CN111353623B

CN111353623B - Information management apparatus and information management method

Info

Publication number: CN111353623B
Application number: CN201811569080.7A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 霍秋虹
Original assignee: Alpine Electronics Inc
Current assignee: Alpine Electronics Inc
Priority date: 2018-12-21
Filing date: 2018-12-21
Publication date: 2024-09-06
Anticipated expiration: 2038-12-21
Also published as: CN111353623A

Abstract

The invention provides an information management apparatus and an information management method. The information management device is provided with: a user information acquisition unit that acquires information on a user who uses the shared automobile; an extraction unit that extracts a plurality of merged travel users who can merge and travel the same shared automobile, based on the acquired user information; an aggregation point selection unit that selects an aggregation point of the plurality of merged travel users based on at least the extracted predetermined travel paths of the plurality of merged travel users; and a notification unit that notifies the extracted plurality of merging travel users that merging travel is possible and that the selected aggregation point is notified. Therefore, when a plurality of users of the shared automobile respectively borrow the shared automobile from the shared automobile parking place, the waste of energy and road resources can be avoided, the number of usable shared automobiles is increased, and the cost and the driving burden of the users are saved. In particular, the method can effectively cope with redundant shared automobiles after combined driving, and greatly improves the practical significance.

Description

Information management apparatus and information management method

Technical Field

The present invention relates to an information management apparatus and an information management method, and more particularly, to an information management apparatus and an information management method for an automobile sharing system for sharing a plurality of automobiles among a plurality of users.

Background

In recent years, as energy and environmental problems are becoming more and more important, how to more effectively utilize automobiles has become a focus problem. In order to more effectively utilize automobiles, shared automobiles in which a plurality of automobiles are shared among a plurality of users are becoming popular. By the car sharing system, a plurality of members registered in advance can share a plurality of cars. Therefore, the utilization rate of the automobiles can be improved, the number of automobiles is reduced, and the individuals do not need to maintain and manage the stored automobiles, so that the automobile safety protection system has various advantages.

However, shared automobiles still belong to freshness, and many aspects are still to be further developed and perfected. For example, the number of available shared vehicles is small, and the number of people desiring to use the shared vehicles is large, and in many cases, the shared vehicles are in short supply, resulting in a decrease in the convenience of using the shared vehicles.

In particular, in the case where a plurality of users of the shared automobile respectively borrow the shared automobile from the shared automobile parking place, if the reservation time and the destination are approximately the same, there is a high possibility that there is a common portion between the respective travel paths. This results in waste of energy and road resources, a reduction in the number of shared cars that can be used, and an increase in user cost and driving load.

In view of the above technical problems, the prior art has not yet provided an effective solution, which causes a great obstacle to the further popularization of the shared automobile, and is not beneficial to further pushing the shared automobile into the various advantages.

Disclosure of Invention

In view of the above-described problems in the prior art, an object of the present invention is to provide an information management apparatus and an information management method that improve the effectiveness and practical significance of the merged traveling of a shared automobile.

An embodiment of the present invention provides an information management apparatus for an automobile sharing system for sharing a plurality of automobiles among a plurality of users, the apparatus comprising: a user information acquisition unit that acquires information on a user who uses the shared automobile; an extraction unit that extracts a plurality of merged traveling users who can merge and travel the same shared automobile, based on the information acquired by the user information acquisition unit; an aggregation point selection unit that selects an aggregation point of the plurality of merged traveling users based on at least the predetermined traveling paths of the plurality of merged traveling users extracted by the extraction unit; and a notification unit configured to notify the plurality of merging travel users extracted by the extraction unit that merging travel is possible and notify the aggregation point selected by the aggregation point selection unit.

Therefore, when a plurality of users of the shared automobile respectively borrow the shared automobile from the shared automobile parking place, the users are informed of the combined running, so that the waste of energy and road resources can be avoided, the number of available shared automobiles is increased, and the user cost and the driving burden are saved. In particular, the method can effectively cope with redundant shared automobiles after combined driving, and greatly improves the practical significance.

In the information management apparatus, the user information acquisition unit may acquire a current position, a use time, and a destination position of a user who uses the shared automobile, and generate a predetermined travel route for the user based on the current position and the destination position of the user, and the extraction unit may extract, as the plurality of combined travel users, a plurality of users whose use times are within a predetermined period and at least a part of the predetermined travel routes are within a predetermined range, from among the plurality of users who use the shared automobile.

Thus, the shared automobile user whose utilization time and travel route are substantially the same can be reliably extracted as the merged travel user. Particularly, the combined driving users can be extracted in real time in the process of driving the shared automobile, so that the practicability is further improved.

In the information management apparatus, the user information acquiring unit may acquire personal information of a user, the extracting unit may further extract, as a plurality of priority combination traveling users, a plurality of combination traveling users whose personal information is related to each other from among the plurality of combination traveling users, the collection point selecting unit may preferably select a collection point of the plurality of priority combination traveling users based on a use time and a predetermined traveling path of each of the plurality of priority combination traveling users, and the notifying unit may preferably notify the plurality of priority combination traveling users extracted by the extracting unit that the combination traveling and the collection point are possible.

Thus, a plurality of users estimated to be mutually aware can be preferentially extracted as the combined travel user, and the safety and comfort of the combined travel can be improved. Further, it is highly probable that a plurality of users who are supposed to be acquainted with each other will travel to the same destination, and it is also possible to further promote the user to use the shared automobile and perform the merged traveling.

The information management device may further include: and a merged traveling scenario generation unit configured to generate a merged traveling scenario for the plurality of merged traveling subscribers extracted by the extraction unit based on the information acquired by the subscriber information acquisition unit, wherein the notification unit is configured to notify the plurality of merged traveling subscribers of the merged traveling scenario generated by the merged traveling scenario generation unit.

Therefore, the merging running scheme suitable for the actual situation can be automatically generated and notified to the user, and the user can conveniently realize merging running according to the notified merging running scheme, so that the practicability and convenience of merging running are further improved.

In the information management device, the user information acquisition unit may further acquire driving history information of the user, and the integrated traveling scenario generation unit may generate the integrated traveling scenario by selecting a user who drives the shared vehicle after the integrated traveling from among the plurality of integrated traveling users based on the driving history information of the user acquired by the user information acquisition unit.

Thus, the user suitable for driving the shared automobile after the integrated traveling can be selected based on the driving history of the user of the shared automobile, and the practicability and safety of the integrated traveling can be further improved.

In the information management apparatus, the merged driving scenario generation unit may generate the merged driving scenario by selecting a user who drives the shared vehicle after the merged driving from among the plurality of merged driving users based on the destination position of the user acquired by the user information acquisition unit, and generating a predetermined driving route after the merged driving.

Therefore, the users suitable for driving the shared automobile after the combined traveling can be selected according to the sequence of reaching the destination after the combined traveling, so that the times of replacing the drivers of the shared automobile after the combined traveling can be reduced, and the convenience and safety of the combined traveling are further improved.

