Fleet Vehicle Mission Cycle Control for Bottleneck Queue Avoidance
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing strategies for vehicle fleets performing planned missions in confined or public environments often result in uneven vehicle distribution, leading to queuing at bottleneck areas and decreased productivity.
Innovation Solution
A method of controlling multiple vehicles performing the same mission cycle by mapping initial planned degrees of progress, adjusting start times, and determining deviations to minimize differences from planned progress, allowing for faster progress and increased productivity by updating planned degrees of progress based on actual deviations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If vehicles are controlled to follow the same mission cycle with different start times, then productivity can be increased through better resource utilization, but uneven vehicle distribution occurs leading to queuing at bottleneck areas
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies dynamics by making the mission cycle duration adaptive rather than fixed. The control system continuously monitors actual vehicle progress and dynamically adjusts the planned cycle duration for subsequent vehicles. When a vehicle completes its cycle faster than planned, the system reduces the planned cycle duration for the next vehicle, preventing queuing at bottlenecks while maintaining high fleet productivity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements feedback control by continuously comparing actual vehicle progress against planned progress and using this information to adjust future mission cycles. The control system receives feedback on completion times and progress deviations, then modifies the planned cycle parameters accordingly to maintain uniform vehicle distribution and prevent bottleneck queuing.
2Stability of the object's composition
If vehicles are slowed down to maintain uniform distribution, then queuing at bottleneck areas is avoided, but unnecessary productivity loss occurs
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the parameter of planned cycle duration dynamically based on actual vehicle performance. Instead of using a fixed cycle time that may cause vehicles to queue, the system adjusts the planned duration parameter upward or downward depending on whether vehicles are ahead or behind schedule, optimizing both distribution uniformity and productivity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies preliminary action by pre-calculating adjusted mission cycle parameters before vehicles start their next cycle. The control system determines the optimized cycle duration in advance based on previous performance data, allowing vehicles to maintain higher speeds while still achieving uniform distribution without reactive slowing down.
3Device complexity
If fixed planned degrees of progress are used for all vehicles, then control simplicity is maintained, but deviations accumulate leading to reduced efficiency
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transforms the static control approach into a dynamic one by continuously updating planned degree of progress values based on actual vehicle deviations. The control system calculates adjusted progress targets that account for variations in vehicle performance, maintaining high efficiency without requiring overly complex control mechanisms.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses feedback control to adjust planned progress degrees based on actual vehicle performance deviations. The system monitors how far each vehicle deviates from its planned progress and uses this information to recalculate optimal progress targets, maintaining efficiency while keeping the control logic relatively simple and intuitive.
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention relates to a method of controlling a plurality of vehicles, performing the same mission cycle, comprising - mapping a first set of planned degrees of progress (CCP1) to the cycle, - controlling the vehicles to start the cycle at respective different points in time, - determining deviations of the vehicles from a respective planned degree of progress (CCP1i) of the first set of planned degrees of progress (CCP1), - mapping, based on the determined deviations, a second set of planned degrees of progress (CCP2) to the cycle, and - controlling the vehicles so as to minimize deviations of the vehicles from a respective planned degree of progress (CCP2i) of the second set of planned degrees of progress (CCP2).