How to prevent task executors merging on a single network node from overlapping?

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Noah Z asked Jul 16, '18 Noah Z commented Jul 18, '18

How to prevent task executors merging on a single network node from overlapping?

truck-respecting-nn-space-at-join-point.fsm

I have built an example model that showcases the issue I'm having. In a nutshell, I have two sources of trucks traveling down their network path and joining together onto a single network path for the final segments of their travel. I can change the flowitem settings to "..."block space on networks" and make sure the network node paths are "non-passing" but at the join point/node there is overlap of the the executors while they wait to merge onto the joining node.

I have two nearly identical versions of the sample layout in the attached model. My preference would be to use the top example where a stream of trucks from below slowly turn and then merge with the top/horizontal path. Is there a way to make the different trucks aware of the others? I see there are collision settings but I'm not sure what the cleanest way to go about doing this.

Software Version:

FlexSim 18.0.4

network node task executors

truck-respecting-nn-space-at-join-point.fsm (26.3 KiB)

5 |100000

Attachments: Up to 12 attachments (including images) can be used with a maximum of 23.8 MiB each and 47.7 MiB total.

Answer 1 · 2018-07-17T06:04:00Z

Joerg Vogel answered Jul 17, '18 Noah Z commented Jul 18, '18

You can change the capacity of network nodes. You use a mesh of more nodes and control the nodes at the merging area by a traffic control object.

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Attachments: Up to 12 attachments (including images) can be used with a maximum of 23.8 MiB each and 47.7 MiB total.

Noah Z commented · Jul 17, 2018 at 12:36 PM

Thanks for your comments. I don't seem to be any issues keeping the trucks between two distinct nodes behaving appropriately in isolation. My main issue is with the join point of two separate originating nodes merging into one and then moving forward. There are two key problems I'm having in my example model.

1) When there is heavy traffic going from Node 1 to Node 2 to Node 3 (and there is a delay at Node 2) trucks to overlap at the Node 2 point. This is because the last truck arriving at node 2 is taking up space on it's network path and doesn't "see" the truck ahead of it which has started down the path from Node 2 to Node 3 (but has to wait for a truck ahead of it before traveling away from Node 2).

2) The merge point leading up to Node 2 has trucks arriving on two separate network node paths. The trucks on these paths don't respect each other's space and drive on top of each other during their separate approaches to Node 2.

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Raja Sekaran Noah Z commented · Jul 17, 2018 at 12:59 PM

@Noah Zenker

As per @Jörg Vogel suggestion, updated the model and attached it here. Hope this is what you are trying to achieve.

trafficcontrol-support.fsm

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trafficcontrol-support.fsm (28.9 KiB)

Noah Z Raja Sekaran commented · Jul 18, 2018 at 07:38 PM

Thanks for sharing the model edits. That looks like a great way to regulate trucks at the merge point.

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