WO2022091859A1

WO2022091859A1 - Vehicle dispatch system, vehicle dispatch method, and program

Info

Publication number: WO2022091859A1
Application number: PCT/JP2021/038545
Authority: WO
Inventors: 一晃高橋; 文義山浦; 眞実川崎
Original assignee: ソニーグループ株式会社
Priority date: 2020-11-02
Filing date: 2021-10-19
Publication date: 2022-05-05
Also published as: JPWO2022091859A1

Abstract

The present technology relates to a vehicle dispatch system, a vehicle dispatch method, and a program that enable a user to easily identify the vehicle dispatched in response to their request. The present invention comprises a plurality of mobile vehicles having a display unit, a vehicle dispatch management device that manages the dispatch of the mobile vehicles, and a terminal device that makes a request to the vehicle dispatch management device for the dispatch of a mobile vehicle. A mark held as information by the terminal device that has made the request is displayed on the display unit of the mobile vehicle that has accepted the request.

Description

Vehicle allocation system, vehicle allocation method, and program

The present technology relates to a vehicle allocation system, a vehicle allocation method, and a program, and in particular, a vehicle allocation system, a vehicle allocation method, and a program that enable a user to easily identify a vehicle allocated in response to his / her request.

Patent Document 1 discloses a system that projects an image according to a position on a window glass of an automobile.

U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2019/098268

The user who requested the dispatch of a taxi or the like cannot identify the vehicle dispatched in response to his / her request only by the appearance, so it was necessary to confirm with the driver, which was troublesome.

This technology was made in view of such a situation, and enables the user to easily identify the vehicle dispatched in response to his / her request.

The vehicle allocation system on the first aspect of the present technology includes a plurality of mobile devices having a display unit, a vehicle allocation management device that manages vehicle allocation of the mobile device, and a terminal device that requests vehicle allocation to the vehicle allocation management device. This is a vehicle allocation system having a processing unit for displaying a mark held as information by the terminal device that has made the request on the display unit of the mobile device that has accepted the request.

The vehicle allocation method on the first aspect of the present technology includes a plurality of mobile devices having a display unit, a vehicle allocation management device that manages vehicle allocation of the mobile device, and a terminal device that requests vehicle allocation to the vehicle allocation management device. This is a vehicle allocation method in which the processing unit of the vehicle allocation system including the processing unit displays a mark held as information by the terminal device that has made the request on the display unit of the mobile device that has accepted the request.

In the vehicle allocation system and vehicle allocation method of the first aspect of the present technology, a plurality of mobile devices having a display unit, a vehicle allocation management device for managing the vehicle allocation of the mobile device, and a terminal for requesting the vehicle allocation to the vehicle allocation management device. A mark which is composed of the device and which the terminal device that has made the request has as information is displayed on the display unit of the mobile device that has accepted the request.

The vehicle allocation system on the second aspect of the present technology is a plurality of mobile devices, a vehicle allocation management device for managing the vehicle allocation of the mobile device, and a terminal device for requesting the vehicle allocation to the vehicle allocation management device, and is a photographing unit and a display. When the photographed image taken by the photographing unit of the terminal device that has made the request includes the image of the moving device that has accepted the request, the photographed image is predetermined. It is a vehicle allocation system having a processing unit for displaying an output image obtained by synthesizing the images of the above on the display unit of the terminal device.

In the vehicle allocation system on the second aspect of the present technology, there are a plurality of mobile devices, a vehicle allocation management device for managing the vehicle allocation of the mobile device, and a terminal device for requesting the vehicle allocation to the vehicle allocation management device. When the photographed image taken by the photographing unit of the terminal device that has made the request includes the image of the moving device that has accepted the request, the photographed image is composed of a terminal device having a display unit. An output image obtained by synthesizing a predetermined image is displayed on the display unit of the terminal device.

The program of the third aspect of the present technology functions as a processing unit for displaying a mark of a computer as information on a terminal device that has requested a vehicle allocation management device to be dispatched on the display unit of a mobile device that has accepted the request. It is a program to make it.

In the program of the third aspect of the present technology, a mark held as information by the terminal device that has requested the vehicle allocation management device to dispatch the vehicle is displayed on the display unit of the mobile device that has accepted the request.

It is a block diagram which showed the structural example of the 1st Embodiment of the taxi dispatch system to which this technique is applied. It is a figure explaining the basic vehicle dispatch process from a vehicle dispatch request to boarding in the taxi dispatch system of FIG. 1. It is a figure explaining the actual vehicle dispatch process in the taxi dispatch system of FIG. It is a top view of a taxi exemplifying the arrangement of a rear transmissive screen and a projector. It is a sequence diagram which showed the flow of the whole vehicle dispatching process of the taxi dispatching system of FIG. It is a figure which illustrated the vehicle dispatch request screen in a user terminal. It is an example figure of the vehicle dispatch standby screen in a user terminal. It is a figure which showed the modification of the vehicle dispatch standby screen in a user terminal. It is a figure exemplifying the arrival notification screen in a user terminal. It is a flowchart which exemplifies the procedure of the process which the user application of a user terminal performs in a vehicle dispatching process. It is a flowchart which exemplifies the procedure of the processing of the vehicle allocation process performed by the vehicle allocation integrated management device. It is a flowchart which exemplifies the procedure of the processing of the vehicle dispatch process performed by the driver application of the terminal device of a taxi. It is a side view of a taxi with a mark displayed. It is a side view of the taxi which the mark is displayed at the position different from FIG. It is a figure explaining the boarding process in the 2nd Embodiment of a taxi dispatch system. It is a block diagram which showed the configuration example of the user terminal in the 2nd Embodiment of a taxi dispatch system. It is a flowchart which exemplifies the procedure of the process of the vehicle dispatch process performed by the user application of a user terminal. It is a figure which exemplifies the output image when the monochromatic image is combined with the image area of the consignment taxi in the photographed image. It is a block diagram which shows the configuration example of the hardware of the computer which executes a series of processing by a program.

Hereinafter, embodiments of this technique will be described with reference to the drawings.

<First embodiment of the taxi dispatch system>
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of a first embodiment of a taxi dispatch system to which the present technology is applied.

In FIG. 1, the taxi dispatch system 1, which is the first embodiment of the taxi dispatch system to which the present technology is applied, gives a taxi as a mobile device to a user based on a dispatch request of a user who is a taxi user. It is a system for dispatching vehicles. In addition, there are cases where the pick-up time is specified and cases where the pick-up time is not specified in the vehicle dispatch request, and the vehicle dispatch request for which the pick-up time is specified is particularly referred to as a vehicle dispatch reservation.

The taxi dispatch system 1 includes a user terminal 11, a taxi 12 (12A, 12B, 12C, 12D), a vehicle allocation management device 13 (13A, 13B, 13C), and a vehicle allocation integrated management device 14.

The managed taxi 12 (the taxi 12 managed by the taxi dispatch system 1) whose taxi dispatch system 1 manages the dispatch may include a vehicle operated by a predetermined taxi company and a vehicle operated by an individual. .. The former is called a company taxi and the latter is called an individual taxi.

In the taxi dispatch system 1 of FIG. 1, the existence of taxi companies of companies A, B, and C is assumed. Company A taxi 12A, company B taxi 12B, and company C taxi 12C represent company taxis operated by company A, company B, and company C, respectively. The private taxi 12D represents a private taxi operated by an individual. However, the number of taxi companies shown in FIG. 1, the number of company taxis operated by each taxi company, and the number of individual taxis are examples, and there is no particular limitation on the number thereof. When company A taxi 12A, company B taxi 12B, and company C taxi 12C are not distinguished, they are simply referred to as company taxi 12, and when company taxi 12 and individual taxi 12D are not distinguished, they are simply referred to as taxi 12. Refer to.

A taxi company may build a company-specific taxi dispatch system that includes a company-specific vehicle allocation management device (including a device that manages operation) for managing the dispatch of its own company taxi. In the taxi dispatch system 1 of FIG. 1, it is assumed that company A, company B, and company C each have a vehicle allocation management device dedicated to the company, and the vehicle

allocation management devices

13A, 13B, and 13C are each company A. , B company, and C company's vehicle allocation management device.

When the vehicle allocation management device 13A of company A, the vehicle allocation management device 13B of company B, and the vehicle allocation management device 13C of company C are not distinguished, they are simply referred to as the vehicle allocation management device 13. A company taxi of a taxi company that does not have a vehicle allocation management device incorporated in the taxi dispatch system 1 is classified as a taxi equivalent to the individual taxi 12D in the taxi dispatch system 1 of FIG.

In the taxi dispatch system 1 of FIG. 1, a taxi dispatch system in which a company-dedicated vehicle allocation management device 13 manages the allocation of a company taxi 12 and other individual taxis 12D is shown. The application of is not limited to this. The present technique can be applied to a taxi dispatch system that manages the dispatch of one or more taxis (not limited to individual taxis) without including the dispatch management device 13 with respect to the taxi dispatch system 1 of FIG. With respect to the taxi dispatch system 1 of FIG. 1, the present technology manages the allocation of taxi to which one or more vehicle allocation management devices 13 manage the allocation and other taxis regardless of whether the taxi is dedicated to the company or not. Can be applied to taxi dispatch systems. In this case, the vehicle allocation management device 13 may be, for example, a vehicle allocation management device that manages taxi allocation by region as well as by company.

In the taxi dispatch system 1 of FIG. 1, when exchanging information between two separated devices, they are connected (communication connection) so as to be able to communicate via a communication network or a communication path of an arbitrary communication standard. And.

Communication networks and channels that connect two separated devices are the Internet, public telephone line network, wide area communication network for mobile communication such as so-called 4G line and 5G line, WAN (WideAreaNetwork), LAN (LocalArea). Network), wireless communication network that communicates in accordance with Bluetooth (registered trademark) standard, short-range wireless communication channel such as NFC (Near Field Communication), infrared communication channel, HDMI (registered trademark) (High-Definition) It may be a communication network for wired communication conforming to standards such as Multimedia Interface) and USB (Universal Serial Bus). In the following, the exchange of information between the two devices will be performed by communication via a predetermined communication network or communication path even if it is not specified.

The user terminal 11 (terminal device) is, for example, an information processing device such as a smartphone or a tablet terminal used by a user who requests the dispatch of a taxi 12. The user terminal 11 is communicatively connected to the vehicle allocation integrated management device 14. The user terminal 11 represents one user terminal used by any one user among a plurality of users who use the taxi dispatch system 1. The term "user" simply means a user who uses the user terminal 11 shown in FIG.

The user application 21, which is an application program for the user, is installed on the user terminal 11. In the following, the term user application 21 refers to a processing unit that executes an application program for a user. The user application 21 may be a case where a predetermined program executed by the vehicle allocation integrated management device 14 is used via an API (Application Programming Interface). For example, the user application 21 may operate the user terminal 11 as a device for inputting / outputting information required by executing a program in the vehicle allocation integrated management device 14 and generated information.

The user application 21 displays various screens such as a vehicle allocation request screen, a vehicle allocation confirmation notification screen, a vehicle allocation standby screen, and an arrival notification screen on the display.

On the vehicle allocation request screen, the user specifies (including input and selection) vehicle allocation request information related to the vehicle allocation request such as the boarding place, destination, and landmark, and makes a vehicle allocation request (vehicle allocation application) with the contents of the specified vehicle allocation request information. It is an operation screen for. Details of the vehicle dispatch request screen will be described later.

The vehicle allocation confirmation notification screen is a screen that notifies the user that the vehicle allocation has been confirmed in response to the user's vehicle allocation request from the vehicle allocation request screen.

The vehicle allocation standby screen is a screen that presents to the user the current location of the taxi 12 to be allocated to the user after the vehicle allocation is confirmed. The taxi 12 dispatched to the user is a taxi 12 that has accepted the user's request for dispatch, and is referred to as an accepted taxi 12-1. Details of the vehicle dispatch standby screen will be described later.

The arrival notification screen is a notification screen that notifies the user that the accepted taxi 12-1 has arrived near the boarding area designated by the user.

The user application 21 (user terminal 11) supplies (transmits) various information to the vehicle allocation integrated management device 14. The information supplied to the vehicle allocation integrated management device 14 includes vehicle allocation request notification notifying that the operation of the vehicle allocation request has been performed by the user, vehicle allocation request information regarding the vehicle allocation request specified by the user, and the current location of the user (user terminal 11). And so on. The current location of the user terminal 11 is detected by, for example, a GPS (Global Positioning System) receiver included in the user terminal 11.

The user application 21 acquires (receives) various information from the vehicle allocation integrated management device 14. The information acquired from the vehicle allocation integrated management device 14 includes vehicle allocation confirmation notification, arrival notification, vehicle dynamic data, and the like.

The vehicle allocation confirmation notification is information that notifies the user that the vehicle allocation has been confirmed. The arrival notification is information for notifying that the acceptance taxi 12-1 has arrived in the vicinity of the boarding place designated by the user. The vehicle dynamic data is information (described later) representing a dynamic log such as the current location and status (operating state) of each taxi 12 managed by the taxi dispatch system 1. However, the vehicle dynamic data acquired by the user application 21 is limited to the vehicle dynamic data acquired from a part of the taxi 12 among the taxi 12 managed by the taxi dispatch system 1, and is included in the vehicle dynamic data. Limited to some information (current location, current status, etc.).

The taxi 12 has an on-board unit 31, a communication unit 32, a terminal device 33, and a projector 34, as illustrated in the taxi 12A of company A in FIG.

The on-board unit 31 (taximeter) includes a vehicle dynamic data acquisition unit 41. The vehicle dynamic data acquisition unit 41 acquires necessary data from a toll meter, a GPS receiver, a gyro sensor, a speed meter, etc. (all not shown), and the dynamic log of the taxi 12 (own vehicle) on which the vehicle is mounted. Generates vehicle dynamics data representing.

The vehicle dynamic data includes various information such as company ID, wireless ID, crew ID, status, status time, fare (fare), current location, traveling speed, direction of travel, boarding location, and destination (disembarking value). included. The company ID represents information that identifies the taxi company to which the own vehicle belongs. The wireless ID represents information for identifying the own vehicle. The crew ID represents information that identifies the driver who is on board the own vehicle.

The status represents the operating status of the own vehicle acquired from the toll meter, and represents the status of any one of "actual vehicle", "empty vehicle", and "reception vehicle". The status time represents the time when the status information is generated (acquired). The fare (fare) represents the fare (fare) obtained in the past from the fare meter and the current fare when the status is "actual vehicle". The current location, traveling speed, and traveling direction represent, for example, the current position (location), traveling speed, and traveling direction of the own vehicle acquired from a GPS receiver, a gyro sensor, a speed meter, or the like. The boarding place represents the position (place) where the current and past passengers boarded the own vehicle. The destination (disembarkation point) represents the position (location) (transportation destination location) where the past passengers disembarked from the own vehicle.

