Patent Publication Number: US-11651465-B2

Title: Configuration method and system of indication device for driver-passenger matching

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE OF RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 16/801,119 filed Feb. 25, 2020, which claims the benefits of priority to Chinese Application No. CN201910216131.6 filed on Mar. 20, 2019. Both applications are hereby incorporated by reference in their entireties. 
    
    
     TECHNICAL FIELD 
     The present disclosure relates to a method for configuring indication devices, and more particularly to, a method for configuring indication devices to match passengers and drivers in transportation services. 
     BACKGROUND 
     Taxi passengers identify the vehicles matched to their requests through the indication information provided by the vehicle indication devices, such as light, pattern, color, etc. With the increase of users, a server needs to store a large number of different kinds of identification information, which will waste the server and communication resources. For example, if there are hundreds of thousands of users who need to use taxis in a city, then hundreds of thousands of different kinds of identification information will need to be assigned. However, it will reduce the recognition degree. For example, when a pattern is used as identification information, the more complex the pattern is, the lower the recognition degree is on the premise that the size of the indication device is limited. Hundreds of thousands of pieces of recognition information mean that hundreds of thousands of pictures must be displayed on the indication device, which certainly requires complex content of the pattern. In fact, since these hundreds of thousands of users can&#39;t possibly request vehicles at the same place at the same time, such kind of complex storage and assignment of identification information is unnecessary. Therefore, an improved system and method are needed to configure the indication device to provide transportation service. 
     Embodiments of the disclosure provides a method for configuring indication devices to match passengers and drivers in transportation services. 
     SUMMARY 
     In one aspect, embodiments of the disclosure provide a method for configuring indication devices in transportation services. The method includes receiving a first transportation request which includes a first passenger pick-up point located in a preset geographical area, and the first transportation request matches a first vehicle associated with a first indication device. The method also includes receiving a second transportation request which includes a second passenger pick-up point located in the preset geographical area, and the second transportation request matches a second vehicle associated with a second indication device. The method further includes determining a time difference between a first estimated time for the first vehicle to arrive in the preset geographical area and a second estimated time for the second vehicle to arrive in the preset geographical area, and sending first indication information to the first indication device and second indication information to the second indication device according to the time difference. 
     In another aspect, embodiments of the disclosure also provide a method for configuring indication devices in transportation services. The method includes receiving a plurality of transportation requests which include passenger pick-up points located in a preset geographical area. The method also includes identifying a first transportation request matched with a first vehicle and a second transportation request matched with a second vehicle, wherein the first vehicle and the second vehicle are detected to be located in the preset geographical area. The method also includes determining that first indication information assigned with the first transportation request shares an attribute with second indication information assigned with the second transportation request. The method further includes adjusting the first indication information so that the first indication information no longer shares the attribute with the second indication information. 
     In another aspect, embodiments of the disclosure also provide a system for configuring indication devices in transportation services. The system includes a communication interface configured to receive a first transportation request and a second transportation request. The system also includes at least one processor configured to receive the first transportation request which includes a first passenger pick-up point located in a preset geographical area, and the first transportation request matches a first vehicle associated with a first indication device. The at least one processor is also configured to receive the second transportation request which includes a second passenger pick-up point located in the preset geographical area, and the second transportation request matches a second vehicle associated with a second indication device. The at least one processor is also configured to determine a time difference between a first estimated time for the first vehicle to arrive in the preset geographical area and a second estimated time for the second vehicle to arrive in the preset geographical area, and is configured to send first indication information to the first indication device and second indication information to the second indication device according to the time difference. 
     In another aspect, embodiments of the disclosure also provide a system for configuring indication devices in transportation services. The system includes a communication interface configured to receive transportation requests. The system also includes at least one processor configured to receive a plurality of transportation requests including passenger pick-up points located in a preset geographical area. The at least one processor is also configured to identify a first transportation request matching a first vehicle and a second transportation request matching a second vehicle, wherein the first vehicle and the second vehicle are detected to be located in the preset geographical area. The at least one processor is also configured to determine that first indication information assigned with the first transportation request shares an attribute with second indication information assigned with the second transportation request. The at least one processor is also configured to adjust the first indication information so that the first indication information no longer shares the attribute with the second indication information. 
     In another aspect, embodiments of the disclosure also provide a non-transitory computer-readable medium having stored thereon computer instructions, when executed by at least one processor, perform a method for configuring indication devices to provide transportation service. The method includes receiving a first transportation request including a first passenger pick-up point located in a preset geographical area, the first transportation request matching a first vehicle associated with a first indication device. The method also includes receiving a second transportation request including a second passenger pick-up point located in the preset geographical area, the second transportation request matching a second vehicle associated with a second indication device. The method further includes determining a time difference between a first estimated time for the first vehicle to arrive in the preset geographical area and a second estimated time for the second vehicle to arrive in the preset geographical area, and sending first indication information to the first indication device and second indication information to the second indication device according to the time difference. 
