Title: Distributed algorithm for empty vehicles management in personal rapid transit (PRT) network,
Abstract: In this paper, an original heuristic algorithm of empty vehicles management
in personal rapid transit network is presented. The algorithm is used for the
delivery of empty vehicles for waiting passengers, for balancing the
distribution of empty vehicles within the network, and for providing an empty
space for vehicles approaching a station. Each of these tasks involves a
decision on the trip that has to be done by a selected empty vehicle from its
actual location to some determined destination. The decisions are based on a
multi-parameter function involving a set of factors and thresholds. An
important feature of the algorithm is that it does not use any central database
of passenger input (demand) and locations of free vehicles. Instead, it is
based on the local exchange of data between stations: on their states and on
the vehicles they expect. Therefore, it seems well-tailored for a distributed
implementation. The algorithm is uniform, meaning that the same basic procedure
is used for multiple tasks using a task-specific set of parameters.