The vehicle dynamic data acquisition unit 41 generates vehicle dynamic data periodically or irregularly, and supplies (transmits) it to the vehicle allocation management device 13 or the vehicle allocation integrated management device 14 via the communication unit 32. When the own vehicle is a company taxi 12, the vehicle dynamic data acquisition unit 41 supplies the vehicle dynamic data to the vehicle allocation management device 13 that manages the own vehicle. The vehicle dynamic data supplied to the vehicle allocation management device 13 is supplied from the vehicle allocation management device 13 to the vehicle allocation integrated management device 14. When the own vehicle is an individual taxi, the vehicle dynamic data acquisition unit 41 supplies the vehicle dynamic data to the vehicle allocation integrated management device 14. When the own vehicle is a company taxi 12, the vehicle dynamic data may be supplied to the vehicle allocation management device 14 not from the vehicle allocation management device 13 but from the vehicle dynamic data acquisition unit 41.

The communication unit 32 controls communication with other devices separated from the vehicle of the taxi 12 equipped with the communication unit 32.

The terminal device 33 is an information processing device such as a smartphone or tablet terminal used by a driver who is on board the own vehicle. The terminal device 33 may be installed in the vehicle, or the vehicle-mounted device 31 may have the function of the terminal device 33. The terminal device 33 is communicated and connected to the vehicle allocation integrated management device 14 and the projector 34. The terminal device 33 and the vehicle allocation integrated management device 14 are communicated and connected without going through the communication unit 32 by the communication function provided in the terminal device 33, but may be connected via the communication unit 32. The terminal device 33 and the projector 34 may be connected by a cable, and the image projected by the projector 34 may be unilaterally transmitted from the terminal device 33 to the projector 34.

When the own vehicle is a

company taxi

12A, 12B, or 12C, the exchange of various information between the terminal device 33 and the vehicle allocation integrated management device 14 is not limited to the case where it is directly performed, and the own vehicle is managed. It may be performed by relaying the vehicle allocation management device 13, or may be performed via the communication unit 32 of the own vehicle.

The driver application 51, which is an application program for the driver, is installed in the terminal device 33. In the following, the term driver application 51 refers to a processing unit that executes an application program for a driver. The driver application 51 may be a case where a predetermined program executed by the vehicle allocation integrated management device 14 is used via the API. For example, the driver application 51 may operate the terminal device 33 as a device for inputting / outputting information required by executing a program in the vehicle allocation integrated management device 14 and generated information.

The driver application 51 displays various screens such as a request acceptance screen and a vehicle allocation confirmation notification screen on the display. The request acceptance screen is an operation screen for presenting the vehicle allocation request information such as the boarding place designated by the user to the driver and performing a specification operation as to whether or not the driver accepts the user's vehicle allocation request. The vehicle allocation confirmation notification screen is a screen for notifying the driver that the vehicle allocation of the own vehicle has been confirmed.

The driver application 51 acquires (receives) various information from the vehicle allocation integrated management device 14. The information acquired from the vehicle allocation integrated management device 14 includes vehicle allocation request notification, vehicle allocation request information, vehicle allocation confirmation notification, and the like. The vehicle dispatch request notification is information for notifying that a vehicle dispatch request has been made. The vehicle allocation request information is information regarding a vehicle allocation request such as a boarding place designated by the user. The vehicle allocation confirmation notification is information for notifying the user of the own vehicle that the vehicle allocation has been confirmed.

The driver application 51 supplies (transmits) various information such as a request acceptance notification to the vehicle allocation integrated management device 14. The request acceptance notification is information for notifying that the driver has accepted the vehicle allocation request.

The driver application 51 supplies an image (projected image) to be projected on the rear transmission screen to the projector 34. The projected image includes an image of a mark designated by the user as vehicle allocation request information.

The projector 34 projects an image (hereinafter referred to as a projected image) from the back side with respect to the rear transmissive screen. That is, rear projection is adopted as a projection method using the projector 34. As the rear transmissive screen, for example, a rear transmissive film attached to a vehicle window portion such as a front door glass or a rear door glass of a taxi 12 is used. The projector 34 is installed inside the vehicle and projects a projected image from the inside of the vehicle onto the rear transmissive film. As a result, the vehicle window portion to which the rear transparent film is attached becomes the rear transparent screen, and the projected image projected from the inside of the vehicle on the rear transparent screen is visually displayed to people outside the vehicle (users waiting for dispatch, etc.). To.

The projector 34 is communicated with the terminal device 33. If the projected image can be supplied from the terminal device 33 to the projector 34, the projector 34 and the terminal device 33 may be connected in any form. The projector 34 may be connected to the vehicle allocation integrated management device 14 by communication instead of the terminal device 33, and the projected image may be supplied from the vehicle allocation integrated management device 14. In the present embodiment, the processing related to the display of the projector 34 is mainly performed by the terminal device 33, but the equivalent processing can be performed by the vehicle allocation integrated management device 14.

The projector 34 has an output control unit 61. The output control unit 61 controls the projection of the projected image onto the rear transmission screen.

The output control unit 61 acquires the projected image supplied from the terminal device 33 (driver application 51), and projects the acquired projected image on the rear transmission screen. The output control unit 61 controls the position and size (projection area) of projecting the projected image on the rear transmission screen according to the designation from the driver application 51. When the projection area is not specified, the output control unit 61 projects the projected image on the default projection area.

As the projected image supplied from the driver application 51 to the output control unit 61, specifically, there is an image of a mark designated by the user as vehicle allocation request information. By displaying the image of the mark designated by the user on the rear transparent screen, the user can easily identify the accepted taxi 12-1 dispatched in response to his / her request from the mark. In addition, except for the period during which the mark designated by the user is displayed on the rear projection screen, an arbitrary image such as an advertisement is supplied from the driver application 51 to the output control unit 61 and displayed on the rear transparent screen.

The vehicle allocation management device 13 manages the vehicle allocation of the company taxi 12. The vehicle allocation management device 13 is composed of, for example, a server device (information processing device) having a network connection function. The vehicle allocation management device 13A for company A, the vehicle allocation management device 13B for company B, and the vehicle allocation management device 13C for company C are configured in the same manner, and the vehicle allocation management device 13A for company A is taken as an example. I will explain.

The vehicle allocation management device 13A is communicatively connected to the communication unit 32 and the vehicle allocation integrated management device 14 of the taxi 12A of company A. When the vehicle allocation management device 13A uses the terminal device 33 for vehicle allocation management, or when the vehicle allocation management device 13A relays communication between the terminal device 33 of the taxi 12A of company A and the vehicle allocation integrated management device 14. The vehicle allocation management device 13A is also communicatively connected to the terminal device 33.

The vehicle allocation management device 13A has a vehicle dynamic data management unit 81, an order information management unit 82, and a communication unit 83.

The vehicle dynamic data management unit 81 manages vehicle dynamic data that is periodically or irregularly supplied from the vehicle dynamic data acquisition unit 41 of each company A taxi 12A via the communication unit 32. Specifically, the vehicle dynamic data management unit 81 stores vehicle dynamic data from the vehicle dynamic data acquisition unit 41 of each taxi 12A of company A in an internal storage unit. The vehicle dynamic data management unit 81 updates the vehicle dynamic data in the storage unit using the new vehicle dynamic data each time new vehicle dynamic data is supplied from the vehicle dynamic data acquisition unit 41 of each taxi 12A of company A. Update to data including dynamic logs. The vehicle dynamic data management unit 81 supplies vehicle dynamic data from each company A taxi 12A to the vehicle allocation integrated management device 14 via the communication unit 83.

The vehicle dynamic data management unit 81 can display the vehicle dynamic data of each company A taxi 12A stored in the storage unit on a display (not shown). For example, the operator who manages the operation of the taxi 12A of the company A displays the vehicle dynamic data stored in the storage unit on the display when the company A receives a call for dispatching the vehicle. The operator confirms the current location and current status of each A company taxi 12A, and searches for the A company taxi 12A that can respond to the vehicle allocation request. As a result of the search, the operator makes a vehicle allocation request to the driver of the taxi 12A of company A, which can respond to the vehicle allocation request, by any method such as calling.

The order information management unit 82 manages information on a vehicle allocation reservation, which is a vehicle allocation request from a customer or the like, that is, a vehicle allocation request for which a pick-up time is specified. For example, when the operator of company A receives a call for a vehicle allocation reservation from a customer, the operator receives the vehicle allocation reservation information (vehicle allocation reservation information), for example, the customer name, the pick-up time, the pick-up place (boarding place), the destination, and the like. Information is input from the operation terminal and stored in the order information management unit 82.

The order information management unit 82 urges the operator to make a vehicle allocation request corresponding to the vehicle allocation reservation information by displaying a warning on the display or the like when the predetermined time before the pick-up time in the stored vehicle allocation reservation information is reached. The operator searches for a company A taxi 12A that can handle a vehicle allocation reservation in the same manner as in the case of a vehicle allocation request without a designated pick-up time, and requests the driver to allocate the taxi.

The communication unit 83 controls communication with other devices separated from the vehicle allocation management device 13 equipped with the communication unit 83.

The vehicle allocation management device 13 is not limited to the form shown in FIG. As another form of the vehicle allocation management device 13, the details may be the same as those of the vehicle allocation integrated management device 14 described later. In that case, for example, the vehicle allocation management device 13 of company A can accept a vehicle allocation request from the user terminal 11 to company A regardless of the operator. The vehicle allocation management device 13A of company A searches for a taxi 12A of company A that can respond to a vehicle allocation request based on the vehicle dynamic data of each taxi 12A of company A. As a result of the search, the vehicle allocation management device 13 of the company A notifies the terminal device 33 of the taxi 12A of the company A that matches the vehicle allocation request of the vehicle allocation request, confirms that the driver has accepted the vehicle allocation request, and confirms the vehicle allocation.

As yet another form of the vehicle allocation management device 13, when a vehicle allocation request is received from a telephone or a user terminal 11, the received vehicle allocation request may be made from the vehicle allocation management device 13 to the vehicle allocation integrated management device 14. good. In this case, the vehicle allocation integrated management device 14 handles the vehicle allocation request from the vehicle allocation management device 13 in the same manner as the vehicle allocation request from the user terminal 11.

The vehicle allocation management device 13 is not limited to a specific form, but for simplification of the explanation, the vehicle allocation management device 13 relays the vehicle dynamic data of each company taxi 12 from each company taxi 12 to the vehicle allocation integrated management device 14. It is supposed to have only the action to do. Regardless of whether the taxi 12 is a company taxi 12, the vehicle dynamic data of each taxi 12 is supplied to the vehicle allocation management device 14 from each taxi 12 without clearly indicating the existence of the vehicle allocation management device 13. I will do it.

The vehicle allocation integrated management device 14 is a vehicle allocation management device that manages the allocation of all taxis 12 of company A taxi 12A, company B taxi 12B, company C taxi 12C, and individual taxi 12D. The vehicle allocation integrated management device 14 is composed of, for example, a server device (information processing device) having a network connection function. The vehicle allocation integrated management device 14 is communicated and connected to the user terminal 11, the terminal device 33 of the taxi 12, and the vehicle allocation management device 13 (communication unit 32), respectively.

The vehicle allocation integrated management device 14 has a vehicle dynamic data management unit 101, a customer data management unit 102, an order information management unit 103, a vehicle allocation management unit 104, an optimum vehicle search unit 105, and a communication unit 106.

The vehicle dynamic data management unit 101 manages the vehicle dynamic data of each taxi 12. The vehicle dynamic data of each taxi 12 is periodically or irregularly supplied from the vehicle dynamic data acquisition unit 41 of each taxi 12 to the vehicle dynamic data management unit 101 via the communication unit 32.

The vehicle dynamic data management unit 101 stores the vehicle dynamic data of each taxi 12 supplied from each taxi 12 in an internal storage unit. Each time new vehicle dynamic data is supplied, the vehicle dynamic data management unit 101 updates the vehicle dynamic data in the storage unit with data including the latest dynamic log using the new vehicle dynamic data. The vehicle dynamic data of each taxi 12 stored in the storage unit may be displayed on a display (not shown).

The customer data management unit 102 generates customer data based on the data input by the operator or the data supplied from the user terminal 11, and stores it in the internal storage unit. The customer data management unit 102, for example, provides information such as a customer's name, a taxi company that the customer likes, a taxi company that wants to preferentially dispatch a taxi, a frequently used taxi stand, and an average waiting time for picking up as customer data. , Stored in association with user identification information (customer ID) that identifies the customer. The customer data may be data input by the user on the user terminal 11, or may be data generated by the customer data management unit 102 based on the user's boarding history or the like.

The order information management unit 103 manages information on a vehicle allocation request from a customer or the like in advance, that is, a vehicle allocation reservation for which a pick-up time is specified. The order information management unit 103 manages information on vehicle allocation reservations received at the representative reservation center that controls each taxi company or the user terminal 11.

The order information management unit 103 stores the vehicle allocation reservation information related to the vehicle allocation reservation. When the vehicle allocation reservation is accepted by telephone at the reservation center or the like, the operator inputs the vehicle allocation reservation information from the operation terminal and stores it in the order information management unit 103. In the case of a vehicle allocation reservation from the user application 21 of the user terminal 11, that is, when the vehicle allocation request information for which the pick-up time is specified is supplied from the user application 21, the order information management unit 103 uses the vehicle allocation request information as the vehicle allocation reservation information. Remember as. The vehicle allocation reservation information includes information on the vehicle allocation time (reservation time) in addition to information such as a boarding place, a destination, and a mark, which are the same as the vehicle allocation request information in which the pick-up time is not specified.

The order information management unit 103 supplies the vehicle allocation request notification and the vehicle allocation request information to the vehicle allocation management unit 104 based on the vehicle allocation reservation information at a predetermined time before the pick-up time in the stored vehicle allocation reservation information. As a result, even in the case of a vehicle allocation reservation, the vehicle allocation request without specifying the pick-up time is processed in the same manner. In the following, for the sake of simplification of the explanation, the explanation of the case of the vehicle allocation reservation will be omitted.

The vehicle allocation management unit 104 manages the allocation of taxis 12 to be managed based on the vehicle allocation request information and the like. For example, when the vehicle allocation request operation is performed on the user terminal 11, the vehicle allocation management unit 104 acquires the vehicle allocation request notification and the vehicle allocation request information supplied from the user terminal 11 (user application 21) via the communication unit 106. The vehicle allocation management unit 104 optimally selects the taxi 12 (optimal vehicle) that is most suitable for dispatching to the boarding place as the taxi 12 that can handle the taxi dispatching to the boarding place (the boarding place specified by the user) included in the vehicle dispatch request information. Obtained from the vehicle finder 105. The vehicle allocation management unit 104 supplies the vehicle allocation request notification and the vehicle allocation request information to the terminal device 33 (driver application 51) of the optimum vehicle acquired from the optimum vehicle search unit 105 via the communication unit 106. The vehicle allocation request information supplied to the terminal device 33 by the vehicle allocation management unit 104 may be some information required by the driver among the information included in the vehicle allocation request information acquired from the user terminal 11, or all of the information. It may be information.

When the driver accepts the vehicle allocation request at the terminal device 33 of the optimum vehicle to which the vehicle allocation management unit 104 has supplied the vehicle allocation request notification and the vehicle allocation request information, the vehicle allocation management unit 104 receives the request acceptance notification supplied from the terminal device 33 of the optimum vehicle. Acquired via the communication unit 106. When the request acceptance notification is obtained, the vehicle allocation management unit 104 confirms (confirms the vehicle allocation) as an acceptance taxi 12-1 that allocates the optimum vehicle acquired from the optimum vehicle search unit 105 to the user. When the vehicle allocation is confirmed, the vehicle allocation management unit 104 supplies the vehicle allocation confirmation notification to the user terminal 11 and the terminal device 33 of the acceptance taxi 12-1 via the communication unit 106.

