Information collection device, and control method

An information collection device, comprising:

• a processor,
• wherein the processor includes:
• a position acquisition section that acquires a current position of an own vehicle;
• a surroundings search section that searches for a facility in surroundings of the own vehicle;
• a question generation section that generates a question related to a visit destination of a subject person;
• a question output necessity determination section that determines whether or not it is necessary to perform output of the question, based on at least one of a result of the acquisition by the position acquisition section, the number of results of the search by the surroundings search section, and a going-out duration of the subject person;
• a question output control section that outputs the question, depending on a result of the determination by the question output necessity determination section;
• and
• a collection section that collects information on the visit destination, based on input information input by the subject person in response to the question,
• wherein the processor further includes a return determination section that determines that the subject person returns to the own vehicle from the visit destination, based on a vehicle state of the own vehicle,
• wherein when it is determined by the return determination section that the subject person returns to the own vehicle, the question output necessity determination section determines whether or not it is necessary to perform output of the question,
• wherein the question output necessity determination section determines that it is not necessary to perform output of the question when an elapsing time period does not exceed a predetermined minimum threshold value, the elapsing time period since the subject person left the own vehicle until it is determined by the return determination section that the subject person returns to the own vehicle.

A control method in an information collection device executed by a processor, comprising:

• a first step of acquiring a current position of an own vehicle by the processor;
• a second step of searching for a facility in surroundings of the own vehicle by the processor;
• a third step of generating a question related to a visit destination of a subject person by the processor;
• a fourth step of determining whether or not it is necessary to perform output of the question by the processor, based on at least the number of results of the search in the second step, and a going-out duration of the subject person;
• a fifth step of outputting the question by the processor, depending on a result of the determination in the fourth step;
• and
• a sixth step of collecting information on the visit destination by the processor, based on input information input by the subject person in response to the question,
• wherein the going-out duration is a going-out time between a departure time of the own vehicle when the subject person goes out to the visit destination to a return time when the subject person returns to the own vehicle,
• wherein when the number of the results of the search of the fourth step is two or more,
• the processor determines that it is not necessary to perform output of a dialog sentence including the question when the going-out duration exceeds a maximum threshold value, and
• determines that it is necessary to perform output of the dialog sentence including the question when the going-out duration does not exceed the maximum threshold value.