Automotive and Automotive Programs

Abstract

To provide a vehicle capable of efficiently executing a schedule by adjusting conflicts of use of the vehicle to be shared by a plurality of users.SOLUTION: A vehicle that performs automatic drive by autonomous travel receives schedule information on a use schedule of a self vehicle including a use purpose from a use schedule requester who requests reception of the use schedule of the self vehicle through radio communication means. Based on stored schedule information stored in schedule storage means, the self vehicle is controlled so as to be moved by autonomous travel. A use purpose priority storage unit is provided for storing priority of a plurality of use purposes. When pre-storage schedule information and stored schedule information conflict with each other, a priority order of the use purpose priority order storage unit is referred to, the priority order of both is determined, and a schedule is adjusted based on determination results.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 10

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to automobiles and automobile programs. [Background technology]

[0002] Sharing a car among family members or multiple employees of a company allows multiple people to effectively use one or a small number of cars, which is convenient and reduces the cost of use. However, in this case, if anyone can use the shared car, it becomes impossible to prevent vehicle theft.

[0003] Therefore, in the past, in order to prevent vehicle theft, devices and methods have been proposed in which authentication reference information, such as biometric information of a person who plans to use a vehicle, is registered and stored in advance, and the stored authentication reference information is compared with the authentication information of the user who is trying to use the vehicle, and authentication is performed based on whether the two match, and the opening and closing of the vehicle doors and the starting of the vehicle are controlled based on the authentication results (see, for example, Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2 below).

[0004] In this case, when it is expected that the car will be used by multiple family members or multiple employees of a company, authentication reference information such as biometric information of all persons who plan to use the car is registered in advance so that all of the multiple registered users can share the car. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2010-208554 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2011-025903 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] As described above, it is possible to allow only a limited number of users to use the shared vehicle.

[0007] Recently, self-driving cars have been attracting attention. These cars are capable of operating without a driver, and even if the user has not acquired driving skills, they can travel by car, allowing multiple people to easily use a single shared car.

[0008] However, when multiple users can use a car like this, it is unclear whether other users also want to use it, so users may be confused about whether they should start using it. Also, even if you plan to use it, other users may get there first and you may not be able to use it. Conversely, if you use the car yourself, other users may not be able to use it in an emergency, causing inconvenience to them.

[0009] In view of the above problems, the present invention aims to provide a vehicle that can smoothly adjust conflicts in the use of a shared vehicle by multiple users and can improve security and safety. [Means for solving the problem]

[0010] In order to solve the above problem, the invention of claim 1 is as follows: A car that drives automatically by autonomous driving, wireless communication means; a schedule information receiving means for receiving, via the wireless communication means, schedule information on the planned use of the vehicle, including the purpose of use, from a use plan requester who requests acceptance of a plan for use of the vehicle; a planned schedule storage means for storing schedule information of planned use of the vehicle; an autonomous movement control means for controlling the vehicle to move by autonomous traveling based on the stored schedule information stored in the planned schedule storage means; a purpose of use priority storage unit that stores priorities for a plurality of purposes of use; a schedule information adjustment means for determining whether or not there is a conflict between the pre-storage schedule information received by the planned schedule information receiving means and the stored schedule information stored in the planned schedule storage means, and, if it is determined that there is a conflict, for determining whether or not the purpose of use of the pre-storage schedule information has a higher priority than the purpose of use of the stored schedule information by referring to the priority order in the purpose of use priority storage section, and for adjusting the schedule by processing the pre-storage schedule information or the stored schedule information based on the result of said determination; a notification means for notifying a person in the vehicle of a predetermined message and making an inquiry; an input receiving means for receiving an input of a response to the inquiry from a person riding in the vehicle; Equipped with 、 When the schedule information adjustment means determines that the pre-storage schedule information and the stored schedule information conflict, it determines whether the scheduled competitor who registered the conflicting stored schedule information is currently aboard, and when it determines that the scheduled competitor is currently aboard, it performs adjustment between the utilization schedule requester and the scheduled competitor using communication through the wireless communication means, notification by the notification means, and reception of operation input by the input reception means. The present invention provides a vehicle characterized by the above features.

[0011] The automobile of the invention of claim 1 having the above-mentioned configuration is an autonomous vehicle that performs automatic driving through autonomous driving, and is equipped with a usage purpose priority memory unit that stores priorities for multiple usage purposes.

[0012] The schedule information adjustment means determines whether or not there is a conflict between the pre-storage schedule information received by the planned schedule information receiving means and the stored schedule information stored in the planned schedule storage means, and if it determines that there is a conflict, it refers to the priority in the usage purpose priority storage section to determine whether or not the usage purpose of the pre-storage schedule information has a higher priority than the usage purpose of the stored schedule information, and adjusts the schedule by processing the pre-storage schedule information or the stored schedule information based on the result of the determination.

[0013] The autonomous movement control means controls the vehicle to move by autonomous traveling based on the stored schedule information stored in the planned schedule storage means.

[0014] Therefore, with the vehicle of the present invention, conflicts among multiple users regarding the use of the vehicle to be shared can be adjusted, and schedules can be carried out efficiently. [Effects of the Invention]

[0015] According to this invention, the vehicle is an automatically driven vehicle that automatically drives itself by autonomous driving, and the priority of the usage purpose priority storage unit is referenced to determine whether the usage purpose of the pre-storage schedule information has a higher priority than the usage purpose of the stored schedule information, and the schedule is adjusted by processing the pre-storage schedule information or the stored schedule information based on the result of this determination. Therefore, it is possible to adjust conflicts between multiple users regarding the use of the shared vehicle and efficiently carry out the schedule. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0016] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram for explaining an example of a usage pattern of an embodiment of a vehicle according to the present invention; [Figure 2] 1 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of an electronic control circuit of an autonomous driving vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 3] 3 is a diagram used to explain a configuration example of a part of an electronic control circuit of the autonomous driving vehicle in the example of FIG. 2. FIG. [Figure 4] 3 is a diagram used to explain a configuration example of a part of an electronic control circuit of the autonomous driving vehicle in the example of FIG. 2. FIG. [Figure 5] 3 is a diagram used to explain a configuration example of a part of an electronic control circuit of the autonomous driving vehicle in the example of FIG. 2. FIG. [Figure 6] 3 is a diagram used to explain a configuration example of a part of an electronic control circuit of the autonomous driving vehicle in the example of FIG. 2. FIG. [Figure 7] 3 is a diagram used to explain a configuration example of a part of an electronic control circuit of the autonomous driving vehicle in the example of FIG. 2. FIG. [Figure 8] A figure showing a flowchart for explaining the processing flow for registering prospective users in an autonomously driven vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 9] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a part of a flowchart for explaining the process flow of schedule adjustment of appointment information in an autonomous driving vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a part of a flowchart for explaining the process flow of schedule adjustment of appointment information in an autonomous driving vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 11] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a part of a flowchart for explaining the process flow of schedule adjustment of appointment information in an autonomous driving vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 12] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a part of a flowchart for explaining the process flow of schedule adjustment of appointment information in an autonomous driving vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 13] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a part of a flowchart for explaining the process flow of schedule adjustment of appointment information in an autonomous driving vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 14] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a part of a flowchart for explaining the process flow of schedule adjustment of appointment information in an autonomous driving vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 15] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a part of a flowchart for explaining the process flow of schedule adjustment of appointment information in an autonomous driving vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 16] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a part of a flowchart for explaining the process flow of schedule adjustment of appointment information in an autonomous driving vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 17] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a part of a flowchart for explaining the process flow of schedule adjustment of appointment information in an autonomous driving vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 18] FIG. 10 is a diagram for explaining another example of the process of schedule adjustment of appointment information in an autonomous driving vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 19]FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a part of a flowchart for explaining another example of the processing flow for schedule adjustment of appointment information in an autonomous driving vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 20] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a part of a flowchart for explaining another example of the processing flow for schedule adjustment of appointment information in an autonomous driving vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0017] The embodiment described below is an example in which the automobile is a so-called private automobile and has the configuration of an autonomous vehicle. In this embodiment, an autonomous vehicle 1, which is an embodiment of the automobile of the present invention, can be used in the manner shown in Figure 1. In Figure 1, the main functional means provided in the autonomous vehicle 1 are shown as functional blocks.

[0018] First, this usage pattern will be explained, along with an overview of the operation of the autonomous vehicle 1 of this embodiment. The autonomous vehicle 1 of the embodiment described below is assumed to be shared by multiple users, for example, among family members, relatives, or friends. The sharing users are registered in advance with the autonomous vehicle 1 as prospective users. The autonomous vehicle 1 associates information about the registered prospective users with identification information such as a registrant number and stores the information in the prospective user information storage means 12. In this case, the information about the prospective users may include biometric information such as a facial image, voice, fingerprint, palm print, veins, and iris, which are examples of authentication reference information described below, as well as name, address, date of birth, gender, nationality, ID, and password, and also phone number or email address, which are examples of connection information described below.

[0019] In this embodiment, the self-driving vehicle 1 also uses the stored information of the prospective user registrant, either alone or in combination, as authentication reference information for the prospective user registrant, as described below. That is, the authentication reference information for the prospective user registrant may include, either alone or in combination, biometric information such as a face image, voice, fingerprint, palm print, veins, or iris, as well as name, address, date of birth, sex, nationality, ID, password, telephone number, or email address.

[0020] The facial image of the prospective user registrant can be taken by a camera equipped in the self-driving car 1, and other biometric information of the prospective user registrant can be stored in advance in the memory of the self-driving car 1. In addition, other information entered by the prospective user registrant can be used. Furthermore, biometric information including the facial image and other information can be stored on the cloud and used via the communication network 3. Furthermore, the facial image of the prospective user registrant can be taken by a camera equipped in a mobile phone terminal such as a smartphone owned by the prospective user registrant, and other biometric information and other information of the prospective user registrant can be stored in advance in the memory of the mobile phone terminal.

[0021] The self-driving vehicle 1 of this embodiment is equipped with wireless communication means 11 that has the function of communicating through a communication network 3 that includes a mobile phone network and the Internet. This wireless communication means 11 has the function of a mobile phone that is assigned a specific mobile phone number (subscriber telephone number). This wireless communication means 11 also has the function of email communication that is assigned a specific email address.

[0022] In the example of FIG. 1, first, user 2A, a family member, who is stored in self-driving vehicle 1 as a planned user registrant, sends a schedule acceptance request to self-driving vehicle 1 from his / her mobile phone terminal via communication network 3. Self-driving vehicle 1 then receives this acceptance request via wireless communication means 11, determines whether user 2A is a planned user registrant using schedule requester authentication means 13, and once it has confirmed that user 2A is a planned user registrant, accepts the schedule acceptance request from user 2A and accepts the schedule information in schedule information acceptance means 15. Then, schedule adjustment storage control means 16 references the schedule information of the planned users that has already been registered and stored in planned schedule storage means 14 to determine whether there is any schedule information that conflicts with the received schedule information for which acceptance has been requested. If it determines that there is no conflicting schedule information, it stores the schedule information set by user 2A in planned schedule storage means 14 in association with user 2A's identification information (the identification information of the planned user registrant stored in planned user information storage means 12).

[0023] Next, user 2B, for example another family member, who is stored in self-driving vehicle 1 as a scheduled user registrant, sends a schedule acceptance request to self-driving vehicle 1. Self-driving vehicle 1 then receives this acceptance request via wireless communication means 11, determines whether user 2B is a scheduled user registrant using schedule requester authentication means 13 to confirm that user 2B is a scheduled user registrant, accepts the schedule acceptance request from user 2B, and accepts the schedule information in schedule information acceptance means 15. Then, schedule adjustment storage control means 16 references the schedule information of the scheduled use that has already been registered and stored in scheduled schedule storage means 14 to determine whether there is any schedule information that conflicts with the received schedule information for which acceptance has been requested, and if it determines that there is no conflicting schedule information, then the schedule information set by user 2B is stored in scheduled schedule storage means 14 in association with the identification information of user 2B (identification information of the scheduled user registrant).

[0024] When user 2A's schedule is earlier than user 2B's schedule, autonomous vehicle 1 moves to the planned start location of use specified by user 2A at the planned start time of user 2A using autonomous movement control means 17. In this embodiment, autonomous movement control means 17 has the function of moving by autonomous driving with unmanned driving.

[0025] Then, passenger authentication means 18 of autonomous vehicle 1 compares the authentication reference information stored in planned user registration information storage means 12 with the authentication information acquired from user 2A for user 2A who is about to board, to authenticate whether the passenger is user 2A, and when the authentication result indicates that the passenger is user 2A, user 2A is permitted to board. Then, autonomous movement control means 17 causes autonomous vehicle 1 to autonomously travel in accordance with the schedule information registered by user 2A in the schedule request.

[0026] If the self-driving vehicle 1 determines that there is a conflict between the planned use schedule information of user 2A that has already been stored and registered in planned schedule storage means 14 and the plan information of user 2B that has been accepted as a new acceptance request, the self-driving vehicle 1 adjusts the plan information of users 2A and 2B as described below, and accepts or rejects the plan information of user 2B depending on the adjustment result. Depending on the adjustment result, the plan information of users 2A and 2B may need to be changed, and changes to the plan information of users 2A and 2B are accepted accordingly.