The information management device may further include: and a parking place information acquisition unit configured to acquire information on a parking place of the shared automobile, wherein the collection place selection unit determines whether or not there is an appropriate return place, which is a parking place of the shared automobile that is an unnecessary shared automobile after the merged traveling, among the parking places of the shared automobile acquired by the parking place information acquisition unit, based on the predetermined traveling paths of the merged traveling users extracted by the extraction unit, and when the appropriate return place is determined to be present, the collection place selection unit selects the appropriate return place as a collection place of the merged traveling users, and the notification unit notifies the merged traveling users that the merged traveling is possible and notifies the appropriate return place as a collection place.

Therefore, the user is informed of the fact that the merging traveling can be performed only when the parking place of the redundant shared automobile is judged to be suitable for returning after the merging traveling, and the user is informed of the proper returning place, so that the user can be reliably informed of the fact that the merging traveling is feasible, and the practical significance of the merging traveling is greatly improved.

In the information management device, the parking place information acquisition unit may acquire information on the number of parked shared vehicles in the parking place, and the collection point selection unit may select, as the collection point of the plurality of merging traveling users, a suitable return place having a small number of parked shared vehicles, based on the number of parked shared vehicles in each of the suitable return places acquired by the parking place information acquisition unit, if it is determined that there are a plurality of the suitable return places.

By notifying the user of the appropriate return location with a small number of shared vehicles as the collection location, not only can the problem of parking of redundant shared vehicles be solved, but also the number of shared vehicles in the location where the shared vehicles are urgently needed can be positively increased, so that more people can utilize the shared vehicles, and the utilization efficiency and convenience of the shared vehicles are greatly improved.

The information management device may further include: and a vehicle information acquisition unit configured to acquire remaining mileage information that can be traveled by each of the shared vehicles, wherein the extraction unit extracts, as a merged traveling user candidate, a user whose remaining mileage cannot reach a destination position, and extracts a merged traveling user that can merge and travel the same shared vehicle as the merged traveling user candidate, based on a predetermined traveling route of the user using the shared vehicle and current remaining mileage information of the corresponding shared vehicle acquired by the vehicle information acquisition unit, and wherein the collection point selection unit selects a collection point that can be reached by the remaining mileage of the shared vehicle that can be utilized by the merged traveling user candidate, and wherein the notification unit notifies the merged traveling user candidate and the merged traveling user that can merge and travel the same shared vehicle as the merged traveling user candidate of the merged traveling user of the collection point.

Therefore, the user with the remaining mileage being insufficient for reaching the destination can be reminded to actively use the combined driving, so that the trouble of oiling or charging during the driving of the user can be avoided, the convenience of using the shared automobile is improved, and the method is particularly suitable for the situation of using a new energy automobile as the shared automobile.

The information management device may further include: the information processing apparatus includes a traffic information acquisition unit that acquires information on a number of vehicles that limit a number of vehicles that pass through a road section or a number of vehicles that pass through preferentially, the extraction unit extracts a merge travel user that is equal to or more than the number of vehicles that can merge and travel the same shared vehicle, based on the information on the number of vehicles that limit the number of vehicles that pass through the road section acquired by the traffic information acquisition unit, so that the shared vehicle after the merge travel can pass through the road section or pass through preferentially, and the notification unit notifies the plurality of merge travel users that are extracted by the extraction unit that can merge and pass through the road section or pass through preferentially, the road section being predetermined with the number of vehicles.

Thus, conditions can be created for the user to utilize the road section in which the minimum number of passengers is limited in advance, and the user can be prompted to positively utilize the road section. Not only can save the time and the passing cost of users, but also can relieve the traffic pressure of roads.

An embodiment of the present invention also provides an information management method for an automobile sharing system for sharing a plurality of automobiles among a plurality of users, the information management method including: a user information acquisition step of acquiring information related to a user who uses the shared automobile; an extraction step of extracting a plurality of merged traveling users who can merge and travel the same shared automobile, based on the information acquired by the user information acquisition step; an aggregation point selection step of selecting an aggregation point of the plurality of merged traveling users at least based on the respective predetermined traveling paths of the plurality of merged traveling users extracted by the extraction step; and notifying the plurality of merging travel users extracted by the extracting step that merging travel is enabled, and notifying the set point selected by the set point selecting step.

The various aspects of the information management apparatus according to the present invention are applicable to the information management method, the information management system, the information management program, and the recording medium on which the information management program is recorded according to the present invention, and the corresponding technical effects can be obtained.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a block diagram showing the structure of an information management apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a flowchart of an information management method according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 3 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a travel route according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 4 is a flowchart showing a specific example of the first embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 5 is a schematic diagram for explaining an example of extracting travel paths of the combined travel user in one specific example of the first embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 6 is a block diagram showing the configuration of an information management apparatus according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 7 is a flowchart of an information management method according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 8 is a schematic diagram of an example of the merged running solution generated in the second embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 9 is a block diagram showing the structure of an information management apparatus according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 10 is a flowchart of an information management method according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 11 is a flowchart showing a specific example of the information management method according to the third embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 12 is a block diagram showing the configuration of an information management apparatus according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 13 is a flowchart of an information management method according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 14 is a block diagram showing the configuration of an information management apparatus according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 15 is a schematic diagram for explaining two examples of the dedicated road.

Fig. 16 is a schematic diagram for explaining an example of the lane for exclusive use.

Fig. 17 is a flowchart of an information management method according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention.

Reference numerals illustrate:

1. 1A, 1B, 1C, 1D: an information management device; 11: a user information acquisition unit; 12: an extraction unit; 13: an aggregation point selection unit; 14: a notification unit; 15: a merged travel plan generation unit; 16: a parking place information acquisition unit; 17: a vehicle information acquisition unit; 18: and a traffic information acquisition unit.

Detailed Description

The present invention will be described in more detail below with reference to the drawings, embodiments and specific examples. The following description is merely an example for facilitating understanding of the present invention, and is not intended to limit the scope of the present invention. In a specific embodiment, the components of the apparatus may be changed, deleted or added according to the actual situation, and the steps of the method may be changed, deleted, added or added according to the actual situation.

(First embodiment)

A first embodiment of the present invention is specifically described. First, an information management apparatus 1 according to a first embodiment of the present invention will be described. The information management apparatus 1 is used in an automobile sharing system for sharing a plurality of automobiles among a plurality of users, and is, for example, a server apparatus composed of one or a plurality of computers or an information management system capable of cloud computing. However, the information management apparatus 1 is not limited to this, and may be implemented by one or more in-vehicle devices, terminal devices, or the like.

Fig. 1 is a block diagram of the information management apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention, in which an arrow indicates a direction of data transmission. As shown in fig. 1, the information management apparatus 1 includes a user information acquisition unit 11, an extraction unit 12, an aggregation point selection unit 13, and a notification unit 14. The above-described respective parts of the information management apparatus 1 may be realized by, for example, a processor provided in the information management apparatus 1 executing a program corresponding to the functions of the respective parts, or may be realized by a dedicated circuit. The specific configuration of the information management apparatus 1 will be described in detail below.

