JP7426705B2 - Vehicle operation management system - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a technology for managing the operation of a vehicle for transporting passengers, and in particular to estimating the behavior or status of a passenger relative to the vehicle or vehicle operation equipment using a short-range wireless communication unit and a passenger communication terminal. Regarding technology .

Techniques have already been proposed for managing the operation of multiple vehicles for passenger transport. Here, the "vehicle" includes, for example, a shared bus, a chartered bus, a shared taxi, a chartered taxi, a train, an electric train, a rail-based transportation system (for example, a monorail, a cable car, a trolley), and the like. Further, the "vehicle" is operated, for example, along a fixed route or along a route determined from time to time according to the requests of passengers.

Patent Document 1 is a technology for managing the operation of an omnibus as the vehicle, in which location information where a user wishes to board a bus is transmitted from a user terminal to a server, and thereby a boarding reservation is made for the bus. Discloses what it does.

Patent Document 2 is another technology for managing the operation of a bus as the vehicle, in which a server remotely monitors the user's current location by using the GPS function of the user terminal, and thereby the user's current location is monitored remotely. Discloses technology for positioning the boarding and alighting position when boarding and alighting from a bus. In this technology, the server calculates the fare for the user based on the positioning results, and the user electronically settles the fare using a user terminal.

Patent Document 3 is yet another technology for managing the operation of a bus as the vehicle, in which a two-dimensional code is displayed adjacent to the name of each stop on a route map, and a user can read the code on a user terminal. The present invention discloses a technology in which the two-dimensional code is read, the user terminal accesses the server based on the link information resulting from the reading, and the user terminal downloads operation information from the server.

Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2002-056498 Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2008-217194 Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2006-268392

The present inventor conducted research on conventional vehicle operation management systems, and as a result, obtained the following findings.

That is, in general, in a vehicle operation management system, the relative position between a vehicle (e.g., a moving object) and a stop (e.g., a stationary object) changes from time to time during operation, and in order to synchronize with the change, The position or behavior of the passenger (eg, moving object) changes.

Specifically, for example, the status of the vehicle operation equipment comprising the vehicle and the stop and the behavior status of the passengers indicate whether the vehicle is in the waiting phase waiting for the next arriving vehicle at any stop, or whether the status of the vehicle operation equipment comprising the vehicle and the stop Is the passenger in the boarding phase (e.g., reclassified into three phases: boarding start, boarding en route, and boarding completion) in which the passenger boards the vehicle due to the arrival of any vehicle at any of the stops? The passenger is in the disembarkation phase (for example, reclassified into three phases: start of disembarkation, progress of disembarkation, and completion of disembarkation) in which the passenger exits the vehicle due to the arrival of the vehicle.

Furthermore, in recent years, information and communication technology has advanced significantly, and the majority of potential passengers now carry communication terminals such as mobile terminals with communication capabilities. This communication terminal is generally equipped with advanced communication functions such as selectively performing short-range communication and long-range communication depending on the communication characteristics of the communication device of the other party.

If passengers utilize the vehicle operation management system using such user terminals, the burden placed on the vehicle operation management system in terms of both hardware and software resources will be reduced.

On the other hand, as described above, technologies in which passengers use a vehicle operation management system using a user terminal have already been proposed in Patent Documents 1 to 3.

However, these Patent Documents 1 to 3 do not propose a technique for estimating the user's behavior relative to vehicle operation equipment using a user terminal.

On the other hand, in order to estimate user behavior, the present inventor has developed a new hardware configuration that is a transmitter that transmits a unique signal to each vehicle and station as a vehicle operation facility, and that serves as a user terminal. We proposed that the user terminal wear a device that enables short-range communication between the transmitter and the transmitter, and that allows the user terminal to measure the distance to the transmitter based on the strength of the signal received by the user terminal from the transmitter. .

Furthermore, in order to estimate the user's behavior, the present inventor has developed a new software configuration that allows the user terminal to transmit signals based on the signals received by the user terminal from these transmitters (e.g., presence or absence of reception, reception strength, etc.). proposed to identify a reception target (for example, which vehicle or which stop), refer to the identified reception target, and thereby estimate the user's behavior in relation to time.

Against this background, the present invention is a technology for controlling the operation of vehicles for passenger transport, which determines the operating route and stopping position of the vehicle according to the wishes of the passengers, and also determines the relative position of the passengers with respect to the vehicle. The first objective of this project is to provide a method for estimating the behavior or status of a vehicle. The second objective is to provide a method for estimating the status of operating equipment or the behavior or status of a user relative to the vehicle operating equipment , and the present invention is a technology for managing the operation of vehicles for passenger transportation. The third object of the present invention is to provide a technique for estimating the behavior or status of a passenger relative to a vehicle or vehicle operation equipment using a short-range wireless communication unit and a passenger's communication terminal.

In order to solve the first problem, according to an aspect of the present invention, in order to operate a manned vehicle operated by a driver or an automatically operated unmanned vehicle as a shared bus or a shared taxi, short-range wireless communication is provided. A passenger who uses a passenger's communication terminal capable of communication and long-distance wireless communication to cause the vehicle to travel along a route determined according to the passenger's request and to stop at a stopping position determined according to the passenger's request. A request-responsive vehicle operation control system,
a target operation information determining unit that determines, as target operation information, an operation route and a stop position according to the passenger's request by using the passenger's communication terminal;
A short-range wireless communication unit for the boarding entrance and a short-range wireless communication unit for the exit, which are installed at each of the boarding entrance and the exit gate of the vehicle and are capable of short-range wireless communication with a passenger's communication terminal, and are each capable of distinguishing signals from each other. and those that transmit
Based on the status of signals received by the passenger's communication terminal from each short-range wireless communication unit, the relative behavior phase of the passenger with respect to the vehicle is determined as a boarding phase in which the passenger gets into the vehicle and a phase in which the passenger gets off the vehicle. and a behavior phase estimator that selects from a plurality of behavior phases including an alighting phase.
In order to solve the first problem, according to another aspect of the present invention, in order to operate a manned vehicle operated by a driver or an unmanned vehicle operated automatically as a shared bus or a shared taxi, By using a passenger's communication terminal capable of short-range wireless communication and long-range wireless communication, the vehicle is operated along a route determined according to the passenger's request, and is located at a stopping position determined according to the passenger's request. A vehicle operation control system responsive to passenger requests for stopping,
a target operation information determining unit that determines, as target operation information, an operation route and a stop position according to the passenger's request by using the passenger's communication terminal;
at least one short-range wireless communication unit installed in the vehicle and capable of short-range wireless communication with a passenger's communication terminal;
Based on the communication results between the short-range wireless communication unit and the passenger's communication terminal, the relative behavior phase of the passenger with respect to the vehicle is determined as a boarding phase in which the passenger gets into the vehicle and a phase in which the passenger gets off the vehicle. a behavior phase estimator that selects from a plurality of behavior phases including an alighting phase;
When a passenger gets on or off the vehicle, if the passenger touches or holds the communication terminal over the short-range wireless communication section, the flat rate system for the vehicle or the operating distance of the vehicle is changed. A passenger request-responsive vehicle operation control system is provided, including: an electronic payment unit that enables electronic payment of a pay-as-you-go usage fee calculated based on the electronic payment unit;
Further, in order to solve the second problem, according to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a system for managing the operation of a plurality of vehicles for passenger transport, comprising:
A communication terminal of a user who may be a passenger in one of the vehicles;
at least one stop transmitter installed at each stop for each vehicle and transmitting a unique stop signal by short-range wireless communication;
at least one vehicle transmitter installed in each vehicle and transmitting a unique vehicle signal using a short-range wireless communication method;
a management server used to manage the operation of the plurality of vehicles;
The communication terminal is
Upon receiving a stop signal from any of the stop transmitters, the stop identifies any of the stops where the above-mentioned stop transmitters are installed based on the stop signal, and transmits the identification result to the management server. An identification part;
When a vehicle signal is received from any of the vehicle transmitters, the vehicle identifies any vehicle in which any of the vehicle transmitters is installed based on the vehicle signal, and transmits the identification result to the management server. an identification section;
a failure diagnosis unit that diagnoses the presence or absence of a failure in each station transmitter and/or each vehicle transmitter;
a positioning unit that measures the current location of the communication terminal as the current location of the user;
Using the user's current position measured by the positioning unit and/or the user's speed or acceleration acquired by the speed acquisition unit or acceleration acquisition unit of the communication terminal, the user can transmit the user's behavior to any of the stops. a user behavior estimation unit that estimates whether the user is stationary or walking in the aircraft, or whether the user is riding in one of the moving vehicles and traveling together with the vehicle;
When one of the stop station transmitters is diagnosed to be malfunctioning, the station identification unit identifies the stop where the user is located based on the measured current position of the user and the estimated user behavior. a substitute stop identification unit that transmits the result to the management server;
When one of the vehicle transmitters is diagnosed as malfunctioning, the vehicle in which the user is riding is identified on behalf of the vehicle identification unit based on the measured current position of the user and the estimated user behavior. , and a substitute vehicle identification unit that transmits the identification result to the management server.
Further, in order to solve the third problem , according to one aspect of the present invention, a passenger communication terminal capable of short-range wireless communication and long-range wireless communication is used to operate a vehicle for transporting passengers. A vehicle operation management system managed by,
A short-range wireless communication unit for the boarding entrance and a short-range wireless communication unit for the exit, which are installed at each of the boarding entrance and the exit gate of the vehicle and are capable of short-range wireless communication with a passenger's communication terminal, and are each capable of distinguishing signals from each other. and transmitting information that allows the vehicle to be identified;
A management server capable of long-distance wireless communication with passenger communication terminals.
including;
The vehicle includes a communication device capable of long-distance wireless communication with the management server,
The communication terminal and/or the management server,
Based on the status of signals received by the passenger's communication terminal from each short-range wireless communication unit, the relative behavior phase of the passenger with respect to the vehicle is determined as a boarding phase in which the passenger gets into the vehicle and a phase in which the passenger gets off the vehicle. a behavior phase estimator that selects from a plurality of behavior phases including an alighting phase;
When the behavior phase of the passenger is estimated to be the boarding phase, the communication terminal transmits the number, name, or symbol of the vehicle based on the signal received from the boarding entrance short-range wireless communication unit. a vehicle information display section that enables display on the screen of the vehicle;
When the display is performed, when the passenger touches or holds the communication terminal over the boarding entrance short-range wireless communication unit, the communication terminal receives a message from the boarding entrance near field communication unit. a boarding completion determination unit that determines that the passenger has completed boarding the vehicle based on the signal;
including;
A vehicle operation management system is provided in which the management server manages the operation of the vehicle using the communication device based on a determination result that the boarding is completed.
According to another aspect of the present invention , there is provided a vehicle operation management system for managing the operation of a vehicle for transporting passengers by using a passenger communication terminal capable of short-range wireless communication and long-range wireless communication, comprising:
A short-range wireless communication unit for the boarding entrance and a short-range wireless communication unit for the exit, which are installed at each of the boarding entrance and the exit gate of the vehicle and are capable of short-range wireless communication with a passenger's communication terminal, and are each capable of distinguishing signals from each other. and those that transmit
Based on the status of signals received by the passenger's communication terminal from each short-range wireless communication unit, the relative behavior phase of the passenger with respect to the vehicle is determined as a boarding phase in which the passenger gets into the vehicle and a phase in which the passenger gets off the vehicle. and a behavior phase estimator that selects from a plurality of behavior phases including an alighting phase.

According to another aspect of the present invention, the presence or absence of a failure in each of a plurality of transmitters installed at a plurality of geographically different locations can be determined by the user's communication when the user is at the installation location. A method of diagnosing using a terminal,
a positioning step of measuring the current position of the communication terminal by a positioning unit of the communication terminal;
According to a predetermined relationship between the installation position of each transmitter and the transmitter ID of each transmitter, which is stored in the memory of the communication terminal, the current position is determined from the measured current position. an identification step for identifying which transmitters are supposed to be installed in the
a diagnosing step of diagnosing that any of the identified transmitters is malfunctioning if the communication terminal does not receive a signal from any of the identified transmitters;
A sending process that sends the diagnosis results to the management server;
A method for diagnosing a transmitter failure is provided.

Further, according to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a system for managing the operation of a plurality of vehicles for passenger transport, comprising:
A communication terminal of a user who may be a passenger in one of the vehicles;
at least one stop transmitter installed at each stop for each vehicle and transmitting a stop signal representing a unique stop transmitter ID using a short-range wireless communication method, the first stop transmitter being set by the communication terminal; a receiving area within which the communication terminal can effectively receive the station signal from the station transmitter;
at least one vehicle transmitter installed in each vehicle and transmitting a vehicle signal representing a unique vehicle transmitter ID using a short-range wireless communication method, the vehicle transmitter having a second reception area set by the communication terminal; the communication terminal has a range that allows the communication terminal to effectively receive the vehicle signal from the vehicle transmitter;
a management server used to centrally manage the operation of the plurality of vehicles;
The communication terminal determines the size of each of the first reception area and the second reception area, when the vehicle arrives at any of the stops, the size of each of the first reception area and the second reception area of the vehicle transmitter of the vehicle, and the size of the second reception area of the vehicle transmitter of the vehicle. and the first reception area of the station transmitter of the station are set to at least partially overlap with each other,
The communication terminal receives a signal from each of the vehicle transmitter and the station transmitter at a reception strength that decreases as the distance between the communication terminal and each transmitter increases,
When the communication terminal simultaneously receives respective signals from the vehicle transmitter and the stop transmitter, the communication terminal identifies the vehicle from the vehicle transmitter ID represented by the vehicle signal received from the vehicle transmitter. Meanwhile, the communication terminal identifies the stop from the stop transmitter ID represented by the stop signal received from the stop transmitter, and furthermore, the communication terminal identifies the stop signal received from the vehicle transmitter and/or the stop transmitter. The vehicle includes a behavior phase estimator that estimates a behavior phase of the user relative to the vehicle and/or the stop based on the direction of temporal change in the reception strength of the received signal, and transmits the behavior phase to the management server. A traffic management system will be provided.

