Vehicle allocation management device and vehicle allocation management method

JP7639578B2Active Publication Date: 2025-03-05NISSAN MOTOR CO LTD
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Patent Information

Application Number
JP2021105195
Authority / Receiving Office
JP · JP
Patent Type
Patents
Current Assignee / Owner
Filing Date
2021-06-24
Publication Date
2025-03-05
Estimated Expiration
2041-06-24

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

【0007】 本発明によれば、乗客の利便性を向上させることができる。

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Abstract

To provide a vehicle allocation management device and a vehicle allocation management method capable of improving convenience for passengers.SOLUTION: The vehicle allocation management device is configured to: identify whether a transportation object included in a use request received from a user U is a passenger M or a cargo L; extract boarding and alighting places of the passenger M from a plurality of stop areas SA or a plurality of parking areas PA when the transportation object is the passenger M; and extract loading and unloading places of the cargo L from the plurality of parking areas PA when the transportation object is the cargo L.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 9
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Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a vehicle allocation management device and a vehicle allocation management method for vehicles transporting passengers and / or cargo. [Background technology]

[0002] An on-demand passenger and cargo mixed loading system is known that calculates a route that passes through passenger boarding and disembarking points and cargo collection points based on passenger movement requests and cargo movement requests, and then provides route guidance based on the route, thereby moving a bus to each passenger boarding and disembarking point and each cargo collection point (see Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 6673037 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, in the above-mentioned conventional passenger and freight mixed transport system, passenger boarding and disembarking points are limited to areas where parking is possible and where cargo can be loaded and unloaded, resulting in a problem of low convenience for passengers.

[0005] An object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle dispatch management device and a vehicle dispatch management method that can improve passenger convenience. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The present invention solves the above problem by identifying whether the transportation object contained in a utilization request received from a user is a passenger or a cargo, and if the transportation object is a passenger, extracting passenger boarding and disembarking locations from a plurality of stopping areas or a plurality of parking areas, and if the transportation object is cargo, extracting cargo loading and unloading locations from a plurality of parking areas. Effect of the Invention

[0007] According to the present invention, passenger convenience can be improved. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] 1A is a diagram illustrating an example of a scene in which a user uses a vehicle in a vehicle dispatch management system using a vehicle dispatch management device according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 1B is a diagram illustrating an example of a scene in which a user uses a vehicle in a vehicle dispatch management system according to a comparative example. [Diagram 2] 1 is a block diagram showing an outline of a vehicle dispatch management system using a vehicle dispatch management device and method according to the present invention. [Diagram 3] FIG. 3A is a diagram for explaining a method for extracting passenger boarding and disembarking points executed by the vehicle dispatch management device of FIG. 2, and FIG. 3B is a diagram for explaining a method for extracting cargo loading and unloading points. [Figure 4A] FIG. 3 is a diagram (part 1) showing an example of a method for setting a boarding location of a passenger, which is executed by the vehicle dispatch management device of FIG. 2. [Figure 4B] FIG. 3 is a diagram (part 2) showing an example of a method for setting a boarding location of a passenger, which is executed by the vehicle dispatch management device of FIG. 2. [Figure 5A] FIG. 11 is a diagram (part 1) showing another example of the method for setting a boarding location of a passenger, which is executed by the vehicle dispatch management device of FIG. [Figure 5B] FIG. 11 is a diagram (part 2) showing another example of the method for setting a boarding location of a passenger, which is executed by the vehicle dispatch management device of FIG. [Figure 6] 3 is a diagram showing an example of a method for setting vehicles to be dispatched, which is executed by the vehicle dispatch management device of FIG. 2. [Figure 7] 3 is a diagram showing an example of a method for setting a new boarding location of a passenger, which is executed by the vehicle dispatch management device of FIG. 2. [Figure 8] 3 is a diagram showing an example of a method for setting a vehicle dispatch location executed by the vehicle dispatch management device of FIG. 2. FIG. [Figure 9]3 is a flowchart showing an example of a vehicle dispatch management control process executed by the vehicle dispatch management device of FIG. 2. [Figure 10] 10 is a flowchart showing an example of a subroutine executed in step S10 of FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0009] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The vehicle dispatch management device and vehicle dispatch management method according to the present invention prepare a vehicle dispatch plan based on a utilization request received from a user and a vehicle dispatch location set from a vehicle dispatch location database in which a plurality of stopping areas and a plurality of parking areas are stored, and transport passengers and / or cargo on the vehicles. When preparing the vehicle dispatch plan, it is identified whether the transportation object included in the utilization request is a passenger or a cargo, and if the transportation object is a passenger, the passenger boarding and alighting point (a collective term for the boarding and alighting points, also referred to as the vehicle dispatch location) is extracted from the stopping area or parking area, and if the transportation object is cargo, the cargo loading and unloading point (a collective term for the loading and unloading points, also referred to as the vehicle dispatch location) is extracted from the parking area.

[0010] The present invention will be described below by taking as an example a vehicle dispatch management system S using the vehicle dispatch management device and method according to the present invention. The vehicle dispatch management system S of this embodiment accepts use reservations from multiple users and determines a vehicle dispatch location according to identification information of the transportation object (whether it is a passenger or cargo) included in the use reservation. Then, a vehicle to be dispatched to the vehicle dispatch location is selected, and a vehicle dispatch plan including an operation plan such as the selected vehicle's travel route and dispatch time is formulated. Based on this vehicle dispatch plan, the system sequentially loads passengers and cargo onto vehicles and transports them to the destination, using vehicles such as manned taxis, unmanned taxis, and commercial vehicles equipped with an autonomous driving function. Below, the system of this example will be described by taking as an example an application to a transportation service using manned taxis.

[0011] FIG. 1(a) is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a scene in which a user uses a vehicle V (a manned taxi) in the vehicle dispatch management system S of this embodiment. In the vehicle dispatch management system S of this embodiment, a user U1 who wishes to transport a person and a user U2 who wishes to transport cargo L input reservation information by operating application software of a terminal device 2 owned by each of them. The user U1 who wishes to transport a person inputs reservation information such as the boarding place, boarding time, number of passengers, disembarking place, and disembarking time desired by the user U1. The user U2 who wishes to transport cargo L inputs reservation information such as the loading place, loading amount, and unloading place desired by the user U2. The vehicle dispatch management device 1 that has received the reservation information of the user U (collectively referring to the users U1 and U2) sets the boarding place BM and disembarking place DM of the user U1, and the loading place BL and unloading place DL of the cargo L. Then, the vehicle V that can meet the request of the user U is extracted from a plurality of prepared vehicles, and a driving route R1→R2→R3→R4 (see dotted line) passing through the vehicle allocation locations BM, BL, DM, and DL is calculated, and an operation plan including the dispatch time to each vehicle allocation location is calculated to create a vehicle dispatch plan. The vehicle dispatch management device 1 presents the operation plan to the vehicle V based on this vehicle dispatch plan, and starts driving guidance to the boarding location BM of the user U1 that was initially set. After boarding the user U1 at the boarding location BM, the vehicle V travels to the loading location BL of the cargo L, and loads the cargo L at the loading location BL. The vehicle V then travels based on the presented operation plan, sequentially disembarking the user U1 at the disembarking location DM, and unloading the cargo L at the unloading location DL.

