CAR-SHARING SYSTEM, INFORMATION PROCESSING APPARATUS, INFORMATION PROCESSING METHOD, INFORMATION PROCESSING PROGRAM

• US 20190318275A1
• Filed: 04/04/2019
• Published: 10/17/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 04/16/2018
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: SAKURADA, Shin
• Granted Patent: US 11,586,990 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3438 Rendez-vous, i.e. searching a destination where several users can meet, and the routes to this destination for these users; Ride sharing, i.e. searching a route such that at least two users can share a vehicle for at least part of the route
• 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 10/02 Reservations, e.g. for tickets, services or events
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/40 Business processes related to the transportation industry shipping G06Q10/083

Abstract

A car-sharing system for vehicles including private and/or corporate-owned vehicles receives, from a user'"'"'s terminal, a use reservation for one of the vehicles available at a parking station in the vicinity of the departure location during the user'"'"'s desired period, and one of parking stations located in the vicinity of the destination location where the vehicle can be returned at the user'"'"'s desired time, to register the use reservation in vehicle/parking station schedule information; and makes a use reservation, with respect to a period registered in the vehicle schedule information for the owner to use the vehicle, for another vehicle different from the vehicle from among the vehicles available during the period, and for a predetermined parking station from among the parking stations at which said another vehicle can be returned within the period, to register the use reservation in the vehicle/parking station schedule information.

Claims

1. A car-sharing system with respect to a car-sharing service in which a plurality of vehicles including at least one of a privately owned vehicle and a corporate-owned vehicle are shared to be used among a plurality of users, the car-sharing service being operated by a company different from a corporation as an owner of the corporate-owned vehicle, the car-sharing system comprising:

a first storage configured to store vehicle schedule information on respective use schedules of the plurality of vehicles;

a second storage configured to store parking station schedule information on respective use schedules of a plurality of parking stations arranged in advance for parking the vehicles;

a reservation processor configured, based on the vehicle schedule information and the parking station schedule information, to receive, from a user through a user terminal, a use reservation for a vehicle from among the plurality of vehicles available at a parking station in a vicinity of a departure location of the user during a period desired by the user, and for a parking station from among the plurality of parking stations located in a vicinity of a destination location of the user at which the vehicle can be returned at a time desired by the user, to register the use reservation in the vehicle schedule information in the first storage and in the parking station schedule information in the second storage; and

a key information delivery unit configured to deliver key information for using the vehicle corresponding to the use reservation registered in the vehicle schedule information, to a mobile terminal of the user corresponding to the use reservation,

wherein the reservation processor makes a use reservation, with respect to a period registered in the vehicle schedule information for an owner of the vehicle or a person connected with the owner to use the vehicle, for another vehicle different from the vehicle from among the plurality of vehicles available during the period, and for a predetermined parking station from among the plurality of parking stations at which said another vehicle can be returned within the period; and

registers the use reservation in the vehicle schedule information in the first storage and in the parking station schedule information in the second storage, and

wherein the key information delivery unit delivers key information for using said another vehicle to a mobile terminal of the owner of the vehicle or the person connected with the owner.

2. The car-sharing system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the reservation processor makes the use reservation, with respect to the period registered in the vehicle schedule information for the owner of the vehicle or the person connected with the owner to use the vehicle, for a vehicle that is parked at a parking station in the vicinity of a home location of the vehicle as said another vehicle, and for a parking station in the vicinity of the home location of the vehicle as the predetermined parking station;

and registers the use reservation in the vehicle schedule information in the first storage and in the parking station schedule information in the second storage.

3. The car-sharing system as claimed in claim 2, wherein the reservation processor changes, in response to a request from a user terminal corresponding to the owner of the vehicle or the person connected with the owner, said another vehicle of the use reservation having been registered in the vehicle schedule information with respect to the period for the owner of the vehicle or the person connected with the owner to use the vehicle, to yet another vehicle being parked in the parking station in the vicinity of the departure location different from the home location of the vehicle during the period.

4. The car-sharing system as claimed in claim 2, wherein the reservation processor changes, in response to a request from a user terminal corresponding to the owner of the vehicle or the person connected with the owner, the predetermined parking station of the use reservation having been registered in the parking station schedule information with respect to the period for the owner of the vehicle or the person connected with the owner to use the vehicle, to a parking station in the vicinity of the destination location different from the home location of the vehicle.

