U.S. patent application number 14/570488 was filed with the patent office on 2016-06-16 for onboard vehicle sharing service.
The applicant listed for this patent is TOYOTA INFOTECHNOLOGY CENTER USA, INC.. Invention is credited to Vinuth RAI.
Application Number | 20160171637 14/570488 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 56111629 |
Filed Date | 2016-06-16 |
United States Patent
Application |
20160171637 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
RAI; Vinuth |
June 16, 2016 |
ONBOARD VEHICLE SHARING SERVICE
Abstract
The disclosure includes a system, method and graphical user
interfaces ("GUIs") for providing an onboard vehicle sharing
system. The system may include an onboard vehicle sharing system
installed in a vehicle. The onboard vehicle sharing system may
include a processor, a touchscreen installed in the vehicle and a
non-transitory computer-readable medium communicatively coupled to
the touchscreen and the processor. The non-transitory
computer-readable medium may store computer instructions that are
executable by the processor to perform or control performance of
operations for providing an onboard vehicle sharing service. The
operations may include receiving an input to the touchscreen
indicating a sharing mode for the vehicle. The sharing mode may
include a Share Ride mode or a Share Vehicle mode.
Inventors: |
RAI; Vinuth; (San Jose,
CA) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
TOYOTA INFOTECHNOLOGY CENTER USA, INC. |
Mountain View |
CA |
US |
|
|
Family ID: |
56111629 |
Appl. No.: |
14/570488 |
Filed: |
December 15, 2014 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
705/13 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G06F 3/04847 20130101;
G08G 1/0962 20130101; H04L 67/34 20130101; G06Q 50/01 20130101;
G06F 3/0482 20130101; G06Q 50/30 20130101; H04L 67/12 20130101;
H04L 67/306 20130101; G06F 3/0488 20130101 |
International
Class: |
G06Q 50/30 20060101
G06Q050/30; G06F 3/0488 20060101 G06F003/0488; G08G 1/133 20060101
G08G001/133; G06F 3/0484 20060101 G06F003/0484; G06Q 50/00 20060101
G06Q050/00; H04L 29/08 20060101 H04L029/08; G06F 3/0482 20060101
G06F003/0482 |
Claims
1. A system comprising: an onboard vehicle sharing system installed
in a vehicle, the onboard vehicle sharing system comprising: a
processor; a touchscreen installed in the vehicle; and a
non-transitory computer-readable medium communicatively coupled to
the touchscreen and the processor, the non-transitory
computer-readable medium having computer instructions stored
thereon that are executable by the processor to perform or control
performance of operations for providing an onboard vehicle sharing
service, the operations comprising: receiving an input to the
touchscreen indicating that the vehicle is in a share ride mode;
and responsive to the input, receiving ride share data associated
with the two or more ride sharing services, the ride share data
describing a set of customers for sharing a ride in the vehicle in
exchange for a payment.
2. The system of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise
displaying a graphical user interface on the touchscreen describing
the geographic location of the set of customers relative to one
another and relative to the vehicle.
3. The system of claim 2, wherein the graphical user interface
includes an indication of the ride sharing service associated with
the customers in the set of customers.
4. The system of claim 3, wherein there are two or more customers
in the set of customers and one customer is associated with a first
ride sharing service and a different customer is associated with a
second ride sharing service that is different from the first ride
sharing service.
5. The system of claim 1, wherein the set of customers includes one
or more suggested customers selected from a larger group of
customers, wherein the one or more suggested customers are selected
based on social network data indicating that the selected customers
have a relationship to a user of the vehicle.
6. The system of claim 5, wherein the relationship is a similar
interest.
7. The system of claim 1, wherein the set of customers includes one
or more suggested customers selected from a larger group of
customers, wherein the one or more suggested customers are selected
based on network services data indicating that the selected
customers have similar music interests that are related to a user
of the vehicle.
8. The system of claim 1, wherein the music interests of the user
is determined based on the music presented to the user in the
vehicle via one or more network services.
9. A system comprising: an onboard vehicle sharing system installed
in a vehicle, the onboard vehicle sharing system comprising: a
processor; a touchscreen installed in the vehicle and displaying a
vehicle mode graphical user interface configured to enable the
vehicle to be shared; and a non-transitory computer-readable medium
communicatively coupled to the touchscreen and the processor, the
non-transitory computer-readable medium having computer
instructions stored thereon that are executable by the processor to
perform or control performance of operations for providing an
onboard vehicle sharing service, the operations comprising:
receiving a first input to the touchscreen indicating that the
vehicle is in a share vehicle mode; receiving a second input to the
touchscreen including a time slot describing a period of time
during which the vehicle is available for one or more vehicle
sharing services; and responsive to the first and second input,
transmitting data indicating that the vehicle is available for the
one or more vehicle sharing services and the time slot during which
the vehicle is available.
10. The system of claim 9, further comprising an onboard wireless
communication system, wherein the operations further comprise:
identifying that a client associated with a user of the vehicle is
no longer paired with the onboard wireless communication system of
the vehicle; and responsive to the identification, determining that
the user associated with the client has departed the vehicle.
11. The system of claim 10, wherein the operations further comprise
securing client profile data describing one or more preferences of
the user responsive to the determination that the user has departed
the vehicle.
12. The system of claim 9, further comprising an onboard wireless
communication system, wherein the operations further comprise:
receiving customer profile data describing one or more preferences
of a customer who has indicated they will use the vehicle in
exchange for a payment; identifying that a client associated with
the customer is paired with the onboard wireless communication
system of the vehicle; and responsive to the identification,
determining that the customer is present at the vehicle.
13. The system of claim 12, wherein the operations further
comprise: responsive to the determination that the customer is
present at the vehicle, configuring an element of the vehicle to be
personalized for the customer.
14. The system of claim 9, wherein the operations further comprise:
determining that a customer who used the vehicle in exchange for a
payment has ended their journey; and reconfiguring one or more
elements of the vehicle consistent with user profile data
describing one or more preferences of a user of the vehicle;
responsive to the identification, determining that the user
associated with the client has departed the vehicle; and securing
client profile data describing one or more preferences of the
user.
15. A method of determining that a person is present at a vehicle
using wireless communication, the method comprising: identifying,
by a processor-based device programmed to do the identification,
that a client associated with a user is paired with an onboard
wireless communication system of a vehicle; and responsive to the
pairing of the client with the onboard wireless communication
system of the vehicle, determining that the user associated with
the client is present at the vehicle.
16. The method of claim 15, wherein the pairing includes the client
pairing with the onboard wireless communication system via
Bluetooth Low Energy (Bluetooth LE).
17. The method of claim 15, further comprising configuring an
element of the vehicle to be personalized for the user based on the
determination that the user is present at the vehicle.
18. The method of claim 17, wherein the element of the vehicle that
is configured for the user is a heads-up display unit.
19. The method of claim 17, wherein the element of the vehicle that
is configured for the user is an outward facing display of a
heads-up display unit.
20. The method of claim 15, further comprising providing an
indication of a location of the vehicle.
21. The method of claim 20, wherein the indication includes
blinking one or more exterior lights of the vehicle to indicate the
location of the vehicle.
22. The method of claim 21, wherein the indication includes
sounding the horn of the vehicle.
23. The method of claim 20, wherein the indication includes
displaying a message on an outward facing panel of a heads-up
display unit of the vehicle.
Description
BACKGROUND
[0001] The specification relates to providing an onboard vehicle
sharing service.
[0002] The current paradigm is for users to have a private vehicle.
However, not all users may need a private vehicle.
SUMMARY
[0003] According to one innovative aspect of the subject matter
described in this disclosure, the disclosure may include a system,
method and one or more graphical user interfaces (GUIs) for
providing an onboard vehicle sharing system. The system may include
an onboard vehicle sharing system installed in a vehicle. The
onboard vehicle sharing system may include a processor, a
touchscreen installed in the vehicle and a non-transitory
computer-readable medium communicatively coupled to the touchscreen
and the processor. The non-transitory computer-readable medium may
store computer instructions that are executable by the processor to
perform or control performance of operations for providing an
onboard vehicle sharing service. The operations may include
receiving a first input to the touchscreen indicating a share mode
for the vehicle. The vehicle mode may include a Share Ride mode or
a Share Vehicle mode.
[0004] Responsive to the vehicle mode including Share Ride mode,
the operations may include receiving ride share data associated
with the two or more ride sharing services. The ride-share data may
describe a set of customers for sharing a ride in the vehicle in
exchange for a payment.
[0005] Responsive to the vehicle mode including Share Vehicle mode,
the operations may include receiving a second input to the
touchscreen including a time slot describing a period of time
during which the vehicle is available for one or more vehicle
sharing services. Responsive to the first and second input, the
operations may include transmitting data indicating that the
vehicle is available for the one or more vehicle sharing services
and the time slot during which the vehicle is available.
[0006] In general, another innovative aspect of the subject matter
described in this disclosure may be embodied in methods that
include: identifying, by a processor-based device programmed to do
the identification, that a client associated with a user is paired
with an onboard wireless communication system of a vehicle; and
responsive to the pairing of the client with the onboard wireless
communication system of the vehicle, determining that the user
associated with the client is present at the vehicle. The pairing
may include the client pairing with the onboard wireless
communication system via Bluetooth.RTM. or Bluetooth.RTM. Low
Energy (Bluetooth.RTM. LE). The method may further include
configuring an element of the vehicle to be personalized for the
user based on the determination that the user is present at the
vehicle. The element of the vehicle that is configured for the user
may include a heads-up display unit. For example, an outward facing
display of the heads-up display unit may display a greeting for the
user.
[0007] Other aspects include corresponding methods, systems,
apparatus, and computer program products for these and other
innovative aspects.
[0008] The disclosure is particularly advantageous in a number of
respects. For example, the disclosure may describe a system and
method to provide the vehicle with onboard systems, methods and
GUIs to enable a user of the vehicle to share the vehicle with
other people.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0009] The disclosure is illustrated by way of example, and not by
way of limitation in the figures of the accompanying drawings in
which like reference numerals are used to refer to similar
elements.
[0010] FIG. 1A is a block diagram illustrating an example system
for providing an onboard vehicle sharing service.
[0011] FIGS. 1B, 1C and 1D are a graphic representation of a
vehicle mode selection graphical user interface.