[0012] FIG. 1(b) is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a scene in which a user uses a vehicle V in a vehicle dispatch management system S according to a comparative example. The scene shown in FIG. 1(b) is a scene in which a user U1 who wishes to transport a person wishes to board at a boarding location BM, and a user U2 who wishes to transport cargo L wishes to load at a loading location BL. The boarding location BM where the user U1 wishes to board is in an area SA1 where parking of vehicles is prohibited but stopping is possible. In contrast, the loading location BL where the user U2 wishes to load cargo L is in an area PA1 where parking of vehicles is possible. Note that parking of a vehicle means parking as defined based on the Road Traffic Act, and includes waiting for passengers, waiting for cargo, and loading and unloading of cargo (for more than 5 minutes) by a vehicle, etc. Stopping of a vehicle means stopping as defined based on the Road Traffic Act, and refers to stopping of a vehicle other than parking, which is stopping of a vehicle.

[0013] Here, when setting the dispatch location of the vehicle V, if the identification information of the transportation object is not associated with the attributes of the dispatch location and calculation is not performed, a problem occurs in that, when the transportation object is a passenger M, the boarding location BM cannot be set even though the area SA1 where the vehicle can stop can be used for boarding and alighting the passenger M. In other words, if it is not determined whether the transportation object is a passenger M or a cargo L and whether the dispatch location is an area where the vehicle can stop or an area where the vehicle can be parked based on the identification information of the transportation object, the dispatch location will be extracted only from the area PA1 where the cargo L can be parked and can be loaded and unloaded, as shown in FIG. 1(b). In such a case, the user U1 who wishes to board the vehicle must travel to the loading location BL of the cargo L, which may be inconvenient. Therefore, in the dispatch management device 1 of this embodiment, it is identified whether the transportation object included in the utilization request is a passenger or a cargo, and if the transportation object is a passenger, the boarding and alighting location of the passenger M is extracted from the stopping area or the parking area, and if the transportation object is the cargo L, the loading and unloading location of the cargo L is extracted from the parking area. Based on the above, the vehicle dispatch management system S of this embodiment will be described.

[0014] Fig. 2 is a block diagram showing an outline of a vehicle dispatch management system S using a vehicle dispatch management device 1 and method according to the present embodiment. As shown in Fig. 2, the vehicle dispatch management system S of the present embodiment includes a vehicle dispatch management device 1 provided in a vehicle dispatch management center or the like, a terminal device 2 possessed by each of a plurality of users U, and an in-vehicle control device 3 possessed by each of a plurality of vehicles V used by the users U. Note that, although Fig. 2 shows only one vehicle dispatch management device 1, one terminal device 2, and one in-vehicle control device 3, the respective numbers of the vehicle dispatch management device 1, the terminal device 2, and the in-vehicle control device 3 constituting the vehicle dispatch management system S of the present embodiment are not particularly limited.

[0015] The vehicle dispatch management device 1 includes a communication unit 18, the terminal device 2 includes a communication unit 22, and the in-vehicle control device 3 includes a communication unit 32, and they are capable of transmitting and receiving information to and from each other via a telecommunications network NW such as the Internet. The communication path may be wired or wireless.

[0016] The terminal device 2 is a computer including a ROM (Read Only Memory) in which a vehicle reservation program is stored, a CPU (Central Processing Unit) as an operating circuit for executing each function by executing the program stored in the ROM, and a RAM (Random Access Memory) that functions as an accessible storage device. The terminal device 2 may be a personal computer, a smartphone, a tablet terminal, a PDA (Personal Digital Assistant), or other portable terminal device. The terminal device 2 may have different forms for a passenger terminal device of a user U1 who wishes to transport a person and a cargo terminal device of a user U2 who wishes to transport cargo.

[0017] The terminal device 2 includes a control unit 21 that executes control processing for the use of vehicle V by user U, a communication unit 22 that communicates with external devices such as the vehicle dispatch management device 1 or the in-vehicle control device 3, an input unit 23 into which user U inputs information such as a usage request for use of vehicle V, a display unit 24 for notifying user U of information, and a position detection unit 25 that detects the position of the terminal device 2.

[0018] The control unit 21 has a function for the user U to use the vehicle V. Specifically, the control unit 21 accepts input information such as a utilization request by the user U to utilize the vehicle V, and transmits it to the vehicle dispatch management device 1 via the communication unit 22. Such utilization request includes a unique identifier (hereinafter, referred to as ID information) of the user U, current location information of the user U, and the like. In addition to this information, when the user U wishes to transport a person, information such as the boarding location, boarding time, number of passengers, disembarking location, and disembarking time desired by the user U is included. In addition, when the user U wishes to transport cargo L, information such as the loading location, loading amount, and unloading location desired by the user U is included.

[0019] For example, when a user U1 who wishes to transport a person, as shown in FIG. 1(a), operates the input unit 23 and performs a reservation process such as boarding at boarding point BM at boarding time t1 and disembarking at disembarking point DM at disembarking time t2, the control unit 21 transmits to the vehicle dispatch management device 1, including in a utilization request the identification information (passenger) of the transportation target, the location information (latitude and longitude) of the boarding point BM, the boarding time t1, the location information (latitude and longitude) of the disembarking point DM, and the disembarking time t2. This starts a reservation process for using the vehicle V desired by the user U1 in the vehicle dispatch management device 1. The reservation process for the vehicle V will be described later. In addition, the transportation target may be identified by selecting whether the transportation target is a passenger M or a cargo L when the user U inputs a utilization request and including the selection in the input information of the utilization request, or by assigning different IDs for the passenger M and the cargo L to the ID information when logging in to the application software.

[0020] Furthermore, when the user U starts or ends use of the vehicle V, the control unit 21 communicates with the vehicle dispatch management device 1 and the in-vehicle control device 3 by short-range wireless communication or the like, and executes authentication processing for the user U. The authentication processing uses the ID information of the user U output from the control unit 21 or the like to determine whether the terminal device 2 that performed the authentication operation is the terminal device 2 that transmitted the usage request.

[0021] The input unit 23 may be, for example, a touch panel or joystick arranged on a display screen that allows the user U to perform manual input operations, or a microphone and a voice recognition device that allows the user U to input voice. The display unit 24 may be a display, and when a touch panel display is used, it may be used in combination with the input unit 23. The user U may transmit, via the input unit 23, to the vehicle dispatch management device 1, information such as the user U's ID information, identification information of the transportation object, and when the transportation object is a passenger M, information such as the desired boarding point, boarding time, number of passengers, disembarking point, and disembarking time, and when the transportation object is cargo L, information such as the desired loading point, loading amount, and unloading point.

