Information processing device

Abstract

To rapidly provide a vehicle which meets a condition designated by a passenger to the passenger even when a getting-on place has a limited largeness in area.SOLUTION: When an acquisition section 31 acquires a reservation request, a registration section 321 registers a vehicle group which meets a condition included in the reservation request by association with the reservation request. When it is considered that a passenger arrives at a getting-on schedule spot designated in the reservation request, a selection section 322 selects one vehicle on which the passenger is to get from the vehicle group registered by association with the reservation request. Concretely, when it is considered that the passenger arrives at the getting-on schedule spot and in the case where a vehicle (e.g., the vehicle at the head of a queue of the vehicles when the vehicles are waiting in line in a waiting area) waiting at a position from which the vehicle easily moves to the getting-on schedule spot from the vehicle group waiting in the waiting area of the getting-on schedule spot, the selection section 322 selects the vehicle as the one vehicle on which the passenger is to get.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a technique for selecting a vehicle for a passenger to use. [Background technology]

[0002] New transportation services are being developed. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a technology for setting passenger fares based on demand information related to the demand for new passengers or supply information related to the supply of vehicles when generating an operation plan for a vehicle in which multiple passengers share a ride, with passengers boarding and disembarking based on the boarding and disembarking times desired by each of the multiple passengers. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] International Publication No. 2020 / 262673 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] When a passenger reserves a vehicle such as a taxi, the vehicle that the passenger will board is selected at the time of the reservation. In other words, the vehicle that the passenger will board is determined at the time the passenger requests to board the vehicle, and the reservation of the vehicle is thereby made certain.

[0005] However, the size of boarding places such as taxi stands in front of stations or downtown areas is limited. For this reason, there is a problem that many vehicles are stranded at boarding places with limited space due to the waiting between the reserved passenger and the reserved vehicle, for example, when a passenger who has made a reservation arrives at the boarding place on a date and time earlier than the scheduled boarding date and time and waits until the vehicle arrives.

[0006] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to quickly provide a passenger with a vehicle that meets the conditions specified by the passenger, even in a boarding area with limited space. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] In order to solve the above problem, the present invention provides an information processing device including an acquisition unit that acquires a reservation request including conditions specified by a passenger, a registration unit that, at the time the reservation request is acquired, registers a group of vehicles that match the conditions included in the reservation request in association with the reservation request, and a selection unit that, at the time it is deemed that the passenger has arrived at the planned boarding point specified in the reservation request, selects one vehicle for the passenger to board from the group of vehicles registered in association with the reservation request. Effect of the Invention

[0008] According to the present invention, even in a boarding area with limited space, it is possible to quickly provide a passenger with a vehicle that meets the conditions specified by the passenger. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] 1 is a block diagram showing an example of a configuration of a vehicle management system 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of a hardware configuration of a user terminal 10 according to the embodiment. [Diagram 3] 2 is a block diagram showing an example of a hardware configuration of the in-vehicle terminal 20 according to the embodiment. FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of a hardware configuration of a server device 30 according to the embodiment. [Diagram 5] 2 is a block diagram showing an example of a functional configuration of a server device 30. FIG. [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a mechanism for dispatching vehicles in the embodiment. [Figure 7] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a mechanism for dispatching vehicles in the embodiment. [Figure 8] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a mechanism for dispatching vehicles in the embodiment. [Figure 9] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a mechanism for dispatching vehicles in the embodiment. [Figure 10] 11 is a diagram illustrating an example of contents stored in a vehicle dispatch information storage unit 327 of the server device 30 according to the embodiment. FIG. [Figure 11] 4 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of the server device 30. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0010] [composition] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of a vehicle management system 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The vehicle management system 1 is a system for a transportation service provider to provide a transportation service to a user. The vehicle management system 1 includes a user terminal 10 functioning as a communication terminal used by passengers getting on and off the vehicle (i.e., users to whom the transportation service is provided), an in-vehicle terminal 20 functioning as a communication terminal used by a driver in the vehicle, and a server device 30 managed by the transportation service provider. The server device 30 functions as an information processing device according to the present invention. Note that, although FIG. 1 shows one user terminal 10 and one in-vehicle terminal 20, in reality, there are a plurality of each of them.

[0011] The network 2 connects the user terminal 10, the in-vehicle terminal 20, and the server device 30 so that they can communicate with each other. The network 2 is, for example, a local area network (LAN) or a wide area network (WAN), or a combination of these, and includes wired sections or wireless sections. It is desirable for the network 2 to be, for example, a network that complies with the fifth generation mobile communication system, but is not necessarily limited to this.

