Mobile control system

• US 6,433,687 B1
• Filed: 02/12/1999
• Issued: 08/13/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 02/26/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Tanikoshi, Koichiro, Yamaashi, Kimiya, Fukuda, Yoshibumi, Futakawa, Masayasu
• Primary Examiner(s): Wu, Daniel J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): PHAM, TOAN NGOC
• Application Number:
  US09/249,291
• Time in Patent Office: 1,278 Days
• Field of Search: 340/573.1, 340/573.4, 340/825.49, 340/825.36, 340/10.1, 340/10.51, 340/505, 340/539, 340/5.8, 340/5.81, 340/825.47, 340/10.32, 340/10.6, 340/286.14
• US Class Current: 340/573.1
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0027 of actual mobile position, i.e. position determined on mobile
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/31006 Monitoring of vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 90/02 Total factory control, e.g. smart factories, flexible manufacturing systems [FMS] or integrated manufacturing systems [IMS]

Abstract

A mobile control system capable of identifying a layout condition at a glance and quickly finding and displaying an associated moving body from among many moving bodies, wherein the system is capable of retrieving an object of communication by only designating a site and quickly making communication with the object thus picked out. For controlling moving bodies located in a specific area, the mobile control systems are each provided with a position sensor for detecting a current position or positions of one or more moving bodies located in the specific area and a monitor system for displaying a layout diagram of specific objects located in the specific area and information symbolical of the moving bodies respectively at positions determined on the basis of the current positions of the moving bodies detected by the position sensor in the layout diagram being displayed.

Claims

1. A mobile control system for controlling moving bodies located in a specific area, comprising:

a position sensor for detecting a current position or positions of one or more moving bodies located in said specific area; and

a monitor system which displays a layout diagram of specific objects located in said specific area and which, upon receipt of an input indicating any of the displayed objects, checks whether there is any moving body in a predetermined region the current position of which moving body has been detected by said position sensor, with respect to the indicated object, and if said moving body is present, sorts said moving bodies in the order of the distance from the indicated object or in the order of the rank of said moving bodies, displays information symbolical of the moving body at a position in said layout diagram being displayed which position is determined on the basis of the current position of the moving body.

2. A mobile control system according to claim 1, wherein said position sensor comprises branch devices mounted respectively on said moving bodies and each having a peculiar identifier and master devices disposed at plural places in said specific area to detect the identifiers of said branch devices when the branch devices are located within a detectable region.

3. A mobile control system according to claim 2, wherein said monitor system displays a specific pattern as the information symbolical of each said moving body.

4. A mobile control system according to claim 3, wherein said monitor system performs a processing for further displaying the name of the moving body concerned at a position adjacent to said specific pattern.

5. A mobile control system according to claim 3 or claim 4, wherein said monitor system performs a processing whereby, when a plurality of moving bodies have been detected in one said master device, patterns symbolical of the moving bodies respectively are displayed so as to be shifted in position from each other.

6. A mobile control system according to claim 3 or claim 4, wherein when a plurality of moving bodies have been detected in one said master device, said monitor system displays as a representative pattern a pattern symbolical of any one of the moving bodies, and upon receipt of an indication designating said pattern, performs a processing for displaying information on the plural moving bodies.

7. A mobile control system according to claim 3 or claim 4, wherein said moving bodies and said monitor system are each provided with a communication device for mutual communication, and upon receipt of an indication designating any of the patterns symbolical of the moving bodies, said monitor system performs a processing for making communication with the moving body symbolized by the designated pattern through said communication device.

8. A mobile control system according to claim 3, wherein said moving bodies and said monitor system are each provided with a communication device for mutual communication, and said monitor system performs a processing for displaying patterns symbolical of said objects in said layout diagram, and upon receipt of an indication designating a pattern symbolical of any of the objects, and if the current position of any of the moving bodies has been detected in a region predetermined on the basis of the object symbolized by the designated pattern, performs a processing for making communication with the moving body concerned through said communication device.

9. A mobile control system according to claim 8, wherein when a plurality of moving bodies have been detected with respect to the designated object, a processing is performed so as to communicate with a moving body which is high in a predetermined rank.

10. A mobile control system according to claim 8, wherein when a plurality of moving bodies have been detected with respect to the designated object, a processing is performed so as to make a multi-address communication with the detected plural moving bodies.

11. A mobile control system according to claim 2, wherein said moving bodies are persons present in said specific area, and said branch devices transmit the identifiers allocated thereto to said master devices together with a radio wave, while said master devices receive said radio wave, take out the identifiers and detect the branch devices.

12. A mobile control system according to claim 2, wherein some of said objects are movable within said specific area and carry said branch devices.

13. A mobile control system for controlling on or more moving bodies moving in a specific area, comprising:

a position sensor for detecting a current position or positions of one or more moving bodies located in said specific area;

a display unit for displaying an image;

a memory unit which stores at least information necessary for displaying a layout diagram of specific objects located in said specific area and information necessary for displaying the current positions of the moving bodies detected by said position sensor;

a central information processing system which updates the information stored in said memory unit on the basis of the current positions of the moving bodies detected by said position sensor and which performs a processing for displaying on said display unit said layout diagram of the objects and the current positions of specific moving bodies; and

an input device for receiving directions for said central information processing system,

wherein said memory unit stores information indicative of positions of the objects included in said layout diagram, graphic pattern information for displaying the layout diagram and related display position information, information indicative of the current positions of the detected moving bodies, graphic information symbolical of the moving bodies and related display position information, and

said central information processing system, upon receipt by said input device of an indication designating a specific object included in said layout diagram being displayed on said display unit, looks up moving bodies whose current positions lie in a predetermined region based on the current position of the designated object, and with respect to only the thus-retrieved moving bodies, sorts the thus-retrieved moving bodies in the order of the distance from the designated object or in the order of the rank of the thus-retrieved moving bodies, performs a processing for displaying their symbolical patterns on the display unit at positions indicated by said display position information.

14. A mobile control system for controlling moving bodies located in a specific area, comprising:

a position sensor for detecting a current position or positions of one or more moving bodies located in said specific area; and

a monitor system which displays a layout diagram of specific objects located in said specific area and which, upon receipt of an input indicating any area in said layout diagram, checks whether there is any moving body in the indicated area the current position of which moving body has been detected by said position sensor, and if said moving body is present, sorts said moving bodies in the order of the distance from the indicated object or in the order of the rank of said moving bodies, displays information symbolical of the moving body at a position in said layout diagram being displayed which position is determined on the basis of the current position of the moving body.