JP7302386B2 - Driving control device - Google Patents

Description

The present disclosure relates to a travel management device that manages travel of a plurality of vehicles.

Development of a travel management device for managing travel of a plurality of vehicles is underway. A driving management device is a device for appropriately driving not only a single vehicle but also a plurality of vehicles by providing each vehicle with information necessary for driving, such as congestion information and route information. For example, Patent Literature 1 below describes a travel management device capable of transmitting information such as the position and size of obstacles on the road to each vehicle.

In addition, the vehicle to be managed by the driving management device may be a vehicle that travels manually by the driver, or an autonomous vehicle that automatically operates without manual operation by a person. good. In the latter case, part or all of the control of the automatically driven vehicle may be directly performed by the travel management device.

The present inventors are studying a business that provides services for moving people and goods using a plurality of vehicles managed by a travel management device. People and objects mounted on a vehicle are collectively referred to as "mounted objects" below.

JP 2019-40539 A

By the way, in a plurality of vehicles managed by the running management device, it is not preferable that the mounted objects are unevenly distributed in some of the vehicles. For example, if the weight of a load on a particular vehicle becomes significantly greater than the weight of a load on another vehicle, the energy efficiency of that vehicle will be low. In providing the above services, it is preferable to equalize the objects mounted on each vehicle as much as possible.

An object of the present disclosure is to provide a travel management device that can prevent a load from being unevenly distributed on some vehicles.

A running management device according to the present disclosure is a running management device (10) that manages running of a plurality of vehicles. The plurality of vehicles to be managed includes a first vehicle (21) and a second vehicle (22) capable of carrying payloads and traveling toward respective predetermined destinations. This running management device has a first parameter which is the weight or volume of the load (31) mounted on the first vehicle, and the weight or volume of the load (32) mounted on the second vehicle. A parameter acquisition unit (11) that acquires a second parameter, and a delivery processing unit ( 12) and

In the travel management device having such a configuration, the delivery processing unit performs delivery processing. The delivery process is a process of moving the load mounted on the first vehicle from the first vehicle to the second vehicle. By performing such a delivery process, it is possible to prevent the mounted objects from being biased toward some vehicles.

Advantageous Effects of Invention According to the present disclosure, there is provided a travel management device that can prevent a load from being biased toward some vehicles.

FIG. 1 is a diagram schematically showing a travel management device according to the first embodiment and vehicles to be managed by the device. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the configuration of the travel management device according to the first embodiment. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the configuration of a vehicle control device mounted on a vehicle. FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining an overview of the delivery process. FIG. 5 is a diagram for explaining an overview of the delivery process. FIG. 6 is a flow chart showing the flow of processing executed by the travel management device according to the first embodiment. FIG. 7 is a flow chart showing the flow of processing executed by the travel management device according to the first embodiment. FIG. 8 is a flow chart showing the flow of processing executed by the travel management device according to the first embodiment. FIG. 9 is a diagram showing the configuration of a travel management device according to the second embodiment. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing the configuration of a vehicle control device mounted on a vehicle.

Hereinafter, this embodiment will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. In order to facilitate understanding of the description, the same constituent elements in each drawing are denoted by the same reference numerals as much as possible, and overlapping descriptions are omitted.

A first embodiment will be described. A running management device 10 according to the present embodiment is configured as a device for managing running of a plurality of vehicles. FIG. 1 schematically shows a running management device 10 and vehicles 21 and 22 to be managed by the device. Although there are actually three or more vehicles to be managed by the running management device 10, only two of them 21 and 22 are shown in FIG. Instead of such a mode, a mode in which there are only two vehicles to be managed may be used. The travel management device 10 is configured as a device for providing goods movement service using a plurality of vehicles including vehicles 21 and 22 .

Vehicles 21 and 22 are a pair of vehicles traveling toward respective predetermined destinations among a plurality of vehicles to be managed. In this embodiment, a case where the destination to which the vehicle 21 is heading and the destination to which the vehicle 22 is heading are the same will be described. However, it is assumed that the vehicles 21 and 22 are not traveling on the same travel route side by side, but are heading toward the destination via different travel routes.

The vehicle 21 in the present embodiment is a vehicle that can carry a load, which is cargo, on its loading platform. In the example of FIG. 1, the vehicle 21 is traveling with a load 31 mounted on the carrier. The vehicle 21 is configured as an automatic driving vehicle that can automatically perform operations for running, such as steering and braking operations, without being manually operated by a person. The vehicle 21 is provided with a vehicle control device 210 . The vehicle control device 210 is a device that performs processing necessary for automatic driving as described above. The vehicle control device 210 performs two-way wireless communication with the travel management device 10, which will be described later.

