Car sharing management server and computer program

Abstract

By acquiring data from acceleration sensors installed in shared vehicles, we can ensure that member users contact us if an accident is suspected. [Solution] The management server is provided, which includes a management server comprising: a sensor data receiving means that receives sensor data acquired by various sensors installed in a shared vehicle related to a vehicle sharing business and links it to identification data of the shared vehicle or the member user; an accident suspicion detection means that assigns an accident suspicion flag to the sensor data when the received sensor data meets specific conditions; an accident suspicion transmission means that notifies the contact person of the member user to whom the accident suspicion flag has been assigned that there is a suspicion of an accident; and a membership suspension means that registers in the member database that the membership will be suspended if the member user who sent the accident suspicion data does not contact the member user within a predetermined time.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to information and communication technology that enhances the convenience of car-sharing for both users and operators.

Background Art

[0002] An operator providing a car-sharing service provides a member card, which is an IC card for identifying a member, to members who have registered in advance. Data management related to the members, data management related to vehicles used for car-sharing (hereinafter referred to as "service target vehicles" or "share cars"), and other preferential information management are executed by a car-sharing management server.

[0003] Service target vehicles are equipped with an in-vehicle unit that performs two-way communication with a car-sharing management server, a multifunctional car navigation device having functions such as sending messages to the member who is driving, and a vehicle unlocking sensor that can execute the door lock of the service target vehicle.

[0004] In addition, service target vehicles are built-in with various sensors for detecting the moving acceleration of the vehicle, a corner sensor for measuring the distance between the vehicle and other vehicles or external structures, and various sensors for grasping the state of the vehicle, such as images and sounds captured by a driving recorder attached to the vehicle. Therefore, it is technically possible to transmit the data acquired by those sensors to a vehicle management server via the aforementioned in-vehicle unit. Therefore, such data is accumulated and analyzed in the vehicle management server.

[0005] Now, a member user using a car-sharing service may cause an accident or be involved in an accident while driving a share car. In such a case, the member user is obliged to contact the call center about the accident (see FIG. 1).

[0006] The call center contacts the reservation management server, which manages data related to shared cars and member users used for car sharing. Specifically, this involves prohibiting future reservations for shared cars involved in accidents, or making adjustments such as transferring existing reservations to other shared cars. Additionally, the call center forwards repair requests related to the accident involving the shared car to the vehicle maintenance center.

[0007] For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a technology for quickly arranging a replacement vehicle for subsequent passengers who have made reservations using a shared car involved in an accident.

[0008] Patent document 2 discloses technology for smoothly implementing insurance coverage for accidents from the time the accident occurs.

[0009] Patent Document 3 discloses a technology for efficiently collecting accident-related data from various sensors in a shared car while suppressing the amount of data transmitted. [Prior art documents] [Patent Documents]

[0010] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 6841729 [Patent Document 2] Patent No. 6595842 [Patent Document 3] Patent No. 7398404 [Overview of the project] [Problems that the invention aims to solve]

[0011] Figure 2 shows the standard flow in the event of an accident, and the flow for a problematic user who fails to report an accident to the call center despite an accident occurring.

[0012] The standard flow is as follows: When an accident occurs (S1), the driver (member user) checks for injuries (S2), and if there are injuries, they take care of the injured, such as arranging for an ambulance (S3). Then the member user reports the incident to the police (S5) and contacts the car-sharing company (S6). The member user then determines whether the shared car is drivable based on communication with the police, maintenance center, call center, etc. (S7), and if it is not drivable, they have it towed; if it is drivable, they return the vehicle (S8), and the process is completed (S9).

[0013] On the other hand, the flow used by problematic users involves omitting steps S5 and S6. The reasons for omitting these steps can be broadly categorized into the following three patterns. a) If the accident was minor and the member user did not notice it. b) If the accident was minor and the vehicle was still drivable, and therefore not reported. c) If the accident was not minor but was not reported.

[0014] Regardless of the reason, the vehicle requires inspection and maintenance, but this cannot be carried out. If the shared car has another reservation, the next member who made the reservation will notice the vehicle's malfunction during their pre-use inspection, and at that point, the reserved vehicle will be unusable, causing inconvenience. If the shared car is undrivable or difficult to drive, procedures such as rescheduling the reservation will also be necessary.

[0015] The examples described above were based on the premise of a car-sharing business, but the same problem exists in car rental businesses that operate unmanned without the presence of store staff by utilizing membership cards, etc. Therefore, car-sharing businesses and car rental businesses are combined and described below as a vehicle sharing service (business) (however, car rental businesses that can be used without requiring membership registration are not included in the present invention).

[0016] The problem that this invention aims to solve is to provide a technology that contributes to ensuring reliable communication from member users in the event of a suspected accident, by acquiring data from acceleration sensors installed in shared vehicles used in vehicle sharing service businesses. [Means for solving the problem]

[0017] To address the aforementioned challenges, a vehicle-sharing business devised a method in which it collects and analyzes data from various sensors in shared cars. If there is a high probability of an accident, it restricts reservations to prevent the vehicle from being rented out, contacts the user, and suspends their membership if they do not report the incident. By implementing this method, we aim to reduce the number of unreported cases and, by publicizing the use of this method, prevent unreported cases from occurring in the first place.

