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

Abstract

[Problem] To improve convenience for a user who uses a transfer service. [Solution] This information processing system comprises an acquisition unit that acquires emergency information relating to an emergency request by a requester, and a determination unit that determines, on the basis of each transfer plan for a transfer target by each of a plurality of transfer means, a transfer means for transferring emergency supplies included in the emergency information.

Description

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

[0001] The present invention relates to an information processing system, an information processing device, an information processing method, and a program.

[0002] In recent years, technologies have been developed to enable a transporter who is responsible for a delivery task related to delivery or collection of a package requested by a user to efficiently deliver or collect the package. For example, Patent Literature 1 discloses a technology for acquiring the load capacity of one or more circular flights that circulate between three base stations, and determining whether to change the operation plan of the circular flight based on the acquired load capacity.

[0003] Furthermore, the object being transported (hereinafter sometimes referred to as the "object to be transported") is not limited to luggage. For example, if the transporter is a bus or taxi driver, the object to be transported may also be a person. Furthermore, in recent years, there has been growing interest in mixed transport, which transports both people and luggage, rather than being limited to single transport, which transports only one of people or luggage.

[0004] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2020-52525

[0005] In the transportation of luggage and people as described above, technology that contributes to improving user convenience is desired.

[0006] Therefore, the present invention has been made in consideration of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved information processing system, information processing device, information processing method, and program that can improve the convenience of users who use transportation services.

[0007] In order to solve the above problem, according to one aspect of the present invention, an information processing system is provided, which includes an acquisition unit that acquires emergency information regarding an emergency request from a client, and a determination unit that determines a transportation means to transport emergency goods included in the emergency information based on each transportation plan for the transportation target by each of a plurality of transportation means.

[0008] In addition, in order to solve the above problem, according to another aspect of the present invention, an information processing device is provided, which includes an acquisition unit that acquires emergency information regarding an emergency request by a client, and a determination unit that determines a transportation means to transport emergency goods included in the emergency information based on each transportation plan for the transportation target by each of a plurality of transportation means.

[0009] In addition, in order to solve the above problem, according to another aspect of the present invention, an information processing method executed by a computer is provided, which includes obtaining emergency information regarding an emergency request by a client, and determining a transportation means for transporting emergency goods included in the emergency information based on each transportation plan for the transportation target by each of a plurality of transportation means.

[0010] In addition, in order to solve the above problem, according to another aspect of the present invention, a program is provided that enables a computer to realize an acquisition function for acquiring emergency information regarding an emergency request made by a requester, and a determination function for determining a transportation means for transporting emergency goods included in the emergency information based on each transportation plan for the transportation target by each of multiple transportation means.

[0011] As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to improve convenience for users of transportation services.

[0012] FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram for explaining an overview of an information processing system according to the present embodiment. FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram for explaining an example of the functional configuration of an information terminal 20 according to the present embodiment. FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram for explaining an example of the functional configuration of a server 30 according to the present embodiment. FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram for explaining an example of a transfer plan DS according to the present embodiment. FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram for explaining an example of an application screen for registering an emergency request. FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram for explaining an example of an application screen for registering an emergency request. FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram for explaining an example of the transfer of emergency goods. FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram for explaining an example of the operation processing of the server 30 according to the present embodiment. FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram for explaining an example of the hardware configuration of the server 30 according to the present embodiment.

[0013] The details of the embodiments of the present invention will be listed below. An information processing system according to an embodiment of the present invention has the following configuration. [Item 1] An information processing system comprising: an acquisition unit that acquires emergency information related to an emergency request made by a requester; and a determination unit that determines a transportation means for transporting emergency goods included in the emergency information based on each transportation plan for the transportation object by each of a plurality of transportation means. [Item 2] The information processing system according to item 1, wherein the acquisition unit acquires emergency information registered based on an operation on an application by which the requester requests transportation of the transportation object. [Item 3] The information processing system according to item 2, wherein the emergency information includes location information indicating a destination of the emergency goods. [Item 4] The information processing system according to item 3, wherein the location information indicating the destination of the emergency goods is specified by the requester. [Item 5] The information processing system according to item 4, wherein the location information indicating the destination of the emergency goods is specified by the requester from candidate destinations based on the current location of the requester. [Item 6] The information processing system according to item 3, wherein the location information indicating the destination of the emergency goods includes the current location of the requester. [Item 7] The information processing system of item 2, wherein the emergency information includes information indicating predetermined emergency goods. [Item 8] The information processing system of item 2, wherein the emergency information includes goods information indicating one emergency good selected from a plurality of emergency goods in an application in which the requester requests transportation of the transportation object. [Item 9] The information processing system of item 2, wherein the types of transportation object to be transported by the transportation means include people, luggage, and both people and luggage. [Item 10] The information processing system of item 3, wherein the determination unit determines a transportation means to transport the emergency goods included in the emergency information further based on location information indicating the transportation destination of the emergency goods. [Item 11] The information processing system of item 10, wherein the determination unit preferentially determines, as the transportation means to transport the emergency goods included in the emergency information, a transportation means that is scheduled to transport the transportation object to a position within a predetermined range from the transportation destination of the emergency goods, from among transportation means that have availability in the current time slot included in each transportation plan of the plurality of transportation means.[Item 12] The information processing system according to item 11, wherein, when there is no transportation means available in the current time slot included in each transportation plan of the plurality of transportation means, the determination unit designates one of the plurality of transportation means and modifies the transportation target included in the current time slot of the designated transportation means so as to change it to the emergency goods. [Item 13] The information processing system according to item 12, further comprising: a notification unit that notifies other requesters who have requested transportation of the transportation target that has been changed to the emergency goods, of notification information that the time slot of the transportation target of the other requesters has been changed. [Item 14] The information processing system according to item 13, wherein the notification information includes information regarding a benefit that will be granted when the goods are changed to the emergency goods. [Item 15] The information processing system according to any one of items 2 to 14, wherein the determination unit determines the transportation means that will transport the emergency goods included in the emergency information based on information regarding the emergency goods. [Item 16] The information processing system according to item 15, wherein the determination unit determines the transportation means carrying the emergency goods as the transportation means that will transport the emergency goods included in the emergency information. [Item 17] An information processing device comprising: an acquisition unit that acquires emergency information related to an emergency request made by a requester; and a determination unit that determines a transport means for transporting emergency goods included in the emergency information based on each transport plan for the transport target by each of a plurality of transport means. [Item 18] An information processing method executed by a computer, comprising: acquiring emergency information related to an emergency request made by a requester; and determining a transport means for transporting the emergency goods included in the emergency information based on each transport plan for the transport target by each of a plurality of transport means. [Item 19] A program that causes a computer to realize: an acquisition function that acquires emergency information related to the emergency request made by a requester; and a determination function that determines a transport means for transporting the emergency goods included in the emergency information based on each transport plan for the transport target by each of a plurality of transport means.

