JP7743940B2 - Vehicle allocation management device and vehicle allocation management method - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to vehicle dispatch management technology, and in particular to a vehicle dispatch management device and vehicle dispatch management method for managing vehicle dispatch on an on-demand basis.

Mobility services are services that provide smooth transportation of users and luggage by vehicle. Examples of mobility services include car sharing services that allow multiple users to share vacant vehicles parked in nearby parking lots for a set time period, and ride sharing services that allow multiple passengers to share a car. Mobility services require efficient vehicle deployment planning to increase vehicle utilization rates while improving user (passenger) convenience.

For example, Patent Document 1 below discloses a vehicle dispatch service system that dispatches vehicles based on the user's condition information (urinary state, type of illness, state of injury, priority, etc.).

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2020-119038

In mobility services, vehicles assigned in response to a user's request for a ride drive along a route from the user's desired boarding location to the user's desired drop-off location. Such routes have various characteristics (route characteristics) due to road and traffic conditions, and some vehicles may not be compatible with such route characteristics depending on their characteristics (performance). The technology disclosed in Patent Document 1, mentioned above, did not take into account vehicle performance according to route characteristics when assigning vehicles, which could result in the allocation of vehicles that are not adequately suited to traveling to the destination. In particular, with autonomously driven vehicles, unless sufficient vehicle performance according to route characteristics is taken into account, the vehicle cannot be properly driven to the destination. For example, for routes that include route characteristics such as heavy pedestrian traffic, it is desirable to assign vehicles that are adequately equipped with the capabilities (detection, recognition, movement, etc.) to deal with obstacles around the vehicle.

Therefore, the present invention aims to provide a vehicle dispatch management device and a vehicle dispatch management method that can improve the level of service (LoS) by appropriately allocating a vehicle with vehicle performance that is suited to the characteristics of the driving route in response to a user's vehicle dispatch request.

The present invention, which aims to solve the above problems, comprises the following invention-specific matters and technical features.

The present invention, according to one aspect, is a vehicle dispatch management device that manages vehicle dispatches in response to vehicle dispatch requests. The vehicle dispatch management device includes a vehicle dispatch request acquisition unit that acquires a vehicle dispatch request indicating at least a desired boarding location; a vehicle information database that stores vehicle information associated with each of a plurality of vehicles, including information regarding vehicle performance; a vehicle dispatch plan creation unit that creates a vehicle dispatch plan including at least a travel route for each of two or more candidate vehicles extracted from the plurality of vehicles based on the acquired vehicle dispatch requests, and confirms a vehicle dispatch plan for a specific vehicle selected from the created vehicle dispatch plans; and a vehicle dispatch instruction unit that transmits the confirmed vehicle dispatch plan to the specific vehicle. The vehicle dispatch plan creation unit also includes a route characteristic determination unit that determines route characteristics for the travel route; a vehicle performance identification unit that identifies the vehicle performance of the candidate vehicle based on the vehicle information stored in the vehicle information database; and a vehicle selection unit that selects the specific vehicle having vehicle performance that matches the determined route characteristics.

Another aspect of the present invention is a vehicle dispatch management method using a vehicle dispatch management device that manages vehicle dispatch in response to a vehicle dispatch request. The method includes storing vehicle information associated with each of a plurality of vehicles, including information regarding vehicle performance, in a vehicle information database; acquiring a vehicle dispatch request indicating at least a desired boarding location from a user's terminal device; creating a vehicle dispatch plan including at least a travel route for each of two or more candidate vehicles selected from the plurality of vehicles based on the acquired vehicle dispatch request; confirming the vehicle dispatch plan for a specific vehicle selected from the created vehicle dispatch plan; and transmitting the confirmed vehicle dispatch plan to the specific vehicle. Creating the vehicle dispatch plan also includes determining route characteristics for the travel route indicated by the vehicle dispatch plan; identifying the vehicle performance of the candidate vehicle based on the vehicle information stored in the vehicle information database; and selecting the candidate vehicle having the vehicle performance that matches the determined route characteristics as the specific vehicle.

According to the present invention, a vehicle with vehicle performance suited to the route characteristics is appropriately assigned in response to a user's vehicle dispatch request, thereby improving the level of service (LoS: Level Of Service).

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

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a vehicle dispatch management system according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of a functional configuration model of a vehicle dispatch control device according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a diagram conceptually illustrating an example of road map information used in the vehicle dispatch management system according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a vehicle performance requirement table in the vehicle dispatch management device according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing a functional model of a control device mounted on a vehicle in a vehicle dispatch management system according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 6 is a sequence chart for explaining an outline of a vehicle dispatch service in a vehicle dispatch management system according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 7 is a flowchart for explaining an example of a vehicle dispatch management process performed by the vehicle dispatch management device according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 8 is a flowchart for explaining an example of a vehicle dispatch management process performed by the vehicle dispatch management device according to one embodiment of the present invention.

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

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

The vehicle dispatch management system 1 of the present disclosure provides, for example, an on-demand vehicle dispatch service using multiple vehicles V for a certain area. An "on-demand vehicle dispatch service" is a service that immediately responds to a user's vehicle dispatch request and assigns (dispatches) a specific vehicle to the user. In other words, with an on-demand vehicle dispatch service, there is no user-specified vehicle reservation time. Furthermore, "immediate response" is a concept that not only means dispatching a vehicle immediately in response to a user's vehicle dispatch request, but also includes a certain degree of time that the user would normally tolerate. In the present disclosure, the vehicle dispatch management system 1 is premised on such an "on-demand vehicle dispatch service," but is not limited to this and can also be applied to, for example, a reservation-based vehicle dispatch service. Furthermore, vehicle V includes so-called manned vehicles driven by a driver and unmanned vehicles capable of autonomous driving.

