Vehicle allocation management device, vehicle allocation management method, and program

Abstract

To enable more efficient operation when a passenger's destination is outside of a service area of a taxi thereof.SOLUTION: A vehicle allocation management part comprises a management part for transmitting a vehicle allocation request to a taxi extracted by extracting the taxi whose boarding place is outside an operation area and whose destination is outside the operation area, in a case where the boarding place of the vehicle allocation request transmitted from a terminal of a user as a taxi user, and the destination thereof, are different operation areas. The present technique is applicable to, for example, a vehicle allocation management device or the like by which taxi allocation is managed.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present technology relates to a vehicle dispatch management device, a vehicle dispatch management method, and a program, and in particular to a vehicle dispatch management device, a vehicle dispatch management method, and a program that enable more efficient operation when a passenger's destination is outside the taxi's operating area. [Background technology]

[0002] Taxis have a designated business area for each company, and cannot take on passengers outside that area. Therefore, if the destination of a passenger in a taxi is outside the business area of ​​the company to which the taxi belongs, the taxi must drive empty after dropping off the passenger at the destination until it enters the business area of ​​the company to which the taxi belongs.

[0003] In response to such situations, a taxi dispatch system has been proposed in which, when a taxi leaves its own operating area, the passenger is transferred to a taxi whose operating area includes the passenger's destination (see, for example, Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] JP 2004-302942 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] It is inconvenient for passengers to have to transfer as in Patent Document 1. When the passenger's destination is outside the taxi's operating area, a more efficient operating system is required.

[0006] The present technology has been developed in light of these circumstances, and enables more efficient business operations when a passenger's destination is outside the taxi's operating area. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] This technology One aspect of the vehicle dispatch management device includes a management unit that, when the boarding location and destination of a dispatch request transmitted from a terminal device of a user who is a taxi user are in different business areas, extracts a taxi whose boarding location is outside the business area and whose destination is within the business area, and transmits a dispatch request to the extracted taxi.When there is another business area as a relay area between the business area of ​​the boarding location of the dispatch request transmitted from the terminal device and the business area of ​​the destination, the management unit extracts a first taxi whose boarding location is outside the business area and whose relay area is within the business area, and extracts a second taxi whose relay area is outside the business area and whose destination is within the business area.

[0008] This technology In one aspect of the vehicle dispatch management method, when the boarding location and destination of a dispatch request transmitted from a terminal device of a user who is a taxi user are in different business areas, the vehicle dispatch management device extracts a taxi whose boarding location is outside the business area and whose destination is within the business area and transmits a dispatch request to the extracted taxi, and when there is another business area as a relay area between the business area of ​​the boarding location of the dispatch request transmitted from the terminal device and the business area of ​​the destination, the vehicle dispatch management device extracts a first taxi whose boarding location is outside the business area and whose relay area is within the business area, and extracts a second taxi whose relay area is outside the business area and whose destination is within the business area.

[0009] This technologyOne aspect of the program causes a computer to execute a process to extract a taxi whose boarding location is outside the operating area and whose destination is within the operating area when the boarding location and destination of a dispatch request sent from a terminal device of a user who is a taxi user are in different operating areas, and to send a dispatch request to the extracted taxi, and when there is another operating area as a relay area between the operating area of ​​the boarding location of the dispatch request sent from the terminal device and the operating area of ​​the destination, to extract a first taxi whose boarding location is outside the operating area and whose relay area is within the operating area, and to extract a second taxi whose relay area is outside the operating area and whose destination is within the operating area.

[0010] This technology In one aspect, when the boarding location and the destination of a dispatch request transmitted from a terminal device of a user who is a taxi user are in different business areas, a taxi whose boarding location is outside the business area and whose destination is within the business area is extracted, and a dispatch request is transmitted to the extracted taxi. When another business area exists as a relay area between the business area of ​​the boarding location of the dispatch request transmitted from the terminal device and the business area of ​​the destination, a first taxi whose boarding location is outside the business area and whose relay area is within the business area is extracted, and a second taxi whose relay area is outside the business area and whose destination is within the business area is extracted.

[0011] The vehicle dispatch management device according to one aspect of the present technology can be realized by causing a computer to execute a program. The program to be executed by the computer can be provided by transmitting the program via a transmission medium or by recording the program on a recording medium.

[0012] The vehicle dispatch management device may be an independent device, or may be an internal block constituting a single device. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0013] [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] FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating an example of a vehicle dispatch request screen of a user application. [Figure 4] 11 is a flowchart illustrating a normal vehicle dispatch process by the vehicle dispatch integrated management device. [Diagram 5] 11 is a flowchart illustrating a first vehicle dispatch process by the vehicle dispatch integrated management device. [Figure 6] FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating an example of a vehicle dispatch request screen of a driver application. [Figure 7] 13 is a flowchart illustrating a process for generating a list of taxis traveling outside a business area. [Figure 8] 13 is a flowchart illustrating a second vehicle dispatch process by the vehicle dispatch integrated management device. [Figure 9] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a selection screen. [Figure 10] This is a diagram explaining the division of business districts in Tokyo. [Figure 11] 13 is a flowchart illustrating a third vehicle dispatch process by the vehicle dispatch integrated management device. [Figure 12] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing another example of the vehicle dispatch request screen of the user application. [Figure 13] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing another example of the vehicle dispatch request screen of the user application. [Figure 14] 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

[0014] 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. Normal vehicle dispatch processing by the vehicle dispatch integrated management device 4. First dispatch process of the dispatch integrated management device 5. Second dispatch process of the dispatch integrated management device 6. The third dispatch process of the dispatch integrated management device 7. Other examples of the user application's dispatch request screen 8. Variations 9. Computer configuration example

[0015] <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.

[0016] The taxi dispatch system 1 in Figure 1 is a system that dispatches a taxi to a user based on a request from the user, who is a taxi user, 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.

[0017] 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.

[0018] 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.

[0019] 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.

[0020] 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.

[0021] 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 wireless mobile devices such as so-called 4G lines or 5G lines, 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 Near Field Communication (NFC), 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) and USB (Universal Serial Bus), etc.

[0022] 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.

[0023] 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 a activity log of the vehicle (taxi 21A).

[0024] The vehicle behavior data generating unit 34 acquires data such as the status of "occupied vehicle", "empty vehicle", or "pick-up vehicle" and the fee (fare) from, for example, a fare meter. The vehicle behavior data generating unit 34 also acquires information such as the current position, moving speed, and moving direction of the vehicle from, for example, a GPS receiver, a gyro sensor, a speedometer, etc.

