JP7307771B2 - Pick-up control server, in-vehicle terminal, control method and control program in active pick-up system - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a pick-up system for picking up users efficiently.

Conventionally, there has been known a system for efficiently performing pick-up and drop-off by a vehicle such as a taxi. For example, Patent Literature 1 discloses a pick-up reservation system for realizing a pick-up service reservation that meets a user's request and realizing an efficient pick-up service based on the reservation. In this pick-up reservation system, the information transmitted from the user terminal is associated with the user ID, stored in the user information table, and the reservation number and the reservation information transmitted from the user terminal (position information, Desired pick-up time, destination, etc.) are stored in the reservation information table, the pick-up time created based on the reservation information is notified to the user terminal, and confirmation input from the user terminal is accepted to confirm the reservation.

Further, Patent Document 2 discloses a vehicle allocation system that enables a user to easily check the current running condition of a pick-up taxi and to wait at a desired boarding position with peace of mind.
According to this vehicle allocation system, a user terminal, an in-vehicle terminal, and a vehicle allocation management server are connected via a network, and the user terminal requests that a vehicle be allocated at a boarding position and boarding time desired by the user. A reservation request unit for transmitting a vehicle allocation reservation request to the vehicle allocation management server is provided. The in-vehicle terminal includes a current position acquisition unit that acquires the current position of the vehicle, and a pickup start unit that transmits the acquired current position of the vehicle and pickup start information indicating the start of pickup to the boarding position to the vehicle allocation management server. Prepare. A vehicle allocation management server includes a reservation reception unit that receives a vehicle allocation reservation request, a vehicle pickup status confirmation unit that generates a predicted vehicle pickup route from the current position to a boarding position when receiving vehicle pickup start information from an in-vehicle terminal, and a vehicle pickup vehicle. a pick-up information generation unit that transmits pick-up information including the current position and the pick-up predicted route to the user terminal;

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2011-138300 JP 2015-138324 A

By the way, as the government has presented in the Public-Private ITS Initiative/Roadmap 2016, efforts are accelerating toward the realization of "unmanned automated driving transportation services in limited areas." This is an attempt to provide a service similar to local public transportation within a restricted area (limited area), and basically it is assumed to be a means of transportation that connects the limited area to the local public transportation. There is, but the possibility of boarding and alighting from in front of the entrance of the house is also being considered. Universities and companies are already demonstrating automated driving technology on public roads, and if this trend continues, it is expected that the service will begin to spread in fiscal 2020, according to the government's roadmap. . However, there are still many difficult challenges to be overcome in completely unmanned automated driving, including on general roads, and it is expected that attempts to automate vehicles with humans on board in limited areas will continue in the future.

The inventors are mainly conscious of the following three social issues, and are aiming for the early launch of an unmanned automatic driving transportation service that will be incorporated into the real world.
(1) The arrival of an era of shortage of bus and taxi drivers is a serious social issue. (2) A decrease in the number of users is burdening driver labor costs, resulting in an accelerating increase in areas where public transportation cannot be maintained. (3) Lifestyle Without a new, close-fitting means of transportation, we will not be able to support the rapidly aging society. activities are underway.

During the demonstration experiment, we came to the realization that one of the specific challenges for automated driving transportation services is the importance of a mechanism that responds to the needs of short-distance vehicle users as described above. Moreover, this is true regardless of whether the vehicle is unmanned or manned.

In the systems of Patent Literatures 1 and 2, a user requests a pick-up service by designating in advance a desired boarding position, a desired boarding time, and the like. However, many users who travel short distances (a distance of about 15 to 30 minutes on foot) prefer to use a vehicle if possible, although they may walk. In other words, if a vehicle can be easily arranged, there is certainly a demand for a vehicle, even though it is not a distance that cannot be walked. For example, when trying to pick up a taxi, it is often difficult to find an empty taxi, and the user has no choice but to start walking to the destination, but is overtaken by an empty taxi while walking. On the other hand, it is hard to walk while checking the back of a taxi that does not know when it will come. In other words, regardless of the desired boarding position or desired boarding time, there is a demand to get on the vehicle and get to the destination as quickly and easily as possible. Conventional pick-up services, including the techniques described in Patent Documents 1 and 2, do not meet the demands of such short-distance users.

Therefore, in the present invention, in view of the above problems, while looking ahead to the realization of unmanned automatic driving services in the future, we have developed an active vehicle suitable for users traveling short distances that can also be applied to current manned driving services such as taxis. The purpose is to provide a realistic (active) pick-up system.

