Vehicle allocation device and vehicle allocation method

Abstract

To suppress reduction in vehicle utilization efficiency caused by congestion of getting-on locations while improving convenience for users who request vehicle allocation.SOLUTION: A vehicle allocation device 2 is configured to: extract a plurality of getting-on location candidates as candidates of a getting-on location where a user gets on a target vehicle which can be allocated to the user (S2); calculate user cost required for the user to get on the target vehicle at each of the plurality of getting-on location candidates (S4); calculate a stop time from when the target vehicle arrives at each of the plurality of getting-on location candidates to when the user gets on the target vehicle (S6); estimate a congestion degree of each of the plurality of getting-on location candidates (S9); and determine any one of the plurality of getting-on location candidates as the getting-on location where the user gets on the target vehicle based on the user costs, the stop times, the congestion degrees at the plurality of getting-on location candidates, and weighting in which a priority of the congestion degree is set higher than at least one of a priority of the user cost and a priority of the stop time (S12).SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a vehicle dispatch device and a vehicle dispatch method. [Background technology]

[0002] The following Patent Document 1 describes an automatic vehicle dispatch system that automatically dispatches vehicles to users. This automatic vehicle dispatch system variably determines the boarding location where the vehicle is delivered to the user according to the user's current location, etc., rather than being limited to a predetermined location. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2016-91411 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, with this type of vehicle allocation method, vehicles may be allocated in a concentrated manner to boarding locations that are frequently used by users. This may result in congestion at the boarding location, which may cause users to take a long time to board the vehicle and depart for their destination, resulting in a decrease in vehicle utilization efficiency. In addition, if the vehicle arrives at the boarding location earlier than the users, a queue may form for people waiting to board the vehicle, which may further worsen the congestion at the boarding location, resulting in a further decrease in vehicle utilization efficiency. The present invention aims to set a boarding location so as to improve the convenience of users requesting vehicle dispatch while suppressing a decrease in vehicle utilization efficiency due to congestion at the boarding location. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] A vehicle dispatch device of one embodiment of the present invention includes a computer that executes the following processes: extracting multiple candidate boarding locations where a user will board a target vehicle to be dispatched to a user, based on dispatch request information in which the user requests the dispatch of a vehicle; calculating a user cost, which is the cost required for the user to board the target vehicle at each of the multiple candidate boarding locations; calculating the stop time between the arrival of the target vehicle at each of the multiple candidate boarding locations and the user boarding the target vehicle; estimating the congestion degree of each of the multiple candidate boarding locations; and determining one of the multiple candidate boarding locations as the boarding location where the user will board the target vehicle, based on the user cost, stop time, congestion degree, and weighting at the multiple candidate boarding locations, in which the priority of the congestion degree is set higher than at least one of the priority of the user cost or the priority of the stop time. Effect of the Invention

[0006] According to the present invention, the boarding location can be set so as to improve the convenience of users requesting vehicle dispatch while suppressing a decrease in vehicle utilization efficiency due to congestion at the boarding location. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0007] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of an example of a vehicle dispatch system according to an embodiment; [Figure 2A] FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram of problems with a conventional vehicle allocation method. [Figure 2B] FIG. 1 is a schematic explanatory diagram of a vehicle dispatch method according to an embodiment. [Diagram 3] 2 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of a functional configuration of the server device of FIG. 1; [Figure 4] FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram of a method for calculating the access cost of a candidate boarding location. [Diagram 5] 2 is a flowchart of an example of a vehicle dispatch method according to an embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0008] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the description of the drawings, the same or similar parts are given the same or similar reference numerals, and duplicated explanations are omitted. Each drawing is schematic and may differ from the actual one. The embodiments shown below are examples of devices and methods for embodying the technical idea of ​​the present invention, and the technical idea of ​​the present invention is not limited to the devices and methods exemplified in the following embodiments. The technical idea of ​​the present invention can be modified in various ways within the technical scope described in the claims.

[0009] (composition) 1 is a schematic diagram of an example of a vehicle dispatch system according to an embodiment. The vehicle dispatch system 1 according to the embodiment is a system that provides a vehicle dispatch service that dispatches a vehicle according to dispatch request information by which a user requests the dispatch of a vehicle. In this specification, a vehicle provided for the vehicle dispatch service of the vehicle dispatch system 1 is referred to as a "service vehicle." The vehicle dispatch system 1 includes a center device 2, an in-vehicle device 30 mounted on each of a plurality of service vehicles 3a, 3b, etc., and a user terminal 4 carried by a user 5. Hereinafter, the service vehicles 3a, 3b, etc. may be collectively referred to as "service vehicles 3."

