JP7285000B2 - How to provide a user interface for automobile competitions - Google Patents

Description

Article 30, Paragraph 2 of the Patent Act applied Posted on the website "https://www.rallystream.net/jrc/2018/rd1/" on February 1, 2018.

The present invention relates to a method of providing a user interface for displaying running information of a competition vehicle in an automobile competition.

2. Description of the Related Art Recently, services for notifying client terminals of driving information of automobiles in real time, such as automobile competitions, have become widespread.

For example, a control terminal receives GPS location information and operation information from each transportation vehicle via a wireless communication network, and provides various screens to the terminal in response to requests from client terminals or administrator terminals. (For example, Patent Document 1).

Also, a method of receiving images captured by an onboard camera mounted on a racing car from a server via a mobile phone communication network and the Internet network is disclosed (for example, Patent Document 2).

JP 2014-135038 A JP 2018-46354 A

However, in automobile competitions, especially in rally competitions, a user interface suitable for race operators, spectators, competitors, etc. and displaying competition information in a simple form has not been realized.

Although the above Patent Document 1 discloses a method of providing information in response to a request from a user or administrator, the submitted information is uniform, especially since it is a different field from automobile competition, The special circumstances of race operators and spectators are not taken into account. Also, Patent Document 2 only discloses a method of providing an on-board video, and does not take the above circumstances into consideration.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a user interface for displaying competition information in a simple form suitable for race operators, spectators, competitors, etc., in automobile competitions, particularly in rally competitions.

One embodiment of the present invention is a method for providing a user interface for displaying running information of a competition vehicle in an automobile competition, wherein a running route along which the competition vehicle runs is generated as map information, and , generating information to display the point where the competition vehicle is currently running, generating information related to the competition vehicle, controlling the display of the driving route and information related to the competition vehicle at the same time, and the operator of the automobile competition It is characterized by changing the content of the information related to the competition vehicle according to the reception request from the terminal or the spectator terminal.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY According to the present invention, it is possible to realize a user interface that displays competition information in a simple form suitable for race operators, spectators, competitors, etc. in automobile competitions, particularly in rally competitions.

1 is a configuration diagram of a system according to a first embodiment according to the present invention; FIG. 1 is a functional block diagram of a service providing server according to a first embodiment of the present invention; FIG. It is a functional block diagram showing details of a control unit of the service providing server according to the first embodiment of the present invention. 3 is a functional block diagram showing details of storage of the service providing server according to the first embodiment of the present invention; FIG. It is an example of a competition vehicle information management table according to the first embodiment of the present invention. It is an example of a competition information management table according to the first embodiment of the present invention. It is an example of an SOS information management table according to the first embodiment of the present invention. It is an example of a content management table according to the first embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a functional block diagram of a competition vehicle terminal according to a first embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 1 is a flowchart diagram illustrating an example of a method for providing a user interface according to a first embodiment of the invention; FIG. It is the figure which showed the example of the user interface of the operator terminal by 1st Embodiment by this invention. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a user interface of the spectator terminal according to the first embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 9 is a flow chart diagram showing an example of a method for providing a user interface according to a second embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 11 is a flow chart diagram showing an example of a method for providing a user interface according to a third embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 11 is a flow chart diagram showing an example of a method for providing a user interface according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention; It is the figure which showed the example of the user interface by 4th Embodiment by this invention. It is the figure which showed the example of the user interface by 5th Embodiment by this invention. It is the figure which showed the other example of the user interface by 5th Embodiment by this invention.

