Dynamic Geofence Control for Hazard-Aware Fleet Vehicles
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Solution Overview
Problem
Rental or leasing companies face challenges in managing vehicle interactions with environmental events, leading to potential vehicle damage and financial burdens due to renters unknowingly driving into affected areas, with existing systems failing to provide timely alerts or proactive safety measures.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a system that generates dynamic geofence areas based on environmental events, using machine learning to predict and adjust geofence boundaries, and sends alerts or adjusts vehicle operations to prevent entry into hazardous zones, while updating fleet management systems with vehicle and renter data.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If traditional static geofence systems are used, then system complexity is reduced, but the ability to respond to environmental events and protect vehicles is insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements dynamic geofence areas that automatically adjust their boundaries, validity periods, and operational parameters based on real-time environmental event data. The system transitions from static predefined geofences to dynamically generated virtual boundaries that adapt to changing conditions such as weather events, traffic conditions, and safety concerns, thereby improving vehicle protection capability while managing system complexity through automated processes.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a telematics service provider system as an intermediary between environmental event sources and fleet management operations. This intermediary receives environmental event data, processes it through automated algorithms, generates dynamic geofence areas, and communicates with onboard telematics units, thereby enhancing vehicle protection while abstracting the complexity from direct system interactions.
2Productivity
If dynamic geofence areas with validity periods are implemented, then response to environmental events is improved, but data processing requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements preliminary generation of dynamic geofence areas with predefined validity periods based on environmental event data before vehicles enter these zones. The system proactively creates geofence areas with associated temporal boundaries, allowing the fleet management system to prepare and communicate these dynamic boundaries to onboard telematics units in advance, thereby improving response efficiency while managing data processing loads through predictive rather than reactive processing.
3Reliability
If real-time location monitoring and dynamic geofence determination are implemented, then vehicle safety is improved, but energy consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements periodic determination of dynamic geofence states based on the validity periods of generated geofence areas and scheduled communication intervals between the fleet management system and onboard telematics units. Rather than continuous real-time monitoring, the system checks vehicle locations at periodic intervals aligned with geofence validity periods and communication cycles, thereby maintaining vehicle safety through regular monitoring while reducing energy consumption by avoiding constant position tracking and processing.
4Reliability
If automated alert systems and action performance are implemented, then renter safety is improved, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements automated alert generation and action performance systems that operate autonomously based on predetermined rules and algorithms. When vehicles enter or exit dynamic geofence areas, the system automatically generates alerts to onboard telematics units and fleet management systems, and can trigger predefined actions without requiring manual intervention. This self-service approach improves renter safety through immediate automated responses while managing system complexity by eliminating the need for human operators to monitor and respond to each geofence event.
Data Source
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AI summary
The system and methods of the various embodiments enable dynamic geofences to be generated based upon environmental events that have variable times and locations (e.g., extreme weather systems, natural disasters, civil unrest). Further, the system and methods of the various embodiments enable vehicles to respond to entering and exiting dynamic geofences. This may result in improved driver and passenger safety, and well as protecting the vehicle from damage. The system and methods of the various embodiments may enable fleet management systems to respond to vehicles entering and exiting dynamic geofences. This may result in reducing vehicle damage costs to rental or leasing companies.