JP7764766B2 - Control method for information processing device and information processing device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a control method for an information processing device and an information processing device.

In recent years, there has been technology that requires users to log in before using a specific application, and allows users who are authenticated through that login operation to use that application. In this case, it is conceivable that the user would log out each time they finish using the application, and then manually log in if they want to use the application again after logging out. However, if a login operation is required every time an application is used, this login operation can become cumbersome. Therefore, for example, technology has been proposed that, when a user logs out and then logs in again, displays a settings screen that accepts job settings for the application that the user was using immediately before logging out (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

JP 2018-152870 A

In the conventional technology described above, when a user logs in again after logging out, they can use the device in the same state as they were in immediately before the previous logout. However, if multiple people use the device that is the target of the login operation, continuing the previous login state will cause the device to start up with the settings of the user who used it last time. In this case, there is a risk that the information of the previous user will be used by another user who uses the device next time, so it is important to switch between the logged-in state and the logged-out state at the appropriate time.

The present invention aims to appropriately switch the login and logout states of applications used in a vehicle depending on the use of the vehicle.

One aspect of the present invention is a control method for controlling an information processing device installed in a vehicle, the information processing device being capable of executing an application associated with the vehicle. The application has a login state in which authentication has been completed for a communication device associated with the occupant, and a logout state in which authentication has not been completed for the communication device. In the login state, information related to the occupant can be output to the communication device. The vehicle has a location information acquisition unit that acquires location information indicating the current location of the vehicle. This control method includes a control process that, when the information processing device is powered off, executes control to log out the application at the next startup or control to maintain the login state of the application at the next startup, based on a first distance from a first position identified by the latest location information of the vehicle acquired by the location information acquisition unit to a predetermined location and the distance traveled from the first position to the vehicle's location at the time of power off.

According to the present invention, the login and logout states of applications used in a vehicle can be switched depending on the vehicle's driving state, allowing the login state to be appropriately switched depending on the use of the vehicle.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the external configuration of an imaging device and a display device. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of the external configuration of the imaging device and the display device. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of a system configuration of a management system that manages the login and logout states of information processing devices. FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of an information processing device mounted on a vehicle. FIG. 5 is a simplified diagram showing a route taken by a user who gets into a vehicle at a predetermined location, passing through a shopping mall and an amusement park, and then returning to the predetermined location. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing the relationship between the vehicle state, the vehicle session state, the vehicle login/logout state on the management server, the vehicle login/logout state, and the storage state of the token cache file on the vehicle side. FIG. 7 is a simplified diagram showing an example of the session information DB and the content management DB in the storage unit of the management server. FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of a display of an outside image and an inside image of a vehicle displayed on a display device, and an image displayed on a display unit of an electronic device. FIG. 9 shows an example of an image displayed on the display device when logging out, and an example of an image displayed on the display unit of the electronic device. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of determination when the predetermined location is in an underground parking lot. FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of determination when the parking lot of a shopping mall where the vehicle is stopping is an underground parking lot. FIG. 12 is a sequence chart showing an example of communication processing performed between an information processing device, a management server, and an electronic device. FIG. 13 is a sequence chart showing an example of communication processing performed between an information processing device, a management server, and an electronic device. FIG. 14 is a sequence chart showing an example of communication processing performed between an information processing device, a management server, and an electronic device. FIG. 15 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a login control process in the information processing device. FIG. 16 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a login control process in the information processing device. FIG. 17 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a login control process in the management server. FIG. 18 is a block diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of an information processing device mounted on a vehicle.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[Example of vehicle internal configuration]
1 and 2 are diagrams showing an example of the external configuration of the imaging devices 10, 20 and the display devices 30, 40. Note that Fig. 1 and Fig. 2 show a simplified view of the interior of the vehicle 1, and omit illustrations of only a dashboard 2, a steering wheel 3, a windshield 4, a rearview mirror 5, a car navigation device 6, a driver's seat 7, and a passenger seat 8. Fig. 1 shows an example of the external configuration when the area in front of the driver's seat 7 and passenger seat 8 is viewed from the rear of the vehicle 1, and Fig. 2 shows an example of the external configuration when the area in front of the rear seats is viewed from the rear of the vehicle 1.

The imaging device 10 is installed on the ceiling inside the vehicle 1 and captures images of subjects inside the vehicle 1 to generate images (image data). For example, the imaging device 10 can be installed above the windshield 4, i.e., above the rearview mirror 5. The imaging device 20 is installed at the left end of the dashboard 2 and captures images of subjects outside the vehicle 1 to generate images (image data). The imaging devices 10, 20 are composed of, for example, one or more cameras or image sensors capable of capturing images of subjects. While this example shows an example with at least two imaging devices 10, 20, it is also possible to provide one or more imaging devices and use some of the images from these imaging devices. The installation locations of each imaging device are not limited to the examples shown in Figures 1 and 2 and can be changed as appropriate. One or more devices, such as a 360-degree camera, capable of capturing subjects in all directions around the vehicle 1 and subjects inside the vehicle 1 may also be used.

Display devices 30, 40 are display devices that display various images under the control of controller 140 (see Figure 4). Display devices 30, 40 can be, for example, touch panels that can accept user operations by touching the screen. Display device 30 can be referred to as an assistant monitor, and display device 40 can be referred to as a rear monitor. Various images may also be displayed on car navigation device 6 instead of display device 30.

Specifically, the display device 30 is provided on the passenger seat 8 side of the dashboard 2 so that it can be seen by the passenger seat 8, and displays various images on the display unit 31. The display device 40 is provided near the center of the ceiling inside the vehicle 1 so that it can be seen by the passenger seat 8, and displays various images on the display unit 41. The display device 40 can be, for example, a flip-down display device attached to the ceiling using a support member 42, i.e., a folding display device. While this example shows an example in which at least two display devices 30, 40 are provided, it is also possible to provide one or three or more display devices and perform display control on only some of these display devices. Furthermore, the installation locations of each display device are not limited to the examples shown in Figures 1 and 2 and can be changed as appropriate. Furthermore, display examples of the display devices 30, 40 are shown in Figures 8 and 9.

[Example of management system configuration]
FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of the system configuration of a management system 50 that manages the login and logout states of the information processing device 100. As shown in FIG.

The management system 50 is a communications system for managing the login and logout states and content of each vehicle under management. The management system 50 is configured to enable communication between the management server 70 and other devices via the network 60. For example, the management server 70 is configured to enable communication between the information processing device 100, electronic device 80, and other devices of the vehicle 1 via the network 60. The electronic device 80 is a communications device carried by a passenger in the vehicle 1 and is a wireless device capable of connecting to the network 60 via wireless communication. The electronic device 80 is, for example, a smartphone, tablet device, or portable personal computer, or other information processing device capable of communication. The communication function may be built into the electronic device 80 or may be attached to the electronic device 80 as an external device. For ease of explanation, Figure 3 shows only the information processing device 100 installed in one vehicle 1; however, this embodiment can also be applied when multiple information processing devices are present. For ease of explanation, Figure 3 shows an example in which one electronic device 80 is used in one vehicle 1; however, this embodiment can also be applied when multiple electronic devices are used in one vehicle 1.

The information processing device 100 is an in-vehicle device installed in the vehicle 1 and is capable of executing applications associated with the vehicle 1. These applications are hereinafter referred to as management apps. The management app is capable of processing according to the use of the vehicle 1 and processing related to the vehicle 1. Processing according to the use of the vehicle 1 and processing related to the vehicle 1 include, for example, management processing for displaying and communicating images of the interior and exterior of the vehicle. The management app has a login state in which authentication has been completed for the electronic device 80 related to the occupant of the vehicle 1, and a logout state in which authentication has not been completed for the electronic device 80. In other words, a state in which the user is not logged in is the logout state. In addition, in the login state, the management app can output information related to the occupant of the vehicle 1, such as image content, from the information processing device 100 to the electronic device 80 using a specific application corresponding to the user ID. This output is, for example, transmission from the information processing device 100 to the electronic device 80 via the network 60 and the management server 70, or direct transmission from the information processing device 100 to the electronic device 80 using short-range wireless communication.

In this embodiment, an example is shown in which the login state of an application is a state in which authentication has been completed for a device related to a vehicle occupant, and the logout state of an application is a state in which authentication has not been completed for that device. However, this embodiment is not limited to this, and can also be applied to cases in which the login state of an application is a state in which some authentication process has been completed, and the logout state of an application is a state in which that authentication process has not been completed. In other words, this embodiment can also be applied to various applications that have a login state and a logout state. Furthermore, the login shown in this embodiment can also be referred to as logon, sign-in, etc. Furthermore, the logout shown in this embodiment can also be referred to as logoff, sign-off, etc.

In addition, in this embodiment, the period from the start to the end of the communication-enabled state between the information processing device 100 and the management server 70 during the period from when the user U1 who rented the vehicle 1 returns the vehicle 1 will be referred to as a session. Furthermore, a state in which the session between the information processing device 100 and the management server 70 is valid and authentication of the electronic device 80 has been completed by the management server 70 will be referred to as the information processing device 100 being in a logged-in state. Furthermore, a state in which authentication of the electronic device 80 has not been completed by the management server 70 will be referred to as the information processing device 100 being in a logged-out state. Note that the information processing device 100 will also be referred to as being in a logged-out state when the session between the information processing device 100 and the management server 70 is invalid.

As described above, this embodiment shows an example in which a management app installed on the information processing device 100 is used. Therefore, when the information processing device 100 is said to be in a logged-in state, it means that the management app is in a logged-in state, and when the information processing device 100 is said to be in a logged-out state, it means that the management app is in a logged-out state. Similarly, when the vehicle 1 is said to be in a logged-in state, it means that the management app is in a logged-in state, and when the vehicle 1 is said to be in a logged-out state, it means that the management app is in a logged-out state.

Network 60 is a network such as a public line network or the Internet. Furthermore, each device that makes up management system 50 is connected to network 60 using either a communication method that uses wireless communication or a communication method that uses wired communication, or both.

The management server 70 includes a communication unit 71, a controller 72, and a memory unit 73. For example, the management server 70 can be a server that manages the login and logout status of the information processing device 100, manages image content transmitted from the information processing device 100 of the vehicle 1, and provides image content in response to requests from the electronic device 80.

The communication unit 71 exchanges various types of information with other devices using wired or wireless communication under the control of the controller 72. In other words, the communication unit 71 functions as an image receiving unit and an image transmitting unit.

The controller 72 controls each unit based on various programs stored in the memory unit 73. The controller 72 is realized, for example, by a processing device such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit). The controller 72 also has, as its functional components, a password issuing unit 75, a password recognition unit 76, a login/logout status management unit 77, and a content management unit 78. The password issuing unit 75, password recognition unit 76, login/logout status management unit 77, and content management unit 78 will be described in detail with reference to Figures 12 to 14 and 17.

When a session is started with the information processing device 100, the password issuing unit 75 issues a session token corresponding to the session and a one-time password used to start the session. Session tokens will be described in more detail with reference to Figure 6.

The password recognition unit 76 performs password authentication processing using the one-time password issued by the password issuing unit 75 when starting a session with the information processing device 100.

The login/logout status management unit 77 manages the login status and logout status of the information processing device 100 using the session information DB 200 (see Figure 7 (A)) in the storage unit 73.

The content management unit 78 uses the content management DB 210 (see Figure 7(B)) in the storage unit 73 to manage content transmitted from the information processing device 100, and transmits the managed content to the electronic device 80.

The memory unit 73 is a storage medium that stores various types of information. For example, the memory unit 73 stores various types of information required for the controller 72 to perform various processes (e.g., a control program, a session information DB (see Figure 7(A)), and a content management DB (see Figure 7(B))). The memory unit 73 also stores various types of information acquired via the communication unit 71. The memory unit 73 can be, for example, a ROM (Read Only Memory), a RAM (Random Access Memory), a HDD (Hard Disk Drive), a SSD (Solid State Drive), or a combination of these.

The electronic device 80 can display image content transmitted from the management server 70 on the display unit 81 (see Figures 8 and 9). While Figure 3 shows an example in which information is exchanged between the electronic device 80 and the information processing device 100 via the network 60, information may also be exchanged directly between the electronic device 80 and the information processing device 100. In this case, for example, short-range wireless communication (e.g., a wireless LAN such as Wi-Fi, Bluetooth (registered trademark)) can be used.

[Configuration example of information processing device]
4 is a block diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of the information processing device 100 mounted on the vehicle 1. The information processing device 100 is an in-vehicle device in which the above-mentioned management application is installed, and when the management application is in a logged-in state, it can transmit each piece of content, including captured images generated by the imaging devices 10 and 20, to the management server 70. The content transmitted to the management server 70 can be transmitted to the electronic device 80 and displayed on the display unit 81 of the electronic device 80. Examples of these pieces of content are shown in FIGS. 8 and 9.

The information processing device 100 includes a controller 140, which is connected to a vehicle power supply system 110, sensors 120, a location information acquisition unit 125, a UI unit 130, a memory unit 150, a communication unit 160, and an image acquisition unit 170. While this example shows an example in which the information processing device 100 includes only the controller 140, the information processing device 100 may also include at least one of the units other than the controller 140 shown in FIG. 4. The controller 140 also includes a start/stop determination unit 141, a login continuation determination unit 142, a login control unit 143, a display control unit 144, a session information storage unit 145, and an image capture control unit 146.

