Information providing device and information providing method

Abstract

To provide an information provision device and an information provision method which reduce the possibility of being late for boarding a vehicle even if a user is waiting for arrival of the vehicle at a place other than a pickup location.SOLUTION: An information provision device calculates a range where a user can move to a pickup location within a standby limit time of a vehicle at the pickup location as a movable range, extracts a facility positioned in the movable range as an available facility, and notifies a user of information on the available facility.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an information providing device and an information providing method. [Background technology]

[0002] An information provision system having a mobile device and an information processing device is known (Patent Document 1). The mobile device transmits a travel route search request to the information processing device, receives the travel route searched by the information processing device, and presents it to the user. Based on the travel route search request from the mobile device, the information processing device searches for a travel route to the destination corresponding to the destination arrival time, including available stopover candidates according to the travel purpose. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] International Publication No. 2017 / 179285 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In the information provision system described in Patent Document 1, since candidate stopovers on a travel route are searched for, the user may wait for the arrival of the vehicle at a candidate stopover other than the vicinity of the boarding location. If the user at such a candidate stopover is notified that the vehicle has arrived, there is a problem that the user cannot arrive at the boarding location within the waiting time of the vehicle and misses the vehicle.

[0005] An object of the present invention is to provide an information providing device and an information providing method that reduce the possibility of a user missing a vehicle even when the user is waiting for the arrival of the vehicle outside the boarding location. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The present invention solves the above problem by calculating the range within which a user can travel to the boarding location within the vehicle's waiting time limit at the boarding location as the movable range, extracting facilities located within the movable range as available facilities, and notifying the user of information about the available facilities. Effect of the Invention

[0007] According to the present invention, even if a user at an available facility is notified that a vehicle has arrived, the user can travel to the boarding location within the vehicle's waiting time limit, thereby reducing the possibility of missing the vehicle. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] 1 is a block diagram of a vehicle dispatch system including an information providing device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2] 2 is a block diagram showing an example of a processor of the information providing device shown in FIG. 1; [Diagram 3] FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram for explaining available facilities. [Figure 4] FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram for explaining an average stay time at a facility. [Diagram 5] FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram for explaining an example of a movement plan. [Figure 6] FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating an example of a control procedure of the information providing device. [Figure 7] FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram for explaining a reference facility. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0009] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following embodiment, an information providing device and an information providing method of the present invention will be described as being applied to a vehicle dispatch system. In the following embodiment, getting on and off includes a user getting on or off a vehicle, or a user getting on and off a vehicle.

[0010] First Embodiment

[0011] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a block configuration of a vehicle dispatch system 100. The vehicle dispatch system 100 of this embodiment includes an information providing device 1, a vehicle 2, and a user terminal device 3. Each device includes a processor (computer) that executes arithmetic processing and a communication device. The information providing device 1, the vehicle 2, and the user terminal device 3 have a communication function, and can exchange information with each other by wired communication or wireless communication via a communication line network 4. Examples of the communication line network 4 include a mobile phone network, a wireless LAN (Local Area Network) network, a DSRC (Dedicated Short Range Communications) network, and a power line communication network. Note that, for convenience of explanation, one vehicle 2 is shown in FIG. 1, but the vehicle dispatch system 100 of this embodiment may be composed of multiple vehicles 2. For convenience of explanation, one user terminal device 3 is shown in FIG. 1, but the vehicle dispatch system 100 of this embodiment may be composed of multiple user terminal devices 3.

[0012] In the vehicle dispatch system 100 of this embodiment, the information providing device 1 is provided in a separate server device capable of communicating with the vehicle 2 and the user terminal device 3. The information providing device 1 may be mounted on the vehicle 2. The information providing device 1 is capable of communicating with the vehicle 2 and the user terminal device 300, and transmits and receives information including requests.

[0013] First, the user terminal device 3 will be described. The user terminal device 3 is a portable information communication terminal carried by a user. Examples of the user terminal device 3 include a smartphone, a notebook computer, and a tablet terminal. As shown in FIG. 1, the user terminal device 3 includes a position detection device 31, an input device 32, an output device 33, a processor 34, and a communication device 35.

[0014] The position detection device 31 acquires position information of the user terminal device 3 from a GPS (Global Positioning System, the same applies below) satellite. An example of the position information is latitude and longitude information. The position detection device 31 acquires the position information of the user terminal device 3 from the GPS satellite at a predetermined cycle and updates the position information of the user terminal device 3. The position information of the user terminal device 3 detected by the position detection device 31 is output to the processor 34, and then transmitted to the information providing device 1 via the communication device 35.

[0015] The input device 32 is an input interface that accepts input by a user. The input device 32 is composed of one or more devices. For example, the input device 32 is composed of a touch panel or a keyboard that allows the user to input characters, and a microphone that allows the user to input voice. The user inputs a travel request to the input device 32. The travel request includes a request to board (boarding request, dispatch request) and / or a request to get off (getting off request). Hereinafter, for convenience, the travel request will be referred to as a boarding / getting off request. The boarding / getting off request may include a desired boarding location and / or a desired get-off location desired by the user. The boarding / getting off request input by the user is output to the processor 34, and then transmitted to the information providing device 1 via the communication device 35. In this embodiment, a boarding request is taken as an example for explanation, but the information providing device 1 of the present invention can be applied to a boarding / getting off request that includes a get-off request in addition to a boarding request.

[0016] The output device 33 is an output interface that outputs the result of the boarding request transmitted from the information providing device 1. Examples of the output device 33 include displays such as a liquid crystal panel and an organic EL panel, and speakers capable of audio output. Information on the available facilities and information on the travel plan are input to the output device 33 from the information providing device 1 via the communication device 35. The information on the available facilities will be described later. The travel plan includes information on the vehicle 2 assigned to the user (such as the vehicle type, the current location of the vehicle 2, the arrival time of the vehicle 2 at the boarding location, the travel route of the vehicle 2 to the boarding location, etc.), information on the user (such as the current location of the user, the arrival time of the user at the boarding location, the travel route of the user to the boarding location, the planned waiting time of the user at the boarding location, etc.), and information on the boarding location (such as the location of the boarding location). In addition, when the user requests to stop at an available facility, the travel plan includes information on the available facility (such as the arrival time of the user at the available facility, the travel route of the user to the available facility, the planned stay time at the available facility, etc.). Note that the manner in which the output device 33 presents various information is not particularly limited. For example, as a presentation mode of a point, the output device 33 may mark the point on a map with a pin or a flag, or may display the address of the point as text on a display or may output the address as audio via a speaker. Also, as a presentation mode of a time, a vehicle type, or a route, the output device 33 may display an image of the vehicle 2 or a route on a map on a display, or may output an arrival time guide or route guide as audio via a speaker.

[0017] The processor 34 is a computer including a ROM (Read Only Memory, hereinafter the same) storing a program for executing a boarding request transmission process for transmitting a boarding request to the information providing device 1 and a travel plan output process for outputting a travel plan from the output device 33, a CPU (Central Processing Unit, hereinafter the same) for executing the program stored in the ROM, and a RAM (Random Access Memory, hereinafter the same) functioning as an accessible storage device. As the boarding request transmission process, the processor 34 generates a request, which is an electronic command corresponding to an operation on the input device 32 by a user, and transmits the request to the information providing device 1 via the communication device 35. When the processor 34 receives information about available facilities or a travel plan from the information providing device 1 via the communication device 35, the processor 34 causes the output device 33 to output various information included in the information about available facilities or the travel plan. Note that the processing executed by the processor is not limited to the above processing. For example, the processor 34 may transmit information about the current location of the user terminal device 3 detected by the position detection device 31 to the information providing device 1 via the communication device 35 at predetermined intervals.

