Dispatch system

The vehicle dispatching system addresses the inconvenience of manual loading in shared cars by using a management center and lead mobility device to automate the loading process, ensuring users can drive the car directly to their destination with their belongings already onboard.

JP2026111220APending Publication Date: 2026-07-03TOYOTA JIDOSHA KK
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Patent Information

Authority / Receiving Office
JP · JP
Patent Type
Applications
Current Assignee / Owner
Filing Date
2024-12-23
Publication Date
2026-07-03

AI Technical Summary

Technical Problem

Conventional vehicle sharing systems do not provide for the loading of user belongings or items into shared cars, necessitating manual effort by users, which reduces convenience.

Method used

A vehicle dispatching system with a management center and a lead mobility device that can wirelessly steer a shared car to load user belongings or items onto it before dispatch, allowing the car to be driven directly to the user.

Benefits of technology

The system enhances user convenience by automating the loading process, enabling users to use the shared car immediately without manual loading, thus improving the overall experience.

✦ Generated by Eureka AI based on patent content.

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Abstract

To provide a dispatch system that can enhance the convenience of car-sharing. [Solution] The dispatch system S comprises a management center 30 equipped with a control device 32 that manages the dispatch and storage of follower vehicles 20 shared by multiple users, and a lead mobility 10 that can communicate with the management center 30 and can be steered to follow it via wireless communication in order to dispatch the follower vehicles 20 to the user's location. The control device 32 is configured to execute loading control to load the user's belongings 331 and / or items 332 provided by the management center 30 onto the follower vehicle 20 when the user requests the use of a follower vehicle 20. The lead mobility 10 then steers the follower vehicle 20, which is loaded with the user's belongings 331 and / or items 332, to the user's location and dispatches it.
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Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a vehicle dispatching system for dispatching vehicles.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, for example, a home delivery rental car network system (hereinafter sometimes simply referred to as "conventional system") disclosed in Patent Document 1 is known. The conventional system acquires information indicating a place to borrow a vehicle and a place to pick up and drop off according to an instruction from a user, and reserves a place to borrow a vehicle and a pick-up and drop-off place from the acquired information. Then, the conventional system delivers a vehicle to the borrowing place according to the reservation and collects the vehicle from the pick-up and drop-off place.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] The conventional system enables borrowing and picking up and dropping off a vehicle, but does not mention additional services available when lending out a vehicle. By the way, in the case of a shared car, which is a vehicle shared by a plurality of users, each user needs to load personal belongings of the user or items purchased by the user onto the shared car when using the shared car. In this case, the user needs to perform the work of loading belongings and items before starting the shared car, and there is room for improvement in terms of further enhancing convenience.

[0005] An object of the present disclosure is to provide a vehicle dispatching system capable of enhancing the convenience of a shared car.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] The dispatch system of this disclosure comprises a management center equipped with a computer device for managing the dispatch and storage of shared cars shared by multiple users, and a lead mobility device that can communicate with the management center and can be steered to make the shared car follow it wirelessly in order to dispatch the shared car to the user. The computer device is configured to execute loading control to load at least one of the user's possessions and items provided by the management center onto the shared car when the user requests to use the shared car and the computer device requests that at least one of the user's possessions and items be loaded onto the shared car. The lead mobility device then steers the shared car, which has at least one of the possessions and items loaded according to the loading control, to the user and dispatches it. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to this disclosure, the dispatch system can load the user's personal belongings and / or items into the shared car and deliver it to the user's location when the user uses the shared car. As a result, the user does not need to perform the cumbersome task of loading their personal belongings and / or items after the shared car has been dispatched, and can use (drive) the shared car immediately after it is dispatched. Therefore, the dispatch system can enhance the convenience of shared cars for users. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0008] [Figure 1] This is a schematic diagram illustrating the configuration of the dispatch system. [Figure 2] This diagram illustrates the various devices installed in the lead mobility vehicle shown in Figure 1. [Figure 3] This is a block diagram illustrating the functional configuration of the remote control device installed in Lead Mobility vehicles and the driving control device installed in shared cars. [Figure 4] This is a diagram illustrating the overall operation of the dispatch system. [Figure 5]Figure 1 is a flowchart of the management program executed by the computer equipment located in the management center. [Figure 6] This is a diagram illustrating the loading of personal belongings and / or items into a shared car. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0009] Hereinafter, a dispatch system S, which is an embodiment of this disclosure, will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In addition to the embodiments described below, this disclosure can be implemented in various forms with various modifications and improvements based on the knowledge of those skilled in the art.

