Vehicle allocation management device and vehicle allocation management method

Abstract

To improve transportation efficiency while flexibly adjusting vehicle allocation in response to an operation state of a traffic facility in consideration of performance of transit by a user.SOLUTION: A vehicle allocation management device 2 includes a first controller 26 which executes: processing to receive vehicle allocation request information from a terminal device 4 of a user so as to receive a vehicle allocation request; processing to receive transit information from the terminal device 4 so as to perform registration in association with the vehicle allocation request information; processing to generate a vehicle allocation plan with respect to the vehicle allocation request; processing to receive operation plan information indicating presence / absence of a change of an original operation plan of a public traffic facility from a traffic operation management device 9; processing to correct (primary correction) the vehicle allocation plan of a transit user who uses the traffic facility with the occurrence of the change in the operation plan in response to contents of the change; processing to re-correct (secondary correction) the corrected vehicle allocation plan of the transit user based on a vehicle allocation request of another user capable of sharing a service vehicle 3 to be allocated to the transit user; and processing to notify the transit user and a terminal device 4 of the other user of the re-corrected vehicle allocation plan.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a vehicle allocation management device and a vehicle allocation management method for managing the allocation of vehicles (service vehicles) used for user transportation in a vehicle allocation service (mobility service) that allocates the vehicles. [Background technology]

[0002] In mobility services that provide smooth transportation of users and cargo by vehicle, ride-sharing services in which multiple users share a vehicle have been proposed to increase the efficiency of vehicle transportation while improving user convenience.

[0003] For example, Patent Document 1 below discloses a technology for a ride-sharing service in which multiple users ride in a service vehicle (demand-based bus), in which each user submits a usage request including the desired route (or time period) and the desired riding section, and the demand-based bus operates according to an operation plan generated in response to the usage request. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2017-182137 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] Users may transfer between mobility services and public transportation (planes, trains, buses, etc.). Public transportation operations may be disrupted due to various reasons. For this reason, mobility services are required to improve transportation efficiency for users who are transferring between transportation services by flexibly adjusting vehicle allocation according to the transfer between transportation services. However, the technology described in Patent Document 1 does not take into account users making transfers, making it difficult to simultaneously adjust vehicle dispatch flexibly according to the operating conditions of public transport and improve transportation efficiency.

[0006] Therefore, the present disclosure aims to provide a vehicle dispatching device and a vehicle dispatching management method that can improve transportation efficiency while taking into account users' transfers and flexibly adjusting vehicle dispatch according to the operating status of transportation facilities. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] a process for receiving, from the user's terminal device, transfer information indicating means of transportation to be used by the user before and after using the vehicle dispatch service, and registering the transfer information in association with the vehicle dispatch request information; a process for calculating, based on the vehicle dispatch request, the boarding and alighting locations where the user will board and alight the vehicle and the vehicle's travel route, and creating a vehicle dispatch plan for the vehicle dispatch request; a process for receiving, from an external device, operation plan information indicating whether or not there has been a change in the operation plan of the means of transportation; a process for correcting, in accordance with the content of the change, the vehicle dispatch plan of a connecting user using a means of transportation whose operation plan has changed before or after using the vehicle dispatch service; and a process for extracting another user who can share the vehicle to be dispatched to the connecting user, and regenerating the corrected vehicle dispatch plan of the connecting user based on the vehicle dispatch request of the other user. The controller executes a process of correcting the dispatch plan and a process of notifying the terminal devices of the transfer user and the other user of the re-corrected dispatch plan.

[0008] A vehicle dispatch management method according to one aspect of the present disclosure is a vehicle dispatch management method by a vehicle dispatch management device that manages the dispatch of vehicles to be provided for a vehicle dispatch service in response to a vehicle dispatch request from a user, the method comprising: receiving vehicle dispatch request information from the user's terminal device, the vehicle dispatch request information including a travel area to be traveled by the vehicle and a desired date and time of boarding and disembarking from the vehicle, and accepting the vehicle dispatch request; receiving transfer information from the user's terminal device, the transfer information indicating transportation facilities to be used by the user before and after using the vehicle dispatch service, and registering the transfer information in association with the vehicle dispatch request information; calculating the boarding and disembarking locations where the user will board and disembark from the vehicle and the driving route of the vehicle based on the vehicle dispatch request; The method includes creating a vehicle dispatch plan for a vehicle dispatch request, receiving operation plan information from an external device indicating whether or not there has been a change in the operation plan of a transportation facility, correcting the vehicle dispatch plan of a transfer user who uses a transportation facility whose operation plan has changed before or after using the vehicle dispatch service in accordance with the content of the change, extracting another user who can share the vehicle dispatched to the transfer user, and re-correcting the corrected vehicle dispatch plan of the transfer user based on the vehicle dispatch request of the other user, and notifying the terminal devices of the transfer user and the other user of the re-corrected vehicle dispatch plan. [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] According to the present disclosure, it becomes possible to improve transportation efficiency while flexibly adjusting vehicle dispatch according to the operation status of transportation facilities, taking into account users' transfers. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of an example of a vehicle dispatch system according to an embodiment; [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a functional configuration of a first controller of the vehicle dispatch control device. [Figure 3] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of reservation data. [Figure 4A] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of the initial contents of a vehicle allocation plan for a user who is transferring between a public transport facility and a service vehicle. [Figure 4B] FIG. 4B is a diagram illustrating an example of the contents of the vehicle allocation plan shown in FIG. 4A after change. [Figure 5] FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a functional configuration of a second controller of the service vehicle. [Figure 6] 10 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a vehicle allocation management process performed by the vehicle allocation management device. [Figure 7] 10 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a vehicle dispatch plan change process performed by the vehicle dispatch management device. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0011] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that the drawings are schematic and may differ from the actual product. Furthermore, the embodiments of the present invention shown below are examples of devices and methods for embodying the technical concept of the present invention, and the technical concept of the present invention does not limit the structure, arrangement, etc. of component parts to those described below. The technical concept of the present invention can be modified in various ways within the technical scope defined by the claims.

[0012] (composition) 1 is a schematic diagram of an example of a vehicle dispatch system according to an embodiment. The vehicle dispatch system 1 according to the embodiment is a system that provides a vehicle dispatch service that dispatches a vehicle in response to a vehicle dispatch request made by a user. In this specification, a vehicle provided for the vehicle dispatch service of the vehicle dispatch system 1 is referred to as a "service vehicle." The vehicle dispatch system 1 includes a vehicle dispatch management device 2, a plurality of service vehicles 3A, 3B, etc., and a terminal device 4 carried by a user. Hereinafter, the service vehicles 3A, 3B, etc. may be collectively referred to as "service vehicles 3."

[0013] The vehicle dispatch management device 2 includes a communication device 20, a map database (referred to as "Map DB" in the figure) 21, a user information database (referred to as "User Information DB" in the figure) 22, a reservation information database (referred to as "Reservation Information DB" in the figure) 23, a vehicle dispatch plan database (referred to as "Vehicle Dispatch Plan DB" in the figure) 24, a driving history database (referred to as "Driving History DB" in the figure) 25, and a first controller 26.

[0014] The communication device 20 provides a communication function between the first controller 26 and an external device. The communication method used by the communication device 20 may be, for example, wired communication or wireless communication via a public mobile communication network, satellite communication, road-to-vehicle communication with the service vehicle 3, or the like.

[0015] The first controller 26 transmits and receives data to and from the service vehicle 3, the terminal device 4, and external devices via the communication device 20. For example, in the vehicle dispatch management device 2 of the vehicle dispatch system 1, the first controller 26 receives information (operation plan information) indicating the status of operation plans for various public transportation means (airplanes, trains, buses, etc.) from a traffic operation management device 9, which is an example of an external device, via the communication device 20. The traffic operation management device 9 is a server device (traffic operation management server) in a traffic operation management system that manages the operation plans of various public transportation means, and calculates operation plans for public transportation means and transmits information related to the operation plans. The first controller 26 in the vehicle dispatch management device 2 can appropriately acquire information regarding changes in the operation plan of public transportation (delays, suspension of operation, special services, etc.) due to various factors such as accidents, bad weather, and events. A user of the vehicle dispatch service in the present disclosure may use (transfer to) public transportation before or after using the service vehicle 3. By receiving the operation plan information, the vehicle dispatch management device 2 can appropriately adjust the dispatch of the service vehicle 3 to the user according to the operation status of the public transportation.

[0016] The map database 21 stores map information of the area where the vehicle dispatch system 1 provides vehicle dispatch services. The map information may include road information related to roads in the area where the vehicle dispatch system 1 provides vehicle dispatch services. The map information also stores information on candidate boarding locations where a user can board the service vehicle 3 and candidate disembarking locations where a user can disembark. The boarding locations and disembarking locations may be collectively referred to as "boarding and disembarking locations." For example, the map information may be a navigation map (sometimes referred to as "navigation map" in the following description) that can be used to calculate a route from the boarding point where the user boards the service vehicle 3 to the destination. The navigation map includes, as information on a road-by-road basis, information on road nodes that indicate reference points on road reference lines (for example, the center line of the road) and information on road links that indicate the section configurations of the roads between the road nodes.

[0017] The user information database 22 stores user information, which is information about users who use the vehicle dispatch service provided by the vehicle dispatch system 1. For example, when using the vehicle dispatch service provided by the vehicle dispatch system 1, the user agrees to certain terms of use, etc., creates an account with the vehicle dispatch system 1, and registers necessary information (such as the passenger user's name, address, payment account, etc.). For example, the user information database 22 may store user identification information and necessary information as user information. Furthermore, for example, the user information may store history information about when the user has used the vehicle dispatch system 1 in the past. For example, the history information may include history information about the in-vehicle environment of the service vehicle 3 when the user has previously boarded the service vehicle 3.

[0018] The reservation information database 23 stores reservation information for the vehicle dispatch service. For example, the reservation information database 23 stores reservation information indicating the user's identification information and the content of the vehicle dispatch request sent by the user from the terminal device 4. The content of the vehicle dispatch request includes the area (travel area) in which the user will travel in the service vehicle 3 and the desired date and time of boarding and disembarking the service vehicle 3. Specifically, the information indicating the travel area is the user's desired boarding location (desired boarding location) and the user's desired destination, that is, the disembarking location (desired disembarking location), and the information indicating the desired boarding and disembarking date and time is the date and time at which the user wishes to board the service vehicle 3 (desired boarding time) and the date and time at which the user wishes to arrive at the disembarking location (disembark) (desired disembarking date and time). In addition to these, reservation information necessary for vehicle dispatch, such as the number of passengers, is stored in the reservation information database 23.

[0019] The reservation information database 23 also includes transfer information (an example of transfer data). The transfer information is information indicating the public transportation (plane, train, bus, etc.) that the user who made the vehicle dispatch request will use before and after using the vehicle dispatch service, and is transmitted from the terminal device 4 of the user who made the vehicle dispatch request. The transfer information is linked to reservation information based on one vehicle dispatch request (vehicle dispatch request information) and registered in the reservation information database 23. The reservation information database 23 may also include a vehicle dispatch plan status indicating whether a vehicle dispatch plan has been created in response to the vehicle dispatch request (whether the vehicle dispatch reservation has been confirmed) and a boarding status indicating whether the user has boarded the service vehicle 3. If a vehicle dispatch plan has been created (the vehicle dispatch reservation has been confirmed), information identifying the vehicle dispatch plan (vehicle dispatch plan ID) is registered in the vehicle dispatch plan database 24 in association with the reservation information. Furthermore, if the user has boarded the service vehicle 3 that has been dispatched to the user, information indicating "boarded" is registered as the boarding status.

[0020] A location where a user boards or disembarks is called a boarding or disembarking point. In the target area of the ride-hailing service, multiple boarding or disembarking points are set where the service vehicle 3 can stop and where the user can safely board or disembark the stopped service vehicle 3. In the present disclosure, a boarding or disembarking point is a virtual bus stop located at a location indicated in the map information stored in the map database 21. In a ride-hailing request, a user specifies one of the boarding or disembarking points as the boarding or disembarking point, and indicates the desired travel area within the target area, and then uses the ride-hailing service.

