Autonomous Fleet Controller for Dynamic Mission Scheduling
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing technologies lack efficient centralized management systems for autonomous vehicle fleets, particularly in anticipating and controlling demand for cargo and passenger transportation by autonomous flying vehicles.
Innovation Solution
A fleet management system that includes a fleet controller capable of obtaining missions from a master schedule, generating vehicle commands, maintaining a persistent connection with vehicles, sending commands, and monitoring vehicle operations to optimize vehicle use while ensuring safety and maintenance standards.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If centralized fleet management systems are implemented for autonomous vehicles, then vehicle control and coordination are improved, but system complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The fleet management system is segmented into multiple hierarchical levels: a centralized fleet manager for high-level coordination and decentralized vehicle controllers for local execution. This segmentation allows the system to maintain reliable centralized control while distributing complexity across multiple manageable components, reducing the burden on any single system element.
Solution Approach 2:
A communication network acts as an intermediary between the centralized fleet manager and decentralized vehicles. This intermediary layer enables coordinated control without requiring direct complex interactions between all system components, simplifying the overall system architecture while maintaining reliable fleet-wide control.
2Adaptability or versatility
If autonomous flying vehicles are used for transportation, then service coverage and flexibility are improved, but safety and maintenance management become more challenging
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements continuous feedback loops where vehicle status, location, and operational data are monitored and transmitted to the fleet manager. This feedback enables real-time safety management and maintenance scheduling, allowing the system to maintain high service coverage while ensuring reliable safety oversight through constant monitoring and data-driven decision-making.
Solution Approach 2:
The fleet manager performs preliminary actions by predicting maintenance needs and scheduling service before failures occur. This proactive approach allows autonomous vehicles to operate with high flexibility and coverage while maintaining safety through advance planning and prevention of operational issues.
3Ease of operation
If fixed routes are used for autonomous vehicles, then operational simplicity is improved, but vehicle availability and demand responsiveness decrease
Solution Approach 1:
The system transitions from static fixed routes to dynamic adaptive routing. The fleet manager continuously adjusts vehicle assignments and routes based on real-time demand data, maintaining operational simplicity through automated decision-making while significantly improving vehicle availability and responsiveness to changing service requirements.
4Productivity
If fleet size is increased to meet demand, then service capacity is improved, but management complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The centralized fleet management system is designed to be universal and scalable, capable of managing any fleet size through the same standardized protocols and interfaces. This multi-functionality allows the system to handle small to large fleets without increasing management complexity, as the same architecture adapts automatically to different scales of operation.
Data Source
AI summary
A method for controlling an autonomous vehicle fleet, including obtaining, by a fleet controller, from a master schedule, a mission for a vehicle of a fleet of autonomous vehicles, where the mission is associated with a mission entry of the master schedule, generating vehicle commands according to mission parameters associated with the mission, maintaining a persistent connection with the vehicle, sending the vehicle commands to the vehicle using the connection, the vehicle commands causing the vehicle to execute the mission under control of the fleet controller, and monitoring operation of the vehicle during performance of the mission.