Communal vehicle system

• US 6,965,323 B2
• Filed: 03/20/2002
• Issued: 11/15/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 03/21/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Honda Giken Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha (Honda Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Honda Giken Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha (Honda Motor Company)
• Inventors: Hamano, Hiroshi, Fujinuma, Michio, Shimizu, Tomohide, Uehara, Takashi, Kokubu, Mamoru, Uehara, Yuji, Hayase, Shunsuke
• Primary Examiner(s): Hofsass, Jeffery
• Assistant Examiner(s): Previl, Daniel
• Application Number:
  US10/472,114
• Publication Number:
  US 20050080752A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,336 Days
• Field of Search: 340/932.2, 340/928, 340/904, 340/457.4, 340/992, 340/5.42, 340/5.41, 340/5.5, 340/5.33, 705/4, 701/29, 701/35
• US Class Current: 340/932.2
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0284 Time or distance, e.g. usage of parking meters or taximeters
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/08 Insurance
• CPC Class Codes: G07B 15/00 Arrangements or apparatus for collecting fares, tolls or entrance fees at one or more control points handling coins or valuable papers, e.g. banknotes, G07D; apparatus for vending or hiring articles or services activated by coins, credit cards, paper currency or the like G07F7/00, G07F17/00
• 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 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
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/207 with respect to certain areas, e.g. forbidden or allowed areas with possible alerting when inside or outside boundaries

Abstract

In a motor vehicle sharing system for managing motor vehicles parked in a parking area and renting the motor vehicles to users, the motor vehicle is provided with a detector for detecting the start and end of motor vehicle rental, and a usage data measuring section for starting and completing measurements for motor vehicle usage data. The detector contains a position detector for detecting the parking area. The motor vehicle is further provided with a membership list in which user information is recorded, a charge list, a rentability judging section for judging whether the motor vehicle is rentable, and a charging data generating section for making charging data by referring to the motor vehicle usage data measured by the usage data measuring section and the charge list Thus, it is possible to perform the rental and return operation without relying on a control center.

Claims

1. A motor vehicle sharing system for managing motor vehicles parked in a parking area and renting the motor vehicles to users wherein the motor vehicle is provided with:

a detector for detecting a start of motor vehicle rental when a motor vehicle rental is permitted to a user and end of the motor vehicle rental;

a usage data measuring section for starting a measurement for a motor vehicle usage data when the detector detects a start of the motor vehicle rental and completing the measurement for the motor vehicle usage data when the detector detects an end of the motor vehicle rental;

a communication confirming section for confirming whether or not it is possible to communicate to a control center when the usage data measuring section completes measuring the motor vehicle usage data; and

a temporary data storing and transmitting section for transmitting the motor vehicle usage data to the control center when the communication confirming section judges that it is possible to communicate with the control center, storing temporarily the motor vehicle usage data in a data storing section when the communication confirming section judges that it is not possible to communicate with the control center, and transmitting the motor vehicle usage data to the control center after it is possible to communicate with the control center.

2. A motor vehicle sharing system according to claim 1 wherein:

the detector includes a position detector for detecting a parking area

the usage data measuring section starts measuring the motor vehicle usage data when the usage data measuring section detects a departure of the position detector from the parking area; and

the usage data measuring section completes measuring the motor vehicle usage data when the usage data measuring section detects an arrival of the position detector at the parking area.

3. A motor vehicle sharing system according to claim 1 or 2 wherein:

the position detector contains a receiver which receives a signal which is made in a signal generator which is disposed in the parking area; and

the position detector judges whether a motor vehicle departs the parking area or arrives at the parking area according to whether or not there is a signal arrived in the receiver.

4. A motor vehicle sharing system according to claim 3 wherein the control center performs calculation process for a used charge according to the motor vehicle usage data.

5. A motor vehicle sharing system according to claim 3 wherein the motor vehicle usage data contains at least a usage time of the motor vehicle, a used fuel amount in the motor vehicle, and a driving distance of the motor vehicle.

6. A motor vehicle sharing system according to claim 1 or 2 wherein the position detector judges whether a motor vehicle departs the parking area or arrives at the parking area according to a GPS (Global Positioning System).

7. A motor vehicle sharing system according to claim 6 wherein the control center performs calculation process for a used charge according to the motor vehicle usage data.

8. A motor vehicle sharing system according to claim 6 wherein the motor vehicle usage data contains at least a usage time of the motor vehicle, a used fuel amount in the motor vehicle, and a driving distance of the motor vehicle.

