Information Processing Method

Abstract

To improve convenience of a user when the user moves by changing on-demand vehicles among a plurality of services.SOLUTION: An information processing method receives first information showing a movement plan of a user, acquires second information showing boarding and alighting points and travel situations of vehicles for each on-demand vehicle service, determines a recommended route for changing a first vehicle and a second vehicle concerning first and second on-demand vehicle services on the basis of the first information and the second information to be presented to the user, and makes a reservation of the first and second on-demand vehicle services according to the recommended route in response to a request from a terminal. The information processing method determines a first boarding and alighting point for getting on the first vehicle, a change candidate point for changing from the first vehicle to the second vehicle, and a second boarding and alighting point for getting off the second vehicle, determines at least one candidate route via the change candidate point from the first boarding and alighting point to the second boarding and alighting point, and determines the recommended route on the basis of a result obtained by evaluating each candidate route by a predetermined index.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an information processing method. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent document 1 discloses that an operation schedule for an on-demand vehicle is determined based on reservation information for the on-demand vehicle from multiple users so that each user boards and disembarks from the on-demand vehicle at their desired location within the desired boarding and disembarking time period. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] International Publication No. 2014 / 002267 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In the conventional configuration, a service area is defined for each on-demand vehicle service, and a user who uses a certain service can travel by on-demand vehicle only within the corresponding service area. Therefore, for example, when a user travels by on-demand vehicle between multiple services, the user needs to make a reservation for the on-demand vehicle individually for each service, which is cumbersome.

[0005] An object of the present disclosure is to improve user convenience when traveling by on-demand vehicles between multiple services. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The information processing method according to the present disclosure is an information processing method executed by an information processing device capable of communicating with a terminal device used by a user, the information processing method including a first step of receiving first information indicating a travel plan of the user from the terminal device, a second step of acquiring second information indicating a plurality of boarding and alighting points at which a vehicle can be boarded and alighted and an operation status of the vehicle for each of a plurality of on-demand vehicle services, a third step of determining a recommended route for traveling by transferring between a first vehicle associated with a first on-demand vehicle service and a second vehicle associated with a second on-demand vehicle service based on the first information and the second information, a fourth step of presenting the recommended route to the user via the terminal device, and a fourth step of providing a request from the terminal device. and a fifth step of making reservations for the first vehicle and the second vehicle for the first on-demand vehicle service and the second on-demand vehicle service according to the recommended route, wherein in the third step, a first boarding / alighting point for boarding the first vehicle, a candidate transfer point for transferring from the first vehicle to the second vehicle, and a second boarding / alighting point for alighting from the second vehicle are determined, at least one candidate route for traveling from the first boarding / alighting point to the second boarding / alighting point via the candidate transfer point is determined, and a candidate route included in the at least one candidate route is determined as the recommended route based on a result of evaluating each of the at least one candidate route using a predetermined index. Effect of the Invention

[0007] According to the present disclosure, it is possible to improve user convenience when traveling by on-demand vehicles between multiple services. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a configuration of a system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Diagram 2] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of an area where on-demand vehicle services are provided. [Diagram 3] 4 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the control device. [Figure 4]FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of an area where on-demand vehicle services are provided. [Diagram 5] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of an area where on-demand vehicle services are provided. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0009] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0010] (Overview of the embodiment) 1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of a system 1 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The system 1 includes a control device 10, a terminal device 20, and a vehicle 30. The control device 10, the terminal device 20, and the vehicle 30 are communicatively connected to a network 40 including, for example, the Internet and a mobile communication network.

[0011] The control device 10 is an information processing device that receives first information indicating a user's travel plan from the terminal device 20 and determines an operation schedule for the vehicle 30. The control device 10 may be a computer such as a server device installed in a facility such as a data center. The control device 10 is capable of communicating with the terminal device 20 and the vehicle 30 via a network 40.

[0012] The terminal device 20 is an information processing device that transmits a movement plan to the control device 10 in response to a user's operation. In this embodiment, the terminal device 20 is a smartphone used by a user, but may be, for example, a mobile device such as a mobile phone or a tablet, or a general-purpose device such as a PC (Personal Computer). The number of terminal devices 20 included in the system 1 may be determined arbitrarily.

