JP2002367086A - System and method for arranging taxi and program for making computer perform the method - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To arrange a taxi a user likes and also to allow the user to smoothly specify and get in the arrange taxi. SOLUTION: The user displays a menu for requesting a taxi arrangement on the screen of his/her portable terminal, inputs his/her name, the number of passengers, etc., and in addition, specifies the type (small size/large size), model, color, company, etc., of a desired taxi. A service center (vehicle allocation center) receives these items and the current location measured by a GPS(global positioning system) of the terminal, and notifies the user of the scheduled arrival time of a taxi allocated to the user and the features of the vehicle body such as a color in a document. Thus, the user can easily specify the taxi that has been arranged by the user himself/herself. Further, since the document is quoted to user comment information (card) that the user sends to the center, it is possible to easily specify when and about which taxi a comment and a request are made in the user comment information.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a taxi arranging system for arranging a taxi by receiving a arranging request from a portable terminal by a host computer, a taxi arranging method, and a program for causing a computer to execute the method.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art When it is desired to use a taxi but cannot pick up an empty taxi, the user calls a taxi company or a service center to apply for a taxi arrangement. The service center is, for example, a dispatch center that collectively performs dispatch operations of a plurality of taxi companies.

[0003] Here, when applying for a taxi arrangement using a mobile phone (or PHS), the user can use the location information notification function or the telephone number notification function of the mobile phone (or PHS) to determine the arrangement location and the user. Can be easily communicated to the service center.

[0004] The service center can make a contract with a taxi company in advance and have a car navigation function, an empty vehicle arranging function, and a settlement function. In addition, the taxi of the contract taxi company receives and transmits information on the current location. In some vehicles, a mobile terminal such as a GPS antenna and a PHS is set in a vehicle, and the position and situation of a taxi can be identified to a service center in conjunction with an empty vehicle sign.

[0005] Some taxis are equipped with a card settlement device for taxi payments, and even taxis not equipped with the card settlement device can call a service center using a mobile phone or the like. In some cases, payment can be made by doing so.

[0006]

However, in the above-mentioned prior art, there is a demand that a car that smells of cigarettes should be avoided because it is easy to get sick, and that the driver is better for one woman at night. However, even if there is a user, it is usually impossible for the user to be involved in determining which taxi will be turned on, mainly due to the circumstances of the dispatcher.

[0007] Furthermore, if the user cannot explain the place where he / she is in due to out of office, the taxi may be dispatched to a misplaced place. In addition, there are times when people wait in a very close place without noticing each other, and this fact cannot be understood until the user again asks the dispatcher. In addition, when there are many users waiting for a taxi at the same place, there is a problem that it takes time and effort for the user to identify the taxi arranged by himself, and the taxi driver to identify the user. there were. These problems are particularly noticeable at night or in rainy weather.

[0008] In addition, since taxi companies cannot accurately grasp the voices of users such as opinions and complaints of taxi users,
There was also a problem that a better service could not be sufficiently improved.

The present invention solves the above-described problems of the prior art, and a taxi arranging system and a taxi arranging system that allow a user to arrange a favorite taxi and to smoothly identify and get on the arranged taxi. It is an object to provide a method and a program for causing a computer to execute the method.

The present invention also provides a taxi arranging system, a taxi arranging method, and a program for causing a computer to execute the taxi arranging system, which can easily collect the voices of taxi users and more efficiently refer to service improvement. The purpose is to provide.

[0011]

Means for Solving the Problems The above-mentioned problems are solved,
In order to achieve the object, a taxi arranging system according to the invention according to claim 1 is a taxi arranging system for arranging a taxi by receiving an arrangement request from a portable terminal by a host computer, wherein the portable terminal is connected to the terminal. Position measuring means for measuring the position of the taxi, condition specifying means for specifying conditions to be satisfied by the taxi, arrangement request transmitting means for transmitting the position measured by the position measuring means and the conditions specified by the condition specifying means, Wherein the host computer receives an arrangement request received by the arrangement request transmission means and an arrangement request, and a taxi selected according to the condition received by the arrangement request reception means. And / or an arrangement contact transmitting means for transmitting the estimated time of arrival;
It is characterized by having.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, a taxi according to the conditions specified by the user can be accurately sent to the place where the user is located, and the characteristics and scheduled arrival of the taxi can be provided to the user in advance. Time is notified.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the taxi arranging system according to the first aspect of the present invention, the condition specified by the condition specifying means includes a taxi type, a vehicle type, a color, a company, It is characterized by whether smoking is allowed or not, or the gender of the driver.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, the user can specify the type of taxi, the type of car, the color, the company, whether smoking is allowed or not, or the gender of the driver.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the taxi arranging system according to the first or second aspect, the portable terminal is further transmitted by the arranging contact transmitting means. There is provided a user impression information transmitting means for transmitting user impression information such as user opinions and requests in association with the characteristics of the taxi and / or the estimated arrival time.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, it is possible to easily specify when and what taxi is used for opinions and requests received from the user.

A taxi arranging method according to a fourth aspect of the present invention is a taxi arranging method for arranging a taxi by receiving an arrangement request from a portable terminal by a host computer. A position measuring step of measuring a position, a condition specifying step of specifying a condition to be satisfied by a taxi, an arrangement request transmitting step of transmitting the position measured in the position measuring step and the condition specified in the condition specifying step, On the host computer,
An arrangement request receiving step of receiving the position and the condition transmitted in the arrangement request transmitting step, and an arrangement communication for transmitting a taxi characteristic and / or expected arrival time selected according to the condition received in the arrangement request receiving step. And a transmitting step.

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, the taxi according to the conditions specified by the user can be accurately sent to the place where the user is located, and the characteristics and the arrival schedule of the taxi are provided to the user in advance. Time is notified.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a taxi arranging method according to the fourth aspect of the present invention.
The condition specified in the condition specifying step is a taxi type, a vehicle type, a color, a company, smoking permission / non-permission, or a driver's gender.

