Information output method, mobile object control system, and program

Abstract

This information generation method is an information output method to be executed by a catering vehicle control device (110) (information output device), and comprises acquiring first information on a first time at which a first mobile object (300A) arrives at a first arrival location (401) (first location), using the first information to specify a second location through which a second mobile object (300B) can arrive at the first arrival location (401) at a second time within a predetermined period since the first time, and outputting instruction information for causing the second mobile object (300B) to move to the second location.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an information output method, a mobile object control system, and a program. [Background technology]

[0002] In recent years, there have been increasing attempts to automatically control artificial devices. For example, a technology has been disclosed that uses machine learning to automatically control a robot in a manner similar to that of a human operator (see Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2018-149669 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, when a mobile object is considered as an artificial device, it is known that it is difficult to appropriately determine the route along which such a mobile object will travel.

[0005] The present disclosure provides an information output method and the like for appropriately determining a route along which a moving object will travel. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] An information output method according to one embodiment of the present invention is an information output method executed by an information output device, which acquires first information regarding a first time when a first moving body will arrive at a first location, identifies a second location at which a second moving body can arrive at the first location at a second time within a predetermined period from the first time based on the first information, and outputs instruction information for moving the second moving body to the second location.

[0007] These comprehensive or specific aspects may be realized as a system, device, integrated circuit, computer program, or computer-readable recording medium such as a CD-ROM, or may be realized as any combination of a system, device, integrated circuit, computer program, and recording medium. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] The information output method of the present disclosure can output information for appropriately determining a route along which a moving object will travel. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram schematically illustrating a configuration of a mobile object control system according to an embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a functional configuration of a mobile object control system according to an embodiment. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram illustrating a movement path of a second moving object according to the embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing the operation of the mobile object control system according to the embodiment. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating evaluation of route candidates according to the embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating selection of a travel route based on the arrival of a first moving object at a first arrival point according to an embodiment. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating evaluation of route candidates according to the modified example of the embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0010] (Knowledge that served as the basis for disclosure) The inventors of the present disclosure have found that the following problems arise with the technology for automatically controlling (i.e., autonomous driving or autonomous movement of) a moving body, as described in the "Background Art" section.

[0011] In a use case where a mobile body simply travels along a predetermined route, autonomous movement of the mobile body can be relatively easily achieved. On the other hand, examples of use cases for autonomously moving mobile bodies include providing roadside services such as delivery of goods, mobile sales, security, advertising, cleaning, disinfection, inspection, and heating, as well as providing in-vehicle services such as childcare, medical care, food and beverage, workshops, lodging, hot springs, and studios using the mobile body's interior. Among the above, for example, in a method of using a mobile body that combines delivery and mobile sales, the inventors of the present disclosure have discovered that the second mobile body can be efficiently moved by determining the movement route of a second mobile body for mobile sales from the movement history of a first mobile body for delivery. Specifically, at a delivery destination where a first mobile body has traveled for delivery, a request for a mobile sales service by the second mobile body is received from a user or the like at the delivery destination, and the second mobile body is dispatched to the delivery destination as needed, thereby efficiently finding a destination where the second mobile body is needed.

[0012] In this case, there may be no particular relationship between the first and second mobile bodies. The first mobile body may travel around a wide area to provide services, or may simply be a mobile vehicle that travels around a wide area without providing any services. It may provide various services, such as home helpers, mobile sales, and mobile advertising, in addition to delivering goods. Other use cases for the first mobile body include the use cases for the autonomously mobile bodies described above, namely, providing roadside services such as delivering goods, mobile sales, security, advertising, cleaning, disinfection, inspection, and heating, as well as providing in-vehicle services such as childcare, medical care, food and beverage, workshops, lodging, hot springs, and studios. Since the second mobile body visits a user who learns of the second mobile body's services through the first mobile body only when the user requests a ride from the second mobile body, the user of the second mobile body can efficiently provide services.

[0013] Furthermore, as another example of use of an autonomously mobile body, the inventors of the present disclosure have discovered that the second mobile body can be moved efficiently by determining a movement route of a second mobile body for performing maintenance or emergency repairs on the first mobile body from the movement history of the first mobile body for making a delivery, etc. Specifically, on the route on which the first mobile body is traveling for a delivery, a request for maintenance by the second mobile body is received from the first mobile body traveling for the delivery, and the second mobile body is dispatched to the route of the first mobile body as needed, thereby enabling the second mobile body to be dispatched immediately at the required timing.

[0014] In particular, if the first moving body encounters a problem that makes it unable to move under its own power and the first moving body stops in a dangerous driving area (first point in this example) such as an intersection, a road with a narrowing road, a place where accidents frequently occur, etc. on the route of the first moving body, this could lead to a serious accident. Therefore, when the first moving body approaches such a dangerous driving area, the second moving body can be made to travel to a position (including the second point) that can be dispatched to such a dangerous driving area in a short time, so that even if the first moving body stops in the dangerous driving area, the second moving body can arrive immediately to perform maintenance or emergency repairs, thereby reducing the risk.