[0013] The vehicle 30 is, for example, a car such as a bus, but may be any vehicle without being limited thereto. The car may be, for example, a gasoline-powered car, a hybrid electric vehicle (HEV), a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV), a fuel cell electric vehicle (FCEV), or a battery electric vehicle (BEV), but is not limited thereto. Each vehicle 30 is an autonomous vehicle (AV) in this embodiment, but may be driven by a driver or may be automated at any level. The level of automation is, for example, any of levels 1 to 5 according to the level classification of the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE). Each vehicle 30 may be a vehicle dedicated to Mobility as a Service (MaaS). The number of vehicles 30 provided in the system 1 may be determined arbitrarily.

[0014] The vehicle 30 operates as an on-demand vehicle whose operation schedule (operation route, operation time, etc.) is determined according to the user's request (demand). The operation route, operation time, etc. of the vehicle 30 are not predetermined, and the control device 10 dynamically determines the operation schedule according to the user's request (request). The vehicle 30 transmits and receives various information including information representing the operation schedule by communicating with the control device 10, and travels in a specific area determined for each service 111, 112 according to the operation schedule. Hereinafter, the vehicle 30 traveling in the service A111 as the first on-demand vehicle service may be referred to as the first vehicle 30a, and the vehicle 30 traveling in the service B112 as the second on-demand vehicle service may be referred to as the second vehicle 30b. The vehicle 30 is a public bus on which unspecified users board and disembark, but may be a vehicle on which a specific user boards and disembarks. In this embodiment, an example is described in which the boarding and disembarking points at which users can board and disembark the vehicle 30 are predetermined, but the boarding and disembarking points may also be dynamically determined according to the user's request.

[0015] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of an area where an on-demand vehicle service is provided. In FIG. 2, a user wishes to move from a departure point 101 to a destination point 102. In the area of ​​FIG. 2, on-demand vehicle services A111 and B112 are provided. In the example of FIG. 2, the departure point 101 is under the jurisdiction of the service A111, and the destination point 102 is under the jurisdiction of the service B112. Travel reservations for the service A111 and the service B112 must be made separately. In the conventional configuration, it was troublesome because the user had to make each reservation by himself. As will be described later, in this embodiment, the user only needs to input a travel plan, and the control device 10 automatically makes travel reservations for each service. Note that the service A111 and the service B112 are provided by different operators, but may be provided by the same operator.

[0016] In the area where on-demand vehicle services are provided, multiple boarding and alighting points 121-127 are predefined. In the example of FIG. 2, boarding and alighting point 121 is provided in the area where service A111 is provided. Boarding and alighting points 123 and 126 are provided in the area where service B112 is provided. Boarding and alighting points 122, 124 and 125 are provided in the overlapping portion between the area where service A111 is provided and the area where service B112 is provided. Facilities 131-134 such as restaurants, public facilities and schools exist in the area of ​​FIG. 2.

[0017] In the above situation, the user operates the terminal device 20 to input first information indicating a travel plan, such as a departure point 101, a destination point 102, a desired reservation date and time, and the number of people to be reserved, to make a travel reservation. The terminal device 20 transmits the first information input by the user to the control device 10. Upon receiving the first information indicating the travel plan, the control device 10 identifies a plurality of transfer candidate points at which the vehicle 30 can be transferred between services, and determines a plurality of candidate routes for traveling from the departure point 101 to the destination point 102 via each transfer candidate point. Furthermore, the control device 10 presents the user with a recommended route selected based on the result of evaluating each candidate route with a predetermined index (the number of registered facilities to be passed through, the travel time in the vehicle 30, etc.), and makes reservations for two on-demand vehicle services according to the recommended route in response to a request from the user. Therefore, even if the user travels by transferring on-demand vehicles between a plurality of services, the user does not need to make reservations for on-demand vehicles individually for each service, and it is possible to reduce the burden on the user.

[0018] (Control device configuration) As shown in FIG. 1, the control device 10 includes a control unit 11, a storage unit 12, and a communication unit 13.

[0019] The control unit 11 includes one or more processors, one or more programmable circuits, one or more dedicated circuits, or a combination of these. The control unit 11 controls the operation of the entire control device 10.

[0020] The storage unit 12 includes one or more memories. Each memory included in the storage unit 12 may function as, for example, a main storage device, an auxiliary storage device, or a cache memory. The storage unit 12 stores any information used in 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, operation information of each service, and the like. The information stored in the storage unit 12 may be updateable with information acquired from the network 40 via the communication unit 13, for example.