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

The vehicle dispatch management device 10 includes various databases 12 that accumulate and manage the data necessary to realize the vehicle dispatch service. As described below, the databases 12 include, for example, a user information database 12a, a road map information database 12b, a vehicle information database 12c, a vehicle dispatch plan database 12d, and an operation history information database 12e (see Figure 2). In this example, the databases 12 are configured as part of the vehicle dispatch management device 10, but this is not limited thereto, and all or part of the databases may be configured separately from the vehicle dispatch management device 10.

In general terms, the vehicle dispatch management device 10 accepts a dispatch request from a user who wishes to dispatch a vehicle V for travel, creates a dispatch plan for candidate vehicles V (candidate vehicles V) extracted from multiple vehicles V based on the dispatch request, determines a dispatch plan for the optimal vehicle V from the created dispatch plans, and issues dispatch instructions to the vehicle V in accordance with the determined dispatch plan. The dispatch plan is determined, for example, in response to the user's consent.

The following explanation uses as an example a request for a ride from a user who is a passenger, but the request for a ride may also be a request for a ride to deliver luggage from a user who is a shipper (a luggage delivery company or a member of the public). Therefore, a member of the public who is not a luggage delivery company may also request a ride to deliver luggage to have their luggage delivered. The request for a ride includes information such as the user's name, boarding and disembarking locations (desired boarding and disembarking locations), and the details of the transportation (number of people, etc.).

A vehicle dispatch plan includes a route from a waiting location (starting location) for vehicle V, passing through several points (boarding and disembarking locations) along the way where the user boards and disembarks, to a waiting location (which may not necessarily be the same as the initial waiting location). If vehicle V is waiting, the vehicle dispatch plan may be newly created based on a new dispatch request. If vehicle V is in operation, the vehicle dispatch plan may be updated based on a new dispatch request. In this disclosure, the vehicle dispatch management device 10 determines route characteristics for the operating route in a vehicle dispatch plan created for a candidate vehicle v extracted from multiple vehicles V based on the user's dispatch request, selects a candidate vehicle v with vehicle performance compatible with the route characteristics, and proposes the vehicle dispatch plan to the user. Route characteristics are determined based on risk factors such as road width and height restrictions, as well as risk factors such as the likelihood of people running out into the road, crowds, difficulty of driving at intersections, and the number of parked and stopped vehicles. This allows a vehicle V compatible with the operating route based on the user's dispatch request to be assigned, ensuring reliable operation of vehicle V.

Vehicle V is a vehicle registered in the vehicle information database 12c that is available for use by a user. The vehicle V may be of any type (e.g., sedan, minivan, SUV, etc.). Vehicle V may be an electric vehicle (EV) powered by an on-board battery. Vehicle V may also be an autonomous vehicle (unmanned vehicle) capable of fully autonomous driving, and the level of so-called autonomous driving does not matter. Vehicle V is equipped with a control device 500 that controls vehicle V itself or its onboard equipment (e.g., a navigation device) in accordance with instructions from the vehicle dispatch management device 10 (see Figure 2). The control device 500 acquires geographical location information (hereinafter referred to as "location information") of vehicle V, for example, via a GPS system, transmits this information to the vehicle dispatch management device 10, and receives dispatch instructions from the vehicle dispatch management device 10 to control the operation of various devices or equipment in vehicle V. The control device 500 includes, for example, a navigation function that presents the driver with a driving route according to a vehicle dispatch plan, and in the case of an unmanned vehicle V_NAD, an autonomous driving control function that determines a detailed actual driving route based on the driving route of the vehicle V and follows the actual driving route.

The terminal device 20 is, for example, a computing device through which a user wishing to ride makes a vehicle dispatch request by operating a user interface. The terminal device 20 may be, for example, a smartphone, a pad computer, a laptop personal computer, a desktop computer, etc., but is not limited to these. The terminal device 20 implements, for example, a vehicle dispatch management client program (a so-called vehicle dispatch app). The terminal device 20 executes the vehicle dispatch app under the control of a processor, thereby enabling the user to use the vehicle dispatch service of the vehicle dispatch management device 10. For example, a user can make a vehicle dispatch request from a vehicle dispatch request screen (not shown) on the user interface of the terminal device 20 and, in response, accept the vehicle dispatch plan created by the vehicle dispatch management device 10, thereby reserving a ride in vehicle V.

The road traffic information management system 30 is an information and communication system that provides road traffic information in real time. For example, the road traffic information management system 30 collects road traffic data from vehicle sensors and cameras installed on roads, as well as driving data from the control device 500 installed in the vehicle V, and manages road traffic information that is processed and edited in an integrated manner. The edited road traffic information may include, for example, information on road closures and detour routes, and the travel time between points via specific routes. The road traffic information management system 30 provides road traffic information to the vehicle dispatch management device 10 and the vehicle V as appropriate.

In this way, in the vehicle dispatch management system 1 disclosed herein, in an on-demand vehicle dispatch service, in response to a user's vehicle dispatch request, a vehicle dispatch plan is created for each candidate vehicle v extracted from multiple vehicles V, the route characteristics of the operating route in the vehicle dispatch plan are evaluated or determined, and a vehicle V having vehicle performance that matches the route characteristics is assigned to the user, thereby enabling the vehicle V to be operated safely and reliably.

Figure 2 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a functional configuration model of a vehicle dispatch management device according to one embodiment of the present invention. As shown in the figure, the vehicle dispatch management device 10 is configured as a functional configuration model including functional components such as a front-end processing unit 110, a vehicle dispatch request acquisition unit 120, a boarding/alighting location determination unit 130, a vehicle dispatch plan creation unit 140, a driving route planning unit 150, and a vehicle communication interface unit 160. Furthermore, as described above, the vehicle dispatch management device 10 includes various databases 12. This functional model is realized when the vehicle dispatch management device 10 executes a vehicle dispatch management server program under the control of a processor, thereby cooperating with various hardware resources. The functional configuration model shown here is an example, and all or part of the functions of a certain functional component may be realized by other functional components. For ease of explanation, the figure also shows a user's terminal device 20 and a control device 500 in the vehicle V.

