JP2023034510A - Management device, information providing method, vehicle allocation system, and computer program - Google Patents

Abstract

To expand an area to improve safety and conform of vehicle travel.SOLUTION: Provided is a management device comprising a communication unit capable of communicating with a travel robot and a control unit for executing vehicle allocation processing of the travel robot. The communication unit receives measurement data measured by the travel robot, the control unit generates road state information representing a road state at a present time point based on the received measurement data, and the communication unit transmits the generated road state information to a communication node of a provision destination.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD The present disclosure relates to a management device, an information providing method, a dispatch system, and a computer program.

For example, in automatic driving of automobiles, efforts are being made to link vehicles and on-road infrastructure equipment in order to suppress unnecessary acceleration and deceleration, realize safe and smooth driving, and improve safety and comfort.
As part of the above efforts, Non-Patent Document 1 describes a traffic signal information utilization driving support system (TSPS). This system uses optical beacons to provide vehicles with traffic signal information at intersections, and assists vehicles in passing traffic lights and slowing down at red lights.

“Optical beacon signal information utilization driving support system (TSPS)” [https://www.vics.or.jp/know/service/tsps.html] Retrieved May 8, 2021

TSPS requires the installation of on-road infrastructure equipment, which is difficult, time-consuming and costly to operate at all intersections. Therefore, for the time being, the effects of enhancing the safety and comfort of vehicle travel through automated driving, etc., may be limited to limited areas.
An object of the present disclosure is to provide a management device or the like capable of expanding an area that enhances safety and comfort of vehicle travel.

A device according to an aspect of the present disclosure is a management device including a communication unit capable of communicating with a traveling robot, and a control unit executing a vehicle allocation process for the traveling robot, wherein the communication unit receives Measured measurement data is received, the control unit generates road state information representing current road conditions based on the received measurement data, and the communication unit sends the generated road state information to a destination. communication node.

A method according to an aspect of the present disclosure is an information providing method executed by a management device including a communication unit capable of communicating with a traveling robot, and a control unit executing dispatch processing of the traveling robot, wherein the communication unit the step of receiving measurement data measured by the traveling robot; the step of the control unit generating road state information representing current road conditions based on the received measurement data; and the step of the communication unit , the generated road condition information is transmitted to the communication node to which it is provided.

A computer program according to an aspect of the present disclosure is a computer program that causes a computer to function as a management device that includes a communication unit that can communicate with a traveling robot and a control unit that executes a vehicle allocation process for the traveling robot, a step in which the communication unit receives measurement data measured by the traveling robot; a step in which the control unit generates road state information representing current road conditions based on the received measurement data; and a step of transmitting the generated road condition information to a communication node to which the information is provided.

A system according to another aspect of the present disclosure includes the management device described above and the traveling robot that communicates with the management device.

The present disclosure can be realized not only as a system and apparatus having the characteristic configuration as described above, but also as a program for causing a computer to execute such a characteristic configuration. Also, the present disclosure can be implemented as a semiconductor integrated circuit that implements part or all of the system and device.

According to the present disclosure, it is possible to expand the area where the safety and comfort of vehicle travel are enhanced.

FIG. 1 is an overall configuration diagram of a vehicle allocation system according to this embodiment. FIG. 2 is a block diagram of the robot management device and the automatic traveling robot. FIG. 3 is a sequence diagram showing an example of processing contents of the robot management device and the automatic traveling robot. FIG. 4 is a sequence diagram showing another example of processing contents of the robot management device and the automatic traveling robot.

<Outline of Embodiment of Present Disclosure>
An outline of the embodiments of the present disclosure will be listed and described below.
(1) A management device according to the present embodiment is a management device comprising a communication unit capable of communicating with a traveling robot, and a control unit executing a vehicle allocation process for the traveling robot, wherein the communication unit communicates with the traveling robot. receives the measurement data measured by the control unit, based on the received measurement data, generates road condition information representing the current road conditions, the communication unit provides the generated road condition information Send to the destination communication node.

According to the management device of this embodiment, the traveling robot measures the measurement data used to generate the road condition information, so the management device can generate the road condition information without using road infrastructure equipment. .
Therefore, road condition information can be provided to a communication node (for example, a vehicle) even in an area where no road infrastructure is installed, and the area in which the safety and comfort of vehicle driving can be improved can be expanded.

