Vehicle dispatch support device, vehicle dispatch support method, and vehicle dispatch support system

Abstract

To reduce the possibility of passengers being unable to board vehicles.SOLUTION: When at least a package is being moved according to a first operation plan created according to vehicle dispatch request data, a control device 2 determines that the current time has reached a preset determination threshold time based on a passenger time period which is a time period in which demand for movement of people is predicted to be higher than other time periods, and determines whether or not a state of a delivery stop package satisfies a return condition. When the control device determines that the current time has reached the determination threshold time, and determines that the state of the delivery stop package satisfies the return condition, the control device determines whether it is possible for a vehicle 3 to move to a package storage location by a return threshold time. When the control device determines that it is possible for the vehicle 3 to move to the package storage location by the return threshold time, the control device creates a second operation plan and outputs the created second operation plan.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a vehicle dispatch support device, a vehicle dispatch support method, and a vehicle dispatch support system. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent document 1 describes a technology for managing the operation of a vehicle capable of transporting a mixture of passengers and luggage, in which the operation of the vehicle is managed according to the number of users riding in the vehicle and the volume of luggage to be loaded onto the vehicle. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2020-087315 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In the technology described in Patent Document 1, when a piece of luggage whose movement is canceled due to the absence of a recipient or the like occurs, the movement of passengers and luggage continues with the canceled piece of luggage loaded on the vehicle. Therefore, with the technology described in Patent Document 1, when a new passenger appears, because the luggage is loaded with luggage whose recipient was absent, there is a high possibility that the luggage will occupy a seat, and there is a possibility that some passengers will be unable to board the vehicle. The present invention aims to reduce the possibility of passengers being unable to board a vehicle. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] According to one aspect of the present invention, a vehicle is provided for transporting at least one of people and luggage in accordance with an operation plan created using vehicle dispatch request data including at least one of received requests for transportation of people and transportation of luggage. Specifically, when at least luggage is being transported in accordance with a first operation plan created in response to the vehicle dispatch request data, the vehicle determines whether the current time has reached a predetermined determination threshold time based on a passenger time slot, which is a time slot predicted to have higher demand for transportation of people than other time slots. Furthermore, the vehicle acquires canceled delivery information, which is information including the status of canceled delivery luggage, which is luggage loaded on the vehicle and whose transportation has been canceled, and determines whether the status of the canceled delivery luggage included in the acquired canceled delivery information satisfies a predetermined return condition. If the vehicle determines that the current time has reached the determination threshold time and that the status of the canceled delivery luggage included in the acquired canceled delivery information satisfies the return condition, the vehicle determines whether it is possible for the vehicle to move to a luggage deposit location for the canceled delivery luggage by a return threshold time, which is a time closer to the passenger time slot than the determination threshold time. In addition, if it is determined that the vehicle can move to the baggage deposit location by the return threshold time, a second operation plan is created, which is an operation plan for moving the vehicle to the baggage deposit location, and the created second operation plan is output. [Effects of the Invention]

[0006] According to the present invention, it is possible to reduce the possibility that passengers will be unable to board a vehicle. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0007] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of an example of a vehicle dispatch support system according to an embodiment; [Figure 2A] FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of a functional configuration of the electronic device of FIG. [Figure 2B] 2 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of a functional configuration of the control device of FIG. 1. FIG. [Figure 3] 10 is a flowchart showing a main routine for using a vehicle dispatch service. [Figure 4] 10 is a flowchart showing a subroutine for using a vehicle dispatch service. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0008] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the description of the drawings, identical or similar parts are designated by identical or similar reference numerals, and redundant explanations will be omitted. Each drawing is a schematic diagram and may differ from the actual product. The embodiments shown below exemplify devices and methods for embodying the technical concept of the present invention, and the technical concept of the present invention is not limited to the devices and methods exemplified in the following embodiments. The technical concept of the present invention can be modified in various ways within the technical scope described in the claims.

[0009] (composition) 1 is a schematic diagram of an example of a vehicle allocation support system according to an embodiment. The vehicle allocation support system 1 is a system that provides vehicles 3 (service vehicles) used for transporting users and luggage. Specifically, the vehicle dispatch service is a service that dispatches vehicles 3 to be used for at least one of transporting people and transporting cargo in accordance with an operation plan created using vehicle dispatch request data. The vehicle dispatch request data is data that includes at least one of a request for transporting people and a request for transporting cargo received from a user or the like. The vehicle allocation support system 1 includes at least a control device 2 and a vehicle 3. The electronic device 4 is a terminal device used by a user who uses the vehicle dispatch service provided by the vehicle dispatch support system 1. The electronic device 4 may be, for example, a portable information terminal that can be carried by the user or a small computer that is easy to carry.

[0010] When reserving a ride-hailing service, the user accesses the control device 2 using the electronic device 4. Before reserving a ride-hailing service, the user may install dedicated application software for using the ride-hailing support system 1 in the electronic device 4 in advance and make the reservation using the dedicated application software. In the following description, "application software" will be simply referred to as "software." Alternatively, the user may use the browser function of the electronic device 4 to reserve a ride-hailing service on a website that accepts reservations for ride-hailing services over the Internet.

