Reservation management device

Abstract

To provide a reservation management device for eliminating impatience generated in a driver in order to meet the start time of a prescribed reservation.SOLUTION: The S110 management process includes a S130 for estimating a predicted arrival time at which the driver arrives at a S140 site, a S150YES for acquiring current driving information, a S160 for comparing the acquired driving information with normal driving information, a reservation for a case where the driver is determined to be impatient, and a reservation for a case where the driver is proposed to change the predetermined reservation by changing an entry place or a start time of the predetermined reservation or canceling the predetermined reservation.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a reservation management device, and more particularly to a reservation management device that adjusts a predetermined reservation by specifying an entrance location and a start time for a vehicle to enter. [Background technology]

[0002] A conventional reservation management system of this type is a parking reservation time change system that automatically changes the reservation time by understanding road traffic conditions when making a reservation from a user terminal device connected via a network (see, for example, Patent Document 1). This system automatically postpones the parking reservation time if the vehicle exceeds the reserved time by a predetermined amount based on changes in the vehicle's location information and road traffic conditions. This is said to improve user convenience and parking service even in the event of traffic congestion. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2005-031766 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, in the above-mentioned parking reservation time change system, although the parking reservation time is automatically postponed if the vehicle exceeds the reserved time by a predetermined amount, the driver's awareness is not taken into consideration when automatically postponing the time, which can cause discomfort to the driver. It is especially important to take the driver's awareness into consideration when the driver is feeling anxious about making it to the reserved time.

[0005] The reservation management device disclosed herein primarily aims to alleviate the anxiety that drivers feel when trying to make it to the start time of a specific reservation. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The reservation management device of the present disclosure employs the following means to achieve the above-mentioned main object.

[0007] The reservation management device disclosed herein is a reservation management device that adjusts a specified reservation by specifying the entry location and start time for the vehicle to enter, and is characterized in that when the driver's state of impatience is input, the device suggests to the driver either changing the entry location and / or the start time for the specified reservation, or canceling the specified reservation.

[0008] In the reservation management device disclosed herein, when adjusting a predetermined reservation by specifying the entry location and start time for the vehicle, if the driver's state of impatience is input, the reservation management device suggests to the driver either changing the entry location or start time for the predetermined reservation, or canceling the predetermined reservation. In other words, the device suggests to the driver changing or canceling the predetermined reservation depending on the driver's state of impatience. This helps to alleviate the driver's impatience in making it to the start time of the predetermined reservation.

[0009] Here, the predicted arrival time may be input from an on-board navigation system. The traffic information may be received from an external traffic information center by the on-board navigation system communicating with the center. The driver's state of impatience may be determined by comparing the driver's state with a normal state based on information such as accelerator operation, vehicle acceleration, steering state, vehicle speed, driver posture, line of sight, and facial expression captured by an in-car camera, conversation content captured by an in-car microphone, and the driver's heart rate, body temperature, and degree of sweating captured by a wearable device. Suggestions to the driver may be displayed on a display screen located in front of the driver's seat or by voice.

[0010] The reservation management device of the present disclosure may be mounted on a vehicle or may be a mobile terminal with application software installed. When a mobile terminal is used as the reservation management device, it is preferable that the mobile terminal inputs the predicted arrival time and the driver's state of impatience into the vehicle's control device via communication with the vehicle's control device, and transmits information about changes to the entry location or start time for a specified reservation or cancellation of the specified reservation to the vehicle's control device, and notifies the driver of this via the vehicle's display device or audio output device. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0011] [Figure 1] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the main electronic control unit 30 as a central block. [Figure 2] 10 is a flowchart showing an example of a reservation management process. [Figure 3] FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a normal range of acceleration α with respect to vehicle speed V. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0012] Next, a mode (embodiment) for carrying out the present disclosure will be described. Fig. 1 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of an automobile 20 equipped with an unpleasant emotion determination device as an embodiment of the present disclosure, with a main electronic control unit 30 as the central block. The unpleasant emotion determination device of the embodiment corresponds to the main electronic control unit 30. As shown in the figure, the automobile 20 of the embodiment includes a drive unit 62 that outputs drive force to drive wheels (not shown), and a drive electronic control unit (hereinafter referred to as drive ECU) 60 that drives and controls the drive unit 62.

