JP2002063690A - Car allocation service method - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a car allocation service method capable of optimal car allocation matched to the request of users. SOLUTION: Client information inputted by the operator of a portable terminal is received through a network and the received client information is transmitted to plural computers for car allocation management (steps 100-106). Next, the taxi information of a taxi, which can be distributed, is received as a response corresponding to the client information and based on the received taxi information, the list of taxi information of taxies, which can be allocated, is prepared and transmitted to the portable terminal (steps 108-112). Next, selection information selected out of the list is received from the portable terminal and the received selection information is transmitted to the computers for car allocation management (steps 114-118).

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a dispatching service method, and more particularly, to a dispatching service method for distributing a mobile such as a taxi according to a user's request through an online line such as the Internet.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, when it is necessary to dispatch a taxi or the like in a city or the like in order to move to a desired place, a user calls a taxi company using a mobile phone or a public telephone to determine his / her location and necessity. He had requested a dispatch by telling him the demand for the number of taxis to be made.

[0003] That is, when requesting a taxi dispatch, as shown in FIG. 7, a user 200 checks a taxi company existing around his / her area in a telephone directory or the like, or uses the taxi company in advance based on past use experience. For example, a taxi company to be used is a plurality of taxi companies 200A to 200C.
And contacted the taxi company of their choice to request a ride.

[0004]

However, as described above, when the user selects a taxi company in advance and requests a dispatch, the request of the user, for example, the waiting time and the vehicle type depend on the selected taxi company. In some cases, the conditions are not always satisfied by the user.

[0005] An object of the present invention is to provide a dispatch service method capable of performing an optimal dispatch according to a user's request in consideration of the above fact.

[0006]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In order to achieve the above object, according to the present invention, customer information including at least a vehicle allocation position is received from an operator terminal via a communication line, and the received customer information is transmitted to the communication line. Transmitted to a plurality of vehicle allocation management devices connected to the server, receives vehicle allocation available vehicle information as a response corresponding to the customer information, and generates vehicle allocation available vehicle list information based on the received vehicle allocation available vehicle information. And transmitting the generated dispatchable vehicle list information to the operator terminal via the communication line.

According to the present invention, customer information including at least a vehicle allocation position is received from an operator terminal via a communication line such as the Internet. The operator terminal includes, for example, a mobile phone, a PHS (Personal Handy Phone), and a PDA (Personal Handy Phone).
al Digital Assistance).

[0008] When a customer wants to dispatch a vehicle such as a taxi, for example, the customer terminal transmits customer information to a communication line.
For example, the number of passengers, vehicle type, desired dispatch time, and the like can be included.

The customer information received from the operator terminal is transmitted to a plurality of vehicle allocation management devices connected to a communication line. This vehicle allocation management device is provided, for example, in a company that allocates taxis and the like, and manages vehicle allocation.

[0010] The vehicle allocation management device selects a vehicle that can be allocated according to the received customer information, and information on the selected vehicle, for example, a vehicle allocation time, a vehicle type to a vehicle allocation position specified by the customer, and driver information (driving information). History, etc.) is set as the dispatchable vehicle information, and transmitted to the communication line as a response corresponding to the transmitted customer information.

[0011] Then, dispatchable vehicle list information is generated based on the received dispatchable vehicle information, and the generated dispatchable vehicle list information is transmitted to the operator terminal via a communication line.

As described above, the list of vehicles that can be dispatched according to the request of the customer is transmitted to the operator terminal.
It is possible to select the most suitable vehicle from the list of available vehicles, thereby improving customer satisfaction.

Further, according to the present invention, the selection information selected from the list of distributable vehicles is further received from the operator terminal via the communication line, and the received selection information is received via the communication line. Send to. As a result, the vehicle is dispatched to the operator.

The selection information is stored for each operator, and the selection tendency of the operator is determined based on the stored selection information.
The distributable vehicle list information may be rearranged according to the selection tendency. For example, based on the accumulated selection information, which company's vehicle the operator frequently uses is determined from the number of times of use, and the dispatchable vehicle list information is rearranged according to the number of times of use. In other words, for example, the dispatchable vehicle list information is sorted in the descending order of priority, with the dispatchable vehicle information of the company that has been used frequently having high priority and the dispatchable vehicle information of the company that has been rarely used having low priority. Thereby, the operator can easily select an optimal vehicle.