[0012] In the vehicle management system 1, a user operates his / her user terminal 10 to request a reservation to board a vehicle from an arbitrary planned boarding point. This reservation request is transmitted from the user terminal 10 to the server device 30 via the network 2. A plurality of vehicles each equipped with an in-vehicle terminal 20 are running or waiting in a distributed manner, and the server device 30 links one or more vehicle groups corresponding to the reservation request to the reservation request when the server device 30 acquires the reservation request from the user among the plurality of vehicles. Then, the server device 30 selects one vehicle for the passenger to board from the linked vehicle groups at a time immediately before the passenger boards the reservation request, such as when the passenger arrives at the planned boarding point. The allocation of a vehicle to a passenger by the server device 30 in this manner in response to the passenger's reservation request is called vehicle allocation. In other words, the server device 30 provisionally registers a vehicle group that is a candidate for vehicle allocation at the time of acquiring the user's reservation request, and allocates a vehicle from the provisionally registered vehicle group that is a candidate for vehicle allocation at a time immediately before the passenger boards the reservation request.

[0013] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the user terminal 10. The user terminal 10 is a computer such as a smartphone, a mobile phone, a tablet, or a wearable terminal. The user terminal 10 is physically configured as a computer device including a processor 1001, a memory 1002, a storage 1003, a communication device 1004, an input device 1005, an output device 1006, and a bus connecting these devices. In the following description, the word "device" can be read as a circuit, a device, a unit, or the like. The hardware configuration of the user terminal 10 may be configured to include one or more of the devices shown in the figure, or may be configured without including some of the devices.

[0014] Each function in the user terminal 10 is realized by loading a specific software (program) onto hardware such as a processor 1001 and a memory 1002, causing the processor 1001 to perform calculations, control communications via a communication device 1004, and control at least one of the reading and writing of data in the memory 1002 and the storage 1003.

[0015] The processor 1001, for example, operates an operating system to control the entire computer. The processor 1001 may be configured with a central processing unit (CPU) including an interface with peripheral devices, a control device, an arithmetic unit, a register, etc. Also, for example, a baseband signal processing unit, a call processing unit, etc. may be realized by the processor 1001.

[0016] The processor 1001 reads out programs (program codes), software modules, data, etc. from at least one of the storage 1003 and the communication device 1004 into the memory 1002, and executes various processes according to the programs. The programs used are those that cause a computer to execute at least a part of the operations described below. The functional blocks of the user terminal 10 may be realized by a control program stored in the memory 1002 and running on the processor 1001. The various processes may be executed by one processor 1001, or may be executed simultaneously or sequentially by two or more processors 1001. The processor 1001 may be implemented by one or more chips. The programs may be transmitted from the network 2 to the user terminal 10 via a telecommunications line.

[0017] The memory 1002 is a computer-readable recording medium, and may be composed of at least one of, for example, a Read Only Memory (ROM), an Erasable Programmable ROM (EPROM), an Electrically Erasable Programmable ROM (EEPROM), a Random Access Memory (RAM), etc. The memory 1002 may also be called a register, a cache, a main memory (primary storage device), etc. The memory 1002 can store a program (program code), software modules, etc. that are executable to implement the method according to the present embodiment.

[0018] Storage 1003 is a computer-readable recording medium, and may be composed of at least one of, for example, an optical disk such as a CD-ROM (Compact Disc ROM), a hard disk drive, a flexible disk, a magneto-optical disk (e.g., a compact disk, a digital versatile disk, a Blu-ray (registered trademark) disk), a smart card, a flash memory (e.g., a card, a stick, a key drive), a floppy (registered trademark) disk, a magnetic strip, etc. Storage 1003 may be referred to as an auxiliary storage device.

[0019] The communication device 1004 is hardware (transmission and reception device) for performing communication between computers via at least one of a wired network and a wireless network, and is also called, for example, a network device, a network controller, a network card, a communication module, etc. The communication device 1004 may be configured to include a high-frequency switch, a duplexer, a filter, a frequency synthesizer, etc., in order to realize at least one of, for example, Frequency Division Duplex (FDD) and Time Division Duplex (TDD). For example, a transmission and reception antenna, an amplifier unit, a transmission and reception unit, a transmission line interface, etc. may be realized by the communication device 1004. The transmission and reception unit may be implemented as an output unit and a reception unit that are physically or logically separated.

[0020] The input device 1005 is an input device (e.g., a key, a microphone, a switch, a button, a sensor, a GPS unit, etc.) that accepts input from the outside. The output device 1006 is an output device (e.g., a display, a speaker, an LED lamp, etc.) that performs output to the outside. The input device 1005 and the output device 1006 may be integrated into one device (e.g., a touch screen).

[0021] Each device, such as the processor 1001 and the memory 1002, is connected by a bus for communicating information. The bus may be configured using a single bus, or may be configured using different buses between each device.

[0022] The user terminal 10 may also be configured to include hardware such as a microprocessor, a digital signal processor (DSP), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a programmable logic device (PLD), a field programmable gate array (FPGA), etc., and some or all of the functional blocks may be realized by the hardware. For example, the processor 1001 may be implemented using at least one of these pieces of hardware.

