Information processing device, information processing method and information processing program

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11643114-B2
Application number	US-202016787637-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 11, 2020
Priority date	Mar 15, 2019
Publication date	May 9, 2023
Grant date	May 9, 2023

Abstract

The disclosure is an information processing device that manages an operation of an autonomous vehicle having a loading space in which a parcel is loaded. The information processing device includes a control unit that executes: acquiring operation plan information including a route along which the autonomous vehicle travels when the autonomous vehicle delivers the parcel, and a delivery time for the parcel; and acquiring vacant space information based on the operation plan information, the vacant space information including a traveling section where a vacant space is generated in the loading space of the autonomous vehicle, a time when the vacant space is generated in the loading space of the autonomous vehicle, and the size of the vacant space that is generated in the loading space of the autonomous vehicle.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An information processing device that manages an operation of an autonomous vehicle having a loading space in which a parcel is loaded, the information processing device comprising a control unit that executes:
acquiring operation plan information including a route along which the autonomous vehicle travels when the autonomous vehicle delivers the parcel, and a delivery time for the parcel;
acquiring vacant space information based on the operation plan information, the vacant space information including a traveling section where a vacant space is generated in the loading space of the autonomous vehicle, a time when the vacant space is generated in the loading space of the autonomous vehicle, and a size of the vacant space that is generated in the loading space of the autonomous vehicle when at least one parcel is disposed in the loading space;
causing the autonomous vehicle to travel based on the vacant space information; and
when the control unit accepts a riding request or a delivery request from a user, extracting an autonomous vehicle that meets the riding request or the delivery request without changing the route included in the operation plan information,
wherein the control unit executes:
accepting the riding request including a riding section and a riding time that are desired by the user; and
extracting an autonomous vehicle based on the vacant space information, a traveling section where a vacant space is generated in the loading space of the extracted autonomous vehicle including the riding section, a time when the vacant space is generated in the loading space of the extracted autonomous vehicle including the riding time, and a size of the vacant space that is generated in the loading space of the extracted autonomous vehicle is a size allowing the user to ride in the extracted autonomous vehicle.

2. The information processing device according to claim 1 , wherein:
the information processing device manages operations of a plurality of autonomous vehicles; and
the control unit further executes accepting the riding request including a riding section and a riding time that are desired by the user, extracting an autonomous vehicle in which a vacant space having a size allowing the user to ride in the autonomous vehicle is generated in the loading space on the riding section at the riding time, based on the vacant space information about the autonomous vehicles, and sending a command to cause the user to ride in the extracted autonomous vehicle on the riding section at the riding time, to the extracted autonomous vehicle.

3. The information processing device according to claim 2 , wherein when the control unit fails to extract the autonomous vehicle in which the vacant space having the size allowing the user to ride in the autonomous vehicle is generated in the loading space on the riding section at the riding time, the control unit executes extracting an autonomous vehicle from plurality of autonomous vehicle that travels in a predetermined range from the riding section at the riding time and in which the vacant space having the size allowing the user to ride in the autonomous vehicle is generated in the loading space, based on the vacant space information about the autonomous vehicles, and sending a command to alter a traveling route at the riding time to a route including the riding section and to cause the user to ride in the extracted autonomous vehicle on the riding section at the riding time, to the extracted autonomous vehicle.

4. The information processing device according to claim 2 , wherein the control unit further executes generating user collecting information based on the vacant space information about the autonomous vehicles, the user collecting information traveling sections where vacant spaces are generated in loading spaces of the autonomous vehicles, times when the vacant spaces are generated in the loading spaces of the autonomous vehicles, and numbers of users that are able to ride in the vacant spaces that are generated in the loading spaces of the autonomous vehicles, and publishing the user collecting information on a website.

5. An information processing method for managing an operation of an autonomous vehicle having a loading space in which a parcel is loaded, the information processing method causing a computer to execute:
a step of acquiring operation plan information including a route along which the autonomous vehicle travels when the autonomous vehicle delivers the parcel, and a delivery time for the parcel;
a step of acquiring vacant space information based on the operation plan information, the vacant space information including a traveling section where a vacant space is generated in the loading space of the autonomous vehicle, a time when the vacant space is generated in the loading space of the autonomous vehicle, and a size of the vacant space that is generated in the loading space of the autonomous vehicle when at least one parcel is disposed in the loading space;
a step of causing the autonomous vehicle to travel based on the vacant space information; and
when a riding request or a delivery request is accepted from a user, a step of extracting an autonomous vehicle that meets the riding request or the delivery request without changing the route included in the operation plan information,
wherein accepting the riding request includes a riding section and a riding time that are desired by the user; and
a step of extracting an autonomous vehicle based on the vacant space information, a traveling section where a vacant space is generated in the loading space of the extracted autonomous vehicle including the riding section, a time when the vacant space is generated in the loading space of the extracted autonomous vehicle including the riding time, and a size of the vacant space that is generated in the loading space of the extracted autonomous vehicle is a size allowing the user to ride in the extracted autonomous vehicle.

6. An information processing program for managing an operation of an autonomous vehicle having a loading space in which a parcel is loaded, the information processing program causing a computer to execute:
a step of acquiring operation plan information including a route along which the autonomous vehicle travels when the autonomous vehicle delivers the parcel, and a delivery time for the parcel;
a step of acquiring vacant space information based on the operation plan information, the vacant space information including a traveling section where a vacant space is generated in the loading space of the autonomous vehicle, a time when the vacant space is generated in the loading space of the autonomous vehicle, and a size of the vacant space that is generated in the loading space of the autonomous vehicle when at least one parcel is disposed in the loading space;
causing the autonomous vehicle to travel based on the vacant space information;
when a riding request or a delivery request is accepted from a user, extracting an autonomous vehicle that meets the riding request or the delivery request without changing the route included in the operation plan information;
accepting the riding request including a riding section and a riding time that are desired by the user; and
extracting an autonomous vehicle based on the vacant space information, a traveling section where a vacant space is generated in the loading space of the extracted autonomous vehicle including the riding section, a time when the vacant space is generated in the loading space of the extracted autonomous vehicle including the riding time, and a size of the vacant space that is generated in the loading space of the extracted autonomous vehicle is a size allowing the user to ride in the extracted autonomous vehicle.

7. An inform

Assignees

• Toyota Motor Co Ltd
• Toyota Jidosha Kabishiki Kaisha

Inventors

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

Classifications

• G07C5/085

  using electronic data carriers · CPC title

• B60W2556/45

  External transmission of data to or from the vehicle · CPC title

• B60W2756/10

  Involving external transmission of data to or from the vehicle · CPC title

• B60W60/00253

  Taxi operations · CPC title

• G07C5/008

  communicating information to a remotely located station (transmission systems for measured values G08C) · CPC title