JP7702777B2 - Management device, management method, and program - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a management device, a management method, and a program.

An invention has been disclosed regarding a shuttle service using self-driving vehicles without a driver on board (Patent Document 1).

JP 2019-79462 A

In this type of service, it is expected that the vehicle will pick up users at a specified boarding location and drop off users at a specified disembarking location. In this case, it may be difficult for the service operator or the user to determine an appropriate boarding or disembarking location.

The present invention was made in consideration of these circumstances, and one of its objectives is to provide a management device, management method, and program that can determine a boarding or disembarking location that is more satisfactory.

The management device, management method, and program according to the present invention employ the following configuration.
(1): A management device according to one embodiment of the present invention is a management device that manages a service in which an autonomous vehicle without a driver is driven to transport a user in a designated section, and includes a reception unit that receives a transportation request from a terminal device, and a determination unit that determines a transportation schedule in which the vehicle transports the user from a boarding position to a disembarking position based on the transportation request, wherein the reception unit receives from the terminal device a specified distance starting from a reference position, or a specified time starting from the reference position, and the determination unit determines, as the boarding position of the transportation schedule, a position that is included in a set range within the specified distance from the reference position, or a set range that is a distance that the user can travel from the reference position in the specified time.

(2): In the above aspect (1), a setting unit is further provided for setting a price for the service, and when the setting range is equal to or greater than a first range, the setting unit sets the price to a standard price or less.

(3): In the above aspect (1) or (2), a setting unit is further provided for setting a price for the service, and when the setting range is less than a first range, the setting unit sets the price to a price that exceeds a reference price.

(4): In any of the above aspects (1) to (3), the predetermined distance or the predetermined time is set by the user by operating the terminal device.

(5): In any of the above aspects (1) to (4), the reception unit receives a predetermined distance from a reference position from the terminal device, and the determination unit treats the predetermined distance as a straight-line distance and determines a position included in a set range of the straight-line distance from the reference position as a boarding position for the transportation schedule.

(6): In any of the above aspects (1) to (4), the reception unit receives a predetermined distance from a reference position from the terminal device, and the determination unit treats the predetermined distance as a route distance and determines a position included in a set range of the route distance from the reference position as a boarding position for the transportation schedule.

(7): In any of the above aspects (1) to (6), an information providing unit is further provided to cause the terminal device to provide information, and the information providing unit provides the terminal device with either or both of a price for the service set for each of a plurality of boarding locations present within the set range, or a boarding time for each of the plurality of boarding locations, and causes a display unit of the terminal device to display the price or the boarding time.

(8): In any of the above aspects (1) to (7), a setting unit is further provided for setting a price for the service, and when the setting range is equal to or greater than a reference range, the setting unit sets the price for a boarding position within the reference range or a boarding position within the reference range to equal to or less than the reference price.

(9): In any of the above aspects (1) to (7), a setting unit is further provided for setting a price for the service, and when the setting range is equal to or greater than a reference range, the setting unit sets the price for a boarding position within the reference range or a boarding position within the reference range to a price that exceeds the reference price.

(10): In any of the above aspects (1) to (9), a setting unit is further provided for setting a price for the service, and the setting unit determines the price based on one or both of the route taken by the vehicle to reach the boarding position and the route from the boarding position to the next destination after the boarding position.

(11): In any of the above aspects (1) to (10), the reception unit receives from the terminal device a predetermined distance from a reference position or a predetermined time from the reference position, and the determination unit determines, as a drop-off position for the transportation schedule, a position within a set range within the predetermined distance from the reference position or a set range that is a distance that the user can travel to the reference position within the predetermined time.

(12): A management method according to another aspect of the present invention is a management method in which a management device that manages a service in which an autonomous vehicle without a driver is driven to transport a user in a specified section receives a transportation request from a terminal device, determines a transportation schedule for transporting the user from a boarding position to a disembarking position by the vehicle based on the transportation request, receives from the terminal device a specified distance starting from a reference position or a specified time starting from the reference position, and determines, as the boarding position of the transportation schedule, a position included in a set range within the specified distance from the reference position, or a set range that is a distance range that the user can travel from the reference position based on the specified time.

(13): A program according to another aspect of the present invention is a program that causes a computer of a management device that manages a service in which an autonomous vehicle without a driver is driven to transport a user in a specified section to receive a transportation request from a terminal device, determines a transportation schedule for transporting a user from a boarding position to a disembarking position by the vehicle based on the transportation request, receives from the terminal device a predetermined distance starting from a reference position or a predetermined time starting from the reference position, and determines, as the boarding position of the transportation schedule, a position included in a set range within the predetermined distance from the reference position, or a set range that is a distance that the user can travel from the reference position in the predetermined time.

According to the above aspects (1) to (13), the management device determines the boarding location (or disembarking location) of the transportation schedule to be within a set range within a predetermined distance from the reference location, or within a set range that is a distance that the user can travel from the reference location in a predetermined time, thereby making it possible to determine a boarding location or disembarking location that is more satisfactory.

According to the above aspects (2) or (3), the management device can set an appropriate compensation according to the set range.

