JP7393375B2 - Information provision device, information provision method, and information provision program - Google Patents

Description

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

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, technologies have been proposed that display predetermined information on the windshield of a vehicle to assist the driver in driving.

Patent No. 6711295

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

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

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

According to one aspect of the embodiment, the user can drive with peace of mind.

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

EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION Below, the information provision apparatus, the information provision method, and the form (henceforth described as an "embodiment") for implementing an information provision program which concern on this application are demonstrated in detail with reference to drawings. Note that this embodiment does not limit the information providing apparatus, information providing method, and information providing program according to the present application. Further, in each of the embodiments below, the same parts are given the same reference numerals, and redundant explanations will be omitted.

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

[Information provision process shown in Figure 1]
First, the information providing process shown in FIG. 1 will be explained. The information provision process shown in Figure 1 displays images of other roads that the user usually drives on when the user driving vehicle C is driving on a road for the first time. This allows you to drive as usual with peace of mind.

Further, as shown in FIG. 1, the user is wearing a user terminal 500, and can view various images through a display unit (not shown) included in the user terminal 500.

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

Note that the road characteristic information may be information stored in advance in the user terminal 500 or an in-vehicle device (navigation device, etc.) installed in the vehicle C, or may be information estimated by the user terminal 500 or in-vehicle device. There may be. Alternatively, the road feature information may be acquired from a server device (not shown).

Subsequently, the information providing device 100 acquires a visual field image showing the user's visual field (step S2). For example, the information providing device 100 acquires an image captured by a camera (not shown) included in the user terminal 500 or a camera attached to the vehicle C as a visual field image.

Next, the information providing device 100 selects traveled roads on which the frequency of travel by the user in the past is greater than or equal to a predetermined threshold value from the traveled road database regarding roads on which the user has already traveled (hereinafter referred to as traveled roads). Then, a traveled road similar to the characteristics (road characteristic information) of the road currently being traveled is selected (step S3).

Subsequently, the information providing device 100 selects a traveled road that is more difficult than the current road from among the traveled roads selected in step S3 (step S4). As a result, by displaying an image of the road that has already been traveled overlaid on the road that is currently being traveled, it is possible to make the difficulty of the road that has been traveled relatively low due to the high difficulty of the road that has already been traveled. Users can drive calmly without feeling rushed. Subsequently, the information providing device 100 selects a traveled road that includes the road characteristic information of the road on which the vehicle is currently traveling, from among the traveled roads selected in step S4 (step S5). For example, the information providing device 100 selects a traveled road whose width is wider than the road width of the road on which the vehicle is traveling, or a traveled road whose curve has an R value lower than the R value of the curve of the road on which the vehicle is traveling. Further, for example, the information providing device 100 selects a road on which the vehicle has already traveled whose speed limit is higher than the speed limit of the road on which the vehicle is currently traveling.

Subsequently, the information providing device 100 generates an AR (Augmented Reality) image in which the image of the selected road that has already been traveled is superimposed on the area of the road that the vehicle is currently traveling on in the visual field image (step S6). Note that the AR image is an image in which either the road the vehicle is traveling on or the road it has traveled on is transparent. Alternatively, the AR image may be created by erasing the road on which the vehicle is traveling using DR (Diminished Reality) technology, so that only the image of the road on which the vehicle has traveled is used.

Then, the information providing device 100 provides the generated AR image to the user terminal 500 (step S7). Then, the user terminal 500 displays the AR image on the windshield area that is the window area C100 of the vehicle C via the display unit (not shown) (step S8). The example shown in FIG. 1 shows an example in which an AR image is displayed in which an image (field of view image) of a road the vehicle is traveling on that has a building on its side is replaced with a road that the vehicle has already traveled on that has a tree on its side. Note that the AR image is not limited to being displayed on the display unit of the user terminal 500, but may be displayed using a device that can directly project the AR image onto the window area C100.

