Control method, automatic driving vehicle, and control program

Abstract

To provide a vehicle control right setting method, a vehicle control right setting device, a vehicle control right setting program, and a vehicle control method, which allow a user of an automatic driving vehicle to control the automatic driving vehicle at an allocated destination.SOLUTION: A vehicle control right setting method includes: acquiring vehicle allocation request information, including at least location information indicating a location of a destination where an automatic driving vehicle is to be allocated, and user identification information for identifying a user who uses the automatic driving vehicle or a user terminal carried by the user from an external device (steps S102 and S104); determining a delivery vehicle indicating the automatic driving vehicle to be allocated to the user based on the vehicle allocation request information (step S105); and setting a vehicle control right to allow the user to control the delivery vehicle based on the vehicle allocation request information and the user identification information (step S106).SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 8

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a vehicle control right setting method, a vehicle control right setting device, a vehicle control right setting program for setting the control right of an autonomous vehicle, and a vehicle control method for controlling an autonomous vehicle.

Background Art

[0002] As a prior art, an autonomous road vehicle to which at least one compartment is attached has been disclosed (see, for example, Patent Document 1). In Patent Document 1, a load to be delivered to at least one compartment is loaded, and the autonomous road vehicle travels to a destination. When the autonomous road vehicle arrives at the destination, the recipient of the load inputs a PIN (Personal Identification Number) code into the access system. Thereby, the lock of the compartment is released, and the recipient can receive the load.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] However, in the prior art, when the autonomous road vehicle arrives at the destination, whether the recipient of the load can receive the load from the autonomous road vehicle has not been considered, and further improvement has been required.

[0005] The present disclosure has been made to solve the above problems, and an object thereof is to provide a vehicle control right setting method, a vehicle control right setting device, a vehicle control right setting program, and a vehicle control method that enable a user of an autonomous vehicle to control the autonomous vehicle at a delivery destination.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] A vehicle control right setting method according to an aspect of the present disclosure is a vehicle control right setting method in a vehicle control right setting device, including obtaining, from an external device, dispatching request information including at least position information indicating a position of a dispatching destination to which an autonomous vehicle is dispatched, and user identification information for identifying a user who uses the autonomous vehicle or a user terminal possessed by the user; determining a dispatched vehicle indicating the autonomous vehicle dispatched to the user based on the dispatching request information; and setting, for the user, a vehicle control right that permits control of the dispatched vehicle based on the dispatching request information and the user identification information.

Advantages of the Invention

[0007] According to the present disclosure, a user of an autonomous vehicle at a dispatching destination can control the autonomous vehicle.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0008]

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Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0009] (Knowledge underlying the present disclosure) In the prior art, when an autonomous road vehicle arrives at its destination, whether the recipient of the luggage can receive the luggage from the autonomous road vehicle has not been considered and there is no disclosure whatsoever. Therefore, in the prior art, even though the autonomous road vehicle has arrived at its destination, there is a possibility that the recipient of the luggage may not be able to receive the luggage from the autonomous road vehicle.

[0010] For example, when the autonomous road vehicle stops at the destination, if the compartment door faces a wall surrounding a building, a guardrail or a curb installed on the road, etc., these may become obstacles, and there is a possibility that the recipient of the luggage may not be able to take out the luggage from the compartment.

[0011] Also, as another example, when the autonomous road vehicle stops at the destination, if the compartment door faces a roadside ditch such as a water channel or a slope such as an embankment, these may become obstacles, and there is a possibility that the recipient of the luggage may not be able to take out the luggage from the compartment.

[0012] In order to solve the above problems, a vehicle control right setting method according to an aspect of the present disclosure is a vehicle control right setting method in a vehicle control right setting device, including obtaining, from an external device, delivery request information including at least position information indicating a delivery destination where an autonomous driving vehicle is to be delivered, and user identification information for identifying a user who uses the autonomous driving vehicle or a user terminal held by the user; determining, based on the delivery request information, a delivery vehicle indicating the autonomous driving vehicle to be delivered to the user; and setting, for the user, a vehicle control right that permits control of the delivery vehicle based on the delivery request information and the user identification information.

[0013] According to this configuration, vehicle dispatch request information including at least position information indicating the position of the vehicle dispatch destination where the autonomous vehicle is to be dispatched, and user identification information for identifying the user who uses the autonomous vehicle or the user terminal possessed by the user are acquired from an external device. Based on the vehicle dispatch request information, a dispatched vehicle indicating the autonomous vehicle to be dispatched to the user is determined. Based on the vehicle dispatch request information and the user identification information, a vehicle control right for permitting control of the dispatched vehicle is set for the user.

[0014] Therefore, since a dispatched vehicle indicating the autonomous vehicle to be dispatched to the user is determined and a vehicle control right for permitting control of the dispatched vehicle is set for the user, the user of the autonomous vehicle at the vehicle dispatch destination can control the autonomous vehicle.

[0015] Also, in the above vehicle control right setting method, the setting of the vehicle control right may set, for the user, the vehicle control right for permitting control of the dispatched vehicle located at the vehicle dispatch destination.

[0016] According to this configuration, in setting the vehicle control right, a vehicle control right for permitting control of the dispatched vehicle located at the vehicle dispatch destination is set for the user.

[0017] Therefore, since a vehicle control right for permitting control of the dispatched vehicle located at the vehicle dispatch destination is set for the user, the user of the autonomous vehicle at the vehicle dispatch destination can control the autonomous vehicle.

[0018] Also, in the above vehicle control right setting method, further, based on the position of the vehicle dispatch destination, a control permission range for permitting control by the user of the dispatched vehicle at the vehicle dispatch destination is generated, and the setting of the vehicle control right may set, for the user, the vehicle control right for permitting control of the dispatched vehicle located within the control permission range.

[0019] According to this configuration, a control permission range is generated that permits control by the user of the vehicle for distribution at the destination of distribution based on the location of the destination of distribution. In setting the vehicle control right, a vehicle control right that permits control of the vehicle for distribution located within the control permission range is set for the user.

[0020] Therefore, since the vehicle control right of the vehicle for distribution located within the control permission range that permits control by the user of the vehicle for distribution at the destination of distribution is set for the user, the user can control the vehicle for distribution located within the control permission range at the destination of distribution.

[0021] Also, in the above vehicle control right setting method, further, based on the location of the destination of distribution, a movement control permission range in which the vehicle for distribution can be movement-controlled by the user at the destination of distribution is generated, and the setting of the vehicle control right may set, for the user, the vehicle control right that permits movement control of the vehicle for distribution within the movement control permission range.

[0022] According to this configuration, a movement control permission range in which the vehicle for distribution can be movement-controlled by the user at the destination of distribution is generated based on the location of the destination of distribution. In setting the vehicle control right, a vehicle control right that permits movement control of the vehicle for distribution within the movement control permission range is set for the user.

[0023] Therefore, since the vehicle control right of the vehicle for distribution is set for the user within the movement control permission range in which the vehicle for distribution can move at the destination of distribution, the user can move the vehicle for distribution within the movement control permission range at the destination of distribution.

[0024] Also, in the above vehicle control right setting method, further, the setting of the vehicle control right may be changed based on a predetermined condition.

[0025] According to this configuration, since the setting of the vehicle control right is changed based on a predetermined condition, the setting of the vehicle control right can be changed, and for the user, the control right can be set only when control of the vehicle for distribution is necessary.

[0026] In addition, in the above vehicle control right setting method, further, delivery status information regarding the status of the assigned vehicle delivering the delivery target is acquired from the assigned vehicle, and the change of the setting of the vehicle control right may be to change the setting of the vehicle control right based on the delivery status information.

[0027] According to this configuration, delivery status information regarding the status of the assigned vehicle delivering the delivery target is acquired from the assigned vehicle. In the change of the setting of the vehicle control right, the setting of the vehicle control right is changed based on the delivery status information.

[0028] Therefore, based on the delivery status information regarding the status of the assigned vehicle delivering the delivery target, the setting of the vehicle control right can be changed, and the control right can be set for the user only when control of the assigned vehicle is necessary in various delivery situations.

[0029] In addition, in the above vehicle control right setting method, the vehicle control right includes a boarding vehicle control right that permits control by the user of the assigned vehicle in which the user boards at the delivery destination, and the change of the setting of the vehicle control right may be to cancel the setting of the boarding vehicle control right when the delivery status information indicates completion of boarding of the user at the delivery destination.

[0030] According to this configuration, the vehicle control right includes a boarding vehicle control right that permits control by the user of the assigned vehicle in which the user boards at the delivery destination. In the change of the setting of the vehicle control right, when the delivery status information indicates completion of boarding of the user at the delivery destination, the setting of the boarding vehicle control right is cancelled.

[0031] Therefore, when boarding of the user at the delivery destination is completed, the setting of the boarding vehicle control right that permits control by the user of the assigned vehicle in which the user boards at the delivery destination is cancelled, so that after boarding of the user at the delivery destination is completed, it is possible to prevent the user from controlling the assigned vehicle at the delivery destination.

[0032] Further, in the above vehicle control right setting method, the vehicle control right includes a getting-off vehicle control right that permits control by the user of the dispatched vehicle at the destination where the user gets off, and when the change in the setting of the vehicle control right is such that the delivery status information indicates the completion of the user's getting off at the destination, the setting of the getting-off vehicle control right may be cancelled.

[0033] According to this configuration, the vehicle control right includes a getting-off vehicle control right that permits control by the user of the dispatched vehicle at the destination where the user gets off. In the change of the setting of the vehicle control right, when the delivery status information indicates the completion of the user's getting off at the destination, the setting of the getting-off vehicle control right is cancelled.

[0034] Therefore, when the user's getting off at the destination is completed, the setting of the getting-off vehicle control right that permits control by the user of the dispatched vehicle at the destination where the user gets off is cancelled, so that after the user's getting off at the destination is completed, it is possible to prevent the user from controlling the dispatched vehicle at the destination.

[0035] Further, in the above vehicle control right setting method, the vehicle control right includes a boarding vehicle control right that permits control by the user of the dispatched vehicle at the pick-up location where the user boards, and a getting-off vehicle control right that permits control by the user of the dispatched vehicle at the destination where the user gets off, and when the change in the setting of the vehicle control right is such that the delivery status information indicates the completion of the user's getting off at the destination, the settings of the boarding vehicle control right and the getting-off vehicle control right may be cancelled.

[0036] According to this configuration, the vehicle control right includes a boarding vehicle control right that permits control by the user of the dispatched vehicle at the pick-up location where the user boards, and a getting-off vehicle control right that permits control by the user of the dispatched vehicle at the destination where the user gets off. In the change of the setting of the vehicle control right, when the delivery status information indicates the completion of the user's getting off at the destination, the settings of the boarding vehicle control right and the getting-off vehicle control right are cancelled.

[0037] Therefore, when the user's alighting at the destination is completed, the setting of the boarding vehicle control right that permits the user of the assigned vehicle on which the user boards at the pick-up location to control the vehicle and the alighting vehicle control right that permits the user of the assigned vehicle on which the user alights at the destination to control the vehicle is cancelled. Thus, after the user's alighting at the destination is completed, it is possible to prevent the user from controlling the assigned vehicle at the pick-up location and the destination.

[0038] Also, in the above vehicle control right setting method, the vehicle control right includes a vehicle control right at the origin that permits the user of the assigned vehicle on which the delivery object is loaded at the pick-up location to control the vehicle. When the delivery status information indicates the completion of loading of the delivery object at the pick-up location, the setting of the vehicle control right at the origin may be cancelled.

[0039] According to this configuration, the vehicle control right includes a vehicle control right at the origin that permits the user of the assigned vehicle on which the delivery object is loaded at the pick-up location to control the vehicle. When the delivery status information indicates the completion of loading of the delivery object at the pick-up location in the change of the setting of the vehicle control right, the setting of the vehicle control right at the origin is cancelled.

[0040] Therefore, when the loading of the delivery object at the pick-up location is completed, the setting of the vehicle control right at the origin that permits the user of the assigned vehicle on which the delivery object is loaded at the pick-up location to control the vehicle is cancelled. Thus, after the loading of the delivery object at the pick-up location is completed, it is possible to prevent the user from controlling the assigned vehicle at the pick-up location.

[0041] Also, in the above vehicle control right setting method, the vehicle control right includes a vehicle control right at the destination that permits the user of the assigned vehicle on which the delivery object is unloaded at the destination to control the vehicle. When the delivery status indicates the completion of unloading of the delivery object at the destination, the setting of the vehicle control right at the destination may be cancelled.

[0042] According to this configuration, the vehicle control right includes a delivery destination vehicle control right that permits control by the user of the vehicle for distribution at the destination where the object to be delivered is unloaded. When the delivery status indicates completion of unloading of the object to be delivered at the destination in the change of the setting of the vehicle control right, the setting of the delivery destination vehicle control right is cancelled.

[0043] Therefore, when the unloading of the object to be delivered at the destination is completed, the setting of the delivery destination vehicle control right that permits control by the user of the vehicle for distribution at the destination where the object to be delivered is unloaded is cancelled. Thus, after the unloading of the object to be delivered at the destination is completed, it is possible to prevent the user from controlling the vehicle for distribution at the destination.

[0044] Also, in the above vehicle control right setting method, the vehicle control right includes a delivery origin vehicle control right that permits control by the user of the vehicle for distribution at the origin where the object to be delivered is loaded and a delivery destination vehicle control right that permits control by the user of the vehicle for distribution at the destination where the object to be delivered is unloaded. In the change of the setting of the vehicle control right, when the delivery status indicates completion of unloading of the object to be delivered at the destination, the settings of the delivery origin vehicle control right and the delivery destination vehicle control right may be cancelled.

[0045] According to this configuration, the vehicle control right includes a delivery origin vehicle control right that permits control by the user of the vehicle for distribution at the origin where the object to be delivered is loaded and a delivery destination vehicle control right that permits control by the user of the vehicle for distribution at the destination where the object to be delivered is unloaded. When the delivery status indicates completion of unloading of the object to be delivered at the destination in the change of the setting of the vehicle control right, the settings of the delivery origin vehicle control right and the delivery destination vehicle control right are cancelled.

[0046] Therefore, when the unloading of the object to be delivered at the destination is completed, the setting of the vehicle control right at the dispatching source that permits control by the user of the vehicle for loading the object to be delivered at the vehicle dispatching location and the setting of the vehicle control right at the destination that permits control by the user of the vehicle for unloading the object to be delivered are cancelled. Thus, after the unloading of the object to be delivered at the destination is completed, it is possible to prevent the user from controlling the vehicle at the vehicle dispatching location and the destination.

[0047] Further, in the above vehicle control right setting method, furthermore, for the vehicle control right, expiration date information indicating the period during which the vehicle control right is valid is set, and the change of the setting of the vehicle control right may be based on the expiration date information to change the setting of the vehicle control right.

[0048] According to this configuration, for the vehicle control right, expiration date information indicating the period during which the vehicle control right is valid is set. In the change of the setting of the vehicle control right, the setting of the vehicle control right is changed based on the expiration date information.

[0049] Therefore, when the expiration date has passed, by changing the setting of the vehicle control right, the user can control the vehicle within the expiration date. Also, for the user, it is possible to easily recognize the timing at which the setting of the control right is changed. Further, it is possible to collectively change the settings of the vehicle control rights with the same expiration date set.

[0050] A vehicle control right setting device according to another aspect of the present disclosure includes an acquisition unit that acquires, from an external device, dispatching request information including at least position information indicating the position of a vehicle dispatching location where an autonomous vehicle is dispatched, and user identification information for identifying a user who uses the autonomous vehicle or a user terminal possessed by the user; a determination unit that determines a vehicle for dispatching, which is an autonomous vehicle dispatched to the user, based on the dispatching request information; and a setting unit that sets, for the user, a vehicle control right that permits control of the vehicle for dispatching.

[0051] According to this configuration, dispatching request information including at least position information indicating the position of the destination to which the autonomous vehicle is dispatched, and user identification information for identifying the user who uses the autonomous vehicle or the user terminal possessed by the user are acquired from an external device. Based on the dispatching request information, a dispatched vehicle indicating the autonomous vehicle to be dispatched to the user is determined. Based on the dispatching request information and the user identification information, a vehicle control right for permitting the control of the dispatched vehicle is set for the user.

[0052] Therefore, since a dispatched vehicle indicating the autonomous vehicle to be dispatched to the user is determined and a vehicle control right for permitting the control of the dispatched vehicle is set for the user, the user of the autonomous vehicle at the destination can control the autonomous vehicle.

[0053] A vehicle control right setting program according to another aspect of the present disclosure causes a computer to acquire from an external device dispatching request information including at least position information indicating the position of the destination to which the autonomous vehicle is dispatched, and user identification information for identifying the user who uses the autonomous vehicle or the user terminal possessed by the user, determine a dispatched vehicle indicating the autonomous vehicle to be dispatched to the user based on the dispatching request information, and set, for the user, a vehicle control right for permitting the control of the dispatched vehicle based on the dispatching request information and the user identification information, and execute a process.

[0054] According to this configuration, dispatching request information including at least position information indicating the position of the destination to which the autonomous vehicle is dispatched, and user identification information for identifying the user who uses the autonomous vehicle or the user terminal possessed by the user are acquired from an external device. Based on the dispatching request information, a dispatched vehicle indicating the autonomous vehicle to be dispatched to the user is determined. Based on the dispatching request information and the user identification information, a vehicle control right for permitting the control of the dispatched vehicle is set for the user.

[0055] Therefore, a dispatched vehicle indicating an autonomous vehicle dispatched to a user is determined, and a vehicle control right for permitting control of the dispatched vehicle is set for the user, so that the user of the autonomous vehicle can control the autonomous vehicle at the destination.

[0056] A vehicle control method according to another aspect of the present disclosure is a vehicle control method in a vehicle control device, which acquires from the outside control right information associating control permission position information indicating a control permission position for permitting control by a user of an autonomous vehicle and control subject identification information for identifying a control subject for controlling the autonomous vehicle at the control permission position, acquires vehicle position information indicating a current position of the autonomous vehicle, acquires from the outside control instruction information for controlling the autonomous vehicle and including the control subject identification information, determines whether the current position indicated by the vehicle position information is the control permission position indicated by the control permission position information, and when it is determined that the current position indicated by the vehicle position information is the control permission position indicated by the control permission position information, determines whether the control subject identification information included in the control instruction information matches the control subject identification information associated with the control permission position information, and when it is determined that the control subject identification information included in the control instruction information matches the control subject identification information associated with the control permission position information, controls the autonomous vehicle according to the control instruction information.

[0057] According to this configuration, control right information associating control permission position information indicating a control permission position for permitting control by a user of an autonomous vehicle and control subject identification information for identifying a control subject that controls the autonomous vehicle at the control permission position is acquired from the outside. Vehicle position information indicating the current position of the autonomous vehicle is acquired. Control instruction information for controlling the autonomous vehicle, including the control subject identification information, is acquired from the outside. It is determined whether the current position indicated by the vehicle position information is the control permission position indicated by the control permission position information. When it is determined that the current position indicated by the vehicle position information is the control permission position indicated by the control permission position information, it is determined whether the control subject identification information included in the control instruction information matches the control subject identification information associated with the control permission position information. When it is determined that the control subject identification information included in the control instruction information matches the control subject identification information associated with the control permission position information, the autonomous vehicle is controlled according to the control instruction information.

[0058] Therefore, when it is determined that the current position of the autonomous vehicle is the control permission position for permitting control by the user of the autonomous vehicle and it is determined that the control subject identification information included in the control instruction information for controlling the autonomous vehicle matches the control subject identification information associated with the control permission position, the autonomous vehicle is controlled according to the control instruction information, so that the user of the autonomous vehicle can control the autonomous vehicle at the vehicle allocation destination.

[0059] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that the following embodiments are an example of embodying the present disclosure and do not limit the technical scope of the present disclosure.

[0060] (Embodiment 1) In the first embodiment, based on the vehicle dispatch request information including at least the position information indicating the position of the dispatch destination where the autonomous vehicle is to be dispatched, a delivery vehicle indicating the autonomous vehicle to be dispatched to the user is determined, and based on the vehicle dispatch request information and the user identification information for identifying the user who uses the autonomous vehicle or the user terminal possessed by the user, a control right for permitting the control of the delivery vehicle located at the dispatch destination is set for the user, and a vehicle control right setting method for transmitting control instruction support information for assisting the input of control instruction information to the delivery vehicle to the user terminal will be described.

[0061] FIG. 1 conceptually shows the overall configuration of the vehicle control system according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0062] The vehicle control system shown in FIG. 1 includes a management device 1, a user terminal 2, and a delivery vehicle 3.

[0063] The management device 1 receives, from the user terminal 2 possessed by the user, vehicle dispatch request information including the position information of the dispatch source and the position information of the dispatch destination, dispatch source user identification information for identifying the user who uses the delivery vehicle at the dispatch source or the user terminal possessed by the user, and dispatch destination user identification information for identifying the user who uses the delivery vehicle at the dispatch destination or the user terminal possessed by the user, via the network 4. The network 4 is, for example, the Internet.

[0064] Here, the dispatch source represents the loading position where the delivery object is loaded onto the vehicle when the delivery vehicle 3 delivers the delivery object, and represents the boarding position where the person to be delivered boards the vehicle when the delivery vehicle 3 delivers a person such as a taxi. Also, the dispatch destination represents the position where the delivery object is unloaded from the vehicle when the delivery vehicle 3 delivers the delivery object, and represents the position where the person to be delivered gets off the vehicle when the delivery vehicle 3 delivers a person.

[0065] In addition, the user who uses the delivery vehicle 3 at the delivery origin represents the person who loads the delivery target onto the delivery vehicle 3 when the delivery vehicle 3 delivers the delivery target, and represents the person who rides in the delivery vehicle 3 when the delivery vehicle 3 delivers people like a taxi. Similarly, the user who uses the delivery vehicle 3 at the delivery destination represents the person who unloads the delivery target from the delivery vehicle 3, that is, the recipient of the delivery target, when the delivery vehicle 3 delivers the delivery target, and represents the person who gets off the delivery vehicle 3 when the delivery vehicle 3 delivers people like a taxi. Also, the delivery origin represents the dispatch destination where the autonomous vehicle is dispatched, and the delivery destination represents the destination.

[0066] Next, the management device 1 determines the delivery vehicle 3 from the vehicle information of one or more vehicles managed in advance based on the position information of the delivery destination and the position information of the delivery origin included in the vehicle dispatch request information. Then, the management device 1 sets, for the user at the delivery origin, the control right to permit the control of the delivery vehicle 3 located at the delivery origin based on the position information of the delivery origin and the delivery origin user identification information. Also, the management device 1 sets, for the user at the delivery destination, the control right to permit the control of the delivery vehicle 3 located at the delivery destination based on the position information of the delivery destination and the delivery destination user identification information.

[0067] Next, the management device 1 transmits, to the user terminal 2 via the network 4, control instruction support information for assisting the user in inputting control instruction information to the delivery vehicle 3. Also, the management device 1 transmits, to the delivery vehicle 3 via the network 4, control right information regarding the set control right.

[0068] The user terminal 2 is a terminal owned by the user, such as a mobile phone, a smartphone, a tablet terminal, or a personal computer. The user terminal 2 transmits, for example, vehicle allocation request information and user identification information to the management device 1 using wireless communication. The vehicle allocation request information includes the location information of the delivery origin and the location information of the delivery destination. Note that the vehicle allocation request information may include only the location information of the delivery origin. The user identification information includes delivery origin user identification information for identifying the user who uses the delivery vehicle at the location of the delivery origin or the user terminal 2 owned by the user, and delivery destination user identification information for identifying the user who uses the delivery vehicle at the location of the delivery destination or the user terminal 2 owned by the user. The user identification information may include only the delivery origin user identification information.

[0069] The user identification information may be, for example, a user ID, biometric information, or a MAC (Media Access Control) address for identifying the user terminal 2, which is assigned by the service provider during user registration when using the service. The biometric information is, for example, a fingerprint, an iris, or a face.

