Control device

Abstract

To improve a technique of searching for a route of a mobility service.SOLUTION: A control apparatus 10 includes a control part 11 that, upon obtaining mobility requirement information, representing a user mobility requirement, from a user terminal device 30, selects at least one of multiple mobility services as a candidate service on the basis of at least one piece of information from among user body condition information, user schedule information, a weather forecast of a planned moving date and time, and day-of-the week information of the planned moving date and time, obtains a result of searching for a route that uses at least one candidate service, and transmits the result to the terminal device.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a control device. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, a technique for searching a route using a routing engine is known. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a server that performs a route search using a route search engine. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2010-264937 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] Typically, a dedicated API is provided for each routing engine, and multiple engines cannot be used with a single API (Application Program Interface). When attempting to use the dedicated APIs of various mobility services with different specifications, the process can become complicated due to differences in input fields. As such, there was room for improvement in the technology for route discovery for mobility services.

[0005] In view of the above circumstances, an object of the present disclosure is to improve the technology for performing route search for mobility services. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] A control device according to one embodiment of the present disclosure has a control unit that, when it acquires travel request information indicating a user's travel request from the user's terminal device, selects at least one from a plurality of mobility services as a candidate service based on at least one of the user's health information, the user's schedule information, weather information for the planned travel date and time, and day of the week information for the planned travel date, acquires a result of a route search using the at least one candidate service, and transmits the result to the terminal device. Effect of the Invention

[0007] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, it is possible to improve the technique for performing route search for mobility services. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] 1 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a system according to a first embodiment. [Diagram 2] 5 is a flowchart showing the operation of the control device according to the first embodiment. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of required specifications according to the first embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of specification information according to the first embodiment. [Diagram 5] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of correspondence information according to the second embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0009] (First embodiment) A first embodiment of the present invention will be described below. First, an overview of a system 1 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to FIG. 1. The system 1 includes a control device 10, server devices 20A to 20D, and a terminal device 30. The devices are connected to each other so as to be able to communicate with each other via a network 40 including, for example, the Internet. Although four server devices are shown in FIG. 1, the number of server devices included in the system 1 is not limited to this. Hereinafter, when there is no particular distinction between the server devices 20A to 20D, they will simply be referred to as "server device 20."

[0010] The control device 10 is installed in a facility such as a data center. The control device 10 is, for example, a server belonging to a cloud computing system or other computing system. The control device 10 provides an API 100 for acquiring the result of a route search using a mobility service. As described below, the control device 10 requests a route search to a server device 20 related to a candidate service selected from a plurality of mobility services, and provides the result of the route search via the API 100.

[0011] The server device 20 is installed in the facility of a provider that provides each mobility service. The server device 20 is, for example, a server that belongs to a cloud computing system or other computing system. Each of the server devices 20A to 20D in FIG. 1 includes a control unit, a communication unit, and a storage unit, and the storage unit stores a routing engine. The routing engine is an application program for searching for a route from a departure point to a destination using a mobility service provided by each provider. For example, the server device 20A is managed by a taxi provider, and the routing engine included in the server device 20A is a program that can execute a route search when traveling by taxi.

[0012] Each of the server devices 20A to 20D provides an API 200A to an API 200D for acquiring the result of a route search using a routing engine. Hereinafter, when there is no particular need to distinguish between the APIs 200A to 200D, they will simply be referred to as "API 200."

[0013] The terminal device 30 is owned and used by each of a plurality of users. The terminal device 30 is, for example, a mobile device such as a mobile phone, a smartphone, or a tablet.

[0014] Network 40 includes the Internet, at least one WAN, at least one MAN, or a combination thereof. "WAN" is an abbreviation for wide area network. "MAN" is an abbreviation for metropolitan area network. Network 40 may include at least one wireless network, at least one optical network, or a combination thereof. A wireless network may be, for example, an ad-hoc network, a cellular network, a wireless LAN, a satellite communication network, or a terrestrial microwave network. "LAN" is an abbreviation for local area network.

