Vehicle allocation device and vehicle allocation method

Abstract

To provide a vehicle allocation device which improves user convenience, and a vehicle allocation method.SOLUTION: A vehicle allocation server 500 comprises: a vehicle allocation communication section 510 which receives from a terminal device 100 a vehicle allocation request including at least a pickup location and content information which is utilized in a vehicle 30; a management section 553 which manages operation schedules of vehicles 30 and extracts a vehicle 30 which can be allocated on the basis of the vehicle allocation request; and a communication control section 551 which controls the vehicle allocation communication section 510 and transmits to the terminal device 100 vehicle allocation information including vehicle information relating to the extracted vehicle 30.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a vehicle dispatching device and a vehicle dispatching method. [Background technology]

[0002] In recent years, efforts to provide access to sustainable transport systems that take into consideration vulnerable transport participants have become more active. To achieve this, we are focusing on research and development into ride-hailing services to further improve transport safety and convenience.

[0003] For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a vehicle dispatch server device that promotes communication between passengers sharing a ride. The vehicle dispatch server disclosed in Patent Document 1 includes a control unit that causes a communication unit to transmit vehicle dispatch information, including information indicating that riding together is possible, to a terminal device whose planned boarding location satisfies predetermined conditions and whose purpose of use information is determined to match. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2022-138417 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] Meanwhile, ride-hailing services are now able to provide a variety of content, such as movies and games, and the challenge is how to improve the comfort of users in their vehicles through the provision of this content. The present application aims to solve the above problems by improving comfort on board and convenience for users, thereby contributing to the development of a sustainable transportation system. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] A first aspect for achieving the above object is a vehicle dispatching device that includes a communication unit that receives a vehicle dispatch request from a terminal device, the vehicle dispatch request including at least a boarding location and content information to be used inside the vehicle; a management unit that manages the vehicle operation schedule and extracts the vehicle that can be dispatched based on the vehicle dispatch request; and a communication control unit that controls the communication unit to send vehicle dispatch information including vehicle information about the extracted vehicle to the terminal device.

[0007] In the above distribution device, the content information may include identification information that distinguishes between personal content for use by an individual and multi-person content for use by multiple people, and the management unit may be configured to extract the vehicle on the condition that, when the identification information indicates the personal content, the personal content indicated by the content information is available and is not being used by a third party, and, when the identification information indicates multi-person content, extract the vehicle on the condition that the multi-person content indicated by the content information is available.

[0008] In the above-mentioned distribution device, when the identification information indicates the content for multiple people, the management unit may be configured to extract a vehicle in which a third party is riding or a vehicle in which the third party is scheduled to ride in priority over a vehicle that can be used alone by the user of the terminal device.

[0009] In the above distribution device, when the identification information indicates the multi-person content, the management unit may be configured to extract the vehicle if it is a vehicle in which a third party is riding or a vehicle in which the third party is scheduled to ride, and if the riding time of the user of the terminal device and the third party in the vehicle is longer than the predicted usage time of the multi-person content.

[0010] In the above distribution device, the content for multiple people includes information on the number of people who can use the content, and when the identification information indicates content for multiple people, the management unit may be configured to extract vehicles in which a third party is riding or a vehicle in which the third party is scheduled to ride, and in which the total number of people including the user of the terminal device and the third party is within the number of people who can use the content, and to preferentially extract vehicles in which the total number of people matches the upper limit of the number of people who can use the content.

[0011] In the above distribution device, the dispatch request includes user identification information that identifies the user of the terminal device, and the dispatch device has a memory unit that stores the user identification information in association with user information related to the user, and the management unit may be configured to transmit the user information to the terminal device of the third party when it receives permission information from the terminal device that transmitted the dispatch information that permits the dispatch of the vehicle corresponding to the vehicle information, and when the user of the terminal device and a third party are riding in the vehicle together.

[0012] In the distribution device, the storage unit may store the user information including the content usage history, and the management unit may transmit the user information including the usage history to the third party's terminal device.

[0013] In the above-mentioned distribution device, the dispatch device may be configured to include a fee calculation unit that calculates a usage fee, and when a user of the terminal device and a third party are riding in the vehicle, the fee calculation unit calculates the usage fees for the user and the third party, respectively, and the communication control unit transmits the calculated usage fees to the terminal device of the user and the terminal device of the third party, respectively, and when the third party is already riding in the vehicle, transmits the usage fee for the third party to the vehicle.

[0014] In the above distribution device, the fee calculation unit may be configured to calculate the fare for the shared riding section in which the user and the third party are riding together and the usage fee for the content indicated by the content information based on the number of the user and the third party riding together in the vehicle.

[0015] A second aspect for achieving the above object is a vehicle dispatch method in which a processor provided in a vehicle dispatch device executes a receiving step in which the processor receives from a terminal device a vehicle dispatch request including at least a boarding location and content information to be used inside the vehicle; an extraction step in which the processor manages the vehicle operation schedule and extracts vehicles that can be dispatched based on the vehicle dispatch request; and a transmission step in which the processor transmits vehicle dispatch information including vehicle information regarding the extracted vehicles to the terminal device. [Effects of the Invention]

[0016] According to the above distribution device and distribution method, a vehicle that can use the content selected by the user can be dispatched, thereby improving convenience for the user. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0017] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the system configuration of a vehicle dispatch system. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the terminal device, the in-vehicle device, and the vehicle dispatch server. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of the vehicle management table. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of the user management table. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of the condition setting screen. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing the overall operation of the vehicle dispatch server. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing the details of the step of determining a vehicle to be dispatched. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0018] [1. System configuration of the vehicle dispatch system] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the system configuration of a vehicle dispatch system 1. As shown in FIG. The system configuration of the vehicle allocation system 1 will be described with reference to FIG. The vehicle dispatch system 1 is a system that includes a terminal device 100 carried by a user 10, an in-vehicle device 300 mounted on a vehicle 30 such as a taxi, and a vehicle dispatch server 500, and these devices are interconnected via a communication network 50 so as to be able to communicate data with each other. The vehicle dispatch server 500 corresponds to a vehicle dispatch device. The vehicle dispatch system 1 is a system in which a vehicle dispatch request including dispatch conditions is sent from a terminal device 100 to a vehicle dispatch server 500, and the vehicle dispatch server 500 determines a vehicle 30 to be dispatched based on the dispatch conditions, and arranges for the dispatch of the determined vehicle 30.

