Vehicle dispatch planning device and vehicle dispatch planning method

Abstract

To formulate an optimal vehicle allocation plan that satisfies complex conditions.SOLUTION: In a vehicle allocation planning server 101, a memory 203 holds boarding condition information on boarding conditions for users to ride in vehicles, the boarding condition information including user information 221 on pickup locations and attributes for each user, visit schedule information 222 on desired pickup time for each user, and vehicle information 223 on conditions of use for each vehicle. A CPU 201 generates, using a route generation function 212, a plurality of routes each including one or more pickup locations, on the basis of the boarding condition information, and identifies, using a vehicle allocation planning function 213, one or more combinations of routes included in the multiple routes, the routes including all pickup locations, to formulate a vehicle allocation plan on the basis of the identified combinations of the routes.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a vehicle allocation planning device and a vehicle allocation planning method.

Background Art

[0002] As background art in this technical field, there is Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2019-086993 (Patent Document 1). This publication states that "The pick-up and drop-off support system 1 includes a memory 10 and a program 20. The memory 10 includes a care recipient information storage area 11, a boarding and alighting time storage area 12 that stores the boarding and alighting time information of each care recipient, and a travel time storage area 13 that stores the travel time information of the vehicle. The program 20 includes an extraction program 28 that extracts specific care recipient information, a route calculation program 22 that calculates a tour route based on the specific care recipient information, an arrival time calculation program 23 that calculates the arrival time of the pick-up and drop-off positions in the tour route, an operation time calculation program 24 that calculates the stop time and travel time of the vehicle based on the reception of a signal from the outside, and an update program 25 that updates the boarding and alighting time information and the travel time information." (See the abstract).

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] The technique described in Patent Document 1 aims to reduce the time loss in the pick-up and drop-off of care recipients by improving the accuracy of calculating the arrival time of the pick-up and drop-off positions of care recipients. However, it does not consider comprehensively judging complex conditions such as the constraints in the pick-up and drop-off of care recipients and various desires of care recipients, and creating an optimal vehicle allocation plan.

[0005] The main objective of this invention is to create an optimal vehicle dispatch plan that satisfies multiple conditions in order to solve the above-mentioned problems. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The dispatch planning device according to the present invention is a device for creating a dispatch plan for transporting multiple users to a predetermined facility using one or more vehicles, and includes a processor and a memory, the memory holding boarding condition information relating to the boarding conditions when the users board the vehicle, the boarding condition information including user information relating to the pick-up location and attributes for each user, arrival schedule information relating to the desired pick-up time for each user, and vehicle information relating to the usage conditions for each vehicle, the processor generating a plurality of routes, each passing through one or more of the pick-up locations, identifying one or more combinations of routes included in the plurality of routes that pass through all of the pick-up locations, and creating the dispatch plan based on the identified combination of routes. The vehicle dispatch planning method according to the present invention is a method for creating a vehicle dispatch plan for transporting multiple users to a predetermined facility using one or more vehicles, wherein the memory holds boarding condition information relating to the boarding conditions when the users board the vehicles, and the boarding condition information includes user information relating to the pick-up location and attributes for each user, arrival schedule information relating to the desired pick-up time for each user, and vehicle information relating to the usage conditions for each vehicle, and the processor generates a plurality of routes, each passing through one or more of the pick-up locations, based on the boarding condition information, identifies one or more combinations of routes included in the plurality of routes that pass through all of the pick-up locations, and creates the vehicle dispatch plan based on the identified combination of routes. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to the present invention, it is possible to create an optimal vehicle dispatch plan that satisfies multiple conditions.

[0008] Other issues, configurations, and effects not mentioned above will be clarified by the following description of the embodiments. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0009] [Figure 1] This is a block diagram showing an example configuration of a vehicle dispatch planning system according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] This is a block diagram showing an example configuration for a vehicle dispatch planning server. [Figure 3] This is a block diagram showing an example configuration of a registered terminal. [Figure 4] This is a block diagram showing an example configuration of an in-vehicle terminal. [Figure 5] This figure shows an example of user information. [Figure 6] This diagram shows an example of how to set up a passenger group. [Figure 7] This is a diagram showing an example of visitor information. [Figure 8] This is a diagram showing an example of vehicle information. [Figure 9] This figure shows an example of vehicle usage information. [Figure 10] This is a sequence diagram showing an example of the overall processing performed by the vehicle dispatch planning server. [Figure 11] This is a flowchart illustrating an example of the route creation process. [Figure 12] This is an explanatory diagram showing an example of route candidate creation. [Figure 13] This is an explanatory diagram showing an example of clustering processing. [Figure 14] This is a flowchart illustrating an example of the process for determining the recruitment route. [Figure 15] This is an explanatory diagram showing an example of route shape conditions. [Figure 16] This is a flowchart illustrating an example of the vehicle dispatch plan creation process. [Figure 17] This is an explanatory diagram showing an example of how to calculate the second evaluation value. [Figure 18] This figure shows a variation of vehicle usage information. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0010] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail based on the drawings. In this embodiment, the same components are generally denoted by the same reference numerals, and repeated descriptions are omitted. Note that this embodiment is merely an example for realizing the present invention, and it should be noted that the technical scope of the present invention is not limited thereby.

[0011] FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of a vehicle allocation plan system according to an embodiment of the present invention. The vehicle allocation plan system includes, for example, a vehicle allocation plan server 101, one or more registration terminals 102, and one or more in-vehicle terminals 103 that are connected to each other via a network 104 such as the Internet.

[0012] The registration terminal 102 is, for example, a terminal held by a facility that accepts users of the facility who are to be picked up and dropped off by vehicle, such as a day care facility that provides care services to care recipients. The registration terminal 102 transmits boarding condition information based on various boarding conditions input by, for example, a user of the registration terminal 102 to the vehicle allocation plan server 101.

[0013] The in-vehicle terminal 103 is, for example, a terminal mounted on a vehicle that picks up and drops off users. The in-vehicle terminal 103 measures the position of the vehicle at regular intervals and transmits vehicle position information based on the measurement result to the vehicle allocation plan server 101.

[0014] The vehicle allocation plan server 101 creates a vehicle allocation plan based on the boarding condition information and the vehicle position information received from the registration terminal 102 and the in-vehicle terminal 103, respectively, and transmits vehicle allocation plan information based on the created vehicle allocation plan to the registration terminal 102 and the in-vehicle terminal 103, respectively.

[0015] In this embodiment, the vehicle allocation plan server 101 creates a route and a vehicle allocation plan for a vehicle that departs from a facility that is the departure place, visits one or more pick-up and drop-off places where users (passengers) are located, picks up the users, and returns to the facility with the users on board (i.e., the destination coincides with the departure place).

[0016] Figure 2 is a block diagram showing an example configuration of the dispatch planning server 101. The dispatch planning server 101 is composed of a computer having, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 201, auxiliary storage device 202, memory 203, communication device 204, input device 205, and output device 206.

[0017] The CPU 201 includes a processor, which is an arithmetic processing unit, and executes programs stored in the memory 203. The memory 203 includes non-volatile memory elements such as ROM (Read Only Memory) and volatile memory elements such as RAM (Random Access Memory). ROM stores immutable programs (e.g., BIOS (Basic Input / Output System)). RAM is a high-speed, volatile memory element such as DRAM (Dynamic Random Access Memory) and temporarily stores programs executed by the CPU 201 and data used during program execution.

[0018] The auxiliary storage device 202 is a high-capacity, non-volatile storage device such as a magnetic storage device (HDD (Hard Disk Drive)) or flash memory (SSD (Solid State Drive)), and stores the program executed by the CPU 201 and the data used when the program is executed. In other words, the program is read from the auxiliary storage device 202, loaded into memory 203, and executed by the CPU 201.

[0019] The input device 205 is a device that receives input from the operator, such as a keyboard or mouse. The output device 206 is a device that outputs the program execution results in a format that the operator can see, such as a display device or printer.

[0020] The communication device 204 is a network interface device that controls communication with other devices according to a predetermined protocol. The communication device 204 may also include a serial interface such as USB (Universal Serial Bus).

[0021] Some or all of the programs executed by the CPU 201 may be provided to the dispatch planning server 101 via a network from a removable media (such as a CD-ROM or flash memory) or an external computer equipped with a non-temporary storage device, and stored in a non-volatile auxiliary storage device 202, which is also a non-temporary storage device. For this reason, the dispatch planning server 101 should have an interface for reading data from the removable media. The same applies to the registration terminal 102 and the in-vehicle terminal 103.

