Driving management device, driving management system, and driving management method

Abstract

To provide a travel management device, travel management system, and travel management method for preventing a time when a vehicle arrives at a getting-off place from becoming excessively earlier than a predetermined fixed arrival time.SOLUTION: A travel management device 10 includes: a travel information acquisition section 12 for acquiring a predetermined fixed arrival time; a prediction arrival time calculation section 13 for calculating a prediction arrival time when a vehicle 30 is predicted to arrive at the getting-off place based on a getting-on time of a user at a getting-on place; a necessity evaluation value calculation section 14 for calculating a fixed-time getting-off necessity evaluation value indicating necessity for the user to get off at the getting-off place at the fixed arrival time; and a travel plan generation section 15 for updating a travel plan so as to allow the vehicle 30 to arrive at the getting-off place after the prediction arrival time and also arrive before the fixed arrival time when the prediction arrival time is earlier than the fixed arrival time and also the fixed-time getting-off necessity evaluation value is equal to or more than a predetermined value.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a driving management device, a driving management system, and a driving management method. [Background technology]

[0002] The vehicle driving management system described in Patent Document 1 predicts the arrival time at which a user using a vehicle dispatch service will arrive at a boarding location, and dispatches a vehicle to the boarding location in accordance with the user's arrival time. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2019-101464 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, in the driving management system of Patent Document 1, depending on the arrival time of the user at the boarding location, the departure time of the vehicle may be earlier, and as a result, the arrival time of the vehicle at the disembarking location may be earlier than the predetermined scheduled arrival time. Therefore, if the user has planned to meet someone or transfer to public transportation to coincide with the scheduled arrival time, the user who disembarks at the disembarking location may have to wait.

[0005] The problem that the present invention aims to solve is to provide a driving management device, a driving management system, and a driving management method that prevent a vehicle from arriving at a drop-off point too early than the specified scheduled arrival time. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The present invention calculates a scheduled drop-off necessity evaluation value that indicates the need for the user to get off at the drop-off location at a scheduled arrival time that is set in advance, and when the predicted arrival time is earlier than the scheduled arrival time and the scheduled drop-off necessity evaluation value is equal to or greater than a predetermined value, The vehicle waits for a predetermined time at a predetermined waiting location between the boarding point and the disembarking point, The above problem is solved by updating the travel plan so that the vehicle arrives at the drop-off point later than the predicted arrival time and before the scheduled arrival time. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to the present invention, the travel plan is updated so that the vehicle arrives at the drop-off point later than the predicted arrival time and before the scheduled arrival time, thereby preventing the vehicle from arriving at the drop-off point too early than the specified scheduled arrival time. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a driving management device and a driving management system according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 2] 2A and 2B are diagrams showing examples of display screens displayed on a terminal device of the driving management system shown in FIG. 1, where FIG. 2A shows a screen for selecting a driving plan candidate, and FIG. 2B shows a screen after selecting a driving plan candidate. [Figure 3] 2 is a flowchart showing the steps of a driving management method executed by the driving management device and driving management system shown in FIG. [Figure 4] 4 is a flowchart showing in further detail a method for updating a driving plan in the driving management method shown in FIG. 3. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The driving management system 1 is a system that provides users with a transportation service to a destination using a vehicle 30, i.e., a vehicle dispatch service. The driving management system 1 controls and manages the driving of the vehicle 30 by remote operation. As shown in FIG. 1, the driving management system 1 has a driving management device 10 and a terminal device 20. The driving management system 1 and the driving management device 10 generate a driving plan that includes a planned driving route for the vehicle 30 to travel from the user's boarding location to their disembarking location.

[0010] The driving management device 10 constitutes part of a server, but is not limited to this and may be a device mounted on the vehicle 30. The driving management device 10 has a controller 10a. The controller 10a of the driving management device 10 has a map database 11, a driving information acquisition unit 12, a predicted arrival time calculation unit 13, a necessity evaluation value calculation unit 14, a driving plan generation unit 15, a fare calculation unit 16, a door control unit 17, and a communication unit 18.

[0011] The terminal device 20 is, for example, a user terminal such as a smartphone, mobile phone, or portable computer carried by a user who uses the vehicle dispatch service of the vehicle 30, but it may also be an in-vehicle terminal provided in the vehicle 30. The terminal device 20 also has a display unit 21, an input unit 22, a position detection unit 23, and a terminal communication unit 24. The display unit 21 outputs image information and / or audio information received from the driving management device 10. The user also inputs vehicle dispatch service reservation information, driving plan candidate selection information, etc. into the input unit 22. If the terminal device 20 has a touch panel screen, the screen of the terminal device 20 constitutes the display unit 21 and the input unit 22. The position detection unit 23 acquires the current location of the terminal device 20. If the user is carrying the terminal device 20, the position detection unit 23 can acquire the user's current location by acquiring the current location of the terminal device 20. The terminal device 20 also exchanges information with the driving management device 10 via the terminal communication unit 24. The terminal 20 constitutes a display device.

