Information processing apparatus

Abstract

To provide an information processing apparatus adapted to assist in a regional movement by introducing a moving body to go round through a plurality of areas and improve the efficiency of an operation of the moving body over the plurality of areas.SOLUTION: An information processing apparatus includes a server 1 that determines a route passing through a plurality of areas respectively having one or more footholds as a travel route of an AI-operated bus to move with users aboard. Specifically, a booking-information acquiring section 72 acquires a schedule of a movement including a foothold to use in getting on the AI-operated bus and a foothold to use when getting off the AI-operated bus, as to respective ones of one or more users, and a route determining section 73 determines two or more areas to include in a travel route from among the plurality of areas based on respective schedules for one or more users and determines respective orders of movement.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 7

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an information processing device. [Background technology]

[0002] Public transportation such as trains and subways require infrastructure for their routes, so their popularity in rural areas is slower than in urban areas. Therefore, in rural areas, buses and taxis are often used instead of these public transportation modes. As conventional techniques for using such buses, taxis, and the like, for example, a first technique and a second technique are known.

[0003] That is, as a first technique, a technique has been proposed in which a taxi is dispatched based on a boarding point designated by a user (for example, see Patent Document 1).

[0004] As a second technology, a technology has been proposed to support a car-sharing shuttle service for elderly people living in the same area, in which chauffeured vehicles are shared for transportation to facilities and locations (see, for example, Patent Document 2). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] JP 2003-030790 A [Patent Document 2] JP 2016-162438 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] However, conventional techniques including the above-mentioned first and second techniques do not take into consideration cases where a user moves across a wide area beyond a single region. In terms of money, when traveling long distances using conventional technologies, the usage fee generally increases depending on the distance or travel time. Therefore, even if infrastructure is built based on conventional technologies, the cost will be high and there will be concerns about the continuity of services.

[0007] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned circumstances, and aims to support regional travel by introducing a mobile vehicle that patrols multiple areas, while improving the efficiency of the operation of the mobile vehicle across multiple areas. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] In order to achieve the above object, an information processing device according to one aspect of the present invention comprises: An information processing device that determines a route that passes through a plurality of areas each having one or more bases as a moving route of a moving body that can move with a moving object, A schedule acquisition means for acquiring a travel schedule including a base used when getting on the moving body and a base used when getting off the moving body for each of the one or more moving objects; a route determination means for determining two or more areas to be included in the movement route from among the plurality of areas based on the schedule of each of the one or more movement objects, and determining the order of movement of each of the areas; Equipped with. Effect of the Invention

[0009] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a technology that supports regional travel by introducing a mobile object that patrols a plurality of areas, and improves the efficiency of the operation of the mobile object across the plurality of areas. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating areas where flat-rate taxis are dispatched. [Diagram 2] This is a diagram showing an example of the areas covered by flat-rate taxis and routes of AI-operated buses in the regional mobility support service. [Diagram 3]This is a diagram showing a user's reservation information when using an AI-operated bus. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of an AI-operated bus route determined based on the reservation information in FIG. 3. [Diagram 5] 1 is a diagram showing a configuration of an information processing system according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 6] 6 is a block diagram showing a hardware configuration of a server in the information processing system of FIG. 5. [Figure 7] A functional block diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of the server, flat-rate taxi terminal, AI operation bus terminal, and user terminal in Figure 5. [Figure 8] 8 is a flowchart illustrating the flow of a reservation information acquisition process executed by the server of FIG. 7. [Figure 9] 8 is a flowchart illustrating the flow of a route determination process executed by the server of FIG. 7. [Figure 10] 10 is a flowchart illustrating a detailed flow of a route information generating process in the route determination process of FIG. 9. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0011] Before describing the embodiments of the present invention, a brief description will be given of the general services that are the premise of the present invention.

[0012] Japan is becoming an ultra-aging society, with one in four people being 65 years old or older, which is causing problems not only with medical care and welfare, but also with transportation. For example, according to the results of a survey by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, the percentage of people aged 65 to 74 who have difficulty walking more than 500 meters per day is about 20%, and for those aged 75 and older, the percentage is about 50%.

[0013] On the other hand, traffic accidents caused by elderly drivers are increasing year by year, and are predicted to continue to increase in the future. As the aging population continues, the number of licensed drivers aged 75 and over is predicted to reach 5.33 million in 2018, and measures must be taken to create an environment in which elderly people can live without problems without driving. One possible measure would be to consolidate various functions in the center and keep the urban area compact (compact city), but this is difficult to realize, especially in rural areas, where various bases and residences are scattered.

[0014] Due to these circumstances, elderly people, particularly in rural areas, often have problems and worries such as "the distances they can walk get shorter as they get older," "they are afraid of traffic accidents, but not being able to drive a car will interfere with their daily lives," and "they have no neighbors and end up confined to the house, and there is no one they can rely on if something happens."

[0015] Furthermore, for the elderly, and for most people in general, purchasing and maintaining a personal vehicle is usually expensive.

