JP2012088885A - Operating method for city cycle system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a method for operation and maintenance of a city cycle system which solves a problem of excess or deficiency of rental cycles caused by concentration of return on specific stations in a city cycle system operated with a plurality of rental stations by adopting in-and-out characteristics of management target STs (rental stations) as determination materials to set an appropriate reception condition so that a user is led to perform appropriate return without being deluded by a present cycle parking situation.SOLUTION: A city cycle system comprises: a system center 1000 connected to a network 1001; a plurality of rental stations 1002 to 1005 (ST1 to ST4) connected via the network 1001; a rental cycle 1007 being rented to a rental user 1006; a rental user terminal 1008; and a wireless base station 1009 causing the rental user terminal 1008 to connect with the network 1001.

Description

The present invention relates to a method of operating a city cycle system using a rental vehicle such as a rental cycle, and more particularly to a method of operating a city cycle system using a plurality of rental stations that can be returned from other rental stations.

Conventionally, in the operation of a city cycle system with multiple rental stations, in order to avoid system downtime due to the bias of rental stations to be returned, rental stations that have become fully occupied rental stations have insufficient rental vehicles due to trucks etc. The number of rental vehicles stored between rental stations was adjusted to the desired distribution by delivering to the station.

The city cycle system has been proposed as an antithesis for people's movement system that relies on conventional automobiles. On the other hand, it is contradictory that the system is maintained by automobiles such as trucks. It is desirable that the system be maintained by dynamic movement.

One of the technologies proposed from such a viewpoint is a system disclosed in Patent Document 1. In this system, when returning, you can check the base where the number of bicycles is insufficient with your mobile phone. By returning the bicycle to the base where the number of bicycles is insufficient, you can add points and discount fees, etc. It includes eco-points and points that are useful for shopping discounts, and it is characterized by uniform use of rental bicycles over a wide area and management of eliminating the amount bias.

By using a bicycle system that manages vehicles such as bicycles with two-dimensional barcodes by mobile phones with GPS function, bicycles with electric motors, motorcycles, etc., point getters (obtain points using free time in specific time zones) The person who uses the rental cycle for the purpose of, and tries to maintain the system by causing the backflow to make the vacancy of the entire rental bicycle base constant.

JP2010-55583A

However, the shortage of rental vehicles is not limited to the type in which the number of vehicles decreases linearly, which causes the system to go down. Some are due to periodic fluctuations in the number of vehicles recovering. This is due to a characteristic (hereinafter referred to as an “in / out characteristic”) of the rental station that rents / returns the rental vehicle. As a typical type of entry / exit characteristics, the “Sakagami type”, where the number of vehicles decreases linearly when located on a slope, and rental stations located around the station, enter and exit from residential areas in the morning. It can be pointed out that while there are many cars and there is a shortage of free space, there is a “station type” in which there are too many cars to rent in the evening and the number of vehicles for lending is insufficient.

Setting points for the shortage of vehicles in the “Sakagami type” and inducing backflow is effective for system maintenance, but setting points for the shortage of vehicles in the “station front type” promotes system down on the contrary. There are harmful effects that produce such effects.

The present invention provides a method for operating a city cycle system in which a point is set as an incentive, in which characteristics of individual rental stations are determined and points are set so that the number of vehicles in the rental cycle can be appropriately maintained. This is the issue.

The present invention employs the following configuration in order to solve the above-described problems.
The invention of claim 1

In a method of operating a city cycle system with a plurality of rental stations arranged in a predetermined area,

1) The appropriate number of storages that the operator stores in the rental station attribute storage means the appropriate range of the rental cycle storage desirable for the operation of each rental station as a component of the rental station attribute data by the input support means of this system Registration steps,

(Rental station input / output characteristics setting)

2) The operator uses a typical type of at least one rental station for each of the input / output characteristics in which the number of stored items decreases, the input / output characteristics in which the number of stored items increases, and the input / output characteristics in which the stored number vibrates by the setting support means of this system. Select the rental station in advance, set the typical type of input / output characteristics as items or axes, set stepwise parameters indicating the strength or similarity, and set the input / output characteristics of each rental station to the value of the parameter for each characteristic I / O characteristic setting step for evaluating as a column or vector and storing in the rental station attribute storage means as a component of attribute data of each rental station,

(Setting acceptance conditions)

3) When the number of rental cycles stored in each rental station is detected at a predetermined interval and the stored number is not within the appropriate range, the acceptance condition determination rule in which the attribute data and the deviation from the appropriate range are set in advance is applied. Receiving condition setting step, and accepting condition setting step for storing in the rental station provided information storage means,

(Presentation conditions)

4) An information providing step of generating support information for selecting a station to be returned by the user of the rental cycle from the determined acceptance condition, and providing information by the support information providing means provided to the user;

By executing these steps, the return of the rental cycle by the user is guided to a rental station that is desirable for system operation.

(Evaluation by parameters)

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the system according to the first aspect, the evaluation by the parameter changes in a stepwise manner from a value corresponding to one typical type to a value corresponding to another type. By selecting and inputting an appropriate value from the value series and recording it in a storage device in the rental cycle system, the value selected by the operator should be used as the parameter value of the rental station to be evaluated. It is the method characterized by this.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the system according to the first aspect, the evaluation based on the parameter is performed based on a predetermined statistical value related to the entry / exit of a rental cycle in the rental station to be evaluated and the statistical value set in advance for the typical type. This is a method characterized in that a value indicating similarity to a typical type generated by operating a predetermined arithmetic program that compares a value corresponding to is used as a parameter value of the rental station.

