JP7559517B2 - Information processing device and information processing method - Google Patents

Description

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

A technology has been proposed for a parking guidance method that displays parking lots that meet the user's needs by taking into account the parking lot's opening hours, vehicle-specific restrictions, fees, etc. (see Patent Document 1).

JP 2001-349740 A

The technology described in Patent Document 1 does not take into account the driver's driving skills when parking and display parking lots that meet the driver's wishes. Therefore, there is an issue that even if the information is based on the parking lot's business hours, vehicle-specific restrictions, fees, etc., it may not be possible to display an appropriate parking lot for a driver who is not good at parking a vehicle in a parking lot.

The present invention was made in consideration of the above problems, and its purpose is to provide an information processing device and information processing method that can provide the degree of difficulty of parking a vehicle in a parking lot.

To solve the above-mentioned problems, an information processing device and information processing method according to one aspect of the present invention accepts operation data indicating driving operations associated with parking a vehicle in a parking lot, calculates an index indicating the difficulty of parking based on the operation data, and outputs the index in association with the parking lot.

The present invention can provide the degree of difficulty of parking a vehicle in a parking lot.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of an information processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing the process (registration process) of the information processing device according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing the process (calculation process) of the information processing device according to one embodiment of the present invention.

Next, an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In the description, the same parts will be given the same reference numerals and duplicate explanations will be omitted.

[Configuration of information processing device]
A configuration example of an information processing device 1 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 1. The information processing device 1 may be mounted on a vehicle or installed outside the vehicle. In the following, the vehicle according to the present embodiment will be described as a vehicle in which a driver manually performs parking, but is not limited thereto. For example, the vehicle may be a vehicle capable of performing automatic parking.

As shown in FIG. 1, the information processing device 1 includes a parking lot data receiving unit 21, an operation data receiving unit 22, a memory unit 25, and a controller 100. Additionally, the information processing device 1 may include a presentation unit 300.

The parking lot data reception unit 21 is connected to the parking lot identification unit 11 and the controller 100, and receives parking lot data for identifying a parking lot from the parking lot identification unit 11. The parking lot identification unit 11 generates information for identifying the parking lot where the vehicle is parked as parking lot data. For example, the parking lot data includes information such as the location information of the parking lot or a unique number linked to the parking lot in a database. The parking lot data generated by the parking lot identification unit 11 is input to the parking lot data reception unit 21.

In addition to the parking lot data generated by the parking lot identification unit 11, the parking lot data reception unit 21 may also receive information identifying the parking lot where the vehicle is planned to be parked as parking lot data.

The parking lot data reception unit 21 transmits the received parking lot data to the controller 100. Alternatively, the parking lot data reception unit 21 may transmit the received parking lot data to the memory unit 25 described later.

The operation data receiving unit 22 is connected to the vehicle operation device 12 and the controller 100, and receives operation data from the vehicle operation device 12. When the vehicle performs parking, the vehicle operation device 12 generates operation data indicating driving operations associated with parking.

Here, "driving operations associated with parking" may include driving operations performed on the vehicle from when the vehicle approaches a parking lot until the vehicle stops there. "driving operations associated with parking" may include driving operations performed on the vehicle from when the vehicle starts from a parking lot until the vehicle leaves the parking lot.

In other words, "driving operations associated with parking" may include driving operations performed on the vehicle during the period from when the vehicle stops in a parking lot to a time a predetermined time before that time. "driving operations associated with parking" may include driving operations performed on the vehicle during the period from when the vehicle starts from a parking lot to a time a predetermined time after that time.

Alternatively, "driving operations associated with parking" may include driving operations performed on the vehicle while the vehicle is located within a predetermined distance of a parking spot.

"Driving operations" may include various operations that control the traveling of the vehicle. Therefore, "operation data" may include, for example, information on the number of turns, the number of times the shift position has been changed, etc. In addition, "operation data" may include information on the distance traveled by the vehicle, information on the vehicle speed, information on the distance between the vehicle and obstacles outside the vehicle, etc.

"Driving operations" may be operations manually performed by a driver in the vehicle or a driver outside the vehicle, or may be operations performed by a driving assistance device (not shown) during automatic driving. "Operation data" is information indicating the content of the various "driving operations" described above.

In addition, the "operation data" may include environmental data describing the parking lot environment at the time of parking, such as the time (date) and time period (time) when the vehicle was parked, information about the weather around the parking lot when parking was performed (weather information for the area in which the parking lot is located), and information about the congestion situation at or near the parking lot, in addition to information indicating the content of the "driving operation" described above. Note that the environmental data may be obtained from an external server (not shown) or may be obtained by a sensor mounted on the vehicle.