[0023] 3 is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the in-vehicle terminal 20. The in-vehicle terminal 20 is, for example, a car navigation device, a smartphone, a mobile phone, a tablet, a wearable terminal, or a computer such as a personal computer. The in-vehicle terminal 20 may be a terminal integrated into or fixed to the vehicle, or may be a terminal that the driver can carry and bring into the vehicle. The hardware configuration of the in-vehicle terminal 20 may be configured to include one or more of the devices shown in FIG. 3, or may be configured without including some of the devices. In addition, the in-vehicle terminal 20 may be configured by communication-connecting multiple devices each having a different housing.

[0024] The vehicle-mounted terminal 20 is physically configured as a computer device including a processor 2001, a memory 2002, a storage 2003, a communication device 2004, an input device 2005, an output device 2006, and a bus connecting these devices, similar to the user terminal 10. Each function of the vehicle-mounted terminal 20 is realized by loading predetermined software (programs) onto hardware such as the processor 2001, the memory 2002, etc., so that the processor 2001 performs calculations, controls communication by the communication device 2004, and controls at least one of reading and writing of data in the memory 2002 and the storage 2003. The processor 2001, memory 2002, storage 2003, communication device 2004, input device 2005, output device 2006, and the bus connecting them are similar in terms of hardware to the processor 1001, memory 1002, storage 1003, communication device 1004, input device 1005, output device 1006, and the bus connecting them described for the user terminal 10, so the description thereof will be omitted. Note that the vehicle-mounted terminal 20 includes, as the input device 2005, hardware (such as a GPS unit) for measuring the position of the terminal itself.

[0025] Fig. 4 is a diagram showing a hardware configuration of the server device 30. The hardware configuration of the server device 30 may be configured to include one or more of the devices shown in Fig. 4, or may be configured to exclude some of the devices. Furthermore, the server device 30 may be configured by communicating with a plurality of devices having different housings.

[0026] The server device 30 is physically configured as a computer device including a processor 3001, a memory 3002, a storage 3003, a communication device 3004, and a bus connecting these. Each function of the server device 30 is realized by loading a predetermined software (program) onto hardware such as the processor 3001 and the memory 3002, causing the processor 3001 to perform calculations, control communication by the communication device 3004, and control at least one of reading and writing of data in the memory 3002 and the storage 3003. The processor 3001, the memory 3002, the storage 3003, the communication device 3004, and the bus connecting these are similar in terms of hardware to the processor 1001, the memory 1002, the storage 1003, the communication device 1004, and the bus connecting these described for the user terminal 10, and therefore description thereof will be omitted. However, the communication device 3004 does not need to be hardware for communicating in accordance with a wireless communication standard, but may be hardware (transmitting / receiving device) for communicating between computers via the network 2 in accordance with any wired communication standard.

[0027] Fig. 5 is a block diagram showing an example of a functional configuration of the vehicle management system 1. As shown in Fig. 5, the server device 30 realizes the functions of an acquisition unit 31, a vehicle allocation management unit 32, and a notification unit 33. The vehicle allocation management unit 32 includes the functions of a registration unit 321, a selection unit 322, a vehicle allocation information storage unit 323, a map information storage unit 324, a planned boarding and alighting point information storage unit 325, and a vehicle information storage unit 326.

[0028] The acquisition unit 31 of the server device 30 acquires various information from the user terminal 10 and the in-vehicle terminal 20. When a passenger operates his / her user terminal 10 to request a reservation of a vehicle by specifying conditions such as the location and date and time of boarding and disembarking from the vehicle, the reservation request including these specified conditions is transmitted from the user terminal 10 to the server device 30 via the network 2 and acquired by the acquisition unit 31 of the server device 30. In addition, the in-vehicle terminal 20 periodically measures the position of its own terminal by a GPS unit or so-called base station positioning, and transmits position information indicating the position to the server device 30 via the network 2. In the server device 30, the acquisition unit 31 acquires the vehicle position information from the in-vehicle terminal 20 via the network 2.

[0029] In the server device 30, the vehicle dispatch management unit 32 manages vehicle dispatch. Specifically, the vehicle dispatch management unit 32 extracts a vehicle that meets the conditions included in the user's reservation request from a group of vehicles that are in the vicinity of the planned boarding point included in the reservation request or a group of vehicles that are scheduled to travel in the vicinity of the planned boarding point. Furthermore, the vehicle dispatch management unit 32 determines an operation schedule from the current position of the extracted vehicle to the planned disembarking point via the planned boarding point. This operation schedule includes information that indicates a route along a time axis, such as which vehicle passes which position at what time, and includes, for example, a planned boarding time at which the vehicle extracted as the vehicle to be used by the user will arrive at the planned boarding point of the user and a planned disembarking time at which the vehicle will arrive at the planned disembarking point of the user.

