Vehicle management server, vehicle management system, vehicle management method, and program

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to a vehicle management server for managing vehicles at a shop that lends out the vehicles. The vehicle management server comprises: an acquisition unit that acquires information about the location of a terminal carried by a staff member who operates a vehicle among staff members of the shop; an identification unit that identifies a parking lot where the vehicle is parked on the basis of a parking lot location entered in advance and information about the location of the terminal carried by the staff member who operates the vehicle; a registration unit that registers the parking lot where the vehicle is parked and a vehicle condition, which indicates a degree of inspection of the vehicle entered from the terminal carried by the staff member of the shop, in association with each other in a first database; and a management unit that manages the information registered in the first database in a manner allowing the information to be viewed on terminals carried by respective staff members of the shop.

Description

Vehicle management server, vehicle management system, vehicle management method, and program

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a vehicle management server, a vehicle management system, a vehicle management method, and a program.

[0002] Various technologies have been proposed for managing vehicles rented to users at rental car shops. For example, Patent Literature 1 describes a technology for managing deadlines such as six-month inspection dates, twelve-month inspection dates, and vehicle inspection dates for vehicles.

[0003] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-259147

[0004] However, the technology described in Patent Document 1 is a technology for managing the inspection status of vehicles that are rented to users over a long period of time, such as six-month inspections, twelve-month inspections, and vehicle inspections, but is not a technology for managing the inspection status of vehicles that are rented to users over a short period of time, such as daily inspections. Therefore, the technology described in Patent Document 1 does not make it easy to manage vehicles that are rented to users.

[0005] In view of the above-mentioned problems, an object of the present disclosure is to provide a vehicle management server, a vehicle management system, a vehicle management method, and a program that can easily manage vehicles rented to users.

[0006] A vehicle management server according to one embodiment is a vehicle management server that manages vehicles at a store that rents out vehicles, and comprises: an acquisition unit that acquires location information of a terminal held by a staff member at the store who operates the vehicle; an identification unit that identifies the parking lot where the vehicle is parked based on a pre-entered parking lot location and the location information of the terminal held by the staff member operating the vehicle; a registration unit that links the parking lot where the vehicle is parked with the vehicle status indicating the degree of inspection of the vehicle entered from the terminal held by the store staff member and registers the information registered in the first database; and a management unit that manages the information registered in the first database so that it can be viewed on the terminal held by each staff member at the store.

[0007] A vehicle management system according to one embodiment comprises: a vehicle management server that manages vehicles at a store that rents out vehicles; and terminals held by staff at the store, wherein the vehicle management server comprises: an acquisition unit that acquires location information of terminals held by staff at the store who operate vehicles; an identification unit that identifies the parking lot where the vehicle is parked based on a pre-entered parking lot location and the location information of the terminal held by the staff operating the vehicle; a registration unit that links the parking lot where the vehicle is parked with the vehicle status indicating the degree of inspection of the vehicle entered from the terminal held by the store staff and registers the information registered in the first database; and a management unit that manages the information registered in the first database so that it can be viewed on terminals held by each staff member at the store.

[0008] One embodiment of a vehicle management method is a vehicle management method executed by a vehicle management server that manages vehicles at a store that rents out vehicles, and includes: acquiring location information of a terminal held by a staff member at the store who operates the vehicle; identifying the parking lot where the vehicle is parked based on a pre-entered parking lot location and the location information of the terminal held by the staff member who operates the vehicle; linking the parking lot where the vehicle is parked with the vehicle condition, which indicates the degree of inspection of the vehicle and is entered from the terminal held by the store staff member, and registering the information registered in the first database; and managing the information registered in the first database so that it can be viewed on the terminal held by each staff member at the store.

[0009] In one embodiment, the program causes a computer that manages vehicles at a store that rents out vehicles to perform the following steps: acquire location information of a terminal held by a staff member at the store who operates the vehicle; identify the parking lot where the vehicle is parked based on a pre-entered parking lot location and the location information of the terminal held by the staff member who operates the vehicle; link the parking lot where the vehicle is parked with the vehicle condition, which indicates the degree of inspection of the vehicle and is entered from a terminal held by the store staff member, and register the linked information in a first database; and manage the information registered in the first database so that it can be viewed on a terminal held by each staff member at the store.

[0010] According to the above-described aspects, it is possible to provide a vehicle management server, a vehicle management system, a vehicle management method, and a program that can easily manage vehicles rented out to users.

[0011] 1 is a diagram showing an example of a rental car store. FIG. 1 is a flow diagram illustrating an example of a schematic processing flow when a user visits a rental car store in related technology. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a map representation of the premises of a rental car store applicable to the present disclosure. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a vehicle management system applicable to the present disclosure. FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a vehicle management server applicable to the present disclosure. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of a vehicle database applicable to the present disclosure. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of a daily inspection sheet applicable to the present disclosure. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of a parking lot outline manually input via an input unit applicable to the present disclosure. FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of a screen generated by a management unit applicable to the present disclosure. FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of a screen generated by a management unit applicable to the present disclosure. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a screen generated by a management unit applicable to the present disclosure. FIG. 11 is a flow diagram illustrating an example of a schematic operation flow of a vehicle management server applicable to the present disclosure. FIG. 12 is a diagram showing an example of a configuration of a vehicle management system applicable to the present disclosure. FIG. 13 is a flow diagram illustrating an example of a schematic operation flow of a vehicle management server applicable to the present disclosure.

[0012] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that the following description and drawings have been omitted and simplified as appropriate for clarity of explanation. In addition, in each of the following drawings, the same elements are given the same reference numerals, and duplicate explanations are omitted as necessary. Furthermore, specific numerical values ​​shown below are merely examples to facilitate understanding of the present disclosure, and are not limited thereto.

[0013] <Processing flow at a rental car store according to related technology> Before describing each embodiment of the present disclosure, a general processing flow according to related technology when a user visits a rental car store that rents out a vehicle will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2 .

[0014] As shown in FIG. 1, the rental car store has three parking lots: surface parking lots A and B, and multi-story parking lot C. A key management board is installed in the office where the rental car store staff handles reception and other tasks. Vehicles parked in each parking lot are locked in the space assigned to each parking lot on the key management board. The user has also reserved a vehicle in advance.

[0015] As shown in Figure 2, when a user visits a rental car store, a staff member first checks in the user. At this time, the staff member checks the registration number of the vehicle to be rented to the user (step S11). In this example, the vehicle registration number is assumed to be "1234."

[0016] Next, the staff member searches for the key of the vehicle (vehicle with registration number "1234") to be lent to the user among the vehicle keys hanging on the key management board (step S12). In this case, it is assumed that the key has a key plate with the vehicle's registration number written on it. Therefore, the staff member searches for the vehicle key using the registration number written on the key plate as a guide.

[0017] When the staff member finds the key for the vehicle to be rented to the user (vehicle with registration number "1234"), he / she checks the location on the key management board where the key was placed and confirms the parking lot where the vehicle is parked. Here, it is assumed that the parking lot where the vehicle is parked is "Surface Parking Lot A." The staff member also determines whether the vehicle has completed its daily inspection (step S13). Vehicles used as rental cars are required by law to undergo daily inspection once a day. Here, it is assumed that a sticker or clip is attached to the key or key plate indicating whether the daily inspection has been completed or not. Therefore, the staff member determines whether the vehicle has completed its daily inspection based on the sticker or clip attached to the key or key plate.

[0018] In step S13, if the vehicle to be rented to the user (vehicle with registration number "1234") has completed its daily inspection (Yes in step S13), the staff member will tell the user which parking lot (surface parking lot A) the vehicle is parked in and hand over the key to the vehicle to the user (step S14).

