×

Vehicle allocation system

  • US 6,701,300 B1
  • Filed: 10/22/1999
  • Issued: 03/02/2004
  • Est. Priority Date: 10/22/1998
  • Status: Expired due to Fees
First Claim
Patent Images

1. A vehicle allocation system comprising:

  • means for detecting a forecast occurrence ride demand count for each port by adding a forecast ride demand count expected to occur within a scheduled time period to a currently owned ride demand count;

    means for detecting a forecast occurrence vehicle count for each port by adding an arrival vehicle count expected to arrive within said scheduled time period to a currently owned vehicle count;

    means for computing a vehicle excess or shortage count for each port on the basis of said forecast occurrence ride demand count and said forecast occurrence vehicle count; and

    means for computing an evaluation value of the degree of urgency of the number of vehicles on the basis of said forecast occurrence ride demand count relative to said vehicle excess or shortage count;

    wherein an excess vehicle is relocated to the port having a lowest evaluation value from another port, wherein said scheduled time period is a search range or time period which spans a prescheduled number of hours or minutes starting from a current time and in which to search for forecasted starting trips, said scheduled time period being set to be greater than a minimum time required for the excess vehicle to be relocated from said another port to the port having said lowest evaluation value, and being set to be less than a predetermined maximum wait time, wherein said evaluation value is calculated by subtracting said forecast occurrence demand from said forecast occurrence vehicle count to obtain a first value, and dividing said first value by a root of said forecast occurrence demand count.

View all claims
  • 1 Assignment
Timeline View
Assignment View
    ×
    ×