[0016] Therefore, in order to support the elderly in their community life, it is necessary to build a platform that provides the value of monitoring support, community life support, and community mobility support (free movement within the community) and provide a comprehensive service for the elderly. Such a service is the service (hereinafter referred to as "this service") that is the target of the information processing system (for example, the information processing system in FIG. 5) according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0017] Users who use this service, especially elderly users, will be able to realize a "life of freedom and desire" and a "life full of meaning." On the other hand, those who provide this service (such as employees of the service provider, described below) will be able to provide the service with a "sense of purpose and fulfillment," and feel that they are being "utilized." When these functions organically, a "cycle of meaning in life" will be achieved.

[0018] Next, I will briefly explain the local life support platform that will be built with the aim of creating this kind of "cycle of meaning in life." The local life support platform is a service proposed by the applicants, and is a service provision platform that works in collaboration with other businesses to provide comprehensive services to the elderly and others. In other words, the community life support platform can provide elderly people and others with value such as "monitoring support," "community life support," and "free movement within a designated area." Specifically, for example, the local life support platform will include services such as "concierge," "local transportation support," "collection and provision of local information," and "provision of outing tickets (local currency)."

[0019] Prior to describing the embodiments of the present invention, the general services that are the premise of the present invention have been briefly described above. In the following description, the description will be centered on an example in which the "flat-rate taxi" service related to the "regional mobility support" among the various services described above is adopted.

[0020] Here, the flat-rate taxi will be explained. In the regional mobility support service described below, AI-operated buses are used for travel between regions, while flat-rate taxis are used for travel within each region. A flat-rate taxi is a taxi that has a fixed fare for travel within a specified area. Here, the term "flat rate" means that the price paid when a taxi takes a user on a trip within a specified area is fixed for a specified time unit (e.g., one month). However, the price per specified time unit (e.g., one month) is not the same for all users, and if multiple categories are set, such as three categories of Shochikubai, the price will differ for each category. In the following example, it is assumed that the user pays a fixed amount (for example, an amount determined for each category) every month to use a fixed-rate taxi.

[0021] Figure 1 is a diagram explaining the areas where flat-rate taxi dispatch is available to which this service is applied. In the example of Figure 1, areas A1 and A2 are shown. Note that the areas are merely examples and are not limited thereto, and may be any range of area, i.e., "area."

[0022] Here, each flat-rate taxi is responsible for a predetermined area and travels within that area. For example, in the example of Figure 1, the flat-rate taxi in charge of area A1 travels within area A1, and the flat-rate taxis T-1 and T-2 in charge of area A2 travel within area A2. The user sets an area including his / her home (e.g., area A2) and pays a certain amount (e.g., 30,000 yen) every month to freely use fixed-rate taxis (e.g., fixed-rate taxis T-1 and T-2 in area A2) that cover the set area. However, "free use" here means use within the range of usage methods set for each category when multiple categories are set, such as the three categories of Shochikubai.

[0023] FIG. 1 shows only flat-rate taxis T-3 and T-4 which serve area A2, but a predetermined number (for example, two) of flat-rate taxis (not shown) also serve area A1. In the example of area A2, three drivers take turns driving two flat-rate taxis, T-3 and T-4. In this way, it is preferable to assign drivers to only a specific area and limit the number of drivers to a certain number, because this makes it possible to form a close personal relationship between the user and the driver, giving the user a sense of security.

[0024] The "vision of this project" that the service providers aim for is to "build a society where elderly people can go anywhere they want to go." In order to achieve this vision, there are cases where the use of fixed-price taxis alone is not enough. For example, a user can use a flat-rate taxi to see a doctor at a family clinic in the area where the user lives, but if the user needs to go to a large hospital in another area, the flat-rate taxi, which can only travel within the same area, cannot be used. Therefore, to complement the flat-rate taxi, which can only travel within the same area, a means of transportation that can travel between areas is introduced. For example, an AI-operated bus, which will be described later, can be used as such a means of transportation. Hereafter, services that use flat-rate taxis for travel within the same area and AI-operated buses and other means of transportation for travel between different areas will be referred to as regional mobility support services.

[0025] Figure 2 shows an example of the areas covered by flat-rate taxis and routes of AI-operated buses in the local mobility support service. An AI-operated bus is not a bus that operates along fixed routes at set times like a regular bus, but rather a bus that operates on a flexible route (operating time period) that is appropriately determined by AI (Artificial Intelligence) based on the "inter-regional travel plans" of each user in each area.

[0026] Therefore, for example, the AI ​​can update the route appropriately (even while the vehicle is in motion) in response to changes in a user's plans or an increase or decrease in the number of users planning to board the vehicle (such as a sudden urge to go to the next town, or a trip being canceled due to an urgent matter).

[0027] In the example of FIG. 2, areas A1 to A7, flat-rate taxis T-1 to T-14, an AI-operated bus B, and bus stops BS-1 to BS-7 are shown.

[0028] In the following, when there is no need to distinguish between the areas A1 to A7, they will be collectively referred to as "area A." In addition, when there is no need to distinguish between the flat-rate taxis T-1 to T-14, they will be collectively referred to as "flat-rate taxi T." Furthermore, when there is no need to distinguish between bus stops BS-1 to BS-7, they will be collectively referred to as "bus stop BS."

[0029] Each of the flat-rate taxis T-1 to T-14 travels only within the area A that it is responsible for, and does not travel across two or more areas A. In the example of FIG. 2, as an example, two flat-rate taxis T are responsible for each area A, but this is not limited to this and it is sufficient that there is one or more. In addition, the number of flat-rate taxis T responsible for each area A does not need to be the same, and may be any independent number.