[0011] <Electronic equipment> The electronic device 4 receives input operations from a user regarding a reservation for a vehicle dispatch service. Based on the information input by the user, the electronic device 4 generates vehicle dispatch request data for requesting a reservation for a vehicle dispatch service and transmits the vehicle dispatch request data to the control device 2. The vehicle dispatch request data includes information on the number of people (including the user) traveling using the vehicle 3, the boarding location (desired boarding location) where the user wishes to board the vehicle 3, and the disembarking location (desired disembarking location) where the user wishes to disembark from the vehicle 3. In addition, the vehicle dispatch request data includes information on the date and time (desired boarding date and time) where the user wishes to board the vehicle 3, and the date and time (desired disembarking date and time) where the user wishes to disembark from the vehicle 3. The vehicle dispatch request data may also include, for example, information about the user (for example, user attributes and identification information). User attributes include, for example, the user's gender, age, health condition, family composition, etc.

[0012] Furthermore, the vehicle dispatch request data includes delivery information, which is information about the cargo that the user wishes to move (deliver). The delivery information includes information about the luggage being moved using the vehicle 3 (size of the luggage, number of luggage, location where the luggage is loaded, location where the luggage is delivered). In the following explanation, the location where the luggage is loaded may be referred to as the "luggage loading location." Similarly, in the following explanation, the location where the luggage is delivered may be referred to as the "luggage delivery location."

[0013] The luggage loading location may be a location designated by the user (for example, the user's home or workplace) or a location designated by the vehicle dispatch support system 1 (for example, a luggage collection and delivery center). The luggage information may also include the time (time zone) when the luggage is loaded and the time (time zone) when the luggage is delivered. The vehicle dispatch request data may also include whether or not the user wishes to share a ride (sharing the transportation of passengers and luggage with other users).

[0014] The electronic device 4 includes a positioning device 40 , a communication device 41 , a human machine interface (HMI) 42 , and a controller 43 . The positioning device 40 measures the current position of the electronic device 4 (i.e., the current position of the user). The positioning device 40 may include, for example, a Global Navigation System (GNSS) receiver. The GNSS receiver may be, for example, a Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver. The positioning device 40 may also include an inertial navigation system. The positioning device 50 outputs current position information of the electronic device 4 to the controller 34.

[0015] The communication device 41 provides a communication function between the electronic device 4 and an external device. The communication method used by the communication device 41 may be, for example, wireless communication via a public mobile communication network, satellite communication, etc. The electronic device 4 transmits and receives data to and from the control device 2 via the communication device 41. The HMI 42 is an interface device that exchanges information between the electronic device 4 and the user. The HMI 42 includes a display device that can be seen by the user, and a speaker or buzzer that outputs alarm sounds, notification sounds, and audio information. The HMI 42 also includes controls and a voice input device that accepts operation inputs from the user to the electronic device 4. The controls may be buttons, switches, levers, dials, keyboards, touch panels, etc.

[0016] The controller 43 is an electronic control unit (ECU) that controls the operation of the electronic device 4. The controller 43 includes a processor 44 and peripheral components such as a storage device 45. The processor 44 may be, for example, a central processing unit (CPU) or a micro-processing unit (MPU). The storage device 45 may include non-transitory tangible storage media such as registers, cache memory, and memories such as read-only memory (ROM) and random access memory (RAM) used as main storage devices. The functions of the electronic device 4 described below are realized, for example, by the processor 44 executing a computer program stored in the storage device 45.

[0017] <Control device> The control device 2 (server device) receives the vehicle dispatch request data from the electronic device 4. Then, it performs processing according to the vehicle dispatch request data. The control device 2 includes a processor 20, a storage device 21, a communication device 22, a registrant database (registrant DB) 23, a map database (map DB) 24, and a reservation database (reservation DB) 25.

[0018] The processor 20 may be, for example, a CPU or an MPU. The storage device 21 may include a non-transitory tangible storage medium such as a register, a cache memory, or a memory such as a ROM or RAM used as a main storage device. The functions of the control device 2 described below are realized, for example, by the processor 20 executing a computer program stored in the storage device 21. The communication device 22 provides a communication function between the control device 2 and an external device. The communication method used by the communication device 22 may be, for example, wired communication or wireless communication via a public mobile communication network, satellite communication, road-to-vehicle communication with the vehicle 3, or the like. The control device 2 transmits and receives data to and from the vehicle 3 and the electronic device 4 via the communication device 22 .

[0019] The registrant DB23 is a database for registering users of the vehicle dispatch support system 1. In the following description, a person registered in the registrant DB23 will be referred to as a "registrant." For example, a user of a vehicle dispatch service is registered in the registrant DB23 as a person who uses the vehicle dispatch support system 1. The map DB 24 stores map information of an area where the vehicle dispatch support system 1 provides a vehicle dispatch service. The map information may be, for example, map data for navigation (hereinafter simply referred to as a "navigation map").

[0020] The control device 2 calculates a travel route from the desired boarding location to the desired disembarking location included in the vehicle dispatch request data based on map information stored in the map DB 24 in response to the vehicle dispatch request data received from the electronic device 4. The control device 2 also predicts the disembarking date and time when the vehicle 3 will depart at the desired boarding date and time included in the vehicle dispatch request data, travel along the travel route, and arrive at the desired disembarking location. The control device 2 stores the desired boarding location, desired boarding date and time, and desired disembarking location included in the dispatch request data, as well as the travel route and disembarking date and time calculated by the control device 2, in the reservation DB 25 as an operation plan for the vehicle 3. In addition, the control device 2 outputs to the vehicle 3 an operation plan including the desired boarding location, desired boarding date and time, desired disembarking location, disembarking date and time, and travel route.

