JP2022144269A - Information provision device, information provision method, and information provision program - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide an information provision device, information provision method, and information provision program, which allow a user to drive comfortably.SOLUTION: An information provision device disclosed herein comprises an acquisition unit, selection unit, and provision unit. The acquisition unit acquires road feature information on features of a current road on which a vehicle driven by a user is traveling. The selection unit selects a traveled road having features similar to the current road from among traveled roads traveled by the user in the past at a frequency that is equal to or greater than a given threshold. The provision unit provides content based on the traveled road selected by the selection unit.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6

Description

The present invention relates to an information providing device, an information providing method, and an information providing program.

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, there has been proposed a technology for supporting a driver's driving by displaying predetermined information on the windshield of a vehicle.

Japanese Patent No. 6711295

However, in the prior art, there is room for further improvement in terms of allowing users to drive with peace of mind.

The present application has been made in view of the above, and aims to provide an information providing device, an information providing method, and an information providing program that enable a user to drive with peace of mind.

An information provision device according to the present application includes an acquisition unit, a selection unit, and a provision unit. The acquisition unit acquires road characteristic information relating to characteristics of a road on which a vehicle being driven by a user is traveling. The selection unit selects the road that is similar to the feature of the road that is being traveled, from among the roads that the user has traveled in the past with a frequency equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold. The provision unit provides content based on the traveled road selected by the selection unit.

According to one aspect of the embodiment, there is an effect that the user can drive with peace of mind.

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of information providing processing according to the embodiment. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of information provision processing according to the embodiment. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of an information providing system according to the embodiment; FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a traveled road database according to the embodiment. FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of a substitute database according to the embodiment; 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of a configuration of a first processing unit according to the embodiment; FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of a configuration of a second processing unit according to the embodiment; FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating an example of processing executed by a first processing unit according to the embodiment; FIG. 9 is a flowchart illustrating an example of processing executed by a second processing unit according to the embodiment; FIG. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration;

EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION Below, the form (it describes as "embodiment" hereafter) for implementing the information provision apparatus which concerns on this application, the information provision method, and the information provision program is demonstrated in detail, referring drawings. Note that the information providing apparatus, information providing method, and information providing program according to the present application are not limited to this embodiment. Also, in each of the following embodiments, the same parts are denoted by the same reference numerals, and overlapping descriptions are omitted.

(embodiment)
[Outline of information provision processing]
First, exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2. FIG. 1 and 2 are diagrams illustrating an example of information provision processing according to the embodiment. The information providing process is a process performed by the information providing device executing the information providing method.

[Information provision processing shown in FIG. 1]
First, the information provision processing shown in FIG. 1 will be described. In the information providing process shown in FIG. 1, when a user driving a vehicle C travels on a road for the first time, an image of another road that the user always travels on is displayed. It allows you to drive as usual without worry.

Also, as shown in FIG. 1, the user wears a user terminal 500 and can view various images through a display unit (not shown) of the user terminal 500 .

First, the information providing device 100 acquires road characteristic information relating to the characteristics of the road on which the vehicle C being driven by the user is traveling (hereinafter referred to as the "current road") (step S1). The road characteristic information includes, for example, the shape and size of the road (road width), road surface conditions (unevenness, wetness, freezing, etc.), congestion conditions (including pedestrians and parked vehicles), and the like. The road characteristic information may also include difficulty level information regarding the difficulty level of driving based on the shape and size (road width) of the road, road surface conditions (unevenness, wetness, freezing, etc.), congestion status, and the like.

The road characteristic information may be information stored in advance in the user terminal 500 or an in-vehicle device (such as a navigation device) mounted on the vehicle C, or may be information estimated by the user terminal 500 or the in-vehicle device. There may be. Alternatively, the road characteristic information may be acquired from a server device (not shown).

Subsequently, the information providing device 100 acquires a field-of-view image representing the field of view of the user (step S2). For example, the information providing apparatus 100 acquires an image captured by a camera (not shown) of the user terminal 500 or a camera attached to the vehicle C as the field-of-view image.

Subsequently, the information providing apparatus 100 selects from the roads traveled database related to roads the user has already traveled (hereinafter referred to as traveled roads), the roads traveled by the user at a frequency equal to or higher than a predetermined threshold. , a road that has already been traveled and that is similar to the feature (road feature information) of the road being traveled is selected (step S3).

Subsequently, the information providing device 100 selects a traveled road having a higher degree of difficulty than the currently traveled road from among the traveled roads selected in step S3 (step S4). As a result, by displaying the image of the already traveled road superimposed on the currently traveling road in the latter stage, it is possible to make the user feel that the difficulty of the currently traveling road is relatively low due to the high degree of difficulty of the already traveled road. The user can travel calmly without being impatient. Subsequently, the information providing device 100 selects a traveled road that includes the road characteristic information of the road being traveled from among the traveled roads selected in step S4 (step S5). For example, the information providing device 100 selects a traveled road with a width wider than the road on which the vehicle is currently traveling, or a traveled road having an R value lower than the curve of the road on which the vehicle is traveling. Also, for example, the information providing apparatus 100 selects a traveled road with a faster speed limit than the speed limit of the road on which the vehicle is currently traveling.

