Garbage collection determination system

Abstract

To enhance a possibility in which a determination of collection can be performed in line with actual collection work.SOLUTION: A garbage collection determination system comprises: a vehicle position acquisition unit for acquiring a vehicle position that is a position of a garbage collection vehicle; a collection position acquisition unit for acquiring a collection position of garbage by the garbage collection vehicle; a collection determination range acquisition unit for acquiring a collection determination range for determining whether or not the garbage at the collection position has been already collected; a collection determination unit for determining that the garbage has been collected at the collection position within the collection determination range when the vehicle position and the collection position are included in the collection determination range; and a collection determination range control unit for increasing the size of the collection determination range including the vehicle position according to a stopping period of the garbage collection vehicle.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a garbage collection determination system.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, a system for determining whether garbage has been collected by a garbage collection vehicle is known. Patent Document 1 discloses a technique for grasping the position of a garbage collection vehicle and determining that garbage is being collected when the garbage collection vehicle is stopped at a garbage collection point. Further, a technique for determining that the collection of garbage has ended when the garbage collection vehicle leaves the garbage collection point is disclosed.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] In a garbage collection vehicle, workers may collect garbage from a plurality of collection positions during a single stop. In the conventional technology, it has not been possible to accurately determine whether garbage has been collected from such collection positions.

[0005] The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object thereof is to increase the possibility of performing collection determination in accordance with actual collection work.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] To achieve the above object, the garbage collection determination system of the present invention includes a vehicle position acquisition unit that acquires a vehicle position which is the position of a garbage collection vehicle, a collection position acquisition unit that acquires a garbage collection position by the garbage collection vehicle, a collection determination range acquisition unit that acquires a collection determination range for determining whether the garbage at the collection position has been collected, and a collection determination unit that determines that the garbage has been collected at the collection position within the collection determination range when the vehicle position and the collection position are included in the collection determination range, and a collection determination range control unit that expands the size of the collection determination range including the vehicle position according to the parking period of the garbage collection vehicle.

[0007] When a worker collects garbage from a plurality of collection positions during one stop, the stop period becomes longer compared to the case where the worker collects garbage from one collection position during one stop. Therefore, in the garbage collection determination system, the configuration is such that the size of the collection range is expanded according to the stop period of the garbage collection determination system. According to this configuration, when the vehicle position and the collection position are included in the collection determination range, by determining that the garbage has been collected at the collection position, the possibility of performing a collection determination in accordance with the actual collection work can be increased.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0008]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Figure 6

Figure 7

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0009] The embodiments will be described in the following order. (1) Configuration of the garbage collection determination system: (2) Garbage collection determination process: (3) Other embodiments:

[0010] (1) Configuration of the garbage collection determination system: FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the garbage collection determination system 20. In the present embodiment, the garbage collection determination system 20 cooperates with the vehicle position transmission system 10. The vehicle position transmission system 10 is a system mounted on the garbage collection vehicle, and transmits the vehicle position generated by the garbage collection vehicle to the garbage collection determination system 20.

[0011] In the present embodiment, the vehicle position is the current position of the garbage collection vehicle, and the vehicle positions at regular intervals are collected by the vehicle position transmission system 10 and transmitted to the garbage collection determination system 20. In the present embodiment, it is assumed that there are a plurality of garbage collection vehicles. Each of the garbage collection vehicles is equipped with the vehicle position transmission system 10, but only one of them is shown in FIG. 1.

[0012] The vehicle position is transmitted from each garbage collection vehicle, and the garbage collection determination system 20 identifies the garbage collection history at each garbage collection vehicle based on the vehicle positions transmitted from the plurality of garbage collection vehicles. The garbage collection determination system 20 is used by an administrator or the like who manages a plurality of garbage collection vehicles.

[0013] The vehicle position transmission system 10 includes a control unit 11 including a CPU, a RAM, a ROM, etc., a communication unit 13, and a GNSS reception unit 14. The communication unit 13 is a device for performing wireless communication with an external device. The transmission and reception of information between the control unit 11 and the garbage collection determination system 20 are performed via the communication unit 13.

[0014] The GNSS receiver unit 14 is a device that receives signals of the Global Navigation Satellite System. The GNSS receiver unit 14 receives radio waves from navigation satellites and outputs a signal for calculating the position of the vehicle via an interface (not shown). The control unit 11 acquires this signal to obtain the vehicle position.

