JP7489258B2 - Vehicle allocation decision method and vehicle allocation decision device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a vehicle allocation decision method and a vehicle allocation decision device.

A vehicle dispatching device has been proposed that manages vehicles that deliver luggage entrusted to a user to a destination, and that, when there is a vehicle dispatch request from another user who wishes to board near the destination around the time of arrival at the destination, provides a vehicle dispatch service using the vehicle to the other user (see Patent Document 1).

JP 2019-105926 A

However, according to the technology described in Patent Document 1, a user who has left luggage cannot freely pick up the luggage or re-deposit the luggage. Furthermore, depending on the contents of the vehicle dispatch service provided to other users, there is a risk that a user who has left luggage cannot immediately pick up the luggage.

The present invention has been made in consideration of the above problems, and its purpose is to provide a vehicle dispatch decision method and vehicle dispatch decision device that can quickly deliver luggage to a user based on a luggage collection instruction from the user, even when a vehicle that delivers luggage entrusted to the user is used to provide a vehicle dispatch service to other users.

To solve the above-mentioned problems, a vehicle dispatch decision method and vehicle dispatch decision device according to one aspect of the present invention controls a vehicle to be located within a predetermined range from the location of a first user based on the location of a first user and the location of a vehicle associated with the first user, while receiving a reservation request from a second user, identifying a destination of the second user based on the reservation request, and determining to dispatch a vehicle to the second user if the destination is located within the predetermined range.

According to the present invention, even if a vehicle that delivers luggage entrusted to a user is used to provide a vehicle dispatch service to other users, the luggage can be quickly delivered to the user based on the luggage collection instruction from the user.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a vehicle allocation system including a vehicle allocation determination device according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing the process of the vehicle allocation determination device according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing the process of vehicle control within a predetermined range. FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing the process of determining whether or not there is an effect on the depositing user.

Next, an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In the description, the same parts will be given the same reference numerals and duplicate explanations will be omitted.

[Vehicle allocation system configuration]
Fig. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a vehicle dispatch system including a vehicle dispatch determination device according to this embodiment. As shown in Fig. 1, the vehicle dispatch system includes an in-vehicle device 100, a vehicle dispatch server 200 (vehicle dispatch determination device), and a user terminal 300 (terminal), which are connected to each other via a wireless or wired network 400. The in-vehicle device 100 is mounted on a vehicle (dispatched vehicle) that is managed by the vehicle dispatch system. The vehicle dispatched is not shown in Fig. 1.

The in-vehicle device 100 controls the dispatched vehicle based on commands from the dispatch server 200, which will be described later. In addition, the in-vehicle device 100 acquires information about the surroundings of the dispatched vehicle or information about the inside of the dispatched vehicle obtained by the dispatched vehicle, and transmits the information to the dispatch server 200.

The vehicle dispatch server 200 acquires requests from users and information on vehicles to be dispatched, and determines the vehicle to be dispatched based on the acquired information. The vehicle dispatch server 200 may be installed on the vehicle to be dispatched, or may be installed outside the vehicle to be dispatched.

The user terminal 300 accepts a user operation and generates a request from the user based on the user operation. The generated request is sent to the vehicle dispatch server 200. An example of the user terminal 300 is a mobile terminal (smartphone, tablet, etc.) that the user uses on a daily basis.

In addition, the user terminal 300 may include a GPS receiver. The GPS receiver detects the location information (including latitude and longitude information) of the user terminal 300 on the ground by receiving radio waves from artificial satellites. However, the method of detecting the location information of the user terminal 300 is not limited to a GPS receiver. For example, the location information of the user terminal 300 may be estimated based on the reception conditions of radio waves from multiple mobile phone base stations.

User requests are classified into reservation requests and call requests.

A reservation request is a request indicating a user's request to use a dispatched vehicle, and includes information on the departure point and destination of the dispatched vehicle. For example, if a user wishes to travel by boarding a dispatched vehicle, information on the user's boarding and disembarking points for the dispatched vehicle may be included in the reservation request as the departure point and destination of the dispatched vehicle.

