Vehicle management method and vehicle management device

Abstract

In this vehicle management method, when a calculation processing device (8a) performs management of a vehicle (1) that is operated by automatic driving and on which occupants share a ride, an occupant having a suitability attribute indicating capability of responding to emergency of the vehicle (1) is selected as an emergency response qualified person on the basis of occupant information of the vehicle (1), and emergency response information is displayed only on a display device (9) that can be seen by the selected emergency response qualified person.

Description

Vehicle management method and vehicle management device

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

[0002] The vehicle management system described in Patent Document 1 below acquires environmental information around a vehicle that is driving autonomously, as well as the position of the vehicle that is driving autonomously and the position of an emergency vehicle.Based on this information, if remote instructions are required, a shelter position for the vehicle that will not interfere with the emergency vehicle's movement is identified, and information about the shelter position is sent to the autonomous vehicle.

[0003] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2020-166412

[0004] As autonomous driving of vehicles becomes more widespread, it is expected that vehicles without drivers will be operated with passengers. If all passengers are unable to drive (operate) the vehicle, there is a concern that appropriate responses will not be possible in the event of an emergency, such as when the autonomous driving vehicle is no longer able to continue autonomous driving. The present invention aims to provide a vehicle management method and vehicle management device that can appropriately respond to emergencies involving vehicles operated by autonomous driving with passengers.

[0005] One aspect of the present invention is that when a processing device manages a vehicle operated by automated driving with occupants on board, occupants with suitable attributes who can respond to a vehicle emergency are selected as suitable emergency response personnel based on the vehicle occupant information, and emergency response information is displayed only on a display device that can be viewed by the selected suitable emergency response personnel.

[0006] According to one aspect of the present invention, a suitable emergency responder having suitable attributes for responding to a vehicle emergency can respond appropriately to the vehicle emergency in accordance with the emergency response information displayed on the display device, and it is possible to avoid causing anxiety to the other occupants in the emergency. The objects and advantages of the present invention are realized and attained by using the elements and combinations recited in the claims. It should be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are merely exemplary and explanatory and are not intended to limit the invention as defined by the claims.

[0007] FIG. 1 is an overall diagram showing a schematic configuration of an operation management system for an autonomously driving shared vehicle in the present invention. FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a communication system between an operating establishment and users who will be passengers of the autonomously driving shared vehicle in FIG. 1. FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of the autonomously driving shared vehicle of FIG. 1. FIG. 3 is a plan view showing seats of the autonomously driving shared vehicle of FIG. 3. FIG. 4 is a flowchart of arithmetic processing executed by the arithmetic processing device of FIG. 2. FIG. 4 is a flowchart of arithmetic processing executed by the vehicle control device of FIG. 3. FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of display information in the arithmetic processing of FIG. 6. FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of display information in the arithmetic processing of FIG. 6. FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of display information in the arithmetic processing of FIG. 6. FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of display information in the arithmetic processing of FIG. 6. FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of display information in the arithmetic processing of FIG. 6. FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of display information in the arithmetic processing of FIG. 6.

[0008] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that each drawing is a schematic diagram and may differ from the actual vehicle. The operation management system shown in FIG. 1 is based on the premise that an autonomous shared vehicle (hereinafter simply referred to as a vehicle) 1 is operated and managed by a specific operating establishment O, and the vehicle 1 operates autonomously along a specified route at a specified (approximate) date and time. In principle, autonomous driving is performed without a driver. An overview of operation management of this autonomous shared vehicle 1 will be described. In this operation management, as an example, a user wishing to ride informs the operating establishment O of the desired route, date and time, etc. The route is specified by a departure point and a destination, and, if necessary, intermediate stops are also specified. The route may be predetermined, as with current shared buses, or may be ordered by the user. The date and time may also be predetermined, as with current shared buses, or may be ordered by the user. The vehicle 1 is shared by multiple users who wish to ride along a similar route at a similar date and time. When a user orders a route, for example, by specifying different departure points and destinations as stopover points for the vehicle 1, multiple users can efficiently board one vehicle 1.

