Vehicle management device, vehicle management method, vehicle management system, and vehicle

A vehicle management system comprising:

• a vehicle management device including one or more processors;
• and
• a plurality of vehicles to be provided for the users in the car sharing service, wherein:
• the one or more processors is configured to,
• manage the plurality of vehicles to be provided for users in a car sharing service,
• manage, as a first vehicles group, a part of the vehicles to be allocated to an on-demand use in which the users use the car sharing service without reservation,
• manage, as a second vehicles group, a part of the vehicles to be allocated to a reservation use in which the users use the car sharing service with the reservation,
• receive a user's request for use of a vehicle,
• determine whether the user's request is a request for the on-demand use or a request for the reservation use,
• (i) when the one or more processors determine that the user's request is the request for the reservation use,
• determine a second vehicle as a vehicle to be used by the user, among the second vehicles group,
• determine whether a first vehicle included in the first vehicles group is closer to a use start location than the second vehicle,
• when the one or more processors determine that the first vehicle is closer to the use start location than the second vehicle, change the determined vehicle to be used by the user from the second vehicle to the first vehicle, and determine the first vehicle as the vehicle to be used by the user, and
• transmit a notification to the vehicle to be used by the user, the notification including an information to move the vehicle to be used by the user to the user start location, and
• (ii) when the one or more processors determine that the user's request is the request for the on-demand use,
• determine a vehicle as the vehicle to be used by the user, among the first vehicles group,
• determine whether the number of vehicles of the first vehicles group is less than a first predetermined number, and
• change at least one of vehicles of the second vehicles group to be included in the first vehicles group when the one or more processors determine that the number of the vehicles of the first vehicles group is less than a first predetermined number;
• and
• the vehicle is configured to,
• receive the notification transmitted by the one or more processors,
• be moved to the user start location in response to receiving the notification.

A vehicle management method comprising:

• managing a plurality of vehicles to be provided for users in a car sharing service;
• managing, as a first vehicles group, a part of the vehicles to be allocated to an on-demand use in which the users use the car sharing service without reservation;
• managing, as a second vehicles group, a part of the vehicles to be allocated to a reservation use in which the users use the car sharing service with the reservation;
• receiving a user's request for use of a vehicle;
• determining whether the user's request is a request for the on-demand use or a request for the reservation use;
• (i) when it is determined that the user's request is the request for the reservation use,
• determining a second vehicle as a vehicle to be used by the user, among the second vehicles group,
• determining whether a first vehicle included in the first vehicles group is closer to a use start location than the second vehicle,
• when it is determined that the first vehicle is closer to the use start location than the second vehicle, changing the determined vehicle to be used by the user from the second vehicle to the first vehicle, and determining the first vehicle as the vehicle to be used by the user, and
• transmitting a notification to the vehicle to be used by the user, the notification including an information to move the vehicle to be used by the user to the user start location;
• and
• (ii) when it is determined that the user's request is the request for the on-demand use,
• determining a vehicle as the vehicle to be used by the user, among the first vehicles group,
• determining whether the number of vehicles of the first vehicles group is less than a first predetermined number, and
• changing at least one of vehicles of the second vehicles group to be included in the first vehicles group when it is determined that the number of the vehicles of the first vehicles group is less than a first predetermined number.