JP7621585B2 - Vehicle customer matching system and terminal display device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a vehicle customer matching system and a terminal display device for efficiently and reliably matching (meeting, securing) customers with mobile service vehicles and matching between mobile service vehicles. In particular, the present invention relates to a system for efficient dispatch of taxis, a route guidance device, and efficient matching between customers and taxis.

When a customer wants to secure a transportation service vehicle such as a taxi or ride-sharing vehicle traveling around town, they must either wait until a vacant vehicle arrives or request a taxi company or similar to arrange for a vacant vehicle. Taxi companies and ride-sharing companies are hoping to reduce the number of times that vacant vehicles are running and increase their utilization rate, and so there is a demand for search and guidance devices and systems that can ensure that customers and vacant vehicles can be encountered as quickly as possible. Customers who wish to secure a taxi also want to be able to secure an vacant taxi efficiently and in the shortest possible time.

In addition, businesses are emerging in which various store services, such as restaurants, libraries, convenience stores, and sports gyms, are provided by mobile vehicles, and there is a demand for search and guidance devices and systems that can call mobile vehicles for these services and stores to the desired location when and where customers need them.

In this invention, the term "vehicle" refers not to vehicles that run on tracks such as trains and railcars, but to vehicles that run on roads such as taxis, buses, trucks, and private cars. Such road vehicles can run in either direction on the road. In particular, taxis and other vehicles search for and select driving routes based on the experience and intuition of taxi drivers over many years in order to efficiently secure customers, so they cannot always be sure to secure customers, and they cannot always be sure to secure customers efficiently in a short period of time.

In order to solve such problems and requests, Patent Document 1 is known as a navigation system that can provide appropriate route guidance to vacant taxis. The device described in Patent Document 1 includes a database in which location information on candidate relay points and selection judgment information that is used to determine whether or not to select a candidate relay point, relay point selection means for selecting a relay point based on the selection judgment information registered in the database and predetermined selection conditions, and route search means for searching for a route that passes through the selected relay point based on predetermined search conditions using location information stored in the database. The device discloses that it provides search conditions that are likely to secure taxi customers to taxi drivers, thereby efficiently securing customers. However, this method lacks certainty, even if the search conditions are set as seasons, days of the week, times, weather, etc., and the probability of securing customers may be improved based on past data and empirical rules. Such a device improves the customer acquisition probability only for the taxi side, and is not a service that meets the requests of the customer side, and is not satisfactory for both the customer and the taxi side.

In addition, in Patent Document 2, a taxi driver obtains location information using a GPS (Global Positioning System) receiver or the like, and sets this location information as a filter in the semantic information network. A taxi requester obtains location information using a GPS receiver or the like installed in a mobile terminal, and transmits a taxi request including this location information as an event to the semantic information network. A taxi driver who receives a taxi request event accepts this taxi request and notifies the taxi requester of a response including his/her own location information. The taxi requester receives this response, and notifies the taxi driver that he/she has decided to receive the service. The taxi driver of the taxi who receives this notification cancels the filter that was set, and heads to the location of the taxi requester to provide taxi service. This provides a method for establishing a network between a taxi requester (customer) and a taxi driver without going through an intermediary such as a dispatch center, and enabling a search for a moving service provider.

However, many of these search navigation systems are difficult for taxi drivers, whose numbers are increasing elderly, to use, and it is unclear which roads and which direction to drive on in order to efficiently secure customers. There is also a demand for devices and systems that are safer to drive and easier to recognize visually, and that efficiently and reliably secure customers. It is also desirable for customers waiting for a taxi to shorten their waiting time as much as possible and efficiently encounter an available taxi. Furthermore, it is desirable for taxi companies to shorten the time that an available taxi is on the road as much as possible, and to efficiently dispatch the number of available taxis running within an area, and to streamline management systems for responding to dispatch requests, managing operations, and understanding driving conditions.

As mentioned above, it is necessary for vehicles in mobility services such as taxis and ride-sharing services to secure customers reliably in the shortest possible time, and there is also a demand to reduce the time that the vehicle is empty while driving, and for this reason, various measures such as those described in the prior art documents have been implemented. There is a need to realize a device and system for matching taxis with customers that is more convenient for taxi drivers, customers waiting for taxis, and all parties involved in taxi companies.

JP 2002-107165 A JP 2002-183874 A

In many conventional navigation systems, calculations are performed using a tile map method (block processing method) that uses bitmaps. For each block divided within a given range, location information such as latitude and longitude from GPS is used, and GIS (Geographic Information System) map information is used to display the current location, fixed buildings, landmarks, intersections, etc. as landmark coordinates on a map displayed in bitmap or still image format. Therefore, when the image range is enlarged or detailed display is performed, or when a customer and a moving vehicle (such as a taxi) are outside the block, complex processing is required, such as changing the layer of the still image map (zooming in and out of the area) to display the necessary current location and GIS information on the created still image display.

The present invention provides a vehicle customer matching system and a terminal display device that can reliably secure customers, reduce customer waiting time, and efficiently dispatch vehicles to reduce the empty driving time of mobile service vehicles.

