JP7358075B2 - Vehicle management system, vehicle management device, and vehicle management method - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a vehicle management system, a vehicle management device, and a vehicle management method.

When we receive a boarding request from a user that includes designation of the departure point and destination, we generate a boarding flight that can be provided to the user based on the schedule information of each vehicle, and provide the boarding location and other information regarding the boarding flight. A transportation service reservation method is known in which a scheduled boarding time is presented to a user (Patent Document 1).

JP2014-238831A

However, in Patent Document 1, if a user who has made a reservation for a transportation service arrives at the boarding point after the vehicle, the vehicle that arrived earlier than the user will stop at the boarding point and wait for the user, resulting in traffic flow. There was a problem that it could be a hindrance.

The problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a vehicle management system that can prevent a vehicle from interfering with traffic flow at a user's boarding point.

The present invention provides user position information indicating the user's position and the position of the dispatch vehicle at regular intervals while the user and the dispatch vehicle dispatched to the user are moving to the boarding point where the user gets on the dispatch vehicle . If it is determined that the user is not moving at a certain period or according to the predicted time, the user receives vehicle location information indicating the vehicle location information, sets the boarding point, and then returns the boarding point based on the user location information. Based on the vehicle location information, calculate a vehicle arrival time range that indicates the predicted range of the time when the dispatched vehicle will arrive at the pick-up point, and While traveling to the pick-up point, the vehicle is automatically configured so that the earliest arrival time of the dispatched vehicle within the vehicle arrival time range is later than the latest arrival time of the user within the user arrival time range. The above problem is solved by updating the travel control details of the dispatched vehicle using the driving function and executing the updated travel control .

According to the present invention, it is possible to prevent a vehicle from interfering with traffic flow at a user's boarding point.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an embodiment of a vehicle management system according to the present embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the procedure of vehicle travel control performed by the vehicle management system in this embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the procedure of changing the driving control of a vehicle performed by the vehicle management system in this embodiment.

The vehicle management system according to this embodiment is a system that is applied in a situation where a user who requests a vehicle allocation and a dispatched vehicle meet at a pick-up point. When a vehicle management system receives a ride request from a user, it specifies a boarding point and notifies the user and the vehicle of information regarding the location of the boarding point. After that, the user and the vehicle move to the boarding point, and after the user gets on the vehicle, the vehicle will drive toward the destination desired by the user. In this embodiment, in response to a request from one user, the vehicle moves from its current position to the boarding point, and from the boarding point to the user's destination, which is the user's destination, at the drop-off point. It is assumed that requests for dispatch are accepted as part of the dispatch schedule. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and a plurality of users may be allowed to ride together, and the vehicle may be moved along a vehicle allocation schedule that includes the respective boarding points and alighting points in the travel route. The vehicle allocation schedule is indicated by a driving route from a vehicle departure point to a vehicle arrival point via a user boarding point and a user alighting point, and an arrival time and departure time at each point.

In the vehicle management system according to the present embodiment, when a user and a vehicle meet at a boarding point, in order to prevent the vehicle from stopping at the boarding point for a long time, the vehicle management system sets the time at which the vehicle will arrive at the boarding point to the time at which the user arrives at the boarding point. The vehicle is managed by adjusting the time so that it is later than the scheduled time. In general, when predicting a user's arrival time, it is difficult to accurately determine the actual arrival time, and there is a possibility that the user will arrive before or after the predicted arrival time, so there is variation in the estimation of the arrival time. come out. Therefore, in this embodiment, by calculating the range of predictable variations in user arrival times and managing vehicles to arrive after the latest time in the range, if the user's arrival time becomes late, Also, the vehicle may arrive at the pick-up point later than the user. Furthermore, by estimating the user's arrival time even while the user is moving, the closer the user is to the boarding point, the more accurate the prediction can be, and the more accurately the vehicle's arrival time can be managed.

An embodiment of a vehicle management system according to this embodiment will be described based on the drawings. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a vehicle management system according to the present embodiment. 4 (hereinafter, transportation service vehicle 4 is also referred to as "vehicle 4"). The server 1 and the user terminal 2 are connected via the network 3, and the server 1 and the vehicle 4 are also connected via the network 3. Note that the server 1 may be connected to a plurality of user terminals 2 and a plurality of transportation service vehicles 4. The vehicle 4 is a vehicle that can run autonomously, is equipped with a navigation device, and has a function of automatically controlling travel control (speed control and steering control). Vehicle 2 may be manned or unmanned. However, the vehicle does not necessarily have to be equipped with an automatic control function, and may be a vehicle that is equipped with a driving support function and driven by a human. Further, the user terminal device 2 is a terminal operated by a user, and is, for example, a mobile phone or a portable computer terminal.

