Vehicle allocation management device and vehicle allocation management method

Abstract

The present invention is a vehicle allocation management device that manages vehicle allocation on the basis of vehicle allocation requests. The vehicle allocation management device comprises a vehicle allocation plan database that manages vehicle allocation plans for a plurality of vehicles, a vehicle allocation request reception unit that receives a vehicle allocation request by a user that includes a boarding location from a terminal device, and a vehicle allocation plan formulation unit that references the vehicle allocation plan database and creates and finalizes a vehicle allocation plan for a specific vehicle on the basis of the vehicle allocation request. The vehicle allocation plan formulation unit comprises a boarding demand prediction unit that predicts a boarding demand that is based on the probability that a vehicle allocation request by another user that gives the same boarding location as the vehicle allocation request by the user will occur within a fixed period of time, a vehicle allocation plan creation unit that creates the vehicle allocation plan on the basis of the boarding demand such that the users that have made the vehicle allocation requests will ride the specific vehicle together, and a vehicle allocation instruction unit that transmits the vehicle allocation plan to the specific vehicle.

Description

Vehicle allocation management device and vehicle allocation management method

[0001] The present invention relates to a vehicle allocation management device and a vehicle allocation management method for managing vehicle allocation.

[0002] Mobility services are services that provide smooth transportation (transportation) of passengers and / or luggage by vehicle. Mobility services require efficient vehicle allocation in order to increase the utilization rate of each vehicle and improve user convenience.

[0003] For example, Patent Document 1 below discloses a method and system for allocating a shared car that allows a request for allocation of a shared taxi to be made in real time.

[0004] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2019-20973

[0005] However, the technology shown in Patent Document 1 extracts existing operations each time it receives vehicle application information from a user, and selects from the extracted operations one in which the route of the new application information can be inserted within the available time.As a result, depending on the timing of receiving the application information, it is not possible to establish a so-called "carpool" situation in which multiple users ride in the same vehicle, even if they are boarding from the same destination, which results in a problem of reduced vehicle dispatch efficiency.

[0006] Therefore, the present invention aims to provide a vehicle dispatch management device and a vehicle dispatch management method that increase the proportion of ride-sharing between users who have made vehicle dispatch requests for the same time period and boarding location, thereby enabling efficient vehicle dispatch.

[0007] According to one aspect, the present invention provides a vehicle dispatch management device that manages vehicle dispatches based on a vehicle dispatch request. The vehicle dispatch management device includes a vehicle dispatch plan database that manages vehicle dispatch plans for a plurality of the vehicles, a vehicle dispatch request receiving unit that receives the vehicle dispatch request from a terminal device, the vehicle dispatch request including at least a user's boarding location, and a vehicle dispatch plan formulation unit that references the vehicle dispatch plan database and creates and confirms a vehicle dispatch plan for a specific vehicle based on the received vehicle dispatch request. The vehicle dispatch plan formulation unit includes a ride demand prediction unit that predicts ride demand based on a probability that ride demands from other users indicating the same boarding location as the boarding location indicated in the user's vehicle dispatch request will occur within a certain period of time, a vehicle dispatch plan formulation unit that creates the vehicle dispatch plan based on the predicted ride demand so that users who have made the vehicle dispatch requests within the certain period of time will share the specific vehicle, and a vehicle dispatch instruction unit that transmits the confirmed vehicle dispatch plan to the specific vehicle.

[0008] Another aspect of the present invention is a vehicle dispatch management method using a vehicle dispatch management device that manages vehicle dispatches in response to vehicle dispatch requests. The method includes: receiving a user's vehicle dispatch request, including at least a boarding location, from a terminal device; referring to a vehicle dispatch plan database that manages vehicle dispatch plans for multiple vehicles based on the received vehicle dispatch request, creating a vehicle dispatch plan for a specific vehicle; confirming the created vehicle dispatch plan; and transmitting the confirmed vehicle dispatch plan to the specific vehicle. Creating the vehicle dispatch plan includes predicting ride demand based on a probability that other users' ride requests indicating the same boarding location as the boarding location indicated in the user's vehicle dispatch request will occur within a certain period of time; and creating the vehicle dispatch plan based on the predicted ride demand so that users who have made the vehicle dispatch requests within the certain period of time will share the specific vehicle.

[0009] According to the present invention, the proportion of users who have made vehicle dispatch requests for the same time period and boarding location can be increased, thereby enabling efficient vehicle dispatch.

[0010] Other technical features, objects, and operational effects or advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following embodiments described with reference to the accompanying drawings. The effects described in this specification are merely examples and are not intended to be limiting, and other effects may also be present.

[0011] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of the overall configuration of a vehicle dispatch management system according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of vehicle dispatching in response to dispatch requests from multiple users. FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a functional configuration model of a vehicle dispatch management device according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a sequence chart illustrating an overview of a vehicle dispatch service in a vehicle dispatch management system according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating an example of vehicle dispatch management processing by a vehicle dispatch management device according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating details of an example of a vehicle dispatch plan creation / update processing shown in FIG. 5. FIG. 7A is a flowchart illustrating details of another example of the vehicle dispatch plan creation / update processing shown in FIG. 5. FIG. 7B is a flowchart illustrating details of another example of the vehicle dispatch plan creation / update processing shown in FIG. 5. FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating details of yet another example of the vehicle dispatch plan creation / update processing shown in FIG. 5.

[0012] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. However, the embodiments described below are merely examples, and are not intended to exclude various modifications or applications of techniques not explicitly described below. The present invention can be implemented in various modifications (e.g., by combining the various embodiments) without departing from the spirit of the present invention. Furthermore, in the following description of the drawings, identical or similar parts are denoted by identical or similar reference numerals. The drawings are schematic and do not necessarily correspond to actual dimensions, ratios, etc. Parts in the drawings may have different dimensional relationships or ratios.

[0013] 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of the overall configuration of a vehicle dispatch management system according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in the figure, the vehicle dispatch management system 1 includes a vehicle dispatch management device 10, a terminal device 20, and a vehicle V, which are connected to each other so as to be able to communicate with each other via a communication network N. The vehicle dispatch management system 1 can also be connected via the communication network N to a road traffic information management system 30 that provides various traffic information in real time.

[0014] The vehicle dispatch management system 1 of the present disclosure provides, for example, an on-demand vehicle dispatch service using a plurality of vehicles V targeting a certain area. An "on-demand vehicle dispatch service" is a service form in which a predetermined vehicle is assigned (dispatched) to a user in immediate response to a vehicle dispatch request from the user. In other words, in an on-demand vehicle dispatch service, there is no vehicle dispatch reservation date and time specified by the user. Furthermore, "immediate response" is a concept that not only means dispatching a vehicle immediately in response to a vehicle dispatch request from a user, but also includes a certain degree of time that is normally acceptable to the user. Note that the vehicle V may be a so-called manned vehicle driven by a driver, or an unmanned vehicle capable of autonomous driving.

[0015] The vehicle dispatch management device 10 is a computing device that comprehensively manages a vehicle dispatch service using multiple vehicles V in a target area. The vehicle dispatch management device 10 implements, for example, a vehicle dispatch management server program and executes the vehicle dispatch management server program under the control of a processor, thereby realizing the vehicle dispatch service of the present disclosure.