[0015] First, an overview of the present embodiment will be described, and details will be described later. When the control device 10 acquires travel request information indicating a user's travel request from the user's terminal device 30, the control device 10 selects at least one of a plurality of mobility services as a candidate service based on at least one of the user's physical condition information, the user's schedule information, weather information for the planned travel date and time, and information on the day of the week for the planned travel date, acquires a result of a route search using at least one of the candidate services, and transmits the result to the terminal device 30.

[0016] The travel request information includes a planned travel date and time, a departure point, and a destination. The travel request information is not limited to this, and may include any information related to the user's travel. In FIG. 1, the first search request represents a route search request made from the terminal device 30 to the control device 10, and the second search request represents a route search request made from the control device 10 to the server device 20. The first search request including the travel request information is transmitted from the terminal device 30 to the control device 10 via the API 100 of the control device 10. When the control device 10 receives the travel request information, as described below, it determines the required specifications for the mobility service based on various information, and selects a suitable mobility service from among the mobility services related to the multiple server devices 20 as a candidate service. The mobility service includes transportation means such as a bus, a train, a taxi, and a shared car.

[0017] The control device 10 transmits a second search request based on the user's travel request information via an API 200 provided by the server device 20 related to at least one selected candidate service. At this time, the control device 10 can transmit the second search request according to the input format of the API 200. The server device 20 that receives the second search request executes a route search using a routing engine, and transmits the result to the control device 10 via the API 200. The control device 10 transmits the received result to the terminal device 30 via the API 100.

[0018] According to this embodiment, the user can obtain the result of route search by a mobility service automatically selected by the control device 10 simply by making a route search request to the control device 10. Since a service appropriate for the user is automatically selected from among a plurality of mobility services, it is possible to improve the technology for route search of mobility services.

[0019] Next, a detailed description will be given of the configuration of the control device 10 included in the system 1. As shown in FIG.

[0020] The control unit 11 includes at least one processor, at least one dedicated circuit, or a combination of these. The processor is a general-purpose processor such as a CPU or GPU, or a dedicated processor specialized for specific processing. "CPU" is an abbreviation for central processing unit. "GPU" is an abbreviation for graphics processing unit. The dedicated circuit is, for example, an FPGA or ASIC. "FPGA" is an abbreviation for field-programmable gate array. "ASIC" is an abbreviation for application specific integrated circuit. The control unit 11 executes processing related to the operation of the control unit 10 while controlling each part of the control unit 10.

[0021] The storage unit 12 includes at least one semiconductor memory, at least one magnetic memory, at least one optical memory, or a combination of at least two of these. The semiconductor memory is, for example, a RAM or a ROM. "RAM" is an abbreviation for random access memory. "ROM" is an abbreviation for read only memory. The RAM is, for example, an SRAM or a DRAM. "SRAM" is an abbreviation for static random access memory. "DRAM" is an abbreviation for dynamic random access memory. The ROM is, for example, an EEPROM. "EEPROM" is an abbreviation for electrically erasable programmable read only memory. The storage unit 12 functions as, for example, a main storage device, an auxiliary storage device, or a cache memory. The storage unit 12 stores information used in the operation of the control device 10 and information obtained by the operation of the control device 10. For example, the storage unit 12 may store a system program, an application program, a database, map information, and the like. The information stored in the storage unit 12 may be updated with information acquired from the network 40 via the communication unit 13.

[0022] The communication unit 13 includes at least one communication interface. The communication interface is, for example, a LAN interface. The communication unit 13 receives information used in the operation of the control device 10, and transmits information obtained by the operation of the control device 10.

[0023] The functions of the control device 10 are realized by executing a control program according to this embodiment on a processor corresponding to the control unit 11. That is, the functions of the control device 10 are realized by software. The control program causes a computer to execute the operations of the control device 10, thereby causing the computer to function as the control device 10. That is, the computer functions as the control device 10 by executing the operations of the control device 10 in accordance with the control program.

