Operation management device and operation management method

Abstract

To improve the technology related to the operation management of autonomous vehicles. [Solution] The operation management device 20, each time it receives a dispatch request from a user, issues an operation plan that includes the operation time period from the start time of operation to the arrival time at the destination, the operation route, the type of operation, and predetermined information. If the type of operation is automatic operation, it assigns a first vehicle 10A to the operation plan from among the vehicles 10 that can operate during the operation time period, the first vehicle 10A whose type of operation is set to automatic operation and which can receive automatic operation data transmitted from the vehicle 10. The control unit 24 transmits an operation instruction to the first vehicle 10A if the difference between the assignment time to which the first vehicle 10A is assigned to the operation plan and the start time of operation is less than a predetermined time.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This disclosure relates to an operation management device and an operation management method.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, technologies related to the operation management of autonomous vehicles are known. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a technology related to an autonomous vehicle that automatically operates in an automatic mode according to an operation schedule provided by communication when communication with an operation management center is normal.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] However, when determining a vehicle to execute an operation plan based on a communication state regardless of the difference between the driving start time included in the operation plan and the current time, the efficiency of vehicle allocation decreases. Therefore, there was room for improvement in technologies related to the operation management of autonomous vehicles.

[0005] In view of such circumstances, an object of the present disclosure is to improve technologies related to the operation management of autonomous vehicles.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] An operation management device according to one embodiment of the present disclosure is an operation management device that assigns vehicles to an operation plan, and each time it receives a dispatch request from a user, it issues an operation plan including an operation time period from the start time of operation to the arrival time at the destination, an operation route, a type of operation, and predetermined information, and if the type of operation is automatic operation, it assigns a first vehicle to the operation plan from among the vehicles that can operate during the operation time period, the type of operation is set to automatic operation, and the vehicle is capable of receiving automatic operation data transmitted from the vehicle, and if the difference between the assignment time to which the first vehicle is assigned to the operation plan and the start time of operation is less than a predetermined time, it includes a control unit that transmits an operation instruction to the first vehicle.

[0007] An operational management method according to one embodiment of the present disclosure is an operational management method performed by an operational management device that assigns vehicles to an operational plan, and includes: issuing an operational plan that includes an operational time period from the start time of operation to the arrival time at the destination, an operational route, a type of operation, and predetermined information, each time an operational request is received from a user; assigning a first vehicle to the operational plan from among vehicles that can operate during the operational time period, the first vehicle whose type of operation is set to automatic operation and which is capable of receiving automatic operation data transmitted from the vehicle, if the type of operation is automatic operation; and transmitting an operational instruction to the first vehicle if the difference between the assignment time to which the first vehicle is assigned to the operational plan and the start time of operation is less than a predetermined time. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] According to one embodiment of this disclosure, technology related to the operation management of autonomous vehicles is improved. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0009] [Figure 1] This is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration example of a system according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 2] This flowchart shows an example of how the train operation management system works. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0010] (Summary of the embodiment) Referring to Figure 1, an overview of System 1 according to an embodiment of this disclosure will be described. System 1 comprises a vehicle 10 and a fleet management device 20. The vehicle 10 and the fleet management device 20 are communicably connected to a network 2, which includes, for example, the Internet and a mobile communication network.

[0011] Vehicle 10 is, for example, an automobile, but is not limited to that and may be any vehicle. The automobile may be, but is not limited to, a gasoline car, a BEV (Battery Electric Vehicle), a HEV (Hybrid Electric Vehicle), a PHEV (Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle), or an FCEV (Fuel Cell Electric Vehicle). Vehicle 10 can be set to a driving type (manual / automatic) and will run as either a first vehicle (automatic driving vehicle) 10A or a second vehicle (manual driving vehicle) B.

[0012] The operation management device 20 is, for example, a computer such as a server device. The operation management device 20 can communicate with the vehicle 10 via the network 2.

[0013] First, an overview of this embodiment will be described, and details will be described later. Whenever the operation management device 20 receives a dispatch request from a user, it issues an operation plan that includes the operation period from the start time of operation to the arrival time at the destination, the operation route, the type of operation, and predetermined information. If the type of operation is automatic operation, the device assigns a first vehicle 10A to the operation plan from among the vehicles 10 that can operate during the operation period, the type of operation is set to automatic operation, and the vehicle is capable of receiving automatic operation data transmitted from the vehicle 10. If the difference between the assignment time to which the first vehicle 10A is assigned to the operation plan and the start time of operation is less than a predetermined time, the device sends an operation instruction to the first vehicle 10A.