[0015] In this embodiment, the vehicle position is used for determining whether garbage collection has been performed. That is, the closer the vehicle position approaches the garbage collection position and satisfies a predetermined criterion, the more it is regarded that the garbage has been collected by the garbage collection vehicle. For this reason, it is preferable that the vehicle position of the garbage collection vehicle be defined such that it can be determined whether garbage has been collected based on the distance from the garbage collection position. In this embodiment, the garbage collection vehicle has an opening at the rear of the collection vehicle, and collects garbage by throwing the garbage into the opening. Therefore, the working area when collecting garbage is near the rear of the collection vehicle. For this reason, it is preferable that the vehicle position be the position of the rear part. In this embodiment, the signal output by the GNSS receiver unit 14 indicates the position of the GNSS receiver unit 14. Since the GNSS receiver unit 14 is present at the front of the vehicle, the control unit 11 obtains the position of the rear part by offsetting the position of the GNSS receiver unit 14 by a predetermined distance in the rear direction of the vehicle traveling direction, and regards it as the vehicle position.

[0016] The control unit 11 can execute various programs stored in a ROM or a recording medium (not shown). The control unit 11 of this embodiment can execute a vehicle position transmission program 110 as one of these programs. When the vehicle position transmission program 110 is executed, the control unit 11 functions as a vehicle position transmission unit 111. The control unit 11, by the function of the vehicle position transmission unit 111, acquires the vehicle position at regular intervals and transmits the vehicle position to the garbage collection determination system 20 via the communication unit 13.

[0017] To transmit the vehicle position, the control unit 11, by virtue of the function of the vehicle position transmission unit 111, acquires the current location of the garbage collection vehicle based on the output signal of the GNSS reception unit 14 at regular intervals. Further, the control unit 11, by virtue of the function of the vehicle position transmission unit 111, acquires the current time based on a timing circuit (not shown), associates the current time with the current location of the garbage collection vehicle, and records it as the vehicle position in a RAM or a recording medium (not shown).

[0018] Then, the control unit 11, by virtue of the function of the vehicle position transmission unit 111, associates the vehicle ID of the garbage collection vehicle with the vehicle positions collected within a predetermined period, and transmits it to the garbage collection determination system 20 via the communication unit 13. By performing the above processing in each garbage collection vehicle, the garbage collection determination system 20 accumulates vehicle position information, which is the driving history of each garbage collection vehicle.

[0019] Next, the garbage collection determination system 20 will be described. The garbage collection determination system 20 includes a control unit 21 equipped with a CPU, RAM, ROM, etc., a recording medium 22, a communication unit 23, and a user I / F unit 24. The control unit 21 can execute various programs stored in the recording medium 22 and the ROM. The control unit 21 of the present embodiment can execute a garbage collection determination program 210 as one of these programs.

[0020] The communication unit 23 is a device for performing wireless communication with an external device. The control unit 21 communicates with the vehicle position transmission system 10 via the communication unit 23 to exchange various information. The user I / F unit 24 is an interface unit for inputting user instructions and providing various information to the user, and includes a touch panel type display (not shown), switches, speakers, etc. That is, the user I / F unit 24 includes an output unit for outputting images and sounds and an input unit for inputting instructions by the user.

[0021] The recording medium 22 can store various types of information. In this embodiment, collection location information 222 and map information 223 are pre-recorded. Also, during the operation of the garbage collection determination system 20, vehicle position information 221 and collection history information 224 are acquired and recorded on the recording medium 22.

[0022] The collection location information 222 is information indicating the collection location of garbage. Coordinates of the preset garbage collection locations on or around the road are recorded on the recording medium 22 as the collection location information 222. In this embodiment, the collection location information 222 defines the garbage collection locations in the same coordinate system as the map shown by the map information 223. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating the garbage collection locations. In the example shown in FIG. 2, preset collection locations P1 to P6 around the road (such as the sidewalk around the lane) are illustrated.

[0023] The map information 223 includes node data indicating the positions of nodes corresponding to the endpoints of road sections, shape interpolation point data indicating the positions of shape interpolation points for specifying the shape of the road between nodes, link data indicating the links connecting the nodes, and the like. Here, a node corresponds to an intersection, and a link corresponds to a road section from one intersection to another.

[0024] In this embodiment, information indicating the road section indicated by the link data is associated with the link data. Specifically, when there is a median strip in the road section, information indicating the presence of the median strip is associated. Also, information regarding the lanes is associated with the link data. That is, the number of lanes and the direction of travel are associated. Therefore, in the case of two-way traffic, opposite directions are associated with each of the plurality of lanes existing on both sides of the road.

