JP7844232B2 - Standby location indicating device, standby location indicating system, and standby location indicating method - Google Patents

Description

This invention relates to a standby location indication device, a standby location indication system, and a standby location indication method.

A technique is known (Patent Document 1) that, in candidate areas where the number of vehicle shortages is greater than zero, determines a waiting location such that the distance traveled from the vehicle's location after providing mobility services to the waiting location is minimized, and then sets the determined waiting location as the vehicle's destination.

Japanese Patent Publication No. 2020-086945

However, the technology described in Patent Document 1 does not determine the waiting location based on the vehicle's travel time from the waiting location to the user's boarding location. Therefore, if it takes a long time for the vehicle to travel from the waiting location to the boarding location, depending on the time it takes for the vehicle to arrive at the boarding location after the user requests to use it, the user's waiting time at the boarding location may become long.

The problem that this invention aims to solve is to provide a waiting area indication device, a waiting area indication system, and a waiting area indication method that can shorten the waiting time for users at boarding locations.

This invention solves the above problem by extracting candidate waiting locations for vehicles awaiting dispatch, extracting corresponding pick-up locations around each candidate waiting location, calculating the dispatch buffer time for each pick-up location from the time a user requests a ride until the vehicle arrives at the pick-up location, determining whether the vehicle's travel time from the candidate waiting location to the pick-up location is within the dispatch buffer time, and, if at least one of the pick-up locations corresponding to the candidate waiting location is determined to be a movable pick-up location where the vehicle's travel time is within the dispatch buffer time, sending a control instruction to the vehicle awaiting dispatch to designate that candidate waiting location as the vehicle's waiting location.

According to this invention, the waiting time for users at boarding locations can be reduced.

This is a schematic diagram of a waiting location instruction system using the waiting location instruction device and method according to the present invention. This figure shows an example of a scenario in which the waiting location instruction method according to this embodiment is implemented. This flowchart shows an example of the processing method for specifying a waiting location, which is performed by the waiting location instruction device. This flowchart shows an example of the vehicle dispatch availability determination process performed in step S6 of Figure 3.

The following describes a waiting location instruction system 100 using the waiting location instruction device and method according to the present invention, with reference to the drawings. Figure 1 is a schematic block diagram of the waiting location instruction system 100 using the waiting location instruction device 1 and method according to this embodiment. The waiting location instruction system 100 according to this embodiment is a system that indicates the waiting location where vehicles wait in a dispatch service that dispatches vehicles in response to dispatch requests. The waiting location is a place where vehicles awaiting dispatch wait to receive dispatch requests. Vehicles awaiting dispatch are, for example, vehicles that have no passengers inside and are not scheduled for dispatch within a predetermined time.

In this embodiment, an example of the waiting location instruction system 100 being applied to a vehicle dispatch service will be described. A dispatch service is a service that transports users to their destinations by having them board a vehicle according to a dispatch plan, and utilizes vehicles such as manned taxis, unmanned taxis, and commercial vehicles equipped with autonomous driving capabilities. For example, in a dispatch service, when a dispatch request is sent from a user's mobile terminal to the dispatch management server, the dispatch management server selects a vehicle to dispatch to the user and sends a dispatch request, including a dispatch plan, to the selected vehicle. Upon receiving the dispatch request from the dispatch management server, the vehicle transports the user to their destination via the boarding location according to the dispatch plan.

As shown in Figure 1, the waiting location instruction system 100 according to this embodiment comprises a waiting location instruction device 1 installed in a dispatch management center or the like, and on-board control devices 2, each of which is provided to a plurality of vehicles 20 used by users. The waiting location instruction device 1 is connected to the plurality of vehicles 20 via a network constituting a telecommunications network. The vehicles 20 are dispatch vehicles assigned to users. Although Figure 1 shows one waiting location instruction device 1 and one on-board control device 2, the number of waiting location instruction devices 1 and on-board control devices 2 constituting the waiting location instruction system 100 of this embodiment is not particularly limited.

The standby location instruction device 1 is equipped with a communication unit 16, and the in-vehicle control device 2 is equipped with a communication unit 22, enabling mutual transmission and reception of information via a telecommunications network NW such as the Internet. The communication path may be wired or wireless. In this embodiment, the vehicle 20 is described using an electric vehicle powered by a motor supplied by a battery as an example, but other vehicles such as a vehicle powered by a gasoline engine or a hybrid vehicle powered by both an engine and a motor may also be used.

The standby location instruction device 1, as shown in Figure 1, comprises at least a processor 10 and a database 11. The processor 10 is a computer with hardware and software, and this computer includes a ROM for storing programs, a CPU for executing the programs stored in the ROM, and RAM for functioning as an accessible storage device. The processor 10 is configured as a functional block, including a storage unit 12, a vehicle detection unit 13, a standby location identification unit 14, a control instruction unit 15, and a communication unit 16. Each function is executed through the cooperation of software and hardware for realizing or executing each of the above functions. In this embodiment, the functions of the processor 10 are divided into five blocks, and the functions of each functional block are explained; however, the functions of the processor 10 do not necessarily need to be divided into five blocks.

The memory unit 12 stores in the database 11 the waiting locations where the vehicle 20 can wait and the boarding locations where the vehicle can be boarded. For example, one or more waiting locations are pre-set for a single service area. These waiting locations are typically parking lots, including parking lots managed exclusively for vehicles used in ride-hailing services, privately operated hourly parking lots, and temporarily available parking lots at commercial facilities such as supermarkets.

