JP7811618B2 - Information processing device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an information processing device.

Owning a car is not economical for those who do not use their car very often.
To address this issue, car sharing services have been available in apartment buildings and the like, whereby a single car is shared among multiple users (see, for example, Patent Documents 1 and 2).

Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 11-337354 JP 2012-118705 A

However, traditional car sharing services require users to be the drivers themselves, which has created challenges for elderly people and others who are unable to drive themselves, or who, even if they are able to drive, have safety concerns.

The present invention was made in light of this situation, and aims to provide services that are easy for elderly people and others to use.

In order to achieve the above object, an information processing device according to one aspect of the present invention comprises:
An information processing device that supports the provision of a service in which a price when a moving body carrying a moving object moves within a predetermined area is constant for the same price payer for a set category among a plurality of categories in a predetermined time unit,
a request receiving means for receiving requests for use of the mobile object from a plurality of price payers;
a transportation planning means for formulating a transportation plan for the mobile body based on the content of the request from each of the plurality of price payers and the classification set for each of the plurality of price payers;
Equipped with.

This invention makes it possible to provide services that are easy for elderly people and others to use.

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a fixed-rate taxi dispatch area according to one embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration of an information processing system according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a hardware configuration of a server in the information processing system of FIG. 2 . FIG. 4 is a functional block diagram showing the functional configuration of the server in FIG. 3 . FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a first example of the fee to be paid to a user for the service provided by the server 1 having the functional configuration of FIG. 4. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an outline of a taxi sharing service to which the information processing system of FIG. 2 is applied. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an outline of a usage fee system for the taxi sharing service of FIG. 6. FIG. 7 is a functional block diagram showing the functional configuration of the server of FIG. 3 when the taxi sharing service of FIG. 6 is provided. 10 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the flow of a ride point calculation process among a series of processes of a server having the functional configuration of FIG. 8 . 9 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the flow of a reservation point calculation process among a series of processes performed by a server having the functional configuration of FIG. 8 .

Before explaining the embodiments of the present invention, we will briefly explain the general services that form the basis of the present invention.

Japan is becoming a super-aging society, with one in four people over 65 years old, and this is causing problems not only in medical care and welfare, but also in transportation. For example, according to survey results by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, approximately 20% of people aged 65 to 74 have difficulty walking more than 500 meters per day, and this figure rises to approximately 50% of people aged 75 and over.

On the other hand, traffic accidents caused by elderly drivers are increasing year by year and are predicted to continue to increase. As the aging population continues, the number of licensed drivers aged 75 and over is predicted to reach 5.33 million by 2018, and measures must be taken to create an environment in which elderly people can live without problems without driving. One possible solution is an urban form (compact city) in which various functions are concentrated in the center and the urban area is kept compact. However, this is difficult to achieve, particularly in rural areas, where various bases and residences are scattered.

Due to these circumstances, elderly people, particularly in rural areas, often face problems and worries such as, "As I get older, the distance I can walk gets shorter," "I'm afraid of traffic accidents, but not being able to drive a car will affect my daily life," and "I don't have any close relationships with my neighbors, so I end up confined to my house and have no one to rely on if something happens."

Furthermore, purchasing and maintaining a private car is typically expensive for the general public, let alone the elderly.

Therefore, in order to support the community life of the elderly, it is necessary to build a platform that provides the value of monitoring support, community life support, and community mobility support (free movement within the community), and to provide a comprehensive range of services for the elderly.

The service to which the information processing system of one embodiment of the present invention is applied (hereinafter referred to as "this service") aims to realize a "free and ambitious life" and a "life full of meaning" for users, including the elderly, and to create a "cycle of meaning in life" for those who provide the service (such as employees of the service provider, described below), who feel "utilized" and "feel a sense of fulfillment" while providing the service.

Next, we will briefly explain the community life support platform that will be built in order to achieve this "cycle of purpose in life."
The local life support platform is a service proposed by the provider of this service, and is a service provision platform that works in collaboration with other businesses to provide comprehensive services for the elderly and others.
In other words, it provides elderly people with value such as "monitoring support,""community life support," and "free movement within designated areas."
Specifically, the local life support platform includes services such as "concierge,""local transportation support,""collection and provision of local information," and "provision of outing tickets (local currency)."

Before explaining one embodiment of the present invention, we have briefly explained the general services that form the basis of the present invention. The following explanation will focus on an example in which, of the various services mentioned above, a "flat-rate taxi" service related to "regional mobility support" is adopted.

Here, we will explain about flat-rate taxis. In the regional mobility support service, the price for traveling within a specified area using a specified taxi is set at a flat rate within the specified area. A taxi with a flat rate is called a flat-rate taxi.
Here, "uniform" means that the price paid when a taxi carrying a passenger travels within a specified area is fixed for a specified unit of time (for example, one month). However, the price per specified unit of time (for example, one month) is not the same for everyone, and if multiple categories are set, such as three categories of pine, bamboo, and plum, the price will differ for each category.
In the following example, a person using this service (hereinafter referred to as "user") will use a fixed-rate taxi by paying a fixed amount each month (for example, an amount determined for each category).
This allows users to pay a fixed monthly fee and travel freely within a designated area using fixed-rate taxis without worrying about fares.

