World-Model-Aware Responsibility Allocation in Heterogeneous Logistics Systems
This study addresses decision conflicts and deadlocks arising from inconsistent world models between a central controller and autonomous devices in mixed-autonomy logistics systems, a challenge poorly handled by conventional scheduling approaches. The authors propose the World-Model-Aware Responsibility Framework (WMARF), which uniquely leverages the quality of world models as a basis for dynamic authority delegation. By continuously adjusting decision-making authority according to device autonomy levels and classifying authority states to proactively identify and avoid deadlocks, WMARF overcomes the limitations of static permission schemes and supports evolving system autonomy. Validated through discrete-event simulation adhering to the VDA 5050 standard and employing a proximity-triggered authority handover mechanism, the framework successfully prevents model-discrepancy-induced deadlocks in scenarios where two autonomous vehicles approach a semi-automated transfer point under static control.