Information processing device

Abstract

To improve the convenience of services for renting a moving vehicle.SOLUTION: An information processor receives reservations to use a moving vehicle, and includes a communication unit and a control unit. The communication unit is capable of communicating with a user terminal possessed by a user. The control unit presents to the user, via the communication unit, a first group of locations that can be used as rental and return locations for the moving vehicle. When the control unit receives a designation from the user of a desired area that does not include the first group of locations for at least any of the rental and return locations, the control unit presents a designated location that is different from the first group of locations in the user's desired area.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0006] , ,

[0001] This disclosure relates to an information processing apparatus.

Background Art

[0002] In a service for renting out a moving body, a system has been proposed in which a user can select a rental location and a return location of the moving body from the presented candidates (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] However, in the prior art, the places that can be selected when specifying the rental location and the return location of the moving body may be limited, and there is room for improvement in the flexibility of the user's selection of the rental location and the return location.

[0005] In view of such circumstances, an object of the present disclosure is to improve the convenience of a service for renting out a moving body.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] An information processing device according to one embodiment of the present disclosure that solves the above problems is an information processing device for receiving reservations for the use of a mobile device, and is characterized by comprising: a communication unit capable of communicating with a user terminal possessed by a user; and a control unit that, via the communication unit, presents to the user a first group of locations that can be used as a lending location and a return location for the mobile device, and when the user specifies a desired area that does not include the first group of locations for at least one of the lending location and the return location, presents a designated location different from the first group of locations that is included in the user's desired area. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to this disclosure, it is possible to improve the convenience of services that rent out mobile devices. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0008] [Figure 1] This block diagram shows a schematic configuration of a system according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 2] This diagram illustrates an example of matching users' reservation requests. [Figure 3] This is a diagram illustrating an example of a vehicle dispatch plan. [Figure 4] This diagram illustrates one example of a method for determining a designated location based on the user's preferred area. [Figure 5] This is a sequence diagram showing an example of a vehicle reservation procedure. [Figure 6] This flowchart shows an example of a process performed by the control unit of an information processing device. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0009] Hereinafter, one embodiment of this disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0010] (Overall system configuration) System 1 according to one embodiment of this disclosure includes an information processing device 10 and a plurality of user terminals 20. The information processing device 10 and the user terminals 20 are configured to communicate with each other via a network 30, which includes, for example, the Internet and a mobile communication network. System 1 may further include a plurality of rental vehicles 40. The vehicles 40 may be configured to communicate with each other via the network 30.

[0011] The information processing device 10 is, for example, a server device, a computer such as a PC (Personal Computer), or a general-purpose or dedicated electronic device. The information processing device 10 may also be a server belonging to a cloud computing system. The information processing device 10 can accept reservations for the use of vehicles 40 in a service that rents out vehicles such as car sharing. The information processing device 10 may determine the schedule of the rental vehicles 40 in response to reservation requests from users.

[0012] Vehicle 40 is an example of a mobile object. Vehicle 40 is, for example, a passenger car, but is not limited to this and may be any vehicle 40. Vehicle 40 is, for example, a gasoline car, an electric vehicle (BEV; Battery Electric Vehicle), a hybrid vehicle (HEV; Hybrid Electric Vehicle), a plug-in hybrid vehicle (PHEV; Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle), or a fuel cell vehicle (FCEV; Fuel Cell Electric Vehicle), but is not limited to these. Vehicle 40 may also be an autonomous vehicle. An autonomous vehicle is, for example, a vehicle capable of autonomous driving at any level from Level 1 to 5 as defined by the SAE (Society of Automotive Engineers). Vehicle 40 may periodically and repeatedly transmit information of its current location to the information processing device 10. Vehicle 40 may be configured to receive digital key information from the information processing device 10 for the user to unlock the vehicle using the user terminal 20. Vehicle 40 is not an essential component of System 1. In one embodiment, the information processing device 10 only handles the acceptance of reservations with the user terminal 20 and does not need to monitor the operation of the vehicle 40.

