Information processing apparatus, information processing method, computer program, and travel management system

An information processing method comprising:

• reading, from a database, structure information on a travel network including a plurality of travel paths and a plurality of reference regions connecting the plurality of paths, the structure information of the travel network including graph data which includes nodes corresponding to the reference regions and links corresponding to the travel paths;
• dividing the travel network into a plurality of areas each containing two or more of the reference regions based on the structure information;
• determining a representative region in each area, representative regions in adjacent areas being connected to each other via the travel path;
• dividing each of the areas into a plurality of subareas, a sub-representative region among the reference regions included in each of the subareas being connected to a sub-representative region of other subarea via the travel path, the representative region corresponding to the sub representative region of the sub-area containing the representative region;
• generating a first virtual travel network including representative subnodes corresponding to the sub-representative regions and first links connecting between representative subnodes of sub-representative regions in each area and between representative subnodes of sub-representative regions in different areas;
• acquiring move command information that instructs the mobile object to travel from a first reference region to a second reference region, specify a first sub-area including the first reference region and a second sub-area including the second reference regions, and generate virtual move command information which instructs to travel from a sub-representative region of the first sub-area to a sub-representative region of the second sub-area on the first virtual travel network;
• generating a second schedule on the first virtual travel network, which includes sub-representative regions of passing through for moving from the sub-representative of the first sub-area to the sub-representative region of the second sub-area and includes times of passing through the sub-representative regions, based on the virtual move command information;
• generating a first schedule on the travel network, which includes reference regions of passing through for moving from the first reference region of the first subarea to the sub-representative region of the first sub-area and includes times of passing through the reference regions, based on the second schedule and the move command information;
• controlling the mobile object to move from the first reference region to the subrepresentative region of the first sub-area based on the first schedule and after detecting that the mobile object arrives at the sub-representative region of the first subarea, control the mobile object to move from the sub-representative region of the first subarea to the sub-representative region of the second sub-area based on the second schedule;
• identifying the second sub-area as a sub-area that includes the reference area specified by the move command information according to an execution status of the second schedule, and based on the second schedule, generates a third schedule which includes reference regions of passing through for moving from the sub-representative region of the second sub-area to the second reference region in the second sub-area and includes times of passing through the reference regions;
• controlling the mobile object to move from the sub-representative region of the second sub-area to the second reference region based on the third schedule after detecting that the mobile object arrives at the sub-representative region of the second sub-area;
• and
• updating the second schedule according to an execution status of the first schedule or updates the third schedule according to an execution status of the second schedule.

A non-transitory computer readable medium having a computer program stored in the medium and causing, when executed by a computer, the computer to perform processes comprising:

• reading, from a database, structure information on a travel network including a plurality of travel paths and a plurality of reference regions connecting the plurality of paths, the structure information of the travel network including graph data which includes nodes corresponding to the reference regions and links corresponding to the travel paths;
• dividing the travel network into a plurality of areas each containing two or more of the reference regions based on the structure information;
• determining a representative region in each area, representative regions in adjacent areas being connected to each other via the travel path;
• dividing each of the areas into a plurality of subareas, a sub-representative region among the reference regions included in each of the subareas being connected to a sub-representative region of other subarea via the travel path, the representative region corresponding to the sub representative region of the sub-area containing the representative region;
• generating a first virtual travel network including representative subnodes corresponding to the sub-representative regions and first links connecting between representative subnodes of sub-representative regions in each area and between representative subnodes of sub-representative regions in different areas;
• acquiring move command information that instructs the mobile object to travel from a first reference region to a second reference region, specify a first sub-area including the first reference region and a second sub-area including the second reference regions, and generate virtual move command information which instructs to travel from a sub-representative region of the first sub-area to a sub-representative region of the second sub-area on the first virtual travel network;
• generating a second schedule on the first virtual travel network, which includes sub-representative regions of passing through for moving from the sub-representative of the first sub-area to the sub-representative region of the second sub-area and includes times of passing through the sub-representative regions, based on the virtual move command information;
• generating a first schedule on the travel network, which includes reference regions of passing through for moving from the first reference region of the first subarea to the sub-representative region of the first sub-area and includes times of passing through the reference regions, based on the second schedule and the move command information;
• controlling the mobile object to move from the first reference region to the subrepresentative region of the first sub-area based on the first schedule and after detecting that the mobile object arrives at the sub-representative region of the first subarea, control the mobile object to move from the sub-representative region of the first subarea to the sub-representative region of the second sub-area based on the second schedule;
• identifying the second sub-area as a sub-area that includes the reference area specified by the move command information according to an execution status of the second schedule, and based on the second schedule, generates a third schedule which includes reference regions of passing through for moving from the sub-representative region of the second sub-area to the second reference region in the second sub-area and includes times of passing through the reference regions;
• controlling the mobile object to move from the sub-representative region of the second sub-area to the second reference region based on the third schedule after detecting that the mobile object arrives at the sub-representative region of the second sub-area;
• and
• updating the second schedule according to an execution status of the first schedule or updates the third schedule according to an execution status of the second schedule.