Management Server, Learning Device, Carpooling Support System, Carpooling Support Method, and Carpooling Support Program

Abstract

To provide a management server, a carpool support system, a carpool support method, and a carpool support program by which users can easily use carpool regardless of the number of users.SOLUTION: In a management server 100, a transmitting and receiving unit 101 receives a destination of carpool, transmits carpool recruitment information including the received destination to a contact associated with a member ID identifying a member who wishes to carpool, and a group generation unit 103 generates a group that is a group of members who carpool a vehicle based on each member's response to the carpool recruitment information received from the contact and associates a group ID that identifies the generated group with the member ID that indicates the member belonging to the group to store them in a group information storage unit 120.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a management server, a learning device, a carpooling support system, a carpooling support method, and a carpooling support program.

Background Art

[0002] When elderly people go to the hospital, go shopping, etc., if they are unable to drive a car themselves, they will use trains or buses. However, if the nearest station or bus stop is far from their home, they have to walk a considerable distance. In particular, it was difficult for them to go out alone under the scorching sun in summer or in the snow in winter. Although using a taxi when going out is also an option, the fare of a taxi is higher than that of public transportation, and if used frequently, it will become a burden on the household budget. In addition, there was a problem that it was not possible to rely on family members or neighbors for pick-up and drop-off frequently because it was worrying. To solve such problems, a technology for multiple people to share a single vehicle has been disclosed (see Patent Document 1).

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] However, the technology described in Patent Document 1 above is a technology for registering the boarding position and the getting-off position in advance and determining the boarding reservation for carpooling by notifying the carpooling applicant when a part of the usage route overlaps. There was a problem that matching with carpooling applicants hardly occurred in areas other than urban areas with high population density. In addition, for users who are not familiar with smartphones, etc., the operation is complicated, and there was a problem that it was difficult to use carpooling without stress.

[0005] The present invention has been made in view of the above, and an object thereof is to provide a management server, a learning device, a carpool support system, a carpool support method, and a carpool support program that can easily utilize carpooling regardless of the number of users.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] In order to solve the above-described problems, the present invention receives a carpool destination, transmits carpool recruitment information including the received destination to a contact associated with a member ID, and based on the response for each member ID to the carpool recruitment information received from the contact, generates a group of members who will ride in the vehicle, and stores in a group information storage unit in association with each other a group ID for identifying the generated group and a member ID indicating a member belonging to the group.

Effects of the Invention

[0007] As described above, the present invention has an effect that carpooling can be easily utilized regardless of the number of users.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0008]

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Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0009] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. Note that the following description is an example of an embodiment, and the present invention is not limited to these embodiments.

[0010] <Example 1> FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing the relationship between the ride-sharing support system 10 according to Example 1 and the user. As shown in FIG. 1, the ride-sharing support system 10 includes a management server 100 and information terminal devices 200-1 to n (hereinafter referred to as information terminal device 200). The management server 100, the information terminal device 200, the operation server 300, and the settlement server 400 are communicably connected to each other via a network N and transmit and receive data to and from each other. The network N is an arbitrary communication network such as the Internet, an intranet, a LAN (Local Area Network), a VPN (Virtual Private Network), a mobile communication network, or a combination thereof, and a part or all of it may be wired or wireless.

[0011] The management server 100 is a server that supports ridesharing in a vehicle. The management server 100 transmits and receives ride-related information to and from the information terminal device 200. The management server 100 transmits and receives information related to the operation of the vehicle for ridesharing to and from the operation server 300. The management server 100 transmits and receives settlement-related information to and from the settlement server 400.

[0012] The information terminal device 200 is a general computer such as a smartphone terminal, a tablet terminal, a personal computer, or a wearable computer that is operated by a user who rides, or by a supporter who supports the user when the user cannot operate or is not good at operating the information terminal device 200. In FIG. 1, the case where the actual riders H1-1 to n (hereinafter referred to as user H1) do not operate the information terminal device 200 and the supporter H2-1 to n (hereinafter referred to as supporter H2) operates the information terminal device 200 is shown. The user H1 realizes the ride by communicating the desire to ride or the like to the supporter H2 by phone or orally. When the user H1 can operate the information terminal device 200, the user H1 himself / herself may operate the information terminal device 200. Also, even when the supporter H2 is in a remote location, the supporter H2 can support the ride of the user H1 when the user H1 communicates the desire to ride to the supporter H2 by phone or the like.

[0013] The operation server 300 is a server managed by a transportation operator that operates shared vehicles, receives data transmitted from an information terminal device mounted on a vehicle or an information terminal device carried by a driver of the vehicle (hereinafter referred to as a vehicle terminal device), and transmits the received data to the management server 100. The transportation operator is, for example, a taxi operator.

[0014] The settlement server 400 is a server on which a settlement system operates, and settles the fare for shared rides transmitted from the operation server 300 with the transportation operator. In addition, the settlement server 400 settles the usage fee for each user calculated by the management server 100 with the user.

[0015] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the shared ride support system 10 according to Embodiment 1. First, the management server 100 that constitutes the shared ride support system 10 will be described.

[0016] The management server 100 includes a transmission / reception unit 101, a member selection unit 102, a group generation unit 103, a reservation confirmation unit 104, a vehicle allocation unit 105, an operation management unit 106, a usage fee calculation unit 107, a member information storage unit 110, a group information storage unit 120, and a selection condition storage unit 130.

[0017] FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of the data configuration of the member information storage unit 110, the group information storage unit 120, and the selection condition storage unit 130. FIG. 3(a) is an explanatory diagram showing an example of the data configuration of the member information storage unit 110. The member information storage unit 110 stores information about users who have registered as members in advance and ride in the vehicle. The member information storage unit 110 stores the member ID, name, address, phone number, supporter information, contact information, and other information in association with each other.

[0018] The member ID is information that uniquely identifies a member. The name stores the member's name, the address stores the member's address, and the phone number stores the member's phone number. The supporter information stores information about the supporter who operates the information terminal device 200 in order to exchange information related to sharing rides on behalf of the member. The supporter is, for example, a family member or caregiver of the member. The contact information is the destination (such as an email address or messenger account) for transmitting various information from the management server 100, and stores the contact information of the supporter (and / or user). As other information, information about the member such as gender, age, hobbies, etc. (member attributes) may be stored.

[0019] Figure 3(b) is an explanatory diagram showing an example of the data configuration of the group information storage unit 120. The group information storage unit 120 stores information about a group that is a group of members sharing a ride. The group information storage unit 120 stores the group ID, destination, destination address, member ID, operation date and time, and other information in association with each other.

