Congestion alleviation system, server, and congestion alleviation method

Abstract

This congestion alleviation system (1) comprises: a congestion level determining unit (21) that determines a congestion level of vehicles (50-1, 50-2) on the basis of congestion information about the vehicles (50-1, 50-2), and sets a congestion alleviation target corresponding to the congestion level; and a reward management unit (22) that, when the presence of a mobile terminal (30) held by a user inside a first vehicle determined as congested by the congestion level determining unit (21) is specified, distributes guiding information for encouraging movement toward a second vehicle determined as not congested by the congestion level determining unit (21) to the mobile terminal (30) in accordance with the congestion alleviation target, and when the presence of the mobile terminal (30) in the second vehicle is specified after the distribution of the guiding information, grants a reward to the user.

Description

Congestion alleviation system, server, and congestion alleviation method

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a congestion alleviation system, a server, and a congestion alleviation method for alleviating vehicle congestion.

[0002] Various methods have been proposed for alleviating congestion on train cars. For example, Patent Literature 1 discloses a technology for alleviating congestion on trains by comparing a passenger's boarding position with the position of a destination car to determine whether the passenger has followed guidance information to move to the destination car, and by providing a special benefit to passengers who have followed the guidance information.

[0003] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2021-165114

[0004] However, with the above-mentioned conventional technology, there is a problem in that if guidance information is distributed to all users of a crowded vehicle and all users follow the guidance information, the vehicle to which the users are guided may then become congested, and the originally congested vehicle may become empty.

[0005] The present disclosure has been made in consideration of the above, and aims to provide a congestion alleviation system that can suppress uneven congestion in each train car and alleviate congestion in the cars.

[0006] In order to solve the above-mentioned problems and achieve the objectives, the congestion alleviation system of the present disclosure is characterized by comprising a congestion degree determination unit that determines the congestion degree of a vehicle based on congestion information in the vehicle and sets a congestion alleviation target according to the congestion degree, and a reward management unit that, when it is determined that a mobile terminal held by a user is present in a first vehicle determined to be congested by the congestion degree determination unit, delivers guidance information to the mobile terminal according to the congestion alleviation target, encouraging the user to move to a second vehicle determined to be not congested by the congestion degree determination unit, and grants a reward to the user if it is determined that the mobile terminal is present in the second vehicle after the guidance information has been delivered.

[0007] The congestion alleviation system of the present disclosure has the effect of suppressing uneven congestion in each train car and alleviating congestion in the cars.

[0008] FIG. 1 shows an example of the configuration of a congestion alleviation system according to embodiment 1. FIG. 2 shows an example of the configuration of a mobile terminal according to embodiment 1. FIG. 3 shows an example of congestion information for a train car targeted for congestion alleviation by the congestion alleviation system according to embodiment 1. FIG. 4 shows a sequence diagram illustrating the processing of the congestion alleviation system according to embodiment 1. FIG. 5 shows an example of the configuration of a processing circuit in a server provided in the congestion alleviation system according to embodiment 1, when the processing circuit is realized by a processor and memory. FIG. 6 shows an example of the configuration of a processing circuit in a server provided in the congestion alleviation system according to embodiment 1, when the processing circuit is realized by dedicated hardware. FIG. 7 shows an image of the reward management unit of the congestion alleviation system according to embodiment 2 delivering guidance information to a mobile terminal.

[0009] A congestion alleviation system, a server, and a congestion alleviation method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0010] Embodiment 1. FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example configuration of a congestion alleviation system 1 according to embodiment 1. The congestion alleviation system 1 includes congestion information acquisition units 10-1 and 10-2, a server 20, a mobile terminal 30, and beacon devices 40-1 and 40-2. The server 20 includes a congestion level determination unit 21 and a reward management unit 22. A train 60 is composed of vehicles 50-1 and 50-2. The congestion information acquisition unit 10-1 and the beacon device 40-1 are installed in the vehicle 50-1, and the congestion information acquisition unit 10-2 and the beacon device 40-2 are installed in the vehicle 50-2. In the following description, the congestion information acquisition units 10-1 and 10-2 will be referred to as the congestion information acquisition unit 10 when there is no need to distinguish between them, the beacon devices 40-1 and 40-2 will be referred to as the beacon device 40 when there is no need to distinguish between them, and the vehicles 50-1 and 50-2 will be referred to as the vehicle 50 when there is no need to distinguish between them. In the example of FIG. 1, the train 60 is composed of vehicles 50-1 and 50-2, but it may be composed of three or more vehicles 50. That is, the congestion alleviation system 1 may include three or more congestion information acquisition units 10 and three or more beacon devices 40. Also, in the example of FIG. 1, the congestion alleviation system 1 includes one mobile terminal 30, but in reality it includes multiple mobile terminals 30. The server 20 is assumed to be installed on the ground, but may also be present on the cloud. The mobile terminal 30 is a terminal device held by a user.

