Information processing device and information processing method

Abstract

To improve a training skill of an employee involved in operation business of a vehicle.SOLUTION: An information processing device 20 acquires information on a traveling route along which a vehicle 10 travels, extracts a driving precaution from the traveling route information acquired, acquires measurement data measured by the vehicle 10 and near-miss information experienced by a crew member of the vehicle 10 from the vehicle 10 traveling along the traveling route, and formulates an educational plan that combines the traveling route information, driving precautions, the measurement data, and the near-miss information.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an information processing apparatus and an information processing method.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, technologies related to the education of workers engaged in vehicle operation businesses have been known. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses an education system that educates such workers in the form of answering questions.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] An operator (such as a local government) who operates an autonomous vehicle does not have the operational know-how for employee education. In addition, since the operator needs to formulate an education plan corresponding to the daily-changing operation routes and operation situations, the economic burden increases. Therefore, there was room for improvement in technologies related to the education of workers engaged in vehicle operation businesses.

[0005] In view of such circumstances, an object of the present disclosure is to improve technologies related to the education of workers engaged in vehicle operation businesses.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] An information processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is an information processing apparatus that formulates an education plan for employees, and obtains information on an operation route for operating a vehicle, extracts operation precautions from the obtained information on the operation route, and obtains measurement data measured by the vehicle and information on near misses felt by the crew of the vehicle from the vehicle traveling on the operation route, and includes a control unit that formulates an education plan by combining the information on the operation route, the operation precautions, the measurement data, and the information on near misses.

[0007] An information processing method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is an information processing method executed by an information processing apparatus that formulates an education plan for employees, and includes obtaining information on an operation route for operating a vehicle, extracting operation precautions from the obtained information on the operation route, obtaining measurement data measured by the vehicle and information on near misses felt by the crew of the vehicle from the vehicle traveling on the operation route, and formulating an education plan by combining the information on the operation route, the operation precautions, the measurement data, and the information on near misses.

Effect of the Invention

[0008] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the technology related to the education of employees engaged in vehicle operation business is improved.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0009]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0010] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described.

[0011] (Overview of Embodiment) Referring to FIG. 1, an overview of the system 1 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure will be described. The system 1 includes a vehicle 10, an information processing device 20, and a server 30. The vehicle 10, the information processing device 20, and the server 30 are communicably connected to a network 2 including, for example, the Internet and a mobile communication network.

[0012] The vehicle 10 is, for example, an automobile, but is not limited thereto and may be any vehicle. The automobile may be a gasoline vehicle, a BEV (Battery Electric Vehicle), an HEV (Hybrid Electric Vehicle), a PHEV (Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle), an FCEV (Fuel Cell Electric Vehicle), or the like, but is not limited to these. The vehicle 10 may be an autonomous driving vehicle. The number of vehicles 10 included in the system 1 may be arbitrarily determined. The vehicle 10 is communicably connected to the information processing device 20 via the network 2.

[0013] The information processing device 20 is a computer such as a server device, for example. The information processing device 20 is communicably connected to the vehicle 10 and the server 30 via the network 2.

[0014] The server 30 is a computer of an operator that provides, for example, a service for distributing information on an operation route. The server 30 is communicably connected to the information processing device 20 via the network 2.

[0015] First, an overview of the present embodiment will be described, and details will be described later. The information processing device 20 acquires information on the driving route for operating the vehicle 10, extracts driving precautions from the acquired driving route information, and acquires measurement data measured by the vehicle 10 and near-miss information felt by the crew of the vehicle 10 from the vehicle 10 while traveling on the driving route, and formulates an education plan by combining the driving route information, the driving precautions, the measurement data, and the near-miss information.

[0016] Thus, according to the present embodiment, even when the vehicle operator does not have the know-how of operating employee education, by using the information processing device 20, it is possible to formulate an education plan. Therefore, the technology related to the education of employees involved in the vehicle operation business is improved in that the economic burden on the vehicle operator to formulate an education plan corresponding to changes in the driving route and driving conditions is reduced.

[0017] Next, each component of the system 1 will be described in detail.

[0018] (Configuration of the vehicle) As shown in FIG. 1, the vehicle 10 includes a communication unit 11, a positioning unit 12, a measurement unit 13, an input unit 14, an output unit 15, a storage unit 16, and a control unit 17.

