In-vehicle device for car sharing, vehicle, and car sharing system

Abstract

To prevent the occurrence of lending of a shared car to persons other than reservation holders in a mechanical parking facility.SOLUTION: A communication unit 11 of an in-vehicle device for car sharing 10 comprises not only a first wake-up control unit 112, which receives a wake-up signal from a management server 20 and wakes up a data communication module 111 but also a second wake-up control unit 113, which receives a detection signal from a G sensor 15 for detecting acceleration and wakes up the data communication module 111. Even when the in-vehicle device is outside a communication area due to the movement of a pallet where a vehicle is parked, the second wake-up control unit 113 controls the wake-up of the data communication module 111, so as soon as the pallet enters the communication area, reservation information can be promptly received.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a car sharing on-board device mounted on a vehicle used in a car sharing service, a vehicle equipped with the car sharing on-board device, and a car sharing system using them. [Background technology]

[0002] Car sharing services, in which multiple users share multiple vehicles, are becoming more common. As shown in Patent Document 1, a person wishing to use the service must first register as a member of the car sharing service. Once a member is registered, the user uses a mobile device such as a smartphone or a personal computer to search for the desired station (a parking lot for vehicles (shared cars) provided for the car sharing service), check the availability of shared cars at that station, and enter the desired vehicle class, start date and time of use, and duration of use. The management server performs reservation processing based on this information. Once the reservation processing on the management server side is complete, the management server transmits reservation information including member information to the car sharing onboard device installed in the shared car to be reserved. The car sharing onboard device stores the reservation information.

[0003] The user goes to the station (parking lot) where the reserved shared car is parked on the date and time when they want to start using the car, holds their membership card (IC card) over the card reader of the shared car, and unlocks the door. Communication takes place between the membership card and the car sharing in-vehicle device, which collates the membership information contained in the reservation information to confirm whether the user is the one who made the reservation. The user then begins driving the shared car.

[0004] As mentioned above, when using a shared car, it is necessary to confirm whether the user is the one who made the reservation so that the car is not rented out to anyone other than the person who made the reservation, and the reservation information must be stored in the car sharing onboard device before the door is unlocked.

[0005] In recent years, car sharing stations have increasingly been set up in mechanical parking lots. However, the wireless communication environment in mechanical parking lots is often poor. As a result, the reservation information transmitted from the management server may not be stored in the car sharing in-vehicle device before the car sharing begins (before the door is unlocked). In light of this, Patent Documents 2 and 3 disclose a technology that installs a separate vehicle unlocking sensor in the vehicle and provides a short-range communication system that enables communication between the vehicle unlocking sensor and a membership card, thereby unlocking the car. The user is confirmed after the vehicle enters the communication range and the car sharing in-vehicle device receives the reservation information. If the reservation information matches, the user can continue using the vehicle. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0006] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2018-180643 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2015-210641 [Patent Document 3] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2018-185868 DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0007] As mentioned above, Patent Documents 2 and 3 provide an unlocking sensor separate from the car sharing in-vehicle device, making it possible to unlock the car before the car sharing in-vehicle device has received reservation information. However, this requires providing a separate unlocking sensor and establishing a system for establishing short-range communication with the membership card separately from the communication already established between the car sharing in-vehicle device and the membership card, which complicates the configuration and requires new capital investment.

[0008] On the other hand, in many cases, the member who goes to the designated mechanical parking lot at the start date and time of use to rent a reserved vehicle is the member who made the reservation, and the possibility of the vehicle being rented to someone other than the person who made the reservation is considered to be almost impossible in the operation of a car sharing service. However, if the reservation information is not received before the door lock is released, it is not possible to confirm whether the person is the person who made the reservation before getting into the car, so there is theoretically a possibility that the vehicle may be rented to an incorrect person. Of course, it is desirable to reduce the possibility of such incorrect rentals. To that end, even if the shared car is parked in a parking lot with a poor communication environment, such as a mechanical parking lot, it is desirable for the car sharing onboard device to receive the reservation information, including the member information of the user who made the reservation, before unlocking the door.

