JP7465302B2 - Information provision system, control method for information provision system, and control program for information provision system - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an information provision system, a control method for an information provision system, and a control program for an information provision system.

Conventionally, there are known advertising display devices that display advertisements according to the attributes of passengers in a taxi (for example, see Patent Document 1). The advertising display device described in Patent Document 1 identifies the attributes of a passenger based on an image captured of the passenger in the taxi seat, and selects advertising content to be displayed on a display unit installed in the taxi based on permission information indicating permission or denial of use of the attributes received from the passenger.

JP 2020-144268 A

Even if the information provided in a vehicle is of interest to the user, depending on how it is provided, it may be difficult for the user to accept, for example, if the volume is too quiet or, conversely, too loud and unpleasant. Therefore, there was a need to change the way the information is displayed depending on the attributes of the passengers so that the information provided in the vehicle would be more acceptable to passengers.

An information provision system according to one embodiment of the present invention that provides a user in a vehicle with predetermined content on a display installed in the vehicle includes a storage unit that stores output mode information that associates the output mode of the content with each attribute of the user who uses the vehicle, an identification unit that identifies the attributes of the user in the vehicle, and an output unit that outputs the content in an output mode associated with the attribute identified by the identification unit based on the output mode information.

In an information provision system according to one embodiment of the present invention, the identification unit may identify attributes of a user riding in a vehicle using machine learning or the like based on image information of the user captured by an imaging unit provided in the vehicle.

In an information provision system according to one embodiment of the present invention, the identification unit may identify attributes of a user who is in the vehicle based on voice information of the user acquired by a voice acquisition unit provided in the vehicle.

The information provision system according to one embodiment of the present invention may further include an acquisition unit that acquires user information including attributes of a user who is in the vehicle, and the identification unit may identify the attributes of the user who is in the vehicle from the user information.

In an information provision system according to one embodiment of the present invention, the storage unit may store, as output mode information, character information related to a character object to be output to the display in association with each attribute of a user using the vehicle, and the output unit may output content via a character object associated with the attribute identified by the identification unit.

In an information provision system according to one embodiment of the present invention, the output unit may output the content via a digital human as a character object that changes its facial expression depending on the content.

In an information provision system according to one embodiment of the present invention, the storage unit stores, as output mode information, an audio output mode of the content in association with each attribute of the user using the vehicle, and the output unit may output the content in audio via a character object in the output mode associated with the attribute identified by the identification unit.

In an information provision system according to one embodiment of the present invention, the storage unit may store content in association with each attribute of a user who uses a vehicle, and the output unit may output the content associated with the attribute identified by the identification unit in an output format associated with the attribute identified by the identification unit.

In an information provision system according to one embodiment of the present invention, the storage unit may further store information relating to the priority of user attributes as output mode information, and when multiple users are in the vehicle, the output unit may change the output mode of the content and output it in an order according to the priority.

The information provision system according to one embodiment of the present invention further includes an evaluation acquisition unit that acquires evaluation information by a user who is in the vehicle regarding the content provided in the vehicle, and the output unit may change at least one of the content to be output for each user attribute and the output mode according to the evaluation information.

In one embodiment of the present invention, a method for controlling an information provision system that provides a user in a vehicle with predetermined content on a display installed in the vehicle includes causing a computer to execute the steps of: storing output mode information that associates the output mode of the content with each attribute of the user who uses the vehicle; identifying the attributes of the user in the vehicle; and outputting the content on the display in the output mode associated with the identified attribute based on the output mode information.

In one embodiment of the present invention, a control program for an information provision system that provides predetermined content to a user in a vehicle on a display installed in the vehicle causes a computer to function as follows: storing output mode information that associates the output mode of content with each attribute of a user who uses the vehicle; identifying the attributes of a user in the vehicle; and outputting content to the display in an output mode associated with the identified attribute based on the output mode information.

According to one embodiment of the present invention, it is possible to provide an information provision system that changes the way information is displayed on a display inside a vehicle depending on the attributes of the passengers so that the information is more acceptable to passengers.

1 is a schematic diagram of an information providing system configuration according to an embodiment of the present invention; 1 is an example of a functional block diagram of a server (information providing device), a user terminal (communication terminal), and a vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention. 4 is an example of an output mode information table in the information providing system according to an embodiment of the present invention. 4 is an example of a content information table in the information providing system according to the embodiment of the present invention. 3A and 3B are diagrams showing an example of a display in a vehicle in an information provision system according to an embodiment of the present invention. 10 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the operation of a server according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a display screen of a passenger's communication terminal in the information provision system according to the embodiment of the present invention. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a vehicle usage history table in the information provision system according to the embodiment of the present invention; FIG.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of the invention according to the present disclosure (also referred to as the present invention) will be described using the figures. Note that the figures are merely examples, and the present invention is not limited to those shown in the figures. For example, the servers (information providing devices), user terminals (communication terminals), storage devices, the number of vehicles, etc., data sets (tables), flow charts, display screens, identifiers, etc. shown in the figures are merely examples, and the present invention is not limited to these.

