Debt collection device

Abstract

To provide a debt collection device that can accurately identify the location and time for vehicle retrieval. [Solution] The debt collection device includes a processor and a display. The processor acquires historical data including the vehicle's past parking locations and the parking time at those locations. Based on the historical data, it determines whether a vehicle targeted for debt collection is present at a predetermined time and location. If it determines that the vehicle is present, it outputs the predetermined time and location to the display.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a claim collection device.

Background Art

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a technique for disabling the vehicle remotely from a server when payments for a leased vehicle or the like are not made, and recovering (executing) the vehicle using the position information of the vehicle collected in advance. In such vehicle recovery, direct contact with the person is required, and it is necessary to obtain a writ from the court in advance by specifying the position and time of the vehicle.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] In the technique disclosed in Patent Document 1, although the location and time for vehicle recovery are not appropriately specified, for example, the vehicle may have already moved even if a writ is issued and the vehicle recovery is attempted. Also, there is an idea that the vehicle could be remotely disabled in advance so that it cannot move, but in reality, even if there is a debt default, it is difficult to keep the debtor's vehicle disabled before enforcement.

[0005] The present disclosure has been made in view of the above, and an object thereof is to provide a claim collection device that can accurately specify the location and time for vehicle recovery.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] The debt collection device relating to this disclosure comprises a processor and a display, wherein the processor acquires historical data including the vehicle's past parking locations and the parking time of the vehicle at those locations, and determines, based on the historical data, whether the vehicle targeted for debt collection is present at a predetermined time and location, and if it determines that the vehicle is present, outputs the predetermined time and location to the display. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to this disclosure, the location and time for vehicle recovery can be precisely determined. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0008] [Figure 1] Figure 1 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a debt collection system including a debt collection server that functions as a debt collection device according to the embodiment. [Figure 2] Figure 2 shows an image of the process for calculating the probability of a vehicle's existence in a debt collection device according to an embodiment. [Figure 3] Figure 3 is a sequence diagram showing an example of information exchange between the debt collection server, the debt management server, the vehicle information server, and the vehicle. [Figure 4] Figure 4 is a flowchart showing an example of the process for calculating the probability of a vehicle's existence in a debt collection device according to this embodiment. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0009] A debt collection device according to an embodiment of this disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that the components in the following embodiments include those that are easily substituted or substantially identical to those that are easily substituted by a person skilled in the art.

[0010] (Debt collection system) The debt collection system according to this embodiment will be described with reference to Figure 1. As shown in Figure 1, the debt collection system includes a debt collection server 1, a debt management server 2, a vehicle information server 3, and a vehicle 4. In the debt collection system according to this embodiment, the debt collection server 1 functions as a debt collection device.

[0011] The debt collection server 1, debt management server 2, vehicle information server 3, and vehicle 4 are all equipped with communication functions and are configured to communicate with each other and exchange various information via network N. This network N is composed of a public network such as the Internet network or a mobile phone network. In this embodiment, the case in which the debt collection server 1, debt management server 2, vehicle information server 3, and vehicle 4 are all connected by a public network is described, but some may be connected by a LAN (Local Area Network).

[0012] (Debt collection server) Debt collection server 1 is for collecting debts related to vehicle 4. In order to collect debts related to vehicle 4, debt collection server 1 calculates the probability (hereinafter referred to as "probability of existence") that vehicle 4 is present at a predetermined place at a predetermined time. By calculating the probability of whether vehicle 4 is present at a predetermined place at a predetermined time in this way, the collection of debts related to vehicle 4 becomes easier.

[0013] Examples of claims relating to Vehicle 4 include claims relating to installment contracts at the time of vehicle purchase, claims relating to lease agreements for Vehicle 4, claims relating to subscription agreements for Vehicle 4, claims relating to rental car agreements for Vehicle 4, and claims relating to shared ownership agreements (car sharing) for Vehicle 4.