The following aspects can be obtained by the present invention. Each aspect is divided into sections, each section is numbered, and the numbers of other sections are cited as necessary. This is to facilitate understanding of some of the technical features that can be adopted by the present invention and their combinations, and the technical features that can be adopted by the present invention and their combinations are limited to the following aspects. It should not be interpreted as such. That is, it should be interpreted that technical features not described in the following embodiments but described in this specification may be appropriately extracted and adopted as technical features of the present invention.

Furthermore, it should be noted that the description of each section in the form of quoting the numbers of other sections does not necessarily prevent the technical features described in each section from being separated and independent from the technical features described in other sections. It should be interpreted that the technical features described in each section can be made independent as appropriate depending on the nature of the technical features described in each section.

(1) A system for managing the operation of multiple vehicles for passenger transport,
A communication terminal of a user who may be a passenger in one of the vehicles;
at least one stop transmitter installed at each stop for each vehicle and transmitting a unique stop signal by short-range wireless communication;
at least one vehicle transmitter installed in each vehicle and transmitting a unique vehicle signal using a short-range wireless communication method;
a management server used to centrally manage the operation of the plurality of vehicles;
The communication terminal is
Upon receiving a stop signal from any of the stop transmitters, the stop identifies any of the stops where the above-mentioned stop transmitters are installed based on the stop signal, and transmits the identification result to the management server. An identification part;
When a vehicle signal is received from any of the vehicle transmitters, the vehicle identifies any vehicle in which any of the vehicle transmitters is installed based on the vehicle signal, and transmits the identification result to the management server. An identification part;
When a signal is received from both a stop transmitter and a vehicle transmitter at the same time, the vehicle transmitter a stop determination unit that determines that any of the vehicles in which the vehicle is installed is parked and that the user is located near the stop and the vehicle, and transmits the determination result to the management server;
The management server is a vehicle operation management system including a storage unit that, upon receiving the determination result from the communication terminal, stores the received determination result in a memory in association with the reception time.

(2) A system for managing the operation of multiple vehicles for passenger transportation,
A communication terminal of a user who may be a passenger in one of the vehicles;
at least one stop transmitter installed at each stop for each vehicle and transmitting a unique stop signal by short-range wireless communication;
at least one vehicle transmitter installed in each vehicle and transmitting a unique vehicle signal using a short-range wireless communication method;
a management server used to centrally manage the operation of the plurality of vehicles;
The communication terminal is
A stop identification unit that, upon receiving a stop signal from any of the stop transmitters, identifies any stop where the stop transmitter is installed based on the stop signal;
a vehicle identification unit that, upon receiving a vehicle signal from any of the vehicle transmitters, identifies any vehicle in which any of the vehicle transmitters is installed based on the vehicle signal;
When a stop signal is received from any of the above-mentioned stop station transmitters and a vehicle signal is received from any of the above-mentioned vehicle transmitters, it is determined based on these signals that the identified stop and the identified vehicle are in the same space. and/or determining whether or not they share the same time, and if they do, linking the identified stop and the identified vehicle to each other, and transmitting the linking information to the management server. A tying part,
Vehicle operation including the identified stop and the identified vehicle based on the stop signal received from any of the stop transmitters, the vehicle signal received from any of the vehicle transmitters, and the linking information. a status estimation unit that estimates the status of the equipment and/or the user and sends the status information to the management server;
The management server is a vehicle operation management system including a storage unit that, upon receiving the association information and/or the status information from the communication terminal, stores the received information in a memory in association with the reception time.

(3) The status estimating unit determines whether or not each of the station signal and vehicle signal is received from the communication terminal at each time, and the reception strength of each of the station signal and vehicle signal from the communication terminal at each time; The position of the user relative to the vehicle operation equipment, the behavior phase of the user, and the movement speed of the user based on at least one of the temporal change characteristics of the reception strength of the station signal and the vehicle signal of the communication terminal. The vehicle operation management system according to item (2), which estimates a user's status including at least one of the following.

(4) The user phase is one of a waiting phase in which the user waits at any stop, a boarding phase in which the user gets into any vehicle, and an alighting phase in which the user alights from any vehicle. The vehicle operation management system according to item (3), which is classified into at least two types.

(5) The sizes of a first reception area and a second reception area, which are ranges in which the communication terminal can effectively receive a stop signal and a vehicle signal from the stop transmitter and the vehicle transmitter, respectively, are set to be different from each other. The vehicle operation management system according to any one of paragraphs (1) to (4).

(6) The communication terminal transmits the sizes of the first reception area and the second reception area, which are ranges in which the communication terminal can effectively receive the station signal and the vehicle signal from the station transmitter and the vehicle transmitter, respectively. In order to change the reference value of the actual reception strength or actual reception distance for determining whether or not there is effective reception, the reference value of the actual reception strength or actual reception distance is changed depending on whether the source is a station transmitter or a vehicle transmitter. The vehicle operation management system according to any one of items (1) to (5), wherein the vehicle operation management system is changed depending on whether it is a vehicle transmitter or a vehicle transmitter.

(7) The communication terminal determines the size of the first reception area and the second reception area, which are ranges in which the station signal and the vehicle signal can be effectively received from the station transmitter and the vehicle transmitter, respectively. The vehicle operation management system according to any one of items (1) to (6), wherein the first reception area and the second reception area are set to at least partially overlap each other when the vehicle is stopped at a stop.

(8) The communication terminal determines the size of the first receiving area and the second receiving area, which are ranges in which the station signal and the vehicle signal can be effectively received from the station transmitter and the vehicle transmitter, respectively. The first reception area and the second reception area are set to at least partially overlap each other when the vehicle is stopped at a stop,
When the communication terminal effectively receives a stop signal and a vehicle signal from both a stop transmitter installed at one of the stops and a vehicle transmitter installed on any vehicle, the linking unit , a stop ID represented by the stop signal received from any of the above-mentioned stop transmitters, which represents the current stop, and a vehicle ID represented by the vehicle signal received from any of the above-mentioned vehicle transmitters. The vehicle operation management system according to item (2), in which the information representing the current vehicle is linked to each other.

(9) The status estimating unit determines that when the user touches or holds the communication terminal over a stop transmitter installed at any of the stops, the user will arrive at any of the stops. The vehicle operation management system according to item (2), including a ride reservation unit that makes a reservation for riding in a scheduled vehicle and transmits the ride reservation to the management server.

(10) When the user touches or holds the communication terminal over a vehicle transmitter installed in any of the vehicles, the status estimating unit determines whether the user has access to any of the vehicles. The vehicle operation management system according to item (2), including a boarding completion determination unit that determines that boarding is completed and transmits the determination result to the management server.

(11) The communication terminal determines the size of the first reception area and the second reception area, which are ranges in which the station signal and the vehicle signal can be effectively received from the station transmitter and the vehicle transmitter, respectively. The first reception area and the second reception area are set to at least partially overlap each other when the vehicle is stopped at a stop,
The status estimator includes:
At least temporarily, the communication terminal effectively receives a stop signal and a vehicle signal from both a stop transmitter installed in one of the stops and a vehicle transmitter installed in one of the vehicles. receiving vehicle signals from any of said vehicle transmitters more dominantly than any of said station transmitters, or of vehicle signals effectively received from any of said vehicle transmitters, provided that When the user transitions from a state in which the intensity gradually decreases to a state in which the station signal effectively received from any of the station station transmitters is effectively received from any of the vehicle transmitters, the user At the current stop recognized by the stop ID represented by the stop signal validly received from the transmitter, the current stop recognized by the vehicle ID represented by the vehicle signal validly received from any of the vehicle transmitters. an alighting determination unit that determines that the vehicle is in an alighting phase in which the vehicle is alighted, and transmits the determination result to the management server;
The vehicle operation management system according to item (2), further comprising: an alighting stop recognition unit that recognizes the current stop as the user's actual alighting stop and transmits the alighting stop to the management server.

(12) The vehicle operation management system according to any one of (1) to (11), wherein the vehicle includes a shared bus, a chartered bus, a shared taxi, a chartered taxi, a train, an electric train, or a rail transportation system.

(13) The vehicle according to any one of paragraphs (1) to (12), wherein the vehicle is operated along a fixed route or a route determined from time to time according to the requests of passengers. Vehicle operation management system.

(14) A program for causing a computer to function as a communication terminal according to any one of (1) to (13).

Throughout this specification, the term "program" shall be construed to mean, for example, a combination of instructions executed by a computer to perform its functions, and not just any combination of those instructions; It can be interpreted to include, but is not limited to, files and data processed in accordance with.

In addition, this program may be executed by a computer alone to achieve the desired purpose, or may be executed together with other programs to achieve the desired purpose. Yes, but not limited to. In the latter case, the program according to this section may be data-based, but is not limited thereto.

(15) A program for causing a computer to function as a management server according to any one of (1) to (13).

(16) A recording medium on which the program described in (14) or (15) is recorded in a computer-readable manner.

Throughout this specification, the term "recording medium" may be interpreted to mean various types of recording medium, including, for example, magnetic recording media such as flexible disks, etc. The storage medium includes, but is not limited to, optical recording media such as CDs and CD-ROMs, magneto-optical recording media such as MOs, and unremovable storages such as ROMs.

(17) A system or method for managing the operation of multiple vehicles for passenger transportation, comprising:
A communication terminal of a user who may be a passenger in one of the vehicles;
at least one stop transmitter installed at each stop for each vehicle, which transmits a unique stop signal by short-range wireless communication;
at least one vehicle transmitter installed in each vehicle that transmits a unique vehicle signal using a short-range wireless communication method;
a management server used by a vehicle operation control center that centrally manages the operation of the plurality of vehicles;
The communication terminal is
When a stop signal is received from any stop transmitter, one of the stop transmitters is selected from the transmitter ID represented by the stop signal according to a predetermined relationship between the transmitter ID and the stop ID. a stop identification unit that identifies any of the installed stops;
When a vehicle signal is received from any of the vehicle transmitters, one of the vehicle transmitters is selected from the transmitter ID represented by the vehicle signal according to a predetermined relationship between the transmitter ID and the vehicle ID. a vehicle identification unit for identifying any of the installed vehicles;
The communication terminal and/or the management server may identify the identified stop and the identification based on the stop signal received by the communication terminal from any of the stop transmitters and the vehicle signal received from any of the vehicle transmitters. determining whether or not the identified vehicles share the same space and/or the same time, and if they do, linking the identified stop and the identified vehicle to each other by associating them with time; Thereby, a vehicle operation management system or method including a status estimation unit that estimates the status of vehicle operation equipment including the identified stop and the identified vehicle in association with time.

(18) The communication terminal and/or the management server further determine whether or not the communication terminal receives a stop signal and a vehicle signal at each time, and the communication terminal's stop signal and vehicle signal at each time. and the temporal change characteristics of the respective reception strengths of the station signal and the vehicle signal of the communication terminal, the user's position relative to the vehicle operation equipment and the user's position The vehicle operation management system or method according to item (17), including a user behavior estimation unit that estimates a user behavior status including at least one of a behavior phase and a user's movement speed in association with time.

(19) A system or method for managing the operation of multiple vehicles for passenger transport, comprising:
A communication terminal of a user who may be a passenger in one of the vehicles;
at least one stop transmitter installed at each stop for each vehicle and transmitting a unique stop signal by short-range wireless communication;
at least one vehicle transmitter installed in each vehicle and transmitting a unique vehicle signal using a short-range wireless communication method;
a management server used to centrally manage the operation of the plurality of vehicles;
The communication terminal is
Upon receiving a stop signal from any of the stop transmitters, a stop identification unit identifies, based on the stop signal, any of the stops where the stop transmitters are installed in association with the time;
a vehicle identification unit that, upon receiving a vehicle signal from any of the vehicle transmitters, identifies any vehicle in which any of the vehicle transmitters is installed in association with time based on the vehicle signal;
an estimation unit that estimates a relative positional relationship between the user, the identified stop, and the identified vehicle based on the content of each identification result and the simultaneity and temporal precedence of each identification time. Vehicle operation management system or method.

(19) A system or method for managing the operation of multiple vehicles for passenger transport, comprising:
A communication terminal of a user who may be a passenger in one of the vehicles;
at least one stop transmitter installed at each stop for each vehicle and transmitting a unique stop signal by short-range wireless communication;
at least one vehicle transmitter installed in each vehicle and transmitting a unique vehicle signal using a short-range wireless communication method;
a management server used to centrally manage the operation of the plurality of vehicles;
The communication terminal is
Upon receiving a stop signal from any of the stop transmitters, the stop identifies any of the stops where the above-mentioned stop transmitters are installed based on the stop signal, and transmits the identification result to the management server. An identification part;
When a vehicle signal is received from any of the vehicle transmitters, the vehicle identifies any vehicle in which any of the vehicle transmitters is installed based on the vehicle signal, and transmits the identification result to the management server. including an identification part and
The management server determines the relationship between the user, the identified stop, and the identified vehicle based on the content of each identification result received from the communication terminal and the simultaneity and temporal timing of each reception time. A vehicle operation management system or method including an estimation unit that estimates a relative positional relationship.