[0009] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above, and aims to provide technology that further reduces the possibility of accidentally renting a shared car, a vehicle used in a car sharing service, to someone other than the person who made the reservation, and that is simple in configuration and can be implemented at low cost. [Means for solving the problem]

[0010] In order to solve the above problems, the present invention provides: A car sharing in-vehicle device that is mounted on a vehicle used in a car sharing service and has a communication unit for receiving reservation information transmitted from a management server, The communication unit a first wake-up control unit that wakes up the data communication module in a sleep state when receiving a wake-up signal from the management server; a second wake-up control unit that wakes up the data communication module in a sleep state when a detection signal indicating that a predetermined or greater movement of the vehicle has occurred is received from a sensor that detects the movement of the vehicle; and When the device is outside a communication range where the first wake-up control unit cannot receive the wake-up signal, the second wake-up control unit executes control to wake up the data communication module. Provides in-vehicle devices for car sharing.

[0011] a sensor for detecting the movement of the vehicle, It is preferable that the vehicle includes at least one of a sensor for detecting acceleration or vibration occurring in the vehicle while it is stopped. The sensor is preferably an acceleration sensor.

[0012] The present invention also provides a vehicle for use in a car sharing service, which is equipped with the above-described car sharing on-board device.

[0013] In addition, in the present invention, a station for vehicles used in the car sharing service, which is set in a mechanical parking lot; a management server for the car sharing service; a car sharing in-vehicle device that is mounted on the vehicle, has a communication unit that communicates with the management server, and is capable of receiving reservation information transmitted from the management server; and a communication unit of the car sharing in-vehicle device, a first wake-up control unit that wakes up the data communication module in a sleep state when receiving a wake-up signal from the management server; a second wake-up control unit that wakes up the data communication module in a sleep state when a detection signal indicating that a predetermined or greater movement of the vehicle has occurred is received from a sensor that detects the movement of the vehicle; and and a function of executing control to wake up the data communication module by the second wake-up control unit when the device is outside a communication range where the first wake-up control unit cannot receive the wake-up signal. Provides a car sharing system.

[0014] It is preferable that when the vehicle moves more than a predetermined amount due to the movement of the pallet associated with the exit operation of the mechanical parking lot by the user who has reserved use of the vehicle, and the detection signal is received, if the car sharing vehicle-mounted device is located outside of a communication range, the second wake-up control unit wakes up the data communication module.

[0015] a sensor for detecting the movement of the vehicle, It is preferable that the vehicle includes at least one of a sensor for detecting acceleration or vibration occurring in the vehicle while it is stopped. [Effects of the Invention]

[0016] According to the present invention, even when a shared car is parked in a parking lot with poor communication environment, such as a mechanical parking lot, the probability that the car sharing in-vehicle device will receive reservation information including the membership information of the user who made the reservation before unlocking the door can be improved, thereby further reducing the possibility of the car being mistakenly rented to someone other than the person who made the reservation.In addition, there is no need to build a system for communicating with the user's membership card separately from the car sharing in-vehicle device, and the configuration can be simple and low-cost. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0017] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram showing an overall image of a car sharing system including a management server that implements a car sharing service using an on-board car sharing device according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a car sharing in-vehicle device and an acceleration sensor (G sensor) used in the above embodiment. [Figure 3] FIG. 3(a) is a block diagram for explaining the configuration of the car sharing in-vehicle device of the embodiment, and FIG. 3(b) is a block diagram for explaining the configuration of the communication unit. [Figure 4]Figures 4(a) to (c) show examples of mechanical parking lots to which the above-mentioned embodiments can be applied, where Figure 4(a) is a horizontal reciprocating type parking lot, Figure 4(b) is a vertical circulation type parking lot, and Figure 4(c) is a horizontal circulation type parking lot. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the above embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of acceleration detected by the acceleration sensor (G sensor). [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is an example of a timing chart for explaining the operation of the example and the comparative example. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0018] The present invention will be described in further detail below based on the embodiments shown in the drawings. FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram showing a car sharing system 100 including a management server 20 that implements a car sharing service using an in-vehicle car sharing device 10 according to this embodiment. The management server 20 handles member registration and car sharing reservations for the car sharing service, and is equipped with a database storing member information, information on the vehicles (shared cars) used in the car sharing service, and information on the parking stations (parking lots) where the vehicles are parked. The in-vehicle car sharing devices 10 installed in each shared car can communicate with this management server 20. While any communication means is possible, the management server 20 preferably has the ability to communicate using a wireless communication network, including the Internet, to communicate with multiple in-vehicle car sharing devices 10.

