Vehicle-dispatching method and vehicle-dispatching system

• US 8,386,177 B2
• Filed: 05/13/2010
• Issued: 02/26/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 05/13/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Taiwan Mobile Communication
• Original Assignee: Taiwan Mobile Communication
• Inventors: Wu, Jason
• Primary Examiner(s): Brown, Drew
• Assistant Examiner(s): GOODEN JR, BARRY J
• Application Number:
  US12/779,593
• Publication Number:
  US 20100293030A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,020 Days
• Field of Search: 701/519, 701/522, 701/537, 701/540, 707/748, 340/539.18
• US Class Current: 701/519
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0637 Strategic management or analysis, e.g. setting a goal or target of an organisation; Planning actions based on goals; Analysis or evaluation of effectiveness of goals
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/083 Shipping

Abstract

A vehicle-dispatching system includes a service center and a plurality of hosts disposed in respective vehicles. For equally distributing the chances of accepting a reserved vehicle service task, a vehicle-dispatching method is provided. Firstly, the service center is in communication with the hosts of respective vehicles, thereby establishing a database and a dispatching priority ranking table. When the service center receives a vehicle service request, a vehicle is selected from the database according to the dispatching priority ranking table. If the host of the selected vehicle receives the inquiry signal and consents to accept a vehicle service task, a vehicle service confirming signal is issued from the host of the selected vehicle. When the service center receives the vehicle service confirming signal from the host of the selected vehicle, the host of the selected vehicle is adjusted to a lower priority ranking in the dispatching priority ranking table.

Claims

1. A vehicle-dispatching method for use with a service center and a plurality of vehicles, the vehicle-dispatching method comprising steps of:

communicating the service center with hosts of respective vehicles, thereby establishing a database and a dispatching priority ranking table in the service center;

selecting a vehicle from the database according to the dispatching priority ranking table when the service center receives a vehicle service request;

issuing an inquiry signal from the service center to the host of the selected vehicle;

issuing a vehicle service confirming signal from the host of the selected vehicle if the host of the selected vehicle receives the inquiry signal and consents to accept a vehicle service task; and

adjusting the host of the selected vehicle to a lower priority ranking in the dispatching priority ranking table when the service center receives the vehicle service confirming signal from the host of the selected vehicle.

2. The vehicle-dispatching method according to claim 1 wherein the database of the service center stores information associated with all of the hosts and the corresponding vehicles, and the dispatching priority ranking table includes identification codes of all of the hosts and priority values corresponding to the identification codes, wherein the service center issues the inquiry signal to the selected vehicle having a highest priority ranking.

3. The vehicle-dispatching method according to claim 1 wherein the service center adjusts the selected vehicle to a lowest priority ranking in the dispatching priority ranking table when the service center receives the vehicle service confirming signal from the host of the selected vehicle;

the hosts disconnected from the service center are temporarily rejected from the dispatching priority ranking table; and

the hosts are restored to be added to the dispatching priority ranking table when the hosts are enabled and in communication with the service center.

4. The vehicle-dispatching method according to claim 1 wherein a good driver dispatching priority ranking table is established in the database according to a service quality parameter calculated according to a poll among customers via a mobile phone, a short message or depressing a button of the host, wherein the good driver dispatching priority ranking table and the dispatching priority ranking table are used to select a vehicle, and the service center issues the inquiry signal from the service center to the host of the selected vehicle.

5. The vehicle-dispatching method according to claim 1 wherein the service center issues a prompt message to the host of the selected vehicle before a scheduled time of the vehicle service task and waits for a reconfirming message to be issued from the host of the selected vehicle, wherein if the host of the selected vehicle is not enabled or the reconfirming message fails to be transmitted to the service center, the priority ranking of the host of the selected vehicle is lowered and the service center selects another vehicle to accept the vehicle service task.

