Route guidance device and maas provision method

Abstract

To enable more seamless traveling.SOLUTION: A route guidance device disclosed herein provides route guidance to a user based on information on a destination and information on a departure point. The route guidance device determines whether the user boarded a vehicle associated with a route selected by the user or not on the basis of location information of the vehicle associated with the route selected by the user and location information of the user.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a route guidance device and a MaaS providing method. [Background technology]

[0002] As described in Patent Document 1, a device is known that proposes a travel route to a user based on information on a destination and a starting point. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2019-207118 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] When a user boards a vehicle, the user is required to perform an action such as touching an IC card, which prevents the user from moving seamlessly. There is room for improvement in allowing users to move even more seamlessly.

[0005] An object of the present disclosure is to achieve even more seamless travel. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] A route guidance device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure provides route guidance to a user based on destination information and departure point information. The route guidance device determines whether the user has boarded a vehicle associated with a route selected by the user based on location information of the vehicle associated with the route selected by the user and location information of the user.

[0007] A MaaS (Mobility as a Service) providing method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure uses the above-described route guidance device. Effect of the Invention

[0008] According to the present disclosure, even more seamless travel can be achieved. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] 1 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of an information processing system according to an embodiment. [Diagram 2] FIG. 13 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of an information processing system according to another embodiment. [Diagram 3] 10 is a flowchart showing an example of a procedure of a method executed by the center system. [Figure 4] 10 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a procedure of a method executed by a terminal device. [Diagram 5] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a screen displayed on a terminal device. [Figure 6] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example in which a plurality of operating routes exist; DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0010] Application software running on smartphones and other devices may sell users unlimited travel passes that allow unlimited use of buses and other vehicles within a certain range. In this case, the price of the unlimited travel pass is set in advance, allowing the unlimited travel pass to be sold without any problems.

[0011] On the other hand, application software executed on a smartphone or the like may sell a one-way ticket for a user to ride a vehicle such as a bus. If the fare is calculated according to the distance traveled by the user on the vehicle, the fare must be calculated and settled based on the boarding point, such as a bus stop, where the user boards the vehicle and the alighting point, such as a bus stop, where the user disembarks from the vehicle. Therefore, a fare calculation system and a settlement system are required.

[0012] In the bus fare calculation system and payment system according to the comparative example, a user may touch an IC card to an IC (Integrated Circuit) card reader installed at the boarding and disembarking entrances of the bus to identify the bus stop where the user boards the bus and the bus stop where the user disembarks. Also, a user may obtain a numbered ticket from a ticket distribution machine installed at the boarding entrance of the bus. In other words, the bus fare calculation system and payment system according to the comparative example require physical operation by the user.

[0013] Here, in order to realize the fare calculation system and the payment system using application software executed on a smartphone, the application software needs to identify the bus stop where the user boards the bus and the bus stop where the user disembarks from the bus.

[0014] However, it is difficult to install a module that communicates with a smartphone on a bus. Therefore, it is difficult to make the application software of the smartphone communicate with a bus terminal in order to identify the bus stop where the user boards the bus and the bus stop where the user disembarks. In addition, when a user boards or disembarks a bus, it is possible to input that the user is boarding or disembarking into the application software. However, asking the user to input information reduces the user's convenience. In addition, there is a problem with the accuracy of the input.

[0015] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, when a user boards a vehicle, fare calculation and payment are realized by application software on a smartphone without requiring physical operation or input by the user.

[0016] An embodiment according to the present disclosure includes a route guidance device that guides a user along a route from a departure point to a destination. The route guidance device may search for a route for the user to travel from the departure point to the destination by inputting a departure point and a destination by the user, present at least one route search result as a candidate route, and allow the user to select a route. When the selected route includes a route for boarding a vehicle, the route guidance device may identify a point where the user boards the vehicle and a point where the user disembarks from the vehicle based on the route search result and the user's position information, and perform calculation and payment of a fare.

