JP7664815B2 - Vehicle operation support device, terminal device, demand transportation system, vehicle operation support method, and vehicle operation support program - Google Patents

Description

This disclosure relates to a vehicle operation support device, a terminal device, a demand transportation system, a vehicle operation support method, and a vehicle operation support program that support the operation of vehicles that perform demand operation.

Demand-based transportation systems, in which users make reservations in advance, have been attracting attention in recent years. Patent Document 1 proposes a demand-based transportation system in which a bus stop terminal installed at a bus stop is equipped with a detection unit that detects people, such as a button pressed by the user or a camera, and when a person is detected by the detection unit, a request is made to a control device that manages bus operations to dispatch a bus to that bus stop, and the control device dispatches a bus to that bus stop. The demand-based transportation system described in Patent Document 1 can respond to sudden demand by dispatching buses using the above method.

JP 2014-203192 A

In the demand-based transportation system described in Patent Document 1, the boarding and alighting locations where a user boards a bus are limited to the bus stop where the user is detected. However, depending on the operation status of the demand-based transportation system and the destination, it may be more advantageous for the user in terms of travel time and cost to walk and board the bus from a different boarding and alighting location. For users who prioritize travel time and cost, dispatching using the technology described in Patent Document 1 may not be appropriate.

The present disclosure has been made in consideration of the above, and aims to provide a vehicle operation support device that can appropriately dispatch vehicles in accordance with the needs of users.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems and achieve the object, the vehicle operation support device according to the present disclosure is a vehicle operation support device that supports demand operation of a vehicle whose boarding and alighting locations are predetermined, and includes a reservation information receiving unit that receives reservation information that is generated when a user operates a reservation terminal associated with a predetermined area including a plurality of boarding and alighting locations to reserve a vehicle, the reservation information including area information that is information about the area in which the reservation terminal is installed and destination information that is information about the destination. The vehicle operation support device further includes a reservation processing unit that determines, as a candidate vehicle, a vehicle that runs on a route from one of a plurality of boarding and alighting locations included in the area corresponding to the area information to a destination corresponding to the destination information, and reserves a vehicle corresponding to the route selected by the user from among the routes corresponding to the candidate vehicles, and a reservation result sending unit that sends a reservation result indicating the result of the reservation made by the reservation processing unit to the reservation terminal.

This disclosure has the effect of enabling appropriate vehicle dispatch according to the user's requests.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of a configuration of a demand transportation system including a vehicle operation support device according to an embodiment; FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a vehicle travel route and an area according to the embodiment; FIG. 1 is a sequence diagram showing an example of a vehicle reservation process in a demand transportation system according to an embodiment. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of reservation information transmitted from a reservation terminal. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of an input screen in an embodiment when a destination is specified by area. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of an input screen in an embodiment when a destination is specified by a point. 1 is a flowchart showing an example of an authentication process according to an embodiment; FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a configuration example of a reservation processing unit according to an embodiment; A flowchart showing an example of a reservation processing procedure in the reservation processing unit of the embodiment. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of terminal information according to an embodiment; FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of boarding and alighting place information according to an embodiment; FIG. 13 is a diagram showing another example of boarding and alighting place information according to an embodiment; FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of fare distance information according to the embodiment; FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of vehicle operation information according to an embodiment; FIG. 13 is a diagram showing another example of vehicle operation information according to an embodiment; FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of movement information according to an embodiment; FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a candidate information display screen in the appointment terminal according to the embodiment; FIG. 13 is a diagram showing another example of the candidate information display screen in the appointment terminal according to the embodiment; A flowchart showing an example of a process of the vehicle operation support device after receiving a selection result in the embodiment. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a reservation result stored in a storage unit according to an embodiment; FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of a vehicle route according to an embodiment in which P2P-type operation is performed; FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a method for displaying a reservation identification number in an embodiment. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a computer system that realizes a vehicle operation support device according to an embodiment.

The vehicle operation support device, terminal device, demand transportation system, vehicle operation support method, and vehicle operation support program according to the embodiments are described in detail below with reference to the drawings.

Embodiment
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a demand transportation system including a vehicle operation support device according to an embodiment. The demand transportation system 1 includes a vehicle operation support device 2, a reservation terminal 3, and a vehicle 4. The vehicle operation support device 2 of this embodiment supports the demand operation of the vehicle 4 whose boarding and alighting places are predetermined. The vehicle 4 of this embodiment may be operated by a fixed-time, fixed-route type operation in which the operation route and operation time are determined in advance as an operation plan, such as a route bus, a community bus, or a taxi whose boarding and alighting places and dispatch time zones are determined, or may be operated by a P2P (Point to Point) type operation in which only the boarding and alighting places are determined in advance, and the operation route and operation time of the vehicle 4 are determined according to the reservation information of the user. In the following, a case in which the vehicle 4 is operated by a fixed-time, fixed-route type operation will be described as an example.

The boarding and alighting locations for vehicle 4 may be locations called bus stops where a bus stop sign is posted, or locations that are predetermined locations such as in front of a designated building where no bus stop sign is posted. The boarding and alighting locations may be locations where both boarding and alighting are possible, or locations where only boarding or alighting is possible.

The reservation terminal 3 is a terminal device provided for reserving a vehicle 4, and is a terminal device that can be operated by a user. The reservation terminal 3 is installed at the boarding and disembarking location or a location other than the boarding and disembarking location in the vicinity of the boarding and disembarking location. When the vehicle operations support device 2 receives reservation information, which is information related to the reservation of a vehicle 4, from the reservation terminal 3, it determines candidates for a route to be assigned to the reservation using the reservation information received from the reservation terminal 3 and the operation plan of the vehicle 4, and transmits information on the determined candidates to the reservation terminal 3 as candidate information. The reservation terminal 3 displays the candidate information, accepts input of the selection result of the route to be reserved from the user, and transmits the selection result to the vehicle operations support device 2. The vehicle operations support device 2 performs reservation processing based on the selection result.

In this embodiment, the reservation terminal 3 is associated with a specified area, and the vehicle operation support device 2 determines, as candidate boarding and alighting points, boarding and alighting points where boarding is possible among those within the area corresponding to the reservation terminal 3 operated by the user, and determines, as candidate routes, the travel route using the vehicle 4 from the candidate boarding and alighting points to the user's destination.

Figure 2 is a diagram showing a schematic example of the operating route and area of vehicle 4 in this embodiment. In the example shown in Figure 2, operating routes 201, 202, and 203 are defined as the operating route of vehicle 4. In addition, in the example shown in Figure 2, areas A and D are illustrated as examples of defined areas. In the example shown in Figure 2, area A is an area where a user who intends to use vehicle 4 exists, and area D is the destination of the user's travel. Areas other than areas A and D are defined, but are not shown in Figure 2. In the example shown in Figure 2, both boarding and disembarking are possible at all boarding and disembarking locations.

In area A, there are five boarding and alighting locations, A1 to A5, and in area D, there are three boarding and alighting locations, D1 to D3. In this way, each area has multiple boarding and alighting locations.

The boarding and alighting points A3, A4, and D1 are boarding and alighting points on the route of the travel route 201, the boarding and alighting points A1, A2, and D2 are boarding and alighting points on the route of the travel route 202, and the boarding and alighting points A5 and D3 are boarding and alighting points on the route of the travel route 203. As shown in FIG. 2, the travel route 201 and the travel route 202 are travel routes in the opposite directions on the same route. In this way, multiple boarding and alighting points in the same area may include boarding and alighting points corresponding to the same point on a travel route that runs in the opposite direction on the road, such as the reverse direction or uphill and downhill on the same route. In other words, multiple boarding and alighting points included in the same area may include two boarding and alighting points corresponding to the same point on two travel routes on which the vehicle 4 runs in the opposite directions on the same route. Also, multiple boarding and alighting points in the same area may include different boarding and alighting points provided on roads in multiple directions that intersect at an intersection.

A terminal ID (IDentifier) is assigned as terminal identification information to identify the reservation terminal 3. Six reservation terminals 3 with terminal IDs a1 to a6 are provided in area A. The six reservation terminals 3 in area A are associated with area A. A figure similar to the figure with the reference number 3 indicates a reservation terminal 3. The identification ID of each reservation terminal 3 is shown below or to the side of the reservation terminal 3. The reservation terminals 3 with terminal IDs a1 to a4 are provided at the boarding and alighting locations A1 to A4, respectively, and the reservation terminals 3 with terminal IDs a5 and a6 are provided at locations other than the boarding and alighting locations. In the example shown in FIG. 2, a user 5 is located near the reservation terminal 3 with terminal ID a5, and the user 5 operates the reservation terminal 3 with terminal ID a5 to make a reservation for a vehicle 4. Although not shown in the figure, multiple reservation terminals 3 are also provided in area D.

