Presentation information learning method, server, and terminal device

• US 9,499,051 B2
• Filed: 03/18/2014
• Issued: 11/22/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 03/28/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Automotive Systems Company of America (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd. (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Akita, Takashi, Amano, Hiroshi, Tanaka, Akira
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee, Tyler J
• Application Number:
  US14/776,934
• Publication Number:
  US 20160023553A1
• Time in Patent Office: 980 Days
• Field of Search: 701/29.1, 701/36
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/16 Type of output information
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/195 Blocking or enabling display functions
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2370/16 Type of information
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2370/195 Blocking or enabling display functions
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/00 Instruments specially adapted for vehicles; Arrangement of instruments in or on vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/28 characterised by the type of the output information, e.g. video entertainment or vehicle dynamics information; characterised by the purpose of the output information, e.g. for attracting the attention of the driver
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/29 Instruments characterised by the way in which information is handled, e.g. showing information on plural displays or prioritising information according to driving conditions
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 12/08 in hierarchically structured memory systems, e.g. virtual memory systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/597 Recognising the driver's state or behaviour, e.g. attention or drowsiness
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/06 in graphical form
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/093 Data selection, e.g. prioritizing information, managing message queues, selecting the information to be output
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096716 where the received information does not generate an automatic action on the vehicle control
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096741 where the source of the transmitted information selects which information to transmit to each vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096775 where the origin of the information is a central station
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0969 having a display in the form of a map

Abstract

A presentation information learning method for performing learning for presenting information to a driver of a movable body, the presentation information learning method including: obtaining a result of a response from a driver to a presentation information item which is an information item included in a plurality of presentable information items and presented to the driver; identifying a driving load on the driver; and performing the learning by updating a reference information item associated with the presentation information item from among reference information items which are associated one-to-one with a plurality of presentable information items and are referred to for judging whether or not the presentation information items are to be presented, based on the driving load identified and the obtained result of the response.

Claims

1. A vehicle terminal device, located in a vehicle, comprising:

a state obtaining unit that obtains state information indicating a state of at least one of;

the vehicle, a device in the vehicle, a driver of the vehicle, or a passenger in the vehicle;

an output unit that outputs a presentation information item, which is an information item from a plurality of presentable information items, the presentable information items being stored in a database with reference information items that are stored in the database in one-to-one association with the plurality of presentable information items, the reference information items being items that are referred to for judging whether or not to present the presentable information items, respectively;

a response identifying unit that obtains a result of a response, from the driver of the vehicle, to the presentation information item outputted by the output unit; and

a processor that;

judges whether to present the presentation information item based on a reference information item associated with the presentation information in the database, and sends the presentation information item to the output unit if the processor judges that the presentation information item is to be presented,

determines a driving load on the driver in a period in which the presentation information item is presented by the output unit, based on the state information obtained by the state obtaining unit,

judges whether or not the driving load is less than a predetermined threshold value when the result of the response obtained by the response identifying unit indicates that there was no response from the driver,

updates the reference information item associated with the presentation information item when (i) the processor judges that the driving load is less than the predetermined threshold value, and (ii) the result of the response obtained by the response identifying unit indicates that there was a response from the driver, and

skips updating of the reference information item associated with the presentation information item when the processor judges that the driving load is greater than or equal to the predetermined threshold value.

2. The vehicle terminal device according to claim 1,

wherein the reference information item is a priority, and the presentation information item presented to the driver is a recommendation information item, and

when the result of the response obtained indicates that there was the response from the driver:

the processor increases the priority associated with the presentation information item when the response from the driver is judged to be positive, and decreases the presentation information item when the response from the driver is judged to be negative.

3. The vehicle terminal device according to claim 1,

wherein the reference information item is a condition to be satisfied for presenting the presentation information item, and the presentation information item is a recommendation information item, and

in the case where the result of the response obtained is judged to be positive or negative when the result of the response indicates that there was the response from the driver, the processor updates the condition associated with the presentation information item.

4. The vehicle terminal device according to claim 1, wherein the processor further:

selects one presentable information item from among the plurality of presentable information items with reference to the reference information items associated one-to-one with the plurality of presentable information items, and causes the output unit to output the presentable information item as the presentation information item.

5. The vehicle terminal device according to claim 4,

wherein each of the plurality of presentable information items is associated with corresponding ones of the reference information items, the ones being a condition to be satisfied for presenting the presentation information item and a priority, and

the processor selects one of the presentation information items which is associated with a priority higher than a reference value and a condition that satisfies the state indicated by the state information item obtained, and causes the output unit to output the selected presentation information item.

6. The vehicle terminal device according to claim 1, further comprising:

a communication unit which transmits, to a server, the response identified by the response identifying unit and the state information.

7. A server and vehicle terminal system comprising:

a server including a database storing a plurality of presentable information items, and reference information items in one-to-one association with the plurality of presentable information items, the reference information items being items that are referred to for judging whether or not to present the presentable information items, respectively;

a vehicle terminal located in a vehicle;

a state obtaining unit, in the vehicle, that obtains state information indicating a state of at least one of;

the vehicle, a device in the vehicle, a driver of the vehicle, or a passenger in the vehicle;

an output unit, in the vehicle, that outputs a presentation information item, which is an information item from the plurality of presentable information items in the database;

a response identifying unit, in the vehicle terminal, that obtains a result of a response, from the driver of the vehicle, to the presentation information item outputted by the output unit; and

a processor, in the server, that;

judges whether to present the presentation information item based on a reference information item associated with the presentation information in the database, and sends the presentation information item to the vehicle terminal to be output by the output unit if the processor judges that the presentation information item is to be presented,

determines a driving load on the driver in a period in which the presentation information item is presented on the output unit, based on the state information obtained by the state obtaining unit,

judges whether or not the driving load is less than a predetermined threshold value when the result of the response obtained by the response identifying unit indicates that there was no response from the driver,

updates the reference information item associated with the presentation information item when (i) the processor judges that the driving load is less than the predetermined threshold value, and (ii) the result of the response obtained by the response identifying unit indicates that there was a response from the driver, and

skips updating of the reference information item associated with the presentation information item when the processor judges that the driving load is greater than or equal to the predetermined threshold value.

8. The server and vehicle terminal system according to claim 7, further comprising:

a communication unit, in the vehicle terminal, which transmits, to the server, the response identified by the response identifying unit and the state information.