[0022] The position detection unit 25 is a position detection device such as a so-called GPS (Global Positioning System) receiver, which acquires current position information of a user U who operates the terminal device 2, and transmits the acquired position information to the vehicle dispatch management device 1. The position information of the user U is used when the vehicle dispatch management device 1 creates a vehicle dispatch plan and for processing to set the boarding location of a passenger M, which will be described later.

[0023] The in-vehicle control device 3 includes a control unit 31 that executes control processing for the use of vehicle V by user U, a communication unit 32 that communicates with external devices such as the vehicle dispatch management device 1 and terminal device 2, an input unit 33 through which an occupant of the vehicle V inputs information, a display unit 34 for presenting information to the occupant of the vehicle V, and a position detection unit 35 composed of a GPS receiver or the like.

[0024] The control unit 31 transmits current position information of the vehicle V acquired using the position detection unit 35 to the vehicle dispatch management device 1. Furthermore, the control unit 31 uses a display unit 34 such as a display to present information such as an operation plan transmitted from the vehicle dispatch management device 1 to the occupant of the vehicle V. The input unit 33 can be a button switch that allows input by manual operation by the occupant, a touch panel on a display, a microphone that allows input by voice of the user U, or the like, and may also be used as the display unit 34 by using a touch panel display.

[0025] The on-board control device 3 may be configured to have an autonomous driving control function. The autonomous driving control function is a function for autonomously controlling the driving of the vehicle without relying on the driver's operation. The autonomous driving control function includes an autonomous speed control function for autonomously controlling the driving speed of the vehicle and an autonomous steering control function for autonomously controlling the steering of the vehicle. Autonomous control without relying on the driver's operation also includes some operations being performed by the driver.

[0026] Furthermore, when the user U starts using the vehicle V and performs an authentication operation using the terminal device 2, the control unit 31 communicates with the vehicle dispatch management device 1 and the terminal device 2, and executes authentication processing for the user U. When the control unit 31 determines that the terminal device 2 that performed the authentication operation is the terminal device 2 that sent the usage request, the control unit 31 permits the user U to use the vehicle V. When the control unit 31 determines that the terminal device 2 that performed the authentication operation is not the terminal device 2 that sent the usage request, the control unit 31 notifies the user U using the display unit 34 or the like that the vehicle V is not the vehicle that the user U has reserved for use. Similarly, when the user U finishes using the vehicle V, if the user U performs an authentication operation using the terminal device 2, the control unit 31 executes authentication processing for the user U.

[0027] The vehicle dispatch management device 1 functions as a server of the vehicle dispatch management system S, and includes a user information database 11a storing various databases, a vehicle dispatch location database 11b, a map database 11c, a vehicle information database 11d, a communication unit 18 capable of communicating with the terminal device 2 and the in-vehicle control device 3, a usage request receiving unit 12 that executes control processing for managing and operating the system, a vehicle dispatch location determination unit 13, a vehicle dispatch planning unit 14, a driving route planning unit 15, a usage request adjustment unit 16, and a vehicle dispatch management unit 17. Note that, although the databases 11a to 11d are configured to be included in the vehicle dispatch management device 1, they may acquire various data by communicating with an external server.

[0028] The user information database 11a accumulates and stores user information such as user ID information, name, address, telephone number, age, service usage status, and other user information of service users who use the vehicle dispatch management system S. The vehicle information database 11d accumulates and stores vehicle information such as vehicle ID information, vehicle model, specifications, number of passengers, loading weight, remaining fuel and power, maintenance status, and other vehicle information. The user information accumulated in the user information database 11a and the vehicle information accumulated in the vehicle information database 11d are used for post-processing such as service reservations, execution, and billing.

[0029] The vehicle information database 11d also stores vehicle travel information transmitted from the vehicle-mounted control device 3 of the vehicle V. Since there are a plurality of vehicles V, the travel information of all vehicles V present in a predetermined service area where the vehicle dispatch management system S provides services is stored in the vehicle information database 11d. The travel information includes at least the position information of the vehicle V, but may also include state information of the vehicle V, such as the traveling direction of the vehicle V, vehicle speed, ON / OFF state of the door lock, open / close state of the door, operating state of the seat belt sensor, and whether or not the vehicle V is autonomously traveling. The travel information also includes information related to dispatch, such as whether a usage request from the user U can be accepted, whether the vehicle V is in service, whether or not it is being refueled, whether or not passengers and cargo are loaded, and whether or not the vehicle V has arrived at the dispatch destination of the movement instruction, in association with the vehicle ID information of each vehicle V.

[0030] The vehicle allocation location database 11b stores vehicle allocation location information of the vehicle V extracted from the map database 11c. The vehicle allocation location information includes at least location information (latitude and longitude) of a point where the vehicle can be stopped, and attribute information as to whether the point is a stopping area or a parking area. A stopping area is an area where the vehicle V can be stopped, and a parking area is an area where the stopping time limit for the vehicle V is longer than that of a stopping area, and where the vehicle V can be stopped continuously.

[0031] In addition to the attribute information of a specific point, the vehicle allocation location information may include attribute information for each road, such as roads where parking and stopping are possible, when there are no restrictions such as parking prohibition and stopping prohibition on the road. In this case, any place on the road near the point where the user U wishes to use the vehicle V can be set as the vehicle allocation location. For example, when transporting cargo L to the user U's home, if the road in front of the user U's home is a road where parking is possible, the point in front of the user U's home among the roads where parking is possible is set as the vehicle allocation location. In addition, the information on the vehicle allocation location set in this way and the user ID information may be associated with each other and stored in the vehicle allocation location database 11b, and when a use request is received from the next time onwards, the information may be presented as the vehicle allocation location registered by the user U. Furthermore, the vehicle allocation location information may include facility information such as a time-share parking lot that the vehicle V can use as a parking area. The convenience of the user is further improved by increasing the options for the vehicle V's vehicle allocation location.

[0032] The map database 11c includes information such as energy supply locations (refueling or charging locations) and waiting locations for the vehicle V, in addition to a so-called navigation map including at least road link information on which the vehicle V can travel. A waiting location for the vehicle V refers to a space where the vehicle V stops when it is in a dispatchable state and waiting for a dispatch request, and one or more waiting locations are set in one service area. In addition to these, the map database 11c includes traffic environment information such as road signs, road markings, and lane marks. It may also include pedestrian road link information for calculating the route the user U will walk.

[0033] When the usage request receiving unit 12 receives a usage request from the terminal device 2 of the user U, it identifies whether the transportation object included in the usage request is a passenger M or cargo L, and transmits a dispatch request signal to the dispatch location determination unit 13 together with the user information stored in the user information database 11a.

