Vehicle Seat Control Device for Ridesharing Boarding Management
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Solution Overview
Problem
In ridesharing systems, self-driving vehicles without a human driver face challenges in preventing improper boarding, where more users than declared attempt to board, leading to potential safety and operational issues.
Innovation Solution
A vehicle seat control device that switches seats between a usable and an unusable state based on user declarations, with detection units to prevent excess users from boarding and ensure proper seating arrangements, including accommodations for wheelchair users.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If seats are kept in a usable state to accommodate users, then user boarding convenience is improved, but the risk of improper boarding by excess users increases
Solution Approach 1:
The seat is designed to be dynamically switchable between a first state (usable) and a second state (improper boarding prevention) through a seat control unit. This dynamic state change allows the seat to adapt its functionality based on whether a user is present, resolving the contradiction between maintaining usability and preventing improper boarding.
Solution Approach 2:
The seat control unit receives information in advance about users who will board the vehicle and switches the corresponding seats to the first state before the users board. This preliminary action ensures seats are ready for authorized users while maintaining the ability to prevent improper boarding by keeping other seats in the second state.
2Reliability
If seats are switched to a non-occupiable state to prevent improper boarding, then safety is improved, but user boarding convenience deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The seat control system dynamically adjusts the seat state based on real-time user information. Seats are switched to the second state (improper boarding prevention) only when not needed, and to the first state (usable) when a user is present or about to board, thus maintaining safety without compromising convenience for authorized users.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary switching of seats to the first state based on advance user information before users board the vehicle. This ensures that authorized users find their seats ready and usable, while the system maintains the ability to prevent improper boarding through the second state.
3Adaptability or versatility
If wheelchair user space is guaranteed by switching seats to non-occupiable state, then accessibility is improved, but vehicle interior space utilization deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The seat control unit dynamically switches specific seats to the second state (non-occupiable) to create wheelchair user space only when a wheelchair user is present or about to board. This dynamic adjustment ensures accessibility for wheelchair users while maintaining optimal vehicle interior space utilization during normal operations when no wheelchair user is present.
Data Source
AI summary
A vehicle seat control device including a control unit that, in a case in which at least one user has declared in advance a desire to board a self-driving vehicle having a plurality of seats that are switchable between a first state in which a user is able to sit down, and a second state that impedes a user sitting down, switches a same number of seats as a number of the at least one user to the first state before the at least one user boards the vehicle.