[0018] (First invention) The first invention relates to a management server for operating a vehicle sharing business. In other words, a sensor data receiving means that receives sensor data acquired by various sensors installed in the shared vehicle related to the aforementioned vehicle sharing business, and links it to the identification data (vehicle ID) of the shared vehicle or the identification data (member ID) of a member user who has already registered as a member and is using the shared vehicle. An accident suspicion detection means that assigns an accident suspicion flag to sensor data when the sensor data received by the aforementioned sensor data receiving means meets specific conditions, Accident suspicion transmission means: retrieves contact information of member users related to acceleration data with the aforementioned accident suspicion flag from the member database and transmits accident suspicion data to the aforementioned contact information informing them that an accident is suspected to have occurred. If the member user who sent the aforementioned suspected accident data does not contact the member user within the specified time, a means for suspending membership will be registered in the member database to indicate that the member user's membership will be suspended. It is equipped with (see Figure 4).

[0019] (Term Explanation) "Vehicle sharing business" refers to a car-sharing business or a car rental business. Therefore, "shared vehicle" refers to a share car or a rental car.

[0020] The "management server" is a computer. Therefore, it includes a data receiving device as a data input device, a random access memory, a data storage device, an arithmetic device (CPU), a data transmitting device as a data output device, etc.

[0021] "Sensor data" refers to data acquired by various sensors installed in a shared vehicle. For example, acceleration data acquired by an acceleration sensor capable of detecting acceleration in any three-dimensional direction of the vehicle body, data on the distance between the vehicle and other vehicles or external structures acquired by a millimeter-wave radar attached to a specific location outside the vehicle, etc.

[0022] When "sensor data" "meets specific conditions" means whether the value of the data related to the acceleration of the vehicle exceeds a certain threshold, or whether the data related to the acceleration has a waveform in a specific pattern, or whether the measured distance in millimeter-wave data, etc. attached to the vehicle is less than the threshold, etc.

[0023] The "certain threshold" for the "value of the data related to acceleration" mentioned above means, for example, if it is "1.0G" or more in the front-rear or left-right direction of the vehicle body, damage to the vehicle will surely occur, and even if it is less than "1.0G" but "0.5G" or more, there is a high possibility that damage has occurred to the vehicle body. It is a value set in advance. The "specific pattern" of the data related to acceleration means, although it does not reach the "threshold" of the above-mentioned acceleration, for example, when "0.3G" occurs multiple times within a certain time series, it is a condition set in advance that damage has occurred to the vehicle. The "threshold for measurement distance of millimeter-wave meter, etc." is a value that is set in advance, for example, that indicates that contact with another vehicle or external structure can be determined when the distance is "less than 3 centimeters".

[0024] "Within the specified time frame" means, for example, within one hour of the suspected accident occurring, or before the time for returning the shared car. "Specified contact" refers to, for example, a phone call to a call center. Other examples include contact via a website from a user's smartphone or other information and communication device, or contact using an application installed on a smartphone.

[0025] (action) Sensor data acquired by various sensors installed in shared vehicles involved in the vehicle sharing business is linked to the identification data of the shared vehicle (vehicle ID) or the identification data of the member user using the shared vehicle (member ID) and received by the sensor data receiving means. The received sensor data is stored in the vehicle management database. The vehicle management database also stores management data related to shared vehicles that are lent to member users who have already completed member registration. If the received sensor data meets specific conditions, the accident suspicion detection means assigns an accident suspicion flag to the sensor data. The system retrieves the contact information of member users associated with sensor data flagged as "suspected accident" from the member database, and the suspected accident transmission method sends data to those contacts informing them that an accident is suspected to have occurred. If a member user who has submitted data indicating a suspected accident does not contact the member user within the specified time, the member suspension mechanism will register in the member database that the member user's membership will be suspended.

[0026] Members whose membership is suspended will be unable to make future reservations and will not be able to enjoy services related to the vehicle sharing business. In other words, members who do not want their membership to be suspended will need to make a designated contact within a designated period if they receive data indicating a suspected accident. This will help reduce the possibility of lending out a shared vehicle in a faulty condition to other members after an accident occurs.

[0027] (Variation 1 of the first invention) The first invention may be configured as follows: In other words, the aforementioned shared vehicle is equipped with GPS, The aforementioned sensor data receiving means acquires the location data relating to the shared vehicle, which was acquired at the time closest to the time the sensor data was acquired, using the GPS, and receives it together with the sensor data (see Figure 4).

[0028] (action) By obtaining location data for the time closest to the acquisition of sensor data that meets specific conditions, it is possible to determine approximately where an incident suspected to be an accident, as indicated by sensor data meeting those specific conditions, occurred.

[0029] (Variation 2 of the first invention) The first invention may be configured as follows: In other words, the aforementioned shared vehicle is equipped with a dashcam, The aforementioned sensor data receiving means acquires the captured data (including audio data; hereinafter abbreviated as "drive data") from the drive recorder of the shared vehicle, which was acquired at the time closest to the time when the sensor data was acquired, and receives it linked to the aforementioned sensor data (see Figure 5).

[0030] (action) By acquiring drive data from the time closest to the acquisition of sensor data that meets specific conditions, it is possible to understand the video and audio data from the drive recorder at the time when an incident suspected of being an accident occurred based on sensor data that meets specific conditions.

