Vehicle Dispatch Management and Control Device, Vehicle Dispatch Management Device, System, Method, and Recording Medium

Abstract

The present invention enables a customer to select whether to issue a vehicle dispatch order or to move on foot to a waiting location. The vehicle dispatch management control device (20) includes: a vehicle information acquisition unit (34) that acquires vehicle information including the position information of a plurality of vehicles; an order information acquisition unit (31) that acquires order information including the position information of a customer terminal that has issued a vehicle dispatch order; a candidate vehicle retrieval unit (41) that retrieves, from among the plurality of vehicles, candidate vehicles that match the conditions of the order information based on the vehicle information; a waiting location information acquisition unit (33) that acquires waiting location information including the position information of a plurality of waiting locations where vehicles wait; and a vehicle dispatch waiting location information notification unit (51) that notifies the customer terminal of vehicle dispatch reservation information including the time required for a candidate vehicle to reach the customer terminal and neighboring waiting location information including the position information of the waiting locations.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a vehicle dispatch management control device, a vehicle dispatch management device, a vehicle dispatch management system, a vehicle dispatch management method, and a program. Background Art

[0002] There is known a vehicle dispatch management system that allocates a vehicle traveling near a customer to a location where the customer is waiting by acquiring and monitoring the position information and status information of commercial vehicles such as taxis equipped with a GPS (Global Positioning System) and a communication device (for example, refer to Patent Document 1).

[0003] Prior Art Documents

[0004] Patent Documents

[0005] Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2002-190096. Summary of the Invention

[0006] In a case where a customer places an order for dispatching a vehicle to their current location through a vehicle dispatch application or the like, the vehicle dispatch management system retrieves a vehicle from near the customer's current location and dispatches the vehicle to pick up the customer. However, some customers may also move on foot to a waiting place such as a vehicle dispatch center or a taxi stand, thereby saving the pick-up cost.

[0007] In view of the above circumstances, the present embodiment has been completed, and an object thereof is to provide a vehicle dispatch management control device, a vehicle dispatch management device, a vehicle dispatch management system, a vehicle dispatch management method, and a program that enable a customer to select whether to place a vehicle dispatch order or move on foot to a waiting place.

[0008] Means for Solving the Problem

[0009] In order to achieve the above object, a vehicle dispatch management control device according to one aspect of the present embodiment includes: a vehicle information acquisition unit that acquires vehicle information including the position information of a plurality of vehicles; an order information acquisition unit that acquires order information including the position information of a customer terminal that has placed a vehicle dispatch order; a candidate vehicle retrieval unit that retrieves candidate vehicles that match the conditions of the order information from the plurality of vehicles based on the vehicle information; a waiting place information acquisition unit that acquires waiting place information including the position information of a plurality of waiting places where vehicles wait; and a vehicle dispatch waiting place information notification unit that notifies the customer terminal of vehicle dispatch reservation information and adjacent waiting place information, the vehicle dispatch reservation information including the time required for the candidate vehicle to reach the customer terminal, and the adjacent waiting place information including the position information of the waiting place.

[0010] To achieve the above object, a vehicle dispatch management device according to one aspect of the present embodiment includes: a vehicle dispatch management control device; and a communication unit that communicates with a plurality of customer terminals that issue vehicle dispatch orders, the plurality of vehicles, and the plurality of waiting places.

[0011] To achieve the above object, a vehicle dispatch management system according to one aspect of the present embodiment includes: a vehicle dispatch management device, the plurality of customer terminals, the plurality of vehicles equipped with in-vehicle devices, and the plurality of waiting places having monitoring devices.

[0012] To achieve the above object, a vehicle dispatch management method according to one aspect of the present embodiment includes: a vehicle information acquisition step of acquiring vehicle information including the location information of a plurality of vehicles; an order information acquisition step of acquiring order information including the location information of a customer terminal that has issued a vehicle dispatch order; a candidate vehicle retrieval step of retrieving candidate vehicles that match the conditions of the order information from the plurality of vehicles based on the vehicle information; a waiting place information acquisition step of acquiring waiting place information including the location information of a plurality of waiting places where the vehicles wait; and a vehicle dispatch waiting place information notification step of notifying the customer terminal of the time required for the candidate vehicle to reach the customer terminal and the location information of the waiting place.

[0013] To achieve the above object, a program according to one aspect of the present embodiment causes a computer to execute the following steps: a vehicle information acquisition step of acquiring vehicle information including the location information of a plurality of vehicles; an order information acquisition step of acquiring order information including the location information of a customer terminal that has issued a vehicle dispatch order; a candidate vehicle retrieval step of retrieving candidate vehicles that match the conditions of the order information from the plurality of vehicles based on the vehicle information; a waiting place information acquisition step of acquiring waiting place information including the location information of a plurality of waiting places where the vehicles wait; and a vehicle dispatch waiting place information notification step of notifying the customer terminal of the time required for the candidate vehicle to reach the customer terminal and the location information of the waiting place.

[0014] According to the present embodiment, it is possible to enable a customer to choose whether to place a vehicle dispatch order or move on foot to the waiting place. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0015] Figure 1 is a block diagram showing an example of a vehicle dispatch management system in the embodiment.

[0016] Figure 2 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a vehicle dispatch management device in the embodiment.

[0017] Figure 3 is a diagram showing an example of waiting place information in the embodiment.

[0018] Figure 4 This is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of an in-vehicle device in an embodiment.

[0019] Figure 5 This is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a monitoring device in an embodiment.

[0020] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram showing an example of the positional relationship between the vehicle dispatch location, the vehicle, and the waiting place.

[0021] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram showing an example of a customer terminal in an embodiment.

[0022] Figure 8 This is a flowchart showing an example of the processing of a vehicle dispatch management control device in an embodiment. Detailed Embodiment

[0023] Hereinafter, the embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In addition, the present invention is not limited to this embodiment, and in the case of multiple embodiments, embodiments constituted by combining each embodiment are also included.

[0024] (Embodiment)

[0025] [Configuration of the System]

[0026] Use Figure 1 , the vehicle dispatch management system 1 in the embodiment will be described. Figure 1 This is a block diagram showing an example of a vehicle dispatch management system in an embodiment. The vehicle dispatch management system 1 is a system for dispatching vehicles based on the vehicle dispatch orders of the principal. The vehicle dispatch management system 1 includes a plurality of customer terminals 100, a plurality of vehicles 200, a plurality of waiting places 300, and a vehicle dispatch management device 10.

[0027] In an embodiment, the multiple customer terminals 100 include customer terminals 101, 102, 103, 104, 105. The customer terminals 101, 102, 103, 104, 105 are, for example, smartphones or the like carried by a principal and equipped with a car-hailing application. The customer terminals 101, 102, 103, 104, 105 can communicate with the car-hailing management device 10 via a communication network such as the Internet or a mobile phone line. The communication network is, for example, LTE (Long Term Evolution). In the following description, when it is not necessary to distinguish the customer terminals 101, 102, 103, 104, 105 separately, they are referred to as the customer terminal 100. The customer terminal 100 can monitor the status of the multiple vehicles 200 and the multiple waiting places 300 via the car-hailing management device 10. The customer terminal 100 can issue a car-hailing order to the car-hailing management device 10. The customer terminal 100 can receive information about the car-hailing vehicle from the car-hailing management device 10.

[0028] In an embodiment, the multiple vehicles 200 include vehicles 201, 202, 203, 204, 205. The vehicles 201, 202, 203, 204, 205 are, for example, commercial vehicles such as taxis targeted at an unspecified number of passengers. The vehicles 201, 202, 203, 204, 205 are respectively equipped with in-vehicle devices 210. In the following description, when it is not necessary to distinguish the vehicles 201, 202, 203, 204, 205 separately, they are referred to as the vehicle 200.

[0029] The in-vehicle device 210 can communicate with the car-hailing management device 10 via a communication network such as the Internet or a mobile phone line. The communication network is, for example, LTE. The in-vehicle device 210 notifies the car-hailing management device 10 of the vehicle position information indicating the current location of the vehicle 200, the vehicle mode information indicating the current mode of the vehicle 200, and the current waiting status information of the vehicle 200. The vehicle mode includes, for example, operating modes such as an empty-car mode, a passenger-carrying mode, a payment mode, a pick-up mode, and a return mode. The waiting status information indicates whether the vehicle 200 is waiting in a waiting place 300 such as a car-hailing center or a taxi pick-up location, and the order in the waiting place 300. The in-vehicle device 210 can receive a car-hailing instruction and order information from the car-hailing management device 10. The in-vehicle device 210 can send a response to whether the car-hailing order can be accepted to the car-hailing management device 10.

