Information processing device, information processing method, and program

Abstract

To provide an information processing device, an information processing method, and a program which achieve effective use of a transfer time.SOLUTION: Guide information on transfer to on-time means of transportation, on which a passenger is scheduled to ride, is notified to a terminal (6) for informing the passenger of a rolling stock of information. The guide information includes information on available actions of the passenger according to a time difference (Δ t) between an arrival time of the rolling stock at a departure / arrival depot of the on-time means of transportation, on which the passenger is scheduled to ride, and a departure time of the means.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 20

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an information processing device, an information processing method, and a program. [Background technology]

[0002] In a multimodal route search that searches for a route that combines a plurality of means of transportation, a technique is known that proposes a route that uses the most suitable means of transportation depending on the weather along the route (see, for example, Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2022-130046 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] For example, if a passenger in a vehicle is transferring to a regular transportation service, and the passenger can obtain transfer guidance information in advance while on board, and in this case, if the passenger can obtain guidance information in advance regarding possible actions the passenger can take when transferring based on the time difference between the arrival of the vehicle at the departure or arrival point of the regular transportation service and the departure of the regular transportation service, the passenger can use this guidance information to effectively utilize the time between the arrival of the vehicle at the departure or arrival point of the regular transportation service and the departure of the regular transportation service. However, the above-mentioned known multimodal route search technology does not suggest anything about this. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] Therefore, according to the present invention, there is provided an information processing device comprising one or more processors, The one or more processors notifying a terminal for notifying information to passengers of the vehicle of guidance information for transferring to a scheduled transportation facility that the passenger is scheduled to board; This guidance information includes guidance information regarding possible actions of passengers when transferring based on the time difference between when a vehicle arrives at the departure point of the scheduled transportation facility that the passenger is scheduled to board and when the scheduled transportation facility that the passenger is scheduled to board departs. And, The timing of displaying the guidance information on the terminal is determined based on the above-mentioned time difference so that the notified guidance information is displayed on the terminal before the vehicle arrives at the departure / arrival point. An information processing device is provided, characterized in that Furthermore, according to the present invention, there is provided an information processing method for performing information processing using one or more processors, comprising: the one or more processors: notifying a terminal for notifying information to passengers of the vehicle of guidance information for transferring to a scheduled transportation facility that the passenger is scheduled to board; This guidance information includes guidance information regarding possible actions of passengers when transferring based on the time difference between when a vehicle arrives at the departure point of the scheduled transportation facility that the passenger is scheduled to board and when the scheduled transportation facility that the passenger is scheduled to board departs. And, The timing of displaying the guidance information on the terminal is determined based on the above-mentioned time difference so that the notified guidance information is displayed on the terminal before the vehicle arrives at the departure / arrival point. The present invention provides an information processing method characterized by: Furthermore, according to the present invention, there is provided a program for causing a computer to function so as to notify a terminal that notifies information to a vehicle passenger of guidance information for a transfer to a scheduled transportation facility that the passenger is scheduled to take, the program comprising: This guidance information includes guidance information regarding possible actions of passengers when transferring based on the time difference between when a vehicle arrives at the departure point of the scheduled transportation facility that the passenger is scheduled to board and when the scheduled transportation facility that the passenger is scheduled to board departs. And, The timing of displaying the guidance information on the terminal is determined based on the above-mentioned time difference so that the notified guidance information is displayed on the terminal before the vehicle arrives at the departure / arrival point. A program will be provided. [Effects of the Invention]

[0006] Transfer time can be used effectively. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0007] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is an overall view of an information processing system. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating the information processing server shown in FIG. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating the vehicle dispatch management server shown in FIG. [Figure 4] Figure 4 is a diagram illustrating an autonomous taxi. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a functional configuration diagram of the autonomous driving taxi shown in FIG. 4. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a basic flow of information processing in the information processing system. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a diagram showing the procedure for inputting data to a terminal. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a route selection procedure at a terminal. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is a flowchart for performing information processing. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a flowchart for performing information processing. [Figure 11] FIG. 11 is a flowchart for vehicle allocation management. [Figure 12] FIG. 12 is a flowchart for controlling the driving of an autonomous driving taxi. [Figure 13] FIG. 13 is a flowchart for controlling the driving of an autonomous driving taxi. [Figure 14] FIG. 14 is a flowchart for controlling the driving of an autonomous driving taxi. [Figure 15] FIG. 15 is a diagram showing a schematic representation of a road map. [Figure 16] FIG. 16 is a diagram showing an additional flow of information processing that is added to the basic flow of information processing in the information processing system. [Figure 17] FIG. 17 is a diagram showing a list of types of guidance information. [Figure 18] FIG. 18 is a diagram showing an example of a guidance display on the display screen of the in-vehicle display device. [Figure 19] FIG. 19 is a diagram showing an example of a guidance display on the display screen of the in-vehicle display device. [Figure 20]FIG. 20 is a diagram showing an example of a guidance display on the display screen of the in-vehicle display device. [Figure 21] FIG. 21 is a diagram showing a list of types of guidance information. [Figure 22] FIG. 22 is a diagram showing a list of guidance information. [Figure 23] FIG. 23 is a flowchart for executing the guidance information display process. [Figure 24] FIG. 24 is a flowchart for executing the guidance information display process. [Figure 25] FIG. 25 is a flowchart for searching for departure times and the like. [Figure 26] FIG. 26 is a flowchart for executing the process of determining the type of guidance information. [Figure 27] FIG. 27 is a flowchart for searching for guidance information. [Figure 28] FIG. 28 is a flowchart for executing the display process. [Figure 29] FIG. 29 is a diagram showing a list of first and second reference values. [Figure 30] FIG. 30 is a flowchart for executing the process of determining the type of guidance information. [Figure 31] FIG. 31 is a flowchart for searching for guidance information. [Figure 32] FIG. 32 is a diagram showing a list of contents of guidance information. [Figure 33] FIG. 33 is a diagram showing a list of contents of guidance information. [Figure 34] FIG. 34 is a diagram showing a list of standard stay times by category. [Figure 35] FIG. 35 is a diagram showing a list of targets of guidance information. [Figure 36] FIG. 36 is a flowchart for searching for guidance information. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0008] When a person travels to a destination, there are usually multiple travel routes to the destination, and one of these multiple travel routes is selected. In this case, a travel route using multiple different types of moving objects may be selected as the travel route, for example, a travel route that involves transferring from a vehicle to a scheduled public transport system. The present invention relates to information processing technology for providing a moving person with guidance information when transferring from a vehicle to a scheduled public transport system in such a case. In this case, manually-driven vehicles, automatically-driven vehicles, private cars, commercial vehicles including taxis, etc. are applicable to the vehicle to which the present invention is applicable, and regularly-operated public transport systems to which the present invention is applicable include railways such as trains, monorails, buses, and airplanes. Note that the following description of the present invention will be given using an example in which the vehicle is an automatically-driven taxi and the regularly-operated public transport system is a railway such as a train. However, it goes without saying that the present invention can be applied to manually-driven vehicles other than automatically-driven taxis, automatically-driven vehicles, private cars, commercial vehicles including taxis, etc., and monorails, buses, and airplanes other than railways.

[0009] Figure 1 shows an overall diagram of an information processing system suitable for implementing the information processing technology according to the present invention. Referring to Figure 1, 1 denotes a communication network, 2 denotes a base station of communication network 1, 3 denotes an information processing server managed by a route search service provider or the like, 4 denotes a dispatch management server managed by an autonomous taxi service provider or the like that provides a dispatch service for autonomous taxis, 5 denotes an autonomous taxi, and 6 denotes a terminal owned by a user who uses the dispatch service for autonomous taxi 5. While Figure 1 depicts terminal 6 as a mobile terminal, this terminal 6 is not limited to a mobile terminal and may be a fixed terminal. Furthermore, information processing server 3 and dispatch management server 4 may be configured as a single server that has the functions of information processing server 3 and dispatch management server 4.

[0010] Fig. 2 shows the information processing server 3 shown in Fig. 1. Referring to Fig. 2, an electronic control unit 10 is provided within the information processing server 3. This electronic control unit 10 is made up of a digital computer and includes a CPU (microprocessor) 12, a memory 13 consisting of ROM and RAM, and an input / output port 14, all connected to each other by a bidirectional bus 11. This electronic control unit 10 is connected to a communication network 1.

[0011] Figure 3 shows the vehicle dispatch management server 4 shown in Figure 1. Referring to Figure 3, an electronic control unit 15 is provided within the vehicle dispatch management server 4. This electronic control unit 15 is made up of a digital computer and includes a CPU (microprocessor) 17, memory 18 made up of ROM and RAM, and input / output ports 19, all connected to each other by a bidirectional bus 16. This electronic control unit 15 is connected to the communication network 1.

[0012] FIG. 4 diagrammatically illustrates an example of an autonomous taxi 5. Referring to FIG. 4, reference numeral 20 denotes a vehicle drive unit for applying drive force to the drive wheels of the autonomous taxi 5, 21 denotes a braking device for braking the autonomous taxi 5, 22 denotes a steering device for steering the autonomous taxi 5, and 23 denotes an electronic control unit mounted within the autonomous taxi 5. As shown in FIG. 4, the electronic control unit 23 is a digital computer and includes a CPU (microprocessor) 25, memory 26 consisting of ROM and RAM, and input / output ports 27, all connected to one another via a bidirectional bus 24. In the example shown in FIG. 4, the vehicle drive unit 20 is composed of an electric motor powered by a secondary battery or an electric motor powered by a fuel cell, and the drive wheels are driven and controlled by these electric motors in accordance with the output signal of the electronic control unit 23. Braking control of the autonomous taxi 5 is performed by the braking device 21 in accordance with the output signal of the electronic control unit 23, and steering control of the autonomous taxi 5 is performed by the steering device 22 in accordance with the output signal of the electronic control unit 23. The electronic control unit 23 can be configured from one electronic control unit or from a plurality of electronic control units.