The invention according to claim 4

In a method of operating a city cycle system with a plurality of rental stations arranged in a predetermined area,

1) An appropriate storage number registration in which an operator registers an appropriate range of rental cycle storage desirable for operation of each rental station in a predetermined storage device as a component of attribute data of the rental station by using the input support means of this system. Step,

2) At least two typical types of rental stations in advance regarding the number of vehicles or the number of vacant bicycle parking lots due to the difference in the number of vehicles rented out and the number of vehicles accepting returns due to the setting support means of this system. Set an area that shows the characteristics of the above, further set an area that shows intermediate characteristics from one typical type to another typical type, set a predetermined delimiter in the area, and apply an appropriate area to the segment generated by the delimiter The step of setting the label,

3) determining a classification corresponding to each rental station, assigning a label set to the classification determined as the entry / exit characteristic of the rental station, and registering it in the storage device as a component of attribute data of the rental station;

4) When the number of rental cycles stored in each rental station is detected at a predetermined interval and is not within the appropriate range, the attribute data and how to deviate from the appropriate range are applied by applying a preset acceptance condition determination rule. An acceptance condition setting step for determining conditions and storing them in the rental station provided information storage means;

5) An information providing step of generating support information for selecting a station to be returned by the user of the rental cycle from the determined acceptance condition, and providing information by the support information providing means provided to the user;

By executing these steps, the return of the rental cycle by the user is guided to a rental station that is desirable for system operation.

The invention according to claim 5 is the method according to claim 4,

The determination of the category to which the rental station corresponds is made by selecting the category of the rental station to be determined from the sequence of categories from one typical type to another typical type, and inputting the category determination support means to input the operator of the system. Is determined and registered in a predetermined storage device.

The invention according to claim 6 is the method according to claim 4,

For the determination of the category to which the rental station corresponds, the category to which the rental station to be determined corresponds,

Similar to a typical type generated by operating a predetermined arithmetic program that compares a predetermined statistical value related to entering and exiting a rental cycle in the rental station and a value corresponding to the statistical value set in advance for the typical type, or It is determined by a range of values indicating the strength of typical type characteristics.

The invention according to claim 7 is the method according to claim 4,

For the determination of the category to which the rental station corresponds, the category to which the rental station to be determined corresponds,

Similar to a typical type generated by operating a predetermined arithmetic program that compares a predetermined statistical value related to entering and exiting a rental cycle in the rental station and a value corresponding to the statistical value set in advance for the typical type, or It is characterized in that an assignment table to which a corresponding section is assigned for each range of values indicating the strength of typical type characteristics is prepared in advance and is determined by referring to the assignment table.

The invention according to claim 8 is the method according to any one of claims 1 to 7,

The typical types include the entry / exit tendency indicated by rental stations located around pre-selected stations, the entry / exit tendency indicated by rental stations located above pre-selected slopes, and the entrance / exit indicated by rental stations located below pre-selected slopes. It is selected from the trend.

The invention according to claim 9 is the method according to any one of claims 1 to 8,

The registered data of the user includes points given to the user, and the points are valuable points that can be used for payment of a rental cycle usage fee or a product or service fee of a store affiliated with the system. The accepting condition is that an addition or subtraction process is performed on the points of the returned user.

The invention according to claim 10 is the method according to any one of claims 1 to 9,

A user registration step in which a rental user who wants to use the rental cycle accesses the user registration means from the user side terminal, inputs predetermined user personal information, an authentication method, and an information notification method, and stores them in the user information storage means. Including

In the information providing step, according to the registered information notification method, the set acceptance conditions are converted into a predetermined display format, and are provided as rental station acceptance condition list information, which is provided to the rental user side terminal, thereby providing the rental user side. The method is characterized in that the user provides support for selecting a station to be returned.

Rental stations that are desired to be returned are displayed from the viewpoint of system maintenance by displaying to the rental user points as incentives set for each rental station, such as the number of vehicles that are the bottleneck of rental cycle system operation and the lack of free space for entry. There is an effect of guiding to the station and autonomously avoiding the system down of the rental system.

It is possible to generate and use points reflecting the entry / exit characteristics of each rental station that could not be realized with the point system that has been proposed in the past, and it is appropriate according to not only the parking situation of each ST but also its entry / exit characteristics. There is an effect that points of quantity can be set.

Many STs can be visually determined by the similarity of typical rental stations with which the operator is familiar with the input / output characteristics that are considered to be determined by complex factors and the strength of typical properties. This has the effect of making it possible to set its input / output characteristics.

Also, without being confused by the current bicycle parking situation such as excess or deficiency, by judging the ST entry / exit characteristics to be managed, it will be judged how it will be in the future and appropriate acceptance It has the effect of setting conditions, inducing appropriate return behavior, and contributing to the operation and maintenance of the city cycle system.

System configuration System Center operation ST attribute registration screen ST attribute data structure Internal configuration of ST (rental station) Example of log data related to entry and exit I / O characteristics setting screen Modified setting screen to express input / output characteristics Example of ST monitoring information Operation of ST characteristic setting unit 1012 Conversion table for sorting input / output characteristics Contents of calculation formulas that are referenced when setting characteristics Example of rules for generating acceptance conditions Data structure of ST provided information Process in request reception step Example of data structure of user information Example search request screen Example of search result screen

Hereinafter, specific examples of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

(Schematic configuration of the system)

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a specific example of a city cycle system using the method according to the present invention. A system center 1000 connected to the network 1001, a plurality of rental station groups 1002 to 1005 connected via the network 1001 (abbreviated as “ST” in the drawing and the following description), and a rental user 1006 The rental cycle 1007 that is being rented, the rental user side terminal 1008, and the wireless base station 1009 that connects the rental user side terminal to the network.