According to the above aspects (5) or (6), the management device can derive a more appropriate setting range by treating the specified distance as a straight-line distance or a route distance.

According to the above aspect (7), the management device provides the user with the price or boarding time for each available boarding location, thereby improving user convenience.

According to the above aspect (10), the management device determines the fee based on either or both of the route the vehicle will take to reach the boarding location and the route from the boarding location to the next destination, allowing the operator to set a more reasonable usage fee.

FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram of a system including a management device 300. FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram of a vehicle 200. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a management device 300. A diagram showing an example of the contents of transportation request list information 374. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of the contents of transportation schedule information 376. 10 is a sequence diagram for explaining an example of a flow of processes executed by a terminal device 100, a vehicle 200, and a management device 300. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of an image IM1 displayed on a screen of a terminal device 100. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of an image IM2 displayed on a display unit of the terminal device 100. FIG. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of an image IM3. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a scene in which a setting range is specified. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of an image IM4. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of the contents of fee information 380. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a relationship between a discount degree and an area based on a set distance or a set time. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of an image IM4 including a set range AR15 set based on a route distance. FIG. FIG. 11 is a diagram for explaining a process according to a second embodiment.

Below, with reference to the drawings, an embodiment of the management device, management method, and program of the present invention will be described. The management device is a device that manages a service in which an autonomous vehicle without a driver is driven to transport users by vehicle in a designated section. The designated section is a section designated by the user who boards the vehicle or by another user. A predetermined position in the designated section becomes the boarding position or disembarking position of the user. In the following explanation, an example of determining the boarding position where the user boards the vehicle will be described, but when determining the disembarking position, the disembarking position may also be determined in a similar manner to the idea of determining the boarding position.

First Embodiment
[Overall configuration]
FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of a system including a management device 300. This system includes one or more terminal devices 100 used by a user, one or more vehicles 200, and a management device 300. These components can communicate with each other via a network NW. The network NW includes the Internet, a wide area network (WAN), a local area network (LAN), a public line, a provider device, a dedicated line, a wireless base station, and the like. The "terminal device used by a user" is a terminal device that can be used by an unspecified number of people, such as a terminal device at an internet cafe, and may include a terminal device that is used temporarily by a user. In any case, the "user's terminal device" refers to a terminal device that is specified by the user who is operating it, for example, by a login operation in which a login name is entered.

[Terminal Device]
The terminal device 100 is, for example, a smartphone, a tablet terminal, a personal computer, or the like. In the terminal device 100, an application program for using the above-mentioned service, or a browser, or the like is started, and supports the service described below. In the following description, it is assumed that the terminal device 100 is a smartphone and an application program (a vehicle dispatching application) for receiving the service is started. The vehicle dispatching application communicates with the management device 300 in response to a user's operation, transmits a transportation request from the user to the management device 300, and provides information based on information received from the management device 300. A transportation request is electronic information that requests that the vehicle 200 transport the user over a specified section. In the example of FIG. 1, users U1 and U2 are illustrated. Users U1 and U2 are people who cause the terminal device 100 to transmit a transportation request for receiving a service. In addition, the terminal device 100 includes a location identification unit that identifies the location of the device itself. The position identification unit measures the position of the device based on radio waves received from a GNSS satellite (e.g., a GPS satellite), for example, and identifies the device's position based on the positioning result.

[vehicle]
Vehicle 200 is a vehicle that includes at least a passenger compartment. Fig. 2 is a configuration diagram of vehicle 200. Vehicle 200 includes, for example, a monitoring unit 210, a communication device 220, a navigation device 230, an HMI (Human machine Interface) 238, an interior monitoring device 240, an authentication device 242, a driving force output device 260, a braking device 262, a steering device 264, a door lock device 266, and an automatic driving control unit 270.

The monitoring unit 210 includes, for example, a camera that captures images of the space outside the vehicle 200, a radar or LIDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) whose detection range is outside the vehicle 200, and an object recognition device that performs sensor fusion processing based on the output of these. The monitoring unit 210 estimates the type of object (particularly, a vehicle, a pedestrian, and a bicycle) that exists around the vehicle 200, and outputs this to the autonomous driving control unit 270 together with information on its position and speed.

The communication device 220 is, for example, a wireless communication module for connecting to the network NW and communicating directly with terminal devices of other vehicles or pedestrians. The communication device 220 performs wireless communication based on Wi-Fi, DSRC (Dedicated Short Range Communications), Bluetooth (registered trademark), or other communication standards. Multiple communication devices 220 may be provided according to the purpose.

The navigation device 230 includes, for example, an HMI (Human machine Interface) 232, a GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) receiver 234, and a navigation control device 236. The HMI 232 includes, for example, a touch panel display device, a speaker, a microphone, and the like. The GNSS receiver 234 measures the position of the vehicle itself (the position of the vehicle 200) based on radio waves arriving from a GNSS satellite (for example, a GPS satellite). The navigation control device 236 includes, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and various storage devices, and controls the entire navigation device 230. The storage device stores map information (navigation map). The navigation map is a map that represents roads using nodes and links. The navigation device 230 uploads location information indicating the measured location to the management device 300 using the communication device 220. The upload of location information is performed periodically, for example, in milliseconds to seconds.

