Information processing device, information processing method, program, and information processing system

Abstract

To properly allocate packages that can be collected and delivered according to a user using a vehicle allocation service.SOLUTION: A server 100 executes vehicle allocation processing in response to a vehicle allocation reservation from a user. An acquisition unit 132 acquires collection-delivery site information on a collection place and a delivery place of a package and package property information on properties of the package. The acquisition unit 132 acquires user information of the user. A specification unit 133 specifies a package that the user getting on a vehicle can collect and deliver, on the basis of a vehicle moving route from a get-on location to a get-off location according to the vehicle allocation reservation, the collection-delivery site information, the package property information, and the user information. A vehicle allocation processing unit 131 causes an input-output unit 27 to output collection-delivery support information for supporting collection and delivery of the specified package.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an information processing device, an information processing method, a program, and an information processing system that executes vehicle dispatch processing. [Background technology]

[0002] BACKGROUND ART Conventionally, there are technologies for executing vehicle dispatch processing. For example, in a vehicle dispatch service, a technology for dispatching a collection / delivery vehicle to a user who is capable of collecting and delivering packages or the like has been disclosed (for example, see Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2020-160624 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In the above-described conventional technology, users who use collection and delivery vehicles perform collection and delivery work, but it is assumed that such users may have difficulty performing collection and delivery work if they are elderly or in poor health. Even when such users use a vehicle dispatch service, if a collection and delivery vehicle is dispatched to a user who is capable of performing collection and delivery work, the planned collection and delivery work may not be performed, which may reduce the efficiency of the entire system. Furthermore, for users, the service may be inconvenient because a collection and delivery vehicle is dispatched to perform collection and delivery work even though it is difficult for them to perform collection and delivery work.

[0005] The present invention aims to appropriately allocate packages that can be collected and delivered according to users who use a vehicle dispatch service. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] One aspect of the present invention is an information processing device that executes vehicle dispatch processing in response to a vehicle dispatch reservation from a user. This information processing device includes a luggage information acquisition unit that acquires collection and delivery location information regarding a luggage collection location and a delivery location, and luggage characteristic information regarding luggage characteristics, a user information acquisition unit that acquires user information regarding the user, and It is set an identification unit that identifies parcels that can be collected or delivered by a user riding in the vehicle based on the vehicle's travel route from the boarding location to the disembarking location, collection and delivery location information, parcel characteristic information, and user information; a vehicle dispatch processing unit that calculates a drop-off time for the user to drop off from the vehicle at the drop-off location based on the user's current location, the travel route, and the current location of a vehicle that is available for dispatch and set based on the boarding location, calculates a collection and delivery operation time for the user to drop off the vehicle at the drop-off location based on the specified package collection and delivery locations and the travel route, after the vehicle has stopped near the collection and delivery locations on the travel route and the user has disembarked and completed the package collection and delivery operation, and then gets on the vehicle and the vehicle departs, and estimates a delay in the user's drop-off time from the vehicle when the user will perform the package collection and delivery operation based on the drop-off time and the collection and delivery operation time; and an output control unit that causes the output unit to output collection and delivery support information for supporting the collection and delivery of the specified parcel. The vehicle dispatch processing unit requests the user to collect and deliver the specified package if there is a vehicle available for dispatch in response to the vehicle dispatch reservation and the delay is within a predetermined range, and does not request the user to collect and deliver the specified package if the delay is outside the predetermined range even if there is a vehicle available for dispatch in response to the vehicle dispatch reservation. . [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to the present invention, packages that can be collected and delivered can be appropriately allocated according to the user who uses the vehicle dispatch service. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a simplified block diagram showing an example of the system configuration of an information processing system. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an example of the functional configuration of the electronic device and the server. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a simplified diagram showing the contents stored in the user characteristic information DB. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a simplified diagram showing the contents stored in the declaration information DB. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a simplified diagram showing the contents stored in the collection and delivery history information DB. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a simplified diagram showing the contents stored in the package information DB. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of an operation for making a reservation for collection and delivery of a package using an electronic device. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of a vehicle dispatch reservation screen displayed on the input / output unit when a vehicle dispatch application is started up on the electronic device. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating an example of identification of a package by an identification unit. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a collection and delivery approval screen and a collection and delivery assistance screen that are displayed on the input / output unit after a reservation operation is performed using a vehicle dispatch application on the electronic device. [Figure 11] FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing an example of a vehicle allocation process in the server. [Figure 12] FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing an example of processing for setting the upper limit of collection and delivery allowance in the server. [Figure 13] FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating an example of setting of the collection / delivery allowable upper limit by the specifying unit. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0010] [Example of information processing system configuration] FIG. 1 is a simplified block diagram showing an example of the system configuration of an information processing system 1. The information processing system 1 is a communication system that provides a cargo-passenger mixed transport service, and includes a network 10, electronic devices 20, 41 to 44, communication devices 35 to 37, and a server 100. While FIG. 1 shows an example in which five electronic devices 20, 41 to 44 exist, the number of electronic devices is not limited to this. While FIG. 1 shows an example in which three taxis 31 to 33 exist, the number of taxis is not limited to this. The information processing system 1 can also be referred to as a collection and delivery proposal system or a collection and delivery distribution system. The server 100 can also be referred to as a collection and delivery proposal device or a collection and delivery distribution device.

[0011] In sparsely populated areas (e.g., mountainous regions), it is considered more efficient to transport both people and luggage than to transport only people by taxi. For example, an efficient transportation system can be realized by requesting a taxi driver to collect and deliver luggage and having the driver perform the collection and delivery work to the extent possible. This transportation system is realized by a combined passenger and cargo service in which the same vehicle transports users and collects and delivers luggage, and the user collects and delivers the luggage. Therefore, this embodiment shows an example of providing a more efficient transportation system in the combined passenger and cargo service by appropriately allocating luggage that can be collected and delivered according to the user. Note that in this embodiment, the location where luggage is collected is referred to as the collection location, and the destination of the luggage is referred to as the delivery location. Furthermore, the term "collection and delivery location" refers to at least one of the collection location and the delivery location.

[0012] The network 10 is a network such as a public line network or the Internet. Each device constituting the information processing system 1 is connected to the network 10 by a communication method using wireless communication or a communication method using wired communication, or by both methods.

[0013] The electronic device 20 is a portable device that can be carried by the user RU1, and is capable of communicating with other devices using wireless or wired communication. The electronic device 20 can be, for example, a smartphone, a mobile phone, a portable personal computer, a tablet device, a wearable device, or any other type of electronic device or information processing device. A wearable device is a device that can be used while attached to the clothing or body of the user RU1, and examples of such devices include wristwatch-type devices and headphone-type devices. The electronic devices 41 to 44 are similar to the electronic device 20, and therefore, the following description will mainly focus on the electronic device 20, and some of the descriptions of the electronic devices 41 to 44 will be omitted.

[0014] A taxi dispatch application (dispatch app) used to reserve a taxi is installed in the electronic device 20, and the user RU1 can use the dispatch app to reserve a taxi. The dispatch app is used to reserve the taxis 31 to 33. The dispatch app also provides a user interface for reserving the taxis 31 to 33. It is assumed that the dispatch app is also installed in the electronic devices 41 to 44.

[0015] Furthermore, a collection and delivery application (collection and delivery app) used to make reservations for collection and delivery of packages is installed in the electronic devices 41 to 44, and users BU1 to BU4 can make reservations for collection and delivery of packages using the collection and delivery app. The collection and delivery app is used when making reservations for collection and delivery of packages B1 to B10. The vehicle dispatch app provides a user interface when making reservations for collection and delivery of packages B1 to B10. It is assumed that the collection and delivery app is also installed in the electronic device 20.

[0016] In Fig. 1, packages B1 to B3 for which user BU1 has made collection and delivery reservations are shown enclosed in dotted rectangles, with collection location PL1 and delivery location DL1 indicated above the rectangles. Similarly, packages B4 to B10 for which users BU2 to BU4 have made collection and delivery reservations are shown enclosed in dotted rectangles for each user, with collection locations PL2 to PL4 and delivery locations DL2 to DL4 indicated above each rectangle. The collection locations PL1 to PL4 and delivery locations DL1 to DL4 will be described in detail with reference to Figs. 6 and 9.

[0017] The server 100 is an information processing device used for the taxi dispatch reservation service for the taxis 31 to 33 and the collection and delivery reservation service for the luggage B1 to B10, and executes various processes related to the taxi dispatch reservation for the taxis 31 to 33 and the collection and delivery reservation for the luggage B1 to B10. The server 100 also communicates with the electronic devices 20, 41 to 44 and the communication devices 35 to 37 via the network 10. The installation location of the server 100 is not particularly limited, but the server 100 may be installed, for example, in the management center of the business operator that operates the taxis 31 to 33 or the business operator that performs luggage collection and delivery operations.

[0018] For example, when user RU1 performs a taxi reservation operation using the taxi dispatch app of electronic device 20, server 100 receives information related to the taxi reservation (taxi reservation information) and executes taxi dispatch processing related to the taxi reservation. In this case, server 100 sets the boarding location where user RU1 boards a taxi based on the current location of user RU1, and sets the disembarking location where user RU1 disembarks from the taxi (a location close to the destination) based on the destination specified by user RU1. In this way, information processing system 1 is an on-demand system in which server 100 matches a boarding and disembarking location from among multiple boarding and disembarking locations (boarding and disembarking locations) set in various locations (e.g., in a city) according to user RU1's current location and destination. Note that, although an example is shown here in which a boarding and disembarking location corresponding to a taxi reservation is set from among multiple pre-set boarding and disembarking locations, any boarding and disembarking location may be set.

[0019] Furthermore, for example, when the user BU1 performs a collection / delivery reservation operation using the collection / delivery app of the electronic device 41, the server 100 receives information relating to the collection / delivery reservation (collection / delivery reservation information) and executes collection / delivery processing relating to the collection / delivery reservation. In this embodiment, an example is shown in which the collection and delivery work of the reserved package is requested to a user in a taxi that has been scheduled for dispatch by the server 100. The method of allocating packages will be described in detail with reference to Figs. 9 to 13, etc.

[0020] The taxis 31 to 33 are vehicles capable of traveling from a boarding location to a disembarking location based on instructions from the server 100, and are equipped with communication devices 35 to 37 capable of communicating with the server 100 via the network 10. The taxis 31 to 33 may be, for example, driverless autonomous vehicles or regular vehicles with drivers. Driverless autonomous vehicles may also be called robot taxis or unmanned taxis.

[0021] [Example of functional configuration of electronic devices and servers] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of the electronic device 20 and the server 100. As shown in FIG.

[0022] The server 100 includes a storage unit 110, a communication unit 120, and a control unit 130. In the server 100, these components are electrically connected via a bus (not shown) or the like. Note that the server 100 may be a general-purpose computer or a dedicated computer.

[0023] The storage unit 110 is a storage medium that stores various types of information. For example, the storage unit 110 stores various types of information (e.g., a control program, a map database (DB), a customer DB, a boarding and alighting location DB, a vehicle DB, a user characteristic information DB 200 (see FIG. 3), a declaration information DB 250 (see FIG. 4), a collection and delivery history information DB 300 (see FIG. 5), and a parcel information DB 400 (see FIG. 6)) that are required for the control unit 130 to perform various processes. The storage unit 110 also stores various types of information acquired via the communication unit 120. The storage unit 110 can be, for example, a read-only memory (ROM), a random access memory (RAM), a hard disk drive (HDD), a solid state drive (SSD), or other storage medium.

[0024] The map DB stores map information such as road information and facility information required for vehicle dispatch settings and collection and delivery settings. The map information includes road gradients, road intersections, the number of lanes on a road, road width information, and road undulation information. The map information also includes road signs indicating speed limits and one-way streets, as well as road markings such as crosswalks and dividing lines. The map information may also include facility information such as road structures (e.g., traffic lights and telephone poles) and buildings.

[0025] The customer DB stores account information of users who use the vehicle dispatch reservation service or collection and delivery reservation service of the information processing system 1, the taxi usage history of each user, the luggage collection and delivery usage history of each user, the attributes of each user, etc. The account information is, for example, a user ID.

[0026] The boarding and alighting location DB is a database that stores boarding and alighting location information regarding a location where a user who has made a taxi reservation boards a taxi (referred to as a boarding location) and a location where the user alights from the taxi (referred to as a disembarking location). The boarding and alighting location information is information for identifying the locations of the boarding and alighting locations, such as latitude and longitude. The boarding and alighting locations are locations where a vehicle can board or alight from a vehicle, and are set as locations on roads or adjacent to roads where a vehicle can park and stop. In other words, since locations where a vehicle can park and stop are determined on roads, if a user is not located in a location where a vehicle can park and stop, the user cannot board the taxi allocated to the taxi reservation. Therefore, in this embodiment, locations on roads where a vehicle can park and stop are set in advance as boarding and alighting locations (boarding and alighting locations), and the boarding and alighting locations are registered in advance in the boarding and alighting location DB. The density of boarding and alighting locations is set appropriately depending on the road and the surrounding environment. Thus, the boarding location is a meeting place between the user who has made a taxi reservation and the taxi allocated to the taxi reservation. The drop-off location is the location where the user who made the taxi reservation gets off the taxi allocated to them through the taxi reservation. For example, FIG. 9 shows an example in which a boarding location WR1 and a drop-off location WR2 are set according to the taxi reservation of user RU1. In this embodiment, the locations referred to as the boarding location and the drop-off location refer to the locations where the user gets on and off.

[0027] The boarding and disembarking locations are set by the server 100. For example, when reserving a taxi using a taxi dispatch app, the user RU1 inputs the destination to which the user will board the taxi. For example, the destination may be specified on a map displayed on the input / output unit 27 of the electronic device 20, or may be specified from a plurality of pre-set locations (for example, tourist spots or facilities). This method of specifying the destination will be described in detail with reference to FIG. 8.

[0028] The vehicle DB is a database that manages information related to each vehicle (including the taxis 31 to 33) managed by the server 100. The vehicle DB stores, for example, location information for identifying the current location of the taxis 31 to 33, information indicating whether the taxis are in transportation service or are vacant, and the like.

[0029] The user characteristic information DB 200 is a database that manages various pieces of information relating to the characteristics of users who use the vehicle dispatch service of the server 100. The user characteristic information DB 200 will be described in detail with reference to FIG.

[0030] The declaration information DB 250 is a database that manages information relating to collection and delivery declared by users who use the vehicle dispatch service of the server 100. The declaration information DB 250 will be described in detail with reference to FIG.

[0031] The collection and delivery history information DB 300 is a database that manages various pieces of history information relating to the collection and delivery of packages of users who have used the vehicle dispatch service of the server 100. The collection and delivery history information DB 300 will be described in detail with reference to FIG.

[0032] In this way, in this embodiment, an example is shown in which user information regarding a user who uses the vehicle dispatch service of server 100 is used, including user characteristic information from user characteristic information DB200, declaration information from declaration information DB250, and collection and delivery history information from collection and delivery history information DB300.

[0033] The package information DB 400 is a database that manages various pieces of information related to packages collected and delivered using the collection and delivery service of the server 100. The package information DB 400 will be described in detail with reference to FIG.

[0034] The communication unit 120 exchanges various types of information with other devices using at least one of wired communication and wireless communication under the control of the control unit 130. In this way, the communication unit 120 functions as an input unit and an output unit for sending and receiving data. Note that at least one of an input unit and an output unit other than the communication unit 120 may be provided in the server 100, and the server 100 may input and output various types of information (for example, display and audio output). The communication unit 120 may be hardware such as a network adapter, various types of communication software, or a combination thereof.