9. A motor vehicle sharing system according to claim 1 or 2 wherein the control center performs calculation process for a used charge according to the motor vehicle usage data.

10. A motor vehicle sharing system according to claim 9 wherein the motor vehicle usage data contains at least a usage time of the motor vehicle, a used fuel amount in the motor vehicle, and a driving distance of the motor vehicle.

11. A motor vehicle sharing system according to claim 1 or 2 wherein the motor vehicle usage data contains at least a usage time of the motor vehicle, a used fuel amount in the motor vehicle, and a driving distance of the motor vehicle.

12. A motor vehicle sharing system according to claim 1 wherein the motor vehicle is further provided with:

a membership list in which information of users who can use motor vehicle motors;

a charge list on which a relationship of the motor vehicle usage data which relates to a motor vehicle rental and return and the used charge for the motor vehicle is recorded;

a rentability judging section for judging whether or not the motor vehicle is rentable to the user by referring the information which is inputted by the user when the motor vehicle is rented with records in the membership list;

a charging data generating section for making a charging data of the user by referring the motor vehicle usage data which is measured during the rental of the motor vehicle and the return of the motor vehicle by the usage data measuring section to the records in the charge list.

13. A motor vehicle sharing system according to claim 12 further comprising a control center which transmits and receives a charging data with a vehicle wherein:

the motor vehicle is provided with a transmitter which transmits a charging data to the control center; and

the control center is provided with a charge billing section which calculates a used charge according to the charging data for a predetermined period and bills the used charge to the user.

14. A motor vehicle sharing system according to claim 12 or 13 wherein:

the control center has a master membership list which contains a latest data of users who can use motor vehicles; and

the motor vehicle obtains the master membership list from the control center every time the user uses the motor vehicle and updates the membership list.

15. A motor vehicle sharing system according to claim 14 further comprising a position detector for detecting the parking area wherein

the usage data measuring section starts measuring the motor vehicle usage data when a departure of the position detector from the parking area is detected;

and

the usage data measuring section completes measuring the motor vehicle usage data when an arrival of the position detector at the parking area is detected.

16. A motor vehicle sharing system according to claim 14 wherein the motor vehicle usage data contains at least a usage time of the motor vehicle, a used fuel amount of the motor vehicle, or a driving distance of the motor vehicle.

17. A motor vehicle sharing system according to claim 12 or 13 wherein:

the control center has the master membership list which contains a latest data of users who can use motor vehicles; and

the motor vehicle obtains the master membership list from the control center periodically and updates the membership list.

18. A motor vehicle sharing system according to claim 17 further comprising a position detector for detecting the parking area wherein:

the usage data measuring section starts measuring the motor vehicle usage data when a departure of the position detector from the parking area is detected; and

the usage data measuring section completes measuring the motor vehicle usage data when an arrival of the position detector at the parking area is detected.

19. A motor vehicle sharing system according to claim 17 wherein the motor vehicle usage data contains at least a usage time of the motor vehicle, a used fuel amount of the motor vehicle, or a driving distance of the motor vehicle.

20. A motor vehicle sharing system according to claim 12 or 13 wherein:

the control center has the master membership list which contains a latest data of users who can use motor vehicles; and

the motor vehicle obtains the master membership list from the control center and updates the membership list when an information which is inputted by the user is not recorded in the membership list.

21. A motor vehicle sharing system according to claim 20 further comprising a position detector for detecting the parking area wherein

the usage data measuring section starts measuring the motor vehicle usage data when a departure of the position detector from the parking area is detected;

and

the usage data measuring section completes measuring the motor vehicle usage data when an arrival of the position detector at the parking area is detected.

22. A motor vehicle sharing system according to claim 20 wherein the motor vehicle usage data contains at least a usage time of the motor vehicle, a used fuel amount of the motor vehicle, or a driving distance of the motor vehicle.

23. A motor vehicle sharing system according to claim 12 or 13 further comprising a position detector for detecting the parking area wherein:

the usage data measuring section starts measuring the motor vehicle usage data when a departure of the position detector from the parking area is detected; and

the usage data measuring section completes measuring the motor vehicle usage data when an arrival of the position detector at the parking area is detected.

24. A motor vehicle sharing system according to claim 23 wherein the motor vehicle usage data contains at least a usage time of the motor vehicle, a used fuel amount of the motor vehicle, or a driving distance of the motor vehicle.

25. A motor vehicle sharing system according to claim 12 or 13 wherein the motor vehicle usage data contains at least a usage time of the motor vehicle, a used fuel amount of the motor vehicle, or a driving distance of the motor vehicle.