[0014] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the creditor is, for example, the owner of vehicle 4. Other creditors include, for example, the dealer of vehicle 4, a finance company, etc. Furthermore, in this embodiment, the debtor is, for example, the user of vehicle 4. Other debtors include, for example, the purchaser of vehicle 4, the contracting party of a lease agreement, etc.

[0015] Furthermore, in this embodiment, "debt collection" means that if the user of vehicle 4 violates the above-mentioned contract (for example, if a default occurs), the owner of vehicle 4 will collect vehicle 4 itself (enforce compulsory execution).

[0016] As shown in Figure 1, the debt collection server 1 comprises a control unit 11, a vehicle history database 12, a display device 13, an input device 14, and a communication unit 15.

[0017] The control unit 11 is implemented by a processor, such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit), and memory (main memory unit), such as RAM (Random Access Memory) or ROM (Read Only Memory).

[0018] The control unit 11 obtains information (such as the vehicle identification number (VIN number)) from the debt management DB 22 of the debt management server 2 to identify the vehicle 4 that is the target of debt collection. In response, the control unit 11 obtains historical data from the vehicle information server 3, including the past parking locations of the vehicle 4 that is the target of debt collection and the parking time of the vehicle 4 at those locations. The past parking locations of the vehicle 4 and the parking time of the vehicle 4 at those locations are detected, for example, by the positioning unit 42, which is a GPS (Global Positioning System) device installed in the vehicle 4.

[0019] After the control unit 11 acquires the history data from the vehicle information server 3, it determines whether or not the vehicle 4 targeted for recovery for debt collection exists at a predetermined location at a predetermined time based on the history data. Subsequently, when the control unit 11 determines that the vehicle 4 exists at the predetermined location at the predetermined time, it outputs this information to the display device 13, thereby causing the display device 13 to display the time and location where the vehicle 4 exists.

[0020] In this way, the debt collection server 1 can specify the location and time for recovering the vehicle 4 by determining whether or not the vehicle 4 exists at a predetermined location at a predetermined time based on the history data.

[0021] As a process for the control unit 11 to determine whether or not the vehicle 4 exists at a predetermined location at a predetermined time, specifically, the following processes can be performed. First, the control unit 11 calculates the existence probability of the vehicle 4 for each month, day of the week, time zone, or location based on the history data. Subsequently, the control unit 11 determines whether or not the vehicle 4 exists at a predetermined location at a predetermined time based on, for example, whether or not each calculated existence probability is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold value.

[0022] FIG. 2 shows an image of the process for calculating the existence probability of the vehicle 4 by the control unit 11. First, the control unit 11 extracts the history data regarding the vehicle 4 targeted for recovery for debt collection from the history data. Subsequently, the control unit 11 sets the time zone / aggregation period for calculating the existence probability for the extracted history data.

[0023] Next, the control unit 11 uses the extracted historical data to calculate the probability of vehicle 4's presence for each month, day of the week, time of day, and location (e.g., near the creditor's home (residence), commercial facility A frequently used by the debtor), as shown in Figure 2. The control unit 11 calculates the probability of vehicle 4's presence by calculating the percentage of the time window in which vehicle 4 is parked relative to the time period / aggregation period set as described above. Figure 2 shows the aggregated probability of vehicle 4 being present in predetermined locations (near home, commercial facility A, on the way to location B) for each month, day of the week, and time of day.

[0024] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 2, the control unit 11 may calculate the probability of vehicle 4 being present on the way to a predetermined location B, for example. Also, the control unit 11 always calculates the probability of vehicle 4 being present in the "time period, near home, commercial facility A" indicated as "main" in Figure 2, and may calculate the probability of vehicle 4 being present in the "day of the week, on the way to location B" indicated as "sub" as needed. In addition, the control unit 11 may perform the calculation of the probability of vehicle 4 being present when vehicle 4, which is the target of debt collection, has been generated and sufficient historical data has been accumulated in the vehicle history DB 12 (for example, one week's worth of historical data has been accumulated).

[0025] In this way, the debt collection server 1 calculates the probability of the vehicle 4 existing based on historical data, and determines whether the vehicle 4 is present at a predetermined location at a predetermined time based on that probability, thereby identifying the location and time for recovering the vehicle 4.