In this embodiment, when reserving vehicle 4, the user can specify an area as the destination and can also specify a location, i.e., a boarding and alighting location. For example, when area D is specified as the destination, the vehicle operation support device 2 can set the following as candidates for the route of the vehicle 4 reserved by the user: boarding from boarding and alighting location A1, via the operating route 202, and alighting at boarding and alighting location D2; boarding from boarding and alighting location A2, via the operating route 202, and alighting at boarding and alighting location D2; boarding from boarding and alighting location A3, via the operating route 201, and alighting at boarding and alighting location D1; boarding from boarding and alighting location A4, via the operating route 201, and alighting at boarding and alighting location D1; and boarding from boarding and alighting location A5, via the operating route 203, and alighting at boarding and alighting location D3. In addition, the vehicle operation support device 2 can set as candidates for the route of the vehicle 4 reserved by the user the route in which the user boards the vehicle at boarding/alighting location A1, travels via the operating route 202, disembarks at boarding/alighting location D2, and walks to boarding/alighting location D1, the route in which the user boards the vehicle at boarding/alighting location A2, travels via the operating route 202, disembarks at boarding/alighting location D2, and walks to boarding/alighting location D1, and the route in which the user boards the vehicle at boarding/alighting location A5, travels via the operating route 203, disembarks at boarding/alighting location D3, and walks to boarding/alighting location D1.

In addition, when the destination is specified as a location, for example, boarding/alighting location D1 in area D is specified as the destination, the vehicle operation support device 2 can set as candidate routes for the vehicle 4 reserved by the user a route from boarding/alighting location A3, passing through operating route 201, and disembarking at boarding/alighting location D1, and a route from boarding/alighting location A4, passing through operating route 201, and disembarking at boarding/alighting location D1.

The vehicle operation support device 2 may select from these routes those that satisfy the specified conditions and send them to the reservation terminal 3 as route candidates, or may send all of these routes as candidates. The specified conditions are, for example, related to the required time, travel distance, total fare, arrival time, etc. Details of the specified conditions will be described later. The user checks the route candidates displayed on the reservation terminal 3, selects the route to reserve from the candidates, and inputs the selection result to the reservation terminal 3. Note that, if there is only one candidate displayed on the reservation terminal 3, the user inputs information indicating that the candidate will be reserved as the selection result. In this way, the selection result indicates the route selected by the user as the route to reserve from among the routes indicated in the candidate information. The user may also input information indicating that none of the vehicles 4 corresponding to the displayed candidates will be reserved as the selection result. In other words, the user may input information indicating the cancellation of the reservation as the selection result.

In this way, the vehicle operation support device 2 of this embodiment determines multiple route candidates using multiple boarding and alighting locations in the area associated with the reservation terminal 3 operated by the user as candidates for boarding locations, and determines the vehicle 4 corresponding to the route selected by the user from the candidates as the vehicle 4 to be assigned to the user. As a result, appropriate vehicle dispatch is performed taking into consideration not only the boarding and alighting location corresponding to the user's current location but also multiple boarding and alighting locations, so that appropriate vehicle dispatch can be performed according to the user's request. In addition, by installing the reservation terminal 3 at locations other than the boarding and alighting locations, the user has more freedom in choosing the location and time to make a reservation, and user convenience is improved compared to when the reservation terminal 3 is installed only at the boarding and alighting locations. In addition, since the user can reserve the vehicle 4 without using a smartphone, personal computer, etc., the user can reserve the vehicle 4 with simple operations even if he or she does not have a smartphone, personal computer, etc., or is unfamiliar with operating a smartphone or personal computer.

Returning to the explanation of FIG. 1, an example of the configuration of each device in this embodiment will be described. As shown in FIG. 1, the reservation terminal 3 includes an authentication request unit 31, a reservation information transmission unit 32, a reservation candidate reception unit 33, a selection result transmission unit 34, a reservation result reception unit 35, a display unit 36, an ID acquisition unit 37, a terminal ID storage unit 38, and an input reception unit 39.

The ID acquisition unit 37 acquires a user ID, which is user identification information corresponding to a user reserving a vehicle 4, and outputs the acquired user ID to the authentication request unit 31. The user ID may be any identification information that identifies a user, and may be identification information assigned to the user for reserving a vehicle 4, or may be identification information used for another service. The ID acquisition unit 37 may be, for example, a card reader that reads the user ID from an IC (Integrated Circuit) card, a magnetic card, or a two-dimensional code on which the user ID is stored, or may be a biometric information reading device that reads the user's biometric information, such as a fingerprint, vein, face, or iris. The ID acquisition unit 37 may also acquire the user ID by accepting input of the user ID from the user.

The input reception unit 39 receives input from the user. For example, the input reception unit 39 receives reservation information input from the user and outputs the received reservation information to the reservation information transmission unit 32. The input reception unit 39 also receives input of the selection result of the route to be reserved from the user and outputs the received selection result to the selection result transmission unit 34.

The authentication request unit 31 requests authentication of the user by transmitting the user ID to the vehicle operation support device 2, and upon receiving permission to use (permission to use information) from the vehicle operation support device 2, outputs the permission to use to the display unit 36. The terminal ID storage unit 38 stores the terminal ID of the reservation terminal 3.

The reservation candidate receiving unit 33 receives candidate information indicating candidate routes to be reserved from the vehicle operation support device 2, and outputs the received candidate information to the display unit 36. The reservation information transmitting unit 32 adds the terminal ID read from the terminal ID storage unit 38 to the reservation information received from the input accepting unit 39, and transmits the reservation information with the terminal ID added to the vehicle operation support device 2. The selection result transmitting unit 34 transmits the selection result received from the input accepting unit 39 to the vehicle operation support device 2.

The reservation result receiving unit 35 receives reservation results from the vehicle operation support device 2 and outputs the received reservation results to the display unit 36. When the display unit 36 receives permission to use from the authentication request unit 31, it displays that permission to use is permitted as the authentication result, when it receives candidate information from the reservation candidate receiving unit 33, it displays the candidate information, and when it receives reservation results from the reservation result receiving unit 35, it displays the reservation results. Note that the display unit 36 and the input accepting unit 39 may be integrated and realized by a touch panel or the like.

The vehicle operation support device 2 includes an operation plan determination unit 11, a display unit 12, a memory unit 13, an authentication unit 14, a reservation information receiving unit 15, a reservation candidate transmitting unit 16, a selection result receiving unit 17, a reservation cancellation processing unit 18, a reservation processing unit 19, a reservation result transmitting unit 20, and an operation plan transmitting unit 21.

The operation plan determination unit 11 determines an operation plan including the operation time of the vehicle 4 for each operation route, and stores the determined operation plan in the storage unit 13. For example, the operation plan determination unit 11 determines the operation plan using the operation route and operation time input by the manager. The manager determines the operation route and operation time based on, for example, the presence or absence of facilities and houses, and the usage status over a long period of time in the past, but the method of determining the operation route and operation time input to the operation plan determination unit 11 is not limited to this, and any method may be used. In addition, which vehicle 4 is to be used for each flight for each operation route is also determined as an operation plan based on the input from the manager. In addition, the operation plan determination unit 11 may change which vehicle 4 is to be used for each flight for each operation route based on the reservation status and the operation plan of each vehicle 4. In addition, in the vehicle operation support device 2, a vehicle position receiving unit (not shown) acquires the current position from the vehicle 4, and the operation plan determination unit 11 may change the operation plan if a delay occurs from the operation time determined according to the current position of the vehicle 4. The vehicle operation support device 2 may also include an information acquisition unit that acquires congestion information, congestion forecast information, traffic regulation information, and the like (not shown), and the operation plan determination unit 11 may change the operation plan using the information acquired by the information acquisition unit.

The authentication unit 14 acquires a user ID, and if the acquired user ID has already been registered, transmits usage permission information permitting the use of the reservation to the reservation terminal 3, and if the acquired user ID has not yet been registered, registers the acquired user ID and then transmits the usage permission information to the reservation terminal 3. In detail, when the authentication unit 14 receives a user ID from the reservation terminal 3, it performs an authentication process, and if the received user ID is stored in the user registration information in the storage unit 13, it transmits usage permission to the reservation terminal 3, and if the received user ID is not stored in the user registration information in the storage unit 13, it adds information corresponding to the user ID to the user registration information in the storage unit 13 and transmits usage permission to the reservation terminal 3. The user registration information is information about each user and includes the user ID. Details of the user registration information will be described later.

When the reservation information receiving unit 15 receives reservation information from the reservation terminal 3, it stores the received reservation information in the storage unit 13. The reservation processing unit 19 determines, as a candidate vehicle, a vehicle that runs on a route from one of a plurality of boarding and alighting locations included in the area corresponding to the area information to the destination corresponding to the destination information in the reservation information, and reserves a vehicle corresponding to the route selected by the user among the routes corresponding to the candidate vehicles. In detail, the reservation processing unit 19 determines a candidate route to be reserved based on the terminal information, reservation information, operation plan, movement information, and boarding and alighting location information stored in the storage unit 13, and stores candidate information indicating the candidate route in the storage unit 13. Details of the candidate information will be described later. In addition, when the reservation processing unit 19 receives a selection result from the selection result receiving unit 17, it confirms the reservation corresponding to the route indicated by the received selection result, and reflects the contents of the confirmed reservation in the operation plan and reservation result in the storage unit 13.

The reservation candidate sending unit 16 sends candidate information indicating candidates for the route to be reserved to the reservation terminal 3. In detail, the reservation candidate sending unit 16 sends the candidate information stored in the memory unit 13 to the reservation terminal 3. The selection result receiving unit 17 receives a selection result indicating the route selected by the user from the reservation terminal 3, and if the received selection result is information indicating the route to be reserved, outputs the selection result to the reservation processing unit 19, and if the received selection result is information indicating not to make a reservation, outputs the selection result to the reservation cancellation processing unit 18.