The contents of the embodiments of the present invention are listed and explained. A service providing server according to an embodiment of the present invention has the following configuration.
[Item 1]
A method for providing a user interface for displaying running information of a competition vehicle in an automobile competition, comprising:
Generating the driving route of the competition vehicle as map information,
generating information indicating the point where the competition vehicle is currently traveling on the travel route;
generating information related to the competition vehicle;
controlling to simultaneously display information related to the driving route and the competition vehicle;
A method characterized by changing the content of the information related to the competition vehicle in response to a reception request from an operator terminal or a spectator terminal of an automobile competition.
[Item 2]
The method according to item 1, wherein the driving route is composed of a public road route and a special stage that allows a time attack, and the information related to the competition vehicle includes the driving speed of the competition vehicle.
[Item 3]
In response to a reception request from the spectator terminal,
When the competition vehicle is traveling on the public road route, the running speed is not displayed,
3. A method according to item 2, characterized by controlling to display the running speed when the competition car is running on a special stage.
[Item 4]
2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the information related to the competition vehicle includes information indicating reception status of radio waves for mobile phones.
[Item 5]
2. The method according to item 1, wherein control is performed so that an alert is displayed after a predetermined time has passed since the information indicating the radio wave reception status indicates that the radio wave has not been received.

(First embodiment)
A service providing system according to a first embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of a service providing system according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 1, the service providing system includes a service providing server 1, an automobile competition operator terminal 2 connected to the service providing server 1 via a network such as the Internet and/or a mobile phone communication network, It includes a spectator terminal 3 and a competition vehicle terminal 4 . In particular, in the present embodiment, among automobile competitions, since the focus is on a rally competition in which competition vehicles run in mountainous areas, satellite lines and WiFi cannot be used for communication around the competitor's running route. is assumed, it is preferable to use a mobile phone communication network. Also, in this embodiment, for convenience of explanation, each of the operator terminal 2, the spectator terminal 3, and the race car terminal 4 will be described as one unit, but each may be composed of one or a plurality of terminals.

The service providing server 1 can provide competition information including running information of competition vehicles participating in an automobile competition (for example, a rally competition) to an operator terminal or the like via an application. The operator terminal 2, spectator terminal 3 and race car terminal 4 each download an application from the service providing server 1 or another server. By executing this application and accessing the service providing server 1 via web page browsing software or tools such as a browser, it is possible to transmit and receive information to and from the service providing server 1, and to receive services. can be done.

For example, the competition vehicle terminal 4 transmits the current location information and speed information of the competition vehicle to the service providing server 1 via the mobile phone communication network via the downloaded application. The service providing server 1 maps the current position information of the competition vehicle on a pre-stored map showing the running course, and also generates the speed information as information for display along with other stored information. , the operator terminal 2, the spectator terminal 3, and the competition vehicle terminal 4, generate screen data for user interfaces corresponding to each of the terminals, and transmit them to each terminal.

The operator terminal 2, spectator terminal 3, and race car terminal 4 may be, for example, general-purpose computers such as workstations or personal computers, smartphones, tablets, mobile terminals, or other information terminals.

FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram of the service providing server 1 according to the first embodiment of the invention. Note that the illustrated configuration is an example, and other configurations may be employed.

As shown, the service providing server 1 is connected to a database (not shown) and constitutes part of the system. The service providing server 1 may be a general-purpose computer such as a workstation or personal computer, or may be logically realized by cloud computing.

The service providing server 1 includes at least a control unit 10 , a memory 11 , a storage 12 , a transmission/reception unit 13 , an input/output unit 14 and the like, which are electrically connected to each other through a bus 15 .

The control unit 10 is an arithmetic unit that controls the overall operation of the service providing server 1, controls transmission and reception of data between elements, executes applications, and performs information processing necessary for authentication processing. For example, the control unit 10 is a CPU (Central Processing Unit), and executes each information processing by executing a program or the like stored in the storage 12 and developed in the memory 11 .

The memory 11 includes a main memory composed of a volatile memory device such as a DRAM (Dynamic Random Access Memory), and an auxiliary memory composed of a non-volatile memory device such as a flash memory or a HDD (Hard Disc Drive). . The memory 11 is used as a work area for the processor 10, and stores a BIOS (Basic Input/Output System) executed when the service providing server 1 is started, various setting information, and the like.

The storage 12 stores various programs such as application programs. A database (not shown) storing data used for each process may be constructed in the storage 12 .