[0015]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In the present embodiment, the present invention is applied to a case where a user requests a taxi dispatch or provides dispatch information of a taxi company on a network.

FIG. 1 shows a schematic configuration of a network system to which the present invention can be applied. As shown in FIG. 1, the network system 10 includes a server / server provided by an information providing service company that provides taxi dispatch information and the like.
A computer 12 and a plurality of dispatch management computers 14 belonging to different taxi companies each include a modem, a router, and a TA (Terminal Adapter: Terminal A).
The mobile terminal 20 is connected to a network (for example, the Internet) 18 via a connection device 16 such as a dapter, and is connected to a mobile terminal 20 of a user who uses a taxi.

The server computer 12, the vehicle allocation management computer 14, and the portable terminal 20 can exchange information with each other via a network 18 by mutual communication. In addition, the mobile terminal 20 can be configured using a personal mobile terminal (PDA) such as a mobile phone or a palmtop PC having a data communication function.

The server computer 12 and the vehicle allocation management computer 14 are constantly connected via a network 18 by, for example, a dedicated line or the like, and the server computer 12 and the portable terminal 20 are connected by a dial-up connection when necessary. Only, that is, the connection is made via the network 18 only when there is a dispatch request or the like from the portable terminal 20. Note that the network 18 corresponds to the communication line of the present invention.

In this embodiment, a case where the Internet is applied as a network will be described. In this case, the server computer 12 is a WWW (World Wide Web)
Other machines can function as WWW clients, as well as servers.

More specifically, each vehicle allocation management computer 14
In addition, a WWW browser is installed in each mobile terminal 20, and by activating the WWW browser, the server computer 1 is connected via the network 18.
2 can be arbitrarily accessed. At this time, the access position (the data composed of the position of the server computer 12 to be accessed and the position of the information in the server computer 12) is specified by a URL (Uniform Resource Locator). Data transfer between computers is generally performed according to HTTP (Hyper Text Transfer Protocol).

An IP (Internet Protocol) address is used to identify the vehicle allocation management computer 14 and the portable terminal 20. In addition, the user who operates the mobile terminal 20 can be identified using a user's own input or a user ID such as a predetermined code or telephone number.

Since the above-mentioned computer and portable terminal have a general and general hardware configuration, detailed description will be omitted.

FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram showing transmission and reception of information by the computer having the above configuration.

The server computer 12 comprises an application section 22 and a database section 24. These units may be configured by a computer and connected so that information can be exchanged. The application unit 22 is a functional unit that mainly performs information exchange with other computers and various processes. The database unit 24 is a functional unit that refers to and retrieves various tables and data.
As an example of what is included in the database unit 24, there is a customer dispatch history table and the like.

The plurality of dispatch management computers 14 are usually computers that are not directly connected to the user, and are computers owned by each taxi company. Each of the vehicle allocation management computers 14 has the same configuration, and includes an application unit 26, a vehicle allocation data unit 28, and a communication unit 3.
0.

The communication unit 30 is connected to a communication device (not shown) for wireless communication with each taxi of the company.
It communicates wirelessly with the communication device mounted on each taxi, and records the performance information of each taxi, such as destination, number of passengers, boarding time,
Information such as the getting-off time and the collection fee is input.

The dispatch data section 28 includes a taxi N
o, taxi information including vehicle type, driver information (gender, age, driving history, name, etc.) is stored in advance, and the actual information input from the communication unit 30 is linked to the taxi information and dispatched data. The data is stored in the unit 28 as vehicle allocation data.

Further, each taxi may be provided with a GPS (Global Positioning System) device for detecting the position of the vehicle, and the current position may be recorded in real time as a part of the performance information. Note that the following description is based on the assumption that the current position is recorded in the performance information in real time.

The application section 26 receives a request from the customer to dispatch a vehicle, that is, from the portable terminal 20 to the server.
When a dispatch request is made via the computer 12, the dispatcher refers to the dispatch data stored in the dispatch data section 28, selects a taxi suitable for the customer's request, and transmits the selected taxi information to the server computer 12. .