[0030] In an embodiment, the multiple waiting areas 300 include waiting areas 301, 302, and 303. The waiting areas 301, 302, and 303 are, for example, multiple places such as a vehicle dispatch center or a taxi pick-up area where multiple vehicles 200 wait for customers or vehicle dispatch orders. The waiting areas 301, 302, and 303 are respectively provided with monitoring devices 310. In the following description, when it is not necessary to distinguish the waiting areas 301, 302, and 303 separately, they are referred to as the waiting area 300.

[0031] The monitoring device 310 can communicate with the vehicle dispatch management device 10 via a communication network such as the Internet or a mobile phone line respectively. The communication network is, for example, LTE or the like. The monitoring device 310 notifies the vehicle dispatch management device 10 of the waiting number information of the people queuing in the waiting area 300. The monitoring device 310 may also send the shooting data of the waiting area 300 for detecting the waiting number of people queuing in the waiting area 300 to the vehicle dispatch management device 10.

[0032] The vehicle dispatch management device 10 is a server computer that can communicate with multiple customer terminals 100, in-vehicle devices 210 of multiple vehicles 200, and monitoring devices 310 of multiple waiting areas 300 via a communication network such as the Internet or a mobile phone line respectively. The communication network is, for example, LTE or the like. The vehicle dispatch management device 10 can monitor the vehicle position information indicating the current location of the vehicle 200, the vehicle mode information indicating the current mode of the vehicle 200, and the status of the vehicle 200 including the current waiting status information of the vehicle 200. The vehicle dispatch management device 10 can monitor the waiting number information of the waiting area 300. The vehicle dispatch management device 10 selects the vehicle 200 for dispatch based on the vehicle dispatch order from the customer terminal 100. The vehicle dispatch management device 10 gives a dispatch instruction to the vehicle 200 determined as the dispatched vehicle. The vehicle dispatch management device 10 sends the information of the dispatched vehicle to the customer terminal 100.

[0033] [Configuration of Vehicle Dispatch Management Device]

[0034] Use Figure 2 , the detailed configuration of the vehicle dispatch management device 10 will be described. Figure 2 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of the vehicle dispatch management device in the embodiment. The vehicle dispatch management device 10 includes a communication unit 11, a map information storage unit 12, a waiting area information storage unit 13, a vehicle information storage unit 14, a waiting number information storage unit 15, and a vehicle dispatch management control device 20.

[0035] The communication unit 11 is a communication module. The communication unit 11 communicates with a plurality of customer terminals 100 and a plurality of vehicles 200. For example, the communication unit 11 receives order information such as a vehicle dispatch order from the customer terminal 100. The order information at least includes location information of the vehicle dispatch location. In the embodiment, the vehicle dispatch location is the current location of the customer terminal 100. The order information may also include additional conditions set by the customer terminal 100, for example. The additional conditions include, for example, a maximum waiting time, a maximum pick-up distance, the height and color of the vehicle, the number of passengers, or whether a pet can accompany, etc. The communication unit 11, for example, sends vehicle dispatch reservation information, adjacent waiting place information, the number of vehicles information and the number of waiting people information at the waiting place 300 to the customer terminal 100. The communication unit 11, for example, receives a vehicle dispatch request from the customer terminal 100. The communication unit 11, for example, sends a vehicle dispatch instruction notice for commissioning the acceptance of a vehicle dispatch order to the vehicle 200. The communication unit 11, for example, receives response information on whether the vehicle 200 can accept the vehicle dispatch order from the vehicle 200. The communication unit 11, for example, sends detailed information of the order information to the vehicle 200. The communication unit 11, for example, sends vehicle dispatch information including information of the vehicle 200 for vehicle dispatch or non-acceptance information indicating that vehicle dispatch cannot be performed based on the set conditions to the customer terminal 100. Information of the vehicle 200 for vehicle dispatch includes, for example, the name of the driver, the license plate number, and the scheduled arrival time at the vehicle dispatch location, etc. The communication unit 11 performs various communications based on a control signal output from the communication control unit 21 of the vehicle dispatch management control device 20.

[0036] The map information storage unit 12 stores map information. The map information is, for example, a road map including intersections. The map information storage unit 12 outputs the stored map information to the map information acquisition unit 32 of the vehicle dispatch management control device 20. The map information storage unit 12 may also be a storage device such as an external server different from the vehicle dispatch management device 10. When the map information storage unit 12 is a storage device such as an external server, the map information storage unit 12 outputs the map information to the map information acquisition unit 32 via the communication functions of the communication control unit 21 and the communication unit 11, etc.

[0037] The waiting place information storage unit 13 stores waiting place information. As Figure 3 shown, the waiting place information includes location information of the waiting place 300 such as a vehicle dispatch center or a taxi pick-up place where the vehicle 200 waits. The location information of the waiting place 300 includes, for example, longitude information and latitude information. The waiting place information may also include information such as a waiting place name, the number of available waiting spaces, or an exit flag, etc. The exit flag is a flag indicating whether a vehicle 200 other than the leading vehicle in the vehicles 200 queuing at the waiting place 300 can exit.

[0038] The vehicle information storage unit 14 stores vehicle information sent from the vehicle 200. The vehicle information at least includes waiting status information indicating the waiting status of multiple vehicles 200 in the waiting place 300 and location information. The vehicle information may also include, for example, the vehicle status information of multiple vehicles 200. The vehicle status information includes, for example, information on the operation modes of the vehicle 200 such as the empty vehicle mode, the passenger-carrying mode, the payment mode, the greeting mode, and the return mode. The vehicle information storage unit 14 outputs the stored vehicle information to the vehicle information acquisition unit 34 of the vehicle dispatch management control device 20. The vehicle information storage unit 14 may be an internal memory included in the vehicle dispatch management control device 20. The vehicle information storage unit 14 may also be a storage device such as an external server different from the vehicle dispatch management device 10. When the vehicle information storage unit 14 is a storage device such as an external server, the vehicle information storage unit 14 outputs the vehicle information to the vehicle information acquisition unit 34 via communication functions such as the communication control unit 21 and the communication unit 11.

[0039] The waiting number information storage unit 15 stores waiting number information on the number of people queuing in the waiting place 300. The waiting number is measured based on the shooting data captured by the shooting unit 311 of the monitoring device 310 in the waiting place 300.

[0040] The vehicle dispatch management control device 20 is, for example, an arithmetic processing device (control device) composed of a CPU (Central Processing Unit). The vehicle dispatch management control device 20 loads the stored program into the memory and executes the commands included in the program. An internal memory (not shown) is included in the vehicle dispatch management control device 20. The internal memory stores programs for implementing each part of the vehicle dispatch management control device 20. In this case, the vehicle dispatch management control device 20 realizes the functions of each part by expanding and executing the programs stored in the internal memory and the like. In addition, the internal memory is also used for temporarily storing data in the vehicle dispatch management control device 20. The vehicle dispatch management control device 20 has a communication control unit 21, an order information acquisition unit 31, a map information acquisition unit 32, a waiting place information acquisition unit 33, a vehicle information acquisition unit 34, a waiting number information acquisition unit 35, a candidate vehicle search unit 41, a first candidate vehicle selection unit 42, a waiting number information acquisition unit 43, a required time calculation unit 44, a vehicle dispatch waiting place information notification unit 51, a response acquisition unit 52, a vehicle dispatch instruction notification unit 61, an acceptance availability acquisition unit 62, an order information notification unit 71, and a vehicle dispatch information notification unit 72 connected by a bus BS.

[0041] The communication control unit 21 controls the communication in the communication unit 11. For example, the communication control unit 21 acquires communication information output from the vehicle dispatch waiting location information notification unit 51, the vehicle dispatch instruction notification unit 61, the order information notification unit 71, the vehicle dispatch information notification unit 72, etc. The communication control unit 21 outputs the acquired communication information to the communication unit 11. For example, the communication control unit 21 outputs various information received by the communication unit 11 to the order information acquisition unit 31, the vehicle information acquisition unit 34, the waiting number information acquisition unit 35, the response acquisition unit 52, the order acceptance availability acquisition unit 62, etc. For example, the communication control unit 21 outputs the order information of the vehicle dispatch order received by the communication unit 11 from the customer terminal 100 to the order information acquisition unit 31. For example, the communication control unit 21 outputs the vehicle information received by the communication unit 11 from the vehicle 200 to the vehicle information acquisition unit 34. For example, the communication control unit 21 outputs the waiting number information received by the communication unit 11 from the vehicle 200 to the waiting number information acquisition unit 35. For example, the communication control unit 21 acquires from the vehicle dispatch waiting location information notification unit 51 the communication information for notifying the customer terminal 100 of the vehicle dispatch reservation information, the adjacent waiting location information, the number of waiting platforms at the waiting location 300, and the waiting number information. For example, the communication control unit 21 acquires from the response acquisition unit 52 the response information as to whether to request vehicle dispatch received by the communication unit 11 from the customer terminal 100. For example, the communication control unit 21 acquires from the vehicle dispatch instruction notification unit 61 the communication information for notifying the vehicle 200 of the vehicle dispatch instruction for commissioning the acceptance of the vehicle dispatch order. For example, the communication control unit 21 outputs the response information as to whether the vehicle 200 can accept the vehicle dispatch order received by the communication unit 11 to the order acceptance availability acquisition unit 62. For example, the communication control unit 21 acquires from the order information notification unit 71 the order information for notifying the vehicle 200 of the details of the order information. For example, the communication control unit 21 acquires from the vehicle dispatch information notification unit 72 the communication information for notifying the customer terminal 100 of the vehicle dispatch information, where the vehicle dispatch information includes information on the vehicle 200 to be dispatched or the non-acceptance information indicating that vehicle dispatch cannot be performed based on the set conditions.

