JP7738775B2 - Operation plan management device, operation plan management system, operation plan management method and program - Google Patents

Description

This disclosure relates to an operation plan management device, an operation plan management system, a bus stop terminal, a vehicle, an operation plan management method, and a program for managing vehicle operation plans.

Vehicles traveling on roads may be affected by their relative positions in relation to other vehicles. For example, when traveling on a narrow road and there is an oncoming vehicle, it may be necessary to take measures such as waiting in a place where it can evacuate.

Patent document 1 discloses a base station equipped with a control unit that determines a priority vehicle from among multiple vehicles traveling on a road and controls oncoming vehicles other than the priority vehicle to stop in a bidirectional section (a section where traffic in both the first and second directions is possible at the same time) before the priority vehicle approaches oncoming vehicles other than the priority vehicle.

International Publication No. 2020/262425

However, while the technology described in Patent Document 1 can reduce delays for priority vehicles, oncoming vehicles are forced to stop or slow down until they pass the priority vehicle, preventing smooth travel. As a result, when two vehicles with scheduled operations are facing each other, one of the vehicles will have to stop or slow down, which results in the vehicle that has stopped or slowed down arriving at its stop late, preventing operations according to the operation plan.

The present disclosure has been made in consideration of the above, and aims to provide an operation plan management device that can reduce delays from the operation plan caused by intersections between vehicles traveling according to the operation plan.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems and achieve the objectives, the operation plan management device disclosed herein is an operation plan management device that manages operation plans including departure times from stops for vehicles transporting passengers or cargo, and includes: an intersection area information acquisition unit that acquires intersection area information including information indicating the location of intersection areas, which are points where intersections between vehicles may affect the running of the vehicles; and an operation plan creation unit that uses the intersection area information and stop information, which is information about stops, to create an operation plan such that the arrival times at the intersection areas differ between at least some of the vehicles , and the intersection area includes a bottleneck .

The operation plan management device disclosed herein has the effect of reducing delays from the operation plan caused by intersections between vehicles traveling according to the operation plan.

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of an operation plan management system according to a first embodiment; FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration example of an operation plan creation unit according to a first embodiment; 1 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a processing procedure in an overlapping point estimation unit according to the first embodiment. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of overlapping points estimated by an overlapping point estimation unit according to the first embodiment; 1 is a flowchart showing an example of a processing procedure in a determination unit according to the first embodiment. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of bottleneck information according to the first embodiment; FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of bottlenecks and overlapping points according to the first embodiment; FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a combination of vehicles intersecting at a matching point according to the first embodiment; 1 is a flowchart showing an example of a processing procedure in a correction unit according to the first embodiment. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of correcting departure times at bus stops according to the first embodiment. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of correcting departure times at bus stops according to the first embodiment. FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of an operation plan management system according to a first embodiment in which bottleneck route information is generated by an operation plan management device. 1 is a flowchart showing an example of a processing procedure in an extraction unit according to the first embodiment. FIG. 1 is a sequence diagram illustrating an example of processing in an operation plan management device according to a first embodiment. FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of a computer system that realizes an operation plan management device according to a first embodiment. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of an operation plan management system according to a second embodiment. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a configuration example of an operation plan creation unit according to a second embodiment; A diagram illustrating the effect of crossing vehicles at an intersection 10 is a flowchart showing an example of a processing procedure in a determination unit according to a third embodiment. 10 is a flowchart showing an example of a processing procedure in a determination unit according to a third embodiment. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of intersection information according to a third embodiment. A diagram showing an example of a temporary operation plan when corrections are required FIG. 10 is a sequence diagram illustrating an example of processing in an operation plan management device according to a third embodiment.

The operation plan management device, operation plan management system, bus stop terminal, vehicle, operation plan management method, and program relating to the embodiments are described in detail below with reference to the drawings.

Embodiment 1.
FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of an operation plan management system according to a first embodiment. The operation plan management system 100 of this embodiment includes a vehicle 2 that transports passengers or cargo, an operation plan management device 1 that manages the operation plan of the vehicle 2, and a bus stop terminal 3 installed at a bus stop for the vehicle 2. The vehicle 2 may transport at least one of passengers and cargo, or may transport both passengers and cargo. The vehicle 2 of this embodiment is, for example, a community bus, a route bus, or a taxi with a set operation plan, but is not limited to these as long as it runs according to an operation plan. The vehicle 2 may also be a drone or a robot with a set operation route and operation plan.

In Figure 1, two vehicles 2 are shown, but there may be more than one vehicle 2, and the number of vehicles 2 is not limited to the example shown in Figure 1. Also, in Figure 1, two bus stop terminals 3 are shown, but a bus stop terminal 3 may be provided for each bus stop, and the number of bus stop terminals 3 is not limited to the example shown in Figure 1.

Vehicle 2 is, for example, an autonomous vehicle, but is not limited to this and may also be a manually driven vehicle driven by a driver. The type (model) of vehicle 2 may be, for example, a bus, passenger car, cart, PMV (Personal Mobility Vehicle), etc., but a mixture of these may also be used. The type of vehicle 2 is not limited to the examples described above. Figure 1 shows an example in which vehicle 2 is an autonomous vehicle.

Vehicle 2 travels according to an operation plan created by operation plan management device 1. Vehicle 2 includes a transmitter/receiver 21, a travel control unit 22, and a self-location determination unit 23. The transmitter/receiver 21 communicates with operation plan management device 1 to transmit and receive information to and from the operation plan management device 1. For example, the transmitter/receiver 21 receives an operation plan from the operation plan management device 1 and outputs the received operation plan to the travel control unit 22. The transmitter/receiver 21 may also receive control information for controlling the travel of vehicle 2 from the operation plan management device 1 and output the received control information to the travel control unit 22.

The self-location determination unit 23 determines the position of the vehicle 2 and outputs position information indicating the determined position to the driving control unit 22. The self-location determination unit 23 may be, but is not limited to, a GPS receiver that performs GPS (Global Positioning System) positioning.

The driving control unit 22 controls the driving of the vehicle 2 through autonomous driving using the position information received from the self-location determination unit 23 and the operation plan received from the transceiver unit 21. For example, the driving control unit 22 controls a driving mechanism (not shown) based on information acquired by sensors (not shown), such as an obstacle detection camera, LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging), or millimeter-wave sensor, the position information received from the self-location determination unit 23, and map information (not shown). The driving mechanism is a mechanism for driving the vehicle 2, and includes, for example, multiple mechanisms for driving the vehicle 2, such as an accelerator pedal or other accelerator operating device, a steering device, and a brake, although the configuration of the driving mechanism is not limited to these. If the vehicle 2 is a manually driven vehicle, for example, the vehicle 2 displays an operation plan, and the driver drives the vehicle 2 according to the operation plan, causing the vehicle 2 to drive according to the operation plan.

The operation plan management device 1 creates an operation plan for vehicle 2 for a target creation period, which is the period for which the operation plan is created. The target creation period may be, for example, one day (the time period during which vehicle 2 is in service), or one hour, two hours, etc. The target creation period is not limited to these examples. The operation plan may include, for example, the departure time from each stop for each trip. The operation plan may also include identification information for vehicle 2 for each trip. Furthermore, if there are multiple routes for which an operation plan is to be created, the operation plan may also include information indicating the routes. Note that if routes are defined, information indicating which roads vehicle 2 will travel on for each route may be included in the operation plan, or may be included in map information stored in the memory unit 13, which will be described later. Alternatively, route information indicating which roads vehicle 2 will travel on for each route may be stored in the memory unit 13 separately from the map information. Furthermore, if the route for vehicle 2 is not defined, the operation plan may also include information indicating the route between stops (travel route), i.e., the roads vehicle 2 will travel on between stops.

The following describes an example in which the identification information of vehicle 2 is a vehicle identification number that identifies vehicle 2, but the identification information of vehicle 2 is not limited to the vehicle identification number. Vehicle information is information about vehicles 2 that are the subject of an operation plan, and includes at least vehicle width information that indicates the vehicle width of each vehicle 2. Vehicle width information may be information that indicates the vehicle width itself, or information that indicates the vehicle model (vehicle model of vehicle 2). In the latter case, the vehicle information further includes information that indicates the vehicle width for each vehicle model. The vehicle information may also include information that indicates the vehicle model and width for each vehicle 2. For example, vehicle information is information that associates the vehicle identification number with the vehicle model and width, but is not limited to this. Stop information is information about stops for vehicle 2, and stops are locations on the route traveled by vehicle 2 where passengers board and disembark, or where cargo is loaded and unloaded, shipped, and received. Stop information includes at least information that indicates the location of each stop. Map information is information that indicates a map including roads, and includes at least road width information that indicates the width of the roads. Map information may also include information that indicates the terrain.

The operation plan management device 1 includes an information acquisition unit 11, an operation plan creation unit 12, a memory unit 13, and an output unit 14. The memory unit 13 stores operation plans, vehicle information, stop information, and map information.

The information acquisition unit 11 acquires information by at least one of accepting information input from the administrator of the operation plan management device 1 or receiving information from another device. When receiving information from another device, the information acquisition unit 11 may acquire the information from the other device by transmitting an acquisition request to the other device requesting that the information be acquired. The other device may be a server that stores various types of information, or a terminal device operated by the administrator.