[0020] The group ID is information that uniquely identifies a group that is a group of members sharing a ride in one vehicle. The destination is the place where the member gets off, and stores the name of a facility such as 〇〇〇 Clinic or 〇〇〇 City Hall. The destination address stores the address of the destination. The member ID stores the member IDs of the members sharing a ride in one vehicle as one group. The operation date and time is the date and time when the vehicle heading to the destination operates, such as the date and time of arrival at the destination or the date and time of arrival at each member's address. As other information, map information indicating the operation route may be stored. In areas where the number of taxis is small, it is adjusted so that the operation time assumes piston transportation every 15 minutes by one taxi, such as three cases of the destination "〇〇〇 Clinic". Also, in areas where the number of taxis is large, since multiple taxis can be used for destinations like three cases of the destination "〇〇〇 City Hall", it is adjusted to accept rides even if the operation date and time are the same.

[0021] FIG. 3(c) is an explanatory diagram showing an example of the data configuration of the selection condition storage unit 130. The selection condition storage unit 130 stores selection conditions for selecting members to whom the carpool recruitment information is to be notified from all members. The selection condition storage unit 130 stores by associating selection conditions with other information. The selection conditions are, for example, conditions for selecting notification targets such as "within * km from the destination" and "within ○○○ city" as shown in FIG. 3(c). If no condition is stored, all members are set as notification targets. The selection conditions may be set for each type of destination or user attribute, etc., or a combination of multiple selection conditions may be used.

[0022] The transmission / reception unit 101 transmits and receives data to and from the information terminal device 200, the operation server 300, and the payment server 400. More specifically, the transmission / reception unit 101 receives information related to member registration, information related to the destination for which carpooling is desired, responses to carpool recruitment information, etc. transmitted from the information terminal device 200, and transmits carpool recruitment information, etc. to the information terminal device 200. The transmission / reception unit 101 receives the operation date and time from the information terminal device 200 and stores the received operation date and time in the group information storage unit 120.

[0023] The transmission / reception unit 101 transmits and receives information related to the operation of carpool vehicles to and from the operation server 300. The transmission / reception unit 101 transmits and receives information related to the settlement of fares with the transportation operator and information related to the settlement of usage fees for each member to and from the payment server 400.

[0024] The member selection unit 102 selects, from among the members, members to whom the carpool recruitment information for the destination is to be notified based on the selection conditions stored in the selection condition storage unit 130.

[0025] The group generation unit 103 generates, based on the responses to the carpool recruitment information transmitted from the members selected by the member selection unit 102, a group which is a group of members who will ride in one vehicle from among the members who wish to carpool, and stores information related to the generated group in the group information storage unit 120 for each generated group.

[0026] The reservation confirmation unit 104 checks whether there are any changes in the carpool reservation for each member belonging to the group before the operation date and time. More specifically, the reservation confirmation unit 104 sends carpool confirmation information, such as an email or message for checking the carpool reservation, to the members belonging to each group stored in the group information storage unit 120 a predetermined period before the operation date and time stored in the group information storage unit 120, and receives a reply to the carpool confirmation information.

[0027] The vehicle dispatch arrangement unit 105 acquires the destination, member ID, operation date and time, etc. for each group stored in the group information storage unit 120, and the name, address, etc. associated with the member ID stored in the member information storage unit 110, and transmits vehicle dispatch arrangement information including the acquired destination, operation date and time, name, address, etc. to the operation server 300.

[0028] The operation management unit 106 receives the group ID from the operation server 300, and determines that it is a carpool by members if the received group ID is stored as a group ID in the group information storage unit 120. When it is determined that it is a carpool by members, the operation management unit 106 transmits to the operation server 300 that the fare will not be received in the vehicle. When it is determined that it is a carpool by members and the group ID determined to be a carpool by members and the fare are received from the operation server 300, the operation management unit 106 determines that the carpool has ended.

[0029] The usage fee calculation unit 107 calculates the usage fee for each member based on the information about the members stored in the member information storage unit 110, the destination stored in the group information storage unit 120, the member IDs belonging to the group, etc.

[0030] The information terminal device 200 includes a transmission / reception unit 201 and an operation display unit 202. The transmission / reception unit 201 transmits and receives data to and from the management server 100 and the settlement server 400. The operation display unit 202 receives operations by the operator, etc., and displays the results of the operations, etc. and the data transmitted from the management server 100 and the settlement server 400.

[0031] The membership registration process executed in the management server 100 and the information terminal device 200 of the carpooling support system 10 configured as described above will be described. FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing the membership registration process procedure executed by the management server 100 and the information terminal device 200.

[0032] The operation display unit 202 of the information terminal device 200 displays a membership information registration screen (step S401). The membership information registration screen is displayed, for example, by instructing a membership information registration button in the carpooling support site or by selecting a menu of the downloaded application program.

[0033] The operation display unit 202 receives input of membership information from the membership information registration screen (step S402). The transmission / reception unit 201 transmits the membership information received from the membership information registration screen to the management server 100 (step S403).

[0034] The transmission / reception unit 101 of the management server 100 receives the membership information transmitted from the information terminal device 200 and stores the received membership information in the membership information storage unit 110 (step S404). At that time, a member ID is assigned, and the membership information is stored in the membership information storage unit 110 in association with the assigned member ID.

[0035] Next, the carpooling recruitment process executed by the management server 100 and the information terminal device 200 of the carpooling support system 10 will be described. FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing the carpooling recruitment process procedure executed by the management server 100 and the information terminal device 200.

[0036] The operation display unit 202 of the information terminal device 200 displays a carpooling wish screen (step S501). The carpooling wish screen is displayed by instructing a carpooling wish button in the carpooling support site or by instructing a menu of the application program.

[0037] The operation display unit 202 receives the input of carpooling request information from the carpooling request screen (step S502). The carpooling request information includes at least the destination (or / and the destination address). Note that the destination address may be automatically retrieved from the input of the destination, or the destination may be automatically retrieved from the input of the destination address. The transmission / reception unit 201 transmits the carpooling request information to the management server 100 (step S503).

[0038] The transmission / reception unit 101 of the management server 100 receives the carpooling request information transmitted from the information terminal device 200, and the member selection unit 102 selects a member to whom a carpooling recruitment notice is to be sent from the carpooling request information, the selection conditions stored in the selection condition storage unit 130, and the information about the members stored in the member information storage unit 110 (step S504).

[0039] FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of the relationship between the member's address, the destination, and the selection conditions. For example, when the carpooling destination is "XXX Clinic" and the selection condition is "within * km from the destination", as shown in FIG. 6, it is determined that the members 63 (9 members) whose addresses are within the area 62 indicating within * km from the carpooling destination 61, which is "XXX Clinic", are the members to be notified, and the members 64 (3 members) whose addresses are outside the area 62 are determined not to be notified. The transmission / reception unit 101 transmits a carpooling recruitment notice to the information terminal device 200, which is the contact information of each of the members to be notified (step S505).

