Car-pooling system and process and communication device for carrying out the process

0001The present invention relates to a system and method carpool, including a system that optimizes the occupation of a vehicle. She also relates to a portable communication device for carrying performing the method.

0002Currently there are car pools for managing applications and car sharing offers on selected routes. These systems, often available from computer networks large companies or public networks such as the Internet, include database which identifies the car sharing offers and another database that lists the applications. In the following, no will call us the "driver", the one offering the sharing of his car and "passenger", who Application to benefit sharing. The user of such a system, whether driver or passenger can search manually or optionally automated to the correct database to whether his application or his tender can be satisfied. If this is the case, can contact the person concerned. If this is not the case, it may register the corresponding database, giving the particulars required, including the route, date, time, ... It must then wait someone contacts him.

0003Some systems, such as in particular the one described in the Application GB 2,341,708, further to determine the stage cities of journey and include partial paths in carpooling offers.

0004These systems have the drawback that it is necessary to register advance on the network used, then wait for a response to his request be done. It therefore requires effort on the part of the user who must also regularly check if an offer corresponding to his request. he is not at all adapted to the specific use and carpooling offers no flexibility since it is necessary to register enough well in advance to find a proposal corresponding to its request. Moreover, once the appointment is made between the conductor and the passenger, the conditions should not be changed at the last minute by one of the parties. Thus, when an appointment has been agreed, a stress weighs on the users, which is not conducive to use this system.

0005Another problem is that for a carpooling system working properly, it is necessary that a large number of users, both drivers and passengers, participate in the system fault what it will not be possible to find an offer that meets a request. By against, as research in the databases are typically performed by reviewing one by one the list of proposals, the number of proposals, the more difficult it is find the right solution. In some cases, the offers and requests are written in natural language, without using predefined fields and free separation offers drivers and passengers of applications, so it is extremely laborious to find a match between supply and demand. It is even possible that the correspondence between a supply and demand simply is not being detected while the two contained in the databases. In practice, these systems are relatively underdeveloped and is a laborious use.

0006The present invention proposes to overcome the disadvantages of the systems of the prior art by providing a car sharing system which has a flexibility of use and which can be implemented even without prior registration of the date and time of travel.

0007The objects of the invention are achieved by a carpooling system including a management center, at least one communication device assigned to each conductor and at least one communication device assigned to each passenger, these communication devices having a unique identification number and having means for determining location, characterized in that the devices of communication of each passenger and each driver include transmission means to said management center at least one position geographical and that the management center includes means selecting at least one driver for each passenger.

0008These objects are also achieved by a car-sharing method wherein:<ul><li>each user is registered with a management center indicating a unique number for identifying a communication device which linked to it;</li><li>when a passenger looking for a driver, it sends a message to said management center, said message containing at least an indication of position of the passenger and the unique number device identification communication of that passenger;</li><li>when a driver agrees to take over a passenger, sends a message to said management center, this message containing the least an indication position of the driver and the unique number identification of the communication device of said conductor,</li><li>the management center determines for each passenger seeking conductor, at least one driver capable of supporting a particular passenger,</li><li>the management center sends a message to the communication device the driver, said message containing at least indications of location of a place of appointment.</li></ul>

0009The aims of this invention are also achieved by a device of mobile communication system comprising means for determining the current geographical position of said device and means for transmitting from that position to a management center, characterized in that it comprises further means for entering a destination and means transmission of travel to said management center.

0010In the system of the invention, it is possible to organize a trip in advance as in the prior art systems, but unlike existing systems, it is not necessary to wait for the chance to do another users to register for the same path at the same time. according to the invention, in contrast, users are kept abreast of information about them so that they should not give the effort research, but must simply meet. Moreover, they provide only very little information system, which makes its use far more simple and not time consuming as in the preceding embodiments. This has the advantage that a larger number of users can join the system, increasing its interest and effectiveness since the more participants, the greater the chances of finding a offers matching demand are large and the system is effective. This efficiency does not occur however at the expense of the legibility of information.

0011It is also possible to use the system in an "impulsive", that is to say without specifying in advance the course and the desired time of travel.

0012The present invention and its advantages will be better understood by reference to the description of embodiments and the appended drawing in which single FIGURE is a schematic view of the device of the invention.

0013The system according to the invention comprises essentially a management center 10 and at least one communication device 11 assigned to each user, that is to say, each conductor 12 and each passenger 13. communication device may be for example a mobile phone or a personal assistant (PDA), or even a device developed for this application. Communication devices are intended to establish a way communication with the management center. This way communication can also be done in two stages, namely the First of sending a message and a second time includes receiving a message. The devices all include a number unique identifier which may for example be a phone number. The communication devices also comprise means for 14 positioning for determining the geographical position of device. These means may be a GPS (Global Positioning System) which offers sufficient positioning accuracy for the application. Other positioning means could be envisaged, such example the positioning from the measurement of the reception power a mobile telephone signal and triangulation from positions of known antennas. These means must, however, be sufficiently precise to offer a position with an uncertainty of a few meters. The communication device may also include means for inputting a position and of the transmission means 15 of this position management center. The introduction of the position, which is generally a destination or starting point of a journey can be done using an alphanumeric keypad or selecting from a menu or by Pointing on a map stored in electronic form. Selecting a place a menu, provided a database is provided for this, to select places of interest-or the indication of a public building and not only by address. These interests or public buildings can be commercial centers, museums, a bank, pharmacy or any other place that will be easy to to locate a driver. The communication device comprises advantageously a memory that can store destinations more current and / or recent destinations, eliminating in many case, repeated data entry. This memory also allows store starting places. Advantageously, the device allows storing a number of places and comprises means to indicate for each use, so this place should be taken as a point of departure or destination of the journey.