[0035] The control unit 130 controls each unit based on various programs stored in the storage unit 110. The control unit 130 is realized by a processing device such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit), for example.

[0036] The control unit 130 includes a vehicle dispatch processing unit 131, an acquisition unit 132, and an identification unit 133 as functional components related to vehicle dispatch processing and collection and delivery processing.

[0037] When the vehicle dispatch processing unit 131 receives vehicle dispatch reservation information transmitted from the electronic device 20 in response to a vehicle dispatch reservation operation by the user RU1, it executes various vehicle dispatch processes according to the vehicle dispatch reservation information. This vehicle dispatch reservation information includes location information for identifying the current location of the user RU1, location information for identifying the destination, and a user ID. Note that each piece of location information includes, for example, latitude, longitude, and altitude. The vehicle dispatch processing unit 131 also outputs the user ID included in the vehicle dispatch reservation information to the acquisition unit 132 and the identification unit 133.

[0038] Furthermore, the vehicle dispatch processing unit 131 sets the boarding and alighting points, travel route (vehicle dispatch route), and taxi corresponding to the vehicle dispatch reservation of the user RU1 based on each piece of location information included in the vehicle dispatch reservation information. Then, the vehicle dispatch processing unit 131 outputs information about the set boarding and alighting points and travel route to the acquisition unit 132 and the identification unit 133. Note that the method of setting the boarding and alighting points, travel route, and taxi will be described in detail with reference to Figs. 9, 11, etc.

[0039] The acquisition unit 132 acquires various pieces of information related to user RU1 based on the user ID output from the vehicle dispatch processing unit 131. That is, the acquisition unit 132 acquires information necessary to match a package to be collected or delivered with a user. Specifically, the acquisition unit 132 acquires user characteristic information of user RU1 from the user characteristic information DB 200, acquires declaration information of user RU1 from the declaration information DB 250, and acquires collection and delivery history information of user RU1 from the collection and delivery history information DB 300. The acquisition unit 132 also acquires package information from the package information DB 400. This package information includes collection and delivery location information related to the package collection location and delivery location, and package characteristic information related to the package characteristics.

[0040] The identification unit 133 identifies parcels that can be collected or delivered by the user RU1 riding in the taxi, based on the route of the taxi output from the dispatch processing unit 131 and the various pieces of information acquired by the acquisition unit 132, and outputs the identification result to the dispatch processing unit 131. This method of identifying parcels will be described in detail with reference to Figs. 9 to 13.

[0041] Furthermore, when the vehicle dispatch processing unit 131 accepts a vehicle dispatch reservation from the user RU1, it transmits to the electronic device 20 support information including that fact, boarding and alighting point information regarding the set boarding and alighting point, and collection and delivery support information for supporting the collection and delivery of the luggage identified by the identification unit 133. Furthermore, the vehicle dispatch processing unit 131 transmits the boarding point of the user RU1, the travel route to the boarding point, the destination (drop-off point), the travel route to the destination, the luggage collection and delivery point, etc. to the communication device of the allocated taxi.

[0042] The electronic device 20 includes a storage unit 21, a communication unit 22, a position information acquisition unit 23, an input unit 24, a control unit 25, an output unit 26, and an image acquisition unit 28. The storage unit 21, the communication unit 22, the position information acquisition unit 23, the input unit 24, the output unit 26, and the image acquisition unit 28 may each be built into the electronic device 20, or may be a separate unit that can be removed from the electronic device 20.

[0043] The storage unit 21 is a storage medium that stores various types of information. For example, the storage unit 21 stores various types of information (e.g., a control program, a vehicle dispatch application, and a collection and delivery application) that are necessary for the control unit 25 to perform various processes. The storage unit 21 also stores various types of information acquired via the communication unit 22. As the storage unit 21, various storage media such as a ROM, a RAM, an HDD, and an SSD can be used.

[0044] The communication unit 22 exchanges various types of information with other devices using at least one of wired communication and wireless communication under the control of the control unit 25. In the example shown in FIG. 1, the communication unit 22 communicates with the server 100 via the network 10. The configuration of the communication unit 22 can be the same as that of the communication unit 120 of the server 100.

[0045] The location information acquisition unit 23 acquires location information regarding the location of the electronic device 20 and outputs the acquired location information to the control unit 25. The location information acquisition unit 23 can be realized, for example, by a GNSS receiver that acquires location information using a Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS). The location information includes data regarding the location, such as latitude, longitude, and altitude, at the time of receiving the GNSS signal. The location information may also be acquired by other location information acquisition methods. For example, the location information may be derived using information from surrounding access points or base stations. For example, the location information may also be derived using a position estimation technique using a navigation device. The location information of the electronic device 20 acquired by the location information acquisition unit 23 may be transmitted to the server 100 at any timing, or may be included in the vehicle dispatch reservation information when the vehicle dispatch reservation information is transmitted to the server 100.

[0046] The input unit 24 receives operation inputs for operating the electronic device 20. For example, the input unit 24 can be a user interface such as various operation members (for example, switches and buttons) or a touch panel.

[0047] The control unit 25 controls each unit based on various programs stored in the storage unit 21. The control unit 25 is realized by a processing device such as a CPU, for example.

[0048] The output unit 26 outputs various information under the control of the control unit 25. Examples of the output unit 26 include a display panel such as an organic EL (Electro Luminescence) panel or an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) panel, and an audio output unit (e.g., a speaker) that outputs various sounds. The input unit 24 and the output unit 26 can be integrated into one unit using a user interface such as an input / output panel that allows a user to input operations by touching or approaching the display surface with their finger. FIGS. 7, 8, and 10 show an example in which the input unit 24 and the output unit 26 are integrated into one unit as the input / output unit 27.

[0049] The image acquisition unit 28 captures an image of the subject and generates an image (image data) under the control of the control unit 25, and outputs the generated image to the control unit 25. The image acquisition unit 28 is configured, for example, with an imaging element (image sensor) that receives light from the subject that has been collected by a lens, and an image processing unit that performs predetermined image processing on the image data generated by the imaging element. For example, a CCD (Charge Coupled Device) type or CMOS (Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor) type imaging element can be used as the imaging element.

[0050] Although an example of the configuration of the communication devices 35 to 37 provided in the taxis 31 to 33 is not shown in the drawings, the configuration of each of the communication devices 35 to 37 can be substantially the same as the configuration of the electronic device 20. The communication units of the communication devices 35 to 37 communicate with the server 100 via the network 10. The communication devices 35 to 37 also transmit taxi position information acquired by their position information acquisition units to the server 100 at predetermined times. The taxis 31 to 33 also have vehicle ECUs (Electronic Control Units). The vehicle ECUs control various actuators (such as brake actuators, accelerator actuators, and steering actuators) based on control information received from the server 100.

[0051] [Example of contents stored in the user characteristic information DB] FIG. 3 is a simplified diagram showing the contents stored in the user characteristic information DB 200 stored in the storage unit 110. As shown in FIG.

[0052] The user characteristic information DB200 is a database that manages characteristic information about users who use the ride-hailing service of the server 100. Specifically, age 202, gender 203, health condition 204, motor function status 205, and clothing 206 are stored in the user characteristic information DB200 in association with a user ID 201. Note that "RU1" in the user ID 201 corresponds to user RU1 (see FIG. 1). Also, the information shown in FIG. 3 is an example, and only some of this information may be stored in the user characteristic information DB200, or other information may be stored in the user characteristic information DB200.

[0053] Age 202 is the age of the user. Gender 203 is the gender of the user. Each of these pieces of information can be registered in advance by the user who uses the vehicle dispatch service.

[0054] Health condition 204 is information indicating the user's health condition. For example, the user's health condition may be stored as "good," "bad," "has a leg injury," or "feels like a cold." For example, health condition information can be acquired manually by a user using a ride-hailing service. For example, user RU1 can input health condition information about their current health condition into electronic device 20 as needed, and electronic device 20 can transmit the health condition information to server 100, allowing server 100 to acquire the health information of user RU1.

[0055] The motor function status 205 is information indicating the status of the user's motor function. For example, the user's health status may be stored as "high exercise frequency," "low exercise frequency," or "medium exercise frequency." For example, exercise information can be acquired manually by a user using a ride-hailing service. For example, the user RU1 can input exercise information related to the current state of their motor function into the electronic device 20 as needed, and the electronic device 20 can transmit the exercise information to the server 100, allowing the server 100 to acquire the exercise information of the user RU1.

[0056] Clothing 206 is the clothing worn by the user. For example, clothing information can be acquired manually by a user using a ride-hailing service. For example, user RU1 inputs clothing information about the clothing he or she is wearing at the time into electronic device 20 as needed, and the electronic device 20 transmits the clothing information to server 100, allowing server 100 to acquire the clothing information of user RU1. Furthermore, for example, user RU1 can take a self-photograph using electronic device 20 as needed, and the electronic device 20 transmits the image information acquired by the photograph (an image including the entire body) to server 100, allowing server 100 to acquire image information of user RU1. Then, server 100 can estimate the clothing worn by user RU1 based on the image information.

[0057] Note that the health status, motor function status, and clothing may be acquired by other methods. For example, assume that the electronic device 20 is a wearable device that can be used while attached to the body of the user RU1 and is equipped with sensors capable of acquiring various information related to the health and motor function of the user RU1. In this case, the electronic device 20 can acquire the health information and exercise information of the user RU1 based on the values ​​detected by the sensors and the history of those detection values. For example, if the electronic device 20 manages the schedule of the user RU1, the control unit 25 of the electronic device 20 can estimate the health information, motor function status, and clothing based on the schedule. For example, assume that the schedule contains information about exercise (e.g., swimming, baseball, soccer, gym) with a certain frequency. In this case, it is estimated that the user RU1 exercises frequently. On the other hand, if the schedule contains almost no information about exercise, it is estimated that the user RU1 exercises infrequently. For example, assume that the schedule contains a "wedding starting at 11:00 on July 27th." In this case, if user RU1 makes a reservation for a ride at around 10:00 on July 27th, it is highly likely that user RU1 will be wearing formal attire such as a dress or formal wear. Therefore, it is possible to estimate user RU1's attire based on the schedule "wedding starting at 11:00 on July 27th." Furthermore, health information, motor function status, and attire may be estimated based on user RU1's past history information and provided to server 100, or each piece of information may be estimated using artificial intelligence and provided to server 100.

[0058] [Example of contents stored in the declaration information DB] FIG. 4 is a simplified diagram showing the contents stored in the declaration information DB 250 stored in the storage unit 110. As shown in FIG.

[0059] The declaration information DB250 is a database that manages declaration information declared regarding collection and delivery work by users who use the vehicle dispatch service of the server 100. Specifically, package size 252, package weight 253, number of packages at collection and delivery location 254, and number of collection and delivery locations 255 are stored in the declaration information DB250 in association with a user ID 251. Note that "RU1" in the user ID 251 corresponds to user RU1 (see FIG. 1). Also, the information shown in FIG. 4 is an example, and only some of this information may be stored in the declaration information DB250, or other information may be stored in the declaration information DB250.

[0060] The size 252 of the package is the maximum size of the package that can be handled. In this embodiment, an example is shown in which the size is the sum of the length, width, and height of the package.

[0061] The luggage weight 253 is the maximum luggage weight that can be handled.

[0062] The number of packages at a collection / delivery location 254 is the maximum number of packages that can be handled at one collection / delivery location.

[0063] The number of collection and delivery locations 255 is the maximum number of times that a collection and delivery operation is performed by riding in a taxi dispatched in accordance with a taxi dispatch reservation.

[0064] Each piece of information is stored sequentially based on the declaration information transmitted from the electronic device of the user who makes the vehicle reservation. For example, it is stored sequentially based on the declaration information transmitted in response to an input operation using the vehicle reservation screen 80 shown in the lower part of Fig. 8.

[0065] [Example of contents stored in the collection and delivery history information DB] 5 is a simplified diagram showing the contents of the collection and delivery history information DB 300 stored in the storage unit 110. Each piece of information in the user characteristic information DB 200, the declaration information DB 250, and the collection and delivery history information DB 300 can also be referred to as user attribute information.

[0066] The collection and delivery history information DB300 is a database that manages collection and delivery history information related to a user's past collection and delivery history, which is managed by the server 100. Specifically, collection and delivery date and time 302, collection and delivery route distance 303, collection and delivery frequency 304, and number of items per trip 305 are stored in the collection and delivery history information DB300 in association with a user ID 301. Note that "RU1" in user ID 301 corresponds to user RU1 (see FIG. 1). Also, the information shown in FIG. 5 is an example, and only some of this information may be stored in the collection and delivery history information DB300, or other information may be stored in the collection and delivery history information DB300. For example, the weight, size, and shape of the package, the presence or absence of stairs, slopes, or roofs on the collection and delivery route, etc. may be stored in the collection and delivery history information DB300.

[0067] The collection / delivery date and time 302 is the time when the collection / delivery is performed by a user who boarded a taxi dispatched using a taxi dispatch service.

[0068] The collection and delivery route distance 303 is the total distance traveled by the user on foot when collection and delivery is performed by the user who boarded a taxi dispatched using the dispatch service. Note that the distance traveled at one collection and delivery location is twice the distance from the taxi stop to the collection and delivery location.

[0069] The collection and delivery frequency 304 is the number of collections and deliveries performed by a user in a taxi dispatched using a taxi dispatch service. In other words, the collection and delivery frequency 304 is a number indicating how many collections and deliveries the user performed before arriving at the drop-off location.

[0070] The number of parcels per trip 305 is the number of parcels in one collection / delivery operation by a user who boards a taxi dispatched using a taxi dispatch service. If there are multiple collection / delivery locations, the average number of parcels in a collection / delivery operation at each collection / delivery location is stored.

[0071] Each piece of information is stored sequentially based on information transmitted from a taxi that has been scheduled for dispatch by the dispatch processing unit 131 and information transmitted from the user's electronic device for which a collection and delivery plan has been created by the dispatch processing unit 131. This collection and delivery plan is a plan for collection and delivery by a user who has boarded a taxi that has been scheduled for dispatch. For example, on the collection and delivery approval screen 600 shown in the upper part of Fig. 10, a boarding location indicator 602, a disembarking location indicator 603, a travel route indicator 604 indicating the travel route from the boarding location to the disembarking location, and collection and delivery location indicators 605 to 608 indicating the locations where the taxi is to be disembarked to perform collection and delivery work are displayed as the collection and delivery plan.

[0072] [Example of contents stored in the baggage information DB] 6 is a simplified diagram showing the contents stored in the package information DB 400 stored in the storage unit 110. The information stored in the package information DB 400 can also be referred to as collection / delivery location information and package characteristic information.

[0073] The package information DB 400 is a database that manages package information related to packages managed by the server 100. Specifically, a user ID 402, collection location information 403, delivery location information 404, delivery time 405, size information 406, weight information 407, shape information 408, other information 409, and request presence / absence 410 are stored in the package information DB 400 in association with a package ID 401. Note that "BU1" to "BU4" in the user ID 402 correspond to users BU1 to BU4 (see FIG. 1). Also, the information shown in FIG. 6 is an example, and only a portion of this information may be stored in the package information DB 400, or other information may be stored in the package information DB 400.

[0074] The package ID 401 is information that is assigned to identify a package when a package collection / delivery reservation is accepted from a user. The package ID 401 may be, for example, a serial number.

[0075] The user ID 402 is the user ID of the user who made the reservation for collection and delivery of the package. For example, the package IDs 401 "B1" to "B3" are packages for which collection and delivery reservations have been made by the user BU1.

[0076] The collection location information 403 is information that specifies the location where the package is collected. For example, latitude and longitude can be used as the collection location information. In Fig. 6, for ease of explanation, the same reference numerals as those of the collection locations PL1 to PL6 shown in Fig. 9 are used as the collection location information.