(2) In the management device of the present embodiment, the road condition information preferably includes the type of road surface condition, the position information of the road surface condition, and the measurement time.
In this case, the location information and the measurement time of the road surface condition (for example, a step or an obstacle) can be provided to the communication node to which the information is provided.

(3) In the management device of the present embodiment, it is preferable that the road condition information includes the type of moving body traveling on the road, the position information of the moving body, and the measurement time.
In this case, the location information and the measurement time of the moving object (for example, vehicle or pedestrian) can be provided to the communication node to which the information is provided, so that safe driving of the vehicle can be supported.

(4) In the management device of the present embodiment, it is preferable that the destination communication node includes at least one of a vehicle registered in the device and a first server that manages transportation vehicles.
When information is provided to vehicles registered in the management device, the management device can also be used as an information providing device. When the information is provided to the first server, by providing the road condition information for a fee, it becomes possible to execute another information providing service other than the dispatch service.

(5) In the management device of the present embodiment, it is preferable that the destination communication node includes a second server operated by a road administrator or a business entity that provides road traffic information.
Even when providing information to the second server, by providing the road condition information for a fee, it becomes possible to execute another information providing service other than the dispatch service.

(6) In the management device of the present embodiment, the communication unit receives a survey request including position information of the survey target area from the second server, and the control unit performs measurement including the position information of the survey target area. Preferably, an instruction is generated, and the communication unit transmits the generated measurement instruction to the traveling robot.
In this case, since measurement data relating to the investigation target area can be obtained from the traveling robot, it is possible to transmit appropriate road condition information to the second server in accordance with the content of the request from the operator of the second server.

(7) In the management device of the present embodiment, it is preferable that the control unit limits the transmission destination of the investigation instruction to surplus traveling robots that are not working among the traveling robots.
In this way, the traveling robot can be used for measurement purposes without interfering with the dispatch work of the traveling robot. Therefore, it is possible to efficiently combine the original dispatch service with the investigation and provision service of road condition information.

(8) The method according to the present embodiment is an information providing method executed by the management apparatus of (1) to (7) above. Therefore, the information providing method of this embodiment has the same effect as the above-described management apparatus (1) to (7).

(9) A program according to the present embodiment is a computer program for causing a computer to function as the management apparatus of (1) to (7) above. Therefore, the program of the present embodiment has the same effects as those of the above-described management devices (1) to (7).

(10) A system according to the present embodiment is a vehicle allocation system including the management device described in (1) to (7) above, and the traveling robot communicating with the management device. Therefore, the dispatch system of the present embodiment has the same effects as those of the above management devices (1) to (7).

<Details of the embodiment of the present invention>
Hereinafter, details of embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. At least part of the embodiments described below may be combined arbitrarily.

[Overall system configuration]
FIG. 1 is an overall configuration diagram of a vehicle allocation system 1 according to this embodiment. FIG. 2 is a block diagram of the robot management device 2 and the automatic traveling robot 3 included in the dispatch system 1. As shown in FIG.
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a vehicle dispatch system 1 includes a robot management device 2, which is a type of server installed in a data center or the like, an automatic traveling robot 3 capable of communicating with the robot management device 2, and a robot management device. 2 and a vehicle 5 capable of communicating with it.

The robot management device 2 is composed of a server that remotely controls one or more automatic traveling robots 3 by wireless communication, and is operated by a vehicle dispatching company or an IT company acting on behalf of the vehicle dispatching business. The robot management device 2 may be either an on-premises server or a cloud server.
The automatic traveling robot 3 is composed of a relatively small vehicle capable of automatic traveling by remote control. The automatic traveling robot 3 may be a vehicle for various purposes such as package delivery and road cleaning.

Specifically, the automatic traveling robot 3 is a non-riding small vehicle having a luggage storage, and is a vehicle permitted to travel on public roads by the government or local government.
Therefore, the automatic traveling robot 3 can pass through, for example, the sidewalk R1 and the side road R2 hatched in FIG. The sidewalk R1 is a sidewalk along the roadway, and the side road R2 is a relatively narrow road crossing the roadway. In addition, the automatic traveling robot 3 can pass through an internal passage of a structure (not shown) such as a high-rise building, if necessary.