[0027] In this embodiment, a dedicated application program (hereinafter referred to as a dedicated app) for schedule information acceptance requests is installed in advance by the user of the mobile phone terminal that issues a schedule information acceptance request to the autonomously driven vehicle 1. When the user uses the dedicated app for schedule information acceptance requests on the mobile phone terminal to perform an operation to request acceptance of the schedule information from the autonomously driven vehicle 1, a call is automatically made to the wireless communication means 11 of the autonomously driven vehicle 1, and the schedule information acceptance request is sent to the autonomously driven vehicle 1. The device that issues the schedule information acceptance request is not limited to a mobile phone terminal, and may also be a PC (personal computer), a tablet terminal, a wristwatch terminal, an eyeglass-type terminal, or the like.

[0028] In this case, as described above, the self-driving vehicle 1 of this embodiment authenticates the schedule requester by determining whether the schedule requester is a planned user registrant registered in the self-driving vehicle 1, using the stored information of the planned user registrant as authentication reference information. If the schedule requester is not a planned user registrant, this embodiment rejects the schedule information acceptance request. Therefore, the schedule information acceptance request includes authentication information of the schedule requester. This authentication information of the schedule requester is information such as the ID, password, mobile phone number, and email address included in the planned user registrant information.

[0029] When the schedule requester's mobile phone terminal accepts the schedule information, the dedicated app displays a screen for sending the schedule information, and the schedule information is sent to the autonomously driven vehicle 1 in response to an operation by the user. If the schedule information does not conflict with already registered schedule information, the schedule storage means 14 of the autonomously driven vehicle 1 stores the schedule information in association with the user's identification information, as described above.

[0030] Furthermore, when the schedule requester's schedule information conflicts with already registered schedule information, as described above, the schedule adjustment storage control means 16 of the self-driving vehicle 1 performs processing to adjust the conflict, and updates the schedule information in the scheduled schedule storage means 14 according to the results of the adjustment.

[0031] An outline of the adjustment contents in the schedule adjustment storage control means 16 in this embodiment will be explained.

[0032] When the schedule requester's schedule information conflicts with already registered schedule information, there are two possibilities for the schedule competitor who registered the conflicting schedule information: either the schedule requester is currently executing a schedule according to the conflicting schedule information and is currently aboard the self-driving vehicle 1, or the conflicting schedule information has not yet been executed and the competitor is not currently aboard the self-driving vehicle.

[0033] If a scheduled competitor is currently aboard autonomous vehicle 1, schedule adjustment storage control means 16 executes the adjustment by sending message information for adjustment to the schedule requester via wireless communication means 11, and notifying the scheduled competitor of the message information for adjustment using a display screen, speaker, or the like provided on autonomous vehicle 1. In addition, as necessary, communication such as telephone calls or e-mails may be carried out between the schedule requester and the scheduled competitor.

[0034] Furthermore, if the scheduled competitor is not currently in the autonomously driven vehicle 1, the schedule adjustment storage control means 16 makes the adjustment by sending adjustment message information to the schedule requester via the wireless communication means 11. In this embodiment, if the schedule requester has a higher priority, for example, the schedule requester contacts the scheduled competitor who is not currently in the vehicle to make the adjustment as necessary. In this case, if the wireless communication means 11 only has the functionality of one mobile phone terminal, the schedule requester will wait until the adjustment result with the scheduled competitor is obtained, and will temporarily disconnect the communication path to wait for the adjustment result.

[0035] In addition, if the wireless communication means 11 has the functionality of two mobile phone terminals, it is possible to form a communication path between the scheduled competitor and the scheduled requester that is separate from the communication path with the scheduled requester, so the scheduled requester does not need to disconnect the communication path with the scheduled requester and can simply wait.

[0036] In this embodiment, the priority of the planned schedule is determined according to the user's personal attributes, purpose of use, and attributes of the destination (destination, destination), and adjustment processing is also performed according to the priority.

[0037] In particular, in this embodiment, the priority order is set to, for example, a case where an emergency patient needs to be transported to a hospital, and such a case is forcibly set to the highest priority event (absolute priority event). In other words, when the schedule information from a schedule requester is a forced priority event (absolute priority event), the schedule information from the schedule requester is given top priority even if there is a schedule competitor currently using the schedule.

[0038] As described above, according to the self-driving vehicle 1 of the embodiment, a user who has previously registered with the self-driving vehicle 1 as a scheduled user registrant can request the self-driving vehicle 1 to accept his or her own schedule by sending a schedule information acceptance request to the self-driving vehicle 1. If the schedule information requested for acceptance conflicts with schedule information of another user, the self-driving vehicle 1 adjusts the schedule, so that the self-driving vehicle 1 can prioritize its own schedule request based on the schedule information, and in some cases, change (modify) or cancel (delete) its own schedule request. This allows for smooth coordination between the schedule requester and the schedule conflictor, and also improves security.

[0039] [Hardware configuration example for autonomous vehicle 1] An example of the hardware configuration of the autonomously driven vehicle 1 that realizes the above processing will be described below.

[0040] 2 is a block diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the electronic control circuit unit 10 of the autonomously driven vehicle 1 of the first embodiment. Note that the autonomously driven vehicle 1 of this embodiment is an example of an electric vehicle. However, the battery is not shown in FIG. 2.

[0041] Furthermore, the self-driving vehicle 1 of this embodiment has an autonomous driving mode and a manual driving mode. The manual driving mode is a mode in which the vehicle can travel in accordance with the driver's accelerator pedal operation, brake pedal operation, shift lever operation, and steering (handle operation), just like a normal vehicle that is not a self-driving vehicle. Furthermore, the autonomous driving mode is a driving mode in which the self-driving vehicle 1 itself automatically (autonomously) changes course while avoiding obstacles, without the driver having to operate the accelerator pedal, brake pedal, shift lever, or steering.

[0042] The driver of the autonomous vehicle 1 can switch the autonomous vehicle 1, which is traveling in manual driving mode, to autonomous driving mode by performing a specified operation, for example, via the touch panel 112 described below.The autonomous vehicle 1 is also configured to automatically return to manual driving mode if the driver performs a specified operation, such as operating the accelerator pedal, brake pedal, shift lever, or steering, while traveling in autonomous driving mode.

[0043] As shown in Figure 2, the electronic control circuit unit 10 is configured to have a control unit 101 equipped with a computer, and via a system bus 100, the electronic control circuit unit 10 is connected to a wireless communication unit 102, a motor drive control unit 103, a steering drive control unit 104, a manual / automatic driving mode switching control unit 105, a radar group 106, a camera group 107, a sensor group 108, a surrounding moving object recognition unit 109, a current position detection unit 110, a display unit 111, a touch panel 112, a car navigation (hereinafter referred to as car navigation) function unit 113, a planned user registrant information reception unit 114, a planned user registrant information memory unit 115, a plan requester authentication unit 116, a passenger authentication unit 117, a boarding plan reception management unit 118, a planned schedule memory unit 119, a voice input / output unit 120, a location attribute priority memory unit 121, a purpose of use priority memory unit 122, a clock unit 123, and a vehicle information memory unit 124.

[0044] A motor drive unit 131 is connected to the motor drive control unit 103. A steering drive unit 132 is connected to the steering drive control unit 104. A manual driving operation detection unit 133 is connected to the manual / automatic driving mode switching control unit 105. A car navigation database 134 is connected to the car navigation function unit 113. A microphone 135 and a speaker 136 are connected to the audio input / output unit 120.

[0045] In this embodiment, the wireless communication unit 102 has a function of performing communications such as telephone communications and e-mail communications via a mobile phone network. Note that the wireless communication unit 102 may also have a function of performing communications such as telephone communications and e-mail communications by connecting to the Internet network via Wi-Fi (Wireless Fidelity; registered trademark) instead of the mobile phone network. Of course, both communication functions may be provided, and in that case, the control unit 101 or the wireless communication unit 102 may be able to select which communication function to use.

[0046] The control unit 101 has a software processing function for carrying out processing when it receives a request to accept schedule information from a schedule requester via the wireless communication unit 102. In this example, the wireless communication means 11 in Fig. 1 is made up of the control unit 101 and the wireless communication unit 102. In this embodiment, in consideration of the adjustment of schedule information, the wireless communication means 11 is provided with the functionality for two mobile phone lines (two mobile phone terminals).

[0047] Under the control of the control unit 101, the motor drive control unit 103 controls the supply of drive signals to the motor drive unit 131 of the self-driving vehicle 1, which is an electric vehicle of this embodiment, to control the start of driving of the self-driving vehicle 1, driving speed control (including brake control and accelerator control), driving stop, etc.

[0048] Under the control of the control unit 101, the steering drive control unit 104 controls the supply of a drive control signal to the steering drive unit 132 of the autonomous vehicle 1 of this embodiment, thereby controlling the course change of the autonomous vehicle 1.

[0049] The manual / automatic driving mode switching control unit 105 switches the driving mode of the autonomous vehicle 1 between a manual driving mode and an automatic driving mode in response to a selection operation input via the touch panel 112. The manual driving operation detection unit 133 receives operation information of the accelerator pedal operation, brake pedal operation, shift lever operation, and steering operation by the driver, and supplies the manual driving operation information to the manual / automatic driving mode switching control unit 105.

[0050] When the autonomous vehicle 1 is in manual driving mode, the manual / autonomous driving mode switching control unit 105 supplies manual driving operation information from the manual driving operation detection unit 133 to the motor driving control unit 103 and the steering driving control unit 104, and controls the motor driving unit 131 and the steering driving unit 132 in accordance with the driver's pedal operation, shift lever operation, and steering operation (handle operation).

[0051] Furthermore, when autonomous vehicle 1 is in autonomous driving mode, manual / autonomous driving mode switching control unit 105 supplies autonomous driving operation information generated by control unit 101 based on outputs from radar group 106, camera group 107, sensor group 108, and surrounding moving object recognition unit 109 to motor drive control unit 103 and steering drive control unit 104, as will be described later, and controls driving of motor drive unit 131 and steering drive unit 132 using the autonomous driving operation information. Note that in autonomous driving mode, car navigation function unit 113 searches for a route from the current position to a destination set by the driver or the like, and controls the vehicle to travel along the searched route.

[0052] The radar group 106 is used to measure the distance to people and objects around the autonomous vehicle 1, and is made up of laser radar, millimeter-wave radar, and the like. The laser radar is embedded, for example, in the ceiling or near the bumper, and the millimeter-wave radar is installed, for example, at the front and rear of the vehicle. Both laser radar and millimeter-wave radar may be provided, or only one of them may be provided. Other radars, such as microwave radar, may also be used. Furthermore, sonar (not shown) may be used for the same purpose as radar.

[0053] Camera group 107 includes one or more cameras that capture images of the interior of autonomous vehicle 1, and one or more cameras that capture images of the surroundings outside the vehicle, such as the front, sides, and rear of autonomous vehicle 1. The cameras that capture images of the interior of the vehicle include cameras that are attached, for example, to the rearview mirror (rearview mirror, room mirror) installed between the driver's seat and the passenger seat or to the top of the front windshield, and capture images of the passenger (driver) sitting in the driver's seat, as well as cameras that capture images of passengers (fellow passengers) sitting in the passenger seat or the back seat. The cameras that capture images of the surroundings of autonomous vehicle 1 include, for example, two cameras (stereo cameras) that are attached, for example, to the left and right sides of the rearview mirror and that mainly capture images of the left and right front of autonomous vehicle 1, cameras that are attached, for example, to door mirrors or fender mirrors of autonomous vehicle 1 and capture images of the left and right sides, and cameras that capture images behind autonomous vehicle 1.

[0054] The sensor group 108 includes an open / close detection sensor that detects whether a door or window is open or closed, a sensor that detects whether a seatbelt is fastened, a seating sensor that detects whether a passenger is seated in a seat such as the driver's seat or the passenger seat, a human presence sensor (infrared sensor) that detects a person nearby outside the vehicle, and various other sensors for acquiring information that assists autonomous driving. The various sensors for acquiring information that assists autonomous driving include, for example, a vibration sensor that detects vibrations of the vehicle or tires, a rotation speed sensor that detects the number of tire rotations, a geomagnetic sensor that detects direction, an acceleration sensor that detects acceleration, and a gyro sensor (gyroscope) that detects angles and angular velocities. In this embodiment, the sensor group 108 also includes sensors that detect the illumination of right and left turn signals (direction indicators) and hazard lights (emergency flashers).

[0055] The surrounding moving object recognition unit 109 recognizes moving objects (including people) around the vehicle using images captured by the radar group 106, the sensor group 108, and the camera group 107. The surrounding moving object recognition unit 109 recognizes surrounding obstacles and moving objects by performing processing based on Bayes' theorem, for example.

[0056] The current position detection unit 110 receives radio waves from GPS satellites to detect the current position of the vehicle. Because the accuracy of the position detected by radio waves from GPS satellites is poor, the current position detection unit 110 uses not only the information on the current position detected by receiving radio waves from GPS satellites, but also images captured by one or more sensors included in the sensor group 108, the radar group 106, and the camera group 107 (also functioning as a navigation system), and performs processing based on Bayes' theorem, for example, to detect and confirm the current position with higher accuracy.

