JP7621854B2 - Mobility support device and mobility support method - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a mobility support device and a mobility support method.

A mobile body that is equipped with a communication device and a control device is known as a mobile body that is configured to be capable of unmanned operation (Patent Document 1). In this mobile body, the communication device is configured to receive a dispatch instruction indicating the dispatch location and dispatch time of the mobile body. The dispatch time is corrected according to the arrival time of the user at the dispatch location, which is predicted from the behavior of the user moving to the dispatch location. The control device re-searches for a dispatch route for the mobile body from the current position to the dispatch location so that the mobile body arrives at the dispatch location at the corrected dispatch time, and controls the mobile body to move according to the re-searched dispatch route.

JP 2019-101464 A JP 2005-275678 A

In the mobile body described in Patent Document 1, each time the arrival time of the user at the dispatch location is revised, the mobile body moves according to the re-searched dispatch route. This causes a problem in that the mobile body travels around the boarding and disembarking locations until the dispatch time arrives, causing traffic congestion around the boarding and disembarking locations.

The problem that this invention aims to solve is to provide a mobility support device and a mobility support method that prevent traffic congestion around boarding and disembarking points.

The present invention solves the above problem by extracting multiple candidate boarding/alighting locations where the user can board/alight or multiple candidate vehicles for the user to board/alight based on a user's boarding/alighting request, calculating the degree of impact on the traffic flow of the road caused by stopping the vehicle to board/alight or wait based on at least one of the road characteristics, the road traffic volume, and the road parking/stopping situation, as a traffic impact degree, and selecting one boarding/alighting location from the multiple candidate boarding/alighting locations based on the traffic impact degree, or selecting one vehicle from the multiple candidate vehicles based on the traffic impact degree.

According to the present invention, for example, it is possible to prevent the selection of vehicles that require a circular drive before arriving at the boarding/alighting point, or the selection of a location with a lot of on-street parking as the boarding/alighting point, thereby preventing traffic congestion around the boarding/alighting point.

1 is a block diagram of a vehicle dispatch system including a travel support device according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is an example of a block configuration diagram of a processor of the travel support device according to the first embodiment. FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram for explaining road traffic information. FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram for explaining an example of calculating a traffic influence degree. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of a control procedure of the travel assistance device according to the first embodiment. FIG. 11 is an example of a block configuration diagram of a processor of a travel support device according to a second embodiment. FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating an example of a control procedure of the travel assistance device according to the second embodiment.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. In the following embodiments, the mobility support device and mobility support method of the present invention will be described as being applied to a vehicle dispatch system. In the following embodiments, boarding and alighting includes a user getting on or off the vehicle, or a user getting on and off the vehicle.

First Embodiment
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a block configuration of a vehicle dispatch system 100. The vehicle dispatch system 100 of this embodiment includes a travel support device 1, a vehicle 2, and a user terminal device 3. Each device includes a processor (computer) that executes arithmetic processing and a communication device. The travel support device 1, the vehicle 2, and the user terminal device 3 are equipped with a communication function, and can transmit and receive information to and from each other by wired communication or wireless communication via a communication line network 4. Examples of the communication line network 4 include a mobile phone network, a wireless LAN (Local Area Network) network, a DSRC (Dedicated Short Range Communications) network, and a power line communication network. In FIG. 1, one vehicle 2 is shown for convenience of explanation, but the vehicle dispatch system 100 of this embodiment is composed of multiple vehicles 2. In FIG. 1, one user terminal device 3 is shown for convenience of explanation, but the vehicle dispatch system 100 of this embodiment is composed of multiple user terminal devices 3.

In the vehicle dispatch system 100 of this embodiment, the mobility support device 1 is provided in a separate server device capable of communicating with the vehicle 2 and the user terminal device 3. The mobility support device 1 may be mounted on the vehicle 2. The mobility support device 1 is capable of communicating with the vehicle 2 and the user terminal device 300, and transmits and receives information including requests.

First, the user terminal device 3 will be described. The user terminal device 3 is a portable information and communication terminal carried by a user. Examples of the user terminal device 3 include a smartphone, a notebook computer, and a tablet terminal. As shown in FIG. 1, the user terminal device 3 includes a position detection device 31, an input device 32, an output device 33, a processor 34, and a communication device 35.

The position detection device 31 acquires position information of the user terminal device 3 from a GPS (Global Positioning System, hereinafter the same) satellite. An example of the position information is latitude and longitude information. The position detection device 31 acquires the position information of the user terminal device 3 from the GPS satellite at a predetermined cycle and updates the position information of the user terminal device 3. The position information of the user terminal device 3 detected by the position detection device 31 is output to the processor 34, and then transmitted to the mobility support device 1 via the communication device 35. Note that when the user is in the vehicle 2, the position information of the user terminal device 3 detected by the position detection device 31 can be used as the position information of the vehicle 2.

The input device 32 is an input interface that accepts input from the user. The input device 32 is composed of one or more devices. For example, the input device 32 is composed of a touch panel or keyboard that allows the user to input characters, and a microphone that allows the user to input voice. The user inputs a travel request to the input device 32. A travel request includes a request to board (boarding request, dispatch request) and/or a request to disembark (disembarking request). Hereinafter, for convenience, a travel request will be referred to as a boarding/disembarking request. A boarding/disembarking request may include the user's requested point, which is the boarding/disembarking point before being selected by the mobility support device 1. The boarding/disembarking request input by the user is output to the processor 34, and then transmitted to the mobility support device 1 via the communication device 35.

The output device 33 is an output interface that outputs the result of the boarding and alighting request transmitted from the mobility support device 1. Examples of the output device 33 include displays such as liquid crystal panels and organic EL panels, and speakers capable of audio output. Information regarding the travel plan is input to the output device 33 from the mobility support device 1 via the communication device 35. The travel plan includes information regarding the vehicle 2 assigned to the user (such as the vehicle type, the current location of the vehicle 2, the arrival time of the vehicle 2 at the boarding and alighting point, the travel route of the vehicle 2 to the boarding and alighting point, etc.), information regarding the user (such as the current location of the user, the arrival time of the user at the boarding and alighting point, the travel route of the user to the boarding and alighting point, etc.), and information regarding the boarding and alighting point (such as the location of the boarding and alighting point). Note that the presentation mode of various information by the output device 33 is not particularly limited. For example, as a presentation mode of a point, the output device 33 may mark the point on the map with a pin or flag, or may display the address of the point as text on the display or output it as audio via a speaker. As another example, as a presentation mode of the time, vehicle type, or route, the output device 33 may display an image of the vehicle 2 or a route on a map on a display, or may output arrival time information or route information as audio via a speaker.

The processor 34 is a computer having a ROM (Read Only Memory, hereinafter the same) storing a program for executing a boarding/alighting request transmission process for transmitting a boarding/alighting request to the mobility support device 1 and a movement plan output process for outputting a movement plan from the output device 33, a CPU (Central Processing Unit, hereinafter the same) for executing the program stored in the ROM, and a RAM (Random Access Memory, hereinafter the same) functioning as an accessible storage device. As the boarding/alighting request transmission process, the processor 34 generates a request, which is an electronic command in response to an operation of the input device 32 by the user, and transmits it to the mobility support device 1 via the communication device 35. When the processor 34 receives a movement plan from the mobility support device 1 via the communication device 35, it causes various information included in the movement plan to be output from the output device 33. Note that the processing executed by the processor is not limited to the above processing, and for example, the processor 34 may transmit information on the current location of the user terminal device 3 detected by the position detection device 31 to the mobility support device 1 via the communication device 35 at predetermined intervals.

The communication device 35 is a communication interface that supports various communication standards. For example, the communication device 35 supports wired LAN standards, wireless LAN standards, etc. The communication device 35 transmits and receives information between the mobility assistance device 1 and the vehicle 2 via the communication line network 4.

