Information processing device and operation method for information processing device

Abstract

To improve manipulation efficiency for operation management.SOLUTION: An information processing device comprises: a communication section; a storage section for storing information of an operation schedule including an operation route, of which a part or more is included in one or more area, for each of a plurality of vehicles; and a control section which performs communications by the communication section. The control section sends to a terminal device information indicating the operation schedules of the plurality of vehicles and a first area in which a predetermined case occurs and, upon receiving an instruction of operation stop in the first area from the terminal device, sends an instruction of operation stop to a first vehicle for which a portion or more of the operation route is included in the first area.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an information processing device and an operating method of an information processing device. [Background technology]

[0002] Route buses and other vehicles begin operation according to pre-planned departure times. Various technologies have been proposed to support such operation management. For example, Patent Literature 1 discloses a system in which an operation management center sends a driving permit to an autonomous vehicle in order to appropriately deploy the autonomous vehicle on a driving route. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Patent Publication No. 2021-009431 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In vehicle operation management, there may be cases where vehicle operation cannot start as planned due to various factors, but in such cases, there is room to improve the efficiency of operations by the operation manager to issue operation instructions.

[0005] The following describes an information processing device and the like that can improve operational efficiency for traffic management. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The information processing device of the present disclosure includes a communication unit, a memory unit that stores information on operation plans for each of a plurality of vehicles, including operation routes that include at least a portion of one or more areas, and a control unit that communicates via the communication unit, and the control unit sends information indicating the operation plans of the plurality of vehicles and a first area in which a specified event has occurred to a terminal device, and upon receiving an instruction from the terminal device to suspend operation in the first area, sends an instruction to suspend operation to a first vehicle whose operation route includes at least a portion of the first area.

[0007] The method of operation of an information processing device disclosed herein includes an information processing device that stores information on operation plans for each of a plurality of vehicles, the operation plans including operation routes that include at least a portion of one or more areas, sending information indicating the operation plans of the plurality of vehicles and a first area in which a specified event has occurred to a terminal device, and upon receiving an instruction to suspend operation in the first area from the terminal device, sending an instruction to suspend operation to a first vehicle whose operation route includes at least a portion of the first area. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] According to the information processing device and the like of the present disclosure, it is possible to improve the operational efficiency for operation management. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of an operation management system. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of operation plan information. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a sequence diagram illustrating an example of the operation of the traffic management system. [Figure 4] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of an operation management instruction screen. [Figure 5] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of an operation management instruction screen. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0010] The following describes the embodiments.

[0011] <Configuration of the traffic control system> FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of a traffic management system according to an embodiment. The traffic management system 1 includes one or more server devices 10, one or more terminal devices 12, and a plurality of vehicles 13, which are connected to each other via a network 11 so as to be able to communicate information with each other. The server device 10 is, for example, a server computer that belongs to a cloud computing system or other computing system and functions as a server that implements various functions. The server device 10 corresponds to the "information processing device" in this embodiment. The terminal device 12 is an information processing terminal used by an operator of the traffic management system 1, i.e., a traffic manager, and exchanges various information with the server device 10. The terminal device 12 is, for example, a personal computer, a tablet terminal, or the like. The vehicle 13 is equipped with communication and information processing functions and is connected to the network 11 via a mobile communication network. The vehicle 13 is, for example, a bus that transports passengers and is operated based on a traffic plan. The vehicle 13 may be driven by a driver, or its driving may be automated at any level (for example, any of levels 1 to 5 in the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) standards). The vehicle 13 is an electric vehicle or a hybrid vehicle that uses battery power as at least a part of its energy for traveling. The network 11 is, for example, the Internet, but also includes an ad-hoc network, a local area network (LAN), a metropolitan area network (MAN), or other networks, or any combination thereof.

[0012] In this embodiment, the traffic management system 1 supports the traffic management of multiple vehicles 13 by a traffic manager. Traffic management includes issuing instructions to execute or cancel the traffic plan for each vehicle 13. Each vehicle 13 is assigned a traffic plan including a traffic route, a start and end time of the traffic, etc. The traffic route is set in any block or district. Furthermore, the block or district is divided into one or more areas. The areas may be divided geographically, or may be divided by function, attribute, or administrative division. Furthermore, the areas may overlap with each other in part or in part. At least a part of the traffic route of each vehicle is included in one or more areas.

