The present invention may enable the efficient allocation of a plurality of vehicles (300) to a plurality of passengers (100) traveling between independent origins and destinations. In one or more embodiments, the method may collect the locations of vehicles(300), and the origins and destinations of traveling parties(100). The method may generate a set of routes that it deems superior to other known sets of routes, making use of an electronic map(202), which will provide street lengths, estimated travel times, and estimated costs along streets. Each route may include a carrying vehicle equipped with a console(300), and that carrying vehicle's console(300) may be wirelessly sent information identifying the origins and destinations of the parties(100) which that carrying vehicle is to transport, thus dispatching the vehicle. The method may use one of several metrics to determine length or cost along a route, and it may use them alone or in combination. For example, the “length” of a route from point (A) to point (B) may be the estimated time to travel from point (A) to point (B), or the distance along that route in kilometers, or the amount of money costs accrued by a vehicle(300) or person(100) traveling along that route. The metrics may be used in combination, for example. if a particular route is estimated to take 45 minutes to traverse, and requires payment of a $5 toll, the method may value time at $10 per hour, and add 30 minutes to the time of travel for that segment of that route. In each embodiment, the method may use one of several possible criteria to select route sets. For example, in some embodiments, the best route set may be the route set with the estimated lowest total travel time for all passengers (100) on all routes in the set; whereas in other embodiments, the criteria may additionally include travel time for vehicles. For example, other embodiments may seek to minimize linear distance along routes. As a further example, still more embodiments may use one of several measures of efficiency, such measures to be described herein.
Method For Efficient Dynamic Allocation of Vehicles To Independent Passengers
2015-07-23
Patent
Electronic Resource
English
Method for efficient dynamic allocation of vehicles to independent passengers
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