[0025] 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.

[0026] 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.

[0027] The terminal device 33 is configured with 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 dispatch request from the vehicle dispatch integrated management device 12 and displays it on a display, and transmits response data to the 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 wireless mobile devices. 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.

[0028] 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.

[0029] 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.

[0030] 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.

[0031] 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.

[0032] 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.

[0033] 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.

[0034] 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.

[0035] The vehicle dispatch management devices 11B and 11C of the taxi companies B and C are basically the same as the vehicle dispatch management device 11A of the company A, except that the companies are different, so a description thereof will be omitted. When there is no particular distinction between the companies A, B, and C, they may be simply referred to as the vehicle dispatch management device 11.

[0036] 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 that 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 composed of, for example, a server device (information processing device) having a network connection function.

[0037] 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.

[0038] 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.

[0039] 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 grade, the customer's favorite taxi company or the taxi company that the customer prefers to dispatch, the frequently used taxi stand, and the 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.

[0040] 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.

[0041] 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 a dispatch request to the extracted taxi 21. 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 a dispatch request to the extracted taxi 21.

[0042] 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 21A and supplies the data to the vehicle status data management unit 51, and transmits a dispatch request from the dispatch management unit 54 to a predetermined taxi 21 via the dispatch management device 11.

[0043] 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.

[0044] 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.

[0045] In addition, in order to make it easier to understand, FIG. 1 illustrates only a user terminal 13 and a user application 61 corresponding to one user, but the integrated vehicle dispatch management device 12 can communicate as necessary with user applications 61 of multiple user terminals 13.

[0046] 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 confirmation of dispatch 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.

[0047] 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.

[0048] Each taxi company has a business area, and when picking up a passenger, either the boarding point or the destination must be within the business area. Business areas are set for the purpose of adjusting the supply and demand of taxis within the area, and there are 643 areas nationwide. Taxi fares within a business area are set the same.

[0049] For example, if a taxi company's business area covers the 23 wards of Tokyo, then if the business area (boarding area) is between Ota Ward and Machida City, then either the boarding point or the destination is within the business area, and so the company can operate. However, if the business area is between Machida City and Yokohama City, then both the boarding point and the destination are outside the business area, and so the company cannot operate.

[0050] If a taxi whose operating area covers Tokyo's 23 wards picks up a passenger whose destination is Machida city, the next passenger it picks up in the vicinity of Machida city must be someone whose destination is within the 23 wards, which are within its operating area. However, it is difficult to find passengers with such a specific destination, so under the current operating conditions, if a taxi is outside its operating area, it is sent back to its operating area as a shuttle and then searches for a passenger.

[0051] Therefore, the integrated vehicle dispatch management device 12 is configured to control dispatch so as to reduce as much as possible the number of times that a taxi 21 returns to the operating area as a deadhead when operating with a destination outside the operating area, and to reduce waste of time and fuel when returning from outside the operating area to the operating area.

[0052] That is, the taxi dispatch system 1 enables efficient dispatch of the taxi 21 when the taxi 21 travels outside the service area.

[0053] <2. Overall flow of the taxi dispatch system> First, the flow of dispatch control in the entire taxi dispatch system 1 will be described with reference to the flowchart in FIG.

[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, the user inputs a boarding location "X" and a destination "Y" into the user application 61 and performs an operation to request a ride dispatch.

[0056] FIG. 3 shows an example of a vehicle dispatch request screen of the user application 61 when the user launches the user application 61 to make a vehicle dispatch request.

[0057] The dispatch request screen in Figure 3 includes an area map 81 that displays a map of the area near the current location, a dispatch request operation section 82 for performing a 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.

[0058] On the area map 81, vacant taxi marks 91A and 91B, which represent taxis 21 whose status is "vacant," are displayed at positions on the map corresponding to the current locations of those taxis 21. The vacant taxi mark 91A and the vacant taxi mark 91B have different display colors or patterns, and the display colors or patterns correspond to, for example, the body colors of the actual taxis 21.

[0059] The vacant taxi marks 91 (91A and 91B) displayed on the area map 81 can be controlled to display only a preset number of N taxis 21 (N>0) when there are many taxis 21 with the status "vacant" near the current location. Also, taxi marks representing not only taxis 21 with the status "vacant" but also taxis 21 with the status "occupied" may be displayed on the area map 81.

[0060] Additionally, the area map 81 displays 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 at a position corresponding to the boarding location input by the user to the boarding location input unit 83. The user can freely move the boarding location mark 94 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 in the boarding location input unit 83.

[0061] 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.

[0062] 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.

[0063] In the destination input section 84, a destination desired by the user is input.

[0064] 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. 3 shows an example of the display when card payment is specified.

[0065] When the user slides the operation bar 82A to the right on the dispatch request screen of FIG. 3, the user application 61 transmits a dispatch request together with information on the boarding location “X” and the destination “Y” to the dispatch integrated management device 12 in step S2 of FIG.

[0066] In step S11, the vehicle dispatch management unit 54 of the vehicle dispatch integrated management device 12 receives a dispatch request from the user application 61, 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.

[0067] In step S12, the vehicle dispatch management unit 54 transmits a dispatch request to the searched taxi 21A of company A.

[0068] 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 it on the display. Then, when the driver performs a response operation to accept the dispatch request, in step S22, the driver application 35 transmits a request acceptance notice to the vehicle dispatch integrated management device 12 to accept the dispatch request.

[0069] When the vehicle dispatch management unit 54 of the vehicle dispatch integrated management device 12 receives the request acceptance notification from the taxi 21A in step S13, it determines the taxi 21A as the taxi to be dispatched, and transmits a vehicle dispatch confirmation notification to the user application 61 in step S14.

[0070] When the user application 61 receives the dispatch confirmation notification in step S3, it displays the dispatch confirmation. Then, when the taxi 21A of the company A assigned to the user arrives at the boarding location "X", in step S4, the user gets in the taxi 21A and starts moving to the destination "Y".

[0071] <3. Normal vehicle dispatch processing by the integrated vehicle dispatch management device> Next, the normal dispatch process by the integrated dispatch management device 12, which is one of the flow of dispatch control of the entire taxi dispatch system 1 described with reference to Fig. 2, will be described with reference to the flowchart of Fig. 4. Here, the normal dispatch process refers to the dispatch process when differences in business areas are not particularly taken into consideration. The process of Fig. 4 is started, for example, when a program that executes the dispatch process is started in a server device serving as the integrated dispatch management device 12.

