Vehicle management method and vehicle management device

Abstract

To provide a vehicle management method and a vehicle management device capable of appropriately responding to an emergency in a vehicle operated in an automated driving mode with a passenger on board.SOLUTION: A calculation processing device comprises a vehicle controller 12 for managing a vehicle 1 operated in an automated driving mode with a passenger on board. The calculation processing device selects a passenger possessing attributes suitable for responding to an emergency of the vehicle 1 as an emergency response qualified person based on passenger information of the vehicle 1 and enables the vehicle controller 12 to be operated only by the selected emergency response qualified person.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a vehicle management method and a vehicle management device. [Background technology]

[0002] The vehicle management system described in Patent Document 1 below acquires environmental information around a vehicle that is driving autonomously, as well as the position of the vehicle that is driving autonomously and the position of an emergency vehicle.Based on this information, if remote instructions are required, a shelter position for the vehicle that will not interfere with the emergency vehicle's movement is identified, and information about the shelter position is sent to the autonomous vehicle. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2020-166412 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] As autonomous driving of vehicles becomes widespread, it is expected that passengers will ride in vehicles without drivers. If all passengers are unable to drive (operate) the vehicle, there is a concern that appropriate responses will not be possible in the event of an emergency, such as when the autonomous driving vehicle is no longer able to continue autonomous driving. The present invention aims to provide a vehicle management method and a vehicle management device that can appropriately respond to emergencies in vehicles that are operated by automated driving and have passengers on board. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] One aspect of the present invention is that when a processing device manages a vehicle operated by automated driving with occupants on board, the vehicle is provided with vehicle operators for operating the vehicle, and the processing device selects, based on vehicle occupant information, occupants who have the appropriate attributes to respond in the event of a vehicle emergency as persons suitable for emergency response, and activates vehicle operators that can be operated only by the selected persons suitable for emergency response. [Effects of the Invention]

[0006] According to one aspect of the present invention, only qualified emergency response personnel with the attributes to respond to a vehicle emergency can operate the vehicle controls to respond appropriately to a vehicle emergency, while unnecessary or inappropriate operation of the vehicle by other occupants can be avoided. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0007] [Figure 1] 1 is an overall diagram showing the schematic configuration of an operation management system for an autonomous driving shared vehicle according to the present invention. [Figure 2] This is a schematic configuration diagram of the communication system between the operating establishment in Figure 1 and users who will be passengers in the autonomous shared vehicle. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of the autonomous shared vehicle of FIG. 1. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a plan view showing a seat in the autonomous shared vehicle of FIG. 3. [Figure 5] 3 is a flowchart of a calculation process executed by the calculation processing device of FIG. 2. [Figure 6] 4 is a flowchart of a calculation process executed by the vehicle control device of FIG. 3. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of display information in the calculation process of FIG. 6. [Figure 8] FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of display information in the calculation process of FIG. 6. [Figure 9] FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of display information in the calculation process of FIG. 6. [Figure 10] FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of display information in the calculation process of FIG. 6. [Figure 11] FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of display information in the calculation process of FIG. 6. [Figure 12] FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of display information in the calculation process of FIG. 6. [Figure 13] FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of display information in the calculation process of FIG. 6. [Figure 14] FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of display information in the calculation process of FIG. 6. [Figure 15] FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of display information in the calculation process of FIG. 6. [Figure 16] FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of display information in the calculation process of FIG. 6. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0008] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that each drawing is a schematic diagram and may differ from the actual vehicle. The operation management system shown in FIG. 1 is based on the premise that an autonomous shared vehicle (hereinafter simply referred to as a vehicle) 1 is operated and managed by a specific operating company O, and the vehicle 1 operates autonomously along a specified route at a specified (approximate) date and time. In principle, autonomous driving does not involve the presence of a driver. An overview of operation management of this autonomous shared vehicle 1 will be described. In this operation management, as an example, a user wishing to ride informs the operating company O of the desired route, date and time, etc. The route is specified by a departure point and a destination, and intermediate stops are specified as necessary. The route may be specified in advance, as with current shared buses, or may be ordered by the user. The date and time may also be specified in advance, as with current shared buses, or may be ordered by the user. A plurality of users who wish to ride along a similar route at a similar date and time ride in the vehicle 1 in a shared manner. When a user orders a route, for example, by specifying different departure points and destinations as stopover points for the vehicle 1, it is possible to efficiently accommodate multiple users in one vehicle 1.