[0012] The vehicle 30 is, for example, an unmanned taxi used in a vehicle dispatch service. The vehicle 30 has an external environment acquisition unit 31, a vehicle control unit 32, and a vehicle communication unit 33. The external environment acquisition unit 31 acquires information about the environment outside the vehicle 30. The external environment acquisition unit 31 has, for example, an on-board camera (imaging unit), a traveling distance detection unit, a vehicle position detection unit, a traveling direction detection unit, an object detection unit, etc. The vehicle control unit 32 has an ECU and controls the behavior of the vehicle 30. The vehicle 30 transmits a remote operation request signal to the driving management device 10 via the vehicle communication unit 33. The vehicle 30 also receives control commands from the driving management device 10 via the vehicle communication unit 33. The door 30a of the vehicle 30 has a locking mechanism (not shown), and the driving management device 10 can lock or unlock the door 30a by remote operation. The vehicle 30 may be a manned taxi driven by a driver.

[0013] Next, the detailed configuration of the run management device 10 will be described. First, the map database 11 is a memory that stores three-dimensional high-precision map information including location information of various facilities and specific points. The map information stored in the map database 103 is preferably three-dimensional high-precision map information including high-precision digital map information (high-precision maps, dynamic maps).

[0014] The driving information acquisition unit 12 acquires a predetermined scheduled arrival time. Furthermore, the driving management device 10 acquires a planned driving route from the user's boarding location (departure location) to the disembarking location (destination) based on the map information in the map database 11. The predetermined scheduled arrival time is, for example, an arrival time registered by a user who uses the vehicle 30's dispatch service. Furthermore, the driving information acquisition unit 12 may acquire, as the scheduled arrival time, an arrival time calculated assuming that the vehicle 30 departs from the boarding location (departure location) at the scheduled departure time and travels along a predetermined scheduled driving route. Note that the planned driving route used to calculate the scheduled arrival time is, but is not limited to, the route with the shortest driving distance from the user's boarding location (departure location) to the disembarking location (destination).

[0015] The predicted arrival time calculation unit 13 calculates the predicted arrival time at which the vehicle 30 is predicted to arrive at the disembarkation location, based on the boarding time of the user at the boarding location. For example, the predicted arrival time calculation unit 13 calculates the boarding time at which the user boards the vehicle 30 at the boarding location, based on location information of the terminal device 20 owned by the user and location information of the vehicle 30. Specifically, if it is predicted that the user and the vehicle 30 will arrive at the boarding location earlier than the scheduled boarding time, the boarding time and the departure time at which the vehicle 30 departs from the boarding location will be earlier, and the predicted arrival time at which the vehicle 30 arrives at the disembarkation location will also be earlier accordingly. Note that the predicted arrival time calculation unit 13 may calculate the predicted arrival time based on the boarding time at which the user actually boards the vehicle 30. In this embodiment, the vehicle 30 departs from the boarding location immediately after the user boards the vehicle 30.

[0016] The necessity evaluation value calculation unit 14 calculates an on-time drop-off necessity evaluation value indicating the necessity for the user to get off at the drop-off location at the scheduled arrival time. For example, the necessity evaluation value calculation unit 14 calculates the on-time drop-off necessity evaluation value based on user information, boarding location information, drop-off location information, etc. The necessity evaluation value calculation unit 14 may calculate and add up the on-time drop-off necessity evaluation value based on each of the user information, boarding location information, and drop-off location information.

[0017] Here, the user information is information about a user riding in the vehicle 30. For example, if the user information includes "the user is carrying large luggage," "the user is the only child riding," or "the user is a disabled person with cognitive impairment or the like," the necessity evaluation value calculation unit 14 calculates the evaluation value of the necessity of getting off on time to be higher than a predetermined reference value. That is, the necessity evaluation value calculation unit 14 calculates the evaluation value of the necessity of getting off on time based on the user's attributes (such as the user being a child or the user being a disabled person). The user information also includes "user behavior information after getting off." For example, if the "user behavior information after getting off" includes "the user changing buses after getting off the vehicle 30" or "if the user is a child, the user waiting for their parent to pick them up after getting off the vehicle 30," the necessity evaluation value calculation unit 14 calculates the evaluation value of the necessity of getting off on time to be higher than a predetermined reference value. The necessity evaluation value calculation unit 14 acquires user information from reservation information input to the terminal device 20, image information acquired by an on-board camera mounted on the vehicle 30, behavioral history of users who have used the ride-hailing service in the past, etc. Note that if the user who actually gets on the vehicle 30 (for example, a child) is different from the user who makes a reservation for the ride-hailing service via the terminal device 20 (for example, a parent), the necessity evaluation value calculation unit 14 acquires information of the user who gets on the vehicle 30 as the user information.

[0018] The boarding location information is information about the boarding location where the user boards the vehicle 30. Specifically, if the boarding location information includes "the boarding location is a shopping area," the necessity evaluation value calculation unit 14 infers that the user is carrying large luggage and calculates the regular drop-off necessity evaluation value to be higher than a predetermined reference value. Furthermore, if the user is a child and the boarding location information includes "the boarding location is near the mother's workplace," the necessity evaluation value calculation unit 14 infers that the user is meeting up with his father at the drop-off location to coincide with the regular arrival time, and calculates the regular drop-off necessity evaluation value to be higher than a predetermined reference value. The necessity evaluation value calculation unit 14 acquires boarding location information from the map database 11, image data from cameras of public facilities (infrastructure), etc.

