Method for platooning of vehicles in an automated vehicle system
Disclosed is a method of increasing track capacity in an automated vehicle system, the automated vehicle system comprising a network of tracks along which vehicles are adapted to travel, the network comprising at least one merge point at which at least two up stream tracks merge to form a downstream track, at least one diverge point at which one upstream track diverges to form at least two down-stream tracks and a plurality of stations at which passengers may board and/or disembark from the vehicles; wherein the method comprises controlling vehicles so as to cause empty vehicles to travel as at least one sequence of vehicles defined as a platoon; and controlling the empty vehicles of the at least one sequence to travel with a first safety distance between each other, the first safety distance being shorter than a second safety distance between vehicles being at least partially loaded.
1. A method of increasing track capacity in an automated vehicle system, the automated vehicle system comprising a network of tracks along which vehicles are adapted to travel, the network comprising at least one merge point at which at least two upstream tracks merge to form a downstream track, at least one diverge point at which one upstream track diverges to form at least two downstream tracks and a plurality of stations at which passengers may board and/or disembark from the vehicles;
wherein the method comprises controlling vehicles so as to cause empty vehicles to travel as at least one sequence of empty vehicles; and
controlling the empty vehicles of the at least one sequence to travel with a first safety distance between each other, the first safety distance being shorter than a second safety distance between vehicles being at least partially loaded;
wherein controlling the empty vehicles comprises dynamically forming said sequence of vehicles;
defining a merge control zone associated with the merge point, the merge control zone defining at least respective sections of the upstream tracks;
detecting a vehicle entering the merge control zone on a first one of the upstream tracks, the vehicle being a vehicle of a sequence of one or more vehicles approaching the merge point on said first upstream track;
allocating a passage time to the detected vehicle, the passage time being indicative of a time at which the vehicle is scheduled to pass the merge point; allocating the passage time is based on a merge priority assigned to the vehicle according to a predetermined set of merge priority rules; and
controlling a speed of the vehicle responsive to the allocated passage time.
2. A method according to claim 1 , wherein the method comprises assigning merge priorities responsive to a load status of the vehicle and at least one other vehicle in the merge control zone.
3. A method according to claim 2 , wherein the method comprises assigning merge priorities so as to form a sequence of vehicles having the same load status.
4. A method according to claim 1 , wherein the method comprises assigning a higher merge priority to an empty vehicle than to a loaded vehicle, when a vehicle passing the merge point directly preceding said empty vehicle is an empty vehicle.
5. A method according to claim 1 , wherein the method comprises assigning a higher merge priority to a loaded vehicle than to an empty vehicle, when a vehicle passing the merge point directly preceding said loaded vehicle is a loaded vehicle.
6. A method according to claim 5 , wherein the method comprises selecting loaded vehicles to pass the merge point until the at least two upstream tracks have empty vehicles oncoming to the merge point.
7. A method according to claim 1 , wherein the method comprises controlling an empty vehicle to accelerate so as to catch up with an empty vehicle running in front.
8. A method according to claim 7 , wherein the method further comprises merging vehicles from a number of upstream tracks into a downstream track, where an empty vehicle has accelerated and thereby provided a gap with free space on the downstream track for accommodating said vehicles from said number of upstream tracks.
9. A method according to claim 1 , wherein the method comprises assigning a path priority to a path at diverges at which more than one path leads to a destination of a vehicle, wherein assigning the path priority comprises assigning a higher path priority to a path responsive to a load status of respective previous vehicles travelling along the more than one paths.
10. A method according to 9 , wherein the method comprises directing an empty vehicle to a path where the empty vehicle will form a platoon with at least one other empty vehicle.
11. A method according to claim 9 , wherein the method comprises selecting vehicle destinations so that platoons are formed on the paths, when redistributing empty vehicles in the network.
12. A method according to claim 1 , the method comprises assigning dispatch priorities to vehicles scheduled to be dispatched from a station, wherein dispatch priorities are assigned responsive to the load status of the vehicles.
13. A method according to claim 12 , wherein the method comprises dispatching a sequence of at least two empty vehicles together in a platoon, the dispatching time being a scheduled dispatching time assigned to the front vehicle in the sequence of the at least two empty vehicles.
14. A method according to claim 12 , wherein the method comprises selecting an empty vehicle to be dispatched in a sequence of empty vehicles, as long as there are empty vehicles at the station to be dispatched.
15. A method according to claim 12 , wherein the method comprises selecting a loaded vehicle to be dispatched in a sequence of loaded vehicles, as long as there are loaded vehicles at the station to be dispatched.
16. A method according to claim 1 , wherein the automated vehicle system is a personal rapid transit system.
17. A method according to claim 1 , wherein the method comprises controlling an empty vehicle to accelerate so as to catch up with an empty vehicle running in front.
18. A control system for increasing track capacity in an automated vehicle system, the automated vehicle system comprising a network of tracks along which vehicles are adapted to travel, the network comprising at least one merge point at which at least two upstream tracks merge to form a downstream track, at least one diverge point at which one upstream track diverges to form at least two downstream tracks and a plurality of stations at which passengers may board and/or disembark from the vehicles; wherein the control system comprises:
means for controlling vehicles so as to cause empty vehicles to travel as at least one sequence of empty vehicles; and
means for controlling the empty vehicles of the at least one sequence to travel with a first safety distance between each other, the first safety distance being shorter than a second safety distance between vehicles being at least partially loaded;
wherein means for controlling the empty vehicles comprises means dynamically forming said sequence of vehicles;
means for defining a merge control zone associated with the merge point, the merge control zone defining at least respective sections of the upstream tracks;
means for detecting a vehicle entering the merge control zone on a first one of the upstream tracks, the vehicle being a vehicle of a sequence of one or more vehicles approaching the merge point on said first upstream track;
means for allocating a passage time to the detected vehicle, the passage time being indicative of a time at which the vehicle is scheduled to pass the merge point; allocating the passage time is based on a merge priority assigned to the vehicle according to a predetermined set of merge priority rules; and
means for controlling a speed of the vehicle responsive to the allocated passage time.