[0021] The communication unit 13 includes one or more communication interfaces connected to the network 40. The communication interface corresponds to, for example, a mobile communication standard, a wired LAN (Local Area Network) standard, or a wireless LAN standard, but is not limited to these, and may correspond to any communication standard. In this embodiment, the control device 10 communicates with the terminal device 20 and the vehicle 30 via the communication unit 13 and the network 40.

[0022] In this embodiment, information on a plurality of boarding and alighting points 121-127 in each of service A111 and service B112, and second information indicating the operation status of vehicle 30 are stored in storage unit 12 of control device 10. Operation management of vehicle 30 in each of service A111 and service B112 is performed by control device 10. Alternatively, storage of the second information and operation management of vehicle 30 may be performed in a network storage or information processing device separate from control device 10 for each on-demand vehicle service.

[0023] (Terminal Device Configuration) As shown in FIG. 1, the terminal device 20 includes a control unit 21, a storage unit 22, a communication unit 23, and an input / output unit 24.

[0024] The control unit 21 includes one or more processors, one or more programmable circuits, one or more dedicated circuits, or a combination of these. The control unit 21 controls the operation of the entire terminal device 20.

[0025] The storage unit 22 includes one or more memories. Each memory included in the storage unit 22 may function as, for example, a main storage device, an auxiliary storage device, or a cache memory. The storage unit 22 stores any information used in the operation of the terminal device 20. For example, the storage unit 22 may store a system program, an application program, map information, etc. The information stored in the storage unit 22 may be updatable with information acquired from the network 40 via the communication unit 23, for example.

[0026] The communication unit 23 includes one or more communication interfaces connected to the network 40. The communication interface corresponds to, for example, a mobile communication standard or a wireless LAN standard, but is not limited to these, and may correspond to any communication standard. In this embodiment, the terminal device 20 communicates with the control device 10 via the communication unit 23 and the network 40.

[0027] The input / output unit 24 is an HMI (Human Machine Interface) that receives input operations from a user and outputs processing results of the terminal device 20 to the user. The input / output unit 24 may be configured, for example, as a touch screen that is integrated with a display, but is not limited to this. For example, the input / output unit 24 may receive input operations from the user through a physical key, a capacitance key, a pointing device, a microphone, or the like. The input / output unit 24 may also output information to the user through a speaker, a vibrator, or the like.

[0028] (Vehicle configuration) As shown in FIG. 1, a vehicle 30 includes a control unit 31, a storage unit 32, a communication unit 33, and a positioning unit .

[0029] The control unit 31 includes one or more processors, one or more programmable circuits, one or more dedicated circuits, or a combination thereof. The control unit 31 controls the operation of the entire vehicle 30.

[0030] The storage unit 32 includes one or more memories. Each memory included in the storage unit 32 may function as, for example, a main storage device, an auxiliary storage device, or a cache memory. The storage unit 32 stores any information used in the operation of the vehicle 30. For example, the storage unit 32 may store a system program, an application program, map information, etc. The information stored in the storage unit 32 may be updatable with information acquired from the network 40 via the communication unit 33, for example.

[0031] The communication unit 33 includes one or more communication interfaces that connect to the network 40. The communication interfaces correspond to, for example, a mobile communication standard, but are not limited thereto, and may correspond to any communication standard. In this embodiment, the vehicle 30 communicates with the control device 10 via the communication unit 33 and the network 40.

[0032] The positioning unit 34 includes one or more devices that acquire position information of the vehicle 30. Specifically, the positioning unit 34 includes, for example, a receiver compatible with the Global Positioning System (GPS), but is not limited thereto, and may include a receiver compatible with any satellite positioning system.

[0033] Each vehicle 30 travels according to the operation schedule received from the control device 10. In addition, each vehicle 30 transmits to the control device 10 information on the position of the vehicle 30 measured by a positioning unit .

[0034] (Example 1) An operation example of the system 1 will be described with reference to Fig. 2 and Fig. 3. Fig. 3 is a flowchart showing an operation example of the control device 10. The operation of the control device 10 described with reference to Fig. 3 may correspond to at least a part of the information processing method according to this embodiment. Each step in Fig. 3 is executed based on the control of the control unit 11 of the control device 10.