[0009] To achieve this, the user can contact the operating agency O from a terminal T such as a smartphone or a personal computer (hereinafter also referred to as a PC) (actual communication is performed via a communications agency). The operating agency O can also communicate with the vehicle 1. In this example, the operating agency O can also communicate with other agencies C, such as information management agencies or other autonomous shared vehicle operating agencies. In this embodiment, as will be described later, the vehicle 1 is configured to be able to acquire attribute information of users who will be passengers in the vehicle 1 from other agencies C, for example. The vehicle 1 can also perform road-to-vehicle communication with infrastructure equipment E such as a roadside unit, and can also perform vehicle-to-vehicle communication with other vehicles M. Road-to-vehicle communication and vehicle-to-vehicle communication can exchange road information such as traffic signal information, regulation information, and traffic congestion and congestion. For example, information on objects in the blind spots of the vehicle 1 can also be acquired. Communication between the operating agency O and the vehicle 1 is also included as part of road-to-vehicle communication. The vehicle 1 has at least the function of autonomously driving from the departure point to the destination, including intermediate points, and the function of moving (and stopping) in response to operations inside the vehicle 1. The latter function can only be operated by a crew member who is capable of operating it in an emergency.

[0010] FIG. 2 shows an outline of a communication system between a terminal T of a user who will become a passenger and a terminal D, such as a PC, in an operating establishment O. The terminal D in the operating establishment O can also communicate with, for example, a database B managed by another establishment C, and the above-mentioned user attribute information is stored in this database B. This embodiment is premised on an emergency response in which one of the two functions of the vehicle 1 described above, the function of autonomously driving from a departure point to a destination, fails. The inability to continue autonomous driving is caused, for example, by a failure of the environment recognition system 5 described below, which makes it impossible to acquire surrounding environment information. Details of this emergency response will be described later. As described above, since there is no dedicated driver, this response must be performed by a passenger aboard the vehicle 1. Therefore, in this embodiment, whether a user who can become a passenger of the vehicle 1 is suitable for this emergency response is stored in database B as user attribute information (hereinafter also referred to as suitable attributes). The suitable attributes are stored in association with user identification information such as name, address, and ID. This person qualified to respond to an emergency corresponds to, for example, someone who has attended and completed a training course held by the operating establishment O or an employee of the operating establishment O. Therefore, the terminal D of the operating establishment O can obtain information as to whether or not a user who will become a crew member has the appropriate attributes to be a person qualified to respond to an emergency by accessing the database B. The terminal D is a computer system, and is equipped with a processor that performs arithmetic processing and a storage device that stores programs and data.

[0011] As shown in FIG. 3, the vehicle 1 is equipped with a drive unit 2 for driving the vehicle 1, a braking unit 3 for braking the vehicle 1, and a steering unit 4 for steering the vehicle 1. The drive unit 2 is equipped with a drive source (not shown) such as an engine or an electric motor, and is also equipped with a drive controller 2a for controlling the drive force of the vehicle 1 generated by the drive source. The drive controller 2a is equipped with a processor P that handles arithmetic processing for electronically controlling the operating state of the drive source, and a storage device R that stores programs executed by the processor P. The braking unit 3 is equipped with a braking mechanism (not shown) such as a hydraulic brake mechanism or an electric brake mechanism, and is also equipped with a brake controller 3a that controls the braking force of the vehicle 1 generated by the braking mechanism. The brake controller 3a is equipped with a processor P that handles arithmetic processing for electronically controlling the operating state of the braking mechanism, and a storage device R that stores programs executed by the processor P. The steering device 4 is equipped with a steering mechanism (not shown) such as a hydraulic steering mechanism or an electric steering mechanism, as well as a steering controller 4a for controlling the steering state of the vehicle 1 by the steering mechanism. The steering controller 4a is equipped with a processor P that handles arithmetic processing for electronically controlling the operating state of the steering mechanism, and a storage device R that stores programs executed by the processor P. Emergency lamps 51 are provided on the front, rear, left and right sides of the vehicle 1 to indicate, for example, that the vehicle 1 is unable to continue autonomous driving. These emergency lamps 51 can be substituted with, for example, the hazard lamps of a current vehicle.