[0013] The server device 10 includes a communication unit 101, a storage unit 102, and a control unit 103 that communicates via the communication unit 101. The storage unit 102 stores operation plan information 107, i.e., information on operation plans for each of the multiple vehicles 13, including operation routes that include at least a portion of one or more areas. The control unit 103 sends information indicating the operation plans of the multiple vehicles 13 and areas (hereinafter referred to as "operational impossibility areas") where a predetermined event (hereinafter referred to as "operational impossibility event") has occurred to the terminal device 12. Upon receiving an instruction to suspend operation in an operational impossibility area from the terminal device 12, the control unit 103 sends an instruction to suspend operation to the vehicles 13 whose operation route includes at least a portion of the operational impossibility area. The operations manager can issue an instruction to suspend operation of the vehicles 13 that are scheduled to operate in the operational impossibility area on an area-by-area basis. Therefore, when multiple vehicles 13 are scheduled to operate in an operational impossibility area, the operations manager does not need to issue an instruction to suspend operation for each vehicle 13. This improves the operational efficiency of operation management.

[0014] <Configuration of Server Device 10> The server device 10 includes a communication unit 101, a storage unit 102, and a control unit 103. The server device 10 is, for example, a single computer. Alternatively, the server device 10 may be configured with two or more computers that are communicably connected and operate in cooperation with each other. In this case, the configuration shown in FIG. 1 is appropriately arranged in the two or more computers.

[0015] The communication unit 101 includes one or more communication interfaces. The communication interface is, for example, a LAN interface. The communication unit 101 receives information used in the operation of the server device 10 and transmits information obtained by the operation of the server device 10. The server device 10 is connected to a network 11 by the communication unit 101 and communicates information with a terminal device 12 and a vehicle 13 via the network 11.

[0016] The storage unit 102 includes, for example, one or more semiconductor memories, one or more magnetic memories, one or more optical memories, or a combination of at least two of them, that function as a main storage device, an auxiliary storage device, or a cache memory. The semiconductor memory is, for example, a random access memory (RAM) or a read only memory (ROM). The RAM is, for example, a static RAM (SRAM) or a dynamic RAM (DRAM). The ROM is, for example, an electrically erasable programmable read only memory (EEPROM). The storage unit 102 stores information used in the operation of the server device 10 and information obtained by the operation of the server device 10.

[0017] The information stored in the storage unit 102 includes operation plan information 107. As shown in FIG. 2, the operation plan information 107 includes, for example, vehicle information 21, service information 22, and service route information 23. The vehicle information 21 includes, for each vehicle 13, a vehicle ID for identifying the vehicle and operational status information indicating whether the vehicle 13 is operational. The vehicle ID may include the vehicle name. The operational status information indicates, for example, that the vehicle 13 is operational if it has no malfunctions, and indicates that the vehicle 13 is inoperable if it has a malfunction. The service information 22 includes, for each service assigned to each vehicle 13, a service ID for identifying the service, a vehicle ID indicating the vehicle 13 to which the service is assigned, a service route ID for identifying the service route along which the service is set, and service times indicating the start and end times of the service. The service ID may include the service name. The service times may include arrival times and departure times at one or more stops on the service route. The travel route information 23 includes, for each travel route, a travel route ID for identifying the travel route, area information indicating an area that includes at least a portion of the travel route, and situation prediction information regarding the predicted situation in the area. The travel route ID may include the name of the travel route. The area information includes information for identifying the area and information indicating the attributes of the area. The situation prediction information indicates a prediction of the situation regarding whether or not a service can be operated in the area. The situation prediction information includes, for example, road construction, accident response, and other work schedules in the area, scheduled events involving road closures, and predictions of severe weather that will affect road traffic. Among such predictions, predictions that will interfere with service correspond to reasons for service impossibility. The vehicle information 21 and the service information 22, and the service information 22 and the travel route information 23 are linked by a vehicle ID and a service ID, respectively. One service corresponds to one vehicle 13, but multiple routes can correspond to one area, or multiple routes can correspond to one route. Furthermore, multiple vehicles 13 can correspond to one route.

[0018] Returning to FIG. 1 , the control unit 103 includes one or more processors, one or more dedicated circuits, or a combination thereof. The processor is, for example, a general-purpose processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit), or a dedicated processor such as a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit) specialized for a specific process. The dedicated circuit is, for example, an FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array), an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), etc. The control unit 103 executes information processing related to the operation of the server device 10 while controlling each unit of the server device 10.