[0013] The user terminal 20 is any electronic device used by the user. For example, general-purpose electronic devices such as PCs, smartphones, and tablet devices, or dedicated electronic devices, can be used as the user terminal 20. The user terminal 20 has functions such as inputting, outputting, storing, transmitting and receiving information, and displaying information. The user terminal 20 may store an application program corresponding to the vehicle rental service 40. By launching the application program on the user terminal 20, the user can reserve the use of the vehicle 40 according to the application program.

[0014] (Configuration of information processing device) As shown in Figure 1, the information processing device 10 comprises a control unit 11, a storage unit 12, and a communication unit 13.

[0015] The control unit 11 includes at least one processor, at least one dedicated circuit, or a combination thereof. The processor is a general-purpose processor such as a CPU (central processing unit) or a dedicated processor specialized for specific processing. While controlling each part of the information processing device 10, the control unit 11 executes processing related to the operation of the information processing device 10. In the following, the processing executed by the control unit 11 may be described as being executed by the information processing device 10. Each of the processing executed by the information processing device 10 can be rephrased as the processing executed by the control unit 11.

[0016] The storage unit 12 includes at least one semiconductor memory, at least one magnetic memory, at least one optical memory, or a combination of at least two of these. The storage unit 12 functions as, for example, a main storage device, an auxiliary storage device, or a cache memory. Programs and data used for the operation of the information processing device 10 and data obtained by the operation of the information processing device 10 are stored in the storage unit 12. The information stored in the storage unit 12 may be updated with information acquired from the network 30 via the communication unit 13, for example.

[0017] The storage unit 12 may store information on a first group of locations provided for lending and returning the vehicle 40, and the vehicle allocation plan for each lending vehicle 40.

[0018] The first group of locations includes, for example, bases such as the offices of the business operators who lend the vehicle 40, and parking spaces specifically secured by the business operators for the lending vehicles 40. The first group of locations preferably includes regularly secured parking spaces. The first group of locations is presented to the user as options for the lending location and the return location when the user attempts to reserve the vehicle 40. The vehicle allocation plan includes the schedule information of the lending vehicle 40. The schedule information includes the scheduled information of the lending date and time, the lending location, the return date and time, and the return location of the vehicle 40.

[0019] The vehicle allocation plan may be sequentially updated with the latest information by the control unit 11. The control unit 11 may determine whether there is a vehicle 40 available for lending in response to a reservation request from a user based on the vehicle allocation plan for each vehicle 40. When there is a vehicle 40 available for lending, the control unit 11 can accept a reservation for lending the vehicle 40 to the user. When accepting a reservation from a user, the control unit 11 updates the vehicle allocation plan for the vehicle 40.

[0020] The storage unit 12 can store, as the second group of locations, locations available for lending and returning the vehicle 40 in addition to the locations in the first group. The second group of locations may be temporarily stored in the storage unit 12 as available locations. The second group of locations includes, for example, parking lots with time restrictions for use, and parking lots at the business premises of other registered operators or private residences. Thus, the second group of locations includes locations with restricted availability. By storing locations with restricted availability in the storage unit, the information processing device can provide a lending location or a return location to the user according to the situation even at locations where availability is not always ensured. The storage unit 12 does not necessarily store all of the second group of locations. For example, the control unit 11 may be configured to be able to obtain information on the second group of locations from outside the information processing device 10 via the communication unit 13.

[0021] The communication unit 13 includes at least one external communication interface connected to the network 30. The external communication interface may be either a wired communication or a wireless communication interface.

[0022] Note that the information processing device 10 in FIG. 1 of the present embodiment may further include an input unit and an output unit. That is, in addition to receiving (inputting) and transmitting (outputting) information via the communication unit 13, the information processing device 10 may perform input and output of information by the input unit and the output unit.

