Vehicle dispatch management device and communication control method in vehicle dispatch management system

Abstract

To enable vehicle to continue traveling as much as possible even when a failure occurs in a communication network.SOLUTION: The present invention is a vehicle dispatch management device for managing dispatching of vehicles in response to a request for dispatching of a vehicle from a user. The device comprises: a communication control unit for controlling communication with the vehicle via a communication network; and a vehicle travel monitoring unit for monitoring and controlling the traveling of the vehicle on the basis of traveling management information for traveling of the vehicle that is acquired by the communication. The communication control unit includes a communication state evaluation unit for evaluating the communication state of the communication network. When it is evaluated that the communication state is not normal, the communication control unit exercises control to enable communication with the vehicle via an alternative communication network, and controls a communication data volume for each piece of information in the traveling management information communicated via the alternative communication network, on the basis of the traveling management information.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a communication control method in a vehicle allocation management device and a vehicle allocation management system.

Background Art

[0002] In recent years, a vehicle allocation service that allocates a vehicle to a user using a driverless vehicle has been put into practical use. In such a vehicle allocation service using a driverless vehicle, the vehicle transports the user to the destination while communicating with a vehicle allocation management device via a predetermined communication network.

[0003] For example, Patent Document 1 below discloses a technique in which an information processing device for managing reservations of a moving body and reservation conditions thereof allocates a second moving body different from the first moving body when the first moving body cannot fulfill the reservation after allocating the first moving body. In Patent Document 1, accidents such as vehicle failures and accidents are shown as cases where the first moving body cannot fulfill the reservation.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] The technique disclosed in Patent Document 1 above arranges for a replacement vehicle when an accident such as a vehicle failure or incident occurs, but cannot handle the occurrence of an accident related to the communication environment such as the interruption of communication necessary for the autonomous driving of the vehicle.

[0006] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a technique that can continue the travel of the vehicle to the destination as much as possible even when a communication failure occurs in the communication network normally used for the vehicle to travel.

Means for Solving the Problem

[0007] The present invention for solving the above problems is configured to include the following invention specific matters or technical features.

[0008] According to one aspect, the present invention is a vehicle dispatching management device that manages vehicle dispatching in response to a user's vehicle dispatching request. The device includes a communication control unit that controls communication with the vehicle via a communication network, and a vehicle travel monitoring unit that monitors and controls the travel of the vehicle based on travel management information for the travel of the vehicle acquired by the communication. The communication control unit includes a communication status evaluation unit that evaluates the communication status of the communication network, and when the communication status is evaluated as abnormal, controls to enable communication with the vehicle via an alternative communication network, and controls the communication data volume for each piece of information in the travel management information communicated via the alternative communication network based on the travel management information.

[0009] The present invention also exists as a communication control method in a vehicle dispatching management system including a vehicle dispatching management device that manages vehicle dispatching in response to a vehicle dispatching request, a computer program for executing the method, and a recording medium that non-temporarily records the program.

[0010] In the present disclosure, the "system" refers to a thing in which a plurality of devices (or functional modules that realize specific functions) are logically aggregated, and it does not matter whether each device or functional module is in a single housing.

Advantages of the Invention

[0011] According to the present invention, even when a communication failure occurs in the communication network normally used for the vehicle to travel, the vehicle can continue to travel to the destination as much as possible.

[0012] Other technical features, objects, effects, and advantages of the present invention will be clarified by the following embodiments described with reference to the accompanying drawings. The effects described in this specification are merely examples and are not limiting, and there may be other effects.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0013]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Modes for Carrying Out the Invention

[0014] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. However, the embodiments described below are merely examples and are not intended to exclude various modifications and applications of technologies not explicitly described below. The present invention can be implemented with various modifications (for example, combining each embodiment) without departing from its gist. Also, in the following description of the drawings, the same or similar parts are denoted by the same or similar reference numerals. The drawings are schematic and do not necessarily match the actual dimensions, ratios, etc. There may be parts where the dimensional relationships and ratios are different between the drawings.

[0015] FIG. 1 is a diagram for explaining an example of a vehicle allocation management system according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in the figure, the vehicle allocation management system 1 includes a vehicle allocation management device 10, a terminal device 20, and a vehicle V, which are communicably connected to each other via a communication network N. Further, the vehicle allocation management system 1 can be connected to a road traffic information management system 30 that provides various traffic information in real time via the communication network N.

[0016] The vehicle allocation management system 1 provides, for example, a vehicle allocation service or a transportation service (hereinafter simply referred to as "vehicle allocation service") using a plurality of vehicles V for a certain area. The vehicle allocation service may be either an "on-demand system" or a "reservation system". In the present disclosure, it is assumed that the vehicle V is a driverless vehicle capable of autonomous driving by an automatic driving system. In such an automatic driving system, the driving of the vehicle V is monitored by the vehicle allocation management device 10 of the monitoring center.

