Patent Publication Number: US-2020301441-A1

Title: Service providing system and vehicle

Description:
INCORPORATION BY REFERENCE 
     The disclosure of Japanese Patent Application No. 2019-051565 filed on Mar. 19, 2019 including the specification, drawings and abstract is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. 
     BACKGROUND 
     1. Technical Field 
     The present disclosure relates to a service providing system that provides a service to a user who boards a vehicle able to perform autonomous traveling, and a vehicle able to perform autonomous traveling. 
     2. Description of Related Art 
     In recent years, various techniques relating to vehicles able to perform autonomous traveling have been developed. For example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2016-218736 (JP 2016-218736 A) discloses an unmanned carrier that receives information from a plurality of information transmission units buried in a road surface and performs autonomous traveling along a traveling route. 
     SUMMARY 
     The disclosure provides a technique capable of improving convenience in a case where a user who boards a vehicle able to perform autonomous traveling receives provision of a service. 
     A first aspect of the disclosure relates to a service providing system. The service providing system includes a first vehicle, a second vehicle, and a management device. The first vehicle is a vehicle able to perform autonomous traveling, is a shared vehicle usable by a plurality of users, and provides a predetermined service to a user who uses the first vehicle. The second vehicle is a vehicle able to perform autonomous traveling, is a vehicle to be boarded by a specific user among the users, is connectable to the first vehicle, and as being connected to the first vehicle, allows the specific user to receive the predetermined service provided by the first vehicle. The management device is configured to transmit traveling information for autonomous traveling to at least one of the first vehicle and the second vehicle such that the first vehicle and the second vehicle join with each other in a case where user information including information to the effect that the specific user requests provision of the predetermined service is received. 
     A second aspect of the disclosure relates to a vehicle that is used as the first vehicle in the service providing system according to the first aspect. 
     A third aspect of the disclosure relates to a vehicle that is used as the second vehicle in the service providing system according to the first aspect. 
     According to the aspects of the disclosure, it is possible to improve convenience in a case where a user who boards a vehicle able to perform autonomous traveling receives provision of a service. 
    
    
     
       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 numerals denote like elements, and wherein: 
         FIG. 1  is a diagram showing the schematic configuration of a service providing system according to a first embodiment; 
         FIG. 2  is a diagram showing a state in which a service vehicle and a user vehicle are connected to each other; 
         FIG. 3  is a block diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of the service vehicle according to the first embodiment; 
         FIG. 4  is a block diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of a management server according to the first embodiment; 
         FIG. 5  is a flowchart showing a flow of information processing according to the first embodiment that is executed in a traveling information generation unit; 
         FIG. 6  is a diagram showing an example of the table configuration of user information according to the first embodiment; 
         FIG. 7  is a diagram showing the schematic configuration of a service providing system according to a second embodiment; 
         FIG. 8  is a block diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of a management server according to the second embodiment; 
         FIG. 9  is a diagram showing an example of the table configuration of service vehicle information according to the second embodiment; 
         FIG. 10  is a flowchart showing a flow of information processing according to the second embodiment that is executed in the traveling information generation unit; and 
         FIG. 11  is a diagram showing an example of the table configuration of the user information according to the second embodiment. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS 
     A service providing system according to an embodiment of the disclosure includes a first vehicle, a second vehicle, and a management device. Both of the first vehicle and the second vehicle are vehicles that are able to perform autonomous traveling. The first vehicle is a shared vehicle that is usable by a plurality of users who uses the service providing system according to the embodiment the disclosure. The first vehicle provides a predetermined service to the users who use the service providing system. 
     The second vehicle is a vehicle that is boarded by a specific user among the users who use the service providing system according to the embodiment of the disclosure. The second vehicle is configured to be connectable to the first vehicle. The second vehicle allows the specific user to receive the predetermined service provided by the first vehicle as being connected to the first vehicle. 
     The management device is a device that manages traveling of the first vehicle and the second vehicle. The management device receives user information relating to the specific user who boards the second vehicle. In the user information, information to the effect that the specific user requests provision of the predetermined service is included. In a case where the user information is received, the management device transmits traveling information for autonomous traveling to at least one of the first vehicle and the second vehicle such that the first vehicle and the second vehicle join with each other. Here, the traveling information may be information for generating a traveling route or a traveling schedule of the vehicle. 
