Tracking movement support device and terminal device

Abstract

To provide a tracking movement support device or the like for facilitating the use of a tracking movement by utilizing position information of a plurality of preceding mobile bodies.SOLUTION: A tracking movement support device performs: storing schedule information obtained by associating each piece of first identification information to identify each one of preceding mobile bodies with a movement route of the preceding mobile body; successively receiving the first identification information and first position information indicating its own present position from the preceding mobile body; receiving request information including second identification information to identify a tracking mobile body, second position information to indicate the present position, and a destination set by a user of the tracking mobile body from a terminal device of the tracking mobile body; storing the successively received latest first position information of the preceding mobile body; extracting the preceding mobile body suitable for the tracking movement to the destination based on the request information, the schedule information, and the first position information; and transmitting tracking destination candidate information including the information of the extracted preceding mobile body to the terminal device which has transmitted the request information.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a technology for assisting a moving object in following a movement. [Background technology]

[0002] Currently, there are two known types of autonomous driving for mobile objects: "autonomous mobile objects" that can move autonomously, and "following mobile objects" that follow other mobile objects ahead of them (hereinafter referred to as "leading mobile objects"). "Autonomous mobile objects" are equipped with cameras, GPS modules, various sensors, etc., and understand the surrounding situation based on the images, GPS information, sensor information, and map information acquired by these, and move autonomously to a destination, etc.

[0003] A "following type" moving body recognizes the position, speed, etc. of the preceding moving body through on-board sensors and mutual communication with the preceding moving body, and automatically follows the preceding moving body while maintaining a predetermined distance.

[0004] Since the processing power, amount of information, and amount of communication required for "autonomous mobile" vehicles are significantly greater than those required for "following mobile" vehicles, and the functions are more advanced, it is expected that "following mobile" autonomous driving will become widespread first.

[0005] The following Patent Document 1 discloses a convoy driving support system that extracts candidate following vehicles to follow based on passing vehicle route information, which is information about the planned route of a passing vehicle passing through an observation point, photographed at an observation point, and transmits preceding vehicle information including the passing vehicle route information to the candidate following vehicles. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0006] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 7233997 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0007] In the system disclosed in Patent Document 1, a following vehicle that is near a preceding vehicle is extracted as a candidate based on an observation point where passing vehicle route information of the passing vehicle (preceding vehicle) is acquired.

[0008] In other words, in the above system, for a following vehicle to be extracted as a candidate following vehicle, the destination (or the direction of the destination) of the user who wants to travel using the following travel function must be included in the travel route of the leading vehicle, and the leading vehicle must pass through an observation point near the user's following vehicle. Therefore, in the above system, it is assumed that the user's vehicle will have to wait for a while until it is extracted as a candidate following vehicle, and there is a disadvantage in that it is not known how long it will have to wait.

[0009] Furthermore, the above system requires the installation of functions to acquire route information from passing vehicles and to capture images at multiple observation points, which has the disadvantage of incurring costs in developing the infrastructure.

[0010] In one aspect, the present specification discloses a follow-up movement support device and the like that makes it easier to utilize the follow-up movement of a follow-up moving body by utilizing position information of a plurality of leading moving bodies without requiring an observation point. [Means for solving the problem]

[0011] (1) In order to solve the above problem, a following movement support device according to one aspect of the present disclosure includes a first storage unit that stores schedule information that associates first identification information that identifies each of a plurality of leading moving bodies with a movement route of each of the leading moving bodies, and sequentially receives, from each of the leading moving bodies, first location information that indicates its own current location together with the first identification information, and receives, from a terminal device provided in or linked to a following moving body that can move by following the leading moving body, second identification information that identifies the following moving body, second location information that indicates the current location of the following moving body, and a location set by a user of the following moving body. The system comprises a communication unit that receives request information including a specified destination, a second memory unit that stores at least the latest first position information of the first position information of each preceding moving body that is sequentially received, and an extraction unit that extracts the preceding moving body that is suitable for following movement to the destination based on the request information, the schedule information, and the first position information stored in the second memory unit, and the communication unit transmits candidate follow-up information including the first identification information, the schedule information, and the first position information of the extracted preceding moving body to the terminal device that transmitted the request information.

[0012] (2) In the following movement support device described in (1) above, the extraction unit may be characterized in that it extracts the preceding moving body moving in a direction approaching the destination included in the request information based on the schedule information, and extracts the preceding moving body that is within a distance that allows following movement based on the position indicated by the second position information of the following moving body that sent the request information and the position indicated by the latest first position information of the preceding moving body.

