Patent Publication Number: US-2022221282-A1

Title: Information processing device, information processing method, and program

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
     This application claims priority to Japanese Patent Application No. 2021-002174 filed on Jan. 8, 2021, incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. 
     BACKGROUND 
     1. Technical Field 
     The present disclosure relates to a technique for allocating a vehicle to be used by employees. 
     2. Description of Related Art 
     Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2003-216727 (JP 2003-216727 A) discloses a technique relating to a system for allocating a taxi to a medical institution. The system described in JP 2003-216727 A acquires in-hospital processing completion time of each patient who wishes to use a shared taxi. In addition, a plurality of patients who wishes to use a shared taxi, the patients living in the same residential area, is set as a group of patients who uses the same shared taxi. Then, the taxi company is instructed to allocate the taxi to the group of patients at vehicle allocation time determined based on the in-hospital processing completion time. 
     SUMMARY 
     The purpose of the present disclosure is to improve convenience for employees when the employees return home from a predetermined facility. 
     An information processing device according to a first aspect of the present disclosure includes a control unit that executes: detecting a predetermined action taken by an employee to return home from a predetermined facility; and allocating, to the predetermined facility, a vehicle in which the employee rides, when the predetermined action is detected. 
     An information processing method according to a second aspect of the present disclosure is an information processing method executed by a computer, and includes: detecting a predetermined action taken by an employee to return home from a predetermined facility; and allocating, to the predetermined facility, a vehicle in which the employee rides, when the predetermined action is detected. 
     A program according to a third aspect of the present disclosure is a program that causes a computer to execute an information processing method. The information processing method includes: detecting a predetermined action taken by an employee to return home from a predetermined facility; and allocating, to the predetermined facility, a vehicle in which the employee rides, when the predetermined action is detected. 
     According to the present disclosure, it is possible to improve convenience for the employee when the employee returns home from the predetermined facility. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       Features, advantages, and technical and industrial significance of exemplary embodiments of the disclosure will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which like signs denote like elements, and wherein: 
         FIG. 1  is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a vehicle allocation system; 
         FIG. 2  is a first block diagram schematically showing an example of a functional configuration of a management server; 
         FIG. 3  is a first diagram showing an example of a table configuration of user information; 
         FIG. 4  is a first flowchart showing information processing performed on the management server; 
         FIG. 5  is a second flowchart showing information processing performed on the management server; 
         FIG. 6  is a second diagram showing an example of a table configuration of user information; 
         FIG. 7  is a third flowchart showing information processing performed on the management server; and 
         FIG. 8  is a second block diagram schematically showing an example of the functional configuration of the management server. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS 
     An information processing device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure includes a control unit. The control unit detects a predetermined action taken by an employee at a predetermined facility. Here, the predetermined facility is a facility where the employee works. In addition, the predetermined action is an action taken by the employee to return home. That is, the predetermined action is an action taken by the employee at the predetermined facility before the employee leaves the predetermined facility to return home. 
     Then, when the predetermined action is detected, the control unit allocates a vehicle to the predetermined facility. The vehicle to be allocated is a vehicle in which the employee rides. That is, the employee can return home using the vehicle allocated to the predetermined facility. 
     According to the present disclosure, when the predetermined action is detected, it is possible to grasp a timing when the employee leaves the predetermined facility to return home (hereinafter may be referred to as an “exit timing”). Here, it is also considered that the exit timing is determined based on the schedule information of the employee. However, the employee does not always leave the predetermined facility to return home at a scheduled timing. On the other hand, when the predetermined action that is actually taken by the employee is detected, it is possible to grasp the actual exit timing of the employee. Therefore, it is possible to allocate the vehicle to the predetermined facility according to the actual exit timing of the employee. As a result, it is possible to improve convenience for the employee when the employee returns home from the predetermined facility. 
     Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described below with reference to the drawings. Unless otherwise specified, dimensions, materials, shapes, relative arrangements, and the like of components described in the embodiments are not intended to limit the technical scope of the present disclosure to those alone. 