[0013] The drive device 62 may be, for example, a combination of an engine and an automatic transmission, a motor, etc. The drive ECU 60 is configured as a microcomputer, and controls the drive of the drive device 62 based on a drive control signal from the main electronic control unit 30.

[0014] In addition to the drive unit 62 and drive ECU 60, the automobile 20 of the embodiment is equipped with an ignition switch 32, a shift position sensor 34, an accelerator position sensor 36, a brake position sensor 38, a vehicle speed sensor 40, an acceleration sensor 42, a gradient sensor 44, a yaw rate sensor 46, an in-vehicle camera 48, a seat pressure sensor 50, a surrounding recognition electronic control unit (surrounding recognition ECU) 52, a surrounding recognition device 53, a battery electronic control unit (battery ECU) 54, a battery 55, an air conditioning device electronic control unit (air conditioner ECU) 56, an air conditioning device 58, a brake electronic control unit (brake ECU) 64, a brake device 66, a steering electronic control unit (steering ECU) 68, a steering device 70, a display device 72, a meter 76, a GPS 78, a navigation system 80, a communication device 86, and the like.

[0015] The in-vehicle camera 48 is positioned from the front of the passenger compartment toward the rear, and captures images of the occupants in the passenger compartment. The seat pressure sensor 50 detects whether or not an occupant is present in the seat. The periphery recognition ECU 52 is configured as a microcomputer. Information about the vehicle and its surroundings (e.g., the distance between the vehicle and other vehicles in front and behind the vehicle, the speed of other vehicles, and the vehicle's position in the road lane) is input to the periphery recognition ECU 52 from the periphery recognition device 53 via an input port. Examples of the periphery recognition device 53 include a front camera, a rear camera, millimeter-wave radar, quasi-millimeter-wave radar, infrared laser radar, sonar, etc.

[0016] The battery ECU 54 is configured as a microcomputer. The battery ECU 54 calculates the power storage rate SOC, input / output limits Win, Wout, etc. based on the battery voltage Vb, battery current Ib, etc. The air conditioner ECU 56 is configured as a microcomputer and incorporated in an air conditioner 58 that conditions the passenger compartment, and drives and controls the air conditioner compressor of the air conditioner so that the temperature in the passenger compartment becomes a set temperature.

[0017] The brake ECU 64 is configured as a microcomputer and drives and controls a well-known hydraulically driven brake device 66. The brake device 66 is configured to be able to apply braking force resulting from the brake depression force exerted by depressing the brake pedal and braking force resulting from hydraulic pressure adjustment. The steering ECU 68 is also configured as a microcomputer and drives and controls the actuator of the steering device 28, which is mechanically connected to a steering wheel (not shown) and drive wheels via a steering shaft. The steering device 28 steers the drive wheels based on the driver's steering operation, and also steers the drive wheels by driving the actuator via the steering ECU 68 based on a steering control signal from the main electronic control unit 30.

[0018] The display device 72 is located in the center in front of the driver's seat and passenger seat, and also functions as a touch panel to set various vehicle settings, run audio and media applications, and function as the display unit 84 of the navigation system to perform map navigation. The display device 72 is equipped with a microphone, speaker, etc. The GPS 78 is a device that detects the vehicle's position based on signals transmitted from multiple GPS satellites.

[0019] The navigation system 80 is a system that guides the vehicle to a set destination, and includes map information 82 and a display unit 84. When a destination is set, the navigation system 80 sets a route based on the destination information, information on the current location (current vehicle position) acquired by the GPS 78, and the map information 82.