[0010] The service vehicle 3 may be, for example, an electric vehicle equipped with an electric motor as a drive source, an engine vehicle equipped with an internal combustion engine as a drive source, or a hybrid vehicle equipped with both an electric motor and an internal combustion engine as drive sources. The service vehicle 3 may be an autonomous vehicle capable of autonomously driving to the destination of the user 5 and transporting the user 5 based on the results of detection of the surrounding environment and vehicle driving state by the sensor 31, the positioning device 32, and a map database (denoted as "Map DB" in the figure) 33. That is, the subject that drives the service vehicle 3 may be a driving control device that is capable of controlling the driving of the vehicle. The service vehicle 3 may be a manually operated vehicle. In other words, the subject that drives the service vehicle 3 may be a human (driver). In this specification, an example will be described in which the service vehicle 3 is an autonomous driving vehicle.

[0011] The center device 2 includes a communication device 20 , a map database 21 , and a server device 22 . The communication device 20 provides a communication function between the server device 22 and an external device. The communication method by the communication device 20 may be, for example, wired communication or wireless communication via a public mobile communication network, satellite communication, road-to-vehicle communication with the in-vehicle device 30 of the service vehicle 3, or the like. The server device 22 transmits and receives data to and from the in-vehicle device 30 of the service vehicle 3 and the user terminal 4 via the communication device 20. Furthermore, the server device 22 may receive data via the communication device 20 from other vehicle dispatch systems that provide other vehicle dispatch services, other public transportation systems, and other infrastructure.

[0012] The map database 21 stores map information of the area where the vehicle dispatch system 1 provides the vehicle dispatch service. The map information may include road information on roads in the area where the vehicle dispatch system 1 provides the vehicle dispatch service, as well as geographic information on points that can be used as locations (boarding locations) where the users 5 board the service vehicles 3 and parking spaces where the vehicles can be parked at the boarding locations. The map database 21 may also store fare information for public transportation means in order to calculate the fare for the public transportation means used when the user 5 travels to the boarding location.

[0013] The server device 22 is an information processing device that receives dispatch request information from the user terminal 4 in which the user 5 requests the dispatch of a service vehicle 3, and performs processing to determine the service vehicle 3 to be dispatched to the user 5 and the boarding location from which the user 5 will board the service vehicle 3 (i.e., to deliver the service vehicle 3 to the user). The server device 22 includes a processor 23 and a storage device 24. The processor 23 may be, for example, a central processing unit (CPU) or a micro-processing unit (MPU). The storage device 24 may include a non-transitory tangible storage medium such as a register, a cache memory, or a memory such as a read only memory (ROM) or a random access memory (RAM) used as a main storage device. The functions of the server device 22 described below are realized by, for example, the processor 23 executing a computer program stored in the storage device 24 . The specific process of the server device 22 will be described later.

[0014] The on-board device 30 of the service vehicle 3 includes a sensor 31, a positioning device 32, a map database 33, a communication device 34, a human-machine interface 35, a controller 36, and an actuator 37. In the drawings, the human-machine interface is abbreviated as "HMI." The sensor 31 includes an object sensor that detects objects around the service vehicle 3, and a vehicle sensor that detects various information obtained from the service vehicle 3 (vehicle state).

[0015] The object sensor detects the surrounding environment of the service vehicle 3, such as the relative position between the service vehicle 3 and an object present around the service vehicle 3, the distance between the service vehicle 3 and the object, and the direction in which the object exists. The object sensor may include, for example, a camera that captures the surrounding environment of the service vehicle 3. In addition, for example, the object sensor may include a distance measuring device such as a laser range finder (LRF), a radar, or a laser radar of LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging). The object sensor outputs surrounding environment information, which is information on the detected surrounding environment of the service vehicle 3, to the controller 36.

[0016] The vehicle sensors may include, for example, a vehicle speed sensor that detects the traveling speed (vehicle speed) of the service vehicle 3, a wheel speed sensor that detects the rotational speed of each tire equipped on the service vehicle 3, a three-axis acceleration sensor (G sensor) that detects the acceleration (including deceleration) in three axial directions of the service vehicle 3, a steering angle sensor that detects the steering angle (including the turning angle), a gyro sensor that detects the angular velocity generated in the service vehicle 3, and a yaw rate sensor that detects the yaw rate. The vehicle sensors output vehicle state information to the controller 36.

[0017] The positioning device 32 measures the current position and attitude of the service vehicle 3. The positioning device 32 may include, for example, a Global Navigation System (GNSS) receiver. The GNSS receiver is, for example, a Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver, and receives radio waves from a plurality of navigation satellites to measure the current position of the service vehicle 3. The positioning device 32 may include an inertial navigation system. The positioning device 32 outputs current position information, which is information on the measured current position and attitude, to the controller 36. The map database 33 stores map information. The map information may include map data for navigation (hereinafter simply referred to as "navigation map") and high-precision map data suitable as a map for automated driving (hereinafter simply referred to as "high-precision map").