Hereinafter, "robot management device 2" and "automatic traveling robot 3" may be abbreviated as "management device 2" and "traveling robot 3", respectively.
The traveling robot 3 is capable of wireless communication with wireless base stations 7 (for example, mobile base stations) in various places. The radio base station 7 can communicate with the management device 2 via a public communication network 8 including a mobile communication core network and the Internet.

Servers connected to the public communication network 8 include first and second servers 9A and 9B different from the management device 2 . The management device 2 can also communicate with these servers 9A and 9B.
The first server 9A is a server operated by, for example, a physical distribution or passenger carrier, and manages transportation vehicles such as trucks and buses. The second server 9B is a server operated by a road administrator such as the police or a business entity that provides road traffic information. The server operated by the road administrator comprises, for example, a central unit for remotely controlling traffic controllers.

The traveling robot 3 can wirelessly transmit a communication packet addressed to the management device 2 including uplink data to the wireless base station 7 . The uplink data includes measurement data S1 and the like sensed by the traveling robot 3 while traveling on the road.
The management device 2 can transmit communication packets addressed to the traveling robot 3 including downlink data to the public communication network 8 . The downlink data includes route information S2 to the destination and the like.

The management device 2 can transmit, to the public communication network 8, a communication packet addressed to a predetermined communication node and including provision data for limited provision to a specific person. The provided data includes information representing current road conditions (hereinafter referred to as "road condition information") S3 and the like.
Communication nodes capable of receiving the provided data from the management device 2 include, for example, the vehicle 5 of the user registered in the management device 2 and the first and second servers 9A and 9B. The vehicle 5 may be a normal vehicle driven by the user himself or an automated driving vehicle of level 4 or higher.

The vehicle allocation system 1 of this embodiment is a system in which the management device 2 executes a vehicle allocation service in which one or a plurality of traveling robots 3 are moved to a predetermined position in response to a vehicle allocation request from a user as an essential service operation. be.
In addition, the vehicle allocation system 1 of the present embodiment is a system in which the management device 2 executes a service for providing the road condition information S3 as an incidental service business different from the vehicle allocation service.

Specifically, the management device 2 collects measurement data S1 from a plurality of traveling robots 3 being dispatched, and generates road state information S3 using the collected measurement data S1 as original data.
In addition, the management device 2 distributes the generated road state information S3 to at least one specific communication node among the vehicle 5 and the first and second servers 9A and 9B.

The road state information S3 includes, for example, at least one of the following "dynamic information", "semi-dynamic information", "semi-static information", and "static information".
"Dynamic Information" (~1 second) is dynamic data that requires a delay time of less than 1 second. For example, it is the types of moving objects (vehicles, pedestrians, etc.) traveling on the road, their position information, and the measurement time, which are utilized as ITS (Intelligent Transport Systems) look-ahead information.

"Semi-dynamic information" (~1 minute) is semi-dynamic data requiring delay times of less than 1 minute. For example, types of traffic accidents, traffic jams, and short-range weather, their location information, and measurement times correspond to them. "Semi-static information" (~1 hour) is semi-static data that allows delays of up to an hour. For example, traffic regulations, types of road construction, their position information, and measurement times correspond to this. "Static Information" (~1 month) is static data that allows for delay times of up to 1 month. For example, the types of road surface conditions (obstacles and steps), their position information, and measurement times correspond to this.

The service area of the road state information S3 corresponds to an area in which sensing (for example, photographing with a camera) by one or a plurality of traveling robots 3 is possible.
Therefore, when the traveling robot 3 is executing the delivery business, the service area of the road state information S3 is the area along the traveling route to the destination. When surplus running robots 3 that are not in service are used only for measurement purposes, the management device 2 dispatches one or a plurality of running robots 3 so as to head to the service area determined as the survey target.

[Configuration of robot management device]
As shown in FIG. 2, the robot management device 2 includes a server computer 10 such as a workstation, and a plurality of types of databases 21-24. The server computer 10 includes a control section 11, a storage section 12, a communication section 13, a synchronization processing section 14, and the like.
The databases 21 to 24 consist of electronic data constructed in a predetermined data arrangement in the storage unit 12 . However, some or all of the databases 21 to 24 may be constructed in an external storage device (not shown) connected to the server computer 10. FIG.

