JP2002288790A - New transportation system and ride reservation method using the transportation system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a transportation system that is more flexible than a route bus and is more inexpensive than a taxi, and a passenger transportation method using the transportation system. SOLUTION: The transportation system comprises vehicles V whose operation is scheduled to pass a given point on a predetermined operation route at given time, and a management center MC having a server H for managing the operations of the vehicles. Each vehicle V has a position information acquiring means 1, a communication means 2 and an information processing means 3. The server H comprises a communication means 11, a vehicle position information displaying means 12 for showing a current position of each vehicle, and a vehicle management part 13 for managing operation management information, an operation status and a reservation status. When a user U requests a ride reservation for a vehicle of the transportation system, the server H reserves a ride for the user according to position information and vehicle information on the vehicles.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a new transportation system and a boarding reservation method using the transportation system, and more particularly, to a new transportation system which is cheaper than a taxi and can reserve a vehicle from a user's door to a destination. The present invention relates to a transportation system and a boarding reservation method using a new transportation system.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a route bus for operating a predetermined section having a predetermined stop has been an important means of transporting a plurality of users to a destination. This route bus transports a large number of passengers to destinations at relatively low fares based on a predetermined timetable.However, apart from the urban area, local municipalities have been expanding their use of private cars. The number of passengers has decreased, and the number of passengers has decreased due to the decrease in the number of passengers, making it difficult to operate.

[0003] In addition, a route bus, particularly for the elderly and the physically handicapped, must have a distance to a stop and arrive at the stop by a predetermined scheduled time. Further, at present, there is a problem that it is very difficult to determine whether or not the route bus has passed the stop before and after the scheduled time of the route bus. These problems are particularly remarkable in route buses with short operation intervals. Furthermore, route buses are for wheelchair users, etc.
Riding may be restricted. Therefore, the appearance of a more flexible transportation system than a regular bus was desired.

[0004] On the other hand, there is a taxi as another transportation means for transporting users. A taxi runs on the section where the user wants to board, and picks up at the door of the user by telephone or other reservations and sends it to the desired location of the user.
However, there is a problem that taxis are more expensive than route buses and have a large economic burden on users.

[0005]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a new transportation system which is more flexible than a route bus and is less expensive than a taxi, and a method of making a reservation using the new transportation system. It is to be.

[0006]

Means for Solving the Problems In order to solve the above problems, the present invention has the following configuration. That is, a new transportation system according to the present invention determines a predetermined point on a predetermined operation route. A traffic system comprising a vehicle having an operation schedule passing at time and a management center having a server for managing the operation of the vehicle, wherein the vehicle has position information for obtaining position information. Obtaining means, communication means capable of mutually communicating information with the server, and processing means for processing the information,
The server includes a communication unit capable of mutually communicating information with the vehicle, a vehicle position information display unit indicating a current position of the vehicle based on position information from a position information obtaining unit of the vehicle, and a vehicle management unit. The vehicle management unit includes a vehicle operation management unit that stores operation management information of the vehicle, an operation status management unit that manages the operation status of the vehicle, and a reservation status management unit that manages the reservation status of the vehicle. And has
The server performs a ride reservation of the user based on the position information and the vehicle information of the vehicle when the user requests the ride reservation of the vehicle of the traffic system. (Claim 1).

[0007] With this configuration, the user can make a reservation for boarding a vehicle that operates on a predetermined route in a taxi-like manner at a lower price. Further, the management center can centrally perform operation management of the vehicle, management of the current location of the vehicle, management of the allocation status of the vehicle, and the like.

In a preferred embodiment of the present invention,
The server further has a user information management unit that manages user information, and when a user requests a ride reservation for a vehicle, the server based on the user information of the user information management unit. The present invention is characterized in that a ride reservation of a user is made by using the method (Claim 2). With this configuration,
It is possible to use user information quickly. Further, by accumulating the reservation history of the user, it is possible to obtain information for creating a more efficient operation schedule.

A preferred embodiment of the present invention is characterized in that the boarding reservation information is transmitted to the vehicle (claim 3). With such a configuration, operation management can be reliably performed.

