Vehicle allocation management device, vehicle allocation management method, and vehicle allocation management computer program

Abstract

To provide a vehicle allocation management device for facilitating allocation of a vehicle corresponding to a discomfort degree to be generated by a user.SOLUTION: A vehicle allocation management device 3 includes: a storage section 32 for storing a discomfort tolerance limit which expresses the tolerance limit of a discomfort degree on a candidate vehicle concerning each one of the plurality of allocatable candidate vehicles (2-1 to 2-n); and an allocation vehicle determination section 42 for determining the candidate vehicle with the discomfort tolerance limit higher than a discomfort influence degree which expresses the influence degree on the discomfort degree to be generated by a user during riding on the vehicle among the candidate vehicles (2-1 to 2-n) as a vehicle to be allocated to the user.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a vehicle allocation management device, a vehicle allocation management method, and a computer program for vehicle allocation management.

Background Art

[0002] In a service where the same vehicle is provided to an unspecified number of users, a technique for providing a vehicle whose in-vehicle odor level satisfies a predetermined standard has been proposed (see Patent Document 1). The vehicle management system disclosed in Patent Document 1 determines the type of in-vehicle odor based on the in-vehicle odor data output from an odor sensor, obtains the odor level associated with the type of in-vehicle odor from the in-vehicle odor data, and determines whether the odor level satisfies a predetermined standard.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] The degree of discomfort that a user can generate inside the vehicle varies depending on the user who uses the allocated vehicle.

[0005] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle allocation management device that makes it easier to allocate a vehicle according to the degree of discomfort that a user can generate.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] In one aspect of the present invention, a vehicle allocation management device is provided. This vehicle allocation management device includes a storage unit that stores, for each of a plurality of candidate vehicles that can be allocated, a discomfort tolerance that represents the tolerance of the degree of discomfort for the candidate vehicle, and an allocation vehicle determination unit that determines, among the plurality of candidate vehicles, a candidate vehicle for which the discomfort tolerance is higher than the discomfort influence degree that represents the degree of influence on the degree of discomfort that may occur while the user is riding in the vehicle, as the vehicle to be allocated to the user.

[0007] In one embodiment, this vehicle allocation management device further includes an influence degree update unit that updates the discomfort influence degree of the user based on the behavior of the user when the user rides in any of the plurality of candidate vehicles.

[0008] Further, the influence degree update unit updates the discomfort influence degree based on the degree of odor generated by the user when the user rides, the presence or absence of the user's smoking, or the presence or absence of the user's eating or drinking.

[0009] According to another embodiment, a vehicle allocation management method is provided. This vehicle allocation management method includes determining, among a plurality of candidate vehicles that can be allocated, a candidate vehicle for which the discomfort tolerance that represents the tolerance of the degree of discomfort for the candidate vehicle is higher than the discomfort influence degree that represents the degree of influence on the degree of discomfort that may occur while the user is riding in the vehicle, as the vehicle to be allocated to the user.

[0010] According to still another embodiment, a computer program for vehicle allocation management is provided. This computer program for vehicle allocation management includes instructions for causing a computer to determine, among a plurality of candidate vehicles that can be allocated, a candidate vehicle for which the discomfort tolerance that represents the tolerance of the degree of discomfort for the candidate vehicle is higher than the discomfort influence degree that represents the degree of influence on the degree of discomfort that may occur while the user is riding in the vehicle, as the vehicle to be allocated to the user.

Advantages of the Invention

[0011] The vehicle allocation management device according to the present disclosure has an effect that a vehicle corresponding to the degree of discomfort that the user may cause is likely to be allocated.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0012]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0013] Hereinafter, with reference to the drawings, a vehicle allocation management device, a vehicle allocation management method, a computer program for vehicle allocation management, and a vehicle allocation management system including the vehicle allocation management device will be described. This vehicle allocation management device compares a discomfort tolerance representing the tolerance of the degree of discomfort for each of a plurality of candidate vehicles that can be allocated in response to a vehicle allocation request from a user, with a discomfort influence degree representing the influence degree on the degree of discomfort that can occur while the user is riding in the vehicle. Then, this vehicle allocation management device determines, as the vehicle to be allocated to the user, a candidate vehicle among the candidate vehicles whose discomfort tolerance is higher than the discomfort influence degree.