Next, the vehicle 2 will be described. In this embodiment, the vehicle 2 has an autonomous driving function. As shown in FIG. 1, the vehicle 2 has a sensor 21, a navigation device 22, a controller 23, a communication device 24, a drive control device 25, a braking control device 26, a steering control device 27, and an output device 28 as on-board devices. The on-board devices of the vehicle 2 are connected to each other, for example, by a controller area network (CAN) or Ethernet (registered trademark), in order to transmit and receive information to each other. When the vehicle 2 is selected by the mobility support device 1 as a vehicle to be dispatched to the user, the controller 23 of the vehicle 2 causes the vehicle 2 to perform autonomous driving in order to realize the travel plan proposed by the mobility support device 1. The autonomous driving (autonomous driving) may be unmanned fully autonomous driving or manned partially autonomous driving. The method of autonomous driving is not particularly limited, but for example, the controller 23 recognizes the lane in which the vehicle 2 (own vehicle) is traveling and controls the movement of the vehicle 2 so that the position of the lane marker of the lane and the position of the vehicle 2 maintain a predetermined relationship. Lane markers are not limited as long as they have the function of defining lanes, and may be road structures such as lines drawn on the road surface, luminous objects embedded in the road, vegetation between lanes, guardrails on the shoulder side of lanes, curbs, sidewalks, and motorcycle-only roads.

The sensor 21 is a sensor that detects the running state and surrounding conditions of the vehicle 2. The sensor 21 is composed of one or more sensors and is provided at a predetermined position of the vehicle 2. Examples of the sensor 21 that detects the running state of the vehicle 2 include a steering angle sensor, an accelerator opening sensor, a brake opening sensor, a speed sensor, an acceleration sensor, and a gyro sensor. Examples of physical quantities that indicate the running state of the vehicle 2 include the steering amount, steering speed, steering acceleration, accelerator opening amount, brake opening amount, vehicle speed, acceleration, yaw direction, pitch direction, and roll direction angular velocity of the vehicle 2. Examples of the sensor 21 that detects the surrounding conditions of the vehicle 2 include a camera, a millimeter wave radar, an ultrasonic sonar, and a Lidar. Examples of information that indicates the surrounding conditions of the vehicle 2 include a captured image of the surroundings of the vehicle 2, the relative positional relationship between the vehicle 2 and an obstacle present around the vehicle 2, the moving direction and moving speed of the obstacle, and the like. Various information that indicates the running state and surrounding conditions of the vehicle 2 detected by the sensor 21 is output to the controller 23.

The navigation device 22 searches for a driving route of the vehicle 2 from the departure point of the vehicle 2 to the destination, and presents the driving route of the vehicle 2 to the user who is aboard. The driving route is the route along which the vehicle 2 is scheduled to travel. In this embodiment, the navigation device 22 does not search for a driving route, but presents the driving route transmitted from the mobility support device 1 to the user, but the navigation device 22 may be configured to search for a driving route instead of the mobility support device 1.

As shown in FIG. 1, the navigation device 22 has a position detection device 22a and high-precision map information 22b. The position detection device 22a acquires position information of the vehicle 2 from GPS satellites. An example of the position information is latitude and longitude information. The position detection device 22a acquires the position information of the vehicle 2 from the GPS satellites at a predetermined interval and updates the position information of the vehicle 2. The position information of the vehicle 2 detected by the position detection device 22a is output to the controller 23.

High-precision map information 22b is a high-precision electronic map to enable autonomous driving, and is information in which latitude and longitude are associated with map information. High-precision map information 22b includes road information and traffic regulation information. Road information is information about roads, including the type of road (e.g., general road, toll road, etc.) and the locations of intersections, stop lines, traffic lights, and road signs. Traffic regulation information is information based on the Road Traffic Act and is information about traffic regulations.

The controller 23 is a computer having a processor 23a, a ROM in which a program for executing the autonomous driving process of the vehicle 2 is stored, a CPU for executing the program stored in the ROM, and a RAM that functions as an accessible storage device. The processor 23a controls the drive control device 25, the brake control device 26, and the steering control device 27 so that the vehicle 2 moves to the destination along the driving route included in the movement plan as the autonomous driving process. The destination of the vehicle 2 is the boarding point and/or disembarking point of the user selected by the mobility support device 1. For example, when the vehicle 2 goes to pick up the user, the controller 23 autonomously drives the vehicle 2 to the boarding point of the user. Also, for example, when the vehicle 2 drops off the user, the controller 23 autonomously drives the vehicle 2 to the disembarking point of the user. Also, for example, when the vehicle 2 drops off the user, the controller 23 autonomously drives the vehicle 2 to the disembarking point of the user via the boarding point of the user. During autonomous driving up to the destination, the controller 23 generates control signals for the drive control device 25, the braking control device 26, and the steering control device 27 based on the driving state and surrounding conditions of the vehicle 2 detected by the sensor 21, and outputs the generated control signals to each device.

The communication device 24 is a communication interface that supports various communication standards. For example, the communication device 24 supports wired LAN standards, wireless LAN standards, etc. The communication device 24 transmits and receives information between the mobility support device 1 and the user terminal device 3 via the communication line network 4.

The drive control device 25 controls the accelerator of the vehicle 2 by controlling the electric motor and/or internal combustion engine, which are the driving sources for driving the vehicle 2, the power transmission devices including the drive shaft and automatic transmission that transmit the output from these driving sources to the drive wheels, and the drive devices that control the power transmission devices, based on a control signal from the controller 23. The brake control device 26 controls the brakes of the vehicle 2 by controlling the brake devices that brake the wheels of the vehicle 2, based on a control signal from the controller 23. The speed of the vehicle 2 is autonomously controlled by the accelerator control by the drive control device 25 and the brake control by the brake control device 26.

The steering control device 27 controls a steering actuator that controls the steered wheels according to the steering angle of the steering wheel (so-called handle) based on a control signal from the controller 23. Based on the input control signal, the steering control device 27 autonomously controls the operation of the steering actuator so that the vehicle 2 travels while maintaining a predetermined lateral position with respect to the travel route.

The output device 28 outputs information related to the travel plan. The information related to the travel plan includes the travel route of the vehicle 2, the destination of the vehicle 2, and the arrival time at the destination. Information related to the travel plan is input to the output device 28 from the travel support device 1 via the communication device 24. Examples of the output device 28 include displays such as liquid crystal panels and organic EL panels, and speakers capable of audio output. The output device 28 may display the travel route of the vehicle 2 on a map instead of or in addition to the navigation device 22, and may output arrival time guidance and route guidance via a speaker.

Next, the mobility support device 1 will be described. The mobility support device 1 of this embodiment constitutes a part of the vehicle dispatch system 100. When the mobility support device 1 receives a boarding/alighting request from a user, it selects the user's boarding/alighting point. Furthermore, when the boarding/alighting request includes a boarding request, the mobility support device 1 selects a vehicle 2 to be assigned to the user. The mobility support device 1 calculates the vehicle 2's travel route to the boarding/alighting point and the user's travel route, and calculates the arrival time of the vehicle 2 and the user at the boarding/alighting point. Furthermore, the mobility support device 1 creates a travel plan including these processing results. The mobility support device 1 transmits information related to the travel plan to the vehicle 2 and the user terminal device 3 via the communication device 13. By performing such a series of processes or a part of them, the mobility support device 1 functions as a device that supports the user's travel by the vehicle dispatch system 100.

As shown in FIG. 1, the mobility support device 1 includes a processor 11, a storage device 12, and a communication device 13. The storage device 12 stores information related to the vehicle dispatch system 100. For example, the storage device 12 stores a plurality of boarding and alighting requests input by each user, the usage history of the vehicle dispatch system 100 by each user (including boarding and alighting history), the schedule of each vehicle 2, map information, and the like. The communication device 13 is a communication interface compatible with various communication standards. The communication device 13 is compatible with, for example, wired LAN standards, wireless LAN standards, and the like. The communication device 13 transmits and receives information between the vehicle 2 and the user terminal device 3 via the communication line network 4. In addition to the vehicle 2 and the user terminal device 3, the communication device 13 also transmits and receives information between an information management server, database, or system (none of which are shown) present on the network via the communication line network 4.

The processor 11 is a computer that includes a ROM that stores a program that executes a mobility support process for a user, a CPU that executes the program stored in the ROM, and a RAM that functions as an accessible storage device.