[0013] (3) In the following movement support device described in (1) or (2) above, the request information may further include, as a requirement for the preceding moving body to be followed, one of the following requirements: that it be a manned moving body, indicating that it is driven by a person, or that it be an autonomous moving body, indicating that it is driven automatically rather than manned, or that it can be either a manned or autonomous moving body, and the extraction unit may be characterized in that it extracts the preceding moving body that corresponds to the selection conditions.

[0014] (4) In the following movement support device described in (1) above, the extraction unit may further be characterized in that, when the following moving body is moving by following the leading moving body, it re-extracts the leading moving body that is suitable for following movement to the destination based on the second position information and the destination, the schedule information of the leading moving body that is being followed, and the schedule information of other leading moving bodies.

[0015] (5) A terminal device according to one aspect of the present disclosure is a terminal device that receives the candidate follower information from the follower movement support device described in (1) above, and includes: a current position acquisition unit that acquires the current position of the terminal device; a map information acquisition unit that acquires map information for displaying a map of at least an area including the current position; and a display control unit that superimposes and displays, on the map displayed based on the map information, a first icon representing the preceding moving body at a position indicated by the latest first position information of the preceding moving body included in the candidate follower information, and a second icon representing the following moving body that is equipped with or associated with the terminal device at the current position. [Effects of the Invention]

[0016] By using the following mobile object support device of the present invention, candidate follow-up information generated based on request information is transmitted to the terminal device that sent the request information, allowing the user to select the preceding mobile object to follow based on the candidate follow-up information and use the following movement function. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0017] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram showing an overview of a tracking movement support system 5 according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] 2 is an example of a functional block diagram of a terminal device 1. FIG. [Figure 3] 2 is an example of a functional block diagram of a following movement support device 3. FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of user information. [Figure 5]10 is a diagram showing an example of schedule information of a preceding moving object 41. FIG. [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of following mobile object current status information. [Figure 7] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of preceding moving object current status information. [Figure 8] 4 is a sequence diagram showing an example of processing executed by the following movement support system 5. FIG. [Figure 9] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a GUI displayed on a display unit 24 of the terminal device 1. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a destination input. [Figure 11] 1 is a diagram showing an example of the current positions and movement routes of each preceding moving body 41 at a certain time, which are managed by the following movement support device 3. FIG. [Figure 12] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a screen displayed based on follow-up candidate destination information 251. [Figure 13] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a screen for accepting the selection of a preceding moving body 41a to be followed. [Figure 14] 10 is a diagram showing an example of a screen that shows the current position and appearance of a selected preceding moving object 41a to the user. FIG. [Figure 15] 10 is a diagram showing an example of a screen that shows the current position and appearance of a selected preceding moving object 41a to the user. FIG. [Figure 16] 1 is an example of a map showing the movement status of a following mobile unit 11a that follows a leading mobile unit 41a. [Figure 17] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a screen displayed based on follow-up candidate destination information 251. [Figure 18] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a map showing the standby state of a following mobile unit 11a waiting for a selected leading mobile unit 51d to arrive at a point 112b. [Figure 19] 10 is an example of a map showing the movement status of a following mobile unit 11a that follows a leading mobile unit 51d. [Figure 20] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a screen that prompts the driver to move to the destination by manual driving. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0018] [Overview of the Tracking and Movement Support System 5] Hereinafter, a following movement support system 5 according to one embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. As shown in Fig. 1, the following movement support system 5 includes terminal devices 1a and 1b provided in or linked to following moving bodies 11a and 11b, a following movement support device 3, and terminal devices 4a to 4d provided in leading moving bodies 41a to 41d, respectively. The terminal devices 1 and 4 and the following movement support device 3 can communicate with each other via a network 2.

[0019] In the following, when describing content common to the following moving bodies 11a and 11b, it will be described using the following moving body 11; when describing content common to the terminal devices 1a and 1b, it will be described using the terminal device 1; when describing content common to the leading moving bodies 41a to 41d, it will be described using the leading moving body 41; and when describing content common to the terminal devices 4a to 4d, it will be described using the terminal device 4.

[0020] The number of following moving bodies 11 is not limited to two, but there may be, for example, 10,000 of them, and similarly, the number of leading moving bodies 41 is not limited to four, but there may be, for example, 30,000 of them.

[0021] The following mobile object 11 is a mobile object that has the function of following the leading mobile object 41. The following mobile object 11 is a mobile object that can move on a road, such as a car, a motorcycle, or a PMV (Personal Mobility Vehicle). The following mobile object 11 may be a mobile object owned by a user, or may be a rented mobile object such as a rental car or a shared car.