[0025] The vehicle position information 221 is information indicating the vehicle position of the garbage collection vehicle transmitted from the vehicle position transmission system 10. As described above, the vehicle position is the vehicle position of the garbage collection vehicle at each time interval, and the vehicle ID of each garbage collection vehicle is associated therewith. The collection history information 224 is information indicating the collection position where garbage has been collected by each garbage collection vehicle. That is, the collection position determined to have had garbage collected by each garbage collection vehicle is associated with information indicating that it has been collected, and is recorded on the recording medium 22 as the collection history information 224. In the collection history information 224, it is assumed that the collection position is specified by coordinates, but other modes, for example, a mode specified by the ID of the collection position, etc. may also be acceptable.

[0026] When the control unit 21 executes the garbage collection determination program 210, the control unit 21 functions as a vehicle position acquisition unit 211, a collection position acquisition unit 212, a collection determination range acquisition unit 213, a collection determination unit 214, a collection determination range control unit 215, and a collection history output unit 216.

[0027] The vehicle position acquisition unit 211 is a function for acquiring the vehicle position that is the position of the garbage collection vehicle. That is, the control unit 21, by the function of the vehicle position acquisition unit 211, acquires the vehicle position transmitted from the vehicle position transmission system 10 via the communication unit 23, and records it on the recording medium 22 as the vehicle position information 221. As a result, a history of the vehicle positions of each garbage collection vehicle associated with the vehicle ID of the garbage collection vehicle is recorded.

[0028] The collection position acquisition unit 212 is a function for acquiring the collection position of the garbage by the garbage collection vehicle. That is, the control unit 21, by the function of the collection position acquisition unit 212, acquires the collection position information 222 recorded on the recording medium 22. Specifically, in the present embodiment, the control unit 21 specifies the collection position where garbage has been collected for each garbage collection vehicle, and generates a collection history for each garbage collection vehicle. For this purpose, the control unit 21 refers to the collection position information 222 and acquires the coordinates of the collection positions existing within the vicinity (for example, a predetermined distance) of the garbage collection vehicle.

[0029] The collection determination range acquisition unit 213 has a function of acquiring a collection determination range for determining whether the garbage at the collection position has been collected. In the present embodiment, although the shape and size of the collection determination range are variable, the reference shape and size before the change are determined in advance. The reference shape and size are not limited, but in the present embodiment, it is a circle. Also, in the present embodiment, the collection determination range is a circle centered on the collection position of the garbage.

[0030] In FIG. 2, for each of the collection positions P1 to P6, there is a circular collection range that is the reference shape and size. It is shown by the solid-line circles centered on the collection positions P1 to P6. The control unit 21 only needs to be able to acquire a collection determination range with such a reference shape and size by the function of the collection determination range acquisition unit 213. The collection determination range may be specified by various methods, but in the present embodiment, the control unit 21 acquires the reference collection determination range by acquiring the radius of the circle that is the reference shape and size.

[0031] The collection determination unit 214 has a function of determining that the garbage has been collected at the collection position within the collection determination range when the vehicle position and the collection position are included in the collection determination range. That is, the control unit 21 determines whether the vehicle position is included in the collection determination range by the function of the collection determination unit 214, and when the vehicle position is included in the collection determination range, it is considered that the garbage has been collected at the collection position included in the collection determination range. For example, in the example shown in FIG. 2, the vehicle position Pc of the garbage collection vehicle C is included in the collection determination range R3 of the collection position P3. In this situation, the control unit 21 determines that the garbage at the collection position P3 has been collected.

[0032] In the present embodiment, the collection determination range is associated with each collection position. Therefore, one collection position is included in one collection determination range. For this reason, based on the presence of the vehicle position within the collection determination range, it can be determined that the garbage has been collected from the collection position associated with the collection determination range.

[0033] However, in the actual operation of the garbage collection vehicle, it is often the case that the operator collects garbage from multiple collection positions while the garbage collection vehicle is stopped or decelerating. For example, in the example shown in FIG. 2, the operator who has collected the garbage at the collection position P3 may also collect the garbage at the collection position P4. When there is only one collection position included in the collection determination range, it is impossible to determine whether the garbage at multiple collection positions has been collected.

[0034] Therefore, in the present embodiment, when garbage is collected at a plurality of collection positions, attention is paid to the fact that the length of time during which the garbage collection vehicle is stopped or substantially stopped becomes longer compared to the case where the garbage collection vehicle moves every time garbage is collected at one collection position. That is, in the present embodiment, it is configured to be able to determine the presence or absence of collection at a plurality of locations based on the length of the stop period. Specifically, the larger the stop period of the garbage collection vehicle, the larger the size of the collection determination range is expanded.

