JP7686590B2 - Information processing device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a technology for setting the points where users board and disembark from a vehicle.

Various demonstration experiments are being conducted in various places regarding on-demand transportation services. In an on-demand transportation service, for example, when a user requests a ride from an arbitrary boarding point selected from a group of multiple boarding and alighting points to an arbitrary disembarking point, a vehicle that meets the request is selected, and the driver of the selected vehicle drives the vehicle according to a route from the boarding point to the disembarking point.

As a technique for setting boarding and alighting points in this type of transportation service, Patent Document 1 proposes a mechanism in which, in addition to bus stops set along a basic route, virtual bus stops are set up virtually to pick up users outside the basic route, and when a user boards a bus from a virtual bus stop, an incentive is given to the user according to the location of the virtual bus stop.

Patent No. 6510007

However, the location of a boarding/alighting point that is convenient for a user varies depending on the user's place of residence or place of work, or a place that the user frequently visits. Therefore, it would be very convenient if each user could set a boarding/alighting point at a location of their choice that is convenient for them.

However, if a large number of such boarding and alighting points are set in a disorderly manner, system management becomes cumbersome. Therefore, if a period during which the boarding and alighting points are valid is set and users are required to pay a renewal fee when renewing that period, unnecessary bus stops will not be proliferated and there is a certain degree of rationality to this.

The present invention has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned background, and aims to provide a mechanism for appropriately determining the update fee for updating the boarding and alighting point settings.

To solve the above problem, the present invention provides an information processing device that includes a boarding and alighting point setting unit that sets a location specified by a user as a boarding and alighting point where a user can board or alight from a vehicle during a certain update period, and an update fee determination unit that determines an update fee to be paid by the user who specified the boarding and alighting point to update the setting of the boarding and alighting point, depending on the vehicle usage record at the set boarding and alighting point.

According to the present invention, it is possible to appropriately determine the update fee for updating the boarding and alighting point setting based on the vehicle usage record at that boarding and alighting point.

1 is a block diagram showing an example of a configuration of a vehicle management system 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of a hardware configuration of a user terminal 10 according to the embodiment. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of a hardware configuration of the in-vehicle terminal 20 according to the embodiment. FIG. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of a hardware configuration of a server device 30 according to the embodiment. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of a functional configuration of a server device 30. 11 is a diagram illustrating an example of boarding and alighting point information stored in a boarding and alighting point information storage unit 323 according to the embodiment. FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating a fare determination table stored in the boarding/alighting point setting unit 33 in the embodiment. FIG. 10 is a flowchart illustrating an example of an operation of the server device 30 regarding setting/updating boarding/alighting points. 11 is a flowchart illustrating an example of an operation related to operation management of a server device 30. 13 is a diagram illustrating an example of boarding and alighting point information stored in a boarding and alighting point information storage unit 323 in a modified example. FIG. FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating a fare determination table stored in the boarding/alighting point setting unit 33 in a modified example. FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating a fare determination table stored in the boarding/alighting point setting unit 33 in a modified example.

[composition]
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of a vehicle management system 1 according to the present embodiment. The vehicle management system 1 is a system for providing an on-demand transportation service. The vehicle management system 1 includes a plurality of user terminals 10 each functioning as a communication terminal used by a plurality of passengers who get on and off the vehicle (i.e., users to whom the transportation service is provided), a plurality of vehicle-mounted terminals 20 each functioning as a communication terminal used by each driver in a plurality of vehicles, and a server device 30 functioning as an information processing device according to the present invention. A network 2 connects the user terminals 10, the vehicle-mounted terminals 20, and the server device 30 so that they can communicate with each other. The network 2 is, for example, a local area network (LAN) or a wide area network (WAN), or a combination of these, and includes a wired section or a wireless section. The network 2 desirably includes, for example, a network conforming to a fifth generation mobile communication system, but is not necessarily limited to this.

In the vehicle management system 1, a user operates his/her own user terminal 10 to request a ride from an arbitrary boarding point selected from a group of multiple boarding and alighting points to an arbitrary disembarking point. This boarding request is transmitted from the user terminal 10 to the server device 30 via the network 2. A plurality of vehicles each equipped with an on-board terminal 20 are running or waiting in a dispersed manner, and the server device 30 selects a vehicle that matches the user's boarding request. The server device 30 identifies a route from the current position of the selected vehicle to the disembarking point via the boarding point, and notifies the on-board terminal 20 of the vehicle of information related to the route. The driver of the vehicle equipped with the on-board terminal 20 drives the vehicle according to the notified route. The server device 30 also notifies the user terminal 10 of the user of information related to the vehicle that the user should board and the scheduled time that the vehicle will arrive at the boarding point and disembarking point. The user travels by foot or the like to the notified boarding point by the scheduled boarding time of the vehicle, boards the vehicle at the boarding point, and disembarks from the vehicle at the disembarking point at the scheduled disembarking time. Note that the boarding and disembarking point in this embodiment may be a boarding point where the user boards the vehicle, or a disembarking point where the user disembarks from the vehicle. In other words, the boarding and disembarking point may be a point where the user can board the vehicle and disembark from the vehicle, or a point where the user can only board the vehicle, or a point where the user can only disembark from the vehicle.

In this embodiment, the group of boarding and alighting points includes boarding and alighting points set by the system administrator based on the demand and supply of vehicles, as well as boarding and alighting points set at any location specified by each user (for example, a point that is easy for the user to board and alight, such as a point near the user's place of residence or place of work). Hereinafter, the former boarding and alighting points are referred to as system-set boarding and alighting points, and the latter boarding and alighting points are referred to as user-set boarding and alighting points. In this embodiment, multiple users are allowed to ride in the same vehicle at the same time. Therefore, in this embodiment, the user-set boarding and alighting points are available not only to the user who specified the user-set boarding and alighting point (hereinafter referred to as the boarding and alighting point setting user), but also to users other than the boarding and alighting point setting user.

