Vehicle allocation system, vehicle allocation management method, and program

Abstract

To perform more efficient vehicle allocation.SOLUTION: A vehicle allocation system consists of a vehicle allocation management device, which manages vehicle allocations of a plurality of mobile units, and a terminal device which requests a vehicle allocation to the vehicle allocation management device. The vehicle allocation management device acquires information relating to a current place or a departure place from the terminal device and transmits to the terminal device positional information and business states of one or more mobile units on the basis of the acquired information relating to the current place or the departure place. Based on the positional information and the business states of one or more mobile units transmitted from the vehicle allocation management device, the terminal device causes a display section to display a mobile unit which is positioned within a predetermined range with respect to the current place or the departure place and of which the business state is available, and a mobile unit which is positioned within a predetermined range with respect to the current place or the departure place and of which the business state is in-service or reserved for pick-up. The present technique may be applicable to e.g., a taxi allocation system, etc., which controls the allocation of taxis.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present technology relates to a vehicle dispatch system, a vehicle dispatch management method, and a program, and in particular to a vehicle dispatch system, a vehicle dispatch management method, and a program that enable more efficient vehicle dispatch. [Background technology]

[0002] 2. Description of the Related Art A taxi dispatch system is known that refers to taxi operation status, determines an appropriate taxi from among a plurality of taxis, and dispatches the taxi (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

[0003] Conventionally, a vehicle dispatch system searches for and dispatches a taxi that is close to the location of a user who wishes to ride among available taxis. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] JP 2003-109191 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] However, when there is a high demand for taxis due to a particular time period, location, weather, or the like, users may experience inconvenience when they are unable to find an available taxi.

[0006] The present technology has been developed in light of these circumstances, and enables more efficient vehicle dispatch. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] A vehicle dispatch system according to one aspect of the present technology includes: A vehicle dispatch management device that manages dispatch of a plurality of mobile devices, and a terminal device that requests dispatch of vehicles to the vehicle dispatch management device, The vehicle dispatch management device includes: Obtaining information about a current location or a departure location from the terminal device; Transmitting location information and business status of one or more mobile devices to the terminal device based on the acquired information about the current location or the starting location; The terminal device Based on the location information and business status of the one or more mobile devices transmitted from the vehicle dispatch management device, a display unit displays mobile devices whose business status is vacant and which are located within a specified range of the current location or departure point, and mobile devices whose business status is occupied or picked up and which are located within a specified range of the current location or departure point.

[0008] A vehicle dispatch management method according to one aspect of the present technology includes: A vehicle dispatch system including a vehicle dispatch management device that manages the dispatch of a plurality of mobile devices and a terminal device that requests the vehicle dispatch to the vehicle dispatch management device, The vehicle dispatch management device, Obtaining information about a current location or a departure location from the terminal device; Transmitting location information and business status of one or more mobile devices to the terminal device based on the acquired information about the current location or the starting location; The terminal device, Based on the location information and business status of the one or more mobile devices transmitted from the vehicle dispatch management device, a display unit displays mobile devices whose business status is vacant and which are located within a specified range of the current location or departure point, and mobile devices whose business status is occupied or picked up and which are located within a specified range of the current location or departure point.

[0009] A program according to one aspect of the present technology includes: The computer of the vehicle dispatch management device Transmitting location information and business status of one or more mobile devices to the terminal device based on information regarding a current location or a starting location obtained from the terminal device; A mobile device whose operating status is an empty vehicle and which is located within a predetermined range from the current location or the departure location, and a mobile device whose operating status is an occupied vehicle or a pick-up vehicle and which is located within a predetermined range from the current location or the departure location are displayed on a display unit of the terminal device. It is for executing processing.

[0010] In one aspect of the present technology, in a vehicle dispatch management device, information related to a current location or a departure location is acquired from the terminal device, and based on the acquired information related to the current location or the departure location, location information and business status of one or more mobile devices are transmitted to the terminal device, and in the terminal device, mobile devices whose business status is vacant and located within a predetermined range of the current location or the departure location, and mobile devices whose business status is occupied or picked up and located within a predetermined range of the current location or the departure location are displayed on a display unit based on the location information and business status of the one or more mobile devices transmitted from the vehicle dispatch management device.

[0011] The program executed by the computer can be provided by transmitting it via a transmission medium or by recording it on a recording medium. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0012] [Figure 1] 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of a taxi dispatch system according to an embodiment of the present technology; [Diagram 2] 1 is a flowchart illustrating the overall processing flow of a taxi dispatch system. [Diagram 3] 13 is a flowchart illustrating a vehicle dispatch request process focusing on a user application. [Figure 4] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a screen of a user application. [Diagram 5] 13A to 13C are diagrams illustrating other example screens of the user application. [Figure 6] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a screen when suggesting to the user to change the boarding location. [Figure 7] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a screen when suggesting to the user to change the drop-off point. [Figure 8] 13 is a flowchart illustrating a vehicle dispatch request response process focusing on a driver application. [Figure 9] FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating an example of a vehicle dispatch request screen of a driver application. [Figure 10] 13 is a flowchart illustrating a vehicle dispatch process focusing on the vehicle dispatch integrated management device. [Figure 11] 1 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of an embodiment of a computer to which the present technology is applied. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0013] Hereinafter, a description will be given of an embodiment of the present technology with reference to the accompanying drawings. In this specification and the drawings, components having substantially the same functional configurations are denoted by the same reference numerals, and duplicated description will be omitted. The description will be given in the following order. 1. Example of taxi dispatch system configuration 2. Overall flow of the taxi dispatch system 3. User application's vehicle dispatch request processing 4. Response processing for dispatch request from driver app 5. Dispatch processing by the integrated dispatch management device 6. Computer configuration example

[0014] <1. Example of taxi dispatch system configuration> FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of a taxi dispatch system according to an embodiment to which the present technology is applied.

[0015] The taxi dispatch system 1 in Figure 1 is a system that dispatches a taxi as a transportation device to a user based on a request from the user who uses the taxi, and has dispatch management devices 11A to 11C of taxi companies A, B, and C, respectively, and an integrated dispatch management device 12 that is an integrated dispatch management device that manages them.

[0016] The vehicle dispatch management device 11A of company A is connected to one or more taxis 21A belonging to company A via a predetermined network, and is also connected to the vehicle dispatch integrated management device 12 via a predetermined network.

[0017] Similarly, the vehicle dispatch management device 11B of company B is connected to one or more taxis 21B belonging to company B via a specified network, and is also connected to the vehicle dispatch integrated management device 12 via a specified network.

[0018] Similarly, the vehicle dispatch management device 11C of company C is connected to one or more taxis 21C belonging to company C via a specified network, and is also connected to the vehicle dispatch integrated management device 12 via a specified network.

[0019] In addition, the private taxis 21D that do not belong to a specific company are directly connected to the integrated vehicle dispatch management device 12 via a specific network, not via the vehicle dispatch management device 11. When there is no particular distinction between the taxis 21A to 21C of companies A, B, and C, and the private taxis 21D, they will be simply referred to as taxis 21.

[0020] Here, the specified network can be composed of a communication network or communication path of any communication standard, such as the Internet, a public telephone line network, a wide area communication network for mobile communication such as a so-called 4G line or 5G line, a Wide Area Network (WAN), a Local Area Network (LAN), a wireless communication network that communicates in accordance with the Bluetooth (registered trademark) standard, a communication path for short-range wireless communication such as NFC (Near Field Communication), a communication path for infrared communication, a communication network for wired communication in accordance with standards such as HDMI (registered trademark) (High-Definition Multimedia Interface) or USB (Universal Serial Bus), etc.

[0021] The taxi 21A of Company A has an in-vehicle device 31 and a communication unit 32. In addition, the taxi 21A of Company A is equipped with a terminal device 33.

[0022] The vehicle-mounted device 31 is equipped with a vehicle activity data generation unit 34 that acquires necessary data from a fare meter, a GPS (Global Positioning System) receiver, a gyro sensor, a speedometer, etc. (all not shown) and generates vehicle activity data that represents the activity log of the taxi 21A (vehicle).

[0023] The vehicle behavior data generating unit 34 acquires data such as the status of "occupied vehicle", "vacant vehicle", or "pick-up vehicle" and the fee (fare) from, for example, a fare meter. The status indicates the business state of the taxi 21. The vehicle behavior data generating unit 34 also acquires information such as the current position, moving speed, and moving direction of the taxi 21A from, for example, a GPS receiver, a gyro sensor, a speedometer, and the like.

