JP2015052979A - Content providing system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To enable content to be provided in a format suitable for a user situation, and to reduce a load of an information center for identifying the user situation.SOLUTION: In a server 31 of an information center 14, by a device model 33, up-to-date state data on each of devices 12, 13 and 16 is normalized based on device information including current location information to be transmitted from each device, and is stored in a device state table. From the state data of the device state table, by a user model 34, a current scene of a user is estimated and the presence/absence, category and timing of content to be provided to the user are determined. By a service selection model 37, the content is acquired from a service provider 15, and by a providing method selection model 38, the devices 12, 13 and 16 are determined that transmit the content, and as necessary, the content is converted into a proper output format.

Description

  The present invention relates to a content providing system that automatically provides content from an information center to a device used by a user.

  In recent years, in the IT field, content (information and services) desired by users has been provided for mobile information terminals such as mobile phones and smartphones held by users (or in-vehicle devices such as car navigation systems installed in vehicles on which users ride). A service system called an agent service (or concierge service) that is distributed from a provider is considered (see, for example, Patent Documents 1 and 2).

  FIG. 10 shows an outline of a conventional agent service. In this system, a smartphone 1 held by a user and an in-vehicle device (car navigation system) 3 mounted on a vehicle 2 on which the user gets on a service provider 4 Communicatively connected. In this case, the user can acquire desired information from the service provider 4 by requesting content using the smartphone 1, for example. In addition, the user information such as news and hobby fields that the user is interested in is registered in advance in the service provider 4, or based on the user's past usage history information, without requesting each time. The contents of the field are automatically distributed from the provider 4. Such a service is called a PUSH service.

JP 2007-34743 A JP 2011-227746 A

  However, in the conventional PUSH service system described above, content is unilaterally distributed from the service provider 4 regardless of the current situation of the user. Therefore, there are cases where the user is not in an environment where the user can enjoy the content, and there is a situation where the user cannot always fully enjoy the service.

  Therefore, for example, based on the fact that an information center for distributing contents is provided so as to be able to communicate with each device, and the information center grasps the state of each device (sensor information such as operation state, position, parameter, etc.) It is conceivable that the current situation of the user is specified and appropriate content is transmitted at an appropriate timing. However, with this configuration, information from a plurality of types of devices with different data formats must be managed (processed) to interpret the user's situation, which increases the burden on the information center. Occurrence of defects such as

  The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a system that can automatically provide a content service to a device used by a user. An object of the present invention is to provide a content providing system that can identify and provide content in a form adapted to the user situation, but can reduce the load on the information center for identifying the user situation.

  In order to achieve the above object, a content providing system according to claim 1 of the present invention includes a plurality of devices (12, 13, 16) provided with a content output unit (18, 25) and used by a user, and a content providing system. In a system (11) in which an information center (14) provided with a server (31) is communicably connected and content is provided from the information center (14) to the devices (12, 13, 16). The server (31) of the information center (14) grasps the status of each device (12, 13, 16) based on the device information transmitted from each device (12, 13, 16). From the status of each device (12, 13, 16) grasped by the identifying means (33) and the device status identifying means (33), the current state of the user is determined. A scene estimation unit (34) for estimating the content, a determination unit (34) for determining content to be provided to the user from the user's scene estimated by the scene estimation unit (34), and the scene estimation unit (34) ) And a device selection means (38) for determining a device (12, 13, 16) to transmit the content based on the estimation of the determination means (34), and the device status specifying means (33) ) Includes a device status table (32a) that normalizes and stores the latest status of each device (12, 13, 16), and updates the device information updated from each device (12, 13, 16). It is characterized in that the data of the device state table (32a) is updated based on the reception.

  According to this, in the server (31) of the information center (14), each of the devices (12) based on the device information transmitted from the devices (12, 13, 16) by the device state specifying means (33). , 13, 16), and the current scene of the user is estimated by the scene estimation means (34) from the grasped states of the devices (12, 13, 16). From the user's scene estimated by the scene estimation means (34), the determination means (34) determines the presence / absence, type, timing, etc. of the content to be provided to the user, and at the same time, the scene estimation means (34) Based on the determination of the estimation and determination means (34), the device (12, 13, 16) for transmitting content is determined by the device selection means (38).

  The device state specifying means (33) includes a device state table (32a) that normalizes and stores the latest state of each device (12, 13, 16), and each device (12, 13, On the basis of receiving the updated device information from 16), the status data of the device status table (32a) is updated. Thereby, since the latest state of each device (12, 13, 16) is always held in the device state table (32a), when the user's current scene is estimated by the scene estimation means (34). The device status table (32a) may be referred to. At this time, since the latest state data of each device (12, 13, 16) stored in the device state table (32a) has already been normalized, it is easy to use and the processing load can be reduced. be able to.