[0019] 3(a), the car sharing in-vehicle device 10 is configured to have a communication unit 11, a memory unit 12, etc. The memory unit 12 includes various memories and storages, and stores software that controls various functions of the car sharing in-vehicle device 10 including the communication unit 11, as well as vehicle information about the shared car and reservation information transmitted from the management server 20. 3(b), the communication unit 11 has a data communication module 111, a first wake-up control unit 112, and a second wake-up control unit 113. The data communication module 111 has a function of transmitting and receiving reservation information to and from the management server 20 via a wireless communication network, and if the car sharing in-vehicle device 10 is located within the communication range of the wireless communication network, it receives the reservation information transmitted from the management server 20. However, similar to those mounted on conventional shared cars, in order to reduce unnecessary consumption of the vehicle's in-vehicle battery, the data communication module 111 quickly goes into a sleep state during non-communication time periods when the data communication module 111 has not received any transmission of reservation information or the like from the management server 20 for a certain period of time or more, thereby reducing reception standby power consumption.

[0020] The first wake-up control unit 112 incorporates a signal detection circuit 112a that receives a wake-up signal transmitted from the management server 20 via a wireless communication network. This signal detection circuit 112a operates constantly or intermittently with low power consumption, and has the function of waking up the data communication module 111 that is in a sleep state upon receiving a wake-up signal. This function itself is similar to that employed in the communication unit of an onboard car sharing device installed in a conventional shared car; however, in this embodiment, in addition to this function, a second wake-up control unit 113 that wakes up the data communication module 111 is provided.

[0021] The second wake-up control unit 113 wakes up the data communication module 111 without receiving a wake-up signal from the management server 20. The second wake-up control unit 113 has a signal detection circuit 113a that receives a signal from a sensor that detects the movement of the vehicle (shared car). When this signal detection circuit 113a receives a detection signal that indicates that the shared car has moved a predetermined distance or more, it outputs a control signal that wakes up the data communication module 111.

[0022] Although there is no limitation on the sensor that detects the movement of the vehicle (shared car), the car sharing vehicle-mounted device 10 is equipped with an acceleration sensor (G sensor) 15 to detect starting, sudden acceleration or sudden deceleration, etc., so it is more cost-effective to use this G sensor 15 (see Figure 2).

[0023] The second wake-up control unit 113 controls the data communication module 111 to wake up when it receives a detection signal from the G sensor 15 at a timing when wake-up control by the first wake-up control unit 112 is not possible. The timing when wake-up control by the first wake-up control unit 112 is not possible is a timing when it is not possible to receive a wake-up signal from the management server 20, that is, a timing when the shared car is outside the communication range of wireless communication. For power saving purposes, the second wake-up control unit 113 is preferably set to enter a standby state to receive a signal from the G-sensor 15 only when the car sharing in-vehicle device 10 is outside the communication range, and to be in an OFF state so as not to receive a signal from the G-sensor 15 within the communication range. This can be achieved by issuing a command to start the second wake-up control unit 113 when it is determined that the car sharing in-vehicle device 10 has entered the communication range, for example, when it is determined that the data communication module 111 has stopped receiving wireless communication from the wireless communication network. Furthermore, this can be achieved by issuing a command to stop the second wake-up control unit 113 when the data communication module 111 starts receiving wireless communication from the wireless communication network. It is also preferable to make the operating times of the first wake-up control unit 112 and the second wake-up control unit 113 overlap in time. Of course, it is also possible to keep the second wake-up control unit 113 operating at all times. In this case, control may be performed to wake up the data communication module 111 at the timing when the signal detection circuit 112a in the first wake-up control unit 112 receives a wake-up signal transmitted from the management server 20 via a wireless communication network, and at the timing when the signal detection circuit 113a in the second wake-up control unit 113 receives a signal from the G sensor 15. Note that if the data communication module 111 has already been woken up by one of the first or second wake-up control units 112, 113, control by the other control unit is not executed.

