JP7489259B2 - Boarding and alighting assistance device and boarding and alighting assistance method - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a boarding and alighting assistance device and a boarding and alighting assistance method.

Patent Document 1 discloses a parking assistance device that can easily park a vehicle in a position where a physically disabled person can disembark more comfortably. When a physically disabled person is in the vehicle, this parking assistance device parks the vehicle in a position that provides a larger disembarking space on the side of the vehicle where the physically disabled person can disembark, compared to when the physically disabled person is not in the vehicle.

JP 2018-127154 A

However, the conventional parking assistance device described above is designed to accommodate a disabled person getting out of a vehicle parked in a parking lot (space where parking is available), and does not accommodate a disabled person getting on or off a dispatch vehicle such as a taxi parked on the roadway. If the boarding and alighting space on the side of the vehicle is set large when a disabled person gets on or off a vehicle parked on the roadway, the distance between the side of the parked vehicle and the boundary between the sidewalk and the roadway becomes wide. This means that light vehicles such as bicycles and motorcycles may invade the boarding and alighting space when attempting to pass through it.

The present invention was made in consideration of the above problems, and its purpose is to provide an entry/exit assistance device and an entry/exit assistance method that can prevent light vehicles from passing through a boarding/exit space when a vehicle with a large boarding/exit space is parked on a roadway.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, a boarding and alighting assistance device according to one aspect of the present invention includes a computer that controls the stopping position of a dispatched vehicle dispatched in response to a dispatch request when a passenger gets on and off the dispatched vehicle. The computer of this boarding and alighting assistance device acquires data indicating that the passengers include a physically disabled person, and sets as the boarding and alighting position of the dispatched vehicle a position that makes the boarding and alighting space provided for passengers getting on and off from the boundary between the roadway and the sidewalk to the sidewalk side of the dispatched vehicle larger than when the passengers do not include a physically disabled person. Then, the computer identifies a support vehicle that is a vehicle different from the dispatched vehicle, sets a position in front of or behind the boarding and alighting space as a target stopping position of the support vehicle, transmits the boarding and alighting position to the dispatched vehicle, and transmits the target stopping position to the support vehicle.

According to the present invention, when a vehicle with a large boarding and disembarking space is parked on the roadway, it is possible to prevent light vehicles from passing through the boarding and disembarking space.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a vehicle dispatch system including a boarding/exiting assistance device according to a first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining the boarding/alighting spaces, the boarding/alighting positions, and the target stopping positions of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure for boarding and alighting assistance by the boarding and alighting assistance device according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure for identifying an assistance vehicle by the boarding/exiting assistance device according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of a vehicle allocation proposal created by the boarding and alighting assistance device according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure for boarding and alighting assistance by the boarding and alighting assistance device according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

[First embodiment]
A first embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. In the description of the drawings, the same parts are given the same reference numerals and the description will be omitted.

[Example of vehicle dispatch system configuration]
A configuration example of a vehicle dispatch system including an entry/exit assistance device according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 1. The vehicle dispatch system 10 according to the present embodiment is a system that dispatches a vehicle in response to a vehicle dispatch request made by a user to dispatch a vehicle.

The vehicle dispatch system 10 is mainly composed of a server 20, a dispatch vehicle 40, a support vehicle 50, and a user terminal 60 owned by a user of the vehicle dispatch service provided by the vehicle dispatch system 10. In this embodiment, the boarding and disembarking support device 24 is mounted on the server 20.

The server 20 communicates with the dispatch vehicle 40, the support vehicle 50, and the user terminal 60 via a wireless or wired network. The network may be, for example, the Internet, or may utilize a mobile communication function such as 4G/LTE or 5G.

The server 20 is a controller (information processing unit) that performs processing for dispatching vehicles in response to dispatch requests sent from the user terminal 60 (called "vehicle dispatch processing"), and processing for assisting occupants in getting on and off when the occupants of the dispatch vehicle 40 include a physically disabled person (called "boarding and alighting assistance processing"). The installation location of the server 20 is not particularly limited, but for example, the server 20 is installed in the management center of the operator that operates the dispatch vehicle 40 and the assistance vehicle 50. The server 20 is a computer that includes a communication device 21, a storage device 22, and a microprocessor. Of the information processing functions and arithmetic processing functions of the microprocessor, the function related to the vehicle dispatch processing is called the vehicle dispatch device 23, and the function related to the boarding and alighting assistance processing is called the boarding and alighting assistance device 24.

The communication device 21 is implemented as hardware such as a network adapter, various communication software, or a combination of these, and is configured to realize wired or wireless communication via a network, etc.

The communication device 21 communicates with the dispatch vehicle 40, the support vehicle 50, the candidate support vehicle 54, and the user terminal 60 via a network. The communication device 21 may be, for example, a device equipped with a mobile communication function such as 4G/LTE, or may be a device equipped with a Wi-Fi (registered trademark) communication function.

The storage device 22 stores various information and databases necessary for the vehicle dispatch service. For example, the storage device 22 stores a dispatch plan for the dispatch vehicle 40 created by the dispatch device 23. The storage device 22 also stores a map database that holds map information for calculating the driving route of the dispatch vehicle 40, a vehicle database that manages vehicle information acquired from the dispatch vehicle 40, a user database that manages user information acquired from the user terminal 60, and the like.

