Operation schedule device

Abstract

To provide an operation schedule device for determining the optimum operation schedule capable of rapidly accomplishing the purpose of a user him / herself while suppressing influence on a traffic flow to the minimum.SOLUTION: An operation schedule device 10 includes: an attribute information acquisition section 12 for acquiring attribute information Dz; a travel environment information acquisition section 13 for acquiring travel environment information Dm; a route search section 14 for retrieving a plurality of routes Rw from a start point S to a target point F based on the attribute information Dz and the travel environment information Dm, so as to calculate a required time Tr on each one of the retrieved routes; and a route determination section 15 for determining an optimum route Bw for which the required time Tr is the shortest among the retrieved routes Rw and also determining a vehicle 30 to move on the optimum route Bw.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an operation planning device.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, for example, a vehicle control device disclosed in Patent Document 1 is known. When the conventional vehicle control device overtakes a pedestrian or a light vehicle (hereinafter referred to as "pedestrian or the like") by automatic driving, it determines whether the pedestrian or the like being overtaken can catch up with the stopped host vehicle after overtaking, and calculates the cost of risk in consideration of the influence on the pedestrian or the like caused by overtaking. Then, the conventional vehicle control device determines whether to overtake or follow the pedestrian or the like based on the calculated cost.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] The conventional vehicle control device is targeted at the automatic driving of general passenger cars, and the vehicle by automatic driving can travel at the same speed as other vehicles by manual driving. By the way, a moving body including a vehicle used for MaaS (Mobility as a Service) often travels at a speed lower than the legal speed and is often overtaken by other vehicles. In this regard, the conventional vehicle control device is premised on the host vehicle overtaking other vehicles, and does not consider the influence on other vehicles when the host vehicle is overtaken by other vehicles, that is, the influence on the traffic flow including the host vehicle and other vehicles.

[0005] An object of the present invention is to provide an operation planning device that determines an optimal operation plan capable of quickly achieving its own object while minimizing the influence on traffic flow.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] The operation planning device of the present invention includes an attribute information acquisition unit that acquires attribute information representing attributes including the size of a moving body, a travel environment information acquisition unit that acquires travel environment information representing the travel environment of a road on which the moving body travels, and based on the attribute information and the travel environment information, searches for a plurality of routes from the departure point of the moving body to the target point that is the destination of the moving body, and calculates the required time taking into account the stop time when the moving body is overtaken when the moving body moves from the departure point to the target point for each of the searched routes. A route search unit, and a route determination unit that determines an optimal route with the shortest required time among the searched routes and determines a moving body that moves along the optimal route.

Effects of the Invention

[0007] According to the operation planning device of the present invention, an optimal route based on the attribute information and the travel environment information can be determined on the premise that the speed of the moving body is slow and it is overtaken by other vehicles. Therefore, the operation planning device can provide optimal vehicle selection and route planning to quickly realize its own object while minimizing the influence on traffic flow.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0008]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0009] Hereinafter, an operation planning device according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

[0010] The operation planning device 10 of this embodiment is, for example, a server mainly composed of a computer constructed on a network. As shown in FIG. 1, the operation planning device 10 receives service request information J for requesting a mobility service, which is transmitted using an information terminal 20 (such as a smartphone, tablet, personal computer, etc.) possessed by a user. Here, examples of the mobility service include delivery services, logistics services such as home delivery and postal services, people flow services such as shared taxis, or passenger and cargo mixed services combining logistics services and people flow services.

[0011] In addition, the service request information J includes, for example, information representing a departure point S and a destination point F (both refer to FIG. 3). Furthermore, the service request information J can include information representing, for example, a vehicle 30 as a mobile body available to the user or a vehicle 30 owned by the user.

[0012] The operation planning device 10 selects, for example, a vehicle 30 suitable for the mobility service from among the vehicles 30 owned by the service provider. Then, the operation planning device 10 determines a route for the selected vehicle 30 to travel safely and shortest from the departure point S to the destination point F and plans the operation.

[0013] Therefore, the operation planning device 10 of this embodiment can communicate with an attribute database 40 that provides attribute information Dz representing the attributes of the vehicle 30. Also, the operation planning device 10 of this embodiment can communicate with a map database 50 that provides driving environment information Dm including information on roads and traffic volume on which the vehicle 30 can travel. Note that the attribute database 40 and the map database 50 can also be configured to be incorporated into the operation planning device 10.