The control unit 11 is composed of an arithmetic processing unit including a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and a RAM (Random Access Memory). The control unit 11 may include an integrated circuit such as an FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array).
The control unit 11 reads the computer program 15 stored in the storage unit 12 into the main memory (RAM) and executes various information processing according to the program 15 . This information processing includes the processing of generating the above-described road state information S3 and the like.

The storage unit 12 is composed of an auxiliary storage device including non-volatile memory such as HDD (Hard Disk Drive) and SSD (Solid State Drive).
The storage unit 12 may include a flash ROM (Read Only Memory), a USB (Universal Serial Bus) memory, an SD card, or the like.

The communication unit 13 consists of a communication interface capable of communication via the public communication network 8 . The communication unit 13 can receive the measurement data S1 from the radio base station 7 and can transmit the route information S2 generated by the control unit 11 to the radio base station 7 .
The communication unit 13 can also communicate with the vehicle 5 and the servers 9A and 9B. After generating the road condition information S3, the control unit 11 inputs a communication packet addressed to the vehicle 5 or the servers 9A and 9B to the communication unit 13, and the communication unit 13 transmits the communication packet to the public communication network 8.

The multiple types of databases 21-24 include a map database 21, a member database 22, a static information database 23, and a dynamic information database 24. FIG.
The map database 21 records road map data 25 covering the country. The road map data 25 consists of high definition digital map data including "intersection data" and "link data".

“Intersection data” is data in which intersection IDs assigned to domestic intersections are associated with intersection position information. "Link data" consists of data in which the following information is associated with a link ID of a specific link assigned to a domestic road.
Information A: Position information of the start point, end point, and interpolation point of the specific link Information B: Orientation information of the start point, end point, and interpolation point of the specific link Information C: Link ID connected to the start point of the specific link
Information D: Link ID connected to the end point of a specific link

The road map data 25 constitutes a network corresponding to the actual road alignment and the running direction of the road. For this reason, the road map data 25 is a network in which road sections between nodes representing intersections are connected by directed links l (lowercase letter L).
Specifically, the road map data 25 consists of a directed graph in which a node n is set for each intersection and each node n is connected by a pair of directed links l in opposite directions. Therefore, in the case of a one-way road, node n is connected only to one-way directed link l.

The member database 22 contains personal information such as addresses and names of registered members (for example, users of the dispatch service and owners of vehicles 5), and identification information of registered members' communication devices (for example, MAC addresses, e-mail addresses and telephone numbers). at least one of the numbers).
The static information database 23 records the semi-static information and static information described above. The control unit 11 generates quasi-static information and static information based on the measurement data S1 received from the traveling robot 3 and records the generated information in the static information database 23 .

The above-described semi-dynamic information and dynamic information are recorded in the dynamic information database 24 . The control unit 11 generates semi-dynamic information and dynamic information based on the measurement data S1 received from the traveling robot 3 and records the generated information in the dynamic information database 24 .

The synchronization processing unit 14 is a processing unit for achieving time synchronization with other communication nodes such as the traveling robot 3 by a predetermined synchronization method. The control unit 11 determines the generation time of information to be transmitted to the external device, etc., according to the local time generated by the synchronization processing unit 14 .
The synchronization method of the synchronization processing unit 14 is, for example, a synchronization method based on the output of a GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) receiver, or a synchronization method using communication frames such as NTP (Network Time Protocol) and PTP (Precision Time Protocol). etc. can be adopted.

The communication unit 13 can also communicate with a user terminal 6 (see FIG. 2) that uses a delivery service such as home delivery via the radio base station 7 and the public communication network 8 . Upon receiving the dispatch request message from the user terminal 6 , the communication unit 13 transfers the message to the control unit 11 .
Upon receiving the vehicle allocation request message, the control unit 11 executes vehicle allocation processing for directing the traveling robot 3 to the specified position for vehicle allocation included in the message. The dispatch process includes, for example, the following processes 1 to 4.