In order to solve the above problems, the present invention provides the following solutions.

(1) A pick-up control server in a pick-up system in which a vehicle can track a user who is moving toward a destination on foot and allow the user to board the vehicle, wherein the boarding request includes the current location and the destination location from the user. vehicle information acquisition means for acquiring vehicle information including position information from the vehicle; user/vehicle matching means for searching for a vehicle that matches the boarding request; position information tracking means for starting to track the position information of the user and the vehicle if found; boarding point determination means for determining a boarding point satisfying a predetermined condition from a plurality of boarding point candidates; 3D map generating means for generating a 3D map of the vicinity of the determined boarding point; and applying the generated 3D map to the vehicle. and a means for transmitting to the in-vehicle terminal of the vehicle, and the means for displaying on the in-vehicle terminal of the vehicle transmits to the vehicle an image of the vicinity of the boarding point captured by an on-board camera of another vehicle and / or a security camera in the city It is characterized in that it can be transmitted and displayed.

(2) In the configuration of (1) above, the 3D map generating means removes images of buildings such as houses, buildings, bridges, stations, and other structures, or generates 3D images that can be seen through; When the vehicle and the user approach within a predetermined distance, a 3D image in which the image of the building or the like can be removed or seen through is displayed on the in-vehicle terminal of the vehicle in order to confirm the position of the user. It is characterized by comprising means for causing

(3) In the configuration of (1) or (2) above, the boarding point that satisfies the predetermined condition is the point at which the user has the longest walking distance to the destination point or the earliest arrival at the destination point. , a point excluding points unsuitable for stopping from the viewpoint of the driver of the vehicle, or a point having a rational reason from the standpoint of the provider of the dispatch service.

(4) In any one of the configurations (1) to (3) above, when a plurality of matching vehicle candidates are found in the user/vehicle matching means, after the boarding point is determined, the plurality of vehicle candidates One matching vehicle is determined from the

(5) In any one of the above configurations (1) to (4), the boarding point determination means is configured to determine when the user changes the travel route or when the user starts traveling while waiting. Secondly, the boarding point is newly determined.

(6) In any one of the configurations (1) to (5) above, the boarding point determination means may include means for confirming with the vehicle or another vehicle whether or not there is a problem with the boarding point. characterized by

(7) An in-vehicle terminal for a pick-up system capable of tracking a user who is moving toward a destination on foot and allowing the vehicle to board the vehicle, wherein the current location and the destination location can be obtained from the user terminal of the user. user location information tracking means for tracking the location information of the user terminal; predicting the movement route of the user terminal; A boarding point determination means for determining a boarding point satisfying a predetermined condition for the user from a plurality of boarding point candidates at which the user can board, and a 3D map generating means for generating a 3D map around the determined boarding point. and means for transmitting the generated 3D map to an in-vehicle terminal of the vehicle, wherein the means for displaying on the in-vehicle terminal of the vehicle is captured by an on-board camera of another vehicle and/or a security camera in the city. An image of the vicinity of the boarding point is transmitted to the vehicle so that it can be displayed.

(8) A control method for a vehicle pick-up system capable of tracking a user who is moving toward a destination on foot and allowing the vehicle to board the vehicle, wherein the current location and the destination location are obtained from the user terminal of the user. acquiring vehicle information including location information from an in-vehicle terminal of the vehicle; searching for a vehicle that matches the boarding request; and if a matching vehicle is found, the a step of starting to track the position information of the user terminal and the in-vehicle terminal; predicting a moving route of the user terminal; From the candidates, determining a boarding point that satisfies a predetermined condition for the user; generating a 3D map around the determined boarding point; and transmitting the generated 3D map to an in-vehicle terminal of the vehicle. and the step of displaying on the in-vehicle terminal of the vehicle transmits to the vehicle an image of the vicinity of the boarding point taken by an on-board camera of another vehicle and/or a security camera in the city and can be displayed. It is characterized by further comprising steps.

(9) A control program that causes a computer to execute each step of the control method described in (8) above.

According to the present invention, it is possible to provide an active pick-up system suitable for users traveling short distances.

