JP4548977B2 - Demand vehicle management device - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a demand vehicle management apparatus that performs operation management of a vehicle operated in response to a user's request (demand).
[0002]
[Prior art]
The demand operation of a passenger vehicle is changing from one that operates on a predetermined route according to a user's request (demand) to a full demand system that operates an arbitrary route according to the user's request. A prior example of a full-demand vehicle operation system described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 10-241091 (hereinafter referred to as the first prior document) is a request from a user for an operation route of a large number of passenger-type vehicles, for example, vans. Therefore, on-demand transportation is realized by creating and updating in accordance with a change request from a passenger on board and traffic conditions. A request from the user including the boarding point, the desired boarding time, the destination, and the desired destination arrival time is sent to the routing unit, and the optimum operation route is determined.
[0003]
In Matsushita Technical Journal, Vol.46, No.4 (Aug.2000), pp.105-113 (hereinafter referred to as the second prior document), it is used as an alternative route for multi-way buses in mountainous areas. The demand bus system is described. This system regenerates the optimal route every time a request is generated in accordance with the bus usage request via the terminal device, personal computer, and operator provided at the bus route stop and various facilities. The operation command is output to the middle or standby bus.
[0004]
And the calculation of the optimal route in the system described in the second prior document is IPSJ, Intelligent Transportation System 4-2 (2001.3.2), pp.7-12 (hereinafter referred to as the third prior document). As described in, the bus travel time, the difference between the bus travel time and the shortest travel time for each user, the delay time and early arrival time for the desired travel time, the delay time for the desired travel time (only in special cases) A target cost function with the parameter as a parameter is obtained, and an operation route that minimizes the value of this function is instructed to the bus.
At that time, in order to obtain an optimal solution, the tabu search method is used to reduce the calculation time.
[0005]
As described above, in the full-demand vehicle operation management system as described above, it is necessary to find the optimum vehicle operation route in a short time in response to the user's request, and after receiving the reservation application, reply as much as possible at the time of application It is necessary to operate as it is. However, since there are new usage requests at any time after acceptance of the application, it is not easy to operate as answered at the time of application, and the conventional system has not always obtained a satisfactory result.
[0006]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and even if a demand request for a demand vehicle is added at any time, fluctuations in the use contents of a user who has received a use request are avoided as much as possible, and the satisfaction of the user is improved. A demand vehicle management apparatus capable of performing operation management is provided.
[0007]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
The demand vehicle management device according to the present invention performs operation management of one or a plurality of vehicles, and is an input to which at least use request information of the vehicle and operation status information including operation position information of the vehicle are input. A storage unit for storing the vehicle operation possible route information, and the vehicle operation management information including the input operation status information, at least reply information to the use request information, and the vehicle operation instruction An output unit that outputs operation instruction information including a route; and a control unit that creates the answer information and the operation instruction information using the use request information, the operable route information, and the operation management information. The operation management information includes answered information on the estimated arrival time of the use start point for each vehicle and for each user who has received a use request, and the control unit receives the information when the use request information is input. When creating the information and the operation instruction information, is to utilize a cost function that includes a change from the answers already information of the use starting point of their estimated time of arrival as a parameter.
[0008]
Further, the demand vehicle management apparatus of the present invention further includes, as the operation management information, reply information on the estimated arrival time of the use end point for each vehicle and each use request accepted user, and the control unit includes: When creating the response information and the operation instruction information when the usage request information is input, fluctuations from the response completion information of the use start point arrival time and delays from the response end information of the use end point arrival time A cost function included as a parameter is used.
[0009]
In the demand vehicle management device of the present invention, the input unit receives user reservation confirmation information for the answer information, and the control unit does not wait for input of the use reservation confirmation information. The creation of response information for the use request information from the user is started. With such a configuration, it is possible to avoid delays in responses to continuous use requests.
[0010]
The vehicle use request information in the demand vehicle management apparatus of the present invention can be input using a portable terminal.
[0011]
Further, the portable terminal in the demand vehicle management apparatus of the present invention has a position detecting function, and user desired use start point information is generated based on the posted position information. With such a configuration, it is possible to easily input the usage request information.