Furthermore, the memory unit 12 stores locations where the user has previously boarded a vehicle, based on the dispatch history information. The dispatch history information includes information about the boarding locations when the user previously used the ride-hailing service. The memory unit 12 also stores locations that the user may specify as boarding locations. For example, the memory unit 12 stores boarding locations based on the characteristics of the area included in the map information. The memory unit 12 stores locations around areas with high population density, such as train station areas or commercial districts. The memory unit 12 may also store boarding locations entered by the ride-hailing service provider through an input operation.

The vehicle detection unit 13 detects vehicles waiting for dispatch. A vehicle waiting for dispatch is, for example, a vehicle with no passengers inside and no scheduled dispatch within a predetermined time. In this embodiment, when vehicle 20 has dropped off passengers at the designated drop-off location and completed the dispatch service, the vehicle detection unit 13 receives dispatch completion information from vehicle 20 indicating that the dispatch service has been completed. Upon receiving the dispatch completion information, the vehicle detection unit 13 refers to the dispatch reservation information of the vehicle that sent the dispatch completion information, and if there is no scheduled dispatch within the predetermined time, it detects the vehicle as a vehicle waiting for dispatch.

The waiting location identification unit 14 identifies the waiting location where the vehicle awaiting dispatch is waiting, as detected by the vehicle detection unit 13. First, the waiting location identification unit 14 extracts candidate waiting locations from the waiting locations stored in the database 11. The waiting location identification unit 14 acquires the location information of the vehicle awaiting dispatch and, based on this location information, extracts candidate waiting locations located within a predetermined range from the vehicle's position. The extracted candidate waiting locations may be one or multiple.

The waiting location identification unit 14 extracts candidate waiting locations and, for each extracted candidate, extracts corresponding boarding locations located near the candidate waiting location. For example, the waiting location identification unit 14 acquires location information for the candidate waiting location and extracts boarding locations located within a predetermined range from the candidate's location as corresponding boarding locations. The extracted boarding locations may be one or multiple.

Furthermore, the waiting location identification unit 14 may acquire battery level information from the waiting vehicle and, based on the battery level, extract boarding locations located within the range that the waiting vehicle can travel from the candidate waiting location using its remaining battery power, as corresponding boarding locations to the candidate waiting location. For example, the waiting location identification unit 14 calculates the amount of battery power required for the waiting vehicle to travel to the candidate waiting location, and, based on the vehicle's remaining battery power, subtracts the required amount of battery power from the remaining battery power to calculate the battery level when the vehicle 20 arrives at the candidate waiting location. Then, based on the battery level when the vehicle 20 arrives at the candidate waiting location, the waiting location identification unit 14 extracts boarding locations located within the range that the waiting vehicle can travel from the candidate waiting location using its remaining battery power.

The waiting location identification unit 14 calculates the available time for dispatching a vehicle from the time the user requests a vehicle until the vehicle arrives at the pickup location, based on the dispatch history information for each extracted pickup location.

The vehicle dispatch buffer time is the travel time taken by users who have previously boarded a vehicle at the designated boarding location from the time they made a dispatch request until they reached the boarding location. Since the location from which a user makes a dispatch request differs from user to user, even if users use the same boarding location, the travel time taken by the user to reach the boarding location will also differ. Therefore, for example, in this embodiment, the average travel time of users who have previously boarded at the designated boarding location is calculated as the vehicle dispatch buffer time for that boarding location. For example, the waiting location identification unit 14 acquires dispatch history information for all users who have boarded the vehicle 20 at the target boarding location. For each user, the waiting location identification unit 14 calculates the user's travel distance based on the user's location information at the time the user made the dispatch request and the location information of the boarding location, which are included in the acquired dispatch history information. For example, "when a user made a dispatch request" refers to the time when the dispatch request was sent from the user's mobile terminal, and "the user's location information at the time the user made the dispatch request" refers to the location information of the mobile terminal of the user who sent the dispatch request. The waiting location identification unit 14 calculates the user's travel time from the location where the user requested a ride to the pick-up location, based on the user's travel distance and typical walking speed. The user's travel time may also be the time between the time the user requested the ride and the time the user arrived at the pick-up location. The waiting location identification unit 14 then calculates the average of these calculated user travel times as the available ride time.

Furthermore, the dispatch leeway is not limited to the average user travel time; for example, it may be the median, mode, or maximum value of the user travel time. The waiting location identification unit 14 calculates the user travel time for all users who boarded a vehicle at the boarding location and generates a distribution of user travel times. Then, based on this distribution, the waiting location identification unit 14 calculates the median, mode, or maximum value of the user travel time. Alternatively, the dispatch leeway may be a time range. For example, the waiting location identification unit 14 may generate a frequency distribution of user travel times and calculate the dispatch leeway as the time range of the class with the largest number of data points. Alternatively, the waiting location identification unit 14 may calculate the mean, median, mode, or most frequent value of the user travel time and calculate the dispatch leeway as a time range within a predetermined range centered on the calculated value. Furthermore, the waiting location identification unit 14 is not limited to calculating the dispatch leeway based on the user travel time of all users; it may also calculate the dispatch leeway based on the user travel time of users who boarded a vehicle at the boarding location within the most recent predetermined period.

