Data processing: financial – business practice – management – or co – Automated electrical financial or business practice or... – Discount or incentive
Reexamination Certificate
1999-10-22
2004-03-02
Hafiz, Tariq R. (Department: 3623)
Data processing: financial, business practice, management, or co
Automated electrical financial or business practice or...
Discount or incentive
C705S013000, C701S117000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06701300
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a vehicle allocation system; more particularly, to a vehicle allocation system capable of supplying (or allocating) vehicles with stability within a desired wait time set in the system according to a ride demand in each port inside a certain area including a plurality of ports.
2. Description of Background Art
In a vehicle allocation system for allocating a predetermined number of vehicles deployed in a certain area according to ride demands occurring in a plurality of ports, there may occur a shortage of currently available vehicles in any of the ports relative to the ride demand occurring in that port. If the shortage occurs, excess vehicles in other ports may be allocated to the shortage port (this is hereafter referred to as “vehicle relocation”).
The above-mentioned vehicle allocation system is a reactive system in which measures are taken to relocate vehicles only after the occurrence of the vehicle shortage, thus taking time for relocation from other ports to the port concerned. In addition, additional ride demands may occur during vehicle relocation, and arrival of vehicles that departed from other ports before vehicle relocation may cause a new vehicle shortage or excess at each port, thereby failing to meet stability ride demands within a desired wait time.
To solve the above-mentioned problems inherent to the conventional vehicle allocation system, vehicle relocation may be performed based upon forecast data about ride demands. For example, vehicle allocation may be implemented according to the number of currently owned vehicles in each port and the current ride demand forecast occurring in that port, and the past ride demand statistical data. An example of such a vehicle allocation system is disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-open No. Hei 9-153098.
In the above-mentioned conventional vehicle demand forecasting system, the number of currently available vehicles in each area is compared in absolute value with the demand to determine excess or shortage of vehicles. However, even if the number of vehicles in shortage is equal between ports, the degree of urgency in the number of vehicles to be allocated may differ from one port to another depending on the number of currently owned vehicles in each port. For example, assume that one port has 90 currently owned vehicles and 100 ride demands, resulting in a shortage of 10 vehicles, and another port has 10 currently owned vehicles and 20 ride demands, resulting in a shortage of 10 vehicles. The latter obviously has a higher urgency than the former.
Conventionally, relocation based on the number of vehicles in shortage relative to the currently owned vehicles is not executed; therefore, the proper vehicle allocation based on the degree of urgency in the number of vehicles cannot be provided satisfactorily.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a vehicle allocation system which is based upon a degree of urgency in the number of vehicles in each port, thereby meeting actual ride demands more properly than the conventional system.
This and other objects of the present invention are accomplished by providing a vehicle allocation system including a vehicle count detecting means for detecting the number of vehicles in excess or shortage that is estimated within a scheduled time period for each of a plurality of ports set in an area; an evaluation value computing means for computing an evaluation value of a degree of vehicle excess or shortage considering a ride demand expected within said scheduled time period relative to the number of vehicles excess or shortage for each of said plurality of ports; and a relocation setting means for relocating an excess vehicle to the port having a lowest evaluation value from another port.
One or more the objects of the present invention are accomplished by 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 the 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 the forecast occurrence ride demand count and the 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 the forecast occurrence ride demand count relative to the vehicle excess or shortage count; wherein an excess vehicle is relocated to the port having a lowest evaluation value from another port.
One or more the objects of the present invention are also accomplished by a method of allocating vehicles, comprising the steps of determining a forecast occurrence ride demand count for each of a plurality of delimited areas by adding a forecast ride demand count expected to occur within a scheduled time period to a currently owned ride demand count; determining a forecast occurrence vehicle count for each of the plurality of delimited areas by adding an arrival vehicle count expected to arrive within the scheduled time period to a currently owned vehicle count; determining an evaluation value based upon the forecast occurrence ride demand and the forecast occurrence vehicle count for each of the plurality of delimited areas; arranging the evaluation value for each of the plurality of delimited areas in increasing order; determining an excess or shortage of vehicles for each of the plurality of delimited areas in the order arranged in the arranging step; calculating the difference of the forecast occurrence vehicle count and the forecast occurrence ride demand count for each of the plurality of delimited areas; and
determining if any of the plurality of delimited areas needs relocation of at least one vehicle based upon a polarity of the difference calculated in the calculating step.
The method and system of the present invention may alternatively include terminating vehicle allocation control if the polarity is positive for each of the plurality of delimited areas; and relocating at least one vehicle to at least one of the plurality of delimited areas if at least one of the plurality of delimited areas has a negative polarity. In addition, it is possible to incorporate updating the evaluation value once at least one vehicle is relocated by the relocating step and/or during the step of relocating, if one of the delimited areas has a negative polarity, relocating a vehicle from a delimited area having an excess of vehicles, and in closest proximity, to the delimited area having negative polarity.
The evaluation value can also be calculated by subtracting the forecast occurrence demand from the forecast occurrence vehicle count to obtain a first value, and dividing the first value by a root of the forecast occurrence demand count.
According to the present invention, the number of vehicles in excess or shortage is detected in each of an area. Based on the detection, excess vehicles are relocated from a port having excess vehicles to a port having vehicles fewer than the expected number of vehicles.
Further scope of applicability of the present invention will become apparent from the detailed description given hereinafter. However, it should be understood that the detailed description and specific examples, while indicating preferred embodiments of the invention, are given by way of illustration only, since various changes and modifications within the spirit and scope of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from this detailed description.
REFERENCES:
patent: 4023753 (1977-05-01), Dobler
patent: 4360875 (1982-11-01), Behnke
patent: 4411338 (1983-10-01), Kuzunuki et al.
patent: 4799162 (1989-01-01), Shinkawa et al.
patent: 5122959 (1992-06-01), Nathanson et al.
patent: 5168451 (1992-
Murakami Hiroshi
Nakamura Kazuhiro
Uehara Yuji
Yano Shunji
Colón C. Michelle
Hafiz Tariq R.
Honda Giken Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
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