     First Embodiment 
     System Overview 
       FIG. 1  is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a vehicle allocation system. The vehicle allocation system  1  is a system for allocating a vehicle  400  to a predetermined facility A. The vehicle  400  allocated to the facility A is used when a user  10  who is an employee at the facility A returns home from the facility A. A type of the facility A is not particularly limited. The facility A may be, for example, a company, a factory, a hospital, or a store. 
     The vehicle allocation system  1  includes a user terminal  100 , a management server  300 , and the vehicle  400 . In the vehicle allocation system  1 , the user terminal  100 , the management server  300 , and the vehicle  400  are connected to each other by a network N 1 . As the network N 1 , for example, a wide area network (WAN) that is a world-wide public communication network such as the Internet, or a communication network for a telephone such as a cellar phone may be adopted. 
     As described above, the user  10  is the employee who works at the facility A. The user terminal  100  is a terminal that is provided in the facility A and associated with the user  10 . That is, the user terminal  100  is a terminal used by the user  10  for working at the facility A. The user terminal  100  may be, for example, a personal computer or a tablet terminal. 
     The management server  300  is a server device for managing operation of the vehicle  400 . The management server  300  includes a general computer. A computer constituting the management server  300  includes a processor  301 , a main storage unit  302 , an auxiliary storage unit  303 , and a communication interface (communication I/F)  304 . 
     The processor  301  is, for example, a central processing unit (CPU) or a digital signal processor (DSP). The main storage unit  302  is, for example, a random access memory (RAM). The auxiliary storage unit  303  is, for example, a read only memory (ROM), a hard disk drive (HDD), or a flash memory. Further, the auxiliary storage unit  303  may include a removable medium (portable recording medium). Here, the removable medium is, for example, a universal serial bus (USB) memory, a secure digital (SD) card, or a disc recording medium such as a compact disc read only memory (CD-ROM), a digital versatile disc (DVD), or a Blu-ray disc. The communication I/F  304  is, for example, a local area network (LAN) interface board or a wireless communication circuit for wireless communication. 
     The auxiliary storage unit  303  stores an operating system (OS), various programs, various information tables, and the like. Then, the processor  301  loads a program stored in the auxiliary storage unit  303  into the main storage unit  302  and executes the program, so that control for allocating the vehicle  400  as described later is realized. However, some or all of the functions in the management server  300  may be implemented by a hardware circuit such as an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC) or a field programmable gate array (FPGA). In the embodiment, the management server  300  corresponds to an “information processing device” according to the present disclosure. 
     When the user  10  finishes working and tries to return home from the facility A, the user  10  finishes using the user terminal  100 . That is, the user  10  turns off the power of the user terminal  100  before leaving the facility A. Therefore, an action of turning off the power of the user terminal  100  (that is, shutting down the user terminal  100 ) can be regarded as a predetermined action taken by the user  10  to return home from the facility A. 
     Further, in the vehicle allocation system  1 , the state of the user terminal  100  is monitored by the management server  300  via the network N 1 . Therefore, when the power of the user terminal  100  is turned off, the state of the user terminal  100  is detected by the management server  300 . Then, when the management server  300  detects, as the predetermined action taken by the user  10  to return home from the facility A, an action of turning off the power of the user terminal  100 , the management server  300  allocates the vehicle  400  to the facility A. Specifically, the management server  300  transmits, to the vehicle  400 , an operation command for causing the vehicle  400  to travel toward the facility A via the network N 1 . 
     The vehicle  400  is an automatic driving vehicle capable of autonomous traveling. The vehicle  400  travels based on the operation command received from the management server  300 . Therefore, when the vehicle  400  receives the operation command for causing the vehicle  400  to travel toward the facility A, the vehicle  400  travels toward the facility A. Then, when the vehicle  400  arrives at the facility A, the user  10  can ride in the vehicle  400  and return home from the facility A. 
     Functional Configuration 
     Next, a functional configuration of the management server  300  according to the embodiment will be described with reference to  FIG. 2 .  FIG. 2  is a block diagram schematically showing an example of the functional configuration of the management server  300 . 