According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, the user can specify the type of taxi, the type of car, the color, the company, whether smoking is permitted or not, or the gender of the driver.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a taxi arranging method according to the fourth or fifth aspect, wherein the taxi transmitted by the portable terminal and the arranging contact transmitting step is transmitted. And / or a user impression information transmitting step of transmitting user impression information such as a user's opinion or request in association with the feature and / or expected arrival time.

According to the sixth aspect of the present invention, it is possible to easily specify when and what taxi is used for opinions and requests received from the user.

According to a program according to a seventh aspect of the present invention, the method according to any one of the fourth to sixth aspects is executed by a computer.

[0024]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Preferred embodiments of a taxi arranging system, a taxi arranging method, and a program for causing a computer to execute the taxi arranging method according to the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Overview of Taxi Arrangement System: First, an outline of a taxi arrangement system according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described. FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing an outline of a taxi arranging system according to the embodiment of the present invention. In the taxi arrangement system shown in FIG.
0 is a service center, 101 is an artificial satellite, 102 is a taxi, 103 is a taxi user (hereinafter referred to as “user”), and 104 is a portable information terminal device such as a mobile phone owned by a customer. (Hereinafter referred to as “mobile terminal”).

Here, the service center 100 contracts with one or more taxi companies and manages the allocation of taxis owned by the contracted taxi companies. Specifically, the host computer 100 includes a host computer 100a to be described later, and contracts with one or more taxi companies to manage the allocation of taxis owned by the contracted taxi companies. The host computer 100a receives communication information from a communication device (not shown) mounted on the taxi 102 or a portable terminal 104 owned by the user 103, and performs a taxi dispatch process.

The artificial satellite 101 indicates a plurality of US GPS satellites. The GPS receives radio waves from a U.S. GPS satellite (artificial satellite) and obtains a geometric position with the GPS satellite, and can be measured anywhere on the earth.
The radio wave is a 1.575.42 MHz carrier wave,
This is performed using an L1 radio wave carrying a / A (Coarse and Access) code and a navigation message.

The C / A code has a bit rate of 1.023 Mbp.
In s, the length of the code is 1023 bits = 1 ms.
Also, the navigation message has a bit rate of 50 bps, and the code length is such that the subframe is 300 bits = 6 s,
The main frame is 1500 bits = 30 s, 5 sub-frames are 1 main frame, and 25 main frames are 1 master frame. Further, the navigation message includes orbit information of the artificial satellite itself, general orbit information of avant-gardeness, correction coefficient of satellite clock, ionospheric correction coefficient, etc. necessary for surveying and independent positioning.

When the user 103 does not give priority to time,
Taxi companies and taxi types (large and medium-sized, female drivers, non-smoking cars, car types, etc.) can be selected from the menu for an additional fee. In addition, a nearby landmark, the name of the client, clothes, and the like can be notified as thin information by voice. You may be made to receive a discount privilege etc. by using a taxi via this service.

At that time, the service center 100
Can efficiently select an optimal taxi based on the selection information / supplementary information from the user and make the taxi a pick-up.

Then, the taxi 10 receiving the pick-up instruction
The driver of No. 2 replies, and at this time, a voice or e-mail is sent to the user's mobile phone.
The information (arrival status information) about the dispatch status, such as the arrival time, the taxi company name, and the color of the vehicle body, calculated using the car navigation function described later is returned.

Further, if the taxi arrives at the destination and gets off the taxi, if there is any dissatisfaction, the user 103 uses the portable terminal 104 as user impression information (user's voice) and uses the service center 100 ( Host computer 10
An email can be sent to 0a). The service center 100 can collect voices of users and contact the taxi company at any time or periodically.

Next, the hardware configuration of the portable terminal according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described. FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a hardware configuration of the portable terminal 104 according to the embodiment of the present invention. The mobile terminal is a mobile phone 1 shown in FIG.
In addition to the personal computer 04a, a notebook PC 104c such as a PDA 104b or a laptop personal computer having a communication function may be used.

In FIG. 2, reference numeral 201 denotes a CPU for controlling the entire device of the portable terminal 104; 202, a ROM storing programs executed by the CPU 201;
Reference numeral 203 denotes a RAM used as a work area of the CPU 201. The RAM 203 may be a nonvolatile RAM that stores various information.

Reference numeral 204 denotes various buttons such as numeric buttons for inputting telephone numbers and character strings, and 205 denotes a display for displaying a menu and the like described later.

Reference numeral 206 denotes a transceiver that transmits and receives radio waves to and from a base station (not shown), 207 denotes a speaker that converts an electric signal input from the transceiver 206 into sound and outputs the sound, and 208 denotes an operator. Microphones that convert voices input from an electronic device into electric signals and output the electric signals to the transceiver 206 are shown. Reference numeral 209 denotes a GPS antenna for receiving a radio wave from the GPS satellite 101, and reference numeral 200 denotes a bus for connecting the above-described units.

Further, although not shown, an imaging device (digital camera) may be mounted. The photograph of the face of the user, the appearance, and the scenery image of the current location taken by using the digital camera may be transmitted to the host computer 100a of the service center 100 via the network. As a result, the position of the user or the user himself can be specified more clearly.

Hardware configuration of host computer:
Next, a hardware configuration of the host computer 100a according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described. FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing a hardware configuration of the host computer 100a according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG.
, 301 is a CPU for controlling the entire apparatus, 30
2 is a ROM storing a basic input / output program, and 303 is a ROM.
Is a RAM used as a work area of the CPU 301
Are respectively shown.

Reference numeral 304 denotes an HDD (hard disk drive) that controls reading / writing of data from / to an HD (hard disk) 305 under the control of the CPU 301, and reference numeral 305 denotes an HD that stores data written under the control of the HDD 304. Each is shown.

Reference numeral 306 denotes an FD (floppy (registered trademark) disk) 307 under the control of the CPU 301.
FDD (Floppy Disk Drive) 307 for controlling data read / write to / from FDD 307
FD as an example of a removable recording medium for storing data written according to the control of FIG.