[0077] Delivery location information 404 is information that specifies the location (delivery destination) to which the package is to be delivered. For example, latitude and longitude can be used as the delivery location information. In FIG. 6, for ease of explanation, the same reference numerals as those for delivery locations DL1 to DL6 shown in FIG. 9 are used to indicate the delivery location information. Also, in FIG. 6, for ease of explanation, an example is described in which the collection location and delivery location of multiple packages reserved for collection and delivery by the same user are the same, but this embodiment can also be applied to cases in which the collection locations and delivery locations of multiple packages reserved for collection and delivery by the same user are different.

[0078] The delivery time 405 is the desired arrival time of the reserved package at the delivery location. The server 100 executes collection and delivery processing and vehicle dispatch processing so that the reserved package is transported to the delivery location by this delivery time.

[0079] The size information 406 is information relating to the size of the package for which collection and delivery is reserved. For ease of explanation, Fig. 6 shows an example in which the total value of the length, width and height of the package is used as the size of the package.

[0080] Weight information 407 is information relating to the weight of the package for which collection and delivery has been reserved.

[0081] Shape information 408 is information about the external shape of the package for which collection and delivery has been reserved. For example, if the package is placed in a cardboard box, "cardboard box" or "box-shaped" is recorded. Also, if the package is to be collected and delivered without packaging, "no packaging" and the name of the item are recorded.

[0082] Other information 409 is other information related to the package for which a collection / delivery reservation has been made. For example, information that the user who made the collection / delivery reservation wants to convey to the collection / delivery user who will be performing the collection / delivery operation is recorded. For example, information such as handle with care, be careful not to break the package, etc. may be recorded.

[0083] The request existence 410 is information indicating whether or not the collection and delivery request for a parcel that has been reserved for collection and delivery has been completed. For example, for a parcel for which the collection and delivery request has been completed, "Requested" is recorded.

[0084] Each piece of information from the collection location information 403 to the other information 409 is input by the user into the electronic device when the user makes a collection / delivery reservation, and is transmitted from the electronic device to the server 100. An example of input of each piece of information is shown in FIG.

[0085] [Example of reservation for collection and delivery of luggage] Fig. 7 is a diagram showing an example of an operation when user BU1 performs an operation to reserve collection and delivery of a package using electronic device 41. Fig. 7 shows an example of display of collection and delivery reservation screens 50, 60 that are displayed on input / output unit 45 (corresponding to input / output unit 27) when a collection and delivery app is launched in electronic device 41.

[0086] In this embodiment, it is assumed that the user making the collection / delivery reservation is an individual, and the collection / delivery location is the individual's home or a related location. However, the same can be applied to collection / delivery requests from delivery companies or other transport companies. In this case, the delivery company's office or collection / delivery location may be the collection / delivery location in this embodiment.

[0087] In addition, in this embodiment, an example is shown in which the server 100 executes the vehicle dispatch process in response to a vehicle dispatch reservation from a user and the collection and delivery process in response to a collection and delivery reservation from a user, but the vehicle dispatch process and the collection and delivery process may be executed in cooperation with each other in different devices. In this case, a communication system configured by a plurality of devices that execute the vehicle dispatch process and the collection and delivery process functions as the server 100.

[0088] When making a collection / delivery reservation using the collection / delivery app of the electronic device 41, the user BU1 launches the collection / delivery app of the electronic device 41 and causes the input / output unit 45 to display a collection / delivery reservation screen 50. Next, the user BU1 performs an input operation on the collection / delivery reservation screen 50 to input various pieces of information related to the package to be reserved for collection / delivery. Specifically, the user performs an input operation (or a selection operation) in the input fields 52 to 58 for each item to input the collection location, delivery location, desired delivery time, package size, package weight, package shape, and other information. Furthermore, when making collection / delivery reservations for multiple packages, after completing the input operation in the input fields 52 to 57 for each item, the user can perform a collection / delivery reservation operation in the same way by pressing the additional reservation button 58.

[0089] The collection location, delivery location, desired delivery time, size of the package, weight of the package, shape of the package, and other information correspond to each piece of information from collection location information 403 to other information 409 shown in FIG.

[0090] The collection location refers to a location where the package is collected. The delivery location refers to a location where the package is delivered. For each of these locations, for example, the current location of the electronic device 41, home, work, school, shopping center, etc., can be registered in advance, and a desired location can be selected from the registered locations. Note that an arbitrary location may also be selected using a map or the like.

[0091] The size of the package refers to the external size of the package. In the case of a box-shaped package, the sum of the length, width, and height of the package is entered as the package size. The shape of the package refers to the shape of the package when it is collected and delivered. In the case of a package housed in a cardboard box, "cardboard box" is entered. Furthermore, in the case of a bottle or can, information to that effect is entered. Other information is entered as information that the user wishing to be notified of when collecting or delivering the package. For example, "handle with care," "be careful not to break," and the like are entered. For each of these items, for example, multiple pieces of information can be registered in advance, and desired information can be selected from the registered information. Furthermore, any information may be entered for each of these items.

[0092] The collection and delivery reservation operation is completed by pressing the Confirm button 59 after inputting each item using the collection and delivery reservation screen 50. When this collection and delivery reservation operation is performed, the control unit of the electronic device 41 transmits collection and delivery reservation information to the server 100. This collection and delivery reservation information includes information about each item input on the collection and delivery reservation screen 50, location information about the current location of the electronic device 41, and the user ID.

[0093] The server 100 that receives the collection and delivery reservation information associates information about each item included in the collection and delivery reservation information with the user ID included in the collection and delivery reservation information and stores it in the package information DB 400. For example, as shown in Figure 6, the collection and delivery reservation information of user BU1 is stored in association with "B1" of package ID 401. "B1" is package identification information.

[0094] 7 shows a collection and delivery reservation screen 60 in which, instead of inputting each item related to the package, an image of the package captured by photographing using the image capture unit of the electronic device 41 is used for input. Note that the collection location input field 52, delivery location input field 53, desired delivery time input field 54, additional reservation button 58, and confirmation button 59 are the same as those on the collection and delivery reservation screen 50.

[0095] While the collection and delivery reservation screen 60 is displayed, the user BU1 operates the image acquisition unit of the electronic device 41 to acquire (take a photo of) an image of the package. The acquired image of the package is displayed in the image display area 63. The user BU1 also inputs the contents of the package displayed in the image display area 63 into the package contents input field 62. Based on the image of the package acquired in this manner, the size and shape of the package can be estimated. Note that the shape can be estimated using various image processing methods, and the size can be estimated by estimating the external size of the package using a position estimation technique from the electronic device 41 to the subject (package). The weight of the package can also be estimated based on the image of the package and the information entered in the package contents input field 62. For example, if the contents of the package are six 350ml cans of beer, the weight of the package is estimated to be 2.1 kg. Note that each of these pieces of information may be estimated using artificial intelligence, and input fields similar to the input fields 55 to 58 for each item on the collection and delivery reservation screen 50 may be provided on the collection and delivery reservation screen 60.

[0096] [Example of vehicle reservation screen] FIG. 8 is a diagram showing display examples of ride-hailing reservation screens 70, 80 displayed on the input / output unit 27 when a ride-hailing app is launched on the electronic device 20. The upper part of FIG. 8 shows a display example of the ride-hailing reservation screen 70 on which the user selects a destination from a plurality of preset locations. Note that while FIG. 8 shows an example in which the destination is selected from a plurality of preset locations, the user may also select a desired destination on a map. In this case, a ride-hailing reservation screen including a map for selecting a destination is displayed on the input / output unit 27, and the user selects a desired destination on the map. Note that the destination may also be selected by other selection methods.

[0097] 8 shows an example in which "ABC Castle" is selected as the destination. In this embodiment, an example is shown in which the arrival time at the destination is not specified, but the arrival time at the destination may be specified. In this case, the vehicle dispatch process is executed based on the specified arrival time at the destination.

[0098] When making a taxi reservation using the taxi dispatch app of the electronic device 20, the user RU1 starts the taxi dispatch app of the electronic device 20 and causes the input / output unit 27 to display a taxi dispatch reservation screen 70. Next, the user RU1 performs a designation operation to designate a destination to which the reserved taxi will head on the taxi dispatch reservation screen 70. Although not described here, the destination may also be designated by a character search operation (for example, a keyword search such as an address or facility name).

[0099] When displaying the vehicle reservation screen 70, the user RU1 performs a narrowing operation to narrow down the area including the destination by character search or map search. Then, the vehicle reservation screen 70 is displayed, which includes a list display area 72 containing multiple pre-defined locations in the area extracted by the narrowing operation. In this example, the list display area 72 is displayed by pressing the pull-down button 73. However, the pull-down button 73 may be omitted and only the list display area 72 may be displayed. Also, in this example, the narrowing operation is performed using character search or map search. However, the vehicle reservation screen 70 including the locations in the list display area 72 may be displayed by other methods. For example, if the electronic device 20 manages the schedule of the user RU1, the control unit 25 of the electronic device 20 can estimate the destination based on the schedule. For example, assume that the schedule includes "ABC Castle with family from 11:00 on June 27th." In this case, if the user RU1 makes a vehicle reservation around 10:00 on June 27th, it is highly likely that the user RU1 will go to ABC Castle with his or her family. Therefore, based on the schedule "ABC Castle with family from 11:00 on June 27th," it is possible to display a vehicle reservation screen 70 including a list display area 72 of the areas (e.g., cities, towns, and villages) where "ABC Castle" is located. Also, the destination may be estimated and presented based on the past history information of user RU1, or may be estimated and presented using artificial intelligence.

[0100] Also, a luggage collection and delivery selection area 74 is displayed on the vehicle dispatch reservation screen 70, in which the user selects whether or not to collect and deliver luggage by boarding a taxi that has been set up for dispatch by this reservation operation. User RU1 presses a pull-down button 75 to display the luggage collection and delivery selection area 74, and performs a selection operation in the luggage collection and delivery selection area 74 to select whether or not to collect and deliver luggage by boarding a taxi that has been set up for dispatch by this reservation operation.

[0101] If user RU1 wishes to have a package collected and delivered by taxi, he / she selects "Collect and deliver (declaration registered)" or "Collect and deliver (declaration not registered)." On the other hand, if user RU1 does not wish to have a package collected and delivered by taxi, he / she selects "Do not collect and deliver."

[0102] The declaration is information used to set the upper limit of the collection and delivery tolerance for user RU1 when collecting or delivering a package. This upper limit of the collection and delivery tolerance is a value set for each user and indicates the range of packages that can be collected or delivered for each user. In other words, a user can declare the upper limit of the package that he or she can transport. For example, a user whose declaration information is stored in the declaration information DB 250 (see FIG. 4) can select "Collect and deliver (declaration registered)" to omit input of each declaration information. On the other hand, a user whose declaration information is not stored in the declaration information DB 250 (see FIG. 4) or a user who wants to input new declaration information can select "Collect and deliver (declaration not registered)". This allows the user to proceed to the input operation for inputting each declaration information. For example, when "Collect and deliver (declaration not registered)" is selected, a vehicle dispatch reservation screen 80 shown in the lower part of FIG. 8 is displayed. In this way, each declaration information may be registered in advance in the server 100, or may be input using the vehicle dispatch reservation screen 80 each time a vehicle dispatch reservation is made. When "Collect and deliver (declaration registered)" or "Do not collect and deliver" is selected and the confirm button 76 is pressed, the vehicle dispatch reservation operation is completed.

[0103] That is, when specifying a destination using the vehicle reservation screen 70, the user RU1 performs a selection operation to select a desired destination from among multiple locations included in the list display area 72 while referring to the operation support information 71. After this selection operation, the user RU1 performs a selection operation in the luggage collection and delivery selection area 74 and then presses the confirm button 76. After "Collect and deliver (no declaration registration)" is selected in the luggage collection and delivery selection area 74 and the confirm button 76 is pressed, the vehicle reservation screen 80 is displayed.

[0104] The vehicle reservation screen 80 is a display screen for inputting declaration information used to set the maximum allowable collection and delivery limit when collecting and delivering luggage by riding in a taxi that has been scheduled for dispatch through a vehicle reservation.

[0105] The vehicle reservation screen 80 has a luggage size input field 82, a luggage weight input field 83, a luggage quantity input field 84, and a pickup location quantity input field 85. When inputting data into each of these input fields, the user may select a desired value from a plurality of preset values, or may directly input a desired value. Input may be omitted for items that do not require a specific specification. The reservation operation is completed by pressing the Confirm button 87 after making the desired input in each of the input fields 82 to 85. If input into any of the input fields 82 to 85 is not required, the No Notification Required button 86 is pressed. In this case, a pickup / delivery allowable limit is set based on user characteristic information, pickup / delivery history information, environmental information, etc.

[0106] When the vehicle reservation operation described above is performed, the control unit 25 of the electronic device 20 transmits vehicle reservation information to the server 100. This vehicle reservation information includes location information regarding the current location of the user RU1, location information regarding the destination, the user ID, and each piece of information input on the vehicle reservation screen 80.

[0107] Upon receiving the vehicle dispatch reservation information, the server 100 executes a process for setting the boarding and disembarking locations, a process for allocating a taxi, and a process for specifying the parcel to be collected or delivered. The processes performed by the server 100 when the vehicle dispatch reservation information is received will be described in detail with reference to Figs. 9 to 13, etc. Then, the server 100 transmits support information (boarding support information, collection and delivery support information) that is the processing result to the electronic device 20. Fig. 10 shows an example of the display of the input / output unit 27 after receiving this support information.

[0108] [Example of identifying parcels for collection and delivery] Fig. 9 is a diagram showing an example of identifying luggage by the identification unit 133. Fig. 9 shows an example in which a boarding location WR1 and a disembarking location WR2 are set by the dispatch processing unit 131, and a travel route R1 is set as a travel route from the boarding location WR1 to the disembarking location WR2.

[0109] As described above, in this embodiment, an example is shown in which the boarding location and disembarking location (boarding and disembarking location) of a taxi to be scheduled for dispatch are selected from pre-set locations. For example, from among a plurality of pre-set boarding locations, a boarding location that imposes the least travel burden on the user from the current location of the user who made the taxi dispatch reservation is selected. Also, for example, from among a plurality of pre-set disembarking locations, a disembarking location that imposes the least travel burden on the user from the destination specified by the taxi dispatch reservation is selected. Note that the setting of the boarding location and disembarking location (boarding and disembarking location) is not limited to this, and any location may be selected.

[0110] Here, the user's travel load is an evaluation value calculated based on the user's travel effort, travel time, travel distance, etc., and can also be referred to as the user's travel cost. For example, when the travel distance is long or the road is sloped, the user's travel effort increases and the user's travel time increases, resulting in a high user travel load. On the other hand, when the travel distance is short or the road is flat, the user's travel effort decreases and the user's travel time decreases, resulting in a low user travel load. Furthermore, for example, when it rains, the user's travel effort increases and the user's travel time increases, resulting in a high user travel load. On the other hand, even when it rains, when it is a covered pedestrian-only road, the user's travel effort decreases and the user's travel time decreases, resulting in a low user travel load. In this way, the user's travel load can be calculated based on the road conditions, weather, and surrounding environment of the walking route along which the user travels. For example, the straight-line distance from the user's current location to the boarding location or the distance of the walking route from the user's current location to the boarding location may be used as the user's travel load.

[0111] Figure 9 shows an example in which, when user RU1 performs a vehicle dispatch reservation operation using electronic device 20, the vehicle dispatch processing unit 131 sets a boarding location WR1 that will minimize the travel load from user RU1's current location and a disembarking location WR2 that will minimize the travel load from the destination.