The information acquisition unit 11, for example, acquires bottleneck information and outputs the acquired bottleneck information to the operation plan creation unit 12. Bottleneck information is information related to bottlenecks, which are locations where the road width is narrow and makes it difficult for vehicles 2 to travel. Bottleneck information may be input by an administrator or transmitted from another device (not shown). Bottlenecks are an example of intersection areas, which are points where the intersection of vehicles 2 may affect the travel of vehicles 2, and bottleneck information is an example of intersection area information related to intersection areas. The information acquisition unit 11 is an example of an intersection area information acquisition unit that acquires intersection area information. Note that an intersection here means that the paths of multiple vehicles 2 intersect or overlap. Bottleneck information includes at least information indicating the location of the bottleneck. Bottleneck information may be generated for each combination of vehicle widths of vehicles 2. Details of bottleneck information will be described later. As will be described later, the bottleneck information may be generated based on map information and vehicle information stored in the storage unit 13 .

The operation plan creation unit 12 uses intersection area information and stop information to create an operation plan that avoids the impact of intersections between vehicles 2 in intersection areas on the travel of vehicles 2. For example, the operation plan creation unit 12 uses bottleneck information, which is an example of intersection area information, to create an operation plan that avoids intersections between vehicles 2 at bottlenecks when the vehicles 2 satisfy intersection restriction conditions related to bottlenecks, and outputs the created operation plan to the output unit 14. In other words, when the intersection area is a bottleneck, the operation plan creation unit 12 creates an operation plan that does not make it difficult for vehicles 2 to pass each other at bottlenecks. Intersection restriction conditions are conditions under which intersections between vehicles 2 affect the travel of vehicles 2; in other words, conditions under which intersection restrictions are necessary. For example, the intersection restriction condition is a condition that it is difficult for the vehicles 2 to pass each other at a narrow passage, and more specifically, a condition that the value obtained by adding the vehicle width of the oncoming vehicle 2 to a predetermined value (corresponding to the margin of width for passing each other) is equal to or greater than the road width of the narrow passage. For example, the operation plan creation unit 12 creates an operation plan so that the oncoming vehicles 2 arrive at the narrow passage at different times. The operation plan creation unit 12 may use the narrow passage information and the vehicle information and take into account the vehicle width of the oncoming vehicle 2 to determine whether the intersection restriction condition is satisfied. Details of the operation plan creation process in the operation plan creation unit 12 will be described later.

When vehicles 2 collide in a narrow passage where it is difficult for the vehicles 2 to pass each other, at least one of the vehicles 2 will have to stop, which may result in a delay from the operation plan for that vehicle 2's arrival at the stop. In this embodiment, an operation plan is created so that it is not difficult for vehicles 2 to pass each other in a narrow passage, thereby reducing delays from the operation plan caused by the intersection of vehicles 2 traveling according to the operation plan.

Note that if vehicle width is not taken into consideration when determining whether or not the intersection restriction conditions are met in the operation plan creation unit 12, vehicle information does not need to be stored in the memory unit 13. For example, with regard to the vehicles 2 for which operation plans are created in the operation plan management device 1, if the vehicle widths of all vehicles 2 are the same or the maximum difference in vehicle width between vehicles 2 is within a certain value, vehicle width can be treated as a fixed value, and therefore vehicle information does not need to be stored in the memory unit 13.

The output unit 14 outputs the operation plan by transmitting the operation plan received from the operation plan creation unit 12 to the vehicle 2 and the bus stop terminal 3. The output unit 14 also stores the operation plan in the memory unit 13 by outputting the operation plan received from the operation plan creation unit 12 to the memory unit 13. Note that while Figure 1 shows an example in which the operation plan is stored in the memory unit 13 by the output unit 14, this is not limiting, and the operation plan creation unit 12 may also store the operation plan in the memory unit 13.

The bus stop terminal 3 includes a receiving unit 31 and a display unit 32. The receiving unit 31 receives an operation plan from the operation plan management device 1 and outputs the received operation plan to the display unit 32. The display unit 32 displays the operation plan.

Next, we will explain a specific example of how the operation plan is created in the operation plan management device 1. Note that the operation plan creation unit 12 only needs to use bottleneck information to create an operation plan that ensures that vehicles 2 do not have difficulty passing each other at bottlenecks. The specific method for creating an operation plan is not limited to the example shown below, and any method may be used.

Figure 2 is a diagram showing an example configuration of the operation plan creation unit 12 in this embodiment. In addition to the operation plan creation unit 12, Figure 2 also shows an information acquisition unit 11, a memory unit 13, and an output unit 14. In the example shown in Figure 2, the operation plan creation unit 12 includes a tentative operation plan creation unit 121, an overlap point estimation unit 122, a determination unit 123, and a correction unit 124.

The tentative operation plan creation unit 121 creates a tentative operation plan, which is a tentative operation plan for vehicle 2, using stop information and outputs the created tentative operation plan to the overlap point estimation unit 122. The tentative operation plan is an operation plan created without taking bottleneck information into consideration. The period for which the tentative operation plan is created is the same as the period for which the operation plan is created. For example, the tentative operation plan creation unit 121 determines the departure time from the starting stop of each bus based on route information and the operating interval of vehicle 2 in each time period, and determines identification information for each bus, such as the bus name or number, and assigns vehicle 2. Alternatively, the tentative operation plan creation unit 121 may determine the route from the starting stop of vehicle 2 to the ending stop (which stops to pass through) using passenger forecast information, which will be described later. In this case, the route between adjacent stops may be determined based on map information, for example. The route between adjacent stops may be the route with the shortest required time or the route with the shortest distance, and the priority criteria for determining the route between adjacent stops are not limited to these and may be set in any way. A route search method based on the priority criteria, such as Dijkstra's algorithm, may be used to set the route between adjacent stops. The route setting method is not limited to the above-mentioned example. The tentative operation plan creation unit 121 creates a tentative operation plan by determining the departure times of stops on the route for each trip based on the departure time from the starting stop and the positions of each stop indicated by the stop information.

The travel time between adjacent stops may be determined in advance for each time period, for example, or may be determined based on the travel distance between adjacent stops and a predetermined standard speed (travel speed of vehicle 2). The standard speed may be included in the provisional operation plan as the standard speed for each road on vehicle 2's route, or may be included in the map information as the standard speed for each road. If the provisional operation plan includes the standard speed, the provisional operation plan creation unit 121 may determine the standard speed for each road on vehicle 2's route based on the predetermined standard speed for each road. If the map information includes the standard speed for each road, the provisional operation plan creation unit 121 may determine the standard speed for each road on vehicle 2's route based on the map information. The operation interval may be determined in advance for each day of the week, for example, or may be input by an administrator via the information acquisition unit 11, or may be determined based on passenger forecast information indicating the expected number of passengers.

The passenger forecast information is acquired, for example, by the information acquisition unit 11 and input from the information acquisition unit 11 to the tentative operation plan creation unit 121. The passenger forecast information is information indicating the expected number of passengers, such as the expected number of passengers using vehicle 2. For example, it includes at least one of information indicating event schedules in the surrounding area (such as the event start time, end time, and capacity) and performance information indicating past passenger numbers. The past passenger numbers in the performance information are, for example, the past number of passengers in vehicle 2 for each time period and day of the week. This information may be estimated from images captured by cameras installed at bus stops or on vehicle 2, or may be based on past reservations for vehicles 2 used by reserved passengers. The tentative operation plan creation unit 121 may determine the operation intervals based, for example, on the expected number of passengers for each time period and the capacity of vehicle 2. Note that the method by which the tentative operation plan creation unit 121 creates a tentative operation plan may be any method and is not limited to the above-mentioned example. In addition, when vehicle 2 transports cargo, the provisional operation plan creation unit 121 may similarly create a provisional operation plan using cargo forecast information indicating the expected amount of cargo to be transported by vehicle 2.

The tentative operation plan creation unit 121 does not have to be provided. For example, the tentative operation plan may be determined by a manager or the like and input to the operation plan creation unit 12 via the information acquisition unit 11. Alternatively, the tentative operation plan determined by a manager or the like may be stored in the memory unit 13. If the tentative operation plan creation unit 121 is not provided, the overlap point estimation unit 122 may, for example, receive the tentative operation plan from the information acquisition unit 11 or read out the tentative operation plan from the memory unit 13.

Next, the operation of the overlap point estimation unit 122 will be described. The overlap point estimation unit 122 estimates overlap points, which are points where vehicles 2 intersect, using the tentative operation plan and map information. In detail, the overlap point estimation unit 122 estimates overlap points using the tentative operation plan acquired from the tentative operation plan creation unit 121 and the map information stored in the memory unit 13. An overlap point is a point where the routes of two or more vehicles 2 overlap at the same time, i.e., a point where vehicles 2 collide. Note that an overlap point is not limited to a point where the routes of two or more vehicles 2 overlap at the same time, but may also include a point where the routes of two or more vehicles 2 overlap within the same time period with a certain time span, such as two minutes. In the following description, an overlap point is assumed to be a point where the routes of two or more vehicles 2 overlap at the same time.

Figure 3 is a flowchart showing an example of a processing procedure in the overlap point estimation unit 122 of this embodiment. As shown in Figure 3, the overlap point estimation unit 122 acquires a tentative operation plan (step S1). For example, the overlap point estimation unit 122 acquires a tentative operation plan by receiving the tentative operation plan from the tentative operation plan creation unit 121. As described above, if the tentative operation plan creation unit 121 is not provided, the overlap point estimation unit 122 may receive the tentative operation plan from the information acquisition unit 11, or may acquire the tentative operation plan by reading out the tentative operation plan from the memory unit 13.

The overlapping point estimation unit 122 acquires map information (step S2). Specifically, the overlapping point estimation unit 122 acquires map information by reading it from the memory unit 13. Note that steps S1 and S2 may be performed in reverse order or simultaneously.