[0026] When calculating the probability of vehicle 4's presence, the control unit 11 may also verify the validity of the vehicle 4's stopping position included in the historical data. In this case, the control unit 11 first determines, based on predetermined location information, whether or not the stopping position included in the historical data is a valid position.

[0027] "Predetermined location information" includes, for example, information about at least one of the following: a predetermined range from the home of a creditor using vehicle 4, a predetermined range from a location with predetermined attributes, and a predetermined range from a location pre-set by geofencing. All of this information is stored in the debt management DB 22.

[0028] "A location with specified attributes" refers to a location suitable for debt negotiations between the debtor and the creditor. Suitable locations for debt negotiations include, for example, the debtor's facilities other than their company (e.g., commercial facilities) and the debtor's home.

[0029] "Locations pre-defined by geofencing" refer to locations where the debtor frequently parks, such as parking lots near the debtor's home. Furthermore, these "locations pre-defined by geofencing" are registered in advance by the business operator (creditor).

[0030] In this case, the control unit 11 determines that the parking position of vehicle 4 included in the history data is valid if, for example, the parking position is within a predetermined range from the creditor's home. The control unit 11 also determines that the parking position of vehicle 4 included in the history data is valid if, for example, the parking position is within a predetermined range from commercial facility A. The control unit 11 also determines that the parking position of vehicle 4 included in the history data is valid if, for example, the parking position is within a predetermined range from a parking lot near the debtor's home.

[0031] Next, the control unit 11 performs a process to determine whether or not the vehicle 4 is present at a predetermined location at a predetermined time, and determines whether or not the vehicle 4 is present at a predetermined location at a predetermined time based on the parking position which has been determined to be a valid location. Alternatively, the control unit 11 may first determine whether or not the vehicle 4 is present at a predetermined location at a predetermined time, and then determine the validity of the location where the vehicle 4 is present (=parking position).

[0032] In this way, the debt collection server 1 can accurately identify the location and time for retrieving the vehicle 4 by confirming (filtering) the validity of the vehicle 4's parking position and then determining whether the vehicle 4 is present at a predetermined location at a predetermined time.

[0033] Here, the historical data acquired by the control unit 11 from the vehicle information server 3 may include information about the vehicle 4's past travel route. In this case, the control unit 11 performs the following process to determine whether the vehicle 4 is present at a predetermined location at a predetermined time. First, the control unit 11 acquires the vehicle 4's current location information using the positioning unit 42, which is a GPS device mounted on the vehicle 4. That is, the control unit 11 acquires the vehicle 4's current location information detected by the positioning unit 42 from the vehicle 4 via the network N. Subsequently, the control unit 11 determines whether the vehicle 4 is present at a predetermined location at a predetermined time in the future, based on the vehicle 4's past travel route and the vehicle 4's current location information.

[0034] Furthermore, the control unit 11 may determine where vehicle 4 is currently heading based on the vehicle 4's past travel route and its current location information. In this case, for example, if the history data includes information about a route taken to home between 6 PM and 7 PM in the past, and vehicle 4 is on a route to home between 6 PM and 7 PM in the same way, the control unit 11 will determine that vehicle 4 is heading home.

[0035] In this way, the debt collection server 1 can use information about the vehicle 4's past travel route (where it went) to predict where the vehicle 4 will stop in the future and where the vehicle 4 is currently headed.

[0036] The Vehicle History DB12 is a database that stores various information about vehicle 4. For example, for multiple vehicles 4 used by the debtor, the Vehicle History DB12 retrieves and stores information consisting of the past parking locations of vehicle 4 and the parking time of vehicle 4 at those locations (hereinafter referred to as "parking location time information") from the Vehicle Information Server 3.

[0037] Furthermore, the vehicle history DB12 acquires and stores information indicating the operating status of multiple vehicles 4 used by the debtor (hereinafter referred to as "vehicle status information") from the vehicle information server 3. Examples of vehicle status information include the current location information of vehicle 4 and information regarding the operating status of vehicle 4 (IG-ON / IG-OFF, vehicle speed, etc.). In this embodiment, information consisting of parking location time information and vehicle status information is defined as "history data".