In addition, there is a case where a request refusal notification for rejecting a vehicle allocation request is obtained from the terminal device 33 of the optimum vehicle that has supplied the vehicle allocation request notification and the vehicle allocation request information. In that case, the vehicle allocation management unit 104 acquires a vehicle suitable for vehicle allocation to the user next to the optimum vehicle for which the vehicle allocation request is rejected as the optimum vehicle from the optimum vehicle search unit 105, and from the terminal device 33 of the optimum vehicle. The same process is repeated until the request acceptance notification is obtained.

The optimum vehicle search unit 105 searches (detects) the most suitable taxi 12 (most optimal vehicle) for dispatching to the boarding place designated by the user, based on the vehicle dynamic data of each taxi 12 of the vehicle dynamic data management unit 101. )do. For example, the optimum vehicle search unit 105 searches for the taxi 12 that can arrive at the boarding place earliest as the optimum vehicle. When the vehicle allocation management unit 104 instructs the optimum vehicle search unit 105 to search for the optimum vehicle, the optimum vehicle search unit 105 searches for the optimum vehicle to the boarding place designated by the user and supplies the search result to the vehicle allocation management unit 104. The optimum vehicle search unit 105 may search for a vehicle that can respond to a vehicle allocation request instead of the optimum vehicle.

The communication unit 106 controls communication with other devices separated from the vehicle allocation integrated management device 14.

<Overview of the taxi dispatch system 1 dispatch process>
FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a basic vehicle allocation process from a vehicle allocation request to boarding in the taxi allocation system 1 of FIG. 1.

In FIG. 2, steps S11 to S13 represent a vehicle allocation request process, a vehicle allocation standby process, and a boarding process, respectively. The vehicle allocation request process represents a process in which the user application 21 of the user terminal 11 requests the vehicle allocation of the taxi 12. The vehicle allocation standby process represents a process in which the user 201 is waiting for vehicle allocation (pick-up) after the vehicle allocation is confirmed. The boarding process represents a process from the arrival of the accepted taxi 12-1 that has accepted the vehicle allocation request to the vicinity of the boarding area to the boarding of the accepted taxi 12-1 by the user 201.

In the vehicle allocation request process in step S11 of FIG. 2, the hand 201A of the user 201 who requests the vehicle allocation of the taxi 12 and the user terminal 11 (for example, a smartphone) held by the hand 201A are shown. In the vehicle allocation request step of step S11, the user 201 activates the user application 21 of the user terminal 11 and causes the display 151 of the user terminal 11 to display the vehicle allocation request screen. The details of the vehicle allocation request screen will be described later.

The user 201 dispatches the user identification information (name, customer ID, etc.) that identifies the user 201, the boarding place where he / she wants to get on, the destination where he / she wants to get off, the payment method of the fee, etc. by a predetermined operation on the vehicle allocation request screen. Specify the vehicle allocation request information related to the request. After designating the vehicle allocation request information, the user 201 performs a vehicle allocation request operation for notifying the vehicle allocation integrated management device 14 of the vehicle allocation request with the contents of the designated vehicle allocation request information. As a result, the taxi 12 dispatch request is received by the vehicle dispatch integrated management device 14. After the vehicle allocation request is received by the vehicle allocation integrated management device 14, when the vehicle allocation request is accepted and the vehicle allocation is confirmed (the accepted taxi 12-1 to be distributed to the user is confirmed), the vehicle allocation is confirmed on the display 151 of the user terminal 11. A message to that effect is displayed, and the process proceeds to the vehicle allocation standby process in step S12.

The display 151 of the user terminal 11 is shown in the vehicle allocation standby process in step S12 of FIG. In the vehicle allocation standby process in step S12, the vehicle allocation standby screen is displayed on the display 151 of the user terminal 11. On the vehicle allocation standby screen, a map around the boarding area designated by the user 201 as one of the vehicle allocation request information is displayed. On the map, a boarding place mark 172 indicating the boarding place designated by the user, a taxi mark 173C indicating the current location of the accepted taxi 12-1 that has accepted the vehicle allocation request, and the like are displayed. The details of the vehicle dispatch standby screen will be described later.

From this vehicle allocation standby screen, the user 201 can predict the waiting time until the accepted taxi 12-1 arrives at the boarding place. When the acceptance taxi 12-1 arrives near the boarding place, the process shifts to the boarding process of step S13.

In the boarding process of step S13 in FIG. 2, the user 201 waiting in the vicinity of the boarding place and the accepted taxi 12-1 arriving in the vicinity of the boarding place are shown.

In the boarding process of step S13, the user 201 visually identifies and boardes the accepted taxi 12-1. The taxi 12 managed by the taxi dispatch system 1 has, for example, a sticker showing a service name, a company name, a logo, a mark, etc. unique to the taxi dispatch system 1 attached, or an indicator light or the like is installed. User 201 finds the accepted taxi 12-1 by displaying a sticker or the like. The user 201 conveys the user identification information (name, etc.) to the driver of the acceptance taxi 12-1, confirms that the taxi is the acceptance taxi 12-1, and gets on the taxi.

In the basic vehicle allocation process of FIG. 2 above, the taxi 12 that arrives near the boarding area designated by the user 201 and stops in the boarding process of step S13 is the taxi 12 that has accepted the vehicle allocation request of another person. there is a possibility. That is, when a plurality of users request the vehicle to be dispatched to a boarding place close to each other at a close time, or when considering that such a situation may occur, the user who requested the vehicle dispatch arrives near the boarding place. It cannot be determined from the appearance alone that the taxi 12 is an accepted taxi 12-1 that has accepted its own dispatch request. When a plurality of taxis 12 are stopped in the vicinity of the boarding place, it is not possible to specify which taxi 12 is the accepted taxi 12-1 that has accepted its own dispatch request only by the appearance.

Therefore, for the taxi 12 stopped near the boarding place, it is not possible to be sure that the taxi 12 is an accepted taxi 12-1 in which a plurality of users try to get on the taxi and the users are confused, or the taxi 12-1 accepts their own dispatch request. There is a problem that the user is confused.

Therefore, in the taxi dispatch system 1 of FIG. 1, the user can easily identify the accepted taxi 12-1 that has accepted his / her own dispatch request by the appearance.

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an actual vehicle allocation process in the taxi dispatch system 1 of FIG. In the drawings, the same parts as those in FIG. 2 are designated by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof will be omitted. In FIG. 3, as in FIG. 2, the vehicle allocation request process is represented as step S11, the vehicle allocation standby process is represented as step S12, and the boarding process is represented as step S13.

In the vehicle allocation request process in step S11 of FIG. 3, the user 201 activates the user application 21 of the user terminal 11 and displays the vehicle allocation request screen on the display 151 of the user terminal 11. The user 201 specifies the arrangement request information such as the user identification information, the boarding place, the destination, and the payment method of the fare by a predetermined operation on the vehicle allocation request screen, as in the case of step S11 of FIG. On the other hand, unlike step S11 of FIG. 2, in step S11 of FIG. 3, the user 201 designates (sets) the mark 221 as one of the vehicle allocation request information. The mark 221 is selected by the user from, for example, a large number of types of icons (mark icons).

Since the vehicle allocation standby process in step S12 of FIG. 3 is the same as that of FIG. 2, the description thereof will be omitted.

In the boarding process of step S13 of FIG. 3, the user 201 determines from the appearance that the taxi 12 arriving near the boarding place designated by the user is the accepted taxi 12-1 that has accepted his / her dispatch request. do. That is, when the accepting taxi 12-1 that has accepted the vehicle allocation request of the user 201 arrives near the boarding place, the vehicle allocation request of step S11 is made on the rear door glass of the accepted taxi 12-1, for example, on the sidewalk side (left side of the vehicle). The mark 221 set by the user 201 in the process is displayed. A rear transmissive film is attached to the car window portion such as the rear door glass to form a rear transmissive screen. The image of the mark 221 is projected on the rear door glass, which is the rear transmissive screen, by the projector 34 (see FIG. 1) in the vehicle.

The user 201 can easily identify the accepted taxi 12-1 that has accepted his / her dispatch request by finding the vehicle displaying the mark 221 set by the user 201 in step S11. When the user 201 specifies the accepted taxi 12-1, the user identifies the user identification information such as the name to the driver of the accepted taxi 12-1, confirms that the taxi is the accepted taxi 12-1, and gets on the taxi. do.

According to the vehicle allocation process of FIG. 3 above, the user 201 is an accepted taxi 12-1 in which the taxi 12 arriving near the boarding area designated by the user 201 has accepted his / her vehicle allocation request in the boarding process of step S13. It can be easily identified by the mark 221. That is, even when a plurality of users request the vehicle to be dispatched to a boarding place close to each other at a close time, or even when considering that such a situation may occur, the user 201 is located near the boarding place. Whether or not the stopped taxi 12 is an accepted taxi 12-1 that has accepted its own dispatch request can be determined only by its appearance. Therefore, for the taxi 12 stopped near the boarding place, the user cannot be sure that the taxi 12 is a taxi 12 in which a plurality of users try to get on the taxi and the users are confused, or the taxi 12 accepts their own dispatch request. Problems such as confusion are resolved.

FIG. 4 is a plan view of the taxi 12 illustrating the arrangement of the rear transmissive screen and the projector.

In the taxi 12 of FIG. 4, the rear transparent screen 241 represents a portion to which the rear transparent film of the front door glass on the left side of the vehicle is attached. The rear transmission screen 242 represents a portion of the rear door glass on the left side of the vehicle to which the rear transmission film is attached. The projector 34 of each taxi 12 in FIG. 1 is installed, for example, on the upper portion or the ceiling portion of the C pillar on the left side of the vehicle. The projector 34 projects a projected image such as the mark 221 of FIG. 3 on the rear transmissive screen 241 and the rear transmissive screen 242 from the back side. By switching the projection area, the projector 34 can project a projected image onto an area covering either or both of the rear transmission screen 241 and the rear transmission screen 241.

Not limited to the case of FIG. 4, any one of the front door glass on the left and right sides of the taxi 12, the rear door glass on the left and right sides, the windshield, the back door glass, and the quarter glass on both the left and right sides is one of the car window parts. It may be the case that more than one place is used as a rear transmission screen. When a plurality of vehicle window portions are used as rear transmissive screens, one projector may project a projected image onto the rear transmissive screens at a plurality of locations, or the rear transmissive screen may be used at one location. On the other hand, one projector may project a projected image.

In the present embodiment, a rear transmissive screen and a projector are used as a display device that displays an image such as a mark so that a user or the like outside the vehicle can see it, that is, a display device that displays an image toward a person outside the vehicle. Although the display device to be used is illustrated, the display device is not limited to this. For example, a transparent display incorporated in the vehicle window portion of the taxi 12 may be used as a display device. By using a thin transparent display or a flexible display as the display device, the display device may be arranged not only in the vehicle window portion but also in any portion outside the vehicle including the body portion outside the vehicle. That is, the display device may be any one that displays an image so that a user or the like outside the vehicle can see it, and is not limited to a specific form, and the portion to be arranged is not limited to the specific portion.

<Overall flow of taxi dispatch system>
FIG. 5 is a sequence diagram showing the flow of the entire vehicle allocation process of the taxi dispatch system 1 of FIG.

FIG. 5 shows processing and information exchange between a predetermined user terminal 11 that makes a vehicle allocation request, a vehicle allocation integrated management device 14, and a predetermined taxi 12 (accepted taxi 12-1) that accepts a vehicle allocation request. It is shown. The processing on the user terminal 11 represents the processing of the user application 21 and the user's operation on the user terminal 11 (user application 21). The processing in the taxi 12 represents the processing of the driver application 51 of the terminal device 33 of the taxi 12 and the operation of the driver for the terminal device 33 (driver application 51). It is assumed that the vehicle allocation integrated management device 14 regularly or irregularly acquires vehicle dynamic data such as the current location and status of the taxi 12 managed by the taxi allocation system 1.

In step S21, the user activates the user application 21 of the user terminal 11 to display the vehicle allocation request screen on the display. The user specifies (inputs) the vehicle allocation request information such as the user identification information (name, customer ID, etc.), boarding place, destination, mark, etc. by a predetermined operation on the vehicle allocation request screen, and allocates the vehicle to the vehicle allocation integrated management device 14. Perform a vehicle allocation request operation to instruct notification of the request (vehicle allocation application).

In step S22, the user terminal 11 supplies the vehicle allocation request notification for notifying the vehicle allocation request and the vehicle allocation request information specified in step S21 to the vehicle allocation integrated management device 14 in response to the vehicle allocation request operation in step S21. Send. It should be noted that the vehicle allocation request notification and the vehicle allocation request information are not limited to the simultaneous supply to the vehicle allocation integrated management device 14.

In step S41, the vehicle allocation integrated management device 14 acquires (receives) the vehicle allocation request notification and the vehicle allocation request information supplied from the user terminal 11 in step S22.

In step S42, the vehicle allocation integrated management device 14 detects (searches) the most suitable taxi 12 for dispatching to the boarding place included in the vehicle dispatch request information acquired in step S41, that is, the boarding place designated by the user in step S21. do. In detecting the optimum taxi 12, the vehicle allocation integrated management device 14 refers to the current location, the current status, and the like included in the vehicle dynamic data acquired from each taxi 12 on a regular or irregular basis.

In step S43, the vehicle allocation integrated management device 14 supplies (transmits) the vehicle allocation request notification for notifying the taxi 12 (terminal device 33) detected in step S42 of the vehicle allocation request and the vehicle allocation request information acquired in step S41. )do.

In step S61, when the taxi 12 (terminal device 33) corresponds to the optimum taxi 12 detected in step S42, the taxi 12 (terminal device 33) acquires the vehicle allocation request notification and the vehicle allocation request information supplied from the vehicle allocation integrated management device 14 in step S43. (Receive).

In step S62, the driver of the taxi 12 performs a request acceptance operation for accepting the vehicle allocation request on the request acceptance screen displayed on the terminal device 33 in response to the vehicle allocation request notification acquired in step S61. In addition, the content of the vehicle allocation request information such as the boarding place is also displayed on the request acceptance screen. The driver can reject the vehicle dispatch request, but omits the case where the vehicle dispatch request is rejected.

In step S63, the taxi 12 (terminal device 33) supplies (transmits) a request acceptance notification for notifying the acceptance of the vehicle allocation request to the vehicle allocation integrated management device 14 in response to the request acceptance operation in step S62.

In step S44, the vehicle allocation integrated management device 14 acquires (receives) the request acceptance notification supplied from the taxi 12 (terminal device 33) in step S63.

In step S45, when the vehicle allocation integrated management device 14 obtains the request acceptance notification from the taxi 12 detected in step S42, the taxi 12 is regarded as the accepted taxi 12-1 that has accepted the vehicle allocation request, and the vehicle allocation to the user is confirmed.