[Configuration of the vehicle dispatch device]
The dispatch device 23 refers to a function related to dispatch processing among the information processing functions and arithmetic processing functions of the microprocessor of the server 20. The dispatch device 23 acquires a dispatch request received from the user terminal 60, acquires vehicle information from the vehicle database, and determines the dispatch vehicle 40 to be dispatched to the user based on the acquired information. The dispatch request includes at least information on the boarding and disembarking points desired by the user. The dispatch request may also include information on whether the passengers include a physically disabled person. The dispatch device 23 reads various computer programs stored in a memory (not shown in FIG. 1) or the like, and executes various commands included in the programs.

The dispatch device 23 creates a dispatch plan for the dispatch vehicle 40 and calculates the driving route of the dispatch vehicle 40. The dispatch plan includes the user's boarding and alighting points, the scheduled stopping times for the dispatch vehicle 40 to stop at the boarding and alighting points, etc. The dispatch device 23 transmits the created dispatch plan and the calculated driving route to the dispatch vehicle 40, and transmits the dispatch plan of the dispatch vehicle 40 to the user terminal 60 carried by the user of the dispatch vehicle 40.

[Configuration of boarding/alighting assistance device]
The boarding and alighting assistance device 24 refers to a function related to boarding and alighting assistance processing among the information processing functions and arithmetic processing functions of the microprocessor of the server 20. The boarding and alighting assistance device 24 performs processing for controlling the stopping position of the dispatched vehicle 40 when a passenger gets on or off the dispatched vehicle 40 dispatched in response to a dispatch request.

When the occupants of the dispatch vehicle 40 include a physically disabled person, the boarding and alighting assistance device 24 sets the stopping position of the dispatch vehicle 40 when it stops on the roadway. In addition, when the occupants of the dispatch vehicle 40 include a physically disabled person, the boarding and alighting assistance device 24 identifies a support vehicle 50 for assisting the occupants of the dispatch vehicle 40 in getting on and off, and sets the stopping position of the identified support vehicle 50.

The boarding/alighting assistance device 24 reads various computer programs stored in a memory (not shown in FIG. 1) and executes various commands contained in the programs. By executing the programs, the boarding/alighting assistance device 24 realizes the functions related to boarding/alighting assistance processing, among the multiple functions provided by the server 20.

The boarding/alighting assistance device 24 includes an information acquisition unit 241, a boarding/alighting position setting unit 242, an assistance vehicle identification unit 243, a target stopping position setting unit 244, and a transmission unit 245.

In this embodiment, an example is shown in which multiple information processing circuits equipped in the server 20 are realized by software installed on a general-purpose computer, but it is of course possible to configure the information processing circuits by preparing dedicated hardware for executing each information process described below. In addition, the boarding and alighting assistance device 24 may be configured as an individual server different from the server 20. In addition, the boarding and alighting assistance device 24 may be mounted on the dispatch vehicle 40.

The information acquisition unit 241 acquires information on the occupants of the dispatch vehicle 40 based on the dispatch request, and determines whether the occupants of the dispatch vehicle 40 include a physically disabled person. The information acquisition unit 241, for example, refers to a user database to acquire user information registered in advance by the user who sent the dispatch request. The user information includes information indicating that the user is physically disabled, such as the disability certificate number. The user information may also include information such as whether or not the user uses a wheelchair. The information acquisition unit 241 may also acquire information indicating that the occupants of the dispatch vehicle 40 include a physically disabled person from the dispatch request or a sensor such as a camera mounted on the dispatch vehicle 40. Alternatively, the user may declare that the occupants include a physically disabled person when sending a dispatch request.

The boarding/alighting position setting unit 242 sets the stopping position of the dispatch vehicle 40 as the boarding/alighting position P4 when the occupants of the dispatch vehicle 40 include a physically disabled person. The method of setting the boarding/alighting position P4 will be described with reference to FIG. 2.

In FIG. 2, when the occupants of the dispatch vehicle 40 include a physically disabled person using a wheelchair, the dispatch vehicle 40 stops on the roadway to allow the occupants to board and disembark. At this time, in order for the physically disabled person using a wheelchair to board and disembark smoothly, it is necessary to secure a sufficient boarding and disembarking space A from the boundary between the roadway and the sidewalk to the side of the dispatch vehicle 40 facing the sidewalk.

Therefore, the dispatch vehicle 40 needs to stop at a position that makes the boarding and alighting space A larger than when there is no disabled person among the occupants of the dispatch vehicle 40. In order to ensure sufficient boarding and alighting space A, the boarding and alighting position setting unit 242 sets a position where the distance from the boundary between the roadway and the sidewalk to the sidewalk side of the dispatch vehicle 40 is distance Da as the boarding and alighting position P4 of the dispatch vehicle 40. Distance Da (width of boarding and alighting space A) is set to be longer than the overall length of the wheelchair. Distance Da is set to 1.2 m, for example.