[0034] The vehicle allocation location determination unit 13 sets the vehicle allocation location of the vehicle V using the vehicle allocation request signal transmitted from the utilization request reception unit 12 and the vehicle allocation location information stored in the vehicle allocation location database 11b, and transmits the set vehicle allocation location information together with the vehicle allocation request signal to the vehicle allocation plan unit 14. The method of setting the vehicle allocation location of the vehicle V will be described later.

[0035] The vehicle allocation planner 14 formulates a vehicle allocation plan based on the vehicle allocation request signal transmitted from the utilization request receiver 12, the vehicle allocation location information transmitted from the vehicle allocation location determination unit 13, and the vehicle information and vehicle travel information stored in the vehicle information database 11d, and transmits the plan to the vehicle allocation manager 17. The method of formulating the vehicle allocation plan will be described below. First, the vehicle allocation planner 14 uses the travel information of the vehicle V stored in the vehicle information database 11d to extract all vehicles V that can receive a vehicle allocation request, and selects the vehicle V closest to the first vehicle allocation location as the vehicle V to be allocated. Next, the vehicle allocation planner 14 transmits the travel information of the vehicle V together with the vehicle allocation location information to the travel route planner 15, receives the operation plan calculated by the travel route planner 15, and formulates the vehicle allocation plan.

[0036] The driving route planning unit 15 calculates an operation plan including the driving route and dispatch time of the vehicle V using the navigation map stored in the map database 11c based on the driving information and dispatch location information of the vehicle V received from the dispatch planning unit 14, and transmits the operation plan to the dispatch planning unit 14.

[0037] The vehicle allocation management unit 17 presents the vehicle allocation plan transmitted from the vehicle allocation planning unit 14 to the user U via the communication unit 18. If the user U accepts this, the utilization reservation is confirmed. If the utilization reservation is confirmed, the vehicle allocation management unit 17 transmits a vehicle allocation request signal to the vehicle V via the communication unit 18 and also transmits an operation plan. The vehicle V that receives this presents the operation plan on a display unit 34 such as a display and starts driving guidance to head to the first vehicle allocation location.

[0038] In addition, the vehicle allocation management unit 17 controls the stop time of the vehicle V using the vehicle allocation location information stored in the vehicle allocation location database 11b, the traffic environment information stored in the map database 11c, and the travel information of the vehicle V stored in the vehicle information database 11d. For example, when an area where parking is prohibited from 8:00 to 12:00 is detected among the parking areas stored in the vehicle allocation location database 11b based on the road sign information stored in the map database 11c, the vehicle allocation management unit 17 transmits a command signal to the vehicle allocation location determination unit 13 to extract the parking area as a stop area from 8:00 to 12:00. Furthermore, the vehicle allocation management unit 17 monitors the traffic environment around the vehicle allocation location using the travel information of the vehicle V stored in the vehicle information database 11d, and transmits a command signal to the vehicle allocation plan unit 14 to shorten the stop time of the vehicle V and formulate a vehicle allocation plan when traffic congestion occurs or traffic flow is not smooth due to road construction or the like. This is to perform appropriate vehicle allocation management according to the traffic environment.

[0039] When the vehicle allocation plan unit 14 is unable to create a vehicle allocation plan that satisfies the user U's usage requests, the utilization request adjustment unit 16 calculates an alternative vehicle allocation location and vehicle allocation time and presents the alternative vehicle allocation location and vehicle allocation time to the user U via the communication unit 18. When the user U accepts the presented alternative vehicle allocation location and vehicle allocation time, the utilization request adjustment unit 16 transmits an update request signal for the vehicle allocation plan to the vehicle allocation plan unit 14. The vehicle allocation plan unit 14 receives the signal and calculates and updates a new vehicle allocation plan, and the vehicle V is dispatched based on the updated vehicle allocation plan.

[0040] Next, a method for setting a dispatch location for a vehicle V executed by the dispatch location determination unit 13 will be described. When the transportation target included in the dispatch request signal received from the utilization request reception unit 12 is a passenger M, the dispatch location determination unit 13 extracts stopping areas SA1, SA2, SA3, and SA4 in the vicinity of the boarding and disembarking locations desired by the user U1 from the dispatch location database 11b and parking areas PA1 and PA2, as shown in Fig. 3(a), and sets a dispatch location that satisfies the utilization request of the user U1. On the other hand, when the transportation target included in the dispatch request signal is cargo L, the dispatch location determination unit 13 extracts parking areas PA1 and PA2 in the vicinity of the loading and unloading locations desired by the user U2 from the dispatch location database 11b, as shown in Fig. 3(b), and sets a dispatch location that satisfies the utilization request of the user U2. As described above, the stopping area SA (collectively referring to stopping areas SA1 to SA4) is an area where the vehicle V can be stopped, and the parking area PA (collectively referring to parking areas PA1 to PA2) is an area where the stopping time limit for the vehicle V is longer than that of the stopping area SA and where the vehicle V can be stopped continuously.

[0041] When the transportation object is cargo L, depending on the load amount, it takes time to load and unload the cargo L, and furthermore, since collection and delivery of the cargo L may be involved, the stopping time of the vehicle V becomes long. Therefore, the loading and unloading points of the cargo L are extracted from the parking area PA, which has a long stopping time limit. On the other hand, when the transportation object is a passenger M, it does not take a long time to board and disembark, so the boarding and disembarking points of the passenger M are extracted from the vehicle allocation point database 11b including the stop area SA. Since there are more stop areas SA than parking areas PA, by extracting the stop areas SA, the boarding and disembarking points of the passenger M can be set from more options. This can improve the convenience of the passenger M. Note that there are more stop areas SA than parking areas PA, so the boarding and disembarking points of the passenger M are first extracted from the stop areas SA, and if there is no vehicle allocation point that satisfies the utilization request of the user U1, it may be extracted from the parking area PA. This makes it possible to set the boarding and disembarking points of the passenger M while suppressing the computation load.

[0042] The method of setting the vehicle allocation location of the vehicle V may be such that the vehicle allocation location determination unit 13 sets one vehicle allocation location that satisfies the user U's request from the vicinity of the location where the vehicle is desired to be allocated, which is included in the user U's use request, as described above, or may be such that multiple vehicle allocation locations that satisfy the user U's request are presented to the user U, and one vehicle allocation location is selected by the user U. When one vehicle allocation location is selected by the user U, when the use request is accepted, it is identified whether the transportation object is a passenger M or a cargo L, and when the transportation object is a passenger M, multiple stopping areas SA and multiple parking areas PA are presented on the display unit 24 of the terminal device 2 of the user U. On the other hand, when the transportation object is a cargo L, multiple parking areas PA are presented on the display unit 24 of the terminal device 2 of the user U. Then, the vehicle allocation location is set based on the input information selected by the user U. In the following, a case where the vehicle allocation location determination unit 13 sets one vehicle allocation location that satisfies the user U's request will be described.