[0014] Here, the attribute information Dz includes type information for distinguishing the attributes of each vehicle 30, such as a bicycle 31 with a rear carrier, a truck 32 used for logistics services, a large bus 33, a passenger car 34, a small vehicle 35 for single-person use, etc. used for people flow services. And the type information includes the size of each vehicle 30, for example, vehicle width information. In addition, the attribute information Dz also includes mode information for distinguishing between autonomous driving, remote driving via communication, or conventional manual driving, etc.

[0015] Further, the driving environment information Dm includes a node N representing a feature point of the road and an edge E connecting the nodes N (see FIG. 3). Here, the feature point of the road is a point where the features of the road represented by, for example, the number of lanes of the road (two lanes on one side or one lane on one side), the width of the road shoulder, the speed limit, etc. change.

[0016] The operation planning device 10 mainly includes a request information acquisition unit 11, an attribute information acquisition unit 12, a driving environment information acquisition unit 13, a route search unit 14, a route determination unit 15, and an operation plan output unit 16. The request information acquisition unit 11 acquires the service request information J transmitted from the information terminal 20.

[0017] The attribute information acquisition unit 12 acquires the attribute information Dz of the available vehicle 30 from the attribute database 40 based on the acquired service request information J. The driving environment information acquisition unit 13 acquires the driving environment information Dm of the area including the departure point S and the target point F desired by the user from the map database 50 based on the acquired service request information J. Here, the attribute information acquisition unit 12 executes the step processing of steps S11 and S12 of the operation planning program shown in FIG. 2, and the driving environment information acquisition unit 13 executes the step processing of step S12 of the operation planning program.

[0018] The route search unit 14 searches for a plurality of routes Rw defined by nodes N existing between the departure point S and the target point F and edges E connecting the nodes N to each other. Further, the route search unit 14 calculates, for each of the searched routes Rw, the required time Tr when the vehicle 30 travels from the departure point S to the target point F based on the attribute information Dz and the driving environment information Dm. Incidentally, when the service request information J is acquired, the route search unit 14 starts searching for the route Rw and calculating the required time Tr. Incidentally, the route search unit 14 can also calculate, for example, the arrival time when the vehicle 30 arrives at the target point F based on the calculated required time Tr.

[0019] Here, when the speed V of another vehicle is greater than the speed Vi of the own vehicle of the vehicle 30, the subsequent other vehicle overtakes the vehicle 30 after catching up with the vehicle 30. In this case, the vehicle 30 promptly pulls over to the road shoulder and stops for a stop time Tw seconds to let the other vehicle overtake. Therefore, when calculating the required time Tr, the route search unit 14 calculates by dividing the driving distance on the route Rw by the average speed Va taking into account the stop time Tw when the vehicle 30 is overtaken.

[0020] That is, the average speed Va of the vehicle 30 when assuming overtaking is calculated according to the following formula (1).

[0021] Va = (1 / (1 + α)) × Vi... Formula (1) However, "α" in the formula (1) is represented by the following formula (2) using the traffic flow Q representing the traffic condition of the road and the stop time Tw. α = Q × (1 - Vi / V) × Tw... Formula (2)

[0022] Here, the formula (2) is a parameter representing the degree to which the average speed Va is reduced from the own vehicle speed Vi. According to the formulas (1) and (2), the larger α is, that is, on a road with a large traffic volume, a road with a large ratio of the own vehicle speed Vi to the other vehicle speed V (i.e., the speed limit), or a road with a large stop time Tw for stopping on the road shoulder, the average speed Va becomes smaller than the own vehicle speed Vi. That is, according to the formulas (1) and (2), the larger α is, the larger the required time Tr becomes.

[0023] Further, the stop time Tw can be changed according to the size of the vehicle 30, specifically, the width of the vehicle. Further, the stop time Tw can also be changed according to the road on which the vehicle 30 travels. Furthermore, the stop time Tw can also be changed according to the situation where the vehicle 30 turns right or left. For example, on a one-lane road on one side, it becomes more difficult to overtake as the road width becomes narrower, so the stop time Tw can be increased in inverse proportion to the road width. Also, in the case of a right turn, it is possible to reflect the temporal loss generated along with the right turn by equivalently setting the stop time Tw large.

[0024] For each of the plurality of routes Rw, the route search unit 14 obtains the average speed Va according to the formulas (1) and (2) and obtains the required times Tr1, Tr2,... for each edge E (see FIG. 3). Then, for each of the vehicles 30, the route search unit 14 obtains the shortest route R and the total required time Tr when following the shortest route R using, for example, Dijkstra's algorithm or the like. Then, the route search unit 14 outputs the shortest route R and the required time Tr for each vehicle 30 to the route determination unit 15. Here, the route search unit 14 executes the step process of step S13 of the operation plan program shown in FIG. 2.