(20) A system or method for managing the operation of multiple vehicles for passenger transportation, comprising:
A communication terminal of a user who may be a passenger in one of the vehicles;
at least one stop transmitter installed at each stop for each vehicle and transmitting a unique stop signal by short-range wireless communication;
at least one vehicle transmitter installed in each vehicle and transmitting a unique vehicle signal using a short-range wireless communication method;
a management server used to manage the operation of the plurality of vehicles;
The communication terminal is
Upon receiving a stop signal from any of the stop transmitters, the stop identifies any of the stops where the above-mentioned stop transmitters are installed based on the stop signal, and transmits the identification result to the management server. An identification part;
When a vehicle signal is received from any of the vehicle transmitters, the vehicle identifies any vehicle in which any of the vehicle transmitters is installed based on the vehicle signal, and transmits the identification result to the management server. An identification part;
a failure diagnosis unit that diagnoses the presence or absence of a failure in each station transmitter and/or each vehicle transmitter;
a positioning unit that measures the current location of the communication terminal as the current location of the user;
Using the user's current position measured by the positioning unit and/or the user's speed or acceleration acquired by the speed acquisition unit or acceleration acquisition unit of the communication terminal, the user can transmit the user's behavior to any of the stops. a user behavior estimation unit that estimates whether the user is stationary or walking in the aircraft, or whether the user is riding in one of the moving vehicles and traveling together with the vehicle;
When one of the stop station transmitters is diagnosed to be malfunctioning, the station identification unit identifies the stop where the user is located based on the measured current position of the user and the estimated user behavior. a substitute stop identification unit that transmits the result to the management server;
When one of the vehicle transmitters is diagnosed as malfunctioning, the vehicle in which the user is riding is identified on behalf of the vehicle identification unit based on the measured current position of the user and the estimated user behavior. , and a substitute vehicle identification unit that transmits the identification result to the management server.

(21) The failure diagnosis unit has a predetermined relationship between the installation position of each transmitter and the transmitter ID of each transmitter, and is stored in the memory of the communication terminal or the management server. Accordingly, from the current position measured by the positioning unit, identify any transmitter that should be installed at the current position, and if the communication terminal does not receive a signal from any of the transmitters, The vehicle operation management system or method according to item (20), which diagnoses that one of the transmitters is malfunctioning.

(22) A method for diagnosing the presence or absence of a failure in each of a plurality of transmitters installed at a plurality of geographically different locations using a user's communication terminal when the user is at the installation location. hand,
a positioning step of measuring the current position of the communication terminal by a positioning unit of the communication terminal;
According to a predetermined relationship between the installation position of each transmitter and the transmitter ID of each transmitter, which is stored in the memory of the communication terminal, the current position is determined from the measured current position. an identification step for identifying which transmitters are supposed to be installed in the
a diagnosing step of diagnosing that any of the identified transmitters is malfunctioning if the communication terminal does not receive a signal from any of the identified transmitters;
A transmission step of transmitting the diagnosis result to a management server.

This method relates to a technique for diagnosing the presence or absence of a transmitter failure (for example, malfunction, battery shortage, etc.).

According to this method, when a user approaches the installation location of any of the transmitters, either on schedule or by chance, the user uses his or her communication terminal to diagnose whether or not there is a malfunction in any of the transmitters. , it becomes possible to notify the diagnosis result from the user's communication terminal to a remote management server.

As a result, according to this method, when the management server centrally manages multiple transmitters located in geographically discrete locations, the management server does not require the operator to go out of his way to perform fault diagnosis for each transmitter. Even if the user is not dispatched to the installation location, the user can perform the work necessary for fault diagnosis on his/her behalf, sometimes unconsciously, and furthermore, by sending the diagnosis result from the user's communication terminal to the management server. It becomes possible to notify the management server in real time.

(Mode 1)
A system for managing the operation of multiple vehicles for passenger transport,
A communication terminal of a user who may be a passenger in one of the vehicles;
at least one stop transmitter installed at each stop for each vehicle and transmitting a stop signal representing a unique stop transmitter ID using a short-range wireless communication method, the first stop transmitter being set by the communication terminal; a receiving area within which the communication terminal can effectively receive the station signal from the station transmitter;
at least one vehicle transmitter that is installed in each vehicle and transmits a vehicle signal representing a unique vehicle field transmitter ID using a short-range wireless communication method, the vehicle transmitter having a second reception area set by the communication terminal; and has a range in which the communication terminal can effectively receive the vehicle signal from the vehicle transmitter;
a management server used for centrally managing the operation of the plurality of vehicles;
including;
The communication terminal determines the size of each of the first reception area and the second reception area, when the vehicle arrives at any of the stops, the size of each of the first reception area and the second reception area of the vehicle transmitter of the vehicle, and the size of the second reception area of the vehicle transmitter of the vehicle. and the first reception area of the station transmitter of the station are set to at least partially overlap with each other,
The communication terminal receives a signal from each of the vehicle transmitter and the station transmitter at a reception strength that decreases as the distance between the communication terminal and each transmitter increases,
When the communication terminal simultaneously receives respective signals from the vehicle transmitter and the stop transmitter, the communication terminal identifies the vehicle from the vehicle transmitter ID represented by the vehicle signal received from the vehicle transmitter. Meanwhile, the communication terminal identifies the stop from the stop transmitter ID represented by the stop signal received from the stop transmitter, and furthermore, the communication terminal identifies the stop signal received from the vehicle transmitter and/or the stop transmitter. The vehicle includes a behavior phase estimator that estimates a behavior phase of the user relative to the vehicle and/or the stop based on the direction of temporal change in the reception strength of the received signal, and transmits the behavior phase to the management server. Operation management system.

(Mode 2)
When the communication terminal simultaneously receives signals from the vehicle transmitter and the station transmitter, the behavior phase estimator is configured to estimate a temporal decrease in reception strength of the signal received by the communication terminal from the vehicle transmitter. an alighting determining unit that determines the presence or absence of the temporal decrease, and determines that the behavior phase is an alighting phase in which the user alights from the vehicle, and transmits the determination result to the management server. Vehicle operation management system described in Mode 1.

(Mode 3)
The behavior phase estimating unit calculates, at each time, the station transmitter ID of the station signal and the vehicle transmitter ID of the vehicle signal received by the communication terminal, and the reception of the station signal and/or vehicle signal received by the communication terminal. The vehicle operation management system according to mode 1, which estimates the user's behavior phase based on the direction of the temporal change in intensity.

(Mode 4)
The user behavior phase includes at least two of a waiting phase in which the user waits at any stop, a boarding phase in which the user gets into any vehicle, and an alighting phase in which the user alights from any vehicle. A vehicle operation management system described in Mode 3, which is classified as

(Mode 5)
The vehicle operation management system according to any one of modes 1 to 4, wherein the communication terminal sets the sizes of the first reception area and the second reception area to be different from each other.

(Mode 6)
The communication terminal determines whether or not there is effective reception in order to change the size of each of the first reception area and the second reception area depending on whether the transmission source is a station transmitter or a vehicle transmitter. The vehicle operation management system according to any one of modes 1 to 4, in which the reference value of actual reception strength or actual reception distance for determination is changed depending on whether the transmission source is a station transmitter or a vehicle transmitter. .

(Mode 7)
The communication terminal further measures the current position of the user using the positioning unit of the communication terminal, and sets a predetermined value between the spatial coordinate value representing the installation position of each station transmitter and the station transmitter ID of each station transmitter. It is determined whether any station transmitter exists within the first reception range centered on the measured current position of the user, and if it is determined that there is, the communication terminal One of modes 1 to 6 includes a failure diagnosis section that determines whether a signal has been received from any station transmitter and, if it is determined that no signal has been received, determines that the station transmitter is out of order. Vehicle operation management system described.

(Mode 8)
The communication terminal further includes, when the failure diagnosis section diagnoses that the station transmitter is out of order, the communication terminal acquires the measured current user position and the speed acquisition section or acceleration acquisition section of the communication terminal. The vehicle operation management system according to Mode 7, including a backup behavior phase estimator that estimates the behavior phase of the user based on the speed or acceleration obtained by the user.

(Mode 9)
The communication terminal is further configured such that when the user touches or holds the communication terminal over a stop transmitter installed at any of the stops, the user can receive a message indicating when the user is scheduled to arrive at any of the stops. The vehicle operation management system according to any one of modes 1 to 8, including a boarding reservation unit that makes a reservation for boarding a vehicle and transmits the boarding reservation to the management server.

(Mode 10)
The communication terminal further allows the user to decide whether to board one of the vehicles when the user touches or holds the communication terminal over a vehicle transmitter installed in one of the vehicles. The vehicle operation management system according to any one of modes 1 to 9, including a board completion determination section that determines that the ride has been completed and transmits the determination result to the management server.

(Mode 11)
The vehicle operation management system according to any one of modes 1 to 10, wherein the stop is configured as a temporary stop.

(Mode 12)
The vehicle operation management system according to any one of modes 1 to 11, wherein the vehicle includes a shared bus, a chartered bus, a shared taxi, a chartered taxi, a train, an electric train, or a rail transportation system.

(Mode 13)
The vehicle operation management system according to any one of modes 1 to 12, in which the vehicle is operated along a fixed route or a route determined at any time according to passenger requests.

(Mode 14)
A program for causing a computer to function as a communication terminal according to any one of modes 1 to 13.

(Mode 15)
A program for causing a computer to function as a management server according to any one of modes 1 to 13.

(Mode 16)
A recording medium on which the program described in Mode 14 or 15 is recorded in a computer-readable manner.

FIG. 1 is a system diagram conceptually representing the hardware configuration of a bus operation management system according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a system diagram conceptually representing a comprehensive communication network in the bus operation management system shown in FIG. 1, which interconnects bus stops, buses, user terminals, and a bus operation control center as multiple nodes. It is.

Figure 3 shows the behavior of a user approaching a bus stop and touching the bus stop transmitter installed at that bus stop with a mobile terminal in the bus operation management system shown in Figure 1. It is a top view showing an example.

FIG. 4 shows that in the bus operation management system shown in FIG. 1, a user is in the boarding phase, so at any of the bus stops, he/she gets on any bus from the boarding gate, and the bus is installed at the boarding gate. FIG. 3 is a plan view showing an example of an action of touching a boarding entrance transmitter with a mobile terminal.

FIG. 5 is a plan view illustrating an example of a behavior in which a user gets off from the exit of any bus at any of the bus stops because the user is in the alighting phase in the bus operation management system shown in FIG. 1. .

FIG. 6(a) is a graph conceptually representing an example of the time history of the relative reception strength Ir of the signal received by the mobile terminal from the bus stop transmitter of the desired boarding bus stop during the standby phase; ) is a graph conceptually representing an example of the time history of the relative reception strength Ir of the signal received by the mobile terminal from the boarding entrance transmitter in the getting-on phase, and FIG. , is a graph conceptually representing an example of the time history of the relative reception strength Ir of the signal that the mobile terminal receives from the exit gate transmitter, and FIG. It is a graph conceptually representing an example of the time history of the relative reception strength Ir of the signal received from the bus stop transmitter of the desired alighting bus stop.

FIG. 7 is a plan view partially showing an example of a bus route map to which the bus operation management system shown in FIG. 1 is applied.

FIG. 8 is a functional block diagram conceptually showing the bus stop transmitter, the boarding gate transmitter, and the getting off gate transmitter shown in FIG. 2, each of which has a common configuration.

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of a table for managing a plurality of transmitter IDs for a plurality of bus stop transmitters installed at a plurality of bus stops in the bus operation management system shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 10 shows an example of a table for managing a plurality of transmitter IDs for a plurality of boarding gate transmitters and a plurality of getting off gate transmitters mounted on a plurality of buses in the bus operation management system shown in FIG. 1. It is a diagram.

FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of a table for managing a plurality of effective reception radii (reference values for determining the presence or absence of effective reception) for a plurality of transmitters in the bus operation management system shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 12 is a functional block diagram conceptually representing a mobile terminal of a user, ie, a potential passenger of the bus, shown in FIG.

FIG. 13 shows a signal in which the absolute reception strength RSSI, which is the strength of the signal received by the mobile terminal shown in the same figure from each transmitter shown in FIG. 1, decreases according to the distance D between those transmitters and the mobile terminal. It is a graph conceptually representing characteristics.

FIG. 14 is a functional block diagram conceptually representing the management server shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 15 shows a plurality of programs executed by the mobile terminal and management server of the bus operation management system shown in FIG. 1 to detect the waiting phase and to reserve a ride for the user. It is a conceptual flowchart.

FIG. 16 is a flowchart conceptually showing a plurality of programs executed by the mobile terminal and the management server of the bus operation management system shown in FIG. 1 to detect the boarding phase.

FIG. 17 is a flowchart conceptually showing a plurality of programs executed by the mobile terminal and the management server of the bus operation management system shown in FIG. 1 to detect the alighting phase.

FIG. 18 is a diagram conceptually representing an example of a status management table created by the management server shown in FIG. 1 in the bus operation management system shown in FIG. 1, which represents the time history of the status for each user. .

FIG. 19 shows a plurality of virtual buttons displayed on the screen of the mobile terminal in the bus operation management system shown in FIG. 1, which are used by the user to select and activate a plurality of secondary functions. FIG. 3 is a front view conceptually showing an example of what is selected and operated by the user.

Hereinafter, one of a plurality of more specific and exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail based on the drawings.

FIG. 1 conceptually shows the hardware configuration and communication network configuration of a bus operation management system (hereinafter simply referred to as "system") 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention in a system diagram. This system is an example of a vehicle operation management system according to an embodiment of the present invention, and executes an example of a vehicle operation management method according to an embodiment of the present invention.

<Summary of system hardware configuration>

Briefly, this system 10 is configured for the purpose of managing the operation of a plurality of buses 12 for passengers.