[0019] On the other hand, in step S13, if the vehicle to be rented to the user (vehicle with registration number "1234") has not yet completed its daily inspection (No in step S13), the staff member goes to the parking lot where the vehicle is parked (flat parking lot A) and performs the daily inspection of the vehicle (step S15). At this time, the staff member may travel back and forth between the parking lot and the office to greet the user, replenish inspection parts for the daily inspection, etc. Then, after completing the daily inspection, the staff member returns to the office, tells the user which parking lot (flat parking lot A) the vehicle is parked in, and hands over the vehicle key to the user (step S15).

[0020] However, when managing vehicles using the method described in Figures 1 and 2, when lending a vehicle to a user, staff must search for the key to be lent to the user from among the vehicle keys hanging on the key management board, which takes time.

[0021] Furthermore, staff cannot confirm the parking lot where a vehicle is parked unless they check the location of the key on the key management board. Furthermore, staff cannot determine whether the vehicle they are renting to a user has undergone a daily inspection unless they check the sticker or clip attached to the key. If the daily inspection has not been completed, they must conduct the inspection at that time. Even if another staff member has completed a daily inspection partway through, staff do not know how far it has been completed, so they must conduct the daily inspection from the beginning, which results in the daily inspection having to be redone. Furthermore, staff cannot grasp the relative positions of vehicles in the parking lot. Therefore, in cases such as parallel parking, staff may not be able to rent a vehicle until the vehicle in front of them has left, causing the user to wait.

[0022] 1 and 2, when managing vehicles using the method described above, it takes time for staff to check the parking lot where the vehicle to be rented to the user is parked and the status of the daily inspection of the vehicle, and if the daily inspection has not been completed, the staff must perform the daily inspection at that time, which results in the problem that the vehicle cannot be rented to the user quickly. Each of the embodiments described below facilitates the management of vehicles to be rented to users so that the vehicle can be quickly rented to the user.

[0023] <First Embodiment> This first embodiment is an embodiment in which vehicles are managed at a rental car shop that rents out vehicles. As an example, the first embodiment will be described below assuming that vehicles are managed at a rental car shop as shown in Fig. 3. Fig. 3 shows the site of the rental car shop on a map.

[0024] In the example of Figure 3, the rental car store has three parking lots on its premises, consisting of flat parking lots A and B and a three-story multi-storey parking lot C, as well as a building that houses an office where the rental car store's staff handles reception and other duties. Note that multi-storey parking lot C is three stories high. Furthermore, other facilities owned by the rental car store are not shown in the figure because they are not directly related to the first embodiment.

[0025] First, an example configuration of the vehicle management system 1 will be described with reference to Fig. 4. As shown in Fig. 4, the vehicle management system 1 includes a vehicle management server 10 and a terminal 20. The vehicle management server 10 and the terminal 20 are connected via a wireless network (not shown). The wireless network is realized by a mobile phone network, a wireless LAN (Local Area Network), or the like. Although a plurality of terminals 20 are provided, this is not limiting and at least one terminal 20 may be provided.

[0026] The vehicle management server 10 is a server that manages vehicles at a rental car shop. Details of the vehicle management server 10 will be described later.

[0027] The terminal 20 is a terminal owned by a staff member of the rental car store. The terminal 20 includes a smartphone or tablet terminal carried by the staff member, as well as a desktop or notebook personal computer installed in the office.

[0028] Next, an example configuration of the vehicle management server 10 will be described with reference to Fig. 5. As shown in Fig. 5, the vehicle management server 10 includes an input unit 11, a communication unit 12, a storage unit 13, an acquisition unit 14, an identification unit 15, a registration unit 16, and a management unit 17. The above components of the vehicle management server 10 are connected via a transmission path for mutually transmitting and receiving various information and data.

[0029] Staff members input various types of information into the input unit 11. The communication unit 12 transmits and receives various types of information to and from each of a plurality of terminals 20 held by the staff members via a wireless network (not shown).

[0030] The storage unit 13 stores various types of information. For example, the storage unit 13 stores a vehicle database 131 as shown in Fig. 6. As shown in Fig. 6, the vehicle database 131 stores information for each vehicle parked in one of the flat parking lots A and B or the multi-story parking lot C in various fields, including the vehicle registration number, the vehicle class of the vehicle, the parking lot where the vehicle is parked, the parking position where the vehicle is parked, and the vehicle status of the vehicle (inspection status, reservation time, and name of the person who made the reservation, which will be described later).

[0031] The vehicle registration number is a vehicle identification number that identifies the vehicle, and is the number printed on the license plate. In the first embodiment, the vehicle registration number is used as the vehicle identification number, but this is not limited to this, and a vehicle number stamped on the body of the vehicle may also be used. The vehicle class of a vehicle is a class that is classified according to the model of the vehicle, etc.

[0032] A vehicle's parking lot is the parking lot where the vehicle is parked. In the rental car store shown in FIG. 3, the parking lot is either one of surface parking lots A and B or multi-story parking lot C. If the parking lot is a multi-story parking lot, the parking floor where the vehicle is parked is also registered. For example, in FIG. 6, the vehicle with registration number "1334" is parked on the first floor of multi-story parking lot C, so "multi-story C / 1F" is registered in the parking lot column. A vehicle's parking position is the latitude and longitude of the parking position where the vehicle is parked.

[0033] The vehicle status of a vehicle includes an inspection status indicating the degree to which daily inspections of the vehicle have been performed. Daily inspections are performed once a day for each vehicle. Daily inspections are performed, for example, for items such as those shown in FIG. 7. If a staff member has not performed a daily inspection, the inspection status is registered as "not performed." If the daily inspection has been completed, the inspection status is registered as "completed." In addition, staff members may interrupt the daily inspection while performing it, for example, to respond to a user. In such cases, the inspection status is registered as "in progress." The "in progress" inspection status may also be further subdivided. For example, if a staff member performs the items shown in FIG. 7 during a daily inspection, and has completed XX% of the total items, the inspection status may be registered as "in progress: XX%."

[0034] Furthermore, the vehicle status of a vehicle further includes the future reservation status of the vehicle. For example, for a vehicle with a reservation, the reservation time and the name of the person who made the reservation are registered as the reservation status, while for a vehicle without a reservation, the reservation time and the name of the person who made the reservation are not registered as the reservation status. However, the registered contents of the reservation status are not limited to this. The vehicle database 131 may have a column for reservation status instead of the columns for reservation time and the name of the person who made the reservation. In that case, for example, for a vehicle with a reservation, "allocated" may be registered as the reservation status, and for a vehicle without a reservation, "vacant" may be registered as the reservation status.

[0035] As will be described later, information about the vehicle parking lot, parking position, and vehicle status columns in the vehicle database 131 is registered by the registration unit 16. On the other hand, information about the vehicle registration number and vehicle class columns may be registered by the registration unit 16 when the vehicle is parked in a parking lot (one of the flat parking lots A and B or the multi-story parking lot C), or the information may be registered in advance by default.

[0036] Here, the staff member pre-enters the location and floor number of each parking lot (flat parking lots A, B, and multi-story parking lot C) via the input unit 11. In the case of flat parking lots A and B, the floor number may be entered arbitrarily.

[0037] At this time, for the location of the parking lot, for example, as shown in FIG. 8, the identification unit 15 or any other means may display a map showing the site of the rental car shop on the screen, and the staff member may manually input the outline of the parking lot on the map via the input unit 11. FIG. 8 shows an example in which the outline of a three-story multi-story parking lot C is manually input. Therefore, in FIG. 8, the staff member also manually inputs the number of floors of multi-story parking lot C, "3." Note that for surface parking lots A and B, the staff member may manually input the outlines in the same manner as in FIG. 8. Furthermore, for surface parking lots A and B, the staff member may leave the number of floors blank (no input) or may input "1."

