Autonomous Vehicle Passenger Transfer Authorization
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing autonomous motor vehicles lack a secure method for transporting passengers, particularly children, without a supervising adult, ensuring safe and authorized transfer to destinations.
Innovation Solution
The operating method involves a self-driving motor vehicle with a human-machine interface, control unit, locking unit, monitoring unit, and communications unit, which checks sender and recipient authorization, locks and unlocks doors, and monitors passenger state, ensuring secure and supervised transport.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the door is locked during the journey, then the passenger is protected against unauthorized opening, but the passenger cannot open the door in case of emergency
Solution Approach 1:
The control unit acts as an intermediary between the locking unit and the passenger. It receives requests from the monitoring unit (which detects passenger distress) and automatically commands the locking unit to unlock the door, mediating between security requirements and emergency needs without requiring direct passenger intervention
Solution Approach 2:
The monitoring unit continuously monitors the passenger's state and provides feedback to the control unit. When the passenger exhibits signs of distress or emergency, the monitoring unit triggers an unlock command, creating a feedback loop that automatically responds to passenger needs while maintaining security during normal conditions
2Reliability
If authorization checks are performed for sender and recipient, then secure transfer is ensured, but the operation time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary actions by pre-registering recipient authorization criteria before the journey begins. The sender configures who can authorize the passenger to exit, and this authorization data is stored in advance. During the journey, the control unit simply compares the presented authorization against pre-stored criteria, significantly reducing check time while maintaining security
Solution Approach 2:
The authorization process is segmented into two distinct phases: sender authorization (configuring recipient criteria before journey) and recipient verification (checking authorization at destination). This segmentation allows complex security checks to be distributed across time, with the time-consuming configuration done in advance and only simple verification required during the journey
Data Source
AI summary
A method of operating a self-driving (autonomous) motor vehicle to transport a passenger who requires supervision. An authorization of a sender to operate the vehicle is checked and, if authorized, the sender provides instructions to a vehicle control unit to designate a destination and one or more authorization criterion that must be met by a recipient in order to unlock the vehicle and take custody of the passenger at the destination. The vehicle travels to the destination autonomously, during which travel the status of the passenger is monitored and transmitted wirelessly to a device in the possession of the sender. At the destination, unlocking of the vehicle is permitted upon confirmation of the authorization criterion by the recipient.