Travel information notification device, travel information notification method, and program

Abstract

To provide a travel information notification method and a program which enable a user who has not decided his or her travel destination to plan a travel on a low budget.SOLUTION: In a system where a travel information notification device 10 communicates with a plurality of rental car business offices through a network and is able to communicate with portable terminals, the travel information notification device includes a processor, and the processor acquires travel expenses including rental car expenses which are set for each business office so that the higher an empty car rate of rental cars is the lower the expenses are, from a plurality of regions and notifies the user of the travel expenses in the plurality of regions.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a travel information notification device, a travel information notification method, and a program.

Background Art

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a multi-destination travel planning method for a consumer (user) to plan a travel itinerary including a plurality of destinations. Specifically, in Patent Document 1, by the user inputting a destination area and a travel start date, a map and a calendar of the destination area are displayed, and a user interface is provided that allows the user to input a detailed destination and a stay period.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] However, in the travel planning method of the above Patent Document 1, it is premised that the user has determined the travel destination. Therefore, there is room for improvement for a user whose travel destination has not been determined to plan a low-budget trip.

[0005] An object of the present invention is to obtain a travel information notification device, a travel information notification method, and a program that enable a user whose travel destination has not been determined to plan a low-budget trip.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] The travel information notification device according to claim 1 includes a reception unit that receives a notification instruction for travel expenses from a user, a condition acquisition unit that acquires search conditions set by the user and including the distance from home and the region of the travel destination, a rental car standard expense acquisition unit that acquires the standard expenses of rental cars set for each of the plurality of rental car companies that satisfy the conditions acquired by the condition acquisition unit, an empty car rate acquisition unit that acquires the empty car rate for each of the rental car companies by referring to a predetermined database, and calculates, for each of the rental car companies, a rental car expense obtained by multiplying the standard expense acquired by the rental car standard expense acquisition unit by a coefficient set based on the empty car rate acquired by the empty car rate acquisition unit, and calculates a travel expense by adding the rental car expenses. Using a calculation unit, and a notification unit that notifies the travel expenses of a plurality of regions calculated by the travel expense calculation unit.

[0018] Claim 2 The travel information notification method according to A processor receives a travel expense notification instruction from a user, obtains search conditions including the distance from the user's home and the region of the travel destination set by the user, obtains the standard rental car fees set for each of the plurality of rental car agencies that meet the obtained conditions, obtains the vacancy rate for each of the rental car agencies by referring to a predetermined database, calculates the rental car fee for each of the rental car agencies by multiplying the obtained standard fee by a coefficient set based on the obtained vacancy rate, calculates the travel expense by adding the rental car fee, and notifies the travel expenses for the calculated plurality of regions .

[0019] Claim 3 The program according to A processor receives a travel expense notification instruction from a user, obtains search conditions including the distance from the user's home and the region of the travel destination set by the user, obtains the standard rental car fees set for each of the plurality of rental car agencies that meet the obtained conditions, obtains the vacancy rate for each of the rental car agencies by referring to a predetermined database, calculates the rental car fee for each of the rental car agencies by multiplying the obtained standard fee by a coefficient set based on the obtained vacancy rate, calculates the travel expense by adding the rental car fee, and notifies the travel expenses for the calculated plurality of regions causes a computer to execute the processing.

Advantages of the Invention

[0020] As described above, according to the travel information notification device, travel information notification method, and program according to the present invention, a user whose travel destination is not determined can plan a trip with a low budget.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0021]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0022] The travel information notification device 10 according to the embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0023] FIG. 1 shows a system S including a travel information notification device 10. As shown in FIG. 1, the travel information notification device 10 is communicable with a plurality of rental car offices 12 via a network N. Further, the travel information notification device 10 is configured to be communicable with a mobile terminal P.

[0024] Each rental car office 12 is an office located in a predetermined area set as a travel destination, and has a plurality of vehicles for rental. Here, the rental car office 12 referred to here is a concept that widely includes an office having vehicles for sharing among specific members.

[0025] In addition, a vehicle rental fee is set for each rental car office 12. The vehicle rental fee varies depending on the region, vehicle type, etc., and a standard rental fee is set for each rental car office 12.