[0014] Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In this specification and drawings, components having substantially the same functional configurations are designated by the same reference numerals, and redundant explanations will be omitted.

[0015] <<1. Overview>> <1.1. Background> In recent years, due to a shortage of workers in the automobile transportation industry and a decrease in transportation demand due to population decline, ensuring the sustainability of logistics and delivery services for packages has become an issue in various regions, particularly depopulated areas. This issue also applies to transportation services for people, such as taxis.

[0016] Therefore, there is a growing demand for transportation services that can transport not only people (passengers) or luggage (cargo) separately, but also people and luggage together in a mixed cargo transport of passengers and cargo.

[0017] For example, by using buses (public buses, minibuses, etc.) that have traditionally been used for transporting people to carry both people and luggage, the bus driver can now act as a transporter and provide luggage delivery services in addition to the traditional transportation of people.Furthermore, by using a transport truck that has traditionally been used for luggage delivery services to carry both people and luggage, the truck driver can now act as a transporter and provide transportation services for people in addition to the traditional luggage delivery services.

[0018] In this way, by providing both passenger transport services and cargo delivery services, it is possible to improve the efficiency of the transport of each transport object. Therefore, it is necessary to build a system that can also handle such mixed passenger and cargo transport services.

[0019] Furthermore, nowadays, emergency goods such as AEDs (Automated External Defibrillators) are installed on airplanes, in hotels, and in other public facilities. When an emergency occurs, people in the location where the emergency occurs can use the emergency goods installed near the location to deal with the emergency.

[0020] In addition, it is also conceivable that there may be cases where no emergency goods are installed near the location where an emergency occurs. In such cases, it may be conceivable that a dedicated aircraft (e.g., a drone) carrying emergency goods will head to the location (or its vicinity) where the emergency occurs and transport the emergency goods.

[0021] However, since it becomes necessary to deploy dedicated machines carrying emergency goods in many areas, it becomes necessary to establish a system to manage these dedicated machines, which may result in increased production and management costs.In addition, when no emergency occurs, the dedicated machines will have idle time.

[0022] Therefore, one embodiment of the present invention relates to an information processing system that can improve the convenience of users who use transportation services by providing a mechanism that enables the transportation of emergency goods to the transportation means that transports the transportation objects by mixed cargo and passengers as described above. First, an overview of the information processing system according to this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.

[0023] 1 is an explanatory diagram for explaining an overview of an information processing system according to this embodiment. The information processing system according to this embodiment includes, for example, a mobile object 10, an information terminal 20, and a server 30, as shown in FIG.

[0024] The information terminal 20 and the server 30 are connected to each other via a network. An unmanned mobile body 10B and a server 30, which will be described later, may also be connected to each other via a network.

[0025] (Mobile object 10) The mobile object 10 according to this embodiment is a mobile object used to transport a transportation object or emergency goods. For example, the mobile object 10 is used to transport a transportation object requested by a requester U2. The transportation object here may be, for example, a package L as shown in FIG. 1 , a person (e.g., the requester U2 shown in FIG. 1 ), or both a package and a person (e.g., both the package L and the requester U2 shown in FIG. 1 ).

[0026] For example, if the object to be transported is a package L, the mobile body 10 (or the transporter U1 using the mobile body 10) collects the package L at the transport start location (e.g., house B, a bus stop, base WH, etc.) registered by the requester U2. Then, the mobile body 10 (or the transporter U1 using the mobile body 10) delivers the package L to the transport end location registered by the requester U2.

[0027] Furthermore, when the transportation target is a requester U2, the mobile body 10 (or the transporter U1 using the mobile body 10) picks up the requester U2 at the transportation start location (e.g., house B or a bus stop) registered by the requester U2. Then, the mobile body 10 (or the transporter U1 using the mobile body 10) transports the requester U2 to the transportation end location registered by the requester U2.

[0028] Furthermore, when the objects of transportation are both luggage L and requester U2, the mobile body 10 (or transporter U1 using the mobile body 10) collects (picks up) both the luggage L and requester U2 at the transportation start location registered by the requester U2 (e.g., house B, a bus stop, etc.). Then, the mobile body 10 (or transporter U1 using the mobile body 10) transports the luggage L and requester U2 toward the transportation end location registered by the requester U2. Note that the transportation end location of the luggage L and the transportation end location of the requester U2 may be different locations.

[0029] Furthermore, the transfer start location of the package L does not necessarily have to be registered by the requester U2. For example, if the requester U2 places a shopping order, the base WH (e.g., a warehouse, bus center, store, etc.) where the package L is stored may be automatically set as the transfer start location. Furthermore, the transfer end location of the requester U2 does not necessarily have to be registered by the requester U2. For example, a specific transfer end location (e.g., a specific public transportation stop (including a station), a facility (e.g., a hospital, a government office, etc.)) associated with the area requested by the requester U2 (which may be identified from location information acquired from the requester terminal 20B of the requester U2 or may be set by the requester U2 through a setting operation when using an application related to the system) or a specific transfer end location associated with the transfer time frame (time zone) may be set in advance.