1 is a diagram showing a basic image of an active pick-up service according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a functional configuration of an active pick-up system according to a first embodiment of the present invention; FIG. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing data used in the active pick-up system according to the first embodiment of the invention; FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a main processing flow of a pick-up control server; FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a modification of the main processing flow of the pick-up control server; FIG. 10 is a diagram showing details of a processing flow for determining a boarding point in the pick-up control server; It is a figure which shows the example of a 3D map screen displayed on an in-vehicle terminal. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing the functional configuration of an active vehicle pick-up system according to a second embodiment of the present invention;

EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION Hereinafter, with reference to an accompanying drawing, the form (henceforth, embodiment) for implementing this invention is demonstrated in detail. In subsequent figures, the same numbers or symbols are attached to the same elements throughout the description of the embodiments. In the diagram of the functional configuration, arrows between functional blocks indicate the data flow direction or the processing flow direction.

(Basic image)
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a basic image of an active pick-up service according to an embodiment of the present invention. "Active pick-up" does not allocate a vehicle at a predetermined boarding position and boarding time as in the conventional pick-up system, but predicts the boarding position of the user and moves the vehicle itself toward that position. It is a system for active (active) and efficient movement. At this time, the user may be waiting at a specific place, or may be moving toward the destination on foot. The outline thereof will be described below.

As shown in FIG. 1, the user 20 cannot find an empty car at the departure point, and has issued a boarding request to the system, but cannot wait and is moving to the destination on foot. At this time, it is assumed that the vehicle 10 is near point B and is moving north. The vehicle 10 is assumed to know the user's current point and destination point, predicts the moving route from the user's current point (point A) to the destination point, and can pick up the user 20 on the way of the route. to calculate the optimal travel route. At this time, if there are a plurality of expected travel routes for the user 20, pick-up points on each route are obtained.

For example, in the example of FIG. 1, when it is predicted that the user 20 will move along the road 1, points X1, X2, X3, etc. are candidates for pick-up points. For example, to pick up at point X1, vehicle 10 goes north on road 3, goes straight through intersections 35 and 32, turns right at intersection 31, enters road 1, and meets user 20 at point X1. catch up. In addition, when picking up at point X2, the vehicle 10 similarly turns right at intersection 31 and passes through intersection 41, turns right at intersection 35 to enter road 5, turns left at intersection 45 to enter road 4, and crosses the intersection. The route 41 is compared with the route of turning right at 41 and returning to road 1, and the route with the earlier arrival time is selected. The same is true when picking up at the X3 point. However, if there is almost no difference in the arrival times to X1, X2, and X3 due to traffic conditions, etc., the pick-up point is selected so that the walking distance of the user 20 is as short as possible, that is, the point with the longest distance to the destination point. select.

On the other hand, when it is predicted that the user 20 will move along the road 2, and it is determined that it is impossible to pick up the user 20 in the section from the intersection 32 to the intersection 42 (indicated by diagonal lines in the figure), or , if this section is a narrow road where vehicles cannot enter, the Y1 point is a candidate for the first pick-up point. At this time, the vehicle 10 turns right at the intersection 35, passes through the intersections 45 and 42, and reaches the Y1 point. The same is true when picking up at the Y2 point. That is, in this service, the vehicle 10 obtains a plurality of candidate pick-up points where the user can get on for each predicted movement route of the user 20, selects a pick-up point that satisfies a predetermined condition from among them, and picks up the vehicle 10. I go to the user 20 and pick it up. Here, the predicted travel route includes the travel route of the user and the expected arrival time at each point along the route.

By doing so, the vehicle 10 can reduce the waiting time of waiting for passengers, and even if the preceding passenger is on board, if the passenger is heading in the same direction, it is possible to share a ride with the passenger. It is also possible to immediately go to the pick-up point from the drop-off point of the preceding passenger. Also, for the user 20, it is useful to get on at a place closer to the destination because the fare will be cheaper. , You can wait for the vehicle to be picked up while walking with peace of mind.

However, in order to identify the user 20 when the vehicle 10 comes close, the terminal ID is transmitted to the vehicle 10 when the user terminal of the user 20 issues a boarding request. Here, the name and nickname of the user 20 are stored in the user terminal, and when the vehicle 10 approaches the user 20, the voice from the vehicle 10, for example, "Mr. XX, I have come to pick you up. You may call it like ".

(First embodiment)
FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the functional configuration of an active vehicle pick-up system (hereinafter referred to as "this system") according to the first embodiment of the present invention. In this system, a pick-up control server 100 is connected via a network 30 to an in-vehicle terminal 10 mounted on a vehicle and a user terminal 20 owned by a user through wireless communication.