The overlap point estimation unit 122 estimates overlap points of the vehicles 2 based on the tentative operation plan and map information (step S3). Using the tentative operation plan, the overlap point estimation unit 122 extracts, for each flight, other flights whose routes overlap at least partially with the flight in question, and estimates overlap points where the flight and the extracted flights are close to each other. For example, if a route is specified, one flight is designated as the target flight, and other flights whose routes overlap at least partially with the target flight are extracted. For both the target flight and the extracted flight, the route information and the standard speeds for each section with the same standard speed are used to represent the positions from the start point to the end point of the overlapping routes as a function of time. Then, by finding a solution that results in the same position at the same time, the overlap points can be estimated. The method for estimating overlap points is not limited to this example, and any method may be used.

Figure 4 is a diagram showing an example of an overlap point estimated by the overlap point estimation unit 122 of this embodiment. Figure 4 shows an example in which buses are set to run in two directions, clockwise and counterclockwise, on a circular route including bus stops 4-1 to 4-4. For example, a bus that travels to bus stops 4-1, 4-2, 4-3, 4-4, and 4-1 in this order is called an inbound bus, or simply "inbound," and a bus that travels to bus stops 4-1, 4-4, 4-3, 4-2, and 4-1 in this order is called a downbound bus, or simply "downbound." In the example shown in Figure 4, the point where vehicle 2 of the inbound bus and vehicle 2 of the downbound bus pass each other is estimated as the overlap point. Note that Figure 4 is just an example, and the route of vehicle 2 is not limited to a circular route and may be any route.

In the example shown in Figure 4, it is estimated that vehicle 2 of one inbound flight will pass vehicle 2 of another inbound flight at four overlap points 5-1 to 5-4. That is, in the example shown in Figure 4, overlap points 5-1 to 5-4 are estimated as overlap points. This estimation of overlap points is performed sequentially by changing the flight to be processed until estimation is completed for all flights for which operation plans are being created. Note that, for example, if the flights estimated to have overlap points are the first and second flights, if estimation has already been performed using the first flight as the flight to be processed, there is no need to re-determine the overlap points between the first flight and the second flight when the second flight is the flight to be processed. Therefore, when estimating overlap points, it is possible to perform estimation excluding combinations of flights for which estimation has already been performed.

Returning to the explanation of Figure 3, after step S3, the overlap point estimation unit 122 outputs the overlap point information to the determination unit 123 (step S4). In detail, for each estimated overlap point, the overlap point estimation unit 122 generates information about the overlap point as overlap point information, and outputs the generated overlap point information together with the tentative operation plan to the determination unit 123. The overlap point information includes, for example, at least information indicating the position of the overlap point, identification information of the flight corresponding to the overlap point, and the tentative operation plan. The overlap point information may also include vehicle width information indicating the vehicle width of the vehicle 2 corresponding to each overlap point, the stop from which the flight to be processed and the extracted flight depart immediately before arriving at the overlap point, and the departure time of the stop.

Next, the operation of the determination unit 123 will be described. The determination unit 123 uses the overlap points estimated by the overlap point estimation unit 122 and the bottleneck information (intersection area information) acquired from the information acquisition unit 11 to determine whether there is a match point among the overlap points that matches the intersection area, and whether the condition that an intersection between vehicles 2 intersecting at the match point affects the traveling of vehicles 2 is met. If the determination unit 123 determines that the above-mentioned condition is not met, it decides on the tentative operation plan as the operation plan. The condition that an intersection between vehicles 2 affects the traveling of vehicles 2 is the above-mentioned intersection restriction condition. Note that the source of bottleneck information is not limited to the information acquisition unit 11, as described above.

Figure 5 is a flowchart showing an example of the processing procedure in the determination unit 123 of this embodiment. As shown in Figure 5, the determination unit 123 acquires overlapping point information (step S11). In detail, the determination unit 123 acquires overlapping point information from the overlapping point estimation unit 122.

The determination unit 123 acquires bottleneck information (intersection area information) (step S12). In detail, the determination unit 123 acquires bottleneck information, for example, from the information acquisition unit 11. Note that steps S11 and S12 may be performed in the reverse order or simultaneously.

The determination unit 123 compares the overlapping point information with the bottleneck information (step S13). In detail, the determination unit 123 uses information indicating the positions of the overlapping points included in the overlapping point information and information indicating the positions of the bottlenecks included in the bottleneck information to compare the positions of the overlapping points with the positions of the bottlenecks, and extracts points from the overlapping points whose positions match those of the bottlenecks.

The determination unit 123 determines whether there is a point that satisfies the intersection restriction condition (step S14). The intersection restriction condition is, for example, a condition that it is estimated that it will be difficult for vehicles 2 to pass each other. Specifically, for example, a condition that the sum of the vehicle widths of two vehicles 2 passing each other at the overlap point plus a predetermined value is equal to or greater than the road width of the overlap point. In this case, the bottleneck information may include, for example, information regarding restrictions. The information regarding restrictions may be information indicating whether the two vehicles 2 passing each other can pass each other at the bottleneck for each combination of vehicle types, information indicating the road width of the bottleneck, or information indicating the road width minus a predetermined value.

Figure 6 is a diagram showing an example of bottleneck information in this embodiment. In the example shown in Figure 6, the bottleneck information includes a number identifying the bottleneck, its location (the location of the bottleneck), and feasibility information indicating whether passing is difficult or impossible for each vehicle type combination at the bottleneck, i.e., whether passing is possible or impossible. In the example shown in Figure 6, there are two vehicle types of vehicle 2, vehicle type A and vehicle type B, and three vehicle type combinations are listed: "Vehicle type A-A" (combination of vehicle type A and vehicle type A), "Vehicle type A-B" (combination of vehicle type A and vehicle type B), and "Vehicle type B-B" (combination of vehicle type B and vehicle type B). Figure 6 shows an example in which vehicle type B is wider than vehicle type A, and in the feasibility information, "possible" indicates that passing is possible for the corresponding combination, and "impossible" indicates that passing is impossible for the corresponding combination. As such, combinations marked "impossible" in the feasibility information make it difficult for vehicles 2 to pass each other. In this embodiment, if a combination of vehicles that are "not allowed" in the feasibility information causes a passing at a bottleneck, it is determined that there is a point that satisfies the intersection restriction condition.

Specifically, for example, the determination unit 123 determines that a point satisfies the intersection restriction condition when there is a matching point among the overlapping points, which is a point whose position coincides with a bottleneck, and the combination of vehicles 2 passing each other at the matching point is a combination marked "impossible" in the bottleneck information. While Figure 6 illustrates an example in which bottleneck information includes impossibility information, this is not limiting. Bottleneck information may also be generated for each combination of vehicle types, such as bottleneck information for "vehicle type A-A," bottleneck information for "vehicle type A-B," and bottleneck information for "vehicle type B-B." In this case, the points at which each combination of vehicles cannot pass each other are defined as bottlenecks, and each bottleneck information indicates the bottleneck for the corresponding combination and does not need to include impossibility information. In this case, the determination unit 123 simply selects the bottleneck information to use depending on the combination of vehicles 2 passing each other.

Figure 7 is a diagram showing an example of bottlenecks and overlapping points in this embodiment. Figure 7 illustrates overlapping points 5-1 to 5-4 shown in Figure 4, as well as bottlenecks 6-1 to 6-5 indicated by the bottleneck information. Bottlenecks 6-1 to 6-5 shown in Figure 7 correspond to numbers 1 to 5 in the bottleneck information shown in Figure 6, respectively, and the type of hatching varies depending on the content of the feasibility information. At bottlenecks 6-1 and 6-5, passing is not possible for any of the combinations of "vehicle type A-A," "vehicle type A-B," and "vehicle type B-B." At bottlenecks 6-2 and 6-3, passing is possible for the combination of "vehicle type A-A," but passing is not possible for the combinations of "vehicle type A-B" and "vehicle type B-B." At bottleneck 6-4, passing is possible for the combination of "vehicle type A-A" and "vehicle type A-B," but passing is not possible for the combination of "vehicle type B-B."

In the example shown in Figure 7, of the overlapping points 5-1 to 5-4, the overlapping points 5-2 and 5-3 match any of the bottlenecks 6-1 to 6-5. In the example shown in Figure 7, the overlapping points 5-2 and 5-3 are matched points 7-1 and 7-2, respectively, with matched point 7-1 being bottleneck 6-2 and matched point 7-2 being bottleneck 6-4.

Figure 8 is a diagram showing an example of a combination of vehicles 2 intersecting at a match point in this embodiment. Here, as shown in Figure 8, the vehicle types (combination) of vehicles 2 intersecting at match point 7-1 are A-B, and the vehicle types (combination) of vehicles 2 intersecting at match point 7-2 are A-A. In this case, according to the feasibility information shown in Figure 6, since match point 7-1 is a bottleneck 6-2, the constraint information (combination of vehicles with constraints) indicating combinations that make passing difficult are A-B and B-B. Furthermore, since match point 7-2 is a bottleneck 6-4, the constraint information is B-B. Therefore, vehicles 2 cannot pass each other at match point 7-1, but can pass each other at match point 7-2.

For this reason, the determination unit 123 determines that the matching point 7-1 is a point that satisfies the intersection restriction condition. Therefore, step S14 returns a Yes determination. Hereinafter, overlapping points 5-1 to 5-4, bottlenecks 6-1 to 6-5, and matching points 7-1 and 7-2 will be referred to as overlapping points, bottlenecks, and matching points, respectively, without reference numerals, except when referring to the individual points shown in Figures 4 and 7.

Furthermore, the intersection restriction condition is not limited to the above example, and may be a condition that the road width at the overlapping point is equal to or greater than a threshold value. In this case, for example, the threshold value may be calculated by doubling the widest vehicle width of vehicle 2 and adding a predetermined value to the doubled vehicle width. In this case, by defining a point where the road width is less than the threshold value as a bottleneck and generating bottleneck information, the location of the bottleneck included in the bottleneck information can be considered to be a location where the road width is less than the threshold value. In this case, all matching points among the overlapping points whose locations coincide with the bottlenecks will satisfy the intersection restriction condition. Therefore, if a matching point exists, step S14 will be judged as Yes. In this case, it is sufficient that the bottleneck information includes information indicating the location of the bottleneck.