[0031] (Second invention) The second invention also relates to a management server for operating a vehicle sharing business. In other words, an abnormal value data receiving means receives sensor data that corresponds to specific conditions acquired by various sensors installed in the shared vehicle related to the aforementioned vehicle sharing business, and links that sensor data, which is abnormal value data, to the identification data of the shared vehicle (vehicle ID) or the identification data of a member user who has already completed member registration and is using the shared vehicle (member ID). An incident suspicion transmission means that obtains the contact information of a member user related to the abnormal value data received by the aforementioned abnormal value data receiving means from the member database and transmits incident suspicion data to the aforementioned contact information informing them that an incident is suspected to have occurred, If the member user who sent the aforementioned suspected accident data does not contact the member user within the specified time, a means for suspending membership will be registered in the member database to indicate that the member user's membership will be suspended. It is equipped with (see Figure 5).

[0032] Unlike the first invention, which assigns an accident suspicion flag based on received sensor data, the second invention proactively receives sensor data with a high suspicion of an accident and prepares to suspend membership. In other words, the shared car service determines whether the sensor data has a high suspicion of an accident and sends the information to the management server.

[0033] (action) When sensor data acquired by various sensors installed in a shared vehicle meets specific conditions, the abnormal value data is received by the abnormal value data receiving means, linked to the identification data of the shared vehicle or the identification data of a member user who has already registered and is using the shared vehicle. The contact information of the member user related to the received abnormal value data is obtained from the member database, and the suspected accident transmission means sends suspected accident data to the contact person, indicating that an accident is suspected. If the member user who sent the suspected accident data does not contact the system within a specified time, the membership suspension means registers in the member database that the membership of that member user will be suspended.

[0034] Members whose membership is suspended will be unable to make future reservations and will not be able to enjoy services related to the vehicle sharing business. In other words, members who do not want their membership to be suspended must make the required contact within the specified period if they receive data indicating a suspected accident. Furthermore, upon receiving data indicating a suspected accident, the car-sharing operator can set usage restrictions on the vehicle in question. This reduces the likelihood of a shared vehicle being rented out to other members in a faulty condition after an accident.

[0035] (Variation 1 of the second invention) The second invention may be configured as follows: In other words, the aforementioned shared vehicle is equipped with GPS, The aforementioned abnormal value data receiving means acquires the location data of the shared vehicle, which was acquired at the time closest to the time the abnormal value data was acquired, using the GPS, and receives it together with the abnormal value data (see Figure 5).

[0036] (Variation 2 of the second invention) The second invention may be configured as follows: In other words, the aforementioned shared vehicle is equipped with a dashcam, The aforementioned abnormal value data receiving means acquires drive data pertaining to the shared vehicle from the drive recorder at the time closest to the time the abnormal value data was acquired, and receives it linked to the abnormal value data (see Figure 5).

[0037] (Variations of the first and second inventions) The first and second inventions can be constructed as follows: In other words, if, after the aforementioned membership suspension means has registered in the aforementioned membership database that the membership of the aforementioned member user has been suspended, the member user reports the aforementioned suspected accident data and the contents of the report meet the prescribed requirements, the system is equipped with a membership restoration means that registers in the aforementioned membership database that the suspension of membership has been canceled (see Figure 6).

[0038] (Explanation of terms) "When the reported content meets the prescribed requirements" means, for example, when the member contacts the call center within a prescribed period (for example, 24 hours) after the suspension of membership (the prescribed period is measured using the "Restoration Timer" in Figure 6), or when the member provides a reasonable explanation for not being able to contact them during the period leading up to the suspension of membership. The aforementioned "reasonable grounds" include, for example, situations where it takes a certain period of time to contact someone who meets specific conditions in various sensors in order to protect a person who has been rescued due to an accident, or situations where it is reasonably assumed that it would be difficult to contact the person regarding the accident, such as when the member's own mobile phone is damaged or lost due to the accident and they are unable to be contacted.

[0039] (action) By using the membership restoration method, the suspension of membership will be canceled, and the member user's membership will be restored to its original state. In other words, they will be able to make their next reservation and so on.

[0040] (Third invention) The third invention relates to a computer program for controlling a management server for operating a vehicle sharing business. The computer program includes a sensor data reception procedure that links sensor data acquired by various sensors installed in the shared vehicles related to the aforementioned vehicle sharing business to the identification data of the shared vehicle or the identification data of member users who have already registered as members and are using the shared vehicle, and An accident suspicion detection procedure which assigns an accident suspicion flag to sensor data if the sensor data received in the aforementioned sensor data reception procedure meets specific conditions, A procedure for transmitting suspected accidents, which involves obtaining the contact information of a member user related to sensor data with the aforementioned suspected accident flag from the member database and sending suspected accident data to the aforementioned contact person informing them that there is a suspected accident, and If the member user who sent the aforementioned suspected accident data does not contact the member user within the specified time, the member status suspension procedure is to register in the member database that the member user's status will be suspended, and This is then executed by the aforementioned management server.

[0041] The management server, as hardware, includes data receiving means and data input means as input means, random access memory and storage as storage means, a CPU as a calculation means, and data transmission means as output means. The control program causes the aforementioned input means, storage means, calculation means, and output means to execute the respective procedures.

[0042] (Variation 1 of the third invention) The third invention may be configured as follows: In other words, the aforementioned shared vehicle is equipped with GPS, The aforementioned sensor data reception procedure involves receiving the location data of the shared vehicle, acquired at the time closest to the time the sensor data was acquired, along with the sensor data (see Figure 4).