Similarly, the vehicle 22 in this embodiment is a vehicle capable of loading cargo, which is cargo, on its platform. In the example of FIG. 1, the vehicle 22 is traveling with a load 32 mounted on the bed. The vehicle 22 is configured as an automatic driving vehicle that can automatically perform operations for running, such as steering and braking operations, without being manually operated by a person. The vehicle 22 is provided with a vehicle control device 220 . The vehicle control device 220 is a device that performs processing necessary for automatic driving as described above. The vehicle control device 220 performs two-way wireless communication with the travel management device 10, which will be described later.

Although the load 31 actually consists of a plurality of cargoes, the load 31 is shown as a single block in FIG. Similarly, payload 32 is shown as a single block in FIG. 1, although payload 32 actually consists of multiple pieces of cargo.

In the example of this embodiment, the weight of the mounted object 31 is assumed to be greater than the weight of the mounted object 32 . In this embodiment, the vehicle 21 on which the mounted object 31 is mounted corresponds to the "first vehicle", and the vehicle 22 on which the mounted object 32 is mounted corresponds to the "second vehicle". The weight of the load 31 mounted on the vehicle 21, which is the first vehicle, that is, the total weight of the plurality of cargoes forming the load 31 is hereinafter also referred to as a "first parameter". Further, the weight of the load 32 mounted on the vehicle 22, which is the second vehicle, that is, the total weight of the plurality of cargoes that make up the load 32 is hereinafter also referred to as a "second parameter".

The configuration of the travel management device 10 will be described with reference to FIG. The running management device 10 is configured as a computer system having a CPU, ROM, RAM, and the like. The travel management device 10 is installed indoors in a building away from the vehicles 21 and 22 and communicates with the vehicles 21 and 22 by radio. In other words, the travel management device 10 is a server installed on a so-called cloud. Instead of such a mode, the running management device 10 may be mounted on any one of the vehicles to be managed and run together with the vehicle.

The travel management device 10 includes a parameter acquisition unit 11, a delivery processing unit 12, and a priority storage unit 13 as functional control blocks.

The parameter acquisition unit 11 is a part that acquires, from each vehicle managed by the travel management device 10, a parameter indicating the state of an object mounted on the vehicle. In this embodiment, the parameter acquisition unit 11 wirelessly obtains the weights of the mounted objects 31 and 32 from the two vehicles 21 and 22 shown in FIG. Acquired by communication. That is, the parameter acquisition unit 11 obtains the first parameter, which is the weight of the mounted object 31 mounted on the first vehicle, and the second parameter, which is the weight of the mounted object 32 mounted on the second vehicle. This is the part to get.

The delivery processing unit 12 is a part that performs delivery processing. The “delivery process” is a process of moving the mounted object 31 mounted on the vehicle 21, which is the first vehicle, from the vehicle 21 to the vehicle 22, which is the second vehicle. The specific contents of the delivery process will be explained later.

The priority storage unit 13 is a nonvolatile storage device provided in the travel management device 10 . The priority storage unit 13 stores priorities individually set in advance corresponding to each of the plurality of cargoes to be mounted 31 and each of the plurality of cargoes to be mounted 32 . What this "priority" is will be explained later.

A configuration of the vehicle control device 210 will be described with reference to FIG. The vehicle control device 210 is configured as a computer system having a CPU, a ROM, a RAM, and the like, like the travel management device 10 described above. The vehicle control device 210 is provided in the vehicle 21 as described above, and performs processing necessary for automatic operation of the vehicle 21 .

The vehicle control device 210 includes a weight measurement section 211 and a travel control section 212 as functional control blocks.

The vehicle 21 is provided with a measuring device (not shown) for measuring the weight of the load 31 mounted on the loading platform. The weight measurement unit 211 acquires the weight of the mounted object 31 , which is the measurement result, that is, the first parameter, from the measurement device, and performs a process of transmitting this to the travel management device 10 . Acquisition and transmission of such first parameters are performed based on a request from the travel management device 10 .

Measurement of the weight of the mounted object 31 by the weight measurement unit 211 may be performed in a manner different from the above. For example, the weight of the mounted object 31 may be measured as an estimated value by photographing the mounted object 31 with a camera and analyzing the photographed image. Alternatively, the weight of each cargo may be obtained by reading the electronic tag attached to each cargo constituting the load 31 .

The travel control unit 212 is a part that performs processing such as steering and braking required for automatic driving of the vehicle 21 . The travel control unit 212 automatically travels the vehicle 21 along a preset travel route so that the vehicle 21 reaches a preset destination. The destination of the vehicle 21 and the corresponding travel route are set in advance by the travel management device 10 and transmitted to the vehicle control device 210 . This travel route, that is, the route along which the vehicle 21, which is the first vehicle, is scheduled to travel is hereinafter also referred to as the "first route".

