JP7640441B2 - Information processing device, program, and information processing method - Google Patents

Description

This disclosure relates to an information processing device, a program, and an information processing method.

Conventionally, when there is a line of vehicles waiting to park in a parking lot associated with a facility, a technique is known in which the end of the line of vehicles waiting to park is identified and a route search is performed with the end of the line as the destination point (for example, Patent Document 1).

JP 2005-249539 A

The above conventional technology does not take into account cases where a parking lot has multiple entrances.

In view of the above circumstances, the objective of the present disclosure is to provide an information processing device, program, and information processing method that can suggest an appropriate entrance for a vehicle user from among multiple entrances to a parking lot.

An information processing device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure includes:
An information processing device including a control unit, the control unit comprising:
Identifying at least one of a plurality of entrances of a parking lot from entrance information for each of the plurality of entrances;
Proposing the identified entrance to a user of a vehicle using the parking lot; and
The operation includes:

A program according to an embodiment of the present disclosure includes:
Computers as information processing devices
Identifying at least one of a plurality of entrances of a parking lot from entrance information for each of the plurality of entrances;
Proposing the identified entrance to a user of a vehicle using the parking lot; and
The method executes an operation including:

An information processing method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure includes:
An information processing method by an information processing device,
Identifying at least one of a plurality of entrances of a parking lot from entrance information for each of the plurality of entrances;
Proposing the identified entrance to a user of a vehicle using the parking lot; and
Includes.

According to an embodiment of the information processing device, program, and information processing method of the present disclosure, it is possible to suggest an appropriate entrance for a vehicle user from among multiple entrances to a parking lot.

1 is a schematic diagram of an information processing system according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of an information processing device. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a vehicle. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a user terminal. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the data structure of an entrance database (DB). FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the entrance to a parking lot. 4 is a flowchart showing an operation of the information processing device.

Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of an information processing system S of this embodiment. The information processing system S includes an information processing device 1, a vehicle 2, and a user terminal 3. The vehicle 2 is driven by a user U01. The information processing device 1 can communicate with the vehicle 2 and the user terminal 3 via a network NW. The network NW includes, for example, a mobile communication network or the Internet.

For ease of explanation, one information processing device 1 is illustrated in FIG. 1. However, the number of information processing devices 1 is not limited to this. For example, the processing executed by the information processing device 1 may be executed by multiple information processing devices 1 that are distributed.

An overview of the processing performed by the information processing device 1 of this embodiment will be described. The control unit 11 of the information processing device 1 performs operations including identifying at least one of the multiple entrances to the parking lot from the entrance information for each of the multiple entrances, and suggesting the identified entrance to the user U01 of the vehicle 2 using the parking lot. With this configuration, the information processing device 1 is aware of the existence of multiple entrances to the parking lot, and can identify an entrance among them that is appropriate for the user U01 and suggest it to the user U01. Thus, the information processing device 1 can increase convenience for the user U01.

The information processing device 1 may be a server that supports the provision of services by an operator. The information processing device 1 may be installed, for example, in a facility dedicated to the operator or in a shared facility including a data center. As an alternative example, the information processing device 1 may be installed in the vehicle 2.

The vehicle 2 includes any type of automobile, such as, for example, a gasoline vehicle, a diesel vehicle, an HEV, a PHEV, a BEV, or an FCEV. "HEV" is an abbreviation for hybrid electric vehicle. "PHEV" is an abbreviation for plug-in hybrid electric vehicle. "BEV" is an abbreviation for battery electric vehicle. "FCEV" is an abbreviation for fuel cell electric vehicle. In this embodiment, the vehicle 2 is driven by a driver. Alternatively, the driving of the vehicle 2 may be automated at any level. The level of automation is, for example, any of levels 1 to 5 in the SAE level classification. "SAE" is an abbreviation for Society of Automotive Engineers. The vehicle 2 may be a MaaS-only vehicle. "MaaS" is an abbreviation for Mobility as a Service.

