USER-DISTRIBUTED SHARED VEHICLE SYSTEM
First Claim
1. A method for balancing a vehicle resource load in a shared-vehicle system comprisingproviding a central home-station;
- allocating a number of vehicles to the central home station;
providing a number of day-stations associated with the central home-station with facilities for docking and reenergizing the vehicles;
distributing the vehicles to one or more of the day stations via operation by distribution-users with journeys originating from the central home-station and terminating at the day-stations;
providing the vehicles for limited term use by day-users at the day-stations with a requirement that the vehicles be returned to the day-stations by the end of a respective limited term; and
returning the vehicles to the central home-station upon expiration of the limited term use via operation by the distribution users with journeys originating from the day-stations and terminating at the central home-station.
2 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A vehicle resource load in a shared-vehicle system 100 is balanced. A central home-station 104 is provided and allocated a number of vehicles 102. A number of day-stations 106 are associated with the central home-station 104 with facilities for docking and reenergizing the vehicles 102. The vehicles 102 are distributed to one or more of the day stations 106 via operation by distribution-users 108 with journeys originating from the central home-station 104 and terminating at the day-stations 106. The vehicles 102 are provided for limited term use by day-users 110 at the day-stations 106 with a requirement that the vehicles 102 be returned to the day-stations 106 by the end of a respective limited term. The vehicles 102 are returned to the central home-station 104 upon expiration of the limited term use via operation by the distribution-users 108 with journeys originating from the day-stations 106 and terminating at the central home-station 104.
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Citations
34 Claims
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1. A method for balancing a vehicle resource load in a shared-vehicle system comprising
providing a central home-station; -
allocating a number of vehicles to the central home station; providing a number of day-stations associated with the central home-station with facilities for docking and reenergizing the vehicles; distributing the vehicles to one or more of the day stations via operation by distribution-users with journeys originating from the central home-station and terminating at the day-stations; providing the vehicles for limited term use by day-users at the day-stations with a requirement that the vehicles be returned to the day-stations by the end of a respective limited term; and returning the vehicles to the central home-station upon expiration of the limited term use via operation by the distribution users with journeys originating from the day-stations and terminating at the central home-station. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
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9. A user interface for a shared vehicle comprising
a first presentation feature presented when the shared vehicle is charging indicating a first relative level of energy storage of an energy storage device for powering the shared vehicle with respect to a fully energized condition and a fully depleted condition; -
a second presentation feature presented when the shared vehicle is in an operating mode indicating a second relative level of energy storage of the energy storage device with respect to an initial present total energy condition representative of total stored energy available for powering the shared vehicle when the shared vehicle is switched to the operating mode and the fully depleted condition, initially presenting the initial present total energy level as a maximum level of the second relative level when the shared vehicle is switched to the operating mode and then presenting a linear proportional representation of present total stored energy available until the vehicle reaches the fully depleted condition corresponding to a minimum level of the second relative level; and a third presentation feature indicating a range of travel of the shared vehicle based upon the first relative level of energy storage. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16)
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17. A method for allocating vehicle resources in a shared-vehicle system comprising
assigning a first vehicle docked at a station to a reserved status to fulfill a first reservation request; -
determining whether a second vehicle with lesser energy reserves than the first vehicle also docked at the station can fulfill the first reservation request; and reassigning the second vehicle to the reserved status to fulfill the first reservation request and releasing the first vehicle from the reserved status and changing the first vehicle to an available status upon a determination that the second vehicle has sufficient energy reserves to fulfill the first reservation request;
ormaintaining the assignment of the first vehicle to the reserved status to fulfill the first reservation request upon a determination that the second vehicle has insufficient energy reserves to fulfill the first reservation request. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25)
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26. A computer-readable medium storing computer-readable instructions for controlling a computer system to allocate vehicle resources in a shared-vehicle system, wherein the instructions comprise operations to
assign a first vehicle docked at a station to a reserved status to fulfill a first reservation request; -
determine whether a second vehicle with lesser energy reserves than the first vehicle also docked at the station can fulfill the first reservation request; and reassign the second vehicle to the reserved status to fulfill the first reservation request and releasing the first vehicle from the reserved status and changing the first vehicle to an available status upon a determination that the second vehicle has sufficient energy reserves to fulfill the first reservation request;
ormaintain the assignment of the first vehicle to the reserved status to fulfill the first reservation request upon a determination that the second vehicle has insufficient energy reserves to fulfill the first reservation request. - View Dependent Claims (27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34)
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Specification