[0023] The functions of the information processing device 10 are realized by executing a program relating to the method of this disclosure on a processor corresponding to the control unit 11. In other words, the functions of the information processing device 10 are realized by software. The program causes the computer to function as the information processing device 10 by having the computer execute the operations of the information processing device 10. In other words, the computer functions as the information processing device 10 by executing the operations of the information processing device 10 according to the program.

[0024] In this embodiment, the program can be recorded on a computer-readable recording medium. The computer-readable recording medium includes non-temporary computer-readable media. Examples of non-temporary computer-readable media include magnetic recording devices, optical discs, magneto-optical recording media, or semiconductor memory.

[0025] (Overview of reservation processing) The information processing device 10 accepts vehicle usage reservations for the vehicle 40 from users who possess a user terminal 20. The user uses the application on the user terminal 20 to input the rental time, rental location, return time, and return location for the vehicle 40, and transmits this entered data to the information processing device 10 as reservation request information.

[0026] As an example, the user selects the borrowing and return locations from a group of locations presented using an application on the user terminal 20. The user terminal 20 queries the information processing device 10 and obtains a list of the group of locations stored in the storage unit 12. The user terminal 20 displays the group of locations in a selectable manner on an input / output unit such as a touch panel. The user may select a location from the group of locations by narrowing down the options from the map displayed on the user terminal 20 or by using administrative divisions such as cities or towns.

[0027] The locations for Group 1 are, as mentioned above, the bases of businesses that rent out vehicles 40, or parking spaces reserved specifically for them. Typically, the locations for Group 1 are parking lots that can accommodate a relatively large number of rental vehicles 40.

[0028] The information processing device 10, having received the reservation request information, searches the storage unit 12 for the schedule information of the vehicles 40 stored therein, and searches for the availability of a vehicle 40 that is available for the time period the user wishes to rent and for the user to travel from the desired rental location to the desired return location. If a vehicle 40 is available, the information processing device 10 accepts the user's request to rent the vehicle 40. For example, the information processing device 10 may transmit the available vehicle types and conditions such as fees to the user terminal 20, and when the user operates the user terminal 20 and accepts these conditions, the reservation may be confirmed.

[0029] However, if the locations of Group 1 are not geographically distributed in many places, there may be cases where there are no Group 1 locations near the place where the user wants to rent a vehicle 40, and / or return a vehicle 40. In such cases, the user is forced to travel on their own from the starting point to the Group 1 location, or from the Group 1 location to their destination, which reduces the convenience of the vehicle rental service.

[0030] Therefore, in System 1, the area where the user wishes to rent or return the vehicle 40, other than the locations in Group 1, is designated as the desired area, and when reserving the vehicle 40, the user can input the desired area instead of the locations in Group 1. Furthermore, in System 1, if there is an overlapping area between the desired area where the first user wishes to return the vehicle and the desired area where a second user, different from the first user, wishes to rent the vehicle, the rental of the vehicle 40 is made possible. This method will be explained using Figures 2 and 3.

[0031] As shown in Figure 2, suppose the first user enters a reservation into the user terminal 20 to rent vehicle 40 at location A in the first group at time T1 and return vehicle 40 around station X at time T2. The desired area, such as "around station X," may be pre-stored in the memory unit 12 and configured so that the user can select it from the menu screen of the user terminal 20. The memory unit 12 may pre-store around major stations and around major facilities as options. The desired area may be divided based on administrative divisions such as cities and towns, or it may be divided by distance from landmarks such as stations and buildings.

[0032] When the control unit 11 of the information processing device 10 obtains reservation request information including such desired areas via the communication unit 13, it performs a comparison with other reservation request information. For example, if the control unit 11 finds that the reservation request information of a second user specifies the rental location to be around X Station, it combines (matches) the reservation request information of the first user with the reservation request information of the second user. However, the desired rental time T3 (desired rental time) of the second user must be later than the desired return time T2 (desired return time) of the first user, and the time difference between the return time T2 and the rental time T3 must be within a predetermined time. The predetermined time is a time set in the information processing device 10, and is not limited to, for example, 1 hour, 3 hours, 6 hours, or 12 hours. By appropriately setting the predetermined time, it is possible to improve the efficiency of vehicle utilization and ensure user convenience.