First, the server 1 will be explained. The server 1 of this embodiment includes a computer having hardware and software, and this computer includes a ROM (Read Only Memory) that stores programs, and a CPU (Central Processing Unit) that executes the programs stored in the ROM. and a RAM (Random Access Memory) that functions as an accessible storage device. Note that the operating circuit may be an MPU (Micro Processing Unit), a DSP (Digital Signal Processor), an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array), etc. instead of or in addition to the CPU (Central Processing Unit). can be used.

As shown in FIG. 1, the server 1 includes a server communication section 11, a vehicle management section 12, an automatic driving control section 13, an arrival time estimation section 14, an infrastructure information acquisition section 15, and a map database 16.

The server communication unit 11 is a communication device that inputs and outputs various information by transmitting and receiving signals containing information to and from the user terminal 2 via the network 3 . Further, the server communication unit 11 transmits and receives signals to and from the vehicle 4 via the network 3. For example, the server communication unit 11 receives input information related to a user's ride request from the user terminal 2, and transmits information such as the boarding point to the user terminal 2. Further, the server communication unit 11 receives vehicle position information from the vehicle 4, and transmits information such as the boarding point to the vehicle.

The vehicle management unit 12 receives information transmitted from the user terminal 2 operated by the user via the server communication unit 11 at predetermined time intervals (for example, 100 msec). Further, the vehicle management section 12 receives information transmitted from the vehicle 4 via the server communication section 11. When a user transmits dispatch request information to the server communication unit 11 via the user terminal 2, the vehicle management unit 12 determines a vehicle to be dispatched based on the dispatch request information from the user. The dispatch request information includes information such as departure point, destination, usage time, etc. Then, the vehicle management unit 12 determines the driving route from the departure point of the vehicle to the user's boarding point and the user's alighting point, and the arrival time and departure time at each point. After determining the travel route and travel time, the vehicle management unit 12 transmits the information to the user terminal 2 via the server communication unit 11 .

The vehicle management unit 12 manages the position of the parked or running vehicle 4 by acquiring vehicle position information acquired by the vehicle position information acquisition unit 42 of the vehicle 4 via the server communication unit 11. . Further, the vehicle management unit 12 manages whether the vehicle 4 is traveling according to the vehicle allocation schedule. The vehicle management unit 12 also updates the vehicle allocation schedule based on the road traffic information acquired by the infrastructure information acquisition unit 15. For example, if the arrival time of the vehicle 4 is delayed from the time indicated in the vehicle allocation schedule due to traffic congestion or the like, the vehicle management unit 12 updates the vehicle allocation schedule using the acquired road traffic information. When the vehicle allocation schedule is updated, information on the updated vehicle allocation schedule is transmitted to the user terminal 2. Similarly, the vehicle management unit 12 manages the location of the user who is scheduled to board the vehicle by acquiring the user location information acquired by the user location information acquisition unit 24 via the server communication unit 11. Then, it is determined whether the user to board the vehicle can arrive at the boarding point at the scheduled boarding time.

The vehicle management unit 12 determines the arrival time and travel route of the vehicle 4 based on the prediction result of the user's arrival time by the arrival time estimation unit 13, which will be described later. For example, first, before the vehicle 4 starts traveling to the boarding point, the arrival time estimation unit 13 predicts the arrival time range of the user and the vehicle 4. Next, if the time at which the vehicle 4 arrives earliest within the arrival time range of the vehicle 4 is earlier than the time at which the user arrives latest within the user arrival time range, the user arrives at the latest time. The traveling of the vehicle 4 is managed so that the earliest arrival time of the vehicle 4 is later than the time when the vehicle 4 arrives. This means that if the time when the vehicle 4 arrives is earlier than the time when the user arrives, the vehicle 4 will stop at the boarding point and wait for the user, which will impede the traffic flow. It is from. The vehicle management unit 12 also acquires the user's location information at regular intervals while the vehicle 4 is traveling to the boarding point, and calculates the user's arrival time range according to the user's location information. Then, the arrival time at which the vehicle 4 will arrive later than the latest arrival time of the user and its travel route are calculated, and the vehicle allocation schedule is updated. The vehicle allocation schedule created by the vehicle management section 12 is output to the automatic driving control section 13.

The arrival time of the vehicle 4 can be adjusted, for example, by changing the traveling speed of the vehicle 4, changing the traveling route, or, if there is a place available for waiting, stopping at that place and adjusting the time. When delaying the arrival time, the travel route is changed by, for example, changing to a route with a longer distance than the travel route indicated in the vehicle allocation schedule. The vehicle management unit 12 searches for a plurality of driving routes from the current position of the vehicle to the boarding point based on the map database 16, and selects a driving route on which the vehicle can arrive after the user arrives at the boarding point.