     The management server  300  includes a communication unit  310 , a control unit  320 , and a user information database (user information DB)  330 . The communication unit  310  has a function of connecting the management server  300  to the network N 1 . The communication unit  310  can be realized by the communication I/F  304 . The control unit  320  has a function of performing arithmetic processing for controlling the management server  300 . The control unit  320  can be realized by the processor  301 . The control unit  320  performs a process of receiving a signal indicating the state of the user terminal  100  by using the communication unit  310 . The signal is transmitted from the user terminal  100 . 
     Further, the control unit  320  includes a detection unit  321  and a command unit  322  as functional units. The detection unit  321  has a function of detecting that the power of the user terminal  100  has been turned off based on the signal received from the user terminal  100 . 
     The command unit  322  has a function of generating the operation command for the vehicle  400  and transmitting the generated operation command to the vehicle  400 . When the detection unit  321  detects that the power of the user terminal  100  has been turned off, the command unit  322  generates the operation command for causing the vehicle  400  to travel toward the facility A. Then, the command unit  322  transmits the operation command to the vehicle  400  using the communication unit  310 . 
     Further, at the facility A, a plurality of stop locations where the vehicle  400  can stop is determined in advance. Then, when the user  10  tries to use the vehicle  400  allocated to the facility A, the user  10  needs to ride in the vehicle  400  at any of the stop locations. Therefore, the user information DB  330  stores user information including information on the stop locations where the user  10  rides in the vehicle  400  at the facility A. The user information DB  330  also stores user information on each employee at the facility A other than the user  10 . The user information DB  330  can be realized by the auxiliary storage unit  303  in the management server  300 . 
       FIG. 3  is a diagram showing an example of a table configuration of the user information stored in the user information DB  330  according to the embodiment. As shown in  FIG. 3 , the user information includes a user identification (ID) field and a stop location field. In the user ID field, a user ID that is identification information for identifying a user (that is, an employee at the facility A) is stored. In the stop location field, information on the stop location associated with each user is stored. That is, a stop location where each user rides in the vehicle  400  in the facility A is set in advance. Then, information on the stop location set in advance is stored in the user information DB  330  with the information associated with the user ID. 
     The command unit  322  acquires the stop location associated with the user  10  from the user information DB  330 . Further, the command unit  322  generates the operation command for causing the vehicle  400  to travel toward the facility A, and sets the destination of the vehicle  400  to the stop location associated with the user  10 . Therefore, when the vehicle  400  receives the operation command transmitted by the command unit  322 , the vehicle  400  travels toward the stop location associated with the user  10  as the destination. That is, the vehicle  400  is allocated to the stop location associated with the user  10  at the facility A. 
     In  FIG. 2 , the control unit  320  in the single management server  300  includes the detection unit  321  and the command unit  322 . However, the management server  300  may not be necessarily realized by a single physical configuration, and may be configured by a plurality of computers that cooperates with each other. Therefore, the server device including the function of the detection unit  321  and the server device including the function of the command unit  322  may be separate devices. 
     Flow of Information Processing 
     Next, flow of information processing performed on the management server  300  according to the embodiment will be described with reference to  FIG. 4 .  FIG. 4  is a flowchart showing information processing performed on the management server  300 . This flow is executed by the control unit  320 . 
     In this flow, first, in S 101 , an action of turning off the power of the user terminal  100  is detected. Here, when the action of turning off the power of the user terminal  100  is detected, the user ID of the user  10  associated with the user terminal  100  is acquired. Next, in S 102 , information on the stop location associated with the user  10  is acquired from the user information DB  330  based on the user ID. Next, in S 103 , the operation command for causing the vehicle  400  to travel toward the facility A is generated and transmitted to the vehicle  400 . In the operation command generated in S 103 , the stop location acquired in S 102  is set as the destination of the vehicle  400 . 
     With the vehicle allocation system  1  according to the embodiment, the vehicle  400  is allocated to the facility A at a timing when it is detected that the user  10  has turned off the power of the user terminal  100  to leave the facility A for returning home. Therefore, the vehicle  400  can be allocated to the facility A according to the actual exit timing of the user  10 . Therefore, it is possible to improve convenience for the user  10  when the user  10  returns home from the facility A using the vehicle  400 . 
     When a location where the allocated vehicle  400  is to stop is set in advance at the facility A, information on the stop location associated with the user  10  is not necessarily acquired in the information processing performed on the management server  300 . 