As will be described later, while the vehicle 21 is traveling, the travel management device 10 may set a delivery location, which is a place where the vehicle 21 should drop by on the way to the destination. Accordingly, the travel route along which the vehicle 21 should travel may be changed.

The configuration of the vehicle control device 220 mounted on the vehicle 22 is the same as the configuration of the vehicle control device 210 . Therefore, illustration of the configuration of the vehicle control device 220 is omitted. A portion of the vehicle control device 220 that corresponds to the weight measurement unit 211 is hereinafter also referred to as a “weight measurement unit 221”. Similarly, the portion of the vehicle control device 220 that corresponds to the running control unit 212 is also referred to as the "running control unit 222" below.

The vehicle 22 is provided with a measuring device (not shown) for measuring the weight of the load 32 mounted on the loading platform. The weight measurement unit 221 acquires the weight of the mounted object 32 , which is the measurement result, that is, the second parameter, from the measurement device, and performs processing for transmitting this to the travel management device 10 . Acquisition and transmission of such second parameters are performed based on a request from the travel management device 10 .

Measurement of the weight of the mounted object 32 by the weight measurement unit 221 may be performed in a manner different from the above. For example, the weight of the mounted object 32 may be measured as an estimated value by photographing the mounted object 32 with a camera and analyzing the photographed image. Alternatively, the weight of each cargo may be obtained by reading the electronic tag attached to each cargo constituting the load 32 .

The travel control unit 222 is a part that performs processing such as steering and braking required for automatic driving of the vehicle 22 . The travel control unit 222 automatically travels the vehicle 22 along a preset travel route so that the vehicle 22 reaches a preset destination. The destination of the vehicle 22 and the corresponding travel route are set in advance by the travel management device 10 and transmitted to the vehicle control device 210 . This travel route, that is, the route along which the vehicle 22, which is the second vehicle, is scheduled to travel is hereinafter also referred to as a “second route”.

An overview of the delivery process executed by the delivery processing unit 12 of the travel management device 10 will be described. In FIG. 4, the first route along which the vehicle 21 travels is schematically indicated by a curved line denoted by reference numeral 310. As shown in FIG. Also, a second route along which the vehicle 22 travels is schematically indicated by a curved line denoted by reference numeral 320 . Reference numeral P2 in FIG. 4 indicates destinations of the vehicles 21 and 22, respectively. As described above, the destination of vehicle 21 and the destination of vehicle 22 are the same. Below, this destination is also described as “destination P2”. The destination P2 does not have to be the final destination of the vehicle 21 or the vehicle 22, and may be a destination set as a "stopover" before reaching the final destination.

A point denoted by symbol “P1” in FIG. 4 is a point where the first route and the second route are close to each other within a predetermined distance. At this point, the distance between the vehicle 21 traveling on the first route and the vehicle 22 traveling on the second route is the predetermined distance or a shorter distance.

When the weight of the mounted object 31 is significantly larger than the weight of the mounted object 32, the vehicle 21 in the vehicle group managed by the travel management device 10 is in a state where the load is biased. In such a state, the energy efficiency of the entire vehicle group is lowered. In order to improve the energy efficiency, it is preferable to equalize the weight of the objects mounted on the respective vehicles 21 and 22 as much as possible. The delivery process is a process for leveling the objects 31 mounted on the vehicle 21 by moving them from the vehicle 21 to the vehicle 22 .

When it is detected that the weight of the mounted object 31 is significantly larger than the weight of the mounted object 32, the delivery processing unit 12 of the running management device 10 designates the vehicles 21 and 22 as shown in FIG. A control signal is transmitted to each of the vehicle control devices 210 and 220 to temporarily stop at the point marked "P1". After that, the delivery processing unit 12 moves a part of the mounted object 31 mounted on the vehicle 21 from the vehicle 21 to the vehicle 22 as described above. The delivery processing unit 12 also transmits information specifying the cargo to be moved among the loaded objects 31 .

The point labeled "P1" in FIG. 4, that is, the place where the load is transferred from the first vehicle to the second vehicle is hereinafter also referred to as "delivery place P1".

Each of the vehicles 21 and 22 is provided with a display terminal (not shown) for displaying a message to a worker on board. Information indicating that the vehicles 21 and 22 will stop at the delivery place P1 is displayed on each display terminal. Further, in each of the vehicles 21 and 22, each worker of the vehicles 21 and 22 is instructed to perform processing to move a specific cargo contained in the load 31 from the vehicle 21 to the vehicle 22 at the delivery place P1. Instructional messages are also displayed.

Therefore, when each of the vehicles 21 and 22 arrives at the delivery place P1, each worker performs an operation of moving a part of the load 31 from the vehicle 21 to the vehicle 22 . When the work is completed, the vehicles 21 and 22 start traveling toward the destination P2. After leaving delivery place P1, vehicle 21 travels along the first route denoted by reference numeral 310, and vehicle 22 travels along the second route denoted by reference numeral 320.