[0024] The vehicle status data generation unit 34 then generates information such as a company ID identifying the company to which taxi 21A belongs, a radio ID identifying taxi 21A, a crew ID identifying the driver on duty in taxi 21A, a status time indicating the time the status was generated, latitude and longitude which are the location information of taxi 21A, the driving speed and direction of taxi 21A, the status of "occupied vehicle", "empty vehicle", or "pick-up", and, if the status is "occupied vehicle" or "pick-up", the boarding location and destination of taxi 21, as vehicle status data on a regular or irregular basis, and transmits the information to Company A's vehicle dispatch management device 11A via the communication unit 32.

[0025] The communication unit 32 transmits the vehicle status data generated by the vehicle status data generation unit 34 of the vehicle-mounted device 31 to the vehicle dispatch management device 11A of company A. The communication unit 32 is configured with a network interface that performs network communication via a predetermined network.

[0026] The terminal device 33 is composed of an information processing device such as a smartphone or a tablet terminal. A driver app 35, which is an application program for the driver, is installed in the terminal device 33. The driver app 35 acquires data related to a vehicle dispatch request from the vehicle dispatch integrated management device 12 and displays it on a display, and transmits response data to the vehicle dispatch request to the vehicle dispatch integrated management device 12 based on the driver's operation. The driver app 35 communicates directly with the vehicle dispatch integrated management device 12 via a network such as a wide area communication network for mobile communication. The driver app 35 may also communicate with the vehicle dispatch integrated management device 12 via the communication unit 32 and the vehicle dispatch management device 11A of company A.

[0027] Taxi 21B of Company B and taxi 21C of Company C are basically the same as taxi 21A of Company A, except that they are from different companies, so their explanation will be omitted.

[0028] Company A's vehicle dispatch management device 11A collects vehicle status data of one or more Company A's taxis 21A and transmits it to the integrated vehicle dispatch management device 12, and also relays data regarding dispatch requests transmitted from the integrated vehicle dispatch management device 12 to Company A's taxis 21A, and transmits it to the specified Company A's taxi 21A.

[0029] The vehicle dispatch management device 11A of the company A includes a vehicle status data management unit 41, an order information management unit 42, and a communication unit 43. The vehicle dispatch management device 11A of the company A is configured, for example, as a server device (information processing device) having a network connection function.

[0030] The vehicle status data management unit 41 manages the vehicle status data supplied from each of the taxis 21A of Company A. Specifically, the vehicle status data management unit 41 stores the vehicle status data supplied from each of the taxis 21A of Company A in an internal storage unit, and displays the vehicle status data of each taxi 21A on a display (not shown). In addition, the vehicle status data management unit 41 transmits the vehicle status data supplied from each taxi 21A to the vehicle dispatch integrated management device 12.

[0031] When Company A receives a call requesting dispatch, the operator managing the operation of Company A's taxis 21A can check the current location and status, such as "occupied" or "vacant," of each of Company A's taxis 21A, which are stored in the vehicle movement data management unit 41, and search for and assign a taxi 21A that can respond to the dispatch request.

[0032] The order information management unit 42 manages information on advance vehicle dispatch requests (vehicle dispatch reservations) from customers and the like. For example, when an operator of a taxi 21A of company A receives a telephone call from a customer for a vehicle dispatch reservation, the operator inputs vehicle dispatch reservation information, such as pick-up location, pick-up time, customer name, and destination, from an operation terminal to the order information management unit 42. The order information management unit 42 stores the vehicle dispatch reservation information, and displays the vehicle dispatch request a predetermined time before the reservation time. The operator who has confirmed the display of the vehicle dispatch request makes a dispatch request to a predetermined taxi 21A based on the vehicle status data stored in the vehicle status data management unit 41. Note that the order information management unit 42 may search for the most suitable taxi 21A from the vehicle status data in the vehicle status data management unit 41 and make a dispatch request a predetermined time before the reservation time.

[0033] The communication unit 43 performs predetermined communication with the vehicle dispatch integrated management device 12 and each of the taxis 21A of company A. For example, the communication unit 43 transmits a dispatch request from the vehicle dispatch integrated management device 12 to a predetermined taxi 21A, and transmits vehicle status data periodically acquired from each taxi 21A to the vehicle dispatch integrated management device 12.

[0034] The vehicle dispatch management devices 11B and 11C of taxi companies B and C are basically the same as the vehicle dispatch management device 11A of company A, except that the companies are different, so a description thereof will be omitted. When there is no need to distinguish between the vehicle dispatch management devices 11A to 11C of companies A, B, and C, they may be simply referred to as the vehicle dispatch management device 11.

[0035] The vehicle dispatch integrated management device 12 transmits and receives data such as vehicle status data and dispatch requests between the vehicle dispatch management devices 11 of companies A, B, and C. The vehicle dispatch integrated management device 12 also communicates with an application program (hereinafter referred to as a user application) 61 for making dispatch requests, which is installed in a terminal device (hereinafter referred to as a user terminal) 13 of a user who is a taxi user, via a predetermined network. The vehicle dispatch integrated management device 12 is, for example, configured with a server device having a network connection function.

[0036] The integrated vehicle dispatch management device 12 is a vehicle dispatch management device that manages the dispatch of all taxis 21. The integrated vehicle dispatch management device 12 has a vehicle status data management unit 51, a customer data management unit 52, an order information management unit 53, a vehicle dispatch management unit 54, a taxi company communication unit 55, and an application communication unit 56.

[0037] The vehicle status data management unit 51 manages the vehicle status data supplied from the dispatch management device 11 of each taxi company and each private taxi 21D. Specifically, the vehicle status data management unit 51 stores the vehicle status data supplied from the dispatch management device 11 of each taxi company and each private taxi 21D in an internal storage unit, and displays the vehicle status data on a display (not shown). The vehicle status data is information such as the company ID of the taxi 21, the radio ID of the taxi 21, the driver ID, the status time, the position information of the taxi 21, the running speed and traveling direction of the taxi 21, the status, and the boarding place and destination of the taxi 21 when the status is "actual vehicle" or "pick-up". In addition, the vehicle status data management unit 51 records the company ID of the taxi 21, the radio ID of the taxi 21, the driver ID, the boarding place and destination, the fare, etc. of the taxi 21 as past actual vehicle data in the internal storage unit every time one "actual vehicle" status ends.

[0038] The customer data management unit 52 generates customer data based on data input by an operator or transmitted from the user application 61, and stores the data in an internal storage unit. For example, the customer data management unit 52 stores information such as the customer's name, the customer's favorite taxi company or the taxi company that the customer prefers to have dispatched preferentially, a frequently used taxi stand, and an average waiting time for pick-up, together with a customer ID, which is identification information for identifying the customer. The customer data may be data input (specified) by the user in the user application 61, or may be data generated by the customer data management unit 52 based on the user's riding history, etc.

[0039] The order information management unit 53 manages information on advance vehicle dispatch requests (vehicle dispatch reservations) from customers, etc. The order information management unit 42 of each vehicle dispatch management device 11 manages information on vehicle dispatch requests (vehicle dispatch reservations) received by each taxi company, while the order information management unit 53 manages information on vehicle dispatch requests (vehicle dispatch reservations) received by a representative reservation center that oversees each taxi company or by a user application 61. The order information management unit 53 makes a vehicle dispatch request to the vehicle dispatch management unit 54 a predetermined time before the reserved time of the vehicle dispatch reservation.

[0040] The vehicle dispatch management unit 54 controls dispatch based on a dispatch request or a dispatch reservation. For example, when a dispatch request is transmitted from the user application 61, the vehicle dispatch management unit 54 extracts a taxi 21 that satisfies the conditions of the dispatch request based on the vehicle status data stored in the vehicle status data management unit 51, and transmits the dispatch request. In addition, when a dispatch request is transmitted from the order information management unit 53, the vehicle dispatch management unit 54 extracts a taxi 21 that satisfies the conditions of the dispatch request based on the vehicle status data stored in the vehicle status data management unit 51, and transmits the dispatch request to the driver application 35.

[0041] The taxi company communication unit 55 performs predetermined communication with each of the taxi company's vehicle dispatch management devices 11. For example, the taxi company communication unit 55 receives vehicle status data periodically transmitted from each taxi 21 and supplies the data to the vehicle status data management unit 51, and transmits a dispatch request from the vehicle dispatch management unit 54 to a predetermined taxi 21 via the vehicle dispatch management device 11.

