JP2005056134A - Vehicle-allocation/traveling planning system and vehicle-allocation/traveling planning method - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a vehicle-allocation/traveling planning system and a vehicle-allocation/traveling planning method, allowing efficient traveling dispatch service. <P>SOLUTION: This vehicle-allocation/traveling planning system has: a request acceptance part accepting a creation request for a vehicle-allocation/traveling plan from a proprietor performing the traveling dispatch service; a vehicle-allocation/traveling plan engine for creating the vehicle-allocation/traveling plan; a traveling schedule creation part for creating a traveling schedule from the vehicle-allocation/traveling plan; a traveling schedule communication part for communicating the traveling schedule to a customer's family; a change/cancellation acceptance part for accepting a change request of a dispatch place or a cancellation request of dispatch from the customer's family; a change/cancellation management part for deciding whether the change request of the dispatch place or the cancellation request of the dispatch is possible or not; and a change/cancellation output part for communicating the changed dispatch place or the cancellation of the dispatch to the proprietor when the change request or the cancellation request is possible. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a vehicle allocation / tour planning plan creation system and a vehicle allocation / tour planning plan creation method, and more particularly, to a round trip transportation service that requires a customer's family to accompany the transportation location.

  In recent years, with the increase in the elderly population, the number of elderly people who need care is increasing. The nursing care welfare system has been implemented to systematically cope with this aging society. However, since the care welfare system has not yet been implemented, the care service providers have not been able to efficiently provide care services that are sufficiently satisfied by the care recipient. Currently, in order to efficiently perform nursing care services, studies have been made from a wide range of viewpoints (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

Conventionally, as an example of a nursing care service provider, a business operator that also provides a pick-up service for a customer by visiting a nursing care vehicle that can be equipped with a wheelchair, stretcher, etc. along with the nursing care service in the business facility (for example, a day care service provider) There is.
JP 2002-7572 A

  When a business operator performs a patrol transfer service that patrols a vehicle and picks up a customer, the customer may need to be accompanied by the family of the customer to the pick-up location depending on the customer. If the customer is an elderly person receiving care services, or if the customer is a kindergarten attending a kindergarten, the customer's family must be accompanied at the transfer location even if the transfer location is at the customer's home.

  Here, in particular, when the customer is picked up from the operator's facility, the operator cannot deliver the customer when the customer's family cannot go to the transfer place at the scheduled transfer time for some reason. Therefore, in this case, for example, the vehicle is temporarily returned to the facility of the operator, or the vehicle is kept waiting until the customer's family arrives on the spot (pick-up place), so that the cyclic transfer service becomes very inefficient. there is a possibility.

  In this case, the customer's family could not go to the pick-up location at the scheduled pick-up time. This could be due to the fact that it was not possible to arrive by the scheduled transfer time.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle allocation / tour planning plan and a vehicle allocation / tour planning plan creation method capable of efficiently performing a patrol transfer service.

  A first feature of the present invention is that a vehicle allocation / tour planning request receiving unit that receives a vehicle allocation / tour planning request creation request from an operator that patrols a vehicle and provides a pick-up service for a customer, A tour planning engine, a tour schedule creation unit for creating a tour schedule indicating the arrival time at the pick-up location and the transfer location for delivering the customer to the customer's family from the dispatch / tour plan, and a tour for contacting the visit schedule to the customer's family Change / decision accepting a request to change the pick-up location or request to cancel the pick-up from the customer's family, a change / cancel accepting portion to accept a request to change the pick-up location or a request to cancel the pick-up / If you can request a change or cancellation request with the cancellation management department, the changed pickup location or pickup The gist that it is a dispatch / patrol planning system and a change / cancellation output section to contact the cell to businesses.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, a business operator that makes a customer's pick-up service by patroling a vehicle requires creation of a pick-up location for delivering the customer to the customer's family and a tour route that indicates the estimated arrival time at the pick-up location. The stage, the pickup location change acceptance system creates a tour route, the pickup location change acceptance system contacts the visitor's family with the visit route, and the customer family changes the pickup location or cancels the pickup. And a transfer location change acceptance system to determine whether the transfer location can be changed or canceled, and if the transfer location can be changed or canceled, The gist of the present invention is that the change reception system is a vehicle allocation / tour planning plan creation method including a step of notifying the operator of the changed pickup location or pickup cancellation.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the dispatch / patrol plan preparation system and the dispatch / patrol plan preparation method which can perform a patrol transfer service efficiently can be provided.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. In the description of the drawings, the same or similar parts are denoted by the same or similar reference numerals.