Although the movement of the mounted object 31 from the vehicle 21 to the vehicle 22 may be performed manually by a contractor as described above, it may be automatically performed by a machine. For example, the vehicle 21 and the vehicle 22 may be configured such that after the vehicle 21 and the vehicle 22 stop with their cargo beds close to each other, a part of the load 31 is automatically moved to the vehicle 22 by a device such as a belt conveyor. good too.

In this way, the delivery processing unit 12 of the running management device 10 transfers part of the mounted objects 31 mounted on the vehicle 21 from the vehicle 21 to the vehicle 22 when the weight of the mounted objects is unevenly distributed on the vehicle 21 . It is configured to perform a delivery process, which is a process of moving to As a result, it is possible to prevent the weight of the mounted object from being unevenly distributed on some vehicles.

Incidentally, when the initial weight of the mounted object 32 is considerably larger than the weight of the mounted object 32, the processing opposite to the above is performed as the delivery processing. That is, the process of moving a part of the mounted object 32 mounted on the vehicle 22 from the vehicle 22 to the vehicle 21 is performed as the delivery process. In this case, the vehicle 22 corresponds to the "first vehicle" and the vehicle 21 corresponds to the "second vehicle".

Another example of delivery processing will be described with reference to FIG. In FIG. 5 as well, the first route along which the vehicle 21 travels is schematically indicated by a curved line denoted by reference numeral 310. As shown in FIG. Also, a second route along which the vehicle 22 travels is schematically indicated by a curved line denoted by reference numeral 320 .

In the example of FIG. 5, there is no point where the first route and the second route are close to each other within a predetermined distance. Therefore, even if the vehicle 21 is stopped at any point on the initial first route indicated by reference numeral 310, the delivery process cannot be performed. Similarly, no matter where the vehicle 22 is stopped on the initial second route indicated by reference numeral 320, the delivery process cannot be performed.

Therefore, in the example of FIG. 5, when the need for delivery processing arises, the delivery processing unit 12 of the travel management device 10 sets the delivery place P1, and then sets the delivery place P1 to each of the vehicles 21 and 22. At least one of the first route and the second route is changed from the original route so that In FIG. 5, the dashed-dotted line with reference numeral 311 schematically shows the first route after being changed. A dashed-dotted line with reference numeral 321 schematically shows the second route after the change. The processing performed after changing the travel route is the same as the example described with reference to FIG.

Note that the travel route may be changed for only one of the first route and the second route instead of both. For example, when the delivery place P1 is set on the initial first route denoted by reference numeral 310, only the second route is changed so that the vehicle 22 passes through the delivery place P1. Also, when the delivery place P1 is set on the initial second route denoted by reference numeral 320, only the first route is changed so that the vehicle 21 passes through the delivery place P1.

A specific flow of processing executed by the travel management device 10 in order to realize the delivery processing as described above will be described with reference to FIG. 6 . A series of processes shown in FIG. 6 are repeatedly executed by the travel management device 10 each time a predetermined control period elapses.

In the first step S01 of the process, the parameter acquisition unit 11 performs the process of acquiring the weights of the mounted objects 31 and 32, respectively. In step S01, the parameter acquisition unit 11 acquires the weight of the mounted object 31 measured by the weight measurement unit 211, that is, the first parameter through communication. Also, the parameter acquisition unit 11 acquires the weight of the mounted object 32 measured by the weight measurement unit 221, that is, the second parameter through communication.

In step S02 following step S01, it is determined whether or not the difference between the first parameter and the second parameter is equal to or less than a predetermined value. This "predetermined value" is set in advance as a threshold value for determining whether or not to execute the delivery process. As described above, in the present embodiment, the heavier one of the mounted objects 31 and 32 is the mounted object 31 , and the lighter one is the mounted object 32 . In step S02, when the difference obtained by subtracting the second parameter from the first parameter is larger than the predetermined value, the process proceeds to step S03. Otherwise, the series of processes shown in FIG. 6 is terminated.

In step S03, a process of determining the delivery place P1 is performed. Specific contents of the processing will be described later. In step S03, the delivery location P1 is determined and at least one of the first route and the second route may be changed from the original route.

In step S04 following step S03, a process of determining which of the mounted objects to be delivered, that is, the mounted objects 31 to be moved from the vehicle 21 to the vehicle 22 is performed. Specific contents of the processing will also be described later.

After the processing of step S04 is completed, the vehicle 21 travels along the first route toward the delivery place P1. Similarly, the vehicle 22 travels along the second route toward the delivery place P1.

In step S05 following step S04, delivery processing is performed at delivery place P1. The specific contents are as described with reference to FIGS. 4 and 5. FIG. By performing the delivery process, the weight of the load that has been biased toward the vehicle 21 is leveled.

