Vehicle control system and vehicle control method

Abstract

The present invention provides a vehicle control system and method. The vehicle control system includes: a ground terminal of a yard, including multiple virtual tracks, multiple ground beacons, and multiple ground readers; a vehicle, including an onboard beacon, an onboard reader, and an onboard host; and a control center, which is communicatively connected to the ground terminal of the yard and the vehicle and is configured to: obtain the onboard beacon information and / or the location information; determine the status of at least one section within the yard based on the onboard beacon information and / or the location information; and formulate a shunting plan for entering the yard based on the status of each section, and send the shunting plan to the onboard host of the corresponding vehicle. By adopting the above configuration, the vehicle control system can realize the automated scheduling of vehicles within the yard, prevent safety risks such as collision, tilting, and falling of vehicles, and thus ensure the safety of shunting vehicles within the yard.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of rail transportation, and specifically discloses a vehicle control system, a vehicle control method, and a computer-readable storage medium. Background Art

[0002] As urban traffic congestion becomes increasingly prominent, various public transportation solutions based on electronically guided rubber-tyred trains (ELTs), such as smart rail, SRT, and DRT, have been proposed. These fully electric vehicles, electronically constrained by active safety control, onboard signaling, and machine vision, operate along virtual tracks. They offer flexible multi-module formations, adaptability to various rights of way, minimal infrastructure investment, and high adaptability to urban environments, promising promising applications.

[0003] However, because electronically guided rubber-wheeled trains typically consist of multiple sections, they are often longer than conventional buses. Using conventional bus shunting methods within depots and parking lots presents safety risks such as collisions, overruns, and falls. Therefore, there is an urgent need for a technical solution that can ensure the safe shunting of multiple sections within depots.

[0004] In order to make up for the above-mentioned deficiencies in the art, the present invention provides a vehicle control system, a vehicle control method, and a computer-readable storage medium for realizing the automated dispatching of vehicles within a parking lot and preventing vehicles from colliding, tilting, falling and other safety risks, thereby ensuring the safety of vehicle shunting within the parking lot. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The following is a brief summary of one or more aspects to provide a basic understanding of these aspects. This summary is not an exhaustive overview of all conceivable aspects and is neither intended to identify key or critical elements of all aspects nor to define the scope of any or all aspects. Its sole purpose is to present some concepts of one or more aspects in a simplified form as a prelude to the more detailed description that will be provided later.

[0006] To address the aforementioned deficiencies in the art, a first aspect of the present invention provides a vehicle control system, comprising: a depot ground terminal comprising a plurality of virtual tracks, a plurality of ground beacons, and a plurality of ground readers, wherein the ground beacons are arranged along the virtual tracks and display position information, and the ground readers are arranged on the virtual tracks and configured to read the vehicle-mounted beacon information of the vehicles; a vehicle comprising an onboard beacon, an onboard reader, and an onboard host, wherein the onboard beacon is arranged on an externally visible surface of the vehicle and displays the onboard beacon information, the onboard reader collects the position information displayed by the ground beacon, the onboard host locates the vehicle based on the position information, and controls the vehicle to travel along the corresponding virtual track according to a shunting plan provided by a control center; and the control center is communicatively connected to the depot ground terminal and the vehicle and configured to: obtain the onboard beacon information and / or the position information; determine the status of at least one section within the depot based on the onboard beacon information and / or the position information; and formulate a shunting plan for entering the depot based on the status of each section, and transmit the shunting plan to the onboard host of the corresponding vehicle. By adopting the above configuration, the vehicle control system can realize the automatic dispatching of vehicles within the yard, prevent safety risks such as collision, tilting, and falling of vehicles, thereby ensuring the safety of vehicle shunting within the yard.

[0007] Optionally, in some embodiments, the plurality of virtual tracks are divided into a plurality of business segments according to business type, and / or the plurality of virtual tracks intersect to form at least one virtual switch, and each of the virtual tracks is divided into a plurality of virtual segments according to the at least one virtual switch.

[0008] Optionally, in some embodiments, the ground readers are respectively arranged at the entrance and exit of each section, and the control center is further configured to: determine whether there is a vehicle in each section based on the vehicle-mounted beacon information read by the ground readers arranged at the entrance and exit of each section; in response to the judgment result that there is a vehicle in the section, determine the state of the section as an occupied state; and in response to the judgment result that there is no vehicle in the section, determine the state of the section as an idle state.

[0009] Optionally, in some embodiments, the vehicle includes multiple sections, each of which is respectively configured with at least one on-board beacon, and the control center is further configured to: in response to any of the ground readers reading multiple on-board beacon information, determine the driving direction of the vehicle according to the time sequence of the read on-board beacon information; in response to the judgment result that the driving direction is toward the section, determine the ground reader as a ground reader at the entrance position, and generate a corresponding entry record; in response to the judgment result that the driving direction is away from the section, determine the ground reader as a ground reader at the exit position, and generate a corresponding exit record; and determine whether there is a vehicle in the section based on the entry record and the exit record.

[0010] Optionally, in some embodiments, the control center is further configured to: monitor the status of the target section in response to the vehicle traveling to the stop section according to the shunting plan; and redetermine the shunting plan indicating at least one section of the virtual track based on the position of the target section, the position of the stop section, the position and status of each virtual section, and the position and status of each virtual switch in response to the status of the target section resuming to be idle.

[0011] Optionally, in some embodiments, the ground end of the yard further includes a signal controller and multiple signals, and the multiple signals are arranged in front of each virtual switch along the virtual track. The signal controller is configured to: obtain the shunting plan from the control center; and according to the shunting plan, drive the corresponding signal to display the driving direction of the vehicle at the corresponding virtual switch, as well as the status of the virtual switch.

[0012] Optionally, in some embodiments, the ground beacon includes a ground fixed beacon and a ground variable beacon, wherein the ground variable beacon is arranged in front of each of the signals to display the position information, driving direction information and virtual switch status information, and the signal controller is further configured to: according to the shunting plan, drive the corresponding ground variable beacon to display the driving direction of the vehicle at the corresponding virtual switch, and the status of the virtual switch, wherein the variable beacon displays the same content as the corresponding signal.

[0013] Optionally, in some embodiments, a first ground variable beacon is arranged at a first distance in front of the signal, and a second ground variable beacon is arranged at a second distance in front of the signal, wherein the first distance is greater than the second distance, and the on-board host is further configured to: obtain the contents displayed by the first ground variable beacon and the second ground variable beacon via the on-board reader; parse the contents displayed by the first ground variable beacon and the second ground variable beacon to determine the state of the virtual switch; in response to the parsing result that the first ground variable beacon displays a prohibited state, formulate a braking control curve for smoothly braking the vehicle with the signal as the end point, and provide an over-advance prompt to the driver of the vehicle; and in response to the parsing result that the second ground variable beacon displays a prohibited state, control the vehicle to perform emergency braking, and provide an over-advance alarm to the driver.

[0014] Optionally, in some embodiments, the control center is further configured to: formulate an exit shunting plan to determine the exit order and exit route of each vehicle based on the parking positions of multiple vehicles in the yard, the operating status of each vehicle, the exit direction of the yard, and the connection status of each virtual track; and send the exit shunting plan to the on-board host of each vehicle.