In step S46, the vehicle allocation integrated management device 14 supplies (transmits) a vehicle allocation confirmation notification to the user terminal 11 to notify that the vehicle allocation has been confirmed.

In step S47, the vehicle allocation integrated management device 14 supplies (transmits) a vehicle allocation confirmation notification to the acceptance taxi 12-1 (terminal device 33) notifying that the vehicle allocation to the user is confirmed.

In step S23, the user terminal 11 (user application 21) acquires (receives) the vehicle allocation confirmation notification supplied from the vehicle allocation integrated management device 14 in step S46.

In step S24, the user terminal 11 (user application 21) performs a vehicle allocation confirmation display (display of a vehicle allocation confirmation screen) to notify the user that the vehicle allocation has been confirmed in response to the vehicle allocation confirmation notification in step S23.

In step S64, the acceptance taxi 12-1 (terminal device 33) acquires (receives) the vehicle allocation confirmation notification supplied from the vehicle allocation integrated management device 14 in step S47.

In step S65, the acceptance taxi 12-1 (terminal device 33) displays a mark included in the vehicle allocation request information acquired in step S61, that is, a mark set by the user in step S21. Specifically, the terminal device 33 supplies the image of the mark included in the vehicle allocation request information acquired in step S61 to the projector 34, and is designated by the user on the rear transparent screen which is the vehicle window portion of the acceptance taxi 12-1. Display the image of the landmark.

Note that the display of the mark in step S65 does not have to be immediately after the terminal device 33 acquires the vehicle allocation confirmation notification in step S64. For example, when the distance between the terminal device 33 or the acceptance taxi 12-1 and the user (user terminal 11) is less than a predetermined distance (or less), the user can visually recognize the image of the mark displayed on the rear transparent screen. It may be done after it becomes. This case will be described later.

In step S48, when the accepted taxi 12-1 arrives near the boarding place designated by the user, the vehicle allocation integrated management device 14 detects that the accepted taxi 12-1 has arrived at the boarding place (near the boarding place). do. The vicinity of the boarding place means a range of a predetermined distance or less with respect to the boarding place. The vehicle allocation integrated management device 14 tracks the current location of the accepted taxi 12-1 based on the vehicle dynamic data supplied from each taxi 12 on a regular or irregular basis, and continues the distance from the boarding location specified by the user. Is detected.

In step S49, the vehicle allocation integrated management device 14 supplies the user terminal 11 (user application 21) with an arrival notification notifying that the acceptance taxi 12-1 has arrived near the boarding place in response to the detection in step S48 (user application 21). Send.

In step S25, the user terminal 11 (user application 21) acquires (receives) the arrival notification supplied from the vehicle allocation integrated management device 14 in step S49.

In step S26, the user terminal 11 (user application 21) displays the arrival when the arrival notification is acquired in step S25. That is, the user terminal 11 (user application 21) displays on the display an arrival notification screen notifying the user that the acceptance taxi 12-1 has arrived at the boarding place (near the boarding place). A notification sound may be generated from the speaker of the user terminal 11 to notify that the acceptance taxi 12-1 has arrived at the boarding place, or the user terminal 11 may be vibrated by the actuator of the user terminal 11. ..

In step S27, the user identifies the accepted taxi 12-1 displaying the mark set by himself / herself in the vicinity of the boarding place and gets on the accepted taxi 12-1.

<Processing of vehicle allocation process of user terminal 11 (user application 21)>
The processing of the vehicle allocation process on the user terminal 11 (user application 21) will be described in detail. Hereinafter, the processing of the vehicle allocation process on the user terminal 11 will be described in order by dividing it into a vehicle allocation request process in step S11 of FIG. 3, a request acceptance process in step S12, and a boarding process in step S13.

In the vehicle allocation request process in step S11 of FIG. 3, the user application 21 of the user terminal 11 displays the vehicle allocation request screen on the display 151.

FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a vehicle allocation request screen on the user terminal 11.

FIG. 6 shows the display 151 of the user terminal 11, and the display 151 shows the vehicle allocation request screen 152. The vehicle allocation request screen 152 includes an operation status display unit 161, a vehicle allocation request operation unit 162, a boarding place input unit 163, a destination input unit 164, a mark setting unit 165, and a payment setting unit 166.

The operation status display unit 161 displays the operation status of the taxi 12 existing around the current location of the user terminal 11.

The operation status display unit 161 displays a map around the current location of the user terminal 11. The range of the map displayed on the operation status display unit 161 can be changed by a user scrolling operation or an enlargement / reduction operation.

On the map, an empty taxi mark 173A and an actual vehicle / pick-up taxi mark 173B indicating the current location and current status of the taxi 12 existing within the display range of the map are displayed. The empty taxi mark 173A represents the current location of the taxi 12 whose status is "empty". The actual vehicle / pick-up taxi mark 173B indicates the current location of the status of "actual vehicle" or "pick-up". For example, the color or pattern of the display is different between the empty taxi mark 173A and the actual vehicle / pick-up taxi mark 173B.

On the map, the current location mark 171 indicating the current location of the user terminal 11 (user) and the boarding location mark 172 indicating the boarding location input to the boarding location input unit 163 are displayed.

The user application 21 acquires its own current location by, for example, the GPS receiver of the user terminal 11. The user application 21 supplies the acquired current location to the vehicle allocation integrated management device 14, and acquires a map around the current location to be displayed on the operation status display unit 161 from the vehicle allocation integrated management device 14. The user application 21 displays the current location mark 171 at a position on the map corresponding to the current location of the user terminal 11 acquired by the GPS receiver. The user application 21 displays the boarding place mark 172 at a position on the map corresponding to the boarding place input to the boarding place input unit 163.

The user application 21 continuously acquires the vehicle dynamic data (current location and current status of the taxi) of the taxi 12 existing within the range of the map from the vehicle allocation integrated management device 14, and is vacant based on the acquired vehicle dynamic data. The taxi mark 173A and the actual vehicle / pick-up taxi mark 173B are displayed on the map. The image displayed as the operation status display unit 161 may be generated by the vehicle allocation integrated management device 14. In that case, the user application 21 acquires and displays the image of the operation status display unit 161 generated by the vehicle allocation integrated management device 14.

The vehicle allocation request operation unit 162 accepts an operation (vehicle allocation request operation) of a user instructing notification of a vehicle allocation request to the vehicle allocation integrated management device 14.

The operation bar 162A is displayed on the vehicle allocation request operation unit 162. When the operation bar 162A is slid to the right by the user, the user application 21 supplies (transmits) a vehicle allocation request notification to the vehicle allocation integrated management device 14. The vehicle allocation request notification notifies the vehicle allocation integrated management device 14 that the user has formally requested the taxi allocation.

The user application 21 supplies (transmits) the vehicle allocation request information related to the vehicle allocation request to the vehicle allocation integrated management device 14 together with the vehicle allocation request notification. The vehicle allocation request information includes the boarding place, destination, mark, and payment method specified by the user in the following boarding place input unit 163, destination input unit 164, mark setting unit 165, and payment setting unit 166. ..

The vehicle allocation request information may be supplied to the vehicle allocation integrated management device 14 at a timing different from that of the vehicle allocation request notification. The vehicle allocation request information regarding the vehicle allocation request supplied from the user application 21 to the vehicle allocation integrated management device 14 may include information other than the information specified on the vehicle allocation request screen 152 of FIG. The vehicle allocation request information may include, for example, user identification information (name, etc.) that identifies the user. The user identification information may be, for example, a case where the user inputs a name on a screen (not shown), or is registered in advance in the vehicle allocation integrated management device 14 in order to use the service of the taxi dispatch system 1. It may be the case of inputting an account (customer ID). In particular, when an account is input, the vehicle allocation integrated management device 14 is stored as customer data by associating the customer data registered in advance in the vehicle allocation integrated management device 14 (customer data management unit 102) with the account. The information provided can be used as vehicle allocation request information.

The boarding place input unit 163 is selected when the user inputs a desired boarding place as a position (place) to board the taxi 12. When the boarding place input unit 163 is selected by the user's selection operation (touch operation or the like), the user can input the boarding place. The boarding place (address) input by the user is displayed in the boarding place input unit 163.

The boarding place input unit 163 may be blank until the user inputs it, or as a default state, the current location of the user terminal 11 acquired by the GPS receiver may be input. The address of the position designated on the map may be input to the boarding place input unit 163 by a user's designated operation or the like.

The destination input unit 164 is selected when the user inputs a desired destination as a destination (transportation destination). When the destination input unit 164 is selected by the user's selection operation, the user can input the destination. The destination (address) entered by the user is displayed in the destination input unit 164. The address of the position designated on the map may be input to the destination input unit 164 by the user's designated operation.

The mark setting unit 165 is selected when setting a mark to be displayed on the rear transparent screen of the taxi 12. When the mark setting unit 165 is selected by the user's selection operation, for example, the mark selection screen 165A of FIG. 6 is displayed on the display 151 of the user terminal 11. On the mark selection screen 165A, a plurality of types of marks that can be set are displayed. On the mark selection screen 165A of FIG. 6, a plurality of types of mark icons are exemplified as settable marks. When any of the marks displayed on the mark selection screen 165A is selected by the user's selection operation, the selected mark is set as the mark desired by the user. However, more types of marks may be configurable and displayed by a user scrolling operation or the like on the mark selection screen 165A. A plurality of landmarks may be selected so that a plurality of landmarks can be set. In this case, a plurality of marks are displayed at different positions of the acceptance taxi 12-1 at the same time. The mark may be set not only as an icon but also as an arbitrary character string (including a symbol) such as a user's name or an arbitrary image stored in a user terminal 11 or the like as a mark. That is, the mark may be an image including any one or more of icons, illustrations, patterns, characters, figures, and symbols.

The payment setting unit 166 is selected when setting the payment method of the charge. When the payment setting unit 166 is selected by the user's selection operation, a plurality of types of payment methods that can be set are displayed on the display 151 of the user terminal 11. When one of the payment methods is selected by the user's selection operation, the selected payment method is set as the user's desired payment method.

As the payment method of the fee, for example, cash payment to pay the driver in cash or card payment to pay with the credit card registered in the user application 21 can be set. The payment setting unit 166 of FIG. 6 shows a display example when card payment is set.

After the vehicle allocation request notification and the vehicle allocation request information are supplied (transmitted) to the vehicle allocation integrated management device 14 by the user's operation on the vehicle allocation request screen 152, when any taxi 12 accepts the vehicle allocation request, the vehicle allocation is confirmed. When the vehicle allocation is confirmed, the user application 21 acquires (receives) the vehicle allocation confirmation notification from the vehicle allocation integrated management device 14. When the user application 21 acquires the vehicle allocation confirmation notification, the user application 21 displays on the display 151 that the vehicle allocation has been confirmed (the vehicle allocation request has been accepted) and notifies the user. After that, the user application 21 moves to the process of the vehicle dispatch waiting process in step S12 of FIG.

In the vehicle allocation standby process in step S12 of FIG. 3, the user application 21 causes the display 151 to display the vehicle allocation standby screen.

FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating a vehicle allocation standby screen in the user terminal 11. In the drawings, the parts corresponding to the vehicle allocation request screen 152 in FIG. 6 are designated by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof will be omitted.

On the vehicle allocation standby screen 153 of FIG. 7, the acceptance taxi mark 173C in the operation status display unit 161 is added as compared with the vehicle allocation request screen 152 of FIG. The acceptance taxi mark 173C represents the current location of the taxi 12 that has accepted the vehicle allocation request from the user terminal 11. The color or pattern of the acceptance taxi mark 173C is different from that of the empty taxi mark 173A and the actual vehicle / pick-up taxi mark 173B.

The user application 21 continuously acquires the vehicle dynamic data (current location) of the accepted taxi 12-1 that has accepted the vehicle allocation request from the vehicle allocation integrated management device 14, and based on the acquired vehicle dynamic data, the accepted taxi on the map. The acceptance taxi mark 173C is displayed at the current location of 12-1. Thereby, the user can grasp how close the accepted taxi 12-1 is to the boarding place designated by the user.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a modified example of the vehicle allocation standby screen in the user terminal 11. In the figure, the parts corresponding to the vehicle allocation standby screen 153 in FIG. 7 are designated by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof will be omitted.

On the vehicle allocation standby screen 153 of FIG. 8, the mark 221 set by the user in association with the acceptance taxi mark 173C is displayed on the operation status display unit 161. According to this, the user can easily recognize that the acceptance taxi mark 173C represents the position of the acceptance taxi 12-1, and the burden on the user to remember the mark 221 set by himself / herself is reduced. ..

When the acceptance taxi 12-1 arrives near the boarding area designated by the user, the user application 21 acquires an arrival notification from the vehicle allocation integrated management device 14. When the user application 21 acquires the arrival notification, the user application 21 moves to the process of the boarding process in step S13 of FIG.

In the boarding process of step S13 of FIG. 3, the user application 21 pops up an arrival notification screen on the display 151 to notify the user that the accepted taxi 12-1 has arrived at the boarding place (near the boarding place) designated by the user. Display.

FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating an arrival notification screen in the user terminal 11.

On the arrival notification screen 261 of FIG. 9, for example, a character string notifying that the accepted taxi 12-1 has arrived at the boarding place (near the boarding place) and a mark 221 set by the user are displayed.

The arrival notification screen 261 is displayed superimposed on the screen of the other application even when the user displays the screen of the other application on the display 151 of the user terminal 11. As a result, the user recognizes that the acceptance taxi 12-1 has arrived near the boarding place.

When the user application 21 acquires the arrival notification from the vehicle allocation integrated management device 14, the user application 21 outputs a notification sound notifying that the acceptance taxi 12-1 has arrived at the boarding place designated by the user from the speaker provided in the user terminal 11. You can do it. Similarly, when the user application 21 obtains the arrival notification from the vehicle allocation integrated management device 14, the user application 21 may generate a vibration notifying that the acceptance taxi 12-1 has arrived by the actuator included in the user terminal 11.

When the user recognizes that the acceptance taxi 12-1 has arrived near the boarding place on the arrival notification screen 261 or the like, the acceptance taxi 12-1 displaying the mark 221 set by the user on the vehicle window portion such as the door glass is displayed. find. Even if there are a plurality of taxi 12 to be managed by the taxi dispatch system 1 near the boarding area, the accepted taxi 12-1 can be easily obtained by finding the taxi 12 displaying the mark 221 set by the user. Can be identified. When the user identifies the acceptance taxi 12-1, the user gets on the acceptance taxi 12-1.

Here, when the user gets on the acceptance taxi 12-1, the user informs the driver of the user identification information such as his / her name and his / her customer ID. The driver collates the user identification information directly transmitted from the user with the user identification information included in the vehicle allocation request information acquired by the terminal device 33 in step S61 of FIG. As a result, the driver confirms that the passenger who is going to board is the user who requested the vehicle allocation. Such identity verification may be performed as follows.