In order to solve such problems and achieve the above-mentioned object, as described in claim 1, the present invention provides a vehicle customer matching system in which a mobile service vehicle secures a customer who wishes to be dispatched , comprising a customer terminal display device owned by the customer and displaying the current location of the customer acquired from a location information search device on an electronic map in vector map format, and a vehicle terminal display device provided in the mobile service vehicle and displaying the current location of the mobile service vehicle acquired from the location information search device on an electronic map in vector map format, the customer terminal display device and the vehicle terminal display device are each connected via a network to a cloud server that stores map information in vector map format, each of the terminal display devices of the vehicle terminal display device and the customer terminal display device stores drawing software and creates the electronic map including the map information stored in the cloud server and map parts processed and edited by the drawing software, and each of the terminal display devices uses the map information from the cloud server to display markers of the mobile service vehicle and markers of the customer that are present within a predetermined range, as well as displaying a moving direction marker indicating the moving direction of the mobile service vehicle and the desired moving direction of the customer.

In addition, the vehicle customer matching system of the present invention can be configured such that the mobile service vehicle is an empty taxi, the customer is a person wishing to ride a taxi, the customer terminal display device owned by the person wishing to ride a taxi is equipped with a dispatch request signal transmitter that transmits a dispatch request signal and a travel direction transmission means that transmits the desired travel direction of the customer, the cloud server or each of the terminal display devices calculates the shortest travel route using a shortest route calculation method based on the current location of the person wishing to ride a taxi and the location and travel direction of each of the empty taxis and the desired travel direction of the customer, and the vehicle terminal display device provided in the empty taxi, upon receiving the dispatch request signal transmitted from the customer terminal display device, identifies and displays a passenger request marker and indicates that a dispatch is requested, and prioritizes the empty taxis in order of the shortest possible time to reach the person wishing to ride a taxi based on the shortest travel route calculated by the cloud server or each of the terminal display devices, and a dispatch response signal is issued to the customer terminal display device according to such priority.

In addition, the vehicle customer matching system of the present invention is characterized in that the mobility service vehicle is an unoccupied taxi, the customer is a person who wishes to ride a taxi, and the customer terminal display device is provided with a means for changing the number display range of the unoccupied taxis,
The vehicle terminal display device can also be configured to include a means for changing the display range of the number of people wishing to ride in the taxi, and a means for displaying the frequency of passage of the unoccupied taxi and the elapsed time by changing the color of the specified road or identifying the specified road according to the elapsed time after the unoccupied taxi passes through the specified road, based on the information from each terminal display device and the information from the location information search device, and the cloud server can also be configured to include a means for accumulating ride information including the boarding location or road name, boarding time, disembarking location or road, disembarking time, weather, season, and day of the week when the unoccupied taxi secures a person wishing to ride in a taxi , based on the information from each terminal display device and the information from the location information search device.

The means for solving the above problems may be combined, modified or altered as far as possible within the scope of the claims.

According to the configuration of the present invention, since an electronic map is constructed in a vector map format without adopting tile mapping (division processing method), the display and processing of parts (markers, roads, etc.) on the map are not divided by divisions. Therefore, even if a mobile service vehicle such as a taxi or its customer is outside the division, it is possible to select and display the necessary map parts (road display) related to the mobile service vehicle (empty taxi, etc.) and the customer, and there is no need to expand or display the division in detail many times to search and display it, as in division processing methods such as tile mapping. In addition, since the positions, movement direction, and traveling direction of the customer and the mobile service vehicle (empty taxi, etc.) are displayed on the respective terminal display devices, the customer can wait for the mobile service vehicle (empty taxi, etc.) on a road where there is a possibility of matching more quickly, and the driver of the vehicle can select a road where the customer is present. This allows the customer and the driver to make a decision on matching more reliably and in a short time. In addition, by enabling faster matching, the mobile service vehicle side can reduce unnecessary empty vehicle driving and drive more efficiently. This allows the mobile service vehicle to reliably secure customers and shorten the waiting time of the customers, and to efficiently dispatch the vehicles and shorten the empty vehicle driving time of the mobile service vehicle.

According to the configuration of claim 2, the electronic map of the terminal display device is created using map information stored on the cloud or central processing server side and drawing software stored on each terminal display device. Having the drawing software on the device side (terminal display device) allows free display and processing of each part (markers, roads, etc.) in vector map format on the map, and also allows for color changes, modifications, and editing of roads and markers. Furthermore, such a configuration allows for relatively easy customization of parts such as markers on the map, and processing time can be shortened by placing parts such as markers on a still image map in bitmap format.

According to the configuration of claim 4, when a customer waiting for a taxi requests a dispatch, in conventional methods, the customer is often charged from the moment the dispatched taxi becomes available for pick-up and drop-off. However, according to the present invention, the dispatch request signal is displayed on an available taxi traveling near the customer, so a vacant taxi can be secured while traveling, and the customer has the advantage that no dispatch fee is incurred. In addition, when the driver detects the dispatch request signal, the taxi response right is given priority to the available taxi that is likely to arrive at the location of the customer the fastest by judging the direction of travel, etc., so matching can be done in a short time.

