Travel Route Setting Device, Vehicle Allocation System, and Travel Route Setting Method

Abstract

To provide a travel route setting device and method that can set an appropriate travel route while considering whether a user permits movement by foot.SOLUTION: A travel route setting device 15 of the present invention detects a plurality of get-off candidate places within a predetermined range from a destination desired by a user, calculates a plurality of travel routes passing through the plurality of get-off candidate places, calculates, for each of the plurality of calculated travel routes, an evaluation value of the get-off probability obtained by evaluating the probability that the user can get off the car at the get-off candidate places and an evaluation value of a movement cost obtained by evaluating a movement cost from the get-off candidate places to the destination, acquires user information on the user and determines whether a permission degree where the user permits movement by foot is higher than a reference value, sets a travel route in which the evaluation value of the get-off probability is higher than a first threshold when the user's degree of permission is higher than the reference value, and sets a travel route in which the evaluation value of the movement cost is higher than a second threshold when the user's degree of permission is equal to or less than the reference value.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a travel route setting device, a travel route setting method, and a vehicle allocation system including the travel route setting device.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, Patent Document 1 discloses a stop position control device for stopping an autonomous vehicle that has moved to a destination by autonomous driving. In the stop position control device disclosed in Patent Document 1, when it is detected that the vehicle cannot stop at the destination, a plurality of stoppable locations are detected around the destination, and a travel route is set to pass through the parking lots in order from the parking lot closest to the destination.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] However, conventionally, since the travel route was set to pass through the parking lots in order from the parking lot closest to the destination, even though the user did not allow walking, the vehicle could not stop at a parking lot near the destination and had to stop at a parking lot far from the destination. Conversely, even though the user allowed walking, it sometimes took a long time to search for a parking lot near the destination. Therefore, conventionally, there has been a problem that an appropriate travel route cannot be set in consideration of whether the user allows walking or not.

[0005] Therefore, in view of the above circumstances, the present invention has been proposed, and an object thereof is to provide a travel route setting device, a vehicle allocation system, and a travel route setting method capable of setting an appropriate travel route in consideration of whether the user allows walking or not.

Means for Solving the Problem

[0006] In order to solve the above-described problems, a travel route setting device, a vehicle allocation system, and a travel route setting method according to an aspect of the present invention detect a plurality of alighting candidate locations from within a predetermined range of a destination desired by a user, and calculate a plurality of travel routes passing through the plurality of alighting candidate locations. Then, for each of the calculated plurality of travel routes, an evaluation value of the alighting probability obtained by evaluating the probability of being able to alight at the alighting candidate location and an evaluation value of the movement cost obtained by evaluating the movement cost from the alighting candidate location to the destination are calculated. Also, user information of the user is acquired, and it is determined whether or not the tolerance for the user to allow walking is higher than a reference value. When the user's tolerance is higher than the reference value, a travel route having an evaluation value of the alighting probability higher than a first threshold value is set from among the plurality of travel routes. On the other hand, when the user's tolerance is less than or equal to the reference value, a travel route having an evaluation value of the movement cost higher than a second threshold value is set.

Advantages of the Invention

[0007] According to the present invention, an appropriate travel route can be set in consideration of whether or not the user allows walking.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0008]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Figure 6

Figure 7

MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

[0009] [First Embodiment] Hereinafter, a first embodiment to which the present invention is applied will be described with reference to the drawings. In the description of the drawings, the same parts are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof will be omitted.

[0010] [Configuration of Vehicle Allocation System] FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a vehicle allocation system including a travel route setting device according to the present embodiment. The vehicle allocation system 1 is a system that allocates service vehicles in response to a vehicle allocation request from a user. The service vehicle is a vehicle that is allocated in response to a vehicle allocation request from a user, picks up the user at the boarding point, and provides a service of transporting the user to the destination desired by the user. The service vehicle is an autonomous vehicle, but a driver may be on board.

[0011] As shown in FIG. 1, the vehicle allocation system 1 includes a server 10 that manages the vehicle allocation system 1, a user terminal 20 that a user possesses and requests to board a service vehicle, and an in-vehicle terminal 30 mounted on the service vehicle. The server 10 is connected to the user terminal 20 and the in-vehicle terminal 30 via a wireless or wired network. The network is, for example, the Internet and may utilize a mobile communication function such as 5G.

[0012] Server 10 manages the vehicle dispatching of service vehicles by the vehicle dispatching system 1. As shown in FIG. 1, server 10 includes a communication unit 11, a database 13, and a travel route setting device 15.

