Vehicle operation method and operation system

Abstract

To provide a technology capable of operating a regular operation vehicle and an on-demand vehicle which run on a single lane by automatic driving so as to achieve both convenience of both users.SOLUTION: A vehicle operation method and operation system perform different processing depending on whether a passenger is aboard a regular operation vehicle 10 when it is predicted that the regular operation vehicle 10 prevents an on-demand vehicle 20 from reaching a user 40 at an optimal time. When the passenger 50 is aboard the regular operation vehicle 10, the time at which the on-demand vehicle 20 arrives at the user 40 is delayed from the optimal time, and the regular operation vehicle 10 is allowed to travel in accordance with a regular operation plan. When the passenger is not aboard the regular operation vehicle 10, the regular operation vehicle 10 is delayed from the regular operation plan, and the on-demand vehicle 20 is allowed to arrive at the user 40 at the optimal time.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to methods and systems for operating autonomous scheduled vehicles and autonomous on-demand vehicles in a single lane. [Background technology]

[0002] A conventional technique for operating two different types of vehicles is disclosed in Patent Document 1. Patent Document 1 discloses a system for allocating commuter vehicles (CVs) to passengers in a multi-modal transportation network having CVs and scheduled vehicles. The system determines passenger groups based on trip requests from passengers, and formulates an optimization problem for determining departure times by scheduled vehicles and CVs. The system then generates allocation routes for CVs, etc., based on a solution defined by solving the optimization problem.

[0003] In addition to Patent Document 1, Patent Documents 2 and 3 can be mentioned as examples of documents showing the state of the art in the technical field related to the present disclosure. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] JP 2020-004404 A [Patent Document 2] JP 2004-234469 A [Patent Document 3] JP 2002-208091 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] There are plans to use the former site of a single railway line as a single lane. In areas with limited land, it may be impossible to build a lane without securing only a single lane. Meanwhile, MaaS using autonomous vehicles is currently being considered in various fields. Autonomous vehicles for MaaS include scheduled vehicles that operate according to a scheduled operation plan, and on-demand vehicles that operate according to requests from users.

[0006] When MaaS is more widely deployed in society, it is expected that the above two types of MaaS vehicles will need to be operated in a single lane. However, none of the prior art documents, including Patent Document 1, disclose a method for operating a scheduled vehicle and an on-demand vehicle that run autonomously in a single lane.

[0007] The present disclosure has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned problems, and aims to provide a technology that can operate scheduled vehicles and on-demand vehicles that run autonomously on a single lane in a manner that is convenient for both users. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] The present disclosure provides a vehicle operation method and a vehicle operation system as a vehicle operation technology for achieving the above object.

[0009] The vehicle operation method of the present disclosure is a method for operating a scheduled vehicle that runs autonomously and an on-demand vehicle that runs autonomously on a single lane having multiple passing areas including a bus stop. In response to a prediction that the scheduled vehicle will prevent the on-demand vehicle from arriving at the user's location at the optimal time, the vehicle operation method of the present disclosure performs the following depending on whether or not there are passengers on board the scheduled vehicle. If there are passengers on board the scheduled vehicle, the vehicle operation method of the present disclosure delays the arrival time of the on-demand vehicle at the user's location from the optimal time, and causes the scheduled vehicle to run according to the scheduled operation plan. If there are no passengers on board the scheduled vehicle, the vehicle operation method of the present disclosure delays the scheduled vehicle from the scheduled operation plan, and causes the on-demand vehicle to arrive at the user's location at the optimal time.

[0010] The vehicle operation system of the present disclosure is a system that operates a scheduled vehicle that runs autonomously and an on-demand vehicle that runs autonomously on a single lane having a plurality of passing areas including a bus stop. The vehicle operation system of the present disclosure includes at least one processor and a program memory coupled to the at least one processor and storing a plurality of executable instructions. The plurality of executable instructions cause the at least one processor to execute the following processes in response to a prediction that the scheduled vehicle will prevent the on-demand vehicle from arriving at the user's location at the optimal time. The first process is a process that is executed when a passenger is on board the scheduled vehicle, and is a process of delaying the arrival time of the on-demand vehicle at the user's location from the optimal time, and causing the scheduled vehicle to run according to the scheduled operation plan. The second process is a process that is executed when a passenger is not on board the scheduled vehicle, and is a process of delaying the scheduled vehicle from the scheduled operation plan, and causing the on-demand vehicle to arrive at the user's location at the optimal time.

[0011] According to the vehicle operation technology disclosed herein, even if it is predicted that a regularly scheduled vehicle will prevent an on-demand vehicle from arriving at the user's location at the optimal time, if the regularly scheduled vehicle has passengers on board, the regularly scheduled vehicle is made to run according to the regularly scheduled operation plan. However, if the regularly scheduled vehicle has no passengers on board, the on-demand vehicle is made to arrive at the user's location at the optimal time even if it means delaying the regularly scheduled operation plan. In this way, by changing the operation plan of the regularly scheduled vehicle depending on whether or not the regularly scheduled vehicle has passengers, it is possible to give priority to passengers of the regularly scheduled vehicle while also increasing convenience for users of the on-demand vehicle.

[0012] In the vehicle operation technology disclosed herein, when there are no passengers on board a regularly-operated vehicle, the regularly-operated vehicle may not stop at a passengerless station among the stations where the regularly-operated vehicle is scheduled to stop in the regularly-operated operation plan, and may pass through the passengerless station. By passing through the passengerless station without stopping, the time made up for the delay from the regularly-operated operation plan can be made up.