[0024] Next, the operation of the car sharing onboard device 10 of this embodiment will be described. A shared car is typically located outside of a communication range when the parking lot serving as the shared car station is set up as a mechanical parking lot (see FIG. 1 ), except during the time period when the shared car is being used by a user. A mechanical parking lot has a multi-level storage structure in which vehicles are stored in a multi-level manner by moving pallets carrying vehicles using power. The pallets move each time a vehicle enters or leaves the mechanical parking lot. Therefore, the shared car parked on the pallet also moves each time. Mechanical parking lots are installed in dedicated buildings, as well as inside or underground buildings of buildings or public facilities. To make effective use of land, they are installed in various locations, and there are various types, such as a horizontal reciprocating type (FIG. 4(a)), a vertical circulation type (FIG. 4(b)), and a horizontal circulation type (FIG. 4(c)), as shown in FIGS. 4(a) to 4(c) . Therefore, a shared car moving on a pallet in a mechanical parking lot may be outside or within the wireless communication range depending on its location.

[0025] Assume that the driver gets off the shared car in the boarding / exiting area, and the shared car is placed on a predetermined pallet in a mechanical parking lot and parked. At this time, the data communication module 111 of the communication unit 11 of the car sharing in-vehicle device 10 is in a sleep state. If the shared car is located outside the communication range of the mechanical parking lot, for example, because the entrance door is closed ("Yes" in S100 of FIG. 5), the second wake-up control unit 113 is activated and enters a reception standby state in which it can receive a signal from the G sensor 15. If the entrance door is closed but the shared car is still within the communication range, the second wake-up control unit 113 remains OFF, and the first wake-up control unit 112 enters a reception standby state in which it can receive a wake-up signal from the management server 20 (S110 of FIG. 5).

[0026] When a shared car is outside the communication range and the second wake-up control unit 113 is waiting to receive a detection signal from the G-sensor 15, the shared car is either released or another vehicle parked in the mechanical parking lot enters or leaves the parking lot. In either case, the pallet on which the shared car is parked moves. This pallet movement causes a predetermined acceleration in the shared car, which the G-sensor 15 detects. Upon receiving this detection signal ("Yes" in S101 of FIG. 5), the second wake-up control unit 113 controls the data communication module 111 to wake up. Note that the G-sensor 15 detects acceleration accompanying slight vehicle movement even when the pallet is not moving and is stored in its fixed position, as shown in FIG. 6. Therefore, a threshold value is set to detect acceleration above a predetermined level associated with pallet movement. Because the acceleration detected when the car is stored in its fixed position varies depending on the installation conditions of the mechanical parking lot, it is preferable to set the threshold value according to each mechanical parking lot. If the detection value by the G sensor 15 is less than the threshold value ("No" in S101 of FIG. 5), the first wakeup control unit 112 continues to wait for reception of a wakeup signal from the management server 20 (S110 of FIG. 5).

[0027] If the detection value of the G sensor 15 is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold value ("Yes" in S101 of FIG. 5), the second wake-up control unit 113 transmits a control signal to wake up the data communication module 111 (S102 of FIG. 5). This causes the data communication module 111 to enter a reception standby state. In this state, if the shared car (car sharing in-vehicle device 10) enters the communication range, it can promptly receive reservation information from the management server 20 immediately after entering the communication range (S103 of FIG. 5). The received reservation information is stored in the storage unit 12.