<System Configuration>
1 is a schematic diagram of an information provision system configuration according to an embodiment of the present invention. The information provision system 600 is a system that provides predetermined content to a user (passenger) who is in a vehicle 200 (200A to 200C) on a display installed in the vehicle 200. Note that the "content" in this specification may refer to the content of the information provided to the user itself, and in the information provision system 600 described below, even if the content of the information is the same, the information output mode (how it is presented) may be different.

The information providing system 600 may include at least a server (information providing device) 100, vehicles 200A to 200C, communication terminals (user terminals) 300 (300A, 300B), and a storage device 400. The server 100 is connected to the vehicles 200A to 200C and the communication terminals 300A and 300B via a network 500, and may accept reservations for use of the vehicle 200 from the communication terminal 300, or provide predetermined content to a display installed in the vehicle 200. In addition, although only one server 100 is shown in FIG. 1, this is not limited to this, and multiple servers may exist. In addition, the server 100 is a distributed server system that cooperates by communicating via a network, and may include an edge server or may be a so-called cloud server. In other words, the server 100 is not limited to a physical server, and may also include a virtual server. In addition, the functions or processes of each functional unit of the server 100 may be realized by machine learning or AI (Artificial Intelligence) to the extent that it is feasible. In addition, when there is no need to distinguish between them, the vehicles 200A-200C and the user terminals 300A and 300B may be referred to simply as the vehicle 200 and the user terminal 300.

The vehicle 200 is used by a user as a means of transportation and is capable of providing the user with predetermined content on a display installed within the vehicle 200, and may be, for example, a taxi or a bus. Here, in the information provision system 600 according to one embodiment of the present invention, the vehicle 200 may be an autonomous vehicle in which the engine, brakes, and steering are automatically controlled without the need for a driver to perform driving operations. The information provision system 600 may be a system that provides information (content) to a user traveling in a taxi in a service in which an autonomous vehicle is used as a taxi that runs according to a user's reservation (hereinafter, also simply referred to as a "reservation service").

When the vehicle 200 is realized as an autonomous vehicle, the information provision system 600 may further include an operation management center (not shown) that remotely monitors and manages the vehicle 200, and a server that executes processes related to operation management. Note that in the information provision system according to one embodiment of the present invention, the vehicle 200 is not limited to an autonomous vehicle, and may be a vehicle driven by a driver.

The network 500 includes a wireless network and a wired network. Specifically, for example, the network 500 may be a wireless LAN (WLAN), a wide area network (WAN), integrated service digital networks (ISDNs), wireless LANs, code division multiple access (CDMA), long term evolution (LTE), LTE-Advanced, 4th generation communication (4G), 5th generation communication (5G), 6th generation communication (6G) and later mobile communication systems. Note that the network 500 is not limited to these examples, and may be, for example, a public switched telephone network (PSTN), Bluetooth (Bluetooth (registered trademark)), an optical line, an asymmetric digital subscriber line (ADSL) line, a satellite communication network, etc. The network 500 may also be a combination of these.

The user terminal 300 is a communication terminal of a user who uses the reservation service. The user terminal 300 is connected to the server 100 via the network 500, and may transmit information related to reservations for use of the vehicle 200 received from each user to the server 100. Note that information related to reservations for use may refer to information specifying the boarding location (starting point) and disembarking location (destination) required when reserving the vehicle 200, and user information required for user authentication and payment when using the vehicle 200. The reservation service will be described later.

In FIG. 1, a smartphone is shown as the user terminal 300, but the user terminal 300 may be any terminal capable of implementing the functions described in each embodiment described below. For example, the user terminal 300 may be a mobile phone (feature phone), a computer (e.g., a tablet or laptop), or a wearable device (glasses-type device, watch-type device, etc.). In FIG. 1, only two user terminals 300 are shown, but there may be as many as the number of users who use the reservation service provided by the information providing system 600, and one user may be associated with multiple communication terminals (e.g., a smartphone and a laptop).

The storage device 400 may store (contain) various information (data) used in the information providing system 600. Although only one storage device 400 is shown in FIG. 1, separate from the server 100, the storage device 400 may be integrated into the server 100. That is, the storage device 400 may be a volatile or non-volatile memory of the server 100. The storage device 400 may also be composed of multiple storage devices. The storage device 400 may be connected to the server 100 via a dedicated internal network different from the network 500, or may be connected to the server 100 via the network 500.

Here, as an example of information stored in the storage device 400, the output mode information and content information used in the information providing system 600 according to one embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Figures 3 and 4, respectively.

The storage device 400 may store output mode information that associates the output mode of the content with each attribute of the user who uses the vehicle 200. The "user attributes" are information that indicates the nature and characteristics of the user, and may be, for example, the user's generation (age), sex, occupation, place of residence, etc. The "content output mode" is information that indicates how the content is to be output, and may be, for example, a definition regarding how the content is presented (provided) to the user. For example, when the content is provided as audio, the content output mode may be information indicating the character object that speaks the content, the volume, the speaking speed, etc. The content output mode may include information indicating the speaking tone (polite or friendly) and the dialect, etc. When the content is provided as text, the content output mode may be information indicating the character size, font, display speed, number of times displayed, etc.