[0043] (Variation 2 of the third invention) The third invention may be configured as follows: In other words, the aforementioned shared vehicle is equipped with a dashcam, The aforementioned sensor data reception procedure involves receiving the drive recorder footage (drive data) of the shared vehicle, acquired at the time closest to the time the sensor data was acquired, and linking it to the sensor data (see Figure 5).

[0044] (Fourth invention) The fourth invention relates to a computer program for controlling the management server relating to the second invention. The computer program includes an abnormal value data reception procedure that, when sensor data acquired by various sensors installed in a shared vehicle related to the aforementioned vehicle sharing business meets specific conditions, receives the abnormal value data, which is the sensor data, linked to the identification data of the shared vehicle or the identification data of a member user who has already completed member registration and is using the shared vehicle, and The procedure for sending suspected accident data involves obtaining the contact information of a member user related to the abnormal value data received in the aforementioned abnormal value data reception procedure from the member database and sending suspected accident data to the aforementioned contact information informing them that an accident is suspected to have occurred, and If the member user who sent the aforementioned suspected accident data does not contact the member user within the specified time, the member status suspension procedure is to register in the member database that the member user's status will be suspended, and This will be executed by the aforementioned management server (see Figure 5).

[0045] (Variation 1 of the fourth invention) The fourth invention may be configured as follows: In other words, the aforementioned shared vehicle is equipped with GPS, The aforementioned abnormal value data reception procedure involves receiving the location data of the shared vehicle, acquired at the time closest to the time the abnormal value data was acquired, along with the abnormal value data (see Figure 5).

[0046] (Variation 2 of the fourth invention) The fourth invention may be configured as follows: In other words, the aforementioned shared vehicle is equipped with a dashcam, The aforementioned abnormal value data reception procedure involves receiving the drive data for the shared vehicle, acquired at the time closest to the time the abnormal value data was acquired, and linking it to the abnormal value data (see Figure 5).

[0047] (Variations of the third and fourth inventions) The third and fourth inventions can be constructed as follows: In other words, after registering in the member database that the member user's membership has been suspended in the membership suspension procedure described above, if the member user reports the suspected incident data and the report meets the prescribed requirements, the management server will execute a membership restoration procedure to register in the member database that the suspension of membership has been revoked (see Figure 6).

[0048] Since the third and fourth inventions are computer programs, they can be stored and provided on various recording media. Furthermore, they can be provided on terminals as computer programs for download or use on the cloud, under so-called cloud computing services. [Effects of the Invention]

[0049] According to the first and second inventions, it was possible to provide a management server that contributes to ensuring reliable communication from member users in the event of a suspected accident by acquiring data from various sensors installed in shared vehicles in a vehicle sharing service business. According to the third and fourth inventions, we were able to provide a control program for a management server that contributes to ensuring reliable communication from member users in the event of a suspected accident, by acquiring data from various sensors installed in shared vehicles in a vehicle sharing service business. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0050] [Figure 1] This is a conceptual diagram illustrating the procedures to follow in the event of an accident while using a car-sharing service. [Figure 2] This is a conceptual diagram illustrating a situation where an accident occurs while using a car-sharing service, but the accident is not reported. [Figure 3] This is a conceptual diagram illustrating how a vehicle management server acquires data from an acceleration sensor installed in a shared car and automatically responds to the situation. [Figure 4] This is a block diagram of the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 5] This is a block diagram showing a second embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 6] This block shows the process for reinstating membership after it has been suspended. [Figure 7] This flowchart shows the procedure for suspending or reactivating membership. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0051] The present invention will be described below based on the drawings and embodiments. The drawings used herein are Figures 3 to 7. Solid arrows indicate wired communication, dashed arrows indicate wireless communication, and dotted lines indicate dashed lines. Figures 1 and 2, which describe the background art, will also be referred to as necessary.

[0052] (Figure 3) Figure 3 shows the relationship between the shared car related to the present invention, the vehicle management server that manages the shared car, the car sharing management server that handles car sharing reservation data, etc. (abbreviated as "car sharing management server" in the figure), and the user terminal.

[0053] Sensor data acquired by various sensors installed in the shared car (such as accelerometers and millimeter-wave radar) is linked to the vehicle's identification ID and transmitted periodically (for example, every minute) from the shared car to the vehicle management server. In addition, drive data captured by the dashcam is transmitted as needed. Furthermore, information about members currently using the shared car (member identification data), information about the shared car (vehicle ID of the shared car), drive recorder image data taken inside and outside the vehicle, and other management data (such as maximum speed, number of sudden braking incidents and their times) are also being transmitted.

[0054] The vehicle management server analyzes the sensor data transmitted from the shared car. In this analysis, if the acceleration data included in the sensor data detects movement of the vehicle body in the forward, backward, left, and right directions that exceeds a predetermined acceleration, the vehicle management server determines that there is a high probability that the vehicle body has been damaged. Even if the acceleration data is small, if multiple acceleration events occur within a certain period of time in a time series, it is considered highly likely that damage has occurred to the vehicle body. In this case, the operator of the car-sharing service may determine that there is a high probability of damage to the vehicle body not only based on the magnitude of the acceleration, but also on the pattern of changes in the acceleration data recorded when an accident occurs, based on data acquired over a long period of time while operating many shared cars.