<Vehicle allocation / tour planning system>
As shown in FIG. 1, the dispatch / patrol plan creation system according to the embodiment of the present invention uses a network environment such as the Internet to make a patrol / pick-up service provider 18 that makes a pick-up service for a customer by patroling a vehicle. This is an application service provider (ASP) 1 that provides a vehicle dispatch / travel plan creation service and manages a travel schedule change / cancellation request from the terminal 20 of the customer's family. It is to be noted that the traveling service provider 18 provides a nursing service provider (for example, a nursing care service provider that provides a transportation service for the elderly by traveling around a nursing care vehicle that can be equipped with a wheelchair, a stretcher, etc. in addition to the nursing service in the facility of the provider (for example, Day care service providers) and businesses that provide pick-up services for kindergarten children. Further, the ASP 1 is connected to the customer's family terminal 20 via the Internet and the communication carrier 19.

  The ASP 1 generates a dispatch / tour plan calculation result based on the dispatch / tour plan requested by the patrol service provider 18 and manages a dispatch / tour plan change or cancel request. Vehicle database 3, customer database 4, vehicle specification database 5, vehicle allocation / tour planning database 6, map database 7, and vehicle allocation / tour planning connected to the computing unit 2 via the input / output control unit 13. It has a request reception unit 8, a dispatch / tour plan calculation result output unit 9, a tour schedule communication unit 10, a change / cancel reception unit 11, and a change / cancel output unit 12. The calculation unit 2 includes a vehicle allocation / tour planning engine 14, a tour schedule creation unit 15, a change / cancellation management unit 16, and a reminder communication unit 17.

  In the business operator database 3, a traveling transportation service business operator 18 is registered, and business information is stored for each traveling transportation service business operator 18. Here, the company information includes the profile of the traveling transfer service provider 18, the number of staff members on the vehicle during the traveling transfer service, and the like. The company information in the company database 3 can be sequentially uploaded by the traveling transfer service company 18 via the network as necessary.

  In the customer database 4, customers (old people, kindergarten children, etc.) for which the traveling pickup service provider 18 provides the traveling pickup service are registered, and information about the customers (customer information) is stored for each traveling pickup service provider 18. . Here, the customer information includes general information such as the customer's address, name, and age, as well as the physical location of the customer, including the desired pick-up location and the necessity of a wheelchair or stretcher if the customer is an elderly person. Includes care levels such as characteristics and the number of staff required to get on and off the vehicle. Customer information in the customer database 4 can be sequentially uploaded by the traveling pick-up service provider 18 via the network as necessary.

  The vehicle specification database 5 stores information about vehicles used by the traveling transfer service provider 18 for the traveling transfer service. Specifically, the vehicle specification database 5 stores vehicle specifications such as the maximum number of passengers in the vehicle and the possibility of boarding a wheelchair or stretcher. Information in the vehicle specification database 5 can be sequentially uploaded via the network by the traveling transfer service provider 18 as necessary.

  The dispatch / tour plan database 6 stores the dispatch / tour plan created by the dispatch / tour plan engine 14.

  The map database 7 stores map information of a region including at least a location where a cyclic transfer service such as a facility of the cyclic transfer service provider 18 is started, a customer's home, and a transfer location such as a landmark. The map database 7 is referred to when searching for a round route connecting the facilities and pick-up places of the round-trip pick-up service company 18, extracting landmarks, and calculating the time required for the round-trip pick-up to each pick-up place.

  The dispatch / tour plan request accepting unit 8 accepts a request for creating a dispatch / tour plan according to customer information from the round trip service provider 18 via the network. Specifically, the patrol service provider 18 requests the ASP 1 to create a dispatch / tour plan with a list of customers scheduled to travel from the reservation information of the day, and the dispatch / tour plan request reception unit 8 Accept. Requests for creating a dispatch / tour plan are generally made on a monthly basis.

  The dispatch / tour planning engine 14 creates a dispatch / tour plan with reference to a list of customers scheduled to travel, vehicle specifications and customer physical characteristics. Specifically, the vehicle allocation / tour planning engine 14 refers to the vehicle specifications in the vehicle specification database 5, the customer information in the customer database 4, and the business information in the business database 3, so that the customer scheduled to travel Create a dispatch / tour plan for.

  The dispatch / tour plan calculation result output unit 9 outputs the calculation result of the dispatch / tour plan to the traveling pick-up service provider 18. The traveling pick-up service provider 18 receives the calculation result of the dispatch / tour planning through the network.