  Therefore, it is possible to automatically provide the type according to the user's scene, in other words, the content that is estimated to be desired by the user at an appropriate timing. At that time, even when there are a plurality of devices (12, 13, 16) used by the user, the content can be provided to the most suitable device (12, 13, 16) according to the current situation of the user. . Then, by providing a device status table (32a) that normalizes and stores the latest status of each device (12, 13, 16), the load on the information center (14) for specifying the user status is reduced. I can finish it.

The block diagram which shows one Example of this invention and shows the whole structure of a system roughly Diagram showing data structure of device status table The figure which shows the process sequence including the flow of communication between the device and information center in a system. The figure which shows the processing procedure of the service provision after the scene specification in a system Schematic diagram showing an overview of services in the system Schematic diagram showing examples of services in the system (part 1) Schematic diagram showing examples of services in the system (part 2) Schematic diagram showing examples of services in the system (part 3) The flowchart which shows the other Example of this invention and shows the processing procedure of the notification of the device state from a device model to a user model Schematic diagram showing an overview of services in the system, showing a conventional example

  An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. In addition, in a present Example, mentioning as a specific example the case where a user uses in-vehicle devices, such as a smart phone as a personal digital assistant, and a car (car) carried in a user (car) as a plurality of devices. explain.

  FIG. 1 schematically shows the overall configuration of a content providing system 11 according to the present embodiment. As shown in FIG. 5 and the like, the system 11 includes a smartphone 12 and an in-vehicle device (car navigation system) 13 as devices used by the user, and an information center 14 and a service provider 15. The content providing system 11 is configured as a system that realizes a so-called agent service that automatically provides various contents (services) provided by the service provider 15 to the smartphone 12 and the vehicle-mounted device 13.

  The various contents are provided by a plurality of service providers 15. The service provider 15 includes a server for providing contents and a mail server. Examples of contents (services) provided (distributed) from the service provider 15 to the smartphone 12 or the vehicle-mounted device 13 include news distribution, weather forecast distribution, mail service, and clipping of information according to the user's hobbies and interests. There are various services such as services such as driving destinations and route proposal services. In this case, the service provider 15 distributes the content requested by the information center 14 as will be described later, and performs an automatic content distribution service (PUSH service) based on registration by the user in advance. In addition, information such as alert (warning) information of the vehicle 16 (described later) and emergency earthquake warning information is also provided to the smartphone 12 and the vehicle-mounted device 13.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the in-vehicle device (car navigation system) 13 is mounted on a vehicle (automobile) 16 on which the user gets (drives). Communication connection is possible between the smartphone 12 and the information center 14 and between the vehicle 16 (the vehicle-mounted device 13) and the information center 14 via a carrier network. The information center 14 and the service provider 15 are connected via the Internet.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the smartphone 12 includes a control unit 17, a display unit 18, an operation unit 19, a communication unit 20, and a display unit 18 connected to the control unit 17. A GPS receiver 21, a vibration sensor 22, a storage unit 23, a voice input / output device (not shown), and the like are provided. The control unit 17 is mainly configured by a computer having a CPU, ROM, RAM, and the like (not shown), and controls the entire smartphone 12 according to a program stored in the ROM.

  The display unit 18 is configured by, for example, a color displayable liquid crystal display or an organic EL display, and the screen displays, for example, phone book data or images and videos stored in the storage unit 23, for example. The The display unit 18 functions as a content output unit. The operation unit 19 includes a touch panel provided on the screen of the display unit 18. The voice input / output unit includes a microphone and a speaker (not shown), and inputs speech sound during a call and outputs received speech. The voice input / output unit also outputs, for example, music or video audio stored in the storage unit 23, synthesized voice obtained by reading text data, and the like.

  The GPS receiver 21 receives a signal from a GPS satellite. As is well known, the control unit 17 generates current position information of the smartphone 12 based on a reception signal of the GPS receiver 21. The vibration sensor 22 detects vibrations acting on the main body of the smartphone 12. The storage unit 23 stores telephone book data, music, and the like, and stores various applications executed by the smartphone 12, various data, and the like.

  The communication unit 20 performs wide-area communication connected to a carrier network (or network), thereby enabling communication with the information center 14. In this case, from the communication unit 20, current position information of the smartphone 12, display on / off information, vibration information of the vibration sensor 22, and the like are transmitted to the information center 14 as device information. The communication unit 20 receives content transmitted from the information center 14 to the smartphone 12.

