Information processing apparatus, information processing method and information processing program

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11442453-B2
Application number	US-202016812730-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 9, 2020
Priority date	Mar 26, 2019
Publication date	Sep 13, 2022
Grant date	Sep 13, 2022

Abstract

An information processing apparatus manages operation of an autonomous vehicle that delivers a package. The information processing apparatus includes a control section that before the autonomous vehicle arrives at a basic delivery destination that is an original delivery destination of the package, acquires a location, at a planned delivery time of the package, of a user that receives the package, and where the location is different from the basic delivery destination, transmits an instruction for delivering the package to the location to the autonomous vehicle.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An information processing apparatus for managing operation of an autonomous vehicle that delivers a package, the apparatus comprising a control section that:
acquires a planned travel route that is a route on which the autonomous vehicle is planned to travel,
before the autonomous vehicle arrives at a basic delivery destination that is an original delivery destination of the package, acquires a location, at a planned delivery time of the package, of a user that receives the package, and
where the location is different from the basic delivery destination, transmits an operation instruction to the autonomous vehicle to cause the autonomous vehicle to deliver the package to the location, and transmits an operation instruction to the autonomous vehicle to cancel delivery of the package where the location is not within a predetermined range from the planned travel route.

2. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein where the location is different from the basic delivery destination and the location is another autonomous vehicle that is different from the autonomous vehicle that delivers the package, the control section determines a meeting point and a meeting time of meeting between the autonomous vehicle and the other autonomous vehicle and transmits an instruction intended to cause the autonomous vehicle and the other autonomous vehicle to meet at the meeting point at the meeting time to the autonomous vehicle and the other autonomous vehicle.

3. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the control section acquires the location at a timing at which time left before the planned delivery time of the package becomes no more than a predetermined length of time.

4. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the control section acquires the location at a timing at which a position of the autonomous vehicle enters a range that is a predetermined distance from the basic delivery destination.

5. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the control section acquires the location at a timing at which the autonomous vehicle departs from a predetermined departure point toward the basic delivery destination.

6. An information processing method for managing operation of an autonomous vehicle that delivers a package, the method comprising causing a computer to perform steps of;
acquiring a planned travel route that is a route on which the autonomous vehicle is planned to travel,
before the autonomous vehicle arrives at a basic delivery destination that is an original delivery destination of the package, acquiring a location, at a planned delivery time of the package, of a user that receives the package and a step of, where the location is different from the basic delivery destination,
transmitting an operation instruction to the autonomous vehicle to cause the autonomous vehicle to deliver the package to the location and transmitting an operation instruction to the autonomous vehicle to cancel delivery of the package where the location is not within a predetermined range from the planned travel route.

7. An information processing program for managing operation of an autonomous vehicle that delivers a package, the program causing a computer to perform a steps of;
acquiring a planned travel route that is a route on which the autonomous vehicle is planned to travel,
before the autonomous vehicle arrives at a basic delivery destination that is an original delivery destination of the package, acquiring a location, at a planned delivery time of the package, of a user that receives the package and a step of, where the location is different from the basic delivery destination,
transmitting an operation instruction to the autonomous vehicle to cause the autonomous vehicle to deliver the package to the location and transmitting an operation instruction to the autonomous vehicle to cancel delivery of the package where the location is not within a predetermined range from the planned travel route.

Assignees

• Toyota Motor Co Ltd

Inventors

• Suzuki Koichi
• Nishitani Toru
• Usami Jun
• Yoda Minami
• Koike Kensuke
• Ogawa Tsuyoshi
• Tanigawa Yohei

Classifications

• G01C21/3415

  Dynamic re-routing, e.g. recalculating the route when the user deviates from calculated route or after detecting real-time traffic data or accidents · CPC title

• G01S5/0027 Primary

  of actual mobile position, i.e. position determined on mobile · CPC title

• B65G2203/0208

  relating to the transported articles · CPC title

• B65G63/00 Primary

  Transferring or trans-shipping at storage areas, railway yards or harbours {or in opening mining cuts}; Marshalling yard installations · CPC title

• B65G2203/04

  Detection means · CPC title