[0018] The communication device 34 provides a communication function between the in-vehicle device 30 and an external device. The communication method used by the communication device 34 may be, for example, wireless communication using a public mobile communication network, satellite communication, or road-to-vehicle communication. The in-vehicle device 30 transmits and receives data to and from the server device 22 of the center device 2 via the communication device .

[0019] The human-machine interface 35 is an interface device that transmits and receives information between the in-vehicle device 30 and the occupant of the service vehicle 3. The human-machine interface 35 includes a display device that can be seen by the occupant of the service vehicle 3, and a speaker and a buzzer for outputting an alarm sound, a notification sound, and audio information. The human-machine interface 35 also includes an operator and a voice input device that accepts operational inputs from the occupant to the in-vehicle device 30. The operator may be a mechanical interface device such as a button, a switch, a lever, a dial, or a keyboard, or may be a button, a switch, a lever, a dial, or a keyboard displayed on a touch panel.

[0020] The controller 36 is an electronic control unit (ECU) that controls the operation of the in-vehicle device 30. For example, when the service vehicle 3 is an autonomous vehicle, the controller 36 may be an electronic control unit that performs autonomous driving control of the service vehicle 3. The controller 36 includes a processor 38 and peripheral components such as a memory device 39. The processor 38 may be, for example, a CPU or an MPU. The memory device 39 may include a non-transitory tangible storage medium such as a register, a cache memory, or a memory such as a ROM or RAM used as a main memory device. The functions of the controller 36 are realized, for example, by a processor 38 executing a computer program stored in a storage device 39 . The actuator 37 operates the steering device, driving device and braking device of the service vehicle 3 in response to a control signal from the controller 36 to generate vehicle behavior of the service vehicle 3, thereby automatically driving the service vehicle 3. The actuator 37 includes a steering actuator, an accelerator opening actuator and a brake control actuator.

[0021] The user terminal 4 is carried by the user 5 and used when using the vehicle dispatch service. The user 5 requests the center device 2 to dispatch the service vehicle 3 by inputting information on a desired location for boarding the service vehicle 3 into the user terminal 4 as a desired boarding location. The user terminal 4 includes a positioning device 40 , a communication device 41 , a human-machine interface 42 , and a controller 43 . The positioning device 40 measures the current position of the user terminal 4 (i.e., the current position of the user 5). The positioning device 40 may include, for example, a global positioning system receiver. The GNSS receiver may be, for example, a global positioning system receiver. The positioning device 40 outputs current position information, which is information on the measured current position, to the controller 43.

[0022] The communication device 41 provides a communication function between the user terminal 4 and an external device. The communication method used by the communication device 41 may be, for example, wireless communication using a public mobile communication network, satellite communication, or the like. The user terminal 4 transmits and receives data to and from the server device 22 of the center device 2 via the communication device 41.

[0023] The human-machine interface 42 is an interface device that transmits and receives information between the user terminal 4 and the user 5. The human-machine interface 42 includes a display device that can be seen by the user 5, and a speaker and a buzzer that output alarm sounds, notification sounds, and audio information. The human-machine interface 35 also includes an operator and a voice input device that accepts operational input from the user 5. The operator may be a mechanical interface device such as a button, switch, lever, dial, keyboard, etc., or may be a button, switch, lever, dial, keyboard, etc. displayed on a touch panel.

[0024] The controller 43 is an electronic control unit that controls the operation of the user terminal 4. The controller 43 includes a processor 44 and peripheral components such as a memory device 45. The processor 44 may be, for example, a CPU or an MPU. The memory device 45 may include a non-transitory tangible storage medium such as a register, a cache memory, or a memory such as a ROM or RAM used as a main memory device. The functions of the controller 43 are realized, for example, by the processor 44 executing a computer program stored in the storage device 45 .

[0025] (Overview of how the dispatch system works) An outline of the operation of the vehicle dispatch system when the user 5 requests the center device 2 to dispatch a service vehicle 3 will be described below. First, the user 5 inputs information on a location desired by the user 5 as a boarding location for boarding the service vehicle 3 into the user terminal 4 as a desired boarding location. When the information on the desired boarding location is input, the controller 43 of the user terminal 4 acquires the current location information of the user 5 from the positioning device 40. The controller 43 generates vehicle dispatch request information including the desired boarding location information, which is information on the desired boarding location, and the current location information of the user 5, and transmits it to the center device 2. The user 5 may omit inputting the desired boarding location. In this case, the current location information of the user 5 may be used as the desired boarding location information.

[0026] On the other hand, the in-vehicle device 30 of the service vehicle 3 transmits the current position information of the service vehicle 3 measured by the positioning device 32 to the center device 2. The server device 22 of the center device 2 receives the vehicle dispatch request information from the user terminal 4. In addition, the server device 22 receives the current position information of the service vehicle 3 from the in-vehicle device 30. The server device 22 determines the actual boarding location where the user 5 will board the service vehicle 3 (i.e., the location where the service vehicle 3 will be delivered to the user 5) based on the desired boarding location information and current location information of the user 5 contained in the dispatch request information, and the current location information of the service vehicle 3.

