Traffic Scheduling for Intelligent Transportation Systems
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) face challenges in managing traffic flow to prevent collisions and delays at road crossings, particularly for connected car corridors with autonomous vehicles.
Innovation Solution
A method involving the creation of a mesh topology representing a road network, obtaining traffic demands, and assigning vehicle train scheduling cycles with time slots to roads. Dynamic road portions are reserved for vehicle trains based on traffic demands and mesh topology, ensuring all vehicles move at the same speed.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If traffic control measures are implemented to prevent collisions and delays at road crossings, then safety and reliability improve, but system complexity and control difficulty increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the road network into discrete mesh topology units with defined paths and intersections. Traffic control is segmented into independent scheduling decisions for each intersection and path, making the complex system manageable through modular decomposition of the control problem.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary traffic scheduling and path assignment before vehicles reach intersections. By pre-calculating optimal paths and scheduling vehicle movements in advance based on mesh topology, the system prevents collisions and delays without requiring complex real-time control at each intersection.
2Productivity
If dedicated lanes are reserved for autonomous vehicles in connected car corridors, then traffic flow efficiency improves, but road capacity for mixed traffic decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements dynamic path assignment and scheduling where vehicle paths and time slots are adjusted based on real-time traffic conditions and demands. This dynamic approach allows the same road infrastructure to serve different purposes at different times, maximizing road capacity utilization while maintaining efficient autonomous vehicle flow.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes traffic flow parameters (speed, path, timing) based on scheduling decisions. By dynamically adjusting vehicle speed and path parameters according to pre-calculated schedules, the system optimizes traffic flow efficiency without permanently dedicating road space, thus preserving overall road capacity.
3Productivity
If real-time traffic scheduling is implemented to optimize road usage, then productivity and traffic flow improve, but computational requirements and system complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs periodic scheduling cycles where traffic paths and time slots are reassigned at regular intervals based on updated traffic demands. This periodic approach balances real-time optimization with computational feasibility by not requiring continuous recalculation, thus improving productivity without excessive system complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The system incorporates feedback mechanisms where traffic scheduling decisions are adjusted based on observed traffic conditions and demand changes. This feedback loop enables the system to optimize traffic flow dynamically while using historical data to reduce computational requirements for future scheduling decisions.
Data Source
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AI summary
A method comprising: receiving scheduling information for dynamic road portions reserved for vehicle trains in a road network including a set of roads and a set of intersections between roads in the set of roads, wherein all vehicles in all vehicle trains are moving with the same speed;wherein respective vehicle train scheduling cycles are assigned to roads in the set of roads, wherein each of the vehicle train scheduling cycles includes a same number of time slots and repeats over time; wherein the dynamic road portions are reserved such that at least one time slot in a vehicle train scheduling cycle assigned to a road on a path corresponding to a traffic demand is allocated to the considered path, wherein a time slot allocated in a vehicle train scheduling cycle assigned to a road defines a sliding spatial window moving over the considered road at the speed of a vehicle train and corresponds at each time to a road portion reserved on the considered road for a vehicle train to move on the considered path.