  The traveling schedule creation unit 15 creates a traveling schedule indicating the transfer location where the customer is transferred to the customer's family and the estimated arrival time at the transfer location from the allocation / tour planning created by the allocation / tour planning engine 14. The traveling schedule will be described later with reference to FIG.

  The traveling schedule communication unit 10 communicates the traveling schedule created by the traveling schedule creation unit 15 to the customer's family. For example, the traveling schedule communication unit 10 transmits a message attached with an address (URL) of a website on which the traveling schedule is posted to a terminal (for example, a mobile phone) 20 of the customer's family. Upon receiving this message, the customer's family can access a website that lists the tour schedule.

  The change / cancel reception unit 11 receives a request for changing the pick-up location or a request for canceling the pick-up from the customer's family. Specifically, a family member of a customer who has accessed a website on which a patrol schedule is posted can select a changed pick-up location or pick-up cancellation through a screen on the website. Then, the change / cancel reception unit 11 recognizes these selections as a request for changing the pick-up location from the customer's family or a request for canceling the pick-up.

  The change / cancellation management unit 16 determines whether a request for changing the pick-up location received by the change / cancel reception unit 11 or a request for canceling the pick-up can be made. For example, only when the request to change the pick-up location is before the vehicle picking up the customer arrives at the pre-change pick-up location before the change and before the change pick-up location The change / cancellation management unit 16 determines that a request for changing the pick-up location from the customer's family is possible. Further, when the time when the transfer cancellation request is received is earlier than the time when the cyclic transfer service is started (transfer start time), that is, before the vehicle leaves the facility of the cyclic transfer service provider 18 The change / cancellation management unit 16 determines that a transfer cancellation request from the customer's family can be made only when the request is accepted.

  When the change / cancel output unit 12 determines that the change / cancellation management unit 16 can change the pickup location or can cancel the pickup, the change / cancel output unit 12 cancels the changed pickup location or pickup. Contact

  The reminder communication unit 17 informs the customer's family about the traveling schedule again a predetermined time before the pick-up start time (for example, 15 minutes before). For example, in the same manner as the traveling schedule communication unit 10, the reminder communication unit 17 transmits a message attached with the address (URL) of the website on which the traveling schedule is posted to the customer's family terminal (for example, a mobile phone) 20. Upon receiving this message, the customer's family can access a website that lists the tour schedule. The customer's family chooses to change the pickup location or cancel the transfer through the website screen that shows the patrol schedule, even after the reminder contact, so that the reminder will be contacted at the designated time before the transfer start time. can do. Note that a method for contacting the customer's family via the website screen and a method for the customer to select the changed pick-up location or pick-up will be described later with reference to FIGS.

  The calculation unit 2 may be configured as a part of a central processing unit (CPU) of a normal computer system. The vehicle allocation / tour planning engine 14, the travel schedule creation unit 15, the change / cancellation management unit 16, and the reminder communication unit 17 may each be configured by dedicated hardware, and software using a CPU of a normal computer system. It may have a substantially equivalent function.

  The company database 3, the customer database 4, the vehicle specification database 5, the dispatch / tour planning database 6, and the map database 7 are respectively a semiconductor memory device such as a semiconductor ROM and a semiconductor RAM, a magnetic disk device, a magnetic drum device, and a magnetic tape. An auxiliary storage device such as a device may be used, or a main storage device inside the CPU may be used.

  In addition, although illustration is abbreviate | omitted, in the calculating part 2, the input device which receives input of data, a command, etc. from an operator via the input / output control part 13, a dispatch / tour plan, a tour schedule, and a change / cancel Is further connected to the output device. The input device includes a keyboard, a mouse, a light pen, a flexible disk device, and the like. The output device includes a printer device, a display device, and the like. The display device includes a display device such as a CRT or a liquid crystal. In addition, program instructions for each process executed by the calculation unit 2 are stored in the program storage unit. Program instructions are read into the CPU as necessary, and arithmetic processing is executed by the arithmetic unit 2 inside the CPU. At the same time, data such as numerical information generated at each stage of a series of arithmetic processing is temporarily stored in a main storage device in the CPU.

  FIG. 2A shows a traveling route 21 that connects the facility (for example, a care center) 18 of the traveling transportation service provider 18 and each transportation location 30 to 36 in the traveling schedule created by the traveling schedule creation unit 15 of FIG. Show. Here, the case where the care center 18 is a place where the patrol transfer service is started will be described. The traveling schedule creation unit 15 refers to the map database 7 of FIG. 1 and visits the care center 18 and a predetermined transportation location for each customer (customer home 31, customer home 33, and transportation point 35). Route 21 is extracted. The traveling schedule creation unit 15 also extracts points (first to third landmarks 32, 34, and 36) that are points on the traveling route 21 that can serve as landmarks when meeting with the customer's family. Here, the first to third landmarks 32, 34, and 36 are points that can become alternative candidate sites when a customer requests to change the pick-up location. Information such as genre, parking lot, etc.), or the transportation service provider 18 may set the information in advance. The first to third landmarks 32, 34, and 36, the customer's home 31, the customer's home 33, and the pick-up point 35 are subordinate concepts included in the superordinate concept “pick-up location”.