Alternatively, the delivery processing unit 12 may determine that the delivery processing is completed. For example, during the delivery process, the first parameter and the second parameter that are measured again are compared, and when it is confirmed that the difference between the two falls within a predetermined range, it is determined that the delivery process has been completed. may be done.

The above “predetermined range” may be appropriately set according to the state of the vehicles 21 and 22 . For example, when the tire or battery of the vehicle 21 is degraded, the predetermined range may be set so that the greater the degree of degradation, the smaller the first parameter at the time of completion of the delivery process. good. Conversely, when the tire or battery of the vehicle 22 has deteriorated, the predetermined range is set so that the greater the degree of deterioration, the larger the first parameter at the time of completion of the delivery process. good too.

The specific contents of the processing performed to determine the delivery place P1 will be described with reference to FIG. The flowchart shown in FIG. 7 shows a specific flow of the process executed in step S03 of FIG. A series of processes shown in FIG. 7 are executed by the delivery processing unit 12 of the travel management device 10 .

In the first step S11 of the process, it is determined whether or not there is a place where the initial first route and the initial second route are close to each other within a predetermined distance. That is, it is determined whether or not a place such as the delivery place P1 in the example of FIG. 4 exists. As the "predetermined distance", a distance that does not interfere with the delivery process, for example, several meters is set.

If there is a place where the initial first route and the initial second route are close to each other within a predetermined distance, the process proceeds to step S12. At step S12, the above location is directly determined as the delivery location P1.

In step S11, if there is no place where the initial first route and the initial second route are close to each other within the predetermined distance, the process proceeds to step S13. In this case, at least one of the first route and the second route is changed.

In step S13, a process of acquiring the remaining energy of each of the vehicles 21 and 22 is performed. “Remaining energy” is the remaining amount of energy that can be consumed by the vehicle 21 or the like to run. For example, when the vehicle 21 or the like is a vehicle having an internal combustion engine, the "remaining energy" is the remaining amount of fuel. Further, when the vehicle 21 or the like is an electric vehicle, the "remaining energy" is the amount of electric power stored in the storage battery. When the vehicle 21 or the like is a hybrid vehicle, the "remaining energy" is the sum of the remaining amount of fuel and the amount of electric power stored in the storage battery after matching the dimensions.

In step S14 following step S13, a process of provisionally determining the delivery place P1 and the corresponding first and second routes is performed. Here, the delivery place P1 and the like as described with reference to FIG. 5 are tentatively determined.

In step S14, the delivery place P1 is tentatively determined according to the remaining energy of each vehicle obtained in step S13. For example, when the remaining energy of the vehicle 21 is low and there is no energy margin to reach the destination P2, the delivery location P1 is a location on the initial first route or a location close to the initial first route. is tentatively determined. This is because the more the delivery location P1 is set at a location that deviates from the initial first route, the greater the increase in energy consumption due to the route change, and the higher the possibility that the remaining energy will be insufficient.

Similarly, when the remaining energy of the vehicle 22 is low and there is no energy margin to reach the destination P2, the delivery location P1 is a location on the initial second route or close to the initial second route. tentatively decided on location.

In step S14, after the delivery place P1 is tentatively determined as described above, at least one of the first route and the second route is changed as necessary so that the vehicles 21 and 22 pass through the delivery place P1. The changed route has not yet been determined as the final route, but has been tentatively determined in the same manner as the delivery place P1.

In step S15 following step S14, the estimated arrival time of each of the vehicles 21 and 22 with respect to the destination P2 is calculated. The estimated arrival time here means the estimated arrival time of the vehicle 21 when traveling along the first route tentatively determined in step S14, and the estimated arrival time of the vehicle 21 when passing the second route tentatively determined in step S14. is the estimated time of arrival of For example, when the first route is changed from the original route, the estimated arrival time of the vehicle 21 is delayed from the original estimated arrival time. Similarly, when the second route is changed from the original route, the estimated arrival time of the vehicle 22 is delayed from the initial estimated arrival time. Each estimated arrival time is calculated by, for example, performing a simulation.

In step S16 following step S15, it is determined whether or not the delay in each of the vehicles 21 and 22 is within a predetermined time. The predetermined time referred to here is a time individually set in advance for each of the vehicles 21 and 22 as a delay time allowed for service provision.

If the delay occurring in either vehicle 21 or 22 exceeds the predetermined time, the processing from step S14 onward is executed again. In step S14, the first route and the second route are tentatively determined as routes different from those at the time of the previous execution. No matter what route is set as the first route or the second route, if the determination in step S16 does not result in "Yes", then in step S14, the delivery place P1 is set to a place different from that of the previous execution. tentatively determined. After that, the first route and the second route corresponding to the delivery place P1 are tentatively determined.