[0020] The communication device 86 transmits information about the vehicle to the road traffic information center 100 and receives various information, including congestion information, from the road traffic information center 100. The communication device 86 also communicates with a reservation management center 110, which manages occupancy information and reservations for each venue (parking lots, charging stations, etc.). Furthermore, the communication device 86 transmits data necessary for reservation management to the mobile terminal 200 and receives various data from the mobile terminal 200.

[0021] The main electronic control unit 30 is configured as a microcomputer and receives, for example, an ignition switch signal from an ignition switch 32, a shift position from a shift position sensor 34, an accelerator opening from an accelerator position sensor 36, a brake position from a brake position sensor 38, a vehicle speed V from a vehicle speed sensor 40, an acceleration from an acceleration sensor 42, a gradient from a gradient sensor 44, and a yaw rate from a yaw rate sensor 46. It also receives images from an in-vehicle camera 48 and seat pressures Ps of each seat from seat pressure sensors 50. The main electronic control unit 30 outputs, for example, display control signals (including audio output control signals) to a display device 72 and communication control signals to a communication device 86. The main electronic control unit 30 communicates with the surroundings recognition ECU 52, air conditioning ECU 56, drive ECU 60, brake ECU 64, steering ECU 68, and navigation system 80, exchanging various types of information.

[0022] Next, the operation of the thus configured automobile 20, particularly the operation when managing reservations for parking lots, charging stations, etc., will be described. Fig. 2 is a flowchart showing an example of a reservation management process executed by the main electronic control unit 30. Note that the main electronic control unit 30 corresponds to a reservation management device as an embodiment of the present disclosure. Reservations for parking lots, charging stations, etc. that are the subject of reservation management are made by selecting an entry date and time and a venue location such as the parking lot or charging station based on information from the reservation management center 110 through a reservation process (not shown).

[0023] When the reservation management process is executed, the main electronic control unit 30 determines whether a reservation has been made (step S100). If a reservation has not been made, there is no need for reservation management, and the process ends.

[0024] If it is determined in step S100 that a reservation has been made, the system estimates the predicted time of arrival at the reserved venue (such as a parking lot or charging station) (step S110). This predicted time of arrival can be obtained by receiving from navigation system 80 the predicted time of arrival calculated by adding the time required to travel the planned route from the current location to the reserved venue to the current time. Note that navigation system 80 obtains road traffic information, including congestion information, from road traffic information center 100 via communication device 86. Therefore, if there is congestion on the planned route from the current location to the reserved venue, the system calculates the time required to travel the planned route taking the congestion into account, and adds this to the current time to calculate the predicted time of arrival.

[0025] Next, the current driving information of the vehicle is acquired (step S130), and the acquired driving information is compared with normal driving information to determine whether the driver is feeling impatient (step S140). Examples of driving information include accelerator and brake operation (speed and amount of operation), steering wheel scanning speed and correction frequency, vehicle speed, acceleration, seat angle, driver posture, line of sight, and facial expression captured by an in-vehicle camera, conversation captured by a microphone built into the display device 72, and, if the driver is wearing a wearable device, the driver's heart rate, body temperature, and sweating. The determination of whether the driver is feeling impatient can be made, for example, by determining whether the vehicle speed V and acceleration α, which are current driving information, frequently exceed their normal ranges. FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of the normal range of acceleration α relative to vehicle speed V. In the figure, the hatched area indicates the normal range. If the vehicle speed V and acceleration α, which are current driving conditions, frequently exceed the normal ranges shown in FIG. 3, the driver can be determined to be in an impatient state. Since each driver has different driving habits and driving preferences, it is desirable that the normal range be learned from the driver's daily driving, but it may also be a general-purpose normal range defined by the vehicle manufacturer based on market data.If the driver is not in a state of impatience, it is determined that this process is unnecessary and this process is terminated.

