JP2013235520A - Computer program (downloaded to mobile terminal via network and executed by the same) - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To attain a notification function to a user and maintain convenience in a taxi dispatch service, and to suppress increase in a load on a system side.SOLUTION: A computer program is configured to allow the mobile terminal to attain the functions of: receiving a request for a taxi dispatch from a user; generating a taxi dispatch request signal when the request for the taxi dispatch is received and transmitting a taxi dispatch request signal to a server via a network; receiving a taxi dispatch confirmation signal including information about an estimated taxi pick-up arrival time required for arriving at the user by a taxi allocated to the user in response to the taxi dispatch request signal from the server via the network; extracting information about the taxi pick-up time from the received taxi dispatch confirmation signal and setting a stand-by period of time on the basis of the extracted information; determining whether or not the set stand-by period of time has expired; and performing a notification to the user when the stand-by period of time is determined to have expired.

Description

  The present invention relates to a computer program downloaded to a mobile terminal via a network and executed by the mobile terminal.

  Patent Documents 1, 2, and 3 disclose taxi dispatch systems using portable terminals.

JP 2000-82199 A JP 2011-248848 A JP 2003-317191 A

The general flow of a conventional taxi dispatch system is as follows.
First, the user inputs a dispatch request to the mobile terminal, and the mobile terminal transmits the dispatch request to the system side via the network. The system assigns a taxi to the user based on the dispatch request and returns the assigned taxi information to the mobile terminal. The mobile terminal displays the assigned taxi information on the display. The taxi information here includes information about what color the taxi is, where it is now and when it will be picked up.

  It usually takes about 5 to 20 minutes for a taxi to pick you up after requesting a taxi. During this time, the user waits while doing various things, but depending on the situation of the user, the user may forget that he called the taxi. Therefore, in Patent Document 1, the in-vehicle call notification device includes approach information transmitting means for transmitting approach information when the vehicle approaches the calling position of the contractor, and the portable call device receives the approach information to receive voice and light emission. In addition, a vehicle allocation system including vehicle approach notification means for signaling the approach of a vehicle to a contractor by any one or a combination of vibrations is disclosed.

  However, in the notification method described in Patent Document 1, the system side compares the taxi position with the user position, and the system transmits a notification signal to the user's mobile terminal based on the result. The burden on the system side increases.

  In recent years, multi-function terminals, also called smart phones, have become widespread. One of the features of such a terminal is that you can download and install your favorite application from a download site on the Internet. Applications for taxi dispatch are expected to increase the number of downloads with the support of many users because of their convenience.

  As the number of users of the vehicle allocation application, that is, the number of downloads increases, the frequency of occurrence of the distribution vehicle request and access confirmation / notification increases, so the load on the vehicle allocation system also increases.

  As a phenomenon peculiar to an application downloaded to a smartphone as compared with an application distributed via a medium such as a CD or a DVD, the number of downloads may increase at a stretch once popular. This is partly due to the low threshold for application introduction, which means that an application can be downloaded with a few taps at an early stage.

  If the side of the vehicle allocation system intends to continue the taxi allocation service without any obstacles, it is possible to increase the capital investment in preparation for such a rapid increase in the number of downloads, and leave a large margin for the system capacity. However, if the number of downloads does not increase as expected or until the number of downloads increases, a significant part of the system will be left unused, resulting in a relatively large waste of system resources. Become.

  There is also a strategy to increase the processing capacity of the system by making capital investment in accordance with the increase in the number of downloads. However, as described above, the increase in the number of downloads is often sudden and difficult to predict, and the capital investment may not catch up. There is. If the load on the system increases explosively due to the rapid increase in the number of downloads, the system capacity may be exceeded, causing a connection failure or the like, which may cause trouble for the user.

  The present invention has been made in view of such problems, and the object thereof is a taxi dispatch service realized by using a computer program downloaded to a mobile terminal via a network and executed by the mobile terminal. The present invention provides a technique capable of suppressing an increase in the load on the system side while realizing a user notification function and maintaining convenience.

  One embodiment of the present invention relates to a computer program. This computer program is a computer program that is downloaded to a mobile terminal via a network and executed by the mobile terminal. When the user receives a taxi dispatch request and a taxi dispatch request from the user A function for generating a vehicle allocation request signal and transmitting it to a server via a network, and a vehicle allocation confirmation including information on the arrival time expected to arrive for a taxi assigned to the user in response to the vehicle allocation request signal A function for receiving a signal from a server via a network, a function for extracting information on the arrival time from the received vehicle allocation confirmation signal, a function for setting a waiting period based on the extracted information, and a set waiting period. A function that determines whether or not the timer has expired, and if it is determined that the waiting period has expired, Realizing a function of notifying, to the mobile terminal.

