VEHICLE DISTRIBUTION OF LOW-SPEED AUTONOMOUS VEHICLES

Abstract

A vehicle distribution procedure for a fleet of vehicles includes the following: receiving signals from a set of infrastructure sensors; receiving signals from one or more sensors on board the vehicles; processing the signals from the set of infrastructure sensors and the signals from the one or more sensors on board the vehicles; controlling autonomous queuing of the vehicles using the processed signals; and controlling autonomous loading and unloading of the vehicles onto a transport vehicle according to the queuing of the vehicles.

Description

FIELD OF TECHNOLOGY

[0001] The present disclosure relates to vehicle dispatching of a fleet of vehicles. More particularly, the present disclosure relates to vehicle dispatching of low-speed autonomous vehicles. GENERAL STATE OF THE ART

[0002] The statements in this section merely provide background information related to the present disclosure and may not constitute prior art.

[0003] During vehicle manufacturing, after the vehicles are assembled, they are placed in a logistics parking lot to be queued and loaded onto trailers or train containers for transport to the next hub, ultimately arriving at the dealer or customer site. Typically, vehicles placed in logistics parking lots wait to be loaded onto and unloaded from trailers and train wagons. The waiting vehicles require a number of human drivers to locate the vehicle requiring transport from a large number of vehicles, physically move the vehicle from its parked location to a queuing station for loading, and manually load the vehicle, which sometimes requires unloading and rearranging existing loaded vehicles to make room for the last vehicle.

[0004] Accordingly, the use of human drivers to move a fleet of vehicles can add inefficiency to the logistics of moving the vehicles.

[0005] These problems associated with the distribution of a fleet of vehicles are addressed by the present disclosure. SUMMARY

[0006] This section provides a general summary of the disclosure and is not a comprehensive disclosure of its full scope or all of its features.

[0007] In one form of the present disclosure, a method for vehicle distribution of a fleet of vehicles includes: receiving signals from a set of infrastructure sensors; receiving signals from one or more sensors onboard the vehicles; processing the signals from the set of infrastructure sensors and the signals from the one or more sensors onboard the vehicles; controlling autonomous queuing of the vehicles using the processed signals; and controlling autonomous loading and unloading of the vehicles onto a transport vehicle according to the queuing of the vehicles.

[0008] In variations of this procedure, which may be implemented individually or in any combination, the following applies: the transport vehicle is a trailer; the vehicles are queued for loading onto the trailer, loaded onto the trailer, and then unloaded from the trailer; the vehicles are unloaded from a trailer at a station and then re-queued for loading onto one or more train cars for transport to another station where the vehicles are unloaded from the one or more train cars; the vehicles are queued for loading onto a subsequent trailer, loaded onto the subsequent trailer for transport to a vehicle dealer, and then unloaded from the subsequent trailer;the delivery of the vehicles at the station is timed to reduce waiting time at the station before the vehicles are loaded onto the one or more train cars; the combination of the signals from the set of infrastructure sensors and the signals from the one or more sensors on board the vehicles enables movement of the vehicles at low speed; the method further comprises utilizing a fleet management system that has knowledge of the movement of each vehicle to control the loading and unloading of the vehicles from the transport vehicle; the knowledge of the movement of each vehicle includes a location and a destination of each vehicle; the fleet management system queues the vehicles based on characteristics of the vehicles; the characteristics of the vehicles include a distance to a destination for each vehicle and expected traffic along a transport route;and the transport vehicle is one or more train wagons.;

[0009] In another form, a method for vehicle distribution of a fleet of vehicles includes: identifying vehicles in a parking lot to be loaded onto a transport vehicle; determining current locations of the identified vehicles in the parking lot; coordinating autonomous movement of the vehicles from the current locations to a loading location in the parking lot using signals received from one or more infrastructure sensors and one or more on-board vehicle sensors, the plurality of vehicles positioned in a queue order at the loading location; and controlling autonomous loading of the plurality of vehicles onto the transport vehicle using signals received from the one or more infrastructure sensors and the one or more on-board vehicle sensors and according to the queue order.

[0010] In variations of this method, which may be implemented individually or in any combination, the following applies: the transport vehicle is a trailer; the vehicles are unloaded from the trailer at a station and then re-queued for loading onto one or more train cars for transport to another station where the vehicles are unloaded from the one or more train cars; the transport vehicle is one or more train cars; the combination of the signals from the one or more infrastructure sensors and the signals from the one or more sensors onboard the vehicles enables movement of the vehicles at low speed; and the method further comprises utilizing a fleet management system that has knowledge of the movement of each vehicle to control loading and unloading of the vehicles from the transport vehicle.