A period during which a user can board and disembark from a vehicle (one month in this embodiment, hereinafter, this period is referred to as the update period) is set for the user-defined boarding and disembarking point. The boarding and disembarking point setting user can update the setting of the user-defined boarding and disembarking point by paying an update fee to the system administrator. This update fee varies depending on the usage history of the user-defined boarding and disembarking point during the above period. The usage history here includes the usage history by the boarding and disembarking point setting user as well as the usage history by other users. The basic policy for determining the update fee is to lower the update fee when there is a lot of usage history compared to when there is little usage history. This reduces the financial burden when updating a user-defined boarding and disembarking point with a lot of usage history, and increases the possibility that a user-defined boarding and disembarking point with a lot of usage history will be updated. As a result, the possibility of a large number of user-defined boarding and disembarking points with little usage history being proliferated is also reduced.

Figure 2 is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of a user terminal 10. The user terminal 10 is, for example, a computer such as a smartphone, a mobile phone, a tablet, a wearable terminal, or a personal computer. The user terminal 10 is physically configured as a computer device including a processor 1001, a memory 1002, a storage 1003, a communication device 1004, an input device 1005, an output device 1006, and a bus connecting these. In the following description, the word "device" can be interpreted as a circuit, a device, a unit, etc. The hardware configuration of the user terminal 10 may be configured to include one or more of the devices shown in the figure, or may be configured to exclude some of the devices.

Each function of the user terminal 10 is realized by loading a specific software (program) onto hardware such as the processor 1001 and memory 1002, causing the processor 1001 to perform calculations, control communications via the communication device 1004, and control at least one of the reading and writing of data in the memory 1002 and storage 1003.

The processor 1001, for example, operates an operating system to control the entire computer. The processor 1001 may be configured with a central processing unit (CPU) including an interface with peripheral devices, a control device, an arithmetic unit, a register, etc. Also, for example, a baseband signal processing unit, a call processing unit, etc. may be realized by the processor 1001.

The processor 1001 reads out programs (program codes), software modules, data, etc. from at least one of the storage 1003 and the communication device 1004 into the memory 1002, and executes various processes according to these. The programs used are those that cause a computer to execute at least some of the operations described below. The functional blocks of the user terminal 10 may be realized by a control program stored in the memory 1002 and running on the processor 1001. The various processes may be executed by one processor 1001, or may be executed simultaneously or sequentially by two or more processors 1001. The processor 1001 may be implemented by one or more chips. The programs may be transmitted from the network 2 to the user terminal 10 via a telecommunications line.

The memory 1002 is a computer-readable recording medium, and may be composed of at least one of, for example, a ROM (Read Only Memory), an EPROM (Erasable Programmable ROM), an EEPROM (Electrically Erasable Programmable ROM), a RAM (Random Access Memory), etc. The memory 1002 may also be called a register, a cache, a main memory (primary storage device), etc. The memory 1002 can store executable programs (program codes), software modules, etc. for implementing the method according to this embodiment.

Storage 1003 is a computer-readable recording medium, and may be composed of at least one of, for example, an optical disk such as a CD-ROM (Compact Disc ROM), a hard disk drive, a flexible disk, a magneto-optical disk (e.g., a compact disk, a digital versatile disk, a Blu-ray (registered trademark) disk), a smart card, a flash memory (e.g., a card, a stick, a key drive), a floppy (registered trademark) disk, a magnetic strip, etc. Storage 1003 may also be called an auxiliary storage device.

The communication device 1004 is hardware (transmitting/receiving device) for communicating between computers via at least one of a wired network and a wireless network, and is also called, for example, a network device, a network controller, a network card, a communication module, etc. The communication device 1004 may be configured to include a high-frequency switch, a duplexer, a filter, a frequency synthesizer, etc., to realize at least one of Frequency Division Duplex (FDD) and Time Division Duplex (TDD). For example, a transmitting/receiving antenna, an amplifier unit, a transmitting/receiving unit, a transmission path interface, etc. may be realized by the communication device 1004. The transmitting/receiving unit may be implemented as an output unit and a receiving unit that are physically or logically separated.

The input device 1005 is an input device (e.g., a key, a microphone, a switch, a button, a sensor, a GPS (Global Positioning Unit) unit, etc.) that accepts input from the outside. The output device 1006 is an output device (e.g., a display, a speaker, an LED lamp, etc.) that performs output to the outside. Note that the input device 1005 and the output device 1006 may be integrated into one configuration (e.g., a touch screen).

Each device, such as the processor 1001 and memory 1002, is connected by a bus for communicating information. The bus may be configured using a single bus, or may be configured using different buses between each device.

The user terminal 10 may also be configured to include hardware such as a microprocessor, a digital signal processor (DSP), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a programmable logic device (PLD), or a field programmable gate array (FPGA), and some or all of the functional blocks may be realized by the hardware. For example, the processor 1001 may be implemented using at least one of these pieces of hardware.

Figure 3 is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the in-vehicle terminal 20. The in-vehicle terminal 20 is, for example, a car navigation device, a smartphone, a mobile phone, a tablet, a wearable terminal, or a computer such as a personal computer. The in-vehicle terminal 20 may be a terminal that is integrated into or fixed to the vehicle, or a terminal that is portable and can be brought into the vehicle by the driver. The hardware configuration of the in-vehicle terminal 20 may be configured to include one or more of the devices shown in Figure 3, or may be configured to exclude some of the devices. In addition, the in-vehicle terminal 20 may be configured by communicating and connecting multiple devices each having a different housing.