The system center 1000 is configured to be able to acquire the bicycle parking situation data grasped by the sensor provided in each ST via the network 1001 via the network. Details on parking data will be described later.

The rental user 1006 accesses the system center 1000 by accessing the network 1001 from the user terminal 1008 to return the rental cycle 1007 that is in use, and the rental user 1006 receives his / her destination or acceptance conditions described in detail later. It is possible to search for an ST satisfying the condition with the above point as a condition. As the user terminal 1008, a mobile phone having a browser function can be employed.

The system center 1000 includes an ST attribute registration unit 1010, an ST attribute storage unit 1011, an ST input / output characteristic setting unit 1012, an ST monitoring unit 1013, an ST monitoring information storage unit 1014, an acceptance condition generation unit 1015, a rule storage unit 1016, and this rule. ST provision information storage unit 1017 for storing provision information of each ST including acceptance conditions generated by application, user authentication unit 1018 for authenticating a rental user who has accessed and registering a first time user, user support information storage unit 1019, And it is the structure of the user assistance information provision part 1020.

Here, for convenience of illustration, each unit is described in a manner concentrated on a center having one physical location. However, it may be configured by distributing physical locations, and each unit may be separated from a physical location by a network. An address on 1001 may be assigned and configured as a virtually separated portal site.

The network 1001 is composed of communication lines including a wireless line and a wired line. In the figure, the connection to each ST is a wired line. However, the network 1001 may be a wireless line, depending on the communication environment of each ST. Are appropriately determined.

The operation of each unit is realized by executing a prepared program on a computer such as a personal computer or a workstation having an interface such as a monitor, a keyboard, and a mouse, and controlling various devices. These programs are recorded on a computer-readable recording medium such as a hard disk, USB memory, CD-ROM, MO, DVD, etc., read from the recording medium by a computer, and operated by a system operator. Executed by.

The system center 1000 grasps the entering / exiting characteristics of the rental cycle in each ST (the nature in which the number of returned vehicles and the number of vehicles that are rented out are biased) by the cooperation of the operations of each unit, By monitoring the parking situation such as the shortage or excess of the rental cycle for parking the ST, setting the acceptance conditions when the rental user returns to each ST, and providing the rental user with information including the acceptance conditions, the rental The user's return destination ST is guided to a desired ST in order to keep the number of vehicles between STs appropriate.

In the following, according to the flowchart showing the outline of the operation of the system center 1000 shown in FIG. Details about the process will be described.

(ST attribute registration step)

In the ST attribute registration step 2001, the ST attribute is registered by the operator of the city cycle system of the present invention.

The ST registration unit 1010 is realized as a portal site that can be accessed by an operator side terminal (not shown), inputs attribute information for each ST from a predetermined input screen displayed on the accessed operator side terminal, and an ST attribute storage unit 1011 is stored.

FIG. 3 is an ST registration screen displayed on the operator side terminal. An input field 3001 shown on the browser screen 3000 is a field for inputting STID (identification information for individually identifying a rental station). In the input column 3002, position information indicating the position where the ST is located is input. The position information adopts general values expressed in latitude and longitude, but the landmark name set by the operator or the block name that subdivides the area where the city cycle system of the present invention is operated into a predetermined block It is possible to adopt a method of inputting.

Input column 3003 is a column for inputting the number of bicycle parking machines provided in ST. The rental cycle managed by ST is managed by parking the bicycle on a bicycle parking machine. The rental user unlocks the bicycle parking device, leaves it, starts using it, and returns to the vehicle by parking it on an available bicycle parking device, so the number of bicycle parking machines is important to indicate the service capability of the ST. It is an indicator.

The input column 3004 is the number of vehicles in the rental cycle that should be prepared for the ST when the city cycle system service starts. This is a rental cycle standard that should be prepared at the time of resumption when operation is temporarily stopped due to operation start or ST repair. Input fields 3005 and 3006 are input fields for the appropriate number of vehicles, and employ a method of inputting an upper limit and a lower limit. In the evaluation of the parking situation in the operation by inputting the appropriate number of vehicles as one value, it is also possible to adopt a method for evaluating the appropriateness of the parking situation based on whether or not a predetermined range is exceeded from this value.

A button 3007 is a button for activating the ST characteristic setting unit 1012, and operates by selecting an input device of the operator side terminal and applying an action such as a click.

(Structure of ST attribute data)

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing the structure of ST attribute data generated by the above process.

Using STID 4001 as a main key, the position 4002, the number of bicycle parking units 4003, the initial storage number 4004, the appropriate vehicle number lower limit 4005, the appropriate vehicle number upper limit 4006, and the input / output characteristic 4007 determined and stored by the ST characteristic setting unit 1012 .