Next, the operation of the present embodiment will be described. Note that, in the present embodiment, the server computer 12
A case where the computer 14 and the mobile terminal 20 function as a WW (World Wide Web) server and function as WWW clients will be described. In this case, a program that can access the network (a so-called WWW browser) is installed in the mobile terminal 20, and the server computer 12 can be accessed via the network 18 by activating the WWW browser.

The access position (data comprising the position of the server computer 12 to be accessed and the position of information in the server computer 12) is a so-called URL (Unknown).
iform Resource Locator).

First, when an access request is made from the portable terminal 20 to the server computer 12 to access the taxi dispatch site, the server computer 12 transmits the request shown in FIG.
Is executed.

More specifically, the processing is executed in the application section 22 constituting the server computer 12.
In step 100 of FIG. 3, as initial settings, format information of a screen to be displayed on the mobile terminal 20 and data are generated.

Specifically, screen format information for inputting customer information required when a user requests a taxi dispatch is generated, and data is transmitted to the portable terminal 20. Therefore, a customer information input screen for inputting customer information is displayed on the mobile terminal 20.

When only a user registered in advance by a contract with an information providing service company is permitted to access the taxi dispatching site, the server computer 12 firstly displays the user ID and password input screen, for example. The format information may be transmitted to the mobile terminal 20.

In this case, the format information of the customer information input screen is transmitted only when the user ID and the password transmitted from the portable terminal 20 match the registered user ID and the registered password stored in the database unit 24 in advance. To do. As a result, it is possible to provide services only to those who have contracted with an information providing service company that provides taxi dispatch information in advance.

The customer information includes at least the dispatch position (for example, the current position) at which the user desires to dispatch a taxi, and can also include other information such as the number of passengers, a desired dispatch time, a destination, a stopover point, and a desired vehicle type. .

The vehicle allocation position can be specified by inputting the address of the desired vehicle allocation position, or by providing map data from the server computer 12 to the portable terminal 20 and displaying the map data on the map displayed on the portable terminal 20. May be specified.

When the user requests a vehicle allocation, the mobile terminal 2
The customer information required on the customer information input screen displayed at 0 is input. When customer information is input by the user, a dispatch request is made from the mobile terminal 20 to the server computer 12. In the server computer 12, the determination of the dispatch request is affirmed in step 102 of FIG. 3, and the process proceeds to step 106. . On the other hand, if the user cancels the dispatch request, an affirmative determination is made in step 104, and the process ends.

FIG. 4 shows an example of a customer information input screen displayed on the portable terminal 20 based on data transmitted from the server computer 12. The screen 32 includes an input area 34 for inputting each item of customer information, a map call button 36 for designating a dispatch location on a map, a decision button 38 to be pressed when making a dispatch request, and a main process. And a cancel button 40 to be pressed when instructing to end.

Referring to screen 32, the user inputs customer information and presses decision button 38, so that portable terminal 20 transmits the input customer information to server computer 12.

Note that customer information does not always need to be input. For example, if the function of automatically detecting the position of the mobile terminal 20 is used, the mobile terminal 20
Since the request including the position has been made at the point of accessing to, the step 100 can be omitted. Also,
At least the vehicle allocation position may be input, and other items may be arbitrarily input. In addition, a plurality of items, such as a vehicle type, which can be specified, may be input.

The server computer 12 having received the customer information transmits the customer information received in step 106 to the dispatch management computer 14 of each taxi company.

In the dispatch management computer 14 of each taxi company, the application section 26 calculates the dispatch time from the current taxi position included in the actual dispatch data in the dispatch data of the dispatch data section 28 and the dispatch position designated by the customer. presume.

Then, a taxi according to the customer's request is selected from the customer information. For example, when the desired dispatch time is included in the customer information, a taxi that can be dispatched within the desired dispatch time is selected. If the customer information includes a vehicle type, a taxi that matches the vehicle type is selected.

The vehicle allocation management computer 14 links the estimated vehicle allocation time data to the taxi information of the taxi selected in this way and transmits it to the server computer 12. Note that the dispatch time may be determined by the time determined by each taxi driver. The selected taxi information corresponds to the dispatchable vehicle information of the present invention.

When the server computer 12 receives the taxi information from the dispatch management computer 14 of each taxi company, the determination in step 108 is affirmed, and the process proceeds to step 110.

