Vehicle allocation management device and vehicle allocation management method

Abstract

The present invention is a vehicle dispatch management device that manages the allocation of a plurality of vehicles to a plurality of areas. The device acquires vehicle information including information about a position and a drivable range from each of the vehicles, creates item condition demand information, which indicates the number of vehicles in demand for each item condition in each of the areas, on the basis of prediction demand information indicating future demand for the vehicles in a predetermined time period, creates supply-demand evaluation information, which indicates the relationship between the number of vehicles in demand and the number of suppliable vehicles for each item condition in each of the areas, on the basis of the item condition demand information and the vehicle information, determines, on the basis of the supply-demand evaluation information, the vehicle as a vehicle to be moved to one of the areas at the completion of transport service when the area has the item condition that the number of suppliable vehicles is insufficient for the number of vehicles in demand, and instructs the vehicle to be moved.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a vehicle allocation management technology, and more particularly to a vehicle allocation management device and a vehicle allocation management method for managing optimal locations of electric vehicles available for use by users. [Background technology]

[0002] Mobility services are defined as services that provide smooth transportation of users and luggage by vehicle. Examples of mobility services include car sharing services, which allow multiple users to share vacant vehicles parked in nearby parking lots for a set time period, and ride sharing services, which allow multiple passengers to share a car. In recent years, electric vehicles have become increasingly popular due to growing awareness of environmental protection, and mobility services using electric vehicles are becoming increasingly widespread in society. Mobility services require efficient vehicle allocation planning to increase vehicle utilization rates and improve user (passenger) convenience.

[0003] For example, Patent Document 1 below discloses a technology that predicts the demand for vehicles required for specific areas when a specific event is held at a destination, and moves vehicles according to the predicted demand. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2020-60980 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] While electric vehicles have excellent environmental performance while in operation, they currently face problems such as the time it takes to charge the onboard battery and the fact that the distance they can travel on a single charge (driving range) is not sufficiently long. Furthermore, depending on the vehicle's operating status, they may find themselves in a situation where they must operate vehicles to meet demand even when their remaining battery capacity is low and their driving range is short. Therefore, when providing mobility services using electric vehicles, it is extremely important to plan an efficient vehicle deployment that takes these issues into consideration.

[0006] However, the technology disclosed in Patent Document 1 does not take into account the distance (planned driving distance) to the destination of a vehicle moved to meet predicted demand, and therefore cannot address the problem of an insufficient number of vehicles that meet user needs compared to the number of available vehicles. For example, if a vehicle located in an area with high demand and a long planned driving distance has a short driving range due to insufficient remaining capacity in its onboard battery, the vehicle is not considered to be capable of traveling to the user's destination, even though it exists in the area. Therefore, to meet demand in such an area, vehicles with a long driving range must be "relocated" from distant areas. This reduces convenience for users by increasing waiting times for vehicle preparation, while service providers are unable to operate vehicles efficiently, which could result in missed service provision opportunities.

[0007] Furthermore, because it takes time to charge onboard batteries, it is desirable for vehicles that have completed their transportation services to continue operating without charging as long as they can meet demand, in order to improve utilization rates. However, the technology disclosed in Patent Document 1 does not take into consideration the placement of vehicles that have completed their transportation services.

[0008] Furthermore, depending on the passenger capacity and facilities of the vehicle, some vehicles may not meet the needs of the user, and if the vehicle is not located in an appropriate location, the above-mentioned inconveniences may also occur.

[0009] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a technology for efficiently allocating vehicles in accordance with the demand in each area. [Means for solving the problem]

[0010] The present invention, which aims to solve the above problems, comprises the following invention-specifying matters and technical features. That is, the present invention according to one aspect is a vehicle allocation management device that manages the allocation of a plurality of vehicles to each of a plurality of areas. The system includes a vehicle information acquisition unit that acquires vehicle information from each of the vehicles, including at least information regarding the location and cruising range; an item condition demand creation unit that creates item condition demand information indicating the number of vehicles in demand for each item condition in each of the areas based on predicted demand information indicating future demand for the vehicles during a predetermined time period; a supply and demand evaluation unit that creates supply and demand evaluation information indicating the relationship between the number of vehicles in demand and the number of vehicles available for supply for each item condition in each of the areas based on the item condition demand information and the vehicle information; a movement vehicle determination unit that determines, based on the supply and demand evaluation information, a vehicle to be placed in an area having an item condition where the number of vehicles available for supply is insufficient compared to the number of vehicles in demand, as a vehicle to be moved; and a vehicle placement determination unit that instructs the vehicle to be moved to place the vehicle in the area. The item condition demand creation unit calculates the number of vehicles in demand for each item condition defined by a distance category. The supply and demand evaluation unit calculates the number of vehicles available for supply for each item condition defined by a distance category based on the vehicle's cruising range. Then, when it is determined that the cruising range of the vehicle that has completed the transportation service exceeds a predetermined value, the moving vehicle determination unit determines the vehicle as the vehicle to be moved.

[0011] Furthermore, the present invention according to one aspect may be a vehicle allocation management method for managing the allocation of a plurality of vehicles to each of a plurality of areas. Furthermore, the present invention may be understood as a computer program for causing a computing device to implement the vehicle allocation management method, or a computer-readable medium capable of non-transitoryly storing the same. [Effects of the Invention]

[0012] According to the present invention, vehicles that have completed transportation services can be efficiently allocated so as to meet the demand for each area based on the planned travel distance.

