Operation management device

Abstract

To provide an operation management device capable of offering a travel route other than a proposed travel route when rejection of the proposed route is determined on a side of a mobile body.SOLUTION: An operation management device 10 includes: a route information transmission section 14 for searching a first travel route and a second travel route being the plurality of travel routes of a mobility 20, and transmitting first travel route information Ir1 expressing the first travel route being the one travel route between the first travel route and the second travel route; and an adoption / rejection information acquisition section 15 for acquiring rejection information Ina or adoption information Ia being the adoption / rejection information expressing the adoption / rejection of the first travel route information Ir1 from the mobility 20 to which the first travel route information Ir1 has been transmitted. When the adoption / rejection information acquisition section 15 acquires the rejection information Ina, the route information transmission section 14 transmits second travel route information Ir2 expressing the second travel route being the other travel route between the plurality of travel routes.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an operation management device. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, a traffic management system is known, for example, as disclosed in Patent Document 1. The conventional traffic management system acquires information such as the remaining charge of a vehicle, and upon receiving a request from a user for a boarding location and a destination, extracts vehicles with a remaining charge that can reach the nearest charging spot from the current location of the vehicle via the boarding location and the destination, and notifies a dispatch instruction to the vehicle closest to the boarding location. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2012-73979 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] Conventional traffic management systems extract vehicles that can travel along a route from the current location of a moving vehicle, passing through the boarding location, destination, and charging spots, based on the remaining charge of each vehicle, which is acquired in advance. In this case, since the driving distance relative to the remaining charge varies depending on the vehicle type and driving environment, there is a risk that a vehicle extracted simply based on the remaining charge will not be able to travel along the route. To prevent this situation from occurring, it would be effective for the vehicle itself to determine whether or not a route can be traveled based on the driving distance, rather than extracting vehicles based on the remaining charge, etc., but conventional traffic management systems do not take this into consideration.

[0005] An object of the present invention is to provide an operation management device that can propose an alternative travel route when the mobile object determines that the proposed travel route should not be adopted. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The traffic management device of the present invention manages the traffic of a mobile object. The traffic management device includes a route information transmission unit that searches for multiple travel routes for the mobile object and transmits route information representing one of the multiple travel routes, and an adoption / rejection information acquisition unit that acquires, from the mobile object that has transmitted the route information, adoption / rejection information representing whether the route information is adopted or rejected. When the adoption / rejection information acquisition unit acquires adoption / rejection information representing rejection, the route information transmission unit transmits another of the multiple travel routes. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to the traffic management device of the present invention, by transmitting route information to the mobile body, the mobile body can determine whether the proposed travel route is possible, i.e., whether to adopt or not, and if it is determined that the proposed travel route is not acceptable, another travel route can be proposed by transmitting route information for another travel route again. In other words, according to the traffic management device of the present invention, it is possible to determine a travel route that the mobile body can take without obtaining information from the mobile body in advance. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a traffic management device. [Figure 2] 10 is a flowchart illustrating a travel route suggestion program. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining the processing of the traffic management device and the mobile body. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] Hereinafter, a traffic control measure according to one embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In addition to the embodiment described below, the present invention can be embodied in various forms with various modifications and improvements based on the knowledge of those skilled in the art.

[0010] The traffic management device 10 of this embodiment is, for example, a computer-based server built on the Web. As shown in FIG. 1 , the traffic management device 10 manages the operation of each of multiple mobilities 20 by transmitting travel route information Ir, specifically, first travel route information Ir1 or second travel route information Ir2, which will be described later, to the mobility 20, which is a moving body. The traffic management device 10 of this embodiment is capable of communicating with a map database 30 that provides map data Dm, for example, via the Internet. Note that the map database 30 can also be configured as being incorporated into the traffic management device 10.

