Ride assistance device, ride assistance system, and ride assistance method

Abstract

To provide a boarding support device, a boarding support system, and a boarding support method capable of moving passengers who plan to board to a destination even if it becomes necessary for the passengers who plan to board vehicles to be divided into a plurality of vehicles and move after the vehicles allocated to the passengers have arrived at a boarding place.SOLUTION: A boarding support device is configured to: determine an allocated vehicle to be allocated to a user, a boarding point for the user to get on the allocated vehicle, and a leaving point for the user to get off the allocated vehicle based on a vehicle allocation request from the user; generate a vehicle allocation plan including the boarding point and the leaving point on a travel route of the allocated vehicle; acquire information about a boarding expected user who plans to board the allocated vehicle; and set a travel route of other vehicles different from the allocated vehicle as a travel route including the boarding point and the leaving point when there are remaining users who have not boarded the allocated vehicles among the boarding expected users after the allocated vehicles depart from the boarding point, and generate an allocation plan in which the other vehicles are allocated to the remaining users.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

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

[0002] A technology is known in which the number of passengers scheduled to board an autonomous vehicle is acquired as the planned number of passengers, the number of passengers seated in seats is acquired as the number of seated passengers, and if the planned number of passengers and the number of seated passengers are equal, the autonomous vehicle is transitioned from a stopped state to a running state (Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] International Publication No. 2020 / 085425 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] The technology of Patent Document 1 is a technology that departs a vehicle when all the passengers scheduled to board are boarded and seated in one vehicle. Therefore, the technology of Patent Document 1 has a problem in that if the passengers scheduled to board need to split into multiple vehicles after the vehicle that has been allocated to the passengers arrives at the boarding location, the passengers scheduled to board cannot be transported to their destination.

[0005] The problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a boarding assistance device, a boarding assistance system, and a boarding assistance method that can transport passengers who are scheduled to board to their destinations even when it becomes necessary for the passengers to split up and travel in multiple vehicles after a vehicle that has been dispatched to a passenger arrives at the boarding location. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The present invention solves the above problem by obtaining, from a user terminal, a vehicle dispatch request indicating that a user requests a vehicle to be dispatched, determining, based on the vehicle dispatch request, a vehicle to be dispatched to the user, a boarding location where the user will board the vehicle, and a disembarking location where the user will disembark from the vehicle, generating a vehicle dispatch plan including the boarding location and disembarking location in the driving route of the vehicle to be dispatched, obtaining from the user terminal user information about users who are scheduled to board the vehicle to be dispatched, and, after the vehicle to be dispatched departs from the boarding location, if there are any remaining users among the users who are scheduled to board the vehicle to be dispatched who are not boarding the vehicle to be dispatched, setting the driving route of a vehicle different from the vehicle to the driving route including the boarding location and disembarking location, and generating a vehicle dispatch plan to dispatch another vehicle to the remaining users. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to the present invention, even if it becomes necessary for the passengers to travel in separate vehicles after the vehicle dispatched to the passengers arrives at the boarding location, the passengers can be transported to their destinations. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing one embodiment of a ride assistance system according to the present invention. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing an example of a control procedure of the riding assistance method according to this embodiment. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a sequence chart showing an example of a procedure for executing the riding assistance method in this embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of a ride assistance system according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0010] FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a ride assistance system 1 according to the present invention. The ride assistance system 1 is a system for assisting a user in boarding a vehicle in a ride-hailing service provided to the user. Here, the ride-hailing service refers to allocating and dispatching a vehicle to the user to transport the user from a boarding location to a disembarking location. Examples of the ride assistance service include dispatching of manned and unmanned taxis, dispatching of vehicles used for shuttle services, and dispatching of vehicles used for rental cars and ride-sharing services. As shown in FIG. 1, the ride assistance system 1 includes a vehicle 2, a user terminal 3, a network 4, and a ride assistance device 10. The vehicle 2, the user terminal 3, and the ride assistance device 10 can exchange information with each other via the network 4. In this embodiment, the ride assistance device 10 is connected to multiple vehicles 2 and multiple user terminals 3.

[0011] The network 4 refers to a telecommunications network such as the Internet or a LAN, and is not particularly limited as long as it can exchange information between the riding assistance device 10, the vehicle 2, and the user terminal 3, and any known network can be used.

[0012] The ride assistance device 10 is a server for a ride-hailing service that allocates and dispatches a vehicle to a user to transport the user from a boarding location to a disembarking location based on the user's desired vehicle dispatch conditions. The ride assistance device 10 includes a processor 11, a map database 12, a vehicle database 13, a user database 14, and a communication device 15. The devices and databases included in the ride assistance device 10 are connected via a wired or wireless LAN or the like, and can exchange information with each other.

[0013] The processor 11 includes a computer having hardware and software, and the computer includes a ROM storing a program, a CPU executing the program stored in the ROM, and a RAM functioning as an accessible storage device. The processor 11 includes functional blocks, such as a vehicle dispatch management unit 100, a boarding schedule information acquisition unit 101, a passenger number acquisition unit 102, a user information management unit 103, a departure determination unit 104, and a route generation unit 105. The processor 11 executes each function through cooperation between the software for realizing each function or executing each process and the hardware. In this embodiment, the functions of the processor 11 are divided into six blocks, and the functions of each functional block are described. However, the functions of the processor 11 do not necessarily have to be divided into six blocks; they may be divided into five or fewer functional blocks, or seven or more functional blocks.

[0014] The vehicle dispatch management unit 100 dispatches a vehicle to a user based on a vehicle dispatch request indicating that the user requests a vehicle to be dispatched. First, the vehicle dispatch management unit 100 acquires a vehicle dispatch request from the user terminal 3 via the communication device 15. The vehicle dispatch request includes desired vehicle dispatch conditions. The desired vehicle dispatch conditions include, for example, the user's desired boarding location and desired destination. The desired vehicle dispatch conditions may also include the user's desired boarding time and the type of vehicle the user desires. The vehicle dispatch request may also include location information of the user's current location.

