Information processing apparatus

Abstract

To dispatch a vehicle as desired by a user.SOLUTION: Request data for requesting dispatch of a first vehicle to a user is acquired, a driver of the first vehicle is notified in a case where change of characteristics of behavior of the first vehicle with respect to a driving operation amount is requested in the request data, and the characteristics of the first vehicle are changed based on the request data in a case where the driver of the first vehicle agrees with the change.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to vehicle technology. [Background technology]

[0002] There are technologies related to taxis and ride-sharing that improve convenience for passengers and drivers. In this regard, for example, Patent Document 1 discloses a system that dispatches a driver and vehicle with predetermined attributes in response to a request from a passenger. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2023-016401 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-054444 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] The present disclosure aims to dispatch a vehicle that meets the user's wishes. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] One aspect of the present disclosure is An information processing device having a control unit that executes the following: acquiring request data requesting that a first vehicle be dispatched to a user; if the request data requests that the behavior characteristics of the first vehicle in response to driving operations be changed, notifying the driver of the first vehicle; and if the driver of the first vehicle agrees to the change, changing the characteristics of the first vehicle based on the request data.

[0006] Other aspects include an information processing method executed by the above-mentioned device, a program for causing a computer to execute the information processing method, or a computer-readable storage medium that non-temporarily stores the program. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to the present disclosure, a vehicle can be dispatched according to the user's wishes. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram illustrating the configuration of an in-vehicle device 10 according to an embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating the relationship between the amount of driving operation and the amount of reaction of the vehicle. [Figure 3] 4 is a flowchart of a process executed by the in-vehicle device 10. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] In recent years, services that allow users to make reservations for taxis and ride-sharing vehicles via application programs that run on smartphones and other devices have become popular.

[0010] Such services allow passengers to request a driver who can speak a specific language or a specific vehicle type, for example, and dispatch a vehicle according to their requests.

[0011] However, depending on the driver's personality and characteristics, the driver's driving may not be a good fit. In particular, drivers who drive sharply may be evaluated as driving roughly. In particular, as electric vehicles, which have a large driving torque at low speeds, become more widespread, it is expected that such problems will become more likely to occur. The information processing device according to the present disclosure solves such problems.

[0012] An information processing device according to one embodiment of the present disclosure has a control unit that acquires request data requesting that a first vehicle be dispatched to a user, notifies a driver of the first vehicle if the request data requests that the behavior characteristics of the first vehicle in response to driving operations be changed, and changes the characteristics of the first vehicle based on the request data if the driver of the first vehicle agrees to the change.

[0013] The first vehicle is typically a vehicle driven by a driver, such as a taxi or a ride-sharing vehicle. The request data may include, for example, data requesting a taxi dispatch. The request data may include data requesting a change in the behavior characteristics of the first vehicle in response to a driving operation. For example, the first vehicle may have a parameter that defines how the vehicle responds to a driving operation amount (e.g., accelerator pedal depression amount). In this case, by dynamically changing such a parameter, for example, the throttle opening relative to the accelerator pedal depression amount can be set smaller, thereby making the vehicle accelerate more slowly.

[0014] The request data may be generated based on a vehicle dispatch request transmitted from a user terminal. If the request data requests a change in vehicle characteristics, the control unit changes the characteristics of the first vehicle (e.g., the degree of response to driving operations) on the condition that the driver of the first vehicle agrees. This allows the first vehicle with the changed characteristics to be dispatched to the user. This configuration allows a user reserving a vehicle such as a taxi to adjust the behavior of the vehicle to suit their preferences.

[0015] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. The configurations of the following embodiments are examples, and the present disclosure is not limited to the configurations of the embodiments.

[0016] (First embodiment) An overview of a vehicle system according to a first embodiment will be described. The vehicle system according to this embodiment includes a vehicle 1 that is a taxi and an on-board device 10 installed in the vehicle 1. Note that, although the vehicle 1 is a taxi in this embodiment, the vehicle 1 may also be a ride-sharing vehicle or the like.

[0017] The configuration of each device that makes up the system will be described. First, a description will be given of the components of the vehicle 1. Fig. 1 is a diagram schematically illustrating an example of the configuration of the vehicle 1. The vehicle 1 includes an in-vehicle device 10 and an ECU 11.