[0019] The communication network 50 includes, for example, a local area network (LAN), a wide area network (WAN), the Internet, a mobile communication network such as a mobile phone network, etc. The terminal device 100 is, for example, a mobile phone, a smartphone, or a personal computer such as a tablet, notebook, or desktop computer.

[0020] [2. Configuration of terminal device, in-vehicle device, and vehicle dispatch server] 2 is a block diagram showing the configurations of the terminal device 100, the in-vehicle device 300, and the vehicle allocation server 500. The configurations of the terminal device 100, the in-vehicle device 300, and the vehicle allocation server 500 will be described with reference to FIG.

[0021] First, the configuration of the terminal device 100 will be described. The terminal device 100 includes a terminal wireless communication unit 110, a touch panel 130, and a terminal control unit 150.

[0022] The terminal wireless communication unit 110 is a wireless communication device including an antenna, an RF (Radio Frequency) circuit, a baseband circuit, an encoder, a decoder, etc., and is connected to a communication network 50 including a mobile communication network.

[0023] The touch panel 130 includes a display panel such as a liquid crystal panel or an organic EL (Electro-Luminescence) panel, and a touch sensor that detects touch operations on the display panel. The touch panel 130 displays images under the control of the terminal control unit 150. The touch panel 130 also outputs, to the terminal control unit 150, coordinate information indicating the position on the touch panel that the user 10 touched by the touch operation.

[0024] The terminal control unit 150 is a computer device that includes a terminal storage unit 160 and a terminal processor 170.

[0025] The terminal storage unit 160 includes, for example, a semiconductor memory such as a RAM (Random Access Memory) or a ROM (Read Only Memory). The terminal storage unit 160 stores an OS (Operating System) 161 and application programs. Hereinafter, application programs are referred to as APPs. The terminal storage unit 160 of this embodiment stores a vehicle allocation APP 163. The vehicle allocation APP 163 is an APP that requests the vehicle allocation server 500 to allocate a vehicle 30.

[0026] The terminal processor 170 is an arithmetic processing device that includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and an MPU (Micro Processor Unit). The terminal processor 170 may be configured with a single processor or multiple processors.

[0027] The terminal processor 170 executes the vehicle dispatch APP 163 to display the APP screen 70 on the touch panel 130. The APP screen 70 includes an initial screen for accepting input of authentication information such as a user ID and password, and a condition setting screen 75 for accepting vehicle dispatch conditions. The terminal processor 170 transmits a vehicle dispatch request including the vehicle dispatch conditions accepted on the initial screen and the condition setting screen 75 to the vehicle dispatch server 500. The initial screen is not shown in the figure. Details of the condition setting screen 75 will be described with reference to FIG. 5.

[0028] Next, the configuration of the in-vehicle device 300 will be described. The in-vehicle device 300 includes an in-vehicle wireless communication unit 310 , an in-vehicle display unit 320 , an in-vehicle operation unit 330 , an in-vehicle speaker 340 , a GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) signal receiving unit 350 , and an in-vehicle control unit 360 .

[0029] The in-vehicle wireless communication unit 310 is a wireless communication device including an antenna, an RF circuit, a baseband circuit, an encoder, a decoder, etc., and is connected to a communication network 50 including a mobile communication network.

[0030] The in-vehicle display unit 320 includes a display panel such as a liquid crystal panel or an organic EL panel, and displays an image on the display panel under the control of the in-vehicle control unit 360 .

[0031] The in-vehicle operation unit 330 includes operation devices such as a mouse, keyboard, and game controller, and receives operations from the user.

[0032] The in-vehicle speaker 340 outputs sound based on the audio signal input from the in-vehicle control unit 360 .

[0033] The GNSS signal receiving unit 350 receives positioning signals transmitted from positioning satellites and outputs the received positioning signals to the on-board control unit 360. The on-board control unit 360 calculates the latitude and longitude indicating the position of the vehicle 30 based on the positioning signal input from the GNSS signal receiving unit 350, and transmits information indicating the calculated latitude and longitude indicating the position of the vehicle 30 to the dispatch server 500.

[0034] The on-board control unit 360 is a computer device that includes an on-board storage unit 370 and an on-board processor 380.

[0035] The on-board storage unit 370 includes, for example, a semiconductor memory such as a RAM or a ROM. The in-vehicle storage unit 370 stores a control program 371 such as an OS, content data 373, and operation information 375.

[0036] The content data 373 may be, for example, game data or moving image data such as a movie. In this embodiment, a case will be described in which the content data 373 is a game program 373A. The content data 373 may be stored in advance in the in-vehicle storage unit 370, downloaded from another server device (not shown), or read from a recording device such as a USB (Universal Serial Bus) memory.

[0037] The operation information 375 includes information such as the number of passengers, boarding time, boarding point, and disembarking point. The boarding time is information about the time when the user 10 boards the vehicle 30 at the boarding point. The operation information 375 may also include information about the route that the vehicle 30 is scheduled to travel.

[0038] The on-board processor 380 is an arithmetic processing unit configured with a CPU or an MPU. The on-board processor 380 may be configured with a single processor, or may be configured with multiple processors.

[0039] The in-vehicle processor 380 that executes the control program 371 processes the content data 373, displays content images such as movies and games on the in-vehicle display unit 320, and outputs audio from the in-vehicle speaker 340. The in-vehicle processor 380 also displays operation information 375 on the in-vehicle display unit 320, so that the driver can recognize the boarding point and boarding time for the user 10 to board the vehicle 30.

[0040] Next, the configuration of the vehicle allocation server 500 will be described. The vehicle dispatch server 500 includes a vehicle dispatch communication unit 510 and a vehicle dispatch control unit 530 .

[0041] The vehicle dispatch communication unit 510 includes a communication card such as a network interface card (NIC), and performs data communication with the terminal device 100 and the in-vehicle device 300 via the communication network 50.

[0042] The vehicle allocation control unit 530 is a computer device including a vehicle allocation storage unit 540 and a vehicle allocation processor 550.