Figure 3 is an example of an output mode information table TB10 stored in the storage device 400. In the example of Figure 3, each output mode in which parameters such as character ID, volume, speed, priority, etc. are associated with age information indicating the attributes of the user is identified and stored by an output mode ID (IDentifier) which is an identifier. Note that Figure 3 is just an example, and the information stored in the output mode information table TB10 may be more or less than this.

Here, the character ID will be described. In the output mode information table TB10, character information on the character object to be output to the display installed in the vehicle 200 may be associated and stored for each attribute of the user using the vehicle 200, and the content may be output via the character object. That is, according to the information providing system 600 according to one embodiment of the present invention, the character object may be displayed on the display installed in the vehicle 200, and the content may be provided to the user by the character object speaking the content. The character object is not particularly limited, and may be, for example, a person, an avatar that anthropomorphizes an animal, a living thing, an object, etc., or a digital human (virtual human). Note that digital humans will be described later. Information for outputting the character object to the display in the vehicle 200 may be stored, for example, in the storage device 400, and the character ID may be an identifier for uniquely identifying the above-mentioned character object.

According to one embodiment of the present invention, at least one character object may be set for each attribute of a user. For example, for users under the age of 10, a character popular among children or a character from an anime may be set as the character object. Similarly, for users in their twenties and thirties, character objects that users in their twenties and thirties feel familiar with may be set, and for users in their forties and older, character objects may be set for each attribute.

As shown in FIG. 3, the output mode information table TB10 may store an audio output mode of the content in association with each attribute of the user who uses the vehicle 200. The providing unit 113 may output the content in audio via the character object described above in the output mode associated with the attribute identified by the identifying unit 111. In the example of the output mode information table TB10 in FIG. 3, as an output mode identified by the output mode ID "out_10", a character ID "CH_01" is associated with the attribute of age group "10 years old or younger", and the content is output with a "volume" of "+2" and a speed of "5 characters/second or less". Also, as an output mode identified by the output mode ID "out_70", a character ID "CH_07" is associated with the attribute of age group "70s or older", and the content is output with a "volume" of "+3" and a speed of "5 characters/second or less". The "priority" will be described later.

As shown in FIG. 3, in an information provision system 600 according to an embodiment of the present invention, content is output at a volume close to the standard value and at a standard speed to users in their twenties and thirties, and at a higher volume and slower speed to users under the age of 10 and older users. This is intended to attract the interest of young children and takes into consideration that hearing becomes weaker as people get older.

Figure 4 is an example of a content information table TB20 stored in the storage device 400. In the example of Figure 4, each piece of content associated with location information, type, content, etc., for age information indicating the attributes of the user is identified and stored by a content ID. Note that Figure 4 is just an example, and the information stored in the content information table TB20 may be more or less than this, and various information may be stored in an information format different from that of Figure 4. According to the information provision system 600 according to one embodiment of the present invention, content is set according to the attributes of the user. Note that the content associated with each attribute may be prepared in advance by the management side of the information provision system 600, or may be provided by an advertiser who wishes to use the information provision system 600.

As described above, the storage device 400 stores content associated with each attribute of the user who uses the vehicle 200, and the providing unit 113 may output the content associated with the attribute identified by the identifying unit 111 in an output format associated with the attribute identified by the identifying unit 111.

In the example of content information table TB20 in FIG. 4, for content identified by content ID "cont_01", text information introducing Z Park is stored as content of type "tourist information" with location information "latitude 35.*** longitude 139.***" in the attribute of age group "10 years old and under". Additionally, for content identified by content ID "cont_13", text information about changing jobs is stored as content of type "job change information" in the attribute of age group "20s".

In addition, in the information provision system 600 according to one embodiment of the present invention, content may be provided according to the location where the vehicle 200 is traveling. For this reason, the content information table TB20 may store location information about the location where the content is output. This makes it possible to provide a user who is traveling with information about the area around the traveling route, leading to the realization of a service that does not tire the user.

Next, the hardware configuration and functional configuration of the server 100, vehicle 200, and user terminal 300 according to one embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.

<Vehicles>
The vehicle 200 may be an autonomous vehicle as described above. Since existing technology may be used for autonomous driving, a description of the hardware configuration and functional configuration for autonomous driving will be omitted. Below, a description will be given of the hardware configuration and functional configuration for outputting content to a display in the vehicle 200 in the information provision system 600.

(1) Hardware Configuration of Vehicle The vehicle 200 may include a control unit 210, a communication unit 220, a display unit 230, an imaging unit 240, an audio acquisition unit 250, an audio output unit 260, an operation input unit 270, a position information acquisition unit 280, and a memory unit 290.

The control unit 210 is typically a processor, and may include a central processing unit (CPU), MPU (Micro Processing Unit), GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), microprocessor, processor core, multiprocessor, ASIC (Application-Specific Integrated Circuit), FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array), etc., and may be realized by a logic circuit (hardware) or a dedicated circuit formed in an integrated circuit (IC (Integrated Circuit) chip, LSI (Large Scale Integration)), etc. The control unit 210 may execute the functions and methods shown in each embodiment by reading a program stored in the memory unit 290 and executing code or instructions included in the read program.

