Method and apparatus for freight transportation using a satellite navigation system
First Claim
1. A method for assigning each of a set of freight hauling tractor vehicles to one of a set of towable freight loads, said method comprising the steps of:
- determining locations of said tractor vehicles and said towable freight loads becoming disengaged from said tractor vehicles, and using said locations to estimate a set of deadhead distances corresponding to separation between each of said tractor vehicles available to engage loads and each of said towable freight loads;
assigning each of said available tractor vehicles with one of said towable freight loads by minimizing a cost function related to a set of revenue parameters, said set of revenue parameters comprising said deadhead distances; and
scheduling a relay, in accordance with said cost function, of one of said towable freight loads previously disengaged from a first of said tractor vehicles to a second of said tractor vehicles.
7 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A system and method for assigning hauling vehicles to freight loads within a freight transportation system is disclosed herein. The system includes a satellite navigation subsystem for providing vehicle and load position data useable to determine the locations of each hauling vehicle and freight load. The position data may also be utilized to determine a set of deadhead distances required to be traversed by ones of the hauling vehicles unencumbered with freight loads while en route to load pick-up locations. Each unencumbered tractor vehicle is then efficiently matched with an available freight load in accordance with the compiled sets of deadhead distances and a set of potential pick-up times. Objectives such as punctual load pick-up and delivery, full utilization of available tractor vehicles, and maintaining scheduled driver home-base times of arrival may be achieved through "relay" operations. The term "relay" refers to the process by which an in-transit load is disengaged from a first tractor vehicle and made available at a designated relay location. The disengaged load is then engaged by a second tractor vehicle which becomes available in the vicinity of the relay location within a predefined relay window. In a preferred implementation the loads matched to selected pairs of tractor vehicles may also be exchanged, or "swapped", at a set of swap locations so as to minimize a cost function.
352 Citations
30 Claims
-
1. A method for assigning each of a set of freight hauling tractor vehicles to one of a set of towable freight loads, said method comprising the steps of:
-
determining locations of said tractor vehicles and said towable freight loads becoming disengaged from said tractor vehicles, and using said locations to estimate a set of deadhead distances corresponding to separation between each of said tractor vehicles available to engage loads and each of said towable freight loads; assigning each of said available tractor vehicles with one of said towable freight loads by minimizing a cost function related to a set of revenue parameters, said set of revenue parameters comprising said deadhead distances; and scheduling a relay, in accordance with said cost function, of one of said towable freight loads previously disengaged from a first of said tractor vehicles to a second of said tractor vehicles. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4)
-
-
5. In a freight transportation system including a set of tractor vehicles and a set of towable trailers each capable of bearing a freight load, a system for assigning each of a set of tractor vehicles to one of a set of trailers, said system comprising:
-
means for determining locations of said tractor vehicles and of said trailers, said locations being usable to estimate a set of deadhead distances corresponding to separation between said tractor vehicles and said trailers; means for determining a multiplicity of pick-up times at which ones of said trailers, become available to be engaged by one of said tractor vehicles subsequent to disengagement by another of said tractor vehicles; means for assigning each of said available tractor vehicles with one of said trailers, by optimizing a cost function related to a set of revenue parameters, said set of revenue parameters comprising said deadhead distances and down time corresponding to periods during which idle ones of said tractor vehicles are disengaged from said trailers, said down time being estimated based on said multiplicity of pick-up times. - View Dependent Claims (6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17)
-
-
18. In a freight transportation system, a method for assigning a set of tractor vehicles to a plurality of towable freight loads, said tractor vehicles being used to transport said plurality of towable freight loads to a corresponding plurality of destinations, said method comprising the steps of:
-
determining locations of each of said tractor vehicles, and of each of said towable freight loads becoming disengaged from one of said tractor vehicles, in accordance with vehicle and load position data provided by a satellite navigation system; assigning based on said locations of each of said tractor vehicles and of each of said freight loads, each of said tractor vehicles to one of said towable freight loads so as to minimize a cost function related to a set of revenue parameters, said set of revenue parameters comprising a down time during which idle one of tractor vehicles are disengaged from said towable freight loads; and scheduling swapping of said ones of said towable freight loads so as to minimize said cost function. - View Dependent Claims (19, 20, 21, 22, 23)
-
-
24. A dispatch system for assigning a set of tractor vehicles to a plurality of towable freight loads, said plurality of towable freight loads being transported to a plurality of destinations by said set of tractor vehicles, said dispatch system comprising:
-
a satellite navigation subsystem for providing vehicle and load position data usable to determine locations of each of said tractor vehicles and said towable freight loads becoming disengaged from said tractor vehicles; means for assigning each of said tractor vehicles to one of said towable freight loads based on said locations so as to minimize a cost function related to a set of revenue parameters, said set of revenue parameters comprising a down time during which idle ones of tractor vehicles are disengaged from said towable freight loads; and means for scheduling swapping of pairs of said ones of said towable freight loads assigned to said selected pairs of said tractor vehicles so as to minimize said cost function. - View Dependent Claims (25, 26, 27)
-
-
28. A method for assigning each of a set of freight hauling tractor vehicles to one of a set of towable freight loads, said method comprising the steps of:
-
determining locations of said tractor vehicles and said towable freight loads becoming disengaged from said tractor vehicles; recommending a multiplicity of recommended pick-up times at which ones of said towable freight loads becoming disengaged are available to be relayed from one of said tractor vehicles and engaged by another of said tractor vehicles; and scheduling a relay, at one of said multiplicity of recommended pick-up times, of a selected one of said towable freight loads from a first of said tractor vehicles to a second of said tractor vehicles wherein said relay is scheduled for a relay location selected by minimizing a cost function related to a set of revenue parameters, said set of revenue parameters comprising deadhead distances traversed by said first and second tractor vehicles. - View Dependent Claims (29, 30)
-
Specification