Freight-and-Passenger Vehicle Delivery System with Passenger Incentives

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Solution Overview

Problem

Freight-and-passenger vehicles, which carry both passengers and articles, face inefficiencies in delivery due to the inability to appropriately accommodate delivery vehicles, leading to suboptimal delivery processes.

Innovation Solution

A delivery system that utilizes a freight-and-passenger vehicle to transport articles, where passengers are notified and incentivized to deliver the articles at designated stops, with the option to switch vehicles if no passenger is available, and includes an autonomous delivery vehicle or manipulator to ensure efficient delivery.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Adaptability or versatility

If a delivery vehicle is carried in a freight-and-passenger vehicle, then the delivery function is provided, but the vehicle cannot accommodate the delivery vehicle appropriately due to space constraints for passengers and articles

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvedelivery functionVSAvoidvehicle space
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSVolume of moving object

Solution Approach 1:

The patent extracts the delivery function from a separate delivery vehicle and transfers it to passengers within the freight-and-passenger vehicle. The delivery request notification unit notifies passengers on board to deliver articles, and the incentive information providing unit provides incentives for delivery participation, thereby eliminating the need for dedicated delivery vehicle space.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

2Productivity

If a delivery vehicle is used to transport articles, then delivery efficiency is improved, but the freight-and-passenger vehicle cannot carry the delivery vehicle in an appropriate manner

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvedelivery efficiencyVSAvoidvehicle operation
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The patent implements self-service delivery by enabling passengers to perform delivery tasks themselves. The request notification unit informs passengers of delivery requests, and the incentive mechanism motivates them to voluntarily deliver articles from the stop place to delivery destinations, transforming passengers into active delivery participants without requiring specialized delivery vehicle operations.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #25Self-service

3Productivity

If passengers are incentivized to deliver articles, then delivery efficiency improves, but the system complexity increases due to notification and incentive mechanisms

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvedelivery efficiencyVSAvoidsystem complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent makes the freight-and-passenger vehicle multi-functional by combining its existing transportation function with a new delivery service function. The request notification unit and incentive information providing unit are integrated into the vehicle's existing communication system, allowing the same vehicle to simultaneously transport passengers/articles and facilitate passenger-mediated delivery without requiring entirely separate systems.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

Data Source

PatentEP3945482A1Delivery system, delivery method, and program
Publication Date: 2022.02.02 TOYOTA JIDOSHA KK
  • EP3945482A1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP3945482A1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP3945482A1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

A delivery system configured to put an article into a freight-and-passenger vehicle (40), which travels according to an operation schedule, and transport the article by the freight-and-passenger vehicle (40), and then unload the article from the freight-and-passenger vehicle (40) and deliver the article to a delivery destination is provided. The freight-and-passenger vehicle (40) is configured to cause a computer to perform processes of notifying a passenger on the freight-and-passenger vehicle (40) transporting the article of a request for requesting the passenger to deliver the article from a stop place where the article is unloaded to a delivery destination thereof, and giving an incentive to the passenger who has undertaken the request after the passenger has delivered the article.