[0015] In this case, the dispatch of the second moving body may be triggered by the fact that the first moving body is scheduled to pass through a dangerous driving zone, or by a change in the situation related to the service of the first moving body. Examples of changes in the situation related to the service of the first moving body include the situation of pedestrians around the first moving body in a security service, the situation of equipment to be inspected in an inspection service, and the situation of the floor around the first moving body in a cleaning service. Such changes in the situation related to the service of the first moving body are triggered, for example, by capturing an image with a camera mounted on the first moving body and recognizing the image (e.g., whether or not it is recognized) with an AI recognition system. Also, the occurrence of a sign of trouble in the first moving body may be used as a trigger. In other words, in this example, the dispatch of the second moving body may be performed automatically based on the situation of the first moving body, etc.

[0016] Here, between the time when the first mobile object visits the user, the time when the second mobile object accepts the dispatch (i.e., the request for travel) of the second mobile object, and the time when the second mobile object arrives at the user's location, the user may reconsider dispatching the second mobile object. Therefore, it is desirable for the second mobile object to arrive at the user's location before the user reaches a point where they would reconsider dispatching the second mobile object. In the present disclosure, the period from the time when the first mobile object visits the user to the time when the user reconsiders dispatching the second mobile object may be referred to as a "predetermined period." Note that "reconsidering dispatching the second mobile object" means that the service provided by dispatching the second mobile object is perceived as cumbersome. As a result, the user may perceive the usability of the service provided by dispatching the second mobile object as low, avoid using the service in the future, or cancel the provision of the service at that point. Furthermore, if the number of users who reconsider their request increases, the value of the service provided by dispatching the second mobile object itself may decrease. For this reason, it is important to dispatch the second mobile object in a way that prevents users from reconsidering their request.

[0017] The predetermined period is determined by the characteristics of the user and the type of service provided by the second mobile body. For example, if the user is patient and the service provided by the second mobile body is a visiting service such as day care, the predetermined period may be several days. On the other hand, if the user is impatient and the service provided by the second mobile body is a mobile goods sales service, the predetermined period may be several minutes to several tens of minutes (e.g., 1 minute, 2 minutes, 3 minutes, 4 minutes, 5 minutes, 6 minutes, 7 minutes, 8 minutes, 9 minutes, 10 minutes, etc.). In particular, if the items are daily necessities or other items that are needed immediately, the user may more easily reconsider the items. In such cases where reconsideration is likely to occur within a short period of time, a statistically determined period may be set as the predetermined period, or a predetermined period specific to each user may be set.

[0018] Furthermore, when the first mobile body performs delivery or the like and the second mobile body performs mobile sales or the like, it is preferable to set a predetermined period of time during which the user can purchase goods together with the delivery. Such a predetermined period is a period during which the user can receive the delivery from the first mobile body and then make a purchase from the second mobile body without performing any other tasks. In other words, it is preferable that the user puts on shoes at the entrance to receive the delivery and then purchases the goods without taking them off. Such a predetermined period is, for example, several minutes to several tens of minutes.

[0019] In order for a second moving body to arrive within a predetermined period of time after the arrival of a first moving body, it is necessary to minimize unnecessary travel. However, considering the constantly changing state of the first moving body and the differences in waiting bases (such as warehouses for loading cargo) between the first moving body and the second moving body, such travel is difficult to achieve simply by following a pre-scheduled route such as a round trip. Furthermore, when there are multiple first moving bodies and fewer second moving bodies than the first moving bodies, this problem becomes more pronounced. Therefore, the present disclosure provides an information output method capable of outputting information for appropriately determining a route for a moving body, and a moving body control system including an information output device that executes the information output method.

[0020] In order to solve the above problem, an information output method according to one embodiment of the present disclosure is an information output method executed by an information output device, which acquires first information regarding a first time when a first moving body will arrive at a first location, identifies a second location where a second moving body can arrive at the first location at a second time within a predetermined period from the first time based on the first information, and outputs instruction information for moving the second moving body to the second location.

[0021] In this information generation method, based on information about a first time when the first moving object will arrive at the first point, the second moving object moves to a second point that allows the second moving object to move to the first point within a predetermined period of time not long after the first time. As a result, the second moving object can move to the first point from any timing within the predetermined period from the first time. For example, the second moving object can be controlled to move further to the first point only if a certain condition is met when the first moving object arrives at the first point. Therefore, according to this information output method, even if it is impossible to predict whether such a condition will be met, it is possible to output instruction information for appropriately determining the route to be taken by the second moving object from the perspective of being able to move to the first point within the predetermined period of time from the first time.

[0022] Also, for example, a first mobile object may carry a first item that is scheduled to be delivered to a first location in advance, and a second mobile object may carry a second item that is expected to be purchased by a user.

[0023] This allows for the output of instruction information to appropriately determine the route to be taken by a first mobile body carrying a first item that is scheduled for delivery to a first location, and a second mobile body carrying a second item that is expected to be purchased by a user.

[0024] Furthermore, for example, the instruction information may include the position of the first point, the position of the second point, and route information regarding a route from the current location to the first point via the second point.

[0025] This allows the second moving body to travel along an appropriately determined route in accordance with the route information regarding the location of the first point, the location of the second point, and the route from the current location to the first point via the second point, which are included in the instruction information.

[0026] Also, for example, the route to the first location may be selected from among multiple candidate routes from the current location to the first location via the second location based on information regarding one or more locations where the first moving body is scheduled to arrive after the first location.

[0027] According to this, the route to be traveled by the second moving body is determined based on information about one or more locations where the first moving body is scheduled to arrive after the first location. For example, if the second moving body is on its way to the first location and it no longer needs to move to the first location, an appropriate route to the first location can be determined in advance so that it can easily move to the next one or more locations.