[0024] The program may be stored in a non-transitory computer-readable medium. Examples of the non-transitory computer-readable medium include a magnetic recording device, an optical disk, a magneto-optical recording medium, or a ROM. The program may be distributed, for example, by selling, transferring, or lending a portable medium such as a DVD or CD-ROM on which the program is stored. "DVD" is an abbreviation for digital versatile disc. "CD-ROM" is an abbreviation for compact disc read only memory. The program may be distributed by storing the program in the storage of a server and transferring the program from the server to another computer. The program may be provided as a program product.

[0025] A computer temporarily stores a program stored in a portable medium or transferred from a server in a main storage device. Then, the computer reads the program stored in the main storage device with a processor and executes processing according to the read program with the processor. The computer may read the program directly from a portable medium and execute processing according to the program. The computer may execute processing according to the received program each time a program is transferred from the server to the computer. Processing may be executed by a so-called ASP-type service that realizes functions only by execution instructions and result acquisition without transferring a program from the server to the computer. "ASP" is an abbreviation for application service provider. Programs include information used for processing by a computer and equivalent to a program. For example, data that is not a direct command to a computer but has the property of defining computer processing falls under " equivalent to a program.

[0026] A part or all of the functions of the control device 10 may be realized by a programmable circuit or a dedicated circuit as the control unit 11. In other words, a part or all of the functions of the control device 10 may be realized by hardware.

[0027] Next, a description will be given of the configuration of the terminal device 30 included in the system 1. The terminal device 30 includes a control unit 31, a storage unit 32, a communication unit 33, and an input / output unit .

[0028] The control unit 31 includes at least one processor, at least one dedicated circuit, or a combination of these. The processor is a general-purpose processor such as a CPU or a GPU, or a dedicated processor specialized for a specific process. The dedicated circuit is, for example, an FPGA or an ASIC. The control unit 31 executes processes related to the operation of the terminal device 30 while controlling each part of the terminal device 30.

[0029] The storage unit 32 includes at least one semiconductor memory, at least one magnetic memory, at least one optical memory, or a combination of at least two of these. The semiconductor memory is, for example, a RAM or a ROM. The RAM is, for example, an SRAM or a DRAM. The ROM is, for example, an EEPROM. The storage unit 32 functions as, for example, a main storage device, an auxiliary storage device, or a cache memory. The storage unit 32 stores information used in the operation of the terminal device 30 and information obtained by the operation of the terminal device 30.

[0030] The communication unit 33 includes at least one communication interface. The communication interface is, for example, an interface compatible with a mobile communication standard such as LTE, 4G standard, or 5G standard, an interface compatible with short-range wireless communication such as Bluetooth (registered trademark), or a LAN interface. "LTE" is an abbreviation for Long Term Evolution. "4G" is an abbreviation for 4th generation. "5G" is an abbreviation for 5th generation. The communication unit 33 receives information used in the operation of the terminal device 30, and transmits information obtained by the operation of the terminal device 30.

[0031] The input / output unit 34 includes an input interface that detects an input by a user and sends the input information to the control unit 31. The input interface is, for example, a physical key, a capacitive key, a touch screen integrally provided with a panel display, or a microphone that accepts voice input, but is not limited to these, and may be any input unit. The input / output unit 34 includes an output interface that outputs information generated by the control unit 31 or information read from the storage unit 32 to the user. The output interface is, for example, a panel display that outputs information as an image, or a speaker that outputs information as a sound, but is not limited to these, and may be any output unit. The input / output unit 34 can notify the user of the information acquired via the communication unit 33 by sound, screen display, or the like. Instead of being provided in the terminal device 30, the input / output unit 34 may be connected to the terminal device 30 as an external output device.

[0032] The functions of the terminal device 30 are realized by executing a terminal program according to this embodiment on a processor included in the control unit 31. That is, the functions of the terminal device 30 are realized by software. The terminal program is a program for making a computer execute processing of steps included in the operation of the terminal device 30, thereby making the computer realize functions corresponding to the processing of the steps. That is, the terminal program is a program for making a computer function as the terminal device 30.