The operation data reception unit 22 transmits the operation data and environmental data received from the vehicle operation device 12 to the controller 100. In addition, the operation data reception unit 22 may transmit the received operation data and environmental data to the memory unit 25 described later.

The memory unit 25 is connected to the controller 100, and stores parking lot data received by the parking lot data receiving unit 21, and operation data and environmental data received by the operation data receiving unit 22. The memory unit 25 may store the received data (parking lot data, operation data, environmental data) for a predetermined time. In other words, the stored data may be held by the memory unit 25 for a predetermined time after it is stored, and may be deleted after the predetermined time has elapsed after it is stored.

The controller 100 is a general-purpose computer equipped with a CPU (Central Processing Unit), memory, a storage device, an input/output unit, etc. The controller 100 is connected to the presentation unit 300 and the information terminal 400.

A computer program for causing the controller 100 to function as the information processing device 1 is installed in the controller 100. By executing the computer program, the controller 100 functions as multiple information processing circuits provided in the information processing device 1.

Note that, although an example is shown here in which the multiple information processing circuits of the information processing device 1 are realized by software, it is of course possible to configure the information processing circuits by providing dedicated hardware for executing each of the information processes described below. Also, the multiple information processing circuits may be configured by individual hardware.

The controller 100 has multiple information processing circuits, including a factor determination unit 110, an index calculation unit 120, and a transmission unit 130.

The factor determination unit 110 determines whether or not there is a variable factor in the driving operation associated with parking when parking is performed, based on the operation data and the environmental data. For example, the factor determination unit 110 may analyze the presence or absence of a correlation between multiple operation data and environmental data stored and accumulated in the memory unit 25, and determine that there is a variable factor in the driving operation when the correlation coefficient is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold value.

In addition to the correlation analysis between the operation data and the environmental data, the factor determination unit 110 may also determine whether there is a variable factor in the driving operation based on an analysis using machine learning.

The result of the determination by the factor determination unit 110 is associated with the parking lot data and the operation data and stored in the storage unit 25. In addition, the relationship between multiple pieces of operation data and environmental data (relationships obtained by correlation analysis or machine learning, etc.) may also be stored in the storage unit 25.

The factor determination unit 110 may also classify parking lots where driving operations with a variation factor were performed as "parking lots with a variation factor" and classify parking lots where driving operations without a variation factor were performed as "parking lots without a variation factor." The classification results by the factor determination unit 110 may be associated with the parking lot data and operation data and stored in the memory unit 25.

The index calculation unit 120 calculates an index indicating the difficulty of parking in the parking lot identified by the parking lot data based on the operation data. Note that the larger the index, the higher the difficulty of parking.

For example, the index calculation unit 120 may refer to information on the number of turns performed when parking, and calculate an index such that the calculated index is larger when the number of turns is large than the index calculated when the number of turns is small.

The index calculation unit 120 may also refer to information on the number of times the shift position is changed when parking is performed, and calculate the index so that the calculated index is larger when the number of times the shift position is changed is large, compared to the index calculated when the number of times the shift position is changed is small.

Furthermore, the index calculation unit 120 may refer to information on the distance traveled by the vehicle when parking is performed, and calculate the index so that the calculated index is larger when the traveled distance is large compared to the index calculated when the traveled distance is small.

The index calculation unit 120 may also refer to information on the vehicle speed when parking is performed, and calculate an index such that the index calculated when the vehicle speed is low is larger than the index calculated when the vehicle speed is high.

Furthermore, the index calculation unit 120 may refer to information regarding the distance between the vehicle and an obstacle outside the vehicle when parking is performed, and calculate an index such that the index calculated when the distance is short is larger than the index calculated when the distance is long.

In addition, the index calculation unit 120 may calculate the index using different calculation methods for "parking lots with variation factors" and "parking lots without variation factors." For example, the index calculation unit 120 may perform a correction to remove the influence of variation factors on operation data indicating driving operations associated with parking in a "parking lot with variation factors" to calculate corrected operation data, and calculate an index indicating the difficulty level based on the corrected operation data.

On the other hand, for operation data indicating driving operations associated with parking in a "parking lot with no fluctuation factors," an index indicating the difficulty level may be calculated based on the operation data.

Note regarding correction to remove the effects of variable factors. Driving operations performed in a "parking lot with variable factors" may vary depending on the environment of the parking lot at the time of parking. Therefore, when parking is planned in a "parking lot with variable factors," the operation data may be corrected based on the relationship between multiple pieces of operation data and environmental data (first environmental data) and environmental data corresponding to the environment in the parking lot when parking is performed (second environmental data).