The in-vehicle terminal 20 is physically configured as a computer device including a processor 2001, a memory 2002, a storage 2003, a communication device 2004, an input device 2005, an output device 2006, and a bus connecting these, similar to the user terminal 10. Each function of the in-vehicle terminal 20 is realized by loading a specific software (program) onto hardware such as the processor 2001, the memory 2002, etc., so that the processor 2001 performs calculations, controls communication by the communication device 2004, and controls at least one of reading and writing data in the memory 2002 and the storage 2003. The processor 2001, memory 2002, storage 2003, communication device 2004, input device 2005, output device 2006, and the bus connecting them are similar in terms of hardware to the processor 1001, memory 1002, storage 1003, communication device 1004, input device 1005, output device 1006, and the bus connecting them described for the user terminal 10, so their description will be omitted.

Figure 4 is a diagram showing the hardware configuration of server device 30. The hardware configuration of server device 30 may be configured to include one or more of the devices shown in Figure 4, or may be configured to exclude some of the devices. In addition, server device 30 may be configured by communicating with multiple devices each having a different housing.

The server device 30 is physically configured as a computer device including a processor 3001, a memory 3002, a storage 3003, a communication device 3004, and a bus connecting these. Each function of the server device 30 is realized by loading a specific software (program) onto hardware such as the processor 3001 and the memory 3002, causing the processor 3001 to perform calculations, control communication by the communication device 3004, and control at least one of reading and writing data in the memory 3002 and the storage 3003. The processor 3001, the memory 3002, the storage 3003, the communication device 3004, and the bus connecting these are similar in terms of hardware to the processor 1001, the memory 1002, the storage 1003, the communication device 1004, and the bus connecting these described for the user terminal 10, and therefore a description thereof will be omitted. However, the communication device 3004 does not have to be hardware for communicating according to a wireless communication standard, but may be hardware (transmitting/receiving device) for communicating between computers via the network 2 according to any wired communication standard.

Figure 5 is a block diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of the vehicle management system 1. As shown in Figure 5, the server device 30 realizes the functions of an acquisition unit 31, a vehicle dispatch management unit 32, a boarding/alighting point setting unit 33, an update fee determination unit 34, a usage fee determination unit 35, and an output unit 36. The vehicle dispatch management unit 32 includes the functions of a schedule determination unit 321, a map information storage unit 322, a boarding/alighting point information storage unit 323, and a vehicle information storage unit 324.

The acquisition unit 31 acquires various information from the user terminal 10 or the vehicle-mounted terminal 20. For example, when a user operates his/her user terminal 10 to request a ride from an arbitrary boarding point to an arbitrary disembarking point, this boarding request is transmitted from the user terminal 10 to the server device 30 via the network 2 and acquired by the acquisition unit 31. In addition, the vehicle-mounted terminal 20 periodically measures the position of its own terminal using a GPS unit or so-called base station positioning, etc., and transmits position information indicating the position to the server device 30 via the network 2, and the acquisition unit 31 acquires the vehicle's position information. In addition, when a user operates his/her user terminal 10 to request that an arbitrary position be designated and set as a user-defined boarding/disembarking point, this setting request is transmitted from the user terminal 10 to the server device 30 via the network 2 and acquired by the acquisition unit 31. In addition, when a user who has set a user-defined boarding/disembarking point requests to update the setting of the user-defined boarding/disembarking point, this update request is transmitted from the user terminal 10 to the server device 30 via the network 2 and acquired by the acquisition unit 31.

The vehicle dispatch management unit 32 manages vehicle dispatch. More specifically, the vehicle dispatch management unit 32 selects a vehicle that matches the user's boarding request from a group of vehicles that are in the vicinity of the boarding point included in the boarding request or a group of vehicles that are scheduled to run in the vicinity of the boarding point. The vehicle dispatch management unit 32 determines an operation schedule from the current location of the selected vehicle to the alighting point via the boarding point. This operation schedule includes information that indicates a route along a time axis, such as which vehicle passes which position at what time, and includes, for example, the scheduled boarding time at which the vehicle selected as the vehicle to be boarded by the user will arrive at the boarding point of the user and the scheduled alighting time at which the vehicle will arrive at the alighting point of the user. Such a history of operation schedules is used as the usage record of each vehicle by each user when determining an update fee for the user-set boarding and alighting point, and is also used when determining a usage fee when boarding and alighting from a vehicle at the user-set boarding and alighting point set by the boarding and alighting point setting user.

The map information storage unit 322 of the vehicle dispatch management unit 32 stores map data and traffic data within the traffic service area where services are provided by the vehicle management system 1. The map data includes information on the location of each road within the traffic service area, the direction and number of lanes that can be traveled on each road, and traffic lights on each road. The traffic data includes information on congestion and accidents on each road within the traffic service area. The traffic data may also include information on traffic volume sensed by a specified sensing device in each area, and statistical information from a macro perspective on how vehicles on the road move depending on conditions such as date and time. The map data and traffic data are used to identify the vehicle's route and the time required for the vehicle to move along that route.

The boarding/alighting point information storage unit 323 of the vehicle dispatch management unit 32 stores boarding/alighting point information for all boarding/alighting points, including system-defined boarding/alighting points and user-defined boarding/alighting points.

Figure 6 is a diagram illustrating the boarding and alighting point information stored in the boarding and alighting point information storage unit 323. As illustrated in Figure 6, the boarding and alighting point information includes a point ID that identifies each boarding and alighting point, the location of each boarding and alighting point, a setting entity ID that identifies the entity that set each boarding and alighting point, an update deadline that is the expiration date of the update period at each boarding and alighting point, a usage record at each boarding and alighting point, a setting fee that the user pays to the system administrator to set a point desired by the user as a user-defined boarding and alighting point, an update fee that the boarding and alighting point setting user pays to the system administrator to update the setting of the user-defined boarding and alighting point, and a usage fee that the user pays to the system administrator each time the user uses each boarding and alighting point (i.e., gets on or off a vehicle).