Further, the vehicle management unit 12 changes the traveling speed by changing the initially set traveling speed of the vehicle to a slower traveling speed. For example, the vehicle management unit 12 calculates the travel time necessary for moving the vehicle from the current time and the user arrival time, and calculates the travel speed from the travel distance and travel time of the vehicle 4. Note that, as a matter of course, when setting the traveling speed, the legal speed etc. are taken into consideration. In addition, instead of always traveling at the same speed while traveling on the travel route, it is also possible to change the travel speed only for a certain section of the travel route in order to adjust the travel time. .

Further, if the vehicle 4 can stop at a parking space such as a parking lot, the vehicle management unit 12 stops at the parking space and adjusts the time. For example, if the vehicle 4 is predicted to arrive three minutes earlier than the latest arrival time of the user, the location of a parking space such as a parking lot on the travel route is acquired from the map database 16, If there is a space where the vehicle can stop, the vehicle will stop at that space for at least three minutes, and the vehicle will be adjusted so that the user can arrive later than the latest arrival time. Whether or not there is a parking space available may be determined by acquiring empty car information from the road traffic information acquired by the infrastructure information acquisition unit 15, or by detecting surrounding environment information mounted on the vehicle 4. If a sensor is available, the determination may be made based on information detected by the sensor.

Further, the vehicle management unit 12 may adjust the driving by changing the driving mode. Changing the driving mode is, for example, changing from power mode to eco mode. The eco mode is a driving mode that suppresses the amount of energy consumed in driving the vehicle, and is a driving mode that suppresses changes in driving speed. On the other hand, the power mode is a mode in which the amount of energy consumed is increased to reach the target point more quickly. In other words, by changing to eco mode, unnecessary idling can be reduced and energy consumption can be reduced. The vehicle management unit 12 adjusts running using at least one of these running adjustment methods.

Further, the vehicle management unit 12 outputs information such as dispatch vehicle information, boarding point, alighting point, and boarding time to the server communication unit 11. The server communication section 11 into which these pieces of information have been input transmits these pieces of information to the terminal communication section 21 of the user terminal device 2 . Thereby, the user can grasp the boarding point, scheduled boarding time, alighting point, scheduled alighting time, travel route, etc. via the display unit 22 of the user terminal 2.

The automatic driving control unit 13 controls the travel of the vehicle 4 based on the dispatch schedule created by the vehicle management unit 12. The automatic driving control unit 13 calculates vehicle control information necessary for automatic driving from the position information and time information indicated in the vehicle allocation schedule, and transmits the vehicle control information to the vehicle 4 via the server communication unit 11. The vehicle control information includes information such as vehicle speed information and steering information. For example, the automatic driving control unit 13 sets a plurality of target points that the vehicle 4 passes on the driving route, and calculates a target passing time for each target point. The target point is set at a position such as a node on the travel route. Then, the automatic driving control unit 13 calculates the vehicle speed, acceleration, steering amount, etc. so that the vehicle travels on the travel route while passing the target point at the target passing time, and calculates the calculated vehicle speed, acceleration, steering amount, etc. In addition to the vehicle allocation schedule information, vehicle control information indicating the above information is transmitted to the vehicle 4. Then, the vehicle 4 executes automatic driving control based on the vehicle control information generated by the automatic driving control unit 13 and the information on the dispatch schedule.

The arrival time estimating unit 14 predicts a user arrival time range indicating the range of the user's arrival time based on the user's location and the location of the boarding point. For example, first, the travel distance from the user's current position to the boarding point is calculated, and the travel distance is divided by the user's travel speed to calculate the user's travel time, thereby calculating the user arrival time. The user's current location information is acquired by the user location information acquisition unit 24 and received by the server communication unit 11 via the terminal communication unit 21. As the user's movement speed, a general walking speed may be used, or when the user moves on a bicycle or the like, a general bicycle speed may be used. Furthermore, if the user is moving, the moving speed acquired by the moving speed acquisition unit 25 may be used.

Next, the arrival time estimation unit 14 sets a predetermined time range to the calculated user arrival time, and calculates the user arrival time range. For example, if the user arrival time is calculated as 15:30, and if the predetermined time range is 5 minutes before and after, then the user arrival time range is calculated as 15:25 to 15:35. Note that the predetermined time range is set depending on the travel distance, for example. Specifically, the longer the moving distance, the wider the predetermined time range is set. This is because the longer the distance, the greater the variation in estimated arrival times. Alternatively, the predetermined time range may be adjusted according to the user's preference. For example, if there is a user who does not like waiting for a vehicle or a user who is punctual, the predetermined time range is designed to be narrow. Information regarding the user's preferences may be set by the user himself or herself at the time of initial settings or when requesting a dispatch request, or may be estimated from service usage history information.

