Vehicle Traffic Grid Guidance for Multi-Vehicle Collision Avoidance

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Solution Overview

Problem

Current vehicle traffic control systems lack efficient automation and precision guidance for managing multiple vehicles in complex zones, such as airports or multi-level parking structures, leading to potential collisions and inefficiencies in traffic flow.

Innovation Solution

A vehicle traffic control system that uses a set of grid generators to project relative navigation grids, which are detected by vehicles equipped with detector modules, generating navigation outputs and traffic control plans to ensure safe and efficient vehicle movement through the integration of communication links and controller modules.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Measurement precision

If a vehicle traffic control system uses multiple detector modules to simultaneously receive relative navigation grid projections, then measurement precision and navigation accuracy are improved, but device complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvenavigation accuracyVSAvoidsystem complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Measurement precisionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The system divides the navigation detection function into multiple detector modules, each independently receiving and processing relative navigation grid projections. This segmentation allows parallel processing of navigation data from different spatial perspectives, improving measurement precision while maintaining manageable complexity through modular architecture

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

Multiple detector modules perform the same universal function of receiving relative navigation grid projections. Each module is designed with identical capabilities to detect grid lines and generate navigation outputs, allowing the system to achieve higher precision through redundancy and cross-validation without requiring fundamentally different system components

Inventive Principle:
Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

2Productivity

If the system generates and executes automated traffic control plans for multiple vehicles, then productivity and traffic flow efficiency are improved, but device complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvetraffic flow efficiencyVSAvoidcontrol system complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The traffic control system pre-generates traffic control plans based on predicted vehicle positions and trajectories. By performing preliminary planning actions before conflicts occur, the system can efficiently manage multiple vehicles without real-time computational complexity, as the plans are prepared in advance using the relative navigation grid data

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The system continuously monitors vehicle positions relative to the navigation grid and uses this feedback to update and adjust traffic control plans. This closed-loop feedback mechanism enables automated productivity improvement through dynamic plan adjustment while maintaining controlled complexity through systematic information processing

Inventive Principle:
Principle #23Feedback

3Measurement precision

If the system uses relative navigation grids with encoded grid data to identify predetermined points, then measurement precision is improved, but difficulty of detecting and measuring increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveposition detection accuracyVSAvoidgrid detection complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Measurement precisionVSDifficulty of detecting and measuring

Solution Approach 1:

The system uses encoded grid data represented through distinguishable visual characteristics (analogous to color changes) in the relative navigation grid projection. Different predetermined points are identified through encoded patterns in the grid lines that detector modules can distinguish, improving position detection accuracy while maintaining detection simplicity through visual encoding rather than complex measurements

Inventive Principle:
Principle #32Color changes

Data Source

PatentEP3301532B1Method and vehicle traffic control system
Publication Date: 2021.07.28 GE AVIATION SYSTEMS LLC
  • EP3301532B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP3301532B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP3301532B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

A vehicle (6, 8) and method of operating a vehicle (6, 8) in a vehicle traffic control system (2) includes receiving a grid projection from a grid generator (10), generating a navigation output, transmitting the navigation output to the vehicle traffic control system (2), receiving the vehicle traffic control plan from the vehicle traffic control system (2), and operating the vehicle (6, 8).