In addition, according to the configuration of claim 6, the time lapse after an empty taxi has passed is displayed on the map by changing color or flashing, so that the frequency with which an empty taxi will pass or not can be easily judged by visual inspection, and the empty taxi driver can select and judge the road on which it is more likely to acquire customers. By making the time lapse of an empty taxi distinguishable by changing color or flashing on the road in this way, the driver can intuitively recognize the direction of travel without having to stare at the display, and can select a road that can quickly match with a customer, and safety can also be ensured.

According to the configuration of claim 7, boarding information data including boarding location or road name, boarding time, disembarking location or road, disembarking time, weather, season, and day of the week are stored in the server, and by using this matching information, it is possible to improve the matching probability according to location, time, weather, etc. Furthermore, by using such customer acquisition information, it is possible to optimize the number of vehicles dispatched and the vehicle dispatch locations.

In this way, it becomes possible to efficiently and reliably match and allocate various types of mobile service vehicles, including empty taxis currently in operation, and optimize driving routes and vehicle number allocation, providing devices and systems that are beneficial to customers, drivers (taxi drivers), and mobile service vehicle operating companies (taxi companies).

FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram for explaining a vehicle customer matching system according to a first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram of a map displayed on a customer's terminal display device and a taxi's terminal display device according to the first embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 3(A) is an explanatory diagram of an operation panel on a customer's terminal display device according to the first embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 3(B) is an explanatory diagram of an operation panel on a taxi's terminal display device according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing a customer matching frequency in the vehicle terminal display device according to the second embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram showing an operation of a customer's moving direction on a customer terminal display device and a vehicle terminal display device according to a third embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram of a matching system between a mobile store and customers according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram of an example of an operation panel on a mobile store according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention.

The form for carrying out the present invention will be explained based on the drawings of the examples. All drawings described in the following examples are drawn as schematic diagrams for the purpose of explaining the present invention, and the actual dimensions, shapes, and configurations are not particularly limited. Furthermore, the dimensions, materials, shapes, relative positions, etc. of the components are not intended to limit the technical scope of the invention to those alone, unless otherwise specified.

Example 1
FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram for explaining a vehicle customer matching system between a taxi and a customer and a terminal display device according to a first embodiment of the present invention. In the first embodiment, the mobile service vehicle is an empty taxi. The customer is a person who wishes to ride a taxi. In FIG. 1, customers P1, P2, ... of a customer group 1 who are waiting for a taxi each have a terminal display device 11, 12, ... such as a smartphone. In addition, taxis T1, T2, ... of a taxi group 2 each have a terminal display device 21, 22, ... such as a car navigation system. The customer's terminal display device 11, 12, ... is connected to an Internet line via a network such as a telephone line or a wireless LAN (Local Area Network), and acquires the latitude and longitude of the customer by a GPS 3. The terminal display device 11, 12, ... has a function of displaying the current position on an electronic map in the form of a vector map. In addition, a dedicated taxi search application software is available for download to the customer's terminal display device 11, 12, ....

The taxi terminal display devices (vehicle terminal display devices) 21, 22, etc. are also connected to the Internet via a network such as a wireless LAN, and the latitude and longitude of each taxi are obtained by GPS 3. The terminal display devices 21, 22, etc. have the function of displaying the current location on an electronic map in the form of a vector map. Here, each taxi has a unique identification code, and this identification code is linked to the IP address of each taxi. The server in the cloud 6 or the server in the management center 4 is connected to the customer terminal display devices 11, 12, etc. and the taxi terminal display devices 21, 22, etc. via a network. The server in the cloud 6 or the server in the management center 4 provides information such as location information and dispatch request signals from the customer terminal display devices 11, 12, etc. to the taxi terminal display devices 21, 22, etc., and provides information such as location information and dispatch responses from the taxi terminal display devices 21, 22, etc. to the customer terminal display devices 11, 12, etc. In this example, the customer terminal display devices 11, 12, ... and the taxi terminal display devices 21, 22, ... display markers for taxis and customers present within a specified range, as well as a marker for the direction of movement of at least one of the taxis and the customers.

The taxi management center 4 is constantly connected via a network to all taxis T1, T2, ... of the taxi group 2 under its management, and manages all necessary operation information including the location information, boarding information, and availability of each taxi, as well as managing and operating a dedicated taxi search app for each customer. The management center 4 manages vehicle dispatch, determining which areas, when, and how many taxis should be running, as well as keeping track of the operating status of drivers, managing their health, responding to accidents, and responding to customer dispatch requests. These operational management statuses are recorded and stored on the management center 4's server 5 or on a cloud-based server 6 via the network with the taxis.

The location of each taxi is constantly monitored by GPS 3, and the driving route is tracked. The on/off signal of the taxi meter is communicated to management center 4 via the network, and operation information data such as the meeting point with the customer (boarding), boarding time, boarding operation time, disembarking point, empty driving time, and driving route is obtained, and recorded and stored in server 5 of management center 4. Furthermore, by inputting information such as weather information, event information, day of the week, and season together with this operation information, it is also possible to analyze efficient vehicle dispatch and driving management.

