System and Method for Surface Vehicle Trajectory Description

• US 20150294564A1
• Filed: 03/18/2015
• Published: 10/15/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 04/11/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Original Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Inventors: FUCKE, Lars, VILLAR, Victor Perez, KAWIECKI, Grzegorz M.
• Granted Patent: US 9,773,415 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0214 in accordance with safety or protection criteria, e.g. avoiding hazardous areas monitoring the location of vehicles within a certain area, e.g. forbidden or allowed areas, in traffic control systems for road vehicles G08G1/13
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0217 in accordance with energy consumption, time reduction or distance reduction criteria
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/092 Coding or decoding of the information
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/127 to a central station ; Indicators in a central station
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/164 Centralised systems, e.g. external to vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/20 Monitoring the location of vehicles belonging to a group, e.g. fleet of vehicles, countable or determined number of vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/065 Navigation or guidance aids, e.g. for taxiing or rolling
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 9/00 Traffic control systems for craft where the kind of craft is irrelevant or unspecified

Abstract

System and method including a plurality of surface vehicles and a plurality of events to be performed by each of the surface vehicles. Each of the vehicles is equipped with an electronic control unit including a receiver and a decoder for the instructions received from a vehicle movement optimizer. The plurality of events include instructions of movements from an origin to a destination, and actions for each of the surface vehicles. The decoder decodes instructions received from the surface vehicle movement optimizer. The optimizer configures an optimized schedule of the preliminary plan by modifying the events based on either the vehicle attributes or updates submitted by the electronic control unit from the vehicle to the optimizer.

Claims

1. A system for surface vehicle trajectory description comprising:

a plurality of surface vehicles, each of the surface vehicles equipped with an electronic control unit comprising a receiver and a decoder for the instructions received from a surface vehicle movement optimizer;

a plurality of events to be performed by each of the surface vehicles,

wherein the plurality of events comprise instructions of movements from an origin to a destination, and actions for each of the surface vehicles,

wherein the decoder decodes instructions received from the surface vehicle movement optimizer,

wherein the optimizer configures an optimized schedule of a preliminary plan by modifying the events based on

vehicle attributes or

updates submitted by the electronic control unit from the vehicle to the optimizer.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein at least one sensor monitors surface operations and a transmitter submits updates to the optimizer every time the sensor detects an unexpected situation that makes at least one vehicle unable to perform according to the preliminary plan, requiring a new optimized schedule for the plurality of vehicles.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the transmitter submits updates to the optimizer every time the vehicle electronic control unit detects a technical malfunction or other unexpected event that makes the vehicle unable to perform according to the preliminary plan, requiring a new optimized schedule for the plurality of vehicles.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the vehicle attributes comprise physical dimensions, dynamic limitations and operating terms.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of surface vehicles further comprise at least one driver.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of surface vehicles are driverless.

7. A method for surface vehicle trajectory description for a plurality of surface vehicles controlled by a surface vehicle movement optimizer and monitored by at least one sensor, each surface vehicle equipped with a transmitter and an electronic control unit incorporating a receiver and a decoder, the method comprising:

i) receiving initial service requirements in terms of a plurality of events for each of the surface vehicles,

ii) implementing a preliminary plan for each of the surface vehicles based on the plurality of events and information concerning at least;

a. the constraints, path and actions to be performed by a surface vehicle and

b. vehicle attributes,

iii) computing an optimized schedule based on the preliminary plan for the plurality of events of the plurality of vehicles,

iv) modifying the optimized schedule if the electronic control unit of a surface vehicle transmits an update due to a technical malfunction or due to the detection of an unexpected situation by a sensor that makes the optimized schedule unable to be performed, and

v) transmitting the optimized schedule to each surface vehicle.