The user information acquiring unit 11 acquires information about a user who uses the shared car, and can acquire information such as the current position, the use time, and the destination position of the user who uses the shared car. The user information acquisition unit 11 may acquire the user information by performing data communication with a terminal device such as a smart phone or an in-vehicle device held by the user, or may read the user information from a database in which the user information is stored. The user information acquisition unit 11 may acquire the user information when the user starts using the shared automobile, or may acquire the user information when the user makes an advance reservation for using the shared automobile or makes a regular reservation for using the shared automobile.

Further, the user information acquisition unit 11 may select whether to acquire the user information according to the user setting. That is, if some users have set not to perform the merging traveling or have not set to perform the merging traveling in advance, the user information of the user is not acquired. Therefore, the method can better meet the demands of users and reduce the data traffic and the processing capacity.

The extraction unit 12 extracts a plurality of merged traveling users who can merge and travel the same shared automobile based on the information acquired by the user information acquisition unit 11. For example, the extraction unit 12 may extract a plurality of users having similar usage times and similar destination locations as a plurality of merged traveling users capable of merging and traveling the same shared automobile. Or for a plurality of users who have started to utilize the shared automobile, a plurality of users whose current locations and destination locations are similar may be extracted as a plurality of merged traveling users who can merge to travel the same shared automobile. The method of extracting a plurality of merged traveling users by the extracting unit 12 is not limited to this, and may be changed as appropriate according to actual circumstances, and various other methods will be described in the following specific examples and other embodiments.

The aggregation point selection unit 13 selects an aggregation point of the plurality of merged traveling users based on at least the predetermined traveling paths of the plurality of merged traveling users extracted by the extraction unit 12. The set point selection unit 13 may select, as the set point, a position at which the predetermined travel paths of the plurality of combined travel users start to overlap (or the like) as an overlap start point (or the like), and select, as the set point, a parking place nearest to the overlap start point (or the like). Alternatively, the aggregation point selection unit 13 may select, as the aggregation point, a parking place which is easily reached by each of the merged traveling users based on traffic information such as road condition information. Alternatively, the aggregation point selection unit 13 may select, as the aggregation point, a parking place having a good environment based on the parking place or the environmental information around the parking place acquired from a database, social media, or the like. The manner in which the collection point selecting unit 13 selects the collection point is not limited to this, and may be changed as appropriate according to the actual situation, and various other embodiments will be described in the following concrete examples and other embodiments.

The notification unit 14 notifies the plurality of merging travel users extracted by the extraction unit 12 that merging travel is possible, and notifies the aggregation point selected by the aggregation point selection unit 13. The notification unit 14 notifies the merging travel user of the user terminal of the merging travel user or the vehicle-mounted terminal of the vehicle in which the user terminal is driven, for example. As a notification method, the user terminal or the display of the vehicle-mounted terminal may be caused to display the corresponding information, or the speaker of the user terminal or the vehicle-mounted terminal or the connected audio playback device may be caused to play the corresponding voice, which is not limited herein.

Next, an information management method performed by the information management apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention will be described, and an example of a travel route will be described with reference to the information management method. Fig. 2 is a flowchart of an information management method according to a first embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 3 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a travel route according to the first embodiment of the present invention. The flow of fig. 2 may be initiated when a user reserves or begins to utilize the shared vehicle, or may be performed in real-time during the user's utilization of the shared vehicle. The following step S101 corresponds to a user information acquisition step, steps S102 and S103 correspond to an extraction step, step S104 corresponds to an aggregation point selection step, and step S105 corresponds to a notification step.

In step S101, the user information acquisition unit 11 acquires information on a user who uses the shared automobile. As shown in fig. 3, the start point and the destination of each of the user a and the user B are obtained. The starting point of the user a is, for example, the shared parking place X, and the starting point of the user B is, for example, the shared parking place Y. Depending on the origin and destination, it is also possible to generate predetermined travel routes for each of the user a and the user B shown by solid lines in the figure.

In step S102, the extraction unit 12 extracts a plurality of merged traveling users who can merge and travel the same shared automobile based on the information acquired in step S101. Further, in step S103, it is determined whether or not the merged traveling user is extracted, and if the merged traveling user is not extracted, the present flow is ended. As shown in fig. 3, since the predetermined travel routes of the user a and the user B overlap, the user a and the user B are extracted as the combined travel user in step S102, and it is determined in step S103 that the combined travel user is extracted, and then step S104 is executed.

In step S104, the aggregation point selecting unit 13 selects an aggregation point of the plurality of merged traveling users based on at least the predetermined traveling paths of the plurality of merged traveling users extracted in step S102. As shown in fig. 3, in the portion where the predetermined travel routes of the user a and the user B overlap, the parking place closest to the overlapping start point in the travel direction of the overlapping portion is the shared automobile parking place Z, and therefore, this place is selected as the aggregation point.

In step S105, the notification unit 14 notifies the plurality of merging travel users extracted in step S102 that merging travel is possible, and notifies the aggregation point selected in step S104. Here, the notification unit 14 notifies the user a and the user B that the merged traveling is possible, and notifies the shared parking place Z as the collective place.

According to the information management apparatus 1 and the information management method executed by the same of the present embodiment, when a plurality of users of a shared automobile respectively borrow the shared automobile from a shared automobile parking place, by notifying the users of the merged traveling, it is possible to avoid waste of energy and road resources, increase the number of usable shared automobiles, and save the user cost and driving load.

In particular, when a plurality of users respectively borrow a plurality of shared vehicles, if the users travel in combination, an excessive number of shared vehicles are inevitably generated. If the redundant shared automobile cannot be properly handled, problems such as illegal parking and rising of parking fees are likely to be caused, and efficient realization of the merged traveling is hindered. According to the information management apparatus 1 and the information management method executed by the same of the present embodiment, by selecting a plurality of aggregation sites of the merged traveling users and notifying the users, merged traveling can be effectively realized, and the practical significance is greatly improved.

A specific example of the first embodiment of the present invention will be described below. In this specific example, a specific mode of extracting the merged travel user is described. Fig. 4 is a flowchart showing a specific example of the first embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 5 is a schematic diagram for explaining an example of extracting travel paths of the combined travel user in one specific example of the first embodiment of the present invention. The flow of fig. 4 may be initiated when a user reserves or begins to utilize the shared vehicle, or may be performed in real-time during the use of the shared vehicle by the user. Steps S201 and S202 described below correspond to a user information acquisition step, steps S203 and S204 correspond to an extraction step, step S205 corresponds to an aggregation point selection step, and step S206 corresponds to a notification step.