The transmission/reception unit 13 connects the service providing server 1 to the network. The transmitting/receiving unit 13 may include a short-range communication interface of Bluetooth (registered trademark) and BLE (Bluetooth Low Energy).

The input/output unit 14 is an information input device such as a keyboard and a mouse, and an output device such as a display.

A bus 15 is commonly connected to the above elements and transmits, for example, address signals, data signals and various control signals.

FIG. 3 is a functional block diagram showing details of the control unit 10 of the service providing server according to the first embodiment of the present invention. As described above, the control unit 10 executes an application program relating to the service according to the present embodiment, and modules of the executed program are divided into several functional blocks as shown. In addition, all or part of the functional blocks executed by this control unit of the service providing server may be executed by either the operator terminal 2, the spectator terminal 3, or the race car terminal 4, or a combination of them, depending on their nature. is also possible.

First, the map information management unit 21 manages the information related to the driving route of the automobile competition and the information of the surrounding area as a map, and the current position information received from the competition vehicle terminal 4 via this application. By superimposing on the travel route, the current position information of each competition vehicle terminal 4 on the travel route is mapped.

Next, the competition vehicle related information management unit 22 acquires basic information related to the competition vehicle terminal 4, such as an ID that identifies the competition vehicle, a bib number, driver and co-driver names, and an application from the competition vehicle terminal 4. It manages information received via, for example, current position information, travel speed, and the like. In addition, the competition vehicle-related information management unit 22 stores information for grasping the state of the competition vehicle, for example, the acquisition time when the information was received from the competition vehicle terminal 4, the time elapsed since the last acquisition, the radio wave for the mobile phone It also manages the reception status.

The competition information management unit 23 manages the progress of the currently held automobile competition, for example, the ranking of each competition vehicle, the running speed, the running state, and the presence/absence of reception of radio waves. In addition, the competition information management unit 23 can also manage competition results of automobile competitions held in the past.

In addition, the control unit 10 particularly controls the event management unit 24 that generates information for displaying an alert on the display screen of the operator terminal 2, and the video data captured by the onboard camera of the competition vehicle terminal 4. It has a content management section 25 for management, and a screen control section 26 for generating a screen for user interface based on various information.

FIG. 4 is a functional block diagram showing details of the storage 12 of the service providing server according to the first embodiment of the present invention. The storage 12 has, as described above, the map information storage section 32 that stores map information related to the driving route of the automobile competition. Instead of storing the map information in the storage unit 32, the map information is stored in a DB (database) outside the server connected via a network, or provided by a third party application via an API (application program interface). You can also access maps that are The storage 12 also has an area for storing information related to the competition vehicle as the competition vehicle information management table 32, as described above. The storage 12 also has an area for storing information related to the competition as the competition information management table 33, as described above. Furthermore, the storage 12 has an area for storing an SOS information management table 35 for managing the progress of the SOS information received from the competition vehicle terminals 4 . The storage 12 also has an area for storing, as a content management table 35, information for managing moving image data transmitted from the onboard camera of the competition vehicle terminal 4 or the like. The storage 12 also has a content storage unit 36 that stores the moving image data described above. All or part of these tables and moving image data can be stored in any storage area inside or outside the service providing server 1 instead of being stored in the storage 12 .

Details of each table stored in the storage 12 will be described below. FIG. 5 is an example of a competition vehicle information management table 500 according to the first embodiment of the invention.

As described above, the competition vehicle information management table 500 contains basic information related to the competition vehicle terminal 4, such as an ID identifying the competition vehicle, bib number, driver and co-driver names, and applications from the competition vehicle terminal 4. For example, current position information, travel speed information, etc. received via the Internet are stored. In addition, the technique vehicle information management table 500 contains information for grasping the state of the competition vehicle, for example, the acquisition time when information was received from the competition vehicle terminal 4, the time elapsed since the last acquisition, the reception of radio waves for mobile phones, etc. It also manages the situation.