[0012] The vehicle 1 also includes an environment recognition system 5 for recognizing the surrounding environment, a communication system 6 for performing the aforementioned road-to-vehicle communication and vehicle-to-vehicle communication, and an automatic driving control device 7 for performing automatic driving. The environment recognition system 5 includes a surrounding environment information acquisition means (not shown) such as a camera, radar, or sensor, as well as an environment recognition controller 5a that detects where things are around the vehicle 1 based on the surrounding environment information acquired by the surrounding environment information acquisition means. The environment recognition controller 5a includes a processor P that performs arithmetic processing for analyzing the surrounding environment information and a storage device R that stores programs executed by the processor P. Note that technology for analyzing surrounding environment information and detecting where things are has already been fully developed. The communication system 6 includes a communication device (not shown) such as a wireless communication device, as well as a communication controller 6a that controls communication targets and communication states of the communication device. The communication controller 6a includes a processor P that performs arithmetic processing for controlling communication targets and communication states, i.e., communication timing and communication time, and a storage device R that stores programs executed by the processor P. The autonomous driving control device 7 is configured with an autonomous driving controller 7a that manages the control states of the control objects in the drive device 2, braking device 3, and steering device 4 based on control inputs such as surrounding environment information obtained by the environment recognition system 5 and communication information obtained by the communication system 6. The autonomous driving controller 7a is configured with a processor P that handles arithmetic processing to obtain control outputs of the operating states of the control objects from the control inputs, and a storage device R that stores programs executed by the processor P, etc. This autonomous driving control device 7 achieves autonomous driving of the vehicle 1 from the departure point to the destination, including intermediate points. The logic of this autonomous driving is configured with current autonomous driving logic of, for example, level 3 or higher.

[0013] Furthermore, the vehicle 1 is equipped with a vehicle control device 8 for controlling the vehicle 1, for example, when the autonomous driving function fails. The vehicle control device 8 is configured with a vehicle controller 8a that outputs command signals for the operating states of controlled objects in the drive unit 2, the braking unit 3, and the steering unit 4 based on operation inputs within the vehicle 1, which will be described later. The vehicle controller 8a is an electronic control unit (ECU) that performs arithmetic processing, which will be described later, and outputs control commands to the drive controller 2a, the braking controller 3a, and the steering controller 4a. Therefore, the vehicle controller 8a is equipped with a computer system with advanced arithmetic processing capabilities. Like well-known computer systems, this computer system is configured with a processor P that exhibits advanced arithmetic processing capabilities and a storage device R that stores information such as programs and sensor signals. The processor P is configured with, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit) or an MPU (Micro-Processing Unit). The storage device R is configured with a semiconductor storage device, a magnetic storage device, and an optical storage device. The storage device R may further include a register, a cache memory, and a memory used as a main storage device. The arithmetic processing executed by the vehicle controller 8a is realized, for example, by the processor P executing a computer program stored in the storage device R of the vehicle controller 8a. The arithmetic processing executed by the vehicle controller 8a may also be executed by a functional logic circuit set in a general-purpose semiconductor integrated circuit. For example, the vehicle controller 8a may have a programmable logic device such as a field programmable gate array. Note that each of the above-mentioned controllers has the same configuration and function, and the controllers can also share data and communicate with each other.

