SUPPORT SERVER, MOBILE TERMINAL, AND SUPPORT SYSTEM

• US 20150213657A1
• Filed: 01/14/2015
• Published: 07/30/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 01/27/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Inventors: TANAKA, Ayako
• Granted Patent: US 10,019,853 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/00 Administration; Management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/008 communicating information to a remotely located station transmission systems for measured values G08C
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/085 using electronic data carriers

Abstract

The fuel replenishment amount to a vehicle at each time is collected by a support server 10 through a smartphone 20. Then, information corresponding to calculation results such as the fuel remaining amount based on the information collected by the support server 10 is transmitted to a user through the smartphone 20. Thus, even when a terminal for transmitting the fuel replenishment amount to the smartphone 20 is not installed at a fuel supply station, information meaningful to the user in making a driving plan for the vehicle, such as the fuel remaining amount of the vehicle, can be provided to the user through this smartphone 20 at an appropriate timing.

Claims

1. A support server comprising:

a first server arithmetic processing element configured to recognize an energy replenishment amount to a vehicle input to a mobile terminal and a cumulative travel distance acquired by the mobile terminal from the vehicle based on communication with the mobile terminal cooperating with the vehicle in a case where a first specified condition is met, and then to calculate traveling energy efficiency of the vehicle based on the recognition results; and

a second server arithmetic processing element configured to cause the mobile terminal to recognize the traveling energy efficiency of the vehicle calculated by the first server arithmetic processing element and at least one piece of information determined based on the traveling energy efficiency based on communication with the mobile terminal in a case where a second specified condition is met.

2. The support server according to claim 1, wherein the second server arithmetic processing element is configured to recognize the cumulative travel distance of the vehicle recognized by the mobile terminal based on communication with the mobile terminal in a case where the second specified condition is met, calculate a present value of an energy remaining amount in the vehicle as information determined based on the traveling energy efficiency and the cumulative travel distance of the vehicle, and cause the mobile terminal to recognize the present value of the energy remaining amount in the vehicle.

3. The support server according to claim 1, wherein the second server arithmetic processing element is configured to recognize a target position and search for a route to the target position as an end point based on communication with the mobile terminal in a case where the second specified condition that the target position for the route search is specified as a trigger event is met, calculate a predicted value of an energy remaining amount in a case where the vehicle travels according to the route, and cause the mobile terminal to recognize the predicted value of the energy remaining amount and information determined according to the predicted value of the energy remaining amount.

4. The support server according to claim 3, wherein in a case where the predicted value of the energy remaining amount is lower than a lowest reference value, the second server arithmetic processing element is configured to recognize an intermediate position on the route at which the energy remaining amount becomes lower than or equal to the lowest reference value, and cause the mobile terminal to recognize and output the intermediate position as information determined according to the predicted value of the energy remaining amount of the vehicle.

5. A mobile terminal cooperating with a vehicle, comprising:

a first mobile arithmetic processing element configured to determine whether a first specified condition is met, recognize an energy replenishment amount to the vehicle and a cumulative travel distance of the vehicle input through a manipulation of the mobile terminal on condition that the determination result is affirmative, and cause a support server to recognize the energy replenishment amount and the cumulative travel distance of the vehicle; and

a second mobile arithmetic processing element configured to determine whether a second specified condition is met, and recognize and output traveling energy efficiency of the vehicle calculated by the support server according to the energy replenishment amount and the cumulative travel distance of the vehicle, and at least one piece of information determined according to the traveling energy efficiency based on communication with the support server on condition that the determination result is affirmative.

6. The mobile terminal according to claim 5, wherein the second mobile arithmetic processing element is configured to recognize the cumulative travel distance of the vehicle and cause the support server to recognize the cumulative travel distance of the vehicle based on communication with the support server on condition that it is determined that the second specified condition is met, and recognize and output a present value of an energy remaining amount in the vehicle calculated by the support server according to the cumulative travel distance of the vehicle, and at least one piece of information determined according to the present value of the energy remaining amount.

7. The mobile terminal according to claim 6, wherein the second mobile arithmetic processing element is configured to dynamically output an image representing a deviation of a present recognition result from a previous recognition result of the energy remaining amount of the vehicle.

8. The mobile terminal according to claim 7, wherein the second mobile arithmetic processing element is configured to dynamically output the image representing the deviation in such a manner that the image changes at a higher speed as the deviation of the present recognition result from the previous recognition result of the energy remaining amount of the vehicle increases.

9. The mobile terminal according to claim 6, wherein in a case where the present recognition result of the energy remaining amount of the vehicle is lower than or equal to a lowest reference value, the second mobile arithmetic processing element is configured to output a message for urging replenishment of traveling energy to the vehicle.

10. The mobile terminal according to claim 5, wherein in a case where the second specified condition that specification of a target position for a route search as a trigger event is detected is met, the second mobile arithmetic processing element is configured to recognize a predicted value of the energy remaining amount in the vehicle in a case where the vehicle has traveled according to a route to the target position as an end point calculated by the support server, and output the predicted value of the energy remaining amount and at least one piece of information determined according to the predicted value of the energy remaining amount.

11. The mobile terminal according to claim 10, wherein the second mobile arithmetic processing element is configured to dynamically output an image representing a deviation of the predicted value from a present value of the energy remaining amount of the vehicle.

12. The mobile terminal according to claim 11, wherein the second mobile arithmetic processing element is configured to dynamically output the image representing the deviation in such a manner that the image changes at a higher speed as the deviation of the predicted value from the present value of the energy remaining amount of the vehicle increases.

13. The mobile terminal according to claim 10, wherein in a case where the predicted value of the energy remaining amount in the vehicle is lower than a lowest reference value, the second mobile arithmetic processing element is configured to output an intermediate point on the route at which the predicted value of the energy remaining amount in the vehicle becomes lower than or equal to the lowest reference value.

14. The mobile terminal according to claim 13, wherein the second mobile arithmetic processing element is configured to output a message for urging replenishment of traveling energy to the vehicle in association with the intermediate point on the route.

15. A support system comprising a support server and a mobile terminal, wherein

the support server comprises:

a first server arithmetic processing element configured to recognize an energy replenishment amount to a vehicle input to a mobile terminal and a cumulative travel distance acquired by the mobile terminal from the vehicle based on communication with the mobile terminal cooperating with the vehicle in a case where a first specified condition is met, and then to calculate traveling energy efficiency of the vehicle based on the recognition results; and

a second server arithmetic processing element configured to cause the mobile terminal to recognize the traveling energy efficiency of the vehicle calculated by the first server arithmetic processing element and at least one piece of information determined based on the traveling energy efficiency based on communication with the mobile terminal in a case where a second specified condition is met, and

the mobile terminal comprises;

a first mobile arithmetic processing element configured to determine whether the first specified condition is met, recognize an energy replenishment amount to the vehicle and a cumulative travel distance of the vehicle input through a manipulation of the mobile terminal on condition that the determination result is affirmative, and cause the support server to recognize the energy replenishment amount and the cumulative travel distance of the vehicle; and

a second mobile arithmetic processing element configured to determine whether the second specified condition is met, and recognize and output the traveling energy efficiency of the vehicle calculated by the support server according to the energy replenishment amount and the cumulative travel distance of the vehicle, and at least one piece of information determined according to the traveling energy efficiency based on communication with the support server on condition that the determination result is affirmative.