[0013] Meanwhile, as shown in Figure 4, the autonomous taxi 5 is equipped with various sensors 28 necessary for the autonomous taxi 5 to perform autonomous driving, namely, sensors that detect the state of the autonomous taxi 5 and surroundings detection sensors that detect the surroundings of the autonomous taxi 5. In this case, acceleration sensors, speed sensors, and azimuth sensors are used as sensors that detect the state of the autonomous taxi 5, and surroundings detection sensors that detect the surroundings of the autonomous taxi 5 include on-board cameras that capture images of the front, sides, and rear of the autonomous taxi 5, LIDAR, radar, etc. The autonomous taxi 5 is also equipped with a GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) receiver 29, a map data storage device 30, a navigation device 31, and a display device 32 with a display screen.

[0014] The GNSS receiver 29 can detect the current location (e.g., latitude and longitude) of the autonomous taxi 5 based on information obtained from multiple artificial satellites. Therefore, the current location of the autonomous taxi 5 can be obtained using this GNSS receiver 29. For example, a GPS receiver is used as this GNSS receiver 29. Meanwhile, map data and other information necessary for the autonomous taxi 5 to perform autonomous driving are stored in the map data storage device 30. These various sensors 28, GNSS receiver 29, map data storage device 30, navigation device 31, and display device 32 are connected to the electronic control unit 23. The autonomous taxi 5 is also equipped with a communication device 33 for communicating with the information processing server 3 and the vehicle dispatch management server 4 via the base station 2 and communication network 1.

[0015] Meanwhile, terminal 6 owned by a user who uses the taxi dispatch service is configured to be able to communicate with information processing server 3, vehicle dispatch management server 4, and autonomously driving taxi 5 via base station 2 and communication network 1. Thus, in the information processing system shown in FIG. 1, information processing server 3, vehicle dispatch management server 4, autonomously driving taxi 5, and terminal 6 can communicate with each other via communication network 1. Note that in the example shown in FIG. 1, communication device 33 of autonomously driving taxi 5 and terminal 6 each have a short-range wireless communication function, and communication device 33 of autonomously driving taxi 5 and terminal 6 are configured to be able to communicate with each other via these short-range wireless communication functions.

[0016] Next, a basic flow of information processing used in an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Fig. 6. Fig. 6 shows interactions between the information processing server 3, the vehicle dispatch management server 4, the autonomously driving taxi 5, and the terminal 6. Fig. 6 also shows a case where a travel route is selected in which, after getting into the autonomously driving taxi 5, a transfer to a train that runs on schedule is taken. Referring to Fig. 6, in (1), a user using a vehicle dispatch service (hereinafter simply referred to as the user) inputs the departure point, departure time, destination, desired arrival time at the destination, etc. into the terminal 6 using a travel route search app, and makes a travel route search request.

[0017] In (2), when the information processing server 3 receives the travel route search request, in (3), the information processing server 3 searches for a travel route that meets the request based on the received departure point, departure time, destination, desired arrival time at the destination, etc. Next, in (4), the travel route search results are sent from the information processing server 3 to the terminal 6. In (5), when the terminal 6 receives the travel route search results, in (6), the user selects a desired travel route from the multiple travel routes that have been searched on the display screen of the terminal 6 using a travel route search app.

[0018] It should be noted that the search results for travel routes in (4) may not include travel routes that involve a transfer from an autonomous taxi 5 to a regularly scheduled train. However, the information processing flow shown in Figure 6 explains the case where the search results for travel routes in (4) include travel routes that involve a transfer from an autonomous taxi 5 to a regularly scheduled train, and further, in (6), a travel route that involves a transfer from an autonomous taxi 5 to a regularly scheduled train is selected as the desired travel route.

[0019] Now, in (6), when a travel route involving a transfer from an autonomous taxi 5 to a regularly scheduled train is selected, in (7), the user uses a vehicle dispatch reservation app to register desired vehicle dispatch details, including a desired boarding location, desired boarding time, and desired drop-off location for the autonomous taxi 5, on the display screen of terminal 6. Once the desired vehicle dispatch details have been registered, a notice of a vehicle dispatch reservation is sent from terminal 6 to information processing server 3, along with the registered desired vehicle dispatch details and the user's desired travel route. When the information processing server 3 receives from terminal 6 a notice of a vehicle dispatch reservation together with the desired vehicle dispatch details and the user's desired travel route, the received desired vehicle dispatch details and the user's desired travel route are stored in memory 18 of the information processing server 3, and in (8), a vehicle dispatch request is sent from the information processing server 3 to the vehicle dispatch management server 4. This dispatch request includes the user's desired travel route, information about railways where a transfer is planned on the user's desired travel route, desired dispatch details consisting of the desired boarding location, desired boarding time, and desired disembarking location of the autonomously driving taxi 5, and a user ID for identifying the user. Note that this dispatch request can also include the user's departure point, departure time, destination, and desired arrival time at the destination received by the information processing server 3 in (2).

[0020] When the vehicle dispatch management server 4 receives the dispatch request in (9), the vehicle dispatch management server 4 searches for an autonomous taxi 5 that can be dispatched to the user's desired boarding location at the user's desired boarding time from among the autonomous taxis 5 located near the user's desired boarding location in (10), and selects the autonomous taxi 5 to be dispatched. In this case, available autonomous taxis 5 can be included in the search targets, and autonomous taxis 5 that are scheduled to become available near the user's desired boarding time based on the reservation information can also be included in the search targets. Once the autonomous taxi 5 to be dispatched is selected, in (11), a dispatch instruction is sent from the vehicle dispatch management server 4 to the autonomous taxi 5 selected for dispatch, along with the user's desired travel route, information about railways to which the user will transfer on the user's desired travel route, desired dispatch details such as the boarding location, drop-off location, and boarding time of the autonomous taxi 5, and the user ID.

[0021] At (12), when the autonomous taxi 5 receives the dispatch instruction, a driving route from the current location to the user's desired pickup location is generated in the electronic control unit 23 of the autonomous taxi 5 based on the received user's desired pickup location. Next, at (13), autonomous driving of the autonomous taxi 5 is initiated, and the autonomous taxi 5 is caused to travel along the generated driving route so as to arrive at the user's desired pickup location at the user's desired pickup time. After that, at (14), when the autonomous taxi 5 arrives at the user's desired pickup location, at (15), user authentication processing is performed using short-range communication between the terminal 6 of the user who made the taxi dispatch reservation and the autonomous taxi 5. This authentication processing is performed, for example, by comparing the user ID stored in the memory 26 of the autonomous taxi 5 at the time of the dispatch request with the user ID stored in the terminal 6 of the user who made the dispatch request. If these user IDs match, the user possessing the terminal 6 is authenticated as the user who made the dispatch request. Note that various types of known authentication processes, such as face authentication, are known as user authentication processes, and these known authentication processes can be used as the authentication process in (15).

[0022] At (15), when the user possessing terminal 6 is authenticated as the user who requested the dispatch, the door of autonomous taxi 5 opens, and the user or several other people board the autonomous taxi 5. Next, when a boarding confirmation device installed in autonomous taxi 5 determines that the user or several other people have boarded, the door of autonomous taxi 5 closes. Next, at (16), when a request is made for the autonomous taxi 5 to start driving, a driving route from the current location to the user's desired drop-off location is generated in electronic control unit 23 of the autonomous taxi 5 based on the user's desired drop-off location. Next, at (17), the autonomous driving of autonomous taxi 5 begins. Note that this request for the autonomous taxi 5 to start driving is made, for example, by the boarding user touching a driving start button displayed on the display screen of display device 32 in the autonomous taxi 5.

[0023] Next, the configurations of the information processing server 3, the vehicle dispatch management server 4, the autonomous taxi 5, and the terminal 6 for executing the information processing flow shown in FIG. 6 will be described in order. First, the configuration of the information processing server 3 will be described. The information processing server 3 is configured to be able to communicate with the vehicle dispatch management server 4, the autonomous taxi 5, and the terminal 6 via the communication network 1. Meanwhile, the information processing server 3 includes a railway information receiving unit that can receive real-time railway operation information and railway delay information from railway operators via the communication network 1. The information processing server 3 also includes a search request receiving unit that receives a travel route search request from the user's terminal 6 along with the departure point, departure time, destination, desired arrival time at the destination, etc. The information processing server 3 also includes a travel route search unit that can search for multiple travel routes, including multimodal travel routes using at least the autonomous taxi 5 and the train, based on the departure point, departure time, destination, desired arrival time at the destination, etc. received by the search request receiving unit.

[0024] The information processing server 3 further includes a search result transmission unit for transmitting the multiple travel routes searched by the travel route search unit to the user's terminal 6. The information processing server 3 also includes a vehicle dispatch reservation reception unit for receiving from the user's terminal 6 the user's desired travel route, desired dispatch details including the desired boarding location, desired boarding time, and desired drop-off location of the autonomously driving taxi 5, and a notification that a vehicle dispatch reservation has been made. The information processing server 3 also acquires information on the user's desired travel route, desired dispatch details such as the boarding location, drop-off location, and boarding time of the autonomously driving taxi 5 that the user will use along the user's desired travel route, and information on railways where transfers are planned along the user's desired travel route. The information processing server 3 also includes a vehicle dispatch request transmission unit for transmitting a vehicle dispatch request including the acquired user's desired travel route, desired dispatch details, and information on railways to the vehicle dispatch management server 4. The information processing server 3 also includes an information provision unit for providing the user with various information other than the multiple travel routes searched.

