Vehicle monitor

• US 6,226,572 B1
• Filed: 08/04/1999
• Issued: 05/01/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 02/12/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Komatsu Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Komatsu Ltd.
• Inventors: Tojima, Masanori, Kageyama, Masato, Kaneko, Kiyoshi
• Primary Examiner(s): Cuchlinski, Jr., William A.
• Assistant Examiner(s): ARTHUR JEANGLAUDE, GERTRUDE
• Application Number:
  US09/355,746
• Time in Patent Office: 636 Days
• Field of Search: 701/23, 701/36, 701/50, 701/96, 701/207, 701/214, 340/988, 340/991, 340/992, 340/993, 455/517, 455/524, 342/357.01, 342/357.02
• US Class Current: 701/23
• CPC Class Codes: E02F 9/2045 Guiding machines along a predetermined path for graders E02F3/841; machines for construction of roads E01C19/004
• CPC Class Codes: E02F 9/205 Remotely operated machines, e.g. unmanned vehicles E02F3/8866 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 11/02 using radio waves G01S19/00 takes precedence
• 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 1/0278 using satellite positioning signals, e.g. GPS
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0297 by controlling means in a control room
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/20 Monitoring the location of vehicles belonging to a group, e.g. fleet of vehicles, countable or determined number of vehicles

Abstract

In accordance with the equipment of the present invention, the communication over the entire region of a wide working site can be performed without a cost increase due to the installation of auxiliary equipment, the mutual control of vehicles can be performed with a light burden on a monitoring station without sacrificing safety, and when a failure occurs to transmission/reception equipment, the failure can be quickly and accurately confirmed, and accordingly the abnormality can be quickly and properly dealt with. In the of the present invention, first transmission/reception system for transmitting/receiving at least command data between the monitoring station and a plurality of vehicles via a first communication system which enables wireless communication over the distances between the monitoring station and the vehicles is provided in the monitoring station and the vehicles respectively. Second transmission/reception system for transmitting/receiving position data measured by vehicle position measurement between the vehicles via a second communication system which enables wireless communication over the distances between the vehicles and enables faster data transmission/reception than the first communication system is provided in the vehicles respectively. The respective vehicles judge the approach of another vehicle by transmitting position data between the vehicles via the second transmission/reception system provided in the vehicles respectively, so that the mutual position relationships between the vehicles can be monitored.

Claims

1. A vehicle monitor comprising a plurality of vehicles each having vehicle position measurement means for measuring an own vehicle position and a monitoring station which transmits command data to instruct traveling to the plurality of vehicles, characterized in that:

first transmission/reception means for transmitting/receiving at least the command data between the monitoring station and the plurality of vehicles via a first communication system which enables wireless communication over distances between the monitoring station and the plurality of vehicles is provided in the monitoring station and the plurality of vehicles respectively,

second transmission/reception means for transmitting/receiving position data measured by the vehicle position measurement means between the plurality of vehicles via a second communication system which enables wireless communication over distances between the plurality of vehicles and enables faster data transmission/reception than the first communication system is provided in the plurality of vehicles respectively, and

the respective vehicles judge the approach of other vehicles by transmitting the position data between the plurality of vehicles via the second transmission/reception means provided in the plurality of vehicles respectively, so that mutual position relationships between the plurality of vehicles are monitored.

2. The vehicle monitor according to claim 1, characterized in that when data has not been input from other vehicles via the second transmission/reception means after the predetermined time elapses, the plurality of vehicles respectively transmit this information to the monitoring station via the first transmission/reception means, the monitoring station judges that another vehicle is present within a communication distance of the second transmission/reception means for the vehicle which transmitted the information, and in the case when this judgment is made, the respective vehicles judge that at least reception means of the second transmission/reception means of the vehicle which transmitted the information has an abnormality.

3. The vehicle monitor according to claim 1, characterized in that the monitoring station transmits predetermined data to the plurality of vehicles each time a predetermined time elapses, the plurality of vehicles judge whether the predetermined data has been received each time the predetermined time elapses, and in the case when it is judged that the predetermined data which is supposed to have been transmitted from the monitoring station has not been received, the respective vehicles judge that the first transmission/reception means has an abnormality and executes predetermined abnormality processing.

4. The vehicle monitor according to claim 1, characterized in that the plurality of vehicles respectively transmit own position data constantly to other vehicles via the second transmission/reception means, by which respective vehicles confirm the presence of a vehicle closest to own vehicle, and the position data is transmitted/received between the vehicles closest to each other via the second transmission/reception means, so as to perform control to prevent mutual interference of the vehicles closest to each other.