[0027] The server device 22 transmits boarding location information, which is information on the determined boarding location, to the user terminal 4 and the in-vehicle device 30 of the service vehicle 3. The controller 43 of the user terminal 4 presents the received boarding location information to the user 5 via the human-machine interface 42. This allows the user 5 to know the boarding location where the service vehicle 3 can be boarded, and to move toward the boarding location. When the controller 36 of the in-vehicle device 30 receives the boarding location information, it calculates a driving route from the current location to the boarding location indicated by the boarding location information based on the current location measured by the positioning device 32 and the map information (e.g., a navigation map) stored in the map database 33.

[0028] The controller 36 operates the actuator 37 based on the surrounding environment information and vehicle condition detected by the sensor 31 and the map information (e.g., a high-precision map) stored in the map database 33, to automatically drive the service vehicle 3 to the boarding location. In addition, when the service vehicle 3 is a manually operated vehicle, the received boarding location information is presented to the driver of the service vehicle 3 via the human-machine interface 35. In this case, the in-vehicle device 30 does not need to include the sensor 31, the map database 33, and the actuator 37.

[0029] (Summary of dispatch method) 2A is an explanatory diagram of the problem of the conventional vehicle dispatch method. In FIG. 2A and FIG. 2B, reference numerals 50a, 50b, and 50c indicate boarding locations (boarding points, meeting points) that can be designated as locations for boarding the service vehicle 3. If the boarding location where a user boards a service vehicle 3 is determined based solely on the user's preferences, service vehicles may be concentrated at boarding locations 50a near locations that are frequently used by users (for example, POIs (Points of Interest) such as train stations 51).

[0030] If such congestion occurs at the boarding point, it may take a long time before users can board the service vehicle 3, which may reduce the efficiency of use of the service vehicle 3. In addition, if the service vehicle 3 arrives at the boarding point earlier than the users, a queue of service vehicles 3 may occur, which may further worsen the congestion at the boarding point, which may further reduce the efficiency of use of the service vehicle 3.

[0031] Therefore, in the present invention, a boarding location where the user will board the service vehicle 3 is determined from among multiple candidate boarding locations based on the user cost required for the user to board the service vehicle 3 at multiple candidate boarding locations, the stopping time of the service vehicle 3 when dispatched to these candidate boarding locations, and the congestion degree of the candidate boarding locations. This allows the service vehicles 3 to be distributed to multiple boarding locations 50a, 50b, and 50c as shown in Fig. 2B. This allows the service vehicles 3 to be distributed so that a specific boarding location is not congested or has a long stop time, which not only improves convenience for users but also suppresses a decrease in the utilization efficiency of the service vehicles 3.

[0032] (Server device configuration) Next, the server device 22 in the center device 2 of this embodiment will be described. The server device 22 includes a candidate boarding location extraction unit 60, a user cost calculation unit 61, a stop time calculation unit 62, a congestion degree estimation unit 63, a boarding location determination unit 64, and a boarding location notification unit 65.

[0033] When the server device 22 receives the dispatch request information, the boarding location candidate extraction unit 60 refers to the map database 21 and extracts a plurality of boarding location candidates that are candidates for the boarding location where the user 5 boards the service vehicle 3. For example, the boarding location candidate extraction unit 60 acquires information on the desired boarding location from the dispatch request information. For example, the boarding location candidate extraction unit 60 refers to the map database 21 and extracts, as boarding location candidates, a plurality of points that are within a predetermined range from the desired boarding location and are suitable or usable as boarding locations for the service vehicle 3.

[0034] In addition, the boarding location candidate extraction unit 60 extracts candidates for service vehicles 3 (hereinafter sometimes referred to as "candidate vehicles") that have not yet been reserved by other users and can be dispatched to the user 5. For example, the boarding location candidate extraction unit 60 may extract, as candidate vehicles, service vehicles 3 that are located within a predetermined distance from the extracted boarding location candidate and that have not yet been reserved by other users, based on the current location information transmitted from the service vehicle 3. Different service vehicles 3 may be extracted as candidate vehicles for multiple boarding location candidates, or the same service vehicle 3 may be extracted as candidate vehicles for multiple boarding location candidates.

