Method and system for remotely managing the operating status of the functionalities of a motor vehicle.

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for remotely managing the operating status of the functionalities of a motor vehicle (1), by means of a computer system (100). The computer system (100) comprises a functional monitoring and activation device (200) installed on board the vehicle (1) and a remote functional activation device (300) located away from the vehicle. The invention also relates to a system (100) implementing such a method. Figure for the abstract: 1

Description

Title of the invention: Method and system for remote management of the operating status of the functionalities of a motor vehicle. Technical field of the invention

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of remote management of motor vehicle functionalities. The invention relates in particular to a method for remotely managing the operating state of the functionalities of a motor vehicle, said method being implemented by a computer system comprising a device for monitoring and activating functionalities on board the vehicle and a device for remotely activating functionalities which is remote from the vehicle. The invention applies to motor vehicles such as land motor vehicles, including cars. State of the prior art

[0002] It is known that some drivers prefer to rent their vehicle rather than own it. As a result, the vehicle rental market is currently experiencing strong growth, which goes hand in hand with the fierce competition between rental companies. To retain their customers, some use traditional means of loyalty, through loyalty cards or other vouchers. However, these financial advantages are often negligible, and new offers arriving on the market may be enough to encourage a customer to leave their usual provider. In addition, when a customer uses a vehicle rental service, they are entrusted with a vehicle for a certain fixed period, and they generally do not have the possibility of changing vehicles during the entire duration of the rental contract, so they are forced to accept the limitations for a more or less long period.However, some drivers may feel over time that the rented vehicle lacks comfort or that its performance is limited. However, there is currently no solution that allows the range of features of a vehicle to be expanded over time in a way that remains ergonomic and comfortable for its user, particularly without the latter being forced to go to a dealership for such modifications to be made. Summary of the invention

[0003] The invention aims to satisfy this need. The invention aims in particular to provide a solution for gradually improving over time the comfort and / or performance of a motor vehicle. To this end, the invention aims to provide a method and a device which make it possible to remotely manage the operating state of the functionalities of a motor vehicle depending on the use made of it and the environment in which it operates. By these means, the invention aims to contribute to maximizing the consistency, or even the increasing improvement, of the satisfaction of users of motor vehicles, particularly in the context of vehicle rental.

[0004] In order to achieve these aims, the invention relates, according to a first aspect, to a method for remotely managing the operating state of the functionalities of a motor vehicle, said method being implemented by a computer system comprising equipment for monitoring and activating functionalities on board the vehicle and a device for remotely activating functionalities which is remote from the vehicle, said method comprising the following steps: i. transmit, by said functionality tracking and activation device, data characterizing the mileage of the vehicle and data characterizing the current location of the vehicle to said remote functionality activation device; ii. determining, by said remote functionality activation device, on the basis of said data characterizing the vehicle mileage, whether at least one vehicle functionality can be activated; and, when it is established that this is the case, iii. select, by said remote functionality activation device, a particular functionality to be activated based on said data characterizing a current location of the vehicle; and iv. cause, by said remote functionality activation device, at least the activation of said particular functionality.

[0005] According to a variant, step ii) may comprise a step of obtaining data characterizing a profile of a user corresponding to the vehicle.

[0006] According to another variant, step iii) may comprise a step of determining data characterizing at least one meteorological or climatic condition linked to said current location of the vehicle.

[0007] According to yet another variant, step iii) may comprise a step consisting of causing a transmission of informative content identifying said particular functionality to a portable communication device held by said user.

[0008] According to yet another variant, said particular functionality may be a seat heating functionality or a seat ventilation functionality provided by a heating and / or air conditioning system of the vehicle.

[0009] According to a second aspect, the invention relates to a system for remote management of the operating state of the functionalities of a motor vehicle, said system comprising a vehicle-mounted feature tracking and activation apparatus and a remote feature activation device which is remote from the vehicle, which together implement a method as described above. Brief description of the drawings

[0010] Other characteristics and advantages of the invention will appear on examining the detailed description which follows and the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0011] [Fig-1] is a diagram illustrating a system according to the invention; and

[0012] [Fig.2] is a diagram illustrating the steps of a method according to the invention. Detailed description of the invention

[0013] [Fig. 1] illustrates a system for remotely managing the operating status of the functionalities of a motor vehicle 100 according to the invention. It is fundamentally a computer system which comprises, firstly, a functionality monitoring and activation apparatus 200 which is on board a motor vehicle 1, and, secondly, a remote functionality activation device 300 which is remote from the vehicle 1.

