JP2020195076A - Seat terminal, program, and information processing method - Google Patents

Abstract

To make it easy to manage seat terminal information for a plurality of seat terminals.SOLUTION: A seat terminal 2 provided for each seat of a passenger mobile includes an information acquisition unit 21 that acquires seat terminal information 20 related to an own terminal 2, a seat terminal storage unit 19 that stores the seat terminal information 20, a first communication unit 11 that performs wireless communication with an external device 4, a second communication unit 12 that receives content information 44a from an information terminal 3, a transmission processing unit 30 that transmits the seat terminal information 20 to the external device 4 via the first communication unit 11, and an output unit 9 that outputs content information 44a. The second communication unit 12 can communicate with a larger amount of data at one time than the first communication unit 11, or can communicate with a higher frequency than the first communication unit 11.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

The present invention relates to a seat terminal provided for each seat of a passenger moving body, and more particularly to a seat terminal having an output unit for outputting content information.

Conventionally, in-flight entertainment systems called IFE (in-flight entertainment system) can be used to receive various services on board passenger mobiles such as airplanes. The IFE is equipped with a seat terminal provided for each passenger's seat. The seat terminal has a display provided in the front seat of the passenger.

For example, Patent Document 1 discloses an AV content viewing system as an information system provided with a seat terminal. The information system of Patent Document 1 provides a VOD (Video On Demand) service that distributes movies, games, and the like to a plurality of seats of an airplane through a network transmission line.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2011-135117

In a conventional information system, a power cable for supplying electric power to a display is connected to a seat terminal, and an information transmission cable for receiving information from a terminal device installed in a cockpit is also connected. Further, in order to provide the VOD service to each seat terminal, the seat terminal and the VOD server installed in the cabin are connected by using an Ethernet cable. In an airplane, weight reduction of the airframe is an issue, but there is a problem that the weight of the airframe increases when an Ethernet cable is connected to a plurality of seat terminals.

By the way, many passengers of passenger mobiles have information terminals such as smartphones and tablets. Information terminals in recent years can store a large amount of content information such as moving images and music. Therefore, if the content information stored in the information terminal possessed by the passenger can be viewed on the display of the seat terminal, the weight of the aircraft can be reduced by omitting the Ethernet cable.

However, if the Ethernet cable is omitted, it becomes difficult to collect and manage seat terminal information related to a plurality of seat terminals on a server installed in the cabin.

An object of the present invention is to provide a seat terminal, a program, and an information processing method capable of relatively easily managing seat terminal information relating to a plurality of seat terminals.

The seat terminal according to the first aspect of the present disclosure is provided for each seat of the passenger mobile body. The seat terminal has an information acquisition unit, a seat terminal storage unit, a first communication unit, a second communication unit, a transmission processing unit, and an output unit. The information acquisition unit acquires seat terminal information related to the seat terminal. The seat terminal storage unit stores the seat terminal information. The first communication unit performs wireless communication with an external device. The second communication unit receives the content information from the information terminal. The transmission processing unit transmits the seat terminal information to the external device via the first communication unit. The output unit outputs the content information. The second communication unit can communicate with a larger amount of data at one time than the first communication unit, or can communicate with a higher frequency than the first communication unit.

According to the seat terminal according to the first aspect, the management of seat terminal information relating to a plurality of seat terminals can be performed relatively easily.

The seat terminal according to the second aspect of the present disclosure is the seat terminal according to the first aspect, and the seat terminal information includes error information. The error information is acquired by the information acquisition unit self-checking each part of the seat terminal.

The seat terminal according to the third aspect of the present disclosure is the seat terminal according to the second aspect, and the seat terminal information includes operating state information of the seat terminal, airplane identification information of an airplane equipped with the seat terminal, and the like. The seat identification information of the seat on which the passenger of the seat terminal is seated is included.

The seat terminal according to the fourth aspect of the present disclosure is the seat terminal according to the third aspect, and the operating state information includes at least one of error presence / absence information and software version information of the seat terminal. .. The error presence / absence information indicates whether or not there is an error in the seat terminal.

The seat terminal according to the fifth aspect of the present disclosure has a wired controller as an information input unit in any of the seat terminals according to the second to fourth aspects. The error information includes at least one of reset information, monitor signal information, and disconnection signal information. The reset information indicates the number of resets in the seat terminal. The monitor signal information indicates that the power supply path to the display is cut off. The disconnection signal information indicates a disconnection of the controller.