[0022] The dispatch planning server 101 is a computer system that operates on a single physical computer or on multiple logically or physically configured computers. It may operate on the same computer in separate threads, or it may operate on a virtual computer built on multiple physical computer resources. The same applies to the registration terminal 102 and the in-vehicle terminal 103.

[0023] The CPU 201 includes, for example, a terminal communication function 211, a route creation function 212, a vehicle dispatch plan creation function 213, and a travel time calculation function 214.

[0024] The terminal communication function 211 communicates with the registered terminal 102 and the in-vehicle terminal 103 to send and receive information, and displays the sent and received information on the output device 206 or transmits the sent and received information to another system as needed. The route creation function 212 creates one or more routes that the vehicle will take (a route that departs from the facility that is the starting point, visits each user's pick-up location in order to pick up the users, and returns to the facility). The dispatch plan creation function 213 generates one or more combinations of routes that pass through all pick-up locations based on the routes created by the route creation function 212, and generates a dispatch plan. The travel time calculation function 214 calculates the travel time of the vehicle based on the vehicle location information transmitted from the in-vehicle terminal 103.

[0025] For example, the CPU 201 functions as a terminal communication function 211 by operating according to a terminal communication program loaded into memory 203, and functions as a route creation function 212 by operating according to a route creation program loaded into memory 203. The relationship between programs and functional units is similar for other functional units included in the CPU 201.

[0026] Furthermore, some or all of the functions provided by the functional units included in the CPU201 may be implemented by hardware such as an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit) or an FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array).

[0027] The auxiliary storage device 202 stores, for example, user information 221, planned visit information 222, vehicle information 223, vehicle usage information 224, and travel time information 225.

[0028] User information 221 is information about the pick-up / drop-off location and attributes of each user who is the target of the pick-up. Scheduled arrival information 222 is information about the desired pick-up time (time slot) for each user. Vehicle information 223 is information about the usage conditions for each vehicle. Vehicle usage information 224 is information indicating the available time slots for each vehicle. Travel time information 225 is information about the travel time of the vehicle calculated by the travel time calculation function 214, for example, the time required for the vehicle to travel between each user's pick-up / drop-off location. This information is read from the auxiliary storage device 202 as needed under the control of the CPU 201, temporarily stored in the memory 203, and used for processing by the CPU 201. That is, the memory 203 can temporarily hold user information 221, scheduled arrival information 222, vehicle information 223, vehicle usage information 224, and travel time information 225 under the control of the CPU 201.

[0029] Furthermore, some or all of the information stored in the auxiliary storage device 202 may be stored in the memory 203, or in a database connected to the dispatch planning server 101.

[0030] Figure 3 is a block diagram showing an example configuration of the registration terminal 102. The registration terminal 102 is composed of a computer having, for example, a CPU 301, an auxiliary storage device 302, a memory 303, a communication device 304, an input device 305, and an output device 306.

[0031] The hardware descriptions of the CPU 301, auxiliary storage device 302, memory 303, communication device 304, input device 305, and output device 306 are the same as those for the CPU 201, auxiliary storage device 202, memory 203, communication device 204, input device 205, and output device 206 in Figure 2, and are therefore omitted.

[0032] The CPU 301 includes, for example, a server communication function 311. The server communication function 311 communicates with the dispatch planning server 101 to send and receive information, and, if necessary, displays the sent and received information on the output device 306 or transmits the sent and received information to another system.

[0033] The auxiliary storage device 302 holds, for example, dispatch plan information 321. The dispatch plan information 321 is information indicating the dispatch plan received from the dispatch plan server 101. Note that some or all of the dispatch plan information 321 may be stored in memory 303 instead of the auxiliary storage device 302.

[0034] Figure 4 is a block diagram showing an example configuration of an in-vehicle terminal 103. The in-vehicle terminal 103 is composed of a computer having, for example, a CPU 401, an auxiliary storage device 402, a memory 403, a communication device 404, an input device 405, and an output device 406.

[0035] The hardware descriptions of the CPU 401, auxiliary storage device 402, memory 403, communication device 404, input device 405, and output device 406 are the same as those for the CPU 201, auxiliary storage device 202, memory 203, communication device 204, input device 205, and output device 206 in Figure 2, and are therefore omitted.

[0036] The CPU 401 includes, for example, a server communication function 411. The server communication function 411 communicates with the dispatch planning server 101 to send and receive information, and, if necessary, displays the sent and received information on the output device 406 or transmits the sent and received information to another system.

[0037] The auxiliary storage device 402 holds, for example, dispatch plan information 421 and vehicle location information 422. The dispatch plan information 421 is information indicating the dispatch plan received from the dispatch plan server 101. The vehicle location information 422 is the location information of the vehicle at predetermined intervals. For example, a positioning sensor that performs positioning using GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) etc. is installed in the in-vehicle terminal 103, and the vehicle location information acquired from this positioning sensor at predetermined intervals is stored in the auxiliary storage device 402 as vehicle location information 422 and transmitted from the in-vehicle terminal 103 to the dispatch plan server 101 via the server communication function 411. Note that some or all of the dispatch plan information 421 and vehicle location information 422 may be stored in the memory 403 instead of the auxiliary storage device 402.

[0038] Next, specific examples of user information 221, planned visit information 222, vehicle information 223, and vehicle usage information 224 in the dispatch planning server 101 will be explained below with reference to Figures 5 to 9.

[0039] Figure 5 shows an example of user information 221. User information 221 includes, for example, a name field 2211, a pick-up / drop-off location field 2212, a wheelchair usage field 2213, a vehicle restriction field 2214, a presence / absence of attendant field 2215, a passenger group field 2216, and a passenger restriction field 2217. The name field 2211 holds information indicating the name of each user. The pick-up / drop-off location field 2212 holds information indicating the pick-up / drop-off location (address, latitude, longitude, etc.) for each user. The wheelchair usage field 2213 holds information indicating whether each user uses a wheelchair. The vehicle restriction field 2214 holds information indicating whether each user is allowed to board each vehicle. The presence / absence of attendant field 2215 holds information indicating whether each user requires an attendant to accompany them when boarding. The passenger group field 2216 holds information about the passenger group to which each user belongs, if they belong to any passenger group. A group of passengers riding together refers to a group of users that the facility deems best suited to riding in the same vehicle for efficiency, or a group of users who have requested to ride in the same vehicle. This may include couples or relatives. The "No Shared Passengers" column (2217) stores information on combinations of users who cannot ride in the same vehicle due to circumstances on the part of the users themselves or the facility.

[0040] The dispatch planning server 101 displays information regarding the conditions for riding together, such as whether each user can ride with other users, based on the information in the passenger group column 2216 and the passenger-unavailable column 2217 mentioned above.

[0041] Figure 6 shows an example of setting up a passenger group. The dispatch planning server 101 can set up a passenger group according to a predefined passenger group, for example, as shown in Figure 6, and store the corresponding information in the passenger group field 2216 of the user information 221 in Figure 5.

[0042] Figure 7 shows an example of visitor information 222. Visitor information 222 includes, for example, a name field 2221 and a preferred pick-up time field 2222. The name field 2221 holds information indicating the name of each user. The preferred pick-up time field 2222 holds information indicating the range of pick-up times desired by each user, that is, the time range in which the vehicle will visit each user's pick-up location.

[0043] Figure 8 shows an example of vehicle information 223. Vehicle information 223 includes, for example, a vehicle name field 2231, a regular seating capacity field 2232, a wheelchair seating capacity field 2233, and a luggage capacity field 2234. The vehicle name field 2231 holds information indicating the vehicle name to identify each vehicle. The regular seating capacity field 2232 holds information indicating the regular seating capacity of each vehicle. The wheelchair seating capacity field 2233 holds information indicating the wheelchair seating capacity of each vehicle. The luggage capacity field 2234 holds information indicating the amount of luggage that can be loaded into each vehicle. For example, based on the size of a folded wheelchair, the luggage capacity field 2234 can indicate how many wheelchairs' worth of luggage can be loaded into the vehicle.

[0044] Figure 9 shows an example of vehicle usage information 224. Vehicle usage information 224 includes, for example, a vehicle name column 2241 and an availability column 2242. The vehicle name column 2241 holds information indicating the vehicle name to identify each vehicle. The availability column 2242 holds information indicating whether each vehicle is available for use during each time period (for example, the "7:00" column stores information indicating whether each vehicle is available for use between 7:00 and 7:15).