In this way, according to the information providing device 100 according to the embodiment, by replacing (superimposing) the current road on which the user is driving for the first time with the image of the road on which the user has always traveled, the user can You can drive on the road you are traveling on with peace of mind as if you were driving on a road you have always traveled on.

Note that even on the same traveled road, there may be different difficulty levels depending on road conditions. For example, the same road may be traveled on with different difficulty levels, such as "sunny/empty," "sunny/congested," "rainy/vacant," or "rainy/congested." Good too. For example, an image for adjusting the difficulty level may be superimposed on the traveled road using computer graphics (CG) or the like. Further, as a method of adjusting the difficulty level, for example, the difficulty level may be adjusted by increasing the number of buildings etc. on the road using CG or the like.

Note that the traveled road is not limited to an actual road, and may be, for example, a game road created using computer graphics, such as a racing game circuit. By generating and displaying an AR image with such a game road as a traveled road, the user can drive with peace of mind as if he or she had completed the game.

In addition to the visual field image, the information providing apparatus 100 may also acquire environmental sounds such as music and the brightness in the visual field image. In such a case, the information providing device 100 outputs an environmental sound with a volume lower than the actual volume together with the AR image. Thereby, the user's concentration on driving can be improved. Furthermore, the information providing device 100 lowers the brightness of the AR image below the actual brightness of the visual field image. Thereby, for example, when the headlights of the oncoming lane are dazzling, by reducing the light (reducing the brightness), it is possible to prevent the light from interfering with driving.

[Information provision process shown in Figure 2]
Next, the information provision process shown in FIG. 2 will be explained. The information provision process shown in FIG. 2 is performed when a user driving vehicle C is driving near an object with a high degree of psychological disorder (high sense of tension), such as a sports car, for example. For example, by replacing the display with an alternative that causes less psychological damage, such as a light car, the user can feel less nervous while driving.

Specifically, first, the information providing apparatus 100 acquires a visual field image showing the user's visual field (step S11). For example, the information providing device 100 acquires an image captured by a camera (not shown) included in the user terminal 500 or a camera attached to the vehicle C as a visual field image.

Subsequently, the information providing apparatus 100 extracts a predetermined object from the acquired visual field image (step S12). For example, the information providing device 100 extracts objects in prespecified categories, such as people and vehicles, by image analysis. The information providing device 100 also extracts objects that exist near the road on which the vehicle C travels, that is, objects that the vehicle C may approach. In the example shown in FIG. 2, it is assumed that a target vehicle parked on the left side is extracted as a target object. Note that the number of objects to be extracted may be two or more. Then, the information providing device 100 identifies the type of the extracted object by image analysis. In the example shown in FIG. 2, it is assumed that the type of target vehicle is a sports car.

Subsequently, the information providing device 100 calculates, for each extracted target object, a psychological score indicating the strength of the user's psychological disorder when driving with respect to the target object (step S13). The psychological score is calculated, for example, based on biological information (heart rate, body temperature, line of sight, etc.) obtained when the object was passed in the past. Alternatively, the psychological score may be calculated based on the user's attributes (annual income, personality, etc.) and the value of the object (in FIG. 2, the vehicle price of the sports car).

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

Subsequently, the information providing apparatus 100 generates a superimposed image in which the image of the selected substitute is superimposed on the object in the visual field image (step S15). Specifically, the information providing apparatus 100 erases the object in the visual field image using DR (Diminished Reality) technology, and generates a superimposed image in which an image of the substitute is superimposed on the position of the erased object.

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

As a result, even when the user is actually crossing a sports car, the superimposed image creates an illusion that the user is crossing a light car. Since it creates the illusion that you are crossing objects, you can drive as usual without getting nervous. That is, according to the information providing device 100 according to the embodiment, it is possible to relieve the tension of the user while driving.

Although FIG. 2 shows a case where a substitute with a lower psychological score than the target object is superimposed, an alternative with a higher psychological score than the target object may be superimposed. For example, if the user is driving for a long time or seems sleepy, a substitute with a high psychological score, such as a police car, may be superimposed. That is, the information providing device 100 provides a superimposed image on which a substitute is superimposed based on the psychological score. Further, the information providing device 100 may output a sound corresponding to the substitute along with the superimposed image. For example, when a police car is superimposed as an alternative, the siren sound of the police car may be output.