[0018] The communication device 35 is a communication interface compatible with various communication standards. For example, the communication device 35 is compatible with a wired LAN standard, a wireless LAN standard, etc. The communication device 35 transmits and receives information between the information providing device 1 and the vehicle 2 via the communication line network 4.

[0019] Next, the vehicle 2 will be described. In this embodiment, the vehicle 2 has an autonomous driving function. As shown in FIG. 1, the vehicle 2 has, as on-board devices, a sensor 21, a navigation device 22, a controller 23, a communication device 24, a drive control device 25, a braking control device 26, a steering control device 27, and an output device 28. The on-board devices of the vehicle 2 are connected to each other, for example, by a controller area network (CAN) or Ethernet (registered trademark), in order to transmit and receive information to each other. When the vehicle 2 is selected by the information providing device 1 as a vehicle to be dispatched to a user, the controller 23 of the vehicle 2 causes the vehicle 2 to perform autonomous driving in order to realize the travel plan proposed by the information providing device 1. The autonomous driving (autonomous driving) may be unmanned fully autonomous driving or manned partially autonomous driving. The method of autonomous driving is not particularly limited, but for example, the controller 23 recognizes the lane on which the vehicle 2 (own vehicle) is traveling, and controls the movement of the vehicle 2 so that the position of the lane marker of the lane and the position of the vehicle 2 maintain a predetermined relationship. Lane markers are not limited to any particular type as long as they have the function of defining lanes, and may be road structures such as lines painted on the road surface, luminous objects embedded in the road, vegetation between lanes, guardrails on the shoulder side of the lanes, curbs, sidewalks, and motorcycle-only roads.

[0020] The sensor 21 is a sensor that detects the running state and surrounding conditions of the vehicle 2. The sensor 21 is composed of one or more sensors and is provided at a predetermined position of the vehicle 2. Examples of the sensor 21 that detects the running state of the vehicle 2 include a steering angle sensor, an accelerator opening sensor, a brake opening sensor, a speed sensor, an acceleration sensor, and a gyro sensor. Examples of physical quantities that indicate the running state of the vehicle 2 include the steering amount, steering speed, steering acceleration, accelerator opening amount, brake opening amount, vehicle speed, acceleration, yaw direction, pitch direction, and roll direction angular velocity of the vehicle 2. Examples of the sensor 21 that detects the surrounding conditions of the vehicle 2 include a camera, a millimeter wave radar, an ultrasonic sonar, and a Lidar. Examples of information that indicates the surrounding conditions of the vehicle 2 include a captured image of the surroundings of the vehicle 2, a relative positional relationship between the vehicle 2 and an obstacle present around the vehicle 2, and a moving direction and moving speed of the obstacle. Various information that indicates the running state and surrounding conditions of the vehicle 2 detected by the sensor 21 is output to the controller 23.

[0021] The navigation device 22 searches for a driving route of the vehicle 2 from the departure point of the vehicle 2 to the destination, and presents the driving route of the vehicle 2 to the user who is riding in the vehicle. The driving route is a route along which the vehicle 2 is scheduled to travel. In this embodiment, the navigation device 22 does not search for a driving route, and presents the driving route transmitted from the information providing device 1 to the user, but the navigation device 22 may be configured to search for a driving route instead of the information providing device 1.

[0022] 1, the navigation device 22 has a position detection device 22a and high-precision map information 22b. The position detection device 22a acquires position information of the vehicle 2 from a GPS satellite. An example of the position information is information of latitude and longitude. The position detection device 22a acquires the position information of the vehicle 2 from the GPS satellite at predetermined intervals and updates the position information of the vehicle 2. The position information of the vehicle 2 detected by the position detection device 22a is output to the controller 23.

[0023] The high-precision map information 22b is a high-precision electronic map for enabling autonomous driving, and is information in which latitude and longitude are associated with map information. The high-precision map information 22b includes road information and traffic regulation information. The road information is information about roads, including the type of road (e.g., general road, toll road, etc.) and the positions of intersections, stop lines, traffic lights, and road signs. The traffic regulation information is information based on the Road Traffic Act and is information about traffic regulations.

[0024] The controller 23 is a computer having a processor 23a, a ROM in which a program for executing the autonomous driving process of the vehicle 2 is stored, a CPU for executing the program stored in the ROM, and a RAM functioning as an accessible storage device. The processor 23a controls the drive control device 25, the brake control device 26, and the steering control device 27 so that the vehicle 2 moves to the destination along the driving route included in the movement plan as the autonomous driving process. The destination of the vehicle 2 is the boarding place and / or disembarking place of the user selected by the information providing device 1. For example, when the vehicle 2 goes to pick up the user, the controller 23 autonomously drives the vehicle 2 to the boarding place of the user. Also, for example, when the vehicle 2 picks up or drops off the user, the controller 23 autonomously drives the vehicle 2 to the disembarking place of the user via the boarding place of the user. In the autonomous driving up to the destination, the controller 23 generates control signals to the drive control device 25, the brake control device 26, and the steering control device 27 based on the driving state and surrounding conditions of the vehicle 2 detected by the sensor 21, and outputs the generated control signals to each device.

[0025] The communication device 24 is a communication interface compatible with various communication standards. For example, the communication device 24 is compatible with a wired LAN standard, a wireless LAN standard, etc. The communication device 24 transmits and receives information between the information providing device 1 and the user terminal device 3 via the communication line network 4.

[0026] The drive control device 25 controls the accelerator of the vehicle 2 by controlling an electric motor and / or an internal combustion engine which are the driving sources for driving the vehicle 2, a power transmission device including a drive shaft and an automatic transmission which transmits the output from these driving sources for driving to the drive wheels, and a drive device which controls the power transmission device, based on a control signal from the controller 23. The brake control device 26 controls the brakes of the vehicle 2 by controlling a brake device which brakes the wheels of the vehicle 2, based on a control signal from the controller 23. The speed of the vehicle 2 is autonomously controlled by the accelerator control by the drive control device 25 and the brake control by the brake control device 26.

[0027] The steering control device 27 controls a steering actuator that controls the steered wheels according to the steering angle of a steering wheel (so-called handle) based on a control signal from the controller 23. The steering control device 27 autonomously controls the operation of the steering actuator based on the input control signal so that the vehicle 2 travels while maintaining a predetermined lateral position with respect to the travel route.

[0028] The output device 28 outputs information related to the travel plan. The information related to the travel plan includes the travel route of the vehicle 2, the destination of the vehicle 2, and the arrival time at the destination. Information related to the travel plan is input to the output device 28 from the information providing device 1 via the communication device 24. Examples of the output device 28 include displays such as liquid crystal panels and organic EL panels, and speakers capable of audio output. The output device 28 may display the travel route of the vehicle 2 on a map instead of or in addition to the navigation device 22, and may output arrival time guidance and route guidance via a speaker.

[0029] Next, the information providing device 1 will be described. The information providing device 1 of this embodiment constitutes a part of the vehicle dispatch system 100. When the information providing device 1 accepts a boarding request from a user, it selects the boarding location of the user and the vehicle 2 to be assigned to the user. The information providing device 1 calculates the driving route of the vehicle 2 to the boarding location and the moving route of the user, and calculates the arrival time of the vehicle 2 and the user at the boarding location. Furthermore, when the information providing device 1 predicts that the user will arrive at the boarding location a predetermined time or more earlier than the vehicle 2, it notifies the user of information about facilities that the user can stop by. Then, when the user selects to use the facility, the information providing device 1 creates a travel plan including a travel route from the user's current location to the facility, a planned stay time at the facility, a travel route from the facility to the boarding location, and the like. The information providing device 1 transmits information about the travel plan to the vehicle 2 and the user terminal device 3 via the communication device 13. By performing such a series of processes or a part of the processes, the information providing device 1 functions as a device that supports the user's travel by the vehicle dispatch system 100.