[0010] As shown in Figure 1, the dispatch system S of this embodiment comprises a lead mobility 10, a follower vehicle 20 as a share vehicle, a management center 30, and a terminal device 40. In the dispatch system S, a user who wishes to use the follower vehicle 20 makes a reservation for its use with the management center 30 using the terminal device 40. At this time, in the dispatch system S, if the user requests it in advance when making a reservation, the follower vehicle 20 will be delivered to the user by the lead mobility 10 with any personal belongings or items that the user wishes to have loaded into the follower vehicle 20 already loaded.

[0011] In other words, in the dispatch system S, when a user boards the follower vehicle 20, the vehicle is dispatched with the user's desired belongings or items already loaded onto it. This allows the user to depart quickly after the follower vehicle 20 has been dispatched, without having to load any necessary belongings or / or items onto the follower vehicle 20 themselves.

[0012] The lead mobility 10 is configured to be autonomously drivable (autonomous), and as shown in Figure 1, it electronically tows a follower vehicle 20 to its destination, maintaining a specific positional relationship through remote control via wireless communication. Here, the lead mobility 10 can be a vehicle that travels on the road surface or an aerial vehicle such as a drone, and in this embodiment, the case where the lead mobility 10 is a vehicle will be described.

[0013] The Lead Mobility 10 of this embodiment is equipped with a pair of left and right drive wheels 11 and a driven wheel 12, as shown in Figures 1 and 2, for autonomous driving. Each of the left and right drive wheels 11 is independently driven by a pair of left and right electric motors (not shown) powered by a battery (not shown) mounted on the body of the Lead Mobility 10. As a result, the left and right drive wheels 11 can rotate around a rotation axis along the vertical direction by, for example, applying a difference in rotational speed (difference in driving force) between the left and right. Thus, the Lead Mobility 10 can turn left and right, change direction, and make turns (including turning in place) during autonomous driving (movement) without being equipped with a separate steering device to steer the left and right drive wheels 11.

[0014] In the Lead Mobility 10, the drive wheels 11 (more specifically, the electric motors for driving) generate regenerative braking force according to the regenerative control by the automatic driving control unit 116 of the remote control device 100, which will be described later. As a result, the Lead Mobility 10 can be stopped by regenerative braking force. In addition, each drive wheel 11 is fitted with a friction braking device (drum brake device or disc brake device) which is not shown. As a result, in the Lead Mobility 10, when stationary, the friction braking device functions as a parking brake by generating braking force through friction. The friction braking device functions as a so-called electric brake, for example, by having an electric motor press brake shoes against a drum or brake pads against a disc.

[0015] The driven wheel 12 is positioned behind the drive wheel 11 in the longitudinal direction of the lead mobility 10. In this embodiment, the driven wheel 12 is in the form of a swivel caster and is provided with a single axis of rotation extending vertically in the approximately central part of the vehicle width direction (lateral direction) of the lead mobility 10. As a result, when the lead mobility 10 travels (moves) while making turns such as right or left turns due to differences in rotational speed (differences in driving force) of the drive wheel 11, the driven wheel 12 rotates freely around its axis of rotation in accordance with the direction of travel associated with the turns, allowing it to steer freely.

[0016] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 2, the Lead Mobility 10 is equipped with a self-propelled detector 13, a position detector 14, and a vehicle detector 15, all housed in the upper part 10U of the vehicle body. The self-propelled detector 13 detects the relative positional relationship, specifically the relative distance, between the Lead Mobility 10 and objects such as obstacles (hereinafter sometimes referred to as "detection targets") that are present in the direction of travel when the Lead Mobility 10 is autonomously driving.

[0017] Therefore, in this embodiment, the self-propelled detector 13 is configured to include a LiDAR (Light Detection And Ranging) 13A and a distance measuring device such as a camera 13B. The LiDAR 13A acquires three-dimensional point cloud data indicating the three-dimensional position of point clouds representing the object to be detected with high accuracy. The camera 13B can be, for example, a stereo camera, a monocular camera, or an RGB-D camera (depth camera), and acquires imaging data representing the direction and size of the object to be detected. It should be noted that instead of using the LiDAR 13A and camera 13B, it is also possible to use, for example, a ToF (Time of Flight) sensor.