[0022] The following mobile object 11 is equipped with various sensors for realizing the tracking function. For example, the following mobile object 11 is equipped with a photographing function, and has the function of photographing the real world, which is an image of light incident through a lens, and generating a real image. The hardware configuration of the photographing function includes a lens and an imaging element such as a CCD or CMOS sensor that captures the image of light incident from the lens, digitizes the imaging signal output from the imaging element, and performs various corrections and video compression processes to generate a real image. The generated real image can be displayed on the display unit of the linked terminal device 1.

[0023] The following mobile object 11 includes an EV (Electric Vehicle) that runs by using electricity as energy to drive a motor. Examples of EV include HV (Hybrid Vehicle), PHV (Plug-in Hybrid Vehicle), and FCV (Fuel Cell Vehicle). The following movement function is a known technology, and for example, the following travel function disclosed in JP 2023-135710 A or the like may be adopted.

[0024] The following mobile body 11 is a mobile body that carries a person. If the person does not activate the following movement function of the following mobile body 11, the person can move the following mobile body 11 to the destination by operating the steering wheel, accelerator, and brake.

[0025] The leading moving body 41 is a moving body that allows the following moving body 11 to follow it. "Allowing following" means that the terminal device 4 provided in the leading moving body 41 is set in advance to appropriately notify the following movement support device 3 of information such as the current position, destination, and movement route of the leading moving body 41.

[0026] The preceding moving object 41 is, for example, a taxi, bus, rental car, shared car, postal delivery vehicle, baggage delivery vehicle, or other vehicle owned by a public transportation facility or an organization such as a company, and is assumed to be set to allow following in a comprehensive manner. The preceding moving object 41 may also be a vehicle owned by an individual, in which case it is assumed that the individual who owns the vehicle sets the setting to allow following. The preceding moving object 41 may be an EV, or a vehicle that uses gasoline, hydrogen, or the like as fuel.

[0027] The leading moving body 41 may or may not have an autonomous driving function that enables it to move autonomously or a follow-up driving function. The leading moving body 41 may be an unmanned autonomous driving vehicle without a driver, a manned vehicle driven by a driver, or a vehicle with a driver but that moves using the autonomous driving function only on roads such as expressways where infrastructure for realizing autonomous driving is in place. The autonomous driving function itself is a publicly known technology, and for example, the autonomous driving function disclosed in JP 2020-061190 A or the like may be adopted.

[0028] If the preceding moving body 41 is equipped with an automatic driving function and also has driving functions (e.g., steering wheel, accelerator, brake, etc.) that can be operated by a person, if the person riding in the preceding moving body 41 does not activate the automatic driving function, the person can operate the steering wheel, accelerator, and brake to move the body to the destination.

[0029] [Configuration of terminal device 1] The main functional configuration of the terminal device 1 will be described. As shown in Fig. 2, the terminal device 1 includes a terminal control unit 21, a terminal communication unit 22, an input unit 23, a display unit 24, a terminal storage unit 25, and a location information acquisition unit 26. Although not shown, the terminal device 1 is a computer including a CPU, memory, and input / output devices (communication unit, display unit, input unit, etc.). The terminal device 1 realizes the operation of each function by the CPU executing a control program stored in the terminal storage unit 25. Note that a detailed description of the terminal device 4 provided in the preceding moving body 41 will be omitted, but it has a hardware configuration equivalent to that of the terminal device 1.

[0030] The terminal device 1 may be, for example, a smartphone owned and carried by a user. The terminal device 1 may also be, for example, a notebook computer, a tablet terminal, or an in-vehicle device that is provided in the following mobile object 11 and is always linked to it. If the terminal device 1 is not provided in the following mobile object 11 and is not linked to it, the user performs settings to link the terminal device 1 with the following mobile object 11.

[0031] "Setting for linking with the following mobile unit 11" means setting the terminal device 1 so that it can be used as a UI terminal for the following mobile unit 11. For example, if the following mobile unit 11 is a mobile unit that can be used by a service provider, such as a shared car, after receiving a rental request from a user and completing a rental procedure, the setting for linking between the terminal device 1 and the following mobile unit 11 may also be completed when the rental procedure is completed. The terminal device 1 that has been set for linking with the following mobile unit 11 can, for example, turn on / off the key lock of the following mobile unit 11, turn on / off the engine start, link the navigation function, etc.

[0032] If the following mobile object 11 is a mobile object owned by the user, the terminal device 1 can be used as a UI terminal for the following mobile object 11 by configuring the terminal device 1 and the following mobile object 11 to cooperate with each other.

[0033] The terminal control unit 21 has a function of controlling each function of the terminal device 1 by the CPU executing a control program. The terminal control unit 21 has a map information acquisition unit 210, a request information generation unit 211, and a display control unit 212.