As illustrated, the pick-up control server 100 includes boarding request acquisition means 101, position information tracking means 102, vehicle information acquisition means 103, user/vehicle matching means 104, boarding point determination means 105, 3D map generation means 106, building Equal removal/perspective display means 107 and terminal transmission means 108 are provided. Further, as databases, a vehicle DB 111 storing information of vehicles registered in this system, a registered user DB 112 storing information of users already registered in this system, and a 3D map data DB 113 are provided. These databases may exist outside the pick-up control server 100 . However, users do not necessarily have to be registered in this system. The functional configurations of the in-vehicle terminal 10, the user terminal 20, and the pick-up control server 100 will be described in order below.

The in-vehicle terminal 10 is a terminal mounted on a vehicle, and although not shown, includes wireless communication means capable of communicating with the pick-up control server 100, and position information for acquiring its own position information and transmitting it to the pick-up control server 100. It is equipped with a transmission means, an input device as an input/output means for a passenger, and a display device. The in-vehicle terminal 10 may have means for directly communicating with the user terminal 20 via the Internet. Also, it may be incorporated in a car navigation system.

The user terminal 20 is a terminal carried by a user. Although not shown, the user terminal 20 has a wireless communication means capable of communicating with the pick-up control server 100, and a position for acquiring its own position information and transmitting it to the pick-up control server 100. It comprises an information transmission means, an input device as an input/output means for a user, and a display device. The user terminal 20 may have means for directly communicating with the in-vehicle terminal 10 via the Internet. The user terminal 20 is typically a smart phone, tablet terminal, mobile phone, or the like.

The pick-up control server 100 (hereinafter sometimes simply referred to as a server) is a server of a business operator that operates a regional transportation system, and is registered with the system of a taxi company, the system of an on-demand bus business operator, and this system. It connects with the terminal of the owner of the vehicle, the map database system, the road information system, etc. The functional configuration of the server will be described in order below.

The boarding request acquisition means 101 receives a boarding request from the user terminal 20 and conveys the information of the boarding request to the user/vehicle matching means 104 . Boarding requests can be sent not only by registered users in this system, but also by unregistered users. Information included in the boarding request includes, as shown in FIG. However, since default values are set except for the terminal ID, the current location, and the destination location, they can be omitted.

The positional information tracking means 102 acquires the positional information of the user terminal 20 when receiving a boarding request from the user terminal 20 . When a vehicle that matches the boarding request is found, the position information of the vehicle is acquired, and thereafter, tracking of the positions of the user terminal 20 and the vehicle-mounted terminal 10 is started until the user gets off the vehicle.

Vehicle information acquisition means 103 acquires vehicle information of all vehicles currently in operation around the area in order to search for a vehicle that matches the boarding request. The acquired vehicle information is referred to the vehicle DB 111 storing data of registered vehicles to confirm that the received vehicle information is from the registered vehicle. The vehicle information acquisition means 103 also receives current data not registered in the vehicle DB 111, and reflects it in the vehicle DB 111 if necessary. The current status data is the latest status data such as, for example, during transportation of passengers, during standby, during refueling, during a temporary failure such as a flat tire, and the like. These data can be obtained from vehicle probes (in-vehicle sensors) or the like. The data registered in the vehicle DB 111 includes, as shown in FIG. be.

The user/vehicle matching means 104 includes location information of the user terminal 20 and the vehicle-mounted terminal 10, vehicle information received from each vehicle, the vehicle DB 111, and if there is a boarding request from a registered user, the registered user DB 112 as well. Refer to it to search for a vehicle that matches the user's boarding request (conforms to boarding conditions). As a result of the search, if there is a matching vehicle, then the position information of the vehicle-mounted terminal 10 and the user terminal 20 is tracked by the position information tracking means 102 .

In addition, as shown in FIG. 3C, the registered user DB 112 stores the user ID, the user's address and name, gender, age, smoking status, whether or not to share a ride, ride history, and the number of users who have used the service of this system. Acquisition points given by doing are stored. Such information is not required, but the more information there is, the more likely it is that a better match will be found.

Boarding point determining means 105 determines a plurality of boarding points on which the user picture can board for each predicted movement route of the user based on the search result of user/vehicle matching means 104 and the data from positional information tracking means 102. A boarding position that satisfies a predetermined condition for the user is determined from the candidate points (pickup points). The details of the boarding point determination process will be described later.