In addition to the FD 307, a removable recording medium such as a memory card may be used. The FD 307 allows the user to input information to be registered in various databases, which will be described later, and to input maintenance information and version upgrade information of a program for controlling the host computer 100a.

A display 308 displays a cursor, a menu, a window, or various data such as characters and images. A display 309 is connected to a network NET via a communication line 310, and is connected to the network NET.
The network interface functioning as an interface with U301 is shown.

Reference numeral 311 denotes a keyboard having a plurality of keys for inputting characters, numerical values, various instructions, and the like.
Reference numeral 2 denotes a mouse for selecting and executing various instructions, selecting a processing target, moving a cursor, and the like.

Reference numeral 313 denotes a scanner for optically reading characters and images; 314, a printer for printing characters and images under the control of the CPU 301; 315, a CD-ROM which is a removable recording medium; CD-R
CD-R for controlling data read from OM 315
An OM drive 300 and a bus or a cable for connecting each of the above components are shown.

The scanner 313 provides information on the face of the user,
Used to input (read) driver's face photo information and photo information on the appearance of a taxi. Then, when communicating with the user or driver read by the scanner 313, the employee information may be sent together. Furthermore, an OCR function is provided, and information can be input to various databases using OCR paper. Further, the printer 314 can be used for outputting (printing) a usage slip or the like.

Further, the CD-ROM 315 stores the FD 30
As in the case of 7, it is possible to input information to be registered in various databases, and to input maintenance information and version upgrade information of a program for controlling the host computer 100a. In addition to the CD-ROM 315, a CD-R, a CD-RW, and a DVD-ROM may be used.

Functional Configuration of Portable Terminal and Host Computer: Next, the functional configuration of the portable terminal 104 and the host computer 100a according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described. FIG. 4 shows a portable terminal 104 and a host computer 100a according to the embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram functionally showing the configuration of FIG.

[0048] Portable terminal 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention.
04 is a control unit 400a, a menu storage unit 400b, a display unit 400c, an input unit 400d, a position measurement unit 400e,
The configuration includes a contact storage unit 400f, an arrangement request creation unit 400g, a transmission / reception unit 400h, an arrangement contact storage unit 400i, and a user impression information creation unit 400j.

The control unit 400a includes a function (configuration) unit 40
Process control is performed for 0b to 400j. The menu storage unit 400b stores information on various menu screens displayed on the display unit 400c when the user 103 makes a taxi arrangement request. The input unit 400d is a display unit 4
In accordance with the operation instruction on the menu screen displayed at 00c, the user inputs instruction information for a taxi dispatch request or user impression information.

The position measuring section 400e is a GPS antenna 2
In step 09, the current position is measured (calculated) based on the received radio wave. The contact storage section 400f stores its own telephone number and e-mail address and the service center 10
Information about telephone numbers such as 0, contact information such as e-mail addresses, etc. is stored. The arrangement request creating unit 400g creates arrangement request information to be transmitted to the service center 100 based on the instruction information of the taxi dispatch request input by the input unit 400d.

The transmission / reception unit 400h manages transmission / reception of data to / from the host computer 100a. Arrangement contact storage unit 4
00i indicates the estimated arrival time of the selected taxi (calculated by the taxi selection unit 401c) and the characteristics of the taxi such as the color of the vehicle body and the gender of the driver (extracted from the vehicle information DB and the driver information DB). The information on such as is stored. The user impression information creating unit 400j includes the input unit 40
User impression information (user's voice) is created based on the information on the opinions and requests input from 0d.

Among these function (configuration) units, the control unit 400a, the position measurement unit 400e, and the arrangement request creation unit 4
00g, the user impression information creating unit 400j
The CPU 201 executes the instruction processing in accordance with the program read from the ROM 202 to the RAM 203 in the CPU 04.

The menu storage unit 400b, the contact storage unit 400f, and the arrangement contact storage unit 400i store the portable terminal 1
The function is realized by the RAM 203 of the CPU 04. The function of the display unit 400c is realized by the display 205 of the mobile terminal 104. Also, the input unit 40
0d realizes the function by the button 204 of the portable terminal. The function of the transmission / reception unit 400h is realized by the transmission / reception unit 206 of the mobile terminal 104.

Therefore, the position measuring section 400e corresponds to the "position measuring means" in the claims, and the processing performed by the position measuring section 400e corresponds to the "position measuring step" in the claims. The input unit 400d corresponds to a "condition specifying means" in the claims, and one of the processes performed includes a "condition specifying step" in the claims. Also, the transmitting / receiving section 40
0h doubles as "arrangement request transmitting means" and "user impression information transmitting means" in the claims, and one of the processes performed is "arrangement request transmitting step" and "user impression information transmitting step" in the claims. Is included.

The host computer 100a according to the embodiment of the present invention includes a control unit 401a, a transmission / reception unit 401b, a taxi selection unit 401c, and a vehicle information storage unit 4.
01d, driver information storage unit 401e, position information storage unit 4
01f, a usage information storage unit 401g, and an arrangement contact creation unit 401h.

The control unit 401a is a function (configuration) unit 40
Processing control of 1b to 401h is performed. Transmitting / receiving section 401
b controls transmission and reception of data to and from each mobile terminal 104. The taxi selection unit 401c selects a taxi to be dispatched based on the dispatch request information received by the transmission / reception unit 401b.

Various types of information, which will be described later, are stored in various types of storage units of the vehicle information storage unit 401d, the driver information storage unit 401e, the position information storage unit 401f, and the usage information storage unit 401g. Details of the information stored in each storage unit will be described later. In addition, the arrangement contact creating unit 401h creates information on the arrangement contact to be transmitted to the user.

Of these functional units, the control unit 401a,
The taxi selection unit 401c and the arrangement contact creation unit 400h
HD305 or FD30 of the host computer 100a
7, or by the CPU 301 or the like executing command processing in accordance with a program read into the RAM 303 from various recording media such as the CD-ROM 315 or the like.