Figure 2 is a block diagram of the processor 11. As shown in Figure 2, the processor 11 includes a request acquisition unit 111, a boarding/alighting point selection unit 112, a vehicle candidate extraction unit 113, a stop time calculation unit 114, a road traffic information acquisition unit 115, a traffic impact calculation unit 116, a vehicle selection unit 117, a movement plan creation unit 118, and a notification unit 119. The processor 11 realizes each function through the cooperation of software for realizing the functions of these blocks and the hardware described above.

The request acquisition unit 111 acquires boarding/alighting requests from the user terminal device 3 via the communication device 13. Boarding/alighting requests include requests that the user wishes to board and/or requests that the user wishes to alight. Boarding/alighting requests are input by the user and may include a requested location desired by the user. Examples of requested locations desired by the user include the current location detected by the position detection device 31 of the user terminal device 3, a desired boarding location input by the user, a boarding location based on the user's past boarding history, a desired disembarking location input by the user, and a disembarking location based on the user's past disembarking history. The requested location may be coordinate values such as latitude and longitude, or may be identification information for a facility such as a bus stop or station. The requested location does not have to be location information (coordinate values).

Other information included in the boarding/alighting request will now be described. The boarding/alighting request may include information about the user. Information about the user includes the current location of the user terminal device 3, the date and time when the user made the boarding/alighting request, the number of users of the vehicle 2 including the user, historical information about the user's use of the vehicle dispatch system 100 (including the history of boarding and alighting locations), the number and type of luggage the user is loading onto the vehicle 2 (suitcases, luggage of a certain size or larger, luggage of a certain length or larger), etc. This information included in the boarding/alighting request includes information input by the user to the input device 32 as well as information stored in the user terminal device 3 (the storage location is not particularly limited).

The boarding/alighting location selection unit 112 selects the boarding/alighting location of the user based on the boarding/alighting request acquired by the request acquisition unit 111. The boarding/alighting location selection unit 112 acquires map information from the storage device 12 and sets the selected boarding/alighting location on the map. In the case of a boarding request, the boarding/alighting location selection unit 112 may select the user's current location (the current location of the user terminal device 3) or its vicinity as the boarding location, may select the desired boarding location desired by the user as the boarding location, or may select a past boarding location included in the boarding location history as the boarding location. In the case of a disembarking request, the boarding/alighting location selection unit 112 may select the desired disembarking location desired by the user as the disembarking location, or may select a past disembarking location included in the disembarking location history as the disembarking location. In the case of a boarding/alighting request, the boarding/alighting location selection unit 112 may select the boarding location and the disembarking location using any of the above-mentioned examples.

The vehicle candidate extraction unit 113 extracts a plurality of vehicle 2 candidates (hereinafter simply referred to as a plurality of vehicle candidates) that can arrive at the boarding and alighting point selected by the boarding and alighting point selection unit 112 and that the user boards and alights from. The vehicle candidate extraction unit 113 acquires the current status of each vehicle 2 in order to extract the vehicle candidates. For example, the vehicle candidate extraction unit 113 may acquire the current location from each vehicle 2 via the communication device 13. Also, for example, the vehicle candidate extraction unit 113 may acquire a travel schedule indicating the travel status of each vehicle 2 from the storage device 12. After acquiring the status of each vehicle 2, the vehicle candidate extraction unit 113 extracts a plurality of vehicle candidates that are located in the vicinity of the boarding point of the user and that the user can board from the plurality of vehicle candidates. For example, the vehicle candidate extraction unit 113 may extract a vehicle 2 that is being used by a user who allows carpooling as a vehicle candidate, may extract a vehicle 2 that is waiting at a predetermined waiting place as a vehicle candidate, or may extract a vehicle 2 that is traveling around as a vehicle candidate. The number of times the candidate vehicle extraction unit 113 performs the extraction process is not particularly limited. For example, the candidate vehicle extraction unit 113 may extract a plurality of candidate vehicles that the user can board, and then further extract from among them a plurality of candidate vehicles that are located within a predetermined range from the user's boarding location. Note that if the user's request is only a request to get off, it is assumed that the user is already in vehicle 2, and therefore the candidate vehicle extraction unit 113 does not extract candidate vehicles.

The stop time calculation unit 114 calculates the stop time of the vehicle candidate at the boarding/alighting point selected by the boarding/alighting point selection unit 112 for each vehicle candidate based on the driving status of the vehicle candidate extracted by the vehicle candidate extraction unit 113 and information on the user. The stop time of the vehicle candidate is the time that the vehicle candidate stops at the boarding/alighting point for boarding/alighting or waiting. In other words, the stop time of the vehicle candidate includes the stop time for the user to board at the boarding point or to alight at the alighting point, and the parking time to wait for the user at the boarding point. For example, the stop time calculation unit 114 calculates the difference between the arrival time of the user at the boarding point and the arrival time of the vehicle candidate at the boarding point as the stop time of the vehicle candidate for each vehicle candidate. If the vehicle candidate arrives at the boarding point before the user, the stop time is calculated as a positive time, and if the user arrives at the boarding point before the vehicle candidate, the stop time is calculated as a negative time. In performing this calculation process, the stop time calculation unit 114 searches for the shortest route from the user's current location to the boarding location, and calculates the arrival time of the user when the user moves along the searched route. The stop time calculation unit 114 also searches for the shortest route from the current location of the vehicle candidate to the boarding location, and calculates the arrival time of the vehicle candidate when the vehicle candidate moves along the searched route. For example, a predetermined user movement speed (walking speed) is used to calculate the arrival time of the vehicle candidate, and for example, a legal speed on the shortest route is used to calculate the arrival time of the vehicle candidate. In addition, the current vehicle speed detected by the sensor 21, congestion information on the route, etc. may be taken into consideration when calculating the arrival time of the vehicle candidate. For example, the stop time calculation unit 114 may acquire congestion information from a road traffic management center (not shown) that manages road traffic information, and may delay the arrival time of the vehicle candidate based on the congestion information. Note that the stop time calculation unit 114 may acquire the user's current location again via the communication device 13, or may use the user's current location included in the boarding/alighting request. Furthermore, the stop time calculation unit 114 may acquire the current location of each vehicle candidate again via the communication device 13, or may use the current location of each vehicle candidate acquired by the vehicle candidate extraction unit 113. Furthermore, the stop time calculation unit 114 may appropriately use a calculation method known at the time of filing of this application to calculate the arrival time of the user and the vehicle candidates.

The road traffic information acquisition unit 115 acquires road traffic information necessary for the traffic impact degree calculation unit 116 to calculate the traffic impact degree. The road traffic information is road traffic information related to the roads around the boarding/alighting point selected by the boarding/alighting point selection unit 112. The road traffic information includes road characteristics (static information) including the number of lanes and lane width, and road traffic volume and parking/stopping conditions (dynamic information).

Figure 3 is an explanatory diagram for explaining road traffic information. Figure 3 (A) is a diagram showing a scene in which boarding/alighting point P has been selected by boarding/alighting point selection unit 112 around road R, which has a straight line and one lane in each direction. In the scene shown in Figure 3 (A), vehicles V1 to V3 are parked or stopped in front of boarding/alighting point P in the vehicle's traveling direction. For this reason, a vehicle traveling on road R cannot go straight ahead in front of boarding/alighting point P and must avoid vehicles V1 to V3, which requires the vehicle to slow down or change course. In the scene of Figure 3 (A), the average vehicle speed of vehicles traveling on road R is slower than the average vehicle speed in the absence of vehicles V1 to V3.

3(B) is an example of road traffic information of the road R shown in FIG. 3(A). As shown in FIG. 3(B), the road traffic information acquisition unit 115 acquires map information on the road R from a map DB (map database) via the communication device 13. The map information on the road R includes the position, shape, number of lanes, and lane width of the road R. Note that the map information is not limited to being acquired from a map DB outside the mobility support device 1, and the map DB may be configured to be stored in the storage device 12. In addition, as shown in FIG. 3(B), the road traffic information acquisition unit 115 acquires infrastructure information on the road R from a camera (such as a live road condition camera) installed on the road R or open data stored in a specified server device via the communication device 13. Examples of infrastructure information on the road R include captured images and videos showing the current condition of the road R. As shown in FIG. 3B, the road traffic information acquisition unit 115 also acquires vehicle information about parked vehicles V1 to V3 from a vehicle management DB (vehicle management database) via the communication device 13. The vehicle information includes vehicle position information. If the parked vehicle is a vehicle that constitutes the vehicle dispatch system 100, like vehicle 2 shown in FIG. 1, the vehicle information includes the vehicle's schedule information (location of boarding and alighting points, arrival and departure times at the boarding and alighting points, stopping time at the boarding and alighting points, etc.).