[0011] In another form, a system for vehicle distribution of a fleet of vehicles includes an infrastructure server having a set of infrastructure sensors, one or more sensors on board the vehicles, and a fleet management system that processes signals from the set of infrastructure sensors and the signals from the one or more sensors on board the vehicles to control autonomous queuing of the vehicles using the processed signals and to control loading and unloading of the vehicles onto a transport vehicle according to the queuing of the vehicles.

[0012] In a variation of this system, vehicles are queued for loading onto a trailer, loaded onto the trailer, and then unloaded from the trailer.

[0013] Further areas of applicability will become apparent from the description provided herein. It should be understood that the description and specific examples are for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure. DRAWINGS

[0014] In order that the disclosure may be fully understood, various forms thereof will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Fig. 1 illustrates a system for distributing a fleet of vehicles in accordance with the teachings of the present disclosure; Fig. 2 illustrates an exemplary vehicle that is Fig. 1 is distributed according to the teachings of the present disclosure; Fig. 3A is a flowchart for controlling the distribution of vehicles with the Fig. 1 according to the teachings of the present disclosure; and Fig. 3B is a continuation of the flowchart from Fig. 3A according to the teachings of the present disclosure.

[0015] The drawings described in this document are for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure in any way. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0016] The following description is merely exemplary in nature and is not intended to limit the present disclosure, application, or uses. It should be understood that corresponding reference characters indicate like or corresponding parts and features throughout the drawings.

[0017] The present disclosure describes a system and method for dispatching autonomous and semi-autonomous low-speed, i.e., slow-moving, vehicles using a combination of infrastructure (IX) and vehicle sensors, such as cameras, lidar, radar, and ultrasonic devices, to enable autonomous or semi-autonomous low-speed movement of the vehicles without a driver. This system is suitable for both indoor and outdoor facilities. One or more systems described in this document provide control of vehicle movement without the need for drivers by using a wireless centralized fleet management system to direct the movement of each vehicle at a specific time to increase efficiency for the entire logistics chain.

[0018] With reference now to Fig. 1 shows a system 10 for distributing autonomous and semi-autonomous vehicles 100 located, for example, in a parking lot. The system 10 includes an IX server 12. The IX server 12 further includes a sensor component 14 that communicates with a set of IX sensors 18, such as one or more cameras, lidar, radar, and ultrasonic devices. The sensors 18 monitor the movement of the vehicles 100 as they move, for example, through a factory floor or across a parking lot. The IX server 12 also includes a wireless communication component that provides communication between the IX server 12 and the vehicles 100.

[0019] With reference to Fig. 2, the vehicles 100 can be in various forms and powered in a variety of known ways, for example, with an electric motor and / or an internal combustion engine. The vehicles 100 can be a land vehicle, such as a car, a truck, etc., and / or a robot, such as a drone. The vehicles 100 include a controller 110, one or more actuators 120, a plurality of on-board sensors 130, and a human-machine interface (HMI) 140. The vehicles 100 have a reference point 150, i.e., a fixed point within the space defined by a vehicle body, for example, a geometric center point at which respective central axes in the longitudinal and lateral directions of the vehicle 100 intersect. The reference point 150 identifies the location of the vehicles, for example, a loading location for the vehicles 100 to be loaded onto a transport vehicle.

[0020] The controller 110 operates the vehicles 100 in an autonomous or semi-autonomous mode. For the purposes of this disclosure, an autonomous mode is defined as one in which each of the propulsion, braking, and steering of the vehicles 100 is controlled by the controller 110; in a semi-autonomous mode, the controller 110 controls one or two of the propulsion, braking, and / or steering of the vehicles 100.

[0021] Controller 110 includes programming to operate one or more of braking, propulsion (e.g., controlling the rate of speed change of the vehicle by controlling one or more of an internal combustion engine, an electric motor, a hybrid engine, etc.), steering, climate control, interior and / or exterior lighting, etc. of a land vehicle, as well as to determine if and when controller 110, as opposed to a human operator, is to control such operations. Additionally, controller 110 is programmed to determine if and when a human operator is to control such operations.

