FI98002C - Procedure for maintaining a driving diary - Google Patents

Description

98002

The present invention relates to a method for maintaining a logbook. The invention further relates to a service center in communication with a cellular radio system, comprising means for establishing a connection to a mobile station in response to a call therefrom, and means for receiving the identifier of the radio cell from which the connection is established.

10 The logbook is known to be kept on paper, with the driver recording with the pen at the beginning of each recorded journey the necessary information in the logbook, which usually includes the date, time, mileage, place of departure and billing basis for calculating mileage allowances and any daily allowances. The basis for invoicing depends, among other things, on whether the car is an operating benefit, one's own car, whether the car is towed by a trailer or whether there are passengers involved. When the recorded journey in turn ends, the driver enters the name of the place, the time and the number of kilometers on the vehicle's meter in the driving-log diary, respectively.

Keeping a paper logbook has proved cumbersome in practice, partly because the paper logbook is relatively easy to lose, especially if the vehicle in question is used by more than one person. In addition, summarizing (eg monthly) the times recorded in the logbook is rather cumbersome, as it requires the calculation of the mileage for each individual journey, after which the number of kilo-30 meters must be multiplied by the billing fee, ie the mileage allowance, to calculate the monetary amount. . The paper-based logbook is also problematic for the authorities, for example, because the paper-based logbook is relatively easy to falsify, ie the driver can enter in the logbook journeys which he has not actually carried out at all. This is important, for example, for the taxpayer, as the financial compensation paid to the holder / driver of the vehicle 5 is entirely dependent on the content of the logbook.

The object of the present invention is to solve the above-mentioned problems and to provide a method for maintaining a logbook more easily and reliably. This object is achieved by a method according to the invention, characterized in that the log is maintained in a service center connected to the cellular radio system by a mobile station of the cellular radio system. from the radio system the ID of the radio cell from which the call has been forwarded to locate and store the vehicle in the logbook together with the odometer reading entered, and at the end of the run is redialed to the service number of said service center via the base station of the cellular radio system and at least the vehicle odometer reading the reading center is adapted to receive from the cellular radio system the identifier of the radio cell from which the call has been forwarded in order to find out and store the location of the vehicle in the logbook together with the entered odometer reading.

The invention further relates to a service center connected to a cellular radio system, which can be utilized in applying the method according to the invention. The service center according to the invention is characterized in that the service center comprises: register means, means for storing an origin based on said radio cell identifier;

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3 98002 si to the registration means together with the meter reading entered from the mobile station in response to the first predetermined identifier entered from the mobile station, means for storing a destination 5 based on said radio cell identifier in the register means the driving day-10 record shall indicate at least the starting point, the destination and the distance of the journey calculated on the basis of the stored mileage for each journey.

The invention is based on the idea that when the logbook is maintained via a mobile station in a service center connected to the cellular radio system 15, the maintenance of the logbook becomes even easier and more reliable. In its simplest form, the service center according to the invention maintains a record only of the starting point of each journey, the meter reading at the time of departure, the destination-20 and the meter reading at the destination. As the logbook no longer needs to be kept in the vehicle, it is avoided that it is accidentally lost. From the authorities' point of view, the solution according to the invention has the advantage that it becomes more difficult to falsify the logbook because the locations 25 where the driver "claims" to have visited are no longer based solely on the driver's own report but on a report generated by the service center.

The method according to the invention can easily be applied in already existing cellular radio systems, provided that the system is able to transmit to the service center the ID of the mobile station which called its service number and the ID of the radio cell which transmitted the call in question. This is possible at least in the GSM-35 cellular radio system (Groupe Special Mobile). The GSM-9800002 system is described in more detail, for example, in "The GSM System for Mobile Communications", by M. Mouly and M-B. Pautet, Palaiseau, France, 1992, ISBN: 2-9507190-0-7, and is therefore not described in more detail in this context.

In a preferred embodiment of the service center according to the invention, the service center comprises means for calculating a monetary amount corresponding to each run on the basis of a billing basis and kilometer readings entered by the user. This simplifies the maintenance of the logbook, as the computer of the service center can automatically perform all the calculations related to the logbook. In addition, the service center preferably has means for adding the date and time to the logbook while the meter reading is entered via the mobile station 15.

Preferred embodiments of the method and service center according to the invention appear from the appended dependent claims 2 to 3 and 5 to 6. The invention will now be described in more detail by way of example with reference to the accompanying figures, in which Figure 1 shows a flow chart of a first preferred embodiment of the method and Figure 2 shows a block diagram. and the service center connected to it.

Figure 1 shows a flow chart of a first preferred embodiment of the method according to the invention.

In block A of Figure 1, the driver calls the service center service number on his mobile phone before starting the journey to be recorded. The service center identifies the caller, as is known per se, by means of the a-subscriber ID, in which case it knows whose logbook the call applies to. When establishing a connection, the service center also receives the ID of the radio cell through which the connection is transmitted. Based on the radio cell ID, the service center is able to make an entry in the logbook of where the mobile station

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5 98002 is located. In addition, the service center registers the time of the call, i.e. the date and time, so that this information can be added to the logbook.

