Vehicle management system and method thereof

• US 6,560,517 B2
• Filed: 11/26/2001
• Issued: 05/06/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 11/30/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Fuji Heavy Industries Limited (Subaru Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Fuji Heavy Industries Limited (Subaru Corp.)
• Inventors: Matsui, Fujio
• Primary Examiner(s): Cuchlinski, Jr., William A
• Assistant Examiner(s): Marc-Coleman, Marthe Y.
• Application Number:
  US09/995,189
• Publication Number:
  US 20020065590A1
• Time in Patent Office: 526 Days
• Field of Search: 701/33, 701/29, 701/30, 701/36, 370/349, 370/315, 370/459, 340/436, 340/438, 340/903
• US Class Current: 701/33
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/008 communicating information to a remotely located station transmission systems for measured values G08C
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/20 Monitoring the location of vehicles belonging to a group, e.g. fleet of vehicles, countable or determined number of vehicles

Abstract

In a vehicle management system, a user uses a portable telephone dedicated to the own vehicle to enter a specific number that is pre-set for the portable telephone. This automatically brings a control apparatus incorporated in a vehicle to a standby state for wireless communication. The control apparatus calls a central information management center. Data stored in control apparatuses interconnected over a network within the vehicle is transmitted to the central information management center through the portable telephone. The central information management center preserves vehicle information in one-to-one correspondence with users, and distributes the data to departments. The condition of each vehicle is thus managed. Moreover, information concerning the condition of a vehicle, such as, the maintained state of a vehicle and the presence or absence of a defect is provided for each user.

Claims

1. A vehicle management system for controlling a maintenance condition of a user'"'"'s vehicle having a network of a plurality of control apparatuses mounted on said vehicle for controlling various operating conditions thereof and for storing data of said operating conditions and a central information management center connected to various support departments for allowing the support departments to communicate with each other, comprising:

a vehicle data communicating means dedicated to said vehicle for exclusively and wirelessly transmitting said data from said vehicle to said central information management center in real time;

a database system included in said central information management center for individually storing said data; and

a network system connected to said central information management center and said support departments respectively so as to effectively check whether or not said vehicle is being operated in a normal condition and to feed back results thereof to each user before a malfunction occurs in said vehicle.

2. The vehicle management system according to claim 1, further comprising:

a communication circuit for wirelessly communicating with said vehicle data communicating means and at least one of said control apparatuses;

wherein said data in said control apparatuses is transmitted to said vehicle data communicating means through wireless communication.

3. The vehicle management system according to claim 2, wherein said vehicle data communicating means is a portable telephone having the ability to wirelessly communicate with one of said control apparatuses including said communication circuit.

4. A vehicle management system according to claim 2, wherein said vehicle data communicating means is connected to a user'"'"'s portable telephone in order to transmit data via said portable telephone.

5. The vehicle management system according to claim 1, wherein said vehicle data communicating means is connected to at least one of said control apparatuses over a harness.

6. A vehicle management system according to claim 5, wherein said vehicle data communicating means is connected to a user'"'"'s portable telephone in order to transmit data via said portable telephone.

7. A vehicle management system according to claim 1, wherein information concerning the condition of the vehicle is provided over a general public network.

8. A vehicle management method for controlling a maintenance condition of a user'"'"'s vehicle having a network of a plurality of control apparatuses mounted on said vehicle for controlling various operating conditions thereof and for storing data of said operating conditions and a central information management center connected to various support departments for allowing the support departments to communicate with each other, comprising the steps of:

dedicating a vehicle data communicating means to said vehicle for exclusively and wirelessly transmitting said data from said vehicle to said central information management center in a real time method;

including a database system in said central information management center for individually storing said data; and

connecting a network system to said central information management center and said support departments respectively so as to effectively check whether or not said vehicle is being operated in a normal condition and to feed back results thereof to each user before a malfunction occurs in said vehicle.