     In another aspect, embodiments of the disclosure also provide a non-transitory computer-readable medium having stored thereon computer instructions, when executed by at least one processor, perform a method for configuring indication devices to provide transportation service. The method includes receiving a plurality of transportation requests including passenger pick-up points located in a preset geographical area. The method also includes identifying a first transportation request matched with a first vehicle and a second transportation request matched with a second vehicle, wherein the first vehicle and the second vehicle are detected to be located in the preset geographical area. The method also includes determining that first indication information assigned with the first transportation request shares an attribute with second indication information assigned with the second transportation request. The method further includes adjusting the first indication information so that the first indication information no longer shares the attribute with the second indication information. 
     It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory only and are not restrictive of the invention, as claimed. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG.  1    illustrates a block diagram of an exemplary indication device configuration system, according to embodiments of the disclosure. 
         FIG.  2    illustrates a schematic diagram of an exemplary method for calculating a time difference between vehicle arrivals to configure an indication device, according to embodiments of the disclosure. 
         FIG.  3    illustrates a flowchart of an exemplary method for configuring an indication device to provide transportation service, according to embodiments of the disclosure. 
         FIG.  4    illustrates a flowchart of an exemplary method for configuring an indication device to avoid mismatches, according to embodiments of the disclosure. 
         FIG.  5    illustrates a flowchart of another exemplary method for configuring an indication device to avoid mismatches, according to embodiments of the disclosure. 
         FIG.  6    illustrates a flowchart of yet another exemplary method for configuring the indication device to avoid mismatches, according to embodiments of the disclosure. 
         FIG.  7    illustrates a flowchart of another exemplary method for configuring the indication device to provide transportation service, according to embodiments of the disclosure. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     A clear and complete description of the technical solution of the present invention will be provided in conjunction with the drawings and a specific embodiment. It is clear that the embodiment described here is only a portion of the embodiments of the present invention, not all embodiments. Based on the specific embodiment described in the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by a person having ordinary skill in the art without inventive skills shall fall within the scope of protection of the present invention. 
     It will be appreciated that terms such as “first” and “second” in the specification and claims of the invention and the drawings above are used to distinguish similar objects, and the terms are not necessarily used to describe specific order or sequence. It should be understood that the terms used in this way can be interchanged when appropriate, which is only a way of distinguishing objects with same attributes in the embodiments of the invention. In addition, the terms “include” and “have” and any variations thereof are intended to cover the non-exclusive inclusion so that processes, methods, systems, products or devices that contain a series of units need not be limited to those units, but may include other units that are not clearly listed or inherent to those processes, methods, products or devices. 
     The accompanying drawings are included to illustrate particular embodiments of the invention. When appropriate, the following embodiments of the invention and the characteristics of the embodiments can be combined together. 
       FIG.  1    illustrates a block diagram of an exemplary indication device configuration system in transportation services, according to embodiments of the disclosure. In some embodiments of the present disclosure, system  100  may include different modules in a same device, such as an integrated circuit chip like Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC) or Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA). System  100  may include different modules with specific functions located in different devices. Components of system  100  may be integrated in an integrated device or distributed across different locations but may communicate with each other through network or bus. 
     In some embodiments of the present disclosure, system  100  may receive a transportation request from at least one user device  114 , and each user device  114  may be operated by a user  116  to transmit the transportation request to system  100 . If user  116  needs to take a vehicle from location A to location B, the transportation request may be used to instruct system  100  to provide transportation service to meet the transportation needs of user  116 . When system  100  receive the transportation request, it may select one vehicle from multiple vehicles to match user  116 . For example, system  100  may select a vehicle  110  operated by a driver  120  to match user  116 . Having matched the user&#39;s transportation request with vehicle  110 , system  100  may officially generate an order and send the order information to user device  114  and vehicle  110 . 
     Vehicle  110  may be associated with an indication device  112  and a driver device  118 . Vehicle  110  may be equipped with indication device  112  so that indication device  112  may send indication information to user  116  to indicate to user  116  that vehicle  110  is the matching vehicle dispatched by system to provide transportation service when vehicle  110  approaches user  116 . Driver device  118  may be operated by driver  120 . For example, driver device  118  may be a driver&#39;s mobile phone and/or another portable electronic device carried at all times or vehicle electronic equipment installed or fixed in vehicle  110 . Driver device  118  may receive user information from system  100 . For example, after the system has matched vehicle  110  with user  116 , an order containing the information of user  116  may be sent to driver device  118 , where the information includes the name, contact information (e.g., telephone number), location information (e.g., passenger pick-up information), destination and the like of user  116 . 