[0035] Before starting the processing of the flowchart, the user operates the terminal device 20 to input a travel plan. The user's travel plan includes a departure point 101, a destination point 102, a desired reservation date and time, and the number of people for reservation. Here, the desired reservation date and time may include a desired boarding time zone and a desired disembarking time zone, or a desired departure time or a desired arrival time. The user may select a boarding / disembarking point where the user wishes to board (e.g., boarding / disembarking point 121) as the departure point 101, and a boarding / disembarking point where the user wishes to disembark (e.g., boarding / disembarking point 123) as the destination point 102. The terminal device 20 transmits the input information to the control device 10 as first information.

[0036] In step S1, the control unit 11 of the control device 10 receives, via the communication unit 13, first information indicating a user's movement plan from the terminal device 20.

[0037] In step S2, the control unit 11 acquires second information indicating multiple boarding and alighting points 121-127 at which passengers can board and alight the vehicle 30 and the operation status of the vehicle 30 for each of the multiple on-demand vehicle services 111, 112. In this embodiment, the control device 10 reads out and acquires the second information stored in the storage unit 12. The information on the boarding and alighting points 121-127 may include location information of each of the boarding and alighting points 121-127. The information on the operation status of the vehicle 30 may include information on the location and already reserved operation schedule of each vehicle 30. If the second information for each service is stored in a network storage or the like, the control unit 11 acquires the second information from the network storage via the communication unit 13.

[0038] In steps S3 to S6, the control unit 11 and the control device 10 perform processing to determine a recommended route for traveling by transferring between a first vehicle 30a related to service A111 and a second vehicle 30b related to service B112, based on the first information and the second information.

[0039] First, in step S3, the control unit 11 determines, based on the first information and the second information, a boarding / alighting point (first boarding / alighting point) for boarding the first vehicle 30a, a potential transfer point for transferring from the first vehicle 30a to the second vehicle 30b, and a boarding / alighting point (second boarding / alighting point) for disembarking from the second vehicle 30b.

[0040] Specifically, the control unit 11 may determine the boarding / alighting point 121 closest to the departure point 101 indicated by the first information as the boarding / alighting point for boarding the first vehicle 30a. Alternatively, the control unit 11 may determine a plurality of boarding / alighting points within a certain distance (e.g., Xm) from the departure point 101 as the boarding / alighting points for boarding the first vehicle 30a. The control unit 11 may determine the boarding / alighting points 122, 124, and 125 provided in the overlapping portion between the provision area of ​​the service A111 and the provision area of ​​the service B112 as candidate transfer points for transferring from the first vehicle 30a to the second vehicle 30b. The control unit 11 may determine the boarding / alighting point 123 closest to the destination point 102 indicated by the first information as the boarding / alighting point for disembarking from the second vehicle 30b. Alternatively, the control unit 11 may determine a plurality of boarding and alighting points 123, 126 within a certain distance (for example, Xm) from the destination point 102 as boarding and alighting points for disembarking from the second vehicle 30b. In the example of Fig. 2, since the boarding and alighting point 127 is outside the service area of ​​the service B 112, it is not selected as a boarding and alighting point for disembarking from the second vehicle 30b.

[0041] In step S4, the control unit 11 determines at least one candidate route for traveling from the departure point 101 to the destination point 102 via candidate transfer points. For example, in the area of ​​FIG. 2, the control unit 11 may determine the following candidate routes 1 to 3. Candidate route 1: A route that goes from departure point 101, boarding / alighting point 121, boarding / alighting point 122, boarding / alighting point 123, and destination point 102. Candidate route 2: A route that goes from departure point 101, boarding / alighting point 121, boarding / alighting point 124, boarding / alighting point 123, and destination point 102. Candidate route 3: A route that goes from departure point 101, boarding / alighting point 121, boarding / alighting point 125, boarding / alighting point 123, and destination point 102.