[0014] FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a vehicle allocation management system in which a vehicle allocation management device according to one embodiment is implemented. The vehicle allocation management system 1 includes a plurality of vehicles 2-1 to 2-n (n is an integer of 2 or more) that can be allocated, and a server 3 that is an example of a vehicle allocation management device. Each of the plurality of vehicles 2-1 to 2-n can communicate with the server 3 via a wireless base station 5 connected via a communication network 4 and a communication network 4 and a gateway (not shown). The server 3 is connected to the communication network 4 via, for example, a gateway (not shown). Then, the server 3 determines a vehicle to be allocated in response to a vehicle allocation request from a user among the plurality of vehicles 2-1 to 2-n, and transmits a pick-up instruction to the determined vehicle.

[0015] Note that the vehicle allocation management system 1 may further include one or more mobile terminals (not shown) that can communicate with the server 3 via the wireless base station 5 and the communication network 4. Such a mobile terminal can be, for example, a mobile phone owned by a user. Then, according to the user's operation, the mobile terminal transmits a vehicle allocation request including the user's identification information and information representing the user's scheduled boarding position to the server 3 via the wireless base station 5 and the communication network 4. Further, the server 3 may be connected to a user information server (not shown) that manages user information via the communication network 4. In this case, the server 3 may receive a vehicle allocation request from the user information server via the communication network 4. Furthermore, the server 3 may be connected to a weather information server (not shown) that distributes weather information representing the weather in various locations via the communication network 4. And the server 3 may receive weather information from the weather information server via the communication network 4.

[0016] Note that the vehicle allocation request may further include information representing at least one of the user's scheduled boarding date and time, the user's scheduled alighting position, the planned driving route from the scheduled boarding position to the scheduled alighting position, the planned number of passengers, the desired vehicle type, and the desired options.

[0017] Each of the plurality of vehicles 2-1 to 2-n is a vehicle capable of providing a mobility service such as a taxi service and can be an automatically driven vehicle. For this purpose, each of the plurality of vehicles 2-1 to 2-n has, for example, a wireless communication terminal (not shown), an electronic control unit (ECU, not shown), and a positioning device (not shown). The wireless communication terminal has a wireless communication function and is configured to be communicable with the wireless base station 5. The ECU controls the automatic driving of the vehicle and controls each part of the vehicle. The positioning device is configured to measure the position of the host vehicle and may have, for example, a receiver that receives a Global Positioning System (GPS) signal and an arithmetic circuit that calculates the position of the vehicle from the GPS signal. Further, each of the plurality of vehicles 2-1 to 2-n may have a storage device (not shown) that stores map information and a navigation system (not shown) that obtains a driving route from the current position of the vehicle to the destination. Furthermore, each of the plurality of vehicles 2-1 to 2-n may have an external vehicle sensor (not shown) for obtaining information about the surroundings of the vehicle. The external vehicle sensor can be, for example, a camera provided to photograph the surroundings of the vehicle, or a distance measuring sensor such as a radar or LiDAR sensor for detecting the distance to an object existing around the vehicle. Furthermore, each of the plurality of vehicles 2-1 to 2-n may have an in-vehicle camera provided to photograph the inside of the vehicle and an odor sensor for detecting the odor inside the vehicle. The wireless communication terminal, the positioning device, the storage device, the navigation system, the external vehicle sensor, the in-vehicle camera, and the odor sensor are communicably connected to the ECU via an in-vehicle network (not shown) compliant with a standard such as Controller Area Network (CAN) provided in the vehicle, for example.