When the dispatch vehicle 40 stops at the boarding/disembarking position P4, a light vehicle 70 such as a bicycle or motorcycle may attempt to pass through the boarding/disembarking space A and enter the boarding/disembarking space A. The boarding/disembarking assistance device 24 then identifies the assistance vehicle 50 from among the dispatch vehicles (hereinafter referred to as "other vehicles") other than the dispatch vehicle 40 managed by the dispatch system 10, and performs processing to stop the assistance vehicle 50 in front of or behind the boarding/disembarking space A.

When the occupants of the dispatch vehicle 40 include a physically disabled person, the support vehicle identification unit 243 identifies a support vehicle 50 for supporting the occupants of the dispatch vehicle 40 in getting on and off. The support vehicle identification unit 243 identifies another vehicle that has a vehicle width that can block the boarding and disembarking space A as the support vehicle 50. The specific processing content by which the support vehicle identification unit 243 identifies the support vehicle 50 will be described later with reference to FIG. 4.

The target stopping position setting unit 244 sets the stopping position of the support vehicle 50 to the target stopping position P5. As shown in FIG. 2, the target stopping position P5 is set to a position behind the boarding/disembarking space A where the support vehicle 50 stops so as to block the boarding/disembarking space A. Note that, although the target stopping position P5 is set to a position behind the boarding/disembarking space A in FIG. 2, the target stopping position setting unit 244 may also set the target stopping position P5 to a position in front of the boarding/disembarking space A where the support vehicle 50 stops so as to block the boarding/disembarking space A.

The target stopping position setting unit 244 sets the target stopping position P5 at a position where the distance from the boundary between the roadway and the sidewalk to the sidewalk side of the support vehicle 50 is distance Db. Distance Db is set to a length shorter than distance Da and capable of preventing a light vehicle from entering the boarding and disembarking space A. Distance Db is set to, for example, 0.3 m. The target stopping position setting unit 244 sets the target stopping position P5 by prioritizing the rear of the boarding and disembarking space A over the front. When it is difficult to stop the support vehicle 50 behind the boarding and disembarking space A, for example, when the rear of the boarding and disembarking space A is a no-stopping space, the target stopping position setting unit 244 sets the target stopping position P5 to the front of the boarding and disembarking space A. Note that when the support vehicle 50 is stopped behind the boarding and disembarking space A, it is desirable that the distance from the front end of the support vehicle 50 to the rear end of the dispatch vehicle 40 is, for example, 0.5 m to 2.0 m. This prevents light vehicles from entering the boarding and disembarking space A.

The transmission unit 245 transmits information necessary for boarding and disembarking support of the dispatch vehicle 40 to the dispatch vehicle 40, the support vehicle 50, and the user terminal 60 via the communication device 21. For example, the transmission unit 245 transmits information on the boarding and disembarking position P4 to the dispatch vehicle 40. For example, the transmission unit 245 transmits information on the dispatch plan, the driving route, and the target stopping position P5 to the support vehicle 50. For example, the transmission unit 245 transmits a dispatch proposal for the support vehicle candidate 54 to the user terminal 60 carried by the user of the support vehicle candidate 54. The dispatch proposal will be described later with reference to FIG. 5.

[Vehicle configuration]
The dispatch vehicle 40 is a vehicle that provides a means of transportation to a destination (user's destination) specified by a user, and may be a manually-driven vehicle in which a driver rides and performs all or most of the driving operations, or may be an autonomous vehicle that runs autonomously regardless of the presence or absence of a driver. It is assumed that a plurality of dispatch vehicles are registered in the dispatch system 10. In the first embodiment, the dispatch vehicle 40 will be described as an autonomous vehicle without a driver.

The dispatch vehicle 40 is equipped with a communication device 41, a vehicle ECU (Electronic Control Unit) 42, and a GPS receiver 43.

The communication device 41 has a configuration similar to that of the communication device 21, the communication device 51, and the communication device 61, and communicates with the server 20 via a network. The communication device 41 acquires predetermined information, such as a vehicle dispatch plan, a travel route, and a boarding/alighting position P4, from the server 20. The communication device 41 transmits predetermined information, such as vehicle information and position information acquired by the GPS receiver 43, to the server 20.

The vehicle ECU 42 is a computer for controlling the driving of the dispatch vehicle 40. The vehicle ECU 42 controls various actuators (e.g., brake actuator, accelerator actuator, steering actuator, etc.) based on commands from the server 20.

[Support vehicle configuration]
When the occupants of the dispatch vehicle 40 include a physically disabled person, the support vehicle 50 is identified by the boarding/disembarking support device 24 from among dispatch vehicles other than the dispatch vehicle 40 managed by the dispatch system 10. The support vehicle 50 includes a communication device 51, a vehicle ECU 52, and a GPS receiver 53. The support vehicle 50 has a vehicle width that can block the boarding/disembarking space A. Specifically, the support vehicle 50 has a vehicle width that is equal to or wider than the width of the boarding/disembarking space A.

The communication device 51 has a configuration similar to that of the communication device 21, the communication device 41, and the communication device 61, and communicates with the server 20 via a network. The communication device 51 acquires predetermined information, such as a vehicle dispatch plan and a target stopping position P5, from the server 20. The communication device 51 transmits predetermined information, such as vehicle information and position information acquired by the GPS receiver 53, to the server 20. The vehicle ECU 52 is similar to the vehicle ECU 42, and therefore a description thereof will be omitted.