The user application 21 has a QR code (registered trademark) in which user identification information is encoded on the arrival notification screen 261 displayed on the display 151 of the user terminal 11 or on the display 151 after displaying the arrival notification screen 261. Display a two-dimensional code like this. The user identification information (user identification information used for identity verification) as a two-dimensional code may be a mark set by the user or the like. When the user gets into the taxi 12 arriving near the boarding place designated by the user, the code reading device installed around the rear door of the taxi 12 and the rear seats is displayed on the display 151 of the user terminal 11. Hold the dimension code over. The code reader scans and decodes the two-dimensional code displayed on the display 151 of the user terminal 11 to read the user identification information. The user identification information read by the code reading device is supplied to the terminal device 33 communicatively connected to the code reading device.

The terminal device 33 collates the user identification information from the code reading device with the user identification information included in the vehicle allocation request information acquired in step S61 of FIG. If the collated user identification information matches as a result of the collation, the terminal device 33 determines that the identity verification has been successful, and displays a notification to that effect on the display of the terminal device 33. If the collated user identification information does not match, the terminal device 33 determines that the identity verification has failed, and displays a notification to that effect on the display of the terminal device 33. The driver sees the notification on the display of the terminal device 33, and if the identity verification is successful, the driver is allowed to board the passenger who is trying to board, and if the identity verification fails, the passenger who is trying to board is boarded. Reject.

In the identity verification on the terminal device 33, instead of using the two-dimensional code for transmitting the user identification information from the user terminal 11 to the terminal device 33, short-range wireless communication such as NFC may be used. For example, a communication terminal for short-range wireless communication that performs short-range wireless communication with the user terminal 11 is installed around the rear door and the rear seat of the taxi 12. When the user gets on the taxi 12 arriving near the boarding place designated by himself / herself, he / she brings the user terminal 11 closer to the communication terminal for short-range wireless communication, and causes the user terminal 11 and the communication terminal for short-range wireless communication. To make a communication connection. When the user terminal 11 and the communication terminal for short-range wireless communication are connected by communication, the user application 21 of the user terminal 11 supplies the user identification information specified by the user to the communication terminal for short-range wireless communication. The communication terminal for short-range wireless communication supplies the user identification information from the user terminal 11 (user application 21) to the terminal device 33 to which the communication is connected. As a result, the user identification information is transmitted from the user terminal 11 to the terminal device 33. Since the process of identity verification in the terminal device 33 is the same as the case of using the two-dimensional code, the description thereof will be omitted.

In the process of identity verification on the terminal device 33, the door lock may be turned off only when the identity verification is successful. In this case, the code reader when using the two-dimensional code and the communication terminal for short-range wireless communication when using short-range wireless communication approach the user terminal 11 from the outside of the vehicle with the door closed. It is installed in a position where it can be made. The lock control device that controls the on / off of the door lock is communicatively connected to the terminal device 33, and controls the door lock according to the operation of the driver and the instruction supplied from the terminal device 33. If the identity verification is successful, the terminal device 33 causes the lock control device to control the lock to be turned off, or to switch the lock on and off by the normal operation of the driver. Let me. If the identity verification fails, the terminal device 33 causes the lock control device to control the lock to be turned on, or to control the lock to be turned on, and at the same time, the terminal device 33 is locked by the normal operation of the driver. Is controlled so that it does not turn off. That is, the terminal device 33 causes the lock control device to control the lock to be turned off by the normal operation of the driver only when the identity verification is successful.

Such door lock controls may apply only to some doors that open and close when passengers board (eg, the rear door on the left side of the vehicle), or to all doors. May be good.

The processing procedure of the vehicle allocation process on the user terminal 11 will be described.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart illustrating the procedure of the process performed by the user application 21 of the user terminal 11 in the vehicle allocation process.

In step S81, the user application 21 displays the vehicle allocation request screen 152 of FIG. 6 on the display 151. The process proceeds from step S81 to step S82.

In step S82, the user application 21 accepts designation of vehicle allocation request information such as user identification information, boarding place, destination, and payment method based on the user's operation on the vehicle allocation request screen 152. The process proceeds from step S82 to step S83.

In step S83, the user application 21 accepts the designation (setting) of the mark desired by the user based on the user's operation on the mark setting unit 165 of the vehicle allocation request screen 152. The process proceeds from step S83 to step S84. The mark is designated as one of the vehicle allocation request information based on the user's operation on the vehicle allocation request screen 152 together with the boarding place and the like. however. In this flowchart, in order to clearly indicate the setting of the mark, the process of accepting the designation of the vehicle allocation request information is shown separately in step S82 and step S83.

In step S84, the user application 21 determines whether or not the vehicle allocation request operation has been performed by the user. That is, the user application 21 determines whether or not the operation of sliding the operation bar 162A in the vehicle allocation request operation unit 162 of the vehicle allocation request screen 152 to the right side has been performed.

If it is determined in step S84 that the vehicle allocation request operation has not been performed, the process returns to step S82 and repeats from step S82.

If it is determined in step S84 that the vehicle allocation request operation has been performed, the process proceeds to step S85.

In step S85, the user application 21 supplies (transmits) the vehicle allocation request notification requesting vehicle allocation and the vehicle allocation request information received in steps S82 and S83 to the vehicle allocation integrated management device 14. The process proceeds from step S85 to step S86.

In step S86, when the taxi 12 accepts the vehicle allocation request, the user application 21 acquires (receives) a vehicle allocation confirmation notification notifying that the vehicle allocation has been confirmed from the vehicle allocation integrated management device 14. The process proceeds from step S86 to step S87.

In step S87, the user application 21 performs a vehicle allocation confirmation display for notifying the user that the vehicle allocation has been confirmed. The process proceeds from step S87 to step S88.

In step S88, the user application 21 displays the vehicle allocation standby screen 153 of FIG. 7 or FIG. 8 on the display 151. The process proceeds from step S88 to step S89.

In step S89, when the acceptance taxi 12-1 arrives near the boarding place for the vehicle allocation request, the user application 21 acquires (receives) an arrival notification from the vehicle allocation integrated management device 14. The process proceeds from step S89 to step S90.

In step S90, the user application 21 displays an arrival notification to notify the user that the accepted taxi 12-1 has arrived at the boarding place (near the boarding place). That is, the user application 21 displays the arrival notification screen 261 of FIG. 9 on the display 151. The user application 21 may generate one or both of the notification sound from the user terminal 11 and the vibration of the user terminal 11 in combination with the arrival notification display or instead of the arrival notification display.

With the above, the processing of the vehicle allocation process in the user application 21 of the user terminal 11 is completed.

<Processing of vehicle allocation process of vehicle allocation integrated management device 14>
The processing of the vehicle allocation process in the vehicle allocation integrated management device 14 will be described in detail according to the flowchart of FIG. FIG. 11 is a flowchart illustrating a procedure for processing a vehicle allocation process performed by the vehicle allocation integrated management device 14.

In step S101, the vehicle allocation management unit 104 of the vehicle allocation integrated management device 14 determines whether or not the vehicle allocation request notification supplied from the user terminal 11 (user application 21) has been acquired (received).

If it is determined in step S101 that the vehicle allocation request notification has not been acquired, the process repeats step S101.

If it is determined in step S101 that the vehicle allocation request notification has been obtained, the process proceeds to step S102.

In step S102, the vehicle allocation management unit 104 acquires the vehicle allocation request information supplied from the user terminal 11 (user application 21) to the vehicle allocation integrated management device 14 together with the vehicle allocation request notification. The process proceeds from step S102 to step S103. In step S102, in consideration of the fact that the mark may not be set in the user application 21, information other than the mark such as the user identification information, the boarding place, the destination, and the payment method is acquired.

In step S103, the vehicle allocation management unit 104 determines whether or not the user has set a mark. That is, the vehicle allocation management unit 104 determines whether or not the vehicle allocation request information acquired in step S102 includes the mark.

If it is determined in step S103 that the user has not set a mark, the process skips step S104 and proceeds to step S105.

If it is determined in step S103 that the user has set a mark, the process proceeds to step S104.

In step S104, the vehicle allocation management unit 104 acquires a mark included in the vehicle allocation request information acquired in step S102. The process proceeds from step S104 to step S105.

In step S105, the vehicle allocation management unit 104 is a taxi that exists within a predetermined radius (range within a predetermined distance) with respect to the boarding place (boarding place designated by the user) included in the vehicle allocation request information acquired in step S102. 12 is extracted as a vehicle allocation candidate. The vehicle allocation management unit 104 supplies the vehicle allocation request notification and the vehicle allocation request information to the taxi 12 as a vehicle allocation candidate in descending order of priority until it is determined in the next step S106 that the vehicle allocation request has been accepted. Send. It is assumed that the vehicle allocation request information supplied to the vehicle allocation candidate taxi 12 has the same content as the vehicle allocation request information acquired by the vehicle allocation integrated management device 14 from the user terminal 11 (user application 21). It may be information.

Extraction of taxi 12 as a vehicle allocation candidate and ranking of priorities are performed by the optimum vehicle search unit 105 of the vehicle allocation integrated management device 14. The optimum vehicle search unit 105 acquires the current location of each taxi 12 from the vehicle dynamic data of each taxi 12 stored in the vehicle dynamic data management unit 101. The optimum vehicle search unit 105 extracts taxis 12 existing in a range of a predetermined distance or less with respect to the boarding place designated by the user, based on the current location of each taxi 12.

The optimum vehicle search unit 105 predicts the time (arrival time) at which the taxi 12, which is a candidate for vehicle allocation, arrives at the boarding place when each of the taxi 12 moves from the current position to the boarding place designated by the user. When predicting the arrival time, the optimum vehicle search unit 105 acquires the current status of each taxi 12 as a vehicle allocation candidate from the vehicle dynamic data of the vehicle dynamic data management unit 101.

The optimum vehicle search unit 105 predicts the arrival time when the taxi 12 whose current status is "empty" travels from the current location to the boarding location specified by the user by the shortest route.

The optimal vehicle search unit 105 predicts that the arrival time of the taxi 12 whose current status is "actual vehicle" is a route from the current location to the boarding location specified by the user via the current passenger's destination. Predict the arrival time if you move. The current destination of the passenger is obtained from the vehicle allocation request information when the passenger requests the vehicle allocation. The past vehicle allocation request information is acquired from the vehicle allocation management unit 104 by being stored in the vehicle allocation management unit 104.

In the case of a taxi 12 whose current status is "pick-up", the optimum vehicle search unit 105 is a route from the current location to the boarding place specified by the user via the boarding place and the destination of the passenger scheduled to pick up. Predict the arrival time when moving with. The boarding place and destination of the passenger scheduled to be picked up are obtained from the vehicle allocation request information when the passenger requests the vehicle allocation.

The optimal vehicle search unit 105 ranks the taxi 12 as a vehicle allocation candidate in order of priority to arrive at the boarding place designated by the user based on the predicted arrival time. The optimum vehicle search unit 105 assigns the taxi 12 as a vehicle allocation candidate to the vehicle allocation management unit 104 as the optimum vehicle one by one in descending order of priority until the vehicle allocation request is accepted by one of the vehicle allocation candidate taxi 12. Supply.

The search for the optimum vehicle in the optimum vehicle search unit 105 is not limited to a specific method. The taxi 12 searched by the optimum vehicle search unit 105 and supplied to the vehicle allocation management unit 104 may not be the optimum vehicle but may be a vehicle capable of responding to the user's vehicle allocation request.

The vehicle allocation management unit 104 supplies (transmits) a vehicle allocation request notification and a vehicle allocation request information to the optimum vehicle supplied from the optimum vehicle search unit 105 until it is determined in the next step S106 that the vehicle allocation request has been accepted. )do.

In step S106, the vehicle allocation management unit 104 determines whether or not the request acceptance notification for notifying that the vehicle allocation request has been accepted from the taxi 12 that has supplied the vehicle allocation request notification and the vehicle allocation request information in step S105 has been acquired (received). ..

If it is determined in step S106 that the request acceptance notification has not been obtained, the process is repeated from step S105. Each time step S105 is repeated, the vehicle allocation management unit 104 supplies the vehicle allocation request notification and the vehicle allocation request information to the taxi 12 whose priority is lowered by one.

If it is determined in step S106 that the request acceptance notification has been obtained, the process proceeds to step S107.

In step S107, the vehicle allocation management unit 104 determines the taxi 12 that supplied the vehicle allocation request notification in step S105 immediately before the request acceptance notification was acquired in step S106 as the accepted taxi 12-1 that accepted the vehicle allocation request. When the accepted taxi 12-1 is confirmed, the vehicle allocation management unit 104 supplies (transmits) a vehicle allocation confirmation notification notifying that the vehicle allocation has been confirmed to the user terminal 11 (user application 21). The process proceeds from step S107 to step S108.

In step S108, the vehicle allocation management unit 104 supplies (transmits) a vehicle allocation confirmation notice to notify the accepted taxi 12-1 that the vehicle allocation has been confirmed. The process proceeds from step S108 to step S109.

Here, when it is determined in step S103 that the user has not set the mark, the vehicle allocation request information supplied in step S105 to the acceptance taxi 12-1 that has supplied the request acceptance notification in step S106 is included. No landmarks are included. Therefore, in this case, the mark is not displayed on the accepted taxi 12-1.

On the other hand, if it is determined in step S103 that the user has set a mark, the mark is added to the vehicle allocation request information supplied in step S105 to the acceptance taxi 12-1 that has supplied the request acceptance notification in step S106. included. However, the acceptance taxi 12-1 may not be provided with a display device (projector 34, rear transmissive screen, etc.) for displaying the mark. In this case as well, the mark is not displayed on the accepted taxi 12-1.

When the user has set the mark in this way and the acceptance taxi 12-1 that has supplied the request acceptance notification in step S106 cannot display the mark, the following processing may be performed. When the vehicle allocation confirmation notification is supplied to the user terminal 11 (user application 21) in step S107, the vehicle allocation management unit 104 notifies the user terminal 11 (user application 21) that the mark is not displayed on the acceptance taxi 12-1. , The display 151 of the user terminal 11 is displayed to that effect. The same processing may be performed even when the user has not set the mark.

When the user has set the mark and the acceptance taxi 12-1 that has supplied the request acceptance notification in step S106 cannot display the mark, the following processing may be performed.

Before supplying the vehicle allocation confirmation notification to the user terminal 11 (user application 21) in step S107, the vehicle allocation management unit 104 notifies the user terminal 11 (user application 21) that the mark is not displayed in the acceptance taxi 12-1. .. In response to this notification, the user terminal 11 (user application 21) causes the display 151 to display a permission / rejection selection screen for selecting whether or not the mark does not have to be displayed in the acceptance taxi 12-1. The display 151 of the user terminal 11 may display the current location of the accepted taxi 12-1 on the map, or may display the predicted arrival time, in addition to the approval / disapproval selection screen.

When affirmation is selected by the user's selection operation on the approval / disapproval selection screen, the user terminal 11 (user application 21) notifies the vehicle allocation management unit 104 to that effect. At this time, the vehicle allocation management unit 104 confirms the vehicle allocation to the user of the acceptance taxi 12-1 that has supplied the request acceptance notification in step S106, and the process proceeds to step S107.

On the other hand, when denial is selected by the user's selection operation on the approval / disapproval selection screen, the user terminal 11 (user application 21) notifies the vehicle allocation management unit 104 to that effect. At this time, the vehicle allocation management unit 104 decides not to allocate the acceptance taxi 12-1 that has supplied the request acceptance notification to the user in step S106, and the process returns to step S105 and repeats from step S105.