[0018] In each of the plurality of vehicles 2-1 to 2-n, when a pick-up instruction is notified from the server 3 via the wireless communication terminal, the ECU returns a signal indicating that the pick-up instruction has been received to the server 3 via the wireless communication terminal. In the case where the pick-up request cannot be fulfilled, such as when the remaining fuel or the remaining battery capacity of the vehicle that has received the pick-up instruction is less than a predetermined lower threshold value, the ECU may return a signal indicating that the pick-up is impossible to the server 3 via the wireless communication terminal. Further, when there is no reason for the ECU to be unable to execute the pick-up instruction, the ECU notifies the navigation system of the scheduled boarding position specified by the pick-up instruction. Then, the navigation system refers to the map information and obtains a driving route from the current position of the vehicle measured by the positioning device to the scheduled boarding position. Similarly, for example, when the user boards the vehicle at the notified scheduled boarding position, the navigation system refers to the map information and obtains a planned driving route from the scheduled boarding position to the user's scheduled alighting position. Then, the navigation system notifies the obtained planned driving route to the ECU. The ECU automatically controls the vehicle so that the vehicle moves along the obtained planned driving route to the scheduled boarding place or the scheduled alighting position. At this time, the ECU may control the speed of the vehicle so that the distance from other objects existing around the vehicle obtained by the vehicle exterior sensor is kept at a certain level or more. When the pick-up instruction received from the server 3 includes a planned driving route, the ECU may automatically control the vehicle so that the vehicle moves along the planned driving route included in the pick-up instruction to the scheduled boarding position or the scheduled alighting position. Further, the ECU transmits the current position of the vehicle measured by the positioning device to the server 3 via the wireless communication terminal together with the identification information of the vehicle at a predetermined cycle (for example, 30 seconds, 1 minute, or 5 minutes). Furthermore, when the ECU detects that the user has boarded the vehicle at the scheduled boarding position notified from the server 3, the ECU transmits a signal indicating that the user has boarded, the position of the vehicle when the user boarded measured by the positioning device, and the time at that time obtained from the in-vehicle clock (not shown) to the server 3 via the wireless communication terminal together with the identification information of the vehicle.Similarly, when the ECU detects that the user in the vehicle has gotten off, it transmits, via the wireless communication terminal, a signal indicating that the user has gotten off, the position of the vehicle when the user got off measured by the positioning device, and the time at that moment obtained from the in-vehicle clock, together with the vehicle identification information, to the server 3. Note that, for example, when the ECU detects, via a door open / close sensor (not shown), that the vehicle door has been opened at the planned boarding position, it determines that the user has boarded. Similarly, for example, when the ECU detects, via the door open / close sensor, that the vehicle door has been opened at the planned alighting position of the user while the user is in the vehicle, it determines that the user has gotten off. The ECU may detect the boarding or alighting of the user based on sensor signals obtained from other sensors provided in the vehicle interior, such as a camera for monitoring the vehicle interior or a seating sensor.

[0019] In addition, the ECU obtains influence information representing the influence of the discomfort level based on the user's behavior during boarding. For this purpose, the ECU calculates, as an odor index value representing the intensity of the odor emitted by the user, the difference between the average value of the intensity of the odor represented by the sensor signals detected by the odor sensor while the user is in the vehicle and the average value of the intensity of the odor represented by the sensor signals detected by the odor sensor during a predetermined period before the user boards. Further, the ECU determines whether the user has smoked and whether the user has eaten or drunk based on a series of in-vehicle images generated by the in-vehicle camera while the user is in the vehicle. For example, the ECU inputs the in-vehicle images in chronological order to a discriminator that has been pre-trained to detect smoking behavior and eating / drinking behavior, and detects that the user has performed smoking behavior or eating / drinking behavior. As such a discriminator, a neural network having a recurrent structure such as a recurrent neural network is used. Then, after the user gets off, the ECU transmits, via the wireless communication terminal, the influence information including the odor index value, the determination result of whether the user has smoked, and the determination result of whether the user has eaten or drunk, together with the user identification information, to the server 3.

[0020] Note that each of the plurality of vehicles 2-1 to 2-n may be a vehicle manually driven by a driver.

[0021] Server 3 selects one or more candidate vehicles from among a plurality of vehicles 2-1 to 2-n for the received vehicle allocation request. Then, Server 3 determines a vehicle to be allocated from among the candidate vehicles based on the discomfort tolerance of each candidate vehicle and the discomfort impact degree on the user, and transmits a pick-up instruction to the determined vehicle via the communication network 4 and the radio base station 5.

[0022] FIG. 2 is a schematic configuration diagram of Server 3, which is an example of a vehicle allocation management device. Server 3 includes a communication interface 31, a storage device 32, a memory 33, and a processor 34. The communication interface 31, the storage device 32, and the memory 33 are connected to the processor 34 via signal lines.