[0045] In this embodiment, the information used by the dispatch planning server 101 is not dependent on the data structure and may be represented in any data structure. In the examples in Figures 5 to 9, each piece of information is represented in table format, but the information can be stored in a data structure appropriately selected from, for example, a list, a database, or a queue. The same applies to the information used by the registration terminal 102 and the in-vehicle terminal 103.

[0046] Next, the processing flow in the dispatch planning server 101 will be explained below with reference to Figures 10 to 17.

[0047] Figure 10 is a sequence diagram showing an example of the overall processing by the dispatch planning server 101. The overall processing shown in Figure 10 is executed, for example, on each day a dispatch plan is created. The server communication function 311 of the registration terminal 102 receives input of boarding condition information, including user information, planned visit information, vehicle information, and vehicle usage information, from the user of the registration terminal 102, for example, via the input device 305. The input user information (S101), planned visit information (S102), vehicle information (S103), and vehicle usage information (S104) are then transmitted to the dispatch planning server 101.

[0048] The terminal communication function 211 of the dispatch planning server 101 stores the received user information, visitor information, vehicle information, and vehicle usage information in the auxiliary storage device 202 as user information 221 (S105), visitor information 222 (S106), vehicle information 223 (S107), and vehicle usage information 224 (S108), respectively.

[0049] The route creation function 212 refers to user information 221 (S109), planned visit information 222 (S110), vehicle information 223 (S111), and travel time information 225 (S112) and executes the route creation process (S113). Details of the route creation process in step S113 will be described later.

[0050] The dispatch plan creation function 213 executes the dispatch plan creation process (S115) based on the vehicle usage information 224 (S114) and the route created in the route creation process of step S113. Details of the dispatch plan creation process in step S115 will be described later. The terminal communication function 211 transmits the dispatch plan information created by the dispatch plan creation function 213 in step S115 to the registration terminal 102 and the in-vehicle terminal 103 (S116). This information is stored in the auxiliary storage devices 302 and 402 as dispatch plan information 321 and 421, respectively, in the registration terminal 102 and the in-vehicle terminal 103.

[0051] The server communication function 411 of the in-vehicle terminal 103 transmits, for example, vehicle location information 422 stored in the auxiliary storage device 402 to the dispatch planning server 101 at regular intervals (S117). The travel time calculation function 214 of the dispatch planning server 101 performs a travel time calculation process based on the received vehicle location information 422 (S118). In the travel time calculation process of step S118, for example, the travel time of the vehicle between each point indicated by the current vehicle location information 422 is calculated. Then, the travel time information 225 is updated using the obtained calculation result (S119). For example, the travel time information 225 can be updated by performing statistical processing such as a weighted average based on the current calculation result and past calculation results obtained so far.

[0052] Figure 11 is a flowchart showing an example of the route creation process. The route creation function 212 creates route candidates corresponding to each permutation of selecting j people (j=1,···,n) from the total number of users n people included in the visitor information 222 (S1101).

[0053] Figure 12 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of route candidate creation in step S1101. In step S1101, based on the information of each user's pick-up / drop-off location and the planned visit information 222 included in the user information 221, a clustering process is performed to classify users who meet certain conditions into the same group, and clustering information showing the result of this process is generated. Then, based on the generated clustering information, user information 221, planned visit information 222, vehicle information 223, and travel time information 225, all permutations of selecting j people (j=1,...,n) from the total number of users n included in the planned visit information 222 (without allowing duplicates) are calculated, and all route candidates corresponding to each calculated permutation are generated. This makes it possible to create route candidates for all theoretically possible pick-up / drop-off sequences for users (for example, a sequence in which a vehicle departs from the facility, visits each user's pick-up / drop-off location in the order indicated by the permutation, picks up each user, and returns to the facility).

[0054] Figure 13 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of clustering processing. In clustering processing, based on the information of each user's pick-up / drop-off location and the planned visit information 222 included in the user information 221, nearby users who are scheduled to visit the facility at the same time on the same day are grouped together. Specifically, as shown in Figure 13, for example, users whose travel time between pick-up / drop-off locations indicated in the user information 221 is within a predetermined value (e.g., 1 minute) and whose difference in desired pick-up times indicated in the planned visit information 222 is within a predetermined range are classified into the same group. In this case, users 1, 2, 3, and 4 are classified into group a, and users 5 and 6 are classified into group b. Alternatively, instead of travel time between pick-up / drop-off locations, the distance between pick-up / drop-off locations being within a predetermined value (e.g., 500m) may be used as a condition for grouping users into the same group.

[0055] Each group formed by clustering multiple users is treated as an inseparable set of users when route candidates are created in step S1101. For example, in Figure 13, each route candidate is created so as to either include all or none of the pick-up / drop-off locations of users 1, 2, 3, and 4 belonging to group a. Similarly, each route candidate is created so as to either include all or none of the pick-up / drop-off locations of users 5 and 6 belonging to group b. This prevents unnecessary pick-ups and drop-offs from occurring due to nearby users being assigned to different routes. Furthermore, by treating multiple users as sets, it becomes possible to reduce the number of route candidates created without having to consider the pick-up / drop-off order, thereby improving efficiency.

[0056] Returning to the explanation of Figure 11, the route creation function 212 selects the route candidate from among the multiple route candidates created in step S1101 that corresponds to each permutation of selecting one user from n users, that is, the route candidate in which the vehicle departs from the facility which is the departure point, visits a pick-up location for only one user, picks up that single user, and returns to the facility as the adopted route (S1102).

[0057] Next, the route creation function 212 sets the variable k to an initial value of k=2 (S1103). Subsequently, based on the current value of the variable k, the route creation function 212 extracts permutations from the multiple route candidates created in step S1101 that take k users out of n users, and selects one route candidate from these permutations that corresponds to an unselected permutation (S1104). Then, it executes the adopted route determination process on the selected route candidate (S1105). In this adopted route determination process, based on the selected route candidate, it creates a route in which the vehicle departs from the facility that is the departure point, visits the pick-up / drop-off locations corresponding to each user (k or fewer), picks up each user, and returns to the facility, and satisfies all the boarding conditions indicated by the user information 221, the planned visit information 222, and the vehicle information 223, and determines it to be the adopted route. Details of the adopted route determination process executed in step S1105 will be described later.

[0058] After the route selection process is executed, the route creation function 212 determines whether all permutations of selecting k people from n users have been selected (S1106). If the route creation function 212 determines that there are any unselected permutations of selecting k people from n users (S1106: No), it returns to step S1104.

[0059] If the route creation function 212 determines that all permutations of selecting k people from n users have already been selected (S1106: Yes), it determines whether k=n (S1107). If the route creation function 212 determines that k=n is not the case (S1107: No), it sets k=k+1 by adding 1 to the variable k (S1108) and returns to step S1104. If the route creation function 212 determines that k=n (S1107: Yes), it terminates the route creation process.

[0060] Figure 14 is a flowchart showing an example of the route selection process. The route creation function 212 first sets the variable i to an initial value of i=2 (S1401). Next, the route creation function 212 refers to the vehicle information 223 and selects one of the vehicles (S1402). Then, in steps S1403 to S1413, the route candidate selected in step S1104 of Figure 11 is subjected to the processing described below to determine whether the route candidate satisfies various boarding conditions.

[0061] The route creation function 212 determines whether the i-th user in the selected route candidate meets the vehicle restrictions for the vehicle selected in step S1402 (S1403). Here, for example, it refers to the vehicle restriction column 2214 of the user information 221 to determine whether the selected vehicle is a vehicle that the user can ride. If the vehicle restrictions are met (S1403: Yes), the process proceeds to step S1404; otherwise (S1403: No), the process proceeds to step S1406.

[0062] The route creation function 212 determines, for the vehicle selected in step S1402, whether the total number of users up to the ith user in the selected route candidate is less than or equal to the vehicle's normal seating capacity (S1404). Here, for example, the normal seating capacity of the selected vehicle is obtained by referring to the normal seating capacity column 2232 of the vehicle information 223, and it is determined whether the total number of users from the 1st to the ith user is less than or equal to the obtained normal seating capacity. As a result, if the total number of users is less than or equal to the normal seating capacity (S1404: Yes), the process proceeds to step S1405; if it is greater than the normal seating capacity (S1404: No), the process proceeds to step S1406.