The seat terminal according to the sixth aspect of the present disclosure is any of the seat terminals according to the first to fifth aspects, and the content information includes at least one of video information and sound information.

The seat terminal according to the seventh aspect of the present disclosure further includes a third communication unit that wirelessly communicates with an external terminal in any of the seat terminals according to the first to sixth aspects. The third communication unit can communicate with a larger amount of data at one time than the first communication unit, or can communicate with a higher frequency than the first communication unit.

The program according to the present disclosure causes the seat terminal to function as an information acquisition unit, a seat terminal storage unit, a first communication unit, a second communication unit, a transmission processing unit, and an output unit. The seat terminal is provided for each seat of the passenger mobile body. The information acquisition unit acquires seat terminal information related to the seat terminal. The seat terminal storage unit stores the seat terminal information. The first communication unit performs wireless communication with an external device. The second communication unit receives the content information from the information terminal. The transmission processing unit transmits the seat terminal information to the external device via the first communication unit. The output unit outputs the content information. The second communication unit can communicate with a larger amount of data at one time than the first communication unit, or can communicate with a higher frequency than the first communication unit.

The information processing method according to the present disclosure uses a seat terminal provided for each seat of the passenger moving body. The seat terminal has an information acquisition unit, a first communication unit, a second communication unit, and an output unit. The information processing method includes a process in which the information acquisition unit acquires seat terminal information related to the seat terminal, a process in which the seat terminal information is transmitted to an external device via the first communication unit, and a second communication. It includes a process of receiving content information from an information terminal via a unit and a process of outputting the content information received from the information terminal by the output unit. The second communication unit can communicate with a larger amount of data at one time than the first communication unit, or can communicate with a higher frequency than the first communication unit.

According to the present invention, it is possible to manage seat terminal information relating to a plurality of seat terminals relatively easily.

It is a block diagram of the information system which concerns on this embodiment. It is a perspective view which shows the example which the seat terminal is provided in the seat of a passenger moving body. It is a flowchart which shows the process until the information terminal and the seat terminal are connected communicably. It is a flowchart which shows the process in the case of viewing the content information stored in an information terminal on a seat terminal. It is a flowchart which shows the process when the seat terminal performs a self-check. It is a flowchart which shows the process when the seat terminal transmits the seat terminal information to an external device. It is a flowchart which shows the process when the seat terminal updates software.

Hereinafter, a seat terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention, an information system including the seat terminal, and an information processing method will be described with reference to the drawings. As shown in FIG. 1, the information system 1 according to the present embodiment includes a seat terminal 2, an information terminal 3, an external device 4, and an external terminal 5. In FIG. 1, the flow of information is illustrated by arrows. The dashed arrow in FIG. 1 indicates that wireless communication is involved.

The seat terminal 2 is provided for each seat of the passenger moving body. The seat terminal 2 is provided in all seats or some seats of the passenger moving body. In this embodiment, the passenger vehicle is an airplane. However, passenger mobiles are not limited to airplanes. The passenger vehicle may be, for example, a vehicle, a ship, or a train.

The seat terminal 2 includes, for example, a seat terminal control unit 10, a first communication unit 11, a second communication unit 12, a third communication unit 13, an in-flight network interface 14, an input unit 16, a video output unit 17, and an audio output unit 18. And a seat terminal storage unit 19.

The seat terminal control unit 10 is configured by using, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a ROM (Read Only Memory), and a RAM (Random Access Memory). The seat terminal control unit 10 controls each unit of the seat terminal 2 by executing a program stored in the ROM. The seat terminal control unit 10 functions as, for example, an information acquisition unit 21, a content processing unit 22, an update processing unit 28, and a transmission processing unit 30. By executing the program stored in the ROM, the seat terminal control unit 10 has the first communication unit 11, the second communication unit 12, the third communication unit 13, the in-flight network interface 14, and the input unit 16 of the seat terminal 2. , The video output unit 17, the audio output unit 18, and the seat terminal storage unit 19 are made to function.

The information acquisition unit 21 acquires the seat terminal information 20 regarding the seat terminal 2. In the present embodiment, the seat terminal information 20 includes error information 23 in the seat terminal 2, operating state information 25 of the seat terminal 2, airplane identification information 26 of an airplane equipped with the seat terminal 2, and passengers in the seat terminal 2. Includes seat identification information 27 for the seat 15 on which the seat is seated.