The first embodiment of the present invention will now be described with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a fixed-rate taxi dispatch area according to one embodiment of the present invention.
1 shows areas A1 and A2. Note that the areas are merely examples and are not limited to these, and may be regions of any range, i.e., "areas."

Here, each flat-rate taxi is assigned to a predetermined area and travels within that area. For example, in the case of Figure 1, the flat-rate taxi dispatched to area A1 travels within area A1, and flat-rate taxis T-1 and T-2 dispatched to area A2 travel within area A2.
The fixed-rate taxi drivers are also assigned to a predetermined area and, as a rule, drive the fixed-rate taxis that are assigned to that area. For example, in area A2, three drivers take turns driving fixed-rate taxis T-1 and T-2.
A user sets an area (e.g., area A2) that includes their home, etc., and by paying a fixed amount each month (e.g., 30,000 yen), they can freely use flat-rate taxis that cover the set area (e.g., flat-rate taxis T-1 and T-2 in area A2) within the set area (within the riding conditions set for each category).

Although FIG. 1 shows only flat-rate taxis T-1 and T-2 serving area A2, a predetermined number of flat-rate taxis (for example, two) also serve area A1.
In the example of area A2, three drivers take turns driving two flat-rate taxis T-1 and T-2.
In this way, it is preferable to assign drivers to only a specific area and limit the number of drivers to a certain number, because this allows for the formation of a close personal relationship between the user and the driver, giving the user a sense of security.

Figure 2 is a diagram showing the configuration of an information processing system according to one embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in Figure 2, the information processing system is configured to include a server 1 managed by the provider of this service, user terminals 2-1 to 2-m (m is any integer), and taxi terminals 3-1 to 3-n (n is any integer) installed in flat-rate taxis T-1 to T-n (n is any integer), respectively.

Server 1, user terminals 2-1 to 2-m, and taxi terminals 3-1 to 3-n are interconnected via a predetermined network N such as the Internet.

Note that, hereinafter, when there is no need to distinguish between the user terminals 2-1 to 2-m, they will be collectively referred to as "user terminal 2." Furthermore, when there is no need to distinguish between the flat-rate taxis T-1 to T-n, they will be collectively referred to as "flat-rate taxi T." When referring to flat-rate taxis T, taxi terminals 3-1 to 3-n will be collectively referred to as "taxi terminal 3."

Figure 3 is a block diagram showing the hardware configuration of the server in the information processing system shown in Figure 2.

The server 1 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 11, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 12, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 13, a bus 14, an input/output interface 15, an output unit 16, an input unit 17, a memory unit 18, a communication unit 19, and a drive 20.

The CPU 11 executes various processes according to programs stored in the ROM 12 or programs loaded from the storage unit 18 into the RAM 13.

RAM 13 also stores data necessary for the CPU 11 to execute various processes.

The CPU 11, ROM 12, and RAM 13 are interconnected via a bus 14. An input/output interface 15 is also connected to this bus 14. An output unit 16, an input unit 17, a memory unit 18, a communication unit 19, and a drive 20 are connected to the input/output interface 15.

The output unit 16 is composed of a speaker, a display unit, etc., and outputs various information as images and sounds.
The input unit 17 is composed of a keyboard, a mouse, etc., and is used to input various information.

The storage unit 18 is configured with a DRAM (Dynamic Random Access Memory) or the like, and stores various data.
The communication unit 19 controls communication with other devices (the user terminal 2 and the taxi terminal 3 in the example of FIG. 2) via a network N including the Internet.

Removable media 31, such as a magnetic disk, optical disk, magneto-optical disk, or semiconductor memory, is appropriately attached to the drive 20. Programs read from the removable media 31 by the drive 20 are installed in the storage unit 18 as needed. The removable media 31 can also store various data stored in the storage unit 18.

The configuration of the user terminal 2 or taxi terminal 3 is basically the same as the configuration of the server 1, except that it may be equipped with a touch panel display, so a description of it will be omitted here.

FIG. 4 is a functional block diagram showing the functional configuration of the server shown in FIG.
In the CPU 11 of the server 1, a request receiving unit 41, a vehicle allocation planning unit 42, and a vehicle allocation instruction unit 43 function.
As one area of the storage unit 18, a user DB 51, a request DB 52, and a vehicle allocation plan DB 53 are provided.

The request receiving unit 41 receives requests to use a fixed-rate taxi T from a plurality of price payers (here, a plurality of users who have set a predetermined area).
That is, the request receiving unit 41 receives requests for use of a fixed-rate taxi T (requests include advance reservations and requests for immediate boarding) from the user terminals 2 of the plurality of users via the communication unit 19, and stores the requests in the request DB 52 in association with the classifications of the plurality of users. The classifications will be described in detail later, and are stored in the user DB 51 as one of the attribute information of each user.

The dispatch planning unit 42 prepares a transportation plan for a fixed-rate taxi T in a specified area based on the content of requests from each of a plurality of users and the categories set for each of the plurality of users, and stores the plan in the dispatch planning DB 53.
Furthermore, the vehicle allocation planning unit 42 notifies the user terminals 2 of the multiple users via the communication unit 19 whether or not the request is accepted.