  In this embodiment, for example, the user can access an external scheduler (not shown) by operating the smartphone 12 and register his / her schedule data in the scheduler. Schedule data includes data such as user name, start / end date and time, place (destination), schedule items (business trips, in-house meetings, drop-offs, holidays, etc.), transportation means (vehicle 16, public transportation, taxi, etc.) It is. For example, when there is a scheduled item at a fixed time on a fixed day of the week, a repeated schedule can be registered. The user can freely refer to the registered schedule data. The scheduler function may be provided in the smartphone 12 itself or may be provided in the information center 14.

  On the other hand, the in-vehicle device (car navigation system) 13 includes a control unit 24, a display unit 25, an operation unit 26, a voice output device (not shown), a storage unit (not shown), and the like connected to the control unit 24. . Among them, the control unit 24 is mainly configured by a computer having a CPU, a ROM, a RAM, and the like, and controls the entire in-vehicle device 13 according to a program stored in the ROM or the like. At this time, as will be described in detail later, the control unit 24 also functions as an in-vehicle scene specifying unit and a control unit. The control unit 24 is connected to a communication unit 27 provided in the vehicle 16. The storage unit stores various programs such as a navigation function and various data such as map data.

  The display unit 25 is configured by, for example, a liquid crystal display capable of color display, an organic EL display, a plasma display, or the like, and is provided, for example, at the center of an instrument panel in the passenger compartment. On the screen of the display unit 25, for example, a map screen when using navigation, a display screen of various contents, and the like are displayed, and the display unit 25 functions as a content output unit. The operation unit 26 includes a touch panel provided on the screen of the display unit 25, a switch provided around the touch panel, and the like, and accepts various input operations by the user. The audio output device includes a speaker or the like, and outputs music, guide audio, and the like. In addition, with this voice output device, as will be described later, it is possible to read aloud the text of distributed content (for example, news).

  In addition to the in-vehicle device 13, the vehicle 16 is provided with a control unit 28 mainly composed of a computer, and a vehicle information acquisition unit 29 and the communication unit 27 connected to the control unit 28. ing. Although not shown in detail, the vehicle information acquisition unit 29 is connected to an in-vehicle position detection unit made up of an in-vehicle network (CAN), a GPS unit, etc., for example, vehicle speed, steering angle, fuel remaining amount, alert information, seat sensor Necessary vehicle information such as information such as the traveling state of the vehicle 16 and the vehicle position is acquired.

  The communication unit 27 performs wide area communication connected to a carrier network (or network), and can communicate with the information center 14. In this case, information on the vehicle 16 itself is transmitted from the communication unit 27 to the information center 14 as device information together with information on the in-vehicle device 13. Specifically, in addition to the current position information of the vehicle 16, vehicle speed information, steering angle information, fuel remaining amount information, alert information, seat sensor information, and the like are transmitted to the information center 14. In addition, the communication unit 27 receives content transmitted from the information center 14 to the in-vehicle device 13.

  Instead of the communication unit 27 provided in the vehicle 16, communication with the outside (information center 14) may be performed using an external communication device possessed by the user, such as a smartphone 12 or a mobile phone. In addition to the smartphone 12 and the vehicle-mounted device 13 described above, the device used by the user may include, for example, a personal computer or a television set installed at the user's home and connected to the Internet.

  The information center 14 includes a communication device (not shown) and, as shown in FIG. 1, a server (control unit) 31 mainly composed of a computer. The server 31 implements an agent service in the content providing system 1 of the present embodiment by executing a content providing program according to the present embodiment stored in, for example, a ROM. The content providing program may be stored in a computer-readable external storage medium, for example, an optical disk, a magnetic disk, a card type memory, a USB memory, or the like, and may be provided from these storage media.

  The server 31 realizes the following functions by its software configuration (a plurality of routines executed by the content providing program). That is, as will be described later in the description of the operation, the server 31 includes a device model 33, a user model 34, a service selection model 37, and a providing method selection model 38. A first storage unit 32 is connected to the device model 33, and a second storage unit 35 is connected to the user model 34.

  The device model 33 is based on device information including current position information transmitted from each device (smart phone 12, in-vehicle device 13, vehicle 16), and the state of each device (smart phone 12, in-vehicle device 13, vehicle 16). It functions as a device state specifying means for grasping. More specifically, as shown in FIG. 1, the device model 33 includes a smartphone state specifying unit 33 a that specifies (understands) the state of the smartphone 12, and an in-vehicle device state that specifies (understands) the state of the in-vehicle device 13. The specifying unit 33b includes a vehicle state specifying unit 33c that specifies (understands) the state of the vehicle 16. The state of the vehicle 16 includes alert information on the vehicle 16 and information on the presence or absence of a passenger.