In addition, the bottleneck information may include information indicating the width of the bottleneck instead of the possibility information. In this case, for example, the determination unit 123 uses information indicating the location of the overlapping point included in the overlapping point information and the flight identification information to extract vehicle identification information for each vehicle 2 corresponding to the overlapping point from the tentative operation plan, and then uses the extracted vehicle identification number and the vehicle information stored in the memory unit 13 to determine the vehicle width of each vehicle 2 corresponding to the overlapping point and add the determined vehicle widths. Then, if there is a matching point among the overlapping points whose position coincides with the bottleneck, the determination unit 123 determines that the matching point satisfies the intersection restriction condition if the width of the bottleneck at the matching point is smaller (narrower) than the result of adding the vehicle widths to a predetermined value. Note that the above-mentioned intersection restriction condition and bottleneck information are merely examples, and the intersection restriction condition and bottleneck information are not limited to these.

Returning to the explanation of Figure 5, if it is determined that there is a point that satisfies the intersection restriction condition (Yes in step S14), the determination unit 123 outputs the determination result to the correction unit 124 (step S15) and terminates processing. The determination result includes, for example, at least: matched point location information indicating the location of the matched point determined to satisfy the intersection restriction condition; identification information of the buses corresponding to the matched point (two buses that vehicle 2 is estimated to pass at the matched point); and a provisional operation plan. Note that, because different combinations of buses may pass each other at the same matched point, the matched point location information alone does not identify which buses are involved in the match. In order to correct the provisional operation plan, it is necessary to identify the target bus, and therefore the determination result includes the identification information of the bus. The determination result may also include the vehicle identification number of vehicle 2 that will pass each other at the point that satisfies the intersection restriction condition, the stop from which the target bus and the extracted bus depart immediately before arriving at the overlap point, and the departure time of the stop.

If it is determined that there is no point that satisfies the intersection restriction condition (step S14: No), the determination unit 123 determines the tentative operation plan as the operation plan (step S16) and terminates the processing. In detail, the determination unit 123 outputs the tentative operation plan to the output unit 14 as the operation plan.

Next, the operation of the correction unit 124 will be described. Upon receiving the determination result from the determination unit 123, the correction unit 124 corrects the tentative operation plan based on the determination result and outputs the corrected tentative operation plan to the overlap point estimation unit 122. In other words, when the determination unit 123 determines that an intersection between vehicles 2 estimated to intersect at the coincidence point will affect the traveling of vehicles 2, the correction unit 124 corrects the tentative operation plan so that vehicles 2 intersecting at the coincidence point do not arrive at the coincidence point at the same time.

Figure 9 is a flowchart showing an example of a processing procedure in the correction unit 124 of this embodiment. As shown in Figure 9, the correction unit 124 obtains the judgment result (step S21). In detail, the correction unit 124 obtains the judgment result from the judgment unit 123.

The correction unit 124 sets the matching point to be corrected (step S22). In particular, if the determination result includes information on multiple matching points, the correction unit 124 sets the matching point to be corrected by selecting one matching point (a combination of a flight and a matching point) from the multiple matching points (combinations of a flight and a matching point) using the matching point location information included in the determination result and the identification information of the flight corresponding to the matching point whose position is indicated by the matching point location information.

The correction unit 124 determines whether there is an alternative route (step S23). In particular, the correction unit 124 determines whether, for the matching point to be corrected, the route of at least one of the two corresponding buses can be changed to an alternative route that does not pass through the matching point to be corrected. An alternative route is, for example, a route that can stop at stops before and after the matching point to be corrected and does not pass through the matching point to be corrected. For example, a route that is not originally desirable as a route for vehicle 2, i.e., has a low priority as a route for vehicle 2, for reasons such as a longer distance and longer travel time, poor fuel economy due to ups and downs, or reduced safety due to many right and left turns, may be set as the alternative route, but is not limited to these.

In addition, if there is a route that allows a bus to stop at stops before and after the matching point to be corrected and that does not pass through the matching point to be corrected, and that route is set as a candidate for an alternative route, the correction unit 124 may not adopt that route as an alternative route if the candidate does not meet the specified criteria. For example, the correction unit 124 may not adopt as an alternative route a candidate whose distance is equal to or greater than a certain value. Also, depending on the vehicle 2, it may be necessary to notify the route to be traveled in advance. In such cases, a route that does not pass through the matching point to be corrected may also be defined in advance as an alternative route and notified. If the location requires that the route to be traveled in advance be notified and no alternative route has been notified, the correction unit 124 may determine that there is no alternative route.

If an alternative route is available (step S23: Yes), the correction unit 124 changes the travel path (route) to the alternative route or corrects the departure time of the bus stop (step S24). For example, when changing the route to the alternative route in step S24, the correction unit 124 changes the route of one of the two buses corresponding to the matched point to be corrected to the alternative route. Note that if there are multiple alternative routes, both routes of the two buses corresponding to the matched point to be corrected may be changed to different alternative routes. For the buses that have been changed to the alternative route, the correction unit 124 corrects the tentative operation plan by correcting the departure times from each stop of the bus in the tentative operation plan based on the standard speed of the alternative route, etc. Furthermore, when changing the departure time of a bus stop in step S24, the correction unit 124 corrects the departure time from the stop just before the matched point to be corrected for at least one of the two buses corresponding to the matched point to be corrected.

Here, the correction of bus stop departure times in steps S24 and S27 will be explained using specific examples. Figures 10 and 11 are diagrams showing an example of correcting bus stop departure times in this embodiment. Figures 10 and 11 show an example in which bus #101, an upbound bus, and bus #102, a downbound bus, running on the route shown in Figure 7, intersect at match point 7-1 between bus stops 4-2 and 4-3. Bus stops #2 and #3 correspond to bus stops 4-2 and 4-3, respectively, shown in Figure 7. The tables on the left side of Figures 10 and 11 show the departure times at each stop in the tentative operation plan before correction, and the tables on the right side of Figures 10 and 11 show the departure times at each stop in the tentative operation plan after correction. In Figures 10 and 11, the times listed in the bottleneck column are the times at which the bus passes through match point 7-1.

As shown in the tables on the left side of Figures 10 and 11, before the correction, the times at which flights #101 and #102 pass through the bottleneck overlap. In the example shown in Figure 10, the correction unit 124 changes the departure time of flight #101 at stop #2, as surrounded by a dashed line. This makes it possible to shift the times at which vehicle 2 passes through match point 7-1 for flights #101 and #102, as shown in the area surrounded by a solid line in Figure 10. This prevents vehicle 2 of flight #101 and vehicle 2 of flight #102 from colliding at the bottleneck, thereby reducing delays from the operation plan caused by vehicle 2 crossing each other due to stopping or deceleration at the bottleneck of either vehicle 2 of flight #101 or vehicle 2 of flight #102. In FIG. 10, the correction unit 124 changes the departure time of flight #101 at stop #2, but instead, it may change the departure time of flight #102 at stop #3.

In the example shown in Figure 11, the correction unit 124 changes both the departure time of flight #101 from stop #2 and the departure time of flight #102 from stop #3, as surrounded by dashed lines. This allows the times at which vehicle 2 passes through match point 7-1 to be shifted between flights #101 and #102, as shown in the area surrounded by solid lines in Figure 11. Note that when changing both the departure time of flight #101 from stop #2 and the departure time of flight #102 from stop #3, the departure times must be changed so that the times at which vehicle 2 passes through match point 7-1 after the changes are different. For example, by advancing both the departure time of flight #101 from stop #2 and the departure time of flight #102 from stop #3, or by delaying both the departure time of flight #101 from stop #2 and the departure time of flight #102 from stop #3, the time at which the changed vehicle 2 passes through the matching point 7-1 can be made different. The method of changing the departure times of the stops is not limited to the above example.

Returning to the explanation of Figure 9, after step S24, the correction unit 124 determines whether correction has been completed for all matching points (step S25). In detail, the correction unit 124 determines whether all matching points whose determination results include information indicating their positions have been set as matching points to be corrected.

When corrections for all matching points have been completed (step S25: Yes), the correction unit 124 outputs the corrected tentative operation plan, i.e., the corrected tentative operation plan, to the overlap point estimation unit 122 (step S26), and ends the processing. Note that, upon receiving the corrected tentative operation plan, the overlap point estimation unit 122 performs the processing shown in FIG. 3 again using the corrected tentative operation plan. As a result, the determination unit 123 performs the processing shown in FIG. 5 again, and if step S14 returns Yes, the correction unit 124 performs the processing shown in FIG. 9 again.

If there are any matching points for which correction has not been completed (step S25 No), the correction unit 124 changes the matching points to be corrected (step S28) and repeats the processing from step S23.

If the answer is No in step S23, the correction unit 124 corrects the departure time of the bus stop (step S27) and proceeds to step S25. The correction of the departure time of the bus stop in step S27 is the same as the example described using Figures 10 and 11. Note that the correction unit 124 may only correct the departure time of the bus stop without changing to a different route. In this case, steps S23 and S24 are not performed, and step S27 is performed after step S22.

As described above, the operation plan creation unit 12 creates an operation plan using, for example, the road width of the narrow passage and the vehicle width of the vehicle 2, so that vehicles 2 that have difficulty passing each other at the narrow passage arrive at the narrow passage at different times. This allows the operation plan creation unit 12 to create an operation plan that does not make it difficult for vehicles 2 to pass each other at the narrow passage. Note that the configuration of the operation plan creation unit 12 shown in Figure 2 is one example, and the configuration and operation of the operation plan creation unit 12 are not limited to the example described above.