[0038] It should be noted that the staff member is not limited to inputting the location and floor number of the parking lots (each of the surface parking lots A and B and the multi-story parking lot C) into the vehicle management server 10. For example, the staff member may input the location and floor number of the parking lot into the terminal 20 that the staff member owns, and then transmit the input location and floor number of the parking lot from the terminal 20 to the vehicle management server 10.

[0039] Furthermore, the staff member is not limited to manually inputting the outline of the location of the parking lots (flat parking lots A, B, and multi-story parking lot C). For example, the staff member may operate any vehicle with the GPS function of the staff member's own terminal 20 turned on, drive around the perimeter of the parking lot, and regard the location indicated by the driving trajectory obtained by the drive as the location of the parking lot.

[0040] The identification unit 15 stores the location and floor number of the parking lot that are input in advance by the staff. At this time, the identification unit 15 stores the range of the parking lot location as latitude and longitude information for the parking lot location. Note that the identification unit 15 may store the location and floor number of the parking lot itself, or may store the location and floor number of the parking lot in the storage unit 13.

[0041] Furthermore, when the vehicle is returned by the user, the staff member operates the vehicle and parks it in a parking lot (either one of the flat parking lots A and B or the multi-story parking lot C). At this time, the staff member operating the vehicle acquires location information indicating the location (latitude and longitude) of the terminal 20 held by the staff member in the parking lot where the vehicle is parked, and transmits the acquired location information together with the vehicle's registration number from the terminal 20 to the vehicle management server 10. The location information of the terminal 20 may be acquired using a GPS (Global Positioning System) function of the terminal 20, for example. Furthermore, when the staff member operating the vehicle parks the vehicle in the multi-story parking lot C, the staff member also transmits parking floor information indicating the parking floor where the vehicle is parked from the terminal 20 to the vehicle management server 10.

[0042] When the communication unit 12 receives the location information of the terminal 20 and the vehicle registration number transmitted from the terminal 20 held by the staff member operating the vehicle, the acquisition unit 14 acquires the received location information of the terminal 20 and the vehicle registration number. Furthermore, when the communication unit 12 receives the parking floor information together with the location information of the terminal 20, the acquisition unit 14 also acquires the received parking floor information.

[0043] When the acquisition unit 14 acquires the location information of the terminal 20 and the vehicle registration number, the identification unit 15 identifies the parking lot (either surface parking lot A, B or multi-story parking lot C) in which the vehicle with that registration number is parked based on the location of the parking lot that was previously input and the location information of the terminal 20.

[0044] Specifically, the identification unit 15 compares the location indicated by the location information of the terminal 20 with the location range of each of the surface parking lots A and B and the multi-story parking lot C. If the location indicated by the location information of the terminal 20 matches the location range of any of the surface parking lots A and B and the multi-story parking lot C, the identification unit 15 identifies the matching parking lot as the parking lot where the vehicle with that registration number is parked.

[0045] On the other hand, if the location indicated by the location information of the terminal 20 does not match the location range of any of the surface parking lots A and B and the multi-story parking lot C, the identification unit 15 identifies the parking lot closest to the location indicated by the location information of the terminal 20 as the parking lot where the vehicle with that registration number is parked. In this case, the identification unit 15 may correct the location information of the terminal 20 so that it is within the location range of the identified parking lot.

[0046] Furthermore, if the parking lot identified by the identification unit 15 is the multi-story parking lot C, the acquisition unit 14 also acquires parking floor information. In this case, the identification unit 15 identifies the parking floor indicated by the parking floor information acquired by the acquisition unit 14 as the parking floor where the vehicle is parked.

[0047] When the identification unit 15 identifies a parking lot where a vehicle is parked, the registration unit 16 registers the parking lot identified by the identification unit 15 in the parking lot column for that vehicle in the vehicle database 131. Furthermore, when the identification unit 15 also identifies the parking floor where the vehicle is parked, the registration unit 16 registers the parking lot and parking floor identified by the identification unit 15 in the parking lot column for that vehicle in the vehicle database 131. For example, in FIG. 6 , the vehicle with registration number "1334" is parked on the first floor of multi-story parking garage C. Therefore, the registration unit 16 registers "multi-story C / 1F" in the parking lot column.

[0048] Furthermore, when the identification unit 15 identifies the parking lot where the vehicle is parked, the registration unit 16 registers the location indicated by the location information of the terminal 20 in the parking location field of the vehicle in the vehicle database 131. At this time, if the identification unit 15 has corrected the location information of the terminal 20, the registration unit 16 registers the location indicated by the corrected location information in the parking location field.

[0049] Furthermore, the staff member transmits the inspection status indicating the degree to which the vehicle's daily inspection has been completed for each vehicle, along with the vehicle's registration number, from the staff member's own terminal 20 to the vehicle management server 10. For example, if the daily inspection has not been performed, the staff member may transmit "not performed" as the inspection status; if the daily inspection is in progress, the staff member may transmit "in progress" as the inspection status; and if the daily inspection has been completed, the staff member may transmit "in progress" as the inspection status. Furthermore, for the "in progress" inspection status, the staff member may transmit a more detailed inspection status, such as "in progress: XX%."

[0050] When the communication unit 12 receives the vehicle inspection status and the vehicle registration number sent from the terminal 20 held by the staff member, the registration unit 16 registers the received inspection status in the inspection status column for that vehicle in the vehicle database 131.

[0051] Furthermore, the registration unit 16 acquires the future reservation status of each vehicle based on the vehicle registration number from a vehicle reservation management database (not shown) that manages reservations for each vehicle. At this time, if the vehicle reservation management database is located outside the vehicle management server 10, the registration unit 16 acquires the future reservation status of each vehicle from the vehicle reservation management database via the communication unit 12. On the other hand, if the vehicle reservation management database is stored in the storage unit 13, the registration unit 16 acquires the future reservation status of each vehicle from the vehicle reservation management database stored in the storage unit 13.

[0052] For a vehicle with a reservation, the registration unit 16 registers the reservation time and the name of the person who made the reservation in the vehicle's reservation time and reservation name fields in the vehicle database 131, and for a vehicle without a reservation, the registration unit 16 does not register information in the vehicle's reservation time and reservation name fields in the vehicle database 131. However, the registered contents of the reservation status are not limited to this. The vehicle database 131 may have a reservation status field instead of the reservation time and reservation name fields. In that case, the registration unit 16 may register "allocated" in the vehicle's reservation status field in the vehicle database 131 for a vehicle with a reservation, and may register "vacant" in the vehicle's reservation status field in the vehicle database 131 for a vehicle without a reservation.

[0053] The management unit 17 manages the information registered in the vehicle database 131 so that it can be viewed on the terminal 20 held by each staff member. Specifically, when the management unit 17 receives a request to view information registered in the vehicle database 131 from the terminal 20 held by the staff member via the communication unit 12, the management unit 17 searches the vehicle database 131 for a vehicle that corresponds to the view request, generates a screen showing information registered in the vehicle database 131 for the searched vehicle, and transmits the generated screen via the communication unit 12 to the terminal 20 that sent the view request.

[0054] Here, examples of screens generated by the management unit 17 will be described with reference to FIGS.

[0055] FIG. 9 shows an example of an initial screen generated by the management unit 17 when the staff member who sent the viewing request has set the flat parking lot B as their home parking lot.