[0033] A part or all of the functions of the terminal device 30 may be realized by a dedicated circuit included in the control unit 31. In other words, a part or all of the functions of the terminal device 30 may be realized by hardware.

[0034] The operation of the control device 10 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 2 to Fig. 4. This operation corresponds to a control method according to the present embodiment. In the following, the control device 10 transmits and receives information to and from each external device via the communication unit 13 and the network 40.

[0035] In step S1 of Fig. 2, the control unit 11 of the control device 10 acquires the user's movement request information. Any method may be adopted to acquire the movement request information. In this embodiment, a first search request including the movement request information is transmitted from the terminal device 30 to the control device 10. The control unit 11 acquires the information included in the movement request information by receiving it as an input value to the API 100.

[0036] In step S2, the control unit 11 acquires physical condition information indicating the physical condition of the user. Any method may be adopted to acquire the physical condition information. In this embodiment, the control unit 11 acquires the physical condition information by receiving it from the terminal device 30.

[0037] In this embodiment, the physical condition information indicates the degree of the user's physical condition with a graded numerical value from 0 to 10. The numerical value closer to 1 to 10 indicates better physical condition. The control unit 11 may calculate the degree of physical condition by comparing with the average value of multiple users, or may calculate with comparing with the user's past history. The physical condition information may include any information such as the presence or absence of illness or injury, body temperature, etc.

[0038] In the following steps S3, 5, 7, and 9, the control unit 11 determines the value of each corresponding required specification based on each acquired information. The required specification refers to the specification of the routing engine or mobility service for the control unit 11 to finally determine the routing engine to be used for route search as described below. The specification of the routing engine or mobility service includes "response speed", "time tolerance", "location tolerance", and "whether or not carpooling is allowed". The specifications are not limited to these and may include any specification, for example, whether or not pets are allowed. As described below, these specifications are preset for each routing engine.

[0039] "Response speed" refers to the speed at which the results of a route search can be obtained by the routing engine in the server device 20, and in this embodiment, the response speed is indicated by a graded numerical value from R1 to R10. The response speed generally slows down as the conditions for the route search become more complex. For example, if the mobility service is a car sharing service that allows carpooling, there are multiple users who wish to share the car, and each user has a different starting point and destination, the route search for the car sharing will be more complex than the route search for a mobility service such as a route bus, and the response speed will be slower.

[0040] The "temporal tolerance" is the minimum time width required when a route search for each mobility service is performed, and in this embodiment, the degree of the temporal tolerance is indicated by a stepwise numerical value from T1 to T10. The temporal tolerance is larger for a mobility service that is more likely to be unable to meet the user's desire for departure time or arrival time. For example, the temporal tolerance of a taxi dispatched by a user specifying a departure time is small at T2, while the temporal tolerance of a route bus is large at T9. As described below, the control unit 11 may select a mobility service whose temporal tolerance specification is smaller than the user's required specification as a candidate service. For example, when the user's required specification is T5, the specification of a route bus as a mobility service is T9, and the specification of a taxi is T2, the control unit 11 may select a taxi whose specification is smaller than the user's required specification as a candidate service.

[0041] The "locational tolerance" is the minimum locational tolerance required when a route search for each mobility service is performed, and in this embodiment, the degree of the locational tolerance is indicated by a stepwise numerical value from P1 to P10. The locational tolerance is larger for a mobility service that is more likely to be unable to meet the user's desire for a departure location or an arrival location. For example, the locational tolerance of a taxi that is dispatched when a user specifies a departure location is small at P2, while the locational tolerance of a route bus is large at P9. As described below, the control unit 11 may select a mobility service whose locational tolerance specification is smaller than the user's required specification as a candidate service. For example, when the user's required specification is P5, the specification of a route bus as a mobility service is P9, and the specification of a taxi is P2, the control unit 11 may select a taxi whose specification is smaller than the user's required specification as a candidate service.