[0013] In the vehicle operation technology of the present disclosure, an on-demand vehicle may be driven to face a scheduled vehicle. In this case, if a passenger is on board the scheduled vehicle, the on-demand vehicle may pass the scheduled vehicle at a station located behind the pickup point where the on-demand vehicle picks up the user in the traveling direction of the on-demand vehicle. On the other hand, if no passenger is on board the scheduled vehicle, the scheduled vehicle may wait at a passing area located ahead of the pickup point in the traveling direction of the on-demand vehicle until the on-demand vehicle passes. The passing area where the scheduled vehicle is allowed to wait includes a station.

[0014] In the vehicle operation technology of the present disclosure, an on-demand vehicle may be driven so as to overtake a regularly-scheduled vehicle from behind. In this case, if a passenger is on board the regularly-scheduled vehicle, the on-demand vehicle may be caused to overtake the regularly-scheduled vehicle at a station located ahead of the pickup point where the on-demand vehicle picks up the user in the traveling direction of the on-demand vehicle. On the other hand, if no passenger is on board the regularly-scheduled vehicle, the regularly-scheduled vehicle may be caused to wait at a passing area located behind the pickup point in the traveling direction of the on-demand vehicle until the on-demand vehicle passes by. The passing area where the regularly-scheduled vehicle is allowed to wait includes a station.

[0015] In the vehicle operation technology disclosed herein, the optimal arrival time of an on-demand vehicle may be the earliest time at which an on-demand vehicle can be dispatched to a user assuming that there are no other vehicles in a single lane, or may be a specified time for dispatching an on-demand vehicle to a user. Effect of the Invention

[0016] As described above, according to the vehicle operation technology disclosed herein, by changing the operation of regularly scheduled vehicles depending on whether or not the regularly scheduled vehicles have passengers, it is possible to give priority to passengers of regularly scheduled vehicles while also increasing convenience for users of on-demand vehicles. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0017] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram showing an overview of a vehicle operation system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Diagram 2] 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a vehicle operation system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Diagram 3] 1A to 1C are diagrams illustrating a first example of a vehicle operation method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 4] 1A to 1C are diagrams illustrating a first example of a vehicle operation method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Diagram 5] FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating a second example of a vehicle operation method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 6]FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating a second example of a vehicle operation method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 7] 11A to 11C are diagrams illustrating a third example of a vehicle operation method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 8] 11A to 11C are diagrams illustrating a third example of a vehicle operation method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 9] FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating a fourth example of a vehicle operation method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 10] FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating a fourth example of a vehicle operation method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0018] Hereinafter, an embodiment of a vehicle operation method and operation system according to the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. However, when the number, quantity, amount, range, etc. of each element is mentioned in the following embodiments, the idea of ​​the present disclosure is not limited to the mentioned number unless otherwise specified or clearly specified in principle. Furthermore, the structures, etc. described in the following embodiments are not necessarily essential to the idea of ​​the present disclosure unless otherwise specified or clearly specified in principle.

[0019] 1. Overview of vehicle operation system FIG 1 is a diagram showing an overview of a vehicle operation system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The operation system is a system for operating vehicles 10, 20 on a single-lane route 2. The single-lane route 2 is, for example, a route built on the site of a former single-track railway. On the single-lane route 2, the two vehicles 10, 20 cannot run side by side or pass each other. For this reason, the route 2 is provided with multiple passing areas to enable the vehicles 10, 20 to pass each other or overtake each other.

[0020] The passing area includes at least one stop 4. If line 2 is built on the site of a former single-track railway, stop 4 corresponds to a railway station. Even if it is a single track, the station is built so that trains traveling in the outbound direction and trains traveling in the return direction can pass each other. Thus, stop 4, which was converted from a station, enables two vehicles 10, 20 to pass and overtake each other. Stop 4 is provided with a waiting room 6 as a waiting area for users 30. Waiting room 6 is provided with a camera 8 that takes pictures of the inside. Passing areas other than stop 4 provided on line 2 are only for vehicles 10, 20 to pass each other and overtake each other, and do not have waiting rooms 6.

[0021] The vehicles 10, 20 operated by the operation system are scheduled vehicles 10 and on-demand vehicles 20. The scheduled vehicles 10 are vehicles that operate periodically according to a scheduled operation plan. The on-demand vehicles 20 are vehicles that do not have a fixed operation plan and are operated in response to requests from users. In the operation system, autonomous vehicles that run autonomously are used as scheduled vehicles 10 and as on-demand vehicles 20.

[0022] The operation of the scheduled service vehicle 10, which is an autonomous vehicle, is managed by an operation management server 100. The operation of the on-demand vehicle 20, which is also an autonomous vehicle, is also managed by the operation management server 100. The scheduled service vehicle 10 and the on-demand vehicle 20 are connected to the operation management server 100 by a network 200.

[0023] Both the scheduled service vehicle 10 and the on-demand vehicle 20 may be electric vehicles, engine vehicles, or hybrid vehicles. The term "electric vehicles" as used here includes not only vehicles equipped with batteries or fuel cells, but also vehicles that take in electricity from a pantograph, such as trains. Furthermore, both vehicles 10, 20 are not limited to vehicles with tires, and may be vehicles that run on tracks, such as trains. In this case, the scheduled service vehicle 10 may be an autonomous train, such as a city tram, and the on-demand vehicle 20 may be an autonomous automobile.