[0042] In step S5, the control unit 11 evaluates each of the candidate routes 1 to 3 with a predetermined index. As such an index, the control unit 11 may calculate, for example, a travel time. For example, the control unit 11 may estimate the total time required to travel from the departure point 101 to the destination point 102, and use the time as an evaluation index. Alternatively, the control unit 11 may evaluate each candidate route with a ride time (time spent on the vehicle 30) as an index. Alternatively, the control unit 11 may use the time required to transfer the vehicle 30 at the boarding and disembarking points 122, 124, and 125 as such an evaluation index. Alternatively, the control unit 11 may use the time required to travel on foot as such an evaluation index. These times are determined taking into account information on the operation schedules already reserved for the first vehicle 30a and the second vehicle 30b. Such evaluation indexes are not limited to those listed here. Other examples of evaluation indexes will be described later.

[0043] In step S6, the control unit 11 determines a candidate route included in the plurality of candidate routes 1 to 3 as a recommended route based on a result of evaluating each of the plurality of candidate routes 1 to 3 with a predetermined index. For example, the control unit 11 may determine a route having the shortest total time required for travel from the departure point 101 to the destination point 102, the boarding time, the transfer time, and the walking time as the recommended route. Alternatively, the control unit 11 may determine a route having the smallest weighted sum of the total travel time, the boarding time, the transfer time, and the walking time as the recommended route. The control unit 11 may determine a plurality of routes having a high degree of recommendation based on the evaluation index as the recommended route. Here, the recommended route may include not only a geographical route but also information on the scheduled departure time and the scheduled arrival time at each point.

[0044] In step S7, the control unit 11 presents the recommended route determined in step S6 to the user via the terminal device 20. Specifically, the control unit 11 transmits information indicating the recommended route determined in step S6 to the terminal device 20 via the communication unit 13. In response, the terminal device 20 displays the recommended route on the input / output unit 24 and accepts the user's selection. When the user selects a desired recommended route, the terminal device 20 transmits information indicating the recommended route selected by the user to the control device 10 and requests the control device 10 to make a reservation for each of the services 111 and 112.

[0045] In step S8, the control unit 11 transmits a reservation request for the first vehicle 30a and the second vehicle 30b along the recommended route to the on-demand vehicle service A111 and service B112 in response to a request from the terminal device 20. As a result, reservations are made for both the service A111 and the service B112.

[0046] As described above, in this embodiment, when the user inputs a travel plan, the control device 10 determines a recommended route that matches the travel plan, and makes a reservation for each service according to the recommended route at the user's request. Therefore, even when moving between a plurality of services 111, 112 by transferring between the first vehicle 30a and the second vehicle 30b, the user does not need to make reservations for the first vehicle 30a and the second vehicle 30b individually for each service 111, 112. Therefore, according to this embodiment, it is possible to reduce the burden on the user.

[0047] (Example 2) In the operation example 1, an example of evaluating the candidate route based on an index focusing on the user's travel time has been described, but the evaluation index is not limited to this. For example, the control unit 11 may determine a route that passes through the vicinity of a facility that is likely to interest the user as a recommended route with higher priority. By traveling such a route with higher priority, the facility can be advertised to the user, and it is possible to increase the possibility that the user will visit the facility on the way back from the destination point 102 to the starting point 101 or on another occasion.

[0048] Specifically, for example, the control device 10 may store information such as the location and category (e.g., restaurants, public facilities, schools, art museums, temples, shrines, etc.) of each of the facilities 131-134 present in the target area of ​​the on-demand vehicle in the storage unit 12 in advance. Then, in step S5, the control unit 11 may assign a higher evaluation value to a candidate route that passes through the vicinity of more facilities that are likely to interest the user. For example, the control device 10 may store in advance in the storage unit 12, for each user, the category of facilities that the user is interested in. Then, the control device 10 may use the number of facilities that are present in the vicinity of the candidate route and that match the user's interest as the evaluation value. The presence of a facility in the vicinity of a candidate route may be determined based on the distance between the facility and the candidate route being less than a certain value.

[0049] The control unit 11 may select, as a facility likely to interest the user, a facility where the number of times the user has visited the facility in the past or the number of times the user has used a coupon at the facility is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold or less than a predetermined threshold. Here, the control device 10 may store information related to the number of times the user has visited the facility in the past or the number of times the user has used a coupon at the facility in advance in the storage unit 12. The control unit 11 may select, as a facility previously visited by the user, a facility where the distance from a boarding / alighting point where the user previously got off is less than a certain value.