The vehicle power supply system 110 supplies power to each part of the vehicle 1 and may consist of, for example, an on-board battery or a combination of a generator and on-board battery.

The sensors 120 are various sensors installed in the vehicle 1. The sensors 120 output detection information acquired by each sensor to the login continuation determination unit 142. Examples of the sensors include millimeter-wave radar, LIDAR (Light Detection and Ranging), sonar, a stroke sensor, an acceleration sensor, a lateral G sensor, a vertical G sensor, a vehicle speed sensor, a sound acquisition unit, and a seating sensor. The sound acquisition unit is installed inside or outside the vehicle 1 and acquires sounds around the vehicle 1 (sounds outside the vehicle) and sounds inside the vehicle based on the control of the controller 140. The sound acquisition unit may be, for example, one or more microphones or sound acquisition sensors. The vehicle speed sensor or the like measures the distance traveled by the vehicle 1. The sum of these traveled distances is calculated as an odometry value. The odometry value represents the total distance traveled by the vehicle 1.

The location information acquisition unit 125 acquires location information regarding the location of the vehicle 1 and outputs the acquired location information to the login continuation determination unit 142. For example, this can be implemented by a GNSS receiver that acquires location information using the Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS). The location information includes position-related data such as latitude, longitude, and altitude at the time of receiving the GNSS signal. Location information may also be acquired using other location information acquisition methods. For example, location information may be derived using information from nearby access points or base stations. Location information may also be acquired using beacons. Location information may also be derived using position estimation technology provided by a navigation device. For example, the travel distance of the vehicle 1 may be calculated based on the vehicle speed acquired by a vehicle speed sensor or the like, and the location information may be derived based on this travel distance and map information.

The UI unit 130 functions as an interface that accepts operations from the occupants of the vehicle 1 and provides various information to the occupants of the vehicle 1, and is equipped with display devices 30 and 40. The UI unit 130 outputs the contents of the accepted operations to the controller 140 and provides various information based on the control of the controller 140.

The image acquisition unit 170 acquires various images (still images, videos, etc.) related to the vehicle 1 and includes imaging devices 10 and 20. The imaging devices 10 and 20 output the captured images (image data) generated by the imaging process to the controller 140.

The controller 140 controls each unit based on various programs stored in the memory unit 150. The controller 140 is realized, for example, by a processing device such as a CPU. The vehicle ECU (Electronic Control Unit) of the vehicle 1 may also be used as the controller 140, or a processing device different from the vehicle ECU may be provided as the controller 140.

The start/stop determination unit 141 determines whether the vehicle 1 is started or stopped based on information from the vehicle power supply system 110, and outputs start/stop information related to the start/stop to the login continuation determination unit 142. For example, the start/stop determination unit 141 determines that the vehicle 1 has been started when the vehicle 1 is turned on using the vehicle 1's start switch (or a start operation using a key), and determines that the vehicle 1 has been stopped when the vehicle 1 is turned off using the vehicle 1's start switch. Note that in this embodiment, the on/off of the vehicle 1 and the on/off of the power supply of the information processing device 100 are linked.

The login continuation determination unit 142 determines whether to continue the logged-in state of the information processing device 100 using the latest location information of the vehicle 1 acquired by the location information acquisition unit 125, the odometry value of the vehicle 1, etc., and outputs the determination result to the login control unit 143. Specifically, the login continuation determination unit 142 uses the location information of the vehicle 1 and the odometry value of the vehicle 1 to determine whether there is a high probability that the vehicle 1 is located at a predetermined location SL1 (see FIG. 5) (or within a predetermined range PR1 (see FIG. 5)). If it is estimated that there is a high probability that the vehicle 1 is located at the predetermined location SL1 (or within the predetermined range PR1), it determines not to continue the logged-in state. On the other hand, if it is estimated that there is a high probability that the vehicle 1 is located away from the predetermined location SL1, the login continuation determination unit 142 determines that the logged-in state should be continued. The predetermined location SL1 and the predetermined range PR1 can be obtained based on map information stored in the memory unit 150.

The login control unit 143 controls the login state and logout state of the above-mentioned management app based on the determination result output from the login continuation determination unit 142. For example, when the information processing device 100 is powered on or off, the login control unit 143 controls the management app to transition to a logout state if it is estimated that there is a high possibility that the vehicle 1 is located at the predetermined location SL1 (or within the predetermined range PR1), and controls the management app to continue to be logged in if it is estimated that there is a high possibility that the vehicle 1 is located away from the predetermined location SL1. These login control processes will be described in detail with reference to Figures 5 to 17.

The display control unit 144 controls the display devices 30, 40 to display various images. For example, the display control unit 144 superimposes a virtual object on the captured image generated by the imaging devices 10, 20 and displays it on the display devices 30, 40. In this case, the display control unit 144 may display the same image on both the display devices 30, 40, or may display different images on each of the display devices 30, 40. The display control unit 144 also outputs the images displayed on the display devices 30, 40 to the imaging control unit 146. Examples of display on the display devices 30, 40 are shown in Figures 8 and 9.

The session information storage unit 145 stores various pieces of information required to start and continue a session on the information processing device 100. Note that the various pieces of information stored in the session information storage unit 145 are erased when the power to the information processing device 100 is turned off.

The shooting control unit 146 executes content management processing for transmitting images displayed on the display devices 30, 40 to the management server 70. Specifically, the shooting control unit 146 determines whether the shutter operation area 304 (see FIG. 8) has been pressed, and temporarily stores the image displayed on the display devices 30, 40 when the shutter operation area 304 was pressed in the memory unit 150 as image content. Specifically, the shooting control unit 146 acquires the image displayed on the display devices 30, 40 when the shutter operation area 304 was pressed from the display control unit 144, and temporarily stores the acquired image as image content in the memory unit 150. Note that video content may be stored in addition to still image content at the time the shutter operation area 304 was pressed. The shooting control unit 146 also transmits the image content stored in the memory unit 150 to the management server 70 via the communication unit 160. In this way, the image content acquired when the shutter operation area 304 is pressed can be sent to the management server 70 and managed by the management server 70. This makes it possible to easily view the image content managed by the management server 70 using other devices, such as the electronic device 80 (see Figure 3).

The memory unit 150 is a storage medium that stores various types of information. For example, the memory unit 150 stores various types of information (e.g., control programs, management apps, map information, virtual object information, and image content) required by the controller 140 to perform various processes. The memory unit 150 also stores various types of information acquired via the communication unit 160. For example, the memory unit 150 can be a ROM, RAM, HDD, SSD, or a combination of these. Note that the image content is a file of an image displayed on the display device 30, 40 that was acquired based on a photographing operation by an occupant of the vehicle 1. Note that this embodiment shows an example in which the memory unit 150 is used as non-volatile memory that stores information even after the information processing device 100 is powered off.

The communication unit 160 exchanges various types of information with other devices using wireless communication under the control of the controller 140. For example, when a session of the information processing device 100 is started or ended, information is exchanged with the management server 70. Also, for example, under the control of the imaging control unit 146, the communication unit 160 transmits images displayed on the display devices 30 and 40 by the display control unit 144 to the management server 70 as image content via the network 60. The communication unit 160 also receives information transmitted from the management server 70 or other external devices via the network 60.

[Example of relationship between vehicle position and predetermined location]
5 is a simplified diagram showing routes BR1 to BR3 taken by user U1 who boarded vehicle 1 at predetermined location SL1, passing through shopping mall SM1 and amusement park PL1, before returning to predetermined location SL1. Here, vehicle 1 is a vehicle used by multiple users, and predetermined location SL1 is a location where vehicle 1 is parked and where users boarding vehicle 1 switch. For example, it is assumed that vehicle 1 is a shared car, and predetermined location SL1 is a rental location or station for vehicle 1. It is also assumed that vehicle 1 is a rental car, and predetermined location SL1 is a rental car office or rental location.

Figure 5 also shows an example in which the predetermined range PR1 is a circular area with a radius R1 based on the position of the predetermined location SL1. Note that the radius R1 can be set appropriately based on experimental data, etc., and can be a value of, for example, several meters to several tens of meters.

In this embodiment, the vehicle 1 being off means that the power to the vehicle 1 is completely off. In other words, between a state in which the vehicle 1 is able to run and a state in which the power is completely off, there is a state in which the accessory power is on (in other words, a state in which some of the power is on). An example of a state in which the accessory power is on is when the vehicle power is on but the shift lever is in the P (Parking) position. In this way, when the accessory power is on, the vehicle 1 is considered to be in the on state.

As mentioned above, this embodiment shows an example in which the on/off of vehicle 1 and the on/off of the power supply of information processing device 100 are linked. That is, the power supply of information processing device 100 is turned on when vehicle 1 is turned on, and the power supply of information processing device 100 is turned off when vehicle 1 is turned off. However, when the accessory power supply of vehicle 1 is on, the power supply of information processing device 100 may be turned off, and the power supply of information processing device 100 may be turned off only when vehicle 1 is ready to run. These settings can be set as appropriate based on the user's preferences or by the administrator who manages vehicle 1.

Here, if vehicle 1 is a shared car or rental car, a change of user occurs at the location where vehicle 1 is rented. For example, assume that captured images generated by the imaging devices 10, 20 installed in vehicle 1 are shared with the user who rented vehicle 1 and their friends using a management app. In this case, assume that user A rents and uses vehicle 1, and then user B rents and uses vehicle 1. In such a case, if the logged-in state of the management app continues even after the user renting vehicle 1 changes, user B may be able to view captured images generated during user A's use. Therefore, to prevent other users from viewing captured images, the user who rented vehicle 1 may perform a login/logout operation each time vehicle 1 is turned on or off. However, if the user who rented vehicle 1 had to perform a login/logout operation each time vehicle 1 was turned on or off, the login/logout operation would become cumbersome.

Therefore, when the information processing device 100 is powered on or off, if the vehicle 1 is in a predetermined location (predetermined location SL1 or within predetermined range PR1), it is conceivable to control the management app to transition to a logged-out state, and if the vehicle 1 is not in the predetermined location, it is conceivable that the management app will remain logged in. However, if the vehicle 1 is in an environment where it is difficult to obtain appropriate location information, it may be difficult to appropriately determine whether the vehicle 1 is in the predetermined location.

For example, consider a case where a GNSS device is used as the location information acquisition unit 125. GNSS devices are also sometimes referred to as GPS (Global Positioning System). It is expected that the GNSS device will have difficulty acquiring appropriate location information if the vehicle 1 is located in a location with low satellite signal strength, such as an underground parking lot or a tunnel. It is also expected that the GNSS device itself will have difficulty acquiring appropriate location information for some reason, such as a small number of satellites or a malfunction. In this way, if the vehicle 1 is turned off or on in a location where valid location information cannot be acquired by the GNSS device, it may not be possible to properly determine whether the management app should log in or log out based on the location information acquired by the GNSS device.

In this embodiment, when the vehicle 1 is turned off or on, i.e., when the information processing device 100 is powered off or on, the latest location information of the vehicle 1 acquired by the location information acquisition unit 125 and the odometry value of the vehicle 1 are used to estimate whether the vehicle 1 is likely to be at the specified location SL1, and a login/logout determination is made for the management app. Note that the latest location information of the vehicle 1 is the most recent location information of the vehicle 1 that has been validly acquired by the location information acquisition unit 125.

Specifically, when the information processing device 100 is powered off or on, the management app determines whether to log in or log out based on the distance (first distance) from the location (first location) identified by the latest location information of the vehicle 1 acquired by the location information acquisition unit 125 to the predetermined location SL1 and the distance traveled from the first location to the location of the vehicle 1 when the power was turned off or on. In this way, in this embodiment, the logged-in state established when the vehicle 1 was first used is maintained until the vehicle 1 is returned.

Here, it is assumed that, for example, the management app may stop for some reason at a location far from the predetermined location SL1, and that vehicle 1 may then be returned to the predetermined location SL1 in a state where the management app cannot be started. In this case, it is also assumed that a new user who newly rents vehicle 1 may start using the management app at a location far from the predetermined location SL1. In such a case, the location of vehicle 1 when the management app is started will be significantly different from the location of vehicle 1 when the management app is terminated immediately before the start-up operation. Note that the odometry value of vehicle 1 at the time the management app is terminated is stored in memory unit 150, and therefore in such a case, the difference between the current odometry value and the odometry value stored in memory unit 150 will be large.

Therefore, when vehicle 1 is turned on, if the difference between the current odometry value and the odometry value stored in memory unit 150 is equal to or greater than the first threshold, it is determined that the management app should transition to a logout state. In other words, if the location of vehicle 1 when the management app startup operation is performed is significantly different from the location of vehicle 1 when the management app was terminated immediately before the startup operation, i.e., if the distance between the two locations is long, it is possible that vehicle 1 has arrived at specified location SL1 or the renter of vehicle 1 has changed, so the management app transitions to a logout state.

Here, it is assumed that vehicle 1 will start moving immediately after vehicle 1 is turned on. Furthermore, after vehicle 1 is turned on, it takes a certain amount of time for information processing device 100 and management app to start up. For this reason, if vehicle 1 starts moving immediately after vehicle 1 is turned on, it is assumed that the difference between the odometry value stored in memory unit 150, i.e., the odometry value when vehicle 1 is turned off, and the odometry value when the management app is started, i.e., the current odometry value, will not be zero. In this case, if the user transitions to a logout state, another login operation will be required, making the login operation cumbersome. Therefore, a first threshold is set to make appropriate login/logout decisions even in such situations.