Similarly, the arrival time estimation unit 14 predicts a vehicle arrival time range indicating a range of vehicle arrival times from the vehicle position and the boarding point position. For example, first, the travel distance from the current position of the vehicle to the boarding point is calculated, and the vehicle arrival time is calculated by calculating the travel time of the vehicle based on the travel distance, the travel speed of the vehicle 4, and traffic information. . The current position information of the vehicle 4 is acquired by the vehicle position information acquisition section 42 and received by the server communication section 11 via the on-vehicle communication section 41. Moreover, a general traveling speed may be used as the traveling speed of the vehicle. Then, the arrival time estimation unit 14 sets a predetermined time range to the calculated vehicle arrival time, and calculates the vehicle arrival time range. The predetermined time range set as the vehicle arrival time is set depending on, for example, the travel distance. Specifically, the longer the travel distance, the wider the predetermined time range is set. Furthermore, if there is information that there is a traffic jam on the travel route from the road traffic information acquired by the infrastructure information acquisition unit 15, a predetermined time range may be set by taking into account the delay time due to the traffic jam. good.

After calculating the user arrival time range and the vehicle arrival time range, the arrival time estimation unit 14 calculates the latest arrival time of the user within the user arrival time range and the earliest arrival time of the vehicle within the vehicle arrival time range. Compare. Information on the comparison results is then output to the vehicle management section 12. Furthermore, the arrival time estimation unit 14 calculates the user arrival time range and the vehicle arrival time range at a predetermined timing while the vehicle 4 is traveling to the boarding point. In that case as well, information on the comparison result is output to the vehicle management section 12.

The infrastructure information acquisition unit 15 acquires road traffic information such as road congestion information. For example, road traffic information is acquired from infrastructure information of VICS (registered trademark) (Vehicle Information and Communication System). The infrastructure information acquisition unit 15 outputs the acquired road traffic information to the arrival time estimation unit 14. In this embodiment, the arrival time estimation unit 14 calculates the travel time of the vehicle 4 to the boarding point using road traffic information.

The map database 16 is map information including road information. The road information includes information regarding height differences on slopes and the like. In this embodiment, it is used when generating a user's travel route and a vehicle travel route, and is used when acquiring information regarding the environment of the user's travel route and travel route.

Next, the user terminal 2 will be explained. The user terminal 2 includes a terminal communication section 21 , a display section 22 , an input section 23 , a user position information acquisition section 24 , and a movement speed acquisition section 25 .

The terminal communication unit 21 sends and receives information to and from the server communication unit 11 of the server 1 via the network 3. For example, the terminal communication unit 21 transmits dispatch request information and location information input by the user to the server 1, and receives information on the boarding point and location information of the dispatch vehicle from the server 1.

The display unit 22 displays the information received by the terminal communication unit 21 to the user.

The input unit 23 accepts input of information to be sent to the server by the user, such as dispatch request information.

The user position information acquisition unit 24 acquires the current position of the user, and can use a position detection sensor such as a GPS device, for example.

The movement speed acquisition unit 25 acquires the user's movement speed. For example, the moving speed is obtained from the location information obtained by the GPS function of the terminal owned by the user and the time information at the time the location information was obtained. The moving speed acquisition unit 25 acquires and saves the position information and the current time as one piece of information, calculates the moving distance between the two points from the position information of the two points at regular intervals, and calculates the time at the two points. The travel time is determined from the difference between the two and the travel speed is calculated. Therefore, the moving speed acquisition unit 25 can also determine that the moving person is stationary if there is no change in the position information during a certain period.

Next, the vehicle 4 will be explained. The vehicle 4 includes an on-vehicle communication section 41 and a vehicle position information acquisition section 42. Further, the vehicle 4 executes driving control including acceleration/deceleration and steering of the own vehicle according to driving control information transmitted from the automatic driving control unit 13 via the server communication unit 11. The vehicle 4 includes an electric motor and/or an internal combustion engine that are driving sources, a power transmission device including a drive shaft and an automatic transmission that transmit the output from these driving sources to drive wheels, and a braking device that brakes the wheels. It is equipped with a drive mechanism such as In addition, other equipment necessary for running the host vehicle, such as headlights, direction indicators, hazard lights, wipers, etc., may be included.

The in-vehicle communication unit 41 transmits and receives information to and from the server 1 via the network 3. For example, the in-vehicle communication unit 41 transmits vehicle position information to the server communication unit 11 of the server 1 and receives travel control information from the server communication unit 11.

The vehicle position information acquisition unit 42 acquires the current position of the vehicle, and can use, for example, a GPS device.

Next, an overview of the information processing procedure executed in the system of this embodiment will be explained using FIG. FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing the information processing procedure, from the reception of dispatch request information from the user to the start of travel of the vehicle 4.

