Trip API Interface for Autonomous Ride Partner Scheduling
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Solution Overview
Problem
The integration of autonomous vehicles into ridesharing and ride-hailing services faces challenges due to complexities in scheduling and operation, particularly when partnering with human-driven fleets, leading to issues like missed pickups and scheduling delays, which can complicate the process and affect service reliability.
Innovation Solution
A seamless interface is established through a trip application programming interface (API) that enables ridesharing or ride-hailing partner companies to access autonomous vehicle availability and dispatch services, providing real-time information on pickup times and costs, allowing for efficient management of trips and improved customer experience.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If a ridesharing company partners with an autonomous vehicle service provider, then service coverage and capacity are improved, but scheduling complexity and operational reliability deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an intermediary system that acts as a communication bridge between the ridesharing company's app and the autonomous vehicle service provider's dispatch system. This intermediary translates and standardizes data exchanges, managing the complexity of coordinating between human-driven and autonomous vehicle fleets without requiring direct complex integration between the partner companies.
2Reliability
If real-time autonomous vehicle availability information is provided through an API, then scheduling reliability is improved, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system is segmented into distinct functional modules: the ridesharing company's customer-facing app, the API interface layer, the autonomous vehicle service provider's fleet management system, and the vehicle units themselves. This segmentation allows each component to operate independently with well-defined interfaces, improving reliability through modular architecture while managing complexity through clear separation of concerns.
3Ease of operation
If direct customer interface is used for autonomous vehicle scheduling, then operational simplicity is improved, but service flexibility for partner companies deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The autonomous vehicle service provider's dispatch system is designed with multi-functionality to handle both direct customer requests and partner company integrations through a unified API interface. This universal system can adapt to different service models (direct vs. partnered) without requiring separate infrastructure, maintaining operational simplicity while providing service flexibility.
Data Source
AI summary
The technology relates to a seamless interface between an autonomous vehicle service provider and one or more ridesharing or ride-hailing partner companies. An API enables efficient and robust communication with such partner companies for effective rider services and support. The API enables a partner company to determine how quickly an autonomous vehicle from the service provider could pick up a rider from a given location, as well as the cost of the ride. Customers may request rides or modify scheduled trips via an app running on the user's mobile phone or other communication device. The service may allow customers to directly communicate with the ride provider company, and may also allow customers to book or modify rides via interaction with a partner company that works with the ride provider company, either with the same or a different app.