Vehicle management system

• US 6,836,710 B2
• Filed: 04/25/2002
• Issued: 12/28/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 04/26/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Fuji Heavy Industries Limited (Subaru Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Fuji Heavy Industries Limited (Subaru Corp.)
• Inventors: Yamaki, Masahito
• Primary Examiner(s): Zanelli, Michael J.
• Application Number:
  US10/131,046
• Publication Number:
  US 20020161496A1
• Time in Patent Office: 978 Days
• Field of Search: 701/29, 701/30, 701/33, 701/35, 701/36
• 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: G07C 5/085 using electronic data carriers

Abstract

In a vehicle management system of the present invention, a preparing unit prepares frequency distribution data based on travel information, a transmitting unit transmits the travel information and the frequency distribution data to an external database, and a distributing unit analyzes travel conditions of the vehicle based on data accumulated in the database and distributes an analyzed result to allow the cause of a malfunction of a vehicle to be investigated based upon real-time data collected during operation of the vehicle.

Claims

1. A vehicle management system for controlling various operating conditions of a plurality of control means of an individually owned vehicle having a network electronically connected to said vehicle via a central information management center for communicating data of said various operating conditions with one of a user and related departments and for storing said data in a database thereof, comprising:

transmitting means included in said vehicle for storing said data and for transmitting said data to said database;

precessing means for individually analyzing said operating conditions on the basis of said data stored in said database and for preparing an analyzed data signal;

sorting means for grouping said data in appropriate categories of said various operating conditions so as to analyze thereof and store analyzed data;

estimating means for predicting a cause of bad conditions and a durability of each component mounted on said vehicle by comparing said analyzed data with standard values of said various operating conditions individually decided by said user;

renovating means for changing said standard values to individually and adequately set values in accordance with historical data of said various operating conditions and for generating a set value signal; and

distributing means for transmitting said set value signal to one of said respective related departments,

wherein said distributing means comprises a data accessibility right for said departments for detecting a real cause of an abnormality or said bad conditions of said vehicle due to said historical data of said operating conditions by said user.

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

a control unit mounted in the vehicle,

wherein control specifications of the control unit are changed to match with a usage condition of the vehicle specific to each user based on the analyzed result of the travel condition.

3. The vehicle management system according to claim 1, wherein said transmitting means transmits data from a control unit mounted in the vehicle in real time via wireless communication, and

wherein travel information transmitted from said data transmitting means is received and accumulated in said database.

4. The vehicle management system according to claim 1, wherein said processing means analyzes the vehicle travel conditions and confirms a correlation between the operating conditions and a malfunction of the vehicle based on an analyzed result.

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

a control unit for preparing statistical frequency distribution analyses of the operating data recorded during engine operation.

6. The vehicle management system according to claim 5, wherein said control unit rewrites a control program depending on a usage condition of the vehicle.

7. The vehicle management system according to claim 5, wherein the processing means analyzes vehicle operating conditions and confirms a correlation between the operating conditions and a malfunction of the vehicle based on an analyzed result.

8. The vehicle management system according to claim 5, wherein the control unit prepares a statistical frequency distribution analysis of the operating conditions and records said analysis to said database.

9. A vehicle management method for controlling various operating conditions of a plurality of control means of an individually owned vehicle having a network electronically connected to said vehicle via a central information management center for communicating data of said various operating conditions with a user and related departments and for storing said data in a database thereof, the method comprising:

analyzing statistically said operating conditions stored in said database;

transmitting said analyzed operating conditions to said database;

individually analyzing said analyzed operating conditions on the basis of said operating conditions and said statistically analyzed operating conditions stored in said database;

sorting said analyzed operating conditions for grouping thereof in appropriate categories of said various operating conditions so as to analyze thereof and to store said analyzed data;

predicting a cause of bad conditions and a durability of each component mounted on said vehicle by comparing said analyzed data with standard values of said various operating conditions individually decided by said user;

renovating said standard values to individually and adequately set values in accordance with historical data of said various operating conditions; and

distributing said set value to one of said respective related departments in said network with a data accessibility right for said departments so as to detect a real cause of an abnormality or said bad conditions of said vehicle due to said historical data of said operating conditions by said user.

10. The vehicle management method of claim 9, further comprising:

preparing frequency distribution data based on the data obtained during an operational period from start to stop of an engine.

11. The vehicle management method of claim 9, further comprising:

controlling the specifications of a vehicle control unit to match with an operational condition of the vehicle specific to each user based on an analyzed result of the operating condition.

12. The vehicle management system according to claim 9, wherein said transmitting comprises transmitting data of a control unit mounted in the vehicle in real time via wireless communication, and receiving said data into said database.

13. The vehicle management system of claim 9, wherein said analyzing statistically said operating conditions analyzes the vehicle operating conditions and confirms a correlation between the operating conditions and a malfunction of the vehicle based on an analyzed result.

14. The vehicle management system of claim 9, wherein said distributing performs real time distribution of data analyzed for abnormalities and malfunctions of the vehicle during operation of the vehicle.