[0028] Furthermore, for example, as a route to the first point, from among multiple candidate routes from the current location to the first point via the second point, the candidate route with the lowest travel cost required to arrive at at least one of one or more points where the first moving body is scheduled to arrive after the first point may be selected.

[0029] According to this, the route to be traveled by the second moving body is determined based on information about one or more locations where the first moving body is scheduled to arrive after the first location. For example, if the second moving body is on its way to the first location and it no longer needs to travel to the first location, it is possible to determine in advance an appropriate route to the first location so that the travel cost required to travel to the next one or more locations is minimized.

[0030] Also, for example, the route to the first point may be selected from multiple candidate routes from the current location to the first point via the second point based on information regarding the first moving body's arrival at the first point.

[0031] According to this, the route to be traveled by the second moving body is determined based on information about the arrival of the first moving body at the first location. For example, it is possible to appropriately determine the route of the second moving body by utilizing the fact that the first moving body actually arrived at the first location.

[0032] Also, for example, the route to the first point may be selected from among multiple candidate routes from the current location to the first point via the second point, based on the chronological relationship between the timing of the first mobile object's arrival at the first point and the timing of the second mobile object's request to move to the first point being accepted by a user located at the first point.

[0033] According to this, the route to be traveled by the second moving body is determined based on information regarding the arrival of the first moving body at the first point. For example, when a request for the second moving body to move to the first point is received without going through the first moving body, i.e., when the first moving body has not yet arrived at the first point, the second moving body can be moved to the first point via the shortest route from the beginning. Also, for example, when a request for the second moving body to move to the first point is received via the first moving body, i.e., when the first moving body has arrived at the first point, the shortest route to the first point can be followed from that point onward. Therefore, at least until a request for the second moving body to move to the first point is received, it is not necessary to use the shortest route to the first point. Instead, an appropriate route can be determined from a perspective other than the shortest route to the first point, such as by selecting a route that takes into account waiting at the second point and a location to which the first moving body will move after the first point.

[0034] Also, for example, the route to the first location may be selected from among multiple candidate routes from the current location to the first location via the second location, based on information regarding the past purchasing history of multiple users located at each of two or more locations where the first mobile object is scheduled to arrive.

[0035] According to this, the route for the second mobile body to travel is determined based on information about the past purchase history of multiple users located at each of two or more locations scheduled to be reached by the first mobile body. For example, based on the past purchase history, it is possible to select a user who should be given higher priority, such as a user who is expected to make a purchase through the second mobile body, and easily move the second mobile body to the location where that user is located.

[0036] Furthermore, for example, the route to the first location may be selected from among multiple candidate routes from the current location to the first location via the second location, by selecting the candidate route that has the lowest travel cost to reach the location where the user with the highest expected purchase value, calculated from the past purchase history of multiple users located at each of two or more locations where the first mobile object is scheduled to arrive, is located.

[0037] According to this, the route for the second mobile body to travel is determined based on information about the past purchase histories of multiple users located at two or more locations where the first mobile body is scheduled to arrive. For example, a user who should be given higher priority and whose expected purchase value calculated from the past purchase history is the highest can be selected, and the second mobile body can be moved to the location where that user is located with the lowest travel cost.

[0038] Also, for example, the instruction information may further include information regarding a waiting period during which the second moving object stops moving at the second location in order for the second moving object to arrive at the second time.

[0039] According to this, the second moving body can be made to wait for the waiting period at the second point where the second moving body can arrive at the second time. For example, when there is a low possibility that a user at the first point will request that the second moving body move to the first point, or when a user with higher priority is located at another point, the second moving body can be prevented from getting too close to the first point, which can contribute to reducing potentially "wasteful" movement of the second moving body.

[0040] Also, for example, the second moving object may be selected from among a plurality of moving objects based on the state of the first moving object.

[0041] According to this, it is possible to select a second moving body that matches the state of the first moving body from among a plurality of moving bodies and move the selected second moving body.

[0042] Also, for example, when the first mobile object arrives at the first location, the first mobile object may present information about services provided by the second mobile object to a user located at the first location.

[0043] According to this, by presenting information to the user located at the first location, it is possible to allow the user to select whether or not the second moving object needs to move.

[0044] Furthermore, for example, when a request is received from a user located at a first location to have a second mobile body move to the first location to receive a service in response to information presented on a first mobile body that has arrived at the first location, instruction information may be output that further includes information for moving the second mobile body to the first location.

[0045] According to this, by presenting information to a user located at the first point, the user can be allowed to select whether or not to move the second moving body. Then, since the second moving body can be moved to the first point after a request to move the second moving body to the first point is received from the user located at the first point, an appropriate travel route can be determined, such as by waiting at the second point and selecting a route taking into consideration a point to which the first moving body will move after the first point, before receiving the request to move to the first point.

[0046] Also, for example, if a request from a user located at the first location to move a second moving object to the first location is not accepted within a certain period of time in response to information presented by a first moving object that has arrived at the first location, the instruction information for moving the second moving object to the first location may be discarded.

[0047] According to this, by presenting information to a user located at a first location, the user can select whether or not to move the second moving object. If a request from the user located at the first location to move the second moving object to the first location is not received within a certain period of time, it is assumed that a request from the user located at the first location to move the second moving object to the first location has not occurred, and the first location can be discarded as a destination for the second moving object. This makes it possible to determine an appropriate travel route for the second moving object, with a destination other than the first location.