[0016] The vehicle dispatch management device 10 includes various databases 12 that accumulate and manage data necessary to realize the vehicle dispatch service. As will be described later, the databases 12 include, for example, a user information database 12a, a map information database 12b, a vehicle information database 12c, a vehicle dispatch plan database 12d, and an operation history information database 12e (see FIG. 3). In this example, the databases 12 are configured as part of the vehicle dispatch management device 10, but this is not limiting, and all or part of the databases 12 may be configured separately from the vehicle dispatch management device 10.

[0017] In general, the vehicle dispatch management device 10 receives a vehicle dispatch request from a user requesting a vehicle V for travel from a certain point (boarding location) to a destination (drop-off location), and creates a vehicle dispatch plan for candidate vehicles V (candidate vehicles v) extracted from a plurality of vehicles V based on the vehicle dispatch request. The vehicle dispatch management device 10 also presents the created vehicle dispatch plan to the user, confirms the vehicle dispatch plan in response to the user's consent, and issues a dispatch instruction to the vehicle V according to the confirmed vehicle dispatch plan. This allows the user to board the vehicle V that has been dispatched to the boarding location according to the vehicle dispatch plan. In the present disclosure, as described below, the vehicle dispatch management device 10 creates a vehicle dispatch plan for vehicles V so that ride-sharing between users who have made vehicle dispatch requests is possible, based on ride demand determined by the probability that a vehicle dispatch request from another user indicating the same boarding location as the boarding location indicated in the user's vehicle dispatch request will occur within a certain period of time (i.e., a period during which vehicle dispatch requests are collected).

[0018] The vehicle dispatch request may be, for example, a request for a ride from a user who is a passenger, but is not limited to this and may also be a request for a ride from a user who is a shipper (a baggage transport business operator or a general user) for baggage transport. The vehicle dispatch request may include items such as the user name, boarding location, disembarking location, and number of people.

[0019] The vehicle dispatch plan includes a driving route that specifies a location where vehicle V is waiting (a starting waiting location), passing through several points (boarding and disembarking locations) along the way where users get on and off, to a final waiting location (which may not necessarily be the same as the initial waiting location), as well as the expected arrival and departure times at each location. If vehicle V is waiting, the vehicle dispatch plan is created based on a new vehicle dispatch request, and if vehicle V is in operation, it can be updated based on a new vehicle dispatch request. In this case, the vehicle dispatch plan can be created or updated so that a user who makes a later vehicle dispatch request can board a vehicle V that has already been dispatched to a previous user.

[0020] The vehicle V is a vehicle registered in the vehicle information database 12c and available for use by a user. The vehicle V may be of any type (e.g., sedan, minivan, SUV, etc.). The vehicle V may be an electric vehicle (EV) powered by an on-board battery. The vehicle V may also be a self-driving vehicle capable of fully autonomous driving, regardless of the level of so-called self-driving capability. The vehicle V is equipped with a control device CTL that controls the vehicle V itself or its onboard equipment (e.g., a navigation device) in accordance with instructions from the vehicle dispatch management device 10 (see FIG. 3). The control device CTL acquires geographical position information (hereinafter referred to as "position information") of the vehicle V via, for example, a GPS system, transmits this information to the vehicle dispatch management device 10, and comprehensively controls the operation of various devices and / or equipment of the vehicle V upon receiving dispatch instructions from the vehicle dispatch management device 10. For example, in the case of a manned vehicle, the control device CTL includes a navigation function that presents the driver with a driving route according to a vehicle dispatch plan, and in the case of an unmanned vehicle, it includes an autonomous driving control function that determines a detailed actual driving route based on the driving route of the vehicle V and follows the actual driving route.

[0021] The terminal device 20 is, for example, a computing device through which a user wishing to ride makes a vehicle dispatch request by operating a user interface. The terminal device 20 may be, for example, a smartphone, a pad computer, a laptop personal computer, a desktop computer, or the like, but is not limited to these. The terminal device 20 implements, for example, a vehicle dispatch management client program (a so-called vehicle dispatch app). The terminal device 20 executes the vehicle dispatch app under the control of a processor, thereby enabling a user to use the vehicle dispatch service of the vehicle dispatch management device 10. For example, a user may log in to a website of the vehicle dispatch service provided by the vehicle dispatch management device 10 from the vehicle dispatch app on the terminal device 20, make a vehicle dispatch request on a vehicle dispatch request screen (not shown), and accept a vehicle dispatch plan created and proposed by the vehicle dispatch management device 10 in response to the request, thereby reserving a ride in the vehicle V. Furthermore, the terminal device 20 may transmit location information acquired by a GPS function to the vehicle dispatch management device 10 while the vehicle dispatch app is running, for example. This allows the vehicle dispatch management device 10 to grasp the user's behavior.

[0022] The road traffic information management system 30 is an information and communication system that provides road traffic information in real time. For example, the road traffic information management system 30 collects road traffic data from vehicle sensors and cameras installed on roads, and also collects driving data from a control device CTL mounted on the vehicle V, and manages road traffic information that is integrated, processed, and edited from these. The edited road traffic information may include, for example, information on road closures and detour routes, road congestion information, and the required time between points via a specific route. The road traffic information management system 30 appropriately provides the road traffic information to the vehicle dispatch management device 10 and the vehicle V.

[0023] In the present disclosure, in response to a user's dispatch request at a certain time, the vehicle dispatch management device 10 calculates the probability that a dispatch request indicating the same boarding location as the dispatch request will occur within a certain time from the time, creates a dispatch plan to secure a shared vehicle V according to the ride demand based on the calculated occurrence probability, and creates or modifies the dispatch plan in response to a dispatch request from another user indicating the same or nearby boarding location within the certain time so that a ride share between these users is established. The ride demand is based on the probability that a dispatch request from another user that is identical to or similar to (hereinafter simply referred to as "similar") the user's dispatch request will occur. A dispatch request similar to a dispatch request is, for example, a dispatch request that at least has the same or nearby boarding location. For example, when high demand for rides is predicted based on a predetermined threshold, the vehicle dispatch management device 10 creates a vehicle dispatch plan by delaying the departure of the vehicle V dispatched to the previous user by a certain time, and if a ride request indicating the same boarding location is received from another user during that time, the other user will board the vehicle V. In other words, under conditions where the occurrence probability (ride demand) is predicted to be high, the departure of the vehicle V dispatched to the previous user from the boarding location is delayed by a certain time to wait for a ride request from another user who is potentially boarding from the same boarding location, and when a ride request from another user actually occurs, the users can share rides, thereby improving the occupancy rate and, as a result, improving the efficiency of vehicle dispatching. Note that under conditions where low demand for rides is predicted, ride sharing between users with ride requests that are less related to each other may be permitted, prioritizing the improvement of the overall utilization rate of vehicles V in the target area.