[0030] In the example of FIG. 2, AI bus B makes a circular trip between areas A1 to A7. However, the area A in which the AI ​​bus B can make circular trips is not particularly limited to the example in FIG. 2, and may be any area A of two or more (including areas A not shown in FIG. 2).

[0031] Each of bus stops BS-1 to BS-7 is a hub where AI-operated bus B stops in each of areas A1 to A7, respectively, and where passengers get on and off. 2, one bus stop BS-1 to one bus stop BS-7 are installed in each of the areas A1 to A7, but this is merely an example, and it is sufficient that one or more bus stops BS are installed in one area A. Also, the number of bus stops BS installed in each area A does not need to be the same, and any independent number of bus stops BS may be used.

[0032] Here, the bus stop BS is described as being "installed", but unlike a conventional bus stop for a route bus, it does not have to be "installed" specifically for the purpose of stopping AI-operated bus B. In other words, an existing location within area A can be adopted as the bus stop BS. Specifically, for example, a town meeting hall, a place for playing shogi or go, or any other place where users (elderly people) can gather and communicate (while waiting for AI-operated bus B) can be used as a bus stop BS. In other words, the fixed-rate taxi T and the AI-operated bus B are not necessarily intended to operate on time, but are intended to allow users to communicate with each other while traveling. Accordingly, it is also assumed that users will gather at a bus stop BS, such as a town meeting place, while waiting for the fixed-rate taxi T or the AI-operated bus B, or even if they do not board the bus, and communicate with each other.

[0033] Here, for example, assume that a user living in area A1 goes to a hospital in area A5. In this case, the user travels from home to bus stop BS-1 in flat-rate taxi T-1, and gets off flat-rate taxi T-1 when the user arrives at bus stop BS-1. The user then boards AI-operated bus B at bus stop BS-1, travels to bus stop BS-5 in area A5 on AI-operated bus B, and gets off AI-operated bus B when the user arrives at bus stop BS-5. The user then boards flat-rate taxi T-9 to travel to the destination hospital.

[0034] In this way, if you want to go to a destination in area A outside of area A1 where your home is located, you can use AI-operated bus B and a flat-rate taxi to get to your destination safely, at a low cost, without any hassle.

[0035] Furthermore, the flat-rate taxi T, the AI-operated bus B, and the bus stop BS are not merely means of transportation or stops, but also have the aspect of "supporting the local life of the elderly." In other words, in terms of "supporting the local life of the elderly," the user (elderly person) can get acquainted with the driver of the flat-rate taxi T by regularly using the flat-rate taxi T, and can communicate with him while traveling in the flat-rate taxi T. In other words, the driver also becomes someone who watches over the user (elderly person), and can check whether the user is alive by asking, "What happened when you haven't ridden the taxi recently, even though you always ride it?" This makes it possible to discover any problems that may occur to the user at an early stage, and serves as a means of supporting the community life of the users, i.e., elderly people. In addition, as mentioned above, bus stop BS and AI-operated bus B will provide an environment where users can communicate with each other in a lively manner.

[0036] In addition, here, an AI-operated bus does not operate on a fixed route at a fixed time like a route bus, but rather flexibly determines the operating route and operating time appropriately according to the "inter-area travel plans" of each user in each area. Therefore, the AI ​​can update the operating route as appropriate according to changes in the user's plans, an increase or decrease in the number of users (for example, a user suddenly wants to go to a neighboring town, or a user cancels a bus ride due to feeling unwell), etc. Details of the process of updating the operating route by the AI ​​will be described later using FIG. 9, etc.

[0037] Fig. 3 is a diagram showing an example of reservation information for a user when using an AI-operated bus. A user can make a reservation for riding an AI-operated bus by operating a user terminal such as a smartphone (for example, user terminal 4 in Fig. 5 described later). That is, the user uses the user terminal to specify the area where the user lives (residential area), the bus stop to use when boarding AI-operated bus B (boarding stop), the bus stop to use when disembarking from AI-operated bus B (disembarking stop), and the time period during which the user will board AI-operated bus B (boarding time period), to make a reservation.

[0038] For example, according to the reservation information in the example of FIG. 3, user U1 who resides in area A3 has made a reservation to board at bus stop BS32 in the morning and disembark at bus stop BS21. User U2 who resides in area A1 has made a reservation to board at bus stop BS11 in the morning and disembark at bus stop BS22. User Un (n is any integer) who resides in area A2 has made a reservation to board at bus stop BS21 in the daytime and disembark at bus stop BS31.

[0039] Based on this reservation information, the route of AI bus B is determined. This will be explained with reference to Figure 4.

[0040] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of an AI-operated bus route determined based on the reservation information in FIG. In the example of FIG. 4, the route is determined based on the reservation information for an earlier time period, and the route is determined so that the reservation information for the same time period can travel efficiently through each area.

[0041] For example, in the case of the reservation information in the example of FIG. 3, in the morning time slot, the route is determined so that AI-operated bus B picks up user U2 at bus stop BS11 in area A1, and then travels to area A3. Next, the route is determined so that AI-operated bus B picks up user U1 at bus stop BS32, and then travels to area A2. Next, the route is determined so that user U2 is dropped off at bus stop BS22, and user U1 is dropped off at bus stop BS21. Next, in the daytime slot, the route is determined so that AI-operated bus B picks up user Un in area A2, then travels to area A3, and then travels to area A3 to drop off user Un at bus stop BS31.