[0042] In addition, the taxi company communication unit 55 may receive vehicle status data and send a dispatch request from the dispatch management unit 54 to a specific taxi 21 by communicating directly with the taxi 21 of each taxi company without going through the dispatch management device 11 of each taxi company.

[0043] The application communication unit 56 performs predetermined communication with the user application 61. For example, the application communication unit 56 receives a dispatch request from the user application 61 and supplies it to the dispatch management unit 54, and when the dispatch of a predetermined taxi 21 is confirmed, transmits a dispatch confirmation notification to the user application 61.

[0044] In FIG. 1, for ease of understanding, only a user terminal 13 and a user application 61 corresponding to one user are illustrated, but the integrated vehicle dispatch management device 12 can communicate as necessary with user applications 61 of multiple user terminals 13.

[0045] The user terminal 13 is composed of an information processing device such as a smartphone or a tablet terminal, and performs predetermined communication with the vehicle dispatch integrated management device 12. The user application 61 requests the vehicle dispatch integrated management device 12 to dispatch a taxi 21 based on a user's operation, and displays a dispatch confirmation in response to the dispatch request. In addition, the user application 61 can also display the current operating status of the taxi 21 on the display by acquiring vehicle movement data in the vicinity of the user's current location from the vehicle dispatch integrated management device 12.

[0046] In the taxi dispatch system 1 configured as described above, when a user operates the user application 61 to request dispatch of a taxi 21, the integrated dispatch management device 12 refers to the vehicle status data in the vehicle status data management unit 51, searches for the most suitable taxi 21, and transmits a dispatch request to the found taxi 21.

[0047] Here, when searching for the most suitable taxi 21, the integrated vehicle dispatch management device 12 can search for taxis 21 including not only taxis 21 whose status at the time of the search is "vacant," but also taxis 21 whose status is "occupied" or "pick-up."

[0048] This allows the user to call a taxi 21 with less waiting time because the number of taxis 21 available to accept dispatch requests increases. In addition, it reduces the number of situations where a user is unable to find an available taxi when there is a high demand for taxis due to a specific time period, location, weather, or the like.

[0049] In addition, for the driver of the taxi 21, the time from when the vehicle is carrying a passenger to when the next passenger is picked up can be shortened, and the time and travel required to pick up the next passenger can be reduced.

[0050] That is, the taxi dispatch system 1 enables efficient dispatch.

[0051] <2. Overall flow of the taxi dispatch system> First, the flow of processing of the entire taxi dispatch system 1 will be described with reference to the flowchart in FIG. 2, and then the details of the processing of each of the dispatch integrated management device 12, the taxi 21, and the user terminal 13 will be described.

[0052] FIG. 2 is a flowchart of a dispatch control process performed by the taxi dispatch system 1.

[0053] In this process, a situation is assumed in which user A uses user application 61 to board a taxi 21A of company A, and while user A is in the taxi 21A, user B uses user application 61 to request dispatch of a taxi 21, and the taxi 21A that user A is in is assigned to him.

[0054] In addition to the processing of Figure 2, the integrated vehicle dispatch management device 12 regularly or irregularly acquires vehicle status data of the taxis 21 from each taxi 21, and updates the vehicle status data in the vehicle status data management unit 51. This processing is executed continuously.

[0055] First, in step S1, user A inputs a boarding location "X" and a destination "Y" into the user application 61 and performs an operation to request a ride.

[0056] In step S2, the user application 61 of the user A transmits a vehicle dispatch request to the vehicle dispatch integrated management device 12 together with information on the boarding location "X" and the destination "Y."

[0057] In step S11, the vehicle dispatch management unit 54 of the vehicle dispatch integrated management device 12 receives a vehicle dispatch request from the user application 61 of the user A, and extracts a dispatchable taxi 21 by referring to the current vehicle status data managed by the vehicle status data management unit 51. Here, it is assumed that a taxi 21A of company A, which is the closest taxi 21 to the boarding location "X" and has a status of "vacant", is searched for.

[0058] In step S12, the vehicle dispatch management unit 54 transmits a dispatch request to the searched taxi 21A of company A.

[0059] In step S21, the driver application 35 of the taxi 21A of Company A acquires data related to the dispatch request (e.g., boarding location "X" and destination "Y") from the vehicle dispatch integrated management device 12 and displays the data on the display. Then, when the driver performs an operation to accept the vehicle dispatch request, in step S22, the driver application 35 transmits a request acceptance notice to the vehicle dispatch integrated management device 12 to the effect that the vehicle dispatch request is accepted.

[0060] When the vehicle dispatch management unit 54 of the vehicle dispatch integrated management device 12 receives a request acceptance notification from the taxi 21A in step S13, it determines the taxi 21A as the taxi to be dispatched, and in step S14, transmits a vehicle dispatch confirmation notification to the driver application 35 of the user A.

[0061] In step S3, when the driver application 35 of the user A receives the dispatch confirmation notification from the dispatch integrated management device 12, the driver application 35 displays a dispatch confirmation indicating that the dispatch has been confirmed. Then, when the taxi 21A of the company A assigned to the user A arrives at the boarding location "X", in step S4, the user A gets in the taxi 21A and starts moving to the destination "Y".

[0062] In step S31, user B inputs a boarding location "Y'" and a destination "Z" to the user application 61 and performs a vehicle dispatch request operation. Here, boarding location "Y'" is a location close to user A's destination "Y".

[0063] In step S32, the user application 61 of the user B transmits a vehicle dispatch request to the vehicle dispatch integrated management device 12 together with information on the boarding location "Y'" and the destination "Z".

[0064] In step S15, the vehicle dispatch management unit 54 of the vehicle dispatch integrated management device 12 receives the dispatch request from the user application 61 of the user B, and extracts a dispatchable taxi 21 by referring to the current vehicle status data managed by the vehicle status data management unit 51. Here, a taxi 21A of company A that is moving to destination "Y" with user A on board is searched for.

[0065] In step S16, the vehicle dispatch management unit 54 transmits a dispatch request to the taxi 21A of company A in which the user A is riding.

[0066] In step S23, the driver application 35 of the taxi 21A carrying the user A acquires data related to the dispatch request (e.g., boarding location "Y'" and destination "Z") from the vehicle dispatch integrated management device 12 and displays it on the display. Then, when the driver performs an operation to accept the dispatch request, in step S24, the driver application 35 transmits a request acceptance notice to the vehicle dispatch integrated management device 12 to the effect that the dispatch request is accepted.

[0067] In step S17, when the vehicle dispatch management unit 54 of the vehicle dispatch integrated management device 12 receives a vehicle dispatch acceptance notification from the taxi 21A, it determines the taxi 21A as the taxi to be dispatched, and in step S18, transmits a vehicle dispatch confirmation notification to the driver application 35 of the user B.

[0068] Upon receiving the vehicle allocation confirmation notification in step S32, the driver application 35 of the user B displays a vehicle allocation confirmation message.

[0069] The taxi 21A carrying the user A arrives at the destination "Y", and in step S5, the user A gets off the taxi.

[0070] The taxi 21A moves from the destination "Y" to the boarding location "Y'" of the user B. Then, in step S33, the user B gets into the taxi 21A and starts moving to the destination "Z".

[0071] In the above process, the period surrounded by the dashed line in Fig. 2 indicates the time when user A is in taxi 21A. Taxi 21A that has picked up user A can acquire the next passenger, user B, without waiting for the status to become "vacant" after dropping off user A, and can operate efficiently.

[0072] <3. User application dispatch request processing> Next, with reference to the flowchart in Fig. 3, a description will be given of a dispatch request process focusing on the user application 61 of user B among the dispatch control processes of the entire taxi dispatch system 1 shown in Fig. 2. This process is started, for example, when user B starts up the user application 61.

[0073] When the user B starts the user application 61, in step S51, the user application 61 displays taxis 21 that are in the vicinity of the current location.

[0074] FIG. 4 shows an example of a screen of the user application 61 displayed on the display of the user terminal 13 of the user B in step S51.

[0075] The screen in Figure 4 is provided with an area map 81 that displays a map of the area near the current location, a vehicle dispatch request operation section 82 for performing a vehicle dispatch request operation, a boarding location input section 83 for inputting a boarding location, a destination input section 84 for inputting a destination, and a payment setting section 85 for specifying a payment method.