In addition, if a user wishes to reserve a vehicle for delivery of his/her luggage, the reservation request may include information about the user's departure point and destination as the departure point and destination of the vehicle.

In addition, the reservation request may include information about the arrival time of the dispatched vehicle at the specified location (start point, destination, boarding point, disembarking point).

A call request is a request indicating a request by a user (luggage deposit user/first user) who has reserved a dispatch vehicle to have the reserved dispatch vehicle called to the user's location. For example, if a user requests to deposit their luggage in a dispatch vehicle, the call request includes information on the luggage deposit point (the location where the luggage is deposited in the dispatch vehicle). Also, if a user requests to unload their luggage from a dispatch vehicle, the call request includes information on the unloading point (the location where the luggage is unloaded from the dispatch vehicle).

The call request may also include information about the arrival time of the dispatched vehicle at the specified location (drop-off point or unloading point).

The specified location and arrival time included in the request may be specified by the user via the user terminal 300, or may be set by the dispatch server 200 based on the status of the dispatch vehicle and traffic congestion information in the area where the dispatch vehicle is traveling.

In addition, a request from a user may include the user's planned activities (areas to be visited, destinations, expected time of arrival in those areas, etc.).

A dispatch vehicle is a vehicle that provides transportation or delivery means from a departure point to a destination specified by a request, and examples of such vehicles include autonomous vehicles. Other examples of dispatch vehicles include various forms of transportation, such as manned or unmanned taxis, buses, and trucks. A dispatch system has multiple locations and multiple dispatch vehicles registered.

The network 400 may be, for example, the Internet. The network 400 may also use a mobile communication function such as 4G/LTE or 5G.

Although not shown in FIG. 1, a management server of a servicer (e.g., a vehicle dispatch service provider such as Mobility Technologies (registered trademark) or UBER (registered trademark)) may be connected to the network 400 and form part of the vehicle dispatch system.

In this case, the request sent from the user terminal 300 may be processed by the management server of the servicer, and the processed request may be sent to the dispatch server 200. Also, the information on the dispatched vehicle may be processed by the management server of the servicer, and the processed information on the dispatched vehicle may be sent to the dispatch server 200.

Furthermore, the dispatch vehicle information output from the dispatch server 200 may be processed by the servicer's management server, and the processed information may be transmitted to the user terminal 300.

In the following, to simplify the explanation, the servicer's management server is omitted, and it is assumed that the user terminal 300 can communicate bidirectionally with the dispatch server 200 via the network 400, and further that the in-vehicle device 100 can communicate bidirectionally with the dispatch server 200 via the network 400.

[Configuration of the in-vehicle device]
Next, a description will be given of the in-vehicle device 100. As shown in FIG.

The sensor 120 detects various information. The sensor 120 includes a laser range finder that uses light waves to measure distance, a camera that captures still images and videos, and a sonar that uses ultrasonic waves to measure distance. The sensor 120 also includes a speed sensor that detects the speed of the vehicle, an acceleration sensor that detects the acceleration of the vehicle, and a steering angle sensor that detects the steering angle of the vehicle.

Sensor 120 may also include a GPS receiver. The GPS receiver detects the vehicle's position information (including latitude and longitude information) on the ground by receiving radio waves from artificial satellites. However, the method of detecting the vehicle's position information is not limited to a GPS receiver. For example, the position may be estimated using a method called odometry. Odometry is a method of estimating the vehicle's position by determining the amount and direction of movement of the vehicle according to the vehicle's rotation angle and rotation angular velocity. In this case, sensor 120 includes a steering angle sensor, a wheel speed sensor, and a gyro sensor.

In addition, the sensor 120 may include a group of sensors that measure information about the surroundings of the dispatch vehicle. The sensor 120 is not limited to these.

The vehicle-side controller 130 is connected to the sensor 120 and the communication unit 110. Information from the sensor 120 and the communication unit 110 is input to the vehicle-side controller 130, and information is output from the vehicle-side controller 130 to the communication unit 110.