[0042] In other words, the route is determined to be in the order of stop BS11 in area A1 → stop BS32 in area A3 → stop BS22 in area A2 → stop BS21 in area A2 → stop BS31 in area A3. By moving along such a route, AI-operated bus B can travel around the area efficiently and make it easier for users who have made reservations to board and disembark.

[0043] An embodiment of an information processing system that is applied when providing the various services described above, that is, an information processing system according to one embodiment of the present invention, will be described below.

[0044] FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a configuration of an information processing system according to an embodiment of the present invention. The information processing system shown in Figure 5 is a system that manages flat-rate taxis and AI-operated buses in order to realize the regional mobility support service described above.

[0045] As shown in Figure 5, the information processing system is configured to include a server 1, flat-rate taxi terminals 2-1 to 2-m (m is any integer) installed in each of flat-rate taxis T-1 to Tn (n is any integer), an AI operation bus terminal 3 installed in an AI operation bus B, and user terminals 4-1 to 4-p (p is any integer).

[0046] The server 1, the flat-rate taxi terminals 2-1 to 2-m, the AI ​​operation bus terminal 3, and the user terminals 4-1 to 4-p are connected to each other via a predetermined network N such as the Internet.

[0047] In the following, when it is not necessary to distinguish between the flat-rate taxi terminals 2-1 to 2-m, they will be collectively referred to as the "flat-rate taxi terminal 2." Also, when it is not necessary to distinguish between the user terminals 4-1 to 4-p, they will be collectively referred to as the "user terminal 4."

[0048] FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing a hardware configuration of a server in the information processing system of FIG.

[0049] The server 1 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 11, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 12, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 13, a bus 14, an input / output interface 15, an output unit 16, an input unit 17, a memory unit 18, a communication unit 19, and a drive 20.

[0050] The CPU 11 executes various processes according to a program stored in the ROM 12 or a program loaded from the storage unit 18 into the RAM 13 . The RAM 13 also stores data and the like necessary for the CPU 11 to execute various processes.

[0051] The CPU 11, ROM 12, and RAM 13 are connected to one another via a bus 14. An input / output interface 15 is also connected to this bus 14. An output unit 16, an input unit 17, a storage unit 18, a communication unit 19, and a drive 20 are connected to the input / output interface 15.

[0052] The output unit 16 is composed of various liquid crystal displays and the like, and outputs various information. The input unit 17 is made up of various hardware buttons and the like, and is used to input various information. The storage unit 18 is composed of a hard disk, a DRAM (Dynamic Random Access Memory), etc., and stores various data. The communication unit 19 controls communication with other devices (the user terminal 4 in the example of FIG. 5) via a network N including the Internet.

[0053] The drive 20 is provided as necessary. Removable media 21, which may be a magnetic disk, an optical disk, a magneto-optical disk, a semiconductor memory, or the like, is appropriately mounted in the drive 20. A program read from the removable media 21 by the drive 20 is installed in the storage unit 18 as necessary. The removable media 21 can also store various data stored in the storage unit 18 in the same manner as the storage unit 18.

[0054] The configurations of the flat-rate taxi terminal 2, the AI ​​operation bus terminal 3, and the user terminal 4 are basically the same as the configuration of the server 1, so their explanations are omitted here. Through collaboration between the server 1, flat-rate taxi terminal 2, AI-operated bus terminal 3, and user terminal 4 in Figure 5 and various software, it becomes possible to execute the following series of processes (hereinafter referred to as "route determination processes") to determine the route of AI-operated bus B.

[0055] That is, the user terminal 4 accepts input of the above-mentioned “reservation information” as information necessary for making reservations for boarding and alighting on AI-operated bus B, and transmits the reservation information to the server 1. In the example of FIG. 3 described above, the reservation information includes user identification information, residential area information, boarding stop information, alighting stop information, and boarding time zone information. User identification information is information that identifies a user (e.g., user ID: U1). Residential area information is information that identifies the user's residential area (e.g., area A3). Boarding stop information is information that identifies the stop the user uses when boarding AI-operated bus B (e.g., stop BS32). Disembarking stop information is information that identifies the stop the user uses when disembarking from AI-operated bus B that they have boarded (e.g., stop BS21). Boarding time zone information is information that identifies the time zone the user uses when boarding AI-operated bus B (e.g., morning).

[0056] When the server 1 acquires the reservation information transmitted from the user terminal 4, the server 1 performs route determination processing from the reservation information closest to the current time based on the time period information. Specifically, the server 1 performs route determination processing to determine a route that can efficiently travel around stops in each area based on boarding stop information and alighting stop information for the time period closest to the current time. In the route determination processing, for example, the CPU 11 may execute a program that functions as an AI to learn route patterns and derive an optimal route, or a route search algorithm using dynamic programming such as the Dijkstra method may be used.

[0057] The server 1 notifies the AI ​​operation bus terminal 3 and the flat-rate taxi terminal 2 of the route information calculated by the route determination process.

[0058] The AI ​​bus-mounted terminal 3 guides AI bus B based on the notified route information.