[0019] The drop-off location information is information about the drop-off location where the user gets off the vehicle 30. Specifically, if the drop-off location information includes "the bus stop at the drop-off location has no roof" or "the drop-off location is in a no-parking area," the necessity evaluation value calculation unit 14 calculates the evaluation value of the necessity of getting off on time to be higher than a predetermined reference value. Furthermore, if the user is a child and the drop-off location information includes "the drop-off location is near the father's workplace," the necessity evaluation value calculation unit 14 predicts that the user is meeting up with his father at the drop-off location to meet up with the father at the drop-off location to arrive on time, and calculates the evaluation value of the necessity of getting off on time to be higher than a predetermined reference value. Furthermore, the necessity evaluation value calculation unit 14 may acquire weather information as the drop-off location information. Specifically, if the drop-off location information includes "rain or snow falling at the drop-off location," "the temperature at the drop-off location is above / below a predetermined value," or "pollen is scattered at the drop-off location," the necessity evaluation value calculation unit 14 calculates the evaluation value of the necessity of getting off on time to be higher than a predetermined reference value. Furthermore, if the drop-off location information includes "there is an event near the drop-off location," the necessity evaluation value calculation unit 14 predicts that the drop-off location will be crowded and calculates the on-time drop-off necessity evaluation value to be higher than a predetermined reference value. Furthermore, if the drop-off location information includes "the bus will arrive at the bus stop at the drop-off location immediately after the scheduled arrival time," the necessity evaluation value calculation unit 14 calculates the on-time drop-off necessity evaluation value to be higher than a predetermined reference value. The necessity evaluation value calculation unit 14 acquires drop-off location information from the map database 11, image data from cameras in public facilities (infrastructure), reservation information entered into the terminal device 20, the Japan Meteorological Agency database, the public transportation database, etc.

[0020] When the predicted arrival time is earlier than the scheduled arrival time and the scheduled drop-off necessity evaluation value is equal to or greater than a predetermined value, the driving plan generation unit 15 updates the driving plan so that the vehicle 30 arrives at the drop-off point later than the predicted arrival time and before the scheduled arrival time.

[0021] Specifically, the driving plan generation unit 15 updates the driving plan so that the vehicle 30 travels on a route with a longer driving distance (a longer route) than the planned driving route before the driving plan update. That is, the driving plan generation unit 15 changes the planned driving route so that the vehicle 30 travels on a second planned driving route that is longer than the first planned driving route before the driving plan update. The driving plan generation unit 15 also sets the second planned driving route after the driving plan update based on the difference between the boarding time and the on-time arrival time, i.e., the vehicle's available travel time. The driving plan generation unit 15 may also update the driving plan so that the vehicle 30 waits for a predetermined time at a waiting location between the boarding location and the disembarking location. The waiting location may be, for example, a famous store, a tourist spot, or the like. The driving plan generation unit 15 may set a waiting location and update the planned driving route so that the vehicle 30 passes through the waiting location. When updating the driving plan, the driving plan generation unit 15 may also set a waiting location on the planned driving route without changing the planned driving route. When multiple waiting location candidates are acquired, the travel schedule generation unit 15 compares the first waiting location candidate with a second waiting location candidate whose distance from the waiting location candidate to the drop-off location is shorter than that of the first waiting location candidate, and sets the second waiting location candidate as the waiting location with higher priority than the first waiting location candidate. That is, the travel schedule generation unit 15 sets a waiting location candidate with a shorter distance to the drop-off location with higher priority as the waiting location. Also, the travel schedule generation unit 15 sets a waiting location candidate with a longer time that the vehicle 30 can stop with higher priority as the waiting location.

[0022] The driving plan generation unit 15 may create multiple driving plan candidates. The driving plan generation unit 15 also acquires recommended action information indicating actions that the user can perform if each driving plan candidate is set as a driving plan. The recommended action information is information indicating, for example, "shopping," "stopping at a tourist spot," "viewing the scenery," "eating and drinking," "going to the restroom," "stopping at a bank," "taking a nap," etc. The driving plan generation unit 15 acquires the recommended action information from the database of the driving management device 100 or the cloud. The driving plan generation unit 15 outputs the driving plan candidate and the recommended action information to the terminal device 20 via the communication unit 18. If the user is in the vehicle 30, the driving plan generation unit 15 also outputs to the terminal device 20 a selectable time during which the user can select each driving plan candidate. For each driving plan candidate, the driving plan generation unit 15 also acquires coupons for waiting locations (such as stores) to stop at, and outputs coupon information indicating whether or not a coupon is available to the terminal device 20.