[0014] As shown in an example in FIG. 4, the vehicle 1 is configured with a plurality of seats 10, each divided for one occupant, and all of the seats 10 face the front of the vehicle. As with a typical seat, a seat back 54 is erected on the rear side of a seat cushion 53, and a headrest 55 is attached to the upper end of the seat back 54. For example, as shown in the figure, when three rows of seats 10 are arranged, a monitor (display device) 9 is attached to the rear side of the headrests 55 of the first and second rows at the front of the vehicle. A monitor 9 is also provided for each seat 10 at the front side of the vehicle of the front row of the vehicle. These monitors 9 display moving images such as television broadcasts and movies during autonomous driving of the vehicle 1, and like a smartphone, a touch panel 11 (see FIG. 7, etc.) is attached to the surface of the monitor screen. When the touch panel 11 is activated by the vehicle control device 8, as described below, the occupant can input information from the touch panel 11 to the vehicle control device 8. In this embodiment, as will be described later, a combination of the display content displayed on the monitor 9 and the touch panel 11, that is, buttons 12 displayed on the screen (see FIG. 8, etc.), constitutes a vehicle operator for operating the vehicle 1.

[0015] In this embodiment, as described above, in order to respond to an emergency in which the function of autonomous driving from the departure point to the destination is lost, the vehicle 1 must have at least one person qualified to respond to an emergency. FIG. 5 is a flowchart of a calculation process executed by the terminal D of the operating office O shown in FIG. 2. The calculation process determines whether one or more people qualified to respond to an emergency are on board the vehicle 1 to be considered. If not, the calculation process is executed to have a person qualified to respond to an emergency from a nearby vehicle board the vehicle to be considered. This logic is programmed in the storage device of the terminal D of the operating office O and is realized by the processor in the terminal D executing this program. In this calculation process, first, in step S1, a vehicle to be considered is selected by specifying the date, time, route, etc. The route includes the departure point and destination, and may also include intermediate stops. Next, in step S2, the user identification information of the occupants of the vehicle to be considered is read. Next, in step S3, the database B described above is accessed to search for the occupants of the vehicle to be considered (their user identification information) and read the suitability attributes of all occupants. Next, proceed to step S5, and based on the read-in suitability attributes for each occupant, determine whether or not there is one or more occupants of the vehicle under consideration who are suitable for emergency response (hereinafter simply referred to as suitable persons).If there is one or more suitable persons among the occupants, return; if not, proceed to step S5.

[0016] In step S5, a vehicle that takes the same route as the vehicle under consideration and that immediately precedes (in terms of date and time) the vehicle under consideration is selected as the comparison vehicle. Next, the process proceeds to step S6, where the user identification information of the occupants of the comparison vehicle is read. Next, the process proceeds to step S7, where database B is accessed again to read the suitability attributes of the occupants of the comparison vehicle (from the user identification information). Next, the process proceeds to step S8, where it is determined from the read suitability attributes whether there are two or more suitable occupants of the comparison vehicle. If there are two or more suitable occupants, the process proceeds to step S9; if not, the process proceeds to step S13. In step S9, each suitable occupant is asked (in turn) to change to the vehicle under consideration. This proposal to change occupants is carried out, for example, by transmitting the proposal contents to a terminal T, such as a smartphone, of the suitable user and having the user respond thereto. Next, the process proceeds to step S10, where it is determined whether the suitable occupant (user) has approved the change to the considered vehicle. If the change to the considered vehicle has been approved, the process proceeds to step S11; if not, the process proceeds to step S12. In step S11, the suitable occupant (occupant) who approved the change to the considered vehicle is notified of the change to the considered vehicle, and then the process returns. Meanwhile, in step S12, it is determined whether consultations with all suitable occupants of the comparison vehicle who have been approached about changing to the considered vehicle have been completed. If consultations with all suitable occupants have been completed, the process proceeds to step S13; if not, the process proceeds to step S9. In step S13, a vehicle that is on the same route as the comparison vehicle and that immediately precedes (in terms of date and time) the comparison vehicle is selected as a further comparison vehicle, and then the process proceeds to step S6.