For example, the operation plan creation unit 12 may determine an operation plan without creating a tentative operation plan. For example, assume that vehicle 2 operates on two routes, one going up and one going down. The operation plan creation unit 12 assigns vehicle 2 to the first route, which is the earliest route during the target period for which the operation plan is to be created, and determines the route of the first route and the departure times from each stop at any time, thereby determining the operation plan for the first route.

Next, the operation plan creation unit 12 estimates the time when the first bus will pass through the bottleneck using the standard speed, map information, and bottleneck information. When a second bus is operated that travels along a route in the opposite direction to the first bus between the time the first bus departs from the starting stop and the time it arrives at the end stop, the operation plan creation unit 12 first assigns vehicle 2 to the second bus and uses the vehicle information to determine the vehicle type of vehicle 2 assigned to the first bus and the vehicle type of vehicle 2 assigned to the second bus. Using the bottleneck information and the route of the first bus, the operation plan creation unit 12 extracts, from the bottlenecks through which the first bus will pass, bottlenecks that are impossible for the combination of the vehicle types of the first and second buses, designates the extracted locations as avoidance locations, and determines the time when the first bus will pass the avoidance location. The operation plan creation unit 12 uses the avoidance position, the standard speed, and the route of the second bus to determine the departure time of the second bus from the starting stop so that the second bus does not arrive at the avoidance position at the same time as the first bus. Alternatively, the operation plan creation unit 12 may first determine the departure time of the second bus from the starting stop, and delay the departure time of any stop up to the stop immediately preceding the avoidance position, including the starting stop, from the departure time calculated from the standard speed, thereby preventing the second bus from arriving at the avoidance position at the same time as the first bus. Thereafter, by sequentially repeating the same process, operation plans for each bus for the target creation period are determined.

In the example described above, modifying the operation plan prevented vehicles 2 from having difficulty passing each other at the bottleneck, but the speed of vehicles 2 may also be adjusted to stagger the arrival times at the bottleneck of two passing vehicles 2. In this case, for example, the operation plan creation unit 12 may generate control information instructing a speed change and transmit the control information to vehicles 2 via the output unit 14. Alternatively, the operation plan creation unit 12 may control vehicles 2 to adjust the speed of vehicles 2 to stagger the arrival times at the bottleneck of two passing vehicles 2 without modifying the operation plan.

In the above example, an example was described in which bottleneck information was acquired by the information acquisition unit 11, but bottleneck information may also be generated by the operation plan management device 1. Figure 12 is a diagram showing an example configuration of an operation plan management system of this embodiment in which bottleneck information is generated by the operation plan management device. The operation plan management system 100a shown in Figure 12 is similar to the operation plan management device 1 shown in Figure 1, except that it includes an operation plan management device 1a instead of the operation plan management device 1. Components having the same functions as those in Figure 1 are assigned the same reference numerals as in Figure 1, and redundant explanations will be omitted.

The operation plan management device 1a has an extraction unit 15 added to the operation plan management device 1 shown in Figure 1. The extraction unit 15 is an example of an intersection area information acquisition unit that uses map information, including information indicating road width, and vehicle information to extract bottlenecks that make it difficult for vehicles 2 to pass each other from the map information, and generates bottleneck information, which is intersection area information related to the extracted bottlenecks. Specifically, the operation plan management device 1a generates bottleneck information using the map information and vehicle information stored in the memory unit 13, and outputs the generated bottleneck information to the operation plan creation unit 12. The operation of the operation plan creation unit 12 is the same as the example shown in Figure 1, except that the source of the bottleneck information is different.

Figure 13 is a flowchart showing an example of a processing procedure in the extraction unit 15 of this embodiment. As shown in Figure 13, the extraction unit 15 acquires road width information included in the map information (step S31). In detail, the extraction unit 15 reads the map information stored in the memory unit 13 and acquires, from the read map information, road width information for each road within the area in which the vehicle 2 is traveling.

The extraction unit 15 acquires vehicle width information included in the vehicle information (step S32). In detail, the extraction unit 15 reads the vehicle information stored in the memory unit 13 and acquires vehicle width information from the read vehicle information. The vehicle width information extracted in step S32 may be information indicating the vehicle width for each vehicle model, or may be information indicating the vehicle width of each vehicle 2. Steps S31 and S32 may be performed in the reverse order, or may be performed simultaneously.

The extraction unit 15 uses the road width information and vehicle width information to extract bottlenecks with restrictions on vehicle intersections (step S33). Specifically, the extraction unit 15 uses the vehicle width information to calculate a total width, which is the sum of the vehicle widths of two vehicles 2 passing each other on a road, plus a predetermined value. If the vehicle widths differ between vehicles 2, the extraction unit 15 calculates the total width of the two vehicles 2 for each combination of vehicles 2 or each combination of vehicle types. The extraction unit 15 compares the total width with the road width indicated by the road width information for each combination of vehicles 2 or each combination of vehicle types, and extracts, for one or more combinations, points where the road width is smaller than the total width, i.e., narrow, as bottlenecks.

The extraction unit 15 outputs bottleneck information indicating the extracted bottleneck to the operation plan creation unit 12 (step S34), and ends the processing. Specifically, in step S34, the extraction unit 15 generates bottleneck information including information indicating the location of the extracted bottleneck, and outputs the generated bottleneck information to the operation plan creation unit 12. The bottleneck information may include availability information, which is information indicating whether vehicles 2 can pass each other for each combination of vehicle types, as illustrated in FIG. 6. Alternatively, the bottleneck information may include availability information, which is information indicating whether vehicles 2 can pass each other for each combination of vehicle types. Furthermore, as described above, bottleneck information may be generated for each combination of vehicle types. Furthermore, when the difference in vehicle width between vehicles 2 is small, the vehicle width may be treated as a fixed value to calculate the total width, and points where the road width is narrower than the calculated total width may be extracted as bottlenecks. In this case, the bottleneck indicates that passing is difficult for all combinations of vehicles 2, so there is no need to include possibility information in the bottleneck information.

Figure 14 is a sequence diagram showing an example of processing in the operation plan management device 1a of this embodiment. Note that the processing content is simplified in Figure 14. As shown in Figure 14, the tentative operation plan creation unit 121 acquires passenger prediction information from the information acquisition unit 11 (step S41), acquires stop information from the memory unit 13 (step S42), and creates a tentative operation plan using the passenger prediction information and stop information (step S43). The tentative operation plan creation unit 121 outputs the created tentative operation plan to the overlap point estimation unit 122 (step S44). Note that, as described above, passenger prediction information does not have to be used to generate the tentative operation plan. Alternatively, the tentative operation plan may be acquired by the information acquisition unit 11, in which case steps S41 to S44 do not have to be performed.

Steps S44, S45, S46, and S51 in the overlap point estimation unit 122 correspond to steps S1 to S4 shown in Figure 3. Steps S47, S48, S49, and S50 in the extraction unit 15 correspond to steps S31 to S34 shown in Figure 13. Steps S50, S51, S52, S53(Y), and S54 in the determination unit 123 correspond to steps S11 to S15 shown in Figure 5, and step S53(Y) indicates the case where step S14 is determined to be Yes.

Step S54 in the correction unit 124 is processing equivalent to step S21 shown in Figure 9, step S55 in the correction unit 124 is processing equivalent to steps S22 to S25 and S27 shown in Figure 9, and step S56 in the correction unit 124 is processing equivalent to step S26 shown in Figure 9.

In step S56, the revised tentative operation plan is output to the overlap point estimation unit 122, and steps S46, S51, and S52 are executed again based on the revised tentative operation plan. In the example shown in Figure 14, the second time step S53 is judged as No, and the operation plan is determined (step S57). Step S57 is a process equivalent to step S16 in Figure 5.

Figure 14 shows an example in which the extraction unit 15 generates bottleneck information. However, if bottleneck information is acquired by the information acquisition unit 11, as in the configuration example shown in Figure 1, instead of performing steps S47 to S50 in Figure 14, the bottleneck information is input from the information acquisition unit 11 to the determination unit 123. Also, Figure 14 shows an example in which an operation plan is determined after a tentative operation plan is revised once. However, revision of the tentative operation plan may result in the emergence of a point that satisfies the intersection restriction condition at a different point or time than before the revision. In such a case, the processing of steps S46, S51, S52, and S53 is repeated until it is determined that no point satisfies the intersection restriction condition. In other words, when the modification unit 124 modifies the tentative operation plan, the overlap point estimation unit 122 and the determination unit 123 perform processing using the revised tentative operation plan. The processing of the modification unit 124, overlap point estimation unit 122, and determination unit 123 is repeated until the determination unit 123 determines that the intersection restriction condition is not satisfied.

Next, the hardware configuration of the operation plan management device 1, 1a of this embodiment will be described. In the operation plan management device 1, 1a of this embodiment, a computer system executes a computer program that describes the processing of each of the operation plan management devices 1, 1a, causing the computer system to function as the operation plan management device 1, 1a, respectively. Figure 15 is a diagram showing an example configuration of a computer system that realizes each of the operation plan management devices 1, 1a of this embodiment. As shown in Figure 15, 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. 15, the control unit 101 is a processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) that executes a program describing the processing of the operation plan management device 1, 1a of this embodiment. The input unit 102 is composed of, for example, a keyboard, buttons, a mouse, etc., and is used by the user of the computer system to input various information. The memory unit 103 includes various types of memory, such as RAM (Random Access Memory) and ROM (Read Only Memory), and a storage device, such as a hard disk, and stores programs to be executed by the control unit 101, necessary data obtained during processing, etc. The memory unit 103 is also used as a temporary storage area for programs. The control unit 101 and the memory unit 103, for example, constitute a processing circuit. The processing circuit may be a single circuit or multiple circuits. The display unit 104 is composed of a display, LCD (Liquid Crystal Display), etc., and displays various screens to the user of the computer system. Note that a touch panel in which the input unit 102 and the display unit 104 are integrated may also be used. The communication unit 105 is a receiver and a transmitter that perform communication processing. The output unit 106 is a speaker or the like. Note that Fig. 15 is an example, and the configuration of the computer system that realizes each of the operation plan management devices 1 and 1a is not limited to the example in Fig. 15. For example, the output unit 106 does not have to be provided.