[0034] The map information acquisition unit 210 has a function of acquiring map information 250 indicating a map of a corresponding range from the following travel support device 3 by transmitting a request for a map based on a position to be displayed specified by the user or the acquired current position to the following travel support device 3. The map information 250 includes, for example, route network information, icons, POI (Point of Interest) information, map images, audio information, etc. The acquired map information 250 is stored in the terminal storage unit 25.

[0035] Route network information is information about nodes and links that make up roads traveled by mobile objects. POI information is information about specific facilities or locations on a map, such as stores, landmarks, and tourist attractions. Map images include illustrated images showing roads, buildings, facilities, etc., or planar image information made up of aerial photographs and satellite photographs. Icons are, for example, drop-shaped figures that visually indicate points specified by the user, figures indicating the mobile object 11 that the vehicle is following, figures indicating the preceding mobile object 41 that the vehicle is following, etc.

[0036] The request information generating unit 211 has a function of generating request information to be transmitted when requesting candidate follow-up destination information 251 from the following movement support device 3. The candidate follow-up destination information 251 is information on a preceding moving body 41 that is suitable as a follow-up destination when the user of the following moving body 11 uses the following movement function to reach the destination.

[0037] The follow-up target candidate information 251 is information on the preceding moving body 41 extracted as a follow-up target candidate by the following movement support device 3. Specifically, the follow-up target candidate information 251 includes schedule information indicating the planned movement route of the preceding moving body 41, first identification information for identifying the preceding moving body 41, and first location information indicating the latest location of the preceding moving body 41. The acquired follow-up target candidate information 251 is stored in the terminal storage unit 25.

[0038] The request information for requesting the follow-destination candidate information 251 specifically includes destination information input by the user, second identification information that identifies the follow-up mobile body 11 on which the user is riding, and second location information that indicates the latest location of the follow-up mobile body 11. The second location information is the latest location information of the terminal device 1 sequentially acquired by the location information acquisition unit 26, which will be described later. The request information may further include, as a requirement for the preceding mobile body 41 to be followed, any one of the following requirements: that the mobile body be a manned mobile body, indicating that it is driven by a person; that the mobile body be an autonomous mobile body, indicating that it is not manned but is driven automatically; or that the mobile body can be either a manned or autonomous mobile body. Such requirements are input and set by the user.

[0039] The display control unit 212 has the function of displaying a map on the display unit 24 based on the acquired map information 250, and superimposing a first icon indicating the preceding moving body 41 at the position indicated by the first position information of the preceding moving body 41 included in the candidate following destination information 251, and a second icon indicating the following moving body 11 at the position indicated by the second position information of the following moving body 11 on which the user is riding.

[0040] The terminal communication unit 22 has a function of communicating with the following movement support device 3 and the terminal device 4 via the network 2. The terminal communication unit 22 has a function of wireless communication and is provided with an antenna (not shown) for transmitting and receiving radio waves for calls and communications. The terminal communication unit 22 converts signals for calls and communications into wireless signals, transmits the converted wireless signals to the network 2 via the antenna, and converts wireless signals received from the network 2 via the antenna and outputs them to the CPU.

[0041] The terminal communication unit 22 transmits, for example, the request information generated by the request information generation unit 211 to the following movement support device 3 and receives the follow-up destination candidate information 251 from the following movement support device 3.

[0042] The input unit 23 has a function of accepting predetermined instruction inputs from a user. For example, the input unit 23 may have a function of converting voice picked up by a microphone (not shown) into text and accepting the instruction input, or may have a function of converting signals input by an input device such as a keyboard, mouse, or touch panel (not shown) and accepting the instruction input.

[0043] Specifically, the input unit 23 accepts inputs such as specification of the destination to which the user wishes to travel, specification of whether the preceding moving body 41 to be selected as the follow-up destination will be manned or automatic, or whether either is possible.

[0044] The display unit 24 has a function of displaying various images such as GUI or content, based on the control of the display control unit 212. Specifically, the display unit 24 can display a search screen for searching for a preceding moving body 41 that is a candidate to be followed, so that the user can move using the following movement function of the following moving body 11, and a screen that shows on a map the current position and planned route of the preceding moving body 41 that is a candidate to be followed, based on the candidate to be followed information 251 obtained as a search result.

[0045] The display unit 24 may be a touch panel display. The display unit 24 has a screen with a predetermined display area, and functions as an input unit 23 that outputs information to the display area and accepts predetermined instruction inputs for the information when a user performs a touch operation on the information output to the display area.

[0046] The terminal storage unit 25 is configured by a nonvolatile semiconductor memory such as a flash memory, an EPROM (Erasable Programmable ROM), or an EEPROM (Electrically Erasable Programmable ROM), or a hard disk drive.