[0013] Other technical features, objects, and operational effects or advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following embodiments described with reference to the accompanying drawings. The effects described in this specification are merely examples and are not intended to be limiting, and other effects may also be present. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0014] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a vehicle dispatch management system according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a functional configuration model of the vehicle dispatch control device according to the embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of predicted demand information in the vehicle dispatch management device according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of item condition demand information in the vehicle dispatch management device according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 5] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of supply and demand evaluation information in the vehicle dispatch management device according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 6] 3 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a vehicle dispatch management method by the vehicle dispatch management device according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 7] 10 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a process for creating predicted demand information by the vehicle dispatch management device according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 8] 10 is a flowchart showing an example of a process for creating item condition demand information by the vehicle dispatch management device according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 9] 10 is a flowchart showing an example of a process for creating supply and demand evaluation information by the vehicle dispatch management device according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 10]10 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a process for determining a vehicle to be moved by the vehicle dispatch control device according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 11] 10 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a process for determining a vehicle to be moved by the vehicle dispatch control device according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 12] 10 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a process for determining a vehicle to be moved by the vehicle dispatch control device according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 13] 10 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a vehicle allocation determination process performed by the vehicle allocation management device according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 14] 10 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a vehicle allocation determination process performed by the vehicle allocation management device according to one embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0015] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. However, the embodiments described below are merely examples, and are not intended to exclude various modifications or applications of techniques not explicitly described below. The present invention can be implemented in various modifications (e.g., combinations of the embodiments) without departing from the spirit of the present invention. Furthermore, in the following description of the drawings, identical or similar parts are denoted by identical or similar reference numerals. The drawings are schematic and do not necessarily correspond to actual dimensions, ratios, etc. Parts in the drawings may have different dimensional relationships or ratios.

[0016] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a vehicle dispatch management system according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in the figure, the vehicle dispatch management system 1 includes a vehicle dispatch management device 10, a service terminal device 20, and a vehicle V, which are communicatively connected to each other via a communication network N. Each of areas A1 to A3 is a geographical range including one or more waiting locations where a vehicle V is located and waits for use by a user. For example, each of areas A1 to A3 may be recognized as having a facility such as an airport, a train station, or a large-scale customer-generating facility as its core. Hereinafter, unless there is a need to particularly distinguish between areas A1 to A3, these areas will be collectively referred to as area A, etc. Typically, each area A has a different cruising distance (distance demand) required for the vehicle V due to factors related to regional characteristics. In the present disclosure, an example is described in which the vehicle dispatch management system 1 is adapted to a mobility service for transporting passengers and luggage by vehicle V, but the present disclosure is not limited to this.

[0017] The vehicle allocation management device 10 is a computing device that manages the allocation of multiple vehicles V to each area A. The vehicle allocation management device 10 implements, for example, a vehicle allocation management program. The vehicle allocation management device 10 also includes an operation record database 12 that stores data (operation record data) related to the past operation records of the vehicles V in each area A. In this example, the operation record database 12 is configured as part of the vehicle allocation management device 10, but is not limited to this and may be configured separately from the vehicle allocation management device 10.

[0018] In summary, the vehicle dispatch management device 10 predicts future demand for vehicles V in each area A based on the operation performance data stored in the operation performance database 12, evaluates the surplus or shortage (supply and demand) of the number of vehicles V in each area A based on the predicted demand and vehicle information acquired from the vehicles V, and instructs the vehicles V to move to rearrange the vehicles V between areas A according to the results of the evaluation. In particular, in the present disclosure, for vehicles V that have completed their transportation service, the vehicle dispatch management device 10 instructs the vehicles V to move to the most appropriate area A and / or to patrol the roads in the area A according to the results of the evaluation, while taking into consideration the driving distance (cruising range) of the vehicles V.

[0019] Vehicle V is a vehicle registered with the vehicle dispatch management device 10 for use by users as passengers. The vehicle V may be of any type (e.g., sedan, minivan, SUV, etc.), but here, vehicle V is assumed to be an electric vehicle (EV) powered by an on-board battery. Vehicle V may also be a self-driving vehicle capable of fully autonomous driving, and the so-called level of autonomous driving does not matter. Vehicle V is equipped with a control device (not shown) that controls vehicle V itself or its onboard equipment in accordance with instructions from the vehicle dispatch management device 10. The control device includes, for example, a navigation function that indicates area A where vehicle V is to be placed, and, in the case of a fully autonomous vehicle, an autonomous driving control function for vehicle V to its placement location.

[0020] The service terminal device 20 is, for example, a computing device carried and operated by a crew member of the vehicle V. Alternatively, the service terminal device 20 may be a computing device placed at a base (waiting location), a service provider's office, or the like, and operated by a service provider's staff member. The service terminal device 20, for example, under the control of the vehicle dispatch management device 10, displays information on a user interface regarding the current deployment status of the vehicle V and deployment destination instructions.

[0021] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of a functional configuration model of a vehicle dispatch management device according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in the figure, the vehicle dispatch management device 10 is configured as a functional configuration model including, for example, a demand prediction unit 110, an item / condition demand creation unit 120, a vehicle information acquisition unit 130, a supply / demand evaluation unit 140, a moving vehicle determination unit 150, and a vehicle allocation determination unit 160. This functional model is realized by the processor of the vehicle dispatch management device 10 executing a vehicle dispatch management program in cooperation with various hardware resources. The functional configuration model shown here is an example, and all or part of the functions of a certain functional configuration unit may be realized by another functional configuration unit.