[0059] The flat-rate taxi-equipped terminal 2 manages, for example, based on the notified route information, so that a user who gets off the AI-operated bus B at a bus stop BS in the dispatched area A can board the flat-rate taxi T, so that the AI-operated bus B arrives at the bus stop BS before the bus stops there. In addition, the flat-rate taxi terminal 2 manages the route based on the notified route information so that the AI-operated bus B arrives at the bus stop BS in the dispatched area A before the bus stops there, for example, so that the AI-operated bus B can be boarded at the bus stop BS in the dispatched area A. However, since the bus stop BS also functions as a place for users to communicate as described above, the flat-rate taxi terminal 2 flexibly manages the time period when the flat-rate taxi T arrives at the bus stop BS, taking into account the user's stay time at the bus stop BS.

[0060] Furthermore, the AI ​​operating bus mounted terminal 3 notifies the server 1 of the location information of the AI ​​operating bus B acquired by a GPS (Global Positioning System) or the like as operation status information at a predetermined timing. The flat-rate taxi mounted terminal 2 may also notify the server 1 of the location information of the flat-rate taxi T acquired continuously by a GPS or the like as operation status information at a predetermined timing.

[0061] The server 1 notifies the user terminal 4 of the operation status information of the AI ​​operation bus B (which may also include the operation status information of the flat-rate taxi T).

[0062] The user terminal 4 presents the operation status of the AI ​​bus B (and also the operation status of the flat-rate taxi) to the user based on the operation status information of the AI ​​bus B notified from the server 1 (which may also include operation status information of the flat-rate taxi T).

[0063] This series of processes is the route determination process. To realize this route determination process, the server 1, the flat-rate taxi terminal 2, the AI ​​operation bus terminal 3, and the user terminal 4 have the functional configuration shown in FIG.

[0064] FIG. 7 is a functional block diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of the server 1, the flat-rate taxi terminal 2, the AI ​​operation bus terminal 3, and the user terminal 4 in FIG.

[0065] In the CPU 81 of the user terminal 4, a reservation information input receiving unit 90, a reservation information transmission control unit 91, an operation status information acquisition unit 92, and an operation status presentation unit 93 function.

[0066] The reservation information input receiving unit 90 receives reservation information input by the user via the touch operation input unit 80 . The reservation information transmission control unit 91 executes control for transmitting the reservation information accepted by the reservation information input accepting unit 90 to the server 1 via the communication unit 83 .

[0067] The operation status information acquisition unit 92 acquires the operation status information of the AI ​​operation bus B transmitted from the server 1 (which may also include the operation status information of the flat-rate taxi T) via the communication unit 83. The operation status presentation unit 93 executes control to display the operation status information acquired by the operation status information acquisition unit 92 on the display unit 82, thereby presenting the operation status to the user.

[0068] In the CPU 30 of the fixed-rate taxi terminal 2, an operation management unit 40, an operation status information transmission control unit 41, a route information acquisition unit 42, and a route information management unit 43 function.

[0069] The operation management unit 40 manages the location information of the flat-rate taxi T, which is continuously acquired by a GPS or the like from an artificial satellite (not shown) or the like, as operation status information. The operation status information transmission control unit 41 executes control for transmitting operation status information of the flat-rate taxi T managed by the operation management unit 40 to the server 1 via the communication unit 31. The route information acquisition unit 42 acquires the route information of the AI ​​bus B transmitted from the server 1 via the communication unit 31. The route information management unit 43 manages the bus stops where users get off within the area and the scheduled alighting times based on the route information of the AI-operated bus B acquired by the route information acquisition unit 42, and guides the flat-rate taxi T.

[0070] In the CPU 50 of the AI ​​operation bus mounted terminal 3, an operation management unit 60, an operation status information transmission control unit 61, a route information acquisition unit 62, and a route information management unit 63 function.

[0071] The operation management unit 60 manages the position information of the AI ​​operation bus B, which is continuously acquired by a GPS or the like, as operation status information. The operation status information transmission control unit 61 executes control for transmitting operation status information of AI operation bus B managed by the operation management unit 60 to the server 1 via the communication unit 51. The route information acquisition unit 62 acquires the route information of the AI ​​bus B transmitted from the server 1 via the communication unit 51. The route information management unit 63 manages the route of AI bus B based on the route information of AI bus B acquired by the route information acquisition unit 62.

[0072] In the CPU 11 of the server 1, an operation status information acquisition unit 70, an operation status information transmission control unit 71, a reservation information acquisition unit 72, a route determination unit 73, and a route information transmission control unit 74 function.

[0073] The operation status information acquisition unit 70 acquires operation status information transmitted from the flat-rate taxi terminal 2 and the AI ​​operation bus terminal 3 via the communication unit 19. The operation status information transmission control unit 71 executes control for transmitting the operation status information acquired by the operation status information acquisition unit 70 to the user terminal 4 via the communication unit 19 . The reservation information acquisition unit 72 acquires the reservation information transmitted from the user terminal 4 via the communication unit 19 .

[0074] The route determination unit 73 determines a route that travels around bases such as bus stops where the reserved user gets on and off, based on the reservation information acquired by the reservation information acquisition unit 72, and generates information including the determined route as route information. Details of the route determination and update by the route determination unit 73 will be described later with reference to FIG. 10 etc. The route information transmission control unit 74 executes control for transmitting the route information generated by the route determination unit 73 to the AI ​​operation bus B and the flat-rate taxi T via the communication unit 19.