[0026] Furthermore, each rental car office 12 holds travel information such as expenses related to surrounding travel destinations. The travel information may be information obtained from a travel agency.

[0027] Here, the travel information notification device 10 of the present embodiment acquires travel expenses including rental car fees set for each rental car office 12 and notifies the user.

[0028] (Hardware Configuration of Travel Information Notification Device 10) Figure 2 is a block diagram showing the hardware configuration of the travel information notification device 10. As shown in this Figure 2, the travel information notification device 10 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a ROM (Read Only Memory) 22, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 24, a storage 26, a communication I / F (communication interface) 28, and an input / output I / F (input / output interface) 30. Each component is connected to be communicable with each other via a bus 32.

[0029] The CPU 20 is a central processing unit that executes various programs and controls each part. That is, the CPU 20 reads a program from the ROM 22 or the storage 26 and executes the program using the RAM 24 as a work area. The CPU 20 performs control of each of the above components and various arithmetic processes according to the program recorded in the ROM 22 or the storage 26.

[0030] The ROM 22 stores various programs and various data. The RAM 24 temporarily stores a program or data as a work area. The storage 26 is composed of an HDD (Hard Disk Drive) or an SSD (Solid State Drive) and stores various programs including an operating system and various data. In the present embodiment, the ROM 22 or the storage 26 stores a program and various data for performing travel information notification processing.

[0031] The communication I / F 28 is an interface for the travel information notification device 10 to communicate with an external server and other devices. For example, standards such as CAN (Controller Area Network), Ethernet (registered trademark), LTE (Long Term Evolution), FDDI (Fiber Distributed Data Interface), Wi-Fi (registered trademark) are used.

[0032] The input / output I / F 30 is an interface that is electrically connected to the peripheral devices of the travel information notification device 10. For example, a display for displaying information and a keyboard for inputting to the travel information notification device 10 may be connected to the input / output I / F 30.

[0033] (Functional configuration of the travel information notification device 10) The travel information notification device 10 realizes various functions by using the above hardware resources. The functional configuration realized by the travel information notification device 10 will be described with reference to FIG. 3.

[0034] As shown in FIG. 3, the travel information notification device 10 includes, as a functional configuration, a reception unit 48, a condition acquisition unit 50, a rental car standard cost acquisition unit 52, an empty car rate acquisition unit 54, a travel cost calculation unit 56, and a notification unit 58. Each functional configuration is realized by the CPU 20 reading and executing a program stored in the ROM 22 or the storage 26.

[0035] The reception unit 48 receives a notification instruction for travel costs from the user. In this embodiment, as an example, the reception unit 48 receives a notification instruction from the user via the mobile terminal P. For example, the reception unit 48 may receive a notification instruction for travel costs from an application of the mobile terminal P.

[0036] The condition acquisition unit 50 acquires the search conditions set by the user. The search conditions include, for example, the distance from an arbitrary location such as home, the range of travel costs, the region of the travel destination, etc. Therefore, when the user sets a condition within 300 km from home using the mobile terminal P, the condition acquisition unit 50 acquires this condition as the search condition.

[0037] The rental car standard cost acquisition unit 52 acquires the standard cost of rental cars set for each rental car business office 12. Here, the standard cost may be acquired only from the rental car business offices 12 that meet the conditions specified by the user. Also, when a database in which the standard costs for all the managed rental car business offices 12 are registered is stored in a server (not shown) or the like, the rental car standard cost acquisition unit 52 may acquire the standard cost of rental cars by obtaining the database from the server.

[0038] The available car rate acquisition unit 54 acquires the current available car rate for each rental car business office 12. For example, the available car rate for each rental car business office 12 may be acquired by referring to a database in which the available car rates of all the managed rental car business offices 12 are registered. In this case, each rental car business office 12 may be made to access the database periodically to update the available car rate.

[0039] The travel cost calculation unit 56 calculates the travel cost including the rental car cost for each rental car business office 12 such that the higher the available car rate of the rental car, the lower the cost. That is, the travel cost calculation unit 56 calculates the rental car cost by multiplying the standard cost set for each rental car business office 12 by a coefficient set based on the available car rate, and calculates the travel cost by adding this rental car cost.

