Traveling Vehicle Entry Control for Congestion-Free Area Access
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Solution Overview
Problem
In traveling vehicle systems, vehicles may stop and become stuck due to improper entry permission management, leading to reduced utilization rates as the order of entry permission requests can be reversed during communication, causing vehicles to wait outside areas even when they could enter if the maximum capacity has not been reached.
Innovation Solution
A controller determines if the remaining number of vehicles is below a predetermined threshold, temporarily holding entry requests if not exceeded, and grants permission to the first vehicle arriving at an entry region, ensuring smooth entry by prioritizing vehicles that arrive first at the entry point.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If entry permission is granted to traveling vehicles in the order of request receipt, then the control process is simple, but traveling vehicles may stop and become stuck on the entry route when the request order is reversed during communication
Solution Approach 1:
The controller preliminarily determines whether the number of traveling vehicles in the specific area is equal to or less than a predetermined number before granting entry permission. This preliminary check prevents the situation where vehicles stop and become stuck on entry routes, as the controller only permits entry when capacity allows, thereby maintaining both control simplicity and vehicle utilization efficiency
2Reliability
If the maximum number of vehicles is set preliminarily in each area, then vehicle density is controlled, but traveling vehicles cannot enter when the limit is reached even if they could enter smoothly
Solution Approach 1:
The predetermined number threshold provides dynamic control by allowing entry when the number of vehicles in the specific area is at or below the threshold, and preventing entry when exceeded. This dynamic adjustment based on real-time vehicle count optimizes both area capacity management and vehicle utilization, preventing unnecessary stops while maintaining safe density levels
Data Source
AI summary
A traveling vehicle system includes a determiner to determine, upon receiving from a traveling vehicle an entry permission request for an area under control, whether or not a remaining number of vehicles to a maximum number of vehicles allowed to enter the area is equal to or less than a threshold value, and an entry permitter to temporarily hold the entry permission request from the traveling vehicle if the determiner determines the threshold value has not been exceeded and upon arrival of the traveling vehicle at an entry region for the area, grant the traveling vehicle permission to enter the area if a sum of a number of traveling vehicles within the area and a number of traveling vehicles already permitted to enter the area is less than a maximum number of vehicles, but does not grant entry permission if the sum has reached the maximum number of vehicles.