0014The management center mainly has three databases at namely a database "users" 16, a database "Conductors" 17 and a database "passengers" 18. In the base data users, each user interested by the system carpooling forms giving personal information and the unique identification number of the communication device 11. It may possibly give other indications, including what type of vehicle it uses as a driver, regularly performs the same route, sex, if smoker or not etc. It can also give general information such as place of residence and place working. It also advantageously indicates billing data such as a bank account number for all transactions financial. It is also possible to request the sending of a photograph which will be stored in the management center. The information in This database is relatively static and does not relate offers and direct carpool requests.

0015The basic driver data 17 contains information relating to the current location of drivers said they were ready to take over one or more passengers, as well as indications about their destination. The position indications are data by the communication device of the positioning means the driver. Its destination is to be introduced by the driver himself and that it is ready to support a passenger is also indicated by the driver. The destination can also be selected from a memory of the communication device. Indeed, there is evidence Statistically 90% of trips are made between the normal places and therefore already visited by the driver.

0016This database contains dynamic information, since position of the conductors changes during their displacement and their possibility to take over a passenger also varies.

0017The basic passenger data 18 contains the unique numbers identification of the communication device assigned to each passenger that applied for a drive, as well as its current position given by the positioning means 14 and destination introduced by the passenger himself. As the basic drivers data, content the passenger database is dynamic and must be updated frequently according to the movement of the passenger or of the fact that it was supported by a driver.

0018The process according to the invention can operate essentially of two different ways. In a way, users do not register before making their journey. In a second embodiment, the users register in advance by indicating the route.

0019Following the description tion is an example of the first mode embodiment of the invention, that is to say a trip without prior registration. More Specifically, consider the example of a passenger who wishes to make a journey determined from one city to another or from one place to a city in another place, without having registered his request in advance.

0020In this case, it is possible for example for a passenger starting his journey on foot, then find a driver during his journey. The passenger sends a message to the management center indicating that it wishes get a ride, indicating his destination. This destination can be given by alphanumeric keys or choose destination in a menu or in memory. The message contains also the geographic position of the passenger or the starting point of the journey, including the unique identification number of the device communication. The information contained in this message are extracted and introduced into corresponding fields in the database passengers.

0021Parallel to this, all drivers are ready to take charge a passenger sent a message to the management center. In this message, the driver simply states his destination. The message center management further contains the current position of the driver, its destination and the unique identification number of the communication device. Sending such a message can be very simple for the driver. While its destination is stored, which is the case in the vast majority of case, he selects it, otherwise it is introduced into the device. Once selected, he simply sets a validation key, which has effect of sending the message to the management center, while indicating that the driver is ready to handle a passenger.

0022Following a request made by a passenger, the management center determined by the selection means, a group of drivers or driver may support the passenger. In practice, selection means will determine the path the driver with the more suitable to the passenger, taking into account the path of the starting point and the final destination of the passenger and every driver, as well as intermediate steps and detours should perform each driver to support or move the passenger to destination.

0023In this way, it is always possible to find the most conductive appropriate for each passenger.

0024It is also possible to define a group of drivers on the basis of Dynamic sorting criteria, taking into account the detours that each driver should perform. These criteria can be predefined, but adapted dynamically so that the conductor group contains always for example between 1 and 5 conductors may take carry a passenger.

0025In such sort, it is also taking into account possible information Additional data by each driver at the time of registration. Such indications may indicate that such a visit maximum accepted is less than 1 km, the driver (or driver) does not wish to support that transient women ... It is also possible to provide for the trip varies depending on the total distance course. Thus, a detour of 3 km is accepted for a total trip than 20 km for example, while a detour of 1 km is accepted for journeys shorter.

0026When the driver has been selected, the management center sends then a personal message, such as SMS. This message gives all the information necessary for securing the appointment between the driver and passenger, namely the place and time. This message can provide useful information to the driver, including the detour that will perform and possibly a financial amount that will receive. Next the communication device, it will be also send the driver to other information such as the photograph of the passenger, which will allow it to identify when support and by example first or last name, which allows for example to recognize in advance a passenger who has already been taken support and possibly to refuse an unwanted passenger. For indicate that the driver agrees to take over the passenger question, the request management center sending a message receipt. In If accepted, the management center sends a message to the driver and the passenger, giving them the information necessary to secure the appointment. In case of refusal, the "second best driver" is selected by the management center and the process is extended until one driver is found for a passenger. Note that the place of rendezvous is not necessarily the current position of the passenger, but that it may need to move to the start point of the path.