[0042] The order information acquisition unit 31 acquires the order information of the vehicle dispatch order received by the communication unit 11 from the customer terminal 100. The order information acquisition unit 31 outputs the acquired order information to the map information acquisition unit 32, the waiting location information acquisition unit 33, the candidate vehicle search unit 41, the first candidate vehicle selection unit 42, the required time calculation unit 44, the vehicle dispatch instruction notification unit 61, and the order information notification unit 71.

[0043] The map information acquisition unit 32 acquires map information from the map information storage unit 12. More specifically, the map information acquisition unit 32 acquires map information around the vehicle dispatch location from the map information storage unit 12 based on the location information of the vehicle dispatch location acquired by the order information acquisition unit 31. The area around the vehicle dispatch location is a specified range starting from the vehicle dispatch location. The specified range is, for example, a range based on the straight-line distance, route, or required time from the candidate vehicle to the vehicle dispatch location. The map information acquisition unit 32 outputs the acquired map information to the waiting location information acquisition unit 33, the vehicle information acquisition unit 34, the candidate vehicle retrieval unit 41, and the required time calculation unit 44.

[0044] The waiting location information acquisition unit 33 acquires waiting location information including the location information of the waiting location 300 from the waiting location information storage unit 13. More specifically, the waiting location information acquisition unit 33 acquires the waiting location information of the waiting location 300 around the vehicle dispatch location from the waiting location information storage unit 13 based on the location information of the vehicle dispatch location acquired by the order information acquisition unit 31. The waiting location information acquisition unit 33 outputs the acquired waiting location information to the waiting number information acquisition unit 35, the waiting platform number information acquisition unit 43, and the required time calculation unit 44.

[0045] The vehicle information acquisition unit 34 acquires vehicle information from the vehicle information storage unit 14. The vehicle information at least includes waiting status information indicating the waiting status of the vehicle 200 around the vehicle dispatch location at the waiting location 300 and location information. The vehicle information acquisition unit 34 may also directly acquire the vehicle information received by the communication unit 11 from the vehicle 200 from the communication control unit 21. The vehicle information acquisition unit 34 outputs the acquired vehicle information to the candidate vehicle retrieval unit 41, the first candidate vehicle selection unit 42, the waiting platform number information acquisition unit 43, and the required time calculation unit 44.

[0046] The waiting number information acquisition unit 35 acquires waiting number information on the number of people queuing at the waiting location 300 from the waiting number information storage unit 15. The waiting number information at least includes the waiting number information of the waiting location 300 around the vehicle dispatch location. The waiting number information acquisition unit 35 outputs the acquired waiting number information to the vehicle dispatch waiting location information notification unit 51.

[0047] The candidate vehicle retrieval unit 41 retrieves candidate vehicles that match the conditions of the order information from multiple vehicles 200. More specifically, the candidate vehicle retrieval unit 41 retrieves candidate vehicles based on the order information obtained by the order information acquisition unit 31, the map information obtained by the map information acquisition unit 32, and the vehicle information of the multiple vehicles 200 obtained by the vehicle information acquisition unit 34. The conditions of the order information at least include being located within a specified range starting from the vehicle dispatch position. The conditions of the order information may also include additional conditions set by the customer terminal 100. The candidate vehicle retrieval unit 41 outputs the information of the retrieved candidate vehicles to the first candidate vehicle selection unit 42, the waiting number information acquisition unit 43, the required time calculation unit 44, and the vehicle dispatch information notification unit 72.

[0048] The first candidate vehicle selection unit 42 selects one first candidate vehicle from multiple candidate vehicles according to specified conditions. More specifically, the first candidate vehicle selection unit 42 selects one first candidate vehicle from the multiple candidate vehicles retrieved by the candidate vehicle retrieval unit 41 based on the position information of the vehicle dispatch position obtained by the order information acquisition unit 31 and the vehicle information obtained by the vehicle information acquisition unit 34. The first candidate vehicle is selected based on the straight-line distance, route, or required time to the vehicle dispatch position, etc. The first candidate vehicle is, for example, the vehicle closest to the vehicle dispatch position. The first candidate vehicle selection unit 42 outputs the information of the selected first candidate vehicle to the required time calculation unit 44, the vehicle dispatch instruction notification unit 61, the order information notification unit 71, and the vehicle dispatch information notification unit 72.

[0049] The waiting number information acquisition unit 43 acquires waiting number information indicating the number of candidate vehicles waiting at the waiting location 300. More specifically, the waiting number information acquisition unit 43 may acquire the waiting number information based on the waiting location information obtained by the waiting location information acquisition unit 33 and the waiting status information of the vehicles 200 obtained by the vehicle information acquisition unit 34. The waiting number information acquisition unit 43 may also acquire the waiting number information based on the waiting status information of the candidate vehicles retrieved by the candidate vehicle retrieval unit 41. The waiting number information acquisition unit 43 outputs the acquired waiting number information to the vehicle dispatch waiting location information notification unit 51.

[0050] The required time calculation unit 44 calculates the required time to the pick-up location of the candidate vehicle. More specifically, the required time calculation unit 44 calculates the required time from the candidate vehicle retrieved by the candidate vehicle retrieval unit 41 to the customer terminal 100 based on the order information acquired by the order information acquisition unit 31, the map information acquired by the map information acquisition unit 32, and the vehicle information of the plurality of vehicles 200 acquired by the vehicle information acquisition unit 34. The required time calculation unit 44 calculates the required time generated by the walking movement from the customer terminal 100 to the waiting place 300. More specifically, the required time calculation unit 44 calculates the required time for the walking movement from the customer terminal 100 to the waiting place 300 based on the order information acquired by the order information acquisition unit 31, the map information acquired by the map information acquisition unit 32, and the waiting place information acquired by the waiting place information acquisition unit 33. The required time calculation unit 44 outputs each calculated required time to the pick-up waiting place information notification unit 51.

[0051] The pick-up waiting place information notification unit 51 notifies the customer terminal 100 of the pick-up reservation information and the adjacent waiting place information. The pick-up reservation information includes the waiting time until pick-up. The adjacent waiting place information includes the location information of the adjacent waiting place 300. In the embodiment, the adjacent waiting place information includes the required time to the waiting place 300. More specifically, the pick-up waiting place information notification unit 51 outputs communication information for notifying the pick-up reservation information and the adjacent waiting place information to the communication control unit 21. The waiting time until pick-up is the required time from the candidate vehicle to the customer terminal 100 calculated by the required time calculation unit 44. The required time to the adjacent waiting place 300 is the required time generated by the walking movement from the customer terminal 100 to the waiting place 300 calculated by the required time calculation unit 44. The pick-up waiting place information notification unit 51 may also notify the customer terminal 100 of the waiting number information indicating the number of candidate vehicles waiting at the waiting place 300. More specifically, the pick-up waiting place information notification unit 51 may also output communication information for notifying the waiting number information indicating the number of candidate vehicles waiting at the waiting place 300 acquired from the waiting number information acquisition unit 43 to the communication control unit 21. The pick-up waiting place information notification unit 51 may also notify the customer terminal 100 of the waiting number of people information indicating the number of people queuing at the waiting place 300. More specifically, the pick-up waiting place information notification unit 51 may also output communication information for notifying the waiting number of people information indicating the number of people queuing at the waiting place 300 acquired by the waiting number of people information acquisition unit 35 to the communication control unit 21.

[0052] The response acquisition unit 52 acquires response information on whether to request pick-up received by the communication unit 11 from the customer terminal 100. The response acquisition unit 52 outputs the acquired response information on whether to request pick-up to the pick-up instruction notification unit 61.