[0024] A user 30 using a regularly scheduled vehicle 10 boards the vehicle at a stop 4. The regularly scheduled vehicle 10 stops at the stop 4 according to a regular service plan. The user 30 waiting for the regularly scheduled vehicle 10 at the stop 4 is photographed by a camera 8. The image photographed by the camera 8 is transmitted to the traffic management server 100 via the network 200. The traffic management server 100 detects the user 30 waiting for the regularly scheduled vehicle 10 from the image from the camera 8. Note that if a gate using an IC card is installed at the waiting area 6, the user 30 who has entered the waiting area 6 may be detected by information from the gate.

[0025] A user 40 who uses an on-demand vehicle 20 can call the on-demand vehicle 20 not only from a bus stop 4 but also anywhere near the route 2. The user 40 reserves the dispatch of the on-demand vehicle 20 using a mobile terminal 42 such as a smartphone. The reservation for dispatch of the on-demand vehicle 20 is made to the traffic management server 100. The traffic management server 100 uses the location information of the mobile terminal 42 to identify the location where the user 40 is waiting.

[0026] 2. Vehicle Operation System Configuration 2 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a vehicle operation system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The operation system includes an operation management server 100. The operation management server 100 includes at least one processor (hereinafter simply referred to as a processor) 110, a program memory 120, and a storage 130. The processor 110 is coupled to the program memory 120 and the storage 130. The program memory 120 is a non-transitory memory that stores a plurality of executable instructions 122. The storage 130 is, for example, a flash memory, an SSD, or an HDD, and stores a regular operation plan database 132.

[0027] The traffic management server 100 communicates with the automatic driving ECU 12 of the regularly scheduled vehicle 10, and sends instructions including a traffic plan of the regularly scheduled vehicle 10 to the automatic driving ECU 12. Information on the presence or absence of passengers aboard the regularly scheduled vehicle 10 is sent from the automatic driving ECU 12 to the traffic management server 100. The presence or absence of passengers can be determined by a method of detecting passengers using an in-vehicle camera, a method of counting the number of passengers boarding and disembarking using a sensor at the boarding gate, or the like. The traffic plan of the regularly scheduled vehicle 10 is determined based on the regular traffic plan registered in the regular traffic plan database 132 and on predetermined reference information. The predetermined reference information includes a dispatch request of a user 40 of the on-demand vehicle 20, the presence or absence of passengers aboard the regularly scheduled vehicle 10, and the presence or absence of a user 30 waiting at the waiting area 6. The predetermined instructions 122 are executed by the processor 110, whereby these processes are executed by the traffic management server 100.

[0028] The fleet management server 100 communicates with the automatic driving ECU 22 of the on-demand vehicle 20, and sends instructions to the automatic driving ECU 22, including an operation plan for the on-demand vehicle 20. The operation plan for the on-demand vehicle 20 is determined based on the dispatch request of the user 40 of the on-demand vehicle 20, with reference to the regular operation plan registered in the regular operation plan database 132. These processes are executed by the fleet management server 100 as a result of the processor 110 executing predetermined instructions 122.

[0029] The fleet management server 100 communicates with the mobile terminal 42 of the user 40. The fleet management server 100 receives a dispatch request from the mobile terminal 42, in which the user 40 reserves the dispatch of an on-demand vehicle 20, and location information of the user 40. The fleet management server 100 transmits to the mobile terminal 42 a reservation completion notification notifying the completion of the reservation for dispatch of the on-demand vehicle 20, and location information notifying the current location where the on-demand vehicle 20 is traveling. These processes are executed by the fleet management server 100 as a result of predetermined instructions 122 being executed by the processor 110.

[0030] The traffic management server 100 communicates with the camera 8 in the waiting area 6. The traffic management server 100 determines whether or not there are users 30 waiting in the waiting area 6 from the images captured by the camera 8. The presence or absence of users 30 waiting in the waiting area 6 is used as information for determining the operation plan of the regularly scheduled vehicle 10. These processes are executed by the traffic management server 100 as a result of predetermined instructions 122 being executed by the processor 110.

[0031] In the next chapter, a vehicle operation method executed by the fleet management server 100 will be described using a concrete example.

[0032] 3. Vehicle operation method 3-1.Premise Figures 3 and 4 are diagrams for explaining a first example of a vehicle operation method. Figures 5 and 6 are diagrams for explaining a second example of a vehicle operation method. Figures 7 and 8 are diagrams for explaining a third example of a vehicle operation method. And Figures 9 and 10 are diagrams for explaining a fourth example of a vehicle operation method. The left side of each figure is a diagram of each vehicle 10, 20, and the right side of each figure shows the movement of each vehicle 10, 20 on the route 2. The assumptions for each example will be explained below.

[0033] In each example, line 2 is a line connecting station A and station B. Line 2 has three stations between station A and station B, namely station X, station Y, and station Z, in that order. These three stations are stations 4 provided on line 2. For ease of explanation, it is assumed that line 2 has only three passing stations 4. In each example, it is assumed that only one scheduled vehicle 10 simultaneously operates between station A and station B, and only one on-demand vehicle 20 simultaneously operates between station A and station B.

[0034] In each example, the on-demand vehicle 20 travels in one direction and does not make a U-turn along the way. The on-demand vehicle 20 stops for a predetermined time at a pick-up point, i.e., a location where the on-demand vehicle 20 picks up the user 40. Similarly, the scheduled vehicle 10 stops for a predetermined time at a bus stop 4 when following the scheduled operation plan. Also, in each example, the traveling speed of the on-demand vehicle 20 is faster than the traveling speed of the scheduled vehicle 10.

[0035] 3-2. First Example In the first example shown in Fig. 3 and Fig. 4, a regularly scheduled vehicle 10 is running from station B to station A. In the regularly scheduled operation plan, the regularly scheduled vehicle 10 is to stop at all stations that are stations 4 in order.

