Vehicle operation managing device, vehicle operation managing system, vehicle operation managing method, and vehicle operation managing program

Abstract

To obtain a vehicle operation managing device that can shorten a travel time of a vehicle while improving an accuracy of vehicle operation in response to user demand.SOLUTION: A vehicle operation managing device 10 comprises: a storage unit 20 that stores in advance an operation plan 24 for a vehicle 74, which contains an operation route including a plurality of stops; a movement demand acquisition unit 40 that acquires a movement demand 22 of a user of the vehicle 74; a stop characteristic acquisition unit 30 that acquires a stop characteristic 21 which is a characteristic of a stop regarding the movement demand 22; and a route and stop determining unit 50 that determines a stop at which the vehicle 74 is not stopped among the plurality of stops included in the operation route, based on the movement demand 22 and the stop characteristic 21.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a vehicle operation management device, a vehicle operation management system, a vehicle operation management method, and a vehicle operation management program for managing the operation of a vehicle.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, buses have traveled along a predetermined route, stopped at predetermined stops, and picked up and dropped off passengers. When there are no passengers getting off and no passengers at the stop, the bus driver may pass through the stop. In addition, since buses travel on general roads, they may be delayed due to traffic congestion or the like. Therefore, passengers who want to board a bus have to continue waiting at the stop assuming that the bus will stop at the stop and that the bus may be delayed even if the departure time has passed.

[0003] In response to such problems, Patent Document 1 discloses a technique in which a passenger makes a reservation to board a bus. By making a reservation to board a bus, the passenger does not need to continue waiting at the stop for the bus to arrive. In addition, when there are no passengers getting off and there is no reservation to board the bus, the bus driver can pass through the stop without stopping the bus, so that the occurrence of unnecessary stop time of the bus can be suppressed.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] Generally, the number of users getting on and off at stops is not the same at each stop. At stops where facilities such as stations, hospitals, and commercial facilities are present in the vicinity, a large number of user demands are expected. Also, at such stops, it is assumed that users who do not recognize the departure time of the bus may arrive at the stop just before the original departure time of the bus. However, according to the above conventional technology, the bus driver will pass through stops where there are no users getting off and there are no bus reservation passengers without stopping the bus uniformly. Therefore, when the conditions described above are met, the bus driver will pass through stops where user demand is expected without stopping the bus, so there is a problem that it may not be possible to meet user demand.

[0006] The present disclosure has been made in view of the above, and an object thereof is to obtain a vehicle operation management device capable of improving the accuracy of vehicle operation corresponding to user demand while shortening the running time of the vehicle.

Means for Solving the Problem

[0007] In order to solve the above-described problems and achieve the object, the vehicle operation management device of the present disclosure includes a storage unit that stores in advance an operation plan of a vehicle including an operation route including a plurality of stops, a movement demand acquisition unit that acquires the movement demand of vehicle users, a stop characteristic acquisition unit that acquires stop characteristics that are characteristics of stops regarding the movement demand, and a passing stop determination unit that determines, based on the movement demand and the stop characteristics, stops among the plurality of stops included in the operation route at which the vehicle does not stop. When the passing stop determination unit determines a stop at which the vehicle does not stop, it selects an operation route that does not pass through the stop at which the vehicle does not stop, and updates the arrival time and departure time at the stop at which the vehicle does not stop and the stops after the stop at which the vehicle does not stop for the operation plan.

Effect of the Invention

[0008] According to the present disclosure, the vehicle operation management device has an effect of being able to improve the accuracy of vehicle operation corresponding to user demand while shortening the running time of the vehicle.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0009]

Figure 1

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Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0010] Hereinafter, a vehicle operation management device, a vehicle operation management system, a vehicle operation management method, and a vehicle operation management program according to an embodiment of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

[0011] Embodiment 1. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration example of a vehicle operation management system 100 according to Embodiment 1. The vehicle operation management system 100 includes a vehicle operation management device 10, an external system 71, a demand collection terminal 72, and a vehicle control terminal 73 mounted on a vehicle 74. The vehicle operation management device 10 manages the operation of the vehicle 74 on which the vehicle control terminal 73 is mounted. In the present embodiment, the vehicle 74 to be managed by the vehicle operation management device 10 is assumed to be a bus that stops at a stop according to the needs of users from a plurality of preset stops included in the operation route. The vehicle 74 may be one driven by a driver, or may be an autonomous vehicle not driven by a driver.

[0012] The external system 71 provides the vehicle operation management device 10 with the stop characteristics 21, which are the characteristics of stops. The stop characteristics 21 will be described later. The vehicle operation management device 10 may be connected to the external system 71 either online or offline.

[0013] The demand collection terminal 72 provides the vehicle operation management device 10 with the travel demands 22 of the users of the vehicle 74. The travel demands 22 will be described later. The vehicle operation management device 10 may communicate with the demand collection terminal 72 via the Internet or other means, or via a dedicated network or other means.

[0014] The vehicle control terminal 73 is an ECU (Electronic Control Unit) installed in the vehicle 74. For example, when the vehicle 74 is driven by a driver, the vehicle control terminal 73 provides the driver with information such as the stops to pass through and the stops not to pass through obtained from the vehicle operation management device 10, and transmits the position information of the vehicle 74, the arrival time and departure time of the stops, etc. to the vehicle operation management device 10. When the vehicle 74 is an autonomous vehicle, the vehicle control terminal 73 controls the operation of the vehicle 74 according to the instructions from the vehicle operation management device 10, and transmits the position information of the vehicle 74, the arrival time and departure time of the stops, etc. to the vehicle operation management device 10. The vehicle control terminal 73 obtains the operation plan 24 stored in the vehicle operation management device 10 when the operation plan 24 has not been updated in the vehicle operation management device 10, and obtains the updated operation plan 24 in the vehicle operation management device 10 when the operation plan 24 has been updated in the vehicle operation management device 10. The vehicle operation management device 10 may communicate with the vehicle control terminal 73 via the Internet or other means, or via a dedicated network or other means.

[0015] The configuration and operation of the vehicle operation management device 10 will be described in detail. As shown in FIG. 1, the vehicle operation management device 10 includes a storage unit 20, a stop characteristic acquisition unit 30, a travel demand acquisition unit 40, a passing stop determination unit 50, and an operation plan execution unit 60.

[0016] The storage unit 20 stores the stop characteristics 21, travel demand 22, operation status 23, and operation plan 24.

[0017] The stop characteristics 21 are unique characteristics for each stop regarding stops where the vehicle 74 may stop in the operation plan 24. The stop characteristics 21 may vary depending on the day of the week, time zone, or season even for the same stop. The stop characteristics 21 may be obtained by the stop characteristic acquisition unit 30 from an external system 71 outside the vehicle operation management device 10 and dynamically stored in the storage unit 20, or may be statically pre-stored, i.e., held, in the storage unit 20 of the vehicle operation management device 10 when there are no significant fluctuations in the past operation of the vehicle 74. Various things can be considered as the stop characteristics 21, for example, predicted travel demand, user priority, presence or absence of alternative means of transportation, etc.

[0018] The predicted travel demand is information indicating the scale of users expected to board the vehicle 74 at the stop. The predicted travel demand is a prediction of the travel demand 22 expected at the stop. The predicted travel demand is calculated, for example, from past operation records, event schedules, weather conditions, usage status of surrounding transportation facilities, usage status of surrounding facilities, congestion status of surrounding facilities, etc.

[0019] The user priority is information indicating whether the users boarding the vehicle 74 at the stop should be given priority for transportation. The user priority is information indicating the priority of the users boarding the vehicle 74 at the stop. For example, stops with a high frequency of use by the elderly, pregnant women, important customers, etc. are given a high priority, and stops used only by employees of a company, etc. are ranked with a low priority.

[0020] The presence or absence of alternative means of transportation indicates, for users boarding vehicle 74 at the stop, whether there are alternative means of transportation available when they do not use vehicle 74 whose operation is managed by the vehicle operation management device 10. For example, the priority is increased for stops where there are no alternative means of transportation available, and the priority is decreased for stops where there are alternative means of transportation available.

[0021] The stop characteristic 21 may be one of the predicted travel demand, user priority, and the presence or absence of alternative means of transportation, or a combination thereof.

[0022] The travel demand 22 is information indicating at which stops users wish to board and at which stops they wish to alight. The travel demand 22 is dynamically updated in response to operations such as reservation registration by users and reservation changes by users. The travel demand 22 is, for example, the sum of information such as the number of boarding passengers, which is the number of users boarding at the stop, the number of alighting passengers, which is the number of users alighting at the stop, and the number of redundant passengers, which is the number of users boarding upstream and alighting downstream of the stop, for each stop. The travel demand 22 may include, for example, the sum of information such as the number of transported passengers, which is the number of users boarding upstream and alighting downstream of the current operating location in the currently operating vehicle 74, and the number of vacant seats, which is the difference between the number of passengers that can be transported by vehicle 74 and the number of transported passengers.

