TRAVELING VEHICLE SYSTEM AND METHOD OF AVOIDING INTERFERENCE WITH TRAVELING VEHICLE

• US 20110202247A1
• Filed: 02/01/2011
• Published: 08/18/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 02/12/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Murata Machinery Limited (Muratec)
• Original Assignee: Murata Machinery Limited (Muratec)
• Inventors: TAKEOKA, Hidehiro
• Granted Patent: US 8,571,742 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/70
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 17/931 of land vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/024 in combination with a laser lasers per se H01S

Abstract

A traveling vehicle is equipped with an obstacle sensor to detect a distance to an obstacle and an orientation relative to the obstacle. A map of a travel route of the traveling vehicle is stored. A detection area where deceleration of the traveling vehicle is required if there is any obstacle in the detection area is repeatedly generated based on the position of the traveling vehicle from the map. Among obstacles detected by the obstacle sensor, an obstacle in the detection area is detected. Deceleration control of the traveling vehicle is implemented to prevent interference with the detected obstacle.

Claims

1. A traveling vehicle system comprising:

traveling vehicles each including an obstacle sensor configured to detect a distance to an obstacle and an orientation relative to the obstacle;

a map memory configured to store a map of a travel route of the traveling vehicles;

a detection area generator configured to repeatedly define detection areas from the map based on current positions of the traveling vehicles, deceleration of the traveling vehicles being required if any obstacle is present in the detection areas;

an interference detector configured to detect an obstacle in the detection area, among obstacles detected by the obstacle sensor; and

a travel controller configured to control deceleration of the traveling vehicles to prevent interference with the obstacle detected by the interference detector.

2. The traveling vehicle system according to claim 1, the detection area generator being configured to determine interference ranges ahead of the traveling vehicles where an obstacle in the interference ranges may cause interference with the traveling vehicles, from the map based on the positions of the traveling vehicles, determine positions of front ends of the traveling vehicles when the traveling vehicles stop based on current velocities of the traveling vehicles, and in the interference ranges, designates areas closer to the traveling vehicles in comparison with the positions of the front ends as the detection areas.

3. The traveling vehicle system according to claim 1, the travel route including diverging sections configured to allow the traveling vehicles to move straight or diverge from the diverging sections, the detection area generator being configured to define different detection areas in the vicinity of the diverging sections in diverging directions and straight directions, according to directions in which the traveling vehicles travel through the diverging sections.

4. The traveling vehicle system according to claim 2, the obstacle sensor being configured to scan areas ahead of the traveling vehicles in traveling directions at predetermined intervals;

and

the detection area generator being configured to define the detection areas synchronously with detection of the obstacle by the obstacle sensor.

5. A method of preventing interference between traveling vehicles and obstacles, the method comprising the steps of:

detecting distances to the obstacles and orientations relative to the obstacles by obstacle sensors in the traveling vehicles;

defining detection areas where deceleration of the traveling vehicles is required if there is any obstacle in the detection areas, based on a map of a travel route of the traveling vehicles and current positions of the traveling vehicles;

detecting obstacles in the detection areas, among obstacles detected by the obstacle sensors; and

controlling deceleration of the traveling vehicles to prevent interference between the traveling vehicles and the obstacles in the detection areas.