The HMI 238 is an interface device that exchanges information with a user inside or outside the vehicle. The HMI 238 includes input/output interfaces such as a display device, speaker, touch panel, buttons, a mouse, and a keyboard.

The vehicle interior monitoring device 240 includes, for example, a camera and an infrared sensor that capture images of the space inside the vehicle interior. Images captured by the camera may be uploaded to the management device 300 by the communication device 220.

The authentication device 242 is a device for verifying that a user attempting to board the vehicle 200 is a legitimate user (authenticating the user). An authentic user is a user who has an agreement with the management device 300 to board the vehicle. The authentication device 242 may be any device that has an authentication function, such as a short-range wireless communication device, a biometric authentication device, or a password input device. The authentication device 242 outputs the authentication result to the automatic driving control unit 270.

The driving force output device 260 outputs a driving force (torque) to the driving wheels for the vehicle to run. The driving force output device 260 includes, for example, a combination of an internal combustion engine, an electric motor, and a transmission, and a power ECU that controls these. The power ECU controls the above configuration according to information input from the automatic driving control unit 270 or information input from a driving operator (not shown).

The brake device 262 includes, for example, a brake caliper, a cylinder that transmits hydraulic pressure to the brake caliper, an electric motor that generates hydraulic pressure in the cylinder, and a brake ECU. The brake ECU controls the electric motor according to information input from the automatic driving control unit 270 or information input from the driving operator, so that a brake torque corresponding to the braking operation is output to each wheel. The brake device 262 may include a backup mechanism that transmits hydraulic pressure generated by operating a brake pedal included in the driving operator to the cylinder via a master cylinder. Note that the brake device 262 is not limited to the configuration described above, and may be an electronically controlled hydraulic brake device that controls an actuator according to information input from the automatic driving control unit 270 to transmit hydraulic pressure in the master cylinder to the cylinder.

The steering device 264 includes, for example, a steering ECU and an electric motor. The electric motor changes the direction of the steered wheels by, for example, applying a force to a rack and pinion mechanism. The steering ECU drives the electric motor to change the direction of the steered wheels according to information input from the automatic driving control unit 270 or information input from a driving operator.

The door lock device 266 locks or unlocks the doors of the vehicle 200. The door lock device 266 may include a mechanism for automatically opening and closing the doors.

The autonomous driving control unit 270 includes, for example, a route travel control unit 272, a boarding/alighting position search unit 274, a user recognition unit 276, a boarding/alighting control unit 280, and an HMI control unit 290. The boarding/alighting control unit 280 includes, for example, a stop/start control unit 282 and a door lock control unit 284. These components are realized by, for example, a hardware processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) executing a program (software). Some or all of these components may be realized by hardware (including circuitry) such as an LSI (Large Scale Integration), an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), an FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array), or a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), or may be realized by collaboration between software and hardware. The program may be stored in advance in a storage device (a storage device with a non-transient storage medium) such as a hard disk drive (HDD) or flash memory, or may be stored in a removable storage medium (non-transient storage medium) such as a DVD or CD-ROM, and installed in the storage device by inserting the storage medium into a drive device.

The route driving control unit 272 controls the driving force output device 260, the brake device 262, and the steering device 264 so that the vehicle 200 travels along a specified route. Route information is received from the management device 300 by the communication device 220. The route information includes information on the boarding and disembarking positions of each user. The route driving control unit 272, for example, applies the route acquired from the management device 300 to high-precision map information and determines the recommended lane on which the vehicle 200 should travel along the route. The high-precision map information is more accurate than the map information held by the navigation device 230, and includes information such as the road width, gradient, curvature, and position of traffic lights for each lane. The recommended lane is a lane that is determined for efficient travel along the route, for example, based on a criterion such as staying in the left lane before turning left at an intersection.

The route travel control unit 272 automatically drives the vehicle 200 so as to avoid contact with objects whose positions and speeds are input from the monitoring unit 210 while, as a rule, driving on the recommended lane. The route travel control unit 272 generates a target trajectory along which the vehicle 200 will travel in the future. The target trajectory includes, for example, a speed element. For example, the target trajectory is expressed as a sequence of points (trajectory points) to be reached by the vehicle 200. The trajectory points are points to be reached by the vehicle 200 for each predetermined travel distance, and separately, target speeds and target accelerations for each predetermined sampling time (for example, about 0.1 sec) are generated as part of the target trajectory. The trajectory points may also be positions to be reached by the vehicle 200 at each sampling time for each predetermined sampling time. In this case, the information on the target speed and target acceleration is expressed as the interval between trajectory points. The boarding/alighting control unit 280 also has a similar function.

The boarding/alighting position search unit 274 refers to input information from the monitoring unit 210, high-precision map information, etc., and searches for a stopping position (boarding/alighting position) where the vehicle 200 can be stopped to allow a user to board or alight, among the boarding and alighting positions included in the route information acquired from the management device 300. The boarding/alighting position search unit 274 searches for and determines the boarding/alighting positions based on white and yellow lines on the road, road signs, road width, the presence or absence of sidewalks and guardrails, etc. that can be recognized based on the input information from the monitoring unit 210.