The reservation result transmission unit 20 transmits newly added reservation results among the reservation results stored in the memory unit 13 to the corresponding reservation terminal 3 and the vehicle 4. When the operation plan stored in the memory unit 13 is updated, the operation plan transmission unit 21 transmits the operation plan to the vehicle 4.

The memory unit 13 stores user registration information, operation plans, reservation information, travel information, boarding and alighting location information, terminal information, candidate information, and reservation results. The display unit 12 displays information stored in the memory unit 13. For example, the display unit 12 may display an operation plan, or may display an operation plan and reservation results. In addition, as described above, when the vehicle operation support device 2 receives location information indicating the current location from the vehicle 4, the display unit 12 may display the current location of the vehicle 4.

The vehicle 4 includes a vehicle-installed terminal 41, an ID acquisition device 42, and a display device 43. The vehicle-installed terminal 41 includes an operation plan receiving unit 44, a reservation result receiving unit 45, and a reservation matching unit 46. The operation plan receiving unit 44 receives an operation plan from the vehicle operation support device 2 and transmits the received operation plan to the display device 43. The reservation result receiving unit 45 receives reservation results from the vehicle operation support device 2 and outputs the received reservation results to the reservation matching unit 46. The reservation matching unit 46 holds the reservation results received from the reservation result receiving unit 45, determines whether the user ID received from the ID acquisition device 42 is included in the reservation results, and notifies the user that the reservation has not been made if the user ID received from the ID acquisition device 42 is included in the reservation results. The reservation matching unit 46 notifies the user that the reservation has not been made, for example, by an output device (not shown). The output device may be a device that generates sound or a display device.

In the example shown in FIG. 1, vehicle 4 is not an autonomous vehicle but is a vehicle driven by a driver. In addition, vehicle installation terminal 41 may transmit position information indicating the position of vehicle 4 to vehicle operation assistance device 2. For example, vehicle 4 is equipped with a position detection device such as a GPS receiver that performs GPS (Global Positioning System) positioning (not shown), and vehicle installation terminal 41 acquires the position information of vehicle 4 from the position detection device.

The display device 43 displays the operation plan received from the operation plan receiving unit 44. This allows the driver of the vehicle 4 to understand the operation plan. Note that when the operation plan for the vehicle 4 on which the vehicle installation terminal 41 is mounted is updated and changed from the operation plan previously received from the vehicle operation support device 2, the vehicle installation terminal 41 may transmit the operation plan to the display device 43 together with information indicating that the operation plan has been changed.

The ID acquisition device 42 is a device that acquires a user ID, for example, by reading the user ID stored in an IC card from the IC card, and outputs the acquired user ID to the reservation matching unit 46. The ID acquisition device 42 may acquire the user ID by input from the user, similar to the ID acquisition unit 37. The ID acquisition device 42 may acquire the user ID by reading a two-dimensional code such as a QR (registered trademark) code. For example, when the reservation terminal 3 displays the reservation results, a reservation ticket may be issued on which the user ID is printed as a two-dimensional code such as a QR (registered trademark) code. Alternatively, the reservation terminal 3 may display a two-dimensional code indicating a URL (Uniform Resource Locator) corresponding to the user ID, and the two-dimensional code indicating the user ID may be displayed when the user reads the two-dimensional code with a mobile terminal such as a smartphone and accesses the URL.

In FIG. 1, an example is shown in which the vehicle 4 is provided with the ID acquisition device 42, the reservation result receiving unit 45, and the reservation matching unit 46. However, if the user's reservation is not confirmed when boarding the vehicle 4, that is, if a reservation is required to use the vehicle 4 but confirmation of whether or not a reservation has been made when boarding is not performed, the ID acquisition device 42, the reservation result receiving unit 45, and the reservation matching unit 46 do not have to be provided.

In addition, if vehicle 4 is an autonomous vehicle or has a driving assistance function, vehicle 4 is equipped with a vehicle control unit (not shown), and the operation plan receiving unit 44 outputs the operation plan to the vehicle control unit, which controls each device (not shown) installed in vehicle 4 for driving.

In FIG. 1, the display device 43 and the vehicle-mounted terminal 41 are provided separately, but the display device 43 and the vehicle-mounted terminal 41 may be integrated. Also, in FIG. 1, one vehicle 4 is shown, but generally, multiple vehicles 4 are used for operation. There may be any number of vehicles 4.

Next, the operation of this embodiment will be described. FIG. 3 is a sequence diagram showing an example of a reservation process for a vehicle 4 in the demand transportation system 1 of this embodiment. As shown in FIG. 3, the reservation terminal 3 acquires a user ID (step S1). In detail, the ID acquisition unit 37 of the reservation terminal 3 acquires the user ID and outputs the acquired user ID to the authentication request unit 31.

The reservation terminal 3 transmits the acquired user ID to the vehicle operation support device 2. In detail, the authentication request unit 31 transmits the user ID to the vehicle operation support device 2 (step S2). When the vehicle operation support device 2 acquires the user ID, it performs an authentication process (step S3) and transmits usage permission information indicating that usage is permitted to the reservation terminal 3 (step S4). Details of the authentication process will be described later.

Next, the reservation terminal 3 acquires the reservation information (step S5). In particular, the input reception unit 39 acquires the reservation information by accepting input of the reservation information from the user, and outputs the acquired reservation information to the reservation information transmission unit 32. Next, the reservation terminal 3 transmits the reservation information to the vehicle operation support device 2 (step S6). In particular, the reservation information transmission unit 32 reads out the terminal ID stored in the terminal ID storage unit 38, and adds the read terminal ID to the reservation information received from the input reception unit 39 and transmits the information.

4 is a diagram showing an example of reservation information transmitted from the reservation terminal 3. As shown in FIG. 4, the reservation information includes destination information (described as destination in FIG. 4), which is information about the destination, and a terminal ID, which is an example of area information. The area information is information about the area in which the reservation terminal 3 is installed. The reservation information may further include at least one of the number of passengers, the desired boarding time, the desired arrival time, the user ID, and the specified conditions. The information received by the input receiving unit 39 may include at least the destination, and the other information may be automatically set by the reservation terminal 3. For example, the user ID may be output from the authentication request unit 31 or the ID acquisition unit 37 to the reservation information transmitting unit 32, and the reservation information transmitting unit 32 may add the user ID to the reservation information. In addition, the number of passengers and the desired boarding time may be set as default values to the current time and one person, respectively, and displayed by the display unit 36, and the displayed default values may be changed by the user, so that the changed input can be accepted.

The destination may be specified by area as described above, or by location (boarding and disembarking place). Figure 5 is a diagram showing an example of an input screen in this embodiment when the destination is specified by area. When accepting the destination in the reservation information, the display unit 36 displays, for example, the screen shown in Figure 5. In Figure 5, the destination is shown as a disembarking place, and an example of a screen for the user to specify the disembarking place that is the destination by area is shown. The buttons for Area A to Area E on the right side shown in Figure 5 are buttons for selecting an area, and the user presses the button corresponding to the area they want to select as the disembarking place.

Figure 6 is a diagram showing an example of an input screen in this embodiment when the destination is specified by a location. When accepting a destination in reservation information, the display unit 36 displays, for example, the screen shown in Figure 6. In Figure 6, the destination is shown as a disembarking location, and an example of a screen for the user to specify the disembarking location that is the destination by location is shown. The buttons on the right side shown in Figure 6 with numbers and locations written on them are buttons for selecting boarding and disembarking locations, and the user presses the button corresponding to the boarding and disembarking location that he or she wishes to select as the disembarking location.

The user may select whether to specify the area as illustrated in FIG. 5 or the location as illustrated in FIG. 6. For example, a screen for selecting the specification method may be displayed before the screens of FIG. 5 and FIG. 6 are displayed, or a button for transitioning to a location specification screen may be displayed on the screen shown in FIG. 5, and a button for transitioning to the area specification screen shown in FIG. 6 may be displayed, making it possible to switch screens. Alternatively, the reservation terminal 3 may be capable of accepting only one of the area specification as illustrated in FIG. 5 or the location specification as illustrated in FIG. 6. Although FIGS. 5 and 6 show an example in which the input acceptance unit 39 is a touch panel integrated with the display unit 36, the input acceptance unit 39 may be provided separately from the display unit 36.

Returning to the explanation of FIG. 3, when the vehicle operation support device 2 receives the reservation information, it performs reservation processing (step S7) and transmits the candidate information to the reservation terminal 3 (step S8). Details of the reservation processing will be described later.

Next, the reservation terminal 3 acquires the selection result (step S9). In detail, the reservation candidate receiving unit 33 receives the candidate information and outputs it to the display unit 36, the display unit 36 displays the candidate information, and the input accepting unit 39 accepts input of the selection result from the user, thereby acquiring the selection result.

Next, the reservation terminal 3 transmits the selection result to the vehicle operations support device 2 (step S10). When the vehicle operations support device 2 receives the selection result, it confirms the reservation and transmits the reservation result to the reservation terminal 3 and the vehicle 4 (step S11). Through the above operations, the user's reservation of the vehicle 4 is completed. When boarding the reserved vehicle 4, the user has the IC card read by the ID acquisition device 42, or has the two-dimensional code indicating the user ID read by the ID acquisition device 42. Alternatively, the user may input the user ID into the ID acquisition device 42. As described above, the reservation does not need to be confirmed when boarding, in which case the user only needs to board the reserved vehicle 4.