The information acquisition unit 21 acquires the error information 23 by self-checking each part of the seat terminal 2. The error information 23 includes, for example, reset information 23a indicating the number of resets in the seat terminal 2, monitor signal information 23b indicating that the power supply path to the display 17a included in the video output unit 17 is cut off, and an input unit. The disconnection signal information 23c indicating the disconnection of the wired controller 16a included in the 16 is included.

The information acquisition unit 21 acquires the operating state information 25 by monitoring the operating state of the seat terminal 2. The operating state information 25 includes, for example, error presence / absence information 25a indicating whether or not there is an error in the seat terminal 2 and version information 25b of software incorporated in the seat terminal 2. When an error occurs in the seat terminal 2, the information acquisition unit 21 rewrites the error presence / absence information 25a stored in the seat terminal storage unit 19 into information indicating that there is an error. The information acquisition unit 21 manages the version information 25b of the software incorporated in the seat terminal 2, and when the software is upgraded or downgraded, the version information 25b stored in the seat terminal storage unit 19 is stored. Rewrite to the latest version information.

The transmission processing unit 30 transmits the seat terminal information 20 to the external device 4 via the first communication unit 11. In other words, the seat terminal 2 can directly transmit the seat terminal information 20 to the external device 4 which is a cloud. Each of the plurality of seat terminal information has a smaller amount of data than the content information. On the other hand, each of the plurality of seat terminal information needs to be updated at a predetermined frequency as compared with the content information. The transmission processing unit 30 can directly transmit the seat terminal information 20 to the external device 4 at a predetermined frequency via the first communication unit 11.

The content processing unit 22 receives the content information 44a from the information terminal 3. The content processing unit 22 outputs the video information included in the received content information 44a to the video output unit 17. The content processing unit 22 outputs the sound information included in the received content information 44a to the audio output unit 18.

If the program of the seat terminal 2 is not the latest version, the update processing unit 28 downloads the latest version of the updater from the external terminal 5. The update processing unit 28 updates the program of the seat terminal 2 by using the downloaded updater.

The first communication unit 11 communicates with the external device 4. The external device 4 is, for example, an information collection server of an airplane operating company or a management company. The information collection server is a server for collecting seat terminal information 20 of a plurality of seat terminals 2. The first communication unit 11 transmits the transmission information including the seat terminal information 20 to the external device 4. The first communication unit 11 can transmit information to the external device 4 at a predetermined time interval and at a constant frequency. The communication performed between the first communication unit 11 and the external device 4 is, for example, LPWA (Low Power Wide Area) communication. In LPWA communication, the amount of data that can be transmitted at one time is small, and the number of times that can be transmitted per day is limited. However, LPWA communication can cover a relatively wide area with low power consumption. The first communication unit 11 can send radio waves to a wide area having a radius of several km to several tens of km by LPWA communication, for example. When using LPWA communication, the first communication unit 11 can perform communication at a communication speed of, for example, 100 bps to several tens of kbps. The first communication unit 11 can perform communication in a frequency band of, for example, a 920 MHz band or a 2.4 GHz band by LPWA communication. In the present embodiment, in order to limit the number of times that transmission can be performed in one day, the first communication unit 11 communicates at a predetermined time interval. The predetermined time interval may be a fixed time interval or an arbitrary time interval.

The third communication unit 13 communicates with the external terminal 5. The external terminal 5 is, for example, a mobile terminal owned by an airplane mechanic. Specifically, the external terminal 5 may be composed of a tablet, a notebook computer, or a smartphone. Therefore, the external terminal 5 is configured by using a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a ROM (Read Only Memory), and a RAM (Random Access Memory). The external terminal 5 can be configured to include a communication unit, a control unit, an input unit, a display unit, and a storage unit. For example, the updater of the program of the seat terminal 2 is stored in the external terminal 5. The third communication unit 13 receives the software updater of the seat terminal 2 from the external terminal 5. The third communication unit 13 is configured to be able to transmit information with a larger amount of data at one time than the first communication unit 11. In addition, the third communication unit 13 can transmit information at a higher frequency than the first communication unit 11. The third communication unit 13 communicates with the external terminal 5 by using, for example, short-range wireless communication. Short-range wireless communication can cover a relatively narrow area within a communication distance of several centimeters to several tens of meters (for example, within 50 m). Examples of short-range wireless communication include communication corresponding to the communication standard of Wi-Fi (registered trademark) or Bluetooth (registered trademark). When using the Wi-Fi (registered trademark) communication standard, the third communication unit 13 can send radio waves to an area of, for example, about 100 m to 300 m. When using the Wi-Fi (registered trademark) communication standard, the third communication unit 13 can transmit information at a communication speed of, for example, 54 Mbps. When using the communication standard of Bluetooth (registered trademark), the third communication unit 13 can send radio waves to an area of about 10 m to 100 m, for example. When using the communication standard of Bluetooth (registered trademark), the third communication unit 13 can transmit information at a communication speed of, for example, 24 Mbps.

