Transportation System

Abstract

To provide a transportation system configured to reduce waiting time of a user who uses a vehicle in a boarding and alighting place in a managed area, and increase operation efficiency of the vehicle.SOLUTION: A device equipped in a facility outputs a facility status indicating a status of a facility. A control apparatus manages arrangement of vehicles using the facility status. The control apparatus generates, using a service vehicle request unit 40, a service vehicle request data 214 based on a request from a user. A highest-priority facility selection unit 81 selects a boarding / alighting place with highest priority on the basis of preset priority, to generate highest-priority facility data 281. An optimal vehicle selection unit 82 selects a vehicle which is located closest to the boarding / alighting place to generate optimal vehicle data 282. An evacuation vehicle selection unit 83 selects an evacuation vehicle to be evacuated from the boarding / alighting place, to generate evacuation vehicle data 215. A vehicle command unit 70 generates commands to the vehicles using the above data.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] This application relates to transportation systems. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent document 1 describes a technology for providing a shared vehicle management device that calculates the demand for shared vehicles in a parking lot based on the usage history of users, calculates the supply of shared vehicles based on the number of shared vehicles parked in the parking lot, and sets the combination of parking lots that make up each zone so as to minimize the total difference between the demand and supply, thereby increasing convenience for users and reducing the uneven distribution of shared vehicles. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2019-145014 A (pages 4 to 7, Figure 1) Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In Patent Document 1, under the conditions that the area managed by the system is wide, customers do not use their vehicles extremely frequently, there are many parking facilities where vehicles can be parked, and there is a surplus of vehicles that can be parked in the parking facilities, the system presents combinations of parking lots that make up each zone to customers so as to minimize the total difference between demand and supply, and allows them to select a parking lot, thereby increasing convenience for customers and reducing vehicle uneven distribution. However, for example, in conditions where the area managed by the system is a narrow area such as a closed-loop single track, and usage is extremely high, such as for public transportation during morning and evening rush hours, and the facilities where vehicles can be parked are limited to parking lots adjacent to the track and each boarding and disembarking area, and there is no room for parking at each facility, simply reducing the uneven distribution of vehicles will lead to problems such as longer waiting times for passengers and reduced operating efficiency, making it impossible to meet passenger demand for transportation.

[0005] The present application discloses technology for solving the above-mentioned problems, and aims to provide a transportation system that can shorten waiting times for vehicle users at boarding and disembarking points within a managed area and increase vehicle operating efficiency. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The transportation system disclosed in the present application includes a facility monitoring device that monitors facilities including boarding and disembarking areas where vehicles wait and outputs a facility status indicating the state of the facility, and a control device that manages the allocation of vehicles using the facility status output by the facility monitoring device. It is a transportation system The control device includes an available vehicle selection unit that selects vehicles available for dispatch among vehicles within the facility and creates available vehicle data; a highest priority stop selection unit that selects a stop with the highest priority based on a replenishment priority preset according to the state of the stop and creates highest priority stop data; a vehicle allocation selection unit that selects a vehicle to be allocated to the stop selected by the highest priority stop selection unit from the vehicles in the available vehicle data based on the driving distance to the stop, and creates allocated vehicle data; and a vehicle command unit that generates a command to the relevant vehicle based on the highest priority stop data and the allocated vehicle data. The priority is set to be high when the vehicle is located closer to the boarding / alighting point than a predetermined threshold value of the distance traveled. It is something. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to the transportation system disclosed in the present application, it is possible to shorten the waiting time of vehicle users at boarding and disembarking points within a management area and to increase the operating efficiency of vehicles. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a transportation system according to a first embodiment. [Figure 2] 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a control device of a traffic system according to a first embodiment. [Figure 3] 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a facility-attached device of a transportation system according to Embodiment 1. FIG. [Figure 4] 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a vehicle in a transportation system according to a first embodiment. [Figure 5] 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a control management unit of the transportation system according to the first embodiment. FIG. [Figure 6] 1 is a diagram showing the overall configuration of a transportation system according to a first embodiment. [Figure 7] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating the state of each facility in the transportation system according to the first embodiment. [Figure 8] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating the operation of replenishing and retracting vehicles in the transportation system according to the first embodiment. [Figure 9] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating the priority of the state of each facility in the transportation system according to the first embodiment. [Figure 10] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an operation of changing a vehicle's destination en route in the transportation system according to the first embodiment. [Figure 11] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating another operation of changing the destination of a vehicle en route in the transportation system according to the first embodiment. [Figure 12] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing facility definition information in the transportation system according to the first embodiment. [Figure 13] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing facility statuses in the transportation system according to the first embodiment. [Figure 14] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing vehicle definition information in the transportation system according to the first embodiment. [Figure 15] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing vehicle statuses in the transportation system according to the first embodiment. [Figure 16]1 is a diagram showing the hardware configuration of a control device, facility-attached devices, and vehicles of a transportation system according to a first embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] Embodiment 1 The first embodiment will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a transportation system according to the first embodiment. 1, the transportation system 1 includes a control device 10, facility-attached devices 20 (facility monitoring devices), and a vehicle 30. There may be a plurality of facility-attached devices 20.