[0040] The transmission / reception unit 201 of the information terminal device 200 receives the carpooling recruitment notice from the management server 100, and the operation display unit 202 displays a carpooling recruitment notice screen based on the carpooling recruitment notice (step S506). FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of the carpooling recruitment notice screen. As shown in FIG. 7, on the carpooling recruitment notice screen 71, "destination" indicating the destination 72, "address" indicating the destination address 73, and "recruitment deadline" which is the response deadline 74 for the carpooling recruitment are displayed, and "YES" and "NO", which are responses 75 to whether or not to wish to carpool, are also displayed. The operation display unit 202 receives a response to the carpooling recruitment notice (step S507). The transmission / reception unit 201 transmits the response to the carpooling recruitment notice to the management server 100 (step S508).

[0041] The transmission / reception unit 101 of the management server 100 receives responses to the carpool recruitment notices from the information terminal devices 200. The responses to the carpool recruitment notices are received from each of the information terminal devices 200 which are the contact information of the members who sent the carpool recruitment notices. The group generation unit 103 adds the members who replied that they wish to carpool (“YES”) by the recruitment deadline and the recruiter if the recruiter is a member (for example, when the member ID is sent together with the carpool wish information), and generates a group which is a set of members who will carpool in one vehicle (step S509).

[0042] There are various methods for generating groups. As an example, the shortest route from the address of each member who wishes to carpool to the destination address is obtained, and a set of members with the longest sum of overlapping distances of the shortest routes is preferentially generated as one group. As another example, the shortest route from the address of a member who wishes to carpool to the address of another member who wishes to carpool is obtained, and a set of members with the shortest sum of the distances of the shortest routes is preferentially generated as one group. In the example shown in FIG. 6, three groups 65 with three members in each group generated by the group generation unit 103 are shown.

[0043] The transmission / reception unit 101 transmits information regarding the members belonging to the group and a request for adjusting the operation date and time to the information terminal devices 200 which are the contact information of each of the members belonging to the group (step S510). In this way, by requesting each member belonging to one group to adjust the operation date and time and having the members adjust it among themselves, it becomes possible to adjust the operation date and time in consideration of the circumstances and tolerance range of each member.

[0044] The transceiver unit 201 of the information terminal device 200 receives the group ID, information regarding the members belonging to the group, and a request for operation date and time adjustment, and the operation display unit 202 displays the information regarding the members belonging to the group and the request for operation date and time adjustment (step S511). The information regarding the members belonging to the group is, for example, the member's name and phone number, and the member can contact other members by phone and adjust the operation date and time for carpooling. Alternatively, after consulting with the members, the supporter can contact the supporters of other members by phone, email, etc. and adjust the carpooling operation date and time. The operation display unit 202 accepts the input of the operation date and time, which is the result of adjusting the carpooling date and time with the members belonging to the group (step S512). The transceiver unit 201 transmits the group ID and the operation date and time to the management server 100 (step S513). Note that when the operation date and time is the arrival date and time at each member's address, the member ID, group ID, and operation date and time are transmitted.

[0045] The transceiver unit 101 of the management server 100 receives the operation date and time from the information terminal device 200 and stores the operation date and time in the group information storage unit 120 in association with the group ID (step S514).

[0046] In this way, by notifying many members of the carpooling destination and soliciting carpooling, any location can be set as the carpooling destination. Members can recruit carpoolers simply by sending the carpooling destination, recruit as many carpooling applicants as possible, group them, and then adjust the operation date and time, so that carpooling can be used even in areas with low population density or few users. Also, not only carpooling users, but also those who want to use facilities, etc. can input the destination from the carpooling wish screen to solicit carpooling, and many members can be invited to visit the facilities, etc. safely and inexpensively.

[0047] By grouping members who wish to carpool in consideration of the operation route, members can efficiently and inexpensively use transportation means. Also, by notifying the members selected based on the selection conditions of the carpooling solicitation, carpooling applicants can be found efficiently.

[0048] Next, the vehicle allocation process executed by the management server 100 and the information terminal device 200 of the carpooling support system 10 will be described. FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing the vehicle allocation process procedure executed by the management server 100 and the information terminal device 200.

[0049] The reservation confirmation unit 104 of the management server 100 determines whether it is a predetermined period (for example, three days before) before the operation date and time of each group stored in the group information storage unit 120 (step S801). If it is determined that it is not a predetermined period before the operation date and time (step S801: No), the process returns to step S801. If it is determined that it is a predetermined period before the operation date and time (step S801: Yes), the reservation confirmation unit 104 creates carpooling confirmation information (step S802). The transmission / reception unit 101 transmits the member ID and the carpooling confirmation information to the information terminal device 200, which is the contact information of each member belonging to the group (step S803).

[0050] The transmission / reception unit 201 of the information terminal device 200 receives the member ID and the carpooling confirmation information, and the operation display unit 202 displays the carpooling confirmation information (step S804). The operation display unit 202 accepts an input of an answer to the carpooling confirmation information (step S805). When the contact is the supporter, the supporter makes a confirmation by phone or the like with the member who actually rides in the car and then answers. When the contact is the member, the member answers by himself / herself. The answer to the carpooling confirmation information may be a simple answer such as a YES / NO button as in the case of carpooling recruitment. The transmission / reception unit 201 transmits the member ID and the answer to the management server 100 (step S806).

[0051] The transmission / reception unit 101 of the management server 100 receives the member ID and the response, and stores the response associated with the member ID in the group information storage unit 120 (step S807). The reservation confirmation unit 104 determines whether the operation has been confirmed (step S808). More specifically, the reservation confirmation unit 104 determines whether the operation is confirmed based on whether responses indicating that all members belonging to the group will board as scheduled have been obtained from all members belonging to the group. Note that, instead of all members belonging to the group, the operation may be determined based on whether responses indicating that a predetermined number of members will board as scheduled have been obtained from predetermined members. When it is determined that the operation has been confirmed (step S808: Yes), the vehicle dispatch arrangement unit 105 arranges for vehicle dispatch (step S809). More specifically, the vehicle dispatch arrangement unit 105 transmits operation information to the operation server 300 to arrange for the dispatch of a shared vehicle. When it is determined that the operation has not been confirmed (step S808: No), a reservation cancellation message is transmitted to the information terminal device 200 (step S810). Note that, in addition to transmitting a reservation cancellation message, other operations such as incorporation into another group or member replacement may be performed. Also, recruitment for new shared rides may be promoted.

[0052] In this way, before actually operating the shared vehicle, after confirming the shared ride information for each member, vehicle dispatch is arranged for the transportation operator, so that unnecessary vehicle dispatch and unprofitable operations can be prevented. Also, it can serve as a reminder for the members who have reserved a shared ride. Note that, instead of the above-described process, vehicle dispatch may be arranged several days before the operation date without transmitting shared ride confirmation information to the members.

[0053] The operation and settlement process executed by the management server 100, the information terminal device 200, the operation server 300, and the settlement server 400 of the shared ride support system 10 will be described. FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing the operation and settlement process procedure executed by the management server 100, the information terminal device 200, and the operation server 300. Note that the operation server 300 transmits and receives data to and from a vehicle terminal device operated by a driver who drives a shared vehicle, and transmits the transmitted and received data to the management server 100.