The function of the transmission / reception unit 401b is realized by the I / F 309 of the host computer 100a. The vehicle information storage unit 401d, the driver information storage unit 401e, the position information storage unit 401f, and the usage information storage unit 401g are provided in the RAM 30 of the host computer 100a.
3, the recording medium such as the HD 305, the FD 307, and the CD-ROM 315 realizes the function.

Accordingly, the transmission / reception unit 401b also serves as the "arrangement request receiving means" and the "arrangement contact transmitting means", and one of the processes performed is "arrangement request receiving step" and "arrangement request". Communication transmitting step ".

Next, the structure of the database stored in the service center 100 will be described. 5 to 13 show a service center 1 of the taxi arranging system according to the embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing a configuration of a database stored in 00. These databases are stored in storage means (for example, RAM 303, HD 305, FD 307, CD-ROM) of the host computer 100a provided in the service center.
The information may be collectively stored in the ROM 315), or may be separately stored in another information processing device (database server (not shown)) connected to the host computer 101a via a network.

FIG. 5 is a database relating to the customer information file. This database may be stored in the usage information storage unit 401g of the host computer 100a. This customer information file contains the customer ID (1.
D), the customer's phone number (2. phone number), the customer's name (3. name), and the credit card number (4. credit card number) used for settlement. Customer IDs are automatically numbered in the order in which they are registered. The service center 100 centrally manages the arrangement and settlement of the dispatch based on the customer ID.

Further, the customer's telephone number may be a contact for information on dispatch, and may be a telephone number of a mobile phone or an e-mail address of a mobile information terminal. Further, the name of the customer may be an individual name or a corporate name. Furthermore, together with the credit card number, the password of the credit card may be registered.

FIG. 6 is a database relating to the usage information file. This database may be stored in the usage information storage unit 401g of the host computer 100a. This usage information file includes a usage ID (1.1) assigned when the customer uses the taxi arrangement system.
(Use ID), the date and time when a taxi dispatch request was made (2. date and time), a mark that indicates the current location when the taxi dispatch request was made, or the appearance and clothing of the user (3. landmark). If there is an ID (4. Driver ID) assigned to the driver of the taxi that was the object of the taxi, the charge used (5. Usage charge), and the taxi type specified at that time, (Specification of type) and method of payment (payment) by user (7. Payment record (cash, card))
And at least.

FIG. 7 is a database relating to the user-side evaluation file. This database may be stored in the usage information storage unit 401g of the host computer 100a. The user-side evaluation file includes a usage ID (1. usage ID) linked to “1. usage ID” in the usage information file shown in FIG. 6 and an evaluation of the user's taxi vehicle (2. Evaluation), evaluation of the used taxi driver (3. evaluation of the driver), and overall evaluation of the used taxi (4. evaluation of the entire service).

Here, the evaluation of the vehicle may be, for example, "good seat comfort" or "quiet engine sound" as a good evaluation, or "small office" or "color" as a bad evaluation. Is not good, "and"I'm worried about the smell in the car. " In addition, the evaluation of the driver is "good feelings" as a good evaluation, "the driving is polite (acceleration and deceleration is smooth)" and so on. I got the wrong directions. " Further, as an evaluation of the entire service, for example, "I want to use it again", "I do not want to use it again", "I would like to improve OO", etc.

FIG. 8 is a database relating to the driver side evaluation file. This database may be stored in the driver information storage unit 401e of the host computer 100a. This driver side evaluation file is shown in FIGS.
The usage information (1. usage ID) linked to “1. usage ID” in the usage information file shown in (1), the evaluation of the driver's customer (user) (2. Matters (3. notes).

Here, the evaluation of the driver's customer (user) is, for example, "good gentleman" or the like, and the bad evaluation is "complain about driving" or " Kick the seats and so on. " In addition, cautions for customers include, for example, "do not speak except when necessary,""avoid sudden braking as much as possible," and "easy motion sickness."

The user-side evaluation file shown in FIG. 7 and FIG.
The driver's evaluation file shown in
When performing the evaluation, it is preferable to perform a comprehensive evaluation by comparing the contents of the mutual evaluation. As a result, for example, a one-sided evaluation (bad evaluation) on the user side can prevent a driver's biased evaluation.

The user-side evaluation file shown in FIG. 7 and the user-side evaluation file shown in FIG.
Thus, the evaluation of each driver for each user or the evaluation of each user for each driver can be summed up, thereby making it possible to refer to the comprehensive evaluation of the user or driver.

FIG. 9 is a database relating to the vehicle information file. This database may be stored in the vehicle information storage unit 401d of the host computer 100a. The vehicle information file includes an ID relating to a taxi vehicle (1. vehicle ID), information relating to the type of the taxi vehicle (2. vehicle type), and whether the taxi vehicle is a non-smoking vehicle (including a driver) or a smokeable vehicle. (3. Non-smoking / smoking), information on the size of the taxi vehicle (4. Large, medium and small), and information on the year of the taxi vehicle (5. Year) , At least. It should be noted that the information on the year model does not need to be particularly provided, and may be included in the information on the vehicle type.

FIG. 10 is a database relating to the position information file. This database may be stored in the location information storage unit 401f of the host computer 100a. This position information file includes an ID related to the taxi vehicle (1. vehicle ID) linked to “1. vehicle ID” of the vehicle information file shown in FIG. 9 and a two-dimensional position of the current position of the taxi vehicle. X to identify
Information (4. X coordinate) and Y coordinate (3. Y coordinate), and information on whether the taxi vehicle is empty (4.
Empty vehicle status). The X coordinate and the Y coordinate change every moment if the taxi vehicle is moving, so it is necessary to measure and grasp the data at predetermined time intervals and rewrite the database each time.

Information on whether or not the vehicle is empty is as follows.
The information is acquired in conjunction with the toll meter of the taxi vehicle, and the database is rewritten each time.