[0019] The functions of the server device 10 are realized by executing a control program on a processor included in the control unit 103. The control program is a program that causes a computer to execute processing of steps included in the operation of the server device 10, thereby causing the computer to realize functions corresponding to the processing of those steps. In other words, the control program is a program that causes a computer to function as the server device 10. Also, some or all of the functions of the server device 10 may be realized by a dedicated circuit included in the control unit 103. Also, the control program may be stored in a non-transitory recording / storage medium that is readable by the server device 10, and read by the server device 10 from the medium.

[0020] <Configuration of terminal device 12> The terminal device 12 includes a communication unit 121 , a storage unit 122 , a control unit 123 , an input unit 125 , and an output unit 126 .

[0021] The communication unit 121 includes a communication module compatible with wired or wireless LAN standards, a module compatible with mobile communication standards such as LTE (Long Term Evolution), 4G (4th Generation), or 5G (5th Generation), etc. The terminal device 12 is connected to the network 11 by the communication unit 121 via a nearby router device or a mobile communication base station, and communicates information with other devices via the network 11.

[0022] The storage unit 122 includes one or more semiconductor memories, one or more magnetic memories, one or more optical memories, or a combination of at least two of these. The semiconductor memories are, for example, RAM or ROM. The RAM is, for example, SRAM or DRAM. The ROM is, for example, EEPROM. The storage unit 122 functions as, for example, a main storage device, an auxiliary storage device, or a cache memory. The storage unit 122 stores information used in the operation of the control unit 123 and information obtained by the operation of the control unit 123.

[0023] The control unit 123 has, for example, one or more general-purpose processors such as a CPU, an MPU (Micro Processing Unit), or one or more dedicated processors specialized for specific processing. Alternatively, the control unit 123 may have one or more dedicated circuits such as an FPGA, an ASIC, or the like. The control unit 123 performs overall control of the operation of the terminal device 12 by operating according to a control / processing program or operating according to an operating procedure implemented as a circuit. The control unit 123 then transmits and receives various information to and from the server device 10, etc. via the communication unit 121, and performs the operation according to this embodiment.

[0024] The input unit 125 includes one or more input interfaces. The input interfaces include, for example, physical keys, capacitive keys, a pointing device, a touch screen integrated with a display, a camera that captures images or image codes, or an IC card reader. The input interface may also include a microphone that accepts voice input. The input unit 125 accepts input of information used for the operation of the control unit 123 and sends the input information to the control unit 123.

[0025] The output unit 126 includes one or more output interfaces. The output interface is, for example, a display or a speaker. The display is, for example, an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) or an organic EL (Electro-Luminescence) display. The output unit 126 outputs information obtained by the operation of the control unit 123.

[0026] The functions of control unit 123 are realized by a processor included in control unit 123 executing a control program. The control program is a program for causing the processor to function as control unit 123. In addition, some or all of the functions of control unit 123 may be realized by a dedicated circuit included in control unit 123.

[0027] <Example of vehicle 13 configuration> The vehicle 13 has a communication unit 131, a storage unit 132, a control unit 133, a positioning unit 134, an input unit 135, and an output unit 136. One or more of these may be configured as a single control device, or may be configured as a personal computer including a tablet terminal, a smartphone terminal, or a navigation device. Alternatively, each unit may be connected to be able to communicate information via an in-vehicle network that complies with a standard such as CAN (Controller Area Network).

[0028] The storage unit 132, the control unit 133, the input unit 135, and the output unit 136 have the same configurations as the storage unit 122, the control unit 123, the input unit 125, and the output unit 126 of the terminal device 12, respectively.

[0029] The communication unit 131 includes one or more communication interfaces. The communication interfaces are interfaces compatible with mobile communication standards such as LTE, 4G, or 5G. The communication unit 131 receives information used in the operation of the control unit 133 and transmits information obtained by the operation of the control unit 133. The control unit 133 is connected to the network 11 via a mobile communication base station by the communication unit 131, and communicates information with other devices via the network 11.

[0030] The positioning unit 134 includes one or more GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) receivers. GNSS includes, for example, at least one of GPS (Global Positioning System), QZSS (Quasi-Zenith Satellite System), BeiDou, GLONASS (Global Navigation Satellite System), and Galileo. Based on the information acquired by the positioning unit 134, the position information of the vehicle 13 is obtained.