[0012] FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an example onboard
vehicle sharing system.
[0013] FIGS. 3A, 3B, 3C, 3D, 3E and 3F are a flowchart of an
example method for providing an onboard vehicle sharing
service.
[0014] FIG. 4 is a graphic representation of a vehicle profile
graphical user interface.
[0015] FIG. 5 is a graphic representation of a driver profile
graphical user interface.
[0016] FIGS. 6A and 6B are a graphic representation of a vehicle
locator graphical user interface.
[0017] FIG. 7 is a block diagram of an outward facing display panel
of a heads-up display unit.
[0018] FIG. 8 is a graphic representation of a calendar graphical
user interface.
[0019] FIG. 9 is a graphic representation of a personalized welcome
graphical user interface.
[0020] FIG. 10 is a graphic representation of a revenue summary
graphical user interface.
[0021] FIG. 11 is a graphic representation of a customer summary
graphical user interface.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0022] This disclosure includes an onboard vehicle sharing system,
method and graphical user interfaces (GUIs) that enable vehicle
owners or lessees to share their vehicles with other people. The
onboard vehicle sharing service may be referred to as a
"Ready-to-Share service" since the vehicle may come from the
factory "Ready-to-Share." Described at a high level, the
Ready-to-Share service may include a marketplace for vehicle and
ride sharing. Users may use an intuitive GUI such as the one
depicted in FIG. 1B to place their vehicle in one of three modes:
(1) Private; (2) Share Ride; and (3) Share Vehicle. These three
modes are explained in more detail below. The GUIs described herein
may be viewable via a touchscreen of the vehicle and include
graphical elements which are configured to be selectable by a user
or a customer via touch or gestures.
[0023] When in Private mode, the vehicle may function as a private
vehicle.
[0024] When in Share Ride mode, the vehicle may be viewable by
customers of ride sharing services such as Uber.RTM., Lyft.RTM.,
ZimRide.RTM. and Street Car.RTM.. For example, the onboard vehicle
sharing service may include application program interfaces (APIs)
to enable the onboard vehicle system to communicate with these ride
sharing services to make the user's vehicle selectable by customers
of these ride sharing services. In this way, customers of these
ride sharing services may see the user's vehicle as a vehicle which
is available to give them a ride in exchange for a financial
payment. The onboard vehicle sharing service may be configured so
that customers may continue using the native applications of these
ride sharing services. For example, a first customer may continue
using their Uber.RTM. application on their smartphone but still see
the user's vehicle as an option available to them for a ride, while
contemporaneously a second customer may continue using their
Lyft.RTM. application on their smartphone and also see the user's
vehicle as an option available to them for a ride. This may be
similarly true for customers who use Zimride.RTM. or Street
Car.RTM..
[0025] The vehicle may receive data to display the locations of the
customers relative to one another on an electronic map displayed on
a touchscreen of the vehicle. The user of the vehicle may select
one of the customers by providing an input to the touchscreen of
the vehicle. Upon selecting the customer, the touchscreen may
display a summary of the selected customer and a description of a
destination. The user may provide an input to the touchscreen to
indicate that the user will give a ride to the selected customer.
The selected customer may receive a message to notify them that
they will be picked up by the user. The message may include a
summary of the user and the user's vehicle. The onboard vehicle
sharing system may provide the user with navigation instructions to
pick up the user. The onboard vehicle sharing system may provide
the customer with additional notifications to inform them of how
far the user is from them and an estimate of when the user will
arrive.
[0026] When in Share Vehicle mode, the vehicle may be viewable by
customers of vehicle sharing services such as RelayRides.RTM. and
Getaround.RTM.. For example, the onboard vehicle sharing service
may include APIs to enable the onboard vehicle system to
communicate with these vehicle sharing services to make the user's
vehicle selectable by customers of these vehicle sharing services.
In this way, customers of these vehicle sharing services may see
the user's vehicle as a vehicle which is available for them to
privately drive for a limited period of time configured by the user
in exchange for a financial payment. The onboard vehicle sharing
service may be configured so that customers may continue using the
native applications of these vehicle sharing services. For example,
a first customer may continue using their RelayRides.RTM.
application on their smartphone but still see the user's vehicle as
an option available to them, while contemporaneously a second
customer may continue using their Getaround.RTM. application on
their smartphone and also see the user's vehicle as an option
available to them. In this way one of the customers may select the
vehicle for use for some or all of the predetermined period of time
configured by the user.
[0027] The customer's smartphone may transmit customer profile data
associated with the customer. The vehicle may receive this customer
profile data. The onboard vehicle sharing system may reconfigure
the vehicle based on the customer profile data. The vehicle may
transmit location data describing the location of the vehicle. The
customer's smartphone may receive this data and provide navigation
instructions to the customer to locate the vehicle. When the
customer gets close to the vehicle, the vehicle may blink its
headlights or display a message on an outward facing panel of a
heads-up display unit. The proximity of the customer to the vehicle
may be determined by a global position system (GPS) or Wi-Fi
triangulation. In this way the customer may more easily locate the
vehicle. The onboard vehicle sharing system may make the user's
profile data private while the customer is using the vehicle. The
customer may then drive and use the vehicle for the predetermined
period of time in exchange for a payment.
[0028] In some implementations, the vehicle and the customer's
smartphone may be equipped with Bluetooth.RTM. or Bluetooth Low
Energy.RTM. (Bluetooth LEC), and the proximity of the customer to
the vehicle may be determined by the vehicle and the smartphone of
the customer pairing with one another or beginning the pairing
process.
[0029] The onboard vehicle sharing system may include functionality
to track the user's profits for a time period so that the user may
know how much money they have made from sharing rides and sharing
their vehicle.
Example System Overview
[0030] FIG. 1A illustrates a block diagram of one implementation of
a system 100 for providing an onboard vehicle sharing service. The
system 100 may include a client 103, a vehicle system 123, a
content server 107, a social network server 101, a market server
109, a chat server 113, a ride share service server 115, a vehicle
share service server 117 and a network 105. The vehicle system 123
may be accessed by a user 180 and a customer 181. The client 103
may be accessed by the user 180. The user 180 and the customer 181
may be humans. The vehicle system 123 may be the vehicle shared by
the user 180.
[0031] In the illustrated implementation, the client 103, vehicle
system 123, content server 107, social network server 101, market
server 109, chat server 113, the ride share service server 115 and
the vehicle share service server 117 may be communicatively coupled
via the network 105. Communication among these elements of the
system 100 may be bidirectional. The communication among these
elements of the system 100 and the network 105 may be via a wired
or wireless communicative coupling.
[0032] The system 100 may include other servers or devices not
shown in FIG. 1 including, for example, a navigation server for
providing navigation data, a weather server for providing weather
data and a financial server for processing financial payments.
[0033] The elements included in FIG. 1A may be used by way of
example. For example, while the disclosure may only illustrate one
of each element in FIG. 1, the disclosure applies to a system 100
having one or more clients 103, one or more vehicle systems 123,
one or more content servers 107, one or more social network servers
101, one or more market servers 109, one or more chat servers 113,
one or more ride share service servers 115, one or more vehicle
share service servers 117, one or more users 180 and one or more
customers 181. Although FIG. 1A illustrates one network 105
communicatively coupled to the client 103, vehicle system 123,
content server 107, social network server 101, market server 109,
chat server 113, ride share service server 115, vehicle share
service server 117, in practice one or more networks 105 may be
communicatively coupled to these elements of the system 100.
[0034] The network 105 may be a conventional type, wired or
wireless, and may have numerous different configurations including
a star configuration, token ring configuration, or other
configurations. Furthermore, the network 105 may include a local
area network (LAN), a wide area network (WAN) (e.g., the Internet),
or other interconnected data paths across which multiple devices
may communicate. In some implementations, the network 105 may be a
peer-to-peer network. The network 105 may also be coupled to or
include portions of a telecommunications network for sending data
in a variety of different communication protocols. In some
implementations, the network 105 includes Bluetooth.RTM.
communication networks or a cellular communications network for
sending and receiving data including via short messaging service
(SMS), multimedia messaging service (MMS), hypertext transfer
protocol (HTTP), direct data connection, WAP, e-mail, etc. In some
implementations, the network 105 may include a Global Positioning
Service (GPS) satellite for providing GPS navigation to the client
103 or the vehicle system 123. The network 105 may be a mobile data
network such as 3G, 4G, LTE, Voice-over-LTE ("VoLTE"), or any other
mobile data network or combination of mobile data networks. In some
implementations, the network 105 may include Bluetooth.RTM. Low
Energy (Bluetooth LE) communication networks or any other
Bluetooth.RTM. communication network. In some implementations, the
network 105 may include dedicated short-range communication (DSRC)
networks.
[0035] The vehicle system 123 may be a mobile communication node.
For example, the vehicle system 123 may be a vehicle (e.g., an
automobile, a bus, an airplane, a boat), a general-purpose robot, a
special-purpose robot such as an autonomous vehicle or a
semi-autonomous vehicle, a drone or any other mobile system. The
vehicle system 123 may be an electric vehicle, hybrid vehicle or a
vehicle that includes an internal combustion engine.
[0036] In some implementations, the vehicle system 123 may include
a computing device that includes a memory and a processor. For
example, the vehicle system 123 is a vehicle including an onboard
computer. In some implementations, the vehicle system 123 may
include a mobile client device. For example, the vehicle system 123
may include a tablet, a smartphone, an infotainment system, or
another type of computing device.
[0037] A user 180 may interact with the vehicle system 123. For
example, the user 180 may be a human that travels in the vehicle
system 123. Similarly, the customer 181 may be a human that travels
in the vehicle system 123. For example, the vehicle system 123 is
in Share Vehicle mode and the customer 181 travels in the vehicle
system 123.
[0038] The vehicle system 123 may include hardware or software to
enable the vehicle system 123 to wirelessly access the network 105.
For example, the vehicle system 123 may include an infotainment
system to provide one or more network services to a user 180 of the
vehicle system 123. The vehicle system 123 may receive network
services data via the network 105. The infotainment system of the
vehicle system 123 may use the network services data to provide one
or more network services for the occupant of the vehicle system
123. The network services data may be stored on the content server
107. The network services data may be any data needed to provide
the network service to the vehicle system 123. The network services
data may include audio data, video data, e-mail data, calendar data
or any other data necessary to stream the network services
described below. For example, the network services data may include
audio data for enabling the user 180 of the vehicle system 123 to
stream music via the infotainment system of the vehicle system 123.