Subsequently, the information providing device 100 generates an AR (Augmented Reality) image in which the selected image of the road that has been traveled is superimposed on the region of the currently traveling road in the view image (step S6). Note that the AR image is an image in which either the road being traveled or the road that has been traveled is made transparent. Alternatively, the AR image may be an image of the road that has already been traveled, with the road being traveled removed by DR (Diminished Reality) technology.

The information providing device 100 then provides the generated AR image to the user terminal 500 (step S7). Then, the user terminal 500 displays the AR image on the windshield area, which is the window area C100 of the vehicle C, via a display unit (not shown) (step S8). The example shown in FIG. 1 shows an example in which an AR image is displayed in which an image of a currently traveling road with buildings on the side (view image) is replaced with a road on which trees have been traveled on the side. It should be noted that the AR image may be displayed by a device capable of directly projecting the AR image onto the window area C100 instead of displaying the AR image on the display unit of the user terminal 500 .

As described above, according to the information providing apparatus 100 according to the embodiment, by replacing (superimposing) the image of the road on which the user travels for the first time with the image of the road on which the user always travels, the user can You can drive on the road you are driving on with peace of mind as if you were driving on the road you always drive on.

It should be noted that, even on the same road that has been traveled, different difficulty levels may exist for each road condition. For example, the same road that has been traveled may have different degrees of difficulty, such as "sunny/vacant", "sunny/congested", "rainy/vacant", and "rainy/congested". good too. An image for adjusting the degree of difficulty may be superimposed on the traveled road, for example, using computer graphics (CG) or the like. Further, as a method of adjusting the difficulty level, for example, the difficulty level may be adjusted by increasing the number of buildings and the like existing on the road using CG or the like.

Note that the road that has been traveled is not limited to an actual road, and may be a game road created by computer graphics, such as a racing game circuit. By generating and displaying an AR image using such game roads as roads that have already been traveled, the user can drive with peace of mind as if he had cleared the game.

Further, the information providing apparatus 100 may acquire environmental sounds such as music, and luminance in the visual field image, in addition to the visual field image. In such a case, the information providing apparatus 100 outputs environmental sound with a volume lower than the actual volume together with the AR image. As a result, the user's concentration on driving can be enhanced. Also, the information providing apparatus 100 lowers the brightness of the AR image below the actual brightness of the field-of-view image. As a result, for example, by reducing the light (reducing the brightness) when the headlights of the oncoming lane are dazzling, it is possible to suppress the hindrance of driving due to the light.

[Information provision processing shown in FIG. 2]
Next, the information provision processing shown in FIG. 2 will be described. The information provision processing shown in FIG. For example, by substituting a substitute with a lesser degree of psychological disturbance, such as a light car, and displaying it, the user's sense of tension while driving is relieved.

Specifically, first, the information providing device 100 acquires a field-of-view image representing the field of view of the user (step S11). For example, the information providing apparatus 100 acquires an image captured by a camera (not shown) of the user terminal 500 or a camera attached to the vehicle C as the field-of-view image.

Subsequently, the information providing apparatus 100 extracts a predetermined target object from the acquired field-of-view image (step S12). For example, the information providing apparatus 100 extracts an object of a predetermined category, such as a person or a vehicle, by image analysis. In addition, the information providing apparatus 100 extracts objects existing near the road on which the vehicle C travels, that is, objects to which the vehicle C may approach. In the example shown in FIG. 2, it is assumed that the target vehicle stopped on the left side is extracted as the target object. Note that the number of objects to be extracted may be two or more. Then, the information providing apparatus 100 identifies the type of the extracted object by image analysis. In the example shown in FIG. 2, it is assumed that the type of target vehicle is a sports car.

Subsequently, the information providing apparatus 100 calculates a psychological score indicating the strength of the user's psychological disturbance to the object during driving for each extracted object (step S13). The psychological score is calculated, for example, based on biological information (heart rate, body temperature, line of sight, etc.) when passing through an object in the past. Alternatively, the psychological score may be calculated based on the attributes of the user (annual income, personality, etc.) and the value of the object (in FIG. 2, the price of the sports car).

Subsequently, when the psychological score of the object is equal to or higher than a predetermined threshold, the information providing apparatus 100 selects a substitute with a lower psychological score than the object from the substitute database stored in advance (step S14). In the example shown in FIG. 2, it is assumed that the light car with the object ID "OB1" in the substitute database has a lower psychological score than the sports car, and the information providing device 100 selects the light car as the substitute.

