JP7238230B2 - Boarding support device - Google Patents

Description

The present disclosure relates to a boarding assistance device.

A technology is known that provides a mobile communication device with information on available taxis for each taxi company.

JP 2009-211582 A

However, in the prior art, useful information about a vehicle (hereinafter referred to as a "road vehicle") that can be boarded and alighted by a plurality of users by circulating or reciprocating a predetermined course including a plurality of boarding and alighting positions is provided by the vehicle as it travels. It is difficult to output using the surface of an appropriate object in the area.

By the way, in recent years, the aging of the population has progressed, and the importance of route vehicles such as route buses has increased, and utilization in areas where the usage rate of cars is high has been sought. It is expected that the number of route vehicles operated in relatively narrow areas will increase. In such areas, it is preferable to realize a route vehicle service in a manner closely related to the area, and from this point of view, it is useful to devise methods such as using the streets of the area (for example, existing objects).

Therefore, in one aspect, the present invention aims to output useful information about a vehicle in which a plurality of users can get on and off by using the surface of an appropriate object in the area where the vehicle travels. .

One aspect provides the following solutions.

(1) A boarding assistance device provided in an area where a vehicle that allows a plurality of users to board and disembark travels or makes a round trip on a predetermined course,
At least one of operation information representing the operating state of the vehicle and reservation acceptance information for enabling reservations for boarding the vehicle is projected onto at least one of a wall surface and a road surface as a projection surface. A boarding assistance device including an information output device.

(2) In the configuration of (1) above, the information output device is characterized by changing the projection surface according to the direction of sunlight.

(3) In the configuration of (1) above, a camera that captures an image of a user positioned near the projection surface on which the reservation acceptance information is projected;
a gesture recognition unit that recognizes the gesture of the user based on the image of the camera;
It is characterized by further comprising a reservation reception unit that receives a reservation for boarding the vehicle based on the gesture recognized by the gesture recognition unit.

(4) In the configuration of (3) above, a user identification unit that identifies the user based on the image of the camera;
An output control unit for outputting the user's name, face, or unique information specified by the user specifying unit is further provided.

(5) In any one of the configurations (1) to (4) above, the information output device is a device that projects a projection image by projection mapping, or a device that projects a shadow using sunlight as a backlight. characterized by being

(6) In any one of the configurations (1) to (5) above, the information output device is mounted on an aircraft.

In one aspect, according to the present invention, it is possible to output useful information about a vehicle that multiple users can get on and off by using the surface of an appropriate object in the area where the vehicle travels. .

It is a figure which shows typically the division of the area where a fixed-route bus system is applied. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS It is a figure which shows roughly the whole route bus system structure by one Example. It is a top view which shows the inside of a route bus typically. It is a schematic diagram showing an example of the composition of the control system of a route bus. 3 is a functional block diagram showing an example of functions of a processing device; FIG. 3 is a functional block diagram showing an example of functions of a server; FIG. FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram of an example of reservation status information; FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram of an example of seat state information; FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram of an example of boarding-allowed section information; FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram of course change processing by a course change processing unit; It is explanatory drawing of an example of the information for course change determination. FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram of another example of information for course change determination; FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram of an example of timetable information; FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram of an example of advertisement information; FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram of an example of user information; FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram of an output example of operation information; FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram of an output example of boarding section information; FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram of an output example of operation information suitable for a case where a plurality of route buses operate at the same time; FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram of an output example of a boarding request acceptance screen; FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram of another output example of the boarding request acceptance screen; FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram of another output example of the boarding request acceptance screen; FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram of an output example of a boarding request reception screen when the user is accompanied by a companion; FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram of an output example of a screen for accepting a boarding request when a margin is included; FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of arrangement of projectors; It is a figure which shows an example of a structure of a projector. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a map used for controlling the projection direction of the projector; FIG. FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram showing a mounting example of a projector according to a modified example; It is a figure which shows an example of the hardware constitutions of a gesture recognition apparatus. 4 is a timing chart showing an example of the exchange of information for accepting a reservation realized by a projector, a gesture recognition device, and a server; 4 is a schematic flow chart showing an operation example when the server functions as an information output device; FIG. 23 is a schematic flowchart showing an example of step S322 of FIG. 22 (boarding availability determination processing); FIG. FIG. 23 is a schematic flowchart showing another example of step S322 of FIG. 22 (boarding availability determination processing); FIG. FIG. 23 is a schematic flowchart showing an example of step S326 (course change permission/inhibition determination process) in FIG. 22; FIG. FIG. 26 is a schematic flow chart showing an example of step S352 of FIG. 25 (coordination process between route buses); FIG. FIG. 26 is a schematic flowchart showing another example of step S352 of FIG. 25 (coordination process between route buses); FIG.

Each embodiment will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is a diagram schematically showing divisions of an area to which a route bus system 1 (see FIG. 2) according to the following embodiment is applied.

In FIG. 1, an area of 6×3+4×3=30 sections is shown. The region is preferably, for example, a region with many slopes, but may be a flat region. Note that the number of sections, shape, and the like are arbitrary. Residents' houses, shops, and the like can exist in each section. FIG. 1 shows stops A1, A2, A3, and A10 of a route bus (an example of a vehicle) 2 (see FIG. 2) described below. The arrangement and number of stops are arbitrary. In the following, as an example, the route bus 2 travels from the bus stop A1 to the bus stop A10, then from the bus stop A10 to the bus stop A1, and then travels back and forth on a predetermined course that repeats. However, in a modified example, the fixed-route bus 2 may operate in a mode of circulating a predetermined course.

Only one route bus 2 may be operated, or a plurality of routes may be operated simultaneously.

FIG. 2 is a diagram schematically showing the overall configuration of a route bus system 1 according to one embodiment.

In this embodiment, as an example, the route bus system 1 can be used by registered users. Hereinafter, for the sake of explanation, a user is a user of the route bus system 1, and a crew member in the route bus 2 is a user on board. However, the route bus system 1 can be used by users other than the registered users, for example, when they are companions of the registered users. Note that, in a modified example, the fixed-route bus system 1 may be available to unspecified users instead of requiring registration.

A route bus system 1 includes a route bus 2 , a server 4 , a user terminal 6 , a projector 7 and a gesture recognition device 8 . The route bus 2 , server 4 , projector 7 and user terminal 6 can communicate via network 9 . The network 9 includes a wireless communication network, and may also include the Internet, a VPN (Virtual Private Network), a WAN (Wide Area Network), a wired network, or any combination thereof.

[scheduled bus]
FIG. 3 is a top view schematically showing the inside of the fixed-route bus 2, and is a schematic diagram showing a state in which the roof is removed.

In this embodiment, as an example, the route bus 2 is a small bus with a capacity of eight passengers. Specifically, the route bus 2 is provided with four rows of seats for two people. Eight seats S0 to S7 are shown in FIG. In addition, the number of seats, arrangement, etc. are arbitrary.

The route bus 2 is, for example, a sliding door type so that getting on and off is easy. The route bus 2 has passages that allow access to each seat.

The route bus 2 has a large display D1 on the front front of the room. The route bus 2 also has individual displays D2 to D7 on the back of each seat. For example, display D2 is mounted on the seat in front of seat S2, ie, on the back of seat S0, so that it is available to the user sitting in seat S2. It should be noted that, in a modification, other forms of display devices (eg, a projector or an aerial display) may be used instead of or in addition to some or all of the large display D1 and the displays D2 to D7. An aerial display is a device that generates images by focusing light in the air. Also, a head-up display or the like may be used.

The route bus 2 has a movable speaker 3a. The speaker 3a is movable on an aisle that allows access to each seat. The speaker 3a may be in the form of, for example, a robot. In the case of a robot, it may be bipedal or wheeled. In addition, in a modification, a speaker with variable directivity may be used in place of or in addition to the movable speaker 3a. Also, in a further variant, the movable speaker 3a may be omitted. Further, instead of or in addition to the speaker 3a, the displays D2 to D7 may have built-in speakers, or speakers may be provided at other locations.

The route bus 2 is provided with a camera 3b for capturing an image of the inside of the vehicle. In FIG. 3, one camera 3b is attached to the front front of the room facing backward, but a plurality of cameras 3b may be provided. Camera 3b is provided to acquire an image for recognizing a passenger. However, the image captured by the camera 3b may be used for other purposes (for example, security).

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the configuration of the control system of the route bus 2. As shown in FIG.

A control system of the route bus 2 includes a processing device 10 . Various electronic devices 30 (speaker 3a, large display D1, displays D2 to D7, camera 3b, etc.) in the vehicle are connected to the processing device 10 via an appropriate bus such as a CAN (controller area network). there is

The electronic device 30 includes the speaker 3a, the large display D1, the displays D2 to D7, and the camera 3b, as well as the input device 3, the autonomous traveling sensor 3c, the driving/braking force control device 3d, and the steering control device 3e. , a GPS receiver 3f.

The input device 3 is a device for the passenger to input various instructions. The input device 3 may be in the form of a remote controller or the like, and may be provided in each seat. Alternatively, the input device 3 may be implemented by a touch panel that may be incorporated in the displays D2-D7. Alternatively, the input device 3 may be realized by a speech recognition device or a gesture recognition device that may be installed in the route bus 2 . In this case, the speech recognition device and the gesture recognition device may be implemented by a speaker 3a in the form of a robot.

The autonomous driving sensor 3c is a sensor necessary or useful for autonomous driving, such as a radar sensor (for example, a millimeter wave radar sensor), an image sensor (for example, a stereo camera), a LiDAR (lidar), a gyro sensor, an acceleration sensor, or the like. . For autonomous driving, the electronic device 30 may include a vehicle-to-vehicle communication device, a road-to-vehicle communication device, etc., in addition to the autonomous driving sensor 3c.

The braking/driving force control device 3d includes a brake ECU (Electronic Control Unit) as a braking force control device, an engine ECU as a driving force control device, and the like. The brake ECU controls the braking force by controlling the master cylinder pressure of the wheels according to the target braking force. The engine ECU controls the driving force by controlling the fuel injection amount of the engine according to the target driving force. The braking/driving force control device 3d may include an ECU that controls a driving motor as a driving force control device when the route bus 2 is of an electric or hybrid type.

The steering control device 3e controls the steering device according to the target steering angle.

The GPS receiver 3f receives radio waves from GPS satellites (or GNSS: Global Navigation Satellite System satellites) and calculates the position of the route bus 2 .

The processing device 10 is in the form of a computer, and may be embodied as an ECU (Electronic Control Unit), for example. As shown in FIG. 4, the processing device 10 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 11, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 12, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 13, an auxiliary storage device 14, and a drive device 15, which are connected via a bus 19. , and a communication interface 17 , and a wired transmission/reception unit 25 and a wireless transmission/reception unit 26 connected to the communication interface 17 .

The auxiliary storage device 14 is, for example, a HDD (Hard Disk Drive), an EEPROM (Electrically Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory), an SSD (Solid State Drive), etc., and is a storage device that stores data related to application software and the like. .

The wired transmission/reception unit 25 includes a transmission/reception unit that can communicate using a wired network. An electronic device 30 is connected to the wired transmission/reception unit 25 . However, part or all of the electronic device 30 may be connected to the bus 19 or may be connected to the wireless transmission/reception unit 26 .

The wireless transmission/reception unit 26 is a transmission/reception unit that can communicate using the network 9 (see FIG. 2). In addition, the wireless transmission/reception unit 26 may include a near field communication (NFC) unit, a Bluetooth (registered trademark) communication unit, a Wi-Fi (Wireless-Fidelity) transmission/reception unit, an infrared transmission/reception unit, and the like. .

Note that the processing device 10 may be connectable to the recording medium 16 . A recording medium 16 stores a predetermined program. The program stored in this recording medium 16 is installed in the auxiliary storage device 14 or the like of the processing device 10 via the drive device 15 . The installed program can be executed by the CPU 11 of the processing device 10 . For example, the recording medium 16 may be a recording medium for optically, electrically or magnetically recording information such as a CD (Compact Disc)-ROM, a flexible disk, a magneto-optical disk, or a recording medium such as a ROM, a flash memory, or the like. It may be a semiconductor memory or the like that electrically records .

FIG. 5 is a functional block diagram showing an example of functions of the processing device 10. As shown in FIG.

The processing device 10 includes a planned travel course receiving unit 102, a timetable information receiving unit 103, a sensor information acquiring unit 104, a vehicle position information acquiring unit 106, a target braking/driving force determining unit 108, and a target steering angle determining unit. 110 , an occupant state detector 112 , an information output controller 114 , and an occupant request transmitter 116 . Scheduled course receiving unit 102, timetable information receiving unit 103, sensor information acquiring unit 104, vehicle position information acquiring unit 106, target braking/driving force determining unit 108, target steering angle determining unit 110, passenger state detecting unit 112, information output The control unit 114 and the occupant request transmission unit 116 can be realized by the CPU 11 executing a program in a storage device (for example, the ROM 13). The processing device 10 also includes a planned travel course storage unit 120 . The planned travel course storage unit 120 can be realized by the auxiliary storage device 14, for example.

The planned travel course receiving unit 102 receives information representing the planned travel course (hereinafter also referred to as “course information”) from the server 4 . In this embodiment, the planned travel course is determined by the basic course, but as will be described later, the basic course may be changed in a predetermined case. Note that the server 4 may transmit the changed course to the route bus 2 only when the planned travel course is changed from the basic course to another course.

The timetable information receiving unit 103 receives information representing a timetable (hereinafter referred to as “timetable information”) from the server 4 . In this embodiment, the planned travel course may be changed to a course other than the basic course. Such a course change may change the estimated time of arrival at a stop or the like, so a timetable reflecting such a change in estimated time of arrival is useful for users waiting for arrival.