[0014] The functionality tracking and activation apparatus 200 is a computer device, which comprises an information processing unit 201, comprising one or more processors, a data storage medium 202 and an input and output interface 203 allowing the reception and transmission of data. Preferably, the functionality tracking and activation apparatus 200 is hosted on a computer and it interacts via its input and output interface 203 and by means of a wired communication network of the vehicle 1 (eg CAN, Ethernet) with components of the vehicle 1, in particular a odometer 2, a navigation system 3, which interacts in a conventional manner with a satellite positioning system, a radiofrequency signal communication system 4, which allows communication with remote communicating entities by means of conventional wireless communication protocols (eg3 / 4 / 5G, ITS-G5, V2X), a human-machine interface 5, which conventionally comprises a screen and a loudspeaker arranged in the passenger compartment of the vehicle 1, and a heating and / or air conditioning system 6, which provides, among other things, a heating functionality and a ventilation functionality for the seats of the vehicle 1. Thus, thanks to these means, the functionality monitoring and activation apparatus 200 can, in particular, determine the mileage of the vehicle and it can activate a functionality provided by the heating and / or air conditioning apparatus 5 on the basis of data characterizing an activation command transmitted by the remote functionality activation device 300 and received by means of the radiofrequency signal communication apparatus 4. .

[0015] The remote functionality activation device 300 is a computer device, for example a server, which comprises conventional hardware and software means to be able to connect to a communication network, for example the Internet, in order to communicate with remote communicating entities by means of known communication networks and protocols. As will be seen later, it can thus communicate with the communication equipment 4 of the vehicle 1, but also with a portable communication device 400 or a meteorological and / or climatic data provider 500.

[0016] When implementing the method according to the invention, the functionality tracking and activation apparatus 200 interacts with the components of the vehicle 1 to collect and transmit to the remote functionality activation device 300 data characterizing the mileage of the vehicle 1 and data characterizing its current location. Upon receipt of this data, the remote functionality activation device 300 determines whether at least one particular functionality of the motor vehicle 1 can be activated on the basis of a user profile which, for example, is recorded in a database to which the remote functionality activation device 300 has access. The remote functionality activation device 300 first determines whether the distance traveled by the user of the vehicle 1 justifies the activation of a functionality.Then, if so, it uses the current location of the vehicle to determine a weather or climate condition prevailing at the location where the vehicle 1 is located by querying the weather or climate data provider 500 about it. Based on this information, the remote feature activation device 300 selects a particular feature to activate that is likely to significantly improve the comfort or driving experience of the user of the vehicle 1. It finally instructs the feature tracking and activation apparatus 200, which proceeds to activate the particular feature.

[0017] According to the invention, all the elements described above contribute to enabling the implementation of a method for remotely managing the operating state of the functionalities of a motor vehicle 1, as described below in relation to [Fig.2],

[0018] [Fig. 2] illustrates by means of a flowchart the steps of the method according to the invention. According to a first step 601 of the method according to the invention, the functionality tracking and activation apparatus 200 transmits data characterizing the mileage of the vehicle 1 and data characterizing its current location to the remote functionality activation device 300. To obtain this data, the functionality tracking and activation apparatus 200 interacts with the odometer 2 and with the navigation system 3 of the vehicle 1.

[0019] Then, according to a second step 602 of the method according to the invention, the remote functionality activation device 300 determines, based on the data characterizing the mileage of the vehicle that have been received, whether at least one particular functionality of the motor vehicle 1 can be activated. More specifically, it first obtains data characterizing a profile of a user that corresponds to the vehicle 1, an identifier of the vehicle 1 being transmitted for this purpose together with the data transmitted during the first step of the method by the functionality tracking and activation apparatus 200. In this user profile are recorded, in particular, firstly, any functionalities already activated and, secondly, the mileage of the vehicle when the user took possession of it.Indeed, in the context of vehicle rental, it may well be that the user took possession of the vehicle 1 when it already had a certain number of kilometers on the odometer. On the basis of this received mileage data and the profile of the user of the vehicle 1, the remote functionality activation device 300 can deduce, firstly, whether one or more functionalities can still be activated depending on those which are already activated, and, secondly, the total distance that the user has traveled with the vehicle 1. When it has established that certain functionalities can still be activated, it then compares this total distance traveled to one or more pre-established threshold values ​​in order to determine whether at least one particular functionality can be activated (e.g. activation of functionality 1 possible after 5000km traveled, activation of functionality 2 possible after 10000km traveled, etc.).Indeed, according to the invention, the activation of functionalities depends on this total distance traveled by the user of the vehicle 1, which advantageously allows a progressive activation over time of new functionalities, thus ensuring the continuity over time of the satisfaction of the user of the vehicle 1. And when it establishes that the activation of a functionality is possible taking into account the distance traveled by the user of the vehicle 1, the remote activation device of functionalities 300 proceeds by carrying out the following steps of the method according to the invention described below.

