Data processing: vehicles – navigation – and relative location – Vehicle control – guidance – operation – or indication – Automatic route guidance vehicle
Reexamination Certificate
1998-08-06
2001-03-06
Louis-Jacques, Jacques H. (Department: 3661)
Data processing: vehicles, navigation, and relative location
Vehicle control, guidance, operation, or indication
Automatic route guidance vehicle
C701S301000, C180S168000, C104S292000, C104S295000, C104S298000, C246S18200B, C246S18700R, C246S16700M
Reexamination Certificate
active
06198993
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a running vehicle control method for automatically controlling a plurality of vehicles running on a road.
A moving target method (hereinafter referred to as “MT method”) is conventionally known as one of running vehicle control methods for automatically controlling vehicles running on a road.
In the MT method, as shown in
FIG. 1
, a virtual road
82
equivalent to a real road
81
is set on a driving management computer (not shown). Points (moving targets (MT))
83
for ideal running are set at predetermined intervals on the virtual road
82
, and actual vehicles are controlled to run on the real road
1
in pursuit of the MT
83
.
An example of the system, to which the MT method is applied, will now be described with reference to
FIGS. 2 and 3
.
In
FIG. 2
, a road
90
comprises a looped main line
91
and at least one (three in
FIG. 2
) branch line arranged at a predetermined interval. The branch line
92
diverges from the main line
91
to a stop point
99
at which the vehicle stops/starts and converges to the main line
91
from the stop point
99
.
As shown in
FIGS. 2 and 3
, the road
90
is provided with communication/position information equipment units
95
for performing communications with the running vehicles, controlling the vehicles, and acquiring position information on the vehicles. The vehicles are regularly driven according to MT signals generated from the equipment units
95
under control of the driving management computer.
The vehicle, which has advanced after temporarily stopping the stop point
99
on the branch line
92
, enters an acceleration region
96
shown in FIG.
3
. In order to make the vehicle (converging vehicle) on the branch line
92
, which has entered the acceleration region
96
from the stop point
99
, converge onto the main line
91
, the following techniques are conventionally adopted. In one technique, the vehicle is started from the stop point in such a timing that the vehicle can timely catch the MT on the main line at a convergence point
94
(this MT on the main line being called “to-be-converged MT”). In another technique, all MTs assigned to the vehicles on the main line
91
are shifted so that the MT (“converging MT”) on the branch line
92
can be assigned to the vehicle on the branch line
92
advancing to converge onto the convergence point
94
.
Recently, with an increase in amount of transportation, there is an increasing demand for high-density running of vehicles.
However, the conventional running vehicle control method, to which the MT method is applied, is not suitable to the high-density running control system. If the conventional MT method is applied to the high-density running control system with no changes, the following problems will arise:
1) The vehicle, which runs before or after the to-be-converged MT on the main line
91
corresponding to the converging MT assigned to the vehicle on the branch line to be converged or runs on a main line of another traffic lane, is not necessarily subjected to the MT control. Thus, the safety for the convergence is not ensured.
2) When the MTs generated at predetermined intervals are used, the position of the to-be-converged MT is not necessary optimal in consideration of the vehicle run condition (e.g. traffic volume) on the true road. Thus, the safety for the convergence is not ensured.
The object of the present invention is to provide a running vehicle control method ensuring high safety for convergence/divergence of vehicles.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a first running vehicle control method, wherein an adjacent vehicle approach prohibition region is set before and after a to-be-converged MT on a main line with reference to the to-be-converged MT, the to-be-converged MT corresponding to a converging MT assigned to a converging vehicle which is about to enter and converge onto the main line from a branch line; and in a case where a to-be-converged vehicle running on the main line, onto which the converging vehicle is to converge, has entered the adjacent vehicle approach prohibition region and the entering to-be-converged vehicle is a vehicle not subjected to a control by a MT method, the to-be-converged moving target is accelerated/decelerated, whereby the entering to-be-converged vehicle is excluded from the adjacent vehicle approach prohibition region.
The present invention provides a second running vehicle control method, wherein with respect to at least one of a converging MT assigned to a converging vehicle and a to-be-converged MT assigned to a to-be-converged vehicle running on a main line onto which the converging vehicle is to converge, at least one of an interval of generation of the moving target and a speed of movement of the moving target is varied in accordance with a vehicle run condition on the main line.
In the first running vehicle control method, the adjacent vehicle approach prohibition region is set before and after the to-be-converged MT on the main line with reference to the to-be-converged MT, the to-be-converged MT corresponding to the converging MT assigned to the converging vehicle. Since, in the MT method, the to-be-converged MT and the converging MT corresponding to the to-be-converged MT are moved in synchronism with each other, setting the approach prohibition region before and after the to-be-converged MT is equivalent to setting the approach prohibition region before and after the converging MT.
The approach prohibition region functions to prohibit the entering of the to-be-converged vehicle onto which the converging vehicle is to converge, thereby keeping a safe inter-vehicle distance from the to-be-converged vehicle. If the to-be-converged vehicle, e.g. a vehicle preceding the to-be-converged MT, a vehicle following the to-be-converged MT or a other-lane running vehicle which has changed its lane from some other lane to the same lane as the to-be-converged MT, has entered the approach prohibition region, the entering vehicle (incoming vehicle) needs to be excluded from the approach prohibition region.
In a case where the incoming vehicle is a vehicle (MT-controlled vehicle) subjected to a control by the MT method, the MT assigned to the vehicle is controlled to directly exclude the vehicle from the approach prohibition region. However, if the incoming vehicle is a vehicle (non-MT-controlled vehicle) not subjected to the control by the MT method, this method cannot be applied.
In the case where the incoming vehicle is the non-MT-controlled vehicle, the to-be-converged MT is accelerated or decelerated, that is, the to-be-converged MT is shifted. Thus, the approach prohibition region set with reference to the to-be-converged MT is shifted. By adopting this method, the incoming vehicle is excluded from the prohibition region by relative shift.
Since the to-be-converged vehicle, which has come in the approach prohibition region, is excluded from the approach prohibition region, a safe inter-vehicle distance can be kept at the convergence point between the to-be-converged MT and the preceding/following to-be-converged vehicle. That is, a safe inter-vehicle distance can be kept between the converging vehicle and the preceding/following to-be-converged vehicle, and the converging vehicle can be safely converged.
If the length (along the main line) of the approach prohibition region is dynamically determined in accordance with the vehicle run conditions on the main line, such as a vehicle traffic volume of vehicles running on the main line, a vehicle speed, a road condition and a vehicle performance, a safe optimal inter-vehicle distance can be kept between the to-be-converged MT (converging vehicle) and the preceding/following to-be-converged vehicle, without unnecessarily increasing the inter-vehicle distance. Specifically, when the length of the approach prohibition region is determined in relation to the vehicle speed, the length is increased in accordance with the vehicle speed.
The above-described me
Higashi Shinichi
Matsumoto Shin-ichi
Saeki Hiroshi
Takemoto Syuuichi
Louis-Jacques Jacques H.
Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd.
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