FIG. 6 is an example of a competition information management table 600 according to the first embodiment of the invention. As described above, the competition information management table 600 manages the progress of the currently held automobile competition, and stores, for example, the ranking of each competition vehicle, the running speed, the running state, and the presence/absence of reception of radio waves. The competition information management unit 23 can also manage competition results and history of past automobile competitions for each competition. In addition, as the competition information management table, individual tables corresponding to the types of terminals are provided so that different information can be provided according to the terminal requesting information (operator terminal 2, spectator terminal 3, and competition vehicle terminal 4). be able to provide

Here, the running route of the rally competition consists of a section (public road section) that runs on a general public road as indicated by the dashed line 1005 on the running route in FIG. It is often composed of a stage section (SS section). In such a case, when the competition vehicle travels on the public road, the speed of the public road section may exceed the legal speed limit. For the organizers, it is important to keep track of the current speed of the competition vehicles in order to manage the competition. This may be undesirable from various viewpoints such as privacy regardless of whether or not the vehicle is speeding. Under these circumstances, the game information management table stores, for example, the speed when running on public roads for the operator as received speed information, and stores the speed when running on public roads for spectators. Instead, it is possible to separately store game information management tables for the operator and spectators. Alternatively, as a competition information management table, a table that stores running speeds regardless of whether they are running on public roads is stored, and the speed information of competition vehicles running on public roads is not displayed at the timing of screen generation. It is also possible to

FIG. 7 is an example of an SOS information management table 700 according to the first embodiment of the invention. The SOS information management table 700 stores information for managing the progress of the SOS information received from the competition vehicle terminal 4, as described above. For example, the ID for identifying the received SOS information, the ID of the contestant's vehicle that transmitted the SOS information, and the content of the subsequent response (information indicating safety (OK) or no response) are stored.

FIG. 8 is an example of a content management table 800 according to the first embodiment of the invention. As described above, the content management table 800 stores information for managing moving image data transmitted from the onboard camera of the competition vehicle terminal 4 or the like. For example, it stores a content ID that identifies moving image data and an ID of the competitor's vehicle that transmitted the moving image data. In addition, although not shown, the user IDs, terminal IDs, and the like of spectator terminals to which access rights are to be granted for each content ID can be managed in the same table.

FIG. 9 is a functional block diagram of the competition vehicle terminal 4 according to the first embodiment of the invention. Note that the illustrated configuration is an example, and other configurations may be employed.

As described above, the competition vehicle terminal 4 may be, for example, a general-purpose computer such as a workstation or personal computer, or may be a smartphone, tablet, mobile terminal, other information terminal, etc., and may be provided in the competition vehicle. , carried by the driver or co-driver who steers the competition vehicle.

The competition vehicle terminal 4 includes at least a control unit 40 , a memory 41 , a storage 42 , a transmission/reception unit 43 , an input/output unit 44 and the like, which are electrically connected to each other through a bus 46 .

The control unit 40 is an arithmetic unit that controls the operation of the competition vehicle terminal 4, controls transmission and reception of data between elements, executes applications, performs information processing necessary for authentication processing, and the like. For example, the control unit 10 is a CPU (Central Processing Unit), and executes each information processing by executing a program or the like stored in the storage 12 and developed in the memory 11 .

The memory 41 includes a main memory composed of a volatile memory device such as a DRAM (Dynamic Random Access Memory), and an auxiliary memory composed of a non-volatile memory device such as a flash memory or a HDD (Hard Disc Drive). . The memory 41 is used as a work area for the processor 10, etc., and stores a BIOS (Basic Input/Output System) executed when the terminal is started, various setting information, and the like.

The storage 42 stores various programs such as application programs. A database (not shown) storing data used for each process may be constructed in the storage 12 .

The transmission/reception unit 43 connects the competition vehicle terminal 4 to a network such as a mobile phone communication network or the Internet. The transmitting/receiving unit 43 may include a short-range communication interface of Bluetooth (registered trademark) and BLE (Bluetooth Low Energy). The competition vehicle terminal 4 can also be connected to an external service providing server or the like via a network by communicating with a data transmission/reception terminal separately provided in the competition vehicle.

