Ride-Sharing Vehicle Control With Separate Pick-Up and Drop-Off Zones

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing ride-sharing vehicle systems face safety and convenience issues due to overlapping drop-off and pick-up zones, leading to interference between getting-off and getting-on operations, particularly affecting vulnerable users.

Innovation Solution

A controller for a ride-sharing vehicle that sets non-overlapping zones for drop-off and pick-up operations, adjusting vehicle paths and timing to separate these operations spatially and temporally, using threshold distances and user attributes to optimize zone settings.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of operation

If drop-off and pick-up operations are performed at the same position, then the convenience of the ride-sharing service is improved, but the safety of users is degraded due to interference between getting-off and getting-on operations

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveconvenience of ride-sharing serviceVSAvoidsafety of users
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of operationVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The invention divides the stop position into two separate zones: a first zone for drop-off operations and a second zone for pick-up operations. By segmenting the same physical location into distinct functional areas, the system enables simultaneous drop-off and pick-up operations without interference, thereby maintaining service convenience while ensuring user safety.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

2Reliability

If the getting-on operation is performed before the getting-off operation, then the safety of users is improved, but the convenience of the ride-sharing service is degraded due to delays in completion of the getting-off operation

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvesafety of usersVSAvoidconvenience of ride-sharing service
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs preliminary actions by pre-setting the first zone for drop-off and the second zone for pick-up before the actual operations begin. This allows the vehicle to execute drop-off and pick-up operations simultaneously and efficiently, avoiding delays while maintaining safety through spatial separation of the two operations.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

3Productivity

If a single stop position is used for both drop-off and pick-up, then the efficiency of the ride-sharing service is improved, but the complexity of managing interfering operations increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveefficiency of ride-sharing serviceVSAvoidcomplexity of managing operations
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The invention resolves operational complexity by introducing a spatial dimension to the stop position management. Instead of managing drop-off and pick-up operations sequentially in time, the system creates parallel operational spaces (first zone and second zone) at the same location, allowing simultaneous execution of both operations without interference or complex coordination.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #17Another dimension (Dimensionality change)

Data Source

PatentEP4092589B1Controller and control method for ride-sharing vehicle
Publication Date: 2026.05.06 TOYOTA JIDOSHA KK
  • EP4092589B1 patent drawingFigure 1~3
  • EP4092589B1 patent drawingFigure 4~6
  • EP4092589B1 patent drawingFigure 7~8

AI summary

A controller (19) includes a memory (19b) and a processor (19a). The memory (19b) stores drop-off data (DRP) regarding a first user who gets off a ride-sharing vehicle (VH) and pick-up data (PIC) regarding a second user who gets on the ride-sharing vehicle (VH). The processor (19a) is configured to execute vehicle control including at least one of drop-off of the first user and pick-up of the second user based on at least one of the drop-off data (DRP) and the pick-up data (PIC). The vehicle control includes, executing at least one of first zone setting processing that is processing of setting a first zone where the drop-off is executed and second zone setting processing that is processing of setting a second zone where the pick-up is executed, and executing first zone resetting processing of resetting the first zone in a space not overlapping the second zone.