The sensor information acquisition unit 104 acquires various types of information from the autonomous travel sensor 3c.

The vehicle position information acquisition unit 106 acquires vehicle position information from the GPS receiver 3f. The vehicle position information acquisition unit 106 transmits the acquired vehicle position information to the server 4 .

A target braking/driving force determination unit 108 determines a target driving force. For example, the target driving force is determined so that the vehicle travels at a predetermined cruising speed (for example, 20 km/h). Further, the target braking/driving force determination unit 108 determines the target braking force as necessary based on various information from the autonomous driving sensor 3c. For example, when an obstacle is detected, the target braking force is determined so as to stop the vehicle in front of the obstacle. After determining the target driving force and the target braking force, the target braking/driving force determination unit 108 provides the determined target driving force and target braking force to the braking/driving force control device 3d. Note that the predetermined cruising speed may be variable, in which case the predetermined cruising speed may be instructed by the server 4 .

A target steering angle determination unit 110 determines a target steering angle. The target steering angle may be set based on the result of recognition of white lines on the road extending along the planned travel course. Alternatively, the target steering angle may be determined based on the relationship between the trajectory of the planned travel course and the current position and orientation of the bus 2 . After determining the target steering angle, the target steering angle determining unit 110 provides the determined target steering angle to the steering control device 3e.

In this manner, the target braking/driving force determination unit 108 and the target steering angle determination unit 110 cooperate with the braking/driving force control device 3d and the steering control device 3e, based on various information from the autonomous driving sensor 3c. 1, the autonomous running of the route bus 2 is realized so that the route bus 2 runs along the scheduled travel course.

The occupant state detection unit 112 detects the occupant state in the route bus 2 based on the information from the camera 3b. The occupant status to be detected is the occupant's seat (which seat is being used) and the occupant's user ID. The passenger's user ID may be derived by pattern matching between the pre-registered user's face image and each face image portion in the image from the camera 3b. Alternatively, the user ID may be obtained from the ID card when the method of holding the ID card over the vehicle when boarding and/or getting off is adopted. The ID card may be a magnetic card created during user registration. The ID card may be a card electronically stored in the user terminal 6 . In this case, the user terminal 6 transmits the user ID to a receiver (not shown) provided on the route bus 2 by short-range communication.

The occupant state detection unit 112 may detect the occupant state periodically or for each scheduled stop position (scheduled stop position for getting on and off) including a stop. The occupant state detection unit 112 transmits information indicating the detected occupant state (hereinafter also referred to as “occupant state information”) to the server 4 .

The information output control unit 114 outputs various types of information to passengers on the route bus 2 via the speaker 3a, the large display D1, the displays D2 to D7, and the like. Various information and its output method will be described later in detail.

The occupant request transmission unit 116 transmits various requests from the occupant (for example, a request to change the planned getting-off position) to the server 4 . Various requests from passengers may be input via the input device 3 .

Course information is stored in the planned travel course storage unit 120 . The default course information stored in the planned travel course storage unit 120 represents the basic course. The course information in the planned travel course storage unit 120 is replaced (overwritten) with the received course information. In addition, in a situation where a plurality of fixed-route buses 2 operate simultaneously, course information is stored for each of the plurality of fixed-route buses 2 .

[server]
Server 4 is formed from a server computer. Server 4 may be formed from a plurality of server computers. For example, the server 4 may be implemented by a cloud computer. Also, the server 4 may be realized by a computer mounted on the route bus 2 . Moreover, the server 4 may be realized by a computer mounted on one fixed-route bus 2, but may also be realized by a plurality of computers mounted on each of a plurality of fixed-route buses 2 in cooperation with each other. Furthermore, the server 4 may be realized by cooperation between a computer mounted on the route bus 2 and a computer not mounted on the route bus 2 .

FIG. 6 is a functional block diagram showing an example of the functions of the server 4. As shown in FIG.

The server 4 includes a boarding section deriving unit 400, a boarding request receiving unit 401, a boarding permission determining unit 402, a user identifying unit 404, a reservation receiving unit 405, a scheduled alighting position change receiving unit 406, and course change processing. A timetable generator 408 , a vehicle state updater 409 , a seat state updater 410 , an output controller 411 , a user registration processor 412 , and a gesture input processor 414 . Rideable section deriving unit 400, boarding request receiving unit 401, boarding availability determining unit 402, user identifying unit 404, reservation accepting unit 405, scheduled alighting position change receiving unit 406, course change processing unit 407, timetable generating unit 408, vehicle A state update unit 409, a seat state update unit 410, an output control unit 411, a user registration processing unit 412, and a gesture input processing unit 414 are executed by a CPU such as the CPU 11 executing programs in a storage device (for example, a storage device such as the ROM 13). This can be achieved by executing

The processing device 10 also includes a reservation status information storage unit 420, a boarding section storage unit 421, a user information storage unit 422, a course change determination information storage unit 423, a vehicle status information storage unit 424, a seat status It includes an information storage unit 425 , a planned travel course storage unit 426 , a timetable information storage unit 428 , and an advertisement information storage unit 430 . Reservation state information storage unit 420, boarding section storage unit 421, user information storage unit 422, course change determination information storage unit 423, vehicle state information storage unit 424, seat state information storage unit 425, planned travel course storage unit 426, The timetable information storage unit 428 and the advertisement information storage unit 430 can be realized by an auxiliary storage device such as the auxiliary storage device 14, for example. In addition, reservation state information storage unit 420, boarding section storage unit 421, user information storage unit 422, course change determination information storage unit 423, vehicle state information storage unit 424, seat state information storage unit 425, planned travel course storage unit 426, the timetable information storage unit 428, and the advertisement information storage unit 430, any two or more storage units may be integrated as one storage unit.

In addition, in a configuration in which a plurality of route buses 2 can operate at the same time, a boarding section deriving section 400, a boarding request receiving section 401, a boarding availability determining section 402, a reservation receiving section 405, a scheduled alighting position change receiving section 406, and a course change processing unit 407, timetable generation unit 408, vehicle state update unit 409, seat state update unit 410, output control unit 411, reservation state information storage unit 420, rideable section storage unit 421, course change determination information storage unit 423, vehicle A state information storage unit 424 , a seat state information storage unit 425 , a planned travel course storage unit 426 , a timetable information storage unit 428 , and an advertisement information storage unit 430 function for each route bus 2 . However, as will be described later, the course change processing unit 407 may function in common for a plurality of route buses 2 in order to take into account the operating states of the plurality of route buses 2 .

Based on the reservation state information (see FIG. 7A) in the reservation state information storage unit 420 and the seat state information (see FIG. 7B) in the seat state information storage unit 425, the available section derivation unit 400 to derive a rideable section, which is a section in which the user can board. For example, if the route bus 2 is currently full, the boarding section starts from the position where the route bus 2 is no longer full (the scheduled alighting position where a certain passenger gets off). The boarding section is basically up to the end point, but it may be up to a position before the end point due to the adjustment of priorities among a plurality of users. For example, if user A has made a reservation for boarding at scheduled stop position A3 first, and user A boarding at scheduled stop position A3 makes the route bus 2 full, user B makes a reservation after user A. , the boarding section is up to position A3. If the route bus 2 is not full and there is no user who made a previous reservation, all sections are available for boarding.

After deriving a boarding section, the boarding section derivation unit 400 generates information representing the boarding section (hereinafter referred to as “boarding section information”) (see FIG. memorize to In FIG. 7C, the number of passengers that can be boarded is stored together with the section that can be boarded. In this case, the boarding section deriving unit 400 calculates the boarding capacity section and the number of boarding capacity for each boarding section.

The boarding request receiving unit 401 receives a boarding request transmitted from the user terminal 6, which will be described later. A boarding request represents a request from a user who wishes to board a vehicle, and includes information representing a scheduled boarding position (desired boarding position) and a scheduled alighting position (desired alighting position), as will be described later. A user who wishes to get on the vehicle issues a boarding request by designating the planned boarding position and the planned alighting position. In addition, as will be described later, the boarding request may include other information such as information representing the desired arrival time (for example, the latest allowable time) at the scheduled alighting position, or information representing the number of companions, if any. can optionally include information about In the following description, the user who requested to board means the user who issued the request for boarding (the user who intends to make a reservation for boarding in response to the request for boarding).

When the boarding request is acquired, the boarding permission determination unit 402 performs boarding permission determination processing for determining whether or not the user related to the boarding request can board (ride the route bus 2). For example, the boarding permission/inhibition determination unit 402 determines whether the user is permitted to board the vehicle based on the planned boarding position and the planned exit position included in the boarding request. In this case, the boarding possibility determining unit 402 can use the boarding-allowable section information (see FIG. 7C) in the boarding-allowable section storage unit 421 . That is, when the planned boarding position and the planned alighting position belong to the boarding possible section, the boarding availability determination unit 402 determines that boarding of the user related to the boarding request is possible.

Here, as described above, the boardable section is derived based on the seat state information in the seat state information storage unit 425 (see FIG. 7B). Therefore, when using the boardable section information in the boardable section storage unit 421, the upper limit of the number of users who can board the route bus 2 (the number of seats), the current number of passengers, and the passengers' alighting schedules On the basis of the position, boarding availability determination processing is executed. As a result, it is possible to perform boarding availability determination processing in a mode that takes into account an increase in vacant seats due to passengers getting off the vehicle, thereby improving boarding availability determination accuracy.

Also, as described above, the boardable section is derived based on the reservation status information in the reservation status information storage unit 420 (see FIG. 7A). Therefore, when using the boardable section information in the boardable section storage unit 421, the number of users who will get on the route bus 2 in the future and the scheduled alighting position of the user are also taken into consideration, and boarding availability determination processing is performed. will be executed. As a result, the boarding availability determination accuracy in the boarding availability determination process is further improved.

Further, if the boarding request includes information about the companion, the boarding availability determination unit 402 determines whether or not all members including the companion can board the vehicle. In the case of the reservation status information (see FIG. 7A) in the reservation status information storage unit 420, the number of passengers allowed is stored. You can decide if you can.

In addition, when the boarding request includes information on the desired arrival time and margin, the boarding availability determination unit 402 considers the desired arrival time based on the timetable information in the timetable information storage unit 428. It is good also as performing boarding propriety determination processing. Specifically, the boarding possibility determination unit 402 determines whether the user can board the vehicle based on the relationship between the expected arrival time at the scheduled alighting position and the desired arrival time. In this case, if the estimated time of arrival is earlier than the desired time of arrival, it is determined that the user can board. Further, the boarding possibility determination unit 402 may determine whether the user can board the vehicle based on the relationship between the estimated arrival time and the desired arrival time at the scheduled alighting position and the degree of margin. In this case, the boarding availability determination unit 402 may perform the boarding availability determination process in such a manner that the higher the margin, the more likely it is that the desired arrival time will be delayed from the expected arrival time.

In addition, when determining whether or not to board the vehicle, priority among a plurality of users may be considered. In this case, the priority among multiple users is crew>users (users who are making reservations), and among users who are making reservations, users who made reservations first > users who make reservations later good. For example, user attributes (wheelchair use, crutch use, blindness, etc.) may be considered, and priority may be given, for example, to the elderly and physically handicapped.

In addition, in a situation where a plurality of route buses 2 are operated at the same time, in response to a boarding request that does not specify a specific route bus 2, the boarding possibility determination unit 402, based on the boarding section information of the plurality of route buses 2, It may be determined which route bus 2 among the plurality of route buses 2 is available.

The user identification unit 404 identifies a user ID (user ID associated with the user who sent the boarding request), such as the user ID associated with the boarding request, which is used when updating the reservation status information. Here, as will be described later, the boarding request is a boarding request transmitted from the user terminal 6 and a boarding request generated by the gesture input processing unit 414 based on the gesture recognition result transmitted from the gesture recognition device 8. be. In the case of a boarding request transmitted from the user terminal 6, the user identification unit 404 may identify the user ID based on the header information of the data transmitted from the user terminal 6, for example. In addition, in the case of a boarding request generated by the gesture input processing unit 414, the user specifying unit 404 acquires the user image included in the image of the camera 8b, which will be described later, and the user information in the user information storage unit 422 (see FIG. 11B). and the user ID may be identified. In this case, each user's face image (registered image) may be used as the user information.

When the boarding availability determining unit 402 determines that the user requested to board can board, the reservation receiving unit 405 receives a reservation for boarding the route bus 2 by the user. Upon receiving the boarding reservation, the reservation accepting unit 405 updates the reservation status information (FIG. 7A) in the reservation status information storage unit 420 based on the corresponding boarding reservation. In FIG. 7A, the planned alighting position, the planned boarding position, the margin, and the desired arrival time are stored in association with the user ID. In this case, the reservation status information is updated based on the planned alighting position and the planned boarding position included in the corresponding boarding request. The degree of margin represents the degree of margin of the passenger (margin of delay), and may be included in the boarding request as described later. When the information on the margin is included in the corresponding boarding request, the information on the margin is also stored. A user identification unit 404 identifies a user ID that is used when updating reservation status information. The margin may be included in the boarding request when it is "low" (that is, only when the vehicle is in a hurry), or may be specified in multiple stages. Also, the margin may be specified by the user in the form of an allowable delay time at the scheduled exit position.