[0054] The operation server 300 receives the group ID input by the vehicle terminal device from the vehicle terminal device (step S901), and transmits the group ID to the management server 100 (step S902).

[0055] The transceiver 101 of the management server 100 receives the group ID from the operation server 300, and the operation management unit 106 confirms that the group ID received from the operation server 300 is the group ID stored in the group information storage unit 120 (step S903). Thereby, it is determined whether it is a shared ride received by the shared ride support system 10. When the operation management unit 106 confirms that the group ID received from the operation server 300 is the group ID stored in the group information storage unit 120, it transmits to the operation server 300 that the fare is not received from the passenger (step S904), and the operation server 300 transmits to the vehicle terminal device that the fare is not received from the passenger.

[0056] The operation server 300 receives the group ID and the fare from the vehicle terminal device (step S905), and the operation server 300 transmits the group ID and the fare received from the vehicle terminal device to the management server 100 (step S906).

[0057] The transceiver 101 of the management server 100 receives the group ID and the fare from the operation server 300, and the usage fee calculation unit 107 calculates the usage fee for each member belonging to the group from the received fare (step S907). The usage fee is calculated based on a predetermined calculation formula. For example, the amount may be determined by the straight-line distance from the destination, such as 500 yen if the straight-line distance from the member's residence to the destination is 2 km, 700 yen if the straight-line distance from the member's residence to the destination is 3 km, and 900 yen if the straight-line distance from the member's residence to the destination is 4 km. The transceiver 101 transmits the usage fee for each member to the information terminal device 200 which is the contact of each member (step S908).

[0058] The information terminal device 200 receives the usage fee from the management server 100 and executes the settlement process of the usage fee by the settlement server 400 (step S909). In addition, when the settlement of the usage fee is completed, the settlement completion of the usage fee may be transmitted to the management server 100.

[0059] The transmission / reception unit 101 of the management server 100 executes the settlement process of the freight transmitted from the operation server 300 by the settlement server 400 (step S910). In addition, when the settlement of the freight is completed, the settlement completion of the freight may be transmitted to the operation server 300.

[0060] In this way, by operating the shared vehicle by the transportation operator, moving successively to the residences of the members belonging to the shared group and having the members get on the vehicle, many members can be efficiently picked up and dropped off at the destination, and the members can move at a usage fee cheaper than the fares of ordinary taxis, etc. Since the usage fee is settled by a supporter or the like using the information terminal device 200 after sharing, even members who cannot operate the information terminal device 200 or are not good at it can use sharing without being confused. Also, for the transportation operator, it is possible to reduce the trouble of collecting the freight during operation.

[0061] In the above-described embodiment, the description has been made assuming elderly people visiting hospitals, government offices, retail stores, etc. However, not limited to the elderly, junior high school and elementary school students who attend cram schools, sports clubs, etc., and other users who wish to share can be used by anyone.

[0062] Also, in the above-described embodiment, it is assumed that the operation date and time are adjusted by a member or a supporter who is a passenger by phone, email, etc. However, when recruiting sharing, by also inputting the desired sharing date and time, in addition to the destination, grouping is performed considering the sharing date and time, and after determining the operation date and time in advance, it may be notified to the members. Furthermore, grouping may be performed considering the attributes of the members (for example, gender, age, hobby, etc.).

[0063] Also, for places that are frequently visited such as hospitals, in addition to recruiting carpooling partners for the destination each time, once the members who have formed a group adjust the next operation date and time, they may secure a carpool vehicle and operate it. Further, for a group that has carpooled once or multiple times, when a predetermined period has elapsed since the carpooling, a notice regarding reuse of the carpooling may be sent, etc.

[0064] <Example 2> FIG. 10 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the carpooling support system 20 according to Example 2. In Example 2, when a user (or a supporter) adjusts the operation schedule with other users, a process of displaying carpooling candidate schedules on the information terminal device 200 is executed. Hereinafter, the configuration of the carpooling support system 20 according to Example 2 will be described. In the configuration of Example 2 shown in FIG. 10, components and functions that are substantially the same as those in Example 1 are given the same numbers as in Example 1. For the same functions and configurations as in Example 1, refer to the description in Example 1 and omit the description here.

[0065] The management server 500 includes a transmission / reception unit 101, a member selection unit 102, a group generation unit 103, a reservation confirmation unit 104, a vehicle allocation arrangement unit 105, an operation management unit 106, a usage fee calculation unit 107, a carpooling candidate schedule generation unit 508, an operation schedule management unit 509, a member information storage unit 110, a group information storage unit 120, a selection condition storage unit 130, and a facility information storage unit 540.

[0066] FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of the data configuration of the facility information storage unit 540. The facility information storage unit 540 stores information regarding the facilities that are the destinations of carpooling. More specifically, the usage time of each destination facility is stored in association with the day of the week, the start time, and the end time. Note that the usage time does not necessarily have to be limited to the start time and end time for each day of the week. Instead of the day of the week, the start time and end time for each year, month, and day, or a predetermined rule, etc. may be stored. Also, the usage time may be stored in different items for each facility.

[0067] The carpool candidate schedule generation unit 508 generates carpool candidate schedules for the user to select. Here, the carpool candidate schedule indicates the carpool candidate date and time and the usage interval, but it may also be only the carpool candidate date and time. More specifically, in the first generation of candidate schedules, the carpool candidate schedule generation unit 508 sets all the schedules desired by each user as the carpool candidate schedules. If a schedule that all users agree on cannot be obtained in the first presentation of carpool candidate schedules, the carpool candidate schedule generation unit 508 generates carpool candidate schedules based on predetermined rules in the generation of candidate schedules for the second and subsequent times. Alternatively, in the generation of candidate schedules for the second and subsequent times, instead of the predetermined rules, the carpool candidate schedule generation unit 508 uses a learned unit that has undergone reinforcement learning (not shown in FIG. 10) to generate carpool candidate schedules.

[0068] The operation schedule management unit 509 determines the operation schedule of carpooling for each group based on the responses to the carpool candidate schedules received from the information terminal device 200. More specifically, for each group, the operation schedule management unit 509 determines the operation schedule of the group if there is a schedule for which all users have responded that carpooling is possible, based on the responses (approval or disapproval) to the carpool candidate schedules transmitted from the information terminal devices 200 of the users.

[0069] The carpool recruitment process executed by the carpool support system 20 having the above-described configuration will be described. FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing the carpool recruitment process procedure executed by the management server 500 and the information terminal device 200 included in the carpool support system 20.