[0070] As a method for the user to instruct the management device 1 to make a vehicle allocation request, for example, a method of installing an application program for making a vehicle allocation request provided by the management device 1 or the like on the user terminal 2 and using the application program to instruct the vehicle allocation request can be considered. As another method, a method of the user accessing a dedicated WEB page for making a vehicle allocation request provided by the management device 1 and instructing the vehicle allocation request via the dedicated WEB page can be considered. Note that any configuration may be used as long as the user uses the user terminal 2 to instruct the management device 1 to make a vehicle allocation request.

[0071] The delivery vehicle 3 is a vehicle determined based on the vehicle information of one or more vehicles managed by the management device 1 according to the vehicle allocation request information, and is a fully autonomous driving vehicle equipped with an autonomous driving function that does not require a driver. Each vehicle in the vehicle group managed by the management device 1 periodically transmits vehicle state information indicating the state of the vehicle, such as the position information of the own vehicle and whether it is in the process of delivery, to the management device 1. The management device 1 manages this information, and when acquiring the vehicle allocation request information from the user terminal 2, determines the delivery vehicle 3 based on this information. The delivery vehicle 3 is an example of an allocated vehicle.

[0072] In addition, the delivery vehicle 3 acquires and stores control right information regarding the control right for controlling the own vehicle when located at the delivery source and the delivery destination from the management device 1. Then, when the delivery vehicle 3 receives control instruction information for controlling the own vehicle from the outside, it determines whether the own vehicle can be controlled based on the stored control right information. When the delivery vehicle 3 determines that the own vehicle can be controlled, it controls the own vehicle according to the control instruction information.

[0073] Hereinafter, the configurations of the management device 1, the user terminal 2, and the delivery vehicle 3 will be described in detail.

[0074] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the management device in Embodiment 1 of the present disclosure. The management device 1 includes a communication unit 11, a control unit 12, and a storage unit 13.

[0075] The communication unit 11 transmits and receives various information to and from external devices such as the user terminal 2 and the delivery vehicle 3. The communication unit 11 transmits and receives various information to and from external devices via a network 4 such as a WAN (Wide Area Network) or a LAN (Local Area Network), for example.

[0076] The control unit 12 is, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit), and includes a vehicle allocation request information acquisition unit 121, a user identification information acquisition unit 122, a delivery vehicle determination unit 123, a control right setting unit 124, a control instruction support information generation unit 125, and an information transmission unit 126.

[0077] The vehicle allocation request information acquisition unit 121 acquires vehicle allocation request information including user information indicating the user, the location information of the delivery source, and the location information of the delivery destination from the user terminal 2 via the communication unit 11. The vehicle allocation request information acquisition unit 121 acquires vehicle allocation request information including at least location information indicating the location of the delivery destination where the autonomous vehicle is allocated. In Embodiment 1, the delivery source is the delivery destination, and the delivery destination is the destination.

[0078] The user identification information acquisition unit 122 acquires, from the user terminal 2 via the communication unit 11, delivery source user identification information for identifying the user who uses the delivery vehicle located at the delivery source or the user terminal 2 possessed by the user, and delivery destination user identification information for identifying the user who uses the delivery vehicle located at the delivery destination or the user terminal 2 possessed by the user. The user identification information acquisition unit 122 acquires user identification information for identifying the user who uses the autonomous vehicle or the user terminal possessed by the user from the user terminal 2.

[0079] In this Embodiment 1, a configuration in which the vehicle allocation request information, the delivery source user identification information, and the delivery destination user identification information are acquired separately is described, but a configuration in which these pieces of information are acquired together may also be used. For example, the vehicle allocation request information may include the delivery source user identification information and the delivery destination user identification information, and the vehicle allocation request information acquisition unit 121 may acquire the vehicle allocation request information, the delivery source user identification information, and the delivery destination user identification information together.

[0080] Here, delivery will be described. There are roughly two types of delivery. The first is the delivery of goods, and the second is the delivery of people like a taxi.

[0081] When the delivery vehicle delivers goods, the user who loads the luggage at the delivery source is different from the user who receives the luggage at the delivery destination. Therefore, the user information indicated by the delivery source user identification information and the delivery destination user identification information will be different.

[0082] On the one hand, when a delivery vehicle delivers a person, the user who boards at the delivery source and the user who alights at the delivery destination are the same. Therefore, the information of the user indicated by the delivery source user identification information and the delivery destination user identification information is the same. For this reason, when the delivery vehicle delivers a person, the user identification information acquisition unit 122 may simply acquire the user identification information for identifying the user who uses the delivery vehicle or the user terminal 2 possessed by the user without distinguishing between the delivery destination and the delivery source, and set the acquired user identification information as the delivery source user identification information and the delivery destination user identification information.

[0083] Note that the user identification information acquisition unit 122 may acquire the user identification information each time the vehicle allocation request information is acquired, or may reuse the user identification information acquired after the first vehicle allocation request information is acquired each time the vehicle allocation request information is acquired. In particular, when the delivery vehicle is a taxi that delivers a person, it is considered that the person who requests the vehicle allocation often boards and alights. Therefore, each time the user transmits the vehicle allocation request information, causing the delivery source user identification information and the delivery destination user identification information to be transmitted to the user would be a burden on the user.

[0084] Therefore, when the delivery vehicle is a taxi, it is preferable for the user identification information acquisition unit 122 to reuse the user identification information acquired after the first vehicle allocation request information is acquired each time the vehicle allocation request information is acquired. Alternatively, the user identification information may be registered during the first user registration when the user uses the taxi, and the user identification information acquisition unit 122 may automatically use the registered user identification information as the delivery source user identification information and the delivery destination user information. With this configuration, the user can save the trouble of transmitting the delivery source user identification information and the delivery destination user information each time the vehicle allocation request information is transmitted.

[0085] On the one hand, when a delivery vehicle delivers goods, either the user at the delivery source or the user at the delivery destination is different from the person who requests the delivery. Therefore, each time the delivery requester transmits the vehicle allocation request information, it is necessary to transmit user identification information that is at least different from the user identification information of the delivery requester. However, in order to minimize the burden on the user as much as possible, the user terminal 2 preferably pre-registers the user identification information that is frequently used as the delivery source user identification information or the delivery destination user identification information, and can easily accept the designation of the user identification information when designating the delivery source user identification information or the delivery destination user identification information next time.

[0086] Based on the vehicle allocation request information, the vehicle allocation determination unit 123 determines a delivery vehicle (allocated vehicle) indicating the autonomous driving vehicle to be allocated to the user. The vehicle allocation determination unit 123 determines the delivery vehicle for the vehicle allocation request information from the vehicle information, which is the information of one or more vehicles managed by the management device 1, using a predetermined delivery vehicle determination algorithm. Here, the vehicle information managed by the management device 1 includes vehicle identification information for identifying the vehicle, vehicle position information indicating the position of the vehicle, and vehicle state information indicating the state of the vehicle, such as whether the vehicle is in the process of delivery. The vehicle position information and the vehicle state information are obtained from each vehicle. The vehicle information is stored in the vehicle information storage unit 133. The delivery vehicle determination algorithm is pre-stored in the delivery vehicle determination program storage unit 135.

[0087] In addition, the delivery vehicle determination algorithm may be any algorithm as long as it can determine a delivery vehicle for the vehicle allocation request information. For example, the delivery vehicle determination unit 123 determines, from the location information of the vehicle allocation origin included in the vehicle allocation request information, among the vehicle information managed by the management device 1, the vehicle that is not currently in delivery and is the closest to the location of the vehicle allocation origin as the delivery vehicle 3. In this example, a delivery vehicle determination algorithm that determines the vehicle existing at the position closest to the location of the vehicle allocation origin as the delivery vehicle 3 has been described. However, as another delivery vehicle determination algorithm, the delivery vehicle determination unit 123 may calculate the required fee for each vehicle when allocating vehicles to the vehicle allocation origin and determine the vehicle with the lowest required fee as the delivery vehicle 3. As another example of the delivery vehicle determination algorithm, the delivery vehicle determination unit 123 may determine the vehicle that arrives at the delivery destination in the shortest time as the delivery vehicle 3.

[0088] As another example of the delivery vehicle determination algorithm, the delivery vehicle determination unit 123 generates a route from the position of the vehicle to the vehicle allocation origin for each vehicle, calculates the required time from the position of the vehicle to the vehicle allocation origin based on the route, and may determine the vehicle with the shortest required time as the delivery vehicle 3. In addition, the delivery vehicle determination program storage unit 135 stores a plurality of delivery vehicle determination algorithms in advance, and the delivery vehicle determination unit 123 may determine one delivery vehicle determination algorithm from among the plurality of delivery vehicle determination algorithms, for example, according to the preference of the administrator.

[0089] The control right setting unit 124 sets, based on the vehicle allocation request information and the user identification information, a control right (vehicle control right) that permits the control of the delivery vehicle for the user. The control right setting unit 124 sets, based on the vehicle allocation request information and the user identification information, a control right (vehicle control right) that permits the control of the delivery vehicle located at the delivery destination for the user. The control right setting unit 124 sets, based on the vehicle allocation request information, the user identification information of the vehicle allocation origin, and the user identification information of the delivery destination, a control right for controlling the delivery vehicle 3 located at the vehicle allocation origin for the user identification information of the vehicle allocation origin, and sets a control right for controlling the delivery vehicle 3 located at the delivery destination for the user identification information of the delivery destination.

[0090] The control instruction support information generation unit 125 generates control instruction support information for assisting the input of control instruction information to the delivery vehicle 3. The control instruction support information generation unit 125 generates control instruction support information for assisting the input of control instruction information to the delivery vehicle 3 for the user granted the control right. The control instruction support information is, for example, a control instruction screen for instructing the control of the delivery vehicle 3. Note that the control instruction support information may be a screen indicating the address of a dedicated WEB page for instructing the control of the delivery vehicle 3. In this case, the user can give a control instruction to the delivery vehicle 3 via the control instruction screen or the WEB page using the user terminal 2.

[0091] Also, when the delivery vehicle 3 is equipped with an input device (not shown) for the user to input control instruction information, the control instruction support information may be information such as a password required for the user to input control instruction information via the input device mounted on the delivery vehicle 3. In this case, the user inputs information such as a password, which is the control instruction support information, into the input device mounted on the delivery vehicle 3. Thereby, when the authentication to the input device mounted on the delivery vehicle 3 is successful, the user can give a control instruction to the delivery vehicle 3 via the input device. With this configuration, it is possible to prevent a person other than the user from controlling the delivery vehicle 3.

[0092] The information transmission unit 126 transmits the control instruction support information generated by the control instruction support information generation unit 125 to the user granted the control right. The management device 1 acquires user information including user contact information indicating the contact information of each user from the user, and stores it in the user information storage unit 132. The information transmission unit 126 transmits the control instruction support information to the user granted the control right based on the user information. The user information may be acquired from the user in advance, or the user information may be acquired from the vehicle allocation request information including the user information acquired from the user, and the user information may be acquired from the vehicle allocation request information.

[0093] When the delivery vehicle delivers goods, the user at the delivery source and the user at the delivery destination are different, and either one of the user at the delivery source and the user at the delivery destination is different from the delivery requester. Therefore, the vehicle allocation request information acquisition unit 121 acquires vehicle allocation request information including user information of the party different from the delivery requester.

[0094] In addition, the information transmission unit 126 transmits control right information regarding the set control right to the delivery vehicle 3. Further, the information transmission unit 126 transmits vehicle allocation instruction information based on the vehicle allocation request information to the delivery vehicle 3. The vehicle allocation instruction information includes at least the position information of the delivery source and the position information of the delivery destination. The vehicle allocation instruction information may include route information including a route from the current position of the vehicle to the delivery source and a route from the delivery source to the delivery destination. In this case, the management device 1 generates the route information, but the delivery vehicle 3 may generate the route information.

[0095] The storage unit 13 is, for example, a semiconductor memory, and includes a vehicle allocation request information storage unit 131, a user information storage unit 132, a vehicle information storage unit 133, a control right information storage unit 134, a delivery vehicle determination program storage unit 135, a control right setting program storage unit 136, and a control instruction support information generation program storage unit 137.

[0096] The vehicle allocation request information storage unit 131 stores vehicle allocation request information including at least user information, the position information of the delivery source, and the position information of the delivery destination, which is acquired from the user terminal 2 by the vehicle allocation request information acquisition unit 121.

[0097] The user information storage unit 132 stores user information including user identification information for identifying the user or the user terminal 2 owned by the user, which is acquired from the user terminal 2, and user contact information indicating the contact information of the user. Note that the user identification information and the user contact information may be the same.

[0098] FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of user information stored in the user information storage unit in the first embodiment.

[0099] The user information includes, for example, user identification information for identifying the user and user contact information for transmitting and receiving information with the user terminal 2. In FIG. 3, an email address is stored as the user contact information. Note that the user contact information is not limited to the email address, and may be, for example, an IP (Internet Protocol) address or a MAC (Media Access Control) address. The user contact information may be any information as long as it is information for transmitting information to the user. Also, the user contact information is extracted from the user information storage unit 132 based on the sender user identification information and the recipient user identification information.

[0100] The vehicle information storage unit 133 stores vehicle information regarding each of one or more vehicles to be dispatched.

[0101] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of the vehicle information stored in the vehicle information storage unit in the first embodiment. For example, the vehicle information includes vehicle identification information for identifying the vehicle, vehicle position information indicating the position of the vehicle, and vehicle state information indicating whether the vehicle is in an empty state or a delivery state. In the example shown in FIG. 4, the vehicle state information shows a case where there are an empty state and a delivery state.

[0102] Since the vehicle position information of each vehicle changes every moment, it is preferably acquired from each vehicle periodically. On the other hand, the vehicle state information is information that changes for each predetermined event such as when the delivery vehicle acquires a vehicle dispatch instruction from the management device 1 and when the delivery vehicle completes the delivery. Therefore, the vehicle state information is preferably acquired from each vehicle for each predetermined event. Note that even if the vehicle state information is configured to be acquired from each vehicle periodically like the vehicle position information, the same effect as described above can be obtained.

[0103] The control right information storage unit 134 stores control right information indicating the control right for controlling the delivery vehicle 3 located at the delivery source and the control right for controlling the delivery vehicle 3 located at the delivery destination, which are set by the control right setting unit 124 based on the vehicle allocation request information, the delivery source user identification information, and the delivery destination user identification information.

[0104] FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of the control right information stored in the control right information storage unit in the first embodiment. The control right information shown in FIG. 5 includes a vehicle allocation request identification number for identifying the vehicle allocation request information, information indicating either the delivery source or the delivery destination, a controllable position, user identification information, and vehicle identification information of the delivery vehicle. The controllable position indicates the position information of the delivery source and the position information of the delivery destination. The controllable position is represented by, for example, longitude and latitude.

[0105] In FIG. 5, for example, at the controllable position of the delivery source which is (latitude x11 degrees x12 minutes x13 seconds, longitude x14 degrees x15 minutes x16 seconds), a control right for controlling a delivery vehicle with vehicle identification information "a" for a user with user identification information "A" is set. Also, for example, at the controllable position of the delivery destination which is (latitude y11 degrees y12 minutes y13 seconds, longitude y14 degrees y15 minutes y16 seconds), a control right for controlling a delivery vehicle with vehicle identification information "a" for a user with user identification information "B" is set.

[0106] The delivery vehicle determination program storage unit 135 stores a delivery vehicle determination program for determining a delivery vehicle, which is executed by the delivery vehicle determination unit 123.

[0107] The control right setting program storage unit 136 stores a control right setting program for setting the control right for controlling the delivery vehicle 3 located at the delivery source and the control right for controlling the delivery vehicle 3 located at the delivery destination, which are executed by the control right setting unit 124.

[0108] The control instruction support information generation program storage unit 137 stores a control instruction support information generation program for generating control instruction support information for assisting the input of control instruction information to the delivery vehicle 3 for the user to whom control authority is granted and who is executed by the control instruction support information generation unit 125.

[0109] Next, the configuration of the user terminal 2 in the first embodiment will be described in detail.

[0110] FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the user terminal in the first embodiment of the present disclosure. The user terminal 2 includes a communication unit 21, a display unit 22, an input unit 23, a control unit 24, and a storage unit 25.

[0111] The communication unit 21 transmits vehicle allocation request information to the management device 1, receives control instruction support information from the management device 1, and transmits control instruction information for the delivery vehicle 3 via the control instruction support information. The communication unit 21 transmits and receives information to and from external devices such as the management device 1 or the delivery vehicle 3. The communication unit 21 transmits and receives information to and from external devices via a network 4 such as a WAN or a LAN, for example.

[0112] The display unit 22 is, for example, a liquid crystal display, and displays an input screen when inputting vehicle allocation request information or displays control instruction support information received from the management device 1.

[0113] The input unit 23 is, for example, a keyboard or a mouse, etc., and receives input operations by the user. The user inputs information to the user terminal 2 via the input unit 23. Note that the display unit 22 and the input unit 23 may be integrally configured like a touch panel of a smartphone. In this case, the user inputs information by touching the touch panel of the display unit 22. The user inputs, via the input unit 23, for example, the position information of the delivery source and the position information of the delivery destination included in the vehicle allocation request information. As a method for inputting the position information of the delivery source and the position information of the delivery destination, for example, there is an input method in which the user touches the position of the delivery source and the position of the delivery destination on the map information displayed on the touch panel with a finger or the like. Also, as another input method, for example, there is an input method in which the user inputs the address of the delivery source and the address of the delivery destination from the keyboard to the input fields for the position information of the delivery source and the position information of the delivery destination displayed on the display unit 22. Further, for example, the user may input the name of the facility of the delivery source and the name of the facility of the delivery destination from the keyboard to the input fields for the position information of the delivery source and the position information of the delivery destination displayed on the display unit 22.

[0114] The control unit 24 is, for example, a CPU, and performs processes related to various controls of the user terminal 2.

[0115] The storage unit 25 is, for example, a semiconductor memory or the like, and stores various information such as information acquired from the management device 1 and information input by the user. Also, the storage unit 25 stores the address information of the management device 1 in order to transmit the vehicle allocation request information to the management device 1. The address information is acquired, for example, from a dedicated application for transmitting the vehicle allocation request information provided by the management device 1. Also, when a dedicated WEB page or the like for transmitting the vehicle allocation request information is provided, the address information may be acquired from that WEB page. Note that the method for acquiring the address information of the management device 1 may be an arbitrary method.

[0116] Next, the configuration of the delivery vehicle 3 in the first embodiment will be described in detail.

[0117] FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the delivery vehicle according to Embodiment 1 of the present disclosure. The delivery vehicle 3 includes a communication unit 31, a control unit 32, a storage unit 33, a sensor unit 34, and a drive unit 35.

[0118] The communication unit 31 receives control right information from the management device 1, receives control instruction information for controlling itself from the outside, transmits vehicle position information indicating its own position to the management device 1, and transmits vehicle state information indicating its own state to the management device 1, for example, using wireless communication. The communication unit 31 transmits and receives information to and from an external device such as the management device 1 or the user terminal 2. The communication unit 31 transmits and receives various information to and from an external device via a network 4 such as a WAN or a LAN, for example.

[0119] The control unit 32 is, for example, a CPU, and includes a movement control unit 321, a vehicle position information acquisition unit 322, a vehicle allocation instruction information acquisition unit 323, a control right information acquisition unit 324, a control instruction information acquisition unit 325, a controllable position determination unit 326, and a controllable subject determination unit 327.

[0120] The movement control unit 321 controls the movement of the delivery vehicle 3 based on the automatic driving basic program stored in the automatic driving basic program storage unit 332. Specifically, the movement control unit 321 determines the movement direction of the delivery vehicle 3 from the route stored in the route information storage unit 333 and the vehicle position information acquired by the sensor unit 34, and controls the movement of the delivery vehicle 3 based on the automatic driving basic program toward the determined movement direction.

[0121] In addition, when the movement control unit 321 acquires control instruction information for controlling the delivery vehicle 3 transmitted from the outside, and it is determined by the controllable position determination unit 326 and the controllable subject determination unit 327 that the delivery vehicle 3 is to be controlled according to the acquired control instruction information, the movement control unit 321 controls the delivery vehicle 3.

[0122] Specifically, first, the movement control unit 321 determines whether it can control the movement of the delivery vehicle 3 according to the control instruction information. This determination is made because, for example, if there is an obstacle at the destination where the vehicle attempts to move according to the control instruction information, it cannot move to that destination. Before actually moving, the movement control unit 321 checks whether it is possible to move the delivery vehicle 3 according to the control instruction information. The movement control unit 321, for example, identifies the destination based on the control instruction information, and determines whether it is possible to move by judging the presence or absence of an obstacle based on the information sensed by the sensor unit 34 at the identified destination. Next, the movement control unit 321 controls the actual movement of the delivery vehicle 3 based on this determination result. Specifically, when the movement control unit 321 determines that the delivery vehicle 3 can move, it controls the movement of the delivery vehicle 3 according to the control instruction information. On the other hand, when the movement control unit 321 determines that the delivery vehicle 3 cannot move, it does not move the delivery vehicle 3 and does not follow the control instruction information.

[0123] The vehicle position information acquisition unit 322 acquires position information indicating the current position of the delivery vehicle 3 via the sensor unit 34. The management device 1 manages the position information of each vehicle in the vehicle group to be allocated. Each vehicle acquires its own position information and periodically transmits the position information to the management device 1. Therefore, the vehicle position information acquisition unit 322 acquires the position information of the delivery vehicle 3 via the sensor unit 34 and transmits the position information to the management device 1 via the communication unit 31.

[0124] Also, when the delivery vehicle 3 receives control instruction information for controlling the delivery vehicle 3 from the outside, the vehicle position information acquisition unit 322 acquires the position information of the delivery vehicle 3 via the sensor unit 34 in order to determine whether the position of the delivery vehicle 3 is a position corresponding to the control authority set in the control authority information.

[0125] The vehicle allocation instruction information acquisition unit 323 acquires vehicle allocation instruction information indicating a vehicle allocation instruction for the vehicle allocation request information transmitted from the management device 1. The vehicle allocation instruction information includes at least the position information of the delivery source and the position information of the delivery destination. The delivery vehicle 3 starts moving toward the delivery source based on the acquired vehicle allocation instruction information. After the object to be delivered is loaded at the delivery source or after the user boards the delivery vehicle 3, the delivery vehicle 3 moves toward the delivery destination. Note that the vehicle allocation instruction information may include route information from the current position of the delivery vehicle 3 to the delivery source or route information from the delivery source to the delivery destination. In this case, the management device 1 creates route information from the current position of the delivery vehicle 3 to the delivery source or route information from the delivery source to the delivery destination. Alternatively, the delivery vehicle 3 may create route information from the current position of the delivery vehicle 3 to the delivery source or route information from the delivery source to the delivery destination based on the position information of the delivery source and the position information of the delivery destination included in the vehicle allocation instruction information. In this case, the management device 1 does not have a function of creating route information, and the delivery vehicle 3 has a function of creating route information.

[0126] The control right information acquisition unit 324 acquires control right information set by the management device 1. The control right information acquisition unit 324 acquires from the outside control right information associating control permission position information indicating a control permission position for allowing control by the user of the autonomous vehicle and control subject identification information for identifying a control subject that controls the autonomous vehicle at the control permission position. Note that the control subject indicates the user or a user terminal possessed by the user.

[0127] In the first embodiment, control right information is transmitted from the management device 1 to the delivery vehicle 3, but the delivery vehicle 3 may acquire control right information from the management device 1 by requesting the management device 1 for control right information. For example, when receiving control instruction information for controlling the delivery vehicle 3 from the outside, the control right information acquisition unit 324 may request the management device 1 for control right information and acquire the control right information from the management device 1.

[0128] The control instruction information acquisition unit 325 acquires, from the outside, control instruction information for controlling the delivery vehicle 3, which includes control subject identification information. As an example of the control instruction information, for example, position information indicating the position to move the delivery vehicle 3 can be considered. In this case, the delivery vehicle 3 moves toward the position indicated by the control instruction information. Note that the control instruction information may include information indicating not only the position of the delivery vehicle 3 but also the direction of the delivery vehicle 3. In this case, the delivery vehicle 3 moves toward the position indicated by the control instruction information so that the direction of the delivery vehicle 3 faces the direction indicated by the control instruction information.

