JP5461022B2 - Content output device and content providing system - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a content output apparatus and a content providing system that receive content from a center connected via a network.

  Conventionally, an in-vehicle system in which an in-vehicle device mounted on a vehicle transmits an information distribution request to a center and information requested by the center or information corresponding to the in-vehicle device is transmitted to the in-vehicle device.

  Specifically, the center stores user information (for example, name, age, sex, address, hobby) of the in-vehicle device in association with an ID that uniquely identifies the in-vehicle device. In such an environment, when the ACC (engine) of the vehicle is turned on, the in-vehicle device transmits the ID to the center. Then, the center acquires user information corresponding to the received ID, and provides content (for example, music or news) corresponding to the acquired user information to the in-vehicle device.

  Also, for example, when a destination is set by car navigation or the like, the in-vehicle device transmits the set destination to the center, and the center transmits the received weather / traffic information of the destination to the in-vehicle device. To do. In this way, the in-vehicle device can acquire information necessary for the driver and information useful to the driver from the center and notify the driver.

JP 2007-019738 A JP 2004-251710 A

  However, the above-described conventional technique has a problem that only content information corresponding to a fixed user registered in the center can be provided. Specifically, when a person other than the user registered in the center in association with the in-vehicle device drives, only the content corresponding to the registered user is provided and registered in association with the in-vehicle device. The service can only be provided to users.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above, and an object of the present invention is to provide a content output device and a content providing system that can arbitrarily provide content corresponding to a user.

In order to solve the above-described problems and achieve the object, the present invention is a content output device that receives content from a center connected via a network, and includes a first communication unit used for communication with the center, A second communication unit used for communication with the mobile terminal, an identifier transmitting unit for uniquely transmitting the device identifier for uniquely identifying the content output device to the center via the first communication unit, and a transmission by the identifier transmitting unit. A mobile terminal that is performed via the second communication unit when a plurality of pieces of user information regarding the user who uses the content output device are received from the center via the first communication unit based on the device identifiers A plurality of pieces of user information received from the center by identifying one portable terminal based on communication with the user information corresponding to the identified portable terminal Identify from within, the user specific information, and user identification means for notifying the center via the first communication unit, a content corresponding to the prior Kiyu chromatography The specific information, via the first communication unit Content receiving means for receiving from the center.

The present invention is a content providing system including a center that provides content and a content output device that outputs the content provided from the center, wherein the content output device is used for communication with the center. A communication unit, a second communication unit used for communication with the mobile terminal, user profile storage means for storing user information relating to a user who uses the content output device, and a device identifier for uniquely identifying the content output device. The identifier transmitting means for transmitting to the center via the first communication unit, and when receiving a plurality of user information from the center via the first communication unit, is performed via the second communication unit. One mobile terminal is specified based on communication with the mobile terminal, and user information corresponding to the specified mobile terminal is stored in the center. Identify from a plurality of user information received from, the user specific information, and a user identification means for notifying the center via the first communication unit, the center, associating the device identifier A user information storage unit for storing the user information, and when receiving a device identifier from the content output device, the user information stored in association with the device identifier is specified from the user information storage unit, User information transmitting means for transmitting to the content output device; and content providing means for providing content corresponding to the user specifying information to the content output device when the user specifying information is received from the content output device. It is characterized by that.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to provide content corresponding to a user arbitrarily.

FIG. 1 is a system configuration diagram illustrating the overall configuration of the in-vehicle system according to the first embodiment. FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating the configuration of the in-vehicle system according to the first embodiment. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of information stored in the user information DB. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of information stored in the content DB. FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of information stored in the user profile DB. FIG. 6A is a diagram illustrating an example of a user registration / edit screen. FIG. 6B is a diagram illustrating an example of a new registration screen. FIG. 6C is a diagram illustrating an example of the user edit screen. FIG. 6-4 is a diagram illustrating an example of the user edit screen. FIG. 7 is a sequence diagram illustrating a flow of content providing processing in the in-vehicle system according to the first embodiment. FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating an example of another in-vehicle system using the in-vehicle device and the center. FIG. 9 is a flowchart illustrating a flow of user information synchronization processing in the in-vehicle system according to the second embodiment. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing user information matching and reflection conditions. FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating an example of a user information reflection rule.

  Exemplary embodiments of a content output apparatus and a content providing system according to the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the following, the outline of the content output device and the content providing system according to the present embodiment, the configuration of the content output device and the content providing system, and the flow of processing will be described in order, and finally various modifications to the present embodiment will be described. To do.

  In the present embodiment, an in-vehicle system in which the content output device is applied to an in-vehicle device will be described as an example. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the content output device may be applied to a WebTV or the like. The present invention can be used in various systems applied to various devices (for example, a home LAN applied to WebTV, a lecture system that lectures on the Web, etc.). Further, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments.