In step S201, the user information acquisition unit 11 acquires user information including at least the current position, the use time, and the destination position of the user who uses the shared automobile. As shown in fig. 5, the current locations, destinations, and utilization times of the user a, the user B, and the user C are obtained. The starting point of the user travel may be regarded as the current position before the travel is started. The use time may be a time when the user starts to use the shared car, or may be a time when the user predicts that the user arrives at the destination or wants to arrive at the destination.

In step S202, the user information acquiring unit 11 generates a predetermined travel route for the user based on the current position and the destination position of the user. As shown in fig. 5, predetermined travel paths for each of the user a, the user B, and the user C shown by solid lines are generated, respectively.

In step S203, the extraction unit 12 determines whether or not the use time of each of the plurality of users who use the shared automobile is within a predetermined period. For example, it may be determined whether or not the respective times of starting to use the shared automobile are within a predetermined period (for example, 20 minutes), whether or not the respective times of being predicted to reach the destination or desired to reach the destination are within a predetermined period (for example, 20 minutes), or whether or not a plurality of users are all using the shared automobile at the present time. The specific mode for determining whether or not the time of use of each other is within the predetermined period may be changed as appropriate, and is not limited thereto. When it is determined in step S203 that none of the utilization times is within the predetermined period, the present flow is ended.

When it is determined in step S203 that the use time of each of the plurality of users is within the predetermined period, the extraction unit 12 further determines whether or not at least a part of the predetermined travel paths for the users is within the predetermined range, by executing step S204. For example, it may be determined whether the respective current positions of the users are within a prescribed range (e.g., within 1 km or within 10 minutes of the predicted trip). Alternatively, a predetermined range (for example, a predetermined range set for the predetermined travel path of the user a is indicated by a thin line in fig. 5 within 1 km) may be set for the predetermined travel path of the user, and it may be determined whether or not the predetermined travel path of the other user falls within the predetermined range (in fig. 5, the predetermined travel paths of the user B and the user C both fall within the range). Or if there is a destination of the user's predetermined travel path via another user (in fig. 5, the predetermined travel path of the user a is via the destination of the user C), it can be determined that at least a part of the predetermined travel paths of each other are within the prescribed range. The determination may be made using the node coordinates and the link coordinates included in the predetermined travel path. Further, it may be determined whether or not the directions of the predetermined travel paths of the users are substantially the same, and it may be determined whether or not at least a part of the predetermined travel paths of the users are within a predetermined range only when the directions are substantially the same. If it is determined in step S204 that none of the predetermined travel paths is within the predetermined range, the present flow is ended.

The execution order of step S203 and step S204 is not limited to this, and it may be determined whether the predetermined travel path between the users is within a predetermined range, and further, whether the use time between the users is within a predetermined period for the users whose predetermined travel path is within the predetermined range. For example, it may be determined whether or not the predetermined travel paths of the plurality of users become similar or overlap, and if the predetermined travel paths of the plurality of users become similar or overlap, it may be determined whether or not the respective times of the predicted arrival at the points where the predetermined travel paths become similar or overlap are within a predetermined period (for example, 10 minutes).

In the case where it is determined in step S204 that at least a part of the predetermined travel paths of the plurality of users are within the predetermined range, steps S205 and S206 are executed. Step S205 is the same as step S104 of fig. 2, and step S206 is the same as step S105 of fig. 2, and will not be described here.

According to this specific example, the shared automobile user whose utilization time and travel route are substantially the same can be reliably extracted as the merged travel user. Particularly, the combined driving users can be extracted in real time in the process of driving the shared automobile, so that the practicability is further improved.

In the present embodiment and the specific example, the user information acquisition unit 11 may acquire personal information of the user, for example, a mobile phone number, an address book in the user terminal, and the like used when registering the user. The extraction unit 12 further extracts, as a plurality of priority merging traveling users, a plurality of merging traveling users having a relationship between personal information of each other from among the plurality of merging traveling users, for example, a plurality of merging traveling users having a relationship between cell phone numbers used at the time of registration or having a relationship history, and estimates that the users are mutually aware. The aggregation point selection unit 13 preferentially selects an aggregation point of the plurality of priority merge travel users based on the use time of each of the plurality of priority merge travel users and the predetermined travel route. The notification unit 14 notifies the plurality of priority merge travel users extracted by the extraction unit 12 of the merge travel enabled and the aggregation point.

(Second embodiment)

A second embodiment of the present invention is specifically described. The present embodiment further generates a combined traveling scenario and notifies the user of the combined traveling scenario in addition to the first embodiment. The differences of the present embodiment from the first embodiment will be mainly described below, and the description of the same or similar matters as those of the first embodiment will be omitted.

First, the structure of the information management apparatus 1A of the present embodiment will be described. Fig. 6 is a block diagram of the information management apparatus 1A according to the second embodiment of the present invention. As shown in fig. 6, the information management apparatus 1A adds a merged driving scheme generating unit 15 to the information management apparatus 1 of the first embodiment. The merged driving scenario generation unit 15 generates a merged driving scenario for the plurality of merged driving users extracted by the extraction unit 12 based on the information acquired by the user information acquisition unit 11. The merged driving scheme includes, for example, a user (driver) who drives the shared automobile after the merged driving, a predetermined driving path of each user from the current position to the point of aggregation, a predetermined driving path of the merged driving, and the like. Further, the notification unit 14 notifies the plurality of the merged traveling subscribers of the merged traveling scenario generated by the merged traveling scenario generation unit 15.

Next, an information management method performed by the information management apparatus 1A of the present embodiment will be described. Fig. 7 is a flowchart of an information management method according to a second embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 7 is a flowchart of the specific example of the first embodiment, that is, fig. 4, to which the step S306, that is, the merged travel plan generation step is added, but may be modified from the flowchart of the first embodiment, that is, fig. 2.

As shown in fig. 7, in step S301, the user information acquisition unit 11 acquires user information. Here, the driving history information of the user may be acquired in addition to the current position, the use time, and the destination position of the user. The driving history information includes, for example, the driving mileage, driving road section, driving years, accident recording, driving habits, driving evaluation, driving preference (preference driving or preference riding), and the like of the user.

Next, steps S302 to S305 are the same as steps S202 to S205 in fig. 4, and are not described herein.

Next, in step S306, the merged driving scenario generation unit 15 generates a merged driving scenario for the plurality of merged driving subscribers extracted by the extraction unit 12 based on the information acquired by the subscriber information acquisition unit 11.

For example, the integrated travel plan generation unit 15 may generate the integrated travel plan by selecting a user who drives the shared vehicle after the integrated travel from among the plurality of integrated travel users based on the driving history information of the user acquired by the user information acquisition unit 11. Among the plurality of users for the merged driving, a user having a large driving mileage may be selected as a user for driving the shared automobile after the merged driving, or a user for preference driving may be selected as a user for driving the shared automobile after the merged driving, or the like. Thus, the user suitable for driving the shared automobile after the integrated traveling can be selected based on the driving history of the user of the shared automobile, and the practicability and safety of the integrated traveling can be further improved.