[0023] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of the travel demand 22 stored in the storage unit 20 of the vehicle operation management device 10 according to the first embodiment. For example, as shown in FIG. 2, the travel demand 22 includes, for each user ID (Identifier) for identifying a user, a reserved time for boarding the vehicle 74, a boarding stop, and an alighting stop. It is assumed that each stop is assigned a unique ID for each stop. The travel demand 22 shown in FIG. 2 is an example, and the travel demand 22 may include information other than the information shown in FIG. 2. The travel demand 22 may be obtained by the travel demand acquisition unit 40 from the demand collection terminal 72 outside the vehicle operation management device 10 and dynamically stored in the storage unit 20, or may be statically stored in advance, that is, held in the storage unit 20 of the vehicle operation management device 10 when there are no significant fluctuations in the operation of the past vehicle 74.

[0024] The operation status 23 is information indicating the arrival time of the vehicle 74, the departure time of the vehicle 74, etc. at the stops on the operation plan 24. It can also be said that the operation status 23 is information indicating whether the vehicle 74 is operating as per the operation plan 24, that is, on time, or is delayed.

[0025] The operation plan 24 is information indicating when the vehicle 74 arrives at and departs from each stop on the operation route. The operation plan 24 includes an operation route including a plurality of stops in advance. In the present embodiment, the operation plan 24 of the vehicle 74 stored in the storage unit 20 may be dynamically updated during the operation of the vehicle 74 by the operation of the via stop determination unit 50 described later.

[0026] The stop characteristic acquisition unit 30 acquires stop characteristics 21, which are the characteristics of stops regarding the travel demand 22. The stop characteristic acquisition unit 30 stores, for example, the stop characteristics 21 acquired from the external system 71 in the storage unit 20 and outputs them to the transit stop determination unit 50. Alternatively, the stop characteristic acquisition unit 30 acquires the stop characteristics 21 previously stored in the storage unit 20 from the storage unit 20 and outputs them to the transit stop determination unit 50. That is, the stop characteristic acquisition unit 30 acquires the stop characteristics 21 from outside the vehicle operation management device 10 or from the storage unit 20. Here, various variations are conceivable for the stop characteristics 21 acquired by the stop characteristic acquisition unit 30. In this case, the stop characteristic acquisition unit 30 will acquire the stop characteristics 21 from various external systems 71 depending on the stop characteristics 21.

[0027] For example, when the stop characteristic 21 is the past operation record, the stop characteristic acquisition unit 30 acquires the stop characteristic 21 from a data server that stores the operation record of the operation system as the external system 71. Even when the stop characteristic 21 is the user priority, the stop characteristic acquisition unit 30 can acquire the stop characteristic 21 from a data server that stores the operation record of the operation system as the external system 71. Further, when the stop characteristic 21 is an event schedule such as a concert or a sports game, the stop characteristic acquisition unit 30 acquires the stop characteristic 21 from a server that manages the event information of the area as the external system 71. Further, when the stop characteristic 21 is the weather condition, the stop characteristic acquisition unit 30 acquires the stop characteristic 21 from a weather forecast system as the external system 71. Further, when the stop characteristic 21 is the usage status, congestion status, etc. of the transportation means around the stop, the stop characteristic acquisition unit 30 acquires the stop characteristic 21 from an operation management system of the transportation means around the stop as the external system 71. Further, when the stop characteristic 21 is the usage status, congestion status, etc. of the facilities around the stop, the stop characteristic acquisition unit 30 acquires the stop characteristic 21 from a building management system of the facilities around the stop as the external system 71. Further, when the stop characteristic 21 is the presence or absence of alternative means of transportation, the stop characteristic acquisition unit 30 acquires the stop characteristic 21 from a system that manages a guide map, a route map of other transportation means, a timetable information of other transportation means, etc. as the external system 71.

[0028] The travel demand acquisition unit 40 acquires the travel demand 22 of the user of the vehicle 74. The travel demand acquisition unit 40 stores, for example, the travel demand 22 acquired from the demand collection terminal 72 in the storage unit 20 and outputs it to the transit stop determination unit 50. That is, the travel demand acquisition unit 40 acquires the travel demand 22 from outside the vehicle operation management device 10 or from the storage unit 20. Here, the demand collection terminal 72 may be a reservation terminal, a ticket vending machine, etc. installed at a stop, or a portable terminal that can be carried by the user. The portable terminal may be a dedicated one, or a smartphone with an application corresponding to the vehicle operation management system 100 installed. Also, the demand collection terminal 72 may be a terminal at which an operator who accepts telephone reservations from users performs operations such as reservation registration and change. The demand collection terminal 72 may be installed at a lodging facility, a commercial facility, etc.

[0029] Based on the operation plan 24 stored in the storage unit 20, the operation plan execution unit 60 gives instructions to the vehicle control terminal 73 mounted on the vehicle 74 to control the operation of the vehicle 74. Also, the operation plan execution unit 60 acquires from the vehicle control terminal 73 the arrival time at the stop of the vehicle 74, the departure time from the stop of the vehicle 74, the position information of the vehicle 74, etc., compares the acquired information with the operation plan 24, determines whether the vehicle 74 is operating according to the operation plan 24 or is delayed, and updates the operation status 23 stored in the storage unit 20.

[0030] Based on the travel demand 22 and the stop characteristics 21, the transit stop determination unit 50 determines the stops among the plurality of stops included in the operation route at which the vehicle 74 does not stop. Here, in the present embodiment, when the transit stop determination unit 50 determines the stops at which it does not stop, it can select an operation route that does not pass through the stops at which it does not stop. In this case, the transit stop determination unit 50 updates the arrival time and departure time at the stops at which it does not stop and the stops after the stops at which it does not stop for the operation plan 24.

[0031] FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of the operation plan 24 before update and an example of the operation plan 24 after update when the via stop determination unit 50 of the vehicle operation management device 10 according to Embodiment 1 determines a stop at which the vehicle 74 is not to stop and updates the operation plan 24. FIG. 3 shows an example in which the via stop determination unit 50 determines that the vehicle 74 is not to stop at the stop [2]. The upper part shows an example of the operation plan 24 before update, and the lower part shows an example of the operation plan 24 after update. Note that the left table and the right graph in the upper part represent the same content, and the left table and the right graph in the lower part represent the same content. In the right graph in the lower part, the dotted line represents before update, and the broken line represents after update. For example, when the vehicle 74 can shortcut from the stop [1] to the stop [3] without passing in front of the stop [2], the via stop determination unit 50 selects an operation route that does not pass in front of the stop [2], that is, does not pass through the stop [2]. Note that alternative operation route candidates in the case where a shortcut can be made without passing through any of the stops may be registered in advance in the operation plan 24, or the optimal operation route may be searched each time from the drivable road network. In the example of FIG. 3, the via stop determination unit 50 does not stop the vehicle 74 at the stop [2] and selects an operation route that does not pass through the stop [2], so that the vehicle 74 can arrive at the stop [3] earlier, and thus the arrival time and departure time of the vehicle 74 at the stop [3] are advanced.

[0032] Here, the stops targeted when the via stop determination unit 50 determines a stop at which the vehicle 74 is not to stop are limited to stops where there is no demand for both boarding and alighting of users in the travel demand 22. The via stop determination unit 50 does not target for determination of a stop at which the vehicle 74 is not to stop for stops where there is at least one demand for either boarding or alighting in the travel demand 22. The via stop determination unit 50 is not limited to this. For example, even in the case of a stop where there is a demand for boarding in the travel demand 22, if the vehicle 74 is full, it may be targeted for determination of a stop at which the vehicle 74 is not to stop.

[0033] The via stop determination unit 50 determines the timing for determining a stop at which the vehicle 74 does not stop, based on the running status 23 of the vehicle 74. Here, regarding the timing for determining a stop at which the vehicle 74 does not stop, the earlier the timing, the greater the shortcut and the shorter the travel time when the vehicle 74 does not stop at the stop [2]. However, if the timing is too early, it will be impossible to respond to the generated travel demand 22 thereafter. Therefore, the via stop determination unit 50 makes a decision on whether to stop the vehicle 74 at the stop [2] after the vehicle 74 departs from or passes through the stop [1] immediately before the stop [2].

[0034] Regarding the method by which the via stop determination unit 50 determines a stop at which the vehicle 74 does not stop, various methods can be considered. For example, there is a method in which the via stop determination unit 50 determines a stop at which the vehicle 74 does not stop according to the unique priority for each stop. The via stop determination unit 50 determines a via priority indicating the priority of each stop based on the stop characteristics 21. The via stop determination unit 50 determines whether to stop the vehicle 74 at a stop corresponding to the via priority, based on the travel demand 22 and the via priority.

[0035] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of the stop characteristics 21 when the via stop determination unit 50 of the vehicle operation management device 10 according to the first embodiment determines a high via priority. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of the stop characteristics 21 when the via stop determination unit 50 of the vehicle operation management device 10 according to the first embodiment determines a low via priority. FIGS. 4 and 5 both take stop [2] as an example. The via stop determination unit 50 determines the via priority so as to prioritize stops having stop characteristics 21 where a large occurrence of travel demand 22 to be prioritized for transportation is expected. The via stop determination unit 50 can determine the via priority, for example, by comparing the number of users per hour with a specified threshold value in the predicted travel demand amount. Further, the via stop determination unit 50, for example, increases the via priority when there is a hospital or the like near the stop and demand from the elderly or the like is expected, and decreases the via priority in other cases. Further, the via stop determination unit 50, for example, increases the via priority of a stop having no alternative means of transportation and decreases the via priority of a stop having alternative means of transportation.