[0063] The route creation function 212 determines, for the vehicle selected in step S1402, whether the total number of wheelchair users among the first i users in the selected route candidate is less than or equal to the number of wheelchair seats in that vehicle (S1405). Here, for example, the number of wheelchair seats in the selected vehicle is obtained by referring to the wheelchair seat number column 2233 of the vehicle information 223, and the presence or absence of wheelchair use for each of the first i users is determined by referring to the wheelchair usage column 2213 of the user information 221, and the total number of wheelchair users among the first to i users is calculated. Then, it is determined whether the calculated total number of wheelchair users is less than or equal to the obtained number of wheelchair seats. As a result, if the total number of wheelchair users is less than or equal to the number of wheelchair seats (S1405: Yes), the process proceeds to step S1407, and if it is greater than the number of wheelchair seats (S1405: No), the process proceeds to step S1406. Furthermore, if a wheelchair user can board a regular seat and their wheelchair can be folded and loaded into the vehicle, the number of wheelchairs that can be loaded into the vehicle can be determined by referring to the luggage capacity column 2234 in the user information 221, and this can be added to the number of wheelchair seats to make the determination in step S1405.

[0064] The route creation function 212 determines whether it is possible to select a vehicle other than the one selected in step S1402 (S1406). Here, for example, it refers to the vehicle information 223 to determine if there are any unselected vehicles. If there are unselected vehicles, it determines that it is possible to select another vehicle (S1406: Yes), returns to step S1402, selects one of the unselected vehicles, and then repeats the processing in steps S1403 to S1405 for that vehicle. On the other hand, if all vehicles have already been selected, it determines that it is not possible to select another vehicle (S1406: No), and proceeds to step S1414.

[0065] The route creation function 212 determines whether the i-th user in the selected route candidate meets the conditions for riding together with each other user (S1407). Here, for example, it refers to the "No Riding Allowed" column 2217 of the user information 221 and determines whether there are any users among the 1st to (i-1)th users who are set as not allowed to ride together with the i-th user. If there are no users set as not allowed to ride together, it determines that the riding conditions are met (S1407: Yes) and proceeds to step S1408. If there are users set as not allowed to ride together (S1407: No), it proceeds to step S1414.

[0066] The route creation function 212 calculates an indicator showing the percentage increase in travel time for each user in the selected route candidate, that is, how much longer each user will have to take due to the selected route candidate (S1408). For example, based on the pick-up and drop-off locations for each user shown in the pick-up and drop-off location column 2212 of the user information 221, and the travel time information 225, the function calculates for each user from the 1st to the ith user the travel time when the vehicle goes directly from each user's pick-up and drop-off location to the facility (direct travel time) and the travel time from each user's pick-up and drop-off location to the facility when the vehicle visits each user's pick-up and drop-off locations sequentially before proceeding to the facility (route travel time). Then, by determining the ratio of route travel time to direct travel time for each user, the percentage increase in travel time for each user can be calculated.

[0067] The route creation function 212 determines whether the rate of increase in travel time calculated in step S1408 is less than or equal to a predetermined value for all users from the 1st to the ith user (S1409). If the rate of increase in travel time for all users is less than or equal to a predetermined value, for example, 2 (S1409: Yes), the process proceeds to step S1410. If the rate of increase in travel time for at least one user exceeds a predetermined value (S1409: No), the process proceeds to step S1414.

[0068] The route creation function 212 determines whether the travel time for each of the first i users in the selected route candidate is less than or equal to a predetermined value (S1410). Here, for example, the travel time for each user obtained when calculating the travel time increase rate in step S1408 is used as the travel time, and it is determined whether this value is less than or equal to a predetermined value, for example, 1 hour. As a result, if the travel time for all users is less than or equal to the predetermined value (S1410: Yes), the process proceeds to step S1411, and if the travel time for at least one user exceeds the predetermined value (S1410: No), the process proceeds to step S1414.

[0069] The route creation function 212 calculates the scheduled pick-up time for the i-th user in the selected route candidate (S1411). Here, for example, based on the pick-up and drop-off locations for each user shown in the pick-up and drop-off location column 2212 of the user information 221, and the travel time information 225, the function calculates the travel time from the departure facility to the pick-up and drop-off location of the first user, and the travel time between the pick-up and drop-off locations of each user from the first to the i-th user. Then, by setting the departure time and adding these travel times to the departure time, the scheduled pick-up time for the i-th user can be calculated.

[0070] The route creation function 212 determines whether the difference between the scheduled pick-up time calculated in step S1411 and the user's desired pick-up time is less than or equal to a predetermined value (S1412) for the i-th user in the selected route candidate. Here, for example, the desired pick-up time for the i-th user is obtained by referring to the desired pick-up time column 2222 in the planned visit information 222, and compared with the calculated scheduled pick-up time. As a result, if the scheduled pick-up time is within the range of the desired pick-up time, or if the scheduled pick-up time is outside the desired pick-up time but the difference is less than or equal to a predetermined value, for example, 30 minutes (S1412: Yes), the process proceeds to step S1413. If the difference between the scheduled pick-up time and the desired pick-up time exceeds a predetermined value (S1412: No), the process proceeds to step S1414.

[0071] The route creation function 212 determines whether the pick-up / drop-off location for the i-th user in the selected route candidate satisfies all the route shape conditions (S1413). Note that in step S1413, the route creation function 212 does not need to determine the route shape conditions for duplicate users. The reason for this is that, for example, in the route candidate corresponding to permutation P1 of user 1, user 2, user 3, user 4 and the route candidate corresponding to permutation P2 of user 1, user 2, user 4, user 3, the route shape conditions for user 2 are the same in both cases (because the route to reach the pick-up location corresponding to user 2 is the same in both cases), and therefore the route shape conditions for user 2 only need to be determined in one of the route candidates. The route shape conditions will be explained below.

[0072] Figure 15 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of route shape conditions. The example in Figure 15 is an example of verifying route shape conditions for a route in which a vehicle departs from the starting point, visits pick-up / drop-off locations A, B, C, and D in that order, and then returns to the starting point.

[0073] There are no route shape conditions for the first pick-up / drop-off location, pick-up / drop-off location A. For the second and subsequent pick-up / drop-off locations, pick-up / drop-off locations B, C, and D, the route shape conditions include, for example, that each pick-up / drop-off location is included in the selectable area 1501.

[0074] In the example in Figure 15, the selectable area 1501 is shaped like two rectangles joined together (like a T rotated 90 degrees to the right). One of the two rectangles is defined by a side of length 2W and a side of length L (where L is the length of the line segment connecting the departure point and pick-up / drop-off location A (the pick-up / drop-off location furthest from the departure point)). The midpoint of one side of length 2W (where W is predetermined, for example) is located at the departure point, and the midpoint of the other side of length 2W is located at the midpoint of line segment l. The other rectangle is defined by a side of length 4W and a side of length L. The midpoint of one side of length 4W is located at the first pick-up / drop-off location A, and the midpoint of the other side of length 4W is located at the midpoint of line segment l.

[0075] Thus, the selectable area 1501 is defined such that, for example, its width perpendicular to line segment l increases as it moves further from the departure point. Therefore, for example, the selectable area 1501 may be an isosceles triangle with the departure point as its vertex, and a line segment of length 2W perpendicular to line segment l, with a length 2L whose midpoint passes through the first pick-up / drop-off location A, as the opposite side of the vertex. Because the selectable area 1501 has such a shape, the area closer to the departure point has a narrower width (perpendicular to line segment l) in which the vehicle can move, so that when the vehicle carrying the user is returning to the departure point, the user will feel that the vehicle is not moving unnecessarily. The selectable area 1501 may also be a predetermined area with a defined width perpendicular to line segment l. In other words, the selectable area 1501 may be defined such that its width perpendicular to line segment l decreases as it moves further from the departure point, or it may be defined to be constant, or it may be defined to repeatedly narrow and widen.

[0076] Furthermore, the route shape conditions for the second and subsequent pick-up / drop-off locations, pick-up / drop-off locations B, C, and D, may include the condition that the distance from the departure point to that pick-up / drop-off location is shorter than the distance from the departure point of the previous pick-up / drop-off location. This ensures that once even one passenger has boarded, a route is selected that approaches the departure point, giving passengers the impression that the vehicle is not making unnecessary movements as it returns to the departure point.