[0010] Further, in the transportation system, the user can get on and off at an arbitrary point between predetermined points on the operation route. . With this configuration, it is possible to arbitrarily select a point at which the user gets on and off the vehicle, so that it is not necessary to go to a predetermined stop and it is not necessary to walk a long distance from the getting off point.

[0011] In addition, the boarding reservation method using the novel transportation system according to the present invention includes a vehicle having an operation schedule passing a predetermined point on a predetermined operation route at a predetermined time, and an operation of the vehicle. A management center having a server for performing management, wherein the vehicle is a position information obtaining means for obtaining position information, a communication means capable of mutually communicating information with the server, and a processing means for processing information. Processing means, wherein the server is a communication means capable of mutually communicating information with the vehicle, and vehicle position information indicating a current position of the vehicle based on position information from position information obtaining means of the vehicle. Display means, a vehicle management unit,
The vehicle management unit includes a vehicle operation management unit that stores operation management information of the vehicle, an operation state management unit that manages the operation state of the vehicle, and a reservation state management unit that manages the reservation state of the vehicle. In the new transportation system we have,
When there is a ride reservation request from the user, the management center selects an optimal vehicle based on the ride request information of the user, the position information of the vehicle of the vehicle management unit, and the vehicle reservation status, The vehicle information of the selected vehicle is presented to a user, and when the user desires to make a reservation with the presented vehicle information, the management center performs a reservation procedure for the vehicle, and displays the reservation information of the user. The information is registered in a reservation status management unit of a vehicle management unit of the server (claim 4). With this configuration, the user can reserve a vehicle in the new transportation system as if by a taxi, and the management center can temporarily increase or decrease the number of vehicles according to the actual reservation result of the user. As a result, usage efficiency is significantly increased.

Further, in the boarding reservation method for a new transportation system according to the present invention, the user performs a reservation procedure using a terminal (claim 5).
With this configuration, the burden of making a reservation on the management center side can be reduced. Further, the user can make a ride reservation using a terminal owned by the user himself or a terminal installed in a public facility or the like.

[0013]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings. Note that the present invention is not limited to these embodiments. First, a traffic system according to a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a traffic system of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is an explanatory route map showing an example of a route of the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 1, the transportation system according to the present invention has a vehicle V having an operation schedule (see FIG. 2) that passes a predetermined point on a predetermined operation route at a predetermined time.
And a management center MC having at least one server for managing the operation of the vehicle, wherein a user U makes a predetermined reservation by making an appointment reservation for the vehicle V to the management center MC. The section from the point to the predetermined point is boarded by the vehicle V for which the reservation has been made.

The vehicle V used in the present invention includes:
A position information obtaining unit 1 for obtaining position information, a communication unit 2 capable of mutually communicating information with the server H, and an information processing unit 3 for processing information are mounted. The position information obtaining means 1 for obtaining the position information includes:
Usually, it is a GPS receiver that receives position information using radio waves from artificial satellites. Then, the position information obtained from the position information obtaining means 1 is transmitted to the server H of the management center MC via the vehicle-side communication means 2.

The vehicle-side communication means 2 is, for example, a DoPa line network provided by NTT DoCoMo, Inc., and is provided by a DoPa terminal which transmits / receives information to / from the management center MC via a DoPa antenna and a DoPa network. Be composed. The position information obtaining means 1, the vehicle-side communication means 2, and the processing means 3 are not limited to the GPS and DoPa networks, respectively, as long as they have the same operation and effect.

The communication means 2 on the side of the vehicle V is means for mutually exchanging various information including the position information with the server H of the management center MC. In the present invention, the information communicated between the vehicle and the server of the management center includes:
For example, (1) vehicle position information from the vehicle, reservation information from the management center, (2) reservation confirmation information based on the reservation information from the management center, and (3) vehicle allocation is terminated from the vehicle side, After getting off the vehicle at the destination, it includes the boarding / alighting confirmation information transmitted from the vehicle to the management center.