[0021] <Vehicle> The vehicle 3 is a vehicle that operates in response to user requests (a so-called demand-based transportation vehicle), and may be, for example, a shared taxi or a robot taxi. The vehicle 3 is an autonomous vehicle that automatically drives the vehicle 3 by the controller 34 according to an operation plan output from the control device 2 without the involvement of a driver (human). In the embodiment, the configuration of the vehicle 3 will be described in the case where the available space includes a boarding space for the user to board and a loading space for loading luggage.

[0022] When the vehicle 3 receives the operation plan from the control device 2, the vehicle 3 travels to the boarding location so as to arrive by the desired boarding date and time included in the operation plan. Also, when the user boards the vehicle 3 at the boarding location, the vehicle 3 travels to the disembarking location along the travel route included in the operation plan. Furthermore, when the vehicle 3 receives the operation plan from the control device 2, it travels to a baggage loading location included in the operation plan. Furthermore, once the baggage is loaded at the baggage loading location, it travels to a baggage delivery location along a travel route included in the operation plan. Then, after the baggage is delivered (unloaded) at the baggage delivery location, it continues to move people and baggage according to the operation plan.

[0023] The vehicle 3 includes a sensor 30, a positioning device 31, a map database (map DB) 32, a communication device 33, a controller , and an actuator . The sensors 30 include an object sensor that detects objects around the vehicle 3, and a vehicle sensor that detects various pieces of information obtained from the vehicle 3 (vehicle state). The object sensor detects the surrounding environment of the vehicle 3, such as the relative position of the vehicle 3 and an object present around the vehicle 3, the distance between the vehicle 3 and the object, and the direction in which the object is present. The object sensor may include, for example, a camera that captures the surrounding environment of the vehicle 3. Furthermore, for example, the object sensor may include a distance measuring device such as a laser range finder (LRF), radar, or a laser radar of a LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging). The object sensor outputs surrounding environment information, which is information on the detected surrounding environment of the vehicle 3, to the controller 34.

[0024] The vehicle sensors may include, for example, a vehicle speed sensor that detects the traveling speed (vehicle speed) of the vehicle 3, a wheel speed sensor that detects the rotational speed of each tire equipped on the vehicle 3, a three-axis acceleration sensor (G sensor) that detects the acceleration (including deceleration) in three axial directions of the vehicle 3, a steering angle sensor that detects the steering angle (including the turning angle), a gyro sensor that detects the angular velocity generated in the vehicle 3, and a yaw rate sensor that detects the yaw rate. Furthermore, the vehicle sensors may include a seat belt sensor that detects whether a seat belt is fastened or unfastened, and a door sensor that detects whether a door is opened or closed. The vehicle sensors output vehicle state information to the controller 34.

[0025] The positioning device 31 measures the current position and attitude of the vehicle 3. The positioning device 31 may include, for example, a Global Navigation System (GNSS) receiver. The GNSS receiver may be, for example, a Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver. The positioning device 31 may also include an inertial navigation system. The positioning device 31 outputs current position information of the measured current position to the controller 34. The map DB 32 stores map information. The map information may include map data for navigation (hereinafter simply referred to as a "navigation map") and high-precision map data suitable as a map for automated driving (hereinafter simply referred to as a "high-precision map"). The communication device 33 provides a communication function between the vehicle 3 and an external device. The communication method used by the communication device 33 may be, for example, wireless communication using a public mobile communication network, satellite communication, road-to-vehicle communication, or the like. The vehicle 3 transmits and receives data to and from the control device 2 via the communication device 33 .

[0026] The controller 34 is an electronic control unit that controls the vehicle 3. For example, the controller 34 controls autonomous driving of the vehicle 3. The controller 34 includes a processor 36 and peripheral components such as a storage device 37. The processor 36 may be, for example, a CPU or an MPU. The storage device 37 may include non-transitory tangible storage media such as registers, cache memory, and memories such as ROM and RAM used as main storage devices. The functions of the controller 34 are realized, for example, by the processor 36 executing a computer program stored in the storage device 37.

[0027] The controller 34 executes autonomous driving control to cause the vehicle 3 to travel according to the operation plan based on the surrounding environment information and vehicle state information from the sensors 30, the positioning results of the positioning device 31, and the map information in the map DB 32. For example, the controller 34 calculates a target travel trajectory for the vehicle 3 to travel based on the current position and attitude of the vehicle 3, the travel route included in the operation plan, the map information, and the surrounding environment of the vehicle 3. In addition, the controller 34 generates, for example, a route space map that represents the route around the vehicle 3 and the presence or absence of objects, and a risk map that quantifies the degree of risk during travel, and generates the target travel trajectory based on the motion characteristics of the vehicle 3, the vehicle state information, the route space map, and the risk map. The controller 34 then drives the actuator 35 so that the vehicle 3 travels along the generated target travel trajectory. The actuator 35 operates the steering device, drive device, and braking device of the vehicle 3 in response to control signals from the controller 34 to generate vehicle behavior of the vehicle 3, thereby automatically driving the vehicle 3. The actuator 35 includes a steering actuator, an accelerator opening actuator, and a brake control actuator.