[0025] Next, the configuration of the vehicle dispatch management server 4 will be described. The vehicle dispatch management server 4 is configured to be able to communicate with the information processing server 3, the autonomous taxis 5, and the terminal 6 via the communication network 1. The vehicle dispatch management server 4 includes a dispatch request receiving unit that receives from the information processing server 3 information on the user's desired travel route, desired dispatch details such as the boarding location, drop-off location, and boarding time of the autonomous taxi 5 used by the user, and information on the railway to which the user plans to transfer. The vehicle dispatch management server 4 also includes a vehicle search unit that searches for autonomous taxis 5 that can be dispatched to the user's desired boarding location at the user's desired boarding time from among the autonomous taxis 5 located near the user's desired boarding location and selects the autonomous taxi 5 to be dispatched. The vehicle dispatch management server 4 also includes a dispatch instruction sending unit that sends a dispatch instruction to the autonomous taxi 5 selected for dispatch, along with information on the user's desired travel route, desired dispatch details such as the boarding location, drop-off location, and boarding time of the autonomous taxi 5 used by the user, and the railway to which the user plans to transfer.

[0026] Next, the configuration of the terminal 6 will be described. The terminal 6 includes a communication unit for communicating with the information processing server 3, the vehicle dispatch management server 4, and the autonomously driving taxi 5 via the communication network 1. The terminal 6 also includes a current location acquisition unit, such as a GPS receiver, that can detect the current location (e.g., latitude and longitude) of the terminal 6. The terminal 6 also has a display screen. On the display screen of the terminal 6, the user can input the departure point, departure time, destination, desired arrival time at the destination, etc., using a travel route search app, and request a search for a travel route. The terminal 6 is also configured to display, on the display screen of the terminal 6, multiple travel routes searched by the information processing server 3. On the display screen of the terminal 6, the user can select a desired travel route from the multiple travel routes searched by the information processing server 3, and can also make a reservation for the dispatch of an autonomously driving taxi 5 on the display screen of the terminal 6. In this case, it is also possible to configure the terminal 6 so that a vehicle dispatch reservation can be made directly to the vehicle dispatch management server 4 on the display screen thereof using a vehicle dispatch reservation application.

[0027] Finally, regarding the configuration of the autonomous taxi 5, the overall configuration of the autonomous taxi 5 has already been described with reference to FIG. 4, so here, various controls executed by the electronic control unit 23 of the autonomous taxi 5 will be described with reference to the functional configuration diagram shown in FIG. 5. Referring to FIG. 5, the autonomous taxi 5 includes a travel route receiving unit 40, a travel route generating unit 41, an autonomous travel control unit 42, a communication unit 43, an authentication unit 44, an operation-related information acquisition unit 45, a display control unit 46, and a current location acquisition unit 47. In one embodiment of the information processing device according to the present invention, the travel route receiving unit 40, the communication unit 43, the operation-related information acquisition unit 45, and the display control unit 46 configure the information processing device.

[0028] 5, the travel route receiving unit 40 receives, from the vehicle dispatch management server 4, information such as the user's desired travel route, desired dispatch details such as the boarding location, disembarking location, and boarding time of the autonomous taxi 5 used by the user, and information regarding planned train transfers. In this case, the travel route receiving unit 40 can also receive this information from the information processing server 3. Meanwhile, the driving route generation unit 41 generates, based on this information, a driving route for the autonomous taxi 5 from the current location to the user's desired boarding location, and a driving route for the autonomous taxi 5 from the user's desired boarding location to the user's desired disembarking location.

[0029] The autonomous driving control unit 42 controls the autonomous driving of the autonomous taxi 5 along the generated driving route. The communication unit 43 is connected to the communication device 33 and is capable of communicating with the information processing server 3, the vehicle dispatch management server 4, and the terminal 6 via the communication device 33. The authentication unit 44 authenticates that a person getting into the autonomous taxi 5 is a user who has made a reservation to dispatch the autonomous taxi 5. The operation-related information acquisition unit 45 acquires railway operation-related information from the information processing server 3. The display control unit 46 is connected to the display device 32, which has a display screen installed inside the autonomous taxi 5, and the display content on the display screen installed inside the autonomous taxi 5 is controlled by the display control unit 46. In addition, the current location acquisition unit 47 acquires the current location of the autonomous taxi 5 based on the reception data received by the GNSS receiver 29.

[0030] Next, an embodiment for executing the basic flow shown in FIG. 6 will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 7 shows a procedure for inputting data into the terminal 6 by a user. Referring to FIG. 7, first, A1 uses a travel route search app to display a travel route search input screen on the display screen of the terminal 6. Next, A2, for example, enters a departure point in the departure point entry field of the input screen. In this case, the departure point can also be specified on a map displayed on the display screen of the terminal 6. Next, A3, enters a departure time in the departure time entry field of the input screen. Next, A4, for example, enters a destination in the destination entry field of the input screen. In this case, the destination can also be specified on a map displayed on the display screen of the terminal 6. Next, A5, enters a desired arrival time at the destination in the desired arrival time entry field of the input screen. Next, A6, for example, touches a search request button displayed on the input screen. When the search request button is touched, a travel route search request is sent to the information processing server 3 together with the entered departure point, departure time, destination, and desired arrival time at the destination.

[0031] FIG. 8 shows a route selection procedure on terminal 6 by a user. Referring to FIG. 8, first, in B1, search results for multiple travel routes transmitted from information processing server 3 are displayed on the display screen of terminal 6. Next, in B2, a desired travel route is selected from these multiple travel routes. Here, a case will be described in which a travel route involving a transfer from an autonomous taxi 5 to a scheduled train is selected as the desired travel route. After the desired travel route is selected in B2, in B3, the user uses a taxi reservation app on the display screen of terminal 6 to register desired ride details consisting of the desired ride location, desired ride time, and desired drop-off location in the registration fields for the desired ride location, desired ride time, and desired drop-off location of the autonomous taxi 5, respectively. In this case, too, the desired ride location and desired drop-off location can also be registered by specifying the desired ride location and desired drop-off location on a map displayed on the display screen of terminal 6. When the desired dispatch details consisting of the desired boarding location, desired boarding time, and desired disembarking location are registered, at B4, a notification that a dispatch reservation has been made is sent from terminal 6 to information processing server 3 along with the registered desired dispatch details and the user's desired travel route.

[0032] 9 and 10 show an information processing routine executed in the electronic control unit 10 of the information processing server 3, and this routine is executed repeatedly. 9 and 10, first, in step 60, current train operation information and current train delay information are received from the railway operator, and the received current train operation information and current train delay information are stored in memory 13 of electronic control unit 10. Next, in step 61, it is determined whether or not a request for current train operation information and delay information has been made. If it is determined that a request for current train operation information and delay information has been made, the process proceeds to step 62, where the requested information is searched for. Next, the process proceeds to step 63, where the search results for the requested information are sent to the requester. Next, the process proceeds to step 64. On the other hand, if it is determined in step 61 that no request for current train operation information and delay information has been made, the process jumps to step 64.

[0033] In step 64, it is determined whether a travel route search request has been received from the terminal 6. If it is determined that a travel route search request has been received from the terminal 6, the process proceeds to step 65, where the received data, such as the user's departure point, departure time, destination, and desired arrival time at the destination, received together with the travel route search request, is stored in the memory 13 of the electronic control unit 10. Next, in step 66, a search is performed for multiple travel routes that satisfy the user's request. Next, in step 67, the search results for the travel route are stored in the memory 13 of the electronic control unit 10. Next, in step 68, the search results for the travel route are transmitted to the terminal 6. Next, the process proceeds to step 69. On the other hand, if it is determined in step 64 that a travel route search request has not been received from the terminal 6, the process jumps to step 69.

[0034] In step 69, it is determined whether a notification of a vehicle dispatch reservation has been received from terminal 6, along with the desired boarding location, desired boarding time, desired drop-off location, and desired travel route of the autonomously driving taxi 5. If it is determined that a notification of a vehicle dispatch reservation has been received from terminal 6, the process proceeds to step 70, where the received desired boarding location, desired boarding time, desired drop-off location, and desired travel route of the user are stored in memory 13 of electronic control unit 10. Next, in step 71, a vehicle dispatch request is sent to vehicle dispatch management server 4, including information on the user's desired travel route, information on railroads where a transfer is planned on the user's desired travel route, the desired boarding location, desired boarding time, and desired drop-off location of the autonomously driving taxi 5, and a user ID for identifying the user. On the other hand, if it is determined in step 69 that a notification of a vehicle dispatch reservation has not been received from terminal 6, the processing cycle ends.

[0035] FIG. 11 shows a vehicle dispatch management routine executed in the electronic control unit 15 of the vehicle dispatch management server 4, and this routine is executed repeatedly. 11, first, in step 80, it is determined whether or not a dispatch request has been received from the information processing server 3. If it is determined that a dispatch request has not been received from the information processing server 3, the processing cycle ends. On the other hand, if it is determined that a dispatch request has been received from the information processing server 3, the processing proceeds to step 81, where the received information is transmitted to the information processing server 3, including the user's desired travel route, information about railways where a transfer is planned on the user's desired travel route, the desired boarding position of the autonomously driving taxi 5, the desired boarding time and desired disembarking position, and the user ID. The received data such as the above is stored in the memory 18 of the electronic control unit 15.

[0036] Next, in step 82, a search is made for autonomous taxis 5 that are available to be dispatched to the user's desired boarding location at the user's desired boarding time from among autonomous taxis 5 located near the user's desired boarding location. In this case, available autonomous taxis 5 can be searched for, and autonomous taxis 5 that are scheduled to become available near the user's desired boarding time based on reservation information can also be included in the search. Next, in step 83, an autonomous taxi 5 to be dispatched is selected from the autonomous taxis 5 searched for. Once an autonomous taxi 5 to be dispatched is selected, in step 84, a dispatch instruction is sent from the dispatch management server 4 to the autonomous taxi 5 selected for dispatch, along with the user's desired travel route, information about railways to which the user will transfer on the user's desired travel route, desired dispatch details such as the boarding location, drop-off location, and boarding time of the autonomous taxi 5, and the user ID. Next, in step 85, a message that the dispatch has been completed is sent to terminal 6.