The user information database 12a stores information about users who use the ride-hailing service (hereinafter referred to as "user information"). User information includes, for example, user IDs and passwords, personal attributes, and information about service usage. User information is registered in the user information database 12a under the control of the ride-hailing management device 10, for example, when the user first launches the ride-hailing app and inputs certain information.

The road map information database 12b stores information related to road maps in the area covered by the ride-hailing service (hereinafter referred to as "road map information"). Figure 3 is a diagram conceptually illustrating the road map information stored in the road map information database 12b. In the figure, the symbol P_PU indicates the desired pickup location. As shown in the figure, the road map information includes map data related to, for example, addresses, place names, roads, facilities, etc. The road map information may also include information necessary for route search, such as road information, feature information, and environmental information. This information may include risk factors in the operation of vehicle V. The road information includes, for example, information on traffic regulations such as speed limits, one-way streets, no right or left turns, no parking or stopping, and road closures, road types such as community roads and main roads, and traffic light control at intersections. The feature information includes, for example, the conditions between buildings and roads (e.g., sidewalk width, the presence or absence of obstructions such as guardrails or shrubbery, the degree of visibility, etc.). The environmental information includes, for example, the status of parked and stopped vehicles and pedestrians at each location by time of day, the frequency of vehicles turning right or left at intersections, the frequency of parking and stopping, and the frequency of traffic accidents.

Returning to Figure 2, the vehicle information database 12c stores information (vehicle information) about the vehicle V available for use by the user. The vehicle information includes, for example, information about the vehicle ID, vehicle attributes (vehicle registration number, vehicle model, maximum occupancy/maximum load capacity, manned or unmanned driving, etc.), vehicle performance, other specifications, current vehicle dispatch plan, current location, and current status (service status, remaining battery capacity (driving range), number of occupants, etc.). Information about vehicle performance (vehicle performance information) includes, for example, performance data about the sensing function, object identification function, automatic emergency braking function, automatic collision avoidance function, and vehicle-to-vehicle following function, but is not limited to these. The current location of the vehicle V can be updated at any time based on the location information transmitted from the vehicle V.

The vehicle dispatch plan database 12d stores a vehicle dispatch plan for each vehicle V created by the vehicle dispatch plan creation unit 140 based on a dispatch request. The vehicle dispatch plan includes the operating route from the starting waiting location via several boarding and disembarking points to the ending waiting location, as well as the estimated arrival time at each intermediate point.

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

Although not shown, the database 12 may include a driver information database that stores information (driver information) about the driver who drives the manned vehicle V_NAD. The driver information includes, for example, information about the driver ID and password, personal attributes, driving history, and work performance.

The front-end processing unit 110 performs various processes with the user's terminal device 20. As an example, the front-end processing unit 110 refers to the user information database 12a and performs login authentication processing in response to a login request from a vehicle dispatch app on the user's terminal device 20. The front-end processing unit 110 also accepts a vehicle dispatch request from the vehicle dispatch app on the user's terminal device 20, passes it to the vehicle dispatch request acquisition unit 120, and interacts with the terminal device 20 to receive the user's approval or rejection of the vehicle dispatch plan created by the vehicle dispatch plan creation unit 140 in response to the request. That is, the front-end processing unit 110 sends an approval request including the created vehicle dispatch plan to the terminal device 20, displays the vehicle dispatch plan on the user interface of the terminal device 20, and receives a notification of approval or rejection sent from the terminal device 20 in response to the request. In this sense, the front-end processing unit 110 also functions as an approval processing unit under the control of the vehicle dispatch plan creation unit 140.

The dispatch request acquisition unit 120 receives and acquires a dispatch request from a user via the front-end processing unit 110. The time at which the dispatch request acquisition unit 120 receives the dispatch request becomes the start time for timing various limit times (e.g., boarding limit time and disembarking limit time). The dispatch request acquisition unit 120 passes the acquired dispatch request to each of the boarding and disembarking location determination unit 130 and the dispatch plan creation unit 140.

Based on the dispatch request that has been handed over, the boarding and alighting location determination unit 130 refers to the road map information database 12b and determines predetermined boarding and alighting locations (e.g., bus stops) shown on the road map where the user can actually board and alight. That is, for the desired boarding and alighting locations indicated in the dispatch request, the boarding and alighting location determination unit 130 refers to the road map information database 12b and determines boarding and alighting locations that indicate geographical locations in the target area where the user can actually board and alight. The boarding and alighting location determination unit 130 hands over the determined boarding and alighting locations to the dispatch plan creation unit 140.

Based on the given dispatch request, the vehicle dispatch plan creation unit 140 extracts candidate vehicles (candidate vehicles v) from among the vehicles V in the target area, creates a dispatch plan for the candidate vehicles, selects and confirms the vehicle V with the optimal dispatch plan from the created dispatch plans, and issues dispatch instructions to the vehicle V in accordance with the confirmed dispatch plan. In order to extract candidate vehicles v, the vehicle dispatch plan creation unit 140 requests the driving route planning unit 150 to derive a route pattern. The vehicle dispatch plan creation unit 140 proposes the created vehicle dispatch plan to the user and confirms it with the user's consent. The vehicle dispatch plan creation unit 140 may also present multiple candidate vehicle dispatch plans to the user, allow the user to select a specific vehicle dispatch plan from among them, and confirm it. The vehicle dispatch plan creation unit 140 stores the confirmed vehicle dispatch plan in the vehicle dispatch plan database 12d and notifies the vehicle dispatch instruction unit 162 to issue a dispatch instruction to the corresponding vehicle V.

In the present disclosure, the vehicle allocation plan creation unit 140 is configured to determine route characteristics of a service route in a vehicle allocation plan created based on a user's vehicle allocation request, and to select a vehicle V (specific vehicle V) having vehicle performance that matches the determined route characteristics from among candidate vehicles v. The vehicle allocation plan creation unit 140 is configured to include, for example, a route characteristics determination unit 141, a vehicle performance identification unit 142, and a vehicle selection unit 143. Details of these functional components of the vehicle allocation plan creation unit 140 will be described later.

