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Nearly everyone has had the experience of pulling into the car rental parking lot only to wit and wait for someone to dash up to you and ask "How many miles are on the car? Did you put any gas in it?" Meanwhile, we wait and worry about making it to the terminal in time for our flight.
Much of the information that the car rental firms might want is already known by the car itself. All cars made since 1996 have an On Board Diagnostic II (OBD II) computer that monitors various information about the car.
As a proof of concept, our engineers envisioned a device that connects directly to the OBD II connecter in the car. As the car pulls into the rental car return parking lot, it automatically joins a wireless network on the lot. It can then report information such as mileage and gas levels along with other valuable information such as "Check Engine" or other operational status.
By automatically collecting this information, rental car agencies can allocate resources more efficiently. For instance, cars with a "Check Engine" indication can be automatically flagged for inspection and subsequent service.
ZigBee and 802.15.4 are ideal technologies for this application because of the and low data requirements and the self configuring capabilities of the network.
Active tracking of valuable business assets is an ongoing and growing problem in many areas.
In the case of dealing with rental vehicles, quickly detecting and processing of rental car returns can improve the customer experience and reduce downtime by directing maintenance efforts to vehicles that require it.
Some of the key aspects this proof of concept is designed to showcase include:
Ease of installation: Using standard 12VDC vehicle power and already available on board diagnostic connections (OBD II in this example), no complicated installation procedure is needed.
Quick customer check in: By automatically notifying the rental agency the car has returned and providing information such as odometer and fuel levels, customers can be quickly invoiced and on their way with minimal manual handling.
Vehicle Status Monitoring : Potential problems such as a possible collisions (through on board accelerometers in this case of this proof of concept) or a “check engine” indication can flag vehicles that need manual inspection before completing the transaction or release for subsequent rental.
This wireless sensing proof of concept was designed by Software Technologies Group to illustrate the value that wireless solutions can bring to common applications.
We help our customers sell more product, resolve complex system software issues and complete their development projects on time by providing a variety of system software engineering services.
Contact us at 708.547.0110 or at sales@stg.com to see how we can help today.