Note that FIG. 2 shows a case where the target object, a sports car, is replaced with a substitute for a light vehicle (overlaying an image), that is, a case where a substitute of a different type of vehicle is substituted, but for example, The object, a brightly colored sports car, may be replaced with a subdued (dark color) sports car.

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

[Information provision system]
Next, a configuration example of a system including the information providing device 100 will be described with reference to FIG. 3.

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

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

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

User terminal 500 is an information processing device used by a user. The user terminal 500 can transmit various information to the information providing device 100 via various services on the Internet (eg, portal site, portal application). Further, the user terminal 500 can receive the above-mentioned AR image or superimposed image from the information providing device 100 via these various services, and can display the received AR image or superimposed image on a display unit (not shown). The user terminal 500 may be any type of information processing device including, for example, a glasses-type or goggle-type terminal device, a smartphone, a desktop PC, a notebook PC, a tablet PC, or the like.

[Configuration of information providing device]
As shown in FIG. 3, the information providing device 100 includes a communication section 200, a storage section 300, and a control section 400. Note that the information providing device 100 includes an input unit (for example, a keyboard, a mouse, etc.) that accepts various operations from an administrator using the information providing device 100, and a display unit (such as a liquid crystal display) for displaying various information. May have.

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

(Storage unit 300)
The storage unit 300 is realized by, for example, a semiconductor memory element such as a RAM (Random Access Memory) or a flash memory, or a storage device such as a hard disk or an optical disk. As shown in FIG. 3, the storage unit 300 includes a traveled road database 310 and a substitute database 320.

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

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

"Road ID" indicates an identifier for identifying a road. "Frequency" indicates the frequency with which the user has traveled on the road in the past. "Road characteristic information" indicates information regarding the characteristics of a road.

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

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

"Object ID" indicates an identifier for identifying an object that is a substitute. "Type" indicates the type of object that is a substitute. The "psychological score" indicates the strength of the psychological disturbance that would be experienced by users if the substitute actually existed on the road.

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

(Control unit 400)
The control unit 400 is a controller, and for example, processes various programs (judgment programs) stored in a storage device inside the information providing device 100 by a processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) or an MPU (Micro Processing Unit). (equivalent to one example) is realized by executing the RAM or the like as a work area. Further, the control unit 400 is a controller, and may be realized by an integrated circuit such as an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array), or a GPGPU (General Purpose Graphic Processing Unit). .

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

(First processing unit 410)
FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of the first processing unit 410 according to the embodiment. The first processing unit 410 is a processing unit that performs the information provision process shown in FIG. 1, and provides content based on a road that has been traveled on, for example, that satisfies a predetermined condition such as a road that is more difficult than the road that is being traveled on. be able to.

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

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

The road characteristic information may be information stored in advance in the user terminal 500 or an in-vehicle device (navigation device, etc.) installed in the vehicle C, or may be information estimated by the user terminal 500 or the in-vehicle device. Good too. Alternatively, the road feature information may be acquired from a server device (not shown).

The acquisition unit 411 registers the acquired road characteristic information of the currently traveled road in the traveled road database 310 as road characteristic information of the traveled road. Note that, if the road characteristic information of the road on which the vehicle is traveling is already registered in the traveled road database 310 as a traveled road, the acquisition unit 411 updates the frequency of the traveled road.

Further, the acquisition unit 411 acquires a visual field image showing the user's visual field. For example, the acquisition unit 411 acquires an image of a camera included in the user terminal 500 as a visual field image. Note that the visual field image is not limited to an image in the direction in which the user is currently viewing, but may be an image in the entire visible range (for example, 360 degrees).

