Courier App Predicts Communication Availability
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Solution Overview
Problem
In the crowdsourcing economy, service providers face challenges in maintaining communication with courier devices during delivery jobs due to battery power depletion and cellular dead zones, which can disrupt the delivery process and impact service reliability.
Innovation Solution
A system that utilizes a courier application on mobile devices to monitor battery power levels and predict communication availability, preventing communication loss by warning couriers and service providers, and selecting couriers based on device reliability, battery health, and cellular signal strength to ensure continuous communication throughout the delivery process.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If couriers use mobile devices for delivery jobs, then service delivery capability is improved, but communication availability deteriorates due to battery depletion and dead zones
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary actions by monitoring battery levels and predicting communication availability before assigning delivery jobs. The courier management program determines predicted communication availability based on battery discharge rates and cellular dead zones, and only assigns jobs to couriers whose devices are predicted to remain available throughout the job duration.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements continuous feedback by monitoring battery power levels, discharge rates, and cellular signal strength of courier devices. The courier management program receives periodic updates on device status and uses this feedback to dynamically adjust job assignments and prevent communication loss.
2Reliability
If the system monitors battery levels and predicts communication availability, then communication reliability is improved, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The courier application on each mobile device performs self-service by automatically monitoring its own battery power levels, calculating discharge rates, and determining cellular signal strength. This self-monitoring capability eliminates the need for external monitoring hardware and simplifies the overall system architecture.
Solution Approach 2:
The courier application serves multiple functions: it acts as the user interface for couriers, monitors battery levels, predicts communication availability, and communicates with the courier management program. This multi-functionality reduces the need for separate specialized components.
3Productivity
If couriers continue working with low battery levels, then productivity is maintained, but communication loss increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system applies preliminary anti-action by identifying couriers whose battery levels are predicted to drop below operational thresholds during upcoming delivery jobs. The courier management program proactively prevents job assignments that would result in communication loss, rather than reacting after communication is lost.
Data Source
AI summary
In some examples, a service computing device may receive, from respective mobile devices of a plurality of mobile devices, an indication of a communication availability condition of each respective mobile device. The service computing device may determine, for a delivery job, based at least in part on the indication of the communication availability condition received from each of the respective mobile devices, that a first mobile device of the plurality of mobile devices is likely to have a greater communication availability for a duration of the delivery job than a second mobile device of the plurality of mobile devices. Based at least partially on the determination, the service computing device may send, to the first mobile device, a communication to assign the delivery job to a courier associated with the first mobile device.