In the example of FIG. 3(B), the road traffic information acquisition unit 115 constructs road traffic information showing the scene of FIG. 3(A) based on various acquired information or information calculated from various acquired information. The road traffic information constructed by the road traffic information acquisition unit 15 includes the number of lanes, lane width, vehicle passing status, and parking and stopping status, as shown in FIG. 3(B). The number of lanes, lane width, vehicle passing status, and parking and stopping status shown in FIG. 3(B) show the scene of FIG. 3(A).

The traffic impact calculation unit 116 calculates the degree of impact on the traffic flow of the road caused by the vehicle 2 stopping at a boarding/alighting point to board/alight a user or to wait for a user, as the traffic impact degree, based on at least one of the road characteristics, the traffic volume of the road, and the parking/stopping situation of the road acquired by the road traffic information acquisition unit 115. The boarding/alighting point of the vehicle 2 is the boarding/alighting point selected by the boarding/alighting point selection unit 112. In this specification, the traffic flow of the road is a flow that is an accumulation of the actions of vehicles on the road, rather than individual movements. A variable that quantitatively represents the state of the traffic flow is called a traffic flow parameter, and examples of such parameters include traffic density, vehicle speed, and traffic volume. The traffic density in a traffic flow is the number of vehicles that exist per unit distance in a specific road section. The traffic volume in a traffic flow is the number of vehicles that pass a specific point within a specific time. The speed in a traffic flow is the average speed of vehicles passing a specific point over time, or the average speed of vehicles that exist in a specific section at a specific time. The traffic impact degree calculation unit 116 calculates the degree of change in traffic density, vehicle speed, or traffic volume in the traffic flow for roads around the boarding/alighting point due to the vehicle 2 stopping at the boarding/alighting point as the traffic impact degree. Hereinafter, an example of calculating the traffic impact degree will be described with reference to FIG. 4. FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram for explaining an example of calculating the traffic impact degree.

For example, as shown in FIG. 4(A), the traffic impact calculation unit 116 calculates the number of parked vehicles relative to the width of the parking space at the boarding/alighting point as the congestion degree of the boarding/alighting point. This is based on the idea that there is a proportional relationship between the congestion degree of the boarding/alighting point and the traffic impact degree, and the more crowded the boarding/alighting point is, the greater the impact on traffic flow, and the greater the traffic impact degree is calculated. From the formula in FIG. 4(A), the greater the number of parked vehicles, the greater the congestion degree of the boarding/alighting point is calculated to be. For example, the traffic impact calculation unit 116 specifies the presence or absence of parked vehicles around the boarding/alighting point and the number of vehicles from infrastructure information acquired by the road traffic information acquisition unit 115. When the number of parked vehicles on the road around the boarding/alighting point is more than a predetermined number, the traffic impact calculation unit 116 calculates a larger traffic impact degree than when the number of parked vehicles is less than the predetermined number. The predetermined number is a predetermined number, for example, experimentally obtained and stored in the storage device 12. When there are no parked vehicles, the congestion degree at the boarding/alighting point is the smallest, and the traffic impact degree calculation unit 116 calculates the traffic impact degree to be the smallest. Note that the traffic impact degree calculation unit 116 may determine whether or not there are parked vehicles around the boarding/alighting point and the number of parked vehicles from vehicle position information included in the vehicle information instead of or in addition to the infrastructure information.

Also, from the formula shown in FIG. 4(A), even if the number of parked vehicles is the same, the congestion degree of the boarding/alighting point is calculated to be larger for boarding/alighting points with narrower parking space. The traffic impact degree calculation unit 116, for example, identifies the size of the parking space at the boarding/alighting point from map information acquired by the road traffic information acquisition unit 115. When the lane width of the road around the boarding/alighting point is narrower than a predetermined lane width, the traffic impact degree calculation unit 116 calculates a larger traffic impact degree than when the lane width is wider than the predetermined lane width. The predetermined lane width is a predetermined lane width, which is, for example, experimentally obtained and stored in the storage device 12. Note that the traffic impact degree calculation unit 116 may identify the size of the parking space at the boarding/alighting point from a captured image of the area around the boarding/alighting point included in the infrastructure information instead of or in addition to the map information.

Also, as in the example of FIG. 3(A), if vehicle 2 cannot arrive at boarding/alighting point P because vehicles V1 to V3 are parked in front of boarding/alighting point P, vehicle 2 must drive around boarding/alighting point P until vehicles V1 to V3 depart, or drive slowly toward boarding/alighting point P. In such a case, the arrival time of vehicle 2 will be delayed according to the stopping time of vehicles V1 to V3. For example, as shown in FIG. 4(B), if vehicles V1 to V3 are parked in the boarding/alighting point for N minutes, the arrival time of vehicle 2 will be delayed, and as a result, the stopping time of vehicle 2 waiting for the user may be shorter than the scheduled stopping time.

The traffic impact degree calculation unit 116 may, for example, determine the stopping time of each of vehicles V1 to V3 from the vehicle information acquired by the road traffic information acquisition unit 115, and calculate the stopping time of the parked vehicles relative to the originally scheduled stopping time of vehicle 2 as the congestion degree of the boarding/alighting point, as shown in FIG. 4(B). Note that the traffic impact degree calculation unit 116 may determine the stopping time of vehicles V1 to V3 from captured images of the area around the boarding/alighting point included in the infrastructure information, instead of or in addition to the vehicle information.

Although an example of calculating the traffic impact degree has been described from the viewpoint of the congestion degree of the boarding/alighting point using FIG. 4(A) and FIG. 4(B), the traffic impact degree calculation unit 116 may calculate the traffic impact degree based on the vehicle speed or traffic volume in the above-mentioned traffic flow. For example, the traffic impact degree calculation unit 116 identifies the number of vehicles passing through the roads around the boarding/alighting point from the infrastructure information acquired by the road traffic information acquisition unit 115. In addition, the traffic impact degree calculation unit 116 identifies the space in which the vehicle can travel (for example, the multiplication value of the number of lanes and the lane width) on the roads around the boarding/alighting point from the number of lanes and the lane width included in the map information acquired by the road traffic information acquisition unit 115. The space in which the vehicle can travel is the space excluding the space occupied by the parked vehicle. Then, the traffic impact degree calculation unit 116 calculates the traffic flow (X2 vehicles/km) when the parked vehicle exists, as shown in FIG. 4(C). The traffic impact calculation unit 116 also calculates the traffic flow (X1 vehicle/km) when there are no parked vehicles based on the legal speed limit on the roads around the boarding/alighting point. The traffic impact calculation unit 116 may calculate the impact on the traffic flow by dividing the traffic flow (X2 vehicles/km) when there are parked vehicles by the traffic flow (X1 vehicle/km) when there are no parked vehicles. As another example, the traffic impact calculation unit 116 may calculate the traffic impact to be greater when the traffic volume on the roads around the boarding/alighting point is greater than a predetermined traffic volume, compared to when the traffic volume is less than the predetermined traffic volume. The predetermined traffic volume is a predetermined traffic volume, and is, for example, experimentally determined and stored in the storage device 12.

Examples of calculating the traffic impact degree have been explained using Figures 4(A) to 4(C), but the traffic impact degree calculation unit 116 may use any of the values in each example as the traffic impact degree. The traffic impact degree calculation unit 116 may also calculate a value for each example, and add up the values after performing weighting processing on the values in each example. In this case, the traffic impact degree is calculated by reflecting each value shown in Figures 4(A) to 4(C).

