VRt.Universal [UV] (7.13.2613)

Software interface for universal trip planning.

• Ability to pick up cargo from any location
• Possibility of unloading in any location
• Pair orders of several types: PICKUP (loading), DROP (unloading)
• Single requests of several types: DROP_FROM_BOX (unloading cargo that is already in the body), PICKUP_TO_BOX (cargo pickup into the body without subsequent unloading), WORK (working at the location without moving the cargo)
• A complex order can consist of any number of orders of any type
• Transport and performers are divided into different entities, when planning, the optimal assignment of the performer to the transport occurs
• The transport has several boxes - each of which can accommodate cargo and has its own characteristics
• Accounting for the compatibility of cargo with transport in terms of cargo dimensions (length, width, height, additional capacity parameters)
• Taking into account the compatibility of the cargo-box of transport (the ability to take into account the features of the box: refrigerator, thermal bag, fasteners, etc.)
• Substitute applications, i.e. the ability to execute one of the substitute applications, the choice of which is based on its geographic location and time window

Performer restrictions:

• Start/finish location
• Accounting for the performer's way to the transport location
• Performer's availability schedule is a list of time windows when the performer can move and work on locations
• The maximum duration of the performer's work during the specified time period

Transport restrictions:

• Start/finish location
• Transport availability schedule is a list of time windows when the transport is available
• The maximum route distance
• Several boxes in the transport, each with its own parameters
• Capacity upper limit (weight, volume, number of orders, number of demands)

Order restrictions:

• Strict time windows
• Ability to specify different valid time windows for a location and time windows to fulfil the desired demand
• Accounting for the requests fulfillment order within the route
• A list of desired time windows with different associated costs

Entities are compatible if the capabilities list of one entity corresponds to the list of restrictions of another entity (example: fleet parameters corresponds to cargo parameters to be delivered).

Supported compatibilities:

Business rule examples:

List of possibilities of a object rotations (90 degree step):

• ALL - can rotate by any axis
• YAW - can yaw
• PITCH - can pitch
• ROLL - can roll

A trip is described by a list of states of the performer, while at the same time the performer can be in several states (for example, being inside the working time window of a location and fulfilling an order at the same location).

The meanings of the flags responsible for the geographical location:

• AROUND_LOCATION - the performer is located near the location - in the process of parking or leaving it.
• INSIDE_LOCATION - the performer is located at the location.

The values ​​of the flags responsible for being in time windows:

• INSIDE_WORKING_WINDOW - the performer is inside the working time window.
• INSIDE_LOCATION_WINDOW - the performer is located inside the location's operating time.
• INSIDE_EVENT_HARD_WINDOW - the performer is inside a hard time window.
• INSIDE_EVENT_SOFT_WINDOW - the performer is inside a soft time window.

The values ​​of the flags responsible for the actions:

• ON_DEMAND - the performer is working on the request.
• WAITING - the performer is in standby mode.
• RELOCATING - the performer moves to the next stop.
• BREAK - the performer is on a break.
• REST - the performer is on a long vacation.

Flag values ​​responsible for the logical state:

• DURING_ROUNDTRIP - the executor is performing a roundtrip.

An example of a route with multiple states at each point in time

A trip consists of one or more round trips.

The flag of the presence of a round trip DURING_ROUNDTRIP is set when the work on the request starts and is removed in one of three cases:

• the executor arrived at the next location to stop using transport
• the executor arrived at the location separating round trips
• the executor stopped using transport (in a location not separating round trips, after performing some other action)

Between the end of one round trip and the beginning of another round trip, a change of location RELOCATING cannot occur, but the following can occur: waiting WAITING, a break for the executor BREAK, a rest for the executor REST.

Locations dividing a trip into round trips are defined as follows:

• if the location has a capacity limitation timetable.limits (in this case, there may be more than one location dividing the trip)
• if the location is simultaneously the starting and ending location of all performers and transports, as well as all requests with the PICKUP type (in this case, there will be only one location dividing the trip)

Examples of such locations, depending on the task formulation, can be:

• distribution centers when delivering goods to stores or warehouses in long-haul transportation tasks
• stores or warehouses when delivering goods to customers in last-mile tasks
• landfills in garbage collection tasks

For each planning, it is possible to specify a planning configuration that defines the objective function, the desired quality of the routes, and the calculation speed.

The name of the scheduling configuration is passed in the trips_settings.configuration field.

Main configurations:

Additional configurations:

In addition to the existing planning options, it is possible to create an objective function directly for the client's business processes (request configuration).

For development, it is recommended to use optimize_cars_then_distance, since this configuration does not require detailed selection of rates and order values.

Input data validation consists of several steps, which are described below.

Validation of planning results (including the search for possible reasons why orders were not planned) is located in the analytics method.

1. Schema check

If the request does not follow the schema, then scheduling is not fully started and such an error is returned along with a 400 code in schema_errors.

We recommend validating the request against the schema (or yaml file) before sending it to the server.

2. Check for logical errors that prevent planning from continuing

Schema-correct data passes the second stage of checking for the possibility of starting planning.

An example of errors at this stage are keys leading to empty entities, or if all orders are incompatible with all performers, i.e. something that makes the planning task pointless.

These errors are returned along with a 400 code in logical_errors.

3. Check for logical errors that prevent planning from continuing

At the third stage, each entity is checked separately.

All entities that have not passed validation are cut out from the original task and are not sent for planning.

Depending on the setting of treat_warnings_as_errors, the results of this type of validation are returned to warnings either with a 400 code or with the scheduling result.

4. Checks in the planning process

Part of the checks can only be carried out in the planning process.

For example - that according to the specified tariffs and according to the current traffic forecast, it is physically impossible to reach a certain point.

The results of these checks are returned in warnings or together with the scheduling result.

Planning - creating trips from orders, performers and transport.

Planning requests can be executed in synchronous and asynchronous mode.

To get the result of cleaning the original task, use cleaning data for planning.