[0042] "Ride-pooling available" indicates whether the mobility service allows ride-pooling. A mobility service that allows ride-pooling allows multiple users to travel in one vehicle.

[0043] In step S3, the control unit 11 determines the required specifications based on the acquired physical condition information. The control unit 11 determines the degree of response speed of the required specifications for each of the physical condition levels 1 to 10.

[0044] The control unit 11 may adopt any method for determining the required specifications, and the same applies to the following steps S5, 7, and 9. The required specification values ​​determined by the control unit 11 based on various information are merely examples, and may be freely set, and the same applies to the following steps S5, 7, and 9.

[0045] In this embodiment, it is assumed that the user is in poor health and the health information indicates a value of 2. The control unit 11 determines the value of R2 for the response speed. In this way, when finally selecting a candidate service, the control unit 11 can select a mobility service that can quickly obtain route search results for a user who is in poor health and is presumed to want to move to home or a hospital, etc.

[0046] The required specifications determined based on the health information are not limited to the response speed. For example, the control unit 11 may determine whether or not to allow ridesharing instead of or in addition to the above-mentioned response speed. In this case, the control unit 11 may determine that the required specifications are "allow ridesharing" as the health level is closer to 1. This allows the control unit 11 to ultimately select a mobility service that does not require a user who is not feeling well and may be infected with an infectious disease to ride with another person.

[0047] In step S4, the control unit 11 acquires schedule information indicating the user's schedule at the scheduled travel date and time. Any method may be adopted to acquire the schedule information. The control unit 11 may acquire the schedule information by receiving it from the terminal device 30.

[0048] In this embodiment, the schedule information indicates either "at work," "outside work hours," or "off work." The schedule information is not limited to this, and may include any information.

[0049] In step S5, the control unit 11 determines the required specifications based on the acquired schedule information. For example, when the schedule information indicates that the user is at work, the control unit 11 determines the value of T3 for the time allowance, and when the schedule information indicates that the user's schedule is outside of work hours or off work, the control unit 11 determines the value of T5. This allows the control unit 11 to select a mobility service that is as flexible as possible with respect to time for a working user when finally selecting a candidate service. In this embodiment, it is assumed that the schedule information indicates that the user is off work. The control unit 11 determines the time allowance as T5.

[0050] The required specifications determined based on the schedule information are not limited to the time allowance. For example, the control unit 11 may determine a response speed instead of or in addition to the above-mentioned time allowance. In this case, the control unit 11 may determine a response speed to be faster when the schedule information indicates that the user is at work than when the user is outside of work hours or absent. This allows the control unit 11 to finally select a mobility service that can quickly obtain route search results for a user who is at work.

[0051] In step S6, the control unit 11 acquires weather information indicating the weather at the scheduled travel date and time. Any method may be used to acquire the weather information. The control unit 11 may acquire the weather information by communicating with an external device such as a database of a weather observation center that predicts the weather in an area including the departure point specified by the user, and receiving the weather information from the external device.

[0052] In this embodiment, the weather information indicates weather such as "rain," "cloudy," "sunny," etc. The weather information is not limited to this, and may include any information such as probability of precipitation, temperature, humidity, etc.

[0053] In step S7, the control unit 11 determines the required specifications based on the acquired weather information. For example, when the weather information indicates rain, the control unit 11 determines the value of P3 for the positional tolerance, and when the weather information indicates cloudy or sunny, the control unit 11 determines the value of P5. This allows the control unit 11 to select a service that is more flexible for the user regarding boarding or disembarking locations for the mobility service when the weather is bad, when a candidate service is finally selected. In this embodiment, it is assumed that the weather information indicates rain. The control unit 11 determines the positional tolerance as P3.