[0077] Furthermore, the route shape conditions for the second and subsequent pick-up / drop-off locations, excluding the last one, may include the condition that the angles between the pick-up / drop-off location, the previous pick-up / drop-off location, and the next pick-up / drop-off location are within a predetermined range. In other words, in the example in Figure 15, the route shape conditions are not satisfied unless the angles ABC for the second pick-up / drop-off location B and the angles BCD for the third pick-up / drop-off location C are within the predetermined range. This predetermined range could be, for example, 100 degrees or more and 180 degrees or less, or an obtuse angle. By including the condition that the angles are within a predetermined range in the route shape conditions, a route that returns to a location close to a previously visited pick-up / drop-off location is not selected, and users can feel that the vehicle is not making unnecessary movements when it is returning to the starting point.

[0078] Furthermore, the route shape conditions for the second and subsequent pick-up locations, pick-up locations B, C, and D, include satisfying the desired pick-up time indicated in the planned visit information 222. For pick-up location B, the route creation function 212 can, for example, determine whether the route shape condition is satisfied by adding the travel time calculated from the location of the first pick-up location A and the location of the second pick-up location B to the desired pick-up time of the user corresponding to the first pick-up location A indicated in the planned visit information 222, and whether this time overlaps with the desired pick-up time of the user corresponding to the second pick-up location B indicated in the planned visit information 222. This allows the time (time) when the vehicle stops at each pick-up location, the time (time) when it departs from the departure point, and the time (time) when it arrives back at the departure point to be determined for each route.

[0079] Returning to the explanation of Figure 14, the route creation function 212 proceeds to step S1415 if it determines that the pick-up / drop-off location for the i-th user in the selected route candidate satisfies all the route shape conditions (S1413: Yes), and to step S1414 if it does not satisfy at least one of the route shape conditions (S1413: No).

[0080] The route creation function 212 determines that the i-th user in the selected route candidate should be removed from the route based on that route candidate (S1414), and then proceeds to step S1415.

[0081] The route creation function 212 determines whether i=k (S1415). If it determines that i=k is not (S1415: No), it sets i=i+1 by adding 1 to the variable i (S1416) and returns to step S1403. If it determines that i=k (S1415: Yes), it proceeds to step S1417.

[0082] The route creation function 212 removes the user who was determined to be deleted in step S1414 from the selected route candidates and determines the route to be adopted (S1417). In this case, if step S1414 has never been executed, the selected route candidates can be simply determined as the route to be adopted.

[0083] After executing the process in step S1417, the route creation function 212 terminates the route selection process shown in the flowchart of Figure 14 and proceeds to step S1106 in Figure 11. Thereafter, the route selection process in step S1105 is repeatedly executed until k=n is determined in step S1107. As a result, one or more routes are created that satisfy all of the boarding conditions indicated by the determination conditions in steps S1403-S1405, S1407, S1409, S1410, S1412, and S1413 in Figure 14.

[0084] In the route determination process shown in Figure 14 described above, not all of the judgment conditions in steps S1403-S1405, S1407, S1409, S1410, S1412, and S1413 are necessarily required, and any of the judgment conditions may be omitted. Furthermore, additional judgment conditions may be added. By using at least one judgment condition, it is possible to generate multiple routes that satisfy the boarding conditions specified by the user via the registration terminal 102, each passing through one or more pick-up / drop-off locations.

[0085] Figure 16 is a flowchart showing an example of the dispatch plan creation process. The dispatch plan creation function 213 calculates an evaluation value for each route adopted in step S1417 of Figure 14 (S1601). The dispatch plan creation function 213 may calculate one of the first evaluation value, second evaluation value, or third evaluation value described below as the evaluation value in step S1601, or it may calculate any two of the first evaluation value, second evaluation value, and third evaluation value, or a value that combines all of them as the evaluation value in step S1601. The first evaluation value, second evaluation value, and third evaluation value are indicators of user satisfaction.

[0086] The first evaluation value is a value that increases as the travel time of users on the route decreases. Specifically, for example, the first evaluation value is determined by a decreasing function that decreases as the maximum travel time of users on the route (the travel time of the first user) increases. The maximum travel time of users can be calculated by the method described in step S1410 of Figure 14. Alternatively, for example, the first evaluation value may be calculated by a decreasing function that decreases as the total travel time of all users on the route increases.

[0087] By having the dispatch plan creation function 213 create a dispatch plan based on the first evaluation value, it becomes easier to generate dispatch plans with shorter ride times for users, thereby improving user satisfaction.

[0088] The second evaluation value is a value that increases the closer the pick-up and drop-off locations for each user are distributed to each other along the route. Figure 17 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of how the second evaluation value is calculated. The dispatch plan creation function 213 generates perpendicular lines passing through positions that divide the straight line connecting the departure point and the first pick-up and drop-off location A into predetermined equal parts (in the example of Figure 17, it is divided into four equal parts). A score is predetermined for each group divided by these perpendicular lines (the closer the group is to the first pick-up and drop-off location, the higher the score), and the dispatch plan creation function 213 calculates the second evaluation value by summing the scores of the groups to which each pick-up and drop-off location belongs. In the example route in Figure 17, pick-up and drop-off locations A and B belong to group 4, and pick-up and drop-off locations C and D belong to group 3, so the second evaluation value is 8 + 8 + 4 + 4 = 24.

[0089] Alternatively, the second evaluation value may be calculated using an increasing function, for example, where the value increases as the radius of the smallest circle containing all pick-up / drop-off locations on the route (which may be defined as pick-up / drop-off locations representing a predetermined proportion or more of the route) increases. Alternatively, the second evaluation value may be calculated using a decreasing function, for example, where the value decreases as the ratio of the time from when a user at the first pick-up / drop-off location boards until a user at the last pick-up / drop-off location boards, relative to the total boarding time of the user at the first pick-up / drop-off location, increases.

[0090] By having the dispatch plan creation function 213 create a dispatch plan based on the second evaluation value, the distribution of each user's pick-up and drop-off locations tends to be concentrated within a close range. This makes users feel that the vehicle is not making detours (taking longer routes), which in turn improves user satisfaction.

[0091] The third evaluation value is a value that increases as the difference between the scheduled pick-up time for each user on the route (i.e., the scheduled time the vehicle will arrive at each user's pick-up location) and the user's desired pick-up time decreases. Specifically, for example, the time difference between the scheduled arrival time and the desired pick-up time at each pick-up location on the route is calculated for each user, and the sum of these time differences is divided by the number of users to obtain the time difference for the route. The third evaluation value is determined by a decreasing function, where the value decreases as this time difference increases. The time difference between each user's scheduled pick-up time and desired pick-up time can be calculated using the method described in step S1412 of Figure 14.

[0092] By having the dispatch plan creation function 213 create a dispatch plan based on the third evaluation value, it becomes easier to generate a dispatch plan in which the scheduled pick-up time is close to the user's desired pick-up time, thereby improving user satisfaction.

[0093] Furthermore, when the dispatch plan creation function 213 calculates an evaluation value by integrating the first evaluation value, second evaluation value, and third evaluation value in step S1601, it may, for example, calculate the evaluation value by simply adding or multiplying these evaluation values, or by calculating the evaluation value by a weighted sum of these evaluation values, or by using a predetermined statistical measure such as calculating the evaluation value by the average of the standard scores of these evaluation values. When using a weighted sum, for example, by reducing the weight of the third evaluation value compared to the first and second evaluation values, it is possible to create a dispatch plan that emphasizes the user's ride time and sense of detours.

[0094] Returning to the explanation of Figure 16, the dispatch plan creation function 213 searches for route combinations using the available vehicles indicated by the vehicle usage information 224 (S1602). Specifically, for example, for each route, the dispatch plan creation function 213 identifies vehicles that are available from the time of departure from the departure point to the time of return to the departure point (hereinafter also simply referred to as available vehicles) and that satisfy each user's vehicle restrictions, by referring to the vehicle information 223 and the vehicle usage information 224. Furthermore, the dispatch plan creation function 213 identifies one or more route combinations (consisting of one or more routes) that include the pick-up and drop-off locations of all users without overlap, and for which available vehicles can be assigned without overlap.

[0095] The dispatch plan creation function 213 selects the combination of routes identified in step S1602 that has the highest total evaluation value calculated in step S1601 for the routes included in that combination (S1603).