The driving route planning unit 150, under the control of the vehicle allocation plan creation unit 140, derives a route pattern for each candidate vehicle v. The route pattern indicates a route that passes through all of the previously determined boarding and alighting points (waypoints) when a new boarding and alighting point is added due to a new vehicle allocation request to a route that passes through those points. For example, the route pattern may be expressed as a lattice structure in which roads are links and their branching points (intersections) are nodes. In response to a request for derivation of a route pattern from the vehicle allocation plan creation unit 140, the driving route planning unit 150 references the road map information database 12b and the vehicle information database 12c to extract one or more vehicles V that can meet the vehicle allocation request as candidate vehicles v, and derives a route pattern for each of the extracted candidate vehicles v according to the boarding and alighting points. The driving route planning unit 150 also associates road map information, including road information, feature information, environmental information, etc., with the derived route pattern (e.g., links and/or nodes). The driving route planning unit 150 passes the derived route pattern to the vehicle allocation plan creating unit 140 .

The vehicle communication interface unit 160 exchanges various information with the vehicle V via the communication network N. For example, the vehicle communication interface unit 160 includes a vehicle information acquisition unit 161 that acquires vehicle information including the location information of the vehicle V, and a vehicle dispatch instruction unit 162 that instructs the vehicle V to move according to a vehicle dispatch plan.

The vehicle information acquisition unit 161 communicates with the communication unit 510 of the control device 500 and acquires vehicle information including location information acquired by the location information acquisition unit 520 (see Figure 5). Furthermore, the vehicle dispatch instruction unit 162, in accordance with instructions from the vehicle dispatch plan creation unit 140, references the vehicle dispatch plan database 12d, identifies a corresponding vehicle dispatch plan, and transmits driving instructions to the vehicle V in accordance with the identified vehicle dispatch plan. Having received the driving instructions, the control device 500 of the vehicle V uses its navigation function to display a driving route in accordance with the vehicle dispatch plan, for example, on the user interface (shown as "UI" in the figure) 530. Alternatively, the control device 500 determines a detailed actual driving route in accordance with the driving route in the vehicle dispatch plan, and controls the vehicle V so that it drives autonomously along the actual driving route.

Next, we will explain in detail each functional component of the vehicle dispatch plan creation unit 140.

The route characteristic determination unit 141 determines the route characteristics of the travel route in the vehicle dispatch plan for candidate vehicle v. That is, the route characteristic determination unit 141 identifies risk factors for each link/node on the travel route based on road map information associated with the links/nodes in the route pattern and road traffic information acquired from the road traffic information management system 30, and determines the route characteristics of the travel route. By using real-time road traffic information in addition to road map information, the route characteristic determination unit 141 can determine route characteristics that are more in line with the current situation. Route characteristics may be assigned a score, for example, from 0 to 9 (e.g., the higher the score, the higher the vehicle performance required). For example, a route that includes narrow residential roads and intersections with poor visibility will receive a higher route characteristic score. Route characteristic scores may also be calculated based on visibility by time of day (e.g., evening, night, etc.) and the volume of pedestrians and vehicles passing by. A score may also be added if a traffic accident has occurred at that location in the past. For example, the route characteristic determination unit 141 may calculate a risk factor score for each link/node in the travel route and determine the highest link/node score as the route characteristic score. Therefore, it becomes possible to select the candidate vehicle v according to the vehicle performance that is suited to the route characteristic based on the highest risk factor.

The route characteristic determination unit 141 can also determine route characteristics based on the risk factors of each link/node indicated by the operation history information stored in the operation history information database 12e. For example, if the operation history information includes sudden braking (hard braking) or sudden steering operations during past travel of the operation route by vehicle V, the route characteristic score may be high. This allows past risk factors obtained from the operation history of vehicle V to be reflected in the route characteristics.

The route characteristic determination unit 141 can also obtain weather information from a weather forecast service site (not shown) and use the obtained weather information to calculate the route characteristics of the travel route. For example, if it is raining, visibility will be reduced, and the score will increase.

The vehicle performance identification unit 142 refers to the vehicle information database 12c and identifies vehicle performance based on vehicle information including vehicle performance information of the candidate vehicle V. The vehicle performance information includes, but is not limited to, performance data related to, for example, sensing functions, object identification functions, automatic emergency braking functions, automatic collision avoidance functions, and distance tracking functions. The vehicle performance identification unit 142 may score the vehicle performance according to the vehicle performance information of the vehicle V. For example, the more functions listed here are provided and/or the more advanced they are, the higher the vehicle performance score will be.

The vehicle selection unit 143 selects a vehicle V having vehicle performance that matches the route characteristics from among the extracted candidate vehicles v, based on the route characteristics determined by the route characteristics determination unit 141 and the vehicle performance identified by the vehicle performance identification unit 142. If multiple candidate vehicles v with vehicle performance that matches the route characteristics are extracted, the vehicle selection unit 143 preferentially selects the candidate vehicle v with the lowest vehicle performance score. In other words, as long as the vehicle performance of vehicle V matches the route characteristics, there is no disruption to the ride-hailing service, and by selecting vehicles V in descending order of vehicle performance, it becomes possible to prepare vehicles V for future situations in which higher vehicle performance is required.

The vehicle selection unit 143 may include a vehicle performance requirement table showing the relationship between risk factors and vehicle performance, as shown in FIG. 4, for example. Risk factors include, but are not limited to, items such as pedestrian density (crowding), people jumping out, parked vehicles, fallen objects, traffic jams, obstructions, poor visibility, time of day, road width, and number of lanes. Functional requirements include, but are not limited to, object identification, automatic emergency braking, automatic collision avoidance, and distance tracking. The object identification function is a function that identifies people and objects (vehicles, roads, features, etc.) based on images captured by an optical camera or the like. The automatic emergency braking function is a function that automatically applies emergency braking in response to a vehicle jumping out, etc. The automatic collision avoidance function is a function that automatically operates the steering wheel to change course in response to a vehicle jumping out, etc. The distance tracking function is a function that maintains a constant distance between the vehicle and the vehicle ahead while driving. For example, for a link/node (road) associated with the risk factor of "running out into the street," a vehicle V equipped with a sensing function, an object identification function, an automatic emergency braking function, and an automatic collision avoidance function is required. The vehicle selection unit 143 refers to the vehicle performance requirement table, identifies the vehicle performance required for the route characteristics of the travel route, and selects a vehicle V having such vehicle performance from among the candidate vehicles v.