[0011] The congestion information acquisition unit 10 acquires congestion information for vehicles 50 (not shown). The congestion information acquisition unit 10 is installed, for example, in each vehicle 50 of the train 60, and acquires congestion information for each vehicle 50. The congestion information acquisition unit 10 acquires congestion information using a load compensation device, a sensor, a camera that photographs the passenger compartment of each vehicle 50, and the like, which are provided in each vehicle 50. The congestion information includes, for example, the congestion rate and the number of passengers. The congestion information acquisition unit 10 transmits the collected congestion information and location information indicating the location of the vehicle 50 to the congestion degree determination unit 21 of the server 20.

[0012] The congestion level determination unit 21 determines the congestion level of the vehicle 50 in which the congestion information acquisition unit 10 is installed, based on the congestion information and location information received from the congestion information acquisition unit 10. For example, if the congestion information exceeds a specified congestion level threshold, the congestion level determination unit 21 determines that the vehicle 50 indicated by the location information is congested, and if the congestion information is less than the specified congestion level threshold, the congestion level determination unit 21 determines that the vehicle 50 indicated by the location information is not congested, i.e., is quiet. The congestion level determination unit 21 determines the congestion level for the congestion information and location information received from all of the congestion information acquisition units 10.

[0013] When a crowded vehicle 50 is found, i.e., when a first vehicle 50 that exceeds a specified congestion threshold is found, the congestion level determination unit 21 sets a congestion reduction target for reducing congestion in the train 60 including the first vehicle. For example, when a train 60 includes a first vehicle 50 with a congestion rate of 90% and a second vehicle 50 that is determined to be not crowded with a congestion rate of 50%, the congestion level determination unit 21 sets the congestion reduction target to 70%, which is the average of the congestion rate of 90% for the first vehicle and the congestion rate of 50% for the second vehicle. Note that the congestion level determination unit 21 may set a value other than the average congestion rate of each vehicle 50 as the congestion reduction target, as long as the congestion in the first vehicle can be reduced and the congestion rate of the second vehicle does not become significantly worse than the original congestion rate of the first vehicle. In this way, the congestion level determination unit 21 determines the congestion level of the vehicle 50 based on congestion information for the vehicle 50 and sets a congestion reduction target according to the congestion level. The congestion level determination unit 21 outputs vehicle congestion level information including the congestion level and information on the vehicle 50 for which the congestion level has been determined, and a congestion relief target to the reward management unit 22.

[0014] The beacon devices 40-1 and 40-2 are location information distribution devices that distribute location information for identifying the vehicle 50 in which they are installed to the mobile terminal 30 held by the user. The beacon devices 40-1 and 40-2 distribute location information to the mobile terminal 30 by a communication method such as, but not limited to, Bluetooth (registered trademark) or Wi-Fi (registered trademark). The beacon devices 40-1 and 40-2 may distribute location information to the mobile terminal 30 by other communication methods. In this embodiment, for convenience of explanation, it is assumed that the beacon device 40-1 is installed in the vehicle 50-1 that is determined to be congested by the congestion degree determination unit 21, and the beacon device 40-2 is installed in the vehicle 50-2 that is determined to be quiet by the congestion degree determination unit 21.

[0015] The mobile terminal 30 is intended to be held by a user riding on the train 60. The mobile terminal 30 may be a dedicated terminal device or a terminal device such as a smartphone installed with an application distributed by the railway operator operating the train 60. When the mobile terminal 30 receives location information distributed from the beacon device 40, the mobile terminal 30 transmits the location information distributed from the beacon device 40 and its own device's identification information to the reward management unit 22. The identification information is a terminal ID (identifier) ​​unique to each mobile terminal 30, such as a Media Access Control (MAC) address, but is not limited thereto. The mobile terminal 30 can communicate with the reward management unit 22 via the Internet or the like, but may also communicate with the reward management unit 22 via a network dedicated by the railway operator or the like. When the mobile terminal 30 receives location information from the beacon device 40, the mobile terminal 30 basically automatically transmits the location information and its own device's identification information to the reward management unit 22. However, the user may be able to change the settings, and the mobile terminal 30 may transmit the location information and its own device's identification information to the reward management unit 22 through a user operation.