Alternatively, the merged driving scenario generation unit 15 may select a user who drives the shared vehicle after the merged driving from among the plurality of merged driving users based on the destination position of the user acquired by the user information acquisition unit 11, and generate a predetermined driving route after the merged driving, thereby generating the merged driving scenario. If the description is given with reference to fig. 3, it is possible to select, from among a plurality of users a and B that are users of the integrated travel, a user B that is a farther destination as a user who drives the shared automobile after the integrated travel. Thus, after the merge travel, user B may drive the shared automobile to send user a to user a's destination, and then user B continues to drive the shared automobile to desire user B's destination. In addition, the road condition information can be further combined, and the user driving the shared automobile after the combined driving can be selected according to the destination of which user the shared automobile after the combined driving reaches can avoid congestion and the like. Therefore, the users suitable for driving the shared automobile after the combined traveling can be selected according to the sequence of reaching the destination after the combined traveling, so that the times of replacing the drivers of the shared automobile after the combined traveling can be reduced, and the convenience and safety of the combined traveling are further improved.

Next, in step S307, the notification unit 14 notifies not only the plurality of merging traveling users of the merging traveling capable and the merging point, but also the merging traveling scenario generated by the merging traveling scenario generation unit 15. An example of the merged running solution generated in the present embodiment is described below. Fig. 8 is a schematic diagram of an example of the merged running solution generated in the second embodiment of the present invention. As shown in fig. 8, the merged driving scheme for the user a includes: the user who runs in combination with the user A is the user B, the user who drives the shared automobile after running in combination is the user B, the gathering place is the shared automobile parking place Z (and the specific address thereof), and the gathering time is 9 points 10 minutes-9 points 20 minutes. Further, a map shown in fig. 3, for example, may be shown to present the user a with a predetermined travel path after the merged travel. The content of the merged driving scheme is not limited to this, and may be increased or decreased as appropriate, and for example, the reason why the user who drives the shared automobile after the merged driving is determined may be shown.

According to the information management apparatus 1A and the information management method performed by the same of the present embodiment, it is possible to automatically generate a merging traveling scenario suitable for an actual situation and notify a user, and the user can conveniently realize merging traveling according to only the notified merging traveling scenario, thereby further improving the practicability and convenience of merging traveling.

(Third embodiment)

A third embodiment of the present invention is specifically described. The present embodiment further determines whether or not there is a parking place suitable for returning the shared automobile, based on the first or second embodiment. The following description will be given on the basis of the first embodiment, focusing on the differences of the present embodiment from the first embodiment, and the description of the same or similar matters as those of the first embodiment will be omitted in the present embodiment. The present embodiment may be modified from the second embodiment.

First, the structure of the information management apparatus 1B of the present embodiment will be described. Fig. 9 is a block diagram of the information management apparatus 1B according to the third embodiment of the present invention. As shown in fig. 9, the information management apparatus 1B further includes a parking place information acquisition unit 16 in addition to the information management apparatus 1 of the first embodiment. The parking place information acquiring unit 16 acquires information on a parking place of the shared automobile. The aggregation point selecting unit 13 determines whether or not there is an appropriate return place suitable for returning the redundant parking place of the shared automobile after the merged traveling, among the parking places of the shared automobile acquired by the parking place information acquiring unit 16, based on the predetermined traveling paths of the merged traveling users extracted by the extracting unit 12. When it is determined that there is an appropriate return location, the collection point selecting unit 13 selects the appropriate return location as the collection point of the plurality of merging travel users. Further, the notification unit 14 notifies a plurality of merging travel users that merging travel is possible, and notifies an appropriate return location as an aggregation point.

Next, an information management method performed by the information management apparatus 1B of the present embodiment will be described. Fig. 10 is a flowchart of an information management method according to a third embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 10 is a flowchart of the above specific example of the first embodiment, that is, fig. 4, to which a parking place information acquisition step S402 and an appropriate return place determination step S406 are added, but may be modified in addition to fig. 2, which is the flowchart of the first embodiment, or fig. 7, which is the flowchart of the second embodiment.

First, step S401 is the same as step S201 in fig. 4, and will not be described here. Next, in step S402, the parking place information acquiring unit 16 acquires information on a parking place of the shared automobile. The information related to the parking place of the shared automobile may include information such as position information, road condition information of a road section reaching the parking place, surrounding environment information, whether there is an empty parking place, and the like. The sequence of step S401 and step S402 may be arbitrary or may be executed simultaneously. Next, steps S403 to S405 are the same as steps S202 to S204 in fig. 4, and are not described here.

Next, if the determination result in step S405 is yes, step S406 is executed, and the collective site selection unit 13 determines whether or not there is an appropriate return site that is an appropriate return site for returning the redundant shared automobile after the merging traveling, among the parking sites of the shared automobile acquired in step S402. The determination of whether there is a suitable return place can be made based on one or more of factors such as whether the position of the parking place of the shared automobile is within a predetermined distance (predetermined travel time) from each of the predetermined travel paths of the plurality of combined travel users, whether the parking place of the shared automobile is easy to reach, whether the parking place of the shared automobile has an empty space suitable for returning the shared automobile, and the parking environment of the parking place of the shared automobile. If it is determined in step S406 that the return location is not appropriate, the present flow is ended, that is, the user is not notified that the merging travel is possible.

If it is determined in step S406 that there is an appropriate return place, the process proceeds to step S407, and the collection point selecting unit 13 selects the appropriate return place in step S406 as the collection point of the plurality of merged travel users. Next, in step S408, the notification unit 14 notifies the plurality of merging travel users that merging travel is possible, and notifies the appropriate return place as the aggregation point.

As described above, when a plurality of users respectively borrow a plurality of shared vehicles, if the users travel in combination, an excessive number of shared vehicles are inevitably generated. If the redundant shared automobile cannot be properly handled, problems such as illegal parking and rising of parking fees are likely to be caused, and efficient realization of the merged traveling is hindered. According to the information management apparatus 1B and the information management method executed by the same of the present embodiment, the user is notified that the merging traveling is possible only when it is determined that there is a place where the shared vehicle is left to stand after the merging traveling, and the user is notified of the appropriate returning place, and the user is reliably notified of the reliably feasible merging traveling, so that the practical significance of the merging traveling is greatly improved.

A specific example of this embodiment will be described below. Fig. 11 is a flowchart showing a specific example of the information management method according to the third embodiment of the present invention. As shown in fig. 11, step S501 is the same as step S401 in fig. 10, and will not be described here. Next, in step S502, the parking place information acquiring unit 16 acquires information on the number of parked shared vehicles in the parking place, among the information on the parked shared vehicles. Here, the information on the number of shared vehicles in the parking space is intended to obtain the number of shared vehicles in the parking space, not to know whether or not there is an empty space in the parking space. Next, steps S503 to S506 are the same as steps S403 to S406 in fig. 10, and are not described here.

