JP2013101577A - Information processing apparatus, information processing system, control method for information processing apparatus and program - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To appropriately discriminate whether or not an electric vehicle can travel to the destination.SOLUTION: When discriminating whether or not a taxi that is an electric vehicle can travel from the current place to the destination, a traveling possibility discrimination section 78 of a service providing server 10 retrieves a corresponding charging station that is a charging station which the taxi can visit after arriving at the destination, then retrieves a specific route that is a route from the current place through the destination to the corresponding charging station, discriminates whether or not the taxi can travel along the specific route without lacking the remaining power of an in-vehicle battery and, if the taxi can travel, discriminates that the taxi can travel to the destination.

Description

  The present invention relates to an information processing apparatus that determines whether or not an electric vehicle can travel from a current location to a destination, an information processing system that includes the information processing device and an external device that is communicably connected to the information processing device, The present invention relates to a method for controlling an information processing apparatus and a program for controlling the information processing apparatus.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, an electric vehicle that includes an in-vehicle battery and travels while charging the in-vehicle battery using a charging stand is known (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

JP-A-7-115732

Here, an electric vehicle using a vehicle-mounted battery including a predetermined rechargeable battery as a drive source has a characteristic that a cruising distance is shorter than that of a gasoline vehicle. Therefore, when trying to travel to the destination with an electric vehicle, it is necessary not to cause a shortage of the remaining amount of the in-vehicle battery not only before reaching the destination but also after reaching the destination. However, in the past, when an electric vehicle travels to a destination, it is not only before reaching the destination but also whether it is possible to prevent a shortage of the in-vehicle battery remaining after reaching the destination. However, there was a problem in the certainty of the above judgment result, other than using a method such as calculation by human means.
The present invention has been made in view of the above-described circumstances, and an object thereof is to appropriately determine whether or not an electric vehicle can travel to a destination.

  In order to achieve the above object, according to the present invention, in the information processing apparatus, the information processing apparatus includes a travel permission / non-permission determining unit that determines whether or not the electric vehicle can travel from the current position to the destination. When determining whether or not the vehicle can travel from the current location to the destination, after searching for a corresponding charging station that is a charging station that can be passed after reaching the destination, the vehicle passes through the destination from the current location. A specific route that is a route to the corresponding charging station is searched, and it is determined whether or not the specific route can be traveled without causing a shortage of the remaining amount of the in-vehicle battery. It is determined that the vehicle can travel on the ground.

  In addition, the present invention communicates with a system for accepting a reservation for charging at the charging station, and charges at the corresponding charging station after traveling on the specific route searched for by the traveling propriety determining means and reaching the destination. It further comprises a reservation means for making a reservation to do.

  Further, according to the present invention, the reservation unit predicts the remaining amount of the vehicle-mounted battery or the remaining cruising distance when the vehicle travels on the specific route searched by the travel propriety determination unit and reaches the destination. Then, based on the prediction, it is determined whether or not charging should be performed at the corresponding charging station after reaching the destination, and if charging is to be performed, charging is reserved at the corresponding charging station. And

  Further, according to the present invention, the travel propriety determining means, when searching for the corresponding charging station, the relationship between the predicted time when the specific charging station travels to the corresponding charging station and the business hours of the charging station, Based on at least one of the relationship between the standard for charging the electric vehicle and the standard of the charger for the charging stand, and whether or not the charging stand is qualified for use, the charging stand that can be used by the electric vehicle is The charging station is a candidate for the corresponding charging station.

  The present invention further includes dispatch vehicle selection means for selecting the electric vehicle to travel to the destination from the plurality of scattered electric vehicles, wherein the dispatch vehicle selection means includes the plurality of electric vehicles. Of these, one of the electric vehicles determined to be able to travel to the destination by the travel enable / disable determining means is selected as the electric vehicle to travel to the destination.

  Further, according to the present invention, the travel propriety determining means can determine whether or not the electric vehicle can travel from the current location to the destination via a transit point. Search for the specific route to the corresponding charging station via the waypoint and further via the destination, determine whether or not the specific route can run without causing a shortage of the remaining amount of the in-vehicle battery, If it is possible to travel, it is determined that the electric vehicle is capable of traveling to the destination, and the dispatch vehicle selection means is configured to travel from the plurality of scattered electric vehicles to the destination via the waypoints. The electric vehicle to be traveled can be selected, and at the time of the selection, one of the electric vehicles determined to be able to travel to the destination by the travel enable / disable determining means among the plurality of electric vehicles, Via the serial stopover and selects as the electric vehicle to travel to the destination.

  Further, according to the present invention, the electric vehicle is a taxi, and the dispatch vehicle selection unit performs charging at the charging station among the electric vehicles determined to be able to travel to the destination by the travel enable / disable determining unit. The electric vehicle that can reach the destination without being selected is selected as the electric vehicle that travels to the destination.

  Further, the present invention acquires the remaining amount of the in-vehicle battery or the remaining cruising distance of the electric vehicle that is traveling at a predetermined timing, and obtains the acquired remaining amount of the in-vehicle battery or the remaining cruising distance. On the basis of whether or not the electric vehicle should be charged, and if so, communicate with a system for accepting a reservation for charging at the charging station, and at the charging station corresponding to the current position of the electric vehicle. An automatic reservation means for making a reservation is further provided.

  Further, according to the present invention, whether or not the automatic reservation means should charge the electric vehicle based on the relationship between the acquired remaining amount of the on-board battery or the remaining cruising distance and the status of the charging station. It is characterized by distinguishing.

  In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides an information processing system comprising an information processing device and an external device connected to the information processing device so as to communicate with the information processing device. A means for determining whether or not the vehicle can travel from the current location to the destination, wherein the electric vehicle is a charging station that can be routed after reaching the destination when determining whether or not the vehicle can travel from the current location to the destination After searching for a charging station, a specific route, which is a route from the current location to the corresponding charging station via the destination, is searched, and the specific route is traveled without causing a shortage of the remaining amount of in-vehicle battery. Determining whether the electric vehicle can travel to the destination, and determining whether or not the electric vehicle can travel to the destination; from a plurality of the electric vehicles to the destination A means for selecting the electric vehicle to be carried out, and one of the electric vehicles determined to be able to travel from the current location to the destination by the traveling propriety determining unit among the plurality of electric vehicles, A dispatch vehicle selection means for selecting the electric vehicle to travel to the destination, and according to a request for selection of the electric vehicle to travel to the destination from the external device, by the dispatch vehicle selection means The electric vehicle to be traveled to the destination is selected from a plurality of the electric vehicles, and information indicating the selected electric vehicle is output to the external device.

  In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a method for controlling an information processing device, wherein when an electric vehicle determines whether or not it can travel from a current location to a destination, it passes after reaching the destination. After searching for a compatible charging station that is a possible charging station, a specific route that is a route from the current location to the corresponding charging station via the destination is searched, and the specific route is searched for the remaining on-vehicle battery. It is determined whether or not the vehicle can travel without causing a shortage of volume, and when the vehicle can travel, it is determined that the electric vehicle can travel to the destination.

  In order to achieve the above object, the present invention is a program executed by a computer that controls each unit of the information processing apparatus, and whether or not the electric vehicle can travel from the current location to the destination. A specific route that is a route from the current location to the corresponding charging station via the destination after searching for a corresponding charging station that can be passed after reaching the destination. And determining whether or not the vehicle can travel on the specific route without causing a shortage of the remaining amount of the in-vehicle battery. If the vehicle can travel, it determines that the electric vehicle can travel to the destination. It is characterized by functioning as.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to appropriately determine whether or not the electric vehicle can travel to the destination.

It is a figure which shows the structure of the information processing system which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is a figure which shows the relationship of the component of an information processing system. It is a block diagram which shows the functional structure of a service provision server. (A) is a figure which shows the data structure of an electric vehicle management database, (B) is a figure which shows the data structure of a taxi management database. (A) is a block diagram which shows the functional structure of a vehicle-mounted apparatus, (B) is a block diagram which shows the functional structure of a charger and a charging stand management server. It is a figure which shows operation | movement of each component of an information processing system. It is a figure which shows the page for taxi calls. It is a flowchart which shows operation | movement of a service provision server. It is a flowchart which shows operation | movement of a service provision server. It is a figure which shows a specific path | route typically. It is a figure which shows operation | movement of each component of an information processing system. It is a figure which shows operation | movement of each component of the information processing system which concerns on 2nd Embodiment. It is a figure which shows the structure of the information processing system which concerns on 3rd Embodiment. It is a figure which shows the structure of the information processing system which concerns on 4th Embodiment. It is a block diagram which shows the functional structure of a service provision server and a vehicle-mounted apparatus. It is a figure which shows the data structure of a taxi management database. It is a figure which shows operation | movement of each component of an information processing system.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
<First Embodiment>
FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of an information processing system 1 according to the first embodiment.
FIG. 2 is a diagram schematically illustrating the relationship between the components so that the communication mode of the main components of the information processing system 1 is clear.
As shown in FIG. 1, the information processing system 1 includes a service providing server 10 (information processing apparatus). As will be described in detail later, the service providing server 10 has various functions such as a function of selecting a taxi 16 to be dispatched in response to a request.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a charger management server 13 is communicably connected to the service providing server 10 via the Internet 12.
The charger management server 13 is a server that manages each charger 15 installed in a plurality of charging stations 14 belonging to the same or related companies and groups. The charging stand 14 is a stand installed for the purpose of charging the on-vehicle battery of the electric vehicle, and a user (driver, etc.) of the electric vehicle can install a charger installed in the charging stand 14 as necessary. 15 is used to charge the in-vehicle battery. In the present embodiment, for the reason described later, basically, only a member registered in advance can use the charging stand 14.
The charger management server 13 can communicate with each charger 15 provided in the charging station 14 to be managed via the Internet 12. Details will be described later, but in response to a request from the service providing server 10. A reservation for use by a specific taxi 16 in a specific time zone is registered for a specific charger 15 installed in a specific charging station 14.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, in the information processing system 1, a taxi dispatch system 11 is communicably connected to the service providing server 10 via the Internet 12.
This taxi dispatch system 11 is a system managed and operated by a taxi business company (regardless of corporation or individual, hereinafter referred to as “taxi company”), and the details will be described later. The appropriate taxi 16 is dispatched to the function of managing the status of the taxi 16 and the person who intends to go to the destination using the taxi 16 (hereinafter referred to as “taxi user”). It has a function.
In the present embodiment, the service providing server 10 and the taxi dispatch system 11 are connected via the Internet 12, but this is an example, for example, by a physical dedicated line or existing wireless communication. It may be connected. In any communication form, communication between the service providing server 10 and the taxi dispatch system 11 is secured by existing technology such as communication according to a predetermined encryption protocol or a virtual private line. Communication is realized. The same applies to communication between other devices.

The taxi 16 is equipped with an in-vehicle device 26.
As shown in FIG. 2, the in-vehicle device 26 is configured to be able to wirelessly communicate with the taxi dispatch system 11 at a predetermined frequency band. Predetermined information is output, and predetermined information is input from the taxi dispatch system 11.
For convenience of explanation, in the following explanation, it is assumed that all taxis 16 are electric vehicles, and further, the in-vehicle device 26 is mounted on all taxis 16.

As shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, in the information processing system 1, the taxi dispatch system 11 is accessed via the telephone line network 19 and the Internet 12 to which the base station 18 is connected or via the wireless LAN. A mobile phone 21 is communicably connected via the point 20. Although details will be described later, the owner of the mobile phone 21 can easily call the taxi 16 using the mobile phone 21.
As shown in FIG. 1, a taxi calling terminal 25 is installed at an appropriate place in a predetermined facility where there is a demand for calling the taxi 16, such as a hotel 23 or a tourist facility 24. The service terminal 25 is connected to the taxi dispatch system 11 via the Internet 12. Although details will be described later, for example, a person who stayed at the hotel 23 and wants to call the taxi 16 to the hotel 23 can easily use the taxi calling terminal 25 installed at the hotel 23 to It is possible to call.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, in the information processing system 1, an electric vehicle management system 17 is communicably connected to the service providing server 10.
The electric vehicle management system 17 is an existing system provided by, for example, an automobile manufacturer that sells an electric vehicle or an affiliated company thereof, and communicates with an in-vehicle system mounted on the electric vehicle, as will be described later. It manages the remaining battery capacity of the vehicle and the remaining cruising range. The remaining amount of the in-vehicle battery is, for example, SOC (state of charge, which indicates the state of charge of the in-vehicle battery, and is the ratio of the remaining amount of the battery to the maximum capacity of the battery). The cruising distance is the distance that the electric vehicle can travel without charging the in-vehicle battery. In particular, in the electric vehicle management system 17 according to the present embodiment, the electric vehicle management system 17 manages the remaining amount of the in-vehicle battery and the remaining cruising distance of each taxi 16 that is an electric vehicle.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of the service providing server 10 together with the electric vehicle management system 17 and the taxi dispatch system 11 that are communicably connected to the service providing server 10.
As illustrated in FIG. 3, the service providing server 10 is a server device that includes a control unit 30, a display unit 31, an input unit 32, a storage unit 33, and an interface unit 34.
The control unit 30 centrally controls each unit of the service providing server 10, and is executed by a CPU as a calculation execution unit, a ROM that stores various programs executed by the CPU in a nonvolatile manner, and the CPU. A RAM that temporarily stores a program, data related to the program, and other peripheral circuits are provided. Each functional block included in the control unit 30 will be described later. Each function of these functional blocks is realized by cooperation of hardware and software, such as a CPU executing a program.
The display unit 31 includes a display panel 35 such as a liquid crystal display panel, and displays various types of information on the display panel 35 under the control of the control unit 30.
The input unit 32 is connected to various input devices, detects an operation on the input device, and outputs the operation to the control unit 30.
The storage unit 33 includes a nonvolatile storage device such as a hard disk or an EEPROM, and stores various data in a rewritable manner. Each data stored in the storage unit 33 will be described later.
The interface unit 34 performs communication based on communication standards with various devices via the Internet 12 under the control of the control unit 30.
In the present embodiment, the service providing server 10 is expressed as having the same configuration as a personal computer. However, the configuration of the service providing server 10 is not limited to the configuration illustrated in FIG. A configuration in which apparatuses are linked may be used, or a partial function of a centralized system or a distributed system may be used. That is, the configuration is not limited as long as the functions of the vehicle allocation vehicle selection unit 50, the travel allowance determination unit 78, the reservation unit 81, and the automatic reservation unit 88 described below can be realized.

As shown in FIG. 3, the electric vehicle management system 17 includes an electric vehicle management database 22.
FIG. 4A is a diagram illustrating an example of the data structure of the electric vehicle management database 22.
As shown in FIG. 4A, one record of the electric vehicle management database 22 includes a vehicle ID field 22a in which a vehicle ID is stored, a current remaining amount information field 22b, and a current remaining cruising distance information field 22c. And.
The vehicle ID field 22a stores a vehicle ID that is an ID uniquely assigned to each electric vehicle.
In the current remaining amount information field 22b, information indicating the remaining amount of the in-vehicle battery (hereinafter referred to as “current remaining amount information”) is stored.
The current remaining cruising distance information field 22c stores information indicating the remaining cruising distance (hereinafter referred to as “current remaining cruising distance information”).
As described above, the electric vehicle management system 17 is an existing system provided by an automobile manufacturer or the like. The electric vehicle management system 17 communicates with a dedicated in-vehicle system mounted on the electric vehicle at a predetermined cycle, acquires the current remaining amount information of the electric vehicle, and updates the contents of the current remaining amount information field 22b. Based on the acquired current remaining amount information, current remaining cruising range information is calculated by an existing algorithm, and the content of the current remaining cruising range information field 22c is updated.

As shown in FIG. 3, the taxi dispatch system 11 includes a taxi management database 28.
FIG. 4B is a diagram illustrating an example of the data structure of the taxi management database 28.
As shown in FIG. 4B, one record of the taxi management database 28 includes a vehicle ID field 28a, a current position information field 28b, a current direction information field 28c, a current state information field 28d, and a maximum boarding number. A number-of-persons information field 28e, a connector standard information field 28f, and a driver possessed card ID field 28g are provided.
The vehicle ID field 28a stores the vehicle ID of each taxi 16. In the present embodiment, for convenience of explanation, for one taxi 16, the vehicle ID stored in the vehicle ID field 22a of the corresponding record in the electric vehicle management database 22 and the corresponding record in the taxi management database 28 are stored. It is assumed that the vehicle ID stored in the vehicle ID field 28a is the same.
Data stored in the current position information field 28b, the current direction information field 28c, and the current state information field 28d will be described later.
In the maximum number of passengers information field 28e, information indicating the maximum number of passengers who can get on the taxi 16 is stored. The information is a fixed value and is stored in the field by an artificial means when generating a record.
In addition, information indicating the standard of the connector related to the connection with the charger 15 of the charging stand 14 is input to the connector standard information field 28f. As is well known, there are a plurality of types of connector standards. The information indicating the connector standard is a fixed value and is stored in the field by human means when generating a record.
The driver possessed card ID field 28g stores a card ID of a membership card (described later) possessed by the driver. When the driver holds a plurality of types of membership cards, the card ID of each membership card is stored in the field.

FIG. 5A is a block diagram illustrating a functional configuration of the in-vehicle device 26.
As shown in FIG. 5A, the in-vehicle device 26 includes an in-vehicle side control unit 40, an in-vehicle side display unit 41, an in-vehicle side input unit 42, an in-vehicle side storage unit 43, a wireless communication unit 44, and a vehicle. A position detection unit 45.
The in-vehicle side control unit 40 centrally controls each unit of the in-vehicle device 26, and includes a CPU, a ROM, a RAM, and other peripheral circuits. Each functional block provided in the in-vehicle side control unit 40 will be described later, but each function of these functional blocks is realized by cooperation of hardware and software such that the CPU executes a program.
The in-vehicle display unit 41 includes an in-vehicle display panel 46 such as a liquid crystal display panel, and displays various information on the in-vehicle display panel 46 under the control of the in-vehicle control unit 40. In the present embodiment, map data 47 for displaying a map on the in-vehicle display panel 46 is stored in the in-vehicle storage unit 43, and the in-vehicle control unit 40 is based on the map data 47. A map can be displayed at 46.
The in-vehicle side input unit 42 is connected to various switches provided in the in-vehicle device 26, detects an operation on the switch, and outputs it to the in-vehicle side control unit 40.
The in-vehicle storage unit 43 includes a nonvolatile storage device such as a hard disk or an EEPROM, and stores various data in a rewritable manner. As described above, the map data 47 is stored in the in-vehicle storage unit 43.
The wireless communication unit 44 includes a wireless antenna and performs necessary encoding and modulation on data input from the in-vehicle side control unit 40 (data transmitted from the in-vehicle device 26 to the taxi dispatch system 11). The radio wave is output to the taxi dispatch system 11. On the other hand, the radio wave input from the taxi dispatch system 11 is subjected to necessary demodulation and decoding and output as data to the in-vehicle control unit 40.
The vehicle position detection unit 45 includes a GPS antenna that receives GPS radio waves transmitted from GPS satellites, and based on the GPS radio waves, the position (position, longitude) of the taxi 16 on which the in-vehicle device 26 is mounted, and The direction of the traveling direction of the taxi 16 is calculated and output to the in-vehicle side control unit 40.

As shown in FIG. 5A, the vehicle-mounted side control unit 40 of the vehicle-mounted device 26 includes a vehicle information output unit 48 and a travel route guide unit 49.
The vehicle information output unit 48 acquires vehicle information at a predetermined cycle (for example, every 1 second or every 5 seconds), and the acquired vehicle information is taxi via the wireless communication unit 44. Output to the dispatch system 11. Specifically, the vehicle information is current position information that is information indicating the position (longitude, latitude) of the taxi 16 on which the in-vehicle device 26 is mounted, and current information that indicates the direction of travel of the taxi 16. It is direction information and information (hereinafter, referred to as “current state information”) indicating the state of the taxi 16 (any one of an empty vehicle, an actual vehicle, an incoming vehicle, and a forwarding route). The in-vehicle device 26 is connected to an existing taxi system that manages the state of the taxi 16 (any one of an empty vehicle, an actual vehicle, a passenger car, and a forwarding vehicle) according to manual switching by the driver of the taxi 16. From the taxi system, current status information can be acquired at any time.
For example, the vehicle information output unit 48 detects that a predetermined period has arrived based on the input value of the connected RTC, and each time the predetermined period arrives, the vehicle position detection unit 45 receives the current position information and Current direction information is acquired, current state information is acquired from the taxi system described above, and the acquired information is associated with the vehicle ID of the host vehicle via the wireless communication unit 44 to the taxi dispatch system 11. Output.
The taxi dispatch system 11 in which the current position information, the current direction information, the current state information, and the vehicle ID are input from the in-vehicle device 26 identifies and identifies the corresponding record in the taxi management database 28 based on these information. The contents of the current position information field 28b, the current direction information field 28c, and the current state information field 28d of the record are updated. For this reason, the contents of the current position information field 28b, the current direction information field 28c, and the current state information field 28d of the taxi management database 28 are the latest information.

FIG. 5B is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of one charger 15 installed in the charging stand 14 and the charger management server 13.
As shown in FIG. 5B, the charger 15 includes a charger-side control unit 55, an IC card reader 56, a charging power supply unit 57, a charging connector 58, and a charger-side interface unit 59. I have.
The charger-side control unit 55 centrally controls each unit of the charger 15 and includes a CPU, a ROM, a RAM, other peripheral circuits, and the like.
The IC card reader 56 is a non-contact type IC card reader, and is close to a membership card (described later) constituted by an IC card in accordance with a predetermined standard (for example, Felica (registered trademark)). Wireless communication is performed, and the card ID is read from the member card.
Under the control of the charger-side control unit 55, the charging power supply unit 57 supplies various power sources or appropriate substations to the in-vehicle battery of the electric vehicle connected to the charging connector 58 to supply electric power.
The charging connector 58 is a connector that performs a physical and electrical connection with a connector provided on the in-vehicle battery side of the electric vehicle.
The charger side interface unit 59 performs communication based on a predetermined communication standard under the control of the charger side control unit 55.

5B, the charger management server 13 includes a management server side control unit 60, a management server side display unit 61, a management server side input unit 62, a management server side storage unit 63, A management server side interface unit 64.
The management server side control unit 60 centrally controls each unit of the charger management server 13 and includes a CPU, a ROM, a RAM, other peripheral circuits, and the like. Each functional block included in the management server side control unit 60 will be described later. Each function of these functional blocks is realized by cooperation of hardware and software, such as a CPU executing a program.
The management server side display unit 61 includes a management server side display panel 65 such as a liquid crystal display panel, and displays various information on the management server side display panel 65 under the control of the management server side control unit 60.
The management server side input unit 62 is connected to various input devices, detects an operation on the input device, and outputs the operation to the management server side control unit 60.
The management server side storage unit 63 includes a nonvolatile storage device such as a hard disk and stores various data in a rewritable manner. The management server-side storage unit 63 stores a member database 66 and a charger management database 67, which will be described later.
The management server side interface unit 64 performs communication based on the communication standard under the control of the management server side control unit 60.
In the present embodiment, the charger management server 13 is expressed as having the same configuration as a personal computer, but the configuration of the service providing server 10 is not limited to the configuration shown in FIG.

Here, in the present embodiment, a user registered in advance as a member can use the charger 15 of the charging stand 14. A registered member card is issued to the registered member. In the present embodiment, the taxi company normally performs the procedure for member registration with respect to a predetermined company that operates the charging station 14 (hereinafter referred to as “charging station operating company”). It is assumed that a member card relating to the charging stand operating company has been given to the driver.
The driver of the taxi 16 causes the IC card reader 56 of the charger 15 to read the membership card for user authentication when charging the vehicle-mounted battery using the charger 15 in the charging stand 14.
The charger side control unit 55 of the charger 15 outputs the card ID of the membership card read by the IC card reader 56 to the management server side control unit 60 of the charger management server 13.
The user authentication unit 68 of the management server side control unit 60 of the charger management server 13 refers to the member database 66 stored in the management server side storage unit 63 based on the card ID input from the charger 15, It is determined whether or not the user is a registered member, and the determination result is output to the charger-side control unit 55 of the charger 15. In the member database 66, for each registered member, member information (eg, name, contact information, accompanying taxi company information, etc.) and a card ID are stored in association with each other.
When the user is a registered member, the charger-side control unit 55 of the charger 15 controls the charging power supply unit 57 to enable charging using the charger 15 while the user is a registered member. Is not a registered member, the charging power supply unit 57 is controlled so that charging using the charger 15 is impossible.
Of course, user authentication may be performed using a user ID and a password corresponding to the user ID.

Thus, a user who has been registered as a member in advance can use the charger 15 of the charging stand 14 for the following reasons.
That is, the charging stand 14 is assumed to be operated unattended from the viewpoints of reducing the operating cost, reducing the exclusive area, the location conditions of the charging stand 14, and the like. In this case, it is necessary to reliably charge for the use of the charging stand 14. In order to perform charging reliably, it is conceivable to provide a charging device that can put cash into the charging stand 14, but in this case, the charging device itself is relatively expensive, and it is possible to replenish fishing or collect money. Expenses related to regular maintenance and the like are generated, resulting in high costs. Based on this, in this embodiment, it is assumed that a member registered in advance can use the charger 15 in the charging station 14, and the charging associated with the use of the charging station 14 is reliably performed using the credit card of the member, Cost reduction is realized by not providing a billing device.
Furthermore, charging of the on-board battery by the charger 15 is characterized by the fact that, unlike replenishment of gasoline to a gasoline vehicle, it is difficult to calculate the charge per unit and the cost to be generated is low. Therefore, there is a circumstance that charging by the pay-as-you-go system is not appropriate. In light of this, it is assumed that a charge system will be applied in which the charge for one charge is fixed, or the charge can be made any number of times in the month by paying a fixed amount every month. Has been. Considering that these billing systems are applied, it is optimal to register a member with the understanding that these billing systems will be applied, and then withdraw a predetermined amount from the member's credit card every month. It is.