The vehicle controller 130 is a general-purpose microcomputer equipped with a CPU (Central Processing Unit), memory, and input/output units. A specific computer program is installed in the vehicle controller 130. By executing the computer program, the vehicle controller 130 controls the sensor 120 and the communication unit 110.

The various information processes provided by the vehicle controller 130 may be realized by software or by dedicated hardware.

The communication unit 110 transmits and receives information to and from the network 400. The communication unit 110 stores information acquired from the network 400 in a memory or the like (not shown), and also outputs information about the surroundings of the dispatch vehicle and information about the inside of the dispatch vehicle acquired by the sensor 120 to the network 400. For example, the communication unit 110 may be a device equipped with a 4G/LTE mobile communication function, or may be a device equipped with a Wi-Fi communication function.

[Configuration of the vehicle allocation determination device]
Next, a description will be given of the vehicle allocation server 200, which is a vehicle allocation determination device according to this embodiment. As shown in Fig. 1, the vehicle allocation server 200 includes a communication unit 210, a database 220 (storage unit), and a server-side controller 230 (controller).

The communication unit 210 transmits and receives information to and from the network 400. The communication unit 210 acquires predetermined information from the network 400, such as a request transmitted from the user terminal 300, and records the acquired information in the database 220 or in a memory (not shown). The communication unit 210 also transmits a travel plan for the dispatched vehicle created by the server-side controller 230 to the in-vehicle device 100 via the network 400.

For example, the communication unit 210 may be a device with 4G/LTE mobile communication capabilities, or a device with Wi-Fi communication capabilities.

The database 220 stores requests acquired by the communication unit 210. The database 220 also acquires and stores information about dispatched vehicles used to create driving plans for dispatched vehicles, as well as map information, traffic congestion information, and the like, from external servers via the communication unit 210.

In addition, the database 220 may store the user's planned activities based on a request. The database 220 may obtain the planned activities of the user who issued the request from an external server via the communication unit 210 and store them. The database 220 may also store a user and a dispatched vehicle used by the user in association with each other. For example, when the user's luggage is left in a vehicle, the database 220 may store a user and a dispatched vehicle in association with each other.

The server-side controller 230 (an example of a controller, control unit, or processing unit) is a general-purpose microcomputer equipped with a CPU (central processing unit), memory, and input/output units. A computer program (dispatch decision program) for functioning as part of the dispatch decision device is installed in the server-side controller 230. By executing the computer program, the server-side controller 230 functions as multiple information processing circuits (231, 233, 235, 237, 241, 243).

Here, an example is shown in which the multiple information processing circuits (231, 233, 235, 237, 241, 243) of the server-side controller 230 are realized by software. However, it is also possible to configure the information processing circuits (231, 233, 235, 237, 241, 243) by preparing dedicated hardware for executing each of the information processes shown below. Also, the multiple information processing circuits (231, 233, 235, 237, 241, 243) may be configured by individual hardware.

As shown in FIG. 1, the server-side controller 230 includes a request acquisition unit 231, a position acquisition unit 233, a map information acquisition unit 235, a traffic congestion information acquisition unit 237, a waiting area setting unit 241, and a vehicle dispatch plan setting unit 243 as multiple information processing circuits (231, 233, 235, 237, 241, 243).

The request acquisition unit 231 (request acquisition means) acquires requests (reservation requests and call requests) from users. Specifically, the request acquisition unit 231 acquires requests sent from the user terminal 300 via the communication unit 210. Alternatively, the request acquisition unit 231 may refer to the database 220 at regular intervals and acquire requests stored in the database 220.

The request acquired by the request acquisition unit 231 is sent to the vehicle dispatch plan setting unit 243, which will be described later.

The position acquisition unit 233 (position acquisition means) acquires the user's position information and the vehicle position information of the dispatched vehicle via the communication unit 210. Specifically, the position acquisition unit 233 acquires the position information of the user terminal 300 via the communication unit 210, and sets the acquired position information of the user terminal 300 as the user's position information. In addition, the position acquisition unit 233 acquires the position information of the dispatched vehicle as vehicle position information via the communication unit 210.

