Mechanism
The route manifest is an authorized-route manifest produced by a route-manifest constructor for a unit's origin-to-destination path. The constructor comprises a route-request interface receiving a governance-credentialed route request with origin, destination, and operational constraints; a topology retrieval interface retrieving applicable track topology from the shared environmental world view; a per-segment authority evaluator verifying each segment's authority credential against the unit's operator class and authority credentials; a cross-authority composition engine composing segments across multiple authorities subject to governance-policy-defined cross-authority compatibility; a route admissibility evaluator applying the composite admissibility evaluator to candidate route manifests; a route-lineage recorder recording manifest construction; and a route-emission interface emitting the authorized-route manifest as a governance-credentialed observation. Each segment carries an authority credential, the credentialed marker references that establish the segment's marker-track basis, and the governance-policy version applied to manifest construction.
Cross-authority route composition admits a plurality of composition patterns, including without limitation: sequential-authority composition, wherein successive route segments are credentialed by different authorities with transitions at credentialed authority-boundary markers; joint-authority composition, wherein route segments are jointly credentialed by two or more authorities with governance-policy-defined contribution rights; delegated-authority composition, wherein one authority delegates route-credentialing to another for specified segments; federated-authority composition, wherein authority-mapping rules translate credentials across authority taxonomies; escalated-authority composition, wherein a higher authority overrides sub-authority credentials for specified route types such as emergency response or regulatory inspection; governance-policy-defined composite composition; and any governance-policy-defined cross-authority composition pattern.
Route manifests carry lineage linking the manifest to each contributing topology segment, each credentialing authority, and the governance-policy version applied to manifest construction. The route-lineage recorder records manifest construction, and route-manifest consumption at downstream operation is governance-chain-preserving, with each consumption event recorded in lineage. The lineage record establishes both how a particular segment came to be authorized, through its contributing topology segment and credentialing authority, and how the current manifest came to be the manifest under which the vehicle is operating, supporting post-hoc audit of route authorization decisions.
Manifest validity is evaluated through the route admissibility evaluator, which applies the composite admissibility evaluator to candidate route manifests. The per-segment authority evaluator verifies each segment's authority credential against the unit's operator class and authority credentials, and the cross-authority composition engine composes segments subject to governance-policy-defined cross-authority compatibility. Candidate manifests that do not satisfy the admissibility evaluation are not emitted as authorized-route manifests.
Operating Parameters
Composition across authority-credentialed track segments is governance-policy-configurable. The cross-authority composition engine composes segments subject to governance-policy-defined cross-authority compatibility, so the set of admissible cross-authority transitions is a property of the governing policy rather than a fixed structure. The constructor applies the unit's operational constraints, received with the route request, when retrieving applicable track topology and verifying per-segment authority.
Per-segment authority evaluation verifies each segment's authority credential against the unit's operator class and authority credentials. A unit operates within each segment's governed speed envelope, lane assignment, and regulatory overlay, and the marker-sequence-primary navigation engine updates the unit's route-progress state against the pre-departure authorized-route manifest at each marker read.
Authority credentials are subject to a credential revocation phase in which a credentialing authority emits a revocation governed observation identifying a specific device, credential, or credential class as no longer authoritative. Each consuming device down-weights or invalidates previously-admitted governed observations under a governance-policy-defined retroactive-effect window that specifies the duration of past emissions subject to the revocation. A credential that has been revoked is ineligible to authorize further operation under the revoked authority context.
Alternative Embodiments
In a delivery-vehicle embodiment, the manifest is composed at trip start from the dispatch authority's authorized segments, with new delivery stops admitted under the dispatch authority's credential as the load assignment changes. In an autonomous-truck embodiment crossing multiple state authorities, the manifest is composed across authority-credentialed track segments through sequential-authority composition, with transitions at credentialed authority-boundary markers as the truck approaches each authority's region, and the lineage record preserves each segment's contributing authority for audit.
In an aerial-routing embodiment, the manifest is composed across terrestrial and aviation authorities through cross-authority composition, with a ground-to-air transition crediting the aviation authority's segments under credential renewal. In a maritime-routing embodiment, the manifest is composed across open-sea segments credentialed under flag-state authority and port segments credentialed under port and harbor-pilot authority, with lineage preserved through the transfer of authority as the vessel transits from open-sea to port-controlled operation.