[0036] The via stop determination unit 50 may determine the via priority using only any one of the predicted travel demand amount, user priority, and presence or absence of alternative means of transportation, or may determine the via priority by a combination of these. When the via stop determination unit 50 determines the via priority using all of the predicted travel demand amount, user priority, and presence or absence of alternative means of transportation, it may determine the via priority by weighting each item. Note that in the present embodiment, the via stop determination unit 50 has set either a high via priority or a low via priority for the via priority of the stop, but is not limited thereto. The via stop determination unit 50 can also set the via priority of the stop to three or more levels. Hereinafter, an example in the case of two levels of high and low via priorities for the via priority of the stop will be described.

[0037] The transit stop determination unit 50 sets a high transit determination threshold at stops with a high transit priority. The transit stop determination unit 50 refers to the transit priority and the travel demand 22, and determines whether to transit by stopping the vehicle 74 at a stop with a high transit priority. For example, the transit stop determination unit 50 aggregates the number of users who board upstream of the stop and alight downstream of the stop as the unnecessary number of people, and determines that "if the unnecessary number of people < the transit determination threshold is satisfied, transit; otherwise, do not transit".

[0038] FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example when the transit stop determination unit 50 of the vehicle operation management device 10 according to the first embodiment determines the transit priority using the predicted travel demand as the stop characteristic 21 and determines a stop at which the vehicle 74 is not to be stopped. In the predicted travel demand, the transit stop determination unit 50 sets a high priority when the number of users per hour is 36, and a low priority when the number of users per hour is 12. Further, the transit stop determination unit 50 calculates the transit determination threshold from the number of users per hour. In the example of FIG. 6, the constant 1 = 1 / 12 and the constant 2 = -1, and the transit determination threshold is calculated by the formula shown in FIG. 6, but this takes into account the maximum number of passengers that the vehicle 74 can carry, etc., and the examples of the constant 1 and the constant 2 are not limited to these. The transit stop determination unit 50 calculates a transit determination threshold = 2 for a high transit priority, and calculates a transit determination threshold = 0 for a low transit priority.

[0039] When the transfer stop determination unit 50 determines that the transfer priority is high, the number of unnecessary passengers is 1, the likelihood of the generation of the travel demand 22 is high, and there is also available space in the vehicle 74, it decides to stop the vehicle 74 at the stop [2], and causes the vehicle 74 to pass through the stop [2]. Also, when the transfer stop determination unit 50 determines that the transfer priority is high and the number of unnecessary passengers is 2, although the likelihood of the generation of the travel demand 22 is high, since there is no available space in the vehicle 74, it decides not to stop the vehicle 74 at the stop [2], and does not cause the vehicle 74 to pass through the stop [2]. Further, when the transfer stop determination unit 50 determines that the transfer priority is low and the number of unnecessary passengers is 1, since the likelihood of the generation of the travel demand 22 is low, it decides not to stop the vehicle 74 at the stop [2], and does not cause the vehicle 74 to pass through the stop [2]. Also, when the transfer stop determination unit 50 determines that the transfer priority is low and the number of unnecessary passengers is 2, since there is no available space in the vehicle 74 and the likelihood of the generation of the travel demand 22 is low, it decides not to stop the vehicle 74 at the stop [2], and does not cause the vehicle 74 to pass through the stop [2].

[0040] FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example when the transfer stop determination unit 50 of the vehicle operation management device 10 according to the first embodiment determines the transfer priority using the user priority as the stop characteristic 21 and determines a stop at which the vehicle 74 is not to be stopped. The transfer stop determination unit 50 calculates a transfer determination threshold based on the user priority. The transfer stop determination unit 50 calculates the transfer determination threshold = 2 when the transfer priority is high, and calculates the transfer determination threshold = 0 when the transfer priority is low.

[0041] When the transfer stop determination unit 50 determines that the transfer priority is high and the number of non-essential passengers is 1, and it is likely that a high-priority travel demand 22 will occur and there is also available space in vehicle 74, it decides to stop vehicle 74 at stop [2] and have vehicle 74 pass through stop [2]. Also, when the transfer stop determination unit 50 determines that the transfer priority is high and the number of non-essential passengers is 2, although it is likely that a high-priority travel demand 22 will occur, since there is no available space in vehicle 74, it decides not to stop vehicle 74 at stop [2] and not to have vehicle 74 pass through stop [2]. Further, when the transfer stop determination unit 50 determines that the transfer priority is low and the number of non-essential passengers is 1, for the immediately preceding low-priority travel demand 22, it decides not to stop vehicle 74 at stop [2] and not to have vehicle 74 pass through stop [2]. Additionally, when the transfer stop determination unit 50 determines that the transfer priority is low and the number of non-essential passengers is 2, since there is no available space in vehicle 74 and for the immediately preceding low-priority travel demand 22, it decides not to stop vehicle 74 at stop [2] and not to have vehicle 74 pass through stop [2].

[0042] FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example when the transfer stop determination unit 50 of the vehicle operation management device 10 according to Embodiment 1 determines the transfer priority using the presence or absence of alternative means of transportation as the stop characteristic 21 and determines a stop at which vehicle 74 will not stop. The transfer stop determination unit 50 calculates a transfer determination threshold based on the presence or absence of alternative means of transportation. The transfer stop determination unit 50 calculates a transfer determination threshold = 2 when there is no alternative means of transportation, and calculates a transfer determination threshold = 0 when there is an alternative means of transportation.

[0043] When the transit stop determination unit 50 determines that the transit priority is high, the number of unnecessary passengers is 1, a travel demand 22 is likely to occur in a situation where there is no alternative means of transportation, and there is also available space in vehicle 74, it decides to stop vehicle 74 at transit stop [2] and have vehicle 74 pass through transit stop [2]. Also, when the transit stop determination unit 50 determines that the transit priority is high and the number of unnecessary passengers is 2, although a travel demand 22 is likely to occur in a situation where there is no alternative means of transportation, since there is no available space in vehicle 74, it decides not to stop vehicle 74 at transit stop [2] and not have vehicle 74 pass through transit stop [2]. Further, when the transit stop determination unit 50 determines that the transit priority is low and the number of unnecessary passengers is 1, in a situation where there is an alternative means of transportation, for the immediately preceding travel demand 22, it decides not to stop vehicle 74 at transit stop [2] and not have vehicle 74 pass through transit stop [2]. Also, when the transit stop determination unit 50 determines that the transit priority is low and the number of unnecessary passengers is 2, since there is no available space in vehicle 74 and there is an alternative means of transportation, for the immediately preceding travel demand 22, it decides not to stop vehicle 74 at transit stop [2] and not have vehicle 74 pass through transit stop [2].

[0044] FIG. 9 is a diagram showing a comparison example between a case where the transit stop determination unit 50 of the vehicle operation management device 10 according to Embodiment 1 determines whether to stop vehicle 74 at a transit stop using the transit stop characteristics 21 and a case where it determines whether to stop vehicle 74 at a transit stop without using the transit stop characteristics 21. If the transit stop determination unit 50 does not use the transit stop characteristics 21 and determines whether to stop vehicle 74 at transit stop [2] based on the number of alighting passengers, when the transit priority is high and the number of unnecessary passengers is 1, it decides not to stop vehicle 74 at transit stop [2] and not have vehicle 74 pass through transit stop [2]. For this reason, vehicle 74 may not be able to respond to a travel demand 22 with a high priority. Also, if the transit stop determination unit 50 does not use the transit stop characteristics 21 and determines whether to stop vehicle 74 at transit stop [2] based on the number of available seats, when the transit priority is low and the number of unnecessary passengers is 1, it decides to stop vehicle 74 at transit stop [2] and have vehicle 74 pass through transit stop [2]. For this reason, vehicle 74 may have an unnecessary detour to transit stop [2] with a low priority.

[0045] In contrast, in the present embodiment, the transit stop determination unit 50 determines whether to stop the vehicle 74 at a stop using the stop characteristics 21. Thereby, the vehicle operation management device 10 can improve the accuracy of the operation of the vehicle 74 corresponding to the user's demand while shortening the travel time of the vehicle 74. Here, in the examples shown in FIGS. 6 to 9, since the installation position of the stop [2] is a position that detours from the road directly connecting the stop [1] and the stop [3], the effect of shortening the travel time is easily understood. However, even when the operation route from the stop [1] to the stop [3] is a one-way road, the vehicle operation management device 10 can obtain the same effect.