To achieve that purpose, this system 10 uses (a) a mobile terminal 90 of a user who may be a passenger on any bus 12; and (b) a bus stop transmitter 30 installed at each bus stop 14. (c) within each bus 12, a boarding gate transmitter 32 installed at the boarding gate 16 of the bus 12 and a boarding gate transmitter 34 installed at the boarding gate 18 of the bus 12, and (d) the plurality of The bus 12 includes a management server 50 used by a vehicle operation control center 40 that centrally manages the operation of the buses 12, and (e) an in-bus communication device 20 installed in each bus 12.

The bus 12 is an example of the aforementioned "vehicle for transporting passengers," and is, for example, a shared bus or a chartered bus. Further, the bus 12 may be operated along a fixed route (for example, a route) or may be operated along a variable route determined from time to time according to the requests of passengers.

The user's mobile terminal 90 is an example of the aforementioned "user's communication terminal." The bus stop 14 is an example of the aforementioned "stop", and the bus stop transmitter 30 is an example of the aforementioned "stop transmitter". Another example of the aforementioned "stop" is a train, electric (eg, tram, subway) station. Yet another example of the aforementioned "stop" is a taxi stop.

The boarding gate transmitter 32 and the getting off gate transmitter 34 are each an example of the above-mentioned "at least one vehicle transmitter." In this embodiment, both the boarding gate transmitter 32 and the getting off gate transmitter 34 are installed inside the bus 12, but alternatively, they may be installed inside the outer wall of the bus 12. It may be installed on the outer wall surface of.

In this embodiment, the bus 12 has a boarding gate 16 and a boarding gate 18, such that passengers pass through different gates when boarding the bus 12 and when exiting the bus 12. However, instead of this, it is also possible to pass through the same gate. That is, the bus 12 may have at least one entrance/exit.

The bus stop transmitter 30, the boarding gate transmitter 32, and the getting off gate transmitter 34 have a common configuration. Specifically, each of the transmitters 30, 32, and 34 (a) transmits a unique signal, and (b) as shown in FIG. 2, is capable of one-way short-range communication with the mobile terminal 90. (c) As will be described later with reference to FIG. 13, the signal strength RSSI (Received Signal Strength Indicator) of the signal received by the mobile terminal 90 from each transmitter 30, 32, 34; The mobile terminal 90 can measure the distance D (that is, the actual reception radius) from each transmitter 30, 32, and 34 based on the distance D (value).

For convenience of explanation, the signal received by the mobile terminal 90 from the bus stop transmitter 30 will be referred to as a bus stop signal, and the signal received by the mobile terminal 90 from the boarding gate transmitter 32 will be referred to as a boarding gate signal. The signal that the mobile terminal 90 receives from 34 is referred to as an exit exit signal. Here, the "bus stop signal" is an example of the aforementioned "stop signal," the "boarding entrance signal" is an example of the aforementioned "vehicle signal," and the "getting off exit signal" is an example of the aforementioned "vehicle signal." This is another example of "vehicle signal".

As shown in FIG. 2, the mobile terminal 90 is capable of long-distance bidirectional communication with the management server 50 via a communication network. Similarly, the in-bus communication device 20 is also capable of long-distance bidirectional communication with the management server 50 via the communication network.

The in-bus communication device 20 includes a transmitter 22 that transmits traffic information and requests to the management server 50, a receiver 24 that receives traffic information and requests from the management server 50, and outputs the received information to the driver or passenger. It has an output section 26 for

The output unit 26 is information for the driver of the bus 12 that the reception unit 24 has received from the management server 50, such as information related to the operation of the bus 12 (for example, traffic jam information or accident information for the route). , weather information around the route, temporal fluctuation prediction information of the occupancy rate (degree of congestion) of the bus 12, etc.) is output to the driver of the bus 12.

The output unit 26 further includes information for passengers on the bus 12 that the reception unit 24 has received from the management server 50, such as operation-related information (for example, traffic jam information, accident information, weather information, (e.g., information on predicting temporal fluctuations in the ridership rate (crowding level) of bus No. 12), guidance information (e.g., information related to tourist spots around the route of bus No. 12), advertising information (e.g., information related to the operating company of bus No. 12 or others) advertisement information related to other companies) is output to a plurality of passengers on the bus 12.

The output unit 26 may output images to the driver or passengers, audio to the driver or passengers, or wirelessly to a mobile terminal 90 for the driver or passengers. Thus, one example of the output section 26 is a display, another example is a speaker or earphones, and yet another example is a transmitter.

<Summary of system software configuration or algorithm>

When this system 10 receives a bus stop signal from any bus stop transmitter 30, it identifies the bus stop 14 where the bus stop transmitter 30 is installed based on the bus stop signal, and further identifies the bus stop 14 where the bus stop transmitter 30 is installed. When a bus signal is received from 32, 34, the bus 12 in which the in-bus transmitter 32, 34 is installed is identified based on the bus signal.

The system 10 further determines whether the bus stop 14 and the bus 12 share the same space and/or the same time based on the bus stop signal received from the bus stop transmitter 30 and the bus signals received from the in-bus transmitters 32, 34. In the case of determining whether or not the bus stop 14 and the bus 12 are shared, the bus stop 14 and the bus 12 are linked to each other in association with the time, and the status of the bus operation facility including the bus stop 14 and the bus 12 is estimated in association with the time. do.

This system 10 further determines whether or not the mobile terminal 90 receives the bus stop signal and the bus signal at each time, the reception strength of the bus stop signal and the bus signal at the mobile terminal 90 at each time, and the mobile terminal Based on at least one of 90 bus stop signals and the temporal change characteristics of the reception strength of each bus signal, the relative users of the bus operation facility including a plurality of buses 12 and bus stops 14 at a plurality of locations are determined. The user's behavior status including at least one of the position of the user, the user's behavior phase, and the user's movement speed is estimated in relation to time.

Here, the user's behavior phase is classified into a waiting phase in which the user waits at any stop, a boarding phase in which the user gets into any vehicle, and an alighting phase in which the user alights from any vehicle. Ru.

The waiting phase is defined, for example, as a phase in which the user of the mobile terminal 90 is waiting at any bus stop 14 for the next bus 12 to arrive. Further, the boarding phase is defined, for example, as a phase in which the user of the mobile terminal 90 boards a bus 12 because the bus 12 has arrived at a bus stop 14 . Further, the alighting phase is defined as, for example, a phase in which the user of the mobile terminal 90 who is a passenger on the bus 12 alights from the bus 12 due to the arrival of any of the buses 12 at any of the bus stops 14. Ru.

<Waiting phase determination algorithm>

As illustrated in FIG. 3, when a user approaches any bus stop 14 with a mobile terminal 90 and enters the first reception range of the bus stop transmitter 30, as illustrated in FIG. The reception strength _I1 , which is the strength of the signal received by the terminal 90 from the bus stop transmitter 30, increases with time t.

At this time, the mobile terminal 90 determines that the user is in a waiting phase in which the user is waiting for the next bus 12 at the current bus stop 14, and transmits the result to the management server 50.

Here, the term "reception area" means a range in which the mobile terminal 90 can effectively receive the bus stop signal from the bus stop transmitter 30, as will be explained in detail later. Other reception areas, a second reception area and a third reception area to be described later, have a similar meaning.

As the user approaches the bus stop transmitter 30 further, the user eventually reaches the position closest to the bus stop transmitter 30, and at that position, the reception intensity _I1 reaches the maximum value Imax.

At this position, when the user touches the bus stop transmitter 30 with the mobile terminal 90 or holds the mobile terminal 90 over it (approaches the bus stop transmitter 30 within a distance of, for example, 50 cm), the mobile terminal 90 allows the user to , transmits a boarding reservation signal to the management server 50 at the bus stop 14 to request a reservation to board the bus 12 scheduled to arrive at the bus stop 14 next.

<Ride phase discrimination algorithm>

As illustrated in FIG. 4, the bus 12 approaches the current bus stop 14, eventually arrives and stops. In this stopped state, in order to board the bus 12 from the entrance 16, the user approaches the entrance 16 of the current bus 12 from the current bus stop 14 with the mobile terminal 90, 2, the reception strength _I2 , which is the strength of the signal received by the mobile terminal 90 from the entrance transmitter 32, increases with time t, as illustrated in FIG. 6(b).

At this time, the mobile terminal 90 determines that the user is in the boarding phase of boarding the current bus 12 (for example, is in the boarding start mode where boarding has started), and transmits the result to the management server 50. .

As illustrated in FIG. 4, the first reception range of the bus stop transmitter 30 and the second reception range of the boarding entrance transmitter 32 of the bus 12 stopped at the bus stop 14 partially overlap with each other.

Therefore, as illustrated in FIGS. 6(a) and 6(b), during the progress of the boarding phase, the same mobile terminal 90 of the same user receives the bus stop signal from both the bus stop transmitter 30 and the boarding gate transmitter 32. There is a simultaneous reception section in which boarding entrance signals are received simultaneously.

When the mobile terminal 90 experiences the simultaneous reception section, the mobile terminal 90 receives the bus stop ID (an example of the above-mentioned "stop ID") represented by the bus stop signal received from the bus stop transmitter 30 and the boarding gate transmitter 32. The bus ID (an example of the above-mentioned "vehicle ID") represented by the boarding entrance signal received from It is determined that they are associated, and the result is transmitted to the management server 50.

Here, the phrase "this user, this bus stop 14, and this bus 12 are associated with each other in the same physical space" means that, if interpreted geometrically, for example, these three objects are called time. This means that they are related to each other not in terms of dimension but in terms of location (for example, the distance between bus 12 and bus stop 14 is less than a predetermined distance).

Also, if the wording is interpreted from a phenomenon perspective, for example, the current passenger is waiting at the current bus stop 14, and the current bus 12, which the passenger is about to board, is about to stop at the current bus stop 14. This means that the current passenger has boarded the current bus 12 and the current bus 12 has just departed.

When the user further walks in the same direction, boards the bus 12 from the boarding entrance 16, and approaches the boarding gate transmitter 32 located at the boarding gate 16 of the bus 12, the user eventually moves to the boarding gate transmitter 32. The received signal strength _I2 reaches the maximum value Imax at that position.

At this position, when the user touches or holds the mobile terminal 90 over the boarding gate transmitter 32 (approaching the boarding gate transmitter 32 within a distance of, for example, 30 cm or 50 cm), the mobile terminal 90 However, the user determines that the ride to the bus stop 14 has been completed, and transmits the result to the management server 50.

<Disembarkation phase determination algorithm>

As illustrated in FIG. 5, a bus 12 carrying a passenger carrying a mobile terminal 90 approaches the current bus stop 14, eventually arrives and stops. In this stopped state, the user approaches the exit 18 on the bus 12 together with the mobile terminal 90.

Eventually, when the user enters the third reception range of the exit gate transmitter 34 inside the bus 12, the mobile terminal 90 receives the signal received from the exit gate transmitter 34, as illustrated in FIG. 6(c). The received strength _I3 increases with time t. Thereafter, the reception strength _I3 reaches the maximum value Imax.

Thereafter, as the user moves away from the exit gate transmitter 34, the reception strength _I3 decreases. Since the exit transmitter 34 is located near the outer panel of the bus 12 within the exit 18, the decrease in reception strength _I3 is due to the fact that the user gets off the bus 12 via the exit transmitter 34. It is highly likely that this reflects the behavior of

Therefore, at this time, the mobile terminal 90 determines that the current user is in the alighting phase of getting off the current bus 12 (for example, is in the alighting start mode where alighting has started), and transmits the result to the management server 50. Send to.

When the bus 12 is stopped at the bus stop 14 , as the user moves away from the exit gate transmitter 34 , the user approaches the bus stop transmitter 30 . As a result, as illustrated in FIG. 6(d), the reception strength _I4 , which is the strength of the signal received by the mobile terminal 90 from the bus stop transmitter 30, increases with time t.

As illustrated in FIG. 5, the first reception range of the bus stop transmitter 30 and the third reception range of the exit gate transmitter 34 of the bus 12 stopped at the bus stop 14 partially overlap with each other.

Therefore, as illustrated in FIGS. 6(c) and (d), during the progress of the alighting phase, the same mobile terminal 90 of the same user receives the bus stop signal from both the bus stop transmitter 30 and the exit gate transmitter 34. There is a simultaneous reception section in which exit signals are received at the same time.

When the mobile terminal 90 experiences the simultaneous reception section, the mobile terminal 90 receives the bus ID represented by the boarding gate signal received from the exit gate transmitter 34 and the bus stop signal received from the bus stop transmitter 30. The bus stop IDs are linked to each other, it is determined that the current user, the current bus stop 14, and the current bus 12 are associated with each other in the same physical space, and the result is transmitted to the management server 50.

Here, the phrase "the current user, the current bus stop 14, and the current bus 12 are associated with each other in the same physical space" can be interpreted from a phenomenological perspective, for example, when the current passenger is about to get off the train. This means that the current bus 12 is about to stop at the current bus stop 14, is stopping at the current bus stop 14, or has just departed (for example, the distance between the bus 12 and the bus stop 14 is less than a predetermined distance).

As the user further walks in the same direction and moves away from the exit gate transmitter 34, the reception strength I4 eventually decreases to zero. In response to this phenomenon, the mobile terminal 90 determines that the user has completed getting off the bus 12, and transmits the result to the management server 50.

When the user further walks in the same direction and approaches the bus stop transmitter 30, he eventually reaches the position closest to the bus stop transmitter 30, and at that position, the reception intensity _I4 reaches the maximum value Imax. After that, when the user further walks in the same direction and moves away from the bus stop transmitter 30, the reception strength _I4 decreases.

<Example of bus route and example of assigning ID to each element>

As illustrated in FIG. 7, in the bus route to which this system 10 is applied, a plurality of routes A and B share a single bus stop 14. Therefore, the bus 14 operating on route A and the bus 14 operating on route B stop at the same bus stop 14 at different times.