[0037] 12 to 14 show a driving control routine for an autonomously driving taxi that is executed in the electronic control unit 23 of the autonomously driving taxi 5 selected for dispatch, and this routine is executed repeatedly. 12 to 14, first, in step 90, it is determined whether or not a dispatch instruction has been received from the dispatch management server 4. If it is determined that a dispatch instruction has not been received from the dispatch management server 4, the processing cycle ends. In contrast, if it is determined that a dispatch instruction has been received from the dispatch management server 4, the process proceeds to step 91, and the received data, such as the received user's desired travel route, information about railways to which the user has planned to transfer on the user's desired travel route, the desired boarding position, desired boarding time and desired disembarking position of the autonomously driving taxi 5, and the user ID, is stored in memory 26 of the electronic control unit 23.

[0038] Next, in step 92, the user's desired boarding location is read from memory 26. Next, in step 93, navigation device 31 creates a driving route for autonomous taxi 5 from the current location to the user's desired boarding location, based on the current location of autonomous taxi 5 acquired by GNSS receiver 29 and the user's desired boarding location read from memory 26. Next, in step 94, a driving trajectory and driving speed for autonomous taxi 5 that will avoid contact with other vehicles or pedestrians are determined based on detection results from sensors such as cameras, lidar, and radar that capture images of the area ahead of autonomous taxi 5. Next, in step 95, driving control of autonomous taxi 5 is performed in accordance with the determined driving trajectory and driving speed.

[0039] Next, in step 96, it is determined whether the autonomous taxi 5 has reached the user's desired pickup location. If it is determined that the autonomous taxi 5 has not reached the user's desired pickup location, the process returns to step 94, where the autonomous taxi 5 continues autonomous driving. On the other hand, if it is determined in step 96 that the autonomous taxi 5 has reached the user's desired pickup location, the process proceeds to step 97, where the autonomous taxi 5 is stopped. Next, in step 98, user authentication processing is performed between the terminal 6 of the user who made the taxi reservation and the autonomous taxi 5 using short-range communication. This authentication processing is performed, for example, by comparing the user ID stored in the memory 26 of the autonomous taxi 5 at the time of the taxi request with the user ID stored in the terminal 6 of the user who made the taxi request. If these user IDs match, the user possessing the terminal 6 is authenticated as the user who made the taxi request. Note that various well-known authentication processing methods, such as facial recognition, are known as user authentication processing, and these well-known authentication processing methods can also be used as the authentication processing in step 98.

[0040] Next, in step 99, it is determined whether the authentication process in step 98 authenticated the user possessing terminal 6 as the user who made the vehicle dispatch request. If the authentication process did not authenticate the user possessing terminal 6 as the user who made the vehicle dispatch request, the process jumps to step 112, where the vehicle dispatch management server 4 is requested for instructions on the next action. At this time, the autonomously driving taxi 5 is, for example, caused to move by autonomous driving toward the desired boarding location of another user who made the vehicle dispatch request. On the other hand, if the authentication process authenticates that the user possessing terminal 6 is the user who made the vehicle dispatch request, the process proceeds to step 100, where the door of the autonomously driving taxi 5 is opened. When the door of the autonomously driving taxi 5 is opened, the user who made the vehicle dispatch request alone, or several people including the user who made the vehicle dispatch request, get into the autonomously driving taxi 5.

[0041] Next, in step 101, a boarding confirmation process is performed to confirm that the user who requested the dispatch of a vehicle, or several people including the user who requested the dispatch of a vehicle, have boarded the autonomously driven taxi 5. This boarding confirmation process is performed by a boarding confirmation device installed in the autonomously driven taxi 5, for example, by analyzing video from a boarding confirmation camera that captures the interior of the vehicle. Next, in step 102, it is determined whether or not it has been confirmed that the user who requested the dispatch of a vehicle, or several people including the user who requested the dispatch of a vehicle, have boarded the autonomously driven taxi 5. If it is determined that the boarding completion has not been confirmed, the process returns to step 101, and the boarding confirmation process to confirm the boarding completion continues. On the other hand, in step 10 2 If it is determined that boarding has been completed, the process proceeds to step 103.

[0042] In step 103, the door of the autonomous taxi 5 is closed. Once the door of the autonomous taxi 5 is closed, the process proceeds to step 104, where a request is made for the autonomous taxi 5 to start driving. Note that this request for the autonomous taxi 5 to start driving is made, for example, by the user in the autonomous taxi 5 touching a driving start button displayed on the display screen of the display device 32 inside the autonomous taxi 5. Once a request for the autonomous taxi 5 to start driving is made, the process proceeds to step 105, where the user's desired drop-off location is read from memory 26. Next, in step 106, the navigation device 31 creates a driving route for the autonomous taxi 5 from the current location to the user's desired drop-off location based on the current location of the autonomous taxi 5 acquired by the GNSS receiver 29 and the user's desired drop-off location read from memory 26.

[0043] Next, in step 107, a driving trajectory and driving speed of the autonomous taxi 5 that will avoid contact with other vehicles or pedestrians are determined based on the detection results of sensors such as cameras, lidar, and radar that capture images of the area ahead of the autonomous taxi 5. Next, in step 108, driving control of the autonomous taxi 5 is performed in accordance with the determined driving trajectory and driving speed. Next, in step 109, it is determined whether the autonomous taxi 5 has reached the user's desired drop-off location. If it is determined that the autonomous taxi 5 has not reached the user's desired drop-off location, the process returns to step 107, and the autonomous driving of the autonomous taxi 5 continues. On the other hand, if it is determined in step 109 that the autonomous taxi 5 has reached the user's desired drop-off location, the process proceeds to step 110, and the autonomous taxi 5 is stopped.

[0044] Next, in step 111, a disembarkation confirmation process is performed to confirm that the user or several people including the user have completely disembarked from the autonomously driving taxi 5. This disembarkation confirmation process is performed by an alighting confirmation device installed in the autonomously driving taxi 5, for example, by analyzing video from an alighting confirmation camera that captures the interior of the vehicle. Next, in step 112, a request is made to the vehicle dispatch management server 4 for instructions on the next action.

[0045] Incidentally, if the travel route is a multimodal route that uses an autonomous taxi 5 and a scheduled transportation facility such as a train, the user in the autonomous taxi 5, or several passengers including the user, will need to transfer to a scheduled transportation facility such as a train after getting off the autonomous taxi 5. In this way, when a passenger in an autonomous taxi 5 transfers to a scheduled transportation facility, the passenger in the autonomous taxi 5 can obtain guidance information for the transfer in advance while in the autonomous taxi 5. In this case, if guidance information regarding the passenger's possible actions during the transfer based on the time difference between when the autonomous taxi 5 arrives at the departure or arrival point of the scheduled transportation facility and when the scheduled transportation facility departs can be obtained in advance, the passenger can use this guidance information to effectively use the time between when the autonomous taxi 5 arrives at the departure or arrival point of the scheduled transportation facility and when the scheduled transportation facility departs.

[0046] Therefore, in an embodiment of the present invention, a passenger of an autonomous taxi 5 is able to obtain guidance information in advance, while riding in the autonomous taxi 5, about possible actions the passenger can take when transferring based on the time difference between when the autonomous taxi 5 arrives at the departure or arrival point of the scheduled transportation means and when the scheduled transportation means departs. Below, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Figures 15 to 36, using as an example a case where the scheduled transportation means is a railway such as a train.

[0047] First, referring to FIG. 15, FIG. 15 graphically illustrates an example of a road map including train and other railway terminals, i.e., railway stations. In FIG. 15, 50 indicates the railway terminal, i.e., the railway station, 51 indicates a portion of a road, and 52 indicates a vehicle boarding and disembarking area. In FIG. 15, A, B, C, and D indicate facilities located around or within station 50, with A indicating a convenience store, B indicating a restaurant, C indicating a shopping center, and D indicating a fast food restaurant. In FIG. 15, 53 indicates the user's desired boarding location for autonomous taxi 5. In FIG. 15, the user's desired disembarking location is vehicle boarding and disembarking area 52, and the user boards autonomous taxi 5 at user's desired boarding location 53 and disembarks from autonomous taxi 5 at vehicle boarding and disembarking area 52.

[0048] In the example shown in FIG. 15, when the user gets off the autonomously driven taxi 5, if there is time before the train departs, the user can stop by facilities A, B, C, and D before boarding the train, but if there is not much time before the train departs, the user has no choice but to go directly to the ticket gate of station 50 without stopping at facilities A, B, C, and D. Even if the user can stop at facilities A, B, C, and D before boarding the train, the facilities A, B, C, and D that the user can stop at will differ depending on the time difference between when the user gets off the self-driving taxi 5 and when the train departs. In other words, when this time difference is short, the user can stop at facility A, for example, convenience store A, but it may take a while for the user to get off at the boarding / alighting area 52. and others If a distant facility B, for example, restaurant B, is not available, and if the time difference is long, both convenience store A and restaurant B can be visited.

[0049] In this way, the actions that passengers can take when transferring vary depending on the time difference between when the user gets off the autonomous taxi 5 and the departure time of the train. Therefore, if passengers can obtain guidance information about the actions that passengers can take when transferring in advance while they are in the autonomous taxi 5, they can fully consider the actions that they can take when transferring to the train while they are in the autonomous taxi 5, and as soon as the autonomous taxi 5 arrives at the station 50, they can immediately begin the actions they have decided on. As a result, they can make effective use of their time when transferring. Therefore, in an embodiment of the present invention, guidance information about the actions that passengers can take when transferring to the train is presented to passengers while they are in the autonomous taxi 5.

[0050] Next, this embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 16. Fig. 16 shows an additional information processing flow that is executed following the basic information processing flow shown in Fig. 6. Similar to Fig. 6, Fig. 16 also shows interactions between the information processing server 3, the vehicle dispatch management server 4, the autonomously driving taxi 5, and the terminal 6. Fig. 16 also shows a case where a travel route is selected that involves transferring to a train that runs on schedule after getting into the autonomously driving taxi 5.