[0112] Specifically, the vehicle dispatch processing unit 131 sets the boarding location WR1 that will minimize the travel load from the current location of the user RU1, based on the location information (location information indicating the current location of the electronic device 20) included in the vehicle dispatch reservation information transmitted from the electronic device 20 and the boarding and disembarking location DB in the storage unit 110. Furthermore, the vehicle dispatch processing unit 131 sets the disembarking location WR2 that will minimize the travel load from the destination specified by the user RU1, based on the location information (location information indicating the destination) included in the vehicle dispatch reservation information transmitted from the user RU1 and the boarding and disembarking location DB in the storage unit 110.

[0113] Then, the vehicle dispatch processing unit 131 sets a walking route from the current location of the user RU1 to the boarding location WR1 based on the location information included in the vehicle dispatch reservation information (location information indicating the current location of the electronic device 20) and the map DB in the storage unit 110. Note that the walking route for the user RU1 set in this way is, for example, a route from the current location of the user RU1 to the boarding location WR1 that has the smallest travel load.

[0114] In this way, when the boarding location WR1 is set in accordance with the vehicle dispatch reservation of user RU1, a taxi to be assigned to user RU1 is set from among waiting taxis (taxis not in transport service) based on the vehicle movement load based on the boarding location WR1.

[0115] Here, the vehicle travel load is an evaluation value calculated based on the energy consumption, travel time, travel distance, etc., when the vehicle travels, and can also be referred to as the vehicle travel cost. For example, when the travel distance is long or the road is sloped, the energy consumption when the vehicle travels increases and the time it takes for the vehicle to travel is long, resulting in a high vehicle travel load. On the other hand, when the travel distance is short or the road is flat, the energy consumption when the vehicle travels decreases and the time it takes for the vehicle to travel is short, resulting in a low vehicle travel load. Furthermore, for example, in rainy weather, traffic congestion increases and the time it takes for the vehicle to travel is long, resulting in a high vehicle travel load. In this way, the vehicle travel load can be calculated depending on the road conditions, weather, and surrounding environment of the travel route along which the vehicle travels. For example, the straight-line distance from the vehicle's current location to the boarding location or the distance of the travel route from the vehicle's current location to the boarding location may be used as the vehicle travel load.

[0116] Specifically, the vehicle dispatch processing unit 131 selects an appropriate taxi from among the plurality of taxis 31 to 33 based on the boarding location WR1 set in response to the vehicle dispatch reservation of the user RU1. For example, the vehicle dispatch processing unit 131 uses the vehicle DB and map DB in the storage unit 110 to select, from among the waiting taxis, a taxi that will minimize the travel load from the boarding location WR1.

[0117] Furthermore, the vehicle allocation processing unit 131 uses the set boarding location WR1 and disembarking location WR2 and the map DB to select one or more travel route candidates that have the minimum or nearly minimum travel load from among the travel routes from the boarding location WR1 to the disembarking location WR2. If one travel route candidate is selected, the vehicle allocation processing unit 131 sets the selected travel route candidate as the travel route. On the other hand, if multiple travel route candidates are selected, the vehicle allocation processing unit 131 sets one of the selected travel route candidates as the travel route based on predetermined selection conditions. This selection condition can be, for example, a priority set by the user. This priority is, for example, information that indicates the user's tendency to emphasize when determining a travel route, and for example, the priority information of the following items (1) to (5) can be set according to the user's preferences.

[0118] (1) Shortest travel time, (2) Shortest travel distance (I want to travel the shortest distance without making detours), (3) Shortest waiting time (I don't want to wait outside), (4) Minimize the number of stops (I want to use the time I spend in the car meaningfully), (5) Lowest cost (I don't mind it taking longer, but I want to minimize costs)

[0119] For example, assume that priorities are set in the order of (1) to (5). In this case, the candidate travel route with the shortest required time is selected from among multiple candidate travel routes based on the first priority (1) shortest required time. If there are multiple candidate travel routes with the shortest required time, the candidate travel route with the shortest travel distance is selected from among the multiple candidate travel routes with the shortest required time based on the second priority (2) shortest travel distance. Similarly, if there are multiple candidate travel routes based on higher priority information, the selection process is performed based on lower priority information until only one candidate travel route remains. However, the method for selecting candidate travel routes may be changed as appropriate depending on the presence or absence of collection and delivery locations. For example, one candidate travel route may be selected from multiple candidate travel routes based on the number of collection and delivery locations located within a predetermined range (corresponding to the predetermined range PR1) from each candidate travel route. For example, the candidate travel route with the largest number of collection and delivery locations located within a predetermined range from each candidate travel route may be selected as the candidate travel route. The travel route from the boarding point WR1 to the disembarking point WR2 can also be referred to as OD (origin-destination).

[0120] [Example of setting a specified range] Next, an example of specifying a package to be collected or delivered by user RU1 will be described. The specifying unit 133 determines whether there is a package to be collected or delivered in a location where the travel load of user RU1 from travel route R1 is within a predetermined range. Here, the travel load of user RU1 is the same as the travel load of the user described above. In FIG. 9, for ease of explanation, the travel route R1 is used as a reference, and the range of the shortest distance (straight-line distance) from travel route R1 is set as a predetermined range PR1, and the predetermined range PR1 is indicated by a dotted line. Note that while FIG. 9 shows an example in which the predetermined range PR1 is set based on distance, the predetermined range PR1 may also be set based on time. For example, the predetermined range PR1 may be set to a range within a predetermined walking time based on travel route R1. Furthermore, the predetermined range PR1 may be set or corrected based on user information, for example. For example, if the age 202 of the user characteristic information is within a predetermined range (e.g., 15 to 30 years old), a wider range can be set than for other ages. Furthermore, if the gender 203 of the user characteristic information is male, a wider range can be set than for females. For example, for a user who has a large amount of recorded collection and delivery history information and whose values ​​are large, a wider range can be set than for other users. For example, for a user who has a large value for each of the declaration information, a wider range can be set than for other users.

[0121] Additionally, collection locations PL1 to PL8 and delivery locations DL1 to DL8 around travel route R1 are indicated by dotted circle lines. Of these, collection locations PL1 to PL5 and delivery locations DL1 to DL4, DL6 are located within a predetermined range PR1, while collection locations PL6 to PL8 and delivery locations DL5, DL7, DL8 are located outside the predetermined range PR1.

[0122] In addition, the positions R11 to R18 that are the shortest distance from each of the collection locations PL1 to PL5 and delivery locations DL1 to DL4, DL6 that exist within the predetermined range PR1 to the movement route R1 are shown with dotted circles. For example, the position R11 on the movement route R1 is the position that is the shortest distance to the collection location PL1 on the movement route R1.

[0123] Furthermore, packages B1 to B3 to be collected at collection location PL1 have been reserved for collection and delivery by user BU1, and package B4 to be collected at collection location PL2 has been reserved for collection and delivery by user BU2. Packages B5 and B6 to be collected at collection location PL3 have been reserved for collection and delivery by user BU3, and packages B7 to B10 to be collected at collection location PL4 have been reserved for collection and delivery by user BU4. For ease of explanation, in FIG. 9, packages B1 to B3 are shown surrounded by a dotted rectangle near collection location PL1. Arrows are also used above the dotted rectangle to indicate the relationship between collection location PL1 and delivery location DL1. The same applies to the relationship between collection locations PL2 to PL4 and packages B4 to B10. Packages at other collection locations are not shown in the figure.

[0124] The locations of the collection locations PL1 to PL8 can be obtained based on collection location information 403 in the package information DB 400 (see FIG. 6). The locations of the delivery locations DL1 to DL8 can be obtained based on delivery location information 404 in the package information DB 400. Information on packages B1 to B10 can be obtained based on size information 406, weight information 407, shape information 408, and other information 409 in the package information DB 400.

[0125] [Example of specifying packages to be collected and delivered by the user] Next, we will explain an example of identifying a package to be requested to be collected and delivered by user RU1 from among packages B1 to B10 whose collection and delivery locations are included in the specified range PR1. Here, we will show an example of identifying a package to be requested to be collected and delivered by user RU1 using user information (declaration information, user characteristic information, collection and delivery history information), collection and delivery information, environmental information, and package information.

[0126] [Example of identifying luggage using declared information] For a user whose declaration information is stored in the declaration information DB 250 (see FIG. 4) or who entered declaration information on the vehicle reservation screen (vehicle reservation screen 80 in FIG. 8) when reserving a vehicle, the declaration information can be used to identify the package to be collected and delivered. For example, as shown in FIG. 4, if the declaration information of user RU1 is registered, packages with a value equal to or less than the value of each item are designated as packages to be collected and delivered by user RU1. For example, in the example shown in FIG. 4, the number of packages 254 at the collection and delivery location of user RU1 is three or less, so collection location PL4, which collects four packages B7 to B10, is not selected. Furthermore, because the weight 253 of user RU1's package is two kg or less, collection location PL1, which collects 4 kg package B1, collection location PL2, which collects 5 kg package B4, and collection location PL4, which collects 3 kg package B7, are not selected. Similarly, because the size 252 of the package of user RU1 is 120 or less, collection location PL1 for collecting package B1 of 180 size and collection location PL4 for collecting package B8 of 180 size are not selected. After these selection processes, packages B5 and B6 at collection location PL3 are identified as packages to be requested to be collected and delivered by user RU1.

[0127] [Example of identifying luggage using user characteristic information] For a user whose user characteristic information is stored in the user characteristic information DB200 (see FIG. 3), the user characteristic information can be used to identify packages for which collection and delivery requests are made. For example, if the age 202 in the user characteristic information DB200 is between 15 and 64 years old and the gender 203 is male, the upper limit for the total weight of packages for which collection and delivery requests are made can be set to 55 kg, and the upper limit for the size of each package can be set to 120. For example, if the age 202 in the user characteristic information DB200 is between 15 and 64 years old and the gender 203 is female, the upper limit for the total weight of packages for which collection and delivery requests are made can be set to 30 kg, and the upper limit for the size of each package can be set to 120. For example, if the age 202 in the user characteristic information DB200 is under 15 years old or over 64 years old, collection and delivery requests can be prohibited. Also, for example, when age 202 is within the range of 15 to 64 years old, and age 202 is higher than a reference value (for example, about 40 to 60 years old), a lower value can be set as the collection and delivery allowance upper limit than for users whose age is lower than the reference value. This makes it possible to set appropriate packages even for users who are relatively older.

[0128] Furthermore, these settings can be corrected based on information on health condition 204, motor function condition 205, and clothing 206. For example, if health condition 204 is poor health or injury, the setting can be such that packages for which collection and delivery requests are made are reduced or prohibited. Also, for example, if motor function condition 205 is low exercise frequency or medium exercise frequency, the setting can be such that packages for which collection and delivery requests are made are reduced or prohibited. Also, for example, if clothing 206 is clothing that is inappropriate for collection and delivery work, such as a dress or formal wear, the setting can be such that packages for which collection and delivery requests are made are reduced or prohibited. The amount of reduction can be set as appropriate.

[0129] [Example of identifying packages using collection and delivery information] The parcels to be requested for collection and delivery can be identified using collection and delivery information for parcels whose collection and delivery locations are within the predetermined range PR1. This collection and delivery information includes the distance from when user RU1 gets off the taxi to the collection or delivery location for collection and delivery, the collection and delivery frequency, which is the frequency of collection and delivery along travel route R1, the number of parcels to be collected at the same collection location, and the number of parcels to be delivered to the same delivery location. The information may also include the weight, size, and shape of the parcel. In the example shown in FIG. 9, the distance is the sum of the distances of the shortest routes from each of the collection locations PL1 to PL4 and delivery locations DL1 to DL4 to travel route R1. Furthermore, the collection and delivery frequency, which is the frequency of collection and delivery along travel route R1, is the sum of the distances of the collection locations PL1 to PL4 and the delivery locations DL1 to DL4 (8). The number of parcels collected at the same collection location is 3, 1, 2, and 4 for collection locations PL1 to PL4, respectively, and the number of parcels delivered to the same delivery location is 3, 1, 2, and 4 for delivery locations DL1 to DL4, respectively. For example, if the total distance of the shortest travel route from each of collection locations PL1 to PL4 to travel route R1 is equal to or greater than a predetermined value, collection and delivery requests can be prohibited. Furthermore, if the collection and delivery frequency on travel route R1 is equal to or greater than a predetermined value, collection and delivery requests can be prohibited. Furthermore, if the number of parcels collected at the same collection location or the number of parcels delivered to the same delivery location is equal to or greater than a predetermined value, collection and delivery requests can be prohibited. These predetermined values ​​are upper limits that are considered to be a heavy burden on the user and may be fixed values ​​or may be set differently for each user. Furthermore, if the collection and delivery frequency on travel route R1 exceeds a predetermined value per predetermined time period, collection and delivery requests can be prohibited. This predetermined time period is, for example, approximately 10 minutes, and this predetermined value is approximately three times. These predetermined times and values ​​may be fixed values ​​or may be set to different values ​​for each user.

[0130] [Example of identifying packages using delivery history information] For a user whose collection and delivery history information is stored in the collection and delivery history information DB300 (see FIG. 5), the collection and delivery history information can be used to identify the parcel to be collected and delivered. For a user whose collection and delivery history information is not stored in the collection and delivery history information DB300, the collection and delivery history information of another user can be used to identify the parcel to be collected and delivered. For example, as shown in FIG. 5, if collection and delivery history information for user RU1 is registered, parcels within the maximum value range of each item are selected as parcels to be collected and delivered by user RU1. For example, since the maximum value of collection and delivery route distance 303 is 550 m, collection and delivery locations are selected for each of collection locations PL1 to PL4 and delivery locations DL1 to DL4, where the total distance of the travel route from each location to travel route R1 is within 550 m. Furthermore, since the maximum value of collection and delivery frequency 304 is four times, collection and delivery locations are selected for each of collection locations PL1 to PL4 and delivery locations DL1 to DL4, where the collection and delivery frequency is four times. Furthermore, for example, the maximum value of the number of items per trip 305 is five, and the maximum number of parcels to be collected and delivered at each of the collection locations PL1 to PL4 and delivery locations DL1 to DL4 is four. Therefore, when specifying parcels to be requested for collection and delivery based on the number of items per trip 305, all parcels B1 to B10 are selected. Note that parcels to be requested for collection and delivery may be specified using each piece of information in the collection and delivery history information DB300, or parcels to be requested for collection and delivery may be specified using part of the information in the collection and delivery history information DB300.

[0131] Furthermore, when identifying a package using collection and delivery history information of other users, it is preferable to extract users who are assumed to have similar characteristics to user RU1 based on user characteristic information (e.g., age, gender) of user RU1, and use the collection and delivery history information of those users. For example, one or more users who have the same gender as user RU1 and are close in age to user RU1 are extracted.

[0132] [Example of identifying luggage using environmental information] The system can identify packages to be requested for collection and delivery using environmental information acquired from a map database or external sources. For example, if the road environment of the travel route from the travel route R1 to each collection and delivery location is worse than a standard (e.g., a gravel road, a road with stairs, or a steep uphill slope), a setting can be made to reduce or prohibit collection and delivery requests for packages at collection and delivery locations with road environments worse than a standard. Furthermore, if the road environment of the travel route is worse than a standard, a setting can be made to reduce packages identified by the above-mentioned identification methods. Furthermore, if the road environment of the travel route from the travel route R1 to each collection and delivery location is better than a standard (e.g., a pedestrian-only road or a road with a roof), a setting can be made to preferentially request collection and delivery for packages at collection and delivery locations with road environments better than a standard. Furthermore, if the road environment of the travel route is better than a standard, a setting can be made to increase the number of packages identified by the above-mentioned identification methods. For example, if the weather is worse than a standard (e.g., rain, strong wind, snow) or if the temperature is worse than a standard (e.g., extreme cold or extreme heat), a setting can be made to prohibit collection and delivery requests for packages. Furthermore, when the weather or temperature is worse than the standard, the settings can be made to reduce the number of packages identified by the above-mentioned identification methods. However, even if the weather or temperature is worse than the standard, if the road environment of the travel route from travel route R1 to each collection and delivery location is better than the standard (for example, a road with a roof), the settings can be made not to reduce the number of packages.