In the example of FIG. 6, the configurator IDs "U0012" and "U0105" corresponding to the point IDs "B00001" and "B00003" are both user IDs that identify users. In other words, the boarding and alighting points corresponding to these point IDs are user-configured boarding and alighting points. On the other hand, the configurator ID "sys" corresponding to the point ID "B00002" refers to the system administrator. In other words, the boarding and alighting point corresponding to this point ID is a system-configured boarding and alighting point.

The usage history and usage fees corresponding to the user-defined boarding/alighting points are stored separately for the boarding/alighting point setting user who set the user-defined boarding/alighting point and other users. For example, at the user-defined boarding/alighting point with point ID "B00001", the usage history during the update period was 15 times by the boarding/alighting point setting user and 3 times by other users, for a total of 18 times, and the usage fee was 80 yen for the boarding/alighting point setting user and 100 yen for other users. In contrast, the usage history and usage fee corresponding to the system-defined boarding/alighting points are the same for all users. For example, at the system-defined boarding/alighting point with point ID "B00002", the usage history during the update period was 250 times by all users, and the usage fee was a flat 100 yen for all users.

Returning to the explanation of FIG. 5, the vehicle information storage unit 324 of the vehicle dispatch management unit 32 stores vehicle information regarding each vehicle. This vehicle information includes the ID, location information, and current boarding status of each vehicle. In this embodiment, the information of the in-vehicle terminal 20 is considered to be the location of the vehicle. Therefore, in the vehicle information storage unit 324, the vehicle location information is updated by the location information transmitted from the in-vehicle terminal 20 to the server device 30.

The schedule determination unit 321 refers to the storage contents of the map information storage unit 322, the boarding/alighting point information storage unit 323, and the vehicle information storage unit 324 described above to select a vehicle for the user to board in response to the boarding request acquired by the acquisition unit 31, determines an operation schedule for that vehicle as a boarding confirmed vehicle, and stores the determined operation schedule in association with the ID of that vehicle. As described above, this operation schedule includes information regarding the route of each vehicle, such as which vehicle passes through which position at which time, and which user boards which vehicle at which boarding point/disembarks at which disembarking point.

The boarding/alighting point setting unit 33 sets the location specified by the user as a user-defined boarding/alighting point where boarding/alighting is possible during the update period, which is one month in this embodiment. In other words, the boarding/alighting point setting unit 33 sets the user-defined boarding/alighting point by writing boarding/alighting point information related to the user-defined boarding/alighting point to the boarding/alighting point information storage unit 323.

The update fee determination unit 34 determines an update fee to be paid by the boarding/alighting point setting user who set the boarding/alighting point to update the setting of the boarding/alighting point, according to the usage record at the user-set boarding/alighting point. Specifically, when the usage record at the user-set boarding/alighting point is equal to or greater than a threshold (first threshold), the update fee determination unit 34 determines an update fee lower than the setting fee paid by the user when the user-set boarding/alighting point was initially set according to the user's specification. On the other hand, when the usage record at the user-set boarding/alighting point is less than a threshold (second threshold), the update fee determination unit 34 determines an update fee higher than the setting fee paid by the user when the user-set boarding/alighting point was initially set according to the user's specification. In addition, when the usage record at the user-set boarding/alighting point is equal to or greater than a threshold (third threshold), the update fee determination unit 34 determines an update fee lower than the case where the usage record at the user-set boarding/alighting point is less than the threshold (third threshold). The above threshold (first threshold), threshold (second threshold), and threshold (third threshold) are arbitrarily determined, and may be the same value.

The usage fee determination unit 35 determines the usage fee to be paid by the user to use the vehicle between multiple boarding and alighting points. Specifically, the usage fee determination unit 35 determines a usage fee for when a boarding and alighting point setting user who has specified a user-set boarding and alighting point uses a vehicle at the user-set boarding and alighting point, which is lower than the usage fee for when the vehicle is used at a boarding and alighting point other than the user-set boarding and alighting point. In addition, when the usage record at the user-set boarding and alighting point is equal to or greater than a threshold (fourth threshold), the usage fee determination unit 35 determines a usage fee that is lower than the usage record at the user-set boarding and alighting point that is less than the threshold (fourth threshold). On the other hand, the usage fee determination unit 35 determines a predetermined fixed fee (e.g., 100 yen) as the usage fee when a user other than the boarding and alighting point setting user uses a vehicle at a user-set boarding and alighting point. In addition, the usage fee determination unit 35 determines a predetermined fixed fee (e.g., 100 yen) as the usage fee when all users use a vehicle at a system-set boarding and alighting point.

Figure 7 is a diagram illustrating a fee determination table in which rules for determining update fees and usage fees for user-defined boarding and alighting points are described. In the example of Figure 7, if the number of usage records for each user-defined boarding and alighting point is less than five times, the update fee for updating the setting of the user-defined boarding and alighting point is 110 yen, and the usage fee for using the user-defined boarding and alighting point is 90 yen; if the number of usage records is between five and less than 20 times, the update fee is 100 yen and the usage fee is 80 yen; if the number of usage records is between 20 and less than 100 times, the update fee is 80 yen and the usage fee is 70 yen; and if the number of usage records is 100 times or more, the update fee is 50 yen and the usage fee is 60 yen.