     In some embodiments of the present disclosure, after system  100  has matched vehicle  110  with user  116 , system  100  may generate a piece or pieces of specific indication information and send the indication information to user device  114 . The indication information may be used to configure indication device  112  to send corresponding information so that indication device  112  may inform user  116  of the matching vehicle when vehicle  110  approaches user  116 . At the same time, user  116  may receive the indication information through user device  114  and compare the indication information with the information sent by indication device  112  to identify the matching vehicle. Consistent with some embodiments of the present disclosure, indication information may also configure user device  114  to send corresponding information to indicate to driver  120  user  116  that is matched to the vehicle. At the same time, system  100  may send the indication information to driver device  118  so that driver  120  may compare the indication information with the information sent by user device  114  to identify a matching user. 
     In some embodiments of the present disclosure, system  100  may directly send the indication information to indication device  112  and user device  114 . Consistent with some embodiments of the present disclosure, system  100  may send the indication information to vehicle  110 , and then vehicle  110  may forward the indication information received to indication device  112 . Consistent with some embodiments of the present disclosure, system  100  may send the indication information to driver device  118 , and then driver device  118  may forward the indication information received to indication device  112 . In other embodiments of the present disclosure, system  100  may only send the indication information to driver device  118 . Driver  120  may identify the matching user (e.g., user  116 ) according to the indication information received. 
     Indication device  112  may be a device that can emit visible light (e.g., red, green, or blue light), display content (e.g., image and video) and/or output audio signals and can be installed inside or outside the vehicle. The indication device may be installed on a specific entrance or door of the vehicle to indicate to a user where to get in the vehicle or a place easy to see by a user, (e.g., the front window, the rear window, the place beside the license plate, etc.). The indication device may also be integrated in driver device  118  or realized by the screen, searchlight or speaker of driver device  118 . In some embodiments of the present disclosure, when a vehicle approaches a user, the indication device installed on the vehicle may display the indication information used to configure the indication device to help the user identify the matching vehicle. 
     In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the indication information can be used to configure the way for the indication device to output content. For example, the indication information may be used to configure the indication device to output light of at least one color, at least one pattern, at least one mode and/or at least one lighting sequence. Consistent with some embodiments of the present disclosure, the light of at least one color may include any visible light, such as at least one type of white light, red light, orange light, yellow light, green light, blue light and purple light. The pattern may include any shape or text. For example, the pattern may include column, triangle, rectangle, circle, hash pattern, dot, etc. The pattern may also include a user&#39;s name, a vehicle&#39;s license plate, a pattern defined by user or driver, etc. The lighting sequence means that a plurality of light sources in the indication device may be lit in a predetermined sequence. For example, the indication device may include a plurality of light sources. The lighting sequence may include lighting from the middle to the four sides, lighting from the four sides to the middle, lighting from top to bottom, lighting from bottom to top, lighting from left to right, lighting from right to left, etc. A mode may refer to a particular arrangement for the indication device to output light. For example, the indication device may output color and pattern periodically, output color and pattern gradually or output color and pattern by fading in or fading out. Consistent with some embodiments of the present disclosure, the mode may also include the indication device output time. For example, the mode may include controlling the indication device to periodically fade in and fade out between two colors. For example, the indication device is controlled to output yellow light for 2 seconds then switch to white light for 1 second, and then switch back to yellow light for 2 seconds. Or, the mode may also include controlling the indication device to keep lighting for a predetermined period of time, such as 10 seconds, 20 seconds, etc. 
     In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the indication device may be mounted to the vehicle with different shapes or features of shell. For example, the indication device may include a body, a power supply or a power input port, a communication interface and a base. Consistent with some embodiments of the present disclosure, the body may be formed at least in part of a sub transparent, translucent, or transparent material. In other embodiments of the present disclosure, the body may include a display device (e.g., a flat panel display) that can output content. In other embodiments of the present disclosure, the body may include at least one surface that is substantially flat and whose length is much larger than its height and width (e.g., twice or more times larger), and/or whose height is much larger than its width (e.g., twice or more times larger). For example, the body may be in the shape of a blade. The body can output content or light according to the indication information. 
     The body may also be coupled to a base extending at least partially along the length direction of the body. The base may include at least one fastening mechanism or structure to enable the indication device to couple or fasten to the vehicle (e.g., permanently or temporarily). In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the base may accommodate one or more components of the indication device, such as a communication interface, a light source, a power supply or a power port, a display controller, a wire or a connecting component, etc. The communication interface may enable the indication device to communicate with a di device (e.g., wirelessly or via wires or cables) to receive indication information. 