Furthermore, the waiting location identification unit 14 calculates the travel time of the vehicle 20 from the candidate waiting location corresponding to the boarding location to the boarding location for each boarding location. For example, the waiting location identification unit 14 calculates the travel time of the vehicle 20 based on the distance between the candidate waiting location and the boarding location and the average speed of the vehicle. Alternatively, the waiting location identification unit 14 may calculate the travel time of the vehicle 20 based on dispatch history information, similar to the dispatch buffer time. Then, for each boarding location, the waiting location identification unit 14 determines whether the travel time of the vehicle 20 is within the dispatch buffer time. If it determines that the travel time of the vehicle 20 is within the dispatch buffer time, the waiting location identification unit 14 determines the target boarding location as a movable boarding location. That is, a movable boarding location is a boarding location where it has been determined that the travel time of the vehicle 20 is within the dispatch buffer time. In this embodiment, if at least one of the boarding locations corresponding to the candidate waiting location is a movable boarding location, the waiting location identification unit 14 identifies that candidate waiting location as a waiting location for a vehicle waiting for dispatch.

Furthermore, the waiting location identification unit 14 may, after determining whether all boarding locations corresponding to the waiting location candidates are movable boarding locations, determine whether the waiting location candidate is a dispatchable waiting location. A dispatchable waiting location is a waiting location candidate from among the waiting location candidates that the vehicle 20 can move to any of the boarding locations within the dispatch leeway time. For example, the waiting location identification unit 14 determines whether at least one of the boarding locations corresponding to the waiting location candidates is a movable boarding location. If it determines that at least one of the boarding locations corresponding to the waiting location candidates is a movable boarding location, the waiting location identification unit 14 determines that the waiting location candidate is a dispatchable waiting location. The waiting location identification unit 14 then performs a dispatchability determination for all extracted waiting location candidates to determine whether they are dispatchable waiting locations.

The waiting location identification unit 14 performs a dispatch feasibility determination for all extracted waiting location candidates. Based on the dispatch feasibility determination result, it then determines whether there are any dispatchable waiting locations among the extracted candidates. That is, the waiting location identification unit 14 determines whether at least one of the extracted waiting location candidates is a dispatchable waiting location. If it determines that there are dispatchable waiting locations, the waiting location identification unit 14 determines whether there are two or more dispatchable waiting locations. If it determines that there are no dispatchable waiting locations, the waiting location identification unit 14 identifies the waiting location candidate closest to the waiting vehicle as the waiting location for the vehicle. If it determines that there are not two or more dispatchable waiting locations, i.e., if there is only one dispatchable waiting location, the waiting location identification unit 14 identifies that single dispatchable waiting location as the waiting location for the waiting vehicle.

Furthermore, if there are two or more available waiting locations, the waiting location identification unit 14 compares the number of corresponding mobile pick-up locations for each available waiting location. The waiting location identification unit 14 then identifies the waiting location with the most corresponding mobile pick-up locations as the waiting location for the vehicle awaiting dispatch. As an example, let's consider a case where there are two available waiting locations, X and Y. For instance, if waiting location X has two mobile pick-up locations and waiting location Y also has two mobile pick-up locations, then waiting location X, which has the most mobile pick-up locations, is identified as the waiting location for the vehicle awaiting dispatch.

Furthermore, if there are two or more available waiting locations, the waiting location identification unit 14 may calculate an evaluation value for each available waiting location and identify the waiting location of the vehicle waiting for dispatch according to the evaluation value of the available waiting location. The evaluation value is a value that assesses the likelihood that a user will use a mobile pick-up location corresponding to a available waiting location. The higher the evaluation value, the more likely the user is to use a mobile pick-up location. First, the waiting location identification unit 14 calculates an evaluation value for each mobile pick-up location. The method for calculating the evaluation value will be described later.

The waiting location identification unit 14 calculates an evaluation value for each movable pick-up location, and then, for each dispatchable waiting location, it sums the evaluation values of the movable pick-up locations corresponding to that waiting location to calculate an evaluation value for that waiting location. The waiting location identification unit 14 calculates evaluation values for all dispatchable waiting locations and compares the evaluation values of each waiting location. Then, the waiting location identification unit 14 identifies the waiting location with the highest evaluation value as the waiting location for the vehicle awaiting dispatch. In other words, in this embodiment, candidate waiting locations that can be moved to a pick-up location likely to be used by a user within the dispatch leeway time are identified as waiting locations for the vehicle awaiting dispatch.

As an example, let's consider a case where two possible waiting locations, waiting location X and waiting location Y, are extracted as potential waiting locations for vehicles awaiting dispatch. Assume that the evaluation values for mobile pick-up location A and mobile pick-up location B corresponding to waiting location X are 10 points and 8 points, respectively, and the evaluation values for mobile pick-up location C and mobile pick-up location B corresponding to waiting location Y are 2 points and 8 points, respectively. In this case, the evaluation value for waiting location X is calculated as 18 points (10 points + 8 points). The evaluation value for waiting location Y is calculated as 10 points (2 points + 8 points). The waiting location identification unit 14 compares the evaluation value of waiting location X (18 points) and waiting location Y (10 points) and identifies waiting location X, which has the highest evaluation value, as the waiting location for vehicles awaiting dispatch.

