Autonomous Delivery Vehicle Routing With Virtual Pickup Credentials
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing autonomous delivery systems are limited to last-mile delivery and face challenges in efficiently fulfilling orders when items are out-of-stock at a single pickup location, leading to increased delivery frequencies and reduced efficiency.
Innovation Solution
An autonomous vehicle system equipped with decisioning logic to identify alternative pickup locations for unavailable items, generate virtual credentials for secure transactions, and optimize routes to collect all order items before delivering them to the final destination.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If the autonomous vehicle is limited to a single pickup location for order fulfillment, then the transaction security is simplified, but the delivery efficiency decreases when items are out-of-stock
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the credential verification process by creating location-specific virtual credentials (first virtual credential for first pickup location, second virtual credential for second pickup location) instead of using a single universal credential system. This segmentation allows the system to handle multiple pickup locations independently while maintaining security, thereby improving delivery efficiency without overwhelming system complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary actions by pre-generating location-bound virtual credentials before the autonomous vehicle arrives at pickup locations. This preliminary credential generation enables seamless transactions at multiple locations without real-time verification delays, improving delivery efficiency while keeping the credential management system organized and manageable
2Productivity
If the autonomous vehicle makes multiple trips to collect items from different locations, then all order items can be fulfilled, but the fuel consumption and traffic congestion increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple item collection operations into a single trip by enabling the autonomous vehicle to visit multiple pickup locations (first pickup location and second pickup location) and collect all order items in one journey. The location-bound virtual credentials facilitate seamless transactions at each location, allowing complete order fulfillment without requiring separate trips, thereby reducing fuel consumption and traffic congestion
Solution Approach 2:
The virtual credential system provides multi-functionality by enabling the same autonomous vehicle system to handle transactions at different pickup locations using location-specific credentials. This universal approach allows the vehicle to fulfill complete orders across multiple locations without needing separate systems or multiple trips, improving energy efficiency while ensuring complete order fulfillment
3Reliability
If the autonomous vehicle uses location-bound virtual credentials for transactions, then the transaction security is improved, but the credential management complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The credential system is segmented into location-specific virtual credentials (first virtual credential bound to first pickup location, second virtual credential bound to second pickup location) rather than using a single universal credential. This segmentation improves transaction security by limiting credential validity to specific locations, while the modular structure keeps management complexity manageable through clear location-credential associations
Solution Approach 2:
The location-bound virtual credentials act as intermediaries between the autonomous vehicle system and the pickup locations. Each credential mediates transactions at its specific location without requiring direct complex verification with the central system, thereby improving security while simplifying the overall management structure through this intermediary layer
4Productivity
If the autonomous vehicle system implements multi-location pickup capability, then the delivery efficiency is improved, but the route optimization complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary route planning that identifies and sequences multiple pickup locations (first pickup location, second pickup location) before the autonomous vehicle departs. By pre-determining the optimal route sequence and generating location-bound virtual credentials in advance, the system improves delivery efficiency without requiring complex real-time optimization during the trip, thereby managing route optimization complexity effectively
Data Source
AI summary
In some implementations, an autonomous vehicle may receive information associated with an order including multiple items. The autonomous vehicle may, after traveling to a first pickup location and obtaining a subset of the items in the order, identify one or more alternative pickup locations having respective inventories including one or more items that are unavailable at the first pickup location. The autonomous vehicle may generate one or more virtual credentials linked to a primary credential associated with a user that submitted the order and use the one or more virtual credentials to obtain, at each alternative pickup location, one or more items that were unavailable at the first pickup location. The autonomous vehicle may travel to a final destination to deliver the subset of the multiple items obtained from the first pickup location and the one or more items obtained from each of the one or more alternative pickup locations.