[0072] First, in step S41, 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, and waits until it is determined that the vehicle dispatch request has been received. The vehicle dispatch request transmitted from the taxi 21 includes information such as a user ID and a name for identifying the user, as well as the boarding location, destination, and payment method input on the vehicle dispatch request screen, as described with reference to FIG. 3.

[0073] If it is determined in step S41 that a vehicle dispatch request has been received from the user application 61, the process proceeds to step S42.

[0074] In step S42, 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 be dispatched within a predetermined time to the boarding location for which a dispatch request has been made, from among the taxis 21 with the status "vacant." For example, the vehicle dispatch management unit 54 calculates the travel time from the current position of the taxi 21 to the boarding location designated by the user for the taxis 21 with the status "vacant," and extracts taxis 21 for which the calculated travel time is within a predetermined time.

[0075] In step S43, 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 S44, sends a dispatch request to the taxi 21 determined as the dispatch candidate.

[0076] In step S45, 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.

[0077] In step S45, if a request acceptance notice is not received within a certain time (e.g., 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 S43. As a result, the next taxi 21 that can handle the dispatch request is determined as a dispatch candidate.

[0078] 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 S45 that a request acceptance notice has been received from the taxi 21 that sent the dispatch request, and proceeds to step S46.

[0079] In step S46, 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 who has requested the vehicle dispatch, the boarding place, the boarding time, and the destination.

[0080] Then, in step S47, the vehicle allocation management unit 54 transmits a vehicle allocation confirmation notification to the user application 61 that has made the vehicle allocation request.

[0081] The normal vehicle dispatch process is executed as described above.

[0082] <4. First dispatch process of the dispatch integrated management device> Next, a first vehicle dispatch process that takes into account differences in business areas by the vehicle dispatch integrated management device 12 will be described with reference to the flowchart of Fig. 5. This process is started, for example, when a program that executes vehicle dispatch processing is started in a server device serving as the vehicle dispatch integrated management device 12.

[0083] First, in step S61, 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, and waits until it is determined that the vehicle dispatch request has been received. If it is determined in step S61 that the vehicle dispatch request has been received, the process proceeds to step S62.

[0084] In step S62, the vehicle dispatch management unit 54 determines whether the business area of ​​the boarding location and the destination of the transmitted vehicle dispatch request differs.

[0085] If it is determined in step S62 that the business area of ​​the boarding point and the destination is the same, the process proceeds to step S63, and the vehicle dispatch management unit 54 executes normal vehicle dispatch processing that does not particularly consider the difference in the business area. As the normal vehicle dispatch processing here, the processing of steps S42 to S47 of the normal vehicle dispatch processing described in FIG. 4 is executed.

[0086] On the other hand, if it is determined in step S62 that the business areas of the boarding location and the destination are different, the process proceeds to step S64, where 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 be dispatched to the boarding location for which the dispatch request has been made within a predetermined time from among the taxis 21 whose status is "vacant." This process is the same as the process in step S42 of the normal dispatch process in FIG. 4.

[0087] Next, in step S65, the dispatch management unit 54 determines whether or not there is a taxi 21 whose business area does not include the boarding location among the extracted dispatchable taxis 21. Whether or not the boarding location or destination is a business area can be identified by, for example, checking the company ID or radio ID of the taxi 21 included in the vehicle status data. Note that the vehicle status data may include business area information that identifies the business area of ​​the taxi 21, and the determination may be made based on that information.

[0088] If it is determined in step S65 that there is no taxi 21 whose business area does not include the boarding location, the process proceeds to step S63 described above, and normal dispatch processing is executed without taking differences in business areas into consideration.

[0089] On the other hand, if it is determined in step S65 that there is a taxi 21 whose business area does not include the boarding location, the process proceeds to step S66, and the dispatch management unit 54 extracts the taxi 21 whose business area does not include the boarding location.

[0090] Next, in step S67, the dispatch management unit 54 determines whether or not there is a taxi 21 whose business area includes the destination among the dispatchable taxis 21 extracted in step S66.

[0091] If it is determined in step S67 that there is no taxi 21 whose business area covers the destination, the process proceeds to step S63 described above, and normal vehicle dispatch processing is executed without taking differences in business areas into consideration.

[0092] On the other hand, if it is determined in step S67 that there is a taxi 21 whose business area is the destination, the process proceeds to step S68, where the dispatch management unit 54 extracts a taxi 21 whose business area is the destination from among the dispatchable taxis 21 extracted in step S66. The taxi 21 extracted here is a taxi whose boarding location is outside the business area and whose destination is within the business area.

[0093] Then, in step S69, the dispatch management unit 54 determines, as a dispatch candidate, the taxi 21 that can arrive at the boarding location the earliest among the dispatchable taxis 21 extracted in step S68, and in step S70, sends a dispatch request to the taxi 21 determined as the dispatch candidate.

[0094] FIG. 6 shows an example of a vehicle dispatch request screen of the driver application 35 displayed on the display of the terminal device 33 when a vehicle dispatch request is transmitted from the vehicle dispatch integrated management device 12. As shown in FIG.

[0095] 6, an area map 121 is displayed, which displays a map including the boarding location and destination of the vehicle dispatch request. In addition, the area map 121 displays a boarding location mark 122 indicating the boarding location of the vehicle dispatch request, a destination mark 123 indicating the destination of the vehicle dispatch request, and a planned driving route 124 to the destination.

[0096] Also, above the area map 121, a message 125 is displayed, for example, "There is a request for dispatching a vehicle with the sales area as the destination. The estimated fare is 8000 yen. Would you like to accept the order?"

[0097] Furthermore, on the vehicle dispatch request screen in FIG. 6, an order acceptance button 131 that is operated when accepting an order, and an order rejection button 132 that is operated when not accepting an order are displayed.

[0098] When the driver wishes to accept the dispatch request, he / she presses the accept button 131. On the other hand, when the driver does not wish to accept the dispatch request, the driver presses the not accept order button 132. If neither the accept button 131 nor the not accept order button 132 is operated within a predetermined time period after the dispatch request screen in FIG. 6 is displayed, the driver application 35 can perform the same process as when the not accept order button 132 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.