In the present invention, the cloud 6 stores map information. The map information is configured to be provided from the cloud 6 to the customer group 1 and the taxi group 2 via a network. Drawing software for showing markers indicating the current position and direction of travel on the map information is provided in the terminal display devices 11, 12, ... of the customer group 1 and the terminal display devices 21, 22, ... of the taxi group 2. The terminal display devices 11, 12, ... of the customer group 1 and the terminal display devices 21, 22, ... of the taxi group 2 create electronic maps using map information from the cloud 6 and drawing software stored in the terminal display devices 11, 12, ... and the terminal display devices 21, 22, ... of the taxi group 2. In navigation using a bitmap format, the map is processed in a still image format and updated each time, or the data needs to be updated for each section by section processing. In contrast, in the present invention, a vector map data format is used. Therefore, by providing drawing software on each terminal display device, each map part can be processed quite freely, and various markers can be created, edited, color-changed, highlighted, and identified.

In this invention, when creating map information, vector map data is passed from the cloud or server to the customer's and taxi's terminal display device, and the drawing itself is performed on the terminal display side. Each map part has coordinate information, and the map is constructed using this coordinate information. This reduces the load on the server side, improves the freedom of drawing processing on the terminal display device side, and enables instant drawing. Furthermore, software processing on each terminal device side makes it easy to create and customize unique map displays according to the needs of each terminal.

Figure 2 is an explanatory diagram explaining an application example of a vehicle-customer matching system between a taxi and a customer using this invention, showing a matching system map display on the terminal display device of a customer waiting for a taxi and the taxi. When a customer (a person looking for a taxi) waiting for a taxi starts up the taxi matching software on the terminal display device 11, 12, ... such as their own smartphone, map information is retrieved from the server 5 or cloud 6 via the network, and a map such as that shown in Figure 2 is displayed.

In FIG. 2, roads V1 and V2 run north-south (vertical direction in the figure), roads H1 and H2 run east-west (horizontal direction in the figure), and road C1 runs diagonally. Buildings, landmarks, signs, road names, local place names, etc. can be displayed as necessary, but here, customer markers P1 to P5 in a waiting taxi state and taxi markers T1 to T6 in an empty taxi state within a specified range centered on the customer are displayed. In addition, the specified range can be selected and adjusted by enlarging or displaying the displayed map in detail using the enlarge/detail button 31 on the operation panel. Here, various information associated with the identification number of each taxi, such as company name, body color, type (ride sharing, special vehicle, nursing care taxi, small/large, model), and initial fare can also be displayed individually using detailed display means such as pop-ups.

3A shows an example of an operation panel 30 on a customer's terminal device. The operation panel 30 is provided with an enlarged/detailed display button 31, a taxi number display slide bar 32, a dispatch request button 33 (dispatch request signal transmitter) for sending a dispatch request signal, a taxi button 34a for calling a taxi, and a matching button group 34 for various mobile bodies such as a mobile food stall (dining), a mobile store (shop), and a sports gym (GIM). In the customer matching system map display, the number of vacant taxis may increase if the display range of the map is expanded, but there may be a situation where vacant taxis are not displayed even if the display range of the map is expanded without reason. In addition, there may be a case where the direction of movement cannot be determined because many vacant taxis are crowded together within a certain range. In such a case, a number slide bar 32 for displaying and adjusting the number of vacant taxis is provided, and the location and direction of the vacant taxi closest to the customer are displayed on the map by touching and sliding the number slide bar 32.

The taxi number slide bar 32 can also be slid in an increasing or decreasing direction to change the display range of the map according to the number of empty taxis with the customer at the center. At the management center 4, the latitude and longitude of the customer's location and the location of the empty taxis are obtained by GPS 3 and related GIS systems, and the position and direction of travel of each taxi can be determined in relation to the customer's location. The server in the management center 4 or each terminal display device calculates the shortest driving route using a shortest route calculation method such as the Dijkstra algorithm based on the current location of the person wishing to ride a taxi and the position and direction of travel of each empty taxi. As a result, empty taxis can be displayed on the map in order of proximity to the customer.

The current location and direction of travel of an unoccupied taxi that is moving are constantly tracked as it moves, so on the map shown in Figure 2, the location of the unoccupied taxi is indicated in real time by a marker along with an arrow indicating the direction of travel. If the customer is also moving, their current location according to their movement is shown. This map display allows the customer to know the number of unoccupied taxis within a given area and the direction of travel.

Meanwhile, the taxi's terminal uses taxi matching software similar to that displayed on the customer's terminal. The map displayed on the taxi's side is similar to that displayed on the customer's side, and shows the status of customers waiting for a taxi and available taxis within a specified range centered on the customer's taxi. The specified range can also be changed or adjusted on the taxi's display by operating the zoom/detailed display button 31.