[0021] The vehicle allocation plan database 24 stores a vehicle allocation plan for each service vehicle 3 based on a vehicle allocation request. The vehicle allocation plan includes a travel route along which the service vehicle 3 is to travel based on the vehicle allocation request. For example, the vehicle dispatch plan may include a driving route from a passenger's boarding location to a disembarking location. In other words, the vehicle dispatch plan may include the boarding and disembarking locations where the user gets on and off the service vehicle 3, and the driving route of the service vehicle 3 that passes through the boarding and disembarking locations. The vehicle dispatch plan may also include information on the scheduled arrival times at the boarding and disembarking locations, based on the user's desired boarding and disembarking times in the vehicle dispatch request. The vehicle dispatch plan database 24 may store the vehicle dispatch plans and the reservation information (dispatch requests) stored in the reservation information database 23 so that they can be linked together. For example, the vehicle dispatch plan database 24 may store information (e.g., a reservation ID) that identifies the reservation information corresponding to each vehicle dispatch plan, in association with each vehicle dispatch plan.

[0022] The driving history database 25 stores driving history information of the service vehicles 3 in the vehicle dispatch system 1. The driving history information may include information such as driving routes that the service vehicles 3 have traveled in the past, driving times for those routes, and boarding and disembarking locations where users have boarded and disembarked.

[0023] The first controller 26 is a computer device that executes information processing in the vehicle dispatch management device 2. The first controller 26 may include a processor 26a and peripheral components such as a storage device 26b. The processor 26a may be, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit) or an MPU (Micro-Processing Unit). The storage device 26b may include any of a semiconductor storage device, a magnetic storage device, and an optical storage device. The storage device 26b may include memories such as a register, a cache memory, a ROM (Read Only Memory) used as a main memory, and a RAM (Random Access Memory). The functions of the first controller 26 described below are realized by, for example, the processor 26a executing a computer program stored in the storage device 26b. The functions and processing of the first controller 26 will be described later.

[0024] The service vehicle 3 is a vehicle that operates in response to requests from passengers of a ride-hailing service (a so-called demand-based transportation vehicle). In the ride-hailing service of the present disclosure, one service vehicle 3 may be dispatched in response to ride-hailing requests from multiple users. In other words, the ride-hailing service of the present disclosure includes a ride-sharing service in which multiple passengers share a ride. The service vehicle 3 may be, for example, a shared taxi or a robot taxi in a ride-sharing service.

[0025] For example, the service vehicle 3 may be a manually operated vehicle driven by a driver (human) according to the vehicle dispatch plan transmitted from the vehicle dispatch management device 2. In this case, the service vehicle 3 can prompt the driver to operate the service vehicle 3 in accordance with the vehicle dispatch plan by presenting the vehicle dispatch plan transmitted from the vehicle dispatch management device 2 to the driver. Furthermore, for example, the service vehicle 3 may be an automatically driven vehicle in which the service vehicle 3 is automatically driven by a controller (a second controller 34 described later) without the involvement of a driver. The service vehicle 3 may be a vehicle whose driving mode can be switched between a manual driving mode in which the driver drives and an autonomous driving mode in which the driver drives automatically. In this case, when the service vehicle 3 is in the manual driving mode, the service vehicle 3 presents the driver with a dispatch plan transmitted from the dispatch management device 2 to assist the driver in driving the service vehicle 3, and when the service vehicle 3 is in the autonomous driving mode, the second controller 34 performs automatic driving based on the dispatch plan from the dispatch management device 2.

[0026] The service vehicle 3 includes a sensor 30, a positioning device 31, a map database (map DB) 32, a communication device 33, a second controller , and an actuator . The sensors 30 include an object sensor that detects objects around the service vehicle 3, and a vehicle sensor that detects various information obtained from the service vehicle 3 (vehicle state). The object sensor detects the surrounding environment of the service vehicle 3, such as the relative position of the service vehicle 3 and an object present around the service vehicle 3, the distance between the service vehicle 3 and the object, and the direction in which the object is present. The object sensor may include, for example, a camera that captures the surrounding environment of the service vehicle 3. Furthermore, for example, the object sensor may include a distance measuring device such as a laser range finder (LRF), radar, or a laser radar of a LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging). The object sensor outputs surrounding environment information, which is information on the detected surrounding environment of the service vehicle 3, to the second controller 34.

[0027] The vehicle sensors may include, for example, a vehicle speed sensor that detects the traveling speed (vehicle speed) of the service vehicle 3, a wheel speed sensor that detects the rotational speed of each tire equipped on the service vehicle 3, a three-axis acceleration sensor (G sensor) that detects the acceleration (including deceleration) in three axial directions of the service vehicle 3, a steering angle sensor that detects the steering angle (including the turning angle), a gyro sensor that detects the angular velocity generated in the service vehicle 3, and a yaw rate sensor that detects the yaw rate. The vehicle sensors output vehicle state information to the second controller 34.

[0028] The positioning device 31 measures the current position and attitude of the service vehicle 3. The positioning device 31 may include, for example, a Global Navigation System (GNSS) receiver. The GNSS receiver may be, for example, a Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver. The positioning device 31 may include an inertial navigation system. The positioning device 31 outputs current position information of the measured current position to the second controller 34. The second controller 34 transmits the identification information and current position information of the service vehicle 3 to the vehicle dispatch management device 2 via the communication device 33. The map database (referred to as "map DB" in the figure) 32 stores map information. The map information may include navigation map data and high-precision map data suitable for use as a map for automated driving (hereinafter simply referred to as "high-precision map"). The communication device 33 provides a communication function between the service vehicle 3 and an external device. The communication method used by the communication device 33 may be, for example, wireless communication using a public mobile communication network, satellite communication, road-to-vehicle communication, etc. The service vehicle 3 transmits and receives data to and from the vehicle dispatch management device 2 using the communication device 33.

[0029] The second controller 34 is an electronic control unit (ECU) that controls the service vehicle 3. The second controller 34 includes a processor 36 and peripheral components such as a storage device 37. The processor 36 may be, for example, a CPU or an MPU. The storage device 37 may include non-transitory tangible storage media such as registers, cache memory, and memories such as ROM and RAM used as main storage devices. The functions of the second controller 34 described below are realized, for example, by the processor 36 executing a computer program stored in the storage device 37. This is achieved by carrying out the following:

[0030] For example, if the service vehicle 3 is an autonomous vehicle, the second controller 34 performs autonomous driving control to drive the service vehicle 3 in accordance with the dispatch plan transmitted from the dispatch management device 2 based on the surrounding environment information and vehicle status information from the sensor 30, the positioning results of the positioning device 31, and the high-precision map in the map DB 32. The actuator 35 operates the steering device, drive device and braking device of the service vehicle 3 in response to control signals from the second controller 34 to generate vehicle behavior of the service vehicle 3, thereby automatically driving the service vehicle 3. The actuator 35 includes a steering actuator, an accelerator opening actuator and a brake control actuator.

[0031] The terminal device 4 is an information processing device used by a user of the vehicle dispatch service. The terminal device 4 is, for example, a portable personal digital assistant or a small computer that is easy to carry. The terminal device 4 includes a positioning device 40, a communication device 41, a human-machine interface (HMI) 42, and a third controller 43. The positioning device 40 measures the current position of the terminal device 4 (i.e., the current position of the user). The positioning device 40 may include, for example, a GNSS receiver. The GNSS receiver may be, for example, a GPS receiver. The positioning device 40 may also include an inertial navigation system. The positioning device 40 outputs current position information of the terminal device 4 to the third controller 43.

[0032] The communication device 41 provides a communication function between the terminal device 4 and an external device. The communication method used by the communication device 41 may be, for example, wireless communication via a public mobile communication network, satellite communication, etc. The terminal device 4 transmits and receives data to and from the vehicle dispatch management device 2 via the communication device 41. The HMI 42 is an interface device that exchanges information between the terminal device 4 and the user. The HMI 42 includes a display device that can be seen by the user, and a speaker or buzzer that outputs alarm sounds, notification sounds, and audio information. The HMI 42 also includes controls and a voice input device that accepts operation inputs from the user to the terminal device 4. The controls may be buttons, switches, levers, dials, keyboards, touch panels, etc.

[0033] The third controller 43 is an electronic control unit that controls the operation of the terminal device 4. The third controller 43 includes a processor 43a and peripheral components such as a storage device 43b. The processor 43a may be, for example, a CPU or an MPU. The storage device 43b may include a non-transitory tangible storage medium such as a memory used as a main storage device, such as a ROM or RAM, a memory register, or a cache memory.

[0034] Before reserving a vehicle dispatch service (making a vehicle dispatch request), the user may install dedicated application software for using the vehicle dispatch system 1 in advance on the terminal device 4 and make the reservation using the dedicated application software. Alternatively, the user may use the browser function of the terminal device 4 to reserve a vehicle dispatch service on an internet site that accepts reservations for vehicle dispatch services.

[0035] The terminal device 4 accepts input operations by the user on the HMI 42 regarding reservations (dispatch requests) for the dispatch service. For example, the user inputs necessary information such as the user's identification information, the number of people using the service, information indicating the travel area (desired boarding location, desired disembarking location), and desired boarding and disembarking dates and times (desired boarding date and time, desired disembarking date and time). The necessary information may include a delay limit time indicating the maximum allowable delay time for the desired boarding and disembarking dates and times. The delay limit time may be common to the desired boarding and disembarking dates and times, or may be specified separately for the desired boarding and disembarking dates and times. The delay limit time will be described in detail later. The third controller 43 generates a vehicle dispatch request for applying for a reservation of a vehicle dispatch service based on the information input by the user.

[0036] For example, the user inputs transfer information in response to a vehicle dispatch request. The transfer information includes at least transportation identification information (such as flight name or train name) that allows the user to identify the public transportation facility that the user will use before and after using the vehicle dispatch service, and may further include the departure time and arrival time of the public transportation facility. For example, if the user uses public transportation facility before using the vehicle dispatch service, the user may input the arrival time of the public transportation facility in the transfer information, and if the user uses public transportation facility after using the vehicle dispatch service, the user may input the departure time of the public transportation facility in the transfer information. The third controller 43 generates transfer information corresponding to the vehicle dispatch request based on the information input by the user.

[0037] The third controller 43 transmits the vehicle dispatch request information and the transfer information to the vehicle dispatch management device 2 via the communication device 41. The vehicle dispatch management device 2 stores the vehicle dispatch request information as reservation information in the reservation information database 23, and further stores the transfer information in the reservation information database 23 in association with the reservation information. The vehicle dispatch management device 2 calculates the boarding and alighting points where the user will board and alight the service vehicle 3 and the driving route of the service vehicle 3 based on the reservation information (vehicle dispatch request), and creates a vehicle dispatch plan for the user. The vehicle dispatch management device 2 selects a service vehicle 3 to be dispatched to the user, and calculates the route (driving route) along which the service vehicle 3 carrying the user will travel and the estimated arrival time at which the service vehicle 3 will arrive at each of the desired boarding and alighting points (desired boarding point, desired alighting point) based on the desired boarding and alighting points, desired boarding and alighting date and time, and delay limit time desired by the user (included in the vehicle dispatch request). The vehicle dispatch management device 2 transmits a vehicle dispatch plan including the derived travel route, scheduled time, etc. to the terminal device 4. The terminal device 4 presents this information to the user via the HMI 42.

[0038] For example, suppose that the vehicle dispatch management device 2 receives a vehicle dispatch request from a predetermined user (user A), creates a vehicle dispatch plan, and dispatches a service vehicle 3A to user A according to the vehicle dispatch plan. In this case, when user A and service vehicle 3A arrive at the planned boarding point by the scheduled time, user A gets into service vehicle 3A, and service vehicle 3A starts traveling to the drop-off point (destination) with user A on board.

