DE102021208786B4 - System for providing autonomous transport systems for goods and people - Google Patents

Abstract

System for providing autonomous transport systems for transporting goods and people along predetermined routes, comprising:- at least one autonomously driving vehicle (1), comprising an autonomous driving system, and- a central monitoring control center (2), which is intended to be used with the at least to communicate with an autonomously driving vehicle (1) and to specify a route for it to be driven, the at least one autonomously driving vehicle (1) being formed from: - a base platform (10) having a drive and a supporting structure, and - a superstructure (11 ), which can be detachably attached to the supporting structure, and wherein the structure is equipped for the transport of people or goods depending on a transport task of the vehicle (1), wherein- the autonomous driving system has at least one control unit (12) and AD- Has sensors (101, 102, 111, 112), wherein the control unit (12) is set up to - communicate with the central monitoring control center to obtain the specified route - from the AD sensors (101, 102, 111, 112) to process the data received in such a way that the vehicle (1) drives autonomously on the specified route, - the AD sensor system (101, 102, 111, 112) is provided on the base platform (10) or the body (11) and the outer contour of the structure (11) being the same regardless of the transport task.

Description

The present invention relates to a system for providing autonomous transport systems for goods and people along predetermined routes.

Passenger and goods transport is currently carried out decentrally. For example, logistics companies operate their vehicle fleets independently of each other. This is especially true for cities. In addition, local public transport is also operated independently by its own operator.

The current state of the art aims at automating and operating fleets that provide for either passenger traffic or freight traffic. In freight transport, automation is limited to the operation of a single company.

ULRICH, Christian, et al.: New operating strategies for an on-the-road modular, electric and autonomous vehicle concept in urban transportation. World Electric Vehicle Journal, Dec 2019, vol. 10, no. 4, pp. 1 - 16 discloses on-the-road modularization, i.e. a vehicle that can change different transport capsules during operation. The vehicle is divided into an electrically powered autonomous drive unit and a transport unit.

In the future, efforts will be made to move people and goods more efficiently and autonomously, both to reduce traffic (and thus CO2 emissions) and to address a shortage of drivers due to the increased need for transport.

Therefore, it is an object of this invention to provide a system of autonomous transportation systems that will solve future transportation needs. According to the invention, this object is achieved by the features of the independent patent claims. Advantageous configurations are the subject matter of the dependent claims.

A system for providing autonomous transport systems for transporting goods and people along predetermined routes is proposed, having at least one autonomously driving vehicle, having an autonomous driving system, and a central monitoring control center, which is intended to communicate with the at least one autonomously driving vehicle and to specify a route for it to be followed. It is characteristic that the at least one autonomously driving vehicle is formed from a base platform, having a drive and a supporting structure, and a body that can be detachably attached to the supporting structure, and wherein the body is equipped for the transport of people or goods depending on a transport task of the vehicle.

Due to the vehicle's divided structure, the structure can be adapted to the transport task and easily removed from the vehicle and replaced with another structure, e.g. in a central logistics center or a central train station. A single, precisely measured transport vehicle can therefore be used for different transport tasks, which simplifies development, production and operation.

In one embodiment, the system also has a smart infrastructure for monitoring the surroundings of at least a sub-area along predefined routes, which is set up to record surroundings data and to communicate with the autonomous driving system. In this way, the vehicle's environment detection can be supplemented and thus autonomous driving improved.

In one embodiment, a transport task is the transport of people and/or goods. Goods include at least one or a combination of postal items, waste, food, medicines.

According to the invention, the autonomous driving system has at least one control unit and AD sensor system in communication with it, the control unit being set up to communicate with the central monitoring control center to obtain the specified route and to process data received from the AD sensor system in such a way that the vehicle is driven autonomously on the specified route. The control device can be provided on the base platform or the body or as an external device with a communication link to the vehicle. According to the invention, the AD sensor system is provided on the base platform and/or the structure.