[0015] Next, the vehicle dispatch management unit 100 determines a vehicle to be dispatched to the user, a boarding location where the user will board the vehicle, and a disembarking location where the user will disembark from the vehicle. The vehicle dispatch management unit 100 acquires the desired boarding location from the vehicle dispatch request, extracts location information of the desired boarding location from the map database 12, and determines the location of the desired boarding location as the boarding location. The vehicle dispatch management unit 100 may also acquire location information of the user's current location from the vehicle dispatch request, extract the location information of the user's current location from the map database 12, and determine the user's current location as the boarding location. The vehicle dispatch management unit 100 may also extract location information of candidate boarding and disembarking locations closest to the user's current location or desired boarding location from the map database 12 based on the location information of the user's current location or desired boarding location and the map database 12, and determine the extracted candidate boarding and disembarking location as the boarding location.

[0016] Furthermore, the vehicle dispatch management unit 100 acquires the desired destination from the vehicle dispatch request, extracts location information of the desired destination from the map database 12, and determines the location of the desired destination as the drop-off location. Furthermore, the vehicle dispatch management unit 100 may extract location information of a candidate boarding / alighting point closest to the desired destination from the map database 12 based on the location information of the desired destination and the map database 12, and determine the extracted candidate boarding / alighting point as the drop-off location.

[0017] The vehicle dispatch management unit 100 determines, as a vehicle to be dispatched, a vehicle 2 that can be dispatched to the boarding location based on the location information of the determined boarding location. At this time, the vehicle dispatch management unit 100 acquires information on the traveling location of the vehicle 2 via the network 4. The vehicle dispatch management unit 100 may also acquire the location information of the vehicle 2 from the vehicle database 13. Then, the vehicle dispatch management unit 100 extracts vehicles 2 traveling within a predetermined distance (for example, within 5 km) from the boarding location, and determines the extracted vehicles 2 as vehicles to be dispatched. Then, the vehicle dispatch management unit 100 generates a vehicle dispatch plan that includes the boarding location and the disembarking location on the traveling route of the determined vehicle 2.

[0018] The vehicle dispatch plan refers to a plan for transporting a user from a boarding location to a disembarking location, and includes location information of the boarding location and disembarking location, a travel route from the current location of vehicle 2 to the boarding location, and a travel route from the boarding location to the disembarking location. The vehicle dispatch plan may also include information such as the waiting time for a dispatched vehicle at the boarding location, the travel time to the boarding location, the type of vehicle to be dispatched, the estimated time of arrival at the disembarking location, and the fee for the dispatch service.

[0019] For example, the vehicle allocation management unit 100 sets a driving route for the vehicle 2 from the current location of the vehicle 2 to the drop-off location via the boarding location, and generates a vehicle allocation plan for allocating the vehicle 2 to the user. The vehicle allocation management unit 100 transmits to the vehicle 2 vehicle allocation information including the vehicle allocation plan and driving instruction information for instructing the vehicle 2 to drive based on the vehicle allocation plan.

[0020] Furthermore, in this embodiment, after vehicle 2 that has arrived at the boarding location departs from the boarding location for the disembarking location, if there are any remaining users among the users who are not riding in vehicle 2, the vehicle dispatch management unit 100 dispatches a vehicle 2 different from the dispatched vehicle 2 to the remaining users. The users who are planning to ride in vehicle 2, which is the dispatched vehicle. In this embodiment, for example, after vehicle 2 arrives at the boarding location, the processor 11 acquires, from the user terminal 3, information about the users who are planning to ride.

[0021] The vehicle allocation management unit 100 determines another vehicle 2 that can be allocated to the boarding location as the vehicle to be allocated. Then, the vehicle allocation management unit 100 sets the travel route of the other vehicle 2 as a travel route that includes the boarding location and the disembarking location, and generates a vehicle allocation plan to allocate the other vehicle 2 to the remaining user. The travel route includes a travel route from the current location of the other vehicle 2 to the boarding location and a travel route from the boarding location to the disembarking location.

[0022] For example, a case where there are remaining users is a case where the departure determination unit 104 determines that vehicle 2 should depart when the number of people planning to board is greater than the number of people boarding. The number of people planning to board is the number of users planning to board. The number of people boarding is the number of people boarding vehicle 2. In this embodiment, as will be described later, if vehicle 2 becomes full before all of the users planning to board board, or if a user issues a departure instruction before all of the users planning to board board, vehicle 2 departs from the boarding location. In such a case, since there are remaining users, the vehicle dispatch management unit 100 dispatches another vehicle 2 to the remaining users after vehicle 2 departs from the boarding location toward the disembarking location.

[0023] For example, if the passenger capacity is four, the number of passengers is four, and the planned number of passengers is six, vehicle 2 will be full when four users who plan to board get on, so the vehicle allocation management unit 100 departs vehicle 2 and allocates another vehicle for the remaining two users. Also, for example, if a user issues a departure instruction when the planned number of passengers is six and the number of passengers is four, there are two remaining users, so the vehicle allocation management unit 100 allocates another vehicle for the remaining two users. Even in a situation where all users who plan to board have not yet boarded the vehicle, their schedules may change and some of them may head to their destination first. In such a case, the vehicle allocation management unit 100 generates a vehicle allocation plan to move the planned users across multiple vehicles.

[0024] When allocating another vehicle to the remaining users, the vehicle allocation management unit 100 calculates the number of remaining users as the remaining planned number of passengers by subtracting the planned number of passengers from the planned number of passengers based on the planned number of passengers and the number of passengers. Then, the vehicle allocation management unit 100 determines a vehicle with seats that is equal to or greater than the remaining planned number of passengers as the other vehicle to be allocated. Furthermore, if there are still remaining users after the other vehicle 2 determined as the vehicle to be allocated departs from the boarding location, the vehicle allocation management unit 100 allocates yet another vehicle 2 to the remaining users.