The memory unit 290 stores various programs and information required for the operation of the vehicle 200. The memory unit 290 may include, for example, a flash memory. The memory unit 290 may also include memory (such as a RAM (Random Access Memory), a ROM (Read Only Memory)) that provides a working area for the control unit 210.

The communication unit 220 may be implemented as hardware such as a network adapter, communication software, or a combination of these. The communication unit 220 may transmit and receive various information to and from the server 100 via the network 500.

The display unit 230 is a display that displays information according to the display information written to the frame buffer, and may output content provided by the server 100. The display unit 230 may be a touch display.

The imaging unit 240 may be a camera that captures images of passengers in the vehicle 200. The captured information may be a still image or a video. The imaging unit 240 may be installed inside the vehicle 200 or outside the vehicle 200, or multiple imaging units may be installed.

The audio acquisition unit 250 may be a microphone that acquires the audio of passengers in the vehicle 200. The audio output unit 260 may be a speaker that outputs the audio of the content.

The operation input unit 270 may be an input device that accepts various operations by a user riding in the vehicle 200. The operation input unit 270 may be realized by any of all types of devices that can accept input operations from the user and transmit information related to the input to the control unit 210, or a combination thereof, and may be, for example, a keyboard, a controller, a touch panel, a touch display, etc. In the case of a touch panel or a touch display, the display unit 230 and the operation input unit 270 may be integrated. The operation input unit 270 may accept, for example, an input operation of user attributes such as age, gender, occupation, and preferences from the user. The operation input unit 270 may also accept an operation from the user to select the output mode of the content.

The location information acquisition unit 280 may acquire location information of the current location of the vehicle 200, for example, using the Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS).

(2) Functional configuration of the vehicle The vehicle 200 may include a communication control unit 211, a display control unit 212, and an input/output control unit 213 as functions realized by the control unit 210. Note that each functional unit illustrated in FIG. 2 is not essential, and in each embodiment described hereinafter, non-essential functional units may be omitted. Furthermore, the functions or processes of each functional unit may be realized by machine learning or AI to the extent that they can be realized.

The communication control unit 211 may control communication between the communication unit 220 and the server 100 via the network 500, and may cause the communication unit 220 to transmit and receive various information.

The display control unit 212 may control the display of information on the display unit 230. For example, the display control unit 212 may cause the display unit 230 to display content provided by the server 100 in a set output format.

The input/output control unit 213 may control the transmission of various information to and from external devices such as the imaging unit 240, the audio acquisition unit 250, the audio output unit 260, the operation input unit 270, and the position information acquisition unit 280. For example, the input/output control unit 213 may control the imaging unit 240 to capture an image of a user who is in the vehicle 200. Although not limited to this, the image of the user may be captured when it is determined that the user is located within the angle of view of the imaging unit 240. In addition, the input/output control unit 213 may transmit image information captured by the imaging unit 240, audio acquired by the audio acquisition unit 250, various information input by the operation input unit 270, and position information of the vehicle 200 acquired by the position information acquisition unit 280 to the communication control unit 211 to be transmitted to the server 100, or may cause the audio output unit 260 to output content provided by the server 100 in a set output mode.

<User terminal>
(1) Hardware Configuration of User Terminal The user terminal 300 may include a control unit 310, a communication unit 320, a display unit 330, an input/output unit 340, and a storage unit 370.

The control unit 310 is typically a processor, and may include a central processing unit (CPU), MPU, GPU, microprocessor, processor core, multiprocessor, ASIC, FPGA, etc., and may be realized by a logic circuit (hardware) formed in an integrated circuit or the like, or a dedicated circuit. The control unit 310 may execute the functions and methods shown in each embodiment by reading a program stored in the memory unit 370 and executing code or instructions included in the read program.

The storage unit 370 stores various programs and information required for the operation of the user terminal 300. For example, the storage unit 370 may store a program for an application (hereinafter referred to as a "reservation app") required for using the reservation service of the vehicle 200. The storage unit 370 may include, for example, a flash memory. The storage unit 370 may also include a memory (RAM, ROM, etc.) that provides a working area for the control unit 310.

The communication unit 320 may be implemented as hardware such as a network adapter, communication software, or a combination of these. The communication unit 320 may transmit and receive various information to and from the server 100 via the network 500.

The display unit 330 is a monitor that displays information according to the display information written to the frame buffer, and may be, for example, a touch panel, a touch display, etc.

The input/output unit 340 may include an input device for inputting various operations to the user terminal 300, and an output device for outputting the processing results processed by the user terminal 300. The input device may include, for example, a touch panel, a touch display, a camera, and a microphone. The output device may include, for example, a display, a touch panel, a speaker, etc.