[0050] Alternatively, when searching for a route between the departure point 101 or the destination point 102 and the candidate transfer points, the control unit 11 may search for a route that has the maximum number of facilities to pass through within a range in which the travel time by the vehicle 30 does not exceed an allowable value. Here, the "allowable value" may be determined based on the shortest travel time between the departure point 101 or the destination point 102 and the candidate transfer points. For example, the "allowable value" may be a value obtained by adding a fixed time α to the shortest travel time between the departure point 101 or the destination point 102 and the candidate transfer points (shortest travel time + α). Alternatively, the "allowable value" may be a value obtained by multiplying the shortest travel time between the departure point 101 or the destination point 102 and the candidate transfer points by a fixed value β (1 < β) (shortest travel time × β).

[0051] (Example 3) As described above, in step S4, the control unit 11 determines, as candidate routes, a route from the departure point 101 to the candidate transfer points and a route from the candidate transfer points to the destination point 102. Here, when determining the candidate routes, the control unit 11 does not need to target the entire area in which the on-demand vehicle service is provided in the route search. For example, the control unit 11 may select an area to be targeted for the route search from the service target area based on the positional relationship between the departure point 101 and the destination point 102, and perform a route search within the selected area.

[0052] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of an area where an on-demand vehicle service is provided. In FIG. 4, the target area of ​​the service A111 includes the area 1111 and the area 1112. The target area of ​​the service B112 includes the area 1121 and the area 1122. The departure point 101 is located in the area 1112, and the destination point 102 is located in the area 1121. Here, it is assumed that the areas 1111, 1112, 1121, and 1122 are arranged in a positional relationship as shown in FIG. 4. In such a case, when searching for a route from the departure point 101 to the boarding and alighting points 122, 124, and 125, which are candidate transfer points, the control unit 11 does not take into account the route in the area 1111, and only needs to search for a route in the area 1112. In addition, when searching for a route from the boarding and alighting points 122, 124, and 125, which are candidate transfer points, to the destination point 102, the control unit 11 does not take into account the route in the area 1122, and only needs to search for a route in the area 1121. In this way, the control device 10 can perform an efficient route search without extracting routes that are obviously detours as candidate routes.

[0053] (Example 4) In step S3 of the operation example 1, the control unit 11 determines the boarding and alighting points 122, 124, and 125 located in the overlapping part of the provision area of ​​the service A111 and the service B112 as the transfer candidate points. However, there may be a case where the provision areas of the service A111 and the service B112 do not overlap. In such a case, the control unit 11 may evaluate each candidate route using the walking travel time from the disembarking location of the first vehicle 30a to the boarding location of the second vehicle 30b as one of the indices.

[0054] FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of an area where an on-demand vehicle service is provided. In the example of FIG. 5, there is no overlap between the areas provided by service A111 and service B112. For movement between such non-overlapping service areas, in step S3, the control unit 11 may determine candidate transfer points based on the positional relationship of the areas provided by the services. For example, in the example of FIG. 5, the control unit 11 may determine boarding and alighting points 122 and 125 located near service B112 as candidate transfer points within service A111. Similarly, the control unit 11 may determine boarding and alighting points 124 and 128 located near service A111 as candidate transfer points within service B112.

[0055] Alternatively, at least one transfer candidate point for each of the source and destination services may be stored in advance in the storage unit 12, and in step S3, the control unit 11 may determine the transfer candidate point by referring to such pre-stored information. For example, in the example of Fig. 5, the boarding and alighting points 122, 125 and the boarding and alighting points 124, 128 may be stored in advance in the storage unit 12 as transfer candidate points between the service A111 and the service B112, together with the identification information of the service A111 and the service B112. Then, in step S3, the control unit 11 may determine the boarding and alighting points 122, 125 and the boarding and alighting points 124, 128 stored in advance corresponding to the service A111 and the service B112 as transfer candidate points.

[0056] In step S5, the control unit 11 may evaluate the candidate route using the walking travel time (transfer time) between the boarding / alighting points 122, 125 and the boarding / alighting points 124, 128 as one of the indices. Specifically, there are four combinations of these transfer candidate points: (1) the boarding / alighting points 122, 124, (2) the boarding / alighting points 122, 128, (3) the boarding / alighting points 125, 124, and (4) the boarding / alighting points 125, 128. The control unit 11 may use the shortest walking travel time among these combinations as one of the evaluation indices. This allows the control unit 11 to determine a route that places less of a burden on the user as the recommended route, even when the route involves travel between non-overlapping service areas.