[0017] The vehicle may include a transportation facility such as a bus or a train, in which a boarding fare is charged according to a boarding point and an alighting point. An embodiment in which the vehicle is a bus will be described below.

[0018] (Example of configuration of information processing system 1) An information processing system 1 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure includes a center system 10 and a terminal device 20, as illustrated in FIG. 1. The center system 10 may function as the above-described route guidance device. In other words, the route guidance device may be configured to include the center system 10. The route guidance device may be configured to further include the terminal device 20. The route guidance device may be configured as a device that integrates the center system 10 and the terminal device 20.

[0019] <Center System 10> The center system 10 includes a route search unit 11, a bus stop location management and fare calculation unit 12, a ticket management unit 13, a settlement unit 14, and an interface 15.

[0020] The route search unit 11 and the bus stop location management and fare calculation unit 12 are connected to each other. The bus stop location management and fare calculation unit 12 and the ticket management unit 13 are connected to each other. The ticket management unit 13 and the settlement unit 14 are connected to each other. The route search unit 11 and the ticket management unit 13 are each connected to an interface 15. The interface 15 is connected to the terminal device 20 so as to be able to communicate with each other. In other words, the route search unit 11 and the ticket management unit 13 are connected to the terminal device 20 so as to be able to communicate with each other via the interface 15.

[0021] The route search unit 11 searches for a route in response to a request from a user. The bus stop location management and fare calculation unit 12 manages the locations of bus stops on a route using a bus, and calculates the fare when the user boards a bus between each bus stop. The ticket management unit 13 manages tickets indicating that the user will board a bus when selecting a route using a bus. The settlement unit 14 settles the fare.

[0022] The route search unit 11, the bus stop location management and fare calculation unit 12, the ticket management unit 13, or the settlement unit 14 may be configured to include either a processor or a dedicated circuit, or may be configured to include both a processor and a dedicated circuit. In this embodiment, the "processor" is a general-purpose processor, a dedicated processor specialized for a specific process, etc., but is not limited to these. The dedicated circuit may include, for example, an FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array) or an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit).

[0023] The center system 10 may further include a storage unit. The storage unit may include, for example, a semiconductor memory, a magnetic memory, an optical memory, or the like, but is not limited to these. The storage unit may function, for example, as a main storage unit, an auxiliary storage unit, or a cache memory. The storage unit may include an electromagnetic storage medium such as a magnetic disk. The storage unit may include a non-transitory computer-readable medium. The storage unit stores any information or program used in the operation of the center system 10. The storage unit may store, for example, a system program or an application software program. The storage unit may be included in a processor or a dedicated circuit.

[0024] The interface 15 connects the center system 10 and the terminal device 20 so that they can communicate with each other. The interface 15 may include a communication module. The communication module may be compatible with a wired or wireless communication standard. The communication module may be compatible with a mobile communication standard including, for example, 4G (4th Generation) or 5G (5th Generation). The communication module may be compatible with, for example, a LAN (Local Area Network) communication standard. The communication module is not limited to these standards and may be compatible with various communication standards. The interface 15 may be configured to be connectable to an external communication device.

[0025] The center system 10 may be configured to include one or more server devices that can communicate with each other. The center system 10 may be realized as a cloud server. The number of center systems 10 included in the information processing system 1 is not limited to one, and may be two or more.

[0026] <Terminal Device 20> The terminal device 20 is carried by a user. The terminal device 20 includes a screen display unit 21 and a position information acquisition unit 22. The screen display unit 21 is communicably connected to the interface 15 of the center system 10. The screen display unit 21 and the position information acquisition unit 22 are connected to each other.

[0027] The terminal device 20 may include a control unit that controls each component of the terminal device 20. The control unit may be configured to include either a processor or a dedicated circuit, or may be configured to include both a processor and a dedicated circuit. The processor may be configured the same as or similar to the processor of the center system 10. The dedicated circuit may be configured the same as or similar to the dedicated circuit of the center system 10. In this embodiment, the control unit is included in the screen display unit 21.