(Explanation of rental station “ST”)

In order to understand the entry / exit characteristics in a system for lending / entering / returning between a plurality of STs, a more detailed explanation of the STs will be given here by taking 1002 to 1005 shown in FIG. 1 as an example. As a general characteristic of ST, if the number of departures due to lending increases, the number of arrivals due to time delays will increase, but since the lending source ST and return destination ST can be separated, imbalance between entering and leaving Is born. ST1 indicated by 1002 is an ST located on a slope and is an advantageous location for gravity to help use the rental cycle, but is disadvantageous for driving the rental cycle to return. is there. Such entrance / exit characteristics due to the location can be called “Sakagami type”. Since ST2 indicated by 1003 is located below the slope, it can be said that the input / output characteristic “Sakashita type” is opposite to ST1.

In ST3 around the station shown by 1004 and ST4 in a residential area where many commuters who use the station shown by 1005 live, the rental cycle rental / return pattern is switched between morning and evening. The peak of the number of entering cars and the peak of the number of leaving cars are alternately switched, and the total number of vehicles in each ST tends to be kept constant. Such an entry / exit characteristic can be called a “station type”.

Here, the input / output characteristics vary depending on geographical factors and social factors such as commercial facilities. However, multiple typical types are selected from the area where the city cycle system is operated, or the input / output characteristics of the selected ST are selected. By setting an idealized typical type and setting items, dimensions, and axes that represent the similarity to the typical type and the qualities of the typical type, all the ST values, dimension variables, and scales on the axis Quantified data can be expressed as the value of the value, and the input / output characteristics converted into the quantity data appropriately evaluate the amount of adjustment necessary to keep the number of vehicles stored in the ST at an appropriate number. It is particularly effective.

FIG. 5 is an internal configuration diagram of the ST.

The ST management station 5000 connected to the network 1001 performs communication and control with the bicycle parking device 5002 and the ST side terminal 5004 via the local line 5001 constructed by Ethernet. Here, although Ethernet is used as the local line, a wireless line such as a wireless LAN can be used.

The rental cycle 5003 has an RFID tag, and an RFID reader, which is a sensor provided in the bicycle parking device 5002, reads out the presence or absence of a rental cycle during bicycle parking or the ID (vehicle ID) of the rental cycle to read the ST management station 5000. Configured to send to. Here, the number of bicycle parking machines is four. However, the number is not limited to this, and may be appropriately determined according to the ST site and the needs of the rental cycle.

The ST side terminal 5004 is an input / output device for carrying out a procedure related to the rental provided in the site of the ST, and includes a sensor 5005 for reading the rental user authentication card or the terminal. The user authentication may be a method in which the user himself / herself inputs a user ID or password from 5004 using a device such as an input / output device such as a keyboard.

The ST management station 5000 does not have to be provided in the ST site, and may be a portal site installed at any address of the network 1001 or may be physically installed in the system center 1000.

The ST management station 5000 controls communication with the system center 1000 via an entry / exit recording unit 5007 for recording exits by rental and entry by return, a lock control unit 5008 for controlling the parking mechanism of the bicycle parking device, and the network 1001. The communication control unit 5009 is configured.

The entry / exit recording unit 5007 records a log relating to entry / exit, and transmits the log in response to an inquiry (polling) from the ST monitoring unit 1013 of the system center. The lock control unit 5008 performs unlocking / locking control of the lock of the bicycle parking device according to the rental user's return or rental operation and procedure. The communication control unit 5008 transmits data when a rental user operates the ST side terminal and performs a procedure necessary for rental to the user authentication unit 1018 in the system center, or receives a log data request from the ST monitoring unit 1013 Control to perform data communication such as.

The operation of each unit is realized by executing a prepared program on a computer such as a microcomputer, a personal computer, or a workstation and controlling various devices. These programs are recorded on a computer-readable recording medium such as a hard disk, USB memory, CD-ROM, MO, DVD, etc., read from the recording medium by the computer, and operated by the system operator. Executed by.

FIG. 6 is an example of log data related to entry / exit.

Reference numeral 6001 denotes an example of log data held in the memory of the entry / exit recording unit. Time, STID which is an identifier of a bicycle parking device, distinction between “out” by rental and “in” by return, and identifier of a rental cycle related to entry / exit And a user ID that is an identifier of the rental user are recorded in time series. The ST monitoring unit 1013 can grasp the parking situation such as the number of exiting vehicles, the number of entering the vehicles, or the number of parked bicycles per predetermined time by performing statistical processing such as totaling the log data for each corresponding ST.

Reference numeral 6002 denotes an example when log data of a different type from 6001 is adopted. In response to an inquiry from the ST monitoring unit 1013, this is data representing the sky / parking of each bicycle parking device at that time as “0” for the parking space and “1” for the parking space. You can grasp the parking situation of ST.

(ST characteristic setting step)

Returning to the flowchart of the system center in FIG. 2, the ST characteristic setting step 2002 will be described.

As described earlier in the description of the ST, the ST has characteristics in its input and output, and by expressing them with a numerical data model that can be processed by a computer, the necessity of adjustment for each ST can be processed by a computer. It becomes possible to evaluate quantitatively.

In the ST attribute registration step of 2001, when the input fields 3001 to 3006 shown in FIG. 3 are finished and the entry / exit characteristics setting screen transition button 3007 is selected and an action such as a click is applied, control is performed by the input / output characteristics setting unit 1012. Then, the input / output characteristic setting screen 7000 shown in FIG. 7 is displayed on the operator side terminal. Here, the input characteristic setting screen is called by specifying the input characteristic setting unit 1012 as the designation destination as the attribute of the setting screen transition button 3007 on the ST attribute registration screen, but it is configured as a portal site from the operator side terminal. A method of specifying and accessing the address of the input / output characteristic setting unit may be used.