[0043] FIG. 4A is a diagram showing a scene of setting a boarding location when the transportation target is passenger M. When the transportation target is passenger M, first, the stop area SA and parking area PA near the boarding location desired by user U1 are extracted. Then, when the stop areas SA1, SA2, SA3, and SA4 and the parking areas PA1 and PA2 are extracted, the area closest to the boarding location desired by user U1 (here, the stop area SA3) is set as the boarding candidate location CM1. At this time, it is preferable to extract the boarding candidate location of passenger M within a range (within a dotted line frame) that passenger M is allowed to move to. This is to set a boarding location that is highly convenient for passenger M. The range that passenger M is allowed to move to is not particularly limited, but is a range that passenger M is willing to move to, such as within 1 minute or within 30 m from passenger M's current location.

[0044] Next, the vehicle allocation location determination unit 13 searches for a vehicle V that can receive a vehicle allocation request for traveling near the boarding candidate location CM1, and calculates the predicted arrival time tm of the passenger M at the boarding candidate location CM1 and the predicted arrival time tv of the vehicle V at the boarding candidate location CM1, respectively. Then, when it is predicted from the calculation results that the passenger M will arrive at the boarding candidate location CM1 earlier than the vehicle V (tm < tv), the vehicle allocation location determination unit 13 sets the boarding candidate location CM1 as the boarding location BM of the passenger M. When the passenger M arrives at the boarding candidate location CM1 earlier than the vehicle V, since there is no so-called passenger waiting time, there is no problem in setting the parking area SA3 as it is as the boarding location BM of the passenger M. Thus, the boarding location BM can be set in consideration of the risk of the occurrence of passenger waiting time.

[0045] On the other hand, if it is assumed that the vehicle V arrives at the boarding location BM first and the passenger M arrives late, a passenger waiting time will occur. Therefore, based on the provisions of the Road Traffic Law, the vehicle V must stop at a place where parking is permitted. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 4B, when both the parking area SA3 and the parking area PA1 are included within the range where the passenger M is allowed to move, the parking area PA1 may be set as the boarding location BM of the passenger M. If the parking area PA1 is preferentially set as the boarding location BM over the parking area SA3, even when a passenger waiting time occurs, the vehicle V can be made to wait.

[0046] FIG. 5A and FIG. 5B are diagrams showing a scene where it is predicted that when the boarding candidate location CM1 is the parking area SA3, the passenger M arrives at the boarding candidate location CM1 later than the vehicle V (tv < tm). This is a scene where it is predicted that the vehicle V arrives at the boarding candidate location CM1 earlier than the passenger M and a waiting time for the passenger occurs. In this case, as shown in FIG. 5A, the vehicle allocation location determination unit 13 extracts the parking area SA2 where the passenger M arrives earlier than the vehicle V (tm2 < tv2) as another boarding candidate location CM2, and sets the other boarding candidate location CM2 as the boarding location BM of the passenger M. This is to suppress the occurrence of a waiting time for the passenger. Although not shown in the figure, when the parking area PA is extracted as the boarding candidate location CM1, the vehicle V can continue to stop even if a waiting time for the passenger occurs, so no other boarding candidate location CM2 is extracted, and the parking area PA is directly set as the boarding location BM of the passenger M.

[0047] When extracting another boarding candidate location CM2, it is preferably extracted within a predetermined distance range (within the dashed-dotted line frame) where the passenger M can move, as shown in FIG. 5B. The predetermined distance is not particularly limited, but is a range suitable for extracting another boarding candidate location CM2, such as within 50 m from the current location of the passenger M. In the scene shown in FIG. 5B, since the parking area SA2 that can be extracted as another boarding candidate location CM2 is not included within the predetermined distance range where the passenger M can move, the vehicle allocation location determination unit 13 extracts another boarding candidate location CM2 from the parking areas PA1 and PA2. Then, the parking area PA2 within the predetermined distance range where the passenger M can move is set as the boarding location BM. Thereby, even if a waiting time for the passenger occurs, the vehicle V can be made to wait, and the boarding location BM can be set within the range where the passenger M can move.

[0048] In addition, when it is predicted that the passenger M arrives at the boarding candidate location CM1 later than the vehicle V as in the scenes shown in FIGS. 5A and 5B (tv < tm), other boarding candidate locations CM2 may be extracted only from the parking area PA. Since the vehicle V can be made to wait even if a passenger waiting time occurs in the parking area PA, if other boarding candidate locations CM2 are extracted from the parking area PA, it is possible to set a boarding location BM that can handle the passenger waiting time while suppressing the calculation load. Further, as shown in FIG. 6, instead of extracting other boarding candidate locations CM2, other vehicles V0 (tm < tv0) that arrive at the boarding candidate location CM1 later than the passenger M may be extracted, and the other vehicles V0 may be dispatched to the boarding candidate location CM1. Thereby, it is possible to set the boarding location BM without changing the boarding candidate location CM1 while suppressing the occurrence of a passenger waiting time.

[0049] FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a scene in which the parking area SA3 is set as the boarding location BM when the transport target is the passenger M. This is a scene in which the vehicle V arrives at the boarding location BM earlier than the passenger M and a passenger waiting time occurs. There may be cases where the passenger M cannot arrive at the boarding location BM by the vehicle dispatching time due to some reason, or cases where the vehicle V arrives at the boarding location BM earlier than the vehicle dispatching time due to a change in the traffic environment. In such a case, since the vehicle V cannot wait in the parking area SA, the vehicle dispatching location determination unit 13 extracts a parking area PA near the boarding location BM and sets a new boarding location NM.

[0050] In the scene shown in FIG. 7, the vehicle allocation location determination unit 13 extracts a parking area PA1 near the stop area SA3 set as the boarding location BM, sets the parking area PA1 as the new boarding location NM of the passenger M, and transmits it to the vehicle allocation plan unit 14 and the travel route plan unit 15. The travel route plan unit 15, which receives this, calculates an operation plan that passes through the parking area PA1, updates the operation plan, and transmits it to the vehicle allocation plan unit 14. The vehicle allocation plan unit 14 creates a new vehicle allocation plan based on the updated operation plan, and transmits it to the vehicle allocation management unit 17. The vehicle allocation management unit 17 notifies the user U1 and the driver of the vehicle V of the change in the boarding location BM and the update of the operation plan via the communication unit 18. As a result, even if a waiting time for a passenger occurs after the boarding location BM is set, the vehicle V can be made to wait near the current location of the passenger M.