[0035] The collection determination range control unit 215 is a function of expanding the size of the collection determination range that includes the vehicle position according to the stop period of the garbage collection vehicle. That is, the control unit 21 refers to the vehicle position information 221 and acquires the history of the vehicle position of the garbage collection vehicle to be determined. Further, the control unit 21 specifies the vehicle speed of the garbage collection vehicle based on the vehicle position and the time associated with the vehicle position. Then, when the vehicle speed of the garbage collection vehicle is equal to or lower than a predetermined value, the control unit 21 regards the vehicle as being stopped, and the longer the period during which the garbage collection vehicle is stopped, the larger the size of the collection determination range is expanded. The mode of expanding the collection determination range may be various modes. For example, a configuration in which a parameter (such as the radius of a circle or the major axis of an ellipse) indicating the size increases in proportion to time can be adopted.

[0036] In the present embodiment, the expansion of the size of the collection determination range is performed in a direction perpendicular to the traveling direction of the garbage collection vehicle. That is, the control unit 21 refers to the vehicle position information 221 and specifies the traveling direction of the vehicle based on the vehicle positions before and after the period during which the garbage collection vehicle is stopped. Note that the traveling direction of the vehicle may be specified based on the direction in which the road where the vehicle position exists extends.

[0037] Then, the control unit 21 sets the direction perpendicular to the traveling direction of the garbage collection vehicle as the expansion direction, and expands the collection determination range in the expansion direction. The shape of the expanded collection determination range is not limited. For example, when it is an ellipse, a configuration in which the size of the ellipse is changed so that the major axis extends in the expansion direction can be cited. FIG. 3 assumes that the garbage collection vehicle C is stopped around the collection position P3, and during that time, the work vehicle has collected the garbage at the collection positions P3 and P4. In FIG. 3, an example is shown in which the collection determination range R3 is expanded in the direction perpendicular to the traveling direction of the garbage collection vehicle due to the stop of the garbage collection vehicle C.

[0038] Also, in the present embodiment, the size of the collection determination range is configured to expand according to the road conditions around the garbage collection vehicle. That is, the control unit 21 refers to the vehicle position information 221 and the map information 223, and identifies the road where the vehicle position of the garbage collection vehicle exists during the period when the garbage collection vehicle is stopped. Further, the control unit 21 determines whether there is a road connecting to the road where the vehicle position of the garbage collection vehicle exists in the vicinity (for example, within a predetermined distance) of the vehicle position.

[0039] When there is a road connecting to the road where the vehicle position of the garbage collection vehicle exists, the control unit 21 sets the collection determination range associated with the collection position existing along the connecting road in the direction along the connecting road. Then, the control unit 21 expands the collection determination range in that direction. The shape of the expanded collection determination range is not limited. For example, when it is an ellipse, a configuration in which the size of the ellipse is changed so that the major axis extends in the expansion direction can be cited. FIG. 4 assumes that the garbage collection vehicle C is stopped around the collection position P5, and the operator has collected the garbage from the collection position P5 existing along the road connecting to the road where the garbage collection vehicle C exists. In the example shown in FIG. 4, the collection determination range R5 of the collection position P5 is expanded in the direction along the road Rd.

[0040] The control unit 21 determines that the garbage at the collection positions included in the expanded collection determination range has been collected when the vehicle position is included in the expanded collection determination range by the function of the collection determination unit 214. Therefore, as a result of the expansion, if a plurality of collection positions are included in the collection determination range, it is determined that the garbage at the plurality of collection positions has been collected. As a result, even if the work of collecting the garbage at a plurality of collection positions is performed during the parking period of the garbage collection vehicle once, the possibility of performing a collection determination according to the actual work can be increased. Note that information indicating that the garbage has been collected (for example, a flag or the like) is associated with the collection position determined to have been collected and recorded on the recording medium 22 as the collection history information 224.

[0041] For example, in the example shown in FIG. 3, when the collection determination range R3 associated with the collection position P3 expands, the collection position P4 is also included in the collection determination range R3. Therefore, in this case, the control unit 21 determines that the garbage at the collection positions P3 and P4 included in the collection determination range R3 where the vehicle position exists has been collected. According to the above configuration, it is possible to determine that the operator has collected the garbage at the collection positions P3 and P4 existing on both sides of the road while the garbage collection vehicle is stopped. As a result, the possibility that there is a collection position where the garbage has been collected but is not determined to have been collected can be reduced.