First, in step S201, when the user accesses the server 1 using the user terminal 2, a screen is displayed on the user terminal 2 for inputting information related to the dispatch request, such as departure point, destination, usage time, etc. The user then inputs the necessary information for each item. The vehicle management unit 12 receives request information input by the user. At the same time, the user location information acquisition unit 24 provided in the user terminal 2 detects the latitude and longitude, and transmits these location information to the server 1. Then, the vehicle management unit 12 sets a boarding point based on the request information and position information from the user. Alternatively, the vehicle management unit 12 sets a location suitable for boarding the vehicle as the departure point based on the user's location information transmitted from the user terminal 2, and creates a list of departure and destination candidates along with the destination. However, the list may be transmitted to the user terminal 2. The user selects a desired departure point and destination from the list and inputs selection information. Then, the vehicle management unit 12 sets a boarding point based on the user's selection information.

In step S202, the server communication unit 11 acquires vehicle dispatch schedule information and vehicle position information acquired by the vehicle position information acquisition unit 42 as vehicle information from the in-vehicle communication unit 41 of the vehicle 4.

In step S203, the arrival time estimation unit 13 calculates a travel route from the user's current position to the boarding point, and calculates a user arrival time range based on the travel route. First, the arrival time estimation unit 13 calculates the travel distance from the travel route, calculates the travel time by dividing the travel distance by the travel speed, and calculates the user arrival time by adding the travel time to the current time. Next, the arrival time estimation unit 13 sets a predetermined time range for the user arrival time and calculates the user arrival time range. For example, a predetermined time range is set, such as several minutes before and after the user's arrival time. This takes into consideration the dispersion of predictions, since the user does not necessarily arrive at the boarding point at the calculated arrival time, but may deviate earlier or later.

Note that when calculating the user arrival time range, the user arrival time may be calculated depending on the environment of the travel route from the user's current position to the boarding point. For example, if the road to the boarding point is a slope, if the information that the road to the boarding point is a slope is obtained from the map database 16 as environmental information of the travel route, the information is calculated as described above. The travel time may be calculated by multiplying the travel time by a predetermined coefficient (the coefficient is a value larger than 1). This is because, even if the distance is the same, when the road is sloped, the travel speed is slower and the travel time is considered to be longer than when the road is flat. Alternatively, the weather information at the time of the user's request may be acquired, and the travel time may be set so that, for example, if it is rainy, the travel time will be longer than if it is sunny. This is because in the case of bad weather, movement speed is thought to slow down.

In step S204, the arrival time estimating unit 13 selects a plurality of empty vehicles 4 that are waiting for a ride request from the user, calculates a travel route from the current position of the vehicle 4 to the boarding point, and calculates the travel route from the current position of the vehicle 4 to the boarding point. Based on this, calculate the vehicle arrival time range. Then, a vehicle 4 whose vehicle arrival time range in which the vehicle arrival time can be adjusted is calculated is specified with respect to the user arrival time range described above, and the vehicle 4 is determined as the dispatched vehicle. Note that as long as the vehicle is available for carpooling, even if the vehicle is not empty, a vehicle that can transport the user from the pick-up point to the drop-off point may be specified by adjusting the dispatch schedule.

Note that when calculating the vehicle arrival time range, the vehicle arrival time may be calculated depending on the environment of the travel route from the current position of the vehicle to the boarding point. For example, when the infrastructure information acquisition unit 15 acquires traffic road information and determines that there is a congested section on the travel route, the arrival time estimation unit 13 calculates the vehicle arrival time taking into account the delay time due to the traffic congestion. Calculate. Further, when the road to the boarding point is a slope, the arrival time estimating unit 13 obtains information from the map database 16 that the travel route is a slope, and then adjusts the travel time calculated as described above. The traveling time may be calculated by multiplying by a predetermined coefficient (the coefficient is a value larger than 1). This is because it is thought that the traveling speed is slower when the road is sloped than when the road is flat.

In step S205, the vehicle management unit 12 determines the time T1 at which the user will arrive the latest within the user arrival time range calculated in step S202, and the time T1 at which the user will arrive earliest within the vehicle arrival time range calculated in step S204. The arrival time T2 is compared to determine whether T2 is earlier than T1. If it is determined that T2 is earlier than T1, the process advances to step S206, and if it is not determined that T2 is earlier than T1, the process advances to step S208.

In step S206, the vehicle management unit 12 adjusts the running of the vehicle so that T2 is later than T1. The method of adjusting the running of the vehicle may be, for example, by adjusting the vehicle speed or changing the running route, by waiting in a waiting area, or by changing the driving mode to eco mode. The adjustment may be made by changing the mode. The vehicle management unit 12 adjusts the running of the vehicle using at least one of these methods for adjusting the running of the vehicle.

In step S207, the automatic driving control unit 13 generates travel control information based on the adjusted travel route and travel speed generated in step S206, and transmits the information to the vehicle 4 via the server communication unit 11. . Further, the vehicle management section 12 transmits information regarding the arrival time of the vehicle to the user terminal 2 via the server communication section 11 .