As a result, until the accepted taxi 12-1 that has accepted the vehicle allocation request in step S106 becomes the taxi 12 that can display the mark, or until the user allows the mark not to be displayed in the accepted taxi 12-1, step S105 and The process of step S106 is repeated. If the accepted taxi 12-1 that accepted the dispatch request in step S106 is a taxi 12 that can display the mark, or if the user allows the mark not to be displayed in the accepted taxi 12-1, the process is step. Proceed to S107. In the user terminal 11 (user application 21), the user may select whether or not the mark may not be displayed in the acceptance taxi 12-1 only once. In this case, when denial is selected, the processes of steps S105 and S106 are repeated until the accepted taxi 12-1 that has accepted the vehicle allocation request in step S106 becomes the taxi 12 that can display the mark.

In step S109, the vehicle allocation management unit 104 acquires the current location of the user terminal 11 from the user terminal 11 and supplies it to the acceptance taxi 12-1. The process proceeds from step S109 to step S110.

In step S110, the vehicle allocation management unit 104 supplies the current location of the acceptance taxi 12-1 stored in the vehicle dynamic data management unit 101 to the user terminal 11 (user application 21). The process proceeds from step S110 to step S111. The vehicle dynamic data stored in the vehicle dynamic data management unit 101 is updated with the vehicle dynamic data supplied from the taxi 12 (communication unit 32) periodically or irregularly. When the user application 21 of the user terminal 11 displays the current location and status of taxis 12 other than the accepted taxi 12-1 on the operation status display unit 161 of the vehicle allocation standby screen 153 of FIG. 7 or FIG. 104 supplies the vehicle dynamic data (current location and status) of the taxi 12 existing within the range of the map displayed on the operation status display unit 161 to the user application 21 of the user terminal 11.

In step S111, the vehicle allocation management unit 104 uses the vehicle dynamic data (current location) of the accepted taxi 12-1 stored in the vehicle dynamic data management unit 101 and the current location of the user terminal 11 acquired in step S109. It is determined whether or not the accepted taxi 12-1 has arrived at the boarding place designated by. Here, if the accepted taxi 12-1 arrives within a range (near the boarding place) within a predetermined distance that can be regarded as a vicinity to the boarding place designated by the user, the accepted taxi 12 arrives at the boarding place designated by the user. It is determined that -1 has arrived.

If it is determined in step S111 that the accepted taxi 12-1 has not arrived at the boarding place designated by the user, the process returns to step S109 and repeats from step S109.

If it is determined in step S111 that the accepted taxi 12-1 has arrived at the boarding place designated by the user, the process proceeds to step S112.

In step S112, the vehicle allocation management unit 104 transmits an arrival notification notifying that the acceptance taxi 12-1 has arrived near the boarding place to the user application 21 of the user terminal 11. The process proceeds from step S112 to step S113.

In step S113, the processing of the vehicle allocation process is completed.

As a result, the processing of the vehicle allocation process in the vehicle allocation integrated management device 14 is completed.
<Processing of taxi 12 dispatch process>
The processing of the vehicle allocation process in the taxi 12 will be described in detail according to the flowchart of FIG.

FIG. 12 is a flowchart illustrating the procedure of the processing of the vehicle allocation process performed by the driver application 51 of the terminal device 33 of the taxi 12.

In step S131, whether or not the driver application 51 of the terminal device 33 has acquired (received) the vehicle allocation request notification and the vehicle allocation request information related to the vehicle allocation request from the vehicle allocation integrated management device 14 (vehicle allocation management unit 104). Is determined.

If it is determined in step S131 that the vehicle allocation request notification and the vehicle allocation request information have not been acquired, the process repeats step S131.

If it is determined in step S131 that the vehicle allocation request notification and the vehicle allocation request information have been acquired, the process proceeds to step S132.

In step S132, the driver application 51 displays a request acceptance screen for selecting whether or not to accept the vehicle allocation request on the display of the terminal device 33 in response to the acquisition of the vehicle allocation request notification in step S131. The process proceeds from step S132 to step S133. The driver application 51 displays both the vehicle allocation request information and the contents on the request acceptance screen.

In step S133, the driver application 51 determines whether or not the request acceptance operation for accepting the vehicle allocation request has been performed based on the driver selection operation on the request acceptance screen.

If it is determined in step S133 that the request acceptance operation is not performed, the process proceeds to step S134. In addition, for example, when the request acceptance operation is not performed for a certain period of time or more, or when the operation for rejecting the vehicle allocation request is performed, it is determined that the request acceptance operation is not performed.

In step S134, the driver application 51 supplies (transmits) a request refusal notification for rejecting the vehicle allocation request to the vehicle allocation integrated management device 14 (vehicle allocation management unit 104). After step S134, the process ends the process of the vehicle allocation process.

If it is determined in step S133 that the request acceptance operation has been performed, the process proceeds to step S135.

In step S135, the driver application 51 supplies (transmits) a request acceptance notification notifying that the vehicle allocation request is accepted to the vehicle allocation integrated management device 14 (vehicle allocation management unit 104). The process proceeds from step S135 to step S136.

In step S136, the driver application 51 acquires (receives) a vehicle allocation confirmation notification from the vehicle allocation integrated management device 14 (vehicle allocation management unit 104). The process proceeds from step S136 to step S137. When the driver application 51 acquires the vehicle allocation confirmation notification, the driver application 51 displays the vehicle allocation confirmation screen notifying that the vehicle allocation has been confirmed on the display of the terminal device 33. As a result, if the status is "empty", the driver starts moving toward the boarding place specified by the user.

In step S137, the driver application 51 acquires (receives) the current location of the user (user terminal 11) from the vehicle allocation integrated management device 14. The process proceeds from step S137 to step S138.

In step S138, the driver application 51 uses the terminal device 33 and the user based on the current location of the terminal device 33 detected by the GPS receiver included in the terminal device 33 and the current location of the user (user terminal 11) acquired in step S137. It is determined whether or not the user terminal 11 has approached a position that is less than a predetermined distance (or a predetermined distance or less).

The driver application 51 determines whether or not the terminal device 33 and the user terminal 11 are close to a position less than a predetermined distance by a short-range wireless communication conforming to a Bluetooth (registered trademark) standard or a Wi-Fi (registered trademark) standard. It may be determined whether or not the terminal device 33 and the user terminal 11 are connected by communication by communication. Instead of the current location of the terminal device 33, the driver application 51 acquires the current location of the accepted taxi 12-1 from the vehicle dynamic data of the accepted taxi 12-1, which is the own vehicle, and the current location of the accepted taxi 12-1 and the user terminal 11. You may determine whether or not you have approached a position where and is less than a predetermined distance.

If it is determined in step S138 that the terminal device 33 and the user (user terminal 11) have not approached to a position less than a predetermined distance, the process returns to step S137 and repeats from step S137. The predetermined distance may be, for example, a distance at which the user can visually recognize the mark when it is assumed that the mark is displayed on the acceptance taxi 12-1.

When it is determined in step S138 that the terminal device 33 and the user (user terminal 11) have approached a position less than a predetermined distance, the driver application 51 uses the marker (mark) included in the vehicle allocation request information acquired in step S131. The image of the mark) set by the user is supplied to the output control unit 61 of the projector 34. The output control unit 61 displays the image of the mark set by the user on the rear transparent screen which is the vehicle window portion of the acceptance taxi 12-1. The process proceeds from step S138 to step S139.

As in step S65 of the sequence diagram of FIG. 5, the driver application 51 may display the image of the mark designated by the user on the rear transparent screen after acquiring the vehicle allocation confirmation notification from the vehicle allocation integrated management device 14. good.

The fact that the terminal device 33 and the user (user terminal 11) have approached a position less than a predetermined distance can also be detected by the user application 21. When the terminal device 33 and the user (user terminal 11) approach a position less than a predetermined distance, the user application 21 may generate a notification sound from the user terminal 11 or vibrate the user terminal 11. You may.

In step S139, the driver application 51 completes the process of the vehicle allocation process.

With the above, the process of affirming the vehicle allocation in the terminal device 33 is completed.

Here, the driver application 51 displays an image of the mark from the determination in step S138 that the terminal device 33 and the user (user terminal 11) have approached a position less than a predetermined distance until the boarding process is completed. Display on the rear transparent screen. The boarding process may be terminated, for example, when a predetermined operation of the driver for the terminal device 33 is performed, or when the distance between the terminal device 33 and the user terminal 11 is within a predetermined threshold value which can be regarded as 0. It may be. The boarding process may end when the status of the accepted taxi 12-1 is switched from "pick-up" to "actual vehicle".

The driver application 51 supplies, for example, an arbitrary image such as an advertisement as a projected image to the output control unit 61 of the projector 34 during an arbitrary period other than the period in which the mark is displayed on the rear transparent screen of the acceptance taxi 12-1. And display it on the rear transparent screen. The projected image displayed on the rear transparent screen may be either a still image or a moving image. The projected image to be displayed on the rear transparent screen may be stored in advance in the terminal device 33, or may be stored in the vehicle allocation integrated management device 14, and the projected image to be displayed on the rear transparent screen is the vehicle allocation integrated management device. When stored in 14, the projected image stored in the vehicle allocation integrated management device 14 is supplied from the vehicle allocation integrated management device 14 to the driver application 51 of the terminal device 33, and is output from the driver application 51 to the projector 34. It is supplied to the control unit 61. When displaying an advertisement in this way, the advertiser who provides the advertisement may bear a part or all of the charge (fare) so that the charge (fare) is calculated and processed.

FIG. 13 is a side view of the taxi 12 (accepted taxi 12-1) on which the mark is displayed.

In the acceptance taxi 12-1 of FIG. 13, the rear transmissive screens 241 and 242 are the front door glass and the rear door glass on the left side of the vehicle to which the rear transmissive film is attached, as in the case illustrated in FIG. 4, respectively. An image of the mark 221 set by the user is displayed on the rear transmission screen 242, which is the rear door glass on the left side of the vehicle. In step S139, the driver application 51 supplies the image of the mark 221 set by the user to the output control unit 61 of the projector 34, and designates the area of the rear transmission screen 242 as the projection area to the output control unit 61. The output control unit 61 of the projector 34 projects the image of the mark 221 supplied from the user application 21 on the area of the rear transmission screen 242 designated by the user application 21.

The driver application 51 may change the projection area for projecting the mark 221 based on the current location and traveling direction (front direction) of the acceptance taxi 12-1 and the current location of the user terminal 11.

The current location and traveling direction (front direction) of the accepted taxi 12-1 can be obtained from, for example, the vehicle dynamic data of the accepted taxi 12-1. The driver application 51 may acquire the vehicle dynamic data of the acceptance taxi 12-1 from the vehicle allocation integrated management device 14, or may acquire the vehicle dynamic data from the vehicle dynamic data acquisition unit 41 of the vehicle-mounted device 31. The driver application 51 acquires the current location of the user terminal 11 from the vehicle allocation integrated management device 14 as in step S137 of FIG.

In this way, when the driver application 51 acquires the current location and front direction of the acceptance taxi 12-1 and the current location of the user terminal 11, the user terminal 11 is among the rear transparent screens of the plurality of vehicle window portions of the acceptance taxi 12-1. It is possible to detect, for example, the rear transmission screen which is the shortest distance to the current location of. The driver application 51 projects the image of the mark 221 on the area of the rear transparent screen which is the shortest distance to the current location of the user terminal 11.

For example, it is assumed that the driver application 51 detects that the current location of the user terminal 11 is on the left side of the vehicle (left side of the driver's seat) of the acceptance taxi 12-1 and at the position in front of the driver's seat. In this case, the driver application 51 detects that the rear transparent screen 241 which is the front door glass on the left side of the vehicle is the shortest distance to the current location of the user terminal 11. At this time, the image of the mark 221 is projected on the rear transmission screen 241 which is the front door glass on the left side of the vehicle as shown in FIG.

FIG. 14 is a side view of the acceptance taxi 12-1 in which the mark 221 is displayed on the rear transparent screen 241. In the drawings, the parts corresponding to those in FIG. 13 are designated by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof will be omitted.

In this case, the driver application 51 designates the area of the rear transmission screen 241 as the projection area, and supplies the image of the mark 221 to the output control unit 61 of the projector 34 (see FIG. 4). As a result, the output control unit 61 projects the image of the mark 221 from the driver application 51 onto the area of the rear transmission screen 241 as shown in FIG.

According to this, the mark 221 will be displayed on the rear transparent screen in the part that is as easy for the user to see as possible.

In addition, the rear transparent screen is attached to the front door glass on the left and right of the vehicle and the rear dora glass on the left and right of the vehicle of the accepted taxi 12-1, and it is made into a rear transparent screen, and a projector that projects a projected image on each rear transparent screen is inside the vehicle. It is assumed that it has been installed. In this case, for example, it is assumed that the current location of the user terminal 11 is on the right side of the vehicle (right side of the driver's seat) of the acceptance taxi 12-1 and at a position in front of the driver's seat. At this time, among the rear transparent screens, the rear transparent screen, which is the front door glass on the right side of the vehicle, is the shortest distance to the current location of the user terminal 11. Therefore, the image of the mark 221 is projected on the rear transparent screen which is the front door glass on the right side of the vehicle.

(Modification example)
A supplementary explanation will be given regarding the marks displayed on the accepted taxi 12-1. When setting a mark in the vehicle allocation request process, the user selects, for example, the mark setting unit 165 of the vehicle allocation request screen 152 of FIG. 6 displayed on the display 151 of the user terminal 11. When the mark setting unit 165 is selected, the mark selection screen 165A is displayed on the display 151. On the mark selection screen 165A, a plurality of types of marks that can be set in advance are displayed. The user selects a desired mark from the marks and sets the mark.

An icon (mark icon) is exemplified as a mark that can be set on the mark selection screen 165A of FIG. 6, but the mark that can be set is not limited to the icon and is not limited to the mark icon prepared in advance.

The mark that can be set may be an arbitrary image stored in the user terminal 11 or an image copied on a website or the like. The images may be patterns such as photographs, illustrations, and wallpapers. The display device for displaying the mark can be arranged not only in the vehicle window portion of the vehicle but also in a wide range portion including the body portion and the like. In that case, the user sets a photograph, an illustration, a pattern, or the like as a mark, and when the mark is displayed on the acceptance taxi 12-1, the acceptance taxi 12-1 looks like a wrapping vehicle. In this case, it becomes extremely easy for the user to identify the accepted taxi 12-1. However, the user application 21 automatically determines whether or not the mark set by the user has content that is offensive to public order and morals. As a result, when the mark is offensive to public order and morals, the user application 21 prohibits the setting of the mark and causes the user to reset the mark.

The mark that can be set may be an arbitrary character, a figure, a symbol, and a collection thereof (character string, etc.) input by a predetermined operation of the user. When a character string is set as a mark, the mark may be used as user identification information and used for identity verification at the time of boarding. In particular, when a character string consisting of about four digits is used as a mark, it becomes easy to collate the user identification information at the time of identity verification.

The mark that can be set may be an icon used by the user on SNS (social networking service). In this case, the user application 21 may automatically capture the icon used in the SNS as a mark in cooperation with the SNS designated by the user.