[0013] The communication unit 11 has a function of transmitting and receiving information via a network. The communication unit 11 acquires predetermined information such as a vehicle dispatching request transmitted from the user terminal 20 via the network, and records the acquired information in the database 13. Further, the communication unit 11 transmits information such as a travel route set by the travel route setting device 15 to the user terminal 20 and the in-vehicle terminal 30 via the network.

[0014] The database 13 stores information acquired by the communication unit 11 and information necessary for dispatching service vehicles. Specifically, the database 13 stores position information and vehicle dispatching requests acquired from the user terminal 20, and also stores user information registered by the user. In addition, as information necessary for dispatching service vehicles, the database 13 stores vehicle information, position information, dispatching plans, etc. of service vehicles, as well as map information, etc. Further, the database 13 stores information and processing results necessary for the travel route setting process executed by the travel route setting device 15. For example, information such as the set travel route and whether the user allows walking is also stored.

[0015] The travel route setting device 15 sets the travel route of the service vehicle dispatched in response to a vehicle dispatching request from the user. At this time, the travel route setting device 15 determines whether the user has a high or low tolerance for allowing walking, and sets the travel route according to this tolerance.

[0016] Specifically, as shown in FIG. 2, the travel route setting device 15 includes a getting-off candidate location detection unit 51, a travel route calculation unit 53, an evaluation value calculation unit 55, a tolerance determination unit 57, and a travel route setting unit 59.

[0017] The alighting candidate location detection unit 51 acquires the vehicle allocation request transmitted from the user terminal 20 via the communication unit 11, and determines the service vehicle on which the user will board and the boarding location. The vehicle allocation request includes information such as the boarding location desired by the user, the boarding time, and the desired destination. Therefore, the alighting candidate location detection unit 51 determines the boarding location based on the user's desire, and determines the service vehicle that can arrive at the determined boarding location earliest as the service vehicle on which the user will board.

[0018] Furthermore, the alighting candidate location detection unit 51 detects a plurality of alighting candidate locations within a predetermined range of the destination desired by the user. Since the service vehicle needs to stop in accordance with the law, the stoppable locations are preset based on the law and recorded in the database 13. Therefore, the alighting candidate location detection unit 51 searches for stoppable locations within a predetermined range of the destination desired by the user, and detects the detected stoppable locations as alighting candidate locations.

[0019] The travel route calculation unit 53 calculates a travel route passing through a plurality of alighting candidate locations from the determined boarding location. At this time, the travel route calculation unit 53 calculates all patterns of the travel routes passing through all the alighting candidate locations detected by the alighting candidate location detection unit 51. That is, by changing the order of the alighting candidate locations, all patterns of the travel routes passing through all the alighting candidate locations are calculated.

[0020] The evaluation value calculation unit 55 calculates, for each of the plurality of travel routes calculated by the travel route calculation unit 53, an evaluation value of the alighting probability obtained by evaluating the probability of being able to alight at the alighting candidate location and an evaluation value of the movement cost obtained by evaluating the movement cost from the alighting candidate location to the destination.

[0021] Since the service vehicle may not be able to stop even when it arrives at the alighting candidate location if another vehicle has already stopped there first, etc., the service vehicle does not necessarily always be able to stop at the alighting candidate location. Therefore, in the vehicle allocation system 1, the probability that the user can alight at each stoppable location is calculated in advance as the alighting probability and recorded in the database 13.

[0022] The alighting probability is calculated based on sensor information of sensors installed at alighting candidate locations, sensor information of sensors mounted on service vehicles, past alighting histories at alighting candidate locations, and the like. For example, from the images of cameras installed at stoppable locations that have become alighting candidate locations or cameras mounted on service vehicles, it is investigated in advance how many minutes of alighting are possible within one hour to calculate the alighting probability. Further, the alighting probability may be calculated by tallying the number of times alighting was possible and the number of times alighting was not possible for each stoppable location from past alighting histories.

[0023] Then, the evaluation value calculation unit 55 acquires the alighting probability of each alighting candidate location, and calculates an evaluation value of the alighting probability that evaluates the probability of being able to alight at the alighting candidate location for each of the plurality of driving routes calculated by the driving route calculation unit 53. Specifically, as the evaluation value of the alighting probability, a weighted average value of the alighting probabilities of each alighting candidate location is calculated.

[0024] In addition, the evaluation value calculation unit 55 calculates the movement cost from the alighting candidate location to the destination for each alighting candidate location, and calculates an evaluation value of the movement cost that evaluates the movement cost for each of the plurality of driving routes calculated by the driving route calculation unit 53. Specifically, the movement cost is the movement time or the movement distance from the alighting candidate location to the destination, and is preferably the walking time in particular. Further, as the evaluation value of the movement cost, a weighted average value of the movement costs from each alighting candidate location is calculated.