[0019] The communication unit 11 includes one or more communication interfaces connected to the network 2. The communication interface corresponds to, for example, a mobile communication standard such as 4G (4th Generation) or 5G (5th Generation), or an in-vehicle network (e.g., CAN (Controller Area Network)), but is not limited thereto. In the present embodiment, the vehicle 10 communicates with the information processing device 20 via the communication unit 11 and the network 2.

[0020] The positioning unit 12 includes one or more devices that acquire the position information of the vehicle 10. Specifically, the positioning unit 12 includes, for example, a receiver corresponding to GPS, but is not limited thereto, and may include a receiver corresponding to any satellite positioning system. The position information is the information of the latitude and longitude of the target point.

[0021] The measurement unit 13 includes one or more devices that collect data inside and outside the vehicle 10. Specifically, the one or more devices are, for example, a pressure sensor, an exhaust gas sensor, an acceleration sensor, a gyro sensor, an ultrasonic sensor, a millimeter wave radar, an infrared radar, or a camera (hereinafter also referred to as an in-vehicle camera), etc., which measure and collect data inside and outside the vehicle 10. However, the one or more devices are not limited to these. Note that the ultrasonic sensor, the millimeter wave radar, the infrared radar, or the camera may be used as a collision prevention sensor or a sensor for detecting obstacles.

[0022] The input unit 14 is configured to include at least one input interface capable of receiving an input by an occupant of the vehicle 10. The input interface is, for example, a physical key, a capacitive key, a pointing device, a camera, a touch screen provided integrally with the display of the output unit 15 described later, or a microphone for inputting the driver's voice, etc. However, the input interface is not limited to these.

[0023] The output unit 15 is configured to include at least one voice output interface capable of outputting voice, and at least one display interface capable of displaying characters or images. The voice output interface is, for example, a speaker. The display interface is, for example, a display such as an LCD or an organic EL display. However, the voice output interface and the display interface are not limited to these.

[0024] The storage unit 16 includes one or more memories. The memories include, but are not limited to, for example, semiconductor memories, magnetic memories, or optical memories. Each memory included in the storage unit 16 may function as, for example, a main storage device, an auxiliary storage device, or a cache memory. The storage unit 16 stores any information used for the operation of the vehicle 10. For example, the storage unit 16 may store a system program, an application program, embedded software, and map information. The information stored in the storage unit 16 may be updated with information acquired from the network 2 via the communication unit 11, for example.

[0025] The control unit 17 includes one or more processors, one or more programmable circuits, one or more dedicated circuits, or a combination thereof. The processor is, for example, a general-purpose processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) or a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), or a dedicated processor specialized for specific processing, but is not limited thereto. The programmable circuit is, for example, an FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array), but is not limited thereto. The dedicated circuit is, for example, an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), but is not limited thereto. The control unit 17 controls the operation of the entire vehicle 10.

[0026] (Configuration of the information processing device) As shown in FIG. 1, the information processing device 20 includes a communication unit 21, an input unit 22, an output unit 23, a storage unit 24, and a control unit 25.

[0027] The communication unit 21 includes one or more communication interfaces connected to the network 2. The communication interface corresponds to, for example, a mobile communication standard, a wired LAN (Local Area Network) standard, or a wireless LAN standard, but is not limited thereto and may correspond to any communication standard. In the present embodiment, the information processing device 20 communicates with the vehicle 10 and the server 30 via the communication unit 21 and the network 2.

[0028] The input unit 22 is configured to include at least one input interface capable of receiving an input by an operator of a vehicle operation business. The input interface includes, for example, a physical key, a capacitance key, a pointing device, a camera, a touch screen provided integrally with the display of the output unit 23 described later, or a microphone that inputs the voice of the operator. However, the input interface is not limited to these.

[0029] The output unit 23 is configured to include at least one voice output interface capable of outputting voice, and at least one display interface capable of displaying characters or images. The voice output interface is, for example, a speaker for responding to an inquiry from the operator by voice. The display interface is, for example, a display such as an LCD or an organic EL display. However, the voice output interface and the display interface are not limited to these.