[0070] The operation display unit 202 of the information terminal device 200 displays a carpool recruitment request screen for requesting carpool recruitment from other users (step S1201). The operation display unit 202 receives input of carpool wish information from the carpool recruitment request screen (step S1202). FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a screen displayed on the information terminal devices 200 of the recruiter and the applicant. FIG. 13(a) shows an example of a carpool recruitment request screen displayed on the information terminal device 200 of the recruiter. The carpool wish information includes the destination (or / and destination address) and the carpool wish schedule (carpool wish date and time, usage interval). Note that it is not necessary to input all of the carpool wish schedule. The transmission / reception unit 201 transmits the carpool wish information to the management server 100 (step S1203).

[0071] The transmission / reception unit 101 of the management server 500 receives the carpool wish information transmitted from the information terminal device 200, and the member selection unit 102 selects a member to whom a carpool recruitment notification is to be sent from the carpool wish information, the selection conditions stored in the selection condition storage unit 130, and the information regarding the members stored in the member information storage unit 110 (step S1204). The transmission / reception unit 101 transmits a carpool recruitment notification to the information terminal device 200, which is the contact information of each of the members to be notified (step S1205).

[0072] The transmission / reception unit 201 of the information terminal device 200 receives the carpool recruitment notice from the management server 100, and the operation display unit 202 displays a carpool recruitment notice screen based on the carpool recruitment notice (step S1206). Each information terminal device 200 of the members to be notified displays the carpool recruitment notice screen shown in FIG. 7. The operation display unit 202 receives an answer to the carpool recruitment notice (step S1207). More specifically, the operation display unit 202 receives the input of "YES" or "NO", which is the answer to the carpool recruitment notice, from the screen shown in FIG. 7. When the answer to the carpool recruitment notice is "YES", the operation display unit 202 receives the input of the desired carpool schedule. The desired carpool schedule may be entered in its entirety, in part, or not at all. FIGS. 13(b) and 13(c) show example screen displays (after input) of applicant A and applicant B who entered "YES" as an answer to the carpool recruitment notice. The transmission / reception unit 201 transmits the answer (and the desired carpool schedule) to the carpool recruitment notice to the management server 100 (step 1208).

[0073] The transmission / reception unit 101 of the management server 500 receives the answer (and the desired carpool schedule) to the carpool recruitment notice from the information terminal device 200. The group generation unit 103 generates a group, which is a group of members who will ride in one vehicle, from among the members who answered that they wish to carpool ("YES") by the recruitment deadline and the recruiters who transmitted the desired carpool schedule (step S1209).

[0074] The carpool candidate schedule generation unit 508 generates a carpool candidate schedule for each group (step S1210). More specifically, the carpool candidate schedule generation unit 508 generates a carpool candidate schedule that includes all of the desired carpool schedules of the recruiters and applicants as the first carpool candidate schedule. The transmission / reception unit 101 transmits the carpool candidate schedule to the information terminal device 200, which is the contact information of the applicants belonging to the group (step S1211). The transmission / reception unit 101 transmits the carpool candidate schedule to the information terminal device 200, which is the contact information of the recruiters belonging to the group (step S1212).

[0075] In the applicant's information terminal device 200, the transceiver 201 receives the carpool candidate schedule from the management server 500, and the operation display unit 202 displays the carpool candidate schedule (step S1213). FIG. 14 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a carpool schedule adjustment request screen displayed on the information terminal devices 200 of the recruiter and the applicant. As shown in FIG. 14, on the carpool schedule adjustment request screens of the recruiter, applicant A, and applicant B, the carpool desired schedules input by the recruiter, applicant A, and applicant B in FIG. 13 are displayed as the carpool desired schedules. The operation display unit 202 accepts the input of the availability of carpooling for each user from among the carpool candidate schedules (step S1214). As shown in FIG. 14, applicant A and applicant B input the availability of carpooling by checking the checkboxes for each schedule. Note that the operation display unit 202 may accept the input of the carpool desired schedule in the free input field instead of or in addition to the input of the availability of the carpool candidate schedule. The transceiver 201 transmits the availability of the carpool candidate schedule (including the carpool desired schedule if there is an input in the free input field) to the management server 500 (step S1215).

[0076] Similar to the applicant's information terminal device 200, in the recruiter's information terminal device 200, the transceiver 201 receives the carpool candidate schedule from the management server 500, and the operation display unit 202 displays the carpool candidate schedule (step S1216). FIG. 14(a) is an example of a carpool schedule adjustment request screen displayed on the recruiter's information terminal device 200. The operation display unit 202 accepts the input of the availability of the carpool candidate schedule (step S1217). The transceiver 201 transmits the availability of the carpool candidate schedule (including the carpool desired schedule if there is an input in the free input field) to the management server 500 (step S1218).

[0077] The transmission / reception unit 101 of the management server 500 receives from the information terminal device 200 whether the carpool candidate schedule is acceptable or not, and the operation schedule management unit 509 determines the operation schedule based on whether there is a schedule that matches the acceptability of each member's carpool candidate schedule for each group (step S1219). If the available schedules of all users do not match (step S1219: No), the process returns to step S1210 to generate a new carpool candidate schedule. The carpool candidate schedule generation unit 508 generates the second and subsequent carpool candidate schedules based on a predetermined rule. Alternatively, instead of the predetermined rule, the carpool candidate schedule generation unit 508 generates the carpool candidate schedule using a learned unit that has undergone machine learning. Details will be described later. If there is a schedule that matches the acceptability of the carpool candidate schedule, the operation schedule is determined (step S1219: Yes), and the operation schedule management unit 509 stores the operation schedule for each group in the group information storage unit 120 (step S1220). If there are multiple schedules that match the acceptability of the carpool candidate schedule, the operation schedule is determined according to a rule such as selecting the earliest schedule.

[0078] In this way, as the first carpool candidate schedule, each user's desired carpool schedule is presented to adjust the operation schedule. If no agreement is obtained from the users with the first carpool candidate schedule, a new carpool candidate schedule is generated and presented. As a result, when adjusting the operation schedule of the carpool, the users (or supporters) can easily adjust the operation schedule of the carpool without contacting each other by phone, email, etc.

[0079] In the above-described embodiments, when the usage interval is not specified, the user can use the carpool on a one-time basis. Also, when the user specifies the usage interval, after using the first carpool, the next operation date and time are stored in the storage unit. Thereafter, in the vehicle allocation arrangement process shown in FIG. 8, when it is determined that it is before the predetermined period of the operation date and time (step S801: Yes), carpool confirmation information is generated and the carpool confirmation information is transmitted to the information terminal device 200. Without recruiting or applying for the carpool again, the user is automatically confirmed by the carpool support system 20 whether to take the carpool at the next operation date and time. By sending a reply indicating that the user will take the carpool in response to the confirmation of the carpool, the user can use the carpool to the destination facility visited regularly.

[0080] Next, the generation process of the carpool candidate schedule for the second and subsequent times described in step S1210 will be described. The process of generating the carpool candidate schedule for the second and subsequent times includes (1) a carpool candidate schedule generation process according to a predetermined rule and (2) a carpool candidate schedule generation process using a learned unit that has undergone reinforcement learning.

