Transport Route Cost Control Using Aggregated Congestion Counts
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing transport systems that determine link costs based on congestion status at a single point in time may inaccurately estimate congestion, leading to inefficient route selection and reduced transport efficiency.
Innovation Solution
A transport system that includes a management controller with a route selector, counter, and adjuster to dynamically assess congestion by counting transport vehicles over an aggregation period and adjusting route costs based on aggregated data, thereby accurately determining congestion status and reducing it.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If link cost is increased based on congestion status at a single point in time, then route selection can avoid immediate congestion, but the congestion status may be insufficiently estimated leading to circuitous routes and reduced transport efficiency
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary actions by counting transport vehicles in advance over an aggregation period before making route cost adjustments. The counter accumulates vehicle count data during the aggregation period, and only after this preliminary data collection is complete does the adjuster modify the link cost based on whether the aggregated count exceeds the threshold. This ensures route decisions are based on statistically significant congestion patterns rather than transient conditions.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements feedback by continuously monitoring the aggregation period, comparing the count aggregation value against the threshold, and dynamically adjusting link costs based on this comparison. When the aggregated vehicle count exceeds the threshold, the link cost is increased to discourage route selection; when it falls below, the cost is reduced. This closed-loop feedback mechanism ensures route selection adapts to actual congestion patterns while maintaining transport efficiency.
2Measurement precision
If the aggregation period is extended to improve congestion estimation accuracy, then more reliable route selection is achieved, but the responsiveness to current congestion status is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The system changes the parameter of the aggregation period to an appropriate length that balances accuracy and responsiveness. By carefully selecting the aggregation period duration, the system accumulates sufficient data to accurately determine congestion status while maintaining the ability to respond timely to congestion changes. The parameter is set to capture meaningful congestion patterns without being so long as to delay route optimization decisions.
3Measurement precision
If multiple thresholds are used to determine congestion status, then more accurate congestion determination is achieved, but the system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system applies local quality by using different thresholds for different congestion determination purposes. The first threshold is used to determine when congestion exists and link cost should be increased, while the second threshold is used to determine when congestion has resolved and cost should be reduced. This localized threshold application simplifies the control logic compared to using a single complex threshold while maintaining accurate congestion determination.
Data Source
AI summary
A transport system includes a transport vehicle to travel along a trajectory to transport an article, and a management controller configured or programmed to assign a transport command of the article to the transport vehicle and to include a route selector to select based on the transport command a route on which the transport vehicle travels such that a cost of the route from a departure point to a destination is reduced or minimized, a counter to count a number of transport vehicles entering a setting area in the trajectory, and an adjuster to increase the cost of the route passing through the setting area when a count aggregation value in which the number counted by the counter in an aggregation period is aggregated exceeds a first threshold.