And processing means 3 for processing the information.
Is a means for controlling the position information obtaining means 1 and the communication means 2 on the side of the vehicle V. The processing means 3 comprises a processing means for the position information obtaining means 1 and a processing means for the communication means 2. It can be provided separately or integrally. Normally, the processing means for controlling the information from the position information obtaining means 1 is sold as a vehicle-mounted unit by various navigation manufacturers, and the processing means for controlling the communication means 2 is a communication terminal. These processing means are connected to a display unit (not shown) for displaying the processed result. This display unit is a monitor (display) that displays the position information obtained from the position information obtaining means 1 on a map and shows information by the communication means in character information or the like.

If the vehicle V has the above-mentioned components, the number of passengers can be appropriately selected according to the purpose, the use situation and the like (for example, five-seater (the number of passengers is four). ), 8 seats (7 seats). Further, in the traffic system of the present invention, it is possible to operate the vehicles having different numbers of passengers in an appropriate combination. Further, for example, a vehicle for a specific use such as a wheelchair vehicle may be used. And these vehicles are, for example,
It is also possible to rent a surplus vehicle or the like from a taxi company. In the transportation system according to the present invention, a plurality of vehicles V ₁ , V ₂ , V _3, ... Configured as described above operate at predetermined intervals along a predetermined operation route.

On the other hand, the management center MC manages the operation of the plurality of vehicles V (V ₁ , V ₂ , V _3, ...) On a predetermined operation route, and at the same time, the respective vehicles V ₁ , V ₂ , V 3. ₃ ...
The reservation status is managed, and a ride reservation is made by the user based on the management information. This management center M
C is a communication means 1 capable of mutually communicating information with the vehicle V.
1, an operation management based on a server H mainly composed of a vehicle position information display means 12 indicating the current position of each vehicle based on the position information from the position information obtaining means 1 of the vehicle, and a vehicle management unit 13. , Reservation status management, boarding reservation, etc.

The communication means 11 on the server H side communicates with the vehicle V
For transmitting the position information obtained from the position information obtaining means 1 to the vehicle position information display means 12 and for communicating various kinds of vehicle information from the vehicle management unit 13 to the vehicle, and is usually a modem, a router or a terminal. Adapter can be used

As shown in FIG. 2, the vehicle position information display means 12 displays the position information obtained by the position information obtaining means 1 for each of the vehicles V ₁ , V ₂ , V _3.
This is a means for displaying on an S-standard map. By displaying the position information of each vehicle on the map in this way, it is possible to grasp the entire operation status of all the vehicles in operation and to respond quickly to inquiries from users. It becomes possible.

The vehicle management unit 13 includes a vehicle operation management unit 14 for storing operation management information of the vehicle V, an operation status management unit 15 for managing the operation status of the vehicle, and a reservation status for managing the reservation status of the vehicle V. It is composed of a management unit 16 for performing operation management, reservation status management, boarding reservation, and the like.

The vehicle operation management unit 14 in the vehicle management unit 13 manages the operation status of each vehicle, and includes, for example, ID numbers of each vehicle, driver information, and boarding as shown in Tables 1 and 2. It consists of capacity, timetable of each point of the operation route, etc.

[0025]

[Table 1]

[0026]

[Table 2]

The operation status management unit 15 in the vehicle management unit 13 is for managing the actual vehicle allocation status to the user. For example, when the user receives an inquiry, the operation status of the vehicle V is controlled. (For example, which hits are currently in operation, how soon they will arrive, etc.). Further, this operation status database is used to issue an operation instruction to each vehicle V via communication means in combination with the above-mentioned reservation status database.

The reservation status management unit 16 in the vehicle management unit 13 manages reservation information for each vehicle. For example, the number of boarding reservations and the number of vacant seats in the operation route for each vehicle as shown in Table 3 are calculated. It is composed of stored tables and the like, and has a function of creating a reservation list as needed. As will be described later, when there is an inquiry from the user, a reservation is made based on this reservation status database. When a reservation is made, the number of users is written in this table. When a user cancels a reservation or changes the boarding section, the table is changed in accordance with the change status. Although the table changed in this way can be overwritten, it is also possible to accumulate such information and use it as analysis data when changing the number of operating vehicles.