[0133] [Example of identifying luggage using arrival delay information at drop-off point] Here, the luggage to be collected and delivered may be specified by giving priority to the arrival time at the destination of the user who made the taxi reservation. For example, if there are multiple collection and delivery locations, the collection and delivery location with the least taxi delay can be selected based on delay information on the taxi's arrival time at the drop-off location. Also, for example, if there are multiple collection and delivery locations, the collection and delivery location with the least travel time from travel route R1 can be selected. Also, for example, if there are multiple collection and delivery locations and the user has declared that they will increase the number of packages that can be collected and delivered, the collection and delivery location with the largest number of packages to be collected and delivered (but within the range of the number that can be collected and delivered) can be selected. This allows many packages to be collected and delivered together, thereby reducing taxi delays.

[0134] [Example of identifying luggage using multiple pieces of information] The above-mentioned examples of identification are merely examples, and parcels to be requested for collection and delivery may be identified using at least two of the above-mentioned pieces of information. For example, for a user whose declaration information has been registered, parcels to be requested for collection and delivery may be extracted using the declaration information, and the extracted parcels may be increased or decreased using environmental information. Furthermore, the information to be used when identifying parcels may be selectable through user settings.

[0135] Furthermore, if there are multiple collection and delivery locations, the multiple collection and delivery locations may be presented to the user to allow the user to select one. Furthermore, incentives may be given to the user depending on the collection and delivery work. For example, the usage fee for the vehicle dispatch service or collection and delivery service may be discounted depending on the collection and delivery work, or points for the vehicle dispatch service or collection and delivery service may be added. In this way, by giving incentives depending on the collection and delivery work, it is possible to increase the user's motivation to collect and deliver, and to improve the efficiency of the collection and delivery work.

[0136] [Example of the collection and delivery approval screen and collection and delivery support screen] Fig. 10 shows examples of a collection and delivery approval screen 600 and a collection and delivery assistance screen 630 that are displayed on the input / output unit 27 after a reservation operation is performed using the taxi dispatch app on the electronic device 20. The upper part of Fig. 10 shows the collection and delivery approval screen 600, which displays the collection and delivery plan assigned to user RU1 in response to the reservation operation. The lower part of Fig. 10 shows the collection and delivery assistance screen 630, which is displayed when a taxi arrives near the first collection location after the collection and delivery plan assigned to user RU1 is approved.

[0137] As shown in Figure 10, the control unit 25 of the electronic device 20 displays a collection and delivery approval screen 600 and a collection and delivery support screen 630 on the input / output unit 27 to support the collection and delivery work of user RU1 based on the collection and delivery support information sent from the server 100.

[0138] The collection and delivery approval screen 600 shown in the upper part of Fig. 10 displays a boarding location indicator 602 indicating the boarding location WR1 (see Fig. 9), a drop-off location indicator 603 indicating the drop-off location WR2 (see Fig. 9), and a travel route indicator 604 indicating the travel route from the boarding location WR1 to the drop-off location WR2. The collection and delivery approval screen 600 also displays, in association with each other, collection and delivery location indicators 605 to 608 indicating the location where the taxi will be dropped off to perform collection and delivery work, and baggage indicators 611 to 614 indicating the number of packages to be collected and delivered. The collection and delivery approval screen 600 also displays a baggage number display area 615 indicating the number of packages to be collected and delivered when the taxi travels along the travel route corresponding to the travel route indicator 604. Each of these pieces of information is displayed based on the baggage identification process shown in Fig. 9.

[0139] In addition, in the lower display area 601 of the collection and delivery approval screen 600, an approval button 621, a partial approval button 622, and a rejection button 623 are displayed together with a message requesting collection and delivery from user RU1.

[0140] When the approval button 621 is pressed, a collection and delivery support screen is displayed in sequence to allow the user RU1 to carry out collection and delivery work in accordance with the collection and delivery plan shown on the collection and delivery approval screen 600. An example of this collection and delivery support screen is shown in the lower part of Fig. 10.

[0141] When the partial approval button 622 is pressed, the server 100 recreates a collection and delivery plan in which some of the packages have been deleted from the collection and delivery plan shown on the collection and delivery approval screen 600. Alternatively, after the partial approval button 622 is pressed, a selection screen may be displayed in which the user RU1 can select the collection and delivery locations and packages they wish to delete, and the collection and delivery plan may be recreated based on user operation. In these cases, a collection and delivery approval screen is displayed showing a new collection and delivery plan in which some of the collection and delivery plan shown on the collection and delivery approval screen 600 has been deleted.

[0142] If the reject button 623 is pressed, the vehicle dispatch process is executed on the assumption that the user RU1 will not perform collection and delivery work. That is, the taxi is dispatched in the same manner as in the normal vehicle dispatch process.

[0143] Although not described in this embodiment, the collection / delivery approval screen may display guidance for heading to the boarding location along the walking route, as in a well-known navigation system. Furthermore, the control unit 25 of the electronic device 20 can sequentially display the latest information regarding the estimated taxi arrival time, waiting time at the boarding location, estimated arrival time at the destination, etc., based on information from the server 100. Furthermore, the control unit 25 of the electronic device 20 may output such guidance by voice.

[0144] The lower part of FIG. 10 shows a collection and delivery support screen 630 that is displayed when a taxi arrives near the collection location PL1 (see FIG. 9). The collection and delivery support screen 630 displays a map including the collection location PL1 and the travel route R1 (see FIG. 9) in a map display area 631. The collection and delivery support screen 630 also displays a collection location indicator 636 indicating the collection location PL1, a travel route 632 indicating the travel route R1, a vehicle indicator 633 indicating a taxi stopped on the travel route 632, and a current location indicator 634 indicating the current location of user RU1. An arrow indicator 635 indicates the walking route from the taxi stop location to the collection location PL1. The walking route from the taxi stop location to the collection location PL1 is set taking into consideration the travel load of user RU1 described above. The current location of the taxi can be identified based on location information transmitted from the taxi's communication device. The current location of user RU1 can be identified based on location information transmitted from electronic device 20. The current location indicator 634 moves in accordance with the movement of the user RU1. The collection and delivery support screen 630 also displays a walking time display area 637 that indicates the required time from the taxi stop to the collection location PL1.

[0145] In addition, a confirmation button 639 is displayed in a lower display area 638 of the collection and delivery support screen 630, along with a message to support the collection and delivery work at collection location PL1. When the confirmation button 639 is pressed, the electronic device 20 transmits a message to that effect to the server 100. This allows the server 100 to know that user RU1 has started the collection work. In addition, the server 100 can know the location of user RU1 based on the location information transmitted from the electronic device 20.

[0146] When user RU1 arrives at collection location PL1, server 100 displays information about the packages to be collected and information about people present at the collection location on the input / output unit 27 of electronic device 20. User RU1 then checks and collects packages B1 to B3, then returns to the taxi stop with packages B1 to B3. The package confirmation at the collection location can be performed using various confirmation methods. For example, server 100 can display the same characters, symbols, numbers, images, etc. on both the electronic device at collection location PL1 and electronic device 20, allowing both people present at the collection location and user RU1 to visually confirm the package. Alternatively, server 100 can display specific information on the display unit of either the electronic device at collection location PL1 or electronic device 20, and the specific information can be captured by a camera on the other electronic device and transmitted to server 100, where confirmation processing can be performed. In addition, since the server 100 is aware of both the electronic devices at the collection location PL1 and the electronic device 20, it can use a confirmation method in which it monitors the radio wave strength between the electronic devices at the collection location PL1 and the electronic device 20 and checks whether this radio wave strength has reached a predetermined value or above.

[0147] It is also possible that a collection and delivery box will be installed at the collection and delivery location and that collection and delivery work will be carried out using this collection and delivery box. In this case, collection and delivery work can be carried out using a confirmation method that utilizes short-range communication between the collection and delivery box and electronic device 20.

[0148] 10 shows an example in which the collection and delivery support screen 630 is displayed on the electronic device 20 carried by the user RU1, but it may also be displayed on a display device installed in a taxi. Also, the same or substantially the same display screen may be displayed on both the electronic device 20 and the display device in the taxi.

[0149] 10 shows an example in which a map is displayed on the collection and delivery assistance screen 630 to notify the user RU1 of the collection location PL1, but collection and delivery assistance may be provided by displaying a three-dimensional image or an image using AR (Augmented Reality) on the electronic device 20. Similarly, the screens shown in FIGS. 7 and 8 and the collection and delivery assistance screen 630 may also display a three-dimensional image or an image using AR to provide various types of assistance. Furthermore, audio information may be output to notify the user of the information and provide various types of assistance.

[0150] This embodiment has been described assuming that the user making the collection and delivery request is an individual, but it can also be applied to cases where the collection and delivery request is made by a delivery company or other transport company.

[0151] [Server operation example] Fig. 11 is a flowchart showing an example of vehicle dispatch processing in the server 100. This processing example shows a case where the server 100 receives vehicle dispatch reservation information from the electronic device 20. This processing example is executed by the control unit 130 based on a program stored in the storage unit 110. Fig. 11 will be explained with appropriate reference to the examples shown in Figs. 1 to 10.

[0152] In step S501, the vehicle allocation processing unit 131 receives vehicle allocation reservation information transmitted from the electronic device 20 via the communication unit 120. Upon receiving this vehicle allocation reservation information, the vehicle allocation processing unit 131 executes various vehicle allocation processes according to the vehicle allocation reservation information.

[0153] In step S502, the acquisition unit 132 acquires the declaration information, user characteristic information, and collection and delivery history information associated with the user ID included in the received vehicle dispatch reservation information, as well as the parcel information, vehicle information, and environmental information. Specifically, the acquisition unit 132 acquires the user characteristic information associated with the user ID included in the received vehicle dispatch reservation information from the user characteristic information DB 200 (see FIG. 3) in the storage unit 110. The acquisition unit 132 also acquires the declaration information associated with the user ID included in the received vehicle dispatch reservation information from the declaration information DB 250 (FIG. 4) in the storage unit 110. The acquisition unit 132 also acquires the collection and delivery history information associated with the user ID included in the received vehicle dispatch reservation information from the collection and delivery history information DB 300 (FIG. 5) in the storage unit 110. The acquisition unit 132 also acquires unrequested parcel information from the parcel information DB 400 (FIG. 6) in the storage unit 110. The acquisition unit 132 also acquires vehicle information related to vehicles not currently in transport service from the vehicle information DB in the storage unit 110. The acquisition unit 132 also acquires environmental information about surrounding roads, including the current location of user RU1, from the map DB, which is included in the received vehicle reservation information. This environmental information includes, for example, whether there are stairs, whether there are pedestrian-only roads, and whether there are covered roads. The acquisition unit 132 also acquires environmental information about the weather and temperature in the surrounding area, including the current location of user RU1, which is included in the received vehicle reservation information, from an external source. This environmental information can be acquired, for example, from various websites that provide weather information.

[0154] In step S503, the dispatch processor 131 extracts the boarding and disembarking locations (boarding and disembarking locations) of user RU1 and candidate travel routes from the boarding and disembarking locations. Specifically, the dispatch processor 131 extracts a boarding location that minimizes the travel load from user RU1's current location from among the boarding locations stored in the boarding and disembarking location DB based on the location information (location information related to user RU1's current location) included in the received dispatch reservation information. Furthermore, the dispatch processor 131 extracts a disembarking location that minimizes the travel load from the destination from among the disembarking locations stored in the boarding and disembarking location DB based on the location information (location information related to the destination specified by user RU1) included in the received dispatch reservation information. Note that while this example illustrates extraction of a boarding location and disembarking location that minimizes the travel load for user RU1, it is also possible to extract multiple boarding locations and disembarking locations that minimize the travel load for user RU1 and select and set one boarding location and disembarking location from these boarding locations and disembarking locations based on predetermined conditions. FIG. 9 shows an example in which a boarding place WR1 and a dropping place WR2 are extracted.

[0155] Furthermore, the dispatch processing unit 131 extracts a travel route for the taxi from the boarding location to the disembarking location using the map DB in the storage unit 110. This travel route is, for example, one or more routes from the boarding location to the disembarking location that impose a minimum or nearly minimum travel load on the taxi.

[0156] In step S504, the identification unit 133 determines whether or not there is any parcel to be collected or delivered within a predetermined range from the candidate travel route extracted in step S502. For example, as shown in FIG. 9, it is determined whether or not there is any parcel to be collected or delivered within a predetermined range PR1 for the travel route R1. In the example shown in FIG. 9, since both the collection location and the delivery location for parcels B1 to B10 are within the predetermined range PR1, it is determined that there is any parcel to be collected or delivered within the predetermined range PR1. If multiple candidate travel routes are extracted, it is determined whether or not there is any parcel to be collected or delivered within a predetermined range for each candidate travel route. If there is any parcel to be collected or delivered within a predetermined range from the candidate travel route, the process proceeds to step S520. On the other hand, if there is no parcel to be collected or delivered within a predetermined range from the candidate travel route, the process proceeds to step S505. It is also determined that there is no parcel to be collected or delivered within a predetermined range from the candidate travel route if the received vehicle dispatch reservation information includes information indicating that the dispatched taxi will not be used for collection or delivery. For example, if "No collection / delivery" is selected in the luggage collection / delivery selection area 74 on the vehicle reservation screen 70 shown in FIG. 8, the process proceeds to step S505.

[0157] In step S505, the vehicle allocation processing unit 131 determines that no parcel to be collected or delivered exists within a predetermined range from the candidate travel route, and therefore, the user RU1 does not need to perform collection or delivery work, and the process proceeds to step S514.

[0158] In step S520, the specifying unit 133 executes processing for setting the pickup / delivery allowable upper limit for user RU1. This calculation processing will be described in detail with reference to FIG.

[0159] In step S506, the identification unit 133 determines whether or not any parcels to be collected or delivered that are within a predetermined range from the candidate travel route are within the collection and delivery tolerance limit set in step S520. If any parcels to be collected or delivered are within the collection and delivery tolerance limit, the process proceeds to step S508. On the other hand, if no parcels to be collected or delivered are within the collection and delivery tolerance limit, the process proceeds to step S507.

[0160] In step S507, the vehicle allocation processing unit 131 determines that collection and delivery work by user RU1 is not possible, and the process proceeds to step S514.

[0161] In step S508, the vehicle allocation processing unit 131 extracts vehicles to be allocated and calculates the boarding and alighting times of the user RU1 for each of the extracted vehicles. Specifically, in the process of extracting vehicles to be allocated, the vehicle allocation processing unit 131 extracts taxis that can pick up the user RU1 at the boarding location extracted in step S503. That is, the vehicle allocation processing unit 131 allocates an appropriate taxi from among the multiple taxis 31 to 33 based on the location of the boarding location extracted in step S503. For example, the vehicle allocation processing unit 131 uses location information (location information indicating the current location of the taxi) transmitted from the communication devices 35 to 37 and the map DB in the storage unit 110 to allocate an empty taxi that minimizes the travel load to the boarding location extracted in step S503 (or an empty taxi that can arrive at the boarding location in the shortest time). Then, the vehicle allocation processing unit 131 uses the map DB in the storage unit 110 to extract a travel route from the current location of the allocated taxi to the boarding location.