[0129] Also, as another example, the control instruction information may include information indicating the direction to move the delivery vehicle 3 and the distance to move the delivery vehicle 3. For example, when the information indicating the direction to move the delivery vehicle 3 is the front of the vehicle and the information indicating the distance to move the delivery vehicle 3 is 50 cm, the delivery vehicle 3 moves 50 cm toward the front of the vehicle.

[0130] The controllable position determination unit 326 determines whether the current position indicated by the position information acquired by the vehicle position information acquisition unit 322 is the controllable position indicated by the control permission position information. When control instruction information for controlling the delivery vehicle 3 transmitted from the outside is acquired, the controllable position determination unit 326 determines, based on the control right information, whether the current position of the delivery vehicle 3 is the position of the delivery source or the delivery destination indicated by the control right information. As a result of the determination, if it is determined that the position of the delivery vehicle 3 is the position of the delivery source or the delivery destination, the process proceeds to the controllable subject determination unit 327. On the other hand, as a result of the determination, if it is determined that the position of the delivery vehicle 3 is not the position of the delivery source and the delivery destination, the control instruction information is not followed and the process ends.

[0131] When the controllable subject determination unit 327 determines that the current position indicated by the vehicle position information is the controllable position indicated by the control permission position information, the controllable subject determination unit 327 determines whether the control subject identification information included in the control instruction information matches the control subject identification information associated with the control permission position information.

[0132] When the controllable position determination unit 326 determines that the current position of the delivery vehicle 3 is the position of the delivery source or the delivery destination indicated in the control right information, the controllable subject determination unit 327 determines whether the control subject identification information included in the control instruction information matches the user identification information included in the control right information. As a result of the determination, when it is determined that the control subject identification information included in the control instruction information matches the user identification information included in the control right information, the controllable subject determination unit 327 requests the movement control unit 321 to perform control processing in accordance with the control instruction information. When the movement control unit 321 determines that the control subject identification information included in the control instruction information matches the control subject identification information associated with the control permission position information, the movement control unit 321 controls the delivery vehicle 3 in accordance with the control instruction information.

[0133] On the other hand, as a result of the determination, when it is determined that the control subject identification information included in the control instruction information does not match the user identification information included in the control right information, the control instruction information is not followed and the process ends.

[0134] The storage unit 33 is, for example, a semiconductor memory, and includes a map information storage unit 331, an automatic driving basic program storage unit 332, a route information storage unit 333, a vehicle position information storage unit 334, a vehicle allocation instruction information storage unit 335, a control right information storage unit 336, a controllable position determination program storage unit 337, and a controllable subject determination program storage unit 338.

[0135] The map information storage unit 331 stores map information such as road maps. The map information includes, for example, road data regarding road links, intersection data regarding intersections, facility data regarding facilities, and display object data indicating display objects installed or formed on the road to provide or guide various driving information (for example, legal speed information) to the driving vehicle. The map information is obtained from, for example, an external server and stored in advance. Since the road conditions change due to the newly formed or changed roads or facilities, it is desirable for the delivery vehicle 3 to periodically access an external server or the like to obtain map information and update the map information. The map information is used when the delivery vehicle 3 automatically delivers the delivery target.

[0136] The automatic driving basic program storage unit 332 stores a basic program for controlling the automatic driving of the delivery vehicle 3. The movement control unit 321 controls the movement of the delivery vehicle 3 by controlling the drive unit 35 based on the sensing information measured by the sensor unit 34 of the delivery vehicle 3 and the vehicle position information according to the automatic driving basic program.

[0137] The route information storage unit 333 stores route information from the current position of the delivery vehicle 3 to the delivery source or route information from the delivery source to the delivery destination. The route information can be generated by an existing route generation program or the like. The delivery vehicle 3 can acquire the route information by receiving the route information generated by the management device 1 from the management device 1. Note that the delivery vehicle 3 may generate the route information based on the vehicle allocation instruction information including the position information of the delivery source and the position information of the delivery destination acquired from the management device 1.

[0138] The vehicle position information storage unit 334 stores position information indicating the current position of the delivery vehicle 3 acquired by the vehicle position information acquisition unit 322. The movement control unit 321 can determine the movement direction of the delivery vehicle 3 based on the position information of the delivery vehicle 3 stored in the vehicle position information storage unit 334 and the route information stored in the route information storage unit 333.

[0139] The vehicle allocation instruction information storage unit 335 stores vehicle allocation instruction information indicating a vehicle allocation instruction for the vehicle allocation request information acquired by the vehicle allocation instruction information acquisition unit 323. The vehicle allocation instruction information includes at least the position information of the delivery source and the position information of the delivery destination.

[0140] The control right information storage unit 336 stores control right information indicating the control right for controlling the delivery vehicle 3 located at the delivery source set for the delivery source user identification information acquired by the control right information acquisition unit 324 and the control right for controlling the delivery vehicle 3 located at the delivery destination set for the delivery destination user identification information.

[0141] When control instruction information for controlling the delivery vehicle 3 transmitted from the outside is acquired, the controllable position determination program storage unit 337 stores a controllable position determination program for determining whether the current position of the delivery vehicle 3 is the position of the delivery source or the position of the delivery destination indicated in the control right information based on the control right information. The controllable position determination program is executed by the controllable position determination unit 326.

[0142] The controllable entity determination program storage unit 338 stores a controllable entity determination program for determining whether the control entity identification information included in the control instruction information matches the user identification information included in the control right information. The controllable entity determination program is executed by the controllable entity determination unit 327.

[0143] The sensor unit 34 senses the position information of the delivery vehicle 3, senses the information on the surrounding environment of the delivery vehicle 3, and senses the information on the state of the delivery vehicle 3. The information sensed by the sensor unit 34 is used when autonomously controlling the movement of the delivery vehicle 3. Among the sensed information, the position information of the delivery vehicle 3 is transmitted to the management device 1. Specific examples of the sensors of the sensor unit 34 will be described below.

[0144] First, as a sensor for sensing the position information of the delivery vehicle 3, for example, there is GPS (Global Positioning System). The position information of the delivery vehicle 3 is represented by, for example, latitude and longitude.

[0145] In addition, sensors for sensing information on the surrounding environment of the delivery vehicle 3 include, for example, LIDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) or millimeter-wave radar. LIDAR irradiates an infrared laser, measures the time until the infrared laser is reflected back by an object, and detects the distance to an object around the delivery vehicle 3 or the relative speed of the delivery vehicle 3. Thereby, the delivery vehicle 3 can read the three-dimensional structure of the surrounding environment. Also, millimeter-wave radar performs the same measurement as LIDAR, but uses radio waves instead of infrared rays to measure the time until the radio waves are reflected back by an object. LIDAR using infrared rays can be used even at night, but has the characteristic that its function deteriorates in bad weather. Millimeter-wave radar using radio waves has the characteristic that although its resolution is inferior to that of LIDAR, it can be detected regardless of the weather. Therefore, instead of using LIDAR and millimeter-wave radar separately, by combining them, the demerits of each other can be complemented.

[0146] Sensors for sensing the state of the delivery vehicle 3 include, for example, an odometer or an inertial sensor. The odometer measures the number of rotations of the tire and measures the distance traveled by the delivery vehicle 3. The inertial sensor is a sensor that detects the inertial momentum consisting of a three-axis angular velocity sensor and a three-direction acceleration sensor, and detects the behavior of the delivery vehicle 3.

[0147] Note that the sensors described above are just examples, and the delivery vehicle 3 may perform automatic driving using the sensing information of other sensors. Any sensor may be used as long as it is a sensor used by the delivery vehicle 3 for automatic driving.

[0148] When the delivery vehicle 3 is an engine vehicle, the drive unit 35 is, for example, an engine and a transmission. Also, when the delivery vehicle 3 is a battery vehicle in the narrow sense, the drive unit 35 is, for example, a driving motor and a transmission. Both of these engines and driving motors are started and stopped via an ignition switch.

[0149] Next, based on the vehicle allocation request information sent by the user and the user identification information for identifying the user, a delivery vehicle is determined, control authority for controlling the movement of the delivery vehicle at the delivery origin and the delivery destination is set, control instruction support information for assisting the input of control instruction information to the delivery vehicle is sent to the user, and the vehicle control method for sending control authority information to the delivery vehicle will be described in detail using the flowchart of FIG. 8.

[0150] FIG. 8 is a flowchart for explaining the vehicle control process of the management device, the user terminal, and the delivery vehicle in Embodiment 1 of the present disclosure.

[0151] First, the communication unit 21 of the user terminal 2 sends vehicle allocation request information including user identification information for identifying the user or the user terminal 2 owned by the user, the location information of the delivery origin, and the location information of the delivery destination to the management device 1 (step S101). The location information of the delivery origin and the location information of the delivery destination include, for example, GPS information such as latitude and longitude, an address, or the name of a facility.

[0152] Next, the vehicle allocation request information acquisition unit 121 of the management device 1 receives the vehicle allocation request information sent from the user terminal 2 and stores the received vehicle allocation request information in the vehicle allocation request information storage unit 131 (step S102).

[0153] Next, the communication unit 21 of the user terminal 2 sends delivery origin user identification information for identifying the user or the user terminal 2 owned by the user who uses the delivery vehicle 3 located at the delivery origin, and delivery destination user identification information for identifying the user or the user terminal 2 owned by the user who uses the delivery vehicle 3 located at the delivery destination to the management device 1 (step S103). Note that the user terminal 2 may send vehicle allocation request information including the delivery origin user identification information and the delivery destination user identification information to the management device 1. Also, the user terminal 2 may send the delivery origin user identification information and the delivery destination user identification information before sending the vehicle allocation request information.

[0154] In addition, the user terminal that transmits the vehicle allocation request information may be different from the user terminal of the user who uses the delivery vehicle 3 located at the delivery source. For example, when the user terminal that transmits the vehicle allocation request information is a personal computer and the user terminal of the user who uses the delivery vehicle 3 located at the delivery source is a smartphone, the user terminal that transmits the vehicle allocation request information is different from the user terminal of the user who uses the delivery vehicle 3 located at the delivery source. In this case, the user terminal 2 that transmits the vehicle allocation request information may accept the selection of the user terminal of the user who uses the delivery vehicle 3 located at the delivery source, which is different from the user terminal 2, and accept the input of the delivery source user identification information that is different from the user identification information of the user terminal 2. Further, after the user terminal of the user who uses the delivery vehicle 3 located at the delivery source is selected, the user terminal 2 may accept the change of the user terminal of the user who uses the delivery vehicle 3 located at the delivery source by the user.

[0155] Similarly, the user terminal 2 that transmits the vehicle allocation request information may accept the selection of the user terminal of the user who uses the delivery vehicle 3 located at the delivery destination, which is different from the user terminal 2, and accept the input of the delivery destination user identification information that is different from the user identification information of the user terminal 2. Further, after the user terminal of the user who uses the delivery vehicle 3 located at the delivery destination is selected, the user terminal 2 may accept the change of the user terminal of the user who uses the delivery vehicle 3 located at the delivery destination by the user.

[0156] Next, the user identification information acquisition unit 122 of the management device 1 receives the delivery source user identification information and the delivery destination user identification information transmitted from the user terminal 2 (step S104). When the delivery vehicle 3 delivers a person, the user who boards at the delivery source and the user who gets off at the delivery destination are the same, and when the delivery requester is the user of the delivery vehicle 3, the user identification information included in the vehicle allocation request information can be regarded as the delivery source user identification information and the delivery destination user identification information. Therefore, when the delivery requester is the user of the delivery vehicle 3, steps S103 and S104 of transmitting and receiving the delivery source user identification information and the delivery destination user identification information can be omitted.

[0157] Next, the delivery vehicle determination unit 123 of the management device 1 determines a delivery vehicle to be dispatched to the delivery source from the vehicle information of one or more vehicles managed by the management device 1 using a predetermined delivery vehicle determination algorithm (step S105). For example, the delivery vehicle determination unit 123 uses a delivery vehicle determination algorithm that determines, from the location information of the delivery source included in the vehicle dispatch request information, the vehicle among the vehicles managed by the management device 1 that is located at the closest position to the delivery source as the delivery vehicle. Note that the delivery vehicle determination algorithm may be any delivery vehicle determination algorithm as long as a delivery vehicle for the vehicle dispatch request information can be determined.

[0158] Next, the control right setting unit 124 of the management device 1 sets, based on the vehicle dispatch request information, the user identification information of the delivery source, and the user identification information of the delivery destination, a control right for controlling the delivery vehicle 3 located at the delivery source for the user identification information of the delivery source, and sets a control right for controlling the delivery vehicle 3 located at the delivery destination for the user identification information of the delivery destination (step S106).

[0159] Note that, for example, at the delivery source or the delivery destination, it is conceivable that a child and his or her guardian use it, an elderly person and his or her caregiver use it, or a plurality of users use it in a group. Therefore, in the first embodiment, the control right setting unit 124 may set, based on the vehicle dispatch request information and the user identification information, a control right (vehicle control right) for permitting the control of the delivery vehicle located at the vehicle dispatch destination for a plurality of users.

[0160] More specifically, the input unit 23 of the user terminal 2 receives the input of a plurality of delivery source user identification information for identifying a plurality of users who use the delivery vehicle 3 located at the delivery source or a plurality of user terminals 2 owned by the plurality of users, and a plurality of delivery destination user identification information for identifying a plurality of users who use the delivery vehicle 3 located at the delivery destination or a plurality of user terminals 2 owned by the plurality of users. The communication unit 21 transmits the plurality of delivery source user identification information and the plurality of delivery destination user identification information to the management device 1. The user identification information acquisition unit 122 of the management device 1 receives the plurality of delivery source user identification information and the plurality of delivery destination user identification information transmitted from the user terminal 2. The control right setting unit 124 sets a control right for controlling the delivery vehicle 3 located at the delivery source for the plurality of delivery source user identification information, and sets a control right for controlling the delivery vehicle 3 located at the delivery destination for the plurality of delivery destination user identification information. At this time, the control right setting unit 124 stores control right information in which the vehicle allocation request identification number, information indicating either the delivery source or the delivery destination, the controllable position, the plurality of user identification information, and the vehicle identification information are associated with each other in the control right information storage unit 134.

[0161] Also, when it is difficult for the user at the delivery destination to receive the package, the package may be received by an agent at a convenience store or the like. Therefore, in the first embodiment, the control right setting unit 124 may set a control right (vehicle control right) for permitting the control of the delivery vehicle located at the delivery destination to an agent different from the user based on the vehicle allocation request information and the user identification information. More specifically, the input unit 23 of the user terminal 2 receives the input of delivery destination user identification information for identifying an agent different from the user who uses the delivery vehicle 3 located at the delivery destination or a plurality of user terminals 2 owned by the agent. Note that the control right setting unit 124 may automatically change the control right to the agent.

[0162] In addition, in case the user's situation suddenly deteriorates, the user may use the user terminal 2 to change the delivery destination of the package to a convenience store. In this case, the user terminal 2 sends a destination change request to the management device 1 to change the delivery destination of the package to the convenience store desired by the user. The control right setting unit 124 of the management device 1 changes the vehicle allocation destination to the convenience store desired by the user and sets the control right to the terminal of the convenience store or an employee of the convenience store. The storage unit 13 of the management device 1 stores in advance destination information associating the delivery destination (for example, the name of the convenience store), the location information of the delivery destination (for example, the address of the convenience store), and the identification information of the delivery destination (for example, the terminal of an employee of the convenience store). Note that the management device 1 may refer to or acquire the destination information from an external server. When the management device 1 acquires a destination change request from the user terminal 2, it refers to the destination information and changes the settings of the vehicle allocation destination and the grant of control right.

[0163] Next, the control instruction support information generation unit 125 of the management device 1 generates control instruction support information for assisting the input of control instruction information to the delivery vehicle 3 for the delivery source user identification information or the delivery destination user identification information for which the control right is set (step S107). The control instruction support information is, for example, a control instruction screen for instructing the control of the delivery vehicle 3. Also, the control instruction support information may be a screen showing an address indicating a dedicated WEB page for instructing the control of the delivery vehicle 3. In this case, the user can give a control instruction to the delivery vehicle 3 via the control instruction screen or the dedicated WEB page for control instructions using the user terminal 2.

[0164] FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of the control instruction support information displayed on the user terminal 2 in the first embodiment. The control instruction support information shown in FIG. 9 represents an example of a screen showing an address indicating a dedicated WEB page for control instructions. The user touches the address displayed on the screen. Thereby, the dedicated WEB page for control instructions is displayed on the display unit 22 of the user terminal 2.

[0165] In addition, when the delivery vehicle 3 is equipped with an input device (not shown) for the user to input control instruction information, the control instruction support information may be information such as a password required for the user to input control instruction information via the input device mounted on the delivery vehicle 3. In this case, the user inputs information such as a password, which is the control instruction support information, into the input device mounted on the delivery vehicle 3. Thereby, the user can give a control instruction to the delivery vehicle 3. With this configuration, it is possible to prevent a person other than the user from controlling the delivery vehicle 3.

[0166] Next, the information transmission unit 126 of the management device 1 transmits control instruction support information to the user terminal 2 of the delivery source or the delivery destination to which the control right is given via the communication unit 11 (step S108). The management device 1 acquires user information including user contact information indicating the contact information of each user from the user, and stores it in the user information storage unit 132. The information transmission unit 126 transmits control instruction support information to the user to whom the control right is given based on the user information. The user information may be acquired from the user in advance, or the user may acquire vehicle allocation request information including the user information from the user and acquire the user information from the vehicle allocation request information. When the delivery vehicle 3 delivers goods, the user of the delivery source is different from the user of the delivery destination, and either the user of the delivery source or the user of the delivery destination is different from the person who requests the delivery. Therefore, the vehicle allocation request information acquisition unit 121 acquires vehicle allocation request information including the user information of the person different from the person who requests the delivery.

[0167] Next, the communication unit 21 of the user terminal 2 receives the control instruction support information transmitted from the management device 1 (step S109). The user can give a control instruction to the delivery vehicle 3 based on the control instruction support information transmitted to the user terminal 2.

[0168] Next, the information transmission unit 126 of the management device 1 transmits vehicle allocation instruction information based on the vehicle allocation request information to the delivery vehicle 3 (step S110). The vehicle allocation instruction information includes at least the location information of the delivery source and the location information of the delivery destination. The vehicle allocation instruction information may include route information from the current location of the delivery vehicle 3 to the delivery source and route information from the delivery source to the delivery destination. In this case, the management device 1 generates the route information. As another configuration, the delivery vehicle 3 may generate route information from the current location of the vehicle to the delivery source and route information from the delivery source to the delivery destination based on the location information of the delivery source and the location information of the delivery destination in the vehicle allocation instruction information.

[0169] The vehicle allocation instruction information acquisition unit 323 of the delivery vehicle 3 receives the vehicle allocation instruction information based on the vehicle allocation request information transmitted from the management device 1 (step S111). The movement control unit 321 of the delivery vehicle 3 performs vehicle movement control based on the vehicle allocation instruction information.

[0170] Next, the information transmission unit 126 of the management device 1 transmits control right information regarding the control right set by the control right setting unit 124 to the delivery vehicle 3 (step S112).

[0171] Next, the control right information acquisition unit 324 of the delivery vehicle 3 receives the control right information regarding the control right set by the control right setting unit 124 transmitted from the management device 1 (step S113). The movement control unit 321 of the delivery vehicle 3 controls the delivery vehicle 3 based on the control right information when receiving control instruction information for the delivery vehicle 3 from the outside.

[0172] Next, the processing when the delivery vehicle 3 that has acquired the control right information from the management device 1 receives control instruction information for controlling the delivery vehicle 3 from the outside will be described in detail using the flowchart of FIG. 10.

[0173] FIG. 10 is a flowchart for explaining the vehicle control process of the delivery vehicle in Embodiment 1 of the present disclosure.

[0174] First, the control instruction information acquisition unit 325 of the delivery vehicle 3 receives control instruction information for controlling the delivery vehicle 3 (step S21). The control instruction information includes, for example, position information indicating the position where the user moves the delivery vehicle 3.

[0175] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of a display screen for receiving an input of control instruction information by a user on the user terminal 2 in the first embodiment. On the display screen shown in FIG. 11, a map image 201 near the delivery source or the delivery destination and a vehicle image 202 representing the delivery vehicle 3 at the position of the delivery source or the delivery destination on the map image 201 are displayed. On the display screen, the user designates the position where the delivery vehicle 3 is to be moved. For example, the user moves the vehicle image 202 on the map image 201 to a desired position. The communication unit 21 of the user terminal 2 transmits control instruction information including position information indicating the position of the delivery vehicle 3 designated by the user to the delivery vehicle 3. In this case, the delivery vehicle 3 moves toward the position indicated by the control instruction information. Note that the control instruction information may include information indicating not only the position of the vehicle but also the direction of the vehicle. In this case, the delivery vehicle 3 moves toward the position designated by the control instruction information and also moves so that the direction of the vehicle faces the direction designated by the control instruction information.

[0176] Further, the user terminal 2 may display on the map image 201 an area where parking or stopping of the vehicle is prohibited in an identifiable manner. The area where parking or stopping of the vehicle is prohibited can be obtained from the map information. Furthermore, the user terminal 2 may determine whether the position of the vehicle image 202 after movement input by the user is within the area where parking or stopping is prohibited. When it is determined that the position of the vehicle image 202 after movement is within the area where parking or stopping is prohibited, the user terminal 2 may display a warning image or output a warning sound.

[0177] Also, as another method of inputting the control instruction information, a method of inputting the direction in which the delivery vehicle 3 is to be moved and the distance by which the delivery vehicle 3 is to be moved is conceivable.

[0178] FIG. 12 is a diagram showing another example of a display screen for receiving input of control instruction information by a user on the user terminal 2 in the first embodiment. On the display screen shown in FIG. 12, a first input field 211 for inputting a direction to move the delivery vehicle 3 and a second input field 212 for inputting a distance to move the delivery vehicle 3 are displayed. The first input field 211 receives a selection of whether to move the vehicle forward or backward. The second input field 212 receives input of the distance to move the vehicle. The communication unit 21 of the user terminal 2 transmits control instruction information including the direction and distance specified by the user to the delivery vehicle 3. On the display screen of FIG. 12, for example, when the information indicating the direction to move the delivery vehicle 3 is in front of the vehicle and the information indicating the distance to move the delivery vehicle 3 is 50 cm, the delivery vehicle 3 will move 50 cm forward in the direction of the front of the vehicle.

[0179] Returning to FIG. 10, next, the vehicle position information acquisition unit 322 acquires position information indicating the current position of the delivery vehicle 3 from the sensor unit 34 (step S22).

[0180] Next, the controllable position determination unit 326 determines, based on the control right information, whether the current position of the delivery vehicle 3 acquired by the vehicle position information acquisition unit 322 is the position of the delivery source or the delivery destination indicated in the control right information (step S23).

[0181] Here, if it is determined that the current position of the delivery vehicle 3 is not the position of the delivery source and the delivery destination (NO in step S23), the control instruction information is not followed and the process ends.

[0182] On the other hand, if it is determined that the current position of the delivery vehicle 3 is the position of the delivery source or the delivery destination (YES in step S23), the controllable subject determination unit 327 determines whether the control subject identification information included in the control instruction information matches the user identification information included in the control right information (step S24).

[0183] Here, when it is determined that the control subject identification information included in the control instruction information does not match the user identification information included in the control right information (NO in step S24), the control instruction information is not followed and the process ends.

[0184] On the other hand, when it is determined that the control subject identification information included in the control instruction information matches the user identification information included in the control right information (YES in step S24), the movement control unit 321 controls the movement of the delivery vehicle 3 according to the obtained control instruction information (step S25).

[0185] Specifically, first, the movement control unit 321 determines whether it is possible to move the delivery vehicle 3 according to the control instruction information. For example, if there is an obstacle at the location of the destination to which it is intended to move according to the control instruction information, it is not possible to move to that location. Therefore, the movement control unit 321 determines whether it is possible to move the delivery vehicle 3 according to the control instruction information before actually moving. This determination process is performed, for example, by identifying the location of the destination based on the control instruction information and determining whether there is an obstacle based on the information sensed by the sensor unit 34 for the identified location.