In step S208, after the vehicle management unit 12 determines the vehicle travel route calculated in step S204 as the vehicle travel route, the automatic driving control unit 13 generates travel control information based on the travel route, and Send. Further, the vehicle management unit 12 transmits information regarding the arrival time of the vehicle to the user terminal 2 via the server communication unit 11.

In step S209, the vehicle 4 that has received the travel control information from the server communication unit 11 starts traveling in accordance with the travel control information.

The above explanation is the processing procedure of the server 1 from receiving a request from a user until the vehicle starts traveling. Next, adjustment of the traveling of the vehicle while the vehicle is traveling to the boarding point will be explained using FIG. 3.

In step S301, the vehicle management unit 12 acquires the current position information of the user terminal 2 via the server communication unit 11 at regular intervals.

In step S302, the vehicle management unit 12 acquires information on the current position of the vehicle via the server communication unit 11.

In step S303, the arrival time estimation unit 14 calculates the user arrival time range from the user's current position acquired in step S301 to the boarding point. Specifically, the user arrival time is calculated by calculating the travel distance from the user's current position to the boarding point, and dividing the travel distance by the travel speed to calculate the travel time. Then, a predetermined time range is set for the user arrival time, and the user arrival time range is calculated. Regarding the user's movement speed, the user's movement speed acquired by the movement speed acquisition unit 25 may be used. Furthermore, as mentioned above, the predetermined time range used to calculate the user arrival time range is set according to the distance to the boarding point, so the closer the user's location information is acquired to the boarding point, the more The range of predetermined times becomes narrower. This is because it is considered that the closer the distance to the user's boarding point is, the smaller the variation in the user arrival time prediction becomes, that is, the more accurate the prediction becomes.

Note that the calculation of the user arrival time range by the arrival time estimating unit 14 may be performed at a fixed periodic timing in step S301, or when it is determined that the user has not moved at the predicted time. Alternatively, the user arrival time range may be calculated. For example, there may be a case where the user takes a detour during the travel route. The arrival time estimating unit 14 calculates the position of the user during movement based on the travel distance from the user's travel start point (the point where the user requests a ride) to the boarding point and the travel time when traveling the travel distance. Identify where the user is scheduled to be at the time when the information is acquired. For example, if the user's location information is acquired at a timing when half of the scheduled travel time has elapsed, it is specified that the user is scheduled to be at a position traveled half of the travel distance at that timing. On the other hand, if the actually acquired position of the user is not within a predetermined distance from the planned position, it is determined that the user is not moving as predicted. Alternatively, if the movement speed acquired by the movement speed acquisition unit 25 is zero for a predetermined period of time, it may be determined that the user is not moving as predicted. In this case, the user arrival time range is calculated again based on the user's current position at the timing. Further, when the user position information is acquired in step S301, if it is determined that the user is not located on the movement route, that is, the user is off the movement route, the arrival time estimating unit 14 determines that the user is not located on the movement route. It is also possible to regenerate a travel route from the user's position at the point in time to the boarding point, and predict the arrival time along the travel route.

In step S304, the arrival time estimation unit 13 calculates a vehicle arrival time range in which the vehicle will arrive at the boarding point based on the current position of the vehicle acquired in step S302.

In step S305, the vehicle management unit 12 determines the time T1 at which the user will arrive latest within the user arrival time range calculated in step S303 and the time T1 at which the user will arrive earliest within the vehicle arrival time range calculated in step S304. The arrival time T2 is compared to determine whether T2 is earlier than T1. If it is determined that T2 is earlier than T1, the process proceeds to step S306; if it is not determined that T2 is earlier than T1, the vehicle continues to travel and the flow proceeds to step S309. .

In step S306, the vehicle management unit 12 adjusts the running of the vehicle so that T2 is later than T1. The method of adjusting the running of the vehicle may be, for example, by adjusting the vehicle speed or changing the running route, by waiting in a waiting space, or by changing the running mode. You can also do it. When adjusting the vehicle speed, the vehicle management unit 12 adjusts the vehicle to travel slowly by slowing down the vehicle speed. Alternatively, when changing the travel route, the vehicle may travel on a more detour route, or may travel around the vicinity of the boarding point. Furthermore, when waiting in a space where the vehicle can wait, the vehicle may choose to stop in a space located within a predetermined distance from the boarding point. Alternatively, the vehicle may identify the closest parking space from the boarding point and choose to stop at that space. This is because by adjusting the waiting space close to the boarding point, it is possible to further reduce the variation in arrival time when traveling from the space to the boarding point.