The reservation management unit 69 of the management server side control unit 60 of the charger management server 13 manages the reservation status of each charger 15 installed in each charging station 14 using the charger management database 67, and Processing related to acceptance of reservation is performed.
More specifically, the charger management database 67 is a database for managing the reservation status for each of the chargers 15 installed in each charging station 14. More specifically, for each charger 15, the charger management database 67 corresponds to the time zone in which the use is reserved and the card ID of the user who intends to use the charger 15 in each time zone. It is remembered. Therefore, by referring to the charger management database 67, the usage status of the specific charger 15 in the specific charging station 14 can be grasped, and further, the specific charging station 14 can be used at a specific time zone. It is possible to determine whether or not there is a charger 15 (= charger 15 without reservation).
The reservation management unit 69 has at least the following two functions in relation to the service providing server 10.
The first function is that when there is an inquiry from the service providing server 10 regarding whether or not there is an available charger 15 in a specific charging station 14 at a specific time zone, the charger management database 67 Is a function to respond to the inquiry.
The second function is to register a reservation for use of a taxi 16 related to a membership card with a specific card ID at a specific time period for one charger 15 of a specific charging station 14 from the service providing server 10. This function is to update the charger management database 67 and register a reservation when requested.

Incidentally, as described above, the taxi 16 according to the present embodiment is configured by an electric vehicle. Thus, by using the taxi 16 as an electric vehicle, as is well known, it is possible to effectively reduce the fuel cost, reduce the environmental load, etc., and obtain a great merit.
On the other hand, an electric vehicle has a characteristic that a cruising distance is shorter than that of a gasoline vehicle. Therefore, when the electric vehicle is to travel to the destination, it is necessary to accurately determine whether or not the in-vehicle battery will not run short not only after reaching the destination but also after reaching the destination. Conventionally, the above determination has to be made by techniques such as experience, intuition, and calculation by human means, and there is a problem in the certainty of the above determination result. In particular, taxi 16 needs to maintain a state where it can continue to drive reliably after reaching the destination, from the viewpoint of improving profitability and customer satisfaction. There is no technology to determine whether the taxi 16 can be driven to the destination from the viewpoint of preventing the in-vehicle battery shortage even after arrival at the destination, and the operation of the taxi 16 may be adversely affected. There was sex.
Furthermore, the electric vehicle has a characteristic that the time required for the electric vehicle to charge at the charging station 14 tends to be significantly longer than the time required for the gasoline vehicle to refuel at the gas station. Because of this characteristic, for example, one taxi 16 is selectively dispatched among taxis 16 that can be dispatched to taxi users (those who intend to go to a certain destination using the taxi 16). If an unsuitable taxi 16 is dispatched, the charging station 14 needs to be charged before the taxi user gets on the taxi 16 and reaches the destination, and the arrival timing at the destination is reached. There is a problem in that there is a possibility that a substantial delay will occur, leading to a significant decrease in customer satisfaction.
In addition, there is a strong demand from the taxi companies to provide a service with peace of mind by selecting a taxi 16 that can go to the destination most smoothly and making a system that can deliver the vehicle.
Based on the above, the service providing server 10 according to the present embodiment performs the following operations in order to solve the above problems and meet the above requests.

  FIG. 6 shows that when a taxi user calls the taxi 16 and selectively dispatches the taxi 16 based on the call, the calling means (described later), the in-vehicle device 26, the taxi dispatch system 11, the service providing server 10, It is a flowchart which shows operation | movement of the electric vehicle management system 17 and the charger management server 13, (A) is operation | movement of a calling means, (B) is operation | movement of the vehicle-mounted apparatus 26, (C) is taxi dispatch system 11 (D) shows the operation of the service providing server 10, (E) shows the operation of the electric vehicle management system 17, and (F) shows the operation of the charger management server 13.

  As shown in FIG. 6, first, a request for calling the taxi 16 is executed by the calling means to the service providing server 10 (step SA1). In the present embodiment, the request in step SA1 can be made by the following plurality of methods.

<Method 1 (method using the browser function of the mobile phone 21)>
In the present embodiment, the taxi user can easily call the taxi 16 by using the mobile phone 21 owned by the taxi user by the function of the service providing server 10.
First, the taxi user launches the browser of the mobile phone 21 that he owns, accesses a predetermined URL of the site provided by the taxi dispatch system 11, and opens the taxi calling page 70 (FIG. 6) as a Web page. . This taxi calling page 70 may be provided by a service provider, or may be provided by the taxi dispatch system 11 using the service of the service provider. It is assumed that the taxi user knows the URL of the Web page in advance. It may be possible to search by a search engine, may be accessible from a predetermined link, or a taxi company or a service providing company provides an application having a function of opening the Web page and starts the application You may make it accessible.
When the mobile phone 21 accesses the above URL, the taxi dispatch system 11 outputs drawing data including an HTML file to the mobile phone 21 in accordance with a predetermined communication protocol. The taxi calling page 70 is displayed on the display unit.

FIG. 7 is a diagram schematically showing a taxi calling page 70.
As shown in FIG. 7, a departure place input field 71 is formed on the taxi calling page 70. The taxi user inputs information indicating the place where he / she wants to call the taxi 16 in the departure place input field 71. In the present embodiment, a program having a function of automatically inputting information indicating the current location of the taxi user using the GPS function of the mobile phone 21 on the HTML file related to the taxi calling page 70 is written in a script language. The information indicating the current location of the taxi user is input by default by the function of the program. The taxi user supplements and corrects the contents of the departure place input field 71 as necessary.
In the following description, the “departure place” indicates the place where the taxi user calls the taxi 16 and gets on the taxi 16, and is clearly described as “current location of taxi”, “destination”, etc. Distinguish between This “departure location” is a concept corresponding to “route” in relation to the current location of the taxi 16 and the destination.
Below the departure point input column 71, a departure point detail column 72 is formed. In this column, more detailed information about the departure place, for example, information indicating which exit of the station is the meeting place when the departure place is a station is input.
Below the departure place detail field 72, a destination input field 73 is formed. In this column, information indicating the destination, for example, an address or a facility name is input.
Below the destination input field 73, a taxi user field 74 is formed. In this column, information indicating the telephone number of the taxi user, information indicating the name, and information indicating the number of passengers are entered.

The taxi user appropriately inputs information in each column of the taxi calling page 70 and then operates the confirmation button 75. With the operation of the confirmation button 75 as a trigger, the information input in each column is output to the taxi dispatch system 11 via the Internet 12, thereby completing the request for calling the taxi 16.
Note that the mobile phone 21 exemplifies one of terminals connected to the Internet 12 innumerably. If the terminal is not limited to the mobile phone 21 and is configured to be connected to the Internet 12 and has a predetermined browser installed and capable of displaying a WEB page, the request for calling the taxi 16 is executed in the above manner. Is possible. For example, a taxi 16 call request can be executed in the above-described manner even with a tablet-type or notebook-type PC or a game machine that can be connected to the Internet 12.

<Method 2 (method using taxi calling terminal 25)>
As described above, the taxi calling terminal 25 is installed at an appropriate place in a predetermined facility where there is a demand for calling the taxi 16 such as the hotel 23 or the tourist facility 24.
The taxi calling terminal 25 is provided with a touch panel, and is configured such that information equivalent to the taxi calling page 70 described above can be input using the touch panel.
When the taxi user wants to call the taxi 16 to the hotel 23 or the tourist facility 24, he / she enters necessary information on the taxi calling terminal 25 using the touch panel and then confirms the input. After the input is confirmed, the information input in each column is output to the taxi dispatch system 11 via the Internet 12, thereby completing the request for calling the taxi 16.

<Method 3 (Method of requesting verbally by phone)>
In addition, the taxi user can call the taxi 16 verbally by telephone.
That is, the taxi user calls the telephone number for calling the taxi 16. The person in charge who has received the call verbally obtains at least the name, departure place, destination and number of passengers from the taxi user. In addition, about the taxi comprised with the gasoline vehicle, the person in charge may not hear the destination, but in this embodiment, he always listens to the destination. Next, the person in charge inputs the acquired information into a predetermined user interface of the taxi dispatch system 11. Thus, the request for calling the taxi 16 is completed. The information input to the user interface is output to the service providing server 10 in accordance with a predetermined communication protocol.

As mentioned above, although the three methods were mentioned as a method of requesting the call of the taxi 16, even if it took any method, it is a taxi dispatch system 11 with respect to a departure place, a destination, and the number of passengers. Information indicating each is output.
Needless to say, the method of requesting a taxi 16 call is not limited to the above three methods.

Now, referring to FIG. 6, the taxi dispatch system 11 to which at least information indicating the departure place, the destination, and the number of passengers is input from the calling means in step SA1, the service providing server receives these three pieces of information. 10 and data for requesting selection of the taxi 16 to be dispatched are output to the service providing server 10 (step SC1).
The vehicle allocation vehicle selection unit 50 (vehicle allocation vehicle selection means) of the control unit 30 of the service providing server 10 executes a vehicle allocation taxi selection process, and selects a taxi 16 to be allocated (step SD1).
Hereinafter, the dispatch taxi selection process in step SD1 will be described in detail.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing the operation of the dispatch vehicle selection unit 50 during the dispatch taxi selection process in step SD1.
As a premise of the following explanation, it is assumed that taxis 16 that can take taxi users are scattered in various places.
In the dispatch taxi selection process, first, the dispatch vehicle selection unit 50 accesses the taxi management database 28 of the taxi dispatch system 11, refers to the current position information field 28b of each record of the database, and is located near the departure place. Taxi 16 is extracted (step SG1). The taxi 16 located in the vicinity of the departure place is, for example, the taxi 16 located within a predetermined range (for example, a radius of 5 km) centered on the departure place. In addition, before the process of step SG1, the information which shows the departure place and the destination which were input from the calling means is each shown by the positional information (henceforth, longitude and latitude) each shown by longitude and latitude. The position information is converted into “coordinate position information”. In the conversion, for example, the information indicating the starting point and the destination is converted into the information indicating the address automatically by the function of the existing dedicated program or by human means, and the information indicating the address is further converted into the coordinate position. This is done by converting to information. Then, when extracting the taxi 16 located in the vicinity of the departure place, the dispatch vehicle selection unit 50 refers to the taxi management database 28, and based on the coordinate position information indicating the departure place and the current position information of each taxi, A taxi 16 located within a predetermined range centering on the departure place is extracted, and each vehicle ID of the extracted taxi 16 is specified. In the following description, for convenience of description, it is assumed that a plurality of taxis 16 are extracted in step SG1.

Next, the dispatch vehicle selection unit 50 refers to the current state information field 28d and the maximum number of passengers information field 28e of the taxi management database 28, and selects the number of passengers desired by the user from among the taxis 16 extracted in step SG1. The taxis 16 that can be boarded and are in an empty state are extracted, and the vehicle ID of each of the extracted taxis 16 is specified (step SG2).
The taxi 16 extracted in step SG2 is a taxi 16 that is located in the vicinity of the departure place and that can be used by taxi users and other passengers. For convenience of explanation, it is assumed that there are a plurality of taxis 16 extracted in step SG2.
Next, the dispatch vehicle selection unit 50 ranks the taxis 16 extracted in step SG2 in the order in which the departure place can be reached quickly (step SG3). Here, the service providing server 10 receives the current position information, current direction information, and coordinate position information indicating the departure point of the taxi 16 as input, and information indicating the time required for the taxi 16 to reach the departure point. A dedicated program having a predetermined algorithm is installed, and the dispatch vehicle selection unit 50 uses the function of the program to make each taxi 16 extracted in step SG2 from the current location to the departure location. The time required is obtained, and each taxi 16 is ranked in the order in which it can arrive at the departure place early. The dedicated program refers to map data stored in the storage unit 33, link search data including link data related to section routes (links) and node data related to intersections (nodes) divided in predetermined units. In addition, access to a server that centrally manages fluid information such as road congestion, road accidents, road construction, weather, etc., road type, road width, lane The time required for the taxi 16 to reach the departure point from the current location is taken into account, taking into account the number, whether it is one-way traffic, the speed limit, and the like. All the existing algorithms can be applied to the dedicated program.