[0162] In addition, in the process of calculating the boarding and alighting times, a process of calculating the boarding time when the user RU1 boards a taxi at the boarding location and the alighting time when the user RU1 alights from the taxi at the alighting location is executed.

[0163] First, a calculation process is executed for the boarding time when user RU1 boards a taxi at the boarding location. Specifically, the vehicle dispatch processing unit 131 executes a selection process using the map DB in the storage unit 110 to select a travel route from the current location of the taxi extracted in the process of extracting a vehicle to be dispatched to the boarding location extracted in step S503. For example, when there are multiple travel routes from the current location of the extracted taxi to the boarding location, the vehicle dispatch processing unit 131 selects one travel route from the multiple travel routes based on a predetermined condition (e.g., minimum travel load).

[0164] Furthermore, the dispatch processing unit 131 calculates the time at which the taxi will arrive at the boarding location extracted in step S503 (estimated vehicle arrival time). Specifically, the dispatch processing unit 131 calculates the travel time of the taxi to the boarding location and adds that travel time to the current time to calculate the estimated arrival time of the taxi. For example, the dispatch processing unit 131 calculates the travel time of the travel route based on the distance of the travel route to the boarding location and the vehicle speed that is set in advance for that travel route, taking into account the legal speed limit and traffic congestion. Note that the preset vehicle speed may be changed as appropriate based on road conditions (traffic congestion), etc. For example, the travel time can be calculated using the following formula: Travel time of the travel route = distance of the travel route / travel speed

[0165] Furthermore, the dispatch processor 131 executes a selection process to select a walking route from the current location of the user RU1 to the boarding location extracted in step S503, using the map DB in the storage unit 110. For example, if there are multiple walking routes from the current location of the user RU1 to the boarding location, the dispatch processor 131 selects one walking route from the multiple walking routes based on a predetermined condition (for example, minimum travel load).

[0166] Furthermore, the dispatch processor 131 calculates the time at which user RU1 will arrive at the boarding location extracted in step S503 (estimated user arrival time). Specifically, the dispatch processor 131 calculates the walking time to the boarding location for user RU1, and calculates the estimated arrival time for user RU1 by adding the walking time to the current time. For example, the dispatch processor 131 calculates the walking time for the set walking route based on a predetermined general walking speed (walking speed) and the distance of the set walking route. For example, the walking time can be calculated using the following formula: Walking time of a walking route = walking route distance / walking speed

[0167] The preset general walking speed may be appropriately changed based on the user's attributes (gender, adult, child, physical condition) and the walking environment (weather, temperature, presence or absence of slopes, rough roads), etc. For example, if it is known that the user RU1 is in poor physical condition, a lower value of the preset general walking speed may be used. Also, if it is raining, for example, a lower value of the preset general walking speed may be used. The user's attributes can be acquired from the user characteristic information DB 200 (see FIG. 3), and the weather and temperature can be acquired from, for example, various websites that provide weather-related information. The presence or absence of slopes, rough roads, etc. can be acquired from the map DB in the storage unit 110.

[0168] In this way, since the estimated user arrival time and the estimated vehicle arrival time at the boarding location are obtained, the boarding time of user RU1 at the boarding location can be obtained. That is, if the estimated vehicle arrival time is earlier than the estimated user arrival time, the estimated user arrival time becomes the boarding time of user RU1 at the boarding location. On the other hand, if the estimated vehicle arrival time is later than the estimated user arrival time, the estimated vehicle arrival time becomes the boarding time of user RU1 at the boarding location.

[0169] Next, a calculation process is executed for the drop-off time when the user RU1 gets off the taxi at the drop-off location. In this calculation process, the drop-off time is calculated first without taking into account the collection and delivery work by the user RU1. Specifically, the vehicle dispatch processing unit 131 calculates the time when the taxi will arrive at the drop-off location extracted in step S503 (estimated arrival time at the drop-off location). Specifically, the vehicle dispatch processing unit 131 calculates the travel time of the taxi from the boarding location to the drop-off location, and adds this travel time to the above-mentioned taxi boarding time to calculate the estimated arrival time of the taxi at the drop-off location. For example, the vehicle dispatch processing unit 131 calculates the travel time of the travel route from the boarding location to the drop-off location based on the distance of the travel route from the boarding location to the drop-off location and the vehicle speed that is set in advance for that travel route, taking into account the legal speed limit and traffic congestion. The method for calculating this travel time is similar to the method for calculating the travel route to the boarding location described above, so a description thereof will be omitted here.

[0170] Next, the collection and delivery operation time required for the collection and delivery operation by user RU1 is calculated. This collection and delivery operation time refers to the time from when a taxi stops near the collection and delivery location for user RU1 to get off until when user RU1 gets into the taxi and departs after the collection and delivery operation is completed. For ease of explanation, an example is shown in which the collection and delivery operation time is the sum of the travel time according to the travel route from the taxi's stop position near the collection and delivery location to the collection and delivery location and the time required to exchange packages at the collection and delivery location. Note that the time required to exchange packages at the collection and delivery location may be set to a value determined experimentally or a value determined by calculation using computer simulation. Furthermore, a value that is appropriately changed depending on the number of packages to be collected and delivered, the work efficiency at the collection and delivery location, etc. may be set. For example, the time required to exchange packages at the collection and delivery location may be set to a value of, for example, several minutes.

[0171] Furthermore, the travel time according to the travel route from the taxi stop position near the collection / delivery location to the collection / delivery location can be calculated in the same manner as the method for calculating the walking time for the walking route from the current location of user RU1 to the pickup location described above. For example, in the example shown in the lower part of FIG. 10, the route (indicated by arrow marker 635) connecting the taxi stop position (current location marker 634) and collection location PL1 (collection location marker 636) is the walking route of user RU1. Therefore, the travel distance of user RU1 is twice the distance of the walking route between the taxi stop position (current location marker 634) and collection location PL1 (collection location marker 636). Therefore, the collection / delivery operation time at collection location PL1 (collection location marker 636) is calculated based on this travel distance. Specifically, the collection / delivery operation time is calculated using the following formula: Collection and delivery time = walking time according to the route from the taxi stop to the collection and delivery location + time required to exchange luggage at the collection and delivery location

[0172] Furthermore, if there are multiple collection and delivery locations, the collection and delivery operation time is calculated for each collection and delivery location, and the total value of the collection and delivery operation times is obtained.

[0173] Furthermore, the time it takes for the user to transport the package or the work time may be modified based on the size, weight, etc. of the package to be collected or delivered. For example, since it is expected that a heavy or large package will be difficult to transport, the collection and delivery work time calculated using the above formula may be lengthened. In other words, a collection and delivery plan may be created based on the time it will take for user RU1 to transport the package, which is estimated based on the size and weight of the package to be collected or delivered.

[0174] The dispatch processing unit 131 then calculates the taxi drop-off time for user RU1 taking into consideration the collection and delivery work by adding the calculated estimated arrival time at the drop-off location and the calculated collection and delivery work time. If multiple taxi candidates are selected, the dispatch processing unit 131 calculates the taxi drop-off time for user RU1 taking into consideration the collection and delivery work for each of the selected taxis.

[0175] In step S509, the identification unit 133 determines whether a dispatchable taxi is available and whether the delay in the boarding and alighting time is within a predetermined range. If a dispatchable taxi is not available, it will take time to find a new taxi. Therefore, if user RU1 performs a collection and delivery operation, it is expected that the arrival time of user RU1 at the destination will be significantly delayed. Therefore, if a dispatchable taxi is not available, the identification unit 133 does not request user RU1 to perform the collection and delivery operation. Furthermore, for example, depending on the location and environment of the collection and delivery location and its surroundings, the collection and delivery operation may take longer, and it is expected that user RU1's taxi alighting time, taking collection and delivery operation into account, will be significantly later than the alighting time of user RU1 without taking collection and delivery operation into account. In this case, too, it is expected that the arrival time of user RU1 at the destination will be significantly delayed, so collection and delivery operation is not requested from user RU1. Thus, in this embodiment, this determination process is performed to prevent a collection and delivery operation from significantly delaying the arrival time of the user at the destination. Note that the predetermined range may be a fixed value or may be set appropriately for each user. The predetermined range may also be set based on the distance or travel time of travel route R1. For example, it may be set to a value of several percent to several tens of percent of the travel time of travel route R1. If a dispatchable taxi is available and the boarding / alighting time delay is within the predetermined range, the process proceeds to step S510. On the other hand, if a dispatchable taxi is not available or the boarding / alighting time delay is not within the predetermined range, the process proceeds to step S507.

[0176] In addition, the determination process in step S509 to determine whether the delay in boarding and alighting times is within a specified range may be omitted, and the degree of delay in boarding and alighting times may be notified to the user in step S510, allowing the user to determine whether to collect and deliver the package.

[0177] In step S510, the vehicle allocation processing unit 131 executes notification processing for notifying the user of the package collection and delivery request extracted in step S506. For example, the vehicle allocation processing unit 131 transmits to the electronic device 20 collection and delivery support information including collection and delivery plan information for guiding the collection and delivery locations of the packages extracted by the identification unit 133, and the number of packages to be collected at the collection location and the number of packages to be delivered to the delivery location. The control unit 25 of the electronic device 20 that has received the collection and delivery support information displays, on the input / output unit 27 (an example of a display unit), a collection and delivery support screen including the collection and delivery plan information, the number of packages to be collected at the collection location, and the number of packages to be delivered to the delivery location, based on the collection and delivery support information. For example, a collection and delivery approval screen 600 shown in the upper part of FIG. 10 is displayed on the input / output unit 27.

[0178] In step S511, the vehicle dispatch processing unit 131 determines whether or not the user has consented to the collection / delivery request notified in step S510, i.e., whether or not the user has approved. For example, if the approve button 621 is pressed on the collection / delivery approval screen 600 shown in the upper part of FIG. 10, it is determined that the user has consented, and if the reject button 623 is pressed, it is determined that the user has not consented. Note that if the partial approve button 622 is pressed on the collection / delivery approval screen 600, a collection / delivery request for only some of the packages notified in step S510 may be re-notified, or the process may return to step S520 and the extraction process for packages that can be collected and delivered may be executed again. If the user has consented, the process proceeds to step S512. On the other hand, if the user has not consented, the process proceeds to step S507.

[0179] In step S512, the vehicle allocation processing unit 131 allocates a taxi based on the collection and delivery plan corresponding to the collection and delivery request notified in step S510. The vehicle allocation processing unit 131 also transmits instruction information to the communication device of the taxi to drive to the boarding location according to the set collection and delivery plan. That is, when the collection and delivery of the package extracted by the identification unit 133 is approved by the user RU1, the vehicle allocation processing unit 131 outputs a collection and delivery plan of the taxi suitable for the collection and delivery to the allocated taxi.

[0180] In step S513, the vehicle dispatch processing unit 131 executes a notification process for notifying the user RU1 and the assigned taxi of collection and delivery support information including the boarding location and the collection and delivery plan. Specifically, the vehicle dispatch processing unit 131 transmits collection and delivery support information to the electronic device 20, including boarding location information regarding the set boarding location, vehicle information regarding the set taxi, and collection and delivery information regarding the set collection and delivery location, the number of parcels to be collected and delivered, etc. The control unit 25 of the electronic device 20 that has received the collection and delivery support information displays each piece of information included in the collection and delivery support information on the input / output unit 27 (an example of a display unit) based on the collection and delivery support information. The control unit 25 also appropriately changes each piece of information according to the movement of the taxi. For example, as shown in the lower part of FIG. 10, when the taxi arrives near the collection and delivery location, a collection and delivery support screen 630 is displayed on the input / output unit 27.

[0181] In step S514, the vehicle allocation processing unit 131 allocates a taxi based on the plan without collection and delivery. The vehicle allocation processing unit 131 also transmits instruction information to the communication device of the taxi to drive to the boarding location along the set travel route.

[0182] In step S515, the vehicle dispatch processing unit 131 executes a notification process for notifying the user RU1 and the allocated taxi of ride assistance information including the boarding location and the travel route. Specifically, the vehicle dispatch processing unit 131 transmits the ride assistance information including boarding location information about the set boarding location and vehicle information about the set taxi to the electronic device 20. The control unit 25 of the electronic device 20 that has received the ride assistance information causes the input / output unit 27 to display each piece of information included in the ride assistance information based on the ride assistance information. The control unit 25 also appropriately changes each piece of information according to the movement of the taxi.

[0183] In step S516, the vehicle dispatch processing unit 131 records the collection and delivery history of user RU1 in the collection and delivery history information DB 300 (see FIG. 5). In the example shown in FIG. 10, user RU1 performs collection and delivery work at four collection and delivery locations (collection locations PL1 and PL3, and delivery locations DL1 and DL3 shown in FIG. 8), so "4" is recorded in collection and delivery frequency 304. Furthermore, three packages are collected at collection location PL1, two packages are collected at collection location PL3, three packages are delivered at delivery location DL1, and two packages are delivered at delivery location DL3. Therefore, the average value of these values, "2.5," is recorded in number per trip 305. Furthermore, the total distance of the walking route to the four collection and delivery locations (collection locations PL1 and PL3, and delivery locations DL1 and DL3), is recorded in collection and delivery route distance 303. Furthermore, the time period when user RU1 boarded the taxi is recorded in the collection / delivery date and time 302. If there is no collection / delivery, only the collection / delivery date and time 302 is recorded.

[0184] In this way, when a user is permitted to collect or deliver luggage, the vehicle dispatch processing unit 131 generates a taxi collection and delivery plan and controls the movement of taxis based on the collection and delivery plan. Furthermore, the vehicle dispatch processing unit 131 can acquire data on the time it takes the user to transport the luggage based on the size, weight, etc. of the luggage to be collected or delivered, and generate or correct a collection and delivery plan that incorporates the time it takes the user to transport the luggage. Furthermore, the vehicle dispatch processing unit 131 can dispatch a vehicle suitable for the collection work for a user who has been permitted to collect luggage.

[0185] [Example of setting the delivery limit] FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing an example of processing for setting the upper limit of collection and delivery allowance in the server 100. In FIG.

[0186] In step S521, the identification unit 133 determines whether or not the declaration information of user RU1 exists. For example, if the declaration information of user RU1 is stored in the declaration information DB 250 (see FIG. 4) of the storage unit 110, or if the declaration information is included in the vehicle dispatch reservation information, it is determined that the declaration information of user RU1 exists. If the declaration information of user RU1 exists, the process proceeds to step S522. On the other hand, if the declaration information of user RU1 does not exist, the process proceeds to step S523.

[0187] In step S522, the identification unit 133 determines a threshold value for the amount of luggage that can be collected and delivered using the declared information. This threshold value means the maximum amount of luggage that user RU1 can carry. For example, the threshold value for the amount of luggage that can be collected and delivered is determined based on the size and weight of the luggage, the number of luggage at the collection and delivery location, the number of collection and delivery locations, and the like, entered in each input field 82 on the vehicle dispatch reservation screen 80 shown in FIG. 8. For example, if user RU1 declares that the weight of the luggage is within 5 kg, 5 kg is set as the threshold value for the luggage weight.

[0188] In step S523, the identification unit 133 determines whether or not collection and delivery history information exists in the collection and delivery history information DB 300 (see FIG. 5). For example, it is possible that immediately after the vehicle dispatch service is started by the server 100, there will be no users who have used the vehicle dispatch service. In this case, there will be no collection and delivery history information in the collection and delivery history information DB 300. If there is collection and delivery history information in the collection and delivery history information DB 300, the process proceeds to step S525. On the other hand, if there is no collection and delivery history information in the collection and delivery history information DB 300, the process proceeds to step S524.