[0010] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a control device of the traffic system according to the first embodiment. In FIG. 2, the control device 10 includes a control receiving unit 11, a control transmitting unit 12, and a control managing unit 13. The control receiving unit 11 receives requests from applications on the user's mobile terminal, facility incidental equipment 20, and vehicle 30. An application request 110 is a request from the application, a facility incidental equipment request 111 is a request from facility incidental equipment 20, and a vehicle request 112 is a request from vehicle 30. Facility incidental equipment request 111 will be described later with reference to FIG. 3. The control transmission unit 12 transmits a response 120 to the vehicle and a response 121 to the mobile terminal of the passenger, respectively. The control management unit 13 will be described later with reference to FIG.

[0011] FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the facility-attached device of the transportation system according to the first embodiment. In FIG. 3, the facility attached device 20 includes a facility receiving unit 21, a facility transmitting unit 22, a facility sensor 23, and a vehicle dispatch request receiving unit facility 24. The facility receiving unit 21 receives facility definition information 211 for setting the facility status, which holds the internal state of the facility, to an appropriate initial state when the system is started or reset. It also receives occupancy information 218 of vehicles waiting at the boarding / alighting area and passenger waiting status 219 at the boarding / alighting area. The occupancy information 218 includes information on vehicles currently boarding or alighting and dispatched vehicles in the vicinity. If necessary, the facility transmission unit 22 causes the facility status information to be displayed on the facility's HMI (Human Machine Interface) by issuing a display instruction 220 to the facility's HMI. Also, the facility transmission unit 22 notifies the control device 10 of the updated facility status by issuing a notification 221 to the control device. The facility sensor 23 is arranged to acquire at least the number of waiting vehicles and waiting passengers at the boarding and alighting area. The vehicle dispatch request reception unit facility 24 is configured to acquire a vehicle dispatch request that the user inputs directly into a reception terminal installed in the facility ancillary equipment 20 or that the user inputs from a remote terminal such as a personal computer or smartphone, and output the information as a request 111 for the facility ancillary equipment.

[0012] FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a vehicle in the transportation system according to the first embodiment. 4, vehicle 30 has a vehicle receiving unit 31 for receiving information and a vehicle transmitting unit 32 for transmitting information. The received information received by vehicle receiving unit 31 includes vehicle definition information 311 (described later) and vehicle commands 217 from the control device. The vehicle transmitter 32 notifies the control device 10 of the updated vehicle status via a notification to control device 320 .

[0013] FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the control management unit of the transportation system according to the first embodiment. 5, the control management unit 13 includes an actual vehicle request unit 40, an available vehicle determination unit 80, a highest priority facility selection unit 81, an optimum vehicle selection unit 82, an evacuation vehicle selection unit 83, and a vehicle command unit 70. The actual vehicle request unit 40 updates the actual vehicle request data 214 based on a request from an application, a request from the facility incidental device 20, or a request from the vehicle 30 received by the control receiving unit 11.

[0014] The available vehicle determination unit 80 (available vehicle selection unit) uses the facility definition information 211, the latest facility status 212, the vehicle definition information 311, and the latest vehicle status 312 received by the facility receiving unit 21 to select vehicles within the facility that are available for dispatch, and updates the available vehicle data 280. The highest priority facility selection unit 81 (highest priority boarding and alighting stop selection unit) uses the facility definition information 211 received by the facility receiving unit 21, the latest facility status 212, the vehicle definition information 311, and the latest vehicle status 312 to select the facility with the highest priority for dispatching, and updates the highest priority facility data 281 (highest priority boarding and alighting stop data). The optimal vehicle selection unit 82 (dispatch vehicle selection unit) uses the facility definition information 211, the latest facility status 212, the vehicle definition information 311, and the latest vehicle status 312 received by the facility receiving unit 21 to select the optimal vehicle to be dispatched to the destination facility, and updates the optimal vehicle data 282 (dispatch vehicle data).

[0015] The evacuation vehicle selection unit 83 (evacuation vehicle selection unit) selects a vehicle to be evacuated from the boarding and alighting area using the facility definition information 211, the latest facility status 212, the vehicle definition information 311, and the latest vehicle status 312 received by the facility receiving unit 21, and updates the evacuation vehicle data 215. The vehicle command unit 70 generates a vehicle command 217 (dispatch command) to the vehicle 30 based on the latest vehicle request data 214, available vehicle data 280, highest priority facility data 281, optimal vehicle data 282, and evacuation vehicle data 215.

[0016] FIG. 6 is a diagram showing the overall configuration of the transportation system according to the first embodiment. In FIG. 6, the reference numeral 10 is the same as that in FIG. The road 500 is a track on which vehicles travel, and forms a single closed loop in this example. It has parking areas and boarding and disembarking areas, which will be described later, and a traveling vehicle 534 travels on the road 500. The control device 10 is configured to communicate with all vehicles on the running path 500, all boarding and disembarking areas and parking areas located adjacent to the running path 500, and mobile terminals of passengers located near the running path, boarding and disembarking areas, and parking areas.