[0186] Next, the movement control unit 321 controls the actual movement of the delivery vehicle 3 based on this determination result. Specifically, when the movement control unit 321 determines that it is possible to move the delivery vehicle 3 to the destination, it controls the movement of the delivery vehicle 3 according to the control instruction information. On the other hand, when the movement control unit 321 determines that it is not possible to move the delivery vehicle 3 to the destination, it does not follow the control instruction information and does not move the delivery vehicle 3.

[0187] In addition, when there is an obstacle between the current position of the delivery vehicle 3 and the destination location indicated by the control instruction information, or when the route from the current position of the delivery vehicle 3 to the destination location indicated by the control instruction information is curved, it may not be possible to determine whether the delivery vehicle 3 can be moved to the destination. Therefore, as another movement control method for the delivery vehicle 3, first, the movement control unit 321 starts the movement of the delivery vehicle 3 according to the control instruction information. Then, during the movement, the movement control unit 321 repeatedly determines whether it is impossible to stop the delivery vehicle 3 at the destination. If it is determined that it is not impossible to stop, the movement control unit 321 continues to move to the destination. On the other hand, if it is determined that it is impossible to stop, the movement control unit 321 stops the delivery vehicle 3 on the spot.

[0188] In addition, when it is determined that it is impossible to stop, the movement control unit 321 may notify the user terminal 2 that it is impossible to stop the delivery vehicle 3 at the designated destination. In this case, the user terminal 2 may accept an input of another destination by the user. Also, the user terminal 2 may present a stoppable position near the destination and accept a selection of the stoppable position by the user. Further, when it is determined that it is impossible to stop, the movement control unit 321 may search for the nearest stoppable position on the movement route to the current location and stop the delivery vehicle 3 at the stoppable position. Also, when it is determined that it is impossible to stop, the movement control unit 321 may search for the nearest stoppable position and stop the delivery vehicle 3 at the stoppable position.

[0189] Also, in the first embodiment, the control instruction information may further include position information indicating the current position of the user terminal 2. The control unit 32 of the delivery vehicle 3 may further include a user position determination unit that determines whether the current position of the user terminal 2 is in the vicinity of the current position of the delivery vehicle 3. When it is determined that the current position of the user terminal 2 is in the vicinity of the current position of the delivery vehicle 3, the movement control unit 321 controls the movement of the delivery vehicle 3 according to the acquired control instruction information. On the other hand, when it is determined that the current position of the user terminal 2 is not in the vicinity of the current position of the delivery vehicle 3, the process is terminated without following the control instruction information. Note that the user position determination unit determines that the current position of the user terminal 2 is in the vicinity of the current position of the delivery vehicle 3 when the current position of the user terminal 2 is within a predetermined distance range from the current position of the delivery vehicle 3. Also, the user position determination unit determines that the current position of the user terminal 2 is not in the vicinity of the current position of the delivery vehicle 3 when the current position of the user terminal 2 is not within a predetermined distance range from the current position of the delivery vehicle 3.

[0190] As a result, since the delivery vehicle 3 is moved while the user is in the vicinity of the delivery vehicle 3, the user can move the delivery vehicle 3 more safely while checking the surroundings of the delivery vehicle 3.

[0191] Note that the user position determination unit of the delivery vehicle 3 may determine whether radio waves of short-range wireless communication output from the user terminal 2 are detected. When it is determined that radio waves of short-range wireless communication output from the user terminal 2 are detected, the movement control unit 321 controls the movement of the delivery vehicle 3 according to the acquired control instruction information. On the other hand, when it is determined that radio waves of short-range wireless communication output from the user terminal 2 are not detected, the process is terminated without following the control instruction information. If the distance between the delivery vehicle 3 and the user terminal 2 is short, the delivery vehicle 3 can detect radio waves of short-range wireless communication output from the user terminal 2. Therefore, by determining whether radio waves of short-range wireless communication output from the user terminal 2 are detected, it is possible to easily determine whether the user is in the vicinity of the delivery vehicle 3.

[0192] In addition, the user position determination unit of the delivery vehicle 3 may determine whether the intensity of the radio wave of the short-range wireless communication output from the user terminal 2 is greater than a predetermined threshold value. When it is determined that the intensity of the radio wave of the short-range wireless communication output from the user terminal 2 is greater than the predetermined threshold value, the movement control unit 321 controls the movement of the delivery vehicle 3 according to the acquired control instruction information. On the other hand, when it is determined that the intensity of the radio wave of the short-range wireless communication output from the user terminal 2 is equal to or less than the predetermined threshold value, the process is terminated without following the control instruction information. If the distance between the delivery vehicle 3 and the user terminal 2 is short, the intensity of the radio wave of the short-range wireless communication detected by the delivery vehicle 3 becomes large. Therefore, by determining whether the intensity of the radio wave of the short-range wireless communication output from the user terminal 2 is greater than the predetermined threshold value, it is possible to easily determine whether the user is in the vicinity of the delivery vehicle 3.

[0193] In addition, in the first embodiment, after the process of step S23 by the controllable position determination unit 326, the process of step S24 by the controllable subject determination unit 327 is performed. However, after the process by the controllable subject determination unit 327, the process by the controllable position determination unit 326 may be performed, and the same effect as described above can be obtained.

[0194] In addition, the control unit 32 of the delivery vehicle 3 may further include a controllable state determination unit (not shown) in addition to the controllable position determination unit 326 and the controllable subject determination unit 327. The controllable state determination unit determines whether the delivery vehicle 3 is moving or stopped. When it is determined by the controllable state determination unit that the delivery vehicle 3 is stopped, the movement control unit 321 may control the movement of the delivery vehicle 3 according to the control instruction information. Also, when it is determined by the controllable state determination unit that the delivery vehicle 3 is moving, the movement control unit 321 may prohibit the movement of the delivery vehicle 3.

[0195] When the delivery vehicle 3 has not yet arrived at the destination, that is, when the delivery vehicle 3 is in motion, if the delivery vehicle 3 is moved according to the control instruction information, a determination process is required to select whether to move to the destination or to move according to the control instruction information. However, with this configuration, the determination process becomes unnecessary, so the processing amount can be reduced. Also, when the user moves the delivery vehicle 3 via the input device mounted on the delivery vehicle 3, it is dangerous for the user to input control instruction information via the input device of the delivery vehicle 3 while the delivery vehicle 3 is in motion. Therefore, by not accepting the input of control instruction information while the delivery vehicle 3 is in motion, the user can safely input the control instruction information.

[0196] With the above configuration, the control right for controlling the delivery vehicle 3 located at the delivery source and the delivery destination can be set for the user. Therefore, even when the delivery vehicle 3 stops at an inconvenient position for the user, the user can move the delivery vehicle 3.

[0197] Also, in this configuration, the delivery vehicle 3 can be controlled only when the delivery vehicle 3 is located at the delivery source and the delivery destination. Therefore, when the delivery vehicle 3 is located at a place other than the delivery source and the delivery destination, that is, when the control of the delivery vehicle 3 is unnecessary, the user can be prevented from moving the delivery vehicle 3.

[0198] In the first embodiment, the control right for controlling the delivery vehicle 3 located at the delivery source is set for the delivery source user identification information, and the control right for controlling the delivery vehicle 3 located at the delivery destination is set for the delivery destination user identification information. However, based on each of the location information of the delivery source and the location information of the delivery destination, according to a predetermined rule, a delivery source control right exercisable range and a delivery destination control right exercisable range representing the area where the delivery vehicle 3 can be controlled are determined, and the control right for controlling the delivery vehicle 3 located within the delivery source control right exercisable range is set for the delivery source user identification information, and the control right for controlling the delivery vehicle 3 located within the delivery destination control right exercisable range may be set for the delivery destination user identification information.

[0199] In the first embodiment, after the user inputs control instruction information to move the delivery vehicle 3 and moves the delivery vehicle 3, when the user instructs the control of the delivery vehicle 3 again, even if the user inputs the control instruction information for the delivery vehicle 3 again, the position of the delivery vehicle 3 is different from the position of the delivery origin and the delivery destination, and the delivery vehicle 3 is not controlled according to the control instruction information. However, in the case of this configuration, after the user inputs control instruction information to move the delivery vehicle 3 and moves the delivery vehicle 3, when the user instructs the control of the delivery vehicle 3 again, if the position of the delivery vehicle 3 is within the range of the delivery origin control right exercisable range or the delivery destination control right exercisable range, the user can control and instruct the delivery vehicle 3. When finely moving the position of the delivery vehicle 3, that is, when moving the delivery vehicle 3 in units of, for example, several tens of centimeters, it is difficult to move the delivery vehicle 3 to a desired location with a single control instruction, so the delivery vehicle 3 is moved multiple times. In such a situation, with this configuration, although within a limited range, the user can issue control instructions multiple times.

[0200] In addition, in this configuration, it is desirable to include information indicating the determined delivery origin control right exercisable range and delivery destination control right exercisable range in the control instruction support information and transmit it to the user. By adopting this configuration, the user can issue a control instruction for the delivery vehicle 3 while confirming the delivery origin control right exercisable range and the delivery destination control right exercisable range. When displaying the control instruction support information including the information indicating the delivery origin control right exercisable range and the delivery destination control right exercisable range on the user terminal 2, it is preferable to display it superimposed on the position of the delivery vehicle 3. Thereby, even when the user issues control instructions multiple times, the user can grasp the position of the delivery vehicle 3, the delivery origin control right exercisable range, and the delivery destination control right exercisable range. In this case, it is desirable for the user terminal 2 to periodically update the position of the delivery vehicle 3 after moving according to the control instruction. By adopting this configuration, the user can grasp the current position of the delivery vehicle 3, so that the user can grasp where the delivery vehicle 3 exists within the range of the delivery origin control right exercisable range and the delivery destination control right exercisable range.

[0201] Based on the position of the delivery destination, the control right setting unit 124 generates a control right exercisable range (control permission range) that permits control by the user of the delivery vehicle at the delivery destination. Note that the control right setting unit 124 generates a delivery source control right exercisable range that permits control by the user of the delivery vehicle at the delivery source based on the position of the delivery source. Also, the control right setting unit 124 generates a delivery destination control right exercisable range that permits control by the user of the delivery vehicle at the delivery destination based on the position of the delivery destination. The position of the delivery source and the position of the delivery destination are represented by, for example, latitude and longitude (GPS information), an address, or the name of a facility.

[0202] Then, the control right setting unit 124 sets for the user a control right (vehicle control right) that permits control of the delivery vehicle located within the control right exercisable range. Note that the control right setting unit 124 sets for the user a control right that permits control of the delivery vehicle located within the delivery source control right exercisable range. Also, the control right setting unit 124 sets for the user a control right that permits control of the delivery vehicle located within the delivery destination control right exercisable range.

[0203] As a method for determining the delivery source control right exercisable range and the delivery destination control right exercisable range based on each of the delivery source position information and the delivery destination position information, for example, a method of determining a predetermined range from the locations indicated by the delivery source and delivery destination position information as the delivery source control right exercisable range and the delivery destination control right exercisable range can be considered.

[0204] FIG. 13 is a schematic diagram for explaining the delivery source control right exercisable range and the delivery destination control right exercisable range in the first embodiment. As a specific example, the control right setting unit 124 determines, as the delivery source control right exercisable range 301, an area that extends 3 m forward and backward along the road from the position of the delivery source by the width of the delivery vehicle 3. The area indicated by the hatching in FIG. 13 is the delivery source control right exercisable range 301. Note that the delivery destination control right exercisable range is determined in the same manner as the delivery source control right exercisable range. Also, the position of the delivery source and the position of the delivery destination are represented by, for example, latitude and longitude (GPS information).

[0205] Also, as another method for determining the range in which the shipper control right can be exercised and the range in which the consignee control right can be exercised, when the location information of the shipper or the location information of the consignee is indicated by an address, a method of using the dwelling display mechanism to determine the area indicated by the address as the range in which the shipper control right can be exercised and the range in which the consignee control right can be exercised is conceivable.

[0206] The dwelling display mechanism is roughly divided into a block method and a road method. Next, each mechanism and the area indicated by the address of the shipper or consignee will be described.

[0207] First, the mechanism of the block method mainly adopted in Japan will be described. In the block method, in principle, a section (block) surrounded by roads becomes a unit (block), and one town name is composed of one or a plurality of blocks. In the block method, a code called a block code is assigned. This block code is a mechanism in which, starting from a corner close to the center of the municipality around the block, the distance is measured clockwise along the outer periphery of the block, divided every 10 m to 15 m, and basic numbers 1, 2, 3... are sequentially assigned. For example, in the case of a dwelling display of "···X-chome Y-ban Z-go", the part of "Y" is the number indicating the block, and the part of "Z" is the basic number.

[0208] The dwelling display in this block method is represented by the basic number at the position where the entrance or the main entrance of the building to be the dwelling display abuts.

[0209] FIG. 14 is a schematic diagram for explaining the dwelling display in the block method in the first embodiment. In the block shown in FIG. 14, basic numbers are sequentially assigned as 1, 2, 3, ···, 12 clockwise along the outer periphery from the starting point. In FIG. 14, since the dwelling display of building 41 is represented by the basic number at the position where the entrance of building 41 is in contact, for example, the part corresponding to the number (Z above) of the dwelling display of building 41 is "3". Therefore, when the address of building 41 is designated as the delivery source, the range where the delivery source control right can be exercised is the entire area corresponding to the basic number "3" indicated by the dwelling display. When using the dwelling display in the block method, among the areas indicated by the address, a range of, for example, 1.5 m from the end of the road may be determined as the range where the delivery source control right can be exercised and the range where the delivery destination control right can be exercised.

[0210] FIG. 15 is a schematic diagram for explaining the range where the delivery source control right can be exercised and the range where the delivery destination control right can be exercised, which are determined using the dwelling display in the block method in the first embodiment. The control right setting unit 124 determines, using the dwelling display in the block method, a range of 1.5 m from the end of the road as the range 302 where the delivery source control right can be exercised among the areas indicated by the address of building 41 which is the delivery source. The area indicated by the hatching in FIG. 15 is the range 302 where the delivery source control right can be exercised. Note that the range where the delivery destination control right can be exercised is also determined in the same way as the range where the delivery source control right can be exercised.

[0211] Next, the mechanism of the road method mainly adopted overseas will be described. The road method is a mechanism composed of the name of the road and the dwelling number assigned to the building adjacent to the road or the building having the road leading to the road. Therefore, the dwelling display in the road method is represented by the name of the road facing the building and the dwelling number assigned to the building.

[0212] FIG. 16 is a schematic diagram for explaining the dwelling display in the road method in Embodiment 1. In FIG. 16, dwelling numbers are assigned to buildings along a road named "ABC Street". In FIG. 16, odd dwelling numbers are assigned to the buildings on one side of the road, and even dwelling numbers are assigned to the buildings on the other side. The method of assigning dwelling numbers varies by country or region, but the mechanism for displaying dwellings using the road name and the dwelling numbers assigned to the buildings is the same. In FIG. 16, the dwelling number of Building 41 is "1", and the range of Building 41 is the area of a part of the road that Building 41 touches. Therefore, when the address of Building 41 is specified as the delivery source, the position specified as the delivery source is the area of a part of the road that the building 41 indicated by the dwelling display touches.

[0213] When using the dwelling display in the road method, among the areas indicated by the address, a range of, for example, 1.5 m from the end of the road may be determined as the delivery source control right exercise range and the delivery destination control right exercise range.

[0214] FIG. 17 is a schematic diagram for explaining the delivery source control right exercise range and the delivery destination control right exercise range determined using the dwelling display in the road method in Embodiment 1. The control right setting unit 124 uses the dwelling display in the road method to determine, as the delivery source control right exercise range 303, a range of 1.5 m from the end of the road among the areas indicated by the address of Building 41, which is the delivery source. The area indicated by the hatching in FIG. 17 is the delivery source control right exercise range 303.

[0215] As described above, since the address indicated by the dwelling display indicates an area rather than a point, when the position information of the delivery source is indicated by the address, the control right setting unit 124 may determine the range within which the delivery source control right can be exercised based on the mechanism of the dwelling display. In the case of this configuration, in order to utilize the mechanism of the dwelling display, the range within which the delivery source control right can be exercised or the range within which the delivery destination control right can be exercised can be determined with a simple configuration. In the example described above, the range of 1.5 m from the end of the road is determined as the range within which the delivery source control right can be exercised or the range within which the delivery destination control right can be exercised. However, any method may be used as long as it is a method for determining the range within which the delivery source control right can be exercised or the range within which the delivery destination control right can be exercised by utilizing the mechanism of the dwelling display.

[0216] As another method for determining the range within which the delivery source control right can be exercised and the range within which the delivery destination control right can be exercised, when the position information of the delivery source or the position information of the delivery destination is indicated by the name of a facility, the address of the facility is specified from the name of the facility, and the area indicated by the specified address is determined as the range within which the delivery source control right can be exercised and the range within which the delivery destination control right can be exercised. Note that the sizes of the range within which the delivery source control right can be exercised and the range within which the delivery destination control right can be exercised determined based on the name of the facility may be changeable by the owner or administrator of the facility, etc. For example, within the facility, when there are places where parking is permitted and places where parking is prohibited, the owner or administrator of the facility, etc. may set the range within which the delivery source control right can be exercised and the range within which the delivery destination control right can be exercised to the range of the places where parking is permitted within the facility.

[0217] Note that when the user wishes to control the delivery vehicle 3 beyond the range within which the delivery source control right can be exercised or the range within which the delivery destination control right can be exercised, the operation operator of the dispatching service provider may control the delivery vehicle 3 in response to the user's request. At this time, the control instruction support information may include control request information for requesting the operation operator of the dispatching service provider to control the delivery vehicle 3. In the case of this configuration, the operation operator of the dispatching service provider who has received the request remotely controls the delivery vehicle 3.

[0218] Here, when controlling the delivery vehicle 3 without granting the user the right to control the delivery vehicle 3, the user always controls the delivery vehicle 3 through the operator of the vehicle dispatching service provider. However, in the first embodiment, it is assumed that a user at the same location as the delivery vehicle 3 moves the delivery vehicle 3 within a fine range of several centimeters to several tens of centimeters. Therefore, it is more desirable for the user at the delivery origin or the delivery destination to directly control the delivery vehicle 3 than to control the delivery vehicle 3 through the operator of the vehicle dispatching service provider located at a remote location.

[0219] In the first embodiment, the right to control for controlling the delivery vehicle 3 located at the delivery origin is set for the delivery origin user identification information, and the right to control for controlling the delivery vehicle 3 located at the delivery destination is set for the delivery destination user identification information. However, based on each of the location information of the delivery origin and the location information of the delivery destination, according to a predetermined rule, a delivery origin controllable range and a delivery destination controllable range representing an area where the delivery vehicle 3 can move according to the control instruction information are determined, and the right to control for controlling the delivery vehicle 3 located at the delivery origin within the delivery origin controllable range is set for the delivery origin user identification information, and the right to control for controlling the delivery vehicle 3 located at the delivery destination within the delivery destination controllable range may be set for the delivery destination user identification information.

[0220] The control right setting unit 124 generates a controllable range (movement control permission range) in which the delivery vehicle can be movement-controlled by the user at the delivery destination based on the location of the delivery destination. The control right setting unit 124 generates a delivery origin controllable range in which the delivery vehicle can move at the delivery origin based on the location of the delivery origin. The control right setting unit 124 also generates a delivery destination controllable range in which the delivery vehicle can move at the delivery destination based on the location of the delivery destination. The location of the delivery origin and the location of the delivery destination are represented by, for example, latitude and longitude (GPS information), address, or name of a facility.

[0221] Then, the control right setting unit 124 sets for the user a control right (vehicle control right) that permits movement control of the delivery vehicle within the controllable range. Note that the control right setting unit 124 sets for the user a control right that permits movement control of the delivery vehicle within the controllable range of the delivery source. Also, the control right setting unit 124 sets for the user a control right that permits movement control of the delivery vehicle within the controllable range of the delivery destination.

[0222] In the case of the first embodiment, since there are no restrictions on the area where the delivery vehicle 3 can move according to the control instruction information, the user can give a control instruction to the delivery vehicle 3 to move to an arbitrary location. Therefore, the user can give a control instruction to the delivery vehicle 3 that has arrived at the delivery source to move to a route different from the delivery destination. For example, if the user moves the delivery vehicle 3 from the delivery source to a route and loads the goods at the route, in addition to the delivery source, the goods can also be loaded at the route, and the goods loaded at the delivery source and the route can be delivered to the delivery destination. This goes beyond the scope of the original purpose of moving the delivery vehicle 3 to a position where the user can easily load or unload the goods, or to a position where the user can easily board or alight from the vehicle.

[0223] However, with this configuration, since the area where the delivery vehicle 3 can move according to the control instruction information can be restricted, it is possible to prevent the user from controlling the delivery vehicle 3 for a purpose different from the original purpose of setting a route between the delivery source and the delivery destination and loading and delivering the goods to the delivery destination at that route. Similarly, when the delivery vehicle 3 delivers people, it is possible to prevent the user from controlling the delivery vehicle for a purpose different from the original purpose of setting a route between the delivery source and the delivery destination and having another person other than the user board and deliver to the delivery destination at that route.

[0224] In addition, when a user wishes to control the delivery vehicle 3 beyond the controllable range of the delivery source or the delivery destination, the operator of the dispatching service provider may control the delivery vehicle 3 upon receiving the user's request. At this time, the control instruction support information may include control request information for requesting the operator of the dispatching service provider to control the delivery vehicle 3. In the case of this configuration, the operator of the dispatching service provider who has received the request remotely controls the delivery vehicle 3.

[0225] In addition, in this configuration, it is desirable to include information indicating the determined controllable range of the delivery source and the controllable range of the delivery destination in the control instruction support information and transmit it to the user. With this configuration, the user can issue a control instruction for the delivery vehicle 3 while confirming the controllable range of the delivery source and the controllable range of the delivery destination.

[0226] As a method for determining the controllable range of the delivery source and the controllable range of the delivery destination based on the location information of the delivery source and the location information of the delivery destination respectively, the methods exemplified as the methods for determining the exercisable range of the delivery source control right and the exercisable range of the delivery destination control right can be used.

[0227] That is, the control right setting unit 124 may determine a predetermined range from the locations indicated by the GPS information (latitude and longitude) of the delivery source and the delivery destination as the controllable range of the delivery source and the controllable range of the delivery destination. Further, the control right setting unit 124 may determine the areas indicated by the addresses of the delivery source and the delivery destination as the controllable range of the delivery source and the controllable range of the delivery destination. Further, the control right setting unit 124 may specify the address of the facility from the name of the facility of the delivery source and the delivery destination, and determine the area indicated by the specified address as the controllable range of the delivery source and the controllable range of the delivery destination. Note that the sizes of the controllable range of the delivery source and the controllable range of the delivery destination determined based on the name of the facility may be changeable by the owner or administrator of the facility, etc. For example, among facilities, when there are places where parking is permitted and places where parking is prohibited, the owner or administrator of the facility may set the controllable range of the delivery source and the controllable range of the delivery destination to the range of the places where parking is permitted within the facility.

[0228] Note that both a range in which the sender control right can be exercised and a range that can be controlled by the sender may be set for the sender user identification information. Similarly, both a range in which the recipient control right can be exercised and a range that can be controlled by the recipient may be set for the recipient user identification information. In this case, the range that can be controlled by the sender and the range in which the sender control right can be exercised may be the same. In the case of this configuration, since it is not necessary to determine areas separately, the processing amount can be reduced, and since the same area information is used, the amount of information to be stored can also be reduced.

[0229] Note that when the user terminal 2 issues a control instruction to the delivery vehicle 3, there are conceivable configurations in which the user terminal 2 directly transmits control instruction information to the delivery vehicle 3 and in which the user terminal 2 transmits control instruction information to the delivery vehicle 3 via the management device 1. Also, there are conceivable configurations in which the delivery vehicle 3 performs a control permission determination process for determining whether or not to control the movement of the delivery vehicle 3 based on the control instruction information and in which the management device 1 performs the process.