Subsequently, the information providing apparatus 100 generates a superimposed image in which the image of the selected substitute is superimposed on the object of the visual field image (step S15). Specifically, the information providing apparatus 100 deletes the target in the field-of-view image by DR (Diminished Reality) technology, and generates a superimposed image in which the image of the substitute is superimposed on the position of the deleted target.

Subsequently, the information providing device 100 provides the generated superimposed image to the user terminal 500 (step S16). Then, the user terminal 500 displays the superimposed image on the windshield area, which is the window area C100 of the vehicle C, via the display unit (not shown) (step S17). The example shown in FIG. 2 shows an example of displaying a superimposed image in which a sports car parked on the left side is replaced with a light car.

As a result, even when the user is actually crossing a sports car, the superimposed image gives the user the illusion of crossing a light car. It creates the illusion of crossing an object, so you can drive normally without getting nervous. That is, according to the information providing device 100 according to the embodiment, it is possible to relieve the user's tension while driving.

In addition, although FIG. 2 shows a case where a substitute with a lower psychological score than the target is superimposed, a substitute with a higher psychological score than the target may be superimposed. For example, when the user drives for a long time or seems sleepy, a substitute with a high psychological score, such as a police car, may be superimposed. That is, the information providing apparatus 100 provides a superimposed image in which substitutes are superimposed based on the psychological score. Also, the information providing apparatus 100 may output a sound corresponding to the substitute along with the superimposed image. For example, when superimposing a police vehicle as an alternative, the siren sound of the police vehicle may be output.

Note that FIG. 2 shows a case of substituting a sports car, which is the target object, with a substitute for a light vehicle (overlaying an image), that is, a case of substituting a substitute with a different type of vehicle. A sports car of a bright color (vivid color), which is the object, may be replaced with a sports car of a calm color (dark color).

The information providing apparatus 100 that performs such information providing processing will be described in detail below.

[Information provision system]
Next, a configuration example of a system including the information providing apparatus 100 will be described with reference to FIG.

[Components of information provision system]
FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of the information providing system 1 according to the embodiment. As shown in FIG. 3, the information providing system 1 includes components such as an information providing device 100 and a user terminal 500. FIG. Although not shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the information providing system 1 may include a plurality of information providing apparatuses 100 and a plurality of user terminals 500. FIG. In addition, the information providing system 1 is a server that provides devices of entities (for example, traders, end users) related to the information providing device 100 and various types of information (road characteristic information database, traveled road database, substitute database). , in-vehicle equipment, and other components.

In the information providing system 1, the information providing apparatus 100 and the user terminal 500 are connected to the network N by wire or wirelessly. The network N is, for example, the Internet, a WAN (Wide Area Network), a LAN (Local Area Network), or the like. Components of the information providing system 1 can communicate with each other via the network N. FIG.

The information providing apparatus 100 is a server that executes processing for providing the above-described AR image and superimposed image to the user driving the vehicle C. FIG. Information provider 100 may be any type of information provider, including a server. A plurality of information providing apparatuses 100 may provide functions of various servers such as a web server, an application server, and a database server. A detailed configuration example of the information providing apparatus 100 will be described later.

A user terminal 500 is an information processing device used by a user. The user terminal 500 can transmit various types of information to the information providing apparatus 100 via various services on the Internet (for example, portal site, portal application). Also, the user terminal 500 can receive the AR image and superimposed image described above from the information providing apparatus 100 via these various services and display them on a display unit (not shown). The user terminal 500 may be any type of information processing device including, for example, glasses-type or goggles-type terminal devices, smartphones, desktop PCs, notebook PCs, tablet PCs, and other devices.

[Configuration of information providing device]
As shown in FIG. 3 , the information providing device 100 has a communication section 200 , a storage section 300 and a control section 400 . The information providing apparatus 100 includes an input unit (for example, a keyboard, a mouse, etc.) for receiving various operations from an administrator or the like who uses the information providing apparatus 100, and a display unit (for example, a liquid crystal display) for displaying various information. may have.

(Communication unit 200)
The communication unit 200 is realized by, for example, a NIC (Network Interface Card) or the like. The communication unit 200 is connected to a network by wire or wirelessly. The communication unit 200 may be communicably connected to the user terminal 500 via the network N. FIG. The communication unit 200 can transmit and receive information to and from the user terminal 500 via the network.

(storage unit 300)
The storage unit 300 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. As shown in FIG. 3 , the storage unit 300 has a traveled road database 310 and a substitute object database 320 .

(Traveled road database 310)
FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of the traveled road database 310 according to the embodiment. The traveled road database 310 stores information on traveled roads that the user has traveled in the past.

In the example of FIG. 4, the traveled road database 310 has items such as "road ID", "frequency", and "road characteristic information". The traveled road database 310 is stored as a data set for each user.

"Road ID" indicates an identifier for identifying a road. "Frequency" indicates how often the user traveled on the road in the past. "Road feature information" indicates information about road features.