[0012]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
[0013]
FIG. 1 shows a schematic configuration of a vehicle management system including a demand vehicle management apparatus of the present invention. The system in FIG. 1 includes a terminal device 2 used by a user of a demand vehicle, an in-vehicle device 3 mounted on each operated vehicle, and a demand vehicle management device 1 that manages operation of one or a plurality of vehicles. It is configured, and data can be transmitted and received between the terminal device 2 and the demand vehicle management device 1 and between the in-vehicle device 3 and the demand vehicle management device 1 via the network 4. In FIG. 1, only one terminal device 2 and in-vehicle device 3 are described, but normally, a plurality of terminal devices 2 are provided, and as many in-vehicle devices 3 as the number of operating vehicles are provided. Further, although the network 4 is described as the transmission / reception path, it is not necessary to be the same network, and data transmission / reception may be performed via a plurality of networks. The transmission / reception path may be a wired communication path or a wireless communication path, but at least transmission / reception with the in-vehicle device 3 is performed via the wireless communication path.
[0014]
The demand vehicle management device 1 receives a request for use (demand) of an operating vehicle from a user, creates an operation plan according to the request, and outputs operation instruction information to each vehicle. The control unit 11, the storage unit 12, the operation terminal part 13 and the communication part 14 are comprised. The control part 11 controls operation | movement of the demand vehicle management apparatus 1 whole containing the preparation process of an operation plan. The storage unit 12 stores at least operable route information including map information of an area where the vehicle is operated and vehicle operation management information, and these pieces of information are used for creating an operation plan and managing the vehicle. The The operation terminal unit 13 is used for an operator's input operation including an input of a use request received from a user by telephone or FAX. The communication unit 14 transmits and receives data to and from the terminal device 2 and the in-vehicle device 3 via the network 4.
[0015]
Next, the operable route information of the vehicle and the operation management information stored in the storage unit 12 will be described. FIG. 2 schematically shows an example of a route on which the vehicle can operate, and the route between the stop points A to G is stored and managed in a directed graph format. And the standard operation time of the paths 1-20 of each stop possible point AG is managed in a format as shown in FIG. In FIG. 2, for example, “10 (9)” indicates that the standard operation time of the path 10 from the point B to the point C is 9 minutes. The route information shown in FIG. 2 and the standard operation time information shown in FIG. 3 are created for each operating vehicle or for each vehicle type such as a bus, a passenger car, a wagon car, and the like. Moreover, as needed, the thing which changes according to operation date and time, for example, standard operation time information for every operation time zone and every day of the week is prepared.
[0016]
FIG. 4 shows an example of the storage format of operation management information, which is created for each operating vehicle, and is received from the operating vehicle type, operating time, current driving position, capacity, boarding personnel, operation instruction route, and user. Include demand list items. In the item of the type of the operating vehicle, information on the type of the operating vehicle, for example, information on a bus, a passenger car, a wagon car, and the like is stored. In the operation time item, a time zone in which each vehicle can operate continuously is stored. This time zone is preferably determined in relation to the working hours of the crew. In the item of the current travel position, the travel position information of the vehicle includes, for example, the point D and the point D arrival time, between the point D and the point C (DC), and the point C departure based on the stoppable point in FIG. It is stored as time. Here, as the point information, absolute coordinates such as latitude and longitude may be used. In the capacity item, the number of passengers that can be boarded except for the crew of the vehicle is stored, and in the passenger number item, the number of passengers at that time is stored. In the operation instruction route item, the latest operation instruction route information is stored. At that time, it is preferable to add stop stop point information together with scheduled stop time information.
[0017]
The item of the demand list stores the contents of the demand received from the user and assigned to the vehicle. The contents of the demand include a boarding place, a desired boarding time, a boarding response time, a completion flag, a getting-off place, a desired getting-off time, a getting-off answer time, a completion flag, a user, and a special request. Here, the boarding answer time and the boarding answer time are stored when time information on the scheduled boarding place and the scheduled boarding time is returned in response to the user's use request. The completion flag is turned on when the vehicle arrives at the requested point and gets on or off the vehicle as scheduled.
[0018]
Special requests are for passengers gathered on demand, such as when commuting to and from a commuting school, school buses, nursing buses or buses to airports from multiple hotels. It is stored for operations that are bundled and transported to one or a plurality of destinations, and is generally used to create an operation plan that does not allow delays to the desired arrival time. As for the change of crew, etc., an operation plan that does not exceed working hours can be created by adding a special demand demand.
[0019]
The operation management information is created for each vehicle and for each operation time, and every time a new demand is input, the operation management information of the available vehicle is referred to and used to create response information. This new demand is added to the demand list of the allocated vehicle in response to confirmation or selection from the user with respect to the answer information. In addition, the current travel position, the number of passengers, and the completion flag are updated each time vehicle operation status information is input from the in-vehicle device 3.