In step S307, the automatic driving control unit 13 generates travel control information based on the adjusted travel route and travel speed generated in step S306, and transmits the travel control information to the vehicle 4 via the server communication unit 11. It is transmitted to the on-vehicle communication section 41. Further, the vehicle management section 12 transmits information regarding the arrival time of the vehicle to the user terminal 2 via the server communication section 11 .

In step S308, the vehicle 4 that has received the travel control information from the server communication unit 11 updates the travel control content based on the travel control information, and executes the updated travel control.

In step S309, the vehicle management unit 12 determines whether the vehicle 4 has arrived at the boarding point. For example, if it is determined that the position of the vehicle is within a predetermined distance from the boarding point based on the vehicle position information and the boarding point location information, it is determined that the vehicle has arrived at the boarding point. If it is determined that the destination has arrived, the flow ends. If it is determined that the vehicle has not arrived, the process returns to step S301, and the flow is repeated until the vehicle arrives at the boarding point.

In this embodiment, the user arrival time range and the vehicle arrival time range are calculated at regular intervals while the user is moving, and the arrival time at which the vehicle arrives earliest is later than the arrival time at which the user arrives latest. By repeating this adjustment, it is possible to improve the accuracy of the vehicle's arrival time. The travel adjustment in this embodiment will be described below using a specific example. For example, a vehicle management system that receives a ride request from a user predicts that it will take 10 to 15 minutes to travel on foot from the user's current location to the boarding point at the time the user requests a ride. In that case, if the vehicle is predicted to take 12 to 18 minutes to travel to the pick-up point, the fleet management system determines that the user will arrive at the earliest within the predicted range of the user's arrival time (10 to 15 minutes later). The travel of the vehicle is adjusted so that the vehicle arrives 15 minutes later, which is the late arrival time. Also, while the user and the vehicle are moving to the boarding point, the range of the user's arrival time is predicted from the user's current position at a predetermined timing, and the predicted user's arrival time range is predicted in the same way as above. The travel of the vehicle is adjusted so that the vehicle arrives after the latest arrival time of the user within the range of arrival times. For example, suppose that position information of a user traveling along a travel route is acquired, and it is predicted that the user will arrive at the boarding point 7 to 10 minutes after the user's position at the time of acquisition. In that case, if the vehicle is predicted to arrive in 8-12 minutes, the fleet management system will adjust the trip so that the vehicle arrives after 10 minutes (the latest arrival time of the user). Further, after a further period of time has elapsed, the vehicle management system acquires the user's position information at a timing when the user approaches the boarding point. If the user is predicted to arrive at the pick-up point in 2-3 minutes, and the predicted range of the vehicle's arrival time is 2-4 minutes later, then the fleet management system predicts that the vehicle will arrive at the pick-up point in 3 minutes (user The trip is adjusted to arrive after the latest arrival time). As described above, as the user approaches the boarding point, the user's arrival time range becomes narrower, thereby increasing the accuracy of the vehicle's arrival time.

As described above, in this embodiment, user position information indicating the user's position and vehicle position information indicating the position of the vehicle are received, the boarding point at which the user boards the vehicle is set, and the boarding point for the user to board the vehicle is set based on the user position information. Calculate the user arrival time range that indicates the predicted range of the time when the vehicle will arrive at the point, calculate the vehicle arrival time range that indicates the predicted range of the time when the vehicle will arrive at the pick-up point, based on the vehicle position information, The automatic driving function controls the running of the vehicle so that the earliest arrival time of the vehicle is later than the latest arrival time of the user within the user arrival time range. This can prevent the vehicle from interfering with traffic flow at the user's boarding point.

Further, in this embodiment, user position information is received at a predetermined timing while the user is moving to the boarding point. Thereby, even while the user is traveling to the boarding point, the arrival time of the vehicle can be adjusted in accordance with changes in the latest arrival time of the user.

In addition, in this embodiment, a travel route is generated from the user's position at the time the user makes the request to the boarding point, travel route environment information that is environmental information of the travel route is acquired, and based on the travel route environment information, Calculate the user arrival time range. This makes it possible to calculate an accurate user arrival time in accordance with the environment of the route the user is traveling.

In addition, in this embodiment, a driving route is generated from the position of the vehicle at the time of the user's request to the boarding point, driving route environment information that is environmental information of the driving route is acquired, and based on the driving route environment information, Calculate the vehicle arrival time range. This makes it possible to calculate an accurate vehicle arrival time in accordance with the environment of the route the vehicle travels.

Furthermore, in this embodiment, the running of the vehicle is controlled by at least one of adjusting the vehicle speed, changing the running route, and stopping. This allows the vehicle to arrive at a later time than the latest time the user would arrive at the boarding point.

Furthermore, in this embodiment, the running of the vehicle is controlled by stopping the vehicle in a stopable area located within a predetermined distance from the boarding point. This allows the vehicle to arrive at a later time than the latest time the user would arrive at the boarding point.