[0053] The vehicle dispatch instruction notification unit 61 notifies the first candidate vehicle of the vehicle dispatch instruction for the order acceptance entrustment of the vehicle dispatch order obtained by the order information acquisition unit 31. More specifically, when the response acquisition unit 52 acquires response information for a vehicle dispatch request, the vehicle dispatch instruction notification unit 61 outputs communication information for notifying the first candidate vehicle selected by the first candidate vehicle selection unit 42 of the vehicle dispatch instruction to the communication control unit 21. The vehicle dispatch instruction at least includes position information of the vehicle dispatch location.

[0054] The acceptance availability acquisition unit 62 acquires response information for whether the first candidate vehicle can accept the vehicle dispatch order received by the communication unit 11 from the first candidate vehicle. The acceptance availability acquisition unit 62 outputs the acquired response information for whether the vehicle dispatch order can be accepted to the order information notification unit 71 and the vehicle dispatch information notification unit 72.

[0055] The order information notification unit 71 notifies the dispatched vehicle of the details of the order information. More specifically, when the acceptance availability acquisition unit 62 obtains an answer that the first candidate vehicle can accept the order, the order information notification unit 71 uses the first candidate vehicle as the dispatched vehicle and outputs communication information for notifying the dispatched vehicle of the details of the order information to the communication control unit 21. The details of the order information may also include, for example, the name of the client who issued the vehicle dispatch order.

[0056] The vehicle dispatch information notification unit 72 notifies the client terminal 100 of the vehicle dispatch information. More specifically, when the acceptance availability acquisition unit 62 obtains an answer that the first candidate vehicle can accept the order, the vehicle dispatch information notification unit 72 uses the first candidate vehicle as the dispatched vehicle and outputs communication information to the communication control unit 21, and the notification information notifies the client terminal 100 of the vehicle dispatch information which is the information of the vehicle 200 as the dispatched vehicle. When no candidate vehicle is found by the candidate vehicle search unit 41, or when the acceptance availability acquisition unit 62 does not obtain an answer that it can accept the order, the vehicle dispatch information notification unit 72 outputs notification information to the communication control unit 21, and this notification information notifies the client terminal 100 of the non-acceptance information indicating that vehicle dispatch cannot be performed based on the set conditions.

[0057] [Configuration of In-Vehicle Device]

[0058] Use Figure 4 The detailed configuration of the in-vehicle device 210 will be described. Figure 4 It is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of the in-vehicle device in the embodiment. The in-vehicle device 210 includes an operation unit 211, a communication unit 212, a display unit 213, a reporting unit 214, a GPS reception unit 215, and a control unit 220.

[0059] The operation unit 211 can accept various operations on the control unit 220. For example, the operation unit 211 can accept an operation for setting the own vehicle mode of the vehicle 200. For example, the operation unit 211 can accept an operation for setting the waiting state of the vehicle 200. For example, the operation unit 211 can accept an operation for selecting whether to accept a dispatched vehicle order. The operation unit 211 outputs an operation signal corresponding to the accepted operation to the operation acceptance control unit 221 of the control unit 220. The operation unit 211 can be realized, for example, by a physical switch or a touch panel provided on the display unit 213.

[0060] The communication unit 212 is a communication unit. The communication unit 212 communicates with the dispatched vehicle management device 10. For example, the communication unit 212 receives a dispatch instruction notice for accepting a dispatched vehicle order, that is, a dispatch instruction, or detailed information of order information from the dispatched vehicle management device 10. For example, the communication unit 212 sends the own vehicle position information of the vehicle 200, the own vehicle mode information of the vehicle 200, the waiting state information of the vehicle 200, or a reply message regarding whether to accept a dispatched vehicle order to the dispatched vehicle management device 10. The communication unit 212 performs various communications based on a control signal output from the communication control unit 222 of the control unit 220.

[0061] The display unit 213 displays various images. For example, the display unit 213 displays the notice information of the dispatch instruction received by the communication unit 212 from the dispatched vehicle management device 10, or the detailed information of the order information. For example, the display unit 213 displays a selection screen for selecting whether to accept a dispatched vehicle order. For example, the display unit 213 displays the current own vehicle mode information set by the own vehicle mode setting unit 226. For example, the display unit 213 displays the current waiting state information set by the waiting state setting unit 227. The display unit 213 is, for example, a display device inherent to the in-vehicle device 210, or a display device shared with other systems including a navigation system. The display unit 213 is, for example, a display including a liquid crystal display (LCD) or an organic EL (Organic Electro-Luminescence) display. In the present embodiment, the display unit 213 is disposed on a front bulkhead, an instrument panel, a center console, etc. in front of the driver of the vehicle. The display unit 213 displays an image based on an image signal output from the display control unit 223 of the control unit 220.

[0062] The reporting unit 214 reports various information. The reporting unit 214 includes, for example, a display disposed in the display unit 213, a speaker that notifies predetermined reporting information by voice, and the like. The reporting unit 214 reports, for example, notification information of a vehicle dispatch instruction or detailed information of order information. The reporting unit 214 reports, for example, to the driver a reporting information urging selection of whether to accept a vehicle dispatch order. The reporting unit 214 reports, for example, vehicle mode setting information indicating that the vehicle mode has been set by the vehicle mode setting unit 226. The reporting unit 214 reports, for example, waiting state setting information indicating that the waiting state has been set by the waiting state setting unit 227. The reporting unit 214 reports the reporting information based on an image signal, a voice signal, etc. output from the reporting control unit 224 of the control unit 220.

[0063] The GPS receiving unit 215 receives radio waves from GPS satellites (not shown). The GPS receiving unit 215 includes a GPS receiving circuit, a GPS receiving antenna, and the like. The GPS receiving unit 215 outputs the signal of the received radio wave to the vehicle position information acquisition unit 225 of the control unit 220.

[0064] The control unit 220 is, for example, an arithmetic processing device (control device) composed of a CPU or the like. The control unit 220 loads the stored program into the memory and executes the commands included in the program. The control unit 220 includes an internal memory (not shown) and the like. The internal memory stores programs for implementing each part of the control unit 220. In this case, the control unit 220 realizes the functions of each part by expanding and executing the programs stored in the internal memory and the like. In addition, the internal memory is also used for temporary storage of data in the control unit 220. The control unit 220 has an operation acceptance control unit 221, a communication control unit 222, a display control unit 223, a reporting control unit 224, a vehicle position information acquisition unit 225, a vehicle mode setting unit 226, a waiting state setting unit 227, and a vehicle state information notification unit 228 connected by a bus BS.

[0065] The operation acceptance control unit 221 acquires operation information of an operation accepted by the operation unit 211. The operation acceptance control unit 221 acquires, for example, vehicle mode setting information indicating an operation for setting the vehicle mode of the vehicle 200 and outputs a control signal. The operation acceptance control unit 221 acquires, for example, waiting state setting information indicating an operation for setting the waiting state of the vehicle 200 and outputs a control signal. The operation acceptance control unit 221 acquires, for example, operation information indicating an answer to whether to accept an order, which indicates an operation for answering whether to accept a vehicle dispatch order, and outputs a control signal. The operation acceptance control unit 221 outputs the acquired control signal to the vehicle mode setting unit 226, the waiting state setting unit 227, and the communication control unit 222.

[0066] The communication control unit 222 controls the communication in the communication unit 212. For example, the communication control unit 222 obtains communication information output from the operation reception control unit 221, the own vehicle position information acquisition unit 225, the own vehicle status information notification unit 228, etc. The communication control unit 222 outputs the obtained communication information to the communication unit 212. The communication control unit 222 outputs various information received by the communication unit 212 to the display control unit 223, the report control unit 224, etc. For example, the communication control unit 222 obtains the own vehicle position information of the vehicle 200 from the own vehicle position information acquisition unit 225. For example, the communication control unit 222 obtains communication information for notifying the vehicle dispatch management device 10 of the own vehicle status information including the own vehicle mode information and the waiting status information of the vehicle 200 from the own vehicle status information notification unit 228. For example, the communication control unit 222 obtains response information regarding whether to accept a vehicle dispatch order from the operation reception control unit 221. For example, the communication control unit 222 outputs the vehicle dispatch instruction notification received by the communication unit 212, the details of the order information, etc. to the display control unit 223 or the report control unit 224, etc.

[0067] The display control unit 223 controls to display on the display unit 213 based on predetermined conditions and the obtained display information. For example, the display control unit 223 causes the display unit 213 to display notification information of the vehicle dispatch instruction received by the communication unit 212 from the vehicle dispatch management device 10, or detailed information of the order information. For example, the display control unit 223 causes the display unit 213 to display a selection screen for selecting whether to accept a vehicle dispatch order. For example, the display control unit 223 causes the display unit 213 to display the current own vehicle mode information set by the own vehicle mode setting unit 226. For example, the display control unit 223 causes the display unit 213 to display the current waiting status information set by the waiting status setting unit 227.