[0030] The map information storage unit 324 of the vehicle dispatch management unit 32 stores map data and traffic data within the traffic service area where the traffic service is provided. The map data includes information on the location of each road within the traffic service area, the direction and number of lanes that can be traveled on each road, and traffic signals on each road. The traffic data includes information on congestion, accidents, and the like on each road within the traffic service area. The traffic data may also include information on traffic volume sensed by a predetermined sensing device in each area, and statistical information from a macro perspective on how vehicles on the road move depending on conditions such as date and time. The map data and traffic data are used to calculate the route of the vehicle and the time required for the vehicle to move along that route.

[0031] In this embodiment, the locations of the points where the user can get on and off the vehicle, that is, the planned points of boarding and alighting the vehicle, are determined in advance. Therefore, the planned boarding point where the user gets on the vehicle is specified from among the predetermined planned boarding and alighting points, and the planned alighting point where the user alights from the vehicle is specified from among the predetermined planned boarding and alighting points. The planned boarding and alighting point information storage unit 325 of the vehicle dispatch management unit 32 stores the planned boarding and alighting point information related to these multiple planned boarding and alighting points. This planned boarding and alighting point information includes information on the locations of the planned boarding and alighting points and their availability conditions (for example, information on the date and time when the points can be used as planned boarding and alighting points, specifically, information indicating the day or time and whether each planned boarding and alighting point is available on that day or time), etc.

[0032] The vehicle information storage unit 326 of the vehicle dispatch management unit 32 stores vehicle information on each vehicle. This vehicle information includes the identifier, location information, and current riding status of each vehicle. In this embodiment, the information of the in-vehicle terminal 20 is regarded as the location of the vehicle in which the in-vehicle terminal is mounted. Therefore, in the vehicle information storage unit 326, the vehicle location information is updated by the location information transmitted from the in-vehicle terminal 20 to the server device 30.

[0033] When the acquisition unit 31 acquires a reservation request, the registration unit 321 of the vehicle dispatch management unit 32 refers to the stored contents of the map information storage unit 324, the planned boarding / alighting point information storage unit 325, and the vehicle information storage unit 326, and registers a vehicle group that matches the conditions included in the reservation request in association with the reservation request. At this time, the registration unit 321 registers a vehicle group including vehicles that can reach the planned boarding point at the planned boarding date and time specified in the reservation request in association with the reservation request. In other words, the registration unit 321 registers not only the vehicle group that is currently present at the planned boarding point at the time the acquisition unit 31 acquires the reservation request, but also the vehicle group that can reach the planned boarding point at the planned boarding date and time that corresponds to the future from the time the reservation request is acquired.

[0034] When it is determined that a passenger has arrived at the planned boarding point specified in the reservation request, the selection unit 322 of the vehicle dispatch management unit 32 selects one vehicle for the passenger to board from the group of vehicles registered in association with the reservation request. Specifically, when it is determined that a passenger has arrived at the planned boarding point, the selection unit 322 selects, as one vehicle for the passenger to board, a vehicle that is waiting at a position that is easy to move to the planned boarding point from the group of vehicles waiting in the waiting area of ​​the planned boarding point (for example, the vehicle at the head of the queue when multiple vehicles are waiting in a queue in the waiting area). Note that the time when it is determined that a passenger has arrived at the planned boarding point is specifically the time when the passenger inputs that he or she has arrived at the planned boarding point into the user terminal 10 of the passenger.

[0035] Here, Figures 6 to 8 are diagrams for explaining the mechanism for dispatching vehicles in this embodiment. Figure 6 explains how a group of vehicles that meets the conditions included in a reservation request is registered when the reservation request is acquired by the acquisition unit 31. Figure 6 shows how a group of vehicles (vehicles C1, C2, C3) that meets the conditions included in the reservation request is registered in response to the reservation request of a certain passenger U1.

[0036] Then, as shown in FIG. 7, when it is determined that passenger U1 has arrived at the planned boarding point, one vehicle (here, vehicle C2) waiting at a position that is easy to move to the planned boarding point is selected from the registered vehicle group (vehicles C1, C2, C3) as the vehicle for passenger U1 to board. At a planned boarding point with limited space, many vehicles may be held up due to a meeting between a reserved passenger and a reserved vehicle, for example, when a passenger who has made a reservation arrives at the boarding location on a date and time earlier than the planned boarding date and time and waits until the vehicle arrives. In this embodiment, when a reservation request from a user is acquired, a group of vehicles that are candidates for dispatching are provisionally registered, and a vehicle that the passenger will actually board is selected from the provisionally registered group of vehicles just before the passenger boards, so that it is possible to suppress the holding up of vehicles at the planned boarding point. In addition, the passenger can also shorten the time from arriving at the planned boarding point to boarding the vehicle.