[0028] The screen display unit 21 outputs information acquired from the center system 10 as visual information such as images, characters, or figures. The screen display unit 21 may be configured to include, for example, an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display), an organic EL (Electro-Luminescence) display or an inorganic EL display, or a PDP (Plasma Display Panel), etc. The screen display unit 21 is not limited to these displays, and may be configured to include displays of various other types.

[0029] The position information acquisition unit 22 includes one or more devices that acquire the position information of the terminal device 20. The position information acquisition unit 22 outputs the position information of the terminal device 20 to the center system 10. The position information of the terminal device 20 corresponds to the position information of the user who owns the terminal device 20. In other words, the position information acquisition unit 22 acquires the position information of the user who owns the terminal device 20 and outputs it to the center system 10. The position information acquisition unit 22 may be configured to include a receiver compatible with a satellite positioning system. The receiver compatible with the satellite positioning system may be configured to include, for example, a GPS (Global Positioning System) receiver, but is not limited to this and may be configured to include various other receivers. The position information acquisition unit 22 may constantly acquire the position information of the terminal device 20 and output it to the center system 10, or may acquire the position information periodically or non-periodically and output it to the center system 10.

[0030] The terminal device 20 may further include an input device that accepts input of information or data from a user. The input device may include, for example, a touch panel or a touch sensor, or a pointing device such as a mouse. The input device may be configured as a touch display integrated with the display of the screen display unit 21. The input device may include physical keys. The input device may include a voice input device such as a microphone.

[0031] The terminal device 20 may output the input information to the center system 10. The center system 10 may be configured to be connectable to an input device of the terminal device 20 via an interface 15. The center system 10 may acquire information or data input to the input device of the terminal device 20 via the interface 15.

[0032] The terminal device 20 may be configured to include an output device that outputs information or data to a user in addition to the screen display unit 21. The output device may include, for example, an audio output device such as a speaker that outputs auditory information such as voice. The output device is not limited to these examples and may include various other devices.

[0033] The terminal device 20 may be configured to include a mobile terminal such as a smartphone or a tablet, or a PC such as a notebook PC (Personal Computer) or a tablet PC. The terminal device 20 is not limited to these examples and may be configured to include various devices. The number of terminal devices 20 included in the information processing system 1 is not limited to one, and may be two or more.

[0034] <Bus Information Management Systems 31 and 32> 2, an information processing system 1 according to another embodiment further includes a bus information management system 31 of transportation company X1 and a bus information management system 32 of transportation company X2 in addition to the center system 10 and the terminal device 20. The bus information management system 31 of transportation company X1 and the bus information management system 32 of transportation company X2 manage bus operation routes or schedules, or bus fares.

[0035] The bus information management system 31 of transportation company X1 provides the latest information on bus routes or schedules of transportation company X1 or fares by having a person in charge of transportation company X1 input or update information. The bus information management system 32 of transportation company X2 provides the latest information on bus routes or schedules of transportation company X2 or fares by having a person in charge of transportation company X2 input or update information.

[0036] The bus information management system 31 or 32 may be configured to include one or more server devices capable of communicating with each other. The bus information management system 31 or 32 may be realized as a cloud server. The information processing system 1 does not need to include the bus information management system 31 or 32. In the information processing system 1, the route guidance device may obtain position information of buses operated by transportation companies X1 or X2.

[0037] (Example of configuration of information processing system 1) As described above, in the information processing system 1, the route guidance device may present the search results of routes for the user to travel from a departure point to a destination as candidate routes and allow the user to select a route. When the user gets on a bus midway along the selected route, the route guidance device may identify the bus stop where the user gets on the bus and the bus stop where the user gets off the bus based on the route search results and the user's location information, and may calculate and settle the bus fare.