[0022] The controller 110 includes, or may be communicatively coupled (e.g., via a vehicle communication bus, as described in more detail below) to more than one processor, for example, controllers or the like included in the vehicles 100 for monitoring and / or controlling various vehicle controls, for example, powertrain control, braking control, steering control, etc. The controller 110 is generally arranged for communication in a vehicle communication network, which may include a bus within the vehicle, such as a Controller Area Network (CAN) or the like, and / or other wired and / or wireless mechanisms.

[0023] The controller 110 transmits messages to various devices in the vehicles via a vehicle network and / or receives messages from the various devices, for example, an actuator 120, an HMI 140, etc. Alternatively or additionally, in cases where the controller 110 includes multiple devices, the vehicle communications network may be used for communications between devices, which are depicted in this disclosure as the controller 110. Furthermore, as mentioned below, various other controllers and / or sensors provide data to the controller 110 via the vehicle communications network.

[0024] Additionally, the controller 110 is configured to communicate with other traffic objects (e.g., vehicles, IX, pedestrians, etc.) via a wireless vehicle communication interface, for example, via a vehicle-to-vehicle communication network and / or a vehicle-to-IX communication network, such as communicating with the wireless communication component 16 of the IX server 12. The vehicle communication network represents one or more mechanisms by which the controller 110 of the vehicles 100 communicates with other traffic objects and may be one or more wireless communication mechanisms, including any desired combination of wireless (e.g., cellular, wireless, satellite, microwave, and radio frequency) communication mechanisms and any desired network topology (or topologies if multiple communication mechanisms are utilized).Example vehicle communication networks include, but are not limited to, cellular, Bluetooth®, IEEE 802.11, dedicated short range communications (DSRC) and / or wide area networks (WAN), including the Internet, that provide data communication services.

[0025] The vehicle actuators 120 are implemented via circuits, chips, or other electronic and / or mechanical components that can actuate various vehicle subsystems in accordance with suitable control signals. The actuators 120 can be used to control braking, speed, rate of change of speed, acceleration, and steering of the vehicles 100. The controller 110 can be programmed to actuate the vehicle actuators 120, including propulsion, steering, and / or braking, based on the scheduled rate of change of speed.

[0026] Sensors 130 include a variety of devices for providing data to controller 110. For example, sensors 130 may include object detection sensors, such as lidar sensors disposed on or within vehicles 100, that provide relative locations, sizes, and shapes of one or more targets surrounding vehicles 100, such as additional vehicles, bicycles, pedestrians, robots, drones, etc., traveling alongside, in front of, or behind the vehicle. As another example, one or more sensors may be radar sensors mounted on vehicle bumpers that can provide locations of the target(s) relative to the location of each of vehicles 100.

[0027] The object detection sensors may include a camera sensor, for example, to provide a front view, side view, etc., providing images of an area surrounding the vehicles 100. For example, the controller 110 may be programmed to receive image data from a camera sensor(s) and implement image processing techniques to detect a road, IX elements, etc. The controller 110 may further be programmed to determine a current vehicle location based on location coordinates, for example, GPS coordinates, received for the location of the vehicle 100 from a GPS sensor.

[0028] The MMS 140 is configured to receive information from a user, such as a human operator, during operation of the vehicles 100. Furthermore, the MMS 140 is configured to present information to the user, such as an occupant of one or more of the vehicles 100. In some variations, the controller 110 is programmed to receive destination data, such as location coordinates, from the MMS 140.

[0029] Accordingly, the vehicles 100 destined for a specific trailer can be moved autonomously to that trailer using a combination of IX and vehicle and / or trailer sensors. Route guidance can be performed using vehicle location, distance to travel, queuing for loading onto the trailer, trailer readiness for loading, etc. Vehicles 100 requiring additional cargo / fuel can be pre-prepared according to the final queue. Other vehicles 100 destined for other trailers are operated in the same way, allowing the movement of an entire fleet to be coordinated. The entire fleet is coordinated by a central fleet management system that routes all traffic and logistics in a pre-sorted manner from an assembly plant to the fleet scheduling application.