     A user device  114  and/or a driver device  118  may include a desktop computer, a cellular device or a smart phone, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a laptop computer, a tablet device and a television (IP television), which may provide network connection and process resources to communicate with system  100  through network. Driver device  118  may also include, for example, an on-board computing system or customized hardware. User device  114  and/or driver device  118  may also run designated service applications respectively. Furthermore, although some embodiments of the present disclosure described herein relate to transportation requests, the system described herein may be used to provide other requests, such as food truck service requests, delivery requests, entertainment requests, etc. 
     In some embodiments of the present disclosure, vehicle  110  may include a manned or unmanned vehicle. The unmanned vehicle may include an automatic driving vehicle or a semi-automatic driving vehicle. In other embodiments of the present disclosure, vehicle  110  may include an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV). When vehicle  110  is an unmanned vehicle, the matching between passenger and vehicle may mainly rely on indication device  112  on vehicle  110  to send indication information, which may be identified by user  116 . 
     In some embodiments of the present disclosure, user device  114  may be a smart phone of user  116 , and indication device  112  may be a smart phone of driver  120 . For example, user  116  may send a transportation request to system  100  through a smart phone. System  100  may match user  116  with vehicle  110  according to the transportation requests. Vehicle  110  may travel to the location where user  116  is located according to the preset route to pick up user  116  to provide transportation service. After the matching is completed, system  100  may send indication information of same attributes to user device  114  and driver device  118  to enable user  116  and driver  120  to identify each other. The attributes may include at least one of color, pattern, lighting sequence, lighting mode, sound or light. For example, system  100  may send indication information with same color (e.g., red, blue) to user device  114  and driver device  118 , or indication information with same pattern or sound. For example, system  100  may send to user device  114  and driver device  118  indication information with same icon, same light flashing mode or same color changing mode, etc. After receiving the indication information, user  116  can identify vehicle  110  driven by driver  120  according to the indication information. Similarly, after receiving the indication information, driver  120  may also identify user  116  according to the indication information. 
     As illustrated in  FIG.  1   , system  100  may include a processor  102 , a user device interface  104 , a driver device interface  106 , and a memory  108 . These modules may be hardware units of system  100  (e.g., different parts of an integrated circuit), configured to be used with other components or to execute computer programs. The computer programs may be stored in a computer-readable medium (e.g., memory  108 ). When the computer programs are executed by system  100 , system  100  can perform the functions and methods disclosed in the invention. In other embodiments of the present disclosure, processor  102 , user device interface  104 , driver device interface  106 , and memory  108  may be distributed in different processors or may communicate remotely with each other. 
     User device interface  104  may be used to send data to or receive data from user device  114 . In some embodiments of the present disclosure, user device  114  may send a transportation request to user device interface  104  for indicating to system  100  the transportation needs of user  116 . User device interface  104  may send the transportation request to processor  102 . In response to the transportation request, processor  102  may send vehicle information of the matching vehicle to user device  114  through user device interface  104 . For example, processor  102  may send information such as the vehicle owner&#39;s identity, the license plate number of the vehicle and the like to user device  114  through the user device interface. In some embodiments of the present disclosure, user device interface  104  may be used to send indication information to user device  114  to help the user identify the matching vehicle. 
     Driver device interface  106  may be configured to send data to at least one of vehicle  110 , indication device  112 , or driver device  118 . In some embodiments of the present disclosure, processor  102  may send information of a matching user to driver device  118  through driver device interface  106 . For example, processor  102  may send the user&#39;s name, contact information (e.g., telephone number), location information (e.g., passenger pick-up information), destination and the like to driver device  118  through driver device interface  106 . In some embodiments of the present disclosure, driver device interface  106  may be used to send indication information to vehicle  110 , indication device  112 , or driver device  118 . In other embodiments of the present disclosure, driver device interface  106  may be used to receive information from driver device  118  or vehicle  110 . For example, driver device interface  106  may be used to receive information such as vehicle location, vehicle speed, vehicle status and the like from the vehicle. For another example, driver device interface  106  may receive information such as the vehicle owner&#39;s identity, the plate number of the vehicle and the like from driver device  118 . 