[0038] When a route selected by a user includes a bus section, a bus that operates on that bus section is associated with the route selected by the user. In other words, a bus associated with a route selected by a user is a bus that operates on a bus section included in the route selected by the user. The route guidance device may determine whether or not the user has boarded a bus associated with the route selected by the user, based on location information of the bus associated with the route selected by the user and location information of the user. In addition, when the user gets off the bus, the route guidance device may specify a bus stop at which the user gets off the bus and settle the bus fare.

[0039] <Example of operation of Center System 10> The center system 10 functioning as a route guidance device may execute a route guidance method including the steps of the flowchart illustrated in Fig. 3 in order to provide guidance on a route along which a user will travel. The route guidance method may be realized as a route guidance program executed by a processor of the center system 10. The route guidance program may be stored in a non-transitory computer-readable medium.

[0040] The center system 10 receives a route search request from the terminal device 20 via the interface 15 (S1). The route search request includes the user's departure point and destination. The route search request may also include the user's departure time or desired arrival time.

[0041] The center system 10 searches for a route using the route search unit 11, and outputs the route search result to the terminal device 20 via the interface 15 (S2). The center system 10 may output at least one route as a candidate route. The center system 10 searches for a route based on bus operation information such as a bus operation route or operation schedule. The center system 10 may store the bus operation information in advance in a storage unit or manage it using the bus stop position management and fare calculation unit 12. As illustrated in FIG. 2, the center system 10 may access the bus information management system 31 of the transportation company X1 or the bus information management system 32 of the transportation company X2 to obtain bus operation information using the bus stop position management and fare calculation unit 12. When the center system 10 accesses the bus information management system 31 or 32, the management and update of the bus operation information can be left to each transportation company. As a result, the burden on the route guidance device is reduced.

[0042] The center system 10 acquires the route selection result by the user from the terminal device 20 via the interface 15 (S3). The user may select one route from at least one candidate route on the terminal device 20. If a bus section is included in the route selected by the user, the center system 10 may consider that a ticket for the bus section has been purchased. However, payment for the ticket for the bus section is not executed at this point. Therefore, the center system 10 may consider that a reservation has been made for the purchase of a ticket for the bus section. The center system 10 manages the purchase or reservation of tickets for the bus section by the ticket management unit 13.

[0043] If the route selected by the user includes a route using a bus, the center system 10 uses the bus stop location management and fare calculation unit 12 to identify the location of the bus stop where the user boards the bus and the location of the bus stop where the user disembarks (S4). The bus stop where the user boards the bus is also called the boarding bus stop. The bus stop where the user disembarks is also called the disembarking bus stop.

[0044] The center system 10 acquires the user's location information from the terminal device 20 (S5). The center system 10 determines whether the user has boarded the bus based on the location of the boarding bus stop and the user's location information (S6). The center system 10 may determine that the user has boarded the bus when the user arrives within a predetermined range from the boarding bus stop and then moves along the bus route. The predetermined range may be, for example, a range in which the distance between the boarding bus stop and the user is equal to or less than a predetermined distance. The predetermined distance may be set to, for example, 20 m, but is not limited to this and may be set to various lengths. If the center system 10 does not determine that the user has boarded the bus (S6: NO), it returns to the procedure for acquiring the user's location information (S5).

[0045] When the center system 10 determines that the user has boarded the bus (S6: YES), it acquires the user's location information from the terminal device 20 (S7). The center system 10 determines whether the user has approached the alighting bus stop based on the location of the alighting bus stop and the user's location information (S8). The center system 10 may determine that the user has approached the alighting bus stop when the bus on which the user is boarding is within a predetermined range from the alighting bus stop. The predetermined range may be, for example, a range in which the distance between the alighting bus stop and the user is equal to or less than a predetermined distance. The predetermined distance may be set to, for example, 20 m, but is not limited to this and may be set to various lengths. When the center system 10 does not determine that the bus on which the user is boarding is approaching the alighting bus stop (S8: NO), it returns to the procedure for acquiring the user's location information (S7).