Next, the authentication process in the vehicle operation support device 2 will be described. FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing an example of the authentication process procedure of this embodiment. The authentication unit 14 receives the user ID transmitted from the reservation terminal 3 in step S2 described above (step S21). Next, the authentication unit 14 checks the user ID against the user registration information (step S22). In detail, the authentication unit 14 checks whether the received user ID is included in the user registration information stored in the storage unit 13, thereby checking whether the user ID is included in the user registration information. The user registration information includes the user ID. The user registration information may further include attribute information on the user corresponding to the user ID for each user ID. The attribute information may be input by the user to the reservation terminal 3 in the authentication process, or may be acquired when registering the IC card for use. For example, when registering the user ID for the first time, the attribute information may be transmitted together with the user ID from a user terminal such as a smartphone, tablet terminal, personal computer, or wearable terminal (not shown), and the authentication unit 14 may receive the attribute information and store it in the user registration information.

If the user ID has already been registered (step S23: Yes), i.e., if the user ID is included in the user registration information, the authentication unit 14 transmits usage permission information permitting usage to the reservation terminal 3 (step S24) and ends the process. If the user ID has not yet been registered (step S23: No), the authentication unit 14 newly registers the user ID in the user registration information stored in the memory unit 13 (step S25) and proceeds to step S24.

Next, the reservation process of this embodiment will be described. FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of the reservation processing unit 19 of this embodiment. As shown in FIG. 8, the reservation processing unit 19 includes an area identification unit 191, a boarding and alighting location acquisition unit 192, a vehicle extraction unit 193, a route information calculation unit 194, a route determination unit 195, and a vehicle reservation unit 196.

Figure 9 is a flowchart showing an example of a reservation processing procedure in the reservation processing unit 19 of this embodiment. The area identification unit 191 of the reservation processing unit 19 identifies the area in which the operated reservation terminal 3 is installed based on the terminal ID and terminal information (step S31). The area identification unit 191 identifies the area corresponding to the terminal ID included in the reservation information, using the reservation information received from the reservation terminal 3 by the reservation information receiving unit 15 and stored in the memory unit 13, and the terminal information previously stored in the memory unit 13.

Figure 10 is a diagram showing an example of terminal information in this embodiment. As shown in Figure 10, the terminal information is information indicating the correspondence between an area and a reservation terminal 3 within that area, that is, information indicating the correspondence between the terminal ID of the reservation terminal 3 and the area. In Figure 10, the reservation terminal 3 with terminal ID a1 is described as reservation terminal a1, and similarly, for each reservation terminal 3, the terminal ID is described after the characters of the reservation terminal. For example, if the terminal ID included in the reservation information is a1, the area identification unit 191 refers to the terminal information stored in the memory unit 13 and identifies that the reservation terminal 3 with terminal ID a1 corresponds to area A.

Here, an example of associating an area with a reservation terminal 3 using terminal information will be described, but the association between an area and a reservation terminal 3 is not limited to this example. An area corresponding to the reservation terminal 3 may be determined when the reservation terminal 3 is installed, and area identification information may be stored in the reservation terminal 3. The reservation terminal 3 may add the area identification information to the reservation information as area information instead of the terminal ID. In this case, in step S31, the area corresponding to the reservation terminal 3 is specified using the area identification information included in the reservation information. Note that if the area corresponding to the reservation terminal 3 is determined when the reservation terminal 3 is installed, if the association between the area and the reservation terminal 3 changes due to a change in the area definition, relocation of the reservation terminal 3, etc., the area identification information stored in the reservation terminal 3 will be changed.

In addition, while FIG. 10 shows an example in which each reservation terminal 3 is associated with one area, at least one of the reservation terminals 3 may be associated with multiple areas.

Returning to the explanation of FIG. 9, after step S31, the boarding and alighting place acquisition unit 192 acquires boarding and alighting places Xi (i is 1 or more) included in the area based on the identified area and boarding and alighting place information, and sets them as candidate boarding places (step S32). In detail, the boarding and alighting place acquisition unit 192 acquires boarding and alighting places Xi where boarding is possible among the boarding and alighting places included in the area, using the area identified in step S31 and the boarding and alighting place information pre-stored in the memory unit 13, and sets the acquired boarding and alighting place Xi as a candidate boarding place.

Figure 11 is a diagram showing an example of boarding and alighting place information in this embodiment. Figure 11 shows an example of boarding and alighting place information when boarding and alighting are possible at all boarding and alighting places. In this case, as shown in Figure 11, the boarding and alighting place information includes boarding and alighting places within each area.

Figure 12 is a diagram showing another example of boarding and alighting place information in this embodiment. Figure 12 shows an example of boarding and alighting place information in a case where at least some of the boarding and alighting places include boarding and alighting places where only boarding or disembarking is possible. In this case, as shown in Figure 12, the boarding and alighting place information includes boarding and alighting places in each area, and also includes information indicating whether boarding and disembarking are each possible for each boarding and alighting place.

Returning to the explanation of FIG. 9 . After step S32, the boarding/alighting location acquisition unit 192 determines whether the destination is specified by area (step S33). In detail, when the destination in the reservation information stored in the memory unit 13 is information indicating an area, the boarding/alighting location acquisition unit 192 determines that the destination is specified by area.

If the destination is specified by area (step S33 Yes), the boarding and alighting place acquisition unit 192 acquires boarding and alighting places Yj (j is 1 or more) included in the destination area based on the destination area and the boarding and alighting place information, and sets them as candidate alighting places (step S34). In detail, the boarding and alighting place acquisition unit 192 refers to the boarding and alighting place information pre-stored in the memory unit 13, acquires boarding and alighting places in the area that is the destination in the reservation information where disembarking is possible as boarding and alighting places Yj, and sets them as candidate alighting places.

Next, the vehicle extraction unit 193 extracts vehicles Vn (n is 1 or more) that pass through any of the boarding and alighting locations Xi included in the boarding and alighting location candidates, and then pass through any of the boarding and alighting locations Yj included in the alighting location or alighting location candidates, based on the boarding location candidates, the alighting location or alighting location candidates, and sets them as candidate vehicles (step S35). In detail, the boarding and alighting location acquisition unit 192 outputs the boarding and alighting location candidates to the vehicle extraction unit 193, and the vehicle extraction unit 193 refers to the operation plan stored in the memory unit 13, and extracts vehicles Vn that pass through any of the boarding and alighting locations Xi included in the boarding location candidates, and then pass through any of the alighting locations Yj included in the alighting location or alighting location candidates.

The operation plan includes fare-distance information indicating the fare and the distance traveled, and vehicle operation information including the arrival time and departure time for each boarding and alighting location for each vehicle. Figure 13 is a diagram showing an example of fare-distance information in this embodiment. As shown in Figure 13, the fare-distance information includes the fare (fare) and the distance traveled for each combination of the boarding and alighting locations and the alighting locations. The fare-distance information is determined for each route and stored in the memory unit 13.

Figure 14 is a diagram showing an example of vehicle operation information in this embodiment. Figure 14 shows an example of vehicle operation information when a seat is not specified at the time of reservation. In the example shown in Figure 14, vehicle operation information of a vehicle 4 whose vehicle identification number, which is identification information of the vehicle 4, is 01, is shown, but similarly, for other vehicles 4, vehicle operation information exemplified in Figure 14 is generated for each vehicle 4 and stored in the storage unit 13. The arrival time and departure time of each boarding and alighting location, i.e., the operation time, may be input by, for example, an administrator as described above, and may be changed according to the current position of the vehicle 4, traffic congestion information, etc. In the example shown in Figure 14, the vehicle operation information includes the reservation status in addition to the arrival time and departure time of each boarding and alighting location. The reservation status includes a reservation identification number, which is identification information of a confirmed reservation, and the number of people reserved with the reservation identification number. When a reservation is confirmed, which will be described later, the reservation status in the vehicle operation information is updated. The vehicle extraction unit 193 can determine whether or not a new reservation is possible for the section from the boarding and alighting location to the boarding and alighting location by comparing the capacity of the vehicle 4 with the reservation status. Note that FIG. 14 shows an example in which all vehicles 4 have the same capacity, but if vehicles 4 with different capacities are mixed, the vehicle operation information may include information indicating the capacity of the vehicles 4, or capacity information indicating the capacity of each vehicle may be stored in the storage unit 13, and the vehicle extraction unit 193 may refer to the capacity information to determine the capacity of each vehicle 4.

Figure 15 is a diagram showing another example of vehicle operation information in this embodiment. Figure 15 shows an example of vehicle operation information when a seat is specified at the time of reservation. When a seat is specified, the reservation status in the vehicle operation information includes seat usage status indicating the usage status (reservation status) of each seat.