[0030] Once the vehicles 100 arrive at a specified transport vehicle, such as a trailer for loading, the vehicles 100 are coordinated with the trailer to be loaded in a specified manner, using a combination of IX sensors 18 and vehicle and trailer sensors to drive onto the trailer using a series of locking devices to ensure the trailer is in the correct orientation to accommodate each of the vehicles 100 in turn. Automatic locking devices between the trailer and the vehicle fleet management facility prevent the vehicles 100 from loading if the trailer is not ready (for example, if the ramps are not correctly positioned to accommodate vehicles driving onto a trailer). Manual locking devices (for example, start / stop) give the trailer loader final control to manage the process.In some variations, a driver secures the vehicles 100 when they come to a stop, and loading of the other vehicles 100 begins, saving time. The same process is used to drive the vehicles 100 onto a train car. Furthermore, the same automated process is used to unload vehicles from a trailer or train car. The system 10 is geofened to load / unload the vehicles 100 at a specific facility, so that no automated operation is permitted outside of these specific areas. This helps prevent theft, as vehicles could be disabled during transport outside the geofence. In certain variations, a manual override setting is used to allow loading / unloading of vehicles based on unforeseen circumstances.

[0031] During the distribution of vehicles 100, after being loaded, the trailer is driven to the station for the next stage of vehicle transport. At the station, the vehicles 100 are autonomously unloaded from the trailer using the reverse process for loading, and the vehicles 100 are re-queued (along with vehicles from other trailers) for appropriate allocation when loading onto train cars. Multiple types of vehicles can be loaded onto train cars for regional transport. In a direct loading scenario, the vehicles 100 are autonomously unloaded from the trailer and immediately loaded onto the train car in the same sorted order. Additionally, delivery can be precisely timed to reduce waiting time at the station and increase delivery efficiency (e.g., lack of parking spaces), all managed through a cloud-based fleet management application.This way, after the assembly process, vehicles are not touched by a human during the entire journey to the dealership, which reduces the possibility of dents, bumps, scratches, interior contamination, etc.

[0032] The centralized fleet management application has complete knowledge of the vehicles 100 under its control (e.g., current location, destination, special instructions, etc.), which increases accountability and traceability for the distribution process. Fleet management is coordinated both within and across deployment sites to optimize the delivery time of each vehicle 100 traveling on each trailer or train car. A range of logistics applications can be used here, including a combination of an IX detection system integrated with a traffic management algorithm to queue vehicles in real time and resolve conflicts.Accordingly, the fleet management application queues vehicles 100 based on their unique characteristics (how far they need to travel, what traffic is along the route, when they need to get there to be in the correct order, etc.). In some variations, the vehicles 100 are loaded directly onto one or more train cars.

[0033] With reference now to Fig. 3A and Fig.3B shows a flowchart 200 for dispatching a fleet of vehicles 100 using system 10. The vehicles 100 drive into a logistics parking lot at a step 202. At a step 204, the IX server 12 directs the vehicles 100 to their next location while receiving instructions from an IX fleet management application 218, which queues the vehicles 100 based on characteristics of the vehicles, such as expected traffic and the transport route. Next, at a step 206, the vehicles 100 wait for instructions while occupying a slot number provided by the IX server 12 from a step 208. Or, at a step 210, the vehicles 100 queue for loading.

[0034] If the vehicles 100 are waiting for instructions, a decision step 212 determines whether there are any new commands from the vehicles 100. If the answer is yes, the process 200 returns to step 204 for additional location instructions. If the answer is no, the process 200 returns to step 206 so that the vehicles 100 wait for add instructions.

[0035] If the vehicles are queued for loading at step 210, the process 200 proceeds to a step 214 where the IX sensors 18 and the vehicle sensors 130 assist in loading the vehicles 100 onto the trailer or train car. Next, the process 200 proceeds to a decision step 216 to determine whether all vehicles 100 are loaded onto the trailer or train car(s). If the answer is no, the process 200 returns to the IX fleet management application 218. If the answer is yes, the process 200 proceeds to a step 220 where the trailer or train departs, while the IX fleet management application provides instructions and monitors the movement of the vehicles 100 at a step 222.

[0036] Next, the trailer or train arrives at a predetermined location in a step 224. The process 200 then proceeds to a step 226, where the IX sensors 18 and the vehicle sensors 130 assist in unloading the vehicles 100 from the trailer or train car. The vehicle(s) 100 arrive at a vehicle dealer parking lot in a step 228. In certain variations, the process 200 provides for loading the vehicles directly onto train cars rather than using a trailer as an intermediate transport vehicle.

[0037] Among other advantages and benefits, the system and method described in the present disclosure minimize the amount of human contact with newly assembled factory vehicles, have the ability to move an entire fleet of vehicles with limited use of human driving, and provide increased flexibility and efficiency in the logistics transportation chain. Furthermore, the combination of IX and vehicle sensing increases the robustness of vehicle distribution under varying weather conditions and variable lighting and provides additional security to allow vehicles to be loaded / unloaded within a geofence facility. Other advantages and benefits include real-time knowledge of vehicle location, a sorted sequence for automated loading and unloading, and on-demand loading to optimize vehicle routing.