[0023] The communication interface 31 is an example of a communication unit and has an interface circuit for connecting Server 3 to the communication network 4. The communication interface 31 is configured to be able to communicate with the wireless communication terminals of each of the plurality of vehicles 2-1 to 2-n and the mobile terminals held by the users via the communication network 4 and the radio base station 5. Also, the communication interface 31 is configured to be able to communicate with the user information server and the weather information server via the communication network 4. Then, the communication interface 31 passes a signal representing the current position of the vehicle, received from the wireless communication terminal of any vehicle via the radio base station 5 and the communication network 4, to the processor 34. Also, the communication interface 31 passes a vehicle allocation request received from the mobile terminal or the user management server via the communication network 4 (and the radio base station 5) to the processor 34. Further, the communication interface 31 passes the weather information received from the weather information server via the communication network 4 to the processor 34. Furthermore, the communication interface 31 transmits a pick-up instruction to the designated vehicle received from the processor 34 to that vehicle via the communication network 4 and the radio base station 5.

[0024] The storage device 32 is an example of a storage unit and has, for example, a Solid State Drive (SSD). Further, the storage device 32 may have a hard disk device or an optical recording medium and its access device. And the storage device 32 stores vehicle information for each of the vehicles 2-1 to 2-n. The vehicle information includes vehicle identification information, vehicle type, vehicle discomfort tolerance, current position of the vehicle, presence or absence of various optional equipment, and a status flag indicating the service provision status (e.g., standby, pick-up, user on board). Further, the storage device 32 stores map information. Furthermore, the storage device 32 stores, for each registered user, user identification information and discomfort impact level. Additionally, the storage device 32 may store a computer program for executing vehicle allocation management processing.

[0025] The discomfort tolerance of each vehicle is preset according to the upper limit of the allowable strength of the smell inside the vehicle, whether smoking is allowed inside the vehicle, whether eating and drinking are allowed inside the vehicle, and the degree of dirt on the seat or foot area. Generally, the higher the class of the vehicle or the newer the vehicle, the lower the discomfort tolerance is set. For example, the discomfort tolerance Dt is set according to the following formula. Dt = w1*so + w2*sm + w3*ed + w4*dd (1) Here, the parameters so, sm, ed, and dd are respectively index values representing the upper limit of the allowable odor intensity inside the vehicle, the permissibility of smoking inside the vehicle, the permissibility of eating and drinking inside the vehicle, and the degree of soiling of the seat or foot area. Also, the parameters w1 to w4 are respectively weight coefficients for the index values so, sm, ed, and dd, and are set in advance. Note that the higher the upper limit of the allowable odor intensity inside the vehicle, the higher the index value so is set. Also, the index value sm is set such that it is lower when smoking is not permitted than when smoking is permitted. Similarly, the index value ed is set such that it is lower when eating and drinking are not permitted than when eating and drinking are permitted. Furthermore, the index value dd is set to a higher value as the soiling of the seat or foot area becomes more severe. These index values are set by the operator providing the mobility service by checking the state of each vehicle. And when each index value of any vehicle is input via a user interface (not shown), the processor 34 automatically calculates the discomfort tolerance Dt. Alternatively, the discomfort tolerance Dt calculated according to the above formula (1) may be input via the user interface together with the identification number of any vehicle. Then, the processor 34 associates the discomfort tolerance Dt with the identification number of that vehicle and stores it in the storage device 32. Note that not all of the above-mentioned indicators need to be considered in setting the discomfort tolerance, and the discomfort tolerance may be set based on any one to three of these indicators. In this case, the weight coefficient corresponding to the unconsidered indicator may be set to 0. Furthermore, indicators related to the degree of discomfort other than the above-mentioned indicators may be considered in setting the discomfort tolerance.

[0026] The discomfort tolerance of each of the vehicles 2-1 to 2-n may be reset periodically or irregularly according to the usage status or service period of the vehicle up to that point. For example, the longer the total mileage of the vehicle 2-k (k = 1, 2,..., n), the longer the number of days elapsed since the manufacturing date or registration date, or the longer the number of years elapsed since the start of providing the mobility service, the higher the discomfort tolerance is set. Also, the longer the total mileage of the vehicle 2-1 to vehicle 2-n is compared to the average value of the total mileage, or the longer the number of days elapsed is compared to the average value of the number of days elapsed since the manufacturing date or registration date, the higher the discomfort tolerance may be set.