[0043] The vehicle allocation storage unit 540 includes, for example, semiconductor memory such as RAM, ROM, etc. The vehicle allocation storage unit 540 also includes auxiliary storage devices such as HDD (Hard Disk Drive) and SSD (Solid State Drive).

[0044] The vehicle allocation storage unit 540 includes a control program 541, a vehicle management table 543, and a user management table 545.

[0045] FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of the vehicle management table 543. As shown in FIG. The vehicle management table 543 is a table used by the vehicle allocation server 500 to manage the operation schedule of the vehicle 30. One record in the vehicle management table 543 includes a vehicle ID, a device ID, address information, a current location, an operating status, a content ID, a content type, the number of users available, and an estimated usage time.

[0046] The vehicle ID is identification information that identifies the vehicle 30 that is managed by the vehicle dispatch server 500, in other words, identification information that identifies the vehicle 30 that has the on-board device 300 installed therein. The device ID is identification information for identifying the in-vehicle device 300 mounted on the vehicle 30 of the vehicle ID.

[0047] The address information is an address for communication with the vehicle 30. The address information may be, for example, an IP address or an email address of the driver of the vehicle 30.

[0048] The current position registers information indicating the position of the vehicle 30. The in-vehicle control unit 360 calculates the position of the vehicle 30 at regular intervals and transmits position information indicating the calculated position to the vehicle dispatch server 500.

[0049] The operating status is information indicating the operating status of the vehicle 30 of the vehicle ID. For example, information indicating the operating status of the vehicle 30, such as rental, vacant, or vehicle reservation, is registered in the operating status. Furthermore, when the operating status is a vehicle reservation, information such as the dispatch time and dispatch point of the vehicle 30 is also registered.

[0050] The content ID is an ID that identifies the content data 373. In this embodiment, the content data 373 is the game program 373A, so the content ID is an ID that identifies the game program 373A.

[0051] The content type is information indicating the type of content. In this embodiment, since the content data 373 is a game program 373A, the content type is information indicating whether the game program 373A is for one player or for multiple players.

[0052] The available number of players is information indicating the number of players who can participate in the game of the game program 373A.

[0053] The predicted usage time is the predicted time required to complete one game of the game program 373A.

[0054] 4 is a diagram showing an example of the user management table 545. The user management table 545 is a table in which information about the registered user 10 is registered. One record in the user management table 545 includes a user ID, name, age, sex, password, address information, service usage status, and content-related information.

[0055] The user ID is identification information that identifies the user 10 registered in the vehicle dispatch system 1, and corresponds to user identification information. The name, age, and gender are the name, age, and gender of user 10 of the user ID. The password is a password registered by the user 10 of the user ID. The password is used as user authentication information when the terminal device 100 accesses the vehicle dispatch server 500. The address information is address information of the terminal device 100 owned by the user 10 of the user ID. The address information may be, for example, an email address or an IP address.

[0056] The service usage status is information indicating the usage history of the services provided by the vehicle dispatch system 1. The service usage status includes, for example, information such as the date of use of the service, the boarding and disembarking locations, and an evaluation value. The evaluation value is, for example, a value that evaluates the manners of the user 10 when the user 10 rides in the vehicle 30 with other users 10 and plays the game program 373A inside the vehicle. The evaluation value may be set by the driver of the vehicle 30, for example, or by a third party riding in the vehicle.

[0057] The content-related information includes information such as a content account, rank information, and play time. The content account is account information used when using the game program 373A. The rank information is information indicating the rank of the user 10 in the game program 373A. The rank information includes, for example, information such as beginner, intermediate player, and advanced player. The play time is the time spent playing the game program 373A.

[0058] The dispatch processor 550 is an arithmetic processing unit configured with a CPU or MPU. The dispatch processor 550 may be configured with a single processor or multiple processors. The dispatch processor 550 may be configured to perform processing using a hardware circuit such as an ASIC, or may be configured to perform processing in cooperation with a processor such as a CPU or MPU and a hardware circuit.

[0059] The dispatch control unit 530 has, as functional components, a communication control unit 551, a management unit 553, and a fare calculation unit 555. These functional components are realized by the dispatch processor 550 executing calculations in accordance with the control program 541.

[0060] The communication control unit 551 controls the vehicle dispatch communication unit 510 to perform data communication with the terminal device 100 and the in-vehicle device 300. For example, the communication control unit 551 receives, from the terminal device 100, authentication information including a password and a user ID, and a vehicle dispatch request including boarding conditions and content conditions. The boarding conditions are conditions for boarding the vehicle 30, which is a taxi, and include the boarding point, boarding time, and drop-off point. The content conditions include information on whether or not the user desires to play or reproduce the content data 373 in the vehicle 30, and, if playback or play is desired, information such as the title of the content data 373 desired to be played or reproduced. In addition, the communication control unit 551 transmits dispatch information, which is information about the determined dispatch vehicle, to the terminal device 100 that received the dispatch request, and transmits information such as the usage fee, boarding point, and disembarking point to the in-vehicle device 300.

[0061] The management unit 553 manages the operation schedules of the vehicles 30 under management, and when a vehicle allocation request is received, determines a vehicle to be allocated to the user 10 based on the received vehicle allocation request. The management unit 553 also manages the vehicle management table 543 and the user management table 545, registers and deletes data in these tables, and determines the vehicle to be allocated to the user 10.

[0062] When the management unit 553 determines the vehicle to be dispatched, the fare calculation unit 555 calculates the usage fee for the determined vehicle 30. When the user 10 plays the game program 373A inside the vehicle 30, the usage fee includes not only the transportation fee but also the usage fee for the game program 373A.

[0063] [3. Operation of the vehicle dispatch system] Next, the operation of the vehicle allocation system 1 will be described. A user 10 of the vehicle dispatch system 1 selects the vehicle dispatch APP 163 installed in the terminal device 100 by a touch operation. When the terminal control unit 150 receives the operation of selecting the vehicle dispatch APP 163, the terminal control unit 150 executes the vehicle dispatch APP 163 and displays the APP screen 70 of the vehicle dispatch APP 163.

[0064] The terminal control unit 150, which executes the vehicle dispatch APP 163, displays the initial screen of the APP screen 70 on the touch panel 130. The initial screen displays input fields for authentication information such as a user ID and password. The initial screen is not shown in the figure. The user 10 inputs the registered user ID and password on the initial screen. The terminal control unit 150 transmits the authentication information received on the initial screen to the vehicle dispatch server 500.