[0017] The parking lot 520 is a space for parking vehicles 30 that are not carrying passengers and are not waiting at a boarding or disembarking area, and maintenance can also be performed here. It is also possible to replenish the energy required for traveling. In Figure 6, there are four parked vehicles 530 in the parking lot 520 at this moment. Stops A521, B522, and C523 are the locations where passengers board and disembark from the vehicles, respectively. At this moment, there are two waiting vehicles 531 at stop A521, three waiting vehicles 532 at stop B522, and two waiting vehicles 533 at stop C523. Also, at this moment, there are four passengers 541 waiting at stop A521, four passengers 542 waiting at stop B522, and four passengers 543 waiting at stop C523.

[0018] FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating the state of each facility in the transportation system according to the first embodiment. Figure 7 explains the name, conditions, and actions to be taken when the status of each facility occurs. The names of the status of each facility are "Waiting," "Depletion," "Shortage," "Surplus," "Margin," and "Excess," and each shows the conditions and the actions to be taken when the status occurs.

[0019] FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating the operation of replenishing and retracting vehicles in the transportation system according to the first embodiment. In FIG. 8, the vertical axis indicates position and the horizontal axis indicates time. In the initial state, there are four parked vehicles 530 at parking lot 520, two waiting vehicles 531 at stop A521, three waiting vehicles 532 at stop B522, and two waiting vehicles 533 at stop C523.

[0020] FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating the priority of the state of each facility in the transportation system according to the first embodiment. FIG. 9 explains the name, classification conditions, priority, and status update operation when an event occurs for each facility. The names are explained as follows: "(1a) Waiting / Nearby", "(2a) Depletion / Nearby", "(3a) Shortage / Nearby", "(1b) Waiting / Faraway", "(2b) Depletion / Faraway", and "(3b) Shortage / Faraway". In the transportation system according to the first embodiment, the priority of replenishment is set in the following order: (1a), (2a), (3a), (1b), (2b), and (3b).

[0021] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an operation of changing the destination of a vehicle en route in the transportation system according to the first embodiment. In FIG. 10, the vertical axis represents position and the horizontal axis represents time. In the initial state, there are four waiting vehicles at parking lot 520, three waiting vehicles at stop A521, two waiting vehicles at stop B522, and two waiting vehicles at stop C523. FIG. 10(a) is a diagram showing an example of vehicle allocation, and FIG. 10(b) is a diagram showing a case where the vehicle allocation destination is changed during vehicle allocation.

[0022] FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating another operation for changing the destination of a vehicle en route in the transportation system according to the first embodiment. In FIG. 11, the vertical axis represents position and the horizontal axis represents time. In the initial state, there are four waiting vehicles at the parking lot, four waiting vehicles at stop A521, three waiting vehicles at stop B522, and three waiting vehicles at stop C523. FIG. 11(a) is a diagram showing an example of vehicle allocation, and FIG. 11(b) is a diagram showing a case where the destination of the vehicle is changed during the vehicle allocation.

[0023] FIG. 12 is a diagram showing facility definition information in the transportation system according to the first embodiment. In FIG. 12, facility definition information 211 is a file that defines static information about a facility. The facility definition information 211 contains data defining static information including the arrangement of the facility, facility ID (identification), facility name, facility type, number of boarding / disembarking / parking spots at the facility, maximum number of vehicles that can be reserved for the facility, minimum number of vehicles that can be reserved for the facility, a list of IDs of road links belonging to the facility, a list of road links that can reach the facility, IDs of the road links, the distance between the road links and the facility, the node ID where the facility is located, and a proximity threshold (a threshold that indicates proximity in terms of distance).

[0024] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing facility statuses in the transportation system according to the first embodiment. In FIG. 13, facility status 212 is data for managing the state of a facility. Facility status 212 is data that manages dynamic information including facility ID, current time, current number of waiting vehicles, current number of dispatched vehicles, currently secured number of vehicles (number of waiting vehicles + number of dispatched vehicles), current shortage of vehicles (minimum number of secured vehicles - number of waiting vehicles), current number of waiting passengers, current depletion time, and current occupied number of vehicles (number of waiting vehicles + number of vehicles boarding and disembarking + number of dispatched vehicles from nearby).

[0025] FIG. 14 is a diagram showing vehicle definition information in the transportation system according to the first embodiment. 14, the vehicle definition information 311 is a file that defines static information about vehicles, with one record representing information about one vehicle. The information includes the vehicle ID, vehicle type, and initial location (the facility ID where the vehicle is located when the system is started).

[0026] FIG. 15 is a diagram showing vehicle statuses in the transportation system according to the first embodiment. 15, vehicle status 312 is data for managing the state of a vehicle, including a vehicle ID, current time, location information, current location, destination, current vehicle locator status, current operation ID (command ID), current routing status, and a list of vehicles that can be replenished.