[0046] When the center system 10 determines that the bus the user is riding on is approaching the alighting bus stop (S8: YES), it predicts that the user will soon alight from the bus. The center system 10 calculates the fare from the boarding bus stop to the alighting bus stop using the bus stop position management and fare calculation unit 12. The center system 10 outputs bus fare information and ticket screen display information to the terminal device 20 via the interface 15 using the ticket management unit 13 (S9). The bus fare information is information about the bus fare. The ticket screen display information is information that displays the ticket from the boarding bus stop to the alighting bus stop on the screen.

[0047] The terminal device 20 displays the bus fare information and the ticket screen display information on the screen display unit 21, and receives instructions from the user to pay the fare and notifies the center system 10. When the center system 10 receives instructions to pay the fare from the terminal device 20, it performs the payment using the payment unit 14 and notifies the terminal device 20 that the payment has been completed (S10). The terminal device 20 displays a notice of the completion of payment on the screen display unit 21. The user shows the screen displaying the notice of the completion of payment to the bus driver and gets off the bus. After executing the procedure of S10, the center system 10 ends the execution of the procedure of the flowchart in FIG. 3.

[0048] <Example of operation of terminal device 20> The terminal device 20 functioning as a route guidance device may execute a route guidance method including the steps of the flowchart illustrated in Fig. 4 in order to provide guidance on a route along which a user will travel. The route guidance method may be realized as a route guidance program executed by a processor of the terminal device 20. The route guidance program may be stored in a non-transitory computer-readable medium.

[0049] The terminal device 20 receives an input for a route search operation from a user, and requests a route search from the center system 10 (S21). When receiving the input for the route search operation, the terminal device 20 may display a route search input screen, as exemplified in Fig. 5, on the screen display unit 21. In the example of Fig. 5, the departure point is set to Y, and the destination is set to Z.

[0050] The center system 10 outputs the route search result to the terminal device 20. The terminal device 20 may display a route search result screen, as exemplified in FIG. 5, on the screen display unit 21. In the example of FIG. 5, three candidate routes (1), (2), and (3) are displayed as route search results. The route (1) is a route in which the user walks from the departure point (Y) to the ab station, travels by train from the ab station to the cd station, and travels by foot from the cd station to the destination (Z). The route (2) is a route in which the user walks from the departure point (Y) to the ef bus stop, travels by bus from the ef bus stop to the gh bus stop, and travels by foot from the gh bus stop to the destination (Z). The route (3) is a route in which the user travels by taxi from the departure point (Y) to the destination (Z).

[0051] The terminal device 20 allows the user to select a route from at least one candidate route included in the route search result. The terminal device 20 outputs the selected route to the center system 10, and when a route including a bus section is selected, outputs an indication of intent to purchase a ticket to the center system 10 and allows the user to start moving (S22). The terminal device 20 may display a result selection and purchase intention indication screen, as exemplified in FIG. 5, on the screen display unit 21. In the example of FIG. 5, route (2) from the candidate routes is selected and displayed as a selected route. Also, a confirmation of whether to purchase a bus ticket is displayed. The indication of intent to purchase a ticket may be replaced with a reservation to purchase a ticket. The user indicates his / her intention to purchase a ticket by selecting YES in response to the confirmation of whether to purchase a bus ticket.

[0052] The terminal device 20 determines whether the user has arrived at the boarding bus stop based on the location information of the terminal device 20 itself and the location of the boarding bus stop (S23). The terminal device 20 may determine that the user has arrived at the boarding bus stop when the distance between the location of the terminal device 20 itself and the location of the boarding bus stop becomes less than a predetermined distance. When the terminal device 20 does not determine that the user has arrived at the boarding bus stop (S23: NO), it repeats the determination procedure (S23).