The dispatch instruction unit 43 references the dispatch plan DB 53 for a transportation plan by a flat-rate taxi T in a specified area, and based on this, generates dispatch instructions for the flat-rate taxi T that serves the specified area, and notifies the taxi terminal 3 of the flat-rate taxi T via the communication unit 19.

The following describes various examples of compensation to users who receive this service, which is implemented by server 1 having the functional configuration shown in Figure 4.

FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a first example of the fee to be paid to a user for the service provided by the server 1 having the functional configuration of FIG.
In the first example, when using a flat-rate taxi T in a specified area, a fee system is adopted that provides multiple categories for a fixed monthly usage plan. The user can freely select the category that suits them by comparing and considering the membership fee and service content. Note that the area selected by the user as the area in which the user will use the flat-rate taxi T from multiple areas is designated as the "applicable area" in the example of Figure 5.
In the example of Figure 5, there are four categories for the fixed monthly usage plan: Tokumatsu (premium membership, 70,000 yen per month), Matsu (regular membership, 30,000 yen per month), Take (tablet membership, 20,000 yen per month), and Ume (free membership, 0 yen per month).

For example, with the Tokumatsu plan, which costs 70,000 yen per month, users become premium members and can ride the fixed-rate Taxi T service as much as they like at any time within the applicable area.

For example, with the Matsu Plan, which costs 30,000 yen per month, a user can use the fixed-rate taxi T as a regular member within the applicable area using the following three usage methods: 1. Usage method 1 allows unlimited use of taxis booked in advance up to the previous month. 2. Usage method 2 allows use of taxis booked in advance up to the day before at any time. 3. Usage method 3 allows use of taxis booked in advance up to the day before at any time, even if requested on the day.

For example, with the Take Plan, which costs 20,000 yen per month, users can use the Flat Rate Taxi T as a tablet member in applicable areas using the following methods 4 to 6. Method 4 allows unlimited use of taxis booked in advance up to the previous month. Method 5 allows users to board any taxi they like, even if they have booked in advance up to the day before. Method 6 allows users to board any taxi they like, even if they request it on the day.

For example, with the free Ume Plan, as a free member, the user cannot ride the fixed-rate taxi T, but if the user terminal 2 is a smartphone or the like, the user can use an application (described as "smartphone app" in the example in Figure 5) installed on the device to receive local information tailored to (matched with) the user's registered information.

In summary, the information processing device that can provide the present service with multiple divisions as in the example of FIG. 5 can take on a variety of different embodiments, including the server 1 of the above-described embodiment.
Here, in the above example, the service that can be provided by an information processing device to which the present invention is applied was adopted, in which a fixed-rate taxi T is used, but this is not limited to this, and any service can be provided as long as the fee when a mobile body carrying a moving object moves within a specified area is constant for the same fee payer for a specified time unit among multiple categories.

That is, the information processing device to which this service is provided is:
An information processing device (e.g., server 1 in FIG. 3) that supports the provision of a service (e.g., this service using a flat-rate taxi T) in which the price paid when a moving body (e.g., flat-rate taxis T-1 and T-2 in FIG. 2) carrying a moving object moves within a predetermined area (e.g., area A2 in FIG. 1) is constant for the same price payer (e.g., user) in a predetermined time unit (e.g., one month unit) for a set category out of multiple categories (e.g., categories in the example of FIG. 5),
a request receiving unit (for example, the request receiving unit 41 in FIG. 4) that receives requests for use of the vehicle (requests include advance reservations and requests for immediate boarding) from a plurality of price payers;
a transportation planning unit (e.g., a vehicle allocation planning unit 42 in FIG. 4) that formulates a transportation plan by the mobile object based on the content of the request from each of the plurality of price payers and the classification set for each of the plurality of price payers;
It is enough to have this.
This makes it possible to provide a flat-rate transportation service that can be enjoyed conveniently according to the classification.

Here, if the number of users who can ride a flat-rate taxi T at one time is limited to one, if there are requests from more users in the same area at the same time than the number of flat-rate taxis T available in that area, it will not be possible to respond to all requests.
In such a case, the vehicle dispatch planning unit 42 can reject some of the requests based on predetermined rules and create a transportation plan using a fixed-rate taxi T.
The predetermined rule may be, for example, a rule that prioritizes user classification, but is not particularly limited to this.
In addition, any rules can be adopted that take into consideration, for example, the number of passengers allowed if carpooling is allowed, the advance request period (early reservation), boarding and disembarking points (using a taxi stand, etc.), the urgency of the purpose of use, the user's physical disability and health condition, age, gender, convenience of residence, etc.

Here, the number of users who can ride in the flat-rate taxi T does not have to be limited to one person, and can be multiple people.

Car sharing services exist as a service for transporting multiple people. However, car sharing services are not suitable for elderly people because there are safety concerns about elderly people driving their own cars.
Therefore, for such elderly people and others, a service (hereinafter referred to as a "taxi sharing service") that allows multiple users within the same applicable area to share the above-mentioned flat-rate taxi T is ideal.

In addition, the taxi sharing service allows users to use not only flat-rate taxis T, but also taxis that use a normal taxi fare system, i.e., a system in which the fare is calculated in conjunction with the distance traveled and the travel time.
However, it is inappropriate to apply the normal taxi fare system to a taxi sharing service as is. In other words, if the conventional taxi fare calculation method were adopted for a taxi sharing service as is, taxi companies would lose revenue opportunities during peak demand periods, and the economic benefits for users would be diminished.