[0031] The control unit 133 controls the communication unit 131, the memory unit 132, the positioning unit 134, the input unit 135, and the output unit 136 while exchanging various types of information with these units, and also controls the operation of the vehicle 13. When the vehicle 13 is operating, the control unit 133 controls the operation of the vehicle 13 by presenting various types of information necessary for driving to the driver via the output unit 136 and by controlling the automatic driving of the vehicle 13.

[0032] <Operation of Traffic Control System 1> FIG. 3 is a sequence diagram showing an example of a procedure for the cooperative operation of the server device 10, the terminal device 12, and the vehicle 13. Steps relating to various information processing by the server device 10, the terminal device 12, and the vehicle 13 in FIG. 3 are executed by the respective control units 103, 123, and 133. Furthermore, steps relating to the transmission and reception of various information by the server device 10, the terminal device 12, and the vehicle 13 are executed by the respective control units 103, 123, and 133 transmitting and receiving information to each other via the respective communication units 101, 121, and 131. In the server device 10, the terminal device 12, and the vehicle 13, the control units 103, 123, and 133 appropriately store the information to be processed and transmitted and received in the respective storage units 102, 122, and 132. Furthermore, in the terminal device 12 and the vehicle 13, information input by user operation is accepted by the input units 125 and 135, respectively, and various information intended for the user is output by the respective output units 126 and 136.

[0033] The procedure in Fig. 3 is an example of a procedure executed when an operations manager uses the terminal device 12 to perform operation management of the vehicle 13 via the server device 10. For example, the operations manager performs operations management operations once before the start of operations on each working day.

[0034] In step S30, the server device 10 acquires situation prediction information for each area. When the operations manager uses the terminal device 12 to instruct the server device 10 to acquire the situation prediction information, the server device 10 acquires the situation prediction information. The server device 10 acquires information such as work schedules for road construction and accident response, schedules for events involving road closures, and forecasts of severe weather from the servers of businesses that distribute road traffic information, event information, weather information, and the like, and updates the situation prediction information in the operation route information 23 with the acquired information.

[0035] In step S31, the server device 10 acquires operating status information of each vehicle 13. When the server device 10 sends a request for operating status information to each vehicle 13 using the vehicle ID of each vehicle 13, each vehicle 13 sends its operating status information to the server device 10 in response to the request. In each vehicle 13, for example, a maintenance or inspection worker for the vehicle 13 inputs operating status information, including the presence or absence of a malfunction of the vehicle 13, into the vehicle 13, and the input information is sent to the server device 10. The server device 10 updates the operating status information in the vehicle information 21 based on the information sent from each vehicle 13. For example, when service schedule information 22 is assigned to an inoperable vehicle 13 in the operation plan information 107, the server device 10 may change the inoperable vehicle 13 to an operable vehicle 13 based on the operating status information.

[0036] In step S32, the server device 10 transmits information about the operation plan to the terminal device 12. The information about the operation plan transmitted from the server device 10 includes at least a part of the operation plan information 107. For example, the information about the operation plan includes updated information about the operating status of each vehicle 13 and situation prediction information for each area.

[0037] In step S33, the terminal device 12 displays an operation instruction screen and accepts operation management operations from the operation manager. Based on the operation plan information received from the server device 10, the terminal device 12 displays, for example, an operation schedule 40 as shown in FIG. 4 and an area situation forecast 41 as shown in FIG. 5 as an operation instruction screen. The operation schedule 40 includes information on items such as the operation route name, the operation name, the departure time at the starting stop, the arrival time at the end stop, the vehicle name, and the name of the area that includes part of the route. The area situation forecast 41 also includes information indicating the area name and the situation forecast. By checking the operation instruction screen, the operation manager can recognize that an operation impossibility event will occur, for example, a road closure section in "Area 1" or a flooded section in "Area 3" due to heavy rain, and can determine that "Area 1" and "Area 3" are operation impossibility areas. On the other hand, the operation manager can recognize that an operation impossibility event is not predicted in "Area 2," and therefore operation is possible. For example, in the area situation forecast 41, the operation manager inputs an instruction to "execute" or "cancel" the operation corresponding to each area in the "operation execution / cancellation instruction" item. For example, the operation manager can input an instruction to execute or cancel the operation by selecting one of the displayed options of "execute" or "cancel" or by inputting it directly. In this example, the operation is instructed to "cancel" the operation for "area 1" and "area 3", which are areas where operation is not possible, and to "execute" the operation for "area 2".