(2) Functional configuration of the user terminal The user terminal 300 may include a communication control unit 311, a display control unit 312, and an input/output control unit 313 as functions realized by the control unit 310. Note that each functional unit illustrated in FIG. 2 is not essential, and non-essential functional units may be omitted in each embodiment described hereinafter. Furthermore, the functions or processes of each functional unit may be realized by machine learning or AI to the extent that they can be realized.

The communication control unit 311 may control communication between the communication unit 320 and the server 100 via the network 500, and may cause the communication unit 320 to transmit and receive various information.

The display control unit 312 may control the display of information on the display unit 330. For example, the display control unit 312 may cause the display unit 330 to display a reservation screen for the vehicle 200 in a reservation service, or an evaluation input screen for inputting an evaluation of content provided in the vehicle 200.

The input/output control unit 313 may control the transmission of various information to external devices via the input/output unit 340. For example, the input/output control unit 313 may transmit various information to each functional unit in response to a user's input operation received by the input device, or transmit information from each functional unit to the output device. The input/output control unit 313 may also include a reservation information input unit 314. The reservation information input unit 314 may receive input from a user of a reservation for use of the vehicle 200 related to the reservation service.

<Server>
(1) Hardware Configuration of the Server The server 100 includes a control unit 110, a communication unit 120, and a storage unit 170.

The control unit 110 is typically a processor, and may include a central processing unit (CPU), MPU, GPU, microprocessor, processor core, multiprocessor, ASIC, FPGA, etc., and may be realized by a logic circuit (hardware) formed in an integrated circuit or the like, or a dedicated circuit. Note that it is preferable that the server 100 has a processor with high computing power for processing large amounts of information.

The communication unit 120 may be implemented as hardware such as a network adapter, communication software, or a combination of these. The communication unit 120 transmits and receives various information between the vehicle 200 and the user terminal 300 via the network 500.

The storage unit 170 stores various programs and information required for the operation of the server 100. The storage unit 170 may include, for example, a hard disk drive (HDD), a solid state drive (SSD), flash memory, etc. The storage unit 170 may also include memory that provides a working area for the control unit 110.

(2) Functional configuration of the server The server 100 includes an identifying unit 111, a selecting unit 112, a providing unit 113, an acquiring unit 114, and an evaluation acquiring unit 115 as functions realized by the control unit 110. Note that each functional unit illustrated in FIG. 2 is not essential, and in each embodiment described hereinafter, non-essential functional units may be omitted. In addition, the functions or processes of each functional unit may be realized by machine learning or AI to the extent that they can be realized.

The identification unit 111 may identify the attributes of users who have boarded the vehicle 200. The identification unit 111 may identify the attributes (age, gender, etc.) and number of users who have boarded the vehicle 200 based on image information of the users captured by the imaging unit 240 provided in the vehicle 200. Known image recognition techniques, including machine learning such as convolutional neural networks (CNN), may be used to identify the attributes based on the image information. Furthermore, the image recognition by the identification unit 111 may utilize an existing image recognition library. In this way, according to one embodiment of the present invention, the attributes of the users can be reliably identified by using image information of the passengers.

The identification unit 111 may also identify attributes of a user riding in the vehicle 200 based on the user's voice information acquired by a voice acquisition unit 250 provided in the vehicle 200. Existing voice recognition technology using pattern matching or hidden Markov models, deep learning, etc. may be used to identify attributes based on voice information. The user may be asked to speak a predetermined phrase, and attributes may be identified from the characteristics of the user's voice signal. In this way, according to one embodiment of the present invention, the user's attributes can be reliably identified by using passenger voice information.

The selection unit 112 may select content and an output mode corresponding to the attribute identified by the identification unit 111, by referring to the content information table TB20 and the output mode information table TB10. For example, if the attribute identified by the identification unit 111 is "20s", the selection unit 112 may select the output mode with output mode ID "out_20" associated with the attribute "20s" by referring to the output mode information table TB10. The selection unit 112 may also select content with content ID "cont_13" associated with the attribute "20s" by referring to the content information table TB20.

Based on the output mode information, the providing unit 113 provides the content in an output mode associated with the attribute identified by the identifying unit 111. That is, the providing unit 113 may transmit the content and output mode selected by the selecting unit 112 to the vehicle 200 via the communication unit 120. The display control unit 212 and the input/output control unit 213 of the vehicle 200 may output the content transmitted from the server 100 from the display unit 230 and the audio output unit 260 in the specified output mode.

5(a) and (b) show an example of content output to the display unit 230 of the vehicle 200. FIG. 5(a) may be an example in which content with content ID "cont_70" is output in the output mode with output mode ID "out_70" to a user identified as having the attribute "70s or older". As shown in FIG. 5(a), the display unit 230 displays a character 11 identified by character ID "CH_07" specified in the output mode with output mode ID "out_70", and the audio output unit 260 outputs audio 12, which is the content of content ID "cont_70", saying "△△ is a barrier-free facility", at a volume of "+3" and a speed of "5 characters/second or less". In the example of FIG. 5(a), the content with content ID "cont_70" may be selected because the vehicle 200 travels around the location information included in the content information of content ID "cont_70".