[0030] The moving body 10 also includes a manned moving body 10A used by a transporter U1 transporting the object to be transported.

[0031] For example, the manned vehicle 10A according to this embodiment may be a manned vehicle that travels on land as shown in FIG. 1 (e.g., various types of automobiles such as passenger cars, public buses, microbuses, light trucks, and light vans, as well as motorcycles, bicycles, and kick scooters). However, the manned vehicle 10A is not limited to a manned vehicle. For example, the manned vehicle 10A may be a manned aircraft that flies by air, or a manned ship that travels on a waterway such as a seaway or a river. Furthermore, the manned vehicle 10A is not essential for the transfer operation; for example, the transferee U1 may make the delivery on foot with a cart (e.g., a box cart or a basket cart).

[0032] Furthermore, the mobile body 10 according to this embodiment may include an unmanned mobile body 10B that moves by autonomous control or remote control. For example, the unmanned mobile body 10B may move by autonomous control using input information such as two positions, such as a start point (e.g., a transfer start position of the transfer target or a transfer start position of the unmanned mobile body 10B) and an end point (e.g., a transfer end position of the transfer target), or three or more positions, including a relay point (e.g., a collection position of the baggage L in the case of a transfer involving the collection of the baggage L) and a return point (e.g., a position that is the same as the transfer start position of the unmanned mobile body 10B or a different waiting position). Note that the input information used for autonomous control may also include various information such as other intermediate points and transfer routes.

[0033] Furthermore, the "position" such as the transfer start position or transfer end position may be the ID of a stand such as a bus stop or a drone base (waiting position), or may be information indicating an address, or may be other position information that allows the coordinates or position to be recognized.

[0034] In addition, the unmanned mobile body 10B may be moved by remote control using operation information remotely input by an administrator who manages the unmanned mobile body 10B.

[0035] For example, the unmanned mobile body 10B may be an unmanned aerial vehicle as shown in Fig. 1. Specifically, the unmanned aerial vehicle may be a drone that flies by autonomous control, or may be a UAV (Unmanned Aerial Vehicle) that flies by remote control by an administrator.

[0036] Furthermore, the unmanned mobile body 10B according to this embodiment is not limited to an unmanned aerial vehicle. For example, the unmanned mobile body may be an unmanned vehicle that travels on land, such as an Unmanned Ground Vehicle (UGV), or an unmanned ship that travels on waterways, such as seaways or riverways.

[0037] Furthermore, the mobile body 10 may be a mobile body that can travel on at least two or more routes, including land, water, and air routes.

[0038] The mobile body 10 according to the present embodiment may always carry emergency goods. The emergency goods according to the present embodiment may include, for example, an AED, a life jacket, a fire extinguisher, medicine, etc. However, the emergency goods are not limited to these examples.

[0039] (Information terminal 20) The information terminal 20 according to this embodiment is a terminal used by a party involved in a service related to the transportation of a transportation object. For example, the information terminal 20 may be various types of terminals such as a tablet terminal, a smartphone, a mobile phone, a PHS (Personal Handy-phone System), a PDA (Personal Digital Assistant), or a PC (Personal Computer).

[0040] For example, the information terminal 20 includes a transporter terminal 20A used by a transporter U1 transporting luggage L. For example, the transporter U1 may use the transporter terminal 20A to check transport instruction information including a transport task based on the request content included in the transport request registered by the requester U2. Note that in FIG. 1, both the requester U2 who made the transport request and the luggage L of the requester U2 are the targets of transport, but this is not limited to such a case. For example, the requester U2 and the person to be transported may be different people, and the luggage L does not necessarily have to be the possession of the requester U2. For example, the luggage L may be luggage belonging to someone other than the requester U2.

[0041] The transfer instruction information also includes various information related to the transferee U1, who is using the transferee terminal 20A, who is responsible for transferring the transferee. For example, the transfer instruction information may include various information used by the transferee U1 to transfer the transferee, such as the name of the transferee, the name of the emergency goods, the type of transferee (luggage only, people only, or both luggage and people), the transfer start location of the transferee (the collection location of the luggage L, the location where the people are picked up), the transfer end location (the location where the luggage L is delivered, the location where the people are going), the transfer route, and waypoints. The transfer instruction information may also include various information used for, for example, autonomous control of the unmanned mobile unit 10B or remote operation of the unmanned mobile unit 10B. However, the transfer instruction information is not limited to the above-described example.

[0042] The information terminal 20 also includes a requester terminal 20B used by a requester U2 requesting transportation of a transportation object. For example, the requester U2 may use the requester terminal 20B to register a transportation request for the transportation of the transportation object. The requester U2 may also use the requester terminal 20B to register an emergency request.

[0043] In addition, the client terminal 20B may transmit emergency information regarding an emergency request to the server 30 based on an operation by the client U2.

[0044] (Server 30) The server 30 according to the present embodiment is an example of an information processing device, and is a server that manages various information related to the transportation of transportation objects. For example, the server 30 may be a general-purpose computer such as a workstation or a PC, or may be a cloud server.

[0045] The server 30 according to this embodiment receives information regarding a transport request for the transport of an object to be transported registered by the requester U2 from the requester terminal 20B. Then, based on the request content included in the received transport request, the server 30 generates transport instruction information for the object to be transported included in the request content, and transmits the transport instruction information to the transporter terminal 20A (or the information terminal 20 of the unmanned mobile unit 10B or the manager who manages the unmanned mobile unit 10B).

[0046] The server 30 also receives emergency information related to the emergency request from the requester U2 via the requester terminal 20B. The server 30 then determines the transportation means for transporting the received emergency goods based on the transportation plans for the transportation targets by each of the multiple transportation means. A specific example of the process for determining the transportation means for transporting the emergency goods will be described later.

[0047] The information processing system according to this embodiment has been outlined above. Next, an example of the functional configuration of the information terminal 20 and the server 30 according to this embodiment will be described.