[0042] Furthermore, in the example shown in FIG. 4, when the collection determination range R5 associated with the collection position P5 expands, the collection position P5 and the vehicle position Pc are included in the collection determination range R5. Therefore, in this case, the control unit 21 determines that the garbage at the collection position P5 included in the collection determination range R5 where the vehicle position exists has been collected. According to the above configuration, it is possible to determine that the operator has collected the garbage at the collection position P5 where the garbage collection vehicle is not approaching. As a result, the possibility that there is a collection position where the garbage has been collected but is not determined to have been collected can be reduced.

[0043] The collection history output unit 216 is a function that outputs the collection history to the output unit. That is, the control unit 21 causes the output unit of the user I / F unit 24 to display whether or not the garbage has been collected at the collection position in response to the user's input to the input unit of the user I / F unit 24. At this time, the user can specify the object to be displayed. For example, it is possible to specify to output whether or not the garbage has been collected for each collection position existing within a predetermined range, or to output whether or not the garbage has been collected for each collection position assigned to a specific garbage collection vehicle, etc.

[0044] The control unit 21 controls the user I / F unit 24 and causes the output unit to output information indicating whether or not the garbage has been collected at the collection position of the output target based on these specifications. Note that the output mode is not limited, and it may be a list showing the collection position and the presence or absence of collection, or it may be a map including icons indicating the collection position and the presence or absence of collection, and various configurations can be adopted. According to the above configuration, the user of the garbage collection determination system 20 can recognize whether or not the garbage has been collected at each collection position.

[0045] (2) Garbage collection determination process: FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing an example of the garbage collection determination process. Each time the vehicle position is transmitted from the vehicle position transmission system 10 by the function of the vehicle position acquisition unit 211, the control unit 21 receives the vehicle position via the communication unit 23 and records it as the vehicle position information 221. The garbage collection determination process shown in FIG. 5 is performed for each garbage collection vehicle in a state where such collection of the vehicle position information 221 is being performed.

[0046] Also, the garbage collection determination process may be performed in real time when the garbage collection vehicle is collecting, or may be executed in response to a predetermined trigger (for example, after the collection by the garbage collection vehicle is completed, etc.). Here, a mode of determining in real time whether or not the garbage has been collected while the garbage collection vehicle is running will be described. Also, the garbage collection determination process is executed for each of a plurality of garbage collection vehicles, but here, the garbage collection determination process will be described focusing on the case where a certain garbage collection vehicle is the processing target.

[0047] When the garbage collection determination process is started, the control unit 21 determines whether the vehicle position is included in the collection determination range by the functions of the collection position acquisition unit 212, the collection determination range acquisition unit 213, and the collection determination unit 214 (step S100). Specifically, the control unit 21 acquires, from the vehicle position information 221, the vehicle position transmitted from the vehicle position transmission system 10 of the garbage collection vehicle to be processed and not referred to in the process of step S100 in the past loop process by the function of the collection determination unit 214.

[0048] Also, the control unit 21 refers to the collection position information 222 by the function of the collection position acquisition unit 212, and acquires the coordinates of the collection positions existing within the vicinity (for example, a predetermined distance) of the acquired vehicle position. Further, the control unit 21 acquires, by the function of the collection determination range acquisition unit 213, a range with a predetermined radius from the coordinates of each collection position as the collection determination range. Then, the control unit 21 compares the vehicle position with the collection determination range, and determines whether the vehicle position is included in the collection determination range. For example, in the state shown in FIG. 2, when the vehicle position Pc and the collection determination range R3 are compared, it is determined that the vehicle position is included in the collection determination range.

[0049] In step S100, when it is determined that the vehicle position is included in the collection determination range, the control unit 21 determines, by the function of the collection determination unit 214, that the garbage at the collection position within the collection determination range has been collected (step S105). For example, in the example shown in FIG. 2, it is determined that the garbage at the collection position P3 has been collected. On the other hand, in step S100, when it is determined that the vehicle position is not included in the collection determination range, the control unit 21 skips step S105.

[0050] When step S105 is executed or skipped, the control unit 21 determines whether the vehicle speed is less than or equal to a preset value (step S110). That is, the control unit 21 refers to the vehicle position information 221 and obtains the vehicle speed of the garbage collection vehicle based on the vehicle position within a predetermined time before the latest vehicle position and the time associated with the vehicle position. Then, the control unit 21 determines whether the vehicle speed is less than or equal to the preset value (step S110).

[0051] If it is determined in step S110 that the vehicle speed is less than or equal to the preset value, the loop process of steps S110 to S140 is executed. If it is not determined in step S110 that the vehicle speed is less than or equal to the preset value, the loop process of steps S110 to S140 is exited. In this case, the control unit 21 returns the size of the collection determination range to the reference size (step S150). That is, the control unit 21 returns the size of the collection determination range to the reference size if the size of the collection determination range has been expanded from the reference size by the loop process of steps S110 to S140. Note that if it is determined in step S110 that the vehicle speed is less than or equal to the preset value before entering the loop process of steps S110 to S140 and the collection determination range has not been expanded, step S150 may be skipped.