[0038] Returning to FIG. 3, in step S34, the terminal device 12 sends to the server device 10 an instruction to stop or carry out the service set for each area.

[0039] In step S35, the server device 10 distinguishes between inoperable vehicles 13 and operable vehicles 13. Using the operation plan information 107, the server device 10 distinguishes between inoperable vehicles 13 and operable vehicles 13. The server device 10 distinguishes between inoperable vehicles 13 and operable vehicles 13 that are associated with services on routes that include, in part, areas instructed to be suspended, and operable vehicles 13 that are associated with services on routes that include, in part, areas instructed to be operated.

[0040] In step S36, the server device 10 sends to each vehicle 13 an operation schedule based on the service information 22, along with an instruction to stop operation to a vehicle 13 determined to be unable to operate, and an instruction to operate to a vehicle 13 determined to be able to operate.

[0041] In step S37, each vehicle 13 cancels or executes operation in accordance with the operation schedule and the instruction to cancel or execute operation sent from the server device 10. A vehicle 13 determined to be inoperable cancels operation, and a vehicle 13 determined to be operable executes operation based on the operation schedule. In each vehicle 13, the control unit 133 controls the vehicle 13 to execute operation or cancels such control based on the information sent from the server device 10. Alternatively, the control unit 133 may output the operation schedule and an instruction to cancel or execute operation via a display or the like, and the occupant may perform an operation to execute operation or cancel such an operation. Note that information identical to the service information 22 of the operation plan information 107 stored in the server device 10 may be stored in each vehicle 13 in advance, and each vehicle 13 may execute operation based on that information.

[0042] According to the above-described procedure, the operations manager can issue an instruction to stop the operation of vehicles 13 scheduled to operate through an operation-prohibited area on an area-by-area basis. Furthermore, even when multiple vehicles 13 are scheduled to operate on each route in an operation-prohibited area, it is possible to issue an instruction to stop operation to multiple vehicles 13. Therefore, when multiple vehicles 13 are scheduled to operate on one or more routes in an operation-prohibited area, the operations manager does not need to issue an instruction to stop operation for each vehicle 13. Furthermore, even when multiple vehicles 13 of different standards and specifications are operating in an operation-prohibited area, it is possible to issue an instruction to stop operation collectively by configuring the server device 10 and each vehicle 13 to be able to communicate. This makes it possible to improve the operational efficiency of operation management.

[0043] Although the embodiments have been described above based on the drawings and examples, it should be noted that those skilled in the art can easily make various modifications and alterations based on the present disclosure. Therefore, it should be noted that these modifications and alterations are included in the scope of the present disclosure. For example, the functions included in each means, step, etc. can be rearranged so as not to be logically inconsistent, and multiple means, steps, etc. can be combined or divided into one. [Explanation of symbols]

[0044] 1. Traffic management system 10 Server device 11 Network 12 Terminal Equipment 13 vehicles 101, 121, 131 Communications Department 102, 122, 132 storage section 103, 123, 133 Control unit 125, 135 input section 126, 136 Output section 134 Positioning Unit

Claims

1. The Communications Department and a storage unit that stores information about operation plans for each of a plurality of vehicles, the operation plans including operation routes that include at least a portion of one or more areas; a control unit that performs communication using the communication unit, the control unit sends information indicating the operation plans of the plurality of vehicles and a first area in which a predetermined event has occurred to a terminal device, and when receiving an instruction to suspend operation in the first area from the terminal device, sends an instruction to suspend operation to a first vehicle whose operation route includes at least a part of the first area; Information processing device.

2. In claim 1, the control unit sends an instruction to operate a second vehicle whose operating route is not partly or entirely within the first area; Information processing device.

3. In claim 2, the control unit sends the instructions to stop operation and start operation to the first and second vehicles, respectively, before the operation start times included in the operation plans of the first and second vehicles; Information processing device.

4. In claim 1, the control unit sends the operation suspension instruction to a plurality of the vehicles corresponding to one of the operation routes. Information processing device.

5. An operating method of an information processing device that stores information on operation plans including operation routes of each of a plurality of vehicles, the operation plans including at least a part of the operation routes being included in one or more areas, sending information indicating an operation plan of the plurality of vehicles and a first area in which a predetermined event has occurred to a terminal device, and when receiving an instruction to suspend operation in the first area from the terminal device, sending an instruction to suspend operation to a first vehicle whose operation route includes at least a part of the first area; A method for operating an information processing device.

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