In addition, if the user's planned activities are stored in advance in the database 220, the location acquisition unit 233 may estimate the user's location information based on the user's planned activities. Specifically, the location acquisition unit 233 may acquire the areas the user plans to visit, the destination, and the estimated time of arrival in the areas, etc. from the user's planned activities, calculate the travel route, travel speed, etc. when the user moves between areas, and estimate the user's location information based on the calculated travel route and travel speed.

In addition, when a dispatch plan has already been set for a dispatch vehicle, the position acquisition unit 233 may estimate the vehicle position information of the dispatch vehicle based on the set dispatch plan. Specifically, the position acquisition unit 233 may estimate the vehicle position information of the dispatch vehicle based on the travel route and travel speed included in the dispatch plan.

The user's location information and the vehicle location information of the dispatched vehicle acquired or estimated by the location acquisition unit 233 are transmitted to the map information acquisition unit 235, the traffic congestion information acquisition unit 237, the waiting area setting unit 241, and the dispatch plan setting unit 243, which will be described later.

The map information acquisition unit 235 (map information acquisition means) acquires map information stored in the database 220. In particular, the map information acquisition unit 235 acquires map information around the user's position based on the user's position information, and acquires map information of the area in which the dispatch vehicle travels based on the vehicle position information of the dispatch vehicle. The map information acquisition unit 235 may acquire map information from an external server via the communication unit 210, instead of acquiring map information from the database 220.

The map information acquired by the map information acquisition unit 235 includes information on road structure such as absolute lane positions, lane connections, relative positional relationships, stop line positions, traffic light positions corresponding to stop lines, and traffic light types.

The map information acquired by the map information acquisition unit 235 is transmitted to the waiting area setting unit 241 and the vehicle allocation plan setting unit 243, which will be described later.

The traffic congestion information acquisition unit 237 (traffic congestion information acquisition means) acquires traffic congestion information (traffic congestion information for the area in which the dispatched vehicle travels) stored in the database 220. In particular, the traffic congestion information acquisition unit 237 acquires traffic congestion information around the user's location based on the user's location information, and acquires traffic congestion information for the area in which the dispatched vehicle travels based on the vehicle location information of the dispatched vehicle. Instead of acquiring traffic congestion information from the database 220, the traffic congestion information acquisition unit 237 may acquire the information from an external server via the communication unit 210.

The congestion information acquired by the congestion information acquisition unit 237 includes, for example, information such as the moving speed of vehicles on lanes and vehicle density (the number of vehicles per unit length of the road). In addition, the congestion information may include, for example, information about roads that other vehicles have already passed (information obtained as surrounding information of other vehicles by the sensor 120 mounted on the other vehicles) and information such as the passing history of dispatch vehicles.

The traffic congestion information acquired by the traffic congestion information acquisition unit 237 is transmitted to the waiting area setting unit 241 and the vehicle allocation plan setting unit 243, which will be described later.

The waiting range setting unit 241 (waiting range setting means) targets a dispatched vehicle reserved by a user and sets a predetermined range from the location of the user who made the reservation as a waiting range for the dispatched vehicle based on the user's location information.

The waiting range setting unit 241 may calculate a range on a map where the travel distance of the dispatch vehicle to reach the user's location is less than a predetermined distance as the predetermined range, and set this as the waiting range. The waiting range setting unit 241 may also calculate a range on a map where the travel time of the dispatch vehicle to reach the user's location is less than a predetermined time as the predetermined range, and set this as the waiting range. The waiting range setting unit 241 may calculate the predetermined range based on map information and traffic congestion information.

In addition, the waiting range setting unit 241 may set the waiting time of a user who has reserved a dispatch vehicle (the maximum time that the user is willing to wait from when the user issues a call request until the dispatch vehicle arrives at the user's location) to a predetermined time. The waiting time of a user may be set in association with each user, or may be set as the same value for multiple users.