[Outline of in-vehicle system]
Initially, the outline | summary of the vehicle-mounted system which concerns on Example 1 is demonstrated using FIG. FIG. 1 is a system configuration diagram illustrating the overall configuration of the in-vehicle system according to the first embodiment. As shown in FIG. 1, this in-vehicle system includes an in-vehicle system mounted on a vehicle and a center having a server such as a service providing device that provides various contents. In addition, although the example which illustrated one center and one vehicle-mounted apparatus is shown here, it is not limited to this.

  Such a vehicle-mounted device is a device that stores a vehicle-mounted device ID that uniquely identifies the device itself, and is linked to other devices such as a vehicle-mounted audio device mounted on the vehicle. For example, the in-vehicle device provides various contents (image data and audio data) such as a TV received from outside such as a center, car navigation information input from a car navigation device, and movies acquired from a storage medium such as a DVD in the vehicle. It is a device to do.

  The center is a server that stores the user of the in-vehicle device and provides content corresponding to the user. Specifically, the center indicates “an in-vehicle device ID” that uniquely identifies an in-vehicle device connected by wireless communication, a “user ID” that identifies a user of the in-vehicle device, and user information corresponding to the user ID. It has a “user information DB” that stores “user information” in association with it, and a “content DB” that stores “content” such as music and movies provided via a network.

  For example, in the “user information DB”, “S01, U001, information A (name, phone number, gender, hobby, etc.)” or “S01, U002, information B” as “in-vehicle device ID, user ID, user information”. Are stored, and “content A” and “content B” are stored as contents in the “content DB”.

  In such a state, the in-vehicle device transmits the in-vehicle device ID to the center when the ACC (engine) is turned on (see (1) in FIG. 1). As a specific example, when the ACC switch or the like is turned on by a driver or the like, the in-vehicle device transmits an in-vehicle device ID (S01) stored in the own device to the center by wireless communication.

  Then, the center transmits user information corresponding to the vehicle-mounted device ID to the vehicle-mounted device (see (2) in FIG. 1). To give a specific example, the center acquires user information (U001 / information A, U002 / information B) corresponding to the in-vehicle device ID (S01) received by the in-vehicle device from the user information DB, and acquires the acquired user information. (U001 / Information A, U002 / Information B) is transmitted to the in-vehicle device with the in-vehicle device ID = S01.

  Subsequently, when receiving the user information from the center, the in-vehicle device transmits the specified user information among the received user information to the center (see (3) in FIG. 1). As a specific example, the in-vehicle device displays user information (U001 / information A, U002 / information B) received from the center on a display unit such as a display or a touch panel, and accepts a selection from the user. Then, the in-vehicle device transmits the user information (U002) specified as being desired to be provided by the user to the center.

  Note that the user identification method is not limited to this. For example, the in-vehicle device wirelessly communicates with a mobile phone existing in the vehicle to acquire a telephone number, and the acquired telephone number (for example, position analysis or The user information that matches the telephone number identified from the driver's seat from the direction analysis or the like may be automatically selected. In addition, as shown in FIG. 2, the in-vehicle device 20 increases the system setting corresponding to the specified user, for example, the display character of the display 29 or the output sound of the speaker 30 when the user is old. And so on.

  Thereafter, the center provides content corresponding to the received user information to the in-vehicle device (see (4) in FIG. 1). To give a specific example, the center specifies user information B corresponding to the received user ID (U002) from the user information DB. Subsequently, the center specifies content B (for example, this month's hit chart) corresponding to the specified user information B (for example, hobby is music) from the content DB, and provides the specified content B to the in-vehicle device.

  As described above, in the in-vehicle system according to the first embodiment, information on users other than the user who frequently uses the vehicle is registered, and the user can select which user information is used. Content can be provided.

[Configuration of in-vehicle system]
Next, the configuration of the in-vehicle system shown in FIG. 1 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating the configuration of the in-vehicle system according to the first embodiment. As shown in FIG. 2, this in-vehicle system includes a center 10 and an in-vehicle device 20, and here, each configuration will be specifically described.

(Configuration of center 10)
As shown in FIG. 2, the center 10 is a server device that includes a wireless communication unit 11, a user information DB 12, a content DB 13, and a control unit 15.

  The wireless communication unit 11 controls communication related to various types of information exchanged with the in-vehicle device 20 and other centers. Specifically, the wireless communication unit 11 receives a vehicle-mounted device ID, a user ID, and the like, which will be described later, from the vehicle-mounted device 20, and provides user information and content, which will be described later, to the vehicle-mounted device 20.

  The user information DB 12 stores an in-vehicle device and a user who uses the in-vehicle device in association with each other. As a specific example, as shown in FIG. 3, the user information DB 12 has “S01, ID, user ID, user name, telephone number, date of birth, sex, hobby, content provision history” as “S01, U001, Patent Taro, 090-xxx-xxxx, 1940/1/15, male, golf karaoke, golf relay TV, karaoke "and" S01, U002, patent Hanako, 070-yyyy-yyyy, 1945/5/13, “Woman, cooking / music, cooking program TV, hit chart” and the like. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of information stored in the user information DB. Information including various data and parameters can be arbitrarily changed unless otherwise specified.