[0076] In the area map 81, a taxi mark 91A representing a taxi 21 whose status is "vacant" and a taxi mark 91B representing a taxi 21 whose status is "occupied" or "pick-up" are displayed at positions according to the current location of the taxi 21. The taxi mark 91A whose status is "vacant" and the taxi mark 91B whose status is "occupied" or "pick-up" are displayed in different colors or patterns, and are displayed to distinguish them. In the example of FIG. 4, the taxi mark 91A whose status is "vacant" is displayed in white (plain), and the taxi mark 91B whose status is "occupied" or "pick-up" is displayed in gray.

[0077] In the example of FIG. 4, the taxi mark 91B with the status of "actual vehicle" and the taxi mark 91B with the status of "pick-up" are displayed in the same color or pattern without distinction, but the taxi mark 91B with the status of "actual vehicle" and the taxi mark 91B with the status of "pick-up" may be displayed in different colors or patterns so that they can be distinguished from each other. The method of distinguishing and displaying the taxis 21 is not limited to colors or patterns, and they may be displayed by characters. In addition, by combining these, for example, the taxis 21 may be displayed by distinguishing them by company by color or pattern, and the status may be displayed by distinguishing them by character. In addition, the distinction between the company and the status may be reversed. In addition, based on the customer data, the taxi company that the customer likes or the taxi company that the customer wants to be dispatched with priority may be highlighted and displayed by color, pattern, character, or the like. In addition, only the taxis 21 of the taxi company that the customer likes or the taxi company that the customer wants to be dispatched with priority may be displayed.

[0078] In the following description, the taxi mark 91A representing a taxi 21 whose status is "vacant" will be referred to as the "vacant taxi mark 91A," and the taxi mark 91B whose status is "occupied" or "pick-up" will be referred to as the "occupied / pick-up taxi mark 91B. When there is no particular distinction between the vacant taxi mark 91A and the occupied / pick-up taxi mark 91B, they will simply be referred to as the taxi mark 91.

[0079] On the area map 81, a current location mark 93 indicating the user's current location acquired by the GPS receiver of the user terminal 13 and a boarding location mark 94 are displayed at a position corresponding to the boarding location input by the user to the boarding location input unit 83. The boarding location mark 94 can be freely moved by the user to a desired location on the area map 81 by a touch operation, and an address corresponding to the location of the boarding location mark 94 is displayed on the boarding location input unit 83.

[0080] An operation bar 82A is displayed on the vehicle dispatch request operation section 82, and a vehicle dispatch request can be executed by sliding the operation bar 82A to the right.

[0081] A boarding location desired by the user is input in the boarding location input section 83. The boarding location input section 83 may be left blank when the application is started, or the current location acquired by the GPS receiver may be input by default. When the boarding location input section 83 is left blank, the boarding location mark 94 is not displayed.

[0082] In the destination input section 84, a destination desired by the user is input.

[0083] The payment setting section 85 allows the user to specify a payment method. For example, the payment method can be selected from cash payment, which is to pay the driver in cash, and card payment, which is to pay with a credit card registered in the user application 61. The payment setting section 85 in FIG. 4 shows an example of the display when card payment is specified.

[0084] When no particular input is made to the boarding location input unit 83, such as when the application is started, the user application 61 displays, on the area map 81, taxi marks 91 of taxis 21 located within a predetermined range according to the scale of the map with respect to the user's current location. It does not matter whether the status of the taxi 21 is "empty," "occupied," or "pick-up."

[0085] When a boarding location is input to the boarding location input unit 83, the user application 61 displays, on the area map 81, taxi marks 91 of taxis 21 that are located within a predetermined range according to the scale of the map with respect to the boarding location and that can arrive at the boarding location input to the boarding location input unit 83 within a predetermined time. The status of the taxis 21 displayed here may be any of "empty", "occupied", and "pick-up".

[0086] In specific processing, when the boarding location is input to the boarding location input unit 83, the user application 61 transmits information about the boarding location of the user to the vehicle dispatch integrated management device 12. The vehicle dispatch integrated management device 12 transmits position information and status of the taxi 21 that is located within a predetermined range according to the scale of the map with respect to the boarding location and can arrive at the boarding location within a predetermined time based on the information about the boarding location from the user application 61. The user application 61 displays, on the area map 81, a taxi mark 91 of the taxi 21 that is located within a predetermined range according to the scale of the map with respect to the boarding location and can arrive at the boarding location input to the boarding location input unit 83 within a predetermined time based on the position information and status of the taxi 21 transmitted from the vehicle dispatch integrated management device 12. The predetermined time that is the time limit for arrival is set in advance by the vehicle dispatch integrated management device 12.

[0087] When the user's current location is input in the boarding location input section 83 as a default, a taxi mark 91 of a taxi 21 that can arrive at the current location within a predetermined time is displayed on the area map 81.

[0088] The vacant taxi mark 91A or the available / pick-up taxi mark 91B displayed on the area map 81 may be arranged to display only the top N taxis (N>0) with the earliest arrival times, rather than all taxis 21 that can arrive within a predetermined time. Also, if there are taxis 21 with an "available" status, only the vacant taxi mark 91A may be displayed, and the available / pick-up taxi mark 91B may be displayed only when the number of "vacant" taxis 21 is equal to or less than a predetermined number. Alternatively, whether or not to display one or both of the vacant taxi mark 91A or the available / pick-up taxi mark 91B may be controlled depending on the time period or the location (area).

[0089] FIG. 5 shows another example of a screen that displays on the area map 81 taxi marks 91 of taxis 21 that can arrive within a predetermined time to the boarding location inputted by the user in the boarding location input section 83 or the current location.

[0090] In the example of Figure 5, a destination mark 95 indicating the destination of the taxi 21 and a planned driving route 96 to the destination are displayed for a taxi 21 that can arrive at the current location within a specified time and has a status of "actual vehicle" or "pick-up" and a taxi mark 91B indicating the actual vehicle or pick-up.

[0091] When transmitting position information and status of a taxi 21 that can arrive at the boarding location within a predetermined time based on information about the boarding location from the user application 61, the vehicle dispatch integrated management device 12 transmits information about the destination, specifically, the destination and a planned driving route to the destination, for a taxi 21 whose status is "actual vehicle" or "pick-up", to the user application 61. Based on information about the destination of the taxi 21 transmitted from the vehicle dispatch integrated management device 12, the user application 61 displays a destination mark 95 and a planned driving route 96 to the destination on the area map 81 for the actual vehicle / pick-up taxi mark 91B.

[0092] In this way, by displaying the destination mark 95, user B can know the drop-off point of user A who is riding in the taxi 21 in the actual vehicle, and for example, user B can move to user A's drop-off point by himself, thereby shortening the waiting time until boarding. The vehicle dispatch integrated management device 12 may transmit the destination and the planned driving route to the destination as well as the planned time of arrival at the destination or the required time to the destination to the user application 61 as information related to the destination, and may further display the planned time of arrival at the destination or the required time to the destination in addition to the destination mark 95 and the planned driving route 96.

[0093] In addition, if the area map 81 becomes difficult to see when the destination mark 95 and the planned driving route 96 to the destination are displayed for all taxis 21 whose status is "actual vehicle" or "pick-up" on the screen of Figure 5, it is possible to display them only when the scale of the area map 81 is equal to or lower than a certain magnification (low magnification), or to display only taxis 21 whose destination is within the display range of the area map 81.

[0094] When user B inputs a boarding location into the boarding location input section 83 and a destination into the destination input section 84 on the screen of FIG. 4 or FIG. 5, in step S52 of FIG. 3, the user application 61 accepts the input of the boarding location and the destination, and in step S53, determines whether a ride dispatch request operation has been performed, and waits until it is determined that a ride dispatch request operation has been performed.

[0095] In the screen of FIG. 4, for example, when a boarding location "Y'" is input in the boarding location input section 83, a destination "Z" is input in the destination input section 84, and user B performs an operation of sliding the operation bar 82A to the right, the user application 61 determines in step S53 that a ride dispatch request operation has been performed, and proceeds to the process in step S54.

[0096] In step S54, the user application 61 transmits a vehicle dispatch request to the vehicle dispatch integrated management device 12 together with information on the boarding location "Y'" and the destination "Z".