[0029]

[Table 3]

It is preferable that the vehicle operation management unit 14, the operation status management unit 15, and the reservation status management unit 16 in the vehicle management unit 13 are mutually associated by, for example, an ID number of each vehicle.

Further, the user information management unit 17 in the preferred embodiment of the present invention has a user information database including users who use the transportation system, their ID numbers, addresses, telephone numbers, and the like. ing. And
The user information management unit 17 has a function of collating the user U when the user U inquires about boarding reservation. For example, when making an inquiry from a user by telephone, for example, it is also possible to provide a number display display device capable of displaying a number display and to make an inquiry about the user U.

The provision of the user information management section 17 in this way is intended to simplify reservations in the traffic system, or to notify the user when the dispatch schedule is changed due to traffic congestion or the like. The main purpose is to discriminate between registered users (eg, local residents) and unregistered users when providing services to registered users (eg, local residents). It is also effective when performing the conversion or when there is a purpose such as obtaining statistics of the usage status of the registered users.

Hereinafter, the case where the user in the transportation system of the present invention is a local resident will be mainly described.
The user U is, for example, a resident who lives in the area shown in FIG. 2 and, when he / she wants to use the transportation system of the present invention, registers in the usage database in the server.

Then, in a transportation system for operating the operation route shown in FIG. 2 according to the timetable shown in Table 2, for example, the user U can settle down on the place of residence X of the user U (the point between point B and point C). It is possible to cope with a case where the user wants to get on from X) to point Y between point G and point H.

The procedure from the reservation application request between the user U and the management center MC to the boarding reservation will be described in detail in the boarding reservation method of the present invention described later.
Various methods such as telephone, facsimile, Internet mail, etc. can be considered between the management center MC. For example, boarding reservations from ordinary households can be made by telephone line, and public facilities such as government offices, banks, stations, etc.
It is also possible to adopt a configuration in which terminals are installed in a service facility and a reservation procedure is performed from these terminals by a conventionally known method.

Also, for example, if the user U is in the residence X
If you want the driver to check the safety of parents and grandparents living in (point X between point B and point C),
Services such as purchasing a predetermined product at a store located at the point Y and delivering it to the user at the point X can be performed using the novel transportation system of the present invention. In this case,
The reservation status management unit 16 has zero names of ride reservations in the reservation status of the vehicle V.

Further, a method for setting a fee according to the present invention,
The payment method can also be set arbitrarily. For example, a configuration for issuing a use ticket, a configuration for paying a fare at the time of boarding, a configuration for managing usage status by a user database and issuing an invoice every predetermined period, these configurations Can be appropriately selected and determined. Further, the present invention may be combined with a configuration in which a user who wants to attract customers by using the transportation system of the present invention, such as a store or a medical facility, issues a use ticket to the user.

Since the transportation system of the present invention having such a configuration can be operated by a conventional route bus or the like even at a stop other than the prescribed stop, the transportation system can be used by elderly people, physically handicapped persons, etc. when using the route bus. Is a long distance, and it is not necessary to go to that location within a predetermined time, and it is not necessary to consider whether or not the vehicle has passed before or after the time described in the timetable.

Next, a process is described in which the user makes a ride reservation, dispatches a vehicle based on the user's reservation, and operates to the destination by the transportation system of the present invention thus constructed. 2 and FIG. FIG. 2 is a route map showing an example of the route of the present invention, and FIG. 3 is a flowchart for performing the method of the present invention. In the following description, the user U calls the management center MC from the place of residence X of the user U (point X between point B and point C) to point Y between point G and point H by telephone.
Suppose you want to use the transportation system up to.

First, the user U informs the management center MC by telephone that he / she wants to make a reservation for a vehicle at 9:45 from the point X to the point Y (reservation application: S1).
Then, the management center MC first starts the user information management unit 1
7, the user U is specified (S2). Note that if the user U is an unregistered user, it is checked whether or not to perform registration. If the user U has a will to register, a registration procedure is performed (S2 '). And the vehicle operation management unit 14
Vehicle V based on the timetable and the reservation status management unit 16
And the vehicle V is selected (S3).