[0068] The report control unit 224 controls to report to the report unit 214 based on predetermined conditions and the obtained report information. For example, the report control unit 224 causes the report unit 214 to report notification information of the vehicle dispatch instruction received by the communication unit 212 from the vehicle dispatch management device 10, or detailed information of the order information. For example, the report control unit 224 causes the report unit 214 to report report information for urging the driver to select whether to accept a vehicle dispatch order. For example, the report control unit 224 causes the report unit 214 to report own vehicle mode setting information indicating that the own vehicle mode has been set by the own vehicle mode setting unit 226. For example, the report control unit 224 causes the report unit 214 to report waiting status setting information indicating that the waiting status has been set by the waiting status setting unit 227.

[0069] The vehicle position information acquisition unit 225 acquires vehicle position information indicating the current location of the vehicle 200. In the embodiment, the vehicle position information acquisition unit 225 acquires the vehicle position information of the vehicle 200 based on the radio wave signals acquired by the GPS reception unit 215. The vehicle position information acquisition unit 225 outputs the acquired vehicle position information to the communication control unit 222.

[0070] The vehicle mode setting unit 226 sets the vehicle mode to an empty vehicle mode, a passenger-carrying mode, a payment mode, a greeting mode, a return mode, etc. More specifically, the vehicle mode setting unit 226 sets the vehicle mode when it acquires an operation signal of a specified operation for setting the vehicle mode by the operation unit 211 from the operation acceptance control unit 221. The vehicle mode setting unit 226 outputs the set vehicle mode information to the display control unit 223, the report control unit 224, and the vehicle status information notification unit 228.

[0071] The waiting state setting unit 227 sets a waiting state or a non-waiting state indicating that it is waiting at a waiting place 300 such as a dispatch center or a taxi pick-up location. More specifically, the waiting state setting unit 227 sets the waiting state when it acquires an operation signal of a specified operation for setting the waiting state by the operation unit 211 from the operation acceptance control unit 221. For example, when the vehicle 200 queuing at the waiting place 300 is at the very end, the driver sets the status of the vehicle to the waiting state by performing a specified setting operation with the operation unit 211. The waiting state setting unit 227 outputs the set waiting state information to the display control unit 223, the report control unit 224, and the vehicle status information notification unit 228.

[0072] The vehicle status information notification unit 228 notifies the dispatch management device 10 of vehicle status information including the vehicle mode information and the waiting state information. More specifically, the vehicle status information notification unit 228 outputs communication information for notifying the vehicle status information to the communication control unit 222, and the vehicle status information includes the vehicle mode information acquired from the vehicle mode setting unit 226 and the waiting state information acquired from the waiting state setting unit 227.

[0073] [Configuration of the Monitoring Device]

[0074] Use Figure 5 To describe the detailed configuration of the monitoring device 310. Figure 5 Is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of the monitoring device in the embodiment. The monitoring device 310 includes a photographing unit 311, a communication unit 312, and a control unit 320.

[0075] The photographing unit 311 is a camera installed in the waiting area 300, which photographs the people queuing in the waiting area 300. The photographing unit 311 photographs photographing data that can at least detect the number of waiting people queuing in the waiting area 300. The photographing unit 311 outputs the photographed photographing data to the photographing data acquisition unit 321 of the control unit 320.

[0076] The communication unit 312 is a communication module. The communication unit 312 communicates with the vehicle dispatch management device 10. The communication unit 312, for example, sends the waiting number information of the number of people queuing in the waiting area 300 to the vehicle dispatch management device 10. The communication unit 312 performs various communications based on the control signal output from the communication control unit 322 of the control unit 320.

[0077] The control unit 320 is, for example, an arithmetic processing device (control device) composed of a CPU or the like. The control unit 320 loads the stored program into the memory and executes the commands included in the program. The control unit 320 includes an internal memory (not shown) and the like. The internal memory stores programs for implementing each part of the control unit 320. In this case, the control unit 320 realizes the functions of each part by expanding and executing the programs stored in the internal memory and the like. In addition, the internal memory is also used for temporary storage of data in the control unit 320. The control unit 220 has a photographing data acquisition unit 321, a communication control unit 322, a waiting number detection unit 323, and a waiting number notification unit 324 connected by a bus BS.

[0078] The photographing data acquisition unit 321 acquires the photographing data photographed by the photographing unit 311 from the photographing unit 311. The photographing data acquisition unit 321 acquires the photographing data of the people queuing in the waiting area 300. The photographing data acquisition unit 321 outputs the acquired photographing data to the waiting number detection unit 323.

[0079] The communication control unit 322 controls the communication in the communication unit 312. The communication control unit 222, for example, acquires the communication information output from the waiting number notification unit 324 and the like. The communication control unit 322 outputs the acquired communication information to the communication unit 312. The communication control unit 322, for example, acquires the waiting number information of the number of people queuing in the waiting area 300 from the waiting number notification unit 324. The communication control unit 322, for example, may also acquire the photographing data obtained by photographing the waiting area 300 from the photographing data acquisition unit 321.

[0080] The waiting number detection unit 323 detects the number of people waiting in line at the waiting area 300 from the captured data. The waiting number detection unit 323 detects the faces of the people queuing at the waiting area 300 from the captured data. The waiting number notification unit 324 can also perform image detection using artificial intelligence (AI: Artificial Intelligence). The waiting number detection unit 323 can also perform image processing for detecting the faces of people from the captured data. The image processing is, for example, binarization processing or filtering processing. The waiting number detection unit 323 outputs the detection data of the faces of the people to the waiting number notification unit 324.

[0081] The waiting number notification unit 324 notifies the vehicle dispatch management device 10 of the number of people waiting in line at the waiting area 300. More specifically, based on the detection data obtained from the waiting number detection unit 323, the waiting number notification unit 324 outputs communication information for notifying the waiting number information of the waiting people to the communication control unit 322.

[0082] [An example of the vehicle dispatch waiting area information notified to the customer terminal]

[0083] Use Figure 6 And Figure 7 , an example of the vehicle dispatch waiting area information notified to the customer terminal 100 will be described. Figure 6 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the positional relationship between the vehicle dispatch position, the vehicle, and the waiting area. Figure 7 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the customer terminal of the embodiment.

[0084] Figure 6 represents a map around the customer terminal 100. The map around the customer terminal 100 shows the position information of the customer terminal 100, a plurality of vehicles 200 that meet the setting conditions of the order information, and the waiting area 300. The map information around the customer terminal 100 is obtained by the map information acquisition unit 32 from the map information storage unit 12 based on the position information of the vehicle dispatch position obtained by the order information acquisition unit 31. The position information of the waiting area 300 is obtained by the waiting area information acquisition unit 33 from the waiting area information storage unit 13 based on the position information of the vehicle dispatch position obtained by the order information acquisition unit 31.

[0085] In Figure 6 And Figure 7 In the example shown, the vehicle dispatch management device 10 notifies the customer terminal 100 of the waiting time until vehicle dispatch, the required time to the nearest waiting area 300, and the number of waiting platforms of the vehicle 200 at the waiting area 300. The waiting time until vehicle dispatch is the required time to the customer terminal 100 of the candidate vehicle. The required time to the nearest waiting area 300 is based on the required time for walking from the customer terminal 100 to the waiting area 300.

[0086] In Figure 6 In the case of an example shown, the candidate vehicles as candidates for notifying a vehicle dispatch instruction are vehicles 201, 202, 203, 204, and 205. The candidate vehicles are retrieved from multiple vehicles 200 by a candidate vehicle retrieval unit 41 based on the order information obtained by an order information acquisition unit 31, the map information obtained by a map information acquisition unit 32, and the position information of vehicle 200 obtained by a vehicle information acquisition unit 34. A first candidate vehicle is selected from the vehicles 201, 202, 203, 204, and 205 as the multiple candidate vehicles. The first candidate vehicle is a candidate vehicle for which the vehicle dispatch management device 10 notifies a vehicle dispatch instruction when the customer terminal 100 notifies a vehicle dispatch request to the vehicle dispatch management device 10. The first candidate vehicle is selected by a first candidate vehicle selection unit 42 from the multiple candidate vehicles retrieved by the candidate vehicle retrieval unit 41. The first candidate vehicle is selected based on, for example, the straight-line distance, route, or required time to the vehicle dispatch position. The first candidate vehicle is, for example, the nearest vehicle to the vehicle dispatch position. The first candidate vehicle is vehicle 204 in the embodiment.

[0087] The waiting time until vehicle dispatch notified by the vehicle dispatch management device 10 to the customer terminal 100 is the required time for vehicle 204, which is the first candidate vehicle, to reach the customer terminal 100 calculated by a required time calculation unit 44. The required time calculation unit 44 calculates the required time for vehicle 204 to reach the customer terminal 100 based on the order information obtained by the order information acquisition unit 31, the map information obtained by the map information acquisition unit 32, and the vehicle information of the multiple vehicles 200 obtained by the vehicle information acquisition unit 34.