Here, we will explain how to calculate the evaluation value for a candidate waiting location. For example, the waiting location identification unit 14 calculates an evaluation value for each movable pick-up location based on past usage history at the pick-up location. The waiting location identification unit 14 obtains dispatch history information from the database 11, where the user has used the vehicle 20 at a movable pick-up location, and calculates the number of times the user has used the vehicle 20 at the pick-up location in the past. For example, the number of uses is the number of dispatch history entries where the movable pick-up location was used as the pick-up location. The waiting location identification unit 14 calculates an evaluation value according to the number of uses. The number of uses may be the cumulative number of uses from the start of the dispatch service to the present, or it may be the frequency of use within the most recent predetermined period. The evaluation value is calculated to be higher the more times the user has used the service. For example, if the cumulative number of past uses at pick-up location A is 50, the cumulative number of past uses at pick-up location B is 100, and the cumulative number of past uses at pick-up location C is 20, the waiting location identification unit 14 calculates an evaluation value of 5 points for pick-up location A, 10 points for pick-up location B, and 2 points for pick-up location C.

Furthermore, past usage data may be obtained by time slot. For example, database 11 stores usage counts for each time slot. The waiting location identification unit 14 identifies the current time slot when calculating the evaluation value of the boarding location and obtains the cumulative usage count for the same time slot in the past. The waiting location identification unit 14 calculates the evaluation value according to the cumulative usage count for that time slot in the past.

Furthermore, the waiting location identification unit 14 calculates an evaluation value for a movable pick-up location based on the characteristics of the area surrounding the pick-up location. The waiting location identification unit 14 obtains map information from the database 11 and acquires characteristic information about the area surrounding the movable pick-up location included in the map information. The characteristics of the area surrounding the movable pick-up location are, for example, area attributes such as a downtown area, a train station area, or a residential area. In this embodiment, evaluation values are pre-set for each area attribute according to the ease of using the ride-hailing service. In each area, the evaluation values are set higher in the order of station area, downtown area, and residential area, as these areas have a larger population and a greater demand for using the ride-hailing service for transportation. For example, suppose the evaluation value for a downtown area is 3 points, the evaluation value for a train station area is 6 points, and the evaluation value for a residential area is 1 point. If the area around pick-up location A is a downtown area, the evaluation value for pick-up location A is calculated to be 3 points; if the area around pick-up location B is a train station area, the evaluation value for pick-up location B is calculated to be 6 points; and if the area around pick-up location C is a residential area, the evaluation value for pick-up location C is calculated to be 1 point.

Furthermore, the characteristics of the boarding location may also include the acceptable waiting time at that location. In this embodiment, the acceptable waiting time is set for each area attribute (commercial district area, station area, home area). For example, the acceptable waiting time is set to be shorter in the order of station area, commercial district area, and home area. In the station area, users of the ride-hailing service are often on the move, so the acceptable waiting time is shorter than in the commercial district area or home area. On the other hand, in the commercial district area, users can wait elsewhere, and in the home area, they have more time to prepare for departure, so the acceptable waiting time is longer than in the station area. The evaluation value is set higher the shorter the acceptable waiting time. The waiting location identification unit 14 calculates the evaluation value according to the acceptable waiting time at the boarding location.

Furthermore, the waiting location identification unit 14 may calculate an evaluation value using both past usage data and the characteristics of the boarding location. For example, the waiting location identification unit 14 may calculate an evaluation value based on past usage data and an evaluation value based on the characteristics of the boarding location, and then calculate the sum of these calculated evaluation values as the evaluation value of the available waiting location. For example, if the evaluation value of boarding location A based on past usage data is 5 points, and the evaluation value based on the characteristics of the area surrounding boarding location A is 3 points, the waiting location identification unit 14 will calculate the evaluation value of boarding location A as 8 points.

The control instruction unit 15 transmits a control instruction to the vehicle waiting for dispatch, instructing it to travel to the waiting location identified by the waiting location identification unit 14.

Here, using Figure 2, an example of the process for identifying waiting locations in this embodiment will be explained. In Figure 2, after candidate waiting locations PW1 and PW2 are extracted as potential waiting locations for vehicles awaiting dispatch, boarding locations PB2 and PB3 are extracted as corresponding boarding locations for candidate waiting location PW1, and boarding locations PB1 and PB3 are extracted as corresponding boarding locations for candidate waiting location PW2. Furthermore, it is assumed that the dispatch buffer times for boarding locations PB1, PB2, and PB3 are calculated to be 1-2 minutes, 3-5 minutes, and 5-10 minutes, respectively. Generally, the dispatch buffer time differs for each boarding location. For example, since each boarding location has a different surrounding environment, the tendency for users to request a dispatch from a location far from the boarding location or from a location close to it will vary depending on the surrounding environment. That is, at boarding locations where many users request a dispatch from a location far from the boarding location, the dispatch buffer time will be longer, and at boarding locations where many users request a dispatch from a location close to the boarding location, the dispatch buffer time will be shorter.

For example, if boarding location PB1 is close to a train station, many users will request a ride at the station and board the vehicle at boarding location PB1, which is close to the station. Therefore, the waiting time for a ride is likely to be shorter. On the other hand, if boarding location PB2 is located in a residential area, users using boarding location PB2 often request a ride at home before traveling to boarding location PB2. If boarding location PB2 is the only boarding location in the vicinity of the residential area, many users may use boarding location PB2 even if the distance from their home to boarding location PB2 is somewhat far. In such cases, the waiting time for a ride is likely to be longer.