     According to the embodiment of the disclosure, in a case where the management device receives the user information relating to the specific user, the first vehicle that provides the predetermined service and the second vehicle that is boarded by the specific user join with each other through the autonomous traveling. In a case where the first vehicle and the second vehicle join with each other, the second vehicle is connectable to the first vehicle. Then, as the second vehicle is connected to the first vehicle, the specific user can receive the predetermined service provided by the first vehicle. Accordingly, even though the second vehicle itself that is boarded by the specific user does not have a function of providing the predetermined service, the specific user can receive provision of the predetermined service in a state of boarding the second vehicle. For this reason, it is possible to improve convenience in a case where a user who boards a vehicle able to perform autonomous traveling receives provision of a service. 
     Hereinafter, a specific embodiment of the disclosure will be described referring to the drawings. The dimensions, materials, shapes, relative arrangements, and the like of components described in this example are not intended to limit the scope of the disclosure to these alone in particular as long as there are no specific statements. 
     First Embodiment 
     Outline of System 
       FIG. 1  is a diagram showing the schematic configuration of a service providing system according to the embodiment. A service providing system  1  includes a service vehicle  100 , a user vehicle  200 , and a management server  300 . Both of the service vehicle  100  and the user vehicle  200  are vehicles that are able to perform autonomous traveling. 
     The service providing system  1  is a system that is used by a plurality of users. The service vehicle  100  provides a predetermined service to each user who uses the service providing system  1 . That is, the service vehicle  100  is a shared vehicle that is usable by the users. Here, the predetermined service that is provided to the users by the service vehicle  100  may be, for example, a service for producing food, such as pizza, bread, or noodle, within the vehicle and selling food to the users. Alternatively, the predetermined service that is provided to the users by the service vehicle  100  may be a service for providing a space within the service vehicle  100  to the users as a rest space or a conference space. The service vehicle  100  includes a facility according to a providing service within the vehicle. 
     On the other hand, the user vehicle  200  is a vehicle that is boarded by a specific user among the users who use the service providing system  1 . The user vehicle  200  does not have a function of providing the predetermined service provided by the service vehicle  100 . As described above, the service providing system  1  is used by the users. Each user uses the service providing system  1  in a state of boarding the user vehicle associated with the individual. Accordingly, a plurality of user vehicles is present. The user vehicle  200  shown in  FIG. 1  is one of the user vehicles. 
     In the service providing system  1 , the service vehicle  100 , the user vehicle  200 , and the management server  300  are connected to one another through a network N 1 . As the network N 1 , for example, a wide area network (WAN) that is a worldwide public communication network, such as the Internet, or a telephone communication network for a mobile phone may be employed. 
     The management server  300  is a server that manages traveling of the service vehicle  100  and the user vehicle  200 . The management server  300  can transmit traveling information for autonomous traveling to each of the service vehicle  100  and the user vehicle  200  through the network N 1 . The service vehicle  100  and the user vehicle  200  perform autonomous traveling based on the traveling information in a case where the traveling information is received from the management server  300 . 
     The management server  300  includes a general computer. The computer constituting the management server  300  includes a processor  310 , such as a CPU or a DSP, a main storage unit  320 , such as a read only memory (ROM) or a random access memory (RAM), and auxiliary storage unit  330 , such as an EPROM, a hard disk drive (HDD), or a removable medium. Here, the removable medium is, for example, a flash memory, such as a USB memory or an SD card, or a disk recording medium, such as a CD-ROM, a DVD, or a Blu-ray disc. 
     In the management server  300 , an operating system (OS), various programs, various information tables, and the like are stored in the auxiliary storage unit  330 . In the management server  300 , the processor  310  loads a program stored in the auxiliary storage unit  330  in the main storage unit  320  and executes the program, thereby being able to implement various functions described below. Note that a part or all of the functions in the management server  300  may be implemented by a hardware circuit, such as an ASIC or an FPGA. The management server  300  is not necessarily implemented by a single physical configuration, and may be constituted by a plurality of computers that cooperates with one another. 
     Each of the service vehicle  100  and the user vehicle  200  has a mechanism capable of connecting both vehicles  100 ,  200  to each other.  FIG. 2  is a diagram showing a state in which the service vehicle  100  and the user vehicle  200  are connected to each other. The service vehicle  100  has a connection mechanism  10  that is provided for connection to the user vehicle  200 . The user vehicle  200  has a connection mechanism  20  that is provided for connection to the service vehicle  100 . The connection mechanism  20  of the user vehicle  200  includes an opening that communicates the inside and the outside of the user vehicle  200 , and an automatic door that opens or closes the opening. The connection mechanism  10  of the service vehicle  100  also includes an opening that communicates the inside and the outside of the service vehicle  100 , and an automatic door that opens or closes the opening. The connection mechanism  10  of the service vehicle  100  includes an extendable boarding bridge  10   a.    