[0088] The required time for the vehicle dispatch management device 10 to notify the customer terminal 100 of reaching the adjacent waiting place 300 is the required time generated by the walking movement from the customer terminal 100 to the waiting place 300 calculated by the required time calculation unit 44. The required time calculation unit 44 calculates the required time generated by the walking movement from the customer terminal 100 to the waiting place 300 based on the order information obtained by the order information acquisition unit 31, the map information obtained by the map information acquisition unit 32, and the waiting place information obtained by a waiting place information acquisition unit 33.

[0089] The number of waiting vehicles 200 at the waiting place 300 notified by the vehicle dispatch management device 10 to the customer terminal 100 is obtained by a waiting number information acquisition unit 43. The waiting number information acquisition unit 43 may obtain the waiting number information based on the waiting place information obtained by the waiting place information acquisition unit 33 and the waiting state information of the vehicles 200 obtained by the vehicle information acquisition unit 34. The waiting number information acquisition unit 43 may also obtain the waiting number information based on the waiting state information of the candidate vehicles retrieved by the candidate vehicle retrieval unit 41.

[0090] In Figure 7 In the case of an example shown, the vehicle dispatch reservation information and the adjacent waiting information notified from the vehicle dispatch management device 10 are displayed on the application window 120 displayed on the display unit 110 of the customer terminal 100. The application window 120 includes a text information display area 121, a vehicle dispatch request button 122, and a vehicle dispatch interruption button 123. In the text information display area 121, the waiting time until vehicle dispatch, the required time to the adjacent waiting place 300, and the number of waiting vehicles 200 at the waiting place 300 are displayed. The customer operating the customer terminal 100 operates by selecting the vehicle dispatch request button 122 for making a vehicle dispatch request or the vehicle dispatch interruption button 123 for not making a vehicle dispatch request and walking to the waiting place 300 according to the respective information presented in the text information display area 121. When the customer terminal 100 detects an operation on the vehicle dispatch request button 122, it sends response information indicating that a vehicle dispatch request is made to the vehicle dispatch management device 10. The vehicle dispatch management device 10 determines the vehicle dispatch order of the customer terminal 100 by obtaining the response information indicating a vehicle dispatch request from the customer terminal 100. Thereby, the vehicle dispatch management device 10 notifies the first candidate vehicle of a vehicle dispatch instruction. When the customer terminal 100 detects an operation on the vehicle dispatch interruption button 123, it sends response information indicating that no vehicle dispatch is requested to the vehicle dispatch management device 10. The vehicle dispatch management device 10 cancels the vehicle dispatch order of the customer terminal 100 by obtaining the response information indicating that no vehicle dispatch is requested from the customer terminal 100.

[0091] The vehicle dispatch management device 10 may also notify the customer terminal 100 of waiting number information indicating the number of waiting people queuing at the waiting place 300. In Figure 7 In the case of an example shown, the waiting number information is displayed in the text information display area 121. By comparing the number of waiting vehicles and the number of waiting people, the customer can grasp the congestion status of the waiting place 300.

[0092] [Processing of Vehicle Dispatch Management Device]

[0093] Use Figure 8 to explain the process of the processing performed by the vehicle dispatch management control device 20 of the vehicle dispatch management device 10. Figure 8 is a flowchart showing an example of the processing of the vehicle dispatch management control device in the embodiment. In Figure 8 In the processing shown, the vehicle dispatch management control device 20 executes based on a preset control program and data. The vehicle dispatch management control device 20, for example, receives a vehicle dispatch order from the customer terminal 100 and transfers to Figure 8Perform the step S400 shown and start processing. In an embodiment, the vehicle dispatch order includes conditions set by the customer terminal 100. The conditions include a specified range for retrieving candidate vehicles from the vehicle 200. In an embodiment, the conditions are set according to the setting conditions set by the principal through the customer terminal 100.

[0094] The vehicle dispatch management control device 20 acquires order information including vehicle dispatch location information, map information around the vehicle dispatch location, and waiting place information (step S400). More specifically, the order information acquisition unit 31 acquires the order information of the vehicle dispatch order received by the communication unit 11 from the customer terminal 100. The order information includes at least the location information of the vehicle dispatch location. In an embodiment, the vehicle dispatch location is the location of the customer terminal 100. The map information acquisition unit 32 acquires the map information around the vehicle dispatch location from the map information storage unit 12 based on the location information of the vehicle dispatch location acquired by the order information acquisition unit 31. The waiting place information acquisition unit 33 acquires the location information of the waiting place 300 around the vehicle dispatch location from the waiting place information storage unit 13 based on the location information of the vehicle dispatch location acquired by the order information acquisition unit 31. The vehicle dispatch management control device 20 proceeds to step S402.

[0095] The vehicle dispatch management control device 20 acquires vehicle information including the location information of the vehicle 200 (step S402). More specifically, the vehicle information acquisition unit 34 acquires the vehicle information including the location information of the vehicle 200 around the vehicle dispatch location from the vehicle information storage unit 14. The vehicle dispatch management control device 20 proceeds to step S404.

[0096] The vehicle dispatch management control device 20 retrieves candidate vehicles that match the setting conditions of the order information based on the vehicle dispatch location information, the map information, and the vehicle information (step S404). More specifically, the candidate vehicle retrieval unit 41 retrieves candidate vehicles from the vehicle 200 based on the order information acquired by the order information acquisition unit 31, the map information acquired by the map information acquisition unit 32, and the location information of the multiple vehicles 200 acquired by the vehicle information acquisition unit 34. In Figure 6 In the case of an example shown, the candidate vehicles are vehicles 201, 202, 203, 204, 205. The vehicle dispatch management control device 20 proceeds to step S406.

[0097] The vehicle dispatch management control device 20 determines whether one or more candidate vehicles have been found (step S406). More specifically, the vehicle dispatch management control device 20 determines whether the candidate vehicle retrieval unit 41 has found a vehicle 200 that matches the setting conditions of the order information among the vehicles 200 around the vehicle dispatch location as a candidate vehicle. If one or more candidate vehicles have been found (step S406: Yes), the vehicle dispatch management control device 20 proceeds to step S408. If no candidate vehicle has been found (step S406: No), the vehicle dispatch management control device 20 proceeds to step S440.

[0098] If one or more candidate vehicles have been found (step S406; Yes), the vehicle dispatch management control device 20 selects a first candidate vehicle from the candidate vehicles according to specified conditions (step S408). More specifically, the first candidate vehicle selection unit 42 selects one first candidate vehicle from the candidate vehicles retrieved by the candidate vehicle retrieval unit 41 based on the location information of the vehicle dispatch location obtained by the order information acquisition unit 31 and the vehicle information obtained by the vehicle information acquisition unit 34. The first candidate vehicle is, for example, the vehicle closest to the vehicle dispatch location. In Figure 6 the case of the example shown, the closest vehicle is vehicle 204. The vehicle dispatch management control device 20 proceeds to step S410.

[0099] The vehicle dispatch management control device 20 calculates the required time to the vehicle dispatch location of the candidate vehicle (step S410). More specifically, the required time calculation unit 44 calculates the required time from the candidate vehicle retrieved by the candidate vehicle retrieval unit 41 to the customer terminal 100 based on the order information obtained by the order information acquisition unit 31, the map information obtained by the map information acquisition unit 32, and the vehicle information of the multiple vehicles 200 obtained by the vehicle information acquisition unit 34. In Figure 7 the example shown, the required time for the candidate vehicle to reach the customer terminal 100 is 5 minutes. The vehicle dispatch management control device 20 proceeds to step S412.

[0100] The vehicle dispatch management control device 20 determines whether one or more waiting places 300 have been found (step S412). More specifically, the vehicle dispatch management control device 20 determines whether the number of waiting places 300 within a specified range from the customer terminal 100 among the waiting places 300 obtained by the waiting place information acquisition unit 33 from the waiting place information storage unit 13 is one or more. If the vehicle dispatch management control device 20 has found one or more waiting places 300 (step S412: Yes), it proceeds to step S414. If the vehicle dispatch management control device 20 has not found any waiting place 300 (step S412: No), it proceeds to step S422.

[0101] When more than one waiting place 300 is found (step S412: Yes), the vehicle dispatch management control device 20 acquires waiting number information indicating the number of candidate vehicles waiting at the waiting place 300 (step S414). More specifically, the waiting number information acquisition unit 43 acquires the waiting number information based on the waiting place information acquired by the waiting place information acquisition unit 33 and the waiting status information of the vehicle 200 acquired by the vehicle information acquisition unit 34. The vehicle dispatch management control device 20 proceeds to step S416.