[0051] Referring to FIG. 16, in (1), the time it will take for the autonomous taxi 5 to arrive at the user's desired drop-off location is estimated based on the driving route generated when a request to start driving was made in (16) of FIG. 6 and traffic information that the autonomous taxi 5 received from a traffic information center. Next, in (2), the estimated arrival time for the autonomous taxi 5 to arrive at the user's desired drop-off location is estimated based on the estimated time it will take to arrive at the user's desired drop-off location and the current time. Next, in (3), in response to an inquiry from the autonomous taxi 5, the information processing server 3 sends the autonomous taxi 5 the departure time of the train that the user plans to board, and the autonomous taxi 5 thereby obtains the departure time of the train that the user plans to board. This train departure time is the latest departure time, and if the train is delayed, it will be the delayed departure time.

[0052] Next, in (4), the time difference Δt between the estimated arrival time of the autonomous taxi 5 at the user's desired drop-off location and the departure time of the train the user plans to board is calculated. In other words, in (4), the time difference Δt from the arrival of the vehicle at the departure or arrival point of the scheduled public transportation service that the passenger plans to board to the departure of the scheduled public transportation service that the passenger plans to board is calculated. Next, in (5), the display timing for displaying guidance information on the display screen of the display device 32 of the autonomous taxi 5 is determined. This display timing is set to a predetermined time before the estimated arrival time of the autonomous taxi 5 at the user's desired drop-off location, and this predetermined time is increased, for example, as the calculated time difference Δt becomes shorter.

[0053] Next, if it is determined in (6) that it is now time to display the information, then in (7) the type of guidance information to be displayed on the display screen of the display device 32 of the autonomously driving taxi 5 is determined based on this time difference Δt. Here, this guidance information and the types of guidance information will be explained with reference to a specific example. FIG. 17 shows a list of types of guidance information, and FIGS. 18 to 20 show the guidance information displayed on the display screen of the display device 32. In the example shown in FIG. 17, the time difference Δt is classified into three cases: Case 1, 2, and 3. In this example, Case 1 is the shortest case where the time difference Δt is less than 10 minutes, Case 3 is the longest case where the time difference Δt is 20 minutes or more, and Case 2 is intermediate between Cases 1 and 3, where the time difference Δt is between 10 and 20 minutes.

[0054] As shown in FIG. 17 , in this example, in Case 1, the type of guidance information is information about the boarding and alighting location of the public transportation the user plans to board. When the public transportation is a train, this boarding and alighting location is the platform. FIG. 18 shows a specific example of guidance information displayed on the display screen of the display device 32 of the autonomously driving taxi 5 in Case 1. In the specific example shown in FIG. 18 , the date and current time are displayed in the margins around the map screen on which the navigation device 31 displays the vehicle's travel route and in a blank area on the map screen, and the destination on the vehicle's travel route and the estimated arrival time of the vehicle are displayed as "estimated arrival time at xx station," and operation information for the public transportation the user plans to board (departure time, type of train (such as local, express, or limited express), and destination) is displayed as "train operation information."

[0055] Furthermore, in this example, the remaining time until departure time for the transportation service information for the user's planned ride is displayed as "minutes remaining," the time difference Δt between the vehicle's estimated arrival time and the transportation service's departure time is displayed as "minutes after arrival," and the boarding and alighting location "Platform 7 departure and arrival (right side of the east ticket gate)" is displayed as information regarding the boarding and alighting location for the transportation service for the user's planned ride. In one specific example shown in FIG. 18, the time difference Δt is 8 minutes. Therefore, as can be seen from FIG. 17, this specific example corresponds to Case 1, and therefore, as shown in FIG. 18, information regarding the boarding and alighting location for the transportation service for the user's planned ride is displayed.

[0056] On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 17 , in Case 2, the type of guidance information is information about the boarding and alighting locations of the transportation the user plans to board as in Case 1, as well as information about facilities at the departure and arrival points of the transportation the passenger plans to board. A specific example of the guidance information displayed on the display screen of the display device 32 of the autonomously driving taxi 5 in Case 2 is shown in FIG. 19 . In the specific example shown in FIG. 19 , in addition to the display in Case 1 shown in FIG. 18 , information about facilities at the departure and arrival points of the transportation the passenger plans to board, "Facility where you can stop by: Convenience store A (100 m to the left of the east ticket gate)," is additionally displayed on a blank portion of a map screen showing the vehicle's driving route. As shown in FIG. 19 , this facility is a facility where you can stop by, and in FIG. 19 , "Convenience store A" is displayed as the name of this facility. Also, as shown in FIG. 19 , the distance from the station ticket gate to this facility, i.e., convenience store A, is also displayed.

[0057] Also in the example shown in Fig. 19, the remaining time until departure and the time difference Δt between the estimated arrival time of the vehicle and the departure time of the transportation are displayed for the operation information of the transportation that the user plans to take, and in one specific example shown in Fig. 19, the time difference Δt is 18 minutes. Therefore, as can be seen from Fig. 17, this specific example corresponds to Case 2, and therefore, as shown in Fig. 19, information about the boarding and alighting locations of the transportation that the user plans to take and information about the facilities at the departure and arrival points of the transportation that the passenger plans to take are displayed.

[0058] On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 17 , in Case 3, the type of guidance information is information about the boarding and alighting locations of the transportation the user plans to board in Case 1, as well as information about facilities at more departure and arrival points than in Case 2. A specific example of the guidance information displayed on the display screen of the display device 32 of the autonomously driving taxi 5 in Case 3 is shown in FIG. 20 . In the specific example shown in FIG. 20 , in addition to the display in Case 2 shown in FIG. 19 , information about another facility at the departure and arrival point of the transportation the passenger plans to board, "Facility where you can stop by: Restaurant B (200 m to the right and behind the east ticket gate)," is additionally displayed on a blank portion of the map screen showing the vehicle's driving route. As shown in FIG. 20 , this facility is also a facility where you can stop by, and in FIG. 20 , Restaurant B is displayed as the name of this facility. Also, as shown in FIG. 20 , the distance from the station ticket gate to this facility, i.e., Restaurant B, is also displayed.

[0059] 20 also displays the remaining time until the departure time and the time difference Δt between the vehicle's scheduled arrival time and the departure time of the public transportation service that the user plans to board. In the specific example shown in FIG. 20, the time difference Δt is 28 minutes. As can be seen from FIG. 17, this specific example corresponds to Case 3, and therefore, as shown in FIG. 20, information about the boarding and disembarking locations of the public transportation service that the user plans to board and information about facilities with more departure and arrival points than in Case 2 are displayed. Note that in Case 3, the time difference Δt is larger than in Case 2, so there is more time until the public transportation service departure time than in Case 2. Therefore, the facilities added in Case 3 are facilities that are farther away from the disembarkation location of the autonomously driving taxi 5 than in Case 2. Note that the content of the guidance information for each type of guidance information corresponding to Cases 1, 2, and 3 is stored in advance in memory 13 of electronic control unit 10 of information processing server 3.

[0060] Returning to FIG. 16 again, in (7), the type of guidance information to be displayed on the display screen of the display device 32 of the autonomously driving taxi 5 is determined based on the time difference Δt, i.e., it is determined which of Cases 1, 2, or 3 the autonomously driving taxi 5 falls into. In response to an inquiry from the autonomously driving taxi 5, in (8), the information processing server 3 transmits to the autonomously driving taxi 5 the content of the guidance information corresponding to the determined type of guidance information, i.e., the determined case number, and the autonomously driving taxi 5 thereby acquires the content of the guidance information corresponding to the determined type of guidance information, i.e., the determined case number. Next, in (9), the content of the acquired guidance information is output to the display device 32 of the autonomously driving taxi 5, and the guidance information shown in FIGS. 18 to 20 is displayed on the display screen of the display device 32. The content of the guidance information shown in FIGS. 18 to 20 can also be communicated to passengers by voice from an on-board speaker.

[0061] As mentioned above, Fig. 17 shows a specific example of a list of types of guidance information, and Figs. 18 to 20 show specific examples of guidance information displayed on the display screen of display device 32. In this case, the time difference Δt that marks the boundary between Case 1 and Case 2, and the time difference Δt that marks the boundary between Case 2 and Case 3 can be set arbitrarily, and the time difference Δt that marks the boundary between Case 1 and Case 2, and the time difference Δt that marks the boundary between Case 2 and Case 3 are set to appropriate values ​​depending on the situation at the departure and arrival points.

[0062] 21 shows a generalized list of types of guidance information. As shown in FIG. 21, in this list of types of generalized guidance information, a first reference value X and a second reference value Y are set for the time difference Δt, with case 1 being the case where the time difference Δt is less than the shortest first reference value X, case 3 being the case where the time difference Δt is equal to or greater than the longest second reference value Y, and case 2 being intermediate between case 1 and case 3, where the time difference Δt is between the first reference value X and the second reference value Y. In this list of types of generalized guidance information, in case 1, the type of guidance information is information about the boarding and alighting locations of the transportation facility that the user plans to board, in addition to the information about the boarding and alighting locations of the transportation facility that the passenger plans to board in case 1, and in case 3, the type of guidance information is information about facilities at the departure and arrival points of the transportation facility that the passenger plans to board in addition to the information about the boarding and alighting locations of the transportation facility that the passenger plans to board in case 1. In this embodiment, the facility added in Case 3 is a facility that is farther away from the drop-off location of the autonomously driven taxi 5 than in Case 2.

[0063] 22 shows a list of pre-set display contents of guidance information for each of cases 1, 2, and 3 for each departure and arrival point P1, P2, P3, etc., for example, for each station. In this case, the relationship between the first reference value X, the second reference value Y, and the case number shown in FIG. 21 is stored in the memory 26 of the electronic control unit 23 of the autonomously driving taxi 5. The display contents of guidance information corresponding to the case number for each of the departure and arrival points P1, P2, P3, etc. shown in FIG. 22, i.e., the guidance displays a1, a2, a3, b1, b2, b3, c1, c2, ca3, etc., are pre-stored in the memory 13 of the electronic control unit 10 of the information processing server 3.