[0065] The vehicle dispatch control unit 530 determines whether the user ID and password received as authentication information match the user ID and password registered in the user management table 545 or not. If the received user ID and password do not match the user ID and password registered in the user management table 545, the vehicle allocation control unit 530 sends an authentication failure notification to the terminal device 100. If the received user ID and password match the user ID and password registered in the user management table 545, the vehicle allocation control unit 530 sends an authentication success notification to the terminal device 100.

[0066] When the terminal control unit 150 receives the authentication failure notification, it displays the authentication failure on the initial screen and prompts the user 10 to re-enter the user ID and password. Furthermore, when the terminal control unit 150 receives the authentication success notification, it causes the touch panel 130 to display the condition setting screen 75 included in the APP screen 70.

[0067] FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of the condition setting screen 75. As shown in FIG. The condition setting screen 75 is a screen that accepts the setting of a riding condition 81 and a content condition 91. The riding condition 81 is a condition for riding in the vehicle 30, and the content condition 91 is a condition for content to be viewed inside the vehicle 30. In this embodiment, the content condition is a condition for the game program 373A to be played inside the vehicle 30.

[0068] The boarding conditions 81 include a boarding location setting 83, a dispatch time setting 85, and a drop-off location setting 87. The content condition 91 includes a first setting 93 and a second setting 95. The first setting 93 is a setting as to whether or not the user desires to play a game in the car. The second setting 95 is a setting as to the title of the game program 373A to be played if the user desires to play a game in the car.

[0069] When the terminal control unit 150 receives the settings of the riding conditions 81 and the content conditions 91, it transmits a vehicle dispatch request including these conditions as vehicle dispatch conditions to the vehicle dispatch server 500.

[0070] When receiving a vehicle dispatch request, the vehicle dispatch control unit 530 acquires the vehicle dispatch conditions included in the received vehicle dispatch request. Based on the acquired vehicle dispatch conditions, the vehicle dispatch control unit 530 determines a vehicle to be dispatched, which is a vehicle 30 to be dispatched to the user 10.

[0071] First, the vehicle allocation control unit 530 extracts a first group of vehicle candidates in accordance with the boarding conditions 81 included in the vehicle allocation conditions. For example, the vehicle allocation control unit 530 calculates a predicted travel time based on information on the boarding point and the disembarking point, and extracts vehicles 30 that will be vacant from a predetermined time before the boarding time during the predicted travel time as the first group of vehicle candidates.

[0072] Next, the vehicle allocation control unit 530 refers to the content condition 91 included in the vehicle allocation conditions. If the content condition 91 is set to "not want to play a game," the vehicle allocation control unit 530 determines a vehicle to be allocated from the extracted first vehicle candidate group.

[0073] In addition, when the content condition 91 is set to "desired to play a game," the dispatch control unit 530 refers to the game title included in the dispatch conditions and determines whether the game program 373A of the game title is a game program 373A for personal use or a game program 373A for use by multiple people.

[0074] When the game title is a game program for personal use 373A, the vehicle allocation control unit 530 extracts vehicles 30 in the second vehicle candidate group from the vehicles 30 in the first vehicle candidate group. The vehicle allocation control unit 530 extracts vehicles 30 that can provide the game program 373A indicated by the game title from the vehicles 30 in the first vehicle candidate group, and sets the extracted vehicles 30 to the second vehicle candidate group. The vehicle allocation control unit 530 determines vehicles to be allocated from the extracted vehicles 30 in the second vehicle candidate group.

[0075] Furthermore, even when the game title is a game program 373A for use by multiple people, the vehicle allocation control unit 530 extracts vehicles 30 in the second vehicle candidate group from the vehicles 30 in the first vehicle candidate group. The vehicle allocation control unit 530 extracts vehicles 30 that can provide the game program 373A indicated by the game title from the vehicles 30 in the first vehicle candidate group, and sets the extracted vehicles 30 to the second vehicle candidate group.

[0076] Next, if the game title is the game program 373A for use by multiple people, the vehicle allocation control unit 530 further extracts vehicles 30 in a third vehicle candidate group from the vehicles 30 in the second vehicle candidate group. The vehicle allocation control unit 530 extracts, from the vehicles 30 in the second vehicle candidate group, vehicles 30 in which a third party is riding or a third party is scheduled to ride at the boarding time of the boarding condition 81. Next, from the extracted vehicles 30, the vehicle allocation control unit 530 extracts, as vehicles 30 in the third vehicle candidate group, vehicles 30 in which the total number of users 10 and accompanying third parties is within the range of the available number of people.

[0077] Next, when the game title is a game program 373A for use by multiple people, the vehicle allocation control unit 530 further extracts vehicles 30 of a fourth vehicle candidate group from the vehicles 30 of the third vehicle candidate group. The vehicle allocation control unit 530 extracts, as vehicles 30 of the fourth vehicle candidate group, vehicles 30 for which the riding time of the user 10 and a third party in the vehicle 30 is longer than the predicted usage time of the game program 373A indicated by the game title.

[0078] Next, the vehicle allocation control unit 530 determines whether or not it has been possible to extract a vehicle 30 from the fourth vehicle candidate group. If it has been possible to extract a vehicle 30 from the fourth vehicle candidate group, the vehicle allocation control unit 530 determines a vehicle to be allocated from the vehicles 30 from the fourth vehicle candidate group.

[0079] Furthermore, if the vehicle allocation control unit 530 is unable to extract a vehicle 30 from the fourth vehicle candidate group, it determines, as the vehicle to be allocated, from the vehicles 30 from the third vehicle candidate group, the vehicle 30 in which the total number of users 10 and accompanying third parties is closest to the upper limit of the number of people available for use. For example, if the number of people available for use is 2 to 4, the vehicle allocation control unit 530 preferentially determines, as the vehicle to be allocated, a vehicle 30 in which the total number of users 10 and accompanying third parties is 4. Furthermore, if there is no vehicle 30 in which the total number of users 10 and accompanying third parties is 4, the vehicle allocation control unit 530 determines, as the vehicle to be allocated, a vehicle 30 in which the total number of users 10 and accompanying third parties is 3.