The available waiting time may be set according to the time period (morning, afternoon, evening, etc.) when the dispatch vehicle is dispatched. For example, if it is considered that users are less likely to wait in the morning or evening compared to the daytime, the available waiting time set for the morning or evening time period may be set shorter than the available waiting time set for the daytime period.

The available waiting time may be set according to the user's priority (beginner, intermediate, advanced, etc.). As the user's priority increases, the available waiting time may be set shorter to improve user convenience.

In addition, the waiting range setting unit 241 may transmit the set waiting range to a terminal of another user (second user) different from the user who has reserved the dispatched vehicle (baggage deposit user/first user).

The vehicle dispatch plan setting unit 243 (vehicle dispatch plan setting means) creates a vehicle dispatch plan for traveling via a specified departure point and destination based on map information, traffic congestion information, and a request from a user. In the vehicle dispatch plan, the route (travel plan) along which the vehicle will travel is created using an existing vehicle dispatch plan creation method.

In particular, the vehicle allocation plan setting unit 243 determines whether a vehicle reserved by a user can be used for a vehicle allocation plan based on a reservation request from another user (second user) different from the user (baggage deposit user/first user) who has reserved the vehicle. Details will be explained later together with the explanation of the vehicle allocation decision processing procedure.

The vehicle allocation plan setting unit 243 also controls the vehicle to be allocated, for vehicles reserved by the user, so that the vehicle stays within the waiting range set by the waiting range setting unit 241. Specifically, if the vehicle to be allocated is not located within the waiting range, a driving plan is created for driving from the current position of the vehicle to a position within the waiting range. The created driving plan is then transmitted to the in-vehicle device 100 via the communication unit 210, and the vehicle to be allocated is controlled.

In addition, the vehicle allocation plan setting unit 243 may notify the user who made the reservation when a vehicle reserved by a user is to be used for a vehicle allocation plan based on a reservation request from a user other than the user who reserved the vehicle.

More specifically, when the vehicle dispatch plan setting unit 243 receives a call request from the user who made the reservation after deciding to dispatch a vehicle to another user, the vehicle dispatch plan setting unit 243 may transmit to the user's terminal the time at which the vehicle will arrive at the location of the user who made the reservation after arriving at the destination related to the reservation request of the other user.

In addition, when a dispatch vehicle reserved by a user is used for a dispatch plan based on a reservation request from another user other than the user who has reserved the dispatch vehicle, the dispatch plan setting unit 243 may transmit, to the dispatch vehicle, control information for implementing a dispatch plan for implementing a call request from the user who made the reservation after implementing a dispatch plan for implementing the reservation request from the other user.

More specifically, when the vehicle dispatch plan setting unit 243 receives a call request from the user who made the reservation after deciding to dispatch a vehicle to another user, the vehicle dispatch plan setting unit 243 may transmit, to the vehicle dispatched, control information for driving the vehicle to the location of the user who made the reservation via the destination related to the reservation request of the other user.

[Vehicle allocation decision processing procedure]
Next, an example of the processing procedure of vehicle allocation decision according to this embodiment will be described with reference to the flowcharts of Figures 2 to 4. Figure 2 is a flowchart showing the processing of the vehicle allocation decision device according to this embodiment. The processing of the vehicle allocation decision device shown in Figure 2 is performed for vehicles that have already been reserved by a baggage depositing user. Figure 3 is a flowchart showing the processing of vehicle control within a predetermined range (step S101 in Figure 2). Figure 4 is a flowchart showing the processing of determining whether or not there is an impact on the baggage depositing user (step S109 in Figure 2).

First, in step S101, the vehicle dispatch plan setting unit 243 performs vehicle control of dispatched vehicles within a predetermined range.

The process of vehicle control within a predetermined range is described with reference to FIG. 3. In step S201, the position acquisition unit 233 acquires or estimates the position information of the depositing user and the vehicle position information of the dispatched vehicle.

