Sensor-Based Usage Parameter Generation for Accurate Billing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current systems lack the ability to accurately and efficiently perform real-time, granular billing for resource usage in shared economy platforms, such as vehicle rentals, based on actual consumption patterns rather than coarse metrics like time or distance.
Innovation Solution
A computer-implemented system that utilizes sensors to monitor and capture data on device-specific parameters, generating usage parameters that characterize operation during temporal periods, enabling the initiation of micro-payment transactions that reflect actual resource consumption, thereby providing a more accurate billing system.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If real-time sensor data is collected and processed to generate usage parameters, then billing accuracy reflects actual resource consumption, but computational load and network traffic increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system pre-provisions service data including usage parameters and billing rules before actual resource consumption occurs. Sensors continuously monitor device parameters and compare them against pre-established service thresholds, triggering billing actions only when predefined conditions are met, rather than processing all sensor data continuously.
Solution Approach 2:
The billing system is divided into independent service modules, each handling specific resource types (compute, storage, network). Each service maintains its own provisioning data and billing logic, allowing parallel processing and reducing the computational burden on any single component.
2Measurement precision
If continuous sensor monitoring is implemented to track device usage, then resource consumption measurement improves, but energy consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of continuous monitoring, the system implements periodic sampling of sensor data at intervals determined by service provisioning parameters. The processor activates sensor reading and data processing only when needed based on usage thresholds, allowing the device to enter low-power states between monitoring cycles.
Solution Approach 2:
Usage thresholds and monitoring triggers are pre-configured in service provisioning data. The system only activates intensive sensor monitoring when approaching predefined usage limits, rather than maintaining constant high-precision monitoring regardless of current usage levels.
3Measurement precision
If micro-payment transactions are initiated based on actual usage parameters, then billing equity improves, but transaction processing time increases
Solution Approach 1:
Billing rules, pricing structures, and transaction templates are pre-provisioned along with service data. When usage triggers a billing event, the system retrieves pre-configured transaction parameters and executes standardized payment flows, significantly reducing processing time compared to calculating billing terms in real-time.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses template-based transaction processing where pre-defined billing scenarios are replicated and adapted rather than creating unique billing calculations for each event. This copying approach maintains billing accuracy while reducing computational overhead.
Data Source
AI summary
The disclosed embodiments include computer-implemented systems and processes that perform operations consistent with services provisioned to a device based on real-time sensor data indicative of and characterizing a user's operation of the device and additionally or alternatively, a system or apparatus that includes the device. For example, the device may obtain stored data identifying a provisioned service, and may obtain sensor data captured by an on-board or external sensor during an operation of the device. Based on the sensor data, the device may generate a usage parameter that characterizes the operation of the device during a temporal period, and perform an operation consistent with the provisioned service in accordance with the generated usage parameter.