[0051] As described above, when the transportation target is passenger M, the boarding and alighting points for passenger M can be set from a larger number of options by extracting boarding and alighting points from the vehicle allocation database 11b including the stop area SA. However, when setting the boarding point BM for passenger M, it is necessary to set the boarding point BM taking into consideration the occurrence of waiting time for passengers. On the other hand, when setting the disembarking point DM for passenger M, it is not necessary to consider the occurrence of waiting time for passengers, and it does not take long for passenger M to disembark from the vehicle V, so it is sufficient to extract and set the disembarking point DM that satisfies the utilization request of user U1 from the stop area SA and parking area PA.

[0052] On the other hand, when the transportation object is cargo L, since loading and unloading takes more time than getting on and off the vehicle, it is preferable to extract the loading and unloading location of the cargo L from the parking area PA. Furthermore, if the driver himself collects and delivers the cargo L, the driver must stop the vehicle V in the parking area PA because he or she cannot immediately drive the vehicle V after leaving the vehicle V. However, when a passenger other than the driver collects and delivers the cargo L, the driver does not need to leave the vehicle V, so the loading and unloading location of the cargo L may be extracted from the vehicle allocation location database 11b including the stopping area SA. By extracting the loading and unloading location from the vehicle allocation location database 11b including the stopping area SA according to the transportation status of the cargo L, the convenience of the user U is further improved.

[0053] 8 is a diagram for explaining a method for aggregating and setting the dispatch location of a vehicle V when the dispatch location desired by a user U1 and the dispatch location desired by a user U2 are in close proximity. A scene is shown in which a drop-off location RM desired by a user U1 who wishes to transport a person and a loading location RL desired by a user U2 who wishes to transport cargo L are within a predetermined distance range (black arrow). The predetermined distance is not particularly limited, but is a predetermined distance, such as within 10 m.

[0054] As shown in FIG. 8, when the desired drop-off location RM of user U1 and the desired loading location RL of user U2 are very close to each other, stopping the vehicle V each time reduces the dispatch efficiency. Therefore, the dispatch locations of the vehicle V may be consolidated into one of them. In this case, since loading the cargo L takes more time than disembarking the passenger M, it is preferable to set the dispatch location of the vehicle V to the parking area PA rather than the stopping area SA. In the scene shown in FIG. 8, the parking area PA1, which is the desired loading location RL of user U2, is set as the dispatch location of the vehicle V. This makes it possible to set the dispatch location of the vehicle V taking into account the nature of the transportation target while suppressing the decrease in dispatch efficiency.

[0055] The aggregation of the dispatch locations of the vehicle V is not limited to the case of the passenger M's desired disembarkation location and the desired loading location of the cargo L, but may also be applied to the passenger M's desired disembarkation location and the desired unloading location of the cargo L, or may be applied to the passenger M's desired boarding location and the desired loading or unloading location of the cargo L. Also, the specified distance (black arrow) may be within the range that the passenger M is willing to travel (within the dotted frame in Figures 4A and 4B) as described above. This is to aggregate the dispatch locations to the extent that the passenger M is willing to travel.

[0056] In this way, the boarding and disembarking locations of the passenger M and the loading and unloading locations of the cargo L are set, and the vehicle allocation location determination unit 13 transmits these vehicle allocation locations to the vehicle allocation plan unit 14 together with a vehicle allocation request signal. At this time, if the vehicle allocation location of the vehicle V includes a time-pay parking lot that can be used as a parking area PA, the vehicle allocation management unit 17 may be configured to propose a reservation for the time-pay parking lot to the user U via the communication unit 18, and transmit a parking reservation when the user U accepts this. Alternatively, the vehicle allocation management unit 17 may be configured to automatically transmit a parking reservation without proposing it to the user U. Furthermore, if there are multiple available time-pay parking lots in the vicinity, the less expensive parking lot may be set as the vehicle allocation location. This allows the vehicle V to smoothly secure a vehicle allocation location.

[0057] Next, the control process of the transportation service executed by the vehicle dispatch management device 1 will be described using the scene shown in Fig. 3 as an example. Fig. 9 is a flowchart showing an example of the vehicle dispatch management control process executed by the vehicle dispatch management device 1. Fig. 10 is a flowchart showing an example of a subroutine executed in step S10 of Fig. 9. The control process described below is executed by the vehicle dispatch management device 1 at predetermined time intervals.

[0058] 9, the utilization request receiving unit 12 receives utilization reservations for the vehicle V from a plurality of users U. The reservation information of the user U includes ID information of the user U, identification information of the transportation object, and, if the transportation object is a passenger M, information such as the desired boarding point, boarding time, number of passengers, disembarking point, and disembarking time, and, if the transportation object is cargo L, information such as the desired loading point, loading amount, and unloading point.

[0059] In step S2, the utilization request receiving unit 12 identifies whether the transportation object included in the utilization request of the user U is a passenger M or a cargo L. If the result of the identification in step S2 indicates that the transportation object is cargo L, the process proceeds to step S3, and if the transportation object is not cargo L, i.e., is identified as passenger M, the process proceeds to step S9.

[0060] If the result of step S2 indicates that the transportation target is cargo L, then in step S3, the vehicle allocation location determination unit 13 extracts parking areas PA1, PA2 in the vicinity of the loading and unloading locations of the cargo L desired by the user U2, as shown in Fig. 3(b). In the following step S4, the vehicle allocation location determination unit 13 sets a loading location BL for the cargo L that satisfies the desires of the user U2, and in step S5, sets an unloading location DL for the cargo L that satisfies the desires of the user U2.

[0061] If the result of step S2 indicates that the transportation target is passenger M, then in step S9, the vehicle allocation location determination unit 13 extracts stopping areas SA1, SA2, SA3, and SA4 and parking areas PA1 and PA2 in the vicinity of the boarding and disembarking locations desired by user U1, as shown in Fig. 3(a). In the following step S10, the vehicle allocation location determination unit 13 sets a boarding location BM for passenger M that satisfies the desires of user U1, and in step S11, sets a disembarking location DM for passenger M that satisfies the desires of user U1.

[0062] In step S6, the vehicle dispatch planner 14 selects a vehicle V to be dispatched, creates a vehicle dispatch plan including an operation plan such as a travel route and dispatch time of the vehicle V, and notifies the user of the operation plan in step S7. If the user U accepts this, the utilization reservation is confirmed in step S8.

[0063] In step S10 of FIG. 9, the process shown in FIG. 10 is executed as the execution process for setting the boarding location BM of the passenger M. With reference to FIGS. 4A and 5A, the setting process for the boarding location BM of the passenger M will be described. First, in step S101, the vehicle allocation location determination unit 13 extracts the parking area SA3 that is closest to the boarding location desired by the user U1 from the parking areas SA1, SA2, SA3, SA4 and the parking areas PA1, PA2 extracted in step S9, and sets it as the boarding candidate location CM1.