Here, the set fee for setting a new user-defined boarding/alighting point is a fixed fee of 100 yen per user-defined boarding/alighting point. If the number of times used at the boarding/alighting point is equal to or greater than a threshold (first threshold, here 20 times), the renewal fee is 80 yen or 50 yen, which is lower than the set fee of 100 yen. On the other hand, if the number of times used at the boarding/alighting point is less than a threshold (second threshold, here 5 times), the renewal fee is 110 yen, which is higher than the set fee of 100 yen. Furthermore, when the number of times used is equal to or greater than a threshold (third threshold, here 20 times), the renewal fee of 80 yen is lower than the usage fee of 100 yen when the number of times used is less than 20 times. In a similar way, when this threshold (third threshold) is 100 times, the renewal fee of 50 yen when the number of times used at the user-defined boarding/alighting point is 100 or more is lower than the usage fee of 80 yen when the number of times used is less than 100 times.

As mentioned above, when a boarding/alighting point setting user uses a boarding/alighting point other than the user-defined boarding/alighting point that the user has set, the fixed fee is 100 yen per use. In contrast, the usage fee when a boarding/alighting point setting user uses a vehicle at a user-defined boarding/alighting point that the user has set is at most 90 yen (if the user has used the vehicle less than five times), which is lower than the usage fee of 100 yen when using a vehicle at a boarding/alighting point other than the user-defined boarding/alighting point that the user has set (i.e., a user-defined boarding/alighting point set by another user and a system-defined boarding/alighting point).

In addition, when the number of uses at the user-set boarding/alighting point is equal to or greater than a threshold (fourth threshold, here 5 times), the usage fee of 80 yen is lower than the usage fee of 90 yen when the number of uses is less than 5 times. By the same token, when this threshold (fourth threshold) is set to 20 times, the usage fee of 70 yen when the number of uses at the user-set boarding/alighting point is 20 times or more is lower than the usage fee of 80 yen when the number of uses is less than 20 times, and when this threshold (fourth threshold) is set to 100 times, the usage fee of 60 yen when the number of uses at the user-set boarding/alighting point is 100 times or more is lower than the usage fee of 70 yen when the number of uses is less than 20 times.

Note that the thresholds and fees in the fee determination table illustrated in Figure 7 are merely examples, and the system administrator can arbitrarily determine the rules for these thresholds and fees.

The output unit 36 transmits various types of information to the user terminal 10 or the in-vehicle terminal 20 via the network 2. Information transmitted from the output unit 36 to the user terminal 10 includes, for example, information about the vehicle that the user of the user terminal 10 should board and the scheduled disembarking time when the vehicle will arrive at the boarding point and disembarking point, information about the setting of the boarding and disembarking points, etc. Information transmitted from the output unit 36 to the in-vehicle terminal 20 includes, for example, information about the user who will board the vehicle and information about the route from the current location of the vehicle to the disembarking point via the boarding point, etc.

[Operation]
Next, the operation of the server device 30 will be described. The procedures of each process shown in Figs. 8 and 9 are described in a program stored in the storage 3003 of the server device 30. In the following description, when the server device 30 is described as the subject of processing, this specifically means that the processor 3001 performs calculations by loading a specific software (program) onto hardware such as the processor 3001 and memory 3002, and controls communication by the communication device 3004 and reading and/or writing of data in the memory 3002 and storage 3003, thereby executing processing. The same applies to the user terminal 10 and the in-vehicle terminal 20.

[Setting/updating boarding/alighting points]
Next, the process of setting/updating a boarding/alighting point will be described. In Fig. 8, first, the server device 30 (acquisition unit 31) acquires a request for setting or updating a user-defined boarding/alighting point transmitted from the user terminal 10 via the network 2 (step S101). The setting request for setting a user-defined boarding/alighting point includes at least the user ID of the user who specifies the user-defined boarding/alighting point and the location of the point desired by the user. Also, the update request for updating a user-defined boarding/alighting point includes at least the user ID of the user who has set the user-defined boarding/alighting point and wishes to update it, and the point ID of the user-defined boarding/alighting point.

If the request is for setting a user-defined boarding/alighting point (step S102; setting), the server device 30 (boarding/alighting point setting unit 33) generates conditions for setting the user-defined boarding/alighting point (such as paying a set fee of 100 yen), and the server device 30 (output unit 36) transmits the conditions to the user terminal 10 (step S103). If the user accepts the conditions, the server device 30 (boarding/alighting point setting unit 33) writes boarding/alighting point information for the user-defined boarding/alighting point to the boarding/alighting point information storage unit 323, thereby setting the user-defined boarding/alighting point (step S104).

In step S102, if the request is for updating the user-defined boarding and alighting point (step S102; update), the server device 30 (boarding and alighting point setting unit 33) references the contents stored in the boarding and alighting point information storage unit 323 and the contents of the fee determination table to generate conditions for updating the user-defined boarding and alighting point (such as paying XX yen as an update fee), and the server device 30 (output unit 36) transmits the conditions to the user terminal 10 (step S105). If the user accepts the conditions, the server device 30 (boarding and alighting point setting unit 33) updates the user-defined boarding and alighting point by writing the boarding and alighting point information for the user-defined boarding and alighting point to the boarding and alighting point information storage unit 323 (step S106).

[Operation management related operations]
Next, a process when a user gets on a vehicle will be described. In Fig. 9, first, the server device 30 (acquisition unit 31) acquires a boarding request transmitted from the user terminal 10 via the network 2 (step S11). This boarding request includes at least information regarding a boarding point and an alighting point designated by the user who wishes to board the vehicle.

Next, the server device 30 (schedule determination unit 321) identifies candidate vehicles that are candidates for the new user to board in response to the boarding request acquired by the acquisition unit 31 (step S12). Specifically, the schedule determination unit 321 identifies, as candidate vehicles, vehicles that are within a threshold distance from the boarding point in the boarding request or vehicles that are scheduled to travel within a threshold distance of the boarding point and that are scheduled to travel within a threshold distance of the disembarking point in the boarding request.