In FIG. 7, 7001 sets the strength or similarity of the Sakagami-type characteristics by inputting parameter values from 0 to 100. The Sakagami type is a characteristic that appears prominently in the ST located uphill. This is a type in which the number of rented vehicles exceeds the return and the number of vehicles parked at the ST monotonously decreases.

7002 is a Sakashita type, and is similarly set by inputting a parameter value from 0 to 100. The Sakashita type is a type in which the number of vehicles decreases monotonously.

7003 sets the strength or similarity of station type characteristics by inputting parameter values from 0 to 100. The station type is a type in which the number of vehicles rented to the ST vibrates when the number of rented vehicles increases and decreases periodically due to morning and evening commuting, etc., and the number of returned vehicles increases and decreases in a similar manner at regular intervals. is there.

Here, the parameter values of 0 to 100 are values for convenience to express stepwise by assuming that the value having no property at all is 0 and that ideally corresponding to the property is 100. A value range to be selectively input can be set as appropriate, such as 0 or −1 to 1.

When (Sakaue, Station, Sakashita) = (100,100,0) is input, the ST expresses an input / output characteristic that “the number of parked vehicles decreases while vibrating”.

For the ST to be set, input considering the strength or similarity of the typical type of characteristics displayed on the screen, select the decision button 7004 with the pointing device of the operator side terminal, add an action such as click, etc. Set. By the setting operation of the ST characteristic setting unit 1012, the characteristic is stored in the ST attribute storage unit 1011 as “input / output characteristic information” which is one of the data items of the ST attribute information.

(Modification of characteristic expression)

In FIG. 8, a modified example in which the same three types Sakaue, Station, and Sakashita as described in FIG. 7 are selected as typical types and the input / output characteristics of each ST are expressed will be described.

Reference numeral 8000 denotes an input / output characteristic setting screen generated by the operation of the ST characteristic setting unit 1012, and is displayed on the operator side terminal in the same manner as the screen of FIG. 7 described above.

8001 sets nine divisions from the Sakaue type to the station type, and further from the station type to the Sakaue type, and sets a label which is a numerical value from -4 to +4 in the section generated by the division.

The operator operates the pointing device of the operator side terminal to select a segment suitable for the ST from the segments displayed in a straight line, adds an action to the enter button 8002, and sets characteristics.

In the upper characteristic expression, three types of Sakaue, Station, and Sakashita were selected. However, the characteristic expression of the present invention is not limited to this. For example, there is a peak of morning lending and a peak of return in the evening. It is possible to select and operate typical types that are suitable for the characteristics of the area where the city cycle system is operated, such as “bed town type” and “return type” in which rental vehicles are returned to their own ST and returned. It is.

(ST monitoring step)

When the operation of the city cycle system is started by setting the ST attribute, the parking situation of each ST is monitored constantly or periodically in the ST monitoring step of 2003.

In each ST, the rental cycle exit / entry processing is performed in accordance with the rental user return / return procedure, and the ST monitoring unit 1013 stores the monitoring target ST input / output recording unit 5001 at predetermined intervals. Sends an inquiry signal, obtains log data related to the entry / exit described above or the state of the bicycle parking machine, performs processing for statistics such as aggregation and conversion, and forms a predetermined data format as ST monitoring information indicating the parking situation And stored in the ST monitoring information storage unit 1014. FIG. 9 is an example of ST monitoring information, and 9001 is data composed of the number of parked vehicles, the number of parked vehicles, and the parking rate (= number of parked vehicles / number of parked vehicles) of each ST at the polling time. It is.

9002 is an example of other types of ST monitoring information, and in addition to the number of wheeled vehicles, the number of bicycles parked, and the parking rate, the number of vehicles entering and leaving from the previous polling to the current polling is monitored as a log. It has become a thing. As described above, data items to be monitored can be appropriately selected according to the management needs of the operator. Moreover, the data item produced | generated by performing the calculation process for an appropriate statistics with respect to log data like a bicycle parking rate may be sufficient.

If detailed ST monitoring information such as 9002 is collected prior to the generation of acceptance conditions, which will be described later, the result of counting the number of entering and leaving the vehicle is discriminated based on the aggregated value of ST set as a typical type. By doing so, the aforementioned input / output characteristics can be evaluated by automatic processing by a computer.

The operation of the ST characteristic setting unit 1012 when automatically setting the input / output characteristics will be briefly described. In the case where statistical data by aggregation as indicated by 10001 to 10004 in FIG. 10 has been collected, a rental station with STID = 1 indicated by 10001 is set as a typical type of “station type”. STID = 2 is selected and set as a typical type of “Sakagami type” and STID = 3 as a typical type of “Sakashita type”.

The process of setting the characteristics of each ST is based on the time transition of the number of cars entered and the number of cars exited, or the time transition of the number of parked cars, and the ratio of these numbers divided by the number of parked cars. It is determined appropriately whether or not the standard is satisfied.

In the characteristic setting having nine sections as described in FIG. 8, the standard setting is divided into 9 sections from -70%, which is the Sakagami type value, to 70%, which is the Sakashita type value. A method of adjusting the separation so that the value of −10% is accommodated is adopted. The ST characteristic setting unit 1012 is configured by a program for automatically setting the characteristic classification by inputting the ST ID selected by the system operator as corresponding to Sakagami, Sakashita, and Station to the ST characteristic setting unit. it can. With this configuration, by monitoring each ST of the share cycle system, the input / output characteristics of each ST can be set by computer processing.