[0099] Returning to FIG. 5, in step S71, 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.

[0100] In step S71, if a request acceptance notice is not received within a certain time (e.g., 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 S69. As a result, the next taxi 21 that can handle the dispatch request is determined as a dispatch candidate.

[0101] On the other hand, when a request acceptance notice is received from the taxi 21 that sent the dispatch request, the dispatch management unit 54 determines in step S71 that a request acceptance notice has been received from the taxi 21 that sent the dispatch request, and proceeds to step S72.

[0102] In step S72, 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 who has requested the dispatch, the boarding place, the boarding time, and the destination.

[0103] Then, in step S73, the vehicle allocation management unit 54 transmits a vehicle allocation confirmation notification to the user application 61 that has transmitted the vehicle allocation request.

[0104] After step S73 or step S63, the process returns to step S61, and the vehicle allocation management unit 54 waits until the next vehicle allocation request is received.

[0105] According to the first dispatch process taking into account differences in business areas in Figure 5, if there is a taxi 21 with an "empty" status that does not include the boarding location in its business area but does include the destination in its business area, the dispatch management unit 54 of the integrated dispatch management device 12 sends a dispatch request to that taxi 21 on a priority basis.

[0106] This reduces the number of times that the taxi 21 that has been operating with a destination outside the operating area returns to the operating area as a deadhead, and reduces waste of time and fuel when returning from outside the operating area to the operating area.

[0107] <5. Second dispatch process of the dispatch integrated management device> In the first dispatch process described in Figure 5, a dispatch request is sent to a taxi 21 that is scheduled to return to the operating area from outside the operating area only if there is a taxi 21 that is scheduled to return to the operating area from outside the operating area among the taxis 21 extracted as being available for dispatch within a specified time to the boarding location for which the dispatch request has been made.

[0108] In response to this, it is possible to perform control so as to dispatch as many taxis 21 as possible that are scheduled to return from outside the service area to within the service area, even if some waiting time occurs in response to a dispatch request. The following describes a second dispatch process that performs such dispatch control.

[0109] A user, who is a user of the taxi 21, is given some kind of incentive if the user uses the taxi 21 when planning to return from outside the service area to within the service area, and tolerates some waiting time.

[0110] 7 is a flowchart of a process for generating a list of taxis traveling outside the operating area, which is executed in parallel with the second vehicle dispatch process by the vehicle dispatch integrated management device 12 when the second vehicle dispatch process is executed. This process is started, for example, when a program for executing the vehicle dispatch process is started in a server device serving as the vehicle dispatch integrated management device 12.

[0111] First, in step S91, the vehicle status data management unit 41 acquires vehicle status data provided from each taxi 21A and updates the vehicle status data stored in the internal storage unit. This updates information such as the location information, running speed, running direction, and status of the taxi 21, and, if the status is "actual vehicle" or "pick-up", the boarding point and destination of the taxi 21.

[0112] In step S92, the dispatch management unit 54 determines whether or not there is a taxi 21 that is traveling with a destination outside the business area in the updated vehicle behavior data.

[0113] If it is determined in step S92 that there is a taxi 21 traveling with a destination outside the business area, the process proceeds to step S93, and the dispatch management unit 54 adds the taxi 21 traveling with a destination outside the business area to the taxi list traveling outside the business area stored in the internal memory. In the taxi list traveling outside the business area, information such as the company ID, radio ID, driver ID, status time, position information of the taxi 21A, traveling speed and traveling direction, destination and estimated arrival time at the destination, is registered for each taxi 21 traveling with a destination outside the business area. The registration information is updated for the taxi 21 already registered and is traveling, and registration information is added for the newly discovered taxi 21 traveling.

[0114] After step S93, the process returns to step S91, and the above-mentioned steps S91 to S93 are repeatedly executed.

[0115] Next, the second vehicle dispatch process that considers the difference in business area by the vehicle dispatch integrated management device 12 will be described with reference to the flowchart of Fig. 8. This process is started, for example, when a program that executes the vehicle dispatch process is started in a server device as the vehicle dispatch integrated management device 12.

[0116] First, in step S121, 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, and waits until it is determined that the vehicle dispatch request has been received. If it is determined in step S121 that the vehicle dispatch request has been received, the process proceeds to step S122.

[0117] In step S122, the vehicle dispatch management unit 54 determines whether the business area of ​​the boarding location and the destination of the transmitted vehicle dispatch request differs.

[0118] If it is determined in step S122 that the business area of ​​the boarding point and the destination are the same, the process proceeds to step S123, and the vehicle dispatch management unit 54 executes normal vehicle dispatch processing that does not particularly consider the difference in the business area. As the normal vehicle dispatch processing here, the processing of steps S42 to S47 of the normal vehicle dispatch processing described in FIG. 4 is executed.

[0119] On the other hand, if it is determined in step S122 that the business areas of the boarding location and the destination are different, the processing proceeds to step S124, and the 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 be dispatched to the boarding location for which a dispatch request has been made within a specified time from among the taxis 21 whose status is "vacant."

[0120] The above-mentioned steps S121 to S124 are the same as the steps S61 to S64 of the first dispatch process. In the process of step S124, a taxi 21 that can be dispatched within a predetermined time is extracted without considering differences in business areas.

[0121] In the processing of step S124, if there is a taxi 21 whose boarding location is outside the business area and whose destination is within the business area near the boarding location for which a dispatch request has been made, that taxi 21 can be given priority as a dispatch candidate, as in the first dispatch processing. However, in this processing, it is assumed that no such taxi 21 exists, and in the processing of step S124, only taxis 21 whose boarding location and destination are both within the business area are extracted.

[0122] Next, in step S125, the dispatch management unit 54 determines whether or not there is a taxi 21 in the list of taxis operating outside the service area, the destination of the dispatch request being within the service area.

[0123] If it is determined in step S125 that there is no taxi 21 in the list of taxis operating outside the operating area whose operating area is the destination of the dispatch request, the process proceeds to step S123, and normal dispatch processing is executed without taking into account differences in operating areas.

[0124] On the other hand, if it is determined in step S125 that a taxi 21 whose operating area is the destination of the dispatch request is present in the list of taxis operating outside the operating area, the processing proceeds to step S126, and the dispatch management unit 54 extracts a taxi 21 whose operating area is the destination of the dispatch request from the list of taxis operating outside the operating area.