[0048] Also, for example, the specified period is a period determined based on at least one of the type of service provided by the second mobile body and the characteristics of the user located at the first location, and may be a period from when the user located at the first location requests the second mobile body to move to the first location after a first time to receive the service, to before the user located at the first location reconsiders the provision of the service.

[0049] This makes it possible to determine an appropriate travel route for the second moving body so that the second moving body arrives at the first location before a user located at the first location reconsiders providing the service.

[0050] Furthermore, a program according to one aspect of the present disclosure is a program for causing a computer to execute the information output method described above.

[0051] This makes it possible to achieve the same effects as the information generating method described above using a computer.

[0052] A mobile object control system according to an aspect of the present disclosure includes the information output device described above, the first mobile object, and the second mobile object.

[0053] This can achieve the same effects as the information output method described above.

[0054] These comprehensive or specific aspects may be realized as a system, device, integrated circuit, computer program, or computer-readable recording medium such as a CD-ROM, or may be realized as any combination of a system, device, integrated circuit, computer program, or recording medium.

[0055] Hereinafter, the embodiments will be specifically described with reference to the drawings.

[0056] The embodiments described below are all comprehensive or specific examples. The numerical values, shapes, materials, components, component placement and connection configurations, steps, and step order shown in the following embodiments are merely examples and are not intended to limit the present invention. Furthermore, among the components in the following embodiments, components that are not described in the independent claims that represent the highest concepts are described as optional components.

[0057] (Embodiment) First, the configuration of the mobile object control system according to this embodiment will be described.

[0058] Fig. 1 is a diagram schematically illustrating the configuration of a mobile object control system according to an embodiment, and Fig. 2 is a diagram schematically illustrating the functional configuration of the mobile object control system according to an embodiment.

[0059] As shown in FIG. 1, a mobile object control system 500 of this embodiment is realized by a plurality of first mobile objects 300A, a plurality of second mobile objects 300B, and a server device 200 connected via a network 150.

[0060] In this embodiment, the first moving body 300A is a moving body that carries a first item to a first arrival point 401 where a first user 401 is located and delivers the first item. Therefore, the first moving body 300A moves between the locations where multiple users, including the first user 401, are located in a pre-scheduled order. The second moving body 300B is a moving body that carries a second item that is expected to be purchased by the user and performs mobile sales (merchandise sales) of the second item. Hereinafter, the first moving body 300A and the second moving body 300B may be collectively referred to as a moving body. Furthermore, although multiple moving bodies are shown in the figure, in actual use, operation is realized by a combination of one of the multiple first moving bodies 300A and one of the multiple second moving bodies 300B at a given time. In other words, the first moving body 300A and the second moving body 300B of the moving body control system 500 may each be one.

[0061] A mobile object is a device capable of autonomous travel, such as a car, robot, drone, bicycle, or wheelchair, and is used, for example, to deliver luggage or the like when it is loaded onto the mobile object. The mobile object includes a motor or the like that provides power, a drive unit such as wheels that are driven by the motor, and a functional unit that stores a power source (for example, electricity) to operate the power source.

[0062] Network 150 is a communication network for connecting mobile objects and server device 200 so that they can communicate with each other. Here, a communication network such as the Internet is used as network 150, but is not limited to this. The connection between mobile objects and network 150 and the connection between server device 200 and network 150 may be made by wireless communication or by wired communication. However, due to the nature of mobile objects, it is preferable that they be connected to network 150 by wireless communication.

[0063] The server device 200 is a device for performing information processing and the like, and is realized using, for example, a processor and a memory. The server device 200 may be realized by an edge computer or a cloud computer. Furthermore, one server device 200 may be provided for one mobile object, or one server device 200 may be provided for multiple mobile objects.

[0064] As shown in FIG. 2, the server device 200 includes a delivery vehicle control unit 100, a vending vehicle control unit 110, and a storage device 120. The delivery vehicle control unit 100 is implemented by the processor and memory of the server device 200 and is a device that performs control related to the movement of the first mobile object 300A. The vending vehicle control unit 110 is implemented by the processor and memory of the server device 200 and is a device that performs control related to the movement of the second mobile object 300B. The storage device 120 is a storage device such as a semiconductor memory that stores various data used in the delivery vehicle control unit 100 and the vending vehicle control unit 110.

[0065] The delivery vehicle control device 100 includes a delivery vehicle status management unit 101, a delivery destination management unit 102, and a delivery route management unit 103. The goods sales vehicle control device 110 includes a delivery vehicle information acquisition unit 111, a goods sales vehicle status management unit 112, a goods sales vehicle route candidate calculation unit 113, a goods sales vehicle route evaluation unit 114, and a goods sales vehicle route determination unit 115. The storage device 120 includes a delivery destination data storage unit 121 and a vehicle data storage unit 122.

[0066] The delivery vehicle status management unit 101 is a processing unit that acquires the vehicle status of each first moving body 300A by communicating with the first moving body 300A via the network 150. The vehicle status includes information such as whether the first moving body 300A is running or stopped, the position and speed of the first moving body 300A, and whether or not an item is being delivered, as well as information for dispatching the second moving body 300B (information regarding a movement request) received from a user by the first moving body 300A. The received vehicle status is stored in the vehicle data storage unit 122.