More specifically, a vehicle passing point B at around 9:45 from the timetable of the vehicle operation management unit 14 and continuously vacant from point B to point H (in this case, for one person) Search for vehicles with empty seats). First, to confirm the reservation information about the vehicle V ₁ of the first pass in the reservation status management unit 16. Vehicle V ₁ was a possible reservation because it is fully occupied D, with E and F point. Accordingly, then, referring to the reservation status of the vehicle V _2, it can be seen vacant from point B to H point can be reserved so are continuously. Therefore, the management center MC determines that the vehicle V ₂
Select

[0042] Then, to predict the expected arrival time at the point X from the distance and the like of the desired to the position information and the X point of the vehicle position information displaying means 12 vehicle V _2, which is displayed on the (S
4). For example, if the estimated arrival time is 9:30 to 10
Assuming it is time, the reservation management center MC
User U indicates that vehicles can be dispatched from 9:30 to 10:00
(S5). In the same manner, it is also possible to predict and convey the predicted time at the point Y. The user U determines whether or not to make a ride reservation based on this information (S
6). If the user U does not wish to make a reservation for boarding, the process ends (S0). If the user U wishes to make a ride reservation, the ride reservation procedure is requested to the management center (S
7).

The management center MC receiving the reservation procedure request
Writes the reservation status as shown in Table 4 in the table shown in Table 3 in the reservation status management unit 16 of the server H, and completes the reservation procedure (S8).

[0044]

[Table 4]

Further, the management center MC simultaneously with the reservation status register of the user U, to transmit the reservation information via the vehicle-side communication unit 2 to the vehicle V ₂ (S9). In addition,
Alternatively or in combination of transmission of the reservation information, the management center MC may notify the reservation information to the vehicle V ₂ by radio or the like.

[0046] Then, the vehicle V ₂ which has received such a reservation information is preferably sent back to the management center MC to dispatch reservation confirmation information by the communication means or wireless like. After confirming the return from the corresponding vehicle in this way, the operation information is stored in the operation status management unit 15 (S10).

[0047] The vehicle V ₂ confirming the dispatch reservation in this way, and to navigate the vehicle to the point X is the residence of the user U from the B point. Vehicle running condition at this time, a visual angle feasible by the position information display means 12 of the management center MC, e.g. vehicles V ₂ to point C without directed to point X from the point B by false positives driver of the vehicle V ₂ when such the operation, the management center MC can be configured to emit immediately alert the vehicle V _2.

[0048] In addition, the vehicle V ₂ in the case of on the scheduled travel route from point B to point Y different from those operating conditions such as traffic jams and road construction are usually scheduled, to the management center MC to that effect It may be configured to report. Then, for example, a query such as not completed the dispatch of the vehicle V ₂ even after the dispatch schedule time from the user U is the management center MC
In such a case, the management center MC may be configured to notify the user U of a situation such as a traffic situation.

[0049] Then, after the vehicle V ₂ has arrived at the point X is the residence location of the user U, vehicle V ₂ is directed to the Y point is the destination to return to normal service route from point X, the destination Y The user U gets off at the point (S11). When the user U cancels the reservation, the user U notifies the management center MC of the cancellation of the reservation by telephone. The management center that has received the reservation cancellation information can respond by canceling the reservation of the user U from the reservation information management database. In this way, the boarding reservation method in the traffic system of the present invention is configured such that the vehicle V operating on the predetermined route is reserved and the vehicle is allocated according to the reservation, so that the user uses the vehicle as if by a taxi. It is possible.

Further, since the number of vehicles can be temporarily increased or decreased in the management center according to the use situation of the user, the use efficiency is significantly improved. That is, since the use situation of the user is managed by the vehicle management unit 13, the use situation of the user is analyzed based on the management result, so that the operation management having both the cost aspect and the service aspect, that is, the operation management, The operation interval can be determined appropriately. It is also within the scope of the present invention that the management center MC is configured to show the vehicle operation information to the user on a map via the Internet, satellite broadcasting, or television data broadcasting.