In other words, the first threshold is set to a value equal to or greater than the distance that the vehicle 1 is expected to travel from the time the vehicle 1 starts moving immediately after the on-state operation until the management app is launched. For example, the first threshold can be set to a value of approximately 200 m to 500 m. Note that this value is just an example, and the first threshold can be set appropriately based on experimental data, etc.

In this way, in this embodiment, when the information processing device 100 is powered on, if the distance traveled from the location of the vehicle 1 when the management app was last shut down to the location of the vehicle 1 when the power is turned on is equal to or greater than the first threshold, the management app is controlled to transition to a logout state. In this way, when the information processing device 100 is powered on, if it is determined that the vehicle has traveled a certain distance since the management app was last shut down, the management app can be transitioned to a logout state.

Furthermore, for example, when the vehicle 1 is turned off, it is possible to determine whether to continue the logged-in state of the management app based on the latest location information at the time of the turn-off, i.e., the latest location information that was validly acquired by the location information acquisition unit 125. Specifically, it is possible to determine whether to continue the logged-in state of the management app based on whether the location (first location) identified by the latest location information at the time the vehicle 1 was turned off is further away from the predetermined location SL1 by a second threshold or more. For example, if the first location is further away from the predetermined location SL1 by the second threshold or more, it is estimated that the vehicle 1 is likely to be located far from the predetermined location SL1, and it is determined that the logged-in state of the management app should continue. On the other hand, if the first location is further away from the predetermined location SL1 than the second threshold, it is estimated that the vehicle 1 is likely to be located at the predetermined location SL1, and it is determined that the management app should transition to a logged-out state.

Here, the second threshold is a value set to confirm that vehicle 1 is likely to be located away from the predetermined location SL1, and is a value set to transition to the logout state when vehicle 1 returns to the predetermined location SL1. Note that, because the determination using Equations 1 to 3 described below uses the odometry value of vehicle 1 and the vehicle's position information, it is preferable to set the second threshold taking into account errors in both mileage and position information. For example, an error of approximately 100 meters can occur in mileage. Furthermore, a GPS device can generate errors of approximately several tens of meters. Therefore, a value of approximately 200 to 500 meters can be set, taking into account errors in mileage and position information. By setting the second threshold in this way, even if vehicle 1 arrives at the predetermined location SL1 without being able to launch the management app, it is possible to appropriately transition to the logout state. Note that these values are merely examples and can be set appropriately based on experimental data, the accuracy of location information acquisition, and the like. It is also preferable that the second threshold be equal to or greater than the first threshold described above.

Note that if the position information acquisition unit 125 is a GPS device, horizontal position accuracy information can be obtained in real time based on the number of satellites used for positioning, etc. Therefore, the second threshold may be changed based on the position accuracy information of the position information acquisition unit 125. For example, based on the position accuracy information of the position information acquisition unit 125 at the last position information recording position LL11, the second threshold can be set smaller as the position accuracy of the position information acquisition unit 125 increases.

Note that if the parking lot at the predetermined location SL1 is an underground parking lot, it may be impossible to properly obtain location information within the parking lot at the predetermined location SL1. Therefore, if the parking lot at the predetermined location SL1 is an underground parking lot, it may be possible to determine whether to continue the login state of the management app based on whether the first position described above is further away from the entrance to the underground parking lot at the predetermined location SL1 by a second threshold or more. Note that if there are multiple entrances to the underground parking lot at the predetermined location SL1, it is preferable to determine whether to continue the login state of the management app based on whether the first position described above is further away from each of those entrances by a second threshold or more. An example of when the parking lot at the predetermined location SL1 is an underground parking lot is shown in Figure 10.

Furthermore, for example, when vehicle 1 is turned on, it is possible to determine whether to continue the logged-in state of vehicle 1 based on whether the information processing device 100 or the management app was terminated normally when vehicle 1 was turned off immediately before the on-operation, and the distance traveled from the position of vehicle 1 at the time of the on-operation to the position of vehicle 1 when it was off immediately before the on-operation.

For example, it is preferable not to use data when the information processing device 100 or management app has abnormally terminated. Therefore, when the vehicle 1 is turned on, if the information processing device 100 or management app did not terminate normally when the vehicle 1 was turned off immediately before the on operation, it is determined that the management app should transition to a logged-out state. Examples of this are shown in Figures 15 and 16.

[Example of relationship between vehicle state and logon/logout of information processing device]
6 is a diagram showing the relationship between the state of vehicle 1, the session state of vehicle 1, the login/logout state of vehicle 1 in management server 70, the login/logout state on the vehicle 1 side, and the storage state of the token cache file on the vehicle 1 side. FIG. 6 shows an example of the relationship from when user U1 rents vehicle 1 at predetermined location SL1, as shown in FIG. 5, to when user U1 goes to shopping mall SM1 and amusement park PL1, and then returns vehicle 1 at predetermined location SL1.

The horizontal axis in Figure 6 represents the time axis. Furthermore, assume that user U1 parks vehicle 1 with the vehicle 1 turned off while at shopping mall SM1 and amusement park PL1. After turning vehicle 1 on at amusement park PL1, user U1 heads to designated location SL1 and returns vehicle 1 at designated location SL1. The on/off state of vehicle 1 in this case is shown in Figure 6 (A).

Figure 6 (A) shows the on and off states of vehicle 1. That is, vehicle 1 is in the off state before user U1 rents vehicle 1 at specified location SL1, between arrival at shopping mall SM1 and departure, between arrival at amusement park PL1 and departure, and after user U1 returns vehicle 1 at specified location SL1. Furthermore, vehicle 1 is in the on state while vehicle 1 is traveling along routes BR1 to BR3.

Figure 6 (B) shows the session status of vehicle 1 managed by management server 70. As described above, the session in this embodiment refers to the communication period from the start to the end of communication between the information processing device 100 and management server 70 during the period from when user U1, who rented vehicle 1, returns vehicle 1. In other words, the session is invalid before user U1 rents vehicle 1 at predetermined location SL1 and after user U1 returns vehicle 1 at predetermined location SL1. Furthermore, the session is valid from when user U1 rents vehicle 1 at predetermined location SL1 until when user U1 returns vehicle 1 at predetermined location SL1. The start and end timings of communication between the information processing device 100 and management server 70 will be described in detail with reference to Figures 12 to 14, etc.

Figure 6 (C) shows the management status on the management server 70 side of the login and logout states of the information processing device 100. In this embodiment, if a session between the information processing device 100 and the management server 70 is valid, the management server 70 determines that the vehicle 1 is in a logged-in state, and if the session is invalid, the management server 70 determines that the vehicle 1 is in a logged-out state.

Figure 6 (D) shows the management status on the vehicle 1 side of the login and logout states of the information processing device 100. In this embodiment, if a session between the information processing device 100 and the management server 70 is valid, the vehicle 1 side determines that the information processing device 100 is in a logged-in state, and if the session is invalid, the vehicle 1 side determines that the information processing device 100 is in a logged-out state. However, if the vehicle 1 is in an off state, the power supply of the information processing device 100 is also in an off state, and therefore the information processing device 100 is determined to be in an off state.

Here, the token cache file is a temporary storage file for the session token, which is the label for the session between the information processing device 100 and the management server 70. In other words, the token cache file is continuation information used to maintain the logged-in state of the information processing device 100 when the session between the information processing device 100 and the management server 70 is valid. The token cache file is stored in the storage unit 150, which can store data even when the information processing device 100 is powered off. The timing for saving the token cache file will be described in detail with reference to Figures 12 to 14, etc.

[Example of DB on management server]
FIG. 7 is a simplified diagram showing an example of the session information DB 200 and the content management DB 210 in the storage unit 73 of the management server 70.

Figure 7(A) shows a session information DB 200 for managing sessions between the information processing device of each vehicle and the management server 70 for multiple vehicles. The session information DB 200 stores a vehicle ID 201, a session 202, a session token 203, a one-time password 204, and a user ID 205 in association with each other. Note that Figure 7(A) shows a simplified version of the information stored in the vehicle ID 201, session token 203, one-time password 204, and user ID 205.

Vehicle ID 201 is identification information for identifying a vehicle equipped with an information processing device capable of initiating a session with management server 70. Session 202 is information indicating whether a session between the information processing device of each vehicle and management server 70 is valid or invalid for multiple vehicles.

The session token 203 is information indicating the session token, which is the label for the session between the information processing device of each vehicle and the management server 70. The one-time password 204 is a temporary password used when starting a session between the information processing device of each vehicle and the management server 70, and is composed of letters, numbers, symbols, or a combination of these. The one-time password 204 is deleted after a predetermined time has passed.

User ID 205 is identification information for identifying the user using each vehicle. The user ID can be an ID for a web service, such as an SNS (Social Networking Service), that allows registered users to converse with each other and exchange various content. This ID can be, for example, a telephone number, email address, or web service ID. If multiple electronic devices are used in vehicle 1, multiple user IDs for each electronic device can be stored in user ID 205.

Figure 7(B) shows a content management DB 210 that manages various content related to a user who has initiated a session between an information processing device and the management server 70. The content management DB stores a vehicle ID 211 and content 212 in association with each other. Note that the vehicle ID 211 corresponds to the user ID 205 shown in Figure 7(A).

Content 212 is various types of content sent to the management server 70 using a management app by a user who has initiated a session between an information processing device and the management server 70. In this embodiment, image content is shown as an example of content managed by the management server 70. Also, Figure 7 (B) shows simplified images of the images shown in the upper left and upper right of Figure 8 as examples of content stored in content 212.

For example, user U1, whose session between the information processing device 100 and the management server 70 has ended, can still obtain various contents from the content management DB 210 using the electronic device 80 based on his or her user ID, even after the management app has logged out.

[Display example of vehicle exterior and interior images]
8 is a diagram showing an example of a vehicle exterior image and a vehicle interior image displayed on the display devices 30 and 40, and an example of an image displayed on the display unit 81 of the electronic device 80. Specifically, FIG. 8 shows an example of an image transition when switching the display mode of the image displayed on the display devices 30 and 40, and an example of an image displayed on the display unit 81 of the electronic device 80 after the capture button is pressed. Also, FIG. 8 shows an example in which a vehicle image 306 representing a virtual vehicle and character images 305 and 321 representing characters that can ride in the virtual vehicle are displayed as virtual objects. Note that the character images 305 and 321 are the same character in different display modes.

The upper left of Figure 8 shows the exterior display mode screen 300, which is displayed when the exterior display mode is set. The exterior display mode screen 300 displays a captured image generated by the imaging device 20, i.e., an image including a subject ahead of the vehicle 1. Figure 8 shows a captured image including multiple vehicles traveling ahead of the vehicle 1, oncoming vehicles, etc. In this case, a composite image of a character riding in a virtual vehicle can be superimposed on the lower left of the captured image as a vehicle image 306 and a character image 305. In addition, on the exterior display mode screen 300, a mode switching area 301 and a shutter operation area 304 are superimposed on the captured image generated by the imaging device 20.

The upper right corner of Figure 8 shows an in-car display mode screen 320 that is displayed when the in-car display mode is set. The in-car display mode screen 320 displays a captured image generated by the imaging device 10, i.e., an image including a subject inside the vehicle 1. Figure 8 shows a captured image including the driver in the driver's seat of the vehicle 1 and passengers in the back seats. In this case, a character image 321 can be superimposed on the driver's face. Furthermore, on the in-car display mode screen 320, a mode switching area 301 and a shutter operation area 304 are superimposed on the captured image generated by the imaging device 10.

The mode switching area 301 is an area used when switching the display mode of the image displayed on the display devices 30 and 40. Specifically, the mode switching area 301 displays an exterior display mode switching button 302 and an interior display mode switching button 303.

For example, when the exterior display mode screen 300 is displayed and the interior display mode switch button 303 is pressed by the occupant, the interior display mode is set. In this case, an interior display mode switch screen (not shown) is temporarily displayed to notify the driver that the display mode will be switched to the interior display mode, and then an interior display mode screen 320 is displayed, which includes an image in which a character image 321 is superimposed on the captured image generated by the imaging device 10.

Furthermore, when the interior display mode screen 320 is displayed and the exterior display mode switch button 302 is pressed by the occupant, the exterior display mode is set. In this case, an exterior display mode switch screen (not shown) is temporarily displayed to notify the driver that the exterior display mode will be switched to, and then the exterior display mode screen 300 is displayed, which includes an image in which a character image 305 and a vehicle image 306 are superimposed on the captured image generated by the imaging device 20.

The shutter operation area 304 is an area used when recording an image displayed on the display device 30, 40. Specifically, when the shutter operation area 304 is pressed by the occupant, the image displayed on the display device where the pressing operation was performed is transmitted to the management server 70 as image content. In this case, along with the image at the time of pressing, images from a predetermined time before and after that time may be transmitted to the management server 70 as still image content or video content. Furthermore, along with the still image, sound acquired by the sound acquisition unit within that predetermined time may be transmitted as text information associated with the image. Furthermore, sound information may be transmitted associated with the video.

When the content management unit 78 of the management server 70 receives image content from the information processing device 100, it stores the received image content in content 212 of the content management DB 210 of the storage unit 73. Furthermore, the content management unit 78 transmits the image content stored in content 212 of the content management DB 210 to the electronic device 80 based on the user ID 211 of the content management DB 210. When the electronic device 80 receives image content from the management server 70, it displays the received image content on the display unit 81.