[0020]
The schematic configuration of the demand vehicle management apparatus 1 has been described above. Specifically, the demand vehicle management apparatus 1 is realized by one or a plurality of computers in which a predetermined program is installed. When using a plurality of computers, how to share the functions is arbitrary. Further, all the computers may be connected to the network 4 or only some of the computers may be connected.
[0021]
The in-vehicle device 3 is mounted on each vehicle, receives operation instruction information from the demand vehicle management device 1 and presents it to the crew, and transmits the operation status of the vehicle to the demand vehicle management device 1, as shown in FIG. It has the schematic structure shown. 5 includes a position detection unit 31, a control unit 32, an operation unit 33, a communication unit 34, a storage unit 35, and a display unit 36.
[0022]
The position detection unit 31 detects a traveling position of the vehicle, and for example, a GPS device is used. The control unit 32 controls the entire in-vehicle device 3. The operation unit 33 is provided for operation by a crew member, and displays operation instruction information from the demand vehicle management device 1 on the display unit 36, or inputs vehicle operation status, for example, passenger information. . It is also used for crew members to input request information for users without reservations. The communication unit 34 transmits and receives data to and from the demand vehicle management apparatus 1 via the network 4. The storage unit 35 stores vehicle operation status information and operation instruction information. The operation status information includes information such as current travel position information, travel direction information, and passengers of the vehicle. The operation instruction information includes operation route information, stop point information, scheduled stop time information at the stop point, and passenger information. The display unit 36 is used for displaying instruction information for the crew, displaying input support information by the operation unit 33, and the like. The user display unit 37 for users inside and outside the vehicle is added to the inside or outside of the vehicle as necessary. The operation route information and the destination information are displayed to the user who performs the operation.
[0023]
The terminal device 2 is used for user demand input, a dedicated terminal installed near the planned stop point, a kiosk terminal provided in various facilities in the operation area, a computer connectable to a network such as the Internet, Mobile terminals such as mobile phones can be used. The demand input is preferably input according to the input support screen displayed on the terminal device 2. The input support screen can be displayed by selecting a menu in the case of a dedicated terminal and a kiosk terminal, and can be displayed by accessing a WEB page for demand input in the case of a computer and a mobile phone that can be connected to a network. . Also, the terminal device 2 is sent and displayed with reply information to the user's demand, and can make a reservation for boarding after confirmation or selection by the user.
[0024]
Next, the operation at the time of using this system will be described using the schematic operation flow of FIG.
In step 601, the user's demand is input. The demand is input from the terminal device 2 or the operation terminal unit 13. In addition, demand information of a user who has boarded without reservation is input from the operation unit 33 of the in-vehicle device 3, but can be input from the operation terminal unit 13 by contacting the operator with a mobile phone or the like. As the demand information, it is possible to input information regarding the desired vehicle type, desired location, desired time of getting on, desired location of getting off, desired time of getting off, desired number of people to get on, and special requests, but it is not necessary to input all information. In addition, when using a dedicated terminal, kiosk terminal, or portable terminal with position detection function (such as GPS), if the boarding position is not entered, the terminal position is automatically entered as the desired boarding position. When a train is specified at the time of request, the desired get-off time is automatically input. About the request item which was not input, the production | generation process of an optimal operation plan is performed as arbitrary things at the time of reply information creation.
[0025]
The stop points A to G described in FIG. 2 are designated for the convenience of management of operation management information, and do not limit the boarding / departing points of the vehicle, and it is possible to get on and off in the middle of each pass. is there.
[0026]
The input demand information is sent to the demand vehicle management apparatus in step 602, and answer information for the demand is created (step 603). The reply information is created by generating optimum route information using the optimum vehicle using the sent demand information, the operable route information and the operation management information stored in the storage unit 12. The answer information may include a plurality of pieces of route information as well as the optimum one.
[0027]
The selection of the optimum vehicle is performed by referring to the operation management information of each vehicle and searching for a vehicle that meets the conditions such as the desired vehicle type, the operation time, the current travel position, the capacity, and the number of demands. The optimum vehicle may include a plurality of candidate vehicles as well as one.
[0028]
In the optimal route information generation process, route candidates that satisfy the desired requirements are selected for each optimal vehicle that satisfies the conditions such as delay allowance time, early arrival allowance time, U-turn prohibition, etc. already set individually at the stop point. Next, it is performed by selecting a route function having a minimum cost function from among the generated route candidates. At this time, the following function F is used as a cost function to be used. The allowable delay time is set to zero or a negative value, particularly in a railway station, other buses, park and bus light implementation points, event venues, etc., because no delay is allowed.