     Processor  102  may be configured to match users and vehicles according to transportation requests, and to send indication information to the users and the vehicles after the matching is completed. For example, processor  102  may receive a transportation request from user device  114  through user device interface  104 , and processor  102  may match vehicle  110  to the user according to the transportation request. Processor  102  may send matching information to driver device  118  through driver device interface  106 , or processor  102  may send the matching information to user device  114  through user device interface  104 . In some embodiments of the present disclosure, processor  102  may send indication information to user device  114  through user device interface  104 , or processor  102  may send the indication information to at least one of vehicle  110 , indication device  112 , or driver devices  118  through the driver device interface. 
     Processor  102  may include but not be limited to microcontroller, reduced instruction set computer (RISC), application specific integrated circuits (ASIC), application-specific instruction-set processor (ASIP), central processing unit (CPU), physics processing unit (PPU), digital signal processor (DSP), field programmable gate array (FPGA), etc. 
     Memory  108  may be configured to store data. Memory  108  may include but not limited to read-only memory (ROM), random-access memory (RAM), programmable read-only memory (PROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), etc. The memory may include a non-transitory computer-readable medium having stored thereon code, logic or instructions for performing at least one step described elsewhere herein. System  100  may perform at least one step, individually or collectively, in accordance with the code, logic, or instructions of the non-transitory computer-readable medium described herein. 
     In some embodiments of the present disclosure, memory  108  may store map data. For example, processor may access memory  108  to obtain the data of each geographical area of the map, such as the shape, area, location, population density, vehicle density and other information of the geographical area. The geographical area can be used to assist vehicle arrangement. 
     In some embodiments of the present disclosure, system  100  may configure indication information by calculating the estimated time when the vehicle may arrive at the passenger pick-up point (hereinafter referred to as “arrival time”). For example, if a time difference between estimated arrival time of two vehicles is great (e.g., above a preset threshold), system  100  may assign indication information of same attributes to the two vehicles. Because it is unlikely that two vehicles will pick up passengers at the same place and at the same time, users associated with the two vehicles will not take a wrong vehicle because of the same color. If the time difference between estimated arrival time of the two vehicles is not great (e.g., below a preset threshold), system  100  may assign indication information of different attributes to the two vehicles so that the users associated with the two vehicles will not take a wrong vehicle. In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the preset thresholds may be obtained based on historical data, such as 30 seconds, 60 seconds, 2 minutes, etc. 
       FIG.  2    illustrates a schematic diagram of an exemplary method for calculating the time difference of vehicle arrival to configure the indication devices, according to embodiments of the disclosure. A user  210  and user  220  may be located in a preset geographical area  201 . The preset geographical area may be a geographical area predetermined by system  100  according to at least one parameter. The at least one parameter may include population density, vehicle density, transportation request density, etc. In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the shape of the preset geographical area may be a regular polygon (e.g., regular triangle, square, regular hexagon, etc.). The preset geographical area may also be of other suitable shapes, such as a circle, ellipse, rectangle, trapezoid, or irregular shape. The preset geographical area may not necessarily be of the same shape or size. For example, the preset geographical area in the downtown area may be relatively smaller, while the preset geographical area in the remote area may be relatively larger. 
     In some embodiments of the present disclosure, user  210  may send a transportation request to system  100  through a user device  212 . System  100  may match a vehicle  214  with user  210  according to the transportation request. Vehicle  214  may be associated with a driver  211 , a driver device  218 , and an indication device  216 . Driver  211  may drive vehicle  214  to the place where user  210  is located following a route  215  to pick up user  210  to provide transportation service. Similarly, a user  220  may use user device  222  to send a transportation request to system  100 . System  100  may match vehicle  224  with user  220  according to the transportation request. Vehicle  224  may be associated with driver  221 , a driver device  228 , and an indication device  226 . Driver  221  may drive vehicle  224  following a route  225  to the place where user  220  is located to pick up user  220  to provide transportation service. 
     In some embodiments of the present disclosure, system  100  may calculate the estimated time (a first estimated arrival time) for vehicle  214  to arrive at the place where user  210  is located, i.e. the time required for taking route  215 . Similarly, system  100  may calculate the estimated time (a second estimated arrival time) for vehicle  224  to arrive at the place where user  220  is located, i.e. the time required for taking route  225 . Furthermore, system  100  may calculate the time difference between the first estimated arrival time and the second estimated arrival time. When the time difference is above than a preset threshold value, system  100  may send first indication information to indication device  216  and second indication information to indication device  226 , where the first indication information may share an attribute with the second indication. When the time difference is below the preset threshold value, system  100  can send the first indication information to indication device  216  and the second indication information to indication device  226 , where the first indication information may have one or more attributes different from that of the second indication information. The attribute may include at least one of color, pattern, sequence, mode, sound or light. 