5. The car-sharing system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the reservation processor makes the use reservation, in response to a request from a user terminal corresponding to the owner of the vehicle or the person connected with the owner, with respect to the period registered in the vehicle schedule information for the owner of the vehicle or the person connected with the owner to use the vehicle, for a vehicle being parked at the parking station in the vicinity of the departure location specified in the request as said another vehicle, and for a parking station in the vicinity of the destination location specified in the request as the predetermined parking station;

and registers the use reservation in the vehicle schedule information in the first storage and in the parking station schedule information in the second storage.

6. The car-sharing system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the reservation processor makes the use reservation, with respect to the period registered in the vehicle schedule information for the owner of the vehicle or the person connected with the owner to use the vehicle, for a vehicle being parked at the parking station in the vicinity of the departure location registered in advance as said another vehicle, and for a parking station in the vicinity of the destination location registered in advance as the predetermined parking station;

and registers the use reservation in the vehicle schedule information in the first storage and in the parking station schedule information in the second storage.

7. The car-sharing system as claimed in claims 1, wherein the plurality of parking stations include parking stations corresponding to home locations of at least some of the plurality of vehicles registered in advance.

8. The car-sharing system as claimed in claims 1, wherein the reservation processor prioritizes, when registering in the vehicle schedule information in the first storage and in the parking station schedule information in the second storage, a use reservation with respect to the period for the owner of the vehicle or the person connected with the owner to use the vehicle, over a use reservation received from the user terminal of the user.

9. An information processing apparatus with respect to a car-sharing service in which a plurality of vehicles including at least one of a privately owned vehicle and a corporate-owned vehicle are shared to be used among a plurality of users, the car-sharing service being operated by a company different from a corporation as an owner of the corporate-owned vehicle, the car-sharing system comprising:

a first storage configured to store vehicle schedule information on respective use schedules of the plurality of vehicles;

a second storage configured to store parking station schedule information on respective use schedules of a plurality of parking stations arranged in advance for parking the vehicles;

a reservation processor configured, based on the vehicle schedule information and the parking station schedule information, to receive, from a user through a user terminal, a use reservation for a vehicle from among the plurality of vehicles available at a parking station in a vicinity of a departure location of the user during a period desired by the user, and for a parking station from among the plurality of parking stations located in a vicinity of a destination location of the user at which the vehicle can be returned at a time desired by the user, to register the use reservation in the vehicle schedule information in the first storage and in the parking station schedule information in the second storage; and

a key information delivery unit configured to deliver key information for using the vehicle corresponding to the use reservation registered in the vehicle schedule information, to a mobile terminal of the user corresponding to the use reservation,

wherein the reservation processor makes a use reservation, with respect to a period registered in the vehicle schedule information for an owner of the vehicle or a person connected with the owner to use the vehicle, for another vehicle different from the vehicle from among the plurality of vehicles available during the period, and for a predetermined parking station from among the plurality of parking stations at which said another vehicle can be returned within the period; and

registers the use reservation in the vehicle schedule information in the first storage and in the parking station schedule information in the second storage, and

wherein the key information delivery unit delivers key information for using said another vehicle to a mobile terminal of the owner of the vehicle or the person connected with the owner.

10. An information processing method executed by an information processing apparatus with respect to a car-sharing service in which a plurality of vehicles including at least one of a privately owned vehicle and a corporate-owned vehicle are shared to be used among a plurality of users, the car-sharing service being operated by a company different from a corporation as an owner of the corporate-owned vehicle, the information processing apparatus including a first storage and a second storage, the information processing method comprising:

reserving by, based on the vehicle schedule information stored in the first storage and the parking station schedule information stored in the second storage, receiving, from a user through a user terminal, a use reservation for a vehicle from among the plurality of vehicles available at a parking station in a vicinity of a departure location of the user during a period desired by the user, and for a parking station from among the plurality of parking stations located in a vicinity of a destination location of the user at which the vehicle can be returned at a time desired by the user, and then, registering the use reservation in the vehicle schedule information in the first storage and in the parking station schedule information in the second storage; and

delivering key information for using the vehicle corresponding to the use reservation registered in the vehicle schedule information, to a mobile terminal of the user corresponding to the use reservation,

wherein the reserving makes a use reservation, with respect to a period registered in the vehicle schedule information for an owner of the vehicle or a person connected with the owner to use the vehicle, for another vehicle different from the vehicle from among the plurality of vehicles available during the period, and for a predetermined parking station from among the plurality of parking stations at which said another vehicle can be returned within the period; and

registers the use reservation in the vehicle schedule information in the first storage and in the parking station schedule information in the second storage, and

wherein the delivering delivers key information for using said another vehicle to a mobile terminal of the owner of the vehicle or the person connected with the owner.

11. A non-transitory computer-readable recording medium having an information processing program stored thereon for causing the information processing apparatus to execute the information processing method as claimed in claim 10.