The mark displayed on the accepted taxi 12-1 is not limited to the case where it is set by the user. For example, the user application 21 of the user terminal 11 may automatically set any one of the plurality of candidates as a mark.

The mark displayed on the accepted taxi 12-1 may be set by the vehicle allocation integrated management device 14 or the terminal device 33 of the accepted taxi 12-1 that has accepted the vehicle allocation request.

When setting a mark on the vehicle allocation integrated management device 14, the vehicle allocation integrated management device 14 automatically sets any one of a plurality of candidates as a mark. When there are a plurality of vehicle allocation requests to boarding locations close to each other at close times, the vehicle allocation integrated management device 14 may set different marks for each vehicle allocation request. The vehicle allocation integrated management device 14 supplies the set marks to the user terminal 11 (user application 21) and the terminal device 33 (driver application 51).

When setting a mark on the terminal device 33 of the acceptance taxi 12-1, the driver may specify the mark, or the terminal device 33 may automatically set any one of the plurality of candidates as the mark. In this case, the terminal device 33 supplies the set mark to the user terminal 11 (user application 21) via the vehicle allocation integrated management device 14.

When setting a mark on the user terminal 11, when there are a plurality of vehicle dispatch requests to boarding locations close to each other at close times, the user terminal 11 (user application 21) uses the mark set for each vehicle dispatch request. May be obtained from the vehicle allocation integrated management device 14, and the setting of the same or similar mark as the acquired mark may be prohibited. The same applies to the case where the mark is set on the terminal device 33.

The user may be able to acquire the mark provided by another person stored in the mark storage device (vehicle allocation integrated management device 14 or the like) by the user application 21 of his or her user terminal 11 via communication such as a network. .. The user may transmit and store the mark provided by himself / herself to the mark storage device via communication by the user application 21 of his / her user terminal 11 so that another person can acquire the mark. In this case, the user application 21 may be able to perform the payment processing of the fee when the mark provided by another person is acquired, or the receiving process of the fee when the mark provided by oneself is acquired by another person. ..

The terminal device 33 (driver application 51) of the acceptance taxi 12-1 surrounds one or more of the hue, brightness (brightness), and saturation of the mark image displayed on the display device such as the projector 34 and the rare transmissive screen. It may be changed according to the brightness, the time zone such as morning, noon, and night, or the situation such as the weather. As a result, a mark that is easy for the user to see is displayed.

The terminal device 33 (driver application 51) of the acceptance taxi 12-1 is used when the own vehicle is running, when the own vehicle is stopped, and when the user who requested the vehicle allocation is near the own vehicle. Depending on conditions such as (when the vehicle is within a range of a predetermined distance or less), the image displayed on the display device such as the projector 34 of the own vehicle and the rare transmissive screen may be changed. For example, the display of the mark may be limited to only when the vehicle is stopped, or may be limited to only when the user who requested the vehicle allocation is near the own vehicle.

According to the first embodiment of the taxi dispatch system 1 described above, the user indicates on the taxi that the taxi arriving near the designated boarding area is an accepted taxi that has accepted his / her dispatch request. Can be easily determined. That is, even when a plurality of users request the vehicle to be dispatched to a boarding place close to each other at a close time, or even when considering that such a situation may occur, the user stops near the boarding place. It is possible to judge from the appearance whether or not the taxi that has been used is an accepted taxi that has accepted its own dispatch request. Therefore, for a taxi stopped near the boarding place, multiple users try to get on the taxi, causing confusion among the users, or the user is confused because he / she cannot be sure that the taxi has accepted his / her own dispatch request. Etc. are solved.

<Second embodiment of the taxi dispatch system>
The second embodiment of the taxi dispatch system to which this technique is applied will be described.

In the second embodiment of the taxi dispatch system, the vehicle allocation request process and the vehicle allocation standby process in the vehicle allocation process are the vehicle allocation request process and step S12 in step S11 of FIG. 3 in the first embodiment of the taxi vehicle allocation system. It is common with the vehicle dispatch waiting process. On the other hand, in the second embodiment of the taxi dispatch system, the boarding process is different from the boarding process of step S13 in FIG. 3 in the first embodiment of the taxi dispatch system.

FIG. 15 is a diagram illustrating a boarding process in the second embodiment of the taxi dispatch system.

In FIG. 15, the user 201 is the user who requested the vehicle allocation, and the user terminal 11 is the user terminal used by the user 201. The accepted taxi 12-1 is a taxi 12 that has accepted the vehicle allocation request of the user 201.

When the acceptance taxi 12-1 arrives near the boarding area designated by the user 201 and the arrival notification screen is displayed on the user terminal 11, the boarding process proceeds.

In the boarding process, the user terminal 11 that has received the arrival notification automatically starts shooting with the camera (shooting unit) provided in the user terminal 11. However, the user 201 may manually start shooting with the camera of the user terminal 11.

When shooting with the camera is started, the shot image (moving image) shot by the camera is displayed as a through image on the display 151 of the user terminal 11. The user 201 takes a picture of the vehicle that seems to be the acceptance taxi 12-1 with a camera, and observes the through image displayed on the display 151.

When the vehicle taken by the user 201 by the camera is other than the acceptance taxi 12-1, that is, when the image taken by the camera does not include the image of the acceptance taxi 12-1, the image is taken by the camera. The captured image of the real world (real space) is displayed as a through image on the display 151 as it is. In this case, the user 201 can recognize that the vehicle being photographed by the camera is not the acceptance taxi 12-1, and re-photographs another vehicle with the camera.

When the vehicle taken by the user 201 with the camera is the acceptance taxi 12-1, that is, when the image taken with the camera includes the image of the acceptance taxi 12-1, as shown in FIG. The captured image of the virtual world (virtual space) in which the image of the mark 221 set by the user is superimposed on the captured image of the real world captured by the camera is displayed on the display 151 as a through image. That is, by AR (Augmented Reality) technology, an image as if the acceptance taxi 12-1 is displaying the mark 221 is displayed on the display 151.

According to this, the user 201 can easily identify the accepted taxi 12-1 that has accepted his / her vehicle dispatch request by the mark 221 on the captured image displayed on the display 151 of the user terminal 11. The mark 221 set by the user 201 is not known to anyone other than the user 201, and the user 201 can freely set an image or the like to be the mark 221 without being aware that the mark 221 is seen by others.

The boarding process in the first embodiment of the taxi dispatch system and the boarding process in the second embodiment may be selected by the user at the time of requesting vehicle dispatch.

FIG. 16 is a configuration diagram showing a configuration example of the user terminal 11 in the second embodiment of the taxi dispatch system.

In the second embodiment of the taxi dispatch system, it is assumed that the user terminal 11 of FIG. 16 is provided in place of the user terminal 11 of the taxi dispatch system 1 of FIG. 1, and the portion other than the user terminal 11 is provided. Illustrations and explanations are omitted. However, the projector 34 (and the rear transmissive screen) in each taxi 12 is unnecessary in the second embodiment.

The user terminal 11 of FIG. 16 has a display 151, a photographing unit 301, a signal processing unit 302, and a user application 303.

The display 151 is a display unit included in the user terminal 11.

The photographing unit 301 is a camera provided in the user terminal 11, and acquires an image (photographed image) of a subject imaged by an optical system as an electric signal and supplies it to the signal processing unit 302.

The signal processing unit 302 performs well-known image processing such as noise reduction, gradation correction, and color correction on the captured image from the photographing unit 301, and supplies the processed captured image to the user application 303.

The user application 303 represents a processing unit that executes an application program for the user in the same manner as the user application 21 in the user terminal 11 of FIG.

The user application 303 performs the same processing of the vehicle allocation request process and the vehicle allocation standby process as the user application 21 of FIG. On the other hand, the user application 303 processes a boarding process different from that of the user application 21 of FIG.

In the boarding process, as described with reference to FIG. 15, after the acceptance taxi 12-1 arrives near the boarding area designated by the user 201 (after the arrival notification screen is displayed), the shooting unit 301 takes a picture. The shooting by the shooting unit 301 is started according to the user's operation or the instruction of the user application 303.

When the shooting by the shooting unit 301 is started, the signal processing unit 302 supplies the shot image for each frame shot by the shooting unit 301 at a predetermined cycle to the user application 303.

In the processing of the boarding process, when the image taken from the signal processing unit 302 does not include the image of the acceptance taxi 12-1, the user application 303 displays the image taken from the signal processing unit 302 as an output image as it is. And display it as a through image.

When the captured image from the signal processing unit 302 includes the image of the accepted taxi 12-1, the user application 303 sets the image area of the accepted taxi 12-1 in the entire image area of the captured image by the user. An output image is generated by synthesizing (superimposing) the images of the marks 221. The user application 303 supplies the generated output image to the display 151 and displays it as a through image.

The user application 303 has an acceptance taxi detection unit 304, a composite image generation unit 305, and a composite image generation unit 306.

The acceptance taxi detection unit 304 acquires the captured image supplied to the user application 303 from the signal processing unit 302. When the acquired taxi 12-1 is included in the captured image, the acceptance taxi detection unit 304 detects the image area of the acceptance taxi 12-1 in the captured image and supplies it to the composite image generation unit 305.

The acceptance taxi detection unit 304 detects the image area of the acceptance taxi 12-1 in the captured image by, for example, the following method.

The acceptance taxi detection unit 304 acquires the current location and posture of the user terminal 11, the shooting angle of view of the shooting unit 301, and the current location and direction (direction of the vehicle body) of the acceptance taxi 12-1.

The current location and posture of the user terminal 11 are acquired by the sensors (GPS receiver and inertia sensor) included in the user terminal 11. The shooting angle of view of the shooting unit 301 is acquired based on the specification data of the shooting unit 301 such as the focal length of the optical system of the shooting unit 301 and the size of the image sensor. The current location and direction of the acceptance taxi 12-1 are acquired from the vehicle dynamic data of the acceptance taxi 12-1 supplied from the vehicle allocation integrated management device 14.

The acceptance taxi detection unit 304 accepts the captured image based on the acquired current location and posture of the user terminal 11, the shooting angle of view of the shooting unit 301, and the current location and direction (direction of the vehicle body) of the acceptance taxi 12-1. The image area of taxi 12-1 is detected.

That is, the position and shooting direction of the shooting unit 301 are specified based on the current location and posture of the user terminal 11, and the range of the position reflected in the shot image shot by the shooting unit 301 based on the shooting angle of view of the shooting unit 301. Is identified. The image area of the accepted taxi 12-1 in the captured image is specified based on the range of the position reflected in the captured image and the current location and direction of the accepted taxi 12-1.

The acceptance taxi detection unit 304 may detect the image area of the acceptance taxi 12-1 in the captured image by, for example, the following method.

The acceptance taxi detection unit 304 uses a trained inference model having a neural network structure such as CNN (Convolution Neural Network). The acceptance taxi detection unit 304 uses such an inference model to perform arithmetic processing of an algorithm for instance segmentation on the captured image from the signal processing unit 302 to obtain an image area of a car in the captured image. To detect. When the taxi 12 operated by the taxi dispatch system 1 has a common pattern or shape different from that of other vehicles, the inference model may be used to detect the image area of the taxi 12 in the captured image.

The acceptance taxi detection unit 304 acquires the position and shooting direction of the photographing unit 301 based on the current location and posture of the user terminal 11 and the current location of the accepting taxi 12-1.

The current location and posture of the user terminal 11 are acquired by the sensors (GPS receiver and inertia sensor) included in the user terminal 11. The current location of the accepted taxi 12-1 is acquired from the vehicle dynamic data supplied from the vehicle allocation integrated management device 14.

The acceptance taxi detection unit 304 is located in the image area of one or more cars or taxi 12 detected by the inference model based on the acquired position and shooting direction of the photographing unit 301 and the current location of the accepting taxi 12-1. , Identify the image area of the acceptance taxi 12-1. That is, since the approximate position where the acceptance taxi 12-1 is reflected in the captured image is specified from the position and shooting direction of the photographing unit 301 and the current location of the accepting taxi 12-1, one or more detected by the inference model. Which of the image areas of the car or taxi 12 is specified is the image area of the accepted taxi 12-1.

In each taxi 12, for example, a marker with a two-dimensional code that encodes the vehicle identification information that identifies the own vehicle is installed in a portion that can be visually recognized by the user outside the vehicle. The vehicle identification information may be, for example, a vehicle registration number written on a license plate. The license plate (vehicle registration number plate) of each taxi 12 may be used as a marker, and the vehicle identification information may be used as the vehicle registration number written on the license plate.

The acceptance taxi detection unit 304 detects the position of the marker included in the captured image acquired from the signal processing unit 302, and reads the vehicle identification information written on the marker.

The acceptance taxi detection unit 304 obtains the vehicle identification information of the acceptance taxi 12-1 when the user application 303 acquires the vehicle allocation confirmation notification from the vehicle allocation integrated management device 14 in the vehicle allocation request process (see step S86 in FIG. 10). It is acquired from the terminal device 33 via the vehicle allocation integrated management device 14.

The acceptance taxi detection unit 304 collates the vehicle identification information read from the captured image with the vehicle identification information acquired from the terminal device 33 of the acceptance taxi 12-1. As a result, if the vehicle identification information matches, the vehicle in which the marker is installed in the captured image is determined to be the accepted taxi 12-1. The acceptance taxi detection unit 304 identifies the image area of the acceptance taxi 12-1 in the captured image with reference to the position of the marker in the captured image.

If the marker included in the captured image does not exist, or if the vehicle identification information read from the marker does not match the vehicle identification information acquired from the terminal device 33 of the acceptance taxi 12-1, acceptance is accepted. The taxi detection unit 304 determines that the captured image does not include the accepted taxi 12-1.

The composite image generation unit 305 generates a composite image to be combined within the range of the image area of the acceptance taxi 12-1 supplied from the acceptance taxi detection unit 304 out of the entire image area of the captured image. The composite image generation unit 30 generates an image of the mark 221 set by the user on the vehicle allocation request screen 152 of FIG. 6 as a composite image. The composite image generation unit 305 supplies the generated composite image to the composite image 306 together with the position (composite position) at which the composite image is synthesized with respect to the captured image.

Note that the marks that can be set by the user are the same as in the case of the first embodiment of the taxi dispatch system, so the description thereof will be omitted.

The compositing unit 36 generates an output image by compositing (superimposing) the composite image from the compositing image generation unit 305 at the compositing position with respect to the captured image from the signal processing unit 302. The compositing unit 36 supplies the generated output image to the display 151 and displays it.

Note that the composite position of the composite image may be limited to the image area of the specific portion of the acceptance taxi 12-1. For example, the composite position of the composite image may be limited to the image region of the vehicle window portion such as the rear door glass of the acceptance taxi 12-1 as shown in FIG. The composite position of the composite image may be any part of the image area of the acceptance taxi 12-1, and may not be limited to the image area of the acceptance taxi 12-1.

FIG. 17 is a flowchart illustrating the procedure of the processing of the vehicle allocation process performed by the user application 303 of the user terminal 11. Since steps S201 to S210 are the same as steps S81 to S90 in FIG. 10, the description thereof will be omitted.

In step S211 the user application 303 acquires a photographed image taken by the photographing unit 301. The process proceeds from step S211 to step S212.