For example, when the exterior display mode screen 300 is displayed and the occupant presses the shutter operation area 304, image content corresponding to the exterior display mode screen 300 is transmitted to the electronic device 80. In this case, as shown in the lower left of FIG. 8, image content information 330 is displayed on the display unit 81 of the electronic device 80. Also, when the interior display mode screen 320 is displayed and the occupant presses the shutter operation area 304, image content corresponding to the interior display mode screen 320 is transmitted to the electronic device 80. In this case, as shown in the lower right of FIG. 8, image content information 340 is displayed on the display unit 81 of the electronic device 80. Note that character images 331 and 341 are the same characters as character images 305 and 321, but in a modified display format. Also, image content information 330 and 340 are displayed by display processing using a predetermined application corresponding to the user ID.

The display contents of the display devices 30 and 40 may be displayed in the same display mode, or different display modes may be displayed.

[Example of image displayed when logged out]
FIG. 9 shows an example of an image displayed on the display devices 30 and 40 and an image displayed on the display unit 81 of the electronic device 80 when logging out.

The left side of Figure 9 shows a logout notification screen 360 that is displayed on the display devices 30 and 40 when logging out. The logout notification screen 360 is a screen for notifying the occupants of the vehicle 1 that they have logged out, and displays a character image 361 representing a character along with a message indicating that they have logged out. Note that the character image 361 is the same character as the character images 305 and 321 shown in Figure 8.

The right side of Figure 9 shows logout notification information 370 that is displayed on the display unit 81 of the electronic device 80 when the user logs out. The logout notification information 370 is information for notifying the occupant carrying the electronic device 80 that they have logged out, and displays a character image 371 representing a character along with messages 372 and 373 indicating that they have logged out. Note that the character image 371 is the same character as the character images 305 and 321 shown in Figure 8 and the character image 361 shown on the left side of Figure 9. The logout notification information 370 is displayed by display processing using a specified application corresponding to the user ID.

[Example of determination when the specified location is in an underground parking lot]
FIG. 10 illustrates an example of a determination when the predetermined location SL1 is located in an underground parking lot. FIG. 10 illustrates an example in which the vehicle 1 returns to the predetermined location SL1 in the underground parking lot, as indicated by arrows AW11 and AW12. In this case, the radio wave reception strength of the location information acquisition unit 125 deteriorates near the underground parking lot entrance LL12. For example, the position just before the underground parking lot entrance LL12 is the last position from which the location information acquisition unit 125 was able to effectively acquire location information. In this way, the last position from which the location information acquisition unit 125 was able to effectively acquire location information after the radio wave reception strength of the location information acquisition unit 125 deteriorates is the last recorded location of location information LL11. The dotted line GB11 indicates the boundary between the area GW11 where the location information acquisition unit 125 receives good radio wave strength and the area BW11 where the location information acquisition unit receives poor radio wave strength.

As shown in Figure 10, it is assumed that the vehicle 1 is turned off after the vehicle 1 returns to the underground parking lot at the predetermined location SL1. In this way, when the vehicle 1 is turned off, it is possible to determine whether or not to continue the logged-in state of the vehicle 1 based on the distance X11 traveled by the vehicle 1 from the last location information recording position LL11 to the predetermined location SL1 and the straight-line distance Y11 between the last location information recording position LL11 and the predetermined location SL1. For example, if the following formula 1 is satisfied, it is determined that the logged-in state of the vehicle 1 should be continued, and if the following formula 1 is not satisfied, it is determined that the logged-in state of the vehicle 1 should not be continued.
Y11≧X11+second threshold value ...Equation 1

The straight-line distance Y11 can be calculated based on the latitude and longitude information corresponding to the last location information recording position LL11 and the latitude and longitude information corresponding to the specified location SL1. The traveled distance X11 of the vehicle 1 can be calculated based on the difference between the odometry value at the last location information recording position LL11 and the odometry value at the specified location SL1.

In the example shown in Figure 10, the travel distance X11 of vehicle 1 is longer than the straight-line distance Y11, so Y11 < X11. In other words, Y11 < X11 + the second threshold, which does not satisfy the above-mentioned formula 1. Therefore, it is highly likely that vehicle 1 has returned to the specified location SL1, so it is determined that the login state of the management app will not continue. In this way, if it is determined that the login state of the management app will not continue, the token cache file stored in the memory unit 150 is discarded and will not be used for the login process the next time the app is started. In this way, in this embodiment, when vehicle 1 is returned or a new user starts using vehicle 1, the session token is not stored in vehicle 1.

The above example shows how to determine whether to continue the logged-in state of vehicle 1 using the straight-line distance Y11 between the last recorded location LL11 of location information and the specified location SL1. However, if the parking lot at the specified location SL1 is an underground parking lot, it is possible that vehicle 1's location information cannot be properly acquired after vehicle 1 enters the underground parking lot. Therefore, if the parking lot at the specified location SL1 is an underground parking lot, the entrance PE11 of the underground parking lot at the specified location SL1 may be registered as the location of the specified location SL1, and the above-mentioned determination may be made based on this entrance PE11 of the underground parking lot. That is, the straight-line distance Y12 between the last recorded location LL11 of location information and the entrance PE11 of the underground parking lot may be used to determine whether to continue the logged-in state of vehicle 1. In this case, too, because vehicle 1's traveling distance X11 is longer than the straight-line distance Y12, Y12 < X11. That is, Y12 < X11 + the second threshold, which does not satisfy the above-mentioned formula 1. Therefore, since it is highly likely that vehicle 1 has returned to the specified location SL1, it is determined that the logged-in state of the management app should not be continued.

[Example of determination when the vehicle's stop location is in an underground parking lot]
FIG. 11 illustrates an example of a determination made when the parking lot of shopping mall SM1, where vehicle 1 stops, is an underground parking lot. FIG. 11 illustrates an example in which vehicle 1 moves to the underground parking lot of shopping mall SM1, as indicated by arrows AW21 and AW22. In this case, similar to the example shown in FIG. 10 , the radio wave reception status of location information acquisition unit 125 deteriorates near the entrance to the underground parking lot. Thus, the last location where the radio wave reception status of location information acquisition unit 125 deteriorates and location information can be effectively acquired by location information acquisition unit 125 is set as last location information recording location LL21. Note that the curve indicated by the dotted line GB21 represents the boundary between area GW21 where the radio wave reception strength of location information acquisition unit 125 is good and area BW21 where the radio wave reception strength of location information acquisition unit 125 is poor.

Similarly, in such a case, it can be determined whether or not to continue the logged-in state of vehicle 1 based on the distance X21 traveled by vehicle 1 from last location information recording position LL21 to the underground parking lot of shopping mall SM1 and the straight-line distance Y21 between last location information recording position LL21 and predetermined location SL1. For example, if the following formula 2 is satisfied, it is determined that the logged-in state of vehicle 1 should be continued, and if the following formula 2 is not satisfied, it is determined that the logged-in state of vehicle 1 should not be continued.
Y21≧X21+second threshold value ...Equation 2

In the example shown in FIG. 11, it is assumed that the straight-line distance Y21 is a larger value than the traveled distance X21. For example, assume that the distance between the position of vehicle 1 and the predetermined location SL1 is 10 km or more, while the distance from the entrance to the underground parking lot of shopping mall SM1 to the underground parking lot is approximately 100 m. In this case, it is assumed that vehicle 1 will clearly not reach the predetermined location SL1, so it is determined that the management app should remain logged in. In other words, if the straight-line distance Y21 is a larger value than the traveled distance X21, the above-mentioned formula 1 is satisfied, and it is determined that the management app should remain logged in. In this way, if it is determined that the management app should remain logged in, the token cache file is saved in the memory unit 150 and used for login processing the next time the app is started.

In this way, even if vehicle 1 is located in an underground parking lot and valid location information cannot be acquired by the location information acquisition unit 125, the location information of the last location information recording positions LL11 and LL21 and the odometry value can be used to appropriately determine whether to log in or log out. Furthermore, when vehicle 1 is located in an underground parking lot, it is expected that the communication environment between the information processing device 100 and the management server 70 will also deteriorate. Even in an environment where the communication environment has deteriorated and proper communication between the information processing device 100 and the management server 70 is not possible, if the above-described formulas 1 and 2 are satisfied, the login process can be performed using the token cache file stored in the memory unit 150, and the logged-in state can be maintained.

[Example of communication processing between devices]
12 to 14 are sequence charts showing an example of communication processing performed between the information processing device 100, the management server 70, and the electronic device 80. Figs. 12 to 14 show an example in which the vehicle 1 moves along the routes BR1 to BR3 shown in Fig. 5. The vertical axis shown at the right end of each of Figs. 12 to 14 indicates the position where the vehicle 1 is located. This communication processing example will be explained with appropriate reference to Figs. 1 to 11.

In addition, this embodiment shows an example in which the controller 140 receives the IGN signal (on/off signal) of the vehicle 1 and the odometry value signal via the CAN. In addition, in this embodiment, if an abnormality occurs in at least one of the IGN signal and the odometry value signal of the vehicle 1, the management app transitions to a logout state. Note that if an abnormality occurs in the IGN signal of the vehicle 1, it is assumed that, for example, the IGN signal of the vehicle 1 cannot be received via the CAN. In addition, if an abnormality occurs in the odometry value signal, it is assumed that, for example, the odometry value signal cannot be received via the CAN.

For example, if an odometry signal cannot be received even after a predetermined time, such as an odometry signal disruption diagnosis time, has elapsed since the vehicle 1 was turned on, the controller 140 can determine that the mileage cannot be acquired and transition to the logout state. However, the controller 140 may also determine that the mileage cannot be acquired and transition to the logout state if a waiting time longer than the odometry signal disruption diagnosis time, such as a first odometry value reception waiting time, has elapsed. The first odometry value reception waiting time is, for example, the time required to determine whether to log in or log out of the management app using the odometry value if an odometry signal has been received at least once after the vehicle 1 was turned on, and is longer than the odometry signal disruption diagnosis time.

In addition, this embodiment shows an example in which, of the location information acquired by the location information acquisition unit 125, only normal location information is adopted, and abnormal location information is not adopted. In other words, of the location information acquired by the location information acquisition unit 125, only location information with reliable accuracy is adopted. Note that well-known abnormality determination methods can be used to determine whether the location information acquired by the location information acquisition unit 125 is abnormal. For example, if the location information acquisition unit 125 is a GPS device, abnormality can be determined by an abnormality determination based on the checksum included in the GPS data, an invalidity determination based on the GPS data, an accuracy determination based on the GPS data, etc.

In addition, in this embodiment, while the management app is running, the controller 140 acquires valid location information acquired by the location information acquisition unit 125 in real time, and also acquires the odometry value at the time the valid location information was acquired. The controller 140 then associates the valid location information with the acquisition time and the odometry value at that acquisition time, updates the information sequentially, and stores it in the session information storage unit 145. In this way, the latest valid location information, the acquisition time, and the odometry value at that acquisition time are stored in the controller 140.

As shown in Figure 6 (A), before user U1 rents vehicle 1, vehicle 1 is parked in a predetermined location SL1 and is in an off state. Also, in this state, as shown in Figures 6 (B) to (D), vehicle 1's session with management server 70 is invalid, and vehicle 1 is logged out from both management server 70 and vehicle 1. Also, the token cache file is not stored in vehicle 1.

[Login Processing Example (Step S400)]
First, in step S401, user U1 rents vehicle 1 at a predetermined location SL1 and uses the start switch to turn on vehicle 1. In step S402, the power supply to information processing device 100 is turned on in conjunction with turning on vehicle 1. That is, activation/stop determination unit 141 detects the activation of vehicle 1 based on information from vehicle power supply system 110 and outputs the activation/stop information to login continuation determination unit 142.

In step S403, the login continuation determination unit 142 sets the status of the management app. In this status setting process, a system status and a last status are set. In this embodiment, these statuses are set to one of "Ended at a specified location," "Ended somewhere," or "Driving."

The system status is set to "driving" when the vehicle 1 is turned on. Furthermore, during the management app's termination process (steps S527 and S532 shown in FIG. 16), one of "Ended at a specified location," "Ended somewhere," or "Driving" is set based on the vehicle 1's mileage, the stability of the location information acquisition unit 125, the last recorded location of the location information, etc. The system status is stored in the memory unit 150.

The last status refers to the most recent system status stored in the memory unit 150, i.e., the system status at the time of the previous termination process of the management app. In other words, when the vehicle 1 is turned on, the system status at the time of the previous termination process of the management app stored in the memory unit 150 is read, and the read system status is set as the last status. The last status is stored in the session information storage unit 145.

In addition, after the system status read from the memory unit 150 is set as the last status, the login continuation determination unit 142 sets the system status to "driving." That is, when the vehicle 1 is turned on, the system status is set to "driving." In other words, when the vehicle 1 is in a state other than the termination process of the management app, the system status is set to "driving."

In this way, after the information processing device 100 is powered on, the login continuation determination unit 142 executes a setting process to set the system status and last status based on the system status stored in the memory unit 150. In this example, the previous management app stop process is performed after the vehicle 1 returns to the predetermined location SL1. Therefore, the memory unit 150 stores "Ended at predetermined location" as the system status, and therefore stores "Ended at predetermined location" as the last status.