[0028] In contrast, a conventional car sharing in-vehicle device that does not include the second wake-up control unit 113 and is equipped only with the first wake-up control unit 112 experiences a time lag until the device enters the communication range, a time lag until the device receives the wake-up signal even after entering the communication range, and a further time lag (wake-up delay) until the data communication module 111 wakes up after receiving the wake-up signal and prepares the clock. After these time lags, the car sharing in-vehicle device can receive reservation information. In other words, there is a time lag between the time the car sharing in-vehicle device enters the communication range and the time it starts receiving reservation information. Therefore, if a user swipes their membership card to unlock the car during this time, the car sharing in-vehicle device does not store the reservation information and cannot be unlocked. While unlocking is possible if the car sharing in-vehicle device is equipped with a separate dedicated device for unlocking that includes an unlock sensor, as described in Patent Documents 2 and 3, it is not possible to determine whether the user swiping their membership card is the user who made the reservation.

[0029] 7 is a timing chart showing a specific example of the above process, with the right side of the diagram showing an example of the car sharing in-vehicle device 10 of this embodiment (hereinafter referred to as "this embodiment"), and the left side of the diagram showing an example of a conventional car sharing in-vehicle device (hereinafter referred to as "comparative example") that is equipped with only the first wake-up control unit 112 of this embodiment and does not have the second wake-up control unit 113. Note that in the comparative example, a dedicated communication route for unlocking, as in Patent Documents 2 and 3, is separately provided.

[0030] In Figure 7, it is assumed that the shared car to be reserved is parked in a mechanical parking lot, and that there are areas within the parking lot that are out of communication range and areas within communication range, and that the area near the boarding and disembarking area, including the area near the car entrance and exit, is within communication range.

[0031] First, the user inputs reservation information including the desired vehicle class, start date and time of use, and duration of use. When the management server 20 receives the reservation information, it transmits the reservation information to the car sharing in-vehicle device 10 of the shared car to be reserved (S200 in FIG. 7). At this time, it is assumed that the shared car is parked in a mechanical parking lot and is located outside of the wireless communication range. The management server 20 periodically transmits a wake-up signal to the car sharing in-vehicle device 10 via the wireless communication network, attempting to transmit the reservation information. However, outside the communication range, the first wake-up control unit 112 of the communication unit 11 cannot receive the wake-up signal. Therefore, the data communication module 111 cannot wake up and cannot receive the reservation information (S201 in FIG. 7). The process up to this point is common to both this embodiment and the comparative example.

[0032] The user who made the reservation goes to the mechanical parking lot a few minutes to several tens of minutes before the start date and time of use and performs the exit operation (S202 in FIG. 7). When the exit operation is performed, the pallet on which the shared car is parked begins to move. As a result, even if the shared car is located outside of the communication range, vibrations (impacts) accompanied by accelerations equal to or greater than a predetermined level are input. In this embodiment, the acceleration is detected by the G sensor 15 (S203 in FIG. 7). The second wake-up control unit 113 detects the signal and wakes up the data communication module 111 (S204 in FIG. 7). On the other hand, in the comparative example, since the second wake-up control unit 113 is not provided, the data communication module 111 cannot be woken up even when vibrations (impacts) accompanying the movement of the pallet are applied, and the sleep state continues (S210 in FIG. 7).

[0033] As the shared car moves toward the entrance / exit of the mechanical parking lot, the area near the entrance / exit is usually within the communication range, and the car eventually enters the communication range. In this embodiment, the data communication module 111 has already switched from a sleep state to a wake-up state at this time. Therefore, as soon as the shared car enters the communication range, reservation information is transmitted from the management server 20 (S205 in FIG. 7 ), and the data communication module 111 receives the reservation information (S206 in FIG. 7 ). The received reservation information is stored in the memory unit 12. Therefore, when the shared car reaches the entrance / exit, the entrance door opens, allowing the car to leave, and the user performs a card touch by holding their membership card over the card reader of the shared car to board the shared car, the reservation information is already stored in the memory unit 12 of the car sharing in-vehicle device 10. Therefore, the information on the membership card read by the card reader is compared with the membership information included in the reservation information read from the memory unit 12, and only if they match, the shared car is unlocked (S207 in FIG. 7 ). This prevents the car from being rented to anyone other than the person who made the reservation.