[0022] The demand forecasting unit 110 predicts future demand for vehicles V in each area A at a predetermined timing based on operation performance data and the like. More specifically, the demand forecasting unit 110 creates and outputs predicted demand information, for example, as shown in FIG. 3 , based on the operation performance data stored in the operation performance database 12. The demand forecasting unit 110 can also create predicted demand information by taking into account, in addition to the operation performance data, traffic conditions and environmental information (hereinafter referred to as "traffic conditions, etc.") in each area A. The environmental information can include, for example, event information. The predicted demand information includes the predicted occurrence time, departure point, destination, waiting location near the departure point, initial travel time, planned travel distance, end time, and waiting location near the destination, etc., in a predetermined unit of time (for example, every 10 minutes from the reference time up to 30 minutes ahead). In this example, the initial travel time is expressed as "large" if it exceeds a predetermined threshold, and as "small" if it is equal to or less than this threshold. The demand forecasting unit 110 may include a demand forecasting model that has been subjected to machine learning according to a predetermined machine learning algorithm, using, for example, operation performance data as an explanatory variable and forecast demand information as a target variable.

[0023] The item condition demand creation unit 120 creates item condition demand information indicating the demand for a predetermined item and each of its conditions based on the predicted demand information. More specifically, the demand prediction unit 110 calculates the number of vehicles V in demand under various conditions (item conditions) for each item, such as distance for each area A as shown in FIG. 4, based on the predicted demand information output from the demand prediction unit 110, and creates and outputs item condition demand information indicating the number of vehicles in demand for each item condition. In addition, the item condition demand creation unit 120 may calculate the number of vehicles V in demand using additional parameters (correction coefficients). The item conditions are defined taking into consideration the needs of users, and include, for example, the number of vehicles in demand for each "distance" category, the number of vehicles in demand for each "number of passengers" category, and the number of vehicles in demand for each vehicle facility.

[0024] For example, the distance D is D1: Short distance (less than 50km) D2: Medium distance (50km to less than 100km) D3: Long distance (100km~) is defined as: Also, the number of passengers P is P1: 1~2 people P2: 3~5 people P3: 6 people~ is defined as: In addition, vehicle equipment F is F1: Wheelchair F2: Luggage space F3: Child seat It should be noted that the vehicle equipment is not selective, but multiple vehicle equipment can be selected.

[0025] The vehicle information acquisition unit 130 acquires vehicle information from each registered vehicle V via the communication network N. The vehicle information includes, for example, the vehicle ID of the vehicle V, current location information, on-board battery capacity (SOC: State of Charge) information, cruising range information, scheduled charging time information, etc. The vehicle information acquisition unit 130 outputs the acquired vehicle information to the supply and demand evaluation unit 140.

[0026] The supply and demand evaluation unit 140 evaluates the supply and demand relationship (surplus / shortage) of vehicles V for each item condition frame based on the item condition demand information and vehicle information. More specifically, the supply and demand evaluation unit 140 generates and outputs supply and demand evaluation information indicating the supplyable amount relative to the demand amount (demanded number) of vehicles V assigned to each item condition, for example, as shown in Fig. 5, based on the item condition demand information output from the item condition demand creation unit 120 and the vehicle information output from the vehicle information acquisition unit 130.

[0027] That is, as shown in the figure, in area A1, the number of vehicles V that exceed the demand for distances D1 to D3 is indicated as evaluation values ​​of "2," "2," and "0." That is, in area A1, it is evaluated that there are zero vehicles V that satisfy the distance D3. In this case, vehicles V whose scheduled charging time is approaching may be excluded. Similarly, in area A2, the number of vehicles V that exceed the demand for distances D1 to D3 is indicated as "2," "2," and "1." Furthermore, in area A3, the number of vehicles V that exceed the demand for distances D1 to D3 is indicated as "2," "2," and "3." The supply and demand evaluation information may indicate that the range (distance demand) required for vehicles V differs for each area A. As will be described later, the balance of supply and demand is adjusted by moving vehicles V from other areas A that have item conditions with high evaluation values ​​(a small number of available vehicles compared to the number of demanded vehicles) to areas A with item conditions with low evaluation values ​​(a large surplus of available vehicles compared to the number of demanded vehicles).

[0028] The demand and supply evaluation information may also include the number of demands whose initial travel time exceeds a predetermined threshold. The initial travel time is the travel cost from a waiting location in area A to the predicted demand's departure point.

[0029] Returning to FIG. 2, the moving vehicle determination unit 150 determines vehicles V to be relocated between areas A based on the supply and demand evaluation information and the vehicle information. More specifically, the moving vehicle determination unit 150 determines the optimal vehicles V for relocation between areas A from among the group of vehicles V that meet demand, based on the supply and demand evaluation information output from the supply and demand evaluation unit 140 and the vehicle information output from the vehicle information acquisition unit 130. For example, as shown in FIG. 5, in area A1, the number of operable vehicles V (supply) is insufficient for the number of vehicles V required for distance D3 (long distance) while in area A3, there is a surplus in the number of operable vehicles V for the number of vehicles V required for distance D3. The moving vehicle determination unit 150 determines the number of vehicles V (vehicles to be moved) to be moved from area A3 to area A1. In addition, the moving vehicle determination unit 150 determines vehicles V that cannot travel a sufficient cruising distance to meet demand as vehicles to be moved to a charging facility.