[0037] As shown in Fig. 8, when passenger reservation requests and a group of vehicles are registered, one vehicle (vehicle C3 in Fig. 8) may be registered in duplicate in the reservation requests of multiple passengers (passengers U1 and U2 in Fig. 8) who wish to board from the same planned boarding point. In this case, as shown in Fig. 9, when one of the passengers (passenger U1 in Fig. 9) is deemed to have arrived at the planned boarding point, if vehicle C3, which is registered in duplicate for another passenger (passenger U2 in Fig. 9), is selected for that passenger (passenger U1 in Fig. 9), the selected vehicle C3 will be excluded from the group of vehicles registered for the other passenger (passenger U2 in Fig. 9).

[0038] Returning to the description of FIG. 5, the dispatch information storage unit 323 stores the contents registered by the registration unit 321 and the contents selected by the selection unit 322, that is, information regarding dispatch. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 10, the dispatch information storage unit 323 stores the conditions included in the reservation request, such as the planned boarding point and the planned boarding date and time of the passenger, in association with the user ID, which is information for identifying the passenger, the vehicle ID, which is information for identifying the vehicle group registered by the registration unit 321, and the vehicle ID, which is information for identifying one vehicle selected by the selection unit 322, in association with the user ID. In FIG. 10, for the reservation request corresponding to the user ID "UID001", the vehicle group has been registered by the registration unit 321, but the selection has not been made by the selection unit 322. In other words, it is indicated that the passenger with the user ID "UID001" has not yet arrived at the planned boarding point. In contrast, for the reservation request corresponding to the user ID "UID012", the vehicle group has been registered by the registration unit 321, and the selection has also been made by the selection unit 322. In other words, this indicates that the passenger with user ID "UID012" has arrived at the planned boarding point.

[0039] The notification unit 33 transmits various information to the user terminal 10 or the in-vehicle terminal 20 via the network 2. The notification unit 33 includes a first notification unit 331 that notifies a passenger of a vehicle ID that identifies a vehicle after the selection unit 322 selects one vehicle in which the passenger will ride, via the passenger's user terminal 10, and a second notification unit 332 that notifies a driver of information related to a reservation requested by the passenger via the in-vehicle terminal 20 of the one vehicle after the selection of one vehicle in which the passenger will ride. The contents transmitted by the first notification unit 331 are notified to the passenger by a method such as display or audio output on the user terminal 10. Similarly, the contents transmitted by the second notification unit 332 are notified to the driver by a method such as display or audio output on the in-vehicle terminal 20.

[0040] [Operation] Next, the operation of the server device 30 will be described. The procedure of each process shown in Fig. 11 is described in a program stored in the storage 3003 of the server device 30. In the following description, when the server device 30 is described as the subject of processing, this specifically means that the processor 3001 performs calculations by loading predetermined software (programs) onto hardware such as the processor 3001 and memory 3002, and controls communication by the communication device 3004 and reading and / or writing of data in the memory 3002 and storage 3003, thereby executing the processing. The same applies to the user terminal 10 and the in-vehicle terminal 20.

[0041] In FIG. 11, first, the server device 30 (acquisition unit 31) acquires a passenger's reservation request transmitted from the user terminal 10 together with the user's user ID via the network 2 (step S11).

[0042] Next, when the reservation request is acquired by the acquisition unit 31, the server device 30 (registration unit 321) refers to the stored contents of the map information memory unit 324, the planned boarding and alighting point information memory unit 325, and the vehicle information memory unit 326, and registers a group of vehicles that match the conditions included in the reservation request in association with the reservation request (step S12).

[0043] When the passenger arrives at the planned boarding point, the passenger operates his / her user terminal 10 to input that the passenger has arrived at the planned boarding point. The input contents are transmitted from the user terminal 10 to the server device 30 via the network 2 together with the user ID. When the server device 30 (selection unit 322) acquires the input contents by the acquisition unit 31, the server device 30 considers that the passenger has arrived at the planned boarding point specified in the reservation request (step S13; YES), and selects one vehicle for the passenger to board from the group of vehicles registered in association with the reservation request (step S14). Since the position of each vehicle is stored in the vehicle information storage unit 326, the selection unit 322 selects the position that is the easiest to move to the planned boarding point (for example, the vehicle at the head of the queue when vehicles are waiting in a queue in a waiting area) from the group of vehicles registered in association with the reservation request as the one vehicle for the passenger to board. Then, the vehicle allocation information storage unit 323 stores the contents registered by the registration unit 321 and the contents selected by the selection unit 322, that is, information regarding vehicle allocation.

[0044] After one vehicle for the passenger is selected, the server device 30 (first notification unit 331) notifies the passenger of a vehicle ID (e.g., a number written on the side of the vehicle) that identifies the vehicle via the passenger's user terminal 10, and the server device 30 (second notification unit 332) notifies the driver of the selected vehicle of information related to the reservation requested by the passenger (planned boarding point, planned boarding date and time, planned disembarking point, user ID, etc.) via the vehicle-mounted terminal 20 of the selected vehicle (step S15). By looking at the displayed notification, the passenger can find the vehicle that he or she should board at the planned boarding point. Also, by looking at the displayed notification, the driver can know which passengers should be boarded at where and where they should be disembarked.