5. A vehicle monitor comprising a plurality of vehicles each having vehicle position measurement means for measuring an own vehicle position and a monitoring station which receives position data transmitted from the respective vehicles and transmits command data to instruct traveling to the plurality of vehicles while monitoring mutual position relationships of the plurality of vehicles based on the received position data, characterized in that:

first transmission/reception means for transmitting/receiving the position data and the command data between the monitoring station and the plurality of vehicles via a first communication system which enables wireless communication over distances between the monitoring station and the plurality of vehicles is provided in the monitoring station and the plurality of vehicles respectively,

second transmission/reception means for transmitting/receiving the position data between the plurality of vehicles via a second communication system which enables wireless communication over distances between the plurality of vehicles and enables faster data transmission/reception than the first communication system, is provided in the plurality of vehicles respectively,

the position data is transmitted to the monitoring station each time predetermined time elapses via the first transmission/reception means provided in the plurality of vehicles respectively, so that the monitoring station monitors the positions of the plurality of vehicles, and

the respective vehicles Judge the approach of other vehicles by transmitting the position data between the plurality of vehicles via the second transmission/reception means provided in the plurality of vehicles respectively, so that the mutual position relationships between the plurality of vehicles are monitored.

6. The vehicle monitor according to claim 5, characterized in that a predetermined traveling path where the vehicles travel is divided, and the vehicles transmit the position data to the monitoring station each time the vehicles reach each dividing point.

7. The monitoring station according to claim 6, characterized in that the plurality of vehicles respectively transmit speed data of the vehicle to the monitoring station each time the vehicles reach the dividing point, and the monitoring station estimates a time required for the vehicle to pass a next dividing point based on the speed data, and in the case when the position data which is supposed to have been transmitted from the vehicle has not been received when the estimated time elapsed, the monitoring station judges that at least the transmission means of the first transmission/reception means of the vehicle has an abnormality.

8. The vehicle monitor according to claim 5, characterized in that the monitoring station judges whether the position data has been received each time the predetermined time elapses, and in the case when the position data which is supposed to have been transmitted from a specific vehicle has not been received and position data transmitted from other vehicles has been received as a result of the judgment, the monitoring station judges that at least the first transmission/reception means of the specific vehicle has an abnormality and transmits this information to the other vehicles via the first transmission/reception means, the other vehicles transmit this information to the specific vehicle via the second transmission/reception means, and the specific vehicle which received this information on the abnormality executes predetermined abnormality processing.

9. The vehicle monitor according to claim 5, characterized in that the plurality of vehicles respectively judge that another vehicle is present within a communication distance of the second transmission/reception means based on the position information of each vehicle transmitted from the monitoring station via the first transmission/reception means, and in the case when this judgment is made and the position data has not been received from the other vehicle via the second transmission/reception means, the respective vehicles judge that at least reception means of the second transmission/reception means of own vehicle has an abnormality and executes predetermined abnormality processing.

10. The vehicle monitor according to claim 5, characterized in that the monitoring station confirms the presence of vehicles closest to each other based on the position data transmitted from the plurality of vehicles via the first transmission/reception means and transmits this information to the vehicles closest to each other via the first transmission/reception means, and the vehicles closest to each other to which this information is transmitted transmit/receive the position data between the vehicles closest to each other via the second transmission/reception means, so as to perform control to prevent mutual interference of the vehicles closest to each other.

11. The vehicle monitor according to claim 5, characterized in that when data has not been input from other vehicles via the second transmission/reception means after the predetermined time elapses, the plurality of vehicles respectively transmit this information to the monitoring station via the first transmission/reception means, the monitoring station judges that another vehicle is present within a communication distance of the second transmission/reception means for the vehicle which transmitted the information, and in the case when this judgement is made, the respective vehicles judge that at least reception means of the second transmission/reception means of the vehicle which transmitted the information has an abnormality.

12. The vehicle monitor according to claim 5, characterized in that the monitoring station transmits predetermined data to the plurality of vehicles each time a predetermined time elapses, the plurality of vehicles judge whether the predetermined data has been received each time the predetermined time elapses, and in the case when it is judged that the predetermined data which is supposed to have been transmitted from the monitoring station has not been received, the respective vehicles judge that the first transmission/reception means has an abnormality and executes predetermined abnormality processing.

13. The vehicle monitor according to claim 5, characterized in that the plurality of vehicles respectively transmit own position data constantly to other vehicles via the second transmission/reception means, by which respective vehicles confirm the presence of a vehicle closest to own vehicle, and the position data is transmitted/received between the vehicles closest to each other via the second transmission/reception means, so as to perform control to prevent mutual interference of the vehicles closest to each other.