  In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2, the first storage unit 32 includes data indicating what state each user device (smart phone 12, in-vehicle device 13, and vehicle 16) is currently in. A device state table 32a for storing (holding) (state data) is provided. Note that FIG. 2 illustrates a case where the user A has the television 30 in addition to the in-vehicle device 13 as a device. The device status table 32a stores status data such as user ID, device ID, power ON / OFF, resolution (display screen size), vibration sensor signal, position information, and vehicle speed for each user device. A notification interval setting value is also stored.

  At this time, as shown in FIG. 1, the device model 33 normalizes device information including data of different formats transmitted from the devices, and writes (updates) the device information as state data in the device state table 32a. ) A normalization unit 36 is provided. In this case, as shown in FIG. 1, in the device status table 32a, NULL data is written for status data that cannot be acquired by the device.

  Here, as will be described later in the operation description (flowchart description), device information is transmitted from each device (smart phone 12, in-vehicle device 13, vehicle 16) to the server 31 (device model 33) of the information center 14. At the time of initial activation of each device, unique information of each device is transmitted. Then, after the user ID and device ID are issued from the server 31 (device model 33), the parameter information such as various sensor information in each device is transmitted every time the parameter information is changed from the next time. ing.

  Further, the device model 33 notifies the user model 34 of the device status data written in the device status table 32a. In this case, the notification interval stored in the device state table 32a is a time interval for periodically notifying device state data from the device model 33 to the user model 34, and is set for each device. It has become. In other words, this time interval is a time interval at which the user wants to provide a service (can provide a service without any problem), and the time interval such as the vehicle 16 (on-vehicle device 13) changes every moment. Is set short, and the others are set relatively long. For example, as shown in FIG. 1, the in-vehicle device 13 has an interval of 1 second, and the television 30 and the smartphone 12 have an interval of 1 minute.

  The user model 34 is a scene specifying unit 34 a that functions as a scene estimation unit that estimates the current scene of the user from state data of each device (smart phone 12, in-vehicle device 13, vehicle 16) notified from the device model 33. It has. At the same time, the user model 34 also functions as a determination unit that determines the presence / absence, type, timing, etc. of content to be provided to the user. Further, the user model 34 estimates a user's behavior based on the estimated user scene, and determines a service (content) schedule to be provided to the user.

  The scene specifying unit 34a determines (estimates) what scene the user currently belongs to (driving, stopping, working, relaxing, going out, sleeping, etc.). At this time, in this embodiment, the scene specifying unit 34a determines that the user is acting (wakes up) while the vibration sensor 22 provided in the smartphone 12 detects vibration. It has become. The scene specifying unit 34a refers to the schedule data of the external scheduler at regular intervals. It also holds schedules such as weekdays / holidays and determines them. The estimated scene is used in various ways such as estimation of user behavior, learning thereof, and scheduling attributes.

  Further, although not shown in detail, the second storage unit 35 connected to the user model 34 learns from, for example, a history of what actions each user has taken and what services have been used. A service time table for storing the action histogram is stored. The user model 34 keeps a record of what actions the user has taken and used the service, and learns movement patterns and regular routes to update the service timetable.

  The service selection model 37 has a function of requesting a service from the service provider 15 and receiving content from the service provider 15 based on the determination of the user model 34. At the same time, when providing a plurality of contents (a service based on a schedule, a vehicle warning (alert) notification, a PUSH service mail, etc.) to the user, a priority order according to the type of contents is added, The mediation is performed in this way, and it also has a function as mediation means.

  The provision method selection model 38 functions as device selection means for determining a device to transmit the content based on the estimation of the user model 34 and the determination of the service selection model 37 and transmitting the device to the device. In this case, when the user model 34 (scene identifying unit 34a) estimates (identifies) that the user is driving the vehicle 16, the providing method selection model 38 is not in the vehicle 16 with passengers other than the user. A device for transmitting content is selected in consideration of presence or absence. For example, when there is a passenger in the vehicle 16, the mail is sent to the smartphone 12 instead of the in-vehicle device 13 in consideration of the privacy of the user.

  At the same time, the providing method selection model 38 is based on the estimation of the user model 34 and the determination of the service selection model 37, and the appropriate output form of content (for example, moving image, still image, audio output, text (character) display, To determine the combination. The providing method selection model 38 functions as a conversion unit that processes the output method when necessary. In this case, when it is estimated (specified) that the user is driving the vehicle 16, the content is processed so as to have an abstraction level corresponding to the driving load (the higher the load, the higher the abstraction level). .