[0027] Specifically, until the number of years elapsed since the manufacturing date or registration date reaches a predetermined number of years (for example, 3 to 5 years), the index values sm and ed are set to relatively low values indicating that smoking and eating are not permitted, respectively. On the other hand, when the number of years elapsed exceeds the predetermined number of years, the index values sm and ed are set to relatively high values indicating that smoking and eating are permitted, respectively. Also, the index value so is set to a larger value as the number of years elapsed since the manufacturing date or registration date increases. Similarly, when the total mileage is less than a predetermined distance (for example, tens of thousands of km to 100,000 km), the index values sm and ed are set to relatively low values indicating that smoking and eating are not permitted, respectively. On the other hand, when the mileage exceeds the predetermined distance, the index values sm and ed are set to relatively high values indicating that smoking and eating are permitted, respectively. Furthermore, the index value so is set to a larger value as the total mileage increases. As a result, among the vehicles 2-1 to 2-n, older vehicles are more likely to be assigned to users with a higher degree of discomfort, and conversely, they are less likely to be assigned to users with a lower degree of discomfort. As a result, relatively new vehicles are more likely to be assigned to users with a lower degree of discomfort.

[0028] The discomfort level of each registered user is updated based on the impact information received from the vehicle after the user gets off any of the vehicles 2-1 to 2-n. Details of the calculation of the discomfort level will be described later.

[0029] Memory 33 is another example of the storage unit and has, for example, a non-volatile semiconductor memory and a volatile semiconductor memory. Then, memory 33 stores various data generated during the execution of the vehicle allocation management process and various data received from other devices.

[0030] Processor 34 is an example of the control unit and has one or more CPUs (Central Processing Units) and its peripheral circuits. Processor 34 may further have other arithmetic circuits such as a logical arithmetic unit or a numerical arithmetic unit. And each time processor 34 receives weather information from the weather information server, it stores the received weather information in memory 33 or storage device 32. Also, when processor 34 receives information representing the current position or influence information of a vehicle from any one of the plurality of vehicles 2-1 to 2-n, it stores the current position or influence information of the vehicle together with the identification information of the vehicle in storage device 32. Further, when processor 34 transmits a meeting vehicle request to any vehicle and receives a signal indicating that the meeting vehicle request has been received from that vehicle, it updates the value of the status flag of that vehicle to a value indicating that it is in the process of meeting a vehicle. Furthermore, when processor 34 receives a signal indicating that a user has boarded a vehicle from any one of the plurality of vehicles 2-1 to 2-n, it updates the value of the status flag of that vehicle to a value indicating that the user is boarding. Similarly, when processor 34 receives a signal indicating that a user has alighted from any one of the plurality of vehicles 2-1 to 2-n, it updates the value of the status flag of that vehicle to a value indicating that it is in a standby state. Further, when processor 34 receives a vehicle allocation request, it executes the vehicle allocation management process.

[0031] FIG. 3 is a functional block diagram of processor 34 related to the vehicle allocation management process. Processor 34 has a selection unit 41, a vehicle allocation vehicle determination unit 42, a meeting vehicle instruction unit 43, and an influence degree update unit 44. Each of these units included in processor 34 is, for example, a functional module realized by a computer program operating on processor 34. Alternatively, each of these units may be a dedicated arithmetic circuit provided in processor 34.

[0032] When the server 3 receives a vehicle allocation request, the selection unit 41 selects, from among the vehicles 2-1 to 2-n, one or more vehicles that can satisfy the vehicle allocation request as candidate vehicles. To this end, the selection unit 41 refers to the status flag of each vehicle and identifies the vehicle whose status flag value indicates that it is in a standby state. Further, the selection unit 41 selects, as candidate vehicles, one or more vehicles among the identified vehicles that can move to the scheduled boarding position specified in the vehicle allocation request within a predetermined time (for example, within 10 minutes or within 15 minutes). To this end, for each of the identified individual vehicles, the selection unit 41 refers to the map information and searches for a route from the current position of the vehicle to the scheduled boarding position by a predetermined route search method such as Dijkstra's method, and predicts the required time to move to the scheduled boarding position based on the searched route. Then, the selection unit 41 selects, as candidate vehicles, those vehicles among the identified individual vehicles whose predicted required time is equal to or less than the predetermined time. When the vehicle allocation request includes the scheduled boarding date and time, the selection unit 41 may select, as candidate vehicles, those vehicles among the identified individual vehicles whose predicted required time is shorter than the period from the current time to the scheduled boarding date and time. When the vehicle allocation request includes the scheduled number of passengers, the selection unit 41 excludes from the candidate vehicles those vehicles whose seating capacity is less than the scheduled number of passengers.