Figure 3 (B) shows the operation panel 36 on the terminal display device of the vacant taxi. The difference from the display on the customer side is that the "Request a taxi" button 33 on the customer's operation panel is replaced with a "Response to taxi dispatch" button 38, and the taxi number slide bar 32 is replaced with a customer number slide bar button 37 that indicates the number of customers waiting for a taxi. The operation panel 36 also has a group of buttons 39 that indicate taxi operation assistance and display settings, such as a voice response button 39a, a street selection button 39c, a headquarters selection button 39d, and a setting button 39e. When the taxi's customer number slide bar 37 is slid, the display range changes according to the number of customers waiting for a taxi within a specified range. Normally, it is set to display the customers at the closest distance, but if the slide bar 37 is slid to increase the number of customers, the display range expands according to the number of customers, and it is possible to grasp which areas customers are concentrated in.

In the map display of Figure 2, customer P1, who is waiting for a taxi, requests a taxi heading south on road V1. When the taxi button 34a in Figure 3(A) is clicked to launch the taxi matching software, the "taxi waiting" state is entered and customer marker P1 is shown flashing. Taxi drivers within a specified range can see on their respective terminal display devices that customer marker P1 is waiting. If taxi marker T1 turns left east on road H1 at intersection A, it will encounter customer markers P2 and P3, and if it continues straight it is likely to encounter customer marker P1, but since vacant taxi marker T2 is already ahead on road H1, it can be seen that continuing straight through intersection A is more likely to secure a customer.

Furthermore, since the nearby empty taxi marker T3 is on the opposite side to the waiting side of customer marker P1, taxi marker T1 can determine that it will be more likely to match with customer marker P1 by going straight through intersection A. Similarly, empty taxi marker T2 can be sure to secure customer marker P2 who is in the same direction by continuing east on road H1. Furthermore, in the case of empty taxi marker T3, it can be seen that it is more likely to encounter customer markers P3 and P4 waiting for taxis if it turns right and heads east on road H1 rather than going straight at intersection A. Similarly, it becomes possible for the other empty taxi markers T4, T5, and T6 to visually determine which direction they should travel to increase their chances of acquiring a customer.

In addition, customers waiting for a taxi can see the direction in which an available taxi is moving on their device, so they can determine how close they are to an available taxi, whether they are unlikely to encounter one, or whether they are more likely to get one if they wait on a different road or move to the opposite side, allowing for faster matching of available taxis with customers.

Furthermore, when a customer in the "taxi waiting" state clicks the "Request for dispatch" button 33 on the customer terminal operation panel 30 in FIG. 3(A), the "taxi waiting" state changes to the "Request for dispatch" state, and a "Request for dispatch" signal is sent to the number of available taxis within a specified range or the number set by the customer. The "Request for dispatch" button can also be used as the same button by pressing and holding the taxi button 34a or double-clicking it. When the "Request for dispatch" signal is sent by the customer, the blinking "taxi waiting" state on the terminal display device of the available taxi changes to a "Request for dispatch" blinking state. This change is visually highlighted to make it easier to understand, and the blinking speed increases, a beep or a sound such as "Request for dispatch" is added to notify the customer of the dispatch request, or the color changes from yellow to red to notify the driver that a dispatch call has been made.

When the driver of an empty taxi who has received the "Request for dispatch" signal responds to the dispatch request, the driver clicks the "Response for dispatch" button 38 on the taxi's operation panel 36 in Fig. 3 (B) or replies "Dispatch understood" by voice recognition or the like. If the voice button 39a is clicked and set in advance as voice input on the operation panel 36, the driver's response such as "Response for dispatch" can be made by voice recognition.

On the customer's terminal operation panel 30 shown in Figure 3 (A), the "Request a vehicle" button flashes or changes color to indicate that the request for a vehicle has been accepted, and the taxi that has responded to the request flashes or changes color on the matching map in Figure 2, allowing the customer to identify which available taxi has responded to the request, and to check on the display device the driving status of the taxi, such as the direction from which it will arrive and how long it will take.

A taxi driver who receives this "dispatch request" signal does not necessarily have to respond to the customer's request, and will not dispatch a taxi unless the taxi driver clicks the "dispatch response" button 38 on the taxi side or responds with a voice "dispatch understood". In addition, as described above, it is possible to prioritize and dispatch an empty taxi that is as close to the customer as possible in response to a request from a customer using the "dispatch request" button 33, because the positional relationship between the customer and the empty taxis is known. In this case, the taxi's terminal display device 21, 22, ... or the server of the management center 4 calculates the shortest driving route based on the current location of the person wishing to ride a taxi and the location and traveling direction of each empty taxi using a shortest route calculation method such as the Dijkstra algorithm. The taxi's terminal display device 21, 22, ... identifies and displays the boarding request marker to indicate a request for dispatch, and gives priority to the "dispatch response" in order of the shortest possible time to reach the person wishing to ride a taxi based on the shortest driving route calculated by the server or the taxi's terminal display device 21, 22, ..., and dispatches an empty taxi.

Until a taxi responds to a request for dispatch, the customer's identification display using the "Request for dispatch" button will highlight the customer by flashing or changing color to notify them that the "Request for dispatch" continues, but depending on the situation, if a certain amount of time passes without a "Response for dispatch," it will be reset. If the customer still wishes to dispatch a taxi, they can change the settings by expanding the specified range of the "Request for dispatch" or increasing the number of eligible taxis, and request a taxi again.