As shown in FIG. 7, the bus stop 14 itself, the bus stop transmitter 30 of that bus stop 14, the bus 12 itself, and the entrance transmitter 32 and exit transmitter 34 within that bus 12 each have a unique identifier, i.e. , ID is assigned in advance.

In particular, regarding the boarding gate transmitter 32 and the getting off gate transmitter 34, the ID part (for example, main ID) unique to the bus 12 where these transmitters 32 and 34 are installed in common, and and a unique ID portion (for example, a sub-ID). In the example shown in FIG. 7, when the sub ID of a certain transmitter is "1", it indicates that the transmitter is the boarding entrance transmitter 32, while when the sub ID of a certain transmitter is "2", it indicates that the transmitter is the boarding entrance transmitter 32. At a certain time, it indicates that the transmitter is the exit gate transmitter 34.

<Transmitter>

FIG. 8 shows a functional block diagram of the bus stop transmitter 30, the boarding gate transmitter 32, and the getting off gate transmitter 34 all shown in FIG. 1, which have a common configuration.

The bus stop transmitter 30, the boarding gate transmitter 32, and the getting off gate transmitter 34 have a common configuration. Explain.

First, to explain conceptually, the bus stop transmitter 30 is a non-contact type or contact (proximity) type communication device that locally transmits an identification signal that can identify a unique transmitter ID.

Next, to explain the operation method, the bus stop transmitter 30 transmits a unique identification signal actively, locally, without requiring an external trigger signal, and permanently as long as there is no shortage of power supply. send.

The bus stop transmitter 30 is generally a device that is also known as a beacon device, a radio beacon, or the like that transmits a beacon signal as an identification signal. In one example, the bus stop transmitter 30 generates an identification signal representing the corresponding transmitter ID by modulating the original signal, and transmits the generated identification signal to an IR signal, a Bluetooth (registered trademark) signal, It is transmitted locally as an NFC (near field communication) signal.

Next, the hardware configuration will be described with reference to FIG. 8. The bus stop transmitter 30 is mainly configured with a computer 104 having a processor 100 and a memory 102 that stores a plurality of applications executed by the processor 100. ing.

This bus stop transmitter 30 further includes a replaceable disposable battery 106 as a power source. Instead of the battery 106, it is possible to use a rechargeable battery, or to use a commercial power source or a solar cell as an external power source.

When a solar cell is used as an external power source, surplus electrical energy generated by the solar cell during the day is stored in a battery, and at night, the battery energy is extracted from the battery to power the bus stop transmitter 30. It may be activated.

The bus stop transmitter 30 further includes a transmitter 108 that generates and transmits an identification signal. The transmitter 108 is operated by a battery 106 and controlled by a controller 110. The controller 110 is controlled by the computer 100.

To explain the software configuration of the bus stop transmitter 30, the processor 100 outputs to the controller 110 a signal for modulating the original signal (for example, a carrier signal) so that the transmitter ID is reflected. The controller 110 controls the transmitter 108, and as a result, the transmitter 108 generates the identification signal to be transmitted this time. Thereafter, the generated identification signal is transmitted from the transmitter 108.

Next, the bus stop transmitter 30, the boarding gate transmitter 32, and the getting off gate transmitter 34 will be individually explained with reference to FIGS. 9 to 11.

Each bus stop transmitter 30 emits a unique signal, and the unique signal represents a unique transmitter ID. Regarding each bus stop transmitter 30, it is known which bus stop 14 it is installed at, and the spatial coordinate values (x, y, z) of that bus stop 14 are also known. If the signal is converted into a transmitter ID according to the relationship between a predetermined signal (for example, a binary signal string) and an ID, the bus stop 14 where the bus stop transmitter 30 is installed is determined from the transmitter ID. The ID of , and the geographical location of the bus stop 14 of , are each uniquely determined.

FIG. 9 shows a bus stop transmitter ID management table in a table format. This table is stored in the memory of the management server 50, and when accessed from the mobile terminal 90, the table is downloaded from the management server 50 to the mobile terminal 90 and stored in its memory 132. In this table, the relationship between the transmitter ID of the bus stop transmitter 30, the bus stop ID of the bus stop 14 where the bus stop transmitter 30 is installed, and the bus stop name of the bus stop 14 is defined for each transmitter ID. There is.

Each entrance transmitter 32 emits a unique signal, and the unique signal represents a unique transmitter ID. Regarding each boarding entrance transmitter 32, it is known in which bus 12 it is installed, and also in which of the boarding entrance 16 and the exit gate 18 of that bus 12 it is installed. Therefore, if the signal received from the boarding entrance transmitter 32 is converted into a transmitter ID according to the relationship between a predetermined signal (for example, a binary signal string) and an ID, the transmitter The ID of the bus 12 in which the entrance transmitter 32 is installed and the fact that the entrance transmitter 32 is a boarding gate transmitter rather than a getting off gate transmitter are each uniquely determined.

Each exit transmitter 34 emits a unique signal, and the unique signal represents a unique transmitter ID. Regarding each exit gate transmitter 34, it is known in which bus 12 it is installed, and also in which of the boarding entrance 16 and the exit exit 18 of that bus 12 it is installed. Therefore, if the signal received from the exit gate transmitter 34 is converted into a transmitter ID according to the relationship between a predetermined signal (for example, a binary signal string) and ID, the exit gate transmitter 34 is The ID of the bus 12 in which the entrance transmitter 34 is installed and the fact that the exit transmitter 34 is not a boarding gate transmitter but an exit gate transmitter are each uniquely determined.

FIG. 10 shows an in-bus transmitter ID management table in a table format. This table is stored in the memory of the management server 50, and when accessed from the mobile terminal 90, the table is downloaded from the management server 50 to the mobile terminal 90 and stored in its memory 132. In this table, the transmitter ID of the boarding gate transmitter 32 and the getting off gate transmitter 34, the bus ID of the bus 12 where the boarding gate transmitter 32 or the getting off gate transmitter 34 is installed, and the information applicable to that bus 12 are shown. A relationship with a route ID representing a route to be transmitted is defined for each transmitter ID.

FIG. 11 shows the effective reception radius management table in a table format. This table is stored in the memory of the management server 50, and when accessed from the mobile terminal 90, the table is downloaded from the management server 50 to the mobile terminal 90 and stored in its memory 132. In this table, the relationship between the transmitter IDs of the bus stop transmitter 30, boarding gate transmitter 32, and exit gate transmitter 34 and the effective reception radius described below is defined for each transmitter ID.

According to this effective reception radius management table, the mobile terminal 90 is effective depending on the type of the transmitter 30, 32, 34 that it is receiving (whether for bus stop 14, boarding entrance 16, or getting off exit 18). The receiving radius can be set variably, and as a result, it is possible to set the effective receiving radius individually for each transmitter 30, 32, and 34.

To specifically explain the variable setting of the effective reception radius, in the example of the standby phase shown in FIG. The first effective reception radius R1 that defines the first reception area is set to 5 m (see FIG. 11).

In the example of the boarding phase shown in FIG. 4, when the mobile terminal 90 receives a signal from the boarding entrance transmitter 32, a second effective The reception radius R2 is set to 1 m (see FIG. 11).

In the example of the disembarking phase shown in FIG. The reception radius R3 is set to 1 m (see FIG. 11).

<Mobile device>

The mobile terminal 90 is a device that is carried by a user and has a wireless communication function, such as a mobile phone, a smartphone, a laptop computer, a tablet computer, or a PDA. Further, the mobile terminal 90 is an example of a user's communication terminal.

Next, the hardware configuration of the mobile terminal 90 will be described with reference to FIG. The computer 134 has a computer 132 as a main component.

This mobile terminal 90 further includes a display section (for example, a liquid crystal display) 136 that displays information, a receiving section 138 that receives signals from the bus stop transmitter 30 and the management server 50, and a receiving section 138 that generates and receives signals. and a transmitter 140 that transmits data to the management server 50. Here, the receiving section 138 is also a section that senses the identification signal from the bus stop transmitter 30.

This mobile terminal 90 further includes an input section 150 for inputting data and commands from the user. The input unit 150 includes, for example, an operation unit that can be operated by the user to input desired information (eg, commands, data, etc.) into the mobile terminal 90. The operating parts include a touch screen that displays icons (e.g., virtual buttons) that can be operated by the user, physical operating parts that can be operated by the user (e.g., a keyboard, keypad, buttons, etc.), and a touch screen that displays user-operable icons (e.g., virtual buttons). Examples include, but are not limited to, a sensing microphone.

This mobile terminal 90 further includes a GPS (satellite positioning system) receiver 152. As is well known, the GPS receiver 152 receives multiple GPS signals from multiple GPS satellites, and determines the position (latitude, longitude, and altitude) of the GPS receiver 152 on the earth based on the GPS signals. Measure by triangulation.

This mobile terminal 90 further includes an acceleration sensor 154 that detects its own acceleration. Since the acceleration sensor 154 is mounted on the mobile terminal 90, it vibrates integrally with the mobile terminal 90, and as a result, the acceleration acting on the acceleration sensor 154 itself is transmitted to the mobile terminal 90 and the user carrying it. It is detected as equivalent to the acceleration acting on the

The types of this acceleration sensor 154 include, for example, a semiconductor piezoresistive type, a capacitance type, and a heat detection type. In one example, the acceleration sensor 154 individually detects accelerations Gx, Gy, and Gz in three axial directions: It is possible to design to output one representative acceleration.

This acceleration sensor 154 detects an acceleration that approximates the acceleration that acts on the user when the user is carrying the mobile terminal 90, and detects an acceleration that approximates the acceleration that acts on the user when the user is in a vehicle. An acceleration that approximates the acceleration acting on the vehicle (for example, longitudinal acceleration, longitudinal deceleration) is detected.

Note that the acceleration acting on the mobile terminal 90 can theoretically be calculated by calculating the speed by time-differentiating the position measured based on the above-mentioned GPS signal, and then calculating the speed by time-differentiating the speed. It is possible to do so. However, in terms of accuracy, the acceleration detected by the acceleration sensor 154 may be superior. In any case, this acceleration sensor 154 is an example of an acceleration acquisition unit that acquires the axial acceleration of the vehicle by detection or estimation.

Here, to explain one function of the user's mobile terminal 90 in relation to the bus stop transmitter 30, the mobile terminal 90, while receiving the identification signal from the bus stop transmitter 30, When you start (log in) a certain program pre-installed in the computer, that is, a dedicated application for guide transmitter processing (hereinafter referred to as "transmitter application"), it demodulates the received identification signal and The transmitter ID is decoded by the following.

Further, when the mobile terminal 90 starts the transmitter application while receiving the identification signal from the bus stop transmitter 30, the mobile terminal 90 determines whether the transmitter application is activated based on the received identification signal (for example, the strength of the identification signal). The distance between the position of the bus stop transmitter 30 when transmitting the identification signal and the position of the mobile terminal 90 when receiving the identification signal is also measured.

That is, based on the identification signal received from the bus stop transmitter 30, the mobile terminal 90 acquires both the transmitter ID unique to the bus stop transmitter 30 and the distance from the bus stop transmitter 30 at that time. It has become.

<Transmitter reception range>

Apparently, two types of reception areas are assigned to the bus stop transmitter 30, the boarding gate transmitter 32, and the getting off gate transmitter 34, respectively. These are a receivable area and an effective reception area (hereinafter also referred to as "reception range" or "reception area").

Each of these areas is generally defined by a sphere centered on the location of each transmitter 30, 32, 34. Several examples of coverage areas are shown in FIGS. 3-5, as previously discussed.

The receivable area of each transmitter 30, 32, 34 has a maximum reception radius (for example, about 50 m), whereas the effective reception area can be any area within the effective reception radius (for example, from 0 m to about 50 m). value). While the maximum reception radius is a constant value, the effective reception radius is a variable value that can be set at any time by the mobile terminal 90, as described later.

The receivable area is the area where the identification signal from each transmitter 30, 32, 34 can be reached when the power supply to each transmitter 30, 32, 34 is normal, that is, as long as it exists within that area. , means an area where the mobile terminal 90 can receive the identification signal.

On the other hand, the effective reception area has an effective reception radius smaller than the maximum reception radius of the receivable area. While the maximum reception radius cannot be arbitrarily set, the effective reception radius can be arbitrarily set in the mobile terminal 90 using software.

That is, it is possible that the maximum reception radius means a reception limit determined by hardware, whereas the effective reception radius means a reception limit determined by software.

As described above, the mobile terminal 90 measures the distance to each transmitter 30, 32, 34 based on the strength of the identification signal it receives. In FIG. 13, the reception strength RSSI, which is the strength of the signal that the mobile terminal 90 receives from each transmitter 30, 32, 34, increases as the distance D between the mobile terminal 90 and each transmitter 30, 32, 34 increases. The graph exemplifies how it decreases over time. By referring to the characteristics represented by this graph, the mobile terminal 90 can convert the reception strength RSSI into a distance measurement value D.

The distance measurement D may or may not exceed the effective reception radius r ₀ as a variable setting. When the distance measurement value D does not exceed the effective reception radius r ₀ , it means that the mobile terminal 90 is within the effective reception area, whereas the distance measurement value D exceeds the reception effective radius r ₀ . This is when the mobile terminal 90 exists within the receivable area but not within the effective reception area.

FIG. 13 shows a graph representing the strength of the signal received by the mobile terminal 90 from each transmitter 30, 32, and 34, regardless of whether or not the distance measurement value D exceeds the effective reception radius _r0 , and for convenience of explanation. , and a graph obtained by shifting the graph of the absolute reception strength Ia downward so that the reception strength exists only in a region where the distance measurement value D does not exceed the reception effective radius _r0 . The former graph can be referred to as a graph representing the absolute reception strength Ia, and the latter graph can be referred to as a graph representing the relative reception strength Ir. Each of the graphs in FIGS. 6(a) to 6(d) is created using the relative reception strength Ir.