[User terminal configuration]
The user terminal 60 includes a communication device 61, a controller 62, a GPS receiver 63, an input unit 64, and a display unit 65. The user terminal 60 is, for example, a smartphone, a tablet, etc. The user terminal 60 may also be a wearable device.

The communication device 61 has a configuration similar to that of the communication device 21, the communication device 41, and the communication device 51, and communicates with the server 20 via a network. The communication device 61 acquires predetermined information, such as a vehicle dispatch plan and a vehicle dispatch proposal, from the server 20. The communication device 61 transmits predetermined information, such as a vehicle dispatch request, location information of the user terminal 60 acquired by the GPS receiver 63, and whether or not to approve the vehicle dispatch proposal, to the server 20.

The controller 62 is connected to the communication device 61, the GPS receiver 63, the input unit 64, and the display unit 65. Information is input to the controller 62 from the communication device 61, the GPS receiver 63, and the input unit 64, and information is output from the controller 62 to the communication device 61 and the display unit 65. The controller 62 is a general-purpose microcomputer equipped with a CPU, a memory, and an input/output unit.

The display unit 65 displays information about the dispatched vehicle 40 dispatched by the dispatch system 10, information about the boarding location where the dispatched vehicle 40 will be met, and the like. The information about the dispatched vehicle 40 and the boarding location is acquired from the server 20 via the network by the communication device 61. The display unit 65 also displays a dispatch proposal created by the boarding and alighting assistance device 24, which will be described later.

The input unit 64 accepts user operations corresponding to various instructions from the user to the vehicle dispatch system 10. For example, the input unit 64 accepts a response from the user as to whether or not the user approves the vehicle dispatch proposal presented by the display unit 65.

Next, the flow of operation of the boarding/alighting assistance device 24 according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to Figures 3 and 4.

First, in step S10 of FIG. 3, the information acquisition unit 241 acquires information on the occupants of the dispatch vehicle 40. The process proceeds to step S11, where the information acquisition unit 241 determines whether the occupants of the dispatch vehicle 40 include a physically disabled person. If the occupants of the dispatch vehicle 40 include a physically disabled person, a positive determination is made in step S11, and the process proceeds to step S12. On the other hand, if the occupants of the dispatch vehicle 40 do not include a physically disabled person, a negative determination is made in step S11, and the boarding and alighting assistance device 24 ends the process of FIG. 3.

In step S12, the boarding/alighting position setting unit 242 sets the stop position of the dispatch vehicle 40 as the boarding/alighting position P4. Proceeding to step S13, the transmission unit 245 transmits information on the set boarding/alighting position P4 to the dispatch vehicle 40.

The process proceeds to step S14 in FIG. 3, where the support vehicle identification unit 243 executes a process to identify the support vehicle 50. The method for identifying the support vehicle 50 will be described with reference to FIG. 4.

[Method of identifying support vehicle]
4, the support vehicle identification unit 243 acquires a planned stop time for the dispatch vehicle 40 to stop at the boarding/alighting position P4. Proceeding to step S1402, the support vehicle identification unit 243 acquires a dispatch plan for other vehicles, different from the dispatch vehicle 40, within a predetermined distance range from the boarding/alighting position P4.

Proceeding to step S1403, the support vehicle identification unit 243 determines whether there are other vehicles with a vehicle dispatch plan that stops within a predetermined distance range from the boarding/alighting position P4 or passes within a predetermined distance range from the boarding/alighting position P4 within a predetermined time from the scheduled stop time. An example will be described in which the scheduled stop time of the dispatch vehicle 40 is 13:00, the predetermined time is 10 minutes, and the predetermined distance is 1 km. In this case, the support vehicle identification unit 243 determines whether there are other vehicles with a vehicle dispatch plan that stops within 1 km from the boarding/alighting position P4 or passes within 1 km from the boarding/alighting position P4 between 12:50 and 13:10.

If there is another vehicle with a dispatch plan within a predetermined distance range from the boarding/alighting position P4 within a predetermined time from the scheduled stop time, a positive judgment is made in step S1403, and the process proceeds to step S1404. On the other hand, if there is no other vehicle with a dispatch plan within a predetermined distance range from the boarding/alighting position P4 within a predetermined time from the scheduled stop time, a negative judgment is made in step S1403, and the process proceeds to step S1409.

In step S1404, the support vehicle identification unit 243 extracts, from among other vehicles having a dispatch plan within a predetermined distance range from the boarding/alighting position P4 within a predetermined time from the scheduled stop time, a vehicle that has a dispatch plan to stop or pass through the position closest to the boarding/alighting position P4 and has not confirmed the dispatch proposal with the user, as a support vehicle candidate 54. The support vehicle identification unit 243 acquires information on the occupants of other vehicles having a dispatch plan within a predetermined distance range from the boarding/alighting position within a predetermined time from the scheduled stop time, and extracts vehicles whose occupants do not include disabled people as support vehicle candidates 54. Note that the support vehicle candidate 54 may be a vehicle that has been dispatched in response to a dispatch request and is traveling toward the user's boarding location, or may be a vehicle that has already boarded the user and is traveling toward the user's disembarking location. In the following description, it is assumed that the support vehicle identification unit 243 extracts, as a support vehicle candidate 54, a vehicle that has been dispatched in response to a dispatch request and is traveling toward the user's boarding location of the other vehicle.

