Patent ID: 8145368
Filing Date: 2012-03-27
Classification: B61L,G08G

Abstract:
1. A method of controlling merging of a plurality of streams of vehicles in an automated vehicle system, the automated vehicle system including a network of tracks along which the vehicles are adapted to travel, the network including at least one merge point at which at least two upstream tracks merge to form a downstream track, the method comprising: defining a merge control zone associated with the merge point, the merge control zone defining at least respective sections of the upstream tracks; detecting a vehicle entering the merge control zone on a first one of the upstream tracks, the vehicle being a vehicle of a sequence of one or more vehicles approaching the merge point on said first upstream track; allocating a passage time to the detected vehicle, the passage time being indicative of a time at which the vehicle is scheduled to pass the merge point; wherein allocating the passage time is based on a merge priority assigned to the vehicle according to a predetermined set of merge priority rules; controlling a speed of the vehicle responsive to the allocated passage time.