For example, FIG. 4 shows that the user is traveling on the road identified by the road ID "R01" with the frequency "frequency #1". It also indicates that the road identified by the road ID "R01" has the road characteristic information "road characteristic information #1". Road ID "R01" is, for example, a predetermined character string. The frequency "frequency #1" may be, for example, the running frequency in units of a predetermined period (daily, monthly, yearly, etc.), or may be the total number of times the vehicle has traveled in the past. Further, the road characteristic information "road characteristic information #1" is a character string, numerical value, or the like related to road characteristics.

(Alternative database 320)
FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of a substitute database 320 according to an embodiment. Substitute database 320 stores information about substitutes. In the example of FIG. 5, the substitute database 320 has items such as "object ID", "type", and "psychological score".

"Object ID" indicates an identifier for identifying an object that is a substitute. "Type" indicates the type of the object that is the substitute. "Psychological score" indicates the strength of the psychological disturbance that the user receives when the substitute is actually present on the road.

For example, FIG. 5 shows that the substitute identified by the object ID "OB1" is of type "minicar" and has psychological score "psychological score #1". The object ID "OB1" is, for example, a predetermined character string. The psychological score “psychological score #1” may be, for example, a score such as a numerical value, or a character string such as “strong” or “weak”.

(control unit 400)
The control unit 400 is a controller. For example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit), MPU (Micro Processing Unit) or other processor executes various programs (determination program (corresponding to an example of ) is implemented by using a RAM or the like as a work area. In addition, the control unit 400 is a controller, and may be implemented by an integrated circuit such as an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array), or a GPGPU (General Purpose Graphic Processing Unit). .

As shown in FIG. 3, the control unit 400 has a first processing unit 410 and a second processing unit 420, and implements or executes information processing functions and actions described below. Also, the control unit 400 can implement the information providing process described above with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2 . One or more processors of the information providing device 100 can realize the function of each control unit in the control unit 400 by executing instructions stored in one or more memories of the information providing device 100. can. Note that the internal configuration of the control unit 400 is not limited to the configuration shown in FIG. 3, and may be another configuration as long as it performs the information providing process described later. For example, the first processing unit 410 may perform all or part of the information provision processing described later with respect to units other than the first processing unit 410 .

(First processing unit 410)
FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of the first processing unit 410 according to the embodiment. The first processing unit 410 is a processing unit that performs the information provision processing shown in FIG. 1, and provides content based on roads that have been traveled that satisfy a predetermined condition, such as being more difficult than roads that are currently being traveled. be able to.

The first processing unit 410 has an acquisition unit 411, a selection unit 412, a generation unit 413, and a provision unit 414, as shown in FIG. Note that the internal configuration of the first processing unit 410 is not limited to the configuration shown in FIG. 6, and may be another configuration as long as it performs the information providing process described later. For example, the generation unit 413 may perform all or part of the information providing process described later with respect to units other than the generation unit 413 .

Acquisition unit 411 acquires various types of information. For example, the acquisition unit 411 acquires road characteristic information related to the characteristics of the road on which the vehicle C being driven by the user is traveling. The road on which the vehicle C is currently traveling may be the road on which the vehicle C is currently located, or may be, for example, the road on which the vehicle is scheduled to travel, which is the guidance route set by the navigation device. The road characteristic information is information including, for example, the shape and size of the road (road width), road surface conditions (unevenness, wetness, freezing, etc.), congestion status, and the like. The road characteristic information may also include difficulty level information regarding the difficulty level of driving based on the shape and size (road width) of the road, road surface conditions (unevenness, wetness, freezing, etc.), congestion status, and the like.

The road characteristic information may be information stored in advance in the user terminal 500 or an in-vehicle device (such as a navigation device) mounted on the vehicle C, or may be information estimated by the user terminal 500 or the in-vehicle device. good too. Alternatively, the road characteristic information may be acquired from a server device (not shown).

The acquisition unit 411 registers the acquired road characteristic information of the currently traveled road in the traveled road database 310 as road characteristic information of the traveled road. If the road characteristic information of the currently traveled road is already registered in the traveled road database 310 as a traveled road, the acquiring unit 411 updates the frequency of such traveled road.

In addition, the acquisition unit 411 acquires a field-of-view image representing the user's field of view. For example, the acquisition unit 411 acquires the image of the camera of the user terminal 500 as the field-of-view image. Note that the field of view image is not limited to the image in the direction the user is currently looking, and may be an image in the entire viewable range (for example, 360 degrees).

The selection unit 412 selects a traveled road that satisfies a predetermined condition from the traveled road database 310 based on the road characteristic information of the currently traveled road acquired by the acquisition unit 411 . Specifically, the selection unit 412 selects a traveled road similar in characteristics to the current road, from among traveled roads on which the user has traveled in the past at a frequency equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold. In addition, the selection unit 412 selects a road that has been traveled and has a higher degree of difficulty than the currently traveled road. The selection unit 412 also selects a traveled road that includes the road characteristic information of the road being traveled. For example, the selection unit 412 selects a traveled road having a width wider than that of the road being traveled, or a traveled road having an R value lower than the R value of the curve of the road being traveled. Also, for example, the information providing apparatus 100 selects a traveled road with a faster speed limit than the speed limit of the road on which the vehicle is currently traveling.