[0028] <Functional configuration of electronic device> The following describes details of the vehicle dispatch support system 1. Figure 2A is an explanatory diagram of an example of the functional configuration of the electronic device 4. The electronic device 4 includes a reservation information transmitting unit 50 and a vehicle dispatch request data generating unit 51. When reserving a vehicle 3 using the electronic device 4, the reserving party information transmitting unit 50 transmits the identification information of the reserving party to the control device 2. For example, the reserving party information transmitting unit 50 may transmit the identification information of the reserving party to the control device 2 in order to authenticate the reserving party when logging in to the control device 2. Furthermore, the reserving party information transmitting unit 50 may transmit the identification information of the reserving party to the control device 2 simultaneously with the vehicle dispatch request data. The vehicle allocation request data generation unit 51 generates vehicle allocation request data when the reserving person operates the HMI 41 to input information required for reserving the vehicle 3. Then, the vehicle allocation request data generation unit 51 transmits the generated vehicle allocation request data to the control device 2.

[0029] <Controller functional configuration> FIG. 2B is an explanatory diagram of an example of the functional configuration of the control device 2. The control device 2 includes a request data acquisition unit 60, an operation plan creation unit 61, a time setting unit 62, a time determination unit 63, a canceled delivery package information acquisition unit 64, and a return condition determination unit 65. In addition, the control device 2 includes a return location extraction unit 66, a return movement determination unit 67, and an operation plan addition unit 68. When the request data acquisition unit 60 receives the vehicle allocation request data from the electronic device 4, the request data acquisition unit 60 registers the information included in the vehicle allocation request data in the reservation DB 25.

[0030] The operation plan creation unit 61 creates a first operation plan in accordance with the information registered in the reservation DB 25 by the request data acquisition unit 60. The following description will be given, as an example, of a case where delivery information is included in the information registered in the reservation DB 25 by the request data acquisition unit 60. Therefore, the first operation plan is a plan to operate the vehicle 3 at least for the movement (loading and delivery) of luggage. Note that the first operation plan may also be a plan to operate the vehicle 3 for the movement of people in addition to the movement of luggage. When creating the first operation plan, a driving route from the luggage loading location to the luggage delivery location is set based on the information included in the vehicle dispatch request data and the map information stored in the map DB 24. Furthermore, when creating the first operation plan, a driving route may be set according to the time (time zone) for loading the luggage and the time (time zone) for delivering the luggage, which are included in the vehicle dispatch request data.

[0031] In addition, the operation plan creation unit 61 stores the calculated travel route in the reservation DB 25. As a result, the travel route set by the operation plan creation unit 61 is stored in the reservation DB 25 as an operation plan for the vehicle dispatch service provided to the user. Furthermore, the operation plan creation unit 61 outputs operation plan information related to the first operation plan to the vehicle 3 provided to the user and to the electronic device 4. The time setting unit 62 sets a judgment threshold time and a return threshold time. The determination threshold time is a time that is set in advance based on a passenger time slot, which is a time slot during which the demand for travel by people is predicted to be higher than other time slots. The passenger time period is set according to, for example, the day of the week, the season, the region, the distance to a station or a commercial facility, etc. Furthermore, the passenger time period may be set using, for example, data acquired in the past.

[0032] In the embodiment, as an example, a case will be described in which the time setting unit 62 sets the determination threshold time to a time that is earlier than the start time of the passenger time slot by a preset advance time. The preceding time is set to, for example, 1 hour. Therefore, for example, if the passenger time zone is from 1 pm to 3 pm, the time setting unit 62 sets the determination threshold time to 12 o'clock. Also, in the embodiment, as an example, when road congestion is predicted, the advance time is increased compared to when road congestion is not predicted. As a specific example, the advance time that is set to one hour when road congestion is not predicted is set to one and a half hours when road congestion is predicted. Therefore, for example, when the passenger time zone is from 1:00 PM to 3:00 PM, the time setting unit 62 sets the determination threshold time to 11:30 AM when road congestion is predicted. Note that a case where road congestion is predicted is, for example, a case where it is bad weather (rainy weather, etc.), and a case where road congestion is not predicted is, for example, a case where it is good weather (sunny weather, etc.). In addition, road congestion may be predicted using information acquired via the communication device 22.

[0033] The return threshold time is closer to the passenger time slot than the determination threshold time. In the embodiment, as an example, a case will be described in which the time setting unit 62 sets the return threshold time to a time that is 30 minutes closer to the passenger time slot than the determination threshold time. Therefore, for example, if the passenger time slot is from 1:00 PM to 3:00 PM, the time setting unit 62 sets the return threshold time to 12:30 PM if no road congestion is predicted. Also, for example, if the passenger time slot is from 1:00 PM to 3:00 PM, the time setting unit 62 sets the return threshold time to 12:00 PM if road congestion is predicted. The time determination unit 63 determines that the current time has reached the determination threshold time when the vehicle 3 is moving at least luggage among the movement of people and the movement of luggage in accordance with the first operation plan.

[0034] The cancelled delivery package information acquisition unit 64 acquires cancelled delivery package information. The cancelled delivery parcel information is information including the status of cancelled delivery parcels, which are parcels loaded on the vehicle 3 and whose movement has been cancelled. The canceled delivery package information is detected, for example, using the delivery information included in the first operation plan, a camera capable of capturing images of the interior of the vehicle 3, a pressure sensor disposed on the seat of the vehicle 3, or the like. The return condition determining unit 65 determines whether or not the state of the cancelled delivery parcel included in the cancelled delivery parcel information acquired by the cancelled delivery parcel information acquiring unit 64 satisfies the preset return conditions. Specifically, the return condition determination unit 65 determines that the return condition is satisfied when the state of the canceled delivery parcel contained in the canceled delivery parcel information acquired by the canceled delivery parcel information acquisition unit 64 includes a state in which there is no space in the vehicle 3 available for people to move.