0027In case a group of cond ucteurs has been defined, the management center send a personal message to each driver of this group by giving all the information necessary for securing the appointment. The management center application sending a return message the acceptance or refusal to make the journey. This process is conducted until that only one driver is found for a passenger.

0028According to a simplified embodiment, the passenger who wishes to make a trip drive simply sends a message to the management center indicating that looking for a car, without even indicating his destination. This message contains its position given by the positioning means 14. The center Management regularly receives the position of drivers willing to take carry a passenger. When a driver passes or will pass, according to his current location and destination near a passenger who wishes to be conveyed, the management center sends a message to the driver. This message may for example be an interrupted tone, with a interval between two consecutive sound depending on the distance between the passenger and driver. This signal can for example be continuous when the passenger and the driver are a few meters from each other. In this case, the driver can ask its destination the passenger and support if the destination "appropriate" to the driver. An amount can be attributed to driver and taken account of the passenger. This amount may be calculated based on the distance traveled, which can itself be determined automatically by the management center after the position of the communication device of the driver and passenger. The beginning and end of the treatment of the passenger by the driver are automatically detected that the distance between the devices communication driver and passenger is fixed and very small.

0029Note that it is possible to determine the direction of the passenger by the knowledge of two or three successive positions or introduced by passenger, so that a message indicating that a passenger is taken into load may only be sent to drivers whose direction matches the direction of the passenger.

0030As mentioned, it is also possible to register with the management center before making a trip. When they registration, users must indicate both their route, that is to say, at least the starting point and the ending point, possibly, the precise path. On the other hand, they must indicate information time, that is to say at least the date and time of departure. They must Also indicate whether they are drivers or passengers, and any additional information such as the number of places available or otherwise.

0031Consider again the example of a passenger who registered to perform path determined by a specified date.

0032The management center first seek among the drivers who registered Offer, if one of them corresponds to the passenger's request. if by Random is the case, a message is sent to the driver and passenger giving them all the information necessary to make an appointment. Yes this is not the case, the management center determines a user group likely to be affected. This can especially be done by using as criterion the place of residence or work or statistical data indicate that such driver regularly travels in a given location. The group can optionally be formed from adhering to all drivers system. When the group is determined, a message is sent to all drivers in this group by giving the information relating to the path. A return message is sent to the management center by the conductor who accept the care of the passenger. The management center handles then communications between the passenger and drivers until a driver is found for a passenger.

0033As in the previous embodiment, it is also possible to send the message only to one driver at a time, choosing the driver best able to make the trip requested by the passenger.

0034When the result of the query is found and that a driver and a Passenger received the information necessary for their appointment, the communication device can send, shortly before the appointed time the appointment, the position of each user at the center of management. The management center processes this information and sends position to the other user, indicating for example the distance between them. So, Driver and passenger can easily find and everyone can estimate the waiting time to appointment.

0035When a driver has taken over a passenger, whether in the form "Impulsive" or with advance registration, it sends a message to the center management. This message, as before, contains the vehicle position and the fact that the passenger is supported. When the passenger arrived in destination, the driver or the passenger again sends a message indicating the vehicle position and the fact that the passenger has finished its race. During the trip, it is possible to provide the device communication sends the vehicle position at regular intervals. It may be done without any driver intervention.

0036The management center can, through these messages, determine the distance traveled and debit an account of the passenger and credit an account driver, by taking such a sum on the transaction. Of this so it is not necessary for the driver and passenger agree a tariff for the race.

0037It is also possible to take into account the fact that a different rate according to specific geographic areas. Thus, a price per kilometer performed can be defined for journeys within a town, another price per kilometer can be defined for journeys on motorways, an amount determined may be set for a motorway toll or as input tax in a city center for example. These regions are known from management center thanks to the positioning means and a base data that identifies geographic areas in connection with an amount, is not necessary to the passenger and the driver to negotiate a price between them. This price may also depend on eg the type of vehicle used.

0038The management center can store all journeys. This allows for example to obtain statistical information that can be consulted by users. These statistics include what is the average waiting time before being supported for perform a given path. They also reveal whether the time Waiting would be reduced or increased by changing the time of travel.

0039The carpool system is particularly interesting for the fact that users, both passengers than drivers, they induce virtually no stress. He asks one entry initially, then sending a simple message when using the service. The vast majority of trips is routinely and repetitively, so it is enough to store a few destinations you can select the later. Apart from this, users are automatically informed when a request or an offer for them.

0040Administrative management and payment or compensation are automatically, without users having to worry about it.

0041Regarding security concerns, drivers and Passengers are clearly identified by a unique number Identification of their communication device.

0042The system of the present invention provides a carpool system efficient and reliable by eliminating the tedious research and ensuring much more flexibility than systems of the prior art. Moreover, he manages the financial aspects automatically.