Returning to FIG. 2, the functional blocks of the mobility support device 1 will be described. The vehicle selection unit 117 selects one vehicle 2 from the multiple vehicle candidates extracted by the vehicle candidate extraction unit 113 based on the traffic impact degree on the roads around the boarding/alighting point calculated by the traffic impact degree calculation unit 116. When the traffic impact degree on the roads around the boarding/alighting point is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold, the vehicle selection unit 117 determines that the impact on traffic flow caused by the vehicle 2 stopping at the boarding/alighting point is large, and prioritizes a vehicle candidate with a relatively short stop time among the multiple vehicle candidates and selects it as one vehicle 2 (a vehicle to be allocated to the user). Specifically, when the traffic impact degree on the roads around the boarding/alighting point is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold, the vehicle selection unit 117 selects a vehicle candidate that arrives at the boarding/alighting point later than the user as one vehicle 2 among the multiple vehicle candidates. The predetermined threshold is a threshold value determined in advance and is a value for determining whether or not to select a vehicle 2 that arrives at the boarding/alighting point later than the user. The predetermined threshold value is, for example, experimentally obtained and stored in the storage device 12. The predetermined threshold is not limited to a fixed threshold, but may be a threshold that changes depending on the time of day when the user uses the vehicle dispatch system 100, the number of lanes or vehicle width of the road, the weather, etc. When the vehicle 2 arrives at the boarding/alighting point later than the user, the vehicle 2 does not need to wait for the user, so the stopping time of the vehicle 2 at the boarding/alighting point is shorter than when the vehicle 2 arrives at the boarding/alighting point before the user. When the traffic impact degree is equal to or greater than the predetermined threshold, that is, when the stopping of the vehicle 2 at the boarding/alighting point has a relatively large impact on the traffic flow on the road, selecting a vehicle 2 that stops for a short time at the boarding/alighting point is based on the idea that the time that the traffic flow is affected will be shorter, and the degree of the impact can be reduced.

On the other hand, when the traffic impact degree on the roads around the boarding/alighting point is less than a predetermined threshold, the vehicle selection unit 117 determines that the impact of the vehicle 2 stopping at the boarding/alighting point on the traffic flow is small, and selects, from among the multiple vehicle candidates, a vehicle 2 with a relatively small difference between the arrival time of the user at the boarding/alighting point and the arrival time of the vehicle 2 as the dispatch vehicle. The arrival time is the time calculated by the stop time calculation unit 114. In this case, with regard to the order of arrival at the boarding/alighting point, either the user or the vehicle 2 may arrive at the boarding/alighting point first. When the traffic impact degree is less than a predetermined threshold, that is, when the impact on the traffic flow on the road is relatively small even if the vehicle 2 stops at the boarding/alighting point, selecting a vehicle 2 with a small difference in arrival time between the user and the vehicle 2 is based on the idea that the user's waiting time can be reduced.

The movement plan creation unit 118 creates a movement plan including the results of each of the above-mentioned processes. The movement plan includes, as information about the boarding and alighting points, location information about the boarding and alighting points selected by the boarding and alighting point selection unit 112. The movement plan also includes, as information about the user, the user's movement route to the boarding point and the user's arrival time at the boarding point. The movement plan also includes, as information about one vehicle 2 selected by the vehicle selection unit 117, the vehicle 2's travel route to the boarding and alighting point and the vehicle 2's arrival time at the boarding and alighting point. The movement plan may also include road traffic information and traffic impact degree for roads around the boarding and alighting points.

The notification unit 119 transmits information about the movement plan formulated by the movement plan formulation unit 118 to the vehicle 2 and the user terminal device 3 via the communication device 13. The notification unit 119 transmits at least the position information of the boarding and alighting points, the travel route of the vehicle 2 to the boarding and alighting points, and the arrival time of the vehicle 2 at the boarding and alighting points to the vehicle 2. The notification unit 119 also transmits at least the position information of the boarding and alighting points, vehicle information of the vehicle 2, the travel route of the user to the boarding point, and the arrival time of the user at the boarding point to the user terminal device 3.

Next, an example of a mobility support method according to this embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart in FIG. 5. The flowchart shown in FIG. 5 is executed by the processor 11 of the mobility support device 1 shown in FIG. 1. The flowchart shown in FIG. 5 is also an example of a flowchart in the case of a boarding and alighting request for boarding and alighting.

In step S1, the processor 11 acquires from the user terminal device 3 a boarding/alighting request of a user who wishes to use the vehicle dispatch system 100. The boarding/alighting request includes the user's current location, the desired boarding and alighting locations, the request date and time, the user's identification information, the user's attributes, the user's usage history, the user's boarding/alighting history, etc.

In step S2, the processor 11 selects the user's boarding location and disembarking location based on the boarding/disembarking request acquired in step S1. For example, the processor 11 selects the user's current location (the current location of the user terminal device 3) or its vicinity from the map information as the user's boarding location. Also, for example, the processor 11 selects the user's desired disembarking location or its vicinity from the map information as the user's disembarking location.

In step S3, the processor 11 extracts a plurality of vehicle candidates. For example, the processor 11 acquires the current location of each of the plurality of vehicles 2, and extracts a plurality of vehicle candidates that are located in the vicinity of the boarding location selected in step S2 and that the user can board.

In step S4, the processor 11 calculates the arrival time of the user and the vehicle candidate at the boarding location selected in step S2 for each vehicle candidate extracted in step S3. For example, the processor 11 calculates the driving route of the vehicle candidate to the boarding location for each vehicle candidate, and calculates the arrival time at the boarding location when driving along the calculated driving route. Also, for example, if a boarding location is selected in the vicinity of the user's current location in step S2, the processor 11 calculates the user's travel route to the boarding location, and calculates the arrival time at the boarding location when traveling along the calculated travel route. Note that, if there are multiple driving routes of the vehicle candidate or multiple user travel routes to the boarding location, the processor 11 calculates the arrival time at the boarding location that can be reached in the shortest time.

In step S5, the processor 11 calculates the stop time of each candidate vehicle at the boarding location from the calculation result in step S4. For example, the processor 11 calculates the difference between the arrival time of the user at the boarding location and the arrival time of the candidate vehicle at the boarding location as the stop time of the candidate vehicle for each candidate vehicle. Note that in the example of the flowchart shown in FIG. 5, the process of step S5 is not necessarily required, and the processor 11 may omit step S5 and execute the process of step S6 after the process of step S4 is completed.

In step S6, processor 11 calculates the degree of traffic impact on roads around the boarding location selected in step S2. For example, processor 11 acquires map information about the roads around the boarding location from a map DB. In another example, processor 11 acquires infrastructure information about the roads around the boarding location from cameras installed on the roads or from open data stored in a specified server device. In another example, processor 11 acquires vehicle information including the vehicle's position and vehicle schedule information from a vehicle management DB for vehicles parked or stopped around the boarding location.

Processor 11 calculates the degree of traffic impact in the vicinity of the boarding location based on the acquired traffic road information. For example, processor 11 calculates the congestion level at the boarding location as the traffic impact level, as in the examples of Figures 4(A) and 4(B). Also, for example, processor 11 calculates the impact level on traffic flow as the traffic impact level, as in the example of Figure 4(C). Note that processor 11 may perform a weighting process on the congestion level at the boarding location and the impact level on traffic flow, and then add them up to determine the traffic impact level.

In step S7, the processor 11 determines whether the traffic impact degree calculated in step S6 is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold. The predetermined threshold is a predetermined threshold that is, for example, experimentally determined and stored in the storage device 12. If the processor 11 makes a positive determination, the process proceeds to step S8. If the processor 11 makes a negative determination, the process proceeds to step S11.

If a positive determination is made in step S7, the process proceeds to step S8. In step S8, the processor 11 identifies one vehicle 2 that will arrive at the boarding location before the user from among the multiple vehicle candidates extracted in step S3. In identifying one vehicle 2 that will arrive at the boarding location before the user, the processor 11 can determine whether the user will arrive at the boarding location before the user by using the arrival times of the user and the vehicle candidates at the boarding location calculated in step S4 and comparing the arrival time of the user with the arrival time of the vehicle candidates. Note that the processor 11 may determine that the user will arrive at the boarding location before the user from the processing result in step S5 for a vehicle candidate whose stop time is calculated as a negative time. Furthermore, when multiple vehicle candidates that will arrive at the boarding location before the user are identified, the processor 11 identifies one vehicle 2 from the multiple identified vehicle candidates that will provide the shortest waiting time for the user.