The scheduled alighting position change receiving unit 406 receives a request to change the scheduled alighting position from the user terminal 6 described later or the processing device 10 (passenger request transmitting unit 116) of the route bus 2 . Upon receiving a request to change the scheduled alighting position for a certain passenger, the scheduled alighting position change receiving unit 406 selects the scheduled alighting position for the passenger from the seat state information (see FIG. 7B) in the seat state information storage unit 425. to change

The course change processing unit 407 changes the planned travel course from the basic course to another course based on a boarding request from the user. After changing the planned travel course to another course, the course change processing unit 407 further changes the planned travel course from the other course to another course (basic course) based on a boarding request from another user. course) may be changed. That is, the number of times the course can be changed may be two or more times, or may be limited to one time. Below, unless otherwise specified, the number of course changes is unlimited.

Specifically, the course change processing unit 407 changes the planned travel course when the planned boarding position or the planned alighting position included in the boarding request is outside the planned travel course. As will be described later, the course change processing unit 407 may not change the planned travel course even if the planned boarding position or the planned alighting position included in the boarding request is outside the planned traveling course.

FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram of course change processing by the course change processing unit 407 . FIG. 8 shows a course R1 as a basic course and other courses R2 and R3. For example, it is assumed that a boarding request is generated to specify the position X1 as the planned boarding position. In this case, the course change processing unit 407 may change the planned travel course from the course R1 to another course R2 passing through the position X1.

Note that the course change processing unit 407 determines that there is no occupant whose planned exit position is the planned stop position A2, and there is no user whose planned boarding position is the planned stop position A2 (the user issuing the boarding request). In this case, the planned travel course may be changed from course R1 to another course R3 passing through position X1 (course R2 not passing through planned stop position A2). In this case, the delay in the scheduled arrival time for the next scheduled stop position A3 caused by the course change process can be reduced.

In this embodiment, as an example, the course change processing unit 407 includes a change cost calculation unit 4071 , a change availability determination unit 4072 , and a course change reflection unit 4074 .

The change cost calculation unit 4071 calculates the cost (hereinafter referred to as "change cost") when changing the planned travel course from the current course to the planned course (planned travel course when changed). The scheduled course to be changed is a course that passes through the planned boarding position and the planned alighting position included in the boarding request. In addition, the course to be changed is a course that passes through the planned boarding and alighting positions of the user and the passenger who have already made a boarding reservation. The change cost is an index value representing the loss when the planned travel course is changed from the current course to the course to be changed, and in this embodiment, as an example, the larger the loss, the higher the cost.

For example, the change cost increases as the delay time due to the change increases, increases as the number of passengers affected by the change delay (e.g., the number of current passengers) increases, and increases as the passenger margin (margin for delay) decreases. It may be calculated in an increasing manner. It should be noted that the occupant's spare capacity may be transmitted to the server 4 in a manner included in the boarding request.

The change cost calculation unit 4071 may calculate the change cost based on the course change determination information stored in the course change determination information storage unit 423, for example. FIG. 9A shows an example of information for course change determination. In FIG. 9A , the planned alighting position, the planned boarding position, and the margin (margin for delay) are stored for each user ID of the passenger. In this case, the change cost calculation unit 4071 may calculate the total or average of the delay times related to the estimated arrival times at the expected alighting positions of each passenger as the change cost. In this case, the change cost calculation unit 4071 may weight (for example, double) the delay time associated with the passenger with a low margin. Also, the change cost may be calculated in a manner in which user attributes are considered. For example, when calculating the change cost, under the same conditions other than the attributes of the user, for example, the change cost for the elderly or the physically handicapped may be weighted in such a manner that the change cost is greater than the change cost for other users. good.

Further, the change cost may be calculated in a manner in which the attributes (characteristics) of the scheduled boarding position and/or the scheduled alighting position (which do not exist on the current course) are taken into consideration. Attributes of the planned boarding position and/or the planned alighting position may be, for example, being on a slope (position where it is difficult to stop), being on a narrow road (road where it is difficult to pass each other), or being on a school road. may For example, when calculating the change cost, if the planned boarding position and/or the planned alighting position are located on a slope, a narrow road, or a school road under the same conditions other than the attributes of the planned boarding position and/or the planned alighting position. may be weighted in a manner that is greater than otherwise. In this case, if the planned boarding position and/or the planned alighting position are located on a slope or a narrow road, the change cost is excessively increased, so that the boarding schedule is substantially difficult to stop or pass, such as a slope or a narrow road. Course changes to accommodate the location and/or expected drop-off location may be prohibited.

Note that, in a modified example, the change cost calculation unit 4071 may calculate a cost (non-change cost) when the planned travel course is not changed instead of or in addition to the change cost. For example, the non-change cost increases as the deviation of the estimated arrival time for each stop (deviation from the scheduled arrival time) due to no change increases, and the margin of the user who wants to board (margin of delay) may be calculated in such a manner that the lower the value, the higher the value. In addition, in a situation where a plurality of fixed-route buses 2 operate at the same time, the non-change cost may be calculated in such a manner that the longer the waiting time until the arrival of the next fixed-route bus 2 of the user who wishes to board, the higher the non-changed cost.

Based on the change cost calculated by the change cost calculation unit 4071, the change availability determination unit 4072 determines whether or not to change the planned travel course from the current course to the planned change course. For example, if the change cost calculated by the change cost calculation unit 4071 is less than or equal to a predetermined threshold value Th1, the change permission determination unit 4072 permits the change. The predetermined threshold value Th1 is a value adapted in consideration of user's convenience and the like. The predetermined threshold Th1 may be variable according to the time period or the day of the week.

Note that in a modification in which the change cost calculation unit 4071 calculates the non-change cost, the change availability determination unit 4072 changes the planned travel course from the current course based on the non-change cost calculated by the change cost calculation unit 4071. It may be determined whether or not to change to the scheduled course. For example, the change permission determination unit 4072 permits the change when the non-change cost calculated by the change cost calculation unit 4071 is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold Th2. The predetermined threshold Th2 is a value adapted in consideration of user's convenience and the like. The predetermined threshold Th2 may be variable according to the time period or the day of the week.

Further, in a modification in which the change cost calculation unit 4071 calculates the change cost and the non-change cost, the change availability determination unit 4072 calculates the travel schedule based on the change cost and the non-change cost calculated by the change cost calculation unit 4071. It may be determined whether or not to change the course from the current course to the course to be changed. For example, if the non-change cost calculated by the change cost calculation unit 4071 is greater than the change cost, the change permission determination unit 4072 permits the change. In this case, it is preferable that the modified cost and the non-modified cost are normalized before being compared. For example, the cost of change and the cost of no change may be compared in terms of cost per user. Also, the modified costs may be weighted more heavily than the unmodified costs. This is because it makes more sense to give priority to the current occupant.

Note that, in a modified example, the course change processing unit 407 may be implemented in a simpler manner by omitting the change cost calculation unit 4071 .

For example, the change propriety determination unit 4072 calculates the delay time with respect to the estimated arrival time at the scheduled alighting position for the passenger with a low margin, and permits the change when the delay time is equal to or less than a predetermined threshold Th3. may Alternatively, if there is a passenger who has specified the desired arrival time, the change permission determination unit 4072 may permit the change if the course can be changed to arrive before the desired arrival time.

Alternatively, the change possibility determination unit 4072 may change the planned driving course from the current course by comprehensively evaluating a plurality of elements such as the above-described change cost, non-change cost, margin, and desired arrival time. It may be determined whether or not to change to the course of

The course change reflection unit 4074 performs processing for reflecting the course change when the change permission determination unit 4072 permits the change. Specifically, the course change reflecting unit 4074 updates the information (course information) representing the planned traveling course in the planned traveling course storage unit 426 . That is, the course change reflection unit 4074 rewrites the course information in the planned travel course storage unit 426 to information representing the changed course.

Note that the course change processing unit 407 may function commonly for a plurality of route buses 2 in order to take into consideration the operation states of the plurality of route buses 2 as described above.

For example, in a situation where a plurality of fixed-route buses 2 operate simultaneously, the course change processing unit 407 selects one or more routes of the plurality of fixed-route buses 2 based on the positional relationship between the plurality of fixed-route buses 2 . It may be determined whether or not to change the scheduled travel course for the bus 2 . For example, when a plurality of fixed-route buses 2 are circulating, the travel schedule for one or more fixed-route buses 2 among the plurality of fixed-route buses 2 is calculated so that the intervals between the estimated arrival times at predetermined stops are uniformed. You may change course. Note that such a course change may be executed without being triggered by a boarding request from the user.

In addition, in a situation where a plurality of route buses 2 operate at the same time, the course change processing unit 407 selects which route bus 2 among the plurality of route buses 2 based on the positional relationship among the plurality of route buses 2. It may be determined whether to change the planned driving course of .

In this case, for example, the course change processing unit 407 determines the distance ( It may be determined whether or not to change the planned travel course for the second route bus 2 based on the inter-vehicle distance or inter-vehicle time along the planned travel course. In this case, the course change processing unit 407 may change the planned travel course for the second route bus 2 when the interval is shorter than the predetermined threshold value Th4. The predetermined threshold Th4 may correspond to the lower limit of the appropriate interval range and is adapted based on the number of vehicles in operation and the like. More specifically, for example, FIG. 9B shows the operational states of the first route bus 2 and the second route bus 2 (estimated arrival times at respective scheduled stop positions and delays with respect to the scheduled time). In the operation state, the interval between the first route bus 2 and the second route bus 2 is within the range of the appropriate interval, so the scheduled travel course of either the first route bus 2 or the second route bus 2 Alternatively, the course change processing unit 407 may change the planned travel course for the second route bus 2 based on the fact that the second route bus 2 is running ahead of schedule. 9B, when the first route bus 2 is running earlier than the scheduled time, the course change processing unit 407 changes the route of the first route bus 2. The planned course may be changed.

Alternatively, the course change processing unit 407 may determine whether or not to change the planned travel course in order from the route bus 2 with the shortest delay time due to course change among the plurality of route buses 2 . Note that if there is a route bus 2 that is originally on the scheduled course and does not require a course change among the plurality of route buses 2, the output control unit 411 instructs the user who requested to board the route bus. 2 may be notified to prompt the user to generate a boarding request.

Here, the course change processing unit 407 and the boarding availability determination unit 402 may operate in cooperation with each other. For example, when the course change processing unit 407 determines to change the planned travel course of a certain route bus 2 , the boarding availability determination unit 402 may determine whether boarding is permitted for the route bus 2 . In addition, the boarding availability determination unit 402 determines whether boarding is possible only based on the upper limit (the number of seats) of the number of users who can board the route bus 2, the number of current passengers, and the planned alighting positions of the passengers. When it is determined that it is possible, the course change processing unit 407 may determine whether or not the course of the route bus 2 can be changed.

The timetable generation unit 408 updates the timetable information in the timetable information storage unit 428 when the planned travel course in the planned travel course storage unit 426 is updated. FIG. 10 shows an example of the timetable information in the timetable information storage unit 428. As shown in FIG. For explanation purposes, FIG. 10 shows timetable information D801 before the planned travel course is changed and timetable information D802 after the planned travel course is changed. The timetable information D802 is data when the planned stop position X1 is added. Note that the planned stop position X1 is a position that does not exist on the course R1, which is the basic course, as shown in FIG. The timetable information may be derived based on past performance (statistical data), or may be derived by calculation based on the cruising speed and the distance to each stop (known).

The vehicle state update unit 409 updates information representing the vehicle state of the route bus 2 . The vehicle state includes the position of the route bus 2 and may include other states of the route bus 2 (for example, presence or absence of brake operation, etc.). For example, the vehicle state update unit 409 updates the vehicle state information in the vehicle state information storage unit 424 upon receiving the vehicle position information from the vehicle position information acquisition unit 106 of the processing device 10 of the route bus 2 .

In addition, the vehicle status update unit 409 transmits the vehicle position information to the user terminal 6 or the projector 7 in response to a request from the later-described town movi application 5 (an application installed in the user terminal 6) or the projector 7. Note that the vehicle status update unit 409 may transmit the vehicle position information in a push-type notification mode to the user terminal 6 or the projector 7 associated with the user who is making a reservation.

The seat state update unit 410 updates information representing the state of the seats of the route bus 2 . The seat status may include whether or not each seat is occupied, identification information of the user occupying the seat, and the like. The seat state update unit 410 updates the seat state information in the seat state information storage unit 425 upon receiving the passenger state information from the passenger state detection unit 112 of the processing device 10 of the route bus 2 . FIG. 7B shows an example of the seat state information in the seat state information storage section 425. As shown in FIG. In FIG. 7B , for each seat, the presence or absence of a passenger, and if there is a passenger, the user ID of the passenger, the scheduled alighting position, and the margin (only when the margin is acquired) are associated with the seat. may be stored. In addition, since the expected alighting position and the margin are information included in the boarding reservation, the information can be used in a manner linked to the passenger's user ID when generating the seat state information.

The output control unit 411 outputs various information to the user via the route bus 2, the user terminal 6, and the projector 7. FIG.

The output control unit 411 includes a boarding section notification unit 4110, a timetable notification unit 4112, a course information notification unit 4114, a boarding request change request unit 4116, a gesture input guidance unit 4118, an in-vehicle advertisement output unit 4120, and a get-off guidance output unit 4122 .

The boardable section notification unit 4110 may transmit the boardable section information in the boardable section storage unit 421 to the user terminal 6 or the projector 7 described later, as necessary. For example, the boardable section notification unit 4110 may transmit the boardable section information in the boardable section storage unit 421 to the user terminal 6 or the projector 7 in a push-type notification mode. For example, when the boarding section deriving section 400 updates the boarding section information in the boarding section storage section 421 as described above (that is, when the boarding section is changed), the boarding section notifying section 4110 You may transmit toward the user terminal 6 or the projector 7. FIG. When the user terminal 6 or the projector 7 receives and outputs the boarding-allowable section information, the user can easily grasp which section the boarding is possible, thereby improving convenience.