[0125] In step S127, among the taxis 21 extracted in step S124 and step S126, the taxis 21 outside the business area and the taxis 21 within the business area that can arrive at the boarding location the earliest are determined as dispatch candidates. The dispatch candidate taxis 21 outside the business area that can arrive at the boarding location the earliest are determined from among the taxis 21 extracted in step S126, and the dispatch candidate taxis 21 within the business area that can arrive at the boarding location the earliest are determined from among the taxis 21 extracted in step S124.

[0126] In step S128, a request for a candidate taxi to be allocated is transmitted to the two candidate taxis 21.

[0127] In step S129, the vehicle dispatch management unit 54 determines whether or not a request acceptance notice has been received from the taxi 21 that transmitted the vehicle dispatch candidate request.

[0128] In step S129, if a request acceptance notice is not received within a certain time (e.g., 15 seconds) from the taxi 21 that transmitted the dispatch candidate request, or if a request rejection notice is transmitted, the dispatch management unit 54 determines that there is no request acceptance notice, and returns the process to step S127. As a result, the next taxi 21 that can respond to the dispatch request is determined as the dispatch candidate.

[0129] If it is determined in step S129 that a request acceptance notice has been received from the taxi 21 that transmitted the dispatch candidate request, the dispatch management unit 54 transmits a selection request from two types of taxis 21 to the user application 61 in step S130.

[0130] FIG. 9 shows an example of a selection screen that is displayed when the user application 61 receives a selection request from the vehicle dispatch integrated management device 12.

[0131] 9, an area map 141 including the boarding location and destination of the dispatch request is displayed. In addition, the area map 141 displays a boarding location mark 142 indicating the boarding location of the dispatch request, a destination mark 143 indicating the destination of the dispatch request, and a planned driving route 144 to the destination.

[0132] In addition, a message 151 is displayed above the area map 141, for example, "Which taxi would you like to choose? Time required to pick you up / fare to destination Taxi A: 20 minutes / 12,000 yen Taxi B: 5 minutes / 18,000 yen."

[0133] Taxi A is a taxi 21 whose boarding location is outside the business area but whose destination is within the business area. Taxi B is a taxi 21 whose boarding location is within the business area but whose destination is outside the business area. Taxi A has a longer waiting time of 20 minutes to arrive at the boarding location compared to the 5 minutes of taxi B whose boarding location is within the business area, but a discounted fare is applied as an incentive. Therefore, the fare for taxi A is 12,000 yen compared to the fare for taxi B of 18,000 yen.

[0134] Further figures 9 On the selection screen, a selection button 152 that is operated when selecting Taxi A and a selection button 153 that is operated when selecting Taxi B are displayed.

[0135] The user decides whether to use Taxi A or Taxi B, and presses the selection button 152 or 153. The selection result corresponding to the selection button 152 or 153 is transmitted from the user application 61 to the vehicle dispatch integrated management device 12.

[0136] Returning to FIG. 8, in step S131, the vehicle dispatch management unit 54 receives the taxi selection result transmitted from the user application 61.

[0137] In step S132, the dispatch management unit 54 sends a dispatch confirmation request to the taxi 21 selected by the user as a dispatch candidate, i.e., a taxi 21 (taxi A) whose boarding location is outside the operating area, or a taxi 21 (taxi B) whose boarding location is within the operating area.

[0138] In step S133, the vehicle allocation management unit 54 transmits a vehicle allocation confirmation notification to the user application 61 that has transmitted the vehicle allocation request.

[0139] After step S133 or step S123, the process returns to step S121, and the vehicle allocation management unit 54 waits until the next vehicle allocation request is received.

[0140] According to the second vehicle dispatch process described above, the vehicle dispatch integrated management device 12 performs control so as to dispatch as many taxis 21 scheduled to return from outside the business area to within the business area as possible, even if some waiting time occurs in response to the dispatch request. Specifically, a taxi 21 as a dispatch candidate is determined from a taxi list running outside the business area in which taxis 21 that are running with the business area of ​​the boarding location designated by the user as a destination and whose business area of ​​the boarding location is outside the business area are stored, and is presented to the user together with dispatch candidates of taxis 21 within the business area. The taxis 21 in the taxi list running outside the business area include taxis 21 running in the business area of ​​the boarding location, and also taxis that are currently running outside the business area of ​​the boarding location and scheduled to run in the business area of ​​the boarding location. When a taxi 21 as a dispatch candidate extracted from the taxi list running outside the business area is selected, the vehicle dispatch integrated management device 12 gives an incentive to the user.

[0141] This reduces the number of times that the taxi 21 that has been operating with a destination outside the operating area returns to the operating area as a deadhead, and reduces waste of time and fuel when returning from outside the operating area to the operating area.

[0142] In addition, a user who is a user of the taxi 21 can receive an incentive such as a discounted fare by using the taxi 21 when the user is planning to return from outside the service area to within the service area and tolerates some waiting time. The incentive is not limited to the application of a discounted fare. For example, the incentive may 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 discounted ticket for a shop or the like that can be used around the boarding point or the destination.

[0143] Since the user can obtain the incentive, the use of the taxi 21 that is to return from outside the service area to within the service area is promoted, and the use of the taxi 21 for long distance travel across the service area is also facilitated.

[0144] In the above-mentioned example of the second dispatch process, the taxi 21 traveling outside the business area is registered in the taxi list traveling outside the business area, but not only the taxi 21 traveling outside the business area but also the taxi 21 traveling empty outside the business area may be added to the taxi list traveling outside the business area. In this case, the taxi 21 traveling empty outside the business area can also be included in the dispatch candidates.

[0145] <6. The third dispatch process of the dispatch integrated management device> In response to a dispatch request from a user that crosses the operating area, if there is a taxi 21 that is scheduled to return to the operating area from outside the operating area, the first or second dispatch process described above can be used to dispatch the taxi 21 that is scheduled to return to the operating area from outside the operating area. However, particularly in the case of long distances, there may be cases where such a taxi 21 does not exist.

[0146] Figure 10 shows the division of business districts in Tokyo.

[0147] The Tokyo metropolitan area is divided into (1) the special wards and Busan district, which are centered on the 23 wards, (2) the Kitatama transportation area, which includes Tachikawa City and Kunitachi City, (3) the Minamitama transportation area, which includes Hachioji City and Machida City, and (4) the Nishitama transportation area, which includes Ome City and Akiruno City.