[0035] In the embodiment, as an example, a case will be described in which it is determined that the return conditions are satisfied when the status of the canceled delivery parcel included in the canceled delivery parcel information includes a state in which the occupancy rate of the canceled delivery parcels relative to the seats provided in vehicle 3 has reached a threshold occupancy rate. The threshold occupancy rate is preset as the occupancy rate (100%) when, for example, vehicle 3 has five seats (capacity for five passengers) and the canceled delivery package information indicates that all five seats are occupied.

[0036] Furthermore, the threshold occupancy rate may be changed, for example, depending on the area in which the vehicle 3 is located at the time when it is determined that the current time has reached the determination threshold time. For example, if vehicle 3 is located in an area where the demand for human movement is higher than other areas at the time when it is determined that the current time is the judgment threshold time, the threshold occupancy rate is lowered more than when vehicle 3 is not located in an area where the demand for human movement is higher than other areas. In this case, as a specific example, if vehicle 3 has five seats, the threshold occupancy rate is set as the occupancy rate (60%) when the canceled delivery package information indicates that three of the five seats are occupied.

[0037] The return location extraction unit 66 extracts a baggage deposit location where the canceled delivery baggage can be left from a plurality of baggage deposit locations around the vehicle 3. The baggage deposit location is a location where the canceled delivery baggage can be left (for example, a collection and delivery center of a moving company, etc.). In the embodiment, as an example, a case will be described in which the return location extraction unit 66 extracts the luggage drop-off location from the luggage drop-off location closest to the vehicle 3 out of multiple luggage drop-off locations around the vehicle 3.

[0038] In addition, in the embodiment, as an example, a case will be described in which, when new vehicle dispatch request data including a person's desire to travel is received, a luggage deposit location is extracted depending on the boarding location of the person wishing to travel in the new vehicle dispatch request data. Specifically, the baggage deposit location is extracted from baggage deposit locations that exist between the current position of the vehicle 3 and the location where the person who wishes to travel based on the new vehicle dispatch request data will board. The process of extracting the luggage deposit location is performed when the time determination unit 63 has determined that the current time has reached the determination threshold time, and the return condition determination unit 65 has determined that the status of the canceled luggage included in the canceled luggage information satisfies the return conditions.

[0039] The return movement determination unit 67 determines whether or not the vehicle 3 can move to the baggage deposit location extracted by the return location extraction unit 66 by the return threshold time. The determination as to whether the vehicle 3 can move to the baggage deposit location is made based on, for example, the current position of the vehicle 3, the map information stored in the map DB 24, traffic conditions, and the like. In addition, the return movement determination unit 67 makes a determination when the time determination unit 63 has determined that the current time has reached the determination threshold time and the return condition determination unit 65 has determined that the state of the canceled delivery parcel included in the canceled delivery parcel information satisfies the return conditions.

[0040] When the return movement determination unit 67 determines that the vehicle 3 can move to the baggage deposit location by the return threshold time, the operation plan addition unit 68 creates a second operation plan, which is an operation plan for the vehicle 3 to move to the baggage deposit location. When creating the second operation plan, a travel route from the current position to the baggage deposit location extracted by the return location extraction unit 66 is set based on the map information stored in the map DB 24. Furthermore, the operation plan adding unit 68 stores the calculated travel route in the reservation DB 25. As a result, the travel route set by the operation plan adding unit 68 is stored in the reservation DB 25 as an operation plan for the vehicle dispatch service provided to the user. Furthermore, the operation plan addition unit 68 outputs operation plan information related to the second operation plan to the vehicle 3 provided to the user and to the electronic device 4.

[0041] In the embodiment, as an example, a case will be described in which the second operation plan includes at least one of the movement of people and the movement of luggage included in the new vehicle dispatch request data to be performed after the vehicle 3 moves to the luggage deposit location. Note that the second operation plan may be created by prioritizing the movement of people, for example, among the movement of people and the movement of luggage included in the new vehicle dispatch request data to be performed after the vehicle 3 moves to the luggage deposit location.

[0042] (operation) 3 is a flowchart showing a main routine for using the vehicle dispatch service. The flowchart shown in FIG. 3 starts from a state in which the operation plan creation unit 61 outputs operation plan information related to the first operation plan to the vehicle 3 and the electronic device 4. In step S1, the vehicle 3 travels along a travel route included in the first operation plan to move the cargo. In step S2, the time determination unit 63 determines whether the current time has reached the determination threshold time. If it is determined that the current time has reached the determination threshold time (step S2: Y), the process proceeds to step S3. If it is determined that the current time has not reached the determination threshold time (step S2: N), the process proceeds to step S4. In step S3, the control device 2 performs a return process as a subroutine for using the vehicle dispatch service. The return process will be described later. In step S4, the vehicle 3 continues to move the luggage.

[0043] FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing a subroutine (return process) in using the vehicle dispatch service. In step S31, the cancelled delivery package information acquisition unit 64 acquires cancelled delivery package information. In addition, the return condition determination unit 65 determines whether the state of the cancelled delivery package included in the cancelled delivery package information acquired by the cancelled delivery package information acquisition unit 64 satisfies the return conditions. If it is determined that the state of the cancelled delivery package satisfies the return conditions (step S31: Y), the process proceeds to step S32. If it is determined that the state of the cancelled delivery package does not satisfy the return conditions (step S31: N), the process proceeds to step S36. In step S32, the return location extraction unit 66 extracts, from the plurality of baggage deposit locations, a baggage deposit location where the baggage whose delivery has been canceled will be left by the return threshold time.