[0025] The boarding plan information acquisition unit 101 acquires boarding plan user information related to boarding plan users from the user terminal 3. The boarding plan user information includes the number of boarding plan users, which is the number of boarding plan users. The boarding plan users include, for example, the user who made the vehicle dispatch request and other users who have agreed to ride in the vehicle 2 dispatched to the user. The boarding plan user information may include user information of the boarding plan users. The user information of the boarding plan users is information for identifying the boarding plan users, such as the user's name, identification information for identifying the user, and location information indicating the user's current location.

[0026] In this embodiment, the boarding plan information acquisition unit 101 acquires boarding plan user information from the user terminal 3 after the vehicle 2 arrives at the boarding location, but this is not limited to this, and the boarding plan information acquisition unit 101 may also acquire boarding plan user information from the user terminal 3 before the vehicle 2 arrives at the boarding location.

[0027] The passenger number acquisition unit 102 acquires the number of passengers aboard the vehicle 2 from the vehicle 2. For example, the passenger number acquisition unit 102 acquires the number of passengers from the vehicle 2 at regular intervals after the vehicle 2 arrives at the boarding location. Furthermore, every time the number of passengers in the vehicle 2 changes, the passenger number acquisition unit 102 acquires the changed number of passengers from the vehicle 2.

[0028] The user information management unit 103 manages user information of users who use the vehicle dispatch service. Users who use the vehicle dispatch service include the user who has made a vehicle dispatch request and other users who are riding in the same vehicle 2 as the user. The user information management unit 103 acquires information about users who plan to board from the user terminal 3 and stores the user information of users who plan to board in the user database 14.

[0029] The departure determination unit 104 determines whether or not to cause vehicle 2 to depart from the boarding location. After the dispatched vehicle 2 arrives at the boarding location, the departure determination unit 104 determines whether or not to cause vehicle 2 to depart from the boarding location, at regular intervals, depending on whether or not any of the following conditions is met. If any of the following conditions is met, the departure determination unit 104 determines that vehicle 2 will depart from the boarding location. If none of the following conditions is met, the departure determination unit 104 determines that vehicle 2 will not depart from the boarding location, and repeats the determination of whether or not to cause vehicle 2 to depart from the boarding location at regular intervals. The conditions for determining whether or not to cause vehicle 2 to depart from the boarding location are whether or not the passenger capacity of vehicle 2 is equal to the number of passengers, whether or not the planned number of passengers is equal to the number of passengers, or whether or not a departure instruction has been acquired from the user.

[0030] First, when a user who is scheduled to board starts boarding vehicle 2, the departure determination unit 104 determines whether the passenger capacity of vehicle 2 is equal to the number of passengers, i.e., whether vehicle 2 is full. For example, when the departure determination unit 104 detects that the first user who is scheduled to board has boarded vehicle 2 based on the in-vehicle situation information, it acquires information on the passenger capacity of vehicle 2 from the vehicle database 13. The departure determination unit 104 compares the passenger capacity with the number of passengers acquired by the passenger-number acquisition unit 102, and determines whether the passenger capacity and the number of passengers are equal. The departure determination unit 104 may compare the passenger capacity with the number of passengers at regular intervals, or may compare the passenger capacity with the number of passengers every time the number of passengers in vehicle 2 changes. If the passenger capacity and the number of passengers are equal, the departure determination unit 104 determines to depart vehicle 2 from the boarding location.

[0031] In addition, if the passenger capacity and the number of passengers are equal, the departure determination unit 104 compares the planned number of passengers with the number of passengers, and determines whether the planned number of passengers is greater than the number of passengers, i.e., whether there are any remaining users among the users scheduled to board who are not on board vehicle 2.

[0032] Furthermore, when the boarding capacity is not equal to the number of passengers, i.e., when it is determined that vehicle 2 is not full, the departure determination unit 104 compares the planned number of passengers with the number of passengers, and determines whether the planned number of passengers and the number of passengers are equal. When the planned number of passengers and the number of passengers are equal, the departure determination unit 104 determines to cause vehicle 2 to depart from the boarding location. In other words, when all users who are scheduled to board are on board vehicle 2, the departure determination unit 104 determines to cause vehicle 2 to depart from the boarding location.

[0033] Furthermore, the departure determination unit 104 determines that vehicle 2 departs from the boarding location when the planned number of passengers is equal to the number of passengers, but is not limited to this. For example, it may determine that vehicle 2 departs from the boarding location when the planned number of passengers is smaller than the number of passengers. Even when the planned number of passengers is smaller than the number of passengers, that is, when passengers other than the planned passengers are on board vehicle 2, the departure determination unit 104 may determine that vehicle 2 departs from the boarding location as long as all planned passengers are on board.

[0034] Furthermore, when the number of people expected to board is greater than the number of people boarding, i.e., when there are remaining users, the departure determination unit 104 determines whether or not a departure instruction from the user has been acquired. For example, the departure determination unit 104 determines whether or not a departure instruction from the user has been acquired depending on whether or not departure instruction information indicating an instruction to depart the vehicle 2 has been acquired from the user terminal 3. When the departure instruction information has been acquired, the departure determination unit 104 determines that a departure instruction from the user has been acquired. When the departure instruction information has not been acquired, the departure determination unit 104 determines that a departure instruction from the user has not been acquired.

[0035] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the departure determination unit 104 is not limited to determining whether there are remaining users based on a comparison between the number of people scheduled to board and the number of people currently boarding, and may make the determination using other methods. For example, the departure determination unit 104 may determine whether there are remaining users based on the user information of the scheduled boarding users included in the scheduled boarding user information. The departure determination unit 104 acquires identification information of the scheduled boarding users from the user information of the scheduled boarding users, and determines whether there are any scheduled boarding users at the boarding location after the departure of the vehicle 2 based on location information linked to the acquired identification information and location information of the boarding location. Furthermore, the departure determination unit 104 may identify scheduled boarding users who are in the vehicle 2 that has departed from the boarding location based on the user information of the scheduled boarding users, and determine whether there are any remaining users who have not boarded the vehicle 2.

[0036] The route generation unit 105 generates a travel route to be set in the vehicle 2. When the vehicle 2 is determined as a dispatched vehicle, the route generation unit 105 generates a travel route from the current position of the vehicle 2 to the boarding point and a travel route from the boarding point to the disembarking point based on the position information of the vehicle 2, the position information of the boarding point, and the position information of the disembarking point.