[0057] In autonomous driving mode, autonomous vehicle 1 uses current position detection unit 110 and surrounding moving object recognition unit 109 to process various information such as position information acquired by receiving radio waves from radar group 106, camera group 107, sensor group 108, and GPS satellites, i.e., information corresponding to information obtained from human eyes and ears, using Bayes' theorem, and based on this, control unit 101 performs intelligent information processing (artificial intelligence) and control (artificial intelligence) such as changing the vehicle's course and avoiding obstacles, to generate autonomous driving operation information. Then, based on the generated autonomous driving operation information, motor drive control unit 103 drives motor drive unit 131, and steering drive control unit 104 drives steering drive unit 132, thereby performing autonomous movement control. Therefore, in this embodiment, the autonomous movement control means 17 is composed of a control unit 101, a radar group 106, a camera group 107, a sensor group 108, a surrounding moving object recognition unit 109, a current position detection unit 110, a motor drive control unit 103, a motor drive unit 131, a steering drive control unit 104, a steering drive unit 132, and a car navigation function unit 113 described later.

[0058] Display unit 111 is made up of, for example, an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display). Touch panel 112 is configured by superimposing a touch sensor that allows touch input with a finger on the display screen of display unit 111 made up of an LCD. Under the control of control unit 101, a display image including software buttons (including character input buttons on a keyboard) is displayed on the display screen of display unit 111. When touch panel 112 detects a touch with a finger on a software button displayed on the display screen, it transmits the touch to control unit 101. In response to this, control unit 101 is configured to execute control processing corresponding to the software button.

[0059] Domestic maps and route guidance data are stored in advance in car navigation database 134 connected to car navigation function unit 113. Car navigation function unit 113 is a functional unit that provides guidance to assist autonomous vehicle 1 in traveling to a specified destination based on the maps and route guidance data stored in car navigation database 134. In this embodiment, car navigation function unit 113 is configured to perform slightly different processes in manual driving mode and autonomous driving mode.

[0060] That is, in the manual driving mode, the car navigation function unit 113 displays an image on the display screen of the display unit 111 in which the vehicle position detected and confirmed by the current position detection unit 110 is superimposed on a map that clearly displays the route to the destination, and also moves the vehicle position (current position) on the map as the vehicle moves, and provides voice guidance at points where route guidance is necessary, such as intersections and branching points on the route. This is the same as the normal car navigation function.

[0061] On the other hand, in the autonomous driving mode, when the current position of the vehicle is away from the route to the destination, the car navigation function unit 113 notifies the control unit 101 of information on the direction and distance of the departure, and when the current position of the vehicle is on the route to the destination, the car navigation function unit 113 notifies the control unit 101 of information instructing the control unit 101 to change the course direction along the route before an intersection or branch point on the route as the vehicle moves. Based on the information notified from the car navigation function unit 113, the current position confirmation result from the current position detection unit 110, and the recognition result from the surrounding moving object recognition unit 109, the control unit 101 controls the motor drive unit 131 via the motor drive control unit 103 so that the vehicle moves along the route as instructed, and generates autonomous driving operation information for controlling the steering drive unit 132 via the steering drive control unit 104. Therefore, thanks to route guidance to the destination by the car navigation function unit 113 and the control unit 101 in the autonomous driving mode, autonomous vehicle 1 can travel to the destination even when there are no passengers.

[0062] Under the control of the control unit 101, the prospective user registrant information receiving unit 114 receives registration information such as that of family members who plan to use the self-driving vehicle 1 of this embodiment as information about prospective users, and stores the received information about prospective users in the prospective user information storage unit 115. The control unit 101, the prospective user registrant information receiving unit 114, and the prospective user information storage unit 115 constitute the prospective user information storage means 12.

[0063] 3 shows an example of information stored in the prospective user registrant information storage unit 115. In this example, the prospective user registrant information storage unit 115 stores, as information on each prospective user registrant, a password, a name, a telephone number (a telephone number of a mobile phone terminal), an email address (an email address of a mobile phone terminal), a facial image, personal attributes, a priority, and the like, in association with an ID (identification information).

[0064] The facial image of the prospective user registrant is captured and stored, for example, by a predetermined camera in the camera group 107. Alternatively, an image captured by a camera equipped in a mobile phone terminal carried by the prospective user registrant can be used. Note that the facial image is an example of biometric information that serves as authentication reference information for the prospective user registrant. If the voice of the prospective user registrant is used as authentication reference information, the voice of the prospective user registrant picked up by a microphone equipped in the mobile phone terminal can be used, and other biometric information of the prospective user requester can be stored in advance in the memory of the mobile phone terminal. Furthermore, other information can be used that has been input by the caller into the mobile phone terminal. Furthermore, biometric information including the facial image and other information can be stored on the cloud and used via the communication network 3.

[0065] In this example, the personal attributes of the prospective users are a family, and the attributes of the family members are recorded. In this embodiment, the priority order is determined in advance among the family members according to the personal attributes and is registered and stored. For example, the personal attribute "grandfather" has some difficulty walking and is therefore assigned the highest priority, the personal attribute "father" is often used for commuting and is therefore assigned a higher priority, the personal attribute "mother" is assigned the next highest priority because she uses it for shopping, and the personal attribute "son" is assigned the lowest priority because he is a high school student. The registered priority order may be changed (modified) through a predetermined procedure, such as an agreement between the family members. The personal attributes themselves may also be determined and registered among the family members. For example, if personal attributes are set mainly around "grandfather," then "grandfather" will have the personal attribute "person (himself)," "father" will have the personal attribute "son (or son-in-law)," "mother" will have the personal attribute "wife (or daughter-in-law)," and "son" will have the personal attribute "grandchild." Of course, in this case, the registered personal attributes may be made changeable (modifiable).

[0066] The facial image of the prospective user is used as authentication reference information for passenger authentication when the prospective user attempts to board the self-driving vehicle 1 according to the schedule information.

[0067] The schedule requester authentication unit 116, under the control of the control unit 101, authenticates whether the schedule requester described above is a scheduled user registrant. In this embodiment, the telephone number and password from the information of the registered scheduled user registrant stored in the scheduled user registrant information storage unit 115 are used as authentication reference information when authenticating the schedule requester. Note that the authentication reference information for authenticating the schedule requester may be an email address instead of the telephone number of a mobile phone terminal. The schedule requester authentication unit 116 and the control unit 101 constitute the schedule requester authentication means 13.

[0068] Under the control of the control unit 101, the passenger authentication unit 117 authenticates whether a passenger attempting to board the autonomously driven vehicle 1 is a planned user registrant who has made a planned request for schedule information. In this embodiment, the facial image of the planned user registrant stored in the planned user registrant information storage unit 115 is used as the authentication reference information in the passenger authentication unit 117. The passenger authentication unit 117 and the control unit 101 constitute passenger authentication means 18.

[0069] In this embodiment, when the boarding plan acceptance management unit 118 receives an acceptance request from a plan requester via the wireless communication unit 102, it determines whether to accept the acceptance request based on the authentication result of the plan requester authentication unit 116, and accepts the received acceptance request if it determines that the plan requester is a user plan registrant. Then, the boarding plan acceptance management unit 118 refers to other schedule information stored in the planned schedule storage unit 119 to determine whether there is any schedule information that conflicts with the plan information of the received acceptance request, and if it confirms that there is no conflicting schedule information, it stores the accepted plan information in the planned schedule storage unit 119 in association with the ID (identification information) of the plan requester.

[0070] Furthermore, when the boarding plan reception management unit 118 determines that conflicting schedule information exists, it executes schedule adjustment as described below under the control of the control unit 101, while referring to the priorities of the planned use registrant information storage unit 115, the location attribute priority storage unit 121, and the purpose of use priority storage unit 122. The boarding plan reception management unit 118, together with the control unit 101, constitutes the schedule information reception means 15 and the schedule adjustment storage control means 16.

[0071] As described above, the planned schedule storage unit 119 stores information about plans requested for acceptance by plan requesters as schedule information in accordance with the control of the boarding plan acceptance management unit 118, and also reads out the stored schedule information in accordance with the control of the boarding plan acceptance management unit 118 and provides it to the boarding plan acceptance management unit 118. The planned schedule storage unit 119, together with the control unit 101, constitutes the planned schedule storage means 14.

[0072] Fig. 4 shows an example of schedule information stored in the planned schedule storage unit 119 in this embodiment. In this example, as shown in Fig. 4, the schedule information for each schedule requester is stored in association with the identification information (ID) of the schedule requester, and includes the planned start time of use, the planned end time of use, the planned boarding location (departure point), the planned disembarking location (destination), the number of users, and the purpose of use. The planned start time of use, the planned boarding location (departure point), the planned disembarking location (destination), the number of users, and the purpose of use are specified by the schedule requester as part of the reservation information. The planned end time of use may or may not be specified by the schedule requester.

[0073] The scheduled start time of use is the scheduled time to board the autonomous vehicle 1 from the scheduled boarding location (departure location). If the schedule requester specifies the scheduled end time of use, it is the scheduled time at which the schedule requester will end their use of the autonomous vehicle 1. If the schedule requester does not specify a scheduled end time of use, the scheduled time at which the autonomous vehicle 1 will arrive at the scheduled disembarkation location (destination) is calculated and stored. In other words, if the schedule requester does not specify a scheduled end time of use, the car navigation function unit 113 of the autonomous vehicle 1 searches for a route from the scheduled boarding location (departure location) to the scheduled disembarkation location (destination) specified by the schedule requester, and calculates and obtains the time required to travel along the route obtained by the search (travel time). Then, under the control of the control unit 101, the boarding plan acceptance management unit 118 acquires the travel time measured by the car navigation function unit 113, adds the acquired travel time to the scheduled start time of use to estimate the scheduled end time of use, and stores the estimated scheduled end time of use in the planned schedule storage unit 119. Instead of or in addition to the scheduled end time of use, the scheduled use time (required time, travel time) may be stored.

[0074] If the scheduled start time, scheduled end time, or scheduled duration of use input by the schedule requester is inaccurate, such as around 3:00 p.m. or approximately 2 hours, the boarding schedule reception management unit 118 may shift the scheduled start time of use forward by a predetermined time (for example, 15 minutes), shift the scheduled end time of use back by a predetermined time (for example, 30 minutes), and extend the scheduled duration of use by a predetermined time (for example, 30 minutes), and store these in the planned schedule storage unit 119. Furthermore, if the scheduled start time, scheduled end time, or scheduled duration of use is undecided or not input, the boarding schedule reception management unit 118 may prompt the user to re-enter the information by a displayed message or voice. If the schedule requester does not input the time or duration even after prompting the user to re-enter the information, the boarding schedule reception management unit 118 rejects the reception request.

[0075] However, as described above, even if there is no input from the schedule requester regarding the scheduled end time or the scheduled use duration, the reception request is accepted, but the scheduled end time or the scheduled use duration may be stored as "undecided (unspecified)" in the schedule storage unit 119. In this case, when the boarding plan reception management unit 118 determines in the schedule information adjustment process described later that there is a possibility of schedule conflict with the schedule information of the schedule requester based on the relationship between the scheduled start time of use, it selects one of the following: rejecting the reception request from the schedule requester because the scheduled end time or the scheduled use duration is undecided and notifying the schedule requester of this; or notifying the schedule requester of the scheduled start time of use of the schedule competitor, stating that it is unclear whether there is a possibility of conflict because the scheduled end time or the scheduled use duration is undecided, and prompting the schedule requester to input the scheduled end time or the scheduled use duration again, and then deciding whether to adjust the schedule.

[0076] Furthermore, if it is determined that the scheduled end time or scheduled duration of use of the schedule competitor is undetermined and that there is a possibility of a schedule conflict with the schedule information of the schedule requester based on the scheduled start time of use of the schedule requester, the schedule competitor may be contacted to prompt the schedule competitor to input the scheduled end time or scheduled duration of use.

[0077] The planned boarding location (starting point) is information about the planned start location of use, and the planned drop-off location (destination) is information about the planned end location of use. The plan requester can specify these planned boarding location (starting point) and planned drop-off location (destination) on a map displayed on the display screen by launching a dedicated app on their mobile phone terminal, and send this information to the autonomously driven vehicle 1. In this case, the dedicated app connects to a specified server device via a communications network, and performs processing to assist in specifying the planned start location and planned end location of use. The planned start location and planned end location specified in this way are accompanied by latitude and longitude location information and the place name, and are sent to the autonomously driven vehicle 1.

[0078] If the planned start location or planned end location of use input by the schedule requester is not accurate, such as around X station, the boarding plan reception management unit 118 may replace the input planned start location or planned end location of use with a predetermined location, such as the X ticket gate at X station, and store the locations in the planned schedule storage unit 119. The boarding plan reception management unit 118 may also present (display) multiple accurate planned start locations and planned end locations of use to the schedule requester on the display unit 111, and have the schedule requester select and input the planned start location or planned end location of use using the touch panel 112. If the planned start location or planned end location of use is undecided or not input, the boarding plan reception management unit 118 prompts the schedule requester to re-enter the location by a displayed message or by voice. If the planned start location or planned end location is not input by the schedule requester even after the re-entry prompt, the reception request is rejected.

[0079] However, even if there is no input from the schedule requester regarding the planned end position of use, the acceptance request may not be rejected, but may be accepted as undecided and stored in the planned schedule storage unit 119. In this case, in the schedule information adjustment process described below, if it is determined that there is a possibility of a conflict between the schedule information and the schedule information of the schedule requester in relation to the planned start time of use or the planned end time of use, one of the following options is selected: the acceptance request from the schedule requester is rejected on the grounds that schedule adjustment is not possible because the planned end position of use is undecided, and the schedule requester is notified of this; or the planned end position of use is undecided, and it is unclear whether the conflicting schedule adjustment is possible, and the schedule requester is prompted to input the planned end position again, after which it is decided whether to adjust the schedule.