When the determination in step S16 becomes "Yes", the delivery place P1, the first route, and the second route provisionally determined at that time are determined as the final delivery place P1, the first route, and the second route. be done.

Until the determination in step S16 becomes "Yes", various delivery locations P1, first routes, and second routes are tentatively determined, and the delay time is determined based on the tentative determinations. If the determination in step S16 does not result in "Yes" even after the process in step S16 is repeated a predetermined number of times, the series of processes shown in FIG. 7 is interrupted and the series of processes shown in FIG. is also interrupted. In this case, as in the case where the determination in step S02 of FIG. 6 is "Yes", the delivery process is not performed.

With reference to FIG. 8, the specific contents of the processing performed to determine the mounted object to be delivered will be described. The flowchart shown in FIG. 8 shows a specific flow of the process executed in step S04 of FIG. A series of processes shown in FIG. 8 are executed by the delivery processing unit 12 of the travel management device 10 .

Prior to explaining the process, the "priority" stored in the priority storage unit 13 will be explained. As described above, the priority is individually set in advance corresponding to each of the mounted objects 31 that are a plurality of cargoes and each of the mounted objects 31 that are a plurality of cargoes. This priority is set as a degree of priority for getting cargo to destination P2 early. In other words, a high priority value is set for cargo that has a high need to reach the destination P2 early, and a low priority value is set for cargo that has a low need to reach the destination P2 early. is set.

In the first step S21 in FIG. 8, the estimated arrival time of each of the vehicles 21 and 22 to the destination P2 is calculated. The estimated arrival time here refers to the estimated arrival time of the vehicle 21 when traveling along the first route determined in step S03 of FIG. Estimated time of arrival of the vehicle 22 in the case. The estimated time of arrival is calculated, for example, by performing a simulation.

In step S22, it is determined whether or not the vehicle 22, which is the second vehicle, will arrive at the destination P2 earlier than the vehicle 21, which is the first vehicle. This determination is made by comparing the estimated arrival times calculated in step S21. When the vehicle 22 reaches the destination P2 earlier, the process proceeds to step S23.

In step S<b>23 , among the plurality of cargoes contained in the mounted object 31 , the cargoes are set as objects to be moved to the vehicle 22 in descending order of priority. The number of cargoes set to be moved is appropriately determined according to the difference between the first parameter and the second parameter so that the difference falls within a predetermined range. In the delivery process performed in step S<b>05 of FIG. 6 , the cargo set to be moved is moved from the vehicle 21 to the vehicle 22 .

In step S22, when the vehicle 21 reaches the destination P2 earlier, the process proceeds to step S24. In step S<b>24 , among the plurality of cargoes contained in the mounted object 31 , the cargoes are set as objects to be moved to the vehicle 22 in descending order of priority. Also here, the number of cargoes set to be moved is appropriately determined according to the difference between the first parameter and the second parameter so that the difference falls within a predetermined range. In the delivery process performed in step S<b>05 of FIG. 6 , the cargo set to be moved is moved from the vehicle 21 to the vehicle 22 .

Through the above-described processing, the cargo with the highest priority is transported by the vehicle 21 or 22 that reaches the destination P2 earlier. As a result, even if delivery processing is performed, a situation in which the arrival of high-priority cargo is greatly delayed can be prevented.

The above “predetermined range” may be appropriately set according to the state of the vehicles 21 and 22 . For example, when the tire or battery of the vehicle 21 is degraded, the predetermined range may be set so that the greater the degree of degradation, the smaller the first parameter at the time of completion of the delivery process. good. Conversely, when the tire or battery of the vehicle 22 has deteriorated, the predetermined range is set so that the greater the degree of deterioration, the larger the first parameter at the time of completion of the delivery process. good too.

As described above, in the running management device 10 according to the present embodiment, when the difference obtained by subtracting the second parameter from the first parameter is larger than the predetermined value, the delivery processing unit 12 performs the delivery process. is configured as Prior to the delivery process, the delivery processing unit 12 performs a process of determining a delivery place, which is a place where the mounted object 31 is moved from the vehicle 21 to the vehicle 22 . By moving part of the load 31 that has been biased toward the vehicle 21 to the vehicle 22, the weight of the load on each vehicle can be leveled.

As in the example described with reference to FIG. 4, the delivery processing unit 12 determines whether the first route, which is the route along which the vehicle 21 is scheduled to travel, and the second route, which is the route along which the vehicle 22 is scheduled to travel. , locations that are close to each other within a predetermined distance are determined as delivery locations P1. In this case, there is no need to change the route taken by each vehicle, so the delay in arriving at the destination P2 can be minimized.