[0148] For example, when the pick-up location for a dispatch request is a specified location within (1) the Special Ward / Tsutsu-san area and the destination is a specified location within (4) the Nishitama transportation area, there may be no taxi 21 scheduled to return from the specified location within (1) the Special Ward / Tsutsu-san area, which is outside the operating area, to (4) the Nishitama transportation area, which is within the operating area.

[0149] However, for example, as shown in FIG. 10, if there is a taxi 21 whose operating area is the (2) Kitatama transportation area and is currently in the (1) Special Ward / Takeshi district, and there is a taxi 21 whose operating area is the (4) Nishitama transportation area and is currently in the (2) Kitatama transportation area, a request for a ride from a user can be responded to by a relay method in which a ride is arranged for taxi A to travel from the boarding point in the (1) Special Ward / Takeshi district to the (2) Kitatama transportation area, and a ride is arranged for taxi B to travel from the (2) Kitatama transportation area to the destination in the (4) Nishitama transportation area.

[0150] 11 is a flowchart of a third vehicle dispatch process that also enables vehicle dispatch by a relay method. This process is started, for example, when a program for executing the vehicle dispatch process is started in a server device as the vehicle dispatch integrated management device 12.

[0151] First, in step S151, 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, and waits until it is determined that the vehicle dispatch request has been received. If it is determined in step S151 that the vehicle dispatch request has been received, the process proceeds to step S152.

[0152] In step S152, the vehicle dispatch management unit 54 determines whether the business area of ​​the boarding location and the destination of the transmitted vehicle dispatch request differs.

[0153] If it is determined in step S152 that the business area of ​​the boarding point and the destination is the same, the process proceeds to step S153, and the vehicle dispatch management unit 54 executes normal vehicle dispatch processing that does not particularly consider the difference in the business area. As the normal vehicle dispatch processing here, the processing of steps S42 to S47 of the normal vehicle dispatch processing described in FIG. 4 is executed.

[0154] On the other hand, if it is determined in step S152 that the business areas of the boarding location and the destination are different, the process proceeds to step S154, and the 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 be dispatched to the boarding location for which a dispatch request has been made within a specified time from among the taxis 21 whose status is "vacant."

[0155] In step S155, the dispatch management unit 54 determines whether or not there is a taxi 21 whose business area does not include the boarding location among the extracted dispatchable taxis 21. Whether or not the boarding location or destination is a business area can be identified by, for example, checking the company ID or radio ID of the taxi 21 included in the vehicle status data. Note that the vehicle status data may include business area information that identifies the business area of ​​the taxi 21, and the determination may be made based on that information.

[0156] If it is determined in step S155 that there is no taxi 21 whose business area does not include the boarding location, the process proceeds to step S153 described above, and normal dispatch processing is executed without taking into account differences in business areas.

[0157] On the other hand, if it is determined in step S155 that there is a taxi 21 whose business area does not include the boarding location, the processing proceeds to step S156 described above, and the dispatch management unit 54 extracts the taxi 21 whose business area does not include the boarding location.

[0158] Next, in step S157, the dispatch management unit 54 determines whether or not there is a taxi 21 whose business area includes the destination among the dispatchable taxis 21 extracted in step S156.

[0159] If it is determined in step S157 that there is a taxi 21 whose business area is the destination, the process proceeds to step S158, where the dispatch management unit 54 extracts a taxi 21 whose business area is the destination from among the dispatchable taxis 21 extracted in step S156, and executes a business area destination dispatch process for transmitting a dispatch request. As this business area destination dispatch process, for example, the processes of steps S126 to S132 of the second dispatch process in FIG. 8 are executed.

[0160] On the other hand, if it is determined in step S157 that there is no taxi 21 whose business area is the destination, the processing proceeds to the above-mentioned step S159, and the dispatch management unit 54 determines whether there are any other business areas between the boarding location and the destination.

[0161] If it is determined in step S159 that there are no other business areas between the boarding location and the destination, the process proceeds to step S153, and normal vehicle dispatch processing is executed, which does not take into account differences in business areas.

[0162] On the other hand, if it is determined in step S159 that there are other operating areas between the boarding location and the destination, the processing proceeds to step S160, and the dispatch management unit 54 determines whether there is a taxi 21 that is located near the boarding location of the dispatch request and is available for dispatch, and whose operating area is between the boarding location's operating area and the destination's operating area (hereinafter referred to as a relay area).

[0163] If it is determined in step S160 that there is no taxi 21 whose business area is the relay area, the process proceeds to step S153, and normal vehicle dispatch processing is executed without taking into consideration differences in business areas.

[0164] On the other hand, if it is determined in step S160 that there is a taxi 21 whose operating area is the relay area, the processing proceeds to step S161, and the dispatch management unit 54 extracts a taxi 21 whose operating area is the relay area that is present near the boarding location of the dispatch request and is available for dispatch.

[0165] Then, in step S162, the vehicle dispatch management unit 54 determines whether there is a taxi 21 that is in the relay area and available for dispatch, and has the destination as its business area.

[0166] If it is determined in step S162 that there is no taxi 21 in the relay area that is available for dispatch and has the destination as its business area, the process proceeds to step S153, and normal dispatch processing is executed without taking differences in business areas into consideration.

[0167] On the other hand, if it is determined in step S162 that there is a taxi 21 that is in the relay area, available for dispatch, and whose business area is the destination, the process proceeds to step S163, and the dispatch management unit 54 extracts a taxi 21 that is in the relay area, available for dispatch, and whose business area is the destination.

[0168] Next, in step S164, the dispatch management unit 54 determines, as dispatch candidates, the taxi 21 that can arrive at the boarding point earliest among the taxis 21 extracted in step S161, and the taxi 21 outside the operating area that can arrive at the relay point at the scheduled transfer time among the taxis 21 extracted in step S163, and transmits a dispatch candidate request to the taxi 21 that is the dispatch candidate. Here, in the example of FIG. 10, the relay point is a place where taxi A transfers to taxi B, and the scheduled transfer time is the scheduled time when taxi A will arrive at the relay point. The relay point can be determined according to the current location of the taxi 21 (taxi B) extracted in step S163.

[0169] In step S165, the vehicle dispatch management unit 54 determines whether or not the two taxis 21 to which the dispatch candidate requests have been transmitted have notified the driver of the request.

[0170] In step S165, if no request acceptance notice is received within a certain period of time (e.g., 15 seconds) from the two taxis 21 that sent the dispatch candidate request, or if a request rejection notice is sent, the process proceeds to step S153, and normal dispatch processing is executed without taking into account differences in business areas.