Proceeding to step S1405, the support vehicle identification unit 243 changes the dispatch plan of the support vehicle candidate 54 so that the support vehicle candidate 54 stops at the boarding and disembarking point of the dispatch vehicle 40 and waits at the boarding and disembarking point of the dispatch vehicle 40 until the occupants of the dispatch vehicle 40 have completed boarding and disembarking from the dispatch vehicle 40. For example, the support vehicle identification unit 243 changes the dispatch plan of the support vehicle candidate 54 so that the boarding point of the user of the support vehicle candidate 54 is located in the same position as the boarding and disembarking point of the user of the dispatch vehicle 40.

Proceeding to step S1406, the support vehicle identification unit 243 creates a dispatch proposal to confirm with the user of the support vehicle candidate 54 whether or not to approve the changed dispatch plan of the support vehicle candidate 54. An example of the dispatch proposal will now be described with reference to FIG. 5. When the dispatch plan of the support vehicle candidate 54 is changed, the support vehicle identification unit 243 calculates the time required for the user of the support vehicle candidate 54 to move from the current location to the boarding location and the waiting time for the support vehicle candidate 54 to wait at the boarding location, and generates a dispatch proposal. In addition, the support vehicle identification unit 243 calculates a guide route from the current location of the user of the support vehicle candidate 54 to the changed boarding location, and generates a dispatch proposal. The transmission unit 245 transmits the created dispatch proposal to the user terminal 60 held by the user of the support vehicle candidate 54.

The display unit 65 displays the received vehicle allocation proposal. The input unit 64 accepts a response from the user of the support vehicle candidate 54 as to whether or not the vehicle allocation proposal is approved, and transmits the response to the server 20.

The process proceeds to step S1407, where the support vehicle identification unit 243 determines whether or not the user of the support vehicle candidate 54 has approved the dispatch proposal. If a signal approving the dispatch proposal has been received from the user terminal 60, i.e., if the user of the support vehicle candidate 54 has approved the dispatch proposal, a positive determination is made in step S1407, and the process proceeds to step S1411. On the other hand, if a signal approving the dispatch proposal has not been received, i.e., if the user of the support vehicle candidate 54 has not approved the dispatch proposal, a negative determination is made in step S1407, and the process proceeds to step S1408.

In step S1408, the support vehicle identification unit 243 determines whether or not all of the dispatch proposals for other vehicles that were determined to be positive in step S1403 were rejected in step S1407. If the determination is positive in step S1408, the process proceeds to step S1409. On the other hand, if the determination is negative in step S1408, the process returns to step S1404.

In step S1409, the support vehicle identification unit 243 searches for an empty vehicle within a predetermined distance range from the boarding/alighting position P4. Note that the predetermined distance range for searching for an empty vehicle in step S1409 may be set to be the same as the predetermined distance range in step S1403, or may be set to be different from the predetermined distance range in step S1403.

Proceeding to step S1410, the support vehicle identification unit 243 determines whether or not there is an empty vehicle within a predetermined distance range from the boarding/alighting location P4. If there is an empty vehicle within the predetermined distance range from the boarding/alighting location P4, a positive judgment is made in step S1410, and the process proceeds to step S1411. On the other hand, if there is no empty vehicle within the predetermined distance range from the boarding/alighting location P4, a negative judgment is made in step S1410, and the process returns to step S1402. An empty vehicle is a vehicle that does not have a dispatch plan among the dispatch vehicles registered in the dispatch system 10.

In step S1411, the support vehicle identification unit 243 identifies the support vehicle candidate 54 or an empty vehicle as a support vehicle 50, and proceeds to step S15 in FIG. 3. When identifying an empty vehicle as a support vehicle 50, the support vehicle identification unit 243 identifies the empty vehicle that is closest to the boarding/alighting position P4 within a predetermined distance range from the boarding/alighting position P4 as the support vehicle 50.

In step S15 of FIG. 3, the support vehicle identification unit 243 determines a dispatch plan for the support vehicle 50. When the support vehicle identification unit 243 identifies the support vehicle candidate 54 as the support vehicle 50, the dispatch plan for the support vehicle candidate 54 changed in step S1405 is set as the dispatch plan for the support vehicle 50. On the other hand, when an empty vehicle is identified as the support vehicle 50, a dispatch plan is created in which the support vehicle 50 stops at the boarding and disembarking point of the dispatch vehicle 40 and waits at the boarding and disembarking point of the dispatch vehicle 40 until the occupants of the dispatch vehicle 40 have completed boarding and disembarking from the dispatch vehicle 40, and this is set as the dispatch plan for the support vehicle 50. The support vehicle identification unit calculates the driving route of the support vehicle 50. The transmission unit 245 transmits the dispatch plan and driving route of the support vehicle 50 to the support vehicle 50.