Also, FIG. 5(b) may be an example in which content with content ID "cont_10" is output in the output mode with output mode ID "out_10" to a user identified as having the attribute "teens or younger." As shown in FIG. 5(b), the display unit 230 displays a character 21 identified by character ID "CH_01" specified in the output mode with output mode ID "out_10," and the audio output unit 260 outputs audio 12, "Come play at Z Park!", which is the content of content ID "cont_10," at a volume of "+2" and a speed of "5 characters/second or less."

<Server control flow chart>
Here, the control method of the server 100 will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. 5. First, the storage device 400 may record output mode information in which the output mode of the content is associated with each attribute of the user who uses the vehicle (step S11). The output mode information is as described in the output mode information table TB10 of FIG. 3. Next, the identification unit 111 may identify the attribute of the user who got into the vehicle 200 (step S12). To identify the attribute of the user, a moving image of the user captured by the imaging unit 240 of the vehicle 200 may be used, or voice information of the user acquired by the voice acquisition unit 250 of the vehicle 200 may be used. Then, the provision unit 113 may provide the content in an output mode associated with the identified attribute based on the output mode information (step S13). The output of the content is as described with reference to FIG. 5 and the like.

In this way, according to one embodiment of the present invention, the attributes of the passengers of the vehicle 200 are identified, and content corresponding to the attributes is provided on a display installed in the vehicle 200 in an output format corresponding to the attributes. Specifically, content is provided with character objects, volume, and speech speed that are likely to interest and attract the attention of users of each attribute. Therefore, the content is acceptable to users of any attribute, and it is possible to increase the user's concentration on the content.

The character object may be a digital human (virtual human) that changes its facial expression depending on the content, and the content may be output via the digital human. A digital human may refer to a human-like avatar realized by artificial intelligence (AI) that speaks using voice recognition, natural language processing, voice synthesis technology, etc., and changes its facial expression in real time depending on the content of the speech using image processing technology. In this way, by realizing the character object as a digital human and changing the output mode depending on the attributes as described above, it is possible to allow the user to concentrate more on the content.

It is also conceivable that multiple users ride in the vehicle 200. According to an embodiment of the present invention, as shown in the output mode information table TB10 of FIG. 3, information regarding the priority of the user's attributes is further stored in the output mode information, and when multiple users ride in the vehicle 200, the providing unit 113 may change the output mode of the content and provide it in an order according to the priority. In the example of FIG. 3, when a user in his 30s with a priority of "2" and a user in his 70s or older with a priority of "6" ride in the vehicle 200, the content associated with the 30s may be output in an output mode for the 30s, and then the content associated with the 70s may be output in an output mode for the 70s, according to the priority. Note that the priority is not limited to FIG. 3, and may be flexibly set by the administrator of the information providing system 600. The priority may also be changed according to the user's selection. For example, a list of output modes according to the user's attributes may be displayed on the display unit 230 of the vehicle 200, and the user may be able to select the output mode via the operation input unit 270. For example, if a small child among the passengers starts crying, the parent can select an output style that the child prefers, and the content provided will remain the same, but the output style of the content will be changed to suit the child. This allows the parent to provide tourist information and product information while trying to calm the child down, making it possible to provide a service with high usability.

This allows users with different attributes to be provided with content that is likely to interest them in an output format that helps them concentrate, resulting in an information provision system with higher usability.

Returning to the functional block diagram of FIG. 2, the explanation will be continued. As mentioned at the beginning, the information provision system 600 according to one embodiment of the present invention may be applied to a reservation service for the vehicle 200. Here, the reservation service will be explained. The acquisition unit 114 may acquire reservation information for using the vehicle 200 from the user terminal 300. Specifically, the reservation information may be the section (starting point, destination) for using the vehicle 200, the time of use, user information including attributes of the user who plans to board, and information about passengers. The user may input the above information using the communication terminal 300 and transmit it to the server 100. The server 100 may make arrangements for the vehicle 200 based on the received reservation information.

Here, the identification unit 111 may identify the user's attributes from the user information included in the reservation information. This makes it possible to identify the user's attributes more accurately.

The method of acquiring user information is not limited to the above, and user information may be acquired when the user gets into the vehicle 200. For example, input of attributes and destination may be accepted from the user via the operation input unit 270 of the vehicle 200, and the accepted user information may be transmitted to the server 100.

The evaluation acquisition unit 115 may acquire evaluation information by a user who has boarded the vehicle 200 regarding the content provided within the vehicle 200. FIG. 7 shows an example of an evaluation input screen displayed on the user terminal 300. Note that the figure is an example, and the method for acquiring the evaluation information is not limited to this. An evaluation input screen 50 may be displayed by a reservation app on the user terminal 300 of a user who has used the vehicle 200. The evaluation input screen 50 may display information regarding the date and time of use of the vehicle 200 and the section of use, as well as evaluation items 51 regarding the content provided within the vehicle 200 and the output mode of the content. Note that the example of FIG. 7 shows a case where a five-point evaluation is input, but it may be three points, or the user may input a score. Also, the evaluation items 51 are not limited to these.

