Data processing: vehicles – navigation – and relative location – Vehicle control – guidance – operation – or indication – Automatic route guidance vehicle
Reexamination Certificate
2000-05-19
2001-11-20
Beaulieu, Yonel (Department: 3661)
Data processing: vehicles, navigation, and relative location
Vehicle control, guidance, operation, or indication
Automatic route guidance vehicle
C701S024000, C701S028000, C701S211000, C348S113000, C348S119000, C340S435000, C340S436000, C180S167000, C180S168000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06321147
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an unmanned running system for running a vehicle such as a dump truck without a driver.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Conventionally, there is known an unmanned running system for running a vehicle such as a dump truck without a driver in a working site such as a mine.
Referring to
FIG. 9
, there is shown an explanatory diagram of an unmanned running system according to a prior art. In this diagram, the unmanned running system has a plurality of vehicles
1
and a central monitor station
2
for monitoring operations of the plurality of vehicles
1
.
The central monitor station
2
is arranged in a predetermined position in a working site and an observer is resident in the inside the central monitor station. The vehicle
1
has a position detecting unit (not shown) for detecting the current position to run without a driver in a predetermined course
3
under a supervision of the central monitor station
2
while communicating therewith wirelessly.
The vehicles
1
has an obstacle detecting unit
5
for detecting an obstacle
4
in the course
3
.
The obstacle detecting unit
5
comprises a transmitter for emitting transmitted waves
29
such as electric waves or laser beams in a running direction and a receiver for receiving reflected waves
33
, that is, the transmitted waves
29
which have returned to the vehicle after being reflected on the obstacle
4
. By comparing the transmitted waves
29
with the reflected waves
33
, it is detected whether or not there is any obstacle
4
in the course
3
in which the vehicle
1
is running in addition to a detection of a distance from the vehicle
1
to the obstacle
4
.
The obstacle detecting unit
5
stops the vehicle
1
to prevent the vehicle
1
from colliding with the obstacle
4
if it recognizes the obstacle as one blocking the advance of the vehicle
1
such as a man, another vehicle
1
, or a load which has dropped out of another vehicle
1
. Then, a worker goes to the stopped place and removes the obstacle
4
before starting the vehicle
1
.
The prior art, however, has problems below.
In other words, the obstacle detecting unit
5
sometimes stops the vehicle
1
recognizing a recess or projecting portion or an upward slope as the obstacle
4
by mistake in the course
3
in which the vehicle
1
is running.
Referring to
FIG. 10
, there is shown an explanatory diagram viewed from a lateral angle of the vehicle
1
running without a driver in the course
3
. In this diagram, if the vehicle
1
is running in the even plane course
3
like a point A, it is possible to sense precisely whether or not there is an obstacle
4
. If this vehicle
1
has approached an upward slope
6
like a point B, transmitted waves
29
are reflected on the upward slope
6
ahead of the vehicle
1
and the obstacle detecting unit
5
may recognize this upward slope
6
as an obstacle
4
by mistake.
In addition, the vehicle
1
causes pitching when running in the course
3
having recess or projecting portions like a point C, by which transmitted waves
29
are emitted downward and reflected on the ground, and it may recognize the ground as an obstacle
4
by mistake. The vehicle
1
is frequently stopped by this error recognition, and therefore there is a problem that a working efficiency of the unmanned running system is lowered.
Furthermore, it is hard for the obstacle detecting unit
5
to judge a size, materials and the like of the obstacle
4
(hereinafter, referred to as “true characters of the obstacle
4
”). Therefore when the obstacle detecting unit
5
detects an obstacle
4
, a worker always needs to go to a position of the stopped vehicle
1
, independently of whether or not the obstacle is correctly recognized. Then, the worker determines whether or not the detected obstacle
4
blocks the advance of the vehicle
1
or whether or not the vehicle can run directly. If the vehicle
1
can run directly, it is restarted. In this manner, a lot of time is required to restart the vehicle
1
, and therefore there is a problem that a working efficiency of the unmanned running system is lowered.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In view of these problems, the present invention has been provided. It is a first object of the present invention to provide an unmanned vehicle running system having an obstacle detecting unit, capable of recognizing obstacles almost correctly. It is a second object of the present invention to provide an unmanned vehicle running system having an obstacle detecting unit capable of reducing a stop time of the vehicle by immediately judging whether or not an obstacle blocks the passage at detecting the obstacle.
In order to achieve the above object, according to a first aspect of the invention there is provided an unmanned vehicle running system comprising a plurality of vehicles running without a driver in a predetermined course while detecting the current position and a central monitor station for monitoring operations of the plurality of vehicles, wherein each of the vehicles is provided with a phototaking device for taking a photo of a course and with a vehicle communication unit for transmitting the taken image to the central monitor station and wherein the central monitor station is provided with a central communication unit for receiving the image and with a monitor for displaying the image.
According to the first aspect of the invention, the vehicle is provided with the phototaking device for taking a photo of the course and the taken an image is transmitted to the central monitor station and displayed on the monitor.
Therefore, for example, in case of such an event inhibiting the vehicle to continue to run without a driver that the vehicle gets out of the course because of detecting the current position incorrectly or that the vehicle collides with an obstacle, an observer resident in the central monitor station, observing this image, can immediately understand what has occurred. Accordingly if it is necessary to go to the place of the vehicle to remove an obstacle in the course or to repair the vehicle, a car for removal or repair components can be prepared quickly.
Therefore, the vehicle can restart the operation quickly by reducing the stop time for the vehicle, by which a working efficiency of the unmanned running system is improved.
According to a second aspect of the invention, there is provided an unmanned vehicle running system according to the first aspect, wherein the vehicle is provided with an obstacle detecting unit for detecting an obstacle which blocks the passage and wherein the phototaking device takes a photo when the obstacle detecting unit detects an obstacle.
According to the second aspect of the invention, the vehicle control unit stops the vehicle or reduces its speed when the obstacle Is detected and the phototaking device takes a photo of the course and transmits it to the central monitor station.
Accordingly, the central monitor station only needs to observe the monitor just when an obstacle is detected and to be informed of whether or not there is an obstacle or of its material and size without a need for observing the monitor at all times, by which the observer is less burdened in observing the operations. If the obstacle detecting unit recognizes a non-obstacle as an obstacle by mistake, it can be checked on the monitor and the vehicle can be restarted without a need for the observer to go to the place of the vehicle and therefore the stop time for the vehicle is reduced, by which a working efficiency of the unmanned running system is improved.
According to a third aspect of the invention, there is provided an unmanned vehicle running system according to the first or second aspect, wherein the central monitor station is provided with a manual phototaking switch for inputting a phototaking instruction and with a central communication unit for transmitting this phototaking instruction to respective vehicles, wherein each of the vehicles is provided with a vehicle communication unit for receiving the phototaking instruction, and wherei
Takeda Koji
Takeda Shu
Tojima Masanori
Arstrong, Westerman, Hattori, McLeland & Naughton, LLP.
Beaulieu Yonel
Komatsu Ltd.
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