The vehicle selection unit 143 may also select vehicle V based on the risk factor of the link/node with the highest risk factor score among the links/nodes on the travel route. In other words, since the route characteristics determination unit 141 determines the route characteristics based on the link/node with the highest risk factor score, the vehicle selection unit 143 can select vehicle V in accordance with the route characteristics. For example, the risk factor score of a link/node with heavy traffic congestion and heavy pedestrian traffic will be relatively high. Therefore, the vehicle selection unit 143 can select vehicle V based on the highest score of such a risk factor. This allows a vehicle V that is more suited to the route characteristics to be selected, ensuring that vehicle V can be driven safely and appropriately to the destination.

Figure 5 is a block diagram showing a functional model of a control device installed in a vehicle in a vehicle dispatch management system according to one embodiment of the present invention. More specifically, Figure 5(a) shows a control device 500a installed in a manned vehicle V_NAD, and Figure 5(b) shows a control device 500b installed in an unmanned vehicle V_AD.

As shown in the same figure (a), the control device 500a is configured to include, for example, a location information acquisition unit 510, a communication unit 520, and a user interface unit (denoted as "UI" in the figure) 530.

The location information acquisition unit 510 acquires location information of the vehicle V from the GPS system. The location information acquisition unit 510 passes the location information acquired from the GPS system to the communication unit 520 for transmission to the vehicle dispatch management device 10.

The communication unit 520 is a communication interface for exchanging various information with the vehicle communication interface unit 160 of the vehicle dispatch management device 10. As one example, the communication unit 520 receives a request to send vehicle information sent from the vehicle communication interface unit 160, and in response transmits vehicle information including location information to the vehicle communication interface unit 160. As another example, the communication unit 520 receives a dispatch instruction sent from the vehicle communication interface unit 160 and passes it on to the user interface unit 530.

The user interface unit 530 displays various statuses of the vehicle V to the driver and accepts input from the driver regarding these. For example, the user interface unit 530 displays dispatch instructions sent from the dispatch management device 10.

On the other hand, the control device 500b shown in Figure 5(b) differs from the configuration of the control device 500a in that it further includes, for example, a driving route control unit 540 and a navigation database 550. The user interface unit 530 of the unmanned vehicle V_AD can be used to provide various information to the user inside.

The driving route control unit 540 determines the actual driving route based on various road map information stored in the navigation database 550, in accordance with the vehicle dispatch plan provided by the vehicle dispatch management device 10. The driving route control unit 540 may also determine the driving route based on road traffic information obtained from the road traffic information management system 30. In other words, in the present disclosure, the vehicle dispatch plan created by the vehicle dispatch management device 10 based on a vehicle dispatch request includes the reference operating route connecting each intermediate point (boarding point and disembarking point) and the required time, but the driving route according to actual road traffic conditions is left to the unmanned vehicle V_AD. Therefore, the driving route control unit 540 of the unmanned vehicle V_AD references its own navigation database 550 and determines the actual driving route based on the vehicle dispatch plan. The control device 500b controls the autonomous driving of the unmanned vehicle V_AD in accordance with the driving route determined by the driving route control unit 540. The driving route control unit 540 can transmit driving data of the unmanned vehicle V_AD to the vehicle dispatch management device 10 via the communication unit 520.

The navigation database 550 stores navigation information for the autonomous driving of the vehicle V in the area covered by the vehicle dispatch service. The navigation information typically includes road traffic information, driving history information, etc. The navigation database 550 of the unmanned vehicle V_AD is generally the same as the road map information database 12b described above in that it includes road map information, but differs in that the stored road map information and driving history information are updated based on the actual autonomous driving of the unmanned vehicle V_AD. The driving route control unit 540 updates the road map information and driving history information in the navigation database 550, for example, as the unmanned vehicle V_AD autonomously drives along the determined driving route. For example, the road map information can be refined by updating. The navigation database 550 may also include, for example, a street view of the driving route photographed by the autonomously driving unmanned vehicle V_AD.

Figure 6 is a sequence chart for explaining an overview of the vehicle dispatch service in a vehicle dispatch management system according to one embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in the figure, a user who wishes to use a ride-hailing service executes a ride-hailing app implemented on the terminal device 20 and inputs the necessary information for the ride-hailing request on the ride-hailing request screen displayed on the user interface, causing the terminal device 20 to send the ride-hailing request to the ride-hailing management device 10 (S601). For example, a user who wishes to ride (reserve a ride) operates the ride-hailing app to input the boarding and disembarking locations, the number of passengers, etc. The boarding and disembarking locations can be selected, for example, from a geographical map displayed by the ride-hailing app. The boarding location may also be the current location obtained using the GPS function installed in the user's smartphone.

When the vehicle dispatch management device 10 receives a vehicle dispatch request from the terminal device 20 (S602), it requests vehicles V in the target area to obtain vehicle information including location information (S603). In response, each vehicle V transmits vehicle information including its own location information obtained from the GPS system to the vehicle dispatch management device 10 (S604). Note that the acquisition and transmission of location information by vehicle V may be performed periodically or in response to a transmission request from the vehicle dispatch management device 10. The vehicle dispatch management device 10 acquires vehicle information including location information transmitted from vehicle V.