Process 1: Among the traveling robots 3 that are not delivering packages, the robot closest to the delivery position is determined as the delivery target robot.
Process 2: Search for the optimum route from the determined current position of the traveling robot 3 to the specified position.
Process 3: Generate route information S2 including the positions of passing points of the searched optimum route.
Process 4: Generate a communication packet addressed to the traveling robot 3 including the generated route information S2 and input the generated communication packet to the communication unit 33 .

The search for the optimum route in process 2 uses, for example, a predetermined route search algorithm such as the Dijkstra method or the potential method.
Specifically, the control unit 11 compares the link costs (for example, time) of a plurality of candidate routes by executing the above-described route search algorithm using the links included in the road map data 25 as constituent links, and calculates the link cost is the optimum route.

[Control system for autonomous driving robots]
As shown in FIG. 2 , the automatic traveling robot 3 has an automatic traveling control system 4 . The control system 4 includes a control section 31, a storage section 32, a communication section 33, a synchronization processing section 34, a camera 35, a sensor 36, and the like.
Among them, the control unit 31, the storage unit 32, and the synchronization processing unit 34 are composed of one or more electronic control units (ECUs). The ECU, communication unit 33, camera 35, and sensor 36 are communication nodes of an in-vehicle network using a predetermined communication cable as a communication path.

The control unit 31 is composed of an arithmetic processing unit including a CPU, a RAM, and the like. The control unit 31 may include an integrated circuit such as FPGA. The storage unit 32 is composed of an auxiliary storage device including non-volatile memory such as HDD and SSD.
The control unit 31 reads the computer program 37 stored in the storage unit 32 into the main memory (RAM) and executes various information processing according to the program 37 . This information processing includes the process of generating the above-described measurement data S1 and the like.

The communication unit 33 is composed of a wireless communication device such as a gateway that is permanently mounted on the vehicle 5, or a communication terminal that is temporarily mounted on the traveling robot 3 (for example, a smartphone, a tablet computer, or a node personal computer). .
The camera 35 is a camera for photographing the scenery from the traveling robot 3, and its photographing direction can be changed by an actuator. The camera 35 is, for example, a digital camera having a TOF (Time Of Flight) image sensor, and outputs image data including distance information for each pixel to the control unit 31 at a predetermined frame rate.

The sensors 36 include a position sensor that measures the current position of the vehicle, a direction sensor that detects the current direction of the vehicle, and a radar sensor such as a LiDAR system that detects objects in front of and around the vehicle.
The position sensor is composed of, for example, a GNSS receiver, and outputs the current position of the traveling robot 3 to the control section 31 almost in real time. The azimuth sensor is composed of, for example, a gyro sensor, and outputs the photographing direction of the camera 35 to the control section 31 substantially in real time.

When image data with distance information is input from the camera 35 , the control unit 31 generates measurement data S<b>1 to be provided to the management device 2 .
Specifically, the control unit 31 generates measurement data S1 including the input image data, the current position at the time of input, the current time, and the photographing direction, and sends an image to the traveling robot 3 including the generated measurement data S1. A communication packet is input to the communication unit 33 . Thereby, the measurement data S1 is uplink-transmitted to the management device 2 .

The synchronization processing unit 34 is a processing unit for achieving time synchronization with other communication nodes such as the robot management device 2 by a predetermined synchronization method. The control unit 31 determines the current time (measurement time) and the like to be included in the measurement data S1 according to the local time generated by the synchronization processing unit 34 .
The synchronization method of the synchronization processing unit 34 may employ, for example, a synchronization method based on the output of the GNSS receiver, a synchronization method using communication frames such as NTP and PTP, and the like.

The control unit 31 executes automatic traveling control of the traveling robot 3 according to the route information S2 received from the management device 2 .
Specifically, the control unit 31 controls the driving and steering system (not shown) of the traveling robot 3 so that the traveling robot 3 advances in the traveling direction from the current position to the position of the next passing point in the route information S2. The control unit 31 repeats this control until the destination is reached. Further, when an obstacle is detected ahead in the traveling direction, the control unit 31 controls the driving and steering systems so as to avoid the obstacle.