FIG. 11 is a database relating to the current information file. This database may be stored in the vehicle information storage unit 401d or the driver information storage unit 401e of the host computer 100a. This current information file includes an ID related to a taxi vehicle (1. vehicle ID) linked to “1. vehicle ID” in the files shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, and “1. vehicle ID” in a driver information file shown in FIG. 1. An ID relating to the driver (2. Driver ID) linked to “1. Driver ID”.

This current information file is unnecessary when, for example, the same driver always gets on a certain taxi vehicle, but otherwise, for example, when the vehicle to get on differs depending on the work process. It is a database for grasping a vehicle and a driver riding the vehicle. Therefore, the contents of this database are rewritten at the time of starting work, ending work, changing work, and the like. As a result, it is possible to make a vehicle allocation more preferred by the user. That is, it is possible to easily answer the request of "Ichiro Suzuki driver with a non-smoking car".

FIG. 12 is a database relating to the driver information file. This database may be stored in the driver information storage unit 401e of the host computer 100a. The driver information file includes information on the ID assigned to the driver (1. driver ID), information on the name of the driver (2. name), and information on the gender of the driver (3. gender). ) And information on the driver's age (4. age).

In particular, by making it easy to search by gender and age of the driver, when selecting a taxi,
Respond quickly to user requests. Although illustration is omitted, information on the years of experience in the crew, traffic violation information, and the like may also be registered. VI
In the case of a P user or the like, it may be a target of selection.

FIG. 13 is a database relating to a vehicle allocation information file. This database may be stored in the usage information storage unit 401g of the host computer 100a. The vehicle allocation information file includes an ID related to a taxi vehicle (1. vehicle ID) linked to “1. vehicle ID” in the files shown in FIGS. 9, 10, and 11, and a customer information file shown in FIG. 5. An ID related to the customer (2. Customer ID) linked to “1. Customer ID” and an ID related to use (3. Usage ID) linked to “1. Usage ID” in the usage information file shown in FIG. , At least. As a result, the current vehicle allocation (actual vehicle) situation can be easily grasped.

Next, the operation of the taxi arranging system according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described. 14 and 15
5 is a flowchart showing a series of flows from a taxi use application to return of user impression information after use in the taxi arrangement system according to the embodiment of the present invention. In accordance with this flowchart, the details of the function of each unit shown in FIG. 4 will also be sequentially described.

In steps S1401 to S1403, the user transmits an application for using a taxi, that is, a request for arranging a taxi, from his or her own portable terminal 104 to the host computer 100a of the service center.

First, in step S1401, the portable terminal 10
4 retrieves the menu as shown in FIG. 16 from the menu storage unit 400b, and displays the menu as shown in FIG.
Is displayed. Here, in order to shorten the connection time, the menu is built in the mobile terminal 104 in advance. However, the menu published on the host computer 100a may be downloaded and displayed.

Then, the user's name,
Number of people, destinations, and landmarks (such as "under the electric bulletin board in front of the XX station"), nearby clothing such as "brown coat and green umbrella", age of the user such as "women in their 70s" Gender and other information that helps the driver identify the user)
Input. When “Transmit” is selected and determined in the figure, the process proceeds to step S1402. When “Specify condition” is selected and determined, a menu as shown in FIG. 17 is displayed instead of FIG.

When a specific button is pressed in the menu shown in FIG. 10, "no desire" of the "type" item where the reverse cursor is positioned is sequentially changed from "small" to "medium" → "large" → "no hope". It switches cyclically like. Move the reverse cursor to the "vehicle type" item and press the above button in the same way, "No hope" → "Crown" → "Gloria" →
・ ・ ・ → Switched like “No hope”.

Similarly, the item “color” is changed to “no hope” →
"Yellow" → "Black" → ... → "No hope", "Company" item is "No hope" → "XX Taxi (Yes)" → "XX Taxi Corporation" → ... → ""Nohope" and "smoking" items are "no hope" → "permitted" → "impossible" → "no hope". It switches each like. Then, when “transmission” is selected / determined in the figure, the flow shifts to step S1402.

In step S1402, control section 400a of portable terminal 104 acquires its own position measured by GPS of the prior art in position measurement section 400e. In addition, it acquires its own telephone number and mail address stored in the contact storage unit 400f in advance.

Then, in step S1403, the control unit 40
0a controls the arrangement request creation unit 400g to create an arrangement request including the following contents (1) to (4), and sends the arrangement request to the host computer 1 from the transmission / reception unit 400h.
00a.

(1) User's name, number of people, destination, and landmark input by the menu shown in FIG. 16 in step S1401. (2) Taxi type, car type, color, company, smoking permission / non-permission, and driver's gender specified by the menu shown in FIG. 17 in step S1401. (3) The position acquired in step S1402. (4) Contact information acquired in step S1402.

In step S1404, the service center 1
00, the transmission / reception unit 4
At 01b, the above-mentioned arrangement request is received. And step S
At 1405, the control unit 401a sets the taxi selection unit 40
Instruct 1c to select the best taxi to respond to the above arrangement request.

The optimal taxi means that the user can arrive at the place where the user waits at the earliest time, and that the vehicle is empty by that time at the latest, and if the conditions such as the type are specified in the above menu, It is a taxi that satisfies the conditions as much as possible. The taxi selection unit 401c searches the optimum taxi by comparing the received arrangement request with a vehicle information DB, a driver information DB, and a position information DB described below.

The vehicle information storage unit 401d of the host computer 100a previously stores a vehicle information file (database) shown in FIG. (1) Vehicle ID: Identification number of individual taxi (2) Vehicle type (3) Smoking: Either acceptable or not (4) Large / medium / small (5) Year, color, etc.

Further, (6) company: the name of the corporation that owns the taxi (7) contact information: the address of the portable terminal mounted on the vehicle may be included.

Further, the driver information storage section 401e holds a driver information DB including the following items in advance. (1) Driver ID: identification number of individual driver (2) Name: name of driver (3) Gender: gender of driver (4) Age: age of driver

Further, the position information storage unit 401f stores
A position information file consisting of the following items and a current information file are held. The contents of the "position" item and the "state" item among the following items are periodically notified from each taxi 102 to the host computer 100a and updated as needed.