If no vehicle is identified as a candidate vehicle for boarding (step S13; NO), the server device 30 (output unit 36) performs a predetermined NG process, such as sending a message to the user terminal 10 that no vehicle is available for boarding, and ends the process (step S14).

On the other hand, if one or more vehicles are identified as candidate vehicles (step S13; YES), the server device 30 (schedule determination unit 321) determines an operation schedule (step S15), and the server device 30 (output unit 36) transmits information about the determined operation schedule to the in-vehicle terminal 20 and the user terminal 10 (step S16).

When the vehicle operation is completed according to such an operation schedule, the usage fee calculated based on the contents stored in the boarding/alighting point information storage unit 323 and the contents of the fee determination table is collected from the user in a predetermined manner.

According to the embodiment described above, if the user-set boarding/alighting point has a high usage history, the update fee is set lower than the initial set fee, whereas if the user-set boarding/alighting point has a low usage history, the update fee is set higher than the initial set fee. Also, if the user-set boarding/alighting point has a high usage history, the update fee is set lower than if the user-set boarding/alighting point has a low usage history. This makes it possible to appropriately determine the update fee for the user-set boarding/alighting point depending on the usage history at that point.

[Modification]
The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment. The above-described embodiment may be modified as follows. In addition, two or more of the following modifications may be combined and implemented.
[Modification 1]
When a user-defined boarding/alighting point is set or updated, the days or times when the user-defined boarding/alighting point is available or the types of vehicles available at the user-defined boarding/alighting point may be limited.

10 is a diagram illustrating an example of the boarding and alighting point information stored in the boarding and alighting point information storage unit 323 in a modified example. As illustrated in FIG. 10, the boarding and alighting point information of the user-defined boarding and alighting point includes a time condition related to the day or time when the user-defined boarding and alighting point can be used, and a vehicle type condition related to the type of vehicle that can be used at the user-defined boarding and alighting point. In the example of FIG. 10, the user-defined boarding and alighting point with the point ID "B00001" is available only for vehicles with "boarding and alighting assistance function" from "7:00 to 19:00 on weekdays" and only for vehicles with "8 seats" on "holidays". The setting fee, renewal fee, or usage fee for the user-defined boarding and alighting point may be determined according to such time conditions and vehicle type conditions. In this way, the boarding and alighting point setting unit may set the user-defined boarding and alighting point by limiting the day or time specified by the user within the period, or by limiting the user-defined boarding and alighting point to the type of vehicle specified by the user. This makes it possible, for example, to allow user-predefined boarding and alighting points to be used only on weekdays or when withdrawing money, or to allow user-predefined boarding and alighting points to be used only for large vehicles.

[Modification 2]
The length of the update period may be changed according to the usage record of the user-set boarding and alighting point. Specifically, if the usage record of the user-set boarding and alighting point is large, the update period may be extended, and if the usage record of the user-set boarding and alighting point is small, the update period may be shortened. FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating an example of a fee determination table stored by the boarding and alighting point setting unit 33 in this modified example. In FIG. 11, if the usage record in a certain update period is 20 times or more, the update period is longer than if it is less than 20 times. Furthermore, if the usage record in a certain update period is 100 times or more, the update period is even longer than if it is less than 100 times. In this way, the server device 30 may be provided with an update period determination unit that determines the length of the update period of the user-set boarding and alighting point. If the usage record at the user-set boarding and alighting point in a certain update period is equal to or larger than a threshold value (fifth threshold value), the update period determination unit may determine a period longer than the certain update period as the next update period. In addition, when the usage record at the user-set boarding/alighting point in a certain update period is less than a threshold (sixth threshold), the update period determination unit may determine a period shorter than the certain update period as the next update period. This makes it possible to appropriately determine the update period for the user-set boarding/alighting point according to the usage record at that point. Note that the above threshold (fifth threshold) and threshold (sixth threshold) are arbitrarily determined, and may be the same value.

[Modification 3]
The update fee may be changed according to the length of the update period. Specifically, if the update period is long, the update fee may be lowered, and if the update period is short, the update fee may be higher. FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating a fee determination table stored by the boarding/alighting point setting unit 33 in this modified example. In FIG. 12, the boarding/alighting point setting user can select from three types of update periods, 1 month, 3 months, and 6 months, and the update fee is 100 yen for the update period of 1 month, 250 yen for the update period of 3 months, and 400 yen for the update period of 6 months. That is, in the example of FIG. 12, the longer the update period, the lower the update fee per unit period (e.g., the update fee per month). In this way, the update fee determination unit 34 may determine an update fee such that the longer the update period, the lower the update fee per unit period. This makes it possible to determine an update fee under advantageous conditions that are cheaper for the boarding/alighting point setting user who has set a long update period.

[Modification 4]
In the above-described embodiment, the vehicle usage history at the user-defined boarding/alighting point includes the vehicle usage history by the boarding/alighting point setting user who specified the user-defined boarding/alighting point and the vehicle usage history by other users, but the usage history to be targeted at the user-defined boarding/alighting point is not limited to this example. For example, the vehicle usage history at the user-defined boarding/alighting point may include only the vehicle usage history by the boarding/alighting point setting user who specified the user-defined boarding/alighting point, or may include only the vehicle usage history by users other than the boarding/alighting point setting user.

[Modification 5]
Although the server device 30 has been illustrated as an example of an information processing device according to the present invention, the present invention can be applied to any computer that realizes the functional blocks illustrated in Fig. 5. Also, the server device 30 does not need to store the boarding and alighting point information, and a device other than the server device may store the information. In this case, the server device may request the other device to search for boarding and alighting point information and obtain the search results, or instruct the other device to update the boarding and alighting point information.