[0056] In the example of Fig. 9, flat parking lot B is set as the home parking lot. Therefore, the management unit 17 searches the vehicle database 131 for vehicles parked in flat parking lot B, and generates a screen showing information registered in the vehicle database 131 for each of the found vehicles. In the example of Fig. 9, the information registered in the vehicle database 131 includes the vehicle registration number and vehicle class, the parking lot where the vehicle is parked and its parking position, and the vehicle status (inspection status, reservation time, and name of the person who made the reservation) (the same applies to Figs. 10 to 12 below).

[0057] Furthermore, on the screen of FIG. 9, it is possible to search by specifying the parking lot where the vehicle is parked, the vehicle registration number, and the inspection status of the vehicle in the viewing request.

[0058] Fig. 10 is an example of a screen generated by the management unit 17 when the registration number "1234" is specified on the screen of Fig. 9. In the example of Fig. 10, the registration number "1234" is specified. Therefore, the management unit 17 searches the vehicle database 131 for a vehicle with the registration number "1234" and generates a screen showing information registered in the vehicle database 131 for the searched vehicle.

[0059] Fig. 11 is an example of a screen generated by the management unit 17 when the inspection status "Completed" is specified on the screen of Fig. 9. In the example of Fig. 11, the inspection status "Completed" is specified. Therefore, the management unit 17 searches the vehicle database 131 for vehicles with an inspection status of "Completed", and generates a screen showing information registered in the vehicle database 131 for the searched vehicles.

[0060] The management unit 17 may also display a map alongside the screens of FIGS. 9 to 11 . FIG. 12 is an example of a screen in which the management unit 17 displays a map alongside the screen of FIG. 9 . In the example of FIG. 12 , the management unit 17 places the screen of FIG. 9 on the left side and a map showing the site of the rental car shop on the right side. Furthermore, in the map on the right side, in the flat parking lot B, the management unit 17 displays a mark of a shape corresponding to the inspection status of each vehicle, along with the registration number of each vehicle, at a position corresponding to the parking position of each searched vehicle. However, the shape of the mark is not limited to being different depending on the inspection status of the vehicle, and may also be different depending on whether or not a reservation is made. Furthermore, the mark may be color-coded. In this case, the color of the mark may be different depending on the inspection status of the vehicle or whether or not a reservation is made.

[0061] Furthermore, when a parking lot is specified in the viewing request, the management unit 17 may display a detailed map of the parking lot. In this case, the management unit 17 may indicate the location of each vehicle on the detailed map of the parking lot based on the latitude and longitude of the searched parking location of each vehicle.

[0062] Next, an example of the general operation flow of the vehicle management server 10 will be described with reference to Fig. 13. Here, the description will be given assuming that the location and floor number of each parking lot (flat parking lots A, B, and multi-story parking lot C) have already been input by a staff member and stored in the identification unit 15.

[0063] 13, first, the acquisition unit 14 acquires the location information of the terminal 20 held by the staff member operating the vehicle and the registration number of the vehicle (step S21). Here, it is assumed that the acquisition unit 14 has not acquired the parking floor information.

[0064] Next, the identification unit 15 identifies the parking lot (one of the surface parking lots A, B, and multi-story parking lot C) where the vehicle with the registration number acquired by the acquisition unit 14 is parked, based on the location of the parking lot that was input in advance and the location information of the terminal 20 acquired by the acquisition unit 14 (step S22). Here, it is assumed that the identification unit 15 has identified the surface parking lot A or B as the parking lot where the vehicle is parked.

[0065] Next, the registration unit 16 registers the parking lot identified by the identification unit 15 in the parking lot column of the vehicle corresponding to the registration number acquired by the acquisition unit 14 in the vehicle database 131 (step S23). The registration unit 16 also acquires the future reservation status of the vehicle from a vehicle reservation management database (not shown) based on the vehicle's registration number. If the vehicle has a reservation, the registration unit 16 registers the reservation time and the name of the person who made the reservation in the vehicle reservation time and name of the person who made the reservation columns in the vehicle database 131 (step S24). As a result, the vehicle reservation time and the name of the person who made the reservation are linked to the parking lot where the vehicle is parked and registered in the vehicle database 131.

[0066] Furthermore, when the registration unit 16 receives the vehicle registration number and the inspection status of the vehicle from the terminal 20 held by the staff member, it registers the inspection status in the inspection status column of the vehicle in the vehicle database 131 (step S25). As a result, the inspection status of the vehicle is linked to the parking lot where the vehicle is parked and registered in the vehicle database 131.

[0067] The management unit 17 manages the information registered in the vehicle database 131 so that it can be viewed on the terminal 20 held by each staff member (step S26). Thereafter, the management unit 17 waits until it receives a request to view the information registered in the vehicle database 131 from the terminal 20 held by the staff member (step S27).

[0068] When the management unit 17 receives a viewing request (Yes in step S27), it searches the vehicle database 131 for the vehicle that corresponds to the viewing request, and sends a screen showing information registered in the vehicle database 131 about the searched vehicle to the terminal 20 that sent the viewing request (step S28).

[0069] As described above, according to the first embodiment, the acquisition unit 14 acquires location information of the terminal 20 held by the staff member who operates the vehicle. The identification unit 15 identifies the parking lot where the vehicle is parked based on the location of the parking lot input in advance and the location information of the terminal 20. The registration unit 16 associates the parking lot where the vehicle is parked with the inspection status of the vehicle and registers this information in the vehicle database 131. The management unit 17 manages the information registered in the vehicle database 131 so that it can be viewed on the terminal 20 held by each staff member.

[0070] This allows the staff member to view the parking lot where the vehicle is parked and the inspection status of the vehicle on the terminal 20. Therefore, the staff member can confirm the parking lot where the vehicle is parked, and can quickly find the key for the vehicle from the location on the key management board assigned to that parking lot.

[0071] In addition, the staff member can check the inspection level of the vehicle's daily inspection. Therefore, if the daily inspection of the vehicle has been completed, the staff member can immediately lend the vehicle to the user. Furthermore, if the daily inspection of the vehicle has only been partially completed, the staff member can see how far the inspection has been completed, so the staff member can quickly complete the daily inspection without having to redo the daily inspection. Furthermore, if the daily inspection of the vehicle has not yet been completed, the staff member can lend the user another vehicle that has completed the daily inspection and is parked in the parking lot closest to the office (flat parking lot A in the example of Figure 3). As a result, the staff member can quickly lend the vehicle to the user. This makes it easier to manage the vehicles that are lent to users.

[0072] Furthermore, according to the first embodiment, the registration unit 16 may link the parking lot where the vehicle is parked with the future reservation status of the vehicle and register the information in the vehicle database 131. This allows the staff member to view the parking lot where the vehicle is parked, the inspection status of the vehicle, and the future reservation status of the vehicle on the terminal 20. Therefore, if the daily inspection of the vehicle to be rented to the user has not yet been carried out, the staff member can rent to the user another vehicle that has completed the daily inspection, has no reservations, and is parked in the parking lot closest to the office.

[0073] In addition, there are users who suddenly visit the rental car store without reserving a vehicle. There are also users who arrive late or early at the rental car store. For such users, the staff can rent a vehicle that has completed its daily inspection and is parked in the parking lot nearest to the office, without a reservation.

[0074] Furthermore, according to the first embodiment, when the management unit 17 receives a viewing request from the terminal 20, it may transmit to the terminal 20 a screen showing information registered in the vehicle database 131. Furthermore, when a parking lot is specified in the viewing request, the management unit 17 may display a detailed map of the parking lot on the screen and indicate the parking position of each vehicle on the map, thereby visualizing the relative positions of the vehicles in the parking lot. This allows the staff to understand the relative positions of the vehicles in the parking lot. For example, if a vehicle to be rented is parallel parked and cannot be rented until the vehicle in front of it leaves the parking lot, the staff can take action in advance by understanding the relative positions of the vehicles in the parking lot, and can quickly rent the vehicle to the user.