[0030] The vehicle placement determination unit 160 determines the placement location of the vehicle V whose movement has been determined by the movement vehicle determination unit 150, and outputs a movement instruction. For example, the vehicle placement determination unit 160 transmits an instruction to the service terminal device 20 installed at the waiting location of each area A and / or the corresponding vehicle V. In response to this, the service terminal device 20 displays relocation information based on the control instruction on a user interface to prompt the person in charge to relocate the corresponding vehicle V. Furthermore, the corresponding vehicle V uses a navigation function to search for a movement route to the waiting location where it will be placed, and navigates the driver. Alternatively, in the case of a fully autonomous vehicle, the vehicle placement determination unit 160 issues an instruction to the corresponding vehicle V, and the vehicle V, upon receiving this, moves between areas A by autonomous driving. Furthermore, the vehicle placement determination unit 160 instructs the vehicle V that needs charging to move to a nearby waiting location equipped with charging facilities.

[0031] 6 is a flowchart showing an example of a vehicle dispatch management method by a vehicle dispatch management device according to one embodiment of the present invention. This method is realized by the vehicle dispatch management device 10 executing a vehicle dispatch management program under the control of a processor, thereby cooperating with hardware resources.

[0032] As shown in the figure, the vehicle dispatch management device 10 refers to the operation record database 12 and creates predicted demand information as shown in Fig. 3 based on past operation record data (S601). Next, the vehicle dispatch management device 10 creates item condition demand information indicating the demand for each predetermined item and its conditions as shown in Fig. 4 based on the created predicted demand information (S602). Subsequently, the vehicle dispatch management device 10 creates supply and demand evaluation information as shown in Fig. 5 based on the created item condition demand information and vehicle information acquired from vehicle V (S603).

[0033] Next, the vehicle dispatch management device 10 determines vehicles to be moved based on the created supply and demand evaluation information (S604). That is, the vehicle dispatch management device 10 determines vehicles V to be moved and the number of vehicles V for each item condition between different areas A. Depending on the status of the item conditions, the movement of vehicles V may not only be between two areas A, but may also be a sequential movement between three or more areas A (for example, moving vehicle V in area A3 to A2, and another vehicle in A2 to A1).

[0034] Then, the vehicle dispatch management device 10 determines a location for the vehicle V to be moved and instructs the vehicle V to move (S605). For example, the vehicle dispatch management device 10 specifies a waiting location within area A. Alternatively, the vehicle dispatch management device 10 instructs the vehicle V to wait in the waiting location within area A or at a nearby charging location. Alternatively, the vehicle dispatch management device 10 specifies waiting while patrolling the roads within area A.

[0035] 7 is a flowchart showing an example of a process for creating predicted demand information by a vehicle dispatch control device according to an embodiment of the present invention, which shows details of the process of S601 shown in FIG.

[0036] As shown in the figure, the demand forecasting unit 110 first refers to the operation record database 12 and acquires operation record data (S701). The demand forecasting unit 110 may also acquire information such as traffic conditions in each area A. Next, the demand forecasting unit 110 predicts the time of demand occurrence and the departure point based on the acquired operation record data and traffic conditions in each area A, and associates each predicted time of demand occurrence with a waiting location around the departure point that will require the vehicle V to travel a short distance (S702).

[0037] Next, the demand forecasting unit 110 identifies, from among the predicted demands, demands whose initial travel time exceeds a predetermined threshold (S703). Next, the demand forecasting unit 110 calculates the end time and the planned travel distance based on the acquired operation performance data (S704). The end time is calculated based on the occurrence time and the time required for a route that passes through the departure point waiting location, departure point, destination, and destination waiting location in that order, and the distance of the route is the planned travel distance. In this way, predicted demand information such as that shown in FIG. 2 is created.

[0038] 8 is a flowchart showing an example of the process of creating item condition demand information by the vehicle dispatch control device according to one embodiment of the present invention, which shows details of the process of S602 shown in FIG.

[0039] As shown in the figure, the item condition demand creation unit 120 aggregates the demand for each area A during a predetermined time period Tn based on the created predicted demand information (S801). The predetermined time period Tn is defined, for example, as a 10-minute period extending 30 minutes into the future. The demand is calculated by calculating the net number of vehicles V that can satisfy the demand for the time period Tn, taking into account the time periods before and after the time period. For example, for the time period Tn from 12:00 to 12:30, the occurrence times of the demands predicted for area A are "12:02," "12:05," and "12:20," and the end times are "12:15," "12:22," and "12:30." In this case, the number of predicted demands is three, but the vehicle V for the first demand can be allocated to the third demand, so the net number of vehicles is "2." In this way, the number of demands for each item condition depends on the net number of vehicles, enabling efficient allocation of vehicles V.

[0040] Next, the item condition demand creation unit 120 calculates the demand ratio for area A other than the current area A (referred to as "area A'") (S802). In other words, the item condition demand creation unit 120 calculates the demand ratio for area A' close to the destination other than area A at the departure point.

[0041] Next, the item condition demand creation unit 120 acquires additional parameters (S803). The additional parameters are certain correction coefficients used to calculate the number of vehicles V required, and include, for example, a prediction accuracy rate based on past performance and environmental information.

[0042] Next, the item condition demand creation unit 120 calculates the number of vehicles V required to satisfy the demand for each item condition (demanded number of vehicles) (S804). The demanded number is calculated taking into account the net number of vehicles required and additional parameters, as shown in the following formula. Demand volume = Net number of vehicles × additional parameters (correct answer rate, demand ratio, environmental information, etc.) The item condition demand creation unit 120 calculates the demand number by correcting the net number of vehicles for each item condition with the additional parameters. In this way, the item condition demand information as shown in FIG.