[0027] Next, the operation will be described. The transportation system of the first embodiment manages in real time the number of waiting passengers, waiting time, and number of waiting vehicles at each stop, which change from moment to moment. In addition, the system manages the allocation of vehicles for replenishing and retracting vehicles so that the necessary number of waiting vehicles is always maintained at each stop, without excess or deficiency, according to the demand of passengers at each stop. This will minimize waiting times for passengers and maximize vehicle utilization efficiency throughout the area.

[0028] At each boarding and disembarking area in embodiment 1, the entire system is controlled to maintain a state in which the number of vehicles waiting is always greater than the minimum number available (the lower limit of the number of waiting vehicles) and less than the maximum number available (the upper limit of the number of waiting vehicles), allowing passengers to board a vehicle without waiting and travel to their destination. That is, traffic control is performed through the exchange of information between the control device 10, the facility incidental devices 20, and the vehicles 30. This is explained in detail below.

[0029] When the system is started, the facility attached device 20 retrieves facility definition information 211 that defines each facility, that is, each parking area and each landing area, and performs initial settings for each facility. Then, the facility receiving unit 21 receives occupancy information 218 of vehicles waiting at the boarding / alighting area and waiting status 219 of passengers at the boarding / alighting area. While the system is operating, the facility ancillary device 20 constantly updates the facility status 212 information, which is data that manages dynamic information such as time information, number of waiting vehicles, number of arranged vehicles, number of secured vehicles, number of vehicles in short supply, number of waiting passengers, time of shortage, and number of occupied vehicles at each facility, i.e., parking lot and boarding / disembarking area, to the latest value. The updated facility status is notified to the control device 10 from the facility transmitter 22 by notification to the control device 221 . Furthermore, facility transmission unit 22 causes the facility HMI to display information required by the customer in response to display instruction 220 to the facility HMI.

[0030] On the other hand, when the system is started, the vehicle 30 retrieves vehicle definition information 311, which is data defining static information such as the vehicle type and initial location of each vehicle, and performs initial settings for each vehicle. Furthermore, the vehicle 30 receives vehicle commands 217 from the control device. While the system is operating, vehicle 30 constantly updates the information in vehicle status 312, which is data that manages dynamic information for each vehicle, such as time information, location information, current location, destination, locator information, command ID, route information, and list of replenishable vehicles, to the latest value. The updated vehicle status is notified to the control device 10 from the vehicle transmitter 32 by notification to control device 320.

[0031] In the control device 10, the control receiving unit 11 receives a request from a user from an application, a facility accessory device 20, or a vehicle 30. The control transmitting unit 12 transmits a response to the request to the vehicle 30 or the user's mobile terminal.

[0032] In addition, in the control device 10, the actual vehicle request unit 40 updates the actual vehicle request data 214 as shown in FIG. The available vehicle determination unit 80 takes in the facility definition information 211, vehicle definition information 311, facility status information 212, and vehicle status information 312, selects vehicles within the facility that are available for dispatch, and updates the available vehicle data 280. Here, the available vehicle determination unit 80 determines available vehicles based on the number of waiting passengers. Also, the available vehicle determination unit 80 determines available vehicles based on the occupancy status of waiting vehicles.

[0033] The top priority facility selection unit 81 takes in the facility definition information 211, the vehicle definition information 311, the facility status information 212, and the vehicle status information 312, selects the top priority facility with the highest priority for replenishment, and updates the top priority facility data 281. Priority will be described later with reference to FIG. 9. Here, the highest priority facility selection unit 81 selects the highest priority facility based on the number of waiting passengers. The highest priority facility selection unit 81 also selects the highest priority facility based on the duration for which the number of waiting vehicles has been zero. Furthermore, the highest priority facility selection unit 81 selects the highest priority facility based on the number of available spots at the boarding and disembarking area.

[0034] The optimum vehicle selection unit 82 takes in the facility definition information 211, vehicle definition information 311, facility status information 212, and vehicle status information 312, selects the optimum vehicle to be dispatched to the boarding / alighting point, and updates the optimum vehicle data 282. Here, the optimum vehicle selection unit 82 selects the optimum vehicle based on the distance (travel distance), that is, the positional relationship between the boarding / alighting area and the vehicle. Furthermore, the optimum vehicle selection unit 82 selects the optimum vehicle based on the user's preferences.

[0035] The evacuation vehicle selection unit 83 takes in the facility definition information 211, vehicle definition information 311, facility status information 212, and vehicle status information 312, selects a vehicle to be evacuated from the boarding / alighting area, and updates the evacuation vehicle data 215. Here, the evacuation vehicle selection unit 83 selects an evacuation vehicle based on the condition that the vehicle does not have passengers on board at the facility and no instructions have been given. Further, the evacuation vehicle selection unit 83 selects evacuation vehicles based on the condition that vehicles will be stored in the near future (within n minutes) and the maximum number of vehicles to be secured will be exceeded. In addition, the evacuation vehicle selection unit 83 selects evacuation vehicles based on the condition that the vehicles are moved to a facility within a reachable distance that has a surplus of waiting vehicles by the number of waiting vehicles that exceeds the maximum number of vehicles that can be secured.