(1) Vehicle ID (2) Driver ID: ID of driver on board (3) Position: current position of taxi (4) State: Empty / Rental / Reservation

[0095] Even if the distance between the user and the taxi is short, it may take time to arrive depending on traffic congestion and the like. Therefore, the taxi selecting unit 401c uses a conventional technology such as VICS to use the vehicle in an empty state. Pick out the first taxi to arrive at the person. The current position of the user is obtained from the received arrangement request, the current position of the taxi is obtained from the position information DB, and whether or not the taxi is vacant upon arrival is determined by the "Status" item of the position information DB and the information on the getting off location. Can be determined respectively.

The taxi selecting section 401c checks whether the taxi selected above satisfies the conditions specified in the above menu, and if the conditions are satisfied or if no conditions are specified in the first place, step S1
The process moves to 405.

If the selected taxi does not satisfy the specified condition, the taxi that can be reached next, the taxi that can be reached next, and so on are sequentially searched to find a taxi that satisfies the condition. At this point, the flow shifts to step S1406. However, if the time required to arrive at the site exceeds a predetermined threshold, any item in the specified conditions is ignored, and when the first taxi that satisfies the relaxed condition is found, Step S
The process moves to 1406.

In step S1406, the host computer 100a confirms whether or not the taxi selected in step S1405 can be handled with the user's current position and destination (extracted from the arrangement request). When the driver's consent is obtained (step S1406:
Yes) the process moves to step S1407. If the driver's consent cannot be obtained (step S1406: N
o), the flow returns to step S1405 to continue searching for the next best taxi.

In step S1407, the control unit 401a of the host computer 100a
1h to instruct an arrangement contact to be transmitted to the user, and transmit it from the transmission / reception unit 401b to the portable terminal 104 of the user.

In step S1408, the portable terminal 104 receives the above-mentioned communication by its transmitting / receiving section 400h,
Indicated by 0c. FIG. 18 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of an arrangement notification displayed by the display unit 400c. As shown in the figure, the arrangement notification includes the estimated arrival time of the selected taxi (calculated by the taxi selection unit 401c).
And the characteristics of the taxi, such as the color of the vehicle body and the gender of the driver (extracted from the vehicle information DB and the driver information DB).

When "OK" is selected / determined in the same figure (step S1409: Yes), the control unit 400a stores the arrangement notification received in step S1408 in the arrangement communication storage unit 400i in step S1410.

In step S1411, the host computer 100a registers the arrangement request received in step S1404 in the usage information file (DB) in the usage information storage unit 401g under the control of the control unit 401a.
The usage information DB holds the following items.

(1) Use ID: identification number of each use, assigned at the time of DB registration (2) Date: registration date of arrangement request (3) Name: name of user requesting arrangement (4) Number of people: Number of users requesting arrangements (5) Boarding location: location of user requesting arrangements (6) Disembarkation location: destination or actual exit location requesting arrangements (7) Contact: use during requesting arrangements (8) Conditions: type, vehicle type, color,
(9) Vehicle ID: ID of selected taxi (10) Driver ID: ID of driver on board the above taxi (11) Usage fee : Taxi usage fee

Next, in step S1412, the host computer 100a informs the taxi selected in step S1405 of necessary information such as the user's name and landmark, and instructs the user to go to the site.

Thereafter, in step S1413, a taxi is used, and if there is any opinion or request, in step S1414, the user enters the input section 400d of the portable terminal 104.
Enter the opinion / request from. Then, step S1
At 415, the control unit 400a sends the user impression information creation unit 40
0j, and enters the above opinion / request in step S1410.
The arrangement information saved in the above is linked, and the whole of the arrangement information is used as user impression information (voice of a retreating person) as the transmission / reception unit 400h.
To the host computer 100a. afterwards,
The process according to this flowchart ends.

FIG. 19 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of user impression information (card) transmitted from the portable terminal 104 to the host computer 100a. The contents of the arrangement notification shown in FIG. 18 are added below the text input by the user.

FIG. 15 is a flowchart showing another part of a series of flows from the application for using a taxi to the return of user impression information after use in the taxi arranging system according to the embodiment of the present invention. is there. FIG.
In the flowchart of FIG. 5, when displaying the menu screen of the dispatch request, priority information is displayed (Step S).
1501). Although not shown, the priority information display (screen) is a display that allows the user to select whether to give priority to the taxi pick-up time or to give priority to the type of taxi vehicle with more time for pick-up. Screen.

On the priority information display screen, if the user makes a selection (step S1502) and the type of taxi vehicle is selected to be prioritized (step S1502: “TYPE”), Next, when the input of the condition regarding the type is completed, the input of all the conditions is completed, and the information regarding the condition is received (step S1503: Yes), the condition is determined based on the received information. A corresponding taxi vehicle is selected (step S1504).

After that, it communicates with the driver of the selected taxi vehicle, and confirms whether the driver is OK to pick up the vehicle (step S1505). If the driver is not OK (Step S1505: No), Step S1504
Returning to step S150, a taxi satisfying the conditions other than the driver's taxi vehicle is selected again (step S150).
4).

Steps S1504 and S1505 are repeated until the driver is OK. If the driver is OK (step S1505: YES), the driver is selected and the driver is selected. It is confirmed whether or not the user is good with a taxi vehicle (including a driver) whose is OK (step S1506). Here, when the user is not OK (step S1506: N
In o), the process returns to step S1504, and the selection is performed again (step S1506). When both the driver and the user are OK in this way (step S1504: YES), step S150 shown in FIG.
Move to 1407.

On the other hand, if priority is given to time in step S1502, that is, if the user wants to come as soon as possible (step S1502: “time”), the nearest taxi is selected (obtained) from the user's location. (Step S1507). After that, it communicates with the driver of the selected taxi vehicle, and confirms whether or not the driver is OK to pick up the vehicle (step S1508). If the driver is not OK (step S1508: NO), the process returns to step S1507, and a taxi other than the driver's taxi vehicle that meets the condition is selected again (step S1507).