The process proceeds to step S16 in FIG. 3, where the target stopping position setting unit 244 sets the stopping position of the support vehicle 50 to the target stopping position P5. The process proceeds to step S17, where the transmission unit 245 transmits information about the set target stopping position P5 to the support vehicle 50, and the process in FIG. 3 ends.

[Effects of the First Embodiment]
As described above, the boarding and alighting assistance device according to this embodiment acquires data indicating that the passengers include a physically disabled person, and sets as the boarding and alighting position of the dispatched vehicle a position where the boarding and alighting space provided for passengers getting on and off, from the boundary between the roadway and the sidewalk to the sidewalk side of the dispatched vehicle, is larger than when the passengers do not include a physically disabled person. At this time, a support vehicle that is a vehicle different from the dispatched vehicle is specified. Then, a position in front of or behind the boarding and alighting space is set as a target stopping position of the support vehicle, and the boarding and alighting position is transmitted to the dispatched vehicle, and the target stopping position is transmitted to the support vehicle.

As a result, when the boarding and disembarking space of the vehicle in which the physically disabled person gets on and off is set large, the support vehicle can be parked in front of or behind the boarding and disembarking space, preventing light vehicles such as bicycles and motorcycles from passing through the boarding and disembarking space. This prevents the occurrence of collision accidents between physically disabled people and light vehicles while they are getting on and off. In addition, when physically disabled people get on and off the dispatch vehicle, the time they have to wait for a light vehicle that has entered the boarding and disembarking space to pass through the boarding and disembarking space is reduced, allowing physically disabled people to get on and off the dispatch vehicle smoothly.

The boarding and alighting assistance device according to this embodiment identifies a vehicle that has a width that can block the boarding and alighting space as the assistance vehicle. This makes it possible to prevent light vehicles such as bicycles and motorcycles from passing through the boarding and alighting space when the assistance vehicle is parked in front of or behind the boarding and alighting space.

The boarding and alighting assistance device according to this embodiment acquires the planned stop time when the dispatched vehicle will stop at the boarding and alighting location, and acquires the dispatch plans of other vehicles, different from the dispatched vehicle, within a specified distance range from the boarding and alighting location. Then, within a specified time from the planned stop time, a support vehicle is identified from among other vehicles that have dispatch plans within a specified distance range from the boarding and alighting location. This allows vehicles that have dispatch plans near the boarding and alighting locations where disabled persons board and alight, and that have short waiting times while disabled persons board and alight, to be preferentially identified as support vehicles, thereby reducing the running costs of the support vehicle and the waiting time of the occupants of the support vehicle.

The boarding and alighting assistance device according to this embodiment modifies the support vehicle's dispatch plan so that the support vehicle stops at the target stopping position and waits at the target stopping position until the occupant of the dispatched vehicle has completed boarding and alighting from the dispatched vehicle, and transmits the modified support vehicle dispatch plan to the support vehicle. This allows the support vehicle to be stopped in front of or behind the boarding and alighting space when the boarding and alighting space of the vehicle in which the physically disabled person boards and alights is set large, and light vehicles such as bicycles and motorcycles can be prevented from passing through the boarding and alighting space. This prevents the occurrence of collision accidents between physically disabled people and light vehicles during boarding and alighting. In addition, when a physically disabled person boards or alights from a dispatched vehicle, the time spent waiting for a light vehicle that has entered the boarding and alighting space to pass through the boarding and alighting space is reduced, allowing the physically disabled person to board and alight from the dispatched vehicle smoothly.

The boarding and alighting assistance device according to the present embodiment transmits a notification to a terminal device carried by a user who has reserved the dispatch of the assistance vehicle, the notification being for confirming whether or not to approve the changed dispatch plan of the assistance vehicle;
When a notification approving the changed dispatch plan of the support vehicle is received from the terminal device, the changed dispatch plan of the support vehicle is transmitted to the support vehicle. This allows the support vehicle to be parked in front of or behind the boarding and disembarking space when the boarding and disembarking space of the vehicle in which the physically disabled person gets on and off is set large, and it is possible to prevent light vehicles such as bicycles and motorcycles from passing through the boarding and disembarking space. This prevents the occurrence of collision accidents between the physically disabled person and the light vehicle during boarding and disembarking. In addition, when the physically disabled person gets on and off the dispatch vehicle, the waiting time until the light vehicle that has entered the boarding and disembarking space passes through the boarding and disembarking space is reduced, allowing the physically disabled person to get on and off the dispatch vehicle smoothly.

The boarding and alighting assistance device according to this embodiment identifies an empty vehicle within a specified distance range from the boarding and alighting location as a support vehicle if there are no other vehicles with a dispatch plan within a specified distance range from the boarding and alighting location within a specified time from the scheduled stop time. This makes it possible to identify a vehicle near the boarding and alighting location where the disabled person boards and alights from the dispatch vehicle as a support vehicle, even if there are no other vehicles with a dispatch plan near the boarding and alighting location where the disabled person boards and alights from the dispatch vehicle, thereby reducing the running costs of the support vehicle.