[An example of information processing in a dispatch system]
FIG. 3 is a sequence diagram showing an example of processing contents of the robot management device 2 and the automatic traveling robot 3. As shown in FIG.
In FIG. 3 and the following description, the robot management device 2 and the automatic traveling robot 3 are the subjects of information processing. It is the control unit 31 of the control system 4 of the traveling robot 3 .

As shown in FIG. 3, each traveling robot 3 managed by the management device 2 executes a sensing process (step ST1) while traveling on a road. The sensing process (step ST1) is a process of generating the measurement data S1 described above.
Specifically, the traveling robot 3 generates measurement data S1 including image data input from the camera 35, the current position at the time of input, the current time, and the shooting direction. The traveling robot 3 transmits the generated measurement data S<b>1 to the management device 2 .

Upon receiving the measurement data S1 from the traveling robot 3, the robot management device 2 executes information generation processing (step ST2).
The information generation process (step ST2) includes object recognition (step ST21), type determination (step ST22), and information recording (step ST23).

Object recognition (step ST21) detects a predetermined object or event (hereinafter referred to as "object") included in the image data based on the measurement data S1 of the running robot 3, and calculates the position of the detected object. processing.
Specifically, when an object is detected from the image data by an algorithm such as feature point detection, the management device 2 uses the current position (camera position) and shooting direction included in the measurement data S1 and the distance information of the pixels of the object. Based on this, the position of the object is calculated.

The type determination (step ST22) is a process of determining which preset type the detected object corresponds to. Specifically, when the object is an obstacle or step on the roadway, the control unit 11 determines the type of the object as static information, and when the object is traffic regulation or road construction, the object is determined as quasi-static information.
If the object is a passing vehicle or pedestrian, the control unit 11 determines the type of the object as dynamic information. Determine the object as semi-dynamic information.

Information recording (step ST23) is a process of recording the type of the detected object, its position information, and the measurement time in the databases 23 and 24. FIG. Specifically, when the object type is static information or semi-static information, the control unit 11 records the object type, position information, and measurement time in the static information database 23 . Further, when the type of object is dynamic information or semi-dynamic information, the control unit 11 records the type, position information and measurement time of the object in the dynamic information database 24 .

Next, the management device 2 executes information provision processing (step ST3). The information providing process (step ST3) is a process of distributing the information recorded in the databases 23 and 24 as the road condition information S3 to at least one of the vehicle 5 and the first server 9A.
The road condition information S3 may be distributed on the condition of an information request, or may be distributed without an information request. Moreover, the road state information S3 may be at least one type of information according to the request of the provider, instead of all types of information including dynamic, quasi-dynamic, static, and quasi-static.

[Another example (modification) of information processing in the dispatch system]
FIG. 4 is a sequence diagram showing another example of processing contents of the robot management device 2 and the automatic traveling robot 3. As shown in FIG.
In FIG. 4 and the following description as well, the robot management device 2 and the automatic traveling robot 3 are the subjects of information processing. It is the control unit 31 of the control system 4 of the traveling robot 3 .

The modification of FIG. 4 differs from the embodiment of FIG. 3 in that the traveling robot 3 is dispatched to a predetermined area desired by the operator of the second server 9B in response to a survey request from the second server 9B. .
Specifically, the second server 9</b>B transmits a survey request message M<b>1 to the management device 2 . Here, it is assumed that the investigation is for the road surface condition of the roadway. In this case, the survey request message M1 includes the location information of the survey target area and the type of the road condition information S3 selected as the survey target (here, "road surface condition").

The management device 2 that has received the investigation request message M1 creates an operation plan (step ST11). The operation plan is created so as to be optimal among the plurality of traveling robots 3 managed by the management device 2 from the viewpoint of work efficiency. For example, the operation plan complies with the following criteria 1-3.
Criterion 1: Surplus traveling robots 3 that are not in service are to be dispatched.
Criterion 2: Priority is given to robots close to the survey target area among the surplus running robots 3 .
Criterion 3: The number of traveling robots 3 to be dispatched is determined according to the size of the survey target area and the traveling speed of the traveling robots 3 .

Next, the management device 2 transmits a measurement instruction message M1 to the surplus traveling robots 3 selected according to the operation plan. The measurement instruction message M2 includes location information (destination) of the survey target area and route information S2 to the destination.
The traveling robot 3 that has received the measurement message M2 travels to the survey target area according to the route information S2, and executes sensing processing (step ST1) in the survey target area.