[0017] In this calculation process, if one or more suitable persons are in the considered vehicle, the process ends. However, if no suitable persons are in the considered vehicle, the immediately preceding vehicle on the same route is selected as the comparison vehicle. If two or more suitable persons are in this comparison vehicle, those suitable persons are asked to change to the considered vehicle. If any of the suitable persons agrees to change to the considered vehicle, that suitable person is notified of the change to the considered vehicle, and the process ends. However, if all of the two or more suitable persons in the comparison vehicle do not agree to change to the considered vehicle, or if two or more suitable persons are not in the comparison vehicle, the immediately preceding vehicle on the same route as the current comparison vehicle is selected as a further comparison vehicle, and similarly, the person is asked to change to the considered vehicle. By repeating this series of considerations for changing suitable persons to the considered vehicle, it becomes possible to have a suitable person ride in the considered vehicle at some point. The considered vehicle can be any autonomous shared vehicle with a confirmed date, time, and route. However, by starting the consideration with an earlier vehicle, it becomes possible to have one or more suitable persons ride in a vehicle earlier than the vehicle currently being considered. Furthermore, when considering a date and time significantly earlier than the vehicle's actual departure date and time, for example, the first three vehicles prior to the vehicle under consideration may be considered as comparison vehicles. If a suitable person cannot be accommodated in the comparison vehicle by then, the consideration may be temporarily terminated and the same consideration may be repeated at a later date. For example, if a vehicle with a time (date) significantly earlier than the comparison vehicle is considered as the comparison vehicle, the passenger may end up being asked to change to a vehicle with a time (date) significantly later than originally planned. If there is sufficient time before the departure of the comparison vehicle, a suitable person may be accommodated in the comparison vehicle during that time, or two or more suitable people may be accommodated in a comparison vehicle close to the comparison vehicle. The comparison vehicle may be a vehicle with the same operating date and time as the comparison vehicle, or may be a vehicle with an operating route similar to that of the comparison vehicle.

[0018] Next, the calculation process executed by the vehicle controller 8a of the vehicle control device 8 when the automatic driving function of the vehicle 1 from the departure point to the destination fails will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. 6. This calculation process starts when automatic driving cannot be continued. First, in step S21, the occupant's suitability attributes are read. The suitability attributes of the occupant are stored, for example, in the storage device R of the vehicle controller 8a along with the occupant seat 10 in the vehicle 1. Next, in step S22, the touch panel 11 on the monitor 9 in front of the seat 10 of the suitable person is activated. Next, in step S23, it is determined whether two or more suitable people are riding in the vehicle 1. If two or more suitable people are riding in the vehicle 1, the process proceeds to step S24. If not, the process proceeds to step S30. In step S24, suitable people are selected as a vehicle operator (one person) and an operation assistant. This selection can be done, for example, by selecting a suitable person with a long history of experience as a vehicle operator or selecting a person with actual experience operating the vehicle 1 as a vehicle operator.