[0067] The delivery destination management unit 102 obtains delivery destination data indicating when and to which location an item needs to be delivered by accessing the delivery destination data storage unit 121. Based on the delivery destination data and the vehicle status, the delivery destination management unit 102 generates delivery instructions linking the delivery destination data with the first mobile object 300A that can handle the delivery, and stores the instructions in the vehicle data storage unit 122.

[0068] The delivery route management unit 103 reads the vehicle status and delivery destination data associated with the first moving body 300A corresponding to the vehicle status, and generates a delivery plan indicating a route to the delivery destination and driving instructions for roads in accordance with the delivery plan. The delivery route management unit 103 transmits the generated driving instructions to the first moving body 300A via the network 150. The first moving body 300A delivers the goods in accordance with the received driving instructions. The delivery route management unit 103 also stores the generated route plan in the vehicle data storage unit 122.

[0069] The sales vehicle status management unit 111 is a processing unit that acquires the vehicle status of each second mobile body 300B by communicating with the second mobile body 300B via the network 150. The vehicle status includes information such as whether the second mobile body 300B is moving or stopped, the position and speed of the second mobile body 300B, and whether or not a mobile sales operation is in progress. The received vehicle status is stored in the vehicle data storage unit 122.

[0070] The delivery vehicle information acquisition unit 112 reads out the delivery destination data, route plan, and vehicle status associated with the first moving object 300A, and transmits them to the sales vehicle route candidate calculation unit 113.

[0071] The product sales vehicle route candidate calculation unit 113 calculates one or more route candidates for the second moving body 300B based on the information about the first moving body 300A received from the delivery vehicle information acquisition unit 112 and the vehicle status of the second moving body 300B. All of these route candidates are routes from the current location of the second moving body 300B to the delivery destination (first arrival point or first point) where the first moving body 300A will make delivery.

[0072] The sales vehicle route evaluation unit 114 evaluates each of the calculated one or more route candidates from the perspective of travel cost taking into account the delivery destination data linked to the first moving body 300A, and assigns evaluation information to each route candidate. The route candidates to which evaluation information has been assigned are transmitted to the sales vehicle route determination unit 115.

[0073] The merchandise vehicle route determination unit 115 determines a route candidate that is deemed appropriate from one or more route candidates based on factors such as travel cost. Details of travel cost will be described later. The merchandise vehicle route determination unit 115 then outputs instruction information for moving the second mobile body 300B to follow the determined route. Therefore, the merchandise vehicle control device 110 is an example of an information output device. The output instruction information includes the location of the first arrival point 401, the location of a waiting point (described later), and route information regarding the route from the current location to the first arrival point via the waiting point. The instruction information is transmitted to the second mobile body 300B via the network 150.

[0074] The second moving body 300B that has received the instruction information moves autonomously in accordance with the instruction information, and is therefore able to move automatically and appropriately.

[0075] 3 is a schematic diagram for explaining the movement route of the second moving body according to the embodiment. As an example, FIG. 3 shows the movement route (dashed line) of the first moving body that has received a travel instruction and a route (solid line) that is a candidate for the movement route of the second moving body 300B. Also shown here are a first arrival point 401 where the first user 401a is located, a second arrival point 402 where the second user 402a is located, and a third arrival point 403 where the third user 403a is located. The first moving body 300A is scheduled to deliver goods to the first to third users in ascending order of numbers, and the first moving body 300A is currently moving toward the first user 401.

[0076] As shown in the figure, while a first moving body 300A is moving ahead to a first user 401, a second moving body 300B starts moving in preparation for a request for movement from the second moving body 300B that will occur after the first moving body 300A arrives at a first arrival point 401a. Possible movement routes for this second moving body 300B include multiple routes that branch off at each intersection on the route and ultimately lead to the first arrival point 401a.

[0077] The operation of the information output device and the like according to this embodiment will be described below with continued reference to FIG. 3 and also with reference to FIGS.

[0078] 4 is a flowchart showing the operation of the mobile object control system according to the embodiment. First, the delivery vehicle status management unit 101 acquires the vehicle status from the first mobile object 300A to acquire the current position of the first mobile object 300A (i.e., the delivery vehicle) (S101). The delivery destination management unit 102 reads delivery destination data from the delivery destination data storage unit 121 to determine the delivery point (also referred to as the delivery destination) of the first mobile object 300A (S102). Thereafter, the delivery route management unit 103 creates driving instructions including the delivery route of the first mobile object 300A and transmits them to the first mobile object 300A (S103).

[0079] Meanwhile, the merchandise vehicle status management unit 111 acquires the current position of the second moving body 300B (i.e., the merchandise vehicle) by acquiring the vehicle status from the second moving body 300B (S104). Thereafter, the merchandise vehicle route candidate calculation unit 113 generates route candidates for the second moving body 300B (S105). The generated route candidates include, for example, multiple routes branching at each road intersection. The merchandise vehicle route evaluation unit 114 evaluates each of the generated route candidates (S106).

[0080] Here, route evaluation will be further explained. For example, in the example of Fig. 3, the first mobile object 300A moves to the second arrival point 402 after the first arrival point 401. If the first user 401a does not request the second mobile object 300B to move, and the second user 402a requests the second mobile object 300B to move, if the second mobile object 300B gets too close to the first arrival point 401, the amount of "wasteful" movement will increase.

[0081] Therefore, in this embodiment, the candidate travel routes are evaluated taking into consideration two or more points that the first moving object 300A is scheduled to arrive at after the first arrival point 401, such as the second arrival point 402, the third arrival point 403, etc., to which the first moving object 300A will move after the first arrival point 401. Specifically, Fig. 5 is a flowchart illustrating the evaluation of candidate routes according to this embodiment.