The user recognition unit 276 recognizes users who are about to board the vehicle 200 based on input information from the monitoring unit 210. The user recognition unit 276 recognizes users who are about to board the vehicle 200, for example, by inputting images from a camera included in the monitoring unit 210 into a model that is learned by machine learning and can distinguish "users who are about to board."

The stop/start control unit 282 of the boarding/alighting control unit 280 performs deceleration control and steering control to stop the vehicle 200 at the boarding/alighting position searched and determined by the boarding/alighting position search unit 274, and performs deceleration control and steering control to start the vehicle 200 from the boarding/alighting position toward the roadway.

For example, when the vehicle 200 stops at the boarding/alighting position and information indicating that the user has been successfully authenticated is obtained from the authentication device 242, the door lock control unit 284 unlocks the door lock of a specific door in the door lock device 266. In addition, after the user gets into the vehicle 200, the door lock control unit 284 locks the door lock of a specific door in the door lock device 266 before the stop/start control unit 282 starts the vehicle 200.

The HMI control unit 290 controls the HMI 238 to output various information to the user, and controls the HMI 238 and other devices to reflect instructions received from the user by the HMI 238.

[Management device]
FIG. 3 is a configuration diagram of the management device 300. The management device 300 includes, for example, a communication unit 310, a front processing unit 320, a transportation schedule determination unit (determination unit) 330, a route determination unit 340, and a fee processing unit (setting unit) 350. The front processing unit 320 includes a reception unit 322 and an information provision unit 324. These components are realized by, for example, a hardware processor such as a CPU executing a program (software). Some or all of these components may be realized by hardware (including circuitry) such as an LSI, ASIC, FPGA, or GPU, or may be realized by cooperation between software and hardware. The program may be stored in advance in a storage device such as an HDD or flash memory (a storage device having a non-transient storage medium), or may be stored in a removable storage medium such as a DVD or CD-ROM (a non-transient storage medium), and may be installed in the storage device by mounting the storage medium in a drive device. The management device 300 may include a storage unit 370. The storage unit 370 is realized by a DVD, a RAM (Random Access Memory), a flash memory, etc. The storage unit 370 stores information such as user information 372, which is information about the user, transport request list information 374, transport schedule information 376, map information 378, and fee information 380. Details of the information stored in the storage unit 370 will be described later.

The communication unit 310 is, for example, a network card for connecting to the network NW. The communication unit 310 communicates with the terminal device 100 and the vehicle 200 via the network NW.

The reception unit 322 acquires a transportation request issued from the user's terminal device 100 via the communication unit 310 and registers it in the memory unit 370 as transportation request list information 374.

Figure 4 is a diagram showing an example of the contents of the transportation request list information 374. The transportation request list information 374 is information in which information such as an applicant ID, which is the user ID of the user (applicant) who has issued the transportation request, a passenger ID, which is the user ID of the user (passenger) who will board the vehicle 200, the boarding position that is the start point of the transportation section and the disembarking position that is the end point, the desired boarding time, and a transportation decision flag indicating whether transportation has been decided by the transportation schedule decision unit 330 (for example, 1 indicates that transportation has been decided, and 0 indicates that transportation has not been decided) is associated with each other. A set of applicant ID, passenger ID, boarding position, disembarking position, desired boarding time, and transportation decision flag related to one transportation request is called a record. A transportation request is information of any format that includes the content necessary to generate one record.

The information providing unit 324 transmits information to the user's terminal device 100, and cooperates with the application program of the terminal device 100 to cause the terminal device 100 to provide information to the user. The form of information provision is not limited to this, and the information may be provided in the form of email or a web page. This will be described in more detail later.

The transport schedule determination unit 330 determines a transport schedule for the user by the vehicle 200 based on the records registered in the transport request list information 374, and registers the schedule in the transport schedule information 376. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of the contents of the transport schedule information 376. The transport schedule information 376 is generated, for example, for each vehicle ID, which is identification information for the vehicle 200 used when there are multiple vehicles 200, and for each operation day. The transport schedule information 376 is information in which, for example, information such as boarding and alighting positions, scheduled arrival time, information indicating whether to board or disembark, and user IDs of users who board and alight are arranged in chronological order. The transport schedule determination unit 330 determines the scheduled arrival time in the case of boarding based on the desired boarding time in the records of the transport request list information 374, and determines the scheduled arrival time in the case of disembarking by taking into account the traffic information for the day and information on the legal speed limit, etc.

The route determination unit 340 determines a route to instruct the vehicle 200 based on the transportation schedule information 376 and the map information 378, and transmits the route information to the vehicle 200 using the communication unit 310. The function of the route determination unit 340 is similar to that of an existing navigation system.

The fee processing unit 350 determines the fee (usage fee) for the user's transportation request. The fee processing unit 350 performs processing to collect the fee from the user. For example, the fee processing unit 350 works in conjunction with a management server for credit cards or electronic money to collect the fee from the user.