[0017] The communication network N includes, for example, the Internet, a mobile communication network, a wireless LAN (e.g., Wi-Fi (registered trademark)), etc. Typically, the vehicle allocation management device 10 wirelessly communicates with the vehicle V using a mobile communication network. However, in the case where a failure occurs in the mobile communication network in use, an alternative communication network N (hereinafter referred to as "alternative communication network N'") is used to attempt to continue the vehicle allocation service (autonomous driving of the vehicle V). The alternative communication network N' is, for example, the mobile communication network of the terminal device 20 to which the vehicle V is connected by a tethering function. Thereby, the vehicle allocation management device can immediately establish a connection with the alternative communication network N' even in the case where a failure occurs in the mobile communication network in use. Alternatively, the alternative communication network N' may be a surrounding Wi-Fi (registered trademark) network to which the vehicle V can be connected.

[0018] The vehicle allocation management device 10 is a computing device that comprehensively manages the vehicle allocation service provided by a plurality of vehicles V in the target area of the vehicle allocation service. The target area may be divided into several sub-areas. The vehicle allocation management device 10 realizes the vehicle allocation service by, for example, implementing a vehicle allocation management server program and executing the vehicle allocation management server program under the control of a processor.

[0019] The vehicle allocation management device 10 includes various databases 12 that store and manage the data necessary to realize such a vehicle allocation service. The database 12 may include, for example, a user information database 12a, a road map information database 12b, a vehicle information database 12c, and a vehicle allocation plan database 12d (see FIG. 2). The database 12 may be configured as part of the vehicle allocation management device 10, or all or part of it may be configured separately from the vehicle allocation management device 10.

[0020] Generally, when the communication status of the communication network N (for example, a mobile communication network) normally used in the vehicle allocation service is normal, the vehicle allocation management device 10 receives a vehicle allocation request from a user who wishes to allocate a vehicle for travel to the destination, and based on the received vehicle allocation request, refers to the vehicle information database 12c to extract the vehicle V to be assigned to the user from among the plurality of vehicles V, creates a vehicle allocation plan for it, and proposes the created vehicle allocation plan to the user. The vehicle allocation management device 10 determines the vehicle allocation plan based on the user's acceptance of the proposed vehicle allocation plan, and gives a vehicle allocation instruction according to the determined vehicle allocation plan to the vehicle V. On the other hand, when the communication status is not normal, such as a failure of the communication network N, the vehicle allocation management device 10 switches to an alternative communication network N' and attempts to continue the vehicle V's travel to the destination by communicating with the vehicle V. In addition, when the communication speed of the communication network N becomes extremely slow, the vehicle allocation management device 10 may communicate with the vehicle V using both the current communication network N and the alternative communication network N'.

[0021] The vehicle allocation plan includes a driving route that is determined from the location where the vehicle V waits (the waiting location that serves as the starting point), passes through several points (boarding and alighting locations) where the user boards and alights during the journey, and reaches the waiting location that serves as the end point (which is not necessarily the same as the first waiting location). If the vehicle V is waiting, the vehicle allocation plan is newly created based on the received vehicle allocation request. If the vehicle V is in operation, it can be updated based on the vehicle allocation request.

[0022] The vehicle V is a vehicle registered in the vehicle information database 12c that is provided for user use. In the present disclosure, the vehicle V is assumed to be a driverless vehicle capable of autonomous driving by an automatic driving system, regardless of the so-called level of automation. The vehicle V is configured to be communicable with the vehicle allocation management device 10 via the communication network N for remote monitoring and control by the vehicle allocation management device 10. Further, the vehicle V includes a control device CTL and a user interface UI that control the vehicle V itself and / or various on-board devices according to the vehicle allocation instruction from the vehicle allocation management device 10 (see FIG. 2). Although not shown, the control device CTL includes a processor, a memory, etc., and realizes various functions by executing a control program. Also, the control device CTL has a wireless communication function for connecting to the communication network N. For example, the control device CTL acquires driving management information including the position information of the vehicle V by the GPS system and the environmental information around the vehicle V by an imaging camera, a spatial measurement sensor, etc., and controls to transmit this to the vehicle allocation management device 10. At the same time, it receives a vehicle allocation instruction from the vehicle allocation management device 10 and controls the vehicle V itself and / or various on-board devices according to the vehicle allocation instruction. Further, the control device CTL may include, as a part of it, an in-vehicle terminal device such as a tablet computer. In the present disclosure, when the communication status of the communication network N in use is not normal under the control of the control device CTL, the vehicle V is controlled to switch to an alternative communication network N' and communicate with the vehicle allocation management device 10.