[0018] The self-propelled detector 13 outputs the acquired data, that is, the three-dimensional point cloud data and the imaging data, to a remote control device 100 described later. Thereby, as will be described later, the remote control device 100 uses the data for simultaneous execution of self-position estimation and environmental map creation (SLAM: Simultaneous Localization and Mapping) for the lead mobility 10 to perform autonomous driving.

[0019] The position detector 14 has, for example, a receiver of GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System), and detects the position of the lead mobility 10 based on the received signal. Here, in the present embodiment, the lead mobility 10 has two position detectors 14 arranged at the left and right positions of the vehicle body upper part 10U, that is, so as to form a pair on the left and right. Note that the number of the position detectors 14 may be only one arranged on the vehicle body upper part 10U, or three or more may be arranged on the vehicle body upper part 10U.

[0020] Further, the lead mobility 10 includes a vehicle detector 15 to detect the follower vehicle 20. The vehicle detector 15 is a device for measuring various data used to estimate the relative position of the follower vehicle 20 with respect to the lead mobility 10 (hereinafter, may be referred to as "relative position"). Here, the relative position includes the relative orientation and attitude of the follower vehicle 20 with respect to the lead mobility 10 (hereinafter, may be referred to as "relative attitude").

[0021] The vehicle detector 15 uses a LiDAR, which is a distance measuring device for measuring the three-dimensional point cloud data of the follower vehicle 20 electronically towed by the lead mobility 10. Here, in the remote control device 100 described later, for example, only the relative position of the follower vehicle 20 detected by the vehicle detector 15 is acquired, and the relative attitude and traveling direction of the follower vehicle 20 may be estimated by grasping the change over time of the follower vehicle 20 based on the continuously acquired relative position.

[0022] Furthermore, the lead mobility 10 is equipped with a remote control device 100 for remotely controlling the follower vehicle 20. The remote control device 100 remotely controls the follower vehicle 20 to maintain a specific positional relationship with the lead mobility 10.

[0023] As shown in Figure 3, the remote control device 100 comprises a CPU 110, a storage device 120, an interface circuit 130, and a remote communication device 140. The CPU 110, storage device 120, and interface circuit 130 are connected via an internal bus to enable bidirectional communication. The remote communication device 140 performs wireless communication with the follower vehicle 20 via a network or the like.

[0024] The CPU 110 executes a computer program stored in the storage device 120 to implement at least some of the functions provided in this embodiment. By executing this computer program, the CPU 110 functions as a remote control unit 111, a point cloud data acquisition unit 112, a position determination unit 113, a relative position estimation unit 114, a SLAM unit 115, an automatic driving control unit 116, and a special control unit 117, as shown in Figure 3. However, some or all of these functions can be configured by hardware circuits.

[0025] The remote control unit 111 generates control commands for remote control and transmits them wirelessly to the follower vehicle 20 so that the follower vehicle 20 maintains a specific positional relationship with the lead mobility 10 and follows the lead mobility 10, that is, so that the lead mobility 10 is pulling the follower vehicle 20 as if it were being pulled by a rope. In the following description, the state in which the remote control unit 111 of the remote control device 100 mounted on the lead mobility 10 operates the follower vehicle 20 via wireless communication to make it follow the lead mobility 10, thereby making it appear as if it were being pulled by a rope, will be referred to as "electronic towing."

[0026] Here, the remote control unit 111 can generate a control command as a command including, for example, a driving force or braking force and a steering angle. Alternatively, the remote control unit 111 can generate a control command as a command including at least one of the position and orientation of the follower vehicle 20 and the future driving route. As a result, the follower vehicle 20 can automatically drive by receiving a control command for remote control, as will be described later.

[0027] The point cloud data acquisition unit 112 acquires three-dimensional point cloud data measured by the vehicle detector 15. The position determination unit 113 determines the starting position for starting the matching of the vehicle point cloud data VP with the three-dimensional point cloud data acquired by the point cloud data acquisition unit 112.

[0028] Here, the vehicle point cloud data VP functions as a template point cloud for estimating at least one of the position and orientation (attitude) of the follower vehicle 20. The vehicle point cloud data VP can include information for identifying the orientation (attitude) of the follower vehicle 20. As a result, the position determination unit 113 and the relative position estimation unit 114 can estimate the position and orientation (attitude) of the follower vehicle 20 in the three-dimensional point cloud data with high accuracy by template matching using the vehicle point cloud data VP.

