Vehicle usage support methods

Abstract

This provides a method for smoothly operating a shared vehicle system. [Solution] In a vehicle usage support system in which a server terminal and multiple user terminals are connected via a network, a method for supporting the use of a jointly owned vehicle by users is as follows: The control unit of the server terminal receives information on a first mileage at the start of vehicle use from the user's user terminal, receives information on a second mileage and refueling status at the end of vehicle use from the user terminal, and calculates the fuel cost consumed by the user based on a comparison of the information on the first mileage and the information on the second mileage, the refueling status, and information on the vehicle's fuel cost and fuel efficiency stored in the server terminal's storage unit.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention mainly relates to a method for executing vehicle use support, including performing settlement support for the fuel cost of a vehicle jointly used by users.

Background Art

[0002] Recently, a so-called car-sharing service in which a vehicle is jointly used among multiple users has become widespread.

[0003] Normally, in a car-sharing service, in order to maintain smooth vehicle use among multiple users, incentives or penalties for prompting users to refuel are provided, or the service provider performs refueling as part of maintenance. Patent Document 1 discloses an example in which a driver substitutes refuels the vehicle as part of the service provider performing maintenance.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] However, starting from the technology disclosed in Patent Document 1, as a management form of the refueling state of a vehicle by joint use, it is common to assume that the car-sharing operator performs maintenance, and furthermore, there are many cases where the operation is carried out by encouraging users to refuel. On the other hand, in the joint use of highly rare vehicles such as classic cars, unlike ordinary car-sharing services, there is a problem that the number of vehicles and users is small, so the resources allocated to refueling management are limited.

[0006] Therefore, the present invention aims to enable the smooth operation of vehicles shared by users. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] A method for supporting the use of a jointly owned vehicle by a user, in one aspect of the present invention, wherein the control unit of a server terminal receives information regarding a first mileage at the start of use of the vehicle from the user's user terminal, receives information regarding a second mileage and refueling status at the end of use of the vehicle from the user terminal, and calculates the fuel cost consumed by the user based on a comparison of the information regarding the first mileage and the information regarding the second mileage, the refueling status, and information regarding the fuel cost and fuel efficiency of the vehicle stored in the storage unit of the server terminal. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] According to the present invention, it is possible to ensure the smooth operation of vehicles shared by users. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0009] [Figure 1] This is a block diagram showing a vehicle utilization support system according to the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] Figure 1 is a functional block diagram showing the server terminal 100. [Figure 3] Figure 1 is a functional block diagram showing the user terminal 200. [Figure 4] This figure shows an example of user data stored in server terminal 100. [Figure 5] This figure shows an example of product data stored in server terminal 100. [Figure 6] This is a flowchart showing an example of a vehicle utilization support method according to the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 7] An example of a confirmation screen displayed on a user terminal at the start of vehicle use, according to the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 8] This flowchart shows another example of a vehicle utilization support method according to the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 9] An example of a confirmation screen displayed on a user terminal at the end of vehicle use, according to the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 10] This flowchart shows yet another example of a vehicle utilization support method according to the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 11] An example of a fuel cost settlement screen displayed on a user terminal according to the first embodiment of the present invention is provided. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0010] Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. The embodiments described below are not intended to unduly limit the scope of the present invention as described in the claims. Furthermore, not all components shown in the embodiments are necessarily essential components of the present invention.

[0011] <Structure> Figure 1 is a block diagram showing a vehicle utilization support method according to a first embodiment of the present invention. This system 1 includes, for example, a server terminal 100 that accepts registration of product information for products (in this example, vehicles such as passenger cars including classic cars), provides product information to users who wish to own the products, and manages information of users who own the products, as well as user terminals 200A and 200B managed by users. For the sake of explanation, each terminal is described as a single or specific number, but there is no limit to the number of each.

[0012] Server terminal 100, user terminals 200A and 200B, and user terminals 200A and 300B are each connected via network NW1. Network NW consists of the Internet, intranet, wireless LAN (Local Area Network), WAN (Wide Area Network), etc.

[0013] The server terminal 100 may be a general-purpose computer such as a workstation or a personal computer, or may be logically realized by cloud computing.

[0014] The user terminals 200A and 200B are information processing devices such as personal computers or tablet terminals, for example, but may also be configured by smartphones, mobile phones, PDAs, etc.