[0082] First, the goods sales vehicle route evaluation unit 114 acquires candidate travel routes (routes to the first delivery destination, which is the first arrival point 401) for the second moving body 300B calculated by the goods sales vehicle route candidate calculation unit 113, and candidate waiting points (S201). These candidate waiting points are set at road intersections, the middle of straight roads between intersections, and the like. From this waiting point (an example of a second point), the travel cost is kept relatively low whether heading towards the first arrival point 401 or the second arrival point 402, and by being able to wait at this waiting point, the second moving body 300B can arrive at the first arrival point 401 or the second arrival point 402 relatively quickly (for example, within a predetermined period of time).

[0083] The waiting point is a point at which the second moving body 300B can arrive at the first arrival point before a predetermined period of time has elapsed since the first moving body 300A arrived at the first arrival point 401. Therefore, the second moving body 300B may wait for a request to move at a point sufficiently close to the first arrival point, or the waiting point may be changed in small increments so that the waiting point moves closer depending on the time elapsed since the first moving body 300A arrived at the first arrival point 401.

[0084] The travel cost is the time required for travel, but in some cases it may be the fuel consumed during travel or the travel distance. The perspective of fuel or distance is used to select the most advantageous route when multiple route candidates all arrive in time for a given time.

[0085] Next, the goods sales vehicle route evaluation unit 114 acquires information on the second delivery destination to which delivery will be made after the first delivery destination, and on any subsequent delivery destinations (S202). For one route candidate selected for evaluation, the goods sales vehicle route evaluation unit 114 calculates multiple departure points (departure points) when leaving the route heading towards the first arrival point 401 and arriving at the second arrival point 402 (S203). The goods sales vehicle route evaluation unit 114 calculates the travel costs from these departure points to the second arrival point 402 (S204), and adds up the travel costs from each departure point to the second arrival point 402 for each route candidate. For example, the accumulated value C of the travel costs is calculated using the following formula (1): xn can be calculated.

[0086]

number

[0087] However, U in the above formula x indicates a user x who is located at the x-th arrival point where the first moving object 300A is scheduled to arrive at the x-th time, and TB(y, U x ) indicates the time when the second moving body 300B departs from point y on the route and arrives at user x, i.e., the xth arrival point, and TA(U x ) indicates the time when the first moving body 300A arrives at the user x, i.e., the xth arrival point, and n y indicates the number of points y on the route of the second moving object 300B.

[0088] The accumulated value of the travel cost for the route candidate calculated in this way can be used as the evaluation value for this route. That is, the merchandise vehicle route evaluation unit 114 calculates the accumulated value of the travel cost as an evaluation value to evaluate the route candidate based on the travel cost (S205). As described above, the lower the travel cost, the more appropriate the route is, so the evaluation values ​​calculated for each route candidate can be compared and the route with the lowest evaluation value can be selected as the travel route.

[0089] 6 is a flowchart illustrating selection of a travel route based on the arrival of the first moving object at the first arrival point according to the embodiment. As shown in the figure, the merchandise vehicle route evaluation unit 114 acquires candidate routes for leading the second moving object 300B to the first delivery destination, which is the first arrival point 401 (S301). Next, the merchandise vehicle route evaluation unit 114 determines whether a request for travel of the second moving object 300B to the first arrival point 401 has been received before the first moving object 300A arrives at the first delivery destination, which is the first arrival point 401 (S302). If it is determined that a request for travel to the first arrival point 401 has been received (Yes in S302), the merchandise vehicle route evaluation unit 114 determines travel to the first arrival point 401 (S303) and calculates the travel cost from the current location to the first arrival point 401 (S304). Thereafter, the sales vehicle route evaluation unit 114 evaluates the candidate routes based on the travel costs (S305), and ends the process.

[0090] On the other hand, if it is determined that a request to travel to the first arrival point 401 has not been received (No in S302), the merchandise vehicle route evaluation unit 114 further determines whether the first moving body 300A has arrived at the first delivery destination, which is the first arrival point 401 (S306). If it is determined that the first moving body 300A has not arrived at the first delivery destination, which is the first arrival point 401 (No in S306), the merchandise vehicle route evaluation unit 114 calculates multiple departure points to the second delivery destination, which is the second arrival point, from among the route candidates (S307). Thereafter, the merchandise vehicle route evaluation unit 114 calculates travel costs from the multiple departure points to the second arrival point 402 (S308). Thereafter, the merchandise vehicle route evaluation unit 114 evaluates the candidate routes based on the travel costs (S305) and ends the processing.

[0091] On the other hand, if it is determined that the first moving object 300A has arrived at the first delivery destination, which is the first arrival point 401 (Yes in S306), the merchandise vehicle route evaluation unit 114 determines whether a certain period of time has passed since the arrival of the first moving object 300A (S309). If it is determined that a certain period of time has not passed since the arrival of the first moving object 300A (No in S309), the process proceeds to step S307. On the other hand, if it is determined that a certain period of time has passed since the arrival of the first moving object 300A (Yes in S309), the merchandise vehicle route evaluation unit 114 decides to move to the second arrival point 402 (S310) and calculates the travel cost from the current location to the second arrival point 402 (S311). Thereafter, the merchandise vehicle route evaluation unit 114 evaluates the candidate routes based on the travel cost (S305) and ends the process.