[0064] Figures 23 and 24 show a guidance information display processing routine for executing the additional information processing flow shown in Figure 16. This routine is repeatedly executed by the electronic control unit 23 of the autonomously driving taxi 5 selected for dispatch.

[0065] 23 and 24 , first, in step 200, after it is confirmed that the user who requested the dispatch has boarded the autonomous taxi 5, it is determined whether a request has been made for the autonomous taxi 5 to start traveling. If it is determined that a request has not been made for the autonomous taxi 5 to start traveling, the processing cycle ends. In contrast, if it is determined that a request has been made for the autonomous taxi 5 to start traveling, the processing proceeds to step 201, where the time it will take for the autonomous taxi 5 to arrive at the user's desired drop-off location is estimated based on the route for the autonomous taxi 5 to the user's desired drop-off location generated in step 106 of FIG. 13 showing the basic flow, and traffic information received by the autonomous taxi 5 from a traffic information center. Next, in step 202, the arrival time of the autonomous taxi 5 at the user's desired drop-off location is estimated based on the time it will take to arrive at the user's desired drop-off location estimated in step 201 and the current time. Next, in step 203, the autonomous taxi 5 inquires of the information processing server 3 about the departure time of the train the user plans to board, etc.

[0066] FIG. 25 shows a search routine for departure times and the like executed by the electronic control unit 10 of the information processing server 3 in order to respond to this inquiry. Referring to FIG. 25, in step 220, it is determined whether an inquiry has been received from an autonomously driving taxi 5. If it is determined that an inquiry has been received from an autonomously driving taxi 5, the process proceeds to step 221, where the departure time, boarding and alighting locations, type of train (local, express, limited express, etc.), and destination of the train the user plans to board are searched for based on the received train operation information. In this case, the train departure time and boarding and alighting locations are the most recent departure time and boarding and alighting locations. Therefore, if the train is delayed, the delayed departure time will be displayed, and if the boarding and alighting locations have changed, the changed boarding and alighting locations will be displayed. In step 222, the search results for the departure time and the like are transmitted from the information processing server 3 to the autonomously driving taxi 5.

[0067] Returning to FIG. 23 again, in step 204, the process waits until search results such as departure times are received. Once search results such as departure times are received, the process proceeds to step 205, where the received latest departure time and boarding / alighting location are acquired and stored in memory 26 of electronic control unit 23 of autonomous taxi 5. Next, in step 206, the time difference Δt between the estimated arrival time of autonomous taxi 5 at the user's desired alighting location and the departure time of the train the user plans to board is calculated. Next, in step 207, the display timing for displaying guidance information on the display screen of display device 32 of autonomous taxi 5 is determined. This display timing may be, for example, based on the estimated time of arrival at the user's desired alighting location. time The time is set to be a predetermined time before the time difference Δt, and this predetermined time is set to be larger, for example, as the calculated time difference Δt becomes shorter. Next, in step 208, it is determined whether or not the display timing has arrived. If it is determined that the display timing has not arrived, the processing cycle ends. On the other hand, if it is determined that the display timing has arrived, the processing proceeds to step 209, where the type of guidance information is determined based on the time difference Δt calculated in step 206.

[0068] A routine for performing this process of determining the type of guidance information is shown in Figure 26, and this routine is executed in the electronic control unit 23 of the autonomously driving taxi 5. Referring to Figure 26, in step 230, the list of types of guidance information shown in Figure 21, i.e., a correspondence table between time difference Δt and cases, which is stored in the memory 26 of the electronic control unit 23 of the autonomously driving taxi 5, is read out. Next, in step 231, which case applies is determined depending on the time difference Δt calculated in step 206. That is, if the time difference Δt is less than the first reference value, it is determined as Case 1; if the time difference Δt is between the first reference value X and the second reference value Y, it is determined as Case 2; and if the time difference Δt is equal to or greater than the second reference value Y, it is determined as Case 3.

[0069] Returning again to Figure 23, once it is determined in step 209 which case applies, the process proceeds to step 210 in Figure 24, where the autonomously driving taxi 5 queries the information processing server 3 for guidance information according to the determined type of guidance information, i.e., corresponding to the determined case number. Figure 27 shows a guidance information search routine executed in the electronic control unit 10 of the information processing server 3 to respond to this query.

[0070] Referring to FIG. 27, in step 240, it is determined whether an inquiry from an autonomously driving taxi 5 has been received. If it is determined that an inquiry from an autonomously driving taxi 5 has been received, the process proceeds to step 241, where a search is performed for guidance information corresponding to the determined case number based on the guidance information list shown in FIG. 22, which is stored in memory 13 of the electronic control unit 10 of the information processing server 3. That is, guidance information corresponding to the departure and arrival points P1, P2, P3... of the train the user plans to board and the determined case number is searched for from the guidance displays a1, a2, a3, b1, b2, b3, c1, c2, ca3, ... shown in the guidance information list of FIG. 22. Next, in step 242, the contents of the searched guidance information are transmitted from the information processing server 3 to the autonomously driving taxi 5.

[0071] Returning to Figure 24 again, in step 211, the process waits until the content of the searched guidance information is received, and once the content of the searched guidance information is received, the process proceeds to step 212, where the search content of the received guidance information is acquired and stored in memory 26 of electronic control unit 23 of autonomously driving taxi 5. Next, in step 213, display processing of the search content, etc. of this guidance information is performed.

[0072] A routine for performing this display process is shown in Figure 28, and this routine is executed in the electronic control unit 23 of the autonomous taxi 5. Referring to Figure 28, in step 250, the remaining time from the current time to the departure time of the train the user plans to board is calculated. Next, in step 251, the remaining time calculated in step 250, the time difference Δt calculated in step 206, the estimated arrival time at the desired drop-off location calculated in step 202, and the estimated arrival time at the desired drop-off location calculated in step 206 are calculated. 5 The departure time, boarding and alighting locations, type of train (local, express, limited express, etc.), destination of the train the user plans to board, and the contents of the guidance information acquired in step 212 are output to the display device 32 of the autonomous taxi 5, and the guidance information shown in Figures 18 to 20 is displayed on the display screen of the display device 32.

[0073] In this case, in the specific example shown in Fig. 18 to Fig. 20, the estimated arrival time at the desired disembarking location is displayed as "estimated arrival time at xx station", the departure time of the train to be boarded, the type of train (local, express, limited express, etc.) and the destination are displayed as "railway operation information", the remaining time until the departure time of the train to be boarded is displayed as "~ minutes left", and the time difference Δt is displayed as "~ minutes after arrival". Furthermore, in the specific example shown in Fig. 18 to Fig. 20, the boarding and disembarking location "Platform 7 departure and arrival (right side of the east ticket gate)" is displayed as guidance information regarding boarding and disembarking locations, and "Possible stopover facility: convenience store A (100m to the left of the east ticket gate)" and "Possible stopover facility: restaurant B (200m to the right and rear of the east ticket gate)" are displayed as guidance information regarding facilities. Note that when guidance information regarding boarding and disembarking locations is displayed, the direction that the passenger should go to the boarding and disembarking location is displayed. Direction For example, information about the route to the boarding and disembarking location on a map displayed on the display screen of the display device 32 can also be presented.

[0074] As described above, in an embodiment of the present invention, information about the operation of the train the passenger plans to board, and guidance information about boarding and alighting locations and facilities are displayed on the display screen of the display device 32 of the autonomously driving taxi 5. Therefore, the electronic control unit 23, which includes the display device 32, constitutes a terminal that notifies the passengers of the vehicle of information. Meanwhile, in this case, information about the operation of the train the passenger plans to board, and guidance information about boarding and alighting locations and facilities can also be displayed on the display screen of a terminal 6 owned by the user, for example, a mobile terminal owned by the user. Therefore, in an embodiment of the present invention, the terminal that notifies the passengers of the vehicle of information refers to both the electronic control unit 23, which includes the display device 32 of the autonomously driving taxi 5, and the terminal 6 owned by the user.

[0075] In this case, if the terminal that notifies the vehicle passengers of information is the terminal 6 owned by the user, the notified information can basically only be viewed by the user alone. In contrast, if the terminal that notifies the vehicle passengers of information is the electronic control unit 23 including the display device 32, the notified information can be simultaneously viewed by multiple passengers, including the user, through the display screen of the display device 32 installed in the vehicle. Therefore, when the terminal that notifies the vehicle passengers of information is the electronic control unit 23 including the display device 32, as in the embodiment of the present invention, there is an advantage that the information can be provided to multiple passengers simultaneously.

[0076] As has been explained so far, in the present invention, an information processing device is provided with one or more processors, and the one or more processors notify a terminal that notifies information to vehicle passengers of guidance information when the passengers transfer to the regular transportation service that they plan to take, and this guidance information includes guidance information regarding the passengers' possible actions when transferring, depending on the time difference Δt between the arrival of the vehicle at the departure or arrival point of the regular transportation service that the passengers plan to take and the departure of the regular transportation service that the passengers plan to take.

[0077] Furthermore, according to the present invention, there is provided an information processing method for processing information using one or more processors, which notifies a terminal that notifies information to vehicle passengers of guidance information for when the passengers transfer to a regular transportation service that they plan to take, and which includes guidance information regarding possible actions that the passengers can take when transferring, depending on the time difference Δt between the arrival of the vehicle at the departure or arrival point of the regular transportation service that the passengers plan to take and the departure of the regular transportation service that the passengers plan to take.

[0078] Furthermore, according to the present invention, there is provided a program that causes a computer to function so as to notify a terminal that notifies information to vehicle passengers of guidance information when the passengers transfer to a regular transportation service that operates on schedule, the guidance information including guidance information regarding possible actions that the passengers can take when transferring, depending on the time difference Δt between the arrival of the vehicle at the departure or arrival point of the regular transportation service that the passengers plan to board and the departure of the regular transportation service that the passengers plan to board.