[0015] In this embodiment, the system 1 includes the server terminal 100 and the user terminals 200A and 200B, and will be described as a configuration in which the users of each terminal use their respective terminals to operate on the server terminal 100. However, the server terminal 100 may be configured stand-alone and may have a function for each user to directly perform operations on the server terminal itself. Hereinafter, the user terminals 200A and 200B will be collectively referred to as the user terminal 200 as necessary.

[0016] FIG. 2 is a functional block configuration diagram of the server terminal 100 in FIG. 1. The server terminal 100 includes a communication unit 110, a storage unit 120, and a control unit 130.

[0017] The communication unit 110 is a communication interface for communicating with the user terminal 200 via the network NW1, and communication is performed according to a communication protocol such as TCP / IP (Transmission Control Protocol / Internet Protocol), for example.

[0018] The storage unit 120 stores programs for executing various control processes and functions within the control unit 130, input data, etc., and is composed of RAM (Random Access Memory), ROM (Read Only Memory), etc. The storage unit 120 also has a user data storage unit 121 that stores various data related to the owner and user, and a product data storage unit 122 that stores information about products registered by the owner. A database (not shown) containing various data may be built outside the storage unit 120 or the server terminal 100.

[0019] The control unit 130 controls the overall operation of the server terminal 100 by executing programs stored in the memory unit 120, and is composed of a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), etc. The functions of the control unit 130 include an information receiving unit 131 that receives information from each user terminal, a user information processing unit 132 that refers to and processes various data related to the user, and a product information processing unit 133 that refers to and processes various data related to product information. The information receiving unit 131, the user information processing unit 132, and the product information processing unit 133 are started by programs stored in the memory unit 120 and executed by the server terminal 100, which is a computer (electronic computer).

[0020] The information receiving unit 131 receives information from the user terminal 200 via the communication unit 110. For example, it receives information from the user terminal 200, such as a request to purchase a product, through information input using a prescribed form or the like.

[0021] The user information processing unit 132 refers to various user-related data (for example, user data 1000 described later) received from the user terminal 200 and performs predetermined processing.

[0022] The product information processing unit 133 refers to various data related to product information (for example, product data 2000 described later) and performs predetermined processing.

[0023] Furthermore, the control unit 130 may also have a screen generation unit (not shown) that generates screen information to be displayed via the user interface of the user terminal 200 as needed. For example, using image and text data (not shown) stored in the storage unit 120 as material, the user interface is generated by arranging various images and text in predetermined areas of the user interface according to predetermined layout rules. Processing related to the image generation unit can also be performed by a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit).

[0024] Figure 3 is a functional block diagram showing the user terminal 200 in Figure 1. The user terminal 200 comprises a communication unit 310, a display operation unit 320, a storage unit 330, and a control unit 340.

[0025] The communication unit 310 is a communication interface for communicating with the server terminal 100 via the network NW, and communication is performed using a communication protocol such as TCP / IP.

[0026] The display operation unit 320 is a user interface used to display text, images, etc., in response to user input and input data from the control unit 340. If the user terminal 200 is a personal computer, it consists of a display and a keyboard or mouse; if the user terminal 200 is a smartphone or tablet, it consists of a touch panel, etc. This display operation unit 320 is activated by a control program stored in the storage unit 330 and executed by the user terminal 200, which is a computer (electronic calculator).

[0027] The memory unit 330 stores programs for executing various control processes and functions within the control unit 340, input data, etc., and is composed of RAM, ROM, etc. The memory unit 330 also temporarily stores the contents of communications with the server terminal 100.

[0028] The control unit 340 controls the overall operation of the user terminal 200 by executing programs stored in the memory unit 330, and is composed of a CPU, GPU, etc.

[0029] Figure 4 shows an example of user data stored in server 100.

[0030] The user data 1000 shown in Figure 4 stores various data related to the owner. In Figure 4, for the sake of explanation, an example of one owner (for example, per owner) (a user identified by user ID "10001") is shown, but information for multiple users can be stored. Various data related to the user may include, but are not limited to, basic information about the user (for example, username, name, address, contact information (email address, phone number), etc.), transaction information (for example, information on purchased (desired or confirmed) vehicles, purchase amount, etc.), reservation information (application and confirmation information of the purchaser's reservation), and fuel cost information (for example, the user's fuel cost settlement history, debt information, etc.).