[0030] As shown in FIG. 1, the information providing device 1 includes a processor 11, a storage device 12, and a communication device 13.

[0031] The storage device 12 stores information related to the vehicle dispatch system 100. For example, the storage device 12 stores a plurality of boarding and alighting requests input by each user, the usage history of the vehicle dispatch system 100 by each user (including boarding and alighting history), the schedule of each vehicle 2, map information, traffic regulation information, etc. Examples of the storage device 12 include a memory and a storage device.

[0032] The map information is a so-called electronic map, and is information in which latitude and longitude are associated with map information. The map information includes at least road information and facility information. The road information includes the type of road (for example, general road, toll road, etc.), the positions of intersections, stop lines, traffic lights, and road signs. The facility information includes the location of the facility, the business hours of the facility, the presence or absence of parking, and the average stay time at the facility obtained as statistical data. In this specification, the "facility" includes "store". Examples of facilities include eating and drinking establishments (including restaurants and cafes), convenience stores, bookstores, parks (including toilets and benches), business facilities (including office buildings), libraries, and facilities that are barrier-free. The traffic rule information is information based on the Road Traffic Act and is information related to traffic rules. In this embodiment, a configuration in which the storage device 12 stores the map information will be described as an example, but the storage location of the map information is not limited to the storage device 12, and the map information may be stored outside the information providing device 1. For example, the map information may be stored in a server device other than the information providing device 1, and the information providing device 1 may download the map information from the server device.

[0033] The communication device 13 is a communication interface compatible with various communication standards. For example, the communication device 13 is compatible with a wired LAN standard, a wireless LAN standard, and the like. The communication device 13 transmits and receives information between the vehicle 2 and the user terminal device 3 via the communication network 4. In addition to the vehicle 2 and the user terminal device 3, the communication device 13 also transmits and receives information between an information management server, a database, or a system (none of which are shown) present on the network via the communication network 4.

[0034] The processor 11 is a computer that includes a ROM that stores programs for executing travel assistance processing and information provision processing for a user, a CPU that executes the programs stored in the ROM, and a RAM that functions as an accessible storage device.

[0035] Fig. 2 is a block configuration diagram of the processor 11. As shown in Fig. 2, the processor 11 includes a request acquisition unit 111, a boarding / alighting point selection unit 112, a vehicle selection unit 113, a margin time prediction unit 114, a movement range calculation unit 115, a facility extraction unit 116, a movement plan creation unit 117, and a notification unit 118. The processor 11 realizes each function through cooperation between software for realizing the functions of these blocks and the above-mentioned hardware.

[0036] The request acquisition unit 111 acquires a boarding / alighting request from the user terminal device 3 via the communication device 13. The boarding / alighting request includes a request that the user wishes to board and / or a request that the user wishes to alight. The boarding / alighting request may be input by the user and may include a requested location desired by the user. Examples of the requested location desired by the user include a current location detected by the position detection device 31 of the user terminal device 3, a desired boarding location input by the user, a boarding location based on the user's past boarding history, a desired disembarking location input by the user, and a disembarking location based on the user's past disembarking history. The requested location may be coordinate values ​​such as latitude and longitude, or may be identification information of a facility such as a bus stop or station. The requested location does not have to be location information (coordinate values).

[0037] Other information included in the boarding / alighting request will be described. The boarding / alighting request may include information about the user. The information about the user includes the current location of the user terminal device 3, the date and time when the user requested boarding / alighting, the number of users of the vehicle 2 including the user, history information of the user's use of the vehicle dispatch system 100 (including the history of boarding and alighting locations, and the user's behavior history), and user attributes. The user attributes are information about the user's private life and differ for each user. Examples of the user attributes include the user's age, sex, address, occupation, family structure, whether or not the user is pregnant, whether or not the user uses a wheelchair, and whether or not the user is disabled. The information included in the boarding / alighting request includes information input by the user to the input device 32 as well as information stored in the user terminal device 3 (the storage location is not particularly limited).

[0038] The boarding / alighting point selection unit 112 selects the boarding / alighting point of the user based on the boarding / alighting request acquired by the request acquisition unit 111. The boarding / alighting point selection unit 112 acquires map information from the storage device 12 and sets the selected boarding / alighting point on the map. In the case of a boarding request, the boarding / alighting point selection unit 112 may select the user's current location (the current location of the user terminal device 3) or its vicinity as the boarding point, may select a desired boarding point desired by the user as the boarding point, or may select a past boarding point included in the boarding point history as the boarding point. In addition, since the method of selecting the alighting point for a disembarking request is similar to that for a boarding request, the method of selecting the alighting point will be omitted. In the case of a boarding / alighting request including a boarding request and a disembarking request, the boarding / alighting point selection unit 112 may select the boarding point and the alighting point using any of the above-mentioned examples.

[0039] The vehicle selection unit 113 selects one vehicle 2 that can arrive at the boarding / alighting point selected by the boarding / alighting point selection unit 112 from among the multiple vehicles 2. The vehicle selection unit 113 acquires the current status of each vehicle 2 in order to select one vehicle 2. For example, the vehicle selection unit 113 may acquire the current location from each vehicle 2 via the communication device 13. In addition, for example, the vehicle selection unit 113 may acquire a movement schedule indicating the movement status of each vehicle 2 from a vehicle allocation management database (not shown) or the storage device 12. After acquiring the status of each vehicle 2, the vehicle selection unit 113 selects one vehicle 2 located near the boarding point of the user from among the multiple vehicles 2 as a vehicle to be allocated to the user. The vehicle selection unit 113 may select a vehicle that is being used by a user who allows carpooling as a vehicle to be allocated, may select a vehicle 2 waiting at a predetermined waiting place as a vehicle to be allocated, or may select a vehicle 2 that is traveling around as a vehicle to be allocated.

[0040] The leeway time prediction unit 114 predicts, as a leeway time, the time for the user to wait for the vehicle 2 at the boarding location selected by the boarding / alighting location selection unit 112, based on the traveling status of the vehicle 2 selected by the vehicle selection unit 113 and information on the user. The leeway time is the waiting time for the user to wait for the vehicle 2 at the boarding location, if the user arrives at the boarding location without making any detours. Note that, if the boarding location is selected by the boarding / alighting location selection unit 112 as the user's current location, the leeway time corresponds to the time required for the vehicle 2 to arrive at the boarding location.

[0041] When the boarding location is selected to be a location different from the user's current location, the slack time prediction unit 114 calculates the arrival times of the user and the vehicle 2 at the boarding location, respectively, and predicts the difference between the two calculated times as the slack time. For example, the slack time prediction unit 114 searches for the shortest route from the user's current location to the boarding location from map information, and calculates the arrival time of the user when the user moves along the searched route. The slack time prediction unit 114 also searches for the shortest route from the current location of the vehicle 2 selected as the dispatch vehicle to the boarding location from map information, and calculates the arrival time of the vehicle when the vehicle 2 moves along the searched route. The slack time prediction unit 114 compares the arrival time of the user with the arrival time of the vehicle 2, and predicts the difference between the two times as the slack time. When the user arrives at the boarding location before the vehicle 2, the slack time is calculated as a positive time, and when the user arrives at the boarding location after the vehicle 2, the slack time is calculated as a negative time. The user's arrival time is calculated, for example, using the user's predetermined moving speed (walking speed), and the arrival time of the candidate vehicle is calculated, for example, using the legal speed limit of the road that constitutes the shortest route.

[0042] Furthermore, when the boarding location is selected as the user's current location, the margin time prediction unit 114 calculates the arrival time of the vehicle 2 at the boarding location, and predicts the difference between the current time and the arrival time of the vehicle 2 as the margin time. As in the above example, for example, the margin time prediction unit 114 searches for the shortest route from the current location of the vehicle 2 to the boarding location from map information, and calculates the arrival time of the vehicle when the vehicle 2 moves along the searched route. The margin time prediction unit 114 compares the current time with the arrival time of the vehicle 2, and predicts the difference between the two times as the margin time. When the boarding location is selected as the user's current location, the margin time is calculated as a positive time.