[0023] The terminal device 20 is, for example, a computing device for a user who wishes to ride to operate the user interface to make a vehicle dispatch request. The terminal device 20 is, for example, a smartphone, a tablet computer, a notebook personal computer, etc., and is configured to be portable by the user and have a wireless communication function. The terminal device 20 implements, for example, a vehicle dispatch management client program (so-called vehicle dispatch app). The terminal device 20 enables the user to use the vehicle dispatch service of the vehicle dispatch management device 10 by executing the vehicle dispatch app under the control of the processor. For example, the user can make a vehicle dispatch request from a vehicle dispatch request screen (not shown) on the user interface of the terminal device 20 and make a reservation to ride in the vehicle V by accepting the vehicle dispatch plan created by the vehicle dispatch management device 10 in response thereto. Note that the terminal device 20 for making the vehicle dispatch request and the terminal device 20 carried by the user when riding in the vehicle V may be the same or different. In the present disclosure, the terminal device 20 carried by the user riding in the vehicle V can provide an alternative communication network N' for the vehicle V. For example, the terminal device 20 connects the vehicle V to the mobile communication network used by the terminal device 20 through the tethering function. Thereby, even when a failure occurs in the communication environment of the communication network N normally used by the vehicle V, communication can be performed with the vehicle dispatch management device 10 by using the alternative communication network N'. On the user interface of the terminal device 20, for example, a message indicating that a connection has been established with the vehicle dispatch management device 10 via the alternative communication network may be displayed. Thereby, the user can confirm that the terminal device 20 has established a connection with the vehicle dispatch management device 10 via the alternative communication network and is in a communicable state.

[0024] The road traffic information management system 30 is an information and communication system that provides road traffic information in real time. For example, the road traffic information management system 30 collects road traffic data from monitoring facilities installed on roads and driving data from a control device CTL mounted on a vehicle V, and manages road traffic information obtained by integrally processing and editing these data. The monitoring facilities include, for example, but are not limited to, live cameras and vehicle sensors. The edited road traffic information may include, for example, information on road closures and detour routes, and the time required between points via a specific route. The road traffic information management system 30 appropriately provides road traffic information to the vehicle dispatch management device 10 and the vehicle V. In the present disclosure, the road traffic information management system 30 may provide the vehicle dispatch management device 10 with live video information of a live camera obtained from a monitoring facility and sensor information from a vehicle sensor as driving management information.

[0025] In the vehicle dispatch management system 1 as described above, during vehicle dispatch service, the vehicle dispatch management device 10 evaluates the communication status of the communication network N, and when it determines that the communication status is not normal, searches for an alternative communication network N', and controls to establish a communication connection with the vehicle V via the alternative communication network N'. In such an alternative communication situation, the vehicle dispatch management device 10 calculates the driving difficulty level for the driving route of the vehicle V based on the driving management information acquired from the vehicle V via the alternative communication network N', and according to the driving difficulty level, controls the communication data capacity according to the priority of each piece of information in the driving management information to be transmitted by the vehicle V. Thereby, even when a failure occurs in the communication environment of the communication network N normally used by the vehicle V and the vehicle V is forced to interrupt autonomous driving, autonomous driving can be resumed and continued by using the alternative communication network N'. In particular, by appropriately controlling the priority and communication data volume of the information that the vehicle V should transmit to the vehicle dispatch management device 10 based on the driving management information acquired from the vehicle V, the resources (for example, network bandwidth) of the alternative communication network N' can be efficiently utilized without overloading them.

[0026] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of a functional configuration model of a vehicle allocation management device according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in the figure, the vehicle allocation management device 10 can be configured as a functional configuration model including functional components such as a front-end processing unit 110, a vehicle allocation plan determination unit 120, a vehicle running monitoring unit 130, and a communication control unit 140, for example. Further, as described above, the vehicle allocation management device 10 includes various databases 12. Such a functional model is realized by the vehicle allocation management device 10 executing a vehicle allocation management server program under the control of a processor and thereby cooperating with various hardware resources. The functional configuration model shown here is an example, and all or part of the functions in a certain functional component may be realized by other functional components. In the figure, for convenience of explanation, a user terminal device 20 and a control device CTL in the vehicle V are also shown.

[0027] The user information database 12a stores information about users who use the vehicle allocation service (hereinafter referred to as "user information"). The user information includes, for example, a user ID and password, personal attributes (such as gender and age), and information regarding service usage status. The user information is registered in the user information database 12a under the control of the vehicle allocation management device 10 when the user inputs predetermined information, for example, at the first startup of the vehicle allocation application.

[0028] The road map information database 12b stores road map information in the target area of the vehicle allocation service. The road map information includes, for example, map data regarding addresses, place names, road networks (links and nodes), facilities, etc. Further, the road map information may include information necessary for searching for a driving route, such as road information, topographic information, and environmental information. Also, the road map information may include the driving difficulty associated with a road and / or an intersection. For example, at an intersection of a one-way two-lane road with heavy traffic, the driving difficulty is set to be relatively high.

