Autonomous Vehicle Junction Control Through Distributed Time Slots

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing autonomous transportation networks (ATN) face bottlenecks due to reliance on central control management, leading to communication overload, junction conflicts, and scalability issues, especially at intersections, and lack resilience in handling multiple vehicles and priority access.

Innovation Solution

A method for controlling autonomous vehicles at junctions using onboard processors and beacons to calculate and adjust vehicle velocities, allocating non-overlapping time slots for entry and exit, ensuring conflict-free passage through junctions, and managing priority access without central control.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If central control management is used to control autonomous vehicles at junctions, then vehicles can be managed systematically, but communication overload and response time delays occur leading to bottlenecks

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvevehicle control reliabilityVSAvoidwaiting time at junctions

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The patent divides the central control system into distributed onboard processors in each vehicle and roadside beacons. Each vehicle independently calculates its own trajectory and timing using local computations, eliminating the single-point bottleneck of central control while maintaining systematic coordination through shared time slot allocation.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The system pre-calculates and allocates time slots for vehicle passage through junctions before vehicles arrive. By determining entry and exit times in advance and communicating them via beacons, the system eliminates on-the-spot negotiation delays and ensures smooth traffic flow without real-time central intervention.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

2Reliability

If central control management coordinates all vehicles, then junction conflicts can be managed, but communication network overload occurs reducing system scalability

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvejunction conflict resolutionVSAvoidcommunication infrastructure complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent extracts the computational burden from the central control system and places it in onboard processors within each vehicle. This distributes the complexity of conflict resolution across multiple independent units, reducing communication network load while maintaining effective junction coordination through local decision-making.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

Each autonomous vehicle independently calculates its trajectory, determines optimal passage timing, and adjusts its own velocity based on allocated time slots. This self-service approach eliminates the need for continuous centralized coordination, reducing communication overhead and improving system scalability.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #25Self-service

3Reliability

If vehicles wait for central control decisions at junctions, then safety can be ensured, but resource utilization efficiency decreases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvesafe passage through junctionsVSAvoidvehicle utilization efficiency

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

Time slots for safe passage through junctions are pre-calculated and allocated to vehicles before they arrive. This allows vehicles to maintain their speed and proceed directly through junctions without waiting, as safety is already ensured by the predetermined time slot allocation, thereby maintaining both safety and efficiency.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

4Adaptability or versatility

If central control manages priority access for multiple vehicles, then fair resource allocation can be achieved, but response time increases due to negotiation overhead

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvepriority access managementVSAvoidnegotiation time at junctions

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

Priority access rights are pre-determined and encoded in the time slot allocations before vehicles approach the junction. Vehicles with priority are assigned earlier time slots in advance, eliminating the need for time-consuming negotiation at the junction while ensuring fair and adaptable resource allocation based on pre-calculated requirements.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Data Source

PatentUS12361827B2Autonomous transportation network with junction control method

Publication Date: 2025.07.15 DROMOS GMBH

AI summary

A method of controlling a plurality of autonomous vehicles (20) entering a junction (56) from a plurality of inward routes (60a, 60b) and leaving the junction (56) in at least one outward route (65) is disclosed. The method comprises calculating a first time slot (80-1) for entering the junction (56) on a first inward route (60a) wherein the first time slot (80-1) has a first entry time at which the first autonomous vehicle (20-1) enters the junction (56) and adjusting the velocity of the first autonomous vehicle (20-1) by an onboard processor (27) such that the first autonomous vehicle (20-1) arrives at the junction (56) at the first entry time. A second time slot (80-2) for entering the junction (56) for a second autonomous vehicle (20-2) is then calculated. The second time slot (80-2) has a second entry time at which the second autonomous vehicle (20-2) enters the junction (56) and the second entry time is later than the first entry time such that the second autonomous vehicle (20-2) does not impact the first autonomous vehicle (20-1). The velocity of the second autonomous vehicle (20-1) is adjusted by the onboard processor (27) to arrive at the second entry time.