Intersection Passage Control for Priority Traveling Vehicles

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing traveling vehicle systems face complexity in ensuring priority passage through intersections, particularly at branching and merging points, due to the need to search and cross-check scheduled routes of multiple vehicles, which can lead to delays and inefficiencies.

Innovation Solution

A traveling vehicle system with a host controller that stores and manages passage permission requests, selects priority vehicles, and derives the origin and subsequent path of priority vehicles to grant passage permissions, allowing priority vehicles to pass through intersections smoothly by prioritizing their routes.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If a priority traveling vehicle is set to perform transportation in priority to other traveling vehicles, then the priority traveling vehicle can be ensured to pass through intersections first, but the control process becomes complicated when determining whether there is a monitored traveling vehicle preceding the priority traveling vehicle

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvepriority passage guaranteeVSAvoidcontrol process complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs preliminary identification of the first traveling vehicle (monitored vehicle) when the priority traveling vehicle requests passage permission for the branching part. By deriving the first traveling vehicle in advance and pre-granting passage permission for the merging part, the system avoids complex real-time determination processes and ensures priority passage without complicated control operations.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The host controller acts as an intermediary that manages passage permissions for multiple intersections. When a priority traveling vehicle requests permission for the branching part, the host controller automatically derives the first traveling vehicle and grants permission for the merging part, mediating between the priority vehicle's needs and the monitored vehicle's rights without requiring complex cross-checking processes.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Reliability

If route searching and cross-checking is performed to determine preceding traveling vehicles, then priority passage can be ensured, but the process becomes more complicated when there are multiple preceding traveling vehicles

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvepriority passage guaranteeVSAvoidroute checking process complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The system extracts only the essential information needed for priority control - the first traveling vehicle (monitored vehicle) that is immediately affected by the priority vehicle's passage. Instead of performing comprehensive route cross-checking for all preceding vehicles, the system identifies and handles only the critical first vehicle, simplifying the control process while maintaining reliability.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

3Reliability

If comprehensive route cross-checking is performed, then priority traveling can be ensured, but the processing time increases and system efficiency decreases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvepriority traveling guaranteeVSAvoidprocessing time
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs preliminary identification of the first traveling vehicle and pre-grants passage permission for the merging part when the priority vehicle requests branching part permission. This preliminary action eliminates the need for time-consuming real-time route cross-checking processes, significantly reducing processing time while ensuring priority traveling is maintained.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

4Ease of operation

If passage permission is granted based on first-come-first-served at merging parts, then fairness is maintained, but priority traveling vehicles cannot pass through branching parts when monitored vehicles are ahead

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvepassage permission managementVSAvoidpriority traveling guarantee
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of operationVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The host controller acts as an intermediary that coordinates passage permissions between branching and merging parts. When a priority vehicle requests permission for the branching part, the host controller automatically grants permission for the merging part to the first traveling vehicle, mediating between the priority vehicle's needs and the monitored vehicle's rights without requiring complex operations from either party.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Data Source

PatentEP3489785B1Running vehicle system and control method for running vehicle system
Publication Date: 2022.04.13 MURATA MASCH LTD
  • EP3489785B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP3489785B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP3489785B1 patent drawingFigure 3(A)~3(C)

AI summary

[Problem] To allow a traveling vehicle preceding a priority traveling vehicle to smoothly pass through an intersection by means of simple control to ensure prioritized traveling of the priority traveling vehicle. [Means to Solve Problem] A traveling vehicle system 1A comprises: a plurality of traveling vehicles 3; and a host controller 4 in which: a first deriver 23 derives a first traveling vehicle 3b scheduled to pass through a branching part 6 through which a priority traveling vehicle 3a selected by a priority traveling vehicle selector 28 is scheduled to pass; a merging part deriver 29 derives a merging part 7 through which the first traveling vehicle 3b is scheduled to pass after the branching part 6; and passage permission for the merging part 7 is transmitted to the first traveling vehicle 3b in priority to a second traveling vehicle 3c scheduled to pass through the merging part 7 from a direction different from a direction from which the first traveling vehicle 3b is scheduled to pass through the merging part 7.