[0046] For example, when the transit stop determination unit 50 determines a stop at which the vehicle 74 does not stop, the vehicle 74 does not require lane changes, deceleration necessary for stopping at the stop, acceleration for departure, etc. Therefore, the vehicle operation management device 10 can obtain the effect of shortening the travel time of the vehicle 74 even when the operation route of the vehicle 74 is a one-way road. Further, the vehicle operation management device 10 can reduce the number of times of lane changes, deceleration for the vehicle 74 to stop, acceleration for departure, etc. by determining not to stop the vehicle 74 at a stop, thereby improving the riding comfort, comfort, etc. of the user in the vehicle 74. When the operation route of the vehicle 74 is a one-way road, the transit stop determination unit 50 can also determine a stop at which the vehicle 74 does not stop immediately before the target stop, so that it can better respond to the user's travel demand 22.

[0047] Note that when the transit stop determination unit 50 determines not to stop the vehicle 74 at the stop [2] and the vehicle 74 does not pass through the stop [2], as shown in FIG. 3, the arrival time and departure time of the vehicle 74 at the stop [3] will be earlier. Therefore, when the user's disadvantage is considered, the transit stop determination unit 50 may avoid determining not to stop the vehicle 74 at the stop [2].

[0048] For example, when the number of trips of vehicle 74 is about one trip per hour, if the departure time of vehicle 74 is advanced and a user who could originally board vehicle 74 is unable to board it, the user will suffer a great disadvantage as they will have to wait for another hour. Therefore, the via stop determination unit 50 avoids determining not to stop vehicle 74 at stop [2] on routes with a low number of trips. On the other hand, when the number of trips of vehicle 74 is about one trip every two to three minutes, even if a user is unable to board vehicle 74 which they could originally board, the next vehicle 74 will come soon, so they will not suffer a great disadvantage. Therefore, the via stop determination unit 50 only needs to determine whether to determine a stop at which vehicle 74 will not stop according to the route on which vehicle 74 operates. For a vehicle 74 whose departure time may be advanced, it is possible to mitigate the disadvantage to the user by pre-recording in the stop timetable or the like that the departure time of vehicle 74 may be advanced.

[0049] Also, when the operation of vehicle 74 is delayed and not as per the operation plan 24, since determining a non-via stop and taking a shortcut to drive is effective for recovering the delay of vehicle 74, control may be performed to determine a stop at which vehicle 74 will not stop only when the operation of vehicle 74 is delayed.

[0050] The vehicle operation management device 10 may perform the operations described above for all vehicles 74 operated by the company operating vehicle 74, or may perform them for every specified number of trips, for example, for every other vehicle 74 among the vehicles 74 in operation. Also, in the vehicle operation management device 10, when the via stop determination unit 50 determines, for a certain vehicle 74, not to stop at stop [2] and not to pass through stop [2], the via priority of stop [2] or the like may be temporarily changed so that it is easier to determine to stop the next vehicle 74 at stop [2].

[0051] The operations of the vehicle operation management device 10 described so far will be described using a flowchart. FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing the operations of the vehicle operation management device 10 according to Embodiment 1. In the vehicle operation management device 10, while the vehicle 74 is in operation, the travel demand acquisition unit 40 acquires the travel demand 22 from the demand collection terminal 72 (Steps S11, S13). Specifically, the travel demand acquisition unit 40 acquires the travel demand 22 from the demand collection terminal 72 and registers, changes, etc. the travel demand 22 with the storage unit 20 or the via stop determination unit 50 (Step S12). In the example of FIG. 10, it is assumed that the stop characteristics 21 are stored in the storage unit 20 in advance. However, the stop characteristic acquisition unit 30 can acquire the stop characteristics 21 from the external system 71 by the same operation as when the travel demand acquisition unit 40 acquires the travel demand 22.

[0052] While the vehicle 74 is in operation, the via stop determination unit 50 updates the operation plan 24 (Steps S21, S25). Specifically, the via stop determination unit 50 determines whether it is the timing for via determination, that is, whether to stop the vehicle 74 at stop [2], i.e., whether to have the vehicle 74 pass through stop [2], based on the operation status 23 (Step S22). As described above, when the via stop determination unit 50 determines whether to stop the vehicle 74 at stop [2], it does so after the vehicle 74 departs from or passes through the previous stop [1] of stop [2]. If it is not the timing for via determination, the via stop determination unit 50 waits (Step S22: No). If it is the timing for via determination (Step S22: Yes), it determines the via priority of the stops based on the stop characteristics 21 (Step S23). The via stop determination unit 50 determines whether to stop the vehicle 74 at the stop corresponding to the via priority, i.e., whether to have the vehicle 74 pass through the stop, based on the travel demand 22 and the via priority (Step S24). If the vehicle 74 is not to be stopped at the stop corresponding to the via priority, i.e., if the vehicle 74 is not to pass through the stop, the via stop determination unit 50 updates the operation plan 24.

[0053] During the operation of the vehicle 74, the operation plan execution unit 60 executes the operation plan 24 stored in the storage unit 20 to control the operation of the vehicle 74 (steps S31, S34). Specifically, the operation plan execution unit 60 updates the operation status 23 stored in the storage unit 20 based on the position information of the vehicle 74 obtained from the vehicle control terminal 73 mounted on the vehicle 74, etc. (step S32). The operation plan execution unit 60 determines the travel route of the vehicle 74 based on the operation plan 24 stored in the storage unit 20 (step S33) and controls the operation of the vehicle 74.

[0054] Next, the hardware configuration of the vehicle operation management device 10 according to the first embodiment will be described. In the vehicle operation management device 10, the storage unit 20 is a memory. The stop characteristic acquisition unit 30, the travel demand acquisition unit 40, the via stop determination unit 50, and the operation plan execution unit 60 are realized by a processing circuit. The processing circuit may be a memory that stores a program and a processor that executes the program stored in the memory, or may be dedicated hardware. The processing circuit is also called a control circuit.

[0055] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a processing circuit 90 when the processing circuit that realizes the vehicle operation management device 10 according to Embodiment 1 is composed of a processor 91 and a memory 92. The processing circuit 90 shown in FIG. 11 is a control circuit and includes a processor 91 and a memory 92. When the processing circuit 90 is composed of a processor 91 and a memory 92, each function of the processing circuit 90 is realized by software, firmware, or a combination of software and firmware. The software or firmware is described as a program and stored in the memory 92. In the processing circuit 90, the processor 91 reads and executes the program stored in the memory 92 to realize each function. That is, the processing circuit 90 includes a memory 92 for storing a program in which the processing of the vehicle operation management device 10 is ultimately executed. This program can also be said to be a program for causing the vehicle operation management device 10 to execute each function realized by the processing circuit 90. This program may be provided by a storage medium in which the program is stored, or may be provided by other means such as a communication medium.

[0056] The above program can also be said to be a program for causing the vehicle operation management device 10 to execute a storage step of preliminarily storing an operation plan 24 of a vehicle 74 including an operation route including a plurality of stops, a travel demand acquisition step of acquiring a travel demand 22 of a user of the vehicle 74, a stop characteristic acquisition step of acquiring a stop characteristic 21 that is a characteristic of a stop regarding the travel demand 22, and a via stop determination step of determining stops at which the vehicle 74 does not stop among the plurality of stops included in the operation route based on the travel demand 22 and the stop characteristic 21.

[0057] Here, the processor 91 is, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a processing device, an arithmetic device, a microprocessor, a microcomputer, or a DSP (Digital Signal Processor). Also, the memory 92 is, for example, a non-volatile or volatile semiconductor memory such as a RAM (Random Access Memory), a ROM (Read Only Memory), a flash memory, an EPROM (Erasable Programmable ROM), an EEPROM (registered trademark) (Electrically EPROM), a magnetic disk, a flexible disk, an optical disk, a compact disk, a mini disk, or a DVD (Digital Versatile Disc).

[0058] FIG. 12 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a processing circuit 93 when the processing circuit that realizes the vehicle operation management device 10 according to Embodiment 1 is configured by dedicated hardware. The processing circuit 93 shown in FIG. 12 corresponds to, for example, a single circuit, a composite circuit, a programmed processor, a parallel programmed processor, an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array), or a combination thereof. For the processing circuit 93, a part may be realized by dedicated hardware and a part may be realized by software or firmware. Thus, the processing circuit 93 can realize each of the above functions by dedicated hardware, software, firmware, or a combination thereof.

[0059] As described above, according to the present embodiment, the vehicle operation management device 10 stores in advance an operation plan 24 of a vehicle 74 including an operation route including a plurality of stops, and based on the travel demand 22 and the stop characteristics 21, determines stops at which the vehicle 74 does not stop among the plurality of stops included in the operation route, and updates the operation plan 24 when there are stops at which the vehicle 74 does not stop. Thereby, the vehicle operation management device 10 can improve the accuracy of the operation of the vehicle 74 corresponding to the needs of the users and shorten the travel time of the vehicle 74. The vehicle operation management device 10 can further shorten the travel time of the vehicle 74 by shortcutting the vehicle 74 without passing in front of a stop at which it does not stop when it is possible to shortcut.

[0060] Embodiment 2. In Embodiment 1, in the vehicle operation management device 10, the via stop determination unit 50 was used for determining whether or not to determine the timing when determining whether or not to stop the vehicle 74 at a stop regarding the operation status 23, but was not used for the determination itself of whether or not to stop the vehicle 74 at a stop. In Embodiment 2, a case will be described in which the via stop determination unit 50 uses the operation status 23 in determining whether or not to stop the vehicle 74 at a stop.