[0038] Unless expressly stated otherwise herein, all numerical values ​​indicating mechanical / thermal properties, composition percentages, dimensions and / or tolerances, or other characteristics are to be understood as modified by the word "about" or "approximately" when describing the scope of the present disclosure. This modification is desirable for various reasons, including industrial practice, material, manufacturing and assembly tolerances, and testability.

[0039] As used in this document, the phrase "at least one of A, B, and C" should be interpreted to mean a logical (A OR B OR C) using a non-exclusive logical OR, and should not be interpreted to mean "at least one of A, at least one of B, and at least one of C."

[0040] In this application, the terms "controller" and / or "module" may refer to, be part of, or include: an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC); a digital, analog, or mixed analog / digital discrete circuit; a digital, analog, or mixed analog / digital integrated circuit; a combinational logic circuit; a field programmable gate array (FPGA); processor circuitry (shared, dedicated, or group) that executes code; memory circuitry (shared, dedicated, or group) that stores code executed by the processor circuitry; other suitable hardware components (e.g.,An operational amplifier circuit integration circuit as part of the heat flow data module) that provides the described functionality; or a combination of some or all of the foregoing, such as in a system-on-chip.

[0041] The term "memory" is a subset of the term "computer-readable medium." As used in this document, the term "computer-readable medium" does not include transitory electrical or electromagnetic signals propagating through a medium (such as a carrier wave); therefore, the term "computer-readable medium" can be considered tangible and non-transitory.Non-limiting examples of a non-transitory, tangible computer-readable medium include non-volatile memory circuits (such as a flash memory circuit, an erasable programmable read-only memory circuit, or a mask read-only memory circuit), volatile memory circuits (such as a static random access memory circuit or a dynamic random access memory circuit), magnetic storage media (such as an analog or digital magnetic tape or a hard disk drive), and optical storage media (such as a CD, a DVD, or a Blu-ray Disc).

[0042] The devices and methods described in this application may be implemented in part or in whole by a special-purpose computer created by configuring a general-purpose computer to perform one or more specific functions embodied in computer programs. The functional blocks, flowchart components, and other elements described above serve as software specifications that can be translated into computer programs through the routine work of a skilled technician or programmer.

[0043] The description of the disclosure is purely exemplary in nature, and thus, examples that do not depart from the substance of the disclosure are intended to be within the scope of the disclosure. Such variations should not be considered a departure from the spirit and scope of the disclosure.

[0044] According to the present invention disclosure, a method for vehicle distribution of a fleet of vehicles includes: receiving signals from a set of infrastructure sensors; receiving signals from one or more sensors onboard the vehicles; processing the signals from the set of infrastructure sensors and the signals from the one or more sensors onboard the vehicles; controlling autonomous queuing of the vehicles using the processed signals; and controlling autonomous loading and unloading of the vehicles onto a transport vehicle according to the queuing of the vehicles.

[0045] In one aspect of the invention, the transport vehicle is a trailer.

[0046] In one aspect of the invention, the vehicles are queued for loading onto the trailer, loaded onto the trailer, and then unloaded from the trailer.

[0047] In one aspect of the invention, the vehicles are unloaded from a trailer at a station and then requeued for loading onto one or more train cars for transport to another station where the vehicles are unloaded from the one or more train cars.

[0048] In one aspect of the invention, the vehicles are queued for loading onto a subsequent trailer, loaded onto the subsequent trailer for transport to a vehicle dealer, and then unloaded from the subsequent trailer.

[0049] In one aspect of the invention, delivery of the vehicles to the station is timed to reduce waiting time at the station prior to loading the vehicles onto the one or more train cars.

[0050] In one aspect of the invention, the combination of the signals from the set of infrastructure sensors with the signals from the one or more sensors on board the vehicles enables the vehicles to move at low speed.

[0051] In one aspect of the invention, the method includes utilizing a fleet management system that has knowledge of a movement of each vehicle to control the loading and unloading of the vehicles from the transport vehicle.

[0052] In one aspect of the invention, knowledge of the movement of each vehicle includes a location and a destination of each vehicle.

[0053] In one aspect of the invention, the fleet management system queues the vehicles based on characteristics of the vehicles.

[0054] In one aspect of the invention, the characteristics of the vehicles include a distance to a destination for each vehicle and expected traffic along a transport route.