[0023] Furthermore, when there are multiple candidate trip plans, the trip plan generation unit 15 calculates a priority for each candidate trip plan. Specifically, the trip plan generation unit 15 calculates a higher priority for a candidate trip plan whose new predicted arrival time after updating the trip plan is closer to the scheduled arrival time. The trip plan generation unit 15 also calculates a higher priority for a candidate trip plan that travels through an area not passed through by other candidate trip plans than for the other candidate trip plans. The trip plan generation unit 15 also calculates a lower priority for a candidate trip plan that makes a U-turn or travels the same road multiple times than for a candidate trip plan that travels the same road only once. The trip plan generation unit 15 also sets a higher priority for a candidate trip plan that includes a shorter distance between a waiting location and a drop-off location included in the candidate trip plan. The trip plan generation unit 15 also sets a higher priority for a candidate trip plan that includes a waiting location where the vehicle 30 can be stopped for a longer period of time. The trip plan generation unit 15 also sets a higher priority for a candidate trip plan that includes a waiting location where the vehicle 30 can be stopped for a longer period of time. The trip plan generation unit 15 also sets a higher priority for a candidate trip plan that includes a better fuel economy or electricity consumption of the vehicle 30. The driving plan generation unit 15 also sets a higher priority to a candidate driving plan that includes less congested roads.The driving plan generation unit 15 also sets a higher priority to a candidate driving plan that includes more roads with good pavement conditions.The driving plan generation unit may add up the priorities calculated for each of the multiple factors described above to set an overall priority for each candidate driving plan.

[0024] Furthermore, if the driving plan generation unit 15 detects, while the vehicle 30 is traveling, that there is a possibility that the vehicle 30 will not be able to arrive at the drop-off location before the scheduled arrival time, the driving plan generation unit 15 changes the driving plan. Specifically, if there is a possibility that the vehicle 30 will not be able to arrive at the drop-off location before the scheduled arrival time, the driving plan generation unit 15 changes the driving plan to include a plan for the vehicle 30 to wait at a predetermined waiting location, and updates the driving plan so that the vehicle 30 will go directly to the drop-off location. Note that "cases where there is a possibility that the vehicle 30 will not be able to arrive at the drop-off location before the scheduled arrival time" include cases where there is a sudden change in weather, where traffic congestion occurs on the planned driving route, where the user's stay at the waiting location is longer than the scheduled waiting time, where a road on the planned driving route is closed, or where a breakdown occurs in the vehicle 30.

[0025] Furthermore, if the on-time drop-off necessity evaluation value is equal to or greater than a predetermined value and it is predicted that the vehicle 30 will arrive at the drop-off location earlier than the scheduled arrival time while the vehicle 30 is traveling, the travel plan generation unit 15 may change the travel plan so that the vehicle 30 will arrive at the drop-off location by traveling a new planned travel route that is longer than the planned travel route. In other words, if it is predicted that the vehicle 30 will arrive at the drop-off location earlier than the scheduled arrival time, the travel plan generation unit 15 may change the travel plan while the vehicle 30 is traveling so that the vehicle 30 will arrive at the drop-off location by detouring (taking a longer route) around the existing planned travel route.

[0026] When the driving plan generation unit 15 outputs information about the driving plan candidates to the terminal device 20 via the communication unit 18, a selection screen such as that shown in FIG. 2(a) is first displayed on the display unit 21 of the terminal device 20. Driving plan candidates A, B, and C are displayed on the display unit 21 of the terminal device 20. Driving plan candidates A, B, and C are arranged from top to bottom in order of priority. The display unit 21 of the terminal device 20 displays information indicating "stopping by a tapioca shop" and "viewing cherry blossoms" as recommended action information for driving plan candidate A. The display unit 21 also presents coupon information indicating "a coupon for the tapioca shop can be used." The display unit 21 of the terminal device 20 also displays information indicating "viewing the night view and cityscape" as recommended action information for driving plan candidate B. The display unit 21 also presents information indicating that there are no usable coupons for driving plan candidate B. The display unit 21 of the terminal device 20 also displays information indicating "shopping" and "meeting a mascot character" as recommended action information for the candidate driving plan C. The display unit 21 also presents information indicating that there are no coupons available for the candidate driving plan C. If the user is already in the vehicle 30, the display unit 21 displays, for each of the candidate driving plans A, B, and C, a selectable time during which the user can select the candidate driving plan.

[0027] When the user selects one of the driving plan candidates, the screen display of the display unit 21 of the terminal device 20 changes, and information about the selected driving plan candidate is displayed on the display unit 21, as shown in FIG. 2(b). In the example shown in FIG. 2(b), the "information about the updated driving plan" includes recommended behavior information (a stop at a tapioca shop is possible), coupon information (a 100-yen discount coupon can be used), information indicating that the driver will arrive at the scheduled arrival time (the driver will arrive at the scheduled time), information indicating the travel time (total time: 40 minutes), information about waiting locations, the previously scheduled departure time (10:00), and information indicating the updated new departure time (boarding time) (09:50). The screen of the display unit 21 shown in FIG. 2(b) also displays a "Confirm" button and a "Back" button. The user confirms the selection of the driving plan candidate by tapping the "Confirm" button for the driving plan candidate displayed on the screen of the display unit 21. The driving plan generation unit 15 updates the driving plan based on the user's selection.