[0047] The terminal storage unit 25 stores programs and data used by the control unit 21 to perform various processes, and data generated or acquired by performing various processes by the control unit 21. Specifically, the terminal storage unit 25 stores map information 250 received from the following movement support device 3, candidate following destination information 251, request information generated by the request information generation unit 211, movement history, etc.

[0048] The location information acquisition unit 26 has a function of receiving radio waves transmitted to the ground from multiple navigation satellites in the sky and calculating and acquiring the current location. The current location includes information such as latitude, longitude, altitude, and positioning accuracy. The acquired information about the current location is input to the terminal control unit 21 and stored in the terminal storage unit 25 as a movement history.

[0049] [Configuration of tracking movement support device 3] The main functional configuration of the following movement support device 3 will be described. As shown in FIG. 3, the following movement support device 3 includes a communication unit 31, a control unit 32, a first storage unit 33, and a second storage unit 34. Although not shown, the following movement support device 3 is a computer including a CPU, memory, and input / output devices. The following movement support device 3 realizes the operation of each function by the CPU executing control programs stored in the first storage unit 33 and the second storage unit 34. The following movement support device 3 may also be a group of computers configured by connecting multiple computers.

[0050] The communication unit 31 has a function of communicating with other communication devices via the network 2. Specifically, the communication unit 31 receives request information from each terminal device 1, and transmits candidate tracking target information 251 including information on the preceding moving object 41 extracted based on the request information to the terminal device 1 that is the sender of the request information.

[0051] In addition, the communication unit 31 receives first location information indicating the latest location of the leading moving body 41 from the terminal device 4 provided in the leading moving body 41, and if there is a possibility that the following moving body 11 will follow any of the leading moving bodies 41, or if it has been decided that the following will occur, transmits second identification information identifying the following moving body 11 to the terminal device 4 of the leading moving body 41 that will be followed.

[0052] The control unit 32 has a function of controlling each function of the following movement support device 3. The control unit 32 has a registration unit 321 and an extraction unit 322. The registration unit 321 has a function of registering user information 331, which is information about a user who uses the following movement support function.

[0053] 4, the user information 331 includes information such as a user ID, name, age, and license obtained. The information included in the user information 331 is input by the user by operating the terminal device 1 or the like, and is received and registered by the following movement support device 3 via the network 2. The user information 331 is stored in the first storage unit 33.

[0054] The extraction unit 322 has a function of extracting a preceding moving object 41 suitable for following movement to the destination included in the request information 332, based on the request information 332 received from the terminal device 1, the schedule information 333, and the preceding moving object current status information 342 (first position information) stored in the second storage unit 34. The flow of processing from receiving the request information 332 from the terminal device 1 to transmitting the follow-up destination candidate information 251 to the terminal device 1 will be described later.

[0055] The first storage unit 33 and the second storage unit 34 are configured with semiconductor memory, a hard disk drive, etc. The first storage unit 33 stores map information 330, user information 331, request information 332, and schedule information 333. The map information 330 includes route network information, POI information, map images, etc.

[0056] 5, the schedule information 333 includes first identification information (preceding moving body ID) for identifying each preceding moving body 41, a route name, information about the departure point, waypoints, and destination. The information about the departure point, waypoints, and destination includes at least the location information of each point and the scheduled departure and arrival times. If each point has a name that represents the point, the name of the point may also be included.

[0057] The second storage unit 34 stores following mobile object current status information 341 and preceding mobile object current status information 342. As shown in Fig. 6, following mobile object current status information 341 includes second identification information (following mobile object ID) for identifying following mobile object 11, second location information (current location information) which is the latest location information of following mobile object 11, destination of each following mobile object 11, user ID for identifying the user who uses each following mobile object 11, and following target preceding mobile object ID which is identification information of the following target preceding mobile object 41 specified by the user.

[0058] As shown in Figure 7, the leading moving body current status information 342 includes first identification information (leading moving body ID) that identifies the leading moving body 41, first position information (current position information) that is the latest position information of the leading moving body 41, and a following moving body ID that is identification information of the following moving body 11 that is being followed.

[0059] [Operation of tracking movement support system 5] Here, the operation of the following movement support system 5 will be described with reference to Fig. 8 to Fig. 20. Note that "S" attached to each process shown in Fig. 8 indicates a step. First, the following movement support device 3 sequentially acquires, via the network 2, first location information indicating each current location from the terminal device 4 provided in each preceding moving body 41 that is allowed to be followed by the following moving body 11 (S1).

[0060] The following movement support device 3 updates the acquired first position information as the first position information of the preceding moving object current status information 342 of the corresponding preceding moving object 41 and stores it (S2).