In conventional taxi dispatch (call) systems, a customer usually contacts a taxi company to request dispatch, and the taxi company then transmits the dispatch request to an empty taxi traveling near the customer or to a vehicle waiting at the taxi company's base. Driving charges are incurred from the time the taxi heads to the customer's location, but in a system like the one in the present invention, a "request for dispatch" is simply transmitted to a (driving) taxi traveling within a specified range centered on the customer. Since there is no obligation to "respond to dispatch," charges are incurred from the time the customer is secured. For the customer, not only can a taxi be secured more quickly, but there is also the possibility of saving on taxi fares.

When a customer and a taxi are matched and the taxi acquires a customer, the taxi enters a charging driving state, and the taxi marker, customer marker, and taxi movement direction marker disappear on the customer's terminal display device 11, 12... and the taxi's terminal display device 21, 22.... When the taxi enters a charging driving state, the boarding location and boarding time along with the taxi's identification signal are recorded at management center 4, and the subsequent driving route is also recorded. When the taxi arrives at the destination and the charging driving state is released, the taxi enters an empty state and is displayed as an empty taxi on the terminal display device.

As mentioned above, the taxi company's management center 4 manages the operation status of all taxis under its management and manages dispatching, but at the same time, it can use the system according to the present invention to analyze the operation status and customer acquisition status of each taxi, and dispatch taxis and efficiently match them with customers. In other words, the operation management status of all taxis under its management is recorded and stored via a network in the server 5 of the management center 4 or a server on the cloud 6. As data, the taxis transmit (1) a boarding signal when a customer boards the taxi and the taxi becomes billable, (2) an alighting signal when the billing status is released, and (3) GPS information and taxi position information signals obtained from the GIS system at each time to the management center 4. The management center 4 inputs the conditions necessary for taxi management, including season, day of the week, weather, event information, and accident information, together with this taxi information, and records and stores the data in the server 5 or cloud 6. The accumulated data is used to analyze how many taxis should be dispatched to which areas under what conditions at all times in order to most efficiently match them with customers. Furthermore, by accumulating driving route information, it is possible to analyze which driving route is the most efficient driving route.

Example 2
As mentioned above, the operation status of the taxis and the customer matching status are constantly managed by the management center 4. Therefore, the matching status with the customer can be provided to the empty taxis so that optimal efficiency can be achieved by taking into consideration various conditions such as the boarding time, location, day of the week, and weather. A network is established between each of the empty taxis T1, T2, ... in the taxi group 2 and the management center 4, and customer matching frequency information in the area that matches the conditions of the time and location of travel analyzed by the management center 4 is constantly transmitted to the empty taxis in motion.

The taxi's terminal display device 21, 22, ... receives map information in vector data format from the cloud 6 via the network, and edits and displays map display markers according to matching frequency using drawing software installed in the terminal display device. In the present invention, since the drawing software is installed in the terminal display device, it is possible to edit and process markers that identify frequency according to matching frequency level information received from the management center 4. It is also possible to process the map parts obtained from the cloud 6 to change the color, enlarge/reduce, or highlight them, and it is also possible to create and edit unique markers that are not available in the map information parts and display them on the map.

Figure 4 is an explanatory diagram showing the customer matching frequency displayed on the display device on the side of the taxi. On the terminal display device of the taxi, an identification display showing the possibility of matching with a customer is displayed on the road or along the road. Between intersection A and intersection B on road H1 in Figure 4, an arrow 41 is shown in the eastward direction by a solid line and a dotted line. Also, an arrow 42 is shown in the westward direction by a solid line, a dashed line, and a dotted line. Here, the solid line (A) indicates the highest frequency of matching with customers, and the dashed line (B) indicates medium frequency and the dotted line (C) indicates low frequency according to the level of matching frequency. The driver visually recognizes the matching frequency and heads to an area with a high matching frequency, which increases the possibility of acquiring customers more quickly and reliably.

In addition, near intersection C, the matching frequency on roads V1 and C1 is displayed on the road as (A) high frequency, (B) medium frequency, or (C) low frequency, changing color or the like, with dotted circles 44 indicating the occurrence of some kind of abnormality, such as traffic congestion or an accident. In such a case, information can be provided that determines that it would be more efficient to avoid the intersection due to traffic congestion, etc., even if the matching frequency is high.

This identification display of matching frequency can be made in various ways, such as by color-coding the road according to frequency, such as yellow (low frequency), orange (medium frequency), or red (high frequency), or by highlighting, or by displaying arrows, figures, icons, etc. It is desirable to have an identification display that allows the driver to visually recognize the matching frequency with as little burden as possible. In this way, the taxi's terminal display device can display the frequency of passage of an unoccupied taxi and the passage of time by changing the color of the designated road or identifying the designated road according to the passage of time after the designated road is passed, based on the passage of an unoccupied taxi.

Example 3
In the first embodiment, the direction in which a customer waiting for a taxi wants to travel is unknown to the taxi company. Usually, a customer reserves a taxi and instructs the taxi company which direction to go after getting in. However, for the taxi driver, when the customer is nearing the end of work or returning to the office, the customer may want to travel in the opposite direction to the driver's desired direction, and it is difficult to refuse the customer's request. Therefore, if the customer's direction of travel can be confirmed in advance, the taxi driver can conveniently select a customer in the direction the driver wants.

