Control system and method for automated vehicle fleet
AssigneeModutram Mexico, S.A. De D.V.
InventorAlexander Leopold Kyllmann
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A control system and method of a fleet of automated vehicles moving through a road network, which comprises some stationery and mobile control devices, of which some are fully independent of the mechanisms and technologies implemented in the vehicles, and some media to establish communication between the control devices by using, in some media, open communion protocols and, in others, closed protocols for the control of the different variables involved in the safe efficient operation in the transport of persons, cargo or both.
Claims25
A control system of a fleet of automated vehicles moving through a road network in which some stationery control devices are installed, which shall interact with some control devices installed in the vehicles, which comprises the following main control devices, each one with its respective sensors, actuators and software:
- 1) some stationary and mobile control devices, wherein:
- a) the stationery control devices comprising:
- a1) one or more DZ control devices in each zone which basically execute control tasks in order to optimize the operation of the entire system. For this they possess information on the entire the system and can share information with all the other devices;
- and
- a2) one or more DS control devices in each section which possess information on only one small part of the system and share information only with nearby devices from adjacent sections, and which execute the same set of control tasks in order to regulate traffic in their section;
- b) the mobile control devices installed in the vehicles comprise:
- b1) one or more DT control devices which possess information on the stationery control devices and share information with them, as well as with other DT control devices installed in other vehicles, and also with DM mobile control devices installed in the same vehicle. The DT control device(s) act as an interface between the vehicle and the other elements of the control system outside the vehicle, are not familiar with the mechanisms installed in the vehicle and their entry and exit signals are the same regardless of the technology and/or the mechanisms implemented in the vehicle;
- b2) one or more DM mobile control devices which possess information on the technology implemented in the vehicle wherein which they are installed, as well as the means necessary to manage it and measure the results, and which share information with the DT devices installed in the same vehicle. Therefore, the DM devices are not familiar with the other elements of the control system outside the vehicle and convert the instructions and/or signals issued by the DT mobile devices into physical behaviors of the vehicle or its components;
- 2) some communication media (C1, C2, C3) which incorporate means or mechanisms to guarantee the security of the information which flows between the control devices (DZ, DS, DT, DM) of the system, wherein C1 communication media intercommunicate to the stationery devices (DZ and DS) between them, the C2 media intercommunicate to the stationery devices with the DT mobile devices, and the C3 media intercommunicate to the DT devices with the DM devices inside a vehicle.
A control method of a fleet of automated vehicles moving through a road network, wherein some stationery control devices are installed which shall interact with some control devices installed in the vehicle. Such method is characterized by comprising the stages of:
- a) calculating and assigning a route to a vehicle for a journey based on knowledge of the road network and current and future traffic distribution;
- b) calculating a speed profile and sequence of behaviors of the vehicle during the time spent inside a road section based on knowledge of current and future locations and speeds of other vehicles inside that same section;
- c) transmitting the profile calculated in the above stage to the vehicle which must execute it;
- d) converting the calculated profile and instructions into physical behaviors of the vehicle or its components based on knowledge of the technologies and/or mechanisms implemented in the vehicle;
- e) continuously comparing the requested behavior with the actual behavior of the vehicle during the vehicle's journey through the section, with the aim of applying the appropriate measures in the event of dangerous situations appearing;
- and
- wherein stages b) and e) are repeated until the journey is complete.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.