[0009] To achieve this, the user can contact the operating company O from a terminal T, such as a smartphone or a personal computer (hereinafter also referred to as a PC) (actual communication is performed via a communications company). The operating company O can also communicate with the vehicle 1. In this example, the operating company O can also communicate with other businesses C, such as information management businesses or other autonomous shared vehicle operating businesses. In this embodiment, as will be described later, the vehicle 1 is configured to be able to acquire attribute information of users who will be passengers in the vehicle 1 from other businesses C. The vehicle 1 can also perform road-to-vehicle communication with infrastructure E, such as a roadside unit, and can also perform vehicle-to-vehicle communication with other vehicles M. Road-to-vehicle communication and vehicle-to-vehicle communication can exchange road information, regulation information, traffic congestion information, and other road information, and can also acquire information on objects in the blind spots of the vehicle 1, for example. Communication between the operating company O and the vehicle 1 is also included as part of road-to-vehicle communication. The vehicle 1 has at least a function of autonomously driving from a departure point to a destination point, including intermediate points, and a function of moving (and stopping) in response to operations inside the vehicle 1. The latter function can be operated only by a crew member who is capable of operating it in an emergency.

[0010] FIG. 2 shows an overview of a communication system between a terminal T of a user who will become a passenger and a terminal D, such as a PC, within an operating establishment O. The terminal D within the operating establishment O can also communicate with, for example, a database B managed by another establishment C, which stores the user's attribute information. This embodiment is premised on an emergency response in which one of the two functions of the vehicle 1 described above, the function of autonomously driving from a departure point to a destination, fails. The inability to continue autonomous driving is caused, for example, by a failure of the environment recognition system 5, described below, which makes it impossible to acquire surrounding environmental information. Details of this emergency response will be described later. As described above, since there is no dedicated driver, this response must be performed by a passenger aboard the vehicle 1. Therefore, in this embodiment, whether a potential passenger of the vehicle 1 is suitable for this emergency response is stored in database B as user attribute information (hereinafter also referred to as suitable attributes). The suitable attributes are stored in association with user identification information such as name, address, and ID. This person qualified to respond to an emergency corresponds to, for example, someone who has attended and completed a training course held by the operating establishment O or an employee of the operating establishment O. Therefore, the terminal D of the operating establishment O can obtain information as to whether or not a user who will become a crew member has the appropriate attributes to be a person qualified to respond to an emergency by accessing the database B. The terminal D is a computer system, and includes a processor that performs arithmetic processing and a storage device that stores programs and data.

[0011] As shown in Fig. 3, the vehicle 1 includes a drive unit 2 for driving the vehicle 1, a braking unit 3 for braking the vehicle 1, and a steering unit 4 for steering the vehicle 1. The drive unit 2 includes a drive source (not shown) such as an engine or an electric motor, and a drive controller 2a for controlling the drive force of the vehicle 1 generated by the drive source. The drive controller 2a includes a processor P that performs arithmetic processing for electronically controlling the operating state of the drive source, and a storage device R that stores programs executed by the processor P. The brake unit 3 includes a braking mechanism (not shown) such as a hydraulic brake mechanism or an electric brake mechanism, and a brake controller 3a that controls the braking force of the vehicle 1 generated by the braking mechanism. The brake controller 3a includes a processor P that performs arithmetic processing for electronically controlling the operating state of the braking mechanism, and a storage device R that stores programs executed by the processor P. The steering device 4 is equipped with a steering mechanism (not shown) such as a hydraulic steering mechanism or an electric steering mechanism, as well as a steering controller 4a for controlling the steering state of the vehicle 1 by the steering mechanism. The steering controller 4a is equipped with a processor P that handles arithmetic processing for electronically controlling the operating state of the steering mechanism, and a storage device R that stores programs executed by the processor P. Emergency lamps 51 are provided on the front, rear, left, and right sides of the vehicle 1 to indicate, for example, that the vehicle 1 is unable to continue autonomous driving. These emergency lamps 51 can be substituted, for example, with hazard lamps on current vehicles.