Furthermore, the vehicle travel time from waiting area candidate PW1 to boarding area PB2 is assumed to be 3-5 minutes, and the vehicle travel time from waiting area candidate PW1 to boarding area PB3 is assumed to be 1-2 minutes. The evaluation values for boarding areas PB1, PB2, and PB3 are assumed to be 2 points, 1 point, and 3 points, respectively.

Processor 10 performs a dispatch availability determination for each candidate waiting location. First, processor 10 performs a dispatch availability determination for candidate waiting location PW1. Since the dispatch availability time for pick-up location PB2 is 3 to 5 minutes and the vehicle travel time from candidate waiting location PW1 to pick-up location PB2 is 3 to 5 minutes, processor 10 determines that pick-up location PB2 is a movable pick-up location for candidate waiting location PW1. Also, since the dispatch availability time for pick-up location PB3 is 5 to 10 minutes and the vehicle travel time from candidate waiting location PW1 to pick-up location PB3 is 1 to 2 minutes, processor 10 determines that pick-up location PB3 is a movable pick-up location for candidate waiting location PW1. Since at least one of the pick-up locations corresponding to candidate waiting location PW1 is a movable pick-up location, processor 10 determines that candidate waiting location PW1 is a dispatchable waiting location.

Next, processor 10 performs a dispatch availability determination for candidate waiting location PW2. Since the dispatch time for pick-up location PB1 is 1-2 minutes and the vehicle travel time from candidate waiting location PW2 to pick-up location PB1 is 1-2 minutes, processor 10 determines that pick-up location PB1 is a movable pick-up location for candidate waiting location PW2. Also, since the dispatch time for pick-up location PB3 is 5-10 minutes and the vehicle travel time from candidate waiting location PW2 to pick-up location PB3 is 5-10 minutes, processor 10 determines that pick-up location PB3 is a movable pick-up location for candidate waiting location PW2. Because at least one of the pick-up locations corresponding to candidate waiting location PW2 is a movable pick-up location, processor 10 determines that candidate waiting location PW2 is a dispatchable waiting location.

Since there are two or more available waiting locations, processor 10 identifies the waiting location for the vehicle waiting for dispatch based on the evaluation values of the available waiting locations. Processor 10 calculates an evaluation value of 4 points for candidate waiting location PW1 by adding the evaluation value of 1 point for boarding location PB2 and the evaluation value of 3 points for boarding location PB3. Processor 10 also calculates an evaluation value of 5 points for candidate waiting location PW2 by adding the evaluation value of 2 points for boarding location PB1 and the evaluation value of 3 points for boarding location PB3. Then, processor 10 compares the evaluation values of the available waiting locations and, since the evaluation value of candidate waiting location PW2 is greater than the evaluation value of candidate waiting location PW1, identifies candidate waiting location PW2 as the waiting location for the vehicle waiting for dispatch.

The on-board control device 2 comprises a control unit 21 that executes control processing for the vehicle V, a communication unit 22 that communicates with external devices such as the standby location instruction device 1, an input unit 23 for the vehicle V occupant to input information, a display unit 24 for presenting information to the vehicle V occupant, and a position detection unit 25 consisting of a GPS receiver or the like.

The control unit 21 transmits the current location information of the vehicle V, acquired using the position detection unit 25, to the standby location instruction device 1. Furthermore, the control unit 21 presents the standby location information included in the control instruction transmitted from the standby location instruction device 1 to the occupant of the vehicle V using a display unit 24 such as a screen. The input unit 23 can utilize a button switch that allows manual input by the occupant, a touch panel on a display, a microphone that allows voice input by the occupant, etc., and may also be used in conjunction with the display unit 24 using a touch panel display.

Furthermore, the on-board control device 2 may be configured to include an autonomous driving control function. The autonomous driving control function is a function for autonomously controlling the vehicle's movement without driver intervention. The autonomous driving control function includes an autonomous speed control function that autonomously controls the vehicle's speed and an autonomous steering control function that autonomously controls the vehicle's steering. Autonomous control without driver intervention may also include some operations being performed by the driver.

Database 11 is a database that stores various types of information. Database 11 stores boarding location information and waiting location information. The waiting location information includes the location information (latitude and longitude) of waiting locations where the vehicle can wait. The boarding location information includes the location information of boarding locations where the user can board the vehicle. In this embodiment, the user selects their desired boarding location from the boarding locations stored in Database 11.

Furthermore, database 11 stores dispatch history information. This dispatch history information includes details such as the pick-up location, pick-up time, travel time, drop-off location, and drop-off time when the user previously used the ride-hailing service. It also includes the user's location information at the time the ride-hailing request was made.

Furthermore, database 11 includes vehicle information for vehicle 20. This vehicle information includes vehicle ID information and vehicle location information. The vehicle information may also include vehicle type, specifications, passenger capacity, load capacity, battery level, maintenance status, and other vehicle information. Database 11 also includes dispatch plan information. Database 11 is a database that stores dispatch plans for each vehicle 20.