[0016] The reward management unit 22 receives location information and identification information from the mobile device 30. The reward management unit 22 determines that the mobile device 30 is present in a vehicle 50 in which a beacon device 40, which is a location information distribution device that distributes location information for identifying the location of the vehicle 50, is installed. When the reward management unit 22 further acquires vehicle congestion level information and a congestion reduction target from the congestion level determination unit 21, the reward management unit 22 determines a target mobile device 30 to which guidance information encouraging the mobile device 30 in the first vehicle indicated by the vehicle congestion level information to move to another second vehicle of the train 60 is to be distributed. The guidance information encourages the mobile device 30 to move from the first vehicle determined to be crowded by the congestion level determination unit 21 to the second vehicle determined to be not crowded by the congestion level determination unit 21. The reward management unit 22 distributes the guidance information to the determined target mobile device 30. The reward management unit 22 grants a reward to a user who moves in accordance with the guidance information. The reward management unit 22 may distribute, together with the guidance information, reward information regarding a reward to be obtained by moving. The reward management unit 22 grants the user, as a reward, for example, a coupon that can be used at facilities within the premises of a station where the train 60 stops or within a specified range from the station. The reward management unit 22 may grant the user, as a reward, a coupon based on at least one of the user's attribute information registered to enable the use of rewards and the usage history of rewards previously granted to the user. In this way, when the reward management unit 22 determines that the mobile device 30 held by the user is in a first car determined to be crowded by the congestion level determination unit 21, the reward management unit 22 distributes, to the mobile device 30, guidance information encouraging the user to move to a second car determined to be uncrowded by the congestion level determination unit 21 in accordance with the congestion reduction goal. When the reward management unit 22 determines that the mobile device 30 is in the second car after distributing the guidance information, the reward management unit 22 grants the user a reward.

[0017] The following describes the configuration of the mobile terminal 30. Fig. 2 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of the mobile terminal 30 according to embodiment 1. The mobile terminal 30 includes a communication unit 31, a communication unit 32, a display unit 33, and a control unit 34.

[0018] The communication unit 31 is a first communication unit that receives location information distributed from the beacon device 40, which is a location information distribution device that distributes location information for identifying the vehicle 50 in which the device is installed. The communication unit 31 performs wireless communication with the beacon device 40 using a communication method such as Bluetooth or Wi-Fi, as described above. The communication unit 32 is a second communication unit that performs wireless communication with the server 20, specifically the reward management unit 22, which is capable of granting rewards to users who own the device. The display unit 33 displays information obtained from the server 20, specifically the reward management unit 22.

[0019] The control unit 34 controls the communication unit 32 to transmit location information and identification information of the user's own terminal to the reward management unit 22 of the server 20. The control unit 34 also controls the display unit 33 to display guidance information received from the reward management unit 22 of the server 20, which encourages the user to move to another second vehicle. If the user moves to another second vehicle after the guidance information is displayed on the display unit 33 and the communication unit 31 receives location information distributed from a beacon device 40, which is a location information distribution device of the other second vehicle, the control unit 34 controls the communication unit 32 to transmit the location information of the other second vehicle as a destination and the identification information of the user's own terminal to the reward management unit 22 of the server 20. This allows the control unit 34 to obtain a reward from the reward management unit 22 of the server 20 via the communication unit 32.

[0020] In this embodiment, if the reward management unit 22 of the server 20 distributes the guidance information to all mobile devices 30 in the first vehicle, and all users who have checked the guidance information on the mobile devices 30 move to the second vehicle, the second vehicle will become crowded and the first vehicle will become vacant. Therefore, the reward management unit 22 determines, for example, the number of mobile devices 30 equal to the number of people desired to move from the first vehicle to the second vehicle as the mobile devices 30 to which the guidance information will be distributed. In this way, the reward management unit 22 can avoid a situation in which the second vehicle, where the user is moving, becomes crowded and the first vehicle, where the user originally rode, becomes vacant.

[0021] When the congestion in the first vehicle is alleviated by the movement of the user holding the mobile terminal 30 to which the guidance information was delivered, the reward management unit 22 may grant the user who moved a reward based on the difference between the congestion level after the alleviation and the congestion alleviation target. That is, the reward management unit 22 may grant a reward to a user who moves from the first vehicle to the second vehicle after the delivery of the guidance information, based on the difference between the congestion level after the delivery of the guidance information and the congestion alleviation target. For example, if the congestion rate of the first vehicle is 90%, the congestion rate of the second vehicle is 50%, and the congestion level determination unit 21 has set a congestion alleviation target of 70%, the reward management unit 22 may grant a larger reward when the congestion rate of the first vehicle becomes 70% as a result of the user moving from the first vehicle to the second vehicle than when the congestion rate of the first vehicle becomes 80% as a result of the user moving from the first vehicle to the second vehicle. By changing the reward granted to the user in this way, the reward management unit 22 can encourage users to move more proactively. In order to allow the user holding the mobile terminal 30 that has delivered the guidance information to understand current congestion information, the reward management unit 22 may also periodically deliver real-time congestion information of the first vehicle to the mobile terminal 30 that has delivered the guidance information. In this way, the reward management unit 22 allows the user holding the mobile terminal 30 that has delivered the guidance information to check the transition of the congestion information of the first vehicle, thereby making the user aware of how many more vehicles need to move from the first vehicle to the second vehicle in order to earn a larger reward, and encouraging the user to actively move to the second vehicle.