In step 9, the processor 11 selects the vehicle 2 identified in step S8 or the vehicle 2 identified in step S11 described below as the vehicle to be dispatched to the user.

In step S10, the processor 11 notifies the user and the vehicle 2 of information related to the travel plan. The information related to the travel plan includes location information of the boarding/alighting point selected in step S2, identification information of the dispatched vehicle selected in step S9, the user's travel route to the boarding point and the user's arrival time calculated in step S4, the travel route of the dispatched vehicle to the boarding/alighting point and the arrival time of the dispatched vehicle, etc. When the processing of step S10 ends, the processor 11 ends the processing of the flowchart shown in FIG. 5.

On the other hand, if a negative determination is made in step S7, the process proceeds to step S11. In step S11, the processor 11 identifies one vehicle 2 from among the multiple vehicle candidates extracted in step S3, for which the difference between the arrival time of the vehicle at the boarding location and the arrival time of the user at the boarding location is relatively small. The vehicles identified in this step include both vehicles that arrive at the boarding location before the user and vehicles that arrive at the boarding location after the user. When the process of step S7 ends, the process proceeds to step S9, and the processor 11 executes the process according to the above explanation until the process of step S10 ends.

As described above, the mobility support device 1 according to this embodiment includes a vehicle candidate extraction unit 113 that extracts multiple vehicle candidates for a user to board or alight from based on the user's boarding or alighting request, a traffic impact calculation unit 116 that calculates the impact of stopping the vehicle 2 for boarding or alighting or waiting on the traffic flow of the road as a traffic impact degree based on at least one of the road characteristics, the traffic volume of the road, and the parking and stopping situation of the road, and a vehicle selection unit 117 that selects one vehicle 2 from the multiple vehicle candidates based on the traffic impact degree. This makes it possible to, for example, prevent the selection of a vehicle that requires a circular drive before arriving at the boarding or alighting point, and to prevent traffic congestion around the boarding or alighting point.

In this embodiment, the mobility support device 1 further includes a stop time calculation unit 114 that calculates the stop time of the candidate vehicle at a specified boarding/alighting point based on the driving status of the candidate vehicle and information about the user. The traffic impact calculation unit 116 calculates the traffic impact level on roads around the specified boarding/alighting point, and when the traffic impact level is equal to or greater than a specified threshold, the vehicle selection unit 117 preferentially selects, as a vehicle 2, a candidate vehicle that has a relatively short stop time at the boarding/alighting point from among the multiple candidate vehicles. This lengthens the stop time at the boarding/alighting point, thereby suppressing the impact on traffic flow on roads around the boarding/alighting point. As a result, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of traffic congestion around the boarding/alighting point.

Furthermore, in this embodiment, the vehicle selection unit 117 selects as one vehicle 2 a candidate vehicle that will arrive at a specified boarding/alighting point later than the user. This makes it possible to prevent the vehicle from arriving at the boarding/alighting point before the user, resulting in a long stop time at the boarding/alighting point. As a result, it is possible to prevent traffic congestion from occurring around the boarding/alighting point.

In addition, in this embodiment, when the lane width of a road around a specific boarding/disembarking point is narrower than a specific lane width, the traffic impact calculation unit 116 calculates the traffic impact to be greater than when the lane width is wider than the specific lane width. This makes it possible to appropriately calculate the traffic impact according to the lane width, thereby improving the accuracy of the calculation of the traffic impact.

In addition, in this embodiment, the traffic impact calculation unit 116 calculates the traffic impact level to be higher for roads around a specified boarding/disembarking point when the number of lanes on the road is less than a specified number of lanes than when the number of lanes on the road is more than the specified number of lanes. This makes it possible to appropriately calculate the traffic impact level according to the number of lanes, thereby improving the accuracy of the calculation of the traffic impact level.

Furthermore, in this embodiment, the traffic impact calculation unit 116 calculates the traffic impact degree for a road around a specified boarding/alighting point to be higher when the traffic volume on that road is higher than a specified traffic volume than when the traffic volume is lower than the specified traffic volume. This makes it possible to appropriately calculate the traffic impact degree according to the traffic volume, thereby improving the calculation accuracy of the traffic impact degree.

In addition, in this embodiment, the traffic impact calculation unit 116 calculates the traffic impact level to be higher for a road around a specific boarding/alighting point when the number of parked vehicles on that road is greater than a specific number, compared to when the number of parked vehicles is less than the specific number. This makes it possible to appropriately calculate the traffic impact level according to the number of parked vehicles, thereby improving the accuracy of the calculation of the traffic impact level.

Second Embodiment
Next, a travel support device and a travel support method according to a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Fig. 6 and Fig. 7. The travel support device 1 according to this embodiment has the same configuration as the first embodiment except that the processing of the processor 14 is different from the processing of the processor 11 according to the first embodiment. Therefore, the description of the same configuration will be omitted and the above description will be used. In the travel support device 1 according to the first embodiment, a boarding and alighting point is selected, and then a vehicle 2 is selected based on the traffic impact degree. However, the travel support device 1 according to this embodiment is different in that a vehicle 2 is selected, and then a boarding and alighting point is selected based on the traffic impact degree.

Figure 6 is a block diagram of the processor 14. As shown in Figure 6, the processor 14 includes a request acquisition unit 111, a vehicle selection unit 141, a candidate boarding and alighting point extraction unit 142, a stop time calculation unit 143, a road traffic information acquisition unit 144, a traffic impact calculation unit 145, a boarding and alighting point selection unit 146, a movement plan creation unit 118, and a notification unit 119. The processor 14 realizes each function by software for realizing the functions of these blocks in cooperation with the above-mentioned hardware. The request acquisition unit 111, the movement plan creation unit 118, and the notification unit 119 are similar to the blocks in the first embodiment, so repeated explanations are omitted and the above explanations are used.

The vehicle selection unit 141 selects one vehicle 2 (dispatched vehicle) for the user to board and alight on the basis of the boarding/alighting request acquired by the request acquisition unit 111. For example, the vehicle selection unit 141 selects, as one vehicle 2, one vehicle candidate that is available to the user and can arrive at the user's current location in the shortest time, from among multiple vehicle candidates located within a predetermined range from the user's current location. Note that if the user's request is only a disembarking request, the vehicle selection unit 141 does not select a vehicle 2 because it is assumed that the user is already in vehicle 2.

The candidate boarding/alighting location extraction unit 142 extracts multiple candidate boarding/alighting locations where the user can board/alight based on the boarding/alighting request acquired by the request acquisition unit 111. In order to extract the candidate boarding/alighting locations, the candidate boarding/alighting location extraction unit 142 extracts multiple candidate boarding/alighting locations where the user can board/alight, located within a predetermined range from the user's current location, for example, from map information stored in the storage device 12.

The stop time calculation unit 143 calculates the time that the vehicle 2 stops at each candidate boarding/alighting location for boarding/alighting or waiting, based on the driving status of one vehicle 2 selected by the vehicle selection unit 141 and information on the user. For example, the stop time calculation unit 143 calculates the difference between the arrival time of the user at the candidate boarding/alighting location and the arrival time of the vehicle 2 at the candidate boarding/alighting location, as the stop time of the vehicle 2 at the candidate boarding/alighting location, for each candidate boarding/alighting location. If the user arrives at the candidate boarding/alighting location before the vehicle 2, the stop time is calculated as a negative time, and if the vehicle 2 arrives at the candidate boarding/alighting location before the user, the stop time is calculated as a positive time. Note that the calculation of the arrival time is similar to that of the stop time calculation unit 114 in the first embodiment, and the above description is used.

The road traffic information acquisition unit 144 acquires road traffic information necessary for the traffic impact degree calculation unit 145 to calculate the traffic impact degree. The road traffic information is road traffic information related to the roads around the candidate boarding and alighting points extracted by the candidate boarding and alighting point extraction unit 142. The road traffic information acquisition unit 144 acquires road traffic information for each candidate boarding and alighting point. Note that the acquisition of road traffic information is similar to that of the road traffic information acquisition unit 115 in the first embodiment, and therefore the above description is used.