[0015] Optionally, in some embodiments, the control center further includes a human-machine interface, and the control center is further configured to: obtain a mandatory instruction via the human-machine interface; and set the status of any one of the sections to occupied or idle according to the mandatory instruction.

[0016] In addition, the second aspect of the present invention also provides a vehicle control method. The vehicle control method includes the following steps: obtaining onboard beacon information displayed by onboard beacons arranged on the external visible surface of the vehicle via multiple ground readers arranged on multiple virtual tracks in the yard; obtaining position information displayed by multiple ground beacons arranged along the virtual track via the onboard reader arranged on the vehicle; determining the status of at least one section in the yard based on the onboard beacon information and / or the position information, and formulating a shunting plan for entering the yard based on the status of each section; and positioning the vehicle based on the position information, and controlling the vehicle to travel along the corresponding virtual track based on the vehicle positioning result and the shunting plan. By executing these steps, the vehicle control method can realize the automated scheduling of vehicles in the yard, prevent safety risks such as collision, tilting, and falling of vehicles, and thus ensure the safety of shunting vehicles in the yard.

[0017] In addition, a third aspect of the present invention provides a computer-readable storage medium having computer instructions stored thereon. When executed by a processor, these computer instructions implement the vehicle control method provided in the first aspect of the present invention. By implementing this vehicle control method, the computer-readable storage medium can achieve automated scheduling of vehicles within a depot, preventing safety risks such as collisions, tilting, and falling, thereby ensuring safe shunting of vehicles within the depot. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0018] The above features and advantages of the present invention will be better understood after reading the detailed description of the embodiments of the present disclosure in conjunction with the following drawings. In the drawings, the components are not necessarily drawn to scale, and components with similar related properties or characteristics may have the same or similar reference numerals.

[0019] Figure 1 A schematic structural diagram of a vehicle control system provided according to some embodiments of the present invention is shown.

[0020] Figure 2 A schematic diagram of a vehicle control method provided according to some embodiments of the present invention is shown.

[0021] Figure 3 A schematic diagram of field segment arrangement provided according to some embodiments of the present invention is shown.

[0022] Figure 4A and Figure 4B Schematic diagrams of virtual route indication provided according to some embodiments of the present invention are respectively shown.

[0023] Figure 5 A schematic diagram of a departure plan for next-day operation provided according to some embodiments of the present invention is shown. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0024] The following specific embodiments illustrate the embodiments of the present invention. Those skilled in the art can easily understand other advantages and effects of the present invention from the contents disclosed in this specification. Although the description of the present invention will be introduced in conjunction with the preferred embodiment, this does not mean that the features of this invention are limited to this embodiment. On the contrary, the purpose of introducing the invention in conjunction with the embodiment is to cover other options or modifications that may be extended based on the claims of the present invention. In order to provide a deep understanding of the present invention, the following description will contain many specific details. The present invention can also be implemented without using these details. In addition, in order to avoid confusion or blurring the focus of the present invention, some specific details will be omitted in the description.

[0025] In the description of the present invention, it should be noted that, unless otherwise expressly specified or limited, the terms "mounted," "connected," and "connected" should be understood in a broad sense. For example, they may refer to fixed, detachable, or integral connections; mechanical or electrical connections; direct or indirect connections through an intermediate medium; and internal communication between two components. Those skilled in the art will understand the specific meanings of the above terms in the present invention based on the specific circumstances.

[0026] Furthermore, the terms "upper," "lower," "left," "right," "top," "bottom," "horizontal," and "vertical" used in the following description should be understood to refer to the orientations depicted in that section and the accompanying drawings. These relative terms are used solely for convenience of description and do not necessarily imply that the devices described herein must be manufactured or operated in a specific orientation. Therefore, they should not be construed as limiting the present invention.

[0027] It will be understood that although the terms "first," "second," "third," etc. may be used herein to describe various components, regions, layers, and / or portions, these components, regions, layers, and / or portions should not be limited by these terms, and these terms are merely used to distinguish different components, regions, layers, and / or portions. Thus, a first component, region, layer, and / or portion discussed below may be referred to as a second component, region, layer, and / or portion without departing from some embodiments of the present invention.

[0028] As mentioned above, because electronically guided rubber-tired trains typically consist of multiple sections, they are often longer than conventional buses. Using conventional bus shunting methods within depots and parking lots presents safety risks such as collisions, overruns, and falls. Therefore, there is an urgent need for a technical solution that can ensure the safe shunting of multiple sections within depots.

[0029] In order to make up for the above-mentioned deficiencies in the field, the present invention provides a vehicle control system, a vehicle control method, and a computer-readable storage medium, which locate vehicles by reading ground beacons in a parking lot, analyze the status of each section in the parking lot by reading the on-board beacons of vehicles entering the parking lot, and formulate a shunting plan based on the status analysis results of each section to realize vehicle scheduling of each vehicle in the parking lot, thereby preventing safety risks such as collision, tilting, and falling of vehicles, and ensuring the shunting safety of vehicles in the parking lot.

[0030] Please refer to the Figure 1 , Figure 1 A schematic structural diagram of a vehicle control system provided according to some embodiments of the present invention is shown.

[0031] like Figure 1 As shown, in some embodiments of the present invention, the vehicle control system can be divided into a field ground end, a vehicle end 12, and a control center 13 according to the location. The field ground end is equipped with a signal controller 111, a signal 112, a ground reader 113, a wireless base station 114, a ground fixed beacon 115, a ground variable beacon 116, and a virtual track 117. The vehicle end 12 includes but is not limited to various vehicles such as smart rail, SRT trains, DRT trains, AGVs, etc., which are equipped with on-board beacons 121, communication terminals 122, on-board human-machine interfaces (HMI) 123, on-board readers 124, and on-board hosts 125. The control center 13 is equipped with a server cluster 131, a workstation 132, and a ground controller 133.

[0032] Specifically, the server cluster 131 is installed in the yard control center 13 and is primarily responsible for deploying the yard dispatch management system. This system communicates with the ground controller 133, acquires and displays the idle / occupied status of each service segment within the yard, divided along the virtual track 117, and supports automatic / manual shunting planning.

[0033] The above-mentioned workstation 132 is also installed in the yard control center 13, and is mainly responsible for providing the dispatching personnel with a human-computer interaction interface of the yard dispatching management system to support manual operations such as manual formulation of shunting plans.

[0034] The ground controller 133 is also installed in the depot control center 13. Its primary responsibility is to receive data from the onboard beacons 121 of the EGRTS 12, as read by the ground beacon reader 113. It then uses this data, combined with vehicle limits and vehicle parameters, to determine the occupied / vacant status of the virtual section in which the EGRTS 12 resides, and to prepare a corresponding route plan for the EGRTS 12. Furthermore, based on the shunting plan provided by the server cluster 131, the ground controller 133 can activate the signal controller 111 to display the correct light status to the drivers of each vehicle 12 within the depot, and transmit the route status of the virtual switch area ahead of each vehicle 12 within the depot to the corresponding vehicle.