[0075] <Second Embodiment> This second embodiment corresponds to an embodiment that is a higher-level concept of the first embodiment described above. First, with reference to Fig. 14, an example configuration of a vehicle management system 2 will be described. As shown in Fig. 14, the vehicle management system 2 includes a vehicle management server 100 and a terminal 200. The vehicle management server 100 and the terminal 200 are connected via a wireless network (not shown). Although a plurality of terminals 200 are provided, this is not a limitation and it is sufficient that at least one terminal 200 is provided.

[0076] The terminal 200 is a terminal held by a staff member of a store that rents out vehicles. The vehicle management server 100 is a server that manages vehicles at a store that rents out vehicles, and includes an acquisition unit 101, an identification unit 102, a registration unit 103, and a management unit 104.

[0077] The acquisition unit 101 acquires location information of the terminal 200 held by the store staff member who operates the vehicle. The identification unit 102 identifies the parking lot where the vehicle is parked based on the location of the parking lot that has been input in advance and the location information of the terminal 200 held by the staff member who operates the vehicle.

[0078] The registration unit 103 links the parking lot where the vehicle is parked with the vehicle condition indicating the degree of inspection of the vehicle entered from the terminal 200 held by the store staff member, and registers the information in the first database. The first database may be stored either inside or outside the vehicle management server 100. The management unit 104 manages the information registered in the first database so that it can be viewed on the terminal 200 held by each store staff member.

[0079] Next, an example of the general operation flow of the vehicle management server 100 will be described with reference to Fig. 15. Here, the description will be given assuming that the location of the parking lot has already been input.

[0080] 15 , first, the acquisition unit 101 acquires the location information of the terminal 200 held by the store staff member who operates the vehicle (step S31). Next, the identification unit 102 identifies the parking lot where the vehicle is parked based on the location of the parking lot that was input in advance and the location information of the terminal 200 held by the staff member who operates the vehicle (step S32).

[0081] Next, the registration unit 103 associates the parking lot where the vehicle is parked with the vehicle condition indicating the inspection level of the vehicle input from the terminal 200 held by the store staff member, and registers the information in the first database (step S33). After that, the management unit 104 manages the information registered in the first database so that it can be viewed on the terminal 200 held by each staff member (step S34).

[0082] As described above, according to the second embodiment, the acquisition unit 101 acquires location information of the terminal 200 held by the store staff member who operates the vehicle. The identification unit 102 identifies the parking lot where the vehicle is parked based on the location of the parking lot input in advance and the location information of the terminal 200 held by the store staff member who operates the vehicle. The registration unit 103 associates the parking lot where the vehicle is parked with the vehicle condition, which indicates the degree of inspection of the vehicle and is input from the terminal 200 held by the store staff member, and registers the information in the first database. The management unit 104 manages the information registered in the first database so that it can be viewed on the terminal 200 held by each store staff member.

[0083] As a result, similar to the first embodiment described above, the store staff can view the parking lot where the vehicle is parked and the inspection status of the vehicle on the terminal 200. Therefore, similar to the first embodiment described above, the store staff can quickly lend the vehicle to the user. Therefore, it is possible to easily manage the vehicles that are lent to users.

[0084] The vehicle status may further indicate the future reservation status of the vehicle. Furthermore, if the vehicle has a reservation, the registration unit 103 may link the vehicle to the parking lot where the vehicle is parked and register a vehicle status indicating "allocated" in the first database. Furthermore, if the vehicle does not have a reservation, the registration unit 103 may link the vehicle to the parking lot where the vehicle is parked and register a vehicle status indicating "vacant" in the first database.

[0085] Furthermore, the registration unit 103 may obtain information regarding the future reservation status of a vehicle from a second database that manages reservations for each vehicle, based on the vehicle's registration number or chassis number. Furthermore, when the management unit 104 receives a request to view information registered in the first database from a terminal held by a store staff member, the management unit 104 may search the first database for a vehicle that corresponds to the view request, and send a screen showing information registered in the first database for the searched vehicle to the terminal that sent the view request.

[0086] In addition, when a parking lot is specified in the viewing request, the management unit 104 may search the first database for vehicles parked in the parking lot specified in the viewing request, and send a screen showing information registered in the first database about the searched vehicles to the terminal that sent the viewing request.

[0087] In addition, when the inspection level is specified in the viewing request, the management unit 104 may search the first database for vehicles with the inspection level specified in the viewing request, and send a screen showing information registered in the first database about the searched vehicles to the terminal that sent the viewing request.

[0088] In addition, when a vehicle registration number or vehicle body number is specified in the viewing request, the management unit 104 may search the first database for a vehicle with the registration number or vehicle body number specified in the viewing request, and send a screen showing information registered in the first database about the searched vehicle to the terminal that sent the viewing request.

[0089] The registration unit 103 may further register the location indicated by the location information of the terminal 200 held by the staff member operating the vehicle as the parking location of the vehicle in the first database, linking it with the parking lot where the vehicle is parked. The management unit 104 may also display a map on the screen and display a mark on the position on the map that corresponds to the parking location of the vehicle searched in response to the viewing request.

[0090] The management unit 104 may also change the shape or color of the mark depending on the degree of inspection of the vehicle, or depending on whether or not the vehicle has been reserved.

[0091] Furthermore, if the parking lot is a multi-story parking lot, the acquisition unit 101 may acquire location information of the terminal 200 held by the staff member operating the vehicle, as well as parking floor information indicating the parking floor where the vehicle is parked. Furthermore, if the parking lot is a multi-story parking lot, the identification unit 102 may identify the parking lot where the vehicle is parked, as well as the parking floor where the vehicle is parked based on the parking floor information. Furthermore, if the parking lot is a multi-story parking lot, the registration unit 103 may link the parking lot and parking floor where the vehicle is parked with the vehicle status indicating the degree of inspection of the vehicle, and register them in the first database. Furthermore, the acquisition unit 101 may acquire location information of the terminal held by the staff member operating the vehicle after it has been returned.

[0092] The location of the parking lot pre-inputted to the identification unit 102 may be the outline of the parking lot manually input by a store staff member on a map displayed on the screen. Alternatively, the location of the parking lot pre-inputted to the identification unit 102 may be the location indicated by the driving trajectory obtained by the store staff member operating the vehicle while driving the vehicle around the perimeter of the parking lot with the GPS function of the terminal 200 held by the store staff member who operates the vehicle turned on.

[0093] <Hardware Configuration of Vehicle Management Server According to the Embodiment> Next, with reference to FIG. 16, an example of the hardware configuration of a computer that realizes the above-described vehicle management servers 10 and 100 will be described.

[0094] 16, a computer 90 includes a processor 91, a memory 92, a storage 93, an input / output interface (input / output I / F) 94, and a communication interface (communication I / F) 95. The processor 91, the memory 92, the storage 93, the input / output interface 94, and the communication interface 95 are connected by a data transmission path for transmitting and receiving data to and from each other.

[0095] The processor 91 is, for example, an arithmetic processing device such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) or a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit). The memory 92 is, for example, a memory such as a RAM (Random Access Memory) or a ROM (Read Only Memory). The storage 93 is, for example, a storage device such as an HDD (Hard Disk Drive), an SSD (Solid State Drive), or a memory card. The storage 93 may also be a memory such as a RAM or a ROM.