  The “information related to the arrival time” may be the arrival time itself or an expected arrival time derived from the arrival time.

  It should be noted that any combination of the above-described constituent elements, or the constituent elements and expressions of the present invention replaced with each other among methods, systems, computer programs, recording media storing computer programs, etc. are also aspects of the present invention. It is effective as

FIGS. 1A to 1F are screen transition diagrams showing transitions of screens displayed on a touch panel of a mobile phone when the mobile phone executes the computer program according to the present embodiment.

  Hereinafter, the same or equivalent components, members, and processes shown in the drawings are denoted by the same reference numerals, and repeated description is appropriately omitted.

  The computer program according to the embodiment is a computer program that is downloaded from a server to a mobile terminal, that is, a mobile phone via a network such as the Internet and executed by the mobile phone. The mobile phone may be a so-called smart phone or the like, and may have a touch panel, a call function, a web communication function, and a web browser. A multitasking operating system such as iPhone (registered trademark) OS4 has been introduced to mobile phones.

  The computer program according to the present embodiment may be, for example, a smartphone application program downloaded from a smartphone application download site on the Internet, or alternatively, from a server to a mobile phone web browser via a network. Or a computer program written in a programming language such as HTML (HyperText Markup Language) that is transmitted by the web browser and executed by the web browser.

  FIGS. 1A to 1F are screen transition diagrams showing transitions of screens displayed on the touch panel 10 of the mobile phone when the mobile phone executes the computer program according to the present embodiment. When the user activates the computer program according to the present embodiment (hereinafter referred to as a taxi dispatch application) by operating the mobile phone, the taxi dispatch application uses the GPS (Global Positioning System) function of the mobile phone. Get the position of. The taxi dispatch application acquires map information around the acquired position from the storage device or network of the mobile phone. The taxi dispatch application displays the acquired map information and the position of the mobile phone on the touch panel 10.

  FIG. 1A shows a map screen displayed on the touch panel 10 by a taxi dispatch application. The map screen has a surrounding map display area 12, a dispatch target cursor 14, and a dispatch request acceptance button 16. The dispatch target cursor 14 is initially set to the position of the acquired mobile phone. The user moves the dispatch target cursor 14 to a desired position while viewing the map displayed in the surrounding map display area 12. The movement target cursor 14 may be moved by a tap operation or a slide operation on the touch panel 10. The user taps the dispatch request acceptance button 16 after setting the dispatch target cursor 14 to a desired position. When the taxi dispatch application detects that the dispatch request acceptance button 16 has been tapped, the taxi dispatch application accepts it as a request for taxi dispatch to the position where the dispatch target cursor 16 is set.

  FIG. 1B shows a vehicle allocation order confirmation screen displayed on the touch panel 10 when the vehicle allocation request acceptance button 16 is tapped. The dispatch order confirmation screen includes a confirmation message display area 18 for displaying a message related to a taxi dispatch request, a return button 20, and an order button 22. The user confirms the message displayed in the confirmation message display area 18, and taps the order button 22 when continuing the taxi dispatch, and the return button 20 when not continuing. When the taxi dispatch application detects that the order button 22 has been tapped, it generates a dispatch request signal and transmits it to the dispatch server via the network. When the taxi dispatch application detects that the return button 20 has been tapped, it displays the map screen on the touch panel 10 again.

  The vehicle allocation request signal is a signal that informs the vehicle allocation server that a taxi vehicle allocation request has occurred on the mobile phone, the location of the vehicle allocation target cursor 14 when the vehicle allocation request acceptance button 16 is tapped, the mobile phone or its user. ID that identifies

  The vehicle allocation server is a server that receives a vehicle allocation request signal and performs taxi allocation processing based on the signal, and is configured using, for example, a known taxi allocation technology described in Patent Literatures 1, 2, and 3. The vehicle allocation server allocates an empty taxi to the mobile phone or the user who has transmitted the vehicle allocation request signal. In particular, the vehicle allocation server associates an ID included in the vehicle allocation request signal with an ID that identifies a taxi of an empty vehicle that can reach the position included in the vehicle allocation request signal within a predetermined upper limit time of about 10 minutes.

  The vehicle allocation server calculates the arrival time that is predicted to take for the mobile phone that has transmitted the vehicle allocation request signal or the taxi assigned to the user to arrive at the position included in the vehicle allocation request signal. Alternatively, the dispatch server obtains such a pick-up time from the taxi or its driver. The vehicle allocation server generates a vehicle allocation confirmation signal and transmits it to the mobile phone via the network.