The usage history of each user, including the evaluation information acquired by the evaluation acquisition unit 116, may be stored in the storage device 400. FIG. 8 shows an example of the usage history stored in the storage device 400. The usage history table TB30 may store attributes of a user who used the vehicle 200, associated with the riding history (ride date, departure point, destination, passengers), provided information history (content ID, output mode ID), payment history, and evaluation information. The provided information history may be the content ID of the content provided in the vehicle 200 and the output mode ID of the output mode of the content. The evaluation information may be a numerical value as shown in FIG. 8, or an evaluation for each evaluation item may be recorded.

According to the information providing system 600 of one embodiment of the present invention, at least one of the content to be output for each user attribute and the output mode may be changed according to the evaluation information. Specifically, the selection unit 112 may learn an output mode for increasing the evaluation using the output mode for each attribute used to provide the content and the evaluation information at that time as learning information. Then, the selection unit 112 may select an output mode that will obtain a higher evaluation according to the learning result. Alternatively, the output mode information table TB10 may be updated according to the learning result. That is, the character, volume, and speed may be changed.

This makes it possible to provide content in an output format that better suits the user's preferences.

The payment history will now be described. According to the information provision system 600 of one embodiment of the present invention, products and services related to the content provided in the vehicle 200 may be purchased from a reservation app on the user terminal 300. Alternatively, payment may be possible by voice via the voice acquisition unit 250 of the vehicle 200. The usage history table TB30 may further store, as payment information, information regarding purchases made when payment is made while the user is aboard the vehicle 200.

In addition, ride history, payment history, etc. may be used as learning information. From this information, it is possible to estimate the user's behavioral patterns, interests, and areas of concern, and this information may be learned and the content provided and output mode may be updated. In addition, known recommendation methods such as collaborative filtering, rule-based recommendation, and personalized recommendation may be used as a method for selecting content according to the user's behavioral history.

Although the present invention has been described based on the drawings and examples, it should be noted that a person skilled in the art can easily make various modifications and corrections based on the present disclosure. Therefore, it should be noted that these modifications and corrections are included in the scope of the present invention. For example, the functions included in each component, each step, etc. can be rearranged so as not to cause logical contradictions, and multiple components, steps, etc. can be combined into one or divided. In addition, the configurations shown in the above embodiments may be appropriately combined. For example, each component described as being included in the server 100 may be realized in a distributed manner by multiple servers, or depending on the function, an external platform, etc. may be called by an API (Application Programming Interface), etc., to realize it. In addition, the processing described above as being performed by the server 100 may be executed by the vehicle 200 or the user terminal 300.

For example, in the above description, the identification unit 111 of the server 100 identifies the attributes of a user based on image information (image recognition processing). However, an edge server may be installed in the imaging unit 240, and the imaging unit 240 may perform image recognition processing.

For example, the output mode information has been described above in terms of a case where one output mode is associated with each attribute. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and multiple output modes may be associated with each attribute. In this case, a selection order for the output modes may be set, or a highly rated output mode may be preferentially selected.

In the above, a case has been described in which a different character object is associated with each attribute. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and one character object may be associated with two or more attributes. In this case, a certain character object may provide content in different output formats depending on the attribute. In other words, even for the same character object, the volume and speech rate may be different for a user in his 20s and a user in his 60s.

In addition, other user information that can be acquired by the server 100 may be used as learning data for selecting output modes and content that will interest the user more. For example, the user information may include a purchase history of goods or services, a medical history, a learning history, a place of origin, a place of residence, and a type of occupation. This user information may be input by the user at will when reserving use of the vehicle 200, or may be acquired from other applications (SNS, games, etc.) with the user's consent.

When each functional unit of the server 100 is realized by software, the server 100 includes a CPU that executes the commands of a program that is software that realizes each function, a ROM (Read Only Memory) or storage device (these are referred to as "recording media") in which the program and various information are recorded so as to be readable by a computer (or CPU), and a RAM (Random Access Memory) in which the program is expanded. The object of the present invention is achieved when the computer (or CPU) reads the program from the recording medium and executes it. That is, the server 100 according to the present invention functions as each of the above-mentioned components by the CPU executing the program loaded on the RAM. As the recording medium, a "non-transient tangible medium", for example, a semiconductor memory, a programmable logic circuit, etc. can be used. The program may also be supplied to the computer via any transmission medium (such as a communication network or a broadcast wave) that can transmit the program. The present invention may also be realized in the form of an information signal embedded in a carrier wave in which the program is embodied by electronic transmission.

The above program may be implemented using, for example, a scripting language such as ActionScript, JavaScript (registered trademark), Python, or Ruby; an object-oriented programming language such as C, C++, C#, Objective-C, Swift, or Java (registered trademark); or a markup language such as HTML5. Furthermore, the term "section, module, or unit" in the claims may be read as "means" or "circuit." For example, a communication section may be read as a communication means or a communication circuit.

The program of the present disclosure may also be provided to the server 100 via any transmission medium capable of transmitting the program (such as a communication network or broadcast waves).