[0096] A program is stored in the storage 93. When loaded into the computer, this program includes a set of instructions (or software code) that causes the computer 90 to perform one or more functions of the vehicle management server 10, 100 described above. The components of the vehicle management server 10, 100 described above may be realized by the processor 91 reading and executing a program stored in the storage 93. Furthermore, the storage function of the vehicle management server 10, 100 described above may be realized by the memory 92 or the storage 93.

[0097] The above-described programs may also be stored on non-transitory computer-readable media or tangible storage media. By way of example and not limitation, computer-readable media or tangible storage media include RAM, ROM, flash memory, SSD or other memory technologies, CD (Compact Disc)-ROM, DVD (Digital Versatile Disc), Blu-ray® disk or other optical disk storage, magnetic cassette, magnetic tape, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices. The programs may also be transmitted on a transitory computer-readable medium or communication medium. By way of example and not limitation, transitory computer-readable media or communication media include electrical, optical, acoustic, or other forms of propagated signals.

[0098] The input / output interface 94 is connected to a display device 941, an input device 942, a sound output device 943, etc. The display device 941 is a device that displays a screen corresponding to drawing data processed by the processor 91, such as an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display), a CRT (Cathode Ray Tube) display, or a monitor. The input device 942 is a device that accepts operation inputs from an operator, such as a keyboard, a mouse, or a touch sensor. The display device 941 and the input device 942 may be integrated and realized as a touch panel. The sound output device 943 is a device that outputs sound corresponding to the sound data processed by the processor 91, such as a speaker.

[0099] The communication interface 95 transmits and receives data to and from an external device. For example, the communication interface 95 communicates with the external device via a wired communication path or a wireless communication path.

[0100] Although the present disclosure has been described above with reference to the embodiments, the present disclosure is not limited to the above-described embodiments. Various modifications that can be understood by those skilled in the art can be made to the configuration and details of the present disclosure within the scope of the present disclosure. Furthermore, each embodiment can be combined with other embodiments as appropriate.

[0101] Furthermore, each drawing is merely an example for describing one or more embodiments. Each drawing may not relate to only one particular embodiment, but may also relate to one or more other embodiments. As will be understood by those skilled in the art, various features or steps described with reference to any one drawing can be combined with features or steps shown in one or more other drawings to create, for example, an embodiment not explicitly shown or described. Not all features or steps shown in any one drawing are necessarily required to describe an exemplary embodiment, and some features or steps may be omitted. The order of steps described in any drawing may be changed as appropriate.

[0102] Furthermore, some or all of the above embodiments may be described as, but are not limited to, the following supplementary notes: (Supplementary Note 1) A vehicle management server that manages vehicles at a store that rents out vehicles, comprising: an acquisition unit that acquires location information of a terminal carried by a staff member at the store who operates the vehicle; an identification unit that identifies a parking lot where the vehicle is parked based on a pre-entered location of the parking lot and the location information of the terminal carried by the staff member who operates the vehicle; a registration unit that links the parking lot where the vehicle is parked with a vehicle condition that indicates the degree of inspection of the vehicle entered from the terminal carried by the store staff member, and registers the linked information in a first database; and a management unit that manages the information registered in the first database so that it can be viewed on the terminal carried by each staff member at the store. (Supplementary Note 2) The vehicle management server according to Supplementary Note 1, wherein the vehicle status further indicates the vehicle's future reservation status, and the registration unit, if the vehicle has a reservation, links the vehicle to the parking lot where the vehicle is parked and registers a vehicle status indicating "allocated" in the first database, and if the vehicle does not have a reservation, links the vehicle to the parking lot where the vehicle is parked and registers a vehicle status indicating "vacant" in the first database. (Supplementary Note 3) The vehicle management server according to Supplementary Note 2, wherein the registration unit obtains information regarding the vehicle's future reservation status from a second database that manages reservations for each vehicle, based on the vehicle's registration number or chassis number. (Supplementary Note 4) The vehicle management server according to Supplementary Note 2, wherein, when the management unit receives a request to view information registered in the first database from a terminal held by a staff member of the store, the management unit searches the first database for a vehicle that corresponds to the view request, and sends a screen showing information registered in the first database for the searched vehicle to the terminal that sent the view request. (Appendix 5) The vehicle management server described in Appendix 4, wherein when a parking lot is specified in the viewing request, the management unit searches the first database for vehicles parked in the parking lot specified in the viewing request, and sends a screen showing information registered in the first database about the searched vehicles to the terminal that sent the viewing request.(Supplementary Note 6) The vehicle management server according to Supplementary Note 4, wherein, when an inspection degree is specified in the viewing request, the management unit searches the first database for vehicles having the inspection degree specified in the viewing request, and sends a screen showing information about the searched vehicle that is registered in the first database to the terminal that sent the viewing request. (Supplementary Note 7) The vehicle management server according to Supplementary Note 4, wherein, when a vehicle registration number or chassis number is specified in the viewing request, the management unit searches the first database for a vehicle having the registration number or chassis number specified in the viewing request, and sends a screen showing information about the searched vehicle that is registered in the first database to the terminal that sent the viewing request. (Supplementary Note 8) The vehicle management server according to Supplementary Note 4, wherein the registration unit further registers, in the first database, a location indicated by location information on a terminal held by a staff member who operates the vehicle, as the parking position of the vehicle, in association with a parking lot where the vehicle is parked, and the management unit displays a map on the screen and displays a mark on a position on the map that corresponds to the parking position of the vehicle searched for in response to the viewing request. (Supplementary Note 9) The vehicle management server according to Supplementary Note 8, wherein the management unit varies the shape or color of the mark depending on the degree of inspection of the vehicle. (Supplementary Note 10) The vehicle management server according to Supplementary Note 8, wherein the management unit varies the shape or color of the mark depending on whether the vehicle is reserved or not. (Supplementary Note 11) The vehicle management server according to Supplementary Note 1, wherein, if the parking lot is a multi-story parking lot, the acquisition unit acquires location information of a terminal held by a staff member operating the vehicle, and also acquires parking floor information indicating the parking floor where the vehicle is parked; if the parking lot is a multi-story parking lot, the identification unit identifies the parking lot where the vehicle is parked, and also identifies the parking floor where the vehicle is parked based on the parking floor information; if the parking lot is a multi-story parking lot, the registration unit associates the parking lot and parking floor where the vehicle is parked with a vehicle status indicating the degree of inspection of the vehicle, and registers them in the first database. (Supplementary Note 12) The vehicle management server according to Supplementary Note 1, wherein the acquisition unit acquires location information of a terminal held by a staff member operating the vehicle after it has been returned.(Supplementary Note 13) The vehicle management server according to Supplementary Note 1, wherein the location of the parking lot pre-inputted to the identification unit is the outline of the parking lot manually input by a staff member of the store on a map displayed on a screen. (Supplementary Note 14) The vehicle management server according to Supplementary Note 1, wherein the location of the parking lot pre-inputted to the identification unit is the location indicated by a driving trajectory obtained when the staff member operates a vehicle around the perimeter of the parking lot with a GPS (Global Positioning System) function of the terminal held by the staff member who operates the vehicle turned on. (Supplementary Note 15) A vehicle management system comprising: a vehicle management server that manages vehicles at a store that rents out vehicles; and terminals held by staff of the store, wherein the vehicle management server comprises: an acquisition unit that acquires location information of terminals held by staff of the store who operate vehicles; an identification unit that identifies the parking lot where the vehicle is parked based on a pre-entered location of the parking lot and the location information of the terminal held by the staff operating the vehicle; a registration unit that links the parking lot where the vehicle is parked with a vehicle condition indicating the degree of inspection of the vehicle entered from the terminal held by the store staff and registers the linked information in a first database; and a management unit that manages the information registered in the first database so that it can be viewed on the terminals held by each staff member of the store. (Supplementary Note 16) The vehicle management system according to Supplementary Note 15, wherein the vehicle status further indicates a future reservation status of the vehicle, and the registration unit, if the vehicle has a reservation, links the vehicle to the parking lot where the vehicle is parked and registers a vehicle status indicating assigned in the first database, and if the vehicle does not have a reservation, links the vehicle to the parking lot where the vehicle is parked and registers a vehicle status indicating vacant in the first database. (Supplementary Note 17) The vehicle management system according to Supplementary Note 16, wherein the registration unit obtains information regarding the future reservation status of the vehicle from a second database that manages reservations for each vehicle, based on the vehicle registration number or chassis number.(Supplementary Note 18) The vehicle management system of Supplementary Note 16, wherein, when the management unit receives a request to view information registered in the first database from a terminal held by a staff member of the store, it searches the first database for a vehicle corresponding to the view request and sends a screen showing information registered in the first database for the searched vehicle to the terminal that sent the view request. (Supplementary Note 19) The vehicle management system of Supplementary Note 18, wherein, when a parking lot is specified in the view request, the management unit searches the first database for vehicles parked in the parking lot specified in the view request and sends a screen showing information registered in the first database for the searched vehicle to the terminal that sent the view request. (Supplementary Note 20) The vehicle management system of Supplementary Note 18, wherein, when an inspection degree is specified in the view request, the management unit searches the first database for vehicles having the inspection degree specified in the view request and sends a screen showing information registered in the first database for the searched vehicle to the terminal that sent the view request. (Supplementary Note 21) The vehicle management system of Supplementary Note 18, wherein, when a vehicle registration number or vehicle body number is specified in the viewing request, the management unit searches the first database for a vehicle having the registration number or vehicle body number specified in the viewing request, and sends a screen showing information about the searched vehicle registered in the first database to the terminal that sent the viewing request. (Supplementary Note 22) The registration unit further registers in the first database, as the parking position of the vehicle, a location indicated by location information on a terminal held by a staff member operating the vehicle, linking it with a parking lot where the vehicle is parked, and the management unit displays a map on the screen and displays a mark at a position on the map that corresponds to the parking position of the vehicle searched in response to the viewing request. (Supplementary Note 23) The vehicle management system of Supplementary Note 22, wherein the management unit changes the shape or color of the mark depending on the degree of inspection of the vehicle. (Supplementary Note 24) The vehicle management system of Supplementary Note 22, wherein the management unit changes the shape or color of the mark depending on whether the vehicle is reserved or not.(Supplementary Note 25) The vehicle management system according to Supplementary Note 15, wherein, if the parking lot is a multi-story parking lot, the acquisition unit acquires location information of a terminal held by a staff member operating the vehicle, and also acquires parking floor information indicating the parking floor where the vehicle is parked, if the parking lot is a multi-story parking lot, the identification unit identifies the parking lot where the vehicle is parked, and also identifies the parking floor where the vehicle is parked based on the parking floor information, if the parking lot is a multi-story parking lot, and the registration unit links the parking lot and parking floor where the vehicle is parked with a vehicle status indicating the degree of inspection of the vehicle, and registers them in the first database, if the parking lot is a multi-story parking lot. (Supplementary Note 26) The vehicle management system according to Supplementary Note 15, wherein the acquisition unit acquires location information of a terminal held by a staff member operating the vehicle after it has been returned. (Supplementary Note 27) The vehicle management system according to Supplementary Note 15, wherein the location of the parking lot pre-entered into the identification unit is the outline of the parking lot manually entered by the store staff member on a map displayed on a screen. (Supplementary Note 28) The vehicle management system of Supplementary Note 15, wherein the location of the parking lot pre-inputted to the identification unit is the location indicated by a driving trajectory obtained when the store staff member operating the vehicle operates the vehicle around the perimeter of the parking lot with the GPS (Global Positioning System) function of the terminal held by the store staff member turned on. (Supplementary Note 29) A vehicle management method executed by a vehicle management server that manages vehicles at a store that rents out vehicles, the method comprising: acquiring location information of a terminal held by the store staff member operating the vehicle; identifying the parking lot where the vehicle is parked based on the pre-input location of the parking lot and the location information of the terminal held by the store staff member operating the vehicle; linking the parking lot where the vehicle is parked with a vehicle condition indicating the degree of inspection of the vehicle input from the terminal held by the store staff member, and registering the information registered in the first database; and managing the information registered in the first database so that it can be viewed on the terminal held by each store staff member.(Supplementary Note 30) A program that causes a computer that manages vehicles at a store that rents out vehicles to execute the following steps: acquire location information of a terminal held by a staff member at the store who operates the vehicle; identify the parking lot where the vehicle is parked based on a pre-entered parking lot location and the location information of the terminal held by the staff member who operates the vehicle; link the parking lot where the vehicle is parked with the vehicle status that indicates the degree of inspection of the vehicle entered from the terminal held by the store staff member, and register the linked information in a first database; and manage the information registered in the first database so that it can be viewed on the terminal held by each staff member at the store.