[0102] The vehicle dispatch management control device 20 calculates the required time from the vehicle dispatch position to the waiting place 300 (step S416). More specifically, the required time calculation unit 44 calculates the required time generated by the walking movement from the customer terminal 100 to the waiting place 300 based on the order information acquired by the order information acquisition unit 31, the map information acquired by the map information acquisition unit 32, and the waiting place information acquired by the waiting place information acquisition unit 33. In Figure 7 In the example shown, the required time for the walking movement from the customer terminal 100 to the waiting place 300 is 5 minutes. The vehicle dispatch management control device 20 proceeds to step S418.

[0103] The vehicle dispatch management control device 20 acquires the waiting number information within the waiting place 300 (step S418). More specifically, the waiting number information acquisition unit 35 acquires the waiting number information indicating the number of people queuing at the waiting place 300 from the waiting number information storage unit 15. The vehicle dispatch management control device 20 proceeds to step S420.

[0104] The vehicle dispatch management control device 20 notifies the customer terminal 100 of the vehicle dispatch reservation information, the adjacent waiting place information, the waiting number information of the waiting place 300, and the waiting number information (step S420). The vehicle dispatch reservation information includes the waiting time until vehicle dispatch. The adjacent waiting place information includes the location information of the adjacent waiting place 300. In the embodiment, the adjacent waiting place information includes the required time to the adjacent waiting place 300. More specifically, the vehicle dispatch waiting place information notification unit 51 outputs communication information for notifying the vehicle dispatch reservation information, the adjacent waiting place information, the waiting number information of the waiting place 300, and the waiting number information to the communication control unit 21. Accordingly, the communication control unit 21 causes the communication unit 11 to send the vehicle dispatch reservation information, the adjacent waiting place information, the waiting number information of the waiting place 300, and the waiting number information to the customer terminal 100. The vehicle dispatch management control device 20 proceeds to step S424.

[0105] When the waiting location 300 is not found at 1 either (step S412: No), the vehicle dispatch management control device 20 notifies the customer terminal 100 of the vehicle dispatch reservation information (step S422). More specifically, the vehicle dispatch waiting location information notification unit 51 outputs communication information for notifying the vehicle dispatch reservation information to the communication control unit 21. Thereby, the communication control unit 21 causes the communication unit 11 to send the vehicle dispatch reservation information to the customer terminal 100. The vehicle dispatch management control device 20 proceeds to step S424.

[0106] The vehicle dispatch management control device 20 determines whether there is a response from the customer terminal 100 (step S424). More specifically, the vehicle dispatch management control device 20 determines whether the response acquisition unit 52 has acquired response information that responds to the vehicle dispatch request received by the communication unit 11 from the customer terminal 100. When there is a response from the customer terminal 100 (step S424: Yes), the vehicle dispatch management control device 20 proceeds to step S426. When there is no response from the customer terminal 100 (step S424: No), the vehicle dispatch management control device 20 repeatedly executes step S424 until there is a response from the customer terminal 100.

[0107] When there is a response from the customer terminal 100 (step S424: Yes), the vehicle dispatch management control device 20 determines whether there is a vehicle dispatch request from the customer terminal 100 (step S426). More specifically, the vehicle dispatch management control device 20 determines whether the response of the customer terminal 100 is a vehicle dispatch request based on the response information acquired by the response acquisition unit 52. When there is a vehicle dispatch request from the customer terminal 100 (step S426: Yes), the vehicle dispatch management control device 20 proceeds to step S428. When there is no vehicle dispatch request from the customer terminal 100 (step S426: No), the vehicle dispatch management control device 20 ends Figure 8 the processing of the flowchart shown.

[0108] When there is a vehicle dispatch request from the customer terminal 100 (step S426: Yes), the vehicle dispatch management control device 20 notifies the first candidate vehicle of a vehicle dispatch instruction for accepting the vehicle dispatch order (step S428). More specifically, the vehicle dispatch instruction notification unit 61 outputs communication information for notifying the first candidate vehicle selected by the first candidate vehicle selection unit 42 of the vehicle dispatch instruction to the communication control unit 21. Thereby, the communication control unit 21 causes the communication unit 11 to send a vehicle dispatch instruction for accepting the vehicle dispatch order to the vehicle 200. The vehicle dispatch management control device 20 proceeds to step S430.

[0109] The vehicle dispatch management control device 20 determines whether there is a response from the first candidate vehicle that can accept the order (step S430). More specifically, based on the response information obtained by the order acceptance availability acquisition unit 62, the vehicle dispatch management control device 20 determines whether the response of the first candidate vehicle is to accept the order or not. When the response of the first candidate vehicle is to accept the order (step S430: Yes), the vehicle dispatch management control device 20 proceeds to step S436. When the response of the first candidate vehicle is not to accept the order (step S430: No), the vehicle dispatch management control device 20 proceeds to step S432.

[0110] When the response of the first candidate vehicle is not to accept the order (step S430: No), the vehicle dispatch management control device 20 determines whether there are other candidate vehicles (step S432). More specifically, the vehicle dispatch management control device 20 determines whether the number of candidate vehicles retrieved by the candidate vehicle retrieval unit 41, excluding the first candidate vehicle, is one or more. When there are other candidate vehicles (step S432: Yes), the vehicle dispatch management control device 20 proceeds to step S434.

[0111] When there are no other candidate vehicles (step S432: No), the vehicle dispatch management control device 20 proceeds to step S440.

[0112] When there are other candidate vehicles (step S432: Yes), the vehicle dispatch management control device 20 reselects one first candidate vehicle from the remaining candidate vehicles according to specified conditions (step S434). More specifically, the first candidate vehicle selection unit 42 excludes the first candidate vehicle and reselects one first candidate vehicle from the candidate vehicles retrieved by the candidate vehicle retrieval unit 41. The vehicle dispatch management control device 20 proceeds to step S428.

[0113] When the response of the first candidate vehicle is to accept the order (step S430: Yes), the vehicle dispatch management control device 20 notifies the dispatched vehicle of the details of the order information (step S436). More specifically, when the order acceptance availability acquisition unit 62 has obtained a response from the first candidate vehicle to accept the order, the order information notification unit 71 designates the first candidate vehicle as the dispatched vehicle and outputs communication information for notifying the dispatched vehicle of the details of the order information to the communication control unit 21. The details of the order information may also include, for example, the name of the client who issued the vehicle dispatch order. Accordingly, the communication control unit 21 causes the communication unit 11 to send the details of the order information to the vehicle 200. The vehicle dispatch management control device 20 proceeds to step S438.

[0114] The vehicle dispatch management control device 20 notifies the customer terminal 100 of the vehicle dispatch information (step S438). More specifically, when the order acceptance availability acquisition unit 62 obtains an answer indicating that the first candidate vehicle can accept the order from the first candidate vehicle, the vehicle dispatch information notification unit 72 designates the first candidate vehicle as the dispatched vehicle, outputs communication information to the communication control unit 21, and the notification information notifies the customer terminal 100 of the vehicle dispatch information which is the information of the vehicle 200 to be dispatched. Accordingly, the communication control unit 21 causes the communication unit 11 to send the vehicle dispatch information including the information of the dispatched vehicle 200 to the vehicle 200. The vehicle dispatch management control device 20 ends Figure 8 the processing of the flowchart shown.

[0115] When no candidate vehicle is found (step S406: No), or when there is no other candidate vehicle (step S432: No), the vehicle dispatch management control device 20 notifies the customer terminal 100 of the non-acceptance information (step S440). More specifically, the vehicle dispatch information notification unit 72 outputs communication information for notifying the non-acceptance information to the communication control unit 21, and the non-acceptance information indicates that vehicle dispatch cannot be performed based on the set conditions. Accordingly, the communication control unit 21 causes the communication unit 11 to send the non-acceptance information to the customer terminal 100. The vehicle dispatch management control device 20 ends Figure 8 the processing of the flowchart shown.

[0116] As described above, the vehicle dispatch management system 1 of the embodiment notifies the customer terminal 100 that has placed a vehicle dispatch order of the waiting place information including the position information of the waiting place 300 and the vehicle dispatch reservation information including the required time. Accordingly, the customer can choose whether to place a vehicle dispatch order in a manner of paying a pick-up fee to have the vehicle pick up, or to move to the waiting place 300 on foot, which is cheaper.

[0117] The waiting number detection unit 323 may also be provided in the vehicle dispatch management control device 20 of the vehicle dispatch management device 10. In this case, the monitoring device 310 sends the captured data captured by the capturing unit 311 to the vehicle dispatch management device 10. The method by which the monitoring device 310 obtains the number of people waiting in line at the waiting place 300 is not limited to the embodiment, and the number of waiting people may also be obtained by other sensors.