  The vehicle that picks up customer A and customer B leaves the care center 18, passes through the first landmark 30, and delivers the customer I to the customer I family at the customer home 31. Then, the vehicle passes through the second landmark 32, the pick-up point 33, and the third landmark 34, and delivers the customer to the family of the customer at the customer's home 35. Then, the vehicle passes through the fourth landmark 36 and returns to the care center 18. The above is the patrol route 21.

  Here, the cancellation request for the pick-up from the customer Lee or his / her family is permitted only when the vehicle is made before leaving the care center 18. Requests for cancellation of transfers after departure are not allowed. On the other hand, a request to change the pick-up location from the customer's family is accepted only before the vehicle arrives at the customer's home and before it arrives at the new pick-up location. For example, when the vehicle is between the first landmark 30 and the customer's home 31, no change to the first landmark 30 is permitted, but the second to fourth landmarks 32, 34, 36 are not allowed. Changes to the pick-up point 33 or the customer's home 35 are permitted. A request to change the pick-up location from the customer's family after the vehicle has arrived at the customer's home 31 is not permitted in principle. The same applies to a request to change the pick-up location from the customer's family.

  FIG. 2B is a table showing the traveling schedule created by the traveling schedule creation unit 15 of FIG. The traveling schedule includes the pick-up locations 30 to 36 and the scheduled arrival times at the pick-up locations 30 to 36 in FIG. The traveling schedule creation unit 15 refers to the map database 7 in FIG. 1, calculates the time required for the traveling transportation from the care center 18 to each of the transportation locations 30 to 36, and starts from the time when the vehicle leaves the care center 18. The estimated arrival time at each pick-up location 30-36 is derived.

<Vehicle allocation / patrol plan creation method>
Next, with reference to FIG. 3 to FIG. 9, a dispatch / tour planning plan method executed using the dispatch / tour planning system shown in FIG. 1 will be described. First, a procedure from the receipt of a request for creating a dispatch / tour plan from the traveling pick-up service provider 18 to the creation of the dispatch / tour plan and the tour schedule will be described with reference to FIG.

  (A) First, in step S01, the care service provider 18 requests the ASP 1 to create a vehicle allocation / tour plan using a network environment such as the Internet. In step S <b> 02, the dispatch / tour plan request accepting unit 8 accepts a request for creating a dispatch / tour plan from the care service company 18.

  (B) In step S03, the dispatch / tour planning engine 14 creates a dispatch / tour plan by referring to the specifications of the vehicle and the physical characteristics of the customer.

  (C) In step S04, the traveling schedule creation unit 15 creates a traveling schedule indicating the pick-up location for delivering the customer to the customer's family and the estimated arrival time at the pick-up location from the dispatch / tour planning. Specifically, the traveling schedule creation unit 15 refers to the map database 7 in FIG. 1, and picks up the pick-up location (customer home 31, customer home 33, customer care home 18 in FIG. 2 and each predetermined customer). And the route 21 connecting the pick-up points 35) is extracted, and the estimated arrival times at the pick-up locations 31, 33, 35 are derived from the time when the vehicle leaves the care center 18.

  (D) In step S05, the traveling schedule creation unit 15 is a point on the traveling route 21 that can serve as a mark when meeting with the customer's family (first to third landmarks 32, 34, 36). And the scheduled time of passing the first to third landmarks 32, 34, and 36 is derived from the time when the vehicle leaves the care center 18.

  (E) In step S06, the dispatch / tour plan calculation result output unit 9 outputs the calculation result of the dispatch / tour plan to the round trip service provider 18.

  (F) In step S07, the traveling schedule communication unit 10 notifies the traveling schedule created by the traveling schedule creation unit 15 to the customer and the family of the customer.

  (G) Finally, in step S08, the ASP 1 stores the created dispatch / tour plan and travel schedule in the dispatch / tour plan database 6.

  Next, a procedure until the procedure for changing the pick-up location or canceling the pick-up is completed after the dispatch / tour plan and the travel schedule are created will be described with reference to FIG.