[0043] The leeway time prediction unit 114 may acquire the user's current location again via the communication device 13, or may use the user's current location included in the ride request. The leeway time prediction unit 114 may acquire the current location of the vehicle 2 selected as the dispatched vehicle again via the communication device 13, or may use the current location of the vehicle 2 acquired by the vehicle selection unit 113. The leeway time prediction unit 114 may calculate the arrival times of the user and the vehicle 2 by appropriately using a calculation method known at the time of filing of the present application.

[0044] When the margin time predicted by the margin time prediction unit 114 is equal to or greater than a predetermined time, the movement range calculation unit 115 sets a waiting limit time for the vehicle 2 at the boarding location selected by the boarding / alighting location selection unit 112, and calculates a range in which the user can move to the boarding location within the waiting limit time as a movable range. The predetermined time is a positive time that is set in advance, and is obtained, for example, experimentally and stored in the storage device 12. The waiting limit time for the vehicle 2 is the maximum time that the vehicle 2 can wait at a predetermined location to wait for the user.

[0045] The movement range calculation unit 115 sets the waiting limit time of the vehicle 2 at the boarding location according to the type of boarding location selected by the boarding / alighting location selection unit 112 or the schedule of another user sharing the vehicle 2. For example, in the case of roads in Japan where automobiles can pass, the waiting limit time is set to 5 minutes by traffic laws. Also, for example, in the case of a roadside strip of a road such as a place where taxis wait (a so-called taxi stand), the waiting limit time is set to 30 minutes by traffic laws. The movement range calculation unit 115 identifies the type of boarding location from the map information, and sets the waiting limit time under the traffic laws according to the type of boarding location as the waiting limit time of the vehicle 2 at the boarding location. Also, for example, when another user sharing the boarding / alighting request with the user is riding in the vehicle 2, the departure time of the vehicle 2 from the boarding location is determined by the schedule of the other user, so the movement range calculation unit 115 sets the waiting limit time according to the schedule of the other user as the waiting limit time of the vehicle 2 at the boarding location. The movement range calculation unit 115, for example, obtains from the storage device 12 the movement schedule of the vehicle 2 selected as the dispatched vehicle, and determines whether or not another user is aboard the vehicle 2. When another user is aboard and the alighting point of the user is different from the boarding point selected by the boarding / alighting point selection unit 112, the movement range calculation unit 115 calculates the waiting limit time of the vehicle 2 at the boarding point from the departure time determined by the schedule of the other user. Note that the method of setting the waiting limit time by the movement range calculation unit 115 is one example, and is not particularly limited.

[0046] The movement range calculation unit 115 calculates the range in which the user can move to the boarding location within the waiting time limit as the user's movable range. For example, the movement range calculation unit 115 multiplies the user's predetermined moving speed (walking speed) by the waiting time limit to calculate the movable distance that the user can move within the waiting time limit. For example, the movement range calculation unit 115 specifies a circular range on a map with the boarding location as the center and the movable distance as the radius, and calculates the specified circular range as the movable range. In addition, the movement range calculation unit 115 may specify, for example, from the map information, a plurality of routes leading to the boarding location and having the length of the movable distance, and calculate the specified plurality of routes as the movable range. Note that the shape of the movable range is not particularly limited.

[0047] On the other hand, when the leeway time is less than a predetermined time, the movement range calculation unit 115 does not calculate the possible movement range. This is based on the viewpoint that when the user arrives at the boarding location before the vehicle 2 but the waiting time of the user at the boarding location is relatively short, or when the vehicle 2 arrives at the boarding location before the user, the user is unlikely to wait for the arrival of the vehicle at a location other than the boarding location. When the leeway time is less than the predetermined time, this may include both a case where the leeway time is a positive time and a case where the leeway time is a negative time.

[0048] The facility extraction unit 116 extracts one or more facilities located within the movable range calculated by the movement range calculation unit 115 from among the facilities included in the map information as available facilities. The facility extraction unit 116 sets extraction conditions when extracting available facilities. The extraction conditions include at least being located within the movable range (location condition) and the average stay time at the facility being shorter than the margin time (stay time condition). The stay time condition may be a condition that takes into account the travel time from the user's current location to the facility. For example, the stay time condition may be a condition that the average stay time at the facility is shorter than the time obtained by subtracting the user's travel time to the facility from the margin time.

[0049] Here, an example of extracting available facilities will be described with reference to Figs. 3 and 4. Fig. 3 is an explanatory diagram for explaining available facilities. Fig. 3 shows a scene in which a boarding location D is selected as the boarding location of a user after a user U at a current location P makes a boarding request or a boarding / alighting request. In the example of Fig. 3, the user U moves along a travel route R from the current location P to the boarding location D. There are a plurality of facilities P1 to P7 in the vicinity of the travel route R and the boarding location D. In the example of Fig. 3, facility P1 is a park bench, facility P2 is a convenience store, facility P3 is a cafe (coffee shop), facility P4 is a bookstore, facility P5 is a restaurant, facility P6 is a cafe, and facility P7 is a department store.

[0050] In the example of Fig. 3, the facility extraction unit 116 extracts, from among a plurality of facilities P1 to P7, facilities P1 to P4 located within the movable range A calculated by the movement range calculation unit 115, as available facilities. In the example of Fig. 3, the movable range A is shown as a circle with a boarding location D at its center and a radius L1. Note that the radius L1 indicates the movable distance that the user can travel within the waiting limit time, which is the product of the user's movement speed (walking speed) and the waiting limit time.

[0051] In the example of FIG. 3, since facilities P5 to P7 are also present on the travel route R, the user U can stop at these facilities. However, if the arrival of the vehicle 2 is earlier than scheduled or the user U's stay time at a facility is extended, the vehicle 2 may actually arrive at the boarding location D before the user U, even though the user U is scheduled to arrive at the boarding location D before the vehicle 2. In the vehicle dispatch system 100, the arrival of the vehicle 2 at the boarding location D is notified to the user U, so if the user U stops at the facilities P5 to P7, the user U cannot arrive at the boarding location D within the waiting time limit of the vehicle 2 after the arrival of the vehicle 2 is notified. Since the vehicle 2 cannot stop at the boarding location D beyond the waiting time limit, if the user U stops at the facilities P5 to P7, there is a possibility that the user U will miss the vehicle 2. Therefore, in the information providing device 1 according to this embodiment, a plurality of facilities P1 to P4 located within the waiting time limit of the vehicle 2 are extracted as available facilities, and information on the available facilities is notified to the user U. This means that even if, as in the above example, vehicle 2 actually arrives at the boarding location D before the user and user U is notified of vehicle 2's arrival, user U can travel to boarding location D within vehicle 2's waiting time limit, thereby reducing the possibility that user U will miss vehicle 2.

[0052] FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram for explaining the average stay time at a facility. The average stay time shown in FIG. 4(A) to FIG. 4(D) is an example of statistical data, and is stored in, for example, the storage device 12. FIG. 4(A) is an explanatory diagram for explaining that the average stay time differs depending on the type of facility. As shown in FIG. 4(A), since the average stay time differs depending on the type of facility, even if a user with little spare time is notified of a facility with an average stay time that exceeds the spare time, the possibility that the user will use such a facility is extremely low. For this reason, in this embodiment, the facility extraction unit 116 sets, as an extraction condition, that the facility is within a movable range and that the spare time is longer than the average stay time at the facility.