  The “in-vehicle device ID” stored here is an identifier (unique information) that uniquely identifies the in-vehicle device connected by wireless communication, and the “user ID” is an identifier that identifies a user of the in-vehicle device. “User name” is the name of the user specified by the user ID. The “telephone number” is a telephone number used by the user specified by the user ID, the “birth date” is the birth date of the user specified by the user ID, and “sex” Is the gender of the user specified by the user ID. The “hobby” is user preference information specified by the user ID, and the “content history” is information indicating content previously provided to the user specified by the user ID.

  The content DB 13 stores content provided to the in-vehicle device 20. For example, as shown in FIG. 4, the content DB 13 has “C001, music provision, DB”, “C002, news, http: // news” as “content ID, content content, source”, as shown in FIG. “C003, cooking program, TV” and the like are stored. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of information stored in the content DB, and information including various data and parameters can be arbitrarily changed unless otherwise specified.

  The “content ID” stored here is an identifier for uniquely identifying the content, the “content content” is the content of the content specified by the content ID, and the “source” is the content ID. This is information indicating the specified content provider.

  The control unit 15 has an internal memory for storing a control program such as an OS (Operating System), a program that defines various processing procedures, and necessary data, and a data processing unit 15a, a user specifying unit 15b, And a content providing unit 15c for performing various processes.

  The data processing unit 15a executes data processing performed in the center 10 such as data processing such as editing of the user information DB 12 and content DB 13 and new registration. Specifically, the data processing unit 15 a matches the user information stored in the in-vehicle device 20 so as to maintain consistency between user information stored in the in-vehicle device 20 described later and the user information DB 12 in the center 10. The user information DB 12 is updated.

  The user specifying unit 15b specifies the user of the in-vehicle device 20. Specifically, when the user specifying unit 15b receives the in-vehicle device ID from the in-vehicle device 20 via the wireless communication unit 11, the user specifying unit 15b receives the user ID and user information corresponding to the received in-vehicle device ID from the user information DB 12. It identifies and transmits to the vehicle equipment 20. Further, when the user specifying unit 15b receives a user ID from the in-vehicle device 20 via the wireless communication unit 11, the user specifying unit 15b transmits user information (for example, preference information such as hobbies) corresponding to the received user ID to the user information DB12. And output to the content providing unit 15c described later.

  Specifically, in the above example, when the user specifying unit 15b receives “vehicle device ID = S01” from the vehicle device 20 via the wireless communication unit 11, the user specifying unit 15b sets the received vehicle device ID “S01”. Corresponding user information “U001 to U003” is specified from the user information DB 12 and transmitted to the in-vehicle device 20. The user specifying unit 15b may transmit all the records of “U001 to U003” corresponding to the in-vehicle device ID “S01” to the in-vehicle device 20 and “U001 to U003” corresponding to the in-vehicle device ID “S01”. Only a part of each of the records may be transmitted to the in-vehicle device 20.

  In addition, when “user ID = U002” is received from the in-vehicle device 20 via the wireless communication unit 11, the user specifying unit 15b sets the hobby “cooking, music” corresponding to the received user ID “U002” to the user. It identifies from information DB12 and outputs to the content provision part 15c mentioned later.

  The content providing unit 15c provides content corresponding to the user specified by the user specifying unit 15b. Specifically, the content providing unit 15c specifies the “hobby” stored in association with the user ID input from the user specifying unit 15b from the user information DB 12, and sets the content corresponding to the specified “hobby” as the content. It is specified from DB13. And the content provision part 15c acquires the specified content from a source, and provides it to the vehicle-mounted apparatus 20.

  For example, when the specified content source is “DB”, the content providing unit 15c acquires and provides the content from a database such as a memory in the own device or another center, and the content source is “URL”. Is described, the Web page provided by the URL is provided. When the content source is “TV”, the content (program or the like) is received and provided by TV radio waves.

  Specifically, in the above example, the content providing unit 15 c specifies “hobby = cooking / music” stored in association with the user ID “U002” input from the user specifying unit 15 b from the user information DB 12. The content “C001 or C003” corresponding to the identified “hobby = cooking / music” is identified from the content DB 13. Then, the content providing unit 15 c acquires the identified content “C003” from the source “TV” and provides it to the in-vehicle device 20. In this way, when two or more contents are specified, the in-vehicle apparatus provides contents with a young content ID, provides contents with a large number of provisions based on the contents provision history, and which contents are provided. It can also be sent to 20 for selection by the user.