[0044] In step S33, the return movement determination unit 67 determines whether the vehicle 3 can be moved to the baggage deposit location extracted in step S32 by the return threshold time. If it is determined that the vehicle 3 can be moved to the baggage deposit location by the return threshold time (step S33: Y), the process proceeds to step S34. If it is determined that the vehicle 3 cannot be moved to the baggage deposit location by the return threshold time (step S33: N), the process proceeds to step S36. In step S34, the operation plan addition unit 68 creates a second operation plan in which the vehicle 3 moves to the baggage deposit location extracted in step S32, and outputs the created second operation plan to the vehicle 3. In step S35, the vehicle 3 moves to the baggage deposit location extracted in step S32 and returns the canceled baggage. In step S36, the vehicle 3 continues to move the luggage.

[0045] (Effects of the embodiment) (1) When a computer provided in the vehicle dispatch assistance device is moving at least one parcel according to a first operation plan, the computer executes a process of determining that the current time has reached a determination threshold time and a process of acquiring canceled parcel information, which is information including the status of canceled parcels. Furthermore, the computer executes a process of determining whether the status of canceled parcels included in the acquired canceled parcel information satisfies a return condition. Furthermore, when the computer determines that the current time has reached a determination threshold time and that the status of canceled parcels included in the acquired canceled parcel information satisfies the return condition, the computer executes a process of determining whether vehicle 3 can move to the parcel drop-off location by the return threshold time. Additionally, when the computer determines that vehicle 3 can move to the parcel drop-off location by the return threshold time, the computer executes a process of creating a second operation plan and a process of outputting the created second operation plan. This makes it possible to return canceled luggage to the baggage deposit area before the passenger hours, which is a time when new passengers are likely to arrive, thereby reducing the possibility that a seat will be occupied by canceled luggage. This makes it possible to reserve seats for passenger transportation during passenger hours, thereby reducing the possibility of passengers being unable to board vehicle 3 during passenger hours.

[0046] (2) The second operation plan includes at least one of the movement of people and the movement of luggage included in the new vehicle dispatch request data, which is to be carried out after the vehicle 3 has moved to the luggage deposit location. This allows the vehicle 3 to be in a state where it can accept new dispatch request data during passenger hours, with seats for passengers and space for loading luggage secured.

[0047] (3) The computer executes a process of extracting a baggage drop-off location where the canceled baggage can be left from the baggage drop-off locations around the vehicle 3, and a process of determining whether the vehicle can move to the extracted baggage drop-off location by the return threshold time. In addition, if it determines that the vehicle 3 can move to the extracted baggage drop-off location by the return threshold time, it executes a process of creating a second operation plan. This allows the canceled package to be returned to a baggage deposit point located around the vehicle 3, thereby ensuring time to accept new vehicle dispatch request data between the time the canceled package is returned and the passenger time slot.

[0048] (4) The computer executes a process to extract a baggage drop-off location where the canceled delivery baggage can be left from the baggage drop-off locations nearest to the vehicle 3. This allows the canceled package to be returned to the nearest baggage deposit point of the vehicle 3, thereby ensuring time to accept new vehicle dispatch request data between the time the canceled package is returned and the passenger time slot.

[0049] (5) When the computer determines that the current time has reached the judgment threshold time, and determines that the status of the canceled parcel included in the canceled parcel information satisfies the return conditions, and further receives new vehicle dispatch request data that includes a person's request for transportation, it executes a process to extract a baggage storage location for the canceled parcel from baggage storage locations located between the current location of vehicle 3 and the location where the person requesting transportation according to the new vehicle dispatch request data will board. This makes it possible to efficiently move vehicle 3 to a location where people who wish to travel based on new vehicle dispatch request data can board after returning the canceled luggage to the luggage deposit location.

[0050] (6) If the status of the canceled delivery parcel included in the acquired canceled delivery parcel information includes a status in which there is no space in vehicle 3 for people to move, the computer executes a process to determine that the status of the canceled delivery parcel satisfies the return conditions. This makes it possible to secure space in vehicle 3 for people to move around, and reduces the possibility of passengers being unable to board vehicle 3 during passenger hours.

[0051] (7) If the computer determines that the status of the canceled parcels included in the acquired canceled parcel information includes a state in which the occupancy rate of the canceled parcels relative to the seats in vehicle 3 has reached a threshold occupancy rate, it executes a process to determine that the return conditions are met. This makes it possible to secure seats for people to sit in car 3, and reduces the possibility of passengers being unable to board car 3 during passenger hours.

[0052] (8) At the time when it is determined that the current time has reached the judgment threshold time, if vehicle 3 is located in an area where the demand for human movement is higher than in other areas, the threshold occupancy rate is lowered more than when vehicle 3 is not located in an area where the demand for human movement is higher than in other areas. This makes it possible to secure seats even when the number of cancelled parcels is small in areas where there is a high demand for human movement, thereby reducing the possibility of passengers being unable to board vehicle 3 during passenger hours.

[0053] (9) The judgment threshold time is set to a time earlier than the start time of the passenger time slot by a predetermined advance time. This makes it possible to reduce the occurrence of situations where it is not possible to secure a seat for someone to sit in car 3 by the time of passenger departure, thereby reducing the possibility of passengers being unable to board car 3.

[0054] (10) When road congestion is predicted, the lead time is increased more than when congestion is not predicted. This makes it possible to reduce the occurrence of a situation where it is impossible to secure a seat for a person in vehicle 3 by the passenger time slot when road congestion is predicted, which means that the demand for human movement is predicted to be higher than when congestion is not predicted. This makes it possible to reduce the possibility of passengers being unable to board vehicle 3.