[0031] Figure 5 shows an example of product data stored in server 100.

[0032] Product data 2000 stores various data related to the product. This data may include, but is not limited to, basic information (e.g., vehicle name, model, year of manufacture, price, vehicle description, image, rights information (number of buyers), information regarding garage certification, etc.), product transaction information (e.g., purchasing (desired or confirmed) user, purchase amount, etc.), reservation information (reservation application and confirmation information by the owning user, product purchase loan information (e.g., purchase loan payment user, payment amount, remaining balance, etc.)), and fuel cost information (e.g., settlement history information for each user's fuel costs, odometer history information when each user uses the vehicle, fuel status when each user uses the vehicle, fuel efficiency information registered for each vehicle (mileage per liter), fuel cost setting information (price per liter of gasoline, fuel type (premium, regular), etc.)). Here, regarding the product, when a product transaction is concluded with a user, the product transaction intermediary business operator operating the product transaction platform and managing the server terminal 100 receives information from a third party regarding the vehicle. The goods are purchased. In this case, the commodity trading intermediary becomes the primary owner, and each of the multiple users who purchase the goods through the trading platform becomes a secondary owner. The commodity trading intermediary borrows a loan from a financial institution, etc., to purchase the goods, makes installment payments of the purchase price to the third party that provided the goods, and accepts payments equivalent to the loan amount based on the contract between the users. In addition, the commodity trading intermediary, as the owner of the goods, obtains a parking certificate for the vehicle, and each of the multiple users who purchase and (secondarily) own the goods can make a reservation for use (ride). To ensure fairness in use among users, the parking garage is located near the commodity trading intermediary's business premises, and users can reserve the use of the parked vehicle through scheduling adjustments. Note that the loan borrowing is not limited to the commodity trading intermediary; each of the multiple users can also borrow directly.

[0033] <Processing flow> Referring to Figures 6 and subsequent figures, the processing flow of the method for supporting the use of collectible cars and other products (vehicles) executed by System 1 of this embodiment will be explained. Figure 6 is a flowchart showing an example of a method for supporting the use of a vehicle when a user starts using the vehicle, according to the first embodiment of the present invention. In addition, the user terminal 100 can be replaced with a vehicle terminal (not shown) attached to the vehicle, and this embodiment can be applied below.

[0034] First, as a preprocessing step before step S101, the user uses a web browser or application on the user terminal 200 to perform the procedure for starting use of a vehicle owned by the user. When the user refers to the reservation information via the user terminal 200 and sends a request to start use, the information receiving unit 131 of the control unit 130 of the server terminal 100 receives the request to start use via the communication unit 110. In response to the request to start use, the user information processing unit 132 of the control unit 130 refers to the user data storage unit 121 of the storage unit 120 as user data 1000, refers to the user's reservation information, confirms the reservation time for the user's target vehicle, and stores the information necessary for starting use, such as the start time, in the user data storage unit 121 of the storage unit 120. In addition, the product information processing unit 133 of the control unit 130 refers to the product data storage unit 123 of the storage unit 120, refers to the odometer information of the target vehicle, and sends the currently registered odometer information (mileage information) to the user terminal 200.

[0035] Next, as part of step S101, the user refers to the currently registered odometer information displayed on the user terminal 200, verifies whether the information (mileage) is correct, and if it is correct, sends a confirmation request that the mileage is correct. If it is incorrect, the user sends the actual mileage displayed on the vehicle to the user terminal 200 using a predetermined operation (as shown in Figure 7, by inputting "yes" to the question "Is this correct?" or "no" to the question "Is this correct?" and then entering the correct value). The information receiving unit 131 of the control unit 130 of the server terminal 100 then receives the confirmation information regarding the odometer. If the server terminal 100 and the target vehicle are connected via a network, the vehicle can also send information regarding the odometer's mileage to the server terminal 100.

[0036] Next, as part of step S102, the product information processing unit 133 of the control unit 130 of the server terminal 100 registers the vehicle's current mileage by storing the received odometer information in the product data storage unit 123 of the storage unit 120.