     In a case where the service vehicle  100  is traveling alone, the boarding bridge  10   a  is housed inside a body of the connection mechanism  10 . Then, in a case where the user vehicle  200  is connected to the service vehicle  100 , the boarding bridge  10   a  extends from the connection mechanism  10  of the service vehicle  100 , and an end portion of the boarding bridge  10   a  is connected to the connection mechanism  20  of the user vehicle  200 . Then, the opening of the service vehicle  100  and the opening of the user vehicle  200  are communicated by the boarding bridge  10   a  . In this way, in a case where the service vehicle  100  and the user vehicle  200  are connected to each other by the connection mechanisms  10 ,  20 , a predetermined article (for example, food) relating to the predetermined service provided by the service vehicle  100  or a user who is boarding the user vehicle  200  is movable between the service vehicle  100  and the user vehicle  200  through the boarding bridge  10   a  . As a result, the user who is boarding the user vehicle  200  can receive provision of the predetermined service from the service vehicle  100 . 
     That is, for example, in a case where the predetermined service provided by the service vehicle  100  is a service for producing and selling food, the user who is boarding the user vehicle  200  can receive food produced within the service vehicle  100  through the boarding bridge  10   a  . For example, in a case where the predetermined service provided by the service vehicle  100  is a service for providing a space within the service vehicle  100  as a rest space or a conference space, the user who is boarding the user vehicle  200  can move to the service vehicle  100  through the boarding bridge  10   a  and can use the space within the service vehicle  100 . 
     The connection mechanism of each of the service vehicle  100  and the user vehicle  200  are not limited to such a mechanism that the service vehicle  100  and the user vehicle  200  are connected to each other through the boarding bridge  10   a  described above. For example, a housing portion that houses the user vehicle  200  is formed in a body of the service vehicle  100 , and both vehicles  100 ,  200  may include a connection mechanism having such a structure that the user vehicle  200  is housed in the housing portion and the service vehicle  100  and the user vehicle  200  are connected to each other. That is, the connection mechanism of each of the service vehicle  100  and the user vehicle  200  may have such a structure that the predetermined article relating to the predetermined service provided by the service vehicle  100  or the user who is boarding the user vehicle  200  is movable between the service vehicle  100  and the user vehicle  200  in a case where the service vehicle  100  and the user vehicle  200  are physically connected through the connection mechanisms. In a case where the predetermined service provided by the service vehicle  100  is a service for selling the predetermined article to the user, the user does not necessarily move between the service vehicle  100  and the user vehicle  200 . For this reason, in this case, the connection mechanism of each of the service vehicle  100  and the user vehicle  200  may have such a structure that the predetermined article is movable between the service vehicle  100  and the user vehicle  200  in a case where the service vehicle  100  and the user vehicle  200  are connected to each other through the connection mechanisms. 
     Then, in a case where user information including information to the effect that the user who is boarding the user vehicle  200  requests provision of the predetermined service provided by the service vehicle  100  is received, the management server  300  generates traveling information for each of both vehicles  100 ,  200  such that both vehicles  100 ,  200  join with each other. The management server  300  transmits the generated traveling information to both vehicles  100 ,  200  through the network N 1 . In a case where the service vehicle  100  and the user vehicle  200  receive such traveling information, both vehicles  100 ,  200  join with each other through autonomous traveling. As a result, the service vehicle  100  and the user vehicle  200  are connected to each other through the connection mechanisms  10 ,  20 . 
     Functional Configuration 
     Next, the functional configurations of the service vehicle  100  and the management server  300  constituting the service providing system according to the embodiment will be described referring to  FIGS. 3 and 4 . The functional configurations of the user vehicle  200  relating to autonomous traveling control and connection mechanism control are the same as those in the service vehicle  100 , and thus, description thereof will not be repeated. 