In step S212, the user application 303 (accepted taxi detection unit 304) detects the image area of the accepted taxi 12-1 in the captured image acquired in step S211. The process proceeds from step S212 to step S213.

In step S214, the user application 303 (composite image generation unit 305 and composition unit 306) synthesizes the image of the mark 221 set by the user in step S83 into the image area of the acceptance taxi 12-1 detected in step S212. The process proceeds from step S214 to step S215.

In step S215, the user application 303 (synthesis unit 306) supplies the output image synthesized in step S214 to the display 151 and displays it.

With the above, the processing of the vehicle allocation process is completed by the user application 21 of the user terminal 11.

The process of the vehicle allocation process of the vehicle allocation integrated management device 14 in the second embodiment is substantially the same as the process described in the flowchart in FIG. However, in step S109 of the flowchart of FIG. 11, it is not necessary to supply the current location of the user (user terminal 11) to the terminal device 33 of the acceptance taxi 12-1.

The processing of the vehicle allocation process of the terminal device 33 of the taxi 12 in the second embodiment is common to the processing of steps S131 to S136 in the flowchart of FIG. However, the process for displaying the mark in steps S137 to S139 of the flowchart of FIG. 12 is unnecessary.

According to the second embodiment of the taxi dispatch system described above, the user can easily accept a taxi that has accepted his / her own dispatch request by observing a photographed image of a taxi arriving near the designated boarding area. Can be specified in. That is, even when a plurality of users request the vehicle to be dispatched to a boarding place close to each other at a close time, or even when considering that such a situation may occur, the user stops near the boarding place. It is possible to judge from the appearance whether or not the taxi that has been used is an accepted taxi that has accepted its own dispatch request. Therefore, for a taxi stopped near the boarding place, multiple users try to get on the taxi, causing confusion among the users, or the user is confused because he / she cannot be sure that the taxi has accepted his / her own dispatch request. Etc. are solved.

Since a person other than the user who set the mark cannot visually recognize the mark, the user can freely set the mark without being aware that the mark is visually recognized by others.

Note that the changes and extensions applicable to the first embodiment of the taxi dispatch system can be similarly applied to the second embodiment.

<Modified example of the second embodiment of the taxi dispatch system>
A modified example of the second embodiment of the taxi dispatch system will be described.

In FIGS. 15 to 17, in the boarding process, the image of the mark 221 (mark icon) designated by the user as a composite image is synthesized in the image area of the acceptance taxi 12-1 in the image taken by the shooting unit 301 of the user terminal 11. However, it is not limited to this.

That is, the composite image to be combined with the image area of the acceptance taxi 12-1 is not limited to the case specified by the user.

The composite image to be combined with the image area of the acceptance taxi 12-1 may be a monochromatic image of a predetermined color. In this case, the entire image area of the acceptance taxi 12-1 and the monochromatic image are combined by, for example, multiplication. The monochromatic image to be a composite image may be, for example, a color different from the actual accepted taxi 12-1 or a conspicuous color. Similar to the configurable marker when the user sets the marker to make a composite image, the composite image may have a pattern such as a photograph, an illustration, or a wallpaper. Similarly, the composite image may be an image of any character, figure, symbol, and a collection thereof (character string, etc.).

FIG. 18 is a diagram illustrating an output image (through image) displayed on the display 151 when a monochromatic image is combined with the image area of the acceptance taxi 12-1 in the captured image of the photographing unit 301.

The output image of FIG. 18 shows the accepted taxi 12-1 and the

other vehicles

321 and 322. In this case, the color of the composite image is added to the image area of the acceptance taxi 12-1, and the color is different from the actual color of the acceptance taxi 12-1. Therefore, the user 201 can easily identify the accepted taxi 12-1 by comparing the color of the vehicle in the output image displayed on the display 151 with the color of the actual vehicle.

When synthesizing a predetermined composite image into the image area of the accepted taxi 12-1 in the captured image, the process of setting a mark in the vehicle allocation request process in which the user application 303 of the user terminal 11 requests the taxi 12 to be dispatched. Is unnecessary.

According to the modification of the second embodiment of the taxi dispatch system described above, the user accepts the request for dispatch by observing the photographed image of the taxi arriving near the designated boarding place. The taxi can be easily identified. That is, even when a plurality of users request the vehicle to be dispatched to a boarding place close to each other at a close time, or even when considering that such a situation may occur, the user stops near the boarding place. It is possible to judge whether or not the taxi that has been used is an accepted taxi that has accepted its own dispatch request only by its appearance. Therefore, for a taxi stopped near the boarding place, multiple users try to get on the taxi, causing confusion among the users, or the user is confused because he / she cannot be sure that the taxi has accepted his / her own dispatch request. Etc. are solved. The user does not need to set a mark, and the trouble of requesting the user to dispatch a vehicle can be reduced.

<Program>
The series of processes in the user terminal 11, the vehicle allocation management device 13, the vehicle allocation integrated management device 14, or the terminal device 33 described above can be executed by hardware or by software. When a series of processes are executed by software, the programs constituting the software are installed in the computer. Here, the computer includes a computer embedded in dedicated hardware and, for example, a general-purpose personal computer capable of executing various functions by installing various programs.

FIG. 19 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of computer hardware when a computer executes each process executed by the user terminal 11, the vehicle allocation management device 13, the vehicle allocation integrated management device 14, or the terminal device 33 by a program. Is.

In a computer, a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 501, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 502, and a RAM (Random Access Memory) 503 are connected to each other by a bus 504.

An input / output interface 505 is further connected to the bus 504. An input unit 506, an output unit 507, a storage unit 508, a communication unit 509, and a drive 510 are connected to the input / output interface 505.

The input unit 506 includes a keyboard, a mouse, a microphone, and the like. The output unit 507 includes a display, a speaker, and the like. The storage unit 508 includes a hard disk, a non-volatile memory, and the like. The communication unit 509 includes a network interface and the like. The drive 510 drives a removable medium 511 such as a magnetic disk, an optical disk, a magneto-optical disk, or a semiconductor memory.

In the computer configured as described above, the CPU 501 loads the program stored in the storage unit 508 into the RAM 503 via the input / output interface 505 and the bus 504 and executes the above-mentioned series. Is processed.

The program executed by the computer (CPU501) can be recorded and provided on the removable media 511 as a package media or the like, for example. The program can also be provided via a wired or wireless transmission medium such as a local area network, the Internet, or digital satellite broadcasting.

In the computer, the program can be installed in the storage unit 508 via the input / output interface 505 by mounting the removable media 511 in the drive 510. Further, the program can be received by the communication unit 509 and installed in the storage unit 508 via a wired or wireless transmission medium. In addition, the program can be pre-installed in the ROM 502 or the storage unit 508.

The program executed by the computer may be a program in which processing is performed in chronological order according to the order described in the present specification, in parallel, or at a necessary timing such as when a call is made. It may be a program in which processing is performed.

The present technology can also take the following configurations.
(1)
It consists of a plurality of mobile devices having a display unit, a vehicle allocation management device that manages vehicle allocation of the mobile device, and a terminal device that requests vehicle allocation to the vehicle allocation management device.
A vehicle allocation system having a processing unit for displaying a mark held as information by the terminal device that has made the request on the display unit of the mobile device that has accepted the request.
(2)
The vehicle allocation system according to (1), wherein the mark is set by any of the terminal device, the vehicle allocation management device, or the mobile device that has accepted the request.
(3)
When the distance between the terminal device that has made the request and the mobile device that has accepted the request is less than or equal to a predetermined distance, the processing unit has the mark on the display unit of the mobile device that has accepted the request. The vehicle allocation system according to (1) or (2) above.
(4)
The description according to any one of (1) to (3) above, wherein the terminal device vibrates when the distance between the terminal device that has made the request and the mobile device that has accepted the request is not more than a predetermined distance. Vehicle dispatch system.
(5)
The vehicle allocation system according to any one of (1) to (4) above, wherein the processing unit displays an advertisement during a period other than the period in which the mark is displayed on the display unit of the mobile device that has accepted the request.
(6)
The vehicle allocation system according to any one of (1) to (5) above, wherein the processing unit causes the display unit of the mobile device that has accepted the request to display a plurality of types of the marks.
(7)
The vehicle allocation system according to any one of (1) to (6) above, wherein the mark is an image including any one or more of icons, illustrations, patterns, characters, figures, and symbols.
(8)
The processing unit changes any one or more of the hue, lightness, and saturation of the mark to be displayed on the display unit of the mobile device that has accepted the request, depending on the situation. The vehicle allocation system according to any one of (7).
(9)
The processing unit sets any one or more of the hue, lightness, and saturation of the mark to be displayed on the display unit of the mobile device that has accepted the request to the ambient brightness, time zone, or weather. The vehicle allocation system according to any one of (1) to (8) above, which is changed accordingly.
(10)
The vehicle allocation system according to any one of (1) to (9), wherein the display unit of the mobile device displays the mark so as to be visible from the outside of the mobile device.
(11)
The vehicle allocation system according to any one of (1) to (10), wherein the display unit of the mobile device has a screen on which the mark is projected.
(12)
The vehicle allocation system according to (11), wherein the screen is arranged in a vehicle window portion.
(13)
The processing unit is a position for displaying the mark on the display unit of the mobile device that has accepted the request, based on the position of the terminal device that has made the request and the position of the mobile device that has accepted the request. The vehicle allocation system according to any one of (1) to (12) above.
(14)
When the user of the terminal device that has made the request gets on the mobile device that has accepted the request, the mark that the terminal device that has made the request has as information and the mobile device that has accepted the request have information. The vehicle allocation system according to any one of (1) to (13) above, which collates with the mark having the mark.
(15)
It consists of a plurality of mobile devices, a vehicle allocation management device that manages the vehicle allocation of the mobile device, and a terminal device that requests the vehicle allocation management device to allocate a vehicle and has a photographing unit and a display unit.
When the captured image captured by the photographing unit of the terminal device that has made the request includes the image of the moving device that has accepted the request, the output image obtained by synthesizing the predetermined image with the captured image is described. A vehicle allocation system having a processing unit to be displayed on the display unit of the terminal device.
(16)
The vehicle allocation system according to (15), wherein the processing unit synthesizes the predetermined image into the image area of the mobile device that has accepted the request among the captured images.
(17)
The predetermined image combined with the captured image is a mark set by the terminal device that made the request, the vehicle allocation management device, or the mobile device that accepted the request (15) or (16). ) The vehicle dispatch system described in.
(18)
Multiple mobile devices with displays and
A vehicle allocation management device that manages the vehicle allocation of the mobile device, and
It consists of a terminal device that requests vehicle allocation to the vehicle allocation management device.
A vehicle allocation method in which the processing unit of a vehicle allocation system provided with a processing unit displays a mark held as information by the terminal device that has made the request on the display unit of the mobile device that has accepted the request.
(19)
Computer,
A program for functioning as a processing unit that displays a mark held as information by a terminal device that has requested a vehicle allocation management device on the display unit of a mobile device that has accepted the request.

1 taxi dispatch system, 11 user terminals, 12 taxis, 13 vehicle allocation management devices, 14 vehicle allocation integrated management devices, 21 user apps, 31 on-board units, 33 terminal devices, 34 projectors, 51 driver apps, 104 vehicle allocation management departments, 105 optimal vehicles Vehicle search unit, 151 display, 301 shooting unit, 302 signal processing unit, 303 user application

Claims

It consists of a plurality of mobile devices having a display unit, a vehicle allocation management device that manages vehicle allocation of the mobile device, and a terminal device that requests vehicle allocation to the vehicle allocation management device.
A vehicle allocation system having a processing unit for displaying a mark held as information by the terminal device that has made the request on the display unit of the mobile device that has accepted the request.
The vehicle allocation system according to claim 1, wherein the mark is set by any of the terminal device, the vehicle allocation management device, or the mobile device that has accepted the request.
When the distance between the terminal device that has made the request and the mobile device that has accepted the request is less than or equal to a predetermined distance, the processing unit has the mark on the display unit of the mobile device that has accepted the request. The vehicle allocation system according to claim 1.
The vehicle allocation system according to claim 1, wherein the terminal device vibrates when the distance between the terminal device that has made the request and the mobile device that has accepted the request is not more than a predetermined distance.
The vehicle allocation system according to claim 1, wherein the processing unit displays an advertisement during a period other than the period in which the mark is displayed on the display unit of the mobile device that has accepted the request.
The vehicle allocation system according to claim 1, wherein the processing unit causes the display unit of the mobile device that has accepted the request to display a plurality of types of the marks.
The vehicle allocation system according to claim 1, wherein the mark is an image including any one or more of an icon, an illustration, a pattern, a character, a figure, and a symbol.
The first aspect of claim 1, wherein the processing unit changes any one or more of the hue, lightness, and saturation of the mark to be displayed on the display unit of the mobile device that has accepted the request, depending on the situation. Vehicle dispatch system.
The processing unit sets any one or more of the hue, lightness, and saturation of the mark to be displayed on the display unit of the mobile device that has accepted the request to the ambient brightness, time zone, or weather. The vehicle allocation system according to claim 1, which is changed accordingly.
The vehicle allocation system according to claim 1, wherein the display unit of the mobile device displays the mark so as to be visible from the outside of the mobile device.
The vehicle allocation system according to claim 1, wherein the display unit of the mobile device has a screen on which the mark is projected.
The vehicle allocation system according to claim 11, wherein the screen is arranged in a vehicle window portion.
The processing unit is a position for displaying the mark on the display unit of the mobile device that has accepted the request, based on the position of the terminal device that has made the request and the position of the mobile device that has accepted the request. The vehicle allocation system according to claim 1.
When the user of the terminal device that has made the request gets on the mobile device that has accepted the request, the mark that the terminal device that has made the request has as information and the mobile device that has accepted the request have information. The vehicle allocation system according to claim 1, wherein the vehicle is collated with the mark having the mark.
It consists of a plurality of mobile devices, a vehicle allocation management device that manages the vehicle allocation of the mobile device, and a terminal device that requests the vehicle allocation management device to allocate a vehicle and has a photographing unit and a display unit.
When the captured image captured by the photographing unit of the terminal device that has made the request includes the image of the moving device that has accepted the request, the output image obtained by synthesizing the predetermined image with the captured image is described. A vehicle allocation system having a processing unit to be displayed on the display unit of the terminal device.
The vehicle allocation system according to claim 15, wherein the processing unit synthesizes the predetermined image into the image area of the mobile device that has accepted the request among the captured images.
The vehicle allocation according to claim 15, wherein the predetermined image combined with the captured image is a mark set by the terminal device that made the request, the vehicle allocation management device, or the mobile device that accepted the request. system.
Multiple mobile devices with displays and
A vehicle allocation management device that manages the vehicle allocation of the mobile device, and
It consists of a terminal device that requests vehicle allocation to the vehicle allocation management device.
A vehicle allocation method in which the processing unit of a vehicle allocation system including a processing unit displays a mark held as information by the terminal device that has made the request on the display unit of the mobile device that has accepted the request.
Computer,
A program for functioning as a processing unit that displays a mark held as information by a terminal device that has requested a vehicle allocation management device on the display unit of a mobile device that has accepted the request.