[0053] In addition, the facility extraction unit 116 may further set, as the extraction condition, a condition according to at least one of the weather, the time period, and the user's attributes as other conditions, in order to facilitate the user's use of the available facilities. FIG. 4(B) to FIG. 4(D) are explanatory diagrams for explaining other extraction conditions. As shown in FIG. 4(B), the facility extraction unit 116 may change the type of facility to be extracted according to the weather. As shown in the example of FIG. 4(B), when the weather is rainy, the facility extraction unit 116 may preferentially extract, for example, a roofed facility or an indoor waiting room as the available facility. Also, when the weather is sunny, the facility extraction unit 116 may preferentially extract an air-conditioned waiting room as the available facility. Also, as shown in FIG. 4(C), the facility extraction unit 116 may change the type of facility to be extracted according to the time period. As shown in the example of FIG. 4(C), when the time period is night, the facility extraction unit 116 may preferentially extract a park with a streetlight as the available facility. Also, when the time period is daytime, the facility extraction unit 116 may preferentially extract an indoor waiting room as the available facility. As shown in FIG. 4(D), the facility extraction unit 116 may change the type of facility to be extracted depending on the attributes of the user. As shown in the example of FIG. 4(D), if the user is an elderly person or a disabled person, the facility extraction unit 116 may preferentially extract barrier-free facilities (barrier-free facilities) as available facilities. If the user is an office worker, the facility extraction unit 116 may preferentially extract office buildings and convenience stores as available facilities. Note that the average stay times shown in FIG. 4(A) to FIG. 4(D) are merely examples and do not limit the average stay time of each facility. Also, the correspondence between the weather and facilities shown in FIG. 4(B), the correspondence between the time period and facilities shown in FIG. 4(C), and the correspondence between the user attributes and facilities shown in FIG. 4(D) are merely examples and do not limit the correspondence between each parameter and facility.

[0054] The movement plan creation unit 117 creates a movement plan including the results of each of the above-mentioned processes. The movement plan creation unit 117 creates a movement plan for the user including, for example, a movement route from the user's current location to the boarding location via the available facility. In addition to the movement route, the movement plan for the user may include a movement route and a movement time from the user's current location to the available facility, identification information of the available facility (such as the location and name of the available facility), the user's planned stay time at the available facility, a movement route and a movement time from the available facility to the boarding location, and the user's planned waiting time at the boarding location. In addition, the movement plan creation unit 117 creates a movement plan for the vehicle 2 including the position of the boarding location, the travel route of the vehicle 2 to the boarding location, and the arrival time of the vehicle 2 at the boarding location.

[0055] FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram for explaining an example of a user's travel plan. In FIG. 5, the time in parentheses indicates travel time, planned stay time, or planned waiting time. FIG. 5 is also an example of a travel plan corresponding to the scene in FIG. 3. As in the example of FIG. 5, the travel plan creation unit 117 creates a travel plan (Plan A) in which the user U heads to the boarding location D without stopping at any facility. The travel plan creation unit 117 also creates a travel plan (Plan B) in which the user U stops at a facility P1 (a park bench) and then heads to the boarding location D. The travel plan creation unit 117 also creates a travel plan (Plan C) in which the user stops at a facility P2 (a convenience store) and then heads to the boarding location D. The travel planning unit 117 searches for a route from the current location to the boarding location via the available facility from the map information, and calculates the travel time from the user's current location to the available facility and the travel time from the available facility to the boarding location based on the searched route. The travel planning unit 117 also uses the average stay time at the facility stored in the storage device 12 as the planned stay time at the available facility. Furthermore, the travel planning unit 117 calculates the planned waiting time at the boarding location in the travel plan based on the margin time, each of the travel times described above, and the planned stay time at the available facility.

[0056] When the margin time predicted by the margin time prediction unit 114 is equal to or greater than a predetermined time, the notification unit 118 changes the information to be notified to the user depending on whether the user's current location is in the vicinity of the boarding location. When the margin time is equal to or greater than a predetermined time and the user's current location is in the vicinity of the boarding location, the notification unit 118 notifies the user of information on the available facility. For example, when the travel distance from the user's current location to the boarding location is less than a predetermined first threshold, the notification unit 118 transmits information on the available facility to the user terminal device 3. Travel time may be used instead of travel distance. For example, when the travel time from the user's current location to the boarding location is less than a predetermined second threshold, the notification unit 118 transmits information on the available facility to the user terminal device 3. The predetermined first threshold (unit: distance) and the predetermined second threshold (unit: time) are thresholds for determining whether the user is located in the vicinity of the boarding location, and are obtained, for example, experimentally and stored in the storage device 12. The information on the available facility includes at least the location and name of the available facility. The information about the available facilities may also include the opening hours of the available facilities, an overview of the facilities, and the like.

[0057] On the other hand, when the margin time is equal to or greater than the predetermined time, but the user's current location is not near the boarding location, the notification unit 118 notifies the user of the margin time instead of the information on the available facilities. For example, when the travel distance from the user's current location to the boarding location is equal to or greater than a predetermined first threshold, or when the travel time from the user's current location to the boarding location is equal to or greater than a predetermined second threshold, the notification unit 118 transmits the margin time to the user terminal device 3. Note that when the margin time is less than the predetermined time, the notification unit 118 does not notify the user of either the information on the available facilities or the margin time.

[0058] The information notified by the notification unit 118 is not limited to information related to available facilities and marginal time, but the notification unit 118 transmits information related to the movement plan formulated by the movement plan formulation unit 117 to the vehicle 2 and the user terminal device 3 via the communication device 13. The notification unit 118 transmits at least the position information of the boarding location, the travel route of the vehicle 2 to the boarding location, and the arrival time of the vehicle 2 at the boarding location to the vehicle 2. The notification unit 118 also transmits at least the position information of the boarding location, vehicle information of the vehicle 2, the travel route of the user to the boarding location, and the arrival time of the user at the boarding location to the user terminal device 3.

[0059] Next, an example of an information providing method according to this embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart of Fig. 6. The flowchart shown in Fig. 6 is executed by the processor 11 of the information providing device 1 shown in Fig. 1. In addition, although the flowchart shown in Fig. 6 is an example of a flowchart in the case of a boarding request, the flowchart shown in Fig. 6 can also be applied in the case of a boarding / alighting request including a boarding request.

[0060] In step S1, the processor 11 acquires, from the user terminal device 3, a ride request of a user who wishes to use the vehicle dispatch system 100. The ride request includes the user's current location, the desired ride location, the request date and time, the user's identification information, the user's attributes, the user's usage history, the user's ride history, and the like.

[0061] In step S2, the processor 11 acquires vehicle information about vehicles 2 that can be dispatched to the user who made the boarding request based on the boarding request acquired in step S1. For example, the processor 11 acquires the current location of each vehicle 2 from a plurality of vehicles 2. Also, for example, the processor 11 acquires a travel schedule indicating the travel status of each vehicle 2 from a vehicle dispatch management database (not shown) or the storage device 12.

[0062] In step S3, the processor 11 selects the user's boarding location and a vehicle 2 (dispatched vehicle) to be dispatched to the user. For example, the processor 11 selects the user's current location (the current location of the user terminal device 3) or its vicinity from map information as the user's boarding location. Also, for example, the processor 11 selects one vehicle 2 that is located in the vicinity of the boarding location and that the user can board, based on the current locations of the multiple vehicles 2 acquired in step S2.

[0063] In step S4, the processor 11 calculates the arrival time of the user and the vehicle 2 at the boarding location. The boarding location and the vehicle 2 in this step are the boarding location and the vehicle 2 selected in step S3. For example, the processor 11 calculates the user's travel route from the current location to the boarding location, and calculates the arrival time at the boarding location when the user travels along the calculated travel route. In addition, for example, the processor 11 calculates the travel route of the vehicle 2 from the current location to the boarding location, and calculates the arrival time at the boarding location when the vehicle 2 travels along the calculated travel route.