Next, if the determination result in step S506 is yes, step S507 is executed, and the aggregation point selecting part 13 further determines whether or not there are a plurality of suitable return places. For example, when the predetermined travel paths from each of the plurality of combined travel users are within a predetermined distance and there are a plurality of parking places with empty parking spaces, it is determined that there are a plurality of suitable return places. If it is determined in step S507 that there are no more than one suitable return place (only one suitable return place), steps S508 and S510 are executed. Here, steps S508 and S510 are the same as steps S407 and S408 in fig. 10, respectively, and are not described here.

If it is determined in step S507 that there are a plurality of suitable return places, step S509 is executed, and the aggregation point selecting unit 13 selects, as the aggregation point of the plurality of merged traveling users, a suitable return place having a small number of parked shared vehicles, based on the number of shared vehicles parked in each suitable return place acquired in step S502. For example, when the number of shared vehicles parked at the plurality of appropriate return places is 0, 10, or 15, respectively, the appropriate return place at which the number of shared vehicles parked is 0 is selected. Next, in step S510, the notification unit 14 notifies a plurality of merging travel users that merging travel is possible, and notifies the appropriate return location where the number of parked shared vehicles is small as a collection point.

As described above, the number of shared vehicles that can be used is small, and the number of people who want to use the shared vehicles is large, and the shared vehicles in the shared vehicle stations are often borrowed, so that the convenience of using the shared vehicles is reduced. On the other hand, when a plurality of users respectively borrow a plurality of shared vehicles, if the users travel in combination, an excessive number of shared vehicles are inevitably generated. By notifying the user of the appropriate return location with a small number of shared vehicles as the collection location, not only can the problem of parking of redundant shared vehicles be solved, but also the number of shared vehicles in the location where the shared vehicles are urgently needed can be positively increased, so that more people can utilize the shared vehicles, and the utilization efficiency and convenience of the shared vehicles are greatly improved.

(Fourth embodiment)

A fourth embodiment of the present invention will be specifically described. The present embodiment further determines the remaining mileage of the vehicle based on the first, second, or third embodiments. The following description will be given on the basis of the first embodiment, focusing on the differences of the present embodiment from the first embodiment, and the description of the same or similar matters as those of the first embodiment will be omitted in the present embodiment. The present embodiment may be modified in addition to the second or third embodiment.

First, the structure of the information management apparatus 1C of the present embodiment will be described. Fig. 12 is a block diagram of the information management apparatus 1C according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention. As shown in fig. 12, the information management apparatus 1C adds a vehicle information acquisition unit 17 to the information management apparatus 1 of the first embodiment. The vehicle information acquiring unit 17 acquires the remaining mileage information that the shared vehicle can travel. The remaining mileage information may represent the mileage that can be travelled by the remaining fuel (gasoline, diesel, etc.) of the conventional energy automobile, or the mileage that can be travelled by the remaining power of the new energy automobile. The extraction unit 12 extracts, as a merging travel user candidate, a user whose remaining mileage cannot reach the destination position, based on the predetermined travel route of the user who uses the shared vehicle and the current remaining mileage information of the corresponding shared vehicle acquired by the vehicle information acquisition unit 17, and extracts a merging travel user who can merge and travel the same shared vehicle as the merging travel user candidate. The set point selection unit 13 selects a set point where the remaining mileage of the shared automobile used as the merged driving user candidate can be reached. The notification unit 14 notifies the merging travel user candidate and the merging travel user capable of merging the same vehicle with the merging travel user candidate to the merging travel location.

Next, an information management method performed by the information management apparatus 1C of the present embodiment will be described. Fig. 13 is a flowchart of an information management method according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 13 is a flowchart of the specific example of the first embodiment, that is, fig. 4, to which are added a vehicle information acquisition step S602, a remaining mileage judgment step S606, a merged traveling user candidate extraction step S607, and a merged user extraction step S608, but may be modified from the flowchart of the first embodiment, that is, fig. 2, the flowchart of the second embodiment, that is, fig. 7, or the flowchart of the third embodiment, that is, fig. 10 or 11.

First, step S601 is the same as step S201 in fig. 4, and will not be described here. Next, in step S602, the vehicle information acquiring unit 17 acquires the remaining mileage information that the shared vehicle can travel. If the description is made with reference to fig. 3, the remaining mileage of the shared automobile of the user a is obtained as 100 km, and the remaining mileage of the shared automobile of the user B is obtained as 200 km. The sequence of step S601 and step S602 may be arbitrary or may be executed simultaneously. Next, steps S603 to S605 are the same as steps S202 to S204 in fig. 4, and are not described here.

Next, if the determination result in step S605 is yes, step S606 is executed, and the extraction unit 12 determines whether or not there is a user whose remaining mileage cannot be reached to the destination among the users. If it is determined in step S606 that there is a user whose remaining mileage cannot reach the destination, step S607 is executed, and the extracting unit 12 extracts a user whose remaining mileage cannot reach the destination position as a merged driving user candidate. For example, in the case where the distance from the user a to the destination is 150 km and the distance from the user B to the destination is 170 km, the user a is extracted as a merged travel user candidate.

Next, in step S608, the extraction unit 12 extracts a user who can merge with the merge travel user candidate. For example, as shown in fig. 3, the extraction unit 12 extracts the user B as the merged travel user of the user a.

Next, in step S609, the set point selection unit 13 selects a set point where the remaining mileage of the shared automobile used as the merged driving user candidate can be reached. For example, in fig. 3, the distance from user a to shared parking lot Z is 80 km, which is less than its remaining mileage, so shared parking lot Z can be selected as the venue. Next, in step S610, the notification unit 14 notifies that the travel and the integration point can be merged. In this case, the user a may be notified of the reason why the user needs to travel in combination, for example, that the user a needs to share the parking place Z in order to travel in combination because the user a has insufficient mileage to reach the destination.

If it is determined in step S606 that there is no user whose remaining mileage cannot reach the destination, steps S611 and S612 are executed. Steps S611 and S612 are the same as steps S205 and S206 in fig. 4, and are not described herein. In addition, when it is determined in step S606 that there is no user whose remaining mileage cannot reach the destination, the present flow may be ended, that is, the user may not be notified to perform the merging travel.

According to the information management apparatus 1C and the information management method performed by the same of the present embodiment, a user who has insufficient remaining mileage to reach a destination can be reminded to actively use the merged traveling, so that the trouble of the user to refuel or charge during traveling can be avoided, and the convenience of using the shared automobile can be improved. In particular, with the increasing popularity of new energy automobiles, there are many cases where new energy automobiles are used as shared automobiles. However, the time required for charging the new energy automobile is still long, which brings great inconvenience to the user. According to the present embodiment, since the user can be positively recommended to avoid charging during traveling by utilizing the merged traveling, the present embodiment is particularly suitable for a case where a new energy vehicle is used as a shared vehicle.

