Autonomous Vehicle Fleet Dispatching and Maintenance Coordination

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Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional autonomous vehicles are suboptimally designed, inefficient in resource use, and poorly suited for managing fleets and rebalancing inventories to match demand, with limitations in detecting and navigating social interactions, and requiring human intervention for safety and navigation.

Innovation Solution

A fleet of bidirectional autonomous vehicles with redundant sensor systems and adaptive lighting, connected through an autonomous vehicle service platform for real-time trajectory calculations and teleoperation, enabling Level 4 full self-driving automation and efficient fleet management.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Extent of automation

If conventional vehicles are modified with automation systems to create driverless vehicles, then autonomous driving capability is achieved, but vehicle design becomes suboptimal and resource efficiency decreases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveautonomous driving capabilityVSAvoidvehicle design optimization

Core Design Contradiction:

Extent of automationVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

Instead of modifying conventional vehicles to achieve autonomy, the patent inverts the approach by designing vehicles from scratch without human driving components (steering wheels, pedals, driver seats). This eliminates the constraint of adapting human-centric designs and creates optimized autonomous vehicle architecture.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #13The other way round (Inversion)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent extracts and removes all human-driving-related components from the vehicle design, including steering wheels, acceleration pedals, brake pedals, and driver seats. This extraction eliminates unnecessary complexity and optimizes the vehicle for pure autonomous operation.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

2Ease of operation

If private vehicles are used for transportation services with human drivers, then transportation service is provided, but vehicle inventory management and rebalancing efficiency deteriorate

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvetransportation service provisionVSAvoidinventory management efficiency

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The autonomous vehicles autonomously navigate to charging stations and maintenance facilities without human intervention. The vehicles self-manage their own charging, maintenance scheduling, and positioning, eliminating the need for human drivers and improving fleet management efficiency.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #25Self-service

Solution Approach 2:

The patent implements dynamic fleet management where autonomous vehicles can autonomously relocate themselves to match demand patterns. The system dynamically adjusts vehicle distribution across different locations based on real-time demand data, enabling efficient inventory rebalancing.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

3Extent of automation

If Level 3 autonomous vehicles with limited self-driving capability are used, then partial automation is achieved, but human driver requirement prevents effective inventory rebalancing

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveself-driving automation capabilityVSAvoidinventory rebalancing capability

Core Design Contradiction:

Extent of automationVSAdaptability or versatility

Solution Approach 1:

The patent advances from Level 3 to Level 4/5 automation by changing the automation parameter from partial to full self-driving capability. This parameter change enables vehicles to operate completely autonomously without human drivers, thereby achieving effective inventory rebalancing and fleet optimization.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

4Adaptability or versatility

If conventional transportation services require drivers to pick up and drop off shared vehicles at specific locations, then ride-sharing is enabled, but convenience decreases and real estate costs increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveride-sharing functionalityVSAvoidservice convenience

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The patent replaces the mechanical system of manual vehicle pickup and drop-off with autonomous navigation and self-positioning systems. The vehicles autonomously navigate to pickup locations and return to designated parking areas without human drivers, improving convenience and eliminating the need for expensive dedicated parking infrastructure.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

Data Source

PatentEP3371795B1Coordination of dispatching and maintaining fleet of autonomous vehicles

Publication Date: 2023.07.05 ZOOX INC

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AI summary

Various embodiments relate generally to autonomous vehicles and associated mechanical, electrical and electronic hardware, computer software and systems, and wired and wireless network communications to provide an autonomous vehicle fleet as a service. More specifically, systems, devices, and methods are configured to manage a fleet of autonomous vehicles, in particular, a method may include determining destination locations for autonomous vehicles, calculating, at an autonomous vehicle service platform, delivery locations to which the autonomous vehicles arc directed, identifying data to implement a delivery location associated with an autonomous vehicle, and transmitting data representing a command to the autonomous vehicle. The command may be configured to cause navigation of the autonomous vehicle to the delivery location.