[0035] The signal controller 111 is installed on the ground side of the yard and is capable of receiving drive commands from the ground controller 133 and, in accordance with these drive commands, driving and collecting signals. If a variable beacon 116 is preferably configured on the ground side of the yard, the signal controller 111 can also drive the variable beacon 116 in accordance with the drive commands from the ground controller 133, causing it to display the same indication as the signal 112 in front of the electronically guided rubber-tyred tram 12.

[0036] The aforementioned signal 112 is also installed on the ground side of the yard and can be driven by the signal controller 111 to display corresponding instructions to instruct drivers to drive in the indicated direction. Furthermore, in complex scenarios such as when the virtual switch ahead has more than three selectable directions, the signal 112 can preferably be equipped with a digital display to clearly inform the driver of the upcoming driving direction by displaying numerical and textual information.

[0037] The ground readers 113 are also installed at the ground end of the yard and are arranged along the virtual track 117. These ground readers 113 are primarily used to read the beacon ID information of the onboard beacons 121 deployed on the electronically guided rubber-tyred trolleys 12 and transmit the read beacon ID information to the ground controller 133. Furthermore, the reading range of adjacent ground readers 113 must be ensured to not exceed the designed vehicle operating limits to prevent misreading.

[0038] The wireless base station 114 can be a dedicated wireless base station installed within the depot and used exclusively by the vehicle control system, or a shared wireless base station provided by a telecommunications operator. The wireless base station 114 can provide a secure communication link between the control center 13 and the electronically guided rubber-wheeled tram 12 using wireless communication technologies such as 3G, 4G, 5G, and Wi-Fi.

[0039] The onboard beacon 121 can be installed on the top, side, or other easily detectable externally visible surface of the electronically guided rubber-wheeled tram 12 and display identification information such as the beacon ID. Preferably, each section of the electronically guided rubber-wheeled tram 12 can be equipped with two or more beacons 121 to accurately indicate the specific position status of each section of the electronically guided rubber-wheeled tram 12, whether it has not arrived at, arrived at, or passed through the ground reader 113. Preferably, the onboard beacon ID displayed by each onboard beacon 121 can be unique within the vehicle control system. In this way, the control center 13 can uniquely determine which section of which tram 12 is passing through the corresponding ground reader 113 based on the identified onboard beacon ID.

[0040] The communication terminal 122 can be installed on the EGR 12 and includes peripheral devices such as an antenna. The communication terminal 122 implements wireless communication between the vehicle 12 and the wireless base station 114 via wireless communication technologies such as 3G, 4G, 5G, and WIFI.

[0041] The above-mentioned on-board human-machine interface 123 is installed in the cab at one or both ends of the electronic guided rubber-tyred tram 12, and is mainly used to receive operational prompt information such as the route status of the virtual switch ahead, the status displayed by the ahead signal 112, the driving destination, etc. provided by the on-board host 125, and provide operation interfaces such as canceling the route and applying for the route for the driver to operate, and send the operation information input by the driver to the ground controller 133 through the on-board host 125.

[0042] The above-mentioned on-board reader 124 can be installed on the bottom, side or other locations of the electronically guided rubber-wheeled tram 12 where ground beacons can be easily detected. It is mainly used to read the ground beacon ID displayed by the ground fixed beacon 115, and / or the ground beacon ID displayed by the ground variable beacon 116 and / or the status of the front signal 112, and transmit the read ground beacon ID number and the status of the front signal 112 to the on-board host 125.

[0043] The onboard host computer 125 is installed on the electronically guided rubber-tyred tram 12 and stores a database of yard routes. The onboard host computer 125 uses an onboard reader 124 to read the beacon IDs of ground beacons surrounding the vehicle 12. Based on the read beacon IDs and information stored in the route database, the onboard host computer 125 accurately locates the vehicle 12. Furthermore, the onboard host computer 125 receives virtual route permission / prohibition information from the control center 13 via the wireless base station 114 and prompts the driver to perform the corresponding driving operation via the onboard human-machine interface 123. Furthermore, the onboard host computer 125 receives shunting plans from the control center 13 and displays the corresponding driving direction via the onboard human-machine interface 123, informing the train 12 and / or driver to select the direction specified in the driving plan. Furthermore, when information read from the ground variable beacon 116 indicates that the vehicle 12 has entered a prohibited virtual route, the onboard host computer 125 can issue an alarm via the onboard human-machine interface 123 or directly output a braking signal to actively brake the vehicle 12.

[0044] The aforementioned fixed ground beacons 115 are installed at the ground end of the field, arranged along virtual track 117, and display a fixed ground beacon ID to indicate their installation location. Furthermore, the ground beacon ID displayed by each fixed ground beacon 115 can preferably be a unique ID number for the entire line, allowing the onboard host 125 to accurately locate the vehicle 12 based on the ground beacon ID read by the onboard reader 124.

[0045] The aforementioned variable ground beacon 116 is also installed at the ground end of the yard, preferably in front of each signal 112. This variable ground beacon 116 displays a fixed ground beacon ID to indicate its installation location and, driven by the signal controller 111, displays the light color, direction, and traffic status of the following signal 112. Furthermore, two variable ground beacons 116 can be installed in pairs in front of a signal 112, one serving as a warning and the other as an approach notification, enabling the onboard host 125 to execute corresponding warning and / or braking operations.

[0046] The aforementioned virtual tracks 117 extend through the entrance, exit, and / or inlet / outlet of the yard to various business areas within the yard, and are used to cooperate with the electronic guidance and steering control system on the vehicle 12 to constrain the vehicle 12 to travel along the virtual tracks 117. Furthermore, the multiple virtual tracks 117 distributed within the yard can be divided into multiple business sections, such as parking sections, maintenance sections, maintenance waiting sections, car wash sections, charging sections, routine maintenance sections, and / or temporary shunting sections, based on the business types of the en route areas and / or terminal areas. Furthermore, the multiple virtual tracks 117 will intersect within the yard to form at least one virtual switch. Each virtual track 117 can be further divided into multiple virtual sections based on at least one virtual switch.

[0047] In some non-limiting embodiments, the vehicle control method provided in the second aspect of the present invention can be implemented by the vehicle control system provided in the first aspect of the present invention. Specifically, the vehicle control system includes multiple memories, multiple processors and multiple execution terminals. These memories, processors and execution terminals are dispersedly arranged in the control center 13, vehicle 12, and field ground terminal 11 of the entire vehicle control system. The memories arranged at each end 11 to 13 include but are not limited to the computer-readable storage medium provided in the third aspect of the present invention, on which one or more computer instructions are respectively stored. The processors arranged at each end 11 to 13 are respectively communicatively connected to one or more corresponding memories, and are configured to read and execute the computer instructions stored on the corresponding memories, so as to execute one or more steps in the above-mentioned vehicle control method directly or via the corresponding execution terminal, thereby implementing the above-mentioned vehicle control method in cooperation with each other.

[0048] The following describes the operating principles of the vehicle control system in conjunction with several examples of the vehicle control method. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that these examples of the vehicle control method are merely non-limiting implementations of the present invention, intended to clearly illustrate the main concepts of the present invention and provide specific solutions that are convenient for public implementation. They are not intended to limit the full operating mode and functionality of the vehicle control system. Similarly, the vehicle control system is merely a non-limiting implementation of the present invention and does not limit the execution of the various steps in the above-described vehicle control method.