[0061] In Embodiment 2, the configuration of the vehicle operation management system 100 including the vehicle operation management device 10 is the same as the configuration of the vehicle operation management system 100 in Embodiment 1 shown in FIG. 1. In Embodiment 2, the via stop determination unit 50 uses the travel demand 22, the stop characteristics 21, and further the operation status 23 of the vehicle 74 to determine stops at which the vehicle 74 does not stop among the plurality of stops included in the operation route. For example, when the information indicated by the operation status 23 is that the vehicle 74 is delayed, the via stop determination unit 50 can alleviate the delay of the vehicle 74 by increasing the number of stops at which the vehicle 74 does not stop in determining the stops at which the vehicle 74 does not stop.

[0062] Therefore, when the delay time of the vehicle 74 indicated by the operation status 23 is equal to or greater than a specified threshold value, the via stop determination unit 50 can increase the number of stops at which the vehicle 74 does not stop, compared with the case of the first embodiment, for example, by further reducing the calculated via determination threshold value to 1 / 2. The via stop determination unit 50 may use a plurality of threshold values so that the via determination threshold value can be made smaller as the delay time is larger.

[0063] Thereby, the vehicle operation management device 10 can further improve the accuracy of the operation of the vehicle 74 corresponding to the user's demand while shortening the travel time of the vehicle 74.

[0064] Embodiment 3. In the first and second embodiments, the via stop determination unit 50 has been described as determining, based on rules, a stop at which the vehicle 74 does not stop among a plurality of stops included in the operation route. In the third embodiment, a case will be described in which the via stop determination unit 50 determines a stop at which the vehicle 74 does not stop among a plurality of stops included in the operation route using a learned model. Components having the same functions as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals as those in the first embodiment, and redundant descriptions are omitted. Hereinafter, differences from the first embodiment will be mainly described.

[0065] The via stop determination unit 50 of the present embodiment includes a learning device 51 and an inference device 55. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a configuration example of the via stop determination unit 50 according to the third embodiment. First, the learning device 51 will be described. The learning device 51 includes a data acquisition unit 52, a model generation unit 53, and a learned model storage unit 54.

[0066] The data acquisition unit 52 acquires, as learning data, the travel demand 22, the stop characteristics 21, and information indicating a stop at which the vehicle 74 does not stop among a plurality of stops included in the operation route.

[0067] Here, the learning data is data in which the travel demand 22 and the stop characteristics 21 are associated with each other as input data, and information indicating stops at which the vehicle 74 does not stop among a plurality of stops included in the travel route is associated as correct answer data. Note that if there is at least one demand for boarding or alighting in the travel demand 22, it is not the target of the learning data. Not limited to this, for example, even in the case of a stop where there is a demand for boarding in the travel demand 22, if the vehicle 74 is full, it may be the target of the determination of stops at which the vehicle 74 does not stop.

[0068] An example in which the data acquisition unit 52 acquires learning data based on past information regarding the stop [2] stored in the storage unit 20 will be described with reference to FIG. 14. FIG. 14 is a diagram showing an example of learning data according to the third embodiment. The data acquisition unit 52 acquires the travel demand 22 and the stop characteristics 21 regarding the stop [2] as input data. In FIG. 14, the travel demand 22 is the number of redundant people at the timing of route determination of the stop [2] and the number of boarding people at the actual stop [2], and the stop characteristics 21 are an example of the predicted travel demand volume of the stop [2], the user priority of the stop [2], and the presence or absence of alternative means of transportation at the stop [2].

[0069] An example of the correspondence between the travel demand 22 and the stop characteristics 21 which are input data, and the information indicating the stops where the vehicle 74 does not stop among the plurality of stops included in the correct route data will be described. For example, in situation 1 of FIG. 14, the number of unnecessary people at the timing of determining whether to pass through stop [2] is 1, the number of boarding passengers at the actual stop [2] is 1, the predicted travel demand is 36 people / hour, the user priority is high, and there is no alternative means of transportation. In situation 1, since the predicted travel demand is higher than that in situation 2 and situation 3 described later, the user priority is higher than that in situation 3, and there is 1 boarding passenger at the actual stop [2], it is preferable to stop the vehicle 74 at stop [2]. Therefore, in the present embodiment, corresponding to the input data of situation 1, the correct data is set to the information indicating that the vehicle 74 stops at stop [2]. That is, among the information indicating the stops where the vehicle 74 does not stop among the plurality of stops included in the correct route data, stop [2] is not included.

[0070] Also, in situation 2 of FIG. 14, the number of unnecessary people at the timing of determining whether to pass through stop [2] is 0, the number of boarding passengers at the actual stop [2] is 2, the predicted travel demand is 12 people / hour, the user priority is high, and there is no alternative means of transportation. In situation 2, although the predicted travel demand is lower than that in situation 1, the number of unnecessary people at the timing of determining whether to pass through stop [2] is 0, there is more margin in the capacity of the vehicle 74 than in situation 1 and situation 3, and there are 2 boarding passengers at the actual stop [2], so it is preferable to stop the vehicle 74 at stop [2]. Therefore, in the present embodiment, corresponding to the input data of situation 2, the correct data is set to the information indicating that the vehicle 74 stops at stop [2]. That is, among the information indicating the stops where the vehicle 74 does not stop among the plurality of stops included in the correct route data, stop [2] is not included.

[0071] On the other hand, in situation 3 of FIG. 14, the number of redundant people at the timing of determining the route via stop [2] is 1, the number of passengers getting on at the actual stop [2] is 0, the predicted travel demand is 12 people / hour, the user priority is low, and there is an alternative means of transportation. In situation 3, compared with situation 1, the predicted travel demand is low and the user priority is low. And in situation 3, there is an alternative means of transportation and there are no passengers getting on at the actual stop [2]. Therefore, it is preferable not to stop vehicle 74 at stop [2]. Thus, in the present embodiment, corresponding to the input data of situation 3, the correct data is set to information indicating that vehicle 74 is not to be stopped at stop [2]. That is, among the plurality of stops included in the operation route which is the correct data, stop [2] is included in the information indicating the stop at which vehicle 74 is not to be stopped. The correspondence relationship between the travel demand 22 and the stop characteristics 21 which are the input data and the information indicating the stops at which vehicle 74 is not to be stopped among the plurality of stops included in the operation route which is the correct data can be set as appropriate. Also, the learning data shown in FIG. 14 is an example, and the travel demand 22 and the stop characteristics 21 can take various conditions.

[0072] Returning to the description of FIG. 13, the model generation unit 53 learns information indicating the stops at which vehicle 74 is not to be stopped among the plurality of stops included in the operation route based on the learning data. That is, the model generation unit 53 takes the travel demand 22 and the stop characteristics 21 as inputs and generates a learned model that outputs information indicating the stops at which vehicle 74 is not to be stopped among the plurality of stops included in the operation route.

[0073] As the learning algorithm used by the model generation unit 53, known algorithms such as supervised learning, unsupervised learning, and reinforcement learning can be used. As an example, the case of applying a neural network will be described. The model generation unit 53 learns information indicating the stops at which vehicle 74 is not to be stopped among the plurality of stops included in the operation route, for example, by so-called supervised learning according to a neural network model. Here, supervised learning refers to a method of giving a set of input and result (label) data to the learning device 51, learning the characteristics in those learning data, and inferring the result from the input.

[0074] A neural network is composed of an input layer consisting of a plurality of neurons, an intermediate layer (hidden layer) consisting of a plurality of neurons, and an output layer consisting of a plurality of neurons. The intermediate layer may be one layer or two or more layers.

[0075] FIG. 15 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a neural network according to Embodiment 3. For example, in the case of a three-layer neural network as shown in FIG. 15, when a plurality of inputs are input to the input layer (X1-X3), the values are multiplied by weights W1 (w11-w16) and input to the intermediate layer (Y1-Y2), and the result is further multiplied by weights W2 (w21-w26) and output from the output layer (Z1-Z3). This output result varies depending on the values of weights W1 and W2.

[0076] In the present embodiment, the neural network learns information indicating stops at which the vehicle 74 does not stop among a plurality of stops included in the travel demand 22, stop characteristics 21, and travel route acquired by the data acquisition unit 52 according to learning data created based on a combination of information indicating stops at which the vehicle 74 does not stop among a plurality of stops included in the travel route by so-called supervised learning.

[0077] That is, the neural network learns by adjusting weights W1 and W2 so that the result output from the output layer when the travel demand 22 and stop characteristics 21 are input to the input layer approaches information indicating stops at which the vehicle 74 does not stop among a plurality of stops included in the travel route.

[0078] The model generation unit 53 generates and outputs a learned model by executing learning as described above.

[0079] The learned model storage unit 54 stores the learned model output from the model generation unit 53.

[0080] Next, the inference device 55 will be described. As shown in FIG. 13, the inference device 55 includes a data acquisition unit 56 and an inference unit 57.

[0081] The data acquisition unit 56 acquires the travel demand 22 and the stop characteristics 21 from the storage unit 20.