[Sequence]
The reception unit 322 receives a predetermined distance from a reference position or a predetermined time from the reference position from the terminal device 100, and the transportation schedule determination unit 330 determines a position included in a set range within a predetermined distance from the reference position or a set range that is a distance that the user can travel from the reference position in a predetermined time as a boarding position in the transportation schedule. For example, when the set range is equal to or greater than a first range, the fare processing unit 350 sets the usage fee (consideration) to a standard fee (standard consideration) or less, and when the set range is less than the first range, sets the usage fee to a usage fee exceeding the standard fee. This process will be described below.

Figure 6 is a sequence diagram for explaining an example of the flow of processing executed by the terminal device 100, the vehicle 200, and the management device 300. The order of processing in this sequence diagram may be changed, and some of the processing may be omitted.

First, the terminal device 100 transmits a transportation request to the management device 300 (step S100). The transportation request includes the applicant ID and the location information of the terminal device 100. Furthermore, the transportation request includes the boarding date and time when the user boards the vehicle 200, the boarding location, and a set range from the reference location. The set range is the range of boarding locations that the user is willing to accept.

Figure 7 is a diagram showing an example of an image IM1 displayed on the screen of the terminal device 100. Image IM1 includes a button G1 for setting the boarding date and time, a button G2 for setting the reference position of the boarding location, buttons G3 and G4 for setting the range of the boarding location, a button G5 for setting the boarding date and time and the boarding location, and a button G6 for sending information on the set boarding date and time and boarding location to the management device 300. These buttons G1 to G6 are, for example, a GUI (Graphical User Interface).

Button G2 is a button for setting a reference position for setting the setting range. In the example of FIG. 7, for example, the reference position is the current location (the location of the terminal device 100). The user can operate button G2 to set any location on the map.

Button G3 is a button for setting the distance from a reference position for the range of boarding positions that the user is willing to accept. For example, the user can set the boarding position within a range that allows a certain distance from the reference position.

Button G4 is a button for setting the range of boarding locations that the user can reach by walking from the reference location. For example, the user can set the boarding location within the range that can be reached by walking from the reference location within a specified time.

The distance from the reference position may be preset by the user, for example, in advance, such as xx mails. Also, the time the user is allowed to walk from the reference position may be preset by the user, for example, in advance, such as xx minutes walking time, or the walking speed and walking time may be preset by the user, for example, xx minutes walking slowly or xx minutes walking fast.

As described above, the user can operate the terminal device 100 to set the boarding date and time, the reference boarding location, the range from the reference location to the boarding location, etc.

Returning to the explanation of FIG. 6, when the management device 300 receives a transportation request from the terminal device 100 (step S102), it derives a boarding position based on the transportation request and the map information, and provides information on the derived boarding position to the terminal device 100 (step S104). In the map information 378, the boarding position is associated with the location information. The management device 300 provides information on the boarding position that is within the range acceptable to the user to the terminal device 100.

For example, when the management device 300 receives a request from the terminal device 100 to walk slowly for x minutes within a set range, the management device 300 derives the set range that can be reached by walking for x minutes based on a specified function or algorithm, and provides the terminal device 100 with information on the boarding position included in the derived set range.

Next, the terminal device 100 displays the boarding position information provided to the management device 300 on the display unit, and determines the boarding position according to the user's operation (step S106). Next, the terminal device 100 transmits the determined boarding position information to the management device 300 (step S108).

Figure 8 is a diagram showing an example of image IM2 displayed on the display unit of the terminal device 100. Image IM2 is information on the boarding position (candidate boarding position) provided to the management device 300. For example, it is assumed that a set range AR1 is set from a reference position. As shown in image IM2, it is assumed that one candidate boarding position is presented to the user within the set range AR1. The user's usage fee differs depending on the set range. For example, the smaller the set range, the higher the usage fee. Image IM2 includes, for example, information on the degree of surcharge (or discount degree) for the usage fee. The usage fee to which the discount degree associated with the set range AR1 has been applied is an example of a usage fee equivalent to a "standard consideration" or a usage fee that "exceeds the standard consideration."

When the user selects a boarding location included in the above-mentioned set range and performs a specified operation, the terminal device 100 transmits information about the selected boarding location to the management device 300. For example, if the set range includes multiple boarding locations, multiple acceptable boarding locations may be selected. The management device 300 sets the selected boarding location as the boarding location.

If the user wants to select a boarding location different from the above boarding locations, the user operates button G10 to reset the set range. By operating button G10, the user can reset the set distance or the set distance.

For example, when a user resets the set distance or the set time, the terminal device 100 transmits the reset set distance or the set time to the management device 300. The management device 300 derives the boarding position based on the reset set distance or the set time, and transmits information on the derived boarding position to the terminal device 100. The terminal device 100 acquires the boarding position information from the management device 300, and displays the acquired information (image IM3) on the display unit.

Figure 9 is a diagram showing an example of image IM3. For example, the set range AR2 is a set range derived based on the set distance or set time reset by the user. The set range AR2 includes four boarding positions in addition to the boarding positions included in the set range AR1. When the set range is expanded, the discount rate of the user's usage fee increases. The discount rate for the set range AR2 is greater than the discount rate for the set range AR1 (the usage fee for the set range AR2 is lower than the usage fee for the set range AR1). The usage fee to which the discount rate is applied when the set range is expanded is an example of a usage fee that is "less than the standard price."