[0049] Please refer to Figure 1 、 Figure 2 and Figure 3 . Figure 2 A schematic diagram of a vehicle control method provided according to some embodiments of the present invention is shown. Figure 3 A schematic diagram of field segment arrangement provided according to some embodiments of the present invention is shown.

[0050] like Figure 1 、 Figure 2 and Figure 3As shown, after vehicle 12 completes its operational mission at the terminal, it will travel from virtual segment 1-1 of the mainline along virtual track 117 to virtual segment 2-1, where the depot entrance and exit are located. Within the depot, it will undergo routine maintenance, charging, washing, repairs, and parking. In response to reading the ground beacon ID of ground beacon 115 or 1161 in virtual segment 2-1, where the depot entrance and exit are located, vehicle 12's onboard host 125 can determine that vehicle 12 is entering the depot and, via wireless base station 114, transmit information such as vehicle 12's remaining battery life, mileage, and operating status to the dispatch management system deployed on server cluster 131 of control center 13. In response to this vehicle information provided by onboard host 125, server cluster 131 of control center 13 determines whether vehicle 12 requires charging based on the remaining battery life, whether vehicle 12 requires routine maintenance and / or washing based on the mileage information, and whether vehicle 12 requires repair based on the operating status information.

[0051] In some embodiments, in response to the judgment that vehicle 12 needs to be charged, the server cluster 131 can use the charging section 3-1 as the end point and formulate a shunting plan for vehicle 12 to enter the yard based on the occupancy / idle status of each section between the virtual section 2-1 where the yard entrance and exit is located and the charging section 3-1.

[0052] In some embodiments, in response to the judgment that vehicle 12 requires daily maintenance, the server cluster 131 can use the daily maintenance section 3-1 as the end point, and formulate a shunting plan for vehicle 12 to enter the yard based on the occupancy / idle status of each section between the virtual section 2-1 where the yard entrance and exit is located and the daily maintenance section 3-1.

[0053] In some embodiments, in response to the judgment that vehicle 12 needs to be washed, the server cluster 131 can use the car wash section 3-1 as the end point and formulate a shunting plan for vehicle 12 to enter the site based on the occupancy / idle status of each section between the virtual section 2-1 where the site entrance and exit is located and the car wash section 3-1.

[0054] In some embodiments, in response to the judgment that vehicle 12 needs maintenance, the server cluster 131 can use the maintenance section 3-1 as the end point and formulate a shunting plan for vehicle 12 to enter the yard based on the occupancy / idle status of each section between the virtual section 2-1 where the yard entrance and exit is located and the maintenance section 3-1.

[0055] In some embodiments, in response to the judgment that vehicle 12 does not have various needs such as charging, daily maintenance, car washing, and repair, the server cluster 131 can use parking section 3-1 as the end point and formulate a shunting plan for vehicle 12 to enter the site based on the occupancy / idle status of each section between the virtual section 2-1 where the site entrance and exit is located and the parking section 3-1.

[0056] Specifically, the ground controller 133 of the control center 13 may first read a series of vehicle beacon IDs (e.g., A1 to F1) using the ground reader 1131 before entering the section. Based on these consecutive vehicle beacon IDs, the ground controller 133 may determine the vehicle 12's number and determine that the vehicle 12 is traveling in the direction of entering the section. Conversely, if the ground reader 1131 reads consecutive vehicle beacon IDs from F1 to A1, the ground controller 133 may determine that the vehicle 12 is traveling in the direction of exiting the section.

[0057] Afterwards, the ground controller 133 can determine whether other vehicles are parked in each business section 3-1, 3-2 based on the historical records of the vehicle beacon ID read by the ground readers 1134 and 1135 at the entrance and exit positions of each business section 3-1, 3-2.

[0058] For example, if ground reader 1134 at the entrance or exit of service segment 3-1 has previously read the vehicle beacon ID sequence A2 through F2, ground controller 133 can determine, based on the time sequence in which the vehicle beacon IDs were read, that the vehicle's direction of travel is toward service segment 3-1. Ground controller 133 can then identify ground reader 1134 as the ground reader at the entrance of service segment 3-1 and generate a corresponding entry record. Ground controller 133 can then query whether ground reader 1134 has read the vehicle beacon ID sequence F2 through A2. If ground reader 1134 has not yet read the vehicle beacon ID sequence F2 through A2, i.e., if there is no corresponding exit record, ground controller 133 can determine that another vehicle is already parked in service segment 3-1, and thus, that service segment 3-1 is occupied.

[0059] For another example, if ground reader 1135 at the entrance or exit of service segment 3-2 previously reads the vehicle beacon ID sequence A3 through F3, ground controller 133 can, based on the chronological order of the vehicle beacon IDs read, identify ground reader 1135 as the ground reader at the entrance of service segment 3-2 and generate a corresponding entry record. Subsequently, in response to ground reader 1135 reading the vehicle beacon ID sequence F3 through A3, ground controller 133 can, based on the chronological order of the vehicle beacon IDs read, determine that the vehicle is traveling away from service segment 3-2, and thus identify ground reader 1135 as the ground reader at the exit of service segment 3-2 and generate a corresponding exit record. In response to generating the paired entry and exit records, ground controller 133 can delete the two associated entry and exit records together, or transfer them together to the entry and exit record database. At this time, if there is no unpaired entry record in the service segment 3-2, the ground controller 133 can determine that no vehicle is parked in the service segment 3-2, and further determine that the service segment 3-2 is in an idle state.

[0060] Furthermore, in some embodiments of the present invention, if the ground reader 1135 at the entrance and exit of the business section 3-2 reads the vehicle-mounted beacon ID sequence of A3B3C3D3E3F3 (i.e., entry record) and the vehicle-mounted beacon ID sequence of F3E3C3B3A3 (i.e., exit record) in succession, the ground controller 133 can, based on the partial mismatch between the entry record and the exit record, first determine that the business section 3-2 is in an occupied state to prioritize vehicle dispatch safety, and diagnose that the vehicle-mounted beacon, ground reader, and / or communication connection between the control center 13 and the ground end of the corresponding vehicle has a fault, thereby prompting relevant technical personnel to perform maintenance in a timely manner.

[0061] Optionally, in other embodiments, if the ground reader 1135 at the entrance and exit of the business segment 3-2 only reads the vehicle beacon ID sequence of A3 to F3 (i.e., entry record) but does not read the vehicle beacon ID sequence of F3 to A3 (i.e., exit record), but the ground reader 113 arranged in the next business segment and / or virtual segment reads the vehicle beacon ID sequence of A3 to F3 or F3 to A3, the ground controller 133 may also determine that the business segment 3-2 is occupied first to prioritize vehicle dispatch safety based on the mismatch between the entry record and the exit record of each segment, and diagnose that the vehicle beacon, ground reader, and / or communication connection between the control center 13 and the ground end of the corresponding vehicle has a fault, thereby prompting relevant technical personnel to perform maintenance in a timely manner.

