Patent ID: 11875422
Assignee: FORD GLOBAL TECHNOLOGIES, LLC
Field: IT methods for management (Electrical engineering)
Classification: CPC G | IPC G

Claim 5:
6. A vehicle, comprising:
a plurality of baggage compartments each respectively having a size capacity and a weight capacity, wherein the size capacity comprises a positive size tolerance and a negative size tolerance, and wherein the weight capacity comprises a positive weight tolerance and a negative weight tolerance;
a plurality of sensors capable of autonomously monitoring a loading situation of the plurality of baggage compartments, wherein the loading situation comprises a baggage space of the plurality of baggage compartments, the baggage space being at least one of virtually divisible or combinable by a virtual adjustment and physically divisible by use of one or more physical dividers such that the baggage space is divisible or combinable across the plurality of baggage compartments;
a memory element capable of storing capacity data generated in response to the autonomous monitoring by the plurality of sensors and representing the loading situation;
a communication module capable of receiving a transportation request for transporting a baggage from a pickup location to a destination, wherein the transportation request comprises baggage data comprising information relevant to a size of a baggage and information relevant to a weight of the baggage;
a baggage measuring device capable of measuring the size of the baggage and the weight of the baggage at the pickup location, wherein the baggage measuring device comprises a camera on the vehicle and a three-dimensional (3D) scanner on the vehicle; and
a processor capable of updating the capacity data, responsive to the autonomous monitoring by the plurality of sensors, in an event that the loading situation is changed due to the baggage having been loaded to, or unloaded from, a respective baggage compartment of the plurality of baggage compartments, wherein the processor is further capable of determining, based on the baggage data received by the communication module and the capacity data stored in the memory element, whether the vehicle is able to accommodate the transportation request either with or without dividing or combining the baggage space across the plurality of baggage compartments,
wherein, after the processor verifies that the size of the baggage, as measured by the baggage measuring device, is within the positive size tolerance and the negative size tolerance as indicated by the baggage data and that the weight of the baggage, as measured by the baggage measuring device, is within the positive weight tolerance and the negative weight tolerance as indicated by the baggage data, at least one baggage compartment of the plurality of baggage compartments unlocks to provide an access to the at least one baggage compartment for the baggage to be loaded into the at least one baggage compartment based at least in part on the determination that the vehicle is able to accommodate the transportation request either with or without dividing or combining the baggage space across the plurality of baggage compartments,
wherein, responsive to the determination that the vehicle is able to accommodate the transportation request either with or without dividing or combining the baggage space across the plurality of baggage compartments, the vehicle is configured to fulfill the transportation request by:
unlocking a baggage compartment based on:
determining, by the vehicle, an estimated size of the baggage based on the image of the baggage or the three-dimensional (3D) scan of the baggage;
obtaining the measured weight of the baggage by a weight scale on the vehicle;
verifying that the estimated size is within the positive size tolerance and the negative size tolerance from the size of the baggage indicated by the baggage data; and
verifying that the measured weight is within the positive weight tolerance and the negative weight tolerance from the weight of the baggage indicated by the baggage data;

securing, by the vehicle, the baggage to the vehicle at the pickup location;
transporting, by the vehicle, the baggage from the pickup location to the destination; and
releasing, by the vehicle, the baggage from the vehicle at the destination, and

wherein, in an event that the processor determines that the vehicle is not able to accommodate the transportation request, the communication module is further capable of sending a repackaging suggestion comprising a suggestion to repackage the baggage into a plurality of packages each smaller, lighter, or both, than the baggage responsive to the determination that the vehicle is not able to accommodate the transportation request.