Mobile Body Travel Timing Control at Virtual Path Areas

The system performs preliminary timing coordination by establishing passing sequences and virtual area allocation before mobile bodies arrive at critical sections. The travel control apparatus pre-calculates and communicates passage timing information to mobile bodies, ensuring they arrive at virtual areas at coordinated times rather than reacting to conflicts after they occur.

The travel control apparatus acts as an intermediary between mobile bodies, managing their interactions through centralized timing control. It receives travel plan information from mobile bodies, calculates coordinated passage timing, and returns control information to guide their movement, thereby mediating potential conflicts without requiring direct communication between mobile bodies themselves.

The control system segments the travel path into discrete virtual areas along each travel route. Each virtual area represents a controllable section where timing coordination can be independently managed. This segmentation allows the complex control problem to be broken down into simpler, localized timing decisions at each virtual area rather than managing the entire path as one complex unit.

The system changes the control parameter from continuous position monitoring to discrete timing coordination at virtual area boundaries. By focusing control on passage timing information rather than continuous spatial management, the system reduces computational complexity while maintaining safety. The travel control apparatus only needs to calculate and communicate timing parameters rather than continuously optimize complex spatial trajectories.