  With the configuration of the server 31 described above, the content providing system 11 according to the present embodiment executes a service as shown in FIG. That is, device information including current position information is transmitted to the information center 14 (server 31) from devices such as the smartphone 12 and the vehicle 16 (onboard device 13) used by the user. In the server 31, the user's current scene is estimated from the device information and the like, and the content desired by the user in the scene is requested from the service provider 15. When the content is acquired from the service provider 15, the server 31 transmits the content to a device corresponding to the scene. The user can enjoy the content on the device corresponding to the scene.

  Next, the operation of the above configuration will be described with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4 show the processing procedure of each part, the main processing procedure (routine) mainly executed by the server 31 of the information center 14, and the flow of communication in the content providing system 11 of the present embodiment. FIG. 3 shows the flow of device connection processing, device status update processing, and scene specification processing in the content providing system 11. FIG. 4 shows the flow of processing for providing content (service) after the scene is specified.

  That is, in FIG. 3, in the first device connection process, in each device on the user side (smart phone 12, in-vehicle device 13, vehicle 16), first in step A1, it is determined whether or not each device is connected for the first time. The If it is the first connection (Yes in Step A1), the unique information of the device is transmitted to the information center 14 in Step A2. The device specific information is data such as device type and resolution. If it is not the first time (No in step A1), the process ends as it is.

  When the information center 14 (device model 33) receives the unique information of the device transmitted from the device in step B1, the information center 14 (device model 33) issues a user ID (if not issued) and a device ID in step B2. In step B3, the device status table 32a is updated, and the new device data is stored and saved. In step B4, the update process is completed, and the issued user ID and device ID are notified (transmitted) to the user's device. When the user ID and device ID are received at the device (step A3), the first connection process ends.

  Next, in the device status update process, first, in step A11, it is determined whether or not the device information is updated in each device on the user side (smart phone 12, in-vehicle device 13, vehicle 16). If the device information is updated (Yes in step A1), the updated device information (difference information) is transmitted to the information center 14 in step A12. In the information center 14 (device model 33), when the updated device information is received in step B11, the data is normalized in step B12. In step B13, the device state of the first storage unit 32 is obtained. The table 32a is updated.

  Now, when providing a content providing service to a user's device, scene specifying processing is performed in the information center 14 (server 31). In this scene specifying process, in the device model 33, the device state table 32a is read in step B21, and it is determined in step B22 whether it is the notification time of device information. If the device information notification time has not come (No in step B22), the processing from step B21 is repeated.

  When the device information notification time is reached (Yes in step B22), the device status data is notified to the user model 34 in step B23. When the user model 34 is notified of the device status data, the user model 34 executes a scene specifying process in step B24. In this process, from the device states of the smartphone 12, the vehicle-mounted device 13, and the vehicle 16 (for example, vibration detection information of the vibration sensor 22, position information of the smartphone 12 and the vehicle 16, etc.) Middle, stopping, working, relaxing, going out, sleeping).

  Then, following the scene specification in the information center 14 (server 31) as described above, a service providing process is executed as shown in FIG. That is, when a scene is specified in the information center 14 (server 31) (step B24), in the next step B25, based on the specified scene, the service time table of the second storage unit 35, and the like. User behavior is estimated. At this time, since the user's past service usage history data stored in the service time table and the user's schedule data registered in the scheduler are taken into account, the user's behavior can be estimated with sufficient certainty. it can.

  In the next step B26, it is determined whether there is a service (content) to be provided to the user. If there is no service to be provided (No in step B26), the service time table is updated in step B27, and the process returns to step B21. If there is a service to be provided (Yes in Step B26), a content distribution request is made to the service provider 15 in Step B28.

  The service provider 15 distributes the content requested by the information center 14 to the information center 14 (step C22). At this time, in addition to the request from the information center 14, the service provider 15 always determines whether there is content to be PUSH distributed to the user (step C21). If there is content to be delivered by push (Yes in Step C21), the content is delivered in Step C22. Further, for example, content (information) that needs to be urgently distributed, such as emergency earthquake information, is similarly distributed in step C22.

  In the information center 14, when content is received from the service provider 15, priority is given to the content to be provided to the user in step B29. In step B30, the content with the highest priority is selected from the contents to be provided to the user. In step B31, the user's device (smart phone 12, in-vehicle device 13) to be transmitted is selected regarding the content.

