System and method for transmitting information for amphibious traveling vehicle and system for controlling operation of the vehicle

• US 6,580,541 B1
• Filed: 12/18/1998
• Issued: 06/17/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 01/13/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Koyo Engineering Co. Ltd. (EXEO Group, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Koyo Engineering Co. Ltd. (EXEO Group, Inc.)
• Inventors: Yamashita, Katsumi, Futami, Kenjiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Pascal, Leslie
• Assistant Examiner(s): Bello, Agustin
• Application Number:
  US09/155,005
• Time in Patent Office: 1,642 Days
• Field of Search: 359/142, 359/141, 104/71, 342/53, 342/54
• US Class Current: 398/104
• CPC Class Codes: B60F 3/0007 Arrangement of propulsion or steering means on amphibious vehicles marine propulsion or steering B63H
• CPC Class Codes: B63H 19/08 by direct engagement with water-bed or ground
• CPC Class Codes: B63H 2025/028 using remote control means, e.g. wireless control; Equipment or accessories therefor
• CPC Class Codes: B63H 21/21 Control means for engine or transmission, specially adapted for use on marine vessels
• CPC Class Codes: B63H 21/22 the propulsion power units being controlled from exterior of engine room, e.g. from navigation bridge; Arrangements of order telegraphs

Abstract

In order to allow an amphibious traveling vehicle to safely travel along rails on the land and in the water, or underwater even off the rails, a system for transmitting information of amphibious traveling vehicle comprising a traveling vehicle-side control system (51) which controls the operating state of the traveling vehicle and is provided on the traveling vehicle for traveling under water or underwater and in the air, a host-side control system (53) which instructs the system (51) to operate the traveling vehicle and is provided separately from the traveling vehicle, and communication means (60 and 61) which transmit information between the systems (51 and 53) and are connected to these systems (51 and 53), said system being characterized in that said communication means (60 and 61) is constituted of modulators (54 and 55) which modulate received instruction information into light beams, demodulators (56 and 57) which demodulate received beams of light into the instruction information and a light beam transmitter/receiver (58 and 59), wherein the information transmission between the systems (51 and 53) can be performed with light beams.

Claims

1. System for transmitting information of amphibious traveling vehicle comprising a traveling vehicle-side control system which controls the operating state of traveling vehicle and is provided on the traveling vehicle for traveling under water and in the air, a host-side control system which instructs the vehicle-side control system to operate the traveling vehicle and is provided separately from the traveling vehicle, and communication means which transmits information between the host-side and vehicle-side control systems and are connected to the systems, said system for transmitting information being characterized in that said communication means are constituted of modulators which modulate received instruction information into light beams, demodulators which demodulate received beams of light into the instruction information and a light beam transmitter/receiver, wherein the information transmission between the host-side and vehicle-side control can be performed with light beams including near infrared beam or visible light beam of green-blue color system, a traveling rail is laid in the water or from on the land into the water, said amphibious traveling vehicle is movably mounted on said rail, said light beam transmitter/receivers of said host-side control system are arranged along said traveling rail so as to carry out transmission to and reception from said respective light beam transmitter/receivers of said vehicle-side control systems of said amphibious traveling vehicles;

and

said amphibious traveling vehicle is constructed from a vehicle body moving along said traveling rail and a vehicle capsule mounted detachably on the upper side of said vehicle body, and said vehicle body and said vehicle capsule are respectively provided with said communication means and said control means of said vehicle side control system, wherein said light beam transmitter/receivers of said host-side control system are arranged in positions where they can car out a bilateral transmission/reception with said light beam transmitter/receiver of said vehicle capsule.

2. System for transmitting information of amphibious traveling vehicle as set forth in claim 1, which is characterized in that said light beam transmitter/receiver on said vehicle-side control system comprises a light shower movable station which generates light beams, while said light beam transmitter/receiver on said host-side control system comprises a light shower fixed station which generates lift beams.

3. System for transmitting information of amphibious traveling vehicle according to claim 1 or claim 2 is characterized in that said communication means of said vehicle-side control system has connected thereto control means for controlling the operation of respective elements mounted on said traveling vehicle, while said communication means of said host-side control system has connected thereto a host-side control center for outputting operation instructions to said vehicle-side control system.