The selection unit 412 selects a traveled road that satisfies a predetermined condition from the traveled road database 310 based on the road characteristic information of the currently traveled road acquired by the acquisition unit 411 . Specifically, the selection unit 412 selects a traveled road whose characteristics are similar to the road the user is currently traveling on, from among traveled roads on which the frequency of past travel by the user is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold. Further, the selection unit 412 selects a road that has been traveled on and is more difficult than the road on which the vehicle is currently traveling. Further, the selection unit 412 selects a traveled road that includes road characteristic information of the currently traveled road. For example, the selection unit 412 selects a traveled road whose width is wider than the road width of the road on which the vehicle is currently traveling, or a traveled road whose curve has an R value lower than the R value of the curve of the road on which the vehicle is traveling. Further, for example, the information providing device 100 selects a road on which the vehicle has already traveled whose speed limit is higher than the speed limit of the road on which the vehicle is currently traveling.

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

The providing unit 414 provides content based on the traveled road selected by the selecting unit 412. For example, the providing unit 414 provides the AR image generated by the generating unit 413 to the user terminal 500. For example, the providing unit 414 provides an image in which a traveled road is superimposed on the current road in the field of view image. Specifically, the providing unit 414 provides an image in which the traveled road is superimposed on the current road in the visual field image. Further, the providing unit 414 transmits either the current road or the traveled road in the image obtained by superimposing the image of the traveled road on the visual field image.

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

Furthermore, the providing unit 414 is not limited to providing an AR image; for example, the providing unit 414 may provide a text notification (or voice notification) such as "This road looks similar to Road A that I usually take" to the navigation device or the window area C100. It's okay.

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

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

The acquisition unit 421 acquires various information. The acquisition unit 421 acquires a visual field image showing the user's visual field. For example, the acquisition unit 421 acquires an image of a camera included in the user terminal 500 as a visual field image. Note that the visual field image is not limited to an image in the direction in which the user is currently viewing, but may be an image in the entire visible range (for example, 360 degrees).

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

The calculation unit 422 calculates a psychological score indicating the strength of psychological disorder during driving with respect to a predetermined object extracted from the visual field image acquired by the acquisition unit 421. Specifically, the calculation unit 422 first extracts the object from the visual field image. For example, the calculation unit 422 extracts objects in a category specified by the user or in a preset category. A category is, for example, an abstraction of an object such as a person, a car, an animal, a building, or the like. For example, the calculation unit 422 extracts objects in a predetermined category by image analysis such as pattern recognition. Subsequently, the calculation unit 422 identifies the type of the extracted object. For example, the type of object is a difference in appearance (gender, physique, clothing, etc.) in the case of a person, and the type of vehicle (sports car, light car, regular car, truck, etc.) in the case of a car. Further, the calculation unit 422 may specify detailed information of the target object. In the case of a car, the detailed information includes information on the manufacturer and car name, such as Toyota's Corolla.

Then, the calculation unit 422 calculates the psychological score of the extracted object. For example, the calculation unit 422 may calculate the psychological score based on biological information obtained when the user drove near the same object in the past. For example, the calculation unit 422 calculates such that the more heartbeats there are when driving near an object, the higher the psychological score becomes. Further, the calculation unit 422 can use a model that outputs a psychological score.

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

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

Further, the score may be set to a predetermined value, or may be set to a different value depending on the user.

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

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

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

Further, the generation unit 423 may superimpose a substitute according to the user's biometric information on the visual field image. Specifically, when the biometric information satisfies a predetermined condition, the generation unit 423 generates a superimposed image in which a substitute with a higher psychological score than the target object is superimposed on the target object. Specifically, when it is predicted that the user will fall asleep while driving based on the biometric information, the generation unit 423 generates an alternative with a high psychological score, such as a police car, for the target object, which is a regular car. Superimpose. This increases the user's sense of nervousness, thereby making it possible to eliminate drowsiness.

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

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

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

Subsequently, the first processing unit 410 acquires a visual field image showing the user's visual field (step S102).