The second communication unit 12 performs wireless communication with the information terminal 3. The second communication unit 12 receives the content information from the information terminal 3. The second communication unit 12 is configured to be able to transmit information with a larger amount of data at one time than the first communication unit 11. In addition, the second communication unit 12 can transmit information at a higher frequency than the first communication unit 11. The second communication unit 12 performs communication using, for example, a Wi-Fi (registered trademark) or Bluetooth (registered trademark) standard. The second communication unit 12 is not limited to the case of performing wireless communication with the information terminal 3. The second communication unit 12 may be configured to communicate with the information terminal 3 by wire. For the communication between the second communication unit 12 and the information terminal 3, for example, USB (Universal Serial Bus) communication or HDMI (registered trademark) (High Definition Multimedia Interface) communication can be used. The seat terminal 2 may output information from the information terminal 3 using the SDL (Smart Device Link) standard. The seat terminal 2 is not limited to a configuration that outputs information using the SDL standard, but also a configuration that outputs information using an operation system such as CarPlay (registered trademark) or Android Auto (registered trademark). Good.

The in-flight network interface 14 is connected to the in-flight network 31 by wire. The seat terminal control unit 10 receives flight information from the flight information providing device 32 installed in the cockpit. As the flight information, for example, a flight map or an image taken by an external camera can be mentioned. The in-flight network interface 14 is not limited to the case where it is connected to the in-flight network 31 by wire, and may be wirelessly connected to the in-flight network 31.

The input unit 16 receives passenger input information for the seat terminal 2. The input unit 16 transmits a signal corresponding to the received input information to the seat terminal control unit 10. The seat terminal control unit 10 performs various processes according to the signal received from the input unit 16. When the input unit 16 is configured by using, for example, a touch panel in which a display device and an input device are combined, the input device of the touch panel corresponds to the input unit 16. The input unit 16 may be a voice recognition device that recognizes voice and accepts input of information. Further, the input unit 16 may be a key input device using physical keys. In the present embodiment, the input unit 16 also includes a wired controller 16a. Passengers can perform various input operations using the controller 16a. Passengers can also use the controller 16a to operate the computer game displayed on the display 17a.

The video output unit 17 outputs video based on the video information transferred from the seat terminal control unit 10. In the present embodiment, the video output unit 17 outputs a video using the display 17a. The display 17a provided in each seat terminal 2 is provided in the front seat of the seat 15 in which the user of the seat terminal 2 is seated. In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2, both the seat terminal 2 and the display 17a are provided on the back surface of the seat 15. However, the place where the display 17a is provided is not limited to the back surface of the seat 15 before the user of the seat terminal 2 is seated.

The voice output unit 18 outputs voice based on the sound information transferred from the seat terminal control unit 10. In the present embodiment, the audio output unit 18 outputs audio from the headphones 18a. The audio output unit 18 and the video output unit 17 form an output unit 9 that outputs content information.

The seat terminal storage unit 19 stores, for example, the seat terminal information 20 acquired by the information acquisition unit 21. The seat terminal storage unit 19 is configured by using, for example, a non-volatile memory. Examples of the non-volatile memory include a flash memory. Various seat terminal information 20 is stored in the seat terminal storage unit 19. In addition, the seat terminal storage unit 19 also stores safety content information 24 that must be conveyed to passengers. Examples of the safety content information 24 include moving image information explaining how to handle the life-saving device and moving image information explaining how to wear a seatbelt. The safety content information 24 is configured to be displayed on the display 17a by remote control from the cockpit or the crew room. In addition, the seat terminal storage unit 19 also stores member-only content information 33 that can be viewed only by status members.