Typical values for the difference between the total number of vehicles entering and leaving the vehicle divided by the number of bicycles are -10% for STID = 1, -70% for STID = 2, and 70% for STID = 3. is there. Therefore, in the determination, -70% or less, -70 to -50%, -50 to -30%, -30 to -10%, -10 to 10%, 10 to 30%, 30 to 50%, 50 to 70% The characteristics of each ST are distributed on the basis of 70% or more. FIG. 11 shows a conversion table for performing the distribution. In this case, STID = 4 is −40%, so the ST characteristic label is “−2”.

Using the same statistical data as described above, it is possible to set the items or axes for the three types of characteristics as described in FIG. First, for Sakagami-type characteristics, the value of Sakagami-type characteristics is converted to "100" when "the value obtained by dividing the cumulative difference between the number of vehicles entering and leaving the vehicle by the number of bicycles" is -70%. The program is set to be “0” when “the value obtained by dividing the cumulative difference between the number of vehicles entering and leaving the vehicle by the number of bicycles” is 0% or more. Next, for the Sakashita type characteristic, when the value obtained by dividing the cumulative difference between the number of entering and leaving the car by the number of bicycles is 70%, the value of the Sakagami type characteristic is converted to “100”. The value is set to be “0” when “the value obtained by dividing the cumulative difference between the number of entering and leaving the vehicle by the number of bicycles” is 0% or less. Furthermore, for station-type characteristics, the difference between the peak value at entry and the peak value at departure is obtained, and the range from 0 to the initial number of vehicles is set so as to gradually change from “100” to “0”. To do. FIG. 12 shows the contents of the calculation formula referred to when the ST characteristic setting unit 1012 sets the characteristic. In accordance with this content, variables are defined in association with data items of ST monitoring information, arithmetic processing is programmed, and executed by a predetermined computer system, thereby setting the input / output characteristics of each ST.

In this method, STID = 4 is expressed as (Sakaue, Sakashita, Station) = (57, 0, 66). In other words, the Sakagami characteristic value is calculated as (40/70) x 100 because the target ST's "value of total difference in number of entering / exiting cars divided by the number of parked cars" is 40%. It can be obtained by an expression. As for the station characteristics, STID = 4 “difference between peak value of entry and peak value of departure” is given by the formula (5-3), and 2 is the 4th stage from the initial number of vehicles 6 It is given by the formula of (4/6) × 100.

Calculation formulas that are referred to when the ST characteristic setting unit generates Sakagami characteristics, Sakashita characteristics, and station characteristics in this manner are not limited to the calculation formulas of the present embodiment, and can be set as appropriate.

(Current evaluation steps)

In the current evaluation step shown in 2004, the ST monitoring unit 1013, which has acquired log data by polling at a set cycle, registers the log data or the number of bicycle parking machines generated by aggregating log data and the ST attribute storage unit 1011 in advance. This is done by comparing the number of appropriate vehicles and the number of generated bicycles. If it is within the range between the upper limit and the lower limit set in advance, the process ends. If it is out of the range, the process proceeds to the next acceptance condition generation step 2005.

(Accepting condition generation step)

In the acceptance condition generation step 2005, a predetermined process is executed with reference to the acceptance condition generation rule stored in the rule storage unit 1016 by the operation of the acceptance condition generation unit 1015, and the acceptance condition is generated.

The acceptance condition can be realized by the amount of valuable points provided to the user when the rental user returns to the selected ST. Acceptance conditions are not limited to points, but if the conditions are incentives for the operator to return rental users to the ST where rental cars are scarce, discounts on rental fees, gifts, etc. This may be appropriately determined in consideration of the operational viewpoint and the influence on the user's behavior.

The technical idea that is important for the present invention is not to choose what is accepted as an acceptance condition, but to evaluate the necessity of guiding the return of a rental vehicle from the operational point of view according to the input / output characteristics of the ST, and the amount (points) commensurate with the evaluation It is possible to determine the acceptance conditions of the number of points in the case of a method and the amount of discount in the case of a charge discount.

Conventionally, there is only a lack of the actual number of vehicles, and there is no choice but to determine that the return should be guided even when the vehicle recovers autonomously like a station type. According to the following generation rule of acceptance conditions, points that reflect the necessity of return guidance of the target ST can be generated by adding ST entry / exit characteristics to the judgment material in addition to the current shortage of vehicles.

FIG. 13 shows an example of rules for generating acceptance conditions. Reference numeral 13001 denotes a rule for generating an acceptance condition when items or axes are set for each of the three types of characteristics described with reference to FIG.

That is, when the evaluation of 2004 is outside the lower limit, the rule indicated by 13002 is applied and the value of P (point) is calculated. When the value exceeds the upper limit, the rule indicated by 13003 in the lower row is applied.

13004 shows a rule when the characteristic setting having nine sections as described in FIG. 8 is adopted. It is the conversion table which produces | generates the point corresponding to the label from -4 to +4 which shows the input / output characteristic of ST. In the 2004 evaluation, if the value falls outside the lower limit, the upper table shown at 13005 is referred to. The acceptance condition for ST of label-4 is 4 points, ST of label-3 is 3 points, and so on. The point is set in an inclined manner according to the strength, and the point is not set for the ST from the label of 0 to +4. This is because these are determined to be autonomously adjusted based on the input / output characteristics of the ST itself.

