Vehicle Cost Allocation System Using Sensor Data
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current vehicle sharing systems face challenges in equitably allocating costs among users, as they lack mechanisms to determine individual usage and implement agreed-upon cost-sharing policies, leading to disputes and inaccurate payments.
Innovation Solution
A vehicle cost allocation system that includes a computing device capable of receiving trip reports, determining vehicle users' roles, and allocating costs based on agreed-upon policies, using methods such as sensor data, biometric sensors, and user-specific keys to accurately track and manage payments.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If vehicle users share costs manually without automated tracking, then device complexity is reduced, but measurement precision of individual usage and cost allocation accuracy deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a server as an intermediary component that receives sensor data from the vehicle, processes trip information, and calculates cost allocations. This intermediary handles the complex data processing and measurement tasks, enabling precise usage tracking without requiring complex processing in each user's device. The server acts as a centralized mediator that coordinates between the vehicle's sensors and the multiple users' computing devices.
2Adaptability or versatility
If the system implements comprehensive cost allocation policies, then equity and fairness of cost sharing is improved, but device complexity and processing requirements worsen
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the cost allocation system into distinct components: vehicle policies (stored on the server), trip reports (generated per trip), and user-specific cost calculations. Each component handles a specific aspect of the overall cost allocation, allowing the system to implement comprehensive and flexible policies without overwhelming complexity in any single part. The segmentation enables modular processing of different cost types (insurance, fuel, maintenance) according to different policies.
3Productivity
If the system processes trip data in real-time, then productivity and responsiveness are improved, but use of energy and computational resources worsen
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements preliminary action by having the server pre-process and store vehicle policies before they are needed for cost allocation. Trip reports are generated and stored as they occur, rather than processing all data simultaneously. This allows the system to quickly allocate costs by retrieving pre-stored policies and matching them against recorded trip data, rather than performing complex real-time calculations for each cost allocation event.
Data Source
AI summary
Vehicle costs may be allocated between users of a vehicle, including autonomous vehicles. A vehicle cost allocation (VCA) computing device receives an anticipated trip report associated with an anticipated future trip, the anticipated trip report associated with at least one vehicle user including an anticipated driver of the vehicle and an anticipated passenger, the anticipated trip report including at least one of an anticipated destination and a distance of the anticipated future trip. The VCA computing device is also configured to determine one or more anticipated vehicle costs for the anticipated future trip. The vehicle costs may include usage-based or trip-based insurance. The VCA computing device is also configured to allocate a respective portion of the vehicle cost to the anticipated driver and passenger and transmit the anticipated vehicle costs to for review by the anticipated driver.