[0019] Next, the process proceeds to step S25, where operation assistance information is displayed on the monitor 9 in front of the assistant operator's seat 10 in accordance with individual calculation processing. This operation assistance information will be described later. Next, the process proceeds to step S26, where vehicle operation information is displayed on the monitor 9 in front of the vehicle operator's seat 10 in accordance with individual calculation processing. This vehicle operation information will also be described later. Next, the process proceeds to step S27, where the vehicle 1 is operated in accordance with operation of the touch panel 11 (buttons 12) on the monitor 9 in front of the suitable operator's seat 10 in accordance with individual calculation processing. The operation content of this vehicle 1 will also be described later. Next, the process proceeds to step S28, where it is determined whether or not the emergency response operation has been completed. If the response operation has been completed, the process ends; if not, the process proceeds to step S29. In step S29, the operation of the touch panel 11 on the monitor 9 in front of the suitable operator's seat 10 is reflected, and the process proceeds to the next information (operation assistance information, vehicle operation information), and then the process proceeds to step S25. Meanwhile, in step S30, a suitable person is set as the vehicle operator. Next, the process proceeds to step S31, where, similar to step S26, vehicle operation information is displayed on the monitor 9 in front of the vehicle operator's seat 10 in accordance with individual calculation processing. Next, the process proceeds to step S32, where, similar to step S27, the suitable person operates the vehicle 1 in accordance with operation of the touch panel 11 on the monitor 9 in front of the seat 10 in accordance with individual calculation processing. Next, the process proceeds to step S33, where, similar to step S28, it is determined whether or not the emergency response operation has been completed, and if the response operation has been completed, the process ends, and if not, the process proceeds to step S34. In step S34, the operation of the touch panel 11 on the monitor 9 in front of the suitable person's seat 10 is reflected, and the process proceeds to the next information (vehicle operation information), and then the process proceeds to step S31.

[0020] According to this calculation process, when it becomes impossible to continue autonomous driving of the vehicle 1, the occupant's emergency response suitability attributes are read, and the touch panel 11 on the monitor 9 in front of the seat 10 of the suitable person is activated. If only one suitable person is riding in the vehicle 1, that suitable person is designated as the vehicle operator, and vehicle operation information is successively displayed on the monitor 9 in front of the seat 10 of the suitable person, and the vehicle 1 is operated in accordance with the operation of the touch panel 11 by the vehicle operator. On the other hand, if two or more suitable people are riding in the vehicle 1, one of the suitable people is designated as the vehicle operator, and the remaining suitable people are designated as assistant operators. For example, the assistant operator is responsible for viewing locations and directions that are difficult for the vehicle operator to see alone, and, in some cases, for guiding the vehicle 1. Then, information for operation assistance is successively displayed on the monitor 9 in front of the assistant operator's seat 10, and vehicle operation information is successively displayed on the monitor 9 in front of the vehicle operator's seat 10, and the vehicle 1 is operated in accordance with the operation of the touch panel 11 by the vehicle operator. The next information is selected for the operation assistance information and vehicle operation information, reflecting the operation of the touch panel 11 by each competent person. In this embodiment, only one vehicle operator is used to avoid, for example, a disorder in vehicle operation input, but it is also possible to use multiple competent people as vehicle operators.

[0021] Next, the vehicle operation information and operation assistance information (hereinafter simply referred to as information) displayed on the monitor 9 in the calculation process of FIG. 6 will be described. Here, as an example, the display contents will be described in chronological order, with the aim of causing the vehicle 1 to pull over to the left side of the road and stop if the continuation of autonomous driving of the vehicle 1 becomes impossible. Note that if there is no operation assistant in the vehicle 1, information and operations for the operation assistant can be omitted. In this embodiment, first, as shown in FIG. 7, a message is displayed to the vehicle operator and the operation assistant that autonomous driving to the destination cannot be continued. Next, as shown in FIG. 8, an instruction to flash (light) the emergency lamp 51 is displayed to the vehicle operator, and the vehicle controller 8a flashes (lights) the emergency lamp 51 when the "emergency lamp on" button 12 displayed on the monitor 9 in front of the vehicle operator's seat 10 is touched. Next, as shown in Fig. 9, instructions to operate vehicle 1 according to the operation information provided through monitor 9 are displayed to the vehicle operator, and if there is an assistant operator, instructions to assist the other vehicle operator are displayed to the assistant operator according to the screen of monitor 9 as shown in Fig. 10. Next, as shown in Fig. 11, a message is displayed to the vehicle operator and the assistant operator to move vehicle 1 to the left side of the road and stop it.