[0025] The tolerance determination unit 57 acquires the user information of the user and determines whether the tolerance for the user to allow walking is higher than the reference value. Since the user registers the user information when using the vehicle allocation system 1, the tolerance determination unit 57 acquires the pre-registered user information from the database 13 and determines, based on the user information, whether the tolerance for the user to allow walking is higher than the reference value. The tolerance indicates the degree to which the user allows walking. For example, considering that an elderly person aged 60 or above recorded in the user information does not allow walking, it is determined that the tolerance is below the reference value. On the other hand, when the user is under 60 years old, it is considered that walking is allowed, and it is determined that the tolerance is higher than the reference value. Therefore, the tolerance determination unit 57 can determine whether the user allows walking.

[0026] When the tolerance of the user determined by the tolerance determination unit 57 is higher than the reference value, the travel route setting unit 59 sets a travel route from among a plurality of travel routes whose evaluation value of the getting-off probability is higher than the first threshold value. That is, when it is considered that the user allows walking, a travel route is set from among the plurality of travel routes calculated by the travel route calculation unit 53, in which the evaluation value of the getting-off probability is higher than the first threshold value and it is considered that the user can surely get off. For example, a travel route is set in which the evaluation value of the getting-off probability is higher than a preset first threshold value and the evaluation value of the getting-off probability is the highest. This can prevent the user from wasting time looking for a getting-off point close to the destination despite allowing walking.

[0027] On the other hand, when the tolerance level of the user determined by the tolerance determination unit 57 is equal to or lower than the reference value, the travel route setting unit 59 sets a travel route whose evaluation value of travel cost is higher than the second threshold value from among a plurality of travel routes. That is, when it is considered that the user does not permit walking, a travel route is set from among the plurality of travel routes calculated by the travel route calculation unit 53, where the evaluation value of travel cost is higher than the second threshold value and the travel time or travel distance to the destination is short. For example, a travel route is set where the evaluation value of travel cost is higher than a preset second threshold value and the evaluation value of travel cost is the highest. Thereby, when the user does not permit walking, the user can be dropped off at a drop-off point close to the destination.

[0028] Note that the travel route setting device 15 is a controller composed of a general-purpose electronic circuit including a microcomputer, a microprocessor, a CPU, and peripheral devices such as a memory, and has a function of setting a travel route for a service vehicle. Each function of the travel route setting device 15 can be implemented by one or a plurality of processing circuits. The processing circuit includes, for example, a programmed processing device such as a processing device including an electric circuit, and also includes a device such as an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) or a conventional circuit component arranged to execute the functions described in the embodiment.

[0029] Next, the user terminal 20 will be described. The user terminal 20 is a device that can access the server 10 via a network, and is, for example, a mobile terminal (smartphone, tablet, etc.) that a user uses on a daily basis. An application necessary for executing the service provided by the vehicle allocation system 1 is installed in the user terminal 20. Therefore, the user terminal 20 can transmit necessary information to the server 10 and can receive and display the information transmitted from the server 10. As shown in FIG. 1, the user terminal 20 includes a communication unit 21, a controller 23, and an input unit 25.

[0030] The communication unit 21 is equipped with the function of transmitting and receiving information with the server 10 via the network, stores the received information in a memory or the like (not shown), and transmits predetermined information such as a vehicle allocation request. For example, the communication unit 21 may be a device equipped with a mobile communication function such as 5G.

[0031] The controller 23 accepts a vehicle allocation request from the user based on the user's operation on the input unit 25. When inputting a vehicle allocation request, the boarding location where the user boards the service vehicle, the destination, etc. are input.

[0032] Note that the controller 23 is a general-purpose microcomputer equipped with a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and a memory. A computer program for functioning as a part of the user terminal 20 is installed in the controller 23. By executing this computer program, the controller 23 controls the communication unit 21.

[0033] The input unit 25 is an input interface that accepts operations from the user. For example, the input unit 25 may be a device operated by a plurality of buttons or a touch panel.

[0034] Next, the in-vehicle terminal 30 will be described. The in-vehicle terminal 30 is a device mounted on a service vehicle and can access the server 10 via the network. An application necessary for executing the service provided by the vehicle allocation system 1 is installed in the in-vehicle terminal 30. Therefore, the in-vehicle terminal 30 can transmit necessary information to the server 10 and receive and display the information transmitted from the server 10. As shown in FIG. 1, the in-vehicle terminal 30 includes a communication unit 31 and a controller 33.