[0030] The storage unit 24 includes one or more memories. Each memory included in the storage unit 24 may function as, for example, a main storage device, an auxiliary storage device, or a cache memory. The storage unit 24 stores any information used for the operation of the information processing device 20. For example, the storage unit 24 may store a system program, an application program, a database, information on a driving route acquired from the server 30, precautions during driving extracted from the information on the driving route, measurement data acquired from the vehicle 10, and near-miss information. The information stored in the storage unit 24 may be updated with information acquired from the network 2 via the communication unit 21, for example.

[0031] The control unit 25 includes one or more processors, one or more programmable circuits, one or more dedicated circuits, or a combination thereof. The control unit 25 controls the operation of the entire information processing device 20.

[0032] (Configuration of the server) As shown in FIG. 1, the server 30 includes a communication unit 31, a storage unit 32, and a control unit 33.

[0033] The communication unit 31 includes one or more communication interfaces for connecting to the network 2. The communication interface may correspond to, for example, a wired LAN standard or a wireless LAN standard, but is not limited thereto and may correspond to any communication standard. In the present embodiment, the server 30 communicates with the information processing apparatus 20 via the communication unit 31 and the network 2.

[0034] The storage unit 32 includes one or more memories. Each memory included in the storage unit 32 may function as, for example, a main storage device, an auxiliary storage device, or a cache memory. The storage unit 32 stores any information used for the operation of the server 30. For example, the storage unit 32 may store a system program, an application program, a database, information on operation routes in the whole country or a part of the region, and the like. The information stored in the storage unit 32 may be updated, for example, with information acquired from the network 2 via the communication unit 31.

[0035] The control unit 33 includes one or more processors, one or more programmable circuits, one or more dedicated circuits, or a combination thereof. The control unit 33 controls the operation of the entire server 30.

[0036] (Operation flow of the information processing apparatus) With reference to FIG. 2, the operation of the information processing apparatus 20 according to the present embodiment will be described. This operation relates to the formulation of an education plan.

[0037] S101: The control unit 25 receives the operation route r of the vehicle 10.

[0038] The operation route r is the route in which the vehicle operator operates the vehicle 10. The control unit 25 receives the operation route r input to the input unit 22 by the vehicle operator.

[0039] S102: The control unit 25 acquires information on the operation route r for operating the vehicle 10 from the server 30.

[0040] FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram for explaining an example of the information of the operation route. As shown in FIG. 3, the operation route r is a route that goes from the stop s1, via the stops s2 and s3, to the stop s4. To explain the operation route r in more detail, the vehicle 10 (i) departs from the stop s1 and travels west on the road rd1, (ii) turns right at the intersection i1 and travels north on the road rd2, (iii) turns left at the intersection i2 and travels west on the road rd3, goes straight through the intersection i3 and stops at the stop s2, (iv) after departing from the stop s2, turns right at the intersection i4 and travels north on the road rd4 and stops at the stop s3, (v) after departing from the stop s3, turns left at the intersection i5 and travels west on the road rd5 and arrives at the stop s4. The information of the operation route includes, in addition to the map information displaying the operation route r, the roads rd (rd1~rd7) constituting the operation route r and the intersections i (i1~i5) where at least two of the roads rd1~rd7 intersect, the information of the lanes of each road rd (in the example of FIG. 3, rd1~rd5 are one-lane roads on one side, rd6 and rd7 are one-way roads.), and the lane width w, the stops s (s1~s4) installed along the operation route r, traffic rule information such as traffic lights, stop lines, and road signs m. The information of the operation route may further include an image taken of the operation route r. The image is a still image or a moving image. The still image is, for example, an image in which lanes, the stop s, traffic lights, or various road signs m are taken. The moving image is, for example, an image in which the entire section or a partial section from the stop s1 of the operation route r, via the stops s2 and s3, to the stop s4 is continuously taken. The control unit 25 stores the acquired information of the operation route in the storage unit 24.

[0041] S103: The control unit 25 extracts the precautions for operation from the acquired information of the operation route r.

[0042] The control unit 25 extracts, for example, the following (i) to (iii) as operational precautions. (i) Immediately before the intersection i3 with poor visibility, the tree o1(o) protrudes onto the road rd3, and since the tree o1(o) becomes a blind spot, the vehicle 10 traveling on the road rd3 needs to be cautious of the vehicle entering the intersection i3 from the left front on the road rd6. Also, (ii) there is a rock o2(o) on the roadside of the road rd3 between the bus stop s3 and the intersection i4, so the vehicle 10 needs to drive while avoiding the rock o2. Further, (iii) when any of the roads rd (rd1 to rd7) constituting the operation route r is closed to traffic (the lane indicated by the road sign m in FIG. 3), a detour route is presented, so caution is required. Additionally, operational precautions may include cases of emergency stops due to misrecognition of the vehicle 10 described later. Note that the operational precautions are not limited to these.