[0022] Furthermore, if there are multiple first cars, the reward management unit 22 may distribute guidance information encouraging users to move to a different second car to each of the mobile devices 30 targeted for distribution in each first car. Figure 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of congestion information for cars 50-1 to 50-4 of a train 60 targeted for congestion relief by the congestion relief system 1 according to embodiment 1. Figure 3 illustrates an example in which congestion information for each car 50 is expressed as a congestion rate, with the congestion rate for car 50-1 being 30%, the congestion rate for car 50-2 being 90%, the congestion rate for car 50-3 being 80%, and the congestion rate for car 50-4 being 40%. In Figure 3, the number of circles within cars 50-1 to 50-4 represents the degree of congestion within the car 50, with the greater the number of circles, the more crowded the car 50. For simplicity's sake, in Figure 3, one circle represents a user who owns a mobile device 30, and the symbol for the mobile device 30 is assigned, but the same applies to the other circles. In such a case, if the reward management unit 22 distributes guidance information to the mobile devices 30 in the cars 50-2 and 50-3, encouraging them to move to the same car 50, the destination car 50 will become congested. Therefore, the reward management unit 22 distributes guidance information to encourage them to move to car 50-1 to the number of mobile devices 30 in the car 50-2 that corresponds to a congestion rate of 30%. Furthermore, the reward management unit 22 distributes guidance information to encourage them to move to car 50-4 to the number of mobile devices 30 in the car 50-3 that corresponds to a congestion rate of 20%. In this way, the reward management unit 22 can alleviate congestion in the congested car 50 while eliminating uneven congestion within the train 60.

[0023] In the example of FIG. 1 , the congestion alleviation system 1 includes a beacon device 40 mounted on the vehicle 50 of the train 60. However, a beacon device 40 that transmits location information for identifying the station may also be installed at stations where the train 60, including the first vehicle, stops. In this case, upon receiving the location information, the mobile device 30 of a user waiting for the train 60 at the station transmits the location information and its own device identification information to the reward management unit 22. As a result, the reward management unit 22 can transmit guidance information encouraging the user waiting for the train 60 to board the second vehicle to the mobile device 30. This allows the reward management unit 22 to encourage users waiting for the train 60 at the station to refrain from boarding the crowded first vehicle and board the uncrowded second vehicle, thereby preventing the first vehicle from becoming more crowded. If the beacon device 40 is installed in a facility outside the vehicle 50, such as a station, the reward management unit 22 may grant a reward to a user who moves to a facility outside the vehicle 50, such as a station. In this case, the mobile terminal 30 receives location information of the vehicle 50 in which the beacon device 40 is installed, transmits first identification information indicating that the user is present in the first vehicle to the reward management unit 22, displays guidance information distributed from the reward management unit 22 to the user, and transmits second identification information to the reward management unit 22 indicating that the user who displayed the guidance information is present in the second vehicle or in a facility outside the vehicle 50, thereby being able to obtain a reward from the reward management unit 22.

[0024] Furthermore, if the congestion level of the first vehicle does not reach the congestion reduction target even after a pre-determinable period (e.g., five minutes) has elapsed since the delivery of the guidance information, the reward management unit 22 may determine a mobile device 30 to which the guidance information is to be delivered from among the mobile devices 30 in the first vehicle to which the guidance information has not yet been delivered. That is, the reward management unit 22 may deliver the guidance information to a mobile device 30 in the first vehicle to which the guidance information has not yet been delivered. If a specified period has elapsed since the delivery of the guidance information, the reward management unit 22 determines that the user holding the mobile device 30 to which the guidance information was first or last delivered has no intention of moving in accordance with the guidance information, and determines a mobile device 30 to which the guidance information is to be delivered next from among the mobile devices 30 in the first vehicle to which the guidance information has not previously been delivered. The reward management unit 22 may repeatedly deliver the guidance information to the mobile devices 30 to which the guidance information has not previously been delivered. This allows the reward management unit 22 to increase opportunities to improve the congestion level of the first vehicle.

[0025] 4 is a sequence diagram showing the processing of the congestion alleviation system 1 according to embodiment 1. The congestion information acquisition unit 10 acquires congestion information of the installed vehicle 50 (step S101). The congestion information acquisition unit 10 transmits the acquired congestion information and location information to the congestion level determination unit 21 (step S102).

