Dynamic Rendezvous Queue Routing for Pickup Throughput
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current network-based on-demand transportation systems face inefficiencies in rendezvous throughput, leading to severe traffic congestion and long wait times at common pick-up and drop-off locations, especially during peak events like holidays with multiple airplane arrivals.
Innovation Solution
A network computing system that coordinates on-demand transportation by optimizing rendezvous locations through dynamic queue management, using real-time location data and ETAs of users and transport providers, and leveraging autonomous vehicles for granular control and traffic management, including trip swaps and lane-specific routing to minimize congestion.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If multiple transport providers are routed to common pick-up and drop-off locations simultaneously, then service coverage is improved, but traffic congestion increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the common rendezvous location into multiple virtual queues (first queue, second queue, third queue) based on different arrival times and transport provider sequences. This segmentation allows multiple transport providers to be coordinated systematically rather than arriving simultaneously, reducing traffic congestion while maintaining service coverage.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements dynamic queue assignment where transport providers are assigned to different virtual queues based on real-time factors such as estimated time of arrival, sequence in the queue, and rendezvous location characteristics. This dynamic allocation optimizes traffic flow by preventing simultaneous arrivals while ensuring all providers can access the rendezvous location.
2Ease of operation
If transport providers wait at common rendezvous locations, then user pickup is facilitated, but wait times increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs preliminary actions by pre-assigning transport providers to specific virtual queues based on their estimated time of arrival and queue position before they reach the rendezvous location. Users are provided with information about their assigned queue and expected wait time, allowing them to prepare accordingly. This reduces actual wait time by eliminating uncertainty and coordination delays.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements feedback mechanisms where users receive real-time updates about their queue position and expected wait time, and transport providers receive updates about their assigned queue and arrival timing. This feedback allows both users and providers to adjust their behavior accordingly, reducing unnecessary waiting while ensuring successful pickups.
3Productivity
If dynamic queue management is implemented, then throughput is maximized, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a universal virtual queue management system that handles multiple transport providers, users, and rendezvous locations through a single coordinated framework. The same queue assignment logic and communication protocols are applied across all scenarios, maximizing throughput through consistent optimization while managing complexity through standardization rather than requiring separate systems for each case.
Data Source
AI summary
A computing system can maximize throughput for a common rendezvous location by determining estimated times of arrival (ETAs) to the common rendezvous location for matched users and/or transport providers. Based on the ETAs of each of the transport providers, the computing system can generate a dynamic queue comprising the transport providers for the common rendezvous location and manage the dynamic queue by routing the transport providers through the common rendezvous location. The computing system can further dynamically adjust the queue based on changes to the ETAs by transmitting updated navigation-related data to one or more of the matched transport providers.