Emergency routing within a controllable transit system

• US 8,406,986 B2
• Filed: 04/27/2010
• Issued: 03/26/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 04/27/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Daedalus Blue LLC
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Hamilton, II, Rick A., Morris, Benjamin G., Boss, Gregory J., DAWSON, Christopher J.
• Primary Examiner(s): EL CHANTI, HUSSEIN A
• Application Number:
  US12/767,869
• Publication Number:
  US 20110264360A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,064 Days
• Field of Search: 701/117
• US Class Current: 701/117
• CPC Class Codes: B61L 27/00 Central railway traffic control systems; Trackside control; Communication systems specially adapted therefor
• CPC Class Codes: B61L 27/04 Automatic systems, e.g. controlled by train; Change-over to manual control
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3415 Dynamic re-routing, e.g. recalculating the route when the user deviates from calculated route or after detecting real-time traffic data or accidents
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/26 Government or public services business processes related to the transportation industry G06Q50/40
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/40 Business processes related to the transportation industry shipping G06Q10/083
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/127 to a central station ; Indicators in a central station
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/207 with respect to certain areas, e.g. forbidden or allowed areas with possible alerting when inside or outside boundaries
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/065 Navigation or guidance aids, e.g. for taxiing or rolling

Abstract

Embodiments of the present invention provide a solution for an orderly and well-considered evacuation of a Personal Rapid Transit (PRT) system in the event of declared emergency. It describes the mapping of evacuation points and subsequent routing of PRT vehicles according to both the nature/location of the emergency and outflow capacity at each evacuation point. A PRT is defined as an automatic method by which personal transport vehicles (a/k/a “pods”) can be used to efficiently and rapidly move people between various points within a closed area (for example, a city center). In an ideal world, these pods can be thought of as intelligent automated vehicles (similar to driverless taxis) that can adapt to changing demand to optimize the movement of people. For example, an emergency may be declared within a PRT system which does not cause widespread power loss, but which does require an orderly evacuation (e.g., smoke or flooding). In such events, PRT vehicles will be routed through the means described here to an evacuation point capable of handling such outflow in an orderly manner.

Claims

1. A method for emergency routing within a controllable transit system, comprising:

identifying, using at least one computing device, an emergency affecting the controllable transit system;

evaluating, using the at least one computing device, a set of evacuation points within the controllable transit system based on the emergency;

classifying, using the at least one computing device, a set of vehicles of the controllable transit system as impacted or not impacted by the emergency; and

determining, using the at least one computing device, a set of routes for the vehicles to reach the set of evacuation points, the set of routes being determined based on the evaluating and the classifying.

2. The method of claim 1, the set of routes being further determined based on a quantity of a set of passengers in the set of vehicles.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising generating, using the at least one computing device, a map of the controllable transit system, the map identifying the set of evacuation points.

4. The method of claim 1, the evaluating comprising determining, using the at least one computing device, whether any of the set of evacuation points is affected by the emergency.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising associating, using the at least one computing device, each one of the set of vehicles with a desired evacuation point selected from the set of evacuation points, the desired evacuation point being selected based on a physical proximity to a corresponding vehicle.

6. The method of claim 1, the set of evacuation points being outside of an area in which the emergency exists.

7. A system for emergency routing within a controllable transit system, comprising:

a memory medium comprising instructions;

a bus coupled to the memory medium;

a processor coupled to the bus that when executing the instructions causes the system to;

identify an emergency affecting the controllable transit system;

evaluate a set of evacuation points within the controllable transit system based on the emergency;

classify a set of vehicles of the controllable transit system as impacted or not impacted by the emergency; and

determine a set of routes for the vehicles to reach the set of evacuation points, the set of routes being determined based on the evaluation and the classification.

8. The system of claim 7, the set of routes being further determined based on a quantity of a set of passengers in the set of vehicles.

9. The system of claim 7, the system further being caused to generate a map of the controllable transit system, the map identifying the set of evacuation points.

10. The system of claim 7, the system further being caused to determine whether any of the set of evacuation points is affected by the emergency.

11. The system of claim 7, the system further being caused to associate each one of the set of vehicles with a desired evacuation point selected from the set of evacuation points, the desired evacuation point being selected based on a physical proximity to a corresponding vehicle.

12. The system of claim 7, the set of evacuation points being outside of an area in which the emergency exists.

13. A non-transitory computer readable medium containing a program product for emergency routing within a controllable transit system, the non-transitory computer readable medium comprising program code for causing a computer to:

identify an emergency affecting the controllable transit program product;

evaluate a set of evacuation points within the controllable transit program product based on the emergency;

classify a set of vehicles of the controllable transit system as impacted or not impacted by the emergency; and

determine a set of routes for the vehicles to reach the set of evacuation points, the set of routes being determined based on the evaluation and the classification.

14. The non-transitory computer readable medium containing the program product of claim 13, the set of routes being further determined based on a quantity of a set of passengers in the set of vehicles.

15. The non-transitory computer readable medium containing the program product of claim 13, the non-transitory computer readable medium further comprising program code for causing the computer to generate a map of the controllable transit computer readable medium containing the program product, the map identifying the set of evacuation points.

16. The non-transitory computer readable medium containing the program product of claim 13, the non-transitory computer readable medium further comprising program code for causing the computer to determine whether any of the set of evacuation points is affected by the emergency.

17. The non-transitory computer readable medium containing the program product of claim 13, the non-transitory computer readable medium further comprising program code for causing the computer to associate each one of the set of vehicles with a desired evacuation point selected from the set of evacuation points, the desired evacuation point being selected based on a physical proximity to a corresponding vehicle.

18. The non-transitory computer readable medium containing the program product of claim 13, the set of evacuation points being outside of an area in which the emergency exists.

19. A method for deploying a system for emergency routing within a controllable transit system, comprising:

providing a computer infrastructure being operable to;

identify an emergency affecting the controllable transit program product;

evaluate a set of evacuation points within the controllable transit program product based on the emergency;

classify a set of vehicles of the controllable transit system as impacted or not impacted by the emergency; and

determine a set of routes for the vehicles to reach the set of evacuation points, the set of routes being determined based on the evaluation and the classification;

wherein the computer infrastructure comprises at least one computer.

20. The method of claim 19, the computer infrastructure being further operable to generate a map of the controllable transit computer readable medium containing the program product, the map identifying the set of evacuation points.