VEHICLE ENVIRONMENTAL SERVICE SYSTEM

• US 20090091439A1
• Filed: 04/24/2007
• Published: 04/09/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 04/25/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Hayashi, Shinichi, Sekiyama, Hiroaki
• Granted Patent: US 8,217,777 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/459
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3697 Output of additional, non-guidance related information, e.g. low fuel level G01C21/3679 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/127 to a central station ; Indicators in a central station

Abstract

A vehicle environmental service system includes an in-vehicle information terminal mounted in a vehicle, a center server provided in a center, and a provider terminal managed by an affiliated service provider providing various services to users. The in-vehicle information terminal is capable of communicating with the provider terminal directly or through the center server. The in-vehicle information terminal or the center server has a point calculating unit for determining whether safety driving and/or ecological driving is being performed with respect to each of the users based on prescribed criteria and calculating the number of points to be awarded based on the result of the determination. The center server has a database for managing total number of points obtained by accumulating the number of points to be awarded with respect to each of the users. The provider terminal has a service providing unit for providing a prescribed service in exchange for a prescribed number of points in the database and an advertisement generating unit for generating advertisement information of the affiliated service provider. The in-vehicle information terminal has a unit enabling the in-vehicle information terminal to receive the advertisement information from the provider terminal directly or through the center server.

Claims

1. A vehicle environmental service system comprising:

an in-vehicle information terminal mounted in a vehicle;

a center server provided in a center;

a provider terminal managed by an affiliated service provider providing various services to users;

a point calculating unit included in the in-vehicle information terminal or the center server and provided for determining whether safety driving and/or ecological driving is being performed with respect to each of the users based on a prescribed criterion and calculating a number of points to be awarded based on the result of the determination;

a database included in the center server and provided for managing a total number of points obtained by accumulating the number of points to be awarded with respect to each of the users;

a service providing unit included in the provider terminal and provided for providing a prescribed service in exchange for a prescribed number of the points in the database;

an advertisement generating unit included in the provider terminal and provided for generating advertisement information of the affiliated service provider; and

a unit enabling the in-vehicle information terminal to receive the advertisement information from the provider terminal directly or through the center server.

2. The vehicle environmental service system according to claim 1, wherein

a database of driving proficiency indicating an index of driving skill or driving technique with respect to each of the users is provided and a point calculation method in the point calculating unit is varied in accordance with the driving proficiency.

3. The vehicle environmental service system according to claim 1, wherein

a database of safety driving functions or ecological driving functions is installed in the vehicle owned by the user with respect to each of the users and a point calculation method in the point calculating unit is varied in accordance with a situation of the safety driving functions or the ecological driving functions.

4. The vehicle environmental service system according to claim 1, wherein

a point calculation method in the point calculating unit is varied in accordance with an external environment of the vehicle.

5. The vehicle environmental service system according to claim 1, further comprising:

a driving advice presenting unit included in the vehicle and provided for presenting driving advice for earning points.

6. The vehicle environmental service system according to claim 1, wherein

the driving advice for earning the points is presented in a points earning opportunity lost case where the point is not earned because the prescribed criterion is not fulfilled in a situation where the point can be earned.

7. The vehicle environmental service system according to claim 1, wherein

the driving advice for earning the points is presented when the number of times or a frequency of a points earning opportunity lost case where the point is not earned because the prescribed criterion is not fulfilled in a situation where the point can be earned exceeds a prescribed reference value.

8. The vehicle environmental service system according to claim 1, further comprising:

a guiding unit included in the vehicle and provided for presenting guidance to make a diagnosis of the vehicle when it is determined that the points due to ecological driving are earned but the gas mileage is not improved.

9. The vehicle environmental service system according to claim 8, further comprising:

a route guiding unit included in the vehicle and provided for performing route guidance by preferentially selecting a route on which the point is most likely to be earned based on a driving record in the past.

10. The vehicle environmental service system according to claim 1, further comprising:

a service guiding unit included in the vehicle and provided for performing guidance to a service available in a facility when the vehicle approaches the facility of the affiliated service provider where the service is available or when there is the facility located on a guide road of the vehicle.

11. The vehicle environmental service system according to claim 10, wherein

the service guiding unit performs guidance in a manner so that the user is preferentially guided to a service adapted to the user'"'"'s taste rather than to the other services.

12. The vehicle environmental service system according to claim 1, further comprising:

a POI (Point Of Interest) information presenting unit included in the vehicle and provided for preferentially presenting information of the affiliated service provider when POI information is being presented.

13. The vehicle environmental service system according to claim 12, wherein

the POI (Point Of Interest) information presenting unit preferentially presents information of the affiliated service provider that has previously provided a service to the user.

14. The vehicle environmental service system according to claim 1, further comprising:

a personal information database included in the center server and provided for collecting and storing information of each user of the in-vehicle information terminal, wherein

the advertisement generating unit generates the advertisement information by communicating with the center server and referring to the information in the personal information database.