In step S404, the login continuation determination unit 142 acquires the odometry value (saved value) stored in the memory unit 150 and the current odometry value (current value). The odometry value stored in the memory unit 150 is the odometry value saved after the vehicle 1 was last turned off. In other words, it is the odometry value saved when the management app was last stopped. For example, in step S442 shown in FIG. 13, step S482 shown in FIG. 14, and step S520 shown in FIG. 16, the odometry value is saved when the management app is stopped.

In step S405, the login continuation determination unit 142 performs a comparison process to compare the two odometry values acquired in step S502 and determines whether the difference between the two odometry values is equal to or greater than the first threshold. In other words, it determines whether the current value - the saved value is greater than or equal to the first threshold. This example shows a case where the vehicle 1 has not moved since the previous management app shutdown process. In other words, it is assumed that the current value - the saved value is less than the first threshold.

In step S406, the login continuation determination unit 142 determines whether the last status is "Ended somewhere." In this example, as described above, the last status is set to "Ended at a specified location," so it is determined that the last status is not "Ended somewhere." If it is determined that the last status is not "Ended somewhere," session start processing is executed to start a new session.

In step S407, the login control unit 143 sends a session start request to the management server 70 via the communication unit 160 as a request to start a session for vehicle 1. This session start request includes a vehicle ID for identifying vehicle 1.

In step S408, the management server 70 receives the session start request. Then, in step S409, the password issuance unit 75 of the management server 70 issues a session token corresponding to the session for vehicle 1 and a one-time password to be used when starting the session for vehicle 1. Next, in step S410, the password issuance unit 75 stores the issued session token and one-time password in the memory unit 73, associating them with the vehicle ID included in the session start request sent from vehicle 1. For example, as shown in FIG. 7(A), the session token 203 and one-time password 204 are stored in the session information DB 200 of the memory unit 73, associated with the vehicle ID 201. Furthermore, the password issuance unit 75 transmits destination information for the electronic device 80 to access the management server 70 to the information processing device 100, along with the session token and one-time password, based on the vehicle ID of vehicle 1.

In step S411, the controller 140 receives the destination information, session token, and one-time password. Then, in step S412, the login control unit 143 stores the received destination information, session token, and one-time password as variables in the session information storage unit 145. Note that each piece of information stored in the variables is deleted when the information processing device 100 is powered off.

In step S413, the display control unit 144 displays the received destination information and one-time password on the display devices 30, 40. The destination information is, for example, a URL for accessing the management server 70. The destination information may also be, for example, image information from which the destination information can be obtained, such as a QR code (registered trademark). This allows the user U1 of the vehicle 1 to view the destination information and one-time password displayed on the display devices 30, 40 and perform the login operation.

Specifically, in steps S414 and S415, user U1 of vehicle 1 operates electronic device 80 using the destination information displayed on display devices 30 and 40 to transmit a user ID, which can identify user U1 or electronic device 80, to management server 70. For example, if a QR code is used as image information from which the destination information can be obtained, the control unit of electronic device 80 can obtain the destination information based on the QR code read by the imaging unit of electronic device 80. The destination information includes the vehicle ID of vehicle 1. Based on the destination information, the control unit of electronic device 80 associates user U1's user ID with the vehicle ID and transmits the associated information to management server 70. The user ID is identification information used by management server 70 to transmit various information to electronic device 80, such as identification information for identifying user U1, device identification information for identifying electronic device 80, email address, telephone number, etc. For example, image content can be transmitted using a specific application that enables registered users to exchange messages, audio, video, and other information. In this case, by installing the specific application on the electronic device 80 and storing the user ID of the specific application in the user ID 205 of the session information DB 200 of the management server 70, it becomes possible to send image content to the electronic device 80.

In step S416, when the management server 70 receives the user ID and vehicle ID, the password recognition unit 76 associates the received user ID and vehicle ID and stores them in the memory unit 73. For example, as shown in FIG. 7(A), the user ID 205 is stored in the session information DB 200 in association with the vehicle ID 201. This makes it possible to link the session of vehicle 1 with the user ID of user U1 who uses vehicle 1. Note that the user ID is stored here temporarily until password authentication is successful.

In step S417, user U1 of vehicle 1 performs a transmission operation to input and transmit the one-time password displayed on display devices 30, 40 into electronic device 80. Then, in step S418, the control unit of electronic device 80 associates the one-time password input in step S417 with the user ID and transmits it to management server 70. For example, the one-time password can be input using a user interface such as a touch panel.

In steps S419 and S420, when the controller 140 receives the one-time password, the password recognition unit 76 executes password recognition processing based on the received one-time password. Specifically, the password recognition unit 76 compares the received one-time password with the one-time password 204 stored in the session information DB 200 in association with the user ID transmitted in association with the one-time password, and determines whether the two match. If the two one-time passwords match, the password recognition unit 76 determines that password authentication has been successful. On the other hand, if the two one-time passwords do not match, the password recognition unit 76 determines that password authentication has failed. In this case, the password recognition unit 76 transmits instruction information, such as instruction information to the electronic device 80 to instruct the user U1 to re-enter the one-time password, and notifies the user U1 that the correct one-time password has been transmitted.

In step S421, the password recognition unit 76 associates the user ID of user U1, who sent the one-time password that was successfully authenticated, the vehicle ID of vehicle 1, and the session token stored in association with this vehicle ID, and stores them in the storage unit 73. For example, as shown in FIG. 7(A), the vehicle ID 201, session token 203, and user ID 205 are stored in association with each other in the session information DB 200. This allows the session of vehicle 1 to be linked with the user ID of user U1 who uses vehicle 1. The one-time password 204 stored in association with the session token 203 is deleted. Furthermore, the user ID and vehicle ID temporarily stored in step S416 are officially stored in association with the session of vehicle 1. This completes login to the information processing device 100 of vehicle 1.

In step S422, the login/logout status management unit 77 sends a login completion notification to the information processing device 100 to notify that login to the information processing device 100 of vehicle 1 has been completed.

In step S423, the login control unit 143 receives a login completion notification sent from the management server 70. Upon receiving this login completion notification, the login operation on the information processing device 100 is completed. The information processing device 100 then transitions to the main scene. For example, as shown in the upper left or upper right of Figure 8, the display mode may transition to one that displays an exterior display mode screen 300 that displays an exterior image of the vehicle 1, or an interior display mode screen 320 that displays an interior image of the vehicle 1.

[Example of display control processing and content management processing (step S430)]
After the information processing device 100 transitions to the main scene, a display control process and a content management process are executed. Specifically, in step S431, the display control unit 144 causes the display device 30, 40 to display the captured image generated by the imaging device 10 or the imaging device 20. For example, as shown in FIG. 8 , the display can be switched based on a user operation between an exterior display mode screen 300 including the captured image generated by the imaging device 20 and an interior display mode screen 320 including the captured image generated by the imaging device 10. Then, when the capture button is pressed while the exterior display mode screen 300 or the interior display mode screen 320 is displayed, the processes of steps S432 to S436 are executed.

Specifically, in step S432, the user U1 presses the shutter operation area 304 on the exterior display mode screen 300 or the interior display mode screen 320. When this pressing operation is performed, in step S433, the image capture control unit 146 temporarily stores the image displayed on the display device where the pressing operation was performed as image content in the memory unit 150. The image capture control unit 146 also transmits the image content and the session token (or the vehicle ID of vehicle 1) stored in the session information storage unit 145 to the management server 70 via the communication unit 160. The image content temporarily stored in the memory unit 150 is deleted at a predetermined timing. This predetermined timing is, for example, when transmission to the management server 70 is completed or after a predetermined time has elapsed.

In step S434, when the controller 72 receives the image content and vehicle ID from the information processing device 100, the content management unit 78 of the controller 72 references the session information DB 200 and extracts the user ID associated with the received session token (or the vehicle ID of vehicle 1). The content management unit 78 then associates the received image content with the extracted user ID and stores it in the content 212 of the content management DB 210.

In step S435, the content management unit 78 transmits the image content received in step S434 to the electronic device 80 based on the user ID extracted in step S434. In step S436, upon receiving the image content from the management server 70, the control unit of the electronic device 80 displays the image content on the display unit 81. For example, the image content is displayed on the display unit 81 as shown in the lower left or lower right of Figure 8.

[Example of login continuation processing (step S440)]
The above-described display control process and content management process (step S430) are executed until the vehicle 1 is turned off. Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 13 , when the vehicle 1 is turned off, the login continuation process is executed.

Specifically, in step S441, if the user U1 turns off the vehicle 1, the activation/stop determination unit 141 detects that the off operation has been performed.

In step S442, the login continuation determination unit 142 stores the odometry values of the vehicle 1 in the memory unit 150. The odometry values stored in the memory unit 150 are used in the determination process after the vehicle 1 is turned on, as shown in steps S404 and S405. If a token cache file is not stored in the memory unit 150, the login continuation determination unit 142 stores in the memory unit 150 the token cache file corresponding to the session token stored in the session information holding unit 145 in step S412.

In step S444, the login continuation determination unit 142 calculates the straight-line distance Y between the position corresponding to the latest position information that can be validly acquired by the position information acquisition unit 125 (last recorded position of position information) and the predetermined location SL1, and also calculates the travel distance X of the vehicle 1 from the last recorded position of position information to the predetermined location SL1. Note that the calculation methods for the straight-line distance Y and the travel distance X are the same as the calculation methods shown in FIGS. 10 and 11 . Then, the login continuation determination unit 142 determines whether the calculated straight-line distance Y and travel distance X satisfy the following formula 3. Note that the second threshold is the same as the formula 1 and formula 2 described above. If formula 3 is satisfied, processing is executed to continue the logged-in state. On the other hand, if formula 3 is not satisfied, processing is executed to transition to a logout state. The example shown in FIG. 13 illustrates a case where formula 3 is satisfied and the logged-in state is continued.
Y≧X+second threshold value ...Equation 3

In step S445, the login continuation determination unit 142 sets the status of the management app. In the example shown in FIG. 13, in order to satisfy formula 3, a termination process is executed to set the system status to "End somewhere." The login continuation determination unit 142 then associates the system status at the time of the termination process, the odometry value at the time of the termination process, and the session token (token cache file) and stores them in the memory unit 150. The information stored in the memory unit 150 is then used the next time the management app is launched.

In step S446, the controller 140 executes a shutdown process to shut down the management app. Here, shutdown is a process to stop the running management app. Then, the information processing device 100 is powered on.

In addition, the information processing device 100 waits in a power-off state until the vehicle 1 is turned on. Then, when the user U1 returns to the vehicle 1 and the vehicle 1 is turned on, the information processing device 100 is powered off in response to the vehicle 1 being turned on.

Specifically, in step S447, user U1 turns on vehicle 1. In addition, in step S448, the information processing device 100 is powered on in conjunction with turning on vehicle 1.

In step S449, the login continuation determination unit 142 sets the status of the management app. This example shows a case where "Ended somewhere" was set as the system status in the previous termination process of the management app (step S445). Therefore, "Ended somewhere" is set as the last status.

In steps S450 and S451, the login continuation determination unit 142 executes an odometry value acquisition process and a comparison process. This acquisition process and comparison process are similar to the acquisition process and comparison process (steps S404 and S405) shown in FIG. 12, and therefore will not be described here. The example shown in FIG. 13 illustrates a case where the vehicle 1 has not moved since the previous management app shutdown process. In other words, it is assumed that the current value - the saved value < the first threshold value.

In step S452, the login continuation determination unit 142 determines whether the last status is "Ended somewhere." In this example, as described above, "Ended somewhere" is set as the last status, so the last status is determined to be "Ended somewhere." If it is determined that the last status is "Ended somewhere," processing is executed to continue the login state.

In step S454, the login control unit 143 sends a login status confirmation request to the management server 70. This login status confirmation request is sent together with the session token and vehicle ID. The session token is generated based on the token cache file stored in the memory unit 150. In this way, the login status confirmation request is sent to the management server 70, and the login status on the management server 70 is confirmed. This allows the login status to be continued after confirming whether the session token corresponding to the token cache file stored in the memory unit 150 is the same as the session token actually managed by the management server 70. This improves the accuracy of management related to the process of continuing the login status.

In steps S455 and S456, when the management server 70 receives the login status confirmation request, the login/logout status management unit 77 checks the login status of the information processing device 100. Specifically, the login/logout status management unit 77 references the session information DB 200 and checks the login status of the information processing device 100 based on the session token or vehicle ID included in the received login status confirmation request. For example, if session 202 in the session information DB 200 is "valid," it is determined that vehicle 1 is in a logged-in state. On the other hand, if session 202 in the session information DB 200 is "invalid," it is determined that vehicle 1 is in a logged-out state. In this example, the session for vehicle 1 is validated in step S422, and session 202 in the session information DB 200 is "valid," so it is determined that vehicle 1 is in a logged-in state.

In step S457, the login/logout status management unit 77 transmits the confirmation result of the login status of the information processing device 100 to the information processing device 100. In this example, the confirmation result of the login status of the information processing device 100 indicates that the session for vehicle 1 is valid and that vehicle 1 is in a logged-in state, and this is transmitted as the login status of the information processing device 100.

In step S458, the confirmation result of the login status of the information processing device 100 is received. Through these login continuation processes, the login status of the information processing device 100 continues even after the vehicle 1 is turned off and the power of the information processing device 100 is turned off. The information processing device 100 then transitions to the main scene and executes display control processing and content management processing (step S460). Note that before transitioning to the main scene, processing may be executed to notify that the login status has been automatically continued. For example, notification information to that effect may be displayed on the display devices 30 and 40, or may be output as audio. Furthermore, notification information to that effect may be output by the electronic device 80, for example, by display or audio output. Note that if the login status of the information processing device 100 continues, the session token corresponding to the token cache file stored in the memory unit 150 is stored in the session information storage unit 145.