     Modification 
     Here, the predetermined action taken by the user  10  to return home from the facility A is not limited to the action of turning off the power of the user terminal  100 . Therefore, in the management server  300 , the detection unit  321  of the control unit  320  may detect, as the predetermined action taken by the user  10  to return home from the facility A, an action other than the action of turning off the power of the user terminal  100 . 
     For example, at the facility A, the user  10  may use predetermined equipment for work. Examples of the predetermined equipment include machine tools, experimental equipment, or production equipment. In this case, when the user  10  finishes working and tries to return home, the user  10  finishes using the predetermined equipment. That is, the user  10  turns off the power of the predetermined equipment before leaving the facility A. Therefore, an action of turning off the power of the predetermined equipment can be regarded as a predetermined action taken by the user  10  to return home from the facility A. Therefore, the detection unit  321  of the control unit  320  may detect the action of turning off the power of the predetermined equipment as the predetermined action taken by the user  10  to return home from the facility A. 
     In addition, the user  10  may pass through a predetermined gate when leaving the facility A for returning home. In this case, an action of passing through the predetermined gate can be regarded as the predetermined action taken by the user  10  to return home from the facility A. Further, when a sensor is provided at the predetermined gate, the sensor can detect that the user  10  has passed through the predetermined gate. Therefore, the detection unit  321  of the control unit  320  may detect the action of passing through the predetermined gate as the predetermined action taken by the user  10  to return home from the facility A. 
     Second Embodiment 
     A schematic configuration of a vehicle allocation system according to an embodiment is the same as that of the first embodiment. However, in the embodiment, the user  10  possesses a mobile terminal different from the user terminal  100 . Examples of the mobile terminal possessed by the user  10  include a smartphone or a wearable terminal. 
     In the embodiment, when the action of turning off the power of the user terminal  100  is detected in the management server  300 , notification information is transmitted from the management server  300  to the mobile terminal possessed by the user  10  via the network N 1 . Here, the notification information is information for confirming whether the user  10  wishes allocation of the vehicle  400 . 
     Flow of Information Processing 
     Next, flow of information processing performed on the management server  300  will be described with reference to  FIG. 5 .  FIG. 5  is a flowchart showing information processing performed on the management server  300  according to the embodiment. This flow is executed by the control unit  320 . The process executed in each step of S 101  to S 103  in the flow shown in  FIG. 5  is the same as the process executed in each step having the same reference sign as that of  FIG. 4  in the flow shown in  FIG. 4 . Therefore, the description of the processes in these steps is omitted. 
     In this flow, the process of S 201  is executed following S 101 . In S 201 , the notification information is transmitted to the mobile terminal possessed by the user  10 . The mobile terminal to which the notification information is transmitted may be registered in the management server  300  in advance with the mobile terminal associated with the user ID of the user  10 . Then, when the mobile terminal receives the notification information transmitted from the management server  300 , information for confirming whether the user  10  wishes the allocation of the vehicle  400  is notified to the user  10 . 
     When the user  10  wishes the allocation of the vehicle  400 , the user  10  inputs response information to the mobile terminal. As a result, the response information indicating that the user  10  wishes the allocation of the vehicle  400  is transmitted from the mobile terminal to the management server  300  via the network N 1 . On the other hand, the user  10  may not use the vehicle  400  when returning home from the facility A. In this case, the user  10  does not wish the allocation of the vehicle  400 . Therefore, the response information indicating that the user  10  wishes the allocation of the vehicle  400  is not transmitted from the mobile terminal to the management server  300 . 
     When the notification information is transmitted in S 201 , the management server  300  then executes the process of S 202 . In S 202 , it is determined whether the response information indicating that the user  10  wishes the allocation of the vehicle  400  is received from the mobile terminal of the user  10 . When the determination result is Yes in S 202 , it is determined that the vehicle  400  is allocated to the facility A. Then, the process of S 102  is executed next. On the other hand, when the determination result is No in S 202 , that is, when the response information indicating that the user  10  wishes the allocation of the vehicle  400  is not received, the processes of S 102  and S 103  are not executed and the information processing related to this flow is terminated. In this case, the vehicle  400  is not allocated to the facility A. 