[0029] The vehicle information database 12c stores information (vehicle information) regarding the vehicle V provided for user use. The vehicle information includes, for example, information regarding the vehicle ID, vehicle attributes (vehicle registration number, vehicle type, and maximum number of passengers / maximum load capacity, level of automation, etc.), vehicle characteristics, other specifications, the current vehicle allocation plan, the current location, and the current state (service state, remaining battery capacity (endurance), and passengers, etc.). The vehicle information acquired from the vehicle V via the communication control unit 140 can be updated at any time.

[0030] The vehicle allocation plan database 12d stores the vehicle allocation plan for each vehicle V created by the vehicle allocation plan formulation unit 120 based on the vehicle allocation request. As described above, the vehicle allocation plan includes the driving route from the starting waiting location through several pick-up and drop-off locations (departure locations) to the ending waiting location and the estimated arrival times for each via location.

[0031] The front-end processing unit 110 performs various processes with the user's terminal device 20. As an example, the front-end processing unit 110 refers to the user information database 12a and performs login authentication processing in accordance with a login request from the vehicle allocation application on the user's terminal device 20. Also, the front-end processing unit 110 communicates with the terminal device 20 in order to respond to a vehicle allocation request from the vehicle allocation application on the user's terminal device 20. More specifically, the front-end processing unit 110 receives the vehicle allocation request, transfers it to the vehicle allocation request reception unit 121, and in response, transmits the vehicle allocation plan created by the vehicle allocation plan formulation unit 120 to the terminal device 20 and displays the vehicle allocation plan (candidate vehicles) on the user interface of the terminal device 20. The front-end processing unit 110 receives the notification of approval or rejection by the user transmitted from the terminal device 20 in response and transfers it to the vehicle allocation plan formulation unit 120.

[0032] Based on the vehicle allocation requests transferred from the front-end processing unit 110, the vehicle allocation planning unit 120 extracts candidate vehicles V from the vehicles V operable in the target area, determines the driving routes of the extracted vehicles V, and creates and / or updates a vehicle allocation plan. The vehicle allocation planning unit 120 proposes the created or updated vehicle allocation plan to the user via the front-end processing unit 110. When the vehicle allocation planning unit 120 receives the user's approval for the proposed vehicle allocation plan, it finalizes the approved vehicle allocation plan, stores the finalized vehicle allocation plan in the vehicle allocation plan database 12d, and issues a vehicle allocation instruction to the vehicle V of the vehicle allocation plan via the communication control unit 140.

[0033] The vehicle driving monitoring unit 130 monitors and controls the vehicle V so that the vehicle V can drive appropriately according to the vehicle allocation plan. For example, the vehicle driving monitoring unit 130 acquires driving management information from the vehicle V and / or the road traffic information management system 30 via the communication control unit 140. The vehicle driving monitoring unit 130 monitors the driving of the vehicle V based on the acquired driving management information and performs guidance control as necessary. The vehicle driving monitoring unit 130 may present the driving status of the vehicle V to the operator and, if necessary, transmit the guidance instruction received from the operator to the vehicle V.

[0034] In addition, the vehicle driving monitoring unit 130 may include, for example, a driving difficulty calculation unit 132 that calculates the driving difficulty for the driving route on which the vehicle V travels. The driving difficulty is used to control the communication data volume for each piece of information in the driving management information communicated between the vehicle allocation management device 10 and the vehicle V via the alternative communication network N'. Therefore, by controlling the communication data volume for each piece of information in the driving management information according to the driving difficulty, it is possible to avoid overloading the resources of the alternative communication network N'.

[0035] In addition, when the vehicle travel monitoring unit 130 communicates with the vehicle V via the alternative communication network N', it instructs the control device CTL of the vehicle V so that the travel speed of the vehicle V is restricted according to the communication speed in the alternative communication network N'. Thereby, when the communication speed of the alternative communication network N' is insufficient and it is difficult to obtain travel management information in a sufficient data amount for traveling at high speed, the vehicle V can be made to travel at a low speed, so that consideration can be given to the safety of travel.

[0036] The communication control unit 140 exchanges various types of information with the vehicle V via the communication network N. For example, the communication control unit 140 receives travel management information from the vehicle V. In addition, the communication control unit 140 can receive travel management information from the road traffic information management system 30. The travel management information includes, for example, position information by the GPS receiver of the vehicle V, environment information by an imaging camera, a spatial measurement sensor, etc., and road traffic information from the road traffic information management system 30. In addition, the communication control unit 140 transmits a travel instruction to the vehicle V according to the determined vehicle allocation plan.