In another example, the network services data may include video
data for enabling the customer 181 of the vehicle system 123 to
stream video via the infotainment system of the vehicle system
123.
[0039] In some implementations, the vehicle system 123 may include
one or more sensors (not shown), such as a navigation sensor (e.g.,
a GPS sensor), an infrared detector, a motion detector, a
thermostat, a sound detector, and any other type of sensors. For
example, the vehicle system 123 may include sensors for measuring
one or more of a current time, a current location (e.g., a
latitude, longitude, and altitude of a location), an acceleration
of the vehicle system 123, a velocity of the vehicle system 123, a
fuel tank level of the vehicle system 123, a battery level of the
vehicle system 123, an activity of an occupant of the vehicle
system 123, etc. The sensors of the vehicle system 123 may include
an interior cabin camera, a weight sensor, a carbon monoxide
sensor, or any other sensor to detect the activity of the occupant
of the vehicle system 123. The sensors of the vehicle system 123
may include a buffer or some other non-transitory memory to store
the network services requested by the user of the vehicle system
123.
[0040] The vehicle system 123 may include one or more of a user
profile data 191 and a customer profile data 192. The user profile
data 191 may include any data associated with the user 180 and the
customer profile data 192 may include any data associated with the
customer 181. In some implementations, the customer profile data
192 may only be stored in the vehicle system 123 when the vehicle
system 123 is in Share Vehicle mode. The user profile data 191 may
be kept separate from the customer profile data 192 and vice versa.
The user profile data 191 may be inaccessible by the customer 181
and the customer profile data 192 may be inaccessible to the user
180.
[0041] In some implementations, the user profile data 191 and the
customer profile data 192 may be stored locally on a memory of the
vehicle system 123 at the same time. Alternatively, the user
profile data 191 may only be stored on the vehicle system 123 when
the user 180 is using the vehicle system 123 and the customer
profile data 192 may only be stored on the vehicle system 123 when
the customer 181 is using the vehicle system 123.
[0042] The user profile data 191 may describe settings preferred by
the user 180 when traveling in the vehicle system 123. For example,
the user profile data 191 may describe one or more ergonomic
settings for the vehicle system 123 for use by the vehicle system
123 when the user 180 is traveling in the vehicle system 123, one
or more device pairings for use by the vehicle system 123 when the
user 180 is traveling in the vehicle system 123, user account
information for one or more network services associated with the
user 180 for use by the vehicle system 123 when the user 180 is
traveling in the vehicle system 123, one or more settings for a
navigation system of the vehicle system 123 for use by the vehicle
system 123 when the user 180 is traveling in the vehicle system 123
and one or more electronic calendars for use by the vehicle system
123 when the user 180 is traveling in the vehicle system 123.
[0043] In some implementations, the one or more ergonomic settings
described by the user profile data 191 may include ergonomic data
describing one or more of the following: how a steering wheel of
the vehicle system 123 should be adjusted when the user 180 is
traveling in the vehicle system 123; how a seat of the vehicle
system 123 should be adjusted when the user 180 is traveling in the
vehicle system 123; and how one or more mirrors of the vehicle
system 123 should be adjusted when the user 180 is traveling in the
vehicle system 123. In some implementations, elements of the
vehicle system 123 may be powered by motors that reconfigure these
elements based on the ergonomic settings. For example, a driver's
seat of the vehicle system 123 may be repositioned by electric
motors so that the driver's seat is configured based on the
ergonomic settings. The steering wheel and mirrors of the vehicle
system 123 may be similarly adjusted. In some implementations, the
onboard module 193 may include code and routines to cause a
controller and one or more motors of the vehicle system 123 to
reconfigure elements of the vehicle system 123 based on user
profile data 191.
[0044] In some implementations, the settings for the one or more
device pairings described by the user profile data 191 may include
device pairings data describing one or more devices that are
authorized to pair with the vehicle system 123 by the user 180 and
any data or information necessary for the vehicle system 123 to
pair with these devices via a wireless communication network such
as Bluetooth. The devices which pair with the vehicle system 123
using the device pairings data may include one or more clients 103
associated with the user 180. In some implementations, the onboard
module 193 may include code and routines to reconfigure a
communication unit of the vehicle system 123 to automatically pair
with the one or more clients 103 associated with the user 180 based
on the user profile data 191.
[0045] In some implementations, the user account information for
one or more network services associated with the user 180 may
include any data or information necessary for the vehicle system
123 to stream one or more network services associated with the user
180. For example, the vehicle system 123 includes an infotainment
system that includes functionality to wirelessly stream one or more
network services via the network 105. The vehicle system 123 may
include other hardware (e.g., one or more displays, one or more
speakers, etc.) or software necessary to enable the user 180 to
consume the one or more network services streamed via the network
105. In some implementations, the onboard module 193 may include
code and routines to reconfigure one or more of a communication
unit and an infotainment system of the vehicle system 123 to
automatically connect with the one or more network services
associated with the user 180 based on the user profile data 191. In
this way the vehicle system 123 may be automatically reconfigured
so that the vehicle system 123 can stream content from the one or
more networks services associated with the user 180 without input
from the user 180 to reconfigure the vehicle system 123.
[0046] The network services may include one or more of the
following: navigation instructions; streaming audio or video (such
as Pandora.TM., Spotify.TM., iTunes.TM., Google Play.TM.,
YouTube.TM., Netflix.TM., Hulu Plus.TM., Crackle.TM., Amazon.TM.
Instant Video, Prime Instant Video, Digital Music Store, Prime
Music App Store, etc.); social networking (such as Facebook.TM.,
Google+.TM., LinkedIn.TM., Tinder.TM., QQ.TM., etc.); microblogging
(such as Twitter.TM., Tumblr.TM., etc.); online chatting (such as
Google Chat.TM., Snapchat.TM., WhatsApp.TM., etc.); online content
sharing (such as Instagram.TM., Pinterest.TM., etc.); e-mail (such
as Gmail.TM., Outlook.TM., Yahoo! Mail.TM., etc.); file sharing
(such as Dropbox.TM., Google Drive.TM., MS OneDrive.TM.,
Evernote.TM. etc.); electronic calendar and scheduling (such as
Google.TM. Calendar, MS Outlook.TM., etc.); and etc. In some
implementations, the customer profile data 192 may include data
necessary to enable the user 180 to consume one or more of these
networks services via the infotainment system of the vehicle system
123.
[0047] In some implementations, the user profile data 191 may
include one or more of the following: one or more radio station
presets for an infotainment system of the vehicle system 123
describing how the infotainment system settings should be adjusted
when the user 180 is traveling in the vehicle system 123; one or
more audio equalizer settings for the infotainment system of the
vehicle system 123 describing how the infotainment system settings
should be adjusted when the user 180 is traveling in the vehicle
system 123; one or more thermostat settings or other settings for
the climate control system of the vehicle system 123 describing how
the climate control system of the vehicle system 123 should be
adjusted when the user 180 is traveling in the vehicle system 123;
and one or more garage door settings enabling the vehicle system
123 to control operation of one or more garage doors associated
with the user 180. In some implementations, the onboard module 193
may include code and routines to reconfigure elements of the
vehicle system 123 based on the user profile data 191. For example,
the infotainment system of the vehicle system 123 may be
reconfigured to include the radio station presets for the user 180
based on the user profile data 191.
[0048] In some implementations, the one or more settings for the
navigation system of the vehicle system 123 included in the user
profile data 191 may include the user's home address and any data
necessary to enable the vehicle system 123 to navigate to the
user's home address when the user 180 is traveling in the vehicle
system 123.
[0049] In some implementations, the one or more electronic
calendars for use by the vehicle system 123 when the user 180 is
traveling in the vehicle system 123 may be included in the network
services of the user 180.
[0050] The customer profile data 192 may describe settings
preferred by the customer 181 when traveling in the vehicle system
123. The customer profile data 192 includes similar features as the
user profile data 191 with the exception being that the customer
profile data 192 describes the settings preferred by the customer
181 whereas the user profile data 191 describes the settings
preferred by the user 180.
[0051] The vehicle system 123 may include an onboard module 193.
The onboard module 193 may include code and routines configured to
reconfigure the vehicle system 123 based on the user profile data
191 or the customer profile data 192. In some implementations, the
onboard module 193 may include code and routines configured to
execute one or more of the steps described below with reference to
FIGS. 3A-3F.
[0052] In some implementations, the onboard module 193 may include
code and routines configured to provide one or more of the
graphical user interfaces ("GUI" or "GUIs") 119, 800, 900, 1000,
1100 described below with reference to FIGS. 1B-1D, 8, 9, 10 and
11. In some implementations the onboard module 193 may also include
code and routines configured to provide one or more GUIs 400, 500,
600 described below with reference to FIGS. 4, 5, 6A and 6B. These
GUIs may be displayed on a display of the vehicle system 123. The
display of the vehicle system 123 may include a touchscreen. For
example, the infotainment system of the vehicle system 123 includes
a touchscreen for displaying these GUIs.
[0053] The onboard module 193 may also include code and routines
configured to receive inputs via one or more of the GUIs 119, 400,
500, 600, 800, 900, 1000, 1100 and take actions responsive to these
inputs. For example, the user 180 may provide an input as described
below with reference method 300 of FIG. 3A-3F and the onboard
module 193 may receive this input and take action responsive to
this input as described below with reference to method 300. In some
implementations, the onboard module 193 may include code and
routines configured to provide some or all of the functionality
described below with reference to one or more of the GUIs 119, 400,
500, 600, 800, 900, 1000, 1100.
[0054] In some implementations, the onboard module 193 may include
code and routines configured to perform one or more blocks of the
method 300 of FIG. 3A-3F when executed by a processor such as
processor 225 described below with reference to FIG. 2.
[0055] An example implementation of the onboard module 193 will be
described in more detail below with reference to FIG. 2.
[0056] The client 103 may be a processor-based computing device
that includes a processor and a memory. For example, the client 103
may be a personal computer, a laptop computer, a tablet computer, a
wearable device, a smartphone, a mobile telephone, a personal
digital assistant ("PDA"), a mobile e-mail device, a portable game
player, a portable music player, set-top box, a network-connected
television, a network-connected home device or any other tangible
electronic device capable of accessing the network 105. In some
implementations, the wearable device may include, for example, a
smartwatch or fitness tracker that communicates via the network
105.