[0040] For example, when 70% of the rental cars held by the rental car business office 12 are rented out, the available car rate at this rental car business office 12 is 30%. And when the coefficient in the case of an available car rate of 30% is set to 1, if the available car rate is 30%, the rental car cost is the same as the standard cost. Also, in this embodiment, since the rental car cost is not made higher than the standard cost, if the available car rate is 30% or less, as in the case of an available car rate of 20%, the rental car cost is the standard cost.

[0041] On the one hand, when the empty car rate is more than 30%, the higher the empty car rate, the smaller the coefficient. For example, when the coefficient for an empty car rate of 70% is set to 0.5, the rental car cost will be half of the standard cost. Note that, as an example, the travel cost calculation unit 56 of this embodiment gradually reduces the coefficient as the empty car rate of the rental car increases.

[0042] Also, the travel cost calculation unit 56 of this embodiment calculates the fee including the fuel cost of the rental car as the travel cost. Specifically, the fuel cost is set based on the average driving distance of the rental car calculated based on the information of the travel destination and the stay period, and this fuel cost is added to the travel cost. The fuel cost mentioned here is not limited to gasoline cost, etc. In the case of an electric vehicle with a motor as the power source, the charging cost becomes the fuel cost. Also, in the case of a fuel cell vehicle, the filling cost of fuel such as hydrogen gas becomes the fuel cost.

[0043] Furthermore, the travel cost mentioned here is not limited to the combined cost of the round-trip transportation fees to the travel destination and the rental car cost, and may also include the facility usage fee as a cost. Also, for a trip of two days or more, the accommodation cost is also included in the travel cost.

[0044] The travel cost calculation unit 56 of this embodiment calculates the fee including the accommodation fee at the travel destination and the facility usage fee in the vicinity of the travel destination as the travel cost. The facility usage fee mentioned here is not limited to the fee for entering facilities such as art museums, aquariums, zoos, etc., and also includes discount coupons that bear a part of the food and beverage cost at restaurants and the cost of purchasing items at shops, etc.

[0045] The notification unit 58 notifies the user of the travel costs of multiple regions. Specifically, the notification unit 58 notifies only the information that meets the search conditions set by the user. In this embodiment, as an example, the notification unit 58 causes the information to be displayed on the display screen of the mobile terminal P by transmitting the information to the mobile terminal P held by the user.

[0046] FIG. 4 shows an example of the information displayed on the display screen of the mobile terminal P. As shown in this FIG. 4, the notification unit 58 causes the mobile terminal P to display information including a title, a fee, a discount rate, travel details, and surrounding road information.

[0047] In the title column, content that can grasp the outline of the trip is described. For example, as the title, content including the name of the destination of the trip, the name of the facility, etc. may be displayed. In the fee column, the discounted fee calculated by the travel expense calculation unit 56 is described. Also, in the discount rate column, the discount rate for the standard fee of the rental car is described. That is, in the present embodiment, the notification unit 58 notifies the discount rate for the standard fee of the rental car together with the travel expense. Note that the notification unit 58 may notify the discount fee for the standard fee instead of the discount rate.

[0048] In the travel details column, detailed information about the trip is described. Also, in the surrounding road information column, information about the driving route around the travel destination is described. For example, the notification unit 58 may describe that there are many roads with a wide road width. Also, the notification unit 58 may describe information such as a mountain road with a good view.

[0049] (Operation) Next, the operation of the present embodiment will be described.

[0050] (An example of travel information notification processing) An example of the travel information notification processing in the travel information notification device 10 according to the present embodiment will be described using the flowchart shown in FIG. 5. This travel information notification processing is executed by the CPU 20 reading a program from the ROM 22 or the storage 26 and expanding it in the RAM 24.

[0051] The CPU 20 receives a notification instruction for travel expenses in step S102. Specifically, the CPU 20 receives a notification instruction for travel expenses from the user via the mobile terminal P by the function of the reception unit 48.