[0024] The prediction of ride demand may be based on, for example, the current number of users near the boarding location. Alternatively, the prediction may be based on actual values ​​of ride demand in the past during the same time period and at the same boarding location. Alternatively, the prediction may be based on environmental factors near the boarding location (e.g., traffic conditions, weather, events, etc.). Furthermore, when predicting ride demand, user attributes (e.g., age, gender, home and work addresses, hobbies, etc.) may be taken into consideration. Furthermore, the reliability of the predicted ride demand may be calculated based on the user's usage history and past behavioral patterns, and a predetermined threshold value may be set according to the calculated reliability. This can improve the accuracy of ride demand prediction.

[0025] 2 , assume that user A makes a vehicle dispatch request specifying boarding location X at 7:40, vehicle V is dispatched to boarding location X at 7:43 according to the dispatch plan created by the vehicle dispatch management device 10, and user A boards the vehicle. In this case, the vehicle dispatch management device 10 predicts ride demand based on the probability of other users' ride requests at boarding location X within a certain time from the boarding time of 7:43, and if it determines that the predicted ride demand is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold, creates a vehicle dispatch plan to delay the departure of vehicle V by a certain time (e.g., 5 minutes). Thereafter, if user B makes a vehicle dispatch request specifying boarding location X at 7:44 and is able to travel to boarding location X by the departure time at the boarding location, the vehicle dispatch management device 10 changes the vehicle dispatch plan so that user B boards vehicle V.

[0026] In the above example, the departure of vehicle V is delayed for a certain period of time after vehicle V is dispatched to user A, but this is not limiting. For example, as will be described in an embodiment to be described later, after user A makes a dispatch request, the time of dispatching vehicle V to user A (user A's boarding time) may be delayed by a certain period of time, and during that time, a dispatch request from user B may be awaited.

[0027] In this way, in the vehicle dispatch management system 1 disclosed herein, the vehicle dispatch management device 10 responds to a user's vehicle dispatch request at a certain time by predicting the demand for rides from other users at the boarding location indicated by the vehicle dispatch request, and in situations where demand for rides is predicted to be high, delays the departure of vehicle V by a certain period of time, making it easier for users to share vehicle V, thereby improving occupancy rates and, as a result, improving vehicle dispatch efficiency.

[0028] FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a functional configuration model of a vehicle dispatch management device according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in the figure, the vehicle dispatch management device 10 may be configured as a functional configuration model including functional components such as a front-end processing unit 110, a vehicle dispatch plan formulation unit 120, and a vehicle communication interface unit 130. The vehicle dispatch plan formulation unit 120 includes, for example, a vehicle dispatch request acceptance unit 121, a vehicle dispatch plan creation unit 122, a passenger demand prediction unit 123, a vehicle dispatch plan proposal unit 124, and a vehicle dispatch instruction unit 125. Furthermore, as described above, the vehicle dispatch management device 10 includes various databases 12. This functional model is realized when the vehicle dispatch management device 10 executes a vehicle dispatch management server program under the control of a processor, thereby cooperating with various hardware resources. The functional configuration model shown here is merely an example, and all or part of the functions of a certain functional component may be realized by other functional components. For ease of explanation, the user's terminal device 20 and the control device CTL in the vehicle V are also shown in the figure.

[0029] The user information database 12a stores information about users who use the vehicle dispatch service (hereinafter referred to as "user information"). The user information includes, for example, a user ID and password, personal attributes (gender, age, need for assistance, etc.), and information about the service usage status. The user information is registered in the user information database 12a under the control of the vehicle dispatch management device 10, for example, when the user first starts up the vehicle dispatch app and inputs predetermined information.

[0030] The map information database 12b stores map information for the target area of ​​the vehicle dispatch service. The map information includes, for example, map data on addresses, place names, roads, facilities, etc. The map information may also include information necessary for searching for a driving route, such as road information, feature information, and environmental information.

[0031] The vehicle information database 12c stores information (vehicle information) about the vehicle V available for use by the user. The vehicle information includes, for example, a vehicle ID, vehicle attributes (vehicle registration number, vehicle model, maximum number of occupants / maximum load capacity, number of transportation spaces, whether the vehicle is driven by a driver or not, etc.), vehicle performance, other specifications, a current vehicle dispatch plan, a current location, and a current status (service status, remaining battery capacity (driving range), number of occupants, and usage status of transportation spaces, etc.). The vehicle information acquired from the vehicle V via the vehicle communication interface unit 130 can be updated as needed.

[0032] The vehicle allocation plan database 12d stores a vehicle allocation plan for each vehicle V created by the vehicle allocation plan formulation unit 120 based on a vehicle allocation request. As described above, the vehicle allocation plan includes a driving route from a waiting location serving as a starting point to a waiting location serving as a terminal point via several departure and arrival points, an estimated arrival time at each intermediate point, and the like.

[0033] The operation history information database 12e stores, for example, information (operation history information) relating to the past operation history of each vehicle V. The operation history information includes, for example, various types of specification information for each vehicle V, such as the operation time (operation start time and end time), the travel route, and the travel distance.

[0034] The front-end processing unit 110 performs various processes with the user's terminal device 20. As an example, the front-end processing unit 110 refers to the user information database 12a and performs login authentication processing in response to a login request from a vehicle dispatching app on the user's terminal device 20. The front-end processing unit 110 also communicates with the terminal device 20 to respond to a vehicle dispatch request from the vehicle dispatching app on the user's terminal device 20. More specifically, the front-end processing unit 110 receives a vehicle dispatch request, passes it to the vehicle dispatch request acceptance unit 121, and in response thereto, transmits a vehicle dispatch plan created by the vehicle dispatch plan formulation unit 120 to the terminal device 20, causing the vehicle dispatch plan (candidate vehicle v) to be displayed on the user interface of the terminal device 20. The front-end processing unit 110 receives a notification of user acceptance or rejection transmitted from the terminal device 20 in response thereto, and passes it to the vehicle dispatch plan formulation unit 120.

[0035] The vehicle allocation plan formulation unit 120 extracts candidate vehicles V from among the vehicles V that can operate in the target area based on the vehicle allocation request delivered from the front-end processing unit 110, and creates and / or updates the vehicle allocation plan. The vehicle allocation plan formulation unit 120 also selects an appropriate vehicle allocation plan from the created vehicle allocation plans, and proposes the vehicle allocation plan to the user via the front-end processing unit 110. When the vehicle allocation plan formulation unit 120 receives approval from the user for the proposed vehicle allocation plan, it finalizes the approved vehicle allocation plan, stores the finalized vehicle allocation plan in the vehicle allocation plan database 12d, and issues a dispatch instruction to the vehicles V of the vehicle allocation plan.

[0036] The vehicle communication interface unit 130 exchanges various information with the vehicle V via the communication network N. For example, the vehicle communication interface unit 130 transmits a vehicle information transmission request to the vehicle V and receives vehicle information transmitted by the vehicle V in response to the request. The vehicle information includes, for example, location information of the vehicle V. The vehicle communication interface unit 130 also transmits driving instructions to the vehicle V in accordance with the determined vehicle dispatch plan. The control device CTL of the vehicle V that has received the driving instructions uses a navigation function to display a driving route in accordance with the vehicle dispatch plan, for example, on a user interface (not shown). Alternatively, the control device CTL of the vehicle V that has received the driving instructions controls the vehicle V so that it autonomously drives along the driving route.