Next, the dispatch vehicle selection unit 50 determines one of the taxis 16 extracted in step SG2 as a target of the travel propriety determination process in step SG5 (step SG4). The following travel determination processing at step SG5 is sequentially performed in the order determined at step SG3 for each of the taxis 16 extracted at step SG2. That is, in step SG4, the taxi 16 extracted in step SG2 is sequentially determined as a target of the travel propriety determination process. In the following description, the taxi 16 determined as the target of the travel permission / inhibition determination process in step SG4 is expressed as “processing target taxi”.
Next, the dispatch vehicle selection unit 50 causes the travel enable / disable determining unit 78 (travel enable / disable determining means) to execute a travel enable / disable determining process (step SG5). In this travel propriety determination process, it is determined whether or not the target taxi can travel to the destination. The meaning of “can travel to destination” will be described later.
Hereinafter, the travel propriety determination process in step SG5 will be described in detail.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing in detail the operation of the travel enable / disable determining unit 78 when the travel enable / disable determining process is executed.
In the travel permission determination process, first, the travel permission determination unit 78 determines a route from the current location of the taxi to be processed to the destination via the departure point (the boarding place desired by the taxi user as described above). The search is performed, and the estimated arrival time at which the vehicle arrives at the destination is acquired (step SH1). In the following description, a route from the current location of the taxi to be processed to the destination via the departure point is expressed as a “destination arrival route”.
Here, the service providing server 10 is input with current position information, current direction information, coordinate position information indicating the departure point, and coordinate position information indicating the destination, and information indicating the destination arrival route. A program that outputs information indicating the expected arrival time at the destination is installed.
In this program, necessary data (for example, the map data and route search data described above) stored in advance in the storage unit 33 is referred to, and a predetermined server (for example, the above-described road congestion) is referred to as necessary. Access external servers that centrally manage fluid information such as conditions, etc., and reflect the circumstances specific to electric vehicles (for example, power consumption is higher on the uphill than on the downhill) The optimal destination arrival route is calculated and output as information, and the estimated arrival time at the destination with certain accuracy is calculated and output as information reflecting the specific circumstances of the road. Has an existing algorithm. In step SH <b> 1, the travel propriety determination unit 78 acquires the destination arrival route related to the processing target taxi and the expected arrival time at the destination by the function of the program.

Next, the travel propriety determination unit 78 searches for a corresponding charging station (step SH2).
More specifically, the charging station is a charging station where the taxi to be processed can pass through the smoothest after reaching the destination, and when the vehicle passes through, it can actually charge the in-vehicle battery. 14 things.
As described above, since each charger 15 of the charging station 14 can be used only by registered members, in order to actually perform charging at the charging station 14, the charging station 14 is a member of the charging station 14. There is a need. Furthermore, in order to actually perform charging at the charging station 14, it is necessary to arrive at the charging station 14 within the business hours of the charging station 14. Furthermore, there are a plurality of types of standards for connectors of electric vehicles, and similarly, there are also a plurality of types of standards for the charging connector 58 of the charger 15. The charger 15 of the stand 14 needs to correspond to the connector standard of the taxi to be processed.
In the storage unit 33 of the service providing server 10, at least the coordinate position information indicating the position of the charging station 14 and whether each taxi 16 is a registered member of the charging station 14 that actually exists. The charging station information database 80 is stored which stores information indicating information indicating business hours, and information indicating the type of the corresponding connector standard in association with each other.

Based on the above, when searching for the corresponding charging station in step SH2, first, the traveling propriety determination unit 78 is located in the vicinity of the destination based on the coordinate position information of each charging station 14 in the charging station information database 80. From this point of view, we narrow down the candidates for compatible charging stations. For example, the travel possibility determination unit 78 selects ten charging stations 14 in order of proximity to the destination as candidates for the corresponding charging station.
Next, the travel possibility determination unit 78 predicts the arrival of each of the charging stations 14 that are candidates for the corresponding charging station after reaching the destination via the destination arrival route and further via the charging station 14. The time is calculated by the function of a predetermined program having an existing algorithm.
Next, the travel propriety determination unit 78 refers to the taxi management database 28 and the charging station information database 80, and determines the predicted arrival time and the business hours of each charging station 14 from among the charging stations 14 that are candidates for the corresponding charging station. Relationship between the connector standard of the taxi subject to processing and the standard of the connector supported by the charging stand 14, and whether or not each charging stand 14 is eligible (whether the taxi subject to processing corresponds to the registered member) No.), one charging station 14 that can be actually charged at the charging station 14 and that can be routed most smoothly from the destination is specified. Here, one specified charging station 14 is a corresponding charging station.

Now, in step SH2, after searching for a corresponding charging station, the traveling availability determination unit 78 passes a route from the current location of the taxi to the corresponding charging station via the departure point (passage point) and further via the destination. The route which is is searched (step SH3). In the following explanation, the route from the taxi's current location to the corresponding charging station via the departure point (route) and further to the corresponding charging station is expressed as “specific route”. It should be clearly distinguished from the “arrival route”. In step SH <b> 3, the travel propriety determination unit 78 uses the function of the route search dedicated program described above to search for an appropriate route in consideration of the characteristics of the electric vehicle and the individual specific circumstances of the road.
Next, the travel enable / disable determining unit 78 determines whether the processing taxi can travel to the destination (step SH4).
Hereinafter, the process of step SH4 will be described in detail.

First, the meaning of “can travel to destination” in the present embodiment will be described.
As described above, an electric vehicle has a characteristic that a cruising distance is shorter than that of a gasoline vehicle. Therefore, the electric vehicle has not only a risk that the destination cannot be reached due to a shortage of the remaining amount of the on-vehicle battery, but also a risk that the remaining amount of the on-vehicle battery will be short after reaching the destination. When the taxi 16 reaches the destination and the remaining amount of the in-vehicle battery becomes insufficient and the vehicle becomes unable to run, there is a great adverse effect on the operation of the taxi 16.
Therefore, when selecting a taxi 16 to be dispatched, it is necessary to consider whether or not the taxi 16 can continue to run even after the taxi 16 arrives at the destination.
Based on the above, in the following explanation, the fact that the taxi 16 can continue to travel after reaching the destination is expressed as “can travel to the destination” and simply can reach the destination. A distinction shall be made. In step SH4 described below, the travel possibility determination unit 78 determines not only whether the processing target taxi can reach the destination but also whether it can continue to travel after reaching the destination. It is determined whether or not the processing target taxi can travel to the destination.

  As described above, in step SH4, the travel possibility determination unit 78 determines whether the processing target taxi can travel on the specific route without charging at any one of the charging stations 14, and travels. If possible, it is determined that the taxi to be processed can travel to the destination. On the other hand, if the remaining amount is insufficient when traveling on a specific route, or one or more times before reaching the destination. If it is necessary to charge the vehicle, it is determined that the taxi to be processed cannot travel to the destination. The reason for determining whether or not the destination can be normally reached in this way is as follows.

FIG. 10 is a diagram used to explain the above reason.
In other words, if the taxi to be processed can travel on a specific route without charging at any one of the charging stations 14, at least the destination will be detected without causing a shortage of remaining battery capacity. Via, the corresponding charging station can be reached. In this case, after reaching the destination, you can definitely stop at the corresponding charging stand.If the remaining amount of the on-board battery is low when you reach the destination, By charging at the corresponding charging stand, it is possible to reliably maintain a state in which the vehicle can continuously travel.
For example, referring to FIG. 10, it is assumed that the specific route is a route from the current location GZ to the corresponding charging station TJ via the departure point SP and the destination MT. In this case, if the target taxi can travel on a specific route without charging at any one of the charging stations 14, for example, at the point PT1 or the point PT2, the remaining amount of the vehicle-mounted battery This means that the taxi to be processed can reach the corresponding charging station TJ after reaching the destination MT without being disabled due to the shortage. In this case, when the destination MT is reached, the remaining amount of the in-vehicle battery is low. Even if there are few cases, it is possible to reliably carry out the subsequent running by charging at the corresponding charging stand TJ.
Based on the above, the travel possibility determination unit 78 according to the present embodiment determines whether or not the processing target taxi can travel to the destination by determining whether or not the specific route can be traveled without causing a shortage of the remaining amount of the in-vehicle battery. Is determined.
Here, information indicating a specific route and current remaining amount information of the taxi 16 are input to the service providing server 10 and the taxi 16 does not charge at any one of the charging stations 14 at any time. A program that outputs information indicating whether or not it is possible to travel is installed. In step SH <b> 4, the traveling availability determination unit 78 accesses the taxi management database 28, refers to the database, acquires the current remaining amount information of the processing target taxi, and presents the current remaining amount information and the specific route information. Is input, and based on the output of the program, it is determined whether or not the processing target taxi can travel to the destination.
This program refers to necessary data (for example, the map data and route search data described above) stored in advance in the storage unit 33, and a predetermined server (for example, the road congestion described above) as necessary. (External server that centrally manages fluid information such as condition) and processing with certain accuracy reflecting the characteristics of electric vehicles and the specific circumstances of the road The target taxi has a function of determining whether or not the specific taxi can travel on the specific route without charging at the charging station 14. All existing algorithms can be applied to the algorithm of the program.
As described above, the travel propriety determination process by the travel propriety determination unit 78 is completed by the processes in steps SH1 to SH4.

  In the present embodiment, if the target taxi can travel on a specific route without charging at any one of the charging stations 14, it is determined that the target taxi can travel to the destination. doing. Here, in consideration of the purpose of determining whether or not the vehicle can travel on a specific route without causing a shortage of the remaining amount of the vehicle-mounted battery, the charging at the charging station 14 is “one time”. However, in the present embodiment, the requirement is included in the determination for a reason specific to the taxi 16. The reason will be described later.

Now, returning to FIG. 8 above, after executing the travel permission determination process for the processing target taxi in step SG5, the dispatch vehicle selection unit 50 has determined that the processing target taxi can travel to the destination in the travel permission determination process. It is determined whether or not (step SG6).
When it is determined that the processing target taxi can travel to the destination in the travel permission determination process (step SG6: YES), the dispatch vehicle selection unit 50 selects the processing target taxi as the taxi 16 to be dispatched to the taxi user ( Step SG7).
On the other hand, when it is determined that the processing target taxi is not allowed to travel to the destination in the travel permission determination process (step SG6: NO), the dispatch vehicle selection unit 50 determines that all of the taxis 16 extracted in step SG2 are processing targets. It is determined whether or not it has become a taxi, in other words, whether or not all of the taxis 16 extracted in step SG2 have been subjected to the travel enable / disable determining process in step SG5 (step SG8).
When all of the taxis 16 extracted at step SG2 are not processing taxis (step SG8: NO), the dispatch vehicle selection unit 50 returns the processing procedure to step SG4, and processes according to the order determined at step SG3. A new taxi is decided.
On the other hand, when all of the taxis 16 extracted in step SG2 are processing taxis (step SG8: YES), the dispatch vehicle selection unit 50 indicates that the taxi 16 to be dispatched does not exist near the taxi user. Notify the dispatch system 11.
The taxi dispatch system 11 that has received the notification performs, for example, the following processing.
That is, the taxi dispatch system 11 notifies the taxi user that a taxi 16 constituted by an electric vehicle cannot be dispatched by means of e-mail or the like, or instead of the taxi 16 constituted by an electric vehicle, They decide to dispatch taxis composed of gasoline cars. The reason for such processing is as follows.
That is, when the notification is input, there is no taxi 16 that can travel on a specific route without being charged once, in other words, there is no taxi in the vicinity of the taxi user. This means that there is only a taxi 16 that needs to be charged one or more times before reaching the destination. Of course, the taxi 16 in which the remaining amount of the in-vehicle battery is insufficient during traveling on the specific route cannot be dispatched. Furthermore, when charging an electric vehicle at the charging stand 14, taking into account that it takes a very long time, the taxi 16 that requires one or more times to reach the destination reaches the destination. This is because there can be a significant delay in timing, which can significantly impair customer satisfaction.
When there is no taxi 16 to be dispatched, the taxi 16 constituted by the electric vehicle is notified to the taxi user by means of e-mail or the like that the taxi 16 constituted by the electric vehicle cannot be delivered, or the taxi constituted by the electric vehicle. Instead of 16, the service providing server 10 may execute an appropriate process such as selecting a taxi constituted by a gasoline vehicle as a taxi to be dispatched.
As the appropriate processing, for example, among taxis 16 that require one or more times to reach the destination, the taxi 16 that can reach the destination in the shortest time is specified. You may make it decide to dispatch.

  As described above, by executing the dispatch taxi selection process shown in the flowchart of FIG. 8, the dispatch vehicle selection unit 50 selects the taxi 16 to be dispatched to the taxi user (step SG7), or the taxi 16 to be dispatched is Notify that it does not exist (step SG9). In the following description, for convenience of explanation, it is assumed that the taxi 16 to be dispatched to the taxi user is selected by the dispatch taxi selection process by the dispatch vehicle selection unit 50.