[0036] The vehicle command unit 70 then takes in the actual vehicle request data 214, available vehicle data 280, highest priority facility data 281, optimal vehicle data 282, and evacuation vehicle data 215, and generates a vehicle command (dispatch command) for the vehicle 30.

[0037] Next, a specific example of the control according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 6, there are four parked vehicles 530 at parking lot 520. At this moment, there are two waiting vehicles 531 at stop A 521, three waiting vehicles 532 at stop B 522, and two waiting vehicles 533 at stop C 523. Also, at this moment, there are four waiting passengers 541 at stop A521, four waiting passengers 542 at stop B522, and four waiting passengers 543 at stop C523.

[0038] Then, the conditions that indicate the state of the facility defined in Figure 7 and the actions that will be taken when this occurs are performed. In other words, in Figure 7, the "waiting" state indicates that the number of waiting passengers is greater than zero, meaning that there are insufficient waiting vehicles. When this state occurs, the system determines that it is necessary to replenish vehicles from the parking lot or another boarding / disembarking area. A "starved" situation means that the number of waiting vehicles is zero. When this situation occurs, the system determines that vehicles need to be refilled from the parking lot or other boarding / deboarding areas. A "shortage" condition means that the number of waiting vehicles is less than the minimum number available. When this condition occurs, the system determines that additional vehicles are needed from the parking lot or another boarding / deboarding area.

[0039] In Figure 7, the "surplus" state indicates that the number of waiting vehicles is greater than the minimum number of vehicles available. When this state occurs, the system determines that the vehicles can be moved to the parking area or another boarding / deboarding area. A "surplus" state means that the number of waiting vehicles is less than the maximum number of vehicles available. When this occurs, the system determines that a vehicle can be accepted from the parking lot or another boarding / deboarding area. An "excess" situation means that the number of waiting vehicles is greater than the maximum number of vehicles available. When this situation occurs, the system determines that vehicles need to be evacuated to a parking area or other boarding / deboarding area.

[0040] The example of FIG. 8 will be described in the state of FIG. In the initial state of FIG. 8, there are four parked vehicles 530 at parking lot 520, two waiting vehicles 531 at stop A521, three waiting vehicles 532 at stop B522, and two waiting vehicles 533 at stop C523.

[0041] Each stop is constantly managed to keep the minimum number of vehicles available within the range of two and the maximum number of vehicles available within the range of four, and vehicles are replenished and evacuated accordingly.

[0042] Next, it is assumed that a passenger takes a vehicle from platform A521 to platform B522 (flow a). At this time, the number of waiting vehicles at stop A521 decreases from two to one, which is below the minimum number of waiting vehicles and causes a shortage. Therefore, a dispatch command is issued from parking lot 520, which has a surplus of waiting vehicles, to stop A521, which has a shortage of waiting vehicles (Flow b). At the same time, if things continue as they are, it is predicted that the number of waiting vehicles at platform B522 will increase from three to four in the near future, reaching the maximum number of vehicles that can be reserved. Therefore, a dispatch command is issued from stop B522 to stop C523, which has a sufficient number of waiting vehicles. (Flow c)

[0043] Next, a case where the destination of a vehicle is changed during vehicle allocation will be described. If the source of the vehicle replenishment or the destination where the vehicle is to be evacuated is far from the current location, it will take time to complete the vehicle dispatch, which may result in changes in the status of waiting passengers and waiting vehicles at each boarding and disembarking facility. Furthermore, since an increase in vehicle travel distance results in energy loss, it is necessary to dynamically optimize vehicle dispatch allocation so that the latest situation is always reflected and vehicles can be replenished from closer locations or evacuated to closer locations.

[0044] Therefore, in the first embodiment, the number of waiting vehicles at each boarding / alighting station is always appropriately managed in accordance with passenger demand at the time, and vehicles are efficiently dispatched to replenish and evacuate waiting vehicles. At the same time, the waiting passenger situation at each boarding / alighting station, the number of waiting vehicles, the current position, destination, and command status of each vehicle are grasped in real time, and the allocation and destination of vehicles for replenishment and evacuation are dynamically changed even in the middle of dispatching. This will enable a transportation system that reduces completion time, reduces total energy consumption, eliminates congestion, minimizes waiting times for passengers, and maximizes vehicle utilization efficiency across the entire area.

[0045] Next, the priority of each facility in the transportation system according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 9 explains the name, classification conditions, priority, and status update operation when an event occurs for each facility. As mentioned above, the entire system is controlled to ensure that at each stop, there are always at least the minimum number of vehicles available and no more than the maximum number of vehicles available, so that passengers can board a vehicle and travel to their destination without waiting. Figure 9 shows the priority order for this purpose.