When the timetable generation unit 408 updates the timetable information in the timetable information storage unit 428 , the timetable notification unit 4112 transmits the updated timetable information to the processing device 10 . The timetable information is received by the timetable information receiving section 103 of the processing device 10 of the route bus 2 as described above. The timetable information received by the timetable information receiving unit 103 is output by the information output control unit 114 of the processing device 10 via the large display D1 and the displays D2 to D7 in the route bus 2 . As a result, passengers on the route bus 2 can appropriately grasp changes in the timetable information, etc., thereby improving convenience.

In addition, the timetable notification unit 4112 sends the timetable information in the timetable information storage unit 428 to the user terminal 6 or Send to the projector 7 . Note that the timetable notification unit 4112 may transmit the timetable information in the timetable information storage unit 428 to the user terminal 6 or the projector 7 in a push-type notification mode. For example, when the timetable generation unit 408 updates the timetable information in the timetable information storage unit 428 (that is, when the planned travel course is changed), the timetable notification unit 4112 sends the user terminal 6 or the projector 7 You can send it to When the timetable information is received and output to the user terminal 6 or the projector 7, the user can appropriately grasp changes in the timetable information, etc., thereby improving convenience.

The course information notification unit 4114 transmits the course information updated by the course change processing unit 407 as described above to the processing device 10 . The course information is received by the scheduled travel course receiving section 102 of the processing device 10 of the route bus 2 as described above. The course information received by the scheduled traveling course receiving section 102 is output by the information output control section 114 of the processing device 10 via the large display D1 and the displays D2 to D7 in the route bus 2 . As a result, the passengers on the route bus 2 can appropriately grasp the change in the planned travel course, thereby improving the convenience. Here, when the planned traveling course is changed from the basic course, the information output control unit 114 of the processing device 10 outputs the planned traveling course in a manner that indicates that the planned traveling course has been changed from the basic course. may For example, if the planned driving course has been changed from the basic course, a predetermined mark is added, the color of the display is changed, and text information or voice information such as "change is being made" is added. This makes it easier for the crew to understand that the planned travel course has been changed from the basic course, thereby improving convenience.

In addition, the course information notification unit 4114 sends course information representing the changed course to the user terminal 6 or the projector 7 in response to a request from the later-described town-movie app 5 (an application installed in the user terminal 6) or the projector 7. Send to. Note that the course information notification unit 4114 may transmit the course information in the planned travel course storage unit 426 to the user terminal 6 or the projector 7 in a push-type notification mode. For example, when the course information in the planned travel course storage unit 426 is updated (that is, when the planned travel course is changed), the course information notification unit 4114 may transmit to the user terminal 6 or the projector 7. . When the course information is received and output to the user terminal 6 or the projector 7, the user can appropriately grasp changes in the planned travel course, thereby improving convenience. Here, when the planned traveling course is changed from the basic course, the user terminal 6 and the projector 7 may output the planned traveling course in a manner that indicates that the planned traveling course has been changed from the basic course. . For example, if the planned driving course has been changed from the basic course, a predetermined mark is added, the color of the display is changed, and text information or voice information such as "change is being made" is added. This makes it easier for the user to understand that the planned travel course has been changed from the basic course, thereby improving convenience.

If the change permission determination unit 4072 of the course change processing unit 407 does not permit the change, the boarding request change requesting unit 4116 notifies the corresponding user of information to that effect, and issues a new boarding request ( boarding request with changed planned boarding position and/or planned alighting position). Such notification and request may be realized via the user terminal 6 or the projector 7, which will be described later. In this case, the user can understand that the planned travel course could not be changed, and can perform input or the like for a new boarding request.

In addition, the boarding request change requesting unit 4116 requests the user to board another route bus 2 when it is possible to board another route bus 2 in a situation where a plurality of route buses 2 are operating at the same time. may request changes, etc. to Similarly, such a request may be realized via a user terminal 6 or a projector 7, which will be described later.

The gesture input guidance unit 4118 outputs various information to the projector 7 and the gesture recognition device 8 in cooperation with the gesture input processing unit 414 described later. This will be discussed later.

The in-vehicle advertisement output unit 4120 cooperates with the information output control unit 114 of the route bus 2 to output various types of advertisement information to the passengers inside the route bus 2 . Advertising information to be output is stored in the advertising information storage unit 430 . FIG. 11A shows an example of advertisement information stored in the advertisement information storage unit 430. As shown in FIG. In FIG. 11A, advertiser information and advertisement data are associated with each stop or scheduled stop position (temporary stop accompanying course change). Note that the advertisement data may be in the form of audio data or video data.

In-vehicle advertisement output unit 4120 detects a predetermined advertisement output timing based on the vehicle state information in vehicle state information storage unit 424, and then, based on the advertisement information in advertisement information storage unit 430, the next scheduled stop position. Extract the associated ad data. The predetermined advertisement output timing is arbitrary, but may be synchronized with the timing when the route bus 2 departs toward the next scheduled stop position. Then, in-vehicle advertisement output unit 4120 instructs processing device 10 to output the extracted advertisement data. Upon receiving the instruction, the information output control unit 114 of the processing device 10 outputs the advertisement data via the large display D1 and the built-in speaker and/or via the speaker 3a.

In-vehicle advertisement output unit 4120 also selects the next scheduled stop position (for example, before the change, it was not the scheduled stop position, but a new (Scheduled stop position) is extracted, and the processor 10 is instructed to output the extracted advertisement data. Upon receiving the instruction, the information output control unit 114 of the processing device 10 outputs the advertisement data via the large display D1 and the built-in speaker and/or via the speaker 3a. For example, in the situation shown in FIG. 8, it is assumed that the planned course is changed from course R1 to course R2 (or course R3). In this case, the next scheduled stop position is changed from the bus stop A2 to the position X1, and in FIG. 11A, the advertisement data (“advertisement data 00X0”) associated with the position X1 is output.

The get-off guidance output unit 4122 cooperates with the information output control unit 114 of the route bus 2 to output get-off guidance to the passengers inside the route bus 2 . Specifically, when the get-off guidance output unit 4122 detects that the route bus 2 is approaching the next scheduled stop position based on the vehicle state information in the vehicle state information storage unit 424, the seat state information storage unit 425 Based on the seat state information in the table, a search is made for an occupant whose planned exit position is the next planned stop position. Then, the getting-off guidance output unit 4122 instructs the processing device 10 to individually provide getting-off guidance to the occupants whose planned getting-off position is the next scheduled stop position. Upon receiving the instruction, the information output control unit 114 of the processing device 10, out of the displays D2 to D7, through the display associated with the passenger and the built-in speaker, and/or through the speaker 3a , to output getting off guidance. For example, in the case of the example shown in FIG. 7B, if the next scheduled stop position is the stop A3, the passengers whose scheduled alighting position is the stop A3 are seated in the seats S2 and S3. In this case, guidance for getting off may be realized via the displays D4 and D5 associated with the seats S2 and S3.

Here, when the speaker 3a is used, the speaker 3a moves to the vicinity of the occupant and then outputs the getting-off guidance by voice. For example, in the case of the example shown in FIG. 7B, if the next scheduled stop position is the stop A3, the occupants whose scheduled alighting position is the stop A3 are the seats S2 and S3. In this case, the speaker 3a moves to the vicinity of the seats S2 and S3, and then outputs the getting-off guidance. When a speaker with variable directivity is used, the directivity may be set such that the directivity is highest near the corresponding passenger, and then the get-off guidance may be output by voice. In this case, the directivity-variable speaker may be provided on the ceiling of the route bus 2 so as to correspond to each seat, or a plurality of speakers may be provided.

Although the mode of getting off guidance is arbitrary, in the present embodiment, the name of the passenger based on the seat state information may be used to realize getting off guidance with a sense of familiarity. For example, "Mr. Gen, next!" For example, in the case of the example shown in FIG. 7B, if the next scheduled stop position is the stop A3, the user IDs of the crew members who plan to get off at the stop A3 are "0001" and "0002". The user IDs "0001" and "0002" of the passengers have the names "Gen" and "Hana" according to the user information (FIG. 11B) in the user information storage unit 422. FIG. Therefore, in this case, for example, a message such as "Gen-san and Hana-san, get off next!" is output.

In a modified example, a vibrator (or a massager) provided in the seat may be used to wake up the passenger when the passenger is sleeping. Alternatively, the occupant may be awakened by emitting a scent or the like.

The user registration processing unit 412 executes processing for user registration of the route bus system 1 . The user may be registered for each fixed-route bus system 1 that may exist in a plurality of areas, or may be registered commonly for all fixed-route bus systems 1 . FIG. 11B shows an example of user information stored in the user information storage unit 422. As shown in FIG. In FIG. 11B, the user's name and image data of the user's face are stored for each user ID. Note that, as described above, a user using an ID card may omit registration of face image data. However, in this case, it is not possible to determine which user is sitting in which seat. Therefore, for example, a receiver for holding an ID card over each seat may be provided so as to enable such determination. The user's name may be a nickname or a full name including a surname. Also, for users who do not need the guide service for getting off the car, which will be described later, registration of the user's name may be omitted.

The gesture input processing unit 414 cooperates with the gesture input guidance unit 4118 of the output control unit 411, the projector 7 and the gesture recognition device 8, which will be described later, to realize a user interface that allows gesture input. Specifically, the gesture input processing unit 414 generates the user's boarding request based on the gesture recognition result acquired from the gesture recognition device 8 . Further details of the gesture input processing unit 414 will be described together with the description of the gesture recognition device 8 later.

The reservation status information storage unit 420 stores the reservation status information (see FIG. 7A) as described above. Note that the reservation status information indicates only the user who is currently making a reservation, and when the user boards the vehicle, the information related to the user is deleted. FIG. 7A shows that two users with user IDs "0005" and "0004" are making reservations.

The boardable section storage unit 421 stores the boardable section information (see FIG. 7C) as described above. In FIG. 7C, the number of possible passengers is associated with each boarding section. A boarding section that is associated with a boarding capacity number of "1" or more is a boarding section. Note that the available boarding section information is updated when a new boarding request is received (when a boarding reservation is executed). Also, when the route bus 2 passes through a certain stop or departs from that stop, the boarding section information is updated in such a manner that boarding in the boarding section from that stop is disabled. In FIG. 7C, route bus 2 is, for example, boarding section information after departing from bus stop A1. indicates that it is impossible to board (the number of possible passengers is "-" and is not 1 or more).

User information (see FIG. 11B) is stored in the user information storage unit 422 as described above. Note that the user information may include other information such as age, gender, home address, etc., in addition to the information shown in FIG. 11B.

The information for course change determination (see FIG. 9A) is stored in the course change determination information storage unit 423 as described above. In addition, in a situation where a plurality of route buses 2 operate simultaneously, information indicating the operating state as shown in FIG. 9B may be stored in the course change determination information storage unit 423 as course change determination information. Since the course change determination information is information based on the seat state information in the seat state information storage unit 425 and the timetable information in the timetable information storage unit 428, the seat state information in the seat state information storage unit 425 or the timetable information in the timetable information storage unit 428 may be substituted. In this case, the course change determination information storage unit 423 may be omitted.

The seat state information storage unit 425 stores the seat state information (see FIG. 7B) as described above.

As described above, the planned travel course storage unit 426 stores course information representing the current planned travel course. For example, if the current scheduled course is course R1 shown in FIG. 8, course information representing course R1 is stored.

The timetable information storage unit 428 stores the timetable information (see FIG. 9B) as described above. Timetable information, as shown in FIG. 9B, may include information representing a delay with respect to the scheduled time. Note that the timetable information, unlike general timetable information, dynamically changes as the course is changed as described above.

The advertisement information storage unit 430 stores advertisement information (see FIG. 11A) as described above. The advertisement information may be updated as appropriate in accordance with changes in advertisement content or the like.

In this embodiment, some or all of the functions of the server 4 described above may be realized by the processing device 10 of the route bus 2, or conversely, the processing device 10 of the route bus 2 may Some of the functions may be implemented by server 4 . For example, in the former case, the in-vehicle advertisement output unit 4120 and the advertisement information storage unit 430 of the server 4 may be realized by the processing device 10 of the route bus 2 .

[User terminal]
The user terminal 6 may be a smart phone, a mobile phone, a tablet terminal, a wearable terminal, a game terminal, a notebook computer, or the like. Also, the user terminal 6 may be a fixed terminal such as a laptop computer that is fixedly installed in the user's home or the like.

The user terminal 6 is equipped with an application that is convenient when using the route bus system 1 (hereinafter also referred to as a "town mobi app 5"). It should be noted that users of the route bus system 1 are recommended to download the city mobi appli 5 . The town-movie app 5 is stored in a storage device (not shown) in the user terminal 6 and executed by a CPU (not shown) in the user terminal 6 to implement various functions described later.

The town mobi app 5 has a function of outputting information representing the operation status of the route bus 2 (hereinafter referred to as "operation information"). The town mobi appli 5 acquires operation information through communication with the server 4 (communication via the communication function in the user terminal 6). Operation information includes, for example, course information, timetable information, and vehicle position information. Operation information may also include boarding possible section information.