[0037] Next, we will explain in detail each functional component of the vehicle allocation plan formulation unit 120. As described above, the vehicle allocation plan formulation unit 120 of this example is configured to include a vehicle allocation request reception unit 121, a vehicle allocation plan creation unit 122, a passenger demand prediction unit 123, a vehicle allocation plan proposal unit 124, and a vehicle allocation instruction unit 125.

[0038] The vehicle dispatch request receiving unit 121 acquires and accepts a vehicle dispatch request from a user via the front-end processing unit 110. The time at which the vehicle dispatch request receiving unit 121 accepts the vehicle dispatch request becomes the start time for timing the demand forecast for the vehicle dispatch request and various user limit allowable times (e.g., limit allowable waiting time for boarding, limit allowable time for arrival at the destination, etc.). The limit allowable time is one of the conditions for whether or not to allow users to share a ride. For example, if the waiting time of the first user exceeds the limit allowable waiting time for departure due to the sharing of a second user, the ride-sharing will not be established. The vehicle dispatch request receiving unit 121 passes the accepted vehicle dispatch request to the vehicle dispatch plan creation unit 122.

[0039] Based on the delivered dispatch request, the dispatch plan creation unit 122 extracts candidate vehicles V from among the vehicles V that can operate in the target area, and creates or updates the dispatch plan. For example, the dispatch plan creation unit 122 requests the passenger demand prediction unit 123 to predict passenger demand within a certain period of time, and in response to this, creates a dispatch plan for vehicles V based on the passenger demand predicted by the passenger demand prediction unit 123 so that users who will likely make a dispatch request later board vehicles V currently occupied by previous users. For example, when the passenger demand predicted by the passenger demand prediction unit 123 is high, the dispatch plan creation unit 122 delays the departure of the vehicle V dispatched to the user who made the dispatch request to wait for a dispatch request from another potential user, and then creates a dispatch plan so that other users who made dispatch requests indicating the same boarding location can board the vehicle V within a certain period of time. Here, the certain period of time is set, for example, to satisfy various limit allowable times for each user who will share a ride. The dispatch plan creation unit 122 selects an appropriate dispatch plan from the created dispatch plans.

[0040] The passenger demand prediction unit 123 predicts the passenger demand for the vehicle V at the boarding location indicated by the dispatch request. The prediction of the passenger demand is based on, for example, the probability that a dispatch request from another user similar to the user's dispatch request will occur within a predetermined period and the number of passengers. For example, the passenger demand prediction unit 123 predicts the passenger demand using a predetermined statistical model based on the number of users currently present near the boarding location. Alternatively, the passenger demand prediction unit 123 may predict the passenger demand based on past performance values ​​of passenger demand during the same time period and at the same boarding location based on the time the dispatch request was received. The passenger demand prediction unit 123 may also predict the passenger demand based on environmental factors around the boarding location (e.g., geographic location, traffic conditions, weather, event events, etc.). The passenger demand prediction unit 123 may also predict the passenger demand taking into account user attributes (e.g., age, gender, home and work addresses, hobbies, etc.). The passenger demand prediction unit 123 may also predict the passenger demand taking into account user behavior. For example, the passenger demand prediction unit 123 may track the movement of the user based on the time-series location information of the terminal device 20 acquired via the front-end processing unit 110, and predict the boarding location and the arrival time at the boarding location from the direction and speed of the movement, thereby predicting the passenger demand. This can improve the accuracy of the passenger demand prediction.

[0041] The vehicle allocation plan proposal unit 124 proposes the created vehicle allocation plan to the user. When the vehicle allocation plan creation unit 122 receives approval from the user for the proposed vehicle allocation plan, it finalizes the approved vehicle allocation plan, stores the finalized vehicle allocation plan in the vehicle allocation plan database 12d, and notifies the vehicle allocation instruction unit 125 to issue an allocation instruction to the vehicle V of the vehicle allocation plan.

[0042] In accordance with the notification from the vehicle allocation plan proposal unit 124, the vehicle allocation instruction unit 125 refers to the vehicle allocation plan database 12d, identifies a corresponding vehicle allocation plan, and transmits driving instructions to the vehicle V according to the identified vehicle allocation plan. The control device CTL of the vehicle V that has received the driving instructions uses a navigation function to display, for example, a driving route according to the vehicle allocation plan and estimated arrival times at each location on a user interface (not shown) of the vehicle V. Alternatively, the control device CTL determines a detailed actual driving route according to the driving route in the vehicle allocation plan, and performs control so that the vehicle autonomously drives along the actual driving route.

[0043] Next, an overview of the vehicle dispatch service provided by the vehicle dispatch management system of the present disclosure will be described. Fig. 4 is a sequence chart for explaining the overview of the vehicle dispatch service provided by the vehicle dispatch management system according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0044] As shown in the figure, a user who wishes to use a vehicle dispatch service executes a vehicle dispatch app implemented in the terminal device 20 and inputs the necessary information for the vehicle dispatch request on a vehicle dispatch request screen displayed on the user interface, and the terminal device 20 then transmits the vehicle dispatch request to the vehicle dispatch management device 10 (S401). For example, a user who wishes to ride (reserve a vehicle) operates the vehicle dispatch app to input the boarding and disembarking locations, the number of passengers, etc. The boarding location can be specified, for example, from a geographical map displayed on the user interface by the vehicle dispatch app. Alternatively, the boarding location may be determined based on the current location obtained by the GPS function installed on the user's smartphone.

[0045] When the vehicle dispatch management device 10 receives a vehicle dispatch request from the terminal device 20 (S402), it requests the vehicles V in the target area to transmit vehicle information including location information, etc. (S403). In response to this, each vehicle V transmits vehicle information including its own location information acquired from the GPS system to the vehicle dispatch management device 10 under the control of the control device CTL (S404). Note that the transmission of vehicle information by the vehicles V may be performed periodically. The vehicle dispatch management device 10 acquires the vehicle information including location information, etc. transmitted from the vehicles V, and updates the vehicle information database 12c.

[0046] Next, the vehicle dispatch management device 10 extracts vehicles V near the user's boarding location from the vehicles V for which vehicle information has been acquired, and creates and / or updates a vehicle dispatch plan for the extracted vehicles V according to the predicted ride demand (S405). That is, if there is an existing vehicle dispatch plan based on the vehicle dispatch request, the vehicle dispatch management device 10 extracts vehicles V that satisfy the ride-sharing conditions. Furthermore, the vehicle dispatch management device 10 predicts ride demand based on the probability of other users' ride-sharing requests indicating the same boarding location as the user's ride-sharing request occurring within a certain period of time, and creates a vehicle dispatch plan according to the predicted ride demand so that users who have made ride-sharing requests within a certain period of time can ride-sharing in the same vehicle V. Next, the vehicle dispatch management device 10 sends a vehicle dispatch plan proposal notification to the user's terminal device 20 to propose to the user that they ride in the vehicle V indicated in the vehicle dispatch plan.