[0037] In the present disclosure, the communication control unit 140 includes a communication status evaluation unit 142 that evaluates the communication status of the communication network N. In this example, the communication status evaluation unit 142 is configured as a part of the communication control unit 140, but it is not limited thereto and may be separately configured. The communication status evaluation unit 142 evaluates, for example, the communication status of the communication network N to determine whether the communication status of the communication network N is normal. For example, when a communication failure such as the communication network N not being connected or being difficult to connect occurs, the communication status evaluation unit 142 determines that the communication status of the communication network N is not normal. When the communication status evaluation unit 142 determines that the communication status of the communication network N is not normal, the communication control unit 140 controls so as to enable communication with the vehicle V via an alternative communication network N'. For example, when the communication control unit 140 determines that the communication status of the communication network N is not normal, it requests the user's terminal device 20 to provide an alternative communication network N', and in response, the terminal device 20 provides the alternative communication network N' to the vehicle V. The user enables, for example, the tethering function of the terminal device 20 to cause the terminal device 20 to function as a wireless repeater (access point) of the control device CTL of the vehicle V, and provides an alternative communication network N' (for example, a mobile communication network) used by the terminal device 20. Alternatively, instead of the tethering function of the terminal device 20, the communication control unit 140 may capture communication radio waves from surrounding access points that keep the driving route of the vehicle V within the communication range and use it as the alternative network N. Thereby, the communication control unit 140 can communicate with the vehicle V via the alternative communication network N'. Note that, for example, a message indicating that a connection has been established with the vehicle dispatch management device 10 via the alternative communication network may be displayed on the user interface of the terminal device 20. Thereby, the user can confirm that a connection has been established between the vehicle V and the vehicle dispatch management device 10 via the alternative communication network provided by the terminal device 20 and that communication is possible.

[0038] In addition, when the communication control unit 140 receives the driving management information through communication with the vehicle V via the alternative communication network N', it controls the communication data volume for each piece of information in the driving management information according to the driving difficulty level of the driving route of the vehicle V calculated by the driving difficulty calculation unit 132. For example, when the driving difficulty level is higher than a predetermined reference value, the communication control unit 140 instructs the control device CTL of the vehicle V so that the communication data volume of the information with a lower priority in the driving management information is suppressed. The communication control unit 140 can determine the priority based on, for example, the environment (driving environment) in the driving route on which the vehicle V obtained from the driving management information is traveling. The priority determines, for example, the transmission interval of communication packets. In addition, when the driving difficulty level is lower than the predetermined reference value, the communication control unit 140 instructs the control device CTL of the vehicle V so that the transmission data volume of the information in the driving management information required when the driving difficulty level is higher than the predetermined reference value is suppressed. Here, the information required when the driving difficulty level is higher than the predetermined reference value may be, for example, at least any one of image information (including moving image information), audio information, and spatial measurement information (for example, point cloud) acquired in the vehicle V. That is, when the driving difficulty level is high, driving management information such as moving image information with a large data volume is required so that the driving environment of the vehicle V can be recognized as detailed as possible. On the other hand, when the driving difficulty level is low, it is often sufficient to have the minimum driving management information for recognizing the driving environment of the vehicle V. Here, the minimum driving management information is, for example, telemetry information such as moving image information with a reduced resolution and frame rate, as well as the position information, vehicle speed, and battery remaining capacity (SOC) of the vehicle V. In addition, when the driving difficulty level is lower than the predetermined reference value, the communication control unit 140 instructs the control device CTL of the vehicle V so that the communication speed in the alternative communication network N' becomes slower. For example, the communication control unit 140 controls the communication speed by making the control device CTL increase the transmission interval of communication packets for specific information in the driving management information. The vehicle V communicates with the vehicle allocation management device 10 via the alternative communication network N' while controlling the communication data volume of specific information in the driving management information based on the instructed priority and communication data volume.Accordingly, since communication of the minimum necessary driving management information is performed according to the driving environment of the vehicle V, the vehicle V can be driven while efficiently using the resources of the alternative communication network N'.

[0039] FIG. 3 is a table showing the relationship between the driving environment and the communication data volume of driving management information in the vehicle allocation management device according to an embodiment of the present invention. Specifically, this figure shows the relationship between the driving environment in the alternative communication network N' and the communication data volume for each piece of information in the driving management information when the communication status of the communication network N is not normal. A driving difficulty level (for example, a relative numerical value) is assigned according to the driving environment. Also, in this example, as the driving management information, moving image information, audio information, spatial measurement information, telemetry information, and command information are shown. The upper row of the column for the information in the driving management information indicates the size of the communication data volume, and the lower row indicates the priority with respect to the network bandwidth. The communication control unit 140 may hold such a relationship table.