[0097] In step S55, the user application 61 waits until a vehicle allocation confirmation notice is transmitted from the vehicle allocation integrated management device 12, and receives the vehicle allocation confirmation notice when it is transmitted.

[0098] In step S56, the user application 61 performs a dispatch confirmation display based on the received dispatch confirmation notification. For example, the user application 61 displays a number identifying the dispatched taxi 21A, a taxi company name, a radio number, a pick-up arrival time, and the like. Information such as the number, taxi company name, radio number, and pick-up arrival time is transmitted from the dispatch integrated management device 12 together with the dispatch confirmation notification. The pick-up arrival time is the scheduled arrival time of the dispatched taxi 21A at the boarding location "Y'". In addition, an estimated fare and an estimated arrival time (estimated travel time) from the boarding location "Y'" to the destination "Z" may also be displayed.

[0099] In addition, when the dispatched taxi 21A is a taxi 21 currently in operation, the area map 81 of the user application 61 of user B displays the actual taxi / pick-up taxi mark 91B of the dispatched taxi 21A, a destination mark 95, and a planned driving route 96 to the destination, as shown in the example screen of Figure 5.

[0100] The vehicle dispatch request process by the user application 61 is executed as described above.

[0101] <Example of change request screen> As explained with reference to FIG. 2, when the taxi 21 allocated in response to the dispatch request of user B is the taxi 21A carrying user A, and when the destination "Y" of user A and the boarding location "Y'" of user B are somewhat far apart, if user B changes the boarding location from Y' to Y, user B can board the taxi immediately after user A gets off.

[0102] Therefore, for example, when the allocation of a taxi 21 in response to a dispatch request from user B is confirmed and the allocated taxi 21 is a taxi in operation, the user application 61 can suggest to user B whether to change the boarding location of user B to the destination of user A who is currently riding.

[0103] FIG. 6 shows an example of a screen of the user application 61 that suggests to the user to change the boarding location.

[0104] 6, an area map 101 is displayed. In addition, the area map 101 displays an actual vehicle / pick-up taxi mark 91B indicating the actual taxi 21 assigned to user B, a destination mark 95 indicating the destination of the taxi 21, and a planned driving route 96 to the destination. This display is realized by transmitting information on the current location and the destination of the actual taxi 21 assigned to user B from the integrated vehicle dispatch management device 12 to the user application 61, similar to the actual vehicle / pick-up taxi mark 91B, the destination mark 95, and the planned driving route 96 to the destination described in FIG. 5.

[0105] In addition, the area map 101 also displays a boarding location mark 102 indicating the boarding location specified by user B, and a boarding location mark 103 indicating the changed boarding location.

[0106] For example, a message 104 stating "The current boarding customer's drop-off location is number 1. Would you like to change the boarding location to number 3?" is displayed, along with a Change button 105 that is operated if the customer wishes to make the change, and a No Change button 106 that is operated if the customer does not wish to make the change.

[0107] When user B wishes to change the boarding location, the user application 61 can provide an incentive to user B. For example, the incentive can be a discount coupon that can be used the next time a taxi is used, a coupon for free pick-up, or a free or discount coupon for shops or the like that can be used in the vicinity of the current location or the destination.

[0108] By providing an incentive for changing the boarding location, the user can be motivated to change the boarding location, and the taxi 21 can shorten the idle time and distance between the previous and next passengers, thereby enabling efficient business operations.

[0109] In the example of Fig. 6, the changed boarding location proposed by the user application 61 is a location midway between the drop-off location of user A and the boarding location of user B, but the changed boarding location proposed by the user application 61 may be the same location as the drop-off location of user A. In this case, it is possible to eliminate the empty time or distance between the previous passenger and the next passenger.

[0110] The example of Figure 6 is a process of proposing a change of boarding location to user B, who is scheduled to board the currently operating taxi 21, but conversely, it is also possible to propose a change of disembarking location to user A, who is the user of the currently operating taxi 21, to the next boarding location of user B.

[0111] FIG. 7 shows an example of a screen in which a suggestion is made to a user A of the taxi 21 currently in motion to change the drop-off location to the next pick-up location of a user B.

[0112] 6 shows an example of a screen of the user application 61 of user B, whereas FIG. 7 shows an example of a screen of the user application 61 of user A.

[0113] The screen of Figure 7 displays an area map 101, and on the area map 101, a vehicle / pick-up taxi mark 91B indicating user A's taxi 21, a destination mark 95 indicating the destination of the taxi 21, and a planned driving route 96 to the destination.

[0114] The area map 101 also displays a boarding location mark 102 indicating the boarding location specified by the next passenger, user B, and a disembarking location mark 111 indicating the changed disembarking location. The changed disembarking location is the boarding location mark 103 on the screen of user application 61 of user B shown in Fig. 6, but is the disembarking location mark 111 on the screen of user application 61 of user A shown in Fig. 7.

[0115] For example, a message 112 stating "The next passenger scheduled to board is boarding location 2. Would you like to change the disembarking location to location 3?" is displayed, along with a change button 113 that is operated if the passenger wishes to make the change, and a no change button 114 that is operated if the passenger does not wish to make the change.

[0116] The user application 61 can provide an incentive to the user A when the user A wishes to change the drop-off point.

[0117] In the process of proposing a change of the drop-off point to user A, who is a user of the taxi 21 currently in the vehicle, if the change is implemented, efficient business operations can be carried out.

[0118] <4. Driver app dispatch request response processing> Next, with reference to the flowchart in Fig. 8, a description will be given of a dispatch request response process focusing on the driver application 35 among the dispatch control processes of the entire taxi dispatch system 1 shown in Fig. 2. This process is started, for example, when the driver starts the driver application 35 on the terminal device 33.

[0119] As a situation in which the dispatch request response process of Figure 8 is executed, a situation is assumed in which a dispatch request is sent from user B while user A is aboard the taxi, during the dispatch control process of the entire taxi dispatch system 1 shown in Figure 2.

[0120] First, in step S71, the driver application 35 determines whether a vehicle dispatch request has been received from the vehicle dispatch integrated management device 12, and waits until it is determined that the vehicle dispatch request has been received. When a vehicle dispatch request is transmitted from the vehicle dispatch integrated management device 12 and it is determined in step S71 that the vehicle dispatch request has been received, the process proceeds to step S72.

[0121] In step S72, the driver application 35 acquires data related to the dispatch request from the vehicle dispatch integrated management device 12 (for example, boarding location "Y'" and destination "Z"), and displays a vehicle dispatch request screen based on the acquired data on the display.

[0122] FIG. 9 shows an example of a vehicle dispatch request screen displayed on the display of the terminal device 33 in step S72.

[0123] 9, an area map 121 is displayed. Also, the area map 121 displays a current vehicle / pick-up taxi mark 91B indicating the taxi 21 of the driver in which the user A is riding, a destination mark 95 indicating the destination of the taxi 21, and a planned driving route 96 to the destination.

[0124] The area map 121 also displays a boarding location mark 122 indicating the boarding location specified by the user B. As information on the dispatch request of the user B, information such as the scheduled boarding time and destination of the user B may be displayed as additional information.

[0125] For example, a message 131 such as "Your destination is in 5 minutes. Your next dispatch request can be accepted. Would you like to accept it?" is displayed, along with an Accept button 132 that is operated if you wish to accept the order, and an Accept No button 133 that is operated if you do not wish to accept the order.

[0126] When the driver wishes to accept the dispatch request, he / she presses the accept button 132. On the other hand, when the driver does not wish to accept the dispatch request, the driver presses the reject button 133. If neither the accept button 132 nor the reject button 133 is operated within a predetermined time period after the dispatch request screen in FIG. 9 is displayed, the driver application 35 can perform the same process as when the reject button 133 is pressed. This allows the dispatch integrated management device 12 to transmit the dispatch request to the next candidate taxi 21 if there is no operation by the driver within a certain time period.

[0127] When receiving a dispatch request, if the taxi 21 has a passenger on board (is in the vehicle), the driver application 35 may simply display a dispatch request screen on the display, and if the taxi 21 does not have a passenger on board (is empty), the driver application 35 may output a voice message such as "A dispatch request has been received" along with the dispatch request screen.

[0128] In step S73 of FIG. 8, the driver application 35 determines whether or not a request acceptance operation has been performed.

[0129] When the driver presses the "Accept Order" button 132 on the vehicle dispatch request screen in FIG. 9, it is determined in step S73 that a request acceptance operation has been performed, and the process proceeds to step S74.