<Management server>

Next, to explain the hardware configuration of the management server 50, the management server 50 is shown in a functional block diagram in FIG. The management server 50 is mainly configured with a computer 164 having a processor 160 and a memory 162 that stores a plurality of applications executed by the processor 160.

This management server 50 further includes a display section (for example, a liquid crystal display) 166 that displays information, a receiving section 168 that receives signals from the mobile terminal 90, and a receiver section 168 that generates a signal and transmits the signal to the mobile terminal 90. The transmitter 170 has a transmitter 170 and a clock 172. This management server 50 does not directly receive information from the transmitter 30, but actually receives it via the mobile terminal 90.

<Software configuration of bus operation management system>

<Overview>

This system 10 has a bus operation management program as a software configuration. To explain the bus operation management program by classifying it into phases, FIG. The flowchart conceptually includes the following modules. Further, FIG. 16 conceptually shows a flowchart of a boarding phase determination program based on the boarding phase determination algorithm described above, which includes a module executed by the mobile terminal 90 and a module executed by the management server 50. has been done. Further, FIG. 17 conceptually shows a flowchart of an alighting phase determination program based on the aforesaid alighting phase determination algorithm, which includes a module executed by the mobile terminal 90 and a module executed by the management server 50. has been done.

<Standby phase determination program>

When the bus operation management program is started, as shown in FIG. 15, first, the mobile terminal 90 transmits a request for logging into the management server 50 together with the user ID in step S1301.

In response, the management server 50 receives the request together with the user ID in step S1351, and registers the user ID in the memory 162 as the current user of this system 10. Subsequently, in step S1352, the management server 50 retrieves from the memory 162 the bus stop transmitter ID management table shown in FIG. 9, the in-bus transmitter ID management table shown in FIG. 10, and the effective reception radius management table shown in FIG. and a system for managing a plurality of buses 12, a plurality of routes, a plurality of bus stops 14, and timetables (bus-specific timetables, route-specific timetables, bus-stop-specific timetables, etc.) that are centrally managed by this system 10. A traffic management table (not shown) is read and transmitted to the mobile terminal 90.

In response, the mobile terminal 90 downloads these tables from the management server 50 in step S1302, and then stores the tables in the memory 132 in step S1303. Thereafter, in step S1304, the mobile terminal 90 attempts to receive signals from any plurality of transmitters 30, 32, and 34 indiscriminately without limiting the sources.

Subsequently, the mobile terminal 90 executes step S1305. This step is classified into a first stage, a second stage, and a third stage.

In the first stage, the mobile terminal 90 determines whether the mobile terminal 90 has received signals from at least one of all bus stop transmitters 30 of all bus stops 14 and all in-bus transmitters 32 and 34 of all buses 12. Determine whether If received, the mobile terminal 90 determines whether the mobile terminal 90 has received a signal from any of the bus stop transmitters 30 based on the transmitter ID represented by each received signal. If a received signal exists, it is determined whether the signal is from any bus stop transmitter 30 or not.

Note that in this first stage, the determination result is provisional. This is because the next stage determines whether the reception is within the above-mentioned receivable area, that is, ineffective reception, or within the above-mentioned effective reception area, that is, within the first reception area, that is, valid reception. This is because you will be exposed.

If it is determined that the mobile terminal 90 has received a signal from one of the bus stop transmitters 30, in the second stage, the mobile terminal 90 measures the strength RSSI (absolute reception strength Ia) of the received signal. , whose intensity measurements are converted to distance measurements D as described above.

Thereafter, in the third stage, the mobile terminal 90 reads the effective reception radius r ₀ corresponding to the transmitter ID represented by the received signal from the memory 132, and if the distance measurement value D is less than or equal to the effective reception radius r ₀ . In some cases, the user is located at any of the bus stops 14 and therefore the mobile terminal 90 is within the first reception range of any of the bus stop transmitters 30, and as a result, the mobile terminal 90 is located at any of the bus stop transmitters 30. It is determined that the signal has been effectively received from the aircraft 30. This decision is final.

If it is determined that the mobile terminal 90 has effectively received the signal from the bus stop transmitter 30, the determination in step S1305 is YES, but otherwise, the determination is NO and the process returns to step S1304. .

Note that in step S1304, the mobile terminal 90 attempts to receive signals from any transmitter indiscriminately without limiting the transmitter to a specific transmitter. In other words, indiscriminate reception attempts are made.

However, in that case, in step S1306 described below, the mobile terminal 90 uses only the signal from one of the bus stop transmitters 30, but the mobile terminal 90 detects an unscheduled bus that happens to pass by one of the bus stops 14. Signals from the in-bus transmitters 32 and 34 of the bus 12 are also subject to processing in step S1305.

To prevent this, for example, prior to executing step S1304, a plurality of bus stop transmitters 30 are selected as target transmitters, but a plurality of bus transmitters 32 and 34 are not selected, and then, Only when the signal received by the mobile terminal 90 in step S1304 is a signal from the target transmitter, processing using the received signal may be performed in steps after step S1305.

The reception attempt in step S1304 in this manner is referred to as a targeted reception attempt in contrast to the above-mentioned indiscriminate reception attempt. According to this targeted reception attempt, in a communication environment where the source is originally restricted, signal processing becomes more efficient than indiscriminate reception attempts.

However, although the reception attempt in step S1304 in this manner is limited in the range of sources, the bus stop transmitters 30 of all the bus stops 14 are the target of reception, or in some cases, all the bus stops 14, the bus stop transmitters 30 of a plurality of bus stops 14 located near the current position measured by the mobile terminal 90 are the target of reception, and the number of target transmitters is not limited to one or two.

Therefore, relatively speaking, even the reception attempt in step S1304 in this manner may be classified as an indiscriminate reception attempt. However, as long as it is compared with the case where all the transmitters 30, 32, and 34 are targeted for reception, there is no problem in calling the reception attempt in step S1304 in this manner a target reception attempt.

If the determination in step S1305 is YES, in step S1306, the mobile terminal 90 converts the signal received from the current bus stop transmitter 30 into a bus stop ID with reference to the table in FIG.

Thereafter, in step S1307, the mobile terminal 90 determines that the user is in the waiting phase, and in step S1308, the mobile terminal 90 determines that the user is in the waiting phase in which the user is waiting at the current bus stop 14 (for example, the bus stop ID and The standby phase information including the combination of the user ID and the standby phase flag is transmitted to the management server 50 in association with the user ID.

In response, the management server 50 receives the standby phase information from the mobile terminal 90 in step S1353, measures the current time using the clock 172 in step S1354, and uses the clock 172 to measure the current time in step S1354. The server 50 allocates the standby phase information to the reception time t ₁ when the server 50 receives the standby phase information from the mobile terminal 90 . Thereafter, in step S1355, the management server 50 associates the user-specific status management table, that is, the phase history list (user time-series behavior list) illustrated in FIG. 18 allocated to the memory 162, with the reception time _t1 , and Update to reflect standby phase information.

After executing step S1308, the mobile terminal 90 converts the current bus stop ID into the name of the current bus stop 14 with reference to the table shown in FIG. 9 in step S1309, and displays the bus stop name on the screen of the mobile terminal 90. The user is thereby notified that the user has been recognized that he or she is currently at the bus stop 14 through the cooperation between the mobile terminal 90 and the bus stop transmitter 30.

Thereafter, in step S1310, the mobile terminal 90 displays on the screen all routes that pass through the current bus stop 14 among the plurality of routes. Subsequently, the mobile terminal 90 assists the user in inputting a destination in step S1310. Thereafter, in step S1312, the mobile terminal 90 selects, as a plurality of candidate routes, those that match the input destination from among all the routes, and displays these candidate routes on the screen.

Next, in step S1313, the mobile terminal 90 assists the user in selecting one of the candidate routes as a desired route, and then, in step S1314, displays the selected desired route on the screen. .

Next, the mobile terminal 90 assists the user in inputting the bus stop at which the user wishes to get off, out of the plurality of bus stops 14 on the desired route, as the desired alighting bus stop.

According to this embodiment, the user is requested to input the desired alighting bus stop prior to boarding the bus. On the other hand, information regarding the desired alighting bus stop is transmitted from the management server 50 to the in-bus communication device 20. Therefore, the driver of the bus 12 in question can know the bus stop 14 at which the bus 12 needs to stop at an earlier time, rather than immediately before the stop, which is convenient. Furthermore, the user does not have to press the alight button installed on the bus 12 on which he or she is riding each time before getting off the bus, which is convenient.

Thereafter, in step S1316, the mobile terminal 90 assists the user in inputting whether or not the user needs assistance from the driver of the bus 12 when getting on and off the bus due to circumstances such as the user being physically weak. do.

Next, in step S1317, the mobile terminal 90 supports the user in selecting a time to board the bus 12 at the currently selected bus stop 14 from among the plurality of boarding times displayed on the timetable. do. Thereafter, in step S1318, the mobile terminal 90 displays on the screen the bus ID of the bus 12 that the user should ride (hereinafter referred to as the "desired bus").

Next, in step S1319, the mobile terminal 90 sets the current bus stop transmitter 30 as the target transmitter and sets the same transmitter ID as the target transmitter ID, and then, in step S1320, sets the bus stop transmitter 30 as the target transmitter. Attempt to receive a signal from transmitter 30.

This attempt is not an indiscriminate reception attempt that attempts to receive signals indiscriminately as in step S1304 described above, but as a result only a specific signal is received (for example, if a signal other than the specific signal is received) , stopping further processing of the signal and excluding the signal from processing) is called a targeted reception attempt.

Thereafter, in step S1321, the mobile terminal 90 determines whether or not a signal has been received from the current bus stop transmitter 30. If the mobile terminal 90 has received a signal, it is determined that the mobile terminal 90 has been touched (or held over) the current bus stop transmitter 30. ).

Specifically, the mobile terminal 90 determines whether the distance measurement value D is less than a reference value shorter than 30cm-50cm, and if it is less than the reference value, the user can use the mobile terminal 90 to It is determined that the bus stop transmitter 30 has been touched. In that case, the determination in step S1321 is YES, but in other cases, the determination is NO and the process returns to step S1320.

If the determination in step S1321 is YES, the mobile terminal 90 converts the transmitter ID represented by the signal received this time into a bus stop ID in step S1322, and then converts the transmitter ID represented by the signal received this time into a bus stop ID in step S1323. , and the bus stop ID obtained in step S1306 described above.

In addition, since step S1320 described above performs a target reception attempt, in that step, the current bus stop ID is specified as the only bus stop ID, and then the bus stop transmitter installed at the bus stop 14 having that bus stop ID is Since only No. 30 is noticed as a source, it is not essential to acquire the current bus stop ID and check it with the bus stop ID acquired in step S1306 described above in the subsequent steps S1322 and S1323. Optional.

Thereafter, in step S1324, the mobile terminal 90 displays on the screen that the user has made a reservation for boarding the desired bus 12 from the current bus stop 14 at the desired boarding time. Subsequently, in step S1325, the mobile terminal 90 confirms that the user has made a reservation for boarding the desired bus 12 from the current bus stop 14 at the desired boarding time (for example, by entering the bus stop ID, bus ID, user ID, and boarding time). The boarding reservation information including the combination with the reservation flag) and the fact that the user touched the bus stop transmitter 30 with the mobile terminal 90 is transmitted to the management server 50 in association with the user ID.

In response, the management server 50 receives the boarding reservation information from the mobile terminal 90 in step S1356, measures the current time using the clock 172 in step S1357, and uses the time to manage the information. The server 50 allocates the ride reservation information to the reception time _t2 when it receives the ride reservation information from the mobile terminal 90. Thereafter, in step S1358, the management server 50 updates the user-specific status management table illustrated in FIG. 18 in association with the reception time _t2 to reflect the current boarding reservation information. This completes the reservation for boarding the desired bus 12 for the current user.

Subsequently, in step S1359, the management server 50 increments the number of passengers reserved for the current bus 12 and stores it in the memory 162.

Thereafter, in step S1360, the mobile terminal 90 transmits to the in-bus communication device 20 that there is a user who requires assistance from the driver when boarding at the current bus stop 14 and getting off at the desired alighting bus stop. Thereby, the driver of the bus 12 is informed of whether or not assistance is required.

<Ride phase determination program>

When the execution of the above-described standby phase determination program is completed, as shown in FIG. The transmitter ID of the boarding entrance transmitter 32 is set as the target transmitter ID.

Next, in step S1402, the mobile terminal 90 attempts to receive signals from the two transmitters 30 and 32, respectively, using the current bus stop transmitter 30 and the current boarding gate transmitter 32 as target transmitters. do. A target reception attempt is made.

Subsequently, in step S1403, the mobile terminal 90 determines whether signals are effectively received from both the current target, the bus stop transmitter 30, and the current target, the boarding gate transmitter 32. .

Specifically, the mobile terminal 90 determines whether the distance measurement value D calculated based on the reception strength RSSI of the signal received from the current bus stop transmitter 30 is less than or equal to the effective reception radius corresponding to the bus stop transmitter 30. For example, it is determined that a signal has been effectively received from the current bus stop transmitter 30.

Furthermore, the mobile terminal 90 receives a signal from the current boarding entrance transmitter 32, and the distance measurement value D calculated based on the received signal is within the effective reception radius corresponding to the boarding entrance transmitter 32. If it is below, it is determined that the signal has been effectively received from the current boarding entrance transmitter 32.

In this step S1403, if the mobile terminal 90 determines that it has effectively received signals from both the current target, the bus stop transmitter 30, and the current target, the boarding gate transmitter 32, then the determination is confirmed. If YES, the process moves to step S1404; otherwise, the determination is NO, and the process returns to step S1402.