[0034] On the other hand, in the comparative example, when the shared car moves and enters the communication range near the entrance / exit, it receives a wake-up signal from the management server 20. Thereafter, the first wake-up control unit 112 controls the data communication module 111 to wake up. Therefore, due to the wake-up delay described above, the data communication module 111 is not in a reception standby state when the user holds their membership card over the card reader, and the user information cannot be verified. In this case, a separate unlocking system such as those described in Patent Documents 2 and 3 is used to unlock the car (S211). After that, when the clock preparation is completed and the data communication module 111 wakes up (S212 in FIG. 7), the data communication module 111 receives reservation information from the management server 20 (S213 in FIG. 7). Only at this point is the user information verified. Therefore, when the user information is verified, the user is already using the shared car. In the comparative example, the shared car may be rented to a user who has not made a reservation. In contrast, according to this embodiment, it is possible to eliminate the possibility of the shared car being rented out to a user other than the person who reserved it. Also, there is no need to set up a separate dedicated communication route for unlocking, as in Patent Documents 2 and 3, and this can be realized with a simple configuration and at low cost.

[0035] In the above embodiment, the acceleration sensor (G sensor) 15 is used as the sensor for detecting the movement of the vehicle, but a vibration sensor can also be used as long as it can detect the vibrations and impacts caused by the movement of pallets in a mechanical parking lot. Also, to more reliably detect the occurrence of vibrations and impacts in the vehicle (shared car), it is possible to provide two types of sensors side by side, and perform wake-up control on the data communication module 111 when at least one of the sensors detects a value equal to or greater than a threshold. [Explanation of symbols]

[0036] 10 Car sharing in-vehicle device 11 Communications Department 111 Data Communication Module 112 First wake-up control unit 112a Signal detection circuit 113 Second wake-up control unit 113a Signal detection circuit 15 Acceleration sensor (G sensor) 20 Management Server 100 Car sharing system

Claims

1. A car sharing in-vehicle device that is mounted on a vehicle used in a car sharing service and has a communication unit for receiving reservation information transmitted from a management server, The communication unit a first wake-up control unit that wakes up a data communication module in a sleep state when receiving a wake-up signal from the management server; a second wake-up control unit that wakes up the data communication module in a sleep state when a detection signal indicating that a predetermined or greater movement of the vehicle has occurred is received from a sensor that detects the movement of the vehicle; and When the device is outside a communication range where the first wake-up control unit cannot receive the wake-up signal, the second wake-up control unit executes control to wake up the data communication module. Car sharing in-vehicle device.

2. a sensor for detecting the movement of the vehicle, At least one of the sensors for detecting acceleration or vibration occurring in the vehicle while stopped is included. The car sharing in-vehicle device according to claim 1.

3. The sensor is an acceleration sensor. The car sharing in-vehicle device according to claim 2.

4. A vehicle used for a car sharing service, equipped with the car sharing on-board device according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

5. a station for vehicles used in the car sharing service, which is set in a mechanical parking lot; a management server for the car sharing service; a car sharing in-vehicle device that is mounted on the vehicle, has a communication unit that communicates with the management server, and is capable of receiving reservation information transmitted from the management server; and a communication unit of the car sharing in-vehicle device, a first wake-up control unit that wakes up a data communication module in a sleep state when receiving a wake-up signal from the management server; a second wake-up control unit that wakes up the data communication module in a sleep state when a detection signal indicating that a predetermined or greater movement of the vehicle has occurred is received from a sensor that detects the movement of the vehicle; and a function of executing control to wake up the data communication module by the second wake-up control unit when the device is outside a communication range where the first wake-up control unit cannot receive the wake-up signal; Car sharing system.

6. When a pallet movement associated with a leaving operation of the mechanical parking lot by a user who has reserved use of the vehicle causes a predetermined or greater movement of the vehicle and the detection signal is received, if the car sharing in-vehicle device is located outside a communication range, the second wake-up control unit wakes up the data communication module. The car sharing system according to claim 5.

7. a sensor for detecting the movement of the vehicle, At least one of the sensors for detecting acceleration or vibration occurring in the vehicle while stopped is included. The car sharing system according to claim 5.

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