[0011] The operation management device 10 mainly includes a location information acquisition unit 11, a map information acquisition unit 12, a driving route search unit 13, a route information transmission unit 14, an adoption information acquisition unit 15, and an operation management unit 16. The location information acquisition unit 11 acquires location information Ip of the mobility 20. Based on the location information Ip, the map information acquisition unit 12 acquires map data Dm specified to include an area in which the mobility 20 can travel. The map data Dm can include road data Dr on which the mobility 20 can travel and charging spot data Dj that indicate charging spots where the mobility 20 can be charged.

[0012] In this embodiment, as will be described later, the map data Dm includes charging spot data Dj to illustrate a case where the mobility 20 is an electric vehicle. Alternatively, or in addition, if the mobility 20 is a vehicle equipped with an internal combustion engine, the map data Dm can include fuel station data Dk. In the following description, the charging spot data Dj and the fuel station data Dk will be collectively referred to as "charging spot data Dj, etc."

[0013] The driving route searching unit 13 searches, on a map represented by the map data Dm, for a first driving route that passes through the destination point Pt and the charging spot Pj (and / or gas station Pk; hereinafter, the charging spot Pj and the gas station Pk will be collectively referred to as the "charging spot Pj, etc.") represented by the charging spot data Dj, etc., and a second driving route that directs the mobility 20 to the charging spot Pj, etc. Then, the driving route searching unit 13 supplies first driving route information Ir1 representing the first driving route that has been found to the route information transmitting unit 14. Furthermore, as will be described later, when the adoption / rejection information receiving unit 15 receives non-adoption information Ina representing non-adoption and there is no other first driving route information Ir1 that can be transmitted, the driving route searching unit 13 supplies second driving route information Ir2 representing the second driving route that has been found to the route information transmitting unit 14.

[0014] Here, the travel route searching unit 13 is capable of searching for a plurality of first travel routes and a plurality of second travel routes. The travel route searching unit 13 then preferentially supplies to the route information transmitting unit 14, for example, first travel route information Ir1 representing the first travel route along which the mobility 20 can safely and reliably travel to the destination point Pt, the charging spot Pj, etc., and second travel route information Ir2 representing the second travel route. In particular, when different first travel route information Ir1 is supplied to the route information transmitting unit 14 each time non-adoption information Ina is received as described below, the travel route searching unit 13 can supply the first travel route information Ir1 to the route information transmitting unit 14 in ascending order of travel distance of the mobility 20, for example.

[0015] The route information transmitting unit 14 transmits the first driving route information Ir1 to the mobility 20. Furthermore, when the route information transmitting unit 14 receives non-adoption information Ina from the mobility 20 that transmitted the one piece of first driving route information Ir1, indicating that the transmitted one piece of first driving route information Ir1 is not adopted, i.e., is not adopted, the route information transmitting unit 14 transmits another piece of first driving route information Ir1 to the mobility 20. Furthermore, when the route information transmitting unit 14 receives non-adoption information Ina from the mobility 20 and there is no other piece of first driving route information Ir1 that can be transmitted, the route information transmitting unit 14 transmits the second driving route information Ir2 to the mobility 20.

[0016] As will be described later, the adoption / rejection information acquisition unit 15 receives adoption information Ia, which indicates adoption and is transmitted from the mobility 20 when the first driving route represented by the first driving route information Ir1 transmitted by the route information transmission unit 14 is adopted. In addition, as will be described later, the adoption / rejection information acquisition unit 15 receives non-adoption information Ina, which indicates non-adoption and is transmitted from the mobility 20 when the first driving route is not adopted.

[0017] When the adoption / rejection information acquisition unit 15 receives the rejection information Ina, the operation management unit 16 causes the travel route search unit 13 to search for another first travel route and causes the route information transmission unit 14 to transmit another first travel route information Ir1 representing the other first travel route to the mobility 20. Furthermore, when the adoption / rejection information acquisition unit 15 receives the rejection information Ina and the travel route search unit 13 is unable to search for another first travel route, the operation management unit 16 causes the travel route search unit 13 to search for a second travel route and causes the route information transmission unit 14 to transmit second travel route information Ir2 representing the second travel route to the mobility 20.