[0080] Alternatively, instead of using a map, the schedule requester may directly input information that can identify the location (position), such as the name (place name) of the departure point or destination, address, or telephone number, and the dedicated app may send this information as information on the specified planned start and end locations of use to autonomous vehicle 1. In this case, the app installed in autonomous vehicle 1 will acquire latitude and longitude position information from the Internet based on the sent place name, address, telephone number, etc.

[0081] The number of users is the number of people planning to ride in the autonomous vehicle 1, including the schedule requester. Of course, if the schedule requester only makes a reception request and does not plan to ride in the autonomous vehicle 1, they will not be included in the number of people planning to ride. In this case, passenger authentication, which will be described later, will be performed using authentication reference information that can be entered by the passenger, such as a password or mobile phone number, rather than biometric information such as the facial image of the schedule requester. Note that if the schedule requester is not riding in the autonomous vehicle 1, or at least if passenger authentication cannot be performed using biometric information such as the facial image of the schedule requester when boarding the autonomous vehicle 1, boarding may be prohibited to ensure security. The purpose of use is the purpose of going to the planned disembarkation location (destination), and purpose items such as going to the hospital for an emergency illness, using the vehicle for regular medical visits, using the vehicle for commuting, or going shopping are stored.

[0082] The execution status of each schedule information in FIG. 4 is status information indicating whether the plan based on the schedule information is being executed or has not yet been executed. "Executing" indicates that the schedule requester and passengers are aboard the autonomously driven vehicle 1 and the plan is being executed. "Not yet" indicates that the schedule information has not yet been executed and is on standby. When the execution of the schedule information is completed, the ride plan reception management unit 118 erases the completed schedule information from the planned schedule storage unit 119. Similarly, it erases canceled schedule information. Even when the execution of schedule information is completed, the schedule information may not be erased, but may instead be displayed as "execution completed" or "executed." Similarly, canceled schedule information may not be erased, but may instead be displayed as "cancelled."

[0083] Furthermore, when the schedule information is changed to "in progress," for example, when the planned end time or planned end location of use is changed, the schedule information may be changed (modified) at that time.

[0084] The voice input / output unit 120 takes in voice collected by the microphone 135 and sends it to the system bus 100 for, for example, a voice recognition processing function provided in the control unit 101. Although not shown, the voice input / output unit 120 also has a built-in memory that stores voice message data to be emitted to the outside, as well as a built-in voice synthesizer and DA converter that convert the voice message data read from the memory into an analog voice signal. The voice input / output unit 120 then supplies the voice message selected under the control of the control unit 101 to the speaker 136, so that the voice message is emitted as a voice to passengers inside the vehicle. Note that a separate speaker may be provided to emit sound outside the autonomous vehicle 1, so that the voice message can be emitted to people getting on or off the vehicle.

[0085] As will be described later, the voice messages that can be stored include inquiry messages such as "Do you want to register a prospective user?", notification messages such as "Authentication successful," "Authentication unsuccessful," and "Schedule conflict with schedule requester," and interactive messages for accepting changes to schedule information and inputting changes.

[0086] Location attribute priority order information according to the attributes of locations that are set as destinations is stored in location attribute priority order storage unit 121. Fig. 5 shows an example of priority order information set for each attribute of a destination location that is stored in location attribute priority order storage unit 121. In this case, since the degree of urgency of travel by autonomous vehicle 1 is thought to differ from location to location, a priority order is set for each location attribute taking into account that urgency.

[0087] For example, in the example shown in FIG. 5, when a hospital is set as a destination, the priority is set to first because it is considered to be highly urgent. In addition, priorities are set taking into account the urgency depending on the attributes of the location set as the destination. The attributes of the location set as the destination and their priority may be set by default, or may be set by the prospective user registrant. Of course, the prospective user registrant may also modify the attributes and priority of the location set by default, or add and set the attributes and priority of a new location.

[0088] Next, purpose of use priority information according to the purpose of use for traveling from the departure point to the destination is stored in purpose of use priority storage unit 122. Fig. 6 shows an example of the priority information set for each purpose of use stored in purpose of use priority storage unit 122. In this case, since the degree of urgency of traveling by autonomous vehicle 1 is thought to differ for each purpose of use, the priority is set for each purpose of use taking into account the urgency.

[0089] For example, in the example shown in Figure 6, "Going to the hospital due to sudden illness" is set as an absolute priority that takes precedence over other purposes of use. For example, in the case of a regular "hospital visit," the priority is set to 1st place because it is a high urgency. In addition, priorities are set taking into account the urgency of each purpose of use.

[0090] The purpose of use and its priority may be set by default or may be set by the prospective user registrant. Of course, the prospective user registrant may also modify the purpose of use and priority set by default, or add and set new purpose of use and its priority.

[0091] Clock unit 123 generates time information such as year, month, day, hour, minute, and second. Based on the time information from clock unit 123, control unit 101 of autonomous vehicle 1 manages the autonomous movement of the vehicle in accordance with the schedule information stored in planned schedule storage unit 119.

[0092] 7, the vehicle information storage unit 124 stores the vehicle model, the number of passengers allowed in the vehicle, etc. The number of passengers allowed is used when accepting schedule information from a schedule requester, so that only the number of passengers allowed in the vehicle is accepted.

[0093] Furthermore, in the autonomously driven vehicle 1 of the above-described embodiment, the settings of whether to turn on or off the authentication modes described above in the schedule requester authentication unit 116 and the passenger authentication unit 117, and whether to turn on or off the process of accepting schedule requests from schedule requesters in the boarding schedule acceptance management unit 118, can be made via touch panel 112. However, the settings of whether to turn on or off are only possible when authentication is successful using an ID and password set in advance by, for example, the owner of the autonomously driven vehicle 1.

[0094] The electronic control circuit unit 10 of the autonomous vehicle 1 is configured as described above, but of the processing blocks shown in Figure 1, the processing functions of the motor drive control unit 103, steering drive control unit 104, manual / autonomous driving mode switching control unit 105, surrounding moving object recognition unit 109, current location detection unit 110, car navigation function unit 113, planned user registrant information reception unit 114, plan requester authentication unit 116, passenger authentication unit 117, boarding plan reception management unit 118, and voice input / output unit 120 can be realized as software processing performed by the control unit 101 executing a program.

[0095] [Example of processing operation in the self-driving vehicle 1 according to the embodiment] Next, an example of the processing operation of the autonomously driven vehicle 1 of this embodiment having the above-described configuration will be described.

[0096] <Example of registration process for prospective users> In the autonomously driven vehicle 1 of this embodiment, when the user selects the "prospective user registrant registration" item from the processing menu displayed on the display screen of the display unit 111, the prospective user registrant information receiving unit 114 is activated and enters a mode for registering the information of the prospective user registrant, and the user can register himself or herself as a prospective user registrant in the autonomously driven vehicle 1 and have his or her information as a prospective user registrant stored. However, in this embodiment, the prospective user registrant registration mode is enabled only when authentication is successful using an ID and password for the registration mode that have been set in advance by, for example, the owner of the autonomously driven vehicle 1 or the like.

[0097] 8 is a flowchart for explaining the flow of processing operations during "prospective user registrant registration" in autonomously driven vehicle 1. In the following explanation, the processing operations of prospective user registrant information accepting unit 114 will be described as being performed as software processing by control unit 101 executing a program.

[0098] The control unit 101 monitors the user's input via the touch panel 112 and determines whether the "Register Prospective User" item has been selected from the menu (step S1). If it determines that the item has not been selected, it performs other processing (step S2), and after the other processing is completed, returns the processing to step S1.

[0099] When it is determined in step S1 that the "Register Prospective User" item has been selected from the menu, the control unit 101 displays a message on the display screen of the display unit 111 prompting the user to enter a password and ID for transition authentication to determine whether or not to allow the prospective user to transition to registration mode (i.e., whether or not to allow registration), and also notifies the user by emitting a sound from the speaker 136 (step S3).

[0100] Then, the control unit 101 determines whether or not the transition authentication has been successful based on whether or not the password and ID entered by the user match the password and ID for transition authentication to the registration mode of the prospective user registrant (step S4). If the transition authentication has not been successful in step S4, the control unit 101 notifies the user that "authentication NG" has been successful via the display screen of the display unit 111 and the speaker 136 (step S5), and then ends this processing routine.

[0101] If it is determined in step S4 that the transition to registration mode for the prospective user registrant has been authenticated, the control unit 101 displays a message via the display screen of the display unit 111 and the speaker 136 prompting the user to enter information about the prospective user registrant (step S6), and waits for the user to complete entering the information about the prospective user registrant via the touch panel 112 (step S7).

[0102] Then, in step S7, when it is confirmed that the user has completed input of the information of the prospective user registrant, the control unit 101 stores the input information of the prospective user registrant in association with identification information (ID) in the prospective user registrant information storage unit 115 (step S8). Here, in this embodiment, the identification information is automatically assigned by the control unit 101, but it may also be set by the user.

[0103] Next, the control unit 101 captures a facial image of the registered user using one of the cameras in the camera group 107, and stores the captured facial image information in the prospective user information storage unit 115 as authentication reference information in association with the user's identification information (step S9). The captured facial image may be one or multiple. Furthermore, the facial image may be captured not only by a single camera, but also by multiple cameras. The control unit 101 then notifies the user that registration has been completed via the display screen of the display unit 111 and the speaker 136 (step S10), and ends this processing routine.

[0104] <Acceptance of schedule requests from schedule requesters and adjustment of schedule information> Next, the process of accepting a schedule request from a schedule requester and adjusting schedule information will be described with reference to the flowcharts shown in Figures 9 to 19. In this case as well, the following description will be given assuming that the processing operations of the schedule requester authentication unit 116 and the boarding schedule acceptance management unit 118 are executed as software processing by the control unit 101 executing a program.

[0105] The control unit 101 monitors the wireless communication unit 102 and determines whether an incoming call has been detected (step S101). If it determines that an incoming call has not been detected, the control unit 101 performs other processing (step S102), and after the processing is completed, the processing returns to step S101.

[0106] When it is determined in step S101 that an incoming call has been detected, the control unit 101 automatically responds to the call (step S103) and determines whether the incoming call is a boarding plan acceptance request (step S104). In this embodiment, as described above, when making a boarding plan acceptance request, the user uses a dedicated application for boarding plan acceptance requests from his / her mobile phone terminal. An acceptance request is sent to the autonomously driven vehicle 1. The transmitted information at this time includes information indicating that the request is for accepting a planned ride, such as identification information. Therefore, the control unit 101 of the autonomously driven vehicle 1 determines whether the incoming call is a request for accepting a planned ride based on whether the information obtained by the automatic response includes information indicating that the call is for accepting a planned ride.

[0107] If it is determined in step S104 that the incoming call is not a request to accept a boarding plan, the control unit 101 executes a response processing routine according to the information content of the accepted incoming call (step S105).

[0108] Then, in step S104, when it is determined that the incoming call is a request to accept a boarding plan, the control unit 101 compares the telephone number (mobile phone number) of the planned user registrant stored in the planned user registrant information storage unit 115 with the telephone number of the plan requester who made the incoming call (step S106), and determines whether the telephone numbers match.

[0109] If it is determined in step S107 that the telephone number of the prospective user registrant stored in the prospective user registrant information storage unit 115 does not match the telephone number of the incoming schedule requester, the control unit 101 sends a message to the called party refusing to accept the boarding schedule since authentication is not successful (step S108), disconnects the communication path with the called party (step S109), and terminates this processing routine.

[0110] If it is determined in step S107 that the telephone number of the prospective user registrant stored in prospective user registrant information storage unit 115 matches the telephone number of the incoming schedule requester, control unit 101 requests the incoming schedule requester for an ID and password registered in prospective user registrant information storage unit 115 (step S110), and determines whether the ID and password have been received (step S111). At this time, control unit 101 can recognize which of the prospective user registrants stored in prospective user registrant information storage unit 115 the schedule requester is, based on the telephone number match.

[0111] If it is determined in step S111 that the ID and password have not been received, the control unit 101 determines whether or not a predetermined time has elapsed since the request for the ID and password (step S112), and if it is determined that the predetermined time has not elapsed, the process returns to step S111 and waits for reception of the ID and password. If it is determined in step S112 that the predetermined time has elapsed, the control unit 101 proceeds to step S108, and because authentication was not successful, sends a message to the called party refusing to accept the planned ride (step S108), disconnects the communication path with the called party (step S109), and ends this processing routine.

[0112] If it is determined in step S111 that the ID and password have been received, the received ID and password are compared with the ID and password of the schedule requester stored in the schedule user registrant information storage unit 115 to determine whether they match and perform authentication (step S121). If it is determined as a result of this authentication that the authentication is not successful, the control unit 101 proceeds to step S108 in Fig. 9, and since the authentication is not successful, it sends a message to the called party refusing to accept the boarding plan (step S108), disconnects the communication path with the called party (step S109), and ends this processing routine.

[0113] If it is determined in step S122 that the authentication is successful, the control unit 101 requests the schedule requester to send the schedule information (step S123), receives the schedule information sent in response, and temporarily stores it in a buffer memory (step S124).