[0046] In Figure 9, the "(1a) Waiting / Nearby" state indicates a state in which the number of waiting passengers is greater than zero and the distance available for replenishment is less than the near threshold, which indicates a distance that is near. When this state occurs, the system sets dispatch priorities in descending order of the number of waiting passengers. Once the dispatch destination has been set, the number of waiting passengers is decremented by one. The "(2a) Depleted / Nearby" state is a state in which the number of waiting vehicles is zero and the distance available for replenishment is less than the near threshold. When this state occurs, the system prioritizes vehicles in order of the longest depletion time. Once the destination for the vehicle has been set, the depletion time is reset to zero. (One vehicle is replenished and the process is complete.) The "(3a) Shortage / Nearby" state indicates a state in which the number of waiting vehicles is less than the minimum number of vehicles available and the distance available for replenishment is less than the near threshold. When this state occurs, the system sets the priority of dispatching vehicles in descending order of the number of waiting vehicles in short supply. Once the dispatch destination is set, the number of vehicles in short supply is decremented by one.

[0047] The "(1b) Waiting - Far" state indicates a state in which the number of waiting passengers is greater than zero and the distance available for replenishment is equal to or greater than the proximity threshold. When this state occurs, the system sets the dispatch priority in descending order of the number of waiting passengers. Once the dispatch destination is set, the number of waiting passengers is decremented by one. The "(2b) Depleted / Distant" state refers to a state in which the number of waiting vehicles is zero and the distance available for replenishment is equal to or greater than the proximity threshold. When this state occurs, the system assigns priority to vehicles in order of the longest depletion time. Once the destination for the vehicle has been assigned, the depletion time is reset to zero. (One vehicle is replenished and the process is complete.) The "(3b) Shortage / Far Away" state indicates a state in which the number of waiting vehicles is less than the minimum number of vehicles available and the distance available for replenishment is equal to or greater than the proximity threshold. When this state occurs, the system assigns priority to waiting vehicles in descending order of the number of vehicles in short supply. Once the assignment destination is complete, the number of vehicles in short supply is decremented by one.

[0048] In the transportation system according to the first embodiment, the priority of vehicle dispatch is set in the order of (1a), (2a), (3a), (1b), (2b), and (3b) in FIG.

[0049] Next, the operation of the transportation system according to the first embodiment will be described in more detail with reference to FIG. In FIG. 10(a), in the initial state, there are four waiting vehicles at the parking lot, three waiting vehicles at stop A521, two waiting vehicles at stop B522, and two waiting vehicles at stop C523. At each stop, the minimum number of vehicles available is always kept within the range of two and the maximum number of vehicles available is four, and vehicles are replenished and evacuated accordingly.

[0050] Next, it is assumed that a passenger takes a vehicle from stop C523 to stop D (flow d). Stop D is a stop other than stop A521, stop B522, and stop C523, which are not shown in FIG. At this time, the number of waiting vehicles at stop C523 decreases from two to one, which is below the minimum number of waiting vehicles and causes a shortage. Therefore, an instruction is issued from parking lot 520, which has a surplus of waiting vehicles, to stop C523, which has a shortage of waiting vehicles, to dispatch vehicles to replenish the waiting vehicles (Flow e).

[0051] Furthermore, it is assumed here that a user takes a vehicle from platform A521 to platform B522 (flow f). At this time, stop A521 has room to accept vehicles from other facilities. Also, at stop B522, the number of waiting vehicles will increase from two to three in the near future, so there is room to evacuate vehicles to other facilities.

[0052] 10(b), the dispatch of the vehicle from parking lot 520 to boarding / alighting point C523 is suspended, and a new command (flow g) is issued to the vehicle to dispatch the vehicle from parking lot 520 to boarding / alighting point A521, and at the same time, a command (flow h) is issued to dispatch the vehicle from boarding / alighting point B522 to boarding / alighting point C523. In this way, the dispatch of the vehicle to boarding / alighting point C523 is completed earlier than originally planned. Furthermore, the total distance traveled by the two vehicles after the change will be less than the distance traveled by the original single vehicle, resulting in less total energy consumption. If this type of optimization processing is carried out at each stop, it will be possible to reduce passenger waiting times overall and improve the efficiency of vehicle operation.

[0053] Next, as another example, another operation of the transportation system according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. In FIG. 11(a), in the initial state, there are four waiting vehicles at parking lot 520, four waiting vehicles at stop A521, three waiting vehicles at stop B522, and three waiting vehicles at stop C523. At each stop, the minimum number of vehicles available is always kept within the range of two and the maximum number of vehicles available is four, and vehicles are replenished and evacuated accordingly.

[0054] Next, it is assumed that evacuation from platform D to parking area 520 occurs (flow j). Platform D is a platform other than platform A521, platform B522, and platform C523, which are not shown in the figure. At this time, the number of vehicles waiting in parking lot 520 is four, which is already the maximum number of vehicles that can be reserved, so if this continues, there will be an excessive number of vehicles waiting. Therefore, an instruction (flow k) to dispatch vehicles for evacuation is issued from parking lot 520 to boarding / disembarking area C523, which has a sufficient number of waiting vehicles.