Next, the first processing unit 410 selects a road that the user has traveled on in the past with a frequency greater than or equal to a predetermined threshold and whose road characteristic information is similar to the road on which the user is currently traveling (step S103).

Next, the first processing unit 410 selects a traveled road that is more difficult than the currently traveled road from among the selected traveled roads (step S104).

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Furthermore, each component of each device shown in the drawings is functionally conceptual, and does not necessarily need to be physically configured as shown in the drawings. In other words, the specific form of distributing and integrating each device is not limited to what is shown in the diagram, and all or part of the devices can be functionally or physically distributed or integrated in arbitrary units depending on various loads and usage conditions. Can be integrated and configured.

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

[Hardware configuration]
Further, the information providing apparatus 100 according to the embodiments described above is realized, for example, by a computer 1000 having a configuration as shown in FIG. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a hardware configuration. The computer 1000 is connected to an output device 1010 and an input device 1020, and has an arithmetic device 1030, a primary storage device 1040, a secondary storage device 1050, an output IF (Interface) 1060, an input IF 1070, and a network IF 1080 connected by a bus 1090. has.

The arithmetic unit 1030 operates based on programs stored in the primary storage device 1040 and the secondary storage device 1050, programs read from the input device 1020, and performs various processes. The primary storage device 1040 is a memory device such as a RAM that temporarily stores data used by the arithmetic unit 1030 for various calculations. The secondary storage device 1050 is a storage device in which data used by the calculation device 1030 for various calculations and various databases are registered, and includes ROM (Read Only Memory), HDD (Hard Disk Drive), flash memory, etc. This is realized by

The output IF 1060 is an interface for transmitting information to be output to an output device 1010 that outputs various information such as a monitor or a printer, and is, for example, a USB (Universal Serial Bus), a DVI (Digital Visual Interface), This is realized using a connector compliant with standards such as HDMI (registered trademark) (High Definition Multimedia Interface). Further, the input IF 1070 is an interface for receiving information from various input devices 1020 such as a mouse, a keyboard, and a scanner, and is realized by, for example, a USB or the like.

Note that the input device 1020 is, for example, an optical recording medium such as a CD (Compact Disc), a DVD (Digital Versatile Disc), or a PD (Phase change rewritable disk), a magneto-optical recording medium such as an MO (Magneto-Optical disk), or a tape. It may be a device that reads information from a medium, a magnetic recording medium, a semiconductor memory, or the like. Furthermore, the input device 1020 may be an external storage medium such as a USB memory.

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

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

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

〔effect〕
As described above, the information providing apparatus 100 according to the embodiment includes an acquisition section 411, a selection section 412, and a provision section 414. The acquisition unit 411 acquires road feature information regarding the characteristics of the road on which the vehicle C being driven by the user is traveling. The selection unit 412 selects a traveled road whose characteristics are similar to the road on which the user is currently traveling, from among traveled roads on which the frequency of past travel by the user is greater than or equal to a predetermined threshold. The providing unit 414 provides content based on the traveled road selected by the selecting unit 412. Further, the road characteristic information includes information regarding the difficulty level of driving based on the road condition. The selection unit 412 selects a traveled road that is more difficult than the currently traveled road. The selection unit 412 selects a traveled road whose road characteristic information includes road characteristic information of the road on which the vehicle is currently traveling. Vehicle C has a display section C100 that displays content in the user's field of view. The providing unit 414 provides an image of the traveled road displayed on the display unit C100 so as to overlap the current road. The acquisition unit 411 further acquires a visual field image showing the user's visual field. The providing unit 414 provides an image in which the traveled road is superimposed on the currently traveled road in the visual field image. The providing unit 414 provides an image in which either the road on which the vehicle is traveling or the road on which the vehicle has traveled is transparent. The display unit C100 can display an AR (Augmented Reality) image. The providing unit 414 displays an AR image as an image. The providing unit 414 provides an image to be displayed in the window area C100 of the vehicle C. Such a configuration allows the user to drive with peace of mind.