[0036] In the first example, after a scheduled vehicle 10 departs from Station B, a vehicle dispatch request is made from a user 40 to an on-demand vehicle 20. The pickup point desired by the user 40 is located between Station Y and Station Z. The user 40 wishes to head to Station B from the pickup point. Therefore, an on-demand vehicle 20 waiting at Station A is dispatched to the user 40.

[0037] The operation management server 100, which has received a dispatch request from the user 40, creates an operation plan that can dispatch the on-demand vehicle 20 to the user 40 in the shortest time. The regular operation plan of the regularly scheduled vehicle 10 is referenced when creating the operation plan for the on-demand vehicle 20. This is because, on a single-lane route 2, it may not be possible to immediately depart the on-demand vehicle 20 due to the regular operation plan of the regularly scheduled vehicle 10. As shown in FIG. 3, even if the on-demand vehicle 20 departs immediately upon receiving a dispatch request, it will run into a regularly scheduled vehicle 10 coming from station Z between station Y and station Z.

[0038] When a scheduled vehicle 10 and an on-demand vehicle 20 are operated on a single-lane route 2, priority should be given to the operation of the scheduled vehicle 10, which has a greater impact on users. Therefore, the presence of a scheduled vehicle 10 traveling on the route 2 at the same time may prevent the on-demand vehicle 20 from arriving at the user 40 at the optimal time. Note that the optimal time in the first example refers to the earliest time at which the on-demand vehicle 20 can be dispatched to the user 40, assuming that there are no other vehicles on the route 2.

[0039] In order to have the on-demand vehicle 20 arrive at the user 40 at the optimal time, it is necessary to make changes to the operation plan of the regularly scheduled vehicle 10. Although the operation of the regularly scheduled vehicle 10 should be prioritized over the on-demand vehicle 20, an exception to this is when there are no passengers on board the regularly scheduled vehicle 10. If there are no passengers on board the regularly scheduled vehicle 10, a delay due to a change in the operation plan can be tolerated.

[0040] Therefore, when it is predicted that the regularly scheduled vehicle 10 will prevent the on-demand vehicle 20 from arriving at the user 40 at the optimal time, the operations management server 100 determines whether or not there are any passengers on the regularly scheduled vehicle 10.

[0041] <When passengers are on board a scheduled vehicle> When a passenger 50 is on board the regularly scheduled vehicle 10, the operation management server 100 operates the regularly scheduled vehicle 10 and the on-demand vehicle 20 according to the operation method shown in Fig. 3. According to the operation method shown in Fig. 3, the regularly scheduled vehicle 10 operates according to the regular operation plan from Station B to Station A. The on-demand vehicle 20 does not depart from Station A immediately after receiving a dispatch request, but departs with a delay from the dispatch request.

[0042] A regularly scheduled vehicle 10 that operates according to a regularly scheduled operation plan stops at each station, and also stops at Station Y for a predetermined time. Station Y is a station 4 that is located behind the pickup point where the on-demand vehicle 20 picks up the user 40 in the traveling direction of the on-demand vehicle 20. At Station Y, which is Station 4, the two vehicles can pass each other. The on-demand vehicle 20 departs from Station A so as to pass Station Y while the regularly scheduled vehicle 10 is stopped at Station Y. In other words, the operation management server 100 causes the on-demand vehicle 20 to pass the regularly scheduled vehicle 10 at Station Y.

[0043] After passing the regularly scheduled vehicle 10 at Station Y, the on-demand vehicle 20 arrives at the pickup point. After picking up the user 40 at the pickup point, the on-demand vehicle 20 departs for the destination, Station B. The arrival of the user 40 of the on-demand vehicle 20 at Station B will be delayed by the waiting time after receiving the dispatch request at Station A. However, according to the above operation method, it is possible to minimize the delay in the arrival of the user 40 at the destination without interfering with the operation of the regularly scheduled vehicle 10.

[0044] <When there are no passengers on board a scheduled service vehicle> When there is no passenger 50 on board the scheduled vehicle 10, the operation management server 100 operates the scheduled vehicle 10 and the on-demand vehicle 20 according to the operation method shown in Fig. 4. According to the operation method shown in Fig. 4, the on-demand vehicle 20 departs from Station A toward the pick-up point immediately upon receiving a dispatch request. Then, after picking up the user 40 at the pick-up point, the on-demand vehicle 20 departs toward Station B, which is the destination. By operating the on-demand vehicle 20 in this manner, it is possible to transport the user 40 of the on-demand vehicle 20 to the destination in the shortest time possible after receiving a dispatch request.

[0045] On the other hand, the scheduled vehicle 10 is operated according to a temporary operation plan created in accordance with the operation plan of the on-demand vehicle 20, rather than the scheduled operation plan. According to the scheduled operation plan, the stop time at all stations, including station Z, is set to a fixed time. However, according to the temporary operation plan, after the on-demand vehicle 20 stops at station Z, it continues to stop for a period exceeding the predetermined stop time set in the scheduled operation plan. Station Z is a stop 4 located ahead of the pickup point where the on-demand vehicle 20 picks up the user 40 in the traveling direction of the on-demand vehicle 20. At station Z, which is station 4, the two vehicles can pass each other. After the on-demand vehicle 20 that picked up the user 40 at the pickup point passes station Z, the scheduled vehicle 10 departs from station Z. By delaying the scheduled vehicle 10 from the scheduled operation plan in this way, the on-demand vehicle 20 can arrive at the user 40 at the optimal time.

