Automatic vehicle control system
First Claim
1. A system, comprising:
- a guided vehicle path;
a plurality of guided vehicles operating along said path;
a plurality of indicators positioned along said path for indicating to said vehicles position on said path; and
a guided vehicle controller, comprising;
means for communicating with said guided vehicles;
a first computer system for exchanging information with said guided vehicles through said communicating means, said first computer system including a first memory section for storing information received from said vehicles including vehicle position information of each vehicle in relation to said indicators and including a second memory section for storing information to be transmitted to said vehicles including vehicle destination information;
a second computer system for receiving vehicle movement requests from external sources and determining which vehicles are to respond to said requests, said second computer system including a third memory section for storing information relating to vehicle position in relation to said indicators and including a fourth memory section for storing information including vehicle destination information;
first transfer means for copying said information in said first memory section to said third memory section so that said first memory section and said third memory section contain the same vehicle position information; and
second transfer means for copying said information in said fourth memory section to said second memory section so that said fourth memory section and said second memory section contain the same vehicle destination information.
3 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
The system includes a first computer for communicating with automatic guided vehicles on a guided vehicle loop and storing information related to vehicle position. A second computer determines vehicle destinations. The first computer and the second computer maintain separate databases. Information in the data of the first computer relating to vehicle position is copied into the database of the second computer to assist in making vehicle destination determinations and the vehicle destination information stored in the database of the second computer is copied into the first computer. The invention also includes a unique fast and slow polling routine to insure that data transfer to the vehicles requiring it most is achieved in any polling cycle.
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Citations
19 Claims
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1. A system, comprising:
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a guided vehicle path; a plurality of guided vehicles operating along said path; a plurality of indicators positioned along said path for indicating to said vehicles position on said path; and a guided vehicle controller, comprising; means for communicating with said guided vehicles; a first computer system for exchanging information with said guided vehicles through said communicating means, said first computer system including a first memory section for storing information received from said vehicles including vehicle position information of each vehicle in relation to said indicators and including a second memory section for storing information to be transmitted to said vehicles including vehicle destination information; a second computer system for receiving vehicle movement requests from external sources and determining which vehicles are to respond to said requests, said second computer system including a third memory section for storing information relating to vehicle position in relation to said indicators and including a fourth memory section for storing information including vehicle destination information; first transfer means for copying said information in said first memory section to said third memory section so that said first memory section and said third memory section contain the same vehicle position information; and second transfer means for copying said information in said fourth memory section to said second memory section so that said fourth memory section and said second memory section contain the same vehicle destination information. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
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9. A system, comprising:
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a guided vehicle path; a plurality of guided vehicles operating along said path; a plurality of indicators positioned along said path for indicating to said vehicles position on said path; and a guided vehicle controller, comprising; means for communicating with said guided vehicles; a first computer system for exchanging information with said guided vehicles through said communicating means, said first computer system including a first memory section for storing information received from said vehicles including vehicle position information of each vehicle in relation to said indicators and including a second memory section for storing information to be transmitted to said vehicles including vehicle destination information; a second computer system for receiving vehicle movement requests from external sources and determining which vehicles are to respond to said requests, said second computer system including a third memory section for storing information relating to vehicle position in relation to said indicators and including a fourth memory section for storing information including vehicle destination information; first transfer means for copying said information in said first memory section to said third memory section so that said first memory section and said third memory section contain the same vehicle position information; and second transfer means for copying said information in said fourth memory section to said second memory section so that said fourth memory section and said second memory section contain the same vehicle destination information; wherein said first computer system polls said vehicles using a fast polling routine for vehicles within a first predetermined distance of a next position indicator and using a slow polling routine after the fast polling routine is completed, and wherein said fast polling routine includes requesting information from each vehicle as to its position, storing said requested fast polling position information in said first memory section and indicating to each fast polled vehicle whether it should stop or continue - View Dependent Claims (10, 11)
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12. A system, comprising:
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a plurality of vehicles traveling on predetermined paths; indicators on said paths for indicating to said vehicles the position of said vehicles along said paths; means for communicating with each of said vehicles; a controller for receiving position information from said vehicles through said communicating means and for transmitting control information to said vehicles through said communicating means, said controller including means for prioritizing said vehicles based on an expected distance to said indicators such that vehicles expected to be within a first predetermined distance of one of said indicators are given a high priority and vehicles expected to be within a second predetermined distance to one of said indicators are given a low priority, said control information including a first type of information to be sent to said vehicles and a second type of information to be sent to said vehicles, and means for polling said vehicles first in a high priority sequence and then in a low priority sequence such that, during said high priority sequence, said high priority vehicles are polled to obtain position information from each polled vehicle and said first type of information is transmitted to each polled vehicle, and such that, during said low priority sequence, low priority vehicles are polled to obtain position information and said first type of information is transmitted to said low priority vehicles and said second type of information is transmitted to said high priority vehicles and to said low priority vehicles. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19)
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Specification