Travel Vehicle Route Control Using Reverse Zones at Branch Merges
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Solution Overview
Problem
In transport vehicle systems with branching and confluence portions, the one-way travel path design often results in roundabout routes for travel vehicles to reach target placement tables, leading to reduced transport efficiency.
Innovation Solution
The system introduces a travel vehicle controller that uses map information to identify specified points corresponding to branching and confluence portions, allowing for reverse travel zones where vehicles can travel in opposite directions to optimize routes and reduce travel distance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a one-way travel path is defined to prevent face-to-face travel, then safety is improved, but transport efficiency deteriorates due to roundabout routes
Solution Approach 1:
The travel path is segmented into one-way zones and reverse travel zones. The control system segments travel directions by location, allowing one-way travel in most areas for safety while permitting reverse travel in specific zones to optimize routes and improve transport efficiency.
Solution Approach 2:
The system allows reverse travel (traveling opposite to the predetermined direction) in specific reverse travel zones. This inversion of the one-way constraint in designated areas enables vehicles to take more direct routes, improving transport efficiency while maintaining overall safety through controlled implementation.
2Reliability
If a one-way travel path is defined, then vehicle collision prevention is improved, but travel time increases due to roundabout routes
Solution Approach 1:
The travel direction constraint is made dynamic rather than static. While the default is one-way travel for collision prevention, the system dynamically allows reverse travel in designated zones when it optimizes the route, reducing travel time while maintaining collision prevention through controlled management.
Solution Approach 2:
The control system acts as an intermediary that manages the conflict between one-way constraints and route optimization. It determines when and where reverse travel should be permitted, balancing collision prevention with travel time reduction through intelligent decision-making.
3Productivity
If reverse travel zones are introduced to optimize routes, then transport efficiency is improved, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
Reverse travel zones are predetermined and pre-configured in the system. The locations and parameters of these zones are established in advance, which simplifies real-time control decisions while still enabling route optimization and improving transport efficiency.
Solution Approach 2:
The system applies different travel rules to different locations. Reverse travel is permitted only in specific local zones rather than system-wide, which maintains simplicity in most areas while providing optimization benefits where needed, thus improving transport efficiency without excessive complexity.
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3(A)~3(B)
AI summary
A travel vehicle system (1) includes a travel control (41) portion configured to search a travel route that leads a travel vehicle (5) to a predetermined station (ST) included in a transport instruction in accordance with map information and to control a travel of the travel vehicle (5) along the travel route when the transport instruction is issued. The map information includes information on a specified point (SP) provided so as to correspond to at least one of a branching portion (BP) and a confluence portion (CP). In addition to a one direction travel control (41) to cause the travel vehicle (5) to travel in one direction, the travel control (41) sets a reverse travel zone (S1,S2) in which the travel vehicle (5) travels in a direction opposite to one direction from/to the specified point (SP) as at least a portion of the travel route and causes the travel vehicle (5) to travel along the travel route by performing a turnover travel control (41) to cause the travel vehicle (5) to travel in a direction opposite to the one direction in the reverse travel zone (S1,S2).