     Service Vehicle 
       FIG. 3  is a block diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of the service vehicle according to the embodiment. As described above, the service vehicle  100  is an autonomous traveling vehicle that performs autonomous traveling based on the traveling information transmitted from the management server  300 . The service vehicle  100  includes a communication unit  101 , a storage unit  102 , a sensor  103 , a positional information acquisition unit  104 , a drive unit  105 , and a controller  106 . The service vehicle  100  is an electric vehicle that has a motor as a prime motor. Note that the prime motor of the service vehicle  100  is not limited to an electric motor, and may be an internal combustion engine. Alternatively, the service vehicle  100  may be a hybrid vehicle that has both of a motor and an internal combustion engine as a prime motor. 
     The communication unit  101  has a function of connecting the service vehicle  100  to the network N 1 . The communication unit  101  can perform communication with other devices including the management server  300  by way of the network N 1 , for example, using a mobile communication service, such as 3rd Generation (3G) or Long Term Evolution (LTE). The controller  106  executes processing for transmitting positional information relating to a current position of the host vehicle acquired by the positional information acquisition unit  104  described below to the management server  300  through the communication unit  101 . The controller  106  executes processing for receiving the traveling information, which is transmitted from the management server  300  to the service vehicle  100 , through the communication unit  101 . The communication unit  101  may further have a communication device that performs vehicle-to-vehicle communication with other vehicles. 
     The storage unit  102  is a device that stores information, and is a constituted of a storage medium, such as a magnetic disk or a flash memory. In the storage unit  102 , for example, map information is stored. In the storage unit  102 , a traveling plan of the service vehicle  100  to be generated by a traveling plan generation unit  1063  described below is stored. 
     The sensor  103  is a device that senses circumstances around the service vehicle  100 . Specifically, the sensor  103  includes a stereo camera, a laser scanner, LIDAR, a radar, or the like. Information relating to the circumstances around the service vehicle  100  acquired by the sensor  103  is transmitted to the controller  106 . The positional information acquisition unit  104  is a device that acquires the current position of the service vehicle  100 , and specifically, includes a GPS receiver or the like. The positional information relating to the current position of the service vehicle  100  acquired by the positional information acquisition unit  104  is transmitted to the controller  106 . 
     The controller  106  has a function of executing arithmetic processing for controlling the service vehicle  100 . The controller  106  is constituted of, for example, a microcomputer. The controller  106  has, as functional modules, an environment detection unit  1061 , a traveling controller  1062 , a traveling plan generation unit  1063 , and a connection mechanism controller  1064 . Each functional module may be implemented by a processor, such as a CPU, executing a program stored in a storage unit, such as a ROM, in the controller  106 . A part or all of the functions may be implemented by a hardware circuit, such as an ASIC or an FPGA. 
     The environment detection unit  1061  detects an environment around the service vehicle  100  based on information acquired by the sensor  103 . For example, the environment detection unit  1061  detects an object (including a person or an animal), such as other vehicles, around the host vehicle. The environment detection unit  1061  detects various targets needed for autonomous traveling of the service vehicle  100 , such as the number of lanes on a road, the structure of roads, and road signs. The environment detection unit  1061  may track a detected object. In this case, for example, a difference between coordinates of an object detected before one step and current coordinates of the object may be used to obtain a relative speed of the object. 
     The traveling controller  1062  controls traveling of the service vehicle  100  based on the traveling plan stored in the storage unit  102 , the positional information of the service vehicle  100  acquired by the positional information acquisition unit  104 , and data of the surrounding environment detected by the environment detection unit  1061 . For example, the traveling controller  1062  makes the service vehicle  100  travel on a traveling route included in the traveling plan along a traveling schedule included in the traveling plan. In a case where an object with which the service vehicle  100  is likely to collide is detected by the environment detection unit  1061 , the traveling controller  1062  executes collision avoidance control for making the service vehicle  100  travel so as to avoid collision with the object. In regard to a method of making the service vehicle  100  perform autonomous traveling as described above, a known method can be employed. 
     The traveling plan generation unit  1063  generates the traveling plan of the host vehicle including the traveling route or the traveling schedule based on the traveling information received from the management server  300 . As described below, in the traveling information transmitted from the management server  300 , a joining point and a joining time of the service vehicle  100  and the user vehicle  200  are included. Then, the traveling plan generation unit  1063  generates such a traveling plan that the host vehicle arrives at the joining point at the joining time. 
     The drive unit  105  includes a motor that is a prime motor, and a mechanism (for example, an inverter, a brake, and a steering mechanism) that makes the service vehicle  100  travel. The drive unit  105  makes the host vehicle travel based on a command that the traveling controller  1062  generates in order to control traveling of the service vehicle  100 . With this, autonomous traveling of the service vehicle  100  is implemented. 