[0014] Thus, according to this embodiment, the operation management device 20 automatically assigns the first vehicle 10A to the operation plan from among the vehicles 10 that are available to operate during the operating hours. Therefore, even when the operation plan is determined irregularly based on user requests, such as in on-demand operation, and it is desired to start operation immediately, efficient vehicle allocation becomes possible, thus improving the technology related to the operation management of autonomous vehicles.

[0015] (Vehicle configuration) As shown in Figure 1, the vehicle 10 includes a communication unit 11, a measurement unit 12, a storage unit 13, and a control unit 14.

[0016] The communication unit 11 is equipped with a communication interface for wireless connection to the network 2. The communication interface for connecting to the network 2 supports, but is not limited to, mobile communication standards such as 4G (4th Generation) or 5G (5th Generation).

[0017] The measurement unit 12 includes a sensor 12A. The sensor 12A is a sensor that monitors the environment around the autonomously driving vehicle 10, and includes a camera, 3D-LiDAR, millimeter-wave sensor, acceleration sensor, and GPS sensor. However, the sensor 12A is not limited to these.

[0018] The storage unit 13 includes one or more memories. The memories are, for example, semiconductor memories, magnetic memories, or optical memories, but are not limited to these. Each memory included in the storage unit 13 may function as, for example, a main memory, an auxiliary memory, or a cache memory. The storage unit 13 stores any information used for the operation of the vehicle 10. The storage unit 13 may store system programs, application programs, and embedded software, etc.

[0019] The control unit 14 includes one or more processors, one or more programmable circuits, 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 GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), or a dedicated processor specialized for specific processing, but is not limited thereto. The programmable circuit is, for example, an FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array), but is not limited thereto. The dedicated circuit is, for example, an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), but is not limited thereto. The control unit 14 controls the operation of the entire vehicle 10.

[0020] (Configuration of the operation management device) As shown in FIG. 1, the operation management device 20 includes a communication unit 21, a storage unit 22, a display unit 23, and a control unit 24. <00OO089>

[0021] The communication unit 21 includes one or more communication interfaces connected to the network 30. The communication interface corresponds to, for example, a mobile communication standard, a wired LAN (Local Area Network) standard, or a wireless LAN standard, but may correspond to any communication standard.

[0022] The storage unit 22 includes one or more memories. The memory is, for example, a semiconductor memory, a magnetic memory, an optical memory, etc., but is not limited thereto. Each memory included in the storage unit 22 may function as, for example, a main storage device, an auxiliary storage device, or a cache memory. The storage unit 22 stores any information used for the operation of the operation management device 20. For example, the storage unit 22 may store a system program, an application program, and embedded software, etc.

[0023] [[ID=I7]] The display unit 23 is configured to include at least one display interface capable of displaying data. The output interface is, for example, a display screen such as an LCD or an organic EL display. However, the display interface is not limited thereto.

[0024] The control unit 24 includes one or more processors, one or more programmable circuits, one or more dedicated circuits, or a combination thereof. The control unit 24 controls the operation of the entire operation management device 20.

[0025] (Operation flow of the train management system) Referring to Figure 2, the operation of the operation management device 20 according to this embodiment will be described.

[0026] The operation management device 20 manages information on the areas where multiple operation services are provided for each of the multiple operators, and which operation plan each of the multiple vehicles 10 in each area is assigned to.

[0027] The operation management device 20 manages both scheduled and fixed-route operations, such as route buses, which issue operation plans specified in timetables for each area, and on-demand operations, which issue operation plans each time an on-demand operation reservation request is received from a user. The operation management device 20 assigns a vehicle 10 to each issued operation plan.

[0028] S101: The control unit 24 receives a vehicle dispatch request from the user.

[0029] The control unit 24 (i) each time it receives a dispatch request from a user, (ii) determines whether the request can be accepted, and (iii) presents the result to the user. If the control unit 24 determines that the request can be accepted, it creates and issues a dispatch plan, as described below, based on the dispatch request sent by the user.

[0030] S102: The control unit 24 issues an operation plan P which includes the operation time period Tz from the start time Ta to the destination arrival time Td, the operation route, the type of operation, and predetermined information.

[0031] The required information includes, but is not limited to, the number of passengers, the preferred vehicle type, and the size and quantity of luggage.

[0032] S103: The control unit 24 checks if there is a vehicle 10 available for operation during the operating time period Tz. If there is a vehicle 10 available for operation, the process proceeds to S104; if there is no vehicle 10 available for operation, the process proceeds to S117.

[0033] S104: The control unit 24 checks whether the requested driving type in the operation plan is automatic driving or manual driving. If it is automatic driving, proceed to S105; if it is manual driving, proceed to S112.

[0034] For each vehicle 10, a driving type is set for each vehicle 10 in order to allow the control unit 24 to recognize the available driving modes.