[0048] <<2. Functional Configuration Example>> <2.1. Functional Configuration Example of Information Terminal 20> Fig. 2 is an explanatory diagram for describing an example of the functional configuration of the information terminal 20 according to this embodiment. As shown in Fig. 2 , the information terminal 20 according to this embodiment includes a communication unit 210, a control unit 230, and an operation display unit 240.

[0049] (Communication Unit 210) The communication unit 210 according to the present embodiment performs various communications with the server 30. For example, the communication unit 210 included in the requester terminal 20B may transmit to the server 30 the request content related to the transportation of the transportation target, which is included in the transportation request registered by the requester U2.

[0050] Furthermore, the communication unit 210 included in the requester terminal 20B may transmit emergency information related to the emergency request registered by the requester U2 to the server 30. For example, the communication unit 210 included in the requester terminal 20B may transmit the emergency information to the server 30 based on an operation on an application by which the requester U2 requests transportation of a transportation object.

[0051] In addition, the communication unit 210 provided in the transporter terminal 20A may receive transport instruction information from the server 30 that instructs the transport of the transport object.

[0052] (Control Unit 230) The control unit 230 according to this embodiment controls the overall operation of the information terminal 20. For example, the control unit 230 controls the transmission and reception of various information by the communication unit 210. For example, the control unit 230 included in the requester terminal 20B may control the communication unit 210 to transmit the request content related to the transportation of the transportation target inputted by the operation display unit 240. The control unit 230 included in the requester terminal 20B may control the communication unit 210 to transmit emergency information related to the emergency request inputted by the operation display unit 240.

[0053] The control unit 230 also controls the display of various information by the operation display unit 240. For example, the control unit 230 included in the requester terminal 20B may control the operation display unit 240 to display an input screen for inputting the details of the transport request. The control unit 230 included in the transporter terminal 20A may also control the operation display unit 240 to display transport instruction information received from the server 30.

[0054] (Operation display unit 240) The operation display unit 240 according to this embodiment functions as an operation unit for inputting request details regarding the transportation of a transportation target. The operation display unit 240 also functions as a display unit for displaying an input screen for inputting request details regarding a transportation request, an application screen for operating an emergency request, and the like.

[0055] For example, a requester U2 requesting transportation of a transportation object inputs the request details regarding the transportation request using the operation display unit 240. The request details may include various information related to the transportation of the transportation object, such as the name of the transportation object, the type of transportation object (baggage only, people only, both baggage and people), the transportation method (bus, drone, taxi, regular flight, etc.), the transportation start location of the transportation object (baggage collection location, person pickup location), and the transportation end location (baggage delivery location, person destination location). The request details may also include predetermined requests. For example, the request details may include predetermined requests such as urgent transportation or desired transportation time.

[0056] Furthermore, if the items to be transferred include luggage (i.e., if the type of item to be transferred is either luggage only or both luggage and people), the request may include information about the luggage. The information about the luggage may include various information such as the name of the luggage, the type of luggage, size, weight, and transfer conditions (such as the temperature range to be maintained, e.g., refrigerated or frozen).

[0057] Furthermore, if the transfer target includes a person (i.e., if the transfer target type is either a person only or both luggage and a person), the request content may include information about the person. The information about the person may include various information such as a user ID, a user name, and basic information (age or generation, gender, address (area), etc.).

[0058] Note that the requester U2 does not necessarily need to input all of the information for the above-described request content. For example, if the requester U2's basic information has been set in advance in basic settings, the requester U2 may omit the task of inputting the basic information when requesting transportation. Furthermore, if the transportation target type includes a person, only transportation target types and transportation means that can transport the person may be selectable. For example, in a transportation request where the transportation target type includes a person, transportation means that cannot transport people, such as drones, may be excluded from the transportation means selection options.

[0059] The function of the operation unit may be realized by, for example, a touch panel or a keyboard. The function of the display unit may be realized by a CRT (Cathode Ray Tube) display device, a liquid crystal display (LCD), or an OLED (Organic Light Emitting Diode) device. The function of the display unit and the function of the operation unit may be configured separately.

[0060] The information terminal 20 may be equipped with a microphone (not shown), in which case the requester U2 may use the microphone to input the request details regarding the transportation of the transportation object by voice. The information terminal 20 may also be equipped with a speaker (not shown), in which case the transporter U1 may confirm the transportation instruction information by the voice output from the speaker.

[0061] 3 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of the functional configuration of the server 30 according to this embodiment. As shown in FIG. 3, the server 30 according to this embodiment includes a communication unit 310, a storage unit 320, and a control unit 330.

[0062] (Communication Unit 310) The communication unit 310 according to this embodiment performs various communications with the information terminal 20. For example, the communication unit 310 receives from the requester terminal 20B request content related to the transportation of the transportation object, which is included in the transportation request registered by the requester U2. The communication unit 310 also receives from the requester terminal 20B emergency information related to the emergency request registered by the requester U2.

[0063] Furthermore, the communication unit 310 transmits the transport instruction information to the transporter terminal 20A. For example, when the transporter U1 is in charge of transporting the object to be transported (or the emergency goods), the communication unit 310 may transmit the transport instruction information regarding the transport of the object to be transported (or the emergency goods) to the transporter terminal 20A of the transporter U1.

[0064] Furthermore, when the unmanned mobile body 10B is responsible for transporting the transport target (or emergency goods), the communication unit 310 may transmit transport instruction information to the information terminal 20 used by the administrator who manages the unmanned mobile body 10B. In this case, the administrator may remotely operate the unmanned mobile body 10B based on the transport instruction information, or may transmit the transport instruction information to the unmanned mobile body 10B using the information terminal 20 used by the administrator.

[0065] Alternatively, if the unmanned mobile body 10B is responsible for transporting the transport target (or emergency goods), the communication unit 310 may directly transmit transport instruction information to the unmanned mobile body 10B. In this case, the unmanned mobile body 10B that has received the transport instruction information may autonomously transport the transport target (or emergency goods) based on the transport instruction information.