The 3D map generation means 106 generates a 3D map around the user's current location and a 3D map for displaying a stereoscopic image around the boarding position determined by the boarding point determination means 105 on the in-vehicle terminal 10 . When it is desired to check the user's situation from the vehicle side, a 3D map is used because a 2D map is insufficient. However, with a normal 3D map, it is not possible to confirm the appearance of users on the other side of "buildings, etc." (houses, buildings, bridges, stations, and other structures), so the 3D map used here is a building , etc., are composed of frame images, and an image obtained by removing the image of the frame such as a building or the like is used.

By using such a 3D map, it becomes easy to confirm the user from the vehicle side. For example, it is possible to visually confirm where and in what state the user is, such as whether the user is moving or stationary, or whether the user is inside a building. A display example of this 3D map will be described later.

The building removal/perspective display means 107 is called from the 3D map generation means 106, and performs processing for removing frame images such as buildings from the 3D map, making them transparent, and displaying them. As a result, it becomes easy for a user (for example, a pedestrian moving on a pedestrian bridge) who is moving in a building or the like whose field of view is obstructed by the building or the like to confirm. Note that the 3D map generation method itself uses a known technique.

The terminal transmission means 108 transmits the generated 3D map and other necessary information to the vehicle-mounted terminal 10 and, in some cases, the user terminal 20 .

The functional configuration of the system described above is merely an example, and one functional block (database and functional processing unit) may be divided, or a plurality of functional blocks may be collectively configured as one functional block. In each functional processing unit, a CPU (Central Processing Unit) built in the device reads a computer program stored in a storage device such as ROM (Read Only Memory), flash memory, SSD (Solid State Drive), hard disk, etc. , implemented by a computer program executed by a CPU. That is, the processing unit of each function reads and writes necessary data such as a table from a database (Data Base) stored in a storage device and a storage area on a memory, It is realized by controlling hardware (for example, an input/output device, a display device, a communication interface device). In addition, the database (DB) in the embodiment of the present invention may be a commercial database, but it also means a mere collection of tables and files, and the internal structure of the database itself does not matter. The program here may be a server-side program (control program) or a terminal-side program (application).

FIG. 4A is a diagram showing a main processing flow of the pick-up control server. In the processing flow below, the order of some steps may be changed as long as the relationship between the input and output of each step is not impaired. Each step will be described below. However, the symbols shown in FIG. 2 are omitted here.

Step S10: Wait until a boarding request is received from the user terminal. The boarding request includes at least the terminal ID, the user's current location, and the destination location. The boarding point need not be included.
Step S11: Upon receiving the boarding request, acquire related user information (for example, whether or not smoking is permitted, whether or not to share a ride, etc.).
Step S12: Search for a vehicle that matches the boarding request and user information.
Step S13: Determine whether or not a matching vehicle is found.
Step S14: If no matching vehicle is found, a notification to that effect is sent to the user terminal, and the process returns to step S10. At this time, the user can instruct the vehicle search to continue until the destination point is reached.

Step S15: If a matching vehicle is found, a process of determining a boarding point that satisfies a predetermined condition for picking up the user from a plurality of boarding point candidates is performed. The details of this boarding point determination process will be described with reference to the next figure.

Step S16: Acquire 3D map data around the user's current location and around the boarding point. The boarding point may be a candidate point instead of the determined point. With this 3D map data, the current situation of the user and the situation of the boarding point (or candidate boarding point) can be confirmed from the vehicle side. In addition to the 3D map data, an image of the boarding point taken by an in-vehicle camera of another vehicle or a fixed-point camera (security camera) in the city may be transmitted to the vehicle and displayed.

Step S17: Generate a displayable 3D map by removing or seeing through images of buildings and the like.
Step S18: Transmit the generated 3D map to the in-vehicle terminal (or to the user terminal in some cases). Note that the generation and transmission of the 3D map of the vicinity of the user's current location in steps S16 to S18 may be performed before step S15.

Step S19: Confirm whether the boarding candidate point has any problems as a boarding point (whether it satisfies a predetermined condition). Here, "predetermined conditions" are considered from the standpoint of the user (pedestrian), the standpoint of the driver of the dispatched vehicle, and the standpoint of the provider of the dispatch service. It can be considered from various angles. Pick-up point candidates may be optimal from the user's point of view but not optimal from the driver's point of view. For example, when a user gets tired of walking, he/she would like the vehicle to be dispatched to that location, but the driver may find that the location is not suitable for stopping due to the narrow road and heavy traffic. In addition, even if a point that satisfies the prescribed conditions is a candidate from the standpoint of the user and the driver, it is reasonable that the service provider does not dare to select a point that "fulfills the prescribed conditions" for the user and the driver. If there is a specific reason (for example, the cost of labor and fuel consumption can be reduced), it means that the judgment "fulfills the predetermined condition" has been made. Therefore, confirmation is requested from the user, the driver of the vehicle or another vehicle, and the provider of the dispatch service, and if there is a problem, the process returns to step S15 to determine another boarding point. If there is no problem, the process proceeds to step S20, and after determining the boarding point, waits until receiving another boarding request.