[0045] According to the embodiment described above, when a user's reservation request is acquired, a group of vehicles that are candidates for dispatch is provisionally registered, and immediately before the passenger boards, the passenger selects the vehicle that the passenger will actually board from the group of provisionally registered vehicles, so that it is possible to prevent vehicles from accumulating at the planned boarding point. Also, for the passenger, the time from when he or she arrives at the planned boarding point until boarding the vehicle can be shortened.

[0046] [Variations] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment. The above-described embodiment may be modified as follows. In addition, two or more of the following modifications may be combined and implemented. [Variation 1] The conditions specified by the passenger in the reservation request may include conditions related to the operation of the vehicle, such as the planned boarding point, the planned boarding date and time, and the planned disembarking point, as exemplified in the embodiment, as well as conditions related to the functions or equipment of the vehicle, such as the size of the vehicle, the number of passengers in the vehicle, whether the vehicle is wheelchair accessible, etc. In this case, the vehicle may wait in a queue in a waiting area at the planned boarding point for each combination of these conditions, or may wait in multiple waiting areas slightly away from the planned boarding point for each combination of these conditions. Therefore, the server device 30 may be provided with a designation unit that designates a waiting area in which the vehicle group waits for each combination of conditions specified in the reservation request. This designation unit prestores the positions of one or more waiting areas in which the vehicle group waits for each planned boarding point, and when a reservation request is obtained requesting boarding from the planned boarding point, one of the waiting areas is assigned to each combination of conditions specified in the reservation request. In this case, the second notification unit 332 notifies the driver of map information or the like indicating the positions of the waiting areas via the vehicle-mounted terminal 20 of the vehicle at the time when the vehicle group is registered in response to the reservation request. In this way, vehicle waiting areas can be managed separately for each combination of conditions specified in the reservation request.

[0047] [Variation 2] As in the above-mentioned modified example 1, when vehicles are waiting in a plurality of waiting areas, the waiting area of ​​the vehicles may be notified to the passengers. In other words, the first notification unit 331 may notify the passengers of information for guiding them to the waiting area where the selected vehicle is waiting. This makes it possible to instruct the passengers where to board the vehicle.

[0048] [Variation 3] As described in the embodiment, a method of determining that a passenger has arrived at the planned boarding point may be a method in which the passenger himself / herself inputs the information into the user terminal 10, or a method of detecting that the passenger has arrived at the planned boarding point using a detection device such as a camera installed at the planned boarding point or a GPS unit implemented in the user terminal 10. When a camera installed at the planned boarding point is used, a method of detecting the passenger using face recognition technology or the like for an image captured by the camera may be used. When a GPS unit implemented in the user terminal 10 is used, a method of determining whether the passenger has arrived at the planned boarding point by comparing the position of the passenger measured by the GPS unit with the planned boarding point may be used. In this way, in the present invention, a passenger may be considered to have arrived at the planned boarding point when a detection device detects that the passenger has arrived at the planned boarding point specified in the reservation request.

[0049] [Variation 4] In this embodiment, the points where the user can get on and off the vehicle, that is, the positions of the planned points where the user will get on and off the vehicle, are determined in advance, but the user may be able to freely specify these points.

[0050] [Variation 5] Although the server device 30 has been illustrated as an example of an information processing device according to the present invention, the present invention can be applied to any computer that realizes the functional blocks illustrated in Fig. 5. Furthermore, the server device does not need to store map information, planned boarding and alighting point information, and vehicle information, and devices other than the server device may store these. In this case, the server device may request a search from the other device and obtain the search results.

[0051] [Other variations] The block diagrams used to explain the above embodiments show functional blocks. These functional blocks (components) are realized by any combination of at least one of hardware and software. The method of realizing each functional block is not particularly limited. That is, each functional block may be realized by using one device that is physically or logically combined, or may be realized by using two or more devices that are physically or logically separated and directly or indirectly connected (for example, by wire, wirelessly, etc.). The functional blocks may be realized by combining the one device or the multiple devices with software.

[0052] Functions include, but are not limited to, judgment, determination, judgment, calculation, computation, processing, derivation, investigation, search, confirmation, reception, transmission, output, access, resolution, selection, selection, establishment, comparison, assumption, expectation, consideration, broadcasting, notifying, communicating, forwarding, configuring, reconfiguring, allocating, mapping, and assignment. For example, a functional block (component) that performs the function of transmission is called an output unit or a transmitter. As described above, there is no particular limitation on the method of realization of each of these.