[0066] (Storage Unit 320) The storage unit 320 according to this embodiment may store software and various data. For example, the storage unit 320 may store information about the object to be transferred and information about emergency goods. Here, the information about the object to be transferred may be information related to the request content. Specifically, the information about the object to be transferred may include management information such as a request number in addition to various information included in the request content received from the requester terminal 20B. Furthermore, the information about the emergency goods may include various information included in the emergency information received from the requester terminal 20B and management information about the various emergency goods (such as name, weight, size, and location).

[0067] The storage unit 320 may also store information about the transporter (transporter U1 and the mobile unit 10). For example, the information about the transporter may include various information such as a transport plan for transporter U1 and the unmanned mobile unit 10B, a transporter ID, a type of transport means (main line bus, car, motorcycle, bicycle, walking, drone, etc.), a transport route for transporter U1 or the unmanned mobile unit 10B, location information about the planned transport destinations by transporter U1 or the unmanned mobile unit 10B, location information about each of a plurality of waypoints, the cargo loading status (free space information) for each transport schedule of the manned mobile unit 10A or the unmanned mobile unit 10B used by transporter U1, information about the objects to be transported (baggage, people), information about the number of objects to be transported (maximum load capacity of luggage or people), and information about emergency goods always carried on board.

[0068] The transfer schedule is a time frame in which the mobile body 10 (or the transferor U1 who transfers the transfer target using the mobile body 10) responds to a transfer request. Here, an example of a transfer plan will be described with reference to FIG. 4.

[0069] FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of a transportation plan DS according to this embodiment. For example, the transportation plan DS for the unmanned mobile unit 10B (or the transporter U1) for one day is divided into predetermined transportation schedules (e.g., 15 minutes or 30 minutes for the unmanned mobile unit 10B, or 1 hour for the transporter U1), and the unmanned mobile unit 10B (or the transporter U1) transports the transportation targets registered for each transportation schedule at the times indicated by the transportation schedule. The transportation schedule for the unmanned mobile unit 10B may register transportation targets to, for example, one or two transportation destinations, while the transportation schedule for the transporter U1 may register transportation targets to multiple transportation destinations, for example, five to ten, but this is not limited thereto. Furthermore, the transportation plan DS and transportation schedule may be set for each possible transportation point or waypoint, etc.

[0070] For example, a transportation plan DS set for a certain transfer point (such as the base WH shown in Figure 1) may include two types of transportation slots: a "full" transportation slot DF indicating that the transportation schedule by the unmanned mobile unit 10B (or transfer person U1) is already filled, and an "empty" transportation slot DE indicating that there is a vacancy in the transportation schedule by the unmanned mobile unit 10B (or transfer person U1).

[0071] (Control Unit 330) The control unit 330 according to this embodiment controls the overall operation of the server 30. As shown in FIG.

[0072] (Determination unit 331) The determination unit 331 in this embodiment determines the transportation means to transport the emergency goods included in the emergency information based on each transportation plan for the transportation targets by each of the multiple transportation means. For example, the determination unit 331 may refer to the transportation schedule frame for each of the multiple transportation means and determine the transportation means to transport the emergency goods included in the emergency information. Details of the process related to determining the transportation means to transport the emergency goods will be described later.

[0073] (Notification information generation unit 335) The notification information generation unit 335 generates, based on the request content made by the requester U2, transport instruction information to be used when transporting the transport target included in the request content. Also, based on the emergency information requested by the requester U2, the notification information generation unit 335 generates, based on the emergency information made by the requester U2, transport instruction information to be used when transporting the emergency goods included in the emergency information.

[0074] For example, the notification information generation unit 335 may generate transport instruction information for the transport means to transport the emergency goods based on the emergency information requested by the requester U2 and the transport means for the emergency goods determined by the determination unit 331.

[0075] An example of the functional configuration of the information terminal 20 and the server 30 according to this embodiment has been described above. Next, with reference to FIGS. 5 to 8, the process by which the determination unit 331 according to this embodiment determines the transportation means for transporting the emergency goods will be described in detail.

[0076] 5 to 7 are explanatory diagrams illustrating an example of an application screen for registering an emergency request. First, when a transport application capable of registering transport requests and emergency requests is launched by a requester U2, the operation display unit 240 of the requester terminal 20B displays a home screen of the application including an emergency button E1, a new transport request button SB1, and a transport status check button SB2.

[0077] The emergency button E1 is a button that the requester U2 selects when registering an emergency request. The new transport request button SB1 is a button that the requester U2 selects when registering a transport request for a transport object. The transport status confirmation button is a button that the requester U2 selects when checking the transport status of the transport object requested by the requester U2 (for example, the current location of the transport object and information about the transport means that will transport the transport object).

[0078] For example, if an emergency occurs, such as if a person in the vicinity of the requester U2 has experienced cardiac arrest, the requester U2 selects the emergency button E1 shown in Fig. 5. When the emergency button E1 is selected, the operation display unit 240 of the requester terminal 20B displays a transfer position setting screen shown in Fig. 6.

[0079] The transfer location setting screen may include map information including available transfer points, a confirm button SB3, and a home button SB4, as shown in Fig. 6. When the home button SB4 is selected by the requester U2, the operation display unit 240 of the requester terminal 20B displays the home screen shown in Fig. 5 again.

[0080] The map information may include, for example, the current location CL1 of the requester U2 and locations indicating points where emergency goods can be delivered that are located near the current location CL1 of the requester U2 (for example, within a predetermined distance from the current location CL1). Here, the locations where emergency goods can be delivered are candidate destinations for the emergency goods, and may include, for example, the location S1 of a facility such as a store, and waiting positions C1 and C2 of a mobile object 10 (for example, a drone or a bus). The waiting positions C1 and C2 may be bus stops, waiting positions for drones, etc. The current location CL1 of the requester U2 may be obtained using positioning information such as GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System).