[0118] In the embodiment, when the first candidate vehicle answers that it cannot accept the order, the vehicle dispatch management control device 20 re-selects one first candidate vehicle from the remaining candidate vehicles (step S434), but it is also possible to re-search for candidate vehicles again. The vehicle dispatch management control device 20 may also perform re-search at regular intervals.

[0119] The components of the illustrated vehicle dispatch management device 10, in-vehicle device 210, and vehicle dispatch management system 1 are functionally conceptual and do not necessarily have to be configured as physically illustrated. That is, the specific manner of the recording device is not limited to the illustrated manner, and all or part of it may be functionally or physically dispersed or integrated in any unit according to the processing load, usage status, etc. of the recording device.

[0120] The configurations of the vehicle dispatch management device 10 and the in-vehicle device 210 are implemented, for example, as software by a program loaded into a memory or the like. In the above-described embodiment, the functional blocks implemented through the cooperation of these hardware or software were described. That is, these functional blocks can be implemented in various forms by only hardware, only software, or a combination thereof.

[0121] Industrial Applicability

[0122] The vehicle dispatch management control device, vehicle dispatch management device, vehicle dispatch management system, vehicle dispatch management method, and program according to the embodiment can be used, for example, in the following system: Based on a vehicle dispatch order from a client using a smartphone or the like equipped with a vehicle dispatch application, vehicle dispatch of a commercial vehicle such as a taxi for an unspecified number of passengers is performed.

[0123] Symbol Explanation

[0124] 1 Vehicle dispatch management system

[0125] 10 Vehicle dispatch management device

[0126] 11 Communication unit

[0127] 12 Map information storage unit

[0128] 13 Waiting place information storage unit

[0129] 14 Vehicle information storage unit

[0130] 15 Waiting number information storage unit

[0131] 20 Vehicle dispatch management control device

[0132] 21 Communication control unit

[0133] 31 Order information acquisition unit

[0134] 32 Map information acquisition unit

[0135] 33 Waiting place information acquisition unit

[0136] 34 Vehicle information acquisition unit

[0137] 35 Waiting number information acquisition unit

[0138] 41 Candidate vehicle retrieval unit

[0139] 42 First candidate vehicle selection unit

[0140] 43 Waiting platform number information acquisition unit

[0141] 44 Required time calculation unit

[0142] 51 Dispatch waiting location information notification unit

[0143] 52 Response acquisition unit

[0144] 61 Dispatch instruction notification unit

[0145] 62 Acceptance availability acquisition unit

[0146] 71 Order information notification unit

[0147] 72 Dispatch information notification unit

[0148] 100, 101, 102, 103, 104, 105 Customer terminals

[0149] 110 Display unit

[0150] 120 Application window

[0151] 121 Text information display area

[0152] 122 Dispatch request button

[0153] 123 Dispatch interruption button

[0154] 200, 201, 202, 203, 204, 205 Vehicles

[0155] 210 On-vehicle device

[0156] 211 Operation unit

[0157] 212 Communication unit

[0158] 213 Display unit

[0159] 214 Reporting unit

[0160] 215 GPS receiver

[0161] 220 Control unit

[0162] 221 Operation acceptance control unit

[0163] 222 Communication control unit

[0164] 223 Display control unit

[0165] 224 Reporting control unit

[0166] 225 Vehicle position information acquisition unit

[0167] 226 Vehicle mode setting unit

[0168] 227 Waiting state setting unit

[0169] 228 Vehicle status information notification unit

[0170] 300, 301, 302, 303 Waiting places

[0171] 310 Monitoring device

[0172] 311 Shooting unit

[0173] 312 Communication unit

[0174] 320 Control unit

[0175] 321 Shooting data acquisition unit

[0176] 322 Communication control unit

[0177] 323 Waiting number detection unit

[0178] 324 Waiting number notification unit

[0179] BS bus

Claims

1. A vehicle dispatching management and control device, comprising: a vehicle information acquisition unit that acquires vehicle information including the location information of a plurality of vehicles; an order information acquisition unit that acquires order information, where the order information includes the location information of the customer terminal that issued the vehicle dispatching order; a candidate vehicle retrieval unit that retrieves candidate vehicles that match the conditions of the order information from the plurality of vehicles according to the vehicle information; a waiting place information acquisition unit that acquires waiting place information, where the waiting place information includes the location information of a plurality of waiting places where vehicles wait; a vehicle dispatching waiting place information notification unit that notifies the customer terminal of the vehicle dispatching reservation information and the adjacent waiting place information, and notifies the customer terminal of the time required from the customer terminal to the waiting place or the distance from the customer terminal to the waiting place. The vehicle dispatching reservation information includes the time required for the candidate vehicle to reach the customer terminal, and the adjacent waiting place information includes the location information of the waiting place; and a waiting number acquisition unit that acquires waiting number information, where the waiting number information indicates the number of candidate vehicles waiting at the waiting place, and the vehicle dispatching waiting place information notification unit notifies the customer terminal of the waiting number information of the waiting place.

2. The vehicle dispatching management and control device according to claim 1, wherein, it further includes a waiting number of people information acquisition unit that acquires waiting number of people information indicating the number of people waiting in line at the waiting place, and the vehicle dispatching waiting place information notification unit notifies the customer terminal of the waiting number of people information of the waiting place.

3. A vehicle dispatching management device, comprising: the vehicle dispatching management and control device according to claim 1 or 2; and a communication unit that communicates with a plurality of customer terminals that issue vehicle dispatching orders, the plurality of vehicles, and the plurality of waiting places.

4. A vehicle dispatching management system, comprising: the vehicle dispatching management device according to claim 3; the plurality of customer terminals; the plurality of vehicles equipped with in-vehicle devices; and the plurality of waiting places having monitoring devices.

5. The vehicle dispatching management system according to claim 4, wherein, the in-vehicle device includes: a communication unit that communicates with the vehicle dispatching management device; a reporting unit that reports the notification of the vehicle dispatching instruction from the vehicle dispatching management device; an operation unit that selects whether to accept an order for the vehicle dispatching instruction; and a display unit that displays the order information.

6. The vehicle dispatching management system according to claim 4 or 5, wherein, the in-vehicle device includes a waiting status notification unit that notifies the vehicle dispatching management device of the situation of being in a waiting status at the waiting place.

7. The vehicle dispatching management system according to claim 4 or 5, wherein, the monitoring device includes: a communication unit that communicates with the vehicle dispatching management device; and a photographing unit that photographs the waiting place.

8. The vehicle dispatching management system according to claim 7, wherein, the monitoring device includes a waiting number of people detection unit that detects the number of people waiting in line at the waiting place according to the photographing data photographed by the photographing unit.

9. A vehicle dispatching management method, comprising: a vehicle information acquisition step of acquiring vehicle information including the location information of a plurality of vehicles; an order information acquisition step of acquiring order information, where the order information includes the location information of a customer terminal that has issued a vehicle dispatching order; a candidate vehicle retrieval step of retrieving candidate vehicles that match the conditions of the order information from the plurality of vehicles according to the vehicle information; a waiting place information acquisition step of acquiring waiting place information, where the waiting place information includes the location information of a plurality of waiting places where vehicles wait; a vehicle dispatching waiting place information notification step of notifying the customer terminal of the time required for the candidate vehicle to reach the customer terminal and the location information of the waiting place, and notifying the customer terminal of the time required from the customer terminal to the waiting place or the distance from the customer terminal to the waiting place; and a waiting platform number acquisition step of acquiring waiting platform number information, where the waiting platform number information indicates the number of candidate vehicles waiting at the waiting place, in the vehicle dispatching waiting place information notification step, notifying the customer terminal of the waiting platform number information of the waiting place.

10. A computer-readable storage medium storing a program that causes a computer operating as a vehicle dispatching management control device to execute: a vehicle information acquisition step of acquiring vehicle information including the location information of a plurality of vehicles; an order information acquisition step of acquiring order information, where the order information includes the location information of a customer terminal that has issued a vehicle dispatching order; a candidate vehicle retrieval step of retrieving candidate vehicles that match the conditions of the order information from the plurality of vehicles according to the vehicle information; a waiting place information acquisition step of acquiring waiting place information, where the waiting place information includes the location information of a plurality of waiting places where vehicles wait; a vehicle dispatching waiting place information notification step of notifying the customer terminal of the time required for the candidate vehicle to reach the customer terminal and the location information of the waiting place, and notifying the customer terminal of the time required from the customer terminal to the waiting place or the distance from the customer terminal to the waiting place; and a waiting platform number acquisition step of acquiring waiting platform number information, where the waiting platform number information indicates the number of candidate vehicles waiting at the waiting place, in the vehicle dispatching waiting place information notification step, notifying the customer terminal of the waiting platform number information of the waiting place.

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