1... Server 11... Server communication unit 12... Vehicle management unit 13... Automatic driving control unit 14... Arrival time estimation unit 15... Infrastructure information acquisition unit 16... Map database 2... User terminal 21... Terminal communication unit 22... Display unit 23 ...Input unit 24...User position information acquisition unit 25...Movement speed acquisition unit 3...Network 4...Transportation service vehicle 41...In-vehicle communication unit 42...Vehicle position information acquisition unit

Claims (7)

A vehicle management system that dispatches vehicles with automatic driving functions based on user requests,
While the user and the dispatched vehicle allocated to the user are moving to the boarding point where the user gets on the dispatched vehicle, the user position information indicating the user's position and the dispatched vehicle are transmitted at regular intervals . a communication unit that receives vehicle position information indicating the position of the vehicle ;
a vehicle management unit that sets the boarding point;
User arrival indicating a predicted range of time at which the user will arrive at the boarding point based on the user location information if it is determined that the user is not moving at the certain period or at the predicted time. a user arrival time calculation unit that calculates a time range;
a vehicle arrival time calculation unit that calculates a vehicle arrival time range indicating a predicted range of time when the dispatched vehicle will arrive at the pick-up point based on the vehicle position information;
While the user and the dispatched vehicle are traveling to the pick-up point, the arrival time at which the dispatched vehicle arrives earliest within the vehicle arrival time range is the arrival time at which the user arrives at the latest within the user arrival time range. a vehicle management system comprising: an automatic driving control unit that updates the travel control content of the dispatched vehicle by the automatic driving function so that the arrival time is later than the arrival time of the dispatched vehicle, and executes the updated travel control . The vehicle management system according to claim 1,
The user arrival time calculation unit includes:
Generating a travel route from the user 's location to the boarding point,
Obtaining moving route environment information that is environmental information of the moving route,
A vehicle management system that calculates the user arrival time range based on the travel route environment information. The vehicle management system according to claim 1 or 2,
The vehicle arrival time calculation unit includes:
generating a travel route from the location of the dispatched vehicle to the boarding point;
Obtaining driving route environment information that is environmental information of the driving route,
A vehicle management system that calculates the vehicle arrival time range based on the travel route environment information. The vehicle management system according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
The automatic driving control unit is a vehicle management system that controls the traveling of the dispatched vehicle by at least one of adjusting the vehicle speed, changing the traveling route, and stopping. The vehicle management system according to claim 4,
The automatic driving control unit is a vehicle management system that controls the traveling of the dispatched vehicle by stopping in a stopable area located within a predetermined distance from the boarding point. While the user and the dispatched vehicle allocated to the user are moving to the boarding point where the user gets on the dispatched vehicle, user position information indicating the user's position and the dispatched vehicle 's a communication unit that receives vehicle position information indicating the position ;
a vehicle management unit that sets the boarding point;
User arrival indicating a predicted range of time at which the user will arrive at the boarding point based on the user location information if it is determined that the user is not moving at the certain period or at the predicted time. a user arrival time calculation unit that calculates a time range;
a vehicle arrival time calculation unit that calculates a vehicle arrival time range indicating a predicted range of time when the dispatched vehicle will arrive at the pick-up point based on the vehicle position information;
While the user and the dispatched vehicle are traveling to the pick-up point, the arrival time at which the dispatched vehicle arrives earliest within the vehicle arrival time range is the arrival time at which the user arrives at the latest within the user arrival time range. A vehicle management device comprising: an automatic driving control unit that updates the travel control content of the dispatched vehicle by an automatic driving function so that the arrival time is later than the arrival time of the dispatched vehicle, and executes the updated travel control. A vehicle management method in which a vehicle management device allocates a vehicle having an automatic driving function based on a user's request, the vehicle management method comprising:
The vehicle management device includes:
While the user and the dispatched vehicle allocated to the user are moving to the boarding point where the user gets on the dispatched vehicle, the user position information indicating the user's position and the dispatched vehicle are transmitted at regular intervals . receive vehicle location information indicating the location of ;
setting the boarding point;
User arrival indicating a predicted range of time at which the user will arrive at the boarding point based on the user location information if it is determined that the user is not moving at the certain period or at the predicted time. Calculate the time range,
Based on the vehicle position information, calculate a vehicle arrival time range indicating a predicted range of time when the dispatched vehicle will arrive at the pick-up point;
While the user and the dispatched vehicle are traveling to the pick-up point, the arrival time at which the dispatched vehicle arrives earliest within the vehicle arrival time range is the arrival time at which the user arrives at the latest within the user arrival time range. A vehicle management method that updates travel control details of the dispatched vehicle by the automatic driving function so that the arrival time is later than the arrival time of the dispatched vehicle, and executes the updated travel control.

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