The input/output unit 44 is an information input device such as a keyboard and a mouse, and an output device such as a display.

A bus 46 is commonly connected to the above elements and transmits, for example, address signals, data signals and various control signals.

Moreover, the competition vehicle terminal 4 can also be equipped with GPS46. Current position information of the competition vehicle can be acquired by GPS 46 . Alternatively, the competition vehicle terminal 4 can acquire the current position information by using the position information of the base station of the mobile phone communication network. The competition vehicle terminal 4 can acquire the current location information by the GPS installed in the competition vehicle inside the terminal or outside the terminal, and can transmit the information to the service providing server 1 .

Although not shown, the competition vehicle terminal 4 includes an acceleration sensor, calculates the speed based on the acceleration detected by the acceleration sensor, regards it as the speed of the competition vehicle, and transmits it to the service providing server 1 as speed information. be able to. Alternatively, the competition vehicle terminal 4 can transmit, via an application, speed information obtained by a speedometer provided to the competition vehicle outside the terminal.

FIG. 10 is a flow chart diagram showing an example of a method for providing a user interface according to the first embodiment of the invention. This process is implemented by, for example, executing a program stored in the memory 11 of the service providing server 1 in the control unit 10 .

First, the map information management unit 21 of the control unit 10 of the service providing server 1 refers to the map information storage unit 31 and generates a map showing the target travel route (S101). As described above, all or part of the map can be stored in a DB outside the server and accessed via a network to extract the map, or a third party You can also extract the map by accessing the server of In particular, rally competitions are often held on public roads. You can also generate maps. FIG. 11 is an example of a user interface (for operators) for displaying running information of competition vehicles. In FIG. 11, 1002 is an area showing a map including travel routes. The driving route is composed of, for example, a public road section (section corresponding to 1005 indicated by a dashed line) and a special stage section (section corresponding to 1004 indicated in practice), which will be described later. The public road section and the special stage section can be displayed in different forms (colors, lines, etc.) so that they can be distinguished, and the identification display of the competition vehicles running in each section is also displayed in a different form. be able to.

Next, the competition vehicle related information management section 22 of the control section 10 receives the current position information from the competition vehicle terminal 4 via the transmission/reception section 13 (S102). The received current position information is stored in the competition vehicle related information management table. As described above, as the current position information, the position of the competition vehicle terminal 4 obtained using the GPS provided in the competition vehicle terminal 4 or the position information of the base station of the mobile phone communication network. Information can be used. The current position information is received according to the reception status of radio waves received by the competition vehicles or periodically.

Next, the map information management unit 22 performs a process of displaying the current position information of the competition vehicle terminal 4 received in S102 on the map indicating the travel route generated in S101 (S103). The order in which S101 and S102 described above are executed is not limited. For example, after receiving the current position information of S102, the map of S101 is generated, and then the current position information is generated on the map. You can also In FIG. 11 , for example, the current position of the competition vehicle (bib number 1) is displayed as 1006 .

Subsequently, the game information management unit 23 confirms whether the transmission request for the game information has been received from the operator terminal 2 or the spectator terminal 3 (S104). For example, the type can be confirmed by the user ID or terminal ID of the operator terminal 2 or spectator terminal 3 . Note that the service providing server 1 can omit this confirmation process if it has already been confirmed whether the terminal that accesses the server is that of the operator or that of a spectator at the time of user login performed in advance. .

Here, if the transmission request is from the operator terminal 2, the process proceeds to S105, and the game information management unit 23 generates the first game information. FIG. 11 shows a user interface screen for the operator. In FIG. 11, 1002 is an area showing a map including a running route, and 1003 is an area showing information related to competition vehicles as competition information. As an example of the first competition information, as indicated by 1003, information relating to the ranking of each competition vehicle, running speed, running state, and presence/absence of radio wave reception is generated. Here, as competition information for operators, the running speed is displayed regardless of whether the competition vehicle is traveling on a public road section. Although it is recorded that the vehicle is traveling at a speed of 70 km, the speed information is also displayed on the user interface screen for the operator.