Here, we will explain an example of the operation of the computer system until the program of this embodiment is ready to be executed. In a computer system configured as described above, the program is installed into the storage unit 103, for example, from a CD-ROM or DVD-ROM inserted in a CD (Compact Disc)-ROM drive or DVD (Digital Versatile Disc)-ROM drive (not shown). Then, when the program is executed, the 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 the processing of each of the operation plan management devices 1, 1a of this embodiment in accordance with the program stored in the storage unit 103.

In the above explanation, a program describing the processing in each of the operation plan management devices 1, 1a is provided using a CD-ROM or DVD-ROM as a recording medium, but this is not limited to this. Depending on the configuration of the computer system and the capacity of the program to be provided, for example, a program provided via a transmission medium such as the Internet via the communication unit 105 may also be used.

The program of this embodiment executes, for example, the steps of acquiring intersection area information including information indicating the location of intersection areas, which are points where intersections between vehicles 2 transporting passengers or cargo may affect the movement of vehicles 2, and using the intersection area information and stop information to create an operation plan for vehicle 2 so as to avoid the impact on the movement of vehicle 2 of intersections between vehicles 2 in the intersection areas.

The operation plan creation unit 12 shown in Figures 1 and 12 is realized by the control unit 101 shown in Figure 15 executing a program stored in the memory unit 103 shown in Figure 15. The memory unit 103 is also used to realize the operation plan creation unit 12. The extraction unit 15 shown in Figure 12 is also realized by the control unit 101 shown in Figure 15 executing a program stored in the memory unit 103 shown in Figure 15. The memory unit 103 is also used to realize the extraction unit 15. The information acquisition unit 11 shown in Figures 1 and 12 is realized by at least one of the communication unit 105 and the input unit 102 shown in Figure 15. Some of the functions of the information acquisition unit 11 may be realized by the control unit 101. The output unit 14 shown in Figures 1 and 12 is realized by the communication unit 105 shown in Figure 15. Some of the functions of the output unit 14 may be realized by the control unit 101. The memory unit 13 shown in Figures 1 and 12 is part of the memory unit 103.

The bus stop terminal 3 shown in Figures 1 and 12 may also be realized, for example, by the computer system illustrated in Figure 15. The transceiver unit 21 and the running control unit 22 in the vehicle 2 shown in Figures 1 and 12 may also be realized, for example, by the computer system illustrated in Figure 15.

The operation plan management devices 1 and 1a may each be realized by multiple computer systems. Furthermore, for example, the operation plan management devices 1 and 1a may be realized by a cloud computer system.

As described above, in this embodiment, the operation plan management device 1, 1a uses bottleneck information to create an operation plan that avoids vehicles 2 crossing each other at bottlenecks when the vehicles 2 satisfy the intersection restriction conditions related to the bottleneck. This makes it possible to reduce delays from the operation plan that occur due to the vehicles 2 crossing each other.

Embodiment 2.
16 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of an operation plan management system according to the second embodiment. The operation plan management system 100b according to the second embodiment is similar to the operation plan management system 100 according to the first embodiment, except that it includes an operation plan management device 1b instead of the operation plan management device 1. Components having the same functions as those in the first embodiment are assigned the same reference numerals as those in the first embodiment, and redundant explanations will be omitted. The following mainly describes the differences from the first embodiment.

The operation plan management device 1b is similar to the operation plan management device 1 of embodiment 1, except that it has an additional demand information acquisition unit 16 and an operation plan creation unit 12a instead of the operation plan creation unit 12. The demand information acquisition unit 16 acquires demand information by at least one of accepting input of demand information from the administrator of the operation plan management device 1a, etc., and receiving demand information from other devices, and outputs the acquired demand information to the operation plan creation unit 12a.

Demand information is information relating to a passenger user's request to board vehicle 2. For example, demand information is information input by the user when reserving vehicle 2. Demand information may be transmitted from bus stop terminal 3 or a user terminal (not shown) that can be operated by the user. Alternatively, an administrator, operator, etc. may input demand information to operation plan management device 1b in response to a user request indicated verbally, by telephone, on paper, or in electronic data, and the demand information acquisition unit 16 may accept the input information. Demand information includes, for example, the number of passengers, boarding stop, disembarking stop, desired boarding time, etc.

Figure 17 is a diagram showing an example configuration of the operation plan creation unit 12a in this embodiment. The operation plan creation unit 12a is similar to the operation plan creation unit 12 in embodiment 1, except that it includes a tentative operation plan creation unit 121a instead of the tentative operation plan creation unit 121.

The tentative operation plan creation unit 121a creates a tentative operation plan, as in embodiment 1, and outputs the created tentative operation plan to the overlap point estimation unit 122. Note that if demand information has already been acquired at the time of creating the initial tentative operation plan, the tentative operation plan creation unit 121a may create a tentative operation plan based on the demand information. For example, the tentative operation plan creation unit 121a may create a tentative operation plan based on the demand information so that vehicle 2 operates on the reserved route and at the reserved time. The method of creating an operation plan using the tentative operation plan is the same as in embodiment 1.

If, after an operation plan has been created, the tentative operation plan creation unit 121a determines based on demand information that a change to the operation plan is necessary, such as an increase or decrease in the number of flights or a change in the operation route, the tentative operation plan creation unit 121a creates a tentative operation plan by increasing or decreasing the number of flights or changing the operation route, based on the operation plan stored in the memory unit 13. That is, the tentative operation plan creation unit 121a uses demand information to determine whether to change the operation plan, and if it determines that a change to the operation plan is necessary, it changes the operation plan and outputs the changed operation plan to the overlap point estimation unit 122 as a tentative operation plan. When increasing the number of flights, the tentative operation plan creation unit 121a may add flights between flights that are already scheduled to operate or shorten the operation intervals. The same applies to a reduction in flights; the tentative operation plan creation unit 121a may reduce the number of flights that are already scheduled to operate or lengthen the operation intervals. The criterion for determining whether to increase the number of services may be, for example, that the vehicle is already fully booked and therefore reservations corresponding to the demand information cannot be made, that the occupancy rate is equal to or greater than a first threshold, or other criteria. The criterion for determining whether to reduce the number of services may be that the occupancy rate is equal to or less than a second threshold, or other criteria. Note that changes to the tentative operation plan are made in order to change the operation plan and are ultimately reflected in the operation plan, so changes to the tentative operation plan based on demand information are equivalent to changes to the operation plan based on demand information. The method for changing the operation plan based on demand information is not limited to the above-mentioned example.

Note that, as in embodiment 1, the operation plan creation unit 12a does not have to create a tentative operation plan. For example, as in the example described in embodiment 1 in which a tentative operation plan is not created, the operation plan creation unit 12a may determine an operation plan, and when it determines that a change to the operation plan, such as an increase or decrease in the number of flights or a change in the operation route, based on demand information, may change the operation plan by increasing or decreasing the number of flights or changing the operation route. In this case, for flights whose operation plans are changed due to an increase or decrease in the number of flights or a change in the operation route, the operation plans for each flight may be determined sequentially based on the operation plans of flights for which operation plans have already been determined so as to avoid intersections between vehicles 2 at bottlenecks.

In the example described above, a demand information acquisition unit 16 is added to the operation plan management device 1, and an operation plan creation unit 12a is used instead of the operation plan creation unit 12. However, a demand information acquisition unit 16 may be added to the operation plan management device 1a shown in FIG. 12, and an operation plan creation unit 12a may be used instead of the operation plan creation unit 12. In this case, too, changes to the operation plan based on the demand information are made in the same way.

The operation plan management device 1b of this embodiment, like the operation plan management devices 1 and 1a described in embodiment 1, is realized, for example, by a computer system illustrated in Figure 15.

As described above, in this embodiment, the operation plan is changed based on demand information. This allows the operation plan management device 1b to create an operation plan that is appropriate for the reservation status of vehicle 2. Furthermore, if the operation plan is changed simply based on the demand information of vehicle 2, it may be difficult for vehicles 2 to pass each other at bottlenecks. However, the operation plan management device 1b creates an operation plan based on bottleneck information to avoid vehicles 2 crossing each other at bottlenecks. Therefore, even if the operation plan is changed, delays from the operation plan caused by vehicles 2 crossing each other can be reduced.

Embodiment 3.
Next, an operation plan management system 100 according to a third embodiment will be described. The configuration of the operation plan management system 100 according to this embodiment is the same as that of the operation plan management system 100 according to the first embodiment. Note that, although an example in which the operation of this embodiment is performed in the operation plan management system 100 will be described below, the operation of this embodiment may also be performed in the operation plan management systems 100a and 100b. The following mainly describes the differences from the first and second embodiments.

In embodiment 1, the intersection area was a bottleneck, but in this embodiment, the intersection area includes an intersection. That is, the intersection area may include a bottleneck or an intersection. The intersection area may also include a bottleneck and an intersection. An intersection is an example of an intersection area where the intersection of vehicles 2 may affect the travel of vehicles 2, and in this embodiment, the intersection area information includes intersection information, which is information about the intersection. The intersection information includes at least information indicating the location of the intersection. Furthermore, the information about the intersection may further include the presence or absence of traffic lights (traffic signals), the traffic light lighting patterns indicating the lighting status of the traffic lights depending on the time of day, etc.