[0025] The route determination unit 15 shown in FIG. 1 determines the shortest route R with the shortest required time Tr among the shortest routes R searched for each vehicle 30 as the optimal route Bw and determines the vehicle 30. Specifically, the route determination unit 15 acquires the shortest route R and the required time Tr (or arrival time) for each vehicle 30 output from the route search unit 14. Then, the route determination unit 15 determines, for example, the shortest route R with the shortest required time Tr as the optimal route Bw and determines the vehicle 30 that travels on the optimal route Bw. Here, the route determination unit 15 executes the step process of step S14 of the operation plan program shown in FIG. 2.

[0026] The operation plan output unit 16 shown in FIG. 1 transmits the determined optimal route Bw and vehicle identification information Jc representing the vehicle 30 traveling on the optimal route Bw to the information terminal 20. As a result, the user can grasp the optimal route Bw and the vehicle 30 provided for the requested mobility service.

[0027] Next, the operation plan determined by the operation planning device 10 will be described with reference to FIG. 3. In the following description, in FIGS. 3(A), 3(B), and 3(C), it is assumed that the edge E1 connecting the node NS, which is the starting point S, and the node Na and the edge E2 connecting the node NS and the node Nb are roads with at least two lanes on one side. Further, it is assumed that the edge E3 connecting the node Na and the node Nb, the edge E4 connecting the node Na and the node NF, which is the target point F, and the edge E5 connecting the node Nb and the node NF are one-lane roads on one side.

[0028] First, a case where the user requests a delivery service as a mobility service will be exemplified and described. In the delivery service, as shown in FIGS. 3(A) and 3(B), it is assumed that two vehicles 30, a small passenger car 34 and a large truck 32, are used. And when the operation planning device 10 transports goods from the node NS to the node NF, it obtains which of the passenger car 34 and the truck 32 arrives at the node NF faster. Regarding the other vehicle speed V and the own vehicle speed Vi (<V), it is assumed that the passenger car 34 and the truck 32 are the same.

[0029] Here, the passenger car 34 is smaller in size such as the overall width compared to the truck 32 and is more likely to be overtaken by other vehicles than the truck 32. Therefore, the route search unit 14 sets the stopping time Tw when the passenger car 34 is overtaken to be smaller than that of the truck 32. However, since the edges E1 and E2 are roads with at least two lanes on one side, the route search unit 14 sets the stopping time Tw of the passenger car 34 and the truck 32 on the edges E1 and E2 to "0".

[0030] Thus, when the route search unit 14 sets the stop time Tw, as shown in FIGS. 3(A) and 3(B), the required times Tr1 for the edge E1 are both "1", and the required times Tr2 for the edge E2 are both "4". However, since the edges E3, E4, and E5 are single-lane roads, there is a difference in the stop time Tw between the passenger car 34 and the truck 32. That is, there is a difference in the average speed Va between the passenger car 34 and the truck 32 calculated according to the formula (1).

[0031] For this reason, the required time Tr3 for the edge E3 is "2" for the passenger car 34, while it is "4" for the truck 32. Also, the required time Tr4 for the edge E4 is "5" for the passenger car 34, while it is "10" for the truck 32. Further, the required time Tr5 for the edge E5 is "2" for the passenger car 34, while it is "4" for the truck 32.

[0032] In this way, the route search unit 14 calculates the required times Tr1, Tr2, Tr3, Tr4, and Tr5 for each of the edges E1, E2, E3, E4, and E5 forming the route Rw using the average speed Va calculated by the formula (1). Then, the route search unit 14 determines the respective shortest routes R for which the total required time Tr is minimized when the passenger car 34 and the truck 32 travel from the node NS to the node NF.

[0033] Specifically, in the case of the passenger car 34, since the sum of the required times Tr1, Tr3, and Tr5, which is "5", is the shortest as the required time Tr, the shortest route R shown by the thick solid line in FIG. 3(A) is determined. On the other hand, in the case of the truck 32, since the sum of the required times Tr2 and Tr4, which is "8", is the shortest as the required time Tr, the shortest route R shown by the thick solid line in FIG. 3(B) is determined.

[0034] The route determination unit 15 acquires the shortest route R and required time Tr of the passenger car 34 and the shortest route R and required time Tr of the truck 32 determined by the route search unit 14. Then, the route determination unit 15 determines the shortest route R of the passenger car 34 with a shorter required time Tr as the optimal route Bw. Thereby, the operation planning device 10 determines that it is optimal for the passenger car 34 to deliver through the optimal route Bw, and answers the required time Tr together with the optimal route Bw to the information terminal 20. Also, the operation planning device 10 arranges the passenger car 34, transmits route information representing the optimal route Bw to the passenger car 34, or gives a route instruction based on the optimal route Bw.

