Real-time prediction and correction of scheduled service bunching

• US 9,785,896 B2
• Filed: 07/31/2013
• Issued: 10/10/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 07/31/2013
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Calabrese, Francesco, Nair, Rahul, Pinelli, Fabio
• Primary Examiner(s): Gart, Matthew
• Assistant Examiner(s): Swartz, Stephen S
• Application Number:
  US13/956,029
• Publication Number:
  US 20150039372A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,532 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06311 Scheduling, planning or task assignment for a person or group
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06312 Adjustment or analysis of established resource schedule, e.g. resource or task levelling, or dynamic rescheduling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06315 Needs-based resource requirements planning or analysis
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/40 Business processes related to the transportation industry shipping G06Q10/083

Abstract

A method includes: a computer receiving historical data from at least one service vehicle; the computer receiving network definitions for the least one service vehicle; the computer receiving dynamic data from the at least one service vehicle; and the computer developing predictions and corrective actions to prevent service bunching, based upon the historical data, the network definitions, and the dynamic data.

Claims

1. A computer system comprising:

one or more processors, one or more computer-readable memories and one or more computer-readable, tangible storage devices;

a service network controller operatively coupled to at least one of the one or more storage devices for execution by at least one of the one or more processors via at least one of the one or more memories, is configured to receive historical data from at least one service bus vehicle from a fleet of service bus vehicles;

the service network controller operatively coupled to at least one of the one or more storage devices for execution by at least one of the one or more processors via at least one of the one or more memories, is further configured to receive network definitions of service routes for the least one service bus vehicle from the fleet of service bus vehicles;

the service network controller operatively coupled to at least one of the one or more storage devices for execution by at least one of the one or more processors via at least one of the one or more memories, is further configured to receive dynamic data from the at least one service bus vehicle from the fleet of service bus vehicles;

the service network controller operatively coupled to at least one of the one or more storage devices for execution by at least one of the one or more processors via at least one of the one or more memories, is further configured to receive passenger model data when the passenger uses a card upon boarding the least one service bus vehicle from the fleet of service bus vehicles; and

the service network controller operatively coupled to at least one of the one or more storage devices for execution by at least one of the one or more processors via at least one of the one or more memories, is further configured to develop route predictions and corrective actions to prevent service bunching for the fleet of service bus vehicles, based upon the historical data, the network route definitions, and the dynamic data, wherein the service bus vehicles operate on roads such that one of the corrective actions may include to skip a road bus stop.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein the route predictions are used to prevent service bunching for the at least one service bus vehicle amongst the fleet of service bus vehicles.

3. The system according to claim 1, wherein another one of the corrective actions include optimizing route plans to prevent predicted service bunching amongst the fleet of service bus vehicles along a network of scheduled services.

4. The system according to claim 3, historical data includes past performance of at least one service bus vehicle from the fleet of service bus vehicles.

5. The system according to claim 3, wherein the dynamic data is real time data from the at least one service bus vehicle from the fleet of service bus vehicles.

6. The system according to claim 3, wherein the service network controller sends the optimized route plans to a network infrastructure to prevent the service bunching.

7. A computer program product comprising:

one or more computer-readable, tangible storage medium;

program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more storage medium, to cause a service network controller to receive historical data from at least one service bus vehicle from a fleet of service bus vehicles;

program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more storage medium, to cause the service network controller to receive network definitions of service routes for the least one service bus vehicle from the fleet of service bus vehicles;

program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more storage medium, to cause the service network controller to receive dynamic data from the at least one service bus vehicle from the fleet of service bus vehicles;

program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more storage medium, to cause the service network controller to receive passenger model data when the passenger uses a card upon boarding the least one service bus vehicle from the fleet of service bus vehicles; and

program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more storage medium, to cause the service network controller to develop route predictions and corrective actions to prevent service bunching for the fleet of service bus vehicles, based upon the historical data, the network route definitions, and the dynamic data, wherein the service bus vehicles operate on roads such that one of the corrective actions may include to skip a road bus stop.

8. The computer program product according to claim 7, wherein another one of the corrective actions include optimizing route plans to prevent predicted service bunching for the fleet of service bus vehicles along a network of scheduled services.

9. The computer program product according to claim 8, further comprising program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more storage medium, to cause the service network controller to send the optimized route plans to a network infrastructure to prevent service bunching for the fleet of service bus vehicles.