Here, the environmental data (second environmental data) corresponding to the environment in the parking lot when parking is performed may be acquired from an external server (not shown), or may be estimated based on information acquired from the external server.

In addition, the index calculation unit 120 may acquire driver information indicating the driver's driving skills, set a threshold based on the driver information, and extract parking lots associated with an index whose magnitude does not exceed the threshold as parking lots to be recommended to the driver.

The transmission unit 130 outputs information about the parking lot in association with an index indicating the difficulty of parking in that parking lot. For example, the output from the transmission unit 130 is input to the presentation unit 300 or the information terminal 400.

The presentation unit 300 is, for example, a terminal mounted on a vehicle or a user's terminal. The presentation unit 300 processes the output from the transmission unit 130 and presents it to the user by light or sound via a display or speaker, etc.

For example, the presentation unit 300 may present information about a parking lot in association with an index indicating the parking difficulty of the parking lot. Furthermore, when presenting information about multiple parking lots, the presentation unit 300 may present parking lots with a higher priority when the index indicating the parking difficulty is smaller.

The information terminal 400 is, for example, a terminal mounted on a vehicle or a user's terminal. The information terminal 400 transmits parking lot data to the information processing device 1 and receives an index indicating the difficulty of parking in the parking lot identified by the transmitted parking lot data. The information terminal 400 may include a notification unit that notifies the user of the received information. The configuration of the notification unit may be the same as that of the presentation unit 300 described above.

[Processing procedure of information processing device (registration process)]
Next, a procedure related to the registration process among the processes of the information processing device 1 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart in Fig. 2. The process of the information processing device 1 shown in Fig. 2 is started after the vehicle approaches a parking lot and stops there, or after the vehicle starts from the parking lot and leaves the parking lot.

First, in step S101, the parking lot data receiving unit 21 receives parking lot data. In step S103, the operation data receiving unit 22 receives operation data and environmental data.

In step S105, the factor determination unit 110 performs an analysis based on the operation data and the environmental data to determine whether or not there is a variable factor in the driving operation associated with parking. Then, in step S107, the factor determination unit 110 determines whether or not there is a variable factor in the driving operation based on the results of the analysis.

If it is determined that there is a fluctuation factor (YES in step S107), in step S109, the factor determination unit 110 classifies the parking lot where the driving operation determined to have a fluctuation factor was performed as a "parking lot with a fluctuation factor."

On the other hand, if it is determined that there is no fluctuation factor (NO in step S107), in step S111, the factor determination unit 110 classifies the parking lot where the driving operation determined to have no fluctuation factor was performed as a "parking lot without a fluctuation factor."

Then, in step S113, the classification results are stored in the storage unit 25. After that, the registration process ends.

[Processing procedure of information processing device (calculation process)]
Next, a procedure related to the calculation process among the processes of the information processing device 1 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart of Fig. 3. When there are multiple candidates for parking lots in which to park a vehicle, the process of the information processing device 1 shown in Fig. 3 is executed sequentially for each candidate.

First, in step S201, the parking lot data reception unit 21 receives parking lot data.

In step S203, the index calculation unit 120 refers to the memory unit 25, refers to the classification results of the parking lots associated with the parking lot data, and obtains whether or not there are any fluctuation factors associated with the parking lot.

Then, in step S205, the index calculation unit 120 determines whether the parking lot is classified as a "parking lot with fluctuation factors."

If it is determined that there is no fluctuation factor (NO in step S205), i.e., if it is determined that the parking lot is classified as a "parking lot with no fluctuation factor," the process proceeds to step S211.

If it is determined that there is a fluctuation factor (YES in step S205), i.e., if it is determined that the parking lot is classified as a "parking lot with a fluctuation factor," in step S207, the index calculation unit 120 acquires environmental data (second environmental data) corresponding to the environment in the parking lot when parking is performed.

Then, in step S209, the index calculation unit 120 performs a correction based on the acquired environmental data (second environmental data) to remove the influence of the variable factors and calculates the correction operation data.

In step S211, the index calculation unit 120 calculates an index indicating the difficulty of parking in the parking lot identified by the parking lot data based on the operation data or the corrected operation data. The calculation process then ends.

[Effects of the embodiment]
As described in detail above, the information processing device and information processing method according to this embodiment, when a vehicle parks in a parking lot, accepts parking lot data identifying the parking lot and operation data indicating driving operations associated with parking, calculates an index indicating the difficulty of parking based on the operation data, and outputs the index in association with the parking lot.