[Example of display control processing, content management processing, and login continuation processing (steps S460, S465, S470)]
The display control process and the content management process (step S460) are executed until the next time the vehicle 1 is turned off. Furthermore, when the vehicle 1 is turned off, the login continuation process (step S465) is executed. Furthermore, the display control process and the content management process (step S470) are executed until the next time the vehicle 1 is turned off.

Note that the display control process and content management process (steps S460, S470) correspond to the display control process and content management process (step S430) described above, and therefore will not be described here. Also, the login continuation process (step S465) corresponds to the login continuation process (step S440) described above, and therefore will not be described here.

[Example of logout processing (step S480)]
The above-described display control process, content management process, and login continuation process are repeatedly executed until the vehicle 1 is turned off at the predetermined location SL1.

In step S481, if the user U1 turns off the vehicle 1, the activation/stop determination unit 141 detects that the off operation has been performed.

In step S482, the login continuation determination unit 142 stores the odometry values of the vehicle 1 in the storage unit 150. Note that the processing of step S482 corresponds to the processing of step S442 shown in Figure 13.

In step S484, the login continuation determination unit 142 calculates the straight-line distance Y and the traveled distance X, and determines whether the calculated straight-line distance Y and the traveled distance X satisfy the above-described formula 3. Note that the determination process of step S484 corresponds to the determination process of step S444 shown in FIG. 13. In the example shown in FIG. 14, the vehicle 1 is turned off after arriving at the predetermined location SL1, so the straight-line distance Y and the traveled distance X become 0 (or a value close to 0). Therefore, it is determined that formula 3 is not satisfied. In this case, a process to transition to the logout state is executed.

In step S485, the login control unit 143 sends a session termination request to the management server 70 via the communication unit 160 to terminate the session started for the information processing device 100. This session termination request includes the session token (or the vehicle ID of vehicle 1) stored in the session information storage unit 145. Then, in step S486, the login control unit 143 deletes the token cache file stored in the memory unit 150.

In steps S487 and S488, when the management server 70 receives a session termination request, the login/logout status management unit 77 invalidates the session of vehicle 1 based on the received session termination request, thereby terminating the session of vehicle 1. Specifically, the login/logout status management unit 77 performs invalidation processing on each piece of information stored in the session information DB 200 in association with the session token (or the vehicle ID of vehicle 1) included in the received session termination request. For example, the login/logout status management unit 77 invalidates session 202 and deletes the information on session token 203 and user ID 205. This completes logout of the information processing device 100 of vehicle 1.

In step S489, the login/logout status management unit 77 sends a session end notification to the information processing device 100 to notify that the session of the information processing device 100 of vehicle 1 has ended.

In steps S490 and S491, when the login control unit 143 receives the session end notification sent from the management server 70, it causes the display device 30, 40 to display a display screen indicating logout. For example, as shown on the left side of Figure 9, a logout notification screen 360 is displayed on the display device 30, 40.

In step S492, the login continuation determination unit 142 sets the status of the management app. In the example shown in Figure 14, because formula 3 is not satisfied, the login continuation determination unit 142 executes a termination process that sets the system status to "End at specified location." The login continuation determination unit 142 then associates the system status at the time of the termination process with the odometry value at the time of the termination process and stores them in the storage unit 150.

In step S493, the controller 140 executes a shutdown process to shut down the management app. Then, the information processing device 100 is powered on.

In step S494, the login/logout status management unit 77 sends a session end notification to the electronic device 80 to notify that the session of the information processing device 100 of the vehicle 1 has ended.

In steps S495 and S496, when the control unit of the electronic device 80 receives the session end notification sent from the management server 70, it causes the display unit 81 to display a display screen indicating logout. For example, as shown on the right side of Figure 9, logout notification information 370 is displayed on the display unit 81.

[Example of operation of information processing device]
15 and 16 are flowcharts showing an example of login control processing in the information processing device 100. The login control processing is executed by the controller 140 based on a program stored in the storage unit 150. The login control processing is executed after the vehicle 1 is turned on in response to an on-operation of the vehicle 1, the information processing device 100 is powered on in response to the on-operation of the vehicle 1, the management app is started, and the start-up of the management app is completed. The login control processing will be described with appropriate reference to FIGS. 1 to 14.

In step S501, the login continuation determination unit 142 sets the status of the management app. In this status setting process, the system status and the last status are set. This status setting process is similar to the status setting process (step S403) shown in Figure 12, so a description of it will be omitted here.

In step S502, the login continuation determination unit 142 acquires the odometry value (saved value) stored in the memory unit 150 and the current odometry value (current value).

In step S503, the login continuation determination unit 142 compares the two odometry values acquired in step S502 and determines whether the difference between the two odometry values is greater than or equal to the first threshold. That is, it determines whether the current value - the saved value is greater than or equal to the first threshold. For example, if the vehicle 1 has moved by more than the first threshold since the previous management app shutdown process, the relationship between the vehicle 1 and the specified location SL1 has changed since that movement, and the vehicle 1 may have moved closer to the specified location SL1. Because of this possibility, the reliability of the previous system status is low. In this way, if the vehicle 1 has moved by more than the first threshold since the previous management app shutdown process, the reliability of the previous system status is low, so the system is transitioned to a logout state. If the current value - the saved value is greater than or equal to the first threshold, the process proceeds to step S504. On the other hand, if the current value - the saved value is less than the first threshold, the process proceeds to step S505. In step S503, it may be determined whether the information processing device 100 or the management app terminated normally when the vehicle 1 was turned off immediately before the vehicle 1 was turned on. In this case, if the information processing device 100 or the management app terminated abnormally the immediately preceding time the vehicle 1 was turned off, the process proceeds to step S504. On the other hand, if the information processing device 100 and the management app terminated normally the immediately preceding time the vehicle 1 was turned off, the process proceeds to step S505.

In step S504, the login continuation determination unit 142 sets "driving" as the last status.

In step S505, the login continuation determination unit 142 determines whether the last status is "Ended somewhere." If the last status is "Ended somewhere," the process proceeds to step S506, where processing to continue the login state (steps S506 to S508) is executed. On the other hand, if the last status is not "Ended somewhere," that is, if the last status is "Ended at a predetermined location" or "Driving," the process proceeds to step S509.

In step S506, the login control unit 143 sends a login status confirmation request to the management server 70.

In step S507, the login control unit 143 determines whether or not it has received a confirmation result of the login status of the information processing device 100. If it has received a confirmation result of the login status of the information processing device 100 from the management server 70, it proceeds to step S508. On the other hand, if it has not received a confirmation result of the login status of the information processing device 100 from the management server 70, it continues monitoring until it receives a confirmation result of the login status of the information processing device 100.

In step S508, the login control unit 143 determines whether the information processing device 100 is currently logged in based on the received login status confirmation result. If the information processing device 100 is currently logged in, the process proceeds to step S518. On the other hand, if the information processing device 100 is not currently logged in, the process proceeds to step S513.

In step S509, the login control unit 143 determines whether a token cache file is stored in the memory unit 150. If a token cache file is stored, the process proceeds to step S510, where processing is performed to transition from the logged-in state to the logged-out state (steps S510 to S512). Then, processing is performed to start a new session for vehicle 1 (steps S513 to S517). On the other hand, if a token cache file is not stored, the process proceeds to step S513, where processing is performed to start a new session for vehicle 1 (steps S513 to S517).

Incidentally, when the vehicle 1 is turned off at the predetermined location SL1, the token cache file is generally deleted from the storage unit 150. However, even when the vehicle 1 is turned off at the predetermined location SL1, it is conceivable that the token cache file may remain stored in the storage unit 150 for some reason, such as a forced termination of the information processing device 100 or management app. Therefore, the determination process of step S509 is executed, and the invalid token cache file stored in the storage unit 150 is deleted.

In step S510, the login control unit 143 sends a session termination request to the management server 70 via the communication unit 160 to terminate the session started for the information processing device 100.

In step S511, the login control unit 143 deletes the token cache file stored in the memory unit 150.

In step S512, the login control unit 143 determines whether a session end notification has been received from the management server 70. If a session end notification has been received, the process proceeds to step S513. On the other hand, if a session end notification has not been received, monitoring continues until a session end notification is received. After receiving a session end notification, a display screen indicating logout may be displayed on the display device 30, 40 based on the session end notification received in step S512. For example, as shown on the left side of Figure 9, a logout notification screen 360 may be displayed on the display device 30, 40.

In step S513, the login control unit 143 sends a session start request to the management server 70 via the communication unit 160 as a request to start a session for vehicle 1. This session start request includes a vehicle ID for identifying vehicle 1.

In step S514, the login control unit 143 determines whether or not it has received destination information, a session token, and a one-time password from the management server 70. If it has received this information from the management server 70, it proceeds to step S515. On the other hand, if it has not received this information from the management server 70, it continues monitoring until it has received this information.

In step S515, the login control unit 143 stores the received destination information, session token, and one-time password as variables in the session information storage unit 145. Note that each piece of information stored in the session information storage unit 145 is deleted when the information processing device 100 is powered off.

In step S516, the display control unit 144 displays the destination information and one-time password received in step S514 on the display devices 30 and 40. This display allows user U1 of vehicle 1 to view the destination information and one-time password displayed on the display devices 30 and 40 and perform the login operation.

In step S517, the login control unit 143 determines whether a login completion notification has been received from the management server 70. If a login completion notification has been received, the process proceeds to step S518. On the other hand, if a login completion notification has not been received, the process returns to step S516. Note that if a login completion notification has not been received within a predetermined time, information may be displayed in step S516 to prompt the user to perform a login operation.

In step S518, the controller 140 executes display control processing and content management processing. This display control processing and content management processing corresponds to the display control processing and content management processing (steps S430, S460, and S470) shown in Figures 12 to 14, and therefore will not be described here.

In step S519, the activation/stop determination unit 141 determines whether or not the vehicle 1 has been turned off. If the vehicle 1 has been turned off, the process proceeds to step S520. On the other hand, if the vehicle 1 has not been turned off, the process returns to step S518.

In step S520, the login continuation determination unit 142 stores the odometry values of the vehicle 1 in the memory unit 150. Note that the odometry values stored in the memory unit 150 are used in the determination process after the vehicle 1 is turned on, as shown in steps S502 and S503.

In step S521, the login continuation determination unit 142 determines whether a predetermined time has elapsed since the vehicle 1 was turned off. If the predetermined time has elapsed, the process proceeds to step S526. On the other hand, if the predetermined time has not elapsed, the process proceeds to step S522.

In step S522, the activation/stop determination unit 141 determines whether the vehicle 1 has been turned on. If the vehicle 1 has been turned on, the process returns to step S518. On the other hand, if the vehicle 1 has not been turned on, the process returns to step S521.

For example, it is possible that user U1 of vehicle 1 may mistakenly turn vehicle 1 off. In this case, it is likely that user U1 will turn vehicle 1 on immediately after realizing their mistake. Therefore, to ensure that user U1 of vehicle 1 can quickly return to the original state even if they mistakenly turn vehicle 1 off, a predetermined time is set as the waiting time after turning vehicle 1 off before turning vehicle 1 on. The predetermined time can be set appropriately based on experimental data, etc., and can be set to a value of, for example, several seconds to several tens of seconds.

In step S526, the login continuation determination unit 142 calculates the straight-line distance Y between the position corresponding to the latest position information that was validly acquired by the position information acquisition unit 125 (last recorded position of position information) and the predetermined location SL1, and also calculates the travel distance X of the vehicle 1 from the last recorded position of position information to the predetermined location SL1. Note that the calculation methods for straight-line distance Y and travel distance X are the same as those shown in Figures 10 and 11. The login continuation determination unit 142 then determines whether the calculated straight-line distance Y and travel distance X satisfy the above-mentioned formula 3. If formula 3 is satisfied, the process proceeds to step S527. On the other hand, if formula 3 is not satisfied, the process proceeds to step S528.

In step S527, the login continuation determination unit 142 executes a termination process that sets the system status to "End somewhere." The login continuation determination unit 142 then associates the system status "End somewhere" at the time of the termination process, the odometry value at the time of the termination process, and the session token (token cache file) and stores them in the storage unit 150.

Note that the process for transitioning from the logged-in state to the logged-out state (steps S528 to S530) is similar to the process described above (steps S510 to S512), so a description of it will be omitted here.

In step S531, the display control unit 144 causes the display device 30, 40 to display a display screen indicating logout based on the session end notification received in step S530. For example, as shown on the left side of Figure 9, a logout notification screen 360 is displayed on the display device 30, 40.

In step S532, the login continuation determination unit 142 executes termination processing to set the system status to "Ended at a predetermined location." The login continuation determination unit 142 then associates the system status "Ended at a predetermined location" at the time of the termination processing with the odometry value at the time of the termination processing and stores them in the storage unit 150. Note that if the information processing device 100 or the management app is forcibly terminated, termination processing is executed to set the system status to "Driving."

In step S533, the controller 140 executes a shutdown process to shut down the management app. Here, shutdown is a process to stop the management app that is running. Then, in step S534, the power of the information processing device 100 is turned on.