[0033] Next, the control unit 11 extracts locations from the second group. For example, the control unit 11 extracts one or more locations that are available between time T2 and time T3 from the locations of the second group stored in the storage unit 12. The locations of the second group do not need to be stored in the storage unit 12 in advance. For example, the control unit 11 may extract locations where the vehicle 40 can be parked, based on map information, within the overlapping area between the desired area where the first user wishes to return the vehicle and the desired area where the second user wishes to borrow the vehicle. Locations where the vehicle 40 can be parked may include parking lots where unspecified vehicles 40 can be parked, and roads without parking restrictions.

[0034] The control unit 11 may select one location from a plurality of locations in the second group as the designated location. The designated location selected from the plurality of locations in the second group is the location that the control unit 11 designates as the place where the first user returns the vehicle 40 and where the vehicle 40 is lent to the second user.

[0035] When there are multiple locations in the second group, the control unit 11 may select a designated location with safety in mind. For example, the control unit may select a parking lot as a designated location where users can enter or exit without crossing a traffic lane or making a U-turn. The control unit 11 may also select a designated location to avoid parking spaces on the shoulder of a busy road.

[0036] Furthermore, the control unit 11 may determine the designated location taking into consideration parking fees. For example, if there are multiple paid parking lots as locations for the second group, the control unit 11 may select the parking lot with the lowest parking fee as the designated location. The control unit 11 may also calculate the parking fee from the time difference between the first user's desired return time and the second user's desired rental time, and decide whether or not to use a paid parking lot as the designated location. If the control unit 11 determines that it is not profitable, it may decide not to use a paid parking lot. In this way, the profitability of the vehicle rental service can be ensured.

[0037] The control unit 11 transmits the rental schedule, including the designated location, and the terms of use to the respective user terminals 20 of the first and second users via the communication unit 13. If both the first and second users agree, the reservation is confirmed. Upon reservation confirmation, the control unit 11 creates a vehicle dispatch plan for the vehicle 40, including the handover of the vehicle 40 from the first user to the previous second user at the location of the second group.

[0038] Once the reservation is confirmed in this manner, as shown in Figure 3, when it comes time to actually use the vehicle 40, the second user takes over the vehicle 40 that the first user used. In Figure 3, the first user picks up the vehicle 40 at location A in the first group at time T1, and returns the vehicle 40 at a designated location in the second group, which was specified by the information processing device 10 around X Station, at time T2. Subsequently, the second user picks up the vehicle 40 parked at the designated location in the second group at time T3, and returns the vehicle 40 at location B in the first group at time T4.

[0039] Furthermore, during the use of the vehicle 40, users are not required to take any special procedures when lending or returning the vehicle 40. For example, the information processing device 10 sends different digital keys to the user terminals 20 of the first user and the second user. The lending of the vehicle 40 may begin when the user unlocks the vehicle 40 using the digital key. The return of the vehicle 40 may be completed when the user gets out of the vehicle 40 at the return location and locks the vehicle 40. After the vehicle has been returned by the first user, the lending to the second user may begin when the second user unlocks the vehicle 40 using the digital key. The first user and the second user do not need to have direct contact with each other.

[0040] In the above explanation, it is assumed that the desired area is predetermined and stored in the memory unit 12. However, the method of specifying the desired area is not limited to this. The desired area can also be defined as an area within a predetermined distance range centered on a specific facility or a location represented by coordinates, etc. The predetermined distance can be, for example, 100m, 300m, 500m, or 1km, but is not limited to these. For example, as shown in Figure 4, the desired return area A1 for the first user can be within a radius of 1km centered on location P1, which is represented by a dashed line. The desired borrowing area A2 for the second user can be within a radius of 1km centered on location P2, which is represented by a dashed line. The control unit 11 can select a location P3 in the second group from a plurality of second group locations stored in the memory unit 12 as the designated location, which is located within the overlapping area of ​​the first user's desired return area A1 and the second user's desired borrowing area A2.