This makes it possible to provide the degree of difficulty of parking a vehicle in a parking lot. In addition, because a parking lot can be set as a destination based on the degree of difficulty of parking a vehicle in the parking lot, it is possible to reduce the possibility that a parking lot that is not suited to the driver's driving skills will be suggested to the driver. It is also possible to reduce the effort and burden on the user in parking after the vehicle arrives at the parking lot or starting from the parking lot, improving user convenience.

The information processing device and information processing method according to this embodiment may also acquire first environmental data indicating the environment of the parking lot when parking is performed, determine whether there is a variable factor for the driving operation based on the operation data and the first environmental data, and calculate an index based on the operation data if it is determined that there is no variable factor. As a result of calculating the index excluding parking lots with variable factors, it is possible to provide a more accurate indication of the difficulty of parking a vehicle in the parking lot.

Furthermore, the information processing device and information processing method according to this embodiment may, when it is determined that there is a variable factor, acquire second environmental data indicating the environment of the parking lot when parking is performed, correct the operation data based on the second environmental data to calculate corrected operation data, and calculate an index based on the corrected operation data. This removes the influence of the variable factors on the driving operation, makes it possible to calculate the index more accurately, and provides a more accurate indication of the difficulty of parking a vehicle in the parking lot.

In addition, in the information processing device and information processing method according to this embodiment, the operation data may include information on the number of turns when parking. This makes it possible to more accurately present the parking difficulty level for parking lots that are considered to require high driving skills when parking. Furthermore, by calculating a smaller index for fewer turns, it is possible to reduce the effort and burden on a user who selects a parking lot with a low level of difficulty.

Furthermore, in the information processing device and information processing method according to this embodiment, the operation data may include information on the number of times the shift position was changed when parking. This makes it possible to more accurately present the parking difficulty level for parking lots that are considered to require high driving skills when parking. Furthermore, by calculating a smaller index for smaller number of shift position changes, it is possible to reduce the effort and burden on a user who selects a parking lot with a low level of difficulty.

In addition, in the information processing device and information processing method according to this embodiment, the operation data may include information on the distance traveled by the vehicle when parking was performed. This makes it possible to more accurately present the parking difficulty level for parking lots that are considered to require high driving skills when parking. Furthermore, by calculating a smaller index for shorter vehicle distance traveled, it is possible to reduce the effort and burden on a user who selects a parking lot with a low level of difficulty.

Furthermore, in the information processing device and information processing method according to this embodiment, the operation data may include information on the vehicle speed when parking is performed. This makes it possible to more accurately present the parking difficulty level for parking lots that are considered to require high driving skills when parking. Furthermore, by calculating a smaller index the faster the vehicle speed, it is possible to reduce the effort and burden on a user who selects a parking lot with a low level of difficulty.

In addition, in the information processing device and information processing method according to this embodiment, the operation data may include information regarding the distance between the vehicle and an obstacle outside the vehicle when parking is performed. This makes it possible to more accurately present the parking difficulty level for parking lots that are considered to require high driving skills when parking. Furthermore, by calculating a smaller index the greater the distance from the obstacle, it is possible to reduce the effort and burden on a user who selects a parking lot with a low level of difficulty.

Furthermore, the information processing device and information processing method according to the present embodiment may present parking lots in association with an index via a presentation unit. Furthermore, the information processing device and information processing method according to the present embodiment may present parking lots with a higher priority as the index becomes smaller. Furthermore, the information processing device and information processing method according to the present embodiment may present parking lots in association with an index by a terminal mounted on the vehicle or a user's terminal. This allows a user who receives the presented information to compare multiple parking lots, and the user can decide which parking lot to park in based on the presented index indicating the difficulty level.

In addition, in the information processing device and information processing method according to this embodiment, the vehicle may be a vehicle capable of parking by autonomous driving. This makes it possible to calculate an index indicating the difficulty of parking based on the information related to autonomous driving obtained by the driving assistance device, and to provide a more accurate indication of the difficulty of parking a vehicle in a parking lot.

The information processing device and information processing method according to this embodiment may also acquire driver information indicating the driving skill of the driver, set a threshold based on the driver information, and recommend to the driver a parking lot associated with an index whose magnitude does not exceed the threshold. This makes it possible to provide the driver with the difficulty of parking a vehicle in a parking lot so that the driver can select a parking lot according to his or her driving skill.

Furthermore, the information terminal according to this embodiment may transmit parking lot data to the above-mentioned information processing device and receive an index of the parking lot identified by the parking lot data from the information processing device. This makes it possible to obtain the difficulty level of the parking lot in question. Furthermore, when the information terminal is a navigation system or a driving assistance device, it is possible to select a parking lot where parking is possible based on a more accurate difficulty level, improving the operating efficiency of the entire system. Furthermore, user convenience is also improved.