[0035] S105: The control unit 24 checks whether there is a vehicle 10 that is set to automatic operation among the vehicles 10 that can be operated during the operating time period Tz. If there is a vehicle 10 set to automatic operation, the process proceeds to S106; if there is no vehicle 10 set to automatic operation, the process proceeds to S117.

[0036] S106: The control unit 24 checks whether it can receive the automatic driving data d transmitted from the vehicle 10, which is set to automatic driving mode. If it can receive the data, proceed to S107; otherwise, proceed to S117.

[0037] Automated driving data d is information transmitted from the automated driving device installed in the vehicle 10 to the operation management device 20, and includes information such as latitude / longitude, vehicle speed, and current driving mode (manual / automatic). However, automated driving data d is not limited to these. The control unit 24 cannot receive automated driving data d transmitted from the vehicle 10 if, for example, there is a malfunction in the automated driving device or if there is a malfunction / failure in the communication connection between the vehicle 10 and the operation management device 20.

[0038] S107: The control unit 24 assigns a first vehicle 10A to the operation plan, which is set to automatic driving and capable of receiving automatic driving data d transmitted from vehicle 10.

[0039] The control unit 24 may select a first vehicle 10A based on predetermined information (such as the number of passengers and the type of vehicle) if there are multiple vehicles 10 that are set to automatic driving and capable of receiving automatic driving data d.

[0040] S108: The control unit 24 checks whether the difference between the assigned time Tb that the first vehicle 10A is assigned to in the operation plan P and the start time Ta of operation is less than a predetermined time α. If the difference is less than a predetermined time α, the process proceeds to S116; if the difference is greater than or equal to a predetermined time α, the process proceeds to S109.

[0041] The control unit 24 starts operation from the start time Ta. For example, it completes a real-time check of the status of the first vehicle 10A between the preparation time Tc, which is a predetermined time α before the start time Ta, and the start time Ta. If the difference is less than the predetermined time α, it means that the time is after the preparation time Tc but before the start time Ta. If the difference is less than the predetermined time α, the control unit 24 checks the real-time status of the vehicles, for example, when there is a request to "start operation now" in on-demand operation, and assigns only vehicles that are immediately available for operation to the operation plan P.

[0042] S109: The control unit 24, if the difference between the assigned time Tb and the assigned time Tb is greater than or equal to a predetermined time α, has the first vehicle 10A wait until the preparation time Tc.

[0043] S110: The control unit 24 checks whether the time has reached the operation preparation time Tc. If the time has reached the operation preparation time Tc, the process proceeds to S111; otherwise, the process in S110 is repeated.

[0044] S111: The control unit 24 checks whether it can receive the automatic driving data d transmitted from the first vehicle 10A. If it can receive the data, proceed to S116; otherwise, proceed to S117.

[0045] When the preparation time Tc for operation arrives, the control unit 24 checks the real-time status of the newly assigned first vehicle 10A to determine whether the assigned first vehicle 10A is available for operation. If the control unit 24 is unable to receive the automatic driving data d, it may notify the user on the display screen of the display unit 23 that the assignment of vehicle 10 to the operation plan P is being withheld, as will be described later in S117. Furthermore, if the control unit 24 has an automatic reassignment function and the automatic reassignment function is enabled, it may reassign another vehicle 10 to the operation plan P.

[0046] S112: The control unit 24 checks whether there is a second vehicle 10B among the vehicles 10 that can be operated during the operating time period Tz, whose driving type is set to manual operation. If a second vehicle 10B exists, the process proceeds to S113; if a second vehicle 10B does not exist, the process proceeds to S117.

[0047] S113: The control unit 24 assigns the second vehicle 10B, whose driving type is set to manual operation, to the operation plan.

[0048] If there are multiple vehicles 10 whose driving type is set to manual operation, the control unit 24 may select a second vehicle 10B based on predetermined information (such as the number of passengers and the type of vehicle).

[0049] S114: The control unit 24 keeps the second vehicle 10B on standby until the preparation time Tc.

[0050] S115: The control unit 24 checks whether the time has reached the operation preparation time Tc. If the time has reached the operation preparation time Tc, the process proceeds to S116; otherwise, the process in S115 is repeated.

[0051] S116: The control unit 24 transmits an operation instruction to the assigned vehicle 10.

[0052] S117: The control unit 24 notifies the user via the display screen of the display unit 23 that the allocation of vehicle 10 to the operation plan P is being withheld.