[0035] The user cost calculation unit 61 calculates the estimated arrival time at which the user 5 will arrive at each of the candidate boarding locations, based on the current location of the user 5 and the location of each of the extracted candidate boarding locations. Furthermore, the user cost calculation unit 61 calculates each user cost, which is the cost required for the user 5 to board a candidate vehicle at the candidate boarding location. For example, the user cost calculation unit 61 may calculate the time required for the user 5 to travel to the candidate boarding location as the user cost. Furthermore, the user cost calculation unit 61 may calculate the amount of activity required for the user 5 to travel to the candidate boarding location or the fare for the public transportation as the user cost. A weighted sum of the time required, the amount of activity, or the fare for the public transportation may be calculated as the user cost.

[0036] The stop time calculation unit 62 calculates the estimated arrival time at which the candidate vehicle will arrive at each of the boarding location candidates, based on the current position of the candidate vehicle and the positions of each of the extracted boarding location candidates. The stop time calculation unit 62 calculates a stop time, which is an estimated time from when the candidate vehicle arrives at the candidate boarding location until the user 5 boards the candidate vehicle. Specifically, the stop time is calculated as the time from the scheduled arrival time at which the candidate vehicle arrives at the candidate boarding location until the scheduled arrival time of the user 5 calculated by the user cost calculation unit 61.

[0037] The congestion degree estimation unit 63 estimates the congestion degree of the candidate boarding location at the scheduled arrival time when the candidate vehicle arrives at the candidate boarding location. Here, the congestion degree is estimated as the degree to which the candidate boarding location will be congested due to a vehicle stopping at the candidate boarding location. For example, the congestion level estimation unit 63 may calculate the vehicle density according to the following formula (1) and estimate the calculated vehicle density as the congestion level. Vehicle density = (parking space at the potential boarding location) / (number of vehicles scheduled to stop at the potential boarding location) ... (1)

[0038] In the above formula (1), the parking space at the candidate boarding location may be, for example, the number of vehicles that can be parked at the candidate boarding location. The vehicle density in equation (1) above is defined as the ratio of the number of vehicles scheduled to stop at the potential boarding location to the number of parking spaces at the potential boarding location. A smaller vehicle density value is an indicator of greater congestion. In the following description, the number of vehicles scheduled to stop at the potential boarding locations may be referred to simply as the "number of vehicles scheduled to stop."

[0039] When calculating the vehicle density, the congestion degree estimation unit 63 may acquire geographic information regarding the parking spaces of the candidate boarding locations from the map database 21, for example. Furthermore, the congestion degree estimation unit 63 may estimate the number of vehicles scheduled to stop based on reservation information of the service vehicles 3 that have been reserved by other users and dispatched to each boarding location. Specifically, the reservation information may include at least information on the boarding location where the user boards the reserved service vehicle 3 and the scheduled arrival time of the service vehicle 3 at the boarding location. The reservation information may further include an expected stopping time of the service vehicle 3 at the boarding location. The congestion degree estimation unit 63 may estimate the number of vehicles scheduled to stop based on these pieces of information.

[0040] In addition, the congestion degree estimation unit 63 may acquire similar reservation information data from a vehicle dispatch system that provides another vehicle dispatch service via the communication device 20. The congestion degree estimation unit 63 may estimate the number of vehicles scheduled to stop based on the reservation information of the vehicle dispatch system 1 and the reservation information of the other vehicle dispatch system. The congestion level estimation unit 63 may also receive data from infrastructure to estimate the number of vehicles scheduled to stop. The congestion level estimation unit 63 may also receive images from fixed cameras or detection results from sensors provided as infrastructure.

[0041] In addition, the congestion degree estimation unit 63 may receive open data provided by public transportation systems such as buses and streetcars in order to estimate the number of vehicles scheduled to stop. For example, the open data may include current location information of vehicles (buses, streetcars, etc.) provided for public transportation services. The congestion degree estimation unit 63 may measure the number of occupied vehicles occupying the boarding location candidate based on images and / or sensor signals acquired from these infrastructures and open data of the public transportation system. The congestion degree estimation unit 63 may estimate the number of vehicles scheduled to stop at the boarding location candidate based on the measured number of occupied vehicles.

[0042] In addition, the congestion degree estimation unit 63 may estimate the congestion degree at the candidate boarding location based on statistical values ​​of reservation information when the vehicle dispatch system 1 or other vehicle dispatch services were used in the past, or statistical values ​​of the number of occupied vehicles at the candidate boarding location measured in the past, instead of the vehicle density in the above formula (1). For example, statistical values ​​(e.g., average, maximum, minimum, median, etc.) for each time period may be calculated for the number of service vehicles 3 that have been boarded at candidate boarding locations in the past, or the number of vehicles that have occupied the candidate boarding locations. The congestion degree estimation unit 63 may estimate the congestion degree of the candidate boarding location at the scheduled arrival time when the candidate vehicle arrives at the candidate boarding location based on the ratio between the statistical value for the time period including the scheduled arrival time of the candidate vehicle calculated by the stop time calculation unit 62 and the parking space of the candidate boarding location.

