Method for controlling vehicles repeating a cycle

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12105524-B2
Application number	US-202017593567-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 19, 2020
Priority date	Mar 22, 2019
Publication date	Oct 1, 2024
Grant date	Oct 1, 2024

Abstract

The invention provides a method for controlling a plurality of vehicles which are repeating a cycle of driving along a route, which has at least one single vehicle area (SLTA1, . . . , SLTAm, SP, TP), characterized by—determining speed profiles for the vehicles,—creating a set of different activation times (t11, t21, tr11, tr21) for the vehicles, from an activation position (SP, TP) of the cycle,—simulating vehicle movements through the cycle, with the speed profiles, and the created set of activation times (t11, t21, tr11, tr21),—repeating, a plurality of times, the steps of creating a set of activation times, and simulating vehicle movements, wherein the created set of activation times are different from one repetition to another,—selecting, for controlling the vehicles, from the sets of activation times created by the repetition of the step of creating a set of activation times, a set of activation times (t12, t22, tr12, tr22) for which the simulation shows that there is a minimum time overlap (to21) of vehicles at any of the at least one single vehicle area, and—controlling the vehicles according to the speed profiles and the selected set of activation times.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method for controlling a plurality of vehicles which are repeating a cycle of driving along a same route, which has at least one single vehicle area, comprising:
determining speed profiles for each of the plurality of vehicles,
creating a set of different activation times for each of the plurality of vehicles to begin travel along the same route, from an activation position of the cycle,
simulating vehicle movements through the cycle, with the speed profiles and the created set of activation times,
repeating, a plurality of repetition times, the step of creating a set of activation times, resulting in a plurality of different sets of different activation times,
repeating, for each of the plurality of repetition times, the step of simulating vehicle movements, resulting in a plurality of simulations,
selecting, for controlling the vehicles, from the plurality of different sets of different activation times, a particular set of different activation times for the plurality of vehicles for which a corresponding particular simulation shows that there is a minimum time that vehicles travelling in opposite directions along the same route are present at any of the at least one single vehicle areas at a same time, and
controlling the vehicles to drive along the same route according to the speed profiles and the selected set of different activation times.

2. The method according to claim 1 , characterized in that at least a portion of the route is on a road, on which the vehicles move in both directions, and which has at least one portion with a single lane, wherein at least one of the at least one single vehicle area is formed by the at least one single lane road portion.

3. The method according to claim 1 , characterized in that the determined speed profiles are the same for the vehicles.

4. The method according to claim 1 , characterized in that the step of simulating vehicle movements comprises simulating vehicle movements over at least two cycles.

5. The method according to claim 1 , characterized in that selecting, for controlling the vehicles, a set of different activation times comprises determining, from each simulation, a largest time two vehicles travelling in opposite directions are at the same single vehicle area, resulting in a plurality of largest time overlaps.

6. The method according to claim 5 , characterized by selecting, for controlling the vehicles, a particular set of different activation times of a corresponding particular simulation presenting a lowest time overlap from the plurality of largest time overlaps.

7. The method according to claim 1 , characterized in that selecting, for controlling the vehicles, a set of different activation times comprises selecting a particular set of different activation times for which a corresponding particular simulation shows that there is no time vehicles travelling in opposite directions along the same route are present at any of the at least one single vehicles area.

8. The method according to claim 1 , characterized in that selecting, for controlling the vehicles, a set of different activation times also comprises, for each simulation in the plurality of simulations, determining a shortest time gap between movements of two vehicles through any one of the at least one single vehicle area, resulting in a plurality of shortest time gaps.

9. The method according to claim 8 , characterized by selecting, for controlling the vehicles, a particular set of different activation times of a corresponding particular simulation presenting a largest time gap from the plurality of shortest time gaps between movements of two vehicles through any one of the at least one single vehicle area.

10. The method according to claim 1 , characterized in that the sets of different activation times for each of the plurality of vehicles are created randomly.

11. The method according to claim 1 , characterized in that repeating the step of creating a set of different activation times comprises changing one or more activation times by one or more predetermined time intervals.

12. The method according to claim 11 , characterized by determining a plurality of possible combinations of different activation times, in which one of more of the different activation times differ from one set to another by the one or more predetermined time intervals.

13. The method according to claim 1 , characterized in that the route extends between two end positions, the activation position being one of the end positions.

14. The method according to claim 1 , characterized by determining a plurality of estimated times of arrival of the vehicles, at the activation position.

15. The method according to claim 14 , characterized in that the plurality of different sets of different activation times are created in dependence on the plurality of estimated times of arrival.

16. The method according to claim 14 , characterized in that the plurality of estimated times of arrival of the vehicles are determined at least partly based on the speed profiles.

17. The method according to claim 14 , characterized by determining a plurality of actual positions of the vehicles, wherein the plurality of estimated times of arrival of the vehicles are determined at least partly based on the plurality of actual positions.

18. The method according to claim 1 , characterized in that the plurality of different sets of different activation times are created by creating sets of staying durations at the activation position.

19. The method according to claim 18 , characterized in that the selected set of different activation times minimizes the staying durations.

20. The method according to claim 13 , characterized in that the end positions are a loading position, and an unloading position, respectively.

21. The method according to claim 18 , characterized in that the staying durations include respective durations for loading, or unloading the vehicles, upon arriving at the one of the one of the end positions, and respective waiting durations of the vehicles.

22. The method according to claim 21 , characterized in that the staying durations are not shorter that the respective loading or unloading durations.

23. The method according to claim 1 , characterized in that the set of different activation times comprises a set of starting times and in that the activation position is a starting position.

24. A non-transitory computer readable medium carrying a computer program comprising program code for performing the steps of claim 1 when said program code is run on a computer, or a group of computers.

25. A control unit, or a group of control units, configured to perform the steps of the method according to claim 1 .

Assignees

• Volvo Truck Corp

Inventors

• Islam Mohammad Manjurul
• Hellgren Jonas

Classifications

• G05D1/69

  Coordinated control of the position or course of two or more vehicles · CPC title

• G05D1/644

  Optimisation of travel parameters, e.g. of energy consumption, journey time or distance · CPC title

• G05D1/65

  Following a desired speed profile · CPC title

• G05D1/0223

  involving speed control of the vehicle (vehicle fittings for automatically controlling, i.e. preventing speed from exceeding an arbitrarily established velocity or maintaining speed at a particular velocity, as selected by the vehicle operator B60K31/00) · CPC title

• G05D1/0217

  in accordance with energy consumption, time reduction or distance reduction criteria · CPC title