[0057] The client 103 may include a customer module 198 and
customer profile data 192. The customer module 198 may include code
and routines configured to enable the customer 181 to access the
ride share service provided by the ride share service server 115 or
the vehicle share service provided by the vehicle share service
server 117. For example, the customer module 198 is a smartphone
application provided by the operators of the ride share service to
enable customers 181 to access the ride share service.
[0058] In some implementations, the customer module 198 may include
code and routines for providing the customer profile data 192 to
the vehicle system 123 or the market server 109. For example, the
customer module 198 may provide the customer profile data 192 to
the vehicle system 123 via Wi-Fi, Bluetooth or some other wireless
communication network between the vehicle system 123 and the client
103. In some implementations, the client 103 may be hardwired to a
communication unit of the vehicle system 123 and may provide the
customer profile data 192 to the vehicle system 123 via this
communicative coupling. An example implementation of the
communication unit of the vehicle system 123 is described in more
detail below with reference to FIG. 2.
[0059] In some implementations, the customer module 198 may include
code and routines configured to enable the client 103 to pair with
the vehicle system 123 via Wi-Fi or some form of Bluetooth using a
wireless antenna of the client 103.
[0060] In some implementations, the customer module 198 may include
code and routines configured to generate one or more of the GUIs
400, 500, 600 described below with reference to FIGS. 4, 5, 6A and
6B. These GUIs may be displayed on a touchscreen of the client
103.
[0061] The customer module 198 may also include code and routines
configured to receive inputs via one or more of the GUIs 400, 500,
600 and take actions responsive to these inputs. For example, the
customer 181 may provide an input as described below with reference
to FIG. 6A or 6B and the customer module 198 may receive this input
and take action responsive to this input as described below with
reference to FIG. 6A or 6B. In some implementations, the customer
module 198 may include a special-purpose computer device programmed
to provide the functionality described herein with reference to the
customer module 198.
[0062] The customer profile data 192 may include any data stored on
the client 103. For example, the customer profile data 192 may
include e-mail data describing e-mails associated with the user
180, electronic calendar data associated with the user 180, an
electronic address book including data describing one or more
contacts associated with the user 180 and one or more email
addresses, physical mailing addresses, telephone numbers and notes
associated with these contacts.
[0063] In some implementations, the customer profile data 192 may
include user account information for one or more network services
associated with the user 180 as described above with reference to
the user profile data 191. For example, the customer profile data
192 may include any data or information necessary for the user 180
to access or consume network services via the client 103 or the
vehicle system 123.
[0064] In some implementations, the customer profile data 192 may
include X2V data. X2V data may include any type of
object-to-vehicle data. X2V data may include information about the
object's position. For example, the customer profile data 192 may
include one or more bits of data describing the geographic location
of the client 103. In this way, the vehicle system 123 may be able
to determine the location of the client 103 relative to the vehicle
system 123.
[0065] In some implementations, the client 103 or the vehicle
system 123 may include functionality to determine their relative
locations using GPS or wireless signal triangulation (e.g., Wi-Fi
triangulation). In some implementations, the X2V data may include
one or more bits that are an indication of the source of the
data.
[0066] In some implementations, one or more of the client 103 and
the vehicle system 123 may include hardware or software necessary
to communicate via DSRC. DSRC may include one-way or two-way
short-range to medium-range wireless communication channels that
are designed for automotive use. In some implementations, the DSRC
implemented by the vehicle system 123 or the client 103 may use the
5.9 GHz band for transmission.
[0067] The social network server 101 may be a hardware server that
includes a processor, a memory and network communication
capabilities. The social network server 101 may be communicatively
coupled to the network 105. The social network server 101 may send
and receive data to and from other elements of the system 100 via
the network 105.
[0068] The social network server 101 may include a social network
application 111. The social network application 111 may include
code and routines for providing a social network. The social
network may be a type of social structure where one or more humans
such as user 180 and customer 181 may be connected by a common
feature. The common feature may include relationships/connections,
e.g., friendship, family, work, an interest, etc. The common
features may be provided by one or more social networking systems
including explicitly defined relationships and relationships
implied by social connections with other online people, where the
relationships form a social graph. In some examples, the social
graph may reflect a mapping of one or more users 180 and one or
more customers 181 and how they may be related.
[0069] In some implementations, the social network application 111
may generate a social network that may be used for generating
suggestion. For example, the social network application 111 may
determine that a user 180 and a customer 181 travel to
geographically related locations at similar times of the day and
that they have similar interests. Based on this, the social network
application 111 may generate a suggestion that the customer 181
share a ride with the user. The suggestion may include a ranked
list of customers 181 that are suggested for the user 180 or vice
versa.
[0070] The content server 107 may be a hardware server that
includes a processor, a memory and network communication
capabilities. The content server 107 may be communicatively coupled
to the network 105. The content server 107 may send and receive
data to and from other elements of the system 100 via the network
105. For example, the content server 107 may be configured to
provide one or more networks services to the vehicle system 123 or
the client 103.
[0071] The ride share service server 115 may be a hardware server
that includes a processor, a memory and network communication
capabilities. The ride share service server 115 may be
communicatively coupled to the network 105. The ride share service
server 115 may send and receive data to and from other elements of
the system 100 via the network 105. For example, the ride share
service server 115 may be configured to provide one or more ride
share services to one or more of the vehicle system 123 and the
client 103. For example, the ride share service server 115 may
provide one or more ride share services such as Uber.RTM.,
Lyft.RTM., ZimRide.RTM. and Street Car.RTM.. In one embodiment, the
vehicle system 123, client 103 or the market server 109 may include
one or more application programming interfaces ("API" or "APIs")
and other data and hardware necessary to electronically access,
communicate and interact with the one or more ride share services
provided by the rider share server 115.
[0072] The vehicle share service server 117 may be a hardware
server that includes a processor, a memory and network
communication capabilities. The vehicle share service server 117
may be communicatively coupled to the network 105. The vehicle
share service server 117 may send and receive data to and from
other elements of the system 100 via the network 105. For example,
the vehicle share service server 117 may be configured to provide
one or more vehicle share services to one or more of the vehicle
system 123 and the client 103. For example, the ride share service
server 115 may provide one or more vehicle share services such as
RelayRides.RTM. and Getaround.RTM.. In one embodiment, the vehicle
system 123, client 103 or the market server 109 may include one or
more application programming interfaces ("API" or "APIs") and other
data and hardware necessary to electronically access, communicate
and interact with the one or more ride share services provided by
the vehicle share service server 117.
[0073] The market server 109 may be a hardware server that includes
a processor, a memory and network communication capabilities. The
market server 109 may be communicatively coupled to the network
105. The memory of the market server 109 may store the user profile
data 191, the customer profile data 192 and the API data 144. The
API data 144 may include one or more APIs necessary for the market
server 109 to access, communicate and interact with the ride share
service provided by the ride share service server 115 and the
vehicle share service provided by the vehicle share server 117.
[0074] The market server 109 may send and receive data to and from
other elements of the system 100 via the network 105. For example,
the market server 109 may be configured to transmit or manage
transmission of the user profile data to the vehicle system 123
responsive to determining that the user 180 is going to use the
vehicle system 123. Similarly, the market server 109 may be
configured to transmit or manage transmission of the customer
profile data 192 to the vehicle system 123 responsive to
determining that the customer 181 is going to use the vehicle
system 123.
[0075] The market server 109 may include a market module 197. In
some implementations, the market module 197 includes code and
routines to aggregate results from querying one or more ride share
services provided by one or more ride share service servers 115.
For example, the user 180 may place the vehicle 123 in Share Ride
mode. The onboard module 193 may transmit a signal to the market
server 109 including a request for one or more customers 181 that
are available in the geographic area of the vehicle system 123. The
signal may include a geographic data describing the location of the
vehicle system 123.
[0076] Optionally, the signal may also include an indication of the
ride share services which are acceptable to the user 180. For
example, the user 180 may not accept customers from some ride share
services but may accept customers from other ride share services.
The market module 197 may transmit a signal to one or more ride
share service servers 115 including a request for one or more
customers 181 for the vehicle system 123 based on the geographic
location of the vehicle system 123. If one or more ride share
services are not acceptable to the user 180, then the market module
197 will not transmit this signal to these services.
[0077] The market module 197 may receive ride share data from the
one or more ride sharing services including a description of one or
more customers 181 and the geographic data describing the
geographic location of where the one or more customers 181 want to
be picked up and the geographic location of where the one or more
customers 181 want to be dropped off.
[0078] The ride share data may also include social network data or
network services data describing the interest of the one or more
customers 181. For example, the social network data may describe
the hobbies of the one or more customers 181 and the network
services data may describe the music interests of the one or more
customers 181. The market module 197 may include code and routines
configured to analyze this data and determine one or more suggested
customers 181 for the user 180 based on shared interests,
relationships between their non-shared interests and geographic
proximity of the pick up and drop off locations for the customers
181 relative to the journey start and journey end locations for the
user 180. The journey start location of the user 180 may be the
geographic location the vehicle system 123 is starting from when
the vehicle system 123 is placed in Share Ride mode and the journey
end location for the user 180 may be the expected geographic
location of the vehicle system 123 when the user 180 ends the
present journey.
[0079] The market module 197 may transmit the ride share data
describing the one or more customers 181 to the vehicle system 123
via the network 105. The ride share data may include an aggregation
of the one or more customers available across one or more ride
share services. In this way, the market module 197 may provide an
electronic market place of customers available across one or more
ride share services. The ride share data may include the one or
more suggested customers 181 or the onboard module 193 may include
code and routines configured to determine the one or more suggested
customers 181 for the user 180.
[0080] In some implementations, the ride share data may include
graphical data for depicting the customers 181 available to the
user 180 on a touchscreen of the vehicle system 123. The customers
181 may be depicted on an electronic map. The electronic map may
include a depiction of the geographic location of the customers 181
relative to one another and the vehicle system 123 of the user 180.