[0062] Furthermore, after manually confirming that the unpaired segment entry record is caused by a malfunction in the corresponding vehicle's onboard beacon, ground reader, and / or the communication connection between the control center 13 and the ground terminal of the segment, and repairing and eliminating these malfunctions, the dispatcher at the control center 13 can also input a forced instruction to change the segment status via the human-machine interface of the workstation 132. In response to the forced instruction received via the human-machine interface of the workstation 132, the ground controller 133 can forcibly set the status of the corresponding segment to occupied or idle according to the forced instruction, thereby restoring normal control of the segment.

[0063] After determining the occupied / idle status of each service segment 3-1, 3-2 based on the vehicle-mounted beacon information read by each ground reader 113, the ground controller 133 can synchronize the occupied / idle status of each service segment 3-1, 3-2 to the server cluster 131 of the control center 13, so that the server cluster 131 will use the idle service segment 3-2 as the end point of the incoming vehicle 12 and formulate a shunting plan for the vehicle 12 to enter the site.

[0064] Furthermore, in some embodiments, if all service segments 3-1 and 3-2 with the same service function are occupied, the server cluster 131 can further obtain the occupied / idle status of the temporary waiting segments (e.g., the maintenance waiting segment and the car wash waiting segment) of each service segment 3-1 and 3-2 via the ground controller 133. In response to any temporary waiting segment being idle, the server cluster 131 can first formulate a preliminary shunting plan with the temporary waiting segment as the end point, arrange for the vehicle 12 to park in the temporary waiting segment and wait. After the service segment 3-2 becomes idle again, a subsequent shunting plan is formulated to arrange for the vehicle 12 to travel to the service segment 3-2 where the end point is located.

[0065] Furthermore, when developing a shunting plan for vehicle 12, server cluster 131 can also, through ground controller 133, obtain vehicle beacon ID sequences captured by ground readers 1132 and 1133 at the entrances and exits of each virtual segment (e.g., 2-1) through which the shunting plan passes, to determine the occupied / vacant status of each virtual segment 2-1. If the vehicle beacon ID sequences (i.e., entry and exit records) captured by ground readers 1132 and 1133 indicate that virtual segment 2-1 is occupied, server cluster 131 can select another parallel virtual segment to develop a shunting plan for vehicle 12 entering the yard.

[0066] Furthermore, if one or more virtual sections (for example, 2-1) that the shunting plan passes through are currently occupied, and there is no alternative section for the virtual section 2-1 in the yard, the server cluster 131 may first formulate a preliminary shunting plan and arrange for the vehicle 12 to be parked in a temporary shunting section. After the virtual section 2-1 returns to an idle state, a subsequent shunting plan may be formulated to arrange for the vehicle 12 to travel to the business section 3-2 where the terminal is located.

[0067] In addition, in the process of formulating the shunting plan for vehicle 12, the server cluster 131 can also obtain the vehicle-mounted beacon ID sequence collected by the ground readers (for example: 1131 and 1132) arranged at the entrances and exits of each virtual switch through which the shunting plan passes through, through the ground controller 133, and determine the status of each virtual switch to allow / prohibit passage as described above.

[0068] For example, if ground reader 1131 has previously read the vehicle beacon ID sequence A2-F2, ground controller 133 can determine, based on the chronological order of each vehicle beacon ID read, that the vehicle's direction of travel is to enter the corresponding virtual switch. Ground controller 133 can then identify ground reader 1131 as the ground reader at the entrance to the virtual switch and generate a corresponding entry record. Ground controller 133 can then query ground reader 1132 to see if it has read the vehicle beacon ID sequence A2-F2. If ground reader 1132 has not yet read the vehicle beacon ID sequence A2-F2, meaning there is no corresponding exit record, ground controller 133 can determine that another vehicle is present at the virtual switch and, therefore, that the virtual switch is in a no-traffic state.

[0069] For example, if ground reader 1131 at the virtual switch entrance and exit has previously read the vehicle beacon ID sequence A3-F3, ground controller 133 can identify ground reader 1131 as the ground reader at the virtual switch entrance based on the chronological order of the vehicle beacon IDs read, and generate a corresponding entry record. Subsequently, in response to ground reader 1132 also reading the vehicle beacon ID sequence A3-F3, ground controller 133 can determine, based on the chronological order of the vehicle beacon IDs read, that the vehicle is traveling toward exiting the virtual switch. Consequently, ground controller 133 identifies ground reader 1132 as the ground reader at the virtual switch exit, and generates a corresponding exit record. In response to generating paired entry and exit records, ground controller 133 can delete the two associated entry and exit records together, or transfer them to the entry and exit record database. At this time, if there is no unpaired entry record for the virtual switch, the ground controller 133 can determine that there is no other vehicle in the virtual switch, and further determine that the virtual switch is in a state of allowing passage.

[0070] After determining the status of allowing / prohibiting passage of each virtual switch in the yard, the server cluster 131 can also preferably combine the status of each section in the yard and the status of each virtual switch in the yard to formulate a shunting plan for the vehicle 12 to enter the yard, and send the formulated shunting plan to the on-board host 125 of the corresponding vehicle 12 to control the vehicle 12 to enter the yard.

[0071] Those skilled in the art will understand that the above-mentioned virtual turnout composed of multiple virtual tracks is only a non-limiting implementation method provided by the present invention, which is intended to clearly demonstrate the main concept of the present invention and provide a specific solution that is easy for the public to implement, rather than to limit the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0072] Optionally, in other embodiments, in view of the fact that there are various other roads such as sidewalks and driveways in the site, the control center 13 can also perform similar status monitoring and vehicle control at intersections such as pedestrian intersections and level crossings to further achieve safe passage of people and vehicles in the site.

[0073] Those skilled in the art can also understand that the above-mentioned scheme of determining the status of each section and each virtual switch based on the on-board beacon information collected by each ground reader 113 is only a non-limiting implementation method provided by the present invention, which is intended to clearly demonstrate the main concept of the present invention and provide a specific scheme that is easy for the public to implement, rather than to limit the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0074] Optionally, in other embodiments, the server cluster 131 can also obtain ground beacon information collected by each vehicle-mounted reader 124 via the wireless base station 114, and determine the section and / or virtual switch where each vehicle 12 is located based on this ground beacon information, so as to achieve the same effect of determining the status of each section and each virtual switch, which will not be repeated here.

[0075] Based on the above description, by combining multiple factors such as the remaining power, mileage and operating status of the vehicle 12, as well as the actual status of each section and each virtual switch in the yard, a scheduling plan within the yard is automatically generated. The above-mentioned vehicle control system, vehicle control method, and computer-readable storage medium provided by the present invention can greatly reduce the need for manual intervention, thereby realizing automated shunting of the vehicle 12 within the yard and reducing safety hazards and low shunting efficiency caused by manual operation.

[0076] like Figure 2As shown, after the shunting plan for vehicle 12 to enter the yard is formulated, the server cluster 131 can send the formulated shunting plan to the corresponding vehicle 12 and the ground end of the yard through the wireless base station 114, so that the on-board host 125 can locate the vehicle according to the position information collected by the on-board reader 124, and control the vehicle 12 to travel along the corresponding virtual track to the end point indicated by the shunting plan according to the received shunting plan and the route indication of the ground end of the yard.