[0037] The map database 12 is a database that includes map information. The map information includes road information, for example, storing intersections and branching points as nodes and road sections between nodes as links. The map information also includes location information of pickup points, which are candidate points for users to get on and off the dispatched vehicle.

[0038] The vehicle database 13 is a database that includes vehicle information of multiple vehicles 2 to be allocated to users. The vehicle information includes, for example, identification information that identifies the vehicle 2, information on the number of seats in the vehicle 2, location information that indicates the current location of the vehicle 2, and information related to allocation. The vehicle information is managed for each vehicle 2. The number of seats in a vehicle 2 is, for example, the passenger capacity.

[0039] The user database 14 is a database that manages user information of users who are registered with the vehicle dispatch service. The user information includes, for example, identification information for identifying the user, the user's name, and location information indicating the user's current location.

[0040] The communication device 15 is a communication interface compatible with various communication standards such as a wired LAN standard, a wireless LAN standard, etc. The communication device 15 is a device for exchanging information between the vehicle 2 and the user terminal 3 via the network 4, and is not particularly limited as long as it is a device capable of communicating with other devices via a network such as the Internet, and any known device can be used.

[0041] Vehicle 2 is a vehicle used in the vehicle dispatch service provided by ride assistance system 1, and provides a means of transportation to a destination specified by a user. Vehicle 2 is not particularly limited as long as it is a vehicle that a user can ride in, and examples include passenger cars such as light cars, small cars (compact cars), and standard cars, as well as manned or unmanned taxis, buses, and trucks. Vehicle 2 may also be an autonomous vehicle.

[0042] The vehicle 2 is equipped with an information processing device 20, a communication device 21, an in-vehicle situation detection device 22, a position detection device 23, and a vehicle control device 24, and these devices are connected by a CAN or other in-vehicle LAN and can exchange information with each other.

[0043] The information processing device 20 is a device for controlling the devices constituting the vehicle 2 in cooperation with each other, and has a processor 200 including a CPU, a ROM, and a RAM. In response to a request from the riding assistance device 10, the information processing device 20 transmits information on the current position of the vehicle 2 detected by the position detection device 23 from the communication device 21 to the riding assistance device 10. The information processing device 20 also transmits information on the in-vehicle situation including the number of passengers detected by the in-vehicle situation detection device 22 from the communication device 21 to the riding assistance device 10. In addition, when the information processing device 20 acquires vehicle allocation information including a vehicle allocation plan from the riding assistance device 10, it outputs a command value to the vehicle control device 24 for driving the vehicle 2 based on the vehicle allocation plan.

[0044] The communication device 21 is a communication interface compatible with various communication standards such as wired LAN standards and wireless LAN standards. The communication device 21 is a device for exchanging information between the riding assistance device 10 and the user terminal 3 via the network 4, and is not particularly limited as long as it is a device capable of communicating with other devices via a network such as the Internet, and any known device can be used. The communication device 21 may be an in-vehicle device equipped with a 4G / LTE mobile communication function, an in-vehicle device equipped with a Wi-Fi (registered trademark) communication function, or the like. The communication device 21 may be configured to be able to communicate with the user terminal 3 via a short-range wireless communication function such as Bluetooth (registered trademark), ZigBee (registered trademark), or Sigfox (registered trademark).

[0045] In this embodiment, when vehicle 2 arrives at the boarding location, communication device 21 transmits vehicle arrival information indicating that the dispatched vehicle has arrived at the boarding location to communication device 31 of user terminal 3. Furthermore, for example, communication device 21 periodically transmits vehicle information including current location information of vehicle 2 to communication device 15. Furthermore, communication device 21 receives, from communication device 15, dispatch information including a dispatch plan and driving instruction information based on the dispatch plan.

[0046] The interior situation detection device 22 acquires interior situation information related to the situation inside the vehicle 2. For example, the interior situation detection device 22 acquires the number of passengers in the vehicle 2 based on the interior situation information. The interior situation detection device 22 includes a camera that acquires captured images of the interior of the vehicle 2, a seat belt sensor that detects the fastening state of a seat belt installed in a seat inside the vehicle 2, and a seating sensor that detects the seating state in the seat. The interior situation detection device 22 acquires the number of passengers based on the captured images acquired by the camera, the sensor signal output from the seat belt sensor, or the sensor signal output from the seating sensor.

[0047] The vehicle interior situation detection device 22 acquires the number of passengers using an in-vehicle camera. For example, the vehicle interior situation detection device 22 captures an image of the vehicle interior situation using the in-vehicle camera, performs image recognition processing on the captured image, and acquires the number of passengers in the vehicle as the number of passengers.

[0048] The vehicle interior situation detection device 22 also acquires the number of passengers using a seat belt sensor. The seat belt sensor is installed for each seat in the vehicle and outputs a sensor signal including an ON value or an OFF value depending on whether the seat belt is fastened. The vehicle interior situation detection device 22 acquires the number of seats for which the seat belt sensor outputs a sensor signal including an ON value as the number of passengers.

[0049] The vehicle interior situation detection device 22 also acquires the number of passengers using seating sensors. The seating sensors are installed for each seat in the vehicle, and output a sensor signal including an ON value or an OFF value depending on whether a load equal to or greater than a predetermined value is detected on the seat. The vehicle interior situation detection device 22 acquires the number of seats for which the seating sensors are outputting sensor signals including an ON value as the number of passengers.

[0050] The position detection device 23 detects position information indicating the current position of the vehicle 2. The position detection device 23 may be, for example, a GPS device.