[0026] The congestion level determination unit 21 determines the congestion level of the vehicle 50 in which the congestion information acquisition unit 10 is installed based on the congestion information and location information received from the congestion information acquisition unit 10, and determines whether the vehicle 50 in which the congestion information acquisition unit 10 is installed is congested (step S103). If the congestion level determination unit 21 determines that the vehicle 50 is not congested (step S103: No), it repeatedly executes the process of step S103 based on the congestion information and location information received from the congestion information acquisition unit 10. If the congestion level determination unit 21 determines that the vehicle 50 is congested (step S103: Yes), it sets a congestion relief target (step S104) and requests the reward management unit 22 to provide a reward (step S105). The congestion level determination unit 21 transmits the vehicle congestion level information for the location determined to be congested and the vehicle congestion level information for the location determined to be uncongested, together with the congestion relief target, to the reward management unit 22 as a reward provision request (step S106). The congestion level determination unit 21 may determine that locations other than those determined to be congested are quiet, and may not transmit vehicle congestion level information for locations determined to be quiet.

[0027] When the reward management unit 22 receives the vehicle congestion level information and the congestion alleviation target from the congestion level determination unit 21, it sets a congestion alleviation achievement condition based on the congestion alleviation target (step S107). For example, if the congestion alleviation target is set as a congestion rate, the reward management unit 22 sets the congestion alleviation achievement condition to a congestion rate equivalent to the congestion alleviation target. The reward management unit 22 selects a method for providing guidance information and a type of reward to be given to the user when congestion alleviation is achieved (step S108). The method for providing guidance information may, for example, be which second vehicle the user should be moved to from each first vehicle when there are multiple first vehicles. The reward management unit 22 may select the type of reward according to the user's attributes, as described above.

[0028] The beacon device 40-1 distributes the location information to the mobile terminal 30 of the user who is riding in the first vehicle in which it is installed (step S109). The mobile terminal 30 transmits the location information distributed from the beacon device 40-1 and the identification information of its own terminal to the reward management unit 22 (step S110).

[0029] When the reward management unit 22 receives the location information and the identification information from the mobile terminal 30, it determines whether the mobile terminal 30 that transmitted the location information and the identification information is a target for distribution of the guidance information (step S111). As described above, the reward management unit 22 does not target the mobile terminals 30 of all users riding in the first vehicle. Therefore, when the reward management unit 22 receives location information and identification information from many mobile terminals 30 in the first vehicle, it determines which mobile terminals 30 to distribute the guidance information to and which mobile terminals 30 not to distribute the guidance information to. The reward management unit 22 may randomly select the mobile terminals 30 to distribute the guidance information to, or may store the identification information of the mobile terminals 30 to which or not to distribute the guidance information last time and prioritize the mobile terminals 30 to which the guidance information was not previously distributed. Furthermore, when the reward management unit 22 can determine the location of the mobile terminal 30, i.e., the user, within the vehicle 50 based on the location information received from the mobile terminal 30, it may prioritize the selection of a mobile terminal 30 located closer to a door in the vehicle 50, which is easier to move around, over a mobile terminal 30 located farther from the door. The reward management unit 22 distributes, as guidance information, to the mobile device 30 to which a reward is to be granted, a reward grant determination result indicating that the mobile device 30 is eligible for a reward, a congestion relief guide indicating the second vehicle to which the mobile device 30 is to be moved, and the congestion relief achievement condition under which the reward is to be granted (step S112). Note that, as described above, the reward management unit 22 may also distribute real-time congestion information, etc.

[0030] The mobile device 30 displays to the user information such as the congestion relief guidance and congestion relief achievement conditions acquired from the reward management unit 22. The user checks the information displayed on the mobile device 30 and moves to the second vehicle indicated in the congestion relief guidance (step S113). The beacon device 40-2 of the second vehicle to which the user has moved distributes location information to the user's mobile device 30 (step S114). The mobile device 30 transmits the location information distributed from the beacon device 40-2 and the identification information of the mobile device to the reward management unit 22 (step S115). As described above, when the mobile device 30 receives location information from the beacon device 40-2, it basically automatically transmits the location information and the identification information of the mobile device to the reward management unit 22. However, if the user changes the settings and the mobile device 30 transmits the location information and the identification information of the mobile device to the reward management unit 22 by the user's operation, the user can transmit to the reward management unit 22 that they have moved in accordance with the guidance information.