[0189] In step S524, the identification unit 133 determines a threshold value for parcels that can be collected or delivered using the user characteristic information and the environmental information. Specifically, the acquisition unit 132 acquires user characteristic information associated with the user ID included in the vehicle reservation information from the user characteristic information DB 200 (see FIG. 3 ). The acquisition unit 132 also acquires environmental information from an external source or from the storage unit 110. The identification unit 133 then sets a threshold value for parcels that can be collected or delivered based on the user characteristic information. For example, the Labor Standards Act stipulates a limit on the weight that can be handled without a machine. Therefore, a value equal to or less than the stipulated limit can be set as the threshold value. The identification unit 133 then corrects the threshold value set based on the user characteristic information using the environmental information. For example, if it is determined based on the environmental information that there are stairs on the road leading to the collection / delivery location, the threshold value may be lowered to reduce the burden on the parcels to be collected or delivered. If it is determined based on the environmental information that the weather at the collection / delivery location is rainy, the threshold value may be significantly lowered or set to 0, thereby canceling the collection / delivery.

[0190] In step S525, the identification unit 133 determines whether or not collection and delivery history information for user RU1 exists in the collection and delivery history information DB 300 (see FIG. 5). If collection and delivery history information for user RU1 exists in the collection and delivery history information DB 300, the process proceeds to step S526. On the other hand, if collection and delivery history information for user RU1 does not exist in the collection and delivery history information DB 300, the process proceeds to step S527.

[0191] In step S526, the identification unit 133 determines a threshold for parcels that can be collected and delivered using the collection and delivery history information and environmental information of user RU1. Specifically, the acquisition unit 132 acquires collection and delivery history information associated with the user ID included in the vehicle dispatch reservation information from the collection and delivery history information DB 300. The acquisition unit 132 also acquires environmental information from an external source or from the storage unit 110. The identification unit 133 then sets a threshold for parcels that can be collected and delivered based on the collection and delivery history information of user RU1. For example, the maximum value for each item of the collection and delivery history information of user RU1 can be used as the threshold. The identification unit 133 then corrects the threshold set based on the collection and delivery history information of user RU1 using the environmental information. This correction method is the same as the correction method shown in step S524.

[0192] In step S527, the identification unit 133 determines the threshold for parcels that can be collected and delivered using the collection and delivery history information and environmental information of the other users. Specifically, the acquisition unit 132 acquires user characteristic information associated with the user ID included in the vehicle reservation information from the user characteristic information DB 200 (see FIG. 3). Then, the acquisition unit 132 extracts one or more other users whose user characteristics are similar to those of user RU1 based on the user characteristic information, and acquires collection and delivery history information associated with the extracted users from the collection and delivery history information DB 300 (see FIG. 5). The acquisition unit 132 also acquires environmental information from an external source or the storage unit 110. Then, the identification unit 133 sets the threshold for parcels that can be collected and delivered based on the collection and delivery history information of the other users. For example, it is conceivable to calculate an average value for each item of the collection and delivery history information of the other users, and use the maximum value as the threshold. In this way, the threshold for parcels that can be collected and delivered can be set using the collection and delivery history information of other users whose user characteristics are similar to those of user RU1. Then, the specifying unit 133 corrects the threshold value set based on the collection and delivery history information of the user RU1 using the environmental information. This correction method is the same as the correction method shown in step S524.

[0193] In this way, when the identification unit 133 determines that the environmental condition is worse than normal based on the environmental information, it can set each value of the collection and delivery tolerance upper limit determined based on the declaration information, user characteristic information, or collection and delivery history information to a lower value.

[0194] In step S528, the identification unit 133 sets a pickup / delivery allowable upper limit based on the threshold determined in any one of steps S522, S524, S526, and S527 and the pickup / delivery information. For example, each determined threshold can be used as a pickup / delivery allowable upper limit, and each threshold can be corrected as necessary. For example, if the pickup / delivery frequency on the travel route calculated based on the pickup / delivery information is equal to or greater than a predetermined value, or if the pickup / delivery frequency on the travel route is equal to or greater than a predetermined value per predetermined time, each threshold can be set to 0, and pickup / delivery can be disabled.

[0195] [Example of setting the maximum delivery limit] Fig. 13 is a diagram showing an example of setting the allowable upper limit for collection and delivery by the specification unit 133. For ease of explanation, Fig. 13 shows an example of setting the allowable upper limit for the weight of a package during collection and delivery work at one location and the allowable upper limit for the size of a single package based on age, gender, weather, and collection and delivery frequency. Note that age and gender are examples of user information (user characteristic information), weather is an example of environmental information, and collection and delivery frequency is an example of collection and delivery information.

[0196] For example, for Mr. A, a man aged 15 to 64, if the weather is not rainy and the collection and delivery frequency does not exceed three times per 10 minutes, the upper limit for package weight is set to 55 kg and the upper limit for package size is set to 120 size.

[0197] In addition, for Ms. B, a woman aged 15 to 64, if the weather is not rainy and the collection and delivery frequency does not exceed three times per 10 minutes, the upper limit for package weight is set to 30 kg and the upper limit for package size is set to 60 size.

[0198] Additionally, for Mr. C, a man under the age of 15 or over the age of 64, collection and delivery is set to be impossible regardless of gender, weather, or frequency of collection and delivery.

[0199] For Mr. D, a man aged 15 to 64, if it is raining and the collection and delivery frequency does not exceed three times per 10 minutes, the upper limit for package weight is set to 5 kg and the upper limit for package size is set to 60. In other words, if it is raining, a lower threshold value is set compared to Mr. A, who has similar user characteristics.

[0200] For Mr. E, a man aged 15 to 64, collection and delivery is set to be impossible if the collection and delivery frequency exceeds three times per 10 minutes, even if the weather is not rainy. For Mr. A and Mr. B, collection and delivery is also set to be impossible if the collection and delivery frequency exceeds three times per 10 minutes.

[0201] In this manner, in this embodiment, the user's characteristics are taken into consideration to set a range of parcels that the user can collect and deliver (upper limit of parcel collection and delivery), and parcels within that range can be matched to the user. In other words, since the user and parcels to be collected and delivered can be appropriately matched, the success rate of matching can be increased. For example, by taking the user's characteristics into consideration and requesting the collection and delivery of parcels that are suitable for the user, it is possible to prevent inconvenience to the user. Furthermore, for example, it is possible to prevent asking someone who is not physically strong to carry heavy parcels.

[0202] Furthermore, by taking into consideration the characteristics of each user when requesting a package collection or delivery, the matching rate can be increased, thereby shortening the time required to determine the user who will collect or deliver the package. In other words, the calculation load on the control unit 130 in the server 100 can be reduced. Furthermore, by increasing the matching rate in this way, the waiting time of users who have made a collection or delivery reservation can be reduced. This makes it possible to prevent cancellations of collection or delivery reservations and to prevent users from making repeated collection or delivery reservations, thereby reducing the frequency of cancellation processes and repeated collection or delivery processes and reducing the calculation load on the control unit 130 in the server 100.

[0203] In this way, in this embodiment, in a vehicle dispatch service that transports passengers and collects and delivers luggage, and in which passengers can also collect and deliver luggage, collection and delivery efficiency can be improved, and passengers can be appropriately matched with luggage to be collected and delivered according to the passenger's characteristics and the collection and delivery environment.

[0204] In the present embodiment, an example has been shown in which the server 100 executes the vehicle dispatch process in response to a vehicle dispatch reservation and the collection and delivery process in response to a collection and delivery reservation. However, all or part of these processes may be executed by other devices. In this case, an information processing system is configured by the devices that execute part of each of these processes. Also, in the present embodiment, an example has been shown in which the server 100 manages each of the DBs (map DB, customer DB, boarding and alighting location DB, vehicle DB, user characteristic information DB 200, declaration information DB 250, collection and delivery history information DB 300, and package information DB 400) used when executing each of these processes. However, all or part of these DBs may be managed by one or more devices other than the server 100, and the server 100 may acquire and use the DBs managed by the other devices.

[0205] Furthermore, a part (or all) of the information processing system 1 including the functions of the server 100 may be provided by an application that can be provided via the network 10. This application is, for example, SaaS (Software as a Service).

[0206] Furthermore, all or part of the vehicle dispatch processing in response to a vehicle dispatch reservation and the collection and delivery processing in response to a collection and delivery reservation may be executed in the electronic device 20. In this case, the control unit 25 of the electronic device 20 executes all or part of the processing of the vehicle dispatch processing unit 131, the acquisition unit 132, and the identification unit 133 provided in the control unit 130 of the server 100. Furthermore, the storage unit 110 of the electronic device 20 may store some of the above-mentioned DBs (map DB, customer DB, boarding and alighting location DB, vehicle DB, user characteristic information DB 200, declaration information DB 250, collection and delivery history information DB 300, and package information DB 400). When using these DBs, the electronic device 20 may acquire them from an external device and use them.

[0207] For example, personal information of user RU1 may be managed in the electronic device 20 rather than in the server 100, and vehicle dispatch processing in response to a vehicle dispatch reservation and collection and delivery processing in response to a collection and delivery reservation may be executed in the electronic device 20. When all or part of the processes of the server 100 are executed in the electronic device 20 in this way, the electronic device 20 functions as an information processing device.

[0208] Furthermore, for example, the electronic device 20 may access the server 100 that provides the functions of a vehicle dispatch application or a collection and delivery application, receive the provided functions, and display the execution results of the functions transmitted from the server 100 on the browser.

[0209] Each process described in this embodiment is executed based on a program that causes a computer to execute each processing procedure. Therefore, this embodiment can also be understood as an embodiment of a program that realizes the function of executing each process and a recording medium that stores the program. For example, an update process for adding a new function to an information processing device can store the program in the storage device of the information processing device. This makes it possible to cause the updated information processing device to execute each process described in this embodiment.

[0210] [Configuration and Effects of This Embodiment] The server 100 (an example of an information processing device) is an information processing device that executes a vehicle allocation process in response to a vehicle allocation reservation from a user RU1. The server 100 is equipped with an acquisition unit 132 (an example of a luggage information acquisition unit and a user information acquisition unit) that acquires collection and delivery location information (collection location information 403, delivery location information 404) regarding the collection and delivery location of the luggage, and luggage characteristic information (size information 406 to other information 409) regarding the characteristics of the luggage from the luggage information DB 400, and acquires user information regarding user RU1 (user characteristic information, declaration information, collection and delivery history information) from the user characteristic information DB 200, declaration information DB 250, and collection and delivery history information DB 300, an identification unit 133 that identifies luggage that can be collected and delivered by user RU1 who boards the taxi based on the travel route R1 of the taxi (an example of a vehicle) from the boarding location WR1 to the disembarking location WR2 in accordance with the taxi dispatch reservation, the collection and delivery location information, the luggage characteristic information, and the user information, and a dispatch processing unit 131 (an example of an output control unit) that performs processing to output collection and delivery support information for supporting the collection and delivery of the identified luggage from the input / output unit 27 (an example of an output unit) of the electronic device 20. The information processing device according to this embodiment may be realized by the electronic device 20, or may be realized by each device constituting the information processing system 1. Furthermore, the collection and delivery support information may be output by being displayed on a display unit, or may be output by audio output or the like.

[0211] According to this configuration, the user information about user RU1 is used to identify packages that user RU1 can collect and deliver, so that user RU1 can be appropriately matched with packages to be collected and delivered according to the characteristics of user RU1. In other words, packages that can be collected and delivered can be appropriately assigned according to the user using the vehicle dispatch service.

[0212] Furthermore, in the server 100, the identification unit 133 extracts packages whose collection and delivery locations are within a predetermined range PR1 based on the travel route R1 as package candidates that can be collected and delivered by the user RU1, based on the travel route R1 and collection and delivery location information (collection location information 403, delivery location information 404).The identification unit 133 then identifies packages that can be collected and delivered by the user RU1 from among the package candidates, based on package characteristic information (size information 406 to other information 409) related to the package candidate and user information (user characteristic information, declaration information, collection and delivery history information).

[0213] With this configuration, a predetermined range PR1 based on the travel route R1 is used to extract candidate packages that can be collected or delivered by the user RU1, so that appropriate packages that take into consideration the travel load of the user RU1 can be extracted as candidate packages. Furthermore, from among the candidate packages, packages that can be collected or delivered by the user RU1 are identified based on the package characteristic information and user information, so that packages suitable for the user RU1 can be assigned to the user RU1.

[0214] In addition, in the server 100, the identification unit 133 sets a collection and delivery allowance upper limit for user RU1 based on user information (user characteristic information, declaration information, collection and delivery history information), and based on package characteristic information regarding the package candidates (from size information 406 to other information 409), identifies packages within the collection and delivery allowance upper limit from the extracted package candidates as packages that can be collected and delivered by user RU1.

[0215] According to this configuration, the delivery allowance upper limit is set based on the user information of user RU1, so that packages suitable for user RU1 can be allocated to user RU1.

[0216] Furthermore, in server 100, acquisition unit 132 (an example of a user information acquisition unit) acquires, as user information, at least one of user characteristic information regarding the characteristics of user RU1, declaration information which is information declared by user RU1 regarding collection and delivery, and collection and delivery history information which is history information regarding collection and delivery performed by user RU1 in the past. Furthermore, when declaration information is acquired as user information, identification unit 133 sets a collection and delivery tolerance upper limit for user RU1 based on the declaration information. Furthermore, when declaration information is not acquired but collection and delivery history information is acquired, identification unit 133 sets a collection and delivery tolerance upper limit for user RU1 based on the collection and delivery history information. Furthermore, when declaration information and collection and delivery history information are not acquired but only user characteristic information is acquired, identification unit 133 sets a collection and delivery tolerance upper limit for user RU1 based on the user characteristic information.

[0217] According to this configuration, an appropriate upper limit of the collection and delivery tolerance can be set based on appropriate information acquired as user information.

[0218] In addition, in the server 100, the specifying unit 133 sets the allowable collection and delivery upper limit using environmental information relating to the environment around the collection location and the delivery location.

[0219] According to this configuration, it is possible to set a more appropriate collection / delivery allowance upper limit in consideration of the surrounding environment of the collection location and the delivery location.

[0220] In addition, in the server 100, the identification unit 133 sets the collection and delivery allowable upper limit using collection and delivery information including the distance from when the user RU1 gets off the taxi (vehicle) for collection and delivery to the collection location or delivery location, the frequency of collection and delivery on the travel route R1 (collection and delivery frequency), the number of packages to be collected at the same collection location, and the number of packages to be delivered to the same delivery location.

[0221] According to this configuration, it is possible to set a more appropriate upper limit for collection and delivery in consideration of the collection and delivery information.

[0222] Furthermore, in the server 100, the user characteristic information includes at least one of the age of the user RU1, the health condition of the user RU1, the state of the motor function of the user RU1, and the clothing of the user RU1 at the time of the vehicle dispatch reservation. When the user characteristic information is acquired as the user information, the identification unit 133 does not set a collection / delivery allowable upper limit and sets collection / delivery as impossible if the age of the user RU1 is outside the range from 15 years old (an example of a first predetermined age) to 64 years old (an example of a second predetermined age), the health condition of the user RU1 is outside the standard (for example, in poor health or injury), the state of the motor function of the user RU1 is outside the standard (for example, if the exercise frequency of the user is low), or the clothing of the user RU1 at the time of the vehicle dispatch reservation is inappropriate for collection / delivery (for example, if the user RU1 is wearing a dress).