[0079] In addition, in the embodiment of the present invention, the timing at which guidance information is displayed on the display screen of the display device 32 of the autonomous driving taxi 5 is, for example, the estimated time at which the autonomous driving taxi 5 will arrive at the user's desired drop-off location. time The predetermined time is set to be a predetermined time before the arrival time of the autonomously driving taxi 5, and this predetermined time is increased, for example, as the calculated time difference Δt becomes shorter. That is, in an embodiment according to the present invention, the timing of displaying the guidance on the terminal is determined based on the time difference Δt so that the notified guidance information is displayed on the terminal before the vehicle arrives at the departure or arrival point. In this case, the shorter the time difference Δt, the earlier the display timing is made. That is, the shorter the calculated time difference Δt, i.e., the shorter the transfer time, the earlier the driver needs to prepare for the transfer, especially if he or she has a lot of luggage, there is a risk of missing the planned transfer mode of transportation. Therefore, the shorter the time difference Δt, the earlier the display timing is made to inform passengers of the autonomously driving taxi 5 that the transfer time is short.

[0080] Next, various modified examples will be explained in order with reference to Figures 29 to 36. Figures 29 and 30 show modified examples in which the first reference value X and the second reference value Y are changed according to the departure and arrival points Q1, Q2, Q3, etc. of the regular transportation mode that the passenger plans to board. First, referring to Figure 29, this Figure 29 shows a list of the first reference value X and the second reference value Y set for each departure and arrival point Q1, Q2, Q3, etc. according to the type of train (regular, express, limited express).

[0081] That is, when comparing trains with short intervals with trains with long intervals, the shock of missing a train with a long interval is greater than the shock of missing a train with a short interval, so it is normal to want to act with more leeway when taking a train with a long interval than when taking a train with a short interval. Therefore, as shown in Figure 29, when the departure and arrival points Q1, Q2, Q3, etc. are the same, the first reference value X and the second reference value Y are set to be larger for express trains, which have longer intervals than regular trains, than for regular trains, and the first reference value X and the second reference value Y are set to be larger for limited express trains, which have longer intervals than express trains, than for express trains.

[0082] On the other hand, when comparing a narrow departure and arrival area with a wide departure and arrival area, it takes longer to move anywhere within the wide departure and arrival area than a narrow departure and arrival area, so it is normal to want to move around more leisurely in a wide departure and arrival area than in a narrow departure and arrival area. Therefore, in Figure 29, if the size of the departure and arrival areas increases in the order of Q1, Q2, Q3, etc., as shown in Figure 29, the first reference value X and the second reference value Y are set to be larger for ordinary trains, express trains, and limited express trains as the size of the departure and arrival area increases. Note that Figure 29 shows an example of a specific time for each first reference value X and each second reference value Y. The list of the first reference values ​​X and the second reference values ​​Y shown in Figure 29 is stored in the memory 13 of the electronic control unit 10 of the information processing server 3,

[0083] In this modified example, the guidance information display processing routine shown in Figures 23 and 24, the search routine for departure times and the like shown in Figure 25, the search routine for guidance information shown in Figure 27, and the display processing routine shown in Figure 28 are used. Note that with regard to the processing routine for determining the type of guidance information, the processing routine for determining the type of guidance information shown in Figure 30 is used instead of the processing routine for determining the type of guidance information shown in Figure 26. Next, the processing routine for determining the type of guidance information shown in Figure 30 will be described. Note that this processing routine for determining the type of guidance information is executed within electronic control unit 23 of autonomously driving taxi 5.

[0084] 30, in step 260, a list of first reference values ​​X and second reference values ​​Y shown in FIG. 29, which is stored in memory 13 of electronic control unit 10 of information processing server 3, is accessed to obtain the first reference value X and second reference value Y corresponding to the departure and arrival stop Q1, Q2, Q3, etc. used by the user and the type of train (regular, express, limited express). Next, in step 261, a list of types of guidance information shown in FIG. 21, i.e., a correspondence table between time difference Δt and cases, which is stored in memory 26 of electronic control unit 23 of autonomously driving taxi 5, is read. Next, in step 262, which case corresponds to the time difference Δt calculated in step 206 of FIG. 23, is determined. That is, if the time difference Δt is less than the first reference value X, it is determined as case 1; if the time difference Δt is between the first reference value X and the second reference value Y, it is determined as case 2; and if the time difference Δt is equal to or greater than the second reference value Y, it is determined as case 3.

[0085] Next, another modified example will be described with reference to Figure 31. This modified example shows a case where the system is configured to compare the departure time of the transportation facility that the user plans to board, for example, a train, with the time difference Δt, and when a transportation facility that departs earlier than the transportation facility that the user plans to board is available, guidance information regarding the departure time of the transportation facility that departs earlier than the transportation facility that the user plans to board is displayed on the display screen of display device 32 of autonomously driving taxi 5.

[0086] In this modified example, the guidance information display processing routine shown in Figures 23 and 24, the search routine for departure times and the like shown in Figure 25, the processing routine for determining the type of guidance information shown in Figure 26, and the display processing routine shown in Figure 28 are used. Note that, as for the search routine for guidance information, the search routine for guidance information shown in Figure 31 is used instead of the search routine for guidance information shown in Figure 27. Next, the search routine for guidance information shown in Figure 31 will be described. Note that this search routine for guidance information is executed in the electronic control unit 10 of the information processing server 3.

[0087] 31, in step 270, it is determined whether or not an inquiry has been received from an autonomously driving taxi 5. If it is determined that an inquiry has been received from an autonomously driving taxi 5, the process proceeds to step 271, where a search is performed for guidance information corresponding to the determined case number based on the list of guidance information shown in FIG. 22, which is stored in memory 13 of the electronic control unit 10 of the information processing server 3. That is, the guidance information a1, a2, a3, b1, b2, b3, c1, c2, ca3, ... shown in the list of guidance information in FIG. 22 is searched for to find guidance information corresponding to the transportation facility the user plans to board, for example, train departure and arrival points P1, P2, P3, ..., and the determined case number.

[0088] Next, in step 272, based on the train operation information received from the railway operator, a search is performed for available transportation that departs before the planned transportation, such as the departure time of the transportation the user plans to board, based on the departure time of the transportation, such as the train, and the time difference Δt. If there is an available transportation that departs before the planned transportation, such as a train, in the next step 273, in addition to the guidance information corresponding to the searched case number, guidance information about the available transportation that departs before the planned transportation, such as the train, such as the departure time, boarding and alighting location, and type of train (regular, express, limited express), is transmitted from the information processing server 3 to the autonomously driving taxi 5. The transmitted guidance information, i.e., the guidance information corresponding to the searched case number and the guidance information about the available transportation that departs before the planned transportation, such as the train, are displayed on the display screen of the display device 32 of the autonomously driving taxi 5.

[0089] 32 and 33 show two specific examples of guidance information a2, a3, b2, b3, c2, ca3, ... for Case 2 and Case 3 for each of the departure and arrival points P1, P2, P3, ... shown in Figure 22. As shown in Figures 32 and 33, in these two specific examples, guidance information a2, a3, b2, b3, c2, ca3, ... uses the names of several facilities and the distance from the drop-off location of the autonomously driving taxi 5 to each facility, i.e., Station A (100 m from ~), Station B (50 m from ~), Station C (200 m from ~), Station D (30 m from ~), Station E (300 m from ~), Station F (10 m from ~), and Station G (250 m from ~). Note that "from ~" in parentheses means "from the drop-off location of the autonomously driving taxi 5."

[0090] 32 and 33, in both specific examples, guidance information a2, b2, and c2 for Case 2 uses facilities that are relatively close to the drop-off location of the autonomously driven taxi 5, namely, Store A (100 m from ~), Store B (50 m from ~), Store D (30 m from ~), and Store F (10 m from ~). Next, looking at guidance information a3, b3, and ca3 for Case 3, in the specific example shown in FIG. 32, guidance information a3, b3, and ca3 uses facilities that are relatively far from the drop-off location of the autonomously driven taxi 5, namely, Store C (200 m from ~), Store E (300 m from ~), and Store G (250 m from ~), as well as guidance information a2, b2, and c2 for Case 2. In contrast, in the specific example shown in Figure 33, guidance information a3, b3, and ca3 only use facilities that are relatively far from the drop-off location of the self-driving taxi 5, namely, Store C (200m from ~), Store E (300m from ~), and Store G (250m from ~).

[0091] Next, another modified example will be described with reference to Figures 34 to 36. As described above, in the example shown in Figures 32 and 33, each facility is classified into a facility belonging to Case 2 and a facility belonging to Case 3 based on the distance from the drop-off location of the autonomously driving taxi 5 to each facility. That is, a facility with a relatively short distance is considered to be a facility belonging to Case 2, and a facility with a longer distance than the facility with a longer distance, that is, a facility with a relatively longer distance, is considered to be a facility belonging to Case 3. In contrast, in the modified example shown in Figures 34 to 36, each facility is classified into a facility belonging to Case 2 and a facility belonging to Case 3 based on the standard stay time at each facility. That is, a standard value is set for the standard stay time, and a facility with a standard stay time shorter than this standard value is considered to be a facility belonging to Case 2, and a facility with a standard stay time longer than this standard value, that is, a facility with a standard stay time longer than the facility with a standard stay time belonging to Case 2, is considered to be a facility belonging to Case 3.

[0092] In this case, the standard stay time can be an average stay time calculated based on actual measurements at each facility, or can be an average stay time obtained from an external server site that provides this average stay time. In this case, the standard stay time can be stored in advance in the memory 13 of the electronic control unit 10 of the information processing server 3 in the form of a standard stay time for each facility, for example, Store A (5 minutes), Store B (60 minutes), Store C (35 minutes), Store D (25 minutes), Store E (10 minutes), Store F (10 minutes), and Store G (45 minutes), or can be stored in advance in the memory 13 of the electronic control unit 10 of the information processing server 3 in the form of a standard stay time for each facility category.