In step S203, the waiting range setting unit 241 calculates the area on the map within which the travel distance of the dispatch vehicle to reach the location of the baggage deposit user is less than a predetermined distance as the predetermined range, and provisionally sets this as the waiting range.

In step S205, the map information acquisition unit 235 acquires map information, and the traffic congestion information acquisition unit 237 acquires traffic congestion information.

In step S207, the waiting range setting unit 241 determines whether the dispatched vehicle can arrive at the depositing user within a specified time.

If it is determined that the baggage cannot arrive at the depositing user within the specified time (NO in step S207), the process proceeds to step S209, where the specified distance used to provisionally set the waiting range is set to a shorter value. Then, the process returns to step S201.

On the other hand, if it is determined that the package can arrive at the depositing user within the specified time (YES in step S207), the process proceeds to step S211, and the waiting range setting unit 241 officially sets the provisionally set waiting range.

In step S213, the vehicle dispatch plan setting unit 243 determines whether a dispatch vehicle is located within the waiting area.

If it is determined that the dispatch vehicle is not located within the waiting range (NO in step S213), the process proceeds to step S215, and the dispatch plan setting unit 243 performs control to move the dispatch vehicle within the waiting range.

On the other hand, if it is determined that the dispatched vehicle is located within the waiting range (YES in step S213), the vehicle control process within the specified range ends.

Returning to the flowchart in FIG. 2, in step S103, the dispatch plan setting unit 243 determines whether or not there is a call request from the baggage deposit user.

If it is determined that a call request has been made by the depositing user (YES in step S103), the process proceeds to step S105, and the vehicle dispatch plan setting unit 243 controls the dispatch of a vehicle to the depositing user based on the call request.

On the other hand, if it is determined that there is no call request from the depositing user (NO in step S103), in step S107, the dispatch plan setting unit 243 determines whether there is a reservation request from another user.

If it is determined that there are no reservation requests from other users (NO in step S107), the process returns to step S101.

On the other hand, if it is determined that there is a reservation request from another user (YES in step S107), in step S109, the vehicle dispatch plan setting unit 243 performs a process to determine whether or not there is an impact on the depositing user.

The process of determining whether or not there is an impact on the user depositing the baggage is described with reference to FIG. 4. In step S251, the vehicle dispatch plan setting unit 243 acquires boarding and disembarking location information based on a reservation request from another user. That is, the vehicle dispatch plan setting unit 243 identifies the destination of the other user based on the reservation request from the other user.

In step S253, the dispatch plan setting unit 243 determines whether the boarding location/disembarking location is within the waiting range set by the waiting range setting unit 241.

If it is determined that the vehicle is not within the waiting range (NO in step S253), the process proceeds to step S263, and the vehicle dispatch plan setting unit 243 determines that there is no impact on the depositing user.

On the other hand, if it is determined that the vehicle is within the waiting range (YES in step S253), in step S255, the map information acquisition unit 235 acquires map information, and the traffic congestion information acquisition unit 237 acquires traffic congestion information.

Then, in step S257, the vehicle dispatch plan setting unit 243 creates a vehicle dispatch plan for carrying out the reservation requests of other users based on the acquired map information, traffic congestion information, and reservation requests from other users.

In step S259, the vehicle dispatch plan setting unit 243 determines whether the vehicle dispatch plan for implementing the reservation request of the other user will have an effect on the usage schedule of the depositing user. More specifically, it determines whether the vehicle dispatch plan for implementing the reservation request of the other user will be unable to arrive at the destination specified in the reservation request of the depositing user by the specified arrival time when the reservation request of the other user is implemented.

If it is determined that the deposit user's usage schedule is affected (NO in step S259), proceed to step S263.

On the other hand, if it is determined that there is no impact on the usage schedule of the depositing user (YES in step S259), the process proceeds to step S261, and the vehicle dispatch plan setting unit 243 determines that there is an impact on the depositing user.

Returning to the flowchart in FIG. 2, in step S111, the dispatch plan setting unit 243 refers to the determination result as to whether or not there is an impact on the deposit user.

If it is determined that the deposit user is affected (YES in step S111), the process returns to step S101.