[0040] As shown in the figure, for example, when the driving environment of the vehicle V is a one-way road with little traffic, the communication data volume of the moving image information, audio information, and spatial measurement information inside and outside (surroundings) the vehicle V is controlled to be small, while the communication data volume of the telemetry information and command information remains the original size. In this case, it is preferable that the driving speed of the vehicle V is limited to a low speed. Thereby, even when the moving image information and audio information are small, the vehicle V can drive with consideration for safety. Also, when the driving environment of the vehicle V is an intersection with a large traffic volume, the communication data volume of the moving image information and audio information remains the original size, while the spatial measurement information is controlled to be small. This is to increase the priority of the moving image information around the vehicle V so that the driving environment around the vehicle V can be recognized more accurately. Also, when the vehicle V requires remote control by the vehicle allocation management device 10 due to, for example, unexpected road restrictions (such as lane restrictions due to construction or obstacles), the communication data volume of the moving image information, audio information, and spatial recognition information remains the original size.

[0041] FIG. 4 is a flowchart for explaining an example of vehicle allocation management processing by a vehicle allocation management device according to an embodiment of the present invention. This figure shows the flow of processing for allocating (dispatching) vehicle V in response to a user's vehicle allocation request in the target area of the vehicle allocation service. Here, it is assumed that the communication status of the communication network N is normal. Such processing is realized by the vehicle allocation management device executing a vehicle allocation management server program under the control of a processor in cooperation with various hardware resources.

[0042] As shown in the figure, the vehicle allocation management device 10 waits until there is a new vehicle allocation request from the user (S401). On the other hand, for example, a user who wishes to board operates a vehicle allocation application on the user interface of the terminal device 20 to input a vehicle allocation request. When there is a vehicle allocation request from the user (Yes in S401), the vehicle allocation management device 10 refers to the road map information database 12b based on the vehicle allocation request and determines the user's departure place and destination (boarding and alighting places) (S402).

[0043] Next, the vehicle allocation management device 10 refers to the road map information database 12b based on the determined boarding and alighting places and extracts one or more driving route candidates (S403). Each driving route candidate has the same boarding and alighting places, but the roads (links and nodes) in the middle are different. For example, an average estimated required time, a driving distance, etc. can be associated with each driving route candidate.

[0044] Next, the vehicle allocation management device 10 extracts one or more vehicles V as candidate vehicles according to the boarding and alighting places and the driving route candidates (S404). For example, the vehicle allocation management device 10 extracts a vehicle V that is waiting in the vicinity of the boarding place or is moving according to the current position based on the position information of each acquired vehicle V.

[0045] Next, the vehicle allocation management device 10 determines an optimal one as the driving route from among the driving route candidates based on, for example, the average predicted required time, the driving distance, etc. (S405). Subsequently, the vehicle allocation management device 10 creates or updates a vehicle allocation plan based on the determined driving route (S406). That is, the vehicle allocation management device 10 determines a vehicle V to be assigned to the determined recommended driving route from among the candidates of the vehicle V.

[0046] Next, the vehicle allocation management device 10 proposes the content of the created / updated vehicle allocation plan to the user (S407). That is, the vehicle allocation management device 10 transmits the content of the created / updated vehicle allocation plan to the terminal device 20, and in response, the terminal device 20 displays the content on the user interface and prompts the user to approve or reject the proposed vehicle allocation plan.

[0047] The vehicle allocation management device 10 determines whether or not it has received acceptance from the user for the proposal of the vehicle allocation plan (S408). When the vehicle allocation management device 10 has received acceptance from the user for the proposal of the vehicle allocation plan (Yes in S408), the vehicle allocation management device 10 finalizes the proposed vehicle allocation plan (S409). Also, the vehicle allocation management device 10 stores the finalized vehicle allocation plan in the vehicle allocation plan database 12d. Subsequently, the vehicle allocation management device 10 transmits a confirmation notice of the vehicle reservation to the terminal device 20 and transmits a vehicle allocation instruction based on the vehicle allocation plan to the vehicle V (S410).

[0048] On the other hand, when the vehicle allocation management device 10 has received non-acceptance (rejection) from the user for the proposal of the vehicle allocation plan (No in S408), it cancels the current vehicle allocation plan based on the vehicle allocation request of the user (S411). In this case, the vehicle allocation management device 10 returns the temporarily reserved vehicle allocation plan used for recreating the vehicle allocation plan to the originally reserved vehicle allocation plan. If the user wishes for another vehicle allocation service, a new vehicle allocation request will be made.

[0049] In this way, a user who wishes to take a ride to the destination can request a vehicle allocation by using the vehicle allocation application of the terminal device 20, and thus the vehicle V can be allocated and the user can board the vehicle V at the designated boarding location. In the present disclosure, when a communication failure or the like occurs in the communication network N during the travel of the vehicle V carrying the user, the vehicle allocation management device 10 attempts to continue the travel of the vehicle V to the destination by using an alternative communication network N'.