[0018] The in-vehicle device 10 can be configured as a computer having a processor (CPU, GPU, etc.), a main memory device (RAM, ROM, etc.), and an auxiliary memory device (EPROM, hard disk drive, removable media, etc.). The auxiliary memory device stores an operating system (OS), various programs, various tables, etc., and by executing the programs stored therein, various functions (software modules) that meet predetermined purposes, as described below, can be realized. However, some or all of the functions may be realized as hardware modules using hardware circuits such as ASICs and FPGAs.

[0019] The in-vehicle device 10 includes a control unit 101, a storage unit 102, a communication unit 103, and a location information acquisition unit 104. , an input / output unit 105, and a wireless communication unit 106.

[0020] The control unit 101 is a computing unit that executes predetermined programs to realize various functions of the in-vehicle device 10. The control unit 101 can be realized by, for example, a hardware processor such as a CPU. The control unit 101 may also be configured to include a RAM, a ROM (Read Only Memory), a cache memory, and the like.

[0021] In this embodiment, the control unit 101 of the in-vehicle device 10 is configured to have two software modules: a reservation reception unit 111 and a parameter adjustment unit 112. Each software module may be realized by the control unit 101 (CPU, etc.) executing a program stored in the storage unit 102, which will be described later. The information processing executed by the software module is synonymous with the information processing executed by the control unit 101 (CPU, etc.).

[0022] The reservation reception unit 111 receives data (reservation request) requesting the dispatch of a vehicle 1 from an external device (reservation server). In this embodiment, a user wishing to ride a taxi transmits a reservation request to a predetermined reservation server. The reservation request includes the desired time of dispatch, the desired location of dispatch, and information about the user. The reservation server determines a candidate vehicle 1 to be dispatched to the user from among multiple vehicles under its management, and transfers the reservation request to the in-vehicle device 10 installed in the determined vehicle 1.

[0023] The reservation receiving unit 111, for example, presents the contents of the reservation request to the driver and allows the driver to select whether or not to accept the request via the input / output unit 105. If the request is accepted, the vehicle 1 starts operating.

[0024] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the reservation request includes a request for changing the characteristic parameters of the vehicle 1 (characteristic request).

[0025] The characteristic parameters are parameters that the vehicle 1 has for setting the degree to which the vehicle responds to a driving operation amount. FIG. 2 shows an example of the characteristic parameters. FIG. 2 is a graph showing the relationship between the driving operation amount (horizontal axis), which is the input, and the vehicle's reaction amount (vertical axis), which is the output. In this way, the characteristic parameters are defined by the relationship between the input and the output.

[0026] Driving operation amounts are input amounts to driving operation devices, such as steering angle, accelerator pedal depression amount, brake pedal depression amount, etc. Reaction amounts are output amounts from vehicle components, such as steering angle, regenerative power, brake pressure, and throttle opening.

[0027] By changing the characteristic parameter, it is possible to change how the vehicle responds to the amount of driving operation. For example, if the characteristic parameter is changed from the default (reference number 201) to reference number 202, the vehicle's behavior in response to the amount of driving operation becomes slower. As a result, for example, even if the amount of accelerator pedal depression is the same, the throttle opening becomes smaller, and acceleration becomes more gradual.

[0028] Conversely, if the characteristic parameter is changed from the default (reference numeral 201) to reference numeral 203, the vehicle's behavior in response to the driving operation amount becomes more agile. As a result, for example, even if the accelerator pedal depression amount is the same, the throttle opening becomes larger, and acceleration becomes sharper. Although characteristic parameters relating to acceleration are exemplified here, the characteristic parameters are not limited to these, and may be, for example, parameters relating to braking, steering, etc.

[0029] In this embodiment, the reservation request includes a request (characteristic request) to change the characteristic parameters. For example, if the characteristic parameters are defined in three levels, such as "gentle (level 1)," "normal (level 2)," and "agile (level 3)," the characteristic request can take a value indicating one of the three levels. Note that if there are multiple types of characteristic parameters, such as acceleration (accelerator), deceleration (brake), and steering, there may also be multiple types of characteristic requests. Table 1 shows an example of a characteristic request. [Table 1]

[0030] If the reservation request includes a characteristic request, the reservation acceptance unit 111 presents the contents of the characteristic request to the driver and receives consent from the driver to change the characteristic parameters of the vehicle. For example, the reservation acceptance unit 111 may accept the reservation request only if the driver consents to changing the characteristic parameters. If the driver consents, the reservation acceptance unit 111 transmits a positive response to the reservation request to the reservation server. Furthermore, the reservation receiving unit 111 issues an instruction to the parameter adjusting unit 112 to change the characteristic parameters of the vehicle.