[0043] The congestion degree at the candidate boarding location may be estimated based on the sum of the vehicle density calculated by the above formula (1) and the congestion degree based on the above statistical value. The congestion degree at the candidate boarding location may be estimated based on a weighted sum of these.

[0044] The boarding location determination unit 64 determines one of the multiple candidate boarding locations as the boarding location where the user 5 will board the service vehicle 3, based on the user cost calculated by the user cost calculation unit 61, the stop time calculated by the stop time calculation unit 62, and the congestion degree estimated by the congestion degree estimation unit 63 for the multiple candidate boarding locations extracted by the candidate boarding location extraction unit 60. For example, the boarding location determination unit 64 may calculate the access cost of each candidate boarding location as a weighted sum of the user cost, the stop time, and the congestion degree given by the following equation (2). Access cost = a × congestion level + b × stop time + c × user cost … (2)

[0045] The boarding location determination unit 64 may determine one of the candidate boarding locations as the boarding location where the user 5 boards the service vehicle 3, based on the access cost of the candidate boarding locations calculated by the above formula (2). For example, the boarding location determination unit 64 may determine the boarding location candidate with the smallest access cost as the boarding location. Also, the boarding location determination unit 64 may arbitrarily select any of the boarding location candidates with an access cost less than a predetermined threshold value as the boarding location.

[0046] Fig. 4 is an explanatory diagram of a method for calculating the access cost of a candidate boarding location. In the example of Fig. 4, the congestion level of the candidate boarding location is ranked as "high", "medium", and "none". For example, if the congestion level is ≦0.5, the rank is "high", if 0.5<crowding level<0.7, the rank is "medium", and if 0.5≦crowding level, the rank is "none". In addition, the time required for the user 5 to travel to the candidate boarding location is used as the user cost.

[0047] In the example of Figure 4, the congestion level, stop time, and user cost (required time) at candidate boarding location 1 are "high," "2 minutes," and "5 minutes," respectively; the congestion level, stop time, and user cost at candidate boarding location 2 are "medium," "6 minutes," and "8 minutes," respectively; and the congestion level, stop time, and user cost at candidate boarding location 3 are "none," "7 minutes," and "5 minutes," respectively. As an example of calculating the access cost of a candidate boarding location, for example, the weights "a", "b", and "c" in the above formula (2) are set to "80", "10", and "10", respectively, and scores of "2", "1", and "0" are assigned to the congestion levels of "high", "medium", and "none". In this case, the access cost of boarding location candidate 1 is 80×2+10×2+10×5=230, and the access cost of boarding location candidate 2 is 80×1+10×6+10×8=220. The access cost of boarding location candidate 3 is 80×0+10×7+10×5=120. Therefore, the access cost of boarding location candidate 3 is the smallest.

[0048] The weights "a", "b", and "c" in the above formula (2) may be set appropriately depending on which of congestion level, stop time, and user cost is to be prioritized. To prioritize congestion level, the weight "a" should be set to a larger value. To prioritize stop time, the weight "b" should be set to a larger value. To prioritize user cost, the weight "c" should be set to a larger value.

[0049] For example, the weights "a", "b", and "c" may be set so that the priority of the congestion degree is set higher than at least one of the priority of the user cost and the priority of the stop time. In this case, for example, the value of the weight "a" may be set to a value larger than the values ​​of the weights "b" and "c". Also, for example, the weights "a", "b", and "c" may be set so that the priority of the stop time is lower than at least one of the priority of the congestion degree and the priority of the user cost. In this case, for example, the value of the weight "b" may be set to a value smaller than the values ​​of the weights "a" and "c".

[0050] For example, the weights "a", "b", and "c" may be set so that the congestion degree has the highest priority and the stop time has the lowest priority. In this case, for example, the value of the weight "a" may be set to a value greater than the value of the weight "c", and the value of the weight "b" may be set to a value less than the value of the weight "c". In addition, the boarding location determination unit 64 may extract only boarding location candidates whose congestion level is lower than a predetermined value from the multiple boarding location candidates extracted by the boarding location candidate extraction unit 60, and prioritize the boarding location candidate with a lower user cost from among only the boarding location candidates whose congestion level is lower than the predetermined value, and set it as the boarding location.

[0051] Furthermore, the boarding location determination unit 64 may extract only those boarding location candidates within a predetermined acceptable range for user cost from the multiple boarding location candidates extracted by the boarding location candidate extraction unit 60, and determine a boarding location from only those boarding location candidates with user costs within the acceptable range based on the access cost for each boarding location candidate. For example, the boarding location may be determined from only those candidate boarding locations for which the travel time required for user 5 to travel to the candidate boarding location is within 5 minutes.

