Car Wash Tunnel Queue Mediation for Vehicle Throughput Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Automated vehicle service facilities face challenges in managing vehicle throughput due to discrepancies between different system queues, leading to operational inefficiencies, resource waste, and reduced customer satisfaction.
Innovation Solution
A queue management system that provides automated queue updates and visual representations, allowing for real-time vehicle status monitoring and efficient traffic flow management, utilizing processors to transmit vehicle information to a car wash tunnel system controller and generate GUI data objects for facility operators.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Extent of automation
If a manual user queue update system is used for the car wash tunnel system, then the controller can maintain a single vehicle queue, but automated car wash operations cannot be utilized and operator capacity is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a queue management system as an intermediary component that bridges the external vehicle queue data and the car wash tunnel controller. This mediator automatically translates and transmits queue information to the controller, enabling automated operations without requiring manual user input while maintaining system compatibility.
Solution Approach 2:
The car wash tunnel controller is enhanced to automatically receive and process queue data from the queue management system. The system performs self-service by autonomously updating its internal vehicle queue based on external queue status, eliminating the need for manual operator intervention in queue management tasks.
2Reliability
If different systems maintain their own separate queues, then each system can operate independently, but discrepancies arise between queues leading to operational inefficiencies
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the separate queue management functions into a unified queue management system that coordinates between the external vehicle queue and the car wash tunnel controller queue. This integration ensures both queues remain synchronized, eliminating discrepancies while maintaining the operational independence of each system.
Solution Approach 2:
The queue management system implements a feedback mechanism that continuously monitors the status of both queues and automatically adjusts queue data transmission to the controller. This feedback loop ensures queue consistency is maintained in real-time, preventing operational inefficiencies caused by queue discrepancies.
3Productivity
If manual queue updates are required, then the system can maintain simplicity, but traffic flow management becomes inefficient and resources are wasted
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the manual mechanical queue update process with an automated electronic system. The queue management system uses software-based queue data transmission and automated controller communication to manage traffic flow, eliminating the need for manual operations and reducing energy consumption associated with human intervention and system idle time.
Data Source
AI summary
One or more processors coupled to memory can maintain a first queue of vehicles comprising a first vehicle and a second vehicle and transmit, to a controller of a car wash tunnel system maintaining a second queue, a first instruction to add information about the first vehicle into the second queue, a status of the second queue updated subsequent to the car wash tunnel system permitting the first vehicle to enter a car wash tunnel. The one or more processors can poll the controller to determine a change in the status of the second queue, determine, based on the change in the status, that the second queue is available to receive a next vehicle, and transmit a second instruction to add information about the second vehicle into the second queue to cause the car wash tunnel system to permit the second vehicle to enter the car wash tunnel.