Steps S1507 and S1508 are repeated until the driver is OK. If the driver is OK (step S1508: YES), step S1 shown in FIG.
Move to 407.

In this way, a more flexible response can be made according to the situation at the time of the user.

System Configuration of Taxi Arrangement System: An example of the system configuration of the taxi arrangement system according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described. FIG. 20 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of a system configuration of the taxi arranging system according to the embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 20, 1
04a is a mobile terminal carried by taxi users,
Typically, the mobile phone 104a, but the PDA 104
b or the notebook PC 104c. Also, 1
00a is a host computer installed in the above-mentioned service center 100, and 102a and 102b are taxis of each taxi company contracted with the service center 100.

Each taxi 102a, 102b
Is a GPS equipped car navigation system 121
The host computer 100a is notified of the current position grasped by a and 121b and the current state (whether or not the vehicle is empty). And the host computer 10
0a, when a taxi arrangement request is made from the user's mobile terminal 104, an optimal taxi is selected from the relative position of the user and each taxi, and the characteristics such as the estimated arrival time and the color of the vehicle body are transmitted to the mobile terminal 104. Can be contacted.

According to the embodiment described above, the GPS
The current location of the user measured by the service center is automatically transmitted to the service center, so the user does not have to explain the location with difficulty when going out, and the service center also wastefully dispatches to the wrong location Can be avoided.

Further, the user is informed in advance of the characteristics of the arriving taxi, the estimated time of arrival, etc., and the driver is informed of the landmarks input by the user in advance.
Both can identify each other more easily on site. It should be noted that the user may be notified of the approximate value of the usage fee (this can be calculated from the position and destination of the user requesting the arrangement) during the arrangement contact. This allows the user to use a taxi without having to worry about having enough money.

[0118] Also, since the user can specify the taxi conditions in detail, the service can be more tailored to the needs of the customer, and there is a business opportunity to collect an additional fee for the specification, as well as a taxi company. Can increase the operating rate.

[0119] Furthermore, the user can choose to take a favorite taxi and receive a discount on the taxi fare.
For example, a system may be provided such that a taxi of a mini car is sufficient since the ride is performed by one person, and the fare is reduced accordingly.

The conditions that can be specified are not limited to those related to vehicles and drivers as shown in FIG.
An item may be provided so that payment by credit card can be designated. By inputting the card number in advance when making an arrangement request, the service center can complete the confirmation with the card company while using a taxi, so that the time required for settlement when getting off the vehicle can be reduced.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, since the opinion and the request received from the user are related to when and what use is made in the user impression information (card), the service center is not required. Problematic taxis can be easily and quickly identified. In addition, instead of opinions and requests, if you write, for example, "I left my bag in the trunk of a taxi that I took 30 minutes ago", even if the user does not remember the driver name or vehicle ID, the service center will The taxi is immediately identified,
Forgotten items can be collected smoothly.

It is to be noted that not only the user but also the taxi driver can transmit information such as “I forgot my umbrella” and “This customer is liable to get drunk, so be careful about driving next time” to the service center. It may be. At this time, a document or the like transmitted at the time of confirmation (step S1406) or communication (step S1412) with the driver is referred to, so that it is possible to easily correlate when and with which use. .

Furthermore, since the voice of the user after use can be easily reflected, it is expected that the morals and services of the driver will be improved, and troubles with the user can be reduced as much as possible.

Further, the taxi arranging method in the present embodiment may be a computer-readable program prepared in advance, and is realized by executing the program on a computer such as a personal computer or a workstation. . This program is recorded on a computer-readable recording medium such as an HD (hard disk), FD (floppy disk), CD-ROM, MO, or DVD, and is executed by being read from the recording medium by the computer. Further, the program may be a transmission medium that can be distributed via a network such as the Internet.

[0125]

As described above, according to the first aspect of the present invention, in a taxi arranging system for arranging a taxi by receiving an arrangement request from a portable terminal by a host computer, the portable terminal is connected to the terminal. Position measuring means for measuring the position, condition specifying means for specifying conditions to be satisfied by the taxi, arrangement request transmitting means for transmitting the position measured by the position measuring means and the condition specified by the condition specifying means, Arrangement request receiving means, wherein the host computer receives the position and condition transmitted by the arrangement request transmitting means,
An arrangement contact transmitting means for transmitting the characteristics and / or expected arrival time of the taxi selected according to the conditions received by the arrangement request receiving means, so that the taxi according to the conditions specified by the user is used. Is accurately sent to the location where the user is located, and the user is notified of the characteristics and expected arrival time in advance, so that the user can arrange a preferred taxi and smoothly identify the arranged taxi This provides an effect of obtaining a taxi arranging system that allows the user to get on the vehicle.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the present invention, the condition specified by the condition specifying means includes a taxi type, a vehicle type, a color, a company,
Since it is the smoking permission / non-permission or the driver's gender, the user can specify the taxi type, the vehicle type, the color, the company, the smoking permission / non-permission, or the driver's gender. There is an effect that a taxi arranging system that allows a user to arrange a favorite taxi can be obtained.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the first or second aspect of the present invention, the portable terminal further includes a feature of a taxi transmitted by the arrangement contact transmitting means and / or Or, it is equipped with a user impression information transmission unit that transmits the opinions and requests of the users in association with the estimated arrival time, so that the opinions and requests received from the users are those when and which taxi was used Can be easily identified, thereby providing an effect of obtaining a taxi arranging system capable of efficiently collecting voices of users.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a taxi arranging method for arranging a taxi by receiving an arrangement request from a portable terminal by a host computer, wherein the portable terminal measures the position of the terminal. The measuring process,
A condition specifying process for specifying conditions to be satisfied by a taxi,
Arrangement request transmission step of transmitting the position measured in the position measurement step and the condition specified in the condition specification step,
An arrangement request receiving step of receiving, by the host computer, the position and the condition transmitted in the arrangement request transmitting step; and a characteristic and / or estimated time of arrival of the taxi selected according to the condition received in the arrangement request receiving step. The taxi according to the conditions specified by the user is accurately sent to the place where the user is located, and the characteristics and estimated time of arrival are provided to the user in advance. , Which allows you to arrange your favorite taxi,
There is an effect that a taxi arranging method that can smoothly identify and get on the arranged taxi can be obtained.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the fourth aspect of the present invention, the conditions specified in the condition specifying step are taxi type, car type, color, company, and whether or not smoking is allowed. , Or the driver's gender, the user can specify the taxi type, car type, color, company, smoking permission / non-permission, or the driver's gender, so that the user can select his / her favorite taxi. There is an effect that a taxi arranging method capable of arranging a taxi can be obtained.

