AUTOMATED SYSTEM FOR PREVENTING VEHICLE BUNCHING

• US 20150046073A1
• Filed: 12/20/2012
• Published: 02/12/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 12/20/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Via Analytics, Inc.
• Original Assignee: The Swatch Group Research And Development Ltd (The Swatch Group AG)
• Inventors: Saloner, Dylan, Xuan, Yiguang, Argote, Juan, Daganzo, Carlo
• Granted Patent: US 9,224,295 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/117
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096716 where the received information does not generate an automatic action on the vehicle control
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096741 where the source of the transmitted information selects which information to transmit to each vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096775 where the origin of the information is a central station
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096791 where the origin of the information is another vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/127 to a central station ; Indicators in a central station
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/133 within the vehicle ; Indicators inside the vehicles or at stops

Abstract

The present invention contemplates a distributed automatic control system for preventing the vehicle bunching. Information of vehicle locations is automatically detected and used to determine the positions and velocities of vehicles along a route. Vehicles pass predetermined points, such as stations, along the route. Information about whether the vehicle skipped the station, arrived at the station, or departed from the station, is automatically calculated based on the position and velocity information. This information is distributed among the vehicles that belong to the same route. An in-vehicle controller dynamically calculates holding times at each station and displays the information to the driver so that buses do not get too close to one another, thereby preventing bunching while maintaining appropriate speeds of the vehicles.

Claims

1. A distributed transportation control system for vehicles of a transportation route comprising:

a plurality of in-vehicle controllers, each in-vehicle controller being placed in one of the vehicles of the transportation route;

wherein each in-vehicle controller of the plurality of in-vehicle controllers includes;

a network interface configured to exchange status data of the vehicles, with other in-vehicle controllers of the plurality of in-vehicle controllers,

a spatial positioning device configured to continuously collect status data of an individual vehicle in which that in-vehicle controller is placed, and

a signaling device configured to provide an operating instruction to an operator of the individual vehicle in which that in-vehicle controller is placed.

2. The distributed transportation control system of claim 1, wherein the status data of the individual vehicle in which that in-vehicle controller is placed include position and velocity data of the vehicle.

3. The distributed transportation control system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of in-vehicle controllers are interconnected by a network, and the network includes a WiFi network, a mobile phone network, a satellite network, or a wireless data network.

4. The distributed transportation control system of claim 1, wherein each in-vehicle controller of the plurality of in-vehicle controllers further includes:

a processor configured to determine the operating instruction based on the status data of the vehicles of the transportation route.

5. The distributed transportation control system of claim 1, wherein the status data of the vehicles are determined based on the position and velocity data collected by the plurality of in-vehicle controllers and positions of a plurality of stations of the route;

wherein the vehicles are scheduled to stop at least one of the stations.

6. The distributed transportation control system of claim 1, wherein the status data of the vehicles includes status values indicating whether the other vehicles are during station arrival, station departure, or station skipping.

7. The distributed transportation control system of claim 1, wherein the operating instruction includes a time period for which the operator is to hold the individual vehicle at a station.

8. The distributed transportation control system of claim 1, wherein the operating instruction includes a visual indication of an extent of the individual vehicle being ahead of or behind a schedule.

9. The distributed transportation control system of claim 1, wherein the operating instruction further includes an audio signal to prompt the operator to move the individual vehicle.

10. The distributed transportation control system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of in-vehicle controllers exchange status data via a network without the data traveling through a centralized server.

11. An in-vehicle controller comprising:

a network interface configured to receive status data of other vehicles of a transportation route, via a network from other in-vehicle controllers placed in the other vehicles;

a spatial positioning device configured to continuously collect status data of the vehicle in which the in-vehicle controller is placed;

a signaling device configured to provide an operating instruction to an operator of the vehicle in which the in-vehicle controller is placed; and

a processor configured to determine the operating instruction based on the status data of the vehicles.

12. The in-vehicle controller of claim 11, wherein the operating instruction includes a time period for which the operator is to hold the vehicle at a station, or a visual indication of an extent of the vehicle being ahead of or behind a schedule.

13. The in-vehicle controller of claim 12, wherein the time period is determined such that the vehicle will not leave a station before a guaranteed time.

14. The in-vehicle controller of claim 11, wherein the processor is further configured to determine a real-time estimate of a time until a next vehicle arrives at a station.

15. The in-vehicle controller of claim 11, wherein the network interface is further configured to receive status data from vehicles from a second route, and the processor is further configured to determine the operation instruction such that the vehicle at which the in-vehicle controller is placed and a second vehicle from the second route arrive at a hub station in a predetermined temporal proximity.

16. The in-vehicle controller of claim 11, wherein the processor is further configured to dynamically generate a new vehicle schedule based on the status data of the vehicles.

17. The in-vehicle controller of claim 11, further comprising:

a passenger display configured to display passenger information, passenger information including a location of the vehicle, connecting transportation lines with arrival times, landmarks, local maps, or real-time location-based advertisements.

18. The in-vehicle controller of claim 11, wherein the processor is further configured to determine maintenance needs of the vehicle or to record maintenance activities of the vehicle.

19. The in-vehicle controller of claim 11, further comprising:

a payment module configured to process passenger payments.

20. The in-vehicle controller of claim 11, further comprising:

a monitoring module configured to monitor driving performance of the operator.

21. The in-vehicle controller of claim 11, wherein the processor is further configured to dynamically determine operator break schedule.

22. The in-vehicle controller of claim 11, further comprising:

a feedback module configured to collect passenger feedback on ride experience.

23. The in-vehicle controller of claim 11, further comprising:

a feedback module configured to collect passenger feedback on ride experience.

24. The in-vehicle controller of claim 11, wherein the spatial position device is a satellite navigation device.

25. A method for scheduling a vehicle of a transportation route comprising:

receiving status data of other vehicles of the transportation route, via a network from other in-vehicle controllers placed in the other vehicles;

detecting status data of the vehicle;

determining an operating instruction based on the status data of the other vehicles and the status data of the vehicle; and

presenting the operating instruction to an operator of the vehicle.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein the status data of the other vehicles includes status values indicating whether the other vehicles are during station arrival, station departure, or station skipping.

27. The method of claim 25, wherein the status data of the other vehicles includes position and velocity data of the other vehicles.

28. The method of claim 25, wherein the operating instruction includes a time period for which the operator is to hold the vehicle at a station, or a visual indication of an extent of the vehicle being ahead of or behind a schedule.

29. The method of claim 25, wherein the operating instruction includes an audio signal to prompt the operator to move the vehicle.