[0081] The requester U2 selects one of the multiple available positions for the emergency goods displayed on the operation display unit 240. For example, if the requester U2 desires that the emergency goods be transported to the standby position C2, the requester U2 selects the standby position C2 shown in FIG. 6 on the operation display unit 240 and presses the confirm button SB3.

[0082] When the decision button SB3 is selected, the standby position C2 is registered as the destination of the emergency goods, and the operation display unit 240 of the requester terminal 20B displays the emergency goods selection screen shown in FIG.

[0083] The emergency goods selection screen may include a plurality of emergency goods candidates and a home button SB4, as shown in Fig. 7. When the home button SB4 is selected by the requester U2, the operation display unit 240 of the requester terminal 20B displays the home screen shown in Fig. 5.

[0084] For example, the requester U2 selects one emergency item from a plurality of emergency item candidates. For example, the requester U2 can request the delivery of an AED by selecting the AED button SB5. The requester U2 can also request the delivery of a life jacket by selecting the life jacket button SB6. The requester U2 can also request the delivery of a fire extinguisher by selecting the fire extinguisher button SB7. The requester U2 can also request the delivery of medicine by selecting the medicine button SB8.

[0085] Specifically, when the requester U2 selects the AED button SB5, the requester terminal 20B transmits emergency information to the server 30, including location information indicating the destination of the emergency goods selected on the transfer location setting screen shown in Fig. 6, information indicating the emergency goods selected on the emergency goods selection screen shown in Fig. 7, the requester ID, and the emergency request number. The emergency request number is a number that can identify the emergency request.

[0086] Although an example of an application screen has been described above, the application screen according to this embodiment is not limited to the examples shown in Figures 5 to 7. For example, although an example in which multiple types of emergency goods such as AEDs and fire extinguishers are present has been described, the type of emergency goods may be one (i.e., the emergency goods may be predetermined). For example, if the only emergency goods are AEDs, the emergency goods to be transported by the transport means are uniquely determined to be AEDs, and therefore the emergency goods selection screen shown in Figure 7 may be omitted.

[0087] 7, the operation display unit 240 of the requester terminal 20B may display a screen for selecting specific information about the selected emergency good. For example, after the requester U2 selects the medicine button SB8 shown in FIG. 7, the operation display unit 240 of the requester terminal 20B may display a screen for selecting the type of medicine (e.g., cold medicine, headache medicine, or antipyretic).

[0088] Furthermore, the method for setting the destination location of the emergency goods is not limited to the above-described example. For example, the control unit 230 of the requester terminal 20B may automatically set the location closest to the current location CL1 of the requester U2 shown in FIG. 6 (e.g., the location S1 of the facility shown in FIG. 6) as the destination location of the emergency goods. Furthermore, the control unit 230 of the requester terminal 20B may automatically set the current location CL1 of the requester U2 shown in FIG. 6 as the destination location of the emergency goods. In these cases, the requester U2 does not need to manually set the destination location of the emergency goods, so the transfer location setting screen shown in FIG. 6 may be omitted.

[0089] The requester U2 may also specify an address as the delivery location for the emergency goods. Alternatively, the requester U2 may specify an address and select one delivery location from multiple delivery locations for the emergency goods that are located in the vicinity of the address. In this case, the delivery location selected by the requester U2 may be included in the emergency information as the delivery location for the emergency goods.

[0090] The determination unit 331 included in the server 30 may determine a transportation means corresponding to the emergency request based on the emergency information received from the requester terminal 20B. For example, the determination unit 331 may determine a transportation means for transporting the emergency goods included in the emergency information based on each transportation plan for a plurality of transportation means and location information indicating the transportation destination of the emergency goods included in the emergency information.

[0091] Specifically, the determination unit 331 may preferentially determine, as the transportation means for transporting the emergency goods included in the emergency information, a transportation means that has an available space in the current transportation schedule slot included in each transportation plan of the multiple transportation means. More specifically, the determination unit 331 may preferentially determine, among the transportation means that have an available space in the current transportation schedule slot, a transportation means that is scheduled to transport the transportation target to a position within a predetermined range from the transportation destination of the emergency goods within a predetermined period (particularly, within the time indicated by one or two or more transportation schedule slots), or a transportation means that has already transported the transportation target to a position within a predetermined range from the transportation destination of the emergency goods within a predetermined period (particularly, within the time indicated by one or two or more transportation schedule slots), as the transportation means for transporting the emergency goods included in the emergency information.

[0092] In addition, it may be possible that there is no available transportation means in the current transportation schedule slot included in each transportation plan of the multiple transportation means. In this case, the determination unit 331 may specify one transportation means included in the multiple transportation means and modify the transportation target included in the current transportation schedule slot of the specified transportation means (i.e., the transportation target requested by another requester) to change it to emergency goods.

[0093] In this case, other requesters who requested the transportation of the object changed to emergency goods may be disadvantaged because the object may not arrive (or be collected) at the requested time. Therefore, the determination unit 331 may grant various benefits to the other requesters who requested the transportation of the object changed to emergency goods. The communication unit 310 then sends notification information to the requester terminal 20B used by the other requesters who requested the transportation of the object changed to emergency goods, indicating that the transportation schedule frame for the transportation of the object requested by the other requesters has been changed. Here, the notification information may include information regarding the various benefits granted.

[0094] The various benefits here may be, for example, coupons that can be used to pay for transportation fees, coupons that can be used to pay for product purchases, or coupons that can be exchanged for certain items. The various benefits may also be service rights that allow for the receipt of certain services (for example, cash back, points reduction, or service provision). This allows appropriate benefits to be provided to other requesters who have requested the transportation of items that have been changed to emergency goods.

[0095] Furthermore, if the emergency item requested by client U2 is a fire extinguisher, it will be difficult to transport the fire extinguisher using a transportation means (e.g., a small drone) that does not meet various conditions such as the size and weight of the fire extinguisher.