[0052] The CPU 20 acquires conditions in step S104. Specifically, the CPU 20 acquires the search conditions set by the user through the function of the condition acquisition unit 50. Since the user gives a notification instruction for travel expenses in a state where the conditions are determined, the condition acquisition unit 50 acquires the conditions received together with the notification instruction.

[0053] The CPU 20 determines whether the vacancy rate is more than 30% in step S106. Specifically, for each rental car business office 12 that satisfies the conditions specified by the user, the CPU 20 acquires the current vacancy rate from the database. If the vacancy rate is 30% or less, step S106 is negated and the process proceeds to step S110.

[0054] On the other hand, if the vacancy rate of the rental car business office 12 is more than 30% in step S106, step S106 is affirmed and the process proceeds to the process of step S108.

[0055] The CPU 20 calculates the travel expenses considering the discount rate according to the vacancy rate in step S108. Specifically, the CPU 20 calculates the travel expenses including the discounted rental car expenses through the function of the travel expense calculation unit 56. That is, the CPU 20 calculates the rental car expenses by multiplying the standard rental car expenses by a coefficient according to the vacancy rate using the function of the travel expense calculation unit 56. Also, the CPU 20 sets, as the travel expenses, the expenses obtained by adding the calculated rental car expenses to the travel expenses of the travel destinations around the rental car business office 12 through the function of the travel expense calculation unit 56.

[0056] When step S106 is negated, the CPU 20 calculates the travel expenses with the rental car expenses as the standard expenses in step S110.

[0057] The CPU 20 notifies the user of travel expenses and the like in step S112. Specifically, the CPU 20 causes the travel expenses to be displayed on the display screen of the mobile terminal P held by the user by means of the function of the notification unit 58. At this time, the CPU 20 causes, by means of the function of the notification unit 58, in addition to the travel expenses, the discount rate, travel details, and peripheral road information, etc. to be displayed. Then, the CPU 20 ends the travel information notification process.

[0058] As described above, in the travel information notification device 10 according to the present embodiment, travel expenses including rental car expenses are acquired from a plurality of regions and notified to the user. Also, the rental car expenses are set for each business office such that the higher the vacancy rate of the rental car, the lower the expenses. Thereby, in a region with relatively low popularity, it is possible to notify the user of travel expenses discounted from the standard expenses. Also, since the user can grasp the travel expenses including the rental car expenses, the user does not have to consider the costs required for moving at the travel destination.

[0059] Also, in the present embodiment, the notification unit 58 notifies the discount rate for the expenses calculated at the standard expenses without considering the vacancy rate of the rental car. Thereby, the user can grasp the degree of discount and can actually feel that it is discounted.

[0060] Furthermore, in the present embodiment, since the travel expense calculation unit 56 calculates the expenses including the fuel expenses of the rental car in the travel expenses, the user can use the rental car at the travel destination without worrying about the fuel cost.

[0061] Furthermore, in the present embodiment, the notification unit 58 can select a travel destination according to the user's driving skills by receiving information about the driving routes around the travel destination by the user. For example, by notifying the user that there are many roads with narrow road widths in a specific region, a user with little driving experience can exclude the region from the travel destination.

[0062] In addition, in the present embodiment, by setting the travel expenses to include the facility usage fees, the expenses that the user has to pay at the travel destination can be minimized, and the user can easily grasp the total amount required for the travel.

[0063] As described above, the travel information notification device 10 according to the embodiment and the modification has been explained. However, it goes without saying that the present invention can be implemented in various modes without departing from the gist of the invention. For example, in the above embodiment, the travel expense calculation unit 56 sets the coefficient to 1 when the empty car rate is 30%, and calculates the rental car expense to be the standard expense when the empty car rate is 30% or less. However, the present invention is not limited to this. The coefficient multiplied by the standard expense may be changed stepwise within the range of 0% to 100% of the empty car rate.

[0064] In addition, the travel expense calculation unit 56 may predict the empty car rate of the rental car on the travel schedule specified by the user and vary the coefficient according to the predicted empty car rate. For example, even when there are few reservations for rental cars during the peak season several months ahead, the empty car rate may be predicted in anticipation of future reservations, and the travel expense calculation unit 56 may calculate the coefficient based on the predicted empty car rate.