[0035] The communication unit 31 is equipped with the function of transmitting and receiving information with the server 10 via the network, stores the received information in a memory or the like (not shown), and transmits predetermined information such as the position information of the service vehicle. For example, the communication unit 31 may be a device equipped with a mobile communication function such as 5G.

[0036] The controller 33 acquires the driving route transmitted from the server 10 and instructs the service vehicle of the driving route. In addition, the controller 33 periodically transmits the position information of the service vehicle to the server 10.

[0037] Note that the controller 33 is a general-purpose microcomputer including a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a memory, and an input / output unit. A computer program for functioning as a part of the in-vehicle terminal 30 is installed in the controller 33. By executing this computer program, the controller 33 controls the communication unit 31.

[0038] [Method for Setting Driving Route] Next, a method for setting a driving route by the driving route setting device 15 according to the present embodiment will be described. FIG. 3 is a timing chart showing the processing procedure of the driving route setting process by the driving route setting device 15 according to the present embodiment.

[0039] As shown in FIG. 3, in step S101, the user transmits a vehicle allocation request from the user terminal 20. The vehicle allocation request includes the user's position information in addition to the boarding point, boarding time, and desired destination that the user desires.

[0040] In step S103, the alighting candidate point detection unit 51 acquires the vehicle allocation request transmitted from the user terminal 20 via the communication unit 11. In step S105, the alighting candidate point detection unit 51 determines the boarding point based on the user's desire, searches for the service vehicle that can arrive at the determined boarding point earliest, and determines the detected service vehicle as the service vehicle for the user to board.

[0041] In step S107, the alighting candidate location detection unit 51 transmits the boarding location to the user terminal 20 and the in-vehicle terminal 30 of the determined service vehicle. In step S109, the user terminal 20 receives the boarding location, and in step S111, the in-vehicle terminal 30 receives the boarding location. Thereafter, the user moves to the boarding location, and the service vehicle travels automatically toward the boarding location.

[0042] In step S113, the alighting candidate location detection unit 51 detects a plurality of alighting candidate locations from within a predetermined range of the destination desired by the user. For example, in the example shown in FIG. 4, when the destination desired by the user is P, stoppable locations A to D within a predetermined range from the destination P are detected as alighting candidate locations.

[0043] The service vehicle cannot stop anywhere and must stop in accordance with the law. Therefore, stoppable locations are preset in the dispatching system 1 based on the law. For example, the stoppable locations are on public roads where parking is permitted or privately owned land that has been previously permitted. Accordingly, the alighting candidate location detection unit 51 searches for stoppable locations within a predetermined range from the destination P and detects the detected stoppable locations as alighting candidate locations.

[0044] In step S115, the travel route calculation unit 53 calculates a plurality of travel routes passing through a plurality of alighting candidate locations from the user's boarding location. At this time, the travel route calculation unit 53 calculates all patterns of travel routes passing through all the alighting candidate locations detected by the alighting candidate location detection unit 51. For example, in the case of FIG. 4, since alighting candidate locations A to D are detected, all patterns of travel routes passing through alighting candidate locations A to D are calculated by changing the order of alighting candidate locations A to D. In FIG. 4, since there are four alighting candidate locations, 24 patterns will be calculated.

[0045] In step S117, the travel route calculation unit 53 selects a predetermined number of travel routes with a short travel distance or a small number of right and left turns from among the calculated travel routes. Specifically, the travel route calculation unit 53 arranges all the patterns of the travel routes calculated in step S115 in ascending order of the short travel distance or in ascending order of the small number of right and left turns, and selects a predetermined number from the top. For example, the top 20% of the travel routes are selected.

[0046] In the example where the alighting candidate locations A to D in FIG. 4 are detected, as shown in FIG. 5, five travel routes R1 to R5 with a short travel distance are selected from among the 24 calculated travel routes. However, the process of step S117 does not necessarily have to be performed, and the following process may be performed for all the travel routes calculated in step S115.

[0047] In step S119, the evaluation value calculation unit 55 calculates, for each of the plurality of travel routes selected in step S117, an evaluation value of the alighting probability obtained by evaluating the probability of being able to alight at the alighting candidate location and an evaluation value of the movement cost obtained by evaluating the movement cost from the alighting candidate location to the destination.

[0048] Since the service vehicle may not be able to stop when another vehicle has stopped first when it arrives at the alighting candidate location, it is not always possible to stop. Therefore, in the vehicle allocation system 1, the probability that the user can alight at each stoppable location is calculated in advance as the alighting probability and stored in the database 13.