[0043] S104 - S105: The control unit 25 acquires the measurement data measured by the vehicle 10 and the near - miss information felt by the crew of the vehicle 10 from the vehicle 10 traveling on the operation route r.

[0044] The measurement data measured by the vehicle 10 includes the position information of the vehicle 10 measured by a receiver compatible with a satellite positioning system. Further, the measurement data includes images captured by an in-vehicle camera of the driving route r. The images are either still images or moving images. The still images are, for example, images in which a lane, a stop s, a traffic signal, or various road signs m, etc. are captured. The moving images are, for example, images in which the entire section or a partial section from the stop s1 to the stop s4 of the driving route r is continuously captured. Furthermore, the measurement data includes information (position information and shape or image information) of an obstacle (o) detected by a sensor (using an ultrasonic sensor, a millimeter-wave radar, an infrared radar, or an in-vehicle camera) for detecting an obstacle. The detected obstacle (o) is, for example, a tree o1(o) growing by the roadside, a rock o2(o) protruding from the roadside, or an article or a part of the vehicle body dropped from a vehicle traveling ahead (in the example of FIG. 3, a tire o3(o)), but is not limited thereto. The control unit 25 acquires the measurement data transmitted from the vehicle 10 via the network 2 and the communication unit 21. The control unit 25 stores the acquired measurement data in the storage unit 24. The storage unit 24 may accumulate and store the measurement data transmitted from the vehicle 10 that has traveled the driving route r within a predetermined past period.

[0045] The control unit 25 may add an emergency stop case due to misidentification of the vehicle 10 identified from the measurement data to the operational precautions. For example, the control unit 25 may add a case where a vehicle 10 having an automatic driving function misidentifies fog f generated during operation, which is measured by a collision prevention sensor or a sensor for detecting an obstacle, etc., as an obstacle o and makes an emergency stop, together with the position information of the location where the misidentification occurred and the weather conditions at the time of the misidentification, to the operational precautions. Also, for example, the control unit 25 may add a case where a vehicle 10 having an automatic driving function traveling in a single-lane on one side forcibly overtakes and misidentifies another vehicle that has come ahead as an obstacle o and makes an emergency stop, together with the moving image captured at the occurrence location at the time of the misidentification, to the operational precautions. The control unit 25 may store the emergency stop case due to misidentification of the vehicle 10 in the storage unit 24.

[0046] A near miss refers to the recognition of a case that does not lead to a major disaster or accident but is not unreasonably close. The information on near misses may include the location information of the place where the near miss occurred and the image taken at that place. The control unit 25 acquires the information on near misses transmitted from the vehicle 10 via the network 2 and the communication unit 21. The control unit 25 stores the acquired information on near misses in the storage unit 24. The storage unit 24 may accumulate and store the information on near misses transmitted from the vehicle 10 that has traveled the operation route r in a past predetermined period.

[0047] When the control unit 25 acquires information on near misses of the same or similar content from a location included in a predetermined area within the operation route r a predetermined number of times or more, it may determine that a near miss has occurred. This is to eliminate the contingency of the occurrence of near misses. Also, when the location information of the place where the near miss included in the information on near misses occurred and the location information of the place where the obstacle o included in the measurement data was detected are included in a predetermined area, the control unit 25 may link the obstacle o with the occurrence of the near miss and store it in the storage unit 24. This is because the causal relationship between the obstacle o (cause) and the perception of the near miss (result) is estimated.

[0048] S106: The control unit 25 formulates an educational plan by combining the information on the operation route, the precautions during operation, the measurement data, and the information on near misses.

[0049] The control unit 25 formulates an educational plan for each operation route. The control unit 25 may generate educational materials (moving images) for driving simulation based on moving images that continuously capture all or a part of the sections from the stop s1 to the stop s4 of the operation route r included in the information on the operation route or the measurement data.