[0029] In this embodiment, the position determination unit 113 determines the starting position of template matching using information relating to the position of the follower vehicle 20 in the three-dimensional point cloud data (hereinafter sometimes referred to as "position-related information"). Here, the position-related information is data used to estimate the position of the follower vehicle 20 in the three-dimensional point cloud data, and / or the position next to the follower vehicle 20.

[0030] The relative position estimation unit 114 estimates the relative position of the follower vehicle 20, including its relative orientation (attitude) relative to the lead mobility 10, in the acquired three-dimensional point cloud data. Here, the relative position can be exemplified by the relative distance to the follower vehicle 20 in the direction of travel, the deviation of the follower vehicle 20 in the vehicle width direction relative to the movement trajectory of the lead mobility 10, and the relative turning attitude (right or left turning attitude) of the follower vehicle 20 relative to the lead mobility 10, based on the position and attitude of the lead mobility 10.

[0031] In this embodiment, the relative position estimation unit 114 estimates the relative position, including the relative attitude, of the follower vehicle 20 in the three-dimensional point cloud data by performing template matching using vehicle point cloud data VP on the three-dimensional point cloud data. For the template matching of vehicle point cloud data VP on the three-dimensional point cloud data performed by the position determination unit 113 and the relative position estimation unit 114, for example, well-known ICP (Interactive Closest Point) algorithms or well-known NDT (Normal Distribution Transform) algorithms can be used.

[0032] The SLAM unit 115 performs SLAM using data (image data and three-dimensional point cloud data) detected by the self-propelled detector 13 to generate a map that the lead mobility 10 will use for autonomous driving. The automatic driving control unit 116 controls the operation of actuators such as the electric motors that drive the drive wheels 11 mounted on the lead mobility 10 and the electric motors that constitute the friction braking system, thereby enabling the lead mobility 10 to drive autonomously. Specifically, the automatic driving control unit 116 uses the map generated by the SLAM unit 115 to enable the lead mobility 10 to drive autonomously to the user, which is the set destination TP, for example, along the lead vehicle route GR.

[0033] The special control unit 117 controls various functions implemented in the lead mobility 10. In this disclosure, the special control unit 117 moves the lead mobility 10 in accordance with instructions from the management center 30, as described later, to guide a follower vehicle 20 parked in the yard to a loading area for loading belongings or articles, as described later. Specifically, the special control unit 117 moves the lead mobility 10 so that a follower vehicle 20 identified based on identification information supplied from the management center 30 is guided to the loading area. In this case, the special control unit 117 guides the follower vehicle 20 by moving the lead mobility 10 so that the loading device 34, described later, is in a suitable position for loading belongings or articles.

[0034] The storage device 120 can be exemplified by RAM, ROM, HDD, and SSD, among others. The read / write area of ​​the storage device 120 stores vehicle point cloud data VP, read vehicle route GR, and destination TP.

[0035] Here, the destination TP is the destination of the lead mobility 10, which can be arbitrarily set, and is the destination of the follower vehicle 20 (i.e., the location of the user who made the reservation). However, when the automatic driving control unit 116 autonomously drives the lead mobility 10 using a map generated by the SLAM unit 115 based on the data output from the self-driving detector 13, the lead vehicle route GR can be omitted. However, in this case, the automatic driving control unit 116 generates a driving route to the set destination TP, for example, and drives the lead mobility 10 along the generated driving route.

[0036] The follower vehicle 20 can be exemplified by passenger cars (compact type, sedan type, minivan type, sun type, etc.), trucks, buses, construction vehicles, motorcycles, etc. In this embodiment, the example given is that the follower vehicle 20 is an electric vehicle (Battery Electric Vehicle: BEV) which is a passenger car. However, the passenger car is not limited to electric vehicles; for example, it may be a vehicle powered by an internal combustion engine, a hybrid vehicle (HEV) or plug-in hybrid vehicle (PHEV) powered by an internal combustion engine and an electric motor, or a vehicle having a fuel cell and an electric motor (FCEV).

[0037] As shown in Figure 1, the follower vehicle 20 is equipped with a driving control device 200. As shown in Figure 3, the driving control device 200 is equipped with an ECU (Electronic Control Unit) 210. The ECU 210 is a microcomputer whose main components are a CPU 211, a memory 212, and an interface circuit 213. The CPU 211, memory 212, and interface circuit 213 are connected via an internal bus to enable bidirectional communication. A vehicle communication device 220 and an actuator 230 are connected to the interface circuit 213. The vehicle communication device 220 communicates wirelessly with the remote communication device 140 of the remote control device 100 mounted on the lead mobility 10 via a network or the like.

