Junction Entry Control for Balanced Article Transport Flow
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing article transport facilities face inefficiencies due to uneven distribution of transport vehicles in pre-junction sections, leading to potential traffic jams on the upstream side, which decreases overall transport efficiency.
Innovation Solution
An article transport facility with a control system that calculates a cost factor based on travel time in each pre-junction section, prioritizing entry permissions for transport vehicles waiting in sections with longer travel times, thereby reducing inequality and preventing traffic jams.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If transport vehicles are allowed to enter the junction under the same condition regardless of pre-junction section, then the control rule is simple, but uneven distribution of transport vehicles occurs leading to traffic jams in upstream sections
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by implementing different entry permission criteria for different pre-junction sections. Specifically, the control system calculates the number of transport vehicles in each pre-junction section and applies different permission rules: when the first pre-junction section has more vehicles than the second, vehicles in the first section are permitted to enter the junction preferentially. This localized differentiation resolves the uneven distribution problem without requiring complete reconstruction of the control system.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the control parameter from a uniform entry permission rule to a dynamic rule based on the number of transport vehicles in each pre-junction section. The control system continuously monitors vehicle counts and adjusts entry permission issuance accordingly, allowing more vehicles to enter from sections with higher congestion. This parameter-based adaptation improves transport efficiency while maintaining relatively simple control logic.
2Reliability
If more transport vehicles are permitted to enter from the pre-junction section with larger number of waiting vehicles, then traffic jam occurrence is reduced, but the control logic becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements feedback control by continuously monitoring the number of transport vehicles in each pre-junction section and using this information to dynamically adjust entry permission issuance. The control system receives feedback on vehicle distribution and automatically modifies permission rules to maintain balanced traffic flow. This feedback mechanism ensures traffic flow stability while keeping the control logic relatively simple through automated decision-making.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent inverts the traditional approach by not controlling which vehicles can enter based on fixed rules, but rather by allowing vehicles to enter based on real-time congestion conditions in opposite pre-junction sections. Instead of preventing entry from congested sections, the system preferentially allows entry from sections with more waiting vehicles, using the congestion state itself as the permission criterion. This inversion simplifies control logic while improving reliability.
Data Source
AI summary
An article transport facility includes a control system. The control system is configured to perform an entry permission issuing process of giving an entry permission to allow a plurality of transport vehicles to enter a junction, based on a cost calculated as a factor influencing a travel time of the transport vehicles in each of two pre-junction sections which cost increases as the travel time is longer, in such a manner as to give the entry permission to more entry-waiting transport vehicles in first a pre-junction section for which the cost is larger out of the two pre-junction sections than in a second pre-junction section for which the cost is smaller out of the two pre-junction sections.