The user terminal 3 is a terminal operated by the user U01. The user terminal 3 is, for example, a mobile device such as a mobile phone, a smartphone, a wearable device, or a tablet. As an alternative, the user terminal 3 may be a general-purpose device such as a PC, or a dedicated device. "PC" is an abbreviation for personal computer.

The internal configuration of the information processing device 1 is described in detail with reference to FIG. 2.

The information processing device 1 includes a control unit 11, a communication unit 12, and a storage unit 13. The components of the information processing device 1 are connected to each other so that they can communicate with each other, for example, via a dedicated line.

The control unit 11 includes, for example, one or more general-purpose processors including a CPU (Central Processing Unit) or an MPU (Micro Processing Unit). The control unit 11 may include one or more dedicated processors specialized for specific processing. Instead of including a processor, the control unit 11 may include one or more dedicated circuits. The dedicated circuits may be, for example, an FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array) or an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit). The control unit 11 may include an ECU (Electronic Control Unit).

The communication unit 12 includes a communication module compatible with one or more wired or wireless LAN (Local Area Network) standards for connecting to a network. The communication unit 12 may include a module compatible with one or more mobile communication standards including LTE (Long Term Evolution), 4G (4th Generation), or 5G (5th Generation). The communication unit 12 may include a communication module compatible with one or more short-range communication standards or specifications including Bluetooth (registered trademark), AirDrop (registered trademark), IrDA, ZigBee (registered trademark), Felica (registered trademark), or RFID. The communication unit 12 transmits and receives any information via the network.

The memory unit 13 is, for example, a semiconductor memory, a magnetic memory, an optical memory, or at least one of these, a RAM or a ROM. The RAM is, for example, an SRAM or a DRAM. The ROM is, for example, an EEPROM. The memory unit 13 may function, for example, as a main memory device, an auxiliary memory device, or a cache memory. The memory unit 13 may store information resulting from analysis or processing by the control unit 11. The memory unit 13 may store various information related to the operation or control of the information processing device 1, etc. The memory unit 13 may store system programs, application programs, embedded software, etc.

The internal configuration of vehicle 2 is described in detail with reference to Figure 3.

The vehicle 2 includes a control unit 21, a communication unit 22, a memory unit 23, and a display unit 24. The components of the vehicle 2 are connected to each other so that they can communicate with each other via dedicated lines including, for example, a CAN (Controller Area Network).

The hardware configuration of the control unit 21, communication unit 22, and memory unit 23 of the vehicle 2 may be the same as the hardware configuration of the control unit 11, communication unit 12, and memory unit 13 of the information processing device 1. A description thereof will be omitted here.

The display unit 24 is, for example, a display. The display is, for example, an LCD or an organic EL display. "LCD" is an abbreviation for liquid crystal display. "EL" is an abbreviation for electro luminescence. The display unit 24 may be connected to the vehicle 2 as an external output device instead of being provided in the vehicle 2. Any connection method may be used, such as USB, HDMI (registered trademark), or Bluetooth (registered trademark).

The internal configuration of the user terminal 3 is explained in detail with reference to Figure 4.

The user terminal 3 includes a control unit 31, a communication unit 32, a memory unit 33, and a display unit 34. The components of the user terminal 3 are connected to each other so that they can communicate with each other, for example, via a dedicated line.

The hardware configuration of the control unit 31, communication unit 32, memory unit 33, and display unit 34 of the user terminal 3 may be the same as the hardware configuration of the control unit 21, communication unit 22, memory unit 23, and display unit 24 of the vehicle 2. Explanation here is omitted.

The process executed by the information processing system S of this embodiment will be described in detail below. As an example, a scene in which a user U01 drives a vehicle 2 and parks it in a parking lot P1 will be described.

The control unit 11 of the information processing device 1 detects from the position information of the vehicle 2 that the vehicle 2 is traveling within a predetermined distance from the parking lot P1.