[0064] In step S5, the processor 11 predicts a margin time equivalent to the waiting time of the user at the boarding location based on the arrival times of the user and the vehicle 2 at the boarding location calculated in step S4. For example, the processor 11 predicts the margin time as the difference between the arrival time of the user at the boarding location and the arrival time of the vehicle 2 at the boarding location.

[0065] In step S6, the processor 11 determines whether the margin time predicted in step S5 is equal to or greater than a predetermined time. The predetermined time is a time on the assumption that the user will arrive at the boarding location before the vehicle 2, and is, for example, experimentally obtained and stored in the storage device 12. The processor 11 compares the margin time with the predetermined time. If it is determined that the margin time is equal to or greater than the predetermined time, the process proceeds to step S6, and if it is determined that the margin time is less than the predetermined time, the process proceeds to step S13.

[0066] If the processor 11 makes an affirmative determination in step S6, the process proceeds to step S7. In step S7, the processor 11 sets a waiting limit time for the vehicle 2 at the boarding location selected in step S3. For example, the processor 11 sets a waiting limit time for the vehicle 2 at the boarding location based on traffic regulations (for example, 5 minutes).

[0067] In step S8, processor 11 calculates the range in which the user can move to the boarding location within the waiting limit time based on the waiting limit time set in step S7 as the movable range. For example, processor 11 calculates the user's movable distance within the waiting limit time by multiplying the user's moving speed by the waiting limit time. Then, processor 11 calculates, for example, a circular range with the boarding location as the center and the movable distance as the radius as the movable range (see movable range A in FIG. 3).

[0068] In step S9, the processor 11 extracts, from the map information, facilities that are located within the movable range calculated in step S8 and that are available to the user, as available facilities. The processor 11 also sets, as an extraction condition for available facilities, a stay time condition that the average stay time is longer than the margin time predicted in step S5, in addition to the location condition that the facility is located within the movable range. As in the example of FIG. 4(B), the processor 11 may refer to weather information and preferentially extract facilities according to the current weather as available facilities. As in the example of FIG. 4(C), the processor 11 may refer to time information and preferentially extract facilities according to the current time zone as available facilities. As in the example of FIG. 4(D), the processor 11 may refer to user attribute information and preferentially extract facilities according to the user attributes as available facilities.

[0069] In step S10, the processor 11 determines whether the user's current location is near the boarding location based on the user's current location and the boarding location. When the processor 11 calculates the user's arrival time at the boarding location in step S4, if the processor 11 has calculated the travel distance or travel time from the user's current location to the boarding location, the processor 11 may use the result in step S4, or may calculate the user's travel distance or travel time again. If the travel distance from the user's current location to the boarding location is less than a predetermined first threshold, or if the travel time when the user travels the travel distance is less than a predetermined second threshold, the processor 11 determines that the user's current location is near the boarding location, and in this case, proceeds to step S11. On the other hand, if the travel distance from the user's current location to the boarding location is equal to or greater than a predetermined first threshold, or if the travel time when the user travels the travel distance is equal to or greater than a predetermined second threshold, the processor 11 determines that the user's current location is not near the boarding location, and in this case, proceeds to step S15. The specified first threshold (unit: distance) and the specified second threshold (unit: time) are thresholds for determining whether or not the user is located in the vicinity of the boarding location, and are determined, for example, experimentally and stored in the memory device 12.

[0070] If a positive determination is made in step S10, the process proceeds to step S11. In step S11, the processor 11 transmits information about the available facilities extracted in step S9 to the user terminal device 3 via the communication device 13. The information about the available facilities includes at least the location and name of the available facility. The number of available facilities is not particularly limited, and the processor 11 notifies the user of information about one or more available facilities. When the information about the available facilities is transmitted to the user terminal device 3 in step S11, the user becomes aware of the existence of available facilities located in the vicinity of the boarding location by the display on the user terminal device 3 or by audio output from the user terminal device 3.

[0071] In step S12, the processor 11 acquires a facility utilization request indicating a user's desire to utilize an available facility from the user terminal device 3. Examples of the facility utilization request include a request indicating that the user desires a specific facility from among the multiple available facilities notified in step S11, and a request indicating that the user does not desire to utilize any facility.

[0072] In step S13, the processor 11 creates a travel plan for the user and the vehicle 2. The processor 11 creates a travel plan for the vehicle 2 including a travel route from the current location of the vehicle 2 to the boarding location. In addition, when the process proceeds from step S12 to step S13, the processor 11 creates a travel plan for the user including a travel route from the current location of the user to the boarding location via available facilities (see FIG. 5). When the facility use request acquired in step S11 includes a request that the user desires a specific facility, the processor 11 may create a travel plan for the user only for the facility desired by the user. In addition, when the processor 11 makes a negative determination in step S6 and the process proceeds from step S6 to step S13, or when the process proceeds from step S15 to be described later to step S13, the processor 11 creates a travel plan for the user including a travel route from the current location of the user to the boarding location without passing through any facilities.

[0073] In step S14, the processor 11 notifies the user and the vehicle 2 of information related to the movement plan. The information related to the movement plan of the vehicle 2 and the information related to the movement plan of the user are information related to the movement plan drawn up in step S13. When the processing of step S14 ends, the processor 11 ends the processing of the flowchart shown in FIG.

[0074] Also, if the processor 11 makes a negative determination in step S10, the process proceeds to step S15. In step S15, the processor 11 notifies the user of the leeway time predicted in step S5. The processor 15 transmits the leeway time to the user terminal device 3 via the communication device 13. When the process of step S15 ends, the process proceeds to step S13, and the processor 11 executes the process according to the above description until the process of step S14 ends.

[0075] As described above, the information providing device 1 according to the present embodiment is an information providing device that provides information to a user based on information acquired from the vehicle 2 and the user terminal device 3, and includes a movement range calculation unit 115 that calculates the range within which the user can move to the boarding location within the waiting time limit of the vehicle 2 at the boarding location as a movement range, a facility extraction unit 116 that extracts facilities located within the movement range as available facilities, and a notification unit 118 that notifies the user of information on the available facilities. As a result, even if the vehicle dispatch system 100 notifies a user waiting for the arrival of the vehicle 2 at the boarding location of the arrival of the vehicle 2 at the boarding location, the user can move to the boarding location within the waiting time limit of the vehicle 2, thereby reducing the possibility of missing the vehicle 2. In addition, since the user can wait for the arrival of the vehicle 2 at an available facility near the boarding location, the user's anxiety about missing the vehicle 2 can be suppressed compared to the case of waiting at a facility far from the boarding location. In addition, since the user can move to the boarding location within the waiting time limit of the vehicle 2, it is not necessary for the vehicle 2 to wait at the boarding location beyond the waiting time limit. As a result, for example, the possibility of congestion occurring due to waiting of vehicle 2 exceeding the waiting limit time can be reduced, and traffic flow around the boarding location can be prevented from being disrupted. In addition, since the user can travel to the boarding location within the waiting limit time of vehicle 2, processing to change the arrival time or boarding location of vehicle 2 is not required, and the calculation load of the entire vehicle dispatch system 100 can be reduced. As a result, for example, there is no need to drive vehicle 2 unnecessarily, such as in a circular run to delay the arrival time, so that if vehicle 2 is a gasoline vehicle or a hybrid vehicle, the fuel efficiency can be improved, and if vehicle 2 is an electric vehicle, the life of the battery, which is the driving source, can be extended.

[0076] Moreover, the information providing device 1 according to this embodiment further includes a margin time prediction unit 114 that predicts the waiting time that the user will wait for the vehicle 2 at the boarding location as margin time based on the driving status of the vehicle 2 and information about the user. The movement range calculation unit 115 calculates the movement range when the margin time predicted by the margin time prediction unit 114 is equal to or greater than a predetermined time. When the margin time is equal to or greater than the predetermined time, the user is notified of information about available facilities, so that when it is predicted that the user will wait for the arrival of the vehicle 2 at the boarding location, the user can spend time at the available facilities based on the notified information. The user can make effective use of the waiting time, and the service level of the vehicle dispatch system 100 can be improved.