[0114] In the above sequence, in this embodiment, in steps S106 and S107, authentication is performed by determining whether the telephone number of the recipient is the telephone number of a prospective user registrant registered in prospective user registrant information storage unit 115, but authentication by telephone number need not be performed. In that case, it can be recognized which prospective user registrant registered in prospective user registrant information storage unit 115 the schedule requester is by identifying the prospective user registrant whose ID and password match those entered by the schedule requester in the authentication in steps S121 and S122.

[0115] Next, the control unit 101 compares the schedule information of the schedule requester temporarily stored in the buffer memory with the already registered schedule information stored in the schedule storage unit 119 to check whether a conflict has occurred (step S125), and determines whether there is any already registered schedule information that conflicts with the schedule information of the schedule requester (step S126).

[0116] If it is determined in step S126 that there is no registered schedule information that conflicts with the schedule information of the schedule requester, the control unit 101 compares the number of people expected to board in the received schedule information with the passenger capacity stored in the vehicle information storage unit 124 (step S131 in Figure 11), and determines whether all of the people expected to board are able to board (step S132).

[0117] If it is determined in step S132 that all of the planned passengers are able to board, the control unit 101 associates the received schedule information with the ID of the schedule requester, stores and registers the information in the schedule storage unit 119 as schedule information, and notifies the schedule requester of the completion of registration (step S133).The control unit 101 then disconnects the communication path with the schedule requester (step S134), and ends this processing routine.

[0118] Furthermore, if it is determined in step S132 that the planned number of passengers exceeds the passenger capacity and therefore passengers are not permitted, the control unit 101 notifies the schedule requester of the passenger capacity and also notifies that the passenger capacity has been exceeded (step S135). The control unit 101 then determines whether or not a change in the planned number of passengers to be within the passenger capacity has been received from the schedule requester (step S136). If it determines that a change in the planned number of passengers to be within the passenger capacity has been received, the process proceeds to step S133, where the received schedule information is associated with the schedule requester's ID, stored and registered in the schedule storage unit 119 as schedule information, and the control unit 101 notifies the schedule requester of the completion of registration (step S133). The control unit 101 then disconnects the communication path with the schedule requester (step S134) and ends this processing routine.

[0119] Furthermore, if it is determined in step S136 that a change in the planned number of passengers to be within the passenger capacity has not been received, the control unit 101 determines whether or not a cancellation of the acceptance request has been received from the schedule requester (step S137). If it is determined in step S137 that a cancellation has not been received, the control unit 101 returns the process to step S136 and waits for a change in the planned number of passengers from the schedule requester. Then, if it is determined in step S137 that a cancellation has been received, the control unit 101 disconnects the communication path with the schedule requester (step S138) and ends this processing routine.

[0120] Next, in step S126, when it is determined that there is already registered schedule information that conflicts with the schedule information of the schedule requester, the control unit 101 determines whether the conflicting already registered schedule information is currently being executed by referring to the execution status information stored in the scheduled schedule storage unit 119 (step S127).

[0121] If it is determined in step S127 that the conflicting registered schedule information is currently being executed, the control unit 101 compares and determines the priorities of the schedule requester and the schedule competitor who registered the conflicting registered schedule information (step S128). In determining the priorities in step S128, the control unit 101 refers to all of the priorities based on personal attributes stored in the scheduled user registrant information storage unit 115, the priorities based on location attributes stored in the location attribute priority storage unit 121, and the priorities based on usage purpose stored in the usage purpose priority storage unit 122, and compares and determines the priorities.

[0122] Then, the control unit 101 first determines whether the priority of the schedule requester is an absolute priority based on the result of the priority determination (step S141 in FIG. 12). In this step S141, for example, if the purpose of use in the schedule information input by the schedule requester is "going to the hospital for sudden illness" and the purpose of use priority storage unit 122 is referenced and the purpose of use is determined to be "absolute priority," the control unit 101 calculates the travel time from the current position of the vehicle detected by the current position detection unit 110 to the planned ride start position specified by the schedule requester, and obtains the estimated arrival time (step S142).

[0123] Then, the control unit 101 refers to the calculated estimated arrival time and the scheduled boarding start time specified by the schedule requester, and determines whether or not the passenger can arrive by the scheduled boarding start time (step S143).

[0124] If it is determined in step S143 that the passenger will be able to arrive by the scheduled boarding start time, the control unit 101 accepts the schedule information from the schedule requester, stores it in the schedule storage unit 119, notifies the schedule requester of the acceptance of the request (step S144), and then disconnects the communication path with the schedule requester (step S145).

[0125] Next, the control unit 101 notifies the currently using (riding) schedule competitor via the display screen of the display unit 111 and the speaker 136 that, because a schedule request with absolute priority has been generated, the schedule competitor will cease (or suspend) its use and head to the scheduled boarding start location specified by the schedule requester (step S146). In the case of suspension, the control unit 101 also notifies the duration of the suspension. When making this notification, in this embodiment, the control unit 101 displays a button for accepting a disembarking request on the display screen, and determines whether or not a disembarking request has been received via the touch panel 112 from the currently using (riding) schedule competitor (step S147).

[0126] If it is determined in step S147 that a disembarking request has been received, the control unit 101 temporarily stops the vehicle at a location where the vehicle can stop and is specified by the disembarking requester, and allows the currently using scheduled competitor to disembark (step S148). Then, the control unit 101 executes the absolute priority schedule, and if it determines that a delay will occur during the execution of the schedule or at an appropriate timing after the execution is completed, it establishes a communication path with the scheduler who set the other unexecuted schedule information, and notifies the scheduler who set the other unexecuted schedule information of a change in the scheduled boarding start time via the communication path (step S149). Then, the control unit 101 ends this processing routine.

[0127] If it is determined in step S147 that a disembarking request has not been received, the absolute priority schedule is executed while the scheduled competitor who is currently using (riding) the vehicle remains aboard, and after step S149 is executed, this processing routine ends. In this case, if there is a passenger capacity, the scheduled competitor can head to the hospital while using the absolute priority vehicle, or can disembark at the scheduled boarding start location to give priority to the scheduled competitor who has the absolute priority.

[0128] Next, in step S143, if it is determined that the passenger will not be able to arrive by the scheduled boarding start time, the control unit 101 notifies the schedule requester of the estimated arrival time calculated in step S142 and sends a message inquiring whether or not to accept the delay and maintain the schedule request (step S151 in FIG. 13).

[0129] The control unit 101 then waits for a response to the inquiry from the schedule requester, and upon receiving the response, determines whether the response indicates that the request is to be maintained (step S152). If it determines in step S152 that the response indicates that the request is to be maintained, the control unit 101 changes the scheduled boarding start time of the plan information received from the schedule requester to the expected arrival time, stores the plan information in the schedule storage unit 119, and notifies the schedule requester that the request has been accepted (step S153). Thereafter, the control unit 101 proceeds to step S145 in FIG. 12 and executes the processes from step S145 onwards.

[0130] Furthermore, if it is determined in step S152 that the schedule requester has responded that the request will be canceled rather than maintained, the control unit 101 notifies the schedule requester of confirmation of the cancellation of the schedule request via the communication path (step S154), and then disconnects the communication path with the schedule requester (step S155), terminating this processing routine.

[0131] Next, when it is determined in step S141 of Fig. 12 that the priority of the schedule requester is not an absolute priority, the control unit 101 determines whether the priority of the schedule information of the schedule requester is higher than the priority of the conflicting schedule information (step S161 of Fig. 14). Needless to say, the priority in this case also includes a priority based on personal attributes.

[0132] If it is determined in step S161 that the priority of the schedule information of the schedule requester is higher than the priority of the conflicting schedule information, the control unit 101 causes the car navigation function unit 113 to calculate the travel time from the current position of the vehicle detected by the current position detection unit 110 to the planned boarding start position specified by the schedule requester, and obtains the estimated arrival time (step S162).

[0133] Then, the control unit 101 refers to the calculated estimated arrival time and the scheduled boarding start time specified by the schedule requester, and determines whether or not the passenger can arrive by the scheduled boarding start time (step S163).

[0134] If it is determined in step S163 that the vehicle will not arrive by the scheduled boarding start time, the control unit 101 notifies the schedule requester of the estimated arrival time calculated in step S162 via the communication path, and also sends a message inquiring whether to accept the delay and maintain the schedule request (step S164).

[0135] The control unit 101 then waits for a response to the inquiry from the schedule requester, and upon receiving the response, determines whether the response indicates that the request is to be maintained (step S165). If it determines in step S165 that the schedule requester has responded that the request will be canceled rather than maintained, the control unit 101 notifies the schedule requester of confirmation of the cancellation of the schedule request (step S166), and then disconnects the communication path with the schedule requester (step S167), terminating this processing routine.

[0136] Furthermore, when it is determined in step S163 that the user can arrive by the scheduled boarding start time, and when it is determined in step S165 that a response has been received to maintain the request, the control unit 101 notifies the currently using schedule competitor that there is a conflict with a schedule request with a higher priority, and issues a message via the display screen of the display unit 111 and the speaker 136 inquiring whether or not to accept the suspension (or change) of use (step S171 in FIG. 15). At this time, a call request button (icon) is displayed on the display screen, which allows the schedule competitor to request a call with the schedule requester.

[0137] Control unit 101 determines whether a call request has been made by pressing the call request button by monitoring an operation input via touch panel 112 (step S172). If it determines in step S172 that a call request has been made, control unit 101 sets up a call path with the schedule requester via wireless communication unit 102, using microphone 135 as a transmitter and speaker 136 as a receiver (step S173). This enables a call between the schedule requester and the schedule competitor, allowing them to consult over the phone to adjust their schedules.

[0138] Following step S173, the control unit 101 monitors the touch panel 112 to determine whether the current schedule competitor has input an acceptance or denial of the suspension (or change) of use (step S174). If it determines in step S174 that the current schedule competitor has input an acceptance of the suspension (or change), the control unit 101 accepts the schedule information of the schedule requester, stores it in the schedule storage unit 119, notifies the schedule requester of the acceptance of the request (step S175), and then disconnects the communication path with the schedule requester (step S176). The control unit 101 then notifies the current schedule competitor of the suspension (or change) of use via the display screen of the display unit 111 and the speaker 136 (step S177), and ends this processing routine. In this case, steps corresponding to steps S147 and S148 are also executed after step S176, but these steps are omitted here.

[0139] In addition, if the schedule requester's schedule information in step S175 is such that the scheduled boarding start time is the estimated arrival time calculated in step S162, but the schedule request is maintained in step S165, the scheduled boarding start time will be changed to the estimated arrival time calculated in step S162 and stored.

[0140] Next, when it is determined in step S161 that the priority of the schedule requester's schedule information is not higher than the priority of the conflicting schedule information, the control unit 101 notifies the schedule requester via the communication path that there is a conflict with the use of another person (schedule competitor) and the scheduled end time of the other person (schedule competitor), and also sends a message prompting the schedule requester to change the schedule information (scheduled start time of use) (step S181 in FIG. 16).

[0141] Also, when it is determined in step S174 that an input of consent to the suspension (or change) of use has been received from a prospective competitor who is currently using the service, the control unit 101 also shifts the process to step S181.

[0142] Next, the control unit 101 determines whether or not it has received, via the communication path, schedule information from the schedule requester in which the scheduled start time of use has been changed to the scheduled end time of another person (scheduled competitor) (step S182). If it determines in step S182 that it has received schedule information in which the scheduled start time of use has been changed to the scheduled end time of another person (scheduled competitor), the control unit 101 accepts the received schedule information from the schedule requester, stores it in the schedule storage unit 119, and notifies the schedule requester of the request acceptance via the communication path (step S183). Then, the control unit 101 disconnects the communication path with the schedule requester (step S184), and ends this processing routine.

[0143] Furthermore, if it is determined in step S182 that information on a schedule in which the scheduled start time has been changed to the scheduled end time of another person (schedule competitor) has not been received, the control unit 101 determines whether or not a cancellation of the acceptance request has been received from the schedule requester (step S185). If it is determined in step S185 that a cancellation has not been received, the control unit 101 returns the process to step S182 and repeats the processes from step S182 onwards. If it is determined in step S185 that a cancellation has been received, the control unit 101 notifies the schedule requester of confirmation of the cancellation (step S186), disconnects the communication path with the schedule requester (step S184), and ends this processing routine.

[0144] 10, when it is determined that the conflicting schedule information is not being executed, the control unit 101 compares and determines the priorities of the schedule information of the schedule requester and the schedule information (schedule information) of the schedule competitor (step S191 in FIG. 17). In determining the priorities in this step S191, as in step S128, the control unit 101 refers to all of the priorities based on personal attributes stored in the schedule user registrant information storage unit 115, the priorities based on location attributes stored in the location attribute priority storage unit 12, and the priorities based on usage purpose stored in the usage purpose priority storage unit 122, and compares and determines the priorities.

[0145] Then, the control unit 101 determines whether the schedule information of the schedule requester has a higher priority (step S192). If it determines in step S192 that the schedule information of the schedule requester has a higher priority, the control unit 101 calls the schedule competitor using the telephone number of the mobile phone terminal of the schedule competitor stored in the schedule registrant information storage unit 115, and requests the schedule requester to wait for schedule adjustment (step S193).

[0146] Then, the control unit 101 determines whether or not there is a response to the call to the scheduled competitor (step S194). If it determines in step S194 that there is a response, a communication path is established with the scheduled competitor, and a request is made to the scheduled competitor to change the schedule information because the request conflicts with the boarding schedule acceptance request of a schedule requester with a higher priority (step S195).