[0081] First, (1) the carpool candidate schedule generation process according to a predetermined rule will be described. The carpool candidate schedule generation unit 508 generates a schedule according to a predetermined rule based on the schedule (hereinafter referred to as the target schedule) in which at least one consenting person exists among the first carpool candidate schedules. Further, using weighting, the schedule with a high priority is selected as the carpool candidate schedule to be presented to the user. When the available dates, days of the week, times, etc. of the facility are determined at the destination facility, after excluding the schedules outside the usage time from the carpool candidate schedules generated based on the rules, the carpool candidate schedule with a high priority is selected using weighting.

[0082] For example, when at least one of the carpoolers responds that they are available for the first carpool candidate schedule "12 / 13 (Tue) 9:00", based on the target schedule "12 / 13 (Tue) 9:00", a plurality of schedules with different dates and times are generated. From the plurality of schedules generated based on the target schedule, referring to the facility information storage unit 540 shown in FIG. 11, schedules outside the available hours of the destination facility are deleted. Also, from the plurality of schedules generated based on the target schedule, schedules that have already been presented as carpool candidate schedules and to which the user did not agree are deleted. For the schedules thus narrowed down, further weighting is performed, and the schedules with higher priorities are selected in descending order of priority to be the carpool candidate schedules. The conditions for increasing the weighting are, for example, that the number of people who agreed on the target schedule is large, the date desired by the users who did not agree on the target schedule (hereinafter referred to as non-agreeing users), a date close to the date desired by the non-agreeing users, the same day of the week as the day of the week desired by the non-agreeing users, the same time as the time desired by the non-agreeing users, a time close to the time desired by the non-agreeing users, etc. The weighting is set according to these conditions, and as a result of evaluating each schedule, the schedule with the highest priority is selected. If there is a schedule for which a response of being available for carpooling other than "12 / 13 (Tue) 9:00" is received, a schedule with that schedule as the target schedule is generated, the priority is determined by weighting, and the schedule with the highest priority is selected from the generated schedules as the second carpool candidate schedule.

[0083] Even if the second carpool candidate schedule is presented to the users and not all users agree, a third carpool candidate schedule is generated based on the second response. After the third time and so on, the generation of carpool candidate schedules is similarly repeated, and the carpool candidate schedules are presented to the users.

[0084] In this way, the carpool candidate schedules after the second time are generated according to a predetermined rule based on the users' responses, and furthermore, carpool candidate schedules with higher priorities are presented by weighting, so that carpool candidate schedules that are more likely to be agreed upon by the users are presented. Also, since the schedules are narrowed down by the available hours of the destination facility, etc., the users can adjust the carpool schedule without having to check the available hours of the facility in advance.

[0085] Next, the process of generating a carpool candidate schedule using the (2) learned learning unit will be described. FIG. 15 is a flowchart showing the carpool candidate schedule generation process procedure executed by the carpool candidate schedule generation unit 508 of the management server 500.

[0086] The carpool candidate schedule generation unit 508 inputs information related to the destination facility, information related to the user, and the user's response to the learning unit (step S1501). For example, the information related to the destination facility is the destination facility name, destination facility category, etc., the information related to the user is the user's age, gender, etc., and the user's response is the response for each user to the carpool candidate schedule.

[0087] The learning unit included in the carpool candidate schedule generation unit 508 is a learning unit that is reinforced to output a carpool candidate schedule with a high probability that all users belonging to each group reach an agreement, taking the information related to the destination facility, the information related to the user, and the user's response as inputs. The reinforcement learning performed by the learning unit will be described later. In addition to reinforcement learning, the learning unit may perform machine learning such as supervised learning and unsupervised learning, and be a learning unit that takes the information related to the destination facility, the information related to the user, and the user's response as inputs and outputs a carpool candidate schedule.

[0088] The carpool candidate schedule generation unit 508 outputs the carpool candidate schedule from the learning unit (step S1502). The carpool candidate schedule generation unit 508 determines whether the carpool candidate schedule output from the learning unit is within the usage time of the destination facility (step S1503). If it is determined that the carpool candidate schedule is within the usage time of the destination facility (step S1503: Yes), the carpool candidate schedule is stored in a storage unit (not shown) (step S1504). If it is determined that the carpool candidate schedule is not within the usage time of the destination facility (step S1503: No), the carpool candidate schedule is not stored in the storage unit. When there are multiple carpool candidate schedules output from the learning unit, it is determined whether each carpool candidate schedule is within the usage time of the destination facility.

[0089] The ride-sharing candidate schedule generation unit 508 determines whether a predetermined number of ride-sharing candidate schedules have been generated (step S1505). If it is determined that the predetermined number of ride-sharing candidate schedules have not been generated (step S1505: No), the process returns to step S1502, and the process is executed for the next ride-sharing candidate schedule output from the learning unit. If it is determined that the predetermined number of ride-sharing candidate schedules have been generated (step S1505: Yes), the ride-sharing candidate schedule generation process ends, and the ride-sharing candidate schedules are transmitted to the information terminal device 200 in steps S1211 and S1212 of FIG. 12. FIG. 16 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a ride-sharing schedule adjustment request screen for displaying the second ride-sharing candidate schedule. In the example of FIG. 16, after displaying the second ride-sharing candidate schedule, the screen after inputting the approval or disapproval of the ride-sharing candidate schedule is shown. In this example, there is no free input field, but a free input field may be added.

[0090] As described above, since the ride-sharing candidate schedules after the second time are output from the learning unit that has performed reinforcement learning based on the user's responses, ride-sharing candidate schedules that are more acceptable to the user are presented. In addition, since the ride-sharing candidate schedules are narrowed down based on the available time of the destination facility, etc., the user can adjust the ride-sharing time without having to check the facility's available time, etc. in advance.

[0091] Next, the learning process of the learning unit in the learning device 600 will be described. FIG. 17 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the learning device 600. The learning device 600 reads out the state variables stored in the state memory unit 620 when determining the ride-sharing candidate schedule, calculates the reward based on the responses of each user to the ride-sharing candidate schedule, and updates the action value function based on the calculated reward. As shown in FIG. 17, the learning device 600 includes a learning unit 610, a state memory unit 620, and a ride-sharing candidate schedule memory unit 630.

[0092] The state memory unit 620 stores the state variables when the user determines the operation schedule of the ride-sharing. More specifically, the state memory unit 620 stores, as state variables, information about the destination facility, information about the users belonging to the group, and the responses of each user to one or more ride-sharing candidate schedules, etc. in the determination of the ride-sharing operation schedule.

[0093] The action memory unit 630 stores the ride-sharing candidate schedules and the like output by the learning unit with the state variables as inputs. When the learning unit generates multiple ride-sharing candidate schedules, the action memory unit 630 stores the multiple ride-sharing candidate schedules.