[0012] The vehicle 1 also includes an environment recognition system 5 for recognizing the surrounding environment, a communication system 6 for performing the aforementioned road-to-vehicle communication and vehicle-to-vehicle communication, and an automatic driving control device 7 for performing automatic driving. The environment recognition system 5 includes a surrounding environment information acquisition means (not shown) such as a camera, radar, or sensor, as well as an environment recognition controller 5a that detects the location of what is around the vehicle 1 based on the surrounding environment information acquired by the surrounding environment information acquisition means. The environment recognition controller 5a includes a processor P that performs arithmetic processing for analyzing the surrounding environment information and a storage device R that stores programs executed by the processor P. Note that technology for analyzing surrounding environment information and detecting the location of what is already well developed. The communication system 6 includes a communication device (not shown) such as a wireless communication device, as well as a communication controller 6a that controls communication targets and communication states of the communication device. The communication controller 6a includes a processor P that performs arithmetic processing for controlling communication targets and communication states, i.e., communication timing and communication time, and a storage device R that stores programs executed by the processor P. The autonomous driving control device 7 is configured with an autonomous driving controller 7a that manages the control states of the control objects in the drive device 2, braking device 3, and steering device 4 based on control inputs such as surrounding environment information obtained by the environment recognition system 5 and communication information obtained by the communication system 6. The autonomous driving controller 7a is configured with a processor P that handles arithmetic processing to obtain control outputs of the operating states of the control objects from the control inputs, and a storage device R that stores programs executed by the processor P, etc. This autonomous driving control device 7 achieves autonomous driving of the vehicle 1 from the departure point to the destination, including intermediate points. The autonomous driving logic is configured with current autonomous driving logic of, for example, level 3 or higher.

[0013] The vehicle 1 further includes a vehicle control device 8 for controlling the vehicle 1, for example, in the event of a malfunction of the autonomous driving function. The vehicle control device 8 includes a vehicle controller 8a that outputs command signals indicating the operating states of the control targets in the drive unit 2, the braking unit 3, and the steering unit 4 based on operational inputs within the vehicle 1, as described below. The vehicle controller 8a is an electronic control unit (ECU) that performs arithmetic processing, as described below, and outputs control commands to the drive controller 2a, the braking controller 3a, and the steering controller 4a. Therefore, the vehicle controller 8a includes a computer system with advanced arithmetic processing capabilities. Similar to well-known computer systems, this computer system includes a processor P that exhibits advanced arithmetic processing capabilities and a storage device R that stores information such as programs and sensor signals. The processor P includes, for example, a central processing unit (CPU) or a microprocessing unit (MPU). The storage device R includes a semiconductor storage device, a magnetic storage device, and an optical storage device. The storage device R may further include a register, a cache memory, and a memory used as a main storage device. The arithmetic processing executed by the vehicle controller 8a is realized, for example, by the processor P executing a computer program stored in the storage device R of the vehicle controller 8a. The arithmetic processing executed by the vehicle controller 8a may also be executed by a functional logic circuit set in a general-purpose semiconductor integrated circuit. For example, the vehicle controller 8a may include a programmable logic device such as a field programmable gate array. Each of the above-mentioned controllers has the same configuration and function, and the controllers can also share data and communicate with each other.

[0014] As shown in an example in FIG. 4 , the vehicle 1 includes a plurality of seats 10, each divided for one occupant, and all of the seats 10 face forward. Similar to typical seats, a seat back 54 is provided on the rear side of a seat cushion 53, and a headrest 55 is attached to the upper end of the seat back 54. For example, as shown in the figure, in a case where three rows of seats 10 are arranged, a monitor (display device) 9 is attached to the rear side of the headrest 55 of the first and second rows at the front of the vehicle. A monitor 9 is also provided for each seat 10 at the front side of the front row of the vehicle. These monitors 9 display moving images such as television broadcasts and movies during autonomous driving of the vehicle 1. Similar to a smartphone, a touch panel 11 (see FIG. 7 , etc.) is attached to the surface of the monitor screen. When the touch panel 11 is activated by the vehicle control device 8, as described below, the occupant can input information from the touch panel 11 to the vehicle control device 8. In this embodiment, as will be described later, the vehicle controls for operating the vehicle 1 are formed by a combination of the display content displayed on the monitor 9 and the touch panel 11, i.e., buttons 12 displayed on the screen (see Figure 8, etc.).