[0061] 9, the terminal device 1 displays on the display unit 24 a screen for accepting from the user the specification of the destination and the specification of the driver (manned, automatic, or both) of the preceding moving body 41 to be followed. When accepting the specification of the destination from the user, the terminal device 1 may accept the specification of the destination by superimposing an icon 80 based on POI information on a map, as shown in FIG.

[0062] When the terminal device 1 receives the destination and driver specification from the user and receives the press of the GUI button for "Search for leading moving body" shown in Figure 9, it generates request information 332 including the second identification information and second location information of the associated following moving body 11, as well as information such as the specified destination (S3).

[0063] The following movement support device 3 receives request information 332 from the terminal device 1 via the network 2 (S4). The following movement support device 3 extracts a preceding moving body 41 suitable for following movement to the destination included in the request information 332, based on the received request information 332, the schedule information 333 stored in the first storage unit 33, and the latest first position information of each preceding moving body 41 updated in the preceding moving body current status information 342 stored in the second storage unit 34 (S5).

[0064] 11 is a diagram showing an example of the current position and movement route of each preceding moving body 41 at a certain time, managed by the following movement support device 3. Each preceding moving body 41 moves from its departure point to its destination via multiple waypoints 112. Each preceding moving body 41 stops at the waypoints 112 for a few minutes to let passengers get on and off, and to load and unload luggage, etc.

[0065] In order for the following mobile unit 11 to follow the leading mobile unit 41, it must first approach the tail of the leading mobile unit 41, and therefore the waypoint 112 where the leading mobile unit 41 stops is set as the rendezvous point. Note that the following mobile unit 11 can also approach the tail of the leading mobile unit 41 while traveling and execute the following movement function.

[0066] The following movement support device 3 transmits the extracted schedule information 333 of the preceding moving body 41 and the follow-up target candidate information 251 including the first position information to the terminal device 1 that transmitted the request information 332 via the network 2 (S6).

[0067] Based on the candidate follow-up information 251 received from the follow-up movement support device 3, the terminal device 1 displays a first icon indicating the leading moving body 41 at the position on the map indicated by the first position information, and a second icon indicating the following moving body 11 on which the user is riding at the position on the map indicated by the second position information acquired by the position information acquisition unit 26 (S7).

[0068] 12 is a diagram showing an example of a screen displayed based on the following candidate destination information 251. The candidate preceding moving objects are two objects with first identification information 41a and 41c. It is known from the schedule information 333 that the preceding moving object 41a is a truck transporting luggage, is traveling on route E, and is scheduled to arrive at bus stop Y 112a at 10:00 in the near future and depart at 10:10. The route E of the preceding moving object 41a does not pass near Shrine A, the destination indicated by icon 80.

[0069] On the other hand, the preceding moving object 41c is a bus traveling on the Z route, and it is known from the schedule information 333 that it will arrive at the X bus stop 112c at 10:00 and depart at 10:01. On the Z route of the preceding moving object 41c, it will stop at the bus stop 112g near the A shrine, which is the destination indicated by the icon 80.

[0070] The terminal device 1 receives a designation of a preceding moving body 41 to be followed from the user (S8). The terminal device 1 transmits designation information including first identification information of the preceding moving body 41 to be followed designated by the user to the following movement support device 3 (S9).

[0071] 13, it is assumed that the user selects the preceding moving body 41a from among the preceding moving bodies 41a and 41c presented as candidates. In this case, the terminal device 1a transmits, to the following movement support device 3, designation information including the first identification information of the preceding moving body 41a.

[0072] The following movement support device 3 updates the preceding moving object current status information 342 of the preceding moving object 41 designated as the follow-up target based on the designation information received from the terminal device 1 (S10). Subsequently, the following movement support device 3 transmits information regarding the current position and appearance of the preceding moving object 41 to be followed to the terminal device 1 that transmitted the designation information (S11).

[0073] The terminal device 1 displays the information regarding the current position and appearance of the preceding moving body 41 to be followed, which has been received from the following movement support device 3 (S12). Fig. 14 is an example of a screen on the display unit 24 of the terminal device 1a, which displays the current position and information regarding the appearance of the specified preceding moving body 41a. As shown in the figure, the display unit 24 displays a map showing the positional relationship between the following moving body 11a in which the user is riding, the preceding moving body 41a, and the waypoint 112a which is the rendezvous point, an image of the appearance of the preceding moving body 41a, the fact that the preceding moving body 41a is an unmanned autonomous moving truck, and the license plate attached to the preceding moving body 41a.

[0074] Also, as shown in Figure 15, when the following moving body 11a approaches the preceding moving body 41a that is being followed, the photographing function of the following moving body 11a may be used to superimpose an AR (Augmented Reality) image 141 showing the approach path to the preceding moving body 41a on the photographed image 140.