(Configuration of in-vehicle device 20)
Next, the configuration of the in-vehicle device 20 will be described. As shown in FIG. 2, the in-vehicle device 20 includes a radio communication unit 21, an ACC 22, a short-range communication unit 23, a radio reception unit 24, a TV reception unit 25, a GPS transmission / reception unit 26, and a disc playback unit 27. A memory card playback unit 28, a display 29, a speaker 30, an operation unit 31, various sensors 32, a storage unit 35, and a control unit 40.

  The wireless communication unit 21 controls communication related to various information exchanged with the center 10 and other in-vehicle devices. Specifically, the wireless communication unit 21 transmits an in-vehicle device ID to the center 10, transmits a user ID, and receives user information and content from the center 10.

  The ACC 22 is a vehicle engine drive machine. When the engine is turned on, electric power is provided to the in-vehicle device 20, and when the engine is turned off, the supply of electric power is stopped.

  The short-range communication unit 23 uses a short-range wireless communication such as Bluetooth (registered trademark), Wi-Fi (Wi-Fi: registered trademark), ZigBee (ZigBee: registered trademark) to establish a communication link with a portable terminal in the vehicle. At the same time, the communication processing is performed using the established communication link. Here, Bluetooth (registered trademark) is a short-range wireless communication standard for performing wireless communication with a radius of about 10 m using a 2.4 GHz frequency band. In recent years, electronic devices such as mobile phones and personal computers are used. Widely applied to equipment.

  The radio receiving unit 24 is connected to each radio station by radio communication, receives FM, AM, and the like, and outputs the received radio content to the control unit 40 described later. The TV receiving unit 25 is connected to each TV station by wireless communication, receives analog broadcast, digital broadcast, cable television, etc. from each TV station, and outputs the received TV content to the control unit 40 described later.

  The GPS transmission / reception unit 26 is a device that outputs the position of the host vehicle identified by communicating with a Global Positioning System (GPS) artificial satellite to the control unit 40 or a car navigation (not shown). The disc playback unit 27 is a CD-ROM, A storage medium such as an MD or DVD is received, the content written in the storage medium is read, and is output to the control unit 40 described later.

  The memory card playback unit 28 receives the memory card, reads the content written in the memory card, etc., and outputs it to the control unit 40 described later. The display 29 is a touch panel or a liquid crystal display that performs display notification to the user, that is, the vehicle occupant, based on the content image data input by the control unit 40.

  The speaker 30 outputs a sound to the user, that is, the vehicle occupant based on the sound data of the content input by the control unit 40. The operation unit 31 is a device that realizes a pointing device function in cooperation with the display 29 and the mouse, and includes a car navigation (not shown), the in-vehicle device 20, an in-vehicle audio device connected in cooperation with the in-vehicle device 20, and the like. Remote control for operating the in-vehicle device.

  The various sensors 32 are sensors mounted on the vehicle such as a vehicle speed sensor that detects the speed of the vehicle, an acceleration sensor that detects the acceleration of the vehicle, a brake sensor that detects the state of the brake, and a steering sensor that detects the direction of the tire. Yes, the obtained information is output to the control unit 40.

  The storage unit 35 stores data and programs necessary for various processes performed by the control unit 40, has a cache DB 35a and a user profile DB 35b, and has an in-vehicle device ID (for example, S01) assigned to the in-vehicle device 20. Remember. The cache DB 35a is a cache memory that stores content provided from the center 10 in the past and displayed and output in the vehicle.

  The user profile DB 35b stores user information for using the vehicle, that is, the user who uses the in-vehicle device 20. Such user information may be directly input to the in-vehicle device 20 or may be acquired by transferring it from a mobile terminal owned by the user. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 5, the user profile DB 35b includes “U001, Patent Taro, 090-xxx-xxx, 1940 /” as “user ID, user name, telephone number, date of birth, sex, hobby”. 1/15, man, golf karaoke "," U002, patent Hanako, 070-yyy-yyyy, 1945/5/13, woman, cooking / music "," U003, Jojiro,-, February 2, 2000, "Man, anime" and so on. FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of information stored in the user profile DB. Information including various data and parameters can be arbitrarily changed unless otherwise specified.

  The “user ID” stored here is an identifier for uniquely identifying the user, the “user name” is the name of the user specified by the user ID, and the “phone number” is the user ID. This is a phone number such as a mobile phone used by the user specified by. The “birth date” is the date of birth of the user specified by the user ID, the “sex” is the gender of the user specified by the user ID, and the “hobby” is the user ID. It is user's preference information specified by.

  The control unit 40 has an internal memory for storing a control program such as an OS (Operating System), a program defining various processing procedures, navigation processing such as car navigation, and necessary data, and user information registration / editing Unit 41, in-vehicle device ID transmission unit 42, user information display unit 43, communication response unit 44, and content processing unit 45, and various processes are executed by these.