[0046] The operation plan of the regular service vehicle 10 after departing from Station Z differs depending on whether or not there are passengers waiting at Station Y and Station X. The regular service vehicle 10 needs to stop at stations where passengers are waiting. However, if there are no passengers waiting at a station, there is no need to stop the regular service vehicle 10 at that station. The traffic management server 100 does not stop the regular service vehicle 10 at stations where no passengers are waiting (non-passenger stations) and causes the regular service vehicle 10 to pass through the non-passenger stations. In the example shown in FIG. 4, Station Y and Station X are non-passenger stations where no passengers are waiting, so the traffic management server 100 causes the regular service vehicle 10 to pass through Station Y and Station X. By operating the regular service vehicle 10 in this manner, it is possible to recover the time for delay from the regular service plan.

[0047] 3-3. Second Example In the second example shown in Fig. 5 and Fig. 6, a regularly-scheduled vehicle 10 is operating from station B to station A. In the regularly-scheduled operation plan, the regularly-scheduled vehicle 10 is to stop at all stations, which are stations 4, in order.

[0048] In the second example, after a scheduled vehicle 10 departs from Station B, a dispatch request specifying a dispatch time is received from a user 40 to an on-demand vehicle 20. The pickup point desired by the user 40 is located between Station Y and Station Z. The user 40 wishes to head to Station B from the pickup point. Therefore, an on-demand vehicle 20 waiting at Station A is dispatched to the user 40.

[0049] The operations management server 100, which receives a dispatch request with a specified time from the user 40, creates an operation plan for dispatching the on-demand vehicle 20 to the user 40 at a time as close to the optimal time as possible. The optimal time in the second example means the specified time for dispatching the on-demand vehicle 20 to the user 40.

[0050] When creating an operation plan for each vehicle 10, 20, the operation management server 100, like the first example, determines whether or not the regularly scheduled vehicle 10 will prevent the on-demand vehicle 20 from arriving at the user 40 at the optimal time. Then, upon receiving a prediction that the regularly scheduled vehicle 10 will prevent the on-demand vehicle 20 from arriving at the user 40 at the optimal time, the operation management server 100 determines whether or not there are passengers on the regularly scheduled vehicle 10.

[0051] <When passengers are on board a scheduled vehicle> When a passenger 50 is on board the regularly scheduled vehicle 10, the operation management server 100 operates the regularly scheduled vehicle 10 and the on-demand vehicle 20 according to the operation method shown in Fig. 5. According to the operation method shown in Fig. 5, the regularly scheduled vehicle 10 operates from station B to station A according to the regular operation plan.

[0052] A regularly scheduled vehicle 10 that operates according to a regularly scheduled operation plan stops at each station, and also stops at station Y for a predetermined period of time. An on-demand vehicle 20 departs from station A so as to pass station Y while the regularly scheduled vehicle 10 is stopped at station Y. In other words, the operation management server 100 causes the on-demand vehicle 20 to pass the regularly scheduled vehicle 10 at station Y.

[0053] The on-demand vehicle 20 passes the scheduled vehicle 10 at Station Y and then arrives at the pick-up point. After picking up the user 40 at the pick-up point, the on-demand vehicle 20 departs for the destination, Station B. In the example shown in Fig. 5, the on-demand vehicle 20 arrives at the user 40 later than the designated time.

[0054] Of course, it is best for the on-demand vehicle 20 to arrive at the pick-up point exactly at the specified time. However, there is no point in arriving at the pick-up point early just because the vehicle cannot arrive at the specified time. This is because the time that the on-demand vehicle 20 can stop at the route 2 is limited due to the arrival of the regularly scheduled vehicle 10. Therefore, if the on-demand vehicle 20 cannot arrive at the specified time, it is necessary to minimize the delay from the specified time while having the user 40 continue to wait for the on-demand vehicle 20 to arrive. According to the above operation method, it is possible to minimize the delay from the specified time specified by the user 40 without interfering with the operation of the regularly scheduled vehicle 10.

[0055] <When there are no passengers on board a scheduled service vehicle> When there is no passenger 50 on board the scheduled vehicle 10, the operation management server 100 operates the scheduled vehicle 10 and the on-demand vehicle 20 according to the operation method shown in Fig. 6. According to the operation method shown in Fig. 6, the on-demand vehicle 20 departs from Station A so as to arrive at the pickup point exactly at the designated time. Then, after picking up the user 40 at the pickup point, the on-demand vehicle 20 departs for Station B, which is the destination.

[0056] On the other hand, the regularly scheduled vehicle 10 is operated according to a temporary operation plan that is created in accordance with the operation plan of the on-demand vehicle 20, rather than the regular operation plan. According to the temporary operation plan, after the on-demand vehicle 20 stops at station Z, it continues to be stopped for a period exceeding the specified stop time set in the regular operation plan. After the on-demand vehicle 20 that picked up the user 40 at the pick-up point passes station Z, the regularly scheduled vehicle 10 departs from station Z. By delaying the regularly scheduled vehicle 10 from the regular operation plan in this way, it is possible to have the on-demand vehicle 20 arrive at the user 40 at the designated time specified by the user 40.

[0057] As in the first example, the operation plan of the regularly scheduled vehicle 10 after departing from Station Z differs depending on whether or not there are passengers waiting at Station Y and Station X. In the example shown in Fig. 6, Station Y and Station X are passengerless stations where no passengers are waiting, so the operation management server 100 has the regularly scheduled vehicle 10 pass through Station Y and Station X. By operating the regularly scheduled vehicle 10 in this manner, it is possible to make up for the delay in the regular operation plan.

[0058] 3-4.Third Example In a third example shown in Fig. 7 and Fig. 8, a regularly-scheduled vehicle 10 is traveling from station B to station A. In the regularly-scheduled operation plan, the regularly-scheduled vehicle 10 is to stop at all stations that are stations 4 in order.

