Dynamic traffic based routing algorithm

A system for dynamically routing a material transport vehicle within a material transport system network having a plurality of nodes, the system comprising:

• a controller;
• a first database containing a plurality of topological data describing a material transportation network coupled to the controller;
• a second database containing node-to-node distance values for each pair of adjacent nodes in the material transport system network, the second database coupled to the controller;
• a third database containing node crossing values for each node in the material transport system network, the third database coupled to the controller;
• a plurality of node controllers, each node controller associated with a corresponding node, each of the plurality of node controllers coupled to the controller and operative to provide queue size data indicative of the number of material transport vehicles at the corresponding node;
• said controller operative to:
• determine for each of the plurality of routes each of the intermediate nodes and the order of the intermediate nodes;
• to read for each pair of consecutive nodes in each of the plurality of routes the corresponding node-to-node distance stored in said second database;
• to read for each node in each of the plurality of routes, the predetermined node crossing value stored in the third database;
• to receive for each node in each of the plurality of routes, the size of the queue of vehicles at each node from the corresponding node controller;
• to determine for each of the plurality of routes a metric function value having parameters that include the node-to-node distance for each pair of consecutive nodes in each of the plurality of routes, the predetermined crossing value for each node in each of the plurality of routes, and the size of the queue of vehicles at each node;
• and
• to select a route of said plurality of routes that has the smallest metric function value.

A computer program product including a computer readable medium, said computer readable medium having a computer program stored thereon, said computer program for execution in a processor within a controller within a material transportation network, said computer program comprising:

• program code for determining for each of the plurality of routes each of the intermediate nodes and the order of the intermediate nodes;
• program code for receiving for each pair of consecutive nodes for each of the plurality of routes a predetermined output length for each pair of consecutive intermediate nodes;
• program code for receiving for each node for each of the plurality of routes, a predetermined node crossing value;
• program code for receiving for each node for each of the plurality of routes, the size of the queue of vehicles at each node for each of the plurality of routes
• program code for determining for each of the plurality of routes a metric function value of the output length for each pair of consecutive nodes in each of the plurality of routes, the predetermined crossing value for each node in each of the plurality of routes;
• and
• program code for selecting a route of said plurality of routes that has the smallest metric function.