[0031] When receiving an instruction from the reservation receiving unit 111, the parameter adjusting unit 112 communicates with the ECU (Electric Control Unit) 11 of the vehicle and changes the characteristic parameters. If the types of characteristic requests are "acceleration," "deceleration," and "steering," the parameter adjustment unit 112 instructs the ECU 11 to set the characteristic parameters of acceleration, deceleration, and steering to the specified contents.

[0032] In this embodiment, it is assumed that the characteristic parameters for acceleration, deceleration, and steering can be changed individually, and the characteristic request can also specify each of the three types of characteristic parameters, but this is not limiting. For example, the drive modes of the vehicle 1 may be divided into "eco," "normal," and "sport," and the vehicle's ECU may be able to comprehensively change the vehicle's behavior (amount of response) to driving operations depending on the set mode. In this case, the characteristic request may specify the drive mode. Furthermore, the parameter adjustment unit 112 may change the drive mode of the vehicle 1 to the specified mode. In this way, the characteristic parameters to be changed do not necessarily have to be classified as acceleration, deceleration, steering, etc., and these do not necessarily have to be specified individually.

[0033] The storage unit 102 is a means for storing information, and is configured with storage media such as RAM, a magnetic disk, a flash memory, etc. The storage unit 102 stores programs executed by the control unit 101, data used by the programs, etc.

[0034] The communication unit 103 is a communication interface for connecting the in-vehicle device 10 to a vehicle network. The communication unit 103 is, for example, a network such as a CAN (Controller Area Network). The communication system is configured to be capable of communicating with on-board components of the vehicle 1 via the network.

[0035] The location information acquisition unit 104 acquires location information of the vehicle 1. The location information acquisition unit 104 includes a GPS antenna and a positioning module for determining the location information. The GPS antenna is an antenna that receives positioning signals transmitted from positioning satellites (also referred to as GNSS satellites). The positioning module is a module that calculates location information based on the signals received by the GPS antenna.

[0036] The input / output unit 105 is a unit that receives input from vehicle occupants and presents information to them. Specifically, the input / output unit 105 is composed of a touch panel and its control means, and a liquid crystal display and its control means. In this embodiment, the touch panel and the liquid crystal display are combined into one touch panel display.

[0037] The wireless communication unit 106 is a wireless communication interface for connecting the in-vehicle device 10 to an external network. The communication unit 13 is configured to be able to communicate with a reservation server or the like via, for example, a wireless LAN or a cellular communication network such as 3G, 4G, or 5G.

[0038] The ECU 11 is an on-board computer that controls the driving of the vehicle 1. The ECU 11 controls the vehicle's drive devices (for example, the engine, transmission, motor, etc.) based on operations performed on the accelerator pedal, steering wheel, brake pedal, etc. The ECU 11 also has a function of adjusting the vehicle's response to the amount of operation performed by the driver based on predetermined characteristic parameters. In this embodiment, the characteristic parameters are of three types: "acceleration (accelerator)," "steering (steering)," and "deceleration (brake)," and each of these is set to one of three levels, Level 1 to Level 3, as shown below. Level 1: Less reaction to driving operations Level 2: The reaction amount to the driving operation is the default value Level 3: Higher response to driving operations For example, the ECU 11 may normally apply the characteristic parameters of level 2, and apply the characteristic parameters of level 1 or level 3 when instructed to do so.

[0039] The specific configuration of the in-vehicle device 10 may include omissions, substitutions, and additions of components as appropriate depending on the embodiment. For example, the control unit 101 may include multiple hardware processors. The hardware processor may be configured with a microprocessor, FPGA, GPU, etc. Furthermore, input / output devices other than those illustrated (for example, an optical drive, etc.) may be added. Furthermore, the in-vehicle device 10 may be configured with multiple computers. In this case, the hardware configurations of the computers may or may not be the same.

[0040] [Processing flow] Next, the flow of processing executed by the in-vehicle device 10 will be described. 3 is a flowchart of a process executed by the in-vehicle device 10 while the vehicle 1 is traveling. The process shown in the figure may be started at any timing when the traveling system of the vehicle 1 is activated.