  The vehicle allocation confirmation signal includes the arrival time, the ID of the taxi assigned to the mobile phone that transmitted the vehicle allocation request signal or the user, and information about the taxi such as the radio number and vehicle type of the taxi.

  FIG. 1 (c) shows a vehicle allocation screen that is displayed on the touch panel 10 until a vehicle allocation confirmation signal is received after a vehicle allocation request signal is transmitted.

  FIG. 1D shows an order details screen displayed on the touch panel 10 when a vehicle allocation confirmation signal is received. The taxi dispatch application receives a dispatch confirmation signal from the dispatch server. The order details screen includes an assigned taxi information display area 24 in which information on the assigned taxi is displayed, an order information display area 26 in which information on orders such as a pick-up destination and the number of cars is displayed, a timer setting button 28, and an end. And a button 30.

  The taxi information display area 24 displays the assigned taxi radio number, the vehicle type, and the expected arrival time, which is the time when the assigned taxi is expected to arrive. The taxi dispatch application extracts the arrival time from the received dispatch confirmation signal. The taxi dispatching application calculates the estimated arrival time based on the extracted arrival time. For example, if the current time is 2:54 and the arrival time is 10 minutes, the estimated arrival time is calculated as 3: 4.

  The user confirms the information displayed on the order details screen and taps the end button 30 to end the taxi dispatch application as it is. The user taps the timer setting button 28 when the user wants notification of arrival of the estimated arrival time.

  When it is detected that the timer setting button 28 has been tapped, the taxi dispatching application sets a waiting period based on the extracted arrival time. This standby period starts from the time when it is detected that the timer setting button 28 has been tapped, and is a period having substantially the same length as the arrival time. Alternatively, the waiting period may be a period that expires at the estimated arrival time. The taxi dispatch application uses the timer function of the mobile phone to start timing the waiting period. The timer function of a mobile phone is known.

  FIG. 1E shows a timer setting confirmation screen displayed on the touch panel 10 when the timer setting button 28 is tapped. The timer setting confirmation screen includes a timer setting content display area 32 in which information related to the set timer is displayed, and an OK button 34. The user confirms the information displayed in the timer setting content display area 32 and presses the OK button 34 down. When the OK button 34 is pressed, the taxi dispatch application transitions from a state executed in the foreground to a state executed in the background.

  The user executes an application other than the taxi dispatch application, for example, an application for listening to music or a web browser in the foreground. During this time, the taxi dispatch application periodically determines whether the waiting period has expired in the background.

  FIG. 1F shows an approach notification screen displayed on the touch panel 10 when it is determined that the standby period has expired. The approach notification screen has information similar to the information displayed in the taxi information display area 24, an approach information display area 36 for displaying that the expected arrival time of the taxi has arrived, and an OK button 38. The taxi dispatch application displays an approach notification screen on the touch panel 10 and vibrates the mobile phone using the vibration function of the mobile phone. The user is notified by an approach notification screen or vibration, and recognizes that the ordered taxi is about to arrive. When closing the approach notification screen, the user taps the OK button 38.

  According to the taxi dispatch application according to the present embodiment, the taxi approach notification is realized by the timer of the mobile phone, so the dispatch server side does not need to perform processing for the approach notification. Therefore, it is possible to suppress an increase in the load on the dispatch server side while providing an approach notification function to the user.

  Further, the taxi dispatch application according to the present embodiment is a computer program that is downloaded to a mobile phone via a network and executed by the mobile phone. When the convenience of this taxi dispatch application is recognized and the number of downloads increases rapidly, the amount of processing related to the taxi approach notification function also increases. However, in the present embodiment, such processing related to the approach notification function is realized by using the timer function of each mobile phone. Therefore, even if the number of downloads increases rapidly, the dispatch server side caused by the approach notification function The increase in load can be suppressed.

  The computer program according to the embodiment has been described above. This embodiment is an exemplification, and it is understood by those skilled in the art that various modifications can be made to each component and combination of processes, and such modifications are within the scope of the present invention.

Claims (1)

A computer program downloaded to a mobile device via a network and executed by the mobile device,
The ability to accept taxi dispatch requests from users,
When a taxi dispatch request is accepted, a function to generate a dispatch request signal and send it to the server via the network;
A function of receiving a vehicle allocation confirmation signal including information on a pick-up time predicted to take for a taxi assigned to the user to arrive in response to a vehicle allocation request signal from a server via a network;
A function of extracting information on the arrival time from the received dispatch confirmation signal and setting a waiting period based on the extracted information;
A function to determine whether or not the set waiting period has expired;
A computer program for causing a mobile terminal to realize a function of notifying a user when it is determined that a standby period has expired.

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