[0015] In this embodiment, as described above, in order to respond to an emergency in which the function of autonomous driving from the departure point to the destination is lost, at least one person qualified to respond to an emergency must be on board the vehicle 1. FIG. 5 is a flowchart of a calculation process executed by the terminal D of the operating establishment O shown in FIG. 2. The calculation process determines whether one or more persons qualified to respond to an emergency are on board the vehicle 1 to be considered. If not, the calculation process is executed to have a person qualified to respond to an emergency from a nearby vehicle board the vehicle to be considered. This logic is programmed in the storage device of the terminal D of the operating establishment O and is realized by the processor within the terminal D executing this program. In this calculation process, first, in step S1, a vehicle to be considered is selected by specifying a date, time, route, etc. The route includes a departure point and a destination, and may also include intermediate stops. Next, in step S2, the user identification information of the occupants of the considered vehicle is read. Next, in step S3, the database B described above is accessed to search for the occupants (user identification information) of the considered vehicle, and the suitability attributes of all occupants are read. Next, proceed to step S5, and based on the read-in suitability attributes for each occupant, determine whether or not there is one or more occupants of the vehicle under consideration who are suitable for emergency response (hereinafter simply referred to as suitable persons).If there is one or more suitable persons among the occupants, return; if not, proceed to step S5.

[0016] In step S5, a vehicle that takes the same route as the considered vehicle and that immediately precedes (in terms of date and time) the considered vehicle is selected as a comparison vehicle. Next, the process proceeds to step S6, where the user identification information of the occupants of the compared vehicle is read. Next, the process proceeds to step S7, where database B is accessed again to read the suitability attributes of the occupants of the compared vehicle (from the user identification information). Next, the process proceeds to step S8, where it is determined from the read suitability attributes whether there are two or more suitable occupants of the compared vehicle. If there are two or more suitable occupants, the process proceeds to step S9; if not, the process proceeds to step S13. In step S9, each suitable occupant is asked (in turn) to change to the considered vehicle. This proposal to change occupants is carried out, for example, by transmitting the proposal content to a terminal T, such as a smartphone, of the suitable user and having the user respond thereto. Next, the process proceeds to step S10, where it is determined whether the appropriate occupant (user) has approved the change to the considered vehicle. If the change to the considered vehicle has been approved, the process proceeds to step S11; if not, the process proceeds to step S12. In step S11, the appropriate occupant (user) who approved the change is notified of the change to the considered vehicle, and then the process returns. Meanwhile, in step S12, it is determined whether consultations with all appropriate occupants of the comparison vehicle who are being inquired about changing to the considered vehicle have been completed. If consultations with all appropriate occupants have been completed, the process proceeds to step S13; if not, the process proceeds to step S9. In step S13, a vehicle that is on the same route as the comparison vehicle and immediately preceding (in terms of date and time) the comparison vehicle is selected as a further comparison vehicle, and then the process proceeds to step S6.

[0017] In this calculation process, if one or more suitable persons are riding in the considered vehicle, the consideration is terminated. However, if no suitable persons are riding in the considered vehicle, the immediately preceding vehicle on the same route is selected as a comparison vehicle. If two or more suitable persons are riding in this comparison vehicle, those suitable persons are asked to change to the considered vehicle. If any of the suitable persons agree to change to the considered vehicle, that suitable person is notified of the change to the considered vehicle, and the consideration is terminated. However, if all of the two or more suitable persons in the comparison vehicle do not agree to change to the considered vehicle, or if two or more suitable persons are not riding in the comparison vehicle, the immediately preceding vehicle on the same route as the current comparison vehicle is selected as a further comparison vehicle, and similarly, a change to the considered vehicle is asked. By repeating this series of considerations for changing suitable persons to the considered vehicle, it becomes possible to have a suitable person ride in the considered vehicle at some point. The considered vehicle may be any autonomous shared vehicle as long as the date, time, and route are confirmed. However, by starting the consideration with an earlier vehicle, it becomes possible to have one or more suitable persons ride in a vehicle earlier than the vehicle currently being considered. Furthermore, when the search is conducted on a date and time significantly earlier than the actual departure date and time of the vehicle, for example, the first three vehicles prior to the search vehicle may be searched as comparison vehicles. If a suitable person cannot be accommodated in the search vehicle by then, the search may be temporarily terminated and the same search may be conducted again at a later date. For example, if a vehicle with a time (date) significantly earlier than the search vehicle is searched as the comparison vehicle, the search may end up being conducted on a vehicle with a time (date) significantly later than originally planned. If there is sufficient time before the search vehicle departs, a suitable person may be accommodated in the search vehicle during that time, or two or more suitable people may be accommodated in a comparison vehicle close to the search vehicle. Note that the comparison vehicle may be a vehicle with the same operating date and time as the search vehicle, or may be a vehicle with an operating route similar to that of the search vehicle.