[0049] Therefore, the evaluation value calculation unit 55 acquires the alighting probability of each alighting candidate location from the database 13. For example, as shown in FIG. 6, the alighting probabilities of the alighting candidate locations A to D are 80%, 60%, 30%, and 50%, respectively.

[0050] Then, the evaluation value calculation unit 55 calculates an evaluation value of the alighting probability for each of the plurality of driving routes selected in step S117 by using the acquired alighting probability. As shown in FIG. 5, the evaluation value of the alighting probability shown in FIG. 5 is a weighted average value of the alighting probability with a greater weight given to the alighting candidate locations passed through earlier. For example, in the driving route R1, since the alighting candidate locations are passed through in the order of A → B → D → C, the weight of the alighting candidate location A is made the largest, and the weights are made smaller in the order of passage, with the weight of the alighting candidate location C being the smallest. By performing such weighting, the weighted average values of the driving routes R1 to R5 shown in FIG. 5 are calculated, and the calculated values are used as the evaluation values of the alighting probability.

[0051] In addition, the evaluation value calculation unit 55 calculates the movement cost from the alighting candidate location to the destination for each alighting candidate location. For example, as shown in FIG. 6, when calculating the walking time as the movement cost, the walking times of the alighting candidate locations A to D are 5 minutes, 4 minutes, 1 minute, and 2 minutes, respectively. Then, the evaluation value calculation unit 55 calculates an evaluation value of the walking time for each of the plurality of driving routes selected in step S117 as shown in FIG. 5. The evaluation value of the walking time is, like the evaluation value of the alighting probability, a weighted average value of the walking time with a greater weight given to the alighting candidate locations passed through earlier.

[0052] In step S121, the tolerance determination unit 57 acquires the user information of the user and determines whether the tolerance for the user to allow walking is higher than the reference value. The user registers the user information when using the vehicle allocation system 1. Therefore, from the age recorded in the pre-registered user information, when the user is an elderly person aged 60 or older, it is considered that the user does not allow walking, and it is determined that the tolerance is below the reference value. On the other hand, when the user is under 60 years old, it is determined that the tolerance is higher than the reference value.

[0053] Also, when it is recorded in the user information that the user is a pregnant woman or has a disability, it is determined that even pregnant women or people with disabilities have a tolerance level below the reference value. Furthermore, if the user information can be set to allow or not allow walking, then in the case of elderly people who like walking or young people who are sick or injured, regardless of age, it can be determined whether the tolerance level is high according to the set information.

[0054] Furthermore, a camera installed inside the service vehicle may capture the user who has boarded to determine the user's attributes. For example, if it can be determined from the captured image that the user's attribute is an elderly person, it is determined that the tolerance level is below the reference value. Also, when the captured image shows that the user is with young children, it can be determined that the tolerance level is below the reference value.

[0055] In step S123, when the tolerance level of the user determined in step S121 is higher than the reference value, the driving route setting unit 59 sets a driving route whose evaluation value of the getting-off probability is higher than the first threshold value. That is, when the user allows walking, a driving route is set from among the plurality of driving routes selected in step S117, where the evaluation value of the getting-off probability is higher than the first threshold value and it is considered that the user can surely get off. For example, as shown in FIG. 5, when driving routes R1 to R5 are selected and 65 is set as the first threshold value, driving route R1 or R3 is set as the driving route. Furthermore, the driving route setting unit 59 may set the driving route R1 with the highest evaluation value of the getting-off probability as the driving route. This can prevent the user from wasting time searching for a getting-off point close to the destination despite allowing walking.

[0056] On the other hand, when the tolerance of the user determined in step S121 is equal to or less than the reference value, the travel route setting unit 59 sets a travel route whose evaluation value of the movement cost is higher than the second threshold value. That is, when the user does not permit walking, a travel route is set from among the plurality of travel routes selected in step S117, the evaluation value of the movement cost of which is higher than the second threshold value and the travel time or travel distance to the destination is short. For example, as shown in FIG. 5, when travel routes R1 to R5 are selected and the walking time is calculated as the movement cost and 70 is set as the second threshold value, travel route R2 or R5 is set as the travel route. Further, the travel route setting unit 59 may set the travel route R2, which has the highest evaluation value of the walking time, as the travel route. Thereby, when the user does not permit walking, the user can be dropped off at a drop-off point close to the destination.

[0057] However, when the weather around the destination desired by the user is bad weather, the travel route setting unit 59 may set a travel route whose evaluation value of the movement cost is higher than the second threshold value. For example, in the example shown in FIG. 5, even when the tolerance of the user is high, if the weather around the destination is bad weather, instead of travel route R1, which has a high evaluation value of the getting-off probability, travel route R2 or R5, whose evaluation value of the walking time is higher than the second threshold value 70, is set as the travel route.