[0147] The control unit 101 determines whether a schedule information change has been received from the schedule competitor via the communication path in response to the schedule information change request of step S195 (step S196). If it determines in step S196 that the schedule information change has not been received, it determines whether a schedule information change refusal has been received from the schedule competitor (step S197). If it determines in step S197 that a change refusal has been received, the control unit 101 disconnects communication with the schedule competitor (step S198), and then proceeds to step S181 in FIG. 16, and repeats the processes from step S181 onwards. If it determines in step S197 that a change refusal has not been received, the control unit 101 returns to step S196, and repeats the processes from step S196 onwards.

[0148] Then, when it is determined in step S196 that a change (modification) to the schedule information from the planned competitor has been accepted, the control unit 101 executes the change (modification) by reflecting the received change (modification) to the schedule information of the planned competitor in the planned user registrant information storage unit 115 (step S199). Then, the control unit 101 disconnects the communication path with the planned competitor (step S200). Then, the control unit 101 shifts the process to step S183 in Fig. 16 and performs the processes from step S183 onwards.

[0149] Furthermore, when it is determined in step S192 that the schedule information of the schedule requester does not have a higher priority than the schedule information of the schedule competitor, or when it is determined in step S194 that there has been no response from the schedule competitor, the control unit 101 shifts the process to step S181 in FIG. 16 and repeats the process from step S181 onwards.

[0150] [Advantages of the above-described embodiment] As described above, according to the above-described embodiment, the self-driving vehicle 1 itself adjusts the schedule, so the schedule requester only needs to register as a scheduled user with the self-driving vehicle 1 and request the receipt of schedule information.

[0151] According to the above-described embodiment, the autonomous vehicle 1 adjusts the schedule between the schedule competitor and the schedule requester while confirming the intentions of both parties, allowing for smooth schedule adjustment. In this case, the autonomous vehicle 1 can adjust the schedule between the schedule competitor and the schedule requester who are currently aboard the autonomous vehicle 1 even while the schedule is being executed, and can easily accommodate an urgent schedule acceptance request from the schedule requester.

[0152] Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, users are limited to prospective users who have registered with the self-driving vehicle 1, and authentication information is also registered as prospective user information, making it easy to ensure security for users.

[0153] In addition, in the above-described embodiment, priorities are set in advance for scheduled users according to their personal attributes, so that when there are conflicting schedules, the schedule of the user with the highest priority can be given priority, which is convenient. Furthermore, priorities can be set for schedule information and schedule information according to the purpose of use and destination, so that when there are conflicting schedules, the schedule with the highest priority can be given priority, which is convenient. In particular, in emergencies such as the transportation of a suddenly ill person, mandatory priority (absolute priority) is set, so that it is possible to respond appropriately to emergencies.

[0154] [Modifications of the above embodiment] In the above-described embodiment, multiple registered users are a family, and personal attributes of the family members are recorded and priorities are set in advance according to those personal attributes, but it is of course not limited to family, and may also be relatives or friends in a club or the like.

[0155] Furthermore, the above-described embodiment can also be applied to company cars used by companies and official cars used by public institutions. In the case of company cars or official cars, in addition to the above-described information about each scheduled user, information such as affiliation, work, and position (president, section manager, general employee, etc.) is registered and stored in the scheduled user information storage unit 115 as information about each scheduled user. Information such as affiliation, work, and position can be treated as work attributes. In this case, work attributes are given more importance than personal attributes, and priority is set according to the importance and urgency of the work and the rank of the position. For example, a section manager is set to have a higher priority than a general employee, and a president is set to have a higher priority than a section manager.

[0156] The priority setting is not limited to the above-mentioned personal attributes, business attributes, purpose of use, and destination, but may also be set according to the availability of alternative means of transportation, the duration of use, etc. For example, a route without alternative means of transportation will be given a higher priority. Also, for example, a route with a short duration of use (e.g., 30 minutes or less) will be given a higher priority. This is because if the duration of use is short, there are more opportunities to interrupt and use the route by adjusting to a conflicting schedule.

[0157] In addition, taking into consideration the characteristics of a group consisting of multiple registered users (such as family members or company employees (including those in the sales department, general affairs department, etc.)), or by agreement within the group, if the usage time is longer than a specified time, the priority may be given to the user.

[0158] Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, the schedule information of the schedule requester is compared with the already registered schedule information stored in the schedule storage unit 119, and if a conflict occurs, a priority determination is made and processing is changed based on the determination result. However, if the conflict occurs within a predetermined time (for example, within 5 minutes), the priority determination may not be made, and the schedule requester may be notified or informed that the schedule start time will be delayed by a predetermined time.

[0159] Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, a case of absolute priority was provided, but if an autonomous vehicle is being used for a trip involving overnight stays in a remote location, emergency response is physically impossible, so in such a case, it is also possible to set in advance that the vehicle will not be available to the schedule requester.

[0160] In the above embodiment, wireless communication unit 102 is configured to have the functionality of two mobile phone terminals, and when a conflict occurs between the schedule requester's schedule information and unexecuted schedule information, a communication path separate from the communication path with the schedule requester is established for the schedule competitor who registered the conflicting unexecuted schedule information, and schedule adjustment is performed between the schedule requester and the schedule competitor, as shown in Fig. 17. However, wireless communication unit 102 does not necessarily have to have the functionality of two mobile phone terminals.

[0161] For example, if the wireless communication unit 102 is equipped with only one mobile phone terminal, the schedule requester is notified that a schedule adjustment will be performed, and the communication path with the schedule requester is temporarily disconnected. Thereafter, a communication path with the schedule competitor is reconnected, the schedule adjustment is performed, and the communication path is disconnected. The communication path with the schedule requester may then be reconnected and the adjustment results notified. In this case, while the communication path with the schedule requester and the schedule competitor is connected, changes (modifications) and cancellations (deletions) of schedule information and schedule information are accepted.

[0162] [Variations in schedule adjustment] When the autonomously driven vehicle 1 receives a request to accept schedule information from a schedule requester, if the conflicting schedule information is determined to be in progress in step S127 of Figure 10, it may be possible to incorporate the schedule of the schedule requester into the schedule of the schedule competitor by slightly changing the route to the destination of the in-progress schedule information and, if necessary, slightly changing the schedule information of the schedule requester. In other words, by incorporating the planned ride start location specified by the schedule requester as a stopover point in the schedule information of the schedule competitor, it may be possible to accept the ride in the autonomously driven vehicle 1 requested by the schedule requester as a rideshare with the schedule competitor. In this case, it is preferable to obtain the consent of the schedule competitor and / or the schedule requester.

[0163] For example, if the route PA from the current location S to the destination E during the execution of the schedule information of a scheduled competitor is as shown by the solid line in Figure 18(A), and the planned start location of the ride (planned boarding location) Sr in the schedule information from the schedule requester is close to the route PA, and the planned end location of the ride (planned disembarking location) Er is also close to the route PA, it is possible to accept the ride requested by the schedule requester as a shared ride by changing to the route PB shown by the dotted line in Figure 18(A).

[0164] This is true not only when the planned end point of the ride (planned disembarking point) Er is closer to the destination of the route PA, as shown in Figure 18(A), but also when the planned end point of the ride (planned disembarking point) Er is farther away from the destination, as shown in Figure 18(B).

[0165] An example of the flow of the main parts of the schedule adjustment process in this example will be described with reference to the flowcharts of FIGS.

[0166] As shown in Fig. 19, the processing routine of this example is provided between step S127 and step S128 of Fig. 10. That is, in this example, when it is determined in step S127 that the conflicting schedule is currently being executed, the control unit 101 calculates, using the car navigation function unit 113, the arrival delay time at the destination of the schedule information of the currently used conflicting schedule when the planned ride start position (planned ride location) and planned ride end position (planned drop-off location) of the schedule requester are used as route points (step S211 in Fig. 19).

[0167] Then, the control unit 101 determines whether the calculated arrival delay time is equal to or less than a predetermined allowable delay time DLth (step S212). If it is determined in step S212 that the calculated arrival delay time exceeds the predetermined allowable delay time DLth, the control unit 101 proceeds to step S128 in Fig. 10 and executes the above-described processes from step S128 onwards.

[0168] Furthermore, when it is determined in step S212 that the calculated arrival delay time is equal to or less than the predetermined allowable delay time DLth, the control unit 101 determines whether the total planned number of passengers is within the passenger capacity (step S213) based on the number of passengers on board according to the schedule of the scheduled competitor, the number of passengers in the schedule information from the schedule requester, and the passenger capacity information stored in the vehicle information storage unit 124. When it is determined in step S213 that the total planned number of passengers will exceed the passenger capacity, the control unit 101 shifts the process to step S128 in Fig. 10 and executes the process from step S128 onwards.

[0169] If it is determined in step S213 that the total planned passenger numbers are within the passenger capacity, the control unit 101 notifies the schedule requester of the competition with the schedule competitor and that piggybacking is possible, and sends an inquiry about whether or not the schedule requester wishes to piggyback (step S214). Then, the control unit 101 receives a response from the schedule requester about whether or not the schedule requester wishes to piggyback, and determines whether or not the schedule requester wishes to piggyback (step S215). If it is determined in step S215 that the schedule requester does not wish to piggyback, the control unit 101 shifts the process to step S128 in Fig. 10 and executes the processes from step S128 onwards.

[0170] Furthermore, when it is determined in step S215 that the schedule requester wishes to piggyback, the control unit 101 notifies the currently using schedule competitors, via the display screen of the display unit 111 and the speaker 136, of the schedule requester's piggybacking, including the number of people in the schedule information of the schedule requester, and of the delay in arrival time at the destination, and asks whether or not to accept the piggybacking (step S216).

[0171] Then, the control unit 101 receives a response to the inquiry about whether to accept the piggybacking and determines whether to accept or reject the piggybacking (step S217). If it is determined in step S217 that the response is a refusal to piggybacking, the control unit 101 notifies the schedule requester that the scheduled competitor has rejected the piggybacking via the communication path (step S218). Then, the control unit 101 shifts the processing to step S128 in Fig. 10 and executes the processing from step S128 onwards.

[0172] Furthermore, when it is determined in step S217 that the response indicates consent to piggybacking, the control unit 101 adds the route to the schedule information of the scheduled competitor currently using the service stored in the scheduled schedule storage unit 119, changes the scheduled end time of the ride to a time recalculated due to the delay caused by passing through the route, and notifies the scheduled competitor of this via the display screen of the display unit 111 and the speaker 136 (step S221 in FIG. 20).

[0173] Next, the control unit 101 stores the schedule information of the schedule requester in the schedule storage unit 119 in association with the schedule information of the currently using schedule competitor, and notifies the schedule requester of this via the communication path (step S222).Then, the control unit 101 disconnects the communication path with the schedule requester (step S223), and ends this processing routine.

[0174] In this example, the schedule information stored in the scheduled schedule storage unit 119 is deleted from the scheduled schedule storage unit 119 when both the schedule information of the scheduled competitor and the schedule information of the scheduled requester are completed.

[0175] According to the example described above, through coordination between the schedule requester and the schedule competitor, even if there is a conflict, both schedules can be executed simultaneously in parallel by piggybacking (carpooling), which is very convenient and has the effect of enabling the schedule to be executed efficiently. Note that piggybacking (carpooling) can also be done by multiple people and at multiple stopovers.

[0176] In the above example, the schedule adjustment for the schedule requester's piggybacking is performed when the scheduled competitor is currently in a vehicle. However, even if the scheduled competitor's schedule information has not yet been executed, the schedule adjustment for the piggybacking can be performed in a similar manner based on the schedule information of the schedule requester. In this case, if the wireless communication unit 102 has the functionality of two mobile phone terminals, the schedule adjustment is performed by establishing a communication path with the scheduled competitor while waiting for a request for schedule information from the schedule requester, similar to the schedule adjustment between the scheduled competitor and the schedule requester in the above embodiment.

[0177] Furthermore, if the wireless communication unit 102 only has the functionality of one mobile phone terminal, it temporarily disconnects the communication path for the schedule information acceptance request from the schedule requester, then establishes a communication path with the schedule competitor, adjusts the schedule for the piggybacking, and disconnects the communication path.Then, it reconnects the communication path with the schedule requester and notifies them of the results of the schedule adjustment for the piggybacking, making the adjustment possible.

[0178] [Other embodiments or modifications] In the above-described embodiment, the self-driving car is an electric vehicle, but it may be a gasoline-powered vehicle, a fuel cell vehicle, or another type of vehicle. Furthermore, the self-driving car may be one that can travel not only by guidance from a car navigation system, but also by guidance from external radio waves from traffic lights, signposts, etc.

[0179] Furthermore, although the autonomous vehicle in the above-described embodiment is configured to have an autonomous driving mode and a manual driving mode that can be switched between, it may also be configured to have only the autonomous driving mode. In this case, since there is no manual driving mode, the manual / autonomous driving mode switching control unit 105 and the manual driving operation detection unit 133 are not required. Instead, an autonomous driving control unit (not shown) that performs control processing for autonomous driving is provided. Furthermore, in the autonomous driving mode, the driver does not need to perform operations such as accelerator pedal operation, brake pedal operation, shift lever operation, and steering (handle operation), so mechanisms required for these operations are also not required. In the autonomous driving mode only, the user (passenger) can perform all operations required for autonomous driving using, for example, button operation, touch panel operation, voice operation, etc.