[0075] Next, the process executed by the server 1 having the functional configuration of FIG. 7 will be described with reference to FIG. 8 to FIG.

[0076] FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating the flow of the reservation information acquisition process executed by the server 1.

[0077] In step S1, the reservation information acquisition unit 72 determines whether reservation information has been transmitted. If no reservation information is transmitted from the user terminal 4, the determination in step S1 is NO, and the process in step S1 is repeated until the determination in step S1 is YES. On the other hand, if reservation information has been transmitted from the user terminal 4, the answer is determined as YES in step S1, and the process proceeds to step S2.

[0078] In step S2, the reservation information acquisition unit 72 acquires reservation information from the user terminal 4. In step S3, the reservation information acquisition unit 72 stores the acquired reservation information in a database (not shown) provided in the storage unit 18 (hereinafter referred to as “DB”).

[0079] FIG. 9 is a flowchart illustrating the flow of the route determination process executed by the server 1. In step S11, the route determination unit 73 compares the current time with the boarding time zone of the reservation information stored in the DB, and determines whether the boarding time zone has changed, i.e., whether the current time is now included in the most recent boarding time zone. If it is determined that the boarding time zone has not changed, that is, that the next boarding time zone has not arrived, the result of step S11 is NO, and the process proceeds to step S16. If it is determined that the boarding time zone has changed, that is, that the next boarding time zone has arrived, then the determination in step S11 is YES, and the process proceeds to step S12.

[0080] In step S12, the route determination unit 73 extracts reservation information for a boarding time period including the current time from the DB. In step S13, the route determination unit 73 defines the extracted reservation information as work reservation information.

[0081] In step S14, the route determination unit 73 performs a route information generation process based on the work reservation information. Details of S14 will be described with reference to FIG. In step S15, the route information transmission control unit 74 transmits the route information generated in step S14 to the mobile terminals (AI operation bus terminal 3, flat-rate taxi terminal 2).

[0082] The processing from step S16 onwards is for performing the route determination processing again by including the transmitted reservation information in the work schedule information since the boarding time zone of the reservation information transmitted from the user terminal 4 during the route determination processing is the same as the boarding time zone extracted in step S12.

[0083] In step S16, the reservation information acquisition unit 72 determines whether reservation information has been transmitted. If no reservation information is transmitted from the user terminal 4, the determination in step S16 is NO, and the process ends. On the other hand, if reservation information has been transmitted from the user terminal 4, the answer is determined as YES in step S16, and the process proceeds to step S17.

[0084] In step S 17 , the reservation information acquisition unit 72 acquires reservation information from the user terminal 4 . In step S18, the reservation information acquisition unit 72 stores the acquired reservation information in the DB. In step S19, the route determination unit 73 compares the boarding time zone of the reservation information acquired in step S17 with the current time, and determines whether the current time is included in the boarding time zone. If it is determined that the current time is not included in the boarding time zone, the result of step S19 is NO, and the process ends. If it is determined that the current time is included in the boarding time zone, the result of step S19 is YES, and the process proceeds to step S20.

[0085] In step S20, the route determination unit 73 adds the reservation information acquired in step S17 to the work reservation information defined in step S13, and repeats the processes in and after step S14.

[0086] FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing an example of a detailed flow of the route information generating process in step S14 of FIG. That is, when the process of step S13 in FIG. 9 is executed, the following process is executed as the route information generating process of step S14.

[0087] In step S31, the route determination unit 73 determines the area to be included in the route information based on the work reservation information. Here, the DB associates boarding stops and disembarking stops with the areas in which the boarding stops and disembarking stops are located. The route determination unit 73 searches the DB for and determines the area in which the boarding stops and disembarking stops are located based on the boarding stop information and disembarking stop information included in the work reservation information.

[0088] In step S32, the route determination unit 73 determines the order of moving through the areas. In the route determination process, for example, the CPU 11 may execute a program functioning as an AI to learn route patterns and derive an optimal route, or a route search algorithm using dynamic programming such as the Dijkstra method may be used.

[0089] In step S33, the route determination unit 73 determines bases for each area. The bases include the boarding stops and the alighting stops included in the reservation information. In step S34, the route determination unit 73 determines the order of moving bases. The order of moving bases for each area may be determined by, for example, having the CPU 11 execute a program functioning as an AI to learn route patterns and derive an optimal order of moving bases, or a route search algorithm using dynamic programming such as the Dijkstra method may be used. In addition, the starting base within an area may be determined based on the last base in the previous area, and the ending base within an area may be determined based on its position relative to the first base in the next area and the travel time to those bases.

[0090] In step S35, the route determination unit 73 generates the information determined in steps S31 to S34 as route information. This ends the route information generation process in step S14 in FIG. 9, and the process in step S15 in FIG. 9 is executed.

[0091] Although the embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment. Furthermore, the effects described in this embodiment are merely a list of the most preferable effects resulting from the present invention, and the effects of the present invention are not limited to those described in this embodiment.