When multiple vehicles 2 arrive at the same intersection at the same time, this may affect the movement of vehicles 2. Figure 18 is a diagram illustrating the impact of vehicles 2 crossing at an intersection. In the example shown in Figure 18, vehicle 2-1 and another vehicle 2, vehicle 2-2, are both scheduled to enter intersection 8.

As shown in the upper left of Figure 18, vehicle 2-1 is planning to enter intersection 8 and continue straight, while vehicle 2-2 is traveling on a road that intersects with the road on which vehicle 2-1 is traveling and is planning to enter intersection 8 and continue straight. In this situation, if there is no traffic light at intersection 8, or if there is a traffic light at intersection 8 but it is flashing (flashing red or flashing yellow), the travel of vehicle 2 will be affected if vehicles 2-1 and 2-2 arrive at intersection 8 at the same time. For example, between vehicle 2-1 and vehicle 2-2, vehicle 2 traveling on the road that is not the priority road will need to wait until the other vehicle 2 has passed through the intersection. The priority road is indicated, for example, by a priority road sign, a sign such as a stop sign (roads without stop signs have priority), or a flashing yellow light when the traffic light is flashing.

On the other hand, as shown in the upper right of Figure 18, when vehicle 2-1 turns left and vehicle 2-2 turns right, the movement of vehicle 2 is not affected even if vehicles 2-1 and 2-2 arrive at intersection 8 at the same time. Also, as shown in the lower right of Figure 18, when vehicles 2-1 and 2-2 traveling in opposite directions on the same road both travel straight, the movement of vehicle 2 is not affected even if vehicles 2-1 and 2-2 arrive at intersection 8 at the same time. The same is true when vehicle 2-1 turns left and vehicle 2-2 travels straight. Note that Figure 18 is an example, and the arrival of multiple vehicles 2 at intersection 8, i.e., the cases in which the intersection of vehicles affects the movement of vehicle 2, are not limited to the above example. Hereinafter, when referring to a general intersection, not just the intersection 8 shown in Figure 18, we will refer to it as an intersection without a symbol. The intersection in this embodiment is not limited to the crossroad intersection illustrated in Figure 19, but may also be a three-way intersection such as a T-junction or a Y-junction, or an intersection where more roads intersect than a crossroad.

As described above, the arrival of multiple vehicles 2 at an intersection may or may not affect the driving of the vehicles 2. However, the operation plan management device 1 may create an operation plan so that multiple vehicles 2 do not intersect at all intersections, i.e., so that the arrival times of vehicles 2 at the same intersection are different. Alternatively, the operation plan management device 1 may distinguish between cases where the arrival of multiple vehicles 2 at an intersection affects the driving of the vehicles 2 and cases where it does not, and create an operation plan so that the arrival times of vehicles 2 at the same intersection are different only when it does affect the driving of the vehicles 2. Furthermore, the operation plan management device 1 may create an operation plan so that the arrival times of vehicles 2 at the same intersection are different without distinguishing between intersections with signals and intersections without signals, or may create an operation plan so that the arrival times of vehicles 2 at the same intersection are different only for intersections without signals. In other words, the operation plan creation unit 12 creates an operation plan so that the arrival times of at least some of the vehicles 2 at target intersections, which are at least some of the intersections, are different.

In this embodiment, the information acquisition unit 11 acquires intersection information as intersection area information. Similar to the bottleneck information in embodiment 1, the intersection information may be input by an administrator or transmitted from another device (not shown).

The operation of this embodiment will be explained using the example of the operation plan creation unit 12 configured as shown in Figure 2. The operation of the tentative operation plan creation unit 121 and the overlap point estimation unit 122 is the same as in embodiment 1.

Figures 19 and 20 are flowcharts showing an example of the processing procedure in the determination unit 123 of this embodiment. Figure 19 shows an example in which the intersection area is an intersection, and Figure 20 shows an example in which both the bottleneck and intersection described in embodiment 1 are considered to be intersection areas. First, using Figure 19, we will explain an example in which the intersection area is considered to be an intersection.

As shown in Figure 19, step S11 is the same as in embodiment 1. The determination unit 123 acquires intersection information (intersection area information) (step S61).

The determination unit 123 compares the overlapping point information with the intersection information (step S62). In detail, the determination unit 123 uses information indicating the position of the overlapping point contained in the overlapping point information and information indicating the position of the intersection contained in the intersection information to compare the position of the overlapping point with the position of the intersection, and extracts points from the overlapping points whose positions match those of the intersection.

The determination unit 123 determines whether there is a point that satisfies the intersection restriction condition (step S14a). In this embodiment, the intersection restriction condition is, for example, a condition that two or more vehicles 2 collide at an intersection, i.e., a condition that two or more vehicles 2 arrive at the same intersection at the same time. Note that two or more vehicles 2 collide at an intersection not only when two or more vehicles 2 arrive at the same intersection at exactly the same time, but also when they arrive at the same intersection within the same time period, such as within a certain time frame, such as two minutes. Furthermore, the intersection restriction condition may be a condition that two or more vehicles 2 arrive at the same intersection at the same time at a specific intersection, a condition that two or more vehicles 2 arrive at the same intersection at the same time with a specific combination of traveling directions, or a condition that two or more vehicles 2 arrive at the same intersection at the same time with a specific combination of traveling directions at a specific intersection. In other words, the specific intersection may be the target intersection described above, or vehicles 2 with a specific combination of traveling directions may be the target vehicles described above.

A specific intersection may be, for example, an intersection without traffic lights, i.e., an intersection without traffic lights; an intersection with traffic lights that are flashing during certain hours, i.e., an intersection with flashing traffic lights; or an intersection without traffic lights and an intersection with flashing traffic lights. A specific combination of travel directions is a combination that affects the travel of one or more of two or more vehicles 2 that collide at the intersection, such as a combination in which one vehicle 2 travels straight and a vehicle 2 traveling on a road that intersects with the road on which the vehicle 2 is traveling continues straight, as shown in the upper left of Figure 18. In this way, the determination unit 123 may determine the target vehicle based on the travel direction of the vehicle 2.

If the intersection restriction condition is that two or more vehicles 2 collide at an intersection, in step S14a, the determination unit 123 determines that all of the matching points extracted by the comparison in step S62 are points that satisfy the intersection restriction condition. In this case, the intersection information is, for example, information about all intersections (all intersections within the range where vehicle 2 may operate).

Furthermore, if the intersection restriction condition is that two or more vehicles 2 collide at a specific intersection, intersection information may be generated as information only related to a specific traffic light, and all matching points extracted by the comparison in step S62 may be considered to satisfy the intersection restriction condition. If the lighting pattern of a traffic light changes depending on the time of day, for example, if the lighting pattern of a traffic light changes during the day and flashes only at night, intersection information for each time of day may be generated, and the determination unit 123 may use different intersection information depending on the time of day. Alternatively, as in the above example, intersection information may be generated as information related to all intersections, and the determination unit 123 may determine in step S14a whether any of the matching points extracted by the comparison in step S62 corresponds to a specific intersection. For example, the intersection information may include information indicating the presence or absence of a traffic light and the lighting pattern of the traffic light for each intersection, and the determination unit 123 may use the intersection information to determine whether the intersection corresponding to the matching point is a specific intersection.

Figure 21 is a diagram showing an example of intersection information in this embodiment. In the example shown in Figure 21, the intersection information includes a number that identifies the intersection, its location (the location of the intersection), information indicating whether or not there is a traffic light, and the lighting pattern of the traffic light.

Furthermore, if the intersection restriction condition is that two or more vehicles 2 arrive at the same intersection at the same time with a specific combination of travel directions, the determination unit 123 determines the travel directions of each of the vehicles 2 that will collide at the match point using the match point extracted by the comparison in step S62, the map information, and the tentative operation plan. The specific combination of travel directions is predetermined for each intersection and may be included in the intersection information or the map information. The determination unit 123 determines that the match point satisfies the intersection restriction condition if the travel directions of each of the vehicles 2 that will collide at the match point match a specific combination.

If the intersection restriction condition is that two or more vehicles 2 arrive at the same intersection at the same time with a specific combination of traveling directions at a specific intersection, the intersection information may be set as information about the specific intersection, and the determination unit 123 may determine that the matching point extracted by the comparison in step S62 satisfies the intersection restriction condition if the traveling directions of the vehicles 2 that will collide at the matching point match a specific combination. Alternatively, the intersection information may include information indicating the presence or absence of traffic lights and the lighting patterns of the traffic lights for each intersection, and the determination unit 123 may use the intersection information to determine whether the intersection corresponding to the matching point is a specific intersection, and determine that the matching point satisfies the intersection restriction condition if the traveling directions of the vehicles 2 that will collide at the matching point determined to be a specific intersection match a specific combination.

Returning to the explanation of Figure 19, if the answer is Yes in step S14a, the judgment unit 123 proceeds to step S15, and if the answer is No in step S14a, the judgment unit 123 proceeds to step S16. Steps S15 and S16 are the same as in embodiment 1.

Figure 22 is a diagram showing an example of a tentative operation plan when a correction is required. Figure 22 shows an example of an operation plan when an upbound flight #101 and an downbound flight #102 collide at an intersection. In the example shown in Figure 22, the intersection restriction condition is a condition in which two or more vehicles 2 collide at a specific intersection, and flights #101 and #102 arrive at the same time at an intersection without a traffic light, so the above-mentioned step S14a is judged as Yes and the tentative operation plan is corrected. The method of correcting the tentative operation plan is the same as in embodiment 1.