[0080] When the vehicle to be allocated is determined, the vehicle allocation control unit 530 transmits allocation information, which is information about the determined vehicle to be allocated, to the terminal device 100 of the user 10. For example, the vehicle allocation information may include vehicle type information and driver information of the vehicle to be allocated. The vehicle allocation control unit 530 may also transmit, to the terminal device 100 of the user 10, allocation information for multiple vehicles 30 from the vehicle candidate group from which the vehicle to be allocated has been determined. For example, when the vehicle to be allocated is determined from a third vehicle candidate group, the vehicle allocation control unit 530 may select multiple vehicles from the third vehicle candidate group as vehicles to be allocated, and transmit allocation information for the selected vehicles to the terminal device 100 of the user 10.

[0081] In addition, if there is a third party riding in the dispatched vehicle, the dispatch control unit 530 may transmit dispatch information including content-related information of the third party and information such as an evaluation value to the terminal device 100 of the user 10.

[0082] The terminal control unit 150 displays the vehicle allocation information received from the vehicle allocation server 500 on the touch panel 130. The user 10 refers to the vehicle allocation information displayed on the touch panel 130 and inputs an operation on the touch panel 130 to decide whether to permit or deny the allocation of the vehicle. When the terminal control unit 150 receives an operation to permit the vehicle allocation, it transmits a vehicle allocation permission notice to the vehicle allocation server 500. When the terminal control unit 150 receives an operation to deny the vehicle allocation, it transmits a vehicle allocation denial notice to the vehicle allocation server 500.

[0083] When the vehicle allocation control unit 530 receives a vehicle allocation rejection notification from the terminal device 100, it again determines the vehicle to be allocated. Furthermore, when the vehicle allocation control unit 530 receives a vehicle allocation permission notification from the terminal device 100, it determines whether or not a third party is riding in the vehicle to be allocated. If a third party is present, the vehicle allocation control unit 530 transmits the user information of the user 10 to the terminal device 100 of the third party. The user information includes content-related information such as an evaluation value, content account, rank information, and play time.

[0084] The vehicle allocation control unit 530 resets the vehicle to be allocated when it receives a reply from the terminal device 100 of the third party that transmitted the user information that the vehicle is not allowed to ride with the user. Also, the vehicle allocation control unit 530 calculates the fee when it receives a reply from the terminal device 100 of the third party that transmitted the user information that the vehicle is allowed to ride with the user.

[0085] When the user 10 is riding alone in a vehicle that has been allocated and the game program 373A is not used, the vehicle allocation control unit 530 calculates the fare from the boarding point to the disembarking point as the usage fee. In addition, when a user 10 rides alone in a dispatched vehicle and uses the game program 373A, the dispatch control unit 530 calculates the usage fee as the total amount of the fare from the boarding point to the disembarking point and the usage fee for the game program 373A.

[0086] Furthermore, when the user 10 is riding in a vehicle with a third party, the vehicle dispatch control unit 530 calculates the fare by dividing the fare for the section in which the third party is riding by the total number of users 10 and the third party. The vehicle dispatch control unit 530 also calculates a usage fee for the game program 373A corresponding to the total number of users 10 and the third party. For example, a fee table in which fees for each number of users 10 are registered in advance may be prepared, and the usage fee may be determined based on this fee table, or the usage fee for one person may be divided by the total number of users 10 and the third party.

[0087] After calculating the usage fee, the vehicle dispatch control unit 530 transmits the calculated usage fee to the terminal device 100 of the user 10. Furthermore, if there is a third party riding with the user, the vehicle dispatch control unit 530 transmits the usage fee to the third party's terminal device 100. Furthermore, the vehicle dispatch control unit 530 transmits information such as the usage fee, boarding point, and disembarking point to the in-vehicle device 300 mounted on the vehicle dispatched.

[0088] FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing the operation of the vehicle allocation server 500. The operation of the vehicle allocation server 500 will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG. The vehicle allocation control unit 530 determines whether or not a vehicle allocation request has been received (step S1). If a vehicle allocation request has not been received (step S1 / NO), the vehicle allocation control unit 530 waits until a vehicle allocation request is received. Step S1 corresponds to a receiving step.

[0089] When receiving a vehicle allocation request (step S1 / YES), the vehicle allocation control unit 530 acquires the vehicle allocation conditions included in the received vehicle allocation request (step S2).

[0090] Next, the vehicle allocation control unit 530 determines a vehicle to be allocated based on the acquired vehicle allocation conditions (step S3). Details of the processing of step S3 will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in Fig. 7. Step S3 corresponds to an extraction step.

[0091] Next, the vehicle allocation control unit 530 transmits the vehicle allocation information of the determined vehicle to the terminal device 100 of the user 10 (step S4). Step S4 corresponds to a transmission step. Next, the vehicle allocation control unit 530 determines whether or not a vehicle allocation permission notice has been received from the terminal device 100 of the user 10 (step S5).

[0092] If the vehicle dispatch control unit 530 has not received a vehicle dispatch permission notice (step S5 / NO), it determines whether or not it has received a vehicle dispatch refusal notice from the terminal device 100 of the user 10 (step S6). If the vehicle dispatch control unit 530 has received a vehicle dispatch refusal notice (step S6 / YES), it returns to the processing of step S3 and determines again the vehicle to be dispatched. If the vehicle dispatch control unit 530 has not received a vehicle dispatch permission notice (step S6 / NO), it returns to step S5 and determines again whether or not it has received a vehicle dispatch permission notice.

[0093] When the vehicle dispatch control unit 530 receives the vehicle dispatch permission notification (step S5 / YES), it determines whether or not a third party is riding in the vehicle 30 in which the user 10 is riding (step S7). If a third party is not riding in the vehicle 30 (step S7 / NO), the vehicle dispatch control unit 530 calculates the usage fee (step S10).

[0094] When the user 10 is riding alone in a vehicle to be dispatched and the game program 373A is not used, the vehicle dispatch control unit 530 calculates the fare from the boarding point to the disembarking point as the usage fee. When the user 10 is riding alone in a vehicle to be dispatched and the game program 373A is used, the vehicle dispatch control unit 530 calculates the usage fee as the total amount of the fare from the boarding point to the disembarking point and the usage fee for the game program 373A.