Furthermore, the database 11 includes map information. The map information is a so-called navigation map, including at least road link information that the vehicle V can travel on. In addition, the map information includes traffic environment information such as road signs, road markings, and lane markings. The map information also includes area information. For example, the area information includes characteristic information for each area. Characteristic information is, for example, the attributes of each location. The attributes of each location are, for example, the surrounding area where each location is situated. Examples of surrounding areas include a commercial district, a train station area, and a home area. The characteristics of the boarding location may also be the acceptable waiting time for each location. The characteristic information stores the acceptable waiting time for each area. In this embodiment, the processor 10 acquires the characteristic information of the boarding location. It may also include pedestrian road link information for calculating the route the user will walk.

Next, using Figure 3, an example of the waiting location instruction method performed by the waiting location instruction device 1 will be explained. Figure 3 is a flowchart showing an example of the procedure for the waiting location instruction method performed by the waiting location instruction device 1.

In step S1, the processor 10 stores in the database 11 the waiting locations where the vehicle 20 can wait and the boarding locations where passengers can board the vehicle 20. In step S2, the processor 10 detects vehicles waiting for dispatch. For example, the processor 10 detects vehicles that have no passengers inside and are not scheduled to be dispatched within a predetermined time as vehicles waiting for dispatch. In step S3, the processor 10 extracts candidate waiting locations from the waiting locations stored in step S1 for the vehicles waiting for dispatch detected in step S2. For example, based on the location information of the vehicles waiting for dispatch, the processor 10 extracts candidate waiting locations that are located within a predetermined range from the current location of the vehicles waiting for dispatch.

In step S4, the processor 10 sets the value of n to 0. In step S5, the processor 10 updates the value of n by adding 1. In step S6, the processor 10 performs a dispatch availability check for the nth waiting location candidate. The dispatch availability check determines whether a vehicle can be dispatched from the waiting location candidate to the corresponding pick-up location within the user's available time for dispatch. Details of the dispatch availability check process will be described later.

In step S7, the processor 10 determines whether the value of n is equal to the number of waiting location candidates. For example, if the number of waiting location candidates extracted in step S3 is 3, the processor 10 determines whether the value of n is 3. If it determines that the value of n is equal to the number of waiting location candidates, the processor 10 proceeds to step S8. If it determines that the value of n is not equal to the number of waiting location candidates, the processor 10 returns to step S5 and repeats the following flow. That is, the processor 10 repeats the processing flow until it has determined the dispatchability of all extracted waiting location candidates, and then proceeds to step S8.

In step S8, the processor 10 determines whether there are any waiting location candidates that are available for dispatch, using the candidates identified as available for dispatch as the available waiting locations. If it determines that there are available waiting locations, the processor 10 proceeds to step S9. If it determines that there are no available waiting locations, the processor 10 proceeds to step S13. In step S9, the processor 10 determines whether there are two or more available waiting locations. If it determines that there are two or more available waiting locations, the processor 10 proceeds to step S10. If it determines that there are not two or more available waiting locations, the processor 10 proceeds to step S12. That is, if there is only one available waiting location, the processor 10 proceeds to step S12.

In step S10, the processor 10 calculates an evaluation value for each available waiting location. For example, the processor 10 calculates an evaluation value for each boarding location corresponding to a available waiting location, based on the characteristics of the boarding location, etc., and sums the evaluation values of the boarding locations to calculate the evaluation value for the available waiting location. In step S11, the processor 10 compares the evaluation values of the available waiting locations and identifies the available waiting location with the highest evaluation value as the waiting location for the vehicle awaiting dispatch.

In step S12, the processor 10 identifies a dispatchable waiting location as the waiting location for the vehicle waiting for dispatch. In step S13, the processor 10 identifies the nearest waiting location candidate to the vehicle waiting for dispatch from among the waiting location candidates extracted in step S3 as the waiting location for the vehicle waiting for dispatch. In step S11, a control instruction is sent to the vehicle waiting for dispatch to drive to the identified waiting location.

Next, we will explain an example of the dispatch availability determination process in step S6 of Figure 3 using Figure 4. Figure 4 is a flowchart showing the dispatch availability determination process in step S6 of Figure 3. After updating the value of n by adding 1 in step S5 of Figure 3, the processor 10 starts the processing flow from step S21.

In step S21, the processor 10 extracts the boarding locations corresponding to the nth waiting location candidate. For example, based on the location information of the nth waiting location candidate, the processor 10 extracts boarding locations located within a predetermined range from the nth waiting location candidate. In step S22, the processor 10 sets the value of m to 0. In step S23, the processor 10 updates the value of m by adding 1. In step S24, the processor 10 obtains the dispatch history information for the mth boarding location among the extracted boarding locations. In step S25, the processor 10 calculates the boarding time based on the dispatch history information obtained in step S24, from the time the user requested a vehicle 20 until they traveled to the mth boarding location. For example, for all users who boarded vehicle 20 at the mth boarding location, the processor 10 obtains the user travel time from the time the user requested the vehicle until they traveled to the boarding location, and calculates the average user travel time for all users as the boarding time.