[0058] Similarly, when the temperature around the destination desired by the user is outside the predetermined range, the travel route setting unit 59 may also set a travel route whose evaluation value of the movement cost is higher than the second threshold value. For example, when the temperature is outside the range of 10 to 30°C, a travel route whose evaluation value of the movement cost is higher than the second threshold value is set.

[0059] Furthermore, when the arrival time at the destination desired by the user becomes later than the predetermined time, the travel route setting unit 59 may also set a travel route whose evaluation value of the movement cost is higher than the second threshold value. For example, when the time becomes later than 22:00, a travel route whose evaluation value of the movement cost is higher than the second threshold value is set.

[0060] In step S125, the travel route setting device 15 transmits the travel route set in step S123 to the in-vehicle terminal 30 via the communication unit 11. In step S127, the in-vehicle terminal 30 receives the travel route.

[0061] In step S129, the service vehicle arrives at the boarding point, and in step S131, the user boards the service vehicle. However, in FIG. 3, after receiving the travel route (S127), the service vehicle has arrived at the boarding point (S129), but the travel route may also be received after the service vehicle arrives at the boarding point.

[0062] Thereafter, the service vehicle travels by performing automatic driving according to the set travel route and stops at any of the alighting candidate points set in the travel route in step S133. At this time, the service vehicle determines whether it is possible to stop before the alighting candidate point. If it is determined that stopping is possible, the vehicle stops and the user gets off. If it is determined that stopping is not possible, the vehicle travels to the next alighting candidate point.

[0063] For example, in the case of the travel route R1, first passing through the alighting candidate point A, if it is possible to stop at the alighting candidate point A, the user gets off at the alighting candidate point A. Since the alighting candidate point A has a high alighting probability, by first passing through a reliable alighting candidate point where stopping is possible, the user can get off the service vehicle at an early stage and head to the destination. On the other hand, if it is not possible to stop at the alighting candidate point A, the vehicle travels in the order of B, D, C, and the user gets off at the alighting candidate point where stopping is possible.

[0064] Also, in the case of the travel route R2, first passing through the alighting candidate point C, if it is possible to stop at the alighting candidate point C, the user gets off at the alighting candidate point C. Since the alighting candidate point C has a short walking time, by first passing through an alighting candidate point close to the destination, the user can be dropped off at an alighting candidate point close to the destination. On the other hand, if it is not possible to stop at the alighting candidate point C, the vehicle travels in the order of D, B, A, and the user gets off at the alighting candidate point where stopping is possible.

[0065] In this way, when the service vehicle stops at the alighting candidate location in step S133 and the user alights in step S135, the travel route setting device 15 receives a notification of alighting completion from the user terminal 20 and the in-vehicle terminal 30 in step S137. As a result, the user transfer service by the vehicle dispatching system 1 is completed, and the travel route setting process according to the present embodiment ends.

[0066] [Effect of the First Embodiment] As described in detail above, in the travel route setting device 15 according to the present embodiment, a plurality of alighting candidate locations are detected from within a predetermined range of the destination desired by the user, and a plurality of travel routes passing through the plurality of alighting candidate locations are calculated. Then, for each of the calculated plurality of travel routes, an evaluation value of the alighting probability and an evaluation value of the movement cost are calculated, and it is determined whether or not the tolerance for the user to allow walking is higher than a reference value. As a result, when the user's tolerance is higher than the reference value, a travel route with an alighting probability evaluation value higher than a first threshold is set. On the other hand, when the user's tolerance is equal to or lower than the reference value, a travel route with a movement cost evaluation value higher than a second threshold is set. Thereby, an appropriate travel route can be set in consideration of whether or not the user allows walking.

[0067] That is, when the tolerance is lower than the reference value and the user does not allow walking, a travel route that allows the user to alight at an alighting candidate location close to the destination can be set. Conversely, when the tolerance is higher than the reference value and the user allows walking, a travel route that allows the user to surely alight at an alighting candidate location with a high alighting probability can be set.

[0068] Furthermore, in the travel route setting device 15 according to the present embodiment, the movement cost is the walking time. Thereby, the movement cost can be obtained more specifically. In particular, if the walking speed is changed according to the user's attribute (age), the movement cost according to the user's current situation can be obtained.

