Vehicle information collection system and method thereof

• US 20040064337A1
• Filed: 09/24/2003
• Published: 04/01/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 09/25/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Fushiki, Takumi, Yokota, Takayoshi, Inoue, Takeshi, Yamane, Kennichirou, Nakahara, Takashi
• Granted Patent: US 7,155,322 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/1
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/008 communicating information to a remotely located station transmission systems for measured values G08C
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0104 Measuring and analyzing of parameters relative to traffic conditions
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/20 Monitoring the location of vehicles belonging to a group, e.g. fleet of vehicles, countable or determined number of vehicles

Abstract

A vehicle information specification determining function is built in the on-board terminal installed on a vehicle to determine the specification for vehicle information collection. An information center determines service charges according to the vehicle information specification determined by the vehicle information specification determining function.

Claims

1. A vehicle information collection system having a unit mounted on a vehicle for collecting vehicle information to be transmitted to an information center which provides services based on the collected vehicle information, the vehicle information collection system comprising:

an operation input equipment of the information terminal of the unit mounted on a vehicle or a user for inputting information specification of the vehicle information to be transmitted to the information center;

means for storing the inputted vehicle information into the unit mounted on the vehicle;

means for recording the vehicle information of the vehicle carrying the unit according to the stored vehicle information specification; and

means for transmitting the stored vehicle information to the information center.

2. A vehicle information collection system according to claim 1, wherein the unit mounted on the vehicle receives from the information center the vehicle information specification preset from an external information terminal, and the received vehicle information specification is displayed on the display equipment of the unit mounted on the vehicle.

3. A vehicle information collection according to claim 1, wherein the time period is transmitted or recorded is determined by the operation of direction means installed on the vehicle mounted unit or the status of a vehicle having reached a point of meeting a predetermined condition when the vehicle information collected by the unit mounted on the vehicle.

4. A vehicle information collection system according to claim 1, wherein the information center, based on the information specification of the predetermined vehicle information, and bills the user calculates service charges when providing a user with services.

5. A vehicle information collection system according to claim 1, wherein when information specification has been selected, charges or discount rates thereof are displayed on the output equipment or information terminal of the unit mounted on the vehicle, and the charges or discount rates thereof are adjusted in conformity to the setting operation based on the information.

6. A vehicle information collection system having a vehicle mounted unit for collecting vehicle information to be transmitted to the information center for providing services based on said collected vehicle information, the vehicle mounted unit comprising:

operation input equipment for inputting the information specification of the vehicle information to be transmitted to the information center installed by a user;

storage means for storing the inputted vehicle information specification;

recording means for recording the vehicle information on the car carrying the unit in a vehicle, based on said stored car information specification; and

communications means for transmitting recorded vehicle information to the information center; and

a display equipment for displaying vehicle information specifications.

7. A vehicle information collection system according to claim 6, wherein the vehicle information specification is received by the communications means from the vehicle mounted information center and the received vehicle information specification is displayed on the display equipment when the vehicle information specification has been set from an external information terminal.

8. A vehicle information collection system according to claim 6, wherein the vehicle mounted unit has additional direction means for specifying the time period for transmitting or recording the collected vehicle information, and the vehicle information is recorded in said recording means, based on the operation of said direction means.

9. An information center for providing services based on said collected vehicle information, the information center further comprising:

a vehicle information specification database for storing the specification of the vehicle information, wherein the information specification is transmitted from the unit mounted on a vehicle or the information terminal of a user and is transmitted to the information center;

a vehicle information database for storing the vehicle information transmitted from a vehicle having the unit mounted thereon; and

a content database for storing service contents created based on the history of information on the car according to the stored vehicle information;

wherein, when services are provided to a user, service charges are calculated according to the information specification of the stored vehicle information for said user, and the user is billed accordingly.

10. A vehicle information collection method for a vehicle having a unit mounted on a vehicle which collects vehicle information to be transmitted to an information center for providing services based on the collected vehicle information, the vehicle information collection method comprising:

storing the information specification of the vehicle information input from an operation input equipment of the unit mounted on a vehicle and transmitted to the information center;

storing the vehicle information of the vehicle carrying the unit mounted on a vehicle, according to the stored vehicle information specification;

transmitting the stored vehicle information to the information center.

11. A vehicle information collection method according to claim 10, wherein when the information specification of vehicle information has been inputted from an external information terminal, the information specification is received through the information center, and the received vehicle information