Autonomous Vehicle Control Handover for Obstructed Package Retrieval
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing autonomous vehicle systems do not adequately ensure that recipients can access packages delivered by autonomous road vehicles upon arrival at the destination, due to potential obstructions such as fences, guardrails, or sloping surfaces.
Innovation Solution
A method for assigning a control right to users of autonomous vehicles, allowing them to control the vehicle at the dispatch destination, by acquiring identification and dispatch request information, selecting the appropriate vehicle, and setting the control right based on this information.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the autonomous vehicle delivers packages to the destination, then the delivery function is achieved, but the recipient may be unable to access the package due to obstructions such as fences, guardrails, or sloping surfaces
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary assessment of the destination environment before delivery, identifying potential obstructions such as fences, guardrails, or sloping surfaces that would prevent package access. Control rights are conditionally assigned based on this preliminary analysis, allowing the recipient to take control only when the environment is suitable for safe package retrieval.
Solution Approach 2:
The system continuously monitors the vehicle's location and surrounding environment, providing feedback about obstruction conditions to the control right management system. This feedback mechanism allows dynamic adjustment of control rights based on real-time environmental conditions, ensuring the recipient can access the package when obstructions are absent or manageable.
2Ease of operation
If the recipient controls the autonomous vehicle at the destination, then package accessibility is improved, but the system complexity increases due to control right assignment and management
Solution Approach 1:
The recipient uses their own terminal device to request and assume control of the autonomous vehicle. The control right assignment process is automated, with the system automatically evaluating environmental conditions and transferring control rights without requiring complex manual procedures. This self-service approach simplifies the interface while maintaining systematic control management.
Solution Approach 2:
The control right management system serves multiple functions: it assesses environmental conditions, manages control transitions, communicates with the vehicle, and verifies recipient identity. By consolidating these functions into a single multi-functional system, the patent reduces overall complexity compared to having separate systems for each function.
3Ease of operation
If the system assigns control right to the user, then the user can control the vehicle to avoid obstructions, but the automation level decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The control right assignment is dynamic rather than static. The system automatically determines when to transfer control based on real-time environmental conditions, vehicle location, and delivery status. This dynamic control mechanism allows the vehicle to operate autonomously in suitable conditions while enabling human control when obstructions are detected, optimizing the balance between automation and manual intervention.
Data Source
AI summary
A method for controlling rights of an autonomous vehicle includes acquiring, via a network, identification information for identifying a user or a terminal of the user, and dispatching request information that indicates a dispatch request for the autonomous vehicle issued by the user. The method further includes selecting the autonomous vehicle to be dispatched to the user from among multiple autonomous vehicles based on the dispatch request information, and assigning a control right for the selected autonomous vehicle, to the user or the terminal, based on the identification information.