[0059] In the third example, after the scheduled vehicle 10 departs from Station B, a vehicle dispatch request is received from the user 40 to the on-demand vehicle 20. The pickup point desired by the user 40 is located between Station Y and Station Z. The user 40 wishes to travel from the pickup point to Station A. For this reason, the on-demand vehicle 20 waiting at Station B is dispatched to the user 40. However, as shown in FIG. 7, even if the on-demand vehicle 20 departs immediately upon receiving the dispatch request, it will catch up with the scheduled vehicle 10 running ahead between Station Y and Station Z. When the on-demand vehicle 20 catches up with the scheduled vehicle 10, the on-demand vehicle 20 has no choice but to follow the scheduled vehicle 10 until it reaches a passing point where it can overtake.

[0060] Therefore, the operations management server 100, which receives a vehicle dispatch request from the user 40, creates an operation plan for dispatching the on-demand vehicle 20 to the user 40 at a time as close to the optimal time as possible. The optimal time in the third example means the earliest time at which the on-demand vehicle 20 can be dispatched to the user 40, assuming that there are no other vehicles on the route 2.

[0061] When creating an operation plan for each vehicle 10, 20, the operation management server 100, like the first example, determines whether or not the regularly scheduled vehicle 10 will prevent the on-demand vehicle 20 from arriving at the user 40 at the optimal time. Then, upon receiving a prediction that the regularly scheduled vehicle 10 will prevent the on-demand vehicle 20 from arriving at the user 40 at the optimal time, the operation management server 100 determines whether or not there are passengers on the regularly scheduled vehicle 10.

[0062] <When passengers are on board a scheduled vehicle> When a passenger 50 is on board the regularly scheduled vehicle 10, the operation management server 100 operates the regularly scheduled vehicle 10 and the on-demand vehicle 20 according to the operation method shown in Fig. 7. According to the operation method shown in Fig. 7, the regularly scheduled vehicle 10 operates according to the regular operation plan from station B to station A. The on-demand vehicle 20 does not depart from station B immediately after receiving a dispatch request, but departs with a delay from the dispatch request.

[0063] A regularly scheduled vehicle 10 that operates according to a regular operation plan stops at each station, and also stops at X station for a predetermined time. X station is a station 4 that is located ahead of the pickup point where the on-demand vehicle 20 picks up the user 40 in the traveling direction of the on-demand vehicle 20. At X station, which is the station 4, vehicles can overtake each other. After picking up the user 40 at the pickup point, the on-demand vehicle 20 departs from B station so as to pass through X station while the regularly scheduled vehicle 10 is stopped at X station. In other words, the operation management server 100 causes the on-demand vehicle 20 to overtake the regularly scheduled vehicle 10 at X station.

[0064] The on-demand vehicle 20 overtakes the regularly scheduled vehicle 10 at Station X and arrives at Station A earlier than the regularly scheduled vehicle 10. The arrival of the user 40 of the on-demand vehicle 20 at Station A will be delayed by the waiting time after receiving the dispatch request at Station B. However, according to the above operation method, it is possible to minimize the delay in the arrival of the user 40 at the destination without interfering with the operation of the regularly scheduled vehicle 10.

[0065] <When there are no passengers on board a scheduled service vehicle> When there is no passenger 50 on board the scheduled vehicle 10, the operation management server 100 operates the scheduled vehicle 10 and the on-demand vehicle 20 according to the operation method shown in Fig. 8. According to the operation method shown in Fig. 8, the on-demand vehicle 20 departs from Station B toward the pick-up point immediately after receiving a dispatch request. Then, after picking up the user 40 at the pick-up point, the on-demand vehicle 20 departs toward Station A, which is the destination. By operating the on-demand vehicle 20 in this manner, it is possible to transport the user 40 of the on-demand vehicle 20 to the destination in the shortest time possible after receiving a dispatch request.

[0066] On the other hand, the regularly scheduled vehicle 10 is operated not according to the regularly scheduled operation plan, but according to a temporary operation plan that is created in accordance with the operation plan of the on-demand vehicle 20. According to the temporary operation plan, after the on-demand vehicle 20 stops at station Z, it continues to be stopped for a period exceeding the predetermined stop time set in the regularly scheduled operation plan. Station Z is a stop 4 that is located behind the pick-up point where the on-demand vehicle 20 picks up the user 40 in the traveling direction of the on-demand vehicle 20. The delay time with respect to the departure time from Station Z determined in the regular operation plan includes the time required for the on-demand vehicle 20 that has passed Station Z to pick up the user 40 at the pickup point. Furthermore, the delay time with respect to the departure time from Station Z includes the time from when the on-demand vehicle 20 departs from the pickup point to when the regularly scheduled vehicle 10 passes the pickup point, i.e., the safety margin. By delaying the regularly scheduled vehicle 10 from the regular operation plan in this way, it is possible for the on-demand vehicle 20 to arrive at the user 40 at the optimal time.

[0067] As in the first example, the operation plan of the regularly scheduled vehicle 10 after departing from Station Z differs depending on whether or not there are passengers waiting at Station Y and Station X. In the example shown in Fig. 8, Station Y and Station X are passengerless stations where no passengers are waiting, so the operation management server 100 has the regularly scheduled vehicle 10 pass through Station Y and Station X. By operating the regularly scheduled vehicle 10 in this manner, it is possible to make up for the delay in the regular operation plan.

[0068] 3-5. Fourth Example In a fourth example shown in Fig. 9 and Fig. 10, a regularly scheduled vehicle 10 is running from station B to station A. In the regularly scheduled operation plan, the regularly scheduled vehicle 10 is to stop at all stations that are stations 4 in order.