[Other Modifications]
The block diagrams used in the description of the above embodiments show functional blocks. These functional blocks (components) are realized by any combination of at least one of hardware and software. The method of realizing each functional block is not particularly limited. That is, each functional block may be realized using one device that is physically or logically coupled, or may be realized using two or more devices that are physically or logically separated and directly or indirectly connected (for example, using wires, wirelessly, etc.). The functional blocks may be realized by combining the one device or the multiple devices with software.

Functions include, but are not limited to, judgement, determination, judgment, calculation, computation, processing, derivation, investigation, search, confirmation, reception, transmission, output, access, resolution, selection, selection, establishment, comparison, assumption, expectation, regard, broadcasting, notifying, communicating, forwarding, configuring, reconfiguring, allocating, mapping, and assignment. For example, a functional block (component) that performs the transmission function is called an output unit or a transmitter. As mentioned above, there are no particular limitations on the method of realization for either of these.

The notification of information is not limited to the aspects/embodiments described in the present disclosure, and may be performed using other methods. For example, the notification of information may be performed by physical layer signaling (e.g., Downlink Control Information (DCI), Uplink Control Information (UCI)), higher layer signaling (e.g., Radio Resource Control (RRC) signaling, Medium Access Control (MAC) signaling, broadcast information (Master Information Block (MIB), System Information Block (SIB))), other signals, or a combination of these. In addition, the RRC signaling may be called an RRC message, and may be, for example, an RRC Connection Setup message, an RRC Connection Reconfiguration message, etc.

Each aspect/embodiment described in this disclosure may be applied to at least one of LTE (Long Term Evolution), LTE-A (LTE-Advanced), SUPER 3G, IMT-Advanced, 4G (4th generation mobile communication system), 5G (5th generation mobile communication system), FRA (Future Radio Access), NR (new Radio), W-CDMA (registered trademark), GSM (registered trademark), CDMA2000, UMB (Ultra Mobile Broadband), IEEE 802.11 (Wi-Fi (registered trademark)), IEEE 802.16 (WiMAX (registered trademark)), IEEE 802.20, UWB (Ultra-WideBand), Bluetooth (registered trademark), and other suitable systems, and next-generation systems extended based on these. In addition, multiple systems may be combined (for example, a combination of at least one of LTE and LTE-A with 5G, etc.).

The processing steps, sequences, flow charts, etc. of each aspect/embodiment described in this disclosure may be reordered unless inconsistent. For example, the methods described in this disclosure present elements of various steps using an example order and are not limited to the particular order presented.

Information, etc. may be output from a higher layer (or a lower layer) to a lower layer (or a higher layer). It may also be input/output via multiple network nodes.

The input and output information may be stored in a specific location (e.g., memory) or may be managed using a management table. The input and output information may be overwritten, updated, or added to. The output information may be deleted. The input information may be transmitted to another device.

The determination may be based on a value represented by one bit (0 or 1), a Boolean (true or false) value, or a numerical comparison (e.g., with a predetermined value).

Each aspect/embodiment described in this disclosure may be used alone, in combination, or switched depending on the execution. In addition, notification of specific information (e.g., notification that "X is the case") is not limited to being done explicitly, but may be done implicitly (e.g., not notifying the specific information).

Although the present disclosure has been described in detail above, it is clear to those skilled in the art that the present disclosure is not limited to the embodiments described herein. The present disclosure can be implemented in modified and altered forms without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure as defined by the claims. Therefore, the description of the present disclosure is intended as an illustrative example and does not have any limiting meaning on the present disclosure.

Software should be construed broadly to mean instructions, instruction sets, code, code segments, program code, programs, subprograms, software modules, applications, software applications, software packages, routines, subroutines, objects, executable files, threads of execution, procedures, functions, and the like, whether referred to as software, firmware, middleware, microcode, hardware description language, or otherwise. Software, instructions, information, and the like may also be transmitted or received over a transmission medium. For example, if the software is transmitted from a website, server, or other remote source using wired technologies (such as coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair, Digital Subscriber Line (DSL)), and/or wireless technologies (such as infrared, microwave, and the like), then these wired and/or wireless technologies are included within the definition of a transmission medium.

The information, signals, etc. described in this disclosure may be represented using any of a variety of different technologies. For example, data, instructions, commands, information, signals, bits, symbols, chips, etc. that may be referred to throughout the above description may be represented by voltages, currents, electromagnetic waves, magnetic fields or magnetic particles, optical fields or photons, or any combination thereof.

Note that the terms described in this disclosure and the terms necessary for understanding this disclosure may be replaced with terms having the same or similar meanings. For example, at least one of the channel and the symbol may be a signal (signaling). Also, the signal may be a message. Also, the component carrier (CC) may be called a carrier frequency, a cell, a frequency carrier, etc.

As used in this disclosure, the terms "system" and "network" are used interchangeably.

In addition, the information, parameters, etc. described in the present disclosure may be represented using absolute values, may be represented using relative values from a predetermined value, or may be represented using other corresponding information. For example, a radio resource may be indicated by an index.
The names used for the above-mentioned parameters are not limiting in any way. Furthermore, the formulas etc. using these parameters may differ from those explicitly disclosed in this disclosure. The various channels (e.g., PUCCH, PDCCH, etc.) and information elements may be identified by any suitable names, and therefore the various names assigned to these various channels and information elements are not limiting in any way.

In this disclosure, the terms "Mobile Station (MS)", "user terminal", "User Equipment (UE)", "terminal", etc. may be used interchangeably.
A mobile station may also be referred to by those skilled in the art as a subscriber station, mobile unit, subscriber unit, wireless unit, remote unit, mobile device, wireless device, wireless communication device, remote device, mobile subscriber station, access terminal, mobile terminal, wireless terminal, remote terminal, handset, user agent, mobile client, client, or some other suitable terminology.

The user terminal 10 or the vehicle-mounted terminal 20 may be referred to as a transmitting device, a receiving device, a communication device, etc.

The terms "determining" and "determining" may encompass a wide variety of actions. "Determining" and "determining" may include, for example, judging, calculating, computing, processing, deriving, investigating, looking up, search, inquiry (e.g., searching in a table, database, or other data structure), ascertaining, and the like. "Determining" and "determining" may also include receiving (e.g., receiving information), transmitting (e.g., sending information), input, output, accessing (e.g., accessing data in memory), and the like. Additionally, "judgment" and "decision" can include considering resolving, selecting, choosing, establishing, comparing, etc., to have been "judged" or "decided." In other words, "judgment" and "decision" can include considering some action to have been "judged" or "decided." Additionally, "judgment (decision)" can be interpreted as "assuming," "expecting," "considering," etc.

The terms "connected," "coupled," or any variation thereof, refer to any direct or indirect connection or coupling between two or more elements, and may include the presence of one or more intermediate elements between two elements that are "connected" or "coupled" to one another. The coupling or connection between elements may be physical, logical, or a combination thereof. For example, "connected" may be read as "access." As used in this disclosure, two elements may be considered to be "connected" or "coupled" to one another using at least one of wires, cables, and printed electrical connections, as well as electromagnetic energy having wavelengths in the radio frequency range, microwave range, and optical (both visible and invisible) range, as some non-limiting and non-exhaustive examples.

As used in this disclosure, the phrase "based on" does not mean "based only on," unless expressly stated otherwise. In other words, the phrase "based on" means both "based only on" and "based at least on."

The "means" in the configuration of each of the above devices may be replaced with "part," "circuit," "device," etc.

When the terms "include," "including," and variations thereof are used in this disclosure, these terms are intended to be inclusive, similar to the term "comprising." Additionally, the term "or," as used in this disclosure, is not intended to be an exclusive or.

In this disclosure, where articles have been added through translation, such as a, an, and the in English, this disclosure may include that the nouns following these articles are in the plural form.

In this disclosure, the term "A and B are different" may mean "A and B are different from each other." The term may also mean "A and B are each different from C." Terms such as "separate" and "combined" may also be interpreted in the same way as "different."

1...vehicle management system, 2...network, 10...user terminal, 1001...processor, 1002...memory, 1003...storage, 1004...communication device, 1005...input device, 1006...output device, 20...vehicle-mounted terminal, 2001...processor, 2002...memory, 2003...storage, 2004...communication device, 2005...input device, 2006...output device, 30...server device, 31...acquisition unit, 32...vehicle dispatch management unit, 321...schedule determination unit, 322...map information storage unit, 323...boarding/alighting point information storage unit, 324...vehicle information storage unit, 33...boarding/alighting point setting unit, 34...update fee determination unit, 35...usage fee determination unit, 36...output unit, 3001...processor, 3002...memory, 3003...storage, 3004...communication device.

Claims (10)

a boarding/alighting point setting unit that sets a position designated by a user as a boarding/alighting point where the user can board or alight from a vehicle during a certain update period;
and an update fee determination unit that determines an update fee to be paid by the user who has designated the boarding/alighting point in order to update the setting of the boarding/alighting point, in accordance with a vehicle usage record at the set boarding/alighting point. The renewal fee determination unit
If the usage record at the boarding/alighting point is equal to or greater than a first threshold, determining a renewal fee that is lower than a set fee paid by the user when the boarding/alighting point was initially set in accordance with the user's designation, or
The information processing device according to claim 1, characterized in that, when the usage record at the boarding/alighting point is less than a second threshold, an update fare is determined to be higher than the set fare paid by the user when the boarding/alighting point was initially set in accordance with the user's specification. The information processing device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, when the usage history at the boarding/alighting point is equal to or greater than a third threshold, the update fare determination unit determines a lower update fare than when the usage history at the boarding/alighting point is less than the third threshold. a usage fee determination unit that determines a usage fee to be paid by a user for using a vehicle at the boarding/alighting point,
The information processing device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the usage fee determination unit determines a usage fee when the user, who has specified the boarding/alighting point set by the boarding/alighting point setting unit, uses a vehicle at the boarding/alighting point, which is lower than the usage fee when the user uses a vehicle at a boarding/alighting point other than the boarding/alighting point. The information processing device according to claim 4, wherein the usage fee determination unit determines a usage fee that is lower when the usage record at the boarding/alighting point is equal to or greater than a fourth threshold value than when the usage record at the boarding/alighting point is less than the fourth threshold value. The information processing device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the vehicle usage history at the boarding and alighting point includes a vehicle usage history by the user who specified the boarding and alighting point, or a vehicle usage history by a user other than the user who specified the boarding and alighting point. The information processing device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the boarding and alighting point setting unit sets the boarding and alighting points by limiting the days or times designated by the user within the period. The information processing device according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the boarding and alighting point setting unit sets the boarding and alighting points by limiting the type of vehicle specified by the user. An update period determination unit that determines a length of an update period for the boarding and alighting points,
The update period determination unit is
The information processing device according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that, when the usage history at the boarding and alighting point in a certain update period is equal to or greater than a fifth threshold, a period longer than the certain update period is determined as a next update period, or, when the usage history at the boarding and alighting point in the certain update period is less than a sixth threshold, a period shorter than the certain update period is determined as a next update period. The information processing device according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the renewal fee determination unit determines the renewal fee such that the renewal fee per unit period becomes lower as the renewal period becomes longer.

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