[0092] In this way, the destination and the calculation method of the travel cost may be changed for the route to the first arrival point 401 based on the timing of arrival of the first moving body 300A at the first arrival point 401 and the timing of acceptance of a request from a user located at the first arrival point 401 for the second moving body 300B to travel to the first arrival point 401. As a result, the route selected from among multiple candidate routes from the current location to the first arrival point may change.

[0093] In this manner, route candidates for the second moving body 300B are evaluated. Returning to FIG. 4, based on the evaluation results, the route for the second moving body 300B is determined, and instruction information is transmitted to the second moving body 300B (S107). The travel route determined in this manner allows the second moving body 300B to arrive at the first arrival point 401, for example, within a predetermined period of time, and also allows the second moving body 300B to arrive at the second arrival point 402 relatively quickly. This increases the likelihood that the second moving body 300B will arrive before the user reconsiders the services provided by the second moving body 300B, thereby improving user convenience and providing the advantage of making it easier to obtain opportunities for the second moving body 300B to provide services. In this manner, the information output method and the like in this embodiment can output information for appropriately determining the route to be traveled by the moving body.

[0094] While the information output method according to one or more aspects has been described based on the embodiments, the present disclosure is not limited to these embodiments. As long as it does not deviate from the spirit of the present disclosure, various modifications conceivable by a person skilled in the art to the present embodiments and forms constructed by combining components of different embodiments may also be included within the scope of one or more aspects.

[0095] For example, arrival points beyond the second arrival point may be further taken into consideration. In this case, if the user using the service provided by the second moving body 300B is registered in the server device through a registration system or the like, and the system configuration is capable of taking into consideration the user's past behavior history, it is also possible to select a travel route that takes into account the characteristics of the user located at each point, such as the second arrival point and the third arrival point. An example will be described with reference to FIG. 7. FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating the evaluation of route candidates according to a modified example of the embodiment. Here, differences from the flowchart shown in FIG. 5 will be described, and similar points will be denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description in FIG. 5 will be referred to, and will not be repeated here.

[0096] In the mobile object control system according to the modified example, after step S204, an evaluation value of the travel cost is calculated for each of the points after the second arrival point. The calculation of the evaluation value at this time differs from that of the above embodiment. Specifically, in this modified example, after step S204, an evaluation value Fn is calculated (S405). The following equations (2) to (4) are used to calculate the evaluation value Fn.

[0097]

number

[0098]

number

[0099]

number

[0100] Here, f in the above formula x,n is the evaluation value calculated for user x on a route n. In other words, the evaluation value F n is expressed as the sum of the evaluation values ​​for all users on a per-user basis. In other words, the route with the highest overall evaluation value is selected without prioritizing only one user. In this case, all evaluation values ​​for each user may be treated equally, but the order in which the first moving body 300A visits for delivery may also be taken into consideration. Therefore, j in the above formula x indicates a weighting coefficient that takes into account the delivery order and the like, which is multiplied by the evaluation value of each user. This weighting coefficient is set so that a delivery destination that is closer in order to the arrival point where the first moving body 300A will make the next delivery, or a delivery destination that takes a shorter time to be delivered by a delivery vehicle, is given priority. Also, O in the above formula x indicates the expected purchase value calculated from the past purchase history of multiple users located at each location. Therefore, users with high expected purchase value are given priority over users with low expected purchase value. For example, if the expected purchase value Ox As shown in equation (4), M x The sum of the above is divided by the number of times k that the sales vehicle was requested to be dispatched, and the average purchase amount per dispatch of the sales vehicle is calculated.

[0101] In addition, when calculating the evaluation value based only on the purchase expectation value of each user, the above formula (3) is expressed as f x,n =O x In this case, the above equation (2) can be expressed as j for each user x. x O x It is calculated as the sum of

[0102] Furthermore, for example, the functions of the server device in the above embodiment may be allotted to a mobile body, and the devices to which the functions are provided may be arbitrarily allocated.

[0103] Furthermore, in the above-described embodiments, each component may be configured with dedicated hardware, or may be realized by executing a software program suitable for each component. Each component may be realized by a program execution unit such as a CPU or processor reading and executing a software program recorded on a recording medium such as a hard disk or semiconductor memory. Here, the software that realizes the information output device of the above-described embodiments is the following program.

[0104] That is, this program is a program that causes a computer to execute an information output method. [Industrial Applicability]

[0105] The present disclosure can be used to determine a travel path for a self-propelled mobile body or the like. [Explanation of symbols]

[0106] 100 Delivery vehicle control device 101 Delivery Vehicle Status Management Department 102 Delivery destination management department 103 Delivery Route Management Department 110 Merchandise vehicle control device 111 Merchandise Vehicle Condition Management Department 112 Delivery vehicle information acquisition unit 113 Sales vehicle route candidate calculation unit 114 Sales Vehicle Route Evaluation Department 115 Sales Vehicle Route Determination Department 120 Storage device 121 Delivery destination data storage unit 122 Vehicle data storage unit 150 Network 200 Server device 300A 1st mobile object 300B 2nd mobile body 401 First Arrival Point 401a First User 402 2nd Arrival Point 402a Second User 403 Third Arrival Point 403a Third User

Claims

1. An information output method executed by an information output device, comprising: acquiring first information relating to a first time when a first moving object will arrive at a first location; identifying a second location at which a second moving object can arrive at the first location at a second time within a predetermined period from the first time based on the first information; outputting instruction information for moving the second moving object to the second location; The predetermined period is determined according to at least one of the type of service provided by the second mobile object and the characteristics of the user located at the first location. Information output method.