FIG. 12A is an explanatory diagram of an output example of operation information, and is a diagram schematically showing a screen G11 on a display (not shown) of the user terminal 6. FIG. In FIG. 12A , the screen G11 includes the current date and time, an image G110 representing the division of the area, an image G1101 representing the current planned travel course, an image G1102 representing the current position of the route bus 2, and an image G1102 representing the current position of the route bus 2. and an image G1103 representing the estimated arrival time for each scheduled stop position (scheduled stop position on the scheduled travel course). The image G1101 is generated based on the course information included in the operation information, the image G1102 is generated based on the vehicle position information included in the operation information, and the image G1103 is generated based on the timetable information included in the operation information. generated. Note that the screen G11 shown in FIG. 12A is generated by the town mobi app 5 based on the operation information transmitted from the server 4, but in a modified example, the server 4 transmits the image data of the screen G11 shown in FIG. 12A to the user terminal. 6 may be sent. In this case, the town mobi appli 5 displays the image data received from the server 4 on the display of the user terminal 6 .

In addition, the town mobi appli 5 has a function of generating a boarding request according to an input from the user of the user terminal 6 and transmitting it to the server 4 . The town mobi appli 5 also has a function of generating a request to change the planned getting-off position according to an input from the user of the user terminal 6 and transmitting the request to the server 4 . The Town Mobi Appli 5 may also be used for registering user information as described above.

By outputting operation information on the user terminal 6 in this way, the user can grasp the latest operation state of the route bus 2, and convenience is improved. In particular, in this embodiment, as described above, the planned travel course of the route bus 2 may be changed, so the usefulness of outputting operation information increases. In this regard, the town mobi app 5 may be configured to output operation information each time the planned travel course of the route bus 2 is changed.

In addition to or instead of outputting the operation information, the town mobi app 5 may acquire the above-described rideable section information from the server 4 and output it on the display (not shown) of the user terminal 6 . FIG. 12B shows an output example of the available boarding section information (an example of operation information). In FIG. 12B, the route bus 2 is located between the bus stops A1 and A2, and the boarding section from the bus stop A2 to the bus stop A10, the boarding section from the bus stop A2 to the bus stop A3, and the boarding section from the bus stop A3 to the bus stop A10. It is indicated that it is possible to board. As a result, the user can easily grasp in which section it is possible to board, and convenience is improved.

Further, in FIG. 12B, the screen G41 includes an image portion G1121 representing the number of people allowed to board as well as an image portion G1120 of an arrow representing the section as boarding section information. As a result, the user can easily grasp how many people can ride in which section, and convenience is improved. This is especially useful if the user has a companion.

In addition, when a plurality of fixed-route buses 2 operate simultaneously, the screen G41 shown in FIG. 12B may be prepared for each fixed-route bus 2 . The same applies to the screen G11 shown in FIG. 12A. In these cases, the user selects a desired route bus 2 from among the plurality of route buses 2, and a screen G41 or the like relating to the route bus 2 is output.

FIG. 12C is an explanatory diagram of an output example of operation information suitable for a case where a plurality of route buses 2 operate simultaneously, and is a diagram schematically showing a screen G51 on a display (not shown) of the user terminal 6. .

FIG. 12C shows an output example of timetable information at a certain stop. In FIG. 12C, it can be seen that the route bus 2 is scheduled to arrive at the stop in question every 15 minutes from 10:15. In FIG. 12C, the information of the scheduled course is output for the next bus 2 scheduled to arrive at 10:30 and the next scheduled bus 2 scheduled to arrive at 10:45. The estimated arrival time of 10:30, etc., may change if a course change occurs as described above. It is assumed that the current time is, for example, 10:20, and the first bus 2 at 10:15 has already departed. In this way, the information on the planned travel course may be displayed only for a limited number of route buses 2 that will arrive in the near future. In this case, it is possible to display the course information together with the timetable information while efficiently utilizing the limited display space, thereby improving the user's convenience. Although not shown in FIG. 12C, vehicle position information indicating the current position of the route bus 2 may also be displayed.

FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram of an output example of a boarding request acceptance screen (reservation acceptance information), and schematically shows screens G12 to G14 on a display (not shown) of the user terminal 6. As shown in FIG.

In the example shown in FIG. 13, the screen on the display of the user terminal 6 transitions between screens G12 to G14 according to the user's input.

The screen G12 is a screen for inputting the planned boarding position. It may be an initial screen to be displayed. The screen G12 shows three candidates 'stop A2', 'home' and 'other' as the planned boarding position. Candidates for the planned boarding position may be displayed based on the possible boarding section information transmitted from the server 4 . In this case, the candidate for the planned boarding position is displayed on the screen G12 only when the user can board the route bus 2 at the candidate position. Therefore, for example, when the route bus 2 is full, the candidate for the planned boarding position is the position (the planned travel route) ahead of the place where the route bus 2 is no longer full (the planned alighting position of one of the passengers). position to be reached in the future). It should be noted that, in a modified example, information representing candidates for the planned boarding position may be transmitted from the server 4 to the town movi app 5 instead of the boarding section information.

Each screen portion showing the three candidates "Stop A2", "Home" and "Other" may be a button portion, for example in the form of a touch switch. In this case, the user can input the planned boarding position by selecting the desired boarding planned position from among the three candidates "stop A2", "home" and "other". It should be noted that other stops or the like may be displayed as candidates by operating "Others". In this case, the candidate may be defined in advance as a position that satisfies a predetermined condition. The predetermined condition may be a condition that prevents the change cost described above from increasing. For example, the predetermined condition is a condition that excludes locations where it is difficult for the route bus 2 to stop or pass, such as narrow roads and slopes. In this case, the candidates may be variable according to changes in road conditions and the like. For example, candidates on the road that are temporarily impassable or difficult to travel, such as construction or falling rocks, may be temporarily excluded from the candidates. When the planned boarding position is entered on the screen G12, the screen G12 transitions to the screen G13.

The screen G13 is a screen for inputting a scheduled alighting position, and may be a screen that is transitioned to by inputting a scheduled boarding position on the screen G12 as described above. On the screen G13, a plurality of candidates “stop A3”, . The stop A3 may be a stop scheduled along the current scheduled travel course. Each screen portion showing a plurality of candidates "stop A3", ..., "others" may be in the form of a touch switch, for example. In this case, the user can input a planned alighting position by selecting a desired planned alighting position from a plurality of candidates "stop A3", ..., "others". When the expected alighting position is entered on the screen G13, the screen G13 transitions to the screen G14.

The screen G14 is a reservation completion screen, and in the example shown in FIG. 13, indicates that the route bus 2 will arrive at the scheduled boarding position at 11:50 one minute later.

In addition, when the screen G13 is changed to the screen G14, the town mobi application 5 transmits to the server 4 a boarding request including information representing the input scheduled boarding position and scheduled alighting position.

FIG. 14A is an explanatory diagram of another output example of the boarding request acceptance screen, and is a diagram schematically showing the screen G111 on the display (not shown) of the user terminal 6. FIG.

The example shown in FIG. 14A shows a case in which a simple boarding request reception screen is realized, which can be an easy-to-use mode for, for example, the elderly. Specifically, the screen G111 includes a screen portion G151 that occupies most of the screen and shows boarding buttons in the form of touch switches. The screen G111 may be, for example, a screen that is transitioned by operating the "to reservation screen" button (in the form of a touch switch) on the screen G11 shown in FIG. It may be a screen. The user can easily make a reservation by operating the screen part G151. In this case, when the screen unit G151 is operated, the town movi application 5 transmits to the server 4 a boarding request including information indicating the planned boarding position and the planned alighting position. In this case, as the scheduled boarding position included in the boarding request, the nearest stop to the current user's position (the position measured by the GPS receiver of the user terminal 6) is automatically selected. The end point may be automatically selected as the planned position. In the example shown in FIG. 14A, when the screen portion G151 is operated, the screen G111 may be changed to a reservation completion screen such as the screen G14 shown in FIG.

FIG. 14B is an explanatory diagram of another output example of the boarding request acceptance screen, and is a diagram schematically showing the screen G113 on the display (not shown) of the user terminal 6. As shown in FIG.

The screen G113 shown in FIG. 14B is suitable under a situation where a plurality of route buses 2 are operating at the same time. On the screen G113, it is possible to make reservations for a plurality of fixed-route buses 2 (only three buses are shown). , and the screen portion G124 showing the order of arrival. The screen G113 may be a screen that is displayed when the user activates the town mobi app 5 and inputs the planned boarding position. In this case, the estimated arrival timetable information displayed on the screen part G123 is the estimated arrival time at the input scheduled boarding position.

The user can display the current planned travel course of the corresponding route bus 2 by operating one course icon G120 on the screen G113. In this case, for example, a screen like the screen G11 shown in FIG. 12A may be displayed. Thereby, the user can easily check the current scheduled travel course of each route bus 2 .

Here, a mark M1 indicating that the course has been changed may be added to the course icon G120 related to the route bus 2 that has undergone the course change. Thereby, the user can easily grasp that the planned travel course of the route bus 2 has been changed from the basic course.

In this way, the boarding request reception screen (reservation reception information) can be realized in various modes. For example, the screen G41 shown in FIG. 12B may function as a boarding request reception screen (reservation reception information). In this case, the image portion G1120 may be in the form of a touch switch, and by operating the image portion G1120, a boarding request for the boarding section associated with the image portion G1120 may be generated. In this case, the user does not need to input the planned boarding position and the like, which improves convenience.

FIG. 15A is an explanatory diagram of another output example of the boarding request acceptance screen for including information on the number of companions when the user accompanies the companions (the companions who are not registered as a user). is a diagram schematically showing a screen G130 on a display (not shown) of .

The screen G130 is a single screen, and may be displayed by operating a companion button (not shown) in the boarding request acceptance screen. Alternatively, the screen G130 may be incorporated into a part of the screen G12 shown in FIG. 13, for example. The screen G130 includes a screen portion G131 showing the number of companions, a button portion G132 for increasing the number of companions, and a button portion G133 for decreasing the number of companions. By using this screen G130, the user can easily specify the number of companions. Information indicating the number of companions may be transmitted to the server 4 together with the boarding request.

FIG. 15B is an explanatory diagram of another output example of the screen for accepting a boarding request when information on the margin and information on the desired arrival time are included. It is a schematic diagram.

The screen G140 is a single screen, and may be displayed by operating a margin button (not shown) in the boarding request acceptance screen. Alternatively, the screen G140 or the button section G141 and button section G142 described later may be incorporated into a part of the screen G12 shown in FIG. 13, for example. The screen G140 includes a button portion G141 indicating that the margin is low, and a button portion G142 for specifying the desired arrival time. When operated, the button G142 becomes an interface that enables scrolling of hours and minutes, and is configured so that time can be designated. By using this screen G140, the user can easily designate the degree of margin for time and the desired arrival time.

In this embodiment, some of the functions of the server 4 described above may be implemented by the town mobi app 5, and conversely, some of the functions of the town mobi app 5 may be implemented by the server 4 may be realized by

In addition, in this embodiment, the user terminal 6 is described as an input/output medium (medium for inputting/outputting various information), but an aerial display or a show window display may be used as the input/output medium.

[projector]
FIG. 16 is an explanatory diagram showing an arrangement example of the projectors 7, and is a diagram schematically showing a residential area where the projectors are arranged. FIG. 17 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of the projector 7. As shown in FIG. FIG. 18 is a diagram showing an example of a map used for controlling the projection direction of the projector 7. As shown in FIG.

The projector 7 is a device that projects a projection image. The projector 7 may be, for example, a device that utilizes projection mapping. The projector 7 projects information (operation information) indicating the operation status of the route bus 2 on at least one of a wall surface and a road surface as a projection surface. The projector 7 has a communication module 7a, and acquires operation information from the server 4 through communication with the server 4 through the communication module 7a. Operation information includes, for example, course information, timetable information, and vehicle position information.

The projectors 7 are provided at positions that can serve as stops on the basic course or stops on the basic course or other courses. That is, the projector 7 is provided so as to output a projection image near a stop or a position that can be a stop. This allows the user to view the projected image while waiting for the route bus 2 at a stop or a position that could be a stop. It should be noted that the projector 7 may output an entertainment-related projection image in addition to the projection image related to operation information and the like. In this case, it is possible to prevent users waiting for the route bus 2 from feeling that the waiting time is long.

In FIG. 16, the projector 7 is installed at a high place such as a utility pole. The projector 7 preferably has a motor 7b (see FIG. 17) so that the direction of projection is variable. The motor 7b is controlled by, for example, a microcomputer 70 (denoted as "microcomputer" in FIG. 17). It should be noted that another actuator may be used instead of the motor 7b.

The microcomputer 70 changes the projection surface by controlling the motor 7b in accordance with the direction of sunlight. Specifically, the microcomputer 70 changes the projection direction of the projector 7 by controlling the motor 7b so that an area shaded by the direction of sunlight (or an area with a relatively low amount of sunlight) becomes the projection surface. . For example, the microcomputer 70 may use a map such as that shown in FIG. 18 to determine the projection surface. In FIG. 18, a projection plane is associated with each time slot. This is because the solar radiation direction changes according to the time zone. Note that the wall surface W1 and the like shown in FIG. 18 may be a wall or a surface on the road as shown in FIG. In the example shown in FIG. 16, the wall surface W1 is the wall surface of a wall of a certain house, and the wall surface W2 is the wall surface of another house, which are oriented in different directions by about 90 degrees. Further, the road surface W3 is oriented 90 degrees different from the wall surface W1 and the wall surface W2. By using such surfaces with different angles as the projection surface, it is possible to easily output a clear projected image that is not easily affected by the direction of sunlight. Note that the map shown in FIG. 18 is merely an example, and the projection surface may be associated with a more detailed time period, or may be generated in such a manner that the projection surface changes according to the season and weather. . Also, if the weather is rainy or cloudy and the amount of solar radiation is low, the projection surface may be fixed.
Also, the area with a small amount of insolation selected as the projection surface may be a shadow area created by the user himself/herself. That is, the microcomputer 70 changes the projection direction of the projector 7 by controlling the motor 7b according to the position of the user so that the area of the shadow created by the user becomes the projection surface. In this case, since various information is output in the user's own shadow, the user can easily find the projected image, improving convenience.

