Server-Coordinated Alternate Transport for Inoperable Autonomous Vehicles
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Solution Overview
Problem
Autonomous transports often become inoperable en route, leaving occupants stranded and requiring them to arrange supplemental transportation, which is inconvenient and burdensome.
Innovation Solution
A system that determines when an autonomous transport is inoperable and instructs an alternate transport to navigate to the stranded occupant, configuring it to match the original transport's settings and routing it to the intended destination, utilizing a server with a processor and memory to execute these instructions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If an autonomous transport becomes inoperable during transit, then the transport system experiences a failure in reliability, but the occupant is left stranded requiring manual arrangement of supplemental transportation
Solution Approach 1:
The system enables self-service by automatically detecting when a transport becomes inoperable and autonomously arranging alternate transportation without requiring the occupant to take any action. The server monitors transport status, identifies failures, and coordinates replacement vehicles, allowing the system to serve itself in resolving transportation disruptions.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements feedback mechanisms where the server continuously monitors transport operational status through status indicators. When a transport transitions to an inoperable state, the system receives feedback about the failure condition and automatically responds by deploying alternate transportation, creating a closed-loop control system that maintains service reliability.
2Ease of operation
If the occupant must arrange supplemental transportation manually, then the ease of operation deteriorates, but the device complexity increases due to automated detection and coordination systems
Solution Approach 1:
The server acts as an intermediary between the transport system and the occupant. It receives status information from transports, processes failure conditions, and coordinates with alternate transportation providers. This intermediary layer abstracts the complexity from the occupant while centralizing the computational burden on the server, improving ease of operation without exposing user-facing complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The server performs multiple functions including monitoring transport status, detecting failures, selecting alternate vehicles, coordinating pickup locations, and managing routing. By consolidating these diverse functions into a single multi-functional system, the patent improves ease of operation while managing device complexity through functional integration rather than proliferation of separate components.
3Ease of operation
If the system provides automated alternate transportation coordination, then the ease of operation improves, but the use of energy increases due to continuous monitoring and communication
Solution Approach 1:
The system employs periodic status checks and intermittent communication rather than continuous monitoring. The server polls transport status at regular intervals and activates full coordination only when needed. This periodic operation reduces energy consumption compared to continuous real-time monitoring while maintaining the ability to detect and respond to transport failures promptly.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary actions by pre-identifying potential alternate transportation options and preparing routing information before failures occur. When a transport becomes inoperable, the coordination process is already partially complete, reducing the computational energy required for real-time decision-making and minimizing the energy burden during actual failure events.
Data Source
AI summary
An example operation includes one or more of determining, by a server, that a transport is inoperable on a route, instructing, by the server, an alternate transport to navigate to the transport, configuring, by the server, the alternate transport based on a configuration of the transport and routing, by the server, the configured alternate transport to an intended destination of the transport.