# US 2023/0274646 A1 · Method for efficient route planning of vehicles in a sorting system > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2023/0274646 A1 - Document ID: US20230274646A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 18/312,506 - Filed: 2023-05-04 - Published: 2023-08-31 - Earliest claimed: 2020-11-08 - Assignees: Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft zur Foerderung der angewandten Forschung e.V. - Applicants: Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft zur Foerderung der angewandten Forschung e.V. - Inventors: Moritz ROIDL; Jan Sören EMMERICH; Leonie BENKENSTEIN; Patrick KLOKOWSKI; Christian HAMMERMEISTER - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20230274646A1 ## CPC - G05D 1/0289: {with means for avoiding collisions between vehicles (vehicle fittings for automatically controlling speed including means for detecting potential obstacles B60K31/0008; avoiding obstacles by action on the steering system B62D; radar, sonar, lidar systems designed for anti-collision purposes G01S13/93, G01S15/93, G01S17/93)} - G08G 1/164: {Centralised systems, e.g. external to vehicles} - B60W 30/095: Predicting travel path or likelihood of collision - B60W 40/10: related to vehicle motion - G05D 1/0297: {by controlling means in a control room} - B60W 2720/00: Output or target parameters relating to overall vehicle dynamics - G05D: SYSTEMS FOR CONTROLLING OR REGULATING NON-ELECTRIC VARIABLES - G08G: TRAFFIC CONTROL SYSTEMS (guiding railway traffic, ensuring the safety of railway traffic B61L; arrangement of road signs or traffic signals E01F9/00; radar or analogous systems, sonar systems, lidar systems specially adapted for traffic control G01S13/91, G01S15/88, G01S17/88; {radar or analogous systems, sonar systems, lidar systems specially adapted for anti-collision purposes G01S13/93, G01S15/93, G01S17/93}) - B60W: CONJOINT CONTROL OF VEHICLE SUB-UNITS OF DIFFERENT TYPE OR DIFFERENT FUNCTION; CONTROL SYSTEMS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR HYBRID VEHICLES; ROAD VEHICLE DRIVE CONTROL SYSTEMS FOR PURPOSES NOT RELATED TO THE CONTROL OF A PARTICULAR SUB-UNIT ## Abstract A sorting system includes a plurality of vehicles configured to move along trajectories in the sorting system. The sorting system includes a calculator configured to calculate a third number of trajectories between a first number of start points and a second number of end points, wherein a speed specification for a vehicle along the trajectories is allocated to each trajectory. The sorting system includes a coordinator configured to transmit drive requests to the plurality of vehicles, wherein each drive request includes a drive from one of the start points to one of the end points along one of the trajectories. Further, the sorting system includes a collision avoidance unit to amend the speed specification allocated to the trajectory based on the collision information to obtain an amended speed specification and to prevent the possible collision. ## Claims ### Claim 1 Sorting system controller, comprising: a coordinator configured to transmit drive requests to a plurality of vehicles, wherein each drive request comprises a drive from a start point to an end point along a respective trajectory; wherein a speed specification for a vehicle along the trajectory is allocated to each trajectory; a collision avoidance unit configured to examine, for a new drive request, an allocated trajectory for possible collisions with a drive request to acquire collision information indicating a possible collision; and to amend the speed specification allocated to the trajectory based on collision information to acquire an amended speed specification; and to prevent the possible collision; an interface for outputting the new drive request comprising an instruction that comprises the trajectory and the amended speed specification. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) Sorting system controller according to claim 1, wherein the speed specification associated with the trajectory is a speed specification based on a predetermination and comprises a speed profile for a speed across a path of the trajectory; and the collision avoidance unit is configured to adapt the speed specification subsequently and prior to transmission of the drive request by the amended speed specification to avoid the possible collision. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) Sorting system controller according to claim 1, wherein the coordinator is configured to select, for the new drive request, the trajectory from a plurality of trajectory candidates; wherein the plurality of trajectory candidates considers trajectories already allocated to vehicles in existing drive requests. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) Sorting system controller according to claim 1, wherein the collision avoidance unit is configured to not adapt the speed specification for already allocated trajectories of existing drive requests. ### Claim 5 (depends on 3) Sorting system controller according to claim 3, wherein the coordinator is configured to consider vehicles on already allocated trajectories for the selection of the trajectory as potential obstacles. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) Sorting system controller according to claim 1, wherein the collision avoidance unit is configured to acquire, for a plurality of new drive requests, a plurality of corresponding trajectories as respective time-optimum speed specification for traversing the trajectory and to determine, for the plurality of the new trajectories, possible collisions among the vehicles and to prevent the possible collisions within the new drive requests by adapting at least one of the speed specifications. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) Sorting system controller according to claim 1, wherein the collision avoidance unit is configured to determine possible collisions for a plurality of new drive requests and to match the speed specifications of the speed profiles allocated to the drive requests by the coordinator; wherein already transmitted speed profiles remain unamended. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) Sorting system controller according to claim 1, wherein the collision avoidance unit is configured to treat already amended speed specifications as unamendable until the drive request on the allocated trajectory is terminated. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) Sorting system controller according to claim 1, comprising: a calculator configured to determine a third number of trajectories between a first number of start points and a second number of end points, wherein the coordinator is configured to allocate drive requests to the trajectories. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) Sorting system controller according to claim 9, wherein the calculator is configured to calculate a plurality of trajectory candidates between a start point of the first number of start points and an end point of the second number of end points; wherein the coordinator is configured to select one of the trajectory candidates as trajectory for the new drive request. ### Claim 11 (depends on 9) Sorting system controller according to claim 9, wherein the calculator is configured to calculate the trajectory based on splines. ### Claim 12 (depends on 9) Sorting system controller according to claim 9, wherein the calculator is configured to calculate the speed specification in a kinodynamic manner as time-optimized speed specification. ### Claim 13 (depends on 1) Sorting system controller according to claim 1, wherein the trajectory describes a continuous path or a continuous route between a start point and an end point. ### Claim 14 (depends on 1) Sorting system controller according to claim 1, wherein the trajectory comprises a plurality of trajectory portions, wherein the calculator is configured to calculate a portion speed specification for each trajectory portion; and to calculate the speed specification based on a combination of the portion speed specifications. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) Sorting system controller according to claim 14, wherein the calculator is configured to calculate a maximum speed for each trajectory portion based on a curvature of the trajectory portion and a maximum acceleration of a vehicle; and to calculate the portion speed specification based on the maximum speed, a speed specification at the start of the trajectory portion and a speed specification at an end of the trajectory portion. ### Claim 16 Sorting system, comprising: a plurality of vehicles configured to move along trajectories in the sorting system; sorting system controller according to any of the preceding claims comprising calculator configured to calculate a third number of trajectories between a first number of start points and a second number of end points, wherein a speed specification for a vehicle along the trajectory is allocated to each trajectory; wherein the sorting system is configured to transmit, by means of the interface, the new drive request comprising the instruction that comprises the trajectory and the amended speed specification to a control of a vehicle. ### Claim 17 (depends on 16) Sorting system according to claim 16, wherein a start point and/or an end point is a stationary area in the sorting system; or is based on the trajectory. ### Claim 18 (depends on 16) Sorting system according to claim 16, wherein the plurality of vehicles comprises holonomic vehicles. ### Claim 19 (depends on 16) Sorting system according to claim 16, wherein the coordinator is configured to transmit the new drive request as a common drive request to a vehicle group or a vehicle formation for a common drive along the trajectory. ### Claim 20 Method for operating a sorting system controller comprising: transmitting drive requests to a plurality of vehicles, such that each drive request comprises a drive from a start point to an end point along a respective trajectory; such that a speed specification for a vehicle along the trajectory is allocated to each trajectory; examining, for a new drive request, an allocated trajectory for possible collisions with a drive request to acquire collision information indicating a possible collision; and amending the speed specification allocated to the trajectory based on the collision information to acquire an amended speed specification; and to prevent the possible collision; outputting the new drive request comprising an instruction that comprises the trajectory and the amended speed specification.