[0223] According to this configuration, the age, health condition, motor function status, and clothing at the time of vehicle reservation of user RU1 are taken into consideration, and if these meet predetermined conditions, collection and delivery is set as unavailable, so that appropriate vehicle dispatch processing can be performed according to the user. can.

[0224] Furthermore, in the server 100, the user characteristic information includes the age of the user RU1. When setting the collection and delivery allowance upper limit for the user RU1 based on the user characteristic information, if the age of the user RU1 is within the range from 15 years old (an example of a first predetermined age) to 64 years old (an example of a second predetermined age) and the age of the user RU1 is higher than a reference value (for example, about 40 to 60 years old), the specification unit 133 sets the collection and delivery allowance upper limit to a value lower than that of a user whose age is lower than the reference value.

[0225] According to this configuration, an appropriate upper limit for collection and delivery allowance can be set even for relatively older users.

[0226] In addition, in the server 100, when the collection and delivery of the package identified by the identification unit 133 is approved by the user RU1, the dispatch processing unit 131 (an example of an output control unit) notifies the taxi (vehicle) of a collection and delivery plan for a vehicle suitable for the collection and delivery.

[0227] According to this configuration, the taxi can be moved according to the package collection and delivery plan approved by the user RU1.

[0228] Furthermore, the server 100 creates a collection and delivery plan according to the time it will take for the user RU1 to transport the package, which is estimated based on the size and weight of the package to be collected and delivered.

[0229] According to this configuration, an appropriate collection and delivery plan can be created based on the size and weight of the parcel to be collected and delivered.

[0230] Furthermore, in the server 100, the vehicle dispatch processing unit 131 (an example of an output control unit) displays, on the input / output unit 27 (an example of a display unit) that is visible to the user, a collection and delivery support screen 630 including guidance information for guiding the collection location and delivery location of the packages identified by the identification unit 133, the number of packages to be collected at the collection location, and the number of packages to be delivered to the delivery location. For example, the collection and delivery support screen 630 shown in FIG. 10 is displayed on the input / output unit 27.

[0231] According to this configuration, the user RU1 can easily grasp the collection and delivery locations of the packages, the number of packages to be collected at the collection location, the number of packages to be delivered to the delivery location, and the like.

[0232] The information processing method according to this embodiment is an information processing method for executing a vehicle dispatch process in response to a vehicle dispatch reservation from user RU1. This information processing method includes a luggage information acquisition step (step S502) for acquiring collection / delivery location information regarding a luggage collection location and a delivery location and luggage characteristic information regarding luggage characteristics, a user information acquisition step (step S502) for acquiring user information regarding user RU1, an identification step (steps S504, S506, S520) for identifying luggage that can be collected and delivered by user RU1 who will be riding in the taxi, based on a travel route R1 of the taxi (an example of a vehicle) from a boarding location WR1 to a dropping location WR2 in response to the vehicle dispatch reservation, the collection / delivery location information, the luggage characteristic information, and the user information, and an output control step (step S513) for causing the input / output unit 27 (an example of an output unit) of electronic device 20 to output collection / delivery support information for supporting the collection and delivery of the identified luggage. Furthermore, the program according to this embodiment is a program for causing a computer to realize a vehicle dispatch processing function for realizing such vehicle dispatch processing, and is a program for causing a computer to execute each of these processing procedures (steps S502, S504, S506, S513, S520).

[0233] According to these configurations, the user information about the user RU1 is used to identify packages that the user RU1 can collect and deliver, so that the user RU1 can be appropriately matched with packages to be collected and delivered according to the characteristics of the user RU1. In other words, packages that can be collected and delivered can be appropriately assigned according to the user using the vehicle dispatch service.

[0234] The information processing system 1 is an information processing system including an electronic device 20 (an example of a first device) that requests a vehicle dispatch reservation to a destination using wireless communication, and a server 100 (an example of a second device) that executes vehicle dispatch processing in response to the vehicle dispatch reservation from the electronic device 20. The server 100 includes an acquisition unit 132 (an example of a baggage information acquisition unit and a user information acquisition unit) that acquires collection and delivery location information regarding a package collection location and a delivery location, and baggage characteristic information regarding baggage characteristics, and acquires user information regarding a user RU1 who owns the electronic device 20; an identification unit 133 that identifies a package that can be collected and delivered by the user RU1 who will be riding in the taxi, based on the taxi travel route R1 from the boarding location WR1 to the disembarking location WR2 in accordance with the vehicle dispatch reservation, the collection and delivery location information, the baggage characteristic information, and the user information; and a vehicle dispatch processing unit 131 (an example of a transmission control unit) that transmits collection and delivery support information to the electronic device 20 to support the collection and delivery of the identified package. The electronic device 20 also includes an input / output unit 27 (an example of a display unit) that displays the collection and delivery support information transmitted from the server 100.

[0235] According to this configuration, the user information about user RU1 is used to identify packages that user RU1 can collect and deliver, so that user RU1 can be appropriately matched with packages to be collected and delivered according to the characteristics of user RU1. In other words, packages that can be collected and delivered can be appropriately assigned according to the user using the vehicle dispatch service.

[0236] Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the above embodiments merely illustrate some of the application examples of the present invention, and it is not intended that the technical scope of the present invention be limited to the specific configurations of the above embodiments. [Explanation of symbols]

[0237] 1 Information processing system, 10 Network, 20, 41-44 Electronic device, 21 Memory unit, 22 Communication unit, 23 Location information acquisition unit, 24 Input unit, 25 Control unit, 26 Output unit, 27 Input / output unit, 28 Image acquisition unit, 100 Server, 110 Memory unit, 120 Communication unit, 130 Control unit, 131 Vehicle dispatch processing unit, 132 Acquisition unit, 133 Identification unit, 35-37 Communication equipment

Claims

1. An information processing device that executes vehicle allocation processing in response to a vehicle allocation reservation from a user, a package information acquisition unit that acquires collection and delivery location information relating to a package collection location and a delivery location, and package characteristic information relating to characteristics of the package; a user information acquisition unit that acquires user information related to the user; an identification unit that identifies parcels that can be collected and delivered by the user who gets on the vehicle, based on the vehicle's travel route from the boarding location to the disembarking location that is set in accordance with the vehicle dispatch reservation, the collection and delivery location information, the parcel characteristic information, and the user information; a vehicle dispatch processing unit that calculates a drop-off time for the user to drop off from the vehicle at the drop-off location based on the user's current location, the travel route, and the current location of a vehicle that is available for dispatch and that is set based on the boarding location; calculates, based on the specified collection and delivery locations for the luggage and the travel route, a luggage collection and delivery operation time required for the user to drop off the vehicle after the vehicle has stopped near the collection and delivery locations on the travel route, perform luggage collection and delivery operation, and then board the vehicle and depart; and estimates a delay in the user's drop-off time from the vehicle when the user performs luggage collection and delivery operation based on the drop-off time and the collection and delivery operation time; an output control unit that causes an output unit to output collection and delivery support information for supporting collection and delivery of the specified package, the vehicle dispatch processing unit requests the user to collect and deliver the identified package when there is a vehicle available for dispatch in response to the vehicle dispatch reservation and the delay is within a predetermined range, and does not request the user to collect and deliver the identified package when the delay is outside the predetermined range even if there is a vehicle available for dispatch in response to the vehicle dispatch reservation; Information processing device.

2. 2. The information processing device according to claim 1, The identification unit extracts, based on the travel route and the collection and delivery location information, packages whose collection and delivery locations are within a predetermined range based on the travel route as package candidates that can be collected and delivered by the user, and identifies package candidates that can be collected and delivered by the user based on the package characteristic information and the user information related to the package candidates. Information processing device.

3. 3. The information processing device according to claim 2, the identification unit sets a collection / delivery tolerance upper limit for the user based on the user information, and identifies, from the extracted package candidates, packages within the collection / delivery tolerance upper limit as packages that can be collected and delivered by the user based on the package characteristic information regarding the package candidates. Information processing device.

4. 4. The information processing device according to claim 3, the user information acquisition unit acquires, as the user information, at least one of user characteristic information relating to characteristics of the user, declaration information which is information declared by the user regarding the collection and delivery, and collection and delivery history information which is history information regarding the collection and delivery performed by the user in the past; When the declaration information is acquired as the user information, the specification unit sets the collection and delivery tolerance upper limit for the user based on the declaration information; when the declaration information is not acquired but the collection and delivery history information is acquired, the specification unit sets the collection and delivery tolerance upper limit for the user based on the collection and delivery history information; when the declaration information and the collection and delivery history information are not acquired but only the user characteristic information is acquired, the specification unit sets the collection and delivery tolerance upper limit for the user based on the user characteristic information. Information processing device.

5. 5. The information processing device according to claim 3, The specifying unit sets the collection and delivery allowable upper limit using environmental information related to the surrounding environment of the collection location and the delivery location. Information processing device.

6. 6. The information processing device according to claim 3, The specifying unit sets the collection and delivery allowable upper limit using collection and delivery information including a distance from when the user gets off the vehicle to when the user goes to the collection location or the delivery location for the collection and delivery, a collection and delivery frequency which is the frequency of the collection and delivery along the travel route, the number of packages to be collected at the same collection location, and the number of packages to be delivered to the same delivery location. Information processing device.

7. 5. The information processing device according to claim 4, The user characteristic information includes at least one of the user's age, the user's health condition, the user's motor function condition, and the user's clothing at the time of booking a ride; When the user characteristic information is acquired as the user information, the specifying unit does not set the collection / delivery allowable upper limit and sets collection / delivery impossible when the age of the user is outside the range from a first predetermined age to a second predetermined age, the health condition of the user is outside the standard, the state of the motor function of the user is outside the standard, or the clothing of the user at the time of booking the vehicle dispatch is inappropriate for the collection / delivery. Information processing device.

8. 5. The information processing device according to claim 4, The user characteristic information includes the age of the user, When setting the collection and delivery tolerance upper limit for the user based on the user characteristic information, if the age of the user is within a range from a first predetermined age to a second predetermined age and the age of the user is higher than a reference value, the specification unit sets the collection and delivery tolerance upper limit to a value smaller than that of a user whose age is lower than the reference value. Information processing device.

9. 9. The information processing device according to claim 1, When the collection and delivery of the package identified by the identification unit is approved by the user, the output control unit notifies the vehicle of a collection and delivery plan of a vehicle suitable for the collection and delivery. Information processing device.

10. 10. The information processing device according to claim 9, The collection and delivery plan is created according to a time required for the user to transport the package, which is estimated based on the size and weight of the package to be collected and delivered. Information processing device.

11. 11. The information processing device according to claim 1, the output control unit causes a collection and delivery support screen including guidance information for guiding the collection location and delivery location of the parcel identified by the identification unit, the number of parcels to be collected at the collection location, and the number of parcels to be delivered to the delivery location, to be displayed on a display unit visible to the user; Information processing device.

12. An information processing method for executing a vehicle dispatch process in response to a vehicle dispatch reservation from a user, a package information acquisition step of acquiring collection and delivery location information relating to a package collection location and a delivery location, and package characteristic information relating to characteristics of the package; a user information acquisition step of acquiring user information relating to the user; a specifying step of specifying a package that can be collected and delivered by the user who gets on the vehicle, based on the vehicle's travel route from the boarding location to the disembarking location that is set in accordance with the vehicle dispatch reservation, the collection and delivery location information, the package characteristic information, and the user information; an estimation step of calculating a drop-off time at which the user will drop off the vehicle at the drop-off location based on the user's current location, the travel route, and the current location of a dispatchable vehicle set based on the boarding location, calculating a collection and delivery operation time for the user to drop off the vehicle at the drop-off location based on the specified collection and delivery location of the package and the travel route, after the vehicle has stopped near the collection and delivery location on the travel route and the user has disembarked and completed the package collection and delivery operation, and then estimating a delay in the user's drop-off time from the vehicle when the user will perform the package collection and delivery operation based on the drop-off time and the collection and delivery operation time; a notification step of requesting the user to collect and deliver the identified package when a vehicle available for dispatch in response to the vehicle dispatch reservation is available and the delay is within a predetermined range, and not requesting the user to collect and deliver the identified package when the delay is outside the predetermined range even if a vehicle available for dispatch in response to the vehicle dispatch reservation is available; an output control step of outputting collection and delivery support information for supporting collection and delivery of the specified package from an output unit when requesting collection and delivery of the specified package to the user, Information processing methods.

13. A program for causing a computer to realize a vehicle allocation processing function that executes vehicle allocation processing in response to a vehicle allocation reservation from a user, a package information acquisition step of acquiring collection and delivery location information relating to a package collection location and a delivery location, and package characteristic information relating to characteristics of the package; a user information acquisition step of acquiring user information relating to the user; a specifying step of specifying a package that can be collected and delivered by the user who gets on the vehicle, based on the vehicle's travel route from the boarding location to the disembarking location that is set in accordance with the vehicle dispatch reservation, the collection and delivery location information, the package characteristic information, and the user information; an estimation step of calculating a drop-off time at which the user will drop off the vehicle at the drop-off location based on the user's current location, the travel route, and the current location of a dispatchable vehicle set based on the boarding location, calculating a collection and delivery operation time for the user to drop off the vehicle at the drop-off location based on the specified collection and delivery location of the package and the travel route, after the vehicle has stopped near the collection and delivery location on the travel route and the user has disembarked and completed the package collection and delivery operation, and then estimating a delay in the user's drop-off time from the vehicle when the user will perform the package collection and delivery operation based on the drop-off time and the collection and delivery operation time; a notification step of requesting the user to collect and deliver the identified package when a vehicle available for dispatch in response to the vehicle dispatch reservation is available and the delay is within a predetermined range, and not requesting the user to collect and deliver the identified package when the delay is outside the predetermined range even if a vehicle available for dispatch in response to the vehicle dispatch reservation is available; an output control step of outputting collection and delivery support information for supporting collection and delivery of the specified package from an output unit when requesting collection and delivery of the specified package to the user; A program that causes a computer to execute the following.

14. An information processing system including a first device that requests a vehicle dispatch reservation to a destination using wireless communication, and a second device that executes a vehicle dispatch process in response to the vehicle dispatch reservation from the first device, The second device is a package information acquisition unit that acquires collection and delivery location information relating to a package collection location and a delivery location, and package characteristic information relating to characteristics of the package; a user information acquisition unit that acquires user information about a user who owns the first device; an identification unit that identifies parcels that can be collected and delivered by the user who gets on the vehicle, based on the vehicle's travel route from the boarding location to the disembarking location that is set in accordance with the vehicle dispatch reservation, the collection and delivery location information, the parcel characteristic information, and the user information; a vehicle dispatch processing unit that calculates a drop-off time for the user to drop off from the vehicle at the drop-off location based on the user's current location, the travel route, and the current location of a vehicle that is available for dispatch and that is set based on the boarding location; calculates, based on the specified collection and delivery locations for the luggage and the travel route, a luggage collection and delivery operation time required for the user to drop off the vehicle after the vehicle has stopped near the collection and delivery locations on the travel route, perform luggage collection and delivery operation, and then board the vehicle and depart; and estimates a delay in the user's drop-off time from the vehicle when the user performs luggage collection and delivery operation based on the drop-off time and the collection and delivery operation time; a transmission control unit that transmits collection and delivery support information for supporting collection and delivery of the specified package to the first device, the vehicle dispatch processing unit requests the user to collect and deliver the identified package when there is a vehicle available for dispatch in response to the vehicle dispatch reservation and the delay is within a predetermined range, and does not request the user to collect and deliver the identified package when the delay is outside the predetermined range even if there is a vehicle available for dispatch in response to the vehicle dispatch reservation; The first device includes a display unit that displays the collection and delivery support information transmitted from the second device. Information processing system.

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