The information terminal 3 includes, for example, an information terminal control unit 41, a terminal communication unit 42, a wireless network communication unit 43, an information terminal storage unit 44, an information terminal input unit 45, and an information terminal display unit 46. The information terminal 3 is configured by using, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a ROM (Read Only Memory), and a RAM (Random Access Memory). The information terminal 3 can be configured by using, for example, a smartphone or tablet on which a predetermined application program 44b is installed.

The information terminal control unit 41 is configured by using, for example, an application processor, a flash memory, and an SDRAM (Random Access Memory). The information terminal control unit 41 controls each unit of the information terminal 3 by executing a predetermined program stored in the flash memory.

The terminal communication unit 42 communicates with the second communication unit 12 of the seat terminal 2. The terminal communication unit 42 is configured by using, for example, a communication module corresponding to the communication standard of Bluetooth (registered trademark).

The wireless network communication unit 43 is connected to the Internet via an access point installed in the machine. The wireless network communication unit 43 is configured by using, for example, a Wi-Fi module. The wireless network communication unit 43 configured by using the Wi-Fi module is connected to the Internet via a Wi-Fi access point installed in the machine. Therefore, the passenger can access the site of the content information provider on the Internet by using the information terminal 3 owned by the passenger. Passengers can use the information terminal 3 to download the content information to the information terminal 3 from the site of the content information provider. In addition, the passenger can access the site of the operating company of the mileage service on the Internet by using the information terminal 3. Passengers can use the information terminal 3 to purchase authentication information necessary for viewing member-only content information 33 using miles on the site of the operating company of the mileage service that they have accessed.

The information terminal storage unit 44 stores the content information 44a. The content information 44a includes at least one of video information and sound information. Examples of the content information 44a include movies, music, photographs, and computer games. The information terminal storage unit 44 is configured by using, for example, a flash memory or an SD card. The information terminal storage unit 44 stores an SDL application program 44b for performing communication corresponding to the SDL standard. Further, the information terminal storage unit 44 stores a member application program 44c for members used for receiving the member-only service of the airline company in the seat terminal 2.

The information terminal input unit 45 receives the input information of the passenger. The information terminal input unit 45 transmits a signal corresponding to the received input information to the information terminal control unit 41. When the information terminal input unit 45 is configured by using, for example, a touch panel in which a display device and an input device are combined, the input device of the touch panel corresponds to the information terminal input unit 45. The information terminal input unit 45 may be a voice recognition device that recognizes voice and accepts input of information. Further, the information terminal input unit 45 may be a key input device using physical keys.

The information terminal display unit 46 displays the image information transferred from the information terminal control unit 41. When the information terminal display unit 46 is configured by using, for example, a touch panel in which a display device and an input device are combined, the display device of the touch panel corresponds to the information terminal display unit 46. The information terminal display unit 46 may be a display device provided separately from the input device.

The information terminal control unit 41 functions as the content distribution unit 47 by executing the content distribution application program 44b. The content distribution unit 47 distributes the content information 44a to the seat terminal 2 after connecting the terminal communication unit 42 to the second communication unit 12 of the seat terminal 2 so as to be communicable. On the other hand, the content processing unit 22 of the seat terminal 2 causes the display 17a of the video output unit 17 to display the video information included in the content information 44a received via the second communication unit 12. Further, the content processing unit 22 causes the headphone 18a of the audio output unit 18 to output the sound information included in the content information 44a received via the second communication unit 12.

Next, various functions that can be executed in the information system 1 will be described.

First, the function of viewing the content information 44a stored in the information terminal 3 on the seat terminal 2 will be described with reference to the flowcharts of FIGS. 3 and 4.

When the passenger performs a predetermined operation on the information terminal 3, the information terminal control unit 41 activates the SDL application program (step 1). Hereinafter, the step is referred to as S.

When the information terminal control unit 41 starts the content distribution application program, it transitions to the pairing standby mode for a predetermined time (S2).

Also in the seat terminal 2, when the passenger performs a predetermined operation in the input unit 16 (S21), the seat terminal control unit 10 shifts to the pairing standby mode (S22). The seat terminal 2 distributes the identification information of the seat terminal 2 in the pairing standby mode (S23). Examples of the identification information include a seat number.