[0037] Figure 8 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a method for supporting vehicle use when a user finishes using a vehicle, according to the first embodiment of the present invention. First, as a preprocessing step, the user performs a procedure for ending vehicle use using a web browser or application on the user terminal 200. When the user refers to the reservation information via the user terminal 200 and sends a request to end use, the information receiving unit 131 of the control unit 130 of the server terminal 100 receives the request to end use via the communication unit 110. In response to the request to end use, the user information processing unit 132 of the control unit 130 refers to the user data storage unit 121 of the storage unit 120 as user data 1000, refers to the user's reservation information, confirms the reservation time for the user's target vehicle, and stores information necessary for ending use, such as the end time of use, in the user data storage unit 121 of the storage unit 120. Here, the above request to end use can be replaced with, for example, a request for settlement of fuel costs, in which case the server terminal 100 can perform the processing corresponding to the request for settlement of fuel costs, which will be described later. Then, the product information processing unit 133 of the control unit 130 refers to the product data storage unit 122 of the storage unit 120 and refers to the odometer information of the target vehicle to generate information for fuel expense settlement and transmits screen information for fuel expense settlement to the user terminal 200.

[0038] Next, as part of step S201, the user refers to a screen for fuel cost settlement displayed on the user terminal 200, such as the one shown in Figure 9, and confirms the vehicle's odometer information (mileage) at the current time (end of use). When the user enters the odometer information (mileage) into the screen, the information receiving unit 131 of the control unit 130 of the server terminal 100 receives the confirmation information regarding the odometer. If the server terminal 100 and the target vehicle are connected via a network, the vehicle can also send odometer mileage information to the server terminal 100.

[0039] Next, in step S202, the user refers to a screen for fuel expense settlement displayed on the user terminal 200, such as the one shown in Figure 9, and confirms whether the vehicle was refueled near the return location. The information receiving unit 131 of the control unit 130 of the server terminal 100 then receives confirmation information regarding whether the refueling was done near the return location (at the end of use) or at a location far from the return location (during use). If the server terminal 100 and the target vehicle are connected via a network, the location of the gas station the vehicle stopped at and the location of the return location can be determined based on location information such as GPS, and the location where the vehicle refueled can be determined. If the user refuels at the end of their use, the information receiving unit 131 of the control unit 130 of the server terminal 100 receives information regarding the refueling status (whether it was full, or information regarding the remaining amount if not full) from the user terminal 200. The product information processing unit 133 of the control unit 130 of the server terminal 100 then registers the received odometer information, along with information that refueling was performed at the end of use and the refueling status (for example, information that it was "full"), by storing it in the product data storage unit 122 of the storage unit 120.

[0040] Next, if the confirmation information for the above question indicates that refueling was performed during use, as part of step S203, the user refers to a screen displayed on the user terminal 200, for example, as shown in Figure 10, which presents questions about the refueling status and the refueling location. The user inputs information regarding the refueling status (whether it was full, or information about the remaining amount if not full) and information regarding the distance from the return location to the refueling location. The information receiving unit 131 of the control unit 130 of the server terminal 100 then receives the information regarding the refueling status and the refueling location. The product information processing unit 133 of the control unit 130 of the server terminal 100 registers the received odometer information, along with the information that refueling was performed during use, the information regarding the refueling status (for example, "full"), and the information regarding the refueling location (distance from the return location to the refueling location), by storing it in the product data storage unit 122 of the storage unit 120.

[0041] Figure 11 is a flowchart showing an example of a vehicle fuel cost settlement method according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

[0042] First, as part of step S301, the product information processing unit 133 of the control unit 130 of the server terminal 100 refers to the registered odometer information, confirmation information on whether refueling was performed at the end of use or during use (if refueling was performed during use, information on the distance from the return location to the refueling location), and the vehicle's fuel status ("full" or information on remaining fuel), compares it with the history information (odometer information, fuel status information) of the user immediately preceding the current user, calculates the fuel cost refueled by that user based on the target vehicle's fuel efficiency information and fuel cost setting information. In the example shown in Figure 12, the estimated fuel consumption is derived based on the mileage determined by the fuel efficiency information and odometer, and the fuel cost consumed by the user is calculated as an estimated value from the set fuel type and fuel cost. The product information processing unit 133 registers the calculated fuel cost for that user by storing it in the product data storage unit 122 and the user data storage unit 121.