Therefore, in this embodiment, fixed-rate taxis T are shared by a group of people, and a points system is introduced to limit exclusive use by a few users while making use of surplus vehicles during off-peak times.
First, if usage is concentrated among a select few users, a sense of unfairness will arise within the community.
Secondly, both taxi companies and users want to enjoy economic benefits.
Therefore, in this embodiment, a points system is adopted in which the travel distance and travel time are used as the basis for point consumption, while other factors (context, whether or not a reservation is made) are also taken into account to vary the points consumed.

In this specification, the term "context" refers to all internal and external conditions of flat-rate taxi T. The internal conditions of flat-rate taxi T refer to the vehicle type, year, and model of flat-rate taxi T, as well as the driver's physical condition, driving skills, or customer service attitude. The external conditions of flat-rate taxi T refer to the operating status, road traffic conditions, road surface conditions, and spatial or temporal location of flat-rate taxi T (temporal location refers to the current time, for example), as well as specific conditions distributed in the spatial or temporal directions around flat-rate taxi T (or distributed in either direction).

In this embodiment, the geographical scope of the taxi sharing service is limited to a certain area.
In this way, a strong personal relationship can be formed between the user and the provider, and between users themselves, giving the user a sense of security.

In this embodiment, the fee for the taxi sharing service is a fixed-price point system. The fixed-price point system may be, for example, a monthly system, and multiple flat-rate plans can be set, ranging from high-price plans for heavy users to low-price plans for light users.
In this embodiment, when a vehicle dispatch request or reservation conflicts between a user with a high-price plan and a user with a low-price plan, the vehicle dispatch request or reservation made by the user with the high-price plan is given priority.

Here, the points are not necessarily consumed by using the fixed-rate taxi T, but may be used for other services.
For example, when a user uses a fixed-rate taxi T to go to the hospital, the user may use the time while the user is visiting the hospital to request a proxy service such as shopping, and use the points to do so.
In this way, the user can use the fixed-rate taxi T not just as a means of transportation, but also as a service similar to a handyman (assistant) that can flexibly respond to various requests by consuming points.
In addition, the user may be able to specify a driver, thereby eliminating the need to transmit a request each time the service is used.
By doing this, the user gradually becomes familiar with the driver, and the driver is able to understand the user's various circumstances and propose various services according to those circumstances.
In addition, points may be consumed when a user designates a driver.
Furthermore, a support system may be introduced that provides topics based on topics discussed and requests from previous rides.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an outline of a taxi sharing service to which the information processing system of FIG. 2 is applied.
Figure 6 shows an example of a taxi sharing service in which a community C consisting of 10 users in the same area uses n flat-rate taxis T-1 to T-n (n is any integer value greater than or equal to 1).
Here, flat-rate taxis T-1 to T-(a-1) (a is any integer value between 1 and n) have passengers on board, and flat-rate taxis Ta to Tn are empty with only the driver on board.
Three users U1 to U3 from community C are sharing a single fixed-rate taxi T-1.
In this situation, if another user U4 of community C wishes to ride, if it is possible for them to share a flat-rate taxi T-1 or T-(a-1) that is currently in use, the amount of payment (e.g., points) consumed can be kept low.
On the other hand, if it is possible for the user to board one of the available flat-rate taxis Ta to Tn alone, the flat-rate taxi Ta will be selected from the available taxis as the one that can board user U4 most quickly, allowing the user to quickly travel to the destination.
In the example of FIG. 6, a user U4 rides alone in an empty fixed-rate taxi Ta, and pays the cost of one taxi by himself.
On the other hand, three users U1 to U3 sharing a single fixed-rate taxi T-1 can share the cost of one taxi.
In this specification, ride-sharing is not limited to cases where passengers board and disembark at the same time, but also includes ride-sharing where passengers board or disembark along the way.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an outline of the usage fee system for the taxi sharing service shown in FIG.
FIG. 7A is a diagram showing the usage status of one user who has used the taxi sharing service and the corresponding details of points consumed.
Regarding the points consumed by a user who rides in a taxi, any calculation method may be adopted that is linked to, for example, the distance traveled or the time spent traveling.
In the following description, it is assumed that one point is consumed for a ride of 1 km (2 minutes).
In addition, the consumption points are adjusted depending on the context (situation) of the N taxis.

FIG. 7B shows a specific example of a consumption point adjustment table.
The "+α" in the consumption point adjustment table represents the adjustment amount to be added to the base point consumption amount based on the travel distance and travel time, and a number with a "+" indicates an amount that increases the point consumption amount, while a number with a "-" indicates an amount that decreases the point consumption amount.

Returning to the consumed point details in FIG. 7A, the "time" item indicates an ascending chronological order.
At time=1, the user was in a hurry and requested priority ride allocation, took a 10 km, 20 minute ride, and consumed 40 points as payment.
In this embodiment, the user can request preferential vehicle dispatch by paying more points depending on the degree of urgency. The degree of urgency is specified as a value between 0 and 1.
When requesting a dispatch, the current usage status of the fixed-rate taxi T can be displayed and confirmed in advance.
In addition, when n fixed-rate taxis T are operating at full capacity and a taxi has to wait for dispatch, or when a taxi dispatch request becomes possible due to a cancellation, etc., the user is notified.
Event information that may be of interest to the user, such as pension payment information, is also displayed or notified to the user.
This is because points are earned for priority dispatching in addition to the 10 points earned for a 10km (20-minute) ride.