The control unit 11 refers to the entrance DB of the memory unit 13 shown in FIG. 5 and determines that multiple entrances are associated with the parking lot P1. The entrances to the parking lot P1 may be registered by the manager of the parking lot P1, or may be determined from the driving history of one or more vehicles that have used the parking lot P1 in the past. The control unit 11 keeps track of all the entrances to the parking lot P1.

The control unit 11 determines the entrance information for each of the entrances. As shown in Fig. 5, the entrance DB stores the entrance information including the following items in association with the entrance ID, but is not limited to these:
- Entrance congestion level (corresponding to "Congestion level" in Figure 5)
・The narrowness of the route to the entrance ・The number of pedestrians on the route to the entrance ・Will you be able to arrive in time?

Each item of the entrance information may be determined from the following information.
Analysis results of images captured by a camera installed near the parking lot P1 Analysis results of images captured by the vehicle 2 Location information of mobile devices carried by each pedestrian Location information of one or more vehicles

Each of the above entry information is explained below.

The "degree of congestion at an entrance" is determined according to the number of other vehicles present in the vicinity of each entrance (e.g., within a specified distance). As an additional or alternative example, the degree of congestion may be determined according to the size (e.g., overall length, width) of other vehicles causing congestion in parking lot P1. The degree of congestion here is a natural number from 1 to 3, but the method of expressing the degree of congestion is not limited to this.

For example, as shown in FIG. 6, there are two vehicles, C1 and C2, near entrance E1. Therefore, the control unit 11 determines that the congestion level of entrance E1 is "3," as shown in FIG. 5. As shown in FIG. 6, there are no other vehicles near entrance E2. As shown in FIG. 5, the control unit 11 determines that the congestion level of entrance E2 is "1."

"Narrowness of the route to the entrance" indicates the narrowness of the route that vehicle 2 travels on until reaching each entrance. The narrowness of the route may be determined according to the width of the route. As an additional or alternative example, the narrowness of the route may be determined according to the class of vehicle 2. For example, the wider the vehicle width of vehicle 2, the narrower the route. Here, narrowness is a natural number from 1 to 3, but the method of expressing the degree of narrowness is not limited to this.

Here, the width of road R1 up to entrance E1 is greater than the reference value. The width of road R2 up to entrance E2 is less than the reference value. Therefore, the control unit 11 determines that the narrowness of the route up to entrance E1 is "1." The control unit 11 determines that the narrowness of the route up to entrance E2 is "3."

"The number of pedestrians on the route to the entrance" refers to the number of pedestrians walking on the route that vehicle 2 travels on until reaching each entrance. The number of pedestrians may be determined according to the number of pedestrians on the route. The number here is a natural number from 1 to 3, but the method of expressing the number is not limited to this.

As shown in FIG. 6, here, the number of pedestrians on road R1 up to entrance E1 is zero. The control unit 11 determines that the number of pedestrians on road R1 up to entrance E1 is "1." On road R2 up to entrance E2, pedestrians PD1 and PD2 exist, so the number of pedestrians is two. The control unit 11 determines that the number of pedestrians on road R2 is "2."

"Will it make it to the arrival time?" indicates whether vehicle 2 will make it to the pre-set arrival time when using each entrance. The arrival time is, for example, the arrival time at parking lot P1. In this case, entrance E1 is relatively close to the current location of vehicle 2, so if entrance E1 is used, vehicle 2 will make it to the arrival time. Since entrance E2 is relatively far from the current location of vehicle 2, vehicle 2 will not make it to the arrival time when entrance E2 is used.

The control unit 11 identifies at least one entrance from the entrance information about the multiple entrances (here, entrances E1 and E2) of the parking lot. For example, the control unit 11 identifies at least one entrance that satisfies any one of the following conditions 1 to 4.
Condition 1: The degree of congestion does not exceed a standard value. Condition 2: The narrowness of the route to the entrance does not exceed a standard value. Condition 3: The number of pedestrians on the route to the entrance does not exceed a standard value. Condition 4: Vehicle 2 arrives on time.