[0095] Furthermore, if a third party other than the user 10 is riding with the user 10 (step S7 / YES), the dispatch control unit 530 transmits the user information of the user 10 to the terminal device 100 of the third party riding with the user 10 (step S8). The user information includes content-related information such as a rating value, content account, rank information, and play time. The rank information and play time correspond to a usage history.

[0096] Next, the vehicle allocation control unit 530 determines whether or not a response indicating that riding is OK has been received from the terminal device 100 of the third party that transmitted the user information (step S9). If the vehicle allocation control unit 530 does not receive a response indicating that riding is OK but receives a response indicating that riding is not OK from the terminal device 100 of the third party (step S9 / NO), the process returns to step S3 and determines a vehicle to be allocated again.

[0097] Furthermore, when the vehicle dispatch control unit 530 receives a response from the third party's terminal device 100 indicating that the vehicle is OK to ride (step S9 / YES), the vehicle dispatch control unit 530 calculates or recalculates the fare (step S10). When the user 10 is riding in a vehicle with a third party, the vehicle allocation control unit 530 calculates the fare by dividing the fare for the riding section in which the third party is riding by the total number of people of the user 10 and the third party. In addition, the vehicle allocation control unit 530 calculates the usage fee for the game program 373A by dividing it by the total number of people of the user 10 and the third party.

[0098] When the vehicle dispatch control unit 530 calculates the usage fee for the user 10, it transmits the calculated usage fee to the terminal device 100 of the user 10 (step S11). When the vehicle dispatch control unit 530 recalculates the usage fee for a third party, it transmits the recalculated usage fee to the terminal device 100 of the third party. Furthermore, the vehicle dispatch control unit 530 transmits information such as the usage fee, boarding point, boarding time, and disembarking point to the on-board device 300 of the determined vehicle to be dispatched.

[0099] FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing a flow of determining a vehicle to be dispatched. The flow of determining a vehicle to be dispatched will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG. First, the vehicle allocation control unit 530 extracts vehicles from the first vehicle candidate group in accordance with the boarding conditions 81 included in the vehicle allocation conditions acquired in step S2 (step S301). The vehicle allocation control unit 530 calculates a predicted travel time based on information on the boarding point and the disembarking point, and extracts vehicles 30 that will become vacant from a predetermined time before the boarding time during the predicted travel time as vehicles from the first vehicle candidate group.

[0100] Next, the vehicle allocation control unit 530 determines whether the setting of the content condition 91 included in the vehicle allocation conditions indicates a desire to play a game (step S302). If the setting of the content condition 91 indicates that a desire to play a game is not present (step S302 / NO), the vehicle allocation control unit 530 determines a vehicle to be allocated from the first vehicle candidate group extracted in step S301 (step S303).

[0101] If the content condition 91 is set to indicate a desire to play a game (step S302 / YES), the dispatch control unit 530 refers to the game title included in the dispatch conditions and determines whether the game program 373A desired to be used is a game program 373A for personal use (step S304).

[0102] If the game title is a game program 373A for personal use (step S304 / YES), the vehicle allocation control unit 530 extracts vehicles 30 that can provide the game program 373A indicated by the game title from the vehicles 30 in the first vehicle candidate group. The vehicle allocation control unit 530 sets the extracted vehicle group as a second vehicle candidate group (step S305). Next, the vehicle allocation control unit 530 determines a vehicle to be allocated from the extracted vehicles 30 in the second vehicle candidate group (step S306).

[0103] If the game title is a game program 373A for multiple users (step S304 / NO), the vehicle dispatch control unit 530 extracts vehicles 30 that can provide the game program 373A indicated by the game title from the vehicles 30 in the first vehicle candidate group and sets them as a second vehicle candidate group (step S307).

[0104] Next, the vehicle allocation control unit 530 extracts, from the vehicles 30 in the second vehicle candidate group, vehicles 30 in which a third party is riding or a third party is scheduled to ride at the boarding time of the boarding condition 81 (step S308). Next, from the extracted vehicles 30, the vehicle allocation control unit 530 extracts, as vehicles 30 in the third vehicle candidate group, vehicles 30 in which the total number of users 10 and accompanying third parties is within the range of the available number of people (step S309).

[0105] Next, the vehicle dispatch control unit 530 extracts vehicles 30 in which the riding time of the user 10 and a third party in the vehicle 30 is longer than the predicted usage time of the game program 373A indicated by the game title as vehicles 30 in the fourth vehicle candidate group (step S310).

[0106] Next, the vehicle allocation control unit 530 determines whether or not a vehicle 30 in the fourth vehicle candidate group has been extracted (step S311). If a vehicle 30 in the fourth vehicle candidate group has been extracted (step S311 / YES), the vehicle allocation control unit 530 determines a vehicle to be allocated from the vehicles 30 in the fourth vehicle candidate group (step S312).

[0107] Furthermore, if the vehicle allocation control unit 530 is unable to extract a vehicle 30 from the fourth vehicle candidate group (step S311 / NO), it determines, as the vehicle to be allocated, the vehicle 30 from the third vehicle candidate group in which the total number of users 10 and accompanying third parties is closest to the upper limit of the number of people available for use (step S313).If the number of people available for use is 2 to 4, the vehicle allocation control unit 530 preferentially determines, as the vehicle to be allocated, the vehicle 30 in which the total number of users 10 and accompanying third parties is 4.

[0108] 4. Other Embodiments The above-described embodiment is a preferred embodiment of the present invention, but the present invention is not limited to this embodiment and various modifications are possible within the scope of the present invention.

[0109] The functional units of the terminal device 100, the in-vehicle device 300, and the vehicle dispatch server 500 shown in Figure 2 represent functional configurations, and the specific implementation form is not particularly limited. In other words, it is not necessary to implement hardware that corresponds to each functional unit individually, and it is of course possible to implement a configuration in which a single processor executes a program to realize the functions of multiple functional units. Furthermore, some of the functions realized by software in the above embodiments may be realized by hardware, or some of the functions realized by hardware may be realized by software.

[0110] 6 and 7 are divided according to the main processing content in order to make the processing of the vehicle allocation control unit 530 easier to understand, and the present invention is not limited by the manner in which the processing units are divided or the names of the processing units shown in the flowcharts of FIG. 6 and 7. Furthermore, the processing of the vehicle allocation control unit 530 can be divided into more processing units according to the processing content, or one processing unit can be divided so as to include more processes. Furthermore, the processing order of the above flowcharts is not limited to the example shown in the figures.