In step S1404, the mobile terminal 90 determines that the user is in the boarding phase, and then in step S1405, the mobile terminal 90 determines that the user is in the boarding start stage. Thereafter, in step S1406, the mobile terminal 90 converts the transmitter ID represented by the signal validly received from the bus stop transmitter 30 into a bus stop ID, and further converts the transmitter ID represented by the signal validly received from the boarding gate transmitter 32 into the bus stop ID. Converts the transmitted transmitter ID to a bus ID.

Thereafter, in step S1407, the mobile terminal 90 associates the bus stop ID and the bus ID with each other, and determines that the current user, the current bus stop 14, and the current bus 12 are associated with each other in the same physical space. Subsequently, in step S1408, the mobile terminal 90 determines that the user is in the boarding phase of boarding a specific bus 12 at a specific bus stop 14 (for example, a combination of the bus stop ID, bus ID, user ID, and boarding phase flag). ), a combination of the linked bus stop ID and bus ID (linking information), and boarding phase information including the fact that the user touched the boarding entrance transmitter 32 with the mobile terminal 90, is associated with the user ID. The information is sent to the management server 50.

In response, the management server 50 receives the boarding phase information from the mobile terminal 90 in step S1451, measures the current time using the clock 172 in step S1452, and uses the time to manage the boarding phase information. The server 50 allocates the boarding phase information (including the linking information) from the mobile terminal 90 to the reception time _t3 . Thereafter, in step S1453, the management server 50 associates the user-specific status management table exemplified in FIG. 18 allocated to the memory 162 with the reception time _t3 , and updates it to reflect the current boarding phase information. .

After executing step S1408, in step S1409, the mobile terminal 90 converts the current bus ID into the number (or name or symbol) of the current bus 12 with reference to the table shown in FIG. is displayed on the screen of the mobile terminal 90, thereby informing the user that the fact that he/she is currently boarding the bus 12 has been recognized through the cooperation between the mobile terminal 90 and the boarding entrance transmitter 32. be done.

Thereafter, in step S1410, the mobile terminal 90 determines whether the bus 12 having the bus number is the bus desired by the current user. Unless there are special circumstances, this determination will be YES. Subsequently, in step S1411, the mobile terminal 90 informs the user that the bus 12 has stopped at the current bus stop 14 where the boarding entrance transmitter 32 that transmitted the signal that the mobile terminal 90 has effectively received is installed. A message (for example, "Please board this bus.") is displayed on the screen to encourage passengers to board the bus 12 that is estimated to be running.

Thereafter, in step S1412, the mobile terminal 90 sets the current transmitter ID of the boarding entrance transmitter 32 as the target transmitter ID. Subsequently, in step S1413, the mobile terminal 90 attempts to receive a signal from the current boarding entrance transmitter 32 as the target transmitter. A target reception attempt is made.

Thereafter, in step S1414, the mobile terminal 90 determines whether or not a signal has been received from the current boarding entrance transmitter 32, and if the signal is received, the mobile terminal 90 has touched the current boarding gate transmitter 32 (or ).

Specifically, the mobile terminal 90 determines whether the distance measurement value D is less than a reference value shorter than 30cm-50cm, and if it is less than the reference value, the user can use the mobile terminal 90 to It is determined that the boarding entrance transmitter 32 has been touched. In that case, the determination in step S1414 is YES, but in other cases, the determination is NO and the process returns to step S1413.

Thereafter, in step S1415, the mobile terminal 90 determines that the user has completed boarding the desired bus 12, and in step S1416, the mobile terminal 90 determines that the user has completed boarding the desired bus 12 (for example, the bus ID The boarding completion information including the combination of the user ID and the boarding completion flag) and the fact that the user touched the boarding gate transmitter 32 with the mobile terminal 90 is transmitted to the management server 50 in association with the user ID.

In response, the management server 50 receives the boarding completion information from the mobile terminal 90 in step S1454, measures the current time using the clock 172 in step S1455, and uses the clock 172 to manage the time. The server 50 allocates the boarding completion information to the reception time _t4 when it receives the boarding completion information from the mobile terminal 90. Thereafter, in step S1456, the management server 50 updates the user-specific status management table, which is allocated to the memory 162 and illustrated in _FIG . .

Subsequently, in step S1457, the management server 50 registers the reception time _t4 in the memory 162 as the user's actual boarding time, and then, in step S1458, increments the actual number of passengers for the current bus 12, and stores the information in the memory 162. 162.

<Disembarkation phase determination program>

When the execution of the boarding phase determination program described above is completed, as shown in FIG. 17, first, in step S1501, the mobile terminal 90 sets the transmitter ID of the exit gate transmitter 34 of the current bus 12 to the only target transmitter. Set as ID.

Next, in step S1502, the mobile terminal 90 attempts to receive a signal from the current exit gate transmitter 34 as a target transmitter. A target reception attempt is made.

Subsequently, in step S1503, the mobile terminal 90 determines whether a signal has been effectively received from the exit gate transmitter 34, which is the current target.

Specifically, the mobile terminal 90 determines that the distance measurement value D calculated based on the reception strength RSSI of the signal received from the exit gate transmitter 34 this time is less than or equal to the effective reception radius corresponding to the exit gate transmitter 34. If so, it is determined that the signal from the current exit gate transmitter 34 has been effectively received.

In this step S1503, if it is determined that the mobile terminal 90 has effectively received a signal from the exit gate transmitter 34, which is the current target, the determination becomes YES and the process moves to step S1504; otherwise, the determination is made as follows. is NO, and the process returns to step S1502.

In step S1504, the mobile terminal 90 measures the reception strength RSSI of the signal received from the exit gate transmitter 34, and then in step S1505 determines whether the current measurement value of reception strength RSSI is lower than the previous measurement value. Determine. Here, the phenomenon that the reception strength RSSI decreases over time is an example of the dynamic characteristics of the received signal, and is also an example of the above-mentioned "temporal change characteristics." It is possible to estimate that this phenomenon reflects, for example, that the user is moving away from the exit gate transmitter 34.

If the current measured value of reception strength RSSI is not lower than the previous measurement value, the determination is NO and the process returns to step S1502, but if the current measurement value of reception strength RSSI is lower than the previous measurement value, the determination is NO. becomes YES, and the process moves to step S1506.

In step S1506, the mobile terminal 90 transmits the transmitter ID of the bus stop transmitter 30 of the current desired alighting bus stop 14 and the transmitter ID of the exit gate transmitter 34 of the current bus 12 to two target transmitters. Set as ID.

Thereafter, in step S1507, the mobile terminal 90 attempts to receive signals from the two transmitters 30 and 34, respectively, using the current bus stop transmitter 30 and the current exit gate transmitter 34 as target transmitters. . A target reception attempt is made.

Subsequently, in step S1508, the mobile terminal 90 determines whether signals have been effectively received simultaneously from both the bus stop transmitter 30, which is the current target, and the exit gate transmitter 34, which is the current target. .

Specifically, the mobile terminal 90 determines whether the distance measurement value D calculated based on the reception strength RSSI of the signal received from the current bus stop transmitter 30 is less than or equal to the effective reception radius corresponding to the bus stop transmitter 30. For example, it is determined that a signal has been effectively received from the current bus stop transmitter 30.

Furthermore, if the distance measurement value D calculated based on the signal received from the current exit gate transmitter 34 is less than or equal to the effective reception radius corresponding to the current exit gate transmitter 34, the mobile terminal 90 determines that the current exit exit signal is It is determined that the signal has been effectively received from the mouth transmitter 34.

In this step S1508, if the mobile terminal 90 determines that it has effectively received signals from both the current target, the bus stop transmitter 30, and the current target, the exit gate transmitter 34, then the determination is confirmed. If YES, the process moves to step S1509; otherwise, the judgment becomes NO, and the process returns to step S1507.

In step S1509, the mobile terminal 90 determines that the user is in the alighting phase, and then in step S1510, the mobile terminal 90 determines that the user is in the alighting start phase. Thereafter, in step S1511, the mobile terminal 90 converts the transmitter ID represented by the signal validly received from the bus stop transmitter 30 into a bus stop ID, and further converts the transmitter ID represented by the signal validly received from the exit gate transmitter 34 into a bus stop ID. Converts the transmitted transmitter ID to a bus ID.

Thereafter, in step S1512, the mobile terminal 90 associates the bus stop ID and the bus ID with each other, and determines that the current user, the current bus stop 14, and the current bus 12 are associated with each other in the same physical space. Subsequently, in step S1513, the mobile terminal 90 determines that the user is in the alighting phase in which the user alights from the specific bus 12 at the specific bus stop 14 (for example, a combination of the bus stop ID, bus ID, user ID, and alighting phase flag). ) and the combination of the linked bus stop ID and bus ID (linking information), the alighting phase information is associated with the user ID and transmitted to the management server 50.

In response, the management server 50 receives the disembarking phase information from the mobile terminal 90 in step S1551, measures the current time using the clock 172 in step S1552, and uses the clock 172 to manage the time. The server 50 allocates the alighting phase information (including the linking information) to the reception time _t5 from the mobile terminal 90. Thereafter, in step S1553, the management server 50 associates the user-specific status management table exemplified in FIG. 18 allocated to the memory 162 with the reception time _t5 , and updates it to reflect the current disembarking phase information. .

After executing step S1513, the mobile terminal 90 converts the current bus stop ID into the name of the current bus stop 14 with reference to the table shown in FIG. 9 in step S1514, and displays the name on the screen of the mobile terminal 90. , thereby informing the user that the fact that the user has now gotten off at the bus stop 14 has been recognized through the cooperative action of the mobile terminal 90 and the exit gate transmitter 34.

Thereafter, in step S1515, the mobile terminal 90 determines whether the bus stop 14 having that name is the desired alighting bus stop for the current user. Unless there are special circumstances, this determination will be YES. Subsequently, in step S1516, the mobile terminal 90 informs the user that from the bus stop 14 where the bus stop transmitter 30 that transmitted the signal that the mobile terminal 90 has effectively received is installed, that is, from the current bus 12, the bus A message (for example, "Please get off at this bus stop.") is displayed on the screen to encourage the driver to get off at the bus stop 14 where the bus 12 is estimated to be stopping.

Thereafter, in step S1517, the mobile terminal 90 sets the current transmitter ID of the bus stop transmitter 30 as the target transmitter ID. Subsequently, in step S1518, the mobile terminal 90 attempts to receive a signal from the current bus stop transmitter 30 as the target transmitter. A target reception attempt is made.

Thereafter, in step S1519, the mobile terminal 90 determines whether or not a signal has been effectively received from the current bus stop transmitter 30 in the same manner as in step S1503 described above. If it has been validly received, the determination is YES and the process returns to step S1518; however, if it has not been validly received, the determination is NO and the process proceeds to step S1520.

In step S1520, the mobile terminal 90 determines that the user has completed getting off from the desired bus 12, and then in step S1521, the mobile terminal 90 determines that the user has completed getting off from the desired bus 12 (for example, the bus ID and a combination of the user ID and the exit completion flag) is associated with the user ID and transmitted to the management server 50.

In response, the management server 50 receives the disembarkation completion information from the mobile terminal 90 in step S1554, measures the current time using the clock 172 in step S1555, and uses the time to manage the information. The server 50 allocates the boarding completion information to the reception time t ₆ when the boarding completion information is received from the mobile terminal 90 . Thereafter, in step S1556, the management server 50 updates the user-specific status management table, which is allocated to the memory 162 and illustrated in _FIG . .

Subsequently, in step S1557, the management server 50 registers the reception time _t6 in the memory 162 as the user's actual alighting time, and then, in step S1558, decrements the actual number of passengers for the current bus 12, and stores the information in the memory. 162.

As is clear from the above description, in this embodiment, when the bus 12 stops at the bus stop 14, as shown in FIG. Based on this assumption, when it is detected that the mobile terminal 90 is receiving signals from both the bus stop transmitter 30 and the boarding gate transmitter 32, It is determined that the bus 12 at the bus stop 14 is stopped and that the user is present near the bus stop 14 and the bus 12.

In this way, in this embodiment, the user's location, the bus stop 14 location, and the bus 12 location share the same space or location at the same time (as the bus stop transmitter 30 and the in-bus transmitters 32 and 34 are spatially or geometrically related to each other in that the respective signal processings are performed substantially simultaneously (eg, typically within several tens of milliseconds, considering the processing speed of the processor 130).

Instead, the second reception area of the boarding gate transmitter 32 does not overlap with the first reception area of the bus stop transmitter 30, and on this premise, the mobile terminal 90 can only use the bus stop transmitter 30. From a state in which signals are effectively received from the boarding entrance transmitter 32 to a state in which signals are effectively received only from the boarding entrance transmitter 32, there is no substantial time gap (e.g., within one second based on the walking speed of a human). Even if the present invention is implemented in a mode in which it is determined that the bus 12 at a certain bus stop 14 is stopped and there is a user near the bus stop 14 and the bus 12 when the transition occurs (within 0.5 seconds), good.

In this aspect, the user's location, the location of the bus stop 14, and the location of the bus 12 are spatially or geometrically related to each other from the viewpoint of sharing the same time or time.

Further, in this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 5, when the bus 12 stops at the bus stop 14, the third reception area of the exit gate transmitter 34 partially overlaps the first reception area of the bus stop transmitter 30. Based on this, the mobile terminal 90 changes from a state in which it receives signals from both the bus stop transmitter 30 and the exit gate transmitter 34 to a state where the signal from the exit gate transmitter 34 becomes dominant. When the state changes to a receiving state (or a state where the exit gate transmitter 34 is received with higher intensity than the bus stop transmitter 30), it is determined that the user has gotten off the bus 12.