Autonomous driving can be implemented through the communication between the control unit, which, thanks to the interface to the AD sensor system, knows all the data about the vehicle, and the monitoring control center.

According to the invention, the outer contour of the structure 11 is the same regardless of the transport task. A standardized platform is thus implemented.

Further features and advantages of the invention result from the following description of exemplary embodiments of the invention, with reference to the figures of the drawing, which shows details according to the invention, and from the claims. The individual features can each be realized individually or together in any combination in a variant of the invention.

Preferred embodiments of the invention are explained in more detail below with reference to the attached drawing.

1 Figure 12 shows a schematic representation of important components of the system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

The transport of people and goods is particularly important in cities and currently often leads to an overload of the infrastructure due to the high number and density of vehicles and at the same time the infrastructure is not designed for this. Therefore, future mobility solutions will rely more and more on autonomously driving vehicles, both to reduce environmental pollution and to improve the punctuality of transport. By striving to automate vehicle fleets, there are completely new possibilities for operating these vehicle fleets.

Autonomous shuttles have already been proposed for transporting people. Drones have also been proposed for the transport of goods. However, each proposal is more of a subsystem among a multitude of subsystems. So far there is no uniform solution. The present invention solves this problem.

• - ein oder mehrere Fahrzeuge mit AD-Systemtechnologie (AD=autonomous driving bzw. autonomes Fahren) und Umfeldüberwachung zum autonomen Fahren
• - ein zentrales Überwachungskontrollzentrum
• - Konnektivitätslösungen zur Kommunikation zwischen autonomem Fahrzeug und Überwachungskontrollzentrum
• - Fahrzeugaufbautechnologie (Aufbau 11) zum Anpassen des autonomen Fahrzeugs 1 an die aktuelle Transportanforderung (Güter oder Personen)
• - Smarte Infrastruktur 3 (optional) zur Erhöhung der Überwachung der abgefahrenen Route

A system is provided, which can also be referred to as a technology platform, which contains the following components:

• - one or more vehicles with AD system technology (AD=autonomous driving or autonomous driving) and environment monitoring for autonomous driving
• - a central surveillance control center
• - Connectivity solutions for communication between autonomous vehicle and surveillance control center
• - Vehicle body technology (body 11) for adapting the autonomous vehicle 1 to the current transportation requirement (goods or people)
• - Smart infrastructure 3 (optional) to increase monitoring of the route traveled

Since the invention focuses on a system solution, the exact technology of the individual components is not discussed further, such as the detailed implementation of the area monitoring, i.e. which sensors are used and where exactly they are placed, or the implementation of the AD system technology for autonomous driving. Rather, attention is paid to the overall concept and the interaction of the individual components in order to achieve a uniform (preferably standardized), variable transport solution for people and goods.

A first component of the system is an autonomously driving vehicle 1, having a scalable, autonomous driving system (AD system technology). This autonomous driving system has high-performance computers such as a control unit 12, AD sensors 101, 102, 111, 112 and software functions in order to make autonomous driving of the vehicle 1 possible.

In a version, the autonomous driving system has at least one control unit 12 and thus in the communication connection ad-sensor system 101, 102, 111, 112, whereby the control unit 12 is set up to communicate with the central monitoring control center 2 to obtain the specified route, and to process the data obtained from the AD sensor 101, 102, 111, 112 given route can take place.

In order to offer the possibility that a single vehicle 1 can transport both people and different goods, it is provided that the autonomous vehicle 1 is formed from two parts, a base platform 10, having the drive (including steering) and a supporting structure, and a superstructure 11, which can be placed on the supporting structure.

The base platform 10 is the substructure, so to speak, ie the means of locomotion, since the drive (incl. steering) is also located here. In addition, the control device 12 is advantageously provided on the base platform 10, although it can also be provided on the structure 11 or as an external computing unit. It always receives data from the AD sensor system 101, 102, 111, 112 and either processes it itself or forwards it to an external computing unit for processing. Based on the results of the processing, control unit 12 can carry out autonomous driving, that is to say can issue appropriate control commands to the drive.