[0047] When the terminal device 20 receives the notification of the proposed vehicle allocation plan, it displays it on the user interface as a vehicle proposal screen and prompts the user whether or not to accept riding in the proposed vehicle V (S406). When the user inputs acceptance or rejection on the vehicle proposal screen, the terminal device 20 receives this and transmits an acceptance or rejection notification to the vehicle allocation management device 10 (S407), and the vehicle allocation management device 10 receives the acceptance or rejection notification transmitted from the terminal device 20 (S408). Upon receiving the user's acceptance of the proposed vehicle V, the vehicle allocation management device 10 finalizes the vehicle allocation plan and transmits a confirmation notification of the vehicle allocation reservation to the terminal device 20, as well as transmitting a vehicle allocation instruction to the vehicle V in accordance with the vehicle allocation plan (S409).

[0048] When the terminal device 20 receives the notification of confirmation of the vehicle dispatch reservation, it displays it on the user interface to inform the user that the vehicle dispatch reservation has been confirmed (S410). Meanwhile, when the vehicle V receives the dispatch instruction, it executes the vehicle dispatch service according to the vehicle dispatch plan (S411). That is, the vehicle V that has received the dispatch instruction presents the driver with the driving route according to the vehicle dispatch plan and the estimated arrival time at each location on the in-vehicle user interface. Furthermore, if the vehicle V is an unmanned vehicle V, the unmanned vehicle V plans a specific driving route according to the vehicle dispatch plan and begins autonomous driving to head to the pick-up and drop-off point to pick up the user who made the vehicle dispatch request.

[0049] Then, when the operation of the vehicle V according to the vehicle allocation plan based on the vehicle allocation request is completed, the vehicle allocation management device 10 stores the operation history information of the vehicle V in the operation history information database 12e (S412).

[0050] 5 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a vehicle dispatch management process performed by a vehicle dispatch management device according to an embodiment of the present invention. This process is realized by the vehicle dispatch management device 10 executing a vehicle dispatch management server program under the control of a processor, thereby cooperating with various hardware resources.

[0051] 1, the vehicle dispatch control device 10 waits for a new vehicle dispatch request from a user (S501). When the vehicle dispatch control device 10 receives a vehicle dispatch request from a user (Yes in S501), the vehicle dispatch control device 10 requests each vehicle V to transmit vehicle information and acquires the vehicle information including location information transmitted from each vehicle V (S502).

[0052] Next, the vehicle dispatch management device 10 creates and / or updates a vehicle dispatch plan for the vehicle V based on the dispatch request (S503). The vehicle dispatch management device 10 can select an optimal vehicle dispatch plan from among several created / updated vehicle dispatch plans. Details of the vehicle dispatch plan creation / updating process will be described later.

[0053] Next, the vehicle dispatch management device 10 proposes the contents of the selected vehicle dispatch plan to the user (S504). That is, the vehicle dispatch management device 10 transmits an approval request based on the created vehicle dispatch plan to the terminal device 20, and in response to this, the terminal device 20 displays the contents of the vehicle dispatch plan on the user interface and prompts the user to decide whether or not to approve the vehicle dispatch plan.

[0054] Next, the vehicle dispatch management device 10 determines whether or not an acceptance notice has been received from the user in response to the acceptance request (S505). If the vehicle dispatch management device 10 receives an acceptance notice from the user in response to the proposed vehicle dispatch plan (Yes in S505), the vehicle dispatch management device 10 confirms the current vehicle dispatch plan (S506). The vehicle dispatch management device 10 also stores the confirmed vehicle dispatch plan in the vehicle dispatch plan database 12d. Next, the vehicle dispatch management device 10 transmits a confirmation notice of the vehicle dispatch reservation to the terminal device 20 and transmits a dispatch instruction based on the vehicle dispatch plan to the vehicle V (S507).

[0055] On the other hand, if the vehicle dispatch management device 10 receives a rejection notice (cancellation) from the user in response to the proposed vehicle dispatch plan (No in S505), it cancels the current vehicle dispatch plan based on the user's vehicle dispatch request (S505). In this case, the vehicle dispatch management device 10 returns the vehicle dispatch plan that was temporarily put on hold for the re-creation of the vehicle dispatch plan to a vehicle dispatch plan that is to be released from the hold. If the user desires a different vehicle dispatch service, they will make a new vehicle dispatch request.

[0056] Next, the details of the vehicle allocation plan creation / update process will be described with reference to a flowchart of FIG.

[0057] That is, as shown in the figure, the vehicle dispatch management device 10 refers to and searches the vehicle dispatch plan database 12d and extracts an existing vehicle dispatch plan (S601). An existing vehicle dispatch plan is a vehicle dispatch plan for a vehicle V that is currently in operation. The vehicle dispatch management device 10 may narrow down the vehicle dispatch plans based on the current location information of the vehicle V so that a more appropriate vehicle V is selected. Next, the vehicle dispatch management device 10 determines whether an existing vehicle dispatch plan has been extracted (S602).

[0058] If the vehicle dispatch management device 10 determines that an existing vehicle dispatch plan has been extracted (Yes in S602), it then determines whether or not there is a vehicle dispatch plan for vehicle V among the extracted existing vehicle dispatch plans that satisfies the ride-sharing conditions for the vehicle dispatch plan updated in response to the user's dispatch request (S603). The ride-sharing conditions include, for example, whether there is enough space (boarding space) to accommodate the number of passengers indicated in the dispatch requests of each user who will be sharing the ride, and whether various conditions related to the maximum allowable time for each user are satisfied. If the vehicle dispatch management device 10 determines that there is a vehicle dispatch plan for vehicle V that satisfies the ride-sharing conditions (Yes in S603), it selects the optimal vehicle dispatch plan from the extracted vehicle dispatch plans (S604) and terminates the vehicle dispatch plan creation / update process. For example, the vehicle dispatch management device 10 selects the vehicle dispatch plan with the highest evaluation value according to a predetermined evaluation function. The predetermined evaluation function outputs an evaluation value based on, for example, the distance and / or travel time from the current position of vehicle V to the boarding location. This allows a ride-sharing arrangement to be established in which a later user who is more suitable for the vehicle V allocated to the earlier user boards the vehicle V.

[0059] On the other hand, if the vehicle dispatch management device 10 determines that an existing vehicle dispatch plan has not been extracted (No in S602), the vehicle dispatch management device 10 creates a new vehicle dispatch plan for the received vehicle dispatch request (S605).

[0060] In addition, if the vehicle dispatch management device 10 determines that there is no dispatch plan for vehicle V that meets the ride-sharing conditions (No in S603), the vehicle dispatch management device 10 creates a new dispatch plan for the received dispatch request (S605).

[0061] The dispatch management device 10, which has created a new dispatch plan, predicts ride demand based on the probability of occurrence within a certain period of time of dispatch requests from other users indicating the same boarding location as the boarding location indicated in the received dispatch request (S606).

[0062] Next, the vehicle dispatch management device 10 determines whether the predicted passenger demand is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold (S607). If the vehicle dispatch management device 10 determines that the predicted passenger demand is not equal to or greater than the predetermined threshold (No in S607), the newly created vehicle dispatch plan is selected as is, and the vehicle dispatch plan creation / update process is terminated. In other words, since the vehicle V in the newly created vehicle dispatch plan is in a situation where passenger demand within a certain period of time is low, the departure time from the boarding location corresponding only to the received vehicle dispatch request is set.