[0029]
F = αΣ (travel time for each path) + Σβ (ride time-shortest time) + Σγ (delay time) + Σδ (early arrival time) + εΣ | scheduled time - the answer already getting off place of their estimated time of arrival | ₊
[0030]
However, α, β, γ, δ, ε, and η are weighting factors, and are set in advance for each vehicle or each vehicle type. A plurality may be prepared according to demand. In particular, it is preferable to use different coefficients for demands including special requirements.
[0031]
Next, the definition of each term of the function will be described. The first term is the total traveling time of all paths included in the vehicle operation route. The second term is the sum of the differences between the user's boarding time and the shortest travel time between the boarding place and the boarding place for each demand. That is, the extra boarding time for the user is taken into consideration. The third term is the sum total of the delay of the vehicle with respect to the user's desired ride time and the desired get-off time. The delay with respect to the desired departure time in this section can be considered only in the case of special requests such as train connection. The fourth term is the sum total of the early arrival time of the vehicle with respect to the user's desired boarding time and getting-off time. The delay with respect to the desired departure time in this section may not be taken into consideration.
[0032]
The fifth and sixth terms are terms added in the present invention, the fifth term indicates the sum of the fluctuations in the arrival time of the boarding location of the answered demand, and the sixth term is the getting off of the answered demand. Shows the total sum of the arrival time delays. | Departure arrival time-Answered estimated arrival time | ₊ is the absolute value if (Exit expected arrival time-Answered estimated arrival time) is positive. Means 0. Item 5 and Item 6 can be used to increase the cost when the reserved user greatly fluctuates from the scheduled boarding time and the scheduled boarding time presented at the time of booking. This is to improve the user's satisfaction by selecting a route. The sixth term can be omitted.
[0033]
The calculation of the cost function described above may be performed for all paths, but in order to reduce the calculation time, it is preferable to employ the method described in the third prior document. Further, the first term of the function F is Σα (operating time of each vehicle), that is, the sum of all operating times for each vehicle (in this case, α is determined for each vehicle), and the cost related to the operating time of the entire system is calculated. It may be a function that takes into account.
[0034]
Returning to FIG. 6 again, in step 603, reply information for the user is created using the optimum route information obtained as described above. As for the reply information, only one optimal answer may be presented to the user for reservation confirmation, or a plurality of reply information may be presented for selection. In step 604, the created answer information is output to the user. The response information is output to a display unit (not shown) of the terminal device 2 in the case of demand input using the terminal device 2, and in the case of the in-vehicle device 3, the display unit 36 in the in-vehicle device 3. To be done. In the case of demand input via an operator by telephone, FAX, etc., it is displayed on the display unit of the operation terminal unit 13 and is notified to the user via the operator. When the user confirms or selects in step 605, confirmation / selection information is transmitted (step 606), and operation instruction information is created (step 607). Then, the generated operation instruction information is transmitted to the in-vehicle device 3 (step 609), and final answer information based on the operation instruction information is transmitted to the user (step 608). Note that step 608 can be omitted when only checking the answer information. In the case of demand input from the vehicle-mounted device 3, steps 603 to 606 can be saved.
[0035]
And the vehicle equipment 3 updates the operation information of the memory | storage part 35 based on the received operation instruction information. Therefore, the vehicle in which the operation instruction information is updated is operated along the updated route, and operation according to a request for a new demand is possible.
[0036]
7 and 8 show an example of the operation management information stored in the storage unit 12 of the demand vehicle management device 1. The demand vehicle management device 1 manages vehicles operating in the area shown in FIG. FIG. 7 shows operation management information when demand 1 is received and demand 2 is confirmed after reservation confirmation. As a result of considering the fifth term of the cost function, it can be understood that the boarding answer time for demand 2 is delayed from the boarding desired time. FIG. 8 shows operation management information when the demand 3 is received after the user of the demand 2 gets on the point A. In this example, as a result of considering the sixth term of the cost function, it can be understood that the boarding answer time for demand 2 is delayed from the boarding desired time.
[0037]
As described above, full-demand operation management requires the user to obtain an optimum route for demand as needed. Therefore, when demand is continuously input, an answer to one demand may be delayed. In order to eliminate such an inconvenience, the present invention can also be configured to start the creation of response information from other users without waiting for the input of use reservation confirmation information when demand input continues. It is.
[0038]
FIG. 9 is a schematic operation flowchart for performing such processing. In FIG. 9, demand a is input from the terminal device a (step 901), reply information a for the demand a is transmitted (step 904), and the demand b from the terminal device b is received while waiting for confirmation. The operation in the case of (Step 906) is shown.