[0022] Next, the vehicle operator and the assistant operator are asked whether they can confirm (visibly recognize) the left side of the road from inside the vehicle 1, as shown in Fig. 12, and "Yes" and "No" buttons 12 are displayed on the monitor 9 in front of the seat 10 of the suitable person. Then, the suitable person who touched the "Yes" button 12 in Fig. 12 is asked whether there is anything that would obstruct stopping on the left side of the road, as shown in Fig. 13, and "Yes" and "No" buttons 12 are displayed on the monitor 9 in front of the seat 10 of that suitable person. If the "No" button 12 is touched in Fig. 13, the vehicle operator is instructed to move the vehicle 1 to the left, as shown in Fig. 14, and an arrow for moving the vehicle 1 and a brake button 12 are displayed on the monitor 9 in front of the vehicle operator's seat 10. The arrow buttons 12 for moving the vehicle 1 are, for example, command buttons for gradually moving the vehicle 1 in a corresponding direction. While the command buttons are being touched, a control command is output from the vehicle controller 8a, and the drive unit 2 and the steering unit 4 are activated in response to control signals from the drive controller 2a and the steering controller 4a, thereby moving the vehicle 1 in the corresponding direction. Furthermore, while the brake button 12 is being touched, for example, a control command is output from the vehicle controller 8a, and the brake unit 3 is activated in response to control signals from the brake controller 3a, thereby braking and stopping the vehicle 1. If the "Yes" button 12 in FIG. 13 is touched, a message is displayed to the vehicle operator and assistant operator, as shown in FIG. 15, instructing them to move the vehicle 1 to the right side of the road and stop it. In this case, an instruction is then displayed in which the "left side" in the display content of FIG. 14 is changed to "right side." Then, when the vehicle 1 can be moved to the left (or right) side of the road and stopped, a message is displayed indicating that the emergency response operation has been completed, as shown in FIG. 16, and the operation of the vehicle 1 is completed.

[0023] According to this information and buttons 12, after the continued autonomous driving of the vehicle 1 fails, information for moving the vehicle 1 to the left and stopping it, and information for assisting in this, are displayed on the monitor 9 in front of the seat 10 of the appropriate person, and the vehicle operator or the operation assistant operates the vehicle 1 and assists in doing so in response. Since this vehicle operator or operation assistant is an appropriate person for emergency response, even in such an emergency, they can, for example, move the vehicle 1 to the left side of the road and stop it safely. Furthermore, by having at least one appropriate person on board every autonomous shared vehicle 1, it becomes possible to respond appropriately in the unlikely event of an emergency, such as when the autonomous driving cannot be continued. Furthermore, because the buttons 12 for operating the vehicle 1 are displayed only on the monitor 9 in front of the seat 10 of the vehicle operator who is an appropriate person for emergency response, it is possible to avoid, for example, a situation in which an inappropriate occupant operates the vehicle 1 unnecessarily. In the above embodiment, the vehicle 1 is operated in response to operational input from the vehicle operator, but for example, if an obstacle recognition means provided in the vehicle 1 recognizes an obstacle while the vehicle is moving, the movement of the vehicle 1 in the direction of the obstacle may be restricted even if there is input from the vehicle operator. Also, in the above embodiment, the vehicle 1 is stopped on the left side of the road when autonomous driving cannot be continued, but if it is necessary or preferable to stop on the right side of the road due to, for example, laws, manners, or the surrounding environment, the vehicle 1 may be stopped on the right side of the road from the beginning.