  As a result, when a plurality of contents can be provided at the same time, priority is given to the ones with a high degree of importance, and it is possible to prevent problems such as unnecessary unnecessary contents being provided first. it can. In addition, since a device for transmitting content is selected in consideration of the presence or absence of a passenger in the vehicle 16, for example, when there is a passenger other than the user in the vehicle 16, the individual user without transmitting to the in-vehicle device 13. The content is transmitted to the smartphone 12 and the privacy of the user can be protected.

  In the next step B32, if necessary, the content output form (moving image, still image, audio output, text (character) display, combination thereof, etc.) so as to obtain an appropriate output form according to the user's situation Is converted. At this time, although not shown in detail, when it is estimated that the user is driving the vehicle 16, the level of abstraction is determined according to the driving load, that is, when the driving load is large, The content is processed (output form conversion) so as to increase the frequency. In step B33, the content is transmitted to the user's device.

  On the user side, the content is received by the device (either the smartphone 12 or the in-vehicle device 13) (step A21), and the content is output (step A22). In this case, as described above, the type according to the user's scene, in other words, the content presumed to be desired by the user can be automatically provided at an appropriate timing. At that time, even if there are a plurality of devices used by the user, the content can be provided to the most suitable device according to the current situation of the user.

  6 to 8 show three specific examples when the user receives a content service. First, FIG. 6 illustrates a case where a user receives a usual news content service at home, for example, on a weekday morning (for example, 7:00). Here, as a device used by the user, only the smartphone 12 is in an operating state while the in-vehicle device 13 and the vehicle 16 are not operating. In this case, from the device information including the current position information sent from the smartphone 12 to the information center 14, the server 31 of the information center 14 estimates that the user is at home and is active.

  When the user is constantly watching the news on the smartphone 12 at this time, the information center 14 requests the service provider 15 to distribute the news. Then, the content of news is distributed from the service provider 15 to the information center 14 in, for example, a text format. The information center 14 (server 31) determines that the text format is acceptable because the load on the user is not high at home, and transmits the news content to the smartphone 12 in the text format. As a result, the user can view the news with the smartphone 12.

  FIG. 7 illustrates a case where the user receives a usual weather forecast content service during a car commuting (driving) on a weekday morning (for example, 8:30). In this case, device information including the current position information is sent to the information center 14 from the user's smartphone 12 and the in-vehicle device 13 (vehicle 16). The server 31 estimates that the user is driving the vehicle 16 and is turning the steering wheel (while turning left or right) (no passenger).

  At this time, when the user is always watching the weather forecast in the vehicle, the information center 14 requests the service provider 15 to distribute the weather forecast content. Then, the content of the weather forecast is distributed from the service provider 15 to the information center 14 in, for example, a text format. At this time, since the user is driving and the load on the user is high, the information center 14 (server 31) converts the text of the content into sound and transmits the weather forecast content to the in-vehicle device 13 in sound format. . Thus, the user can listen to the weather forecast content read out by the in-vehicle device 13 while driving.

  FIG. 8 illustrates a case where the user receives an e-mail while traveling in a car (driving) with a passenger on a weekday afternoon (during work). In this case, device information including the current position information is sent to the information center 14 from the user's smartphone 12 and the in-vehicle device 13 (vehicle 16). The server 31 estimates that the user is driving the vehicle 16 and there is a passenger.

  When mail is delivered from the service provider 15 to the user, the smartphone 12 is selected as a device that transmits the mail in order to protect the privacy of the user. The information center 14 (server 31) transmits (notifies) the mail content to the smartphone 12 instead of the in-vehicle device 13 (vehicle 16). Thus, the content of the mail is not displayed on the display unit 25 of the in-vehicle device 13, and the user can view the mail later on the smartphone 12.

  As described above, according to the content providing system 11 of the present embodiment, the following excellent effects can be obtained. That is, the server 31 of the information center 14 has a device model 33 for grasping the state of each device (smart phone 12, in-vehicle device 13, vehicle 16), estimates the current scene of the user from the state of each device, and provides it to the user. A user model 34 for determining the content to be processed, a service selection model 37 for receiving content from the service provider 15 and mediating between a plurality of content, and a selection of a providing method for determining a device to transmit the content and converting it to an appropriate output form A model 38 was provided.

  Thereby, the type according to the user's scene, in other words, the content estimated to be desired by the user can be automatically provided at an appropriate timing. At that time, even if there are a plurality of devices used by the user, the content can be provided to the most suitable device according to the current situation of the user.

  The device model 33 includes a device state table 32a that normalizes and stores the latest state of each device (smart phone 12, in-vehicle device 13, vehicle 16), and receives updated device information from each device. Based on the above, the data of the device state table 32a is updated. Thus, since the latest state of each device is always held in the device state table 32a, the device state table 32a may be referred to when the user's current scene is estimated by the user model 34. At this time, since the latest state data of each device stored in the device state table 32a has already been normalized, it can be easily used and the processing load can be reduced.