  The user information registration / editing unit 41 newly registers information in the user profile DB 35b or edits information that has already been registered. Specifically, when the user information registration / editing unit 41 is instructed to update the user profile DB 35b, a screen for selecting “new registration” or “editing” as shown in FIG. Is output to the display 29. Then, when “new registration” is selected, the user information registration / editing unit 41 selects “user name”, “phone number”, “birth date”, “gender”, “ When a new registration screen that accepts an input of “hobby” is output and each information is input, the information is stored in the user profile DB 35 b in association with the new user ID.

  On the other hand, when “edit” is selected, the user information registration / editing unit 41 outputs a user edit screen for inputting a “user name” to be edited, as shown in FIG. Then, when the “user name” is input in the “user edit screen” and the “edit” button is clicked, the user information registration / edit unit 41 inquires which information to edit as shown in FIG. 6-4. The “user edit screen” is output to the display 29. Thereafter, when the information to be edited is clicked on the screen of FIG. 6-4 and new information is input, the user information registration / editing unit 41 updates the user profile DB 35b with the newly input information.

  6A is a diagram illustrating an example of a user registration / editing screen, FIG. 6-2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a new registration screen, and FIGS. 6-3 and 6-4 are diagrams illustrating a user registration / editing screen. It is a figure which shows the example of an edit screen.

  Returning to FIG. 2, the in-vehicle device ID transmission unit 42 transmits the in-vehicle device ID to the center 10. Specifically, when the ACC 22 is notified that the ACC is turned on and power is supplied, the in-vehicle device ID transmission unit 42 sends the in-vehicle device ID (S01) stored in the storage unit 35 to the center 10. Send.

  The user information display unit 43 displays and outputs the user information received from the center 10 on the display 29. Specifically, the user information display unit 43 receives the user information (U001 to U003) of the in-vehicle device 20 received from the center 10 when the in-vehicle device ID (S01) is transmitted to the center 10 by the in-vehicle device ID transmission unit 42. Displayed on the display 29.

  The user information display unit 43 may display and output all the information received from the center 10 (for example, all the records “U001 to U003”) on the display 29, or a part of the information received from the center 10 ( For example, among the records “U001 to U003”, only the user name and hobbies may be displayed on the display 29.

  The communication response unit 44 transmits information specifying the user who requests content provision to the center 10. Specifically, the communication response unit 44 selects the user ID corresponding to the user information selected by the user via the operation unit 31 among the user information displayed and output on the display 29 by the user information display unit 43, The user information received from the center 10 and the user profile DB 35b are identified and transmitted to the center 10. For example, the communication response unit 44 centers the user ID “U002” selected by the user via the operation unit 31 among the user information “U001 to U003” displayed and output on the display 29 by the user information display unit 43. 10 to send.

  The content processing unit 45 provides the content received from the center 10 in the vehicle. Specifically, the content processing unit 45 displays the image data of the content received from the center 10 on the display 29, and outputs the audio data of the content received from the center 10 from the speaker 30. Further, when receiving a URL or the like from the center 10, the content processing unit 45 accesses the URL to acquire a Web page, and displays and outputs the acquired Web page on the display 29.

  When the content processing unit 45 receives TV channel information or the like from the center 10, the content processing unit 45 acquires the TV program of the channel using the TV receiving unit 25, and the acquired TV program is displayed on the display 29 and the speaker 30. Output. When the content processing unit 45 receives a radio frequency or the like from the center 10, the content processing unit 45 acquires a radio broadcast of the frequency using the radio reception unit 24 and outputs the acquired radio broadcast to the speaker 30.

[Processing by in-vehicle system]
Next, processing by the in-vehicle system will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 7 is a sequence diagram illustrating a flow of content providing processing in the in-vehicle system according to the first embodiment.

  As shown in FIG. 7, when the ACC is turned on (step S101), the in-vehicle device 20 of the in-vehicle system acquires the in-vehicle device ID from the storage unit 35 and transmits it to the center 10 (step S102).

  The center 10 that has received the in-vehicle device ID specifies the in-vehicle device that has performed communication from the user information DB 12 based on the received in-vehicle device ID (step S103), and associates the in-vehicle device with the identified in-vehicle device. The user information memorize | stored in is transmitted to the vehicle-mounted apparatus 20 (step S104).

  The in-vehicle device 20 that has received the user information displays and outputs the received user information on the display 29 (step S105), and is specified when receiving the specification of the user requesting the content from the user from the displayed and output user information. The user ID of the user is transmitted to the center 10 (step S106).

  Further, when the user is specified in step S106, the in-vehicle device 20 increases the system setting corresponding to the specified user, for example, the display character on the display 29 or the output sound of the speaker 30 if the user is old. Or make it larger.

  Then, the center 10 specifies the “hobby” corresponding to the user ID received from the in-vehicle device 20 from the user information DB 12 (step S107), acquires the content corresponding to the specified “hobby” from the content DB 13, and acquires the in-vehicle device. 20 (step S108).

  Thus, the in-vehicle device 20 displays the image data of the content received from the center 10 on the display 29, and outputs the audio data of the content received from the center 10 from the speaker 30 (step S109).