[0077] Specifically, in response to the shunting plan provided by server cluster 131, ground controller 133 can first obtain the vehicle beacon ID of vehicle 12 via ground reader 1131 at the exit of virtual segment 1-1 on the mainline to determine whether vehicle 12 is near virtual segment 2-1, where the yard entrance is located. In response to ground reader 1131 capturing the vehicle beacon ID sequence (e.g., A1-F1) indicating vehicle 12's entry into the yard, ground controller 133 can apply for an entry route for vehicle 12 according to the shunting plan provided by server cluster 131.

[0078] Afterwards, if it is determined that the virtual section 2-1 ahead is in an idle state and the virtual switch entering the virtual section 2-1 is in a state allowing passage, the ground controller 133 can drive the entry signal 1121 and the variable beacon 1161 in front of the virtual section 2-1 through the signal controller 111 to display a signal light allowing communication (for example, a green light) and display an arrow indicating the driving direction of the virtual section 2-1.

[0079] In response to the onboard reader 124 reading the direction arrow displayed by the variable beacon 1161, the onboard host 125 can combine the ground beacon ID, the indication information displayed by the variable beacon 1161, and the vehicle's position to issue a control instruction indicating the forward driving direction to the electronic guidance and steering control system of the vehicle 12, thereby controlling the vehicle 12 to travel along the corresponding virtual trajectory and proceed along the route. In some embodiments, when the vehicle 12 deviates from its trajectory, the onboard host 125 should issue an alarm through the human-machine interface 123 and output braking information to actively brake the vehicle 12. In some embodiments, the onboard host 125 can also compare the route data stored in the vehicle 12 with the ground beacon ID sequence read along the route. In response to detecting the loss of the ground beacon, the onboard host 125 will also automatically report to the control center 13 via the wireless base station 114 to ensure the reliable operation of the vehicle control system.

[0080] Furthermore, in some preferred embodiments, in response to the onboard reader 124 reading the signal light information and direction arrow displayed by the variable beacon 1161, the onboard host 125 may also compare the read signal light information and direction arrow with the received shunting plan. If the shunting plan is inconsistent with the signal light color or direction arrow read by the onboard reader 124, the onboard host 125 may immediately output an alarm or issue a braking command to promptly brake the vehicle 12. Conversely, if the shunting plan is consistent with the signal light color and direction arrow read by the onboard reader 124, the onboard host 125 may continue to control the vehicle 12 to advance toward the virtual switch entering the virtual section 2-1.

[0081] Afterward, when vehicle 12 travels along the virtual track and reaches the entrance to the virtual switch, the onboard host computer 125 can obtain the signal status and route direction information displayed by signal 1121 via the onboard reader 124 and provide the information displayed by signal 1121 to the driver of vehicle 12 via the human-machine interface 123. The driver can manually confirm whether the virtual switch ahead allows passage based on the signal status displayed by signal 1121, and manually confirm whether the route direction is correct based on the route direction information displayed by signal 1121. If the virtual switch ahead is confirmed to allow passage and the route direction is correct, the driver can request passage via the human-machine interface 123, thereby controlling vehicle 12 to travel along the virtual track of virtual section 2-1 through the virtual switch. Conversely, if the virtual switch ahead is confirmed to be prohibited or the route direction is incorrect, the driver can cancel the route via the human-machine interface 123, thereby preventing vehicle 12 from colliding, tilting, or falling.

[0082] By placing a signal 1121 immediately in front of the virtual turnout (e.g., 50 meters ahead), the vehicle control system provided by the present invention can ensure the real-time display of the information displayed by signal 1121, thereby avoiding the unexpected situation where the turnout state changes after vehicle 12 passes signal 1121. By further placing a variable beacon 1161 further ahead (e.g., 100 meters ahead) to synchronize the display of signal 1121, the vehicle control system provided by the present invention can inform the driver and onboard host 125 of the actual situation of the turnout ahead in advance, allowing the driver and onboard host 125 to adjust their driving strategy in a timely manner, thereby safely, reliably, and smoothly braking vehicle 12.

[0083] Those skilled in the art will understand that the above-mentioned human-machine interface 123, ground variable beacon 116, signal machine 112 and their corresponding control schemes are merely a specific implementation method provided by the present invention for the needs of manual vehicle control, which is intended to clearly demonstrate the main concept of the present invention and provide a specific scheme that is easy for the public to implement, rather than to limit the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0084] Optionally, in other embodiments, for the application scenarios of fully automatic driving vehicles, the vehicle end 12 does not need to be equipped with a human-machine interface 123, and the ground end of the section does not need to be equipped with a ground variable beacon 116 and a signal machine 112. Instead, the on-board host 125 automatically applies for and / or cancels the route according to the route status of the virtual switch ahead provided by the control center 13 to achieve the same control effect.

[0085] Please refer to further Figure 4A and Figure 4B . Figure 4A and Figure 4B Schematic diagrams of virtual route indication provided according to some embodiments of the present invention are respectively shown.

[0086] like Figure 4A As shown, when the virtual switch has only three or fewer approach directions, the vehicle control system can configure a signal light 112 displaying a direction indication arrow and a ground variable beacon 116 in front of the virtual switch. By adjusting the color of the signal light and displaying the driving direction arrow, it indicates whether the fork ahead is allowed to pass and indicates the driving direction of the vehicle 12 at the fork ahead.

[0087] like Figure 4B As shown, when there are complex situations such as more than three approach directions at a virtual switch, the vehicle control system can configure a signal 112 with a digital display function and / or a text display function and a ground variable beacon 116 in front of the virtual switch. By adjusting the color of the signal light, displaying digital information and / or displaying text information, it can clearly indicate whether the forward fork is allowed to pass and indicate the driving direction of the vehicle 12 at the forward fork.

[0088] Further, if Figure 3 As shown, in some preferred embodiments, a first variable ground beacon 1163 may be placed at a first distance (e.g., 500 meters) in front of the signal 1122. A second variable ground beacon 1164 may be placed at a second distance (e.g., 100 meters) in front of the signal 1122. When the vehicle 12 travels along the virtual track of the virtual section 2-1 and reaches the first variable ground beacon 1163, the onboard host 125 of the vehicle 12 may first capture the display content of the first variable ground beacon 1163 via the onboard reader 124, and then parse the display content to obtain the ground beacon ID, virtual switch traffic status information, and driving direction indication information recorded therein.

[0089] In response to the first variable ground beacon 1163 indicating a no-travel status, the onboard host 125 will develop a distance-speed braking control curve for smooth braking of vehicle 12, with signal 1122 as the endpoint. It will also provide the driver of vehicle 12 with a "reckless advance" warning message via the human-machine interface 123, inquiring whether braking is necessary. If the driver confirms the need for braking, the onboard host 125 will smoothly brake vehicle 12 according to the developed SV braking control curve to ensure the safety of vehicle 12 and its passengers. Conversely, if the driver determines the "reckless advance" warning message is a false alarm and confirms no need for braking, the onboard host 125 will control vehicle 12 to continue along the virtual track toward the virtual switch located at signal 1122.

[0090] Afterwards, when the vehicle 12 further travels along the virtual track of the virtual section 2-1 to the second ground variable beacon 1164, the on-board host 125 of the vehicle 12 can collect the display content of the second ground variable beacon 1164 via the on-board reader 124, and then parse the display content to obtain the ground beacon ID, virtual switch traffic status information, and driving direction indication information recorded therein.