Returning to FIG. 6, after selecting the taxi 16 to be dispatched to the taxi user by the dispatch taxi selection process in step SD1, the service providing server 10 notifies the vehicle ID of the selected dispatch taxi (step SD2). .
Upon receiving the notification, the taxi dispatch system 11 wirelessly communicates with the in-vehicle device 26 of the taxi 16 selected as the dispatch taxi, and asks the taxi user whether the car can be dispatched (step SC2). The inquiry is performed by, for example, performing communication according to a predetermined protocol between the taxi dispatch system 11 and the in-vehicle device 26 and displaying information related to the inquiry on the in-vehicle side display panel 46 of the in-vehicle device 26. Done.
In response to the inquiry, the driver of the dispatch taxi responds by using predetermined means about whether or not the dispatch is possible via the in-vehicle device 26 (step SB1). In the following description, for convenience of explanation, it is assumed that a response indicating that the vehicle can be allocated is returned in step SB1. If the vehicle cannot be allocated, the taxi allocation system 11 requests the service providing server 10 to select another taxi 16 as the allocation taxi.
The taxi dispatch system 11 that has received the response on whether or not the vehicle can be dispatched notifies the taxi user of the response result (can be dispatched or cannot be dispatched) (step SC3), and also notifies the service providing server 10 ( Step SC4).

Upon receiving the notification, the reservation unit 81 of the control unit 30 of the service providing server 10 acquires a predicted value of the remaining amount of the in-vehicle battery when the taxi 16 selected to be dispatched reaches the destination (step SD3 ). Hereinafter, the taxi 16 selected to be dispatched will be expressed as “allocation taxi”, and the estimated value of the remaining amount of onboard battery when the allocation taxi reaches the destination is referred to as “prediction at arrival at destination”. "Remaining amount".
Here, information indicating the destination arrival route and the current remaining amount information of the taxi 16 are input to the service providing server 10 and information indicating the remaining amount of the in-vehicle battery when the taxi 16 reaches the destination is output. In step SB2, the reservation unit 81 acquires a predicted remaining amount upon arrival at the destination using the function of the program. Similar to the above-described programs, the program calculates a predicted remaining amount upon arrival at a destination with certain accuracy and outputs the information as information.
Next, the reservation unit 81 determines whether or not the dispatch taxi needs to be charged at the corresponding charging stand after reaching the destination based on the predicted remaining amount upon arrival at the destination (step SD4).
In step SD4, for example, even if the reservation unit 81 does not charge at the corresponding charging station, the reservation unit 81 has a sufficient remaining amount upon arrival at the destination (for example, to return from the destination to the waiting area for the taxi 16). If it is predicted that there will not be enough remaining battery power, it is determined that it is necessary to charge at the corresponding charging stand, while the estimated remaining amount at arrival at the destination is low. If it is predicted that there is a possibility that the remaining amount of the in-vehicle battery will be insufficient when charging is not performed at the corresponding charging stand, it is determined that charging is required at the corresponding charging stand.
In this embodiment, it is determined whether or not it is necessary to make a reservation at the corresponding charging station based on the predicted remaining amount at the time of arrival at the destination, but the remaining cruising distance when the destination is reached is predicted. Then, the above determination may be made based on a comparison between the predicted remaining cruising distance and a predetermined threshold, or a relationship between the predicted remaining cruising distance and the corresponding charging station or other charging station. .

When it is determined that it is necessary to charge at the corresponding charging stand after reaching the destination for the dispatch taxi (step SD4: YES), the reservation unit 81 executes a reservation process (step SD5).
The reservation process refers to a process of making a reservation for use of the charger 15 at the corresponding charging stand for the dispatch taxi to the charger management server 13.
More specifically, first, the reservation unit 81 occupies the charger 15 when it is assumed that the taxi is charged at the corresponding charging station after traveling on a specific route and reaching the corresponding charging station. Get the time zone.
Here, the service providing server 10 receives information indicating a specific route and current remaining amount information of the taxi 16, and indicates a time zone in which the charger 15 is occupied when the dispatch taxi is charged at the corresponding charging station. A program that outputs information is installed. The reservation part 81 acquires the said time slot | zone with the function of the said program.
The program calculates the expected arrival time when the taxi 16 arrives at the corresponding charging station and the estimated remaining battery power level based on the information indicating the specific route and the current remaining amount information of the taxi 16. In addition, based on the calculated estimated arrival time and the remaining amount of the on-vehicle battery, it has a function of calculating a time zone that occupies the charger 15 when the dispatch taxi is charged at the corresponding charging stand. The program appropriately refers to necessary data (for example, the map data and route search data described above) stored in advance in the storage unit 33 and, if necessary, a predetermined server (for example, the road described above) Access to an external server that centrally manages fluid information, such as the degree of congestion, and has certain accuracy reflecting the characteristics of electric vehicles and the specific circumstances of the road And has a function of calculating the time zone. All existing algorithms can be applied to the algorithm of the program.

After calculating the time period, the reservation unit 81 makes an inquiry to the service providing server 10 regarding whether or not there is an available charger 15 in the time period for the corresponding charging station. In the case where there is no charger 15 that can be used, an inquiry is made about an available time zone after the expected arrival time when the vehicle arrives at the corresponding charging station, and the relevant time zone is related to the reservation for using the charger 15. Time zone.
Next, the reservation unit 81 accesses the taxi management database 28, refers to the database, specifies the card ID of the membership card held by the driver of the dispatch taxi, and then via the Internet 12 according to a predetermined protocol. Then, the charger management server 13 is accessed, and the dispatch taxi related to the card ID outputs data related to the reservation to use one of the chargers 15 of the corresponding charging station in the time zone.
The reservation management unit 69 of the charger management server 13 that has received the data uses the charger management database 67 to make a reservation for use in a designated time zone for one charger 15 of the corresponding charging stand ( Step SF1).

Now, after executing the reservation process in step SD5, the service providing server 10 provides the taxi dispatch system 11 with information related to the reservation (at least information indicating that a specific route is reserved, reservation time, reserved charge). Information including information indicating the stand 14 (= corresponding charging stand) and information necessary for charging at the charging stand 14 is output (step SD6).
The taxi dispatch system 11 to which the information is input outputs information related to the reservation to the vehicle-mounted device 26 of the dispatch taxi according to a predetermined protocol (step SC5). The information regarding this reservation includes information indicating a specific route.
The in-vehicle device 26 to which the information is input executes route guidance processing based on the input various information (step SB2).

More specifically, the travel route guide unit 49 of the in-vehicle device 26, after arriving at the destination, should be charged at the corresponding charging station via the corresponding charging station, and for the predetermined time for the corresponding charging station. The reservation of use of the charger 15 in the belt is displayed on the in-vehicle display panel 46, and the driver is notified accordingly.
Next, the travel route guide unit 49 refers to the map data stored in the in-vehicle side storage unit 43 and displays the map on the in-vehicle side display panel 46, and on the map based on the information indicating the specific route, the departure route is displayed. The specific route is clearly indicated in a manner that clearly indicates the place, the destination, and the corresponding charging station.
Next, the travel route guide unit 49 clearly shows the position of the host vehicle on the map, so that the host vehicle travels on the specific route and passes through the departure point, the destination, and the corresponding charging station. And route guidance. The route guidance is executed by the function of a program (for example, a program related to an existing navigation system) installed in the in-vehicle device 26.
In this way, since the route guidance on the specific route is performed by the in-vehicle device 26, the driver can smoothly and reliably go from the current location of the dispatch taxi to the departure place, and a taxi user or the like at the departure place. It is possible to get on the bus, go to the destination, get off the taxi user, etc., and then reach the corresponding charging station.
Furthermore, since the reservation for using the charger 15 at the corresponding charging station according to the time to the corresponding charging station is automatically executed, the driver of the dispatch taxi can smoothly and at the corresponding charging station. Certainly, the taxi can be charged. In particular, the taxi 16 for profit purposes has a strong request to charge at the charging station 14 as efficiently as possible and to keep the time zone at the charging station 14 as small as possible. It is possible to respond appropriately.

<Description of automatic reservation unit 88>
Next, the automatic reservation unit 88 (automatic reservation unit) included in the control unit 30 of the service providing server 10 will be described.
The automatic reservation unit 88 periodically monitors the remaining cruising distance of the taxi 16 to ensure that the in-vehicle battery is insufficient when the taxi 16 is traveling. Whether or not it is necessary to charge based on the cruising range is monitored, and if charging is necessary, reservation of charging at the charging station 14 is automatically performed.

FIG. 11 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the automatic reservation unit 88 for a certain taxi 16 (hereinafter referred to as “monitored taxi”). FIG. 11A is an in-vehicle device mounted on the monitored taxi. (B) is the operation of the taxi dispatch system 11, (C) is the operation of the service providing server 10, (D) is the operation of the electric vehicle management system 17, and (E) is the charger management server. 13 operations are shown respectively.
In FIG. 11, one taxi 16 is a processing target, but actually, the operation shown in FIG. 11 is performed for all taxis 16 that are running.

The automatic reservation unit 88 of the control unit 30 of the service providing server 10 monitors whether or not the timing for starting the execution of the processing after step SK2 described below has been reached for the monitored taxi (step SK1). The processing after step SK2 is set to be performed at a predetermined cycle (for example, every 5 minutes, every 10 minutes), and the automatic reservation unit 88 is set for the monitored taxi in step SK1. Whether or not a predetermined period has arrived is monitored. The processing after step SK2 may be performed in response to a request from the taxi dispatch system 11 in addition to being performed at a predetermined cycle.
When the above timing has arrived (step SK1: YES), the automatic reservation unit 88 accesses the electric vehicle management database 22 and acquires current remaining cruising distance information of the monitored taxi (step SK2).
Next, the automatic reservation unit 88 determines whether or not the monitoring target taxi should be charged based on a comparison between the remaining cruising range indicated by the current remaining cruising range information and a predetermined threshold (step SK3). .
Hereinafter, the operation of step SK3 will be described in detail.

In step SK3, by comparing the remaining cruising range indicated by the current remaining cruising range information with a predetermined threshold, it is necessary to perform charging at the earliest possible stage in order to prevent the shortage of the remaining amount. It is determined whether or not the remaining cruising distance is short, and thereby it is determined whether or not charging should be performed.
Here, the predetermined threshold value is not a fixed value, and the value varies as follows.
In other words, in the present embodiment, for each taxi 16, a threshold is set for each area according to the situation of the charging station 14 in the area. An area is one area that is formed when the ground (map) is divided so as not to overlap, and is determined in advance. In the present embodiment, for each taxi 16, the threshold is lower as the density of charging stations 14 in the area is higher, and the density is lower as the density of charging stations 14 in the area is higher (number of charging stations 14 per unit area). A threshold value is set for each area so that the threshold value is increased.
For example, it is assumed that there are four areas A1 to A4, and the density relationship of the charging station 14 in these areas is area A1> area A2> area A3>. In this case, the threshold value is determined such that “threshold value T4 corresponding to area A4> threshold value T3 corresponding to area A3> threshold value T2 corresponding to area A2> threshold value T1 corresponding to area A1”. The correspondence relationship between the area and the threshold value for each taxi 16 is stored in the storage unit 33 as a database. The threshold value may be calculated by a program having a predetermined algorithm.
Thus, the threshold is set for each area so that the threshold is lower as the density of the charging station 14 in the area is higher and the threshold is higher as the density is lower. This is because the threshold can be set lower because it is in the vicinity, and the charging stand 14 may be located relatively far as the density is lower, and the threshold needs to be set higher.
And in step SK3, the automatic reservation part 88 accesses the taxi management database 28, refers to the said database, and acquires the present location information of the monitoring object taxi. Then, the area where the monitoring target taxi is located is specified, and the threshold value corresponding to the area is specified. Next, the automatic reservation unit 88 compares the remaining cruising distance of the monitored taxi with the specified threshold value, and determines that it is necessary to charge the monitored taxi when the remaining cruising distance is less than the threshold value. If it exceeds, it is determined that charging is not necessary.
In the present embodiment, whether or not charging is necessary is determined based on the remaining cruising distance, but the current remaining amount information is acquired by accessing the electric vehicle management database 22 and the in-vehicle battery The determination may be made by comparing the remaining amount of the battery with a threshold value. In this case, if the threshold value is changed according to the density of the charging station, the determination can be performed more appropriately.
Moreover, in this embodiment, it is determined whether or not it is necessary to perform charging by comparing the remaining cruising distance and a threshold value. However, the present invention is not limited to this. In addition, the above determination may be made based on the relationship between the distance of the charging station 14 that can be routed and the remaining cruising distance. In other words, the above determination is based on the relationship between the remaining amount of the on-vehicle battery or the remaining cruising distance and the status of the charging station 14, and it is necessary to charge at the earliest possible stage in order to prevent the shortage of the remaining amount. Any method may be used as long as it can be properly determined whether or not there is.