[0053] When the terminal device 20 determines that the user has arrived at the boarding bus stop (S23: YES), it determines whether the user has boarded the bus and is moving along the scheduled bus route (S24). The terminal device 20 may determine whether the user is moving along the bus route based on the location information of the terminal device 20 itself. The terminal device 20 may determine whether the user has boarded the bus and is moving along the bus route based on the location information of the terminal device 20 itself and the location information of the bus. Before or while executing the determination procedure (S24), the terminal device 20 may display a screen of arrival at the boarding bus stop, as exemplified in FIG. 5, on the screen display unit 21. In the example of FIG. 5, the user's state is displayed as having arrived at the ef bus stop and being on the bus. When the terminal device 20 does not determine that the user is moving along the bus route (S24: NO), it repeats the determination procedure (S24).

[0054] When the distance between the bus and the user is less than the pre-boarding threshold, the terminal device 20 may acquire the position information of the terminal device 20 more frequently than when the distance between the bus and the user is equal to or greater than the pre-boarding threshold. When the distance between the bus and the user is less than the pre-boarding threshold, the terminal device 20 may output the position information of the terminal device 20 to the center system 10 more frequently. In other words, when the distance between the bus and the user is less than the pre-boarding threshold, the center system 10 or the terminal device 20 may acquire the user's position information more frequently than when the distance between the bus and the user is equal to or greater than the pre-boarding threshold. In this way, the route guidance device can reduce the amount of communication of position information while maintaining the accuracy of determining whether the user has boarded the bus.

[0055] When the terminal device 20 determines that the user is moving along the bus route (S24: YES), it executes a process during the bus ride (S25). As a process during the bus ride, the terminal device 20 may output the position information of the terminal device 20 itself to the center system 10 as the user's position information. When the user is on the bus and the distance to the disembarking bus stop is equal to or greater than the on-board threshold, the terminal device 20 may reduce the frequency of acquiring the position information of the terminal device 20. When the user is on the bus and the distance to the disembarking bus stop is equal to or greater than the on-board threshold, the terminal device 20 may reduce the frequency of outputting the position information of the terminal device 20 to the center system 10. In other words, when the distance between the position of the disembarking bus stop and the user's position is equal to or greater than the on-board threshold, the center system 10 or the terminal device 20 may acquire the user's position information less frequently than when the distance between the position of the disembarking bus stop and the user's position is less than the on-board threshold. By changing the frequency of acquiring the location information, the route guidance device can reduce the amount of communication of the location information while maintaining the accuracy of determining whether the user will get off the bus. The terminal device 20 may execute other processes as a process while riding the bus, in addition to changing the frequency of acquiring the location information.

[0056] The terminal device 20 determines whether the bus the user is riding on has arrived near the alighting bus stop based on the terminal device 20's own location information or the bus's location information and the location of the alighting bus stop (S26). The terminal device 20 may determine that the bus the user is riding on has arrived near the alighting bus stop when the distance between the terminal device 20's own location or the bus's location information and the location of the alighting bus stop becomes less than a predetermined distance. When the bus the user is riding on has arrived near the alighting bus stop, the center system 10 outputs bus fare information and ticket screen display information to the terminal device 20. When the terminal device 20 acquires the bus fare information and the ticket screen display information from the center system 10, it may determine that the bus the user is riding on has arrived near the alighting bus stop. When the terminal device 20 does not determine that the user has arrived near the alighting bus stop (S26: NO), it returns to the processing procedure during the bus ride (S25).

[0057] When the terminal device 20 determines that the bus the user is riding on has arrived near the alighting bus stop (S26: YES), it displays the ticket price on the screen display unit 21 and prompts the user to pay the fare (S27). The terminal device 20 may obtain bus fare information and ticket screen display information from the center system 10 before determining that the bus the user is riding on has arrived near the alighting bus stop. The terminal device 20 may obtain bus fare information and ticket screen display information from the center system 10 after determining that the bus the user is riding on has arrived near the alighting bus stop.

[0058] The terminal device 20 may display a screen of approaching a bus stop for getting off, as exemplified in Fig. 5, on the screen display unit 21. In the example of Fig. 5, the user's state of approaching the gh bus stop, bus fare information, and a confirmation of whether to pay the bus fare are displayed.

