Wireless Dispatch System Exception Sorting
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current dispatch systems in service industries, such as shipping and transportation, face inefficiencies due to the need for verbal communication and manual tracking of vehicle and customer requests, which burdens dispatchers and affects customer service levels.
Innovation Solution
An intelligent wireless dispatch system that includes a dispatch computer with mobile data terminals on vehicles, enabling real-time communication, assignment management, and exception-based status updates, along with voice over IP capabilities for enhanced communication between dispatchers and drivers.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If dispatchers use verbal communication and manual tracking methods, then they can maintain simple system operations, but their productivity and efficiency are severely constrained
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces manual verbal communication and paper-based tracking with an automated wireless communication system. Mobile data terminals equipped with GPS receivers automatically transmit vehicle location, status, and operational data to the dispatch center, eliminating the need for dispatchers to manually track each vehicle through radio communication. This substitution of mechanical/manual processes with automated electronic systems directly increases dispatcher productivity while managing system complexity through standardized communication protocols.
Solution Approach 2:
The system enables vehicles to automatically report their own status, location, and operational information through mobile data terminals. The GPS receivers and sensors in vehicles continuously monitor and transmit data without requiring dispatcher intervention, allowing the system to serve itself in terms of data collection and initial processing. This self-service capability frees dispatchers from manual tracking tasks, significantly improving their productivity.
2Loss of information
If dispatchers manually track all vehicle and customer request information, then they can maintain complete information records, but the time required for tracking and managing assignments increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces manual information tracking with automated electronic data collection and transmission. Mobile data terminals continuously gather vehicle location, status, and operational information through GPS receivers and sensors, then automatically transmit this data to the dispatch center. This eliminates the time-consuming manual tracking process while maintaining complete and accurate information records, directly addressing both information completeness and time loss.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements continuous automatic monitoring and transmission of vehicle data through mobile data terminals and GPS receivers. Rather than periodic manual checks, the system maintains uninterrupted real-time visibility of all vehicle operations, customer requests, and fleet status. This continuous automated information flow ensures complete information availability without the time loss associated with manual tracking intervals.
3Reliability
If dispatchers verbally communicate all customer request details and dispatching requirements, then they can ensure accurate information transmission, but the communication burden and complexity increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces verbal radio communication with structured electronic data transmission through mobile data terminals. Customer requests, assignment details, and dispatching requirements are transmitted as standardized digital messages between the dispatch center and vehicles. This electronic substitution maintains communication accuracy through standardized data formats while dramatically reducing dispatcher workload by eliminating the need for lengthy verbal explanations and repeated confirmations.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the communication medium from analog verbal messages to digital parameter-based data transmission. Information is conveyed through standardized electronic parameters and data fields rather than natural language, ensuring consistent interpretation and reducing communication errors. This parameter-based approach maintains reliability while simplifying the dispatcher's operational burden through automated message formatting and transmission.
Data Source
AI summary
Intelligent wireless dispatch systems are provided. In one embodiment, the system includes a dispatch computer and mobile data terminals positioned on a vehicle and in wireless communication with the dispatch computer. The system displays a plurality of drivers arranged in a driver stack, receives exception information from each mobile data terminal, displays a formatted driver icon corresponding to each driver in the driver stack, and sorts the drivers in the driver stack by prioritized exception information. The system is configured to display a driver assignment list for each driver including one or more assignments and to wirelessly transmit an assignment message to the mobile data terminals according to an update to a driver assignment list. The mobile data terminals are configured to display the assignment message for acceptance or rejection. Additional embodiments may also include voice-over-IP capability for two-way communication between the dispatcher and driver.