[0111] 5. Configurations supported by the above embodiments The above embodiment is a specific example of the following configuration.

[0112] (Configuration 1) A vehicle dispatching device comprising: a communication unit that receives a vehicle dispatch request from a terminal device, the vehicle dispatch request including at least a boarding location and content information to be used in the vehicle; a management unit that manages the vehicle operation schedule and extracts the vehicle that can be dispatched based on the vehicle dispatch request; and a communication control unit that controls the communication unit to send vehicle dispatch information including vehicle information regarding the extracted vehicle to the terminal device.

[0113] According to the vehicle dispatching device of configuration 1, vehicles that can be dispatched are extracted based on content information included in the vehicle dispatch request received from the terminal device, and vehicle dispatch information including vehicle information of the extracted vehicles is transmitted to the terminal device. As a result, a vehicle that can use the content that the user desires to use can be dispatched, thereby improving user convenience.

[0114] (Configuration 2) The vehicle dispatching device according to configuration 1, wherein the management unit distinguishes between personal content used by an individual and multi-person content used by multiple people based on the content information, and, if the content of the content information is the personal content, extracts the vehicle on the condition that the personal content corresponding to the content information is available and is not being used by a third party, and, if the content of the content information is the multi-person content, extracts the vehicle on the condition that the multi-person content corresponding to the content information is available.

[0115] According to the vehicle dispatching device of configuration 2, when the content information indicates personal content, a vehicle is extracted that can use the personal content and that is not being used by a third party. Furthermore, when the content information indicates multi-person content, a vehicle that can use the multi-person content is extracted. Therefore, a vehicle that can use the content the user desires to use can be dispatched, improving user convenience.

[0116] (Configuration 3) The vehicle dispatching device according to configuration 1 or 2, wherein the management unit distinguishes between personal content for personal use and multi-person content for use by multiple people based on the content information, and when the content of the content information is the multi-person content, extracts a vehicle in which a third party is riding or a vehicle in which the third party is scheduled to ride, in preference to a vehicle that can be used alone by the user of the terminal device.

[0117] According to the vehicle dispatching device of configuration 3, when the content desired by the user is content for multiple people, a vehicle in which a third party is riding or a vehicle in which a third party is scheduled to ride is selected with priority over a vehicle that the user of the terminal device can use alone. This allows the user to use the content for multiple people together with the third party riding with the user.

[0118] (Configuration 4) The vehicle dispatch device described in any one of configurations 1 to 3, wherein the management unit distinguishes between personal content used by an individual and multi-person content used by multiple people based on the content information, and when the content of the content information is the multi-person content, extracts the vehicle based on the condition that it is a vehicle in which a third party is riding or a vehicle in which the third party is scheduled to ride, and that the riding time of the user of the terminal device and the third party in the vehicle is longer than the predicted usage time of the multi-person content.

[0119] According to the vehicle dispatching device of configuration 4, vehicles are extracted in which the riding time of a third party riding in the vehicle with the user is longer than the predicted usage time of the multi-person content, thereby reducing the occurrence of a situation in which the passenger gets off the vehicle before the usage of the multi-person content is finished.

[0120] (Configuration 5) The vehicle dispatching device according to any one of configurations 1 to 4, wherein the content for multiple people includes information on the number of people who can use the vehicle, and the management unit distinguishes between personal content for individual use and multi-person content for multiple people based on the content information, and when the content of the content information is the multi-person content, extracts vehicles in which a third party is riding or a vehicle in which the third party is scheduled to ride, and where the total number of people including the user of the terminal device and the third party is within the number of people who can use the vehicle, and preferentially extracts vehicles where the total number of people matches the upper limit of the number of people who can use the vehicle.

[0121] According to the vehicle dispatching device of configuration 5, when the content a user wants to use is content for multiple people, vehicles in which the total number of people including the user and a third party is within the usable number of people are extracted, and vehicles in which the total number of people matches the upper limit of the usable number of people are extracted preferentially. This ensures that no passengers in the vehicle are unable to use the content for multiple people, and the content for multiple people can be used by an optimal number of people.

[0122] (Configuration 6) A vehicle dispatching device described in any one of configurations 1 to 5, wherein the vehicle dispatch request includes user identification information that identifies a user of the terminal device, the vehicle dispatching device has a memory unit that stores the user identification information in association with user information related to the user, and when the management unit receives permission information from the terminal device that sent the vehicle dispatch information that allows the dispatch of the vehicle corresponding to the vehicle information, and when the user of the terminal device and a third party are riding in the vehicle together, the management unit transmits the user information to the terminal device of the third party.

[0123] According to the vehicle dispatching device of configuration 6, when permission information permitting vehicle dispatch is received from the terminal device and the user and a third party are riding in the vehicle together, the user information of the user is transmitted to the third party. This allows the user information of the user riding in the vehicle to be notified to the third party in advance, making it easier for the third party to permit the user to ride in the vehicle together.

[0124] (Configuration 7) 7. The vehicle dispatching device according to configuration 6, wherein the storage unit stores the user information including a content usage history, and the management unit transmits the user information including the usage history to the third party's terminal device.

[0125] According to the vehicle dispatching device of configuration 7, user information including content usage history is transmitted to a terminal device of a third party. This allows the third party to refer to the user's content usage history. This allows the third party to determine whether or not to allow the user to ride with the user based on the content usage history.

[0126] (Configuration 8) The vehicle dispatching device according to configuration 6 or 7, further comprising a fare calculation unit that calculates a usage fee, and when a user of the terminal device and a third party are riding in the vehicle, the fare calculation unit calculates the usage fees for the user and the third party, respectively, and the communication control unit transmits the calculated usage fees to the terminal device of the user and the terminal device of the third party, respectively, and when the third party is already in the vehicle, transmits the usage fee for the third party to the vehicle.

[0127] According to the vehicle dispatching device of configuration 8, when a user and a third party are riding together, the usage fees for the user and the third party are calculated separately, and the calculated usage fees are transmitted to the user's terminal device and the third party's terminal device, respectively. Also, when the third party is already in the vehicle, the usage fee for the third party is transmitted to the vehicle. Therefore, the usage fees can be notified to the user and the third party.

