Traveling Route Control for Multi-Location Processing Requests
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing systems lack an efficient method to optimize the traveling routes of processing devices such as image forming apparatuses, cooking devices, and assembling/disassembling machines to minimize wait times across multiple locations, leading to suboptimal processing times and increased average wait times for users.
Innovation Solution
A control device that receives requests for processing and calculates the most efficient traveling routes for devices based on traveling time and processing time, determining the shortest average wait time by analyzing candidate routes and prioritizing users with shorter estimated wait times, using a server connected to personal computers and image forming apparatuses to manage job queues and travel commands.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a processing device travels to multiple locations to fulfill requests, then the device can serve multiple users, but the average wait time for users increases due to travel time between locations
Solution Approach 1:
The control device calculates and determines the optimal traveling route in advance before the processing device begins moving. By pre-calculating the route that minimizes total travel time across all destinations, the system prepares the path beforehand, allowing the processing device to execute it without delays, thereby reducing user wait times while still serving multiple locations.
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically determines the traveling route based on real-time conditions and request patterns. The control device adjusts the optimal route calculation considering the specific locations, travel times, and processing times for each request, creating a dynamic optimization approach that adapts to different scenarios while minimizing average wait time.
2Speed
If the processing device prioritizes locations closer to its current position, then travel time to the next destination is reduced, but the overall average wait time may increase due to suboptimal routing
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of making greedy local decisions about which location to visit next, the control device performs preliminary calculation of the entire optimal route sequence before the processing device starts moving. This advance planning ensures that the device follows a globally optimal path rather than getting trapped in locally optimal but globally suboptimal routing patterns.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses feedback from the calculated optimal route to guide the processing device's movement. The control device continuously monitors the device's position and compares it against the pre-calculated optimal route, ensuring the device stays on the path that minimizes average wait time across all destinations rather than deviating based on immediate proximity to users.
Data Source
AI summary
A control device includes: a receiving unit that receives a request for processing; and a control unit that, in a case where the receiving unit receives a plurality of requests for processing from a plurality of places, controls a traveling route of a processing apparatus based on traveling time taken for the processing apparatus to travel to the plurality of places and processing time taken for the processing apparatus to finish the processing after traveling.