Since the information processing after the sensing processing (step ST1) is the same as in the embodiment of FIG. 3, detailed description thereof will be omitted.
However, in the modified example of FIG. 4, the traveling robot 3 is dispatched in response to the survey request from the second server 9B, so the road condition information S3 is transmitted only to the second server 9B. Moreover, the road condition information S3 provided to the second server 9B may include at least the information of the type designated as the survey target (here, "road surface condition").

[Other Modifications]
The embodiments disclosed this time are illustrative in all respects and are not restrictive. The scope of rights of the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, but includes all modifications within the scope of equivalents to the configurations described in the claims.

In the above-described embodiment, when the traveling robot 3 can execute object recognition, the control unit 31 of the traveling robot 3 performs processing up to object recognition (step ST21) and type determination (step ST22). may be used as the measurement data S1.
The measurement data S1 in this case includes the type and content of the detected object, position information, and occurrence time. The management device 2 also records each piece of information included in the measurement data S1 received from the traveling robot 3 in the databases 23 and 24 .

In the above-described embodiment, the management device 2 may use the measurement data S1 received from other sensing devices in addition to the measurement data S1 received from the traveling robot 3 of the vehicle allocation system 1 .
That is, the source of the measurement data S1 used by the management device 2 may include not only the traveling robot 3 of the vehicle dispatch system 1, but also other sensing devices such as security cameras and drones.

1 Vehicle allocation system 2 Robot management device (management device)
3 Autonomous traveling robot (traveling robot)
4 control system 5 vehicle (communication node)
6 user terminal 7 radio base station 8 public communication network 9A first server (communication node)
9B Second server (communication node)
10 Server computer 11 Control unit 12 Storage unit 13 Communication unit 14 Synchronization processing unit 15 Computer program 21 Map database 22 Member database 23 Static information database 24 Dynamic information database 25 Road map data 31 Control unit 32 Storage unit 33 Communication unit 34 Synchronization Processing unit 35 Camera 36 Sensor 37 Computer program R1 Sidewalk R2 Side road

Claims (10)

a communication unit capable of communicating with the traveling robot;
A control unit that executes dispatch processing of the traveling robot, the management device comprising:
The communication unit
receiving measurement data measured by the traveling robot;
The control unit
generating road condition information representing current road conditions based on the received measurement data;
The communication unit
A management device that transmits the generated road condition information to a communication node to which it is provided. The road condition information is
2. The management device according to claim 1, which includes the type of road surface condition, the position information of the road surface condition, and the measurement time. The road condition information is
3. The management device according to claim 1, further comprising the type of mobile object traveling on the road, position information of the mobile object, and measurement time. The communication node of the provision destination,
4. The management device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, comprising at least one of vehicles registered in the device and a first server that manages transportation vehicles. The communication node of the provision destination,
5. The management device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, further comprising a second server operated by a road administrator or a business entity that provides road traffic information. The communication unit
receiving from the second server a survey request including location information of the survey target area;
The control unit
generating a measurement instruction including location information of the survey target area;
The communication unit
6. The management device according to claim 5, wherein the generated measurement instruction is transmitted to the traveling robot. The control unit
7. The management device according to claim 6, wherein the destination of the investigation instruction is limited to surplus traveling robots that are not in service among the traveling robots. a communication unit capable of communicating with the traveling robot;
An information providing method executed by a management device comprising a control unit that executes dispatch processing of the traveling robot,
a step in which the communication unit receives measurement data measured by the traveling robot;
a step in which the control unit generates road condition information representing current road conditions based on the received measurement data;
and a step of transmitting the generated road condition information to a communication node to which the information is provided. a communication unit capable of communicating with the traveling robot;
A computer program that causes a computer to function as a management device comprising a control unit that executes dispatch processing of the traveling robot,
a step in which the communication unit receives measurement data measured by the traveling robot;
a step in which the control unit generates road condition information representing current road conditions based on the received measurement data;
and a step of transmitting the generated road state information to a communication node of a destination of provision by the communication unit. a management device according to any one of claims 1 to 7;
and the traveling robot that communicates with the management device.

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