[0035] Next, a case where an elderly person as a user requests a mobility service of getting on a small vehicle 35 and moving will be exemplified and described. Here, in the mobility service to be exemplified, as shown in (C) in FIG. 3, it is assumed that a small vehicle 35 such as an electric wheelchair or an electric cart is used, where the own vehicle speed Vi is significantly slower than the speed limit. Then, in the situation where the user moves from the node NS to the node NF, the operation planning device 10 obtains the optimal route Bw on which the small vehicle 35 and other vehicles can travel safely, and guides the user according to the optimal route Bw.

[0036] Here, when the small vehicle 35 travels on an ordinary road, it is assumed that the frequency of being overtaken by other vehicles is high. Therefore, in order for the small vehicle 35 and other vehicles to pass safely, it is preferable to select a wide road where overtaking by other vehicles is easy, a road with a small speed difference from the small vehicle 35, a road with a low frequency of being overtaken, or a road having two or more of these characteristics. Therefore, the operation planning device 10 determines the optimal route Bw so that the stopping time Tw for being overtaken becomes small. Specifically, as shown by the thick solid line in (C) of FIG. 3, the route search unit 14 of the operation planning device 10 obtains the average speed Va reflecting the stopping time Tw according to the formula (1), and determines the shortest route R as the optimal route Bw.

[0037] The optimal route Bw is a route where the compact vehicle 35 is likely to be overtaken by other vehicles or is overtaken less frequently. As a result, the impact of the traveling compact vehicle 35 on other vehicles is small, and the risk generated when the compact vehicle 35 is overtaken by other vehicles is reduced. Therefore, the operation planning device 10 answers the required time Tr together with the optimal route Bw to the information terminal 20. In addition, the operation planning device 10 arranges the compact vehicle 35 and transmits route information representing the optimal route Bw to the compact vehicle 35, or gives a route instruction based on the optimal route Bw.

[0038] As can be understood from the above description, the operation planning device 10 includes an attribute information acquisition unit 12 that acquires attribute information Dz representing an attribute including the size of the vehicle 30 that is a moving body, a traveling environment information acquisition unit 13 that acquires traveling environment information Dm representing the traveling environment of the road on which the vehicle 30 travels, and based on the attribute information Dz and the traveling environment information Dm, searches for a plurality of routes Rw from the departure point S of the vehicle 30 to the target point F that is the moving destination of the vehicle 30, and calculates the required time Tr taking into account the stop time Tw when the vehicle 30 is overtaken when the vehicle 30 moves from the departure point S to the target point F for each of the searched routes Rw. A route search unit 14, and a route determination unit 15 that determines the optimal route Bw with the shortest required time Tr among the searched routes Rw and determines the vehicle 30 that moves along the optimal route Bw.

[0039] Thereby, the operation planning device 10 can determine the optimal route Bw based on the attribute information Dz and the traveling environment information Dm on the premise that the own vehicle speed Vi of the vehicle 30 is slow and the vehicle 30 is overtaken by other vehicles. For this reason, the operation planning device 10 can provide optimal vehicle 30 selection and route planning in order to quickly realize the purpose of the user who uses the vehicle 30 while minimizing the impact on the traffic flow.

Explanation of symbols

[0040] 10... Operation planning device, 11... Requirement information acquisition unit, 12... Attribute information acquisition unit, 13... Driving environment information acquisition unit, 14... Route search unit, 15... Route determination unit, 16... Operation plan output unit, 20... Information terminal, 30... Vehicle (mobile body), 40... Attribute database, 50... Map database, Dz... Attribute information, Dm... Driving environment information, J... Service requirement information, Vi... Own vehicle speed, V... Other vehicle speed, Rw... Route, R... Shortest route, Bw... Optimal route, Tw... Parking time.

Claims

【Claim 1】 An attribute information acquisition unit that acquires attribute information representing an attribute including the size of a moving body; A driving environment information acquisition unit that acquires driving environment information representing a driving environment of a road on which the moving body travels; Based on the attribute information and the driving environment information, a plurality of routes from a starting point of the moving body to a target point that is a moving destination of the moving body are searched, and for each of the searched routes, when the moving body moves from the starting point to the target point, a required time is calculated taking into account a stopping time when the moving body is overtaken; a route search unit; A route determination unit that determines an optimal route having the shortest required time among each of the searched routes and determines the moving body that moves along the optimal route; An operation planning device comprising the above.

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