[0180] Furthermore, the self-driving vehicle of the present invention is not limited to automobiles, but can be applied to all types of vehicles, including large vehicles, motorcycles, single-seater vehicles, and even ships such as helicopters, airplanes, motorboats, and ferries.

[0181] Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, the planned user registrant information storage unit 115, planned schedule storage unit 119, location attribute priority order storage unit 121, use purpose priority order storage unit 122, vehicle information storage unit 124, and car navigation database 134 are installed in the vehicle, but some or all of these storage units can be installed on the cloud instead of in the vehicle and used via the communication network 3. Furthermore, some or all of the authentication units, such as the planned requester authentication unit 116 and the passenger authentication unit 117, can be processed on the cloud via the communication network 3 instead of in the vehicle.

[0182] Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, passenger authentication is performed using a facial image of the user, but the user's voice can also be used. When passenger authentication is performed using the user's voice, the autonomously driven vehicle picks up the user's voice with microphone 135 and stores the voice of the prospective registered user in planned user information storage unit 115, and passenger authentication unit 117 is configured to have a speaker voice recognition function and performs passenger authentication by determining whether the stored voice matches or does not match the voice of the new user picked up by microphone 135.

[0183] Furthermore, when passenger authentication is performed using the user's fingerprint, a fingerprint reader is provided in the self-driving vehicle, the fingerprints of the prospective registered users are stored in the prospective registered user information storage unit 115, and the passenger authentication unit 117 is configured to have a fingerprint recognition function, and passenger authentication is performed by determining whether the stored fingerprint matches or does not match the fingerprint of the new user acquired by the fingerprint reader. Similar configuration changes can also be used to use palm prints, veins, irises, or other biometric information.

[0184] Note that passenger authentication may use a password or mobile phone number instead of biometric information such as a user's facial image, voice, or fingerprint. This method is useful for passenger authentication when the schedule requester who made the acceptance request is not riding in self-driving vehicle 1, but instead another user whose biometric information is not registered is riding in the vehicle. Of course, to ensure security, usage patterns in which the schedule requester is not riding in self-driving vehicle 1 may be prohibited, or the other user may notify the schedule requester of this when riding in order to confirm whether or not they are allowed to ride, and the confirmation result may be used as additional passenger authentication.

[0185] In the above embodiment, information on a single planned ride is input, but information on multiple planned rides can also be input, and the same schedule adjustment as described above can be performed for each ride. Furthermore, the schedule is not limited to the current day, but may be a schedule for multiple days, such as two days, or even a week or a month.

[0186] In the above embodiment, the schedule request is made via a mobile phone terminal carried by the schedule requester, but it may also be made by a person in the autonomously driven vehicle using operation input via touch panel 112 or voice input via microphone 135 and voice input / output unit 120. The schedule information of the schedule requester (schedule information) may be provided by autonomously driven vehicle 1 in a schedule template into which the schedule requester is asked to input the necessary information, or the schedule requester may input the information directly. Furthermore, it may also be possible to input schedule information interactively between the autonomously driven vehicle and the schedule requester.

[0187] It goes without saying that the schedule requester must be a registered user, but the passenger does not necessarily have to be a registered user. [Explanation of symbols]

[0188] 1...Autonomous driving vehicle, 3...Communication network, 10...Electronic control circuit unit of autonomous driving vehicle 1, 101...Control unit, 102...Wireless communication unit, 107...Camera group, 111...Display unit, 112...Touch panel, 113...Car navigation function unit, 114...Registered user information reception unit, 115...Registered user information storage unit, 116...Schedule requester authentication unit, 117...Passenger authentication unit, 118...Ride plan reception management unit, 119...Schedule storage unit

Claims

1. A car that drives automatically by autonomous driving, wireless communication means; a schedule information receiving means for receiving, via the wireless communication means, schedule information on the planned use of the vehicle, including the purpose of use, from a use plan requester who requests acceptance of a plan for use of the vehicle; a planned schedule storage means for storing schedule information of planned use of the vehicle; an autonomous movement control means for controlling the vehicle to move by autonomous traveling based on the stored schedule information stored in the planned schedule storage means; a purpose of use priority storage unit that stores priorities for a plurality of purposes of use; a schedule information adjustment means for determining whether or not there is a conflict between the pre-storage schedule information received by the planned schedule information receiving means and the stored schedule information stored in the planned schedule storage means, and, if it is determined that there is a conflict, for determining whether or not the purpose of use of the pre-storage schedule information has a higher priority than the purpose of use of the stored schedule information by referring to the priority order in the purpose of use priority storage section, and for adjusting the schedule by processing the pre-storage schedule information or the stored schedule information based on the result of said determination; a notification means for notifying a person in the vehicle of a predetermined message and making an inquiry; an input receiving means for receiving an input of a response to the inquiry from a person riding in the vehicle; Equipped with When the schedule information adjustment means determines that the pre-storage schedule information and the stored schedule information conflict, it determines whether the scheduled competitor who registered the conflicting stored schedule information is currently aboard, and when it determines that the scheduled competitor is currently aboard, it performs adjustment between the utilization schedule requester and the scheduled competitor using communication through the wireless communication means, notification by the notification means, and reception of operation input by the input reception means. A vehicle characterized by:

2. When the schedule information adjustment means determines that the pre-storage schedule information and the stored schedule information conflict, it determines whether the scheduled competitor who registered the conflicting stored schedule information is currently aboard, and when it determines that the intended use of the pre-storage schedule information is of higher priority than the intended use of the stored schedule information, it notifies the currently aboard scheduled competitor of the conflict with a scheduled request for use of the vehicle, which has a higher priority, and inquires whether or not to agree to stop using the stored schedule information, and when agreement is obtained from the currently aboard scheduled competitor, it stores the pre-storage schedule information in the scheduled schedule storage means.

2. The vehicle according to claim 1 .

3. When the schedule information adjustment means determines that the registered schedule competitor is currently aboard and that the purpose of use of the pre-storage schedule information has a higher priority than the purpose of use of the stored schedule information, it calculates the time required to arrive from the current location of its own vehicle to the boarding start location of the use schedule requester to estimate an estimated arrival time, determines whether or not the estimated arrival time is before the scheduled boarding start time of the use schedule requester, and, when it determines that the estimated arrival time is before the scheduled boarding start time, notifies the aboard schedule competitor of the conflict with the schedule request for use of its own vehicle, which has a higher priority, and asks whether or not to accept the suspension of use.

3. The vehicle according to claim 2.

4. The schedule information adjustment means notifies the scheduled competitor currently aboard of a conflict with a request for a schedule for using the vehicle of a higher priority and inquires whether or not to accept the suspension of use, and then, when a call request is made from the scheduled competitor to the use schedule requester, creates a call path between the use schedule requester and the scheduled competitor by using communication via the wireless communication means.

4. The vehicle according to claim 2 or 3.

5. When the schedule information adjustment means determines that the estimated arrival time is later than the estimated boarding start time of the user who has requested the use plan, it notifies the user of the estimated arrival time and asks whether or not to accept the delay and maintain the use plan request.

4. The vehicle according to claim 3.

6. When the schedule information adjustment means determines that the pre-storage schedule information and the stored schedule information conflict, it determines whether the scheduled competitor who registered the conflicting stored schedule information is currently aboard, and when it determines that the scheduled competitor is currently aboard and determines that the priority of the purpose of use of the pre-storage schedule information is an absolute priority that takes absolute priority over other purposes of use, it notifies the scheduled competitor who is currently aboard that the use by the scheduled competitor will be discontinued due to the absolute priority use schedule request, and that the scheduled competitor will head to the planned start location of the ride specified by the use schedule requester. The automobile according to any one of claims 1 to 5.

7. When it is determined that a request for disembarking has been received from the scheduled competitor who has been notified that the use has been stopped and that the competitor is heading to the scheduled boarding start location designated by the use plan requester, the vehicle is temporarily stopped and the scheduled competitor is allowed to disembark.

7. The vehicle according to claim 6.

8. When it is determined that the priority of the purpose of use in the pre-storage schedule information is absolute priority that takes absolute priority over other purposes of use, the system calculates the time it takes to arrive from the current position of the vehicle to the boarding start position of the person requesting the use schedule to estimate an expected arrival time, determines whether the expected arrival time is before the scheduled boarding start time of the person requesting the use schedule, and when it is determined that the expected arrival time is before the scheduled boarding start time, notifies the scheduled competitor who is currently boarding that the use by the scheduled competitor will be discontinued because the use schedule request has absolute priority, and that the system will head to the scheduled boarding start position specified by the person requesting the use schedule.

8. A vehicle according to claim 6 or claim 7.

9. When the schedule information adjustment means determines that the estimated arrival time is later than the estimated boarding start time of the user who has requested the use plan, it notifies the user of the estimated arrival time and asks whether or not to accept the delay and maintain the use plan request.

9. The vehicle according to claim 8.

10. A car that drives automatically by autonomous driving, wireless communication means; a schedule information receiving means for receiving, via the wireless communication means, schedule information on the planned use of the vehicle, including the purpose of use, from a use plan requester who requests acceptance of a plan for use of the vehicle; a planned schedule storage means for storing schedule information of planned use of the vehicle; an autonomous movement control means for controlling the vehicle to move by autonomous traveling based on the stored schedule information stored in the planned schedule storage means; a purpose of use priority storage unit that stores priorities for a plurality of purposes of use; a schedule information adjustment means for determining whether or not there is a conflict between the pre-storage schedule information received by the planned schedule information receiving means and the stored schedule information stored in the planned schedule storage means, and, if it is determined that there is a conflict, for determining whether or not the purpose of use of the pre-storage schedule information has a higher priority than the purpose of use of the stored schedule information by referring to the priority order in the purpose of use priority storage section, and for adjusting the schedule by processing the pre-storage schedule information or the stored schedule information based on the result of said determination; Equipped with When the schedule information adjustment means determines that the pre-storage schedule information and the stored schedule information conflict, it determines whether the scheduled competitor who registered the conflicting stored schedule information is currently aboard, and when it determines that the intended use of the pre-storage schedule information is of higher priority than the intended use of the stored schedule information, it notifies the currently aboard scheduled competitor of the conflict with a scheduled request for use of the vehicle, which has a higher priority, and inquires whether or not to agree to stop using the stored schedule information, and when agreement is obtained from the currently aboard scheduled competitor, it stores the pre-storage schedule information in the scheduled schedule storage means. A vehicle characterized by:

11. When the schedule information adjustment means determines that the registered schedule competitor is currently aboard and that the purpose of use of the pre-storage schedule information has a higher priority than the purpose of use of the stored schedule information, it calculates the time required to arrive from the current location of its own vehicle to the boarding start location of the use schedule requester to estimate an estimated arrival time, determines whether or not the estimated arrival time is before the scheduled boarding start time of the use schedule requester, and, when it determines that the estimated arrival time is before the scheduled boarding start time, notifies the aboard schedule competitor of the conflict with the schedule request for use of its own vehicle, which has a higher priority, and asks whether or not to accept the suspension of use.

11. The vehicle according to claim 10.

12. The schedule information adjustment means notifies the scheduled competitor currently aboard of a conflict with a request for a schedule for using the vehicle of a higher priority and inquires whether or not to accept the suspension of use, and then, when a call request is made from the scheduled competitor to the use schedule requester, creates a call path between the use schedule requester and the scheduled competitor by using communication via the wireless communication means.

12. A motor vehicle according to claim 10 or claim 11.

13. When the schedule information adjustment means determines that the estimated arrival time is later than the estimated boarding start time of the user who has requested the use plan, it notifies the user of the estimated arrival time and asks whether or not to accept the delay and maintain the use plan request.

12. The vehicle according to claim 11.

14. When the schedule information adjustment means determines that the pre-storage schedule information and the stored schedule information conflict, it determines whether the scheduled competitor who registered the conflicting stored schedule information is currently aboard, and when it determines that the scheduled competitor is currently aboard and determines that the priority of the purpose of use of the pre-storage schedule information is an absolute priority that takes absolute priority over other purposes of use, it notifies the scheduled competitor who is currently aboard that the use by the scheduled competitor will be discontinued due to the absolute priority use schedule request, and that the scheduled competitor will head to the planned start location of the ride specified by the use schedule requester. The automobile according to any one of claims 10 to 13.

15. When it is determined that a request for disembarking has been received from the scheduled competitor who has been notified that the use has been stopped and that the competitor is heading to the scheduled boarding start location designated by the use plan requester, the vehicle is temporarily stopped and the scheduled competitor is allowed to disembark.

15. The vehicle of claim 14.

16. When it is determined that the priority of the purpose of use in the pre-storage schedule information is absolute priority that takes absolute priority over other purposes of use, the system calculates the time it takes to arrive from the current position of the vehicle to the boarding start position of the person requesting the use schedule to estimate an expected arrival time, determines whether the expected arrival time is before the scheduled boarding start time of the person requesting the use schedule, and when it is determined that the expected arrival time is before the scheduled boarding start time, notifies the scheduled competitor who is currently boarding that the use by the scheduled competitor will be discontinued because the use schedule request has absolute priority, and that the system will head to the scheduled boarding start position specified by the person requesting the use schedule.

16. The vehicle according to claim 14 or claim 15.

17. When the schedule information adjustment means determines that the estimated arrival time is later than the estimated boarding start time of the user who has requested the use plan, it notifies the user of the estimated arrival time and asks whether or not to accept the delay and maintain the use plan request.