     In some embodiments of the present disclosure, system  100  may determine that the time difference is above the preset threshold. However, the time difference may be gradually reduced and become below the preset threshold due to traffic jam. In this case, user  210  or user  220  may see two vehicles with indication information of same attributes in preset geographical area  201 . For example, the indication devices of the two vehicles may share a color. At this time, system  100  may further alter the configuration of the indication device to help user  210  and user  220  confirm the matching vehicle. 
     In some embodiments of the present disclosure, a user may operate a user device to send an indication information change request to system  100 . For example, user  210  may operate user device  212  to send an indication information change request to system  100 . After receiving the indication information change request, system  100  may send third indication information to indication device  216  and user device  212  to replace the first indication information. The third indication information may no longer have the same attribute as the second indication information, but rather have one or more attributes different from that of the second indication information. 
     In some embodiments of the present disclosure, a user may operate a user device to send an indication information change request to system  100 . For example, user  210  may operate user device  212  to send an indication information change request to system  100 . After receiving the indication information change request, system  100  may determine whether vehicle  214  and vehicle  224  are located in preset geographical area  201 . If so, system  100  may send third indication information to indication device  216  and user device  212  to replace the first indication information. The third indication information may no longer have the same attribute as the second indication information, but rather have one or more attributes different from that of the second indication information. 
     In some embodiments of the present disclosure, system  100  may verify whether there exist two vehicles sharing same attributes of indication information in preset geographical area  201 . If so, system  100  may reassign indication information to help a user identify a matching vehicle. For example, system  100  may verify whether both vehicle  214  and vehicle  224  are located in preset geographical area  201 . If so, system  100  may send third indication information to indication device  216  and user device  212  to replace the first indication information. The third indication information may have one or more attributes different from that of the second indication information. System  100  may send the third indication information to indication device  226  and user device  222  to replace the second indication information, achieving an effect of altering the configuration. Consistent with some embodiments of the present disclosure, system  100  may also send a notification to the user after sending the third indication information to inform the user that the first indication information has been replaced. For example, system  100  may push a notification to user device  212  to inform the user that the first indication information has been replaced. 
     In some embodiments of the present disclosure, system  100  may receive a plurality of transportation requests, where the plurality of transportation requests may include passenger pick-up points located in a preset geographical area (e.g., preset geographical area  201 ). The passenger pick-up points may be manually input by a user when making a transportation request, or it may be generated by system  100  through automatically detecting the user&#39;s location. In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the user can order the transportation service for a friend, colleague, or family member who may be elsewhere so that the passenger pick-up points need not to be the same as the location of the user. System  100  can identify the first transportation request that matches vehicle  214  and the second transportation request that matches vehicle  224 , and system  100  can detect that vehicle  214  and vehicle  224  are both located in preset geographical area  201 . At this time, system  100  may determine whether the indication information assigned with the first transportation request shares an attribute with the second indication information assigned with the second transportation request. If so, it is easy to cause confusion, and then system  100  may adjust the first indication information or the second indication information so that the first indication information may no longer have the same attribute as the second indication information, but rather have one or more attributes different from that of the second indication information. 
     In some embodiments of the present disclosure, system  100  may send the adjusted indication information to indication device  216 . Consistent with some embodiments of the present disclosure, system  100  may send the adjusted indication information to user device  212 . Similarly, system  100  may send the adjusted indication information to indication device  226  and/or user device  222 . 
       FIG.  3    illustrates a flowchart of an exemplary method for configuring the indication devices to provide transportation service, according to embodiments of the disclosure. In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the method illustrated in  FIG.  3    may be executed by system  100  (e.g., executed by processor  102 ). The method illustrated in  FIG.  3    may include steps  310 - 384  described below. It is worth noting that some of these steps are optional for the implementation of the present invention. Furthermore, some of these steps can be performed at the same time or in a different order from that illustrated in  FIG.  3   . 
     As illustrated in  FIG.  2    and  FIG.  3   , in step  310 , processor  102  may receive a first transportation request from a first user device of a first user who is located in a preset geographical area. In some embodiments of the present disclosure, processor  102  may receive the first transportation request from user device  212  operated by user  210  who is located in preset geographical area  201 . 
     In step  320 , processor  102  may receive a second transportation request from a second user device of a second user who is located in the preset geographical area. In some embodiments of the present disclosure, processor  102  may receive the second transportation request from user device  222  operated by user  220  who is located in preset geographical area  201 . 
     In step  330 , in response to the first transportation request, processor  102  may select a first driver for the first user, where the first driver may be associated with a first vehicle, a first indication device and a first driver device. In some embodiments of the present disclosure, in response to the first transportation request, processor  102  may select driver  211  for user  210 . Driver  211  may be associated with vehicle  214 , indication device  216 , and driver device  218 . 