[0052] In step S110, when it is determined that the vehicle speed is equal to or lower than a preset value, that is, when it can be considered that the garbage collection vehicle is stopped, the control unit 21 expands the collection determination range in a direction perpendicular to the traveling direction of the garbage collection vehicle by the function of the collection determination range control unit 215 (step S115). Specifically, the control unit 21 refers to the vehicle position information 221 to identify the traveling direction of the garbage collection vehicle. Further, the control unit 21 identifies the period during which the state where the vehicle speed of the garbage collection vehicle is equal to or lower than the preset value continues based on the vehicle position information 221 obtained after the loop process of steps S110 to S140 was last started, and acquires it as the stop period. Then, the control unit 21 expands the collection determination range in a direction perpendicular to the traveling direction of the garbage collection vehicle according to the length of the stop period. In the present embodiment, the expanded collection determination range is the collection determination range associated with the collection position closest to the vehicle position, but other configurations, for example, the collection determination range associated with the collection positions existing within a preset range from the vehicle position may be expanded.

[0053] Next, the control unit 21 determines whether there is a connecting road around the garbage collection vehicle by the function of the collection determination range control unit 215 (step S120). That is, the control unit 21 refers to the vehicle position information 221 and the map information 223, and identifies the vehicle position of the garbage collection vehicle based on the vehicle position information 221 obtained after the loop process of steps S110 to S140 was last started. Further, the control unit 21 determines whether there is a road connecting to the road where the vehicle position of the garbage collection vehicle exists around the vehicle position.

[0054] In step S120, when it is determined that there is a connecting road around the garbage collection vehicle, the control unit 21 expands the collection determination range associated with the collection position existing along the connecting road in the direction along the connecting road (step S125). Note that when there is no collection position along the connecting road, the expansion of the collection determination range is not executed. In step S120, when it is determined that there is no connecting road around the garbage collection vehicle, step S125 is skipped.

[0055] When step S125 is executed, or when step S125 is skipped, the control unit 21 determines whether the vehicle position is included in the enlarged collection determination range (step S130). That is, the control unit 21 compares the vehicle position indicated by the vehicle position information 221 acquired after the loop process of steps S110 to S140 was last started with the collection determination range enlarged in step S115 or the like, and determines whether the vehicle position is included in the collection determination range.

[0056] In step S130, when it is determined that the vehicle position is included in the enlarged collection determination range, the control unit 21 determines that the garbage at the collection position within the collection determination range has been collected (step S140). This process is equivalent to the process of step S105. However, when the process of step S140 is executed, since the collection determination range is enlarged, there may be a collection position that was not included in the immediately previous collection determination range but is included in the enlarged collection determination range. As a result, there is a possibility that the collection position determined to have had the garbage collected will increase.

[0057] After this, the control unit 21 returns to step S110 and continues the process. On the other hand, in step S130, when it is determined that the vehicle position is not included in the enlarged collection determination range, the control unit 21 skips step S140 and returns to step S110. Therefore, when the vehicle speed is equal to or lower than the preset value, the loop process of steps S110 to S140 is repeated. However, when the vehicle speed becomes greater than the preset value, the control unit 21 exits the loop process of steps S110 to S140 and repeats the processes after step S100 via step S150.

[0058] (3) Other embodiments: The above embodiments are examples for implementing the present invention, and various other embodiments can also be adopted. For example, the garbage collection determination system 20 may be a system realized by a plurality of devices. At least a part of the vehicle position acquisition unit 211, collection position acquisition unit 212, collection determination range acquisition unit 213, collection determination unit 214, collection determination range control unit 215, and collection history output unit 216 that constitute the garbage collection determination system 20 may be divided and exist in a plurality of devices. Also, each system shown in FIG. 1 may be configured with a smaller number of devices.

[0059] Of course, some configurations of the above-described embodiments may be omitted, and the order of processing may be changed or omitted. For example, steps S110 and S115 may be executed after step S125. Also, when it is determined in step S100 that the collection determination range is included in the vehicle position, and further, when the vehicle speed is below the threshold value, a configuration may be adopted in which it is determined in step S105 that garbage has been collected.