Instead, the third reception range of the exit gate transmitter 34 does not overlap with the first reception range of the bus stop transmitter 30, and on the premise that the mobile terminal 90 The present invention may be implemented in such a manner that it is determined that the user has gotten off the bus 12 when the state changes from a state where signals are effectively received only from the bus stop transmitter 30 to a state where signals are effectively received only from the bus stop transmitter 30.

<Bus fare payment method>

In this system 10, payment methods for bus fares include advance payment and deferred payment. In the case of advance payment, a flat rate system is adopted, whereas in the case of deferred payment, a pay-as-you-go system (for example, the distance of the route) is adopted.

In the case of advance payment, in this system 10, for example, when it is determined that the boarding has been completed, or when the user touches or holds the mobile terminal 90 over the in-bus transmitter 32 or 34, the mobile terminal 90, the user logs into a payment server (not shown) and electronically pays the required amount of bus fare.

On the other hand, in the case of deferred payment, in this system 10, for example, when it is determined that the alighting has been completed, or when the user touches or holds the mobile terminal 90 over the in-bus transmitter 34 , The user logs into a payment server (not shown) via the mobile terminal 90 and electronically pays the required amount of bus fare.

<Multiple secondary functions of the system>

FIG. 19 shows a plurality of virtual buttons 300, 302, 304, and 306 displayed on the screen of a mobile terminal 90 in this system 10, which allow the user to select a plurality of secondary functions. An example of what is selected and operated by the user for activation is conceptually represented.

1. Bus operation status information service 300

According to this service, the operating status of the bus 12 that the user is paying attention to is shown to the user in real time via the mobile terminal 90. For example, when the user selects one of the plurality of buses 12 in operation on the map displayed on the screen of the mobile terminal 90, the operation status of the selected bus 12 (each bus stop 14 The user is informed of the predicted arrival time of the bus 14, the predicted occupancy rate of the bus 14, or the number of passengers.

2. Bus current location tracking service 302

According to this service, the current location of the bus 12 in operation is shown to the user in real time via the mobile terminal 90. For example, the current location of the bus 12 in operation that the user is scheduled to board is displayed on the screen of the mobile terminal 90, and the expected time of arrival at the bus stop 14 where the user is waiting is displayed on the screen of the mobile terminal 90. will be guided to.

3. Bus occupancy rate fluctuation prediction service 304

In order to provide this service to users, the management server 50, for each bus 12, for each bus stop 14, and in a time-discrete manner, from the number of reserved passengers (expected number of boarding passengers) By subtracting the total number of users desiring a bus stop (expected number of alighting passengers) Y, the predicted value of the instantaneous number of passengers of the bus 12 at the time when the bus 12 departs from each bus stop 14 is calculated in real time.

Furthermore, when the management server 50 receives a bus occupancy rate fluctuation prediction request from the mobile terminal 90, the management server 50 sends the predicted instantaneous number of passengers at each of the plurality of bus stops 14 for the selected bus 12 or the maximum bus Sends bus congestion data that represents the expected instantaneous occupancy rate divided by the number of passengers.

The mobile terminal 90 that has received the bus congestion degree data displays the bus congestion degree data on the screen, so that the user can select the bus 12 before selecting the bus 12, before selecting the desired alighting bus stop, or on the route of the bus 12. Before selecting a bus 12, it is possible to know the congestion level of the bus 12, and based on this information, it is supported to select a bus 12 with a low congestion level.

4. Optimal bus selection support service 306

According to this service, the optimal bus route is automatically selected according to the user's request. For example, when the user inputs the current location, desired arrival time, and final destination into the mobile terminal 90, the optimal bus route, the optimal bus 12, the optimal bus stop 14, and the route from the current location to the optimal bus stop 14 are displayed. and the time required from the optimal bus stop 14 to the final destination are provided via the mobile terminal 90. When the user clicks on the icon representing the optimal bus stop 14 on the screen of the mobile terminal 90, the operating status of the bus 12 scheduled to stop at the optimal bus stop 14 is displayed.

<Backup function in case of transmitter failure>

In this system 10, a backup function in the event of a transmitter failure is realized through cooperation between the mobile terminal 90 and the management server 50. Specifically, the presence or absence of a failure in each transmitter 30, 32, 34 is diagnosed, and if a failure is diagnosed, only the mobile terminal 90 is used without using the malfunctioning transmitter 30, 32, 34. The bus stop 14 at which the user is located or the bus 12 on which the user is riding is identified.

More specifically, in this system 10, the mobile terminal 90 has (a) a positioning unit that measures its own current position as the user's current position. The positioning unit is, for example, a GPS positioning unit that uses the GPS receiver 152 or a positioning unit that uses position signals from a plurality of terrestrial base stations that the mobile terminal 90 uses as a relay base station.

The mobile terminal 90 further includes (b) a failure diagnosis unit that diagnoses the presence or absence of a failure in each bus stop transmitter 30 and/or each in -bus transmitter 32, 34, and transmits the identification result to the management server 50.

In one example, the failure diagnosis unit knows that any one of the transmitters 30, 32, 34 is installed at the current position measured by the positioning unit, and A predetermined relationship between the spatial coordinate value representing the installation position and the transmitter ID of each transmitter 30, 32, 34 is stored in the memory 162 of the management server 50 and/or the memory 132 of the mobile terminal 90. According to the relationship, identify which transmitter 30, 32, 34 should be installed at the current position from the measured current position, and send a signal from any of the transmitters 30, 32, 34. If the mobile terminal 90 does not receive the message, it is diagnosed that one of the transmitters 30, 32, 34 is malfunctioning (for example, the battery 106 is insufficient, the transmitters 30, 32, 34 themselves are malfunctioning, etc.). and transmits the diagnosis results to the management server 50.

In this example, in order to determine which of the transmitters 30, 32, and 34 the mobile terminal 90 receives a signal from, for example, in order to expand the area that can be diagnosed by the mobile terminal 90, the maximum reception radius described above is used. Alternatively, the signal path between the mobile terminal 90 and the transmitters 30, 32, and 34 to be diagnosed may be reduced by reducing the possibility that the signal path will be obstructed by other objects. In order to improve the diagnostic accuracy by the terminal 90, the above-mentioned effective reception radius, which is shorter than the above-mentioned maximum reception radius, may be used as the reference value.

The mobile terminal 90 further includes (c) the current position of the user measured by the positioning unit and/or the speed acquisition unit of the mobile terminal 90 (for example, the measured geographical position (spatial coordinate values x, y, z) Using the speed or acceleration of the user acquired by the acceleration acquisition unit (for example, the acceleration sensor 154) or the part that calculates the time differential of or the user is walking (the measured speed value is less than or equal to the speed reference value and/or the measured acceleration value is greater than or equal to the acceleration reference value), or the user is on any bus 12 that is running and is traveling with that bus 12. (the measured speed value is larger than the speed reference value and/or the measured acceleration value is smaller than the acceleration reference value).

(d) When diagnosing that one of the bus stop transmitters 30 is out of order, the mobile terminal 90 determines the bus stop 14 where the user is located based on the measured current position of the user and the estimated user's behavior. It has a failure bus stop identification unit that identifies the bus stop and sends the identification result to the management server 50.

(e) When diagnosing that one of the bus transmitters 32, 34 is out of order, the mobile terminal 90 determines whether the user is on board the bus based on the measured current position of the user and the estimated user behavior. The failure bus identification unit is configured to include a failure bus identification unit that identifies the bus 12 that is currently operating and sends the identification result to the management server 50.

Additionally, in this embodiment, each bus stop 14 is configured as a building fixedly installed at a specific position on the ground, and the bus stop transmitter 30 is attached to the building.

Instead, the present invention is implemented in such a manner that each bus stop 14 is configured as a pole or stand fixedly installed at a specific position on the ground, and the bus stop transmitter 30 is attached to the pole or stand. You may.

Furthermore, in this embodiment, the user touches or holds the mobile terminal 90 over the bus stop transmitter 30 at any bus stop 14, so that Riding reservations and boarding of the bus 12 are permitted on the condition that the bus 12 is located at .

Alternatively, if the user arrives at any position within the above-mentioned reception area of the bus stop transmitter 30 at any bus stop 14, the user can make a boarding reservation and take the bus without approaching the bus stop transmitter 30. The present invention may be implemented in such a manner that boarding is permitted.

In this embodiment, the present invention is implemented in such a manner that the bus 12 stops at a predetermined position close to the bus stop transmitter 30, or stops at a position where the current user is waiting. It's okay.

Additionally, in this embodiment, a plurality of bus stops 14 are lined up along the road at regular intervals (e.g., intervals equal to the distance traveled by the bus 12 for approximately 10-20 minutes). As a result, a plurality of bus stop transmitters 30 are present along the road at regular intervals.

Alternatively, a plurality of bus stops 14 may be located side by side along the road at shorter than normal intervals, for example, at a distance equal to approximately 1-2 times the coverage radius of the bus stop transmitter 30; , the present invention may be implemented in such a manner that a plurality of bus stop transmitters 30 are arranged side by side along a road, separated by a distance equal to about 1-2 times the reception radius of the bus stop transmitters 30.

Furthermore, in this embodiment, each bus stop 14 is configured as a permanent stop (functions as a stop at all times, and the bus 12 stops there).

Instead, each bus stop 14 is configured as a temporary stop (sometimes it functions as a stop, but at other times it does not function as a stop, and the bus 12 does not stop at that time). Specifically, each bus stop 14 is installed at a potential point of departure or destination of any user (e.g., a private home, apartment complex, residential complex, hospital, school, airport, public facility, commercial facility, etc.). The invention may be practiced.

In this aspect, for example, if the user specifies his or her home as the starting point, the bus 12 will arrive at that location, and may also visit other people's homes, specific hospitals, schools, airports, public facilities, commercial facilities, etc. If a destination is designated, the bus 12 will arrive at that location.

Furthermore, in this embodiment, each bus stop 14 is configured as a dedicated building.

Alternatively, each bus stop 14 may be configured as a place where a plurality of users can gather and wait at one place, such as a public or private parking lot, which also serves as a bus stop 14. The invention may be implemented.

Furthermore, in this embodiment, each bus 12 is configured as an example of a manned vehicle operated by a driver.

Alternatively, the present invention may be implemented in such a manner that each bus 12 is configured as an example of an automatically operated unmanned vehicle.

Furthermore, in the illustrated embodiment, the present invention is applied to the operation management of the bus 12, but it may also be applied to the operation management of other means of transportation, or to the operation management of other vehicles. It can be applied to management purposes.

Furthermore, in this embodiment, all or part of the processing that was being executed on the mobile terminal 90 may be executed on the management server 50 instead, or conversely, the processing that was executed on the mobile terminal 90 may be executed on the management server 50 instead. All or part of the processing may be performed on the mobile terminal 90 instead. This is because the device on which a process is to be executed is usually determined by the circumstances at the time, such as the amount and type of data being handled, the processing speed and storage capacity of each device, etc. .

Some of the exemplary embodiments of the present invention have been described above in detail based on the drawings, but these are merely examples, and those skilled in the art will be able to understand the embodiments including the embodiments described in the above [Summary of the Invention] column. It is possible to implement the present invention in other forms with various modifications and improvements based on knowledge.

Claims (5)

A vehicle operation management system that manages the operation of a vehicle for transporting passengers by using a passenger communication terminal capable of short-range wireless communication and long-range wireless communication, the system comprising:
A short-range wireless communication unit for the boarding entrance and a short-range wireless communication unit for the exit, which are installed at each of the boarding entrance and the exit gate of the vehicle and are capable of short-range wireless communication with a passenger's communication terminal, and are each capable of distinguishing signals from each other. and transmitting information that allows the vehicle to be identified ;
A management server capable of long-distance wireless communication with passenger communication terminals.
including;
The vehicle includes a communication device capable of long-distance wireless communication with the management server,
The communication terminal and/or the management server,
Based on the status of signals received by the passenger's communication terminal from each short-range wireless communication unit, the relative behavior phase of the passenger with respect to the vehicle is determined as a boarding phase in which the passenger gets into the vehicle and a phase in which the passenger gets off the vehicle. a behavior phase estimator that selects from a plurality of behavior phases including an alighting phase ;
When the behavior phase of the passenger is estimated to be the boarding phase, the communication terminal transmits the number, name, or symbol of the vehicle based on the signal received from the boarding entrance short-range wireless communication unit. a vehicle information display section that enables display on the screen of the vehicle;
When the display is performed, when the passenger touches or holds the communication terminal over the boarding entrance short-range wireless communication unit, the communication terminal receives a message from the boarding entrance near field communication unit. a boarding completion determination unit that determines that the passenger has completed boarding the vehicle based on the signal;
including;
The management server is a vehicle operation management system that manages the operation of the vehicle using the communication device based on the determination result that the boarding has been completed . The communication terminal and/or the management server further include:
a stop identification unit that identifies a boarding stop where the passenger got on the vehicle and an alighting stop where the passenger got off the vehicle;
When the passenger gets into or exits the vehicle, when the passenger touches or holds the communication terminal over the corresponding short-range wireless communication section, a flat- rate usage fee for the vehicle is charged. or allow the passenger to touch the corresponding short-range wireless communication section with the communication terminal when the passenger gets on the vehicle and when the passenger gets off the vehicle. or an electronic payment that, when held over, enables electronic payment of a pay-as-you-go fee calculated based on the distance traveled by the vehicle, which is calculated using the pick-up stops and the drop-off stops; Department and
The vehicle operation management system according to claim 1, comprising: A program for causing a computer to function as the communication terminal according to claim 1 or 2. A program for causing a computer to function as the behavior phase estimation section , vehicle information display section, and riding completion determination section according to claim 1 or 2. A recording medium on which the program according to claim 3 or 4 is recorded in a computer-readable manner.

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