[0041] First, in step S11, the reservation reception unit 111 receives a reservation request from the reservation server. When the reservation server receives the reservation request from the user terminal, it identifies one or more vehicles 1 that can be dispatched, and transmits (transfers) the reservation request to the identified vehicles 1. The reservation request includes the time to dispatch the vehicle, the destination location, information about the user who requested the reservation (user information), a characteristic request, etc. As shown in Table 1, the characteristic request consists of a combination of characteristic parameters to be changed and their values.

[0042] Next, in step S12, the reservation acceptance unit 111 accepts the contents of the reservation request as a driving request for the vehicle 1. For example, the reservation acceptance unit 111 outputs the dispatch time, dispatch location, and user information via the input / output unit 105. Furthermore, if the reservation request includes a characteristic request, the reservation acceptance unit 111 outputs the content of the characteristic request via the input / output unit 105, and allows the driver of the vehicle 1 to choose whether or not to accept the reservation request.

[0043] If the driver of vehicle 1 selects to accept the reservation request (step S13-Yes), the process proceeds to step S14. If the driver of vehicle 1 selects not to accept the reservation request (step S13-No), or if the selection times out, the process proceeds to step S16. Note that if a reservation request is sent to multiple vehicles 1 and one of them accepts, the other vehicles 1 may be automatically canceled.

[0044] In step S14, the parameter adjustment unit 112 changes the specified characteristic parameters in accordance with the characteristic request included in the reservation request. Note that the period for changing the characteristic parameters may be only the period related to the reservation. For example, the parameter adjustment unit 112 may change the specified characteristic parameters from the time the reservation request is received (or from the time the user gets on) until the operation ends (for example, until the user gets off).

[0045] Furthermore, the change of the characteristic parameters by the parameter adjustment unit 112 may be performed automatically or may be triggered by an operation by the driver. For example, based on an operation performed by the driver, the parameter adjustment unit 112 may change the characteristic parameters to specified content and notify the reservation reception unit 111 that the change of the characteristic parameters has been completed. When the change of the characteristic parameters has been completed, the process proceeds to step S15.

[0046] In step S15, the reservation acceptance unit 111 notifies the reservation server that the reservation has been established. In response to this, the reservation server may notify the user terminal that the reservation has been established. When the process proceeds to step S16, the reservation acceptance unit 111 notifies the reservation server that the reservation has not been accepted. In response to this, the reservation server may notify the user terminal that the reservation has not been accepted.

[0047] As described above, when a reservation request requests a change to the vehicle's characteristic parameters, the in-vehicle device 10 according to the first embodiment notifies the driver of the vehicle 1 of this, and changes the vehicle's characteristic parameters on the condition that the driver accepts this. This configuration enables a user reserving a vehicle such as a taxi to make the vehicle behave in a manner that more closely matches their preferences.

[0048] (Variation) The above-described embodiment is merely an example, and the present disclosure can be modified and implemented as appropriate within the scope that does not deviate from the gist of the disclosure. For example, the processes and means described in this disclosure can be freely combined and implemented as long as no technical contradiction occurs.

[0049] Furthermore, a process described as being performed by one device may be shared and executed by multiple devices. Alternatively, a process described as being performed by different devices may be executed by a single device. In a computer system, the hardware configuration (server configuration) by which each function is realized can be flexibly changed.

[0050] The present disclosure provides a computer program that implements the functions described in the above embodiments to a computer, and one or more processors of the computer read the program. The computer program can also be implemented by executing the program on a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium connectable to the computer's system bus or via a network. Non-transitory computer-readable storage media include, for example, any type of disk, such as a magnetic disk (e.g., a floppy disk, a hard disk drive (HDD), etc.), an optical disk (e.g., a CD-ROM, a DVD disk, a Blu-ray disk), a read-only memory (ROM), a random-access memory (RAM), an EPROM, an EEPROM, a magnetic card, a flash memory, an optical card, or any type of medium suitable for storing electronic instructions. [Explanation of symbols]

[0051] 1. Vehicle 10...In-vehicle equipment 11. ECU 101 Control unit 102...Storage section 103 Communications Department 104...Location information acquisition unit 105...Input / output section 106 Wireless Communication Unit

Claims

[Claim 1] Obtaining request data requesting that a first vehicle be dispatched to a user; When the request data requests that the behavior characteristics of the first vehicle in response to a driving operation amount be changed, notifying the driver of the first vehicle; modifying the characteristic of the first vehicle based on the request data if a driver of the first vehicle consents to the modification; An information processing device having a control unit that executes the above.

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