The depicted customers 181 may include only the suggested customers
181. The depiction of the customers 181 may include an indication
of the ride share service that is being used by the customer 181
since this may be relevant to the user 180 when determining which
customer 181 to select since the different ride share services may
provide different amounts of profit to the user 180 for providing a
ride share service. The depiction of the customers 181 may include
data describing the social network data and the network service
data for each customer 181 similar to what is shown in FIG. 5
(although this depiction may include data describing the user 180
for the benefit of the customer 181).
[0081] In some implementations, the market module 197 includes code
and routines to aggregate results from querying one or more vehicle
share services provided by one or more vehicle share service
servers 117. For example, the user 180 may place the vehicle 123 in
Share Vehicle mode. The onboard module 193 may transmit a signal to
the market server 109 including a description of the time limit
input by the user 180 indicating how long the vehicle system 123 is
available to customers 181. The signal may include a geographic
data describing the location of the vehicle system 123. Other
identifying information of the vehicle system 123 may be included
such as color, make and model of the vehicle system 123.
[0082] Optionally, the signal may also include an indication of the
vehicle share services which are acceptable to the user 180. For
example, the user 180 may not accept customers from some vehicle
share services but may accept customers from other vehicle share
services. The market module 197 may transmit a signal to one or
more vehicle share service servers 117 including a request for one
or more customers 181 for the vehicle system 123 based on the
geographic location of the vehicle system 123 and the time limit
input. If one or more vehicle share services are not acceptable to
the user 180, then the market module 197 will not transmit this
signal to these services. In this way, the market module 197 may
make the vehicle system 123 available for one or more vehicle share
services when the vehicle system 123 is in Share Vehicle mode.
[0083] The market module 197 may include code and routines
configured to perform one or more blocks of the method 300
described below with reference to FIGS. 3A-3F when executed by a
processor such as processor 225. In some implementations, the
market module 197 is a special-purpose computing device programmed
to perform one or more blocks of the method 300.
[0084] In some implementations, the market module 197 may include
code and routines configured to provide graphical data for
generating one or more of the GUIs 119, 400, 500, 600, 800, 900,
1000, 1100 to one or more of the vehicle system 123 or the client
103. The market module 197 may also include code and routines
configured to receive inputs to the one or more GUIs 119, 400, 500,
600, 800, 900, 1000, 1100 and take actions responsive to these
inputs. In some implementations, the market module 197 may include
code and routines configured to provide some or all of the
functionality described below with reference to one or more of the
GUIs 119, 400, 500, 600, 800, 900, 1000, 1100.
[0085] In some implementations, the market server 109 may store the
market module 197 in the memory of the market server 109.
[0086] In some implementations, one or more of the onboard module
193, market module 197 and the customer module 198 may be
implemented using hardware including a field-programmable gate
array ("FPGA") or an application-specific integrated circuit
("ASIC"). In some other implementations, one or more of the onboard
module 193, the market module 197 and the customer module 198 may
be implemented using a combination of hardware and software. In
some implementations, one or more of the onboard module 193, the
market module 197 and the customer module 198 may be stored in a
combination of the devices and servers, or in one of the devices or
servers.
[0087] The chat server 113 may include a hardware server that
includes a processor, a memory and network communication
capabilities. The chat server 113 may be communicatively coupled to
the network 105. The chat server 113 may send and receive data to
and from other elements of the system 100 via the network 105. In
some implementations, the chat server 113 may be configured to
provide one or more network services to the vehicle system 123 or
the client 103. For example, the chat server 113 provides one or
more of the online chatting services described above with reference
to the network services. In some implementations, the chat server
113 provides a private online chatting service that is only
accessible by the customer 181 and the user 180 who is providing a
service to the customer 181. For example, the user 180 may message
the customer via the chat service of the chat server 113 to let the
customer 181 know information relevant to the user 180 providing a
ride share service to the customer 181.
[0088] Referring now to FIGS. 1B, 1C and 1D, depicted is an example
of a graphic representation of a vehicle mode selection GUI 119.
The vehicle mode selection GUI 119 may be used to place the vehicle
system 123 in Private mode, Share Ride mode or Share Vehicle mode.
The vehicle mode selection GUI 119 may be configured for display on
a touchscreen of the vehicle system 123. The vehicle mode selection
GUI 119 may receive touchscreen inputs from the user 180. The
vehicle mode selection GUI 119 may be configured to be inaccessible
by the customer 181 when the vehicle system 123 is in Share Vehicle
mode.
[0089] Referring to FIG. 1B, the vehicle mode selection GUI 119
indicates that the vehicle system 123 is in Private mode. For
example, the user 180 has used their finger to slide the maker 148
to a location on the GUI 119 to provide an input to the touchscreen
to place the vehicle system 123 in Private mode.
[0090] Referring to FIG. 1C, the vehicle mode selection GUI 119
indicates that the vehicle system 123 is in Share Ride mode. For
example, the user 180 has used their finger to slide the maker 148
to a location on the GUI 119 to provide an input to the touchscreen
to place the vehicle system 123 in Share Ride mode.
[0091] Referring to FIG. 1D, the vehicle mode selection GUI 119
indicates that the vehicle system 123 is in Share Vehicle mode. For
example, the user 180 has used their finger to slide the maker 148
to a location on the GUI 119 to provide an input to the touchscreen
to place the vehicle system 123 in Share Vehicle mode. The user 180
has also provided a time limit input 149 to the touchscreen to
indicate that the vehicle system 123 is available for a
predetermined amount of time. In this example, the vehicle system
123 is available to customers 181 from 10:00 AM until 5:00 PM today
as indicated by the time limit input 149.
[0092] Referring now to FIG. 2, an example implementation of an
onboard vehicle sharing system 200 is depicted. The onboard vehicle
sharing system 200 may include the onboard module 193, a controller
204, a motor 206, a head unit device 299, a heads-up display unit
297, an infotainment system 296, a navigation system 224, a
processor 225, a communication unit 245, a memory 227 and a
touchscreen 290. These elements of the onboard vehicle sharing
system 200 may be communicatively coupled by a bus 220. The
controller 204 may be communicatively coupled to the bus 220 via
signal line 224. The motor 206 may be communicatively coupled to
the bus 220 via signal line 226. The head unit device 299 may be
communicatively coupled to the bus 220 via signal line 230. The
heads-up display unit 297 may be communicatively coupled to the bus
220 via signal line 232. The infotainment system 296 may be
communicatively coupled to the bus 220 via signal line 234. The
navigation system 224 may be communicatively coupled to the bus 220
via signal line 250. The processor 225 may be communicatively
coupled to the bus 220 via signal line 248. The communication unit
245 may be communicatively coupled to the bus 220 via signal line
246. The memory 227 may be communicatively coupled to the bus 220
via signal line 224. The touchscreen 290 may be communicatively
coupled to the bus 220 via the signal line 249.
[0093] In some implementations, the onboard vehicle sharing system
200 may be a processor-based computing device. For example, the
onboard vehicle sharing system 200 may be the vehicle system 123
described above with reference to FIG. 1A. In some implementations,
the onboard vehicle sharing system 200 is an onboard element of the
vehicle system 123.
[0094] In some implementations, the onboard vehicle sharing system
200 may include a special-purpose computing device configured to
generate one or more of the one or more of the GUIs 119, 800, 900,
1000, 1100 described below with reference to FIGS. 1B-1D, 8, 9 and
10. In some implementations, the onboard vehicle sharing system 200
may include a special-purpose computing device configured to
generate one or more of the GUIs 400, 500, 600 described below with
reference to FIGS. 4, 5, 6A and 6B. These GUIs 119, 400, 500, 600,
800, 900, 1000, 1100 may be displayed on the touchscreen 290. The
GUI data 281 may include graphical data for displaying one or more
of the GUIs 119, 400, 500, 600, 800, 900, 1000, 1100 on the
touchscreen 290. In some implementations, some or all of the GUI
data 281 is received via the network 105. For example, the market
module 197 of the market server 109 may transmit the GUI data 281
via the network 105. The onboard vehicle sharing system 200 may
receive the GUI data 281 and the onboard vehicle sharing system 200
may store the GUI data 281 on the memory 227. The vehicle onboard
module 193 may retrieve the GUI data 281 from the memory 227 and
cause the touchscreen 290 to display one or more of the GUIs 119,
400, 500, 600, 800, 900, 1000, 1100 based on the GUI data 281.
[0095] In some implementations, the onboard vehicle sharing system
200 may include a special-purpose computing device configured to
receive inputs via one or more of the GUIs 119, 400, 500, 600, 800,
900, 1000, 1100 and take actions responsive to these inputs. For
example, the user 180 may provide an input as described below with
reference method 300 of FIG. 3A-3F and the vehicle onboard module
193 may receive this input and take action responsive to this input
as described below with reference to method 300. In some
implementations, the onboard vehicle sharing system 200 may include
a special-purpose computing device configured to provide some or
all of the functionality described below with reference to one or
more of the GUIs 119, 400, 500, 600, 800, 900, 1000, 1100.
[0096] The communication unit 245 may transmit and receive data to
and from the user service system 200. In some implementations, the
communication unit 245 may include a port for direct physical
connection to the network 105 or to another communication channel.
For example, the communication unit 245 may include a USB, SD,
CAT-5, or similar port for wired communication with one or more
elements of the system 100. In some implementations, the
communication unit 245 may include a wireless transceiver for
exchanging data or other communication channels using one or more
wireless communication methods, including IEEE 802.11, IEEE 802.16,
Bluetooth.RTM., NFC or another suitable wireless communication
method.
[0097] In some implementations, the communication unit 245 may
include a cellular communications transceiver for sending and
receiving data over a cellular communications network including via
short messaging service (SMS), multimedia messaging service (MMS),
hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP), direct data connection, WAP,
e-mail, or another suitable type of electronic communication. In
some implementations, the communication unit 245 may include a
wired port and a wireless transceiver. The communication unit 245
may also provide other conventional connections to the network 105
for distribution of files or media objects using standard network
protocols including TCP/IP, HTTP, HTTPS, and SMTP, etc.
[0098] In some implementations, the communication unit 245 may
include a NFC module for providing electronic payments via NFC. The
NFC module of the communication unit 245 may include code and
routines for providing the electronic payments via NFC.