[0051] The vehicle control device 24 controls the traveling of the vehicle 2. The vehicle control device 24 controls the driving devices and steering devices, such as an electric motor and / or an internal combustion engine, and an automatic transmission, which are driving sources for traveling. The vehicle control device 24 controls the vehicle 2 to travel by controlling the vehicle speed and the lateral position (the left-right position of the vehicle) of the vehicle 2 relative to the lane based on command values ​​from the information processing device 20. For example, the vehicle control device 24 causes the vehicle 2 to travel along a traveling route included in a vehicle dispatch plan. Note that in this embodiment, the traveling control of the vehicle 2 is not limited to autonomous driving, and may be manual driving by the driver. In that case, when the driver operates the brakes, accelerator, or steering along the traveling route included in the vehicle dispatch plan, the vehicle control device 24 controls the driving devices and steering devices in accordance with the operation.

[0052] The user terminal 3 is a device operated by a user who uses the ride-hailing service provided by the ride assistance system 1, and is, for example, a personal computer, a smartphone, a PDA, or other portable device. The user terminal 3 may also be a wearable terminal such as a smartwatch or a head-mounted display. The user terminal 3 includes an information processing device 30, a communication device 31, an output device 32, an input device 33, and a position detection device 34. The devices included in the user terminal 3 are connected via wired or wireless LAN, etc., and can exchange information with each other.

[0053] The information processing device 30 controls and cooperates with devices included in the user terminal 3 to display information necessary for a user using a ride-hailing service and to output information on the user's ride-hailing request and the number of passengers planned to board to the ride assistance device 10. The information processing device 30 includes a processor 300 for realizing these functions. The processor 300 includes a ROM storing a program, a CPU which is an operating circuit that functions as the information processing device 30 by executing the program stored in the ROM, and a RAM which functions as an accessible storage device. Note that an MPU, DSP, ASIC, FPGA, etc. can be used as the operating circuit instead of or in addition to the CPU.

[0054] When the information processing device 30 acquires the user's instruction information, it controls each device of the user terminal 3 based on the user's instruction information. For example, when the information processing device 30 acquires a vehicle dispatch request from the input device 33, it transmits the vehicle dispatch request from the communication device 31 to the riding assistance device 10.

[0055] The information processing device 30 causes the output device 32 to output information. For example, the output information includes information on applications necessary for the user to request a vehicle dispatch, vehicle dispatch information including a vehicle dispatch plan, and vehicle arrival information. When the information processing device 30 acquires vehicle dispatch information including a vehicle dispatch plan from the ride assistance device 10, it causes the output device 32 to display the vehicle dispatch information. Furthermore, when the information processing device 30 acquires vehicle arrival information from a vehicle 2 that has arrived at the boarding location, it causes the output device 32 to output the vehicle arrival information.

[0056] The information processing device 30 acquires planned passenger user information related to planned passenger users who are planning to board the vehicle 2. For example, when a user inputs information on the planned number of passengers into the input device 33, the information processing device 30 acquires the planned number of passengers from the input device 33. Furthermore, as will be described below, the information processing device 30 may acquire the planned number of passengers who will board the vehicle 2 based on response results received from other user terminals.

[0057] First, when the information processing device 30 acquires vehicle arrival information from the vehicle 2, it acquires location information of the user's current location and searches for other users located around the user. Other users include, for example, the user's acquaintances, such as family, friends, and colleagues. The information processing device 30 acquires location information of the user's current location detected by the position detection device 34. Next, based on the information of the user's current location, the information processing device 30 detects other user terminals of other users located within a predetermined range from the user's current location.

[0058] At this time, the information processing device 30 may acquire location information of the other user terminal specified by the identification information based on the identification information for identifying the other user terminal of the user's acquaintance, and may detect the other user terminal of the user's acquaintance that is located within a predetermined range from the user's current location based on the location information of the user's current location and the location information of the other user terminal. The identification information may be registered in advance in the user terminal 3, for example.

[0059] Next, the information processing device 30 transmits, via the communication device 31, to the detected other user terminal, a ride-along request indicating a proposal to ride along in the vehicle 2. The ride-along request includes vehicle allocation information.

[0060] For example, the information processing device 30 displays on the output device 32 an operation screen including information about other users who own the detected other user terminals. The operation screen is a screen on which the user selects whether or not to send a ride-along request to the displayed other users. On the operation screen, the user selects from the displayed other users to whom the ride-along request is to be sent, and selects whether or not to send the ride-along request. The ride-along request may be sent to all of the detected other users, or to some of the other users. When an operation to select sending a ride-along request is input to the input device 33, the information processing device 30 sends a ride-along request to the selected other user terminal.

[0061] The information processing device 30 then acquires a response indicating acceptance or rejection of the ride-along request from the other user terminal via the communication device 31. At this time, when the other user terminal receives a ride-along request from the user terminal 3, it displays the ride-along request from the user terminal 3 to the other user. For example, the other user terminal displays a response screen to the ride-along request. The response screen includes dispatch information such as the user who reserved the vehicle 2, the destination, the driving route, and the arrival time at the destination. The response screen also includes operation buttons for selecting acceptance or rejection of the ride-along request. The other user terminal then accepts input of a response indicating acceptance or rejection from the other user and transmits the input response to the user terminal 3.

[0062] When receiving responses from other user terminals, the information processing device 30 aggregates the responses indicating acceptance and acquires the number of passengers planned to board based on the number of responses indicating acceptance. The information processing device 30 regards the number of responses indicating acceptance as the number of fellow passengers, and acquires the number of fellow passengers plus one user who requested the vehicle allocation as the number of fellow passengers planned to board. In other words, the number of passengers planned to board is the total number of the user who requested the vehicle allocation and the other users who are fellow passengers. The information processing device 30 may also acquire user information of other users who sent responses indicating acceptance.

[0063] In addition, the information processing device 30 is not limited to acquiring the number of passengers planned to board after acquiring the vehicle arrival information from the vehicle 2, but may also acquire the number of passengers planned to board before acquiring the vehicle arrival information from the vehicle 2.

[0064] The information processing device 30 transmits, via the communication device 31, to the riding assistance device 10, information about users who are scheduled to ride, the information including the number of people who are scheduled to ride and the user information about the users who are scheduled to ride.