[0038] The display device 13 is implemented by, for example, a liquid crystal display (LCD), an organic light-emitting diode (OLED), etc. The input device 14 is implemented by, for example, a keyboard, a pointing device, etc.

[0039] The communication unit 15 consists of, for example, a LAN interface board and a wireless communication circuit for wireless communication. The communication unit 15 exchanges information with the debt management server 2 and the vehicle information server 3 via communication over the network N.

[0040] (Debt management server) The debt management server 2 is for managing debts related to vehicle 4. As shown in Figure 1, the debt management server 2 includes a debt management system 21, a debt management database 22, and a communication unit 23.

[0041] The debt management system 21 transmits information to the debt collection server 1 to identify the vehicle 4 (e.g., vehicle identification number (VIN number)) when a vehicle 4 managed by the debt management DB 22 becomes subject to debt collection. "A vehicle 4 becoming subject to collection" refers to situations such as a default occurring regarding the contract for that vehicle 4.

[0042] The debt management DB22 stores information for identifying vehicle 4 (e.g., vehicle identification number (VIN number), etc.) and information regarding debts related to vehicle 4 (e.g., loan receivables, lease receivables, etc.). In addition to the above, the debt management DB22 may also store information regarding the home address of the creditor of vehicle 4 (hereinafter referred to as "creditor address"). In addition to the above, the debt management DB22 may also store information regarding locations with predetermined attributes (hereinafter referred to as "attribute information") and information regarding locations pre-set by geofences (hereinafter referred to as "geofence information").

[0043] The communication unit 23 consists of, for example, a LAN interface board, a wireless communication circuit for wireless communication, etc. The communication unit 23 exchanges information with the debt collection server 1 via communication over the network N.

[0044] (Vehicle information server) The vehicle information server 3 comprises a control unit 31, a vehicle information database 32, and a communication unit 33.

[0045] The control unit 31 is implemented by a processor, such as a CPU, and a memory (main memory unit), such as RAM or ROM. The control unit 31 acquires parking position time information from the vehicle 4 and transmits the acquired parking position time information to the debt collection server 1. The control unit 31 also transmits vehicle status information acquired from the vehicle 4 to the debt collection server 1 in accordance with a request from the debt collection server 1.

[0046] The vehicle information DB32 stores parking location and time information and vehicle status information obtained from vehicle 4. The vehicle information DB32 transmits the parking location and time information and vehicle status information to the debt collection server 1 in accordance with a request from the debt collection server 1.

[0047] The communication unit 33 consists of, for example, a LAN interface board and a wireless communication circuit for wireless communication. The communication unit 33 exchanges information with the debt collection server 1, the debt management server 2 and the vehicle 4 via communication over the network N.

[0048] (vehicle) Vehicle 4 is, for example, a conventional engine vehicle (convection vehicle), a hybrid vehicle (HEV: Hybrid Electric Vehicle), a plug-in hybrid vehicle (PHEV: Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle), etc. Vehicle 4 may also be, for example, a fuel cell vehicle (FCEV: Fuel Cell Electric Vehicle), an electric vehicle (BEV: Battery Electric Vehicle), etc. Vehicle 4 is equipped with an ECU 41, a positioning unit 42, and a communication unit 43.

[0049] The ECU41 is an electronic control unit whose main components are a microcomputer consisting of, for example, a CPU, ROM, RAM, etc. When the vehicle 4 is stopped and the ignition is turned off (IG-OFF), the ECU41 transmits the stopping position and time information to the vehicle information server 3. The ECU41 also transmits vehicle status information to the vehicle information server 3 in accordance with requests from the vehicle information server 3.

[0050] The positioning unit 42 detects the current position of the vehicle 4 by receiving radio waves from, for example, GPS satellites. Note that the method for detecting the current position of the vehicle 4 is not limited to the method using GPS satellites, but for example, LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging, Laser Imaging Detection and Methods combining Ranging and 3D maps may also be used.

