Augmented Reality Pickup Location Overlay for Ridesharing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Ridesharing services face challenges in accurately identifying vehicles and riders due to inaccurate GPS measurements and insufficient visual information, leading to difficulties in locating each other in urban environments.
Innovation Solution
An augmented reality (AR) system is implemented in ridesharing applications, switching from map display mode to AR mode when the rider or driver approaches the pickup location, overlaying real-world imagery with indications of the pickup location and vehicle or rider using camera views, reducing reliance on GPS and enhancing identification accuracy.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If GPS measurements are used to provide location information, then the system can operate without visual overlays, but the location accuracy deteriorates in built-in or enclosed environments
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces augmented reality overlays as an intermediary between the GPS location data and the user. The AR system captures images of the real-world environment and superimposes location information (pickup/dropoff points, vehicle locations, rider locations) onto these images. This intermediary layer allows the system to maintain simple GPS-based location tracking while providing enhanced visual accuracy through real-time image processing and overlay rendering, effectively bridging the gap between simple operation and precise measurement in challenging environments.
2Loss of information
If detailed vehicle identification information is provided to the rider, then the rider can better identify the correct vehicle, but the information becomes insufficient when there are dozens of vehicles with the same make and color nearby
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs color changes and visual highlighting in the augmented reality display to differentiate vehicles. The system overlays colored indicators, bounding boxes, or highlight effects around identified vehicles to make them stand out from the background and from each other. This visual differentiation technique allows the rider to easily distinguish the correct vehicle from other vehicles with similar makes and colors, transforming the insufficient text-based identification information into effective visual cues that improve identification reliability in dense urban environments.
Solution Approach 2:
The system creates visual copies of location information by rendering graphical representations (pins, markers, overlays) on the real-world images. These graphical copies of pickup/dropoff locations, vehicle positions, and rider locations provide immediate visual reference for the rider, eliminating the need to rely solely on text descriptions or license plates, thereby improving vehicle identification accuracy when multiple similar vehicles are present.
3Loss of information
If the rider is provided with an estimated location on a map, then the rider can see the pickup location, but the estimated location is too inaccurate to assist the rider when GPS signal is weak
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the traditional mechanical GPS-based map display with an optical-mechanical augmented reality system. Instead of relying solely on electronic GPS coordinates rendered on a 2D map, the system uses the camera's optical imaging to capture the real-world environment and superimposes location information directly onto the captured images. This substitution of the pure electronic mapping system with an optical-based AR system provides much more accurate and reliable location information, as the overlays are directly tied to the camera's real-time view rather than relying on potentially inaccurate GPS coordinates.
4Loss of information
If the driver is provided with approximate location and rider image, then the driver can identify the rider, but the approximate location is based on GPS measurement that suffers from inaccuracy
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements feedback by continuously capturing images with the camera, detecting the locations of pickup/dropoff points, vehicles, and riders in real-time, and updating the AR overlays accordingly. This continuous feedback loop allows the driver to see dynamic, real-time information about the rider's actual location and movement, rather than relying on static or delayed GPS-based approximate locations. The feedback mechanism provides accurate, up-to-date location information that improves rider identification while compensating for GPS inaccuracies through continuous visual verification and updating.
Data Source
AI summary
To present a pickup location in a transportation service, a server device receives a request for ridesharing services from a rider's current location to a drop-off location. The server device broadcasts the request to drivers and receives an indication of acceptance of the request from one of the drivers. Then the server device provides a pickup location to the rider and the driver which is presented in a map display of the rider and driver's client devices. When the rider or driver's current location is within a threshold distance of the pickup location, the corresponding client device switches to an augmented reality mode and presents a camera view from a camera of the client device depicting real-world imagery. The server device provides information to the corresponding client device to present in the augmented reality mode overlaying the real-world imagery to assist the rider or driver in finding the pickup location.