Dynamic Waiting Point Allocation for Empty Vehicle Routing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing traveling vehicle systems face inefficiencies in ensuring empty vehicles wait reliably at designated points, leading to potential energy wastage and reduced conveyance efficiency, as they often incorrectly allocate commands to vehicles already waiting or not waiting at waiting points.
Innovation Solution
A traveling vehicle system with a controller that detects empty vehicles, dynamically sets waiting points based on vehicle availability, searches routes to relocate empty vehicles to their designated waiting points, and allocates commands to maintain an optimal number of waiting points equal to the number of empty vehicles, reducing unnecessary movement and energy consumption.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Speed
If the conventional method of calling the nearest empty travelling vehicle to the waiting point is used, then the response speed is improved, but the reliability of making empty vehicles wait at waiting points deteriorates due to incorrect allocation to vehicles already waiting or not at waiting points
Solution Approach 1:
The system continuously monitors the positions and waiting states of all empty travelling vehicles, using this feedback information to dynamically adjust command allocation. The determination unit checks whether vehicles are actually at waiting points before allocating commands, preventing incorrect allocation and ensuring reliable waiting point utilization while maintaining fast response.
Solution Approach 2:
The command allocation is made dynamic by continuously updating the system state information about empty vehicles' positions and waiting statuses. Instead of static pre-allocation, the system adapts command allocation in real-time based on current vehicle locations and waiting point occupancy, resolving the contradiction between speed and reliability.
2Loss of energy
If empty travelling vehicles are made to wait at waiting points, then energy consumption is reduced, but the system complexity increases due to need for continuous monitoring and dynamic command allocation
Solution Approach 1:
The determination unit serves multiple functions: it tracks empty vehicle positions, identifies vehicles at waiting points, determines which vehicles should be commanded to wait, and prevents incorrect allocation. This multi-functionality reduces the need for separate monitoring and control systems, managing complexity while enabling reliable energy-efficient waiting behavior.
Solution Approach 2:
Empty travelling vehicles autonomously navigate to waiting points and maintain waiting status without continuous external intervention. The system provides initial commands and periodic verification, allowing vehicles to self-manage their waiting behavior, which reduces energy consumption while keeping system complexity manageable.
3Productivity
If the number of waiting points is increased to match the number of empty vehicles, then the conveyance efficiency is improved, but the device complexity increases due to dynamic setting of waiting points
Solution Approach 1:
The waiting point setting is made dynamic, allowing the number and locations of waiting points to adapt automatically based on the current number of empty travelling vehicles. This dynamic adjustment enables optimal conveyance efficiency by matching waiting point capacity to actual vehicle availability, while the automated nature of the adjustment keeps complexity manageable.
Solution Approach 2:
Waiting points are pre-configured as potential locations, and the system selectively activates the appropriate number based on current vehicle counts. This preliminary preparation allows rapid adaptation without complex real-time calculations, improving conveyance efficiency while controlling the complexity of waiting point management.
Data Source
AI summary
A travelling vehicle system additionally sets a waiting point such that a number of waiting points is equal to a number of empty travelling vehicles present on a travelling route upon detection of an empty travelling vehicle. The system searches a route from a start point to an end point when the additionally set one waiting point is taken as the start point and a position of one empty travelling vehicle is taken as the end point, the one empty travelling vehicle being detected by a detection portion and not waiting at the waiting point. The system allocates to the other empty travelling vehicle the travelling command to move to the one waiting point and allocates to the one empty travelling vehicle the travelling command to move to the other waiting point which becomes empty by movement of the other empty travelling vehicle.