15 and 16 show an example in which the management app enters a logged-in state after vehicle 1 is turned on, and if vehicle 1 is turned off, a login/logout determination is made and vehicle 1 is turned off. However, if the user does not perform a login operation using electronic device 80 after vehicle 1 is turned on, it is also possible that the logged-out state of the management app will be maintained and vehicle 1 will be turned off in that logged-out state. It is also possible that vehicle 1 will be turned off while the user is performing a login operation using electronic device 80 after vehicle 1 is turned on. In these cases, after vehicle 1 is turned on in step S519 and it is determined in step S521 that a predetermined time has elapsed, the session token is deleted, the system status is set to "driving", and termination processing is performed, followed by steps S533 and S534.

[Example of management server operation]
17 is a flowchart showing an example of login control processing in the management server 70. This login control processing is executed by the controller 72 based on a program stored in the storage unit 73. This login control processing is executed continuously for each control period. This login control processing will be explained with reference to FIGS. 1 to 16 as needed.

In step S541, the password issuing unit 75 determines whether a session start request has been received from the information processing device 100. If a session start request has been received, the process proceeds to step S542. On the other hand, if a session start request has not been received, the process proceeds to step S550.

In step S542, the password issuing unit 75 issues a session token corresponding to the session for vehicle 1 and a one-time password to be used when starting the session for vehicle 1.

In step S543, the password issuing unit 75 associates the issued session token and one-time password with the vehicle ID included in the session start request sent from vehicle 1 and stores them in the storage unit 73. Based on the vehicle ID of vehicle 1, the password issuing unit 75 also sends destination information for the electronic device 80 to access the management server 70 to the information processing device 100, along with the session token and one-time password.

In step S544, the password recognition unit 76 determines whether or not the user ID and vehicle ID have been received from the information processing device 100. If the user ID and vehicle ID have been received, the process proceeds to step S545. On the other hand, if the user ID and vehicle ID have not been received, the process continues monitoring until the user ID and vehicle ID are received.

In step S545, the password recognition unit 76 associates the user ID and vehicle ID received in step S544 and stores them in the session information DB 200 of the memory unit 73.

In step S546, the password recognition unit 76 determines whether a one-time password has been received from the electronic device 80. If a one-time password has been received, the process proceeds to step S547. On the other hand, if a one-time password has not been received, the process continues monitoring until a one-time password is received.

In step S547, the password recognition unit 76 executes password recognition processing based on the one-time password received in step S546. This password recognition processing is similar to the password recognition processing (step S420) shown in FIG. 12, so a detailed description will be omitted here. If password authentication fails, the password recognition unit 76 transmits instruction information to the electronic device 80 to instruct the user U1 to re-enter the one-time password, and notifies the user U1 that the correct one-time password has been sent.

In step S548, the password recognition unit 76 associates the user ID of user U1, who sent the one-time password that was successfully authenticated, the vehicle ID of vehicle 1, and the session token stored in association with this vehicle ID, and stores them in the session information DB 200 of the memory unit 73.

In step S549, the login/logout status management unit 77 activates the session for vehicle 1 and sends a login completion notification to the information processing device 100 to notify that login to the information processing device 100 has been completed.

In step S550, the login/logout status management unit 77 determines whether a login status confirmation request has been received from the information processing device 100. If a login status confirmation request has been received, the process proceeds to step S551. On the other hand, if a login status confirmation request has not been received, the process proceeds to step S553.

In step S551, the login/logout status management unit 77 checks the login status of the information processing device 100 based on the login status confirmation request received in step S550. This login status confirmation process is similar to the login status confirmation process (step S456) shown in Figure 13, so a detailed description will be omitted here.

In step S552, the login/logout status management unit 77 transmits the confirmation result of the login status of the information processing device 100 to the information processing device 100.

In step S553, the content management unit 78 executes content management processing. This content management processing corresponds to the content management processing (steps S430, S460, and S470) shown in Figures 12 to 14, and therefore will not be described here.

In step S554, the login/logout status management unit 77 determines whether a session end request has been received from the information processing device 100. If a session end request has been received, the process proceeds to step S555. On the other hand, if a session end request has not been received, the operation of the login control process is terminated.

In step S555, the login/logout status management unit 77 invalidates the session for vehicle 1 based on the session termination request received in step S554, and terminates the session for vehicle 1.

In step S556, the login/logout status management unit 77 sends a session end notification to the information processing device 100 and the electronic device 80 to notify them that the session of the information processing device 100 has ended.

[Modification of Information Processing Device]
Although an example has been described above in which the login status of the information processing device 100 is managed by the management server 70, each process by the management server 70 may be executed in the information processing device 100. Therefore, Fig. 18 shows an example in which the login control process by the management server 70 is executed in the information processing device 100.

[Configuration example of information processing device]
Fig. 18 is a block diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of an information processing device 600 mounted on the vehicle 1. Note that the information processing device 600 is a modified version of the information processing device 100 shown in Fig. 4, and therefore parts common to the information processing device 100 are given the same reference numerals and descriptions thereof will be omitted.

The information processing device 600 includes a controller 640. The controller 640 also includes a login control unit 641, a password issuing unit 642, a password recognition unit 643, a login/logout status management unit 644, and a content management unit 645. Note that each of these units corresponds to the units of the same name in the management server 70 shown in FIG. 3 and the information processing device 100 shown in FIG. 4. Therefore, detailed descriptions will be omitted here. Note that the session information DB 200 and content management DB 210 shown in FIG. 7 are stored in the memory unit 150. Some of the processes shown in FIGS. 12 to 16 may be omitted. For example, since there is no need to identify the vehicle 1, the vehicle ID can be omitted, and processes using the vehicle ID may be omitted. Also, each process related to the token cache file shown in FIGS. 12 to 16 (steps S486, S509, S515, S529, etc.) may be omitted. Furthermore, when the content management unit 645 transmits content to the electronic device 80, it may do so directly using short-range wireless communication, or indirectly via a network.

In this way, the login status of the management app installed on the information processing device 600 can be controlled solely through processing on the information processing device 600 installed in the vehicle 1.

In the above, an example has been shown in which the login control process for controlling the login status of the management app is executed by the information processing device 100, the management server 70, and the information processing device 600, but all or part of each of these processes may be executed by other devices. In this case, a login control system is configured by the devices that execute part of each of these processes. For example, at least part of the login control process can be executed using the electronic device 80 used by the user U1 of the vehicle 1, or various information processing devices such as servers that can be connected via a predetermined network such as the Internet, or various electronic devices.

Furthermore, in this embodiment, an example is shown in which the session information DB 200 and content management DB 210 (see FIG. 7) are managed by the management server 70 or the information processing device 600. However, all or part of each DB may be managed by one or more devices other than the management server 70 and the information processing device 600, and information from each DB managed by the other devices may be obtained and used in the login control process.

Furthermore, part (or all) of the login control system of the vehicle 1, which can execute the functions of the information processing device 100, the management server 70, and the information processing device 600, may be provided by an application that can be provided via a predetermined network such as the Internet. This application is, for example, SaaS (Software as a Service).

In this embodiment, an example has been shown in which login control is performed based on whether it is estimated that there is a high possibility that vehicle 1 is present at one predetermined location SL1 or in its vicinity. However, login control may also be performed based on whether it is estimated that there is a high possibility that vehicle 1 is present at multiple predetermined locations or in their vicinity. For example, it is possible that a user who rents a shared car at predetermined location C will return the shared car at another predetermined location D. Therefore, multiple locations where the shared car can be returned can be registered, and login control can be performed based on the multiple registered locations.

In addition, while the above examples show how the login state of the information processing device 100 is controlled based on the odometry value, last position information, etc. of the vehicle 1, the login state of the information processing device 100 may also be controlled taking into account time factors. For example, a user renting vehicle 1 registers a reservation time for use, including the start and end times of use of the vehicle 1, in an external device, such as the management server 70 or a shared car reservation server. The management server 70 is also able to acquire this reservation time for use. In this case, the login state of the information processing device 100 can be controlled based on this reservation time for use. For example, if the usage time of the vehicle 1 has exceeded the reservation time when the information processing device 100 is powered off, the login state of the information processing device 100 can be canceled and transitioned to a logged-out state. However, if the vehicle 1 is not present at the specified location and the usage time of the vehicle 1 has not exceeded the reservation time for use, the login state of the information processing device 100 is allowed to continue.

It is also possible that when the information processing device 100 is turned on, if the vehicle 1 is in a predetermined location and the vehicle 1 is being turned on for the first time within the reserved use time, the information processing device 100 is already in a logged-in state. In this case, the logged-in state of the information processing device 100 is canceled and the device transitions to a logged-out state. However, after transitioning to the logged-out state, the above-mentioned login process (step S400) is executed to place the information processing device 100 in a new logged-in state. This prevents the previous user from remaining logged in even though the user renting the vehicle 1 has changed. In other words, the security of information related to users can be improved.

As described above, according to this embodiment, when the power of the information processing device 100 is turned on or off, it is possible to determine whether to transition the information processing device 100 to a logged-out state or a logged-in state based on location information, mileage, etc. This ensures that the vehicle 1 is always in a logged-out state when it is returned, or at least when the next user starts using the vehicle 1. Furthermore, even if the vehicle 1 is repeatedly turned on and off between renting and returning the vehicle 1, the logged-in state that was initiated immediately after renting the vehicle 1 can be automatically continued until the vehicle 1 is returned. In this way, by switching the logged-in state and log-out state of the management app used in the vehicle 1 depending on the driving state of the vehicle 1, such as the location information and mileage of the vehicle 1, it is possible to appropriately switch the logged-in state depending on the driving state of the vehicle 1.

[Configuration and Effects of This Embodiment]
The control method according to the present embodiment is a control method for controlling an information processing device 100 installed in a vehicle 1, the information processing device 100 being capable of executing a management app (an example of an application) associated with the vehicle 1. The management app has a login state in which authentication has been completed for an electronic device 80 (an example of a communication device) associated with a user U1 (an example of an occupant), and a logout state in which authentication has not been completed for the electronic device 80, and in the login state, it is possible to output information related to the user U1 to the electronic device 80. The vehicle 1 also has a location information acquisition unit 125 that acquires location information indicating the current location of the vehicle 1. This control method includes a control process (steps S441 to S446, S481 to S493, S519 to S534) that, when the power of the information processing device 100 is turned off, executes control to log out the management app at the next startup, or control to maintain the logged-in state of the management app at the next startup, based on a first distance from a first position identified by the latest position information of the vehicle 1 acquired by the position information acquisition unit 125 to a predetermined location SL1 and the distance traveled from the first position to the position of the vehicle 1 at the time the power is turned off.

This configuration makes it possible to estimate whether the location where the information processing device 100 was powered off when the vehicle 1 was turned off is likely to be the specified location SL1, and to appropriately determine whether to put the management app into a logged-in state or a logged-out state the next time the vehicle 1 is started. This allows the login state to be appropriately switched depending on the use of the vehicle 1 by switching the login state and log-out state of the management app used in the vehicle 1 depending on the driving state of the vehicle 1, etc.

The control method according to this embodiment also includes a control process (steps S401 to S423, S447 to S458, S501 to S517) for executing control to transition a management app (an example of an application) to a logout state or control to maintain a logged-in state of the management app, based on a first distance from a first position identified by the latest position information of the vehicle 1 acquired by the position information acquisition unit 125 to the predetermined location SL1 and the distance traveled from the first position to the position of the vehicle 1 at the time of power-on when the information processing device 100 is powered on. For example, the system status at the time of power-off immediately before powering on the information processing device 100 is set based on the first distance and the distance traveled. Then, at the time of power-on, the system status can be used to determine whether to put the management app into a logged-in state or a logged-out state.

This configuration allows an estimate of whether the location where the information processing device 100 is powered on when the vehicle 1 is turned on is likely to be the specified location SL1, and makes an appropriate determination as to whether to put the management app into a logged-in or logged-out state at startup. This allows the login and log-out states of the management app used in the vehicle 1 to be switched depending on the vehicle 1's driving state, etc., thereby appropriately switching the login state depending on the use of the vehicle 1.

The control method according to this embodiment also includes a control process (steps S503, S504, S505, S510 to S512) for controlling the management app to transition to a logout state when the information processing device 100 is powered on if the distance traveled from the location of the vehicle 1 when the management app (an example of an application) was last terminated to the location of the vehicle 1 when the power is turned on is equal to or greater than a first threshold value (an example of a first predetermined value).

With this configuration, if the specified location SL1 is in an environment where location information cannot be properly acquired, and the management app stops for some reason at a location away from the specified location SL1, and the vehicle 1 is then returned to the specified location SL1 in a state where the management app cannot be started, it is possible to properly determine whether to log out the management app.

In addition, in the control method according to this embodiment, in the control process (steps S526, S527), if the first distance is equal to or greater than the sum of the traveled distance and the second threshold (an example of a second predetermined value) when the information processing device 100 is powered off, control is executed to maintain the login state of the management app at the next startup. In addition, in the control process (steps S526, S527, S505), if the first distance is equal to or greater than the sum of the traveled distance and the second threshold (an example of a second predetermined value) when the information processing device 100 is powered on, control is executed to maintain the login state of the management app. For example, a login/logout determination is executed using the above-described formula 3.

With this configuration, when the information processing device 100 is powered on or off, an appropriate second threshold can be used to determine whether the management app continues to be logged in.

Furthermore, in the control method according to this embodiment, the second threshold value (an example of a second predetermined value) is set to a value equal to or greater than the first threshold value (an example of a first predetermined value).

