Shared vehicle management device and shared vehicle management method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2017316534-A1
Application number	US-201415522843-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Nov 14, 2014
Priority date	Nov 14, 2014
Publication date	Nov 2, 2017
Grant date	—

Abstract

A shared vehicle management device basically has a database with information transmitted from a user as reception information, information on a plurality of stations where it is possible to lend and return a shared vehicle, and information on the history of a user's usage of shared vehicles. The shared vehicle management device also has a controller that controls the storage of information and accepts reservations from a user to use a shared vehicle, including information on a lending station that has been designated as a station where the user wants a shared vehicle to be lent. The controller notifies the user of lending possibility information that includes information on whether a shared vehicle is available at a predetermined station, including the lending station designated by the user, upon determining that the lending station designated by the user cannot currently offer usage of a shared vehicle.

First claim

1 . A shared vehicle management device for managing a plurality of shared vehicles that are shared by a plurality of users, the shared vehicle management device comprising:
a first storage means that stores information transmitted by users as reception information; a second storage means that stores information on a plurality of stations where the shared vehicles are lent and returned, and stores information on use histories of the shared vehicles by the users; a reception management means that receives, from the users, use reservations that include information on lending stations at which the users desire to rent the shared vehicles and information on drop-off stations at which the users desire to return the shared vehicles, and do not include the lending times or the return times of the shared vehicles; a lending possibility determination means that determines whether or not a lending station that is set by one user in the use reservation is currently available; and a notification means that determines whether or not lending of the shared vehicle will become possible at predetermined stations including the lending station that is set by the one user, after the use reservation of the one user is received, using a use history of shared vehicles by another user that currently has a use reservation for another shared vehicle, and that notifies, to the one user, lending possibility information, which is the determination result thereof, upon determining that the lending station that is set by the one user is currently unavailable.

2 . The shared vehicle management device according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a drop-off management means that acquires information on a drop-off station that is set as a station to return the shared vehicle after use, by a user that is using or is trying to use the shared vehicle, and stores the information in the first storage means; and, a drop-off determination means that refers to information that is stored in the first storage means and determines whether or not the predetermined station is set by the other user as the drop-off station, wherein the lending possibility information includes at least one of information on whether or not the station is set as the drop-off station by the other user, the reception information that is stored in the first storage means, and information based on the use history that is stored in the second storage means.

3 . The shared vehicle management device according to claim 2 , wherein
when the shared vehicle is present at the predetermined station, but the other user has made a use reservation for the shared vehicle, the reception information that is stored in the first storage means includes information on the time that the other user made the use reservation, and information based on the use history that is stored in the second storage means includes at least one of information on the average time, based on histories, between the time that each user makes a use reservation for the shared vehicle and when the shared vehicle is actually started to be used, and information on the cancellation rate at which the use reservation is canceled after each user makes a use reservation for the shared vehicle.

4 . The shared vehicle management device according to claim 2 , wherein
when the shared vehicle is not present at the predetermined station, and the other user has set the station as a drop-off station, the reception information that is stored in the first storage means includes at least one of information on the time of the use reservation by the user who set the drop-off station, and information on the time that the other user who set the drop-off station started to use the shared vehicle, and information based on the use history that is stored in the second storage means includes at least one of information, based on histories, on the average use time and/or the maximum use time, starting from the time of the use reservation for the shared vehicle by each user until the shared vehicle is returned, and information, based on histories, on the average use time and/or the maximum use time, starting from the use start time of the shared vehicle by each user until the shared vehicle is returned.

5 . The shared vehicle management device according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a location acquisition means that acquires information on the current location of the user, wherein the notification means notifies to the one user from which the use reservation was received, the lending possibility information relating to stations that are present within a predetermined distance from the current location of the one user.

6 . The shared vehicle management device according to claim 5 , wherein
the notification means notifies to the one user from which the use reservation was received, the lending possibility information relating to the station that is present at the closest location to the current location of the one user.

7 . The shared vehicle management device according to claim 1 , wherein
the use reservation includes information on a desired renting location which the user sets as a desired location at which to rent the shared vehicle; and, the notification means notifies to the one user from which the use reservation was received, lending possibility information relating to stations that are present within a predetermined distance from the desired renting location that is set by the one user.

8 . The shared vehicle management device according to claim 7 , wherein
the notification means notifies to the one user from which the use reservation was received, the lending possibility information relating to the station that is present at the closest location to the desired renting location that is set by the one user.

9 . A shared vehicle management device for managing a plurality of shared vehicles that are shared by a plurality of users, the shared vehicle management device comprising:
a first storage means that stores information transmitted by the users as reception information; a second storage means that stores information on a plurality of stations where the shared vehicles are lent and returned, and stores information on use histories of the shared vehicles by the users; a reception management means that receives, from the users, use reservations that include information on lending stations at which the users desire to rent the shared vehicles and information on drop-off stations at which the users desire to return the shared vehicles, and do not include the lending times or the return times of the shared vehicles; a drop-off management means that acquires information on a drop-off station that is set as a station to return the shared vehicle after use, by a user that is using or is trying to use the shared vehicle, and stores the information in the first storage means; a drop-off determination means that determines whether or not a drop-off station that is set by one user in the use reservation is currently available; and a notification means that determines whether or not returning of the shared vehicle will become possible at predetermined stations including the drop-off station that is set by the one user, after the use reservation of the one user is received, using a use history of shared vehicles by another user that currently has a use reservation for another shared vehicle, and that notifies to the one user, drop-off possibility information, which is the determination result thereof, upon determining that the drop-off station that is set by the one user is currently unavailable.

10 . The shared vehicle management device according to claim 9 , further comprising:
a lending possibility determination means that refers to in

Assignees

• Nissan Motor

Inventors

• Hirose Satoru
• Chinomi Satoshi
• Nagai Yukiko

Classifications

• G06Q50/30 Primary

  Physics · mapped topic

• G06Q30/0645

  Rental transactions; Leasing transactions · CPC title

• G06Q10/087

  Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders · CPC title

• G06Q10/02

  Reservations, e.g. for tickets, services or events · CPC title

• G06Q50/10

  Services · CPC title