The AD sensors 101, 102, 111, 112 can be mounted on the base platform 10 (in 1 these are marked with 101, 102) as well as on the structure 11 (in 1 these are marked with 111, 112) or on both parts 10, 11 and is such that a corresponding environment monitoring can take place in order to enable autonomous driving.

The structure 11 is selected depending on a transport task of the vehicle 1 for transporting people or goods, i.e. if people are to be transported, a corresponding structure with seats, doors, etc. is selected. If goods are to be transported, a structure suitable for the goods to be transported is selected. Here, for example, a structure 11 suitable for postal items such as letters, parcels, parcels, etc. can be selected, which is unloaded at a specified point along the route and can then serve as a stationary packing station. A refrigerated superstructure 11 can be used for another transport task, for example to transport groceries or medicines. For a garbage removal transport task, a structure 11 suitable for this can be used.

In an advantageous embodiment, the outer contour of the structure 11 is the same regardless of the transport task. The superstructure 11 can therefore have any internal structure and can therefore be used variably for the transport of people or goods when the superstructure 11 is changed without retraining the AD sensors 101, 102, 111, 112 and processing the data (i.e. without additional material validation effort) in order to make autonomous driving possible.

Due to the variably selectable structure 11, different transport tasks can be completed by the same base platform 10 with minimal computing power in relation to the training of sensors. This is further improved by a standardized (ie the same for all superstructures) outer contour of the superstructure 11 .

In order to further improve driving on the route, a so-called smart infrastructure 3 can be provided in a further embodiment, i.e. sensors installed along the route (or a part of it) for monitoring the surroundings with a corresponding communication interface to the autonomous vehicle 1 or the autonomous driving system and/or the central monitoring control center 2. The smart infrastructure 3 therefore records surroundings data of at least a partial area of the route to be traveled and communicates them to the autonomous vehicle 1. These surroundings data are either already prepared, i.e. immediately usable for the autonomous driving system, or still have to be processed by control unit 12, for example.

The smart infrastructure 3 can also serve as an external computing unit in order to receive and process environmental data from the AD sensor system 101, 102, 111, 112 of the vehicle 1 and to send it back to the control unit 12 of the vehicle 1 as driving data (directly usable) only for execution.

A smart infrastructure 3 can also be used to monitor areas of the route that the AD sensor system 101, 102, 111, 112 cannot see, or can see only with difficulty or late. For example, people who are behind parked vehicles or behind pillars etc. can be better recognized by the sensors of the smart infrastructure 3 than by the AD sensors 101, 102, 111, 112 of the vehicle 1. In any case, a smart infrastructure 3 is an addition to the AD sensors 101, 102, 111, 112 on the vehicle 1.

Another non-optional component of the system is a central monitoring control center 2 that controls passenger and freight traffic across the fleet. This central monitoring control center 2 is used to specify routes and to instruct each autonomously driving vehicle 1 in its area of responsibility with a route suitable for the transport task (transport of people or goods and destination). If necessary, the monitoring control center 2 can intervene in what is happening, e.g. if a route is unexpectedly blocked. In a first stage, it is designed as human-in-the-loop, i.e. with a human being as the control authority. The monitoring control center 2 is therefore the sole operator of the routes and thus also has an overview and sole control over the vehicles 1 used.

In one embodiment it is provided that the routes are fixed routes. This means that the autonomous vehicle 1 is tied to this route and drives on a fixed route. This is specified by the monitoring control center 2 and depends on the current transport task (transport of people or goods and destination). Due to the fact that the vehicle 1 drives autonomously, evasive maneuvers and possibly even short deviations from the specified route, e.g. to avoid an accident, can also be implemented. This can be controlled from the surveillance control center 2 (e.g. by entering a new trajectory) or even from the vehicle 1 itself.