[0064] In the subsequent step S102, the vehicle allocation location determination unit 13 searches for a vehicle V that can receive a vehicle allocation request for traveling in the vicinity of the boarding candidate location CM1, and calculates the predicted time tm when the passenger M arrives at the boarding candidate location CM1 and the predicted time tv when the vehicle V arrives at the boarding candidate location CM1, respectively.

[0065] In the subsequent step S103, the vehicle allocation location determination unit 13 compares the predicted time tm when the passenger M arrives at the boarding candidate location CM1 with the predicted time tv when the vehicle V arrives at the boarding candidate location CM1, and predicts whether the passenger M arrives at the boarding candidate location CM1 earlier than the vehicle V. As a result of the determination in step S103, as shown in FIG. 4A, if it is predicted that the passenger M arrives at the boarding candidate location CM1 earlier than the vehicle V (tm < tv), the process proceeds to step S104. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 5A, if it is predicted that the passenger M does not arrive earlier than the vehicle V (tv < tm), the process proceeds to step S105.

[0066] As a result of step S103, if it is predicted that the passenger M does not arrive at the boarding candidate location CM1 earlier than the vehicle V, that is, waiting time for the passenger occurs, then in the subsequent step S105, the vehicle allocation location determination unit 13 determines whether the boarding candidate location CM1 is a parking area PA. If the boarding candidate location CM1 is a parking area PA, the process proceeds to step S104. On the other hand, if the boarding candidate location CM1 is not a parking area PA, the process proceeds to step S106.

[0067] As a result of step S103, as shown in FIG. 4A, when it is predicted that the passenger M arrives at the boarding candidate location CM1 earlier than the vehicle V, since so-called passenger waiting time does not occur, the vehicle allocation location determination unit 13 sets the boarding candidate location CM1 (here, the parking area SA3) as the boarding location BM in step S104. Further, as a result of step S103, even when it is predicted that the passenger M does not arrive at the boarding candidate location CM1 earlier than the vehicle V, if it is determined in step S105 that the boarding candidate location CM1 is the parking area PA, since the vehicle V can continue to stop even if passenger waiting time occurs, the boarding candidate location CM1 is set as the boarding location BM as it is in step S104.

[0068] On the other hand, as a result of step S105, when it is determined that the boarding candidate location CM1 is not the parking area PA, that is, it is the parking area SA, considering that passenger waiting time will occur, another boarding candidate location CM2 is extracted in step S106. As shown in FIG. 5A, the vehicle allocation location determination unit 13 sets the parking area SA2 as another boarding candidate location CM2 where the passenger M arrives earlier than the vehicle V (tm2 < tv2), and sets another boarding candidate location CM2 as the boarding location BM of the passenger M in step S107.

[0069] As described above, according to the vehicle allocation management device 1 and the vehicle allocation management method of the present embodiment, when formulating a vehicle allocation plan based on the usage request received from the user U and the vehicle allocation location set from the vehicle allocation database 11b storing a plurality of parking areas SA and a plurality of parking areas PA with longer parking restriction times than the parking area SA, and transporting the passenger M and / or the cargo L, it is identified whether the transport target included in the usage request is the passenger M or the cargo L. When the transport target is the passenger M, the boarding and alighting locations of the passenger M are extracted from the plurality of parking areas SA or the plurality of parking areas PA. When the transport target is the cargo L, the loading and unloading location of the cargo L is extracted from the plurality of parking areas PA. Thereby, since the boarding location BM and the alighting location DM of the passenger M can be set from among many options, the convenience of the passenger M is improved.

[0070] Furthermore, according to the vehicle dispatch management device 1 and vehicle dispatch management method of the present embodiment, when the transportation target is a passenger M, a candidate boarding location CM1 for the passenger M is extracted from a plurality of stopping areas SA or a plurality of parking areas PA, and the times at which the passenger M and the vehicle V will arrive at the candidate boarding location CM1 are predicted, and when it is predicted that the passenger M will arrive at the candidate boarding location CM1 earlier than the vehicle V, the candidate boarding location CM1 is set as the boarding location BM for the passenger. This makes it possible to set the boarding location BM while taking into consideration the risk of passenger waiting time occurring.

[0071] Furthermore, according to the vehicle dispatch management device 1 and vehicle dispatch management method of this embodiment, the candidate boarding location CM1 is extracted within a range within which the passenger M is permitted to travel, so that a boarding location BM that is highly convenient for the passenger M can be set.

[0072] Furthermore, according to the vehicle dispatch management device 1 and vehicle dispatch management method of this embodiment, when both the stopping area SA and the parking area PA are included within the range in which passenger M is permitted to move, the parking area PA is given priority over the stopping area SA and is set as the boarding location BM for passenger M, so that the vehicle V can be made to wait even if there is a waiting time for passengers.

[0073] In addition, according to the vehicle dispatch management device 1 and vehicle dispatch management method of this embodiment, when it is predicted that passenger M will arrive at the candidate boarding location CM1 later than vehicle V and the candidate boarding location CM1 is a stop area SA, another candidate boarding location CM2 where passenger M will arrive earlier than vehicle V is extracted, and the other candidate boarding location CM2 is set as passenger M's boarding location BM, thereby reducing waiting time for passengers.

[0074] Moreover, according to the vehicle dispatch management device 1 and vehicle dispatch management method of the present embodiment, other candidate boarding locations CM2 are extracted within a range of a predetermined distance that the passenger M can travel, and when the stopping area SA is not included within the range of the predetermined distance that the passenger M can travel, other candidate boarding locations CM2 are extracted from a plurality of parking areas PA, and the boarding location BM of the passenger M is set. This allows the vehicle V to wait even if there is a waiting time for passengers, and allows the boarding location BM to be set within a range that the passenger M can travel.

[0075] In addition, according to the vehicle dispatch management device 1 and vehicle dispatch management method of this embodiment, when it is predicted that passenger M will arrive at the candidate boarding location CM1 later than vehicle V, other candidate boarding locations CM2 are extracted from multiple parking areas PA, so that a boarding location BM that can accommodate customer waiting time can be set while reducing the computational load.

[0076] Furthermore, according to the vehicle dispatch management device 1 and vehicle dispatch management method of this embodiment, when it is predicted that passenger M will arrive at the candidate boarding location CM1 later than vehicle V, and the candidate boarding location CM1 is a stopping area SA, another vehicle V0 that will arrive at the candidate boarding location CM1 later than passenger M is extracted, and the other vehicle V0 is dispatched, thereby making it possible to set the boarding location BM without changing the candidate boarding location CM1 while minimizing waiting time for passengers.

[0077] Furthermore, according to the vehicle dispatch management device 1 and vehicle dispatch management method of this embodiment, when the boarding location BM of passenger M is set as the stopping area SA, and passenger M arrives at the boarding location BM later than vehicle V, a parking area PA near the boarding location BM is extracted, presented to passenger M and the occupant of vehicle V, and set as the new boarding location NM of passenger M. As a result, even if a waiting time for passengers arises after the boarding location BM is set, vehicle V can be made to wait near the current location of passenger M.