     The connection mechanism controller  1064  controls the connection mechanism  10  of the service vehicle  100 . The connection mechanism controller  1064  extends the boarding bridge  10   a  of the connection mechanism  10  toward the user vehicle  200  and connects the end portion of the boarding bridge  10   a  to the connection mechanism  20  of the user vehicle  200  in a case where both vehicles  100 ,  200  are connected to each other after the service vehicle  100  and the user vehicle  200  join with each other. After the service vehicle  100  and the user vehicle  200  join with each other, traveling of both vehicles  100 ,  200  may be controlled through vehicle-to-vehicle communication such that the boarding bridge  10   a  extended from the connection mechanism  10  of the service vehicle  100  is connectable to the connection mechanism  20  of the user vehicle  200 . 
     The service vehicle  100  is not necessarily a vehicle that travels in an unmanned manner. For example, a person who takes a service staff in charge of providing the predetermined service to the users, a security staff in charge of security of the service vehicle  100 , or the like may board in the service vehicle  100 . The service vehicle  100  and the user vehicle  200  may not necessarily be vehicles that perform autonomous traveling continuously. For example, the service vehicle  100  and the user vehicle  200  may be vehicles that are switchable between an autonomous driving mode and a manual driving mode. 
     Management Server 
       FIG. 4  is a block diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of the management server according to the embodiment. The management server  300  includes a communication unit  301  and a controller  302 . The communication unit  301  has a function of connecting the management server  300  to the network N 1 . The communication unit  301  includes, for example, a local area network (LAN) interface port or a wireless communication circuit for wireless communication. The controller  302  has a function of executing arithmetic processing for controlling the management server  300 . The controller  302  can be implemented by the processor  310 . 
     The controller  302  executes processing for receiving the positional information relating to the current position of each vehicle transmitted from each of the service vehicle  100  and the user vehicle  200  through the communication unit  301 . The user information including information to the effect that the user who is boarding the user vehicle  200  requests provision of the predetermined service provided by the service vehicle  100  is transmitted from the user vehicle  200 . The controller  302  executes processing for receiving the user information, which is transmitted from the user vehicle  200 , through the communication unit  301 . The user information may be transmitted from an in-vehicle device mounted in the user vehicle  200  or may be transmitted a terminal carried with the user who is boarding the user vehicle  200 . The controller  302  executes processing for transmitting the traveling information generated by a traveling information generation unit  3022  described below to the service vehicle  100  and the user vehicle  200  through the communication unit  301 . 
     The controller  302  has, as functional modules, a positional information management unit  3021  and a traveling information generation unit  3022 . The positional information management unit  3021  manages the positional information relating to the current position of each of the service vehicle  100  and the user vehicle  200  received through the communication unit  301 . The traveling information generation unit  3022  executes processing for generating the traveling information transmitted to the vehicles  100 ,  200  based on the positional information relating to the current position of each of the service vehicle  100  and the user vehicle  200  managed in the positional information management unit  3021  and the user information received from the user vehicle  200 . 
     Information Processing 
     Here, information processing for generating the traveling information transmitted to the service vehicle  100  and the user vehicle  200  that is executed in the traveling information generation unit  3022  will be described referring to  FIGS. 5 and 6 .  FIG. 5  is a flowchart showing a flow of the information processing according to the embodiment that is executed in the traveling information generation unit  3022 .  FIG. 6  is a diagram showing an example of the table configuration of the user information according to the embodiment that is received from the user vehicle  200  by the management server  300 . 
     In the flow shown in  FIG. 5 , first, in S 101 , determination is made whether or not the user information is received from the user vehicle  200 . As shown in  FIG. 6 , the user information received from the user vehicle  200  has a user ID field, a vehicle ID field, and a desired providing time field. In the user ID field, a user ID that is information for specifying a user who requests to receive provision of the predetermined service of the service vehicle  100  is input. In the vehicle ID field, a vehicle ID that is information for specifying the user vehicle  200  boarded by the user who requests to receive provision of the predetermined service is input. In the desired providing time field, a desired providing time that is designated as a time at which the user desires to receive provision of the predetermined service is input. In the user information, information relating to a place where the user desires to receive provision of the predetermined service may be included in addition to the desired providing time. 