[0043] Next, as part of step S302, the user information processing unit 133 of the control unit 130 of the server terminal 100 calculates the user's liability. If the user did not refuel their vehicle (for example, if they answered "no" to the question "Did you refuel?" sent from the server terminal 100), the product information processing unit 133 of the control unit 130 of the server terminal 100 registers the calculated fuel cost as a liability by storing it in the user data storage unit 122. In this example, assuming that a user refueled the vehicle during this use but did not refuel during the previous use, the user information processing unit 132 of the control unit 130 of the server terminal 100 refers to the user data storage unit 121 and calculates a difference of "1697 yen" based on the user's fuel cost for this use (3088 yen according to the example in Figure 12) and the user's debt from previous uses (1391 yen according to the example in Figure 12). The user's debt is then considered settled and registered in the user storage unit 121 along with the difference. Furthermore, in the above example, if the user refueled the vehicle during use, the product information processing unit 133 of the control unit 130 of the server terminal 100 determines that refueling did not occur during the distance from the refueling point to the return point, calculates the fuel cost from the refueling point to the return point, and registers the calculated fuel cost as a debt. Furthermore, the user information processing unit 132 checks the user's debt amount at predetermined intervals (for example, monthly or yearly) and sends billing information for the debt amount to the user terminal 200, allowing the user to settle their fuel costs. If a user owns multiple vehicles, since the fuel efficiency and set fuel cost differ for each vehicle, the server terminal 100 manages the user's debt for each vehicle owned by that user, calculates the total amount of debt at predetermined intervals, and sends billing information to the user terminal 200 along with a breakdown for each vehicle.

[0044] In the case of services related to shared vehicle ownership specializing in rare vehicles such as classic cars, the number of vehicles and owner users is small, which limits the resources that service operators can allocate to fuel management. Against this backdrop, checking the fuel status each time a vehicle is used can hinder the smooth use of vehicles among users. Therefore, as in this embodiment, by managing and comparing the fuel costs and liabilities incurred by each user through refueling (Fuel Matching), it is possible to encourage users to take initiative in refueling and realize smooth vehicle operation.

[0045] Although embodiments of the invention have been described above, these can be implemented in various other forms, and can be carried out by various omissions, substitutions, and modifications. These embodiments and variations, as well as those with omissions, substitutions, and modifications, are included within the technical scope of the claims and their equivalents.

[0046] For example, in this embodiment, instead of vehicles such as passenger cars, ownership of rare, expensive, and difficult-to-own items such as boats and motorcycles can also be similarly provided to multiple users, and the same fuel cost settlement mechanism can be applied.

[0047] Furthermore, by managing the ownership of the above-mentioned products, including vehicles, as NFTs (Non-Fungible Tokens) and recording transaction history and ownership on a blockchain network connected via server terminal 100, transactions can be executed in a way that guarantees reliability. In this process, the image data to be held can be distributed to users as NFT content, allowing users to enjoy collecting digital content while also enjoying the benefits associated with ownership in an offline setting. [Explanation of symbols]

[0048] 1 System: 100 Server terminal, 110 Communication unit, 120 Storage unit, 130 Control unit, 200 User terminal, NW1 Network

Claims

1. A method to support the use of jointly owned vehicles by users, The control unit of the server terminal is: The user terminal of the aforementioned user receives information regarding the first mileage at the start of use of the vehicle. The user terminal receives information regarding the second mileage and refueling status at the end of the vehicle's use. Based on a comparison of the first mileage information and the second mileage information, the refueling status, and the fuel cost information and fuel efficiency information of the vehicle stored in the storage unit of the server terminal, A method for calculating the fuel costs incurred by the aforementioned user.

2. The method according to claim 1, The control unit, A method for registering a user's failure to use the vehicle by storing the fuel cost as a liability in the storage unit.

3. The method according to claim 2, The control unit, A method for registering the difference between the fuel cost and the debt by storing it in the storage unit.

4. The method according to claim 1, The control unit, A method for receiving information from the user terminal regarding the distance between the vehicle's refueling location and the vehicle's return location.

5. The method according to claim 4, A method for calculating the fuel cost based on information regarding the distance between the vehicle's refueling location and the vehicle's return location.

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