[0099] The processor 225 may include an arithmetic logic unit, a
microprocessor, a general-purpose controller, or some other
processor array to perform computations and provide electronic
display signals to a display device. The processor 225 may process
data signals and may include various computing architectures
including a complex instruction set computer (CISC) architecture, a
reduced instruction set computer (RISC) architecture, or an
architecture implementing a combination of instruction sets.
Although FIG. 2 includes a single processor 225, multiple
processors 225 may be included. Other processors, operating
systems, sensors, displays, and physical configurations may be
possible.
[0100] In some implementations, the onboard vehicle sharing system
200 may include a special-purpose computing device configured to
perform one or more blocks of the method 300 described below with
reference to FIG. 3 when executed by the processor 225.
[0101] The memory 227 may store instructions or data that may be
executed by the processor 225. The instructions or data may include
code for performing the techniques described herein. The memory 227
may be a dynamic random access memory (DRAM) device, a static
random access memory (SRAM) device, flash memory, or some other
memory device. In some implementations, the memory 227 may include
a non-volatile memory or similar permanent storage device and media
including a hard disk drive, a floppy disk drive, a CD-ROM device,
a DVD-ROM device, a DVD-RAM device, a DVD-RW device, a flash memory
device, or some other mass storage device for storing information
on a more permanent basis. The memory 227 may be a tangible
computer-readable memory. The memory 227 may be a non-transitory
computer-readable memory.
[0102] As illustrated in FIG. 2, the memory 227 stores GUI data
281, revenue data 289, user profile data 191 and customer profile
data 192. The user profile data 191 and the customer profile data
192 were described above with reference to FIG. 1A, and so that
description will not be repeated here.
[0103] The GUI data 281 may include data for generating one or more
GUIs. The GUI data 281 may be configured to generate GUIs that
receive input via the touchscreen 290. In some implementations, the
GUI data 281 may be configured to generate one or more of the GUIs
119, 400, 500, 600, 800, 900, 1000, 1100 described with reference
to FIGS. 1B-1D, 4, 5, 6A, 6B, 8, 9, 10 and 11. In some
implementations, the vehicle sharing service system 200 may be a
special-purpose computing device configured to retrieve the GUI
data 281 and render one or more of the GUIs 119, 400, 500, 600,
800, 900, 1000, 1100.
[0104] In some implementations, the GUI data 281 may be configured
to generate GUIs that are optimized for display on a heads-up
display unit 297 of a vehicle system 123. In some implementations,
the GUIs generated using the GUI data 281 may be optimized to
receive touch inputs (e.g., via the touchscreen 290).
[0105] In some implementations, the GUI data 281 may be configured
to generate webpages. For example, the GUI data 281 may be
configured to generate one or more encrypted webpages. In some
implementations, the GUI data 281 may be configured to generate one
or more webpages that are optimized for electronic financial
agreements based on inputs provided to a GUI via the touchscreen
290.
[0106] The revenue data 289 may describe the revenue generated for
the user 180 by providing ride sharing services or vehicle sharing
services. An example GUI depicting some or all of the revenue data
289 is depicted in FIG. 10.
[0107] The touchscreen 290 may include an electronic visual display
that the user 180 may control through touch or gestures. The
touchscreen 290 may include a display for displaying one or more of
the GUIs 119, 400, 500, 600, 800, 900, 1000, 1100. The display of
the touchscreen 290 may be configured to receive one or more inputs
to the GUIs 119, 400, 500, 600, 800, 900, 1000, 1100. The
touchscreen 290 may include hardware, software or a combination of
hardware and software for receiving, detecting and interpreting
inputs received from the user 180. In some implementations, the
inputs received, detected and interpreted by the touchscreen 290
may include touch or gestures provided by a bare hand or finger of
the user 180 or the customer 181. In some implementations, the
display of the touchscreen 290 may be configured to receive one or
more of the inputs described below with reference to the method 300
described below with reference to FIG. 3.
[0108] In some implementations, the user 180 may control or provide
inputs to the touchscreen 290 by touching the display of the
touchscreen 290 with a stylus or pen configured to provide an input
to the touchscreen 290. In some implementations, the user 180 may
control or provide inputs to the touchscreen 290 by touching the
screen with one or more fingers. The fingers of the user 180 may be
bare or gloved in a material configured to provide an input to the
touchscreen 290. In some implementations, the touchscreen 290 may
include any hardware or software needed to be controlled or
determine inputs based on one or more touches provided by the user
180 to the display of the touchscreen 290.
[0109] In some implementations, the touchscreen 290 may be an
element of a smartphone, tablet computer, wearable device such as a
smart watch, or touch sensitive monitor or display peripheral. In
some implementations, the touchscreen 290 may be an element of the
head unit device 299, the heads-up display unit 297 or the
infotainment system 296 of the onboard vehicle sharing system
200.
[0110] The motor 206 may be an electric motor. The motor 206 may an
element of a vehicle. For example, the motor 206 may be an element
of the vehicle system 123. In some implementations the motor 206 is
a servo motor or some other electric motor. Although only one motor
206 is depicted in FIG. 2, in practice the onboard vehicle sharing
system 200 may include one or more motors 206.
[0111] In some implementations, the motors 206 may be installed in
the vehicle system 123 to control one or more ergonomic settings of
the vehicle system 123. For example, the driver's seat of the
vehicle system 123 may include one or more motors 206 to control
the ergonomic configuration of the driver's seat.
[0112] The controller 204 may be a controller for controlling the
operations of the motors 206. The vehicle system 123 may include
one or more controllers 204. The controller 204 may use the user
profile data 191 to reconfigure the ergonomic configuration of the
vehicle system 123 based on the ergonomic settings indicated by the
user profile data 191. For example, assume that a user 180 had
previously traveled in the vehicle system 123 from 12:00 PM to 1:30
PM and that a customer 181 having different ergonomic settings had
traveled in the vehicle system 123 from 1:30 PM to 3:00 PM. The
customer 181 may park the vehicle system 123 at 2:55 PM. The market
module 197 may transmit a signal indicating that the vehicle system
123 should be reconfigured based on the user profile data 191
responsive to an indication that the customer 181 has left the
vehicle system 123. The onboard module 193 of the onboard vehicle
sharing system 200 may retrieve the user profile data 191. The
onboard module 193 may use the controller 204 to drive the motors
206 to reconfigure the ergonomic settings of the vehicle system 123
based on the user profile data 191. For example, the driver's seat
of the vehicle may be reconfigured to a distance away from the
steering wheel that matches or is similar to the distance that is
preferred by the user 180 as indicated by the user profile data
191. The controller 204 and the motor 206 may reconfigure other
elements of the vehicle system 123 so that the vehicle system 123
has the same or similar ergonomic settings which are preferred by
the user 180.
[0113] The head unit device 299 may include a hardware device
configured to provide the user 180 or customer 181 control of
entertainment media and network services provided by the onboard
vehicle sharing system 200. For example, the onboard vehicle
sharing system 200 is an element of the vehicle system 123 and the
head unit device 299 includes functionality to enable the user 180
to control the streaming of content from the content server 107 via
the network 105 based on the user profile data 191. The content may
include one or more network services.
[0114] The heads-up display unit 297 may include hardware for
displaying three-dimensional (3D) graphical data in front of a user
such that they do not need to look away from the road to view the
graphical data. For example, the heads-up display unit 297 may
include a physical screen or it may project the graphical data onto
a transparent film that is part of the windshield of the vehicle
system 123 or part of a reflector lens. In some implementations,
the heads-up display unit 297 is included as part of the vehicle
system 123 during the manufacturing process or is later installed.
In other implementations, the heads-up display unit 297 is a
removable device. In some implementations, the graphical data may
adjust a level of brightness to account for environmental
conditions, such as night, day, cloudy, brightness, etc.
[0115] The graphical data used by the heads-up display unit 297 may
be stored on the memory 227. For example, the graphical data used
by heads-up display unit 297 may be included in the GUI data 281
stored on the memory 227. The heads-up display unit 297 may receive
graphical data for display from the onboard module 193 or the
communication interface 245. For example, the heads-up display unit
297 receives GUI data 281 to cause the heads-up display unit 297 to
display two dimensional or three dimensional renderings of one or
more of the GUIs 119, 400, 500, 600, 800, 900, 1000, 1100. The
heads-up display unit 297 may display graphics as three-dimensional
Cartesian coordinates (e.g., with x, y, z dimensions).
[0116] The infotainment system 296 may include an in-vehicle
infotainment (IVI) system. The infotainment system 296 may include
one or more hardware devices to provide one or more of the
following: audio entertainment; audiovisual entertainment;
automotive navigation; and one or more network services. The
content provided by the infotainment system 296 may be locally
stored on the memory 227 or streamed to system 200 via the network
105. For example, the onboard vehicle sharing system 200 is
included in the vehicle system 123 and the infotainment system 296
streams one or more network services from the content server 107
via the network 105.
[0117] The navigation system 224 may include an automotive
navigation system configured to provide a navigation service. For
example, the navigation system 224 may provide one or more of
navigation instructions, maps, points of interest, ratings for
points of interest and reviews for points of interest. In some
embodiments, the navigation system 224 may be an element of the
infotainment system 296 or the head unit device 299.
[0118] In some implementations, the onboard module 193 may include
code and routines configured to generate one or more of the GUIs
119, 400, 500, 600, 800, 900, 1000, 1100 described with reference
to FIGS. 1B-1D, 4, 5, 6A, 6B, 8, 9, 10 and 11 using the GUI data
281. In some implementations, the onboard module 193 may include
code and routines configured to receive inputs via one or more of
the GUIs 119, 400, 500, 600, 800, 900, 1000, 1100 and take actions
responsive to these inputs. For example, the user 180 may provide
an input to a vehicle mode selection GUI 119 described above with
reference to FIGS. 1B-1D using the touchscreen 290. The onboard
module 193 may take action responsive to this input as described
below with reference to method 300 of FIGS. 3A-3F. In some
implementations, the onboard module 193 may include code and
routines configured to provide some or all of the functionality
described below with reference to one or more of the GUIs 119, 400,
500, 600, 800, 900, 1000, 1100.
[0119] In some implementations, the onboard module 193 may include
code and routines configured to perform one or more blocks of the
method 300 described below with reference to FIGS. 3A-3F when
executed by the processor 225.