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

Some of the embodiments of the present application have been described above in detail based on the drawings, but these are merely examples, and various modifications and variations may be made based on the knowledge of those skilled in the art, including the embodiments described in the disclosure section of the invention. It is possible to carry out the invention in other forms with modifications.

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

Furthermore, each component of each device shown in the drawings is functionally conceptual, and does not necessarily need to be physically configured as shown in the drawings. In other words, the specific form of distributing and integrating each device is not limited to what is shown in the diagram, and all or part of the devices can be functionally or physically distributed or integrated in arbitrary units depending on various loads and usage conditions. Can be integrated and configured.

Furthermore, the processes described in the embodiments described above can be combined as appropriate within a range that does not conflict with the process contents.

Furthermore, the above-mentioned "section, module, unit" can be read as "means", "circuit", etc. For example, the first processing unit 410 can be read as a first processing means or a first processing circuit.

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

Claims (10)

an acquisition unit that acquires road characteristic information regarding the characteristics of the road on which the vehicle being driven by the user is traveling;
a selection unit that selects the traveled road that is similar to the characteristics of the road on which the user is currently traveling, from among traveled roads on which the frequency of travel by the user in the past is greater than or equal to a predetermined threshold;
a providing unit that provides content based on the traveled road selected by the selecting unit ;
Equipped with
The road characteristic information is
Contains information about the difficulty of driving based on road conditions;
The road characteristic information of the traveled road is:
Including the difficulty level for each road condition,
The selection section is
Selecting the traveled road based on the difficulty level of each of the currently traveled road and the traveled road.
An information providing device characterized by: The selection section is
The information providing device according to claim 1, further comprising: selecting the already-traveled road having a higher degree of difficulty than the currently-traveled road. The selection section is
The information providing device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the traveled road is selected from the road characteristic information that includes the road characteristic information of the currently traveling road. The vehicle is
a display unit that displays the content in the field of view of the user;
The provision department is
The information providing device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising: providing an image of the traveled road displayed on the display unit so as to overlap with the currently traveled road. The acquisition unit includes:
further acquiring a visual field image showing the visual field of the user;
The provision department is
The information providing device according to claim 4, further comprising: providing the image in which the traveled road is superimposed on the currently traveled road in the field of view image. The provision department is
The information providing device according to claim 5, further comprising: providing the image in which either the road on which the vehicle is being traveled or the road on which the vehicle has been traveled is made transparent. The display section is
AR (Augmented Reality) images can be displayed,
The provision department is
The information providing device according to claim 4, wherein the AR image is displayed as the image. The provision department is
The information providing device according to claim 7, further comprising: providing the image displayed in a window area of the vehicle. An information provision method executed by a computer, the method comprising:
an acquisition step of acquiring road feature information regarding the characteristics of the road on which the vehicle being driven by the user is traveling;
a selection step of selecting the traveled road that is similar to the characteristics of the road on which the user is currently traveling, from among the traveled roads on which the frequency of travel by the user in the past is greater than or equal to a predetermined threshold;
a providing step of providing content based on the traveled road selected in the selecting step ;
including;
The road characteristic information is
Contains information about the difficulty of driving based on road conditions;
The road characteristic information of the traveled road is:
Including the difficulty level for each road condition,
The selection step includes:
Selecting the traveled road based on the difficulty level of each of the currently traveled road and the traveled road.
An information provision method characterized by: an acquisition procedure for acquiring road feature information regarding the characteristics of the road on which the vehicle being driven by the user is traveling;
a selection procedure of selecting the traveled road that is similar to the characteristics of the road on which the user is currently traveling, from among traveled roads on which the frequency of travel by the user in the past is greater than or equal to a predetermined threshold;
a providing step of providing content based on the traveled road selected by the selecting step ;
make the computer run
The road characteristic information is
Contains information about the difficulty of driving based on road conditions;
The road characteristic information of the traveled road is:
Including the difficulty level for each road condition,
The selection procedure is
Selecting the traveled road based on the difficulty level of each of the currently traveled road and the traveled road.
An information program featuring:

Images