[0055] (11) In the vehicle dispatch assistance method, vehicle dispatch request data received from a user is sent to a control device. Then, when the control device is moving at least the luggage among the movement of people and the movement of luggage according to a first operation plan created in response to the vehicle dispatch request data, it determines that the current time has reached a judgment threshold time. Furthermore, it acquires canceled delivery luggage information, which is information including the status of canceled delivery luggage, and determines whether the status of canceled delivery luggage included in the acquired canceled delivery luggage information satisfies the return condition. Furthermore, when it determines that the current time has reached the judgment threshold time and that the status of the acquired canceled delivery luggage satisfies the return condition, it determines whether the vehicle 3 can move to the luggage deposit location by the return threshold time. Then, when it determines that the vehicle 3 can move to the luggage deposit location by the return threshold time, it creates a second operation plan and outputs the created second operation plan. This makes it possible to return canceled luggage to the baggage deposit area before the passenger hours, which is a time when new passengers are likely to arrive, thereby reducing the possibility that a seat will be occupied by canceled luggage. This makes it possible to reserve seats for passenger transportation during passenger hours, thereby reducing the possibility of passengers being unable to board vehicle 3 during passenger hours.

[0056] (12) The vehicle dispatch assistance system 1 includes a control device that receives dispatch request data received from a user. The control device determines that the current time has reached a determination threshold time when at least the luggage is being moved among the movement of people and the movement of luggage in accordance with a first operation plan created in response to the vehicle dispatch request data. Furthermore, the control device acquires canceled delivery luggage information, which is information including the status of canceled delivery luggage, and determines whether the status of the canceled delivery luggage included in the acquired canceled delivery luggage information satisfies the return condition. Furthermore, if the control device determines that the current time has reached the determination threshold time and that the status of the acquired canceled delivery luggage satisfies the return condition, it determines whether the vehicle 3 can move to the luggage drop-off location by the return threshold time. If the control device determines that the vehicle 3 can move to the luggage drop-off location by the return threshold time, it creates a second operation plan and outputs the created second operation plan. This makes it possible to return canceled luggage to the baggage deposit area before the passenger hours, which is a time when new passengers are likely to arrive, thereby reducing the possibility that a seat will be occupied by canceled luggage. This makes it possible to reserve seats for passenger transportation during passenger hours, thereby reducing the possibility of passengers being unable to board vehicle 3 during passenger hours.

[0057] (Modification of the embodiment) (1) In the embodiment, the vehicle 3 is an autonomously driven vehicle, but this is not limiting, and the vehicle 3 may be a manually driven vehicle that is manually driven by a driver (human). In this case, for example, the driver of vehicle 3 refers to the second operation plan output to vehicle 3 and manually drives vehicle 3 to the baggage deposit location. [Explanation of symbols]

[0058] 1...vehicle dispatch support system, 2...controller, 3...vehicle, 4...electronic device, 20, 36, 44...processor, 21, 37, 45...storage device, 22, 33, 41...communication device, 23...registrant database, 24, 32...map database, 25...reservation database, 30...sensor, 31, 40...positioning device, 34, 43...controller, 35...actuator, 42...human-machine interface, 50...reservation user information transmission unit, 51...vehicle dispatch request data generation unit, 60...request data acquisition unit, 61...operation plan creation unit, 62...time setting unit, 63...time determination unit, 64...cancelled delivery package information acquisition unit, 65...return condition determination unit, 66...return location extraction unit, 67...return movement determination unit, 68...operation plan addition unit

Claims

1. A vehicle dispatch support device that provides a vehicle to be used for at least one of a person's movement and a cargo movement in accordance with an operation plan created using vehicle dispatch request data including at least one of a received person's movement request and a cargo movement request, a process of determining, when at least luggage is being moved among the movement of the person and the movement of the luggage in accordance with a first operation plan created in accordance with the dispatch request data, that the current time has reached a predetermined determination threshold time based on a passenger time period, which is a time period in which demand for the movement of the person is predicted to be higher than other time periods; A process of acquiring aborted delivery package information, which is information including the status of aborted delivery packages, which are packages loaded on the vehicle and whose movement has been aborted; A process of determining whether or not the status of the canceled package included in the acquired canceled package information satisfies a preset return condition; a process of determining whether the vehicle can move to a baggage deposit location where the canceled baggage will be deposited by a return threshold time, which is a time closer to the passenger time slot than the determination threshold time, when determining that the current time has reached the determination threshold time and that the state of the canceled baggage included in the acquired canceled baggage information satisfies the return condition; When it is determined that the vehicle can move to the baggage deposit location by the return threshold time, a process of creating a second operation plan that is an operation plan for moving the vehicle to the baggage deposit location; A process of outputting the created second operation plan; a computer that executes The return condition is that the canceled package does not leave enough space in the vehicle for people to move, or that the occupancy rate of the canceled package relative to the seats in the vehicle has reached a preset threshold occupancy rate; When the computer determines, based on the acquired canceled package information, that there is not enough space in the vehicle for people to move due to the canceled packages, or when it determines that the occupancy rate of the canceled packages relative to the seats in the vehicle has reached a preset threshold occupancy rate, it determines that the state of the canceled packages satisfies the return condition. A vehicle dispatch support device characterized by:

2. The vehicle dispatch support device of claim 1, wherein the second operation plan includes at least one of the movement of the person and the movement of the luggage contained in new vehicle dispatch request data to be carried out after the vehicle has moved to the luggage deposit location.