[0043] 9 is a flowchart showing an example of the process of generating supply and demand evaluation information by the vehicle dispatch control device according to one embodiment of the present invention, which shows details of the process of S603 shown in FIG.

[0044] As shown in the figure, the supply and demand evaluation unit 140 calculates the number of vehicles V that can be supplied in each area during time period Tn (S901). The number of vehicles that can be supplied is, for example, the sum of the number of vehicles V that are scheduled to be waiting at time t1 and the number of vehicles V that can be dispatched by time t2.

[0045] Next, the supply and demand evaluation unit 140 allocates available vehicles V for each item condition (S902). Next, the supply and demand evaluation unit 140 evaluates the supply and demand relationship based on the number of vehicles demanded and the number of vehicles available for supply for each item condition (S903). That is, the supply and demand evaluation unit 140 calculates the surplus or shortage of the number of vehicles available for supply relative to the number of vehicles demanded as an evaluation value. In this way, the supply and demand evaluation information shown in FIG. 5 is created.

[0046] 10 to 12 are flowcharts showing an example of the process of determining a vehicle to be moved by the vehicle dispatch control device according to one embodiment of the present invention, and show details of the process of S604 shown in FIG.

[0047] As shown in the figure, the moving vehicle determination unit 150 first acquires the created supply and demand evaluation information (S1001). Next, the moving vehicle determination unit 150 determines whether there is a vehicle V in area A that has completed its transportation service (S1002). In other words, a vehicle V that has just dropped off passengers, etc., has not yet been determined as a destination (waiting location, road patrol, etc.), and may be a candidate for moving to a waiting location in area A where the number of waiting vehicles V (available supply number) is insufficient for the predicted number of vehicles in demand. On the other hand, if there is no vehicle V that has just dropped off passengers, etc., the vehicle V to be moved to the waiting location where the number of vehicles V is insufficient is determined based on the current waiting situation of vehicles V in each area A, taking into account the balance of supply and demand (processing of S1010, described below).

[0048] When the moving vehicle determination unit 150 determines that there is a vehicle V whose transportation service has ended (Yes in S1002), the moving vehicle determination unit 150 subsequently determines whether the cruising distance of the vehicle V exceeds a predetermined value (S1003). Here, the predetermined value is set based on the minimum cruising distance sufficient to meet demand in area A. The moving vehicle determination unit 150 may make the determination based on on-board battery capacity information (e.g., remaining charge rate) instead of the cruising distance. As will be described later, the vehicle V whose transportation service has ended is instructed to, for example, patrol the roads in an appropriate area A according to its cruising distance. When the moving vehicle determination unit 150 determines that the cruising distance of the vehicle V does not exceed the predetermined value (No in S1003), the vehicle V is insufficient to provide transportation service, and therefore determines the vehicle V as a moving target vehicle V that needs to be charged (S1004). The vehicle V that needs to be charged is instructed to move to a nearby waiting area where charging equipment is available.

[0049] On the other hand, if the moving vehicle determination unit 150 determines that the cruising distance of the vehicle V exceeds the predetermined value (Yes in S1003), the moving vehicle determination unit 150 selects the item condition with the lowest evaluation value in the supply and demand evaluation information as the candidate destination slot for area A where a vehicle needs to be allocated (S1005). Note that if there are multiple candidate destination slots, the moving vehicle determination unit 150 makes the selection using, for example, the following criteria (i) to (iii). (i) The shortage of waiting vehicles V is the largest (the number of available vehicles relative to the number of vehicles demanded is the smallest). (ii) Vehicle V has the lowest travel cost (e.g., short travel time or short travel distance). (iii) The number of units in demand is the highest The moving vehicle determination unit 150 may select as the first candidate frame an object that satisfies any one of these criteria (i) to (iii), or may select as the first candidate frame an object that satisfies more criteria.

[0050] Next, the moving vehicle determination unit 150 determines whether the cruising distance that the vehicle V can travel if it were to travel to the waiting location (hereinafter referred to as the "post-travel cruising distance") exceeds a predetermined value (S1006). If the moving vehicle determination unit 150 determines that the post-travel cruising distance of the vehicle V exceeds the predetermined value (Yes in S1006), it determines the vehicle V as a vehicle to be moved (S1007). In this way, the post-travel cruising distance of the vehicle V is taken into consideration when locating the vehicle V, so that it is possible to exclude in advance vehicles V that will not meet the user's needs even if the vehicle V is moved.

[0051] On the other hand, if the moving vehicle determination unit 150 determines that the cruising distance after movement does not exceed the predetermined value (No in S1006), it adjusts whether the vehicle can move between other areas A' (S1008).

[0052] 11, the moving vehicle determination unit 150 extracts, as a source candidate frame, item conditions corresponding to areas A' other than area A where the destination candidate frame is located (S1101). For example, in the supply and demand evaluation information shown in FIG. 5, for item condition D3 with an evaluation value of "0" for area A1, which is the destination candidate frame, item conditions D3 for areas A2 and A3 are extracted as source candidate frames. Next, the moving vehicle determination unit 150 extracts, from the vehicles V in the extracted second candidate frame, vehicles V whose cruising distance after moving to area A exceeds a predetermined value (S1102).