As an alternative, the control unit 11 may identify an entrance that satisfies multiple of the above four conditions.

As another alternative, the control unit 11 may set a priority for each of the multiple conditions and compare multiple entrances for the condition with the highest priority. For example, if condition 1 has the highest priority, the control unit 11 may identify the entrance with the least degree of congestion. If the degree of congestion is the same for all entrances, the control unit 11 may compare multiple entrances for the condition with the next highest priority.

The control unit 11 suggests the identified entrance to the user U01 of the vehicle 2 using the parking lot P1. Specifically, the control unit 11 may suggest the identified entrance to the vehicle 2, or may suggest the identified entrance to the user terminal 3. At this time, the identified entrance is displayed on the display unit 24 of the vehicle 2 or the display unit 34 of the user terminal 3. As an additional or alternative example, the identified entrance may be output by voice from the vehicle 2 or the user terminal 3.

User U01 uses the suggested entrance to park in parking lot P1.

The information processing method by the control unit 11 of the information processing device 1 will be described with reference to FIG. 7.

In step S1, the control unit 11 detects a vehicle 2 within a predetermined distance from the parking lot P1.

In step S2, the control unit 11 determines the entrance information for each of the multiple entrances to parking lot P1.

In step S3, the control unit 11 identifies at least one of the multiple entrances from the entrance information.

In step S4, the control unit 11 suggests the identified entrance to user U01 of vehicle 2 who is using parking lot P1.

As described above, according to this embodiment, the control unit 11 of the information processing device 1 performs operations including identifying at least one of the multiple entrances to the parking lot P1 from the entrance information for each of the multiple entrances, and suggesting the identified entrance to the user U01 of the vehicle 2 using the parking lot P1. With this configuration, the information processing device 1 is aware of the existence of multiple entrances to the parking lot P1, and can identify an entrance among them that is appropriate for the user U01 and suggest it to the user U01. Thus, the information processing device 1 can increase convenience for the user U01.

Furthermore, according to this embodiment, the entrance information includes the degree of congestion. The degree of congestion is determined from the class of the vehicles causing congestion in parking lot P1. With this configuration, the information processing device 1 can identify and suggest entrances with low degrees of congestion, thereby reducing the time that vehicle 2 has to wait to park.

Furthermore, according to this embodiment, the entrance information includes the narrowness of the route that the vehicle 2 travels on until it reaches each entrance. With this configuration, the information processing device 1 can reduce the number of times that the vehicle 2 is guided onto a narrow route, thereby improving convenience for the user U01.

Furthermore, according to this embodiment, the entrance information includes the number of pedestrians on the route that the vehicle 2 travels on until reaching each entrance. With this configuration, the information processing device 1 can guide the vehicle 2 to a route with fewer pedestrians, thereby improving the ease of driving.

Furthermore, according to this embodiment, the entrance information includes information indicating whether the vehicle 2 will arrive at the destination in time if it uses each entrance. With this configuration, the information processing device 1 can reduce the number of distant entrances that will not arrive in time, thereby improving the discretion of the user U01.

Furthermore, according to this embodiment, the operation includes detecting the entrances to the parking lot P1 from the driving history of one or more vehicles that have used the parking lot P1 in the past. With this configuration, the information processing device 1 can grasp all the entrances to the parking lot P1.

Although the present disclosure is described based on various drawings and examples, it should be noted that a person skilled in the art may make various modifications and alterations based on the present disclosure. Other modifications are possible without departing from the spirit of the present disclosure. For example, the functions included in each means or step can be rearranged so as not to cause logical inconsistencies, and multiple means or steps can be combined into one or divided.