[0033] The selection unit 41 notifies the vehicle allocation determination unit 42 of the identification information of each candidate vehicle.

[0034] Based on the discomfort tolerance set for each candidate vehicle and the discomfort impact degree of the user, the vehicle allocation determination unit 42 determines the vehicle to be allocated from among the candidate vehicles. In the present embodiment, the vehicle allocation determination unit 42 determines, as the vehicle to be allocated, any one of the candidate vehicles whose discomfort tolerance is higher than the discomfort impact degree. When the user is already registered, the vehicle allocation determination unit 42 uses the discomfort impact degree of the user stored in the storage device 32 for comparison with the discomfort tolerance. When the user is not registered, the vehicle allocation determination unit 42 uses the initial value of the discomfort impact degree for comparison with the discomfort tolerance.

[0035] The vehicle allocation determination unit 42 may correct the value of the discomfort influence degree based on the scheduled boarding position and the scheduled boarding date and time specified in the vehicle allocation request. Then, the vehicle allocation determination unit 42 may use the corrected value of the discomfort influence degree for comparison with the discomfort tolerance of each candidate vehicle. For example, when there is a place (hereinafter referred to as an odor generation position) around the user's boarding position where it is likely to generate some strong odor, since there is a risk that the odor inside the vehicle will become strong, the vehicle allocation determination unit 42 adds a predetermined value to the discomfort influence degree. Therefore, the vehicle allocation determination unit 42 may refer to the user's scheduled boarding position and the map information to determine whether there is such an odor generation position within a range of a predetermined distance (for example, about several tens of meters) from the scheduled boarding position. Note that the odor generation positions are, for example, a beach, a mountain pass, etc. Also, the stronger the odor generation position, the larger the predetermined value may be set. Further, the vehicle allocation determination unit 42 refers to the scheduled boarding position, the scheduled boarding date and time, and the weather information received from the weather information server to predict the weather around the vehicle when the user boards the allocated vehicle. Then, when the predicted weather around the vehicle at the time of boarding is bad weather such as rain or snow, since there is a risk that the degree of discomfort will increase due to the seat getting wet when the user boards, the vehicle allocation determination unit 42 adds a predetermined value to the discomfort influence degree.

[0036] Figure 4 is a diagram for explaining the outline of vehicle allocation determination according to the present embodiment. In the example shown in Figure 4, it is assumed that there are three candidate vehicles 401, 402, and 403. And in Figure 4, the vertical axis represents the discomfort tolerance, and the discomfort tolerances 411 to 413 of the candidate vehicles 401 to 403 are shown respectively. In this example, when comparing the discomfort influence degree of the user who made the vehicle allocation request with the discomfort tolerances of each candidate vehicle, the discomfort tolerance 413 of the candidate vehicle 403 exceeds the discomfort influence degree, but the discomfort tolerance 411 of the candidate vehicle 401 and the discomfort tolerance 412 of the candidate vehicle 402 are lower than the discomfort influence degree. Therefore, the candidate vehicle 403 is selected as the vehicle to be allocated.

[0037] In addition, when there are multiple candidate vehicles whose tolerance of discomfort is higher than the degree of discomfort impact, the vehicle allocation determination unit 42 may determine any one of these multiple candidate vehicles as the vehicle to be allocated. Alternatively, the vehicle allocation determination unit 42 may set priorities for each of the multiple candidate vehicles whose tolerance of discomfort is higher than the degree of discomfort impact according to at least one item among the desired vehicle type, the presence or absence of desired options, and the required time to the planned boarding position included in the vehicle allocation request. Then, the vehicle allocation determination unit 42 may determine the candidate vehicle with the highest priority among the candidate vehicles whose tolerance of discomfort is higher than the degree of discomfort impact as the vehicle to be allocated.