     In a case where negative determination is made in S 101 , the execution of the information processing according to the flow is stopped once. On the other hand, in a case where affirmative determination is made in S 102 , processing of S 102  and S 103  is executed in order to generate the traveling information. In S 102 , the positional information relating to the current position of each of the service vehicle  100  and the user vehicle  200  managed in the positional information management unit  3021  is acquired. 
     Next, in S 103 , the joining point and the joining time of both vehicles  100 ,  200  are decided based on the desired providing time included in the user information and the current position of each of the service vehicle  100  and the user vehicle  200 . Here, a time before the desired providing time included in the user information is decided as the joining time of both vehicles  100 ,  200  in order to provide the predetermined service to the user who boards the user vehicle  200  at the desired providing time. A place where both of the service vehicle  100  and the user vehicle  200  are arrivable before the decided joining time is decided as the joining point. Then, the joining point and the joining time of the service vehicle  100  and the user vehicle  200  decided in S 103  are set as the traveling information. 
     As the traveling information generated through the information processing described above is transmitted to the service vehicle  100  and the user vehicle  200 , the traveling plan in each of both vehicles  100 ,  200  is generated and autonomous traveling of both vehicles  100 ,  200  is controlled such that both vehicles  100 ,  200  join with each other until the desired providing time of the user. As a result, the service vehicle  100  and the user vehicle  200  join with each other, whereby both vehicles  100 ,  200  can be connected to each other through the connection mechanisms  10 ,  20 . In a case where information relating to the place where the user desires to receive provision of the predetermined service is included in the user information, the place may be decided as the joining point of both vehicles  100 ,  200 . 
     The traveling information for making the service vehicle  100  and the user vehicle  200  join with each other is not necessarily transmitted to both vehicles  100 ,  200 . That is, the traveling information is transmitted to either of the service vehicle  100  or the user vehicle  200  to make both vehicles  100 ,  200  join with each other. 
     As described above, with the service providing system according to the embodiment, even though the user vehicle  200  itself does not have a function of providing the predetermined service, as the user vehicle  200  is connected to the service vehicle  100  having the function of providing the predetermined service, the user can receive the predetermined service in a state of boarding the user vehicle  200 . Accordingly, it is possible to improve convenience in a case where the user who boards the user vehicle  200  able to perform autonomous traveling receives provision of the predetermined service. 
     Second Embodiment 
     Outline of System 
       FIG. 7  is a diagram showing the schematic configuration of a service providing system according to the embodiment. In the embodiment, the service providing system  1  includes a plurality of service vehicles  100   a ,  100   b . The service vehicles  100   a ,  100   b  provide different services to the users who use the service providing system  1 . The service vehicles  100   a ,  100   b  are connected to the network N 1 . Similarly to the service vehicle  100  according to the first embodiment, each of the service vehicles  100   a ,  100   b  has a connection mechanism that is provided for connection to the user vehicle  200 . The functional configuration of each of the service vehicles  100   a ,  100   b  is the same as the service vehicle  100  according to the first embodiment. In the following description, the service vehicles  100   a ,  100   b  are simply referred to as “service vehicles  100 ”. 
     Functional Configuration 
       FIG. 8  is a block diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of the management server according to the embodiment. Even in the embodiment, as in the first embodiment, the management server  300  includes the communication unit  301  and the controller  302 . Then, the controller  302  executes processing for receiving the positional information relating to the current position of each vehicle transmitted from each service vehicle  100  through the communication unit  301 . The positional information management unit  3021  in the controller  302  manages the positional information relating to the current position of each service vehicle  100  received through the communication unit  301 . 
     In the embodiment, the management server  300  includes a service vehicle information database (service vehicle information DB)  303 . In the service vehicle information DB  303 , a service that is provided to the user by each of the service vehicles  100  under the management of the management server  300  is stored in association with each vehicle  100 . The service vehicle information DB  303  is constructed in the auxiliary storage unit  330  of the management server  300  as a program of a database management system is executed by the processor  310  of the management server  300 . 
       FIG. 9  is a diagram showing an example of the table configuration of the service vehicle information according to the embodiment that is stored in the service vehicle information DB  303 . As shown in  FIG. 9 , a service vehicle information table has a vehicle ID field, a providing service field, and a providing time field. In the vehicle ID field, a vehicle ID that is identification information for specifying the service vehicle  100  is input. In the providing service field, a providing service that is a service to be provided to the user by the service vehicle  100  is input. In the providing time field, a time period during which the service vehicle  100  can provide the providing service to the user is input. 