[0055] In one aspect of the invention, the transport vehicle is one or more train cars.

[0056] According to the present invention, a method for vehicle distribution of a fleet of vehicles includes: identifying vehicles in a parking lot to be loaded onto a transport vehicle; determining current locations of the identified vehicles in the parking lot; coordinating autonomous movement of the vehicles from the current locations to a loading location in the parking lot using signals received from one or more infrastructure sensors and one or more on-board vehicle sensors, the plurality of vehicles positioned in a queue order at the loading location; and controlling autonomous loading of the plurality of vehicles onto the transport vehicle using signals received from the one or more infrastructure sensors and the one or more on-board vehicle sensors and according to the queue order.

[0057] In one aspect of the invention, the transport vehicle is a trailer.

[0058] In one aspect of the invention, the vehicles are unloaded from the trailer at a station and then requeued for loading onto one or more train cars for transport to another station where the vehicles are unloaded from the one or more train cars.

[0059] In one aspect of the invention, the transport vehicle is one or more train cars.

[0060] In one aspect of the invention, the combination of the signals from the one or more infrastructure sensors with the signals from the one or more sensors on board the vehicles enables the vehicles to move at low speed.

[0061] In one aspect of the invention, the method includes utilizing a fleet management system having knowledge of movement of each vehicle to control loading and unloading of the vehicles from the transport vehicle.

[0062] According to the present invention, a system for vehicle distribution of a fleet of vehicles is provided, comprising: an infrastructure server having a set of infrastructure sensors; one or more sensors on board the vehicles; and a fleet management system that processes signals from the set of infrastructure sensors and the signals from the one or more sensors on board the vehicles to control autonomous queuing of the vehicles using the processed signals and to control loading and unloading of the vehicles onto a transport vehicle according to the queuing of the vehicles.

[0063] According to one embodiment, the vehicles are queued for loading onto a trailer, loaded onto the trailer and then unloaded from the trailer.

Claims

[1] A method for distributing a fleet of vehicles, the method comprising: Receiving signals from a set of infrastructure sensors; Receiving signals from one or more sensors on board the vehicles; Processing the signals from the set of infrastructure sensors and the signals from the one or more sensors on board the vehicles; Controlling an autonomous queuing of the vehicles using the processed signals; and Controlling autonomous loading and unloading of vehicles onto a transport vehicle according to the queuing of vehicles. [2] The method of claim 1, wherein the transport vehicle is a trailer. [3] A method according to claim 2, wherein the vehicles are queued for loading onto the trailer, loaded onto the trailer and then unloaded from the trailer. [4] A method according to claim 1, wherein the vehicles are unloaded from a trailer at a station and then re-queued for loading onto one or more train cars for transport to another station where the vehicles are unloaded from the one or more train cars. [5] A method according to claim 4, wherein the vehicles are queued for loading onto a subsequent trailer, loaded onto the subsequent trailer for transport to a vehicle dealer, and then unloaded from the subsequent trailer. [6] A method according to claim 4, wherein the delivery of the vehicles to the station is timed to reduce a waiting time at the station prior to loading the vehicles onto the one or more train cars. [7] The method of claim 1, wherein the combination of the signals from the set of infrastructure sensors with the signals from the one or more sensors on board the vehicles enables the vehicles to move at low speed. [8] The method of claims 1-7, further comprising utilizing a fleet management system having knowledge of a movement of each vehicle to control loading and unloading of the vehicles from the transport vehicle. [9] The method of claim 8, wherein the knowledge of the movement of each vehicle includes a location and a destination of each vehicle. [10] The method of claim 8, wherein the fleet management system queues the vehicles based on characteristics of the vehicles. [11] The method of claim 10, wherein the characteristics of the vehicles include a distance to a destination for each vehicle and expected traffic along a transport route. [12] The method of claim 1, wherein the transport vehicle is one or more train wagons. [13] A system for distributing a fleet of vehicles, the system comprising: an infrastructure server with a set of infrastructure sensors; one or more sensors on board the vehicles; and a fleet management system that processes signals from the set of infrastructure sensors and the signals from the one or more sensors on board the vehicles to control autonomous queuing of the vehicles using the processed signals and to control loading and unloading of the vehicles onto a transport vehicle in accordance with the queuing of the vehicles. [14] The system of claim 13, wherein the vehicles are queued for loading onto a trailer, loaded onto the trailer, and then unloaded from the trailer.

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