[0018] Next, the computational process executed by the vehicle controller 8a of the vehicle control device 8 when the automatic driving function of the vehicle 1 from the departure point to the destination fails will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. This computational process starts when automatic driving cannot be continued. First, in step S21, the occupant's suitability attributes are read. The suitability attributes of the occupant are stored, for example, in the storage device R of the vehicle controller 8a along with the occupant seat 10 in the vehicle 1. Next, in step S22, the touch panel 11 on the monitor 9 in front of the seat 10 of the suitable person is activated. Next, in step S23, it is determined whether two or more suitable persons are in the vehicle 1. If two or more suitable persons are in the vehicle 1, the process proceeds to step S24. If not, the process proceeds to step S30. In step S24, suitable persons are selected as the vehicle operator (one person) and the operation assistant. This selection can be performed, for example, by selecting a suitable person who has been a suitable person for a long time as the vehicle operator or selecting a person who has actual experience operating the vehicle 1 as the vehicle operator.

[0019] Next, the process proceeds to step S25, where operation assistance information is displayed on the monitor 9 in front of the assistant's seat 10 in accordance with individual calculation processing. This operation assistance information will be described later. Next, the process proceeds to step S26, where vehicle operation information is displayed on the monitor 9 in front of the vehicle operator's seat 10 in accordance with individual calculation processing. This vehicle operation information will also be described later. Next, the process proceeds to step S27, where the vehicle 1 is operated in accordance with operation of the touch panel 11 (buttons 12) on the monitor 9 in front of the suitable person's seat 10 in accordance with individual calculation processing. The operation content of this vehicle 1 will also be described later. Next, the process proceeds to step S28, where it is determined whether or not the emergency response operation has been completed. If the response operation has been completed, the process ends. If not, the process proceeds to step S29. In step S29, the operation of the touch panel 11 on the monitor 9 in front of the suitable person's seat 10 is reflected, and the process proceeds to the next information (operation assistance information, vehicle operation information), and then the process proceeds to step S25. On the other hand, in step S30, a suitable person is set as the vehicle operator. Next, the process proceeds to step S31, where, similar to step S26, vehicle operation information is displayed on the monitor 9 in front of the vehicle operator's seat 10 in accordance with individual calculation processing. Next, the process proceeds to step S32, where, similar to step S27, the suitable person operates the vehicle 1 in accordance with operation of the touch panel 11 on the monitor 9 in front of the seat 10 in accordance with individual calculation processing. Next, the process proceeds to step S33, where, similar to step S28, it is determined whether or not the emergency response operation has been completed. If the response operation has been completed, the process ends. If not, the process proceeds to step S34. In step S34, the operation of the touch panel 11 on the monitor 9 in front of the suitable person's seat 10 is reflected, and the process proceeds to the next information (vehicle operation information), and then the process proceeds to step S31.

[0020] According to this calculation process, when it becomes impossible to continue autonomous driving of the vehicle 1, the occupant's emergency response suitability attributes are read, and the touch panel 11 on the monitor 9 in front of the seat 10 of the suitable person is activated. If only one suitable person is riding in the vehicle 1, that suitable person is designated as the vehicle operator, and vehicle operation information is successively displayed on the monitor 9 in front of the seat 10 of the suitable person, and the vehicle 1 is operated in response to the vehicle operator's operation of the touch panel 11. On the other hand, if two or more suitable people are riding in the vehicle 1, one of the suitable people is designated as the vehicle operator, and the remaining suitable people are designated as assistant operators. For example, the assistant operator is responsible for viewing locations and directions that are difficult for the vehicle operator to see alone, and, in some cases, for guiding the vehicle 1. Then, operation assistance information is successively displayed on the monitor 9 in front of the assistant operator's seat 10, and vehicle operation information is successively displayed on the monitor 9 in front of the vehicle operator's seat 10, and the vehicle 1 is operated in response to the vehicle operator's operation of the touch panel 11. The next information is selected for the operation assistance information and vehicle operation information, reflecting the operation of the touch panel 11 by each competent person. In this embodiment, only one vehicle operator is assigned to the vehicle in order to avoid, for example, a disorder in the vehicle operation input, but it is also possible to assign multiple competent persons to the vehicle operators.