[0059] The user instructs payment of the bus fare by selecting YES in response to a confirmation of whether to pay the bus fare. The terminal device 20 outputs the user's instruction to pay the bus fare to the center system 10. When the center system 10 receives an instruction to pay the bus fare from the terminal device 20, it carries out the payment and notifies the terminal device 20 that the payment has been completed.

[0060] The terminal device 20 determines whether the payment has been made (S28). The terminal device 20 may determine that the payment has been made when it receives a notification of the completion of the payment from the center system 10. When the terminal device 20 does not determine that the payment has been made (S28: NO), it repeats the determination procedure (S28).

[0061] When the terminal device 20 determines that payment has been made (S28: YES), it displays payment completion information on the screen display unit 21 (S29). The terminal device 20 may display a bus fare payment and disembarking screen, as exemplified in FIG. 5, on the screen display unit 21. In the example of FIG. 5, it is displayed that the bus fare has been paid and that the user has disembarked. The user shows the screen indicating that the bus fare has been paid to the bus driver, and disembarks from the bus. After executing the procedure of S29, the terminal device 20 ends the execution of the procedure of the flowchart in FIG. 4.

[0062] <Summary> As described above, when a route selected by a user includes a bus section, the route guidance device according to this embodiment can identify the user's boarding and alighting bus stops based on the user's location information and settle the bus fare. This eliminates the need for the user to record or input when getting on or off the bus. As a result, a more seamless journey is realized. In addition, the amount of communication required for recording or inputting the user's getting on and off the bus is reduced.

[0063] In addition, the route guidance device according to the present embodiment can identify the bus route that the user will board based on the results of a route search in advance. In this case, the route guidance device can determine whether the user is approaching a bus stop based on the distance between the location of the bus stop included in the route search result and the user's location. In other words, the route guidance device can determine whether the user is approaching a bus stop that the user will use after recognizing the locations of the boarding bus stop and the disembarking bus stop in advance. As a result, the boarding bus stop and the disembarking bus stop are identified with a higher accuracy than when the bus stop that the user will use is identified based simply on the user's location information.

[0064] (Other embodiments) An example of the configuration of an information processing system 1 according to another embodiment will be described below.

[0065] <Applicable to vehicles other than buses> In the above-described embodiment, an operation example in which the vehicle is a bus has been described. The route guidance device according to the present disclosure can be applied to a vehicle in which a fare is calculated based on a boarding position and an alighting position from the vehicle, and can also be applied to a train, for example. When the vehicle is a train, the route guidance device may operate so that a user can pay the fare without passing through a ticket gate. In this case, the route guidance device may be configured to be able to be set in advance so that the payment is automatically made without asking the user to confirm the payment.

[0066] In the case where the route guidance device is applied to vehicles other than buses, the operation of the route guidance device is described as follows. The route guidance device may determine whether or not the user has boarded a vehicle associated with a route selected by the user, based on the position information of the vehicle associated with the route selected by the user and the position information of the user. The route guidance device may determine the position at which the user gets off the vehicle when the user gets off the vehicle, and settle the fare for the vehicle. When the distance between the vehicle associated with the route selected by the user and the user is less than the pre-boarding threshold, the route guidance device may acquire the user's position information or the position information of the vehicle associated with the route selected by the user more frequently than when the distance between the vehicle associated with the route selected by the user and the user is equal to or greater than the pre-boarding threshold. When the distance between the drop-off position of the vehicle associated with the route selected by the user and the user's position is equal to or greater than the boarding threshold, the route guidance device may acquire the user's position information less frequently than when the distance between the drop-off position and the user's position is less than the boarding threshold.