[0055] Furthermore, it is assumed here that a passenger takes a vehicle from platform A521 to platform B522 (flow m). At this time, the number of waiting vehicles at stop A521 will decrease from four to three, creating room to accept vehicles from other facilities.

[0056] Therefore, as shown in Figure 11(b), if the dispatch of the vehicle from parking lot 520 to boarding / disembarking point C523 is interrupted and a new instruction (flow n) is issued to the vehicle to dispatch from parking lot 520 to boarding / disembarking point A521, the evacuation from parking lot 520 will be completed earlier than originally planned. Furthermore, the total distance traveled by the two vehicles after the change will be less than the distance traveled by the original single vehicle, resulting in less total energy consumption. If this type of optimization processing is carried out at each stop, it will be possible to reduce passenger waiting times overall and improve the efficiency of vehicle operation.

[0057] According to embodiment 1, in situations where there is not enough space in the parking lot to accommodate all the vehicles, the number of waiting vehicles at each boarding and alighting area can be constantly and appropriately managed in real time in accordance with current passenger demand, thereby realizing a transportation system that does not cause congestion, minimizes waiting times for passengers, and maximizes vehicle operating efficiency throughout the area. In addition, the system efficiently dispatches vehicles to replenish and evacuate waiting vehicles at each stop, and at the same time, grasps the status of waiting passengers at each stop, the number of waiting vehicles, the current position of each vehicle, its destination, and the command status in real time. This allows the allocation and destination of vehicles for replenishment and evacuation to be dynamically changed even while the vehicles are being dispatched, reducing the time required to complete the task and reducing total energy consumption. It will also be possible to create a transportation system that does not cause congestion, minimizes waiting times for passengers, and maximizes vehicle operating efficiency throughout the area.

[0058] The control device 10, facility incidental device 20, and vehicle 30 of the transportation system are each configured with a processor 1000 and a storage device 1001, as shown in FIG. 16, which is an example of hardware. Although the storage device is not shown, it includes a volatile storage device such as a random access memory and a non-volatile auxiliary storage device such as a flash memory. Alternatively, a hard disk auxiliary storage device may be used instead of the flash memory. The processor 1000 executes a program input from the storage device 1001. In this case, the program is input to the processor 1000 from the auxiliary storage device via the volatile storage device. The processor 1000 may output data such as calculation results to the volatile storage device of the storage device 1001, or may store the data in the auxiliary storage device via the volatile storage device.

[0059] Although the present disclosure describes exemplary embodiments, the various features, aspects, and functions described in the embodiments are not limited to application to a particular embodiment, but may be applied to the embodiments alone or in various combinations. Therefore, countless variations not illustrated are contemplated within the scope of the technology disclosed in the present specification, including, for example, modifying, adding, or omitting at least one component.

[0060] Although the preferred embodiments have been described in detail above, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications and substitutions can be made to the above-described embodiments without departing from the scope of the claims.

[0061] Various aspects of the present disclosure are summarized below as appendices.

[0062] (Appendix 1) a facility monitoring device that monitors facilities including boarding and disembarking areas where vehicles wait and outputs a facility status indicating the state of the facilities; a control device that uses the facility status output by the facility monitoring device to manage the placement of the vehicle; The control device an available vehicle selection unit that selects vehicles available for dispatch among the vehicles in the facility and creates available vehicle data; a highest priority stop selection unit that selects a stop with the highest priority based on a replenishment priority that is preset according to the state of the stop, and creates highest priority stop data; a dispatched vehicle selection unit that selects a vehicle to be dispatched to the stop selected by the highest priority stop selection unit from among the vehicles in the available vehicle data, based on the travel distance to the stop, and creates dispatched vehicle data; a vehicle command unit that generates a command to a corresponding vehicle based on the highest priority boarding / alighting location data and the dispatched vehicle data. (Appendix 2) The control device includes a vehicle request unit that creates vehicle request data based on a request from a user, The transportation system according to claim 1, wherein the vehicle command unit uses the actual vehicle request data to generate commands to the corresponding vehicles. (Appendix 3) the control device includes an evacuation vehicle selection unit that selects an evacuation vehicle from the boarding / alighting area based on a status of waiting vehicles at the boarding / alighting area and creates evacuation vehicle data; The transportation system according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the vehicle command unit uses the evacuation vehicle data to generate a command to the relevant vehicle. (Appendix 4) An upper limit is set for the number of waiting vehicles at each of the above boarding and disembarking areas. 4. The transportation system according to claim 3, wherein the evacuation vehicle selection unit selects the evacuation vehicle when the number of waiting vehicles exceeds the upper limit value. (Appendix 5) A minimum limit is set for the number of waiting vehicles at each of the above boarding and alighting points. A transportation system according to any one of Supplementary Note 1 to Supplementary Note 4, wherein the highest priority stop selection unit selects the stop when the number of waiting vehicles falls below the lower limit. (Appendix 6) A transportation system according to any one of Supplementary Note 1 to Supplementary Note 5, characterized in that the priority is set high when the vehicle is located closer to a predetermined threshold distance from the boarding / alighting point. (Appendix 7) A transportation system according to claim 6, characterized in that the priority is set in descending order of the number of passengers waiting at the boarding and alighting area. (Appendix 8) A transportation system according to claim 6 or 7, characterized in that the priority is set in descending order of the time during which the number of waiting vehicles at the boarding / alighting area is zero. (Appendix 9) A transportation system according to any one of Supplementary Note 6 to Supplementary Note 8, characterized in that the priority is set in descending order of the number of waiting vehicles that are in short supply at the boarding and alighting area. [Explanation of symbols]