[0020] According to a third step 603 of the method according to the invention, the remote functionality activation device 300 selects a particular functionality to be activated based on the data characterizing a current location of the vehicle. It does this by querying the meteorological and / or climatic data provider 500 so that the latter informs it about a meteorological or climatic condition which prevails at the location where the vehicle 1 is located (e.g. gloomy weather vs. sunny weather; high temperature vs. cool temperature; season). And it is based on this meteorological or climatic information that the remote functionality activation device 300 selects a functionality by particular to activate. Thus, if the vehicle is for example in a place where the conditions are wintry, and in this case it will prioritize the activation of the seat heating functionality. On the contrary, if the vehicle is in a place where it is summer, it will then prioritize the activation of the seat ventilation functionality. It will be noted here that any type of functionality of the vehicle 1 can be activated, whether it is a functionality improving the comfort of the user, as is the case for a seat heating or ventilation functionality, but also other types of functionality that improve the performance of the vehicle 1. We can think, for example, of a downhill assistance functionality provided by a driving assistance system of the vehicle 1 when it is operating in winter conditions in order to facilitate driving in the mountains.We can also consider an adaptive cruise control feature when the vehicle is, for example, in a place where it is summer, a time of year conducive to driving on the highway to get to a vacation spot.

[0021] Finally, according to a fourth and final step 604 of the method according to the invention, the remote functionality activation device 300 causes at least the activation of the particular functionality chosen in the previous step. It does this by transmitting data characterizing a command to activate the particular functionality to the functionality tracking and activation device 200, which immediately activates the particular functionality upon receipt of the received command.

[0022] According to an advantageous alternative, the remote functionality activation device 300 then proceeds by causing a transmission of informative content identifying said particular functionality to a portable communication device 400 held by the user of the vehicle 1, in order to make the latter aware of the fact of the activation of the particular functionality so that he can use it immediately. Such communication can be done by any type of known means (e.g. SMS, email, PUSH notification, etc.). Alternatively or cumulatively, the remote functionality activation device 300 causes a transmission of the informative content to the tracking and activation device 200, which causes it to be broadcast in real time by interacting with the human-machine interface 5 of the vehicle 1.According to yet another possibility, the remote feature activation device 300 updates the user's profile, so that the user of the vehicle 1 can become aware of the activation of the particular feature by means of a personal dashboard which he accesses by connecting to a website which the remote feature activation device 300 hosts.

[0023] Thus, thanks to the method and the system according to the invention described above, a solution is provided to progressively improve over time the comfort and / or the performance of a motor vehicle. By these means, the invention contributes to the provision of motor vehicles capable of better ensuring the consistency, or even increasing improvement, of the satisfaction of their users.

Claims

Claims

1. A method for remotely managing the operating status of the functionalities of a motor vehicle (1), said method being implemented by a computer system (100) comprising a functionality tracking and activation apparatus (200) on board the vehicle (1) and a remote functionality activation device (300) which is remote from the vehicle (1), characterized in that said method comprises the steps of: i. transmitting, by said functionality tracking and activation apparatus (200), data characterizing the mileage of the vehicle and data characterizing the current location of the vehicle to said remote functionality activation device (300); ii.determining, by said remote functionality activation device (300), on the basis of said data characterizing the mileage of the vehicle, whether at least one functionality of the vehicle can be activated; and, when it is established that this is the case, iii. selecting, by said remote functionality activation device (300), a particular functionality to be activated according to said data characterizing a current location of the vehicle; and iv. causing, by said remote functionality activation device (300), at least the activation of said particular functionality.

2. Method according to claim 1, characterized in that step ii) comprises a step of obtaining data characterizing a profile of a user corresponding to the vehicle (1).

3. Method according to claim 2, characterized in that step iii) comprises a step of determining data characterizing at least one meteorological or climatic condition linked to said current location of the vehicle (1).

4. Method according to one of claims 2-3, characterized in that step iii) comprises a step consisting of causing a transmission of an informative content identifying said particular functionality to destination of a portable communication device (400) held by said user.

5. Method according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that said particular functionality is a seat heating functionality or a seat ventilation functionality provided by a heating and / or air conditioning system (6) of the vehicle (1).

6. System (100) for remotely managing the operating status of the functionalities of a motor vehicle (1), characterized in that said system (100) comprises a functionality monitoring and activation apparatus (200) on board the vehicle (1) and a remote functionality activation device (300) which is remote from the vehicle (1), which jointly implement a method according to one of the preceding claims.

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