[0031] Upon receiving the location information and identification information from the mobile device 30, the reward management unit 22 records the user of the mobile device 30 that transmitted the location information and identification information, i.e., the user who moved according to the guidance information (step S116). If the set congestion relief achievement condition is not met, i.e., congestion relief has not been achieved (step S117: No), the reward management unit 22 waits to receive location information and identification information from another user's mobile device 30. If the set congestion relief achievement condition is met, i.e., congestion relief has been achieved (step S117: Yes), the reward management unit 22 grants a reward to the recorded user who moved (step S118). The reward management unit 22 transmits a reward to the mobile device 30 that transmitted the location information and identification information (step S119). This allows the mobile device 30 to receive the reward (step S120). In the example of FIG. 4 , the reward assumed in the processing of steps S118 to S120 is assumed to be a coupon that can be used at stores within the station. For example, if the reward is points that can be used in a point service, electronic money, or the like, the reward management unit 22 may perform a reward granting process on a server (not shown) that manages the point service, electronic money, or the like, and may send a notification indicating that the reward has been granted to the mobile terminal 30. Furthermore, the reward may be limited game content, limited character, or the like that is set according to the attributes of the user.

[0032] Next, the hardware configuration of the congestion alleviation system 1 according to the first embodiment will be described. In the congestion alleviation system 1, the congestion information acquisition unit 10 is a device such as a sensor or a camera, as described above. The mobile terminal 30 is a smartphone or the like with an application installed, as described above. The beacon device 40 is a wireless device that distributes location information. The congestion level determination unit 21 and the reward management unit 22, i.e., the server 20, are realized by a processing circuit. The processing circuit may be a memory that stores a program and a processor that executes the program stored in the memory, or may be dedicated hardware. The processing circuit is also called a control circuit.

[0033] FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of the processing circuit 90 of the server 20 included in the congestion alleviation system 1 according to the first embodiment, when the processing circuit is realized by a processor 91 and a memory 92. The processing circuit 90 illustrated in FIG. 5 is a control circuit and includes a processor 91 and a memory 92. When the processing circuit 90 is configured with the processor 91 and the memory 92, each function of the processing circuit 90 is realized by software, firmware, or a combination of software and firmware. The software or firmware is written as a program and stored in the memory 92. The processing circuit 90 realizes each function by having the processor 91 read and execute the program stored in the memory 92. That is, the processing circuit 90 includes the memory 92 for storing a program that results in the processing of the server 20 being executed. This program can also be said to be a program that causes the server 20 to execute each function realized by the processing circuit 90. This program may be provided by a storage medium on which the program is stored, or by other means such as a communication medium.

[0034] The above program can also be said to be a program that causes the server 20 to execute the following steps: a first step in which the congestion level determination unit 21 determines the congestion level of the vehicle 50 based on the congestion information in the vehicle 50 and sets a congestion alleviation target according to the congestion level; and a second step in which the reward management unit 22, when it is determined that the mobile terminal 30 held by the user is present in a first vehicle determined to be congested by the congestion level determination unit 21, delivers guidance information to the mobile terminal 30 in accordance with the congestion alleviation target, encouraging the user to move to a second vehicle determined to be not congested by the congestion level determination unit 21, and grants a reward to the user if it is determined that the mobile terminal 30 is present in the second vehicle after the guidance information is delivered.

[0035] Here, the processor 91 is, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a processing device, an arithmetic unit, a microprocessor, a microcomputer, or a DSP (Digital Signal Processor), etc. The memory 92 is, for example, a non-volatile or volatile semiconductor memory such as a RAM (Random Access Memory), a ROM (Read Only Memory), a flash memory, an EPROM (Erasable Programmable ROM), or an EEPROM (Electrically EPROM), a magnetic disk, a flexible disk, an optical disk, a compact disk, a minidisk, or a DVD (Digital Versatile Disc).

[0036] FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of the processing circuit 93 when the processing circuit of the server 20 included in the congestion alleviation system 1 according to the first embodiment is implemented using dedicated hardware. The processing circuit 93 illustrated in FIG. 6 may be, for example, a single circuit, a composite circuit, a programmed processor, a parallel programmed processor, an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array), or a combination thereof. The processing circuit 93 may be partially implemented using dedicated hardware and partially implemented using software or firmware. In this way, the processing circuit 93 can realize each of the above-described functions using dedicated hardware, software, firmware, or a combination thereof.

[0037] As described above, according to the present embodiment, in the congestion alleviation system 1, the server 20 distributes guidance information to the mobile devices 30 of some of the users riding in the first car determined to be congested, encouraging them to move to another second car, and awards a reward to the users who move in accordance with the guidance information. In this way, the congestion alleviation system 1 can alleviate congestion in the crowded first car and prevent the second car, to which the users are transferred, by guiding the necessary number of users to move to alleviate congestion. The congestion alleviation system 1 can suppress uneven congestion among the cars 50 of the train 60 and alleviate congestion in the cars 50.

[0038] Second Embodiment In a second embodiment, a case will be described in which the reward management unit 22 does not distribute guidance information according to the attributes of the user.