[0055] Furthermore, if sensor data from sensors that measure the distance between your vehicle and other vehicles or external structures (typically millimeter-wave radar) shows that a predetermined distance is shorter than a predetermined value, it may be determined that there is a high probability that contact or collision with another vehicle or external structure has occurred, resulting in damage to the vehicle body.

[0056] Based on the sensor data received from the shared car, the vehicle management server determines that if these events have occurred, there is a high probability that an accident has occurred and the vehicle has sustained damage. If this determination is made, an accident suspicion flag is assigned to the sensor data that suggests an accident has occurred. This process stores the transmitted sensor data, information about the member currently using the shared car (member identification data = member ID), information about the shared car (vehicle ID of the shared car), and the accident suspicion flag in the vehicle management server's database.

[0057] The vehicle management server then issues instructions to the car-sharing management server regarding the vehicle that has sent sensor data flagged as potentially being involved in an accident, including instructions to adjust the presentation of reservations to other members and instructions to adjust other reservations that have already been made. Here, "instructions to adjust the presentation of reservations" refers to instructions for taking preventative measures to prevent other users from making new reservations for the shared car, such as not displaying the shared car in question on the reservation screen that member users view when making a reservation. Furthermore, "instructions to adjust other reservations that have already been made" refers to instructions for subsequent actions, such as asking members who have made the next reservation for the shared car in question to change to a different vehicle.

[0058] The vehicle management server will notify users of a suspected accident via the screen of the multi-function car navigation system installed in the shared car being used, or through the in-car speaker via the in-vehicle communication device, in parallel with the aforementioned reservation adjustments. In addition, it will also contact the communication terminal of the user involved in the accident. Generally, if sensor data received from a shared car indicates that an incident suggesting an accident has occurred, it can be assumed that the driver at that time caused the accident. In this embodiment, in addition to contacting the in-vehicle equipment, contact is also made with the member user's mobile communication terminal to ensure that the user receives the notification. This is because the possibility that the member user, who is the driver, may have gotten out of the shared car (due to the accident) is taken into consideration.

[0059] The vehicle management server requests the car-sharing management server to display reservations related to the vehicle suspected of being involved in an accident and to adjust existing reservations. The vehicle management server also notifies the shared car in use of the suspected accident via the screen of the multi-function car navigation system, the in-car speaker via the in-vehicle communication device, etc. In addition, it also contacts the communication terminal of the user at the time of the accident.

[0060] (Figure 4) Figure 4 shows the relationship between a car-sharing management server (abbreviated as "car-sharing management server" in the figure) belonging to a business entity that operates a car-sharing service that enables two-way communication with the car-sharing service, a call center that contacts the car-sharing user in the event of an accident, and the car-sharing user's mobile device (car-sharing user terminal).

[0061] When a member user is using a shared car, various sensors installed in the car acquire sensor data. Sensor data acquired by the accelerometer, along with the vehicle ID which is the identification data of the shared car, is periodically (for example, every minute) transmitted to the car-sharing management server via the in-vehicle communication device.

[0062] Since the shared car is equipped with GPS (Global Positioning System), it is also possible to transmit location data along with the acceleration data that should be sent. The reason why "GPS" is shown with a dashed line in the diagram is to indicate that transmitting location data is not mandatory.

[0063] The car-sharing management server includes a member database (abbreviated as "DB" in the diagram) that stores data related to registered members, and a vehicle management database that stores management data for shared cars.

[0064] The car-sharing management server is equipped with acceleration data receiving means that receives acceleration data and vehicle IDs transmitted from the in-vehicle communication devices of the shared cars. The in-vehicle communication devices of the shared cars periodically transmit acceleration data and vehicle IDs to the acceleration data receiving means. The acceleration data received by the acceleration data receiving device is linked to the vehicle ID and stored in the vehicle management database. In the vehicle management database, an acceleration database is constructed and acceleration data is stored for each vehicle ID.

[0065] The sensor data received by the sensor data receiving means is used by the accident suspicion detection means to determine whether or not an accident has occurred. Specifically, as a first example, the magnitude of the acceleration based on the received sensor data is determined to be whether or not it exceeds a predetermined value (e.g., 1.0G or 0.5G). As a second example, the acceleration based on the received sensor data is determined to be whether or not a predetermined pattern is repeated within a certain period (e.g., within 3 seconds) (e.g., a trajectory of exceeding 0.3G from 0.0G and returning to 0.0G is repeated three or more times). As a third example, the distance from the vehicle to the outside is determined to be below a predetermined value (e.g., 3 centimeters) based on sensor information. Based on the sensor data shown in the first to third examples, it is determined whether or not an accident has occurred.

[0066] The shared car may transmit location data obtained via GPS signals in addition to the acquired sensor data. Furthermore, based on the location data, it may acquire drive data from the drive recorder at the time closest to when the abnormal value data occurred. The system may then be configured to transmit the abnormal value data, location data, and drive data, linked to the vehicle ID, to the car-sharing management server via the in-vehicle communication device.

[0067] If the accident suspicion detection means determines that the sensor data meets specific conditions, the accident suspicion transmission means will perform multiple predetermined communications, indicating that an accident is suspected.