[0120] In some implementations, the onboard module 193 may include
a communication module 202. The communication module 202 may be
code and routines configured to handle communications between the
onboard module 193 and the other components of the onboard vehicle
sharing system 200. In some implementations, the communication
module 202 may be stored in the memory 227 and accessible and
executable by the processor 225. The communication module 202 may
be communicatively coupled to the bus via signal line 222.
[0121] The communication module 202 may send and receive data, via
the communication unit 245, to and from one or more of the entities
of the system 100. For example, the communication module 202
receives, via the communication unit 245, the customer profile data
192 via the network 105.
[0122] In some implementations, the communication module 202 may
receive touchscreen inputs to a GUI via the communication unit 245.
For example, a user 180 may provide an input to the touchscreen
290. The communication unit 245 may receive this input via the
touchscreen 290 and transmit input data describing the input to the
communication module 202. The communication module 202 may store
the input data on the memory 227. In some implementations, the
communication module 202 may cause the communication unit 245 to
transmit the input data to the market server 109 for use by the
market module 197.
[0123] In some implementations, the communication module 202
receives data from one or more components of the user service
system 200 and stores the data in the memory 227. For example, the
communication module 202 receives input data from the touchscreen
290 and stores it in the memory 227.
[0124] The onboard module 193 may include a mode module 208. The
mode module 208 may include code and routines for providing some or
all of the functionality of method 300 described below with
reference to FIGS. 3A-3F when executed by the processor 225. The
mode module 208 may be communicatively coupled to the bus 220 via
signal line 226.
Example Method
[0125] One or more blocks of the method 300 may be performed by the
onboard vehicle sharing system 200. For example, the onboard
vehicle sharing system 200 may be a special-purpose processor-based
computing device configured to execute one or more blocks of the
method 300. In some implementations, the onboard module 199 may
include code and routines configured to perform one or more of the
blocks of the method 300 when executed by the processor 225.
[0126] In some implementations, one or more blocks of the method
300 may be performed by the market module 197. For example, the
market module 197 may be a special-purpose processor-based
computing device configured to execute one or more blocks of the
method 300. In some implementations, the market module 197 may
include code and routines configured to perform one or more of the
blocks of the method 300 when executed by a processor such as
processor 225
[0127] The blocks of the method 300 may be executed in any order,
and one or blocks may be omitted according to some
implementations.
[0128] At block 302 the mode of the vehicle system 123 may be
monitored. At block 303, a determination may be made regarding
whether the vehicle system 123 is in Private mode.
[0129] If the vehicle system 123 is in Private mode, then the
method 300 may proceed to block 304. If the vehicle system 123 is
not in Private mode, then the method 300 may proceed to block
305.
[0130] At bock 305 a determination may be made regarding whether
the vehicle system 123 is in Share Ride mode.
[0131] If the vehicle system 123 is not in Share Ride mode, then
the method 300 may proceed to block 306. If the vehicle system 123
is in Share Ride mode, then the method 300 may proceed to block 308
of FIG. 3B.
[0132] At block 306, a determination may be made that the vehicle
system 123 is in Share Vehicle mode and the method 300 may proceed
to block 338 of FIG. 3D.
[0133] Referring now to FIG. 3B. At block 308, ride share data may
be received. At block 310 one or more available passengers may be
determined.
[0134] At block 312 social network data may be received. At block
314 the network services data may be received. In some
implementations, one or more of blocks 312 and 314 may be optional
features of the method 300. In some implementations, one or more of
the social network data and the network services data may be
included in the ride share data received at block 308.
[0135] At block 316, geographic data describing the geographic
location of one or more available customers 181 may be determined.
In some implementations, the geographic data may be included in the
ride share data received at block 308. At block 318, one or more
suggested customers 181 may be determined based on one or more of
the ride share data, social network data, network services data and
the geographic data. At block 320, a graphic representation of the
one or more suggested customers may be presented to the user 180
via the touchscreen 290. For example, the customer summary GUI 1100
may be displayed on the touchscreen 290 as depicted in FIG. 11.
[0136] Referring now to FIG. 3C, at block 322 a selection of a
customer 181 may be received. At block 324, navigation instructions
to the location of the selected customer 181 may be provided to the
user 180 via the navigation system 224. At block 326 a description
of the user's vehicle system 123 may be transmitted. This
description of the vehicle system 123 may be used, for example, to
generate a GUI such as the vehicle profile GUI 400 depicted in FIG.
4.
[0137] At block 328, a description of the user 180 may be
transmitted. The description of the user 180 may describe the
interests, hobbies or musical preferences of the user 180. The
description of the user 180 may be used to generate a GUI such as
the driver profile GUI 500 depicted in FIG. 5.
[0138] At block 330 the start of the paid journey may be
determined. For example, the start of the paid journey may be
determined to occur when the user 180 of the vehicle system 123
picks up the customer 181. At block 332 the end of the paid journey
may be determined. For example, the end of the paid journey may be
determined to occur when the user 180 of the vehicle system 123
drops off the customer 181. At block 334 the cost of the paid
journey may be determined based on the start and end of the paid
journey determined at blocks 330 and 332. In some implementations,
the customer 181 pays the user 180 using the client 103 via an NFC
module installed in the vehicle system 123. In this way, the
customer may make an electronic payment to the user 180. The NFC
module may be included under the touchscreen 290 of the vehicle
system 123 so that the customer 181 may pay by tapping the client
103 to the touchscreen 290 of the vehicle system 123.
[0139] Referring now to FIG. 3D, at block 338 the time limit input
may be received.
[0140] Block 340 may include monitoring for the user presence
indicating the departure of the user 180 from the vehicle system
123. For example, a client 103 associated with the user 180 may
pair with the vehicle system 123. The pairing may include the
client 103 and the vehicle system 123 pairing via Bluetooth.RTM.,
Bluetooth.RTM. LE or any other wireless protocol. This pairing may
occur when the user 180 enters the vehicle system 123 or is in
range of the Bluetooth antenna of the vehicle system 123.
Responsive to the pairing, the onboard module 193 may determine
that the user 180 is present at the vehicle system 123. Similarly,
when the user 180 is outside the range of the Bluetooth antenna of
the vehicle system 123 the onboard module 193 may determine that
the user 180 is not present or has departed the vehicle system 123.
In this way the presence of the user 180 may be determined by the
onboard module 193. In some implementations, the presence of the
customer 181 may be determined by the onboard module 193 in a
similar way.
[0141] At block 342, a determination may be made regarding whether
the user 180 has departed the vehicle system 123. If the
determination indicates the user 180 has not departed, the method
300 may return to block 340. If the determination indicates the
user 180 has departed, the method 300 may proceed to block 344.
[0142] At block 344 the geographic location of the vehicle system
123 and the time limit input for the vehicle system 123 may be
transmitted. At block 346, the user profile data 191 may be
secured. For example, the user profile data 191 may be encrypted or
rendered inaccessible by any customer 181 or any other person who
is not the user 180. At block 348 the customer profile data 192 may
be received. For example, a customer 181 may have provided a
selection indicating they will use the vehicle system 123 in
accordance with a vehicle share service. The customer profile data
192 may be received so that the vehicle system 123 may be
reconfigured in accordance with the preferences of the customer
181.
[0143] At block 350 the vehicle system 123 may be reconfigured in
accordance with the customer profile data 192. Reconfiguring the
vehicle system 123 in accordance with the customer profile data 192
is similar to reconfiguring the vehicle system 123 in accordance
with the user profile data 191, and so that description will not be
repeated here.
[0144] Referring now to FIG. 3E, block 352 may include monitoring
for the presence of the customer 181. Monitoring for the presence
of the customer 181 is similar to monitoring for the presence of
the user 180 described above with reference to blocks 340 and 342,
and so that description will not be repeated here. For example,
since the vehicle system 123 may be configured with the customer
profile data 192 including device pairings for the customer 181,
the vehicle system 123 may pair with the client 103 of the customer
181 via Wi-Fi-, Bluetooth, Bluetooth LE, etc. In this way the
presence of the customer 181 may be determined.
[0145] At block 354, the presence of the customer 181 may be
determined. If the determination indicates that the customer 181 is
not present, then method 300 may return to block 352. If the
determination indicates that the customer 181 is present, then the
method 300 may proceed to block 356.
[0146] At block 356, an indication of the location of the vehicle
system 123 may be provided to the customer 181. For example,
responsive to detecting the pairing of the client 103 and the
vehicle system 123, the onboard module 193 of the vehicle system
123 may cause the headlights or brake lights of the vehicle system
123 to blink so that the user 180 may identify the location of the
vehicle system 123. The blinking of the vehicle lights of the
vehicle system 123 may be beneficial, for example, if the vehicle
system 123 is among many other vehicle systems 123 in a parking lot
and hard to identify among the other vehicle systems 123. In some
implementations, GPS may be imprecise and the blinking of the
vehicle lights may assist the user 180 to identify the vehicle
system 123. The vehicle module 193 may be configured to sound a
horn of the vehicle contemporaneous to blinking the vehicle
lights.
[0147] In some implementations, the heads-up display unit 297 of
the vehicle system 123 includes a graphical display panel
configured to face outwards, i.e., facing outside the vehicle
system 123 and away from the interior cabin so that the graphical
display is viewable outside of the vehicle system 123. In some
implementations, the outward facing graphical panel of the heads-up
display unit 297 may be configured to display a personalized
greeting for the customer 181 responsive to the onboard module 193
detecting the pairing of the vehicle system 123 and the client 103
via Bluetooth.RTM.. For example, the outward facing graphical panel
may display a message similar to the personalized message described
below with reference to FIG. 7. In this way, the indication of the
location of the vehicle system 123 may be provided to the customer
181 at block 356.
[0148] At block 358 the start of the paid journey may be
determined. For example, the start of the paid journey may be
determined to occur when the customer 181 arrives at the vehicle
system 123. At block 360 the end of the paid journey may be
determined. For example, the end of the paid journey may be
determined to occur when the customer 181 leaves the vehicle system
123, the presence of the customer 181 is no longer detected or the
customer 181 provides an input to indicate the end of the journey.
At block 362 the cost of the paid journey may be determined based
on the start and end of the paid journey determined at blocks 358
and 360. In some implementations, the customer 181 pays the user
180 using the client 103 via an NFC module installed in the vehicle
system 123. In this way, the customer may make an electronic
payment to the user 180. The NFC module may be included under the
touchscreen 290 of the vehicle system 123 so that the customer 181
may pay by tapping the client 103 to the touchscreen 290 of the
vehicle system 123.