[0094] The learning unit 610 includes a reward calculation unit 611 and a function update unit 612. The reward calculation unit 611 calculates the reward for the response to the ride-sharing candidate schedule presented to the user. More specifically, the reward calculation unit 611 calculates the reward for the response to the ride-sharing candidate schedule according to a predetermined reward condition. As an example, the reward condition is set such that the greater the number of affirmative responses from the user to the ride-sharing candidate schedule presented to the user, the greater the reward. The function update unit 612 updates the action value function that generates the ride-sharing candidate schedule based on the reward calculated by the reward calculation unit 611.

[0095] FIG. 18 is a flowchart showing the learning processing procedure executed by the learning server 600.

[0096] The reward calculation unit 611 acquires information related to the destination facility from the state memory unit 620 (step S1801). The information related to the destination facility is the business type, category, classification, etc. As an example, the business type is "medical", the category is "general clinic", and the classification is "internal medicine", etc. The reward calculation unit 611 acquires information related to the user from the state memory unit 620 (step S1802). The reward calculation unit 611 acquires the response of each user to the ride-sharing candidate schedule from the state memory unit 620 (step S1803). The reward calculation unit 611 calculates the reward corresponding to the response of each user to the ride-sharing candidate schedule (step S1804).

[0097] The function update unit 612 updates the action value function based on the reward calculated by the reward calculation unit 611 (step S1805). The action value function may be held as a single one in total, or may be held for each destination facility, for each group, or for each destination facility and group. The function update unit 612 determines whether there is an answer for each user regarding the carpool candidate schedule (step S1806). If it is determined that there is an answer for each user regarding the carpool candidate schedule, the process returns to step S1803 to obtain the answer for each user regarding the carpool candidate schedule.

[0098] If it is determined that there is no answer for each user regarding the carpool candidate schedule (step S1806: No), it is determined whether learning has ended (step S1807). If it is determined that learning has not ended, that is, if it is determined that learning has not been performed for all state variables stored in the state memory unit 620 (step S1807: No), the process returns to step S1801 to continue the learning process. If it is determined that learning has ended (step S1807: Yes), the process ends.

[0099] In this way, the learning device 600 can perform reinforcement learning on the learning unit 610 by the above-described processing. The carpool support system 20 can operate the learning unit 610 of the learning server 600 by incorporating the learning unit 610 into the carpool candidate schedule generation unit 508 or by instructing from the carpool support system 20 via a network, and can generate a carpool candidate schedule using the learning unit 610. Thereby, a carpool candidate schedule that is easy for the user to agree to can be presented. Further, by using the information accumulated by the user using the carpool support system 20 and further performing reinforcement learning, a carpool candidate schedule that is even easier for the user to agree to can be presented.

[0100] The hardware configurations of the management server 100, information terminal device 200, operation server 300, settlement server 400, management server 500, learning device 600, vehicle terminal device, etc. according to the above-described embodiments include one or more processors such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit), MPU (Micro-Processing Unit), or GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), and are ordinary computers equipped with external storage devices such as ROM (Read Only Memory), RAM (Random Access Memory), and HDD (Hard Disk Drive), and communication control devices. The above-described configurations and functions are realized by the CPU or the like reading and operating the programs stored in the ROM, RAM, HDD, etc.

[0101] The programs operating on the management server 100, information terminal device 200, operation server 300, settlement server 400, management server 500, learning device 600, vehicle terminal device, etc. may be stored on a computer connected to a network N such as the Internet and provided by being downloaded via the network N, or may be recorded and provided on a computer-readable recording medium such as a CD-ROM, DVD, USB memory, or SD card in a file in an installable format or an executable format. Further, the programs for realizing the above-described functions and processes may be provided in forms of use such as API (Application Programming Interface), SaaS (Software as a Service), and cloud computing.

[0102] Note that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments as they are, and does not necessarily have to be configured as physically illustrated. Further, the present invention can be configured by functionally or physically dividing, integrating, replacing, modifying, or deleting all or part of the components described in the embodiments in arbitrary units according to various loads and usage situations, etc.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0103] N… Network, 10, 20… Ride-sharing support system, 100, 500… Management server, 101… Transmission / reception unit, 102… Member selection unit, 103… Group generation unit, 104… Reservation confirmation unit, 105… Vehicle arrangement unit, 106… Operation management unit, 107… Usage fee calculation unit, 110… Member information storage unit, 120… Group information storage unit, 130… Selection condition storage unit, 200… Information terminal device, 201… Transmission / reception unit, 202… Operation display unit, 300… Operation server, 400… Settlement server, 508… Ride-sharing candidate schedule generation unit, 509… Operation schedule management unit, 540… Facility information storage unit, 600… Learning device, 610… Learning unit, 611… Reward calculation unit, 612… Function update unit, 620… State storage unit, 630… Action storage unit

Claims

1. A member information storage unit that stores, in association with each other, a member ID for identifying a member and the contact information of the member; A destination receiving unit that receives the destination of carpooling; A recruitment information transmitting unit that transmits the carpooling recruitment information including the destination received by the destination receiving unit to the contact information associated with the member ID; A group generation unit that generates a group which is a group of members who will ride in a vehicle based on the response of each member to the carpooling recruitment information received from the contact information; A group information storage unit that stores, in association with each other, a group ID for identifying the group generated by the group generation unit and the member ID indicating the members belonging to the group in a group information storage unit; An adjustment request transmitting unit that transmits information regarding the members belonging to the group and a request for adjusting the operation date and time to the contact information of the members belonging to each group; An operation date and time receiving unit that receives the operation date and time adjusted by the members belonging to the group; An operation date and time storage unit that stores the operation date and time received by the operation date and time receiving unit in the group information storage unit in association with the group ID; A management server, characterized by comprising the above.

2. The member information storage unit stores the information regarding the member in association with the member ID, and further comprises a member selection unit that selects members who will transmit the carpooling recruitment information based on predetermined selection conditions and the information regarding the member, The management server according to claim 1, wherein the recruitment information transmitting unit transmits the carpooling recruitment information to the contact information of the members selected by the member selection unit.

3. A confirmation information transmitting unit that transmits carpooling confirmation information to the contact information of the members belonging to the group before a predetermined time of the operation date and time; A vehicle arrangement unit that transmits the arrangement of the vehicle to be used for carpooling to an operation server based on the response to the carpooling confirmation information; The management server according to claim 1 or claim 2, characterized by comprising the above.

4. A member information storage unit that stores, in association with each other, a member ID for identifying a member and the contact information of the member; A destination receiving unit that receives the destination of carpooling; A recruitment information transmitting unit that transmits the carpooling recruitment information including the destination received by the destination receiving unit to the contact information associated with the member ID; A group generation unit that generates a group which is a group of members who will ride in a vehicle based on the response of each member to the carpooling recruitment information received from the contact information; A group information storage unit that associates and stores in a group information storage unit a group ID for identifying the group generated by the group generation unit and a member ID indicating a member belonging to the group. A desired carpool schedule receiving unit that receives the desired carpool schedule of each member belonging to the group. A carpool candidate schedule generation unit that generates a carpool candidate schedule based on the desired carpool schedule received by the desired carpool schedule receiving unit. A carpool candidate schedule transmission unit that transmits the carpool candidate schedule generated by the carpool candidate schedule generation unit to the contact. A possible schedule receiving unit that receives the availability of carpooling for the carpool candidate schedule transmitted by the carpool candidate schedule transmission unit. A management server, characterized in that it includes an operation schedule management unit that determines an operation schedule for each group from the availability of carpooling for the carpool candidate schedule and stores the determined operation schedule in the group information storage unit in association with the group ID.