[0051] The communication unit 43 is composed of, for example, a DCM (Data Communication Module). The communication unit 43 exchanges information with the vehicle information server 3 via communication over the network N.

[0052] (Debt collection server, debt management server, vehicle information server, information exchange within vehicles) An example of information exchange between debt collection server 1, debt management server 2, vehicle information server 3, and vehicle 4 will be explained with reference to Figure 3.

[0053] Vehicle 4 transmits the stopping location and time information to the vehicle information server 3 each time it stops and the ignition is turned off (IG-OFF).

[0054] The control unit 11 of the debt collection server 1 sends a request for parking location time information to the vehicle information server 3 at regular intervals (e.g., every hour, every 30 minutes). In response, the vehicle information server 3 sends the parking location time information to the vehicle history DB 12 of the debt collection server 1. The control unit 11 may also set a collection period (e.g., one week) when collecting parking location time information and collect parking location time information within that period and store it in the vehicle history DB 12.

[0055] Furthermore, the control unit 11 sends a request for vehicle status information to the vehicle information server 3 at regular intervals (e.g., every hour, every 30 minutes). Subsequently, the vehicle information server 3 forwards the request for vehicle status information to the vehicle 4. In response, the vehicle 4 sends the vehicle status information to the vehicle information server 3. Subsequently, the vehicle information server 3 forwards the received vehicle status information to the vehicle history DB 12. The control unit 11 may also set a collection period (e.g., one week) in advance when collecting vehicle status information, and collect vehicle status information within that collection period and store it in the vehicle history DB 12.

[0056] Furthermore, the control unit 11 triggers a request for parking location and time information and vehicle status information from the vehicle history DB 12 when a vehicle 4 that has become subject to debt collection occurs and information for identifying vehicle 4 is received from the debt management system 21. The control unit 11 then retrieves the parking location and time information and vehicle status information from the vehicle history DB 12.

[0057] Next, the control unit 11 calculates the probability of vehicle 4's existence based on historical data consisting of parking position and time information and vehicle status information. Subsequently, the control unit 11 sends a request for the creditor's address to the debt management DB 22 and obtains the creditor's address from the debt management DB 22. Subsequently, the control unit 11 determines whether the parking position of vehicle 4 included in the parking position and time information is valid or not, based on the creditor's address. Note that in Figure 3, the validity determination of vehicle 4's parking position is made after calculating the probability of vehicle 4's existence, but the probability of vehicle 4's existence may also be calculated after determining the validity of vehicle 4's parking position.

[0058] Next, the control unit 11 displays the parking positions of the vehicles 4 for which the probability of existence has been calculated as information about potential recovery locations on the display device 13. At this time, the control unit 11 may display all the parking positions for which the probability of existence has been calculated on the display device 13, for example, sorted in descending order of probability of existence, or it may extract parking positions for which the probability of existence is above a predetermined threshold, sort them in descending order of probability of existence, and display them on the display device 13. Alternatively, the control unit 11 may extract only the parking position with the highest probability of existence and display it on the display device 13.

[0059] (Processing on the debt collection server) An example of the processing flow in the debt collection server 1 will be explained with reference to Figure 4. The following explanation assumes that at the start of processing, a vehicle 4 has been identified as a target for debt collection, and that sufficient historical data has been accumulated in the vehicle history DB 12 (for example, one week's worth of historical data).

[0060] First, the control unit 11 sets the time period / aggregation period for calculating the probability of existence (step S1). "Setting the time period / aggregation period" indicates which time period / period of historical data (parking position time information, vehicle status information) of the vehicle 4 acquired from the vehicle information server 3 will be used to calculate the probability of existence. For example, Figure 2 above shows an example where the time period is set to "10:00 to 13:00" and the aggregation period is set to the two-month period of "June to July" to calculate the probability of existence of vehicle 4.