[0068] The primary contact point is the member user. Based on the vehicle ID linked to the acceleration data, the system identifies the member user using the shared car associated with that vehicle ID, retrieves the member user's contact information (mobile phone number and email address) from the member database, and sends accident suspicion data stating that "an accident is suspected and you must contact the call center." If the contact is a phone number, a short message or automated voice message is sent; if it is an email address, a message is sent. The diagram illustrates that a URL allowing a direct call to the call center was sent as a message (or short message).

[0069] The second contact point is also for contacting member users, but it is done via the multi-functional car navigation system installed in the shared car (abbreviated as "multi-functional car navigation" in the diagram). The data transmitted here is also accident suspicion data stating that "there is a suspected accident and you need to contact the call center." Note that, for illustrative purposes, the diagram shows data being transmitted directly from the suspected accident transmission device to the multi-functional car navigation system, but in reality, it is transmitted via an in-vehicle communication device.

[0070] The third point of contact is the call center. By providing the call center with the name of the member user identified based on the vehicle ID linked to the acceleration data in advance, it is intended to contribute to the rational operation of the call center's business. Note that the "accident suspected receiving method" at the call center is indicated by a dashed line in the diagram, indicating that receiving accident suspected data is not mandatory.

[0071] The accident suspicion transmission method also transmits accident suspicion data to a timer within the car-sharing management server. The timer starts measuring a predetermined time (for example, 2 hours) after receiving the accident suspicion data.

[0072] Suppose a member user who receives data indicating a suspected incident contacts the call center using their member user terminal. This contact is received by the call center's member report receiving system as data called a suspected incident response report. Suspected incident response reports are often voice calls between the member user or those making the report, in which case the voice data from the call becomes the suspected incident report data. If the suspected incident report is sent as text data such as an email, that text data becomes the suspected incident report data. Upon receiving a suspected incident report, the call center will send a notification to the car-sharing management server acknowledging receipt via the designated reporting method.

[0073] The report receiving mechanism on the car-sharing management server sends a notification to the timer when it receives a suspected incident report. The timer determines whether a predetermined amount of time has elapsed since the suspected incident data was received, i.e., when the report receiving mechanism sent a notification to the timer. If the message is received before the specified time has elapsed, the membership will remain active and will not be suspended. However, if the specified time has elapsed, the timer will send a message to the membership suspension mechanism indicating that the specified time has elapsed. The membership suspension mechanism will then suspend the membership of the member user in question.

[0074] Specifically, a flag indicating the suspension of membership will be added to the member ID of the member in question in the member database. This flag will restrict the member's use of services, such as preventing them from making further car-sharing reservations.

[0075] The suspension of membership will also be sent to the member user's mobile device. This transmission will be text data, not voice data. This is because it is important communication for both the member user and the car-sharing operator operating the car-sharing management server, as it clarifies the content of the notification and allows for the storage of transmission and reception records.

[0076] (Figure 5) Figure 5 also shows an embodiment in which the car-sharing management server receives acceleration data from the shared car, notifies member users of a suspected accident, and prompts them to contact the call center. The difference from the embodiment shown in Figure 4 is that the data acquired by various sensors installed in the shared car is judged within the shared car to be abnormal or not, and only abnormal values ​​are sent to the car-sharing management server.

[0077] The system determines whether an abnormality has occurred based on the acquired sensor data, such as whether the acceleration exceeds a predetermined value (e.g., 1.0G or 0.5G), whether a predetermined pattern is repeated within a certain period of time (e.g., within 3 seconds) in the acceleration (e.g., a trajectory of exceeding 0.3G from 0.0G and returning to 0.0G is repeated three or more times), or whether the distance from the vehicle to the outside is below a predetermined value (e.g., within 3cm) based on sensor information measuring the distance from the vehicle to the outside.

[0078] If the detected sensor data is an abnormal value exceeding a predetermined value, the system may acquire location data from GPS at the time closest to when the abnormal data occurred. Alternatively, the system may acquire drive data captured at the time closest to when the abnormal data occurred from a drive recorder. The abnormal data, location data, and drive data, all linked to the vehicle ID, are then transmitted to the car-sharing management server via the in-vehicle communication device.

[0079] Abnormal data transmitted from the shared car is received by the abnormal data receiving means on the car-sharing management server. In the embodiment shown in Figure 4, the car-sharing management server detected the suspected accident, but in the embodiment shown in Figure 5, the shared car has already detected the suspected accident. Therefore, it is not essential to provide a means for detecting suspected accidents. To illustrate this, the means for detecting suspected accidents is shown with a dashed line.

[0080] The abnormal value data received by the abnormal value data receiving means, along with the associated vehicle ID, location data, drive data, etc., are stored in the sensor database of the vehicle management database. In this embodiment, based on past data stored in this sensor database, data that was judged to be abnormal value data in a shared car (corresponding to the determination in the first embodiment that it was sensor data that met specific conditions) but turned out to be data unrelated to an accident is stored. Using such stored data, the accident suspicion detection means may determine whether or not the abnormal value data corresponds to a suspected accident.

[0081] Regardless of whether or not an accident suspicion detection means is provided, once an accident suspicion is detected, the accident suspicion transmission means transmits accident suspicion data to the member user terminal, the call center, and the shared car, respectively. From this transmission onward, the process is the same as in the embodiment shown in Figure 4, so a detailed explanation is omitted.