[0028] The fare calculation unit 16 also calculates the fare of the user based on the distance traveled when the vehicle 30 travels from the boarding location to the disembarking location according to the travel plan. The fare calculation unit 16 may output information indicating the fare calculated based on the travel plan to the terminal device 20 before the vehicle 30 arrives at the disembarking location. The fare calculation unit 16 may also display the fare for each candidate travel plan on the screen display shown in Figures 2(a) and (b).

[0029] Furthermore, the door control unit 17 controls a lock mechanism for the door 30a of the vehicle 30. If the scheduled drop-off necessity evaluation value is equal to or greater than a predetermined value and the vehicle 30 arrives at the drop-off location earlier than the scheduled arrival time, the door control unit 17 locks the door 30a of the vehicle 30 until the scheduled arrival time has passed. For example, if the user riding in the vehicle 30 is a child and the drop-off location is near the parent's workplace, and the vehicle 30 arrives at the drop-off location earlier than the scheduled arrival time, the door control unit 17 locks the vehicle door until the scheduled arrival time has passed. This prevents the child from getting out of the vehicle alone earlier than the scheduled arrival time, i.e., earlier than the scheduled arrival time between the user and the parent. As mentioned above, if the driving management device 10 predicts that the vehicle 30 will arrive at the drop-off location earlier than the scheduled arrival time, it controls the operation of the vehicle 30 so that it travels along a new planned route that is longer than the planned route, and if the vehicle 30 still arrives at the drop-off location earlier than the scheduled arrival time, it may lock the door 30a of the vehicle 30 until the scheduled arrival time has passed.

[0030] The communication unit 18 also exchanges information with the terminal communication unit 24 of the terminal device 20. The communication unit 18 also transmits a control command based on the driving plan to the vehicle communication unit 33 of the vehicle 30. The communication unit 18 also receives a remote control request signal from the vehicle communication unit 33 of the vehicle 30.

[0031] Next, the procedure of the run management method executed by the run management device 10 will be described with reference to FIG. First, in step S1, the travel information acquisition unit 12 acquires a predetermined scheduled arrival time. Next, in step S2, the predicted arrival time calculation unit 13 calculates and acquires the boarding time of the user based on the current location of the user and the current location of the vehicle 30. The predicted arrival time calculation unit 13 may acquire the time when the user actually boards the vehicle 30 as the boarding time. Next, in step S3, the predicted arrival time calculation unit 13 calculates the predicted arrival time based on the boarding time.

[0032] In step S4, the predicted arrival time calculation unit 13 compares the scheduled arrival time with the predicted arrival time and determines whether the predicted arrival time is earlier than the scheduled arrival time. If the predicted arrival time is later than the scheduled arrival time, the process ends.

[0033] On the other hand, if the predicted arrival time is earlier than the scheduled arrival time, in step S5, the necessity evaluation value calculation unit 14 calculates a scheduled disembarkation necessity evaluation value indicating the need for the user to disembark at the disembarkation location at the scheduled arrival time.

[0034] Next, in step S6, the necessity evaluation value calculation unit 14 determines whether the evaluation value of the necessity of getting off on time is equal to or greater than a predetermined value. If the evaluation value of the necessity of getting off on time is less than the predetermined value, the processing ends. In other words, if the evaluation value of the necessity of getting off on time is less than the predetermined value, the driving management device 10 controls the driving of the vehicle 30 so that the vehicle 30 arrives at the drop-off location earlier than the scheduled drop-off time without updating the preset driving plan.

[0035] On the other hand, if the evaluation value of the need for dropping off on time is equal to or greater than the predetermined value, in step S7, the driving plan generation unit 15 generates one or more new candidate driving plans and transmits them to the terminal device 20. Note that the driving plan generation unit 15 generates the candidate driving plans so that the vehicle 30 arrives at the drop-off location at the scheduled arrival time, but is not limited to this, and the candidate driving plans may be generated so that the vehicle 30 arrives at the drop-off location later than the predicted arrival time and before the scheduled arrival time (for example, so that the vehicle 30 arrives at the drop-off location three minutes before the scheduled arrival time).

[0036] Next, in step S8, the driving management device 10 receives the user's selection result, i.e., the driving plan candidates selected by the user, via the communication unit 18. The timing at which the user selects the driving plan candidates may be before the user arrives at the boarding location or after the user boards the vehicle 30. Then, in step S9, the driving management device 10 updates the driving plan based on the user's selection result, and transmits to the vehicle 30 a control command based on the updated driving plan.

[0037] Next, the procedure of the method in which the driving plan generating unit 15 of the driving management device 10 updates the driving plan will be described in more detail with reference to FIG. First, in step S11, the driving plan generation unit 15 sets a target arrival time that is later than the predicted arrival time and before the scheduled arrival time. That is, the driving management device 10 can set the scheduled arrival time or a time that is a predetermined time earlier than the scheduled arrival time as the target arrival time. The predetermined time (for example, 3 minutes) may be a time set by the user or may be a time set in advance by the driving plan generation unit 15.