[0039] As will be described in more detail later, the vehicle dispatch service of the present disclosure allows ride sharing (riding together by multiple users) as described above. Therefore, one vehicle dispatch plan can accommodate vehicle dispatch requests from multiple users. For example, suppose that after a vehicle dispatch request from user A, a new vehicle dispatch request is made by another user (user B). If the service vehicle 3A reserved by user A satisfies predetermined conditions, user A's vehicle dispatch plan is updated based on the contents of user B's vehicle dispatch request (desired boarding and disembarking location and desired boarding and disembarking date and time), and the plan reflects the vehicle dispatch requests of users A and B. This allows users A and B to share (ride together) one service vehicle 3A.

[0040] The operation and function of each unit of the vehicle dispatch system 1 of the embodiment will be described in more detail below. Figure 2 is a block diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of the first controller 26 of the vehicle dispatch management device 2. The first controller 26 includes a vehicle dispatch request receiving unit 60, a vehicle dispatch plan determination unit 61, an operation information receiving unit 62, and a vehicle dispatch plan correction unit 63.

[0041] The vehicle allocation request receiving unit 60 receives vehicle allocation request information (vehicle allocation request information) and transfer information transmitted from the terminal device 4 via the communication device 20. The transfer information is associated with the vehicle allocation request and is transmitted along with the vehicle allocation request information. Specifically, the vehicle allocation request receiving unit 60 receives vehicle allocation request information including the travel area (area to travel in the service vehicle 3) and the desired date and time of boarding and disembarking the service vehicle 3, and accepts a vehicle allocation request from the user. When the vehicle dispatch request receiving unit 60 receives a vehicle dispatch request from the terminal device 4, the vehicle dispatch request receiving unit 60 registers the information included in the vehicle dispatch request (user identification information, number of passengers, travel area (desired boarding / disembarking location), and information indicating the desired boarding / disembarking date and time) in the reservation information database 23 as reservation information. In addition, when the vehicle dispatch request receiving unit 60 receives transfer information from the terminal device 4 indicating the means of transportation that the user will use before and after using the vehicle dispatch service, it links the contents of the transfer information with the reservation information (vehicle dispatch request information) and registers it in the reservation information database 23.

[0042] The vehicle allocation plan determination unit 61 creates and confirms a vehicle allocation plan for one service vehicle 3 selected from a plurality of candidate vehicles based on a vehicle allocation request from a user, and issues a vehicle allocation instruction according to the confirmed vehicle allocation plan to the one service vehicle 3. The vehicle allocation plan determination unit 61 extracts vehicles (candidate vehicles) that are candidates for the service vehicle 3 to be provided to the user from the plurality of service vehicles 3, and creates a vehicle allocation plan for the most appropriate one service vehicle 3 selected from the candidate vehicles.

[0043] The vehicle allocation plan determination unit 61 includes a boarding and alighting location determination unit 611, a travel route planning unit 612, and an arrival time calculation unit 613. The vehicle allocation plan determination unit 61 requests the boarding and alighting point determination unit 611 to determine boarding and alighting points where the user can board and alight the service vehicle 3. Next, the vehicle allocation plan determination unit 61 requests the travel route planning unit 612 to extract the candidate vehicles and calculate travel routes for the candidate vehicles. Furthermore, the vehicle allocation plan determination unit 61 requests the arrival time calculation unit to calculate the scheduled date and time (scheduled arrival date and time) at which each candidate vehicle will arrive at the determined boarding and alighting points.

[0044] The boarding and alighting location determination unit 611 may determine boarding and alighting locations (boarding location and disembarking location) where the user can board and alight from the service vehicle 3, based on the desired boarding location and desired disembarking location included in the dispatch request. For example, the boarding and alighting location determination unit 611 sets the boarding location where the user will board and the disembarking location where the user will alight, based on the desired boarding location and desired disembarking location in the dispatch request and information on candidate boarding and alighting locations stored in the map database 21. The boarding and alighting location determination unit 611 may acquire reservation information based on a new dispatch request (reservation information for which the reservation is not confirmed) from the reservation information database 23, and select, as the boarding location and disembarking location, any candidate that is close to the desired boarding location and desired disembarking location in the acquired reservation information (dispatch request), from the candidate boarding and alighting locations stored in the map database 21.

[0045] In response to a request for a vehicle allocation plan, the travel route planning unit 612 extracts candidates (candidate vehicles) for the service vehicle 3 to be provided to the user, and calculates a travel route for the extracted candidate vehicles. For example, the travel route planning unit 612 may extract one or more service vehicles 3 that meet extraction conditions as candidate vehicles. The extraction conditions indicate, for example, that the vehicle can arrive at the boarding or disembarking location determined by the desired boarding date and time in the vehicle dispatch request. If there are no service vehicles 3 that meet the extraction conditions, the extraction conditions may be relaxed, and a service vehicle 3 that can arrive at the boarding location by the boarding limit date and time may be extracted. The boarding limit date and time is the desired boarding date and time in the vehicle dispatch request plus the boarding delay limit time (boarding limit date and time = desired boarding date and time + boarding delay limit time). If the desired boarding date and time is "January 1, 2023, 10:30 AM" and the boarding delay limit time is "5 minutes," the boarding delay limit date and time will be "January 1, 2023, 10:35 AM."

[0046] The extracted service vehicles 3 may include vehicles (shared vehicles) that the advance reservation user (user who has confirmed reservation for the service vehicle 3) plans to ride in. This makes it possible to provide a ride-sharing service in the vehicle dispatch service of the present disclosure in which the advance reservation user and a subsequent reservation user (user who has made a new vehicle dispatch request after the advance reservation user) ride together in a shared vehicle, thereby improving the transportation efficiency of users (passengers).

[0047] The driving route planning unit 612 also calculates a driving route from the determined boarding location to the disembarking location for each candidate vehicle. The driving route planning unit 612 may calculate the driving route to be the shortest route using an algorithm such as the A* route search algorithm or the Dijkstra algorithm. If the extracted candidate vehicle is a shared vehicle, the driving route based on the advance reservation user's vehicle allocation request is changed so that the vehicle passes through the boarding and disembarking location set based on the new vehicle allocation request.

[0048] The arrival time calculation unit 613 calculates the date and time (scheduled arrival date and time) at which the candidate vehicle (service vehicle 3) will arrive at the drop-off location based on the driving route of each candidate vehicle calculated by the driving route planning unit 612. For example, the arrival time calculation unit 613 calculates the expected driving time of the candidate vehicle from the boarding point to the drop-off point. The arrival time calculation unit 613 may further calculate the date and time (scheduled dispatch date and time) at which the candidate vehicle will arrive at the boarding point within the time from the desired boarding date and time to the boarding limit date and time, and calculate the expected arrival date and time based on the expected driving time and the scheduled dispatch date and time. Note that if the candidate vehicle extracted by the driving route planning unit 612 is a shared vehicle, the arrival time calculation unit 613 may calculate the expected dispatch date and time and the expected arrival date and time for the boarding point and drop-off point of each of the advance booking user and the subsequent booking user based on the driving route changed based on the new dispatch request.

[0049] The vehicle allocation plan determination unit 61 attempts to create a vehicle allocation plan based on the driving route, planned vehicle allocation date and time, and planned arrival date and time of each candidate vehicle derived by the driving route planning unit 612. At this time, the vehicle allocation plan determination unit 61 further narrows down the candidate vehicles. For example, the vehicle allocation plan determination unit 61 may narrow down the candidate vehicles, including shared vehicles, by excluding candidate vehicles that meet the exclusion conditions such as those exemplified in the following (i) to (iv).

[0050] (i) Passenger capacity requirements A service vehicle 3 in which the number of passengers exceeds the specified number due to a new dispatch request is excluded from the candidate vehicles. (ii) Conditions regarding delays when boarding or disembarking passengers with advance reservations If the scheduled dispatch date and time or scheduled arrival date and time for the advance reservation user exceeds the limit date and time (boarding delay limit date and time, disembarking delay limit date and time) due to the dispatch request of the subsequent reservation user, the corresponding service vehicle 3 is excluded from the candidate vehicles. This prevents delays that the advance reservation user cannot tolerate when getting on and off the service vehicle 3, improving the convenience of the dispatch service. The drop-off delay limit date and time is the date and time obtained by adding the drop-off delay limit time to the desired drop-off date and time in the dispatch request (drop-off limit date and time = desired drop-off date and time + drop-off limit time). (iii) Conditions regarding delays in boarding and disembarking for subsequent users If the scheduled dispatch date and time or the scheduled arrival date and time for the subsequent reservation user exceeds the time limit (boarding limit time, disembarking limit time), the corresponding service vehicle 3 is excluded from the candidate vehicles. This prevents unacceptable delays for subsequent reservation users when getting on and off the service vehicle 3, improving the convenience of the vehicle dispatch service.

[0051] The vehicle allocation plan determination unit 61 can determine a candidate vehicle that does not satisfy the above exclusion conditions from among the candidate vehicles as a service vehicle 3 to be provided to the user who has made a new vehicle allocation request. The vehicle allocation plan determination unit 61 stores the determined vehicle allocation plan in the vehicle allocation plan database 24 as a vehicle allocation plan in response to the new vehicle allocation request. In this way, a vehicle allocation plan based on the new vehicle allocation request is determined, and a vehicle allocation reservation for the user who has made the new vehicle allocation request is confirmed. When there are multiple candidate vehicles that do not satisfy the above exclusion conditions, the vehicle allocation plan determination unit 61 may preferentially select a shared vehicle. This can further improve the transportation efficiency of users (passengers). Furthermore, from the viewpoint of improving user convenience, the candidate vehicle with the earliest scheduled arrival date and time may be selected instead of a shared vehicle. In this way, the vehicle allocation plan determination unit 61 calculates the boarding and alighting points where the user gets on and off the service vehicle 3 and the travel route of the service vehicle 3 (candidate vehicle) based on the vehicle allocation request, and creates a vehicle allocation plan for the vehicle allocation request.

[0052] The vehicle allocation plan determination unit 61 also transmits information indicating the content of the determined vehicle allocation plan to the user's terminal device 4. For example, it transmits information on the boarding location where the user can board the service vehicle 3, the scheduled dispatch date and time of the service vehicle 3 to the boarding location, the disembarking location where the user can disembark from the service vehicle 3, and the scheduled arrival date and time of the service vehicle 3 at the disembarking location. If the determined vehicle allocation plan is a shared vehicle allocation plan, the vehicle allocation plan determination unit 61 may transmit information indicating the content of the determined (updated) vehicle allocation plan to the terminal device 4 of each of the advance reservation user and the subsequent reservation user. The third controller 43 of the terminal device 4 may output the received information from the HMI 42 and present it to the user. Furthermore, the vehicle allocation plan determination unit 61 may finalize the vehicle allocation plan (store it in the vehicle allocation plan database 24) when it receives information from the terminal device 4 indicating that the user has approved the contents of the vehicle allocation plan.

[0053] Furthermore, the vehicle allocation plan determination unit 61 transmits the driving route stored in the vehicle allocation plan database 24 to the vehicle 3. When the service vehicle 3 is manually driven by the driver, the second controller 34 of the service vehicle 3 presents (displays) the driving route information transmitted from the vehicle allocation management device 2 on a terminal device (not shown). This makes it possible to prompt the driver to drive the service vehicle 3 along the driving route.

[0054] In addition, when the service vehicle 3 travels under automatic driving control, the second controller 34 of the service vehicle 3 performs automatic driving control to drive the service vehicle 3 along the travel route transmitted from the vehicle dispatch management device 2 based on the surrounding environment information and vehicle status information from the sensor 30, the positioning results of the positioning device 31, and the high-precision map in the map database 32.

[0055] The operation information receiving unit 62 receives operation plan information indicating the status of the operation plan of public transportation (airplanes, trains, buses, etc.) from the traffic operation management device 9, which is an external device. The status of the operation plan indicates whether there has been a change in the operation plan (initial operation plan) previously determined for the public transportation. This allows the vehicle dispatch management device 2 (particularly the operation plan correction unit 65) to, when a change occurs in the initial operation plan of the public transportation, appropriately adjust the vehicle dispatch plan affected by the change in accordance with the content of the change.