When the passenger brings the seat terminal 2 closer to the information terminal 3 within a predetermined distance while both the seat terminal 2 and the information terminal 3 are in the pairing standby mode, the information terminal control unit 41 delivers from the seat terminal 2. The identification information is received (S3). The information terminal control unit 41 displays the received identification information of the seat terminal 2 on the information terminal display unit 46 (S4).

When the information terminal input unit 45 performs an operation of selecting the identification information of its own seat terminal 2 from one or a plurality of identification information displayed on the information terminal display unit 46, the information terminal input unit 45 selects. The operation is accepted (S5), and the information terminal 3 and the selected seat terminal 2 are connected to each other in a state where wireless communication is possible (S6 and S24).

After the seat terminal 2 and the information terminal 3 are connected, the information terminal control unit 41 connects to the airline member server 29 via the wireless network communication unit 43 through an authentication process (S7). The member ID and password presented to the server during the authentication process are registered in advance in the information terminal 3 by the passenger.

When the information terminal 3 is connected to the member server 29, the information terminal 3 receives the status information corresponding to the member ID from the member server 29 (S8). The information terminal 3 transmits the received status information to the second communication unit 12 of the seat terminal 2 via the terminal communication unit 42.

When the seat terminal control unit 10 receives the status information from the information terminal 3 via the second communication unit 12 (S25), the seat terminal control unit 10 displays a screen corresponding to the status information on the display 17a (S26). For example, assuming that a "general member", a "silver member" having a higher status than the "general member", and a "gold member" having a higher status than the "silver member" are prepared, they are displayed on the display 17a. The characters "general member", "silver member", and "gold member" are displayed on a part of the screen according to the status information. For example, the color of the screen displayed on the display 17a may be different depending on the status information. Further, for example, the number of member-only content information 33 that can be viewed may be differentiated according to the status information.

When the seat terminal 2 and the information terminal 3 are connected in a state where wireless communication is possible (YES in S11), the information terminal control unit 41 is stored in the information terminal storage unit 44 in the information terminal display unit 46. The file names of one or a plurality of content information 44a are displayed in a selectable manner (S12). When the display 17a of the seat terminal 2 is configured by using the touch panel, the file name of one or a plurality of content information 44a may be selectively displayed on the touch panel as well as the information terminal display unit 46. ..

When the passenger selects one of the one or a plurality of file names displayed on the information terminal display unit 46 in the information terminal input unit 45 (S13), the content distribution unit 47 receives the selected content information. The 44a is delivered to the seat terminal 2 (S14). When the input unit 16 of the seat terminal 2 is configured by using a touch panel, the passenger may be configured to perform an operation of selecting one from one or a plurality of file names displayed on the touch panel. .. The content processing unit 22 of the seat terminal 2 causes the display 17a of the video output unit 17 to display the video information included in the content information 44a received from the information terminal 3 via the second communication unit 12. Further, the content processing unit 22 generates sound information included in the content information 44a received via the second communication unit 12 in the headphones 18a of the audio output unit 18 (S32).

In this way, the passenger can view the content information 44a stored in his / her own information terminal 3 on the seat terminal 2. Since the display 17a of the seat terminal 2 has a relatively large screen, it is easier to view the content information 44a than the information terminal display unit 46. Further, since the information terminal display unit 46 of the passenger information terminal 3 goes into a hibernation state and consumes almost no electric power, the battery consumption of the information terminal 3 can be suppressed.

Next, the function of collecting the seat terminal information 20 in the external device 4 will be described with reference to the flowcharts of FIGS. 5 and 6.

The information acquisition unit 21 of the seat terminal 2 self-checks each part of the seat terminal 2 at a predetermined timing (when YES in S41) (S42). The predetermined timing can be, for example, the timing when the airplane finishes one operation and lands at the destination. For example, if the operation completion information indicating that the airplane has completed one operation and landed at the destination can be acquired through the in-flight network 31, the information acquisition unit 21 acquires the operation completion information. The information acquisition unit 21 may self-check each part of the seat terminal 2 when the operation completion information is acquired. The predetermined timing is not limited to the timing when the airplane finishes one operation and lands at the destination. The predetermined timing may be, for example, the timing at regular intervals or the timing at which the predetermined operation is performed in the input unit 16.

When an abnormality is detected by the self-check (YES in S43), the information acquisition unit 21 generates error information 23 and stores it in the seat terminal storage unit 19 (S44).