5. The management server according to claim 4, characterized in that when the operation schedule management unit cannot determine the operation schedule, the carpool candidate schedule generation unit generates a new carpool candidate schedule based on predetermined conditions.

6. The management server according to claim 4, characterized in that when the operation schedule management unit cannot determine the operation schedule, the carpool candidate schedule generation unit uses a learning unit that takes the availability of carpooling for the carpool candidate schedule as an input and outputs a carpool candidate schedule to generate a new carpool candidate schedule.

7. An operation start receiving unit that receives a group ID from an operation server. An operation management unit that determines whether the group ID received by the operation start receiving unit is stored in the group information storage unit, and if it is determined that it is stored, transmits to the operation server that the fare will not be received. An operation end receiving unit that receives the group ID and the fare from the operation server. A usage fee calculation unit that calculates the usage fee for each member based on the fare and information about the members belonging to the group. A settlement information transmission unit that transmits settlement information including the usage fee for each member to the contact. The management server according to any one of claims 1, 2, 4 to 6, characterized in that it includes the above.

8. A state storage unit that stores information about a destination facility, information about members belonging to a group, and each member's response to a carpool candidate schedule as state variables in determining a carpool operation schedule; An action storage unit that stores the carpool candidate schedule output by the learning unit with the state variables as inputs; A reward calculation unit that calculates a reward for the carpool candidate schedule output based on the state variables; A function update unit that updates an action value function based on the reward calculated by the reward calculation unit, and includes: A learning device that learns a carpool candidate schedule with a higher reward by repeatedly updating the action value function by the function update unit.

9. A carpool support system including one or more information terminal devices and a management server connected to the information terminal devices via a network, wherein the information terminal device includes a destination transmission unit that transmits a carpool destination. The management server includes a member information storage unit that stores, in association with each other, a member ID for identifying a member and the contact information of the member; a destination reception unit that receives the destination from the information terminal device; a recruitment information transmission unit that transmits carpool recruitment information including the destination received by the destination reception unit to the contact information associated with the member ID; a group generation unit that generates a group which is a set of members who will ride in a vehicle based on the response of each member to the carpool recruitment information received from the contact information; a group information storage unit that stores, in association with each other, a group ID for identifying the group generated by the group generation unit and a member ID indicating a member belonging to the group; an adjustment request transmission unit that transmits information about members belonging to each group and a request for adjusting the operation date and time to the contact information of the members belonging to the group; an operation date and time reception unit that receives the operation date and time adjusted by the members belonging to the group; an operation date and time storage unit that stores the operation date and time received by the operation date and time reception unit in association with the group ID in the group information storage unit; A carpool support system characterized by comprising the above.

10. A carpool support system including one or more information terminal devices and a management server connected to the information terminal devices via a network, wherein the information terminal device includes a destination transmission unit that transmits a carpool destination. The management server A member information storage unit that stores, in association with each other, a member ID for identifying a member and the contact information of the member. A destination receiving unit that receives the destination from the information terminal device. A recruitment information transmitting unit that transmits the carpool recruitment information including the destination received by the destination receiving unit to the contact information associated with the member ID. A group generation unit that generates a group, which is a set of members who will ride in the vehicle, based on the response of each member to the carpool recruitment information received from the contact information. A group information storage unit that stores, in association with each other, a group ID for identifying the group generated by the group generation unit and a member ID indicating a member belonging to the group in a group information storage unit. A desired carpool schedule receiving unit that receives the desired carpool schedule of each member belonging to the group. A carpool candidate schedule generation unit that generates a carpool candidate schedule based on the desired carpool schedule received by the desired carpool schedule receiving unit. A carpool candidate schedule transmitting unit that transmits the carpool candidate schedule generated by the carpool candidate schedule generation unit to the contact information. A possible schedule receiving unit that receives the availability of carpooling for the carpool candidate schedule transmitted by the carpool candidate schedule transmitting unit. An operation schedule management unit that determines an operation schedule for each group from the availability of carpooling for the carpool candidate schedule and stores the determined operation schedule in the group information storage unit in association with the group ID. A carpool support system, characterized by comprising the above.

11. A carpool support method executed by a computer, comprising: A destination receiving step of receiving a carpool destination; A recruitment information transmitting step of transmitting the carpool recruitment information including the destination received in the destination receiving step to the contact information associated with the member ID for identifying the member, which is stored in the member information storage unit; A group generation step of generating a group, which is a set of members who will ride in the vehicle, based on the response of each member to the carpool recruitment information received from the contact information; A group information storage step of storing, in association with each other, a group ID for identifying the group generated in the group generation step and a member ID indicating a member belonging to the group in a group information storage unit; An adjustment request transmitting step of transmitting information regarding the members belonging to the group and a request for adjusting the operation date and time to the contact information of the members belonging to each group. A running date / time receiving step of receiving a running date / time adjusted by a member belonging to the group; A running date / time storing step of storing the running date / time received in the running date / time receiving step in the group information storage unit in association with the group ID; A carpooling support method characterized by including the above.

12. A carpooling support method executed by a computer, A destination receiving step of receiving a carpooling destination; A recruitment information transmitting step of transmitting carpooling recruitment information including the destination received in the destination receiving step to a contact associated with a member ID for identifying a member and stored in a member information storage unit; A group generating step of generating a group which is a group of members who will ride in a vehicle based on the response of each member to the carpooling recruitment information received from the contact; A group information storing step of storing in the group information storage unit in association with a group ID for identifying the group generated in the group generating step and a member ID indicating a member belonging to the group; A desired carpooling schedule receiving step of receiving a desired carpooling schedule of each member belonging to the group; A carpooling candidate schedule generating step of generating a carpooling candidate schedule based on the desired carpooling schedule received in the desired carpooling schedule receiving step; A carpooling candidate schedule transmitting step of transmitting the carpooling candidate schedule generated in the carpooling candidate schedule generating step to the contact; A possible schedule receiving step of receiving carpooling availability for the carpooling candidate schedule transmitted in the carpooling candidate schedule transmitting step; An operation schedule management step of determining an operation schedule for each group from the carpooling availability for the carpooling candidate schedule and storing the determined operation schedule in the group information storage unit in association with the group ID; A carpooling support method characterized by including the above.

13. A carpooling support program characterized by causing a computer to execute the carpooling support method described in Claim 11 or Claim 12.

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