[0056] The change to the original operation plan may be, for example, a delay to the operation plan. In this case, the operation information receiving unit 62 receives, as operation plan information, information indicating that the change to the original operation plan is a delay of public transportation. The type of change to the original operation plan is not limited to a delay, and may be, for example, a suspension of operation, an extra service, or an increase in the number of services. The operation plan information may include information indicating the type of change.

[0057] Furthermore, if a change occurs in the original operation plan, the operation plan information received by the operation information receiving unit 62 may include information on the amount of change from the original operation plan. The amount of change is a value that quantifies the change (e.g., delay) from the original operation plan, and indicates, for example, the difference between the departure and arrival times in the original operation plan and the departure and arrival times in the changed operation plan. For example, the amount of change may be the amount of delay (delay time) from the original operation plan. For example, if a change (delay) occurs in the original operation plan for a train, and the arrival time at each station after the delay is "10 minutes late," the amount of change will be "10 minutes."

[0058] Furthermore, the operation information receiving unit 62 may receive, as operation plan information, information that includes at least the flight name or train name that can identify a public transportation facility that has undergone a change in its original operation plan. This allows the vehicle dispatch management device 2 to reliably identify the vehicle dispatch plan that will be affected by the change and adjust the vehicle dispatch plan in accordance with the content of the change. As described above, the operation plan information may include information indicating whether or not there has been a change in the original operation plan (change information), information indicating the type of change (delay, suspension of operation, extra service, additional service, etc.) (change type information), information indicating the amount of change (change amount information), and information for identifying transportation facilities (transportation identification information). Note that if no change has occurred in the original operation plan, the operation plan information may include only change information indicating that there has been no change.

[0059] The change amount may be transmitted from the traffic operation management device 9 as operation plan information as described above, or may be calculated by the operation information receiving unit 62. In this case, the change amount information in the operation plan information may include the initial operation plan and the operation plan after the change has occurred. The operation information receiving unit 62 may calculate the change amount from the difference between the departure and arrival times in the initial operation plan and the departure and arrival times in the operation plan after the change (delay) has occurred.

[0060] The operation information receiving unit 62 may receive operation plan information from each of the traffic operation management devices 9 provided for each type of transportation such as trains and airplanes, or may receive operation plan information from a single traffic operation management device 9 that integrates and stores operation plan information for various types of transportation. The operation information receiving unit 62 may receive operation plan information transmitted from the traffic operation management device 9 at a predetermined interval, or may transmit an operation information request to the traffic operation management device 9 requesting the transmission of operation plan information, and receive the operation plan information transmitted in response to the request.

[0061] When a change (e.g., a delay) occurs in the original operation plan of a public transportation facility, the vehicle dispatch plan correction unit 63 corrects the vehicle dispatch plan affected by the change. The vehicle dispatch plan affected by the change refers to a vehicle dispatch plan in response to a vehicle dispatch request from a user (transfer user) who transfers between the service vehicle 3 and the public transportation facility. A transfer user is a user who uses public transportation facility at least either before or after using the vehicle dispatch service, and transfers between the public transportation facility and the service vehicle 3. A transfer user may be a single user, or multiple users who share (ridepool) the service vehicle 3. The correction of the vehicle dispatch plan may be, for example, an adjustment to the time requirements for vehicle dispatch to a user.

[0062] The vehicle dispatch plan correction unit 63 determines whether to correct the vehicle dispatch plan of the connecting user based on the content of the operation plan information before dispatching a service vehicle 3 to the connecting user. That is, the vehicle dispatch plan correction unit 63 determines whether or not there has been a change in the original operation plan for the public transportation facility indicated in the reservation information (transfer information) of the connecting user, based on the change / non-change information and transportation identification information in the received operation plan information, before the scheduled dispatch date and time in the vehicle dispatch plan of the connecting user. This prevents confusion such as the vehicle dispatch plan being corrected after the service vehicle 3 has been dispatched based on the original vehicle dispatch plan, and makes it possible to quickly respond to changes in the original operation plan of the public transportation facility.

[0063] The vehicle dispatch plan correction unit 63 corrects the vehicle dispatch plan of a transit user who uses public transportation whose original operation plan has changed, in accordance with the content (amount of change) of the change (primary correction). The vehicle dispatch plan correction unit 63 corrects the original vehicle dispatch plan of the transit user (a vehicle dispatch plan created in response to a vehicle dispatch request) based on the operation plan information (particularly change amount information) received by the operation information receiving unit 62, thereby making it possible to flexibly adjust vehicle dispatch according to the operation status of the public transportation. Furthermore, the vehicle allocation plan correction unit 63 extracts other users who can share (ridepool) with the transit user the service vehicle 3 allocated to the transit user in accordance with the vehicle allocation plan after the first correction, and re-corrects (secondary correction) the vehicle allocation plan of the transit user based on the vehicle allocation request of the other user. By re-correcting (secondary correction) the vehicle allocation plan of the transit user based on the vehicle allocation request of the other user who can ridepool in the service vehicle 3 allocated to the transit user, the range of users who can share the service vehicle 3 can be expanded, thereby improving transportation efficiency.

[0064] First, the primary correction of the vehicle dispatch plan will be described. In the primary correction, the vehicle dispatch plan correction unit 63 corrects the scheduled arrival date and time in the vehicle dispatch plan of the transfer user based on the transfer information of the transfer user and the operation plan information (change amount information). First, the vehicle allocation plan correction unit 63 acquires the vehicle allocation plan of the transfer user who is the target of the primary correction. The vehicle allocation plan correction unit 63 identifies reservation information that includes the flight name and train name indicated by the operation plan information (particularly the traffic identification information) in the transfer information from among the multiple reservation information contained in the reservation information database 23. Furthermore, based on the content of the identified reservation information (e.g., the reservation ID), the vehicle allocation plan of the transfer user is acquired from the vehicle allocation plan database 24.

[0065] Based on the transfer information of the transfer user, the vehicle dispatch plan correction unit 63 determines whether the public transportation facility whose operation plan has changed is the transfer source (transfer from public transportation facility to service vehicle 3) or the transfer destination (transfer from service vehicle 3 to public transportation facility). For example, when the public transportation mode that has changed is the transfer source, the vehicle dispatch plan correction unit 63 corrects the scheduled vehicle dispatch date and time to reflect the change (e.g., delay time). Specifically, the delay time is added to the scheduled arrival date and time. This prevents users from missing the service vehicle 3 due to the delay, even when a delay occurs in the operation plan of the public transportation mode, and allows for a smooth transfer from the public transportation mode to the service vehicle 3. Furthermore, the vehicle dispatch plan correction unit 63 corrects the scheduled arrival date and time by adding the scheduled travel time to the corrected scheduled vehicle dispatch date and time. This completes the temporal adjustment of the transfer user's vehicle dispatch plan as a first correction when a change occurs in the public transportation mode that is the transfer source.

[0066] Furthermore, if the public transportation facility that has changed is the transfer destination, the vehicle dispatch plan correction unit 63 corrects the scheduled arrival date and time to reflect the amount of change (for example, delay time). Specifically, the delay time is added to the scheduled arrival date and time. This prevents a large time difference from occurring between the scheduled arrival date and time and the departure date and time of the public transportation facility at the transfer destination, even if a delay occurs in the public transportation facility's operation plan, and enables a smooth transfer from the service vehicle 3 to the public transportation facility. Furthermore, the vehicle dispatch plan correction unit 63 corrects the scheduled dispatch date and time by subtracting the scheduled travel time from the corrected scheduled arrival date and time. This completes the temporal adjustment of the transfer user's vehicle dispatch plan as a primary correction when a change occurs in the public transportation facility at the transfer destination. In this way, the primary correction corrects the time requirements of the dispatch plans of transfer users in accordance with changes to the public transportation facility's original operation plan, allowing the dispatch plans to be flexibly adjusted to match the changes.

[0067] Next, the secondary correction of the vehicle dispatch plan will be described. In the vehicle dispatch plan of the transfer user after the above-mentioned primary correction, the time requirements (scheduled dispatch date and time, scheduled arrival date and time) have been corrected, which may expand the range of users who can share (ridepool) the service vehicle 3 dispatched according to the vehicle dispatch plan with the transfer user. In other words, the service vehicle 3 dispatched based on the vehicle dispatch plan after the primary correction can be a candidate vehicle for the vehicle dispatch request of another user other than the transfer user. Therefore, the vehicle allocation plan correction unit 63 extracts the allocation requests of other users who can share the service vehicle 3 allocated to the transfer user based on the vehicle allocation plan of the transfer user after the first correction, and again corrects the vehicle allocation plan after the first correction based on the allocation request of the other user (second correction).

[0068] In the secondary correction, the vehicle allocation plan correction unit 63 extracts vehicle allocation requests (similar vehicle allocation requests) of other users with content similar to that of the transit user from among the multiple reservation information (vehicle allocation requests) stored in the reservation information database 23, and re-corrects the vehicle allocation plan of the transit user that was primarily corrected based on the extracted vehicle allocation requests. By extracting similar vehicle allocation requests, the user who made the similar vehicle allocation request, i.e., another user who can share the service vehicle 3 with the transit user, is extracted. Furthermore, by extracting similar vehicle dispatch requests, other users who can share the service vehicle 3 with the transit user can be efficiently extracted.

[0069] The extraction of similar vehicle allocation requests will now be described. The vehicle allocation plan correction unit 63 narrows down the similar vehicle allocation requests based on the contents of the reservation information (vehicle allocation request information) stored in the reservation information database 23. This narrows down the vehicle allocation requests of other users that satisfy the sharing condition indicating that the transit user and the other user can share the vehicle. In other words, by narrowing down the similar vehicle allocation requests, candidates for other users who can share the service vehicle 3 with the transit user are selected. For example, the vehicle allocation plan correction unit 63 may narrow down the similar vehicle allocation requests from the reservation information (vehicle allocation request information) stored in the reservation information database 23 by excluding reservation information (vehicle allocation request information) whose content meets the similar exclusion conditions such as those exemplified in (v) to (viii) below.

[0070] (v) Conditions regarding the availability of rides Reservation information (vehicle dispatch request information) in which the user has already boarded the service vehicle 3 is excluded from the similar vehicle dispatch requests. (vi) Conditions regarding passenger numbers Reservation information (dispatch request) with a number of passengers exceeding a specified number when added to the number of transfer users requesting a dispatch is excluded from similar dispatch requests. (vii) Conditions regarding the area of movement Reservation information (dispatch request information) whose travel area (desired boarding location and desired alighting location) is not close to the travel area in the transfer user's dispatch request is excluded from the similar dispatch request. In this example, reservation information whose desired boarding location is not close to (for example, within 200 m) the desired boarding location in the transfer user's dispatch request and whose boarding location derived based on the map database 21 and the desired boarding and alighting locations is not the same as the boarding location of the transfer user may be excluded from the similar dispatch request. In other words, in this example, the boarding location of the other user who made the similar dispatch request and the boarding location in the transfer user's dispatch plan are the same. (viii) Conditions regarding ride limit dates and times Reservation information (dispatch request information) whose boarding limit date and time (= desired boarding date and time + boarding delay limit time) does not allow the scheduled dispatch time in the dispatch plan of the transfer user after the first correction is excluded from similar dispatch requests. In other words, reservation information (dispatch request information) that does not allow the amount of change (e.g., delay time) in the public transportation used by the transfer user is excluded from similar dispatch requests.

[0071] The vehicle allocation plan correction unit 63 may extract reservation information (vehicle allocation request information) stored in the reservation information database 23 that does not meet the above-mentioned similar exclusion conditions as a similar vehicle allocation request (vehicle allocation request of the above-mentioned other user).