The generation unit 413 generates an image in which the image of the traveled road selected by the selection unit 412 is superimposed on the field-of-view image acquired by the acquisition unit 411 . The superimposed image is, for example, an AR image that can be displayed in an AR space that is a virtual space. The image of the traveled road may be, for example, an image captured by a camera of the user terminal 500, or may be obtained from map information using an actual image. When superimposing the image of the traveled road on the view image, the generation unit 413 superimposes the image of the traveled road so as to be superimposed on the currently traveled road in the view image. In addition, when the image of the traveled road is superimposed on the visual field image, the generating unit 413 may delete the currently traveled road. Alternatively, the generation unit 413 may transmit either the currently traveling road or the already traveled road.

The providing unit 414 provides content based on the traveled road selected by the selecting unit 412 . For example, the providing unit 414 provides the user terminal 500 with the AR image generated by the generating unit 413 . For example, the providing unit 414 provides an image in which the traveled road is superimposed on the traveling road of the view image. Specifically, the providing unit 414 provides an image in which the traveled road is superimposed so as to overlap the traveling road in the view image. In addition, the providing unit 414 allows either the currently traveling road or the already traveled road to be transparent in the image obtained by superimposing the image of the traveled road on the view image.

Note that the AR image provided by the providing unit 414 is an image displayed in the window area C100 of the vehicle C. FIG. That is, the providing unit 414 provides the image displayed in the window area C100 of the vehicle C. FIG. Specifically, the providing unit 414 extracts the window region C100 from the visual field image, and provides an image in which the image of the traveled road is superimposed on the currently traveled road included in the extracted window region C100. Note that the window region C100 is not limited to the front window, and may be a side window, a back window, or the like. Also, the image provided by the providing unit 414 may be displayed on the rearview mirror of the vehicle C, for example.

Further, the provision unit 414 is not limited to the case of providing an AR image. may

(Second processing unit 420)
FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of the second processing section 420 according to the embodiment. The second processing unit 420 is a processing unit that performs the information provision processing shown in FIG. By providing it, it is possible to relieve the user's tension while driving.

The second processing unit 420 has an acquisition unit 421, a calculation unit 422, a generation unit 423, and a provision unit 424, as shown in FIG. Note that the internal configuration of the second processing unit 420 is not limited to the configuration shown in FIG. 7, and may be another configuration as long as it performs the information providing process described later. For example, the calculation unit 422 may perform all or part of the information provision processing described later with respect to units other than the calculation unit 422 .

Acquisition unit 421 acquires various types of information. The acquisition unit 421 acquires a field-of-view image representing the user's field of view. For example, the acquisition unit 421 acquires the image of the camera of the user terminal 500 as the field-of-view image. Note that the field of view image is not limited to the image in the direction the user is currently looking, and may be an image in the entire viewable range (for example, 360 degrees).

Also, the acquisition unit 421 acquires user information about the user. The user information includes, for example, attribute information regarding user attributes. Attribute information is, for example, demographic attributes, which are user demographic attributes such as gender, age, occupation, annual income, etc., values, and user psychological information such as lifestyle, personality, preferences, etc. Contains psychographic attributes. Also, the user information includes biometric information related to the user's biometrics. The biological information includes, for example, the user's heartbeat, body temperature, perspiration, gaze direction, facial expression information, and the like. The biometric information can be detected by various sensors provided in the user terminal 500, for example.

The calculation unit 422 calculates a psychological score indicating the strength of the psychological disorder during driving for a predetermined object extracted from the visual field image acquired by the acquisition unit 421 . Specifically, the calculator 422 first extracts the object from the field-of-view image. For example, the calculation unit 422 extracts objects in a category specified by the user or in a preset category. Categories are abstractions of objects such as people, cars, animals, buildings, and the like. For example, the calculation unit 422 extracts objects of a predetermined category by image analysis such as pattern recognition. Next, the calculator 422 identifies the type of the extracted target object. For example, the type of object is the difference in appearance (sex, physique, clothes, etc.) in the case of a person, and the type of vehicle (sports car, light car, ordinary car, truck, etc.) in the case of a car. Further, the calculation unit 422 may specify detailed information of the target object. In the case of a car, the detailed information includes information on the manufacturer and car name such as Toyota Corolla.

Then, the calculation unit 422 calculates the psychological score of the extracted object. For example, the calculation unit 422 may calculate the psychological score based on the biometric information when the user has traveled near the same object in the past. For example, the calculation unit 422 calculates such that the psychological score increases as the heart rate increases when running near the object. Also, the calculation unit 422 can use a model that outputs a psychological score.