For example, when multiple boarding positions are included in the set range AR2 as in image IM3, it is assumed that the user will allow the management device 300 to board the vehicle at a boarding position included in the set range AR2 selected by the management device 300. For example, when the user allows the user to board the vehicle at a boarding position in the set range AR2, the user performs a predetermined operation on the terminal device 100. As a result, the management device 300 acquires information from the terminal device 100 indicating that the predetermined operation has been performed. The management device 300 then selects the desired boarding position from the set range AR2. For example, the management device 300 selects a boarding position that can provide services efficiently based on the route of the vehicle that will pick up the user.

For example, if the set range AR2 includes multiple boarding locations, and the user wishes to set a desired boarding location among the boarding locations included in the set range AR2 as the boarding location, the user may specify that boarding location. In this case, the management device 300 may maintain the discount degree at the discount degree corresponding to the set range AR2, or may reduce the discount degree. When reducing the discount degree, for example, the distance from the reference location to the boarding location, or the time it takes the user to reach the boarding location from the reference location, may be regarded as the set distance or set time set by the user, and the discount degree may be determined based on the set range corresponding to the set distance or set time.

Returning to the explanation of FIG. 6, the management device 300 derives a route for picking up the user based on the transportation request and boarding position information acquired from the terminal device 100 and the transportation requests of other users, and determines a transportation schedule including the derived route (step S110). Next, the management device 300 charges the user a usage fee based on the transportation schedule determined in step S110 (step S112). Next, the management device 300 provides the transportation schedule determined in step S110 and the usage fee derived in step S112 to the terminal device 100 (step S114).

Next, the terminal device 100 displays the provided transport schedule and usage fee on the display unit, and when the user performs an operation to agree to the transport schedule and usage fee, transmits information to that effect to the management device 300 (step S116). When the management device 300 acquires the information transmitted in step S116, it transmits the transport schedule information to the vehicle 200 to be operated according to the transport schedule based on that transport schedule (step S118).

In this way, the management device 300 derives a set range based on the set distance or set time set by the user, and determines a transportation schedule based on the boarding location included in the derived set range. This determines a boarding location (or disembarking location) that is more satisfactory. Specifically, by setting a large set range, users can use the service at a lower price, which increases the user's satisfaction. By setting a large set range, the operator has more freedom to select the boarding location or disembarking location, and can operate the service at a lower cost, which increases the operator's satisfaction even if the usage fee is set low. The cost is based on one or more of the following items: time, money, vehicle fuel efficiency, distance to the destination, complexity of control when traveling along the route, difficulty when traveling along the route, etc.

In the above example, the set distance or time is set by operating a button displayed on the image, but instead of (or in addition to) this, the user may operate the screen with a finger to set the set range. The operation may be, for example, a drag operation, a pinch out operation, or a swipe operation. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a scene in which a set range is specified. In image IM4 of FIG. 10, when a user places a finger on a predetermined position on image IM4 and performs a drag operation, the dragged range is recognized as the set range for deriving the boarding position. The management device 300 derives the boarding position based on the target area.

In the above example, the display unit of the terminal device 100 was described as displaying information in which the boarding position is associated with map information. However, instead of (or in addition to) this, as shown in image IM4 of FIG. 10, the boarding position and one or both of information on the time of arrival at the boarding position and the usage fee for picking up at the boarding position may be associated with the map information. For example, the usage fee associated with the boarding position may be higher the closer the distance is from the reference position, or the usage fee associated with the boarding position may be higher in stages as the distance is closer to the reference position. FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of image IM5.

In this case, the terminal device 100 transmits a transportation request including the set distance or set time to the management device 300. The management device 300 derives the fare or arrival time for each boarding location included in the derived area based on the set distance or set time, and transmits the derived information to the terminal device 100. As a result, an image IM5 is displayed on the display unit of the terminal device 100.

As described above, users can easily recognize their boarding location and the charges that will be incurred if they use that boarding location to receive services, improving convenience for users.

[Method of deriving usage fees]
The fare processing unit 350 derives the discount degree for each boarding position by referring to the fare information 380. Fig. 12 is a diagram showing an example of the contents of the fare information 380. The fare information 380 is information in which a set distance, a set time, and a discount degree are associated with each other. In the fare information 380, a larger discount degree is associated with a larger set distance or a larger set time.

Figure 13 is a diagram showing an example of the relationship between the discount degree and the area based on the set distance or the set time. The set range AR10 in Figure 13 is an area derived based on the first set distance or the first set time. The set range AR11 in Figure 13 is an area derived based on the second set distance or the second set time. The set range AR12 in Figure 13 is an area derived based on the third set distance or the third set time. The third set distance, the second set distance, and the first set distance are the longest distances, and the third set time, the second set time, and the first set time are the longest set times. The set range AR12 includes the set range AR11, and the set range AR11 includes the set range AR10. The set range AR12, the set range AR11, and the set range AR11 are the largest in this order. The discount degree when the set range AR10 is set is smaller than the discount degree when the set range AR11 is set. The discount degree when the set range AR11 is set is smaller than the discount degree when the set range AR12 is set. As described above, the greater the set distance or set time set by the user, the greater the discount degree.

