Priority-Based Vehicle Routing for Congestion-Aware Article Transport
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
In article transport facilities, setting routes for vehicles with varying priorities can lead to inefficient operation, as uniform criteria may assign shorter routes to lower-priority vehicles, potentially causing congestion and reducing overall efficiency.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of a route setting method that uses link costs with reference and variable components, adjusted based on priority, to preferentially route high-priority vehicles efficiently, avoiding congested links by calculating adjusted variable costs and determining optimal routes dynamically.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If uniform route setting criteria are used for all vehicles, then the route selection process is simple, but high-priority vehicles cannot preferentially use efficient routes
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by making the route setting criteria vehicle-specific rather than uniform. Different vehicles receive different priority adjustment values based on their traveling purposes, allowing high-priority vehicles to use more efficient routes while low-priority vehicles use routes that avoid congestion. This differentiated approach resolves the contradiction by maintaining simplicity in the overall process while introducing localized optimization for different vehicle types.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the parameter of route cost by introducing priority adjustment values that modify the base cost calculation. The link cost is adjusted based on vehicle priority, allowing the same physical route to have different effective costs for different vehicles. This parameter change enables the system to preferentially assign efficient routes to high-priority vehicles without fundamentally changing the route setting process structure.
2Loss of time
If the shortest route is assigned to all vehicles, then individual vehicle travel time is minimized, but congestion occurs reducing overall efficiency
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies dynamics by making the route cost dynamic rather than static. The link cost changes based on the number of other vehicles present in the link and the priority adjustment value of the setting vehicle. This dynamic cost structure allows the system to adaptively balance individual vehicle travel time with overall facility efficiency by routing vehicles based on real-time congestion conditions and priority levels.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements feedback by using the number of other vehicles in each link to adjust the link cost. The system continuously monitors vehicle distribution and feeds this information back into the route setting calculation, creating a self-regulating mechanism that prevents congestion while maintaining efficient travel times for high-priority vehicles.
3Productivity
If priority-based route adjustment is implemented, then high-priority vehicles reach destinations faster, but the route setting calculation becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by pre-defining priority adjustment values for different traveling purposes before the route setting process begins. Instead of calculating complex priority weights during route optimization, the system preliminarily assigns priority levels based on vehicle purpose, simplifying the actual route calculation while still achieving differentiated priority handling.
Data Source
AI summary
A reference cost and a variable cost are included in a link cost for setting a set route for causing a setting vehicle to travel to a destination on a travelable route. A controller obtains an adjusted variable cost by adjusting a variable cost using a priority adjustment value set higher as a priority for arriving more quickly at a destination decreases, determines a link cost for each link in a candidate route, which is a candidate for a set route for a setting vehicle, based on the adjusted variable cost and the reference cost, obtains a route cost for each candidate route based on the link costs, and sets the set route based on the route costs of the candidate routes.