Transport Vehicle Routing for Reverse Task Reassignment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing transportation facilities struggle to efficiently execute tasks that arise at various locations along the transport path, limiting the overall transportation efficiency due to the inability to utilize transport vehicles effectively for newly occurring tasks.
Innovation Solution
A transportation facility with multiple transport vehicles moving in a forward direction along a predetermined path, where a controller outputs movement commands for both forward and reverse directions, allowing selection of vehicles based on their position relative to the task destination, including those that have already passed the destination, to efficiently allocate tasks and improve path efficiency.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If transport vehicles are restricted to move only in the forward direction, then the system structure is simple and easy to control, but the transportation efficiency decreases when tasks occur at various locations along the path
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies the dynamics principle by enabling transport vehicles to dynamically switch between forward and reverse movement directions based on real-time task requirements and vehicle positions. The controller determines optimal movement direction by considering the vehicle's current location relative to the task destination, allowing the system to adapt its operation mode (forward or reverse movement) to maximize transportation efficiency while maintaining manageable control complexity through systematic decision-making rules
2Productivity
If only transport vehicles located upstream of the destination are assigned tasks, then task allocation is simple, but vehicles that have already passed the destination cannot contribute to new tasks
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements the universality principle by enabling transport vehicles to perform task execution functions regardless of their position relative to the destination. Vehicles both upstream and downstream of the destination can be assigned and execute tasks by moving in appropriate directions (forward or reverse), making the vehicle fleet universally applicable for task execution throughout the entire path. This multi-functional capability ensures that no vehicle is idle due to position constraints, thereby improving overall utilization rate while the controller manages allocation complexity through systematic position-based assignment rules
Data Source
AI summary
A controller outputs, to a transport vehicle, a forward movement command for moving in the forward direction along a transport path toward a destination, and a reverse movement command for moving in a reverse direction along the transport path toward the destination. When a target task occurs, the controller determines a transport vehicle to execute the target task among a plurality of transport vehicles, while also including, as a candidate, a transport vehicle located on a downstream side of the transport path relative to the destination at a timing when the target task occurs.