If it is not necessary to perform charging (step SK3: NO), the automatic reservation unit 88 returns the processing procedure to step SK1, and again monitors whether a predetermined timing has come.
On the other hand, when it is necessary to perform charging (step SK3: YES), the automatic reservation unit 88 allows the monitored taxi to be most easily reached from the current position, and predicts the arrival time at the charging station 14 and the business of the charging station 14. Charging at the charging station 14 reflects the relationship with time, the standard of the connector of the taxi to be monitored and the standard of the connector of the charger 15 of the charging station 14, and whether or not the charging station 14 is qualified for use. The possible charging station 14 is specified (step SK4). The charging station 14 specified here is the charging station 14 that should make a reservation for charging the monitored taxi.
For example, the specific information is obtained by accessing the charging station information database 80 stored in the storage unit 33, the taxi dispatch system 11, and the charger management server 13 by acquiring the necessary information by the function of a predetermined program. Done. Further, for example, when the charger management server 13 has a function of specifying the charging station 14 that is most easily accessible from a predetermined position, the charger management server 13 may be inquired. .

Next, the automatic reservation unit 88 executes a reservation process, and makes a reservation for the charging station 14 specified in step SK4 (step SK5). At that time, the automatic reservation unit 88 predicts the time zone in which charging is expected at the charging station 14 from the current position of the monitored taxi, the traveling direction, and other necessary information, and in that time zone. Make a reservation. The charger management server 13 registers a reservation for using the charger 15 in the charging station 14 in accordance with the reservation processing in the automatic reservation unit 88 (step SM1).
After executing the reservation process, the automatic reservation unit 88 informs the taxi dispatch system 11 about the reservation (information including reservation time and information indicating the reserved charging station 14, and charging is performed at the charging station 14. Necessary information) is output (step SK6).
The taxi dispatch system 11 to which the information is input outputs information related to the reservation to the vehicle-mounted taxi vehicle 26 according to a predetermined protocol (step SJ1).
The in-vehicle device 26 to which the information is input displays information related to the reservation of the charging station 14 on the in-vehicle side display panel 46 based on the input various information (step SI1). At that time, route guidance to the reserved charging station 14 may be performed.

As described above, in the present embodiment, the automatic reservation unit 88 function of the service providing server 10 monitors whether or not the taxi 16 that is traveling needs to be charged. The reservation of the charger 15 is automatically executed. For this reason, it is possible to prevent the in-vehicle battery from being insufficient for each taxi 16. In particular, the taxi 16 has a significant adverse effect on the operation when the remaining amount of the in-vehicle battery is insufficient, but it is possible to eliminate such an adverse effect.
Furthermore, the driver of the taxi 16 can charge the taxi 16 smoothly and reliably at the reserved charging station 14. In particular, the taxi 16 for profit purposes has a strong request to charge at the charging station 14 as efficiently as possible and to keep the time zone at the charging station 14 as small as possible. It is possible to respond appropriately.
The present invention can also be applied to electric vehicles other than the taxi 16. For example, the automatic reservation unit 88 of the service providing server 10 needs to monitor and charge the remaining cruising distance of an electric vehicle as a passenger car owned by an individual who has a contract with the service providing company related to the service providing server 10. When it occurs, by making a reservation for charging at an appropriate charging station 14, the driver can drive without worrying about the remaining amount of the electric vehicle, and when charging, find a charging station 14 that can be charged. There is no need, and the convenience of the driver is dramatically improved.

As described above, when determining whether or not the taxi 16 that is the electric vehicle can travel from the current location to the destination, the traveling availability determination unit 78 of the service providing server 10 according to the present embodiment passes after reaching the destination. After searching for a corresponding charging station that is a possible charging station 14, a specific route that is a route from the current location to the corresponding charging station via the destination is searched, and the remaining amount of the in-vehicle battery is insufficient for the specific route. It is determined whether or not the vehicle can travel without causing any trouble, and if the vehicle can travel, it is determined that the taxi 16 can travel to the destination.
Here, as described above, the electric vehicle has a characteristic that the cruising distance is shorter than that of the gasoline vehicle. Therefore, the electric vehicle has not only a risk that the destination cannot be reached due to a shortage of the remaining amount of the on-vehicle battery, but also a risk that the remaining amount of the on-vehicle battery will be short after reaching the destination. When the taxi 16 reaches the destination and the remaining amount of the in-vehicle battery becomes insufficient and the vehicle becomes unable to run, there is a great adverse effect on the operation of the taxi 16. Therefore, when determining whether or not to drive the taxi 16 as an electric vehicle to the destination, it is necessary to consider whether or not the taxi 16 can continue to run after the taxi 16 arrives at the destination. is there.
Based on the above, according to the above configuration, it is possible to appropriately determine whether or not the taxi 16 can travel to the destination in consideration of the above.

In the present embodiment, the reservation unit 81 communicates with the charger management server 13 that accepts a reservation for charging at the charging station 14, travels on the specific route searched by the travel enable / disable determination unit 78, and reaches the destination. After that, make a reservation for charging at the corresponding charging station.
According to this configuration, since the reservation of charging after reaching the destination is automatically performed by the function of the service providing server 10, it is not necessary for the driver of the taxi 16 to make a reservation for charging, The taxi 16 can be charged smoothly.

In the present embodiment, the reservation unit 81 of the service providing server 10 predicts the remaining amount of the on-vehicle battery of the taxi 16 when traveling on the specific route searched by the travel enable / disable determining unit 78 and reaching the destination. Based on the prediction, it is determined whether or not charging should be performed at the corresponding charging station after reaching the destination, and if charging is to be performed, reservation of charging at the corresponding charging station is performed.
According to this configuration, since the reservation for using the charger 15 in the corresponding charging station is automatically executed, the driver of the dispatch taxi can smoothly and reliably dispatch the taxi at the corresponding charging station. Can be charged. In particular, the taxi 16 for profit purposes has a strong request to charge at the charging station 14 as efficiently as possible and to keep the time zone at the charging station 14 as small as possible. It is possible to respond appropriately.
As described above, the remaining cruising distance of the taxi 16 when reaching the destination is predicted, and it is determined whether or not the reservation should be made at the corresponding charging station based on the predicted remaining cruising distance. Also good.

Further, in the present embodiment, the traveling availability determination unit 78 refers to necessary fields in the taxi management database 28 and the charging station information database 80 when searching for the corresponding charging station, and the charging station 14 that is a candidate for the corresponding charging station 14. The relationship between the predicted arrival time and the business hours of each charging station 14, the relationship between the connector standard of the taxi to be processed and the standard of the connector supported by the charging station 14, and the use of each charging station 14 Based on the qualification (whether or not the target taxi is a registered member), one charging station 14 that can actually be charged at the charging station 14 and that can be routed most smoothly from the destination. Is identified.
According to this configuration, it is possible to appropriately set the charging station where the dispatch taxi can actually perform charging as a corresponding charging station.

In addition, the dispatch vehicle selection unit 50 of the service providing server 10 according to the present embodiment is one of the electric vehicles determined to be able to travel from the current location to the destination by the travel enable / disable determining unit 78 among the plurality of taxis 16. Is selected as a taxi 16 (allocation taxi) that travels to the destination.
According to this configuration, the taxi can not only reach the destination without causing a shortage of the remaining amount of the in-vehicle battery, but also can continuously travel after reaching the destination without causing a shortage of the remaining amount of the in-vehicle battery. 16 can be accurately selected as a dispatch taxi.

In addition, the dispatch vehicle selection unit 50 of the service providing server 10 according to the present embodiment can travel from the current location to the destination via the departure location (via route) by the traveling availability determination unit 78 among the plurality of taxis 16. One of the electric vehicles determined to be selected as a taxi 16 (a dispatch taxi) that travels to the destination.
According to this configuration, not only can the vehicle battery reach the destination via the departure point (passage point) without causing a shortage of the remaining amount of the vehicle battery, but also the vehicle battery can run short after reaching the destination. A taxi 16 that can continue to travel without being generated can be accurately selected as a dispatch taxi.

In addition, the dispatch vehicle selection unit 50 according to the present embodiment is the taxi 16 that is determined to be able to travel to the destination normally by the traveling availability determination unit 78 and reaches the destination without charging at the charging station 14. Select possible taxis 16 as dispatch taxis.
Here, as described above, the electric vehicle has a characteristic that the time required for the electric vehicle to charge at the charging station tends to be longer than the time required for the gasoline vehicle to refuel at the gas station. is there. In consideration of the fact that it takes a very long time to charge an electric vehicle at the charging station 14, the taxi 16 that needs to be charged one or more times to reach the destination is the timing to reach the destination. Can cause significant delays and can significantly impair customer satisfaction.
Based on the above, according to the above configuration, it is possible to suitably prevent a delay due to charging of the charging stand 14 and to suppress loss of customer satisfaction.

In addition, the service providing server 10 according to the present embodiment acquires the remaining amount of the in-vehicle battery or the remaining cruising distance of the electric vehicle (taxi 16) that is traveling at a predetermined timing, and acquires the acquired remaining amount of the in-vehicle battery. Or, based on the remaining cruising distance, it is determined whether or not the electric vehicle should be charged, and if it should be charged, it communicates with a system (charger management server 13) that accepts a reservation for charging at the charging station 14, An automatic reservation unit 88 that makes a reservation at the charging station corresponding to the current position of the electric vehicle is further provided.
According to this, it is monitored whether or not the taxi 16 that is running needs to be charged, and when charging is necessary, the reservation of the charger 15 at the appropriate charging station 14 is automatically executed. It is possible to prevent an in-vehicle battery shortage from occurring. In particular, the taxi 16 has a significant adverse effect on the operation when the remaining amount of the in-vehicle battery is insufficient, but it is possible to eliminate such an adverse effect.
Furthermore, the driver of the taxi 16 can charge the taxi 16 smoothly and reliably at the reserved charging station 14. In particular, the taxi 16 for profit purposes has a strong request to charge at the charging station 14 as efficiently as possible and to keep the time zone at the charging station 14 as small as possible. It is possible to respond appropriately.

In addition, the automatic reservation unit 88 according to the present embodiment should charge the taxi 16 based on the relationship between the remaining amount of the on-vehicle battery or the remaining cruising distance and the status of the charging station 14 by the acquired communication. Is determined. More specifically, the automatic reservation unit 88 should charge the taxi 16 based on a comparison between the remaining amount or travel distance and the threshold value defined by the density of the charging station 14 for the area to which the taxi 16 belongs. It is determined whether or not.
According to this, it is possible to determine whether or not the taxi 16 should be charged by appropriately reflecting the state of the charging station 14.

Second Embodiment
Next, a second embodiment will be described.
In the above-described embodiment, the case where the taxi 16 to be dispatched to the taxi user is selected has been described as an example. On the other hand, in the present embodiment, the present invention will be described by taking a taxi 16 performing so-called sink business as an example.

FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing the operation of each component of the information processing system 1 in the present embodiment. (A) shows the operation of the in-vehicle device 26, (B) shows the operation of the taxi dispatch system 11, and (C). Indicates the operation of the service providing server 10, and (D) indicates the operation of the charger management server 13.
First, when the driver of a taxi 16 (hereinafter referred to as “a sink taxi”) operating in the sink confirms that there is a person who is trying to use the taxi 16 while traveling on the road, the driver is close to that person. Move taxi 16 and stop.
Next, the driver of the sink taxi asks the destination of the driver.
Next, the driver of the sink taxi inputs information indicating the destination to the dedicated user interface of the in-vehicle device 26 and instructs the taxi dispatch system 11 to output the information. The in-vehicle side control unit 40 of the in-vehicle device 26 outputs the information indicating the input destination together with the current position information detected by the vehicle position detecting unit 45 to the taxi dispatch system 11 via the Internet 12 (step) SN1).
In response to the input of the information, the taxi dispatch system 11 makes an inquiry to the service providing server 10 as to whether or not the sink taxi can travel to the destination (step SO1). At this time, information indicating the current location of the sink taxi and information indicating the destination are output.