[0053] As described above, the operation management device 20 according to this embodiment issues an operation plan P each time it receives a dispatch request from a user, which includes an operation time period Tz from the start time Ta to the destination arrival time Td, an operation route, a type of operation, and predetermined information. If the type of operation is automatic operation, the operation management device 20 assigns a first vehicle 10A to the operation plan from among the vehicles 10 that can operate during the operation time period Tz, which is set to automatic operation and capable of receiving automatic operation data d transmitted from the vehicle 10. If the difference between the assignment time Tb to which the first vehicle 10A is assigned to the operation plan and the start time Ta is less than a predetermined time α, the operation management device 20 sends an operation instruction to the first vehicle 10A.

[0054] With this configuration, the operation management device 20 automatically assigns the first vehicle 10A to the operation plan P from among the vehicles 10 that can operate during the operating time period Tz. Therefore, even when the operation plan is determined irregularly based on user requests, such as in on-demand operation, and it is desired to start operation immediately, efficient vehicle allocation becomes possible, thus improving the technology related to the operation management of autonomous vehicles.

[0055] While this disclosure has been described based on the drawings and embodiments, it should be noted that those skilled in the art may make various modifications and alterations based on this disclosure. Therefore, it should be noted that these modifications and alterations are within the scope of this disclosure. For example, the functions, etc., included in each component or step can be rearranged in a logically consistent manner, and multiple components or steps can be combined into one or divided into two.

[0056] Furthermore, it is also possible to implement an embodiment in which a general-purpose computer functions as the operation management device 20 according to the above embodiment. Specifically, a program describing the processing content that realizes each function of the operation management device 20 according to the above embodiment is stored in the memory of the general-purpose computer, and the processor reads and executes the program. Therefore, this disclosure can also be implemented as a program that can be executed by a processor, or as a non-temporary computer-readable medium that stores the program.

[0057] For example, the operation management device 20 may be used to provide Mobility as a Service (MaaS), which is a service that utilizes mobility. [Explanation of symbols]

[0058] 1 System 2 Network 10 vehicles 10A First vehicle (autonomous vehicle) 10B Second vehicle (manually operated vehicle) 11 Communications Department 12 Measurement section 12A sensor 13 Storage section 14 Control Unit 20 Operation control device 21 Communications Department 22 Memory section 23 Display section 24 Control Unit

Claims

1. A vehicle management system that assigns vehicles to a vehicle operation plan, A vehicle dispatch management device comprising: a control unit that, each time a dispatch request is received from a user, issues a dispatch plan including the dispatch time from the start time of operation to the arrival time at the destination, the dispatch route, the type of operation, and predetermined information; if the type of operation is automatic driving, assigns a first vehicle to the dispatch plan from among the vehicles that can operate during the dispatch time, the type of operation is set to automatic driving, and the control unit that transmits a dispatch instruction to the first vehicle if the difference between the assignment time to which the first vehicle is assigned to the dispatch plan and the dispatch start time is less than a predetermined time.

2. The operation management device according to claim 1, The control unit, if the difference between the assigned time and the start time of operation is greater than or equal to the predetermined time, has the first vehicle wait until the preparation time for operation, and when the time reaches the preparation time for operation, if it is possible to receive the automatic driving data transmitted from the first vehicle, it transmits an operation instruction to the first vehicle.

3. The operation management device according to claim 1, If the aforementioned operation type is manual operation, The control unit is an operation management device that assigns a second vehicle, whose operation type is set to manual operation, from among the vehicles that can be operated during the operating time period, to the operation plan, has the second vehicle wait until the operation preparation time, and transmits an operation instruction to the second vehicle when the time reaches the operation preparation time.

4. The operation management device according to claim 1, It further comprises a display unit having a display screen, Operation management device, wherein the control unit notifies the user on the display screen that it will suspend the allocation of a vehicle to the operation plan if there are no vehicles available for operation during the operating time period, the driving type of a vehicle available for operation during the operating time period is not set to automatic driving, or automatic driving data cannot be received from a vehicle available for operation during the operating time period that is set to automatic driving.

5. A method of operation management performed by an operation management device that assigns vehicles to an operation plan, Each time a dispatch request is received from a user, a dispatch plan is issued that includes the operating time from the start time to the arrival time at the destination, the route, the type of driver, and other required information. If the aforementioned driving type is automatic driving, then from among the vehicles available to operate during the aforementioned operating time, a first vehicle whose driving type is set to automatic driving and which is capable of receiving automatic driving data transmitted from the aforementioned vehicle is assigned to the operation plan. A method for managing operations, comprising: transmitting an operation instruction to the first vehicle if the difference between the assigned time assigned to the first vehicle in the operation plan and the start time of operation is less than a predetermined time.

6. A method for providing MaaS (Mobility as a Service) using the operation management device described in claim 1.

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