  (A) First, in step S11, the traveling service provider 18 determines to the ASP 1 that the time (the traveling time of the traveling transportation vehicle) that the vehicle that picks up the customer leaves the facility of the traveling service provider 18 has been determined. contact. In step S <b> 12, the ASP 1 accepts a confirmation notification of the departure time of the traveling pick-up vehicle from the care service provider 18.

  (B) In step S13, the reminder linking unit 17 is a website on which a patrol schedule is posted, and the customer's family can select a changed pick-up place or pick-up cancellation (pick-up place change acceptance) Website).

  (C) In step S14, the reminder communication unit 17 determines whether or not it is a predetermined time (for example, 15 minutes) before the pick-up start time (patrol pick-up vehicle departure time) for starting the pick-up service. If it is 15 minutes before the departure time of the traveling pick-up vehicle, in step S15, the reminder communication unit 17 notifies the customer's family about the traveling schedule again. Specifically, the reminder communication unit 17 transmits a message attached with the address of the website on which the traveling schedule is posted to the terminal 20 of the customer's family. Upon receiving this message, the customer's family can access a website that lists the tour schedule.

  (D) In step S16, the family of the customer who accesses the website can request to change the pick-up location or cancel the pick-up. If there is a request to change the pick-up location or cancel the pick-up (Yes in step S16), the process proceeds to step S17.

  (E) In step S17, the change / cancel reception unit 11 receives a request for changing the pick-up location or a request for canceling the pick-up. Then, the change / cancel management unit 16 determines whether a request for changing the pick-up location or a request for canceling the pick-up can be made. When the change / cancellation management unit 16 determines that a request for changing the pick-up location or a request for canceling the pick-up can be made, the change / cancel output unit 12 cancels the pick-up location or pick-up after the change. Contact The traveling transfer service provider 18 informs the driver of the vehicle of the changed transfer location or transfer cancellation.

  (F) Finally, in step S18, the change / cancel reception unit 11 determines whether or not the reception of the change of the pickup location or the cancellation of the pickup has been completed. If the reception has not ended (No in step S18), the process returns to step S16, and steps S16 and S17 are repeated. When the reception is completed (Yes in S18), the dispatch / tour planning method according to the embodiment ends.

  With reference to FIGS. 5 to 9, the detailed procedure of step S16 in FIG. 4 will be described.

  (1) First, for example, a reminder contact screen as shown in FIG. 7A is displayed on the terminal 20 of the customer's family who has received the message attached with the address of the website on which the traveling schedule is posted. In response to this reminder contact, the customer's family can access a website that lists the traveling schedule.

  (2) In step S161, a series of tour schedules (tour routes) as shown in FIGS. 7B to 7D are displayed on the terminal 20 of the customer's family who has accessed the website. The traveling schedule display screen corresponds to the traveling schedule shown in FIG. Further, each pick-up place (each traveling point) in the display screen can be selected (clicked) on the terminal 20 of the customer's family.

  (3) In step S162, it is determined whether the customer's family has clicked the patrol point. When the patrol point is clicked (Yes in step S162), the process proceeds to step S163. If the patrol point is not clicked (No in step S162), the process proceeds to step S165.

  (4) In step S163, the change / cancellation management unit 16 determines whether or not it is possible to request a change of the tour location. When a request for changing the patrol point is possible (Yes in step S163), the process proceeds to step S164. If it is impossible to request a change of the patrol point (No in step S163), the process proceeds to step S166.

  (5) In step S164, a screen for confirming the change of the patrol point as shown in FIG. 8A is displayed on the terminal 20 of the customer's family. When the customer's family selects “Yes” in step S168, a screen for notifying completion of the change as shown in FIG. 9A is displayed on the customer's family terminal 20 in step S170. Proceed to step S17 of 4. If the customer's family selects “No” in step S168, the process returns to step S161.

  (6) When it is impossible to request a change of the patrol point (No in step S163), in the step S166, the patrol point cannot be changed as shown in FIG. Is displayed. When the customer's family selects “Call Care Center” in step S169, the customer's family terminal 20 is connected to the care center 18 through the telephone line in step S171, and then the process proceeds to step S18 in FIG. If the customer's family selects “select another place” in step S169, the process returns to step S161.

  (7) If the patrol point is not clicked (No in step S162), in step S165, it is determined whether or not the customer's family has clicked “pick-up cancellation” shown in FIG. If “pick-up cancellation” is clicked (Yes in step S165), the process proceeds to step S172 in FIG. If “Pick-up Cancel” is not clicked (No in step S165), the process proceeds to step S167.