(Fifth embodiment)

A fifth embodiment of the present invention is specifically described. The present embodiment further determines the number of passengers based on the first, second, third, or fourth embodiments. The following description will be given on the basis of the first embodiment, focusing on the differences of the present embodiment from the first embodiment, and the description of the same or similar matters as those of the first embodiment will be omitted in the present embodiment. The present embodiment may be modified in addition to the second, third, or fourth embodiments.

First, the structure of the information management apparatus 1D according to the present embodiment will be described. Fig. 14 is a block diagram showing the configuration of an information management apparatus 1D according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention. The information management device 1D adds the traffic information acquisition unit 18 to the information management device 1 of the first embodiment. The traffic information acquisition unit 18 acquires information on the number of passengers, which defines the number of vehicles passing through the link or the minimum number of passengers who pass preferentially. For example, a large-capacity vehicle lane (HOV) VEHICLE LANE is provided in many countries and regions, and various restrictions such as a use time and the number of passengers are applied to vehicles using the lane according to the region and the road. In the large-capacity vehicle lane described above, there is typically a ride-through (carpool lane), for example.

As a link in which the number of vehicles passing through or the least number of vehicles passing through preferentially is prescribed (limited), a dedicated road (also referred to as a shared dedicated road) and a dedicated lane (also referred to as a shared dedicated lane) are cited as examples. The following will specifically describe each of them.

Fig. 15 is a schematic diagram for explaining two examples of the dedicated road. Here, the private road is a road through which only or preferably vehicles having a current number of passengers equal to or greater than the minimum number of passengers pass. In fig. 15, the dedicated road is shown by hatching, and in order to improve the utilization efficiency of the vehicle, congestion is avoided, and only vehicles having a number of passengers equal to or greater than the minimum number of passengers (2 persons in this case) can pass through the dedicated road in the hatched portion. As shown in the left example of fig. 15, only vehicles with a number of passengers of 2 or more can reach a destination shown in a star shape using a dedicated road, whereas vehicles with a number of passengers of less than 2 cannot reach the destination using a dedicated road. As shown in the right example of fig. 15, only vehicles with a number of passengers equal to or greater than 2 can use a private road that is closer and wider, while vehicles with a number of passengers less than 2 must bypass a common road that is farther and narrower on the right. Alternatively, the traffic cost (priority traffic) of the road may be reduced for vehicles having a number of passengers equal to or greater than the minimum number of passengers. That is, if the dedicated road is not available or cannot be preferentially used, the destination cannot be reached, or the traveling time may be prolonged and the cost may be increased.

Fig. 16 is a schematic diagram for explaining an example of the lane for exclusive use. Here, the dedicated lane is a lane in which only or preferably vehicles having a current number of passengers equal to or greater than the minimum number of passengers pass. In fig. 16, the lane is shown in phantom, and in order to improve the utilization efficiency of the vehicle, congestion is avoided, and only vehicles having a number of passengers equal to or greater than the minimum number of passengers (here, 3 persons) can pass through the lane in the hatched portion. Alternatively, the traffic cost of the lane may be reduced (priority traffic) for vehicles having a number of passengers equal to or greater than the minimum number of passengers. In general, a special lane is less congested and smoother than a normal lane because of fewer passing vehicles. That is, if the special lane cannot be used or cannot be preferentially used, the traveling time may be prolonged and the cost may be increased.

In contrast, the extraction unit 12 extracts the merging traveling users having the least number of passengers that can merge and travel the same shared automobile based on the passenger limit information of the link acquired by the traffic information acquisition unit 18, so that the shared automobile after the merging traveling can pass through the link or pass preferentially. The notification unit 14 notifies the plurality of merging travel users extracted by the extraction unit 12 that merging travel is possible and that the vehicle can pass through or preferentially pass through the link for which the minimum number of passengers is predetermined.

Next, an information management method performed by the information management apparatus 1D according to the present embodiment will be described. Fig. 17 is a flowchart of an information management method according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 17 is a flowchart of the specific example of the first embodiment, that is, fig. 4, and additionally includes a traffic information acquisition step of step S702, a minimum number of passengers determination step of S706, and a minimum number of passengers extraction step of S707, but may be modified from the flowchart of the first embodiment, that is, fig. 2, the flowchart of the second embodiment, that is, fig. 7, the flowchart of the third embodiment, that is, fig. 10 or 11, or the flowchart of the fourth embodiment, that is, fig. 13.

First, step S701 is the same as step S201 in fig. 4, and will not be described here. Next, in step S702, the traffic information acquiring unit 18 acquires the passenger number restriction information. The sequence of step S701 and step S702 may be arbitrary or may be executed simultaneously. Next, steps S703 to S705 are the same as steps S202 to S204 in fig. 4, and are not described here. In the case where the predetermined travel route is generated in step S703, it is preferable that the number of passengers be not limited to all the links without intentionally avoiding the link that limits the number of passengers.

Next, if the determination result in step S705 is yes, step S706 is executed, and the extraction unit 12 determines whether or not the predetermined travel route of the user includes a road section for limiting the number of passengers indicated by the number of passengers limitation information acquired in step S702. When it is determined in step S706 that the link in which the number of passengers is limited is included, step S707 is executed, and the extracting unit 12 extracts the merged traveling user having the number of passengers equal to or greater than the minimum number of passengers on the link. If there is no merging traveling user with the least number of passengers at the present time, the present process may be repeatedly executed until a new user satisfies the condition of being the merging traveling user, thereby reaching the merging traveling user with the least number of passengers.

Steps S708 and S709 are then performed. Step S708 is the same as step S205 in fig. 4, and will not be described here. In step S709, the notification unit 14 may notify the merge travel user that the merge travel and the point of integration are possible, and may notify that the vehicle can pass through or pass through preferentially on the road section where the minimum number of passengers is predetermined.

If it is determined in step S706 that there is no user whose remaining mileage cannot reach the destination, steps S710 and S711 are executed. Steps S710 and S711 are the same as steps S205 and S206 in fig. 4, and are not described here.

According to the information management apparatus 1D and the information management method performed by the same of the present embodiment, it is possible to provide a condition for the user to utilize a link in which the number of passengers is limited in advance, and to prompt the user to positively utilize the link. Not only can save the time and the passing cost of users, but also can relieve the traffic pressure of roads.

The traffic information acquiring unit 18 may acquire traffic information and the like, and the extracting unit 12 may extract the combined traveling user having the least number of passengers on the link, based on the use time of the user, the traffic information and the like, only when the user uses the shared vehicle and the other alternative links other than the link in which the least number of passengers is limited in advance are congested. Therefore, according to the actual situation, the user can be recommended or not recommended to use the road section with the least passengers limited in advance, and the user can be further facilitated.

The above description of the embodiments and examples of the present invention makes reference to the accompanying drawings. The foregoing embodiments and examples are merely specific examples of the present invention, and are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention. Those skilled in the art can make various modifications, combinations, and reasonable omissions of the elements and the embodiments based on the technical ideas of the present invention, and the manner in which they are obtained is also included in the scope of the present invention. For example, the above embodiments and specific examples may be combined with each other, and the combined embodiments are also included in the scope of the present invention.