[0026] If it is determined in step S150 that the driver is becoming impatient, a suggestion to change the reservation is made (step S160). This suggestion to change the reservation can be made by outputting a voice message such as "Anxiety detected. Would you like to change your reservation?" from the display device 72. It is then determined whether the driver has agreed to this suggestion (step S170). Regarding whether the driver has agreed, if a positive expression of intent such as "yes," "agree," or "change" is obtained via the microphone built into the display device 72, it can be determined that the driver has agreed, and if a negative expression of intent such as "no," "do not agree," or "do not change," it can be determined that the driver has not agreed. If it is determined that the driver has not agreed, this process ends.

[0027] If it is determined in step S170 that the driver has accepted the proposed reservation change, the reservation availability information for the reserved venue is obtained from the reservation management center 110 (step S180), and options for after the predicted arrival time are presented (step S190). The options can be presented by displaying them on the display device 72 or by audio output such as "1. Reservations can be made for reservations starting at XX:XX. 2. Reservations can be made for reservations starting at XX:△△. 3. ..." Next, it is determined whether the driver wishes to select an option from the presented options (step S200). This determination can be made by selecting an option by touching the display or audio output of the options on the display device 72 or by voice input such as "1" or "2." If it is determined that the driver wishes to select an option, the desired reservation change time is selected (step S210), and the reservation change is sent to the reservation management center 110 (step S220). When the reservation management center 110 receives such a reservation change, it changes the reservation using the reservation change process and sends an acceptance of the reservation change. The center 110 then receives this acceptance (step S230), notifies the user that the reservation change has been completed (step S240), and terminates this process.

[0028] On the other hand, if it is determined in step S200 that the driver has no preference in the selection, a notification that the reservation will be cancelled is sent to the reservation management center 110 (step S250), and upon receiving this cancellation, an acceptance of the reservation cancellation is received from the reservation management center 110, which performs the reservation cancellation process (step S260), and a notification that the reservation cancellation has been completed is sent (step S270), and this process ends.

[0029] In the main electronic control unit 30 as a reservation management device of the embodiment described above, when the predicted arrival time at the venue falls after the reservation start time and the driver's state of impatience is input, the main electronic control unit 30 suggests to the driver that the reservation start time be changed. Also, if the driver does not have a preference for changing the reservation start time, the reservation is canceled. This helps to eliminate the driver's impatience in trying to make it to the reservation start time.

[0030] In the reservation management device of the embodiment, if the driver does not wish to select one of the options for changing the reservation start time, the reservation is canceled. However, it is also possible to obtain occupancy information for other venues (parking lots, charging stations, etc.) from the reservation management center 110, propose options for reservations at other venues, and change the reservation to another venue. In this case, if the driver does not wish to select one of the options for reservations at another venue, the reservation may be canceled.

[0031] In the embodiment, the main electronic control unit 30 mounted on the vehicle functions as the reservation management device. However, a mobile terminal (such as a smartphone or tablet) with application software installed may also function as the reservation management device. In this case, the mobile terminal communicates with the main electronic control unit 30 of the vehicle 20 via the communication device 86 to receive information such as the predicted arrival time and the driver's state of impatience, and transmits information to the main electronic control unit 30 regarding changes to the venue location or start time for the reservation or cancellation of the reservation, and notifies the driver of this on the display device 72 mounted on the vehicle 20.

[0032] The present disclosure has been described above using embodiments, but the present disclosure is not limited to these embodiments in any way, and it goes without saying that the present disclosure can be embodied in various forms within the scope that does not deviate from the gist of the present disclosure. [Industrial Applicability]

[0033] The present disclosure is applicable to industries such as the manufacturing industry of reservation management devices. [Explanation of symbols]

[0034] 20 Automobile, 30 Main electronic control unit, 80 Navigation system, 86 Communication device, 100 Road traffic information center, 110 Reservation management center, 200 Mobile terminal.

Claims

[Claim 1] A reservation management device that adjusts a predetermined reservation by specifying an entrance location and a start time for a vehicle to enter, When the driver's state of impatience is input, the system suggests to the driver either changing the entry location and / or the start time of the predetermined reservation, or canceling the predetermined reservation. A reservation management device characterized by:

Images