[0054] The required specification determined based on the weather information is not limited to the positional tolerance. For example, the control unit 11 may determine "whether or not outdoor transfers are required" as a required specification instead of or in addition to the above-mentioned positional tolerance. This allows the control unit 11 to select a mobility service that allows movement without outdoor transfers in bad weather when finally selecting a candidate service.

[0055] In step S8, the control unit 11 acquires day-of-week information indicating the day of the week of the scheduled travel date and time. Any method may be used to acquire the day-of-week information.

[0056] In this embodiment, the day of the week information indicates "weekdays" and "holidays" including Saturdays, Sundays, and public holidays. However, the day of the week information is not limited to this and may include any information related to the day of the week.

[0057] In step S9, the control unit 11 determines the required specifications based on the acquired day-of-the-week information. For example, the control unit 11 determines that ride-sharing is not permitted when the day-of-the-week information indicates a weekday, and determines that ride-sharing is permitted when the day-of-the-week information indicates a holiday. This allows the control unit 11 to select a mobility service that does not permit ride-sharing when it is estimated that the user will work while traveling on a weekday when finally selecting a candidate service. In this embodiment, it is assumed that the day-of-the-week information indicates a weekday. The control unit 11 determines that ride-sharing is not permitted.

[0058] The required specifications determined based on the day of the week information are not limited to whether or not carpooling is possible. For example, the control unit 11 may determine a response speed instead of or in addition to the above-mentioned whether or not carpooling is possible. In this case, the control unit 11 may determine a faster response speed when the day of the week information is a weekday compared to when the day of the week information is a holiday. This allows the control unit 11 to finally select a mobility service that can quickly obtain route search results for a user who is estimated to be at work on a weekday.

[0059] Any method may be adopted to determine the required specifications based on each piece of information, without being limited to the above. For example, the required specifications may be set in advance by the user. For example, the control unit 11 may determine at least one required specification based on a combination of two or more of the various pieces of information acquired. For example, the control unit 11 may determine that the required specifications regarding whether or not to allow carpooling are "allowed" when the user's physical condition indicated by the physical condition information is a value of 5 or more, the schedule information indicates that the user is absent, the weather information indicates that the weather is sunny, and the day of the week information indicates that the user is on holiday. In this way, when the user goes out on a holiday when the weather is fine, the control unit 11 can estimate that there will be carpooling, and select a mobility service that allows the user to travel with friends, etc. The control unit 11 may perform the estimation based on the user's past behavior history.

[0060] Fig. 3 is a table showing the user's requirements for mobility services, determined in steps S3, 5, 7, and 9. Referring to Fig. 3, it has been determined that the response speed is the value of R2, the time allowable width is the value of T5, the location allowable width is the value of P3, and ride-sharing is not allowed.

[0061] In step S10, the control unit 11 selects at least one mobility service that conforms to the determined required specifications as a candidate service. Any method may be adopted for the selection. In this embodiment, the control unit 11 selects the candidate service by referring to specification information stored in the storage unit 12 in which each mobility service and its specifications are registered in advance.

[0062] FIG. 4 shows an example of specification information in a table format. The format of the specification information is not limited to the table format. The first column shows the name of each mobility service, and the second to fifth columns show the response speed, time tolerance, location tolerance, and whether or not carpooling is possible, which are the specifications of the mobility service. The control unit 11 selects a mobility service that matches the required specifications in FIG. 3 as a candidate service. In this embodiment, the control unit 11 selects mobility service A, which, among the specification information in FIG. 4, has a response speed specification that is equal to or lower than the required specifications determined in step S3, a time tolerance specification that is equal to or lower than the required specifications determined in step S5, a location tolerance specification that is equal to or lower than the required specifications determined in step S7, and a specification of whether or not carpooling is possible, which is the same as the required specifications determined in step S9, as a candidate service.

[0063] In step S11, the control unit 11 requests the mobility service selected in step S10 to perform a route search based on the user's travel request information. Specifically, the control unit 11 transmits a second search request to the server device 20 of the operator providing the selected mobility service via the API 200. In this case, the control unit 11 may convert the input value of the user's travel request information according to the input format of the API 200. When multiple candidate services are selected, the control unit 11 may request the multiple candidate services to perform a route search.