[0061] Next, the control unit 11 obtains parking location and time information and vehicle status information from the vehicle information server 3 (step S2). Next, the control unit 11 obtains creditor address, attribute information, and geofence information from the debt management DB 22 (step S3). Next, based on the parking location and time information and vehicle status information, the control unit 11 calculates the probability of vehicle 4 being present for each time period and location, as shown in Figure 2 above (step S4).

[0062] Next, the control unit 11 determines whether the parking position of the vehicle 4, whose probability of existence has been calculated based on the creditor's address, attribute information, and geofence information, is valid (step S5). Note that the determination in step S5 may be performed before step S4.

[0063] If the control unit 11 determines that the parking position of vehicle 4 for which the probability of existence has been calculated is valid (Yes in step S5), it displays the parking positions of vehicle 4 on the display device 13, sorted, for example, in descending order of probability of existence (step S6), and completes this process. On the other hand, if the control unit 11 determines that the parking position of vehicle 4 for which the probability of existence has been calculated is not valid (No in step S5), it registers it as an unknown position, for example, in the vehicle history DB 12 (step S7), and completes this process.

[0064] In the debt collection device according to the embodiment described above, information regarding the parking location of the vehicle 4 to be collected is analyzed based on historical data, at least for each time period and location. This makes it possible to identify at which time period and location one should go to encounter the vehicle 4 to be collected.

[0065] Therefore, according to the debt collection device of this embodiment, by determining the existence of vehicle 4 from the history of its parking location and parking time, it is possible to accurately identify the location and time suitable for recovering vehicle 4. As a result, for example, if payment for a leased vehicle is not made, it becomes possible to specify the location of the identified vehicle 4 and have the court issue a warrant, thereby smoothly recovering (compulsory execution) vehicle 4.

[0066] Further effects and modifications can be readily derived by those skilled in the art. Therefore, broader aspects of the present invention are not limited to the specific details and representative embodiments expressed and described above. Accordingly, various modifications are possible without departing from the spirit or scope of the overall concept of the invention as defined by the appended claims and their equivalents. [Explanation of symbols]

[0067] 1. Debt collection server 11 Control Unit 12 Vehicle History Database 13 Display device 14 Input devices 15 Communications Department 2. Debt Management Server 21. Accounts Receivable Management System 22 Accounts Receivable Management Database 23 Communications Department 3. Vehicle Information Server 31 Control Unit 32 Vehicle Information Database 33 Communications Department 4 vehicles 41 ECU 42 Positioning Unit 43 Communications Department N Network

Claims

1. Equipped with a processor and display, The aforementioned processor, The system acquires historical data including the vehicle's past stopping positions and the stopping time of the vehicle at those positions. Based on the aforementioned historical data, it is determined whether the vehicle targeted for debt collection is present at a predetermined location at a predetermined time. If it is determined that the vehicle exists, the predetermined time and predetermined location are output to the display. Debt collection device.

2. The process of determining whether the vehicle is present at a predetermined location at a predetermined time is: Based on the aforementioned historical data, the probability of the vehicle's presence is calculated for each month, day of the week, or location. The process includes determining whether the vehicle is present at a predetermined location at a predetermined time, based on whether the probability of existence is above a predetermined threshold. The debt collection device according to claim 1.

3. The processor determines, based on predetermined location information, whether the stopping position included in the history data is a valid position. The process for determining whether the vehicle is present in a predetermined location at a predetermined time includes determining whether the vehicle is present in a predetermined location at a predetermined time based on the parking position which has been determined to be a valid position. The debt collection device according to claim 1.

4. The debt collection device according to claim 3, wherein the predetermined location information is information relating to at least one of the following: a predetermined range from the home of the creditor using the vehicle, a predetermined range from a location having predetermined attributes, and a predetermined range from a location set in advance by geofence.

5. The aforementioned historical data includes information regarding the vehicle's past travel routes. The process of determining whether the vehicle is present at a predetermined location at a predetermined time is: Using the GPS device mounted on the vehicle, the current location information of the vehicle is acquired. This includes determining whether the vehicle will be at a predetermined location at a predetermined time in the future, based on the vehicle's past travel route and the vehicle's current location information. The debt collection device according to claim 1.

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