[0230] When the user terminal 2 directly transmits control instruction information to the delivery vehicle 3, as described in the first embodiment, the delivery vehicle 3 determines whether or not to control the movement of the delivery vehicle 3 according to the control instruction information from the user terminal 2. On the other hand, when the user terminal 2 transmits control instruction information to the delivery vehicle 3 via the management device 1, the management device 1 or the delivery vehicle 3 may determine whether or not to control the movement of the delivery vehicle 3 according to the control instruction information from the user terminal 2. Also, part of the determination process for determining whether or not to control the movement of the delivery vehicle 3 according to the control instruction information from the user terminal 2 may be performed by the management device 1 and the remaining part may be performed by the delivery vehicle 3.

[0231] FIG. 18 is a schematic diagram for explaining a process of controlling the movement of the delivery vehicle in the first embodiment.

[0232] As shown in FIG. 18, in the first embodiment, the management device 1 transmits control right information to the delivery vehicle 3. The delivery vehicle 3 receives the control right information transmitted by the management device 1. The control right information includes control permission position information indicating a control permission position that permits control by the user of the delivery vehicle 3, and control subject identification information for identifying a control subject that controls the delivery vehicle 3 at the control permission position. The user terminal 2 transmits control instruction information to the delivery vehicle 3. The control instruction information includes position information indicating a position to move the delivery vehicle 3 and control subject identification information for identifying the user terminal 2. The delivery vehicle 3 receives the control instruction information transmitted by the user terminal 2.

[0233] Then, the delivery vehicle 3 performs a control availability determination process for determining whether to control the movement of the delivery vehicle 3. The control availability determination process includes a process by the controllable position determination unit 326 for determining whether the current position is the control permission position indicated by the control permission position information, and a process by the controllable subject determination unit 327 for determining whether the control subject identification information included in the control instruction information matches the control subject identification information included in the control right information. And, when it is determined that the movement of the delivery vehicle 3 is to be controlled as a result of the control availability determination process, the delivery vehicle 3 controls the movement of the delivery vehicle 3 based on the position information included in the control instruction information.

[0234] FIG. 19 is a schematic diagram for explaining a process of controlling the movement of a delivery vehicle in the first modification of the first embodiment.

[0235] As shown in FIG. 19, in the first modification of the first embodiment, the management device 1 transmits control right information to the delivery vehicle 3. The delivery vehicle 3 receives the control right information transmitted by the management device 1. The control right information includes control permission position information indicating a control permission position that permits control by the user of the delivery vehicle 3, and control subject identification information for identifying a control subject that controls the delivery vehicle 3 at the control permission position. The user terminal 2 transmits control instruction information to the management device 1. The control instruction information includes position information indicating a position for moving the delivery vehicle 3 and control subject identification information for identifying the user terminal 2. The management device 1 receives the control instruction information transmitted by the user terminal 2. The management device 1 transmits the control instruction information received from the user terminal 2 to the delivery vehicle 3. The delivery vehicle 3 receives the control instruction information transmitted by the management device 1.

[0236] Then, the delivery vehicle 3 performs a control permission determination process for determining whether to control the movement of the delivery vehicle 3. Note that the control permission determination process includes a process in which the controllable position determination unit 326 determines whether the current position is the control permission position indicated by the control permission position information, and a process in which the controllable subject determination unit 327 determines whether the control subject identification information included in the control instruction information matches the control subject identification information included in the control right information. Then, when it is determined as a result of the control permission determination process that the movement of the delivery vehicle 3 is to be controlled, the delivery vehicle 3 controls the movement of the delivery vehicle 3 based on the position information included in the control instruction information.

[0237] FIG. 20 is a schematic diagram for explaining a process of controlling the movement of a delivery vehicle in the second modification of the first embodiment.

[0238] As shown in FIG. 20, in the second modification of the first embodiment, the management device 1 stores the control right information but does not transmit the control right information to the delivery vehicle 3. The control right information includes control permission position information indicating a control permission position for permitting control by the user of the delivery vehicle 3, and control subject identification information for identifying a control subject that controls the delivery vehicle 3 at the control permission position. The user terminal 2 transmits control instruction information to the management device 1. The control instruction information includes position information indicating a position to move the delivery vehicle 3 and control subject identification information for identifying the user terminal 2. The management device 1 receives the control instruction information transmitted by the user terminal 2.

[0239] Then, the management device 1 performs a control permission determination process for determining whether or not to control the movement of the delivery vehicle 3. The control permission determination process includes a process of determining whether the current position is the control permission position indicated by the control permission position information, and a process of determining whether the control subject identification information included in the control instruction information matches the control subject identification information included in the control right information. When performing this process, since information on the current position of the delivery vehicle 3 is required, the management device 1 acquires the current position of the delivery vehicle 3 from the delivery vehicle 3. The management device 1 requests the delivery vehicle 3 to transmit position information at the timing when it receives the control instruction information from the user terminal 2. Also, if the position information of the delivery vehicle 3 has been acquired immediately before the timing of receiving the control instruction information, the management device 1 may be configured not to newly request the delivery vehicle 3 to transmit position information and to use the position information acquired immediately before.

[0240] In this case, the control unit 12 of the management device 1 further includes a controllable position determination unit that determines whether the current position is the controllable position indicated by the control permission position information, and a controllable subject determination unit that determines whether the control subject identification information included in the control instruction information matches the control subject identification information included in the control right information. When it is determined, as a result of the controlability determination process, that the movement of the delivery vehicle 3 is to be controlled, the management device 1 transmits the control instruction information received from the user terminal 2 to the delivery vehicle 3. At this time, the control instruction information includes only the position information without including the control subject identification information. The delivery vehicle 3 receives the control instruction information transmitted by the management device 1. Then, the delivery vehicle 3 controls the movement of the delivery vehicle 3 based on the position information included in the received control instruction information. Further, the control instruction information may include the control subject identification information. In that case, the control subject identification information may be configured to be ignored on the delivery vehicle 3 side.

[0241] Further, when it is determined, as a result of the controlability determination process, that the management device 1 does not control the movement of the delivery vehicle 3, the management device 1 may be configured not to transmit the control instruction information to the delivery vehicle 3, or may be configured to notify the delivery vehicle 3 that the control instruction information has been received but is not a legitimate control instruction. According to the former configuration, the communication volume can be reduced and the delivery vehicle 3 can be prevented from performing unnecessary processing.

[0242] FIG. 21 is a schematic diagram for explaining the process of controlling the movement of the delivery vehicle in the third modification of the first embodiment.

[0243] As shown in FIG. 21, in the third modification of the first embodiment, the management device 1 stores the control right information but does not transmit the control right information to the delivery vehicle 3. The control right information includes control permission position information indicating a control permission position for permitting control by the user of the delivery vehicle 3, and control subject identification information for identifying a control subject for controlling the delivery vehicle 3 at the control permission position. The user terminal 2 transmits control instruction information to the delivery vehicle 3. The control instruction information includes position information indicating a position for moving the delivery vehicle 3 and control subject identification information for identifying the user terminal 2. The delivery vehicle 3 receives the control instruction information transmitted by the user terminal 2. The delivery vehicle 3 transmits the control instruction information received from the user terminal 2 to the management device 1. The management device 1 receives the control instruction information transmitted by the delivery vehicle 3. At this transmission timing, the delivery vehicle 3 transmits the position information of the delivery vehicle 3. Further, not limited to this configuration, when the management device 1 always acquires the position information of the delivery vehicle 3, the delivery vehicle 3 does not have to transmit the position information at this timing.

[0244] Then, the management device 1 performs a control feasibility determination process to determine whether to control the movement of the delivery vehicle 3. Note that the control feasibility determination process includes a process of determining whether the current position is the control permission position indicated by the control permission position information, and a process of determining whether the control subject identification information included in the control instruction information matches the control subject identification information included in the control right information. In this case, the control unit 12 of the management device 1 further includes a controllable position determination unit that determines whether the current position is the control permission position indicated by the control permission position information, and a controllable subject determination unit that determines whether the control subject identification information included in the control instruction information matches the control subject identification information included in the control right information. When the management device 1 determines to control the movement of the delivery vehicle 3 as a result of the control feasibility determination process, the management device 1 transmits the control instruction information received from the delivery vehicle 3 to the delivery vehicle 3. At this time, the control instruction information includes only the position information without including the control subject identification information. The delivery vehicle 3 receives the control instruction information transmitted by the management device 1. Then, the delivery vehicle 3 controls the movement of the delivery vehicle 3 based on the position information included in the received control instruction information. Further, the management device 1 may transmit the result of the control feasibility determination process to the delivery vehicle 3. The delivery vehicle 3 may determine whether to control according to the control instruction information based on the result of the control feasibility determination process.

[0245] When the user terminal 2 controls the delivery vehicle 3 via the management device 1, it is conceivable that the communication situation is poor and communication from the user terminal 2 to the management device 1 is impossible. Therefore, it is desirable that the management device 1 transmits the control right information to the delivery vehicle 3 in advance, the user terminal 2 directly transmits the control instruction information to the delivery vehicle 3, and the delivery vehicle 3 determines whether it is controllable.

[0246] In addition, in the first embodiment, the delivery vehicle 3 determines whether the user is a legitimate control entity based on the control entity identification information included in the control instruction information and the user identification information included in the control right information. However, before acquiring the control instruction information, it may be possible to authenticate whether the user is a legitimate control entity. For example, the delivery vehicle 3 may perform an authentication process using the user identification information of the user who accessed from the outside. After determining that the user is legitimate, the delivery vehicle 3 may receive the control instruction information transmitted from the user and control the movement of the delivery vehicle 3 according to the control instruction information.

[0247] Here, the user identification information may be, for example, a combination of a user ID and a password, or biometric information. The biometric information may be, for example, a fingerprint, an iris, or a face. Before accepting the input of the control instruction information, the user terminal 2 accepts the input of the user identification information by the user and transmits the received user identification information to the delivery vehicle 3. The delivery vehicle 3 receives the user identification information transmitted by the user terminal 2 and authenticates the received user identification information. Note that the user identification information used for authentication is registered in advance in the delivery vehicle 3. When the delivery vehicle 3 approves the received user identification information, it maintains the login state with the user terminal 2. Thereafter, when the user terminal 2 accepts the input of the control instruction information, if the login state with the delivery vehicle 3 is maintained, it is not necessary to accept the input of the user identification information. Note that the authentication of the user identification information transmitted by the user terminal 2 may be performed by the management device 1.

[0248] In addition, when the delivery vehicle 3 delivers goods, at the origin and destination of the delivery, and when the delivery vehicle 3 delivers people, at the origin of the delivery, the user can give control instructions while checking the periphery of the delivery vehicle 3 in order to control the delivery vehicle 3 from the outside of the delivery vehicle 3. On the other hand, when the delivery vehicle 3 delivers people, at the destination of the delivery, since the user is inside the vehicle, the user will control the delivery vehicle 3 from inside the delivery vehicle 3. In this case, the user cannot give control instructions while checking the periphery of the delivery vehicle 3. Therefore, when the delivery vehicle 3 delivers people, when the delivery vehicle 3 arrives at the destination, the delivery vehicle 3 may transmit vehicle peripheral information regarding the periphery of the delivery vehicle 3 to the user terminal 2. The vehicle peripheral information is, for example, information such as an image or video including the part where the user gets off the vehicle. With this configuration, the user can give control instructions to the delivery vehicle 3 while checking the periphery of the delivery vehicle 3 while being inside the vehicle. Note that the delivery vehicle 3 may directly transmit the vehicle peripheral information to the user terminal 2, or may transmit it to the user terminal 2 via another device such as the management device 1.

[0249] Also, in the first embodiment, the movement of the delivery vehicle 3 is controlled at the origin or destination of the delivery. However, the present disclosure is not particularly limited to this, and at the origin or destination of the delivery, the opening and closing of the door of the delivery vehicle 3 may be controlled, the lighting of the lights of the delivery vehicle 3 may be controlled, or other operations of the delivery vehicle 3 may be controlled.

[0250] Also, in the first embodiment, the control instruction support information generation unit 125 of the management device 1 generates control instruction support information, the information transmission unit 126 transmits the control instruction support information, and the communication unit 21 of the user terminal 2 receives the control instruction support information from the management device 1. However, the present disclosure is not particularly limited thereto. For example, when the user terminal 2 has installed an application program for making a vehicle allocation request, the storage unit 25 of the user terminal 2 may store the control instruction support information in advance. Then, the display unit 22 may display the control instruction support information stored in the storage unit 25, and the input unit 23 may receive an input of control instruction information by the user. In this case, the management device 1 may not include the control instruction support information generation unit 125, and the information transmission unit 126 may not have a function of transmitting the control instruction support information. Also, the display unit 22 may make the display mode when the control instruction of the delivery vehicle 3 is possible different from the display mode when the control instruction of the delivery vehicle 3 is impossible.

[0251] Specifically, when the position of the delivery vehicle 3 reaches a position where vehicle allocation control by the user terminal 2 is permitted, the display unit 22 displays the control instruction support information in a display mode where a control instruction is possible. When the position of the delivery vehicle 3 deviates from the position where vehicle allocation control by the user terminal 2 is permitted, the display unit 22 displays the control instruction support information in a display mode where a control instruction is impossible. In the case of this configuration, the management device 1 monitors the position of the delivery vehicle 3. Then, at the timing when the position of the delivery vehicle 3 reaches a position where vehicle allocation control by the user terminal 2 is permitted, the management device 1 gives an instruction to switch the display mode to the application of the user terminal 2.

[0252] It should be noted that when the position of the delivery vehicle 3 reaches a position where vehicle allocation control by the user terminal 2 is permitted and the delivery vehicle 3 stops, that is, when the delivery vehicle 3 arrives at the delivery destination or the delivery source, the display unit 22 may display the control instruction support information in a display mode where a control instruction is possible. Also, the display unit 22 may be configured to notify the user that the controllable state has been reached instead of switching the display mode.

[0253] Also, when the delivery vehicle 3 is equipped with an input device (not shown) for the user to input control instruction information, the storage unit 33 of the delivery vehicle 3 may store control instruction support information in advance. Then, a display unit (not shown) of the delivery vehicle 3 may display the control instruction support information stored in the storage unit 33, and the input device may receive the input of control instruction information by the user.

[0254] Also, in the first embodiment, the control right information includes the position information of the delivery source and the position information of the delivery destination. However, the present disclosure is not particularly limited thereto. Instead of the position information of the delivery source and the position information of the delivery destination, the control right information may include the scheduled arrival time at the delivery source of the delivery vehicle and the scheduled arrival time at the delivery destination of the delivery vehicle.

[0255] FIG. 22 is a diagram showing another example of the control right information stored in the control right information storage unit in the first embodiment. The control right information shown in FIG. 22 includes a vehicle dispatch request identification number for identifying vehicle dispatch request information, information indicating either the delivery source or the delivery destination, a scheduled arrival time, user identification information, and vehicle identification information of the delivery vehicle. The scheduled arrival time indicates the scheduled arrival time at the delivery source of the delivery vehicle and the scheduled arrival time at the delivery destination of the delivery vehicle.

[0256] The user terminal 2 receives the input by the user of the scheduled arrival time at the delivery source of the delivery vehicle and the scheduled arrival time at the delivery destination of the delivery vehicle. The user terminal 2 transmits vehicle dispatch request information including user information, the scheduled arrival time at the delivery source of the delivery vehicle, and the scheduled arrival time at the delivery destination of the delivery vehicle to the management device 1.

[0257] Note that the user terminal 2 may transmit vehicle dispatch request information including user information, the position information of the delivery source, and the position information of the delivery destination to the management device 1. The management device 1 may calculate the scheduled arrival time from the current position of the vehicle for dispatching to the arrival at the position of the delivery source based on the current position of the vehicle for dispatching and the position information of the delivery source. Also, the management device 1 may calculate the scheduled arrival time from the current position of the vehicle for dispatching to the arrival at the position of the delivery destination based on the current position of the vehicle for dispatching and the position information of the delivery destination.

[0258] In FIG. 22, for example, at the scheduled arrival time of the delivery source, which is 15:30, the control right to control the delivery vehicle with vehicle identification information “a” is set for the user with user identification information “A”. Also, for example, at the scheduled arrival time of the delivery destination, which is 16:00, the control right to control the delivery vehicle with vehicle identification information “a” is set for the user with user identification information “B”.

[0259] The delivery vehicle 3 is provided with a controllable time determination unit instead of the controllable position determination unit 326. The controllable time determination unit determines whether the current time is the scheduled arrival time included in the control right information. When the control instruction information for controlling the delivery vehicle 3 transmitted from the outside is acquired, the controllable time determination unit determines, based on the control right information, whether the current time is the scheduled arrival time of the delivery source or the scheduled arrival time of the delivery destination indicated by the control right information. As a result of the determination, if it is determined that the current time is the scheduled arrival time of the delivery source or the scheduled arrival time of the delivery destination indicated by the control right information, the process proceeds to the controllable entity determination unit 327. On the other hand, as a result of the determination, if it is determined that the current time is not the scheduled arrival time of the delivery source and the scheduled arrival time of the delivery destination indicated by the control right information, the control instruction information is not followed and the process ends.

[0260] Note that it is not necessary to determine whether the current time exactly matches the scheduled arrival time of the delivery source or the scheduled arrival time of the delivery destination. For example, it may be determined whether the current time is between 15 minutes before the scheduled arrival time of the delivery source or the scheduled arrival time of the delivery destination and 15 minutes after the scheduled arrival time of the delivery source or the scheduled arrival time of the delivery destination.

[0261] Note that, instead of a configuration that grants control authority based on the scheduled arrival time, a configuration may be adopted in which the user terminal 2 is granted control authority for a predetermined period from the arrival time at the actual arrival timing. If control authority is granted according to the scheduled arrival time, since the delivery vehicle 3 does not necessarily arrive at its scheduled arrival time, there is a possibility that the user may not be able to control the delivery vehicle 3 due to the arrival being before or after the scheduled time. However, this configuration can prevent that.

[0262] Also, when granting control authority to the user according to time, it is preferable that the display unit 22 of the user terminal 2 displays the period during which control is permitted. With this configuration, the user can grasp how long they can control the delivery vehicle 3.

[0263] (Embodiment 2) In the second embodiment, a method will be described in which the management device changes the setting of the control authority for controlling the delivery vehicle set based on the vehicle allocation request information according to the delivery status of the delivery vehicle.

[0264] FIG. 23 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the management device in the second embodiment of the present disclosure. The management device 1A includes a communication unit 11, a control unit 12A, and a storage unit 13A. In FIG. 23, the same components as those in FIG. 2 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed descriptions thereof are omitted.

[0265] The management device 1A shown in FIG. 23 is different from the management device 1 shown in FIG. 2 in terms of the control unit 12A and the storage unit 13A.

[0266] The control unit 12A includes a vehicle allocation request information acquisition unit 121, a user identification information acquisition unit 122, a delivery vehicle determination unit 123, a control authority setting unit 124, a control instruction support information generation unit 125, an information transmission unit 126, a delivery status information acquisition unit 127A, a control authority change unit 128A, and a control authority change notification information generation unit 129A. The control unit 12A shown in FIG. 23 is different from the control unit 12 of the management device 1 shown in FIG. 2 in terms of the delivery status information acquisition unit 127A, the control authority change unit 128A, and the control authority change notification information generation unit 129A.

[0267] The delivery status information acquisition unit 127A acquires, from the delivery vehicle 3A, delivery status information regarding the status of the delivery vehicle 3A delivering the delivery target in response to the vehicle allocation request information. The delivery status information is information indicating the delivery status of the delivery vehicle 3A, such as the delivery vehicle 3A not having arrived at the delivery source, the delivery vehicle 3A having completed loading the delivery target at the delivery source, the delivery vehicle 3A delivering the delivery target from the delivery source to the delivery destination, and the delivery vehicle 3A having completed unloading the delivery target at the delivery destination. This delivery status information is information generated based on the vehicle position information of the delivery vehicle 3A acquired by the delivery vehicle 3A's sensor unit 34, which will be described later, or the loading detection information acquired by the delivery status information generation unit 328A of the delivery vehicle 3A from the loading detection unit 36A, which will be described later.

[0268] Note that the delivery status information may be the vehicle position information of the delivery vehicle 3A acquired from the sensor unit 34 of the delivery vehicle 3A, or the loading detection information acquired from the loading detection unit 36A. In this case, specifically, the delivery status information is information that can be used to determine the delivery status, such as information indicating that the vehicle has stopped at the delivery destination or the delivery source, information indicating that the delivery target has been loaded at the delivery destination, information indicating that the user has boarded the vehicle, information indicating that the delivery target has been unloaded at the delivery source, and information indicating that the user has alighted from the vehicle. However, in the case of this configuration, the management device 1A needs to separately have a function of determining the delivery status using the acquired delivery status information.

[0269] The control right change unit 128A changes the setting of the vehicle control right based on a predetermined condition. The control right change unit 128A determines whether a predetermined condition is satisfied based on the delivery status information acquired by the delivery status information acquisition unit 127A, and changes the setting of the control right based on the determination result. Specifically, when the delivery status information indicates the completion of loading of the delivery target at the delivery source (destination), the control right change unit 128A releases the setting for the delivery source user identification information of the control right (delivery source vehicle control right) that permits control by the user of the delivery vehicle 3A on which the delivery target is loaded at the delivery source. With this configuration, after the completion of loading of the delivery target at the delivery source, the user corresponding to the delivery source user identification information can be prevented from controlling the delivery vehicle 3A located at the delivery source. Also, at another timing, even when the delivery vehicle 3A exists at the same position as the delivery source, the user corresponding to the delivery source user identification information can be prevented from illegally controlling the delivery vehicle 3A.

[0270] Note that the example shown here has been described for the case where the delivery vehicle 3A delivers goods, but the same effect can be obtained even when the delivery vehicle 3A delivers people. That is, when the delivery-related information indicates the completion of boarding of the user at the delivery source (destination), the control right change unit 128A releases the setting for the delivery source user identification information of the control right (boarding vehicle control right) that permits control by the user of the delivery vehicle 3A on which the user boards at the delivery source.

[0271] Note that in this example, when the delivery status information indicates the completion of loading of the delivery target at the delivery source, the control right change unit 128A releases the setting for the delivery source user identification information of the control right, but the present disclosure is not particularly limited to this. After it is determined that the delivery status information indicates the completion of loading of the delivery target at the delivery source, the control right change unit 128A may release the setting for the delivery source user identification information of the control right at any timing. For example, after a predetermined period has elapsed since it is determined that the delivery status information indicates the completion of loading of the delivery target at the delivery source, the control right change unit 128A may release the setting for the delivery source user identification information of the control right.

[0272] Also, as another example, after it is determined that the delivery status information indicates the completion of loading of the object to be delivered at the delivery origin, after the delivery vehicle 3A has moved a predetermined distance, the control right change unit 128A may cancel the setting of the control right for the delivery origin user identification information. Also, as another example, when a predetermined time has elapsed after it is determined that the delivery status information indicates the completion of loading of the object to be delivered at the delivery origin, the control right change unit 128A may cancel the setting of the control right for the delivery origin user identification information. For example, when the day after the day on which the object to be delivered is loaded arrives, the control right change unit 128A may cancel the setting of the control right for the delivery origin user identification information.

[0273] However, if a long time elapses after it is determined that the delivery status information indicates the completion of loading of the object to be delivered at the delivery origin, after the completion of loading of the object to be delivered at the delivery origin, the user corresponding to the delivery origin user identification information can control the delivery vehicle 3A existing at the delivery origin. Therefore, it is preferable that the control right change unit 128A cancels the setting of the control right for the delivery origin user identification information as soon as possible after it is determined that the delivery status information indicates the completion of loading of the object to be delivered at the delivery origin.

[0274] Also, as another example, when the delivery-related information indicates the completion of unloading of the object to be delivered at the delivery destination, the control right change unit 128A cancels the setting of the control right (delivery destination vehicle control right) that permits control by the user of the delivery vehicle 3A at the delivery destination where the object to be delivered is unloaded for the delivery destination user identification information. By adopting this configuration, after the completion of unloading of the object to be delivered at the delivery destination, it is possible to prevent the user corresponding to the delivery origin user identification information from controlling the delivery vehicle 3A located at the delivery destination. Also, at another timing, even when the delivery vehicle 3A exists at the same position as the delivery destination, it is possible to prevent the user corresponding to the delivery destination user identification information from illegally controlling the delivery vehicle 3A.