[0082] (Figure 6) Figure 6 illustrates the case of reinstating membership after it has been suspended. The process is the same as described in Figures 4 and 5, up to the point where incident data is sent to the member user terminal and the call center, and when a predetermined time managed by the timer has elapsed, the member user terminal is notified of the suspension of membership by the membership suspension mechanism.

[0083] On the car-sharing management server, the reactivation timer starts from the moment the membership suspension mechanism notifies the member user terminal of the suspension of their membership, and begins measuring the predetermined time.

[0084] A member user who received notification of the suspension of their membership was unable to contact the call center during the period between receiving the suspected incident data and the suspension of their membership, but contacted the call center after receiving the notification of the suspension of their membership (indicated as "Suspected Incident Response Report (After the Specified Period)" in the diagram). The call center receives suspected incident reports from member users via the member reporting receiving method, and sends a notification that a report has been received to the car-sharing management server via the report confirmation sending method.

[0085] The car-sharing management server receives notification from the call center that a report has been received. The membership reinstatement system then determines whether the content of the report is a valid reason for suspending membership (i.e., whether the suspension of membership was a harsh measure for the member). Assuming the report is received before the predetermined time set by the reinstatement timer has elapsed, if the membership reinstatement system determines that the reason for suspending membership is not valid, it decides to reinstate the membership.

[0086] The following explains the criteria for determining whether a member's membership will be reinstated. If a member's report of suspected misconduct is made via voice call, the member's report will be analyzed using voice recognition, etc. If it contains certain keywords (for example, rescue, protection, mobile phone malfunction, etc.), it will be determined that the measure of suspending the member's membership was too harsh.

[0087] If a suspected issue report from a member user is in electronic format, such as text data, the text should be analyzed, and if it contains the specified keywords as described above, it should be determined that the measure of suspending membership was excessive. Alternatively, the member could access a designated internet site and select the reason for the delayed communication from several options displayed there. Based on the reason selected, it should be determined whether the measure of suspending membership was excessive.

[0088] As an example of a means of reinstating membership, the system could also be configured to present the member's message to the person in charge (via audio, screen display, etc.), and the person in charge would then input data indicating whether the suspension of membership was justified or not.

[0089] If a member's membership is reinstated through the membership reinstatement procedure, the suspension will be lifted by registering this fact in the member database. Additionally, a notification will be sent to the member's terminal informing them that their membership has been reinstated.

[0090] (Figure 7) Figure 7 shows the information processing procedure based on the configurations shown in Figures 4 and 6 as a flowchart.

[0091] The management server periodically acquires acceleration data from the shared cars used by member users (S11). It then determines whether the acquired acceleration data is above a threshold (S12). If the acceleration data does not exceed the threshold, it makes a decision about which acceleration data to acquire next.

[0092] If acceleration data exceeds a threshold, a notification of suspected accident is sent to the member user. Simultaneously with this notification, a timer is activated to measure a predetermined time (S13).

[0093] If a member user contacts the system within the specified time, the system returns to acquiring acceleration data (S11). If no contact is received from the member user within the specified time, the member user's membership is suspended (S15).

[0094] The system verifies whether a member whose membership has been suspended has contacted the system after a specified period of time has elapsed (but before any further specified periods of time have elapsed) (S16). If no contact is received after any further specified periods of time have elapsed, the membership is revoked (S19).

[0095] If contact is made within the specified time, it will be examined whether there was a reasonable reason for not being able to contact the member before the suspension of membership (S17). If it is determined that there was a reasonable reason, the membership will be reinstated (S18). If it is determined that there was no reasonable reason, the membership will be revoked (S19).

[0096] According to the embodiments described above, we were able to provide a technology that contributes to ensuring reliable communication from member users in the event of a suspected accident by acquiring data from acceleration sensors installed in shared vehicles.

[0097] In the embodiments described above, the coercive measure of suspending membership is intended to ensure reliable communication from member users in the event of a suspected accident. However, the means of "ensuring reliable communication from member users in the event of a suspected accident" are not limited to suspending membership. For example, temporarily increasing the usage fee for member users who do not contact the system within a specified period in response to a suspected accident can also be expected to have a certain effect. [Industrial applicability]

[0098] The present invention has applicability in car-sharing and car-rental service industries, parking lot operations, manufacturing of information and communication equipment necessary for parking lot operations, software service industries that create application programs used in car-sharing management servers, vehicle maintenance businesses, vehicle-related insurance businesses, and the like.

Claims

1. This is a management server for operating a vehicle sharing business. A sensor data receiving means that receives sensor data acquired by various sensors installed in the shared vehicle related to the aforementioned vehicle sharing business, and links it to the identification data of the shared vehicle or the identification data of a member user who has previously registered as a member and is using the shared vehicle. An accident suspicion detection means that assigns an accident suspicion flag to sensor data when the sensor data received by the aforementioned sensor data receiving means meets specific conditions, Accident suspicion transmission means: obtains the contact information of a member user related to sensor data with the aforementioned accident suspicion flag from the member database and transmits accident suspicion data to the aforementioned contact information informing them that there is a suspicion of an accident occurring. If the member user who sent the aforementioned suspected accident data does not contact the member user within the specified time, a means for suspending membership will be registered in the member database to indicate that the member user's membership will be suspended. A management server equipped with the necessary features.