According to the consumption point adjustment table of FIG. 7(b), the points generated by priority vehicle allocation are 30 points, so the total consumption points is 40 points.
At time=2, the user traveled 20 km in 40 minutes during rush hour, and consumed 30 points as payment.
This is because points are earned for use during rush hour in addition to the 20 points earned for a 20 km (40 minute) ride.
According to the consumption point adjustment table of FIG. 7(b), the points earned from use during the commuting hours are 10 points, so the total consumption points is 10 points.

Here, since many elderly people have fewer time constraints, in this embodiment, the amount of points consumed during off-peak hours is set low to make use of the surplus number of units during off-peak hours; however, there may be cases where there is no opportunity to consume points within the validity period, resulting in surplus points that would otherwise be lost.
Furthermore, elderly people come in all different types, with some having many time constraints and being in an economic situation where they do not mind paying high points. In such cases, it is more convenient for users to be able to use the service without time restrictions, regardless of economic efficiency, even if it is more expensive.
This embodiment takes the above points into consideration.

At time=3, the user traveled 30 km in 60 minutes during off-peak hours, and consumed 20 points as compensation.
This is because the points earned for using the service during off-peak hours are deducted from the 30 points earned for a 30km (60-minute) ride.
According to the consumption point adjustment table of FIG. 7B, the points incurred due to use during off-peak hours are minus 10 points, so the total consumption points is 20 points.
At time=4, the user traveled 20 km in 40 minutes during off-peak hours, and consumed 30 points as payment.
This is because points earned for same-day reservations are added to the 20 points earned for a 20km (40-minute) ride, and points earned for use during off-peak hours are deducted.

In this embodiment, a reservation means that the use of a taxi vehicle is secured in advance by application.
In this embodiment, a reservation is made by specifying the date and time of use, the number of vehicles to be used, the number of passengers, the boarding location, the disembarking location, etc., and the longer the period until the date and time of use, the fewer points will be consumed in connection with the reservation.
Reservations can be made with an adjustment range of, for example, five hours for the date and time of use, and the larger the adjustment range, the fewer points will be consumed in connection with the reservation.
When making a reservation, the predicted usage status and reservation status of the fixed-rate taxi T can be displayed in advance, and the available reservation times can be confirmed.
In addition, when n fixed-rate taxis T are operating at full capacity and reservations are not possible, or when reservations become possible due to cancellations, etc., the user is notified.

According to the consumption point adjustment table of FIG. 7(b), the points earned for same-day reservations are 20 points, and the points earned for use during off-peak hours are minus 10 points, so the total consumption points is 30 points.
At time=3, the user shared a 30 km ride with two other people for 60 minutes, and consumed 10 points as payment.
This is because the 30 points earned for a 30km (60 minute) ride are divided into three equal parts based on the number of passengers.

The consumption point adjustment table in Figure 7(b) also shows that the points earned for a reservation made the day before are 10 points, the points earned for a reservation made two days before are 5 points, the points earned for using a designated taxi stand are minus 5 points, the points earned for a passenger requiring assistance are 10 points, the points earned for a baton pass (the previous passenger and the next passenger get on and off at the same location without any time gap) are minus 10 points, the points earned for a reservation with a time adjustment range of 3 hours or more are minus 5 points, and the points earned for a reservation with a time adjustment range of 5 hours or more are minus 10 points.
Furthermore, the adjustment of the points to be consumed was performed by addition and subtraction in the above example, but it may be performed by various other calculations, such as multiplication by 1.1 (increase by 10%).

FIG. 7C is a diagram showing the relationship between the points consumed and the amount of money spent for one user who has used the taxi sharing service.
The amount is fixed up to a certain point of consumption during a predetermined period, but the amount increases in conjunction with any further points of consumption.
In the example of FIG. 7C, up to 100 points are used for a fixed amount.
In the example of the consumed point details in FIG. 7(a), 40 points are consumed at time=1, which is within the limit of fixed-amount usage.
At time=2, 30 points are consumed, and the total number of consumed points is 70. At this point, the usage is still within the flat-rate usage limit.
At time=3, 20 more points are consumed, bringing the total number of consumed points to 90. At this point, the limit for flat-rate usage is still met.
At time=4, an additional 30 points are consumed, bringing the total number of consumed points to 120. At this point, the flat-rate usage limit of 100 points is exceeded, so the user will be charged an additional 20 points.

FIG. 8 is a functional block diagram showing the functional configuration of the server of FIG. 3 when a taxi sharing service is provided.
In this embodiment, the taxi sharing service is based on the flat-rate taxi T, and therefore the CPU 11 of the server 1 also functions as appropriate in the functional blocks of FIG. 4 described above.
In the CPU 11 of the server 1, a points management unit 150, a transportation record acquisition unit 151, a context acquisition unit 152, a ride details acquisition unit 153, a reservation acceptance unit 154, a consumption amount calculation unit 155, and a context presentation unit 156 function.
As one area of the memory unit 18, a taxi vehicle management DB 171 and a points management DB 172 are provided.