The vehicle extraction unit 193 refers to the vehicle operation information in the operation plan, and extracts as a vehicle Vn, a vehicle 4 that is not full among the vehicles 4 that pass through one of the boarding and alighting locations Xi included in the boarding location candidates and then pass through the disembarking location or the boarding and alighting location Yj included in the disembarking location candidate. At this time, if the desired boarding time and the desired arrival time are not specified in the reservation information, the vehicle extraction unit 193 extracts a vehicle 4 that departs from the boarding and alighting location Xi earliest for the same operation route, if the boarding time is specified in the reservation information, the vehicle extraction unit 193 extracts a vehicle 4 that departs from the boarding and alighting location Xi earliest after the desired boarding time for the same operation route, and if the desired arrival time is specified in the reservation information, the vehicle extraction unit 193 extracts a vehicle 4 that can arrive by the desired arrival time and departs from the boarding and alighting location Xi latest. In addition, if the number of passengers is specified in the reservation information, the vehicle extraction unit 193 extracts a vehicle 4 that can accommodate the number of passengers, and if the number of passengers is not specified in the reservation information, the vehicle extraction unit 193 extracts a vehicle 4 that can accommodate one person.

Return to the explanation of FIG. 9. After step S35, the route information calculation unit 194 calculates route information (at least one of the total required time, total fare, total travel distance, and arrival time) for travel from the position of the operated reservation terminal 3 to the drop-off location or the drop-off location candidate using the vehicle Vn included in the candidate vehicles based on the operation plan, the candidate vehicles, and the travel information (step S36). The route information is information on at least one of the required time, travel distance, fare, and arrival time on the route. Of the total required time, the travel time, which is the required time for travel from the boarding/alighting location that is the boarding location to the drop-off location or the drop-off location candidate, may be a predetermined time calculated based on the operation plan and the candidate vehicles, may be a predicted time based on the operation plan and the traffic congestion information of the operation route of the candidate vehicles, or may be a predicted time based on the operation plan and the traffic congestion forecast information of the operation route of the candidate vehicles. The traffic congestion information is information indicating the traffic congestion situation of the current operation route, and the traffic congestion forecast information is information indicating the forecast of the traffic congestion situation of the future operation route. Although it has already been explained that the traffic congestion forecast information is acquired by the information acquisition unit, it may also be stored in advance in the storage unit 13.

In detail, the vehicle extraction unit 193 outputs the candidate vehicles to the route information calculation unit 194, and the route information calculation unit 194 calculates route information using the candidate vehicles received from the vehicle extraction unit 193 and the operation plan and movement information stored in the memory unit 13. The route information calculation unit 194 may acquire the terminal ID corresponding to the operated reservation terminal 3 by referring to the reservation information, or may acquire the terminal ID by being notified from the area identification unit 191 via the boarding and alighting place acquisition unit 192 and the vehicle extraction unit 193.

FIG. 16 is a diagram showing an example of travel information in this embodiment. In this embodiment, a user makes a reservation for a vehicle 4 from a reservation terminal 3 in an area, with one of a number of boarding and alighting locations in the area as the boarding location. Therefore, the route that the user walks on foot after making a reservation will differ depending on the combination of the reservation terminal 3 and the boarding and alighting location that is the boarding location. As shown in FIG. 16, the travel information includes the distance from the reservation terminal 3 to the boarding and alighting location and the walking time required for each combination of the reservation terminal 3 and the boarding and alighting location in each area. Also, as shown in FIG. 16, the travel information may include information for displaying the route from the reservation terminal 3 to the boarding and alighting location in the form of a map on the display screen of the reservation terminal 3. Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 16, the travel information may include barrier information, which is information on barriers and difficulty of travel when walking from the reservation terminal 3 to the boarding and alighting location, such as the presence or absence of stairs or steps, the width of the road, and the presence or absence of braille blocks.

The route information calculation unit 194 can calculate the total fare and the total travel distance using the fare distance information of the route corresponding to the vehicle Vn included in the candidate vehicles. The route information calculation unit 194 can also calculate the arrival time corresponding to the vehicle Vn using the vehicle operation information. The route information calculation unit 194 can also calculate the total required time corresponding to the vehicle Vn (including the walking time to the boarding and alighting place to board) using the movement information and the vehicle operation information. In this way, the required time (total required time) and the travel distance (total travel distance) included in the route information include information on the walking movement from the reservation terminal 3 operated by the user to the boarding and alighting place to board. Note that the route information calculation unit 194 changes the vehicle 4 that the user cannot board when taking into account the walking movement from the reservation terminal 3 to the boarding and alighting place to board, that is, the vehicle 4 that cannot reach the boarding and alighting place to board by the departure time, to the next vehicle 4 that departs on the same operating route, among the vehicles Vn included in the candidate vehicles. Alternatively, in step S35, the vehicle extraction unit 193 may extract candidate vehicles by also referring to the travel information and taking into consideration the travel on foot from the reservation terminal 3 to the boarding and alighting location. In other words, the vehicle 4 that can be boarded when travelling on foot from the reservation terminal 3 to the boarding and alighting location may be extracted as a candidate vehicle.

Return to the explanation of FIG. 9. After step S36, the vehicle operation support device 2 transmits candidate information including the boarding location, departure time, and disembarking location corresponding to the candidate vehicle and route information to the reservation terminal 3 (step S37). In detail, the route information calculation unit 194 notifies the route determination unit 195 of the boarding location, departure time, and disembarking location corresponding to the candidate vehicle and route information, and the route determination unit 195 stores the boarding location, departure time, and disembarking location corresponding to the candidate vehicle and route information as candidate information in the storage unit 13. The boarding location, departure time, and disembarking location corresponding to the candidate vehicle are an example of information indicating a route corresponding to the candidate vehicle. In addition, the route determination unit 195 may determine a route that satisfies the specified conditions from among the routes corresponding to the candidate vehicles based on the specified conditions and route information as a candidate route, and store the boarding location, departure time, and disembarking location corresponding to the determined candidate route and route information as candidate information in the storage unit 13. The defined conditions include, but are not limited to, the shortest total travel time, the shortest total distance traveled, the cheapest total fare, and the earliest arrival time. The route determination unit 195 may determine, as a route candidate, a route that matches the conditions specified by the user when the user specifies the contents of the conditions defined as the specified conditions in the reservation information. The reservation candidate transmission unit 16 transmits the candidate information stored in the storage unit 13 to the reservation terminal 3. The boarding location, departure time, and disembarking location corresponding to each vehicle 4 of the candidate vehicles are information indicating candidates for the route to be reserved.

If the answer is No in step S33, the boarding/alighting location acquisition unit 192 sets the boarding/alighting location specified as the destination as the alighting location (step S38). After step S38, the processing from step S35 onwards is performed.

By the above process, one or more routes are determined as candidates for the route to be reserved, and candidate information indicating the candidate routes is transmitted to the reservation terminal 3. This allows the user to select the route to be reserved from among the candidate routes. Furthermore, since the candidate information includes the above-mentioned route information, the user can select a route that meets the user's needs, taking into consideration the fare, required time, arrival time, and the like. Furthermore, by including in the user registration information the user's attributes such as whether or not they use a wheelchair, whether or not they have a disability, whether they are accompanied by children, whether or not they have mobility restrictions, and the like, the route determination unit 195 may use the attribute information and mobility information to determine a route that is suitable for the user as a candidate route. For example, in the case of a user who uses a wheelchair, the route determination unit 195 determines a route without steps or stairs as a candidate route.

When area identification information is added to the reservation information instead of the terminal ID, the vehicle operation support device 2 cannot identify the operated reservation terminal 3, and therefore the route determined as a candidate does not include travel from the operated reservation terminal 3 to the boarding and disembarking location.

Figure 17 is a diagram showing an example of a display screen of candidate information in the reservation terminal 3 of this embodiment. In Figure 17, a case is shown in which there is one candidate route, i.e., one candidate vehicle 4 to be reserved, and information about the candidate route determined by the vehicle operation support device 2 is displayed, and a screen prompting the user to select whether or not to reserve the route is displayed on the right side. On the left side of Figure 17, the walking route and the boarding and alighting location (boarding point) for the candidate route determined by the vehicle operation support device 2 are shown on a map. The screen shown in Figure 17 is a map that enlarges the area around the boarding point, but as shown in the lower part of Figure 17, by pressing a button for switching to a screen that displays a map that displays the entire route and a button for switching to a map that enlarges the area around the boarding point, the screen can be switched to the corresponding display screen. Note that Figure 17 is an example, and the specific display method of the route and the screen that prompts the user to select whether or not to reserve are not limited to the example shown in Figure 17. In addition, the character strings displayed as each button may have the same meaning and are not limited to the example shown in Figure 17.

In the example shown in FIG. 17, the user selects this route by pressing the button labeled "Confirm Reservation," and the reservation terminal 3 transmits a selection result indicating that the candidate route has been selected to the vehicle operations support device 2. Also, in the example shown in FIG. 17, the user selects not to make a reservation for this route by pressing the button labeled "Cancel," and the reservation terminal 3 transmits a selection result indicating that the candidate route will not be reserved to the vehicle operations support device 2.

Figure 18 is a diagram showing another example of the candidate information display screen in the reservation terminal 3 of this embodiment. Figure 18 shows a case where there are two route candidates, i.e., two candidates for the vehicle 4 to be reserved, and route information such as the required time and fare for the two routes is shown. For example, when a user selects one of these route candidates, the screen shown in Figure 17 is displayed.