2. the first vehicle carrying a first item scheduled for delivery to the first location; The second moving body carries a second item that is expected to be purchased by the user. The information output method according to claim 1 .

3. The instruction information includes a position of the first point, a position of the second point, and route information relating to a route from a current location to the first point via the second point.

3. The information output method according to claim 1 or 2.

4. The route to the first point is selected from a plurality of route candidates from the current location to the first point via the second point based on information about one or more points where the first mobile body is scheduled to arrive after the first point. The information output method according to claim 3 .

5. As the route to the first point, a route candidate that has the smallest travel cost required to arrive at at least one of one or more points where the first moving body is scheduled to arrive after the first point is selected from among a plurality of route candidates that reach the first point from the current location via the second point. The information output method according to claim 4.

6. The route to the first point is selected from a plurality of candidate routes from the current location to the first point via the second point based on information regarding the arrival of the first mobile object at the first point. The information output method according to any one of claims 3 to 5.

7. The route to the first point is selected from a plurality of candidate routes from the current location to the first point via the second point based on the timing of arrival of the first mobile object at the first point and the timing of acceptance of a request from a user located at the first point for movement of the second mobile object to the first point. The information output method according to claim 6.

8. The route to the first location is selected from a plurality of route candidates from the current location to the first location via the second location based on information on past purchase histories of a plurality of users located at each of two or more locations where the first mobile object is scheduled to arrive. The information output method according to any one of claims 3 to 7.

9. As for the route to the first point, a route candidate that has the smallest travel cost required to arrive at a point where a user with the highest expected purchase value, calculated from past purchase histories of a plurality of users who are located at each of two or more points where the first mobile object is scheduled to arrive, is located is selected from among a plurality of route candidates that reach the first point from the current location via the second point. The information output method according to claim 8.

10. The instruction information further includes information regarding a waiting period during which the second moving object stops moving at the second location in order for the second moving object to arrive at the second time. The information output method according to any one of claims 1 to 9.

11. The second moving body is selected from a plurality of moving bodies based on the state of the first moving body. The information output method according to any one of claims 1 to 10.

12. When the first mobile unit arrives at the first location, the first mobile unit presents information about services provided by the second mobile unit to the user at the first location. The information output method according to any one of claims 1 to 11.

13. When a request for the second mobile body to move to the first location is received from a user located at the first location in order to receive the service in response to the information presented by the first mobile body that has arrived at the first location, the instruction information further includes information for moving the second mobile body to the first location. The information output method according to claim 12.

14. When a request for the second mobile body to move to the first location from a user located at the first location is not accepted within a certain period of time in response to information presented by the first mobile body that has arrived at the first location, the instruction information for the second mobile body to move to the first location is discarded. The information output method according to claim 13.

15. The predetermined period is a period from when the user at the first location requests the second mobile device to move to the first location to receive the service after the first time until when the user at the first location reconsiders the provision of the service. The information output method according to any one of claims 1 to 14.

16. A method for causing a computer to execute the information output method according to any one of claims 1 to 15. program.

17. The information output device that executes the information output method according to any one of claims 1 to 15; The first moving body; the second moving body; Mobile control system.

18. An information output method executed by an information output device, comprising: acquiring first information relating to a first time when a first moving object will arrive at a first location; identifying a second location at which a second moving object can arrive at the first location at a second time within a predetermined period from the first time based on the first information; outputting instruction information for moving the second moving object to the second location; the first vehicle carrying a first item scheduled for delivery to the first location; The second moving body carries a second item that is expected to be purchased by the user. Information output method.

19. An information output method executed by an information output device, comprising: acquiring first information relating to a first time when a first moving object will arrive at a first location; identifying a second location at which a second moving object can arrive at the first location at a second time within a predetermined period from the first time based on the first information; outputting instruction information for moving the second moving object to the second location; the instruction information includes a position of the first point, a position of the second point, and route information relating to a route from a current location to the first point via the second point, The route to the first point is selected from a plurality of route candidates from the current location to the first point via the second point based on information about one or more points where the first mobile body is scheduled to arrive after the first point. Information output method.

20. An information output method executed by an information output device, comprising: acquiring first information relating to a first time when a first moving object will arrive at a first location; identifying a second location at which a second moving object can arrive at the first location at a second time within a predetermined period from the first time based on the first information; outputting instruction information for moving the second moving object to the second location; The instruction information further includes information regarding a waiting period during which the second moving object stops moving at the second location in order for the second moving object to arrive at the second time. Information output method.

21. An information output method executed by an information output device, comprising: acquiring first information relating to a first time when a first moving object will arrive at a first location; A second point at which a second moving body can arrive at the first point at a second time within a predetermined period from the first time based on the first information. Identify, outputting instruction information for moving the second moving object to the second location; The second moving body is selected from a plurality of moving bodies based on the state of the first moving body. Information output method.

22. An information output method executed by an information output device, comprising: acquiring first information relating to a first time when a first moving object will arrive at a first location; identifying a second location at which a second moving object can arrive at the first location at a second time within a predetermined period from the first time based on the first information; outputting instruction information for moving the second moving object to the second location; When the first mobile unit arrives at the first location, the first mobile unit presents information about services provided by the second mobile unit to the user at the first location. Information output method.

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