[0069] In a fourth example, after a scheduled vehicle 10 departs from Station B, a dispatch request specifying a dispatch time is received from a user 40 to an on-demand vehicle 20. The pickup point desired by the user 40 is located between Station Y and Station Z. The user 40 wishes to head to Station A from the pickup point. Therefore, an on-demand vehicle 20 waiting at Station B is dispatched to the user 40.

[0070] The operations management server 100, which receives a dispatch request with a specified time from the user 40, creates an operation plan for dispatching the on-demand vehicle 20 to the user 40 at a time as close to the optimal time as possible. The optimal time in the fourth example means the specified time for dispatching the on-demand vehicle 20 to the user 40.

[0071] When creating an operation plan for each vehicle 10, 20, the operation management server 100, like the first example, determines whether or not the regularly scheduled vehicle 10 will prevent the on-demand vehicle 20 from arriving at the user 40 at the optimal time. Then, upon receiving a prediction that the regularly scheduled vehicle 10 will prevent the on-demand vehicle 20 from arriving at the user 40 at the optimal time, the operation management server 100 determines whether or not there are passengers on the regularly scheduled vehicle 10.

[0072] <When passengers are on board a scheduled vehicle> When a passenger 50 is on board the regularly scheduled vehicle 10, the operation management server 100 operates the regularly scheduled vehicle 10 and the on-demand vehicle 20 according to the operation method shown in Fig. 9. According to the operation method shown in Fig. 9, the regularly scheduled vehicle 10 operates from station B to station A according to the regular operation plan.

[0073] A regularly scheduled vehicle 10 that operates according to a regular operation plan stops at each station, and also stops at station X for a predetermined time. After picking up a user 40 at a pick-up point, an on-demand vehicle 20 departs from station B so as to pass through station X while the regularly scheduled vehicle 10 is stopped at station X. In other words, the operation management server 100 causes the on-demand vehicle 20 to overtake the regularly scheduled vehicle 10 at station X.

[0074] In the example shown in Fig. 9, the on-demand vehicle 20 arrives at the user 40 later than the designated time. This is because overtaking the regularly scheduled vehicle 10 stopped at station X is a constraint in determining the operation plan for the on-demand vehicle 20. However, according to the above operation method, it is possible to minimize the delay from the designated time designated by the user 40 without interfering with the operation of the regularly scheduled vehicle 10.

[0075] <When there are no passengers on board a scheduled service vehicle> When there is no passenger 50 on board the scheduled vehicle 10, the operation management server 100 operates the scheduled vehicle 10 and the on-demand vehicle 20 according to the operation method shown in Fig. 10. According to the operation method shown in Fig. 10, the on-demand vehicle 20 departs from Station B so as to arrive at the pickup point exactly at the designated time. Then, after picking up the user 40 at the pickup point, the on-demand vehicle 20 departs for Station A, which is the destination.

[0076] On the other hand, the regularly scheduled vehicle 10 is operated according to a temporary operation plan created in accordance with the operation plan of the on-demand vehicle 20, rather than the regularly scheduled operation plan. According to the temporary operation plan, after the on-demand vehicle 20 stops at station Z, it continues to be stopped for a period exceeding the predetermined stop time defined in the regularly scheduled operation plan. The delay time with respect to the departure time of station Z defined in the regularly scheduled operation plan includes the time required for the on-demand vehicle 20, which has passed station Z, to pick up the user 40 at the pick-up point. Furthermore, the delay time with respect to the departure time of station Z includes the margin time from when the on-demand vehicle 20 departs from the pick-up point until the regularly scheduled vehicle 10 passes the pick-up point. By delaying the regularly scheduled vehicle 10 from the regularly scheduled operation plan in this way, it is possible to make the on-demand vehicle 20 arrive at the user 40 at the designated time designated by the user 40.

[0077] As in the first example, the operation plan of the regularly scheduled vehicle 10 after departing from Station Z differs depending on whether or not there are passengers waiting at Station Y and Station X. In the example shown in Fig. 10, Station Y and Station X are passengerless stations where no passengers are waiting, so the operation management server 100 has the regularly scheduled vehicle 10 pass through Station Y and Station X. By operating the regularly scheduled vehicle 10 in this manner, it is possible to make up for the delay in the regular operation plan.

[0078] Effects In the above four specific examples, when it is predicted that the scheduled service vehicle 10 will prevent the on-demand vehicle 20 from arriving at the user 40 at the optimal time, different processing is performed depending on whether or not a passenger is on board the scheduled service vehicle 10. If a passenger is on board the scheduled service vehicle 10, the arrival time of the on-demand vehicle 20 at the user 40 is delayed from the optimal time, and the scheduled service vehicle 10 is made to run according to the scheduled service plan. However, if no passenger is on board the scheduled service vehicle 10, the on-demand vehicle 20 is made to arrive at the user 40 at the optimal time even if it means delaying the scheduled service vehicle 10 from the scheduled service plan. In this way, by changing the operation plan of the scheduled service vehicle 10 depending on whether or not the scheduled service vehicle 10 has a passenger, it is possible to give priority to the passengers of the scheduled service vehicle 10 while also improving convenience for the user 40 of the on-demand vehicle 20.

[0079] 4.Other In the four specific examples of the above embodiment, all of the passing areas are stations, but passing areas other than stations may also be included. However, stations are preferable as places where scheduled service vehicles 10 wait for the on-demand vehicle 20 to pass by. This is because there is a possibility that passengers may board the scheduled service vehicles 10 while they are stopped. On the other hand, when the on-demand vehicle 20 waits for the scheduled service vehicle 10 to pass by, it may wait at any passing area, including stations.