[0082] The inference unit 57 infers stops at which the vehicle 74 does not stop among a plurality of stops included in the operation route obtained by using the learned model. That is, the inference unit 57 inputs the travel demand 22 and the stop characteristics 21 acquired by the data acquisition unit 56 into this learned model, and can output information indicating stops at which the vehicle 74 does not stop among a plurality of stops included in the operation route inferred from the travel demand 22 and the stop characteristics 21.

[0083] Next, with reference to FIG. 16, the process learned by the learning device 51 will be described. FIG. 16 is a flowchart relating to the learning process of the learning device 51 according to Embodiment 3.

[0084] In step S41, the data acquisition unit 52 acquires the travel demand 22, the stop characteristics 21, and information indicating stops at which the vehicle 74 does not stop among a plurality of stops included in the operation route. Although it is assumed that the travel demand 22, the stop characteristics 21, and information indicating stops at which the vehicle 74 does not stop among a plurality of stops included in the operation route are acquired simultaneously, as long as the information indicating stops at which the vehicle 74 does not stop among the travel demand 22, the stop characteristics 21, and a plurality of stops included in the operation route can be input in association, the data of the information indicating stops at which the vehicle 74 does not stop among the travel demand 22, the stop characteristics 21, and a plurality of stops included in the operation route may be acquired at different timings.

[0085] In step S42, the model generation unit 53 learns information indicating stops at which the vehicle 74 does not stop among a plurality of stops included in the operation route by a learning process of so-called supervised learning according to the learning data created based on the combination of the travel demand 22, the stop characteristics 21, and the information indicating stops at which the vehicle 74 does not stop among a plurality of stops included in the operation route acquired by the data acquisition unit 52, and generates a learned model.

[0086] In step S43, the learned model storage unit 54 stores the learned model generated by the model generation unit 53.

[0087] Next, with reference to FIG. 17, a process for obtaining information indicating stops at which the vehicle 74 does not stop among a plurality of stops included in the operation route using the inference device 55 will be described. FIG. 17 is a flowchart related to the inference process of the inference device 55 according to Embodiment 3.

[0088] In step S51, the data acquisition unit 56 acquires the travel demand 22 and the stop characteristics 21 from the storage unit 20.

[0089] In step S52, the inference unit 57 inputs the travel demand 22 and the stop characteristics 21 into the learned model stored in the learned model storage unit 54, and obtains information indicating stops at which the vehicle 74 does not stop among a plurality of stops included in the operation route.

[0090] In step S53, the inference unit 57 outputs information indicating stops at which the vehicle 74 does not stop among a plurality of stops included in the operation route obtained by the learned model.

[0091] In step S54, when the via stop determination unit 50 does not stop the vehicle 74 at a stop corresponding to the via priority, that is, when the vehicle 74 does not pass through the stop, the operation plan 24 is updated.

[0092] Similar to Embodiment 1, the vehicle operation management device 10 can improve the accuracy of the operation of the vehicle 74 in response to the needs of users while shortening the travel time of the vehicle 74. Further, the via stop determination unit 50 uses a learned model for inferring stops at which the vehicle 74 does not stop among a plurality of stops included in the operation route from the travel demand 22 and the stop characteristics 21, and outputs information indicating stops at which the vehicle 74 does not stop among the plurality of stops included in the operation route from the travel demand 22 and the stop characteristics 21 acquired by the data acquisition unit 56. Thereby, it is possible to accurately determine whether or not a stop at which the vehicle 74 should stop for various conditions that the travel demand 22 and the stop characteristics 21 can take.

[0093] Note that although the learning device 51 and the inference device 55 are included in the via stop determination unit 50 and an example of being used for learning information indicating stops at which the vehicle 74 does not stop among a plurality of stops included in the operation route is shown, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the learning device 51, or the learning device 51 and the inference device 55 may be connected to the via stop determination unit 50 via a network and be a device separate from the vehicle operation management device 10. Further, the learning device 51, or the learning device 51 and the inference device 55 may exist on a cloud server.

[0094] Further, in the present embodiment, the case where supervised learning is applied to the learning algorithm used by the model generation unit 53 has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this. Regarding the learning algorithm, in addition to supervised learning, reinforcement learning, unsupervised learning, semi-supervised learning, or the like can also be applied.

[0095] Further, the model generation unit 53 may use, as input data, the travel demand 22 and, as correct answer data, information indicating stops at which the vehicle 74 does not stop among a plurality of stops included in the operation route, in an associated manner. In this case, a learned model corresponding to the stop characteristics 21 may be generated. The inference device 55 switches the learned model according to the stop characteristics 21, and inputs the travel demand 22 acquired by the data acquisition unit 56 to this learned model, thereby outputting information indicating stops at which the vehicle 74 does not stop among a plurality of stops included in the operation route inferred from the travel demand 22.

[0096] Further, the model generation unit 53 may learn information indicating stops at which the vehicle 74 does not stop among a plurality of stops included in the operation route, according to the learning data created for a plurality of vehicle operation management devices 10. Furthermore, the model generation unit 53 may acquire learning data from a plurality of vehicle operation management devices 10 used in the same area, or may use learning data collected from a plurality of vehicle operation management devices 10 operating independently in different areas to learn information indicating stops at which the vehicle 74 does not stop among a plurality of stops included in the operation route. Also, the vehicle operation management device 10 that collects the learning data may be added as a target midway, or may be removed from the target. Furthermore, a learning device 51 that has learned information indicating stops at which the vehicle 74 does not stop among a plurality of stops included in the operation route for a certain vehicle operation management device 10 may be applied to another vehicle operation management device 10 different from this, and the information indicating stops at which the vehicle 74 does not stop among a plurality of stops included in the operation route for the other vehicle operation management device 10 may be relearned and updated.

[0097] In addition, in Embodiments 1 to 3, the vehicle operation management device 10 has been operating in such a way that it does not stop the vehicle 74 at stops where no movement demand 22 of the user is expected. However, the operation method of the vehicle operation management device 10 is not limited to this. For example, in the examples of FIGS. 6 to 8, assume that there is an event venue near Stop [2], and there are few users when no event is being held at the event venue, and many users are expected when an event is being held at the event venue. In such a case, the vehicle operation management device 10 may determine not to stop the vehicle 74 at Stop [2] when no event is being held at the event venue, and may determine to stop the vehicle 74 at Stop [2] on days when an event is being held at the event venue. Since the vehicle operation management device 10 originally assumes a travel route passing through Stop [2] in the operation plan 24, it can flexibly control the operation of the vehicle 74 even when users are suddenly expected. In such an operation, in the vehicle operation management device 10, the transit stop determination unit 50 updates the operation plan 24 during normal times and does not update the operation plan 24 during event holding times. Therefore, compared with the case where Stop [2] is not originally included in the operation plan 24 and the vehicle is temporarily stopped at Stop [2], the vehicle operation management device 10 can reduce the processing load and can quickly determine the next stop.

[0098] In addition, in Embodiments 1 to 3, it was assumed that the vehicle 74 is a bus, and the vehicle operation management device 10 determines stops at which the vehicle 74 does not stop and controls the operation of the vehicle 74. However, the control target of the vehicle operation management device 10 is not limited to the case where the vehicle 74 is a bus. For example, the vehicle operation management device 10 can also be a control target for delivery vehicles whose routes are determined in advance and which collect and deliver goods. In this case, the vehicle operation management device 10 causes the delivery vehicle not to pass by stores, warehouses, etc. where there are no reservations for collecting and delivering goods, so that the driver of the delivery vehicle can efficiently collect and deliver goods. Further, the vehicle operation management device 10 is also applicable to ship transportation such as a ferry connecting a plurality of islands whose sailing routes are determined in advance. In this case, the transportation target of the ship transportation may be a person or goods. Further, the vehicle operation management device 10 is also applicable to aerial delivery using a drone as long as the sailing route is determined in advance.

[0099] The configurations shown in the above embodiments are merely examples, and it is possible to combine them with other known technologies, combine the embodiments with each other, and omit or change a part of the configuration without departing from the gist.

[0100] Although the preferred embodiments etc. have been described in detail above, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments etc., and various modifications and substitutions can be made to the above-described embodiments etc. without departing from the scope described in the claims.

[0101] Hereinafter, aspects of the present disclosure will be summarized and described as appendices.