[0096] The dispatch plan creation function 213 creates a dispatch plan (S1604) that includes the combination of routes selected in step S1603, the vehicles to be used for each route in the combination, and the time at which each vehicle departs from the starting point, stops at each pick-up / drop-off location, and returns to the starting point for each route in the combination, and then terminates the dispatch plan creation process shown in the flowchart of Figure 16.

[0097] In step S116 of Figure 10, the terminal communication function 211 may transmit the dispatch plan created in step S1604 of Figure 16 to the registration terminal 102 and the in-vehicle terminal 103. The server communication function 311 of the registration terminal 102 and the server communication function 411 of the in-vehicle terminal 103 store the received dispatch plan as, for example, dispatch plan information 321 and 421 in the auxiliary storage devices 302 and 402, respectively, and display them on the output devices 306 and 406, respectively.

[0098] According to the embodiments of the present invention described above, the following effects can be obtained.

[0099] (1) The dispatch planning server 101 is a device that creates a dispatch plan for transporting multiple users to a predetermined facility using one or more vehicles, and includes a processor CPU 201 and memory 203. The memory 203 holds boarding condition information regarding the conditions under which users board a vehicle, and the boarding condition information includes user information 221 regarding the pick-up location and attributes for each user, arrival schedule information 222 regarding the desired pick-up time for each user, and vehicle information 223 regarding the usage conditions for each vehicle. The CPU 201 generates multiple routes based on the boarding condition information using a route creation function 212, each route passing through one or more pick-up locations (S1101, S1105), and uses a dispatch plan creation function 213 to identify one or more combinations of routes included in the multiple routes that pass through all pick-up locations (S1602), and creates a dispatch plan based on the identified combination of routes (S1603~S1604). In this way, it is possible to create an optimal dispatch plan that satisfies complex conditions.

[0100] (2) User information 221 includes vehicle restriction information regarding whether each user is allowed to board each vehicle in the vehicle restriction column 2214. The CPU 201 generates multiple routes for each of the multiple routes so that the vehicle restrictions are met for all users corresponding to that route (S1403, S1414, S1417). In this way, routes that satisfy the vehicle restriction conditions for each user are generated and can be used to create a vehicle dispatch plan.

[0101] (3) User information 221 includes information on ride-sharing conditions regarding whether each user can ride with other users in the ride-sharing not permitted column 2217. The CPU 201 generates multiple routes for each of the multiple routes so that the ride-sharing conditions are met for all users corresponding to that route (S1407, S1414, S1417). In this way, routes that satisfy the ride-sharing conditions for each user are generated and used to create a vehicle dispatch plan.

[0102] (4) The vehicle information 223 includes information about the number of seats each vehicle has in the normal seating capacity column 2232. The CPU 201 generates multiple routes such that the total number of users corresponding to each route is less than or equal to the number of seats available in the vehicles that can be assigned to that route (S1404, S1414, S1417). In this way, routes are generated that all users can be sure to board, and these can be used to create a vehicle dispatch plan.

[0103] (5) User information 221 includes information on whether each user uses a wheelchair in the wheelchair usage column 2213, and vehicle information 223 includes information on the number of wheelchair seats available in each vehicle in the wheelchair seat number column 2233. The CPU 201 generates multiple routes such that the total number of users using wheelchairs on each route is less than or equal to the number of wheelchair seats available in the vehicles that can be assigned to that route (S1405, S1414, S1417). In this way, routes are generated that ensure all users using wheelchairs can board, and these can be used to create a vehicle dispatch plan.

[0104] (6) The CPU 201 calculates the rate of increase in travel time for each user on each of the multiple routes (S1408), and generates multiple routes such that the rate of increase in travel time for all users is less than or equal to a predetermined value (S1409, S1414, S1417). In this way, routes that are less inconvenient for all users are generated, and these can be used to create a dispatch plan.

[0105] (7) The CPU 201 calculates the rate of increase in travel time based on the ratio of the travel time of the route to the travel time if the vehicle were to go directly from each user's pick-up / drop-off location to the facility (S1408). In this way, it is possible to easily and appropriately calculate how much of a detour the route is from each user's pick-up / drop-off location.

[0106] (8) The CPU 201 generates multiple routes such that the travel time for each user on each route is less than or equal to a predetermined value (S1410, S1414, S1417). In this way, even for users with long travel times, routes are generated so that their travel time is less than or equal to a certain value, and these routes can be used to create a dispatch plan.

[0107] (9) The CPU 201 calculates the scheduled pick-up time for each user on each of the multiple routes (S1411), and generates multiple routes such that the difference between the scheduled pick-up time and the desired pick-up time for all users is less than or equal to a predetermined value (S1412, S1414, S1417). In this way, routes can be generated to match the desired pick-up time for each user, and these can be used to create a dispatch plan.

[0108] (10) The CPU 201 performs clustering processing to classify users who meet certain conditions into the same group based on the information about the pick-up / drop-off location in the user information 221 (information in the pick-up / drop-off location field 2212) and the planned visit information 222, and generates multiple routes based on the results of this clustering processing (S1101). In this way, routes that meet the conditions can be efficiently generated for multiple users.

[0109] (11) In the clustering process, the CPU 201 classifies users whose distance or travel time between pick-up / drop-off locations is within a predetermined value and whose desired pick-up time difference is within a predetermined range into the same group. In this way, it is possible to reliably generate routes that allow nearby users to be picked up and dropped off together.

[0110] (12) The CPU 201 generates multiple routes such that each user's pick-up / drop-off location satisfies predetermined route shape conditions (S1413, S1414, S1417). Specifically, as shown in Figure 15 for example, multiple routes are generated such that the angle determined by the three pick-up / drop-off locations passed through in sequence in each of the multiple routes falls within a predetermined range. In addition, referring to the user information 221, multiple routes are generated such that each pick-up / drop-off location, except for the one furthest from the vehicle's departure point, is included in a predetermined area whose width perpendicular to the line segment connecting the departure point and the furthest pick-up / drop-off location is defined. In this way, natural routes are generated that make each user feel that the vehicle is not making unnecessary movements, and these can be used to create a vehicle dispatch plan.

[0111] (13) The boarding conditions information includes travel time information 225 relating to the vehicle's travel time. The CPU 201 updates the travel time information 225 based on the vehicle's location information transmitted from the vehicle at predetermined intervals using the travel time calculation function 214 (S118, S119). In this way, the travel time when the vehicle moves between each pick-up / drop-off location can be accurately estimated and a route can be generated.

[0112] (14) For each of the one or more route combinations, the CPU 201 calculates an evaluation value for each route included in the combination based on the user satisfaction with that route (S1601), selects the combination of routes with the highest satisfaction (S1603), and creates a dispatch plan based on the selected route combination (S1604). In this way, a dispatch plan that is highly satisfying for each user can be created.

[0113] (15) The CPU 201 can calculate a satisfaction level (first evaluation value) for each route combination based on the ride time of each user on each route included in the combination. It can also calculate a satisfaction level (second evaluation value) for each route combination based on the distribution of pick-up and drop-off locations on each route included in the combination. Furthermore, it can calculate a satisfaction level (third evaluation value) for each route combination based on the difference between the scheduled pick-up time and the desired pick-up time for each user on each route included in the combination. In this way, it is possible to appropriately calculate the satisfaction level of each user in various route combinations.

[0114] In this embodiment, an example of the vehicle usage information 224 having the data structure shown in Figure 9 has been described, but a data structure like that shown in Figure 18 may also be used. Figure 18 shows a modified example of the vehicle usage information 224. In addition to the vehicle name field 2241 and the availability field 2242, the vehicle usage information 224 may also include a combined vehicle type field 2243. The combined vehicle type field 2243 holds information that groups multiple vehicles with a common usage schedule (for example, vehicle 1 and vehicle 2) together as a single combined vehicle type. This combined vehicle type information is used, for example, when the dispatch plan creation function 213 creates a dispatch plan. Since vehicle schedules are patterned to some extent, it is possible to improve processing efficiency by aggregating vehicles of the same type and with the same schedule as a combined vehicle type.

[0115] Furthermore, in this embodiment, we have described an example in which the dispatch planning server 101 generates a dispatch plan (also called a pick-up dispatch plan) in which the vehicle departs from the departure point, goes to the pick-up location to pick up the user, and finally returns to the departure point. However, the dispatch planning server 101 may also generate a dispatch plan (also called a drop-off dispatch plan) in which the vehicle carrying the user departs from the departure point, goes to the pick-up location to drop off the user, and returns to the departure point after all the users have disembarked, using the same method as described in this embodiment.