The point management unit 150 further includes a point granting unit 161 and a point consuming unit 162, and manages points that can be used as payment by passengers for taxi services for each user who may become a passenger.
The point allocating unit 161 allocates points to each user according to the fee plan.
The point consumption unit 162 consumes the points calculated by the consumption amount calculation unit 155 (to be described later) for each user.

The transportation record acquisition unit 151 acquires transportation record information for the fixed-rate taxi T from the taxi terminal 3 via the communication unit 19 and stores it in the taxi vehicle management DB 171.
The context acquisition unit 152 acquires the context related to the flat-rate taxi T from the transportation performance information accumulated in the taxi vehicle management DB 171.
The ride details acquisition unit 153 acquires the ride distance and ride time of the fixed-rate taxi T in which the passenger is riding from the pick-up and drop-off record information accumulated in the taxi vehicle management DB 171.
The reservation reception unit 154 receives a reservation for a taxi from the user terminal 2 via the communication unit 19 .

The consumption amount calculation unit 155 receives the context, travel distance, and travel time as input parameters from the context acquisition unit 152 and the ride content acquisition unit 153, and calculates the consumption amount (e.g., points) based on a predetermined function that outputs the consumption amount (e.g., points) as compensation paid by the passenger.
In addition, the consumption amount calculation unit 155 calculates the consumption amount (e.g., points) as a reservation fee to be paid by the user for the usage reservation accepted by the reservation acceptance unit 154 based on the context accepted from the context acquisition unit 152.

The context presentation unit 156 transmits the contents of the context received from the context acquisition unit 152 to the user terminal 2 via the communication unit 19.

The taxi vehicle management DB 171 stores information for identifying taxi vehicles and information relating to taxi vehicles in association with each other.
The point management DB 172 stores information for identifying a user and point information held by the user in association with each other.

Figure 9 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the flow of the ride point calculation process, which is part of the processing performed by a server having the functional configuration of Figure 8.

In step S11, the points management unit 150 manages, for each potential passenger, the amount of compensation (e.g., points) that can be used as compensation for passengers' payments for taxi services.

In step S12, the CPU 11 determines whether or not a predetermined user has used a fixed-rate taxi T.
If the fixed-rate taxi T is not used, the result of step S12 is determined to be NO, the process returns to step S11, and the series of processes thereafter are repeated.
On the other hand, if a fixed-rate taxi T is used, the answer in step S12 is YES, and the process proceeds to step S13.

In step S<b>13 , the context acquisition unit 152 acquires a context related to the flat-rate taxi T from the pick-up and drop-off record information accumulated in the taxi vehicle management DB 171 .
In step S14, the ride details acquisition unit 153 acquires the ride distance and ride time for the fixed-rate taxi T in which the passenger is riding from the pick-up and drop-off record information accumulated in the taxi vehicle management DB 171.
In step S15, the consumption calculation unit 155 receives the context, the travel distance, and the travel time as input parameters, and calculates the consumption points based on a predetermined function that outputs the consumption points as the price paid by the passenger.

In step S16, the CPU 11 determines whether or not a processing end instruction has been issued.
The processing end instruction is not particularly limited, and for example, a sleep instruction can be adopted as the processing end instruction.
If there is no instruction to end the process, the determination in step S16 is NO, the process returns to step S11, and the series of processes thereafter are repeated.
On the other hand, if there is an instruction to end the process, the answer is determined as YES in step S16, and the process of the server 1 ends.

Figure 10 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the reservation point calculation process performed by a server having the functional configuration of Figure 8.

In step S21, the points management unit 150 manages points that can be used as payment by passengers for the flat-rate taxi T service for each potential passenger.

In step S22, the CPU 11 determines whether or not a predetermined user has used a fixed-rate taxi T.
If the fixed-rate taxi T is not used, the result of step S12 is determined to be NO, the process returns to step S21, and the series of processes thereafter are repeated.
On the other hand, if a fixed-rate taxi T is used, the answer in step S22 is YES, and the process proceeds to step S23.

In step S23, the reservation acceptance unit 154 accepts a reservation for a fixed-rate taxi T from the user terminal 2 via the communication unit 19.
In step S24, the context acquisition unit 152 acquires a context related to the flat-rate taxi T from the pick-up and drop-off record information accumulated in the taxi vehicle management DB 171.
In step S<b>25 , the consumption calculation unit 155 calculates consumption points as a reservation fee to be paid by the user for the usage reservation accepted by the reservation acceptance unit 154 based on the context accepted from the context acquisition unit 152 .

In step S26, the CPU 11 determines whether or not a processing end instruction has been issued.
The processing end instruction is not particularly limited, and for example, a sleep instruction can be adopted as the processing end instruction.
If there is no instruction to end the process, the result of step S26 is determined to be NO, the process returns to step S21, and the series of processes thereafter are repeated.
On the other hand, if there is an instruction to end the process, the answer in step S26 is YES, and the process of the server 1 ends.