6. The vehicle-dispatching method according to claim 1 wherein a priority ranking inquiring signal is issued from the host of the selected vehicle to the service center by triggering the host, and the service center sends back information associated with the priority rankings of the host in the dispatching priority ranking table when the priority ranking inquiring signal is received.

7. A vehicle-dispatching system for use with a plurality of vehicles, the vehicle-dispatching system comprising:

a plurality of hosts disposed in respective vehicles; and

a service center communicating with the plurality of hosts, thereby establishing a database and a dispatching priority ranking table in the service center, wherein the service center selects a vehicle from the database according to the dispatching priority ranking table when the service center receives a vehicle service request, an inquiry signal is issued from the service center to the host of the selected vehicle, and the host of the selected vehicle is adjusted to a lower priority ranking in the dispatching priority ranking table when the service center receives a vehicle service confirming signal from the host of the selected vehicle.

8. The vehicle-dispatching system according to claim 7 wherein the database of the service center stores information associated with all of the hosts and the corresponding vehicles, and the dispatching priority ranking table includes identification codes of all of the hosts and priority values corresponding to the identification codes, wherein the service center issues the inquiry signal to the selected vehicle having the highest priority ranking.

9. The vehicle-dispatching system according to claim 7 wherein the service center adjusts the selected vehicle to a lowest priority ranking in the dispatching priority ranking table when the service center receives the vehicle service confirming signal from the host of the selected vehicle;

the hosts disconnected from the service center are temporarily rejected from the dispatching priority ranking table, and the hosts are restored to be added to the dispatching priority ranking table when the hosts are enabled and in communication with the service center.

10. The vehicle-dispatching system according to claim 7 wherein a good driver dispatching priority ranking table is established in the database according to a service quality parameter calculated according to a poll among customers via a mobile phone, a short message or depressing a button of the host, wherein the good driver dispatching priority ranking table and the dispatching priority ranking tables are used to select a vehicle, and the service center issues the inquiry signal from the service center to the host of the selected vehicle.

11. The vehicle-dispatching system according to claim 7 wherein the service center issues a prompt message to the host of the selected vehicle before a scheduled time of a vehicle service task and waits for a reconfirming message to be issued from the host of the selected vehicle, wherein if the host of the selected vehicle is not enabled or the reconfirming message fails to be transmitted to the service center, the priority ranking of the host of the selected vehicle is lowered and the service center selects another vehicle to accept the vehicle service task.

12. The vehicle-dispatching system according to claim 7 wherein a priority ranking inquiring signal is issued from the host of the selected vehicle to the service center by triggering the host, and the service center sends back information associated with the priority rankings of the host in the dispatching priority ranking table when the priority ranking inquiring signal is received.

13. A vehicle-dispatching method for use with a service center and a plurality of vehicles, the vehicle-dispatching method comprising steps of:

communicating the service center with hosts of respective vehicles, thereby establishing a database and a dispatching priority ranking table in the service center, wherein the database includes dispatching condition sets of the respective vehicles;

searching at least one of the vehicles from the database whether the vehicle matches a vehicle-requiring condition corresponding to a vehicle service request issued from a customer;

selecting a matched vehicle from the database according to the dispatching priority ranking table when the service center receives the vehicle service request;

issuing an inquiry signal from the service center to the host of the selected vehicle;

issuing a vehicle service confirming signal from the host of the selected vehicle if the host of the selected vehicle receives the inquiry signal and consents to accept a vehicle service task; and

adjusting the host of the selected vehicle to a lower priority ranking in the dispatching priority ranking table when the service center receives the vehicle service confirming signal from the host of the selected vehicle.

14. The vehicle-dispatching method according to claim 13 wherein the vehicle-requiring condition includes a scheduled time, and the dispatching condition set includes a task-accepting time, wherein the task-accepting time is actively modifiable via the host of the selected vehicle, a network-enabled personal computer or a mobile communication device.