Figure 19 is a flowchart showing an example of the processing of the vehicle operation support device 2 after receiving a selection result in this embodiment. As shown in Figure 19, the vehicle operation support device 2 judges whether or not a selection result indicating making a reservation has been received (step S41). In detail, the selection result receiving unit 17 judges whether or not the received selection result is a selection result indicating making a reservation. A selection result indicating making a reservation is transmitted from the reservation terminal 3, for example, when one route candidate is displayed on the reservation terminal 3 and the reservation confirmation button is pressed on the screen shown in Figure 17, or when multiple route candidates are displayed on the reservation terminal 3 and the user selects one of them and then presses the reservation confirmation button. In the latter case, the selection result includes information indicating the selected route.

When a selection result indicating that a reservation is to be made is received (step S41 Yes), the vehicle operation support device 2 updates the operation plan and reservation result in accordance with the selection result to confirm the reservation, deletes the candidate information (step S42), and ends the process. In detail, in step S42, the selection result receiving unit 17 outputs the received selection result to the reservation processing unit 19, and the vehicle reservation unit 196 of the reservation processing unit 19 updates the operation plan and reservation result stored in the memory unit 13 in accordance with the selection result to confirm the reservation, and deletes the candidate information stored in the memory unit 13.

20 is a diagram showing an example of the reservation result stored in the storage unit 13 of this embodiment. As shown in FIG. 20, the reservation result includes a reservation identification number, a departure time, a vehicle identification number, a boarding location, an alighting location, the number of people, and a user ID. When the reservation processing unit 19 confirms the reservation in step S42, the reservation processing unit 19 assigns a reservation identification number to the reservation to be confirmed, and updates the reservation result by adding a new row to the reservation result stored in the storage unit 13 using the assigned reservation identification number and the reservation content. In addition, the reservation processing unit 19 updates the operation plan stored in the storage unit 13 using the assigned reservation identification number and the reservation content. In detail, the reservation processing unit 19 updates the reservation status in the vehicle operation information of the vehicle 4 with the vehicle identification number corresponding to the reservation content based on the reservation identification number, departure time, boarding location, alighting location, and the number of people in the reservation content. In addition, when a seat is specified, a seat number indicating the seat is also added to the reservation result, and the reservation processing unit 19 also determines the seat to be reserved, stores the seat number corresponding to the determined seat in the reservation result, and updates the seat usage status in the vehicle operation information.

If a selection result indicating that a reservation is to be made has not been received (step S41: No), the vehicle operation support device 2 judges whether or not a selection result indicating that a reservation is not to be made has been received (step S43). In detail, the selection result receiving unit 17 judges whether or not the received selection result is a selection result indicating that a reservation is not to be made. A selection result indicating that a reservation is not to be made is transmitted from the reservation terminal 3, for example, when the cancel button is pressed on the screen shown in FIG. 17.

When a selection result indicating that a reservation is not to be made is received (step S43 Yes), the vehicle operation support device 2 deletes the candidate information (step S45) and ends the process. In detail, the selection result receiving unit 17 outputs the received selection result to the reservation cancellation processing unit 18, thereby notifying the reservation cancellation processing unit 18 of the cancellation of the reservation. When the reservation cancellation processing unit 18 is notified of the reservation cancellation by the selection result receiving unit 17, it performs a process of deleting the candidate information stored in the memory unit 13 as a cancellation process.

If a selection result indicating that no reservation is to be made is not received (step S43: No), the vehicle operation support device 2 determines whether a certain amount of time has passed since the candidate information was sent (step S44). In detail, the selection result receiving unit 17 determines whether a certain amount of time has passed since the candidate information was sent. When sending the candidate information, the reservation candidate sending unit 16 notifies the selection result receiving unit 17 that the candidate information is to be sent, and when the selection result receiving unit 17 receives the notification, it starts counting the time that has passed since the candidate information was sent.

If a certain time has passed since the candidate information was sent (step S44 Yes), the vehicle operation support device 2 executes step S45. In detail, when the selection result receiving unit 17 determines that a certain time has passed since the candidate information was sent, if the selection result is not received even after a certain time has passed since the candidate information was sent, it notifies the reservation cancellation processing unit 18 of the cancellation of the reservation. When the reservation cancellation processing unit 18 receives the notification, it deletes the candidate information stored in the memory unit 13. If a certain time has not passed since the candidate information was sent (step S44 No), the vehicle operation support device 2 repeats the process from step S41. Note that, when the vehicle operation support device 2 determines that a route that satisfies a set condition is a candidate route and sends the candidate information to the reservation terminal 3, if it determines that a certain time has passed since the candidate information was sent, it may execute step S42 instead of step S45 to confirm the reservation.

When the reservation processing unit 19 generates the candidate information, the reservation information corresponding to each route that corresponds to the candidate information is added to the reservation result as a provisional reservation result, and in the above-mentioned step S45, the reservation cancellation processing unit 18 may further delete the provisional reservation result from the reservation result stored in the memory unit 13. In this case, in step S42, the vehicle reservation unit 196 may delete the provisional reservation result for the unselected route from the reservation result stored in the memory unit 13, and leave the provisional reservation result for the unselected route to confirm it as a reservation result.

When the reservation is confirmed by the above process, the reservation result transmission unit 20 transmits the reservation result to the reservation terminal 3 and the vehicle 4. In addition, the operation plan transmission unit 21 transmits the operation plan to the vehicle 4. In detail, the operation plan transmission unit 21 transmits the vehicle operation information in the operation plan to the corresponding vehicle 4. At this time, only the updated information may be transmitted, or the entire vehicle operation information may be transmitted. In addition, in the above example, the vehicle operation support device 2 transmits both the reservation result and the operation plan to the vehicle 4, but this is not limited to this. By including the user ID in the reservation status of the vehicle operation information in the operation plan, it is not necessary to transmit the reservation result. In this case, the reservation matching unit 46 of the vehicle 4 refers to the vehicle operation information and performs a matching process of the user ID of the user who will board.

In the above example, a fixed-time, fixed-route type operation has been described, but the vehicle operation support device 2 of this embodiment can also be applied to P2P type operation. FIG. 21 is a diagram showing a schematic example of an operation route of the vehicle 4 of this embodiment when P2P type operation is performed. When P2P type operation is performed, in this embodiment, the boarding and alighting locations for each area and the reservation terminal 3 are determined in advance as in the above example.

When P2P-type operation is performed, the operating route and operating time of the vehicle 4 are not determined in advance, and the reservation processing unit 19 determines the boarding and alighting locations within the area where the operated reservation terminal 3 is located that are available for boarding as boarding location candidates. The alighting locations may be specified by area or by point, as in the above example. The reservation processing unit 19 determines the vehicle 4 and operating route to be assigned for each alighting location of the alighting location candidate when the alighting location or the alighting location is specified by area, starting from each boarding and alighting location of the boarding location candidate. The method of allocating the vehicle 4 after the boarding location and the alighting location are determined is similar to the method of allocating the vehicle and the method of determining the operating route in a general demand transportation system operated in a P2P type, so details are omitted. For example, the vehicle 4 to be allocated is determined according to the vacancy information of the vehicle 4, the current position of the vehicle 4, etc. The operating route may be determined in advance for each combination of the boarding location and the alighting location, or may be determined in advance for each combination of the boarding location and the alighting location and changed according to congestion information, etc. In addition, for vehicles 4 for which reservations have been confirmed, vehicle operation information for each vehicle 4 is determined according to the reservation details, and the reservation processing unit 19 uses this vehicle operation information to assign vehicles 4 on the premise of carpooling, as in the case of fixed-time, fixed-route type, if carpooling is possible for a vehicle 4 that is already scheduled to operate.

In the example shown in FIG. 21, a user 5 is in area A and operates a reservation terminal 3 with a terminal ID of a5 to make a reservation for travel to area D as a destination. The reservation processing unit 19 extracts a vehicle 4 that can be dispatched at the earliest time after the desired boarding time (or current time) or a vehicle 4 that can arrive at the latest time before the desired arrival time as a candidate vehicle, sets each of the boarding and alighting locations A1 to A5 in area A as a candidate boarding location, sets each of the boarding and alighting locations D1 to D3 in area D as a candidate disembarking location, and calculates route information for each combination of each boarding and alighting location of the candidate disembarking locations as in the above example. The departure time is determined taking into consideration the travel time from the current position of the vehicle 4 to be assigned to each boarding and alighting location of the candidate boarding locations. At this time, it is assumed that dispatch of a vehicle 4 from boarding and alighting location A2 to boarding and alighting location E3 in area E has already been reserved for another user, and boarding and alighting location D2 is included on the operation route 205 corresponding to this reservation. In this case, if the number of passengers corresponding to the new reservation can be accommodated in the vehicle 4 assigned to the operation of the operation route 205, the reservation processing unit 19 also sets the vehicle 4 traveling on the operation route 205 as a candidate vehicle, and calculates route information for the section from boarding/alighting location A2 to boarding/alighting location D2 on the operation route 205. Then, the reservation candidate sending unit 16 sends candidate information including information indicating route candidates and route information to the reservation terminal 3. As in the above example, the user refers to the candidate information and selects the route to be reserved.