[0075] The following movement support device 3 transmits the second identification information of the following movement body 11 to the terminal device 4 provided in the leading movement body 41 being followed (S13). The terminal device 4 stores the second identification information of the following movement body 11 received from the following movement support device 3 (S14). If the leading movement body 41 equipped with the terminal device 4 is a manned movement body, a notification to the driver that the leading movement body 41 is being followed by the following movement body 11 may be given to the driver using a display means or an informing means provided in the terminal device 4 or the leading movement body 42.

[0076] The following movement support device 3 sequentially acquires first position information from the terminal device 4 (S15), and sequentially acquires second position information from the terminal device 1 (S16). The acquired first position information is updated as the first position information of the preceding moving object current status information 342 of the corresponding preceding moving object 41, and the acquired second position information is updated as the second position information of the following moving object current status information 341 of the corresponding following moving object 11 (S17). Although not shown, such updating of position information is performed sequentially each time it is received from each of the terminal devices 1 and 4.

[0077] The following movement support device 3 sequentially transmits the updated first position information to the terminal device 1 via the network 2 (S18), and sequentially transmits the updated second position information to the terminal device 4 via the network 2 (S19).

[0078] Each time the terminal device 1 receives first location information from the following movement support device 3, it displays a first icon at the position on the map indicated by the first location information, and displays a second icon at the position on the map indicated by the second location information acquired by the location information acquisition unit 26, thereby informing the user of the following status (S20).

[0079] Although not shown in the drawings, the terminal device 1 continues to perform the update process of the display positions of the first icon and the second icon until the following mobile object 11 arrives at the destination or the following mobile function is stopped.

[0080] However, it is assumed that the destination of the following mobile unit 11 and the final destination of the leading mobile unit 41 that the following mobile unit 11 follows may be different. For example, there may be a case where the destination direction of the following mobile unit 11 matches the direction of the leading mobile unit 41 up to an intermediate route of the leading mobile unit 41, but the leading mobile unit 41 does not move to the destination of the following mobile unit 11. In this case, it is conceivable that the following mobile unit 11 will move by following the leading mobile unit 41 up to an intermediate route, and then cancel the following movement from an intermediate route and the user will manually drive to the destination, or switch to another leading mobile unit 41 and move to the vicinity of the destination using the following movement function.

[0081] 16 is an example of a case where a change of course is required. The destination of the following moving object 11a is Shrine A indicated by the icon 80, but the route E of the leading moving object 41a does not pass near Shrine A.

[0082] The following movement support device 3 re-extracts another preceding moving body 41 that would be a more optimal following destination based on the current position and destination of the following moving body 11 and the schedule information of the preceding moving body 41 that is being followed (S21), and transmits the schedule information 333 of the extracted preceding moving body 41 and the following destination candidate information 251 including the first position information to the terminal device 1 (S22).

[0083] The terminal device 1 displays on a map the preceding moving object 41 that will be a new candidate for the following moving object based on the candidate following object information 251 received from the following movement support device 3 (S23). FIG. 17 shows an example displayed on the display unit 24 of the terminal device 1a. The figure displays an arrow icon 117 indicating the direction of the destination to which the user wants to go, as well as route information for the preceding moving object 11 that roughly matches the direction of the destination and can be followed in the near future, and the estimated time of arrival at the nearest waypoint and the estimated time of departure. The user can select the most suitable preceding moving object 41 from the information displayed on the display unit 24.

[0084] FIG. 18 is a diagram showing a state in which the user has designated the preceding moving object 41f as the most suitable follow-up destination based on the information shown in FIG. 17, and is waiting for the preceding moving object 41f to arrive at the waypoint 112b.

[0085] 19 is a diagram showing a following mobile unit 11a that approaches the tail of a leading mobile unit 41f that has stopped at a waypoint 112b and follows the leading mobile unit 41f using the following movement function. The leading mobile unit 41f stops at the next waypoint 112g.

[0086] 20 shows an example of a display that urges the user to stop following the preceding moving body 41f that has stopped at the waypoint 112g and to move to Shrine A by manual driving. In this way, when there is no preceding moving body 41 that will move to the destination, the following movement support device 3 may generate information that urges the user to move to the destination by manual driving and transmit the information to the terminal device 1.

[0087] Although one embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the present invention is not limited to the configurations and operations of the above-described terminal device 1 and following movement support device 3. For example, when a large number of candidates to be followed are extracted, for example, when 10 preceding moving bodies 41 are extracted as candidates to be followed, the number of candidates to be extracted may be limited to a predetermined number, for example, three, that are located close to the following moving body 11.

[0088] Furthermore, the display mode of the first icon indicating the preceding moving object 41 that is moving on the route closest to the destination among the three moving objects may be displayed differently from the first icons indicating the other preceding moving objects 41. Making the display mode different means, for example, blinking, changing the color, changing the size, etc.