[0041] (Vehicle rental reservation procedure) Figure 5 shows an example of the procedure for confirming a reservation for vehicle 40 using System 1. In the following description, the user terminals 20 used by the first user and the second user will be referred to as user terminal 20A and user terminal 20B, respectively.

[0042] In the example shown in Figure 5, the second user reserves the vehicle 40 using the user terminal 20B before the first user. First, the second user launches the application (S101). The second user inputs the desired date, time, and location for picking up and returning the vehicle 40. When inputting the pick-up and return locations, the second user operates the user terminal 20B to search for the first group of locations stored in the storage unit 12 of the information processing device 10 (S102). The information processing device 10 presents information on the first group of locations in response to the search from the user terminal 20B (S103). The application provides the second user with a user interface for selecting the first group of locations. For example, if the second user selects a local government such as a prefecture or city, the application may display the first group of locations located within that local government on a map.

[0043] If the second user does not find a suitable location for borrowing or returning items among the first group of locations presented via the application, the second user specifies a desired area as the borrowing or return location. In the example in Figure 5, the second user specifies the desired borrowing area (S104). The desired borrowing area is the area that the second user wishes to borrow. The information about the desired area may be specified by searching for information previously registered in the storage unit 12 of the information processing device 10, by specifying the central location of the area on the application of the user terminal 20, or by any other method.

[0044] The second user completes the input of the desired date, time, and location for borrowing and returning the vehicle 40 on the user terminal 20B, and then performs an operation to request a reservation. As a result, the user terminal 20B transmits the reservation request information to the information processing device 10 (S105).

[0045] The information processing device 10, having received reservation request information from the second user's user terminal 20B, determines whether it can confirm the reservation according to the second user's reservation request information. In the example in Figure 5, since there are no other users' reservation requests that include a return request area that matches the second user's loan request area, the second user's reservation request information is added to the waiting list and stored in the storage unit 12 (S106).

[0046] Next, the first user makes a reservation for vehicle 40 using the user terminal 20A. First, the first user launches the application (S107). The first user, like the second user, enters the desired date, time, and location for picking up and returning vehicle 40. When entering the pick-up and return locations, the first user operates the user terminal 20A to search for the first group of locations stored in the storage unit 12 of the information processing device 10 (S108). The information processing device 10 presents the information for the first group of locations in response to the search from the user terminal 20A (S109).

[0047] The first user, finding no convenient location among the first group of locations presented via the application, specifies a desired return area as the return location (S110). The desired return area is the area to which the first user wishes to return the item. Information about the desired return area can be specified in the same manner as information about the desired borrowing area.

[0048] The first user completes the input of the desired date, time, and location for borrowing and returning the vehicle 40 on the user terminal 20A, and then performs an operation to request a reservation. As a result, the user terminal 20A transmits the reservation request information to the information processing device 10 (S111).

[0049] The information processing device 10, having received reservation request information from the first user's user terminal 20A, determines whether it can confirm the reservation according to the first user's reservation request information. In the example in Figure 5, the information processing device 10 selects reservation request information from the reservation waiting list stored in the storage unit 12 that includes a loan request area that matches the first user's return request area (S112). Here, a match between the return request area and the loan request area means that the two areas overlap at least partially. At least partially overlapping areas also includes areas that match.

[0050] The information processing device 10 extracts and selects a second group of locations as designated locations from the area where the first user's desired return area and the second user's desired borrowing area overlap. The information processing device 10 transmits information about the selected second group of locations (designated locations) to the user terminal 20A used by the first user and the user terminal 20B used by the second user (S113, S114). The information about the second group of locations is presented to the first user and the second user by the user terminals 20A and 20B.