[0018] As a result, the operation management device 10 manages operation so that each mobility 20 can move smoothly to the destination point Pt and the charging spot Pj, etc., via the first driving route represented by the first driving route information Ir1 transmitted from the route information transmission unit 14 to each mobility 20. In addition, the operation management device 10 manages operation so that each mobility 20 can move smoothly to the charging spot Pj, etc., via the second driving route represented by the second driving route information Ir2 transmitted from the route information transmission unit 14 to each mobility 20.

[0019] The mobility 20 can be driven automatically or manually, and as shown in Fig. 1, is mainly equipped with a position detection unit 21, an ECU 22, and a communication unit 23. The mobility 20 of this embodiment also includes a controller 24, an inverter 25, a battery 26, a drive unit 27, and wheels 28. Although a steering device is omitted in Fig. 1, for example, the front wheels of the mobility 20 can be steered as steered wheels.

[0020] The position detection unit 21 includes a receiver for RTK (Real Time Kinematic) or GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System), and detects the position of the traveling mobility 20. The position detection unit 21 outputs position information Ip representing the detected position to the ECU 22.

[0021] The ECU 22 is an electronic control unit that includes, as its main part, a microcomputer equipped with a CPU, ROM, RAM, and various interfaces. The CPU sequentially executes predetermined programs to read data, perform numerical calculations, and output the calculation results. The ROM stores programs and maps to be executed by the CPU. The RAM temporarily stores data, etc. The various interfaces are connected to the position detection unit 21, communication unit 23, and controller 24.

[0022] The communication unit 23 transmits the position information Ip supplied from the ECU 22 to the position information acquisition unit 11 of the traffic management device 10. In addition, the communication unit 23 receives the first travel route information Ir1 and the second travel route information Ir2 transmitted from the route information transmission unit 14 of the traffic management device 10, and outputs them to the ECU 22.

[0023] The controller 24 is an electronic control unit including, as its main element, a microcomputer equipped with a CPU, ROM, RAM, and various interfaces. The controller 24 controls the operation of the inverter 25 in accordance with a driving instruction command Dc output from the ECU 22, and drives the mobility 20. The inverter 25 drives the wheels 28 via the driving device 27, for example, by controlling the power supplied from the battery 26 to the driving device 27.

[0024] Next, the operation management process by the operation management device 10 and the mobility 20 will be described with reference to the flowchart of Fig. 2 and Fig. 3. As shown in Fig. 2, the operation management device 10 starts execution of a travel route proposal program in step S10.

[0025] In step S11, the operation management device 10 transmits the first driving route information Ir1 to the mobility 20 as the driving route information Ir. In the mobility 20, the ECU 22 executes the adoption / rejection determination program started in step M10, and receives the first driving route information Ir1 in step M11. Then, in step M12, the ECU 22 compares the remaining driving distance Lc of the mobility 20, which can be calculated based on the SOC of the battery 26, for example, with the driving distance Lr on the first driving route represented by the first driving route information Ir1.

[0026] Here, the travel distance Lr is calculated as the sum of the distance A to the destination point Pt and the distance C from the destination point Pt to a charging spot Pj or the like, as shown in Fig. 3. Based on this comparison, in step M13 shown in Fig. 2, the ECU 22 determines whether the remaining travel distance Lc is less than the travel distance Lr, and if the remaining travel distance Lc is less than the travel distance Lr, the ECU 22 determines "Yes" and transmits non-adoption information Ina to the fleet management device 10 in step M14. Then, in step M16, the ECU 22 temporarily terminates execution of the adoption / rejection determination program and restarts execution of the program after a predetermined short time has elapsed.

[0027] On the other hand, if the travelable distance Lc is equal to or greater than the traveled distance Lr in step M13, the ECU 22 determines "No" and transmits the recruitment information Ia to the fleet management device 10 in step M15. That is, in this case, the mobility 20 travels along the first travel route proposed by the fleet management device 10 to the destination point Pt, the charging spot Pj, etc., as shown in FIG. 3. Then, the ECU 22 temporarily terminates the execution of the adoption / rejection determination program in step M16, and restarts the execution of the program after a predetermined short time has elapsed.