The above-described aspects of the present disclosure will enable services in self-driving vehicles that are comfortable for people of all ages, including the elderly and children, thereby contributing to the achievement of Goal 11 of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), "Sustainable cities and communities."

100 Server (information providing device)
110 Control unit 111 Identification unit 112 Selection unit 113 Provision unit 114 Acquisition unit 115 Evaluation acquisition unit 120 Communication unit 170 Storage unit 200 Vehicle 210 Control unit 211 Communication control unit 212 Display control unit 213 Input/output control unit 220 Communication unit 230 Display unit 240 Imaging unit 250 Audio acquisition unit 260 Audio output unit 270 Operation input unit 280 Position information acquisition unit 290 Storage unit 300 User terminal (communication terminal)
310 Control unit 311 Communication control unit 312 Display control unit 313 Input/output control unit 314 Reservation information input unit 320 Communication unit 330 Display unit 340 Input/output unit 370 Storage unit 400 Storage device 500 Network 600 Information provision system

Claims (12)

An information provision system that provides predetermined content to a passenger who is a user riding in an autonomous vehicle on a display installed in the autonomous vehicle,
A position information acquisition unit that acquires position information of the autonomous vehicle;
a storage unit that stores output mode information that associates an output mode of the content with each attribute of a passenger who uses the autonomous driving vehicle, and further stores location information regarding a location where the content is to be output ;
An identification unit that identifies attributes of a passenger who boards the autonomous driving vehicle;
An information provision system comprising: an output unit that outputs , as the specified content, tourist information around the location where the autonomous vehicle is traveling to the display in an output mode associated with the attribute identified by the identification unit based on the output mode information. The information provision system according to claim 1 , wherein the identification unit identifies attributes of a passenger riding in the autonomous vehicle based on image information of the passenger captured by an imaging unit provided in the autonomous vehicle. The information provision system according to claim 1 , wherein the identification unit identifies attributes of a passenger riding in the autonomous vehicle based on voice information of the passenger acquired by a voice acquisition unit provided in the autonomous vehicle. An acquisition unit that acquires passenger information including attributes of passengers riding in the autonomous driving vehicle,
The information provision system according to claim 1 , wherein the identification unit identifies attributes of the passengers riding in the autonomous vehicle from the passenger information. the storage unit stores, as the output mode information, character information related to a character object to be output to the display in association with each attribute of a passenger using the autonomous driving vehicle;
The information providing system according to claim 1, characterized in that the output unit outputs a tourist guide as the content via a digital human that changes its facial expression depending on the content as a character object associated with the attribute identified by the identification unit . The storage unit stores, as the output mode information, an audio output mode of the content in association with each attribute of a passenger using the autonomous driving vehicle;
The information providing system according to claim 5 , wherein the output unit outputs the content by voice via the character object in an output mode associated with the attribute specified by the specification unit. The storage unit stores the content in association with each attribute of a passenger who uses the autonomous driving vehicle,
The information providing system according to claim 1 , wherein the output unit outputs the content associated with the attribute specified by the specification unit in an output format associated with the attribute specified by the specification unit. The storage unit further stores information regarding a priority of an attribute of the passenger as the output mode information,
The information providing system according to claim 1 , wherein when a plurality of passengers are in the autonomous driving vehicle, the output unit changes an output mode of the content and outputs the content in an order according to the priority. The autonomous vehicle further includes a rating acquisition unit that acquires rating information by passengers who have boarded the autonomous vehicle regarding content provided in the autonomous vehicle,
The information providing system according to claim 8 , wherein the output unit changes at least one of the content to be output for each attribute of the passenger and the output mode in accordance with a learning result of learning the evaluation information and the output mode . The information providing system according to claim 1 , wherein the content includes information about a predetermined product or service, and at least one of a product or service related to the content provided in the autonomous vehicle is available for purchase. A method for controlling an information provision system that provides predetermined content to a passenger, who is a user riding in an autonomous vehicle, on a display installed in the autonomous vehicle, comprising:
The computer
acquiring position information of the autonomous vehicle;
storing output mode information in which an output mode of the content is associated with each attribute of a passenger using the autonomous vehicle, and further storing location information regarding a location where the content is output ;
Identifying attributes of a passenger in the autonomous vehicle;
A control method for an information provision system, which executes a step of outputting, as the specified content, tourist information for the area around the location where the autonomous vehicle is traveling on the display in an output mode associated with the attributes identified in the identification step based on the output mode information. A control program for an information provision system that provides predetermined content to a passenger, who is a user riding in an autonomous vehicle, on a display installed in the autonomous vehicle,
Computer,
A function of acquiring position information of the autonomous vehicle;
a function of storing output mode information in which an output mode of the content is associated with each attribute of a passenger using the autonomous driving vehicle, and further storing location information regarding a location where the content is to be output ;
A function for identifying attributes of passengers who board the autonomous vehicle; and
A control program for an information provision system that functions to output, as the specified content, tourist information for the area around the location where the autonomous vehicle is traveling on the display based on the output mode information, in an output mode associated with the attribute identified by the identification function .

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