[Effects of Example 1]
As described above, according to the first embodiment, information on users other than the user who frequently uses the vehicle is registered, and the user can select which user information is used. As a result, the information arbitrarily corresponds to the user. Can be provided. Further, according to the first embodiment, a service tailored to the user can be provided from both the in-vehicle device 20 and the center 10.

  In addition, as shown in FIG. 8, there is also a method of providing a content corresponding to the identified user by identifying the user on the center side by performing communication between the center and the vehicle-mounted device via each occupant's mobile terminal. Conceivable. However, in the case of this method, it is necessary to amplify the wireless communication interface (unit) on the in-vehicle device side, or it is necessary to incorporate a complicated function for identifying the user from the communication with the mobile terminal on the center side. That is, in the method of FIG. 8, since the existing in-vehicle device and the center cannot be used, the in-vehicle device and the center construction cost increase, and general spread cannot be expected.

  In contrast, in the in-vehicle system according to the first embodiment, it is not necessary to amplify the wireless communication interface (unit) on the in-vehicle device side, and the in-vehicle device and the center are connected to the in-vehicle device using an existing interface. Since the telephone information is reflected in the center, there is no need to add an interface specific to each mobile phone between the in-vehicle device and the center. Further, it is not necessary to incorporate a complicated function for identifying the user from communication with the portable terminal on the center side. In addition, information acquisition during driving is executed by the in-vehicle device, and information acquisition during times other than driving (when walking, riding a train, etc.) is performed with a mobile phone, it is seamlessly separated from the in-vehicle device. By matching information adapted to individuals of mobile phones in real time, it is possible to provide a user-friendly system.

  Therefore, in the in-vehicle system according to the first embodiment, the existing system can be followed. As a result, the in-vehicle device and the center construction cost can be prevented from increasing, and general spread can be expected. FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating an example of another in-vehicle system using the in-vehicle device and the center.

  Next, an example in which user information is synchronized (matched) so that stored user information does not differ between the in-vehicle device 20 and the center 10 will be described with reference to FIGS. 9 to 11.

  First, the flow of user information synchronization processing in the in-vehicle system according to the second embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 9 is a flowchart illustrating a flow of user information synchronization processing in the in-vehicle system according to the second embodiment.

  As shown in FIG. 9, when the ACC is turned on and the in-vehicle device 20 transmits the in-vehicle device ID to the center 10 and receives user information from the center 10 (Yes in step S201), the in-vehicle device 20 of the in-vehicle system receives the user from the center 10. In both the information and the user information stored in the user profile DB 35b of the own device, it is determined whether or not there is user information for which the “telephone number” is not set (step S202). Note that the user information in the user profile DB 35b can also be acquired from a mobile terminal.

  Then, the in-vehicle device 20 determines that there is no user information in which “telephone number” is not set in both the user information received from the center 10 and the user information stored in the own device (No in step S202). It is determined whether or not the “phone number” matches between each of the user information received from the user information and each of the user information stored in the user profile DB 35b of the own apparatus (step S203).

  Subsequently, when the “phone number” does not match between each of the user information received from the center 10 and each of the user information stored in the user profile DB 35b of the own device (No in step S203), It is determined whether or not the “birth date” matches between each received user information and each user information stored in the own apparatus (step S204).

  Then, when the “birth date” matches between each of the received user information and each of the user information stored in the own device (Yes in step S204), the in-vehicle device 20 Then, it is determined whether or not the “sex” matches with the user information stored in the own device (step S205).

  When the “gender” matches between each of the received user information and each of the user information stored in the own device (Yes in step S205), the in-vehicle device 20 uses the user profile DB 35b of the own device to indicate “ It is determined whether or not “telephone number” is not set (step S206). If it is not set (step S206 affirmative), the “telephone number” included in the user information received from the center 10 is Store in the user profile DB 35b (step S207).

  On the other hand, when the “birth date” does not match between each of the received user information and each of the user information stored in the own device in Step S204 (No in Step S204), the in-vehicle device 20 If “birth date” is not set in the user profile DB 35b (Yes in step S208) and “gender” is already set in the user profile DB 35b of the own apparatus (No in step S209), the user is specified. Because it is not possible, the process is terminated.

  The in-vehicle device 20 executes the process of step S205 when “birth date” is not set in the user profile DB 35b of the own device, that is, when it is set (No in step S208).

  In step S205, if the “gender” does not match between the received user information and the user information stored in the own device (No in step S205), the in-vehicle device 20 performs the process of step S209. Execute. That is, if “gender” has already been set in the user profile DB 35b of the own device (No in step S209), the in-vehicle device 20 ends the process because the user cannot be specified, and the user profile DB 35b of the own device ends with “ If “sex” is not set (Yes at step S209), the process of step S206 is executed.