[0064] For example, in the input format of the API 200 provided by the server device 20 related to the candidate service selected in step S10, an input value of whether or not to share a ride is required, and the user's travel request information acquired in step S1 does not include information on whether or not to share a ride. In this case, the control unit 11 may automatically determine the input value of whether or not to share a ride and transmit a search request by adapting it to the input format of the API 200. The input value that the control unit 11 automatically determines may be set in advance, or the control unit 11 may determine it based on the history of past user input. This allows a route search request to be made to each server device 20 smoothly, even if the input format to the API 200 differs for each mobility service. The control unit of the server device 20 executes a route search using a routing engine based on the input value to the API 200, and transmits the result to the control device 10.

[0065] In step S12, the control device 10 receives the result of the route search from the server device 20, and transmits the result to the user's terminal device 30. After that, the operation of the control unit 11 ends.

[0066] The control unit 31 of the user's terminal device 30 notifies the user of the response of the search result received from the control device 10. Any method may be adopted for the notification method. The control unit 31 may further acquire information indicating whether or not the user has accepted the candidate service after the notification, and transmit the information to the control device 10. In this case, the control unit 11 of the control device 10 may modify the required specifications to be determined based on whether or not the candidate service has been accepted by the user. For example, if the candidate service has been accepted by the user, the required specifications to be determined for the physical condition information, etc. may be relaxed, and if the candidate service has not been accepted by the user, the required specifications to be determined may be tightened. As an example of relaxing the required specifications, the control unit 11 may increase the time allowance range of the required specifications to be determined when the schedule information indicates that the user is working in step S5 from T3 to T4. As an example of tightening the required specifications, the control unit 11 may reduce the time allowance range of the required specifications to be determined when the schedule information indicates that the user is working in step S5 from T3 to T2.

[0067] As described above, the control device 10 according to this embodiment includes a control unit 11 that, when it acquires travel request information indicating a user's travel request from the user's terminal device 30, selects at least one of a plurality of mobility services as a candidate service based on at least one of the user's physical condition information, the user's schedule information, weather information on the scheduled travel date and time, and information on the day of the week on the scheduled travel date, acquires the result of a route search using at least one candidate service, and transmits the result to the terminal device 30. According to this embodiment, a route search is performed using the routing engine of the most appropriate mobility service selected based on various information. Since the user does not need to request a route search individually for a plurality of mobility services with different APIs, the user's convenience is improved. Therefore, the technology for performing route search for mobility services can be improved.

[0068] As described above, the control unit 11 according to this embodiment determines the required specifications for a mobility service to be selected as a candidate service based on at least one of physical condition information, schedule information, weather information, and day of the week information, and the required specifications include at least one of the response speed of the result of route search using the mobility service, the time allowance of the departure time or arrival time for route search using the mobility service, the positional allowance of the departure position or arrival position for route search using the mobility service, and whether or not the mobility service can be shared. According to this embodiment, the control unit 11 specifically determines the required specifications for the mobility service based on various information, and can accurately select an appropriate candidate service according to the required specifications.

[0069] As described above, when the health information indicates that the user is in poor health, the control unit 11 according to this embodiment determines the response speed as the required specification to be fast. According to this embodiment, when the user is in poor health and wishes to move quickly, the control unit 11 can automatically select a mobility service with a fast response speed.

[0070] As described above, when the schedule information indicates that the user is at work, the control unit 11 according to the present embodiment determines that the ride-sharing requirement is not permitted. According to the present embodiment, when the user is at work and is expected to perform work while traveling, the control unit 11 can automatically select a mobility service that does not permit ride-sharing.