Here, if the transmission request is from the spectator terminal 3, the process proceeds to S106, and the game information management unit 23 generates second game information. FIG. 12 shows a user interface screen for spectators. In FIG. 12, 2002 is an area showing a map including a running route, and 2003 is an area showing information related to competition vehicles as competition information. As an example of the second competition information, as shown in 2003, information regarding the ranking of each competition vehicle, running speed, running condition, and presence/absence of reception of radio waves is generated as items in the same way as for the operator. Here, the competition information for spectators is characterized in that when the competition vehicle is traveling on a public road section, the running speed is not displayed. is recorded, but is not displayed on the user interface screen for spectators. In addition, on the user interface screen for spectators, for example, if it is determined that it is unnecessary to display the reception status of radio waves, it is possible to control not to display such information.

In addition, the display control unit 25 generates necessary information including other user interface screen parts as screen display information, and transmits the information to the target terminal (S107).

As described above, according to the present embodiment, the server can provide different user interface screens for driving routes and competition information depending on the terminal making the transmission request.

A service providing system according to a second embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. The basic functional configuration of the service providing server 1 described in this embodiment and the content of managed information are the same as those described in the first embodiment unless otherwise specified.

FIG. 13 is a flow chart diagram showing an example of a user interface providing method according to the second embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, it is a function particularly related to the user interface screen provided to the operator, and it is related to a function that detects events such as troubles that may occur in the competition vehicle and contributes to smooth competition management. .

First, the competition vehicle-related information management unit 22 of the control unit 10 of the service providing server 1 receives current position information from the competition vehicle terminal 4 via the transmission/reception unit 13 (S201). The management unit stores the received current position information in the competition vehicle related information management table 500 .

Next, the competition vehicle related information management unit 22 updates the time when the current position information was obtained (S202). For example, in S201, the same management unit updates the item of "current position information" of the competition vehicle information management table 500 and also updates the item of "acquisition time".

Next, the competition vehicle related information management unit 22 confirms the time that has passed since the latest position information acquisition time (S203). For example, in the competition vehicle information management table 500, the management unit checks the item of "elapsed time" indicating the time that has passed since the time when the position information was last acquired.

Subsequently, the competition vehicle-related information management unit 22 checks whether the elapsed time checked in S203 has passed a predetermined time (S204). For example, in the competition vehicle information management table 500, the management unit confirms that "5 minutes and 30 seconds" have passed since the last time position information was acquired from the vehicle with bib number 16, and determines the predetermined "5 minutes and 30 seconds". minutes have passed.

If the confirmation result of S205 indicates that the predetermined time has passed, the event management unit 24 generates an alert (S205). For example, in the process of S205, the event management unit 24 determines that five minutes or more have passed since the vehicle with bib number 16 last acquired position information, and therefore, some kind of trouble occurred in the vehicle. , presumes that it is unable to receive radio waves and therefore cannot transmit information, and generates a notification to inform the operator of that fact. The generated notification is transmitted from the service providing server 1 to the operator terminal 2, and the notification is popped up on the display screen of the operator terminal 2, for example. If the confirmation result of S205 indicates that the predetermined time has not passed, the process returns to the original elapsed time confirmation process.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, the server detects events such as troubles that may occur in the competition vehicles by monitoring information received from the competition vehicles, and notifies them in real time on the user interface screen of the operator terminal. By doing so, it becomes possible for the operator to immediately respond to the target vehicle, thereby enabling smooth competition management.

A service providing system according to a third embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. The basic functional configuration of the service providing server 1 described in this embodiment and the content of managed information are the same as those described in the first and second embodiments unless otherwise specified. This embodiment, like the second embodiment, is one function particularly related to the user interface screen provided to the operator, and can occur in the competition vehicle based on information different from the second embodiment. It is related to functions that detect events such as troubles and contribute to smooth competition management.