Such a model is generated, for example, using user information and object information as explanatory variables and psychological scores (scores specified by the administrator, or psychological scores of other objects of the same type) as objective variables. . The object information includes, for example, the category and type of the object, the value of the object (price in the case of a car), and the like. Moreover, the road characteristic information described above may be included as an explanatory variable of such a model.

Alternatively, the calculator 422 may calculate the psychological score using a statistical method. For example, the calculation unit 422 may set a predetermined score (plus points and/or minus points) for each object, and calculate the total score of all objects included in the visual field image as the psychological score. good.

In addition, a predetermined value may be set as the score, or a different value may be set depending on the user.

The calculation unit 422 calculates a psychological score for each object when a plurality of objects are extracted. Then, the calculation unit 422 registers the calculated psychological score of the object in the substitute database 320 as the psychological score of the substitute.

The generation unit 423 generates a superimposed image in which a predetermined substitute is superimposed on the target object in the field-of-view image. Specifically, the generation unit 423 first extracts objects whose psychological scores calculated by the calculation unit 422 are equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold. Next, the generation unit 423 selects a substitute having a lower psychological score than the extracted object from the substitute database 320 . Note that when the target object is a vehicle (hereinafter referred to as a target vehicle), the generation unit 423 selects an alternative vehicle of the same category as the target vehicle but of a different type. In addition, when the target is a person, the generating unit 423 selects a substitute for a person whose appearance is different from that of the target. Then, the generation unit 423 generates a superimposed image in which the selected substitute is superimposed on the object in the field-of-view image. Specifically, the generation unit 423 erases the target in the field-of-view image and superimposes the image of the substitute on the position of the target.

In addition, when superimposing the substitute vehicle on the target vehicle, if the target vehicle and the substitute vehicle are different in size (vehicle width, vehicle length, etc.), the generation unit 423 generates The image of the substitute vehicle is superimposed on the target vehicle so that the edges are aligned. Alternatively, the generation unit 423 may superimpose the image of the substitute vehicle so that the distance to the vehicle C is shorter than that of the target vehicle.

In addition, the generation unit 423 may superimpose a substitute according to the user's biometric information on the field-of-view image. Specifically, when the biometric information satisfies a predetermined condition, the generation unit 423 generates a superimposed image in which a substitute having a higher psychological score than the target is superimposed on the target. Specifically, when it is predicted from the biological information that the user will doze off while driving, the generating unit 423 generates a substitute such as a police car with a high psychological score for the target object, which is a standard-sized car. is superimposed. As a result, drowsiness can be eliminated by increasing the tension of the user.

The providing unit 424 provides the superimposed image generated by the generating unit 423 . For example, the providing unit 424 provides the superimposed image to the user terminal 500 and causes the display unit of the user terminal 500 to display it. The superimposed image provided by the providing unit 424 is an image displayed in the window area C100 of the vehicle C. FIG. That is, the providing unit 424 provides the superimposed image displayed in the window area C100 of the vehicle C. FIG. Specifically, the providing unit 424 extracts the window region C100 from the visual field image, and provides a superimposed image in which the substitute is superimposed on the object included in the extracted window region C100. Note that the window region C100 is not limited to the front window, and may be a side window, a back window, or the like. Also, the superimposed image provided by the providing unit 424 may be displayed on the rearview mirror of the vehicle C, for example.

[Processing flow of the first processing unit]
Next, with reference to FIG. 8, a procedure of processing by the first processing unit 410 of the information providing device 100 according to the embodiment will be described. FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing an example of processing executed by the first processing unit 410 according to the embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 8, the first processing unit 410 acquires the road characteristic information of the road on which the vehicle C being driven by the user is traveling (step S101).

Subsequently, the first processing unit 410 acquires a field-of-view image representing the user's field of view (step S102).

Subsequently, the first processing unit 410 selects a road that the user has traveled in the past with a frequency equal to or higher than a predetermined threshold and that has similar road feature information to the road being traveled (step S103).

Subsequently, the first processing unit 410 selects a traveled road having a higher degree of difficulty than the currently traveled road from the selected traveled roads (step S104).

Subsequently, the first processing unit 410 selects a traveled road that includes the road characteristic information of the currently traveled road from the selected traveled roads (step S105).

Subsequently, the first processing unit 410 generates an image in which the selected image of the road that has already been traveled is superimposed on the currently traveling road in the visual field image (step S106).

Subsequently, the first processing unit 410 provides the generated image to the user terminal 500 (step S107).

[Processing flow of the second processing unit]
Next, with reference to FIG. 9, a procedure of processing by the second processing unit 420 of the information providing device 100 according to the embodiment will be described. FIG. 9 is a flow chart showing an example of processing executed by the second processing unit 420 according to the embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 9, the second processing unit 420 first acquires a field-of-view image representing the user's field of view (step S201).

Subsequently, the second processing unit 420 extracts a predetermined object from the field-of-view image (step S202).

Subsequently, the second processing unit 420 calculates a psychological score for each extracted object (step S203).

Subsequently, the second processing unit 420 extracts objects whose calculated psychological scores are equal to or greater than the threshold (step S204).

Subsequently, the second processing unit 420 selects a substitute with a lower psychological score than the extracted object (step S205).

Subsequently, the second processing unit 420 generates a superimposed image in which the selected substitute is superimposed on the target (step S206).

Subsequently, the second processing unit 420 provides the generated superimposed image to the user terminal 500 (step S207).

〔others〕
Also, among the processes described in the above embodiments, some of the processes described as being automatically performed can also be performed manually. Alternatively, all or part of the processes described as being performed manually can be performed automatically by known methods. In addition, information including processing procedures, specific names, various data and parameters shown in the above documents and drawings can be arbitrarily changed unless otherwise specified. For example, the various information shown in each drawing is not limited to the illustrated information.

Also, each component of each device illustrated is functionally conceptual, and does not necessarily need to be physically configured as illustrated. In other words, the specific form of distribution and integration of each device is not limited to the one shown in the figure, and all or part of them can be functionally or physically distributed and integrated in arbitrary units according to various loads and usage conditions. Can be integrated and configured.

For example, part or all of the storage unit 300 shown in FIG. 3 may be held in a storage server or the like instead of being held by the information providing apparatus 100 . In this case, the information providing apparatus 100 acquires various information by accessing the storage server.

[Hardware configuration]
Also, the information providing apparatus 100 according to the above-described embodiments is implemented by a computer 1000 configured as shown in FIG. 10, for example. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration; A computer 1000 is connected to an output device 1010 and an input device 1020, and an arithmetic device 1030, a primary storage device 1040, a secondary storage device 1050, an output IF (Interface) 1060, an input IF 1070, and a network IF 1080 are connected via a bus 1090. have

The arithmetic device 1030 operates based on programs stored in the primary storage device 1040 and the secondary storage device 1050, programs read from the input device 1020, and the like, and executes various processes. The primary storage device 1040 is a memory device such as a RAM that temporarily stores data used by the arithmetic device 1030 for various calculations. The secondary storage device 1050 is a storage device in which data used for various calculations by the arithmetic device 1030 and various databases are registered. It is realized by

The output IF 1060 is an interface for transmitting information to be output to the output device 1010 that outputs various types of information such as a monitor and a printer. It is realized by a connector conforming to a standard such as HDMI (registered trademark) (High Definition Multimedia Interface). Also, the input IF 1070 is an interface for receiving information from various input devices 1020 such as a mouse, keyboard, scanner, etc., and is realized by, for example, USB.

Note that the input device 1020 includes, for example, optical recording media such as CDs (Compact Discs), DVDs (Digital Versatile Discs), PDs (Phase change rewritable discs), magneto-optical recording media such as MOs (Magneto-Optical discs), and tapes. It may be a device that reads information from a medium, a magnetic recording medium, a semiconductor memory, or the like. Also, the input device 1020 may be an external storage medium such as a USB memory.

Network IF 1080 receives data from other devices via network N and sends the data to arithmetic device 1030, and also transmits data generated by arithmetic device 1030 via network N to other devices.

The arithmetic device 1030 controls the output device 1010 and the input device 1020 via the output IF 1060 and the input IF 1070 . For example, arithmetic device 1030 loads a program from input device 1020 or secondary storage device 1050 onto primary storage device 1040 and executes the loaded program.

For example, when the computer 1000 functions as the information providing device 100 , the arithmetic device 1030 of the computer 1000 implements the functions of the control unit 400 by executing a program loaded on the primary storage device 1040 .

〔effect〕
As described above, the information providing device 100 according to the embodiment includes the acquiring unit 411, the selecting unit 412, and the providing unit 414. The acquisition unit 411 acquires road characteristic information relating to the characteristics of the road on which the vehicle C being driven by the user is traveling. The selection unit 412 selects a traveled road similar to the characteristics of the currently traveled road from among the traveled roads on which the user has traveled in the past at a frequency equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold. The providing unit 414 provides content based on the traveled road selected by the selecting unit 412 . In addition, the road characteristic information includes information regarding the degree of difficulty of driving based on road conditions. The selection unit 412 selects a road that has been traveled and has a higher degree of difficulty than the road that is being traveled. The selection unit 412 selects a traveled road of the road feature information including the road feature information of the road being traveled. The vehicle C has a display section C100 that displays content in the field of view of the user. The providing unit 414 provides an image of the traveled road displayed on the display unit C100 so as to overlap the currently traveled road. The acquisition unit 411 further acquires a field-of-view image representing the user's field of view. The providing unit 414 provides an image in which the traveled road is superimposed on the currently traveled road in the view image. The providing unit 414 provides an image in which either the road being traveled or the road that has been traveled is made transparent. The display unit C100 can display an AR (Augmented Reality) image. The providing unit 414 displays an AR image as the image. The providing unit 414 provides an image displayed in the window area C100 of the vehicle C. FIG. With such a configuration, the user can drive with peace of mind.