[0052] The acceptable range of the user cost may be set according to, for example, the attributes (e.g., age, physical characteristics, gender, etc.) of the user 5. For example, the upper limit of the time required for a user 5 of a predetermined age or older to travel to a candidate boarding location may be set to be smaller than the upper limit for a user 5 of a predetermined age or younger. Also, the acceptable range of the user cost may be set according to the preferences of the user 5 (for example, the user does not like to walk for long periods of time). When the user 5 requests the center device 2 to dispatch a service vehicle 3, the controller 43 of the user terminal 4 may transmit information on attributes and preferences of the user 5 to the center device 2. When the user 5 requests the center device 2 to dispatch a service vehicle 3, the user 5 may input information on attributes and preferences into the user terminal 4, or may have the information stored in the user terminal 4. Information on the attributes and preferences of the user 5 may be registered in the center device 2 in advance.

[0053] The boarding location determination unit 64 may also set the acceptable range of user costs based on history information from when the user 5 used the vehicle dispatch system in the past. For example, the acceptable range of user costs may be set based on the history of vehicle dispatch request information transmitted from the user terminal 4 to the center device 2 in the past. As a specific example, the maximum cost required for the user 5 to travel to the desired boarding location may be set as the upper limit of the acceptable range of user costs based on the desired boarding location information included in the vehicle dispatch request information and past history information of the current location information of the user 5. Furthermore, the boarding location determination unit 64 may set the weight "c" of the user cost in the above formula (2) based on the attributes, preferences, and history information of the user 5. The boarding location notification unit 65 transmits boarding location information, which is information about the boarding location determined by the boarding location determination unit 64, to the user terminal 4 and the in-vehicle device 30 of the service vehicle 3.

[0054] (operation) FIG. 5 is a flowchart of an example of a vehicle dispatch method according to the embodiment. In step S1, the server device 22 acquires the current location information of the user 5 and the current location information of the service vehicle 3. In step S2, the boarding location candidate extraction unit 60 extracts a plurality of boarding location candidates. In step S3, the boarding location candidate extraction unit 60 extracts candidates for the service vehicles 3 that can be dispatched to the user 5 as candidate vehicles.

[0055] In step S4, the user cost calculation unit 61 calculates the user cost required for the user 5 to board a candidate vehicle at the boarding location candidate. In step S5, the user cost calculation unit 61 calculates the estimated arrival time at which the user 5 arrives at each of the candidate boarding locations. In addition, the stop time calculation unit 62 calculates the estimated arrival time at which the candidate vehicle arrives at each of the candidate boarding locations. In step S6, the stop time calculation unit 62 calculates the stop time from when the candidate vehicle arrives at the boarding location candidate until when the user 5 boards the candidate vehicle.

[0056] In step S7, the congestion degree estimation unit 63 acquires geographic information related to information on parking spaces of candidate boarding locations from the map database 21. In step S8, the congestion degree estimation unit 63 acquires reservation information of service vehicles that have been reserved by other users through the vehicle dispatch system 1 or other vehicle dispatch services and dispatched to each boarding location. In step S9, the congestion degree estimation unit 63 calculates an estimate of the congestion degree of the candidate boarding location at the scheduled arrival time when the candidate vehicle arrives at the candidate boarding location.

[0057] In step S10, the boarding location determination unit 64 calculates the access cost for each of the candidate boarding locations. In step S11, the boarding location determination unit 64 determines one of the multiple candidate boarding locations as the boarding location where the user 5 boards the service vehicle 3, based on the access cost calculated in step S10. In step S12, the boarding location notification unit 65 transmits boarding location information, which is information about the boarding location determined by the boarding location determination unit 64, to the user terminal 4 and the in-vehicle device 30 of the service vehicle 3. The process then ends.

[0058] (Effects of the embodiment) (1) The center device 2 is equipped with a server device 22 that executes the following processes: based on dispatch request information in which the user requests the dispatch of a service vehicle, extracting multiple candidate boarding locations where the user will board a target vehicle, which is a service vehicle to be dispatched to the user; calculating a user cost, which is the cost required for the user to board the target vehicle at each of the multiple candidate boarding locations; calculating the stop time from when the target vehicle arrives at each of the multiple candidate boarding locations until the user boards the target vehicle; estimating the congestion degree of each of the multiple candidate boarding locations; and determining one of the multiple candidate boarding locations as the boarding location where the user will board the target vehicle based on the user cost, stop time, congestion degree, and weighting at the multiple candidate boarding locations in which the priority of the congestion degree is set higher than at least one of the priority of the user cost or the priority of the stop time. This not only improves convenience for users, but also allows service vehicles to be dispatched so that a specific boarding location is not congested or the stop time is not long, thereby suppressing a decrease in the utilization efficiency of the service vehicles. In particular, service vehicles can be dispatched so that a specific boarding location is not congested.