[0171] On the other hand, if it is determined in step S165 that a request acceptance notice has been received from the taxi 21 that sent the dispatch candidate request, in step S166, the dispatch management unit 54 sends a selection request from two types of taxis 21 to the user application 61.

[0172] Here, the selection screen displayed on the user application 61 is a screen that allows the user to select one of two types of taxis 21, similar to the selection screen described in Fig. 6, where one taxi 21 is a relay-type taxi 21 to which a discount fare is applied, and the other taxi 21 is a taxi 21 whose boarding location is within the business area. The taxi 21 whose boarding location is within the business area is extracted in step S154.

[0173] In step S167, the vehicle dispatch management unit 54 receives the taxi selection result transmitted from the user application 61.

[0174] In step S168, the vehicle dispatch management unit 54 transmits a request for confirming dispatch to the taxi 21 that is a candidate for dispatch and that has been selected by the user.

[0175] In step S169, the vehicle allocation management unit 54 transmits a vehicle allocation confirmation notification to the user application 61 that has transmitted the vehicle allocation request.

[0176] After step S169, step S158, or step S153, the process returns to step S151, and the vehicle allocation management unit 54 waits until the next vehicle allocation request is received.

[0177] According to the third vehicle dispatch process described above, the vehicle dispatch integrated management device 12 presents to the user a relay method for transferring between a first taxi 21 whose boarding location specified by the user is outside the business area and whose relay area is within the business area, and a second taxi 21 whose relay area is outside the business area and whose destination is within the business area. By adopting the relay method, it is possible to perform control so as to dispatch as many taxis 21 scheduled to return from outside the business area to within the business area as possible.

[0178] This reduces the number of times that the taxi 21 that has been operating with a destination outside the operating area returns to the operating area as a deadhead, and reduces waste of time and fuel when returning from outside the operating area to the operating area.

[0179] In addition, a user who is a user of the taxi 21 can receive an incentive such as a discounted fare by using the taxi 21 that is scheduled to return from outside the service area to within the service area by allowing the relay system. The incentive is not limited to the application of a discounted fare. For example, it may be a discount ticket that can be used the next time a taxi is used, a coupon for free pick-up, or a free or discounted ticket for a shop or the like that can be used around the boarding point or the destination.

[0180] Since the user can obtain the incentive, the use of the taxi 21 that is to return from outside the service area to within the service area is promoted, and the use of the taxi 21 for long distance travel across the service area is also facilitated.

[0181] <7. Other examples of the user application's dispatch request screen> In the above-mentioned vehicle dispatch control, when the business area of ​​the user's destination is different from the business area of ​​the boarding location, the vehicle dispatch integrated management device 12 controls to dispatch a taxi 21 that is scheduled to return to the business area from outside the business area as much as possible, but it is also possible to allow the user himself to actively specify a taxi 21 that is scheduled to return to the business area from outside the business area.

[0182] 12 and 13 show examples of such a vehicle dispatch request screen of the user application 61. In FIG.

[0183] 12 and 13, explanations of parts common to the vehicle dispatch request screen of the user application 61 shown in FIG. 3 will be omitted as appropriate.

[0184] In the dispatch request screen of FIG. 12, the user's boarding location input in boarding location input section 83, “Takanawa 5-chome, Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo,” and the user's destination input in destination input section 84, “3-chome 9, Kawasaki-shi, Kanagawa-ken,” are in different operating areas of taxi 21.

[0185] When the business areas of the boarding location and the destination are different, the user application 61 can specify a selected outside business area taxi search mode, which actively searches for and uses a taxi 21 that is scheduled to return from outside the business area to within the business area.

[0186] The mode setting section 161 displayed on the area map 81 of the dispatch request screen in Figure 12 is a button for switching between selection and non-selection of a selected outside business area taxi search mode, which actively searches for and uses a taxi 21 that is scheduled to return to the business area from outside the business area.

[0187] 12, when "No" is selected in the mode setting unit 161, the out-of-service area taxi search mode is not selected. In this case, dispatch control is performed without considering the service area, and all of the vacant taxi marks 91C displayed on the area map 81, which indicate taxis 21 with a status of "vacant," are taxis 21 whose service area is the boarding location.

[0188] On the other hand, as shown in Fig. 13, when "Yes" is selected in the mode setting unit 161, the outside business area taxi search mode is selected. In this case, a taxi 21 that is scheduled to return from outside the business area to within the business area is searched for and displayed on the area map 81. The vacant taxi mark 91D displayed on the area map 81 in Fig. 13 represents a taxi 21 whose business area is "3-9 Kawasaki City, Kanagawa Prefecture," which is the user's destination input in the destination input unit 84, and whose status is "vacant."

[0189] In this way, the user may be able to proactively specify a taxi 21 that is scheduled to return from outside the service area to within the service area. Also, the vacant taxi mark 91 displayed on the area map 81 on the dispatch request screen may be displayed in a different color or pattern depending on the service area.

[0190] <8. Variations> Although the taxi 21 generally operates by carrying passengers, it is also permitted to operate by carrying luggage instead of passengers. Therefore, the above-mentioned vehicle dispatch process can be applied not only to the transportation of passengers but also to the transportation of luggage.

[0191] The customer data management unit 52 stores the customer's home and workplace as customer data, and when the home and workplace are in different business areas, for example, when the user is at the workplace on a Friday night or a rainy day and a taxi 21 whose business area is near the user's home is near the workplace, the system can have a function of recommending the use of the taxi 21 returning from outside the business area near the workplace to within the business area near the user's home. The user can register the home and workplace in the user application 61 and set the recommendation function by turning it on and off. When the user uses the taxi 21 due to the recommendation function, a discount fare can be applied from the normal fare to encourage the user to use the taxi 21.

[0192] The driver app 35 installed in the terminal device 33 of the taxi 21 can display predicted data predicting the demand for riding in the taxi 21 based on the history of past actual vehicle data (riding record). For example, the driver app 35 displays locations and stops with high demand for riding in the taxi 21 on a map using colors or symbols, or displays a number representing the predicted number of passengers. The prediction process for predicting the demand for riding may be performed by the driver app 35, or may be performed by the vehicle dispatch integrated management device 12 (for example, the vehicle current state data management unit 51) and the predicted data may be transmitted to the driver app 35 for display.