2. The aforementioned shared vehicles are equipped with GPS. The aforementioned sensor data receiving means acquires the location data of the shared vehicle, which was acquired at the time closest to the time the sensor data was acquired, using the GPS, and receives it together with the sensor data. The management server according to claim 1.

3. The aforementioned shared vehicle is equipped with a dashcam. The aforementioned sensor data receiving means acquires drive data, which is the captured data from the drive recorder of the shared vehicle, acquired at the time closest to the time when the sensor data was acquired, from the drive recorder, and receives it linked to the sensor data. The management server according to either claim 1 or claim 2.

4. This is a management server for operating a vehicle sharing business. An abnormal value data receiving means that receives abnormal value data, which is sensor data acquired by various sensors installed in a shared vehicle related to the aforementioned vehicle sharing business, and links it to the identification data of the shared vehicle or the identification data of a member user who has already registered as a member and is using the shared vehicle. An incident suspicion transmission means that obtains the contact information of a member user related to the abnormal value data received by the aforementioned abnormal value data receiving means from the member database and transmits incident suspicion data to the aforementioned contact information informing them that an incident is suspected to have occurred, If the member user who sent the aforementioned suspected accident data does not contact the member user within the specified time, a means for suspending membership will be registered in the member database to indicate that the member user's membership will be suspended. A management server equipped with the necessary features.

5. The aforementioned shared vehicles are equipped with GPS. The aforementioned abnormal value data receiving means acquires location data relating to the shared vehicle, obtained at the time closest to the time the abnormal value data was acquired, using the GPS, and receives it together with the abnormal value data. The management server according to claim 4.

6. The aforementioned shared vehicle is equipped with a dashcam. The aforementioned sensor data receiving means acquires drive data, which is the captured data from the drive recorder of the shared vehicle, acquired at the time closest to the time when the sensor data was acquired, from the drive recorder, and receives it linked to the sensor data. The management server according to either claim 4 or claim 5.

7. The system is equipped with a means for restoring membership, which, after the aforementioned membership suspension means has registered in the member database that the membership of the member user has been suspended, receives a report from the member user regarding the suspected incident data, and if the content of the report meets the prescribed requirements, it will register in the member database that the suspension of membership has been canceled. The management server according to either claim 1 or claim 4.

8. A computer program that controls the management server for operating a vehicle sharing business, The computer program includes a sensor data reception procedure that links sensor data acquired by various sensors installed in the shared vehicles related to the aforementioned vehicle sharing business to the identification data of the shared vehicle or the identification data of member users who have already registered as members and are using the shared vehicle, and An accident suspicion detection procedure which assigns an accident suspicion flag to sensor data if the sensor data received in the aforementioned sensor data reception procedure meets specific conditions, A procedure for transmitting suspected accidents, which involves obtaining the contact information of a member user related to sensor data with the aforementioned suspected accident flag from the member database and sending suspected accident data to the aforementioned contact person informing them that there is a suspected accident, and If the member user who sent the aforementioned suspected accident data does not contact the member user within the specified time, the member status suspension procedure is to register in the member database that the member user's status will be suspended, and A computer program that is to be executed by the aforementioned management server.

9. The aforementioned shared vehicle is equipped with GPS, The aforementioned sensor data reception procedure involves receiving the location data of the shared vehicle, acquired at the time closest to the time the sensor data was acquired, along with the sensor data. The computer program according to claim 8.

10. The aforementioned shared vehicle is equipped with a dashcam. The aforementioned sensor data reception procedure involves obtaining drive data, which is the footage captured by the drive recorder of the shared vehicle, at the time closest to the time the sensor data was acquired, from the drive recorder, and receiving it in association with the sensor data. The computer program according to claim 8 or claim 9.

11. A computer program that controls the management server for operating a vehicle sharing business, The computer program includes an abnormal value data reception procedure that, when sensor data acquired by various sensors installed in a shared vehicle related to the aforementioned vehicle sharing business meets specific conditions, receives the abnormal value data, which is the sensor data, linked to the identification data of the shared vehicle or the identification data of a member user who has already completed member registration and is using the shared vehicle, and The procedure for sending suspected accident data involves obtaining the contact information of a member user related to the abnormal value data received in the aforementioned abnormal value data reception procedure from the member database and sending suspected accident data to the aforementioned contact information informing them that an accident is suspected to have occurred, and If the member user who sent the aforementioned suspected accident data does not contact the member user within the specified time, the member status suspension procedure is to register in the member database that the member user's status will be suspended, and A computer program that is to be executed by the aforementioned management server.

12. The aforementioned shared vehicle is equipped with GPS, The aforementioned abnormal value data reception procedure involves receiving the location data of the shared vehicle, acquired at the time closest to the time the abnormal value data was acquired, along with the abnormal value data. The computer program according to claim 11.

13. The aforementioned shared vehicle is equipped with a dashcam. The aforementioned abnormal value data reception procedure receives drive data related to the shared vehicle, acquired at the time closest to the time the abnormal value data was acquired, and associates it with the abnormal value data. A computer program according to either claim 11 or claim 12.

14. After registering in the member database that the membership of the aforementioned member user has been suspended in the aforementioned membership suspension procedure, if the member user reports the aforementioned suspected incident data and the content of the report meets the prescribed requirements, a membership restoration procedure is provided in which the suspension of membership is revoked and registered in the member database. The computer program according to claim 8 or claim 11.

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