The traffic impact calculation unit 145 calculates the degree of impact on the traffic flow of the road caused by the vehicle 2 stopping at a candidate boarding/alighting location to board/alight a user or to wait for a user, as a traffic impact degree, based on at least one of the road characteristics, the traffic volume of the road, and the parking/stopping situation of the road acquired by the road traffic information acquisition unit 115. The traffic impact calculation unit 145 calculates the traffic impact degree for each candidate boarding/alighting location. Note that the calculation of the traffic impact degree is similar to that of the traffic impact calculation unit 116 in the first embodiment, and therefore the above explanation is used.

The boarding/alighting point selection unit 146 selects one boarding/alighting point from the multiple boarding/alighting point candidates extracted by the boarding/alighting point candidate extraction unit 142 based on the traffic impact degree on the roads around the boarding/alighting point candidate calculated by the traffic impact degree calculation unit 145. When the stop time at each boarding/alighting point candidate calculated by the stop time calculation unit 143 is equal to or longer than a predetermined threshold time, the boarding/alighting point selection unit 146 determines that the impact on traffic flow caused by the vehicle 2 stopping at each boarding/alighting point candidate is large, and preferentially selects a boarding/alighting point candidate with a relatively small traffic impact degree as one boarding/alighting point from among the multiple boarding/alighting point candidates. The predetermined threshold time is a predetermined time, which is obtained, for example, experimentally and stored in the storage device 12. Note that the predetermined threshold time is not limited to a fixed time, and may be a time that changes depending on the time of day when the user uses the vehicle dispatch system 100, the number of lanes or vehicle width of the road, the weather, etc. If the stopping time of vehicle 2 is relatively long, it is expected that the impact on traffic flow due to the stopping of vehicle 2 will be large, so the idea is that selecting a boarding and alighting point with a relatively small impact on traffic will reduce the degree of impact on traffic flow.

On the other hand, when the stop time at each candidate boarding/alighting point is less than a predetermined threshold time, the boarding/alighting point selection unit 146 determines that the impact on traffic flow caused by vehicle 2 stopping at each candidate boarding/alighting point is small, and selects, from among the multiple candidate boarding/alighting points, a candidate boarding/alighting point with a relatively small difference between the arrival time of the user and the arrival time of vehicle 2 as one boarding/alighting point. The arrival time is the time calculated by the stop time calculation unit 143. In this case, with regard to the order of arrival at the boarding/alighting point, either the user or vehicle 2 may arrive at the boarding/alighting point first. This is based on the idea that when vehicle 2's stop time is relatively short, selecting a boarding/alighting point with a small difference between the arrival time of the user and vehicle 2 can reduce the user's waiting time.

Next, an example of a mobility support method according to this embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart in FIG. 7. The flowchart shown in FIG. 7 is executed by the processor 14 of the mobility support device 1 shown in FIG. 6. The flowchart shown in FIG. 7 is an example of a flowchart in the case of a boarding and alighting request for boarding and alighting.

In step S21, the processor 14 acquires, from the user terminal device 3, a boarding/alighting request from a user who wishes to use the vehicle dispatch system 100. This step corresponds to step S1 shown in FIG. 5.

In step S22, the processor 14 selects a vehicle 2 for the user to board or disembark on the basis of the boarding or disembarking request acquired in step S21. For example, the processor 14 selects, from among multiple vehicle candidates located around the user's current location, a vehicle candidate that can arrive at the user's current location in the shortest time as a vehicle to be dispatched to the user.

In step S23, the processor 14 extracts multiple candidate boarding and alighting locations. For example, the processor 14 extracts multiple candidate boarding locations located within a predetermined range from the user's current location from the map information as multiple candidate boarding locations. Also, for example, the processor 14 extracts multiple candidate disembarking locations located within a predetermined range from the user's desired disembarking location from the map information as multiple candidate disembarking locations.

In step S24, the processor 14 calculates the arrival time of the user and the vehicle 2 selected in step S22 for each of the candidate boarding/alighting locations extracted in step S23. For example, the processor 14 calculates the driving route of the vehicle 2 to the candidate boarding/alighting location for each of the candidate boarding/alighting locations, and calculates the arrival time at the boarding/alighting location when driving along the calculated driving route. In addition, for example, the processor 14 calculates the travel route of the user to the candidate boarding location, and calculates the arrival time at the boarding location when traveling along the calculated travel route. Note that when there are multiple travel routes of the vehicle 2 or multiple travel routes of the user to the candidate boarding/alighting locations, the processor 14 calculates the arrival time at the candidate boarding/alighting location that can be reached in the shortest time.

In step S25, the processor 14 calculates the stopping time of the vehicle 2 at each of the candidate boarding locations extracted in step S23 from the calculation result in step S24. For example, the processor 14 calculates the difference in time between the arrival time of the user and the arrival time of the vehicle 2 as the stopping time of the vehicle 2 for each of the candidate boarding locations.

In step S26, the processor 14 calculates the traffic impact degree for roads around the boarding/alighting point for each of the candidate boarding/alighting points extracted in step S23. This step corresponds to step S6 shown in FIG. 5, so the calculation of the traffic impact degree is based on the explanation given above.

In step S27, the processor 14 determines whether the stop time of the vehicle 2 calculated in step S25 for each candidate boarding/alighting location extracted in step S23 is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold time. The predetermined threshold time is a predetermined time that is determined, for example, experimentally and stored in the storage device 12. If the stop time of the vehicle 2 at each candidate boarding/alighting location is equal to or greater than the predetermined threshold, the processor 14 makes a positive determination and proceeds to step S28. On the other hand, if the stop time of the vehicle 2 at any candidate boarding/alighting location is less than the predetermined time, the processor 11 makes a negative determination and proceeds to step S31.

If a positive determination is made in step S27, the process proceeds to step S28. In step S28, the processor 14 compares the traffic impact degree for the multiple candidate boarding/alighting locations extracted in step S23, and identifies a boarding/alighting location with a relatively small traffic impact degree from among the multiple candidate boarding/alighting locations. The traffic impact degree for the roads surrounding each candidate boarding/alighting location is the value calculated in step S26. If multiple candidate boarding/alighting locations with a relatively small traffic impact degree are identified, the processor 14 identifies one boarding/alighting location from the multiple identified candidate boarding/alighting locations that will provide the shortest waiting time for the user.

In step S29, the processor 14 selects the boarding/alighting point identified in step S27 or the boarding/alighting point identified in step S31 described below as the user's boarding/alighting point.

In step S30, the processor 14 notifies the user and the vehicle 2 of information related to the travel plan. The information related to the travel plan includes the location information of the boarding/alighting point selected in step S29, the identification information of the dispatched vehicle selected in step S22, the user's travel route to the boarding point and the user's arrival time calculated in step S24, the travel route of the dispatched vehicle to the boarding/alighting point and the arrival time of the dispatched vehicle, etc. When the processing of step S30 ends, the processor 14 ends the processing of the flowchart shown in FIG. 7.

On the other hand, if a negative determination is made in step S27, the process proceeds to step S31. In step S31, the processor 14 identifies, from among the multiple candidate boarding and alighting locations extracted in step S3, a candidate boarding and alighting location for which the difference between the arrival time of the vehicle 2 and the arrival time of the user is relatively small, as the user's boarding and alighting location. The boarding locations identified in this step include both boarding locations where the vehicle 2 arrives before the user and boarding locations where the vehicle 2 arrives after the user. When the process of step S27 ends, the process proceeds to step S29, and the processor 14 executes the process according to the above explanation until the process of step S30 ends.

As described above, the mobility support device 1 according to this embodiment includes a candidate boarding/alighting location extraction unit 142 that extracts multiple candidate boarding/alighting locations where the user can board/alight based on the user's boarding/alighting request, a traffic impact calculation unit 145 that calculates the impact of stopping the vehicle 2 to board/alight or wait on the traffic flow of the road as a traffic impact level based on at least one of the road characteristics, the road traffic volume, and the road parking/stopping situation, and a boarding/alighting location selection unit 146 that selects one boarding/alighting location from the multiple candidate boarding/alighting locations based on the traffic impact level. This makes it possible to, for example, prevent a location with a lot of on-street parking from being selected as a boarding/alighting location, and to prevent traffic congestion from occurring around the boarding/alighting location.