[0096] Therefore, the determination unit 331 may determine a transportation means for transporting the emergency goods included in the emergency information based on information about the emergency goods included in the emergency information. For example, if the emergency goods included in the emergency information are a fire extinguisher, the determination unit 331 may determine a transportation means (e.g., a truck, a taxi, etc.) capable of transporting the fire extinguisher as the transportation means for transporting the fire extinguisher.

[0097] Furthermore, the determination unit 331 may determine a transport means that always carries an emergency product included in the emergency information as the transport means for transporting the emergency product. For example, if the emergency product included in the emergency information is an AED, the determination unit 331 may determine a transport means (e.g., a drone) that always carries an AED as the transport means for transporting the emergency product (i.e., the AED).

[0098] 8 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of the transportation of emergency goods. According to the example described above, the transportation means (e.g., unmanned vehicle 10B) determined by the determination unit 331 loads the emergency goods G at the base WH of the transportation means, and then transports the emergency goods G toward the destination location C requested by the requester U2. This reduces the time required for the requester U2 to search for the location of the emergency goods G and to retrieve the emergency goods G, potentially enabling an early response to an emergency. As a result, the information processing system according to this embodiment may be able to improve the convenience of users who use the transportation service.

[0099] In addition, since there is no need to deploy a separate dedicated aircraft to carry emergency goods (i.e., an aircraft that does not transport items other than emergency goods), it is possible to reduce production costs, management costs, and idle time.

[0100] In addition, if the emergency goods G are not located at the base WH of the transportation means, the transportation means may collect (load) the emergency goods G located near the base WH, near the destination position C, or near the route from the base WH to the destination position C, and then transport the emergency goods G to the destination position C requested by the requester U2.

[0101] The process by which the determination unit 331 according to this embodiment determines the transportation means for transporting the emergency goods has been described above in detail. Next, an example of the operation process of the server 30 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 9 .

[0102] 9 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of an operational process of the server 30 according to this embodiment. First, the communication unit 310 receives emergency information related to an emergency request from the requester terminal 20B (S101).

[0103] Next, the determination unit 331 acquires each transportation plan for the transportation target by each of the multiple transportation means stored in the storage unit 320 (S105).

[0104] Then, the determination unit 331 determines whether or not there is a vacant transportation means in the transportation plan (for example, the current transportation schedule frame) (S109). If there is a vacant transportation means in the transportation plan (S109: Yes), the process proceeds to S113, and if there is no vacant transportation means in the transportation plan (S109: No), the process proceeds to S117.

[0105] If there is a transportation means with available space in the transportation plan (S109: Yes), the determination unit 331 determines the most suitable transportation means from among the transportation means with available space in the transportation plan as the transportation means for transporting the emergency goods (S113), and the server 30 according to this embodiment ends the processing. Here, the "more suitable transportation means" may be, for example, a transportation means determined based on the distance from the location of the transportation means to the location of the destination of the emergency goods, a transportation means determined based on the distance from the location of the transportation means to collect the emergency goods and arrive at the location of the destination of the emergency goods, or a transportation means determined based on whether or not the emergency goods requested by the requester U2 will always be carried on board.

[0106] If there are no available transportation means in the transportation plan (S109: No), the decision unit 331 sets the most suitable transportation means among the transportation means that are not available in the transportation plan as the transportation means for transporting the emergency goods (S117).

[0107] Next, the determination unit 331 changes the transportation schedule of the transportation means determined in S117 (S121).

[0108] Then, the notification information generation unit 335 generates notification information to the requester who requested the transportation of the transportation object whose transportation schedule has been changed, informing them that the transportation schedule of the transportation object has been changed, and the communication unit 310 sends the notification information to the requester terminal 20B (S125), and the server 30 according to this embodiment ends the processing.

[0109] <<5. Hardware Configuration Example>> The information processing described above is realized by cooperation between software and the hardware described below of the server 30. Note that the hardware configuration described below can also be applied to the information terminal 20.

[0110] 10 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of the hardware configuration of the server 30 according to this embodiment. As shown in FIG. 10 , the server 30 includes a control unit 330, a memory 31, a storage 32, a transmission / reception unit 33, an input / output unit 34, and the like, which are electrically connected to one another via a bus 35.

[0111] The control unit 330 is a computing device that controls the overall operation of the server 30, controls the transmission and reception of data between each element, and performs information processing necessary for application execution and authentication processing, etc. For example, the control unit 330 is a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and / or a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), and executes programs for this system stored in the storage 32 and deployed in the memory 31 to perform various information processing as described above.

[0112] The memory 31 includes a main memory configured with a volatile storage device such as a DRAM (Dynamic Random Access Memory) and an auxiliary memory configured with a non-volatile storage device such as a flash memory or an HDD (Hard Disc Drive). The memory 31 is used as a work area for the control unit 330, and also stores a BIOS (Basic Input / Output System) that is executed when the server 30 is started, various setting information, and the like.

[0113] The storage 32 stores various programs such as application programs, etc. A database that stores data used in each process may be constructed in the storage 32.

[0114] The transceiver 33 connects the server 30 to a network and / or a blockchain network. The transceiver 33 may include a short-range communication interface for Bluetooth (registered trademark) and BLE (Bluetooth Low Energy).

[0115] The input / output unit 34 includes information input devices such as a keyboard, a microphone, and a mouse, and output devices such as a display and a speaker.

[0116] The bus 35 is commonly connected to the above elements and transmits, for example, address signals, data signals and various control signals.

[0117] <<6. Supplementary Information>> Although the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail above with reference to the accompanying drawings, the present invention is not limited to such examples. It is clear that a person skilled in the art to which the present invention pertains can conceive of various modified or altered examples within the scope of the technical idea described in the claims, and it is understood that these also naturally fall within the technical scope of the present invention.