     With the vehicle allocation system  1  according to the embodiment, the vehicle  400  is allocated to the facility A only when the user  10  leaving the facility A to return home needs the vehicle  400 . In other words, it is possible to suppress the possibility that the vehicle  400  is allocated to the facility A although the user  10  does not need the vehicle  400 . 
     Third Embodiment 
     The schematic configuration of the vehicle allocation system according to an embodiment is the same as that of the first embodiment. In the embodiment, when the management server  300  detects that the power of the user terminal  100  has been turned off, schedule information of the user  10  is acquired. Then, it is determined whether to allocate the vehicle  400  to the facility A based on the schedule information. 
       FIG. 6  is a diagram showing an example of a table configuration of the user information stored in the user information DB  330  according to the embodiment. As shown in  FIG. 6 , in the embodiment, the user information includes a schedule field in addition to the user ID field and the stop location field. In the schedule field, schedule information regarding the work for each user at the facility A is stored. The schedule information includes scheduled work end time for each user. Then, when the management server  300  detects that the power of the user terminal  100  has been turned off, the control unit  320  acquires the schedule information of the user  10  from the user information DB  330 . 
     Flow of Information Processing 
     Next, flow of information processing performed on the management server  300  according to the embodiment will be described with reference to  FIG. 7 .  FIG. 7  is a flowchart showing information processing performed on the management server  300 . This flow is executed by the control unit  320 . The process executed in each step of S 101  to S 103  in the flow shown in  FIG. 7  is the same as the process executed in each step having the same reference sign as that of  FIG. 5  in the flow shown in  FIG. 5 . Therefore, the description of the processes in these steps is omitted. 
     In this flow, the process of S 301  is executed following S 101 . In S 301 , the schedule information of the user  10  is acquired from the user information DB  330  based on the user ID. Next, in S 302 , it is determined whether the time when turning off the power of the user terminal  100  (that is, the time when the user terminal  100  is shut down) is detected is after the scheduled work end time for the user  10  (tout), which is included in the schedule information. 
     Here, the user  10  may turn off the power of the user terminal  100  even when the user  10  is still working at the facility A. When the time when turning off the power of the user terminal  100  is detected is before the scheduled work end time for the user  10  (tout), the possibility that the user  10  still continues to work at the facility A is high. That is, the possibility that the user  10  leaves facility A to return home is low. On the other hand, when the time when turning off the power of the user terminal  100  is detected is after the scheduled work end time for the user  10  (tout), the possibility that the user  10  leaves the facility A to return home is extremely high. 
     When the determination result is Yes in s 302 , it is determined that the vehicle  400  is allocated to the facility A. Then, the process of S 102  is executed next. On the other hand, when the determination result is No in S 302 , the information processing related to this flow is terminated without executing the processes of S 102  and S 103 . In this case, the vehicle  400  is not allocated to the facility A. 
     With the vehicle allocation system  1  according to the embodiment, the vehicle  400  is allocated to the facility A when the possibility that the user  10  leaves the facility A to return home is higher. In other words, it is possible to suppress the possibility that the vehicle  400  is allocated to the facility A although the possibility that the user  10  leaves the facility A to return home is low. 
     Modifications 
     Transmission of the notification information to the mobile terminal possessed by the user  10  in the second embodiment described above may be incorporated into the flow of the information processing according to the embodiment. That is, when the time when turning off the power of the user terminal  100  is detected is before the scheduled work end time for the user  10  (tout) (that is, when the determination result is No in S 302 ), the notification information may be transmitted from the management server  300  to the mobile terminal possessed by the user  10 . Then, when the response information indicating that the user  10  wishes the allocation of the vehicle  400  is received from the mobile terminal of the user  10 , it may be determined to allocate the vehicle  400  to the facility A. 