[0275] Note that, although the example described here is for the case where the delivery vehicle 3A delivers goods, the same effect can be obtained even when the delivery vehicle 3A delivers people. That is, when the delivery-related information indicates the completion of the user's getting off at the delivery destination, the control right change unit 128A releases the setting of the control right (getting-off vehicle control right) that permits the user of the delivery vehicle 3A at the delivery destination to control the vehicle to the delivery destination user identification information.

[0276] Note that, in this example, when the delivery status information indicates the completion of unloading the delivery target at the delivery destination, the control right change unit 128A releases the setting of the control right with respect to the delivery destination user identification information. However, the present disclosure is not particularly limited thereto. After it is determined that the delivery status information indicates the completion of unloading the delivery target at the delivery destination, the control right change unit 128A may release the setting of the control right with respect to the delivery destination user identification information at any timing. For example, after a predetermined period has elapsed since it is determined that the delivery status information indicates the completion of unloading the delivery target at the delivery destination, the control right change unit 128A may release the setting of the control right with respect to the delivery destination user identification information.

[0277] Also, as another example, after it is determined that the delivery status information indicates the completion of unloading the delivery target at the delivery destination and the delivery vehicle 3A has moved a predetermined distance, the control right change unit 128A may release the setting of the control right with respect to the delivery destination user identification information. Also, as another example, when a predetermined time has elapsed after it is determined that the delivery status information indicates the completion of unloading the delivery target at the delivery destination, the control right change unit 128A may release the setting of the control right with respect to the delivery destination user identification information. For example, at the time when the day after the day when the delivery target was unloaded arrives, the control right change unit 128A may release the setting of the control right with respect to the delivery destination user identification information.

[0278] Also, in the above example, at the time when the object to be delivered is loaded at the delivery source and at the time when the object to be delivered is unloaded at the delivery destination, the control right change unit 128A cancels the setting for the delivery source user identification information of the control right and the setting for the delivery destination user identification information of the control right. However, the present disclosure is not particularly limited to this. As another example, at the time when the unloading of the object to be delivered at the delivery destination is completed, the control right change unit 128A may cancel the setting for the delivery source user identification information of the control right and the setting for the delivery destination user identification information of the control right all at once.

[0279] Specifically, when the delivery-related information indicates the completion of unloading of the object to be delivered at the delivery destination, the control right change unit 128A cancels the setting for the delivery source user identification information of the control right (delivery source vehicle control right) that permits control by the user of the delivery vehicle 3A on which the object to be delivered is loaded at the delivery source (vehicle allocation destination), and the setting for the delivery destination user identification information of the control right (delivery destination vehicle control right) that permits control by the user of the delivery vehicle 3A from which the object to be delivered is unloaded at the delivery destination (destination). In the case of this configuration, since the setting change process of the control right is performed all at once, the processing amount can be reduced.

[0280] Note that the example shown here has been described for the case where the delivery vehicle 3A delivers goods, but the same effect can be obtained even when the delivery vehicle 3A delivers people. That is, when the delivery-related information indicates the completion of getting off of the user at the delivery destination, the control right change unit 128A cancels the setting for the delivery source user identification information of the control right (boarding vehicle control right) that permits control by the user of the delivery vehicle 3A on which the user boards at the delivery source (vehicle allocation destination), and the setting for the delivery destination user identification information of the control right (getting-off vehicle control right) that permits control by the user of the delivery vehicle 3A from which the user gets off at the delivery destination (destination).

[0281] Note that in this example, when the delivery status information indicates the completion of unloading of the object to be delivered at the delivery destination, the control right change unit 128A releases the setting for the sender user identification information of the control right and the setting for the receiver user identification information of the control right. However, the present disclosure is not particularly limited thereto. After it is determined that the delivery status information indicates the completion of unloading of the object to be delivered at the delivery destination, the control right change unit 128A may release the setting for the sender user identification information of the control right and the setting for the receiver user identification information of the control right at any timing. For example, after a predetermined period has elapsed since it is determined that the delivery status information indicates the completion of unloading of the object to be delivered at the delivery destination, the control right change unit 128A may release the setting for the sender user identification information of the control right and the setting for the receiver user identification information of the control right.

[0282] Also, as another example, after it is determined that the delivery status information indicates the completion of unloading of the object to be delivered at the delivery destination and the delivery vehicle 3A has moved a predetermined distance, the control right change unit 128A may release the setting for the sender user identification information of the control right and the setting for the receiver user identification information of the control right. Also, as another example, when a predetermined time has come after it is determined that the delivery status information indicates the completion of unloading of the object to be delivered at the delivery destination, the control right change unit 128A may release the setting for the sender user identification information of the control right and the setting for the receiver user identification information of the control right. For example, at the time when the day after the day when the object to be delivered was unloaded arrives, the control right change unit 128A may release the setting for the sender user identification information of the control right and the setting for the receiver user identification information of the control right.

[0283] However, if a long time elapses after it is determined that the delivery status information indicates the completion of unloading the object to be delivered at the delivery destination, after the completion of unloading the object to be delivered at the delivery destination, the user corresponding to the delivery source user identification information or the user corresponding to the delivery destination user identification information can control the delivery vehicle 3A existing at the delivery source or the delivery destination. Therefore, after it is determined that the delivery status information indicates the completion of unloading the object to be delivered at the delivery destination, as soon as possible, it is preferable for the control right change unit 128A to cancel the setting of the control right for the delivery source user identification information and the setting of the control right for the delivery destination user identification information.

[0284] Note that regarding the rules on how to change the setting of the control right under what delivery status, it is preferable for, for example, an administrator or the like to set it in advance. Here, the relationship between the delivery status and the control right setting change process will be described with reference to FIGS. 24 and 25.

[0285] FIG. 24 is a diagram for explaining the relationship between the delivery status and the control right setting change process when changing the setting of the control right at the delivery source and the delivery destination in the second embodiment.

[0286] In FIG. 24, when the loading of the object to be delivered is completed at the delivery source, the control right change unit 128A cancels the setting of the control right for the delivery source user identification information. Also, when the user's boarding is completed at the delivery source, the control right change unit 128A cancels the setting of the control right for the delivery source user identification information. Further, when the unloading of the object to be delivered is completed at the delivery destination, the control right change unit 128A cancels the setting of the control right for the delivery destination user identification information. Moreover, when the user's alighting is completed at the delivery destination, the control right change unit 128A cancels the setting of the control right for the delivery destination user identification information.

[0287] FIG. 25 is a diagram for explaining the relationship between the delivery status and the control right setting change process when changing the setting of the control right at the delivery destination in the second embodiment.

[0288] In FIG. 25, when the unloading of the object to be delivered is completed at the delivery destination, the control right change unit 128A releases the setting for the delivery source user identification information of the control right and the setting for the delivery destination user identification information of the control right. In this case, even if the loading or boarding is completed at the delivery source, the setting for the delivery source user identification information of the control right is not released.

[0289] The control right change notification information generation unit 129A generates control right change notification information for notifying the user with the control right set that the setting of the control right has been changed.

[0290] FIG. 26 is a diagram showing an example of the control right change notification information in the second embodiment. In FIG. 26, based on the relationship between the delivery status shown in FIG. 25 and the setting change process of the control right, when the unloading of the object to be delivered is completed at the delivery destination and the control right change unit 128A releases the setting for the delivery source user identification information of the control right and the setting for the delivery destination user identification information of the control right, an example of the control right change notification information is shown. Note that, as in the example of FIG. 26, when it is clear in advance that the setting of the control right will be changed, the control instruction support information generation unit 125 may generate and transmit control instruction support information including the control right change notification information.

[0291] FIG. 27 is a diagram showing an example of the control instruction support information including the control right change notification information in the second embodiment. In FIG. 27, based on the relationship between the delivery status shown in FIG. 25 and the setting change process of the control right, when the unloading of the object to be delivered is completed at the delivery destination, an example of the control right change notification information for notifying that the setting for the delivery source user identification information of the control right and the setting for the delivery destination user identification information of the control right are released is shown. The user terminal 2 displays the control instruction support information shown in FIG. 27 when the vehicle allocation is completed at the delivery source. At this time, the control instruction support information includes the control right change notification information.

[0292] The storage unit 13A includes a vehicle allocation request information storage unit 131, a user information storage unit 132, a vehicle information storage unit 133, a control right information storage unit 134, a delivery vehicle determination program storage unit 135, a control right setting program storage unit 136, a control instruction support information generation program storage unit 137, a control right setting change program storage unit 138A, and a control right change notification information generation program storage unit 139A. The storage unit 13A is different from the storage unit 13 of the management device 1 shown in FIG. 2 in that it has a control right setting change program storage unit 138A and a control right change notification information generation program storage unit 139A.

[0293] The control right setting change program storage unit 138A stores a control right setting change program for determining whether a predetermined condition is satisfied based on the delivery status information acquired by the delivery status information acquisition unit 127A and changing the setting of the control right based on the determination result. The control right setting change program is executed by the control right change unit 128A.

[0294] The control right change notification information generation program storage unit 139A stores a control right change notification information generation program for generating control right change notification information for notifying the user with the control right set that the setting of the control right has been changed. The control right change notification information generation program is executed by the control right change notification information generation unit 129A.

[0295] Next, the delivery vehicle 3A in the second embodiment will be described.

[0296] FIG. 28 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the delivery vehicle in the second embodiment of the present disclosure. The delivery vehicle 3A includes a communication unit 31, a control unit 32A, a storage unit 33A, a sensor unit 34, a drive unit 35, and a load detection unit 36A. In FIG. 28, the same components as those in FIG. 7 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed descriptions thereof are omitted.

[0297] The delivery vehicle 3A shown in FIG. 28 is different from the delivery vehicle 3 shown in FIG. 7 in that it has a control unit 32A, a storage unit 33A, and a load detection unit 36A.

[0298] The control unit 32A includes a movement control unit 321, a vehicle position information acquisition unit 322, a vehicle allocation instruction information acquisition unit 323, a control authority information acquisition unit 324, a control instruction information acquisition unit 325, a controllable position determination unit 326, a controllable entity determination unit 327, a delivery status information generation unit 328A, and a delivery status information transmission unit 329A. The delivery status information generation unit 328A and the delivery status information transmission unit 329A of the control unit 32A are different from those of the control unit 32 of the delivery vehicle 3 shown in FIG. 7.

[0299] The delivery status information generation unit 328A generates delivery status information based on the vehicle position information of the delivery vehicle 3A acquired from the sensor unit 34 or the load detection information acquired from the load detection unit 36A.

[0300] For example, based on the position information of the delivery vehicle 3A acquired from the sensor unit 34, the delivery status information generation unit 328A detects that the delivery vehicle 3A has restarted moving after stopping at the delivery source. From the detection result, the delivery status information generation unit 328A determines that the delivery vehicle 3A has completed loading the delivery target at the delivery source and generates delivery status information indicating that the delivery vehicle 3A has completed loading the delivery target at the delivery source. In the case of this example, it is unknown whether the loading of the delivery target has actually been completed at the delivery source. Therefore, it is desirable for the delivery status information generation unit 328A to combine the position information of the delivery vehicle 3A acquired from the sensor unit 34 and the load detection information acquired from the load detection unit 36A to determine that the delivery target has actually been loaded at the delivery source and generate delivery status information indicating that the delivery vehicle 3A has completed loading the delivery target at the delivery source.

[0301] Further, for example, the delivery status information generation unit 328A detects that the loading of the delivery target on the delivery vehicle 3A is completed based on the loading detection information indicating that the delivery target has been loaded obtained from the loading detection unit 36A. Based on the detection result, the delivery status information generation unit 328A determines that the delivery vehicle 3A has completed loading the delivery target at the delivery source, and generates delivery status information indicating that the delivery vehicle 3A has completed loading the delivery target at the delivery source. In the case of this example, actually, it is unknown whether the loading of the delivery target has been completed at the delivery source. Therefore, it is desirable that the delivery status information generation unit 328A combines the vehicle position information of the delivery vehicle 3A obtained from the sensor unit 34 and the loading detection information obtained from the loading detection unit 36A, determines that the delivery target has been loaded at the delivery source, and generates delivery status information indicating that the delivery vehicle 3A has completed loading the delivery target at the delivery source.

[0302] Similar to the example described above, the delivery status information generation unit 328A detects that the delivery target has been unloaded at the delivery destination, and generates delivery status information indicating that the delivery vehicle 3A has completed unloading the delivery target at the delivery destination.

[0303] As another example, when the delivery status information generation unit 328A determines based on the position information of the delivery vehicle 3A that the delivery vehicle 3A is moving toward the delivery source, the delivery status information generation unit 328A generates delivery status information indicating that the delivery vehicle 3A is moving toward the delivery source. Similarly, when the delivery status information generation unit 328A determines based on the position information of the delivery vehicle 3A that the delivery vehicle 3A is moving toward the delivery destination after stopping at the delivery source, the delivery status information generation unit 328A generates delivery status information indicating that the delivery vehicle 3A is moving toward the delivery destination.

[0304] Note that in the second embodiment, as for the delivery status, four situations have been described: the situation where the delivery vehicle 3A has completed loading the object to be delivered at the delivery origin, the situation where the delivery vehicle 3A has completed unloading the object to be delivered at the delivery destination, the situation where the delivery vehicle 3A is moving back to the delivery origin, and the situation where the delivery vehicle 3A is moving to the delivery destination. However, the delivery status information generation unit 328A may detect the delivery status in more detail and generate the delivery status information. Also, in addition to the position information of the delivery vehicle 3A obtained from the sensor unit 34, the delivery status information generation unit 328A may use the vehicle status information indicating the vehicle status of the delivery vehicle 3A to generate the delivery status information.

[0305] Note that the delivery status information generation unit 328A generates the delivery status information regarding the situation where the delivery vehicle 3A delivers the object to be delivered based on the position information of the delivery vehicle 3A obtained from the sensor unit 34 or the loading detection information obtained from the loading detection unit 36A. However, the delivery status information generation unit 328A may generate the position information of the delivery vehicle 3A obtained from the sensor unit 34 or the loading detection information itself obtained from the loading detection unit as the delivery status information. In the case of this configuration, the management device 1A needs to separately have a function of determining the delivery status using the obtained delivery status information.

[0306] Note that the timing at which the delivery status information generation unit 328A generates the delivery status information may be any timing. For example, the delivery status information generation unit 328A generates the delivery status information periodically. However, since the delivery status changes when the delivery vehicle 3A is located around the delivery origin and the delivery destination, it is preferable that the delivery status information generation unit 328A generates the delivery status information periodically only when it detects that the delivery vehicle 3A is around the delivery origin and the delivery destination. By adopting this configuration, it is possible to reduce the processing in the case where it is considered that the delivery status does not change.

[0307] The delivery status information transmission unit 329A transmits the delivery status information generated by the delivery status information generation unit 328A to the management device 1A via the communication unit 31. The delivery status information transmission unit 329A may transmit the delivery status information to the management device 1A periodically, or may transmit the delivery status information only when the delivery status changes.

[0308] The storage unit 33A includes a map information storage unit 331, an automatic driving basic program storage unit 332, a route information storage unit 333, a vehicle position information storage unit 334, a vehicle allocation instruction information storage unit 335, a control right information storage unit 336, a controllable position determination program storage unit 337, a controllable subject determination program storage unit 338, and a delivery status information generation program storage unit 339A. The storage unit 33A has a different delivery status information generation program storage unit 339A from the storage unit 33 of the delivery vehicle 3 shown in FIG. 7.

[0309] The delivery status information generation program storage unit 339A stores a delivery status information generation program for generating delivery status information indicating the delivery status of the delivery vehicle 3A. The delivery status information generation program is executed by the delivery status information generation unit 328A.

[0310] The loading detection unit 36A detects that a delivery object has been loaded on the delivery vehicle 3A or that the delivery object has been unloaded from the delivery vehicle 3A. In addition, the loading detection unit 36A detects that a user has boarded the delivery vehicle 3A or that the user has alighted from the delivery vehicle 3A. Specifically, the loading detection unit 36A is a pressure sensor arranged at the position where the delivery object of the delivery vehicle 3A is loaded or the position where the user is seated. In addition, the loading detection unit 36A may be an illuminance sensor arranged at the position where the delivery object of the delivery vehicle 3A is loaded or the position where the user is seated. In addition, the loading detection unit 36A may be a camera that photographs the position where the delivery object of the delivery vehicle 3A is loaded or the position where the user is seated. In addition, the loading detection unit 36A may be a sensor that detects the opening and closing of the door of the delivery vehicle 3A.

[0311] The pressure sensor detects whether the object to be delivered is loaded or whether the user is on board by measuring the pressure caused by the weight of the object to be delivered or the user on board. The illuminance sensor detects whether the object to be delivered is loaded or whether the user is on board by measuring the change in illuminance at the loading position of the object to be delivered or the boarding position of the user. The camera detects whether the object to be delivered is loaded or whether the user is on board based on the difference in the images taken of the loading position of the object to be delivered or the boarding position of the user.

[0312] Also, when the object to be delivered is loaded, when the object to be delivered is unloaded, when the user boards, or when the user gets off, the door will open and close. Therefore, the door open / close sensor of the delivery vehicle 3A detects whether the object to be delivered is loaded or whether the user is on board by detecting the opening and closing of the door. However, when the loading detection unit 36A is a door open / close sensor, compared with the other sensors described above, the detection accuracy of whether the object to be delivered has been loaded onto the delivery vehicle 3A, whether the object to be delivered has been unloaded from the delivery vehicle 3A, whether the user has boarded the delivery vehicle 3A, or whether the user has gotten off the delivery vehicle 3A is lower, but it can be determined with a simple configuration.

[0313] Also, when the delivery vehicle 3A delivers people, a person detection sensor such as an infrared sensor may be used to detect the boarding or alighting of the user. Note that the loading detection unit 36A is not limited to the examples described above, and other sensors may be used as long as it can detect whether the object to be delivered has been loaded onto the delivery vehicle 3A, whether the object to be delivered has been unloaded from the delivery vehicle 3A, whether the user has boarded the delivery vehicle 3A, or whether the user has gotten off the delivery vehicle 3A.

[0314] Next, a process in which the management device 1A configured as described above changes the setting of the control right of the delivery vehicle 3A based on the delivery status information acquired from the delivery vehicle 3A will be described using the flowchart of FIG. 29.

[0315] FIG. 29 is a flowchart for explaining the control right setting change process in Embodiment 2 of the present disclosure.

[0316] First, the delivery status information acquisition unit 127A of the management device 1A acquires the delivery status information transmitted from the delivery vehicle 3A (step S31).

[0317] Next, the control right change unit 128A determines whether the delivery status satisfies a predetermined condition based on the acquired delivery status information (step S32). For example, when performing the control right setting change process using the information shown in FIG. 25, the control right change unit 128A determines whether the unloading of the delivery object or the getting off of the user has been completed at the delivery destination. Here, if it is determined that the delivery status does not satisfy the predetermined condition, that is, if it is determined that the unloading of the delivery object has not been completed or the getting off of the user has not been completed at the delivery destination (NO in step S32), the process ends without changing the control right setting.

[0318] On the other hand, if it is determined that the delivery status satisfies the predetermined condition, that is, if it is determined that the unloading of the delivery object has been completed or the getting off of the user has been completed at the delivery destination (YES in step S32), the control right change unit 128A changes the control right setting (step S33). For example, when performing the control right setting change process using the information shown in FIG. 25, when it is determined that the unloading of the delivery object has been completed or the getting off of the user has been completed at the delivery destination, the control right change unit 128A releases the setting for the delivery source user identification information of the control right and the setting for the delivery destination user identification information of the control right.

[0319] Next, the control right change notification information generation unit 129A generates control right change notification information for notifying the user corresponding to the delivery source user identification information or the delivery destination user identification information whose control right setting has been changed that the control right setting has been changed (step S34). For example, as shown in FIG. 26, the user terminal 2 displays control right change notification information for notifying that the delivery of the package to the delivery destination is completed and the control of the delivery vehicle 3A located at the delivery destination becomes unavailable. If it is known in advance under what conditions the control right setting is changed, the control instruction support information generation unit 125 may generate control instruction support information including the control right change notification information. For example, as shown in FIG. 27, after the delivery of the package to the delivery destination is completed, the user terminal 2 displays control instruction support information including control right change notification information for notifying that the control of the delivery vehicle 3A becomes unavailable.

[0320] Next, the information transmission unit 126 transmits the control right change notification information generated by the control right change notification information generation unit 129A to the user terminal 2 of the user corresponding to the delivery source user identification information or the delivery destination user identification information whose control right setting has been changed (step S35).

[0321] Next, the information transmission unit 126 transmits control right information regarding the control right whose setting has been changed to the delivery vehicle 3A (step S36).

[0322] Through the above processing, the management device 1A can change the setting of the control right for controlling the delivery vehicle 3A according to the delivery status of the delivery vehicle 3A and the vehicle allocation request information. Thereby, even though the delivery based on the vehicle allocation request information is completed, it is possible to prevent the user with the control right set from controlling the delivery vehicle 3A. For example, previously, in a situation where the control right for the delivery vehicle was still set for the first user, when the second user made a vehicle allocation request with the same location as the delivery source or destination as the first user and the delivery vehicle arrived at the delivery source, the first user could give a control instruction to the arrived delivery vehicle. If the first user was a malicious user, the arrived delivery vehicle could be moved to a different location. However, with the configuration of the second embodiment, the setting of the control right can be changed, and it is possible to prevent other users other than the second user from controlling the delivery vehicle. In particular, in the case of apartment buildings or other collective housing, since there are users who specify the same delivery source or destination, it is considered highly likely to face such problems.

[0323] In addition, in the second embodiment, although the case where the delivery process is smoothly performed based on the vehicle allocation request information has been described, the delivery process is not always smoothly performed. For example, when the delivery vehicle delivers goods, if the user at the delivery destination is absent, the delivery vehicle cannot complete the delivery process. If the user at the delivery destination is absent, the delivery vehicle may reschedule the delivery time. To cope with such a situation, the control right change unit 128A may temporarily invalidate the setting of the control right for the delivery destination user identification information when the user at the delivery destination is absent. Then, when the control right change unit 128A re-delivers the delivery target to the delivery destination, the control right setting for the delivery destination user identification information may be enabled again.

[0324] As a method of enabling or disabling the setting of the control right, the control right change unit 128A adds information indicating whether the control right is valid or invalid to the control right given to the sender user identification information or the recipient user identification information, and changes that information. As another configuration, when the control right change unit 128A invalidates the control right, it may delete the control right, and when re-enabling the control right, it may register the control right again. In the case of this configuration, the control right change unit 128A needs to store in the storage unit 13A the information for re-enabling the control right. For example, the control right change unit 128A stores information regarding re-delivery in the storage unit 13A, and based on the recipient information included in that information, can re-register the control right.

[0325] In addition, when the recipient user is absent and the delivery time is changed again for delivery, if the period until re-delivery is short, the control right change unit 128A may not change the setting of the control right. This is because it is considered that the possibility of the control right being misused during the short period until re-delivery is low. By adopting this configuration, the setting change process of the control right can be reduced. For example, when the recipient user is absent and delivery is made again on the same day, the control right change unit 128A does not change the setting of the control right. On the other hand, when the day of re-delivery is after the next day, the control right change unit 128A may change the setting of the control right. Note that the threshold value for determining whether the period until re-delivery is short is preferably set in advance by an administrator or the like.

[0326] In the case where the recipient user is absent and the delivery is rescheduled again, even if the period until redelivery is short, if the same delivery vehicle 3 delivers to the same recipient multiple times, it is preferable for the control right change unit 128A to change the setting of the control right. This is because the user having the control right can illegally control the delivery vehicle 3. Therefore, with this configuration, it is possible to prevent the user having the control right from illegally controlling the delivery vehicle 3. Also, in the case where the recipient user is absent and the delivery is rescheduled again, even if the period until redelivery is long, if the same delivery vehicle 3 does not deliver to the same recipient, the control right change unit 128A does not have to change the setting of the control right. That is, in the example shown here, regardless of the period until redelivery, the control right change unit 128A may change the setting of the control right based on the frequency of delivery of the delivery vehicle 3 to the recipient.