  (8) In step S167, it is determined whether or not the customer's family has clicked “OK” shown in FIG. That is, the ASP 1 confirms with the customer's family that there is no change in the pick-up location and no cancellation of the pick-up for the traveling schedule. If the customer's family clicks “OK” (Yes in step S167), the process proceeds to step S17 in FIG. If the customer's family does not click “OK” (No in step S167), the process returns to step S161.

  (9) In step S172, the change / cancellation management unit 16 determines whether or not a transfer cancellation request is possible. If a transfer cancellation request is possible (Yes in step S172), the process proceeds to step S173. If it is impossible to cancel the pick-up (No in step S172), the process proceeds to step S174.

  (10) In step S173, a screen for confirming the cancellation of the pickup as shown in FIG. 8C is displayed on the terminal 20 of the customer's family. When the customer's family selects “Yes” in step S175, in step S176, a screen for notifying the cancellation process as shown in FIG. 9B is displayed on the terminal 20 of the customer's family, and in step S177. move on. If the customer's family selects “No” in step S175, the process returns to step S161.

  (11) When the customer's family selects “Call Care Center” shown in FIG. 9B in step S177, the customer's family terminal 20 is connected to the care center 18 through the telephone line in step S178. Thereafter, the process proceeds to step S18 in FIG. In step S177, when the customer's family selects “Pick up at the care center” shown in FIG. 9B, the customer's family terminal 20 is shown in FIG. 9C as shown in FIG. 9C. A screen notifying completion of cancellation is displayed, and then the process proceeds to step S17.

  (12) If a transfer cancellation request is impossible (No in step S172), the customer's family terminal 20 cannot cancel the transfer as shown in FIG. 8D in step S174. A screen to that effect is displayed. If the customer's family selects “Call Care Center” in step S180, the customer's family terminal 20 is connected to the care center 18 through the telephone line in step S181, and then the process proceeds to step S18 in FIG. When the customer's family selects “change pick-up destination” in step S180, the process returns to step S161 in FIG.

  As described above, the website as shown in FIGS. 7 to 9 is configured so that the patrol schedule shown in FIG. 2B is displayed and the change to each pick-up location can be selected by the customer's family. ing. Information assigned to each customer is attached to an address (URL) attached to the message. Therefore, simply by clicking the URL in the message, each customer's family can directly access the website displaying the traveling schedule of the pick-up vehicle on which each customer gets.

  When the customer's family receives the above message, the customer's family does not have to do anything if it is possible to respond to the pick-up location that was previously informed at a predetermined time. Alternatively, the willingness of confirmation may be communicated to the traveling pick-up service provider 18 through the above website.

  However, if for some reason the customer's family is unable to respond to the pick-up location that has been contacted in advance at a given time, they can access the website and refer to the list of alternative sites . If the alternative candidate site is available, the customer's family can change the pick-up location through the website. As a result, the family of the customer can take care of the family transfer at an alternative transfer location instead of the transfer location that has been previously communicated. Also, for some reason, the customer's family is unable to respond to the pick-up location that has been contacted in advance at a predetermined time, and it is also impossible to respond at the alternative candidate sites displayed on the website. In this case, the customer's family can notify the traveling transfer service provider 18 through the website that the transfer is canceled or the time is changed. As a result, the customer's family can change the pick-up location or cancel the pick-up by a very simple method.

  On the other hand, the traveling transfer service provider 18 can confirm the input information (transfer location change information, transfer cancellation information) of the above website on its own system, and change the transfer location to the driver of the transfer vehicle. And can make a round-trip service based on the changed information. In addition, although communication to a driver may be conveyed verbally or in writing, an e-mail may be transmitted to a driver's portable terminal, and may be transmitted to a vehicle-mounted terminal of a vehicle by wireless communication.

  In addition, the customer's family is contacted with a reminder to prevent inadvertently, and at the same time, the patrol route is notified. Because of this, the customer's family inadvertently misread the scheduled transfer time or recognized the scheduled transfer time and was near the transfer location, but could not arrive by the scheduled transfer time due to traffic jams etc. Even in this case, the customer's family can select a transfer at a different location from the previously registered transfer location by a simple method.

  The dispatch / tour planning system and method thereof according to the embodiment of the present invention can be used, for example, when a family member who has entrusted an elderly person to go to a care center or a parent who has entrusted a child to a kindergarten has gone out. This is particularly effective when it becomes impossible to go to a predetermined pick-up location at the time when an elderly caregiver or child is sent. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the present invention can also be applied to a case where an elderly person or a child to be cared for is entrusted while the family is going out. In addition to providing a high level of service, it is also possible for a traveling transportation service provider to provide an efficient traveling transportation service in accordance with the dynamics of the customer's family.