[0053] Next, the moving vehicle determination unit 150 performs processing according to the number of extracted vehicles V (S1103). That is, if only one vehicle V is extracted, the moving vehicle determination unit 150 determines the extracted vehicle V as a vehicle to be moved to area A (S1104). Alternatively, if two or more vehicles V are extracted, the moving vehicle determination unit 150 selects the vehicle V with the longest cruising distance from among the extracted vehicles V (S1105), and determines the vehicle V in the source candidate frame in area A and the vehicle V in the source candidate frame in area A' as vehicles to be moved for relocation. Note that if no vehicle V is extracted, the moving vehicle determination unit 150 determines that there are no vehicles to be moved for area A'.

[0054] 10, if the moving vehicle determination unit 150 determines that there is no vehicle V that has completed its transportation service (No in S1002), the moving vehicle determination unit 150 then determines whether the evaluation value in the supply and demand evaluation information is equal to or less than a predetermined threshold value (S1009). As described above, if there is no vehicle V that has just dropped off a passenger, the moving vehicle is determined in consideration of the balance of supply and demand based on the current waiting status of vehicles V in each area A (S1010).

[0055] 12, the moving vehicle determination unit 150 selects the item condition with the lowest evaluation value in the supply and demand evaluation information as the destination candidate slot for which a vehicle needs to be allocated (S1201). Note that if there are multiple destination candidate slots, the moving vehicle determination unit 150 may select one using, for example, the following criteria (i) and (ii). (i) The largest number of units in demand (ii) There are a certain number of areas A with high evaluation values ​​in the surrounding area. The moving vehicle determination unit 150 may select a candidate frame that satisfies either the criteria (i) or (ii), or may select a candidate frame that satisfies all the criteria.

[0056] Next, the moving vehicle determination unit 150 additionally extracts, as a source candidate frame, the item condition of the other area A' with the highest evaluation value from among the item conditions of at least one other area A' corresponding to the item condition with the lowest evaluation value (S1202). Note that when there are multiple source candidate frames, the moving vehicle determination unit 150 may select one using, for example, the following criteria (i) and (ii). (i) The number of units in demand is the lowest (ii) There are a certain number of areas A' with low evaluation values ​​in the surrounding area. The moving vehicle determination unit 150 may select a candidate frame that satisfies either the criteria (i) or (ii), or may select a candidate frame that satisfies all the criteria.

[0057] Next, the moving vehicle determination unit 150 determines whether or not there are any extracted source candidate frames (S1203). If the moving vehicle determination unit 150 determines that there are no extracted source candidate frames (No in S1203), it excludes previously extracted destination candidate frames (S1204) and repeats the above process until all destination candidate frames are exhausted (S1205).

[0058] On the other hand, when the moving vehicle determination unit 150 determines that there is an extracted source candidate frame (Yes in S1203), it selects the vehicle V assigned to the source candidate frame as a candidate for the moving target vehicle (S1206). Note that when multiple vehicles V are assigned to the source candidate frame, the moving vehicle determination unit 150 makes the selection using, for example, the following criteria (i) and (ii). (i) Long waiting times at waiting areas (ii) The longest range

[0059] When the moving vehicle determination unit 150 selects a vehicle V that is a candidate to be moved in the above manner, the moving vehicle determination unit 150 proceeds to the processing of S1006 shown in Fig. 10. As a result, if the moving vehicle determination unit 150 determines that the post-movement range of the vehicle V exceeds a predetermined value (Yes in S1006), it determines the vehicle V as a vehicle to be moved (S1007).

[0060] 13 is a flowchart showing an example of a vehicle allocation determination process performed by a vehicle allocation management device according to an embodiment of the present invention, and shows details of the process of S605 shown in FIG.

[0061] As shown in the figure, the vehicle placement determination unit 160 determines whether the number of demand vehicles with long initial travel times exceeds a predetermined number based on the supply and demand evaluation information (S1301). The initial travel time is the travel time from a waiting location around the departure location in area A to the departure location of the predicted demand. If the vehicle placement determination unit 160 determines that the number of demand vehicles with long initial travel times does not exceed the predetermined number (No in S1301), it instructs the vehicle V to be moved to a waiting location in area A and wait in the parking lot of the waiting location (S1306).

[0062] On the other hand, if the vehicle placement determination unit 160 determines that the number of demanded vehicles with long initial travel times exceeds the predetermined number (Yes in S1301), the vehicle placement determination unit 160 determines whether or not a waiting location in area A is available (S1302). If the vehicle placement determination unit 160 determines that a waiting location in area A is available (Yes in S1302), the vehicle placement determination unit 160 subsequently determines whether or not the remaining capacity of the on-board battery of the vehicle V is above a predetermined lower limit capacity (S1303). A vehicle V whose remaining capacity of the on-board battery is below the predetermined lower limit capacity is a vehicle V that needs to be charged immediately. If the vehicle placement determination unit 160 determines that the remaining capacity of the on-board battery of the vehicle V is not above the predetermined lower limit capacity (No in S1303), the vehicle placement determination unit 160 determines whether or not a charging facility in the waiting location is available when determining a waiting location in the current area A (S1304).

[0063] If the vehicle placement determination unit 160 determines that the charging facility at the waiting location is available (Yes in S1304), the vehicle placement determination unit 160 instructs the vehicle V to charge at the charging facility at the waiting location (S1305). After charging is completed, the vehicle V moves to a regular parking lot at the waiting location. If the vehicle placement determination unit 160 determines that the charging facility at the waiting location is not available (No in S1304), the vehicle placement determination unit 160 instructs the vehicle V to move to the parking lot at the waiting location temporarily so that the vehicle V can be charged when the charging facility becomes available (S1306).