[0327] In the case of delivering packages by a delivery company, there may be multiple recipients, and it is conceivable to deliver the packages to the multiple recipients in order. Therefore, the control right setting unit 124 may enable the control right only for the recipient to which the delivery vehicle 3A is heading. In this case, since the control right is enabled only for the users who need the control right, it is possible to prevent unauthorized users from controlling the delivery vehicle 3A. Also, as another configuration, even if there are multiple recipients, the control right setting unit 124 may enable the control right for all the recipient users. This is because the recipient user can control the delivery vehicle 3 only at the recipient where the control right is set, and cannot control the delivery vehicle 3 at other recipients, so different recipient users will not illegally control the delivery vehicle 3A. In this case, since the control right is enabled all at once, the process of setting the control right can be performed with fewer man-hours.

[0328] In addition, when there is a request to change the position information of the delivery source or the delivery destination, or the user identification information of the delivery source or the delivery destination from the user terminal 2, the control right change unit 128A preferably changes the setting of the control right in response to the change request. With this configuration, the setting of the control right can be flexibly changed according to the user's request. Also, when there is a request to cancel the vehicle allocation request from the user terminal 2, it is also preferable to cancel the setting of the control right in the same manner. Further, when the setting of the control right is changed, the control instruction support information generation unit 125 may generate control instruction support information based on the changed control right and transmit it to the user corresponding to the changed control right. Also, the communication unit 11 may transmit control right information regarding the changed control right to the delivery vehicle 3. With this configuration, the user can give a control instruction to the delivery vehicle 3A based on the changed control right, and the delivery vehicle 3A can determine whether to control the delivery vehicle 3A according to the control instruction of the delivery vehicle 3A based on the changed control right.

[0329] Note that the users who can change the setting of the control right may be limited. With this configuration, for example, users who have nothing to do with the control right can be prevented from illegally changing the setting of the control right. The users who can change the setting of the control right may be determined in advance by the administrator of the management device 1A or the like, or may be set by the user who makes the vehicle allocation request. For example, the management device 1A may set in advance the user who makes the vehicle allocation request, the user of the delivery source, and the user of the delivery destination as the users who can change the setting of the control right.

[0330] In addition, in the second embodiment, the setting of the control right is changed according to the delivery status of the delivery vehicle 3A. However, the setting of the control right may be changed based on information other than the delivery status. For example, an expiration date may be set for the control right, and the control right may be made valid only within that expiration date. The control right setting unit 124 sets expiration date information indicating the period during which the control right is valid for the control right. Then, the control right change unit 128A changes the setting of the control right based on the expiration date information. For example, the control right setting unit 124 may set expiration date information that makes the control right valid only on the day when the delivery vehicle 3A actually delivers the delivery target. The control right change unit 128A may cancel the setting of the control right on the day after the delivery date.

[0331] In the case of this configuration, compared with the case where the delivery status information of the delivery vehicle 3A is acquired and the setting of the control right is changed based on the delivery status, the setting of the control right can be changed with a simple process. Also, for the user, the timing at which the setting of the control right is canceled becomes easier to understand. Also, the settings of the control rights with the same expiration date can be changed collectively.

[0332] However, if the period during which the control right is valid becomes long, the possibility that the delivery vehicle 3 is illegally controlled by the user having the control right increases. Therefore, the expiration date is preferably as short a period as possible. When setting an expiration date for the control right, the control instruction support information generation unit 125 may also set an expiration date for control instruction support information such as a screen for giving a control instruction, link information to a dedicated WEB page for giving a control instruction, or password information. When the expiration date is exceeded, the management device 1A does not display a screen for giving a control instruction, deletes the link information to the dedicated WEB page for giving a control instruction, or makes it impossible to authenticate even when the password information is input, so that the user cannot give a control instruction. With this configuration, it is possible to prevent the user from giving a control instruction after the expiration date.

[0333] (Embodiment 3) In Embodiments 1 and 2, examples were described in which, like in an on-demand type of goods delivery service or an on-demand type of taxi service, at the delivery source, after loading the object to be delivered or after a user gets in the vehicle, and at the delivery destination, the object to be delivered is unloaded or the user gets off. However, the present disclosure is not limited to these services. When a delivery vehicle delivers an object to be delivered, in addition to the above services, there is also a service in which the object to be delivered is directly delivered from a distribution center to the delivery destination, and the present disclosure can also be applied to such a service. In Embodiment 3, an example in which a delivery vehicle directly delivers an object to be delivered from a distribution center to the delivery destination will be described.

[0334] In the case of Embodiment 3, since the delivery vehicle delivers the goods from the distribution center, the information of the delivery source is unnecessary, and only the information of the delivery destination is required. Therefore, in Embodiment 3, the information of the delivery source is unnecessary in the vehicle allocation request information, and the vehicle allocation request information includes only the information of the delivery destination. Accordingly, the delivery source user information for using the delivery vehicle at the delivery source also becomes unnecessary, and only the delivery destination user information for using the delivery vehicle at the delivery destination is required. Thus, the management device acquires only the delivery destination user information.

[0335] FIG. 30 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the management device in Embodiment 3 of the present disclosure. The management device 1B includes a communication unit 11, a control unit 12B, and a storage unit 13B. In FIG. 30, the same components as those in FIG. 2 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof is omitted.

[0336] The management device 1B shown in FIG. 30 is different from the management device 1 shown in FIG. 2 in the control unit 12B and the storage unit 13B.

[0337] The control unit 12B includes a vehicle allocation request information acquisition unit 121B, a user identification information acquisition unit 122B, a delivery vehicle determination unit 123, a control right setting unit 124B, a control instruction support information generation unit 125, and an information transmission unit 126B.

[0338] The vehicle allocation request information acquisition unit 121B acquires vehicle allocation request information including user information indicating the user and location information of the delivery destination from the user terminal 2 via the communication unit 11. The vehicle allocation request information acquisition unit 121B acquires vehicle allocation request information including at least location information indicating the location of the vehicle allocation destination where the autonomous vehicle is allocated. In Embodiment 3, the delivery destination is the vehicle allocation destination.

[0339] The user identification information acquisition unit 122B acquires delivery destination user identification information for identifying the user who uses the delivery vehicle located at the delivery destination or the user terminal 2 owned by the user from the user terminal 2 via the communication unit 11.

[0340] Note that in this Embodiment 3, a configuration for separately acquiring the vehicle allocation request information and the delivery destination user identification information will be described, but a configuration for acquiring these pieces of information together may also be used. For example, the vehicle allocation request information may include the delivery destination user identification information, and the vehicle allocation request information acquisition unit 121B may acquire the vehicle allocation request information and the delivery destination user identification information together.

[0341] The control right setting unit 124B sets, for the user, a control right (vehicle control right) that permits control of the delivery vehicle located at the vehicle allocation destination based on the vehicle allocation request information and the user identification information. The control right setting unit 124B sets, for the delivery destination user identification information, a control right for controlling the delivery vehicle 3 located at the delivery destination based on the vehicle allocation request information and the delivery destination user identification information.

[0342] The information transmission unit 126B transmits control right information regarding the set control right to the delivery vehicle 3. The information transmission unit 126B transmits control instruction support information to the user terminal 2 of the delivery destination to which the control right is given via the communication unit 11. Further, the information transmission unit 126B transmits vehicle allocation instruction information based on the vehicle allocation request information to the delivery vehicle 3. The vehicle allocation instruction information includes at least the location information of the delivery destination. The vehicle allocation instruction information may include route information including the route from the current location of the vehicle to the delivery destination. In this case, the management device 1B generates the route information, but the delivery vehicle 3 may also generate the route information.

[0343] The storage unit 13B includes a vehicle allocation request information storage unit 131, a user information storage unit 132, a vehicle information storage unit 133, a control authority information storage unit 134B, a delivery vehicle determination program storage unit 135, a control authority setting program storage unit 136, and a control instruction support information generation program storage unit 137.

[0344] The control authority information storage unit 134B stores control authority information indicating the control authority for controlling the delivery vehicle 3 located at the delivery destination, which is set by the control authority setting unit 124B based on the vehicle allocation request information and the delivery destination user identification information. The control authority information includes a vehicle allocation request identification number for identifying the vehicle allocation request information, information indicating the delivery destination, a controllable position, user identification information, and vehicle identification information of the delivery vehicle. The controllable position indicates the position information of the delivery destination. The controllable position is represented by, for example, longitude and latitude.

[0345] The configurations of the user terminal and the delivery vehicle in the third embodiment are basically the same as those in the first embodiment. However, in the third embodiment, the vehicle allocation instruction information acquisition unit 323 of the delivery vehicle 3 acquires vehicle allocation instruction information including at least the position information of the delivery destination, which is transmitted from the management device 1B. Further, when control instruction information for controlling the delivery vehicle 3 transmitted from the outside is acquired, the controllable position determination unit 326 determines whether or not the current position of the delivery vehicle 3 is the position of the delivery destination indicated in the control authority information based on the control authority information. As a result of the determination, if it is determined that the position of the delivery vehicle 3 is the position of the delivery destination, the process proceeds to the controllable entity determination unit 327. On the other hand, as a result of the determination, if it is determined that the position of the delivery vehicle 3 is not the position of the delivery destination, the control instruction information is not followed and the process ends.

[0346] With the above configuration, since the control authority for controlling the delivery vehicle 3 located at the delivery destination can be set for the user, even if the delivery vehicle 3 stops at an inconvenient position for the user, the user can move the delivery vehicle 3.

[0347] In addition, in this configuration, the delivery vehicle 3 can be controlled only when it is located at the delivery destination. Therefore, when the delivery vehicle 3 is located at a place other than the delivery destination, that is, when the control of the delivery vehicle 3 is not required, the user can be prevented from moving the delivery vehicle 3.

[0348] Also, in the third embodiment, the control right setting unit 124B may determine a delivery destination control right exercisable range representing an area where the delivery vehicle 3 can be controlled according to a predetermined rule based on the position information of the delivery destination, and set a control right for controlling the delivery vehicle 3 located within the delivery destination control right exercisable range for the delivery destination user identification information. When the vehicle dispatching destination is the delivery destination, the control right setting unit 124B generates a delivery destination control right exercisable range that permits control by the user of the delivery vehicle at the delivery destination based on the position of the delivery destination. Then, when the vehicle dispatching destination is the delivery destination, the control right setting unit 124B sets, for the user, a control right that permits control of the delivery vehicle located within the delivery destination control right exercisable range.

[0349] Also, in the third embodiment, the control right setting unit 124B may determine a delivery destination controllable range representing an area where the delivery vehicle 3 can move according to a control instruction based on the position information of the delivery destination, and set a control right for controlling the delivery vehicle 3 located at the delivery destination within the delivery destination controllable range for the delivery destination user identification information. When the vehicle dispatching destination is the delivery destination, the control right setting unit 124B generates a delivery destination controllable range in which the delivery vehicle can move at the delivery destination based on the position of the delivery destination. Then, when the vehicle dispatching destination is the delivery destination, the control right setting unit 124B sets, for the user, a control right that permits movement control of the delivery vehicle within the delivery destination controllable range.

[0350] Note that, also in the third embodiment, the management device 1B may change the setting of the control right for controlling the delivery vehicle set based on the vehicle dispatching request information according to the delivery status of the delivery vehicle. The method for changing the setting of the control right is the same as that in the second embodiment.

[0351] (Embodiment 4) In the first and second embodiments, an example has been described in which, in an on-demand type of goods delivery service or an on-demand type of taxi service, after loading the object to be delivered or after the user gets on the vehicle at the delivery source, the object to be delivered is unloaded or the user gets off at the delivery destination. However, the present disclosure is not limited to these services. When a delivery vehicle delivers an object to be delivered, in addition to the above services, there is a cargo collection service in which the vehicle moves from the delivery center to the delivery source and only receives the object to be delivered at the delivery source. The present disclosure can also be applied to such a cargo collection service. In the fourth embodiment, an example in which a delivery vehicle moves from the delivery center to the delivery source and collects the object to be delivered at the delivery source will be described.

[0352] In the cargo collection service of the fourth embodiment, since the delivery vehicle moves from the delivery center to the delivery source to receive the goods, information on the delivery destination is unnecessary, and only information on the delivery source is required. Therefore, in the fourth embodiment, the vehicle allocation request information does not require information on the delivery destination, and the vehicle allocation request information includes only information on the delivery source. Accordingly, the delivery destination user information for using the delivery vehicle 3 at the delivery destination becomes unnecessary, and only the delivery source user information for using the delivery vehicle 3 at the delivery source is required. Therefore, the management device acquires only the delivery source user information.

[0353] FIG. 31 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the management device in the fourth embodiment of the present disclosure. The management device 1C includes a communication unit 11, a control unit 12C, and a storage unit 13C. In FIG. 31, the same components as those in FIG. 2 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof is omitted.

[0354] The management device 1C shown in FIG. 31 is different from the management device 1 shown in FIG. 2 in the control unit 12C and the storage unit 13C.

[0355] The control unit 12C includes a vehicle allocation request information acquisition unit 121C, a user identification information acquisition unit 122C, a delivery vehicle determination unit 123, a control right setting unit 124C, a control instruction support information generation unit 125, and an information transmission unit 126C.

[0356] The vehicle allocation request information acquisition unit 121C acquires, from the user terminal 2 via the communication unit 11, vehicle allocation request information including user information indicating the user and location information of the delivery source. The vehicle allocation request information acquisition unit 121C acquires vehicle allocation request information including at least location information indicating the location of the vehicle allocation destination where the autonomous vehicle is to be allocated. In Embodiment 4, the delivery source is the vehicle allocation destination.

[0357] The user identification information acquisition unit 122C acquires, from the user terminal 2 via the communication unit 11, delivery source user identification information for identifying the user who uses the delivery vehicle located at the delivery source or the user terminal 2 owned by the user.

[0358] Note that in this Embodiment 4, a configuration in which the vehicle allocation request information and the delivery source user identification information are acquired separately is described, but a configuration in which these pieces of information are acquired together may also be used. For example, the vehicle allocation request information may include the delivery source user identification information, and the vehicle allocation request information acquisition unit 121C may acquire the vehicle allocation request information and the delivery source user identification information together.

[0359] The control right setting unit 124C sets, for the user, a control right (vehicle control right) that permits control of the delivery vehicle located at the vehicle allocation destination based on the vehicle allocation request information and the user identification information. The control right setting unit 124C sets, for the delivery source user identification information, a control right for controlling the delivery vehicle 3 located at the delivery source based on the vehicle allocation request information and the delivery source user identification information.

[0360] The information transmission unit 126C transmits control right information regarding the set control right to the delivery vehicle 3. The information transmission unit 126C transmits control instruction support information to the user terminal 2 of the delivery source to which the control right is given via the communication unit 11. Further, the information transmission unit 126C transmits vehicle allocation instruction information based on the vehicle allocation request information to the delivery vehicle 3. The vehicle allocation instruction information includes at least the location information of the delivery source. The vehicle allocation instruction information may include route information including the route from the current location of the vehicle to the delivery source. In this case, the management device 1C generates the route information, but the delivery vehicle 3 may generate the route information.

[0361] The storage unit 13C includes a vehicle allocation request information storage unit 131, a user information storage unit 132, a vehicle information storage unit 133, a control right information storage unit 134C, a delivery vehicle determination program storage unit 135, a control right setting program storage unit 136, and a control instruction support information generation program storage unit 137.

[0362] The control right information storage unit 134C stores control right information indicating the control right for controlling the delivery vehicle 3 located at the delivery source, which is set by the control right setting unit 124C based on the vehicle allocation request information and the delivery source user identification information. The control right information includes a vehicle allocation request identification number for identifying the vehicle allocation request information, information indicating the delivery source, a controllable position, user identification information, and vehicle identification information of the delivery vehicle. The controllable position indicates the position information of the delivery source. The controllable position is represented by, for example, longitude and latitude.

[0363] The configurations of the user terminal and the delivery vehicle in the fourth embodiment are basically the same as those in the first embodiment. However, in the fourth embodiment, the vehicle allocation instruction information acquisition unit 323 of the delivery vehicle 3 acquires the vehicle allocation instruction information including at least the position information of the delivery source transmitted from the management device 1C. Further, when control instruction information for controlling the delivery vehicle 3 transmitted from the outside is acquired, the controllable position determination unit 326 determines whether or not the current position of the delivery vehicle 3 is the position of the delivery source indicated in the control right information based on the control right information. As a result of the determination, if it is determined that the position of the delivery vehicle 3 is the position of the delivery source, the process proceeds to the controllable subject determination unit 327. On the other hand, as a result of the determination, if it is determined that the position of the delivery vehicle 3 is not the position of the delivery source, the control instruction information is not followed and the process ends.

[0364] With the above configuration, since the user can be set the control right for controlling the delivery vehicle 3 located at the delivery source, even when the delivery vehicle 3 stops at an inconvenient position for the user, the user can move the delivery vehicle 3.

[0365] Also, in this configuration, the delivery vehicle 3 can be controlled only when it is located at the delivery source. Therefore, when the delivery vehicle 3 is located at a place other than the delivery source, that is, when the control of the delivery vehicle 3 is not required, the user can be prevented from moving the delivery vehicle 3.

[0366] Also, in the fourth embodiment, the control right setting unit 124C determines a delivery source control right exercisable range representing an area where the delivery vehicle 3 can be controlled according to a predetermined rule based on the position information of the delivery source, and sets a control right for controlling the delivery vehicle 3 located within the delivery source control right exercisable range for the delivery source user identification information. When the delivery destination is the delivery source, the control right setting unit 124C generates a delivery source control right exercisable range that permits control by the user of the delivery vehicle at the delivery source based on the position of the delivery source. Then, when the delivery destination is the delivery source, the control right setting unit 124C sets a control right that permits control of the delivery vehicle located within the delivery source control right exercisable range for the user.

[0367] Also, in the fourth embodiment, the control right setting unit 124C determines a delivery source controllable range representing an area where the delivery vehicle 3 can move according to a control instruction based on the position information of the delivery source and a predetermined rule, and sets a control right for controlling the delivery vehicle 3 located at the delivery source within the delivery source controllable range for the delivery source user identification information. When the delivery destination is the delivery source, the control right setting unit 124C generates a delivery source controllable range in which the delivery vehicle can move at the delivery source based on the position of the delivery source. Then, when the delivery destination is the delivery source, the control right setting unit 124C sets a control right that permits movement control of the delivery vehicle within the delivery source controllable range for the user.

[0368] Note that also in the fourth embodiment, the management device 1C may change the setting of the control right for controlling the delivery vehicle set based on the vehicle allocation request information according to the delivery status of the delivery vehicle. The method of changing the setting of the control right is the same as in the second embodiment.

[0369] (Embodiment 5) In Embodiment 5, by storing table data in which the position information of the delivery destination of the delivery vehicle specified by the user is associated with the position information of the moving destination of the delivery vehicle when the user moves the delivery vehicle that has arrived at the delivery destination, when the position information of the same delivery destination is specified again, the position information of the moving destination associated with the specified position information of the delivery destination is extracted from the table data, and the extracted position information of the moving destination is determined as the parking position of the delivery destination of the delivery vehicle.

[0370] FIG. 32 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the management device in Embodiment 5 of the present disclosure. The management device 1D includes a communication unit 11, a control unit 12D, and a storage unit 13D. In FIG. 32, the same components as those in FIG. 2 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof is omitted.

[0371] The management device 1D shown in FIG. 32 is different from the management device 1 shown in FIG. 2 in terms of the control unit 12D and the storage unit 13D.

[0372] The control unit 12D includes a vehicle allocation request information acquisition unit 121, a user identification information acquisition unit 122, a delivery vehicle determination unit 123, a control right setting unit 124, a control instruction support information generation unit 125, an information transmission unit 126, a moving destination position information acquisition unit 127D, and a parking position determination unit 128D.

[0373] The storage unit 13D includes a vehicle allocation request information storage unit 131, a user information storage unit 132, a vehicle information storage unit 133, a control right information storage unit 134, a delivery vehicle determination program storage unit 135, a control right setting program storage unit 136, a control instruction support information generation program storage unit 137, a moving destination position information storage unit 138D, and a parking position determination program storage unit 139D.

[0374] The moving destination position information acquisition unit 127D acquires, via the communication unit 11, moving destination position information indicating the moving destination from the delivery vehicle 3 that has moved according to the control instruction information. When the delivery vehicle 3 moves according to the control instruction information from the user terminal 2, the delivery vehicle 3 acquires moving destination position information indicating the moving destination, and transmits the acquired moving destination position information to the management device 1D.

[0375] Further, the destination location information acquisition unit 127D associates the location information of the destination for vehicle allocation included in the vehicle allocation request information received from the user terminal 2 with the acquired destination location information, and stores the information in the destination location information storage unit 138D. Note that the location information of the destination for vehicle allocation includes the location information of the delivery destination and the location information of the delivery origin. Further, the destination location information includes the destination location information of the delivery destination and the destination location information of the delivery origin.

[0376] The destination location information storage unit 138D stores table data in which the location information of the destination for vehicle allocation is associated with the destination location information.

[0377] FIG. 33 is a diagram showing an example of the table data stored in the destination location information storage unit in Embodiment 5. As shown in FIG. 33, the location information of the destination for vehicle allocation and the destination location information are represented by GPS information (latitude and longitude).

[0378] Note that the location information of the destination for vehicle allocation in Embodiment 5 is GPS information (latitude and longitude), but the present disclosure is not particularly limited thereto, and it may be an address or the name of a facility. Further, the destination location information in Embodiment 5 is GPS information (latitude and longitude), but the present disclosure is not particularly limited thereto, and it may be the moving direction and moving distance with respect to the location information of the destination for vehicle allocation. For example, when the delivery vehicle 3 moves 1 meter in the northward direction from the location of the destination for vehicle allocation, the destination location information includes the moving direction of "north" and the moving distance of "1 meter".

[0379] The parking position determination unit 128D extracts the destination location information associated with the location information of the destination for vehicle allocation included in the vehicle allocation request information from the table data, and determines the extracted destination location information as the parking position of the delivery destination of the delivery vehicle 3.

[0380] Subsequently, the management device 1 will be described in detail using the flowchart of FIG. 34 for the process of storing the destination location information received from the delivery vehicle 3.

[0381] FIG. 34 is a flowchart for explaining the moving destination position information storage process in the management device according to Embodiment 5 of the present disclosure.

[0382] First, the moving destination position information acquisition unit 127D of the management device 1 acquires moving destination position information indicating the position of the moving destination from the delivery vehicle 3 that has moved according to the control instruction information (step S41).

[0383] Next, the moving destination position information acquisition unit 127D associates the position information of the delivery destination included in the vehicle allocation request information received from the user terminal 2 with the acquired moving destination position information and stores it in the moving destination position information storage unit 138D (step S42).

[0384] Subsequently, the vehicle control process of the management device 1 in Embodiment 5 will be described in detail with reference to the flowchart of FIG. 35.

[0385] FIG. 35 is a flowchart for explaining the vehicle control process in the management device according to Embodiment 5 of the present disclosure.

[0386] First, the vehicle allocation request information acquisition unit 121 of the management device 1 receives the vehicle allocation request information transmitted from the user terminal 2 and stores the received vehicle allocation request information in the vehicle allocation request information storage unit 131 (step S51). The vehicle allocation request information includes user identification information for identifying the user or the user terminal 2 possessed by the user and position information of the delivery destination.

[0387] Next, the user identification information acquisition unit 122 of the management device 1 receives, from the user terminal 2, vehicle allocation destination user identification information for identifying the user who uses the delivery vehicle 3 located at the delivery destination or the user terminal 2 possessed by the user. The vehicle allocation destination user identification information includes delivery source user identification information for identifying the user who uses the delivery vehicle 3 located at the delivery source or the user terminal 2 possessed by the user, and vehicle allocation destination user identification information for identifying the user who uses the delivery vehicle 3 located at the delivery destination or the user terminal 2 possessed by the user.

[0388] Next, the parking position determination unit 128D extracts the position information of the delivery destination from the vehicle allocation request information (step S53).

[0389] Next, the parking position determination unit 128D determines whether the destination position information associated with the extracted delivery destination position information is in the destination position information storage unit 138D (step S54). Here, if it is determined that the destination position information associated with the extracted delivery destination position information is not in the destination position information storage unit 138D (NO in step S54), the parking position determination unit 128D determines the extracted delivery destination position information as the parking position of the delivery vehicle 3 (step S55).