In this embodiment, the microcomputer 70 determines the projection surface, but in a modification, the server 4 may determine the projection surface. In this case, the projector 7 may receive the information representing the direction of projection as well as the operation information from the server 4 .

The microcomputer 70 may control the light source 7c of the projector 7 according to the amount of solar radiation. In this case, the microcomputer 70 may control the light source 7c so that the light emission intensity of the light source 7c increases as the amount of solar radiation increases. Although the light source 7c is arbitrary, a high-intensity xenon lamp or the like may be used.

An output example of operation information by the projector 7 may be the same as an output example of operation information by the user terminal 6 described above (see FIG. 12A), and will not be described in detail here.

In this way, in this embodiment, since the operation information is output by the projector 7, the user can easily grasp the operation state of the route bus 2 by viewing the projected image. Therefore, the user can grasp the operating state of the route bus 2 without having the user terminal 6 . Since the operation information can be updated in real time, in this case, the user can always grasp the latest operation status. In addition, in this embodiment, by using the projector 7, operation information can be notified to the user without interfering with the townscape (using the existing townscape), unlike the case where a display or the like is installed.

In the present embodiment, the projector 7 further projects reservation reception information for making it possible to reserve a ride on the route bus 2 (reservation by a user on the road) using at least one of the wall surface and the road surface as a projection surface. do. The information for accepting a reservation may be output to a projection surface determined according to the direction of sunlight, similarly to the operation information described above.

An output example of the reservation reception information from the projector 7 may be the same as the output example of the boarding request reception screen from the user terminal 6 described above (see FIGS. 13 to 15B), and will not be described in detail here. Since the image projected by the projector 7 is generally larger than the image on the display of the user terminal 6 , it may contain more detailed information than the boarding request acceptance screen of the user terminal 6 described above. Preferably, however, the image projected by the projector 7 contains only relatively simple information in order to enable gesture input, which will be described later.

Further, the projector 7 may acquire the above-described rideable section information from the server 4 and output it as a projection image. An output example of the boarding section information by the projector 7 may be the same as the above-described output example of the boarding section information by the user terminal 6 (see FIG. 12B). As described above, the screen of the available boarding section information on the user terminal 6 can function as a boarding request reception screen, and the boarding section information output by the projector 7 may also function as reservation reception information. .

As will be described later in relation to the gesture recognition device 8 , the reservation reception information functions as a user interface by cooperating with gesture recognition by the gesture recognition device 8 . That is, the user can reserve a ride on the route bus 2 by making a predetermined gesture while viewing the reservation reception information.

In this way, in this embodiment, the projector 7 outputs information for accepting a reservation, so that the user can make a reservation for boarding at that position. Therefore, even if the user does not have the user terminal 6, the user can make a boarding reservation. In addition, in this embodiment, by using the projector 7, unlike the case where a display or the like is installed, reservation reception information can be output without obstructing the townscape (using the existing townscape).

Here, in this embodiment, the projector 7 is installed on a fixed object such as a utility pole, but is not limited to this. For example, as shown in FIG. 19, the projector 7 may be mounted on a flying object 60 such as a drone. In this case, the direction of projection by the projector 7 can be changed by changing the orientation of the flying object 60 . Therefore, in this case, the motor 7b may be omitted. The flying object 60 may be positioned, for example, in a dock (not shown) provided on top of a utility pole, and may fly only when operating (only when outputting operation information and information for accepting reservations). A charger may be installed in the dock, and the aircraft 60 may be configured to be charged autonomously. Also, instead of the flying object 60, the projector 7 may be mounted on a walking robot or a running robot. In addition, the projector 7 may be installed on the wall of a building or the like by renting it from the owner of the building, instead of on the utility pole.

In this embodiment, the brightness of the light source 7c is used to project the projection image onto the wall surface W1 or the like. In this case, shadows represent operation information, information for accepting reservations, and the like. Such shadow projection can be realized using, for example, a projection device with a liquid crystal layer. The transmission state of the liquid crystal layer can be controlled for each pixel according to the applied voltage. The liquid crystal layer is controlled such that the pixel portion for forming the shadow is the shutter. Alternatively, an organic EL (Electro-Luminescence) panel may be used to project a colored image with shadow projection corresponding to black pixels. Alternatively, the operation information and reservation reception information may be represented by shadows of three-dimensional objects. In this case, by changing the shape of the shape-changeable three-dimensional object, the operation information, the information for accepting a reservation, and the like expressed by the shadow of the three-dimensional object may be changed. Further, by preparing a plurality of three-dimensional objects and replacing the three-dimensional object to be used, the operation information, the reservation reception information, and the like expressed by the shadow of the three-dimensional object may be changed. In this case, a wire or the like can be used as the three-dimensional object. In other words, representations known in the field of so-called "shadow art" can be used.

In the present embodiment, some of the functions of the server 4 described above may be realized by the microcomputer 70 of the projector 7, and conversely, some of the functions of the microcomputer 70 of the projector 7 may be A part may be implemented by the server 4 .

Also, in this embodiment, instead of or in addition to the projector 7, other forms of display devices (eg, a normal dedicated display, a shop window display, an aerial display) may be used. Alternatively, a display in the house of a nearby resident (collaborator) may be used.

Further, in the present embodiment, the projection surface is changed according to the direction of sunlight by moving the projector 7, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, a plurality of projectors 7 having different projection surfaces may be installed, and one projector 7 selected from among the plurality of projectors 7 according to the direction of sunlight may operate.

[Gesture recognition device]
FIG. 20 is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the gesture recognition device 8. As shown in FIG.

The gesture recognition device 8 includes a microcomputer 80 (denoted as "microcomputer" in FIG. 20), to which a communication module 8a and a camera 8b are connected.

The communication module 8a performs two-way communication with the server 4. FIG.

The camera 8b captures an image of the user positioned near the projection surface on which the projector 7 projects the reservation reception information as described above. That is, the camera 3b is provided at a position where it can capture an image of the user who makes a gesture while viewing the projected image (reservation acceptance information) projected by the projector 7 . For example, as shown in FIG. 16, the camera 3b may be installed on a fence of a wall serving as a projection surface, or may be installed on a utility pole or the like. In this case, the camera 8b may be installed by renting the wall of the building from the owner of the building. Also, the camera 3b may be mounted on the flying object 60 as described with reference to FIG. 19, or may be mounted on a walking robot or a running robot. Further, the camera 8b may be incorporated in the housing in which the microcomputer 80 is mounted, or may be arranged apart from the housing. In this case, the camera 8b separately has a communication module (not shown) so that communication with the microcomputer 80 is possible.

The camera 3b is arbitrary as long as it can acquire an image for gesture recognition, and may be, for example, a general-purpose camera equipped with a CCD (Charge Coupled Device) or a lens. Alternatively, the camera 3b may be a camera capable of acquiring a distance image. That is, the camera 3b is a three-dimensional image sensor, and may perform sensing of the entire space to measure the distance and acquire a distance image having distance information for each pixel like a digital image. in this case. A method for obtaining the distance information is arbitrary. For example, the distance information acquisition method may be an active stereo method that projects a specific pattern onto an object, reads it with an image sensor, and acquires the distance by triangulation based on the geometric distortion of the projected pattern. good. Alternatively, a TOF (Time-of-Flight) method may be used in which a laser beam is irradiated, the reflected light is read by an image sensor, and the distance is measured from the phase shift.

The microcomputer 80 recognizes the user's gesture based on the image from the camera 3b. Image-based gesture recognition methods are widely known, and any method (eg, pattern matching or machine learning) can be used. Note that the gesture recognition method based on the distance image may be a mode in which the user's joints are recognized and then the gesture is recognized based on the movement of the joints. The gesture to be recognized is arbitrary, but may be specified in advance, or may be specified in the projected image output by the projector 7 . For example, the gesture to be recognized may be a gesture corresponding to commands such as "image output", "return", "OK", and "cursor movement (specify movement direction)". Alternatively, the gesture to be recognized may be the pointing direction of the user's finger or hand (the pointing direction with respect to the projected image).

The microcomputer 80 transmits the gesture recognition result to the server 4 . Based on the gesture recognition result from the gesture recognition device 8, the gesture input processing unit 414 of the server 4 cooperates with the projector 7 to perform various processes such as accepting reservation from the user.

For example, when the microcomputer 80 recognizes a predetermined gesture for instructing activation based on the image from the camera 3b, the microcomputer 80 can project various projection images for receiving a boarding request from the user. A gesture recognition result indicating that the predetermined gesture of is recognized is transmitted to the server 4 . At this time, the microcomputer 80 may transmit the image of the camera 3b (the image of the user's face) to the server 4. FIG. Thereby, the user identification unit 404 of the server 4 can identify the user who makes the gesture.

FIG. 21 is a timing chart showing an example of the exchange of information for reservation acceptance realized by the projector 7, the gesture recognition device 8, and the server 4 (gesture input processing unit 414). In addition, the projector 7 and the gesture recognition device 8 may be provided in a plurality of sets (for example, a plurality of stops). In this case, the interaction shown in FIG. 21 concerns a set of projectors 7 and gesture recognizers 8 . 21, the output (transmission) of information (including instructions) from the server 4 to the projector 7 or the gesture recognition device 8 is realized by the output control unit 411 of the server 4. FIG.

First, when the gesture recognition device 8 detects a person and recognizes a predetermined gesture for instructing activation by the person (for example, a gesture of raising the hand), the gesture recognition device 8 sends the image data of the person's face and an activation instruction (gesture recognition) to the server 4 . result) is transmitted (S210).

Upon receiving the face image data and the activation instruction (S212), the server 4 identifies the user based on the image data and transmits the activation instruction to the projector 7 (S214). Also, at this time, the server 4 may transmit information representing the identified user (for example, the name and face image data included in the user information) to the projector 7 . If the user cannot be specified, information to that effect may be sent to the projector 7 . In that case, the projector 7 may again output information prompting the user to perform a predetermined gesture for instructing activation by using a projected image.

Upon receiving the activation instruction, the projector 7 outputs the reservation reception information as a projection image (S216). It should be noted that when the information representing the user is transmitted from the server 4 to the projector 7 as described above, the projection image may include the information of the specified user's name. For example, such information may be in the form of a salutation such as "Hello Gen." Alternatively, a face image may be output, or other information (for example, unique information such as a user ID) may be output. This allows the user to know that he or she is being recognized, increasing his sense of security.

The projection image related to the reservation acceptance information may be similar to the screens shown in FIGS. 13 to 15B, for example. The user can proceed with the reservation procedure by performing various gestures while viewing the projected image.

Specifically, when recognizing an arbitrary gesture among all the gestures to be recognized, the gesture recognition device 8 transmits the gesture recognition result to the server 4 (S220).

Upon receiving the gesture recognition result (S222), the server 4 recognizes the user's instruction based on the relationship between the currently projected image and the gesture recognition result, and instructs the projector 7 to transition the projected image according to the instruction. (S224). As a result of such exchanges, when various inputs (for example, the above-mentioned scheduled alighting position, companions, etc.) are advanced, the server 4 finally outputs a projection image for confirming the reservation. to the projector 7. In the case of accepting a reservation via the projector 7, the scheduled boarding position may be a bus stop related to the installation position of the projector 7, and no instruction from the user may be required. However, if the projector 7 (and the gesture recognition device 8) is installed at a place unrelated to the bus stop, it may be necessary to indicate the planned boarding position.

The projector 7 outputs a projection image for confirming the reservation according to the instruction from the server 4 (S226). The projected image for confirming the reservation may include, for example, information about the content of the reservation (planned getting-off position, etc.) and information requesting a gesture for confirming the reservation.

When the user sees the projected image and there is no problem with the content of the reservation, the user makes a gesture for confirming the reservation (for example, a gesture indicating OK). If there is an error in the content of the reservation, the user will make a gesture for redoing. Such gestures are likewise recognized by the gesture recognition device 8 . In this case, the gesture recognition device 8 transmits the gesture recognition result to the server 4 (S228). Upon receiving the gesture recognition result (S230), the server 4 recognizes the user's instruction based on the relationship between the currently projected image and the gesture recognition result, and instructs the projector 7 to transition the projection image according to the instruction. (S232). For example, if the gesture recognition result this time is a gesture for confirming a reservation, the projector 7 is instructed to output a projection image for notifying completion of the reservation. In this case, the projector 7 outputs a projection image for notifying that the reservation has been completed (S234), and the processing of the projector 7 for accepting the current reservation ends.

When the server 4 receives the gesture recognition result indicating the gesture for confirming the reservation, the server 4 generates a boarding request based on the content of the reservation (S236). The boarding request includes, as described above, the user ID, the planned boarding position, the planned alighting position, and the like. When the boarding request is generated (obtained) in this manner, it is given to the reservation reception unit 405 of the server 4 .

Note that although gesture input is used in this embodiment, voice input may be used instead of or in addition to this. In this case, a speech recognition device is provided near the projection surface.

In this embodiment, some of the functions of the server 4 described above may be realized by the microcomputer 80 of the gesture recognition device 8, or conversely, the microcomputer 80 of the gesture recognition device 8 may Some of the functions may be implemented by server 4 .

[Example of route bus system operation]
Next, some operation examples in the route bus system 1 described above will be described using flowcharts. In the subsequent process flow charts (flowcharts), the processing order of each step may be changed as long as the relationship between the input and output of each step is not impaired.