[0050] The control unit 25 may formulate an educational plan according to the attributes of the employees. The attributes of the employees are, for example, different such as operation managers who manage the operation of the vehicle 10 in the office and crew members who board the vehicle 10 within the vehicle operation business operator.

[0051] FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram for explaining an example of an education plan. The control unit 25, for example, makes the explanation of the operation route an educational item common to all employees. In addition, the control unit 25 may present an education plan 1 using the precautions during operation and the position and image where a near miss occurred to the operation manager, and an education plan 2 using educational materials (moving images) for driving simulation to the crew. However, the content of the education plan is not limited to these.

[0052] As described above, the information processing apparatus 20 according to the present embodiment acquires information on the operation route for operating the vehicle 10, extracts precautions during operation from the acquired operation route information, and acquires measurement data measured by the vehicle 10 traveling on the operation route and near miss information felt by the crew of the vehicle 10, and formulates an education plan by combining the operation route information, the precautions during operation, the measurement data, and the near miss information.

[0053] According to such a configuration, even when the vehicle operation business operator does not have the know-how for employee education, it is possible to formulate an education plan by using the information processing apparatus 20. Therefore, in terms of reducing the economic burden on the vehicle operation business operator to formulate an education plan corresponding to changes in the operation route and operation status, the technology related to the education of employees involved in the vehicle operation business is improved.

[0054] Although the present disclosure has been described based on the drawings and examples, it should be noted that those skilled in the art may make various modifications and alterations based on the present disclosure. Therefore, it should be noted that these modifications and alterations are included in the scope of the present disclosure. For example, the functions included in each component or each step, etc. can be rearranged so as not to be logically contradictory, and it is possible to combine or divide a plurality of components or steps, etc. into one.

[0055] For example, in the above-described embodiment, an embodiment in which the configuration and operation of the information processing apparatus 20 are distributed to a plurality of computers capable of communicating with each other is also possible. Further, for example, an embodiment in which some or all of the components of the information processing apparatus 20 are provided in the vehicle 10 is also possible. For example, the control unit provided in the vehicle 10 may execute some or all of the functions of the information processing apparatus 20.

[0056] Also, for example, an embodiment in which a general-purpose computer functions as the information processing apparatus 20 according to the above-described embodiment is also possible. Specifically, a program describing the processing contents for realizing each function of the information processing apparatus 20 according to the above-described embodiment is stored in the memory of a general-purpose computer, and the program is read and executed by a processor. Therefore, the present disclosure can also be realized as a program executable by a processor or a non-transitory computer-readable medium storing the program.

Description of Reference Numerals

[0057] 1 System 2 Network 10 Vehicle 11 Communication Unit 12 Positioning Unit 13 Measurement Unit 14 Input Unit 15 Output Unit 16 Storage Unit 17 Control Unit 20 Information Processing Apparatus 21 Communication Unit 22 Input Unit 23 Output Unit 24 Storage Unit 25 Control Unit 30 Server 31 Communication Unit 32 Storage Unit 33 Control Unit

Claims

1. An information processing apparatus for formulating an education plan for employees, comprising: obtaining information on an operation route for operating a vehicle, extracting precautions for operation from the obtained information on the operation route, obtaining measurement data measured by the vehicle and information on near misses felt by a crew member of the vehicle from the vehicle while traveling on the operation route, and a control unit for formulating an education plan by combining the information on the operation route, the precautions for operation, the measurement data, and the information on near misses.

2. The information processing apparatus according to Claim 1, wherein the measurement data includes position information of the vehicle measured by a receiver, information on obstacles detected by a sensor, and information on an image captured by an in-vehicle camera.

3. The information processing apparatus according to Claim 1, wherein the control unit adds cases of emergency stops due to misidentification of the vehicle identified from the measurement data to the precautions for operation.

4. The information processing apparatus according to Claim 1, wherein the control unit formulates the education plan according to the attributes of the employees.

5. An information processing method executed by an information processing apparatus for formulating an education plan for employees, comprising: obtaining information on an operation route for operating a vehicle; extracting precautions for operation from the obtained information on the operation route; obtaining measurement data measured by the vehicle and information on near misses felt by a crew member of the vehicle from the vehicle while traveling on the operation route; and formulating an education plan by combining the information on the operation route, the precautions for operation, the measurement data, and the information on near misses. An information processing method including the above steps.

Images