[0091] In response to the second ground variable beacon 1164 displaying a no-travel state, the onboard host 125 will immediately control the vehicle 12 to implement emergency braking, and provide an intrusion alarm to the driver of the vehicle 12 via the human-machine interface 123 to inform the reason for this emergency braking.

[0092] By setting a first ground variable beacon 1163 at a first distance farther in front of the virtual switch (for example, 500m) and setting a second ground variable beacon 1164 at a second distance closer in front of the virtual switch (for example, 100m), the above-mentioned vehicle control system provided by the present invention can further provide a protection function for the over-running signal light, thereby further preventing the vehicle from colliding, tilting, falling and other safety risks, and ensuring the safety of vehicle shunting in the parking lot.

[0093] Those skilled in the art will understand that Figure 1 The vehicle positioning scheme and route control scheme based on the ground fixed beacon 115 and the ground variable beacon 116 shown is only a non-limiting implementation method provided by the present invention, which is intended to clearly demonstrate the main concept of the present invention and provide a specific scheme that is easy for the public to implement, rather than to limit the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0094] Optionally, in other embodiments, the vehicle control system may also use a bidirectional loop or a bidirectional beacon to replace the above-mentioned ground fixed beacon 115 and ground variable beacon 116 to achieve the same vehicle positioning effect and route control effect.

[0095] Preferably, in other embodiments, the vehicle control system may also utilize a ground-based variable beacon 116 capable of outputting various signal light states, such as signal light invalid (e.g., no driving light color) and signal light error (e.g., multiple light colors output simultaneously), to control the route of the vehicle 12. When the onboard host 125 reads a signal light invalid or signal light error message, it may automatically output an alarm or active braking command, further preventing safety risks such as collision, tilting, and falling of the vehicle, and ensuring the safety of vehicle maneuvers within the parking lot.

[0096] Please refer to further Figure 5 , Figure 5 A schematic diagram of a departure plan for next-day operation provided according to some embodiments of the present invention is shown.

[0097] like Figure 5 As shown, in some embodiments of the present invention, before executing the depot departure operation the next day, the server cluster 131 of the control center 13 can also automatically generate a depot departure plan for each vehicle 51-58 within the depot based on the operation plan and the parking locations of each vehicle 51-58 within the depot. Specifically, the server cluster 131 can first obtain the operating status data of each vehicle 51-58 to determine the faulty vehicle 54 that cannot participate in the operation that day. Then, based on the parking location of each vehicle 51-58 within the depot, the depot departure direction, and the connection status of each virtual track, the server cluster 131 can formulate a depot shunting plan to determine the exit order and exit routes of each remaining vehicle 51-53, 55-58, thereby arranging the faulty vehicle 54 and the vehicle 57 affected by the faulty vehicle 54 to the end of the depot departure plan. Afterwards, the server cluster 131 can send the departure shunting plan to the on-board hosts of the remaining vehicles 51-53, 55-58 via the wireless base station 114, thereby controlling each vehicle 51-53, 55-58 to enter the main line according to the departure plan and along the corresponding virtual track to start the next day's operation.

[0098] Through the above description, the above-mentioned vehicle control system, vehicle control method, and computer-readable storage medium provided by the present invention can realize the automatic scheduling of vehicles 12 within the yard and prevent safety risks such as collision, tilting, and falling of vehicles, thereby ensuring the safety of vehicle shunting in the parking lot.

[0099] Although the above methods are illustrated and described as a series of acts for simplicity of explanation, it is to be understood and appreciated that these methods are not limited by the order of the acts, as some acts may occur in a different order and / or concurrently with other acts from those illustrated and described herein or not illustrated and described herein but understandable to those skilled in the art according to one or more embodiments.

[0100] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that information, signals, and data may be represented using any of a variety of different technologies and techniques. For example, data, instructions, commands, information, signals, bits, symbols, and chips cited throughout the foregoing description may be represented by voltages, currents, electromagnetic waves, magnetic fields or particles, optical fields or particles, or any combination thereof.

[0101] Those skilled in the art will further appreciate that the various illustrative logic blocks, modules, circuits, and algorithmic steps described in conjunction with the embodiments disclosed herein can be implemented as electronic hardware, computer software, or a combination of the two. To clearly illustrate this interchangeability of hardware and software, various illustrative components, blocks, modules, circuits, and steps are generally described above in terms of their functionality. Whether such functionality is implemented as hardware or software depends on the specific application and the design constraints imposed on the overall system. A skilled person may implement the described functionality in different ways for each specific application, but such implementation decisions should not be interpreted as resulting in a departure from the scope of the present invention.

[0102] Although the server cluster 131, workstation 132, ground controller 133, vehicle host 125, and signal controller 111 described in the above embodiment can be implemented through a combination of software and hardware, it is understood that these server cluster 131, workstation 132, ground controller 133, vehicle host 125, and signal controller 111 can also be implemented independently in software or hardware. In terms of hardware implementation, these server cluster 131, workstation 132, ground controller 133, vehicle host 125, and signal controller 111 can be implemented in one or more application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), digital signal processors (DSPs), programmable logic devices (PLDs), field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), processors, controllers, microcontrollers, microprocessors, other electronic devices for performing the above functions, or a combination of these devices. For software implementation, these server clusters 131, workstations 132, ground controllers 133, on-board hosts 125, and signal controllers 111 can be implemented through independent software modules such as procedures and functions running on general-purpose chips, where each module performs one or more functions and operations described in this document.

[0103] The various illustrative logic modules and circuits described in conjunction with the embodiments disclosed herein may be implemented or executed using a general-purpose processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field-programmable gate array (FPGA) or other programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof designed to perform the functions described herein. A general-purpose processor may be a microprocessor, but in the alternative, the processor may be any conventional processor, controller, microcontroller, or state machine. A processor may also be implemented as a combination of computing devices, such as a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, a plurality of microprocessors, one or more microprocessors in conjunction with a DSP core, or any other such configuration.

[0104] The previous description of the disclosure is provided to enable any person skilled in the art to make or use the disclosure. Various modifications to the disclosure will be apparent to those skilled in the art, and the general principles defined herein may be applied to other variations without departing from the spirit or scope of the disclosure. Thus, the disclosure is not intended to be limited to the examples and designs described herein but is to be accorded the widest scope consistent with the principles and novel features disclosed herein.

Claims

1. A vehicle control system, characterized in that: include: The ground terminal of the field section includes a plurality of virtual tracks, a plurality of ground beacons and a plurality of ground readers, wherein the ground beacons are arranged along the virtual tracks and display position information, and the ground readers are arranged on the virtual tracks and are used to read the vehicle-mounted beacon information of the vehicles; A vehicle, comprising an on-board beacon, an on-board reader, and an on-board host, wherein the on-board beacon is arranged on an externally visible surface of the vehicle and displays the on-board beacon information, the on-board reader collects position information displayed by the ground beacon, the on-board host locates the vehicle based on the position information, and controls the vehicle to travel along a corresponding virtual track according to a shunting plan provided by a control center; and The control center is communicatively connected to the yard ground terminal and the vehicle, and is configured to: obtain the on-board beacon information and / or the position information; determine the status of at least one section in the yard based on the on-board beacon information and / or the position information; determine the target section of the vehicle based on the remaining power, mileage and / or operating status of the vehicle; determine whether it is necessary to determine a stop section based on the status of the target section; in response to the judgment result that a stop section needs to be determined, determine an idle stop section based on the position of the target section; determine a shunting plan indicating at least one section of the virtual track based on the position of the target section or the stop section, the position and status of each virtual section, and the position and status of each virtual switch; and send the shunting plan to the on-board host of the corresponding vehicle.