The boarding and alighting assistance device according to this embodiment acquires information about the occupants of other vehicles that have a dispatch plan within a specified distance range from the boarding and alighting position within a specified time from the scheduled stopping time, and identifies as a support vehicle a vehicle that does not include a physically disabled person among the occupants of other vehicles that have a dispatch plan within a specified distance range from the boarding and alighting position within a specified time from the scheduled stopping time. In this case, when the support vehicle is stopped at the target stopping position, it is not necessary to set a large boarding and alighting space for the occupants of the support vehicle to board and alight. Therefore, the support vehicle can be stopped at a position that prevents light vehicles such as bicycles and motorcycles from passing through the boarding and alighting space of the dispatch vehicle.

The boarding and alighting assistance device according to this embodiment prioritizes a position behind the boarding and alighting space over a position in front of it as the target stopping position. This allows the assistance vehicle to be stopped in front or behind the boarding and alighting space when the boarding and alighting space of the vehicle in which the disabled person boards and alights is set large, and prevents light vehicles such as bicycles and motorcycles from passing through the boarding and alighting space. This prevents the occurrence of collision accidents between disabled people and light vehicles while boarding and alighting. In addition, when a disabled person boards or alights from a dispatch vehicle, the time spent waiting for a light vehicle that has entered the boarding and alighting space to pass through the boarding and alighting space is reduced, allowing the disabled person to board and alight from the dispatch vehicle smoothly.

The boarding and alighting assistance device 24 according to this embodiment creates only one dispatch proposal for the support vehicle candidate 54 and transmits it to the user terminal 60 carried by the user of the support vehicle candidate 54, but multiple dispatch proposals may be created and transmitted to the user terminal 60 carried by the user of the support vehicle candidate 54. For example, the support vehicle identification unit 243 creates a first dispatch proposal that changes the dispatch plan for the support vehicle candidate 54 so that the boarding location of the user of the support vehicle candidate 54 becomes the boarding and alighting location of the user of the dispatched vehicle 40.

A second dispatch proposal is created to change the dispatch plan of the support vehicle candidate 54 so that after the user of the support vehicle candidate 54 boards, the vehicle will travel to the boarding/alighting location of the user of the dispatch vehicle 40 and wait at the boarding/alighting location of the user of the dispatch vehicle 40 until the boarding/alighting of the occupants of the dispatch vehicle 40 is complete. In this case, the support vehicle identification unit 243 may send a list of the first and second dispatch proposals to the user terminal 60 carried by the user of the support vehicle candidate 54, have the user of the support vehicle candidate 54 select one of the dispatch proposals, and confirm whether or not to approve the dispatch proposal.

[Second embodiment]
A second embodiment of the present invention will now be described with reference to the drawings. In the description of the drawings, the same parts are given the same reference numerals and the description will be omitted.

The configuration of the dispatch system 10 in this embodiment is the same as that in the first embodiment, so a description will be omitted.

The flow of operation of the boarding/alighting assistance device 24 according to the second embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 6. In the boarding/alighting assistance method according to this embodiment, processing similar to steps S10 to S17 shown in FIG. 3 is executed. Then, processing related to the control of the dispatch vehicle 40 and the assistance vehicle 50 is executed according to steps S21 to S25 in FIG. 6.

In step S21, the information acquisition unit 241 receives a signal from the support vehicle 50 that the support vehicle 50 has stopped at the target stopping position P5. The process proceeds to step S22, where the transmission unit 245 transmits a signal to the support vehicle 50 prohibiting movement from the target stopping position P5, and the process proceeds to step S23.

In step S23, the transmission unit 245 transmits a signal to the dispatch vehicle 40 to permit the occupants of the dispatch vehicle 40 to board and disembark. The dispatch vehicle 40 unlocks the door of the dispatch vehicle 40 and permits the occupants of the dispatch vehicle 40 to board and disembark. The transmission unit 245 may transmit the signal to permit the occupants of the dispatch vehicle 40 to board and disembark to a user terminal carried by the user of the dispatch vehicle 40.

The process proceeds to step S24, where the information acquisition unit 241 receives a signal from the dispatch vehicle 40 indicating that the occupants of the dispatch vehicle 40 have completed boarding and disembarking. The process proceeds to step S25, where the transmission unit 245 transmits a signal to the support vehicle 50 permitting the support vehicle 50 to move, and the process of FIG. 6 ends.

[Effects of the second embodiment]
As described above, when the boarding and alighting assistance device according to this embodiment receives a signal from the assistance vehicle that the assistance vehicle has stopped at the target stopping position, the boarding and alighting assistance device transmits a signal to the dispatching vehicle to permit the disabled person to board and alight from the dispatching vehicle. This allows the disabled person to start boarding and alighting from the dispatching vehicle while the assistance vehicle is reliably stopped in front of or behind the boarding and alighting space. Therefore, the disabled person can start boarding and alighting from the dispatching vehicle while light vehicles are prevented from passing through the boarding and alighting space.