[0128] (Configuration 9) The vehicle dispatching device according to configuration 8, wherein the fare calculation unit calculates the fare for the shared section in which the user and the third party are riding together and the usage fee for the content indicated by the content information based on the number of the user and the third party riding together in the vehicle.

[0129] With this configuration, the fare for the shared ride section where the user and a third party are riding together and the content usage fee are calculated based on the number of users and third parties riding together in the vehicle. As a result, the fare and content usage fee are discounted, allowing multiple people to ride together in the vehicle and reducing the number of vehicles on the road.

[0130] (Configuration 10) A vehicle dispatch method in which a processor provided in a vehicle dispatch device executes the following steps: a receiving step in which a vehicle dispatch request including at least a boarding location and content information to be used in the vehicle is received from a terminal device; an extraction step in which the processor manages the vehicle's operating schedule and extracts vehicles that can be dispatched based on the vehicle dispatch request; and a transmission step in which the processor transmits vehicle dispatch information including vehicle information regarding the extracted vehicles to the terminal device.

[0131] According to the vehicle allocation method of configuration 10, vehicles that can be allocated are extracted based on content information included in the vehicle allocation request received from the terminal device, and vehicle allocation information including vehicle information of the extracted vehicles is transmitted to the terminal device. As a result, a vehicle that can use the content that the user desires to use can be allocated, thereby improving user convenience. [Explanation of symbols]

[0132] 1...vehicle dispatch system, 30...vehicle, 50...communication network, 70...APP screen, 75...condition setting screen, 81...boarding conditions, 83...boarding location setting, 87...drop-off location setting, 91...content conditions, 93...first setting, 95...second setting, 100...terminal device, 110...terminal wireless communication unit, 130...touch panel, 150...terminal control unit, 160...terminal memory unit, 161...OS, 170...terminal processor, 300...in-vehicle device, 310...in-vehicle wireless communication unit, 320...in-vehicle display unit, 330...in-vehicle operation unit, 340...in On-board speaker, 350...GNSS signal receiving unit, 360...on-board control unit, 370...on-board memory unit, 371...control program, 373...content data, 373A...game program, 375...operation information, 380...on-board processor, 500...vehicle dispatch server, 510...vehicle dispatch communication unit, 530...vehicle dispatch control unit, 540...vehicle dispatch memory unit, 541...control program, 543...vehicle management table, 545...user management table, 550...vehicle dispatch processor, 551...communication control unit, 553...management unit, 555...fare calculation unit.

Claims

1. a communication unit that receives a vehicle dispatch request from a terminal device, the request including at least a boarding location and content information to be used in the vehicle; a management unit that manages the vehicle operation schedule and extracts the vehicle that can be dispatched based on the dispatch request; a communication control unit that controls the communication unit to transmit vehicle dispatch information including the extracted vehicle information about the vehicle to the terminal device; A vehicle dispatching device comprising:

2. the management unit distinguishes between personal content used by an individual and multi-user content used by multiple users based on the content information; If the content of the content information is the personal content, extracting the vehicle on the condition that the personal content corresponding to the content information is available and is not being used by a third party; If the content of the content information is the multi-player content, extracting the vehicle on the condition that the multi-player content corresponding to the content information is available. The vehicle dispatching device according to claim 1.

3. the management unit distinguishes between personal content used by an individual and multi-user content used by multiple users based on the content information; When the content of the content information is the content for multiple people, a vehicle in which a third party is riding or a vehicle in which the third party is scheduled to ride is extracted with priority over a vehicle that can be used by the user of the terminal device alone. The vehicle dispatching device according to claim 1.

4. the management unit distinguishes between personal content used by an individual and multi-user content used by multiple users based on the content information; When the content of the content information is the content for multiple people, the vehicle is extracted on the condition that the vehicle is a vehicle in which a third party is riding or a vehicle in which the third party is scheduled to ride, and the riding time of the user of the terminal device and the third party in the vehicle is longer than the predicted usage time of the content for multiple people. The vehicle dispatching device according to claim 1.

5. the content for multiple users includes information on the number of users available; the management unit distinguishes between personal content used by an individual and multi-person content used by multiple people based on the content information, and when the content of the content information is the multi-person content, extracts a vehicle in which a third party is riding or a vehicle in which the third party is scheduled to ride, and in which the total number of people including the user of the terminal device and the third party is within the number of people that can use the vehicle; preferentially extracting the vehicle in which the total number of passengers matches the upper limit of the number of passengers available; The vehicle dispatching device according to claim 1.

6. the dispatch request includes user identification information that identifies a user of the terminal device, the vehicle dispatching device includes a storage unit that stores the user identification information and user information related to the user in association with each other; the management unit, when receiving permission information permitting the dispatch of the vehicle corresponding to the vehicle information from the terminal device that transmitted the vehicle dispatch information, and when a user of the terminal device and a third party are riding in the vehicle together, transmits the user information to the terminal device of the third party; The vehicle dispatching device according to claim 1.

7. the storage unit stores the user information including a content usage history; the management unit transmits the user information including the usage history to the third party's terminal device. The vehicle dispatching device according to claim 6.

8. The vehicle dispatching device includes a fare calculation unit that calculates a usage fee, the fee calculation unit calculates usage fees for the user and the third party when the user of the terminal device and the third party are riding in the vehicle together, the communication control unit transmits the calculated usage amount to the terminal device of the user and the terminal device of the third party, If the third party has boarded the vehicle, transmit the amount of the third party's use to the vehicle. The vehicle dispatching device according to claim 6.

9. the fee calculation unit calculates a fare for a section in which the user and the third party are riding together and a usage fee for the content indicated by the content information based on the number of the user and the third party riding together in the vehicle; The vehicle dispatching device according to claim 8.

10. A processor included in the dispatch device a receiving step of receiving from a terminal device a vehicle dispatch request including at least a boarding point and content information to be used in the vehicle; an extraction step of managing an operation schedule of the vehicle and extracting the vehicle that can be dispatched based on the dispatch request; a transmitting step of transmitting vehicle allocation information including the extracted vehicle information about the vehicle to the terminal device; A dispatch method that executes the above.

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