[0059] (2) The server device 22 may determine the boarding location where the user will board the target vehicle according to a weighting in which the priority of the stop time is set lower than at least one of the priority of the congestion degree or the priority of the user cost. This allows service vehicles to be dispatched to avoid congestion at specific boarding locations and to prioritize user convenience.

[0060] (3) The server device 22 may prioritize a candidate boarding location with a lower user cost from among the candidate boarding locations with a congestion level lower than a predetermined value, and set it as the boarding location where the user will board the target vehicle. This allows service vehicles to be dispatched in a manner that prioritizes user convenience while keeping the congestion level at the boarding location below a predetermined value. (4) The server device 22 may extract multiple candidate boarding locations based on the user's acceptable cost range. This makes it possible to prevent the dispatch of service vehicles to boarding locations that are inconvenient for users.

[0061] (5) The acceptable range of user costs may be set based on at least one of the user's usage history of vehicle dispatching or the user's attributes or preferences. This makes it possible to set an acceptable range of user costs according to the characteristics of the user. (6) The server device 22 may estimate the congestion degree at the scheduled arrival time when the target vehicle arrives at each of the multiple candidate boarding locations. This allows the congestion level at multiple candidate boarding locations to be appropriately estimated. (7) The server device 22 may estimate the degree of congestion at each of multiple candidate boarding locations based on reservation information for vehicles scheduled to be dispatched to each of multiple users and current image data of each of the multiple candidate boarding locations. This allows the congestion level at multiple candidate boarding locations to be appropriately estimated. [Explanation of symbols]

[0062] 1... vehicle dispatch system, 2... center device, 3, 3a, 3b... service vehicle, 4... user terminal, 20, 34, 41... communication device, 21, 33... map database, 22... server device, 23, 38, 44... processor, 24, 39, 45... storage device, 30... vehicle-mounted device, 31... sensor, 32, 40... positioning device, 35, 42... human-machine interface, 36, 43... controller, 37... actuator, 60... boarding location candidate extraction unit, 61... user cost calculation unit, 62... stop time calculation unit, 63... congestion degree estimation unit, 64... boarding location determination unit, 65... boarding location notification unit

Claims

1. A process of extracting a plurality of candidate boarding locations where a user boards a target vehicle to be dispatched to the user based on dispatch request information in which the user requests dispatch of a vehicle; A process of calculating a user cost, which is a cost required for the user to board the target vehicle at each of the plurality of boarding location candidates; A process of calculating a stop time from when the target vehicle arrives at each of the plurality of boarding location candidates until when the user boards the target vehicle; A process of estimating a congestion degree of each of the plurality of boarding location candidates; determining, based on the user cost, the stop time, and the congestion degree at the plurality of candidate boarding locations, one of the plurality of candidate boarding locations as a boarding location where the user boards the target vehicle; a computer that executes The computer determines the boarding location where the user will board the target vehicle according to a weighting set so that the priority of the congestion degree is higher than at least one of the priority of the user cost or the priority of the stop time.

2. The vehicle dispatch device according to claim 1, characterized in that the computer determines the boarding location where the user will board the target vehicle according to a weighting in which the priority of the stop time is set lower than at least one of the priority of the congestion degree or the priority of the user cost.

3. The vehicle dispatch device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the computer prioritizes the candidate boarding locations having a lower user cost from among the candidate boarding locations having a congestion degree lower than a predetermined value, and sets them as the boarding location where the user will board the target vehicle.

4. 4. The vehicle dispatch device according to claim 1, wherein the computer extracts the plurality of candidate boarding locations based on an acceptable range of the user cost.

5. 5. The vehicle dispatch device according to claim 4, wherein the tolerance range is set based on at least one of the user's usage history of vehicle dispatch, or the user's attributes or preferences.

6. The vehicle dispatch device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the computer estimates the congestion degree at the scheduled arrival time when the target vehicle arrives at each of the multiple candidate boarding locations.

7. The vehicle dispatch device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that the computer estimates the degree of congestion of each of the multiple candidate boarding locations based on reservation information of vehicles scheduled to be dispatched to each of the multiple users and current image data of each of the multiple candidate boarding locations.

8. A process of extracting a plurality of candidate boarding locations where a user boards a target vehicle to be dispatched to the user based on dispatch request information in which the user requests dispatch of a vehicle; A process of calculating a user cost, which is a cost required for the user to board the target vehicle at each of the plurality of boarding location candidates; A process of calculating a stop time from when the target vehicle arrives at each of the plurality of boarding location candidates until when the user boards the target vehicle; A process of estimating a congestion degree of each of the plurality of boarding location candidates; determining one of the plurality of candidate boarding locations as a boarding location where the user boards the target vehicle based on the user cost, the stop time, the congestion level, and a weighting in which the priority of the congestion level is set higher than at least one of the priority of the user cost and the priority of the stop time at the plurality of candidate boarding locations; A vehicle dispatch method comprising causing a computer to execute the steps of:

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