[0063] 1 Traffic system, 10 Control device, 11 Control receiving unit, 12 Control transmitting unit, 13 Control and management unit, 20 Facility auxiliary equipment, 21 Facility receiving unit, 22 Facility transmitting unit, 23 facility sensor, 24 vehicle dispatch request reception facility, 30 vehicle, 31 vehicle reception unit, 32 vehicle transmission unit, 40 actual vehicle request unit, 70 vehicle command unit, 80 available vehicle determination unit, 81 highest priority facility selection unit, 82 optimal vehicle selection unit, 83 Evacuation vehicle selection unit, 110 Application request, 111 Facility accessory request, 112 Vehicle request, 120 Vehicle response, 121 Response to mobile terminal, 211 Facility definition information, 212 Facility status, 214 Actual vehicle request data, 215 Evacuation vehicle data, 217 Vehicle command, 218 Information on vehicle occupancy at the boarding / alighting area, 219 Information on passengers waiting at the boarding / alighting area, 220 Display instructions to the facility's HMI, 221 notification to the control device, 280 Available vehicle data, 281 Top priority facility data, 282 Optimal vehicle data, 311 vehicle definition information, 312 vehicle status, 320 notification to control device, 500 running track, 520 parking lot, 521 boarding / alighting area A, 522 boarding / alighting area B, 523 Boarding and alighting area C, 530 Parking vehicles at the parking lot, 531 Waiting vehicles at boarding and alighting area A, 532 Waiting vehicles at stop B, 533 Waiting vehicles at stop C, 534 Running vehicles, 541 Passengers waiting at stop A, 542 Passengers waiting at stop B, 543 Passengers waiting at stop C, 1000 processors, 1001 storage devices

Claims

1. A facility monitoring device that monitors a facility including a boarding / deboarding area where vehicles wait, and outputs a facility status indicating the state of the facility; A transportation system including a control device that manages the placement of the vehicles using the facility status output by the facility monitoring device, The control device an available vehicle selection unit that selects vehicles available for dispatch among the vehicles in the facility and creates available vehicle data; a highest priority stop selection unit that selects a stop with the highest priority based on a replenishment priority that is preset according to the state of the stop, and creates highest priority stop data; a dispatched vehicle selection unit that selects a vehicle to be dispatched to the stop selected by the highest priority stop selection unit from among the vehicles in the available vehicle data, based on the travel distance to the stop, and creates dispatched vehicle data; a vehicle command unit that generates a command to a corresponding vehicle based on the highest priority boarding / deboarding location data and the dispatched vehicle data; A transportation system characterized in that the priority is set high when the vehicle is located closer to a predetermined threshold of travel distance from a boarding / alighting point.

2. The control device includes a vehicle request unit that creates vehicle request data based on a request from a user, 2. The transportation system according to claim 1, wherein the vehicle command unit uses the actual vehicle request data to generate a command to the corresponding vehicle.

3. the control device includes an evacuation vehicle selection unit that selects an evacuation vehicle from the boarding / alighting area based on a status of waiting vehicles at the boarding / alighting area and creates evacuation vehicle data; 3. The transportation system according to claim 1, wherein the vehicle command unit generates a command to a corresponding vehicle using the evacuation vehicle data.

4. An upper limit is set for the number of waiting vehicles at each of the above boarding and disembarking areas.

4. The transportation system according to claim 3, wherein the evacuation vehicle selection unit selects the evacuation vehicle when the number of waiting vehicles exceeds the upper limit value.

5. A minimum limit is set for the number of waiting vehicles at each of the above boarding and alighting points.

2. The transportation system according to claim 1, wherein the highest priority stop selection unit selects the stop when the number of waiting vehicles falls below the lower limit.

6. 2. The transportation system according to claim 1, wherein the priority is set in descending order of the number of passengers waiting at the boarding / alighting area.

7. 7. The transportation system according to claim 1, wherein the priority is set in descending order of time during which the number of waiting vehicles at the boarding / alighting area is zero.

8. 7. The transportation system according to claim 1, wherein the priority is set in descending order of the number of waiting vehicles that are in short supply at the boarding / alighting area.

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