[0072] When the vehicle allocation plan correction unit 63 extracts a similar vehicle allocation request, it performs a sharing condition determination to determine whether the contents of the initially corrected vehicle allocation plan of the transfer user and the similar vehicle allocation request (a vehicle allocation request of another user) satisfy a sharing condition indicating that the transfer user and the other user who made the similar vehicle allocation request can share the vehicle. If the vehicle allocation plan correction unit 63 determines in the sharing condition determination that the contents of the initially corrected vehicle allocation plan of the transfer user and the similar vehicle allocation request satisfy the sharing condition, it performs a second correction on the vehicle allocation plan initially corrected based on the similar vehicle allocation request. This makes it possible to select another user who can reliably share a service vehicle 3 with the transfer user, thereby improving transportation efficiency.

[0073] When determining the sharing conditions, the vehicle allocation plan correction unit 63 determines the boarding and alighting points of another user based on the extracted similar vehicle allocation request. Similar to the determination of boarding and alighting points by the boarding and alighting point determination unit 611, the vehicle allocation plan correction unit 63 determines the boarding and alighting points according to the similar vehicle allocation request based on the map database 21 and the desired boarding and alighting points of the similar vehicle allocation request. Furthermore, the vehicle allocation plan correction unit 63 calculates a tentative driving route to be used in determining the above-mentioned sharing conditions based on the boarding and alighting points of another user. Similar to when the driving route planning unit 612 changes a driving route based on a vehicle allocation request of an advance booking user, the vehicle allocation plan correction unit 63 changes the content of the driving route in the vehicle allocation plan of the connecting user so that it passes through the boarding and alighting points of another user, and calculates a tentative driving route. At the time of calculating the tentative driving route, the vehicle dispatch plans of the connecting users stored in the vehicle dispatch plan database 24 are not updated.

[0074] The vehicle dispatch plan correction unit 63 calculates a provisional driving route by changing the driving route of the vehicle dispatch plan after the initial correction of the transfer user based on the travel area (desired drop-off point) in the vehicle dispatch request (similar vehicle dispatch request) of another user, and if it determines that the provisional driving route is acceptable to the transfer user and the other user, it re-corrects the vehicle dispatch plan of the transfer user based on the similar vehicle dispatch request.

[0075] The vehicle allocation plan correction unit 63 calculates the date and time (tentative arrival date and time) when the service vehicle 3 will arrive at the drop-off point based on the vehicle allocation plan of the connecting user and the similar vehicle allocation request, based on the tentative travel route. That is, it calculates the tentative arrival date and time for each of the connecting user and the other user. The vehicle allocation plan correction unit 63 may calculate the tentative arrival date and time in the same way as the arrival time calculation unit 613 calculates the expected arrival date and time. In the sharing condition determination, the vehicle dispatch plan correction unit 63 may determine whether the calculated tentative arrival date and time satisfies the following sharing determination conditions (ix) and (x). This makes it possible to determine whether the vehicle dispatch plans and similar vehicle dispatch requests of the transfer users after the primary correction satisfy the sharing conditions.

[0076] (ix) Conditions regarding delays when transit users disembark The transit user's tentative arrival date and time does not exceed the disembarkation delay limit date and time obtained by adding the disembarkation delay limit time to the scheduled arrival date and time in the dispatch plan after the first correction (transfer user's tentative arrival date and time ≦ (scheduled arrival date and time after the first correction + disembarkation delay limit time)). In this case, it indicates that the transit user's dispatch plan after the first correction accepts the contents of another user's dispatch request (similar dispatch request). (x) Conditions regarding delays when another user disembarks The tentative arrival date and time of another user who made a similar dispatch request does not exceed the drop-off delay limit time obtained by adding the drop-off delay limit time to the desired drop-off date and time of the similar dispatch request (the other user's tentative arrival date and time ≦ (desired drop-off date and time + drop-off delay limit time)). In this case, it indicates that the content of the similar dispatch request accepts the content of the dispatch plan after the first correction of the connecting user.

[0077] The vehicle dispatch plan correction unit 63 determines that the tentative driving route is acceptable to the transit user and the other user when the tentative arrival dates and times of the transit user and the other user satisfy the above-mentioned sharing determination conditions (ix) and (x). That is, it determines that the contents of the transit user's vehicle dispatch plan after the first correction and the contents of the similar vehicle dispatch request (the other user's vehicle dispatch request) satisfy the above-mentioned sharing conditions. In this case, the vehicle dispatch plan correction unit 63 re-corrects (secondarily corrects) the transit user's vehicle dispatch plan after the first correction based on the other user's vehicle dispatch request (the similar vehicle dispatch request). More specifically, the tentative driving route and the tentative scheduled date and time are reflected in the vehicle dispatch plan after the first correction. This makes it possible to improve transportation efficiency without causing any damage to either the transit user or the other user (for example, a delay in the arrival date and time at the drop-off location).

[0078] When the vehicle dispatch plan correction unit 63 makes a second correction (re-correction) to the vehicle dispatch plan of the connecting user, it notifies the terminal device 4 of the connecting user and another user (a user who has made a similar vehicle dispatch request) of the second-corrected vehicle dispatch plan. Specifically, it transmits information indicating the contents of the second-corrected vehicle dispatch plan to the terminal device 4 of each user. For example, it transmits information on each user's boarding location and the scheduled dispatch date and time of the service vehicle 3 to each boarding location, and each user's disembarking location and the scheduled arrival date and time of the service vehicle 3 at each disembarking location. The third controller 43 of the terminal device 4 may output this received information from the HMI 42 and present it to the user.

[0079] In addition, upon receiving information from each user's terminal device 4 indicating that the transfer user and another user have approved the contents of the second-corrected vehicle dispatch plan, the vehicle dispatch plan correction unit 63 may confirm the second-correction of the vehicle dispatch plan, i.e., update the vehicle dispatch plan of the transfer user stored in the vehicle dispatch plan database 24 with the contents of the first and second corrections. Furthermore, when the secondary correction is approved by each user, the vehicle dispatch plan correction unit 63 may determine whether or not a vehicle dispatch plan of another user based on a similar vehicle dispatch request is stored in the vehicle dispatch plan database 24, and if so, delete the vehicle dispatch plan of the other user. This makes it possible to prevent vehicle dispatch plans based on a vehicle dispatch request of one user from overlapping.

[0080] In addition, if the tentative arrival dates and times of the transfer user and another user do not satisfy the above-mentioned (ix) and (x) sharing judgment conditions, the vehicle dispatch plan correction unit 63 may determine that the contents of the transfer user's vehicle dispatch plan after the first correction and the contents of the similar vehicle dispatch request (another user's vehicle dispatch request) do not satisfy the above-mentioned sharing conditions, and may confirm only the first correction to the transfer user's vehicle dispatch plan, i.e., update the transfer user's vehicle dispatch plan stored in the vehicle dispatch plan database 24 with the contents of the first correction. Similarly, if the transfer user does not approve the contents of the secondary correction, the transfer user's vehicle dispatch plan stored in the vehicle dispatch plan database 24 may be updated with the contents of the primary correction. Also, even if another user (the user who made a similar dispatch request) does not approve the contents of the second correction, the dispatch plan of the connecting user can be updated with the contents of the first correction, and if the reservation of the other user has not been confirmed (the dispatch request has not been confirmed), a dispatch plan for the other user can be created based on the similar dispatch request.

[0081] Here, the correction (primary correction and secondary correction) of the vehicle allocation plan will be described based on a specific example with reference to FIGS. 3, 4A, and 4B. Figure 3 is a diagram showing an example of reservation information stored in the reservation information database 23, Figure 4A is a diagram showing an example of an initial vehicle dispatch plan for a transfer user, and Figure 4B is a diagram showing an example of a vehicle dispatch plan for a transfer user after correction (first correction and second correction).

[0082] As shown in Figure 3, users A and B wish to transfer from the same airplane flight (flight 111) to service vehicle 3, and are connecting users with the same desired boarding and disembarking locations. In this example, user A is the advance reservation user and user B is the subsequent reservation user, and when the vehicle dispatch management device 2 receives a new vehicle dispatch request from user B in the dispatch request reception unit 60, the vehicle dispatch plan determination unit 61 determines one service vehicle 3 (service vehicle 3A) that has been reserved by user A as a candidate vehicle that does not meet the above exclusion conditions, and creates a vehicle dispatch plan in which user A and user B share service vehicle 3A.

[0083] In this example, it is also assumed that a new vehicle dispatch request is made from user C who wishes to transfer to service vehicle 3 from a flight (flight 112) that arrives at the airport after the flights used by users A and B. In the vehicle dispatch request of user C, the desired boarding location is the same as users A and B (N Airport), but the desired boarding time is later than users A and B. Therefore, when the vehicle dispatch request receiving unit 60 receives a new vehicle dispatch request from user C, the vehicle dispatch management device 2 determines that the shared vehicle of users A and B (service vehicle 3A) satisfies the above exclusion condition (ii) when determining candidate vehicles by the vehicle dispatch plan determination unit 61, and creates a vehicle dispatch plan to dispatch another service vehicle 3 (service vehicle 3B) in response to user C's vehicle dispatch request.

[0084] As a result, as shown in Figure 4A, a vehicle dispatch plan is created in which users A and B who disembark from a plane (flight 111) arriving at N Airport at 11:40 will board service vehicle 3A which will arrive at the boarding point (the nearest boarding and disembarking point to N Airport) at 12:00, and service vehicle 3A will arrive at the disembarking point (the nearest boarding and disembarking point to train station S) at 12:20, where users A and B will disembark. Meanwhile, in response to user C's request for a vehicle dispatch, a vehicle dispatch plan is created in which user C, who disembarks from a plane (flight 112) arriving at N airport at 11:50, boards service vehicle 3B, which arrives at the boarding point (the nearest boarding and disembarking point at N airport) at 12:10, and service vehicle 3B arrives at the disembarking point (the nearest boarding and disembarking point to T bus stop) at 12:40, where user C disembarks. In other words, multiple (two) service vehicles 3 are dispatched to the same boarding point during the same time period (12:00 to 12:10 on the same day).

[0085] In the vehicle dispatch management device 2, the vehicle dispatch plan correction unit 63 determines whether to correct the vehicle dispatch plan of the connecting user (users A and B) based on the operation plan information from the traffic operation management device 9 before dispatching the service vehicle 3A to the connecting user (users A and B) (before the scheduled dispatch date and time (12:00)). In this example, before the scheduled dispatch date and time (for example, 11:30), the vehicle dispatch management device 2 (operation information receiving unit 62) receives, as operation plan information, information (change type information) indicating that a change occurred in the original operation plan of the flight (flight 111) on which users A and B are boarding is a "delay." In the operation plan information, the amount of change (delay time of the flight (flight 111)) is "10 minutes." In this case, there is a risk that the connecting user (users A and B) will not be able to board the service vehicle 3A at the scheduled dispatch date and time (12:00) of the original vehicle dispatch plan, creating an unstable situation regarding whether the connecting user will be able to board the flight.

[0086] Therefore, in the vehicle dispatch management device 2, the vehicle dispatch plan correction unit 63 identifies reservation information from the reservation information database 23 that includes in its transfer information a public transportation facility (in this example, a delayed flight (flight 111)) whose operation plan indicated by the operation plan information (traffic identification information) has changed, and obtains vehicle dispatch plans for users A and B from the vehicle dispatch plan database 24 based on the reservation ID of the identified reservation information. When the dispatch plan correction unit 63 determines based on the transfer information that the delayed plane is the transfer source, it corrects the scheduled dispatch date and time to reflect the delay time (10 minutes), and further corrects the scheduled arrival date and time by adding the scheduled travel time (20 minutes) to the corrected scheduled dispatch date and time. As a result, as shown in Figure 4B, the scheduled dispatch date and time in the dispatch plans of users A and B are corrected to "12:10" and the scheduled arrival date and time to "12:30".