On the other hand, if it is not determined that the depositing user is affected (NO in step S111), in step S113, the vehicle dispatch plan setting unit 243 notifies the depositing user and sends a message requesting consent as to whether or not the vehicle reserved by the depositing user may be used for reservation requests by other users. Then, it is determined whether or not the depositing user consents.

If it is determined that the deposit user has not given consent (NO in step S113), the process returns to step S101.

On the other hand, if it is determined that the depositing user has given consent (YES in step S113), the process proceeds to step S115, where the vehicle reserved by the depositing user is used to dispatch a vehicle based on the reservation request of another user. Then, the process returns to step S101.

[Effects of the embodiment]
As described in detail above, the vehicle dispatch decision method and vehicle dispatch decision device of this embodiment associate a first user with a vehicle and store it, acquire the position of the first user as first position information, acquire the position of the vehicle as vehicle position information, and control the vehicle so that the vehicle is located within a predetermined range from the position of the first user based on the first position information and the vehicle position information, while receiving a reservation request from a second user, identifying the destination of the second user based on the reservation request, and deciding to dispatch a vehicle to the second user if the destination is located within the predetermined range.

This allows the vehicle to be quickly dispatched to the first user based on instructions from the first user, even when a vehicle dispatch service to a second user is provided using a vehicle reserved by the first user.

The vehicle dispatch decision method and vehicle dispatch decision device according to this embodiment may also store a first user and a vehicle in association with each other when the first user's luggage is deposited in the vehicle. This allows the luggage to be promptly delivered to the first user based on a luggage collection instruction from the first user, even when a vehicle dispatch service to a second user is provided using a vehicle that delivers luggage deposited by the first user.

In addition, when there is a vehicle that does not have a first user on board and is only used to deliver the first user's luggage, the vehicle's vacant seats can be used to provide services to the second user. As a result, the vehicle's operating rate can be improved while maintaining a situation in which luggage can be delivered quickly to the first user.

In addition, in the vehicle dispatch decision method and vehicle dispatch decision device according to this embodiment, the predetermined range may be a range on a map in which the travel distance of the vehicle to reach the location of the first user is less than or equal to a predetermined distance. This allows the package to be quickly delivered to the first user based on a package reception instruction from the first user.

Furthermore, in the vehicle dispatch decision method and vehicle dispatch decision device according to this embodiment, the predetermined range may be a range on a map in which the travel time by a vehicle to reach the location of the first user is less than or equal to a predetermined time. This allows the package to be quickly delivered to the first user based on a package collection instruction from the first user.

In addition, in the vehicle allocation decision method and vehicle allocation decision device according to this embodiment, the predetermined time may be a waiting time of the first user that is set in association with the first user. This ensures that the time until the package is delivered to the first user based on a package reception instruction from the first user is equal to or shorter than the waiting time of the first user, and prevents a decrease in convenience for the first user even when a service is provided to a second user.

Furthermore, the vehicle allocation decision method and vehicle allocation decision device according to this embodiment may transmit information of a predetermined range to a terminal of a second user. This allows the second user to recognize the range in which the vehicle reserved by the first user can be used, and to change his/her reservation request according to the presented information of the predetermined range. As a result, it is possible to improve the utilization rate of the vehicle reserved by the first user.

Furthermore, the vehicle allocation decision method and vehicle allocation decision device according to this embodiment may, when a call request is received from a first user after deciding to allocate a vehicle to a second user, transmit to the terminal of the first user the time at which the vehicle will arrive at the location of the first user after arriving at the destination. This allows the first user to recognize the exact time of receipt of the luggage even if the vehicle reserved by the first user is used to provide a service to the second user. As a result, the first user can use the time until receipt of the luggage for other purposes. This makes it possible to prevent a decrease in convenience for the first user.

Furthermore, the vehicle allocation decision method and vehicle allocation decision device according to this embodiment may transmit, when a call request is received from a first user after it has been decided to allocate a vehicle to a second user, control information to the vehicle for driving the vehicle to the location of the first user via the destination. This makes it possible to provide both a service to the second user and deliver packages to the first user. Furthermore, it is possible to improve the utilization rate of the vehicle reserved by the first user.