[0069] In addition, in the travel route setting device 15 according to the present embodiment, from among the plurality of calculated travel routes, a predetermined number of travel routes with a short travel distance or a small number of right and left turns are selected, and an evaluation value of the getting-off probability and an evaluation value of the movement cost are calculated for the selected travel routes. As a result, the number of travel routes for which the evaluation value is calculated can be reduced, so that the processing load can be reduced.

[0070] Furthermore, in the travel route setting device 15 according to the present embodiment, when the weather around the destination desired by the user is bad weather, a travel route in which the evaluation value of the movement cost is higher than the second threshold is set. As a result, in the case of bad weather, the user can be dropped off at a getting-off candidate location with a short travel time or travel distance to the destination, so that a highly convenient travel route can be set.

[0071] In addition, in the travel route setting device 15 according to the present embodiment, when the temperature around the destination desired by the user is outside the predetermined range, a travel route in which the evaluation value of the movement cost is higher than the second threshold is set. As a result, when the temperature around the destination is outside the predetermined range, the user can be dropped off at a getting-off candidate location with a short travel time or travel distance to the destination, so that a highly convenient travel route can be set.

[0072] Furthermore, in the travel route setting device 15 according to the present embodiment, when the time of arrival at the destination desired by the user is later than the predetermined time, a travel route in which the evaluation value of the movement cost is higher than the second threshold is set. As a result, when the time of arrival at the destination is late, the user can be dropped off at a getting-off candidate location with a short travel time or travel distance to the destination, so that a highly convenient travel route can be set.

[0073] In addition, in the travel route setting device 15 according to the present embodiment, the probability of being able to get off at the candidate getting-off location is calculated based on at least one of the sensor information of the sensors installed at the candidate getting-off location, the sensor information of the sensors mounted on the service vehicle, and the past getting-off history at the candidate getting-off location. As a result, since the getting-off probability can be calculated using the information collected in real time, an accurate getting-off probability can be calculated.

[0074] [Second Embodiment] Hereinafter, a second embodiment to which the present invention is applied will be described with reference to the drawings. In the description of the drawings, the same reference numerals are given to the same parts, and detailed description thereof will be omitted.

[0075] In the travel route setting device 15 according to the present embodiment, a difference from the first embodiment is that a plurality of calculated travel routes are proposed to the user together with the evaluation value of the getting-off probability and the evaluation value of the movement cost, and the user is made to select from among the proposed travel routes. In addition, in the present embodiment, since the configuration of the vehicle allocation system 1 is the same as that of the first embodiment, detailed description thereof will be omitted.

[0076] [Method for Setting Travel Route] Next, a method for setting a travel route by the travel route setting device 15 according to the present embodiment will be described. FIG. 7 is a timing chart showing the processing procedure of the travel route setting process by the travel route setting device 15 according to the present embodiment.

[0077] As shown in FIG. 7, the processes from step S101 to S121 are performed in the same manner as in the first embodiment, and for the travel route selected in step S117, the evaluation value of the getting-off probability and the evaluation value of the movement cost are calculated in step S119.

[0078] In step S201, the travel route setting device 15 transmits, via the communication unit 11, the selected plurality of travel routes to the user terminal 20 together with the evaluation value of the getting-off probability and the evaluation value of the movement cost. In the user terminal 20, as shown in FIG. 5, for the selected travel route, the travel distance, the evaluation value of the getting-off probability, and the evaluation value of the walking time are respectively displayed and proposed to the user.

[0079] In step S203, the user operates the input unit 25 to select a desired travel route from the travel routes displayed on the user terminal 20. When the user selects a travel route, the user terminal 20 transmits the selected travel route to the travel route setting device 15.

[0080] In step S123, the travel route setting unit 59 sets the travel route selected by the user in step S203 as the travel route of the service vehicle, and then performs the same processing as in the first embodiment, and the travel route setting process according to this embodiment ends.

[0081] [Effect of the Second Embodiment] As described in detail above, in the travel route setting device 15 according to this embodiment, a plurality of calculated travel routes are proposed to the user together with the evaluation value of the getting-off probability and the evaluation value of the movement cost, and the user selects from the proposed travel routes. Thereby, a travel route according to the user's desire can be set.