[0087] In this way, the vehicle dispatch plan correction unit 63 corrects (primary correction) the vehicle dispatch plans of transfer users (users A and B in this example) who use public transportation whose original operation plan has changed, in accordance with the amount of change (delay time: 10 minutes), which is the content of the change. This reduces the risk that transfer users will miss the service vehicle 3A that is scheduled to be dispatched, and enables smooth transfers, even when a change (for example, a delay) occurs in the operation plan of the public transportation (airplane in this example).

[0088] The vehicle allocation plan correction unit 63 extracts user C as another user who can share (carpool) with the connecting user the service vehicle 3A to be allocated to the connecting user (users A and B) according to the vehicle allocation plan after the first correction, and again corrects (second correction) the vehicle allocation plan of the connecting user based on the vehicle allocation request of user C. Specifically, the vehicle allocation plan correction unit 63 extracts, from the plurality of reservation information (vehicle allocation request information) stored in the reservation information database 23, a vehicle allocation request similar in content to the vehicle allocation request of the connecting user (users A and B), as a vehicle allocation request of another user (user C).

[0089] The vehicle dispatch plan correction unit 63 excludes reservation information that meets the similarity exclusion conditions and extracts similar vehicle dispatch requests. Then, the vehicle dispatch plan correction unit 63 calculates a tentative driving route by modifying the driving route (the driving route from the nearest boarding / alighting point at N Airport to the nearest boarding / alighting point at Train Station S) in the vehicle dispatch plan of the connecting users (users A and B) based on the travel area (desired boarding / alighting points) in the similar vehicle dispatch requests. In this example, the tentative driving route is a route that travels from the boarding point common to users A, B, and C (the nearest boarding / alighting point at N Airport) via the nearest boarding / alighting point at Train Station S, which is the disembarking point for users A and B, to the nearest boarding / alighting point at bus stop T, which is the disembarking point for user C. The vehicle dispatch plan correction unit 63 also calculates tentative arrival dates and times for each of the connecting users (users A and B) and another user (user C) based on the tentative driving route. In this example, the tentative driving route is such that service vehicle 3A arrives at the disembarking points for users A and B, and then arrives at the disembarking point for user C. Therefore, the tentative arrival dates and times of users A and B remain the same as the scheduled arrival date and time (12:30) at the time of the first correction. Furthermore, since the scheduled dispatch date and time of service vehicle 3A after the first correction is the same as the scheduled dispatch date and time of service vehicle 3B, the scheduled arrival date and time of user C remains "12:40" as shown in Figure 4A.

[0090] Based on the above tentative arrival date and time, the vehicle dispatch plan correction unit 63 determines that the vehicle dispatch plans of the transfer users (users A and B) and the similar vehicle dispatch request (the vehicle dispatch request of user C) after the first correction satisfy the above (ix) and (x) sharing determination conditions (the contents of the vehicle dispatch plan of the transfer user after the first correction and the contents of the similar vehicle dispatch request satisfy the sharing conditions). As a result, the vehicle dispatch plan correction unit 63 performs a second correction by reflecting the tentative driving route and tentative estimated arrival date and time in the vehicle dispatch plan after the first correction, and updates the vehicle dispatch plans of users A and B so that users A, B, and C share service vehicle 3A, as shown in Figure 4B.

[0091] In this way, when the vehicle dispatch management device 2 according to this embodiment determines that the contents of the vehicle dispatch plan of the transfer users (users A and B) corrected in accordance with the contents of the changes in the initial operation plan of the public transportation facility and the contents of the vehicle dispatch request of another user (user C) satisfy the sharing conditions indicating that the transfer user and the other user can share the service vehicle 3A (satisfying the sharing determination conditions (ix) and (x) above), it re-corrects (secondarily corrects) the vehicle dispatch plan of the transfer user based on the vehicle dispatch request of the other user. More specifically, the vehicle dispatch management device 2 calculates a tentative driving route by changing the driving route of the vehicle dispatch plan of the transfer users (users A and B) based on the travel area (desired boarding and disembarking points) in the vehicle dispatch request (similar vehicle dispatch request) of the other user (user C), and when it determines that the tentative driving route is acceptable to the transfer user and the other user (satisfies the above sharing conditions), it secondarily corrects the vehicle dispatch plan of the transfer user based on the similar vehicle dispatch request. In addition, with the second correction, the original vehicle allocation plan of user C (see FIG. 4A) is deleted from the vehicle allocation plan database 24. This expands the range of users who can share the service vehicle 3, allowing users A, B, and C to ride together in one service vehicle 3 (service vehicle 3A). Furthermore, service vehicle 3B can be used in a vehicle dispatch plan responding to another vehicle dispatch request. Therefore, the vehicle dispatch management device 2 according to this embodiment can reliably improve transportation efficiency while flexibly adjusting vehicle dispatch in accordance with the operating status of transportation facilities, taking into account users' transfers.

[0092] While this example describes a case where the public transportation system from which the transfer user is transferring is delayed, the present disclosure is not limited to this. Even when the public transportation system at the transfer destination is delayed, the transfer user's vehicle dispatch plan can be corrected (first and second corrections) as described above. For example, when the public transportation system at the transfer destination is delayed, the first correction is performed by correcting the estimated arrival date and time in the transfer user's vehicle dispatch plan to reflect the change (delay time), and the scheduled dispatch date and time are corrected accordingly. The vehicle dispatch management device 2 (vehicle dispatch plan correction unit 63) extracts similar vehicle dispatch requests and calculates a tentative travel route and tentative arrival date and time, just as in the case where the public transportation system at the transfer source is delayed. If the tentative arrival date and time satisfy the sharing determination condition, the vehicle dispatch plan of the transfer user can be re-corrected (second correction). This allows for reliable improvement of transportation efficiency even when a change occurs in the operation plan of the public transportation system at the transfer destination of the transfer user, while flexibly adjusting vehicle dispatch according to the operation status of the transportation system, taking into account the user's transfer.

[0093] 5 is a block diagram of an example of the functional configuration of the second controller 34 of the service vehicle 3. When the service vehicle 3 can travel under autonomous driving control, the second controller 34 includes a movement instruction receiving unit 70, a position information receiving unit 71, and an autonomous driving control unit 72. The travel instruction receiving unit 70 receives the travel instruction transmitted from the vehicle dispatch management device 2, that is, the vehicle dispatch plan (travel route), and outputs the received travel route to the automatic driving control unit 72. The position information receiving unit 71 receives the position information of the service vehicle 3 from the positioning device 31. The position information receiving unit 71 transmits the received position information to the vehicle dispatch management device 2 via the communication device 33.

[0094] The automatic driving control unit 72 executes automatic driving control to make the vehicle 3 travel in accordance with the vehicle dispatch plan transmitted from the vehicle dispatch management device 2. Specifically, the automatic driving control unit 72 executes automatic driving control to make the service vehicle 3 travel in accordance with the vehicle dispatch plan transmitted from the vehicle dispatch management device 2, based on the surrounding environment information and vehicle state information from the sensor 30, the positioning results of the positioning device 31, and the high-precision map in the map DB 32. The automatic driving control unit 72 executes automatic driving control in accordance with the latest vehicle dispatch plan. Therefore, when the travel instruction receiving unit 70 receives a corrected vehicle dispatch plan from the vehicle dispatch management device 2, the automatic driving control unit 72 executes automatic driving control in accordance with the corrected vehicle dispatch plan.

[0095] (operation) FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a vehicle allocation management process performed by a vehicle allocation management device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. This processing is realized by the first controller 26 of the vehicle dispatch control device 2 executing a vehicle dispatch control server program under the control of the processor, thereby cooperating with various hardware resources. In step S1, the vehicle allocation request receiving unit 60 receives vehicle allocation request information (vehicle allocation request information) transmitted from the terminal device 4 and receives a vehicle allocation request from the user. In step S2, the vehicle allocation request receiving unit 60 receives transfer information transmitted from the terminal device 4 along with the vehicle allocation request information. In step S3, the vehicle allocation request receiving unit 60 links the received vehicle allocation request information with the transfer information and registers it as reservation information (stores it in the reservation information database 23).

[0096] In step S4, the vehicle allocation plan determination unit 61 determines a vehicle allocation plan based on the reservation information (vehicle allocation request information) registered in step S3. Note that the vehicle allocation plan determination unit 61 may refer to operation plan information when creating a vehicle allocation plan in response to a vehicle allocation request. In other words, when creating a vehicle allocation plan, if there is a change (e.g., a delay) in the public transportation indicated in the transfer information of the user who made the vehicle allocation request, the arrival time calculation unit 613 may determine the scheduled vehicle allocation date and time and the scheduled arrival date and time for the user by taking into account the amount of change (e.g., delay time), as in the case of the above-mentioned primary correction. This allows the amount of change to be reflected when creating a vehicle allocation plan, and avoids the processing load of making further corrections (primary corrections) after creating a vehicle allocation plan. In step S5, the vehicle allocation plan determination unit 61 notifies (transmits) the contents of the determined vehicle allocation plan to the user's terminal device 4. In response to this, the terminal device 4 presents the contents of the vehicle allocation plan to the user via the HMI 42 and prompts the user to decide whether or not to accept the contents of the vehicle allocation plan for the candidate vehicles.

[0097] In step S6, the vehicle allocation plan determination unit 61 determines whether an acceptance notice has been received from the user in response to the acceptance request. If an acceptance notice has been received from the terminal device 4, the vehicle allocation plan determination unit 61 determines that the content of the vehicle allocation plan has been accepted by the user, and proceeds to step S7 (step S6: Y). In step S7, the vehicle allocation plan determination unit 61 stores the contents of the vehicle allocation plan in the vehicle allocation plan database 24, and finalizes the vehicle allocation plan determined in step S4. Subsequently, in step S8, the vehicle allocation plan determination unit 61 transmits a vehicle allocation instruction (movement instruction) based on the vehicle allocation plan (travel route) to the service vehicle 3. At this time, a notification of confirmation of the vehicle allocation reservation based on the vehicle allocation request may be transmitted to the terminal device 4.

[0098] On the other hand, if the vehicle allocation plan determination unit 61 receives a rejection notice (cancellation) from the user's terminal device 4 in response to the notification of the vehicle allocation plan (S6: N), it cancels the current vehicle allocation plan based on the user's vehicle allocation request in step S9. In this case, the vehicle allocation plan determination unit 61 may recreate the vehicle allocation plan. If the user desires a different vehicle allocation service, the user will make a new vehicle allocation request.

[0099] 7 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a vehicle dispatch management process performed by a vehicle dispatch management device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. That is, the same figure is a flowchart illustrating an example of a process of correcting a vehicle dispatch plan determined in the vehicle dispatch management process shown in FIG. As shown in the figure, in step S11, the operation information receiving unit 62 receives operation plan information from the traffic operation management device 9. In step S12, the operation information receiving unit 62 determines whether or not there is a change (for example, a delay) in the original operation plan of the public transportation facility based on the received operation plan information. If the operation information receiving unit 62 determines that there is a change based on the operation plan information (change presence / absence information) (step S12: Y), the operation information receiving unit 62 proceeds to step S13. At this time, the operation information receiving unit 62 outputs the received operation plan information to the vehicle allocation plan correction unit 63. On the other hand, if the operation information receiving unit 62 determines that there is no change based on the operation plan information (change presence / absence information), it determines that there is no need to correct the vehicle allocation plan and ends the correction process.

[0100] In step S13, the dispatch plan correction unit 63 acquires the amount of change (e.g., delay time) in the original operation plan of the public transportation facility based on the operation plan information (change amount information). The amount of change may include a sign (+, -) indicating positive or negative, where a positive sign (+) indicates that the departure or arrival of the public transportation facility will be delayed, and a negative sign (-) indicates that the departure or arrival will be earlier. In step S14, the vehicle allocation plan correction unit 63 acquires the vehicle allocation plan of the transfer user to be corrected. The vehicle allocation plan to be corrected refers to the vehicle allocation plan of a transfer user who uses public transportation whose original operation plan has been changed. The vehicle allocation plan correction unit 63 identifies reservation information in the reservation information database 23 that includes the public transportation whose transfer information has been changed based on the operation plan information (transportation identification information), and acquires the vehicle allocation plan corresponding to the identified reservation information from the vehicle allocation plan database 24.