This configuration allows you to set an appropriate threshold for login/logout determination.

In addition, in the control method according to this embodiment, the second threshold value (an example of a second predetermined value) is set to a smaller value as the position accuracy of the position information acquisition unit 125 increases, based on the position accuracy information of the position information acquisition unit 125 at the first position.

This configuration allows an appropriate threshold to be set according to the position accuracy of the position information acquisition unit 125.

In addition, in the control method according to this embodiment, if the mileage of the vehicle 1 cannot be obtained when the information processing device 100 is powered on or off, the control process executes control to transition the management app to a logged-out state.

With this configuration, even if the mileage of vehicle 1 cannot be obtained and an appropriate login/logout determination cannot be made, the management app can be put into a logged-out state.

In addition, in the control method according to this embodiment, in the control process (steps S527 and S529), when the information processing device 100 is powered off, if control is executed to maintain the login state of the management app at the next startup, a token cache file (an example of continuation information) related to the continuation of the login state is stored in the storage unit 150 of the information processing device 100, and if control is executed to log out the management app at the next startup, the token cache file stored in the storage unit 150 of the information processing device 100 is deleted.

With this configuration, when the information processing device 100 is powered off, the storage state of the token cache file related to the continuation of the logged-in state can be properly managed.

In addition, in the control method according to this embodiment, when the information processing device 100 is powered on, if control is performed to maintain the login state of the management app in the control process (steps S506, S507, S511), the token cache file (an example of continuation information) is used to maintain the login state of the management app, and if control is performed to transition the management app to a logged-out state, the token cache file stored in the memory unit 150 of the information processing device 100 is deleted.

With this configuration, when the information processing device 100 is powered on, the storage state of the token cache file related to the continuation of the logged-in state can be properly managed.

In addition, in the control method according to this embodiment, when the information processing device 100 is powered off, if control is executed to maintain the login state of the management app at the next startup, the control process causes at least one of the information processing device 100 and the electronic device 80 (an example of a communications device) to execute processing corresponding to the continuation of the login state. If control is executed to place the management app in a logged-out state at the next startup, the control process causes at least one of the information processing device 100 and the electronic device 80 to execute processing corresponding to a transition to a logged-out state. For example, after the processing of steps S423 and S517 and before transitioning to the main scene, the display device 30, 40 or the electronic device 80 can be caused to execute display processing or audio output processing to notify that the logged-in state has been automatically maintained. Furthermore, for example, as shown in FIG. 9, a predetermined image can be displayed on the display device 30, 40 or the electronic device 80 as processing corresponding to a transition to a logged-out state.

This configuration makes it easy to notify the occupants of vehicle 1 that the management app is transitioning to a logged-in state or a logged-out state.

In addition, in the control method according to this embodiment, when the information processing device 100 is powered on or off, if control is executed to transition the management app to a logged-out state, and if image content (an example of information) related to the occupant is stored in the information processing device 100, the image content is deleted.

This configuration prevents image content related to the previous user from remaining saved even when the user riding in vehicle 1 has changed, thereby increasing the security of information related to users.

The information processing device 100 is an in-vehicle device installed on the vehicle 1 and includes a location information acquisition unit 125 that acquires location information indicating the current location of the vehicle 1. The information processing device is capable of executing a management app (an example of an application) associated with the vehicle 1. The management app has a login state in which authentication has been completed for an electronic device 80 (an example of a communication device) associated with a user U1 (an example of an occupant), and a logout state in which authentication has not been completed for the electronic device 80. In the login state, information related to the user U1, such as image content, can be output to the electronic device 80. The information processing device 100 also includes a control unit (login continuation determination unit 142, login control unit 143, 641) that, when the information processing device 100 is powered off, controls the management app to log out at the next startup or controls the management app to continue to log in at the next startup, based on a first distance from a first position identified by the latest location information of the vehicle 1 acquired by the location information acquisition unit 125 to a predetermined location SL1 and the distance traveled from the first position to the location of the vehicle 1 at the time of power off.

This configuration makes it possible to estimate whether the location where the information processing device 100 was powered off when the vehicle 1 was turned off is likely to be the specified location SL1, and to appropriately determine whether to put the management app into a logged-in state or a logged-out state the next time the vehicle 1 is started. This allows the login state to be appropriately switched depending on the use of the vehicle 1 by switching the login state and log-out state of the management app used in the vehicle 1 depending on the driving state of the vehicle 1, etc.

The information processing device 100 also includes a control unit (login continuation determination unit 142, login control unit 143, 641) that, when the information processing device 100 is powered on, performs control to transition the management app (an example of an application) to a logout state or control to continue the login state of the management app based on the first distance from the first position identified by the latest position information of the vehicle 1 acquired by the position information acquisition unit 125 to the predetermined location SL1 and the distance traveled from the first position to the position of the vehicle 1 at the time the power is turned on.

This configuration allows an estimate of whether the location where the information processing device 100 is powered on when the vehicle 1 is turned on is likely to be the specified location SL1, and makes an appropriate determination as to whether to put the management app into a logged-in or logged-out state at startup. This allows the login and log-out states of the management app used in the vehicle 1 to be switched depending on the vehicle 1's driving state, etc., thereby appropriately switching the login state depending on the use of the vehicle 1.

The information processing device 100 also includes a control unit (login continuation determination unit 142, login control unit 143, 641) that controls the management app to transition to a logout state if, when the information processing device 100 is powered on, the distance traveled from the position of the vehicle 1 when the management app (an example of an application) was last terminated to the position of the vehicle 1 when the power is turned on is equal to or greater than a first threshold value (an example of a first predetermined value).

With this configuration, if the specified location SL1 is in an environment where location information cannot be properly acquired, and the management app stops for some reason at a location away from the specified location SL1, and the vehicle 1 is then returned to the specified location SL1 in a state where the management app cannot be started, it is possible to properly determine whether to log out the management app.

Note that each process shown in this embodiment is executed based on a program that causes a computer to execute each processing procedure. Therefore, this embodiment can also be understood as an embodiment of a program that realizes the function of executing each process, and a recording medium that stores that program. For example, an update process for adding a new function to an information processing device can store the program in the storage device of the information processing device. This makes it possible to cause the updated information processing device to perform each process shown in this embodiment.

The above describes embodiments of the present invention, but these embodiments merely illustrate some of the application examples of the present invention, and are not intended to limit the technical scope of the present invention to the specific configurations of the above embodiments.

1 Vehicle, 10, 20 Imaging device, 30, 40 Display device, 70 Management server, 71 Communication unit, 72 Controller, 73 Memory unit, 75, 642 Password issuing unit, 76, 643 Password recognition unit, 77, 644 Login/logout status management unit, 78, 645 Content management unit, 80 Electronic device, 100, 600 Information processing device, 110 Vehicle power supply system, 120 Sensors, 130 UI unit, 140, 640 Controller, 141 Start/stop determination unit, 142 Login continuation determination unit, 143, 641 Login control unit, 144 Display control unit, 145 Session information storage unit, 146 Photography control unit, 150 Memory unit, 160 Communication unit, 170 Image acquisition unit, 200 Session information DB, 210 Content management DB

Claims (16)

1. A control method for controlling an information processing device installed in a vehicle, the information processing device being capable of executing an application associated with the vehicle, the method comprising:
the application has a login state in which authentication has been completed for a communication device related to an occupant, and a logout state in which authentication has not been completed for the communication device, and in the login state, information related to the occupant can be output to the communication device;
the vehicle includes a location information acquisition unit that acquires location information indicating a current location of the vehicle;
and a control process for executing, when the power supply of the information processing device is turned off, control for putting the application into the logged-out state at the next startup or control for continuing the logged-in state of the application at the next startup, based on a first distance from a first position specified by the latest position information of the vehicle acquired by the position information acquisition unit to a predetermined location and a traveling distance from the first position to the position of the vehicle at the time of power-off.
Control method. 1. A control method for controlling an information processing device installed in a vehicle, the information processing device being capable of executing an application associated with the vehicle, the method comprising:
the application has a login state in which authentication has been completed for a communication device related to an occupant, and a logout state in which authentication has not been completed for the communication device, and in the login state, information related to the occupant can be output to the communication device;
the vehicle includes a location information acquisition unit that acquires location information indicating a current location of the vehicle;
and a control process for executing, when the information processing device is powered on, control for transitioning the application to the logged-out state or control for continuing the logged-in state of the application based on a first distance from a first position identified by the latest position information of the vehicle acquired by the position information acquisition unit to a predetermined location and a traveling distance from the first position to the position of the vehicle at the time of powering on.
Control method. 1. A control method for controlling an information processing device installed in a vehicle, the information processing device being capable of executing an application associated with the vehicle, the method comprising:
the application has a login state in which authentication has been completed for a communication device related to an occupant, and a logout state in which authentication has not been completed for the communication device, and in the login state, information related to the occupant can be output to the communication device;
a control process for controlling the application to transition to the logout state when the power of the information processing device is turned on and a travel distance from the position of the vehicle at the time of the previous termination of the application to the position of the vehicle at the time of power on is equal to or greater than a first predetermined value;
Control method. 2. The control method according to claim 1,
In the control process, when the power supply of the information processing device is turned off, if the first distance is equal to or greater than the sum of the traveled distance and a second predetermined value, control is executed to continue the login state of the application at the next startup.
Control method. 3. The control method according to claim 2,
In the control process, when the information processing device is powered on, if the first distance is equal to or greater than the sum of the traveled distance and a second predetermined value, control is executed to continue the logged-in state of the application.
Control method. 6. The control method according to claim 5,
In the control process, when the power supply of the information processing device is turned on, if a travel distance from a position of the vehicle at the time of the previous termination of the application to a position of the vehicle at the time of power-on is equal to or greater than a first predetermined value, control is executed to transition the application to the logout state.
Control method. 7. The control method according to claim 6,
The second predetermined value is equal to or greater than the first predetermined value.
Control method. 8. A control method according to any one of claims 4 to 7, comprising:
based on position accuracy information of the position information acquisition unit at the first position, the second predetermined value is set to be smaller as the position accuracy of the position information acquisition unit increases;
Control method. 9. A control method according to any one of claims 1 to 8, comprising:
In the control process, when the power supply of the information processing device is turned on or off, if the mileage of the vehicle cannot be acquired, control is executed to transition the application to the logout state.
Control method. 10. A control method according to any one of claims 1 to 9,
In the control process, when the power supply of the information processing device is turned off, if control is executed to continue the login state of the application at the next startup, continuation information regarding the continuation of the login state is stored in the information processing device, and if control is executed to put the application into the logout state at the next startup, the continuation information stored in the information processing device is deleted.
Control method. 11. The control method according to claim 10,
In the control process, when powering on the information processing device, if control is executed to continue the login state of the application, the login state of the application is continued using the continuation information, and if control is executed to transition the application to the logout state, the continuation information stored in the information processing device is deleted.
Control method. 12. A control method according to any one of claims 1 to 11, comprising:
In the control process, when the power supply of the information processing device is turned off, if control is executed to continue the login state of the application at the next startup, at least one of the information processing device and the communication device is caused to execute a process corresponding to the continuation of the login state, and if control is executed to put the application into the logout state at the next startup, at least one of the information processing device and the communication device is caused to execute a process corresponding to the transition to the logout state.
Control method. 13. A control method according to any one of claims 1 to 12, comprising:
In the control process, when the power supply of the information processing device is turned on or off, if control is executed to transition the application to the logout state, if information related to the occupant is stored in the information processing device, the information is deleted.
Control method. An information processing device is an in-vehicle device installed in a vehicle, the information processing device including a location information acquisition unit that acquires location information indicating a current location of the vehicle, the information processing device being capable of executing an application associated with the vehicle,
the application has a login state in which authentication has been completed for a communication device related to an occupant, and a logout state in which authentication has not been completed for the communication device, and in the login state, information related to the occupant can be output to the communication device;
a control unit that, when the information processing device is powered off, executes control to place the application in the logged-out state at the next startup or control to continue the logged-in state of the application at the next startup, based on a first distance from a first position identified by the latest position information of the vehicle acquired by the position information acquisition unit to a predetermined location and a traveling distance from the first position to the position of the vehicle at the time of powering off;
Information processing device. An information processing device is an in-vehicle device installed in a vehicle, the information processing device including a location information acquisition unit that acquires location information indicating a current location of the vehicle, the information processing device being capable of executing an application associated with the vehicle,
the application has a login state in which authentication has been completed for a communication device related to an occupant, and a logout state in which authentication has not been completed for the communication device, and in the login state, information related to the occupant can be output to the communication device;
a control unit that, when the information processing device is powered on, executes control to transition the application to the logged-out state or control to continue the logged-in state of the application based on a first distance from a first position identified by the latest position information of the vehicle acquired by the position information acquisition unit to a predetermined location and a traveling distance from the first position to the position of the vehicle at the time of power-on;
Information processing device. An information processing device that is an in-vehicle device installed in a vehicle and is capable of executing an application associated with the vehicle,
the application has a login state in which authentication has been completed for a communication device related to an occupant, and a logout state in which authentication has not been completed for the communication device, and in the login state, information related to the occupant can be output to the communication device;
a control unit that controls the application to transition to the logout state when the information processing device is powered on and a travel distance from a position of the vehicle at the time the application was last terminated to a position of the vehicle at the time the power was turned on is equal to or greater than a first predetermined value;
Information processing device.