Beacon-Based Customer Location Tracking for QSR Order Delivery
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Solution Overview
Problem
Quick service restaurants face challenges in delivering orders to customers in a timely and fresh manner, often due to being too busy or delivering to the wrong customer, and existing systems require customer interaction to identify their location.
Innovation Solution
A system using Bluetooth Low Energy Beacons and a computer processor to automatically determine a customer's location within a parking zone by transmitting unique signals and receiving timestamps, allowing for efficient order delivery without customer interaction.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If the QSR prepares orders in advance to ensure freshness, then order quality is improved, but the risk of delivering to the wrong customer or delivering too early increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system continuously receives feedback about customer location through beacon signals and timestamps, allowing the QSR to track customer movement in real-time and adjust order preparation timing accordingly, ensuring orders are ready exactly when the customer arrives without being delivered too early or to the wrong customer
Solution Approach 2:
The customer's own movement and location data, captured through the beacons and timestamps, is used to automatically determine delivery location and timing without requiring active participation or input from the customer, enabling precise order delivery based on their natural behavior
2Measurement precision
If the QSR uses existing location identification systems requiring customer interaction, then location accuracy is improved, but customer convenience and system automation are worsened
Solution Approach 1:
The system automatically determines customer location by passively receiving beacon signals and timestamps without requiring any active customer interaction, making the process convenient while maintaining location accuracy through automated signal processing
Solution Approach 2:
The beacon system acts as an intermediary between the QSR and the customer, automatically capturing location data through signal transmission and timestamp recording without requiring direct customer involvement, thus maintaining accuracy while improving ease of operation
3Speed
If the QSR increases staff availability to reduce wait times, then order delivery speed is improved, but operational cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system enables preliminary order preparation by accurately determining when the customer will arrive based on their location and movement patterns, allowing the QSR to prepare orders in advance without needing additional staff, thus improving delivery speed without increasing resource consumption
Solution Approach 2:
Real-time location feedback from beacons and timestamps allows the QSR to optimize order preparation timing dynamically, ensuring orders are ready exactly when customers arrive without requiring increased staff availability, thereby improving speed without sacrificing cost efficiency
Data Source
AI summary
A method of delivering an order to a customer of a quick service restaurant can include transmitting, from a first beacon to a receiver adjacent the customer, a first signal; transmitting, from a second beacon to the receiver adjacent the customer, a second signal; from the first signal received by the receiver, a first timestamp reflective of a time the first signal is received by the receiver, the second signal received by the receiver, and a second timestamp reflective of a time the second signal is received by the receiver, determining a location of the customer within a zone surrounding the quick service restaurant; communicating the location of the customer to a display within the quick service restaurant; and delivering the order to the customer at the location.