[0149] Referring now to FIG. 3F, block 364 includes monitoring for
the departure of the customer 181. For example, the client 103 of
the customer 181 may no longer be paired with the vehicle system
123, and this may indicate the departure of the customer 181.
[0150] At block 366 a determination may be made regarding whether
the customer 181 has departed the vehicle system 123. If the
determination indicates that the customer 181 has not departed,
then the method 300 may return to block 364. If the determination
indicates that the customer 181 has departed the vehicle system
123, then the method 300 may proceed to block 368.
[0151] At block 368 the customer profile data 192 may be deleted or
removed from the vehicle system 123 including transmission to the
market server 109 for synchronization with the client 103 of the
customer 180. At block 370 the user profile data 191 may be
unsecured for use by the vehicle system 123. At block 372, the
vehicle system 123 may be reconfigured in accordance with the user
profile data 191.
[0152] FIG. 4 is a graphic representation of a vehicle profile GUI
400. The vehicle profile GUI 400 may include a description of the
vehicle system 123 for the user 180 and an estimate of the amount
of time remaining before the user 180 arrives. The vehicle profile
GUI 400 may be displayed on the touchscreen of the client 103
associated with the customer 181. The customer 181 may select the
"View Profile" graphical element of the vehicle profile GUI 400.
Responsive to the customer 181 selecting the "View Profile"
graphical element, the customer module 198 may cause the
touchscreen of the client 103 to display the driver profile GUI 500
described below with reference to FIG. 5.
[0153] FIG. 5 is a graphic representation of a driver profile GUI
500. The driver profile GUI 500 may include a description of the
user 180 including the interest and musical tastes of the user 180
as determined by one or more of the social profile data and network
services data of the user 180. The driver profile GUI 500 may be
displayed on the touchscreen of the client 103 associated with the
customer 181.
[0154] FIGS. 6A and 6B are a graphic representation of a vehicle
locator GUI 600.
[0155] Referring to FIG. 6A, graphical element 605 may display a
graphical depiction of the vehicle system 123 associated with the
user 180. For example, assume that "Elizabeth" is a customer 181
who has agreed to pay to use a vehicle system 123 associated with a
user 180 named "Ava" as part of a vehicle share service. For
example, Ava may have placed the vehicle system 123 in Share
Vehicle mode and Elizabeth may have selected to use the vehicle
system 123 in exchange for a payment.
[0156] The vehicle locator GUI 600 may be displayed on a client 103
associated with Elizabeth. Further assume that Elizabeth is
attempting to locate Ava's vehicle system 123 using the vehicle
locator GUI 600 displayed on the touchscreen of the client 103.
Graphical element 615 may display a real time or near real time
indication of how far the client 103 is from the vehicle system
123. For example, the client 103 may be a smartphone associated
with Elizabeth. Elizabeth may be looking for the vehicle system 123
using the vehicle locator GUI 600. In this example, graphical
element 615 may indicate that the client 103 is 32 feet away from
the vehicle system 123.
[0157] Graphical element 615 may display an electronic map that
depicts the relative location of the vehicle system 123 and the
client 103 and a path that may be taken by the customer 181 in
order to locate the vehicle system 123. Graphical element 615 may
be updated in real time or near real time. For example, with
reference to FIG. 6B, graphical element 615 may be updated in FIG.
6B to indicate that the client 103 is 13 feet away from the vehicle
system 123.
[0158] Referring back to FIG. 6A, graphical element 620 may be a
graphical button selectable by the customer 181 to configure
whether the vehicle system 123 will blink its lights or display a
message on the outward facing graphical panel. In this example the
graphical element 620 is configured so that the vehicle system 123
will blink its lights when the client 103 pairs with the vehicle
system 123.
[0159] Referring to FIG. 6B, the graphical element 620 in this
example shows that the customer 181 has selected to receive a
message on the outward facing graphical panel. The customer module
198 may transmit the selection of the customer 181 to the vehicle
system 123 via the network 105 so that the onboard module 193 takes
action corresponding to the selection.
[0160] FIG. 7 is a block diagram of an outward facing display panel
710 of a heads-up display unit 297. The heads-up display unit 297
was described above with reference to FIG. 2, and so that
description will not be repeated here. The outward facing display
panel 710 may be an optional feature of the heads-up display unit
297 installed in a windshield of the vehicle system 123.
[0161] FIG. 8 is a graphic representation of a calendar GUI 800.
The calendar GUI 800 may be displayed, for example, on a
touchscreen 290 of the vehicle system 123. The calendar GUI 800 may
be personalized for the customer 181 using the vehicle system 123
as part of the onboard vehicle share service of the onboard vehicle
sharing system 200. For example, Ava may have placed the vehicle
system 123 in Share Vehicle mode and Elizabeth may have selected to
use the vehicle system 123 in exchange for a payment.
[0162] The calendar GUI 800 may display one or more electronic
calendars associated with the network services for the customer 181
based on the customer profile data 192. The calendar GUI 800 may be
configured to include graphical elements that are selectable by the
customer 181 by touching the touchscreen 290. For example, in the
depicted example of FIG. 8, the customer 181 may select a portion
of the calendar GUI 800 to receive navigation instructions to the
airport, which may be context specific to the calendar entry "Pick
up family at airport." In this way the onboard module 193 includes
code and routines configured to determine and generate context
specific navigation instructions for the calendar GUI 800 based on
the customer profile data 192 including data describing a calendar
entry for the customer 181.
[0163] FIG. 9 is a graphic representation of a personalized welcome
GUI 900. The personalized welcome GUI 900 may be displayed, for
example, on a touchscreen display of the vehicle system 123 or the
outward facing panel of the heads-up display unit 297. The
personalized welcome GUI 900 may be personalized for the customer
181 using the vehicle system 123 in association with the vehicle
system 123 being in Share Vehicle mode. For example, the
personalized welcome GUI 900 may display the name of the customer
181 based on the customer profile data 192.
[0164] FIG. 10 is a graphic representation of a revenue summary GUI
1000. The revenue summary GUI 1000 may describe the revenue for the
user 180 as a result of placing the vehicle system 123 in one or
more of Share Ride mode or Share Vehicle mode.
[0165] FIG. 11 is a graphic representation of a customer summary
GUI 1100. For example, the user 180 may have placed the vehicle
system 123 in Share Ride mode and the customer summary GUI 1100 may
be displayed on the touchscreen 290 of the vehicle system 123 in
accordance with block 320 described above with reference to FIG.
3B.
[0166] The implementations of the specification can also relate to
an apparatus for performing the operations described herein. This
apparatus may be specially constructed for the required purposes,
or it may include a special-purpose computer selectively activated
or reconfigured by a computer program stored in the computer. Such
a computer program may be stored in a computer-readable storage
medium, including, but is not limited to, any type of disk
including floppy disks, optical disks, CD-ROMs, and magnetic disks,
read-only memories (ROMs), random access memories (RAMs), EPROMs,
EEPROMs, magnetic or optical cards, flash memories including USB
keys with non-volatile memory, or any type of media suitable for
storing electronic instructions, each coupled to a computer system
bus.
[0167] The specification can take the form of some entirely
hardware implementations, some entirely software implementations,
or some implementations containing both hardware and software
elements. In some preferred implementations, the specification is
implemented in software, which includes, but is not limited to,
firmware, resident software, microcode, etc.
[0168] Furthermore, the description can take the form of a computer
program product accessible from a computer-usable or
computer-readable medium providing program code for use by or in
connection with a computer or any instruction execution system. For
the purposes of this description, a computer-usable or
computer-readable medium can be any apparatus that can contain,
store, communicate, propagate, or transport the program for use by
or in connection with the instruction execution system, apparatus,
or device.
[0169] A data processing system suitable for storing or executing
program code will include at least one processor coupled directly
or indirectly to memory elements through a system bus. The memory
elements can include local memory employed during actual execution
of the program code, bulk storage, and cache memories which provide
temporary storage of at least some program code in order to reduce
the number of times code must be retrieved from bulk storage during
execution.
[0170] Input/output or I/O devices (including, but not limited to,
keyboards, displays, pointing devices, etc.) can be coupled to the
system either directly or through intervening I/O controllers.
[0171] Network adapters may also be coupled to the system to enable
the data processing system to become coupled to other data
processing systems or remote printers or storage devices through
intervening private or public networks. Modems, cable modem, and
Ethernet cards are just a few of the currently available types of
network adapters.
[0172] Finally, the algorithms and displays presented herein are
not inherently related to any particular computer or other
apparatus. Various general-purpose systems may be used with
programs in accordance with the teachings herein, or it may prove
convenient to construct more specialized apparatus to perform the
required method steps. The required structure for a variety of
these systems will appear from the description below. In addition,
the specification is not described with reference to any particular
programming language. It will be appreciated that a variety of
programming languages may be used to implement the teachings of the
specification as described herein.
[0173] The foregoing description of the implementations of the
specification has been presented for the purposes of illustration
and description. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit
the specification to the precise form disclosed. Many modifications
and variations are possible in light of the above teaching. It is
intended that the scope of the disclosure be limited not by this
detailed description, but rather by the claims of this application.
As will be understood by those familiar with the art, the
specification may be embodied in other specific forms without
departing from the spirit or essential characteristics thereof.
Likewise, the particular naming and division of the modules,
routines, features, attributes, methodologies, and other aspects
are not mandatory or significant, and the mechanisms that implement
the specification or its features may have different names,
divisions, or formats. Furthermore, as will be apparent to one of
ordinary skill in the relevant art, the modules, routines,
features, attributes, methodologies, and other aspects of the
disclosure can be implemented as software, hardware, firmware, or
any combination of the three. Also, wherever a component, an
example of which is a module, of the specification is implemented
as software, the component can be implemented as a stand-alone
program, as part of a larger program, as a plurality of separate
programs, as a statically or dynamically linked library, as a
kernel-loadable module, as a device driver, or in every and any
other way known now or in the future to those of ordinary skill in
the art of computer programming. Additionally, the disclosure is in
no way limited to implementation in any specific programming
language, or for any specific operating system or environment.
Accordingly, the disclosure is intended to be illustrative, but not
limiting, of the scope of the specification, which is set forth in
the following claims.
* * * * *