Unmanned vehicle running system

• US 6,321,147 B1
• Filed: 05/19/2000
• Issued: 11/20/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 05/21/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Komatsu Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Komatsu Ltd.
• Inventors: Takeda, Koji, Tojima, Masanori, Takeda, Shu
• Primary Examiner(s): Beaulieu, Yonel
• Application Number:
  US09/574,005
• Time in Patent Office: 550 Days
• Field of Search: 701/23, 701/24, 701/25, 701/26, 701/28, 701/210, 701/211, 348/118, 348/119, 348/113, 348/116, 340/435, 340/436, 340/425.5, 180/167, 180/168, 180/169
• US Class Current: 701/23
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0038 by providing the operator with simple or augmented images from one or more cameras located onboard the vehicle, e.g. tele-operation images analyzed by a computer and used for automatic navigation G05D1/0246

Abstract

An unmanned vehicle running system, capable of reducing a stop time of a vehicle by immediately judging whether or not an obstacle blocks the passage when detecting the obstacle. For this purpose, the unmanned vehicle running system has a plurality of vehicles (1) running without a driver in a predetermined course (3) while detecting the current position and a central monitor station (2) for monitoring operations of the plurality of vehicles, wherein each of said vehicles is provided with a phototaking device (24) for taking a photo of the course, with a vehicle communication unit (23) for transmitting the taken image to the central monitor station, and with an obstacle detecting unit (5) for detecting an obstacle (4) which blocks the passage, wherein the central monitor station is provided with a central communication unit (8) for receiving the image and with a monitor (9) for displaying the image, and wherein the phototaking device takes a photo when the obstacle detecting unit detects an obstacle.

Claims

1. An unmanned vehicle running system, comprising:

a plurality of vehicles running without a driver in a predetermined course while detecting a current position of the vehicle; and

a central monitor station for monitoring operations of the plurality of vehicles,

wherein each of said vehicles is provided with a phototaking device for taking a photo of said course and with a vehicle communication unit configured for transmitting the taken image to the central monitor station;

wherein said central monitor station is provided with a central communication unit configured for receiving the image and with a monitor for displaying the image;

wherein said vehicle is provided with an obstacle detecting unit for detecting an obstacle which blocks the passage; and

wherein said phototaking device takes a photo only when the obstacle detecting unit detects an obstacle.

2. An unmanned vehicle running system according to claim 1,

wherein said central monitor station is provided with a manual phototaking switch for inputting a phototaking instruction and with said central communication unit configured for transmitting the phototaking instruction to the respective vehicles;

wherein each of said vehicles is provided with said vehicle communication unit configured for receiving the phototaking instruction; and

wherein the phototaking device takes a photo when the phototaking instruction is inputted.

3. An unmanned vehicle running system, comprising:

a position detecting unit for detecting the current position and an obstacle detecting unit for detecting an obstacle which blocks the passage in the vehicle side; and

a vehicle control unit for running said vehicle without a driver in a predetermined course on the basis of detection signals from the position detecting unit and from the obstacle detecting unit,

wherein said vehicle control unit registers a position of said vehicle and the detection signals from said obstacle detecting unit when said obstacle detecting unit recognizes a non-obstacle as an obstacle by mistake, and judges whether or not said vehicle has approached the registered position during running so as to prevent a non-obstacle from being recognized as an obstacle by mistake on the basis of the registered detection signals in the vicinity of the registered position.

4. An unmanned vehicle running system according to claim 3, comprising:

a central monitor station for monitoring operations of said plurality of vehicles,

wherein each vehicle is provided with a vehicle communication unit and the central monitor station is provided with a central communication unit so that they have radio communications with each other; and

wherein the central monitor station is provided with a central control unit for registering error recognition positions for each vehicle on the basis of a position of each vehicle received therefrom when said obstacle detecting unit recognizes a non-obstacle as an obstacle by mistake; and

wherein said each vehicle is provided with a vehicle control unit for registering an error recognition position for each vehicle received from said central monitor station.