     In step  340 , in response to the second transportation request, processor  102  may select a second driver for the second user, where the second driver may be associated with a second vehicle, a second indication device and a second driver device. In some embodiments of the present disclosure, in response to the second transportation request, processor  102  may select driver  221  for user  220 . Driver  221  may be associated with vehicle  224 , indication device  226 , and driver device  228 . 
     In step  350 , processor  102  may calculate the estimated time when the first vehicle may arrive at a passenger pick-up point. In some embodiments of the present disclosure, processor  102  may calculate the estimated time for vehicle  214  to arrive at the location of user  210  following route  215 . For example, processor  102  may acquire the length of route  215 , and then divide the length by the speed of vehicle  214  to obtain the estimated arrival time. In other embodiments of the present disclosure, processor  102  may calculate and update the estimated arrival time in real time. For example, processor  102  may acquire the speed of vehicle  214  in real time, and then update the estimated arrival time in real time according to the real-time speed. Consistent with some embodiments of the present disclosure, processor  102  may update the estimated arrival time in real time based on traffic condition. For example, processor  102  may acquire the speed and traffic condition of vehicle  214  in real time, and then update the estimated arrival time in real time according to the real-time speed and traffic condition. Consistent with some embodiments of the present disclosure, processor  102  may also use a machine learning model to predict the vehicle arrival time. 
     In step  360 , processor  102  may calculate the estimated arrival time of the second vehicle. In some embodiments of the present disclosure, processor  102  may calculate the estimated time for vehicle  224  to arrive at the location of user  220  following route  225 . The calculation method is consistent with the one described in step  350 , hence it will not be repeated here. 
     In step  370 , processor  102  may calculate the time difference between the estimated arrival time of the first vehicle and the estimated arrival time of the second vehicle. In some embodiments of the present disclosure, processor  102  may calculate the time difference between the estimated arrival time of vehicle  214  and the estimated arrival time of vehicle  224 . For example, processor  102  may update the estimated arrival time of vehicle  214  and vehicle  224  in real time and may calculate the time difference between the estimated arrival time of vehicle  214  and that of vehicle  224  in real time. 
     In step  380 , processor  102  may determine whether the time difference is above a preset threshold. 
     If the time difference is above the preset threshold, processor  102  may send the first indication information and the second indication information to the first indication device and the second indication device respectively in step  381  and step  382 , where the first indication information shares an attribute with the second indication information. In some embodiments of the present disclosure, processor  102  may send the first indication information to indication device  216  and the second indication information to indication device  226 , where the first indication information shares an attribute with the second indication information. 
     If the time difference is below the preset threshold, processor  102  may send the first indication information and the second indication information to the first indication device and the second indication device respectively in step  383  and step  384 , where the first indication information may have one or more attributes different from that of the second indication information. In some embodiments of the present disclosure, processor  102  may send the first indication information to indication device  216  and the second indication information to indication device  226 , where the first indication information may have one or more attributes different from that of the second indication information. 
     In some embodiments of the present disclosure, even though a processor may determine in step  380  that the time difference is above the preset threshold, the time difference may be gradually reduced and become below the preset threshold due to traffic jam. At this time, the first vehicle and the second vehicle may enter the preset geographical area (e.g., preset geographical area  201 ) at a similar time, which may make it difficult for the user to identify the matching vehicle. In this case, processor  102  may further configure the indication device to help the user identify the matching vehicle and avoid mismatches.  FIGS.  4 - 6    are flowcharts of exemplary methods for configuring indication devices to avoid mismatches, according to embodiments of the present disclosure. 
     Referring to  FIG.  4   , in step  385 A, processor  102  may receive an indication information change request from the first user device. In some embodiments of the present disclosure, after the user finds that two vehicles with indication information of same attributes appear in the preset geographical area, the user can send an indication information change request to processor  102  through the user device to prevent mismatches. For example, user  210  may send the indication information change request to processor  102  through user device  212 . 
     In step  386 A, processor  102  may send third indication information to the first indication device to replace the first indication information according to the indication information change request, where the third indication information may have one or more attributes different from that of the second indication information. For example, processor  102  may send third indication information to indication device  216  to replace the first indication information according to the indication information change request, where the third indication information may have one or more attributes different from that of the second indication information. 
     Referring to  FIG.  5   , in step  385 B, processor  102  may receive an indication information change request from the first user device. In some embodiments of the present disclosure, after the user finds that two vehicles with indication information of same attributes appear in the preset geographical area, the user can send an indication information change request to processor  102  through the user device to prevent mismatches. For example, user  210  may send the indication information change request to processor  102  through user device  212 . 