[0116] However, when the dispatch planning server 101 generates a dispatch plan for a departure, it differs from when it generates a dispatch plan for a pickup in the following ways. First, each route candidate calculated in step S1101 of Figure 11 represents a route in which a vehicle carrying each user departs from the departure point, visits each pick-up / drop-off location in the order of users indicated by the permutation of the route candidates, drops off each user, and returns to the departure point. Also, the condition that the distance from the departure point to the pick-up / drop-off location is shorter than the distance from the departure point to the previous pick-up / drop-off location, which may be included in the route shape conditions for the second and subsequent pick-up / drop-off locations when generating a dispatch plan for a pickup, needs to be reinterpreted as the distance from the departure point to the pick-up / drop-off location being greater than the distance from the departure point to the previous pick-up / drop-off location. In addition to these, appropriate changes are made to the processing in Figures 11 and 14 to match the dispatch plan for a departure.

[0117] It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and various modifications may be included. For example, the embodiments described above are described in detail for the purpose of clearly illustrating the present invention, and are not necessarily limited to those having all the configurations described. Furthermore, it is possible to replace a part of one configuration with another, and it is also possible to add other configurations to a certain configuration. It is possible to add, delete, or replace parts of each configuration with other configurations.

[0118] Furthermore, each of the above configurations, functions, processing units, and processing means may be implemented in hardware, either partially or entirely, by designing them as integrated circuits, for example. Alternatively, each of the above configurations and functions may be implemented in software by having the processor interpret and execute programs that implement each function. Information such as programs, tables, and files that implement each function can be stored in memory, a recording device such as a hard disk or SSD (Solid State Drive), or a recording medium such as an IC card, SD card, or DVD.

[0119] Furthermore, the control lines and information lines shown are those deemed necessary for explanatory purposes, and not all control lines and information lines are necessarily shown in the actual product. In reality, it is safe to assume that almost all components are interconnected.

[0120] The embodiments and modifications described above are merely examples, and the present invention is not limited to these, as long as the features of the invention are not impaired. Furthermore, although various embodiments and modifications have been described above, the present invention is not limited to these. Other embodiments conceivable within the scope of the technical idea of ​​the present invention are also included within the scope of the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0121] 101: Dispatch planning server, 102: Registration terminal, 103: In-vehicle terminal, 201: CPU, 202: Auxiliary storage device, 203: Memory, 204: Communication device, 205: Input device, 206: Output device, 211: Terminal communication function, 212: Route creation function, 213: Dispatch plan creation function, 214: Travel time calculation function, 221: User information, 222: Visitor information, 223: Vehicle information, 224: Vehicle usage information, 225: Travel time information, 301: CPU, 302: Auxiliary storage device, 303: Memory, 304: Communication device, 305: Input device, 306: Output device, 311: Server communication function, 321: Vehicle dispatch plan information, 401: CPU, 402: Auxiliary storage device, 403: Memory, 404: Communication device, 405: Input device, 406: Output device, 411: Server communication function, 421: Vehicle dispatch plan information, 422: Vehicle location information

Claims

1. A device for creating a vehicle dispatch plan for transporting multiple users to a designated facility using one or more vehicles, Including the processor and memory, The memory stores information regarding the conditions under which the user boards the vehicle, The aforementioned boarding conditions information includes user information relating to the pick-up location and attributes for each user, information relating to the desired pick-up time for each user, and vehicle information relating to the usage conditions for each vehicle. The aforementioned processor, Based on the aforementioned boarding condition information, for each of the multiple routes, each passing through one or more of the aforementioned pick-up / drop-off locations, the rate of increase in boarding time for each user on that route is calculated, and the multiple routes are generated such that the rate of increase in boarding time for all users is less than or equal to a predetermined value. Identify one or more combinations of routes included in the multiple routes that pass through all of the aforementioned pick-up and drop-off locations, A vehicle dispatch planning device that creates the vehicle dispatch plan based on the identified combination of routes.

2. A vehicle dispatch planning device according to claim 1, The processor is a vehicle dispatch planning device that calculates the ride time increase rate based on the ratio of the travel time of the route to the travel time if the vehicle were to travel directly from the pick-up / drop-off location for each user to the facility.

3. A device for creating a vehicle dispatch plan for transporting multiple users to a predetermined facility using one or more vehicles, Including the processor and memory, The memory stores information regarding the conditions under which the user boards the vehicle, The aforementioned boarding conditions information includes user information relating to the pick-up location and attributes for each user, information relating to the desired pick-up time for each user, and vehicle information relating to the usage conditions for each vehicle. The aforementioned processor, Based on the aforementioned boarding condition information, for each of the multiple routes, each passing through one or more of the aforementioned pick-up locations, the scheduled pick-up time for each user on that route is calculated, and the multiple routes are generated such that the difference between the scheduled pick-up time and the desired pick-up time for all users is less than or equal to a predetermined value. Identify one or more combinations of routes included in the multiple routes that pass through all of the aforementioned pick-up and drop-off locations, A vehicle dispatch planning device that creates the vehicle dispatch plan based on the identified combination of routes.

4. A device for creating a vehicle dispatch plan for transporting multiple users to a predetermined facility using one or more vehicles, Including the processor and memory, The memory stores information regarding the conditions under which the user boards the vehicle, The aforementioned boarding conditions information includes user information relating to the pick-up location and attributes for each user, information relating to the desired pick-up time for each user, and vehicle information relating to the usage conditions for each vehicle. The aforementioned processor, Based on the pick-up / drop-off location information and the planned visit information in the user information, a clustering process is performed to classify users who meet certain conditions into the same group, and based on the results of the clustering process, multiple routes are generated, each passing through one or more of the pick-up / drop-off locations. Identify one or more combinations of routes included in the multiple routes that pass through all of the aforementioned pick-up and drop-off locations, A vehicle dispatch planning device that creates the vehicle dispatch plan based on the identified combination of routes.

5. A vehicle dispatch planning device according to claim 4, The processor is a dispatch planning device that, in the clustering process, classifies users who are within a predetermined distance or travel time between the pick-up / drop-off locations and whose desired pick-up times are within a predetermined range into the same group.

6. A device for creating a vehicle dispatch plan for transporting multiple users to a predetermined facility using one or more vehicles, Including the processor and memory, The memory stores information regarding the conditions under which the user boards the vehicle, The aforementioned boarding conditions information includes user information relating to the pick-up location and attributes for each user, information relating to the desired pick-up time for each user, and vehicle information relating to the usage conditions for each vehicle. The aforementioned processor, Based on the aforementioned boarding condition information, the plurality of routes are generated such that, for each of the plurality of routes that pass through one or more of the aforementioned pick-up / drop-off locations in sequence, the angle determined by the three aforementioned pick-up / drop-off locations that are passed through in sequence falls within a predetermined range. Identify one or more combinations of routes included in the multiple routes that pass through all of the aforementioned pick-up and drop-off locations, A vehicle dispatch planning device that creates the vehicle dispatch plan based on the identified combination of routes.

7. A device for creating a vehicle dispatch plan for transporting multiple users to a predetermined facility using one or more vehicles, Including the processor and memory, The memory stores information regarding the conditions under which the user boards the vehicle, The aforementioned boarding conditions information includes user information relating to the pick-up location and attributes for each user, information relating to the desired pick-up time for each user, and vehicle information relating to the usage conditions for each vehicle. The aforementioned processor, Referencing the user information, generate the multiple routes such that, for each of the multiple routes that pass through one or more of the pick-up / drop-off locations, each pick-up / drop-off location, except for the one furthest from the vehicle's departure point, is included in a predetermined area whose width perpendicular to the line segment connecting the departure point and the pick-up / drop-off location furthest from the departure point is defined. Identify one or more combinations of routes included in the multiple routes that pass through all of the aforementioned pick-up and drop-off locations, A vehicle dispatch planning device that creates the vehicle dispatch plan based on the identified combination of routes.

