Remote Comfort Control in Autonomous MAAS Vehicles
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Solution Overview
Problem
Passengers in autonomous mobility-as-a-service (MAAS) vehicles face difficulties in adjusting comfort components due to unfamiliar interfaces and limited access, especially in ride-sharing scenarios where they sit in rear seats.
Innovation Solution
A system and method that allows passengers to remotely select and adjust comfort settings in autonomous MAAS vehicles by transmitting location and climate data to a control center, which dispatches vehicles matching their preferences, enabling remote control of climate components like temperature, fan speed, and air direction.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If passengers sit in rear seats of ride share vehicles, then accessibility to comfort component interfaces is limited, but this seating arrangement is necessary for ride share operations
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extends the control interface from the physical interior of the vehicle to the passenger's mobile device, adding a spatial dimension for interaction. This allows passengers in rear seats to control comfort components remotely through wireless communication, eliminating the need for physical proximity to traditional interfaces while maintaining full functionality.
Solution Approach 2:
The mobile device acts as an intermediary between the passenger and the vehicle's comfort components. The system transmits control commands from the mobile device to the vehicle's climate control system, enabling indirect control that bypasses the limitation of physical distance and provides intuitive access to comfort settings.
2Ease of operation
If passengers are unfamiliar with vehicle interfaces, then comfort component adjustment becomes difficult, but interface standardization across vehicles is challenging
Solution Approach 1:
The mobile device interface serves multiple functions across different vehicle types and manufacturers, providing a universal control mechanism that works regardless of the specific vehicle's native interface design. This eliminates the need for passengers to learn different interfaces for different vehicles, as the mobile application provides consistent controls for all comfort components.
Solution Approach 2:
The system creates a virtual copy of the comfort control interface on the passenger's mobile device, replicating the essential functions in a familiar and consistent format. This copied interface mirrors the vehicle's actual controls but presents them through a standardized, easily understandable layout that reduces cognitive load and improves usability.
3Ease of operation
If conventional systems require driver adjustment of comfort components, then passenger comfort needs can be met, but this approach does not work for autonomous vehicles without a driver
Solution Approach 1:
The system enables passengers to independently control their own comfort environment without requiring another person (driver or attendant) to make adjustments. Through the mobile device interface, passengers can directly modify climate settings, seat positions, and other comfort components according to their personal preferences, maintaining autonomy in comfort management.
Solution Approach 2:
The system allows passengers to pre-configure their comfort preferences before entering the vehicle or immediately upon entry. The mobile application enables advance adjustment of climate controls, entertainment systems, and other comfort features, so the vehicle environment is optimized for the passenger's needs before they fully settle in, eliminating the need for trial-and-adjustment during the ride.
Data Source
AI summary
A method for vehicle management performed by a vehicle control system includes monitoring a respective location associated with each vehicle of a plurality of vehicles based on location information transmitted from each of the plurality of vehicles. The method also includes receiving, from a user equipment (UE) associated with a customer, customer location information identifying a location of the customer. The method further includes receiving, from each vehicle of the plurality of vehicles, a set of current compartment climate values based on a triggering event at the vehicle. The method still further includes selecting one vehicle of the plurality of vehicles as a preferred vehicle based on a set of climate preferences associated with the customer. The method also includes transmitting, to the preferred vehicle, a message dispatching the preferred vehicle to the location of the customer, such that the preferred vehicle navigates to the location of the customer.