FIG. 14 is a flow chart diagram showing an example of a user interface providing method according to the third embodiment of the present invention. First, the competition vehicle related information management unit 22 of the control unit 10 of the service providing server 1 confirms the radio wave reception status of the competition vehicle terminal 4 (S301). The radio wave reception status can be checked by sending some information from the server 1 to the competition vehicle terminal 4 using a mobile phone communication network to check the response, or by using position information as in the second embodiment. There is a method of receiving some information such as, etc. at regular intervals, and estimating that radio wave reception has become impossible when reception is not possible. The management unit stores the radio wave reception status of the competition vehicle terminal 4 in the competition vehicle related information management table 500 .

Next, the competition vehicle-related information management unit 22 confirms whether or not a predetermined time has passed since it was confirmed in the radio wave condition confirmation in S301 that the radio waves of the competition vehicle could not be received (S302). For example, in the competition vehicle information management table 500, the management unit confirms that "five minutes" or more have passed since the last time it confirmed that the vehicle with bib number 16 was unable to receive radio waves. to confirm.

If the confirmation result of S302 indicates that the predetermined time has passed, the event management unit 24 generates an alert (S303). For example, in the processing of S302, the event management unit 24 determines that five minutes or more have passed since the vehicle with bib number 16 last obtained position information, and therefore, some kind of trouble occurred in the vehicle. , presumes that it is unable to receive radio waves and therefore cannot transmit information, and generates a notification to inform the operator of that fact. The generated notification is transmitted from the service providing server 1 to the operator terminal 2, and the notification is popped up on the display screen of the operator terminal 2, for example. If the confirmation result of S302 indicates that the predetermined time has not passed, the process returns to the original elapsed time confirmation process.

Also, as shown in FIG. 11 or 12, for a competition vehicle in a situation where radio waves cannot be received (“Signal” is “LOST” status) (in the example of FIG. 11 or FIG. 12, the competition vehicle with bib number 16) , on the map of the running route, it is possible to display an identification that is different from other competition vehicles. For example, it is possible to change the color, type, shape, etc. of the icon indicating the competition vehicle and display it.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, the server detects events such as troubles that may occur in the competition vehicles by monitoring the radio wave reception status of the competition vehicles, and notifies them in real time on the user interface screen of the operator terminal. By doing so, it becomes possible for the operator to immediately respond to the target vehicle, thereby enabling smooth competition management. In the present embodiment, the radio wave reception status of the competition vehicle has been described as an example of trouble detection. can also be considered.

A service providing system according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. The basic functional configuration of the service providing server 1 described in this embodiment and the content of managed information are the same as those described in the first and second embodiments unless otherwise specified. This embodiment is a function related to the user interface screen provided based on the communication between the operator and the competition vehicle. This relates to functions that contribute to smooth competition management.

FIG. 15 is a flow chart diagram showing an example of a method for providing a user interface according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention. First, the event management unit 24 of the control unit 10 of the service providing server 1 confirms whether or not an SOS signal has been received from the competition vehicle terminal 4 (S401). Confirmation of the reception status of the SOS signal is performed by confirming whether or not a signal has been received from the competition vehicle terminal 4 via the transmission/reception unit 13 . When receiving the SOS signal, the management unit updates the SOS information management table 700 of FIG. 7 to indicate that the signal has been received. As shown in FIG. 7, the table 700 is updated with, for example, an ID that identifies the SOS signal (eg, "1") and a driver ID that issued the SOS signal (eg, "10008").

Next, the event management unit 24 waits for the lapse of a predetermined period of time and checks whether or not an OK signal has been received (S402). For example, after one minute has passed since the SOS information management table 700 was updated, the management unit checks whether or not an OK signal has been received. Confirmation of the reception status of the OK signal is performed by referring to the SOS information management table 700 . For example, in the same table 700, it can be confirmed that an OK signal has already been responded to an event with an ID "1" for identifying an SOS signal. On the other hand, it is possible to confirm that the OK signal has not been received (“None”) for the ID for identifying the SOS signal of “10”.