     Further, in the information processing according to the embodiment, the schedule information of the user  10  may not be necessarily acquired. For example, the scheduled work end time at the facility A may be set in advance. In this case, it may be determined whether the time when turning off the power of the user terminal  100  is detected is after the scheduled work end time at the facility A. Then, when the time when turning off the power of the user terminal  100  is detected is after the scheduled work end time at the facility A, it may be determined to allocate the vehicle  400  to the facility A. With the information processing described above as well, the vehicle  400  can be allocated to the facility A when the possibility that the user  10  leaves the facility A to return home is higher. 
     Fourth Embodiment 
     In the embodiment, the management server  300  manages operation of a plurality of vehicles. Further, the vehicles whose operation is managed by the management server  300  include a plurality of types of vehicles having different capacities. 
     Functional Configuration 
     Next, a functional configuration of the management server  300  according to the embodiment will be described with reference to  FIG. 8 .  FIG. 8  is a block diagram schematically showing an example of the functional configuration of the management server  300 . In the embodiment, as in the first embodiment, the management server  300  includes the communication unit  310 , the control unit  320 , and the user information DB  330 . The control unit  320  includes a determination unit  323  as a functional unit in addition to the detection unit  321  and the command unit  322 . The determination unit  323  has a function of determining a vehicle  400  to be allocated to the facility A from among a plurality of vehicles. 
     A plurality of users may try to leave the facility A to return home at substantially the same time. In this case, the users turn off the powers of their respective user terminals at substantially the same time. Then, in the management server  300 , the detection unit  321  detects that the powers of the user terminals are turned off at substantially the same time. 
     At this time, the number of user terminals whose powers are detected to be turned off by the detection unit  321  corresponds to the number of users who have turned off the powers of the user terminals to return home. Then, the determination unit  323  determines the vehicle  400  to be allocated to the facility A from among the vehicles based on the number of user terminals whose powers are detected to be turned off. 
     According to the embodiment, it is possible to allocate, to the facility A, the vehicle  400  corresponding to the number of users who leaves the the facility A to return home. For example, when one user leaves the facility A, a single-seat vehicle can be allocated to the facility A. Further, when a plurality of users leaves the facility A, a vehicle whose capacity is suitable for the number of users can be allocated to the facility A. 
     Modification 
     When the detection unit  321  detects that the powers of a plurality of user terminals have been turned off at substantially the same time in the management server  300 , that is, when a plurality of users leaves the facility A, the control unit  320  may acquire information on an area where home of each user is located. The information on the area where the home of each user is located may be stored in the user information DB  330  in advance. Then, the control unit  320  may allocate one vehicle as a vehicle for the users whose homes are located in the same area such that the users ride together. Further, at this time, a vehicle corresponding to the number of users whose homes are located in the same area may be allocated. 
     With the vehicle allocation system  1  according to each of the above embodiments, the vehicle  400  is an automatic driving vehicle. However, the vehicle allocated to the facility A may not be necessarily the automatic driving vehicle. That is, the vehicle allocated to the facility A may be a vehicle driven by a driver. In this case, a command for allocating the vehicle toward the facility A is transmitted from the management server  300  to a terminal related to the driver (for example, a terminal possessed by the driver). 
     Other Embodiments 
     The above-described embodiments are merely examples, and the present disclosure may be appropriately modified and implemented without departing from the scope thereof. For example, the processes and means described in the present disclosure can be freely combined and implemented as long as no technical contradiction occurs. 
     Further, the processes described as being executed by one device may be shared and executed by a plurality of devices. Alternatively, the processes described as being executed by different devices may be executed by one device. In the computer system, it is possible to flexibly change the hardware configuration (server configuration) for realizing each function. 
     The present disclosure can also be implemented by supplying a computer with a computer program that implements the functions described in the above embodiments, and causing one or more processors of the computer to read and execute the program. Such a computer program may be provided to the computer by a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium connectable to the system bus of the computer, or may be provided to the computer via a network. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium is, for example, a disc of any type such as a magnetic disc (floppy (registered trademark) disc, hard disk drive (HDD), etc.), an optical disc (compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), digital versatile disc (DVD), Blu-ray disc, etc.), a read only memory (ROM), a random access memory (RAM), an erasable programmable read only memory (EPROM), an electrically erasable programmable read only memory (EEPROM), a magnetic card, a flash memory, or any type of medium suitable for storing electronic commands such as an optical card.