Vehicle management system and vehicle management method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11766997-B2
Application number	US-202017124875-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 17, 2020
Priority date	Dec 24, 2019
Publication date	Sep 26, 2023
Grant date	Sep 26, 2023

Abstract

A vehicle management system includes a vehicle use situation recognition unit recognizing that a user of a vehicle visits a predetermined area or a predetermined facility by the vehicle based on a position of the vehicle recognized by a vehicle position recognition unit and a vehicle cleaning handling unit transmitting vehicle cleaning information about cleaning of the vehicle to at least either one of a user terminal and a maintenance management server in a case where the vehicle use situation recognition unit recognizes that the user visits the predetermined area or the predetermined facility by the vehicle, the user terminal being used by the user, the maintenance management server managing maintenance of the vehicle.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A vehicle management system for managing renting of a vehicle while setting a parking lot as a delivery place from where a user starts use of the vehicle and to where the user returns the vehicle, the vehicle management system comprising a central processing unit (CPU) that includes:
a vehicle position recognition unit recognizing a position of the vehicle;
a vehicle use situation recognition unit recognizing that the user of the vehicle visits a predetermined area or a predetermined facility by the vehicle based on the position of the vehicle recognized by the vehicle position recognition unit, the predetermined area or the predetermined facility being preliminary set to indicate that dirt in a vehicle cabin of the vehicle is likely to occur; and
a vehicle cleaning handling unit transmitting vehicle cleaning information about cleaning of the vehicle to at least either one of a user terminal and a maintenance management server at a timing when movement of the vehicle from the predetermined area or the predetermined facility is recognized based on the position of the vehicle recognized by the vehicle position recognition unit and setting of the parking lot as a destination of the vehicle by an automotive navigation system of the vehicle is recognized, and after the vehicle use situation recognition unit recognizes that the user visits the predetermined area or the predetermined facility by the vehicle, the user terminal being used by the user, the maintenance management server managing maintenance of the vehicle.

2. The vehicle management system according to claim 1 , wherein
the CPU includes a weather recognition unit recognizing weather of a spot where the vehicle is positioned,
the vehicle use situation recognition unit recognizes that the vehicle is used in predetermined weather based on the weather of the spot where the vehicle is positioned, the weather being recognized by the weather recognition unit, and
the vehicle cleaning handling unit transmits the vehicle cleaning information to at least either one of the user terminal and the maintenance management server in a case where the vehicle use situation recognition unit recognizes that the vehicle is used in the predetermined weather.

3. The vehicle management system according to claim 1 , wherein
the vehicle is a rented vehicle, and
the CPU includes a vehicle renting management unit prohibiting renting of the vehicle returned if the vehicle cleaning information is transmitted by the vehicle cleaning handling unit to at least either one of the user terminal and the maintenance management server, until a predetermined renting prohibited period elapses from when the vehicle is returned.

4. The vehicle management system according to claim 3 , wherein
the vehicle renting management unit determines whether or not the renting prohibited period is set in accordance with a factor due to which the vehicle cleaning information is transmitted.

5. The vehicle management system according to claim 3 , wherein the CPU includes:
a vehicle cabin interior information acquisition unit acquiring vehicle cabin interior information indicating a situation in a vehicle cabin of the vehicle in which dirt or waste is present in the vehicle cabin; and
a vehicle cabin interior cleaning estimation unit estimating that a vehicle cabin interior is cleaned based on the vehicle cabin interior information acquired by the vehicle cabin interior information acquisition unit, wherein
the vehicle renting management unit sets the renting prohibited period when the vehicle cabin interior cleaning estimation unit estimates that the vehicle cabin interior, of the vehicle returned, is not cleaned after the vehicle cleaning handling unit transmits the vehicle cleaning information to the user terminal.

6. The vehicle management system according to claim 2 , wherein
the CPU includes a vehicle renting management unit checking a destination planned by the user and predicted weather in a use period of the vehicle when the vehicle renting management unit accepts renting of the vehicle, the vehicle renting management unit prohibiting renting of the vehicle in a case where the destination is the predetermined area or the predetermined facility and the predicted weather in the use period is the predetermined weather.

7. A vehicle management method being executed by a vehicle management system for managing renting of a vehicle while setting a parking lot as a delivery place from where a user starts use of the vehicle and to where the user returns the vehicle, the vehicle management method comprising:
a vehicle position recognition step of recognizing a position of the vehicle;
a vehicle use situation recognition step of recognizing that the user of the vehicle visits a predetermined area or a predetermined facility by the vehicle based on the position of the vehicle recognized by the vehicle position recognition step, the predetermined area or the predetermined facility being preliminary set as that dirt in a vehicle cabin of the vehicle is likely to occur; and
a vehicle cleaning handling step of transmitting vehicle cleaning information about cleaning of the vehicle to at least either one of a user terminal and a maintenance management server at a timing when movement of the vehicle from the predetermined area or the predetermined facility is recognized based on the position of the vehicle recognized by the vehicle position recognition unit and setting of the parking lot as a destination of the vehicle by an automotive navigation system of the vehicle is recognized, and after a visit to the predetermined area or the predetermined facility by the user by the vehicle is recognized by the vehicle use situation recognition step, the user terminal being used by the user, the maintenance management server managing maintenance of the vehicle.

8. The vehicle management system according to claim 5 , wherein
the situation is also indicated when a child is riding in the vehicle.

Assignees

• Honda Motor Co Ltd

Inventors

• Saiki Ryo
• Suzuki Atsuyuki
• Ichinokawa Jumpei
• Imai Naoko
• Yamaguchi Fumiaki

Classifications

• B60S3/008 Primary

  for interiors of land vehicles · CPC title

• B60S5/00

  Servicing, maintaining, repairing, or refitting of vehicles (vehicles adapted to carry a workshop for servicing or maintenance B60P3/14; servicing rail locomotives B61K) · CPC title

• G06Q10/20 Primary

  Administration of product repair or maintenance · CPC title

• G06Q30/0645 Primary

  Rental transactions; Leasing transactions · CPC title

• G06V20/56

  exterior to a vehicle by using sensors mounted on the vehicle · CPC title