  Therefore, according to the content providing system 11 of the present embodiment, there is a system that can automatically provide a content service from the service provider 15 to a plurality of devices used by the user. In consideration of the current situation, content can be provided in a form adapted to the user situation. By providing the device status table 32a that normalizes and stores the latest status of each device, the load on the information center 14 (server 31) for specifying the user status can be reduced.

  At this time, particularly in this embodiment, the device model 33 is configured to periodically notify the user model 34 of the device status data at a predetermined time interval set for each device. By setting an appropriate time interval for each device, such as shortening the time interval for devices that are likely to change the situation, such as driving, and increasing the time interval for devices that do not change so rapidly, Effective notification to the user model 34 can be performed while reducing the burden on the information center 14.

  In this embodiment, when transmitting device information from each device to the device model 33, the device-specific information is transmitted when the device is activated for the first time. Parameter information such as various sensor information is transmitted each time the parameter information is changed. Thereby, the latest status data can be stored in the device status table 32a without wasteful communication when there is no change in the parameter information of each device.

  In the present embodiment, the provision method selection model 38 needs to determine an appropriate output form (for example, moving image, still image, audio output, text (character) display, combination thereof, etc.) of the content in the device. In this case, a function as a conversion means for processing the output form is provided, so that the content can be output in an appropriate output form according to the user's situation on the device, and the content can be more effectively Can be provided.

  At this time, when it is estimated by the user model 34 that the user is driving the vehicle 16, the providing method selection model 38 processes the content so as to have an abstraction level corresponding to the driving load. As a result, when the load due to driving is large, the content output form is converted so that the abstraction level is also high, so that the content can be easily output to the user without hindering driving.

  Furthermore, in the present embodiment, the user model 34 (scene specifying unit 34a) is estimated from any of six types of scenes while the user is driving, stopping, working, relaxing, going out, and sleeping. It was configured as follows. These six types of scenes of the user are clearly distinguished and can be easily estimated (identified). The user model 34 is configured to estimate the user's current scene by taking into account the user's past service usage history data or taking into account the registered user's schedule data. The certainty of the scene estimation can be further increased.

  In this embodiment, when providing a plurality of contents to the user in the service selection model 37 of the server 31, priority is added according to the type of contents, and arbitration means for arbitrating between the plurality of contents. In the case where multiple contents can be provided at the same time, priority is given to those with high importance, and unnecessary and urgent contents are provided (output) first. Can be prevented in advance.

  In the present embodiment, when the provision method selection model 38 of the server 31 estimates that the user is driving the vehicle, the content is transmitted in consideration of the presence or absence of a passenger of the vehicle 16 as a state. Since the device is selected, when there is a passenger other than the user in the vehicle 16, the content is transmitted to the user's personal smartphone 12 without transmitting to the in-vehicle device 13, and the privacy of the user is protected. Can be achieved.

  FIG. 9 shows another embodiment of the present invention, and processing when updating the state data of the device state table 32a in the device model 33 and notifying the user model 34 of the device state data from the device model 33. The procedure is shown. That is, in the device model 33, it is determined whether or not there is a change in the device state in step B41. If there is a change (Yes in step B41), the device state table in step B42. The status data of 32a is updated. In the next step B43, it is determined whether or not it is the notification time of the device information. Even when the notification time is reached (Yes in step B43), the device at the previous notification is determined in the next step B44. It is determined whether or not the state is different.

  If it is not different from the previous device state (No in step B44), the process returns to step B41. If it is different from the previous state (Yes in Step B44), the device state data is notified to the user model 34 in Step B45. The user model 34 receives the device status data (step B46) and performs scene specifying processing. That is, in this embodiment, when the state data in the device state table 32a is changed, the device model 33 notifies the user model 34 and the scene is estimated.

  As a result, even when the latest device information cannot be acquired due to, for example, network delay, communication interruption, or out of communication range, the information center 14 (user model 34) keeps the status of the device status table 32a among the plurality of devices. The user's current scene is estimated by giving priority to the device whose data has been changed. For example, when the network of the in-vehicle device 13 is interrupted while the vehicle 16 is in operation, the device information of the in-vehicle device 13 (the vehicle 16) cannot be acquired, but the television state is changed from power-off to power-on during that time. In this case, the estimated scene is transitioned from driving the vehicle to relaxing at home.