[0021] Next, the vehicle operation information and operation assistance information (hereinafter simply referred to as information) displayed on the monitor 9 in the calculation process of FIG. 6 will be described. Here, as an example, the display contents will be described in chronological order, with the aim of causing the vehicle 1 to pull over to the left side of the road and stop if the continuation of autonomous driving of the vehicle 1 fails. Note that if there is no operation assistant in the vehicle 1, information and operations for the operation assistant can be omitted. In this embodiment, first, as shown in FIG. 7 , a message is displayed to the vehicle operator and the operation assistant that autonomous driving to the destination cannot be continued. Next, as shown in FIG. 8 , an instruction to flash (light) the emergency lamp 51 is displayed to the vehicle operator, and the vehicle controller 8a flashes (lights) the emergency lamp 51 when the "emergency lamp on" button 12 displayed on the monitor 9 in front of the vehicle operator's seat 10 is touched. Next, as shown in Fig. 9, instructions to operate the vehicle 1 according to the operation information provided through the monitor 9 are displayed to the vehicle operator, and if an assistant operator is present, instructions to assist the other vehicle operator are displayed to the assistant operator according to the screen of the monitor 9 as shown in Fig. 10. Next, as shown in Fig. 11, a message is displayed to the vehicle operator and the assistant operator to move the vehicle 1 to the left side of the road and stop the vehicle 1.

[0022] Next, as shown in Fig. 12, the vehicle operator and the assistant operator are asked whether they can confirm (visibly recognize) the left side of the road from inside the vehicle 1, and "Yes" and "No" buttons 12 are displayed on the monitor 9 in front of the seat 10 of the suitable person. Then, the suitable person who touched the "Yes" button 12 in Fig. 12 is asked whether there are any obstacles to stopping on the left side of the road, as shown in Fig. 13, and "Yes" and "No" buttons 12 are displayed on the monitor 9 in front of the seat 10 of that suitable person. If the "No" button 12 is touched in Fig. 13, the vehicle operator is instructed to move the vehicle 1 to the left, and an arrow for moving the vehicle 1 and a brake button 12 are displayed on the monitor 9 in front of the vehicle operator's seat 10, as shown in Fig. 14. The arrow buttons 12 for moving the vehicle 1 are, for example, command buttons for gradually moving the vehicle 1 in a corresponding direction. While the command buttons are being touched, a control command is output from the vehicle controller 8a, and the drive unit 2 and the steering unit 4 are activated in response to control signals from the drive controller 2a and the steering controller 4a, thereby moving the vehicle 1 in the corresponding direction. Furthermore, while the brake button 12 is being touched, a control command is output from the vehicle controller 8a, and the brake unit 3 is activated in response to control signals from the brake controller 3a, thereby braking and stopping the vehicle 1. If the "Yes" button 12 in FIG. 13 is touched, a message is displayed to the vehicle operator and assistant operator, instructing them to move the vehicle 1 to the right side of the road and stop it, as shown in FIG. 15. In this case, an instruction is then displayed in which the "left side" in the display content of FIG. 14 is changed to "right side." Then, when the vehicle 1 is successfully moved to the left (or right) side of the road and stopped, a message is displayed indicating that the emergency response operation has been completed, as shown in FIG. 16, and the operation of the vehicle 1 is completed.

[0023] According to this information and buttons 12, after the continued autonomous driving of the vehicle 1 fails, information for pulling the vehicle 1 to the left and stopping it, and information for assisting in this operation, are displayed on the monitor 9 in front of the seat 10 of the appropriate person, and the vehicle operator or the operation assistant operates the vehicle 1 and assists in doing so in response. Since the vehicle operator or the operation assistant is qualified to respond to an emergency, even in such an emergency, they can, for example, pull the vehicle 1 to the left side of the road and stop it safely. Furthermore, by having at least one qualified person on board every autonomous shared vehicle 1, it is possible to respond appropriately to the unlikely event of an emergency, such as when the autonomous driving cannot be continued. Furthermore, because the buttons 12 for operating the vehicle 1 are displayed only on the monitor 9 in front of the seat 10 of the vehicle operator who is qualified to respond to an emergency, it is possible to avoid, for example, a situation in which an incompetent occupant operates the vehicle 1 unnecessarily. In the above embodiment, the vehicle 1 is operated in response to operational input from the vehicle operator, but for example, if an obstacle recognition means provided in the vehicle 1 recognizes an obstacle while the vehicle is moving, the movement of the vehicle 1 in the direction of the obstacle may be restricted even if there is input from the vehicle operator. Also, in the above embodiment, the vehicle 1 is stopped by pulling over to the left side of the road when autonomous driving cannot be continued, but if it is necessary or preferable to stop by pulling over to the right side of the road due to, for example, laws, manners, or the surrounding environment, the vehicle 1 may be stopped by pulling over to the right side of the road from the beginning.