[0050] FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing an example of communication control processing by a vehicle allocation management device when the communication status of a communication network is not normal in a vehicle allocation management system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0051] As shown in the figure, the vehicle allocation management device 10 monitors whether the communication status N of the normally used communication network N is normal (S501). When the vehicle allocation management device 10 determines that the communication status of the communication network N is not normal (No in S501), in order to prioritize safety, it instructs to temporarily stop the travel of all the vehicles V under the vehicle allocation service in the area (S502). In response to this, the traveling vehicle V stops at the road shoulder, a nearby parking space, or the like.

[0052] Subsequently, the vehicle allocation management device 10 attempts to establish a connection with the vehicle V via an alternative communication network N' (S503). Subsequently, the vehicle allocation management device 10 determines whether it has been able to establish a connection with the vehicle V via the alternative communication network N' (S504). For example, the user riding in the vehicle V provides the tethering function of the terminal device 20 according to the guidance displayed on the in-vehicle user interface UI, and connects the control device CTL (not shown) of the vehicle V and the vehicle allocation management device 10 via the mobile communication network of the terminal device 20. Alternatively, the vehicle-side communication control unit of the vehicle V may capture the communication radio wave from the free Wi-Fi (registered trademark) access point around the vehicle V and connect to the vehicle allocation management device 10. Alternatively, when the communication speed of the communication network N is extremely slow, the vehicle allocation management device 10 may maintain the current connection of the communication network N as it is and use the connection via the alternative communication network N in combination.

[0053] When the vehicle allocation management device 10 determines that it has not been able to establish a connection with the vehicle V via the alternative communication network N' (No in S504), it stops the vehicle allocation service (S505). In this case, the administrator of the vehicle allocation management system 1 or the like gives an instruction to dispatch, for example, a maintenance vehicle to the location where the vehicle V is stopped.

[0054] On the other hand, when the vehicle allocation management device 10 determines that it has been able to establish a connection with the vehicle V via the alternative communication network N' (Yes in S504), subsequently, the vehicle allocation management device 10 acquires driving management information from the vehicle V (S506). The vehicle allocation management device 10 may additionally acquire the driving management information from the road traffic information management system 30.

[0055] Next, the vehicle allocation management device 10 calculates the driving difficulty level for the driving route of the vehicle V based on the acquired driving management information (S507). For example, the driving difficulty level is calculated to be low for a one-way road with little traffic, and relatively high for an intersection on a two-lane one-way road with a lot of traffic.

[0056] Next, the vehicle allocation management device 10 controls the priority and communication data volume for each piece of information in the driving management information based on the calculated driving difficulty (S508). For example, when the vehicle allocation management device 10 determines that the driving difficulty is higher than a predetermined reference value, it instructs the control device CTL of the vehicle V to suppress the communication data volume of information with a low priority in the driving management information. The priority is determined based on the driving environment of the vehicle V obtained from the driving management information. Also, when the vehicle allocation management device 10 determines that the driving difficulty is lower than a predetermined reference value, it instructs the control device CTL of the vehicle V to suppress the communication data volume of the information in the driving management information that is required when the driving difficulty is higher than the predetermined reference value.

[0057] Next, the vehicle allocation management device 10 determines whether a sufficient communication speed can be ensured by the alternative communication network N' (S509). The sufficient communication speed is a bit rate at which large-capacity data such as moving image information can be communicated without stress. In this case, when the alternative communication network N' is used in addition to the communication network N, the total value of these communication speeds can be referred to.

[0058] When the vehicle allocation management device 10 determines that a sufficient communication speed cannot be ensured by the alternative communication network N' (No in S509), the vehicle allocation management device 10 sets the upper limit value of the driving speed of the vehicle V to a low speed according to the current communication speed (S510). For example, the vehicle allocation management device 10 sets the upper limit value to a value 10% lower than the legal speed. Subsequently, the vehicle allocation management device 10 instructs the vehicle V to resume driving according to the upper limit value of the driving speed (S511).

[0059] On the other hand, when the vehicle allocation management device 10 determines that a sufficient communication speed can be ensured by the alternative communication network N' (Yes in S509), the vehicle allocation management device 10 instructs the vehicle V to resume driving according to the upper limit value of the driving speed (S511). In this case, since the upper limit value of the driving speed is not set low, it becomes the legal speed set on the driving route.

[0060] According to the present embodiment as described above, even when a failure occurs in the communication environment of the communication network N normally used by the vehicle V, communication can be performed with the vehicle dispatch management device 10 by using an alternative communication network N'. In particular, by appropriately controlling the priority and communication data volume of the information to be transmitted from the vehicle V to the vehicle dispatch management device 10 based on the travel management information acquired from the vehicle V, the resources (e.g., network bandwidth) of the alternative communication network N' can be efficiently utilized without overloading them.