FIG. 4B is a diagram showing a modification of the main processing flow of the pick-up control server. In the processing flow of FIG. 4A, the travel route of the user is predicted, a vehicle that matches the travel route is first determined, and then a plurality of boarding position candidates are obtained from the position of the vehicle and the position of the user. The final boarding point was determined from However, in the processing flow of FIG. 4B, after determining the boarding point, one matching (optimal) vehicle is determined from among a plurality of vehicle candidates that match the boarding point. That is, a plurality of vehicle candidates are determined according to the determination of the location, and the optimum vehicle is determined from among the vehicle candidates in a relatively short period of time.

Hereinafter, the outline of the processing flow of FIG. 4B will be described, although the sequential description will be omitted. First, in step S12A, a request for boarding including the user's current location and destination is received, and vehicle candidates that match the conditions are searched in consideration of user information. However, the boarding point has not been decided at this time. Then, in steps S13 to S13A, if no matching boarding candidate is found, or if only one car is found even if found, the process proceeds to step S14 or step S15A, and the subsequent processing is the same as in the case of FIG. 4A. process.

However, if a plurality of matching boarding candidates are found in steps S13 to S13A, the process moves to steps S15B to S17B, extracts a plurality of boarding point candidates from the user's predicted movement route, and selects a candidate for the user from among the candidates. Ask them to select a pick-up point, confirm that the selected pick-up point is okay, and decide the final pick-up point. Then, in step S18A, the most suitable vehicle for the determined boarding point is determined from among the previously retrieved vehicle candidates. After that, the process moves to step S19A to generate and transmit a 3D map of the determined boarding point. As in this general method, the vehicle is determined after the pick-up point is determined, which simplifies the matching between the vehicle and the user.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing the details of the processing flow for determining the boarding point of the pick-up control server. Each step will be described below.

Step S21: Acquire the current location, destination location, moving speed, and moving direction of the user (user terminal). At this time, it is possible to confirm the situation such as whether the user is moving toward the destination point, waiting near the current point, or idling in the middle of movement.
Step S22: If the user has started to move on foot, the user's moving route to the destination point is predicted. When the user is waiting at the current location, the travel route from the current location to the destination is predicted.
Step S23: A plurality of points on the predicted travel route of the user from the current position of the vehicle are selected as candidates for boarding points.
Step S24: Among the plurality of selected candidate points, find a point that satisfies a predetermined condition (for example, the point where the user has the longest walking distance to the destination point, or the point where the user reaches the destination point earliest).
Step S25: The vehicle is instructed to start moving toward the optimum point, and thereafter, the user's position and moving route are continuously acquired at predetermined time intervals until the user gets on board.

Step S26: Confirm whether or not the user has changed the travel route. If the user has changed the travel route, return to step S22 and re-predict the user's travel route to the destination point. At this time, the boarding point is also newly determined. In addition, when a user who has been waiting near the current location or a user who has stopped moving for some reason at an intermediate location starts moving, it is also regarded as a change of the moving route.

Step S27: If the user does not change the moving route, it is determined whether the distance between the user and the vehicle is within a predetermined range (for example, about 50 to 200 m). That is, it is determined whether or not the user is within a range that can be visually confirmed.
Step S28: If the vehicle approaches the user within a predetermined distance, the final boarding point is finely adjusted based on the latest moving speed and moving direction of the user and the vehicle. This is because there may be a line of parked vehicles at the boarding point.

(Screen example)
FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of a screen displayed on the in-vehicle terminal. As already mentioned, this system can use a 3D map to confirm the status of the user's current location and the status of the scheduled boarding location (pickup location).

FIG. 6(a) is a 3D map from which all images of buildings etc. have been removed, FIG. 6(b) is an image with only the boundaries of buildings etc. left, and FIG. 6(c) is an image of buildings etc. (3D image with no texture) is left so that the other side of buildings and the like can be seen through. These screens can be switched at any time automatically by the system or by an operator's instruction. For example, if there are relatively few buildings, etc., FIG. 6C may be used, and if there are many buildings, etc., FIGS. 6A and 6B may be used.