  In each of the above embodiments, the smartphone 12 is adopted as the portable information terminal possessed by the user. However, the present invention is not limited to the smartphone, and any portable information device with a communication function may be a cellular phone, a tablet terminal, or the like. It may be. The in-vehicle device is not limited to the car navigation device, but can be applied to any in-vehicle device including a display unit such as a head-up display and a meter. Moreover, in the said Example, although the conversion of the output form of the content provided was performed in the server 31 of the information center 14, you may implement in the smart phone 12 or the vehicle equipment 13. FIG. In addition, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above and shown in the drawings, and can be implemented with appropriate modifications without departing from the scope of the invention.

  In the drawing, 11 is a content providing system, 12 is a smartphone (portable information terminal), 13 is an in-vehicle device, 14 is an information center, 15 is a service provider, 16 is a vehicle, 18 is a display unit (content output unit), and 22 is a vibration. Sensor (vibration detection means), 25 is a display unit (content output unit), 31 is a server, 32a is a device state table, 33 is a device model (device state specifying means), 34 is a user model (scene estimation means, determination means) , 36 denotes a normalization unit, 37 denotes a service selection model (arbitration means), and 38 denotes a provision method selection model (device selection means, conversion means).

Claims (12)

A plurality of devices (12, 13, 16) provided with a content output section (18, 25) and used by a user and an information center (14) provided with a server (31) for providing content are communicably connected. In the content providing system (11) configured to provide content from the information center (14) to the devices (12, 13, 16),
The server (31) of the information center (14) grasps the state of each device (12, 13, 16) based on the device information transmitted from each device (12, 13, 16). Means (33);
Scene estimation means (34) for estimating the current scene of the user from the state of each device (12, 13, 16) grasped by the device state identification means (33);
A determination means (34) for determining the content to be provided to the corresponding user from the user's scene estimated by the scene estimation means (34);
A device selection unit (38) for determining a device (12, 13, 16) for transmitting the content based on the estimation of the scene estimation unit (33) and the determination of the determination unit (34);
The device status specifying means (33) includes a device status table (32a) that normalizes and stores the latest status of each device, and updates the device information updated from each device (12, 13, 16). A content providing system that updates the status data of the device status table (32a) based on the reception.   The device state specifying means (33) is configured so that the device (12, 13, 16) has a predetermined time interval set for each of the devices (12, 13, 16) with respect to the scene estimation means (34). The content providing system according to claim 1, wherein the status data is notified.   The notification to the scene estimation means (34) from the device state specifying means (33) is performed when there is a change in the state data of the device state table (32a). Content provision system.   When one user uses a plurality of devices (12, 13, 16), the scene estimation means (34) includes the device state table (32a) among the devices (12, 13, 16). The content provision according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the current scene of the user is estimated with priority given to a device (12, 13, 16) in which the state data has been changed. system.   In transmitting device information from the devices (12, 13, 16) to the device state specifying means (33), the devices (12, 13, 16) are initially activated when the devices (12, 13, 16) are activated. (12, 13, 16) is transmitted, and parameter information such as various sensor information in each device (12, 13, 16) is transmitted each time the parameter information is changed. The content providing system according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the content providing system is characterized in that:   Based on the estimation of the scene estimation means (34), a suitable output form of the content in the device (12, 13, 16) is determined, and conversion means (38) for processing the content into the output form is provided. The content providing system according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein   When the scene estimation unit (34) estimates that the user is driving the vehicle (16), the conversion unit (38) outputs the content so that the level of abstraction is in accordance with the driving load. 7. The content providing system according to claim 6, wherein the content providing system is processed. The plurality of devices (12, 13, 16) include a portable information terminal (12) possessed by a user,
The portable information terminal (12) includes a vibration detection unit (22), and the device state identification unit (33) operates while the vibration detection unit (22) detects vibration. The content providing system according to claim 1, wherein the content providing system is determined.   The said scene estimation means (34) estimates the said user's present scene in consideration of the data of the user's past service utilization history, The one of Claim 1 to 8 characterized by the above-mentioned. Content provision system.   The content according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the scene estimation means (34) estimates the current scene of the user in consideration of registered user schedule data. Offer system.   The server (31) of the information center (14), when providing a plurality of contents to the user, adds a priority according to the type of contents and arbitrates between a plurality of contents (37). The content providing system according to any one of claims 1 to 10, further comprising:   The device selection means (38) considers the presence or absence of a passenger of the vehicle (16) as a state when the scene estimation means (34) estimates that the user is driving the vehicle (16). The content providing system according to any one of claims 1 to 11, wherein a device (12, 13, 16) for transmitting content is selected.

Images