[0061] Each of the above embodiments is an exemplification for explaining the present invention, and the present invention is not intended to be limited only to these embodiments. The present invention can be implemented in various forms without departing from its gist.

[0062] For example, in the method disclosed in this specification, steps, operations, or functions may be performed in parallel or in a different order as long as there is no contradiction in the results. The described steps, operations, and functions are provided as mere examples, and some of the steps, operations, and functions may be omitted within the scope not departing from the gist of the invention, may be combined with each other to form one entity, or other steps, operations, or functions may be added.

[0063] Also, in this specification, although various embodiments are disclosed, a specific feature (technical matter) in one embodiment can be added to another embodiment while appropriately improving it, or can be replaced with a specific feature in the other embodiment, and such forms are also included in the gist of the present invention.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0064] 1... Vehicle dispatch management system 10... Vehicle dispatch management device 110... Front-end processing unit 120... Vehicle dispatch plan formulation unit 130... Vehicle travel monitoring unit 132... Travel difficulty calculation unit 140... Communication control unit 142…Communication status evaluation unit 12…Database 12a…User information database 12b…Road map information database 12c…Vehicle information database 12d…Vehicle allocation plan database 20…Terminal device 30…Road traffic information management system N,N’…Communication network V…Vehicle CTL…Control device UI…In-vehicle user interface

Claims

1. A vehicle dispatching management device that manages vehicle dispatching in response to a user's vehicle dispatching request, comprising: a communication control unit that controls communication with the vehicle via a communication network; a vehicle travel monitoring unit that monitors and controls the travel of the vehicle based on travel management information for the travel of the vehicle acquired by the communication; The communication control unit includes a communication status evaluation unit that evaluates the communication status of the communication network; When it is evaluated that the communication status is not normal, control is performed so as to enable communication with the vehicle via an alternative communication network; Based on the travel management information, control the communication data amount for each piece of information in the travel management information communicated via the alternative communication network; A vehicle dispatching management device.

2. The vehicle dispatching management device according to claim 1, further comprising a travel difficulty calculation unit that calculates a travel difficulty level for a travel route on which the vehicle travels based on the travel management information. The vehicle dispatching management device according to claim 1.

3. The communication control unit controls the communication data amount of the information according to the travel difficulty level. The vehicle dispatching management device according to claim 2.

4. When the travel difficulty level is higher than a predetermined reference value, the communication control unit controls so that the communication data amount of information with a lower priority for the travel of the vehicle in the travel management information is suppressed. The vehicle dispatching management device according to claim 3.

5. The communication control unit determines the priority of the information in the travel management information based on the travel environment of the vehicle obtained from the travel management information. The vehicle dispatching management device according to claim 4.

6. When the travel difficulty level is lower than a predetermined reference value, the communication control unit suppresses the transmission data amount of the information in the travel management information required when the travel difficulty level is higher than the predetermined reference value. The vehicle dispatching management device according to claim 3.

7. The information required when the travel difficulty level is higher than the predetermined reference value includes at least any one of image information, audio information, and spatial measurement information acquired by the vehicle. The vehicle dispatching management device according to claim 6.

8. The vehicle travel monitoring unit controls so that the travel speed of the vehicle is restricted according to the communication speed on the alternative communication network. The vehicle dispatching management device according to claim 1.

9. When the travel difficulty level is lower than a predetermined reference value, the communication control unit controls so that the communication speed on the alternative communication network becomes slower. The vehicle dispatching management device according to claim 2.

10. The communication control unit communicates with the vehicle via an alternative communication network provided by the terminal device of the user riding in the vehicle. The vehicle dispatching management device according to claim 1.

11. The communication control unit connects to the alternative wireless communication network provided by an access point that includes the driving route on which the vehicle travels within the communication range, and communicates with the vehicle. The vehicle dispatching management device according to claim 1.

12. The communication control unit performs control so that a message indicating that the connection to the alternative communication network has been established is displayed on the user interface associated with the vehicle. The vehicle dispatching management device according to claim 1.

13. A communication control method in a vehicle dispatching management system including a vehicle dispatching management device that manages vehicle dispatching in response to a user's vehicle dispatching request, controlling communication with the vehicle via a communication network; monitoring and controlling the driving of the vehicle based on the driving management information for driving the vehicle acquired by the communication, wherein controlling the communication includes evaluating the communication status of the communication network; when the communication status is evaluated as abnormal, controlling to enable communication with the vehicle via an alternative communication network; and controlling the communication data volume for each piece of information in the driving management information communicated via the alternative communication network based on the driving management information. A communication control method in a vehicle dispatching management system.

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