In block B, the driver waits until a connection has been established to the service center. The driver then enters the first identifier T1 from the keypad of his mobile telephone MS. The service center preferably comprises means for transmitting voice messages (speech) to the driver whenever he has to enter data on his mobile telephone.

10 The first code entered at the service center indicates to the service center that the driver is at the point of departure. The first identifier T1, like all other data and identifiers to be entered by the mobile telephone MS, preferably consists only of numbers and special characters (such as * or #) found on the keyboards of the mobile telephones, regardless of the manufacturer and / or type of the mobile telephone. The first identifier T1 may thus be, for example: * 77.

In block C, the driver enters the vehicle's odometer reading (after hearing any voice message) via the keypad of his mobile phone 20. Assume that the mileage is, for example, 123456 km, in which case the driver enters: * 123456.

If the service center comprises means for calculating the monetary value of the journey 25, it must be entered in block D with a billing criterion K by means of which the service center knows which mileage compensation it must use. For this purpose, a table of possible billing bases and the corresponding 30-kilometer compensation is preferably stored in the service center. This table can be, for example, as follows: 6 98002 billing basis K mileage allowance (enter code) normal driving * 1 173 p / km 5 trailer included * 2 187 p / km caravan included * 3 203 p / km 1 passenger included * 4 177 p / km 2 passengers included * 5 181 p / km etc.

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That is, in block D, the user enters as billing criterion K, for example: * 4, in which case the service center knows which mileage compensation it must use to calculate the amount corresponding to the monetary value of the journey.

15 In block E, the user enters: # to indicate that all required information has been entered. The driver then disconnects from the service center, after which driving can begin.

In block F, the driver redials the service center service number when he has reached his destination. The service center will find out the caller, the caller's location and the time of the call in exactly the same way as in connection with point A, so that this information can be added to the logbook.

25 After establishing the connection, he enters in block G a second identifier T2 indicating to the service center that the driver has reached the destination (in the case of a waypoint, the user can re-enter the first identifier instead of the second identifier and his current position, etc. is stored in the logbook as an intermediate step ). The second ID can be, for example: * 78.

In block H, the driver enters the vehicle's mileage via the keypad of his mobile phone (after hearing any voice message). Assume that the mileage of 7 98002 is, for example, 123500 km, in which case the driver enters: * 123500.

In block I, the user enters the: # sign to let the service center know that all the necessary information has been entered, after which the driver disconnects.

By way of derogation from the above, the driver may, if he so wishes, enter the billing basis only at the destination, in which case block D, in contrast to Figure 1, is located between blocks H and I.

In order to be able to correct possible errors, it is advantageous to reserve several separate error correction codes for use, and for example to assign a unique number code to each city. Thus, for example, when a driver forgets to call the service center at a destination, he can then call and enter 15 the following information: - * 79 => error correction ID, - * 78 => destination not entered, - * 15061995 => day the information was not entered , - * 1234600 => estimated mileage at destination, 20 - * 25 => destination was city # 25, - * 1 => billing basis, - # => termination.

In this case, the service center saves the correction in register 25, from where it is retrieved later for making a logbook. In this case, the logbook preferably contains information about the correction, so that it was clear that it was an entry entered manually on a mobile phone.

According to the invention, the maintenance of the driving log 30 can also be automated so that the vehicle computer of the vehicle handles the communication and data entry to the service center via a mobile telephone. This, of course, requires the vehicle to have a vehicle computer connected to the vehicle odometer and capable of automatically connecting to a service center, after which the logbook is maintained as shown in the flowchart in Figure 1, with the exception that the vehicle computer automatically enters all data instead of the driver. required information. In these 5 situations, the driver only needs to activate the on-board computer using the keypad, after which the on-board computer contacts the pre-programmed telephone number and enters the odometer reading and the default billing basis to the service center.

10 If desired, the on-board computer can be programmed to automatically contact the service center whenever the car's engine is started and / or switched off, in which case the driver does not have to participate in any way in keeping a logbook.

Figure 2 shows a block diagram of a part of a cellular radio system and a service center connected to it. The cellular radio system shown in Fig. 2 may be, for example, a GSM system with a service center 1 connected to the mobile switching center MSC. However, the location of the service center 1 20 may differ from Fig. 1, for example in that the service center is connected to a public switched telephone network (PSTN). wherein the communication via the cellular radio system and the service center 1 passes through the PSTN network 25, respectively.