[0103] Note that some or all of the elements (e.g., configurations and functions) described in Supplementary Notes 2 to 14 that are dependent on Supplementary Note 1 may also be dependent on Supplementary Notes 29 and 30 in the same dependent relationship as Supplementary Notes 2 to 14. Some or all of the elements described in any Supplementary Note may be applied to various hardware, software, recording means for recording software, systems, and methods.

[0104] 1, 2 Vehicle management system 10, 100 Vehicle management server 11 Input unit 12 Communication unit 13 Storage unit 14, 101 Acquisition unit 15, 102 Identification unit 16, 103 Registration unit 17, 104 Management unit 20, 200 Terminal 90 Computer 91 Processor 92 Memory 93 Storage 94 Input / output interface 941 Display device 942 Input device 943 Sound output device 95 Communication interface

Claims

1. A vehicle management server that manages vehicles at a store that rents out vehicles, comprising: an acquisition unit that acquires location information of a terminal held by a staff member at the store who operates the vehicle; an identification unit that identifies the parking lot where the vehicle is parked based on a pre-entered parking lot location and the location information of the terminal held by the staff member operating the vehicle; a registration unit that links the parking lot where the vehicle is parked with a vehicle condition indicating the degree of inspection of the vehicle entered from the terminal held by the store staff member and registers them in a first database; and a management unit that manages the information registered in the first database so that it can be viewed on the terminal held by each staff member at the store.

2. The vehicle management server of claim 1, wherein the vehicle status further indicates the vehicle's future reservation status, and the registration unit, if the vehicle has a reservation, links the vehicle to the parking lot in which the vehicle is parked and registers a vehicle status indicating "allocated" in the first database, and if the vehicle does not have a reservation, links the vehicle to the parking lot in which the vehicle is parked and registers a vehicle status indicating "vacant" in the first database.

3. The vehicle management server according to claim 2, wherein the registration unit obtains information regarding the future reservation status of the vehicle from a second database that manages reservations for each vehicle based on the vehicle's registration number or vehicle body number.

4. The vehicle management server of claim 2, wherein when the management department receives a request to view information registered in the first database from a terminal held by a staff member of the store, it searches the first database for a vehicle corresponding to the viewing request and sends a screen showing information registered in the first database for the searched vehicle to the terminal that sent the viewing request.

5. The vehicle management server of claim 4, wherein when a parking lot is specified in the viewing request, the management unit searches the first database for vehicles parked in the parking lot specified in the viewing request, and transmits a screen showing information registered in the first database about the searched vehicles to the terminal that sent the viewing request.