FIG. 22 is a schematic flow chart showing an operation example when the server 4 functions as an information output device. The processing shown in FIG. 22 is repeatedly executed at predetermined intervals while the route bus 2 is in operation.

In step S320, the server 4 determines whether or not a boarding request has been acquired. As described above, the boarding request may be acquired by being received by the boarding request receiving unit 401 or may be generated (acquired) by the gesture input processing unit 414 . If the determination result is "YES", the process proceeds to step S321, otherwise the process ends.

In step S321, the server 4 determines whether or not the planned boarding position and the planned alighting position included in the boarding request obtained in step S320 are on the planned travel course. For example, if the planned boarding position is the home position of the user who requested the boarding and the home position is outside the planned travel course, the determination result is "NO". If the determination result is "YES", the process proceeds to step S322; otherwise, the process proceeds to step S326.

In the modified example, when the determination result is "NO", instead of proceeding to step S326, when a plurality of route buses 2 are operating at the same time, It may be determined whether or not the planned boarding position and the planned alighting position included in the boarding request obtained in step S320 are located. Here, when a plurality of route buses 2 are operating at the same time, when the boarding request is generated in a manner that specifies a specific route bus 2 (see FIG. 14B), or when a specific route bus 2 is not specified (see FIG. 14A). When the boarding request is generated in a manner that specifies a specific route bus 2, the other route bus 2 is the route bus that will arrive at the scheduled boarding position next among the route buses 2 other than the specific route bus 2. 2. On the other hand, if the boarding request is generated without designating a specific route bus 2, the other route bus 2 is the route bus 2 that arrives at the scheduled boarding position second among the plurality of route buses 2. (In this case, the route bus 2 that arrives at the scheduled boarding position first among the plurality of route buses 2 is treated as the route bus 2 of the first candidate). Then, if the scheduled boarding position and scheduled alighting position included in the boarding request obtained in step S320 are located on the scheduled travel course of another route bus 2, proceed to step S346 in FIG. The output control unit 411 of the server 4 may notify the user who made the current boarding request of information prompting a change to a boarding request for another route bus 2 . On the other hand, if the planned boarding position and the planned alighting position included in the boarding request obtained in step S320 are not located on the planned travel course of another route bus 2, the process proceeds to step S325.

In step S322, the server 4 performs boarding availability determination processing to determine whether or not the user associated with the boarding request obtained in step S320 can board. An example of boarding availability determination processing will be described later with reference to FIGS. 23 and 24 . As a result of the boarding availability determination process, if the user requested to board the vehicle obtained in step S320 can board the vehicle ("YES" in S323), the process proceeds to step S324. Otherwise, the process proceeds to step S339.

At step S324, the reservation receiving unit 405 of the server 4 receives a reservation for boarding the route bus 2 by the user who requested the boarding request obtained at step S320. As a result, the reservation status information in the reservation status information storage unit 420 is updated.

In step S325, the course change processing unit 407 of the server 4 determines whether or not there is room to change the course, based on the available section information. For example, if the route bus 2 becomes full before reaching the scheduled boarding position included in the boarding request obtained in step S320, However, if a course passing through the scheduled boarding position and the scheduled alighting position related to the boarding request cannot be established, it is determined that there is no room for changing the course. If there is room for course change, the process proceeds to step S326; otherwise, the process proceeds to step S339. In addition, in the modified example, it may be determined whether or not there is room for a course change in the course change permission/inhibition determination process described later.

In step S326, the course change processing unit 407 of the server 4 executes course change permission/inhibition determination processing to determine whether the course change is possible. An example of the course change availability determination process will be described later with reference to FIG. 25 . As a result of the course change permission/inhibition determination process, if the course can be changed ("YES" in S327), the process proceeds to step S328. Otherwise ("NO" in S327), the process proceeds to step S339.

At step S328, the reservation reception unit 405 of the server 4 receives a reservation for boarding the route bus 2 by the user who requested the boarding request obtained at step S320. As a result, the reservation status information in the reservation status information storage unit 420 is updated.

In step S330, the course change reflecting section 4074 of the course change processing section 407 of the server 4 updates the information (course information) representing the planned traveling course in the planned traveling course storage section 426. FIG.

In step S<b>332 , the timetable generation unit 408 of the server 4 updates the timetable information in the timetable information storage unit 428 .

In step S334, the output control unit 411 of the server 4 transmits the course information updated in step S330 and the timetable information updated in step S332 to the processing device 10 of the route bus 2, related user terminals 6, and related Send to projector 7 . The related user terminals 6 include the user terminal 6 of the user who is making a reservation for the route bus 2 with the course change, the user terminal 6 of the user who requested the ride obtained in step S320, and the like. The related projectors 7 are the projector 7 installed at a bus stop or the like where the route bus 2 having a course change will pass in the future, or the gesture recognition device 8 if the boarding request obtained in step S320 is generated via the gesture recognition device 8. 8 and a projector 7 functioning in pairs are included.

In step S336, the output control unit 411 of the server 4 extracts the advertisement data regarding the next scheduled stop position on the new scheduled travel course (scheduled travel course after the change) from the advertisement information storage unit 430, and extracts the extracted advertisement data. to the processing device 10 . When receiving the advertisement data, the processing device 10 outputs the advertisement data via the large display D1, the displays D2 to D7, the speaker 3a, and the like.

In step S338, the output control unit 411 of the server 4 extracts a new planned stop position (a position that was not the planned stop position before the course change) on the new planned travel course (planned travel course after the change), and extracts it. Information on the new scheduled stop position (for example, name) is transmitted to the processing device 10 . When the information output control unit 114 of the processing device 10 receives the information on the new planned stop position, it outputs the information on the new planned stop position via the large display D1, the displays D2 to D7, the speaker 3a, and the like. At this time, the information output control unit 114 of the processing device 10 may output a guidance prompting the driver to change the expected exit position via the large display D1, the displays D2 to D7, the speaker 3a, or the like. In this case, the occupant who is more convenient for the new scheduled stop position can change the scheduled alighting position to the new scheduled stop position, thereby improving convenience. For example, the passenger may use the user terminal 6 or the displays D2 to D7 (in the case of a touch panel type) to send a request to the server 4 to change the scheduled alighting position to a new scheduled stop position.

In step S339, the output control unit 411 of the server 4 sends information indicating that the boarding request of this time has not been accepted (for example, information prompting a change of the planned boarding position, etc.) to the user who made the boarding request of this time. Notice. Such a notification is sent in combination with the user terminal 6 of the user related to the boarding request obtained in step S320, or with the gesture recognition device 8 when the boarding request obtained in step S320 is generated via the gesture recognition device 8. It can be realized via a functioning projector 7 .

According to the process shown in FIG. 22, the planned travel course (course change) of the route bus 2 can be changed in response to the boarding request, thereby improving the user's convenience. In particular, when the fixed-route bus 2 makes a round in a relatively narrow area (for example, a course of less than 20 km) and the cruising speed is about 20 km, it is assumed that many users will use the bus without worrying about the time. In such a case, even if the planned travel course is changed in this way, dissatisfaction is unlikely to occur among the passengers, and the effect of improving convenience is remarkable.

Further, according to the process shown in FIG. 22, when the course is changed, the new course information is transmitted to the processing device 10 of the route bus 2, the user terminal 6, and the projector 7. Information can be output to a crew member or user. As a result, even if the operation of the route bus 2 is delayed, it becomes easy to understand that the cause is the course change, and a configuration in which dissatisfaction with the course change is less likely to occur can be realized. Also, if the course after the change passes near one's own home, the user who was originally thinking of walking may change his mind about getting on the route bus 2 . In this way, the effect of attracting users who do not usually use the route bus 2 can be expected.

Further, according to the process shown in FIG. 22, when the course is changed, the timetable information that can dynamically change along with the course change is stored in the processing device 10 of the route bus 2, the user terminal 6, the projector, and so on. 7, the new course information can be output to the crew and users. As a result, even if the operation of the route bus 2 is delayed, the user can confirm how much the bus will be delayed based on the timetable information.

FIG. 23 is a schematic flow chart showing an example of step S322 of FIG. 22 (boarding availability determination processing).

In step S340, the boarding section derivation unit 400 of the server 4 derives the boarding section. The method of deriving the boardable section is as described above.

In step S341, the boarding possibility determination unit 402 of the server 4 determines the planned boarding position and the planned alighting position based on the possible boarding section derived in step S340 and the planned boarding position and the planned alighting position included in the boarding request. It is determined whether or not the vehicle is within a boarding section. When a boarding request including information indicating the number of companions is transmitted to the server 4, the boarding availability determination unit 402 determines whether the total number of passengers including the companions is within the number of people allowed to board (see FIG. 7C). It may also be determined whether If the planned boarding position and the planned alighting position are within the section where boarding is possible, the process proceeds to step S342; otherwise, the process proceeds to step S343.

In step S342, the server 4 generates a determination result indicating that boarding is possible. In this case, the determination in step S323 of FIG. 22 is "YES".

In step S343, the server 4 determines whether or not a plurality of route buses 2 are operating at the same time. If the determination result is "YES", the process proceeds to step S344; otherwise, the process proceeds to step S347.

In step S<b>344 , the server 4 acquires rideable section information related to another route bus 2 . When a plurality of route buses 2 are operating at the same time, the boarding request may be generated in such a manner as to designate a specific route bus 2, or may be generated without designating a specific route bus 2, as described above. may be generated. When the boarding request is generated in a manner that specifies a specific route bus 2, the other route bus 2 is the route bus that will arrive at the scheduled boarding position next among the route buses 2 other than the specific route bus 2. 2. On the other hand, if the boarding request is generated without designating a specific route bus 2, the other route bus 2 is the route bus 2 that arrives at the scheduled boarding position second among the plurality of route buses 2. be.

In step S345, the server 4 determines the planned boarding position and the planned alighting position based on the boarding section information related to the other route bus 2 obtained in step S344 and the planned boarding position and the planned alighting position included in the boarding request. is within the boarding available section. If the determination result is "YES", the process proceeds to step S346; otherwise, the process proceeds to step S347.

In step S<b>346 , the output control unit 411 of the server 4 notifies the user who made the current boarding request of information prompting a change to a boarding request for another route bus 2 . Such a notification is sent in combination with the user terminal 6 of the user related to the boarding request obtained in step S320, or with the gesture recognition device 8 when the boarding request obtained in step S320 is generated via the gesture recognition device 8. It can be realized via a functioning projector 7 .

In step S347, the server 4 generates a determination result indicating that boarding is not possible. In this case, the determination in step S323 of FIG. 22 is "NO".

According to the process shown in FIG. 23, it is possible to determine whether boarding is permitted or not by using the boarding requestable section information derived in consideration of the passenger's scheduled alighting position, etc., so that accurate determination can be realized. That is, it is possible to reduce the possibility that it is determined that boarding is not possible when actually boarding is possible, or conversely, it is determined that boarding is possible when boarding is actually not possible. As a result, efficient transportation (movement of people) by the route bus 2 can be realized.

Further, according to the process shown in FIG. 23, when it is determined that it is impossible to board the first candidate route bus 2, if a plurality of route buses 2 are operating at the same time, it is possible to board another route bus 2. Since the possibility of is determined, the user's convenience is improved.

FIG. 24 is a schematic flowchart showing another example of step S322 of FIG. 22 (boarding availability determination processing).

The process of FIG. 24 differs from the process shown in FIG. 23 in that step S341 is replaced with step S341A.

In step S341A, the boarding availability determination unit 402 of the server 4 determines that the boarding position and the scheduled alighting position are within the boarding available section, and based on the desired arrival time at the scheduled alighting position of the user who requested the boarding, It is determined whether or not the delay time of the expected arrival time at the expected alighting position with respect to the desired arrival time is equal to or less than a predetermined threshold value Th5. The predetermined threshold Th5 may be varied according to the user's leeway regarding the boarding request. For example, the predetermined threshold Th5 may be varied so that the lower the margin is, the smaller the predetermined threshold Th5 is. If the determination result is "YES", the process proceeds to step S342; otherwise, the process proceeds to step S343.

According to the processing shown in FIG. 24, in addition to the effect of the processing shown in FIG. 23, it is possible to determine whether or not to board the vehicle in a manner that takes into consideration the individual circumstances of the user. That is, since the desired time of arrival and the degree of margin are taken into consideration, it is possible to prevent the inconvenience caused by getting on the route bus 2 that the user cannot arrive at the scheduled alighting position at the time desired by the user.

Also in step S345 of FIG. 24, the delay time of the expected arrival time at the expected alighting position of the other route bus 2 with respect to the desired arrival time (desired arrival time at the expected alighting position of the user who requested to board). is equal to or less than a predetermined threshold value Th5.

Although the process shown in FIG. 24 has been described as an alternative to the process shown in FIG. 23, it may be used differently depending on whether the information on the desired arrival time is included in the boarding request.

FIG. 25 is a schematic flow chart showing an example of step S326 of FIG. 22 (course change permission/inhibition determination process).

In step S350, the server 4 determines whether or not a plurality of route buses 2 are operating at the same time. If the determination result is "YES", the process proceeds to step S352; otherwise, the process proceeds to step S354.

In step S352, the course change processing unit 407 of the server 4 executes course change permission/inhibition determination processing when a plurality of route buses 2 are operating at the same time (hereinafter referred to as "inter-route bus cooperation processing"). An example of the inter-route bus cooperation process will be described later with reference to FIG. 26 .

In step S<b>354 , the server 4 reads the course change determination information stored in the course change determination information storage unit 423 . In a configuration in which the course change determination information storage unit 423 is omitted, the server 4 stores the seat state information in the seat state information storage unit 425 and the timetable information in the timetable information storage unit 428 for course change determination. It may be read as information.