In step 110, the portable terminal 20 is obtained from the received taxi information and customer information from each taxi company.
Create a list to send to. To create this list, for example, a customer dispatch history table stored in the database unit 24 is referred to determine the customer's taxi usage tendency from the customer's past dispatch history, and a list is created with priorities. . Note that the list corresponds to the dispatchable vehicle list information of the present invention.

FIG. 5 shows an example of a customer allocation history table. As shown in FIG.
It consists of a user ID, the date of using a taxi, and taxi information of the selected taxi.

The server computer 12 refers to the customer allocation history table 50 to determine, for example, the tendency of the customer to use the taxi company based on the number of use of the taxi company used by the customer. For example, a list 52 as shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 6, the list 52 includes taxi companies and taxi information.

Then, the list data created in the next step 112 is transmitted to the portable terminal 20. The user refers to the list displayed on the mobile terminal 20 and selects, for example, a taxi with the shortest dispatch time from the list. Thereby, the mobile terminal 20 transmits the taxi company and taxi information selected by the user to the server computer 12 as the selection information.

When the server computer 12 receives the selection information, the determination at step 114 is affirmed, and the routine proceeds to step 118. On the other hand, if the user has canceled the selection of a taxi by a predetermined operation, the determination in step 116 is affirmed, and this processing ends.

In step 118, the received selection information is registered in the customer allocation history table, and the selection information and the customer information are transmitted to the selected taxi company.
The selected taxi company, from the received selection information,
The dispatch location included in the customer information is notified to the selected taxi. As a result, the taxi notified of the dispatch location is dispatched to the dispatch location designated by the customer.

It should be noted that not only the number of times the taxi company has been used,
A list may be created by prioritizing according to the type of vehicle or the number of times the driver has used the vehicle.

The customer may pay the taxi fare in cash as before, or may pay by tax or credit card. In the case of payment by a credit card, payment may be made via the network 18 using a credit number and a password.

Each taxi company pays an information providing service company having the server computer 12, for example, a service fee according to the number of times of service, that is, the number of times the company's taxi is selected. Further, instead of such a pay-as-you-go fee system, for example, a fixed-rate fee system in which a fixed amount is paid to an information providing service company monthly may be adopted.

Further, a service fee may be paid from the customer to the information providing service company in accordance with the number of services, or a fixed amount may be paid to the information providing service company monthly. In this case, for example, a discount of a fee or another privilege may be provided to the customer according to the number of times of use of the customer.

As described above, since taxi information that can be distributed according to the customer's request is listed in a priority order and provided to the customer, it is possible to select an optimal taxi for the customer. The satisfaction level is improved, and the taxi company's utilization rate can be increased.

[0059]

As described above, according to the present invention, there is an effect that it is possible to perform an optimal vehicle allocation according to the user's request.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a network system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram for information exchange in the network system according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing a processing flow in a server computer.

FIG. 4 is an image diagram showing an example of a product detail screen displayed on a mobile terminal.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of a customer dispatch history table stored in a server computer.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of a list created in the server computer.

FIG. 7 is an image diagram for explaining a conventional taxi allocation.

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference Signs List 10 network system 12 server computer 14 dispatch management computer 16 connection device 18 network 20 mobile terminal 22, 26 application section 24 database section 28 dispatch information section 30 communication section

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. Receiving customer information including at least a vehicle allocation position from an operator terminal via a communication line, and transmitting the received customer information to a plurality of vehicle allocation management devices connected to the communication line. Receiving dispatchable vehicle information as a response corresponding to the customer information, generating dispatchable vehicle list information based on the received dispatchable vehicle information, and transmitting the generated dispatchable vehicle list information via the communication line. A dispatch service method, wherein the dispatch is transmitted to the operator terminal. 2. The vehicle management system further receives selection information selected from the dispatchable vehicle list information from the operator terminal via the communication line, and receives the received selection information via the communication line. The dispatch service method according to claim 1, wherein the transmission is performed to the device. 3. Accumulating the selection information for each operator, judging a selection tendency of the operator based on the accumulated selection information, and rearranging the dispatchable vehicle list information according to the selection tendency. 3. The dispatch service method according to claim 2, wherein: 4. The vehicle dispatching service method according to claim 1, wherein the vehicle is a taxi. 5. The dispatching service method according to claim 1, wherein the operator terminal is a portable terminal.