[0024] The vehicle operation management system according to the embodiment has been described above. However, the present invention is not limited to the configuration described in the above embodiment, and various modifications are possible within the scope of the gist of the present invention. For example, in the above embodiment, the vehicle 1 is configured to be operated using buttons 12 displayed on the monitor 9 in front of the seat 10 of a suitable person, and the buttons 12 are enabled only when the occupant sitting in the seat 10 is suitable. Alternatively, for example, a vehicle operator, such as a joystick switch, may be provided near each seat 10, and the vehicle 1 may be operated using the vehicle operator. In this case, a modification of the above embodiment can be achieved by programming the vehicle operator, which can only be operated by a suitable person, near the seat 10, to be enabled only when the occupant sitting in that seat 10 is suitable. Enabling a vehicle operator can be achieved by turning a switch or button on or off, or by manipulating the vehicle operator itself, for example, by touching the vehicle operator (or by disabling the vehicle operator so that it cannot be touched). Similarly, in the above embodiment, emergency response information is displayed only on the monitor 9 in front of the seat 10 of the appropriate person, i.e., on a display device that can be seen by the appropriate person, so that an emergency in the vehicle 1 can be handled appropriately and occupants other than the appropriate person do not feel anxious in the event of an emergency. Also, in the above embodiment, when multiple appropriate people are on board the vehicle 1, an appropriate person other than the vehicle operator is selected as an operation assistant, but since the vehicle operator is the only person needed in an emergency, selecting an operation assistant is not essential. Also, in the above embodiment, the emergency response logic shown in FIG. 6 is executed by the vehicle controller 8a mounted on the vehicle 1, but for example, this logic may be executed by a terminal D in the operating establishment O, and each piece of information may be transmitted from the terminal D to the vehicle 1.

[0025] Thus, in this embodiment, when the vehicle 1 controller manages the vehicle 1 operated by automatic driving with occupants on board, occupants who have the appropriate attributes to respond in an emergency for the vehicle 1 are selected as emergency response personnel based on the occupant information of the vehicle 1, and vehicle operators that can only be operated by the selected emergency response personnel are enabled. This allows only the emergency response personnel to operate the vehicle operators to respond appropriately in an emergency for the vehicle 1, and makes it possible to prevent unnecessary or inappropriate operation of the vehicle 1 by the other occupants. In addition, a crew member with suitable attributes is a crew member who is capable of operating vehicle 1, and since this operation includes at least one of driving and steering vehicle 1, it becomes possible to appropriately respond to an emergency, for example, by moving vehicle 1 to the left side of the road and stopping it. Furthermore, if two or more persons qualified to respond to an emergency are on board vehicle 1, one of them is selected as the vehicle operator, and any or all of the remaining persons are selected as operation assistants, and vehicle controls that can only be operated by the vehicle operator are enabled. This makes it possible to properly and reliably complete emergency responses. [Explanation of symbols]

[0026] 1...vehicle, 8...vehicle control device, 8a...vehicle controller (arithmetic processing device), 9...monitor (display device), 10...seat, 11...touch panel, 12...button (vehicle operator), B...database, D...terminal (arithmetic processing device)

Claims

1. A vehicle management method in which a vehicle is equipped with a vehicle operator for operating the vehicle, and a processing device manages the vehicle, which is operated by automatic driving with a passenger on board, The vehicle management method is characterized in that the processing device selects, based on the vehicle's occupant information, an occupant who has the appropriate attributes to respond in an emergency for the vehicle as a suitable emergency responder, and enables the vehicle operators that can only be operated by the selected suitable emergency responder.

2. 2. The vehicle management method according to claim 1, wherein the occupant having the suitable attributes is an occupant who is capable of operating the vehicle, and the operation includes at least one of driving and steering the vehicle.

3. The vehicle management method described in claim 2, characterized in that when two or more persons qualified to respond to an emergency are on board the vehicle, one of them is selected as the vehicle operator who will operate the vehicle, and any or all of the remaining persons qualified to respond to an emergency are selected as operation assistants who will assist the vehicle operator, and the vehicle operators that can only be operated by the vehicle operator are enabled.

4. A vehicle management device equipped with a processing device that manages vehicles operated by automatic driving with passengers, a vehicle operator for operating the vehicle; The vehicle management device is characterized in that the processing device selects an occupant who has the appropriate attributes to respond to an emergency in the vehicle as a suitable emergency responder based on the vehicle occupant information, and enables the vehicle operators that can only be operated by the selected suitable emergency responder.

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