Further, as in the example described with reference to FIG. 5, the delivery processing unit 12 sets the first route, which is the route on which the vehicle 21 is scheduled to travel, so that the vehicles 21 and 22 pass through the delivery place P1. , and the second route, which is the route on which the vehicle 22 is scheduled to travel, may be changed. As a result, the delivery process can be performed even if there are no locations close to each other on the initial first route and second route.

At this time, the delivery processing unit 12 executes step S16 in FIG. 7 to determine the arrival time at the destination P2 of the vehicle 21 and the vehicle 22 whose route is to be changed. At least one of the first route and the second route is changed so that the delay is within a predetermined time. This prevents a situation in which the arrival time at the destination P2 is greatly delayed due to execution of the delivery process.

Furthermore, the delivery processing unit 12 executes the series of processes shown in FIG. 8 so that the vehicle 21 and the vehicle 22 that will arrive at the destination P2 earlier is given the highest priority. The delivery process is performed so that the mounted object is mounted. This prevents a situation in which the arrival of high-priority cargo is greatly delayed.

In the example described above, the delivery process is performed with both the vehicles 21 and 22 stopped at the delivery place P1 at the same time. However, the vehicles 21 and 22 do not have to stop at the delivery place P1 at the same time.

For example, after the vehicle 21 first stops at the delivery place P1 and places the cargo to be moved at the delivery place P1, the vehicle 21 departs without waiting for the arrival of the vehicle 22 at the delivery place P1. good too. After arriving at the delivery place P1 later, the worker of the vehicle 22 loads the cargo placed at the delivery place P1 onto the carrier of the vehicle 22.例文帳に追加In this case, it is preferable to set a place where the cargo can be safely stored as the delivery place P1. In particular, when the cargo contains food, it is preferable to set a place equipped with a refrigerator or a freezer to keep the food fresh as the delivery place P1.

A case where the vehicles 21 and 22 are automatically driven vehicles has been described above. However, the vehicles 21, 22 may also be conventional vehicles that are driven manually by the driver. In this case, information indicating the delivery place P1, the first route, etc., from the travel management device 10 may be displayed on a navigation system (not shown) provided in the vehicle 21 or the like.

In the example described above, the travel management device 10 sets the first route, and the vehicle control device 210 of the vehicle 21 performs the process of causing the vehicle 21 to travel along the first route. Similarly, the travel management device 10 sets the second route, and the vehicle control device 220 of the vehicle 22 performs the process of causing the vehicle 22 to travel along the second route. Instead of such an aspect, part or all of the processing for driving the vehicle 21 along the first route and part or all of the processing for driving the vehicle 22 along the second route can be performed by the driving management device. 10 may be performed.

In the example described above, the parameter acquisition unit 11 acquires the weight of the mounted object 31 as the first parameter and the weight of the mounted object 32 as the second parameter. Alternatively, the parameter acquisition unit 11 may acquire the volume of the mounted object 31 as the first parameter and the volume of the mounted object 32 as the second parameter. In this case, the first parameter can be obtained, for example, by analyzing an image from an in-vehicle camera provided in the vehicle 21 . Similarly, the second parameter can be obtained, for example, by analyzing images from an onboard camera provided on the vehicle 22 .

Even when the volume of the mounted object is acquired as the first parameter or the second parameter as described above, the delivery process is performed by the same method as described above. In this case, the processing shown in FIG. 6 replaces “weight” with “volume”. When the difference obtained by subtracting the mounted object 32 from the volume of the mounted object 31 is larger than a predetermined value, part of the mounted object 31 is moved from the vehicle 21 to the vehicle 22 by the delivery process. As a result, the volume of the objects mounted on each vehicle can be leveled.

A second embodiment will be described. In the following, points different from the first embodiment will be mainly described, and descriptions of points common to the first embodiment will be omitted as appropriate.

In this embodiment, each of the vehicles 21 and 22 is not a vehicle for transporting cargo, but a vehicle for transporting a plurality of people, such as a bus. That is, in this embodiment, both the mounted objects 31 and 32 are people.

Therefore, in the delivery process performed in the present embodiment, part of the mounted object 31, that is, part of the plurality of people appearing in the vehicle 21 moves from the vehicle 21 to the vehicle 22 at the delivery place P1. It will happen.

The configuration of the running management device 10 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. As shown in the figure, the travel management device 10 according to this embodiment further includes a price presenting unit 14 as a functional control block. On the other hand, the running management device 10 according to this embodiment does not include the priority storage unit 13 .

The price presenting unit 14 is a part that performs a process of presenting a price associated with moving from the vehicle 21, which is the first vehicle, to the vehicle 22, which is the second vehicle. The “reward” referred to here is a remuneration that can be obtained by a person who accepts to move from the vehicle 21 to the vehicle 22 among the mounted objects 31 , which are people. Examples of such consideration include cash and a coupon that can be used when using the service next time. Further, information indicating that the destination vehicle 22 has a lower set temperature for the air conditioning and is more comfortable than the vehicle 21 may be shown as the consideration. After determining the price as described above, the price presenting unit 14 transmits information indicating the price to the vehicle control device 210 of the vehicle 21 by communication.