The boarding and alighting assistance device according to this embodiment also transmits a signal to the support vehicle prohibiting the support vehicle from moving from the time the support vehicle stops at the target stopping position until the disabled person has completed boarding and alighting. This ensures that the support vehicle remains parked in front of or behind the boarding and alighting space while the disabled person is boarding or alighting from the dispatch vehicle. This makes it possible to prevent light vehicles from passing through the boarding and alighting space while the disabled person is boarding or alighting from the dispatch vehicle.

As described above, an embodiment of the present invention has been described, but the descriptions and drawings that form part of this disclosure should not be understood as limiting this invention. Various alternative embodiments, examples, and operating techniques will become apparent to those skilled in the art from this disclosure.

24 Boarding/alighting assistance device 40 Dispatch vehicle 50 Support vehicle A Boarding/alighting space P4 Boarding/alighting position P5 Target stopping position

Claims (11)

A boarding and alighting assistance device including a computer that controls a stopping position of a vehicle dispatched in response to a vehicle dispatch request when a passenger gets on and off the vehicle,
The computer includes:
acquiring data indicating that the occupants include a physically disabled person;
A boarding and alighting position of the vehicle is set so that a boarding and alighting space from a boundary between a roadway and a sidewalk to a side of the vehicle on the sidewalk side, which is provided for the boarding and alighting passengers, is larger than a boarding and alighting space when no physically disabled passenger is included in the vehicle;
Identifying a support vehicle that is a vehicle different from the dispatch vehicle;
A position in front of or behind the boarding and disembarking space is set as a target stopping position of the support vehicle;
The boarding/alighting assistance device transmits the boarding/alighting position to the dispatch vehicle and transmits the target stop position to the assistance vehicle. The computer includes:
The boarding/alighting assistance device according to claim 1 , characterized in that a vehicle having a width sufficient to block the boarding/alighting space is identified as the assistance vehicle. The computer includes:
The boarding and alighting assistance device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that when a signal is received from the assistance vehicle that the assistance vehicle has stopped at the target stopping position, a signal allowing the disabled person to board and alight from the dispatch vehicle is transmitted to the dispatch vehicle. The computer includes:
The boarding and alighting assistance device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that a signal prohibiting the movement of the support vehicle is transmitted to the support vehicle from the time the support vehicle stops at the target stopping position until the disabled person completes boarding and alighting. The computer includes:
Obtain a scheduled stop time at which the dispatch vehicle will stop at the boarding/alighting location;
Acquire a vehicle dispatch plan for a vehicle other than the dispatch vehicle within a predetermined distance range from the boarding/alighting location;
The boarding/alighting assistance device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the assistance vehicle is identified from among other vehicles having a dispatch plan within a predetermined distance range from the boarding/alighting location within a predetermined time from the scheduled stop time. The computer includes:
changing a dispatch plan for the support vehicle so that the support vehicle stops at the target stop position and waits at the target stop position until an occupant of the dispatch vehicle completes boarding and disembarking from the dispatch vehicle;
6. The boarding/alighting assistance device according to claim 5, further comprising: a step of transmitting the changed dispatch plan of the support vehicles to the support vehicles. The computer includes:
Transmitting a notification to a terminal device carried by a user who has reserved the dispatch of the support vehicle, the notification being for confirming whether or not the changed dispatch plan of the support vehicle is approved;
7. The boarding and alighting assistance device according to claim 6, characterized in that, when a notification approving the changed dispatch plan for the support vehicle is received from the terminal device, the changed dispatch plan for the support vehicle is transmitted to the support vehicle. The computer includes:
The boarding and alighting assistance device according to any one of claims 5 to 7, characterized in that if there are no other vehicles with a dispatch plan within a predetermined distance range from the boarding and alighting location within a predetermined time from the scheduled stop time, an empty vehicle within a predetermined distance range from the boarding and alighting location is identified as the assistance vehicle. The computer includes:
The boarding and alighting assistance device described in any one of claims 5 to 8, characterized in that information on the occupants of each of other vehicles having a dispatch plan within a specified distance range from the boarding and alighting location within a specified time from the scheduled stopping time is obtained, and a vehicle that does not include any physically disabled persons among the occupants is identified as the assistance vehicle from among the other vehicles having a dispatch plan within a specified distance range from the boarding and alighting location within the specified time from the scheduled stopping time. The computer includes:
The boarding/alighting assistance device according to any one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that a rear position of the boarding/alighting space is set as the target stopping position with priority over a front position of the boarding/alighting space. A method for assisting passengers in boarding and alighting using a computer, the method comprising: controlling a stopping position of a dispatched vehicle when a passenger boards or alights from the dispatched vehicle in response to a dispatch request;
The computer includes:
acquiring data indicating that the occupants include a physically disabled person;
A boarding and alighting position of the vehicle is set so that a boarding and alighting space from a boundary between a roadway and a sidewalk to a side of the vehicle on the sidewalk side, which is provided for the boarding and alighting passengers, is larger than a boarding and alighting space when no physically disabled passenger is included in the vehicle;
Identifying a support vehicle that is a vehicle different from the dispatch vehicle;
A position in front of or behind the boarding and disembarking space is set as a target stopping position of the support vehicle;
A boarding/alighting assistance method, comprising transmitting the boarding/alighting location to the dispatch vehicle, and transmitting the target stop location to the assistance vehicle.

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