[0028] In step S12 of the travel route proposal program, the travel management device 10 receives the non-recruitment information Ina or the recruitment information Ia transmitted from the mobility 20, and in the subsequent step S13, determines whether or not the non-recruitment information Ina has been received. That is, if the travel management device 10 has received the non-recruitment information Ina from the mobility 20, the result is "Yes," and in step S14, the travel management device 10 determines whether or not there is other travel route information Ir, i.e., first travel route information Ir1, to be transmitted (proposed) to the mobility 20. Based on this determination, if there is no other first travel route information Ir1 representing the first travel route searched by the travel route search unit 13, the travel management device 10 determines "Yes," and in step S15, transmits second travel route information Ir2 to the mobility 20.

[0029] In the mobility 20, the ECU 22 executes a reception program that starts in step M20, and receives the second travel route information Ir2 in step S21. As a result, the controller 24 moves the mobility 20 along the second travel route represented by the second travel route information Ir2. That is, in this case, the mobility 20 travels on the second travel route of distance B and moves directly to a charging spot Pj, etc., as shown in FIG. 3. Then, the ECU 22 temporarily terminates execution of the reception program in step M22, and starts executing the program again after a predetermined short time has elapsed.

[0030] On the other hand, in the traffic management device 10, if the non-adoption information Ina has not been received in step S13, the result is determined to be "No" and the execution of the travel route proposal program is temporarily terminated in step S16, and the execution of the program is restarted after a predetermined short time has elapsed. Also, in the traffic management device 10, if there is other travel route information Ir, i.e., the first travel route information Ir1, in step S14, the result is determined to be "No" and the process returns to step S11, and the process of each step from step S11 onwards is executed again.

[0031] As can be understood from the above explanation, the operation management device 10 manages the operation of a mobility 20, which is a moving body. The operation management device 10 includes a route information transmission unit 14 that searches for a first traveling route and a second traveling route, which are multiple traveling routes for the mobility 20, and transmits first traveling route information Ir1 that represents the first traveling route, which is one of the first traveling route and the second traveling route, and an adoption / rejection information acquisition unit 15 that acquires, from the mobility 20 that has transmitted the first traveling route information Ir1, rejection information Ina or adoption information Ia, which is adoption / rejection information that represents whether the first traveling route information Ir1 is adopted or not. When the rejection information acquisition unit 15 acquires the rejection information Ina, the route information transmission unit 14 transmits second traveling route information Ir2 that represents the second traveling route, which is another traveling route among the multiple traveling routes.

[0032] As a result, the operation management device 10 determines whether the mobility 20 can travel the proposed first travel route by transmitting first travel route information Ir1 to the mobility 20, i.e., whether to adopt or not, and if it is determined that the proposed first travel route is not to be adopted, it can propose a second travel route by once again transmitting second travel route information Ir2 for the second travel route. In other words, the operation management device 10 can determine the first travel route or first travel route that the mobility 20 can travel without obtaining information on the travelable distance from the mobility 20 in advance. [Explanation of symbols]

[0033] 10...operation management device, 11...location information acquisition unit, 12...map information acquisition unit, 13...driving route search unit, 14...route information transmission unit, 15...adoption / rejection information acquisition unit, 16...operation management unit, 20...mobility (moving body), 30...map database, Ip...location information, Ir1...first driving route information, Ir2...second driving route information, Ina...rejection information, Ia...adoption information.

Claims

[Claim 1] A traffic management device for managing the traffic of a moving body, a route information transmitting unit that searches for a plurality of travel routes of the mobile object and transmits route information representing one of the plurality of travel routes; an adoption / rejection information acquisition unit that acquires adoption / rejection information indicating whether the route information is adopted or rejected from the mobile body to which the route information is transmitted, The route information transmission unit, When the adoption / rejection information acquisition unit acquires the adoption / rejection information indicating rejection, the operation management device transmits another of the plurality of travel routes.

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