[0130] On the other hand, if the driver presses the order not accepted button 133, or if there is no operation by the driver within a certain period of time, it is determined in step S73 that the request acceptance operation has not been performed, and the process proceeds to step S76.

[0131] If it is determined that the request acceptance operation has been performed, in step S74, the driver application 35 transmits a request acceptance notice to the vehicle dispatch integrated management device 12 to the effect that the vehicle dispatch request is accepted.

[0132] Then, in step S75, the driver application 35 performs a vehicle dispatch reservation display for displaying information on the received next vehicle dispatch request on the display of the terminal device 33. For example, the name of user B, which is the next vehicle dispatch request, the boarding place, the boarding time, the destination, and the like are displayed on the vehicle dispatch reservation display screen.

[0133] On the other hand, if the driver presses the order rejection button 133 or if the driver does not operate the vehicle within a certain period of time, in step S76, the driver application 35 sends a request rejection notification to the vehicle dispatch integrated management device 12 to reject the vehicle dispatch request.

[0134] After step S75 or S76, the process returns to step S71, and the above-mentioned processes are repeated.

[0135] <5. Dispatch processing of the integrated dispatch management device> Next, with reference to the flowchart of Fig. 10, the dispatch process focusing on the integrated dispatch management device 12 among the dispatch control processes of the entire taxi dispatch system 1 shown in Fig. 2 will be described. This process is started, for example, when a program of a server device serving as the integrated dispatch management device 12 is started. It is assumed that the collection and recording of vehicle status data in the vehicle status data management unit 51 of the integrated dispatch management device 12 is performed separately.

[0136] First, in step S101, the vehicle dispatch management unit 54 of the vehicle dispatch integrated management device 12 determines whether a vehicle dispatch request has been received from the user application 61 of the user terminal 13 of a specified user, and waits until it is determined that a vehicle dispatch request has been received.

[0137] If it is determined in step S101 that a dispatch request has been received, the process proceeds to step S102. The dispatch request transmitted from the user application 61 includes information such as a boarding location, a destination, and a payment method input on the dispatch request screen of FIG. 4, as well as information such as a user ID and a name for identifying the user.

[0138] In step S102, the vehicle dispatch management unit 54 refers to the vehicle status data stored in the vehicle status data management unit 51, and extracts taxis 21 that can arrive at the boarding location for which a dispatch request has been made within a predetermined time from among the taxis 21 whose status is either "empty", "actual", or "pick-up". For the taxis 21 whose status is "empty", it is determined whether the taxis 21 can arrive at the boarding location for which a dispatch request has been made within a predetermined time based on the travel time from the current location of the taxi 21 to the boarding location for which a dispatch request has been made. For the taxis 21 whose status is "actual", it is determined whether the taxis 21 can arrive at the boarding location for which a dispatch request has been made within a predetermined time based on the travel time from the destination and the arrival time of the taxi 21 to the boarding location for which a dispatch request has been made. For the taxis 21 whose status is "pick-up", it is determined whether the taxis 21 can arrive at the boarding location for which a dispatch request has been made within a predetermined time after the taxis 21 arrive at the destination with the user on board, based on the travel time from the destination and the arrival time to the boarding location for which a dispatch request has been made.

[0139] In addition, the dispatch management unit 54 may extract dispatchable taxis 21 from among all taxis 21 whose status is "vacant," "occupied," or "pick-up" from the beginning, or may extract taxis 21 that can arrive, including taxis 21 whose status is "occupied" or "pick-up," when the number of "vacant" taxis 21 is less than a predetermined number.

[0140] In step S103, the dispatch management unit 54 determines, from among the extracted one or more taxis 21, the taxi 21 that can arrive at the boarding location the earliest as a dispatch candidate, and in step S104, sends a dispatch request to the taxi 21 determined as the dispatch candidate.

[0141] In step S105, the dispatch management unit 54 determines whether or not a request acceptance notice has been received from the taxi 21 that transmitted the dispatch request.

[0142] In step S105, if a request acceptance notice is not received within a certain time (for example, 15 seconds) from the taxi 21 that sent the dispatch request, or if a request rejection notice is sent, the dispatch management unit 54 determines that there is no request acceptance notice, and returns the process to step S103. As a result, the next dispatch candidate that can respond to the dispatch request is determined.

[0143] On the other hand, if a request acceptance notice is received from the taxi 21 that sent the dispatch request, the dispatch management unit 54 determines in step S105 that a request acceptance notice has been received from the taxi 21 that sent the dispatch request, and proceeds to step S106.

[0144] In step S106, the vehicle dispatch management unit 54 determines the taxi 21 that has transmitted the request acceptance notification as the taxi 21 to be dispatched, and transmits vehicle dispatch reservation information to the determined taxi 21. The vehicle dispatch reservation information is, for example, information such as the name of the user B who has requested the dispatch, the boarding place, the boarding time, and the destination.

[0145] Then, in step S107, the vehicle allocation management unit 54 transmits a vehicle allocation confirmation notification to the user application 61 of the user B who has made the vehicle allocation request.

[0146] In step S108, the dispatch management unit 54 determines whether the taxi 21 for which dispatch has been decided is a taxi with a status of "on-site vehicle" or "pick-up."

[0147] In step S108, if it is determined that the taxi 21 for which dispatch has been decided is not a taxi with a status of "occupied vehicle" or "pick-up", that is, if it is determined that the taxi has a status of "vacant vehicle", the process returns to step S101 and waits until the next dispatch request is received.

[0148] On the other hand, if it is determined in step S108 that the taxi 21 for which dispatch has been decided is a taxi with a status of "actual vehicle" or "pick-up", the process proceeds to step S109, and the dispatch management unit 54 executes a boarding location change process for changing the boarding location of the next user B to be closer to the destination (drop-off location) of the currently boarding user A, as described with reference to FIG. 6. Alternatively, the boarding location change process may be a drop-off location change process for changing the destination (drop-off location) of the currently boarding user A to be closer to the boarding location of the next user B, as described with reference to FIG. 7. The process of step S109 may be omitted when the distance between the destination (drop-off location) of the currently boarding user A and the boarding location of the next user B is close, or when the time until the boarding time of user B is short.

[0149] After the process of step S109, the process returns to step S101 and waits until the next vehicle dispatch request is received.

[0150] By performing the dispatch process as described above, when searching for the most suitable taxi 21 in response to a dispatch request sent from the user application 61 of the user, it is possible to determine a taxi 21 that can respond to the dispatch request, including not only taxis 21 whose status at the time of the search is "available," but also taxis 21 whose status is "occupied" or "pick-up."

[0151] As a result, the user can call a taxi 21 with less waiting time because the number of taxis 21 that can accept dispatch requests increases. In addition, it is possible to reduce the number of situations where an available taxi cannot be found when there is a high demand for taxis due to a specific time period, location, weather, etc., such as a rainy morning. For example, even in a situation where no taxi mark 91 is displayed on the area map 81 when the user application 61 is started, the user's dispatch success rate is increased, and the user's trust in the user application 61 can be increased.

[0152] In addition, for the driver of the taxi 21, since the driver has an opportunity to acquire the next passenger while the driver is in the vehicle with a passenger, the time until the next passenger is picked up can be shortened and the travel required until the next passenger is picked up can be reduced.

[0153] Therefore, the taxi dispatch system 1 enables efficient dispatch.

[0154] In order to extract taxis 21 that can respond to a dispatch request, including taxis 21 whose status is "actual vehicle", the destination of the actual taxi 21 must be known. In the above example, a case where a dispatch request is made using the user application 61 has been described, but the taxi 21 may also pick up a passenger by "driving", which is a method of acquiring a passenger while traveling "empty". In such a case, the driver may input the destination of the passenger into the driver application 35 after picking up the passenger. Alternatively, the driver application 35 may input the driver's voice "(destination), right?" or the user's voice "(destination), please" by voice recognition.

[0155] In the above-described embodiment, the integrated vehicle dispatch management device 12 extracts a taxi 21 that can arrive at the boarding location within a specified time based on the boarding location and destination information transmitted from the user application 61 together with the vehicle dispatch request.