[0051] If the first user and the second user agree to the proposed locations in Group 2 (designated locations), information approving the locations in Group 2 is transmitted from the user terminals 20A and 20B to the information processing device 10 (S115, S116).

[0052] Upon receiving approval from the first and second users, the information processing device 10 confirms the reservation of the vehicle 40 (S117). The information processing device 10 then creates a confirmed vehicle dispatch plan.

[0053] To facilitate matching between users, the requested loan and return areas listed on the reservation waiting list may be made viewable by other users. For example, when the first user attempts to specify a return location, the user terminal 20A of the first user may display that there is another user who has set their requested loan area to the area around X Station. This allows the first user to easily set the area around X Station as their desired return area.

[0054] (Processing performed by the information processing device) Referring to Figure 6, the procedure for information processing performed by the control unit 11 of the information processing device 10 according to this embodiment will be described.

[0055] When a user reserves the rental of a vehicle 40 using the user terminal 20, the control unit 11 provides the user with various information in response to the user's operation of the user terminal 20. The control unit 111 transmits information of a first group of locations that the user can select as the location for picking up and returning the vehicle 40 (S201). The user can select the location for picking up and returning the vehicle 40 from a plurality of first group locations.

[0056] Next, the information processing device 10 obtains the user's reservation request information (S202).

[0057] The information processing device 10 checks whether the lending and return locations included in the reservation request information received from the user terminal 20 are only those in the first group (S203).

[0058] If both the lending location and return location of the user's reservation request information are in the first group of locations (S203: Yes), the control unit 21 can proceed to processing S207.

[0059] If either the lending location or the return location specified in the user's reservation request information is not a location in the first group (S203: No), that is, if the user has specified a desired area for at least one of the lending location or the return location, the control unit 11 proceeds to processing S204.

[0060] The control unit 11 searches the reservation waiting list in the storage unit 12 and searches for reservation request information that can be combined with the reservation request information obtained in S202 (S204). If there is an overlap between the return request area of ​​the first user and the loan request area of ​​the second user, and the return time of the first user and the loan time of the second user are within a predetermined time range, it can be determined that the reservation requests of both users can be combined.

[0061] In S204, if there are combinations of available reservations on the waiting list (S204: Yes), the control unit 11 searches for a location in the second group that lies within the overlapping area of ​​the first user's desired return area and the second user's desired borrowing area, and presents it to the user as the designated location (S205). If there are multiple locations in the second group, the control unit 11 may select one of the second group locations and present it to the user.

[0062] The control unit 11 obtains information from the user terminal 20 indicating whether the user has approved the use of the designated location (S206). If both the first and second users have approved the use of the designated location (S206: Yes), the control unit 11 proceeds to S207. If at least one of the first or second users has not approved the use of the designated location (S206: No), the control unit 11 returns to S204.

[0063] If there are no available combinations for the waiting list in S204 (S204: No), the control unit 11 asks the first user if they would like to be added to the waiting list until the reservation is confirmed (S208). If the first user replies that they would like to be added to the waiting list (S208: Yes), the control unit 11 adds the first user's reservation request information to the waiting list (S209) and terminates the process. If the first user replies that they would not like to be added to the waiting list (S208: No), the control unit 11 may terminate the process as the reservation is unsuccessful.

[0064] In the flowchart of Figure 6, if a combination of the first user and other users is not found (S204: No), the control unit 11 may ask the first user again whether they wish to use the locations in group 1. Alternatively, the control unit 11 may secure a reservation for the first user for the use of the locations in group 1, add the reservation request information to the reservation waiting list, and suggest waiting for other users to make a reservation request that allows for a combination.