[0102] (Appendix 1) A storage unit that stores in advance an operation plan for a vehicle including an operation route including a plurality of stops; A travel demand acquisition unit that acquires the travel demand of the users of the vehicle; A stop characteristic acquisition unit that acquires stop characteristics that are characteristics of the stops for the travel demand; A via stop determination unit that determines, based on the moving demand and the stop characteristics, stops at which the vehicle does not stop among the plurality of stops included in the operation route. A vehicle operation management device, characterized by comprising the above. (Appendix 2) The stop characteristic is a predicted moving demand quantity obtained by predicting the moving demand expected at the stop. The vehicle operation management device according to Appendix 1, characterized by the above. (Appendix 3) The stop characteristic is information indicating the priority of users boarding at the stop. The vehicle operation management device according to Appendix 1 or 2, characterized by the above. (Appendix 4) The information indicating the priority of the user is such that the priority of at least one of the elderly, pregnant women, and important customers is set higher than that of other users. The vehicle operation management device according to Appendix 3, characterized by the above. (Appendix 5) The information indicating the priority of the user is such that the priority of employees is set lower than that of other users. The vehicle operation management device according to Appendix 3 or 4, characterized by the above. (Appendix 6) The stop characteristic is information indicating whether there is an alternative means of transportation for users boarding at the stop. The vehicle operation management device according to any one of Appendices 1 to 5, characterized by the above. (Appendix 7) When the via stop determination unit determines a stop at which it does not stop, it selects an operation route that does not pass through the stop at which it does not stop. The vehicle operation management device according to any one of Appendices 1 to 6, characterized by the above. (Appendix 8) The via stop determination unit updates the arrival time and departure time at the stop at which it does not stop and at stops after the stop at which it does not stop for the operation plan. The vehicle operation management device according to Appendix 7, characterized by the above. (Supplementary Note 9) Based on the characteristics of the stops, the via-stop determination unit determines a via priority indicating the priority of each stop, and based on the travel demand and the via priority, determines whether to stop the vehicle at the stop corresponding to the via priority. The vehicle operation management device according to any one of Supplementary Notes 1 to 8, characterized by the above. (Supplementary Note 10) The via-stop determination unit further determines a stop at which the vehicle is not to stop, using the operation status of the vehicle. The vehicle operation management device according to any one of Supplementary Notes 1 to 9, characterized by the above. (Supplementary Note 11) The via-stop determination unit determines the timing for determining a stop at which the vehicle is not to stop, based on the operation status of the vehicle. The vehicle operation management device according to any one of Supplementary Notes 1 to 10, characterized by the above. (Supplementary Note 12) The via-stop determination unit includes a data acquisition unit that acquires the travel demand and the characteristics of the stops, and an inference unit that outputs information indicating a stop at which the vehicle is not to stop among the plurality of stops included in the operation route, using a learned model. The vehicle operation management device according to any one of Supplementary Notes 1 to 11, characterized by having the above. (Supplementary Note 13) The via-stop determination unit includes a data acquisition unit that acquires the travel demand and the characteristics of the stops, and an inference unit that outputs information indicating a stop at which the vehicle is not to stop among the plurality of stops included in the operation route, using a learned model for inferring a stop at which the vehicle is not to stop from the travel demand and the characteristics of the stops, based on the travel demand and the characteristics of the stops acquired by the data acquisition unit. The vehicle operation management device according to any one of Supplementary Notes 1 to 11, characterized by having the above. (Supplementary Note 14) The movement demand acquisition unit acquires the movement demand from outside the vehicle operation management device or from the storage unit. The vehicle operation management device according to any one of Appendices 1 to 13, characterized in that... (Appendix 15) The stop characteristic acquisition unit acquires the stop characteristics from outside the vehicle operation management device or from the storage unit. The vehicle operation management device according to any one of Appendices 1 to 14, characterized in that... (Appendix 16) A demand collection terminal that provides the movement demand of vehicle users, A vehicle operation management device according to any one of Appendices 1 to 13, which stores in advance a vehicle operation plan including an operation route including a plurality of stops, determines, based on the movement demand and the stop characteristics, the stops at which the vehicle is not to stop among the plurality of stops included in the operation route, and updates the operation plan if there are stops at which the vehicle is not to stop. A vehicle control terminal mounted on the vehicle, which acquires the operation plan that has not been updated or has been stored if not updated, and acquires the updated operation plan if updated, from the vehicle operation management device. A vehicle operation management system, characterized by comprising... (Appendix 17) A storage step of storing in advance a vehicle operation plan including an operation route including a plurality of stops, A movement demand acquisition step of acquiring the movement demand of the vehicle users, A stop characteristic acquisition step of acquiring stop characteristics, which are the characteristics of the stops with respect to the movement demand, A via-stop determination step of determining, based on the movement demand and the stop characteristics, the stops at which the vehicle is not to stop among the plurality of stops included in the operation route. A vehicle operation management method, characterized by including... (Appendix 18) The stop characteristics are predicted movement demand amounts obtained by predicting the movement demand expected at the stops. The vehicle operation management method according to Appendix 17, characterized in that... (Supplementary Note 19) The stop characteristics are information indicating the priority of the user boarding at the stop. The vehicle operation management method according to Supplementary Note 17 or 18, characterized by the above. (Supplementary Note 20) The information indicating the priority of the user is set such that the priority of at least one of the elderly, pregnant women, and important customers is higher than that of the other users. The vehicle operation management method according to Supplementary Note 19, characterized by the above. (Supplementary Note 21) The information indicating the priority of the user is set such that the priority of employees is lower than that of the other users. The vehicle operation management method according to Supplementary Note 19 or 20, characterized by the above. (Supplementary Note 22) The stop characteristics are information indicating whether there is an alternative means of transportation for the user boarding at the stop. The vehicle operation management method according to any one of Supplementary Notes 17 to 21, characterized by the above. (Supplementary Note 23) In the via stop determination step, when determining the stop that does not stop, select an operation route that does not pass through the stop that does not stop. The vehicle operation management method according to any one of Supplementary Notes 17 to 22, characterized by the above. (Supplementary Note 24) In the via stop determination step, for the operation plan, update the arrival time and departure time at the stop that does not stop and the stop after the stop that does not stop. The vehicle operation management method according to Supplementary Note 23, characterized by the above. (Supplementary Note 25) In the via stop determination step, based on the stop characteristics, determine a via priority indicating the priority of each stop, and based on the travel demand and the via priority, determine whether to stop the vehicle at the stop corresponding to the via priority. The vehicle operation management method according to any one of Supplementary Notes 17 to 24, characterized by the above. (Supplementary Note 26) In the via stop determination step, further determine the stops at which the vehicle does not stop by using the running status of the vehicle. The vehicle operation management method according to any one of Supplementary Notes 17 to 25, characterized in that. (Supplementary Note 27) In the via stop determination step, determine the timing for determining the stops at which the vehicle does not stop based on the running status of the vehicle. The vehicle operation management method according to any one of Supplementary Notes 17 to 26, characterized in that. (Supplementary Note 28) The via stop determination step includes: A data acquisition step of acquiring the travel demand and the stop characteristics; An inference step of outputting information indicating the stops at which the vehicle does not stop among the plurality of stops included in the travel route by using a learned model. The vehicle operation management method according to any one of Supplementary Notes 17 to 27, characterized by including the above. (Supplementary Note 29) The via stop determination step includes: A data acquisition step of acquiring the travel demand and the stop characteristics; An inference step of outputting information indicating the stops at which the vehicle does not stop among the plurality of stops included in the travel route from the travel demand and the stop characteristics acquired in the data acquisition step by using a learned model for inferring the stops at which the vehicle does not stop from the travel demand and the stop characteristics. The vehicle operation management method according to any one of Supplementary Notes 17 to 27, characterized by including the above. (Supplementary Note 30) In the travel demand acquisition step, acquire the travel demand from outside the vehicle operation management device or from a storage unit provided in the vehicle operation management device. The vehicle operation management method according to any one of Supplementary Notes 17 to 29, characterized in that. (Supplementary Note 31) In the stop characteristic acquisition step, the stop characteristics are acquired from outside the vehicle operation management device or from a storage unit provided in the vehicle operation management device. The vehicle operation management method according to any one of Appendices 17 to 30, characterized in that. (Appendix 32) A storage step of preliminarily storing an operation plan of a vehicle including an operation route including a plurality of stops; A travel demand acquisition step of acquiring the travel demand of a user of the vehicle; A stop characteristic acquisition step of acquiring stop characteristics that are characteristics of the stops regarding the travel demand; A bypass stop determination step of determining, based on the travel demand and the stop characteristics, a stop at which the vehicle is not to stop among the plurality of stops included in the operation route; A vehicle operation management program, characterized in that it causes a computer to execute the above steps.

Explanation of Signs

[0103] 10 Vehicle operation management device, 20 Storage unit, 21 Stop characteristics, 22 Travel demand, 23 Operation status, 24 Operation plan, 30 Stop characteristic acquisition unit, 40 Travel demand acquisition unit, 50 Bypass stop determination unit, 51 Learning device, 52, 56 Data acquisition unit, 53 Model generation unit, 54 Learned model storage unit, 55 Inference device, 57 Inference unit, 60 Operation plan execution unit, 71 External system, 72 Demand collection terminal, 73 Vehicle control terminal, 74 Vehicle, 100 Vehicle operation management system.