     Information Processing 
     Even in the embodiment, the information processing for generating the traveling information transmitted to the service vehicle  100  and the user vehicle  200  is executed in the traveling information generation unit  3022 . Here, in the information processing that is executed by the traveling information generation unit  3022  in the embodiment, a difference from the information processing that is executed in the above-described first embodiment will be described referring to  FIGS. 10 and 11 .  FIG. 10  is a flowchart showing a flow of the information processing according to the embodiment that is executed in the traveling information generation unit  3022 . Processing that is executed in each step in the flow excluding S 202  is the same as the processing that is executed in the step attached with the same reference numeral in the flow shown in  FIG. 5 .  FIG. 11  is a diagram showing an example of the table configuration of the user information according to the embodiment that is received from the user vehicle  200  by the management server  300 . 
     Even in the flow shown in  FIG. 10 , similarly to the flow shown in  FIG. 5 , first, in S 101 , determination is made whether or not the user information is received from the user vehicle  200 . Here, in the embodiment, information relating to a requested service that the user desires to be provided is included in the user information transmitted from the user vehicle  200 . In more detail, in the embodiment, as shown in  FIG. 11 , the user information transmitted from the user vehicle  200  has a requested service field, in addition to the user ID field, the vehicle ID field, and the desired providing time field. Then, the requested service is input in the requested service field. 
     Then, in a case where affirmative determination is made in S 101 , next, processing of S 202  is executed. In S 202 , the service vehicle  100  that should provide a service to the user is selected from a plurality of service vehicles  100  (that is, vehicles the service vehicle information of which is stored in the service vehicle information DB  303 ) under the management of the management server  300 . Here, the service vehicle  100  that should provide the service to the user is selected based on the user information received from the user vehicle  200  and the service vehicle information stored in the service vehicle information DB  303 . In more detail, in the service vehicle information, the service vehicle  100  that has the requested service included in the user information as the providing service and includes the desired providing time included in the user information within the providing time is selected as the service vehicle  100  that should provide a service to the user. 
     Thereafter, the processing of S 102  and S 103  is executed for the service vehicle  100  selected in S 202 . With this, the joining point and the joining time of the service vehicle  100  and the user vehicle  200  are decided. Then, the decided joining point and joining time of the service vehicle  100  and the user vehicle  200  are set as the traveling information. The traveling information generated through such information processing is transmitted to the service vehicle  100  selected in S 202  and the user vehicle  200 . 
     With this, the traveling plan in each of both vehicles  100 ,  200  is generated and autonomous traveling of both vehicles  100 ,  200  is controlled such that the service vehicle  100 , which provides the requested service of the user, and the user vehicle  200  join with each other until the desired providing time of the user. As a result, as the service vehicle  100 , which provides the requested service of the user, and the user vehicle  200  join with each other, both vehicles  100 ,  200  can be connected to each other through the connection mechanisms  10 ,  20 . Even in the embodiment, the traveling information may be transmitted to either of the service vehicle  100  or the user vehicle  200  to make both vehicles  100 ,  200  join with each other. 
     As described above, with the service providing system according to the embodiment, as the user vehicle  200  is connected to the service vehicle  100  having a function of providing the requested service of the user, the user can receive the requested service of the user in a state of boarding the user vehicle  200 . 
     Other Embodiments 
     The above-described embodiments are just examples, and the disclosure may be appropriately modified and carried out without departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosure. The processing or units described in the present disclosure can be freely combined and implemented as long as no technical contradiction arises. 
     Processing described to be executed by one device may be shared and executed by a plurality of devices. Alternatively, processing described to be executed by different devices may be executed by one device. In a computer system, a hardware configuration (server configuration) that implements each function may be flexibly changed. 
     The disclosure may also be implemented by supplying a computer program mounted with the functions described in the above-described embodiments to a computer and causing one or more processors in 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 a system bus of the computer or may be provided to the computer through a network. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium includes, for example, any type of disk, such as a magnetic disk (a Floppy (Registered Trademark) disk, a hard disk drive (HDD), or the like), or an optical disk (a CD-ROM, a DVD, a Blu-ray disc, or the like), a read only memory (ROM), a random access memory (RAM), an EPROM, an EEPROM, a magnetic card, a flash memory, an optical card, or any type of medium suitable for storing electronic instructions.