US 11,796,329 B2
Information processing apparatus, information processing method, and non-transitory storage medium
Yusuke Kaneko, Toyota (JP); Junya Masui, Nagoya (JP); Yui Nakamura, Nagoya (JP); Ai Fujimura, Nisshin (JP); Keisuke Tsujimoto, Toyota (JP); and Tomoyuki Kuriyama, Hadano (JP)
Assigned to TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA, Toyota (JP)
Filed by TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA, Toyota (JP)
Filed on Aug. 6, 2019, as Appl. No. 16/532,582.
Claims priority of application No. 2018-149257 (JP), filed on Aug. 8, 2018.
Prior Publication US 2020/0049520 A1, Feb. 13, 2020
Int. Cl. G01C 21/34 (2006.01); G01C 21/36 (2006.01); G05D 1/02 (2020.01)
CPC G01C 21/3438 (2013.01) [G01C 21/3476 (2013.01); G01C 21/3626 (2013.01); G05D 1/0212 (2013.01); G05D 1/0287 (2013.01)] 16 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. An information processing apparatus comprising a controller including at least one processor configured to perform:
acquiring a request that a first vehicle join up with one vehicle of a plurality of vehicles;
determining a respective joining factor related to joining up with the first vehicle for each of the plurality of vehicles, the joining factor being determined based on route information that includes a travel route for the first vehicle and a respective current location of each of the plurality of vehicles different from the first vehicle;
determining and selecting (i) a second vehicle that is to join up with the first vehicle from the plurality of vehicles and (ii) a joining location where the first vehicle and the second vehicle join each other at an intermediate location along the travel route, such that the determined joining factor of the second vehicle to travel to the joining location satisfies a prescribed condition; and
transmitting, to the determined second vehicle, at least the joining location, the travel route of the first vehicle from the joining location to a place of arrival for the first vehicle, and route guidance information to direct the second vehicle to the joining location to join up with the first vehicle and to direct the second vehicle to continue traveling along the travel route of the first vehicle after arriving at the joining location to the place of arrival for the first vehicle,
wherein the joining factor is a travel cost indicating a difficulty of travel such that a higher joining factor corresponds to a higher difficulty of joining, and the joining factor is based on at least: (i) a travel time period, (ii) a travel distance, and (iii) a weighting factor that increases based on number of occupants of the vehicle.