[0051]

As described above, according to the present invention, the following excellent effects can be obtained. The user can make a reservation for boarding a vehicle that operates on a predetermined route in a taxi-like manner at a lower price. Further, the management center can centrally perform operation management of the vehicle, management of the current location of the vehicle, management of the allocation status of the vehicle, and the like. In addition, it is possible to use user information quickly. Further, by accumulating the reservation history of the user, it is possible to obtain information for creating a more efficient operation schedule.

Further, since the user can arbitrarily select a boarding point and a desired drop-off point, the user does not need to go to a predetermined stop and does not need to walk a long distance from the drop-off point. In addition, users can make reservations for vehicles in the new transportation system as if they were a taxi, and the management center can temporarily increase or decrease the number of vehicles according to the actual reservation results of the users. To rise. In addition, the burden of making a reservation on the management center side can be reduced. Further, the user can make a ride reservation using a terminal owned by the user himself or a terminal installed in a public facility or the like.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a traffic system of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a route map showing an example of a route according to the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart for performing the method of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

MS: Administration Center _V, V 1, _{V 2:} vehicle H: Server U: User 1: position information acquiring means 2: vehicle-side communication unit 3: the information processing unit 11: control center communication unit 12: vehicle position information display Means 13: Vehicle management unit 14: Vehicle operation management unit 15: Operation status management unit 16: Reservation status management unit 17: User information management unit

Claims (6)

[Claims] 1. A vehicle having an operation schedule passing a predetermined point on a predetermined operation route at a predetermined time,
A traffic system comprising a management center having a server that performs operation management of the vehicle, wherein the vehicle is capable of mutually communicating information with the server and position information obtaining means for obtaining position information. Communication means, and processing means for processing information, the server, based on the position information from the communication means capable of communicating information with the vehicle and the position information obtaining means of the vehicle A vehicle position information display unit that indicates a current position of the vehicle, and a vehicle management unit, wherein the vehicle management unit stores a vehicle operation management information of the vehicle, and manages an operation state of the vehicle. Operating status management unit, and a reservation status management unit that manages the reservation status of the vehicle,
The server according to claim 1, wherein the server makes a reservation for the user based on the position information and the vehicle information of the vehicle when the user requests the reservation of the vehicle of the transportation system. 2. The server has a user information management unit for managing user information, and when a user requests a reservation for boarding a vehicle, a user of the user information management unit. The new transportation system according to claim 1, wherein the user makes a reservation for boarding based on the information. 3. The transportation system according to claim 1, wherein the boarding reservation information is transmitted to the vehicle. 4. The new method according to claim 1, wherein the user can get on and off at an arbitrary point between predetermined points on the operation route. Transportation system. 5. A vehicle having an operation schedule passing a predetermined point on a predetermined operation route at a predetermined time,
A management center having a server that manages the operation of the vehicle, wherein the vehicle has a position information obtaining unit for obtaining position information, a communication unit capable of mutually communicating information with the server, and information. Processing means for processing, the server, the communication means capable of mutually communicating information with the vehicle, and the current location of the vehicle based on position information from the position information obtaining means of the vehicle Vehicle position information display means, and a vehicle management unit, wherein the vehicle management unit is a vehicle operation management unit that stores operation management information of the vehicle, a vehicle allocation information management unit that manages information on vehicle allocation of the vehicle, In a new transportation system including a reservation status management unit that manages a reservation status of a vehicle, when the management center receives a ride reservation request from a user, the ride request information of the user, The vehicle management unit selects the most suitable vehicle based on the vehicle position information and the vehicle reservation status, and presents the vehicle information of the selected vehicle to the user, and the user makes a reservation with the presented vehicle information. The management center performs a reservation procedure for the vehicle and registers the reservation information of the user in a reservation status management section of a vehicle management section of the server. How to make a ride reservation. 6. The boarding reservation method using a new transportation system according to claim 5, wherein the user performs a reservation procedure using a terminal.