In a multi-vehicle platoon embodiment, governance-chain-preserving close-spaced unit sequences form at platoon-formation markers and dissolve at platoon-dissolution markers, with a platoon-lineage recorder recording each platoon-membership interval, lead-pod authority relationship, and cross-pod coordination event. In a public-transit embodiment, the manifest is composed across operator, infrastructure, and intermodal-transfer authorities through joint-authority and federated-authority composition, with the lineage record preserving each contributing authority's credential.
Composition With Other Marker-Track Primitives
Route-manifest composition composes with the credentialed-marker primitive: each segment references the credentialed markers that establish the segment's underlying marker-track basis, and at each marker read the unit validates the marker's authority credential through the governance chain. The marker-read admissibility evaluator rejects spoofed, injected, or inadmissible marker reads, and a revoked marker credential is ineligible to authorize further operation under its retroactive-effect window, with the rejection or revocation event recorded in lineage.
Route-manifest composition composes with the per-segment authority evaluation: a segment enters the manifest only when its authority credential is verified against the unit's operator class and authority credentials. Credential revocation propagates through the governance chain, and consuming devices down-weight or invalidate previously-admitted observations under a governance-policy-defined retroactive-effect window, so the operating unit's authority state can evolve during operation.
Route-manifest composition composes with the operator intent primitive through cross-tier coordination with non-participating road users. The shared-right-of-way governance layer superimposes transport-unit-specific governance on general road-user governance, and infrastructure agents coordinate unit operation with non-participating traffic through yielding directives, platoon-gap enforcement, and governance-policy-defined composite coordination, with lineage recording each coordination directive, unit compliance, and downstream consequence.
Prior-Art Distinction
Conventional navigation architectures pre-compute routes based on map data and treat in-flight changes as recomputation events that produce a fresh route opaquely replacing the prior route. There is no manifest, no composition operation set, no per-segment lineage, and no preservation of authorization basis through modification. Construction zones, traffic incidents, weather events, and regulatory updates produce route invalidation rather than structured composition.
Conventional fleet-management systems track route history but do not represent the route as a composable manifest with structural lineage; instead, route history is logged externally to the routing data structure and lineage is reconstructed by joining log entries against route identifiers. Conventional digital-credential routing systems sign individual route segments but do not provide manifest-level composition or per-segment lineage preservation through composition. Conventional supervisory-control routing in maritime and aviation domains uses signed clearances but treats each clearance as opaque and does not compose authority-credentialed segments into an authorized-route manifest with per-segment lineage.
The disclosure is distinguished by the conjunction of an authorized-route manifest composed across authority-credentialed track segments, governance-policy-configurable cross-authority composition, per-segment authority evaluation, route-lineage recording linking the manifest to each contributing segment and credentialing authority, and governance-chain-preserving consumption supporting post-hoc audit of route authorization decisions.
Disclosure Scope
The disclosure covers route-manifest composition as an architectural primitive applicable to any vehicle, agent, or operating unit whose movements traverse a marker-track topology under one or more credentialing authorities. The primitive is independent of the underlying marker-track topology, the specific authority structure, and the specific vehicle modality, including without limitation surface, marine, sub-surface, aerial, and orbital operating environments, and including human-driven, semi-autonomous, and fully autonomous vehicles.
The disclosure expressly contemplates extension to manifests with branching segment graphs in which a manifest authorizes alternative sub-routes selectable at runtime; to manifests with conditional segments whose admission depends on dynamic environmental conditions evaluated at traversal time; to manifests with delegated composition in which a sub-authority is granted scope to compose a portion of the manifest under defined limits; and to revocation protocols in which a manifest can be retracted in flight by its issuing authority, forcing the operating unit to either compose a replacement manifest or enter a safe-hold state. The scope of the disclosure is the architectural primitive, and its claim language captures the conjunction of an authorized-route manifest, governance-policy-configurable cross-authority composition, per-segment authority evaluation, route-lineage recording, and governance-chain-preserving consumption as the inventive contribution distinguishing the disclosure from the closest known prior art. This disclosure corresponds to subject matter described in U.S. Provisional Application No. 64/049,409.