     In step  386 B, processor  102  may verify that the first vehicle and the second vehicle are located in the preset geographical area. In some embodiments of the present disclosure, processor  102  can obtain the locations of vehicle  214  and vehicle  224  to verify that vehicle  214  and vehicle  224  are indeed located in the preset geographical area, hence it is easy to avoid confusion in matching. 
     In step  387 B, processor  102  may send third indication information to the first indication device to replace the first indication information according to the verification result, where the third indication information may have one or more attributes different from that of the second indication information. In some embodiments of the present disclosure, after processor  102  confirms that vehicle  214  and vehicle  224  are both located in the preset geographical area, processor  102  may send third indication information to indication device  216  to replace the first indication information. The third indication information may have one or more attributes different from that of the second indication information. If processor  102  finds that vehicle  214  and vehicle  224  are not both located in the preset geographical area, it may decide not to change the indication information. 
     Referring to  FIG.  6   , in step  385 C, processor  102  may voluntarily verify that the first vehicle and the second vehicle are located in the preset geographical area when the user has not made an indication information change request. In some embodiments of the present disclosure, processor  102  may acquire the locations of vehicle  214  and vehicle  224  to verify whether vehicle  214  and vehicle  224  are both located in the preset geographical area. The voluntary verification may be carried out periodically or aperiodically. For example, processor  102  may perform the verification only when the vehicle approaches passenger pick-up points, rather than during the travelling. If two vehicles both pass a preset geographical area en route to their destinations, because it is not a passenger pick-up point, confusion in matching will not happen no matter how short the distance between the two vehicles may be. Alternatively, processor  102  may also choose to verify only in the preset geographical area where the passenger pick-up point of the vehicle is located. 
     In step  386 C, processor  102  may send third indication information to the first indication device to replace the first indication information according to the verification result, where the third indication information may have one or more attributes different from that of the second indication information. In some embodiments of the present disclosure, after processor  102  confirms that vehicle  214  and vehicle  224  are both located in the preset geographical area, processor  102  may send third indication information to indication device  216  to replace the first indication information, where the third indication information may have one or more attributes different from that of the second indication information. Consistent with some embodiments of the present disclosure, processor  102  may also send a notification to the user after sending the third indication information to inform the user that the first indication information has been replaced. For example, processor  102  may push a notification to user device  212  to inform user  210  that the first indication information has been replaced. 
       FIG.  7    illustrates another flowchart of an exemplary method for configuring the indication devices to provide transportation service, according to embodiments of the disclosure. Referring to  FIG.  7   , in step  410 , processor  102  may receive a plurality of transportation requests, where the plurality of transportation requests may include passenger pick-up points located in a preset geographical area. For example, the passenger pick-up points of the plurality of transportation requests may all be located in preset geographical area  201 . 
     In step  420 , processor  102  may identify a first transportation request matched with a first vehicle and a second transportation request matched with a second vehicle, where the first vehicle and the second vehicle may be detected to be located in the preset geographical area. In some embodiments of the present disclosure, processor  102  may identify a first transportation request matched with a first vehicle and a second transportation request matched with a second vehicle from the plurality of transportation requests, where the corresponding passenger pick-up points of the first vehicle and the second vehicle may both be located in the preset geographical area, and both vehicles may be detected to be located in the preset geographical area at the same time. For example, processor  102  may identify a first transportation request that matches vehicle  214  and a second transportation request that matches vehicle  224 , and processor  102  may detect that vehicle  214  and vehicle  224  are both located within preset geographical area  201 . 
     In step  430 , processor  102  may determine that the first indication information assigned with the first transportation request shares an attribute with the second indication information assigned with the second transportation request. For example, processor  102  may determine that the first indication information may share same attributes with the second indication information, such as color, pattern, sound or lighting, etc. 
     In step  440 , processor  102  may adjust the first indication information so that the first indication information may have one or more attributes different from that of the second indication information. In some embodiments of the present disclosure, processor  102  may send the adjusted indication information to indication device  216 . Consistent with some embodiments of the present disclosure, processor  102  may send the adjusted indication information to user device  212 . Similarly, system  100  may send the adjusted indication information to indication device  226  and/or user device  222 . 
     The system and method provided by the present disclosure can effectively reduce the types of indication information in an area without affecting the matching of users and vehicles, and effectively utilize the server and communication resources. Using the system and method provided by the present disclosure, a user can complete matching with the vehicle conveniently and quickly. 
     It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made to the disclosed systems and related methods. Other embodiments will be apparent to those skilled in the art from consideration of the specification and practice of the disclosed systems and related methods. 
     It is intended that the specification and examples be considered as exemplary only, with a true scope being indicated by the following claims and their equivalents.