[0065] The communication device 31 is a communication interface compatible with various communication standards such as a wired LAN standard and a wireless LAN standard. The communication device 31 is a device for exchanging information between the riding assistance device 10 and the vehicle 2 via the network 4, and is not particularly limited as long as it is a device capable of communicating with other devices via a network such as the Internet, and any known device can be used. The communication device 31 is a device for exchanging information between other user terminals and the network 4, and is not particularly limited as long as it is a device capable of communicating with other devices via a network such as the Internet, and any known device can be used. The communication device 31 may be configured to be able to communicate with other user terminals using a short-range wireless communication function such as Bluetooth (registered trademark), ZigBee (registered trademark), or Sigfox (registered trademark).

[0066] The output device 32 is a device for outputting information and providing the information to a user. For example, the output device 32 is a device for displaying information, and examples thereof include a liquid crystal display and a projector. The output device 32 may also be a device for outputting audio information. For example, the output device 32 is a speaker.

[0067] In this embodiment, the output device 32 outputs vehicle dispatch information and vehicle arrival information. The output device 32 also displays an operation screen for aggregating the number of people expected to ride. The operation screen is, for example, a selection screen for selecting whether or not to send a ride-along request to other users, and a display screen for displaying the responses of other users to the ride-along request.

[0068] The input device 33 is a device through which the user inputs operations to the user terminal 3, and is, for example, a touch panel that accepts input by the user's finger or a stylus pen. In addition, the input device 33 includes a joystick, a microphone that allows the user to input by voice, and the like. The touch panel that is the input device 33 may also be provided on the liquid crystal display that is the output device 32. For example, the input device 33 accepts input of a ride-hailing request and a ride-along request from the user.

[0069] The position detection device 34 detects position information indicating the current position of the user. For example, a GPS device can be used as the position detection device 34. The position detection device 34 detects position information of the current position of the user terminal 3 as position information of the current position of the user who owns the user terminal 3.

[0070] Next, we will explain an example of control related to the riding assistance method executed by the riding assistance system 1. Fig. 2 is a flowchart showing a control flow for executing the riding assistance method in the riding assistance system 1. When the vehicle 2 dispatched to the user arrives at the boarding location, the riding assistance system 1 starts the control flow from step S1.

[0071] In step S1, the user terminal 3 receives vehicle arrival information from the vehicle 2 that has arrived at the boarding location. In step S2, the user terminal 3 transmits a ride-along request to other user terminals in the vicinity. For example, the user terminal 3 detects other user terminals located within a predetermined range from the user terminal, and transmits a ride-along request to the detected other user terminal. In step S3, the user terminal 3 receives responses indicating acceptance or rejection of the ride-along request from the other user terminal that transmitted the ride-along request. In step S4, the user terminal 3 acquires the number of passengers planned to board. For example, the user terminal 3 aggregates responses indicating acceptance of the ride-along request, and acquires the number of responses indicating acceptance as the number of passengers, and acquires the total number of passengers and the number of passengers for one user who requested the ride as the number of passengers planned to board. In step S5, the user terminal 3 transmits information on the number of passengers planned to board to the riding assistance device 10.

[0072] In step S6, the riding assistance device 10 acquires the number of passengers in vehicle 2. When the user who is planning to board starts boarding vehicle 2, the riding assistance device 10 acquires the number of passengers from vehicle 2. In step S7, the riding assistance device 10 determines whether vehicle 2 is full. If it is determined that vehicle 2 is full, the riding assistance device 10 proceeds to step S8. If it is determined that vehicle 2 is not full, the riding assistance device 10 proceeds to step S11.

[0073] In step S8, the riding assistance device 10 determines whether there are any remaining users who are not riding in vehicle 2 among the users who are scheduled to board. If it is determined that there are remaining users, the riding assistance device 10 proceeds to step S9. If it is determined that there are no remaining users, the riding assistance device 10 proceeds to step S12. In step S9, the riding assistance device 10 causes vehicle 2 to depart. The riding assistance device 10 transmits to vehicle 2 driving instruction information for causing vehicle 2 to depart from the boarding location and drive to the disembarking location. In step S10, the riding assistance device 10 dispatches another vehicle to the remaining user. The riding assistance device 10 sets the driving route of the other vehicle to a driving route that includes the boarding location and the disembarking location, and generates a vehicle dispatch plan for dispatching the other vehicle to the remaining user. The riding assistance device 10 transmits vehicle dispatch information including the generated vehicle dispatch plan to the other vehicle.

[0074] In step S11, the riding assistance device 10 determines whether or not there are any remaining users. If it is determined that there are no remaining users, the riding assistance device 10 proceeds to step S12. If it is determined that there are remaining users, the riding assistance device 10 proceeds to step S13. In step S12, the riding assistance device 10 causes the vehicle 2 to depart. The riding assistance device 10 transmits driving instruction information to the vehicle 2 to cause the vehicle 2 to depart from the boarding location and drive to the disembarking location.

[0075] In step S13, the riding assistance device 10 determines whether or not a departure instruction from the user has been acquired. If it is determined that a departure instruction from the user has been acquired, the riding assistance device 10 proceeds to step S14. If it is determined that a departure instruction from the user has not been acquired, the riding assistance device 10 returns to step S6 and repeats the subsequent flow.

[0076] In step S14, the riding assistance device 10 causes the vehicle 2 to depart. The riding assistance device 10 transmits to the vehicle 2 driving instruction information for causing the vehicle 2 to depart from the boarding location and drive to the disembarking location. In step S15, the riding assistance device 10 dispatches another vehicle to the remaining user. The riding assistance device 10 sets the driving route of the other vehicle to a driving route including the boarding location and the disembarking location, and generates a vehicle dispatch plan for dispatching the other vehicle to the remaining user. The riding assistance device 10 transmits vehicle dispatch information including the generated vehicle dispatch plan to the other vehicle.

[0077] Next, we will explain an example of control related to the riding assistance method executed by the riding assistance system 1. Fig. 3 is a sequence chart showing a control flow for executing the riding assistance method in the riding assistance system 1. In this embodiment, when a user inputs a ride dispatch request to the user terminal 3, the user terminal 3 starts the control flow from step S1.

