Multimodal Routing System with Parking and Safety Integration

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Solution Overview

Problem

Current vehicle navigation systems do not effectively integrate parking availability and safety into route calculations, nor do they balance travel time and monetary costs, leading to suboptimal routing solutions for users.

Innovation Solution

A multimodal vehicle routing system that incorporates parking availability, safety, and cost factors into route calculations, using algorithms like Dijkstra and A* to determine optimal routes that consider multiple transportation modes and parking locations, allowing users to set preferences for time, money, and safety.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If traditional vehicle routing systems calculate routes based only on travel time and distance, then the routing calculation is simple and fast, but the route quality is suboptimal because it does not consider parking availability and safety

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveroute qualityVSAvoidrouting system complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The routing system is segmented into multiple independent modules: a routing module that handles basic path calculation, a parking availability module that assesses parking options, a safety module that evaluates route safety, and an integration module that combines all factors. This segmentation allows each module to specialize in one aspect while maintaining overall system manageability and improving route quality through comprehensive evaluation

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The patent merges traditionally separate routing functions with parking assessment and safety evaluation into a unified multimodal routing system. By combining these previously independent considerations into a single integrated framework, the system achieves comprehensive route optimization without proportionally increasing complexity, as shared infrastructure and data structures are utilized across all modules

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

2Reliability

If the system incorporates multiple factors (parking, safety, cost, time) into route calculations, then the route optimization improves, but the calculation complexity and processing time increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveroute optimizationVSAvoidcalculation time
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs preliminary assessments of parking availability and safety conditions for potential routing areas before final route calculation. By pre-evaluating these factors and caching results where applicable, the system reduces the computational burden during actual route optimization, allowing comprehensive multi-factor analysis without proportional increases in calculation time

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The routing system dynamically adjusts the level of detail and depth of analysis for different route segments based on real-time conditions and user preferences. For high-priority segments, more detailed analysis is performed, while for less critical segments, simplified assessments are used. This dynamic approach optimizes the balance between route quality and calculation efficiency

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

3Ease of operation

If users set detailed preferences for time, money, and safety, then the routing results are more personalized and accurate, but the system complexity and data processing requirements increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveuser preference customizationVSAvoidsystem complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of operationVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The system implements a universal preference framework that handles multiple user preferences (time, money, safety) through a unified interface and processing mechanism. This multi-functional approach allows the same core routing engine to accommodate various preference combinations without requiring separate processing paths, thereby reducing overall system complexity while maintaining high ease of operation

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

Solution Approach 2:

User preferences are implemented as adjustable parameters that modify the weighting and prioritization of different route evaluation criteria. By changing parameters rather than restructuring the system for different preference types, the system achieves high customization capability with minimal increase in complexity, as the underlying architecture remains consistent across all preference configurations

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

Data Source

PatentUS12259250B2Multimodal vehicle routing system and method with vehicle parking
Publication Date: 2025.03.25 IP3 2024 SERIES 924 OF ALLIED SECURITY TRUST I
  • US12259250B2 patent drawing
  • US12259250B2 patent drawing
  • US12259250B2 patent drawing

AI summary

A system and method is provided that creates a multimodal transportation routing that originates using a road-based vehicle which then requires parking. Parking is not necessarily near the destination, but is determined based on user preferences and specification of the relative importance of speed of travel and monetary cost and/or safety. Other factors can also influence the route selection and comprise: parking availability, user preference for parking type, vehicle restrictions, maximum distance a user is willing to walk or bike and what types of public transportation a user is willing to use. Monetary factors include: fuel costs, parking costs, tolls, and public transportation costs.