In one embodiment, transport service providers can call up quotas there, for example for passenger transport or goods transport. Goods can be viewed as all goods that are not persons, including animals and plants. As a rule, goods that are transported within a so-called Smart City are mail items (letters, parcels, packages, etc.), waste, groceries, medicines, or a combination thereof.

The communication advantageously takes place via a standardized connectivity solution, consisting of a hardware unit and software functions, which ensures communication and the exchange of information between the platform units (vehicles 1, monitoring control center 2 and, if applicable, smart infrastructure 3). This means that there is a uniform interface, in particular to enable communication between different manufacturers (vehicle 1 and smart infrastructure 3) without being able to intervene in the basic functions of vehicle 1, for example.

According to the above description, it is clear that the most important novelty of this invention is a technological approach that enables the operation of goods and passenger transport on a (preferably standardized) autonomous transport platform (vehicle 1 with base platform 10 and structure 11) and independent of the transported medium or an operating company can be carried out.

The technology also solves the problem of setting up unique systems for each operation of passenger and/or goods transport. The platform approach thus enables the centralization of the operation of autonomous transport systems. Due to the variability of the structure 11, several different transport tasks can be implemented within a very short time. For example, a vehicle with a structure 11 for postal items can be driven very early in the morning and used a short time later and after a rapid conversion to a structure 11 for passenger transport due to the standardized structure 11. Since the body 11 can be changed quickly and the sensor system for autonomous driving no longer has to be trained, a vehicle 1 can thus be used for many different tasks within a short period of time. This means that there are fewer downtimes, which in turn leads to a better environmental balance, since fewer vehicles are required, but they are better utilized. Vehicles 1 can thus be used as passenger transporters at peak times, while part of them is used to transport goods outside of peak times.

The main advantage of this invention is therefore the reduction in complexity in the development, production and commercialization of autonomous transport systems. This platform development enables earlier economics of this autonomous technology. The implementation of this invention thus makes a major contribution to current social challenges, such as reducing CO2, ensuring local public transport and the delivery of goods (due to the impending driver shortage in many areas).

An advantageous use of the system described is within cities, in particular in smart cities that are planned in the future.

Reference List

1

autonomous transport vehicle

10

base platform

101, 102

AD sensors on 10

11

Construction

111, 112

AD sensors on 11

12

control unit

2

central surveillance control center

3

smart infrastructure

Claims (5)

System for providing autonomous transport systems for transporting goods and people along predetermined routes, comprising: - at least one autonomously driving vehicle (1), comprising an autonomous driving system, and - a central monitoring control center (2), which is provided for communicating with the at least one autonomously driving vehicle (1) and for specifying a route to be followed, the at least one autonomously driving vehicle (1) being formed from: - a base platform (10), comprising a drive and a supporting structure, and - a superstructure (11 ), which can be detachably attached to the supporting structure, and wherein the superstructure is equipped for transporting people or goods depending on a transport task of the vehicle (1), wherein - the autonomous driving system has at least one control unit (12) and AD sensors (101, 102, 111, 112) which are in communication with it, wherein the control unit (12) is set up to - communicate with the central monitoring control center to obtain the predefined route, - from the AD sensors (101, 102, 111, 112) to process received data in such a way that the vehicle (1) drives autonomously on the specified route, - the AD sensor system (101, 102, 111, 112) is provided on the base platform (10) or the superstructure (11). and wherein the outer contour of the superstructure (11) is the same regardless of the transport task. system after claim 1 , wherein the system also has a smart infrastructure (3) for monitoring the surroundings of at least a sub-area along predetermined routes, which is set up to record surroundings data and to communicate with the autonomous driving system. system after claim 1 or 2 , where goods include at least one or a combination of: mail, waste, food, medicines. System according to one of the preceding claims, in which the control unit (12) can be provided on the base platform (10) or the superstructure (11) or as an external device with a communication connection to the vehicle. Use of the system according to any one of the preceding claims in a city or a smart city.

Images