6. A vehicle management server as described in claim 4, wherein when an inspection degree is specified in a viewing request, the management unit searches the first database for vehicles having the inspection degree specified in the viewing request, and transmits a screen showing information registered in the first database for the searched vehicles to the terminal that sent the viewing request.

7. A vehicle management server as described in claim 4, wherein when a vehicle registration number or vehicle identification number is specified in a viewing request, the management unit searches the first database for a vehicle with the registration number or vehicle identification number specified in the viewing request, and transmits a screen showing information registered in the first database for the searched vehicle to the terminal that sent the viewing request.

8. A vehicle management server as described in claim 4, wherein the registration unit further registers in the first database the location indicated by the location information of the terminal held by the staff member operating the vehicle as the vehicle's parked location, linking it with the parking lot where the vehicle is parked, and the management unit displays a map on the screen and displays a mark on the map at a location corresponding to the vehicle's parked location searched for in response to a viewing request.

9. The vehicle management server according to claim 8, wherein the management unit varies the shape or color of the mark depending on the degree of inspection of the vehicle.

10. The vehicle management server according to claim 8, wherein the management unit changes the shape or color of the mark depending on whether or not the vehicle has been reserved.

11. A vehicle management server as described in claim 1, wherein the acquisition unit, when the parking lot is a multi-story parking lot, acquires location information of a terminal held by a staff member operating the vehicle and also acquires parking floor information indicating the parking floor on which the vehicle is parked; the identification unit, when the parking lot is a multi-story parking lot, identifies the parking lot on which the vehicle is parked and also identifies the parking floor on which the vehicle is parked based on the parking floor information; and the registration unit, when the parking lot is a multi-story parking lot, links the parking lot and parking floor on which the vehicle is parked with a vehicle status indicating the degree of inspection of the vehicle and registers them in the first database.

12. The vehicle management server according to claim 1, wherein the acquisition unit acquires location information of a terminal held by a staff member who operates the returned vehicle.

13. The vehicle management server according to claim 1, wherein the location of the parking lot pre-entered into the identification unit is the outline of the parking lot manually entered by a staff member of the store on a map displayed on a screen.

14. A vehicle management server as described in claim 1, wherein the location of the parking lot pre-entered into the identification unit is the location indicated by the driving trajectory obtained when a staff member of the store who operates a vehicle drives the vehicle around the perimeter of the parking lot with the GPS (Global Positioning System) function of the terminal held by the staff member turned on.

15. A vehicle management system comprising: a vehicle management server that manages vehicles at a store that rents out vehicles; and terminals held by staff of the store, wherein the vehicle management server comprises: an acquisition unit that acquires location information of the terminals held by staff of the store who operate vehicles; an identification unit that identifies the parking lot where the vehicle is parked based on a pre-input location of the parking lot and the location information of the terminal held by the staff operating the vehicle; a registration unit that links the parking lot where the vehicle is parked with the vehicle condition indicating the degree of inspection of the vehicle input from the terminal held by the store staff, and registers them in a first database; and a management unit that manages the information registered in the first database so that it can be viewed on the terminals held by each staff member of the store.

16. A vehicle management system as described in claim 15, wherein the vehicle status further indicates the future reservation status of the vehicle, and the registration unit, if the vehicle has a reservation, links the vehicle to the parking lot in which the vehicle is parked and registers a vehicle status indicating "allocated" in the first database, and if the vehicle does not have a reservation, links the vehicle to the parking lot in which the vehicle is parked and registers a vehicle status indicating "vacant" in the first database.

17. The vehicle management system according to claim 16, wherein the registration unit obtains information regarding the future reservation status of the vehicle from a second database that manages reservations for each vehicle based on the vehicle's registration number or vehicle body number.

18. A vehicle management system as described in claim 16, wherein when the management unit receives a request to view information registered in the first database from a terminal held by a staff member of the store, it searches the first database for a vehicle corresponding to the viewing request and sends a screen showing information registered in the first database for the searched vehicle to the terminal that sent the viewing request.

19. A vehicle management system as described in claim 18, wherein, when a parking lot is specified in the viewing request, the management unit searches the first database for vehicles parked in the parking lot specified in the viewing request, and transmits a screen showing information registered in the first database about the searched vehicles to the terminal that sent the viewing request.

20. A vehicle management system as described in claim 18, wherein, when an inspection level is specified in a viewing request, the management unit searches the first database for vehicles having the inspection level specified in the viewing request, and transmits a screen showing information registered in the first database for the searched vehicles to the terminal that sent the viewing request.

21. A vehicle management system as described in claim 18, wherein, when a vehicle registration number or vehicle identification number is specified in a viewing request, the management unit searches the first database for a vehicle having the registration number or vehicle identification number specified in the viewing request, and transmits a screen showing information registered in the first database for the searched vehicle to the terminal that transmitted the viewing request.

22. A vehicle management system as described in claim 18, wherein the registration unit further registers in the first database the location indicated by the location information of the terminal held by the staff member operating the vehicle as the vehicle's parked location, linking it with the parking lot where the vehicle is parked; and the management unit displays a map on the screen and displays a mark on the map at a location corresponding to the vehicle's parked location searched for in response to a viewing request.

23. The vehicle management system according to claim 22, wherein the management unit varies the shape or color of the mark depending on the degree of inspection of the vehicle.

24. The vehicle management system according to claim 22, wherein the management unit changes the shape or color of the mark depending on whether or not the vehicle has been reserved.

25. A vehicle management system as described in claim 15, wherein the acquisition unit, when the parking lot is a multi-story parking lot, acquires location information of a terminal held by a staff member operating the vehicle, and also acquires parking floor information indicating the parking floor on which the vehicle is parked; the identification unit, when the parking lot is a multi-story parking lot, identifies the parking lot on which the vehicle is parked, and also identifies the parking floor on which the vehicle is parked based on the parking floor information; and the registration unit, when the parking lot is a multi-story parking lot, links the parking lot and parking floor on which the vehicle is parked with a vehicle status indicating the degree of inspection of the vehicle, and registers them in the first database.

26. The vehicle management system according to claim 15, wherein the acquisition unit acquires location information of a terminal held by a staff member who operates the returned vehicle.

27. A vehicle management system as described in claim 15, wherein the location of the parking lot pre-entered into the identification unit is the outline of the parking lot manually entered by a staff member of the store on a map displayed on a screen.

28. A vehicle management system as described in claim 15, wherein the location of the parking lot pre-entered into the identification unit is the location indicated by the driving trajectory obtained when a staff member of the store who operates a vehicle drives the vehicle around the perimeter of the parking lot with the GPS (Global Positioning System) function of the terminal held by the staff member turned on.

29. A vehicle management method executed by a vehicle management server that manages vehicles at a store that rents out vehicles, the method comprising: acquiring location information of a terminal held by a staff member of the store who operates the vehicle; identifying the parking lot where the vehicle is parked based on a pre-entered parking lot location and the location information of the terminal held by the staff member operating the vehicle; linking the parking lot where the vehicle is parked with the vehicle condition indicating the degree of inspection of the vehicle entered from the terminal held by the store staff member and registering the information registered in the first database; and managing the information registered in the first database so that it can be viewed on the terminal held by each staff member of the store.

30. A program that causes a computer that manages vehicles at a store that rents out vehicles to execute the following steps: acquiring location information of a terminal held by a staff member of the store who operates the vehicle; identifying the parking lot where the vehicle is parked based on a pre-entered parking lot location and the location information of the terminal held by the staff member who operates the vehicle; linking the parking lot where the vehicle is parked with the vehicle condition indicating the degree of inspection of the vehicle entered from the terminal held by the store staff member, and registering the information registered in the first database; and managing the information registered in the first database so that it can be viewed on the terminal held by each staff member of the store.

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