In step S356, the change cost calculator 4071 of the server 4 calculates the change cost based on the course change determination information obtained in step S354. The method of calculating the change cost is as described above.

In step S358, the changeability determination unit 4072 of the server 4 determines whether it is possible to change the planned travel course from the current course to the planned course, based on the change cost calculated in step S356. judge. For example, the change permission determination unit 4072 permits the change when the change cost is equal to or less than a predetermined threshold Th1. If the change is permitted, the process proceeds to step S360, and if the change is not permitted, the process proceeds to step S362.

In step S360, the changeability determination unit 4072 of the server 4 generates a determination result indicating that the course can be changed. In this case, the determination in step S327 of FIG. 22 is "YES".

In step S362, the changeability determination unit 4072 of the server 4 generates a determination result indicating that the course cannot be changed. In this case, the determination in step S327 of FIG. 22 is "NO".

According to the process shown in FIG. 25, when a boarding request requiring a course change is acquired, whether or not to change the course is determined based on the change cost calculated based on the course change determination information. . As a result, the delay time or the like related to the estimated arrival time at each passenger's scheduled alighting position is taken into consideration, so that it is possible to determine whether or not to change the course based on highly fair criteria. As a result, it is possible to realize a highly convenient fixed-route bus system 1 in which users are less likely to be dissatisfied.

FIG. 26 is a schematic flow chart showing an example of step S352 of FIG. 25 (cooperation process between route buses). Here, as an example, it is assumed that two route buses 2 are operating at the same time. Note that FIG. 26 is an operation example when the server 4 functions as a driving support device.

In step S380, the server 4 reads out various information (service information) related to each route bus 2. FIG. Various types of information to be read include vehicle state information (especially vehicle position information) in the vehicle state information storage unit 424 and course information in the planned travel course storage unit 426 .

In step S382, the change possibility determination part 4072 of the server 4 calculates the space|interval of the two fixed-route buses 2 based on the various information obtained by step S380. The interval between the two fixed-route buses 2 may be the interval along the planned travel course. The interval may be calculated in terms of distance (inter-vehicle distance) or time (inter-vehicle time). In the case of time, it may be derived by dividing the inter-vehicle distance by the cruising speed, or may be calculated as the difference between the estimated arrival times.

In step S384, the change availability determination unit 4072 of the server 4 determines whether or not the interval calculated in step S382 is shorter than the predetermined threshold value Th4. If the determination result is "YES", the process proceeds to step S386; otherwise, the process proceeds to step S392.

In step S<b>386 , the change availability determination unit 4072 of the server 4 reads the course change determination information stored in the course change determination information storage unit 423 for the rear route bus 2 of the two route buses 2 .

In step S388, the change availability determination unit 4072 of the server 4 determines whether or not the scheduled travel course of the route bus 2 can be changed based on the course change determination information obtained in step S386. This determination method itself may be as described above (for example, it may be a method using the change cost calculated by the change cost calculation unit 4071 as described above). If the determination result is "YES", the process proceeds to step S390; otherwise, the process proceeds to step S392.

In step S390, the change availability determination unit 4072 of the server 4 generates a determination result indicating that the course of the rear route bus 2 of the two route buses 2 can be changed. In this case, the determination in step S327 of FIG. 22 is "YES", and the processes from step S328 to step S334 are executed for the rear route bus 2 of the two route buses 2. Become.

In step S392, the changeability determination unit 4072 of the server 4 generates a determination result indicating that the course cannot be changed. In this case, the determination in step S327 of FIG. 22 is "NO".

According to the process shown in FIG. 26, when two fixed-route buses 2 are operating at the same time, when the interval between the two fixed-route buses 2 is shorter than the predetermined threshold value Th4, for the rear fixed-route bus 2 It is determined whether or not the course can be changed. As a result, when the course is changed, the interval between the two fixed-route buses 2 may increase due to the delay of the rear fixed-route bus 2 (due to the delay associated with the course change). Therefore, it is possible to increase the convenience by changing the course while widening the interval between the two fixed-route buses 2 .

In addition, in the processing shown in FIG. 26, it is assumed that two route buses 2 are operating at the same time, but the present invention is not limited to this. The same may be applied even when three or more route buses 2 are operating at the same time. In this case, the interval between each fixed-route bus 2 is calculated, and for a group of two fixed-route buses 2 (there may be one or more sets) whose interval is shorter than the predetermined threshold value Th4, the rear fixed-route bus 2 and/or It may be determined whether or not the course of the route bus 2 ahead can be changed. If there are two or more groups of two buses 2 with an interval shorter than the predetermined threshold value Th4, the group with the smallest interval may be preferentially determined. Alternatively, a certain route bus 2 is targeted, and the interval between the target route bus 2 and the target route bus 2 is shorter than a predetermined threshold value Th4, and the interval between the target route bus 2 and the target route bus 2 is shorter than the target route bus 2. Only when it is longer than the predetermined threshold value Th6, it may be determined whether the course change is possible for the target route bus 2 . The predetermined threshold value Th6 is set from the viewpoint that even if the target route bus 2 is delayed due to a course change, the interval between the target route bus 2 and the route bus 2 behind it does not become equal to or less than the predetermined threshold value Th4. good.

In the process shown in FIG. 26, if the determination result in step S384 or step S388 is "NO", the process proceeds to step S392. It may be determined whether it is possible. In this case, if it is possible to change the course for another route bus 2, the process may proceed to step S390. In this case, there is a high possibility that the course can be changed, so convenience for the user who wishes to change the course can be enhanced.

FIG. 27 is a schematic flow chart showing another example of step S352 (cooperation process between route buses) in FIG. Note that FIG. 27 is an operation example when the server 4 functions as a driving support device.

In step S400, the server 4 reads out various information (service information) related to each route bus 2. FIG. Various types of information to be read include vehicle state information (especially vehicle position information) in the vehicle state information storage unit 424 and course information in the planned travel course storage unit 426 .

In step S402, the change cost calculator 4071 of the server 4 calculates the change cost for each route bus 2 based on the various information obtained in step S400. The method of calculating the change cost is as described above.

In step S404, the change availability determination unit 4072 of the server 4 determines whether or not there is a route bus 2 whose change cost is equal to or less than a predetermined threshold value Th1 among the plurality of route buses 2. If the determination result is "YES", the process proceeds to step S406; otherwise, the process proceeds to step S412.

In step S406, the change availability determination unit 4072 of the server 4 calculates the user's waiting time (waiting time before boarding) related to the boarding request for each route bus 2 whose change cost is equal to or less than the predetermined threshold value Th1.

In step S408, the change propriety determination unit 4072 of the server 4 determines whether the route bus 2 with the shortest waiting time among the route buses 2 whose change cost is equal to or less than the predetermined threshold value Th1 is the route bus 2 of the first candidate. determine whether or not As described above, the first candidate route bus 2 is the specific route bus 2 when the specific route bus 2 is designated at the time of the boarding request. If a specific route bus 2 is not specified at the time of boarding request, the route bus 2 with the shortest waiting time becomes the first candidate route bus 2, and the decision result in step S408 is automatically "YES." ”. If the determination result is "YES", the process proceeds to step S410; otherwise, the process proceeds to step S346 in FIG. In the latter case, the output control unit 411 of the server 4 changes the boarding request to another route bus 2 (the route bus 2 having the shortest waiting time among the route buses 2 whose change cost is equal to or less than the predetermined threshold value Th1). is notified to the user who made the boarding request this time.

In step S410, the changeability determination unit 4072 of the server 4 generates a determination result indicating that the course can be changed. In this case, the determination in step S327 of FIG. 22 is "YES".

In step S412, the changeability determination unit 4072 of the server 4 generates a determination result indicating that the course cannot be changed. In this case, the determination in step S327 of FIG. 22 is "NO".

According to the process shown in FIG. 27 , the route bus 2 whose change cost is equal to or less than the predetermined threshold value Th1 and whose waiting time is the shortest can be specified from among the plurality of route buses 2 that are operating at the same time. Since the possibility of changing the scheduled route of the route bus 2 is increased, it is possible to achieve both convenience for the user who desires to change the route and efficient operation of the route bus system 1 .

In FIG. 27, the waiting time is evaluated, but equivalently, the distance of each route bus 2 to the planned boarding position (distance along the planned travel course) may be evaluated. That is, as long as the relationship between each route bus 2 and the user's planned boarding position can be evaluated, parameters such as time and distance can be used arbitrarily. Also, as described above, the waiting time may be taken into account when calculating the change cost.

As described above, in the modified example, part or all of the processing shown in FIG. 22 (including the processing shown in FIGS. When operating, it may be realized by each processing device 10) of a plurality of route buses 2). For example, when a plurality of route buses 2 operate simultaneously, the processing device 10 of each route bus 2 may perform the processing shown in FIG. 22, respectively. In this case, acquisition of information from other route buses 2 (for example, step S344 in FIG. 23) may be realized by one of the plurality of route buses 2, which is the master route bus 2. may be implemented. In the latter case, the determination result is supplied to the server 4, and the final determination may be performed on the server 4 side.

Although each embodiment has been described in detail above, it is not limited to a specific embodiment, and various modifications and changes are possible within the scope described in the claims. It is also possible to combine all or more of the constituent elements of the above-described embodiments.

For example, in the embodiment described above, the route bus 2 is configured to be capable of self-sustaining operation (automatic operation), but the present invention is not limited to this. Braking, driving, and steering of the route bus 2 may be partly or wholly realized by a human driver.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, when the planned travel course is changed from the basic course to another course based on a certain boarding request, the information of the boarding request that caused the change may be output. For example, in the fixed-route bus 2, an announcement may be made stating that "Ms. Hana requested a ride near her home, so this vehicle will change from the predetermined course ." In this case, passengers who are acquainted with Hana can expect Hana to ride. For example, "Okay. Hana-san is coming. Let's leave the next to me free. I'm so excited." In addition, even if an announcement is made in Route Bus 2, saying, ``Hana, who will be getting on at the next stop, wishes to get off at a cake shop, this vehicle will change from the prescribed course.'' good. In this case, a crew member who is acquainted with Hana can consider changing the scheduled alighting position as well as getting on Ms. Hana. For example , " Okay, Ms. Hana is coming. I will change my schedule and get off at the cake shop and have a date with Ms. Hana."

In the above-described embodiment, the course change processing unit 407 changes the planned travel course from the basic course to another course based on a boarding request from the user. may be changed from the basic course to another course. For example, the course change processing unit 407 may change the planned travel course from the basic course to another course based on a request from the passenger to change the planned alighting position. In this case, if the new scheduled alighting position does not exist on the current scheduled travel course, the course change processing unit 407 changes the scheduled travel course from the basic course to another course (new course) in the same manner as described above. It may be determined whether or not to change to a course that passes through the scheduled alighting position.

1 Route bus system 2 Route bus 3 Input device 3a Speaker 3b Camera 3c Autonomous travel sensor 3d Braking/driving force control device 3e Steering control device 3f GPS receiver 4 Server 5 Mobi Appli 6 User terminal 7 Projector 7a Communication module 7b Motor 7c Light source 8 gesture recognition device 8a communication module 8b camera 9 network 10 processing device 30 electronic device 60 flying object 70 microcomputer 80 microcomputer 102 scheduled traveling course receiving unit 103 timetable information receiving unit 104 sensor information acquiring unit 106 vehicle position information acquiring unit 108 Target braking/driving force determination unit 110 Target steering angle determination unit 112 Occupant state detection unit 114 Information output control unit 116 Occupant request transmission unit 120 Planned traveling course storage unit 400 Rideable section derivation unit 401 Ride request reception unit 402 Ride availability determination unit 404 User identification unit 405 Reservation reception unit 406 Scheduled alighting position change reception unit 407 Course change processing unit 4071 Change cost calculation unit 4072 Change availability determination unit 4074 Course change reflection unit 408 Timetable generation unit 409 Vehicle state update unit 410 Seat state update unit 411 Output control unit 4110 Rideable section notification unit 4112 Timetable notification unit 4114 Course information notification unit 4116 Boarding request change request unit 4118 Gesture input guidance unit 4120 In-vehicle advertisement output unit 4122 Getting off guidance output unit 412 User registration processing unit 414 Gesture input processing unit 420 Reservation state information storage unit 421 Rideable section storage unit 422 User information storage unit 423 Course change determination information storage unit 424 Vehicle state information storage unit 425 Seat state information storage unit 426 Scheduled travel course storage unit 428 Timetable information storage unit 430 Advertising information storage

Claims (5)

A boarding support device provided in an area where a vehicle on which a plurality of users can get on and off travels or makes a round trip on a predetermined course,
At least one of operation information representing the operating state of the vehicle and reservation acceptance information for enabling reservations for boarding the vehicle is projected onto at least one of a wall surface and a road surface as a projection surface. Equipped with an information output device ,
The information output device is a device that projects shadows using sunlight as a backlight. A boarding support device for displaying the operation information or the reservation reception information by means of the shadow . 2. The boarding assistance device according to claim 1, wherein said information output device changes a projection surface according to a direction of sunlight. a camera that captures an image of a user positioned near a projection surface on which the reservation acceptance information is projected;
a gesture recognition unit that recognizes the gesture of the user based on the image of the camera;
2. The boarding assistance device according to claim 1, further comprising a reservation reception unit that receives a reservation for boarding the vehicle based on the gesture recognized by the gesture recognition unit. a user identification unit that identifies the user based on the image of the camera;
4. The boarding assistance device according to claim 3, further comprising an output control section that outputs the user's name, face, or unique information specified by the user specifying section. The boarding assistance device according to any one of claims 1 to 4 , wherein the information output device is mounted on an aircraft.

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