[0093] 34 to 36 show cases where the standard stay time is stored in advance in the memory 13 of the electronic control unit 10 of the information processing server 3 in the form of a standard stay time for each category of facility. In this case, as shown in FIG. 34, the standard stay time for each category of facility, for example, convenience store, souvenir shop, fast food restaurant, and restaurant, is stored in the memory 13 of the electronic control unit 10 of the information processing server 3. Furthermore, in the information processing server 3, the electronic control unit 10 classifies each facility at each of the departure and arrival points P1, P2, P3, ... into a facility belonging to Case 2 and a facility belonging to Case 3, as shown in FIG. 35, using the table shown in FIG. 34. For example, at departure and arrival point P1, Store A (convenience store) and Store F (souvenir shop) are considered to be facilities belonging to Case 2, where the stay time is relatively short, and Store D (fast food restaurant) and Store E (restaurant) are considered to be facilities belonging to Case 3, where the stay time is relatively long. Furthermore, at departure and arrival point P2, Store H (convenience store) is considered to be a facility belonging to Case 2, where the stay time is relatively short, and Store I (fast food restaurant) and Store J (restaurant) are considered to be facilities belonging to Case 3, where the stay time is relatively long.

[0094] In this modification, the guidance information display processing routine shown in Figures 23 and 24, the search routine for departure times and the like shown in Figure 25, the processing routine for determining the type of guidance information shown in Figure 26, and the display processing routine shown in Figure 28 are also used. Note that, as for the guidance information search routine, the guidance information search routine shown in Figure 36 is used instead of the guidance information search routine shown in Figure 27. Next, the guidance information search routine shown in Figure 36 will be described. Note that this guidance information search routine is executed in the electronic control unit 10 of the information processing server 3.

[0095] Referring to Figure 36, in step 280, it is determined whether or not an inquiry has been received from an autonomously driven taxi 5. If it is determined that an inquiry has been received from an autonomously driven taxi 5, the process proceeds to step 281. In step 281, using the standard stay time set for each category of facility shown in Figure 34, each facility at each departure and arrival point P1, P2, P3, ... is classified as a facility belonging to case 2 or a facility belonging to case 3, as shown in Figure 35, and a search is made for guidance information related to the facility belonging to the determined case from among the facilities belonging to each classified case.

[0096] For example, if Store A (convenience store) and Store F (souvenir shop) shown in Figure 35 are facilities that belong to this determined case, the guidance information for the facilities that belong to this determined case would be, for example, Store A (convenience store) and Store F (souvenir shop), or convenience store A (100 m from the disembarkation location) and souvenir store F (10 m from the disembarkation location) as shown in Figures 32 and 33. Next, in step 282, the departure time, boarding and disembarking location, type of train (local, express, limited express, etc.), and destination of the train that the user plans to board, as well as guidance information for the facilities that belong to the determined case, are transmitted from the information processing server 3 to the autonomously driving taxi 5, and are displayed on the display screen of the autonomously driving taxi 5's display device 32.

[0097] As described above, in an embodiment of the present invention, guidance information for a passenger transferring to a scheduled public transport mode includes at least one of information about the boarding and alighting locations of the scheduled public transport mode that the passenger is planning to board, and information about facilities at the departure and arrival points of the scheduled public transport mode that the passenger is planning to board. In this way, when a passenger in a vehicle is provided with information about the boarding and alighting locations of the scheduled public transport mode or guidance information about facilities at the departure and arrival points according to the time difference Δt between the arrival of the vehicle at the departure point and the departure of the scheduled public transport mode that the passenger is planning to board, the passenger can use this guidance information to determine whether they should head to the boarding and alighting location of the scheduled public transport mode without stopping at the facilities after disembarking, or whether they can stop at the facilities. Therefore, by acting in accordance with this determination after disembarking, the passenger can make effective use of their transfer time.

[0098] Furthermore, in an embodiment of the present invention, the guidance information for a passenger transferring to a regularly scheduled public transportation service includes information about the boarding and alighting locations of the regularly scheduled public transportation service that the passenger plans to board if the time difference Δt between the arrival of the vehicle at the departure or arrival point and the departure of the regularly scheduled public transportation service that the passenger plans to board is shorter than a first reference value X, and includes information about facilities at the departure or arrival point of the regularly scheduled public transportation service that the passenger plans to board if the time difference Δt is longer than the first reference value X. In this way, by varying the content of the information included in the guidance information depending on the time difference Δt between the arrival of the vehicle at the departure or arrival point and the departure of the public transportation service that the passenger plans to board, passengers can more easily determine whether they should head to the boarding or alighting location of the public transportation service without stopping at a facility after disembarking, or whether they can stop at a facility, and therefore passengers can make more effective use of their transfer time after disembarking.

[0099] In this case, in an embodiment of the present invention, the information about facilities at the departure and arrival points of the scheduled transportation that the passenger is scheduled to board is information about facilities that the passenger can stop at before the departure of the scheduled transportation that the passenger is scheduled to board, judging from the time difference Δt. The facilities that the passenger can stop at are not limited to convenience stores, restaurants, fast food restaurants, souvenir shops, etc., which have been exemplified so far, but include any facilities that the passenger can stop at.

[0100] Furthermore, in an embodiment according to the present invention, when the time difference Δt is longer than a second reference value Y that is greater than the first reference value X, the guidance information includes information about facilities with a longer standard stay time or that are farther away from the vehicle drop-off location, compared to when the time difference Δt is shorter than the second reference value Y. In this way, when the time difference Δt between the arrival of the vehicle at the departure or arrival point and the departure of the transportation service that the passengers plan to board is long, facilities with a longer standard stay time and facilities farther away from the vehicle drop-off location become available. Therefore, by providing passengers of the vehicle with information about these facilities with a longer standard stay time or facilities farther away from the vehicle drop-off location, the passengers can make more effective use of their transfer time.

[0101] In addition, in an embodiment of the present invention, the time difference Δt is notified along with the guidance information to a terminal that notifies the information to vehicle passengers. In this way, when passengers are notified of the time difference Δt between the arrival of the vehicle at the departure / arrival point and the departure of the transportation service they plan to board, the passengers can use this time difference Δt, i.e., the transfer time, to take actions not provided in the guidance information. Therefore, passengers can make more effective use of their transfer time. [Explanation of symbols]

[0102] 1. Communication Network 3. Information Processing Server 4. Vehicle dispatch management server 5. Self-driving taxis 6 Terminals 10, 15, 23 Electronic control unit 32 Display device

Claims

1. An information processing device comprising one or more processors, the one or more processors: notifying a terminal that notifies information to passengers of the vehicle of guidance information for transferring to a scheduled transportation facility that the passenger is scheduled to take; the guidance information includes guidance information regarding possible actions of the passenger when transferring based on a time difference between the arrival of the vehicle at the departure or arrival point of the scheduled transportation facility that the passenger is scheduled to take and the departure of the scheduled transportation facility that the passenger is scheduled to take, A timing for displaying the guidance information on the terminal is determined based on the time difference so that the notified guidance information is displayed on the terminal before the vehicle arrives at the departure / arrival point. An information processing device comprising:

2. The information processing device according to claim 1, wherein the guidance information includes at least one of information regarding boarding and disembarking locations of the scheduled transportation service that the passenger plans to board, or information regarding facilities at the departure and arrival points of the scheduled transportation service that the passenger plans to board.

3. 3. The information processing device according to claim 2, wherein the guidance information includes information regarding the boarding and disembarking locations of the regularly scheduled transportation service that the passenger is scheduled to board if the time difference is shorter than a first reference value, and includes information regarding facilities at the departure and arrival points of the regularly scheduled transportation service that the passenger is scheduled to board if the time difference is longer than the first reference value.

4. 4. The information processing device according to claim 3, wherein the guidance information includes information about the facility that has a longer standard stay time or is farther away from the vehicle disembarkation location when the time difference is longer than a second reference value that is greater than the first reference value, compared to when the time difference is shorter than the second reference value.

5. 3. The information processing device according to claim 2, wherein the information regarding the boarding and disembarking location of the regular transportation service that the passenger plans to board includes information regarding the direction that the passenger should travel when heading from the disembarking location of the vehicle to the boarding and disembarking location of the regular transportation service that the passenger plans to board.

6. 3. The information processing device according to claim 2, wherein the information regarding facilities at the departure and arrival points of the scheduled transportation service that the passenger is scheduled to take is information regarding facilities that the passenger can stop at before the departure of the scheduled transportation service that the passenger is scheduled to take, based on the time difference.

7. The information processing device according to claim 1 , wherein the time difference is notified together with the guidance information to a terminal that notifies information to passengers of the vehicle.

8. An information processing device as described in claim 1, in which the shorter the time difference, the earlier the display timing.

9. An information processing method for processing information using one or more processors, the one or more processors: notifying a terminal that notifies information to passengers of the vehicle of guidance information for transferring to a scheduled transportation facility that the passenger is scheduled to take; the guidance information includes guidance information regarding possible actions of the passenger when transferring based on a time difference between the arrival of the vehicle at the departure or arrival point of the scheduled transportation facility that the passenger is scheduled to take and the departure of the scheduled transportation facility that the passenger is scheduled to take, An information processing method characterized in that the timing of displaying the guidance information on the terminal is determined based on the time difference so that the notified guidance information is displayed on the terminal before the vehicle arrives at the departure and arrival point.

10. A program that causes a computer to function so as to notify a terminal that notifies information to a passenger of a vehicle of guidance information for a transfer to a scheduled transportation facility that the passenger is scheduled to take, comprising: the guidance information includes guidance information regarding possible actions of the passenger when transferring based on a time difference between the arrival of the vehicle at the departure or arrival point of the scheduled transportation facility that the passenger is scheduled to take and the departure of the scheduled transportation facility that the passenger is scheduled to take, The program determines the timing of displaying the guidance information on the terminal based on the time difference so that the notified guidance information is displayed on the terminal before the vehicle arrives at the departure / arrival point.

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