In step S26, the processor 10 calculates the vehicle travel time required for the vehicle 20 to move from the nth waiting location candidate to the mth boarding location. In step S27, the processor 10 determines whether the vehicle travel time calculated in step S26 is within the dispatch buffer time calculated in step S25. If it determines that the vehicle travel time is within the dispatch buffer time, the processor 10 proceeds to step S28. If it determines that the vehicle travel time is not within the dispatch buffer time, the processor 10 proceeds to step S29. In step S28, the processor 10 determines that the mth boarding location is a movable boarding location that can be reached from the waiting location candidate within the dispatch buffer time. In this embodiment, if it determines that the vehicle travel time is not within the dispatch buffer time, the processor 10 proceeds to step S29 without determining that the mth boarding location is a movable boarding location.

In step S29, the processor 10 determines whether the value of m is equal to the number of boarding locations extracted in step S21. If it determines that the value of m is equal to the number of boarding locations extracted, the processor 10 proceeds to step S30. If it determines that the value of m is not equal to the number of boarding locations extracted, the processor 10 returns to step S23 and repeats the flow. That is, the processor 10 repeats the flow until it determines whether all extracted boarding locations are movable boarding locations.

In step S30, the processor 10 determines whether at least one of the boarding locations corresponding to the nth waiting location candidate is a mobile boarding location. If it determines that at least one of the boarding locations corresponding to the nth waiting location candidate is a mobile boarding location, the processor 10 proceeds to step S31. In step S31, the processor 10 determines that the nth waiting location candidate is a dispatchable waiting location. If it determines that all of the boarding locations corresponding to the nth waiting location candidate are not mobile boarding locations, the processor 10 returns to step S7 in Figure 3. That is, in this embodiment, if the processor 10 determines that all of the boarding locations corresponding to the nth waiting location candidate are not mobile boarding locations, it proceeds to step S7 in Figure 3 without determining that the nth waiting location candidate is a dispatchable waiting location.

As described above, in this embodiment, the waiting location instruction method is performed by a processor that instructs a vehicle to wait for a dispatch request, wherein the processor stores waiting locations where the vehicle can wait and boarding locations where the vehicle can be boarded, detects vehicles waiting for dispatch that have no passengers inside and are not scheduled to be dispatched within a predetermined time, extracts candidate waiting locations for vehicles waiting for dispatch from the stored waiting locations, extracts boarding locations located around the candidate waiting location as corresponding boarding locations for each candidate waiting location, calculates the dispatch buffer time from when a user makes a dispatch request until the vehicle arrives at the boarding location based on dispatch history information where a vehicle was dispatched at the boarding location for each boarding location, determines whether the vehicle's travel time from the candidate waiting location to the boarding location is within the dispatch buffer time, and if at least one of the boarding locations corresponding to the candidate waiting location is a mobile boarding location for which the vehicle's travel time is determined to be within the dispatch buffer time, identifies the candidate waiting location as the waiting location for the vehicle waiting for dispatch and transmits a control instruction to the vehicle waiting for dispatch to the identified waiting location. This will reduce the waiting time for users at boarding locations.

Furthermore, in this embodiment, if there are two or more candidate waiting locations where at least one of the corresponding boarding locations is a movable boarding location, the candidate waiting location with the most movable boarding locations is identified as the waiting location for the vehicle awaiting dispatch. This allows for the identification of a waiting location with a large number of movable boarding locations as the waiting location for the vehicle awaiting dispatch.

Furthermore, in this embodiment, if there are two or more candidate waiting locations where at least one of the corresponding boarding locations is a movable boarding location, an evaluation value is calculated for each boarding location to assess the likelihood of a user using that location. A total evaluation value is then calculated for each candidate waiting location by summing the evaluation values of the boarding locations corresponding to that candidate. The candidate waiting location with the highest total evaluation value is then identified as the waiting location for the vehicle awaiting dispatch. This allows for the identification of candidate waiting locations that can move to boarding locations most likely to be used by users as the waiting locations for the vehicle awaiting dispatch.

Furthermore, in this embodiment, an evaluation value is calculated for each boarding location based on past usage data at that location or the characteristics of the surrounding area. This allows us to determine the likelihood of a user using that boarding location.

Furthermore, in this embodiment, based on the dispatch history information, locations where the user has previously boarded a vehicle are stored as boarding locations. This allows the user to select a location they have actually used as their boarding location.

Furthermore, in this embodiment, waiting locations located within a predetermined range from the vehicle awaiting dispatch are extracted as candidate waiting locations. This allows for the selection of a waiting location near the vehicle awaiting dispatch as its designated waiting location.

Furthermore, in this embodiment, based on the battery level of the vehicle waiting for dispatch, pick-up locations located within a range that the vehicle can travel to based on its battery level are extracted as corresponding pick-up locations from the candidate waiting locations. This prevents delays in the vehicle's arrival time due to the need for charging before the vehicle reaches the pick-up location.

The embodiments described above are provided to facilitate understanding of the present invention and are not intended to limit it. Therefore, each element disclosed in the above embodiments includes all design modifications and equivalents that fall within the technical scope of the present invention.