After storing the error information 23 in the seat terminal storage unit 19, the information acquisition unit 21 updates the error presence / absence information 25a included in the operating state information 25 with information indicating that there is an error (S45). If the error presence / absence information 25a is information indicating that an error has already occurred, the information acquisition unit 21 does not update the error presence / absence information 25a.

The transmission processing unit 30 repeatedly determines whether or not it is in a transmittable state in which transmission by the first communication unit 11 can be performed (S51). For example, if the operation completion information indicating that the airplane has completed one operation and landed at the destination can be acquired through the in-flight network 31, it can be determined that the airplane is in a transmittable state when the operation completion information is acquired. it can. The determination that the transmission processing unit 30 is in the transmittable state is not limited to the case where the operation completion information is acquired. For example, when a predetermined operation is performed in the input unit 16, the transmission processing unit 30 may determine that the transmission is possible.

When the transmission processing unit 30 determines that the transmission is possible (YES in S51), the transmission processing unit 30 determines whether a predetermined time has elapsed since the previous transmission of the seat terminal information 20 by the first communication unit 11 (S52). .. This determination is performed in order to execute the transmission by the first communication unit 11 at predetermined time intervals.

When the transmission processing unit 30 determines that a predetermined time has elapsed since the previous transmission of the seat terminal information 20 by the first communication unit 11 (YES in S52), the seat terminal storage unit 19 transmits the seat terminal information 20. read out. When the transmission processing unit 30 determines that a predetermined time has not elapsed since the previous transmission of the seat terminal information 20 by the first communication unit 11 (NO in S52), the transmission processing unit 30 returns the processing to S51. The transmission processing unit 30 transmits the read seat terminal information 20 from the first communication unit 11 to the external device 4 by LPWA communication (S53). In the present embodiment, the error information 23 and the operating state information 25 of the seat terminal information 20 are transmitted to the external device 4 in a state in which the airplane identification information 26 and the seat identification information 27 are associated with each other. The transmission processing unit 30 deletes the error information 23 from the transmitted seat terminal information 20 (S54). The reason for deleting the error information 23 is to prevent the already transmitted error information from being transmitted when the seat terminal information 20 is transmitted next time.

The external device 4 stores the error information 23 and the operating state information 25 of the seat terminal information 20 received from each seat terminal 2 in a state in which the airplane identification information 26 and the seat identification information 27 are associated with each other. It is desirable that the seat terminal information 20 stored in the external device 4 is configured to be viewable on the external terminal 5.

Next, the software update function of the seat terminal 2 will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

The update processing unit 28 of the seat terminal 2 is communicably connected to the external terminal 5 via the third communication unit 13. The update processing unit 28 inquires the external terminal 5 of the latest updater version information via the third communication unit 13 at a predetermined timing (when YES in S61) (S62). The predetermined timing can be, for example, the timing at regular intervals or the timing at which the passenger performs a predetermined operation in the input unit 16. The external terminal 5 that receives the inquiry transmits the latest updater version information to the seat terminal 2.

The update processing unit 28 compares the version information received from the external terminal 5 with the version information 25b of the current software. When the current version information 25b is the latest (YES in S63), the update processing unit 28 ends a series of processing. When the current version information 25b is not the latest (NO in S63), the update processing unit 28 downloads the latest version of the updater from the external terminal 5 (S64).

The update processing unit 28 updates the software of the seat terminal 2 using the latest version of the updater downloaded from the external terminal 5 (S65).

After updating the software, the update processing unit 28 rewrites the version information 25b stored in the seat terminal storage unit 19 with the latest version information (S66).

According to the information system 1 described above, since the seat terminal information 20 is transmitted to the external device 4, the external device 4 can collect the seat terminal information 20 of the plurality of seat terminals 2. Therefore, the seat terminal information 20 can be easily managed by the external device 4. Since the seat terminal information 20 includes the airplane identification information 26 and the seat identification information 27, the collected seat terminal information 20 can be analyzed or statistically processed for each airplane or each seat.

Further, according to the information system 1, the content information can be viewed on the seat terminal 2 even if the VOD server and the Ethernet cable for connecting the VOD server are omitted for weight reduction, and the external device 4 The seat terminal information 20 can be collected and managed in the above.