[0156] However, the process of extracting the taxi 21 that can arrive at the boarding location within a predetermined time may be executed by the user application 61. When the user application 61 executes the process of extracting the taxi 21, all or a part of the vehicle status data stored in the vehicle status data management unit 51 is transmitted from the vehicle dispatch integrated management device 12 to the user application 61, and the user application 61 extracts the taxi 21 that can arrive at the boarding location for which the dispatch request has been made within a predetermined time from among the taxis 21 whose status is "empty", "occupied", or "pick-up" based on the received vehicle status data. The part of the vehicle status data transmitted to the user application 61 may be, for example, vehicle status data about the taxi 21 that exists within a predetermined range of the boarding location.

[0157] In the above-mentioned embodiment, an example of controlling dispatch of a taxi as a mobile device has been described, but the present invention can also be applied to mobile devices in a form similar to taxi business such as ride sharing, other mobile devices that carry passengers (people), specifically, buses, trains, airplanes, ships, helicopters, etc., mobile devices that carry objects (baggage), trucks, dump trucks, etc. In addition, the mobile device may be an unmanned device such as a drone.

[0158] In the above embodiment, the status indicating the business state is described as "occupied vehicle", "vacant vehicle", or "pick-up vehicle", but other similar business states such as "out-of-service", "hire", "payment", "surcharge", "reservation", "highway", "private charter", "tourism", "flat rate", "substitute", "rescue", etc. may be used. In addition, the status is not limited to those stipulated by law.

[0159] <6. Computer configuration example> The above-mentioned series of processes can be executed by hardware or software. When the series of processes is executed by software, the programs constituting the software are installed in a computer. Here, the computer includes a microcomputer built into dedicated hardware, and a general-purpose personal computer, for example, capable of executing various functions by installing various programs.

[0160] FIG. 11 is a block diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of a computer when the processes executed by the vehicle dispatch integrated management device 12, the user terminal 13, or the terminal device 33 are executed by a computer using a program.

[0161] In the computer, a central processing unit (CPU) 201, a read only memory (ROM) 202, and a random access memory (RAM) 203 are interconnected via a bus 204.

[0162] An input / output interface 205 is further connected to the bus 204. An input unit 206, an output unit 207, a storage unit 208, a communication unit 209, and a drive 210 are connected to the input / output interface 205.

[0163] The input unit 206 includes operation buttons, a keyboard, a mouse, a microphone, a touch panel, an input terminal, etc. The output unit 207 includes a display, a speaker, an output terminal, etc. The storage unit 208 includes a hard disk, a RAM disk, a non-volatile memory, etc. The communication unit 209 includes a network interface, etc. The drive 210 drives a removable recording medium 211 such as a magnetic disk, an optical disk, a magneto-optical disk, or a semiconductor memory.

[0164] In the computer configured as above, the CPU 201 performs the above-mentioned series of processes by, for example, loading a program stored in the storage unit 208 into the RAM 203 via the input / output interface 205 and the bus 204 and executing the program. The RAM 203 also stores data and the like necessary for the CPU 201 to execute various processes as appropriate.

[0165] The program executed by the computer (CPU 201) can be provided by being recorded on a removable recording medium 211 such as a package medium, for example. The program can also be provided via a wired or wireless transmission medium such as a local area network, the Internet, or digital satellite broadcasting.

[0166] In the computer, the program can be installed in the storage unit 208 via the input / output interface 205 by mounting the removable recording medium 211 in the drive 210. The program can also be received by the communication unit 209 via a wired or wireless transmission medium and installed in the storage unit 208. Alternatively, the program can be installed in the ROM 202 or the storage unit 208 in advance.

[0167] In this specification, a system refers to a collection of multiple components (devices, modules (parts), etc.), regardless of whether all the components are in the same housing. Therefore, multiple devices housed in separate housings and connected via a network, and a single device in which multiple modules are housed in a single housing, are both systems.

[0168] In addition, in this specification, the steps described in the flowcharts may of course be performed chronologically in the order described, but they do not necessarily have to be processed chronologically, and may be executed in parallel or at the required timing, such as when a call is made.

[0169] The embodiments of the present technology are not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications are possible without departing from the gist of the present technology.

[0170] For example, it is possible to adopt a configuration in which all or part of the above-described embodiments are combined.

[0171] For example, the present technology can be configured as cloud computing, in which a single function is shared and processed collaboratively by multiple devices via a network.

[0172] Furthermore, each step described in the above flow chart can be executed by one device, or can be shared and executed by a plurality of devices.

[0173] Furthermore, when a single step includes multiple processes, the multiple processes included in the single step can be executed by a single device, or can be shared and executed by multiple devices.

[0174] It should be noted that the effects described in this specification are merely examples and are not limiting, and there may be effects other than those described in this specification.

[0175] The present technology can have the following configurations. (1) A vehicle dispatch management device that manages dispatch of a plurality of mobile devices, and a terminal device that requests dispatch of vehicles to the vehicle dispatch management device, The vehicle dispatch management device includes: Obtaining information about a current location or a departure location from the terminal device; Transmitting location information and business status of one or more mobile devices to the terminal device based on the acquired information about the current location or the starting location; The terminal device Based on the location information and business status of the one or more mobile devices transmitted from the vehicle dispatch management device, a display unit displays mobile devices whose business status is vacant and located within a predetermined range from the current location or the departure location, and mobile devices whose business status is occupied or picked up and located within a predetermined range from the current location or the departure location. Delivery system. (2) The vehicle dispatch management device further extracts, based on the acquired information about the current location or the departure location, a mobile device whose operating status is a current vehicle or a pick-up vehicle and which can arrive at the current location or the departure location within a predetermined time; The terminal device further displays on the display unit the extracted mobile devices that can arrive at the current location or the departure location within the predetermined time. The vehicle dispatch system described in (1) above. (3) The terminal device further extracts mobile devices whose operating status is a current vehicle or a pick-up vehicle and which can arrive at the current location or the departure location within a predetermined time based on the location information and business status of the one or more mobile devices transmitted from the vehicle dispatch management device, and displays on the display unit the extracted mobile devices that can arrive at the current location or the departure location within the predetermined time. The vehicle dispatch system described in (1) above. (4) When the number of mobile devices whose operating status is vacant is equal to or less than a predetermined number, the vehicle dispatch management device extracts mobile devices whose operating status is an occupied vehicle or a pick-up vehicle and that can arrive at the current location or the departure location within a predetermined time. The vehicle dispatch system described in (2) above. (5) When the vehicle dispatch management device transmits the location information and business status of the one or more mobile devices to the terminal device, for a mobile device whose business status is an actual vehicle, the vehicle dispatch management device also transmits information regarding the destination of the mobile device; The terminal device also displays on the display unit information indicating the destination of the moving device of the actual vehicle according to the business status. A vehicle dispatch system according to any one of (1) to (4). (6) the vehicle dispatch management device transmits to the terminal device, as information regarding the destination, a destination and an arrival time at the destination or a required time to reach the destination; The terminal device displays, on the display unit, information indicating the destination of the moving device whose business status is the actual vehicle and the arrival time or the required time. The vehicle dispatch system according to (5) above. (7) The vehicle dispatch management device acquires a vehicle dispatch request together with information about the current location or the departure location from the terminal device, extracts mobile devices that can arrive at the current location or the departure location within a predetermined time from among the mobile devices whose business status is either vacant, occupied, or picked up, and transmits a vehicle dispatch request to the extracted mobile devices. A vehicle dispatch system according to any one of (1), (2), (4) to (6). (8) When there is no reply within a certain period of time from the mobile device that has transmitted the vehicle dispatch request, the vehicle dispatch management device extracts the next mobile device that can arrive at the current location or the departure location within a certain period of time, and transmits the vehicle dispatch request to the extracted mobile device. The dispatch system according to (7) above. (9) When the mobile device that transmitted the dispatch request accepts the request and dispatch is confirmed, and the business status of the confirmed mobile device is an actual vehicle, the dispatch management device executes a change process to bring the destination of the confirmed actual vehicle mobile device closer to the current location or the departure location of the terminal device. The dispatch system according to (7) above. (10) The change process is a process of moving the determined destination of the moving device in the actual vehicle closer to the current location or the starting location of the terminal device. The vehicle dispatch system according to (9) above. (11) The change process is a process of moving the current location or the starting location of the terminal device closer to the confirmed destination of the moving device in the actual vehicle. The vehicle dispatch system according to (9) above. (12) the vehicle dispatch management device transmits to the terminal device information regarding a destination of the moving device in the actual vehicle for which dispatch has been confirmed when the moving device that transmitted the dispatch request accepted the request; The terminal device displays information regarding the determined destination of the moving device in the actual vehicle on the display unit. The vehicle dispatch system according to (9) above. (13) the vehicle dispatch management device transmits, to the terminal device, information relating to the destination, including a destination and a planned driving route to the destination; The terminal device displays on the display unit the determined destination of the moving device in the actual vehicle and a planned driving route to the destination. The vehicle dispatch system according to (12) above. (14) The terminal device displays, on the display unit, a moving device whose operating status is an empty vehicle and a moving device whose operating status is an occupied vehicle or a pick-up vehicle in a distinguished manner. A vehicle dispatch system according to any one of (1) to (13). (15) The terminal device displays, on the display unit, a moving device whose business status is a real vehicle and a moving device whose business status is a pick-up vehicle in a distinguishable manner. A vehicle dispatch system according to any one of (1) to (14). (16) A vehicle dispatch system including a vehicle dispatch management device that manages the dispatch of a plurality of mobile devices and a terminal device that requests the vehicle dispatch to the vehicle dispatch management device, The vehicle dispatch management device, Obtaining information about a current location or a departure location from the terminal device; Transmitting location information and business status of one or more mobile devices to the terminal device based on the acquired information about the current location or the starting location; The terminal device, Based on the location information and business status of the one or more mobile devices transmitted from the vehicle dispatch management device, a display unit displays mobile devices whose business status is vacant and located within a predetermined range from the current location or the departure location, and mobile devices whose business status is occupied or picked up and located within a predetermined range from the current location or the departure location. Vehicle allocation management methods. (17) The computer of the vehicle dispatch management device Transmitting location information and business status of one or more mobile devices to the terminal device based on information regarding a current location or a starting location obtained from the terminal device; A mobile device whose operating status is an empty vehicle and which is located within a predetermined range from the current location or the departure location, and a mobile device whose operating status is an occupied vehicle or a pick-up vehicle and which is located within a predetermined range from the current location or the departure location are displayed on a display unit of the terminal device. A program for executing a process. [Explanation of symbols]