  Returning to step S202, when there is user information in which “telephone number” is not set in both the user information received from the center 10 and the user information stored in the user profile DB 35b of the own apparatus (Yes in step S202), The in-vehicle device 20 does not match the “birth date” between each of the received user information and each of the user information stored in the own device (No in step S210), and the user profile DB 35b of the own device indicates “ If “birth date” is not set (Yes at step S211), “birth date” included in the user information received from the center 10 is stored in the user profile DB 35b of the own apparatus (step S212).

  In step S210, when the “birth date” matches between each received user information and each user information stored in the own device (Yes in step S210), or in step S211, the user of the own device When “birth date” has been set in the profile DB 35b (No in step S211), the in-vehicle device 20 executes the process of step S213.

  Subsequently, “gender” does not match between each received user information and each user information stored in the own device (No in step S213), and “sex” is not found in the user profile DB 35b of the own device. If it is set (Yes at Step S214), the “sex” included in the user information received from the center 10 is stored in the user profile DB 35b of the own apparatus (Step S215).

  In step S213, when the “gender” matches between each of the received user information and each of the user information stored in the own device (Yes in step S213), or in step S214, the user profile DB 35b of the own device. If “sex” has already been set (No at step S214), the in-vehicle device 20 ends the process.

  In step S203, the in-vehicle device 20 matches the “phone number” between the user information received from the center 10 and the user information stored in the user profile DB 35b of the own device (step S203). (Yes), the processing of step S210 to step S215 is executed.

  Further, in step S201, when the in-vehicle device 20 of the in-vehicle system does not receive user information from the center 10 after ACC is turned on and the in-vehicle device ID is transmitted to the center 10 (No in step S201), an input from the user ( The center 10 is notified of the user ID of the user specified by an instruction operation) or communication with the portable terminal, and the process is terminated (step S216).

  Next, processing performed in the flow described with reference to FIG. 9 will be described with reference to FIGS. 10 and 11. As shown in FIG. 10, the in-vehicle device 20 has at least one information of “phone number”, “birth date”, and “gender” of user information received from the center 10 or a user profile. When at least one piece of information of “telephone number”, “birth date”, and “gender” of the user information stored in the DB 35b is set, the user can be specified. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing user information matching and reflection conditions.

  Therefore, the in-vehicle device 20 can update the user information related to the identified user with the information received from the center 10. Specifically, the in-vehicle device 20 can reflect user information based on the rules shown in FIG. Referring to the fourth line from the top of FIG. 10 as an example, the in-vehicle device 20 has “phone number”, “date of birth”, and “gender” set in the user information received from the center 10, When only “telephone number” is set in the user profile DB 35b, the user is identified by the “phone number” set in both, and the “birth date” and “gender” of the center 10 are set in the user profile DB 35b. Store new in. FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating an example of the user information reflection rule.

  Moreover, in Example 2, although the example which performs the flow process (FIG. 9) mentioned above on the vehicle equipment 20 side was demonstrated, the same process can be performed also in the center 10 side. Further, in the second embodiment, the example in which the user information of the in-vehicle device 20 is updated with the user information received from the center 10 has been described. For example, by storing the update date and time in both user information, new information can be stored. It can also be preferentially updated.

  Specifically, when the in-vehicle device 20 receives user information from the center 10 and the update date and time of the user information stored in the user profile DB 35b is older than the received user information, the received user information The user information stored in the user profile DB 35b is updated. Moreover, when the update date / time of the user information stored in the user profile DB 35b is newer than the received user information, the in-vehicle device 20 transmits the user information stored in the user profile DB 35b to the center 10.

  As described above, according to the second embodiment, the user information can be correctly reflected regardless of whether the user information is set / updated in the in-vehicle device 20 or the center 10, and thus the convenience of the user can be improved. In addition, if there is no setting in common items of user information (in the above example, telephone number, date of birth, sex), it can be automatically reflected.

  Moreover, as a result of comparing the received user information with the user information stored in the user profile DB 35b, the in-vehicle device 20 is registered in the user information stored in the user profile DB 35b, and registered in the received user information. If there is an item content that has not been registered, the registration information of the item content that is not registered in the received user information can be acquired from the user profile DB 35b and notified to the center 10.

  The in-vehicle device 20 compares the received user information with the user information stored in the user profile DB 35b, and is registered in either the received user information or the user information stored in the user profile DB 35b. If there is an item content that is not registered in the other user information, the item content registered in one of the received user information and the user profile DB 35b is additionally registered in the other user information. You can also

  Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described so far, the present invention may be implemented in various different forms other than the embodiments described above.