The taxi sharing service is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and can also be realized as a service that uses any taxi other than the flat-rate taxi T.
In other words, users of the taxi sharing service are not limited to elderly people in a specific area, etc. Users of the taxi sharing service can also include people who do not have a driver's license, beginners who are not confident in driving a car, and paper drivers.
Furthermore, when calculating the consumption value (e.g., points), distances other than the ride distance and time other than the ride time may be taken into consideration. For example, the distance and time of transportation before and after boarding, the time from getting off the bus to getting back on may be taken into consideration. Furthermore, a service such as shopping on behalf of the user may be provided during the time between getting off the bus at a destination such as a hospital and getting back on the bus for the round trip.

Furthermore, it will be possible to provide services similar to the taxi sharing services described above not only for services that use taxis, but also for passenger transportation services.

To summarise,
The information processing device that calculates the price paid by passengers for passenger transportation services may be any device as follows.
That is, the information processing device
a management unit (e.g., a points management unit 150 in FIG. 8) that manages the amount of compensation (e.g., points) that can be used as the compensation for each user who may become a passenger;
a context acquisition means (e.g., the context acquisition unit 152 of FIG. 8) for acquiring a context related to the passenger transport vehicle;
A ride details acquisition unit (e.g., the ride details acquisition unit 153 in FIG. 8) for acquiring a ride distance and a ride time for the passenger transport vehicle on which the passenger is riding;
a consumption amount calculation unit (e.g., the consumption amount calculation unit 155 in FIG. 8 ) that calculates the consumption amount (e.g., points) as the consideration to be paid by the passenger based on a predetermined function that uses the context, the travel distance, and the travel time as input parameters and outputs the consumption amount (e.g., points);
It can be equipped with:
This will enable the effective use of surplus taxis during off-peak times, increasing profits and establishing technology that will enable the provision of taxi sharing services that are easy for elderly people and others to use.

Furthermore, the above-mentioned information processing device
The context acquisition means (for example, the context acquisition unit 152 in FIG. 8) acquires at least the number of passengers as the context,
The consumption amount calculation means (for example, the consumption amount calculation unit 155 in FIG. 8) can calculate the consumption amount using a function that outputs the consumption amount per passenger as the predetermined function.
This will encourage more users to use ride-sharing, further increasing revenue and establishing technology that will enable the provision of taxi sharing services that are easy for elderly people and others to use.

Furthermore, the above-mentioned information processing device
The context acquisition means (for example, the context acquisition unit 152 in FIG. 8) acquires at least a boarding time zone as the context,
The consumption amount calculation means (e.g., the consumption amount calculation unit 155 in Figure 8) can calculate the consumption amount using, as the predetermined function, a function that outputs a different consumption amount depending on the riding time zone, even if the riding distance and the riding time are the same.
This will encourage users to refrain from using the service during peak hours, and instead encourage more use during off-peak times.Furthermore, the surplus number of taxis during off-peak times can be effectively utilized to increase revenue, and technology can be established that makes it possible to provide a taxi sharing service that is easy for elderly people and others to use.

The information processing device can also have the following configuration, and can have various other embodiments including the above-described embodiment.
That is, the information processing device that calculates the price paid by passengers for passenger transportation services includes:
a management unit (e.g., a points management unit 150 in FIG. 8) that manages the amount of compensation (e.g., points) that can be used as the compensation for each user who may become a passenger;
a reservation receiving means (e.g., the reservation receiving unit 154 in FIG. 8) for receiving reservations for use of the passenger transport vehicle from users;
a context acquisition means (e.g., the context acquisition unit 152 of FIG. 8) for acquiring a context related to the passenger transport vehicle;
a consumption amount calculation unit (e.g., the consumption amount calculation unit 155 in FIG. 8 ) that calculates a consumption amount (e.g., points) as a reservation fee to be paid by the user for the accepted use reservation based on the context;
It can be equipped with:
This will encourage users to make advance reservations, allowing for the effective use of surplus taxis during off-peak times to increase revenue and establish technology that will enable the provision of taxi sharing services that are easy for elderly people and others to use.

Furthermore, the above-mentioned information processing device
The device may further include a presentation means (for example, the context presentation unit 156 in FIG. 8) for presenting the content of the acquired context to the user.
This allows users to check the predicted usage status and reservation status before making a reservation in advance, further promoting use by users through advance reservations.

Furthermore, the above-mentioned information processing device
The consumption amount calculation means (for example, the consumption amount calculation unit 155 in FIG. 8) can calculate the consumption amount based on the degree of urgency in addition to the context.
This allows users who should be given priority to board the vehicle to be given priority, thereby improving convenience for users.

Furthermore, the above-mentioned information processing device
The consumption amount calculation means (for example, the consumption amount calculation unit 155 in FIG. 8) can calculate the consumption amount based on the adjustment range in addition to the context.
This makes it possible to appropriately resolve conflicts between reservations made by different users, thereby improving the convenience for users through advance reservations.

Furthermore, the above-mentioned information processing device
The consumption amount calculation means (for example, the consumption amount calculation unit 155 in FIG. 8) can calculate the consumption amount based on the preceding period in addition to the context.
This allows the user to grasp the reservation trends of others from an early stage, improving the convenience of the user by making reservations in advance.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and all modifications and improvements that achieve the objectives of the present invention are included in the present invention.