[0038] Next, in step S12, the driving plan generating unit 15 extracts driving route candidates that allow the vehicle 30 to reach the drop-off point at the target arrival time without stopping, based on the map information in the map database 11. Note that in step S12, the driving route candidates extracted by the driving plan generating unit 15 are longer than the planned driving route before the driving plan update. In this case, the driving plan generating unit 15 extracts driving route candidates based on the difference between the boarding time and the target arrival time.

[0039] Next, in step S13, the driving plan generating unit 15 extracts a waiting location based on the map information in the map database 11, and further extracts candidate driving routes that will lead the vehicle 30 to the drop-off location at the target arrival time after stopping at the waiting location for a predetermined time. Note that the candidate driving routes extracted by the driving plan generating unit 15 in step S13 may be the same route as the planned driving route before updating the driving plan.

[0040] Next, in step S14, the driving plan generation unit 15 determines whether there are multiple driving route candidates. If there is only one driving route candidate or no driving route candidates, the process returns to step S11. In step S11, the driving plan generation unit 15 resets the target arrival time. For example, if the target arrival time was set to three minutes before the scheduled arrival time, the driving plan generation unit 15 resets the target arrival time to two minutes before the scheduled arrival time.

[0041] On the other hand, if it is determined in step S14 that there are multiple travel route candidates, the travel plan generating unit 15 acquires recommended action information for each travel route candidate in step S15.

[0042] Next, in step S16, the driving plan generating unit 15 calculates the priority of the driving route candidates of each driving plan candidate. Then, in step S17, the driving plan candidates and recommended action information corresponding to each driving route candidate are displayed on the display unit 21 of the terminal device 20 in order of priority.

[0043] In step S18, the driving plan generation unit 15 updates the driving plan in accordance with the user's selection of the driving plan candidates. Furthermore, the driving management device 100 outputs a control command to the vehicle 30 to control the driving of the vehicle 30 based on the updated driving plan, and causes the vehicle 30 to start driving.

[0044] After the vehicle 30 starts traveling, in step S19, the travel plan generation unit 15 determines whether there is a possibility that the vehicle 30 will not be able to arrive at the drop-off location before the scheduled arrival time, based on weather information and road traffic information. If there is no possibility that the vehicle 30 will not be able to arrive at the drop-off location before the scheduled arrival time, the control ends.

[0045] On the other hand, if there is a possibility that the vehicle 30 will not be able to arrive at the drop-off location before the scheduled arrival time, in step S20, the travel plan generation unit 15 changes the travel plan even while the vehicle 30 is traveling. Specifically, the travel plan generation unit 15 changes the travel plan so that the vehicle 30 goes directly to the drop-off location without stopping at a waiting location that was included in the original travel plan, or changes the travel plan so that the vehicle 30 can arrive at the drop-off location without passing through a construction site or the like.

[0046] As described above, the driving management device 10 and driving management system 1 having the driving management device 10 according to this embodiment calculate a predicted arrival time at which the vehicle 30 is predicted to arrive at the disembarkation location based on the user's boarding time at the boarding location. The driving management device 10 and driving management system 1 also calculate an on-time drop-off necessity evaluation value indicating the need for the user to disembark at the disembarkation location at the scheduled arrival time. If the predicted arrival time is earlier than the scheduled arrival time and the on-time drop-off necessity evaluation value is equal to or greater than a predetermined value, the driving management device 10 and driving management system 1 update the driving plan so that the vehicle 30 arrives at the disembarkation location later than the predicted arrival time and before the scheduled arrival time. In this way, if the on-time drop-off necessity evaluation value is equal to or greater than a predetermined value, the driving management device 10 and driving management system 1 can prevent the vehicle 30 from arriving at the disembarkation location too early compared to the scheduled arrival time. In other words, the driving management device 10 and driving management system 1 can reduce the user's waiting time at the drop-off location when there is a high need for the user to disembark at the scheduled disembarkation time, for example, when the user changes to a bus immediately after the scheduled arrival time or when the user is meeting an acquaintance at the scheduled arrival time.

[0047] The driving plan generation unit 15 of the driving management device 10 may update the driving plan so that the vehicle 30 arrives at the drop-off location at the scheduled arrival time. This allows the driving management device 10 and the driving management system 1 to prevent the user from having to wait unnecessary time at the drop-off location when the scheduled drop-off necessity evaluation value is equal to or greater than a predetermined value.

[0048] When updating the driving plan, the driving plan generation unit 15 of the driving management device 10 may change the planned driving route so that the vehicle 30 travels on a second planned driving route that is longer than the first planned driving route before the driving plan is updated. This allows the vehicle 30 to arrive at the drop-off location later than the predicted arrival time by the increased driving distance of the vehicle 30.

[0049] Furthermore, the driving plan generation unit 15 sets a second planned driving route after updating the driving plan based on the difference between the boarding time and the scheduled arrival time. As a result, the driving management device 10 and the driving management system 1 can update the planned driving route based on the available travel time of the vehicle 30 so that the vehicle 30 arrives at the drop-off point later than the predicted arrival time and before the scheduled arrival time.