[0078] In step S21, the user terminal 3 transmits a vehicle dispatch request to the riding assistance device 10. In step S22, the riding assistance device 10 determines a vehicle to be dispatched based on the dispatch request, and generates a vehicle dispatch plan for dispatching the vehicle 2 determined as the vehicle to be dispatched to the user. The vehicle dispatch plan includes a boarding location, a disembarking location, and a driving route. In step S23, the riding assistance device 10 transmits vehicle dispatch information including the vehicle dispatch plan and driving instruction information based on the vehicle dispatch plan to the vehicle 2. In step S24, the vehicle 2 starts traveling along the driving route included in the vehicle dispatch plan. In step S25, when the vehicle 2 arrives at the boarding location, it transmits vehicle arrival information to the user terminal 3.

[0079] In step S26, the user terminal 3 detects other user terminals 5 located around the user terminal 3. In step S27, the user terminal 3 transmits a ride-along request to the detected other user terminal 5. In step S28, the other user terminal 5 transmits a response to the ride-along request to the user terminal 3. In step S29, the user terminal 3 acquires the number of people expected to ride. For example, the user terminal 3 acquires the number of people expected to ride based on the number of responses indicating acceptance of the ride-along request received from other user terminals. In step S30, the user terminal 3 transmits the number of people expected to ride to the riding assistance device 10.

[0080] In step S31, the vehicle 2 acquires the number of passengers. In step S32, the vehicle 2 transmits the information on the number of passengers to the riding assistance device 10.

[0081] In step S33, the riding assistance device 10 acquires the passenger capacity. In step S34, the riding assistance device 10 executes a departure determination to determine whether or not to depart vehicle 2 from the boarding location. For example, the riding assistance device 10 compares the passenger capacity with the number of passengers, and if the passenger capacity and the number of passengers are equal, determines to depart vehicle 2 from the boarding location. Furthermore, the riding assistance device 10 executes the departure determination based on a comparison between the planned number of passengers and the number of passengers and the presence or absence of a departure instruction. In step S35, if the riding assistance device 10 determines in step S34 to depart vehicle 2, it transmits to vehicle 2 driving instruction information for driving vehicle 2 from the boarding location to the disembarking location. In step S36, vehicle 2 departs from the boarding location and drives to the disembarking location.

[0082] In step S37, after vehicle 2 departs, the riding assistance device 10 generates a vehicle dispatch plan based on the result of the departure determination in step S34. For example, if the riding assistance device 10 determines that vehicle 2 should depart when the number of planned passengers is greater than the number of passengers, that is, if there are remaining users not riding in the departed vehicle 2, the riding assistance device 10 generates a vehicle dispatch plan to dispatch a vehicle 6 other than vehicle 2 to the remaining users. In step S38, the riding assistance device 10 transmits dispatch information including the vehicle dispatch plan and driving instruction information based on the vehicle dispatch plan to another vehicle 6. In step S39, the other vehicle 6 starts traveling along the driving route included in the vehicle dispatch plan. The other vehicle 6 travels to the boarding location, picks up the remaining users, and then travels to the disembarking location. This allows all users scheduled to board to travel to their destination.

[0083] 3, since it is determined in step S34 that the vehicle is to depart when the number of planned passengers is greater than the number of passengers, the riding assistance device 10 generates a vehicle allocation plan in step S37 for allocating another vehicle 6 to the remaining users. However, this is not limited to this, and when it is determined that the vehicle 2 is to depart when the number of planned passengers is equal to the number of passengers or when the number of planned passengers is less than the number of passengers, that is, when all planned passenger users are in vehicle 2, the riding assistance device 10 ends the control flow without generating a new vehicle allocation plan for allocating another vehicle 6.

[0084] As described above, in this embodiment, a vehicle dispatch request indicating that a user requests a vehicle to be dispatched is obtained from a user terminal, and based on the vehicle dispatch request, a vehicle to be dispatched to the user, a boarding location where the user will board the vehicle, and a disembarking location where the user will disembark from the vehicle are determined. A vehicle dispatch plan including the boarding location and disembarking location in the vehicle's travel route is generated. User information about users who plan to board the vehicle is obtained from the user terminal. After the vehicle departs from the boarding location, if there are any remaining users among the users who are not boarding the vehicle, a vehicle other than the vehicle to be dispatched is set as the travel route including the boarding location and disembarking location, and a vehicle dispatch plan is generated to dispatch another vehicle to the remaining users. This allows the passengers to travel to their destinations even if the passengers need to travel in multiple vehicles after the vehicle dispatched to them arrives at the boarding location.

[0085] In this embodiment, the number of passengers on the dispatched vehicle is acquired from the dispatched vehicle, the number of users who plan to board is acquired from the user terminal as the planned number of passengers, the number of passengers is compared with the planned number of passengers, and if the planned number of passengers is greater than the number of passengers, it is determined that there are remaining users. As a result, if the number of users who plan to board is greater than the number of people on the dispatched vehicle, it can be determined that there are users who are not on the dispatched vehicle.

[0086] In this embodiment, the user terminal transmits a ride-along request to other user terminals operated by other users, which are terminals located around the user terminal, requesting a ride in the dispatched vehicle, receives replies from the other user terminals indicating acceptance or rejection of the ride-along request, and acquires the number of expected passengers based on the number of replies indicating acceptance, thereby making it possible to grasp the number of users who plan to ride.

[0087] In this embodiment, the user terminal acquires location information of other user terminals, and detects other user terminals located around the user terminal based on the location information of the user terminal and the location information of the other user terminals, thereby making it possible to detect other users around the user.

[0088] In this embodiment, the dispatch vehicle is equipped with a camera that captures images of the interior of the dispatch vehicle, a seat belt sensor that detects the fastening state of a seat belt installed in a seat in the dispatch vehicle, and a seating sensor that detects the seating state in the seat, and acquires the number of passengers based on the captured images, the sensor signal output from the seat belt sensor, or the sensor signal output from the seating sensor. This makes it possible to grasp the number of passengers based on information about the interior situation of the vehicle.