For example, the above-described series of processes can be executed by hardware or software.
In other words, the functional configurations in Fig. 4 and Fig. 8 are merely examples and are not particularly limited. That is, it is sufficient for the server 1 to be provided with a function that can execute the above-described series of processes as a whole, and the functional blocks used to realize this function are not particularly limited to the examples in Fig. 4 and Fig. 8.
Furthermore, one functional block may be configured as a single piece of hardware, a single piece of software, or a combination thereof.

When a series of processes is executed by software, the programs that make up the software are installed into a computer or the like from a network or a recording medium.
The computer may be a computer built into dedicated hardware, or may be a computer capable of executing various functions by installing various programs, such as a general-purpose personal computer.

Recording media containing such programs include removable media 31 (Figure 3), which is distributed separately from the device itself to provide the program to the user, as well as recording media provided to the user in a state where it is pre-installed in the device itself. Removable media 31 includes, for example, a magnetic disk (including a floppy disk), an optical disk, or a magneto-optical disk. Optical disks include, for example, CD-ROMs (Compact Disk-Read Only Memory) and DVDs (Digital Versatile Disks). Magneto-optical disks include, for example, MDs (Mini-Disks). Recording media provided to the user in a state where it is pre-installed in the device itself include, for example, ROM 12 (Figure 3) and ROM 12 (Figure 3) on which the program is recorded, or storage unit 18 (Figure 3) and a hard disk included in storage unit 18 (Figure 3).

In this specification, the execution process performed in the order of this application to other applications includes not only processes that are performed chronologically in that order, but also processes that are not necessarily performed chronologically but are performed in parallel or individually.
In addition, in this specification, the term "system" refers to an overall device that is made up of a plurality of devices, a plurality of means, etc.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1: Server, 2: User terminal, 3: Taxi terminal, 11: CPU, 12: ROM, 13: RAM, 14: Bus, 15: Input/output interface, 16: Input unit, 17: Display unit, 18: Memory unit, 19: Communication unit, 20: Drive, 31: Removable media, 41: Request reception unit, 42: Vehicle dispatch planning unit, 43: Vehicle dispatch instruction unit, 51: User DB, 52: Request DB, 53: Vehicle dispatch planning DB, 150: Point management unit, 151: Pick-up and drop-off record acquisition unit, 152: Context acquisition unit, 153: Ride details acquisition unit, 154: Reservation reception unit, 155: Consumption amount calculation unit, 156: Context presentation unit, 161: Point assignment unit, 162: Point consumption unit, 171: Taxi vehicle management DB, 172: Point management DB, N: Network, T: Flat-rate taxi

Claims (3)

A passenger of a passenger transportation service who has a contract under which he or she pays a fixed amount of consideration for each predetermined period and is allowed to ride a passenger transportation vehicle multiple times within the predetermined period by consuming a consideration amount up to a maximum consideration amount within the predetermined period, and the passenger has a contract under which the maximum consideration amount is granted for each predetermined period, calculates a consideration amount for reserving a ride within the predetermined period,
a management means for managing a history of the maximum consideration amount and the consumption consideration amount during the predetermined period for each user who may become a passenger;
a reservation acceptance means for accepting a reservation for boarding the passenger transport vehicle from the user;
context acquisition means for acquiring a context relating to the passenger transport vehicle;
a value calculation means for calculating the value as a reservation fee to be paid by the user for the accepted reservation independently of other reservations, by inputting the acquired context into a predetermined function that uses the context as an input parameter and outputs a consumption value, as defined by the contract;
An information processing device comprising: An information processing method executed by an information processing device for calculating a price for reserving a ride within a predetermined period for a passenger of a passenger transportation service who has a contract under which, in exchange for paying a fixed price for each predetermined period, the passenger can ride a passenger transportation vehicle multiple times within the predetermined period by consuming a price within a range of a maximum price within the predetermined period, and the passenger has a contract under which the maximum price is granted for each predetermined period,
a management step of managing a history of the maximum consideration amount and the consumption consideration amount during the predetermined period for each user who may become a passenger;
a reservation acceptance step of accepting a reservation for boarding the passenger transport vehicle from the user;
a context acquisition step of acquiring a context related to the passenger transport vehicle;
a value calculation step of calculating the value as a reservation fee to be paid by the user for the accepted reservation independently of other reservations by inputting the acquired context into a predetermined function that uses the context as an input parameter and outputs a consumption value, as defined by the contract;
An information processing method including: A passenger for a passenger transportation service who pays a fixed amount of consideration for each specified period and is allowed to ride a passenger transportation vehicle multiple times within the specified period by consuming a consideration amount up to a maximum consideration amount within the specified period, and who has a contract in which the maximum consideration amount is granted for each specified period, inputs to a computer that calculates the consideration amount for reserving a ride within the specified period,
a management step of managing a history of the maximum consideration amount and the consumption consideration amount during the predetermined period for each user who may become a passenger;
a reservation acceptance step of accepting a reservation for boarding the passenger transport vehicle from the user;
a context acquisition step of acquiring a context related to the passenger transport vehicle;
a value calculation step of calculating the value as a reservation fee to be paid by the user for the accepted reservation independently of other reservations by inputting the acquired context into a predetermined function that uses the context as an input parameter and outputs a consumption value, as defined by the contract;
A program that executes control processing including: