, the third embodiment will be described. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a configuration example of each device according to the third embodiment. FIG. 10 shows a configuration example of an in-vehicle device 100c according to a third embodiment and a configuration example of a server device 200 according to the embodiment. The configuration of the server device 200 may be the same between the first embodiment and the third embodiment, and a description thereof will be omitted.

In addition, detailed descriptions of processing units that share the same reference numerals between the in-vehicle device 100a according to the first embodiment and the in-vehicle device 100c according to the third embodiment will be omitted, and the following description will focus on the new processing units possessed by the in-vehicle device 100c according to the third embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 10, the in-vehicle device 100c according to the third embodiment includes a microphone MC, a speaker SP, a sensor SC, a communication section 110, a storage section 120, and a control section 130c.

(About the control unit 130c)
The control unit 130c is realized by the CPU, MPU, etc. executing various programs (for example, the information processing program according to the embodiment) stored in the storage device inside the in-vehicle device 100c using the RAM as a work area. . Further, the control unit 130c is realized by, for example, an integrated circuit such as an ASIC or an FPGA.

As shown in FIG. 10, the control unit 130c includes an information matching engine 131, an acquisition unit 132, an output control unit 133c, a living area information acquisition unit 136c, and a determination unit 137c. Achieve or execute a processing function or action. Note that the internal configuration of the control unit 130c is not limited to the configuration shown in FIG. 10, and may be any other configuration as long as it performs information processing to be described later. Further, the connection relationship between the respective processing units included in the control unit 130c is not limited to the connection relationship shown in FIG. 10, and may be other connection relationships.

(About the output control unit 133c)
In the output control process according to the third embodiment, content information Cx provided by the server device 200 recommends a predetermined spot that exists within the allowable range RAx while the passenger CWx is traveling outside the living area (for example, a destination). If the content is relevant, the purpose is to force it to be output so that you don't miss out on this spot (if you pass by, you won't know when you'll be able to visit in the future).

In other words, when the determination unit 137c (described later) determines that the vehicle VEx is moving outside the living area of the occupant CWx, the output control unit 133c selects the predetermined type even if the output condition is not satisfied. The content information is output within the allowable range RAx associated with the content information.

Specifically, when it is determined that the vehicle VEx is moving outside the living area of the occupant CWx, the output control unit 133c outputs a predetermined signal around the vehicle VEx even if the output condition is not satisfied. Recommendation information for recommending a spot is output within the allowable range RAx associated with the recommendation information.

For example, the output control unit 133c controls whether the vehicle VEx If the user is moving outside the service area, this recommendation information is output.

For example, the output control unit 133c specifies the positional relationship between the position SPTx of a predetermined spot and the current position CPTx of the vehicle VEx at the timing when the recommendation information is output, and outputs information indicating the specified positional relationship together with the recommendation information. You can let me. For example, the output control unit 133c may output information indicating the distance to a predetermined spot from the current position CPTx of the vehicle VEx added to the recommendation information as information indicating the positional relationship.

Note that the output control section 133c is substantially the same processing section as the output control section 133a according to the first embodiment, and also has a function as the output control section 133a.

(About the living area information acquisition unit 136c)
The living area information acquisition unit 136c obtains living area information regarding the living area of the occupant CWx specified based on the movement history of the occupant CWx. For example, the in-vehicle device 100c may have a function of periodically determining the living area based on the movement history of the vehicle VEx and updating the living area information to the latest state. According to this function, for example, the living area may be determined based on the distribution of the locations where the vehicle VEx has traveled and the locations where the vehicle VEx has stopped.

(About the determination unit 137c)
The determining unit 137c determines whether the vehicle VEx is moving outside the living area of the occupant CWx. Specifically, the determining unit 137c determines whether the vehicle VEx is moving outside the living area of the occupant CWx based on the current position CPTx of the vehicle VEx and the living area information.

[2. Processing procedure]
From now on, a specific example of the output control process according to the third embodiment will be described using FIG. 11. FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing the procedure of output control processing according to the third embodiment. FIG. 11 shows a scene in which the on-vehicle device 100c loaded on the vehicle VE1 performs output control processing.

Note that the output control process according to the third embodiment may be executed together with the output control process according to the first embodiment. Therefore, the flowchart shown in FIG. 11 is a partial change from the flowchart shown in FIG. Specifically, steps S1101 to S1104 shown in FIG. 11 show the procedure of the output control process according to the third embodiment. In FIG. 11, the output control processing procedure according to the third embodiment will be explained focusing on this step.

The output control unit 133c determines whether the margin value is greater than or equal to the threshold value corresponding to the number of times n (nth time) (step S507). When the output control unit 133c determines that the margin value is equal to or greater than the threshold value corresponding to the number of times n (step S507; Yes), the output control unit 133c recognizes that there is margin until the timing to output the challenge information CF.

In such a state, the living area information acquisition unit 136c obtains the living area information of the occupant CW1 (step S1101). The in-vehicle device 100c may have the latest living area information of the occupant CW1 in the storage unit 120, and the living area information acquisition unit 136c may acquire the latest living area information of the occupant CW1 from there.

The determining unit 137c determines whether the vehicle VE1 is moving in the living area of the occupant CW1 based on the current position CPTx of the vehicle VEx and the living area information (step S1102).

When it is determined that the vehicle VE1 is moving in the living area of the occupant CW1 (step S1102; Yes), the output control unit 133c performs output control so that the challenge information CF is output from the speaker SP (step S1102; Yes). S509).

On the other hand, if it is determined that the vehicle VE1 is not moving in the living area of the occupant CW1 (that is, the vehicle VE1 is moving outside the living area of the occupant CW1), the output control unit 133c determines (step S1102; No). , the type of the content information Cx acquired in step S501 is recommendation, and the current margin value remaining before the allowable limit that is the limit value of the allowable range RAx in which output of the content information Cx is allowed is a predetermined value. It is determined whether or not it is less than a threshold value (step S1103).

If the output control unit 133c determines that the type of content information Cx is not recommendation, or that the current margin value remaining up to the allowable limit of content information Cx is not less than a predetermined threshold (step S1103 ;No), the process moves to step S509.

In this way, by determining both that the type of content information Cx is recommendation and that the current margin remaining before the output limit of content information Cx is less than a predetermined threshold, , even if the type of content information Cx is recommendation, if there is a lot of margin remaining before the output limit of content information Cx, challenge information CF can be output once in step S509.

On the other hand, when the output control unit 133c determines that the type of content information Cx is recommendation and the current margin value remaining before the output permissible limit of content information Cx is less than a predetermined threshold value, (Step S1103; Yes), although the output conditions are not met at this point, it is recognized that the timing to output the current content information Cx, which recommends spots that exist outside the living area, is recognized. .

Then, the output control unit 133c performs output control so that the content information Cx is output from the speaker SP (step S1104).

For example, it is assumed that the content information Cx is recommendation information such as "There is a cafe in... that is famous for its cheesecake!". In such a case, the output control unit 133c determines the position of the position SPTx starting from the current position CPT1 based on the position SPTx of the spot (○○ cafe) targeted by the content information Cx and the current position CPT1 of the vehicle VE1. Relationships (eg, distance and direction) may be calculated. Then, the output control unit 133c may process the content of the content information Cx based on the calculation result, synthesize a voice that reads out the processed content information Cx, and output this voice from the speaker SP.

FIG. 11 shows an example in which the speaker SP outputs, as the processed content information Cx, "200 meters ahead and on the left side, there is a cafe with a reputation for cheesecake!".

Note that in step S1103, it is determined only whether the type of content information Cx acquired in step S501 is a recommendation, and if it is determined that the type of content information Cx is a recommendation, the content information is immediately It is also possible to output Cx.

[3. Summary of output control according to third embodiment]
According to the output control process according to the third embodiment described in FIG. , travel destination), only the content information Cx that recommends spots that exist in areas outside the living area is output within the allowable range RAx of the content information Cx. According to such output control processing, information regarding spots that have limited opportunities to visit can be provided without leaking, so it is possible to increase opportunities to provide information useful to users.

<Others>
[1. Hardware configuration]
Further, the vehicle-mounted device 100 (vehicle-mounted device 100a, 100b, 100c) described above is realized by, for example, a computer 1000 having a configuration as shown in FIG. FIG. 12 is a hardware configuration diagram showing an example of a computer that implements the functions of the in-vehicle device 100. Computer 1000 has CPU 1100, RAM 1200, ROM 1300, HDD 1400, communication interface (I/F) 1500, input/output interface (I/F) 1600, and media interface (I/F) 1700.

CPU 1100 operates based on a program stored in ROM 1300 or HDD 1400, and controls each section. The ROM 1300 stores a boot program executed by the CPU 1100 when the computer 1000 is started, programs depending on the hardware of the computer 1000, and the like.

The HDD 1400 stores programs executed by the CPU 1100, data used by the programs, and the like. Communication interface 1500 receives data from other devices via a predetermined communication network and sends it to CPU 1100, and transmits data generated by CPU 1100 to other devices via a predetermined communication network.

The CPU 1100 controls an output device such as a display and an input device such as a keyboard via an input/output interface 1600. CPU 1100 obtains data from an input device via input/output interface 1600. Further, CPU 1100 outputs the generated data to an output device via input/output interface 1600.

Media interface 1700 reads programs or data stored in recording medium 1800 and provides them to CPU 1100 via RAM 1200. CPU 1100 loads this program from recording medium 1800 onto RAM 1200 via media interface 1700, and executes the loaded program. The recording medium 1800 is, for example, an optical recording medium such as a DVD (Digital Versatile Disc) or a PD (Phase change rewritable disk), a magneto-optical recording medium such as an MO (Magneto-Optical disk), a tape medium, a magnetic recording medium, or a semiconductor memory. etc.

For example, when the computer 1000 functions as the in-vehicle device 100 according to the embodiment, the CPU 1100 of the computer 1000 realizes the functions of the control unit 130 (130a, 130b, 130c) by executing a program loaded on the RAM 1200. do. The CPU 1100 of the computer 1000 reads these programs from the recording medium 1800 and executes them, but as another example, these programs may be acquired from another device via a predetermined communication network.

[2. others〕
Further, among the processes described in each of the above embodiments, all or part of the processes described as being performed automatically can be performed manually, or the processes described as being performed manually can be performed manually. All or part of the process can also be performed automatically using known methods. In addition, information including the processing procedures, specific names, and various data and parameters shown in the above documents and drawings may be changed arbitrarily, unless otherwise specified. For example, the various information shown in each figure is not limited to the illustrated information.

Furthermore, each component of each device shown in the drawings is functionally conceptual, and does not necessarily need to be physically configured as shown in the drawings. In other words, the specific form of distributing and integrating each device is not limited to what is shown in the diagram, and all or part of the devices can be functionally or physically distributed or integrated in arbitrary units depending on various loads and usage conditions. Can be integrated and configured. For example, in the first to third embodiments described above, the server device 200 may process at least a part of the output control processing according to the embodiment described as being primarily performed by the in-vehicle device 100. .

Furthermore, the above embodiments can be combined as appropriate within the range that does not conflict with the processing contents.

<Summary>
Some of the embodiments of the present application have been described above in detail based on the drawings, but these are merely examples, and various modifications and improvements can be made based on the knowledge of those skilled in the art, including the embodiments described in the section of the present disclosure. It is possible to implement the present disclosure in other forms.

1 System 100 On-vehicle device 120 Storage section 121 Map information storage section 122 Output determination table 123 Content information storage section 131 Information matching engine 132 Acquisition section 100a On-vehicle device 133a Output control section 100b On-vehicle device 133b Output control section 134b Specification section 135b Update section 100c In-vehicle device 133c Output control section 136c Living area information acquisition section 137c Judgment section

Claims (8)

an acquisition unit that acquires content information to be output within the moving object;
an output control unit that outputs the content information when the type of the content information satisfies an output condition according to the current situation of the occupant of the mobile body;
a determination unit that determines whether the mobile body is moving outside the living area of the occupant of the mobile body,
If it is determined that the mobile object is moving outside the living area, the output control unit may control the content information of a predetermined type even if the output condition is not satisfied. An information processing device that outputs information within a permissible range associated with the information processing device. further comprising a living area information acquisition unit that obtains living area information regarding the living area of the occupant identified based on the movement history of the occupant of the mobile object,
The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the determination unit determines whether the mobile object is moving outside the living area based on the living area information. When it is determined that the mobile object is moving outside the living area, the output control unit is configured to provide recommendation information that recommends a predetermined spot around the mobile object as the predetermined type of content information. The information processing device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein: outputs within a permissible range associated with the recommendation information. The output control unit is configured to cause the mobile object to output the recommendation information when the current margin value remaining up to the permissible limit, which is the limit value of the permissible range in which the output of the recommendation information is permissible, is less than a threshold value. The information processing device according to claim 3, wherein the recommendation information is output when the device is moving outside the service area. The output control unit specifies the positional relationship between the position of the predetermined spot and the current position of the mobile object at the timing at which the recommendation information is output, and adds information indicating the specified positional relationship to the recommendation information. The information processing device according to claim 3, characterized in that: The output control unit adds information indicating a distance to the predetermined spot from the current position of the moving body to the recommendation information as the information indicating the positional relationship. 5. The information processing device according to 5. An information processing method executed by an information processing device, the method comprising:
an acquisition step of acquiring content information to be output within the moving body;
an output control step of outputting the content information when the type of the content information satisfies an output condition according to the current situation of the occupant of the mobile body;
a determination step of determining whether the mobile body is moving outside the living area of the occupant of the mobile body,
In the output control step, if it is determined that the mobile object is moving outside the living area, the content information of a predetermined type is controlled even if the output condition is not satisfied. An information processing method characterized by outputting information within a permissible range associated with the information processing method. An information processing program executed by an information processing device,
an acquisition procedure for acquiring content information to be output within the moving object;
an output control procedure for outputting the content information when the type of the content information satisfies an output condition according to the current situation of the occupant of the mobile body;
causing the information processing device to execute a determination procedure for determining whether the mobile body is moving outside the living area of the occupant of the mobile body,
In the output control procedure, when it is determined that the mobile object is moving outside the living area, even if the output condition is not satisfied, the content information of a predetermined type is An information processing program that outputs information within a permissible range associated with the information processing program.

Images