[0053] The notification of information is not limited to the aspects / embodiments described in the present disclosure, and may be performed using other methods. For example, the notification of information may be performed by physical layer signaling (e.g., Downlink Control Information (DCI), Uplink Control Information (UCI)), higher layer signaling (e.g., Radio Resource Control (RRC) signaling, Medium Access Control (MAC) signaling, broadcast information (Master Information Block (MIB), System Information Block (SIB))), other signals, or a combination thereof. In addition, the RRC signaling may be called an RRC message, and may be, for example, an RRC Connection Setup message, an RRC Connection Reconfiguration message, or the like.

[0054] Each aspect / embodiment described in the present disclosure may be applied to at least one of systems using LTE (Long Term Evolution), LTE-A (LTE-Advanced), SUPER 3G, IMT-Advanced, 4G (4th generation mobile communication system), 5G (5th generation mobile communication system), FRA (Future Radio Access), NR (new Radio), W-CDMA (registered trademark), GSM (registered trademark), CDMA2000, UMB (Ultra Mobile Broadband), IEEE 802.11 (Wi-Fi (registered trademark)), IEEE 802.16 (WiMAX (registered trademark)), IEEE 802.20, UWB (Ultra-WideBand), Bluetooth (registered trademark), and other suitable systems, and next-generation systems extended based on these. In addition, a combination of multiple systems (e.g., a combination of at least one of LTE and LTE-A and 5G, etc.) may be applied.

[0055] The order of the steps, sequences, flow charts, etc. of each aspect / embodiment described in this disclosure may be changed unless inconsistent. For example, the methods described in this disclosure present elements of various steps using an example order, and are not limited to the particular order presented.

[0056] Information, etc. may be output from a higher layer (or a lower layer) to a lower layer (or a higher layer). Information may be input / output via multiple network nodes.

[0057] The input and output information may be stored in a specific location (e.g., memory) or may be managed using a management table. The input and output information may be overwritten, updated, or added to. The output information may be deleted. The input information may be transmitted to another device.

[0058] The determination may be based on a value represented by a single bit (0 or 1), a Boolean value (true or false), or a numerical comparison (e.g., comparison with a predetermined value).

[0059] Each aspect / embodiment described in this disclosure may be used alone, in combination, or switched according to execution. In addition, notification of specific information (e.g., notification that "X is the case") is not limited to being done explicitly, but may be done implicitly (e.g., not notifying the specific information).

[0060] Although the present disclosure has been described in detail above, it is clear to those skilled in the art that the present disclosure is not limited to the embodiments described in the present disclosure. The present disclosure can be implemented in modified and altered forms without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure as defined by the claims. Therefore, the description of the present disclosure is intended to be illustrative and does not have any limiting meaning on the present disclosure.

[0061] Software shall be construed broadly to mean instructions, instruction sets, code, code segments, program code, programs, subprograms, software modules, applications, software applications, software packages, routines, subroutines, objects, executable files, threads of execution, procedures, functions, etc., whether referred to as software, firmware, middleware, microcode, hardware description language, or otherwise. Additionally, software, instructions, information, etc. may be transmitted or received over a transmission medium. For example, if the software is transmitted from a website, server, or other remote source using wired and / or wireless technologies (such as coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair, Digital Subscriber Line (DSL)), and / or wireless technologies (such as infrared, microwave, etc.), then these wired and / or wireless technologies are included within the definition of transmission media.

[0062] The information, signals, etc. described in this disclosure may be represented using any of a variety of different technologies. For example, the data, instructions, commands, information, signals, bits, symbols, chips, etc. that may be referred to throughout the above description may be represented by voltages, currents, electromagnetic waves, magnetic fields or magnetic particles, optical fields or photons, or any combination thereof.

[0063] In addition, the terms described in this disclosure and the terms necessary for understanding this disclosure may be replaced with terms having the same or similar meanings. For example, at least one of a channel and a symbol may be a signal (signaling). Also, a signal may be a message. Also, a component carrier (CC) may be called a carrier frequency, a cell, a frequency carrier, etc.

[0064] As used in this disclosure, the terms "system" and "network" are used interchangeably.

[0065] In addition, the information, parameters, etc. described in the present disclosure may be represented using absolute values, may be represented using relative values ​​from a predetermined value, or may be represented using other corresponding information. For example, a radio resource may be indicated by an index. The names used for the above-mentioned parameters are not limiting in any way. Moreover, the formulas using these parameters may differ from those explicitly disclosed in this disclosure. The various channels (e.g., PUCCH, PDCCH, etc.) and information elements may be identified by any suitable names, and therefore the various names assigned to these various channels and information elements are not limiting in any way.

[0066] In this disclosure, the terms "Mobile Station (MS)", "user terminal", "User Equipment (UE)", "terminal", etc. may be used interchangeably. A mobile station may also be referred to by those skilled in the art as a subscriber station, mobile unit, subscriber unit, wireless unit, remote unit, mobile device, wireless device, wireless communication device, remote device, mobile subscriber station, access terminal, mobile terminal, wireless terminal, remote terminal, handset, user agent, mobile client, client, or some other suitable terminology.