As shown in the figure, the vehicle 10 can confirm the position of the user 20 on the other side of the building or the like. In particular, it is also effective for grasping positional relationships with height differences (for example, when users are moving on elevators, stairs, passages, or pedestrian bridges in a building). In such a case, although illustration is omitted, a message such as "the customer is moving within the building" may be displayed. The image of a person in the figure is an image, and it is not actually displayed with 3D map data alone. An image of a person walking in the city can also be combined with a 3D map. It is also possible to check users who stop by shops in the building while moving to the destination point.

(Second embodiment)
FIG. 7 is a diagram showing the functional configuration of an active vehicle pick-up control system according to the second embodiment of the present invention. In the first embodiment, the main functions are provided on the pick-up control server side, but in the second embodiment, the main functions are provided on the in-vehicle terminal side. Specifically, vehicle information transmitting means 11, boarding request receiving means 12, user location information tracking means 13, boarding point determining means 14, 3D map generating means 15, 3D map generating means 15, 3D It is provided with a map data DB 16 , building removal/perspective display means 17 , and user terminal transmission means 18 . Since the basic functions are the same as those of the first embodiment, only the outline will be described below.

The vehicle information transmission means 11 transmits vehicle information including its own position information to the vehicle information acquisition means 103 of the pick-up control server 100A periodically or in response to a request from the server. When the boarding request acquisition means 101 acquires a boarding request from the user terminal 20, it calls the user/vehicle matching means 104. The user/vehicle matching means 104 receives information on the boarding request and the vehicle information acquisition means 103. Based on the acquired vehicle information and the vehicle DB 111 and registered user DB 112 acquired from the server, a vehicle that matches the boarding request is searched.

When a matching vehicle is found, the boarding request is transmitted to the vehicle-mounted terminal 10A of the vehicle. Upon receiving the boarding request, the boarding request receiving means 12 of the vehicle-mounted terminal 10A activates the user positional information tracking means 13 to start tracking the positional information of the user terminal 20 . After that, the user position information tracking means 13 calls the boarding point determination means 14 to determine the boarding point from the boarding point candidates. When the boarding point is determined, a 3D map around the boarding point is generated by the 3D map generating means 15, the 3D map data DB 16, and the building removal/perspective display means 17. FIG. The generated 3D map is transmitted to the user terminal 20 by the user terminal transmitting means 18 . Vehicles that have been matched once may be matched again each time the user's tracking information is updated. This is because other vehicles may be more efficient (appropriate under predetermined conditions) depending on road conditions and traffic conditions.

In the second embodiment, most of the processing on the server side is performed on the vehicle side, so the load on the server side is greatly reduced.

(Effect of Embodiment)
According to this system, it is possible to provide a pick-up system that allows a user on the move to approach the vehicle and pick it up. For the vehicle side, it is possible to reduce the waiting time of waiting passengers, and even if the passenger is on board, if they are heading in the same direction, they can share the ride, or the pick-up point can be changed immediately from the drop-off point of the preceding passenger. You can also go to Also, for users, it is useful to get on at a place closer to the destination because the fare will be cheaper. , you can wait for the pick-up while walking with peace of mind.

In addition, a 3D map is generated around the user's current location and around the boarding point so that the vehicle can easily check the situation of the user picking up, and this 3D map removes images such as buildings that block the view. Also, by making it possible to see through a building or the like, it becomes easier to find the user even in a place with many buildings or the like. Also, even if the user deviates from the expected travel route, it is possible to immediately re-determine the boarding point on the changed travel route and deal with the situation.

(Application example)
In the above embodiment, a manned vehicle has been described, but the present invention can also be applied to an unmanned vehicle (in this case, the display of the 3D map on the in-vehicle terminal is unnecessary). Also, it can be applied to a case where a human being chases another moving human being.

Although the present invention has been described using the embodiments, it goes without saying that the technical scope of the present invention is not limited to the scope described in the above embodiments. It is obvious to those skilled in the art that various modifications or improvements can be made to the above embodiments. In addition, it is clear from the description of the scope of the claims that forms with such modifications or improvements can also be included in the technical scope of the present invention.