Upon receiving the inquiry, the travel availability determination unit 78 of the service providing server 10 executes the travel availability determination process described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. 9, and returns to the destination without charging at the charging station 14. Determine if you can reach the destination and continue driving without running out of battery power even after you reach the destination (= Determine whether the taxi can run to the destination) (Step SP1), the determination result is output to the taxi dispatch system 11 (step SP2).
The taxi dispatch system 11 to which the determination result has been input notifies the in-vehicle device 26 of the determination result (step SO2).
When the discrimination result is input to the in-vehicle device 26, information indicating the discrimination result is displayed on the in-vehicle side display panel 46 of the in-vehicle device 26, and the driver of the vehicle allocation taxi passes the in-vehicle device 26 by a predetermined means. Then, a response is made as to whether or not the taxi user is to be boarded (step SN2). In the following description, for convenience of explanation, it is assumed that a response indicating that a taxi user is to be boarded is made in step SN2.
Upon receipt of the response, the taxi dispatch system 11 notifies the service providing server 10 whether or not the taxi user is to be boarded (step SO3).
Receiving the notification, the service providing server 10 acquires the estimated remaining amount when the destination taxi arrives at the destination (step SP3), and based on the acquired estimated remaining amount at the destination arrival, It is determined whether or not the taxi needs to be charged at the corresponding charging station after reaching the destination (step SP4). When it is necessary to charge at the charging stand (step SP4: YES), the reservation unit 81 performs a reservation process (step SP5).
In accordance with the reservation process by the reservation unit 81, the charger management server 13 executes a process related to reception of a reservation (step SQ1).
Next, the service providing server 10 provides the taxi dispatch system 11 with information related to the reservation (at least information indicating that a specific route has been reserved, reservation time, reserved charging station 14 (= corresponding charging station)). Information including information and information necessary for charging at the charging station 14 is output (step SP6).
The taxi dispatch system 11 to which the information is input outputs information related to the reservation to the vehicle-mounted device 26 of the dispatch taxi according to a predetermined protocol (step SO4). The information regarding this reservation includes information indicating a specific route.
The in-vehicle device 26 to which the information is input executes route guidance processing based on the input various information (step SN3).

  As described above, a very excellent effect can be achieved by applying the present invention to the taxi 16 that is operating in the sink. That is, since the service providing server 10 outputs information indicating whether or not the customer may be put on the vehicle-mounted device 26 from the viewpoint of continuous travel after arrival at the destination, the driver of the sink taxi It is possible to appropriately determine whether or not the customer can be carried. Furthermore, when it is necessary to charge at the corresponding charging stand after reaching the destination, the use of the charger 15 of the corresponding charging stand is automatically reserved, so that smooth and reliable charging is performed at the corresponding stand. Can be realized.

<Third Embodiment>
Next, a third embodiment will be described.
In the first embodiment and the second embodiment described above, the present invention has been described by taking the case where the present invention is applied to the system related to the taxi 16 as an example, but the present invention is not limited to the system related to the taxi 16, The present invention can be applied to a system related to a dedicated vehicle 90 (FIG. 14) that delivers and collects luggage and other items, and by applying the system, the following advantageous effects can be obtained. Is possible.
Hereinafter, the present invention will be described by taking as an example the case where articles are collected by the dedicated vehicle 90.

FIG. 13 is a diagram schematically illustrating the information processing system 1 according to the present embodiment.
In the following description, it is assumed that all the dedicated vehicles 90 are configured by electric vehicles and are in a state where it is possible to collect the collected luggage by visiting the collection place.
Further, in the following description, a predetermined amount of cargo is collected at the pickup location SK1 (via route), and a predetermined amount of baggage is collected at the pickup location SK2 (via location), and these pickups are collected. A situation in which a collection process of carrying to the center SC (destination) is to be performed occurs, and the dedicated vehicle 90 to be subjected to the collection process is selectively dispatched from among the dedicated vehicles 90 scattered in various places. And
Each dedicated vehicle 90 is equipped with an in-vehicle device 26, and the in-vehicle device 26 provides information on the remaining collection amount in addition to the current position information and the current direction information at an appropriate timing. Output to the server 10. The remaining collectable amount is the amount of luggage that can be collected by the dedicated vehicle 90.
The service providing server 10 stores a dedicated vehicle management database 91 that manages at least the current position information, the current direction information, and information indicating the remaining collectable amount for each dedicated vehicle 90. The dedicated vehicle management unit 92, which is one of the functional blocks of the service providing server 10, updates the contents of the dedicated vehicle management database 91 based on information input from each in-vehicle device 26 of each dedicated vehicle 90, thereby The state of each dedicated vehicle 90 is managed.

In dispatching the vehicle, the dispatch vehicle selection unit 50 of the service providing server 10 causes the traveling availability determination unit 78 to reach the collection center SC from the current location to the collection center SC via the collection sites SK1 and SK2. A specific route to the corresponding charging station TJ corresponding to the collection center SC is searched. The corresponding charging stand TJ corresponding to the collection center SC is appropriately selected by the method described in the first embodiment.
Next, the dispatch vehicle selection unit 50 of the service providing server 10 causes the travel enable / disable determining unit 78 to determine whether the specific vehicle 90 can travel on the specific route without causing a shortage of the in-vehicle battery. In this determination, it may be determined whether or not the vehicle can travel without being charged once at the charging stand 14, and whether or not the vehicle can travel regardless of whether charging is performed in the charging station 14 or not. Also good. As described in the first embodiment, the fact that the vehicle can travel on a specific route without causing a shortage of the remaining amount of the in-vehicle battery is due to the shortage of the remaining amount of the in-vehicle battery before reaching the collection center SC as the destination. This means that the vehicle is not disabled, and even after arriving at the collection center SC as the destination, the vehicle can continue to run without running out of remaining battery power.
Furthermore, the vehicle allocation vehicle selection unit 50 collects the collection of each dedicated vehicle 90 according to the relationship between the amount of collection to be collected at the collection locations SK1 and SK2 and the remaining collection amount of each dedicated vehicle 90. Determine whether it is possible. It is assumed that the amount of luggage collected at the collection locations SK1 and SK2 is notified to the service providing server 10 in advance.
The dispatch vehicle selection unit 50 is a dedicated vehicle 90 that can travel on a specific route without causing a shortage of the remaining amount of the in-vehicle battery, and is a dedicated vehicle that can collect the cargo to be collected at the collection locations SK1 and SK2. One of 90 is selected as a dedicated vehicle 90 to be dispatched. When there are a plurality of such dedicated vehicles 90, the dispatch vehicle selection unit 50 selects, for example, the dedicated vehicle 90 that can reach the collection center SC earliest.
Next, the service providing server 10 reserves the corresponding charging station TJ by the reservation unit 81 as necessary, and then passes the specific route (or the collection center SC) to the in-vehicle device 26 of the dedicated vehicle 90 to be dispatched. Output various information including The in-vehicle device 26 to which the various information is input guides the route to the collection center SC via the collection points SK1 and SK2 using the in-vehicle display panel 46, and further, if necessary. The route to the corresponding charging station TJ is guided.

  As described above, the present invention can also be applied to a system related to the dedicated vehicle 90 that delivers and collects articles, thereby achieving very excellent effects. In other words, the service providing server 10 can dispatch an appropriate dedicated vehicle 90 from the viewpoint of continuous travel after arrival at the destination, and when it is necessary to charge at the corresponding charging station after reaching the destination, the service providing server 10 automatically Since the use of the charger 15 of the corresponding charging stand is reserved, smooth and reliable charging can be realized at the corresponding stand.

<Fourth embodiment>
FIG. 14 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of the information processing system 1 according to the fourth embodiment.
In the following description, the same components as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof is omitted.
As is clear from comparison between FIG. 14 and FIG. 1, the information processing system 1 according to the present embodiment does not include the taxi dispatch system 11, and the service providing server 10 is connected via the wireless communication system 104. It is configured to directly communicate with the in-vehicle device 26 of the taxi 16.

FIG. 15 is a block diagram illustrating functional configurations of the service providing server 10 and the in-vehicle device 26.
As is apparent from a comparison between FIG. 15 and FIG. 3, the control unit 30 of the service providing server 10 according to the present embodiment does not include the dispatch vehicle selection unit 50 and the travel propriety determination unit 78. A management unit 100 and a vehicle allocation unit 101 are provided. As will become apparent later, the vehicle allocation unit 101 includes the functions of the vehicle allocation vehicle selection unit 50 and the travel propriety determination unit 78 in the first embodiment described above. The taxi management unit 100 and the vehicle allocation unit 101 are realized by the cooperation of hardware and software, such that the CPU of the control unit 30 reads and executes a control program.
The storage unit 33 of the service providing server 10 stores a taxi management database 103, which will be described later.
Further, as shown in FIG. 15, a wireless communication system 104 is connected to the service providing server 10. The wireless communication system 104 is configured to be able to perform wireless communication at a predetermined frequency band with the in-vehicle device 26 mounted on the taxi 16. The service providing server 10 outputs predetermined information to a specific in-vehicle device 26 via the wireless communication system 104, and receives predetermined information from the specific in-vehicle device 26 via the wireless communication system 104. .
Note that the configuration of the service providing server 10 is not limited to that shown in FIG. 15, and may be a configuration in which a plurality of server devices are linked, for example, or a partial function of a centralized system or a distributed system. There may be. That is, the configuration is not limited as long as various functions related to the vehicle dispatch service can be realized.

As shown in FIG. 15, the vehicle-mounted side control unit 40 of the vehicle-mounted device 26 includes a vehicle information output unit 48 and a travel route guide unit 49.
The vehicle information output unit 48 according to the present embodiment acquires vehicle information at a predetermined cycle (for example, every 1 second or every 5 seconds), and uses the acquired vehicle information as the service providing server 10. Output to. Specifically, the vehicle information in the present embodiment is information indicating the remaining amount of the in-vehicle battery (hereinafter referred to as “current remaining amount information”), and the position (longitude) of the taxi 16 in which the in-vehicle device 26 is mounted. , Latitude) (hereinafter referred to as “current position information”), information indicating the direction of travel of the taxi 16 (hereinafter referred to as “current direction information”), and the state of the taxi 16 (empty vehicle, actual vehicle). , Any one of an incoming car and a forward car) (hereinafter referred to as “current state information”). The in-vehicle device 26 is connected to an existing in-vehicle system having at least a function of managing the remaining amount of the in-vehicle battery, and can acquire current remaining amount information from the in-vehicle system as needed. The in-vehicle device 26 is connected to an existing taxi system that manages the state of the taxi 16 according to manual switching by the driver of the taxi 16, and can acquire current state information from the taxi system at any time. It is.
For example, the vehicle information output unit 48 detects that a predetermined period has arrived based on the input value of the connected RTC, and obtains the current remaining amount information from the above-described in-vehicle system each time the predetermined period arrives. The current position information and the current direction information are acquired from the vehicle position detection unit 45, the current state information is acquired from the taxi system, and the acquired information is obtained by using an identification code uniquely assigned to each taxi 16. The information is output to the service providing server 10 through the wireless communication unit 44 in association with a certain taxi ID.
The service providing server 10 to which the current remaining amount information, current position information, current direction information, current state information, and taxi ID (hereinafter, these five pieces of information are collectively referred to as “current vehicle information”) are input from the in-vehicle device 26. The taxi management unit 100 of the control unit 30 updates the contents of the taxi management database 103 stored in the storage unit 33 based on these pieces of information.

FIG. 16 is a diagram schematically illustrating the data structure of the taxi management database 103.
As shown in FIG. 16, one record in the taxi management database 103 includes a taxi ID field 103a in which a taxi ID is stored, a current remaining amount information field 103b in which current remaining amount information is stored, and current position information. Stored current position information field 103c, current direction information field 103d in which current direction information is stored, current state information field 103e in which current state information is stored, maximum number of passengers information field 103f, and connector standard information field 103g and a driver possessed card ID field 103h. Information indicating the maximum number of passengers who can get on the taxi 16 is stored in the maximum number of passengers information field 103f. The information is a fixed value and is stored in the field by an artificial means when generating a record. In the connector standard information field 103g, information indicating the standard of the connector related to the connection with the charger 15 of the charging stand 14 is input. As is well known, there are currently several types of connector standards. The information indicating the connector standard is a fixed value and is stored in the field by human means when generating a record. The driver possessed card ID field 103h stores a card ID of a membership card (described later) possessed by the driver. When the driver holds a plurality of types of membership cards, the card ID of each membership card is stored in the field.
When the taxi management unit 100 of the control unit 30 of the service providing server 10 receives the current vehicle information related to the one taxi 16 from the one taxi 16, based on the taxi ID included in the current vehicle information, Of the records in the taxi management database 103, the record corresponding to the one taxi 16 is specified, and the data of each field of the specified record is updated based on the input current vehicle information.
By the function of the taxi management unit 100, each information stored in each record of the taxi management database 103 becomes the latest information.

FIG. 17 shows the operation of calling means, the service providing server 10, the in-vehicle device 26, and the charger management server 13 when a taxi user calls the taxi 16 and selectively dispatches the taxi 16 based on the call. (A) shows the operation of the calling means, (B) shows the operation of the service providing server 10, (C) shows the operation of the in-vehicle device 26, and (D) shows the operation of the charger management server 13. Respectively.
As described above, each of the in-vehicle devices 26 provides the current vehicle information including the current remaining amount information, the current position information, the current direction information, the current state information, and the taxi ID periodically and periodically. The taxi management unit 100 of the service providing server 10 updates the contents of the taxi management database 103 based on the input current vehicle information.