15. The vehicle-dispatching method according to claim 13 wherein the vehicle-requiring condition includes an absolute vehicle-requiring condition and a preferential vehicle-requiring condition, wherein the vehicles whose dispatching condition sets do not match the absolute vehicle-requiring condition are not selected from the database, wherein the absolute vehicle-requiring condition includes a trunk-empty vehicle capable of providing a long-distance trip service, a smart-card acceptable vehicle, a credit-card acceptable vehicle or a vehicle having a wheelchair storing facility for elderly passengers, wherein the vehicles whose dispatching condition sets match the absolute vehicle-requiring condition and the preferential vehicle-requiring condition are preferentially selected, wherein the preferential vehicle-requiring condition includes a foreign language communicable vehicle such as an English communicable vehicle or a Japanese communicable vehicle, a large-sized vehicle having an air displacement greater than a threshold value, a vehicle having an age lower than two years or a high-quality vehicle with no customer complaint.

16. The vehicle-dispatching method according to claim 13 wherein data associated with a district group are inputted via the host of the vehicle, a network-enabled personal computer or a mobile communication device, and transmitted to the service center for modification, wherein the vehicle joins a large district and plural sub-districts belonging to the large district, so that the database is classified according to the data of the district group.

17. The vehicle-dispatching method according to claim 13 further comprising steps of:

receiving a schedule time of a reserved vehicle service task by the service center;

calculating a reachable distance according to a conversion formula; and

defining a circled region, wherein a pick-up location is a center of the circled region and the reachable distance is a radius of the circled region, wherein the vehicle selected from the database is in the circled region.

18. A vehicle-dispatching system for use with a plurality of vehicles, the vehicle-dispatching system comprising:

a plurality of hosts disposed in respective vehicles; and

a service center communicating with the plurality of hosts to establish a database and a dispatching priority ranking table in the service center, the database including dispatching condition sets of the respective vehicles, wherein when the service center receives a vehicle service request issued from a customer, the service center selects a vehicle from the database according to the dispatching priority table matching according to a vehicle-requiting condition corresponding to the vehicle service request, and the service center issues an inquiry signal to the host of the selected vehicle, and the host of the selected vehicle is adjusted to a lower priority ranking in the dispatching priority ranking table when the service center receives a vehicle service confirming signal from the host of the selected vehicle.

19. The vehicle-dispatching system according to claim 18 wherein the vehicle-requiring condition includes a scheduled time, and the dispatching condition set includes a task-accepting time, wherein the task-accepting time is actively modifiable via the host of the selected vehicle.

20. The vehicle-dispatching system according to claim 18 wherein the vehicle-requiring condition includes an absolute vehicle-requiring condition and a preferential vehicle-requiring condition, wherein the vehicles whose dispatching condition sets do not match the absolute vehicle-requiring condition are not selected from the database, wherein the absolute vehicle-requiring condition includes a trunk-empty vehicle capable of providing a long-distance trip service, a smart-card acceptable vehicle, a credit-card acceptable vehicle or a vehicle having a wheelchair storing facility for elderly passengers, wherein the vehicles whose dispatching condition sets match the absolute vehicle-requiring condition and the preferential vehicle-requiring condition are preferentially selected, wherein the preferential vehicle-requiring condition includes a foreign language communicable vehicle such as an English communicable vehicle or a Japanese communicable vehicle, a large-sized vehicle having an air displacement greater than a threshold value, a vehicle having an age lower than two years or a high-quality vehicle with no customer complaint.

21. The vehicle-dispatching system according to claim 18 wherein data associated with a district group are inputted via the host of the vehicle, and transmitted to the service center for modification, wherein the vehicle joins a large district and plural sub-districts belonging to the large district, so that the database is classified according to the data of the district group.

22. The vehicle-dispatching system according to claim 18 wherein the vehicle is selected by steps of:

receiving a schedule time of a reserved vehicle service task by the service center;

calculating a reachable distance according to a conversion formula; and

defining a circled region, wherein a pick-up location is a center of the circled region and the reachable distance is a radius of the circled region, wherein the vehicle selected from the database is in the circled region.