(Cache information)
For example, in the in-vehicle device disclosed in the present application, when a user is specified, content can be provided using cache information stored in the cache DB 35 a without transmitting a user ID to the center 10. Further, in the in-vehicle device, when a user is specified, the content information specified from the cache DB 35a is transmitted to the center 10 without transmitting the user ID, thereby omitting the content identification and acquisition processing on the center 10 side. You can also

(System configuration etc.)
In addition, among the processes described in this embodiment, all or part of the processes described as being performed automatically can be performed manually, or the processes described as being performed manually can be performed. All or a part can be automatically performed by a known method. In addition, the processing procedure, control procedure, specific name, and information including various data and parameters (for example, FIGS. 3 to 5, 10, and 11) shown in the above-mentioned document and drawings are described specially. It can be changed arbitrarily except in some cases.

  Further, each component of each illustrated apparatus is functionally conceptual, and does not necessarily need to be physically configured as illustrated. In other words, the specific form of distribution / integration of each device is not limited to that shown in the figure, and all or a part thereof may be functionally or physically distributed or arbitrarily distributed in arbitrary units according to various loads or usage conditions. It can be configured by integrating (for example, integrating the communication response unit and the content processing unit). Further, all or any part of each processing function performed in each device may be realized by a CPU and a program analyzed and executed by the CPU, or may be realized as hardware by wired logic.

(program)
The content providing method described in the present embodiment can be realized by executing a program prepared in advance on a computer such as a personal computer or a workstation. This program can be distributed via a network such as the Internet. The program can also be executed by being recorded on a computer-readable recording medium such as a hard disk, a flexible disk (FD), a CD-ROM, an MO, and a DVD and being read from the recording medium by the computer.

  As described above, the content output device and the content providing system according to the present invention are useful for receiving content from a center connected via a network, and in particular, provide content corresponding to a user arbitrarily. Suitable for.

10 center 11 wireless communication unit 12 user information DB
13 Content DB
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 15 Control part 15a Data processing part 15b User specific part 15c Content provision part 20 In-vehicle apparatus 21 Wireless communication part 22 ACC
23 Short-range communication unit 24 Radio reception unit 25 TV reception unit 26 GPS transmission / reception unit 27 Disc playback unit 28 Memory card playback unit 29 Display 30 Speaker 31 Operation unit 32 Various sensors 35 Storage unit 35a Cache DB
35b User profile DB
40 Control Unit 41 User Information Registration / Editing Unit 42 On-vehicle Device ID Transmitting Unit 43 User Information Display Unit 44 Communication Response Unit 45 Content Processing Unit

Claims (4)

A content output device for receiving content from a center connected via a network,
A first communication unit used for communication with the center;
A second communication unit used for communication with the mobile terminal;
An identifier transmitting means for transmitting a device identifier for uniquely identifying the content output device to the center via the first communication unit ;
Based on the device identifier transmitted by the identifier transmitting means, when a plurality of pieces of user information relating to a user who uses the content output device are received from the center via the first communication unit , the second communication unit is One mobile terminal is specified based on communication with the mobile terminal performed via the mobile terminal, user information corresponding to the specified mobile terminal is specified from among the plurality of user information received from the center, and the user specifying information User specifying means for notifying the center via the first communication unit ,
The content corresponding to prior Kiyu chromatography The specific information, a content receiving means for receiving from the center through the first communication unit,
A content output apparatus comprising: User profile storage means for acquiring and storing user information having a plurality of item contents from the portable terminal via the second communication unit ;
When user information is received from the center via the first communication unit, the received user information is compared with user information stored in the user profile storage means, and the received user information and the user are compared. When there is an item content that is registered in any one of the user information stored in the profile storage means and not registered in the other user information, the received user information and the user profile storage means The content output apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: an information update unit that additionally registers the item content registered in any one of the user information in the other user information. User profile storage means for acquiring and storing user information having a plurality of item contents and update dates and times from the mobile terminal via the second communication unit ;
When the user information is received from the center via the first communication unit and the update date and time of the user information stored in the user profile storage means is older than the received user information, the received user If the user information stored in the user profile storage means is updated with information, and the update date and time of the user information stored in the user profile storage means is newer than the received user information, the user profile storage means The content output apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising update notification means for transmitting stored user information to the center. A content providing system comprising: a center that provides content; and a content output device that outputs content provided from the center,
The content output device includes:
A first communication unit used for communication with the center;
A second communication unit used for communication with the mobile terminal;
User profile storage means for storing user information relating to a user who uses the content output device;
An identifier transmitting means for transmitting a device identifier for uniquely identifying the content output device to the center via the first communication unit ;
When a plurality of user information is received from the center via the first communication unit, one portable terminal is identified based on communication with the portable terminal performed via the second communication unit, and the identified portable User identification means for identifying user information corresponding to a terminal from among a plurality of user information received from the center, and notifying the user identification information to the center via the first communication unit ;
With
The center
User information storage means for storing the user information in association with the device identifier;
User information transmission means for identifying user information stored in association with the device identifier from the user information storage means and transmitting the information to the content output apparatus when a device identifier is received from the content output apparatus;
Content providing means for providing content corresponding to the user specifying information to the content output device when the user specifying information is received from the content output device;
A content providing system characterized by comprising:

Images