3. The computer A process of extracting a baggage deposit location where the canceled baggage should be deposited from baggage deposit locations existing around the vehicle; A process of determining whether the vehicle can move to the extracted baggage deposit location by the return threshold time; The vehicle dispatch support device according to claim 1, wherein the device executes a process of creating the second operation plan when it determines that the vehicle can move to the extracted baggage deposit location by the return threshold time.

4. The computer 4. The vehicle dispatch assistance device according to claim 3, further comprising a process for extracting a baggage deposit location for depositing the canceled baggage from the baggage deposit locations located nearest to the vehicle.

5. The computer 4. The vehicle dispatch support device of claim 3, which determines that the current time has reached the judgment threshold time, determines that the status of the canceled delivery parcel included in the acquired canceled delivery parcel information satisfies the return condition, and further, when new vehicle dispatch request data including the person's desire to move is received, executes a process of extracting a baggage deposit location for leaving the canceled delivery parcel from baggage deposit locations located between the current position of the vehicle and the location where the person requesting transportation according to the new vehicle dispatch request data will board.

6. A vehicle dispatch support device as described in claim 1, wherein, when it is determined that the current time has reached the judgment threshold time, if the vehicle is located in an area where the demand for human movement is higher than in other areas, the threshold occupancy rate is lowered compared to when the vehicle is not located in an area where the demand for human movement is higher than in other areas.

7. 6. The vehicle dispatch support device according to claim 1, wherein the determination threshold time is set to a time earlier than the start time of the passenger time slot by a predetermined advance time.

8. 8. The vehicle allocation support device according to claim 7, wherein when road congestion is predicted, the advance time is increased more than when the congestion is not predicted.

9. A vehicle dispatch support method for providing a vehicle to be used for at least one of a person's movement and a cargo movement in accordance with an operation plan created using vehicle dispatch request data including at least one of a received person's movement request and a cargo movement request, the method comprising: Transmitting the received vehicle dispatch request data to a control device; The control device When at least the luggage is being moved among the movement of the person and the movement of the luggage in accordance with the first operation plan created in accordance with the vehicle dispatch request data, it is determined that the current time has reached a predetermined determination threshold time based on a passenger time period, which is a time period in which the demand for the movement of the person is predicted to be higher than other time periods; Acquire cancelled delivery information, which is information including the status of cancelled delivery packages, which are packages loaded on the vehicle and whose movement has been cancelled; determining whether the status of the cancelled parcel included in the acquired cancelled parcel information satisfies a preset return condition; When it is determined that the current time has reached the determination threshold time and that the state of the canceled package included in the acquired canceled package information satisfies the return condition, it is determined whether or not the vehicle can move to a baggage deposit location where the canceled package will be deposited by a return threshold time, which is a time closer to the passenger time slot than the determination threshold time, If it is determined that the vehicle can move to the baggage deposit location by the return threshold time, a second operation plan is created, which is an operation plan for moving the vehicle to the baggage deposit location; Outputting the created second operation plan; The return condition is that the canceled package does not leave enough space in the vehicle for people to move, or that the occupancy rate of the canceled package relative to the seats in the vehicle has reached a preset threshold occupancy rate; When the control device determines, based on the acquired canceled delivery package information, that there is not enough space in the vehicle for people to move due to the canceled delivery packages, or when it determines that the occupancy rate of the canceled delivery packages relative to the seats in the vehicle has reached a preset threshold occupancy rate, it determines that the state of the canceled delivery packages satisfies the return condition. A vehicle dispatch support method characterized by:

10. A vehicle dispatch support system that provides a vehicle to be used for at least one of a person's movement and a cargo movement in accordance with an operation plan created using vehicle dispatch request data including at least one of a received person's movement request and a cargo movement request, a control device for receiving the received vehicle dispatch request data, The control device When at least the luggage is being moved among the movement of the person and the movement of the luggage in accordance with the first operation plan created in accordance with the vehicle dispatch request data, it is determined that the current time has reached a predetermined determination threshold time based on a passenger time period, which is a time period in which the demand for the movement of the person is predicted to be higher than other time periods; Acquire cancelled delivery information, which is information including the status of cancelled delivery packages, which are packages loaded on the vehicle and whose movement has been cancelled; determining whether the status of the cancelled parcel included in the acquired cancelled parcel information satisfies a preset return condition; When it is determined that the current time has reached the determination threshold time and that the state of the canceled package included in the acquired canceled package information satisfies the return condition, it is determined whether or not the vehicle can move to a baggage deposit location where the canceled package will be deposited by a return threshold time, which is a time closer to the passenger time slot than the determination threshold time, If it is determined that the vehicle can move to the baggage deposit location by the return threshold time, a second operation plan is created, which is an operation plan for moving the vehicle to the baggage deposit location; Outputting the created second operation plan; The return condition is that the canceled package does not leave enough space in the vehicle for people to move, or that the occupancy rate of the canceled package relative to the seats in the vehicle has reached a preset threshold occupancy rate; When the control device determines, based on the acquired canceled delivery package information, that there is not enough space in the vehicle for people to move due to the canceled delivery packages, or when it determines that the occupancy rate of the canceled delivery packages relative to the seats in the vehicle has reached a preset threshold occupancy rate, it determines that the state of the canceled delivery packages satisfies the return condition. A vehicle dispatch support system characterized by:

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