For example, in the example shown in FIG. 21, if there is no vehicle 4 immediately available for dispatch, and instead of sharing a ride, a new vehicle 4 is operated along route 204 from boarding/alighting location A1 to boarding/alighting location D3, boarding a vehicle 4 that is already scheduled to run from boarding/alighting location A2 to boarding/alighting location E3 would have an earlier departure time, and boarding/alighting location A1 is closer to the operated reservation terminal 3 than boarding/alighting location A2. In such a case, the user can refer to the displayed route information and select the route to reserve depending on whether they want to prioritize boarding at an earlier time even if it means a longer walking distance, or prioritizing a shorter walking distance.

In the above example, the reservation is confirmed using the user ID when the user boards the vehicle, but the reservation may be identified using the reservation identification number without using the user ID. In this case, the above-mentioned authentication process does not need to be performed. In this case, the vehicle operation support device 2 includes the reservation identification number in the reservation result sent to the reservation terminal 3 and the vehicle 4, and the reservation terminal 3 also displays the reservation identification number when displaying the reservation result. The reservation identification number may be displayed as text or as a two-dimensional code. If it is displayed as a two-dimensional code, the user takes a picture of the screen of the reservation terminal 3 using a user terminal such as a smartphone or tablet. The reservation terminal 3 may also display a two-dimensional code indicating a URL for displaying the two-dimensional code of the reservation identification number. In this case, the user can access the URL by reading the two-dimensional code using the user terminal and display the two-dimensional code on the terminal.

Figure 22 is a diagram showing an example of a method for displaying a reservation identification number in this embodiment. In the example shown in Figure 22, the reservation identification number (referred to as "reservation number" in Figure 22) is displayed in text on the screen displaying the reservation results, and a two-dimensional code showing a URL for obtaining a two-dimensional code for the reservation identification number is also displayed.

The reservation terminal 3 may also print a reservation ticket showing the reservation identification number as a two-dimensional code. When the reservation identification number is printed or displayed on the user terminal, the ID acquisition device 42 of the vehicle 4 is a device that reads two-dimensional codes, and when boarding, the user has the ID acquisition device 42 read the reservation ticket. Then, the reservation matching unit 46 of the vehicle 4 matches the reservation identification number read by the ID acquisition device 42 with the reservation identification number in the reservation result.

The reservation terminal 3 may also print only the reservation identification number as the reservation ticket. When only the reservation identification number is printed, the driver of the vehicle 4 is allowed to visually confirm the printed contents, and the printed reservation identification number is visually checked against the reservation information, including at least the reservation identification number, displayed on the display device 43 of the vehicle 4.

Next, the hardware configuration of the vehicle operation support device 2 of this embodiment will be described. In this embodiment, a vehicle operation support program, which is a computer program that describes the processing in the vehicle operation support device 2, is executed on a computer system, so that the computer system functions as the vehicle operation support device 2. FIG. 23 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a computer system that realizes the vehicle operation support device 2 of this embodiment. As shown in FIG. 23, this computer system includes a control unit 101, an input unit 102, a memory unit 103, a display unit 104, a communication unit 105, and an output unit 106, which are connected via a system bus 107.

In FIG. 23, the control unit 101 is a processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit), and executes a vehicle operation support program in which the processing in the vehicle operation support device 2 of this embodiment is described. The input unit 102 is composed of, for example, a keyboard, a mouse, and the like, and is used by the user of the computer system to input various information. The storage unit 103 includes various memories such as a RAM (Random Access Memory) and a ROM (Read Only Memory), and a storage device such as a hard disk, and stores the program to be executed by the control unit 101, necessary data obtained in the process of processing, and the like. The storage unit 103 is also used as a temporary storage area for the program. The display unit 104 is composed of a display, an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display Panel), and the like, and displays various screens to the user of the computer system. The communication unit 105 is a receiver and a transmitter that perform communication processing. The output unit 106 is a printer, a speaker, and the like. Note that FIG. 23 is an example, and the configuration of the computer system is not limited to the example of FIG. 23.

Here, an example of the operation of the computer system until the vehicle operation assistance program of this embodiment is in a state where it can be executed will be described. In the computer system having the above-mentioned configuration, for example, the vehicle operation assistance program is installed in the storage unit 103 from a CD-ROM or DVD-ROM set in a CD (Compact Disc)-ROM drive or DVD (Digital Versatile Disc)-ROM drive (not shown). Then, when the vehicle operation assistance program is executed, the vehicle operation assistance program read from the storage unit 103 is stored in the main memory area of the storage unit 103. In this state, the control unit 101 executes processing as the vehicle operation assistance device 2 of this embodiment according to the program stored in the storage unit 103.

In the above explanation, a program describing the processing in the vehicle operation support device 2 is provided on a CD-ROM or DVD-ROM as a recording medium, but this is not limiting. Depending on the configuration of the computer system and the capacity of the program to be provided, for example, a program provided by a transmission medium such as the Internet via the communication unit 105 may be used.

The operation plan determination unit 11, authentication unit 14, reservation information receiving unit 15, reservation candidate transmission unit 16, selection result receiving unit 17, reservation cancellation processing unit 18, reservation processing unit 19, reservation result transmission unit 20, and operation plan transmission unit 21 shown in FIG. 1 are realized by executing the vehicle operation support program stored in the storage unit 103 shown in FIG. 23 by the control unit 101 shown in FIG. 23. The storage unit 103 shown in FIG. 23 is also used to realize the operation plan determination unit 11, authentication unit 14, reservation information receiving unit 15, reservation candidate transmission unit 16, selection result receiving unit 17, reservation cancellation processing unit 18, reservation processing unit 19, reservation result transmission unit 20, and operation plan transmission unit 21. The communication unit 105 shown in FIG. 23 is also used to realize the authentication unit 14, reservation information receiving unit 15, reservation candidate transmission unit 16, selection result receiving unit 17, reservation result transmission unit 20, and operation plan transmission unit 21. The storage unit 13 shown in FIG. 1 is a part of the storage unit 103 shown in FIG. 23. The display unit 12 shown in FIG. 1 is realized by the display unit 104 shown in FIG. 23. The vehicle operation support device 2 may be realized by multiple computer systems. For example, the vehicle operation support device 2 may be realized by a cloud computer system.

For example, the vehicle operation assistance program of this embodiment causes a computer system, which is a vehicle operation assistance device 2 that supports demand operation of a vehicle 4 for which boarding and alighting locations have been determined in advance, to execute a step of receiving reservation information, which is information generated when a user operates a reservation terminal 3 associated with an area including multiple boarding and alighting locations to make a reservation for a vehicle 4, and which includes area information, which is information about the area in which the reservation terminal 3 is installed, and destination information, which is information about the destination. The vehicle operation assistance program further causes the computer system to execute a step of determining, as a candidate vehicle, a vehicle 4 that travels on a route from one of multiple boarding and alighting locations included in the area corresponding to the area information to a destination corresponding to the destination information, and reserving a vehicle corresponding to the route selected by the user from among the routes corresponding to the candidate vehicles, and a step of transmitting a reservation result indicating the reservation result to the reservation terminal 3.

The reservation terminal 3 is also realized by the computer system exemplified in FIG. 23, like the vehicle operation support device 2. The authentication request unit 31, the reservation information transmission unit 32, the reservation candidate receiving unit 33, the selection result transmission unit 34, and the reservation result receiving unit 35 shown in FIG. 1 are realized by the control unit 101 shown in FIG. 23 executing the program stored in the storage unit 103 shown in FIG. 23. The storage unit 103 shown in FIG. 23 is also used to realize the authentication request unit 31, the reservation information transmission unit 32, the reservation candidate receiving unit 33, the selection result transmission unit 34, and the reservation result receiving unit 35. The communication unit 105 shown in FIG. 23 is also used to realize the authentication request unit 31, the reservation information transmission unit 32, the reservation candidate receiving unit 33, the selection result transmission unit 34, and the reservation result receiving unit 35. The terminal ID storage unit 38 shown in FIG. 1 is part of the storage unit 103 shown in FIG. 23. The display unit 36 shown in FIG. 1 is realized by the display unit 104 shown in FIG. 23. The input reception unit 39 shown in FIG. 1 is realized by the input unit 102 shown in FIG. 23. The display unit 104 and the input unit 102 may be integrated and realized by a touch panel or the like. The ID acquisition unit 37 is realized by a card reader that reads an IC card, or the input unit 102.

The vehicle-installed terminal 41 is also realized by the computer system illustrated in FIG. 23, similar to the vehicle operation support device 2. Note that the computer system that realizes the vehicle-installed terminal 41 does not need to include the display unit 104 and the output unit 106.

The configurations shown in the above embodiments are merely examples, and may be combined with other known technologies, or the embodiments may be combined with each other. In addition, parts of the configurations may be omitted or modified without departing from the spirit of the invention.

1 Demand transportation system, 2 Vehicle operation support device, 3 Reservation terminal, 4 Vehicle, 11 Operation plan determination unit, 12, 36 Display unit, 13 Storage unit, 14 Authentication unit, 15 Reservation information receiving unit, 16 Reservation candidate transmission unit, 17 Selection result receiving unit, 18 Reservation cancellation processing unit, 19 Reservation processing unit, 20 Reservation result transmission unit, 21 Operation plan transmission unit, 31 Authentication request unit, 32 Reservation information transmission unit, 33 Reservation candidate receiving unit, 34 Selection result transmission unit, 35, 45 Reservation result receiving unit, 37 ID acquisition unit, 38 Terminal ID storage unit, 39 Input reception unit, 41 Vehicle installation terminal, 42 ID acquisition device, 43 Display device, 44 Operation plan receiving unit, 46 Reservation matching unit, 191 Area identification unit, 192 Boarding and alighting place acquisition unit, 193 Vehicle extraction unit, 194 Route information calculation unit, 195 Route determination section, 196 vehicle reservation section.