[0078] Furthermore, according to the vehicle dispatch management device 1 and vehicle dispatch management method of the present embodiment, when a desired boarding or disembarking location of a passenger M and a desired loading or unloading location of a cargo L included in utilization requests received from a plurality of users U are within a predetermined distance, a parking area PA is given priority over a stopping area SA to set one vehicle dispatch location. This makes it possible to set a vehicle dispatch location for a vehicle V taking into consideration the nature of the transportation target while suppressing a decrease in dispatch efficiency.

[0079] In addition, according to the vehicle dispatch management device 1 and vehicle dispatch management method of this embodiment, when the transportation object is cargo L and a passenger other than the driver of the vehicle V collects and / or delivers the cargo L, the loading and unloading locations of the cargo L are extracted from multiple stopping areas SA or multiple parking areas PA, thereby further improving the convenience for the user U.

[0080] In addition, according to the vehicle dispatch management device 1 and vehicle dispatch management method of this embodiment, the traffic environment around the dispatch location of the vehicle V is detected, and the stop time of the vehicle V is controlled based on the detected traffic environment information, thereby enabling appropriate vehicle dispatch management to be performed according to the traffic environment.

[0081] In addition, according to the vehicle dispatch management device 1 and vehicle dispatch management method of this embodiment, the vehicle dispatch location database 11b stores information on roads where parking is possible, information on roads where the vehicle can be stopped, and parking lot information, thereby increasing the options for vehicle dispatch locations for the vehicle V and further improving the convenience for the user U.

[0082] In addition, according to the vehicle dispatch management device 1 and vehicle dispatch management method of this embodiment, when the dispatch location of vehicle V is set to a parking area PA and the dispatch location is a reservable parking lot, a parking reservation is sent, so that the dispatch location of vehicle V can be smoothly secured.

[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. [Explanation of symbols]

[0084] S…Vehicle dispatch management system 1...Vehicle allocation management device 2...Terminal device 3…In-vehicle control device V, V0…Vehicle U, U1, U2...User M... Passenger L…Cargo PA, PA1, PA2...Parking area SA, SA1, SA2, SA3, SA4...Stopping area BM…Boarding point DM…Drop-off point BL…Place of loading DL: Unloading point

Claims

1. A vehicle dispatch management device including a processor that creates a vehicle dispatch plan based on a utilization request received from a user and a vehicle dispatch location set from a vehicle dispatch location database that stores a plurality of stopping areas and a plurality of parking areas having a longer stopping time limit than the stopping areas, and controls vehicles that transport passengers and / or cargo, The processor, Identifying whether the transportation object included in the utilization request is the passenger or the cargo; When the transportation object is the passenger, extracting a boarding / alighting point of the passenger from the plurality of stopping areas or the plurality of parking areas; a vehicle dispatch management device that extracts a loading / unloading location for the cargo from the plurality of parking areas when the transportation object is the cargo;

2. When the transportation target is the passenger, extracting a candidate boarding location for the passenger from the plurality of stopping areas or the plurality of parking areas; Predicting the times when the passenger and the vehicle will arrive at the candidate boarding locations, respectively; 2. The vehicle dispatch management device according to claim 1, wherein when it is predicted that the passenger will arrive at the boarding candidate location earlier than the vehicle, the boarding candidate location is set to the boarding location of the passenger.

3. The vehicle dispatch management device according to claim 2 , wherein the candidate boarding locations are extracted within a range within which the passenger is permitted to move.

4. A vehicle dispatch management device as described in claim 3, wherein when both the stopping area and the parking area are included within the range in which the passenger is permitted to move, the parking area is given priority over the stopping area and set as the passenger's boarding location.

5. When it is predicted that the passenger will arrive at the boarding candidate location later than the vehicle, and the boarding candidate location is the stop area, A vehicle dispatch management device according to any one of claims 2 to 4, further comprising: extracting another candidate boarding location where the passenger will arrive earlier than the vehicle; and setting the other candidate boarding location as the boarding location of the passenger.

6. The other boarding candidate locations are extracted within a range of a predetermined distance that the passenger can travel, A vehicle dispatch management device as described in claim 5, wherein when the stopping area is not included within a predetermined distance range that the passenger can travel, another candidate boarding location is extracted from the multiple parking areas and set as the boarding location for the passenger.

7. The vehicle dispatch management device according to claim 5 or 6, wherein when it is predicted that the passenger will arrive at the candidate boarding location later than the vehicle, the other candidate boarding location is extracted from the plurality of parking areas.

8. When it is predicted that the passenger will arrive at the boarding candidate location later than the vehicle, and the boarding candidate location is the stop area, The vehicle dispatch management device according to any one of claims 2 to 4, further comprising: extracting another vehicle that will arrive at the boarding candidate location later than the passenger; and dispatching the other vehicle.

9. When the boarding location of the passenger is set to the stop area and the passenger arrives at the boarding location of the passenger later than the vehicle, A vehicle dispatch management device according to any one of claims 2 to 8, which extracts a parking area near the passenger's boarding location, presents it to the passenger and a passenger in the vehicle, and sets it as the passenger's new boarding location.

10. A vehicle dispatch management device as described in any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein when the passenger's desired boarding or disembarking location and the cargo's desired loading or unloading location included in the usage requests received from multiple users are within a predetermined distance, a vehicle dispatch location is set by prioritizing the parking area over the stopping area.

11. A vehicle dispatch management device as described in any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein when the transportation object is cargo and a passenger other than the driver of the vehicle collects and / or delivers the cargo, a loading and unloading location for the cargo is extracted from the plurality of stopping areas or the plurality of parking areas.

12. 12. The vehicle dispatch management device according to claim 1, further comprising: detecting a traffic environment around a dispatch location of the vehicle; and controlling a stop time of the vehicle based on the detected traffic environment information.

13. 13. The vehicle allocation management device according to claim 1, wherein the vehicle allocation location database stores information on roads where parking is possible, information on roads where stopping is possible, and information on parking lots.

14. The vehicle allocation management device according to claim 13, wherein when the vehicle allocation location of the vehicle is set to the parking area and the vehicle allocation location is a reservable parking lot, a parking reservation is transmitted.

15. A vehicle allocation management method for vehicles transporting passengers and / or cargo, which formulates a vehicle allocation plan based on a utilization request received from a user and a vehicle allocation location set from a vehicle allocation location database storing a plurality of stopping areas and a plurality of parking areas having a longer stopping time limit than the stopping areas, comprising: Identifying whether the transportation object included in the utilization request is the passenger or the cargo; When the transportation object is the passenger, extracting a boarding / alighting point of the passenger from the plurality of stopping areas or the plurality of parking areas; When the transportation object is cargo, a loading and unloading site for the cargo is extracted from the plurality of parking areas.

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