Remote control system of mobile objects

• US 4,986,384 A
• Filed: 10/12/1989
• Issued: 01/22/1991
• Est. Priority Date: 10/19/1988
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Robotech Laboratory Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Robotech Laboratory Company Limited
• Inventors: Okamoto, Naoki, Okamoto, Hironobu, Izumi, Tetsujirou, Kishi, Hiroo
• Primary Examiner(s): Mitchell, David M.
• Application Number:
  US07/420,267
• Time in Patent Office: 467 Days
• Field of Search: 180/167, 180/168, 180/169, 340/435, 340/436, 340/901, 340/941, 364/424.02, 364/436, 364/461
• US Class Current: 180/167
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0022 characterised by the communication link data switching networks in general H04L12/00
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0027 involving a plurality of vehicles, e.g. fleet or convoy travelling fleet control of land vehicles from a control room G05D1/0297; traffic control systems for road vehicles G08G1/00; for marine craft G08G3/00; for aircraft G08G5/00
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0257 using a radar radar systems designed for anti-collision purposes between land vehicles or between land vehicle and fixed obstacles G01S13/931
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/027 comprising intertial navigation means, e.g. azimuth detector inertial navigation G01C21/16; inertial navigation combined with non-inertial navigation instruments G01C21/165
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0274 using mapping information stored in a memory device navigation using map-matching G01C21/30
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0282 generated in a local control room

Abstract

A remote control system for a mobile object, comprising radio beacons each consisting of a master station and some substations, a mobile communication station mounted on each auto-pilot mobile for receiving the radio wave, such as millimetric, from each radio beacon, to let the mobile recognize its own position on the route map, and a control station for transmitting and receiving signals by radio waves to and from the mobile station so as to instruct and correct the moving route of the mobile. Each mobile station is equipped for detecting any corrugations on the route immediately ahead of it, for detecting the ground speed of the mobile, and preferably, for detecting the direction of the mobile so that each mobile station can manage the speed of the mobile object as its master, and can correct and change the route of the mobile on the map by the discriminated signals from these detectors, and the instructions from the control station on the basis of discrimination signals.

Claims

1. A remote control system for mobile objects, comprising:

a plurality of radio beacons;

a control station; and

one or more mobile stations;

each of said mobile stations being mounted on a mobile object;

each said mobile station comprising;

a location recognizer for recognizing its own position on a route map set in advance by a signal from said radio beacons,

an obstacle detector for detecting the existence of any obstacles on the forward route of said mobile object,

a ground speed detector for detecting the ground speed of said mobile object,

a mobile controller for receiving the output signal of said location recognizer, the output signal of said obstacle detector and the output signal of said ground speed detector, and

a communication section for communicating with said control station;

said control station comprising;

another communication section for communicating with each of said mobile stations, and

a fleet control center for generating a change command for a route on the basis of said route map and the information received from said mobile controller;

said mobile controller controlling the movement of its own mobile object on the basis of one or more of said received output signals and the command from said fleet control center; and

said fleet control center supervising the operation of said one or more mobile objects on the basis of one or more of said output signals.

2. A remote control system of mobile objects, according to claim 1, wherein each of said mobile stations is equipped with a road surface detector for detecting the condition of the road surface immediately ahead of said mobile object, an output signal of said road surface detector being applied together with an output signal of said obstacle detector to said mobile controller, and said fleet control center operating to supervise the operation of said mobile object based on the signal from said road surface detector.

3. A remote control system of mobile objects according to claim 1, wherein each of said mobile objects is equipped with a direction finder capable of calibration, and the operation of each of said mobile objects being supervised while the moving direction of said mobile object is being detected by said direction finder.