[0118] For example, the server 30 does not necessarily need to transmit various information such as the transport instruction information to an external device. For example, if the server 30 is equipped with a display unit, the transport instruction information may be displayed on the display unit. Then, for example, an administrator who has confirmed the transport instruction information displayed on the display unit may instruct the transporter U1 or the unmanned vehicle 10B to transport in any manner.

[0119] Furthermore, although the present specification has mainly described an example in which the transporter U1 transports luggage using the mobile body 10, the transporter U1 does not necessarily have to use the mobile body 10. For example, the transporter U1 may transport luggage or emergency goods on foot.

[0120] Furthermore, although this specification has mainly described an example in which the information processing system according to this embodiment is applied to a transportation service for mixed transport, the information processing system according to this embodiment can also be applied to transportation services for single transport in which only people or cargo are transported (i.e., transportation services that do not include mixed transport).

[0121] The emergency information may also include hierarchical information indicating different levels of urgency for each emergency item. For example, assume that there are two levels of urgency: "high" and "low." Assume also that an AED is an emergency item with a "high" level of urgency, and medication (e.g., cold medicine) is an emergency item with a "low" level of urgency. In this case, for example, if there is no available transport means in the current transport schedule slot included in each transport plan of the multiple transport means, and the emergency item included in the emergency information is an AED, the determination unit 331 may specify one of the multiple transport means and modify the transport target included in the current transport schedule slot of the specified transport means (i.e., the transport target requested by another requester) to change it to the emergency item. On the other hand, if there is no available transport means in the current transport schedule slot included in each transport plan of the multiple transport means, and the emergency goods included in the emergency information are medicines, the determination unit 331 may designate one of the multiple transport means, and the communication unit 310 may transmit notification information to the requester terminal 20B of another requester who has requested the transport of the transport target included in the current transport schedule slot of the transport means designated by the determination unit 331, asking whether it is okay to change to emergency goods. Then, when approval is obtained from the other requester, the determination unit 331 may modify the transport target requested by the other requester that is included in the current transport schedule slot of the designated transport means so that it is changed to emergency goods. In this way, the determination unit 331 may obtain permission from the other requester according to the hierarchical information included in the emergency information, thereby improving the convenience of the other requester.

[0122] It is also possible to create a computer program that causes hardware such as a CPU, ROM, and RAM built into the information terminal 20 and the server 30 to perform functions equivalent to those of the respective components of the information terminal 20 and the server 30 described above.

[0123] REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 10 Mobile object 20 Information terminal 210 Communication unit 230 Control unit 240 Operation display unit 30 Server 310 Communication unit 320 Storage unit 330 Control unit 331 Determination unit 335 Notification information generation unit

Claims

1. An information processing system comprising: an acquisition unit that acquires emergency information regarding an emergency request by a requester; and a determination unit that determines a transportation means to transport emergency goods included in the emergency information based on each transportation plan for the transportation target by each of a plurality of transportation means.

2. The information processing system according to claim 1, wherein the acquisition unit acquires emergency information registered based on an operation on an application by which the requester requests the transportation of a transportation object.

3. The information processing system according to claim 2, wherein the emergency information includes location information indicating a destination of the emergency goods.

4. The information processing system according to claim 3, wherein the location information indicating the destination of the emergency goods is specified by the requester.

5. The information processing system according to claim 4, wherein the location information indicating the destination of the emergency goods is specified by the requester from among candidate destinations based on the requester's current location.

6. The information processing system according to claim 3, wherein the location information indicating the destination of the emergency goods includes the current location of the requester.

7. The information processing system according to claim 2, wherein the emergency information includes information indicating predetermined emergency goods.

8. The information processing system according to claim 2, wherein the emergency information includes goods information indicating one emergency good selected from a plurality of emergency goods on an application by the requester requesting the transportation of the transportation object.

9. The information processing system according to claim 2, wherein the types of objects transported by the transport means include people, luggage, and both people and luggage.

10. The information processing system according to claim 3, wherein the determination unit determines a means of transport for transporting the emergency goods included in the emergency information based further on location information indicating the destination of the emergency goods.

11. The information processing system described in claim 10, wherein the determination unit preferentially determines, as the transportation means for transporting the emergency goods included in the emergency information, a transportation means that is scheduled to transport the object to a location within a predetermined range from the destination of the emergency goods, among the transportation means that have availability in the current time slot included in each transportation plan of the multiple transportation means.

12. The information processing system of claim 11, wherein the decision unit, when there is no available transportation means in the current time slot included in each transportation plan of the plurality of transportation means, specifies one transportation means included in the plurality of transportation means and modifies the transportation target included in the current time slot of the specified transportation means to be changed to the emergency goods.

13. The information processing system according to claim 12, further comprising a notification unit that notifies other requesters who have requested the transportation of the transportation object that has been changed to the emergency goods of notification information that the time frame for the transportation object of the other requesters has been changed.

14. The information processing system according to claim 13, wherein the notification information includes information regarding a benefit to be given when the product is changed to the emergency product.

15. An information processing system as described in any one of claims 2 to 14, wherein the determination unit determines a transportation means for transporting the emergency goods included in the emergency information based on the information regarding the emergency goods.

16. The information processing system according to claim 15, wherein the determination unit determines the transportation means carrying the emergency goods as the transportation means for transporting the emergency goods included in the emergency information.

17. An information processing device comprising: an acquisition unit that acquires emergency information regarding an emergency request made by a requester; and a determination unit that determines a transportation means for transporting emergency goods included in the emergency information based on each transportation plan for the transportation target by each of a plurality of transportation means.

18. An information processing method executed by a computer, comprising: acquiring emergency information regarding an emergency request by a requester; and determining a transportation means for transporting emergency goods included in the emergency information based on each transportation plan for the transportation target by each of a plurality of transportation means.

19. A program that enables a computer to perform the following functions: an acquisition function for acquiring emergency information regarding an emergency request made by a requester; and a determination function for determining the means of transport to transport the emergency goods included in the emergency information based on each of the transport plans for the transport targets by each of multiple transport means.

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