Further, when the evaluation exceeds the upper limit in the evaluation in 2004, the lower table shown in 13006 is referred to. Here, the acceptance condition for STs of labels 1 to 4 having a tendency toward Sakashita is a reduction from -4 points to -1 point. Specifically, a point deduction process is performed on the points stored in the user information storage unit 1020 of the return user.

Regardless of which method is adopted, the generated acceptance condition is stored in the ST provision information storage means 1020. FIG. 14 shows the data structure of the ST provision information, which is composed of points, guidance information, and expiration dates with the STID that is the identifier of each ST as a key. This is the base data for providing information when the rental user accesses to find the return ST.

Guidance information is information on how to get to the ST, location, or nearby sightseeing information provided by the operator or the area, and the expiration date is a condition for setting a time limit for providing information and not providing invalid information Information.

The request acceptance step 2006 is a process after the attribute information and acceptance conditions of each ST are set. First, since there is access from a rental user and it consists of a plurality of processes such as authentication, it will be described with reference to FIG. In the access step of the 15001 user, first, the rental user accesses the user authentication unit 1018 by the user side terminal 1008. Access is performed by designating an address on the network that is open to the user.

Next, in a user authentication step 15002, information is input by an authentication method set in advance from an authentication screen displayed on the user side terminal. As an authentication method, a user ID, a password, biometric information, and the like can be appropriately adopted, and collation with authentication method data stored in the user information storage unit 1020 is performed. If the user is not a registered user, the user registration step 15003 is performed. FIG. 16 shows an example of the data structure of user information. Authentication methods such as user IDs and passwords, notification methods such as e-mail addresses or user portal site addresses, and predetermined personal information such as points, names and addresses are registered. Here, the number of points stores the points generated as acceptance conditions. If the points are acquired, they are added. When they are used, they are referred to and used for subtraction.

If the user is authenticated and the user is an authorized user, the process proceeds to a request process selection step 15004. In particular, it is possible to transition to a desired processing screen prepared by the city cycle system by user selection from a request processing selection screen (not shown).

When ST and search of provided information are selected, the operation shifts to the search request screen by the operation of the support information distribution unit 1019, and the process proceeds to the search request step 2007. FIG. 17 shows an example of a search request screen.

Reference numeral 17001 denotes a destination input field. Here, a landmark name set by the operator can be selected and input from a list box 17003 opened by adding an action by a pointing device to the button 17002. The destination is a key for searching by referring to the position information of the ST attribute information. In addition, you may employ | adopt the system which displays a map on a user side terminal and designates a position with a pointing device.

Reference numeral 17004 denotes a point condition input field, which is a key for searching for an ST in which acceptance conditions equal to or greater than the number of input points are set.

Reference numeral 17005 denotes a search execution decision button. When a rental user who has input a search key applies an action with a pointing device or the like, the process of searching for ST and provided information shown in 2008 is executed, and the ST attribute information storage unit 1011 Information that matches the conditions is extracted from the ST provision information storage unit 1017.

When the 2008 ST and the search of the provided information are completed, the 2009 format conversion step is executed according to the notification method in which the search result is stored in the user information storage means 1020, and search result information suitable for the user terminal is generated. In the information distribution step 2010, the search result is transmitted to the user terminal and displayed. FIG. 18 is an example of a search result screen on which the ID, point, and guidance information of the matched ST are displayed. For the guidance information, a method may be used in which a button is displayed in the guidance information column and an action is applied to the button to provide a display screen in which ST and sightseeing information are superimposed on predetermined map information.

Here, when mail transmission is set as the notification method, it is possible to adopt a method of notifying mail when an acceptance condition is newly set and an ST capable of acquiring points occurs. Since the rental user cannot operate the terminal on the user side while traveling, it is very difficult for the traveling rental user who cannot acquire active information to push-transmit ST information that matches a preset search condition. Useful.

The point as acceptance condition set in ST is that the rental user returns the rental cycle to the ST, and when the system center is notified that the predetermined return procedure has been completed, The points are delivered by performing addition or subtraction processing on the points of the corresponding registered user.

The points handed over to the rental users here are valuable points that can be used for the rental fee of the city cycle system or used for purchasing products at the affiliated tourism shops in the area. This is an incentive to guide to an obtainable ST. With this incentive effect, not only can the effect of adjusting the return bias due to the ST entry / exit characteristics generated in the location conditions etc. be exhibited, but it can also be used for local tourism support.

The invention disclosed in the present invention does not rely on external support such as trucks for the operation of a city cycle system that is expected to play an active role as a city or a tourist destination, including a share cycle as a citizen's foot that seems to spread in the future. It can be expected to be widely used to maintain autonomously.

In addition, there is a promising market that can be introduced into city cycle systems operating overseas such as Paris, where system down is already a problem due to shortage or excess of rental cycles in ST.