Next, the vehicle dispatch management device 10 creates a dispatch plan for candidate vehicle v extracted based on the user's dispatch request and proposes it to the user (S605). That is, the vehicle dispatch management device 10 derives a route pattern based on the dispatch request and creates a dispatch plan for candidate vehicle v extracted based on the derived route pattern. At this time, the vehicle dispatch management device 10 determines the route characteristics of the operating route based on the dispatch request and identifies the vehicle performance of candidate vehicle v, selects candidate vehicle v having vehicle performance that matches the route characteristics according to the vehicle performance requirement table, and extracts the dispatch plan. The vehicle dispatch management device 10 sends an acceptance request including the contents of the dispatch plan to the terminal device 20 to propose the selected dispatch plan to the user.

When the terminal device 20 receives the request to accept the vehicle dispatch plan, it displays it as a vehicle dispatch plan proposal screen on the user interface and prompts the user to accept or reject (accept or reject) the proposed vehicle dispatch plan (S606). The vehicle dispatch plan proposal screen may include, for example, the specific pick-up and drop-off points where vehicle V will arrive and the expected arrival time. The user can input their acceptance or rejection of the proposed vehicle dispatch plan on the vehicle dispatch plan proposal screen. When the user inputs their acceptance or rejection on the vehicle dispatch plan proposal screen, the terminal device 20 responds by sending an acceptance or rejection notification to the vehicle dispatch management device 10 (S607), and the vehicle dispatch management device 10 receives the acceptance or rejection notification sent from the terminal device 20 (S608). For example, if the acceptance/rejection notification indicates acceptance of the dispatch plan, the dispatch management device 10 confirms the dispatch plan for vehicle V in accordance with the dispatch plan, sends a confirmation notification of the dispatch reservation to the terminal device 20, and also sends a dispatch instruction to vehicle V in accordance with the dispatch plan (S609).

When the terminal device 20 receives a notification of the confirmed vehicle reservation, it displays this on the user interface to inform the user that the vehicle reservation has been confirmed (S610). Meanwhile, when the vehicle V receives the vehicle dispatch instruction, it executes the vehicle dispatch service in accordance with the vehicle dispatch plan (S611). That is, if the vehicle V to which the dispatch instruction has been given is an unmanned vehicle V_AD, the unmanned vehicle V_AD plans a specific driving route in accordance with the vehicle dispatch plan and begins autonomous driving to head to the pick-up/drop-off point to pick up the user who made the dispatch request. Furthermore, if the vehicle V to which the dispatch instruction has been given is a manned vehicle V_NAD, the manned vehicle V_NAD displays, for example, on a navigation screen, a driving route in accordance with the vehicle dispatch plan indicated in the vehicle dispatch instruction to navigate the driver. This realizes an on-demand vehicle V dispatch service in response to a user's vehicle dispatch request.

Then, when the operation of vehicle V according to the dispatch plan based on the dispatch request is completed, the vehicle dispatch management device 10 stores the operation history information of vehicle V in the operation history information database 12e (S612). The operation history information stored in the operation history information database 12e is used to determine the route characteristics of vehicle V next time.

Figure 7 is a flowchart illustrating an example of vehicle dispatch management processing by a vehicle dispatch management device according to one embodiment of the present invention. Such processing is realized by the vehicle dispatch management device 10 executing a vehicle dispatch management server program under the control of a processor, in cooperation with various hardware resources.

As shown in the figure, the vehicle dispatch management device 10 waits until a new vehicle dispatch request is received from a user (S701). Meanwhile, for example, a user wishing to ride operates a vehicle dispatch app on the user interface of the terminal device 20 to input a vehicle dispatch request. When a vehicle dispatch request is received from the user (Yes in S701), the vehicle dispatch management device 10 requests each vehicle V to transmit vehicle information and acquires vehicle information including location information transmitted from each vehicle V (S702).

Next, the vehicle dispatch management device 10 refers to the road map information database 12b based on the desired boarding and disembarking locations indicated in the dispatch request, and determines the boarding and disembarking locations (boarding and disembarking locations) where the user will actually board and disembark (S703).

Next, the vehicle dispatch management device 10 extracts one or more candidate vehicles v according to the determined boarding or disembarking locations (S704). For example, the vehicle dispatch management device 10 extracts a vehicle V in operation near the boarding location as a candidate vehicle v. A vehicle V in operation is a vehicle that is waiting at a waiting location in a state where it can provide service, or is actually transporting passengers. This makes it possible, for example, to exclude a vehicle V that is located far away from the boarding or disembarking location from the candidate vehicles v, thereby reducing the number of route patterns to be derived.

Next, the vehicle dispatch management device 10 derives a route pattern for each extracted candidate vehicle v by referring to the road map information database 12b (S705). As described above, the route pattern indicates a route that passes through all of the previously determined boarding and alighting points (waypoints) when new boarding and alighting points are added to a route that passes through these points. Next, the vehicle dispatch management device 10 creates a vehicle dispatch plan based on the derived route pattern (S706). As described above, the route pattern can be expressed as a lattice structure of links/nodes (roads) and nodes (intersections). The vehicle dispatch plan includes a waiting location that serves as the starting point and an ending point for the route pattern, as well as the operating route. A new vehicle dispatch plan is created for vehicle V waiting at a waiting location. In addition, the vehicle dispatch plan for vehicle V operating according to an already set vehicle dispatch plan is updated based on the derived route pattern.

Next, the vehicle dispatch management device 10 narrows down the vehicle dispatch plans (candidate vehicles v) by excluding any vehicle dispatch plans that meet predetermined exclusion conditions from the created vehicle dispatch plans for candidate vehicles v (S707). For example, the vehicle dispatch management device 10 excludes any vehicle dispatch plans for candidate vehicles v whose cruising distance does not meet a predetermined threshold. This eliminates candidate vehicles v that do not satisfy the user's dispatch request. Furthermore, in the present disclosure, the vehicle dispatch management device 10 narrows down the vehicle dispatch plans by selecting candidate vehicles v that have vehicle performance that matches the route characteristics of the operating route based on the dispatch request. If multiple candidate vehicles v that have vehicle performance that matches the route characteristics are extracted, the vehicle dispatch management device 10 may select the candidate vehicle v with the lowest or lowest vehicle performance score.