[0092] In the above embodiment, the AI-operated bus B and the flat-rate taxi T are used as the moving body, but these are merely examples for the purpose of explanation and are not limited to these. For example, the moving body may be any transport vehicle, such as a bus, a regular fare taxi, or a car, as well as a motorcycle, a bicycle (including electric bicycles), or a ship. In addition, while the passengers of the moving body are mainly elderly people in the above-mentioned embodiment, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, people who commute to work or school may be the passengers of the moving body. In this case, the route of the moving body may be changed according to the attributes of the passengers of the moving body.

[0093] In this case, the method of collecting the mobile body fee is not particularly limited, and may be each time, or may be included in the flat-rate taxi fee for a predetermined unit (e.g., one month). When the mobile body fee is included in the flat-rate taxi fee, it may be included for all mobile body rides, or, for example, it may be included only for travel between areas registered in advance by the user (e.g., a first area where the user's home is located and a second area where the user's hospital is located).

[0094] In addition, the areas in which the moving bodies may travel as routes do not necessarily have to be the same for all moving bodies. For example, the first moving body may travel in all areas, whereas the second moving body may travel only in areas with large populations or large cities.

[0095] Furthermore, the route determination process executed by the route determination unit 73 is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and any algorithm or method may be used. In other words, any means or algorithm can be used within the scope of achieving the object of the present invention.

[0096] In the above embodiment, the boarding and disembarking stops are listed as bases, but the present invention is not limited thereto, and other locations within the area may also be included as bases. Examples of other locations include public transportation stations, town meeting places, places to play shogi or go, and other locations where users (elderly people) can gather (while waiting for the AI-operated bus) and communicate with each other, roadside stations, tourist information centers, and locations for refilling vehicle fuel and maintaining vehicles.

[0097] In the above embodiment, the boarding time period is set in units of morning, afternoon, etc., but this is merely an example and is not particularly limited to this. For example, the boarding time period may be set in units of one hour or two hours, or may be set in units of one day or two days, or further in units of weeks or months.

[0098] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the route is determined based on the reservation information transmitted from the user terminal 4, but the parameters for determining the route are not limited to this. For example, weather information, traffic congestion information (including accident information), event information for the day in the area, etc. may be used as parameters for route determination. Weather information, traffic congestion information, etc. are used as parameters for route determination because the flow of people and cars and road conditions (for example, some roads are closed) change depending on the weather conditions, and it is necessary to change the route accordingly. Note that, for example, operation status information transmitted from the AI ​​operation bus mounted terminal 3 and the flat-rate taxi mounted terminal 2 may be used as traffic congestion information.

[0099] In addition, in the above-described embodiment, the information processing system of the present invention is composed of a server 1, a flat-rate taxi terminal 2, an AI-operated bus terminal 3, and a user terminal 4, but this is merely an example for achieving the object of the present invention and is not particularly limited. Moreover, the hardware configurations shown in FIG. 6 are merely examples for achieving the object of the present invention, and are not particularly limited.

[0100] Moreover, the functional block diagram shown in Fig. 7 is merely an example and is not particularly limited. That is, it is sufficient that the information processing system is provided with a function capable of executing the above-mentioned series of processes as a whole, and the type of functional block used to realize this function is not particularly limited to the example of Fig. 7. That is, the series of processes for the route determination process may be realized by a single information processing device (e.g., server 1), or may be realized by an information processing system consisting of multiple information processing devices (server 1, user terminal 4, etc.).

[0101] Furthermore, the locations of the functional blocks are not limited to those shown in Fig. 7 and may be arbitrary. For example, at least a part of the functional blocks on the server 1 side may be provided on the user terminal 4 side, or vice versa. A single functional block may be configured as a single piece of hardware, or may be configured in combination with a single piece of software.

[0102] Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, the user terminal 4 is configured as a smartphone, but it may be configured as any device including not only a smartphone but also a tablet or a new device in the future.

[0103] When the processing of each functional block is executed by software, the software constituting the software is installed on a computer or the like from a network or a recording medium.

[0104] The computer may be a computer that is built into specialized hardware, or may be a computer that can execute various functions by installing various programs, such as a server, a general-purpose smartphone, or a personal computer.

[0105] A recording medium containing such a program may consist not only of removable media that is distributed separately from the device body in order to provide each user with the program, but also of a recording medium provided to each user in a state in which it is pre-installed in the device body.

[0106] In this specification, the steps of describing a program to be recorded on a recording medium include not only processes that are performed chronologically according to the order, but also processes that are not necessarily performed chronologically but are executed in parallel or individually.

[0107] In summary, the information processing apparatus to which the present invention is applied is sufficient if it has the following configuration, and can take various different embodiments. That is, the information processing device to which the present invention is applied is An information processing device (e.g., a server 1) that determines a route that passes through a plurality of areas each having one or more bases (e.g., bus stops) as a travel route for a moving body (e.g., an AI-operated bus, a normal fare taxi, etc.) that can carry a moving object (including a natural person), A schedule acquisition unit (e.g., the reservation information acquisition unit 72 in FIG. 7 ) that acquires a travel schedule including a base used when getting on the moving body and a base used when getting off the moving body for each of the one or more moving objects; A route determination unit (e.g., a route determination unit 73 in FIG. 7) that determines two or more areas to be included in the movement route from among the plurality of areas based on the schedule of each of the one or more movement objects, and determines the order of movement of each of the areas; Any information processing device having the above will suffice. By applying such an information processing device, it is possible to provide a technology that supports regional travel by introducing a mobile object that patrols multiple areas and improves the efficiency of the operation of the mobile object across multiple areas.