2. The vehicle control system according to claim 1, wherein: The plurality of virtual tracks are divided into a plurality of service segments according to service types, and / or A plurality of the virtual tracks intersect to form at least one virtual switch, and each of the virtual tracks is divided into a plurality of virtual sections according to the at least one virtual switch.

3. The vehicle control system according to claim 2, wherein: The business section includes at least one of a parking section, a maintenance section, a maintenance waiting section, a car wash section, a charging section, a daily maintenance section and a temporary shunting section.

4. The vehicle control system according to claim 2, wherein: The entrance and exit of each section are respectively provided with the ground reader, and the control center is further configured as follows: Determining whether there is a vehicle in each section based on vehicle beacon information read by ground readers arranged at the entrance and exit of each section; In response to a determination that there is a vehicle in the segment, determining the state of the segment as an occupied state; as well as In response to a determination that there is no vehicle in the section, the state of the section is determined to be an idle state.

5. The vehicle control system according to claim 4, wherein: The vehicle comprises a plurality of sections, each section of the vehicle is respectively equipped with at least one onboard beacon, and the control center is further configured to: In response to any of the ground readers reading a plurality of vehicle beacon information, determining the driving direction of the vehicle according to the time sequence of the read vehicle beacon information; In response to a determination that the driving direction is toward the section, determining the ground reader as a ground reader at an entrance position and generating a corresponding entry record; In response to a determination that the driving direction is opposite to the section, determining the ground reader as a ground reader at an exit position and generating a corresponding exit record; as well as According to the entry record and the exit record, it is determined whether there is a vehicle in the section.

6. The vehicle control system according to claim 5, wherein: The control center is further configured to: According to the entry record and the exit record, a fault of the vehicle-mounted beacon, the ground reader and / or the communication connection is diagnosed.

7. The vehicle control system according to claim 2, wherein: The entrance and exit of each virtual turnout are respectively provided with the ground reader, and the control center is further configured to: Determining whether there is a vehicle in each virtual turnout according to vehicle-mounted beacon information read by ground readers arranged at the entrance and exit of each virtual turnout; In response to a determination that a vehicle is present in the virtual switch, determining the route state of the virtual switch to be a prohibited state; as well as In response to a determination that there is no vehicle in the section, the state of the section is determined to be a permission state.

8. The vehicle control system according to claim 1, wherein: The control center is further configured to: In response to the vehicle traveling to the stop section according to the shunting plan, monitoring the status of the target section; In response to the state of the target section returning to idle, a shunting plan indicating at least one section of the virtual track is re-determined according to the position of the target section, the position of the stop section, the position and state of each virtual section, and the position and state of each virtual switch.

9. The vehicle control system according to claim 1, wherein: The ground end of the section further includes a signal controller and a plurality of signals, wherein the plurality of signals are arranged in front of each virtual switch along the virtual track, and the signal controller is configured as follows: Obtaining the shunting plan from the control center; as well as According to the shunting plan, the corresponding signal is driven to display the driving direction of the vehicle at the corresponding virtual switch and the status of the virtual switch.

10. The vehicle control system according to claim 9, wherein: The vehicle further includes a human-machine interface, and the onboard host is further configured to: Obtaining the content displayed by the signal light via the vehicle-mounted reader; Providing the content displayed by the signal light to the driver of the vehicle via the human-machine interface; Obtaining an operation instruction input by the driver via the human-machine interface; as well as According to the operation instruction, the vehicle is controlled to travel along the corresponding virtual track.

11. The vehicle control system according to claim 9 or 10, characterized in that: The ground beacons include ground fixed beacons and ground variable beacons, wherein the ground variable beacons are arranged in front of each of the traffic lights and display the position information, driving direction information and virtual switch status information. The traffic light controller is further configured to: According to the shunting plan, the corresponding ground variable beacon is driven to display the driving direction of the vehicle at the corresponding virtual switch and the status of the virtual switch, wherein the variable beacon and the corresponding signal display the same content.

12. The vehicle control system according to claim 11, wherein: A first ground variable beacon is arranged at a first distance in front of the signal, and a second ground variable beacon is arranged at a second distance in front of the signal, wherein the first distance is greater than the second distance, and the vehicle-mounted host is further configured as follows: Obtaining, via the vehicle-mounted reader, the contents displayed by the first ground variable beacon and the second ground variable beacon; parsing the contents displayed by the first ground variable beacon and the second ground variable beacon to determine the state of the virtual turnout; In response to the analysis result that the first ground variable beacon displays the prohibited state, formulating a braking control curve for smoothly braking the vehicle with the signal as an end point, and providing an over-advance warning to the driver of the vehicle; and In response to the analysis result that the second ground variable beacon displays the prohibited state, the vehicle is controlled to perform emergency braking and an over-the-top warning is provided to the driver.

13. The vehicle control system according to claim 1, wherein: The control center is further configured to: Formulate a shunting plan for exiting the yard based on the parking positions of the plurality of vehicles in the yard, the operating status of each vehicle, the exit direction of the yard, and the connection status of each virtual track to determine the exit order and exit route of each vehicle; as well as The shunting plan for the exit is sent to the onboard host of each vehicle.

14. The vehicle control system according to claim 1, wherein: The control center also includes a human-machine interface, and the control center is further configured to: Obtaining a mandatory instruction via the human-machine interface; and According to the forced instruction, the state of any one of the segments is set to occupied or idle.

15. A vehicle control method, characterized in that: The following steps are involved: Acquiring vehicle beacon information displayed by a vehicle beacon arranged on an external visible surface of a vehicle via a plurality of ground readers arranged on a plurality of virtual tracks of the field; acquiring, via a vehicle-mounted reader disposed on the vehicle, position information displayed by a plurality of ground beacons disposed along the virtual track; determining a status of at least one section within the field segment based on the vehicle-mounted beacon information and / or the location information; Determining a target section of the vehicle according to the remaining power, mileage and / or operating status of the vehicle; Determining whether a stopover section needs to be determined according to the state of the target section; In response to a determination result that a stopover segment needs to be determined, determining an idle stopover segment according to a position of the target segment; Determining a shunting plan indicating at least one section of the virtual track based on the position of the target section or the stop section, the position and status of each virtual section, and the position and status of each virtual switch; as well as The vehicle is positioned according to the position information, and the vehicle is controlled to travel along the corresponding virtual track according to the result of the vehicle positioning and the shunting plan.

16. A computer-readable storage medium having computer instructions stored thereon, characterized in that: When the computer instructions are executed by a processor, the vehicle control method according to claim 15 is implemented.

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