Each of the functions described in the above embodiments may be implemented by one or more processing circuits. Processing circuits include programmed processors, electrical circuits, and even devices such as application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), and circuit components arranged to perform the described functions.

The contents of the present invention have been described above in accordance with the embodiments, but the present invention is not limited to these descriptions, and it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that various modifications and improvements are possible. The descriptions and drawings that form part of this disclosure should not be understood as limiting the present invention. Various alternative embodiments, examples, and operating techniques will be apparent to those skilled in the art from this disclosure.

The present invention naturally includes various embodiments not described here. Therefore, the technical scope of the present invention is determined only by the invention-specific matters related to the scope of the claims that are appropriate from the above description.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 100 Vehicle-mounted device 110 Communication unit 120 Sensor 130 Vehicle-side controller 200 Vehicle dispatch server 210 Communication unit 220 Database 230 Controller 231 Request acquisition unit 233 Position acquisition unit 235 Map information acquisition unit 237 Traffic congestion information acquisition unit 241 Waiting area setting unit 243 Vehicle dispatch plan setting unit 300 User terminal 400 Network

Claims (8)

A vehicle allocation determination method for controlling a controller connected to a communication unit, comprising:
The controller:
Acquire a location of a first user as first location information;
Acquire, as vehicle position information, a position of a vehicle used to deliver luggage entrusted to the first user ;
while controlling the vehicle based on the first position information and the vehicle position information so that the vehicle continues to be located within a predetermined range determined based on the position of the first user;
receiving a reservation request from a second user different from the first user via the communication unit ;
Identifying a destination for the second user based on the booking request;
A vehicle allocation determination method, comprising: determining to allocate the vehicle to the second user when the destination is located within the specified range. 2. The vehicle allocation determination method according to claim 1,
The controller sets, as the predetermined range, a range on a map in which a travel distance by the vehicle until the position of the first user is reached is equal to or shorter than a predetermined distance.
A vehicle dispatch decision method comprising the steps of: The vehicle allocation determination method according to claim 1 or 2 ,
The controller sets, as the predetermined range, a range on a map in which a travel time by the vehicle to reach the position of the first user is equal to or shorter than a predetermined time.
A vehicle dispatch determination method comprising the steps of: A vehicle allocation determination method according to claim 3 , comprising:
the controller sets an available standby time of the first user, which is set in association with the first user, as the predetermined time.
A vehicle dispatch determination method comprising the steps of: A vehicle allocation determination method according to any one of claims 1 to 4 ,
The vehicle dispatch determination method, characterized in that the controller transmits the information within the specified range to a terminal of the second user via the communication unit . A vehicle allocation determination method according to any one of claims 1 to 5 ,
A vehicle dispatch decision method characterized in that, when the controller receives a call request from the first user after deciding to dispatch the vehicle to the second user, the controller transmits the time when the vehicle will arrive at the first user's position after arriving at the destination to the first user's terminal via the communication unit . A vehicle allocation determination method according to any one of claims 1 to 6 ,
The vehicle dispatch decision method is characterized in that, when the controller receives a call request from the first user after deciding to dispatch the vehicle to the second user, it transmits control information to the vehicle via the communication unit, for the vehicle to travel via the destination to the location of the first user. A vehicle dispatch determination device including a communication unit and a controller ,
The controller:
Acquire a location of a first user as first location information;
Acquire, as vehicle position information, a position of a vehicle used to deliver luggage entrusted to the first user ;
while controlling the vehicle based on the first position information and the vehicle position information so that the vehicle continues to be located within a predetermined range determined based on the position of the first user;
receiving a reservation request from a second user different from the first user via the communication unit;
Identifying a destination for the second user based on the booking request;
A vehicle allocation decision device, characterized in that, when the destination is located within the specified range, it decides to allocate the vehicle to the second user.

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