[0039]
In this case, if an answer creation process for the demand b is performed after waiting for an answer to the demand a, the answer is delayed. Therefore, the answer creation process is performed on the assumption that the demand a is accepted (step 907). Then, during or after the answer creation, even if there is a cancel input for the demand a (step 909), the created reply information b is transmitted to the demand b (step 911). In addition, the operation instruction information a for the demand a is also generated regardless of the presence or absence of cancellation (step 912), and is transmitted to the in-vehicle device x (step 912).
[0040]
Thereafter, when confirmation information for the response information b of the demand b is input from the terminal device b (step 915), similarly, operation instruction information b is created (step 916) and transmitted to the in-vehicle device x (step 917). ), The operation information of the vehicle-mounted device x is updated (step 918).
[0041]
If the processing as described above is performed, transmission of the response information is not delayed even if the demand continues. When the previous demand is canceled as in the example of FIG. 9, the operating vehicle may move uselessly, but when the cancellation rate is taken into account, this is not a big problem. In addition, when performing operation management for a plurality of vehicles, since the answer information is not necessarily related to the same vehicle, the probability that useless movement is instructed is further reduced. For example, in the example of FIG. 9, if the response information for the demand b is not for the vehicle-mounted device x (vehicle x), there is a problem even if the operation information of the vehicle-mounted device x is not updated when the demand a is canceled. Does not occur. Therefore, when the cancel information of demand a is received in step 909 of FIG. 9, the response information already sent and waiting for confirmation (in this example, reply information b) is confirmed and matched with the target vehicle of reply information a. Only in such a case, the operation instruction information a may be created and the operation information may be updated.
[0042]
In addition, in the demand vehicle management system demonstrated above, it can utilize not only for a user's own movement but for conveyance of articles | goods. In that case, the same operation management can be performed by inputting information of articles to be transported instead of inputting the number of passengers at the time of use request input.
[0043]
【The invention's effect】
As is apparent from the above description, according to the present invention, even when demand requests for demand vehicles are added at any time, fluctuations in the use contents of users who have received use requests are avoided as much as possible, and user satisfaction is improved. It is possible to manage the operation.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a vehicle management system including a demand vehicle management apparatus according to the present invention. FIG. 2 is a diagram schematically showing an example of a route on which a vehicle can be operated. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a storage format of operation management information. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of an in-vehicle device. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a schematic operation flow when using this system. [Figure 8] Diagram showing an example of operation management information [Fig. 8] Diagram showing another example of operation management information [Fig. 9] Diagram showing schematic operation flow during continuous demand input [Explanation of symbols]
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Demand vehicle management apparatus 2 ... Terminal device 3 ... Vehicle equipment 4 ... Network 11 ... Control part 12 ... Memory | storage part 13 ... Operation terminal part 14 ... Communication part 31 ... Position detection unit 32 ... Control unit 33 ... Operation unit 34 ... Communication unit 35 ... Storage unit 36 ... Display unit 37 ... User display unit

Claims (5)

A demand vehicle management device that manages operation of one or more vehicles,
An input unit for inputting at least use request information of the vehicle and operation status information including operation position information of the vehicle;
A storage unit for storing the operable route information of the vehicle and the operation management information of the vehicle including the input operation status information;
An output unit that outputs at least reply information to the use request information, and operation instruction information including an operation instruction route of the vehicle;
Using the use request information, the operable route information, and the operation management information, the control unit that creates the answer information and the operation instruction information,
The operation management information includes use start point arrival scheduled time information for each vehicle and each use request accepted user,
The control unit uses a cost function including, as a parameter, a change from the use start point arrival scheduled time information when creating the answer information and the operation instruction information when the use request information is input. apparatus. The demand vehicle management device according to claim 1,
The operation management information further includes use end point estimated arrival time information for each vehicle and use request accepted user,
When creating the response information and the operation instruction information when the usage request information is input, the control unit sets a parameter from a change from the scheduled use arrival point arrival time information and a delay from the scheduled use end point arrival time information. A demand vehicle management device that uses a cost function included as: The demand vehicle management device according to claim 1 or 2,
In the input unit, reservation confirmation information of a user for the answer information is input,
The said control part is a demand vehicle management apparatus which starts the production | generation of the reply information with respect to the said usage request information from another user, without waiting for the input of usage reservation confirmation information. The demand vehicle management device according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
The demand vehicle management apparatus, wherein the vehicle use request information is input using a mobile terminal. The demand vehicle management device according to claim 4,
The mobile terminal has a position detection function, and a demand vehicle management apparatus that generates user desired use start point information based on posted position information.

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