[0193] When the driver application 35 has a function for displaying ride demand for the taxi 21, it may have a function for displaying ride demand specialized for locations where there are many passengers moving outside the operating area. For example, when the operating area of ​​a certain taxi 21 is the (2) Kitatama transportation area shown in FIG. 10 and the current location of the taxi 21 is (1) Special Ward / Busan district, the ride demand of passengers who board with the (2) Kitatama transportation area as their destination can be displayed. This makes it easier for the taxi 21 outside the operating area to acquire passengers returning to the operating area.

[0194] The above-mentioned embodiment has been described as an example of controlling dispatch of a taxi as a mobile device, but the present invention can also be applied to other mobile devices that carry passengers (people), specifically, buses, trains, airplanes, ships, helicopters, etc., and mobile devices that carry objects (luggage), trucks, dump trucks, etc. The mobile device may also be an unmanned device such as a drone. The business area is not limited to a statutory one, and may be an internal rule of a transportation service operated by a business entity.

[0195] <9. 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.

[0196] FIG. 14 is a block diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of a computer when the processes executed by the vehicle dispatch integrated control device 12, the user terminal 13, or the terminal device 33 are executed by a computer using a program.

[0197] 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.

[0198] 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.

[0199] 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.

[0200] 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.

[0201] 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.

[0202] 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.

[0203] 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.

[0204] 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.

[0205] 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.

[0206] For example, it is possible to adopt a configuration in which all or part of the above-described embodiments are combined.

[0207] 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.

[0208] 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.

[0209] 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.

[0210] 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.

[0211] The present technology can have the following configurations. (1) The system includes a management unit that, when the boarding location and the destination of a dispatch request transmitted from a terminal device of a user who is a taxi user are in different business areas, extracts taxis whose boarding location is outside the business area and whose destination is within the business area, and transmits a dispatch request to the extracted taxi. Vehicle dispatch management device. (2) The management unit determines whether the business area of ​​the boarding location and the destination of the dispatch request transmitted from the terminal device are different, and if it is determined that they are different, extracts taxis whose boarding location is outside the business area and whose destination is within the business area. The vehicle dispatch management device described in (1). (3) The management unit extracts taxis whose boarding location is outside the business area and whose destination is within the business area from among taxis that can be dispatched within a predetermined time to the boarding location of the dispatch request transmitted from the terminal device. The vehicle dispatch management device according to (1) or (2). (4) The management unit extracts taxis whose boarding location is outside the business area and whose destination is within the business area from among taxis that are running or scheduled to run in the business area of ​​the boarding location of the dispatch request transmitted from the terminal device. A vehicle dispatch management device according to any one of (1) to (3). (5) The management unit generates a list of taxis traveling outside the business area, which is a list of taxis traveling with the business area of ​​the boarding location of the dispatch request transmitted from the terminal device as a destination and the boarding location is outside the business area, and extracts taxis whose boarding location is outside the business area and whose destination is within the business area from the list of taxis traveling outside the business area. The vehicle dispatch management device according to (4) above. (6) The management unit transmits a selection request to the terminal device to select either a first taxi whose boarding location is in the business area, or a second taxi whose boarding location is outside the business area and whose destination is in the business area. The vehicle dispatch management device according to (4) or (5). (7) The management unit provides an incentive to the user when the second taxi is selected. The vehicle dispatch management device described in (6). (8) The incentive is a discount on the fee. The vehicle dispatch management device according to (7) above. (9) The list of taxis operating outside the business area includes taxis that are running as vacant vehicles in the business area of ​​the boarding location of the vehicle dispatch request transmitted from the terminal device and the boarding location is outside the business area. A vehicle dispatch management device according to any one of (7) to (8). (10) When another business area exists as a relay area between the business area of ​​the boarding location of the dispatch request transmitted from the terminal device and the business area of ​​the destination, the management unit extracts a first taxi in which the boarding location is outside the business area and the relay area is within the business area, and extracts a second taxi in which the relay area is outside the business area and the destination is within the business area. A vehicle dispatch management device according to any one of (5) to (9). (11) The vehicle dispatch management device, When the boarding location and destination of a dispatch request transmitted from a terminal device of a user who is a taxi user are in different business areas, a taxi is extracted whose boarding location is outside the business area and whose destination is within the business area, and a dispatch request is transmitted to the extracted taxi. Vehicle allocation management methods. (12) Computer, A management unit that extracts taxis whose boarding location is outside the business area and whose destination is within the business area when the boarding location and destination of a dispatch request transmitted from a terminal device of a user who is a taxi user are in different business areas and transmits a dispatch request to the extracted taxi A program to function as a [Explanation of symbols]

[0212] 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. a management unit that, when a boarding location and a destination of a dispatch request transmitted from a terminal device of a user who is a taxi user are in different business areas, extracts a taxi whose boarding location is outside the business area and whose destination is within the business area, and transmits a dispatch request to the extracted taxi; When another business area exists as a relay area between the business area of ​​the boarding location of the dispatch request transmitted from the terminal device and the business area of ​​the destination, the management unit extracts a first taxi in which the boarding location is outside the business area and the relay area is within the business area, and extracts a second taxi in which the relay area is outside the business area and the destination is within the business area. Vehicle dispatch management device.

2. The vehicle dispatch management device, When the boarding location and destination of a dispatch request transmitted from a terminal device of a user who is a taxi user are in different business areas, a taxi is extracted whose boarding location is outside the business area and whose destination is within the business area, and a dispatch request is transmitted to the extracted taxi; When another business area exists as a relay area between the business area of ​​the boarding location of the dispatch request transmitted from the terminal device and the business area of ​​the destination, a first taxi is extracted for which the boarding location is outside the business area and the relay area is within the business area, and a second taxi is extracted for which the relay area is outside the business area and the destination is within the business area. Vehicle allocation management methods.

3. On the computer, When the boarding location and destination of a dispatch request transmitted from a terminal device of a user who is a taxi user are in different business areas, a taxi is extracted whose boarding location is outside the business area and whose destination is within the business area, and a dispatch request is transmitted to the extracted taxi; When another business area exists as a relay area between the business area of ​​the boarding location of the dispatch request transmitted from the terminal device and the business area of ​​the destination, a first taxi is extracted for which the boarding location is outside the business area and the relay area is within the business area, and a second taxi is extracted for which the relay area is outside the business area and the destination is within the business area. A program for executing a process.

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