Dynamic Transportation Resource Arbitrage for Roadway Allocation
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Solution Overview
Problem
The increasing use of electric automobiles has led to declining fuel tax revenues, and motorists are reluctant to use pay-for-use roadways due to traffic congestion, resulting in underutilization of roadways, as existing methods fail to dynamically allocate roadway resources efficiently.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of dynamic transportation resource arbitrage (DTRA) methods, which generate granular vehicular occupancy opportunity elements/units that can be traded on a commodities exchange, allowing for the efficient allocation and use of transportation resources by identifying, quantifying, and representing these resources in a standard format, enabling comparison and valuation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If roadway resources are allocated using traditional static methods, then implementation simplicity is maintained, but resource utilization efficiency deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments roadway resources into discrete, tradable units called vehicular occupancy opportunity elements. Each element represents a specific amount of roadway capacity for a defined time period, allowing fine-grained allocation. This segmentation enables efficient resource utilization by matching supply and demand at a granular level while maintaining manageable complexity through standardized units.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements dynamic allocation through a commodities exchange where vehicular occupancy opportunity elements are bought and sold in real-time based on demand. The system continuously adjusts resource allocation to reflect changing traffic conditions, time of day, and roadway utilization needs, transforming static roadway capacity into a flexible, responsive resource market.
2Loss of energy
If toll roads are implemented to offset fuel tax revenue decline, then revenue generation is improved, but roadway accessibility deteriorates due to congestion at toll plazas
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical toll collection system with electronic transactions through a commodities exchange. Instead of physical toll plazas where vehicles stop to pay, the system uses automated electronic bidding and payment mechanisms. Vehicular occupancy opportunity elements are purchased and paid for electronically, eliminating the need for physical toll collection infrastructure and associated congestion.
3Measurement precision
If granular vehicular occupancy opportunity elements are created for trading, then resource allocation precision is improved, but computational complexity worsens
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a universal standardized format for vehicular occupancy opportunity elements that can represent different roadway resources (highways, bridges, waterways, air corridors) using the same basic structure. This universality allows precise allocation across diverse resource types while reducing computational complexity through a single, consistent data model that can be processed by the same exchange infrastructure.
4Productivity
If roadway resources are dynamically reallocated based on demand, then resource utilization efficiency is improved, but system control complexity worsens
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a self-service market mechanism where users directly purchase and allocate vehicular occupancy opportunity elements through the commodities exchange based on their own needs. The system automatically matches supply and demand through market forces rather than requiring centralized control decisions. This self-service approach enables efficient dynamic reallocation while minimizing control complexity by replacing centralized management with decentralized market transactions.
Data Source
AI summary
Systems and methods for dynamic transportation resource arbitrage (DTRA) may include configuring a server to dynamically manage the use of transportation resources. The server may identify, analyze, organize, and/or package available transportation resources (e.g., segments of roadways in a geographical area, etc.) as granular vehicular occupancy opportunity (VOO) elements/units that each identify an amount of a resource that is offered for allocation and use to travelers. The granular VOO elements/units may be well-defined, discrete, standardized, combinable, and/or fungible information structures or units that are suitable for comparison and/or mutual substitution. The server computing device may combine the granular VOOs to cover a specific corridor (e.g., an area that encompasses ten miles of the left lane of a highway, etc.), and dynamically offer a vehicle the right to access and use the transportation resources identified by a combination of VOOs.