[0060] The vehicle position acquisition unit only needs to be able to acquire the vehicle position, which is the position of the garbage collection vehicle. Therefore, various configurations other than the configuration of acquiring the vehicle position measured by the GNSS reception unit as in the above-described embodiments can be adopted. For example, the GNSS reception unit, vehicle speed sensor, and gyro sensor may be used in combination, or map matching processing may be performed based on map information. Also, a position identification technology using a mobile phone network or a wireless communication network may be used.

[0061] The collection position acquisition unit only needs to be able to acquire the collection position of the garbage by the garbage collection vehicle. The collection position may be defined in various forms other than the coordinates as in the above-described embodiments. For example, it may be defined by the distance from the end point of the road, the distance and direction from the facilities around the road, etc. The collection position may be predefined as in the above-described embodiments, or addition or deletion may be performed during the operation process of the garbage collection determination system. The collection positions to be added or deleted may be specified by various methods. For example, a configuration specified by the driving history of the collection vehicle or the like can be adopted.

[0062] The collection determination range acquisition unit only needs to be able to acquire a collection determination range for determining whether the garbage at the collection position has been collected. That is, the garbage collection is carried out when the garbage collection vehicle approaches the garbage collection position, and the work vehicle boarding the garbage collection vehicle gets off the garbage collection vehicle and transports the garbage from the garbage collection position to the garbage collection vehicle. Therefore, it is highly likely that the garbage collection is carried out with the garbage collection vehicle and the collection position approaching within the collectable range. For this reason, the collection determination range may be defined as a range for determining that the vehicle position and the collection position have approached to such an extent that it can be estimated that the garbage has been collected.

[0063] The collection determination range only needs to be usable for determining whether the garbage at the collection position has been collected, and is not limited to a configuration that is a range of a predetermined shape based on the garbage collection position as in the above-described embodiment. For example, the collection determination range may be a range of a predetermined shape based on the vehicle position of the garbage collection vehicle. FIG. 6 shows an example in which the collection determination range Rc is associated with the vehicle position Pc. In FIG. 6, the same collection position and road as in FIG. 2 are illustrated.

[0064] This example can be realized, for example, with a configuration similar to the configuration shown in FIG. 1. However, the control unit 21 acquires, by the function of the collection determination range acquisition unit 213, a collection determination range Rc based on a range of a predetermined shape (for example, a circular range of a predetermined size) centered on the vehicle position Pc. The garbage collection determination process in this case is the same as the process shown in FIG. 5. However, in steps S105 and S140, it is determined whether the collection position exists within the collection determination range associated with the vehicle position Pc. Also, the expansion of the collection determination range in steps S115 and S125 is executed centering on the vehicle position Pc.

[0065] Furthermore, the shape of the collection determination range is not limited to a circular or elliptical shape as in the above-described embodiment. For example, the collection determination range may be a polygon. Also, the collection determination range may be defined on a road passing by the side of the collection position. Furthermore, the collection determination range may be configured not to be defined by a shape. For example, the collection determination range may be defined by a distance from a reference position (such as the collection position or a specific position of the vehicle).

[0066] The collection determination unit only needs to be able to determine that the garbage has been collected at the collection position within the collection determination range when the vehicle position and the collection position are included in the collection determination range. That is, the collection determination unit only needs to be able to determine whether the vehicle position and the collection position are close enough to each other to estimate that the garbage has been collected, using a collection determination range whose size can vary.

[0067] The collection determination range control unit only needs to be able to expand the size of the collection determination range that includes the vehicle position according to the parking period of the garbage collection vehicle. For example, when the parking period becomes longer, the collection determination range control unit expands the collection determination range continuously or step by step. The expansion of the collection determination range may be implemented so that the number of collection positions estimated to have been collected increases as the length of the parking period increases.

[0068] The parking period only needs to be a period during which the garbage collection work is being carried out. Therefore, in addition to the case where the vehicle speed of the garbage collection vehicle is 0, a period during which it can be regarded as being substantially parked is also included in the parking period. For this reason, in the above-described embodiment, a period during which the vehicle speed is equal to or lower than a predetermined value is regarded as the parking period, and the predetermined value may be a value (for example, several km / h, etc.) for defining the vehicle speed at which the work vehicle can be regarded as working.

[0069] The method for expanding the collection determination range is not limited to the method as in the above-described embodiment. For example, it may be configured to expand also in the traveling direction of the garbage collection vehicle. Further, it may be configured to expand along the road where the garbage collection vehicle exists. Furthermore, the expansion speed is not limited either and may be fixed or may change. For example, a configuration may be adopted in which the expansion speed decreases or increases over time, or the expansion speed may change according to the surrounding environment and road type. Furthermore, there may be an upper limit to the expansion.