[0057] In step S5, the control unit 11 may calculate an evaluation value that comprehensively reflects the multiple evaluation indexes described above by weighting and combining the multiple evaluation indexes. In other words, the control unit 11 may evaluate each candidate route by combining two or more of the above-mentioned indexes. For example, the control unit 11 may determine a cost for each index and determine a candidate route with the smallest total cost as a recommended candidate. This allows the control unit 11 to determine an appropriate route as a recommended route based on multiple perspectives.

[0058] Although the present disclosure has been described based on the drawings and embodiments, it should be noted that those skilled in the art may make various modifications and alterations based on the present disclosure. Therefore, it should be noted that these modifications and alterations are included in the scope of the present disclosure. 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.

[0059] For example, in the above-described embodiment, the configuration and operation of the control device 10 may be distributed among a plurality of computers that can communicate with each other. Also, for example, an embodiment in which some or all of the components of the control device 10 are provided in the terminal device 20 or the vehicle 30 may be possible.

[0060] Also, for example, an embodiment is possible in which a general-purpose computer functions as the control device 10 according to the above-described embodiment. Specifically, a program describing the processing contents for realizing each function of the control device 10 according to the above-described embodiment may be stored in the memory of the general-purpose computer, and the program may be read and executed by a processor. Thus, the present disclosure may also be realized as a program executable by a processor, or a non-transitory computer-readable medium that stores the program. [Explanation of symbols]

[0061] 1 System 10 Control device 11 Control section 12 Storage section 13. Communications Department 20 Terminal Equipment 21 Control section 22 Memory section 23 Communications Department 24 Input / output section 30, 30a, 30b Vehicles 101 Starting point 102 Destination point 111,112 Services 1111~1122 area 121~127 Boarding and alighting points 131~134 Facilities 150 Road

Claims

1. An information processing method executed by an information processing device capable of communicating with a terminal device used by a user, comprising: a first step of receiving first information indicating a movement plan of the user from the terminal device; A second step of acquiring second information indicating a plurality of boarding and alighting points at which the vehicle can be boarded and alighted and an operation status of the vehicle for each of the plurality of on-demand vehicle services; a third step of determining a recommended route for traveling via a first vehicle associated with a first on-demand vehicle service and a second vehicle associated with a second on-demand vehicle service based on the first information and the second information; a fourth step of presenting the recommended route to the user via the terminal device; a fifth step of reserving the first vehicle and the second vehicle for the first on-demand vehicle service and the second on-demand vehicle service according to the recommended route in response to a request from the terminal device; Including, In the third step, determining a first boarding / alighting point for boarding the first vehicle, a potential transfer point for transferring from the first vehicle to the second vehicle, and a second boarding / alighting point for alighting from the second vehicle; determining at least one candidate route for traveling from the first alighting point to the second alighting point via the candidate transfer points; determining a candidate route included in the at least one candidate route as the recommended route based on a result of evaluating each of the at least one candidate route using a predetermined index; In the third step, if there is no overlap between a first service area in which the first on-demand vehicle service is provided and a second service area in which the second on-demand vehicle service is provided, and if there is no other service area that bridges the first service area and the second service area, Based on a positional relationship between the first service area and the second service area, determine at least one third boarding / alighting point in the first service area where the first vehicle is disembarked and at least one fourth boarding / alighting point in the second service area where the second vehicle is boarded as the transfer candidate points; determining, as the candidate route, at least one route that travels from the first boarding / alighting point to the second boarding / alighting point via any one of the third boarding / alighting points and any one of the fourth boarding / alighting points; Information processing methods.

2. The information processing method according to claim 1 , wherein in the third step, a candidate route included in the at least one candidate route is determined as the recommended route based on a result of evaluating a total travel time as the predetermined index.

3. 2. The information processing method according to claim 1, wherein in the third step, a candidate route included in the at least one candidate route is determined as the recommended route based on a result of evaluating a number of facilities that match the user's interests and are located in the vicinity of the candidate route as the predetermined index.

4. The information processing method according to claim 1 , wherein in the third step, a candidate route included in the at least one candidate route is determined as the recommended route based on a result of evaluating a transfer time by walking as the predetermined index.

Images