For example, in a service that transports users by vehicle, if the area near the reference position is congested or the roads near the reference position are narrow, it may be costly (time and effort) for the autonomous vehicle to reach the reference position. Also, depending on road conditions and social circumstances, it may not be desirable to pick up passengers near the reference position.

Due to the above circumstances, autonomous vehicles may be arranged to have users board and disembark at a pre-determined boarding position (hereafter referred to as the virtual boarding position).

The larger the range set, the more boarding locations the operator can select from to find the most suitable boarding location based on the transportation schedule. As a result, the operator can operate the service more efficiently.

For example, if range AR11 in FIG. 13 is the reference range and set range AR12 is the set range, the management device 300 may set the usage fee to be equal to or lower than the reference fee if a position within range AR11 or range AR10 is determined as the boarding location.

For example, when range AR11 in FIG. 13 is the reference range and set range AR11 is the set range, the management device 300 may set the usage fee to the reference fee or a usage fee exceeding the reference fee when a position within range AR11 or range AR10 is determined as the boarding position. For example, the usage fee may be set to be higher as the distance from the reference position to the boarding position becomes closer.

The management device 300 may treat the set distance set by the user as a straight-line distance or as a route distance. When treating it as a route distance, the management device 300 may refer to the map information 378 and set a set range based on the position of the route that the user can travel from the reference position when moving the route distance. Figure 14 is a diagram showing an example of an image IM6 including a set range AR15 set based on the route distance. The shape of the set range based on the set time may also be shaped like the set range AR15 of image IM6.

According to the first embodiment described above, the management device 300 determines, as the boarding location for the transportation schedule, a location that is within a set range within a predetermined distance from a reference location, or a set range that is a distance that a user can travel from the reference location in a predetermined time, thereby making it possible to determine a boarding location or disembarking location that is more satisfactory.

Second Embodiment
The second embodiment will be described below. In the second embodiment, the usage fee is calculated based on the route of the vehicle before and after the boarding position of the target user. The following description will focus on the differences from the first embodiment.

The management device 300 determines the usage fee based on one or both of the route taken by the vehicle to reach the boarding position or the route from the boarding position to the next destination of the boarding position. For example, if a first cost for traveling a first route to reach a first boarding position is greater than a second cost for traveling a second route to reach a second boarding position, the management device 300 sets the usage fee for the first boarding position to be greater than the usage fee for the second boarding position.

For example, if the third cost of traveling the third route from the third boarding location to the next destination is greater than the fourth cost of traveling the fourth route from the fourth boarding location to the next destination, the management device 300 sets the usage fee for the third boarding location to be greater than the usage fee for the fourth boarding location.

Figure 15 is a diagram for explaining the processing of the second embodiment. For example, it is assumed that boarding positions P1-P3 exist within a set range AR20 centered on a reference position Ps. It is also assumed that it is efficient for a vehicle to travel along route R1 toward the destination. Efficient means that the cost of arriving at the destination is small. Route R1 is a route that passes through boarding position P1, and in order to arrive at boarding position P2 or P3, the vehicle must deviate from route R1 and take a detour. For example, the management device 300 may set a lower usage fee when picking up a user at boarding position P1 than when picking up a user at boarding position P2 or P3.

As described above, when the boarding location selected by the user is a location where the service can be provided efficiently, the management device 300 sets the usage fee lower than when the location is a location where the service cannot be provided efficiently. As a result, the operator or the user can feel more satisfied.

According to the second embodiment described above, the management device 300 determines the usage fee based on either or both of the route the vehicle takes to reach the boarding position, or the route from the boarding position to the next destination beyond the boarding position, so that it is possible to determine a boarding position or disembarking position that is more satisfactory.

The above-described embodiment can be expressed as follows.
A management device for managing a service in which a vehicle capable of autonomous driving is driven without a driver and a user is transported by the vehicle in a designated section,
A storage device storing a program;
a hardware processor;
The hardware processor executes the program,
Accepts transportation requests from terminal devices,
determining a transportation schedule for transporting the user from the boarding location to the disembarking location by the vehicle based on the transportation request;
receiving, from the terminal device, a predetermined distance from a reference position or a predetermined time from the reference position;
determining, as a boarding position of the transportation schedule, a position included in a set range within the predetermined distance from the reference position, or a set range that is a distance that the user can travel from the reference position within the predetermined time;
Management device.

The above describes the form for carrying out the present invention using an embodiment, but the present invention is not limited to such an embodiment, and various modifications and substitutions can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

For example, the management device 300 may be mounted on the vehicle 200. The vehicle 200 may also be a remote-operated vehicle that is remotely operated from a remote location. In this case, the vehicle 200 transmits various information acquired by the monitoring unit 210 to an external device via the communication device 220. The external device generates (or reproduces) an image showing the surrounding conditions of the vehicle 200 based on the received various information, and presents it to the remote operator. At this time, the image, etc. may be corrected by a look-ahead process to cover delays due to communication. The remote operator operates the driving controls based on the presented image. The operations performed on the driving controls are transmitted to the vehicle 200, and the vehicle 200 runs based on the received operations.