[0089] In the process of S21 in the above embodiment, the following movement support device 3 re-extracts a leading moving body 41 that will be a more optimal following target and transmits the following target candidate information 251 to the terminal device 1. However, depending on the movement route of the leading moving body 41 being followed, continuing the following movement may result in the moving body getting further and further away from the destination. Therefore, if the following movement in a direction away from the destination included in the request information continues for a predetermined period of time and the following movement support device 3 determines from the schedule information 333 of the leading moving body 41 to be followed that the moving body will not approach the destination from the time measurement started, the following movement support device 3 may transmit information to the terminal device 1 suggesting that the following movement be terminated.

[0090] The present invention may also be a service providing method using the following movement support system 5 described in the above embodiment. That is, the method may include storing schedule information in which first identification information identifying each of a plurality of leading moving bodies is associated with a movement route of each of the leading moving bodies, sequentially receiving, from each of the leading moving bodies, first location information indicating its own current location together with the first identification information, receiving request information from a terminal device provided on or linked to a following moving body capable of moving by following the leading moving body, the request information including second identification information identifying the following moving body, second location information indicating the current location of the following moving body, and a destination set by a user of the following moving body, storing at least the latest first location information of the sequentially received first location information of each of the leading moving bodies, extracting a leading moving body suitable for following movement to the destination based on the request information, the schedule information, and the first location information stored in the second storage unit, and providing candidate follow-destination information including the first identification information, the schedule information, and the first location information of the extracted leading moving body to the terminal device that transmitted the request information. [Industrial Applicability]

[0091] The present invention can be applied to a follow-up movement support device that makes it easier to utilize the follow-up movement of a follow-up moving body. [Explanation of symbols]

[0092] 1 Terminal device 2 Network 3. Following mobility support device 5. Following movement support system 11 Following Mobile Object 21 Terminal control unit 22 Terminal communication unit 23 Input section 24 Display section 25 Terminal memory section 26 Location information acquisition section 31 Communications Department 32 Control Unit 33 1st memory section 34 2nd memory section 41 Leading Mobile Unit

Claims

1. a first storage unit that stores schedule information that associates first identification information that identifies each of a plurality of preceding moving objects with a movement route of each preceding moving object; a communication unit that sequentially receives from each preceding moving body first location information indicating its own current location together with the first identification information, and receives request information from a terminal device provided in or linked to a following moving body that is capable of moving while following the preceding moving body, the request information including second identification information identifying the following moving body, second location information indicating the current location of the following moving body, and a destination set by a user of the following moving body; a second storage unit configured to store at least the latest first position information of the first position information of each preceding moving object that is sequentially received; an extraction unit that extracts the preceding moving object suitable for following movement to the destination based on the request information, the schedule information, and the first position information stored in the second storage unit, the communication unit transmits, to the terminal device that transmitted the request information, candidate follow-up information including the first identification information, the schedule information, and the first position information of the extracted preceding moving object; A tracking movement support device characterized by:

2. The extraction unit extracts the preceding moving body that is moving in a direction approaching the destination included in the request information based on the schedule information, and extracts the preceding moving body that is within a distance that allows following movement based on a position indicated by the second position information of the following moving body that transmitted the request information and a position indicated by the latest first position information of the preceding moving body.

2. The tracking movement support device according to claim 1.

3. The request information further includes, as a requirement for the preceding moving body to be followed, one of the following requirements: that the preceding moving body be a manned moving body, which indicates that it is driven by a person; or that the preceding moving body be an autonomous moving body, which indicates that it is not manned but is driven automatically; or that the preceding moving body can be either a manned moving body or an autonomous moving body; the extraction unit extracts the preceding moving object corresponding to the selection condition; 3. The tracking movement support device according to claim 1 or 2.

4. The following movement support device according to claim 1, characterized in that, when the following moving body is moving in following the leading moving body, the extraction unit further re-extracts the leading moving body that is suitable for following movement to the destination based on the second position information and the destination, the schedule information of the leading moving body that is being followed, and the schedule information of other leading moving bodies.

5. 2. The terminal device that receives the follow-up destination candidate information from the follow-up movement support device according to claim 1, a current location acquisition unit that acquires a current location of the terminal device; a map information acquisition unit that acquires map information for displaying a map of at least an area including the current location; a display control unit that displays a first icon indicating the preceding moving body and a second icon indicating the following moving body with which the terminal device is equipped or which is linked to the terminal device at the current position of the map displayed based on the map information, superimposed on the position indicated by the latest first position information of the preceding moving body included in the following target candidate information; A terminal device comprising:

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