In the example shown in Figure 20, in which both bottlenecks and intersections are taken into consideration, steps S11 to S13 are performed as in embodiment 1, and steps S61 and S62 are performed as in Figure 19. In the example shown in Figure 20, the intersection area information includes bottleneck information and intersection information. The determination unit 123 determines whether there is a point that satisfies the intersection restriction condition (step S14b). In the example shown in Figure 20, the intersection restriction condition is both the condition described in embodiment 1 and the condition explained using Figure 19, and if either one is satisfied, it is determined that the intersection restriction information is satisfied. If step S14b is Yes, the determination unit 123 proceeds to step S15, and if step S14b is No, the determination unit 123 proceeds to step S16. Steps S15 and S16 are the same as in embodiment 1.

Note that the processing described above is one example, and similar to embodiment 1, the operation plan creation unit 12 may create an operation plan using bottleneck information and intersection information without creating a tentative operation plan, so that the intersection restriction conditions are not met at bottlenecks and intersections. Also, similar to the operation plan management device 1a shown in FIG. 12, the extraction unit 15 may extract intersection information using map information. Note that if the intersection information includes the presence or absence of traffic lights, their lighting patterns, etc., it is assumed that this information is included in the map information.

Figure 23 is a sequence diagram showing an example of processing in the operation plan management device 1a of this embodiment. Figure 23 also shows an example in which the intersection area is an intersection. Steps S41 to S48 and S51 are the same as in embodiment 1. After step S48, the extraction unit 15 extracts intersections from the map information (step S71), generates intersection information using the extracted intersections, and outputs the generated intersection information to the determination unit 123 (step S72).

Steps S72, S73, and S74 (Y) in the judgment unit 123 correspond to steps S61, S62, and S14a shown in Figure 19, and step S74 (Y) indicates the case where step S14a is judged as Yes.

Steps S54 to S56 are the same as in embodiment 1. After the tentative operation plan is revised, steps S46, S51, and S73 are re-executed. Step S74 (Y) indicates the case where step S14a is judged as No, and step S57 is the same as in embodiment 1. Figure 23 shows an example in which the intersection area is an intersection, but if the intersection area is a bottleneck and an intersection, the extraction unit 15 generates intersection information and bottleneck information similar to embodiment 1, and outputs the intersection information and bottleneck information to the determination unit 123. The determination unit 123 performs processing that takes bottlenecks and intersections into account, as shown in Figure 20.

In the above-described example, the operation plan management devices 1 and 1a of embodiment 1 performed the operation of this embodiment, but this is not limited to this. The operation plan management device 1b of embodiment 2 may also perform the operation of this embodiment by similarly using intersection information as intersection area information. Also, in the above-described example, bottlenecks and intersections were used as examples of intersection areas, but the intersection area is not limited to bottlenecks and intersections, and may also be any location where there is a possibility of restrictions on the intersection of vehicle 2.

As described above, in this embodiment, the operation plan management device 1, 1a uses intersection information to create an operation plan that avoids vehicles 2 crossing each other at an intersection when the vehicles 2 satisfy the intersection restriction conditions. This makes it possible to reduce delays from the operation plan that occur due to the vehicles 2 crossing each other.

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

1, 1a, 1b Operation plan management device, 2, 2-1, 2-2 Vehicle, 3 Stop terminal, 4-1 to 4-4 Stop, 5-1 to 5-4 Overlapping point, 6-1 to 6-5 Bottleneck, 7-1, 7-2 Matching point, 8 Intersection, 11 Information acquisition unit, 12, 12a Operation plan creation unit, 13 Memory unit, 14 Output unit, 15 Extraction unit, 16 Demand information acquisition unit, 21 Transmitting/receiving unit, 22 Travel control unit, 23 Self-position determination unit, 31 Receiving unit, 32 Display unit, 100, 100a, 100b Operation plan management system, 121, 121a Provisional operation plan creation unit, 122 Overlapping point estimation unit, 123 Determination unit, 124 Correction unit.

Claims (16)

An operation plan management device that manages an operation plan including departure times from stops of vehicles transporting passengers or cargo,
an intersection area information acquisition unit that acquires intersection area information including information indicating the position of an intersection area, which is a point where an intersection between the vehicles may affect the running of the vehicles;
an operation plan creation unit that creates the operation plan by using the intersection area information and stop information that is information about the stops so that arrival times at the intersection area differ between at least some of the vehicles;
Equipped with
The operation plan management device is characterized in that the intersection area includes a bottleneck . 2. The operation plan management device according to claim 1, wherein the operation plan creation unit creates the operation plan using the road width of the narrow passage and the vehicle width so that the vehicles that have difficulty passing each other at the narrow passage arrive at the narrow passage at different times. The operation plan management device according to claim 2, characterized in that the intersection area information acquisition unit uses map information including information indicating road width and vehicle information including information indicating the vehicle width to extract, from the map information, bottlenecks where it is difficult for the vehicles to pass each other, and generates bottleneck information, which is the intersection area information related to the extracted bottlenecks . The vehicle information includes information indicating a vehicle width for each vehicle type,
4. The operation plan management device according to claim 3 , wherein the bottleneck information includes information indicating whether passing is difficult at the bottleneck for each combination of vehicle types. The operation plan management device according to claim 1 , wherein the intersection area includes an intersection. The operation plan management device according to claim 5, wherein the operation plan creation unit creates the operation plan for target intersections that are at least some of the intersections such that arrival times at the target intersections differ between target vehicles that are at least some of the vehicles. The operation plan management device according to claim 6 , wherein the target intersections include intersections that are not equipped with traffic lights. An operation plan management device that manages an operation plan including departure times from stops of vehicles transporting passengers or cargo,
an intersection area information acquisition unit that acquires intersection area information including information indicating the position of an intersection area, which is a point where an intersection between the vehicles may affect the running of the vehicles;
an operation plan creation unit that creates the operation plan by using the intersection area information and stop information that is information about the stops so that arrival times at the intersection area differ between at least some of the vehicles;
Equipped with
the intersection area includes an intersection;
the operation plan creation unit creates the operation plan for target intersections that are at least some of the intersections such that arrival times at the target intersections differ among target vehicles that are at least some of the vehicles;
The operation plan management device is characterized in that the target intersection includes an intersection where a traffic light is installed and the traffic light is flashing during a time period. The operation plan management device according to claim 6 , wherein the operation plan creation unit determines the target vehicle based on a traveling direction of the vehicle. An operation plan management device that manages an operation plan including departure times from stops of vehicles transporting passengers or cargo,
an intersection area information acquisition unit that acquires intersection area information including information indicating the position of an intersection area, which is a point where an intersection between the vehicles may affect the running of the vehicles;
an operation plan creation unit that creates the operation plan by using the intersection area information and stop information that is information about the stops so that arrival times at the intersection area differ between at least some of the vehicles;
Equipped with
a temporary operation plan creation unit that creates a temporary operation plan, which is a temporary operation plan for the vehicle, using the stop information;
an overlap point estimation unit that estimates an overlap point, which is a point where the vehicles intersect, by using the tentative operation plan and map information;
a determination unit that determines whether a condition is satisfied that a matching point that matches the intersection area exists among the overlapping points and that the intersection between the vehicles that are estimated to intersect at the matching point has an impact on the traveling of the vehicles, using the overlapping point estimated by the overlapping point estimation unit and the intersection area information, and that determines the tentative operation plan as the operation plan when it is determined that the condition is not satisfied;
An operation plan management device comprising : a correction unit that corrects the tentative operation plan when it is determined by the determination unit that the intersection between the vehicles estimated to intersect at the match point will have an effect on the traveling of the vehicles, so that the vehicles that intersect at the match point do not arrive at the match point at the same time;
Equipped with
The operation plan management device of claim 10, characterized in that the overlap point estimation unit and the judgment unit perform processing using the tentative operation plan corrected by the correction unit, and the processing of the correction unit, the overlap point estimation unit and the judgment unit is repeated until the judgment unit determines that the condition is not satisfied. The operation plan management device described in claim 10, characterized in that the tentative operation plan creation unit determines whether to change the operation plan using demand information, which is information regarding the vehicle's boarding request, and if it determines that the operation plan should be changed, changes the operation plan and outputs the changed operation plan to the overlap point estimation unit as the tentative operation plan. a vehicle for transporting passengers or cargo;
an operation plan management device that manages an operation plan including departure times from stops of the vehicle;
Equipped with
The operation plan management device
an intersection area information acquisition unit that acquires intersection area information including information indicating the position of an intersection area, which is a point where an intersection between the vehicles may affect the running of the vehicles;
an operation plan creation unit that creates the operation plan by using the intersection area information and stop information that is information about the stops so that arrival times at the intersection area differ between at least some of the vehicles;
Equipped with
An operation plan management system , wherein the intersection area includes a bottleneck . a bus stop terminal installed at a bus stop of the vehicle and displaying the operation plan;
The operation plan management system according to claim 13 , further comprising: An operation plan management method in an operation plan management device that manages an operation plan including departure times from stops of vehicles transporting passengers or cargo,
acquiring intersection area information including information indicating the position of an intersection area, which is a point where an intersection between the vehicles may affect the running of the vehicles;
creating the operation plan using the intersection area information and stop information that is information about the stops so that arrival times at the intersection area differ between at least some of the vehicles;
Including,
The operation plan management method is characterized in that the intersection area includes a bottleneck . In the computer system,
acquiring intersection area information including information indicating the location of an intersection area, which is a point where an intersection between vehicles transporting passengers or cargo may affect the travel of the vehicles;
creating an operation plan including departure times of the vehicles from the stops using the intersection area information and stop information that is information about stops of the vehicles so that arrival times at the intersection area differ between at least some of the vehicles;
Execute
The program , wherein the intersection area includes a bottleneck .