<Vehicle allocation / tour planning program>
The above-described allocation / tour planning plan creation method is expressed as a series of processes or operations connected in time series, that is, a “procedure”. In order to execute this dispatch / tour planning plan creation method using a computer system, it can be configured as a computer program that specifies a plurality of functions performed by a processor or the like in the computer system. The computer program can be stored in a computer-readable computer program storage medium. It is possible to realize the above-described vehicle allocation / tour planning plan creation method by reading this computer program storage medium into a computer system and executing the computer program to control the computer. This computer program storage medium is used as a program storage unit in the vehicle allocation / tour planning system (ASP) 1 shown in FIG. It can be performed according to the processing procedure. Here, the computer program storage medium includes a memory device, a magnetic disk device, an optical disk device, and other devices capable of recording other programs.

(Other embodiments)
As described above, the present invention has been described according to one embodiment. However, it should not be understood that the description and the drawings, which form a part of this disclosure, limit the present invention. From this disclosure, various alternative embodiments, examples, and operational techniques will be apparent to those skilled in the art.

  In FIG. 1, the dispatch / tour planning system according to the embodiment is realized by the ASP 1 on the Internet, but the present invention is not limited to this. It is also possible to construct a vehicle allocation / tour planning plan system with a system within the traveling pick-up service provider 18. In this case, it becomes possible for the traveling service provider 18 to manage the creation of a dispatch / tour plan, change of the pick-up location, and cancellation of the pick-up without going through the Internet. Alternatively, only the creation of the website may be distributed to the ASPs 1 on the Internet.

  In FIG. 1, the patrol service provider 18 requests the ASP 1 to create a vehicle allocation / tour planning. However, the system on the side of the traveling pick-up service provider 18 may first create a vehicle allocation / touring plan. In this case, the system on the side of the traveling transfer service provider 18 extracts the main landmarks on the traveling route 21 from the map database 7 used for the preparation of the dispatch / tour planning, Calculate the required time to the pick-up location. In this case, the ASP 1 only manages the change of the pick-up location and the cancellation of the pick-up.

  When information about the change of the pick-up location is entered after the vehicle departs from the patrol service provider 18, the driver is informed of the change by simply sending an e-mail to the driver's mobile phone. be able to. Alternatively, the pick-up vehicle is provided with a vehicle-mounted terminal having a communication function such as packet communication and a function capable of downloading and displaying a traveling pick-up plan. When the change information of the pick-up location is entered, the system on the side of the traveling pick-up service provider 18 sends a message notifying that there has been a change to the in-vehicle terminal, and the in-vehicle terminal drives the above message by screen display or sound / voice. Present to hand or passenger. At the same time, the system on the side of the traveling transfer service provider 18 transmits the changed traveling schedule to the in-vehicle terminal, and the in-vehicle terminal presents the changed traveling schedule.

  In the said embodiment, the customer's family selects the alternative candidate place of the pick-up place shown on the website, and the intention to change the pick-up place is presented. At this time, if there is enough boarding capacity between the pick-up location after the change and the pick-up location before the change, it will be shown to the customer's family that it is possible to ride and confirm whether or not to ride. Also good. Specifically, when a customer's family clicks on an alternative site on the website, the message “You can ride together. Do you want to ride?” Is displayed on the next screen, and the customer's family clicks “Yes”. You may make it show the will to carry along.

  Thus, it should be understood that the present invention includes various embodiments and the like not described herein. Therefore, the present invention is limited only by the invention specifying matters according to the scope of claims reasonable from this disclosure.

It is a block diagram which shows the dispatch / tour planning plan system which concerns on embodiment of this invention. FIG. 2A is a diagram showing a tour route that connects a business facility and each pick-up place in the tour schedule created by the tour schedule creation unit of FIG. FIG. 2B is a table showing the traveling schedule created by the traveling schedule creation unit of FIG. Flowchart showing a procedure from receiving a request for creating a dispatch / tour plan from a traveling pick-up service provider to creating a dispatch / tour plan and a tour schedule among the dispatch / tour plan creation method according to the embodiment of the present invention. It is. It is a flowchart which shows the procedure until the procedure of the change of a pick-up place or the cancellation of a pick-up is completed after preparation of a dispatch / turn-around plan and a visit schedule among the dispatch / visit plan preparation methods concerning embodiment of this invention. . FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing a detailed procedure of step S16 in FIG. 4 (No. 1). FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing a detailed procedure of step S16 in FIG. 4 (part 2). FIG. 7A to FIG. 7D are plan views showing an example of a website that lists options for changing a traveling schedule and a pick-up place or canceling pick-up (part 1). FIG. 8A to FIG. 8D are plan views showing an example of a website that lists options for changing the traveling schedule and pick-up location or pick-up cancellation (part 2). FIG. 9A to FIG. 9C are plan views showing an example of a website that lists options for changing the traveling schedule and pick-up location or pick-up cancellation (No. 3).

