MERGE CONTROL IN AUTOMATED TRANSIT SYSTEM NETWORKS

Many small vehicle automated transit system concepts will require vehicles to negotiate intersections and merge with other vehicles while traveling through a network of guideways. Assuming that the longitudinal control of vehicles is accomplished by what is known as the moving-cell or point-follower approach, the merge control problem becomes one of determining necessary point-skip maneuvers to assure that points equi-distant from a merge junction are not simultaneously occupied by vehicles. This paper describes an original algorithm for intersection control which can satisfactorily resolve such merge conflicts 95 percent of the time for system traffic densities approaching 80 percent of capacity by monitoring the status of only twelve points on each line. The algorithm is suitable for programming in a small digital computer; one of which is conceptually located at each intersection.

• Supplemental Notes:
  • Contributed by the Intersociety Committee on Transportation for presentation at the Intersociety Conference on Transportation, Denver, Colo., Sept. 23-27, 1973.
• Corporate Authors:

  American Society of Mechanical Engineers

  Two Park Avenue
  New York, NY  United States  10016-5990
• Authors:
  • Brown Jr, S J
• Publication Date: 1973-9

Media Info

• Features: Figures; References; Tables;
• Pagination: 12 p.

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Control systems; Intelligent transportation systems
• Old TRIS Terms: Advanced systems
• Subject Areas: Operations and Traffic Management; Public Transportation; Railroads;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00051421
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: ASME Journal of Mechanical Engineering
• Report/Paper Numbers: 73-ICT-109 Paper
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Apr 9 1981 12:00AM