In the information system 1, the second communication unit 12 and the terminal communication unit 42 are communicably connected by using wireless communication, but the second communication unit 12 and the terminal communication unit 42 can be communicated by wire. You may connect to. For example, the second communication unit 12 and the terminal communication unit 42 may be communication units corresponding to the HDMI (registered trademark) (High Definition Multimedia Interface) standard, respectively. In this case, the second communication unit 12 and the terminal communication unit 42 each include a socket terminal for HDMI (registered trademark). The socket terminal of the second communication unit 12 and the socket terminal of the terminal communication unit 42 are connected by an HDMI (registered trademark) cable. When HDMI (registered trademark) is used, the pairing process required when using Bluetooth (registered trademark) becomes unnecessary.

The embodiments disclosed above are exemplary in all respects and should not be construed in a limited way. The present invention can be practiced in various other forms without departing from its spirit, gist, or main characteristics.

1 Information system 2 Seat terminal 3 Information terminal 4 External device 5 External terminal 9 Output unit 10 Seat terminal control unit 11 1st communication unit 12 2nd communication unit 13 3rd communication unit 15 Seat 16 Input unit 16a Controller 17 Video output unit 17a Display 18 Audio output unit 19 Seat terminal storage unit 20 Seat terminal information 21 Information acquisition unit 23 Error information 23a Reset information 23b Monitor signal information 23c Disconnection signal information 25 Operating status information 25a Error presence / absence information 25b Version information 26 Airplane identification information 27 Seat identification Information 30 Transmission processing unit 41 Information terminal control unit 42 Terminal communication unit 43 Wireless network communication unit 44 Information terminal storage unit 44a Content information 45 Information terminal input unit 47 Content distribution unit

Claims (9)

It is a seat terminal provided for each seat of a passenger moving body.
Information acquisition department that acquires seat terminal information related to seat terminals,
A seat terminal storage unit that stores the seat terminal information and
The first communication unit that wirelessly communicates with an external device,
The second communication unit that receives content information from the information terminal,
A transmission processing unit that transmits the seat terminal information to the external device via the first communication unit, and
It has an output unit that outputs the content information, and has
The second communication unit can communicate with a larger amount of data at one time than the first communication unit, or can communicate with a higher frequency than the first communication unit. .. The seat terminal according to claim 1, wherein the seat terminal information includes error information acquired by the information acquisition unit self-checking each part of the seat terminal. The second aspect of claim 2 includes the operating state information of the seat terminal, the airplane identification information of the airplane equipped with the seat terminal, and the seat identification information of the seat on which the passenger of the seat terminal is seated. The listed seat terminal. The seat terminal according to claim 3, wherein the operating state information includes at least one of error presence / absence information indicating whether or not there is an error in the seat terminal and software version information of the seat terminal. It has a wired controller as an information input unit.
The error information includes at least reset information indicating the number of resets in the seat terminal, monitor signal information indicating that the power supply path to the display is blocked, and disconnection signal information indicating disconnection of the controller. The seat terminal according to any one of claims 2 to 4, which includes one. The seat terminal according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the content information includes at least one of video information and sound information. It also has a third communication unit that performs wireless communication with external terminals.
A claim that the third communication unit can communicate with a larger amount of data at one time than the first communication unit, or can communicate with a higher frequency than the first communication unit. The seat terminal according to any one of claims 1 to 6. The seat terminal provided for each seat of the passenger mobile body,
An information acquisition unit that acquires seat terminal information related to the seat terminal, a seat terminal storage unit that stores the seat terminal information, a first communication unit that wirelessly communicates with an external device, and a first communication unit that receives content information from the information terminal. 2 A program that functions as a communication unit, a transmission processing unit that transmits the seat terminal information to the external device via the first communication unit, and an output unit that outputs the content information.
The second communication unit can communicate with a larger amount of data at one time than the first communication unit, or can communicate with a higher frequency than the first communication unit. .. It is an information processing method that uses a seat terminal provided for each seat of a passenger moving body.
The seat terminal has an information acquisition unit, a first communication unit, a second communication unit, and an output unit.
A process in which the information acquisition unit acquires seat terminal information related to the seat terminal,
The process of transmitting the seat terminal information to the external device via the first communication unit, and
A process of receiving content information from an information terminal via the second communication unit,
A process in which the output unit outputs the content information received from the information terminal, and
Including
Information that the second communication unit can communicate with a larger amount of data at one time than the first communication unit, or can communicate with a higher frequency than the first communication unit. Processing method.

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