[0077] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the facility extraction unit 116 extracts facilities that meet extraction conditions as available facilities. The extraction conditions include conditions that the facility is located within a movable range, as well as conditions that meet at least one of the average stay time at the facility, weather, time of day, and user attributes. Since facilities that meet at least one of the average stay time, weather, time of day, and user attributes are extracted as available facilities, it is possible to provide the user with information on available facilities that are easy for the user to use. As a result, it is possible to improve the service level of the vehicle dispatch system 100.

[0078] In addition, in this embodiment, the extraction condition for available facilities includes that the average stay time at the facility is shorter than the spare time, which makes it possible to prevent the extraction of facilities that are not commensurate with the spare time, and therefore to provide the user with information on available facilities that are easy for the user to use.

[0079] In addition, in this embodiment, the notification unit 118 notifies the user of information about available facilities when the user's travel distance from the user's current location to the boarding location is less than a predetermined first threshold, or when the user's travel time from the user's current location to the boarding location is less than a predetermined second threshold. This makes it possible to provide information about available facilities to users who are in the vicinity of the boarding location and therefore have relatively little anxiety about missing the vehicle 2. As a result, it is possible to increase the possibility that the user will stop at the available facilities before heading to the boarding location, thereby improving the service level of the vehicle dispatch system 100.

[0080] Furthermore, in this embodiment, when the travel distance of the user is equal to or greater than a predetermined first threshold, or when the travel time of the user is equal to or greater than a predetermined second threshold, the notification unit 118 notifies the user of the margin time instead of the information on the available facilities. This makes it possible to provide the planned waiting time at the boarding location to a user who is relatively worried about missing the vehicle 2 because he is outside the boarding location. As a result, it is possible to increase the possibility that the user will head to the boarding location without stopping at the predetermined facility, and to reduce the possibility that the user will miss the vehicle 2.

[0081] In addition, in this embodiment, the notification unit 118 does not notify the user of information on available facilities when the margin time is less than a predetermined time. This makes it possible to prevent the provision of information on available facilities to a user who has little waiting time for the vehicle 2 at the boarding location or a user whose vehicle 2 will arrive at the boarding location first. As a result, it is possible to increase the possibility that the user will head to the boarding location without stopping at a predetermined facility and reduce the possibility that the user will miss the vehicle 2.

[0082] Moreover, the information providing device 1 according to this embodiment further includes a travel plan planning unit 117 that plans a travel plan for the user, including a travel route from the user's current location to the boarding location via the available facilities. The notification unit 118 notifies the user of information related to the user's travel plan. This allows the user to recognize the locations of the available facilities and the travel route to the boarding location, so that the user can stop by even a facility that the user has not used before, and can reduce the possibility of missing the vehicle 2.

[0083] The above-described embodiments are described for the purpose of facilitating understanding of the present invention, and are not described for the purpose of limiting the present invention. Therefore, the elements disclosed in the above embodiments are intended to include all design modifications and equivalents that fall within the technical scope of the present invention.

[0084] For example, in the above embodiment, the weather, time period, and user attributes are given as examples of other conditions for extracting available facilities, but the facility extraction unit 116 may set conditions according to the user's facility usage history as extraction conditions. That is, the extraction conditions for available facilities include conditions according to at least one of the average stay time at the facility, weather, time period, user attributes, and the user's facility usage history, in addition to the facility being located within a movable range. In addition, the facility extraction unit 116 may specifically set, as an extraction condition, that the facility is included in the user's facility usage history. It is possible to provide the user with information on available facilities that are easy for the user to use. As a result, it is possible to improve the service level of the vehicle dispatch system 100.

[0085] For example, in the above embodiment, the provision of information on available facilities to the user has been described, but the facilities for which information is provided to the user are not limited to available facilities, and information on facilities located in a range wider than the movable range may be provided to the user. The movement range calculation unit 115, the facility extraction unit 116, and the notification unit 118 included in the information providing device 1 according to the modified example will be described with reference to FIG. 7. FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram for explaining reference facilities provided to the user by the information providing device 1 according to the modified example. FIG. 7 shows a scene similar to that of FIG. 3, and the same reference numerals are used for the same components as those in FIG. 3.

[0086] In the example of FIG. 7, the movable range A indicates a range in which the user can move within the waiting time limit. In contrast, in the modified example, the moving range calculation unit 115 first calculates a reference movable range as a range in which the user can move to the boarding location within the margin time. In the example of FIG. 7, the reference movable range B is shown as a circle with a center at the boarding location D and a radius L2. Note that the radius L2 indicates a movable distance that the user can move within the margin time, which is the multiplication value of the user's moving speed and the margin time. Next, the moving range calculation unit 115 calculates a range of the reference movable range excluding the movable range as a reference range. In the example of FIG. 7, the reference range C indicates a range excluding the movable range A from the reference movable range B.

[0087] The facility extraction unit 116 extracts facilities located within the reference range as reference facilities. In the example of FIG. 7, the facility extraction unit 116 extracts facility P8 (convenience store) and facility P9 (restaurant) located within the reference range C as reference facilities. The notification unit 118 notifies the user of information related to the reference facilities. Note that the notification unit 118 may transmit a control signal to the output device 33 to the user terminal device 3 so that information related to the reference facilities is provided to the user in a manner that distinguishes it from information related to available facilities. This allows information related to the reference facilities to be provided to the user in a manner that distinguishes it from information related to available facilities, thereby reducing the possibility that the user will confuse the information related to the reference facilities with the available facilities.

[0088] For example, when the leeway time is sufficient for the waiting time limit, the user may select a facility to stop at by prioritizing his / her own preferences over the location condition of the vicinity of the boarding location. In such a case, the information providing device 1 according to the modified example can provide the user with information on reference facilities that can be reached within the leeway time and longer than the waiting time limit, thereby expanding the range of options available to the user and improving the service level of the vehicle dispatch system 100.

[0089] In addition, in the above-described embodiment, an example was given of a case in which the variability in the arrival time of the user and vehicle 2 at the boarding location is not taken into consideration, but the information provided to the user may be changed by predicting the variability in the arrival time of the user and vehicle 2 at the boarding location in advance.

[0090] An example of a cause of a delay in the user's arrival at the boarding location is when the user uses the vehicle dispatch system 100 in an area visited for the first time. In such a case, the user does not understand the geography of the area, so it is highly likely that it will take a long time to travel to the boarding location. Another example of a cause of an early arrival of the user at the boarding location is when the user uses the vehicle dispatch system 100 in a local area. In such a case, the user understands the geography of the local area, so it is highly likely that the user can travel smoothly to the boarding location. The slack time prediction unit 114 of the information providing device 1 may adjust the user's arrival time at the boarding location according to the user's usage history of the vehicle dispatch system 100. For example, the slack time prediction unit 114 refers to the user's usage history and determines whether the user's current location is included in the usage history. If the user's current location is included in the usage history, the slack time prediction unit 114 may advance the user's arrival time at the boarding location by a predetermined time. Conversely, if the user's current location is not included in the usage history, the slack time prediction unit 114 may delay the user's arrival time at the boarding location by a predetermined time.

[0091] Moreover, one example of a cause for a delay or advance in the arrival of the vehicle 2 at the boarding location is road conditions such as congestion. The margin time prediction unit 114 of the information providing device 1 may adjust the arrival time of the vehicle 2 at the boarding location according to the road conditions of the driving route of the vehicle 2 to the boarding location. For example, the margin time prediction unit 114 may acquire road traffic information from a server device (not shown) that manages road traffic information, and may advance the arrival time of the user at the boarding location by a predetermined time, or may conversely delay the arrival time by a predetermined time, according to the road congestion status.