[0039] In the second embodiment, the configuration of the congestion alleviation system 1 is the same as the configuration of the congestion alleviation system 1 in the first embodiment shown in FIG. 1 . As described above, a user can acquire a mobile device 30 by installing an application distributed by the railway operator that operates the train 60 on their smartphone or other device. At this time, when the user registers user attribute information, etc., in the congestion alleviation system 1 to enable rewards, the user can exclude the mobile device 30 from the distribution of guidance information. For example, by inputting or checking attributes such as being pregnant, traveling with a child, using a wheelchair, being physically disabled, being visually impaired, or being hearing impaired, the reward management unit 22 excludes the mobile device 30 of a user with the aforementioned attributes from the distribution of guidance information.

[0040] 7 is a diagram illustrating an example in which the reward management unit 22 of the congestion alleviation system 1 according to the second embodiment distributes guidance information to the mobile terminal 30. In FIG. 7, the mobile terminals 30-1 to 30-4 are the same as the mobile terminals 30 according to the first embodiment. In this manner, the reward management unit 22 can determine whether or not to distribute guidance information to the mobile terminal 30 based on the attributes of the user who owns the mobile terminal 30. The mobile terminal 30 may transmit the user attribute information only at the time of initial registration, or may transmit the user attribute information each time the location information and identification information are transmitted.

[0041] The configurations shown in the above embodiments are merely examples, and may be combined with other known technologies, or different embodiments may be combined with each other. It is also possible to omit or modify parts of the configurations as long as they do not deviate from the gist of the invention.

[0042] 1 Congestion alleviation system, 10-1, 10-2 Congestion information acquisition unit, 20 Server, 21 Congestion degree determination unit, 22 Reward management unit, 30, 30-1 to 30-4 Mobile terminal, 31, 32 Communication unit, 33 Display unit, 34 Control unit, 40-1, 40-2 Beacon device, 50-1 to 50-4 Vehicle, 60 Train.

Claims

1. a congestion degree determination unit that determines a congestion degree of the vehicle based on congestion information in the vehicle and sets a congestion alleviation target according to the congestion degree; a reward management unit that, when it is determined that a portable terminal held by a user is present in a first vehicle determined to be crowded by the congestion degree determination unit, delivers guidance information to the portable terminal in accordance with the congestion alleviation goal, encouraging the user to move to a second vehicle determined to be not crowded by the congestion degree determination unit, and, when it is determined that the portable terminal is present in the second vehicle after the delivery of the guidance information, grants a reward to the user; Equipped with When there are a plurality of the first vehicles, the reward management unit distributes the guidance information encouraging the user to move to a different second vehicle to each of the mobile terminals that are distribution targets of each of the first vehicles. A congestion relief system.

2. a location information distribution device that distributes location information for identifying a station at which a train including the first car stops is installed; the mobile terminal of the user waiting for the train at the station transmits the location information to the reward management unit upon receiving the location information; the reward management unit distributes the guidance information encouraging the user to board the second car to the mobile terminal of the user who is waiting for the train at the station.

2. The congestion relief system according to claim 1 .

3. When the congestion degree of the first vehicle does not reach the congestion alleviation target even after a preset period has elapsed since the delivery of the guidance information, the reward management unit delivers the guidance information to the portable terminals in the first vehicle to which the guidance information has not been delivered.

2. The congestion relief system according to claim 1 .

4. the reward management unit determines whether or not to deliver the guidance information to the user based on attributes of the user who owns the mobile terminal; 2. The congestion relief system according to claim 1 .

5. the reward management unit determines that the mobile terminal is present in the vehicle in which a location information distribution device that distributes location information for identifying a location of the vehicle is installed; 2. The congestion relief system according to claim 1 .

6. the mobile terminal receives location information of the vehicle in which the location information distribution device is installed, transmits first identification information indicating that the user is in the first vehicle to the reward management unit, displays the guidance information distributed from the reward management unit to the user, transmits second identification information to the reward management unit indicating that the user who displayed the guidance information is in the second vehicle or in a facility outside the vehicle, and acquires the reward from the reward management unit.

6. The congestion relief system according to claim 5.

7. A congestion degree determination unit that determines a congestion degree of the vehicle based on congestion information in the vehicle and sets a congestion alleviation target according to the congestion degree; a reward management unit that, when it is determined that a portable terminal held by a user is present in a first vehicle determined to be crowded by the congestion degree determination unit, delivers guidance information to the portable terminal in accordance with the congestion alleviation goal, encouraging the user to move to a second vehicle determined to be not crowded by the congestion degree determination unit, and, when it is determined that the portable terminal is present in the second vehicle after the delivery of the guidance information, grants a reward to the user; Equipped with When the congestion degree of the first vehicle does not reach the congestion alleviation target even after a preset period has elapsed since the delivery of the guidance information, the reward management unit delivers the guidance information to the portable terminals in the first vehicle to which the guidance information has not been delivered. A congestion relief system.