[0063] On the other hand, when the vehicle dispatch management device 10 determines that the predicted ride demand is equal to or greater than the predetermined threshold value (Yes in S607), it sets a newly created ride dispatch plan based on the predicted ride demand as the ride dispatch plan for vehicle V and selects it (S608). That is, the vehicle dispatch management device 10 delays the departure time of vehicle V in the ride dispatch plan by a certain time in order to wait for other potential users to board. This makes it possible to establish a ride sharing on vehicle V when there is a ride dispatch request from another user indicating the same boarding location within the certain time period.

[0064] As described above, according to this embodiment, in response to a user's dispatch request at a certain time, the vehicle dispatch management device 10 predicts the demand for rides from other users based on the probability that a dispatch request indicating the same boarding location as the dispatch request will occur within a certain period of time, and in a situation where demand for rides is predicted to be high, the departure of the vehicle V dispatched to the user is delayed for a certain period of time, so that potential dispatch requests from other users can wait, and when a dispatch request from another user actually occurs, the user can share a ride with other users, thereby improving the occupancy rate and, as a result, improving dispatch efficiency.

[0065] Second Embodiment This embodiment is a modification of the above embodiment, and describes an example of more specific processing related to creating / updating a vehicle allocation plan.

[0066] 7A and 7B are flowcharts showing an example of a process for creating / updating a vehicle dispatch plan by a vehicle dispatch management device according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0067] As shown in FIG. 1A, the vehicle dispatch management device 10 refers to and searches the vehicle dispatch plan database 12d and extracts a vehicle dispatch plan for a ride-sharing waiting vehicle V that matches a vehicle dispatch request received from a user (S701). A ride-sharing waiting vehicle V with a ride-sharing condition is a vehicle V that has been dispatched to a preceding user and is waiting to share a ride with other users under specified ride-sharing conditions. The ride-sharing conditions include, for example, that the boarding location is the same as the vehicle dispatch plan for the vehicle V and that the boarding time is within a certain time period. As a result of the search, the vehicle dispatch management device 10 determines whether a corresponding vehicle V has been extracted (S702).

[0068] If the vehicle dispatch management device 10 determines that a corresponding vehicle V has been extracted (Yes in S702), the vehicle dispatch management device 10 then determines whether the vehicle dispatch plan for the vehicle V satisfies the ride-sharing conditions for the dispatch request (S703). The ride-sharing conditions include, for example, conditions regarding various limit allowable times (such as limit allowable times for waiting time and arrival time) based on each user's dispatch request. In other words, a vehicle V that has already been dispatched to a user is extracted under the condition that the time allowed for the user is not exceeded, even if the dispatch plan is changed based on a new dispatch request. This ensures that the dispatch service for the preceding user is guaranteed. If multiple vehicles V are extracted by the search, the vehicle dispatch management device 10 selects the vehicle V with the smallest evaluation value for distance and / or time, for example.

[0069] If the vehicle dispatch management device 10 determines that the vehicle V satisfies the ride-sharing conditions (Yes in S703), it updates the dispatch plan so that the user who made the dispatch request will ride-sharing in the vehicle V (S704).

[0070] On the other hand, if the vehicle dispatch management device 10 determines that a corresponding vehicle V has not been extracted (No in S702), the vehicle dispatch management device 10 refers to and searches the vehicle dispatch plan database 12d and extracts a vehicle V in operation that meets the ride-sharing conditions for the received dispatch request (S705).

[0071] Furthermore, if the vehicle dispatch management device 10 determines that the vehicle V does not satisfy the ride-sharing conditions (No in S703), the vehicle dispatch management device 10 refers to and searches the vehicle dispatch plan database 12d to extract a vehicle V in operation that satisfies the ride-sharing conditions for the received dispatch request (S705). That is, in the processing step of S705, a vehicle V that satisfies the ride-sharing conditions but is not a vehicle V that has been dispatched for a dispatch request with the same boarding location is extracted. Through this search, the vehicle dispatch management device 10 determines whether or not a corresponding vehicle V is found (S706).

[0072] If the vehicle dispatch management device 10 determines that a corresponding vehicle V is found (Yes in S706), the vehicle dispatch management device 10 subsequently determines whether the vehicle V is a vehicle V waiting for a ride-sharing with other boarding conditions (S707). Here, a vehicle V waiting for a ride-sharing with other boarding conditions is a vehicle V waiting for a ride-sharing under boarding conditions different from those of the user's ride-sharing request. If the vehicle dispatch management device 10 determines that the vehicle V is not a vehicle V waiting for a ride-sharing with other boarding conditions (No in S707), the vehicle dispatch management device 10 updates the dispatch plan so that the user who made the ride-sharing request will share the vehicle V (S704). In other words, a vehicle V that is not bound by boarding conditions for the user who will share the ride is treated as a vehicle V that will provide a ride-sharing with the user who made the ride-sharing request. If multiple vehicles V are extracted by the search, the vehicle dispatch management device 10 selects the vehicle V with the smallest evaluation value, for example, for distance and / or time.

[0073] On the other hand, if the vehicle dispatch management device 10 determines that the vehicle V is a ride-sharing waiting vehicle V with other boarding conditions (Yes in S707), the vehicle dispatch management device 10 subsequently determines whether the time until the departure time of the vehicle V is equal to or longer than a predetermined time (S708). If the vehicle dispatch management device 10 determines that the time until the departure time of the vehicle V is not equal to or longer than a predetermined time (No in S708), the vehicle dispatch management device 10 creates and updates a vehicle dispatch plan so that the user who made the dispatch request will share the vehicle V (S704). In other words, even if the vehicle V is a ride-sharing waiting vehicle with other boarding conditions, if the remaining time until the departure time is short and it is unlikely that another user who meets the boarding conditions will appear, the vehicle dispatch management device 10 treats the vehicle V as a vehicle that is prioritized for sharing with the user who made the dispatch request. If multiple vehicles V are extracted by the search, the vehicle dispatch management device 10 selects the vehicle V with the smallest evaluation value of, for example, distance and / or time.

[0074] When the vehicle dispatch management device 10 determines that the time until the departure time of the vehicle V is equal to or longer than the predetermined time (Yes in S708), the process proceeds to the process shown in B in the same figure.

[0075] If there is no vehicle V currently in operation that satisfies the ride-sharing conditions (No in S706), the vehicle dispatch management device 10 executes the process shown in B in the same figure.

[0076] 7B, the vehicle dispatch management device 10 refers to and searches the vehicle information database 12c to extract a new vehicle V that can be dispatched (S709), and determines whether or not the new vehicle V has been extracted (S710). If the vehicle dispatch management device 10 determines that the new vehicle V has been extracted (Yes in S710), the vehicle dispatch management device 10 creates a new dispatch plan for the extracted vehicle V (S711).