[0092] When the margin time prediction unit 114 predicts that the arrival time of the user or the vehicle 2 at the boarding location will change, the travel plan creation unit 117 creates a travel plan in which the planned stay time is updated according to the changed time. The notification unit 118 also notifies the user of the updated travel plan. For example, when the travel plan creation unit 117 predicts that the arrival time of the user at the boarding location will be earlier, or when the arrival of the vehicle 2 at the boarding location will be later, the travel plan creation unit 117 may create a travel plan for the user in which the planned stay time at the available facility is increased by the change in the predicted arrival time. A more realistic travel plan that takes into account the user's usage history and road traffic information can be provided to the user, and the service level of the vehicle dispatch system 100 can be improved.

[0093] In a modified example, when the margin time prediction unit 114 predicts that the arrival time of the user or the vehicle 2 at the boarding point will change, the margin time prediction unit 114 may update the margin time according to the changed time, and the movement range calculation unit 115 may update the reference range based on the updated margin time. The facility extraction unit 116 may extract facilities located within the updated reference range as reference facilities, and the notification unit 118 may notify the user of information on the reference facilities located within the updated reference range. To explain with reference to FIG. 7, the movement range calculation unit 115 can expand or reduce the size of the reference movable range B according to the updated margin time. This makes it possible to provide the user with more realistic information on reference facilities that take into account the user's usage history and road traffic information, thereby improving the service level of the vehicle dispatch system 100.

[0094] Also, for example, in the above-mentioned embodiment, the vehicle 2 is described as having an autonomous driving function, but the vehicle 2 may not have an autonomous driving function and may be driven by a driver. Also, for example, in the above-mentioned embodiment, the vehicle 2 is described as having information on the travel plan when the selection of the vehicle and the boarding location is completed, but the information providing device 1 may also issue a dispatch instruction to the vehicle 2 to the boarding location to drive the vehicle 2 autonomously.

[0095] Also, for example, in the above-mentioned embodiment, the information providing device 1 is described as having the margin time prediction unit 114, but the margin time prediction process may be performed by a device other than the information providing device 1. For example, the information providing device 1 may have a margin time acquisition unit (not shown) that acquires the margin time from outside the information providing device 1, instead of the margin time prediction unit 114. In this case, the margin time is predicted by a device or system other than the information providing device 1, and the information providing device 1 acquires the margin time predicted outside the information providing device 1. The information providing device 1 may execute the process in the above-mentioned embodiment using the acquired margin time.

[0096] For example, in the above embodiment, the information providing device 1 notifies the user of information about the available facility when the margin time is equal to or greater than a predetermined time, and does not notify the user of information about the available facility when the margin time is less than the predetermined time. However, even if the margin time is less than the predetermined time, the information providing device 1 may notify the user of information about the facility to be used. For example, even if the margin time is less than the predetermined time, the information providing device 1 may notify the user of information about the available facility according to the waiting limit time at the boarding location. When a parking facility such as a parking lot is selected as the boarding location, the waiting limit time of the vehicle 2 at the parking facility is sufficiently longer than the waiting limit time of the vehicle 2 on the road. In this way, when the waiting limit time is sufficiently secured, the information providing device 1 may notify the user of information about the available facility even if the margin time is less than the predetermined time. Note that "when the margin time is less than the predetermined time" includes a case where there is no margin time because the vehicle 2 arrives at the boarding location before the user, and a case where the user arrives at the boarding location before the vehicle 2, but the waiting time of the user at the boarding location is less than the predetermined time. [Explanation of symbols]

[0097] 100...Dispatch system 1…Information providing device 11…Processor 111…Request acquisition section 112…Boarding and alighting point selection department 113…Vehicle Selection Department 114…Time margin prediction section 115...Movement range calculation unit 116…Facility Extraction Section 117…Mobility Planning Division 118…Notification Department 2. Vehicle 21…Sensor 22...Navigation device 23…Controller 24...Communication equipment 25...Drive control device 26...Brake control device 27...Steering control device 28...Output device 3...User terminal device 31... Position detection device 32...Input device 33...Output device 34…Processor 35...Communication equipment

Claims

1. An information providing device that provides information to a user based on information acquired from a vehicle and a user terminal device, A travel range calculation unit that calculates a travelable range of the user to the boarding location within a waiting time limit of the vehicle at the boarding location; a facility extraction unit that extracts facilities located within the movable range as available facilities; and a notification unit that notifies the user of information regarding the available facilities.

2. 2. The information providing device according to claim 1, The vehicle further includes a margin time prediction unit that predicts a waiting time for the user to wait for the vehicle at the boarding location as a margin time based on a traveling status of the vehicle and information about the user, The information providing device, wherein the movement range calculation unit calculates the movable range when the margin time is equal to or longer than a predetermined time.

3. 3. The information providing device according to claim 1, the facility extraction unit extracts the facility according to an extraction condition as the available facility; The extraction conditions include conditions according to at least one of the following in addition to the facility being located within the movable range: average stay time at the facility, weather, time of day, attributes of the user, and the user's usage history of the facility.

4. 4. The information providing device according to claim 3, the extraction condition includes that the average stay time is shorter than a margin time, The information providing device, wherein the margin time is a waiting time for the user to wait for the vehicle at the boarding location.

5. 5. The information providing device according to claim 3, The information providing device, wherein the extraction condition includes that the facility is included in the usage history.

6. The information providing device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, The notification unit is an information providing device that notifies the user of information regarding the available facilities when the user's travel distance from the user's current location to the boarding location is less than a predetermined first threshold, or when the user's travel time when the user travels the travel distance is less than a predetermined second threshold.

7. 7. An information providing device according to claim 6, the notification unit notifies the user of a margin of time instead of the information about the available facilities when the travel distance is equal to or greater than the predetermined first threshold or when the travel time is equal to or greater than the predetermined second threshold; The information providing device, wherein the margin time is a waiting time for the user to wait for the vehicle at the boarding location.

8. 7. An information providing device according to claim 6, When the margin time is less than a predetermined time, the notification unit does not notify the user of the information on the available facility and the margin time. The information providing device, wherein the margin time is a waiting time for the user to wait for the vehicle at the boarding location.

9. The information providing device according to any one of claims 1 to 8, A travel plan creation unit that creates a travel plan for the user, the travel plan including a travel route from a current location of the user to the boarding location via the available facility, The notification unit is an information providing device that notifies the user of information related to the movement plan.

10. 10. The information providing device according to claim 9, the travel plan includes a planned stay time of the user at the available facility; When predicting that a change will occur in the arrival time of the user or the vehicle at the boarding location, the travel plan creation unit creates the travel plan in which the planned stay time is updated according to the changed time, The notification unit is an information providing device that notifies the user of the updated movement plan.

11. 3. The information providing device according to claim 2, When the margin time is longer than the waiting limit time, the movement range calculation unit calculates, as a reference range, a range within the margin time in which the user can move to the boarding location, excluding the movable range; The facility extraction unit extracts facilities located within the reference range as reference facilities, The notification unit is an information providing device that notifies the user of information related to the reference facility.

12. The information providing device according to claim 11, The margin time prediction unit, when predicting that a change will occur in the arrival time of the user or the vehicle at the boarding location, updates the margin time according to the changed time, The movement range calculation unit updates the reference range based on the updated margin time, the facility extraction unit extracts facilities located within the updated reference range as the reference facilities; The notification unit is an information providing device that notifies the user of updated information about the reference facility.

13. An information providing method for providing information to a user based on information acquired from a vehicle and a user terminal device, the method comprising: Calculate a range in which the user can travel to the boarding location within a waiting time limit of the vehicle at the boarding location as a movable range; extracting facilities located within the movement range as available facilities; An information providing method for notifying the user of information regarding the available facilities.

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