Figure 5 is an explanatory diagram of Example 3 for allowing a customer to indicate the desired travel direction on a terminal. In Figure 5, the customer's travel direction icon 51 is equipped with buttons indicating the travel direction of east, west, north, and south (NEWS). A customer who knows the travel direction can click the travel direction button for east, west, south, or north to notify a group of available taxis within a specified range of the desired direction and that the taxi is waiting. As a result, a marker indicating that the taxi is waiting is displayed on the terminal display device of the customer and the available taxis within the specified range, along with an arrow indicating the desired travel direction of the waiting customer.

In FIG. 5, the taxi side displays that customer P1 wishes to move north and is in a "dispatch request" state on road H1. If an empty taxi T1 wishes to move west, taxi T1 will ignore customer P1 or will not respond to the "dispatch request" and choose not to match with customer P1, but will instead match with another customer moving west (e.g. customer P2 or P3), making it possible to match with a customer heading in the direction desired by the driver. If the direction of travel is unknown, the customer does not necessarily need to click the direction of travel, but can click the "waiting state" button 51 in the center of the direction of travel instruction button 50. If the waiting state button 51 is touched without a direction of travel instruction, no arrow in the direction of travel will be added to the customer's marker on the map, and only the "waiting state" marker similar to FIG. 2 will be displayed.

Providing a travel direction indication button 50 that indicates the direction in which the customer wishes to travel makes it possible to apply this to ride sharing (shared car taxis) within a specified area. In other words, if a ride sharing taxi that has already acquired a customer and is traveling in the same direction finds a new customer on the display, it can easily arrange for the new customer to ride share (share a car). In the case of such a ride sharing taxi, when it is matched with a customer, it does not disappear from the terminal display, but instead displays the number of customers as a ride sharing taxi, and disappears from the terminal display when the specified number of passengers is reached (full).

Example 4
The above-mentioned invention has been described mainly for the purpose of efficient matching in taxis, but it can be widely applied to mobile shops and mobile service vehicles. Stores and services using mobile vehicles are systems in which the store moves as a mobile body and customers can purchase goods and receive services at their desired time and place. In addition to not needing a store location, it has efficient convenience such as being able to prepare services and procure desired goods while the vehicle is moving, and being able to sell or provide services immediately if it is matched with a customer. In addition, it has become an extremely convenient system for elderly people and residents who do not have stores nearby. It ranges from various stores, convenience stores, mobile stalls offering meals and alcohol, barber and beauty salons, and libraries to sports gyms, medical diagnostic services, and mobile clinics.

Basically, the technical idea is the same as the taxi matching system described above, and the taxi is a mobile store. In addition to the taxi matching button 34a shown in FIG. 3(A), the customer terminal display device of the taxi matching software shown in FIG. 2 is provided with examples of mobile vehicle matching buttons 34 for various mobile stores or mobile services, such as mobile food stalls (DINING) 34b, convenience stores (SHOPS) 34c, mobile sports gyms (GIM.) 34d, and others (OTHERS) 34e. Customers who wish to do so click on these matching buttons to launch dedicated matching software for various mobile stores, etc. For convenience of explanation, matching buttons for each mobile store are provided on the customer terminal in FIG. 2, but they may also be launched from the respective store apps and software on a smartphone or the like.

Figure 6 shows an example of the display on the customer and mobile store terminals when applied to a mobile store. When a customer requests a mobile food stall and clicks the "DINING" (mobile food stall) button 34b displayed in Figure 2, mobile food stalls D1, D2, ... within a specified range are displayed with arrows indicating the direction of travel as shown in the map display in Figure 6, and the locations of customers R1, R2, ... who are currently requesting a mobile food stall are displayed. At the same time, a request menu 60 pops up on the customer's terminal, showing the name of the food, price, features, etc., and the customer can click to select the desired food or drink. The food or drink selected in the request menu 60 is displayed in the request display field 61. Figure 6 shows a situation in which customer R1 is on road V1, and customers R2 and R3 have made requests for food from their homes, and the requests have not yet been responded to, with each customer being highlighted.

The mobile store side D1, D2, ... terminal display device also displays a map display as shown in FIG. 6, just like the customer side. An example of the mobile store side operation panel is shown in FIG. 7. The mobile store side operation panel 70 has a "Vehicle Dispatch Response" button 71 for confirming requests from each customer and responding with acceptance or rejection of the request. When a "Vehicle Dispatch Response" is made to each customer, the "Vehicle Dispatch Request" button 62 on the customer side operation panel changes to "Vehicle Dispatch Response". The request response acceptance is displayed, and the order confirmation display icon 64 is highlighted in the order (or vehicle dispatch) confirmation field 63, and the number of waiting customers and the number of the customer are also displayed. In addition, the approximate waiting time can be displayed as a guideline for the matching time to the customer and the average time required per customer. On the customer side, depending on the waiting time, it is also possible to set it so that the "Vehicle Dispatch Request" request can be canceled within a certain time (several minutes) from the request.