If the confirmation result of S402 confirms that the OK signal has not been received, the event management unit 24 generates an alert and transmits the alert to the terminal of the operator, especially the terminal of the staff waiting at the radio point ( S403). 16(a) and 16(b) are respectively examples of user interface screens for issuing an SOS signal and an OK signal on the display screen of the competition vehicle terminal in this embodiment. In FIG. 16(a), the competitor transmits an alert to the effect that "SOS is being issued" to the server, and then issues an OK signal as shown in FIG. 16(b). The event management unit 24 of the service providing server 1 transmits the alert to the operator terminal (the terminal on standby at the site).

As described above, according to the present embodiment, the server detects an event such as a trouble that may occur in the competition vehicle through the SOS signal or OK signal received from the competition vehicle, and notifies it in real time on the user interface screen of the operator terminal. By doing so, it becomes possible for the operator to immediately respond to the target vehicle, thereby enabling smooth competition management.

User interface screens provided by the service providing system according to the fifth embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. Unless otherwise specified, the basic functional configuration of the service providing server 1 and other managed information described in this embodiment are the same as those described in the first embodiment and other embodiments described above. are equivalent.

FIG. 17 is a diagram showing an example of a user interface according to the fifth embodiment of the invention. FIG. 17(a) shows that the competition vehicle is stopped on the running course and cannot receive radio waves. Specifically, the color of the icon indicating the bib number of the competition vehicle is displayed in gray, and is represented in a color different from that of the running vehicle. In addition, in FIG. 17(b), arrows indicate directions in which the competition vehicles are stopped. Specifically, the competition vehicle is stopped facing the upper left direction of the screen. Also, since the competition vehicles are receiving radio waves (that is, current position information is being received from the competition vehicles at regular intervals), the icons are displayed in black.

FIG. 18 is a diagram showing another example of the user interface according to the fifth embodiment of the invention. FIG. 18(a) shows that the competition vehicle has stopped on the running course for a certain period of time and is in a state of being able to receive radio waves. Specifically, the color of the icon indicating the bib number of the competition vehicle is displayed in black, and the competition vehicle is stopped for a certain period of time, so the arrow indicating the direction of the vehicle is not displayed. In addition, in FIG. 18(b), the direction in which the competition vehicle is running is represented by an arrow. Specifically, the competition vehicle is running facing the right direction of the screen.

As described above, in the present embodiment, it is possible to change the color of the icon that identifies the competition vehicle according to the running state of the competition vehicle and the radio wave reception status, thereby providing a highly visible user interface. be able to. Here, in consideration of the privacy of the competition vehicles, it is possible to control the spectator terminals not to display the parking direction and the running direction of the competition vehicles.

The above-described embodiments are merely examples for facilitating understanding of the present invention, and are not intended to limit and interpret the present invention. It goes without saying that the present invention can be modified and improved without departing from its spirit, and that equivalents thereof are included in the present invention.

1 Service providing server 2 Operator terminal 3 Spectator terminal 4 Competition vehicle terminal

Claims (1)

A method for providing a user interface for displaying running information of a competition vehicle in an automobile competition, comprising:
Generating the driving route of the competition vehicle as map information,
generating information indicating the point where the competition vehicle is currently traveling on the travel route;
generating information related to the competition vehicle;
controlling to simultaneously display information related to the driving route and the competition vehicle;
changing the content of the information related to the competition vehicle in response to a reception request from the operator terminal or spectator terminal of the automobile competition,
The driving route consists of a special stage section for time attack and a public road section managed by the operator of the automobile competition ,
When it is detected that a predetermined time has passed since the running speed of the competition vehicle running in the special stage section became zero, a notification indicating that a trouble has occurred with respect to the competition vehicle is transmitted to the operator terminal. A method characterized by:

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