[0067] <If you board a bus that operates on a different route and has the same boarding and alighting bus stops> In the above-described embodiment, the center system 10 determines that the user boards the bus at the boarding bus stop in the bus section included in the route selected by the user and disembarks at the disembarking bus stop, and settles the bus fare. Here, as illustrated in FIG. 6, a bus may operate on a plurality of operating routes from bus stop A, which is the boarding bus stop, to bus stop E, which is the disembarking bus stop. Bus stop A, which is the boarding bus stop, corresponds to the ef bus stop in the example of FIG. 5. Bus stop E, which is the disembarking bus stop, corresponds to the gh bus stop in the example of FIG. 5. In the example of FIG. 6, as the operating route from bus stop A to bus stop E, there are a route via bus stops B and C, a route via bus stop D, and a route via bus stops F and G. If the travel distance of each operating route is different, the boarding fare of each operating route is different. In this case, even if the center system 10 identifies the position of the boarding bus stop and the position of the disembarking bus stop, it may not be possible to accurately calculate the boarding fare of the actual operating route of the bus that the user boarded.

[0068] Therefore, the center system 10 may specify the bus route based on the user's location information when the user is on the bus or the location information of the bus on which the user is riding. For example, the center system 10 determines that the user has boarded a bus after determining that the user has arrived at bus stop A from the departure point, and determines that the user is on a bus on a route that passes through bus stop B when it determines that the bus on which the user is riding has passed bus stop B. When the center system 10 determines that the user has arrived at bus stop E closest to the destination, it calculates the bus fare for the route that passes through bus stop B, outputs it to the terminal device 20, and settles the bus fare. In other words, when the user is on a vehicle that operates on a route different from the vehicle associated with the route selected by the user, the route guidance device may calculate the user's fare based on the different route.

[0069] The route guidance device disclosed herein can accurately identify which bus route the user boarded, even for complex bus routes, by obtaining information on the user's boarding and disembarking bus stops based on a route searched in advance.

[0070] <Method for Providing MaaS> As an example, the route guidance device may be used for providing Mobility as a Service (MaaS), which is a service that utilizes mobility. Also, as an example, the procedure of the route guidance method illustrated in FIG. 3 or FIG. 4 may be executed when providing a service (MaaS) using a vehicle such as a bus. In this case, the route guidance method including the above-described procedure is an example of a method for providing a service (MaaS) using a vehicle such as a bus.

[0071] Although the embodiments according to the present disclosure have been described based on the drawings and examples, it should be noted that those skilled in the art can perform various modifications and alterations based on the present disclosure. Therefore, it should be noted that these modifications and alterations are included in the scope of the present disclosure. For example, the functions included in each means or each procedure, etc. can be rearranged so as not to be logically inconsistent, and it is possible to combine or divide a plurality of means or procedures, etc. into one.

Description of Reference Numerals

[0072] 1 Information processing system 10 Center system (11: Route search unit, 12: Bus stop position management and fare calculation unit, 13: Ticket management unit, 14: Settlement unit, 15: Interface) 20 Terminal device (21: Screen display unit, 22: Position information acquisition unit) 31, 32 Bus information management system

Claims

1. A route guidance device that provides route guidance to a user based on destination information and departure point information, A route guidance device that determines whether the user has boarded a vehicle associated with the route selected by the user based on location information of the vehicle associated with the route selected by the user and location information of the user.

2. The route guidance device according to claim 1 , wherein when the user gets off the vehicle, a location where the user gets off the vehicle is specified and a fare for the vehicle is settled.

3. The route guidance device according to claim 2 , wherein, when the user is riding in a vehicle that operates on a route different from the route associated with the route selected by the user, the fare for the user is calculated based on the different route.

4. A route guidance device as described in any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein when the distance between the user and a vehicle associated with the route selected by the user is less than a pre-boarding threshold, the device obtains the user's location information or the location information of a vehicle associated with the route selected by the user more frequently than when the distance between the user and a vehicle associated with the route selected by the user is equal to or greater than the pre-boarding threshold.

5. 4. The route guidance device according to claim 1, wherein when a distance between a drop-off location of a vehicle associated with a route selected by the user and the user's location is equal to or greater than a riding threshold, the device acquires the user's location information less frequently than when the distance between the drop-off location and the user's location is less than the riding threshold.

6. A method for providing MaaS (Mobility as a Service) using the route guidance device according to claim 1.

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