[0038] For example, when the desired vehicle type is included in the vehicle allocation request, the vehicle allocation determination unit 42 refers to the vehicle information of each candidate vehicle and sets a priority regarding the desired vehicle type for each candidate vehicle. For example, the vehicle allocation determination unit 42 sets the priority regarding the desired vehicle type for each candidate vehicle such that the priority for a candidate vehicle of the same vehicle type as the desired vehicle type is higher than the priority for a candidate vehicle of a different vehicle type from the desired vehicle type. Similarly, when the desired options are included in the vehicle allocation request, the vehicle allocation determination unit 42 refers to the vehicle information of each candidate vehicle and sets a priority regarding the desired options for each candidate vehicle. For example, the vehicle allocation determination unit 42 sets the priority regarding the desired options for each candidate vehicle such that the priority for a candidate vehicle having the desired options is higher than the priority for a candidate vehicle not having the desired options. Furthermore, the vehicle allocation determination unit 42 sets the priority regarding the required time for each candidate vehicle such that the candidate vehicle with a shorter required time to the planned boarding position has a higher priority.

[0039] The vehicle allocation determination unit 42 sets the weighted sum of the priorities obtained for each individual item for each candidate vehicle as the priority of that candidate vehicle. The weighting factor for each item may be set in advance.

[0040] The vehicle allocation determination unit 42 notifies the vehicle greeting instruction unit 43 of the identification information of the vehicle to be allocated.

[0041] The pick-up instruction unit 43 creates a pick-up instruction for the vehicle specified by the identification information notified from the vehicle allocation determination unit 42, including the planned boarding position included in the vehicle allocation request. Then, the pick-up instruction unit 43 transmits the created pick-up instruction to the allocated vehicle via the communication interface 31, the communication network 4, and the radio base station 5. Note that the pick-up instruction may include the identification information of the user who transmitted the vehicle allocation request, the planned alighting position of the user, and information representing the planned travel route.

[0042] The impact degree update unit 44 updates the user's discomfort impact degree based on the user's behavior when the user boards any of the vehicles 2-1 to 2-n. In the present embodiment, the impact degree update unit 44 updates the user's discomfort impact degree based on the impact information received from the vehicle in which the user has boarded. For example, the discomfort impact degree Di is set according to the following formula. Di = x1*uso + x2*usm + x3*ued (2) Here, the parameters uso, usm, and ued are, respectively, an index value of odor, the presence or absence of smoking, and an index value indicating the presence or absence of eating and drinking when the user boarded any vehicle in the past. Also, the parameters x1 to x4 are, respectively, weight coefficients for the index values uso, usm, and ued, and are set in advance. The impact degree update unit 44 sets the odor index value included in the impact information received from the vehicle in which the user has boarded as the index value uso. Therefore, the higher the odor index value, the higher the index value uso. Also, the index value usm is set so that the value indicating the non-detection of the user's smoking behavior is lower than the value indicating the detection of the user's smoking behavior. Similarly, the index value ued is set so that the value indicating the non-detection of the user's eating and drinking behavior is lower than the value indicating the detection of the user's eating and drinking behavior. Note that not all of the odor index value, the presence or absence of smoking, and the presence or absence of eating and drinking need to be considered for the update of the discomfort impact degree, and the discomfort impact degree may be updated based on any one or two of these indexes. In this case, the weight coefficient corresponding to the index not considered may be set to 0. Furthermore, actions that affect the degree of discomfort other than the above indexes may be considered for the update of the discomfort impact degree.

[0043] The impact degree update unit 44 sets the discomfort impact degree calculated according to formula (2) as the updated discomfort impact degree.

[0044] In addition, when the user rides in vehicles 2-1 to 2-n multiple times, the impact degree update unit 44 may use the average value of the discomfort impact degrees calculated according to formula (2) each time the user rides as the updated discomfort impact degree. Alternatively, each time the user rides in any of vehicles 2-1 to 2-n, the impact degree update unit 44 may calculate the updated discomfort impact degree by averaging the discomfort impact degree calculated according to formula (2) when the user last rode and the discomfort impact degree stored in the storage device 32 until then, using a predetermined forgetting coefficient.

[0045] The impact degree update unit 44 stores the updated discomfort impact degree in the storage device 32 in association with the identification information of the user included in the impact information last received for the user.

[0046] FIG. 5 is an operation flowchart of the vehicle allocation management process. Each time the processor 34 receives a vehicle allocation request, it executes the vehicle allocation management process according to the operation flowchart shown below.

[0047] The selection unit 41 selects, as candidate vehicles, one or more vehicles among the plurality of vehicles 2-1 to 2-n that can satisfy the vehicle allocation request (step S101). The vehicle allocation determination unit 42 determines, as the vehicle to be allocated, a candidate vehicle among the candidate vehicles whose discomfort tolerance is higher than the user's discomfort impact degree (step S102). Then, the pick-up instruction unit 43 transmits a pick-up instruction to the vehicle to be allocated via the communication network 4 or the like (step S103).