[0390] On the other hand, if it is determined that the destination position information associated with the extracted delivery destination position information is in the destination position information storage unit 138D (YES in step S54), the parking position determination unit 128D acquires the destination position information associated with the extracted delivery destination position information from the destination position information storage unit 138D (step S56).

[0391] Next, the parking position determination unit 128D determines the acquired destination position information as the parking position of the delivery vehicle 3 (step S57).

[0392] Note that the processing of steps S58 to S61 is the same as the processing of steps S105 to S108 shown in FIG. 8, so the description thereof is omitted.

[0393] Next, the information transmission unit 126 of the management device 1 transmits the vehicle allocation instruction information based on the stop position determined by the parking position determination unit 128D to the delivery vehicle 3 (step S62). The vehicle allocation instruction information includes at least the stop position of the delivery vehicle 3 at the delivery destination.

[0394] Note that the processing of step S63 is the same as the processing of step S112 shown in FIG. 8, so the description thereof is omitted.

[0395] In this way, since the position information of the pick-up destination included in the vehicle allocation request information received from the user terminal 2 is associated with the destination position information indicating the destination position of the delivery vehicle that has moved according to the control instruction information and is stored in the destination position information storage unit 138D, when the position information of the same pick-up destination is requested again, the destination position can be determined as the stop position of the delivery vehicle, and the process of moving the delivery vehicle can be reduced.

[0396] Note that in the fifth embodiment, after acquiring the destination position information, the position information of the pick-up destination and the destination position information are associated and stored in the destination position information storage unit 138D. However, the present disclosure is not particularly limited to this. It may be possible to inquire the user terminal 2 whether the position information of the pick-up destination and the destination position information are associated and stored in the destination position information storage unit 138D. Since the user may have temporarily moved the position of the pick-up destination, it is necessary to confirm with the user whether the pick-up destination may be moved in the future.

[0397] In this case, when the management device 1 acquires the destination position information, the management device 1 may transmit an inquiry to the user terminal 2 as to whether the position information of the pick-up destination and the destination position information are associated and stored in the destination position information storage unit 138D. The user terminal 2 receives the inquiry from the management device 1 and accepts a response from the user as to whether the position information of the pick-up destination and the destination position information are associated and stored in the destination position information storage unit 138D. The user terminal 2 transmits the response result as to whether the position information of the pick-up destination and the destination position information are associated and stored in the destination position information storage unit 138D to the management device 1. When the destination position information acquisition unit 127D of the management device 1 receives an affirmative response result to the inquiry, the destination position information acquisition unit 127D associates the position information of the pick-up destination and the destination position information and stores them in the destination position information storage unit 138D. On the other hand, when the destination position information acquisition unit 127D receives a negative response result to the inquiry, the destination position information acquisition unit 127D discards the acquired destination position information without associating the position information of the pick-up destination and the destination position information and storing them in the destination position information storage unit 138D.

[0398] Also, in the fifth embodiment, the number of times the position of the delivery destination is moved to a predetermined destination is counted. When the counted number reaches or exceeds a threshold value, the position information of the delivery destination and the destination position information may be associated and stored in the destination position information storage unit 138D.

[0399] In this case, when the destination position information acquisition unit 127D of the management device 1 acquires the destination position information, it associates and stores in the storage unit 13D the position information of the delivery destination, the destination position information, and the number of times the position of the delivery destination is moved to a predetermined destination. Then, when the destination position information acquisition unit 127D acquires the destination position information again, it increments the number associated with the destination position information. The destination position information acquisition unit 127D determines whether the number associated with the destination position information is equal to or greater than the threshold value. When the destination position information acquisition unit 127D determines that the number is equal to or greater than the threshold value, it associates and stores the position information of the delivery destination and the destination position information in the destination position information storage unit 138D.

[0400] Also, in the fifth embodiment, the destination position information storage unit 138D may store table data associating the position information of the delivery destination and the destination position information for each user identification information. Thereby, the position of the delivery destination can be changed according to the preference of a specific user, and the convenience of the specific user can be improved.

[0401] Also, in the fifth embodiment, the table data associating the drop-off location information with the destination location information may be associated not only with the identification information of one user who has performed the movement control, but also with the identification information of other users. That is, the table data associating the drop-off location information with the destination location information may be shared by a plurality of users. For example, other users who specify the same drop-off location as one user may also move the delivery vehicle at the drop-off location in the same manner as the one user. In particular, a plurality of users living in the same condominium may each specify the same drop-off location and the same destination location. Therefore, the parking position determination unit 128D refers to the table data associating the drop-off location information requested by one user with the destination location information moved by the one user, and when the drop-off location information requested by another user is the same as the drop-off location information requested by the one user, determines the destination location information moved by the one user as the parking position.

[0402] As a result, the movement of the delivery vehicle at the drop-off location by one user is also reflected in other users, so that the process of moving the delivery vehicle by other users can be reduced.

[0403] Also, in the fifth embodiment, the destination location information storage unit 138D may store table data in which the location information of the vehicle allocation destination, the destination location information, and the user attribute information are associated with each other. The attribute information is, for example, information indicating whether the user is a customer or an employee of the facility at the vehicle allocation destination. In a store, a hospital, etc., the entrances and exits for customers and employees may be different. Therefore, by associating the destination location information with the user attribute information, the location of the vehicle allocation destination can be corrected to the destination location according to the user's attribute, and the convenience of the user can be further improved. In this case, the attribute information is included in the vehicle allocation request information. The user terminal 2 receives the input of the attribute information when receiving the input of the location information of the vehicle allocation destination. Note that the attribute information may be stored in advance in the user information storage unit 132. When the destination location information acquisition unit 127D acquires the destination location information, it may associate the location information of the vehicle allocation destination, the destination location information, and the attribute information stored in the user information storage unit 132 and store them in the storage unit 13D.

[0404] Also, when a plurality of different users move to the same position with respect to the same vehicle allocation destination position, the destination location information acquisition unit 127D may associate the location information of the vehicle allocation destination and the destination location information and store them in the destination location information storage unit 138D.

[0405] Also, in the fifth embodiment, when the location information of the vehicle allocation destination is represented by GPS information, if the location information of the vehicle allocation destination included in the vehicle allocation request information does not exactly match the location information of the vehicle allocation destination stored in the destination location information storage unit 138D, the destination location information is not acquired from the destination location information storage unit 138D. Therefore, when the location information of the vehicle allocation destination included in the vehicle allocation request information is slightly deviated from the location information of the vehicle allocation destination stored in the destination location information storage unit 138D, the location information of the vehicle allocation destination included in the vehicle allocation request information is not the target of movement.

[0406] Therefore, the parking position determination unit 128D may determine whether the destination position information existing within a predetermined range from the destination position information extracted from the vehicle allocation request information is in the destination position information storage unit 138D. When it is determined that the destination position information existing within a predetermined range from the destination position information extracted from the vehicle allocation request information is in the destination position information storage unit 138D, the parking position determination unit 128D acquires the destination position information associated with the destination position information from the destination position information storage unit 138D. On the other hand, when it is determined that the destination position information existing within a predetermined range from the destination position information extracted from the vehicle allocation request information is not in the destination position information storage unit 138D, the parking position determination unit 128D determines the destination position information extracted from the vehicle allocation request information as the parking position of the delivery vehicle 3.

[0407] Note that the parking position determination unit 128D may also determine whether the destination position information within a predetermined distance from the destination position information extracted from the vehicle allocation request information is in the destination position information storage unit 138D.

[0408] Also, in the fifth embodiment, the destination position information storage unit 138D may store table data associating the destination position information, the destination position information, and the direction of the luggage outlet of the delivery vehicle. Depending on whether the luggage outlet is on the left side, right side, or rear side of the delivery vehicle, it may be determined whether to change the destination position. For example, when the luggage outlet is on the left side of the delivery vehicle, the destination position may not be changed, but when the luggage outlet is on the rear side of the delivery vehicle, the destination position may be changed.

[0409] Therefore, the destination position information storage unit 138D may store table data associating the destination position information, the destination position information, and the direction of the luggage outlet of the delivery vehicle. In this case, the management device 1 receives information indicating the direction of the luggage outlet from the delivery vehicle 3 together with the destination position information. The management device 1 may store in advance in the storage unit 13D information indicating the direction of the luggage outlet, or may receive information indicating the direction of the luggage outlet from another device that manages information related to the delivery vehicle.

[0410] Then, after the parking position determination unit 128D determines the delivery vehicle 3 and specifies the direction of the luggage outlet of the determined delivery vehicle 3, it determines whether the destination position information associated with the position information of the delivery destination extracted from the vehicle allocation request information is in the destination position information storage unit 138D. When it is determined that the destination position information associated with the extracted delivery destination position information is in the destination position information storage unit 138D, the parking position determination unit 128D determines whether the specified direction of the luggage outlet is the same as the direction of the luggage outlet associated with the destination position information. When it is determined that the specified direction of the luggage outlet is the same as the direction of the luggage outlet associated with the destination position information, the parking position determination unit 128D acquires the destination position information associated with the extracted delivery destination position information from the destination position information storage unit 138D. On the other hand, when it is determined that the specified direction of the luggage outlet is different from the direction of the luggage outlet associated with the destination position information, the parking position determination unit 128D determines the extracted delivery destination position information as the parking position of the delivery vehicle 3.

[0411] Also, even if the directions of the luggage outlets are the same, the positions may be different depending on the vehicle type. For example, even if the direction of the luggage outlet is on the left side of the delivery vehicle, depending on the vehicle type, the luggage outlet may be present on the front side, the center side, or the rear side of the delivery vehicle. Therefore, the destination position information storage unit 138D may store table data associating the delivery destination position information, the destination position information, and the vehicle type of the delivery vehicle. In this case, the management device 1 receives information indicating the vehicle type of the delivery vehicle from the delivery vehicle 3 together with the destination position information. The management device 1 may store in advance in the storage unit 13D information indicating the vehicle type of the delivery vehicle, or may receive information indicating the vehicle type of the delivery vehicle from another device that manages information related to the delivery vehicle.

[0412] Then, the parking position determination unit 128D determines the delivery vehicle 3, identifies the vehicle type of the determined delivery vehicle 3, and then determines whether the destination position information associated with the destination position information of the delivery destination extracted from the vehicle allocation request information is in the destination position information storage unit 138D. When it is determined that the destination position information associated with the extracted delivery destination position information is in the destination position information storage unit 138D, the parking position determination unit 128D determines whether the identified vehicle type is the same as the vehicle type associated with the destination position information. When it is determined that the identified vehicle type is the same as the vehicle type associated with the destination position information, the parking position determination unit 128D acquires the destination position information associated with the extracted delivery destination position information from the destination position information storage unit 138D. On the other hand, when it is determined that the identified vehicle type is different from the vehicle type associated with the destination position information, the parking position determination unit 128D determines the extracted delivery destination position information as the parking position of the delivery vehicle 3.

[0413] Also, when it is possible to acquire information regarding the position of the luggage outlet for each vehicle type, the destination position information storage unit 138D may store table data associating the destination position information, the corrected destination position information according to the vehicle type, and the vehicle type of the delivery vehicle. In this case, the storage unit 13D further stores table data associating the vehicle type of the delivery vehicle and the position of the luggage outlet. For example, if the luggage outlet of the first vehicle type is located 1 meter in front of the vehicle, the luggage outlet of the second vehicle type is located 1.5 meters in front of the vehicle, and the delivery destination position of the delivery vehicle of the first vehicle type is changed, first, the destination position information acquisition unit 127D associates the destination position information, the destination position information, and the first vehicle type and stores them in the destination position information storage unit 138D. Next, the destination position information acquisition unit 127D calculates the position obtained by adding 0.5 meters to the destination position of the first vehicle type as the destination position information of the second vehicle type, associates the destination position information, the calculated destination position information, and the second vehicle type, and stores them in the destination position information storage unit 138D.

[0414] In this way, table data associating a plurality of vehicle types with the positions of the luggage outlets of each is stored. When the destination position information of one of the plurality of vehicle types is acquired, the destination position information of other vehicle types can be calculated from the relationship between the position of the luggage outlet of one vehicle type and the positions of the luggage outlets of other vehicle types.

[0415] Also, the user may move the delivery vehicle 3 multiple times before starting loading or before starting unloading. Therefore, the destination position information storage unit 138D may store table data associating the position information of the delivery destination with the destination position information indicating the position of the destination where loading was finally performed or the destination position information indicating the position of the destination where unloading was finally performed. Since the positions of the destinations where the user did not perform loading and the positions of the destinations where the user did not perform unloading are unnecessary, the process of storing unnecessary information can be omitted.

[0416] Also, the destination position information storage unit 138D may store table data associating the position information of the delivery destination with the destination position information and the weather information of the delivery destination. For example, the stop position of the delivery vehicle when the weather is sunny may be different from the stop position of the delivery vehicle when the weather is rainy. Therefore, when the destination position information acquisition unit 127D acquires the destination position information, it acquires the weather information of the delivery destination. Then, the destination position information acquisition unit 127D associates the position information of the delivery destination, the destination position information, and the acquired weather information of the delivery destination and stores them in the storage unit 13D. The management device 1 can acquire the weather information of the delivery destination from an external server.

[0417] The weather information may be configured to be acquired from the delivery vehicle 3 when the delivery vehicle 3 has a rain sensor. Also, the weather information may be configured to be acquired from the user terminal 2 by prompting the user to input the weather information when inquiring about the stop position to the user terminal 2.

[0418] Also, on hot or cold days, it is considered that there are many users waiting indoors for the arrival of the delivery vehicle 3. In such cases, it is desirable to park near the entrance of the building. Therefore, it is also conceivable that the parking position is different between hot and cold days and other days. Therefore, a configuration that associates temperature information with the parking position may be adopted.

[0419] (Embodiment 6) In Embodiments 1 to 5, the control right of the delivery vehicle 3 is given to the user, and the user controls the movement of the delivery vehicle 3 using the user terminal 2. However, in Embodiment 6, either the control right of the delivery vehicle 3 is given to the user or the delivery vehicle 3 is remotely controlled by an operator located at a remote location is selected, and the user or the operator controls the movement of the delivery vehicle 3 using the user terminal 2 or the remote control device.

[0420] FIG. 36 is a diagram conceptually showing the overall configuration of the vehicle control system according to Embodiment 6 of the present disclosure.

[0421] The vehicle control system shown in FIG. 36 includes a management device 1E, a user terminal 2, a delivery vehicle 3, and a remote control device 5.

[0422] The remote control device 5 receives vehicle state information regarding the vehicle body such as vehicle speed, current position, and steering angle, or surrounding environment information obtained by photographing the surrounding environment of the delivery vehicle 3 from the delivery vehicle 3, and transmits travel instruction information indicating a travel instruction for the delivery vehicle 3 input by the operator 6 to the delivery vehicle 3. The remote control device 5 is communicably connected to the management device 1E and the delivery vehicle 3 via the network 4.

[0423] The remote control device 5 is installed at a location away from the delivery vehicle 3, and the operator 6 cannot visually observe the delivery vehicle 3. When the control right of the delivery vehicle 3 is given to the remote control device 5, the remote control device 5 accepts the operation by the operator 6 and remotely controls the delivery vehicle 3.

[0424] For example, when the user at the drop-off location does not have a user terminal, when it is unknown whether the user at the drop-off location has a user terminal, or when it is predicted that the user at the drop-off location is not good at operating the user terminal, it is preferable to remotely control the delivery vehicle 3 by the operator 6 without granting the user the control right of the delivery vehicle 3.

[0425] FIG. 37 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the management device in Embodiment 6 of the present disclosure. The management device 1E includes a communication unit 11, a control unit 12E, and a storage unit 13. In FIG. 37, the same components as those in FIG. 2 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed descriptions thereof are omitted.

[0426] The management device 1E shown in FIG. 37 is different from the management device 1 shown in FIG. 2 in the control unit 12E.

[0427] The control unit 12E includes a vehicle allocation request information acquisition unit 121, a user identification information acquisition unit 122, a delivery vehicle determination unit 123, a control right setting unit 124E, a control instruction support information generation unit 125, and an information transmission unit 126.

[0428] The control right setting unit 124E determines whether to remotely control the delivery vehicle 3 by the operator 6 based on the attribute information of the user at the drop-off location. The attribute information is, for example, information indicating the age of the user at the drop-off location. The attribute information is included in the vehicle allocation request information. The user terminal 2 receives the input of the attribute information when receiving the input of the location information of the drop-off location. Note that the attribute information may be stored in advance in the user information storage unit 132.

[0429] The control right setting unit 124E determines whether the age of the user at the delivery destination is less than or equal to the first age, and also determines whether the age of the user at the delivery destination is greater than or equal to the second age which is higher than the first age. The first age is, for example, 12 years old, and the second age is, for example, 70 years old. That is, the control right setting unit 124E determines whether the user at the delivery destination is a child and whether the user at the delivery destination is an elderly person. When the control right setting unit 124E determines that the age of the user at the delivery destination is less than or equal to the first age, or when it determines that the age of the user at the delivery destination is greater than or equal to the second age, it determines to let the operation operator 6 remotely control the delivery vehicle 3.

[0430] On the other hand, when the control right setting unit 124E determines that the age of the user at the delivery destination is higher than the first age and lower than the second age, it sets, based on the delivery request information and the user identification information, the control right to permit the control of the delivery vehicle 3 for the user at the delivery destination.

[0431] In addition, in the sixth embodiment, the attribute information is information indicating the age of the user at the delivery destination, but the present disclosure is not particularly limited thereto, and the attribute information may be information indicating whether the user at the delivery destination is a disabled person. When the control right setting unit 124E determines that the user at the delivery destination is a disabled person, it determines to let the operation operator 6 remotely control the delivery vehicle 3. Also, when the control right setting unit 124E determines that the user at the delivery destination is not a disabled person, it sets, based on the delivery request information and the user identification information, the control right to permit the control of the delivery vehicle 3 for the user at the delivery destination.

[0432] When it is determined to let the operation operator 6 remotely control the delivery vehicle 3, the information transmission unit 126 transmits control request information for requesting the operation operator 6 to control the delivery vehicle 3 to the remote control device 5. The remote control device 5 receives the control request information transmitted by the management device 1E and accepts the remote control of the delivery vehicle 3 by the operation operator 6.

[0433] Thus, when it is predicted that the user at the delivery destination is not good at controlling the delivery vehicle 3 with the user terminal 2, the operation operator 6 is made to remotely control the delivery vehicle 3, so that the delivery vehicle 3 that has arrived at the delivery destination can be immediately moved.

[0434] In addition, in the sixth embodiment, the control right setting unit 124E determines whether to remotely control the delivery vehicle 3 by the operation operator 6 based on the attribute information of the user at the delivery destination. However, the present disclosure is not particularly limited to this. The control right setting unit 124E may determine whether to remotely control the delivery vehicle 3 by the operation operator 6 based on the history of past movement control at the delivery destination. That is, at the delivery destination where movement control has been performed in the past, it is highly likely that movement control will be performed this time. Therefore, when movement control has been performed in the past at the delivery destination, the operation operator 6 is made to remotely control the delivery vehicle 3. The storage unit 13 stores history information in which the position information of the delivery destination is associated with the movement destination position information. The history information may be the same as the table data stored by the movement destination position information storage unit in the fifth embodiment. The history information may be the history information of the user at the delivery destination, or may be the history information of other users. Further, the history information may be only the position information of the delivery destination where movement control has been performed in the past.

[0435] In this case, the control right setting unit 124E determines whether movement control has been performed in the past at the delivery destination. When the control right setting unit 124E determines that movement control has been performed in the past at the delivery destination, it determines to remotely control the delivery vehicle 3 by the operation operator 6. On the other hand, when the control right setting unit 124E determines that movement control has not been performed in the past at the delivery destination, based on the delivery request information and the user identification information, it sets the control right to permit the control of the delivery vehicle 3 for the user at the delivery destination.

[0436] When it is determined that the operator 6 is to remotely control the delivery vehicle 3, the information transmission unit 126 transmits control request information for requesting the operator 6 to control the delivery vehicle 3 to the remote control device 5. At this time, the control request information may include destination position information corresponding to the position information of the delivery destination. Also, the user may inform the operator 6 of the position of the destination.

[0437] Further, the control right setting unit 124E may calculate the ratio of past movement control at the delivery destination and determine whether the calculated ratio is equal to or greater than a predetermined value. For example, when one of five users has performed movement control at the delivery destination, the ratio calculated by the control right setting unit 124E is 20%. And when the control right setting unit 124E determines that the calculated ratio is equal to or greater than the predetermined value, it determines that the operator 6 is to remotely control the delivery vehicle 3. On the other hand, when the control right setting unit 124E determines that the calculated ratio is lower than the predetermined value, it sets, for the user at the delivery destination, the control right to permit the control of the delivery vehicle 3 based on the delivery request information and the user identification information.

[0438] As described above, when movement control has been performed in the past at the delivery destination, the operator 6 remotely controls the delivery vehicle 3, so that the delivery vehicle 3 that has arrived at the delivery destination can be immediately moved, improving the service to the user.

[0439] Also, when the user requests delivery by making a call using a landline phone, the operator 6 may remotely control the delivery vehicle 3 at the delivery destination. When the user requests delivery by making a call using a landline phone, it is unknown whether the user has a user terminal. Therefore, it is necessary to confirm whether the user has a user terminal during the call. However, when the user requests delivery by making a call using a landline phone, th...

Claims

1. A method for controlling an autonomous vehicle in a control device, comprising: The control device, Acquire a current position of the autonomous vehicle and a target stop position where the autonomous vehicle will stop; determining whether to move the automated vehicle in an autonomous driving mode or a remotely controlled mode after arriving at the target stop position based on the current position and the target stop position; When it is determined to move the autonomous vehicle from the target stopping position in the remote control mode, a moving operation is performed within a predetermined range relative to the target stopping position in response to an instruction issued by a remote control operator while a user is outside the autonomous vehicle. Control methods.

2. If the distance between the current position and the target stop position is less than a predetermined value, the remote steering mode is determined to move the autonomous vehicle. The control method according to claim 1.

3. The remote control mode is determined to move the autonomous vehicle when a required time from the current position to the target stop position is shorter than a predetermined value. The control method according to claim 1.

4. Further, at least one of external surrounding environment information of the autonomous vehicle and vehicle state information including a speed of the autonomous vehicle and a steering angle of the autonomous vehicle obtained from the sensing data is transmitted to the terminal of the driving operator. The control method according to claim 1.

5. If the current position is within a predetermined distance of the target stop position, the determination is executed; If the current location is such that the user cannot retrieve luggage from the automated driving vehicle, the remote control mode is determined to move the automated driving vehicle. The control method according to claim 1.

6. When the user has completed removing the luggage from the autonomous vehicle, the remote control mode is switched to the autonomous driving mode. The control method according to claim 5.

7. A method for controlling an autonomous vehicle in a control device, comprising: The control device, When the autonomous vehicle arrives at a target stop position where the autonomous vehicle should stop, a current position of the autonomous vehicle and a current position of a user's terminal are acquired; determining whether to move the autonomous vehicle in an autonomous driving mode or a remote driving mode after arriving at the target stop position based on the current position of the autonomous vehicle and the current position of the terminal; When it is determined to move the autonomous vehicle from the target stopping position in the remote control mode, a moving operation is performed within a predetermined range relative to the target stopping position in response to an instruction issued by a remote control operator while the user is outside the autonomous vehicle. Control methods.

8. When a distance between the current location of the autonomous vehicle and the current location of the terminal is equal to or greater than a predetermined value, the remote control mode is determined to move the autonomous vehicle; When a distance between the current location of the autonomous vehicle and the current location of the terminal is shorter than a predetermined value, the autonomous driving mode is determined to move the autonomous vehicle. The control method according to claim 7.

9. A processor; A memory storing a program for causing the processor to execute the control method according to claim 1; An autonomous vehicle equipped with

10. A control program for causing a processor to execute the control method according to claim 1.

11. A processor; A memory storing a program for causing the processor to execute the control method according to claim 7; An autonomous vehicle equipped with

12. A control program for causing a processor to execute the control method according to claim 7.

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