  Referring to FIG. 17, first, a calling request for taxi 16 is executed to service providing server 10 by the calling means (step SR1). In the present embodiment, the request for step SR1 can be made by a plurality of methods described in the first embodiment.

In step SR1, the dispatching unit 101 (the dispatching unit) of the service providing server 10 to which at least the information indicating the departure place and the destination is input from the calling unit executes the vehicle dispatching process, and determines the taxi 16 to be dispatched. Determine (step SS1).
In this vehicle dispatch process, a process according to the dispatch taxi selection process described with reference to FIG. 8 in the first embodiment is performed, and a dispatch taxi is selected, and the selected dispatch taxi is actually a taxi to dispatch decide. More specifically, the taxi 16 that can travel to the destination among the scattered taxis 16 by the same function as the dispatch vehicle selection unit 50 and the travel propriety determination unit 78 described above is charged once. A taxi 16 that can reach the destination without charging at the stand 14 is selected as a dispatch taxi.

After the taxi 16 to be dispatched to the taxi user is determined by the vehicle dispatching process in step SS1, the reservation unit 81 of the control unit 30 of the service providing server 10 determines whether the taxi 16 reaches the destination. The predicted value of the remaining amount is acquired (step SS2).
Next, the reservation unit 81 of the service providing server 10 determines whether or not the dispatch taxi needs to be charged at the corresponding charging stand after reaching the destination based on the predicted value (step SS3).
When it is determined that it is necessary to charge at the corresponding charging stand after reaching the destination for the dispatch taxi, the processing procedure shifts to step SS5.
If it is determined that it is necessary to charge at the corresponding charging station after reaching the destination for the dispatch taxi (step SS3: YES), the reservation unit 81 executes a reservation process (step SS4), Make a charge reservation. In response to the reservation process, the charger management server 13 executes a process related to accepting the reservation (step SU1).

Now, after performing the reservation process in step SS4, the vehicle allocation unit 101 issues a vehicle allocation instruction to the vehicle allocation taxi via the wireless communication system 104 (step SS5).
More specifically, the dispatching unit 101 gives information indicating that the dispatched taxi is selected as the taxi 16 to dispatch to the taxi user, the name of the taxi user, the departure place, the departure Information indicating the destination arrival route or information indicating the specific route is output in a manner in which the departure point and the destination are clearly indicated, together with information indicating the details of the location, the destination, and the number of passengers. In step SS3, the dispatching unit 101 outputs information indicating a specific route when the dispatching taxi determines that it is necessary to charge at the corresponding charging station after reaching the destination, while reaching the destination. After that, if it is determined that it is not necessary to charge at the corresponding charging stand, information indicating the destination arrival route is output.
Furthermore, when the vehicle allocation unit 101 outputs information indicating a specific route, that is, when making a reservation for use of the charger 15 in the corresponding charging stand, information indicating that and information indicating the reserved time zone Is output.
In the following description, for convenience of explanation, it is assumed that the dispatch taxi needs to be charged at the corresponding charging stand after reaching the destination. It is assumed that information indicating a specific route and information related to reservation of a corresponding charging station are output.

The in-vehicle device 26 to which the various information is input executes route guidance processing based on the input various information (step ST1).
More specifically, the travel route guide unit 49 of the in-vehicle device 26 first displays on the in-vehicle side display panel 46 information indicating that it has been selected as a taxi to be dispatched to a taxi user, and informs the driver accordingly. Inform. Further, the travel route guide unit 49, after arriving at the destination, should be charged at the corresponding charging station via the corresponding charging station, and the charger 15 in the predetermined time zone for the corresponding charging station. The fact that the use is reserved is displayed on the in-vehicle display panel 46, and the driver is notified accordingly.
Next, the travel route guide unit 49 refers to the map data stored in the in-vehicle side storage unit 43 and displays the map on the in-vehicle side display panel 46, and on the map based on the information indicating the specific route, the departure route is displayed. The specific route is clearly indicated in a manner that clearly indicates the place, the destination, and the corresponding charging station.
Next, the travel route guide unit 49 clearly shows the position of the host vehicle on the map, so that the host vehicle travels on the specific route and passes through the departure point, the destination, and the corresponding charging station. And route guidance. The route guidance is executed by the function of a program (for example, a program related to an existing navigation system) installed in the in-vehicle device 26.
In this way, since the route guidance on the specific route is performed by the in-vehicle device 26, the driver can smoothly and reliably go from the current location of the dispatch taxi to the departure place, and a taxi user or the like at the departure place. It is possible to get on the bus, go to the destination, get off the taxi user, etc., and then reach the corresponding charging station.
Furthermore, since the reservation for using the charger 15 at the corresponding charging station according to the time to the corresponding charging station is automatically executed, the driver of the dispatch taxi can smoothly and at the corresponding charging station. Certainly, the taxi can be charged. In particular, the taxi 16 for profit purposes has a strong request to charge at the charging station 14 as efficiently as possible and to keep the time zone at the charging station 14 as small as possible. It is possible to respond appropriately.

The above-described embodiment is merely an aspect of the present invention, and can be arbitrarily modified and applied within the scope of the present invention.
For example, in the above-described embodiment, the charger management server 13 manages the respective charging stations 14 in an integrated manner, and the service providing server 10 makes various inquiries regarding the charging station 14 to the charger management server 13. However, the present invention is not limited to such a configuration. For example, each charging station 14 is provided with a server, and the server manages the usage status and reservation status of the chargers 15 belonging to each charging station 14. Alternatively, the charger 15 may manage its own usage status and reservation status, and the service providing server 10 may communicate directly with the charger 15.
Further, the service providing server 10 and the in-vehicle device 26 are not limited to the above-described wireless communication, and may be configured to communicate using the Internet 12 or a telephone line.
In the present embodiment, each taxi 16 and various types of information on each taxi 16 are configured to be centrally managed by the service providing server 10, but when various types of information are required, The configuration may be such that the in-vehicle device 26 is inquired and necessary information is acquired.
Further, in the above-described embodiment, the electric vehicle management system 17 manages the remaining amount of the on-board battery of the taxi 16 and the remaining cruising distance, but not limited to this, for example, the taxi dispatch system 11 manages the taxi. Alternatively, the service providing server 10 may manage them. In this case, for example, after the in-vehicle device 26 is configured to be able to acquire the remaining amount of the in-vehicle battery, the taxi dispatch system 11 or the service providing server 10 determines the remaining amount of the in-vehicle battery through communication with the in-vehicle device 26. Information to be obtained is acquired, and the remaining amount of the vehicle-mounted battery and the remaining cruising distance may be managed based on the acquired information.
Further, for example, in the embodiment described above, the in-vehicle device 26 has the map data 47, but the in-vehicle device 26 itself does not necessarily have to have the map data 47. For example, an appropriate server may be accessed as appropriate to obtain information about the map, and the service providing server 10 or the taxi dispatch system 11 may output information about the map as necessary. May be.

1 Information processing system 10 Service providing server (information processing device)
11 Taxi dispatch system 14 Charging stand 16 Taxi (electric vehicle)
30 Control unit (computer)
50 Allocation vehicle selection unit (allocation vehicle selection means)
78 Travelability determination unit (travelability determination means)
81 Reservation (reservation means)
88 Automatic reservation part (automatic reservation means)
90 Dedicated vehicle (electric vehicle)

Claims (12)

The vehicle is provided with a travel enable / disable determining means for determining whether the electric vehicle can travel from the current location to the destination,
The travel propriety judging means is
When determining whether the electric vehicle can travel from the current location to the destination,
After searching for a corresponding charging station that is a charging station that can be reached after reaching the destination, a specific path that is a route from the current location to the corresponding charging station via the destination is searched, An information processing apparatus that determines whether or not a vehicle can travel on a specific route without causing a shortage of remaining battery capacity, and determines that the electric vehicle can travel to the destination if the vehicle can travel.   Communicate with a system for accepting a reservation for charging at the charging station, and make a reservation for charging at the corresponding charging station after traveling on the specific route searched by the travel enable / disable determining means and reaching the destination The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a reservation unit. The reservation means is
Predicting the remaining amount of the vehicle-mounted battery or the remaining cruising distance when traveling on the specific route searched by the travel enable / disable determining unit and reaching the destination, and based on the prediction, the destination 3. The information processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein it is determined whether or not charging is to be performed at the corresponding charging station after reaching the terminal, and if charging is to be performed, reservation of charging at the corresponding charging station is performed. . The travel propriety judging means is
When searching for the corresponding charging station,
The relationship between the predicted time when traveling on the specific route and reaching the corresponding charging station and the business hours of the charging station, the relationship between the standards for charging the electric vehicle and the charger standard of the charging station, and The charging station that can be used by the electric vehicle is determined as a candidate for the corresponding charging station based on at least one of whether or not the charging station is qualified for use. An information processing apparatus according to claim 1. A dispatch vehicle selection means for selecting the electric vehicle to travel to the destination from among the plurality of scattered electric vehicles;
The dispatch vehicle selection means includes:
Of the plurality of electric vehicles, one of the electric vehicles determined to be able to travel to the destination by the travel enable / disable determining means is selected as the electric vehicle that travels to the destination. The information processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4. The travel propriety judging means is
It is possible to determine whether or not the electric vehicle can travel from the current location via the waypoint to the destination. In the determination, the electric vehicle passes from the current location via the waypoint and further via the destination. The specific route to the corresponding charging station is searched to determine whether or not the vehicle can travel on the specific route without causing a shortage of the remaining amount of the in-vehicle battery. If the vehicle can travel, the electric vehicle travels to the destination. Determine that it is possible,
The dispatch vehicle selection means includes:
The electric vehicle that travels to the destination via the waypoint can be selected from among the plurality of electric vehicles that are scattered, and in the selection, the travel propriety determination is made among the plurality of electric vehicles. 6. The electric vehicle that is determined to be able to travel to the destination by means is selected as the electric vehicle that travels to the destination via the waypoint. The information processing apparatus described. The electric vehicle is a taxi;
The dispatch vehicle selection means includes:
Of the electric vehicles that have been determined to be able to travel to the destination by the travel enable / disable determining means, the electric vehicle that can reach the destination without charging at the charging station is allowed to travel to the destination. The information processing apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the information processing apparatus is selected as an electric vehicle.   The remaining amount of the in-vehicle battery or the remaining cruising distance of the electric vehicle that is traveling at a predetermined timing is acquired, and the electric vehicle is obtained based on the acquired remaining amount of the in-vehicle battery or the remaining cruising distance. Automatic reservation means for determining whether or not to charge and, if charging, communicating with a system for accepting a reservation for charging at the charging station and making a reservation at the charging station corresponding to the current position of the electric vehicle The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: The automatic reservation means includes
The remaining amount of the in-vehicle battery acquired, or the remaining cruising distance,
9. The information processing apparatus according to claim 8, wherein it is determined whether or not the electric vehicle should be charged based on a relationship with a state of the charging station. An information processing system comprising an information processing device and an external device connected to the information processing device in a communicable manner,
The information processing apparatus includes:
A means for determining whether or not the vehicle can travel from the current location to the destination, wherein the electric vehicle is a charging station that can be passed after reaching the destination when determining whether or not the electric vehicle can travel from the current location to the destination. After searching for a compatible charging station, a specific route that is a route from the current location to the corresponding charging station via the destination is searched, and the specific route is not short of a remaining amount of in-vehicle battery. Determining whether or not it is possible to travel, and if it is possible to travel, travel permission determination means for determining that the electric vehicle can travel to the destination;
A means for selecting the electric vehicle to be traveled to the destination from a plurality of the electric vehicles, wherein the travel possibility determination means among the plurality of electric vehicles can travel from the current location to the destination. A dispatch vehicle selection means for selecting one of the determined electric vehicles as the electric vehicle that travels to the destination;
In response to a request for selection of the electric vehicle to travel to the destination from the external device, the dispatch vehicle selection means selects the electric vehicle to travel to the destination from among the plurality of electric vehicles. And outputting information indicating the selected electric vehicle to the external device. A method for controlling an information processing apparatus,
When determining whether an electric vehicle can travel from its current location to its destination,
After searching for a corresponding charging station that is a charging station that can be reached after reaching the destination, a specific path that is a route from the current location to the corresponding charging station via the destination is searched, An information processing apparatus characterized by determining whether or not a vehicle can travel on a specific route without causing a shortage of remaining battery capacity, and if it can travel, determines that the electric vehicle can travel to the destination. Control method. A program executed by a computer that controls each unit of the information processing apparatus,
The computer,
When determining whether an electric vehicle can travel from its current location to its destination,
After searching for a corresponding charging station that is a charging station that can be reached after reaching the destination, a specific path that is a route from the current location to the corresponding charging station via the destination is searched, It is determined whether or not the vehicle can travel on the specific route without causing a shortage of the remaining amount of the in-vehicle battery. A program characterized by

Images