8. A location information distribution device is installed at a station where a train including the first car stops, the location information distribution device distributing location information for identifying the station, the mobile terminal of the user waiting for the train at the station transmits the location information to the reward management unit upon receiving the location information; the reward management unit distributes the guidance information encouraging the user to board the second car to the mobile terminal of the user who is waiting for the train at the station.

8. The congestion relief system according to claim 7.

9. The reward management unit determines whether or not to deliver the guidance information based on an attribute of the user who holds the mobile terminal.

8. The congestion relief system according to claim 7.

10. The reward management unit determines that the mobile terminal is present in the vehicle in which a location information distribution device that distributes location information for identifying a location of the vehicle is installed.

8. The congestion relief system according to claim 7.

11. The mobile terminal receives location information of the vehicle in which the location information distribution device is installed, transmits first identification information indicating that the user is present in the first vehicle to the reward management unit, displays the guidance information distributed from the reward management unit to the user, transmits second identification information to the reward management unit indicating that the user who displayed the guidance information is present in the second vehicle or in a facility outside the vehicle, and obtains the reward from the reward management unit.

11. The congestion relief system according to claim 10.

12. A server that wirelessly communicates with a mobile terminal that receives location information distributed from a location information distribution device that distributes vehicle location information and transmits the location information and identification information of the mobile terminal, a congestion degree determination unit that determines a congestion degree of the vehicle based on congestion information in the vehicle and sets a congestion alleviation target according to the congestion degree; a reward management unit that, when it is determined that a portable terminal held by a user is present in a first vehicle determined to be crowded by the congestion degree determination unit, delivers guidance information to the portable terminal in accordance with the congestion alleviation goal, encouraging the user to move to a second vehicle determined to be not crowded by the congestion degree determination unit, and, when it is determined that the portable terminal is present in the second vehicle after the delivery of the guidance information, grants a reward to the user; Equipped with When there are a plurality of the first vehicles, the reward management unit distributes the guidance information encouraging the user to move to a different second vehicle to each of the mobile terminals that are distribution targets of each of the first vehicles. A server comprising:

13. A server that wirelessly communicates with a mobile terminal that receives vehicle position information distributed from a position information distribution device that distributes the vehicle position information and transmits the vehicle position information and identification information of the mobile terminal, a congestion degree determination unit that determines a congestion degree of the vehicle based on congestion information in the vehicle and sets a congestion alleviation target according to the congestion degree; a reward management unit that, when it is determined that a portable terminal held by a user is present in a first vehicle determined to be crowded by the congestion degree determination unit, delivers guidance information to the portable terminal in accordance with the congestion alleviation goal, encouraging the user to move to a second vehicle determined to be not crowded by the congestion degree determination unit, and, when it is determined that the portable terminal is present in the second vehicle after the delivery of the guidance information, grants a reward to the user; Equipped with When the congestion degree of the first vehicle does not reach the congestion alleviation target even after a preset period has elapsed since the delivery of the guidance information, the reward management unit delivers the guidance information to the portable terminals in the first vehicle to which the guidance information has not been delivered. A server comprising:

14. A first step in which a congestion degree determination unit determines a congestion degree of a vehicle based on congestion information in the vehicle and sets a congestion alleviation target according to the congestion degree; a second step of a reward management unit delivering, in accordance with the congestion alleviation goal, guidance information to the portable terminal encouraging the user to move to a second vehicle determined to be uncrowded by the congestion level determination unit when it is determined that the portable terminal held by the user is in a first vehicle determined to be crowded by the congestion level determination unit, and granting a reward to the user when it is determined that the portable terminal is in the second vehicle after the delivery of the guidance information; Including, In the second step, when there are a plurality of the first vehicles, the reward management unit distributes the guidance information encouraging the user to move to a different second vehicle to each of the mobile terminals that are distribution targets of each of the first vehicles. A congestion alleviation method.

15. A first step in which a congestion degree determination unit determines a congestion degree of the vehicle based on congestion information in the vehicle and sets a congestion alleviation target according to the congestion degree; a second step of a reward management unit delivering, in accordance with the congestion alleviation goal, guidance information to the portable terminal encouraging the user to move to a second vehicle determined to be uncrowded by the congestion level determination unit when it is determined that the portable terminal held by the user is in a first vehicle determined to be crowded by the congestion level determination unit, and granting a reward to the user when it is determined that the portable terminal is in the second vehicle after the delivery of the guidance information; Including, When the congestion degree of the first vehicle does not reach the congestion alleviation target even after a preset period has elapsed since the delivery of the guidance information, the reward management unit delivers the guidance information to the portable terminals in the first vehicle to which the guidance information has not been delivered. A congestion alleviation method.