When a vehicle dispatch response is made, a request list 73 is displayed on the mobile vehicle's operation panel 70, showing the details of the order, including the quantity of items requested by each customer and order.The mobile vehicle can then prepare to provide goods or services, check inventory, create invoices, etc., before arriving at the customer's location, enabling it to smoothly provide goods or services once it is matched with the customer.

In addition, by moving the customer number slide bar 72 on the operation panel 70, the number of customers is displayed in order from the closest travel distance to the mobile body (1, 2, 3, etc.), allowing the mobile store to determine the most efficient route to take. As with the taxi matching system, detailed data such as the mobile store's travel route, matching location with the customer, time, service or purchased item, event information, and weather can be managed, recorded, and accumulated, making it possible to use the data to analyze areas to be dispatched, number of vehicles to be dispatched, sales forecasts, product lineup, and review of service content.

As described above, the present invention has been described with respect to a matching device and system for matching taxis and mobile stores with customers. The present invention is not limited to this, and by appropriately combining multiple components of the present invention, efficient matching between various mobile vehicles and customers can be ensured. For customers, the direction of movement of vacant taxis and mobile stores can be recognized, shortening waiting time and enabling efficient encounters. For drivers, it is possible to select areas where it is easier to acquire customers, shortening vacant time, and matching frequency is displayed visually using colors and highlights. This allows for safer and more efficient driving. In addition, for companies and management, it is possible to manage operations and grasp driving conditions, making it possible to improve the efficiency of the vehicle dispatch management system. In other words, it is possible to provide devices and systems that are extremely convenient for customers, drivers, and companies, and they have great industrial utility and applicability.

1. Customer group 2. Taxi group 3. GPS
4 Management center 5 Server in management center 6 Cloud 11, 12, ... Customer terminal display device (smartphone)
21, 22, ... Taxi terminal display device (car navigation device)
30 Customer side terminal operation panel 31 Map enlargement, details button 32 Number of vehicles display slide bar 33 Request vehicle dispatch button 34a Taxi software start button 34b, 34c, 34d, 34e Various mobile vehicle matching button 36 Taxi side terminal operation panel 37 Number of passengers display slide bar 38 Dispatch response button 39 Taxi operation assistance button group 41, 42, 43 Matching frequency identification display 50 Customer movement direction display button 63 Order or dispatch confirmation field 64 Order confirmation display icon

Claims (3)

A vehicle customer matching system for a mobile service vehicle to acquire a customer,
The present invention is configured to include a customer terminal display device which is owned by the customer and displays the current location of the customer acquired from the location information search device on an electronic map in a vector map format, and a vehicle terminal display device which is provided in the mobile service vehicle and displays the current location of the mobile service vehicle acquired from the location information search device on an electronic map in a vector map format,
The customer terminal display device and the vehicle terminal display device are each connected to a cloud server that stores map information in vector map format via a network,
Each of the vehicle terminal display device and the customer terminal display device stores drawing software, and creates the electronic map including the map information stored in the cloud server and the map parts processed and edited by the drawing software,
A vehicle customer matching system characterized in that each of the terminal display devices uses the map information from the cloud server to display markers of the mobile service vehicle and markers of the customer that are within a specified range, and also displays a travel direction marker indicating the travel direction of the mobile service vehicle and the desired travel direction of the customer. The mobile service vehicle is an empty taxi, and the customer is a person who wishes to ride a taxi,
The customer terminal display device held by the person wishing to take a taxi includes a dispatch request signal transmitting unit that transmits a dispatch request signal and a travel direction transmitting means that transmits a travel direction desired by the customer,
The cloud server or each of the terminal display devices calculates the shortest driving route based on the current location of the person who wishes to take a taxi, the location and traveling direction of each of the vacant taxis, and the customer's desired travel direction using a shortest route calculation method;
The vehicle-customer matching system described in claim 1, characterized in that when the vehicle terminal display device installed in the vacant taxi receives the dispatch request signal transmitted from the customer terminal display device, it identifies and displays a passenger marker indicating a request for dispatch, and prioritizes the vacant taxis in order of the shortest possible time to reach the passenger seeking a taxi based on the shortest driving route calculated by the cloud server or each of the terminal display devices, and a dispatch response signal is issued to the customer terminal display device according to such priority. The mobile service vehicle is an empty taxi, the customer is a person who wishes to ride a taxi, and the customer terminal display device is provided with a means for changing a display range of the number of empty taxis,
The vehicle terminal display device includes a means for changing a display range of the number of people wishing to ride in the taxi, and a means for displaying the frequency of passage of the unoccupied taxi and the passage of time by changing the color of the predetermined road or by displaying the predetermined road in a distinctive manner in accordance with the passage of time after the unoccupied taxi passes through the predetermined road,
The vehicle customer matching system described in claim 1, characterized in that the cloud server is equipped with a means for accumulating ride information including the boarding location or road name, boarding time, disembarking location or road, disembarking time, weather, season, and day of the week when the vacant taxi secures the taxi ride requester based on the information from each terminal display device and the information from the location information search device.

Images