8. A device for creating a vehicle dispatch plan for transporting multiple users to a predetermined facility using one or more vehicles, Including the processor and memory, The memory stores information regarding the conditions under which the user boards the vehicle, The aforementioned boarding conditions information includes user information relating to the pick-up location and attributes for each user, planned arrival information relating to the desired pick-up time for each user, vehicle information relating to the usage conditions for each vehicle, and travel time information relating to the travel time of the vehicle. The aforementioned processor, Based on the aforementioned boarding condition information, multiple routes are generated, each passing through one or more of the aforementioned pick-up / drop-off locations. Identify one or more combinations of routes included in the multiple routes that pass through all of the aforementioned pick-up and drop-off locations, Based on the identified combination of routes, the vehicle dispatch plan is created. A vehicle dispatch planning device that updates the travel time information based on the location information of the vehicle transmitted from the vehicle at predetermined intervals.

9. A device for creating a vehicle dispatch plan for transporting multiple users to a predetermined facility using one or more vehicles, Including the processor and memory, The memory stores information regarding the conditions under which the user boards the vehicle, The aforementioned boarding conditions information includes user information relating to the pick-up location and attributes for each user, information relating to the desired pick-up time for each user, and vehicle information relating to the usage conditions for each vehicle. The aforementioned processor, Based on the aforementioned boarding condition information, multiple routes are generated, each passing through one or more of the aforementioned pick-up / drop-off locations. Identify one or more combinations of routes included in the multiple routes that pass through all of the aforementioned pick-up and drop-off locations, For each of the one or more aforementioned route combinations, the evaluation value of each route included in the combination is calculated based on the user satisfaction with that route. Select the combination of routes that provides the highest satisfaction level from among the aforementioned route combinations. A vehicle dispatch planning device that creates the vehicle dispatch plan based on the selected combination of routes.

10. A vehicle dispatch planning device according to claim 9, The processor is a dispatch planning device that calculates the satisfaction level for each combination of routes based on the user's ride time on each route included in that combination.

11. A vehicle dispatch planning device according to claim 9, The processor is a vehicle dispatch planning device that calculates the satisfaction level for each combination of routes based on the distribution of pick-up and drop-off locations in each route included in the combination.

12. A vehicle dispatch planning device according to claim 9, The processor is a dispatch planning device that calculates the satisfaction level for each combination of routes based on the difference between the scheduled pick-up time and the desired pick-up time for each user on each route included in the combination.

13. A method for creating a vehicle dispatch plan using a computer including a processor and memory, for transporting multiple users to a designated facility using one or more vehicles, The memory stores information regarding the conditions under which the user boards the vehicle, The aforementioned boarding conditions information includes user information relating to the pick-up location and attributes for each user, information relating to the desired pick-up time for each user, and vehicle information relating to the usage conditions for each vehicle. The aforementioned processor, Based on the aforementioned boarding conditions information, for each of the multiple routes that pass through one or more of the aforementioned pick-up / drop-off locations, the rate of increase in boarding time for each user on that route is calculated. The multiple routes are generated such that the rate of increase in travel time for all users is less than or equal to a predetermined value. Identify one or more combinations of routes included in the multiple routes that pass through all of the aforementioned pick-up and drop-off locations, A vehicle dispatch planning method for creating a vehicle dispatch plan based on the identified combination of routes.

14. A method for creating a vehicle dispatch plan using a computer including a processor and memory, for transporting multiple users to a designated facility using one or more vehicles, The memory stores information regarding the conditions under which the user boards the vehicle, The aforementioned boarding conditions information includes user information relating to the pick-up location and attributes for each user, information relating to the desired pick-up time for each user, and vehicle information relating to the usage conditions for each vehicle. The aforementioned processor, Based on the aforementioned boarding conditions information, for each of the multiple routes, each passing through one or more of the aforementioned pick-up locations, the scheduled pick-up time for each user on that route is calculated. For all users, the multiple routes are generated such that the difference between the scheduled pick-up time and the desired pick-up time is less than or equal to a predetermined value. Identify one or more combinations of routes included in the multiple routes that pass through all of the aforementioned pick-up and drop-off locations, A vehicle dispatch planning method for creating a vehicle dispatch plan based on the identified combination of routes.

15. A method for creating a vehicle dispatch plan using a computer including a processor and memory, for transporting multiple users to a designated facility using one or more vehicles, The memory stores information regarding the conditions under which the user boards the vehicle, The aforementioned boarding conditions information includes user information relating to the pick-up location and attributes for each user, information relating to the desired pick-up time for each user, and vehicle information relating to the usage conditions for each vehicle. The aforementioned processor, Based on the pick-up / drop-off location information and the planned visit information in the user information, clustering is performed to classify users who meet certain conditions into the same group. Based on the results of the clustering process, multiple routes are generated, each passing through one or more of the aforementioned pick-up / drop-off locations. Identify one or more combinations of routes included in the multiple routes that pass through all of the aforementioned pick-up and drop-off locations, A vehicle dispatch planning method for creating a vehicle dispatch plan based on the identified combination of routes.

16. A method for creating a vehicle dispatch plan using a computer including a processor and memory, for transporting multiple users to a designated facility using one or more vehicles, The memory stores information regarding the conditions under which the user boards the vehicle, The aforementioned boarding conditions information includes user information relating to the pick-up location and attributes for each user, information relating to the desired pick-up time for each user, and vehicle information relating to the usage conditions for each vehicle. The aforementioned processor, Based on the aforementioned boarding condition information, the plurality of routes are generated such that, for each of the plurality of routes that pass through one or more of the aforementioned pick-up / drop-off locations in sequence, the angle determined by the three aforementioned pick-up / drop-off locations that are passed through in sequence falls within a predetermined range. Identify one or more combinations of routes included in the multiple routes that pass through all of the aforementioned pick-up and drop-off locations, A vehicle dispatch planning method for creating a vehicle dispatch plan based on the identified combination of routes.

17. A method for creating a vehicle dispatch plan using a computer including a processor and memory, for transporting multiple users to a designated facility using one or more vehicles, The memory stores information regarding the conditions under which the user boards the vehicle, The aforementioned boarding conditions information includes user information relating to the pick-up location and attributes for each user, information relating to the desired pick-up time for each user, and vehicle information relating to the usage conditions for each vehicle. The aforementioned processor, Referencing the user information, generate the multiple routes such that, for each of the multiple routes that pass through one or more of the pick-up / drop-off locations, each pick-up / drop-off location, except for the one furthest from the vehicle's departure point, is included in a predetermined area whose width perpendicular to the line segment connecting the departure point and the pick-up / drop-off location furthest from the departure point is defined. Identify one or more combinations of routes included in the multiple routes that pass through all of the aforementioned pick-up and drop-off locations, A vehicle dispatch planning method for creating a vehicle dispatch plan based on the identified combination of routes.

18. A method for creating a vehicle dispatch plan using a computer including a processor and memory, for transporting multiple users to a designated facility using one or more vehicles, The memory stores information regarding the conditions under which the user boards the vehicle, The aforementioned boarding conditions information includes user information relating to the pick-up location and attributes for each user, planned arrival information relating to the desired pick-up time for each user, vehicle information relating to the usage conditions for each vehicle, and travel time information relating to the travel time of the vehicle. The aforementioned processor, Based on the aforementioned boarding condition information, multiple routes are generated, each passing through one or more of the aforementioned pick-up / drop-off locations. Identify one or more combinations of routes included in the multiple routes that pass through all of the aforementioned pick-up and drop-off locations, Based on the identified combination of routes, the vehicle dispatch plan is created. A vehicle dispatch planning method that updates the travel time information based on the location information of the vehicle transmitted from the vehicle at predetermined intervals.

19. A method for creating a vehicle dispatch plan using a computer including a processor and memory, for transporting multiple users to a designated facility using one or more vehicles, The memory stores information regarding the conditions under which the user boards the vehicle, The aforementioned boarding conditions information includes user information relating to the pick-up location and attributes for each user, information relating to the desired pick-up time for each user, and vehicle information relating to the usage conditions for each vehicle. The aforementioned processor, Based on the aforementioned boarding condition information, multiple routes are generated, each passing through one or more of the aforementioned pick-up / drop-off locations. Identify one or more combinations of routes included in the multiple routes that pass through all of the aforementioned pick-up and drop-off locations, For each of the one or more aforementioned route combinations, the evaluation value of each route included in the combination is calculated based on the user satisfaction with that route. Select the combination of routes that provides the highest satisfaction level from among the aforementioned route combinations. A vehicle dispatch planning method for creating a vehicle dispatch plan based on the selected combination of routes.

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