The information terminal according to this embodiment may also notify the user of the indicator via the notification unit. This makes it possible to provide the driver with the degree of difficulty of parking the vehicle in the parking lot so that the driver can select a parking lot that matches his or her driving skill.

Each of the functions described in the above embodiments may be implemented by one or more processing circuits. Processing circuits include programmed processors, electrical circuits, and even devices such as application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), and circuit components arranged to perform the described functions.

The contents of the present invention have been described above in accordance with the embodiments, but the present invention is not limited to these descriptions, and it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that various modifications and improvements are possible. The descriptions and drawings that form part of this disclosure should not be understood as limiting the present invention. Various alternative embodiments, examples, and operating techniques will be apparent to those skilled in the art from this disclosure.

The present invention naturally includes various embodiments not described here. Therefore, the technical scope of the present invention is determined only by the invention-specific matters related to the scope of the claims that are appropriate from the above explanation.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 Information processing device 11 Parking lot identification unit 12 Vehicle operation device 21 Parking lot data reception unit 22 Operation data reception unit 25 Storage unit 100 Controller 110 Factor determination unit 120 Index calculation unit 130 Transmission unit 300 Presentation unit 400 Information terminal

Claims (15)

a reception unit to which, when a vehicle is parked in a parking lot, parking lot data identifying the parking lot and operation data indicating a driving operation associated with the parking are input;
A controller,
The controller:
acquiring first environmental data indicating an environment of the parking lot when the parking is performed;
determining whether or not there is a fluctuation factor for the driving operation based on the operation data and the first environmental data;
When it is determined that the variable factor exists, second environmental data indicating an environment of the parking lot at the time of performing the parking is acquired;
correcting the operation data based on the second environmental data to calculate corrected operation data;
Calculating an index indicating the difficulty of parking based on the correction operation data;
An information processing device that outputs the parking lot and the index in association with each other. 2. The information processing device according to claim 1,
The controller:
When it is determined that there is no fluctuation factor, the information processing device calculates the index based on the operation data. 3. The information processing device according to claim 1 ,
The information processing device according to claim 1, wherein the operation data includes information on the number of times the vehicle turns when the vehicle is parked. The information processing device according to any one of claims 1 to 3 ,
The information processing device, wherein the operation data includes information on the number of times a shift position was changed when the parking was performed. The information processing device according to any one of claims 1 to 4 ,
The information processing device, wherein the operation data includes information on a distance traveled by the vehicle when the parking is performed. The information processing device according to any one of claims 1 to 5 ,
The information processing device, wherein the operation data includes information on the vehicle speed when the parking is performed. The information processing device according to any one of claims 1 to 6 ,
The information processing device, wherein the operation data includes information regarding a distance between the vehicle and an obstacle outside the vehicle when the parking is performed. The information processing device according to any one of claims 1 to 7 ,
The information processing device further comprises a presentation unit that presents the parking lot and the index in association with each other. 9. The information processing device according to claim 8 ,
The information processing device is characterized in that the presentation unit presents the parking lot with a higher priority as the index becomes smaller. 10. The information processing device according to claim 8 ,
The information processing device, wherein the presentation unit is a terminal mounted in the vehicle or a user's terminal. The information processing device according to any one of claims 1 to 10 ,
The information processing device is characterized in that the vehicle is a vehicle capable of performing the parking by automatic driving. The information processing device according to any one of claims 1 to 11 ,
The controller:
Acquire driver information indicating the driving skills of the driver;
A threshold value is set based on the driver information;
An information processing device that recommends to the driver the parking lot associated with the indicator whose magnitude does not exceed the threshold. Transmitting the parking lot data to the information processing device according to any one of claims 1 to 12 ;
An information terminal characterized by receiving the index of the parking lot identified by the parking lot data from the information processing device. An information terminal according to claim 13 ,
The information terminal further comprises a notification unit that notifies a user of the indicator. An information processing method for controlling a controller to which parking lot data identifying a parking lot and operation data indicating a driving operation associated with the parking are input when a vehicle is parked in a parking lot, the method comprising:
The controller:
acquiring first environmental data indicating an environment of the parking lot when the parking is performed;
determining whether or not there is a fluctuation factor for the driving operation based on the operation data and the first environmental data;
When it is determined that the variable factor exists, second environmental data indicating an environment of the parking lot at the time of performing the parking is acquired;
correcting the operation data based on the second environmental data to calculate corrected operation data;
Calculating an index indicating the difficulty of parking based on the correction operation data;
An information processing method characterized by outputting the parking lot and the index in association with each other.

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