A configuration of a vehicle control device 210 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 10 . As shown in the figure, a display unit 213 is connected to the vehicle control device 210 according to this embodiment. The display unit 213 is, for example, a large liquid crystal screen installed inside the vehicle 21 . The display unit 213 presents information indicating the price transmitted from the price presentation unit 14 . The person who is the mounted object 31 can decide whether to move to the vehicle 22 based on the price shown on the display unit 213 . Even in such a mode, the same effects as those described in the first embodiment can be obtained.

Also in this embodiment, the vehicles 21 and 22 do not have to stop at the delivery place P1 at the same time. For example, after the vehicle 21 first stops at the delivery place P1 and unloads the person to be moved at the delivery place P1, the vehicle 21 departs without waiting for the arrival of the vehicle 22 at the delivery place P1. may be The person unloaded at the delivery place P1 gets into the vehicle 22 after the vehicle 22 arrives at the delivery place P1. In this case, it is preferable to set a place where people can spend their time comfortably as the delivery place P1. For example, it is preferable to set a place with an air-conditioned waiting room as the delivery place P1.

The present embodiment has been described above with reference to specific examples. However, the present disclosure is not limited to these specific examples. Design modifications to these specific examples by those skilled in the art are also included in the scope of the present disclosure as long as they have the features of the present disclosure. Each element included in each specific example described above and its arrangement, conditions, shape, etc. are not limited to those illustrated and can be changed as appropriate. As long as there is no technical contradiction, the combination of the elements included in the specific examples described above can be changed as appropriate.

The control apparatus and control method described in the present disclosure are provided by one or more dedicated processors provided by configuring a processor and memory programmed to perform one or more functions embodied by a computer program. It may be implemented by a computer. The control apparatus and control method described in this disclosure may be implemented by a special purpose computer provided by configuring a processor including one or more special purpose hardware logic circuits. The control apparatus and control method described in the present disclosure are configured by a combination of a processor and memory programmed to perform one or more functions and a processor including one or more hardware logic circuits. It may be implemented by one or more special purpose computers. The computer program may be stored as computer-executable instructions on a computer-readable non-transitional tangible storage medium. Dedicated hardware logic circuits and hardware logic circuits may be implemented by digital circuits containing multiple logic circuits or by analog circuits.

10: Travel management device 11: Parameter acquisition unit 12: Delivery processing unit 21, 22: Vehicles 31, 32: Mounted object

Claims (7)

A travel management device (10) for managing travel of a plurality of vehicles,
The plurality of vehicles includes a first vehicle (21) and a second vehicle (22) capable of carrying payloads and traveling toward respective predetermined destinations,
A first parameter that is the weight or volume of the load (31) mounted on the first vehicle, and a second parameter that is the weight or volume of the load (32) mounted on the second vehicle, a parameter acquisition unit (11) for acquiring each of
a delivery processing unit (12) that performs a delivery process, which is a process of moving an object mounted on the first vehicle from the first vehicle to the second vehicle ,
The delivery processing unit
A travel management device that performs the delivery process when a difference obtained by subtracting the second parameter from the first parameter is larger than a predetermined value. The delivery processing unit
2. The running management system according to claim 1, wherein a process of determining a delivery place, which is a place where the load is transferred from the first vehicle to the second vehicle, is performed. The delivery processing unit
a first route that is a route along which the first vehicle is scheduled to travel;
3. The travel management device according to claim 2, wherein a place where a second route, which is a route on which said second vehicle is scheduled to travel, and a second route are close to each other within a predetermined distance is determined as said delivery place. The delivery processing unit
so that each of the first vehicle and the second vehicle passes through the delivery location,
3. The process of changing at least one of a first route along which the first vehicle is scheduled to travel and a second route along which the second vehicle is scheduled to travel. running control device. The delivery processing unit
Among the first vehicle and the second vehicle, the first vehicle and the second vehicle are arranged so that the delay in arriving at the destination is within a predetermined time in the vehicle whose route is to be changed. 5. The travel management device according to claim 4 , wherein a process of changing at least one of the two routes is performed. further comprising a priority storage unit (13) that stores a priority set for each mounted object as a priority for early arrival at the destination,
The delivery processing unit
The delivery process is performed so that the mounted object having the highest priority is mounted on the vehicle that will arrive at the destination sooner than the first vehicle or the second vehicle. 6. The running management device according to any one of claims 1 to 5 , wherein the payload is a person;
The running management device according to any one of claims 1 to 5 , further comprising a price presenting unit that presents a price associated with moving from the first vehicle to the second vehicle.

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