[0038] The CPU 211 implements the function of driving control of the follower vehicle 20 by executing a computer program stored in the read / write area of ​​memory 212. Here, driving control refers to various controls for driving the actuators 230 that perform the functions of "driving," "turning," and "stopping" of the follower vehicle 20, such as adjusting the acceleration, deceleration, speed, and steering angle of the follower vehicle 20.

[0039] In this embodiment, the actuator 230 may include, although not shown in the figures, an actuator including a traction motor that constitutes a drive system for accelerating or decelerating the follower vehicle 20, an actuator including an electric motor that constitutes a braking system for decelerating the follower vehicle 20, and an actuator including a steering motor (electric motor) that constitutes a steering system for changing the direction of travel of the follower vehicle 20. The actuator 230 is driven by power supplied from a battery (not shown) mounted on the follower vehicle 20.

[0040] The CPU 211 can drive the follower vehicle 20 by controlling the operation of the actuator 230 in response to the driver's input, if a driver is in the follower vehicle 20. Regardless of whether a driver is in the follower vehicle 20 or not, the CPU 211 can drive the follower vehicle 20 to maintain a specific positional relationship with the lead mobility 10 by controlling the operation of the actuator 230 in response to control commands transmitted from the remote control device 100.

[0041] As shown in Figure 1, the management center 30 comprises a communication device 31, a control device 32, a storage device 33, and a mounting device 34. The communication device 31 communicates with the user's terminal device 40 and the read mobility 10 via a network. The control device 32 is a computer device composed of a CPU, ROM, RAM, and various interfaces, and comprehensively executes various processes in the management center 30. The control device 32 can communicate with the communication device 31, the storage device 33, and the mounting device 34 via a communication line (not shown) constructed inside the management center 30.

[0042] The storage device 33 is controlled by the control device 32 and, as shown in Figure 4, stores the belongings 331 owned by each of the multiple users who share the follower vehicle 20, distinguishing them by user, and manages the entry and exit of belongings when the follower vehicle 20 is used. For this reason, the storage device 33 stores belongings by linking, for example, user ID information assigned to each user with identification information pre-assigned to the belongings 331. The storage device 33 also stores items 332 that users can purchase when using the follower vehicle 20, such as beverages, food, and daily necessities, and manages the entry and exit of items 332 purchased when using the follower vehicle 20.

[0043] The mounting device 34 is controlled by the control device 32. As shown in Figure 4, the mounting device 34 moves the personal belongings 331 and / or articles 332 that have been stored separately for each user by the storage device 33 and that the user has requested to be loaded onto the follower vehicle 20 from the storage device 33 to the follower vehicle 20. Here, the mounting device 34 may be exemplified by, for example, a robotic arm capable of grasping and moving the personal belongings 331 and articles 332.

[0044] Next, the operation of the dispatch system S will be explained. The operation of the dispatch system S is centrally managed by the management center 30. Specifically, the management center 30 centrally manages the dispatch system S by having the control device 32 execute the management program shown in Figure 5.

[0045] In step S10, the control device 32 manages and starts executing the program, and in the following step S11, it accepts a reservation from the user for the follower vehicle 20 as a shared car. In other words, the user accesses the management center 30 via the network using a terminal device 40 owned by the user (examples include smartphones, tablet devices, personal computers, etc.). The user then reserves the use of the follower vehicle 20 as a shared car. In this case, the user can specify, for example, the number of people riding in the follower vehicle 20 and the type of vehicle (sedan type, minivan type, compact type, or SUV type, etc.).

[0046] In the subsequent step S12, the control device 32 accepts the user's selection of personal belongings 331 and / or items 332. That is, by accessing the management center 30, the user selects and specifies the personal belongings 331 and / or items 332 that they wish to have installed in the follower vehicle 20, according to the reservation menu displayed on the terminal device 40's screen. Specifically, the user selects and specifies their personal belongings 331, such as a child seat, golf set, sunglasses for use in the car, charging cable, etc. The user also selects and specifies items 332 to be purchased for use in the car or while out and about, such as beverages and food. For items 332 to be purchased, payment is completed in advance at the time of selection.