[0071] Second embodiment A second embodiment of the present invention will be described below. In this embodiment, various information such as physical condition information acquired by the control unit 11 is expressed as a binary value. Specifically, the physical condition information indicates that the user's physical condition is "good" or "bad", the weather information indicates that the weather at the scheduled travel date and time is "good" or "bad", the day of the week information indicates that the scheduled travel date is a "weekday" or a "holiday", and the schedule information indicates that the user's schedule at the scheduled travel date and time is "working" or "outside of work hours". The storage unit 12 of the control device 10 stores correspondence information that preregisters corresponding mobility services for all 16 combinations of these pieces of information. The control unit 11 acquires and refers to the correspondence information by reading it out from the storage unit 12 to select a candidate service. The various information is not limited to the above-mentioned binary information, and may be expressed as any discrete value.

[0072] FIG. 5 shows an example of the correspondence information according to this embodiment. Referring to FIG. 5, when the physical condition information indicates "good", the schedule information indicates "at work", the weather information indicates "good", and the day of the week information indicates "weekday", the mobility service K is associated. The control unit 11 refers to the correspondence information and selects the mobility service associated with the acquired various information as a candidate service. Thereafter, the control unit 11 requests the server device 20 of the selected candidate service to perform a route search via the API 200, as in the first embodiment, and transmits the result of the route search returned from the server device 20 to the terminal device 30 of the user.

[0073] As described above, the control unit 11 according to the present embodiment acquires correspondence information that associates physical condition information, schedule information, weather information, and day of the week information with mobility services, and selects candidate services based on the correspondence information. According to the present embodiment, since the mobility services corresponding to various information are determined, the control unit 11 can efficiently select candidate services. Therefore, the technology for route search of mobility services can be improved.

[0074] Although the present invention has been described based on the drawings and examples, it should be noted that those skilled in the art may make various modifications and alterations based on the present disclosure. Therefore, it should be noted that these modifications and alterations are included in the scope of the present invention. For example, the functions included in each component or step can be rearranged so as not to be logically inconsistent, and multiple components or steps can be combined or divided into one. [Explanation of symbols]

[0075] 1 System 10 Control device 11 Control section 12 Storage section 13. Communications Department 20, 20A, 20B, 20C, 20D Server device 30 Terminal Equipment 31 Control Unit 32 Storage section 33 Communications Department 34 Input / output section 40 Network 100, 200A, 200B, 200C, 200D API

Claims

1. A control device comprising a memory unit, a communication unit, and a control unit, The communication unit communicates with a user's terminal device and a plurality of server devices each of which executes a route search using a mobility service; The control unit is When travel request information indicating a travel request of a user is acquired from the terminal device via the communication unit, a required specification for the route search is determined based on at least one of physical condition information of the user, schedule information of the user, weather information for a scheduled travel date and time, and day of the week information indicating a day of the week for the scheduled travel date and time; Selecting at least one candidate service from among the plurality of mobility services based on the required specifications and specification information indicating specifications of each of the plurality of mobility services stored in the storage unit; transmitting, to the server device via the communication unit, a search request for a route search using the at least one candidate service selected from among the plurality of server devices, the search request being in accordance with an input format of an API of a server device corresponding to the at least one candidate service; obtaining a result of the route search from the server device via the communication unit, and transmitting the result to the terminal device via the communication unit; A control device, wherein the required specifications include at least one of the response speed of the result of route search using the mobility service, the time tolerance of the departure time or arrival time for performing a route search using the mobility service, the positional tolerance of the departure position or arrival position for performing a route search using the mobility service, and whether or not the mobility service can be shared.

2. The control device according to claim 1 , The control unit determines the response speed as the required specification to be fast when the physical condition information indicates that the user is in poor physical condition.

3. The control device according to claim 1 , The control unit is a control device that, when the schedule information indicates that the user is at work, determines that the required specifications regarding whether or not ride-sharing is permitted are not permitted.

4. The control device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, The control unit acquires correspondence information that associates the physical condition information, the schedule information, the weather information, and the day of the week information with the mobility service, and selects the candidate service based on the correspondence information.

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