Autonomous Rideshare Return Routing for Fleet Rebalancing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Autonomous vehicles often end up in low-traffic areas after a one-way trip, reducing their utilization, as they lack the ability to autonomously return to higher-traffic locations where they are more needed.
Innovation Solution
Equipping vehicles with an electronic control unit, including a processor, occupant detection sensors, and cameras, which record routes and autonomously navigate back to initial locations based on occupancy status, using image and vehicle data to determine routes and control movement.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If a vehicle is driven from a first location to a second location by a user, then the vehicle completes its transport function, but the vehicle ends up in a low-traffic area where utilization decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The vehicle autonomously determines its own return trip without human intervention. The system monitors occupancy status through sensors and automatically initiates the return journey when no occupants are detected, allowing the vehicle to serve itself rather than requiring manual retrieval
Solution Approach 2:
The system continuously monitors occupancy status through sensors and uses this feedback to determine when the vehicle should return. The feedback loop between occupancy detection and autonomous return decision-making optimizes vehicle positioning based on real-time conditions
2Productivity
If the vehicle autonomously returns to the first location, then vehicle utilization increases, but the device complexity increases due to added sensors and control systems
Solution Approach 1:
The vehicle's existing autonomous driving system performs multiple functions: it handles both the initial user-driven transport and the subsequent autonomous return trip. The electronic control unit and sensor suite serve dual purposes rather than requiring separate dedicated systems
Solution Approach 2:
The system combines the user-driven transport function with the autonomous return function into a single integrated operational sequence. The same navigation system, sensors, and control mechanisms are merged to handle both phases of the vehicle's operation
3Loss of time
If the vehicle waits for a user to return it manually, then device complexity remains low, but loss of time increases due to vehicle idle time
Solution Approach 1:
The system prepares for the return trip during the outbound journey by monitoring occupancy status and having the return route pre-calculated. When the user exits, the vehicle is already prepared to execute the return journey immediately, reducing idle time
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically adjusts its behavior based on real-time occupancy detection. The transition from passive waiting to active autonomous return is dynamic and condition-based, allowing the vehicle to optimize between automation and idle time reduction
Data Source
AI summary
A vehicle includes an electronic control unit that includes a processor; and one or more processor-readable instructions; and an occupant detection sensor configured to output a signal indicative of a presence of an occupant. When executed by the processor, the one or more processor-readable instructions cause the vehicle to: record a route from a first location to a second location, and autonomously return to the first location from the second location using the recorded route based on the signal received from the occupant detection sensor.