Further, as described above, the information providing device 100 according to the embodiment includes the acquiring unit 421, the calculating unit 422, and the providing unit 424. The acquisition unit 421 acquires a field-of-view image representing the field of view of the user driving the vehicle C. FIG. The calculation unit 422 calculates a psychological score indicating the strength of the psychological disturbance during driving for the target object extracted from the visual field image. The providing unit 424 provides a superimposed image in which a substitute for the target object is superimposed on the target object in the visual field image based on the psychological score calculated by the calculating unit 422 . Also, the target object is a target vehicle of a predetermined type. The providing unit 424 provides, as a substitute, a superimposed image in which a substitute vehicle different in type from the target vehicle is superimposed on the target vehicle. Further, when the target vehicle and the substitute vehicle are different in size, the providing unit 424 provides a superimposed image in which the substitute vehicle is superimposed on the target vehicle so that the ends closer to the vehicle C are aligned. Further, the providing unit 424 provides a superimposed image in which the substitute vehicle is superimposed on the target vehicle such that the distance from the vehicle C is shorter than that of the target vehicle. Also, the object is a person. The providing unit 424 provides a superimposed image in which a substitute of a person whose appearance differs from that of the target person is superimposed on the target object. In addition, the acquisition unit 421 further acquires biometric information of the user during driving. Also, the providing unit 424 provides a superimposed image in which a substitute corresponding to the biometric information is superimposed on the object in the visual field image. The display unit C100 can display an AR (Augmented Reality) image. The providing unit 424 provides an AR image as the superimposed image. Moreover, the display portion C100 is the window area C100 of the vehicle C or the rearview mirror area. With such a configuration, it is possible to relieve the user's tension during driving.

As described above, some of the embodiments of the present application have been described in detail based on the drawings. It is possible to carry out the invention in other forms with modifications.

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

Also, each component of each device illustrated is functionally conceptual, and does not necessarily need to be physically configured as illustrated. In other words, the specific form of distribution and integration of each device is not limited to the one shown in the figure, and all or part of them can be functionally or physically distributed and integrated in arbitrary units according to various loads and usage conditions. Can be integrated and configured.

Further, each processing described in the above-described embodiments can be appropriately combined within a range that does not contradict the content of the processing.

Also, the "section, module, unit" described above can be read as "means" or "circuit". For example, the first processing unit 410 can be read as first processing means or a first processing circuit.

1 Information providing system 100 Information providing device 200 Communication unit 300 Storage unit 310 Traveled road database 320 Substitute database 400 Control unit 410 First processing units 411 and 421 Acquisition unit 412 Selection units 413 and 423 Generation units 414 and 424 Providing unit 420 Second processing unit 422 Calculation unit 500 User terminal C Vehicle N Network

Claims (10)

an acquisition unit that acquires road feature information related to the features of the road on which the vehicle that the user is driving is traveling;
a selection unit that selects, from among the roads that the user has traveled in the past, a frequency that is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold, the road that has been traveled and that is similar to the characteristics of the road that is being traveled;
and a providing unit that provides content based on the traveled road selected by the selecting unit. The road characteristic information is
contains information about the difficulty of driving based on road conditions;
The selection unit
2. The information providing device according to claim 1, wherein the traveled road having the higher degree of difficulty than the road being traveled is selected. The selection unit
3. The information providing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the traveled road of the road characteristic information including the road characteristic information of the road being traveled is selected. The vehicle is
a display unit that displays the content in the field of view of the user;
The providing unit
The information providing device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein an image of the road that has been traveled is displayed on the display unit so as to overlap with the road that is being traveled. The acquisition unit
further acquiring a field-of-view image showing the user's field of view;
The providing unit
5. The information providing apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the image obtained by superimposing the traveled road on the road being traveled in the visual field image is provided. The providing unit
6. The information providing apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the image is provided in which either one of the currently traveling road and the already traveled road is transparent. The display unit
AR (Augmented Reality) images can be displayed,
The providing unit
The information providing device according to any one of claims 4 to 6, wherein the AR image is displayed as the image. The providing unit
8. The information providing device according to claim 7, which provides the image displayed in the window area of the vehicle. A computer-executed information provision method comprising:
an acquisition step of acquiring road feature information relating to features of a road on which a vehicle being driven by a user is traveling;
a selection step of selecting the road that is similar to the characteristics of the road that is being traveled from among the roads that the user has traveled in the past on which the user has traveled at a frequency equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold;
and a provision step of providing content based on the traveled road selected in the selection step. an acquisition procedure for acquiring road feature information relating to the features of the road on which the vehicle being driven by the user is traveling;
a selection step of selecting the road that is similar to the characteristic of the road being traveled, from among the roads that the user has traveled in the past, on which the frequency of travel is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold;
and a provision procedure for providing content based on the traveled road selected by the selection procedure.

Images