In this embodiment, the mobility support device 1 further includes a stop time calculation unit 143 that calculates the stop time of the vehicle 2 at the candidate boarding/alighting points based on the driving status of the candidate vehicle and information about the user. The traffic impact calculation unit 145 calculates the traffic impact level on roads around the candidate boarding/alighting points, and the boarding/alighting point selection unit 146 preferentially selects, from among the multiple candidate boarding/alighting points, a boarding/alighting point candidate with a relatively small traffic impact level as one boarding/alighting point when the stop time of the vehicle 2 at each candidate boarding/alighting point is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold time. This makes it possible to suppress the impact on traffic flow on roads around the boarding/alighting point even if the stop time at the boarding/alighting point is relatively long. As a result, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of traffic congestion around the boarding/alighting point.

The above-described embodiments are described to facilitate understanding of the present invention, and are not described to limit the present invention. Therefore, each element disclosed in the above embodiments is intended to include all design modifications and equivalents that fall within the technical scope of the present invention.

For example, the mobility support device 1 may select a vehicle 2 or a boarding/alighting point using the mobility support method in the first or second embodiment described above, and the mobility support device and mobility support method of the present invention are not limited to either embodiment. In addition, in the second embodiment described above, a vehicle 2 is selected, and then one boarding/alighting point is selected from a plurality of candidate boarding/alighting points. Therefore, for example, in the second embodiment, the mobility support device 1 may be mounted on a preselected vehicle 2, rather than on a server device.

For example, in the above-described embodiment, the vehicle 2 is described as having an autonomous driving function, but the vehicle 2 may not have an autonomous driving function and may be driven by a driver. For example, in the above-described embodiment, the vehicle 2 is described as notifying the user and the vehicle 2 of information related to the travel plan when the selection of the vehicle and the boarding and disembarking points is completed, but the travel support device 1 may also issue a dispatch instruction to the vehicle 2 to the boarding point or a driving instruction to the disembarking point to enable the vehicle 2 to drive autonomously.

For example, in the first embodiment described above, the vehicle selection unit 117 may select one vehicle 2 from a plurality of vehicle candidates based on the user's disembarking time during the vehicle 2's stop time. For example, the vehicle selection unit 117 calculates the disembarking time at the disembarking point based on the number of users of the vehicle 2, including the user, the number of luggage the user will carry on the vehicle 2, and the state of the luggage, which are included in the boarding/disembarking request. For example, the vehicle selection unit 117 calculates the disembarking time to be longer the more users of the vehicle 2. Also, for example, the vehicle selection unit 117 calculates the disembarking time to be longer the more luggage the user has. Also, if the luggage is a predetermined size or longer, the vehicle selection unit 117 calculates the disembarking time to be longer. Then, the vehicle selection unit 117 may preferentially select a vehicle candidate with a relatively short disembarking time at the disembarking point as one vehicle 2. This makes it possible to, for example, suppress the selection of a vehicle with a long disembarking time, and suppress the occurrence of traffic congestion around the boarding/disembarking point.

LIST OF SYMBOLS 100...Vehicle dispatch system 1...Movement support device 11...Processor 111...Request acquisition unit 112...Boarding and alighting location selection unit 113...Vehicle candidate extraction unit 114...Stop time calculation unit 115...Road traffic information acquisition unit 116...Traffic impact calculation unit 117...Vehicle selection unit 118...Movement plan planning unit 119...Notification unit 2...Vehicle 21...Sensor 22...Navigation device 23...Controller 24...Communication device 25...Drive control device 26...Braking control device 27...Steering control device 28...Output device 3...User terminal device 31...Position detection device 32...Input device 33...Output device 34...Processor 35...Communication device

Claims (10)

An extraction unit that extracts a plurality of candidate boarding and alighting locations at which a user can board and alight, based on a boarding and alighting request of the user;
a traffic impact degree calculation unit that calculates a degree of impact of a vehicle stopping for boarding/alighting or waiting on a traffic flow of the road as a traffic impact degree based on at least one of a road characteristic, a traffic volume of the road, and a parking/stopping situation of the road;
A mobility support device comprising a selection unit that selects one boarding/alighting point from the plurality of candidate boarding/alighting points based on the traffic impact degree. The movement support device according to claim 1 ,
A stop time calculation unit calculates a stop time of the vehicle candidate at a predetermined boarding and alighting point based on driving conditions of a plurality of vehicle candidates at which the user gets on and off and information about the user,
The extraction unit extracts the plurality of vehicle candidate candidates based on the boarding/alighting request ,
The traffic impact degree calculation unit calculates the traffic impact degree on the road around the specified boarding and alighting point,
The selection unit is a mobility support device that, when the traffic impact degree is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold, preferentially selects, as one vehicle , a vehicle candidate having a relatively short stopping time from among the multiple vehicle candidates. The movement support device according to claim 2,
The selection unit is a travel support device that selects a candidate vehicle that arrives at the specified boarding/disembarking point later than the user as the one vehicle. The movement support device according to claim 2 or 3,
The selection unit is a mobility support device that preferentially selects as the first vehicle a vehicle candidate having a relatively short disembarking time for the user to disembark at the specified boarding and disembarking point. An extraction unit that extracts a plurality of candidate vehicles at which the user gets on and off or a plurality of candidate boarding and alighting locations at which the user can get on and off based on a user's boarding and alighting request;
a traffic impact degree calculation unit that calculates a degree of impact of a vehicle stopping for boarding/alighting or waiting on a traffic flow of the road as a traffic impact degree based on at least one of a road characteristic, a traffic volume of the road, and a parking/stopping situation of the road;
A selection unit that selects one vehicle from the plurality of vehicle candidates based on the traffic impact degree, or selects one boarding/alighting location from the plurality of boarding/alighting location candidates based on the traffic impact degree;
a stop time calculation unit that calculates a stop time of the vehicle at the candidate boarding and alighting locations based on a traveling status of the vehicle and information about the user,
The extraction unit extracts the plurality of candidate boarding and alighting locations,
The traffic impact degree calculation unit calculates the traffic impact degree on the roads around the candidate getting on and off locations,
The selection unit, when the stop time at each of the candidate boarding and alighting locations is equal to or longer than a predetermined threshold time, preferentially selects, from among the multiple candidate boarding and alighting locations, a candidate boarding and alighting location with a relatively small degree of traffic impact as the one boarding and alighting location. A movement support device according to any one of claims 1 to 5,
The traffic impact degree calculation unit is a mobility support device that calculates the traffic impact degree to be higher when the lane width of the road is narrower than a predetermined lane width compared to when the lane width is wider than the predetermined lane width. A movement support device according to any one of claims 1 to 6,
The traffic impact degree calculation unit calculates the traffic impact degree to be higher when the number of lanes of the road is less than a predetermined number compared to when the number of lanes is more than the predetermined number. A movement support device according to any one of claims 1 to 7,
The traffic impact degree calculation unit calculates the traffic impact degree to be greater when the traffic volume on the road is greater than a predetermined traffic volume, compared to when the traffic volume is less than the predetermined traffic volume. A movement support device according to any one of claims 1 to 8,
The traffic impact degree calculation unit is a mobility support device that calculates the traffic impact degree to be higher when the number of parked vehicles on the road is more than a predetermined number compared to when the number of parked vehicles is less than the predetermined number. 1. A method of mobility assistance executed by a processor, comprising:
Extracting a plurality of candidate boarding and alighting locations at which the user can board and alight based on a boarding and alighting request of the user;
Calculating an impact of a vehicle stopping for boarding/alighting or waiting on a traffic flow on the road based on at least one of a road characteristic, a traffic volume on the road, and a parking/stopping situation on the road;
A mobility support method for selecting one boarding/alighting point from the plurality of candidate boarding/alighting points based on the degree of influence.

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