17. The vehicle of claim 16.

18. A car that drives automatically by autonomous driving, wireless communication means; a schedule information receiving means for receiving, via the wireless communication means, schedule information on the planned use of the vehicle, including the purpose of use, from a use plan requester who requests acceptance of a plan for use of the vehicle; a planned schedule storage means for storing schedule information of planned use of the vehicle; an autonomous movement control means for controlling the vehicle to move by autonomous traveling based on the stored schedule information stored in the planned schedule storage means; a purpose of use priority storage unit that stores priorities for a plurality of purposes of use; a schedule information adjustment means for determining whether or not there is a conflict between the pre-storage schedule information received by the planned schedule information receiving means and the stored schedule information stored in the planned schedule storage means, and, if it is determined that there is a conflict, for determining whether or not the purpose of use of the pre-storage schedule information has a higher priority than the purpose of use of the stored schedule information by referring to the priority order in the purpose of use priority storage section, and for adjusting the schedule by processing the pre-storage schedule information or the stored schedule information based on the result of said determination; Equipped with When the schedule information adjustment means determines that the pre-storage schedule information and the stored schedule information conflict, it determines whether the scheduled competitor who registered the conflicting stored schedule information is currently aboard, and when it determines that the scheduled competitor is currently aboard and determines that the priority of the purpose of use of the pre-storage schedule information is an absolute priority that takes absolute priority over other purposes of use, it notifies the scheduled competitor who is currently aboard that the use by the scheduled competitor will be discontinued due to the absolute priority use schedule request, and that the scheduled competitor will head to the planned start location of the ride specified by the use schedule requester. A vehicle characterized by:

19. When it is determined that a request for disembarking has been received from the scheduled competitor who has been notified that the use has been stopped and that the competitor is heading to the scheduled boarding start location designated by the use plan requester, the vehicle is temporarily stopped and the scheduled competitor is allowed to disembark.

19. The vehicle of claim 18.

20. When it is determined that the priority of the purpose of use in the pre-storage schedule information is absolute priority that takes absolute priority over other purposes of use, the system calculates the time it takes to arrive from the current position of the vehicle to the boarding start position of the person requesting the use schedule to estimate an expected arrival time, determines whether the expected arrival time is before the scheduled boarding start time of the person requesting the use schedule, and when it is determined that the expected arrival time is before the scheduled boarding start time, notifies the scheduled competitor who is currently boarding that the use by the scheduled competitor will be discontinued because the use schedule request has absolute priority, and that the system will head to the scheduled boarding start position specified by the person requesting the use schedule.

20. A motor vehicle according to claim 18 or claim 19.

21. When the schedule information adjustment means determines that the estimated arrival time is later than the estimated boarding start time of the user who has requested the use plan, it notifies the user of the estimated arrival time and asks whether or not to accept the delay and maintain the use plan request.

21. The vehicle of claim 20.

22. a prospective user registrant information storage means for storing information including authentication reference information as information on prospective users who are registered in advance as people who are planning to use the vehicle; a prospective user registrant determination means for determining whether the prospective user requester is a prospective user registrant by comparing the prospective user requester with the authentication reference information stored in the prospective user registrant information storage means; Equipped with When the scheduled user registrant discrimination means discriminates that the user requester is a scheduled user registrant, the schedule information adjustment means discriminates whether or not there is a conflict between the pre-storage schedule information received by the scheduled schedule information reception means and the stored schedule information stored in the scheduled schedule storage means. The automobile according to any one of claims 1 to 21.

23. If the user schedule registrant discrimination means discriminates that the user schedule requester is not a user schedule registrant, the acceptance of the schedule information is refused.

23. The vehicle of claim 22.

24. When the scheduled user registrant discrimination means discriminates that the user requester is a scheduled user registrant, the schedule information adjustment means temporarily stores the pre-storage schedule information received by the scheduled schedule information reception means in a buffer memory, and discriminates whether or not the temporarily stored pre-storage schedule information conflicts with the stored schedule information stored in the scheduled schedule storage means.

24. A motor vehicle according to claim 22 or claim 23.

25. the prospective user registrant information storage means stores connection information associated with the identification information of each of the prospective user registrants, for performing communication with a terminal provided by the prospective user registrant via the wireless communication means; When the schedule information adjustment means determines that the pre-storage schedule information and the stored schedule information conflict with each other, it notifies the use schedule requester of the connection information of the schedule competitor who registered the conflicting stored schedule information and requests adjustment. The automobile according to any one of claims 22 to 24.

26. The scheduled schedule storage means and / or the scheduled user information storage means are configured as a cloud connected by the wireless communication means. The automobile according to any one of claims 22 to 25.

27. The priority of the purpose of use is set according to the degree of urgency of the purpose of use. The automobile according to any one of claims 1 to 26.

28. The highest priority of the above-mentioned purposes of use is absolute priority, which takes absolute priority over other purposes of use. The automobile according to any one of claims 1 to 27.

29. When the schedule information adjustment means determines that there is no conflict between the temporarily stored pre-storage schedule information and the stored schedule information stored in the planned schedule storage means, the schedule information adjustment means stores the pre-storage schedule information in the planned schedule storage means without determining whether the pre-storage schedule information has a higher priority.

25. The vehicle of claim 24.

30. means for informing a scheduled competitor who has registered the conflicting stored schedule information of the existence of a request for acceptance of a scheduled use of the vehicle with a higher priority, when the schedule information adjustment means determines that the purpose of use of the pre-storage schedule information has a higher priority than the purpose of use of the stored schedule information, and inquiring whether or not the scheduled competitor will accept a change to the stored schedule information of the scheduled competitor; The automobile according to any one of claims 1 to 29, characterized in that it comprises:

31. When the schedule information adjustment means determines that the purpose of use of the pre-storage schedule information has a higher priority than the purpose of use of the stored schedule information, it accepts the acceptance request as valid, and changes the conflicting stored schedule information so that it does not conflict, or deletes it from the planned schedule storage means. The automobile according to any one of claims 1 to 29.

32. The highest priority is absolute priority.

32. The vehicle of claim 31 .

33. means for, when determining that the purpose of use of the pre-storage schedule information is of higher priority than the purpose of use of the stored schedule information, adjusting the schedule information, after confirming consent from a scheduled competitor who has registered the conflicting stored schedule information, accepting the acceptance request as valid, and modifying the conflicting stored schedule information so that it does not conflict, or deleting it from the scheduled schedule storage means; The automobile according to any one of claims 1 to 29, characterized in that it comprises:

34. The schedule information adjustment means When it is determined that the pre-storage schedule information and the stored schedule information conflict with each other, control is performed so that schedules are adjusted between the schedule competitor who registered the conflicting stored schedule information and the utilization schedule requester using communication by the wireless communication means. The automobile according to any one of claims 1 to 33.

35. the schedule information adjustment means notifies the use schedule requester of a time when use can start after the scheduled end time of the scheduled competitor, and adjusts schedules between the use schedule requester and the scheduled competitor by determining whether or not an acceptance response has been received from the use schedule requester in response to the notification; When an acceptance response is obtained from the utilization schedule requester as a result of the schedule adjustment, the utilization start time of the pre-storage schedule information of the utilization schedule requester accepted by the planned schedule information accepting means is changed to a possible utilization start time that comes after the planned utilization end time of the planned competitor, and is stored in the planned schedule storing means. The automobile according to any one of claims 1 to 34.

36. the schedule information adjustment means notifies or notifies the scheduled competitor of the acceptance request from the utilization schedule requester, and adjusts schedules between the utilization schedule requester and the scheduled competitor by determining whether or not an acceptance response has been received from the scheduled competitor in response to the notification or notification; When an acceptance response is obtained from the scheduled competitor as a result of the schedule adjustment, the pre-storage schedule information of the utilization schedule requester accepted by the scheduled schedule information accepting means is stored in the scheduled schedule storage means, and the competing stored schedule information is deleted from the scheduled schedule storage means. The automobile according to any one of claims 1 to 34.

37. The notification or notice of the acceptance request from the planned use requester to the planned competitor is a notification or notice of who the planned use requester is.

37. The vehicle of claim 36.

38. The notification or notice of the acceptance request from the utilization schedule requester to the scheduled competitor is a notification or notice of the utilization purpose included in the pre-storage schedule information.

38. A motor vehicle according to claim 36 or claim 37.

39. The schedule information includes a planned location for starting use, a planned location for ending use, a planned time for starting use, a planned duration of use, and / or a planned time for ending use. The vehicle according to any one of claims 1 to 38.

40. a computer provided in a vehicle that performs automatic driving by autonomous driving, the computer comprising: a wireless communication means; a planned schedule storage means that stores schedule information for the planned use of the vehicle; and a purpose of use priority storage unit that stores priorities for a plurality of purposes of use; a schedule information receiving means for receiving, via the wireless communication means, schedule information on a planned use of the vehicle, including a purpose of use, from a use schedule requester who requests acceptance of a plan for using the vehicle; an autonomous movement control means for controlling the vehicle to move by autonomous traveling based on the stored schedule information stored in the planned schedule storage means; a schedule information adjustment means for determining whether or not there is a conflict between the pre-storage schedule information received by the planned schedule information reception means and the stored schedule information stored in the planned schedule storage means, and, if it is determined that there is a conflict, for determining whether or not the purpose of use of the pre-storage schedule information has a higher priority than the purpose of use of the stored schedule information by referring to the priority of the purpose of use priority storage section, and for adjusting the schedule by processing the pre-storage schedule information or the stored schedule information based on the result of said determination; a notification means for notifying a person in the vehicle of a predetermined message and making an inquiry; an input receiving means for receiving an input of a response to the inquiry from a person riding in the vehicle; A program for a vehicle to be executed as When the schedule information adjustment means determines that the pre-storage schedule information and the stored schedule information conflict, it determines whether the scheduled competitor who registered the conflicting stored schedule information is currently aboard, and when it determines that the scheduled competitor is currently aboard, it performs adjustment between the utilization schedule requester and the scheduled competitor using communication through the wireless communication means, notification by the notification means, and reception of operation input by the input reception means. A program for an automobile, comprising:

41. a computer provided in a vehicle that performs automatic driving by autonomous driving, the computer comprising: a wireless communication means; a planned schedule storage means that stores schedule information for the planned use of the vehicle; and a purpose of use priority storage unit that stores priorities for a plurality of purposes of use; a schedule information receiving means for receiving, via the wireless communication means, schedule information on a planned use of the vehicle, including a purpose of use, from a use schedule requester who requests acceptance of a plan for using the vehicle; an autonomous movement control means for controlling the vehicle to move by autonomous traveling based on the stored schedule information stored in the planned schedule storage means; a schedule information adjustment means for determining whether or not there is a conflict between the pre-storage schedule information received by the planned schedule information reception means and the stored schedule information stored in the planned schedule storage means, and, if it is determined that there is a conflict, for determining whether or not the purpose of use of the pre-storage schedule information has a higher priority than the purpose of use of the stored schedule information by referring to the priority of the purpose of use priority storage section, and for adjusting the schedule by processing the pre-storage schedule information or the stored schedule information based on the result of said determination; A program for a vehicle to be executed as When the schedule information adjustment means determines that the pre-storage schedule information and the stored schedule information conflict, it determines whether the scheduled competitor who registered the conflicting stored schedule information is currently aboard, and when it determines that the intended use of the pre-storage schedule information is of higher priority than the intended use of the stored schedule information, it notifies the currently aboard scheduled competitor of the conflict with a scheduled request for use of the vehicle, which has a higher priority, and inquires whether or not to agree to stop using the stored schedule information, and when agreement is obtained from the currently aboard scheduled competitor, it stores the pre-storage schedule information in the scheduled schedule storage means. A program for an automobile, comprising:

42. a computer provided in a vehicle that performs automatic driving by autonomous driving, the computer comprising: a wireless communication means; a planned schedule storage means that stores schedule information for the planned use of the vehicle; and a purpose of use priority storage unit that stores priorities for a plurality of purposes of use; a schedule information receiving means for receiving, via the wireless communication means, schedule information on a planned use of the vehicle, including a purpose of use, from a use schedule requester who requests acceptance of a plan for using the vehicle; an autonomous movement control means for controlling the vehicle to move by autonomous traveling based on the stored schedule information stored in the planned schedule storage means; a schedule information adjustment means for determining whether or not there is a conflict between the pre-storage schedule information received by the planned schedule information reception means and the stored schedule information stored in the planned schedule storage means, and, if it is determined that there is a conflict, for determining whether or not the purpose of use of the pre-storage schedule information has a higher priority than the purpose of use of the stored schedule information by referring to the priority of the purpose of use priority storage section, and for adjusting the schedule by processing the pre-storage schedule information or the stored schedule information based on the result of said determination; A program for a vehicle to be executed as When the schedule information adjustment means determines that the pre-storage schedule information and the stored schedule information conflict, it determines whether the scheduled competitor who registered the conflicting stored schedule information is currently aboard, and when it determines that the scheduled competitor is currently aboard and determines that the priority of the purpose of use of the pre-storage schedule information is an absolute priority that takes absolute priority over other purposes of use, it notifies the scheduled competitor who is currently aboard that the use by the scheduled competitor will be discontinued due to the absolute priority use schedule request, and that the scheduled competitor will head to the planned start location of the ride specified by the use schedule requester. A program for an automobile, comprising:

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