Lockbox for Vehicle Sharing Without Power Locks
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing vehicle sharing systems face challenges in supporting vehicles without power locks, such as rental trucks and older vehicles, as they lack the necessary infrastructure for remote unlocking and key management.
Innovation Solution
A vehicle sharing system comprising a lockbox mounted on the vehicle's exterior, containing a physical key, and a vehicle sharing control module inside the vehicle that communicates with the lockbox via transceivers to remotely unlock the vehicle door using a mobile device, with features like BLE transceivers for secure communication and theft detection.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a vehicle sharing system uses power locks for remote unlocking, then vehicle access control is improved, but the system cannot support vehicles without power locks (rental trucks and older vehicles)
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a lockbox as an intermediary device that contains a physical key. The lockbox is mounted on the vehicle exterior and can be opened remotely via a control module that receives commands from a mobile device. This intermediary approach allows the system to work with vehicles that lack power locks, as the physical key manually opens the vehicle door while the lockbox provides controlled access.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the electronic power lock system with a mechanical key-based system. Instead of using electrical signals to unlock doors, the system uses a physical key stored in a remotely openable lockbox. This substitution enables compatibility with older vehicles that lack electronic locking infrastructure while maintaining remote access capability through wireless communication protocols.
2Adaptability or versatility
If a lockbox is added to provide key access, then vehicles without power locks can be supported, but the device complexity and installation requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system is divided into separate functional modules: a lockbox mounted on the vehicle exterior containing the physical key, a control module installed in the vehicle interior that communicates with the lockbox, and a mobile device application. This segmentation allows each component to be independently installed and configured, reducing overall installation complexity while maintaining full functionality for vehicles without power locks.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enables secure and convenient access to vehicles without power locks, providing theft detection and tampering alerts, and simplifying installation without requiring vehicle integration, ensuring seamless operation in the vehicle sharing business.
Implementation Method 1
The vehicle sharing control module comprises a first transceiver configured to communicate with a remote server, and a second transceiver configured to communicate with the mobile device associated with the user and with a third transceiver associated with the lockbox
Data Source
AI summary
A vehicle sharing system for use with a vehicle. The vehicle sharing system comprises: i) a lockbox mounted on an exterior of the vehicle, the lockbox including a vehicle key that opens a door of the vehicle; and ii) a vehicle sharing control module disposed in the interior of the vehicle. The vehicle sharing control module communicates with the lockbox in order to open a door associated with the lockbox in response to a first command message received from a mobile device associated with a user. The lockbox is mounted on a license plate holder of the vehicle and the license plate is mounted on the door of the lockbox.