Next, the vehicle dispatch management device 10 proposes the contents of the selected vehicle dispatch plan to the user (S708). That is, the vehicle dispatch management device 10 transmits the contents of the created current vehicle dispatch plan to the terminal device 20, and in response, the terminal device 20 displays the contents on the user interface and prompts the user to accept or reject the vehicle dispatch plan.

The vehicle dispatch management device 10 determines whether or not the proposed vehicle dispatch plan has been accepted by the user (S709). If the vehicle dispatch management device 10 accepts the proposed vehicle dispatch plan from the user (Yes in S709), the vehicle dispatch management device 10 confirms the current vehicle dispatch plan (S710). The vehicle dispatch management device 10 stores the confirmed vehicle dispatch plan in the vehicle dispatch plan database 12d. Next, the vehicle dispatch management device 10 transmits a notification of confirmation of the vehicle dispatch reservation to the terminal device 20 and transmits a dispatch instruction based on the vehicle dispatch plan to the vehicle V (S711).

In contrast, if the vehicle dispatch management device 10 receives a non-acceptance (rejection) from the user in response to the proposed vehicle dispatch plan (No in S709), it cancels the current vehicle dispatch plan based on the user's vehicle dispatch request (S710). In this case, the vehicle dispatch management device 10 returns the temporarily held vehicle dispatch plan used to recreate the vehicle dispatch plan to the original held vehicle dispatch plan. If the user desires a different vehicle dispatch service, they will make a new vehicle dispatch request.

Figure 8 is a flowchart for explaining an example of a vehicle dispatch management process by a vehicle dispatch management device according to one embodiment of the present invention. More specifically, this figure is a flowchart showing details of the vehicle dispatch plan narrowing process (S707) shown in Figure 7.

As shown in the figure, the vehicle dispatch management device 10 identifies the links/nodes that make up the operation route in the created vehicle dispatch plan based on the road map information associated with the route pattern derived by the driving route planning unit 150 (S801). Next, the vehicle dispatch management device 10 calculates a score based on the risk factor of each identified link/node, and determines the route characteristics of the operation route based on the calculated score (S802). The risk factor of each link/node is obtained based on the road map information associated with the route pattern derived by the driving route planning unit 150 and the road traffic information obtained from the road traffic information management system 30. In addition, the vehicle dispatch management device 10 may calculate the score based on meteorological information for the area.

Next, the vehicle dispatch management device 10 refers to the vehicle information database 12c, acquires vehicle information of the candidate vehicle v, and identifies the vehicle performance based on the attribute information, vehicle performance information, etc. contained therein (S803). For example, the vehicle performance of a vehicle V equipped with sensing functions such as a high-resolution image sensor and advanced object recognition functions will have a higher vehicle performance score than a vehicle V that does not.

Next, the vehicle dispatch management device 10 narrows down and selects candidate vehicles v that have vehicle performance that matches the determined route characteristics. Specifically, first, the vehicle dispatch management device 10 excludes candidate vehicles v that do not satisfy the traffic conditions of the links/nodes of the travel route (S804). In other words, if vehicle V cannot travel on roads with width or height restrictions on the travel route, it will not be able to travel to the destination in the first place, so the vehicle dispatch management device 10 excludes such vehicles V from the candidate vehicles v. Traffic conditions include, for example, road width and height restrictions, as well as weight restrictions and restrictions on turning radius at intersections, but are not limited to these. This makes it possible to prevent a vehicle V with vehicle attributes that are incompatible with the travel route from being assigned.

Next, the vehicle dispatch management device 10 refers to the vehicle performance requirement table and extracts candidate vehicles v that match the risk factors of the links/nodes on the travel route (S805). For example, in the vehicle performance requirement table shown in Figure 4, if the risk factor of the link/node is people running out into the road, candidate vehicles v are required to have sensing functions, object identification functions, automatic emergency braking functions, and automatic collision avoidance functions. Therefore, the vehicle dispatch management device 10 narrows down the candidate vehicles v to those that have these functions.

Next, the vehicle dispatch management device 10 determines whether there is only one narrowed-down candidate vehicle v (S806). If the vehicle dispatch management device 10 determines that there is only one narrowed-down candidate vehicle v (Yes in S806), the vehicle dispatch management device 10 selects the candidate vehicle v as the vehicle V to be proposed to the user (S807).

On the other hand, if the vehicle dispatch management device 10 determines that there is more than one narrowed-down candidate vehicle v (No in S806), it selects the candidate vehicle v with the lowest vehicle performance score (S808).

In this way, when the vehicle dispatch management device 10 receives a vehicle dispatch request from a user, it creates a vehicle dispatch plan for candidate vehicles v extracted in accordance with the vehicle dispatch request, determines the route characteristics of the operating route in the vehicle dispatch plan, acquires the vehicle performance of candidate vehicles V, selects candidate vehicles v with vehicle performance that matches the determined route characteristics as specific vehicles V, and proposes this vehicle dispatch plan to the user. As a result, the user is assigned a vehicle V with vehicle performance that matches the route characteristics, allowing the vehicle V to be operated safely and reliably, thereby improving the level of service (LoS).

The above embodiments are examples for explaining the present invention and are not intended to limit the present invention to these embodiments. The present invention can be implemented in various forms without departing from the spirit of the invention.