[0077] Next, the vehicle dispatch management device 10 calculates the probability that a vehicle dispatch request indicating the same boarding location as the boarding location indicated in the received vehicle dispatch request will occur within a certain period of time, and predicts ride demand based on the calculated occurrence probability (S712). For example, the vehicle dispatch management device 10 predicts ride demand using a predetermined statistical model based on the number of users currently in the vicinity of the boarding location. Alternatively, the vehicle dispatch management device 10 may predict ride demand based on past performance data of ride demand during the same time period and at the same boarding location. The vehicle dispatch management device 10 may also predict ride demand based on environmental factors around the boarding location (e.g., traffic conditions, weather, events, etc.). The vehicle dispatch management device 10 may also predict ride demand taking into account user attributes (e.g., age, gender, home and work addresses, hobbies, etc.).

[0078] Next, the vehicle dispatch management device 10 determines whether the predicted ride demand is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold (S713). If the vehicle dispatch management device 10 determines that the ride demand is not equal to or greater than the predetermined threshold (No in S713), the vehicle dispatch management device 10 ends the process of creating / updating the vehicle dispatch plan.

[0079] On the other hand, if the vehicle dispatch management device 10 determines that the ride demand is equal to or greater than the predetermined threshold (Yes in S713), the vehicle dispatch management device 10 modifies the newly created vehicle dispatch plan based on the predicted ride demand (S714). That is, the vehicle dispatch management device 10 modifies the vehicle dispatch plan so as to delay the departure time of vehicle V in the vehicle dispatch plan by a certain amount of time. Next, the vehicle dispatch management device 10 registers the vehicle dispatch plan in the vehicle dispatch plan database 12d to designate vehicle V as a ride-conditional shared waiting vehicle V (S715), and terminates the vehicle dispatch plan creation / update process. As a result, if a vehicle dispatch request indicating the same boarding location is received from a new user within a certain amount of time, vehicle V will be extracted as a ride-conditional shared waiting vehicle V.

[0080] If the vehicle dispatch management device 10 is unable to extract a new vehicle V (No in S710), the vehicle dispatch management device 10 subsequently determines whether there is a vehicle V for which the answer to the processing step S708 in FIG. 7A was "Yes" (S716). That is, here, it is determined whether the vehicle V selected in the processing step S708 in FIG. 7A has been extracted from among the other ride-sharing waiting vehicles V with boarding conditions that satisfy the ride-sharing conditions. If the vehicle dispatch management device 10 has extracted the corresponding vehicle V (Yes in S716), the vehicle dispatch management device 10 updates the vehicle dispatch plan so that the user who made the vehicle dispatch request will ride in the vehicle V (S717). If the corresponding vehicle V has not been extracted (No in S716), the vehicle dispatch management device 10 cannot dispatch a vehicle V in response to the user's vehicle dispatch request, and therefore transmits a response indicating that the vehicle cannot be dispatched to the terminal device 20 (S718).

[0081] As described above, according to this embodiment, the same advantages or effects as those of the above-mentioned embodiments can be achieved. In particular, according to this embodiment, the vehicle dispatch management device 10 prioritizes allocation of a waiting vehicle with boarding conditions that meets the boarding conditions of a user who has made a vehicle dispatch request, and avoids allocation of other waiting vehicles with boarding conditions that do not meet the boarding conditions of the vehicle dispatch request as much as possible. This makes it possible to establish a rideshare between users who have the same boarding location and make vehicle dispatch requests within a certain period of time, thereby improving the occupancy rate and, as a result, improving vehicle dispatch efficiency.

[0082] <Third embodiment> This embodiment is a variation of the above embodiment, and is characterized in that when there is high demand for rides, rather than delaying the departure of the vehicle V allocated to the user who made the ride request for a certain period of time, the allocation of the vehicle to the user is delayed for a certain period of time, thereby waiting for ride requests from other users and making it easier to share the vehicle V.

[0083] Fig. 8 is a flowchart for explaining an example of a vehicle dispatch management process by a vehicle dispatch management device according to one embodiment of the present invention. Specifically, Fig. 8 is a flowchart showing details of another example of the vehicle dispatch plan creation / update process (S503) shown in Fig. 5. Note that in Fig. 8, explanations of processes that are the same as those described above will be omitted as appropriate.

[0084] As shown in the same figure, the vehicle dispatch management device 10 extracts a vehicle V that is a shared waiting vehicle with boarding conditions that meets the boarding conditions of the received dispatch request, and whose dispatch plan updated based on the dispatch request satisfies the shared conditions (S801).

[0085] Next, the vehicle dispatch management device 10 determines whether the corresponding vehicle V has been extracted (S802). If the vehicle dispatch management device 10 determines that the corresponding vehicle V has been extracted (Yes in S802), the vehicle dispatch management device 10 updates the vehicle dispatch plan so that the user who made the dispatch request will share the vehicle V.

[0086] On the other hand, if the vehicle dispatch management device 10 determines that the corresponding vehicle V has not been extracted (No in S802), it predicts the demand for rides based on the probability that a ride request from another user indicating the same boarding location as the boarding location indicated in the received ride request will occur within a certain period of time (S803).

[0087] Next, the vehicle dispatch management device 10 determines whether the predicted passenger demand is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold (S804). If the vehicle dispatch management device 10 determines that the predicted passenger demand is not equal to or greater than the predetermined threshold (No in S804), the vehicle dispatch management device 10 refers to and searches the vehicle dispatch plan database 12d to extract an existing vehicle dispatch plan (S805). Next, the vehicle dispatch management device 10 determines whether an existing vehicle dispatch plan has been extracted (S806).

[0088] When the vehicle dispatch management device 10 determines that an existing vehicle dispatch plan has been extracted (Yes in S806), it subsequently determines whether or not there is a vehicle dispatch plan for vehicle V that satisfies the ride-sharing conditions (that is, that is available for ride-sharing) among the extracted existing vehicle dispatch plans (S807). When the vehicle dispatch management device 10 determines that there is a vehicle dispatch plan for vehicle V that satisfies the ride-sharing conditions (Yes in S807), it selects the optimal vehicle dispatch plan from the extracted vehicle dispatch plans (S808) and terminates the process of creating / updating the vehicle dispatch plans. This establishes a ride-sharing arrangement in which the subsequent user rides in the vehicle V that was dispatched to the previous user.

[0089] On the other hand, if the vehicle dispatch management device 10 determines that the predicted ride demand is equal to or greater than the predetermined threshold (Yes in S804), the vehicle dispatch management device 10 sets the user's ride time based on the predicted ride demand (S809). Subsequently, the vehicle dispatch management device 10 creates a new vehicle dispatch plan according to the set ride time (S810).

[0090] On the other hand, if the vehicle dispatch management device 10 determines that an existing vehicle dispatch plan has not been extracted (No in S806), the vehicle dispatch management device 10 creates a new vehicle dispatch plan for the received vehicle dispatch request (S810).

[0091] In addition, if the vehicle dispatch management device 10 determines that there is no dispatch plan for vehicle V that satisfies the ride-sharing conditions (No in S807), the vehicle dispatch management device 10 creates a new dispatch plan for the received dispatch request (S810).

