Autonomous Vehicle Control Rights 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 arrives at the destination and the recipient enters a PIN code to unlock the compartment, then the package delivery function is achieved, but the recipient may be unable to receive the package due to obstructions such as fences, guardrails, or sloping surfaces
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically assigns control rights to the recipient based on their ability to access the vehicle at the destination. The control right is not static but conditionally granted when the system determines the recipient can physically retrieve the package, thereby adapting the delivery process to real-world accessibility conditions
Solution Approach 2:
The system incorporates feedback regarding the recipient's ability to access the vehicle (considering environmental factors like fences, guardrails, or sloping surfaces) to determine whether to grant control rights. This feedback loop ensures that package retrieval is only permitted when physically feasible, resolving the contradiction between delivery reliability and retrieval accessibility
2Reliability
If the recipient is granted control right to operate the autonomous vehicle at the destination, then the recipient can ensure proper package retrieval, but the system complexity increases due to control right assignment and verification mechanisms
Solution Approach 1:
The system introduces an intermediary control right assignment mechanism that mediates between the autonomous vehicle system and the recipient. This intermediary layer verifies recipient identity and accessibility conditions before granting control, thereby ensuring reliable package retrieval without requiring complex direct integration between the vehicle and recipient authentication systems
Solution Approach 2:
The control right assignment is performed in advance before the vehicle arrives at the destination. By preliminarily verifying the recipient's ability to access the vehicle and assigning control rights beforehand, the system avoids the need for complex real-time verification mechanisms at the destination, thus reducing overall system complexity while maintaining retrieval assurance
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.