Vehicle Delivery Device Preventing Incorrect Parcel Drop-off

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Solution Overview

Problem

In scenarios where multiple vehicles are present at a delivery location, there is a risk of incorrect delivery due to vehicles with unlocked storage units being mistaken for the intended recipient's vehicle.

Innovation Solution

A delivery receiving device equipped with a communication unit, inter-vehicle communication unit, opening/closing control unit, and incorrect delivery determination unit that notifies surrounding vehicles of a scheduled delivery time and determines if incorrect delivery occurs based on the state of the vehicle's interior during the delivery time, alerting the delivery person if necessary.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Productivity

If delivery items are stored in a storage unit of a parcel vehicle when a recipient is absent, then delivery efficiency is improved, but the risk of incorrect delivery increases when multiple vehicles are present

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvedelivery efficiencyVSAvoiddelivery accuracy
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The system continuously monitors the opened/closed state of vehicle interiors and provides feedback to the delivery person's terminal device. When a vehicle interior is detected as opened during the delivery time period, the system immediately notifies the delivery person to prevent incorrect delivery, thus maintaining both efficiency and accuracy.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #23Feedback

Solution Approach 2:

The delivery receiving device acts as an intermediary between the vehicle storage units and the delivery person. It receives delivery information, determines the correct target vehicle by monitoring interior states, and communicates with the delivery person's terminal device to guide accurate delivery while enabling unattended delivery functionality.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Reliability

If a vehicle with an unlocked storage unit is mistaken for the intended recipient's vehicle, then incorrect delivery occurs, but implementing verification systems increases device complexity

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvedelivery accuracyVSAvoidsystem complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The vehicle's own interior state (opened/closed) serves as the verification mechanism. The delivery receiving device utilizes this self-generated information to identify the correct target vehicle without requiring additional complex verification systems, thus achieving reliable delivery identification with minimal added complexity.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #25Self-service

Solution Approach 2:

The patent replaces complex mechanical verification systems with an electronic monitoring system that detects the opened/closed state of vehicle interiors. This electronic approach uses simple sensor-based detection rather than complex mechanical locks or identification mechanisms, reducing overall system complexity while improving reliability.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

3Reliability

If the delivery receiving device monitors all surrounding vehicles, then incorrect delivery is prevented, but communication with multiple vehicles increases information loss and processing overhead

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvedelivery accuracyVSAvoidcommunication overhead
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSLoss of information

Solution Approach 1:

The system extracts only the critical information needed for delivery verification - the opened/closed state of vehicle interiors during the delivery time period. By focusing on this specific parameter rather than monitoring all vehicle attributes, the system prevents incorrect delivery while minimizing communication overhead and information processing requirements.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Data Source

PatentEP4216124B1Delivery receiving device for vehicle, delivery receiving system, and incorrect delivery determination method
Publication Date: 2024.05.01 SUZUKI MOTOR CORP
  • EP4216124B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP4216124B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP4216124B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

[Object] To provide a delivery receiving device for a vehicle and a delivery receiving system capable of preventing incorrect delivery even when there are a plurality of vehicles at a receiving location of a delivery item. [Solution] A delivery receiving device for a vehicle includes: a communication unit 2 communicating with another device via a wireless communication medium to transmit and receive information; an inter-vehicle communication unit 3 communicating with surrounding vehicles via the wireless communication medium to transmit and receive information; an opening/closing control unit 6 detecting an opened or closed state of an interior of the vehicle 1; and an incorrect delivery determination unit 7 notifying a parcel reception time as a time zone of a predetermined length including a scheduled delivery date and time when the scheduled delivery date and time is set to surrounding vehicles not being at a delivery destination, determining whether or not incorrect delivery occurs based on the opened or closed state of the interior of the surrounding vehicles not being at the delivery destination during the parcel reception time, and allowing a notification unit 5 to notify the incorrect delivery to a delivery person when it is determined that the incorrect delivery occurs.