[0050] The driving plan generation unit 15 of the driving management device 10 may update the driving plan so that the vehicle 30 waits for a predetermined time at a predetermined waiting location between the boarding location and the disembarking location. This allows the vehicle 30 to arrive at the disembarking location later than the predicted arrival time. In addition, the user can do activities such as shopping or sightseeing at the waiting location.

[0051] When multiple waiting location candidates are acquired, the driving plan generation unit 15 of the driving management device 10 compares a first waiting location candidate with a second waiting location candidate whose distance from the waiting location candidate to the drop-off location is shorter than that of the first waiting location candidate, and sets the second waiting location candidate as the waiting location with priority over the first waiting location candidate. This allows the driving management device 10 and the driving management system 1 to prioritize setting a waiting location candidate that is closer to the drop-off location as the waiting location, thereby reducing the possibility of factors that impede the vehicle 30's travel between the waiting location and the drop-off location. Therefore, the driving management device 10 and the driving management system 1 can update the driving plan so that the vehicle 30 is more likely to arrive at the drop-off location before the scheduled arrival time. A driving impediment is, for example, a sudden change in weather, the occurrence of traffic congestion, or other events that may impede the smooth travel of the vehicle 30.

[0052] The necessity evaluation value calculation unit 14 of the driving management device 10 calculates the on-time getting off necessity evaluation value based on the user's attributes. As a result, the driving management device 10 and the driving management system 1 can calculate the on-time getting off necessity evaluation value to be higher than a predetermined reference value, for example, if the user is a child or a disabled person.

[0053] The necessity evaluation value calculation unit 14 of the driving management device 10 calculates the evaluation value of the necessity of getting off on time based on information about the drop-off location. This allows the driving management device 10 and the driving management system 1 to calculate the evaluation value of the necessity of getting off on time in accordance with the environment and conditions of the drop-off location based on, for example, location information of the drop-off location, weather information, congestion status, and the time when public transportation such as a bus arrives at the drop-off location.

[0054] If the on-time disembarkation necessity evaluation value is equal to or greater than a predetermined value and the vehicle 30 arrives at the disembarkation location earlier than the scheduled arrival time, the door control unit 17 of the driving management device 10 locks the door 30a of the vehicle 30 until the scheduled arrival time has passed. This allows the driving management device 10 and the driving management system 1 to prevent the user from getting out of the vehicle alone before the scheduled arrival time, for example, if the user is a child and is meeting their parent at the disembarkation location at the scheduled arrival time.

[0055] If the on-time drop-off necessity evaluation value is equal to or greater than a predetermined value and it is predicted while the vehicle 30 is traveling that the vehicle 30 will arrive at the drop-off location earlier than the scheduled arrival time, the driving plan generation unit 15 of the driving management device 10 changes the driving plan so that the vehicle 30 will arrive at the drop-off location by traveling a new planned driving route that is longer than the planned driving route. In other words, if the driving plan generation unit 15 predicts that the time the vehicle 30 will arrive at the drop-off location will be earlier than the scheduled arrival time, it changes the driving plan to make the vehicle 30 take a detour. This allows the driving management device 10 and the driving management system 1 to prevent the time the vehicle 30 arrives at the drop-off location from being too earlier than the scheduled arrival time.

[0056] When updating a driving plan, the driving plan generation unit 15 of the driving management device 10 generates multiple driving plan candidates and outputs the driving plan candidates to the terminal device 20 as a display device. This allows the driving management device 10 and the driving management system 1 to present multiple driving plan candidates to the user via the terminal device 20 (display device). Therefore, the user can select a driving plan candidate based on the information output to the display unit 21 of the terminal device 20.

[0057] The driving plan generation unit 15 of the driving management device 10 outputs recommended action information indicating actions that the user can perform when each driving plan candidate is set as a driving plan to the terminal device 20 as a display device. This allows the driving management device 10 and the driving management system 1 to present information that can be used as a basis for selecting a driving plan candidate to the user via the terminal device 20 (display device).

[0058] The driving plan generation unit 15 of the driving management device 10 outputs the selectable time, which is the time during which the user can select a driving plan candidate, to the terminal device 20 as a display device. This allows the driving management device 10 and the driving management system 1 to present the selectable time for selecting a driving plan candidate to the user when the user selects a driving plan candidate after the vehicle 30 starts driving.

[0059] In this embodiment, the driving of the vehicle 30 is remotely controlled by the driving management device 10, but this is not limited to this, and the driver may drive the vehicle 30 based on a driving plan generated by the driving management device 10.