[0064] On the other hand, if the vehicle placement determination unit 160 determines that the remaining capacity of the onboard battery of the vehicle V is above a predetermined lower capacity limit (Yes in S1303), the vehicle placement determination unit 160 instructs the vehicle V to wait in the parking lot of the waiting location (S1306). Such a vehicle V will be instructed to charge when the need for charging increases and charging equipment becomes available. Alternatively, the vehicle placement determination unit 160 may instruct the vehicle V determined by the moving vehicle determination unit 150 to need charging to move to a nearby waiting location that has charging equipment.

[0065] On the other hand, if the vehicle placement determination unit 160 determines that there is no available waiting location in area A (No in S1302), the vehicle placement determination unit 160 determines whether the cruising range of the vehicle V exceeds a predetermined value (S1307). If the vehicle placement determination unit 160 determines that the cruising range of the vehicle V exceeds the predetermined value (Yes in S1307), the vehicle placement determination unit 160 instructs the vehicle to patrol the roads within area A (S1308). In other words, since the vehicle V has a sufficient cruising range, the vehicle is instructed to "cruise around town" instead of waiting at a waiting location. As described below, the vehicle V instructed to patrol the roads checks its cruising range at predetermined intervals while patrolling the roads. If it is determined that the cruising range does not meet the demand in area A, the vehicle is relocated to another area A'.

[0066] 14 is a flowchart showing an example of a vehicle allocation determination process by a vehicle allocation management device according to an embodiment of the present invention, which shows details of the process of S1308 shown in FIG.

[0067] Referring to the figure, the vehicle placement determination unit 160 constantly monitors whether the cruising distance of the vehicle V instructed to patrol the roads exceeds a predetermined value (S1401). In other words, as long as the cruising distance of the vehicle V instructed to patrol the roads exceeds the predetermined value, the vehicle V satisfies the distance-related demand (item condition) in the area A, and can continue patrolling the roads and prepare for future vehicle dispatch requests. If the vehicle placement determination unit 160 determines that the cruising distance of the vehicle V instructed to patrol the roads does not exceed the predetermined value (No in S1401), the vehicle placement determination unit 160 selects another area A' that has a higher demand for short-distance transportation than the current area A, according to the supply and demand evaluation information (S1402). If there are multiple other areas A' that have a high demand for short-distance transportation, for example, the area A' with the lowest evaluation value for the corresponding item condition may be selected. Alternatively, the area A' with the highest demand for vehicles for the corresponding item condition may be selected. Alternatively, another area A' that is closest to the current area A may be selected. Furthermore, when there are multiple other areas A', the vehicle placement determination unit 160 may make a decision based on the above evaluation value, the number of vehicles required, and the distance to the area A' in that order.

[0068] Next, the vehicle placement determination unit 160 determines whether or not there is a vacant waiting location in the selected other area A' (S1403). If the vehicle placement determination unit 160 determines that there is no vacant waiting location in the selected other area A' (No in S1403), it selects the next other area A' (S1402) and similarly determines whether or not there is a vacant waiting location therein (S1403). Although not shown, if the vehicle placement determination unit 160 determines that there is no waiting location at all in area A' where there is high demand for short-distance transportation, the vehicle placement determination unit 160 may instruct the vehicle V to charge at the waiting location in the current area A.

[0069] If the vehicle placement determination unit 160 determines that the waiting location in the selected other area A' is vacant (No in S1403), the vehicle placement determination unit 160 subsequently determines whether the cruising distance after moving to the waiting location exceeds a predetermined value (S1404). If the vehicle placement determination unit 160 determines that the cruising distance after moving to the waiting location does not exceed the predetermined value (No in S1404), the vehicle placement determination unit 160 selects the next other area A' (S1402) and similarly determines whether the waiting location is vacant (S1403). On the other hand, if the vehicle placement determination unit 160 determines that the cruising distance after moving to the waiting location exceeds the predetermined value (Yes in S1404), the process proceeds to S1303.

[0070] That is, as described above, the vehicle placement determination unit 160 determines whether the remaining capacity of the onboard battery of the vehicle V is above a predetermined capacity lower limit (S1303). If it determines that the remaining capacity of the onboard battery of the vehicle V is above the predetermined capacity lower limit (Yes in S1303), the vehicle placement determination unit 160 instructs the vehicle V to wait in the parking lot of the waiting area (S1306). On the other hand, if the vehicle placement determination unit 160 determines that the remaining capacity of the onboard battery of the vehicle V is not above the predetermined capacity lower limit (No in S1303), the vehicle placement determination unit 160 determines whether a charging facility in the waiting area is available (S1304). If the vehicle placement determination unit 160 determines that a charging facility in the waiting area is available (Yes in S1304), the vehicle placement determination unit 160 instructs the vehicle V to charge at the charging facility in the waiting area (S1305). In this way, if the cruising distance of a vehicle V patrolling the roads in the current area A falls below a predetermined value, the vehicle V is instructed to move to another area A' where there is more demand for short-distance travel than in the current area A. This allows the vehicle V to avoid charging as much as possible and prepare for future dispatch requests, thereby improving the utilization rate of the vehicle V.

[0071] In the above example, the vehicle placement determination unit 160 instructs the vehicle V to wait in another area A' with short-distance demand when the cruising distance of the vehicle V during road patrol falls below a predetermined value, but this is not limited to this, and the unit may also instruct the vehicle V to patrol the road in the other area A'.