[0048] After the user gets off the allocated vehicle, the impact degree update unit 44 updates the user's discomfort impact degree based on the user's behavior when the user was riding in that vehicle (step S104). Then, the processor 34 ends the vehicle allocation management process.

[0049] As described above, this vehicle allocation management device compares the tolerance of discomfort set for each of a plurality of candidate vehicles that can be allocated in response to a vehicle allocation request from a user with the degree of discomfort impact on the user. Then, this vehicle allocation management device determines, among the candidate vehicles, a candidate vehicle whose tolerance of discomfort is higher than the degree of discomfort impact as the vehicle to be allocated to the user. Therefore, this vehicle allocation management device can determine the vehicle to be allocated from among the candidate vehicles so that a vehicle corresponding to the degree of discomfort that the user can cause is likely to be allocated.

[0050] According to a modification, the vehicle allocation determination unit 42 may also use the comparison result between the degree of discomfort impact and the tolerance of discomfort of each candidate vehicle as one of the items for calculating the priority. In this case, the vehicle allocation determination unit 42 sets the priority for a candidate vehicle whose tolerance of discomfort is higher than the degree of discomfort impact on the user who made the vehicle allocation request to be higher than the priority for a candidate vehicle whose tolerance of discomfort is less than or equal to the degree of discomfort impact. Then, the vehicle allocation determination unit 42 may set the weighted sum of the priorities obtained for each individual item for each candidate vehicle as the priority of that candidate vehicle, and determine the candidate vehicle with the highest priority among the candidate vehicles as the vehicle to be allocated.

[0051] Further, the impact degree update unit 44 may also use the position where the user boarded and the date and time of boarding for updating the degree of discomfort impact. In this case, the impact degree update unit 44 may execute the same processing as the correction of the degree of discomfort impact based on the scheduled boarding date and time and the boarding date and time in the vehicle allocation determination unit 42.

[0052] A computer program that causes a computer to execute the processing executed by the processor 34 of the server 3 described above may be recorded and distributed on a recording medium such as an optical recording medium or a magnetic recording medium.

[0053] As described above, those skilled in the art can make various changes according to the implemented form within the scope of the present invention.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0054] 1 Vehicle Allocation Management System 2-1 to 2-n vehicles 3 Server (vehicle allocation management device) 4 Communication network 5 Wireless base station 31 Communication interface 32 Storage device 33 Memory 34 Processor 41 Selection unit 42 Vehicle allocation determination unit 43 Pick-up instruction unit 44 Impact degree update unit

Claims

1. For each of a plurality of candidate vehicles that can be dispatched, a storage unit that stores a discomfort tolerance representing the tolerance of the degree of discomfort for the candidate vehicle, Among the plurality of candidate vehicles, a vehicle dispatching determination unit that determines, as the vehicle to be dispatched to the user, a candidate vehicle for which the discomfort tolerance is higher than the discomfort influence degree representing the influence degree on the degree of discomfort that can occur while the user is riding in the vehicle, A vehicle dispatching management device having the above.

2. The vehicle dispatching management device according to claim 1, further comprising an influence degree update unit that updates the discomfort influence degree of the user based on the behavior of the user when the user rides in any of the plurality of candidate vehicles.

3. The influence degree update unit updates the discomfort influence degree based on the degree of odor generated by the user when the user rides, the presence or absence of the user's smoking, or the presence or absence of the user's eating or drinking. The vehicle dispatching management device according to claim 2.

4. Among the plurality of candidate vehicles that can be dispatched, a candidate vehicle for which the discomfort tolerance representing the tolerance of the degree of discomfort is higher than the discomfort influence degree representing the influence degree on the degree of discomfort that can occur while the user is riding in the vehicle is determined as the vehicle to be dispatched to the user. A vehicle dispatching management method including the above.

5. Among the plurality of candidate vehicles that can be dispatched, a candidate vehicle for which the discomfort tolerance representing the tolerance of the degree of discomfort is higher than the discomfort influence degree representing the influence degree on the degree of discomfort that can occur while the user is riding in the vehicle is determined as the vehicle to be dispatched to the user. A vehicle dispatching management computer program for causing a computer to execute the above.

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