The steps included in the information management method according to the above embodiments of the present invention may be implemented as parts (units) included in the information management system, steps included in the information management program, or a recording medium storing the information management program, and similar technical effects may be obtained.

Claims

1. An information management apparatus for an automobile sharing system for sharing a plurality of automobiles among a plurality of users, comprising:

a user information acquisition unit that acquires information on a user who uses the shared automobile;

An extraction unit that extracts a plurality of merged traveling users who can merge and travel the same shared automobile, based on the information acquired by the user information acquisition unit;

An aggregation point selection unit that selects an aggregation point of the plurality of merged traveling users based on at least the predetermined traveling paths of the plurality of merged traveling users extracted by the extraction unit; and

A notification unit configured to notify the plurality of merging travel users extracted by the extraction unit that merging travel is possible and notify the aggregation point selected by the aggregation point selection unit,

The user information acquisition unit acquires a current position, a utilization time, and a destination position of a user who utilizes the shared automobile, generates a predetermined travel route of the user based on the current position and the destination position of the user,

The extraction unit extracts, from among a plurality of users who use the shared automobile, a plurality of users whose use times are within a predetermined period and whose at least a part of the predetermined travel paths are within a predetermined range as the plurality of merged travel users,

The information management device further includes:

a parking place information acquisition unit configured to acquire information on a parking place of the shared automobile,

The collecting point selecting unit determines whether or not there is an appropriate return place suitable for returning the redundant parking place of the shared automobile after the merged traveling, among the parking places of the shared automobile acquired by the parking place information acquiring unit, based on the predetermined traveling paths of the merged traveling users extracted by the extracting unit,

When it is determined that the appropriate return location exists, the collection location selection unit selects the appropriate return location as a collection location of the plurality of merging traveling users, and the notification unit notifies the plurality of merging traveling users that merging traveling is possible and notifies the appropriate return location as a collection location.

2. The information management apparatus according to claim 1, wherein,

The user information acquisition unit also acquires personal information of the user,

The extraction unit further extracts, as a plurality of priority merging traveling users, a plurality of merging traveling users having a correlation with each other's profile information from among the plurality of merging traveling users,

The aggregation point selecting section preferably selects the aggregation point of the plurality of priority merging traveling users based on the respective utilization times of the plurality of priority merging traveling users and a predetermined traveling path,

The notification unit notifies the plurality of priority merge travel users extracted by the extraction unit of a merge travel capable and an aggregation point.

3. The information management apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

A merged traveling scenario generation unit that generates a merged traveling scenario for the plurality of merged traveling subscribers extracted by the extraction unit based on the information acquired by the subscriber information acquisition unit,

The notification unit also notifies the plurality of combined travel users of the combined travel plan generated by the combined travel plan generation unit.

4. The information management apparatus according to claim 3, wherein,

The user information acquisition unit also acquires driving history information of the user,

The merged driving scenario generation unit generates a merged driving scenario by selecting a user who drives the shared vehicle after the merged driving from among the plurality of merged driving users based on the driving history information of the user acquired by the user information acquisition unit.

5. The information management apparatus according to claim 3, wherein,

The merged driving scenario generation unit selects a user who drives the shared vehicle after the merged driving from among the plurality of merged driving users based on the destination position of the user acquired by the user information acquisition unit, and generates a predetermined driving route after the merged driving, thereby generating the merged driving scenario.

6. The information management apparatus according to claim 1, wherein,

The parking place information acquisition unit acquires information on the number of parked shared vehicles in a parking place,

The collection point selecting unit selects, when it is determined that there are a plurality of the suitable return places, a suitable return place having a small number of shared vehicles as the collection point of the plurality of merged traveling users, based on the number of shared vehicles parked in each of the suitable return places acquired by the parking place information acquiring unit.

7. The information management apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 6, further comprising:

A vehicle information acquisition unit that acquires remaining mileage information that each of the shared vehicles can travel,

The extraction unit extracts, as a merged traveling user candidate, a user whose remaining mileage cannot reach a destination position, based on a predetermined traveling path of a user who uses the shared vehicle and the current remaining mileage information of the corresponding shared vehicle acquired by the vehicle information acquisition unit, and extracts a merged traveling user who can merge with the merged traveling user candidate to travel the same shared vehicle;

the set point selection unit selects a set point that can be reached by the remaining mileage of the shared automobile that the merged driving user candidate uses,

The notification unit notifies the merging travel user candidate and the merging travel user who can merge and travel the same shared vehicle as the merging travel user candidate of a merging travel location.

8. The information management apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 6, further comprising:

a traffic information acquisition unit that acquires information on the number of passengers, which defines in advance the number of vehicles traveling on a link or the minimum number of passengers who preferentially travel on the link,

The extraction unit extracts a merge travel user having a number of passengers equal to or greater than the minimum number of passengers capable of merging and traveling the same shared automobile based on the passenger limit information of the link acquired by the traffic information acquisition unit so that the shared automobile after merge travel can pass through the link or pass through the link with priority,

The notifying unit notifies the plurality of merged traveling users extracted by the extracting unit that merged traveling is possible and that the road section on which the least number of passengers is specified in advance is allowed to pass or to pass preferentially.

9. An information management method for an automobile sharing system for sharing a plurality of automobiles among a plurality of users, comprising:

a user information acquisition step of acquiring information related to a user who uses the shared automobile;

An extraction step of extracting a plurality of merged traveling users who can merge and travel the same shared automobile, based on the information acquired by the user information acquisition step;

An aggregation point selection step of selecting an aggregation point of the plurality of merged traveling users at least based on the respective predetermined traveling paths of the plurality of merged traveling users extracted by the extraction step; and

A notifying step of notifying the plurality of merging travel users extracted by the extracting step that merging travel is possible and notifying the set point selected by the set point selecting step,

In the user information acquiring step, a current position, a utilization time, and a destination position of a user who utilizes the shared automobile are acquired, a predetermined travel path of the user is generated based on the current position and the destination position of the user,

In the extracting step, a plurality of users whose use times are within a predetermined period and at least a part of the predetermined travel paths of each other are within a predetermined range are extracted as the plurality of combined travel users from among the plurality of users who use the shared automobile,

The information management method further includes:

A parking place information acquisition step of acquiring information on a parking place of the shared automobile,

In the set point selecting step, it is determined whether or not there is an appropriate return place suitable for returning the redundant shared automobile after the merging traveling among the parking places of the shared automobile acquired by the parking place information acquiring step, based on the predetermined traveling paths of the merging traveling users extracted by the extracting step,

When it is determined that the appropriate return location exists, the appropriate return location is selected as the collection location of the plurality of combined traveling users in the collection location selection step, and the notification step notifies the plurality of combined traveling users that the combined traveling is possible and notifies the appropriate return location as the collection location.