[0060] The terminal 20 corresponds to the display device according to the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0061] 1...Driving management system 10...Travel management device 10a...Controller 12...Driving information acquisition unit 13...Predicted arrival time calculation unit 14...Necessity evaluation value calculation section 15...Driving plan generation unit 17...Door control unit 18…Communications Department 20...Terminal (display device) 30...Vehicle 30a...door

Claims

1. A driving management device that generates a driving plan including a planned driving route for a vehicle to travel from a user's boarding location to a user's disembarking location, a travel information acquisition unit that acquires a predetermined scheduled arrival time; a predicted arrival time calculation unit that calculates a predicted arrival time at which the vehicle is predicted to arrive at the disembarkation location based on the boarding time of the user at the boarding location; a necessity evaluation value calculation unit that calculates a regular drop-off necessity evaluation value indicating the necessity for the user to get off at the drop-off location at the regular arrival time; A driving management device comprising: a driving plan generation unit that, when the predicted arrival time is earlier than the scheduled arrival time and the scheduled disembarkation necessity evaluation value is equal to or greater than a predetermined value, causes the vehicle to wait for a predetermined time at a predetermined waiting location between the boarding location and the disembarking location, and updates the driving plan so that the vehicle arrives at the disembarking location later than the predicted arrival time and before the scheduled arrival time.

2. The driving management device according to claim 1 , wherein the driving plan generation unit updates the driving plan so that the vehicle arrives at the drop-off location at the scheduled arrival time.

3. The driving management device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein when updating the driving plan, the driving plan generation unit changes the planned driving route so that the vehicle travels on a second planned driving route that is longer than the first planned driving route before the driving plan is updated.

4. The driving management device according to claim 3 , wherein the driving plan generation unit sets the second planned driving route based on a difference between the boarding time and the scheduled arrival time.

5. The driving plan generation unit A driving management device as described in any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein when multiple waiting location candidates are obtained, a first waiting location candidate is compared with a second waiting location candidate in which the distance between the waiting location candidate and the disembarkation point is shorter than that of the first waiting location candidate, and the second waiting location candidate is set as the waiting location in preference to the first waiting location candidate.

6. The driving management device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the necessity evaluation value calculation unit calculates the on-time disembarkation necessity evaluation value based on attributes of the user.

7. The driving management device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the necessity evaluation value calculation unit calculates the regular drop-off necessity evaluation value based on information related to the drop-off location.

8. A door control unit that controls opening and closing of the vehicle door is further provided. The driving management device described in any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the door control unit locks the doors of the vehicle until the scheduled arrival time has passed if the scheduled disembarkation necessity evaluation value is equal to or greater than a predetermined value and the vehicle arrives at the disembarkation location earlier than the scheduled arrival time.

9. The driving plan generation unit of any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein if the scheduled drop-off necessity evaluation value is equal to or greater than a predetermined value and it is predicted that the vehicle will arrive at the drop-off location earlier than the scheduled arrival time while the vehicle is traveling, changes the driving plan so that the vehicle will arrive at the drop-off location by traveling a new planned driving route that is longer than the planned driving route.

10. The driving management device according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the driving plan generation unit generates a plurality of driving plan candidates when updating the driving plan and outputs the driving plan candidates to a display device.

11. The driving management device according to claim 10 , wherein the driving plan generation unit outputs, to the display device, recommended action information indicating actions that the user can take when each of the driving plan candidates is set as the driving plan.

12. The driving management device according to claim 10 or 11, wherein the driving plan generation unit outputs a selectable time, which is a time during which the user can select the driving plan candidate, to the display device.

13. A driving management system including a driving management device that generates a driving plan including a planned driving route for a vehicle to travel from a user's boarding location to a user's disembarking location, and a terminal device that can communicate with the driving management device, The running management device a travel information acquisition unit that acquires a predetermined scheduled arrival time; a predicted arrival time calculation unit that calculates a predicted arrival time at which the vehicle is predicted to arrive at the disembarkation location based on the boarding time of the user at the boarding location; a necessity evaluation value calculation unit that calculates a regular drop-off necessity evaluation value indicating the necessity for the user to get off at the drop-off location at the regular arrival time; a travel plan generation unit that updates the travel plan when the predicted arrival time is earlier than the scheduled arrival time and when the scheduled disembarkation necessity evaluation value is equal to or greater than a predetermined value, by making the vehicle wait for a predetermined time at a predetermined waiting location between the boarding location and the disembarking location, so that the vehicle arrives at the disembarking location later than the predicted arrival time and before the scheduled arrival time; A driving management system comprising: a communication unit that transmits the driving plan to the terminal device.

14. A driving management method for generating a driving plan including a planned driving route for a vehicle to travel from a boarding location to a disembarking location of a user using a controller, The controller Obtain the predetermined scheduled arrival time, calculating a predicted arrival time at which the vehicle is predicted to arrive at the disembarkation location based on a boarding time of the user at the boarding location; calculating a scheduled drop-off necessity evaluation value indicating the necessity for the user to get off at the drop-off location at the scheduled arrival time; A driving management method, in which, if the predicted arrival time is earlier than the scheduled arrival time and the scheduled disembarkation necessity evaluation value is equal to or greater than a predetermined value, the vehicle is made to wait for a predetermined time at a predetermined waiting location between the boarding location and the disembarking location, and the driving plan is updated so that the vehicle arrives at the disembarking location later than the predicted arrival time and before the scheduled arrival time.

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