[0067] The user terminal 10 or the vehicle-mounted terminal 20 may be called a transmitting device, a receiving device, a communication device, or the like.

[0068] The terms "determining" and "determining" may encompass a wide variety of actions. "Determining" and "determining" may include, for example, judging, calculating, computing, processing, deriving, investigating, looking up, search, inquiry (e.g., searching in a table, database, or other data structure), ascertaining, and the like. "Determining" and "determining" may also include receiving (e.g., receiving information), transmitting (e.g., sending information), input, output, accessing (e.g., accessing data in memory), and the like. In addition, "judgment" and "decision" can include considering resolving, selecting, choosing, establishing, comparing, etc., to be a "judgment" or "decision." In other words, "judgment" and "decision" can include considering some action to be a "judgment" or "decision." In addition, "judgment (decision)" can be interpreted as "assuming," "expecting," "considering," etc.

[0069] The terms "connected," "coupled," or any variation thereof, refer to any direct or indirect connection or coupling between two or more elements, and may include the presence of one or more intermediate elements between two elements that are "connected" or "coupled" to one another. The coupling or connection between elements may be physical, logical, or a combination thereof. For example, "connected" may be read as "access." As used in this disclosure, two elements may be considered to be "connected" or "coupled" to one another and routed using one or more wires, cables, and / or printed electrical connections, as well as electromagnetic energy having wavelengths in the radio frequency range, microwave range, and optical (both visible and invisible) range, as some non-limiting and non-exhaustive examples.

[0070] As used in this disclosure, the phrase "based on" does not mean "based only on," unless expressly stated otherwise. In other words, the phrase "based on" means both "based only on" and "based at least on."

[0071] The "means" in the configuration of each of the above devices may be replaced with "part," "circuit," "device," etc.

[0072] When the terms "include," "including," and variations thereof are used in this disclosure, these terms are intended to be inclusive, similar to the term "comprising." Further, when used in this disclosure, the term "or" is not intended to be an exclusive or.

[0073] In this disclosure, where articles have been added due to translation, such as a, an, and the in English, the disclosure may include that the nouns following these articles are in the plural form.

[0074] In the present disclosure, the term "A and B are different" may mean "A and B are different from each other." The term may also mean "A and B are each different from C." Terms such as "separate" and "coupled" may also be interpreted in the same way as "different." [Explanation of symbols]

[0075] 1...vehicle management system, 2...network, 10...user terminal, 1001...processor, 1002...memory, 1003...storage, 1004...communication device, 1005...input device, 1006...output device, 20...vehicle-mounted terminal, 2001...processor, 2002...memory, 2003...storage, 2004...communication device, 2005...input device, 2006...output device, 30...server device, 31...acquisition unit, 32...vehicle dispatch management unit, 321...registration unit, 322...selection unit, 323...vehicle dispatch information storage unit, 324...map information storage unit, 325...planned boarding and alighting point information storage unit, 326...vehicle information storage unit, 33...notification unit, 331...first notification unit, 332...second notification unit, 3001...processor, 3002...memory, 3003...storage, 3004...communication device.

Claims

1. an acquisition unit for acquiring a reservation request including conditions specified by a passenger; a registration unit that, when the reservation request is acquired, registers a vehicle group that matches the condition included in the reservation request in association with the reservation request; a selection unit that selects one vehicle for the passenger to board from the group of vehicles registered in association with the reservation request when the passenger is deemed to have arrived at the planned boarding point specified in the reservation request; An information processing device comprising:

2. The registration unit registers a vehicle group including vehicles that can reach the planned boarding point at the planned boarding date and time specified in the reservation request in association with each other.

2. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1,

3. A designation unit that designates a waiting area in which the vehicle group is to wait for each combination of the conditions designated in the reservation request.

2. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

4. The selection unit, when it is determined that the passenger has arrived at the planned boarding point specified in the reservation request, selects, from among the vehicles waiting in the waiting area, a vehicle waiting at a position that allows easy movement to the planned boarding point, as one vehicle for the passenger to board.

4. The information processing apparatus according to claim 3.

5. a first notification unit that notifies the passenger of information for identifying the vehicle after the passenger selects the vehicle in which the passenger will board; 2. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

6. The first notification unit notifies the passenger of information for guiding the passenger to a waiting area where the selected one vehicle is waiting.

6. The information processing apparatus according to claim 5,

7. a second notification unit that notifies a driver of the one vehicle in which the passenger will board after the one vehicle is selected of information related to the reservation requested by the passenger.

2. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1,

8. When the passenger inputs into the user terminal of the passenger that the passenger has arrived at the planned boarding point specified in the reservation request, the passenger is deemed to have arrived at the planned boarding point.

2. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1,

9. The passenger is deemed to have arrived at the intended boarding point when a detection device detects that the passenger has arrived at the intended boarding point specified in the reservation request.

2. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1,

10. The conditions include conditions relating to the functions or equipment of the vehicle.

2. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1,

Images