[0089] In this embodiment, when the passenger capacity of the dispatched vehicle is equal to the number of passengers, when the planned number of passengers is equal to the number of passengers, or when a departure instruction is received from the user, it is determined that the dispatched vehicle should depart from the boarding location. This allows the dispatched vehicle to depart from the boarding location at the timing when it is necessary to depart.

[0090] In this embodiment, the number of remaining users is calculated as the remaining number of expected passengers based on the number of expected passengers and the number of passengers, and a vehicle with seats for the remaining number of expected passengers or more is selected as the alternative vehicle. This allows users who are not on the dispatched vehicle to travel to the drop-off location in another vehicle.

[0091] It should be noted that the above-described embodiments have been described to facilitate understanding of the present invention, and are not intended to limit the present invention. Therefore, each element disclosed in the above-described embodiments is intended to include all design modifications and equivalents that fall within the technical scope of the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0092] 1. Ride assistance system 10...Riding assistance device 11...Processor 100...Vehicle Dispatch Management Department 101...Training schedule information acquisition section 102... Passenger number acquisition section 103...User Information Management Department 104...Departure Judgment Section 105... Route generation unit 2...Vehicle 3...User terminal

Claims

1. a vehicle dispatch management unit that acquires, from a user terminal, a vehicle dispatch request indicating that a user is requesting a vehicle to be dispatched, and determines, based on the vehicle dispatch request, the vehicle to be dispatched to the user, a boarding location where the user will board the vehicle to be dispatched, and a disembarking location where the user will disembark from the vehicle to be dispatched, and generates a vehicle dispatch plan that includes the boarding location and the disembarking location in a travel route of the vehicle to be dispatched; a boarding plan information acquisition unit that acquires, from the user terminal, boarding plan user information related to a boarding plan user who is scheduled to board the dispatched vehicle, The vehicle dispatch management unit is a riding assistance device that, if there are any remaining users among the users scheduled to board who are not on the vehicle after the vehicle has departed from the boarding location, sets the driving route of a vehicle different from the vehicle to be a driving route that includes the boarding location and the disembarking location, and generates a vehicle dispatch plan to dispatch the vehicle to the remaining users.

2. a passenger number acquisition unit that acquires the number of passengers aboard the dispatch vehicle from the dispatch vehicle, The boarding plan information acquisition unit acquires the number of users who plan to board from the user terminal as a planned number of people to board, The vehicle dispatch management unit Comparing the number of passengers with the number of passengers planned to board, The ride assistance device according to claim 1 , wherein when the number of people planning to ride is greater than the number of people riding, it is determined that there are remaining users.

3. The user terminal transmitting a ride-along request indicating a request to ride in the dispatched vehicle to other user terminals operated by other users, the other user terminals being terminals located around the user terminal; receiving a response indicating acceptance or rejection of the ride-along request from the other user terminal; The ride assistance device according to claim 2 , wherein the number of passengers is acquired based on the number of responses indicating acceptance.

4. The user terminal Acquire location information of the other user terminal; The ride assistance device according to claim 3 , wherein the other user terminals located around the user terminal are detected based on the position information of the user terminal and the position information of the other user terminals.

5. The dispatch vehicle is a camera for capturing an image of the interior of the dispatch vehicle, a seat belt sensor for detecting a seat belt fastening state installed in a seat in the dispatch vehicle, and a seating sensor for detecting an occupancy state in the seat, A ride assistance device as described in any one of claims 2 to 4, which acquires the number of passengers based on the captured image, the sensor signal output from the seat belt sensor, or the sensor signal output from the seating sensor.

6. a departure determination unit that determines whether or not to depart the dispatch vehicle from the boarding location, The boarding assistance device according to any one of claims 2 to 5, wherein the departure determination unit determines to depart the dispatched vehicle from the boarding location when the passenger capacity of the dispatched vehicle is equal to the number of passengers, when the planned number of passengers is equal to the number of passengers, or when a departure instruction is obtained from the user.

7. The vehicle dispatch management unit Calculating the number of remaining users as the remaining number of people planned to board based on the number of people planned to board and the number of passengers; The boarding assistance device according to any one of claims 2 to 6, wherein a vehicle having seats for more than the remaining planned number of passengers is determined as the other vehicle.

8. A ride assistance system including a plurality of vehicles, a user terminal, and a server that allocates the vehicles to users, The server a vehicle dispatch management unit that acquires, from a user terminal, a vehicle dispatch request indicating that a user is requesting a vehicle to be dispatched, and determines, based on the vehicle dispatch request, the vehicle to be dispatched to the user, a boarding location where the user will board the vehicle to be dispatched, and a disembarking location where the user will disembark from the vehicle to be dispatched, and generates a vehicle dispatch plan that includes the boarding location and the disembarking location in a travel route of the vehicle to be dispatched; a boarding plan information acquisition unit that acquires, from the user terminal, boarding plan user information related to a boarding plan user who is scheduled to board the dispatched vehicle, The vehicle dispatch management unit, if there are any remaining users among the users scheduled to board who are not on the dispatch vehicle after the dispatch vehicle departs from the boarding location, sets the driving route of a vehicle different from the dispatch vehicle as a driving route that includes the boarding location and the disembarking location, and generates a vehicle dispatch plan to dispatch the other vehicle to the remaining users.

9. 1. A method of ride assistance executed by a processor, comprising: The processor: Acquire a vehicle dispatch request from the user terminal, indicating that the user requests a vehicle to be dispatched; Determine the vehicle to be allocated to the user, a boarding location where the user will board the vehicle, and a disembarking location where the user will disembark from the vehicle, based on the vehicle allocation request; generating a vehicle dispatch plan including the boarding location and the disembarking location in a travel route of the vehicle; acquires from the user terminal information on users who are scheduled to board the dispatched vehicle; After the dispatch vehicle departs from the boarding location, if there are any remaining users among the boarding plan users who are not on the dispatch vehicle, a travel route of a vehicle different from the dispatch vehicle is set as a travel route that includes the boarding location and the disembarking location; A riding assistance method that generates a vehicle allocation plan for allocating the other vehicle to the remaining users.

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