Autonomous Vehicle Fleet Management via Centralized Controller
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current systems for controlling self-driving vehicles within defined areas lack efficient methods to manage and direct them based on specific rules, such as restricted parking spots and passenger transportation demands, leading to inefficiencies and potential conflicts.
Innovation Solution
A method and system where processors receive inputs defining delineated vehicular areas and calendar entries to determine the required number of self-driving vehicles, transmitting instructions for autonomous movement to pick up passengers, utilizing a centralized controller to manage and direct self-driving vehicles within these areas based on predefined rules and GPS locations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If a centralized controller directs self-driving vehicles to specific parking spots, then vehicle management efficiency is improved, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
A centralized controller acts as an intermediary between the fleet management system and individual self-driving vehicles. The controller receives calendar entries and transportation demands, processes this information, and transmits directed instructions to specific vehicles. This intermediary structure improves coordination and management efficiency while isolating the complexity within the controller rather than distributing it across the entire system.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements feedback mechanisms where the centralized controller monitors vehicle locations, status, and compliance with directed instructions. This feedback loop enables the controller to adjust directions, reassign vehicles, and maintain optimal fleet management. The feedback principle resolves the complexity issue by creating a closed-loop system that automatically manages vehicle coordination without requiring complex peer-to-peer communication between vehicles.
2Productivity
If self-driving vehicles are autonomously directed to pick-up locations, then passenger transportation efficiency is improved, but control difficulty increases
Solution Approach 1:
The centralized controller performs preliminary actions by pre-calculating optimal vehicle assignments and routes based on calendar entries and predicted transportation demands. Vehicles receive directed instructions in advance, including specific parking spots and pick-up locations. This preliminary planning reduces real-time control difficulty while maintaining high transportation efficiency, as the controller manages complexity through advance preparation rather than reactive decision-making.
3Productivity
If delineated areas are assigned to specific vehicles, then resource allocation efficiency is improved, but adaptability decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements dynamic resource allocation where the centralized controller continuously monitors vehicle locations, calendar entries, and transportation demands. Delineated areas and vehicle assignments are not fixed but dynamically adjusted based on changing conditions. The controller can reassign vehicles to different parking spots or pick-up locations as needs evolve, maintaining both allocation efficiency and system adaptability through continuous optimization rather than static assignment.
Data Source
AI summary
A method, system, and/or computer program product controls movement of one or more self-driving vehicles within a delineated vehicular area. One or more processor(s) receive an input defining a delineated area of a vehicular area on a display. The delineated area is specific for particular parking spots in a parking lot. Use of the parking lot is restricted to autonomous self-driving vehicles (SDVs). The processor(s) retrieve a calendar entry from an electronic calendar describing a quantity of persons who require SDVs to transport them during a particular time period to a specific destination. The processor(s) determine a quantity of SDVs required to transport the persons. The processor(s) transmit instructions to SDV controllers on-board the SDVs to autonomously drive from the particular parking spots to an intermediate staging area and then to a pick-up location to pick up the persons for delivery to the specific destination during the particular time period.