[0072] As described above, according to this embodiment, vehicles that have completed transportation services can be efficiently allocated to meet the demand for each area based on the planned driving distance. In particular, according to this embodiment, for a vehicle V that has moved to a specific area A in response to predicted demand, the vehicle V is instructed to patrol the roads as long as the cruising distance is equal to or greater than a predetermined value required for the area A, thereby improving the utilization rate of the vehicle V.

[0073] In the above embodiment, the vehicle dispatch management device 10 allocates vehicles based on "distance" as an item condition, but this is not limited to this, and vehicles may be allocated based on other item conditions such as "number of passengers" or "vehicle equipment" as an alternative or additional condition.

[0074] The above-described embodiments are examples for explaining the present invention, and are not intended to limit the present invention to these embodiments. The present invention can be implemented in various forms without departing from the spirit of the present invention. Furthermore, although various embodiments are disclosed in this specification, specific features (technical matters) in one embodiment can be added to or substituted for specific features in other embodiments, with appropriate modifications, and such forms also fall within the spirit of the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0075] 1...Vehicle dispatch management system 10...Vehicle dispatch management device 12...Operational performance database 110... Demand forecasting unit, 120... Item condition demand creation unit, 130... Vehicle information acquisition unit, 140... Supply and demand evaluation unit, 150... Vehicle movement determination unit, 160... Vehicle allocation determination unit 20...Service terminal equipment N: Communication network V...Vehicle

Claims

1. A vehicle allocation management device that manages the allocation of a plurality of vehicles to each of a plurality of areas, a vehicle information acquisition unit that acquires vehicle information including at least information regarding a position and a cruising range from each of the vehicles; an item condition demand creation unit that creates item condition demand information indicating the number of vehicles in demand for each item condition in each of the areas based on predicted demand information indicating future demand for the vehicles in a predetermined time period; a supply and demand evaluation unit that generates supply and demand evaluation information indicating the relationship between the number of vehicles in demand and the number of vehicles available for supply for each of the item conditions in each of the areas based on the item condition demand information and the vehicle information; a moving vehicle determination unit that determines, based on the supply and demand evaluation information, the vehicle to be placed in one of the areas that has the item condition that the number of available vehicles is insufficient compared to the number of vehicles in demand, as a vehicle to be moved; a vehicle placement determination unit that instructs the target vehicle to move to place the target vehicle in the one area, the item condition demand creation unit calculates the demand quantity for each of the item conditions defined by different distance categories; the supply and demand evaluation unit calculates the supplyable number of vehicles for each of the item conditions defined in the different distance categories based on the cruising range of the vehicle for each of the distance categories; the moving vehicle determination unit determines the vehicle that has completed the transportation service as the moving target vehicle when it determines that the cruising range of the vehicle exceeds a predetermined value; Vehicle dispatch management device.

2. the vehicle placement determination unit instructs the target vehicle to patrol roads in the one area to which the target vehicle is to be moved; The vehicle dispatch control device according to claim 1 .

3. the vehicle placement determination unit instructs the vehicle to patrol the roads when there is no available waiting place for the vehicle to wait in the one area; The vehicle management device according to claim 2 .

4. When the vehicle allocation determination unit determines that the cruising distance of the vehicle currently patrolling the roads in the one area does not exceed a predetermined value, the vehicle allocation determination unit instructs the vehicle to move to another area where there is a higher demand for short-distance transportation than in the one area. The vehicle management device according to claim 2 or 3.

5. the vehicle placement determination unit instructs the vehicle to move to a waiting location in the other area if the waiting location in the other area is vacant. The vehicle management device according to claim 4.

6. the vehicle placement determination unit instructs the vehicle to move when it determines that a cruising distance in the case where the vehicle moves to the other area exceeds a predetermined value; The vehicle management device according to claim 4.

7. The vehicle information includes on-board battery capacity information, the supply and demand evaluation unit calculates the supplyable number of vehicles for each of the item conditions defined by the different distance categories based on the on-board battery capacity information of the vehicle. The vehicle dispatch control device according to claim 1 .

8. a demand forecasting unit that generates the predicted demand information based on operation performance data indicating past operation performance of the plurality of vehicles; The vehicle dispatch control device according to claim 1 .

9. The predicted demand information includes a planned mileage; the item condition demand creation unit calculates the demand quantity for each of the item conditions defined by the different distance categories based on the planned traveling distance; The vehicle dispatch control device according to claim 8.

10. A vehicle allocation management method for managing allocation of a plurality of vehicles to each of a plurality of areas, comprising: acquiring vehicle information from each of the vehicles, the vehicle information including at least information regarding location and range; creating item condition demand information indicating the number of vehicles in demand for each item condition in each of the areas based on predicted demand information indicating future demand for the vehicles in a predetermined time period; creating supply and demand evaluation information indicating a relationship between the number of vehicles in demand and the number of vehicles available for supply for each of the item conditions in each of the areas based on the item condition demand information and the vehicle information; determining, based on the demand-supply evaluation information, the vehicle to be placed in one of the areas that satisfies the item condition that the number of available vehicles is insufficient compared to the number of vehicles in demand, as a vehicle to be moved; instructing the target vehicle to move to place the target vehicle in the one area; creating the item condition demand information includes calculating the number of demanded vehicles for each of the item conditions defined in different distance segments; creating the supply and demand evaluation information includes calculating the supplyable number of vehicles for each of the item conditions defined in the different distance categories based on the cruising range of the vehicle for each of the distance categories; Instructing the vehicle to be moved to move includes determining the vehicle that has completed the transportation service as the vehicle to be moved when it is determined that the cruising distance of the vehicle exceeds a predetermined value. Vehicle allocation management method.

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