[0080] In each of the first to fourth examples, if there are no passengers on board the regular service vehicle 10, the regular service vehicle 10 may be stopped at a passing area to wait for the on-demand vehicle 20 to pass, and then the regular service vehicle 10 may be operated at a speed faster than the traveling speed specified in the regular service plan. Also, in addition to increasing the traveling speed of the regular service vehicle 10, the regular service vehicle 10 may not be stopped at non-passenger stations where there are no passengers among the stations where the regular service vehicle 10 is scheduled to stop in the regular service plan, and the regular service vehicle 10 may be made to pass through the non-passenger stations.

[0081] The on-demand vehicle 20 may be used not only for reserving users 40, but also as a ride-sharing vehicle.

[0082] At least one of the automatic driving ECU 12 of the scheduled service vehicle 10 and the automatic driving ECU 22 of the on-demand vehicle 20 may be included as a component of the operation system. In this case, "at least one processor" means the processor 110 of the operation management server 100 and the processor of the automatic driving ECU 12 or the automatic driving ECU 22. In this case, "multiple instructions" means the instructions stored in the program memory 120 of the operation management server 100 and the instructions stored in the program memory of the automatic driving ECU 12 or the automatic driving ECU 22. [Explanation of symbols]

[0083] 2 Single-lane route 4. Stations as passing places 6 Waiting Area 8. Camera 10 Regular service vehicles 12 Autonomous Driving ECU 20 On-Demand Vehicles 22 Autonomous Driving ECU 30 Passengers of scheduled service vehicles 40 On-demand vehicle users 42 Mobile Devices 100 Traffic management server 110 Processor 120 Program Memory 122 Instructions 130 Storage 132 Regular train operation plan database

Claims

1. A method for operating a scheduled vehicle that runs autonomously and an on-demand vehicle that runs autonomously on a single lane having a plurality of passing areas including a station, comprising: In response to a prediction that the scheduled vehicle will prevent the on-demand vehicle from arriving at the user at an optimal time, If there are passengers on board the scheduled service vehicle, delaying the arrival time of the on-demand vehicle at the user from the optimal time, and causing the regularly-scheduled vehicle to run according to a regularly-scheduled operation plan; If there are no passengers on board the scheduled service vehicle, The regularly scheduled vehicle is delayed from the regularly scheduled operation plan to allow the on-demand vehicle to arrive at the user at the optimal time. A method for operating a vehicle, comprising:

2. The vehicle operation method according to claim 1, When there are no passengers on board the regular service vehicle, the regular service vehicle is delayed from the regular service plan, and then the regular service vehicle is not stopped at a passengerless station with no passengers among stations where the regular service vehicle is scheduled to stop in the regular service plan, and the regular service vehicle is made to pass through the passengerless station. A method for operating a vehicle, comprising:

3. The vehicle operation method according to claim 1, When there are no passengers on board the regularly-scheduled vehicle, the regularly-scheduled vehicle is delayed from the regularly-scheduled operation plan, and then the regularly-scheduled vehicle is operated at a speed faster than the travel speed specified in the regularly-scheduled operation plan so as to make up for the delay from the regularly-scheduled operation plan. A method for operating a vehicle, comprising:

4. A vehicle operation method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, The on-demand vehicle is driven to face the scheduled service vehicle, If there are passengers on board the scheduled service vehicle, The on-demand vehicle is caused to pass the scheduled vehicle at a stop located behind a pick-up point where the on-demand vehicle picks up the user in a traveling direction of the on-demand vehicle, If there are no passengers on board the scheduled service vehicle, The scheduled service vehicle is made to wait at a passing area located ahead of the pickup point in the traveling direction of the on-demand vehicle until the on-demand vehicle passes by. A method for operating a vehicle, comprising:

5. A vehicle operation method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, The on-demand vehicle is driven so as to overtake the scheduled service vehicle from behind; If there are passengers on board the scheduled service vehicle, causing the on-demand vehicle to overtake the scheduled vehicle at a stop located ahead of a pickup point at which the on-demand vehicle picks up the user in a traveling direction of the on-demand vehicle; If there are no passengers on board the scheduled service vehicle, The scheduled service vehicle is made to wait at a passing area located behind the pickup point in the traveling direction of the on-demand vehicle until the on-demand vehicle passes by. A method for operating a vehicle, comprising:

6. The vehicle operation method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, The optimal time is the earliest time that the on-demand vehicle can be dispatched to the user, assuming that there are no other vehicles in the single lane. A method for operating a vehicle, comprising:

7. The vehicle operation method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, The optimal time is a designated time for dispatching the on-demand vehicle to the user. A method for operating a vehicle, comprising:

8. A system for operating a scheduled vehicle that runs autonomously and an on-demand vehicle that runs autonomously on a single lane having a plurality of passing areas including a station, At least one processor; a program memory coupled to the at least one processor and storing a plurality of executable instructions; The plurality of executable instructions may be configured to cause the at least one processor to: In response to a prediction that the scheduled vehicle will prevent the on-demand vehicle from arriving at the user at an optimal time, If there are passengers on board the scheduled service vehicle, delaying the arrival time of the on-demand vehicle at the user from the optimal time, and causing the regularly-scheduled vehicle to run according to a regularly-scheduled operation plan; If there are no passengers on board the scheduled service vehicle, delaying the regularly scheduled vehicle from the regularly scheduled operation plan to cause the on-demand vehicle to arrive at the user at the optimal time; A vehicle operation system comprising:

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