[0070] Also, when the collection determination range expands, it may expand in a state that is not rotationally symmetric with respect to the center of the collection determination range. For example, when the vehicle position exists in at least one of a road having a median strip and a road with two or more lanes on one side, a configuration may be adopted in which the expansion of the size of the collection determination range to the opposite lane side with respect to the lane where the vehicle position exists is not performed.

[0071] This configuration can be realized by modifying a part of the configurations shown in FIGS. 1 and 5. For example, in step S115 shown in FIG. 5, the control unit 21 specifies the lane structure of the road where the vehicle position exists based on the vehicle position of the garbage collection vehicle and the map information 321. Then, when the road where the vehicle exists is at least one of a road having a median strip and a road with two or more lanes on one side, the control unit 21 expands the collection determination range. On the other hand, the control unit 21 does not expand the collection determination range to the opposite lane side of the lane where the vehicle position of the garbage collection vehicle exists.

[0072] FIG. 7 is a diagram for explaining the expansion of the collection determination range in such a configuration. FIG. 7 shows the process in which the collection determination range R3 expands in step S115. In the example shown in FIG. 7, a median strip B exists on the road where the vehicle position of the garbage collection vehicle exists. Therefore, when the collection determination range R3 expands in step S115, the collection determination range R3 does not expand to the lane on the opposite side of the vehicle position Pc.

[0073] On roads with a median strip or roads with two or more lanes on one side, it is less likely that the work vehicle will collect garbage from the collection position on the oncoming lane side. Therefore, according to the above configuration, it is possible to increase the possibility of making a collection determination that conforms to the actual collection work. In this configuration, in step S125, it is preferable that a road connecting to the oncoming lane of the lane where the vehicle position of the garbage collection vehicle exists is not regarded as a connecting road.

[0074] Note that the collection determination range may be any range in which the garbage collection vehicle collects garbage while stopped or almost stopped. Therefore, when the garbage collection vehicle shifts from a stopped or almost stopped state to a running state, it is preferable that the expansion of the collection determination range ends. In this case, the size of the collection determination range may return to the reference size, or it may be configured such that the size of the collection determination range decreases during running.

[0075] Furthermore, the above system can also be applied as a program or a method. Also, such a program or method may be realized as a single device in some cases, or may be realized by using shared components in multiple devices, and includes various aspects. Also, it can be appropriately changed, such as part being software and part being hardware. Furthermore, the invention is also established as a recording medium for a program that controls the system. Of course, the recording medium for the program may be a magnetic recording medium, a semiconductor memory, or any recording medium developed in the future can be considered in the same way.

Explanation of Signs

[0076] 10… Vehicle position control system, 11… Control unit, 13… Communication unit, 14… GNSS receiver, 15… Vehicle speed sensor, 16… Gyro sensor, 20… Garbage collection determination system, 21… Control unit, 22… Recording medium, 23… Communication unit, 30… Navigation system, 31… Control unit, 32… Recording medium, 33… Communication unit, 34… GNSS receiver, 35… Vehicle speed sensor, 36… Gyro sensor, 37… User I / F unit, 110… Vehicle position control program, 111… Vehicle position transmitter, 210… Garbage collection determination program, 211… Vehicle position acquisition unit, 212… Guide vehicle information acquisition unit, 213… Pick-up and drop-off point acquisition unit, 214… Guidance control unit, 221… Pick-up and drop-off point information, 310… Navigation program, 311… Garbage collection determination unit, 321… Map information

Claims

1. A vehicle position acquisition unit that acquires a vehicle position which is the position of a garbage collection vehicle; A collection position acquisition unit that acquires a collection position of garbage by the garbage collection vehicle; A collection determination range acquisition unit that acquires a collection determination range for determining whether the garbage at the collection position has been collected; A collection determination unit that determines that the garbage has been collected at the collection position within the collection determination range when the vehicle position and the collection position are included in the collection determination range; A collection determination range control unit that expands the size of the collection determination range in which the vehicle position is included as the parking period of the garbage collection vehicle becomes longer; A garbage collection determination system comprising the above.

2. The expansion of the size of the collection determination range is performed in a direction perpendicular to the traveling direction of the garbage collection vehicle. The garbage collection determination system according to Claim 1.

3. When the vehicle position exists on at least one of a road having a median strip and a road with two or more lanes on one side, the expansion of the size of the collection determination range to the opposite lane side with respect to the lane in which the vehicle position exists is not performed. The garbage collection determination system according to Claim 2.

4. The expansion of the size of the collection determination range is performed along a road connected to the road where the vehicle position exists. The garbage collection determination system according to any one of Claims 1 to 3.

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