[0065] Furthermore, the explanation using Figures 5 and 6 assumed that when the first and second users specify a desired area as the borrowing or return location, the desired area does not include locations in Group 1. However, if a user operates the user terminal 20 and specifies an area around a point on the map as their desired area, the desired area may include locations in Group 1. In that case, the information processing device 10 may designate locations in Group 1 as the borrowing or return location and send a message to the user to confirm the reservation. If the user agrees to designate locations in Group 1 as the borrowing or return location, the reservation is confirmed without waiting for matching with other users.

[0066] As described above, according to this embodiment, when lending and returning the vehicle 40, users can use a location in the second group that is closer to their desired location, other than the locations in the first group, thereby improving the convenience of the vehicle lending service. Furthermore, in this embodiment, a location in the second group is designated as a location from within the overlapping area of ​​the return and lending areas desired by the first and second users, and the vehicle can be transferred from the first user to the second user, thus enabling efficient use of the vehicle.

[0067] It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and numerous modifications or alterations are possible. For example, the functions included in each means, step, etc., can be rearranged in a way that is not logically contradictory, and multiple means or steps, etc., can be combined into one or divided.

[0068] In the above embodiment, the first user who later submitted the reservation request information specifies the return area, and the second user who first submitted the reservation request information specifies the borrowing area. However, it goes without saying that the first user may specify the borrowing area and the second user may specify the return area.

[0069] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the reservation is confirmed by matching the reservation request information of at least two users who specify overlapping desired areas. However, matching reservation request information is not a mandatory requirement. For example, when the information processing device 10 receives reservation request information from the first user specifying the desired return area, it may select a location in the second group from the desired return areas and present it to the first user without matching it with other users. In this case, the information processing device 10 may wait for reservation request information from users who wish to rent the vehicle 40 at the locations in the second group until the first user returns the vehicle 40. The information processing device 10 may have the user terminal 20 of the user who wishes to rent the vehicle 40 display information recommending that the vehicle 40 be rented at the location in the second group where the first user returns the vehicle 40. [Explanation of symbols]

[0070] 10 Information Processing Devices 11 Control Unit 12 Storage section 13 Communications Department 20 User terminals 30 Networks 40 vehicles

Claims

1. An information processing device for receiving reservations for the use of a mobile device, A communication unit capable of communicating with the user's terminal, A control unit, via the communication unit, presents to the user a first group of locations that can be used as a lending location and a return location for the mobile device, and when the user specifies a desired area that does not include the locations in the first group for at least one of the lending location and the return location, the control unit presents a designated location different from the locations in the first group that is included in the user's desired area. Equipped with, The control unit, when the area where the first user wishes to return the mobile unit is designated as the return area, and the area where the second user wishes to borrow the mobile unit is designated as the borrowing area, and there is an overlap between the return area and the borrowing area, determines the designated location from within the overlapping area of ​​the return area and the borrowing area, and creates a mobile unit dispatch plan that includes the transfer of the mobile unit from the first user to the second user at the designated location. An information processing device that transmits different digital keys to the first user and the second user.

2. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control unit creates the dispatch plan, including the handover of the mobile vehicle, when the time difference between the first user's desired return time for the mobile vehicle and the second user's desired rental time for the mobile vehicle is within a predetermined time.

3. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control unit determines the designated location taking into consideration safety and parking fees.

4. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a storage unit that stores locations with limited availability as a second group of locations, wherein when the control unit receives a designation of the desired area, it searches for the designated location located in the desired area from the second group of locations stored in the storage unit.

5. The information processing apparatus according to claim 4, wherein when there are a plurality of locations in the second group within the overlapping area of ​​the return area and the loan area, the control unit selects as the designated location a location in the second group from which the moving body can enter or exit without crossing a lane or making a U-turn.

6. Further comprising a storage unit, The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control unit stores in the reservation waiting list of the storage unit one or more of the return request areas of the first user that are not combined with the return request area, and one or more of the loan request areas of the second user that are not combined with the return request area, and the loan request areas and return request areas listed in the reservation waiting list are configured to be viewable from the user terminal.

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