Autonomous Vehicle Pickup Wait-Time Control for Parking Turnover
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
In parking lots, vehicles often occupy pick-up places for extended periods if users do not arrive on time, causing congestion and hindering smooth vehicle departure, as existing technologies fail to effectively manage vehicle occupancy and departure timing.
Innovation Solution
A managing apparatus that sets a maximum wait time for vehicles at pick-up places and controls self-driving vehicles to return to the parking lot if this time is exceeded, using a wait time setting device and controller to optimize vehicle routing and reduce occupancy.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of time
If vehicles are allowed to wait at pick-up places for extended periods, then users have more time to arrive, but pick-up places become congested and vehicle departure is hindered
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary actions by automatically driving vehicles to pick-up places before the scheduled departure time and monitoring their arrival. The wait time management is prepared in advance with automatic return routing configured, so that when the maximum wait time is exceeded, the vehicle can immediately be redirected to return to the parking lot without manual intervention, thus maintaining departure efficiency while accommodating user timing variations.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements feedback by continuously monitoring whether users have arrived at pick-up places and tracking the wait time of vehicles. Based on this real-time feedback, the managing apparatus automatically determines whether to maintain the vehicle at the pick-up place or initiate its return to the parking lot, creating a closed-loop control system that balances user convenience with pick-up place throughput.
2Productivity
If maximum wait time is set for vehicles at pick-up places, then pick-up place occupancy is reduced, but users may arrive late and miss their scheduled departure
Solution Approach 1:
The system applies dynamics by setting a maximum wait time threshold that dynamically balances pick-up place turnover with scheduled departure reliability. The managing apparatus monitors actual user arrival against this dynamic threshold, and when the threshold is exceeded, automatically initiates vehicle return while providing user notification. This dynamic approach ensures that pick-up places are freed for new vehicles while giving users advance warning to maintain scheduled departure reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The managing apparatus acts as an intermediary between the vehicle management system and the user. It mediates the conflict between pick-up place occupancy limits and user arrival timing by automatically making routing decisions based on wait time thresholds, and by communicating with the user terminal to notify users of potential return decisions, thus maintaining both system efficiency and user convenience.
3Productivity
If vehicles automatically return to parking lot when maximum wait time is exceeded, then pick-up place congestion is reduced, but additional routing complexity is introduced
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements self-service by enabling vehicles to automatically execute return routing to the parking lot when the maximum wait time is exceeded, without requiring manual intervention from operators or complex centralized dispatch. The managing apparatus simply provides the return route information, and the vehicle's own autonomous driving system handles the navigation and execution, thus reducing pick-up place congestion while avoiding the need for highly complex external routing control infrastructure.
Data Source
AI summary
A managing apparatus provides self-driving of a vehicle, which allows the vehicle to enter a parking space out of a plurality of parking spaces from an outside of a parking lot including the plurality of parking spaces, and which allows the vehicle to leave the parking lot for a predetermined place in the outside. The managing apparatus is provided with: a wait time setting device configured to set a maximum wait time of the vehicle in the predetermined place; and a controller configured to set a driving route for returning the vehicle to the parking lot from the predetermined place on condition that the maximum wait time elapses from an arrival of the vehicle in the predetermined place, and configured to provide the self-driving of the vehicle along the driving route.