For example, in the above embodiment, a program that executes all or part of the functions or processes of the information processing device 1 can be recorded on a computer-readable recording medium. The computer-readable recording medium includes a non-transitory computer-readable medium, such as a magnetic recording device, an optical disk, a magneto-optical recording medium, or a semiconductor memory. The program is distributed, for example, by selling, transferring, or lending a portable recording medium such as a DVD (Digital Versatile Disc) or a CD-ROM (Compact Disc Read Only Memory) on which the program is recorded. The program may also be distributed by storing the program in the storage of an arbitrary server and transmitting the program from the arbitrary server to another computer. The program may also be provided as a program product. The present disclosure can also be realized as a program executable by a processor.

The computer temporarily stores in the main storage device, for example, a program recorded on a portable recording medium or a program transferred from a server. The computer then reads the program stored in the main storage device with a processor and executes processing according to the read program with the processor. The computer may read the program directly from the portable recording medium and execute processing according to the program. The computer may execute processing according to the received program each time a program is transferred to the computer from the server. Processing may be executed by a so-called ASP-type service that does not transfer a program from the server to the computer and achieves functions only by issuing execution instructions and obtaining results. "ASP" is an abbreviation for application service provider. Programs include information used for processing by a computer that is equivalent to a program. For example, data that is not a direct command to a computer but has properties that define computer processing falls under "something equivalent to a program."

Reference Signs List 1 Information processing device 11 Control unit 12 Communication unit 13 Storage unit 2 Vehicle 21 Control unit 22 Communication unit 23 Storage unit 24 Display unit 3 User terminal 31 Control unit 32 Communication unit 33 Storage unit 34 Display unit

Claims (14)

An information processing device including a control unit, the control unit comprising:
Identifying at least one of a plurality of entrances of a parking lot from entrance information for each of the plurality of entrances;
Proposing the identified entrance to a user of a vehicle using the parking lot; and
Performing an action including
The entrance information includes a congestion degree,
An information processing device that determines the congestion degree based on the class of vehicles causing congestion in the parking lot . 2. The information processing device according to claim 1 ,
An information processing device, wherein the entrance information includes the narrowness of a route along which the vehicle travels until reaching each entrance. 3. The information processing device according to claim 1,
An information processing device, wherein the entrance information includes the number of pedestrians on the route along which the vehicle travels until reaching each entrance. 4. The information processing device according to claim 1 ,
An information processing device, wherein the entrance information includes information indicating whether the vehicle will arrive at the destination in time if each entrance is used. 5. The information processing device according to claim 1 ,
The information processing device, wherein the operation includes detecting an entrance to the parking lot from the driving history of one or more vehicles that have previously used the parking lot. A vehicle equipped with the information processing device according to any one of claims 1 to 5 . Computers as information processing devices
Identifying at least one of a plurality of entrances of a parking lot from entrance information for each of the plurality of entrances;
Proposing the identified entrance to a user of a vehicle using the parking lot; and
Executing an operation including
The entrance information includes a congestion degree,
The degree of congestion is determined based on the class of vehicles causing congestion in the parking lot . The program according to claim 7 ,
The entrance information includes a narrowness of a path that the vehicle must travel to reach each entrance. The program according to claim 7 or 8 ,
The program, wherein the entrance information includes the number of pedestrians on the route along which the vehicle travels until reaching each entrance. The program according to any one of claims 7 to 9 ,
The entrance information includes information indicating whether the vehicle will arrive at the destination in time if each entrance is used. An information processing method by an information processing device,
Identifying at least one of a plurality of entrances of a parking lot from entrance information for each of the plurality of entrances;
Proposing the identified entrance to a user of a vehicle using the parking lot; and
Including,
The entrance information includes a congestion degree,
An information processing method in which the congestion degree is determined from the class of vehicles causing congestion in the parking lot . 12. The information processing method according to claim 11 ,
The information processing method, wherein the entrance information includes the narrowness of a route along which the vehicle travels to reach each entrance. 13. The information processing method according to claim 11 ,
An information processing method, wherein the entrance information includes an amount of pedestrians on a route along which the vehicle travels until reaching each entrance. 14. The information processing method according to claim 11 ,
An information processing method, wherein the entrance information includes information indicating whether the vehicle will arrive at the destination in time if each entrance is used.

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