100...Standby location instruction system 1...Standby location instruction device 10...Processor 12...Storage unit 13...Vehicle detection unit 14...Standby location identification unit 15...Control instruction unit 11...Database 2...In-vehicle control device

Claims (9)

A waiting location instruction device comprising a processor that instructs a vehicle to wait at a waiting location for the vehicle to receive a dispatch request,
The aforementioned processor,
A storage unit that stores a waiting area where the vehicle can wait and a boarding area where the vehicle can be boarded,
A vehicle detection unit that detects vehicles waiting for dispatch that have no passengers inside and are not scheduled to be dispatched within a specified time,
A waiting location identification unit identifies the waiting location where the vehicle waiting for dispatch, as detected by the vehicle detection unit, is waiting.
The system includes a control instruction unit that transmits a control instruction to the vehicle waiting to be dispatched to the waiting location identified by the waiting location identification unit,
The aforementioned waiting location identification unit is
From the waiting locations stored by the memory unit, candidate waiting locations for the dispatched vehicles are extracted.
For each of the aforementioned candidate waiting locations, a boarding location located near the candidate waiting location is extracted as the boarding location corresponding to the candidate waiting location.
For each of the aforementioned pick-up locations, based on the dispatch history information of the vehicle dispatched at the pick-up location, the dispatch buffer time from when the user requests a vehicle until the vehicle arrives at the pick-up location is calculated, and it is determined whether the travel time of the vehicle from the candidate waiting location corresponding to the pick-up location to the pick-up location is within the dispatch buffer time.
A waiting location indicating device that identifies the candidate waiting location as the waiting location for the vehicle awaiting dispatch if at least one of the boarding locations corresponding to the candidate waiting location is determined to be a mobile boarding location where the vehicle's travel time is within the dispatch buffer time. The waiting location identification unit, when there are two or more candidate waiting locations where at least one of the corresponding boarding locations is a movable boarding location, identifies the candidate waiting location with the most movable boarding locations as the waiting location for the vehicle awaiting dispatch, as described in claim 1. The aforementioned waiting location identification unit is
If there are two or more candidate waiting locations where at least one of the corresponding boarding locations is a mobile boarding location, an evaluation value is calculated for each mobile boarding location to assess the likelihood that the user will use the mobile boarding location.
For each candidate waiting location, a total evaluation value is calculated by summing the evaluation values of the movable boarding locations corresponding to the candidate waiting location.
The waiting location indicating device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the waiting location candidate with the largest total evaluation value is identified as the waiting location for the vehicle awaiting dispatch. The waiting location identification unit calculates the evaluation value for each of the movable boarding locations based on past usage records at the movable boarding location or the characteristics of the area surrounding the movable boarding location, according to claim 3. The waiting location indication device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the storage unit stores, based on the dispatch history information, the locations where the user has previously boarded the vehicle as the boarding locations. The waiting location identification unit extracts waiting locations located within a predetermined range from the vehicle awaiting dispatch as candidates for the waiting location, as described in claim 1 or 2. The waiting location identification unit extracts, based on the battery level of the vehicle waiting for dispatch, the boarding locations located within a range that can be reached from the candidate waiting location using the battery level, as the boarding locations corresponding to the candidate waiting location, according to claim 1 or 2. A waiting location instruction system comprising a processor that instructs a vehicle to wait at a waiting location for the vehicle to receive a dispatch request,
The aforementioned processor,
The system stores the waiting area where the vehicle can wait and the boarding area where the vehicle can be boarded.
The system detects vehicles that have no passengers inside and are not scheduled to be dispatched within the specified time,
From the stored waiting locations, candidate waiting locations for the dispatched vehicles are extracted.
For each of the aforementioned candidate waiting locations, a boarding location located near the candidate waiting location is extracted as the boarding location corresponding to the candidate waiting location.
For each of the aforementioned boarding locations, based on the dispatch history information of the vehicle dispatched at the aforementioned boarding location, the available dispatch time from the time the user requests a vehicle until the vehicle arrives at the aforementioned boarding location is calculated.
Determine whether the travel time of the vehicle from the candidate waiting area corresponding to the boarding location to the boarding location is within the vehicle dispatch buffer time.
If at least one of the boarding locations corresponding to the candidate waiting location is determined to be a mobile boarding location where the vehicle's travel time is within the dispatch buffer time, the candidate waiting location is identified as the waiting location for the vehicle awaiting dispatch.
A waiting location instruction system that transmits a control instruction to the vehicle waiting to be dispatched, instructing it to travel to the specified waiting location. A waiting location instruction method executed by a processor that instructs a vehicle to wait for a dispatch request to be received,
The aforementioned processor,
The system stores the waiting area where the vehicle can wait and the boarding area where the vehicle can be boarded.
The system detects vehicles that have no passengers inside and are not scheduled to be dispatched within the specified time,
From the stored waiting locations, candidate waiting locations for the dispatched vehicles are extracted.
For each of the aforementioned candidate waiting locations, a boarding location located near the candidate waiting location is extracted as the boarding location corresponding to the candidate waiting location.
For each of the aforementioned boarding locations, based on the dispatch history information of the vehicle dispatched at the aforementioned boarding location, the available dispatch time from the time the user requests a vehicle until the vehicle arrives at the aforementioned boarding location is calculated.
Determine whether the travel time of the vehicle from the candidate waiting area corresponding to the boarding location to the boarding location is within the vehicle dispatch buffer time.
If at least one of the boarding locations corresponding to the candidate waiting location is determined to be a mobile boarding location where the vehicle's travel time is within the dispatch buffer time, the candidate waiting location is identified as the waiting location for the vehicle awaiting dispatch.
A method for instructing a vehicle to be dispatched to a designated waiting location, which involves transmitting a control instruction to the vehicle to be dispatched.