[0176] 1 taxi dispatch system, 11 dispatch management device, 12 dispatch integrated management device, 13 terminal device (user terminal), 21 taxi, 31 in-vehicle device, 33 terminal device, 34 vehicle movement data generation unit, 35 driver application, 41 vehicle movement data management unit, 42 order information management unit, 51 vehicle movement data management unit, 52 customer data management unit, 53 order information management unit, 54 dispatch management unit, 61 user application, 201 CPU, 202 ROM, 203 RAM, 206 input unit, 207 output unit, 208 memory unit, 209 communication unit, 210 drive

Claims

1. The system comprises a vehicle dispatch management device that manages the dispatch of a plurality of mobile devices, and a terminal device that requests the vehicle dispatch to the vehicle dispatch management device, The vehicle dispatch management device includes: Obtaining information about a current location or a departure location from the terminal device; Transmitting location information and business status of one or more mobile devices to the terminal device based on the acquired information about the current location or the starting location; The terminal device Based on the location information and business status of the one or more mobile devices transmitted from the vehicle dispatch management device, a display unit displays a mobile device whose business status is vacant and which is located within a predetermined range from the current location or the departure location, and a mobile device whose business status is occupied or picked up and which is located within a predetermined range from the current location or the departure location. Delivery system.

2. The vehicle dispatch management device further extracts, based on the acquired information about the current location or the departure location, a mobile device whose operating status is a current vehicle or a pick-up vehicle and which can arrive at the current location or the departure location within a predetermined time; The terminal device further displays on the display unit the extracted mobile devices that can arrive at the current location or the departure location within the predetermined time. The vehicle dispatch system according to claim 1 .

3. The terminal device further extracts mobile devices whose operating status is a current vehicle or a pick-up vehicle and which can arrive at the current location or the departure location within a predetermined time based on the location information and business status of the one or more mobile devices transmitted from the vehicle dispatch management device, and displays on the display unit the extracted mobile devices that can arrive at the current location or the departure location within the predetermined time. The vehicle dispatch system according to claim 1 .

4. When the number of mobile devices whose operating status is vacant is equal to or less than a predetermined number, the vehicle dispatch management device extracts mobile devices whose operating status is an occupied vehicle or a pick-up vehicle and that can arrive at the current location or the departure location within a predetermined time. The vehicle dispatch system according to claim 2 .

5. When the vehicle dispatch management device transmits the location information and business status of the one or more mobile devices to the terminal device, for a mobile device whose business status is an actual vehicle, the vehicle dispatch management device also transmits information about the destination of the mobile device; The terminal device also displays on the display unit information indicating the destination of the moving device of the actual vehicle according to the business status. The vehicle dispatch system according to claim 1 .

6. the vehicle dispatch management device transmits to the terminal device, as information regarding the destination, a destination and an arrival time at the destination or a required time to reach the destination; The terminal device displays, on the display unit, information indicating the destination of the moving device whose business status is the actual vehicle and the arrival time or the required time. The vehicle dispatch system according to claim 5.

7. The vehicle dispatch management device acquires a vehicle dispatch request together with information about the current location or the departure location from the terminal device, extracts mobile devices that can arrive at the current location or the departure location within a predetermined time from among the mobile devices whose business status is either vacant, occupied, or picked up, and transmits a vehicle dispatch request to the extracted mobile devices. The vehicle dispatch system according to claim 1 .

8. When there is no reply within a certain period of time from the mobile device that has transmitted the vehicle dispatch request, the vehicle dispatch management device extracts the next mobile device that can arrive at the current location or the departure location within a certain period of time, and transmits the vehicle dispatch request to the extracted mobile device. The vehicle dispatch system according to claim 7.

9. When the mobile device that transmitted the dispatch request accepts the request and dispatch is confirmed, and the business status of the confirmed mobile device is an actual vehicle, the dispatch management device executes a change process to bring the destination of the confirmed actual vehicle mobile device closer to the current location or the departure location of the terminal device. The vehicle dispatch system according to claim 7.

10. The change process is a process of moving the determined destination of the moving device in the actual vehicle closer to the current location or the starting location of the terminal device. The vehicle dispatch system according to claim 9.

11. The change process is a process of moving the current location or the starting location of the terminal device closer to the confirmed destination of the moving device in the actual vehicle. The vehicle dispatch system according to claim 9.

12. the vehicle dispatch management device transmits to the terminal device information regarding a destination of the mobile device in the actual vehicle for which dispatch has been confirmed when the mobile device that transmitted the dispatch request accepted the request; The terminal device displays information regarding the determined destination of the moving device in the actual vehicle on the display unit. The vehicle dispatch system according to claim 9.

13. the vehicle dispatch management device transmits, to the terminal device, information relating to the destination, including a destination and a planned driving route to the destination; The terminal device displays on the display unit the determined destination of the moving device in the actual vehicle and a planned driving route to the destination. The vehicle dispatch system of claim 12.

14. The terminal device displays, on the display unit, a moving device whose operating status is an empty vehicle and a moving device whose operating status is an occupied vehicle or a pick-up vehicle in a distinguished manner. The vehicle dispatch system according to claim 1 .

15. The terminal device displays, on the display unit, a moving device whose business status is a real vehicle and a moving device whose business status is a pick-up vehicle in a distinguishable manner. The vehicle dispatch system according to claim 1 .

16. A vehicle dispatch system including a vehicle dispatch management device that manages the dispatch of a plurality of mobile devices and a terminal device that requests the vehicle dispatch to the vehicle dispatch management device, The vehicle dispatch management device, Obtaining information about a current location or a departure location from the terminal device; Transmitting location information and business status of one or more mobile devices to the terminal device based on the acquired information about the current location or the starting location; The terminal device, Based on the location information and business status of the one or more mobile devices transmitted from the vehicle dispatch management device, a display unit displays a mobile device whose business status is vacant and which is located within a predetermined range from the current location or the departure location, and a mobile device whose business status is occupied or picked up and which is located within a predetermined range from the current location or the departure location. Vehicle allocation management methods.

17. The computer of the vehicle dispatch management device Transmitting location information and business status of one or more mobile devices to the terminal device based on information regarding a current location or a starting location obtained from the terminal device; A mobile device whose operating status is an empty vehicle and which is located within a predetermined range from the current location or the departure location, and a mobile device whose operating status is an occupied vehicle or a pick-up vehicle and which is located within a predetermined range from the current location or the departure location are displayed on a display unit of the terminal device. A program for executing a process.

Images