[0092] As described above, according to this embodiment, in response to a user's dispatch request at a certain time, the vehicle dispatch management device 10 predicts the demand for rides from other users based on the probability that a dispatch request indicating the same boarding location as the dispatch request will occur within a certain period of time, and in a situation where demand for rides is predicted to be high, the dispatch of a vehicle V to the user is delayed for a certain period of time, so that potential dispatch requests from other users can wait, and when a dispatch request from another user actually occurs, the occupancy rate can be improved by enabling users to share a ride, and as a result, the efficiency of dispatching vehicles can be improved.

[0093] The above-described embodiments are merely examples for explaining the present invention, and are not intended to limit the present invention to these embodiments. The present invention can be embodied in various forms without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

[0094] For example, in the methods disclosed herein, steps, operations, or functions may be performed in parallel or in a different order unless the results are inconsistent. The steps, operations, and functions described are provided merely as examples, and some of the steps, operations, and functions may be omitted or combined into one, or other steps, operations, or functions may be added, without departing from the spirit of the invention.

[0095] Furthermore, although various embodiments are disclosed in this specification, specific features (technical matters) in one embodiment can be added to or substituted for specific features in other embodiments, with appropriate modifications, and such forms are also included in the spirit of the present invention.

[0096] DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1... Vehicle dispatch management system 10... Vehicle dispatch management device 110... Front-end processing unit 120... Vehicle dispatch plan formulation unit 121... Vehicle dispatch request reception unit 122... Vehicle dispatch plan creation unit 123... Passenger demand prediction unit 124... Vehicle dispatch plan proposal unit 125... Vehicle dispatch instruction unit 130... Vehicle communication interface unit 12... Database 12a... User information database 12b... Map information database 12c... Vehicle information database 12d... Vehicle dispatch plan database 12e... Operation history information database 20... Terminal device N... Communication network V... Vehicle CTL... Control device

Claims

1. A vehicle dispatch management device that manages the dispatch of vehicles based on a dispatch request, comprising: a vehicle dispatch plan database that manages dispatch plans for a plurality of the vehicles; a vehicle dispatch request receiving unit that receives the vehicle dispatch request from a terminal device, the vehicle dispatch request including at least a user's boarding location; a vehicle dispatch plan formulation unit that references the vehicle dispatch plan database based on the received vehicle dispatch request, and creates and confirms a vehicle dispatch plan for a specific vehicle; the vehicle dispatch plan formulation unit comprises: a ride demand prediction unit that predicts ride demand based on the probability that another vehicle dispatch request indicating the same boarding location as the boarding location indicated in the vehicle dispatch request of the user will occur within a certain period of time; a vehicle dispatch plan creation unit that creates the vehicle dispatch plan based on the predicted ride demand, so that users who have made the vehicle dispatch requests within the certain period of time will share the specific vehicle; and a vehicle dispatch instruction unit that transmits the confirmed vehicle dispatch plan to the specific vehicle.

2. The vehicle dispatch management device described in claim 1, wherein the vehicle dispatch plan creation unit refers to the vehicle dispatch plan database to determine whether or not there is an existing vehicle dispatch plan, and if it is determined that there is an existing vehicle dispatch plan, extracts from the existing vehicle dispatch plans a vehicle dispatch plan for the vehicle that satisfies specified shared conditions for the dispatch request.

3. The vehicle dispatch management device described in claim 2, wherein the vehicle dispatch plan creation unit selects the vehicle dispatch plan for the specific vehicle from the vehicle dispatch plans of the extracted vehicles that satisfy the specified shared ride conditions, according to a specified evaluation function related to the distance and / or travel time from the position of the vehicle to the boarding location indicated in the accepted vehicle dispatch request.

4. The vehicle dispatch management device of claim 2, wherein the vehicle dispatch plan creation unit creates a new vehicle dispatch plan for the user's vehicle dispatch request when a vehicle dispatch plan that satisfies the specified shared ride conditions is not extracted.

5. The vehicle dispatch management device described in claim 4, wherein, when the predicted passenger demand is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold, the vehicle dispatch plan creation unit creates the new vehicle dispatch plan based on the passenger demand and sets it as a dispatch plan for passenger-conditionally waiting vehicles.

6. The vehicle dispatch management device described in claim 2, wherein the vehicle dispatch plan creation unit preferentially extracts the vehicle dispatch plan of a waiting vehicle with boarding conditions from the existing vehicle dispatch plans, and if the vehicle dispatch plan of a waiting vehicle with boarding location conditions is not extracted, extracts the vehicle dispatch plan of other vehicles that satisfy specified sharing conditions.

7. The vehicle dispatch management device according to claim 6, wherein the specified carpooling conditions include a condition regarding a specified limit allowable time based on the dispatch request of each of the users.

8. The vehicle dispatch management device described in claim 6, wherein the vehicle dispatch plan creation unit creates a vehicle dispatch plan so that the user will share a ride in the other vehicle when the vehicle dispatch plan for the other vehicle satisfies the specified sharing conditions and is not a dispatch plan for a vehicle waiting to be shared with other boarding conditions.

9. The vehicle dispatch management device described in claim 8, wherein the vehicle dispatch plan creation unit creates a vehicle dispatch plan for the other vehicle with boarding conditions such that the user is assigned to share a ride in the other vehicle when the time until the departure time at the boarding location indicated in the vehicle dispatch plan is not longer than a predetermined time.

10. The vehicle dispatch management device of claim 1, wherein the vehicle dispatch plan formulation unit creates the vehicle dispatch plan in which the user's boarding time is set based on the predicted boarding demand when the predicted boarding demand is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold value.

11. The vehicle dispatch management device according to claim 1, wherein the boarding demand prediction unit predicts the boarding demand using a predetermined statistical model based on the number of users currently in the vicinity of the boarding location indicated by the vehicle dispatch request.

12. The vehicle dispatch management device according to claim 1, wherein the passenger demand prediction unit predicts the passenger demand based on actual passenger demand values ​​for the same time period in the past and at the boarding location based on the time the dispatch request was received.

13. The vehicle dispatch management device according to claim 1, wherein the boarding demand prediction unit predicts the boarding demand based on environmental factors in the vicinity of the boarding location.

14. The vehicle dispatch management device according to claim 1, wherein the ride demand prediction unit predicts the ride demand based on the behavior of the other users based on location information acquired from the terminal device.

15. A vehicle dispatch management method by a vehicle dispatch management device that manages the dispatch of vehicles in response to dispatch requests, comprising: receiving a user's dispatch request including at least a boarding location from a terminal device; referring to a vehicle dispatch plan database that manages dispatch plans for a plurality of the vehicles based on the received vehicle dispatch request, creating a vehicle dispatch plan for a specific vehicle; confirming the created vehicle dispatch plan; and transmitting the confirmed vehicle dispatch plan to the specific vehicle, wherein creating the vehicle dispatch plan includes predicting ride demand based on the probability that a vehicle dispatch request from another user indicating the same boarding location as the boarding location indicated in the vehicle dispatch request of the user will occur within a certain period of time; and creating the vehicle dispatch plan based on the predicted ride demand so that users who have made each vehicle dispatch request within the certain period of time will share the specific vehicle.

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