In the above-described embodiments, the present invention is the object invention, and the vehicle pick-up control server and the on-vehicle terminal in the active vehicle pick-up system have been described. It can also be regarded as the invention of a program (control program for pick-up system) that causes a computer to execute each step included in .

10 In-vehicle terminal (first embodiment) or vehicle 20 User terminal (or user)
30 network 100 pickup control server (first embodiment)
101 Boarding Request Acquisition Means 102 Location Information Tracking Means 103 Vehicle Information Acquisition Means 104 User/Vehicle Matching Means 105 Boarding Point Determining Means (First Embodiment)
106 3D map generation means (first embodiment)
107 Building removal/perspective display means (first embodiment)
108 Terminal transmitting means 111 Vehicle DB
112 Registered User DB
113 3D Map Data DB (First Embodiment)
100A Pick-up control server (second embodiment)
10A In-vehicle terminal (second embodiment)
11 vehicle information transmitting means 12 boarding request receiving means 13 user location information tracking means














14 boarding point determination means (second embodiment)
15 3D Map Generation Means (Second Embodiment)
16 3D Map Data DB (Second Embodiment)
17 Building Removal/Transparent Display Means (Second Embodiment)
18 User terminal transmission means

Claims (8)

A pick-up control server in a pick-up system in which a vehicle can track and board a user who is moving toward a destination on foot,
Boarding request acquisition means for acquiring a boarding request including a current location and a destination from the user;
vehicle information acquisition means for acquiring vehicle information including position information from the vehicle;
user/vehicle matching means for searching for a vehicle that matches the boarding request;
location information tracking means for starting to track the location information of the user and the vehicle if the matching vehicle is found;
boarding point determination means for predicting a moving route of the user and determining a boarding point satisfying a predetermined condition from a plurality of boarding point candidates where the user can board the vehicle on the moving route;
3D map generating means for generating a 3D map around the determined boarding point;
means for transmitting the generated 3D map to an in-vehicle terminal of the vehicle;
The pick-up control server receives an image of the vicinity of the boarding point taken by an on-board camera and/or a security camera of another vehicle located in the vicinity of the boarding point in order to confirm the situation around the boarding point , A pick-up control server characterized in that the image is transmitted not only to the 3D map but also to the in-vehicle terminal so that it can be displayed. The 3D map generating means includes means for generating a 3D image that can remove or see-through images of buildings such as houses, buildings, bridges, stations, and other structures, and means that the vehicle and the user are within a predetermined distance. and means for displaying a 3D image in which the image of the building or the like can be removed or made visible on the in-vehicle terminal of the vehicle in order to confirm the position of the user when the vehicle approaches the vehicle. 1. The pick-up control server according to 1. The boarding point that satisfies the predetermined condition is the point where the user can walk the longest distance to the destination point, the point where the destination point can be reached the fastest, or the point where the vehicle is not suitable for stopping from the driver's point of view. 3. The pick-up control server according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the location is a location other than the location or a location that has a rational reason from the standpoint of the provider of the vehicle dispatch service. If multiple matching vehicle candidates are found in the user/vehicle matching means,
4. The pick-up control server according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein after determining the boarding point, one matching vehicle is determined from the plurality of vehicle candidates. 2. The boarding point determining means newly determines the boarding point when the user changes the moving route or when the user starts moving from waiting. 4. The pick-up control server according to any one of items up to 4. 6. The pick-up vehicle according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the boarding point determination means comprises means for confirming with the vehicle or another vehicle whether or not there is a problem with the boarding point. control server. A control method for a pick-up system capable of tracking and boarding a user traveling on foot toward a destination, comprising:
obtaining a boarding request including a current location and a destination location from the user terminal of the user;
obtaining vehicle information including location information from an in-vehicle terminal of the vehicle;
searching for a vehicle that matches the boarding request;
starting to track location information of the user terminal and the vehicle-mounted terminal if the matching vehicle is found;
Predicting a moving route of the user terminal, and determining a boarding point that satisfies a predetermined condition for the user from a plurality of boarding point candidates where the user can board the vehicle on the moving route. ,
generating a 3D map around the determined boarding point;
transmitting the generated 3D map to an in-vehicle terminal of the vehicle;
In order to confirm the situation around the boarding point, receive an image around the boarding point taken by an on-board camera and/or a security camera of another vehicle located around the boarding point,
The control method further includes the step of transmitting the image to the in-vehicle terminal so that it can be displayed in addition to the 3D map . A control program causing a computer to execute each step of the control method according to claim 7.

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