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

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

1... Vehicle dispatch management system 10... Vehicle dispatch management device 110... Front-end processing unit 120... Vehicle dispatch request acquisition unit 130... Boarding and disembarking location determination unit 140... Vehicle dispatch plan creation unit 141... Route characteristics determination unit 142... Vehicle performance identification unit 143... Vehicle selection unit 150... Travel route planning unit 160... Vehicle communication interface unit 161... Vehicle information acquisition unit 162... Vehicle dispatch instruction unit 12... Database 12a... User information database 12b... Road map information database 12c... Vehicle information database 12d... Vehicle dispatch plan database 12e... Operation history information database 20... Terminal device N... Communication network V... Vehicle 500, 500a, 500b... Control device 510... Position information acquisition unit 520... Communication unit 530... User interface unit 540... Travel route control unit 550... Navigation database

Claims (15)

A vehicle allocation management device that manages vehicle allocation in response to a vehicle allocation request,
a dispatch request acquisition unit that acquires a dispatch request indicating at least a desired boarding location;
a vehicle information database storing vehicle information associated with each of a plurality of vehicles, the vehicle information including information regarding vehicle performance;
an operation history information database that stores operation history information of each of the vehicles operated in accordance with the dispatch instruction;
a vehicle allocation plan creation unit that creates a vehicle allocation plan including at least a driving route for each of two or more candidate vehicles extracted from the plurality of vehicles based on the acquired vehicle allocation request, and determines the vehicle allocation plan for a specific vehicle selected from the created vehicle allocation plans;
a vehicle dispatch instruction unit that transmits the determined vehicle dispatch plan to the specific vehicle;
The vehicle dispatch plan creation unit
a route characteristic determination unit that determines route characteristics for the travel route;
a vehicle performance identification unit that identifies vehicle performance of the candidate vehicle based on the vehicle information stored in the vehicle information database;
a vehicle selection unit that selects the specific vehicle having the vehicle performance that matches the determined route characteristics,
the route characteristic determination unit determines the route characteristics based on risk factors of links/nodes in the travel route indicated by the travel history information stored in the travel history information database;
Vehicle dispatch management device. the vehicle selection unit, when there are a plurality of candidate vehicles having the vehicle performance that matches the route characteristics, selects the candidate vehicle having the lowest calculated score of the vehicle performance as the specific vehicle;
The vehicle dispatch control device according to claim 1 . the route characteristic determination unit determines a score of the route characteristic based on a risk factor of each link/node on the driving route regarding sudden braking and/or emergency braking indicated by the driving history information stored in the driving history information database;
The vehicle dispatch control device according to claim 1 . the route characteristic determination unit calculates a score of the risk factor for each of the links/nodes, and determines the score of the link/node with a higher risk factor as the score of the route characteristic;
The vehicle dispatch control device according to claim 1 . (delete) the route characteristic determination unit determines the route characteristics of the travel route based on the risk factors of the links/nodes indicated by road map information;
The vehicle dispatch control device according to claim 1 . the vehicle selection unit includes a vehicle performance requirement table indicating a relationship between the risk factors and the vehicle performance;
The vehicle dispatch control device according to claim 1 . In the vehicle performance requirement table, the vehicle performance is defined for each item of the risk factor.
The vehicle allocation management device according to claim 7. The items of the risk factors include at least one of pedestrian density, people rushing out, parked and stopped vehicles, falling objects, congestion, obstructions, poor visibility, time of day, road width, and number of lanes.
The vehicle dispatch control device according to claim 8. The vehicle performance includes at least one of an object detection function, an object recognition function, an automatic emergency braking function, an automatic collision avoidance function, and a vehicle-to-vehicle following function.
The vehicle dispatch control device according to claim 8. the vehicle selection unit selects the specific vehicle having the vehicle performance that matches the route characteristics in accordance with the vehicle performance requirement table.
The vehicle allocation management device according to claim 7. the vehicle selection unit selects the specific vehicle based on the risk factor of the link/node having the highest score of the risk factor among the links/nodes on the travel route;
The vehicle dispatch control device according to claim 2. the route characteristics determination unit determines the route characteristics based on road traffic information acquired from an external road traffic information management system;
The vehicle dispatch control device according to claim 1 . A vehicle allocation management method by a vehicle allocation management device that manages vehicle allocation in response to a vehicle allocation request,
storing vehicle information associated with each of a plurality of vehicles in a vehicle information database, the vehicle information including information regarding vehicle performance;
storing operation history information of each of the vehicles operated in accordance with the dispatch instruction in an operation history information database;
Acquiring a vehicle dispatch request indicating at least a desired boarding location from a user's terminal device;
creating a vehicle allocation plan including at least a driving route for each of two or more candidate vehicles extracted from the plurality of vehicles based on the acquired vehicle allocation request;
determining a vehicle dispatch plan for a specific vehicle selected from the created vehicle dispatch plans;
transmitting the determined dispatch plan to the specific vehicle;
Creating the vehicle dispatch plan includes:
determining route characteristics for the operation routes indicated by the vehicle dispatch plan;
Identifying the vehicle performance of the candidate vehicle based on the vehicle information stored in the vehicle information database;
selecting the candidate vehicle having the vehicle performance that matches the determined route characteristics as the specific vehicle;
determining the route characteristics includes determining the route characteristics based on risk factors of links/nodes in the driving route indicated by the driving history information stored in the driving history information database;
Vehicle allocation management method. A vehicle allocation management device that manages vehicle allocation in response to a vehicle allocation request,
a dispatch request acquisition unit that acquires a dispatch request indicating at least a desired boarding location;
a vehicle information database storing vehicle information associated with each of a plurality of vehicles, the vehicle information including information regarding vehicle performance;
a vehicle allocation plan creation unit that creates a vehicle allocation plan including at least a driving route for each of two or more candidate vehicles extracted from the plurality of vehicles based on the acquired vehicle allocation request, and determines the vehicle allocation plan for a specific vehicle selected from the created vehicle allocation plans;
a vehicle dispatch instruction unit that transmits the determined vehicle dispatch plan to the specific vehicle;
The vehicle dispatch plan creation unit
a route characteristic determination unit that determines route characteristics for the travel route;
a vehicle performance identification unit that identifies vehicle performance of the candidate vehicle based on the vehicle information stored in the vehicle information database;
a vehicle selection unit that selects the specific vehicle having the vehicle performance that matches the determined route characteristics,
the vehicle selection unit, when there are a plurality of candidate vehicles having the vehicle performance that matches the route characteristics, selects the candidate vehicle having the lowest calculated score of the vehicle performance as the specific vehicle;
Vehicle dispatch management device.