1000 System center 1001 Network 1002 Rental station

1006 Rental user

1007 Rental cycle

1008 User terminal

1009 Radio base station

Claims (10)

Citicycle system (operator manages a bicycle or electric bicycle (hereinafter referred to as “rental cycle”) using a system including a computer having a storage device, and moves to citizens by lending it to registered users. It means a plurality of rental stations (referring to a system for providing means) in a predetermined area, which is a facility having a bicycle parking machine for storing a rental cycle and serves as a base for renting and returning the rental cycle. )

1) The appropriate number of storages that the operator stores in the rental station attribute storage means the appropriate range of the rental cycle storage desirable for the operation of each rental station as a component of the rental station attribute data by the input support means of this system Registration steps,

(Rental station input / output characteristics setting)

2) The operator uses a typical type of at least one rental station for each of the input / output characteristics in which the number of stored items decreases, the input / output characteristics in which the number of stored items increases, and the input / output characteristics in which the stored number vibrates by the setting support means of this system. Select the rental station in advance, set the typical type of input / output characteristics as items or axes, set stepwise parameters indicating the strength or similarity, and set the input / output characteristics of each rental station to the value of the parameter for each characteristic I / O characteristic setting step for evaluating as a column or vector and storing in the rental station attribute storage means as a component of attribute data of each rental station,

(Setting acceptance conditions)

3) When the number of rental cycles stored in each rental station is detected at a predetermined interval and the stored number is not within the appropriate range, the acceptance condition determination rule in which the attribute data and the deviation from the appropriate range are set in advance is applied. Receiving condition setting step, and accepting condition setting step for storing in the rental station provided information storage means,

(Presentation conditions)

4) An information providing step of generating support information for selecting a station to be returned by the user of the rental cycle from the determined acceptance condition, and providing information by the support information providing means provided to the user;

A method of guiding a return of a rental cycle by a user to a rental station desirable for system operation by executing the following step.

In the evaluation by the parameter, an appropriate value is selected and input from a series of values that change stepwise from a value that matches one typical type to a value that matches another type, and is stored in the rental cycle system. 2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the value selected by the operator is set as a parameter value of a rental station to be evaluated by the evaluation support means recorded in the apparatus.

The evaluation based on the parameters is performed by operating a predetermined arithmetic program that compares a predetermined statistical value related to entering and exiting a rental cycle at a rental station to be evaluated with a value corresponding to the statistical value set in advance for the typical type. The method according to claim 1, wherein a value indicating similarity to the generated typical type is set as a parameter value of the rental station.

In a method of operating a city cycle system with a plurality of rental stations arranged in a predetermined area,

1) An appropriate storage number registration in which an operator registers an appropriate range of rental cycle storage desirable for operation of each rental station in a predetermined storage device as a component of attribute data of the rental station by using the input support means of this system. Step,

2) At least two typical types of rental stations in advance regarding the number of vehicles or the number of vacant bicycle parking lots due to the difference in the number of vehicles rented out and the number of vehicles accepting returns due to the setting support means of this system. Set an area that shows the characteristics of the above, further set an area that shows intermediate characteristics from one typical type to another typical type, set a predetermined delimiter in the area, and apply an appropriate area to the segment generated by the delimiter The step of setting the label,

3) determining a classification corresponding to each rental station, assigning a label set to the classification determined as the entry / exit characteristic of the rental station, and registering it in the storage device as a component of attribute data of the rental station;

4) When the number of rental cycles stored in each rental station is detected at a predetermined interval and is not within the appropriate range, the attribute data and how to deviate from the appropriate range are applied by applying a preset acceptance condition determination rule. An acceptance condition setting step for determining conditions and storing them in the rental station provided information storage means;

5) An information providing step of generating support information for selecting a station to be returned by the user of the rental cycle from the determined acceptance condition, and providing information by the support information providing means provided to the user;

A method of guiding a return of a rental cycle by a user to a rental station desirable for system operation by executing the following step.

The determination of the category to which the rental station corresponds is made by selecting the category of the rental station to be determined from the sequence of categories from one typical type to another typical type, and inputting the category determination support means to input the operator of the system. The method according to claim 4, wherein the determination is performed and registered in a predetermined storage device.

For the determination of the category to which the rental station corresponds, the category to which the rental station to be determined corresponds,

Similar to a typical type generated by operating a predetermined arithmetic program that compares a predetermined statistical value related to entering and exiting a rental cycle in the rental station and a value corresponding to the statistical value set in advance for the typical type, or 5. The method according to claim 4, wherein the method is determined by a range of values indicating the strength of typical type characteristics.

For the determination of the category to which the rental station corresponds, the category to which the rental station to be determined corresponds,

Similar to a typical type generated by operating a predetermined arithmetic program that compares a predetermined statistical value related to entering and exiting a rental cycle in the rental station and a value corresponding to the statistical value set in advance for the typical type, or 5. The method according to claim 4, wherein an assignment table to which a corresponding section is assigned for each range of values indicating the strength of typical type characteristics is prepared in advance, and the assignment table is determined by referring to the assignment table.

The typical type is

Selected from the entry / exit tendency shown by rental stations located around pre-selected stations, the entry / exit tendency shown by rental stations located on pre-selected slopes, and the entry / exit tendency shown by rental stations located below pre-selected slopes The method according to claim 1, wherein the method is one.

The registered data of the user includes points given to the user, and the points are valuable points that can be used for payment of a rental cycle usage fee or a product or service fee of a store affiliated with the system. 9. The method according to claim 1, wherein the acceptance condition is that an addition or subtraction process is performed with respect to the points of the returned user.

The method according to any one of claims 1 to 9,

A user registration step in which a rental user who wants to use the rental cycle accesses the user registration means from the user side terminal, inputs predetermined user personal information, an authentication method, and an information notification method, and stores them in the user information storage means. Including

In the information providing step, according to the registered information notification method, the set acceptance conditions are converted into a predetermined display format, and are provided as rental station acceptance condition list information, which is provided to the rental user side terminal, thereby providing the rental user side. A method for assisting a user to select a station to be returned.

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