Shared vehicle system and method with vehicle relocation

• US 6,947,881 B1
• Filed: 07/07/1999
• Issued: 09/20/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 07/07/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Honda Giken Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha (Honda Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Honda Giken Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha (Honda Motor Company), Regents of the University of California (University of California)
• Inventors: Nakamura, Kazuhiro, Murakami, Hiroshi, Yano, Shunji, Barth, Matthew James, Todd, Michael Donovan
• Primary Examiner(s): Homere, Jean R.
• Assistant Examiner(s): FERRIS III, FRED O
• Application Number:
  US09/348,852
• Time in Patent Office: 2,267 Days
• Field of Search: 703/6, 703/8, 703/1, 340/932.2, 340/932, 235/284, 701/213, 705/5, 705/10
• US Class Current: 703/8
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2200/26 Rail vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/70 Interactions with external data bases, e.g. traffic centres
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2270/36 of vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/14 Conductive energy transfer
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/305 Communication interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/65 involving identification of vehicles or their battery types
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/665 Methods related to measuring, billing or payment
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/67 Controlling two or more charging stations
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/02 Reservations, e.g. for tickets, services or events
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0631 Resource planning, allocation, distributing or scheduling for enterprises or organisations
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/127 Shopping or accessing services according to a time-limitation
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/18 involving self-service terminals [SST], vending machines, kiosks or multimedia terminals
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/08 Insurance
• CPC Class Codes: G07B 15/02 taking into account a variable factor such as distance or time, e.g. for passenger transport, parking systems or car rental systems G07B15/06 takes precedence; taximeters G07B13/00; parking meters per se G07F17/24; car rental systems per se G07B15/00
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/0069 actuated in a predetermined sequence
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/00722 with magnetic components, e.g. magnets, magnetic strips, metallic inserts mechanical locks operated by permanent magnets E05B47/0038
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/0014 for vending, access and use of specific services not covered anywhere else in G07F17/00 meter-controlled dispensing of liquid, gas or electricity G07F15/00
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/0042 for hiring of objects
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/14 indicating individual free spaces in parking areas
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/70 Energy storage systems for electromobility, e.g. batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/7072 : Electromobility specific charging systems or methods for batteries, ultracapacitors, supercapacitors or double-layer capacitors
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/72 : Electric energy management in electromobility
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/12 : Electric charging stations
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/14 : Plug-in electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/16 : Information or communication technologies improving the operation of electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/167 : Systems integrating technologies related to power network operation and communication or information technologies for supporting the interoperability of electric or hybrid vehicles, i.e. smartgrids as interface for battery charging of electric vehicles [EV] or hybrid vehicles [HEV]
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 30/14 : Details associated with the interoperability, e.g. vehicle recognition, authentication, identification or billing

Abstract

A shared vehicle system includes a central facility, at least one vehicle distribution port facility and a plurality or fleet of vehicles, each having a vehicle subsystem. In general, the central station and port facility and the vehicle subsystems communicate in a manner to allow a user to enter information at a port facility. That information is then communicated to the central facility, where the information is processed to select a vehicle from the fleet to allocate to the user at the port facility. Selection of a vehicle for allocation to a user may be based on selecting an available or soon to be available vehicle according to various algorithms that take into account the vehicles state of charge. The central station also communicates with the port facility and the vehicle subsystem to notify the user of the selected vehicle, to provide secure user access to the selected vehicle, to monitor the location and operating status of vehicles in the fleet, to monitor the state of charge of electric vehicles and to provide other functions. The vehicles communicate with the central station to notify the central station of the PIN number of the individual attempting to use the vehicle, and of vehicle parameters such as state of charge and location of the vehicle.

Claims

1. A vehicle sharing system for sharing a fleet of vehicles, comprising:

a plurality of ports at geographically remote locations relative to each other;

a computer system in communication with said plurality of ports and programmed to defining a search depth vehicle search group (VSG) for each port in which one or more available vehicles from the fleet may be located at any given time for possible allocation to a user at the port, determine a number of vehicles in a first search depth VSG of a first port and, in response thereto, to determine whether additional vehicles should be relocated to the first port; and

means for relocating one or more vehicles from a second port to the first port, upon a determination by said computer system that additional vehicles should be relocated to the first port.

2. A system as recited in claim 1, wherein each port includes a vehicle parking facility at which one or more vehicles may be parked at any given time.

3. A system as recited in claim 1, wherein the first search depth VSG further includes vehicles due to arrive at the first port within a preset time period based on the search depth.

4. A system as recited in claim 1, wherein said means for relocating comprises a tow bar for connecting two vehicles together at said second port such that both vehicles may be transported to the first port by a single driver.

5. A system as recited in claim 1, wherein:

at least one of the vehicles in the fleet is provided with a carrier hitch receptacle; and

said means for relocating comprises a carrier bracket connectable to the said carrier hitch receptacle of the one vehicle, for carrying a second vehicle.

6. A system as recited in claim 1, further comprising a port attendant display device coupled for communication with said computer system and adapted for displaying a relocation message to an attendant of the second port.

7. A method for sharing a fleet of vehicles among one or more users, comprising:

providing a plurality of ports at geographically remote locations relative to each other;

providing a central computer in communication with the plurality of ports;

executing a vehicle allocation program at the central computer to perform;

step for defining a first vehicle search group (VSG) for a first port, in which one or more vehicles from the fleet may be located at any given time, and a second VSG for a second port, in which one or more vehicles from the fleet may be located at any given time;

determining a number of available vehicles in the first VSG; and

based on the number of available vehicles in the first VSG, determining whether additional vehicles should be relocated to the first port; and

relocating one or more vehicles from the second port to the first port, upon a determination by the central computer that additional vehicles should be relocated to the first port.

8. A method as recited in claim 7, wherein executing a vehicle allocation program at the central computer further comprises:

detecting a location of each vehicle in the fleet;

transmitting the location of each vehicle to the central computer; and

determining a number of vehicles within a designated area with respect to the first port.

9. A method as recited in claim 8, wherein executing a vehicle allocation program at the central computer further comprises determining whether the number of vehicles within the designated area is below a preset value.

10. A method as recited in claim 7, wherein executing a vehicle allocation program at the central computer further comprises determining whether the number of available vehicles in the first VSG is below a preset value.

11. A method as recited in claim 7, wherein relocating the one or more vehicles comprises:

connecting one end of a tow bar to a trailer hitch of a first vehicle and a second end of the tow bar to a trailer hitch of a second vehicle; and

towing the second vehicle with the first vehicle.

12. A method as recited in claim 7, wherein relocating one or more vehicles comprises:

connecting a carrier bracket to a carrier hitch receptacle of a first vehicle; and

carrying a second vehicle on the carrier bracket.