[0108] The route determination means can further determine, for each of the areas included in the movement route, bases at which the moving object will stop from among the one or more bases, and can determine the order of movement of each of them. This allows the bases for each area and the order of movement thereto to be determined, making it possible to travel efficiently within each area.

[0109] In addition, one of the areas is a moving range of a different type of moving object (for example, a flat-rate taxi) different from the moving object, The fee for the movement target to move within the area using the different type of moving object is set uniformly within the area. This allows the user (travel subject) to use a flat-rate taxi to travel from a home or other location within the area to the boarding base, or from the disembarking base in another area to a destination such as a hospital. As a result, the user can travel within the area at a flat rate without worrying about fees based on the distance and time traveled, reducing the financial burden.

[0110] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various configurations or embodiments can be adopted without departing from the gist of the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0111] 1 Server, 2 Flat-rate taxi terminal, 3 AI-operated bus terminal, 4 User terminal, 40 Operation management unit, 41 Operation status information transmission control unit, 42 Route information acquisition unit, 43 Route information management unit, 60 Operation management unit, 61 Operation status information transmission control unit, 62 Route information acquisition unit, 63 Route information management unit, 70 Operation status information acquisition unit, 71 Operation status information transmission control unit, 72 Reservation information acquisition unit, 73 Route determination unit, 74 Route information transmission control unit, 90 Reservation information input acceptance unit, 91 Reservation information transmission control unit, 92 Operation status information acquisition unit, 93 Operation status presentation unit

Claims

1. A plurality of moving objects each having one or more bases as a moving route of a moving object that can carry a moving object are provided. An information processing device for determining a route passing through an area, the plurality of areas are predetermined areas that are movement ranges of different types of moving bodies different from the moving body, and a fee for the moving subject to move within the movement range using the different type of moving body is set uniformly within the movement range for a predetermined time unit, and the moving subject can freely use the different type of moving body within the movement range on condition that the moving subject pays the fee for each predetermined time unit; a schedule generating means for generating a travel schedule including bases to be used when getting on and off the one or more moving objects for each of the one or more moving objects based on reservation details of travel from the one or more moving objects; a route determination means for determining, based on the schedule of each of the one or more moving objects, two or more areas to be included in the moving route from among the plurality of areas and determining an order of moving of each of the areas, and for each of the areas to be included in the moving route, determining a base where the moving object will stop from among the one or more bases and determining the order of moving and a scheduled arrival time of each of the areas; Equipped with When at least a part of the reservation contents is changed during or after the process of the determination by the route determination means, the route determination means reflects the change in the reservation contents and executes the process of the determination again. Information processing device.

2. A plurality of vehicles each having one or more bases as a moving route for a moving object that can carry a moving object. An information processing method executed by an information processing device that determines a route passing through an area, the plurality of areas are predetermined areas that are movement ranges of different types of moving bodies different from the moving body, and a fee for the moving subject to move within the movement range using the different type of moving body is set uniformly within the movement range for a predetermined time unit, and the moving subject can freely use the different type of moving body within the movement range on condition that the moving subject pays the fee for each predetermined time unit; a schedule generating step of generating, for each of the one or more moving objects, a travel schedule including bases to be used when getting on the moving object and bases to be used when getting off the moving object, based on reservation details of travel from the one or more moving objects; a route determination step of determining two or more areas to be included in the movement route from among the plurality of areas based on the schedule of each of the one or more movement objects, determining an order of movement of each of the areas, and determining a base where the moving object will stop from among the one or more bases for each of the areas to be included in the movement route, and determining the order of movement and a planned arrival time of each of the areas; Including, The method further includes a step of, when at least a part of the reservation contents is changed during or after the process of the determination by the route determination step, reflecting the change in the reservation contents as the process by the route determination step and executing the process of the determination again. Information processing methods.

3. A plurality of vehicles each having one or more bases as a moving route of a moving body capable of carrying a moving object. A program including a control process executed by a computer to determine a route passing through an area, the plurality of areas are predetermined areas that are movement ranges of different types of moving bodies different from the moving body, and a fee for the moving subject to move within the movement range using the different type of moving body is set uniformly within the movement range for a predetermined time unit, and the moving subject can freely use the different type of moving body within the movement range on condition that the moving subject pays the fee for each predetermined time unit; The control process includes: a schedule generating step of generating, for each of the one or more moving objects, a travel schedule including bases to be used when getting on the moving object and bases to be used when getting off the moving object, based on reservation details of travel from the one or more moving objects; a route determination step of determining two or more areas to be included in the movement route from among the plurality of areas based on the schedule of each of the one or more movement objects, determining an order of movement of each of the areas, and determining a base where the moving object will stop from among the one or more bases for each of the areas to be included in the movement route, and determining the order of movement and a planned arrival time of each of the areas; and causing a computer to execute a control process including the steps of: When at least a part of the reservation contents is changed during or after the process of the determination by the route determination step, a control process is further executed, as a process by the route determination step, including a step of reflecting the change in the reservation contents and executing the process of the determination again. program.

Images