Claims

1. A storage unit that stores in advance a vehicle operation plan including an operation route including a plurality of stops; A travel demand acquisition unit that acquires travel demand of a user of the vehicle; A bus stop characteristic acquisition unit that acquires a bus stop characteristic that is a characteristic of the bus stop for the travel demand; a stop determining unit for determining a stop at which the vehicle will not stop among the plurality of stops included in the operation route based on the travel demand and the stop characteristics; Equipped with When the intermediate stop determination unit determines the stop at which the bus will not stop, the intermediate stop determination unit selects a route that does not pass through the stop at which the bus will not stop, and updates the arrival time and departure time at the stop at which the bus will not stop and at the stop after the stop at which the bus will not stop, for the operation plan. A vehicle operation management device comprising:

2. A storage unit that stores in advance a vehicle operation plan including an operation route including a plurality of stops; A travel demand acquisition unit that acquires travel demand of a user of the vehicle; A bus stop characteristic acquisition unit that acquires a bus stop characteristic that is a characteristic of the bus stop for the travel demand; a stop determining unit for determining a stop at which the vehicle will not stop among the plurality of stops included in the operation route based on the travel demand and the stop characteristics; Equipped with The intermediate stop determination unit determines a timing for determining the stop at which the vehicle will not stop based on an operation status of the vehicle. A vehicle operation management device comprising:

3. The bus stop characteristics are a predicted travel demand amount that predicts the travel demand expected at the bus stop.

3. The vehicle operation management device according to claim 1 or 2.

4. The bus stop characteristics are information indicating the priority of the user boarding at the bus stop.

3. The vehicle operation management device according to claim 1 or 2.

5. The information indicating the priority of the users is set so that the priority of at least one of an elderly person, a pregnant woman, and an important customer is set higher than that of the other users.

5. The vehicle operation management device according to claim 4.

6. The bus stop characteristics are information indicating whether or not there is an alternative means of transportation for the user boarding at the bus stop.

3. The vehicle operation management device according to claim 1 or 2.

7. The route stop determination unit determines a route priority indicating a priority of each stop based on the stop characteristics, and determines whether or not to stop the vehicle at the stop corresponding to the route priority based on the travel demand and the route priority.

3. The vehicle operation management device according to claim 1 or 2.

8. The intermediate stop determination unit further determines the stops at which the vehicle will not stop by using the operation status of the vehicle.

3. The vehicle operation management device according to claim 1 or 2.

9. The route stop determination unit is A data acquisition unit that acquires the travel demand and the bus stop characteristics; an inference unit that outputs information indicating a stop at which the vehicle will not stop among the plurality of stops included in the operation route from the travel demand and the stop characteristics acquired by the data acquisition unit, using a trained model for inferring a stop at which the vehicle will not stop among the plurality of stops included in the operation route from the travel demand and the stop characteristics; 3. The vehicle operation management device according to claim 1, further comprising:

10. The travel demand acquisition unit acquires the travel demand from outside the vehicle operation management device or from the storage unit.

3. The vehicle operation management device according to claim 1 or 2.

11. The bus stop characteristic acquisition unit acquires the bus stop characteristics from outside the vehicle operation management device or from the storage unit.

3. The vehicle operation management device according to claim 1 or 2.

12. The travel demand includes a vacant number of people obtained by subtracting the number of people to be transported from the number of people that can be transported by the vehicle, The intermediate stop determination unit determines not to stop the vehicle at the stop if there is no available number of passengers.

3. The vehicle operation management device according to claim 1 or 2.

13. The bus stop characteristics are event information about events held in the vicinity of the bus stop.

3. The vehicle operation management device according to claim 1 or 2.

14. the intermediate stop determination unit determines, based on the event information, not to stop the vehicle at the stop corresponding to the stop characteristic which is the event information when the event is not being held. The vehicle operation management device according to claim 13.

15. the intermediate stop determination unit determines, based on the event information, that when the event is being held, to cause the vehicle to stop at the stop corresponding to the stop characteristic which is the event information. The vehicle operation management device according to claim 13.

16. In the operation plan, candidates of alternative operation routes that can be shortcuts that do not pass through the bus stops are registered in advance.

2. The vehicle operation management device according to claim 1 .

17. In the operation plan, an optimal operation route is searched for each time from a drivable road network as a candidate for an alternative operation route when a shortcut can be taken without passing through the bus stop.

2. The vehicle operation management device according to claim 1 .

18. The intermediate stop determination unit determines whether or not to stop the vehicle at the stop after the vehicle departs from or passes through a stop immediately before the stop.

3. The vehicle operation management device according to claim 2.

19. A demand collection terminal that provides travel demands of vehicle users; The vehicle operation management device according to claim 1 or 2, which stores in advance a vehicle operation plan including a route including a plurality of stops, determines a stop at which the vehicle will not stop among the plurality of stops included in the operation route based on the travel demand and the stop characteristics, and updates the operation plan when there is a stop at which the vehicle will not stop; a vehicle control terminal mounted on the vehicle, which acquires the stored operation plan from the vehicle operation management device if the operation plan has not been updated, and acquires the updated operation plan from the vehicle operation management device if the operation plan has been updated; A vehicle operation management system comprising:

20. A storage step of storing in advance a vehicle operation plan including an operation route including a plurality of stops; A travel demand acquisition step of acquiring travel demand of a user of the vehicle; A stop characteristic acquisition step of acquiring stop characteristics that are characteristics of the stop for the travel demand; a stop determining step of determining a stop at which the vehicle will not stop among the plurality of stops included in the operation route based on the travel demand and the stop characteristics; Including, When the bus stop at which the bus does not stop is determined in the intermediate stop determination step, a route that does not pass through the bus stop at which the bus does not stop is selected, and the arrival time and the departure time at the bus stop at which the bus does not stop and at the stop after the bus stop at which the bus does not stop are updated in the operation plan. A vehicle operation management method comprising:

21. A storage step of storing in advance a vehicle operation plan including an operation route including a plurality of stops; A travel demand acquisition step of acquiring travel demand of a user of the vehicle; A stop characteristic acquisition step of acquiring stop characteristics that are characteristics of the stop for the travel demand; a stop determining step of determining a stop at which the vehicle will not stop among the plurality of stops included in the operation route based on the travel demand and the stop characteristics; Including, In the intermediate stop determination step, a timing for determining the stop at which the vehicle will not stop is determined based on an operation status of the vehicle. A vehicle operation management method comprising:

22. The bus stop characteristics are a predicted travel demand amount that predicts the travel demand expected at the bus stop.

22. The vehicle operation management method according to claim 20 or 21.

23. The bus stop characteristics are information indicating the priority of the user boarding at the bus stop.

22. The vehicle operation management method according to claim 20 or 21.

24. The information indicating the priority of the users is set so that the priority of at least one of an elderly person, a pregnant woman, and an important customer is set higher than that of the other users. The vehicle operation management method according to claim 23.

25. The bus stop characteristics are information indicating whether or not there is an alternative means of transportation for the user boarding at the bus stop.

22. The vehicle operation management method according to claim 20 or 21.

26. In the route stop determination step, a route priority indicating a priority of each stop is determined based on the stop characteristics, and whether or not to stop the vehicle at the stop corresponding to the route priority is determined based on the travel demand and the route priority.

22. The vehicle operation management method according to claim 20 or 21.

27. In the step of determining the intermediate bus stops, the bus stops at which the vehicle is not to be stopped are determined using an operation status of the vehicle.

22. The vehicle operation management method according to claim 20 or 21.

28. The route stop determination step includes: A data acquisition step of acquiring the travel demand and the bus stop characteristics; an inference step of outputting information indicating the stops at which the vehicle will not stop among the plurality of stops included in the operation route from the travel demand and the stop characteristics acquired in the data acquisition step, using a trained model for inferring the stops at which the vehicle will not stop among the plurality of stops included in the operation route from the travel demand and the stop characteristics; The vehicle operation management method according to claim 20 or 21, further comprising:

29. In the travel demand acquisition step, the travel demand is acquired from outside the vehicle operation management device or from a storage unit included in the vehicle operation management device.

22. The vehicle operation management method according to claim 20 or 21.

30. In the bus stop characteristic acquisition step, the bus stop characteristics are acquired from an external device of the vehicle operation management device or from a storage unit included in the vehicle operation management device.

22. The vehicle operation management method according to claim 20 or 21.

31. A storage step of storing in advance a vehicle operation plan including an operation route including a plurality of stops; A travel demand acquisition step of acquiring travel demand of a user of the vehicle; A stop characteristic acquisition step of acquiring stop characteristics that are characteristics of the stop for the travel demand; a stop determining step of determining a stop at which the vehicle will not stop among the plurality of stops included in the operation route based on the travel demand and the stop characteristics; The computer executes the above. When the bus stop at which the bus does not stop is determined in the intermediate stop determination step, a route that does not pass through the bus stop at which the bus does not stop is selected, and the arrival time and the departure time at the bus stop at which the bus does not stop and at the stop after the bus stop at which the bus does not stop are updated in the operation plan. A vehicle operation management program comprising:

32. A storage step of storing in advance a vehicle operation plan including an operation route including a plurality of stops; A travel demand acquisition step of acquiring travel demand of a user of the vehicle; A stop characteristic acquisition step of acquiring stop characteristics that are characteristics of the stop for the travel demand; a stop determining step of determining a stop at which the vehicle will not stop among the plurality of stops included in the operation route based on the travel demand and the stop characteristics; The computer executes the above. In the intermediate stop determination step, a timing for determining the stop at which the vehicle will not stop is determined based on an operation status of the vehicle. A vehicle operation management program comprising:

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