[0101] In step S15, the vehicle dispatch plan correction unit 63 makes a first correction to the vehicle dispatch plan acquired in step S14 based on the change amount acquired in step S13. The vehicle dispatch plan correction unit 63 determines whether the public transportation facility indicated in the operation plan information is the transfer source or transfer destination based on the transfer information, and then corrects the scheduled dispatch date and time and the scheduled arrival date and time based on the result of the determination, the change amount, and the scheduled travel time in the current vehicle dispatch plan. In step S16, the vehicle allocation plan correction unit 63 extracts a vehicle allocation request of another user who can share the service vehicle 3 with the transit user. Specifically, based on the similarity exclusion conditions exemplified in (v) to (viii) above, vehicle allocation request information (similar vehicle allocation requests) whose content is similar to the vehicle allocation request information of the transit user is extracted as a vehicle allocation request of the other user from among the multiple reservation information (vehicle allocation request information) stored in the reservation information database 23.

[0102] In step S17, the vehicle dispatch plan correction unit 63 calculates a tentative driving route by changing the content of the driving route in the vehicle dispatch plan of the connecting user so that the route passes through the boarding and disembarking points of another user, as described above. Subsequently, in step S18, the vehicle dispatch plan correction unit 63 calculates a tentative arrival date and time based on the tentative driving route. The tentative arrival date and time indicates the date and time when the service vehicle 3 traveling on the tentative driving route will arrive at the drop-off points (the drop-off points of the connecting user and the drop-off points of the other user) based on the vehicle dispatch plan of the connecting user and the similar vehicle dispatch request, respectively.

[0103] In step S19, the vehicle dispatch plan correction unit 63 determines whether the tentative travel route is acceptable to the transit user and the other user. If the tentative arrival date and time calculated in step S19 satisfies the sharing determination conditions (above (ix) and (x)), the vehicle dispatch plan correction unit 63 determines that the contents of the transit user's primarily corrected vehicle dispatch plan and the contents of the similar vehicle dispatch request satisfy the sharing conditions, that is, that the tentative travel route is acceptable to the transit user and the other user (step S19: Y), and proceeds to step S20. In step S20, the vehicle allocation plan correction unit 63 performs a second correction, reflects the tentative travel route and tentative scheduled date and time in the vehicle allocation plan after the first correction, and proceeds to step S21. On the other hand, if the provisional arrival date and time does not satisfy the sharing determination conditions exemplified by (ix) and (x) above, the vehicle allocation plan correction unit 63 determines that the provisional driving route is not acceptable to the transit user and the other user (step S19: N), and proceeds to step S21 without executing step S20 (secondary correction). Note that if the secondary correction is not performed, if a vehicle allocation plan for the other user has already been created (stored in the vehicle allocation plan DB 24), the created vehicle allocation plan can be maintained, and if a vehicle allocation plan for the other user has not already been created, the vehicle allocation plan determination unit 61 can newly create (determine) a vehicle allocation plan for the other user.

[0104] In step S21, the vehicle allocation plan correction unit 63 notifies (transmits) the content of the corrected vehicle allocation plan to the user's terminal device 4. At this time, if a secondary correction has been made (step S19: Y ⇒ step S20), the vehicle allocation plan correction unit 63 notifies the connecting user and the other user's terminal device 4 of the content of the second-corrected vehicle allocation plan. In addition, if a secondary correction has not been made (step S19: N), the vehicle allocation plan correction unit 63 notifies the connecting user of the content of the first-corrected vehicle allocation plan. In response to this, the terminal device 4 may present the contents of the vehicle allocation plan to the user, as in the processing of step S6 above, and prompt the user (transfer user, another user) to decide whether or not to accept the contents of the vehicle allocation plan for the candidate vehicles.

[0105] Similarly to step S7 above, the vehicle allocation plan correction unit 63 may determine whether an acceptance notice has been received from the user in response to the acceptance request, and if an acceptance notice has been received from the terminal device 4, may determine that the content of the corrected vehicle allocation plan has been accepted by the user (transfer user, other user), and proceed to step S22. Furthermore, if the vehicle allocation plan correction unit 63 receives a rejection notice (cancellation) from the user's terminal device 4 in response to the notification of the vehicle allocation plan, it may cancel the corrected vehicle allocation plan. In this case, the vehicle allocation plan correction unit 63 may correct the vehicle allocation plan again. Furthermore, if the transfer user or other user desires a different vehicle allocation service, they will make a new vehicle allocation request.

[0106] In step S22, the vehicle allocation plan correction unit 63 retransmits to the service vehicle 3 a vehicle allocation instruction (movement instruction) based on the corrected (first correction or second correction) vehicle allocation plan (travel route). As a result, the vehicle allocation instruction to the service vehicle 3 is corrected (updated). When correcting the vehicle allocation instruction, the vehicle allocation plan correction unit 63 may first update the vehicle allocation plan of the connecting user stored in the vehicle allocation plan database 24 with the contents of the first correction or second correction. Furthermore, if the second correction is approved by each user and a vehicle allocation plan of another user is stored in the vehicle allocation plan database 24, the vehicle allocation plan correction unit 63 may delete the vehicle allocation plan of the other user. Note that when correcting the vehicle allocation instruction, the vehicle allocation plan correction unit 63 may transmit to the terminal device 4 a notification of confirmation of the correction (first correction or second correction) of the vehicle allocation plan.

[0107] (Variation) (1) In the vehicle dispatch system 1, the vehicle dispatch management device 2 (operation information receiving unit 62) may receive information indicating a cause of a change (change cause information) as operation plan information. That is, the operation plan information may include change cause information. A change cause refers to an event that causes a change in the operation plan (delay, suspension of operation, etc.), such as an accident, bad weather, a breakdown, or a passenger problem. Depending on the cause of the change, if a change occurs in the public transportation indicated in the transfer information at the boarding or alighting point in the original vehicle dispatch plan of the transfer user, it may be difficult to transfer between the public transportation and the service vehicle 3. For example, if the cause of the change is "accident" or "bad weather," the operating area of the public transportation may be restricted for a long period of time, and the public transportation may not be able to reach the vicinity of the boarding or alighting point where the user transfers between the public transportation and the service vehicle 3. In this case, simply correcting the scheduled dispatch time for the transfer user may not ensure a smooth transfer between the public transportation and the service vehicle 3.

[0108] Therefore, the vehicle dispatch management device 2 (vehicle dispatch plan correction unit 63) may determine whether to change the boarding and alighting points in the vehicle dispatch plan of the transfer user based on the factors indicated in the operation plan information (change factor information), and if the boarding and alighting points are to be changed, may derive boarding and alighting points available to the transfer user based on the operation plan information. For example, the vehicle dispatch plan correction unit 63 may determine that the boarding and alighting points need to be changed when the cause of the change indicated in the change factor information is "accident" or "bad weather." Furthermore, the operation plan information may include information indicating the operation section of the public transportation system where the change occurred (operation section information), and the vehicle dispatch plan correction unit 63 may derive boarding and alighting points available to the transfer user based on the operation section information and the map database 21. In addition, the vehicle dispatch plan correction unit 63 may send (notify) the derived boarding and alighting points available to the transfer user to the transfer user's terminal device 4, and if consent is obtained from the user (a consent notification is received from the terminal device 4), the vehicle dispatch plan correction unit 63 may change the boarding and alighting points in the transfer user's vehicle dispatch plan. By determining whether a change in boarding and alighting point is necessary based on the above factors and deriving boarding and alighting points available to the connecting user if a change is necessary, even if a change occurs in the operation plan, it is possible to more smoothly and reliably transfer between the public transportation system and the service vehicle 3. Furthermore, by notifying the user's terminal device 4 of the derived boarding and alighting point, available boarding and alighting points are suggested to the user, giving the user a sense of security in the event of a change in the operation plan.

[0109] For example, when the transfer user uses public transportation before using the vehicle dispatch service (the public transportation is the transfer source), the vehicle dispatch plan correction unit 63 may determine whether to change the boarding location through which the travel route passes in the transfer user's vehicle dispatch plan based on the above factors. Furthermore, when changing the boarding location, the vehicle dispatch plan correction unit 63 may derive, as the boarding location, a boarding location (boarding location) where the transfer user can board the service vehicle 3 after using the public transportation indicated by the transfer information based on the operation plan information (operation section information). This allows smooth transfer to the service vehicle 3 at the transfer destination even if there is a change in the original operation plan of the public transportation system from which the transfer is made, thereby improving user convenience in the ride-hailing service.

[0110] Furthermore, for example, when the transfer user uses transportation after using a vehicle dispatch service (when public transportation is the transfer destination), the vehicle dispatch plan correction unit 63 may determine whether to change the drop-off point that the travel route passes through in the transfer user's vehicle dispatch plan based on the above factors. Furthermore, when changing the drop-off point, the vehicle dispatch plan correction unit 63 may derive, as the drop-off point, a boarding / alighting point where the transfer user can use public transportation indicated by the transfer information after getting off the service vehicle 3 based on the operation plan information (operation section information). This allows smooth transfers from the service vehicle 3 that is the transfer source even if there is a change in the original operation plan of the public transportation system that is the transfer destination, thereby improving user convenience in the ride-hailing service.

[0111] (2) In the above embodiment, reservation information whose boarding location is not the same as that of the transfer user is excluded from the similar dispatch requests when extracting similar dispatch requests (see (vii) above). However, the present disclosure is not limited to this. That is, the dispatch plan correction unit 63 may extract reservation information whose boarding location derived based on the desired boarding location is not the same as that of the transfer user as a similar dispatch request. In this case, the boarding location derived based on the desired boarding location of the reservation information may be a boarding location located on the travel route in the dispatch plan of the transfer user or a boarding location within a predetermined range (e.g., within 500 m) from the travel route. Even if the boarding location based on the similar dispatch request is not the same as that of the transfer user, if the tentative arrival date and time satisfy the sharing determination conditions (see (ix) and (x) above), the contents of the dispatch plan after the primary correction of the transfer user and the contents of the similar dispatch request (the dispatch request of another user) satisfy the sharing condition (the transfer user and the other user can share the service vehicle 3).

[0112] (3) As described above, the timing for determining whether to correct the vehicle dispatch plan of the transfer user may be before the service vehicle 3 is dispatched to the transfer user. For example, if the transfer source is public transportation, the need for correction may be determined when the user uses the public transportation. In this case, the vehicle dispatch plan correction unit 63 may determine the departure date and time from the flight name and train name indicated in the transfer information. Alternatively, the need for correction may be determined when the operation information receiving unit 62 receives operation plan information corresponding to the public transportation used by the transfer user (the flight name and train name indicated in the transfer information). In other words, when the operation plan information (change presence / absence information) indicates "changed," reservation information that includes the public transportation that has changed in the transfer information may be identified from the reservation information database 23, and the vehicle dispatch plan corresponding to the identified reservation information may be corrected as needed.