[0024] Although the vehicle operation management system according to the embodiment has been described above, the present invention is not limited to the configuration described in the above embodiment and various modifications are possible within the scope of the present invention. For example, in the above embodiment, the vehicle 1 is configured to be operated using buttons 12 displayed on the monitor 9 in front of the seat 10 of a suitable person, and the buttons 12 are enabled only when the occupant sitting in the seat 10 is a suitable person. Alternatively, for example, a vehicle operator, such as a joystick switch, may be provided near each seat 10, and the vehicle 1 may be operated using the vehicle operator. In this case, a modification of the above embodiment can be achieved by programming the vehicle operator, which can only be operated by a suitable person, near the seat 10, to be enabled only when the occupant sitting in that seat 10 is a suitable person. Activation of a vehicle operator can be achieved by turning a switch or button on or off, or by manipulating the vehicle operator itself, for example, by touching the vehicle operator (or by disabling the vehicle operator so that the vehicle operator cannot be touched). Similarly, in the above embodiment, emergency response information is displayed only on the monitor 9 in front of the seat 10 of the suitable person, i.e., on a display device that can be seen by the suitable person, so that an emergency in the vehicle 1 can be handled appropriately and occupants other than the suitable person do not feel anxious in the event of an emergency. Furthermore, in the above embodiment, when multiple suitable people are on board the vehicle 1, a suitable person other than the vehicle operator is selected as an operation assistant. However, since the vehicle operator is the only person needed in an emergency, the selection of an operation assistant is not essential. Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the emergency response logic shown in FIG. 6 is executed by the vehicle controller 8a mounted on the vehicle 1. However, for example, this logic may be executed by a terminal D in the operating establishment O, and each piece of information may be transmitted from the terminal D to the vehicle 1.

[0025] In this embodiment, when the vehicle controller 8a manages the vehicle 1 operated by automated driving with occupants on board, occupants with suitable attributes who can respond to an emergency in the vehicle 1 are selected as suitable emergency responders based on the occupant information of the vehicle 1, and emergency response information is displayed only on the monitor 9 that can be viewed by the selected suitable emergency responder. This allows the suitable emergency responder to respond appropriately to an emergency in the vehicle 1 while preventing the other occupants from feeling anxious in the event of an emergency. Furthermore, a suitable emergency responder is capable of operating the vehicle 1, and this operation includes at least one of driving and steering the vehicle 1, so that the occupant can appropriately respond to an emergency, such as pulling the vehicle 1 to the left side of the road and stopping it. Furthermore, when two or more suitable emergency responders are on board the vehicle 1, one of them is selected as the vehicle operator, and any or all of the remaining suitable emergency responders are selected as operation assistants. This makes it possible to appropriately and reliably complete an emergency response.

[0026] 1...vehicle, 8...vehicle control device, 8a...vehicle controller (arithmetic processing device), 9...monitor (display device), 10...seat, 11...touch panel, 12...button (vehicle operator), B...database, D...terminal (arithmetic processing device)

Claims

1. A vehicle management method in which a computing device manages a vehicle in which passengers ride and which is operated by autonomous driving. The computing device selects, based on the passenger information of the vehicle, a passenger having a competent attribute capable of handling an emergency of the vehicle as an emergency response competent person, and displays emergency response information only on a display device visible to the selected emergency response competent person.

2. The vehicle management method according to claim 1, wherein the passenger having the competent attribute is a passenger capable of operating the vehicle, and the operation includes at least one of traveling and steering of the vehicle.

3. The vehicle management method according to claim 2, wherein when two or more emergency response competent persons are on board the vehicle, any one of the emergency response competent persons is selected as a vehicle operator who operates the vehicle, and any one or all of the remaining emergency response competent persons are selected as operation assistants who assist the vehicle operator.

4. A vehicle management device including a computing device that manages a vehicle in which passengers ride and which is operated by autonomous driving. The computing device selects, based on the passenger information of the vehicle, a passenger having a competent attribute capable of handling an emergency of the vehicle as an emergency response competent person, and displays emergency response information only on a display device visible to the selected emergency response competent person.

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