[0047] In the subsequent step S13, the control device 32 is suitable for loading the user's possessions 331 and / or articles 332, and for example, performs a selection process to select a follower vehicle 20 specified by the user. That is, as shown in Figure 6, the control device 32 selects a follower vehicle 20 that corresponds to the vehicle type selected by the user from among several follower vehicles 20 parked in a yard (parking lot) adjacent to the management center 30. The control device 32 then activates the selected follower vehicle 20 so that it can be dispatched by wireless control.

[0048] In the subsequent step S14, the control device 32 creates (lists) a list of personal belongings 331 and / or articles 332 to be loaded onto the follower vehicle 20 to be dispatched to the user. In this case, the control device 32 obtains, for example, the ID information and identification information associated with the personal belongings 331 managed by the storage device 33, and / or the article information assigned to the articles 332 purchased by the user, and creates a list of personal belongings 331 and / or articles 332 that the user wishes to load.

[0049] In the subsequent step S15, the control device 32 controls the operation of the mounted device 34 according to the list created by the step processing in step S14. Specifically, the control device 32 first transmits recognition information (e.g., license plate information and recognition signals, etc.) of the target follower vehicle 20 to the lead mobility 10, and instructs it to electronically tow the vehicle to a pre-set loading area for loading the belongings 331 and / or the items 332, as shown in Figure 4. As a result, the lead mobility 10 identifies the follower vehicle 20 to be electronically towed and moves the follower vehicle 20 to the loading area by wireless control.

[0050] Next, the control device 32 identifies the possessions 331 and / or articles 332 that are stored by the storage device 33 and selected by the user, based on the list it has created. The control device 32 then determines the location of the follower vehicle 20 where the identified possessions 331 and / or articles 332 will be placed, specifically, as shown in Figure 6, whether it will be inside the vehicle or in the trunk, and within the vehicle, whether it will be in the seat, groove box or center console, etc.

[0051] The control device 32 determines, for example, that the trunk is the loading location for the follower vehicle 20 if the item to be loaded 331 is a golf set. The control device 32 also determines the rear seat is the loading location for the follower vehicle 20 if the item to be loaded 331 is a child seat. Furthermore, the control device 32 determines the glove compartment or center console is the loading location for the follower vehicle 20 if the item to be loaded 331 is a small item (such as sunglasses). Finally, the control device 32 determines the center console is the loading location for the follower vehicle 20 if the item to be loaded 332 is a beverage.

[0052] Then, once the control device 32 has determined the mounting position, it instructs the mounting device 34 to mount the personal belongings 331 and / or the articles 332 in the determined mounting position. In this case, for example, if the mounting device 34 is to mount a golf set in the trunk, it opens the trunk lid of the follower vehicle 20, mounts the golf set, and closes the trunk lid. Alternatively, if the mounting device 34 is to mount a child seat in the rear seat, it opens the rear door of the follower vehicle 20, mounts the child seat in the rear seat, and closes the rear door.

[0053] Furthermore, when the mounted device 34 is used to load personal belongings or beverages, for example, it opens the front doors and windows of the follower vehicle 20, loads the personal belongings or beverages into the glove box or center console, and then closes the front doors and windows. It is also possible to load personal belongings 331 and / or items 332 into the follower vehicle 20 by replacing the entire glove box or center console when loading personal belongings 331 or items 332 into the glove box or center console. In this case, the glove box or center console is provided with a detachment mechanism and / or locking mechanism (both not shown) that allow for attachment and detachment to the follower vehicle 20.

[0054] In the subsequent step S16, the control device 32 instructs the lead mobility 10 to electronically tow (move) the follower vehicle 20, which is carrying the possessions 331 and / or the articles 332, to the user as described in the step processing of step S15. As a result, the lead mobility 10, in accordance with the instructions from the control device 32, i.e., the management center 30, drives the follower vehicle 20 to follow it via wireless control as described above, and dispatches the follower vehicle 20 to the location specified by the user.

[0055] As can be understood from the above explanation, the dispatch system S comprises a management center 30 equipped with a control device 32, which is a computer device that manages the dispatch and storage of follower vehicles 20 as shared cars shared by multiple users, and a lead mobility 10 that can communicate with the management center 30 and can be steered to make the follower vehicles 20 follow it via wireless communication in order to dispatch the follower vehicles 20 to the user. The control device 32 is configured to execute loading control to load at least one of the possessions 331 and items 332 that the user has previously deposited with the management center 30 onto the follower vehicle 20 when the user requests to use the follower vehicle 20. The lead mobility 10 then steers the follower vehicle 20, which has at least one of the possessions 331 and items 332 loaded according to the loading control, to the user and dispatches it.