[0113] (Effects of the embodiment) (1) The vehicle dispatch management device 2 and the vehicle dispatch management method by the vehicle dispatch management device 2, which manage the dispatch of vehicles to be provided for the vehicle dispatch service in response to a vehicle dispatch request from a user, include a process of receiving vehicle dispatch request information from the user's terminal device 4, including the travel area (desired boarding and disembarking point) in which the service vehicle 3 will be moved and the desired date and time of boarding and disembarking the service vehicle 3, and accepting the vehicle dispatch request from the user; a process of receiving transfer information from the user's terminal device 4, including the transportation means the user will use before and after using the vehicle dispatch service, and registering the transfer information in association with the vehicle dispatch request information; and a process of determining the boarding and disembarking points where the user will board and disembark the service vehicle 3 and the travel route of the service vehicle 3 based on the vehicle dispatch request. the process of calculating the vehicle dispatch time and creating a vehicle dispatch plan for the vehicle dispatch request; the process of receiving from the traffic operation management device 9 operation plan information indicating whether or not there has been a change in the operation plan of the public transportation facility; the process of correcting (first correction) the vehicle dispatch plan of a transfer user who uses public transportation facility and whose original operation plan has changed before or after using the vehicle dispatch service, in accordance with the content of the change; the process of extracting another user who can share the service vehicle 3 to be dispatched to the transfer user, and re-correcting (second correction) the corrected vehicle dispatch plan of the transfer user based on the vehicle dispatch request of the other user; and the process of notifying the transfer user and the other user of the re-corrected vehicle dispatch plan. As described above, when a change occurs in the initial operation plan of a public transportation facility, the vehicle dispatch management device 2 (particularly the operation plan correction unit 65) can appropriately adjust the vehicle dispatch plan affected by the change by performing a first correction to match the content of the change. Furthermore, by performing a second correction, the range of users who share the service vehicle 3 can be expanded, thereby improving transportation efficiency. In other words, the vehicle dispatch management device 2 according to this embodiment can improve transportation efficiency while flexibly adjusting vehicle dispatch in accordance with the operation status of transportation facilities, taking into account users' transfers.

[0114] (2) The first controller 26 may extract, from among the multiple dispatch requests, dispatch requests (similar dispatch requests) having content similar to the dispatch request (dispatch request information) of the transfer user as dispatch requests of the other user who can share the service vehicle 3 with the transfer user, and may re-correct (secondary correction) the dispatch plan of the transfer user based on the extracted dispatch request. This allows the vehicle dispatch management device 2 to extract users who have made similar vehicle dispatch requests, i.e., other users who can share the service vehicle 3 with the transit user. It also allows efficient extraction of other users who meet the conditions (sharing conditions) for sharing the service vehicle 3 with the transit user.

[0115] (3) Before dispatching the service vehicle 3 to the transfer user, the first controller 26 may determine whether or not to correct the vehicle dispatch plan of the transfer user based on the contents of the operation plan information. This allows the vehicle dispatch management device 2 to correct the initial vehicle dispatch plan before dispatching the service vehicle 3, thereby preventing confusion in dispatching vehicles to transfer users and allowing the device to quickly respond to changes to the public transportation system's initial operation plan. (4) The first controller 26 may receive, as transfer information, information that includes at least the flight name or train name that can identify a public transportation facility that has experienced a change in its original operation plan. This allows the vehicle dispatch management device 2 to reliably identify vehicle dispatch plans that will be affected by changes in the operation plans of public transportation facilities, and adjust the vehicle dispatch plans in accordance with the contents of the changes. (5) The first controller 26 may receive, as operation plan information, information indicating that a change that has occurred in the original operation plan of a public transportation facility is a delay of the public transportation facility. As a result, when public transportation is delayed, the vehicle dispatch management device 2 corrects (primary correction) the dispatch plan of the connecting user according to the delay time (change content), thereby realizing a smooth transfer between the delayed public transportation and the service vehicle 3.

[0116] (6) If the first controller 26 determines that the contents of the transfer user's vehicle dispatch plan corrected in accordance with the changes indicated by the operation plan information and the contents of another user's vehicle dispatch request (similar vehicle dispatch request) satisfy the sharing condition indicating that the transfer user and the other user can share the service vehicle 3, the first controller 26 may re-correct (secondary correction) the transfer user's vehicle dispatch plan based on the other user's vehicle dispatch request. This allows the transfer user to select another user who can reliably share the service vehicle 3 with the transfer user, thereby improving transportation efficiency. (7) The first controller 26 may calculate a provisional driving route by changing the driving route of the vehicle dispatch plan of the transit user based on the travel area in the vehicle dispatch request (similar vehicle dispatch request) of another user, and if it determines that the provisional driving route is acceptable to the transit user and the other user (the provisional arrival date and time based on the provisional driving route satisfies the above (ix) and (x)), it may re-correct (secondary correction) the vehicle dispatch plan of the transit user based on the vehicle dispatch request of the other user. As a result, the vehicle dispatch management device 2 can improve transportation efficiency without causing damage to both the connecting user and the other user (for example, delay in arrival date and time at the drop-off location).

[0117] (8) The operation plan information includes information indicating the factors of changes that have occurred in the operation plan of the public transportation system (change factor information), and the first controller 26 determines whether to change the boarding and alighting points in the dispatch plan of the transfer user based on the factors, and if the boarding and alighting points are to be changed, derives boarding and alighting points that are available to the transfer user based on the operation plan information, and notifies the terminal device of the transfer user of the derived boarding and alighting points. This allows smoother and more reliable transfers between public transportation and the service vehicle 3 even if there is a change in the operation plan. (9) When the transfer user uses public transportation before using the dispatch service, the first controller 26 determines whether to change the boarding location among the boarding and alighting locations that the driving route passes through in the transfer user's dispatch plan based on the factors for the change in the operation plan (change factor information), and if the boarding location is to be changed, the first controller 26 may derive as the boarding location a boarding and alighting location where the transfer user can board the service vehicle 3 after using the public transportation indicated by the transfer information based on the operation plan information (operation section information). This allows smooth transfer to the service vehicle 3 at the transfer destination even if there is a change in the original operation plan of the public transportation system from which the transfer is made, thereby improving user convenience in the ride-hailing service. (10) When a transfer user uses public transportation after using a dispatch service, the first controller 26 determines whether to change the disembarkation point among the boarding and alighting points along the travel route in the transfer user's dispatch plan based on factors for the change in the operation plan (change factor information), and when changing the disembarkation point, the first controller 26 may derive, as the disembarkation point, a boarding and alighting point where the transfer user can use public transportation indicated by the transfer information after disembarking from the service vehicle 3 based on the operation plan information (operation section information). This allows smooth transfers from the service vehicle 3 that is the transfer source even if there is a change in the original operation plan of the public transportation system that is the transfer destination, thereby improving user convenience in the ride-hailing service. [Explanation of symbols]

[0118] 1. Vehicle dispatch system 2. Vehicle dispatch management device 20. Communication Equipment 21 Map Database 22 User Information Database 23 Reservation Information Database 24 Vehicle dispatch plan database 25 Driving history database 26 First Controller 26a processor 26b Storage device 3, 3A, 3B service vehicles 30 sensors 31 Positioning device 32 Map Database 33 Communication equipment 34 Second Controller 34a processor 34b Storage device 35 Actuator 4 Terminal Devices 40 Positioning device 41 Communication equipment 42 Human Machine Interface (HMI) 43 Third Controller 43a processor 43b Storage device 60 Vehicle dispatch request reception department 61 Vehicle Allocation Planning Department 611 Boarding and Alighting Location Determination Department 612 Travel Route Planning Unit 613 Arrival Time Calculation Unit 62 Operation information receiving unit 63 Vehicle Allocation Plan Correction Department 70 Movement Instruction Reception Department 71 Location information receiving unit 72 Automatic driving control unit

Claims

1. A vehicle allocation management device that manages allocation of vehicles to be provided for a vehicle allocation service in response to a vehicle allocation request from a user, receiving, from the user's terminal device, vehicle dispatch request information including a travel area to be traveled by the vehicle and a desired date and time for boarding and disembarking the vehicle, and accepting the vehicle dispatch request; receiving, from the user's terminal device, transfer information indicating transportation facilities used by the user before and after using the vehicle dispatch service, and registering the transfer information in association with the vehicle dispatch request information; A process of calculating locations where users will get on and off the vehicle and a travel route of the vehicle based on the vehicle allocation request, and creating a vehicle allocation plan for the vehicle allocation request; receiving operation plan information indicating whether or not there is a change in the operation plan of the transportation facility from an external device; A process of correcting a vehicle dispatch plan of a transfer user using a transportation facility whose operation plan has changed before or after using the vehicle dispatch service, in accordance with the content of the change; extracting another user who can share the vehicle allocated to the transfer user, and re-correcting the corrected vehicle allocation plan of the transfer user based on the vehicle allocation request of the other user; a process of notifying the terminal devices of the transfer user and the other user of the re-corrected vehicle dispatch plan; A vehicle dispatch management device comprising a controller that executes the above.

2. The controller A vehicle dispatch management device as described in claim 1, which extracts a vehicle dispatch request from a plurality of vehicle dispatch requests that has content similar to the vehicle dispatch request of the transfer user as the vehicle dispatch request of the other user, and re-corrects the vehicle dispatch plan of the transfer user based on the extracted vehicle dispatch request.

3. The controller Before allocating the vehicle to the transfer user, it is determined whether or not to correct the vehicle allocation plan of the transfer user based on the content of the operation plan information. The vehicle dispatch control device according to claim 1.

4. The controller receiving, as the transfer information, information including at least a flight name or a train name that can identify the transportation facility for which the change in the operation plan has occurred; The vehicle dispatch control device according to claim 1 .

5. The controller receiving, as the operation plan information, information indicating that the change that has occurred in the operation plan is a delay of the transportation facility; The vehicle dispatch control device according to claim 1.

6. The controller When it is determined that the content of the vehicle allocation plan of the transfer user corrected in accordance with the content of the change in the operation plan and the content of the vehicle allocation request of the other user satisfy a sharing condition indicating that the transfer user and the other user can share the vehicle, the vehicle allocation plan of the transfer user is re-corrected based on the vehicle allocation request of the other user. The vehicle dispatch control device according to claim 1.

7. The controller calculate a provisional driving route by changing the driving route of the vehicle allocation plan of the transit user based on the travel area in the vehicle allocation request of the other user, and if it is determined that the provisional driving route is acceptable to the transit user and the other user, re-correct the vehicle allocation plan of the transit user based on the vehicle allocation request of the other user; The vehicle allocation management device according to claim 6.

8. the operation plan information includes information indicating factors of changes that have occurred in the operation plan of the transportation facility; the controller determines whether to change a boarding or alighting point in the dispatch plan of the transfer user based on the factors, derives a boarding or alighting point available to the transfer user based on the operation plan information if the boarding or alighting point is to be changed, and notifies the terminal device of the transfer user of the derived boarding or alighting point; The vehicle dispatch control device according to claim 1 .

9. The controller When the transit user uses the transportation facility before using the vehicle dispatch service, determine whether or not to change a boarding location among boarding and alighting locations that the travel route passes through in the vehicle dispatch plan of the transit user based on the factors; When changing the boarding location, a boarding or alighting location at which the transfer user can board the vehicle after using the transportation facility is derived as the boarding location based on the operation plan information. The vehicle dispatch control device according to claim 8.

10. The controller When the transfer user uses the transportation facility after using the vehicle dispatch service, determine whether or not to change a drop-off point among the boarding and alighting points along the travel route in the vehicle dispatch plan of the transfer user based on the factors; When changing the drop-off point, a boarding / alighting point at which the transfer user can use the transportation facility after getting off the vehicle is derived as the drop-off point based on the operation plan information. The vehicle dispatch control device according to claim 8.

11. A vehicle allocation management method by a vehicle allocation management device that manages the allocation of vehicles to be provided for a vehicle allocation service in response to a vehicle allocation request from a user, comprising: receiving, from a terminal device of a user, vehicle allocation request information including a travel area to be traveled by the vehicle and a desired date and time of boarding and disembarking the vehicle, and accepting the vehicle allocation request; receiving, from a user's terminal device, transit information indicating transportation facilities used by the user before and after using the vehicle dispatch service, and registering the transit information in association with the vehicle dispatch request information; Calculating locations where users will get on and off the vehicle and a travel route of the vehicle based on the vehicle allocation request, and creating a vehicle allocation plan for the vehicle allocation request; receiving operation plan information indicating whether or not there is a change in the operation plan of a transportation facility from an external device; correcting a vehicle dispatch plan of a transfer user using a transportation facility whose operation plan has changed before or after use of the vehicle dispatch service, in accordance with the content of the change; extracting another user who can share the vehicle allocated to the transfer user, and re-correcting the corrected vehicle allocation plan of the transfer user based on a vehicle allocation request of the other user; and notifying the terminal devices of the transfer user and the other user of the re-corrected vehicle allocation plan.

Images