[0082] Note that the above-described embodiment is an example of the present invention. Therefore, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications can be made according to the design and the like as long as they do not depart from the technical idea according to the present invention even in forms other than this embodiment. [Explanation of Reference Numerals]

[0083] 1 Dispatching system 10 Server 11, 21, 31 Communication unit 13 Database 15 Travel route setting device 20 User terminal 23, 33 Controller 25 Input unit 30 In-vehicle terminal 51 Getting-off candidate location detection unit 53 Travel route calculation unit 55 Evaluation value calculation unit 57 Tolerance determination unit 59 Travel route setting unit

Claims

1. A travel route setting device comprising a controller for setting a travel route of a service vehicle dispatched in response to a ride request from a user, acquiring the ride request from the user and determining the service vehicle in which the user will ride, detecting a plurality of alighting candidate locations within a predetermined range of the destination desired by the user, calculating a plurality of travel routes passing through the plurality of alighting candidate locations, for each of the plurality of calculated travel routes, calculating an evaluation value of alighting probability obtained by evaluating the probability of being able to alight at the alighting candidate location and an evaluation value of moving cost obtained by evaluating the moving cost from the alighting candidate location to the destination, acquiring the user information of the user and determining whether the tolerance of the user to allow walking is higher than a reference value, when the tolerance of the user is higher than the reference value, setting a travel route among the plurality of travel routes whose evaluation value of alighting probability is higher than a first threshold value, A travel route setting device that sets a travel route whose evaluation value of moving cost is higher than a second threshold value when the tolerance of the user is less than or equal to the reference value.

2. The travel route setting device according to claim 1, wherein the moving cost is walking time.

3. Select a predetermined number of travel routes with short travel distances or few right and left turns from among the plurality of calculated travel routes, and calculate the evaluation value of alighting probability and the evaluation value of moving cost for the selected travel routes. The travel route setting device according to claim 1 or 2.

4. The travel route setting device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein when the weather around the destination desired by the user is bad weather, a travel route whose evaluation value of moving cost is higher than the second threshold value is set.

5. The travel route setting device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein when the temperature around the destination desired by the user is outside a predetermined range, a travel route whose evaluation value of moving cost is higher than the second threshold value is set.

6. The travel route setting device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein when the time of arrival at the destination desired by the user is later than a predetermined time, a travel route whose evaluation value of moving cost is higher than the second threshold value is set.

7. The probability of being able to get off at the alighting candidate location is calculated based on at least one of the sensor information of the sensor installed at the alighting candidate location, the sensor information of the sensor mounted on the service vehicle, and the past alighting history at the alighting candidate location. The travel route setting device according to any one of claims 1 to 6.

8. Propose the calculated plurality of travel routes to the user together with the evaluation value of the alighting probability and the evaluation value of the movement cost, and select from among the travel routes proposed to the user. The travel route setting device according to any one of claims 1 to 7.

9. A vehicle allocation system that allocates a service vehicle in response to a vehicle allocation request from a user, The vehicle allocation system includes an in-vehicle terminal mounted on the service vehicle, a user terminal held by the user, and a travel route setting device provided in a server that manages the vehicle allocation system. The travel route setting device is Obtain the vehicle allocation request from the user terminal, and determine the service vehicle on which the user will board. Detect a plurality of alighting candidate locations within a predetermined range of the destination desired by the user. Calculate a plurality of travel routes passing through the plurality of alighting candidate locations. For each of the calculated plurality of travel routes, calculate an evaluation value of the alighting probability obtained by evaluating the probability of being able to get off at the alighting candidate location, and an evaluation value of the movement cost obtained by evaluating the movement cost from the alighting candidate location to the destination. Obtain the user information of the user and determine whether the tolerance of the user allowing walking is higher than a reference value. When the tolerance of the user is higher than the reference value, set a travel route from among the plurality of travel routes whose evaluation value of the alighting probability is higher than a first threshold value. When the tolerance of the user is equal to or lower than the reference value, set a travel route whose evaluation value of the movement cost is higher than a second threshold value. A vehicle allocation system that outputs the set travel route to the in-vehicle terminal.

10. A travel route setting method by a controller that sets a travel route of a service vehicle allocated in response to a vehicle allocation request from a user, The controller is Obtain the vehicle allocation request from the user, and determine the service vehicle on which the user will board. Detect a plurality of alighting candidate locations within a predetermined range of the destination desired by the user. Calculate a plurality of travel routes passing through the plurality of alighting candidate locations. For each of the calculated plurality of driving routes, calculate an evaluation value of the alighting probability obtained by evaluating the probability of being able to alight at the alighting candidate location, and an evaluation value of the movement cost obtained by evaluating the movement cost from the alighting candidate location to the destination. Obtain the user information of the user and determine whether the tolerance of the user to allow walking is higher than a reference value. When the tolerance of the user is higher than the reference value, set a driving route among the plurality of driving routes whose evaluation value of the alighting probability is higher than a first threshold value. A driving route setting method for setting a driving route whose evaluation value of the movement cost is higher than a second threshold value when the tolerance of the user is equal to or lower than the reference value.

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