Explanation of symbols

1 Application Service Provider (ASP)
2 Arithmetic unit 3 Business database 4 Customer database 5 Vehicle specification database 6 Allocation / tour planning database 7 Map database 8 Allocation / patrol plan request reception unit 9 Allocation / patrol plan calculation result output unit 10 Travel schedule communication unit 11 Change / cancel reception Section 12 Change / Cancel output section 13 Input / output control section 14 Allocation / tour planning engine 15 Travel schedule creation section 16 Change / cancellation management section 17 Reminder communication section 18 Travel service provider (care center)
19 Telecom Operator 20 Customer's Family Terminal 21 Travel Route 30 First Landmark 31 Customer Home 32 Second Landmark 33 Pick-up Point 34 Third Landmark 35 Customer Home 36 Fourth Landmark

Claims (11)

A vehicle allocation / tour planning request reception unit that receives a request for creating a vehicle allocation / tour plan from an operator that patrols the vehicle and provides a pick-up service for the customer;
A dispatch / tour planning engine for creating the dispatch / tour plan;
A traveling schedule creation unit for creating a traveling schedule indicating a transfer location for delivering the customer to the customer's family and a scheduled arrival time at the transfer location from the dispatch / tour plan;
A traveling schedule communication section for contacting the family with the traveling schedule;
A change / cancellation accepting part for accepting a request for changing the pick-up location or a request for canceling the pick-up from the family;
A change / cancellation management unit for judging whether or not a request for changing the pick-up location or a request for canceling the pick-up is possible;
A vehicle dispatch / tour planning plan creation system comprising: a change / cancellation output unit for notifying the operator of the changed pick-up location or pick-up cancellation when the change request or the cancel request is possible.   2. The vehicle allocation / tour planning plan creation system according to claim 1, further comprising a reminder communication unit for re-contacting the patrol schedule to the family a predetermined time before the pick-up start time for starting the pick-up service.   The dispatch / tour planning system according to claim 2, wherein the reminder communication unit transmits a message attached with an address of a website on which the tour schedule is posted to the family.   4. The vehicle allocation / tour planning system according to claim 3, wherein the family who accesses the website selects the changed pickup location or the cancellation of the pickup.   2. The dispatch / patrol plan creation system according to claim 1, wherein the pick-up location includes a landmark used as a landmark when the customer's home and the customer are handed over to the family.   The change / cancellation management unit receives the change request for the pick-up location before the vehicle arrives at the pick-up location before the change that has been determined in advance by the vehicle and before the arrival at the post-change pick-up location. 2. The vehicle allocation / tour planning plan creation system according to claim 1, wherein it is determined that the request for changing the pick-up location can be made only if   The change / cancellation management unit determines that the request for canceling the pick-up can be made only when the time when the request for canceling the pick-up is received is before the start of the pick-up service. Item 2. Vehicle allocation / tour planning system. A business operator that makes a vehicle transportation service by patroling the vehicle, and requests the creation of a transportation route that indicates the transportation location where the customer is handed over to the customer's family and the estimated arrival time at the transportation location;
A pick-up location change acceptance system creates the patrol route; and
The pick-up location change acceptance system contacting the family with the patrol route;
Requesting the family to change the pick-up location or cancel the pick-up;
Determining whether the pick-up location change acceptance system can change the pick-up location or cancel the pick-up;
If the change of the pick-up location or cancellation of the pick-up is possible, the pick-up location change acceptance system has a step of notifying the operator of the changed pick-up location or pick-up cancellation. / How to make a patrol plan.   9. The vehicle allocation / tour planning plan creation method according to claim 8, further comprising a step of contacting the family route again to the family a predetermined time before the pick-up start time for starting the pick-up service.   The step of re-contacting the patrol route to the family is a step of transmitting a message attached to the family with the address of the website posting the transfer start time, the transfer location, and the estimated arrival time. The method of creating a vehicle allocation / tour plan according to claim 9.   11. The dispatch according to claim 10, wherein the step of requesting the change of the pickup location or the cancellation of the pickup is a step in which the family who accesses the website selects the changed pickup location or the cancellation of the pickup. / How to make a patrol plan.

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