Claims (23)

A vehicle operation support device that supports demand-responsive operation of a vehicle whose boarding and alighting locations are predetermined,
a reservation information receiving unit that receives reservation information generated when a user operates a reservation terminal associated with a predetermined area including a plurality of boarding and disembarking locations to make a reservation for a vehicle, the reservation information including area information that is information regarding the area in which the reservation terminal is installed and destination information that is information regarding a destination;
a reservation processing unit that determines, as a candidate vehicle, a vehicle that travels along a route from one of a plurality of boarding and alighting locations included in an area corresponding to the area information to a destination corresponding to the destination information, and reserves a vehicle corresponding to a route selected by a user from among the routes corresponding to the candidate vehicles;
a reservation result transmission unit that transmits a reservation result indicating a result of the reservation made by the reservation processing unit to the reservation terminal;
A vehicle operation support device comprising: The vehicle operation support device according to claim 1, characterized in that the vehicle's operating route and operating time are determined in advance as an operating plan. The vehicle operation support device described in claim 2, characterized in that the multiple boarding and alighting locations included in the same area are at least one of two boarding and alighting locations corresponding to the same point on two operating routes along which the vehicle travels in opposite directions on the same line, and different boarding and alighting locations located on roads in multiple directions that intersect at an intersection. The vehicle operation support device according to claim 1, characterized in that the vehicle's operating route and operating time are determined according to the user's reservation information. The area information is terminal identification information for identifying the reservation terminal,
A vehicle operation support device as described in any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the reservation processing unit uses terminal information indicating the correspondence between the terminal identification information and the area to identify the area corresponding to the terminal identification information as the area corresponding to the area information. a reservation candidate transmitting unit that transmits candidate information including information indicating a route corresponding to the candidate vehicle to the reservation terminal;
Equipped with
the reservation processing unit obtains, for each route corresponding to the candidate vehicle, information regarding at least one of a required time, a travel distance, a fare, and an arrival time for the route as route information, and includes the route information in the candidate information;
The required time and the travel distance also include information about walking from the reservation terminal to the boarding and alighting location,
6. The vehicle operation support device according to claim 5, wherein the reservation candidate transmitting unit transmits the candidate information including the route information to the reservation terminal. The vehicle operation support device according to claim 6, characterized in that the route information includes barrier information, which is information about barriers to travel when walking from the reservation terminal to the boarding and disembarking location. a reservation candidate transmitting unit that transmits candidate information including information indicating a route corresponding to the candidate vehicle to the reservation terminal;
Equipped with
the reservation processing unit obtains, for each route corresponding to the candidate vehicle, information regarding at least one of a required time, a travel distance, a fare, and an arrival time for the route as route information, and includes the route information in the candidate information;
5. The vehicle operation support device according to claim 1, wherein the reservation candidate transmitting unit transmits the candidate information including the route information to the reservation terminal. The reservation processing unit determines, as a candidate route, a route that satisfies a condition defined using the route information among the routes corresponding to the candidate vehicles;
A vehicle operation support device as described in any one of claims 6 to 8, characterized in that the reservation candidate sending unit sends the candidate information to the reservation terminal, the candidate information including information indicating the candidate route determined by the reservation processing unit as information indicating a route corresponding to the candidate vehicle. a selection result receiving unit that receives, from the reservation terminal, a selection result indicating a route selected by a user as a route to be reserved from among the routes indicated in the candidate information;
10. The vehicle operation support device according to claim 6, wherein the reservation processing unit reserves the vehicle corresponding to the route indicated by the selection result. a reservation cancellation processing unit for canceling a reservation corresponding to the reservation information;
Equipped with
when the selection result receiving unit receives information indicating that a reservation will not be made as the selection result from the reservation terminal, the selection result receiving unit notifies the reservation cancellation processing unit of the cancellation of the reservation;
11. The vehicle operation support device according to claim 10, wherein the reservation cancellation processing unit performs the cancellation process when the reservation cancellation is notified from the selection result receiving unit. The vehicle operation support device according to claim 11, characterized in that the selection result receiving unit notifies the reservation cancellation processing unit of the cancellation of the reservation if the selection result is not received even after a certain time has elapsed since the candidate information was transmitted. an authentication unit that acquires user identification information from the reservation terminal, and transmits usage permission information permitting the use of a reservation to the reservation terminal if the acquired user identification information has been registered, and registers the acquired user identification information if the acquired user identification information has not been registered, and then transmits the usage permission information to the reservation terminal;
13. The vehicle operation support device according to claim 1, further comprising: The vehicle operation support device according to any one of claims 1 to 12, characterized in that the reservation result transmission unit transmits the reservation result, including a reservation identification number that identifies the reservation, to the reservation terminal. The vehicle operation support device according to claim 7 , wherein the barrier information includes information regarding a road width. The vehicle operation support device according to claim 7 or 15, wherein the barrier information includes information regarding the presence or absence of braille blocks. A storage unit that stores attribute information indicating attributes of the user acquired at the time of registration of the user;
The reservation processing unit determines a walking route using the attribute information and the barrier information,
8. The vehicle operation support device according to claim 7, wherein the reservation candidate sending unit sends the candidate information corresponding to the walking route determined by the reservation processing unit to the reservation terminal. The attribute information includes information indicating whether or not a wheelchair is used,
The barrier information includes information indicating the presence or absence of steps and stairs,
18. The vehicle operation support device according to claim 17, wherein the reservation processing unit determines, for the reservation information corresponding to the user who uses a wheelchair, a route that does not have steps or stairs as the walking route. A vehicle operation support device that supports demand-responsive operation of a vehicle whose boarding and alighting locations are predetermined;
A reservation terminal associated with a predetermined area including a plurality of boarding and alighting locations;
Equipped with
the reservation terminal generates reservation information in response to an operation by a user, the reservation information being information regarding the reservation of the vehicle, the reservation information including area information that is information regarding the area in which the reservation terminal is installed and destination information that is information regarding a destination, and transmits the reservation information to the vehicle operations support device;
The vehicle operation assistance device includes:
a reservation information receiving unit that receives the reservation information from the reservation terminal;
a reservation processing unit that determines, as a candidate vehicle, a vehicle that travels along a route from one of a plurality of boarding and alighting locations included in an area corresponding to the area information to a destination corresponding to the destination information, and reserves a vehicle corresponding to a route selected by a user from among the routes corresponding to the candidate vehicles;
a reservation result transmission unit that transmits a reservation result indicating a result of the reservation made by the reservation processing unit to the reservation terminal;
A demand transportation system comprising: The demand transportation system according to claim 19 , comprising the vehicle. A terminal device that generates reservation information, which is information regarding a reservation of a vehicle, based on an input from a user and transmits the reservation information to a vehicle operation support device that supports demand operation of a vehicle having a predetermined boarding and alighting location, the terminal device comprising:
a reservation information transmitting unit that transmits the reservation information including area information, which is information related to a predetermined area in which the terminal device is installed, and destination information, which is information related to a destination;
a reservation candidate receiving unit that receives candidate information indicating candidates for a route of the vehicle determined by the vehicle operation support device using the area information;
A display unit that displays the candidate information;
a selection result receiving unit that transmits a selection result indicating a route selected by a user from among the routes indicated by the candidate information to the vehicle operation support device;
a reservation result receiving unit that receives a reservation result from the vehicle operation support device;
A terminal device comprising: A vehicle operation support method in a vehicle operation support device that supports demand-responsive operation of a vehicle whose boarding and alighting locations are predetermined, comprising:
receiving reservation information generated by a user reserving a vehicle by operating a reservation terminal associated with a predetermined area including a plurality of boarding and disembarking locations, the reservation information including area information that is information about the area in which the reservation terminal is installed and destination information that is information about a destination;
determining, as a candidate vehicle, a vehicle that travels along a route from one of a plurality of boarding and alighting locations included in an area corresponding to the area information to a destination corresponding to the destination information, and reserving a vehicle corresponding to a route selected by a user from among the routes corresponding to the candidate vehicles;
transmitting a reservation result indicating the reservation result to the reservation terminal;
A vehicle operation support method comprising: A vehicle operation support device that supports demand-responsive operation of a vehicle whose boarding and alighting locations are predetermined,
receiving reservation information generated by a user reserving a vehicle by operating a reservation terminal associated with a predetermined area including a plurality of boarding and disembarking locations, the reservation information including area information that is information about the area in which the reservation terminal is installed and destination information that is information about a destination;
determining, as a candidate vehicle, a vehicle that travels along a route from one of a plurality of boarding and alighting locations included in an area corresponding to the area information to a destination corresponding to the destination information, and reserving a vehicle corresponding to a route selected by a user from among the routes corresponding to the candidate vehicles;
transmitting a reservation result indicating the reservation result to the reservation terminal;
A vehicle operation assistance program that causes a vehicle to execute the above steps.

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