[0065] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the travel expense calculation unit 56 calculates the rental car expense to be lower as the empty car rate of the rental car is higher, and calculates the fee obtained by adding the remaining travel expenses to this rental car expense. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, a coefficient that decreases as the empty car rate of the rental car is higher may be set, and the entire travel expense may be calculated by multiplying the travel expense including the rental car expense by the coefficient. In this case, compared with the case where the travel expense is calculated by multiplying only the standard rental car expense by the coefficient, the discount amount becomes larger, and the user can be encouraged to make a travel plan considering the rental car empty car rate.

[0066] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, a fixed coefficient was multiplied by the rental car cost regardless of the vehicle type, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the vacancy rate for each vehicle type may be obtained, and the travel cost calculation unit 56 may calculate the travel cost such that the travel cost is lower for vehicle types with a higher vacancy rate. In this case, since the rental car cost is discounted more for less popular vehicle types, it is possible to encourage more users to ride, and it is possible to reduce the variation in the utilization rate of rental cars.

[0067] Also, in the above embodiment, the processing executed by the CPU 20 by reading and executing a program may be executed by various processors other than the CPU 20. Examples of the processor in this case include a PLD (Programmable Logic Device) whose circuit configuration can be changed after manufacturing, such as an FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array), and a dedicated electric circuit, which is a processor having a circuit configuration designed specifically for executing specific processing, such as an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit). Further, the travel information notification processing may be executed by one of these various processors, or may be executed by a combination of two or more processors of the same type or different types. For example, it may be executed by a plurality of FPGAs, or a combination of a CPU and an FPGA. More specifically, the hardware structure of these various processors is an electric circuit formed by combining circuit elements such as semiconductor elements.

[0068] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the configuration is such that various data is stored in the storage 26, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, a non-temporary recording medium such as a CD (Compact Disk), a DVD (Digital Versatile Disk), or a USB (Universal Serial Bus) memory may be used as the storage unit. In this case, various programs and data will be stored in these recording media.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0069] 10 Travel Information Notification Device 12 Rental Car Office 20 CPUs (Processors)

Claims

1. A reception unit that receives a notification instruction for travel expenses from a user; A condition acquisition unit that acquires search conditions set by the user, including the distance from home and the region of the travel destination; A rental car standard cost acquisition unit that acquires the standard cost of a rental car set for each rental car business office for a plurality of rental car business offices that satisfy the conditions acquired by the condition acquisition unit; An availability rate acquisition unit that acquires the availability rate for each rental car business office by referring to a predetermined database; A travel expense calculation unit that calculates, for each rental car business office, a rental car expense obtained by multiplying the standard expense acquired by the rental car standard expense acquisition unit by a coefficient set based on the availability rate acquired by the availability rate acquisition unit, and calculates a travel expense by adding the rental car expense; A notification unit that notifies the travel expenses for a plurality of regions calculated by the travel expense calculation unit; A travel information notification device having the above.

2. By a processor, Receive a notification instruction for travel expenses from a user, Acquire search conditions set by the user, including the distance from home and the region of the travel destination, Acquire the standard cost of a rental car set for each rental car business office for a plurality of rental car business offices that satisfy the acquired conditions, Acquire the availability rate for each rental car business office by referring to a predetermined database, Calculate, for each rental car business office, a rental car expense obtained by multiplying the acquired standard expense by a coefficient set based on the acquired availability rate, and calculate a travel expense by adding the rental car expense, Notify the travel expenses for a plurality of regions calculated, A travel information notification method.

3. By a processor, Receive a notification instruction for travel expenses from a user, Acquire search conditions set by the user, including the distance from home and the region of the travel destination, Acquire the standard cost of a rental car set for each rental car business office for a plurality of rental car business offices that satisfy the acquired conditions, Acquire the availability rate for each rental car business office by referring to a predetermined database, Calculate, for each rental car business office, a rental car expense obtained by multiplying the acquired standard expense by a coefficient set based on the acquired availability rate, and calculate a travel expense by adding the rental car expense, Notify the travel expenses for a plurality of regions calculated, A program that causes a computer to execute the processing.

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