THE ARCHITECTURE OF TRANSPORTATION SYSTEMS

Development of new technologies for vehicle control and wireless commu nication will make automated transportation increasingly common over t he next decade. As these technologies evolve, fundamental changes will occur in transportation system design. Within this paper, a framework , based on the following four elements, is presented for guiding these changes. (a) A vehicle/guideway/terminal/ coordinator classification of transportation entities, and a sensor/intelligence/memory/transmitt er/actuator classification of devices; (b) Functional residence of act uators; (c) Communication media and ''iIlocutionary point'' of message s; and (d) Degree of coordination, residence of control functions and topology. Examples applications are provided for intelligent transport ation systems. However, the framework is meant to apply to all forms o f transportation and material handling.