[0130] According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the fourth or fifth aspect of the invention, the portable terminal further includes a feature of the taxi transmitted in the arrangement contact transmitting step and / or It includes a user sentiment information transmission process that transmits the user's opinions and requests in association with the estimated arrival time, so the opinions and requests received from the users are based on when and which taxi was used. This makes it possible to easily identify the presence of a taxi, thereby providing an effect of obtaining a taxi arranging method capable of efficiently collecting voices of users.

According to the seventh aspect of the present invention, a program capable of causing a computer to execute the method according to any one of the fourth to sixth aspects is obtained. Play.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing an outline of a taxi arranging system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a portable terminal 104 according to the embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing a hardware configuration of FIG.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing a hardware configuration of a host computer 100a according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a portable terminal 104 according to the embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram functionally showing a configuration of a host computer 100a.

FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram showing contents of a database used in the taxi arranging system according to the embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram showing the contents of another database used in the taxi arranging system according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram showing the contents of another database used in the taxi arranging system according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram showing the contents of another database used in the taxi arranging system according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram showing the contents of another database used in the taxi arranging system according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing the contents of another database used in the taxi arranging system according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram showing the contents of another database used in the taxi arranging system according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 12 is an explanatory diagram showing the contents of another database used in the taxi arranging system according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram showing the contents of another database used in the taxi arranging system according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 14 is a flowchart showing a series of processing flow in the taxi arranging system according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 15 is a flowchart showing another part of the processing flow in the taxi arranging system according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 16 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a menu according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 17 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of another menu according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 18 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of arrangement communication according to the embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 19 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of user impression information (card) according to the embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 20 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of a system configuration of a taxi arranging system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

100 Service Center 100a Host Computer 101 Artificial Satellite 102 (102a, 102b) Taxi (Vehicle) 103 User (Customer) 104 Mobile Terminal 104a Mobile Phone 104b PDA 104c Note PC 121 (121a, 121b) Car Navigation System 200 Bus 201 CPU 202 ROM 203 RAM 204 Button 205 Display 206 Transceiver 207 Speaker 208 Microphone 209 GPS antenna 300 Bus or cable 301 CPU 302 ROM 303 RAM 304 HDD 305 HD 306 FDD 307 FD 308 Display 309 Network I / F 310 Communication line 311 Keyboard 312 Mouse 313 Scanner 314 Printer 315 CD-ROM 31 CD-ROM drive 400a control section 400b menu storage section 400c display section 400d input section 400e position measurement section 400f contact storage section 400g arrangement request creation section 400h transmission / reception section 400i arrangement contact storage section 400j user impression information creation section 401a control section 401b Transmission / reception unit 401c Taxi selection unit 401d Vehicle information storage unit 401e Driver information storage unit 401f Location information storage unit 401g Usage information storage unit 401h Arrangement contact creation unit

 ────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continued on the front page (72) Inventor Masaaki Imanishi 1Fuji-cho, Hino-shi, Tokyo FFC Co., Ltd. F-term (reference) 5H180 AA14 BB05 BB13 BB15 CC04 FF05 FF13 FF27

Claims (7)

[Claims] 1. A taxi arranging system for arranging a taxi by receiving an arranging request from a mobile terminal at a host computer, wherein the mobile terminal comprises: a position measuring means for measuring the position of the terminal; A condition requesting means for transmitting the position measured by the position measuring means and the condition specified by the condition specifying means, wherein the host computer comprises: Arrangement request receiving means for receiving the transmitted position and condition, and arrangement contact transmitting means for transmitting the characteristics and / or expected arrival time of the taxi selected according to the conditions received by the arrangement request receiving means. Taxi arranging system characterized by being equipped. 2. The condition specified by the condition specifying means is a taxi type, a vehicle type, a color, a company, smoking permission / non-permission, or a driver's gender. Taxi arrangement system. 3. The portable terminal further transmits user impression information such as opinions and requests of the user in association with the characteristics of the taxi and / or the estimated arrival time transmitted by the arrangement notification transmitting means. The taxi arranging system according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising a user impression information transmitting unit. 4. A taxi arranging method for arranging a taxi by receiving an arrangement request from a portable terminal by a host computer, wherein: a position measuring step of measuring the position of the terminal with the portable terminal; An order request transmitting step of transmitting the position measured in the position measuring step and the condition specified in the condition specifying step; and the host computer transmitting the arrangement request transmitting step in the order request transmitting step. An arrangement request receiving step of receiving a position and a condition; and an arrangement communication transmitting step of transmitting characteristics and / or expected arrival time of a taxi selected according to the conditions received in the arrangement request receiving step. Characteristic taxi arrangement method. 5. The condition specified in the condition specifying step is:
The taxi arranging method according to claim 4, wherein the taxi type, vehicle type, color, company, smoking permission / non-permission, or gender of the driver are provided. 6. Use of the portable terminal to transmit user impression information such as a user's opinion and request in association with the taxi characteristics and / or expected arrival time transmitted in the arrangement communication transmitting step. 6. The taxi arranging method according to claim 4 or 5, further comprising a step of transmitting user feedback information. 7. A program for causing a computer to execute the method according to any one of claims 4 to 6.