[0056] According to this, the dispatch system S can load the user's requested belongings 331 and / or items 332 onto the follower vehicle 20 when the user uses the follower vehicle 20 as a shared car, and then dispatch the follower vehicle 20 to the user. As a result, the user does not need to perform the cumbersome task of loading their belongings 331 and / or items 332 after the follower vehicle 20 has been dispatched, and can use (drive) the follower vehicle 20 after it has been dispatched. Therefore, the dispatch system S can enhance the convenience of the follower vehicle 20 for the user, that is, the convenience of the shared car.

[0057] In the dispatch system S of the above-described embodiment, a case is illustrated in which multiple follower vehicles 20 as shared cars are stored in a yard (parking lot) adjacent to the management center 30, and a lead mobility 10 is dispatched to the user from among these follower vehicles 20 by electronic towing. Incidentally, shared cars are usually parked in, for example, unmanned parking lots.

[0058] In this case, for example, when the management center 30 receives a reservation from a user for the use of a share car, a follower vehicle 20, the control device 32 instructs the lead mobility 10 to electronically tow the follower vehicle 20 from the unmanned parking lot to the loading area at the management center 30. Then, similar to the embodiment described above, the control device 32 loads the belongings 331 and / or goods 332 onto the follower vehicle 20 that has moved to the loading area, and then dispatches the follower vehicle 20 to the user via electronic towing by the lead mobility 10. Therefore, in this case as well, the convenience for users when using the share car can be increased, and the cost of use can be reduced because there is no need to secure a yard (parking lot) around the management center 30 to store the follower vehicle 20 as a share car. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0059] 10...Lead mobility, 10U...Upper body, 11...Drive wheels, 12...Driven wheels, 13...Self-propelled detector, 13A...LiDAR, 13B...Camera, 14...Position detector, 15...Vehicle detector, 100...Remote control device, 110...CPU, 111...Remote control unit, 112...Point cloud data acquisition unit, 113...Position determination unit, 114...Relative position estimation unit, 115...SLAM unit, 116...Automatic driving control unit, 117...Special control unit, 120...Storage device, 13 0…Interface circuit, 140…Communication device, 150…Actuator, 20…Follower vehicle (shared car), 200…Driving control device, 210…ECU, 211…CPU, 212…Memory, 213…Interface circuit, 220…Communication device, 230…Actuator, 30…Management center, 31…Communication device, 32…Control device (computer device), 33…Storage device, 331…Owned property, 332…Items, 34…Mounted device

Claims

1. A management center equipped with a computer system for managing the dispatch and storage of shared cars shared by multiple users, The system includes a lead mobility device that can communicate with the management center and can be controlled to make the shared car follow it via wireless communication in order to dispatch the shared car to the user, The aforementioned computer device When a user requests to use the shared car, and the user requests that at least one of their belongings previously deposited with the management center and / or items provided by the management center be loaded into the shared car, the system is configured to execute loading control to load at least one of the belongings and / or items into the shared car. The aforementioned lead mobility, A dispatch system that, by the aforementioned onboard control, operates the shared car, on which at least one of the owned items and the articles is loaded, to the user and dispatches it to the user.

2. The aforementioned computer device The dispatch system according to claim 1, configured to perform a selection process to select a shared car from among a plurality of shared cars managed that is suitable for loading the user's possessions or articles.

3. The aforementioned management center, A storage device for storing the aforementioned personal belongings and articles separately, which can be installed in the aforementioned shared car, The system includes a loading device whose operation is controlled according to the loading control by the computer device, which loads the property or article from the storage device onto the shared car, The aforementioned computer device The dispatch system according to claim 1, which controls the operation of the loading device to load the possessions or articles into the shared car based on a list generated in response to the user's request.

4. The aforementioned mounted device is, The dispatch system according to claim 3, wherein the possession or article is loaded onto the shared car according to a predetermined loading position for the possession or article on the shared car.

5. The aforementioned mounting position is, The dispatch system according to claim 4, wherein the location is at least one of the glove box, center console, seat, and trunk in the shared car.

Citation Information

Patent Citations

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