100 Terminal device 200 Vehicle 220 Communication device 240 Vehicle interior monitoring device 242 Authentication device 270 Automatic driving control unit 300 Management device 310 Communication unit 320 Front processing unit 322 Reception unit 324 Information provision unit 330 Transport schedule determination unit 340 Route determination unit 350 Fee processing unit 370 Storage unit 372 User information 374 Transport request list information 376 Transport schedule information 378 Map information U User

Claims (14)

A management device for managing a service in which a vehicle capable of autonomous driving is driven without a driver and a user is transported by the vehicle in a designated section,
A reception unit that receives a transportation request from a terminal device;
A determination unit that determines a transportation schedule for transporting the user from the boarding position to the disembarking position by the vehicle based on the transportation request;
Equipped with
The receiving unit receives, from the terminal device, a predetermined distance from a reference position or a predetermined time from the reference position;
The determination unit determines, as a boarding position of the transportation schedule, a position included in a set range within the predetermined distance from the reference position, or a set range that is a range of a distance that the user can travel from the reference position within the predetermined time,
the management device accepts a change to the setting range made by the user, and displays a discount rate for the usage fee based on the change;
the predetermined distance or the distance that the user can travel is a route distance,
The route distance is a distance from the reference position along a route that the user can travel.
Management device. the management device accepts a selection by the user from the terminal device that displays the boarding position candidates on a map;
The management device according to claim 1 . the determination unit determines a range arbitrarily set by the user on the map displayed on the terminal device as a set range, and determines a position included in the set range as a boarding position of the transportation schedule;
The management device according to claim 1 . A setting unit for setting a price for the service is further provided,
The setting unit sets the consideration to a reference consideration or less when the set range is equal to or greater than a first range.
The management device according to claim 1 . A setting unit for setting a price for the service is further provided,
When the set range is less than a first range, the setting unit sets the price to a price exceeding a reference price.
The management device according to claim 1 . the predetermined distance or the predetermined time is set by a user operating the terminal device;
The management device according to claim 1 . The receiving unit receives a predetermined distance from a reference position from the terminal device,
The determination unit treats the predetermined distance as a straight-line distance, and determines a position included in a set range of the straight-line distance from the reference position as a boarding position of the transportation schedule.
The management device according to any one of claims 1 to 6. An information providing unit that causes the terminal device to provide information,
the information providing unit provides, to the terminal device, one or both of a fee for the service set for each of a plurality of boarding available locations existing within the set range and a boarding time for each of the plurality of boarding available locations, and causes a display unit of the terminal device to display the fee or the boarding time;
The management device according to any one of claims 1 to 7. A setting unit for setting a price for the service is further provided,
When the set range is equal to or greater than the reference range,
The setting unit sets the fare for the boarding position within the reference range or the boarding position within the reference range to a reference fare or less.
The management device according to any one of claims 1 to 8. A setting unit for setting a price for the service is further provided,
When the set range is equal to or greater than the reference range,
The setting unit sets the price for a boarding position within the reference range or a boarding position within the reference range to a price exceeding a reference price.
The management device according to any one of claims 1 to 9. A setting unit for setting a price for the service is further provided,
The setting unit determines the price based on one or both of a route until the vehicle reaches the boarding position and a route from the boarding position to a destination next to the boarding position.
The management device according to any one of claims 1 to 10. The receiving unit receives, from the terminal device, a predetermined distance from a reference position or a predetermined time from the reference position;
The determination unit determines, as a drop-off position of the transportation schedule, a position included in a set range within the predetermined distance from the reference position, or a set range that is a range of a distance that the user can travel to the reference position within the predetermined time.
The management device according to any one of claims 1 to 11. A management device that manages a service of transporting a user by an autonomous vehicle without a driver in a designated section,
Accepts transportation requests from terminal devices,
determining a transportation schedule for transporting the user from the boarding location to the disembarking location by the vehicle based on the transportation request;
receiving, from the terminal device, a predetermined distance from a reference position or a predetermined time from the reference position;
determining a location included in a set range within the predetermined distance from the reference location, or a set range that is a distance that the user can travel from the reference location within the predetermined time, as a boarding location of the transportation schedule;
accepting a change to the setting range made by the user, and displaying a discount rate for the usage fee based on the change;
the predetermined distance or the distance that the user can travel is a route distance,
The route distance is a distance from the reference position along a route that the user can travel.
Management method. A computer of a management device that manages a service of transporting users in a designated section by driving an autonomous vehicle without a driver,
Accepting a transportation request from a terminal device;
determining a transportation schedule for transporting the user from a boarding location to a disembarking location by the vehicle based on the transportation request;
receiving, from the terminal device, a predetermined distance from a reference position or a predetermined time from the reference position;
determining, as a boarding position of the transportation schedule, a position included in a set range within the predetermined distance from the reference position, or a set range that is a distance that the user can travel from the reference position within the predetermined time ;
Accepting a change to the setting range by the user, and displaying a discount rate for the usage fee based on the change;
the predetermined distance or the distance that the user can travel is a route distance,
The route distance is a distance from the reference position along a route that the user can travel.
program.

Images