When the driver of the vehicle calls the service number of the service center 1 with the mobile telephone MS in his vehicle and acts as described in connection with the flowchart of Fig. 1, the service center is initially identified to the caller's service center 30 by means of a known A-subscriber code. In this case, the control unit 2 of the service center 1 stores in the database 3 the following information in the A-subscriber's record: - time, i.e. date and time which appears from the service center clock 4, 35 - identification of the radio cell from which the call is transmitted. In the case of Fig. 2 n 98002, this identifier may be, for example, BTS1. By means of such information known per se from the cellular radio system, the service center is able to add the location of the vehicle to the logbook, for example by retrieving the name of the city / municipality where the radio cell is located from the database in the service center.

- a first or second symbol T1 or T2 indicating whether the vehicle is the place of departure or the place of arrival of the vehicle.

10 - vehicle mileage.

- Billing Basis K.

When the vehicle then arrives at the destination, the above-mentioned information is stored again, with the exception that the radio cell ID is this time BTS2, for example, that the meter reading differs from the departure meter reading and that the billing basis does not need to be entered / stored at the destination.

At a time specified by the service center operator, a logbook 5 based on the data previously stored in the database 3 is printed on a printer 20 5 controlled by the control unit 2. The logbook can be printed weekly or monthly, for example. Alternatively, the logbook can be printed and delivered to the driver in connection with the invoice of his mobile phone 25.

When printing the logbook (or at some other suitable time), the calculator unit 6 calculates the length of each trip 30 to be recorded in the logbook and the monetary value corresponding to that trip using the meter readings and billing criteria stored in the database 3.

Thus, the logbook to be printed by the printer 5 may therefore look like this: 05.06.1995 18.20-20.20 Helsinki-Turku 200 km 346, - FIM 35 06.06.1995 08.01-09.45 Turku-Helsinki 204 km 352, - FIM 10 98002 15.06.1995 07.30- 07.40 Helsinki-Vantaa 10 km 18, - FIM 01.06.1995-30.06.1995 Total 414 km 716, - FIM 5 It is to be understood that the above description and the accompanying figures are only intended to illustrate the present invention. Various variations and modifications of the invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention set forth in the appended claims 10.

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Claims (6)

A method of maintaining a driving diary, characterized in that the driving diary is maintained with a mobile telephone (MS) in a service center (1) connected to a cellular radio system, the method comprising: the journey begins calling (A) with the mobile phone (MS) to a service number in the service center (1) via a base station (BTS1) in the cellular radio system and feeds (C) at least the strike of the vehicle trip meter to the service center (1) with the mobile phone, whereby the service center is arranged. receiving from the cellular radio system the ID code (BTS1) of the radio cell from which the call was communicated to get on and to store in the driving diary the position of the vehicle together with the input on the trip meter, and that the journey was terminated on new (F) dials said service centers (1) service number via a base station 20 (BTS2) in the cellular radio system and feeds (H) the pitch of the vehicle on the vehicle s trip meter with the mobile phone (MS), whereby the service center is arranged to receive from the cellular radio system the ID code (BTS2) of the radio cell from which the call was conveyed to clear and to store in the driving diary the position of the vehicle together with the input on the cell. odometer Method according to Claim 1, characterized in that the journey begins or ends of measurement (D) in addition to said meter exclusion, in addition a billing basis (K) to the service center with the mobile phone. Method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the service center (1) is arranged to store in the driving diary the date and time when information has been entered with the mobile phone. 35 II 15 98002 A service center (1) which interferes with a data transmission connection with a cellular radio system, which includes means for forming a connection with a mobile telephone (MS) in response to a call from this mediated call, and means for receiving The ID code of the radio cell from which the connection was formed, characterized in that the service center comprises: recording means (2, 3), means for storing in the recording means (3) together with a frenzy mobile telephone (MS) a metered exit point on said radio cell ID code (BTS1) in response to a first predetermined code (T1) fed from the mobile telephone, means for storing in the registration means (3) together with a remote mobile telephone (MS) a measurement location based on said mobile telephone (MS). radio cell ID code (BTS2) in response to a predefined code (T2) from a mobile phone, and means (2, 3, 5, 6) to generate a run log on the base of information ation stored in the registration means (3), from which driving diary it indicates for each trip the at least exit point, the place of arrival and a calculated distance of travel on the base of the stored gauges. 5. A service center according to claim 4, characterized in that the service center (1) further comprises means for storing in the registration means (3) in connection with the storage of the meter result a code from a mobile phone (MS) ( K) describing a billing basis in response to a first or second predetermined code 30 (T1, T2), wherein the means (2, 3, 5, 6) generating the driving diary are arranged to calculate a monetary value corresponding to the driving distance of the basis of the length of the mileage and the invoicing basis, and to insert the relevant monetary value into the driving diary. 35 16 98002 Service center according to claim 4, characterized in that the service center further comprises means (4) for storing the date and time in the registration means (3) in connection with the storage of the exit point 5 and the place of arrival, the means (2). , 3, 5, 6) which generate the driving diary are arranged to include the date and time in the driving diary in connection with the departure and arrival points of each trip.