4. System for transmitting information of amphibious traveling vehicle claimed in claim 3, which is characterized in that said control means of said vehicle control system comprises decision executing means, supervising means and storing means, wherein said supervising means is formed so as to permanently supervise actual states of respective elements mounted on said amphibious traveling vehicle and to output obtained data to said decision executing means, wherein said storing means stores therein operation contents of said control means, said operation contents selected from the group consisting of communication method with said host-side control system, decision criteria and decision method of respective check lists and operation contents of said control means such as outputting method to said elements, while said decision executing means decides said respective check lists in the case of receiving instructions from said host-side control system or depending on the independent decision of vehicle side based upon programs contained in said storing means, thereby to output the decision results to said host-side control system through said communication means and to output operation instructions to said respective elements corresponding to said decision contents when receiving said operation instructions from said host-side control system or depending on the independent decision of vehicle side based upon programs contained in said storing means;

and/or in that said host-side control center comprises a decision executing means, a storing means and a traveling state displaying means, wherein said storing means stores therein such operation contents of said control means as communication method with said vehicle-side control system, decision criteria and decision method of respective check lists, contents of operation instructions to respective elements based on the obtained decision results and operation contents of said control means, while said decision executing means decides said respective check lists when received instructions from said host-side control system, based upon programs contained in said storing means, thereby to output operation instructions to said respective elements corresponding to said decision results;

while said traveling state displaying means displays by means of voice and images the information about decision results and instruction contents of said decision executing means and about supervising results obtained by said supervising means.

5. System for transmitting information of amphibious traveling vehicle according to claim 4 which is characterized in that said host-side control center has connected thereto an information unifying means for analyzing, arranging and storing various input/output information.

6. System for transmitting information of amphibious traveling vehicle claimed in any one of claims 1 or 2, which is characterized in that a radio LAN transmitter/receivers is connected to said vehicle-side control system, wherein transmission of instruction information from said host-side control system in the case of said amphibious traveling vehicle traveling on the land and on the water surface is carried out by means of a radio LAN.

7. System for transmitting information of amphibious traveling vehicle comprising a traveling vehicle-side control system which controls the operating state of the traveling vehicle and is provided on the traveling vehicle for traveling under water and in the air, a host-side control system which instructs the vehicle-side control system to operate the traveling vehicle and is provided separately from the traveling vehicle, and communication means which transmits information between the host-side and vehicle-side control systems and are connected to the systems, said system for transmitting information being characterized in that said communication means are constituted of modulators which modulate received instruction information into light beams, demodulators which demodulate received beams of light into the instruction information and a light beam transmitter/receiver, wherein the information transmission between the host-side and vehicle-side control systems can be performed with light beams including near infrared beam or visible light beam of green-blue color system, a traveling rail is laid in the water or from on the land into the water, said amphibious traveling vehicle is movably mounted on said rail, said light beam transmitter/receivers of said host-side control system are arranged along said traveling rail so as to carry out transmission to and reception from said respective light beam transmitter/receivers of said vehicle-side control systems of said amphibious traveling vehicles;

and

said amphibious traveling vehicle is constructed from a vehicle body moving along said traveling rail and a vehicle capsule mounted detachably on an upper side of said vehicle body, and said vehicle body and said vehicle capsule are each provided with said communication means and said control means of said vehicle side control system, and said vehicle body is provided with control means and communication means for transmitting by light beams the operation instruction information transmitted from said host-side control system from said vehicle body to said vehicle capsule when said vehicle capsule has been detached from said vehicle body.

8. Operation control system of amphibious traveling vehicle wherein a traveling rail is laid in the water or from on the land into the water, said amphibious traveling vehicle comprising a vehicle body and a vehicle capsule separating provided on said vehicle body is movably mounted on said rail, and vehicle is provided with an emergency escaping device for separating said vehicle capsule from said vehicle body in an emergency, said operation control system is characterized in that said operation control system comprises a traveling vehicle-side control system which controls an operating state of the traveling vehicle and is provided on the amphibious traveling vehicle for traveling under water and in the air, a host-side control system which instructs the vehicle-side control system to operate the amphibious travel vehicle and is provided separately from the amphibious traveling vehicle, and communication means which transmits information between the vehicle-side control and host-side control systems;

and

said emergency escaping device comprises a capsule holding mechanism for holding integrally said vehicle capsule and said vehicle body and for releasing this holding state in an emergency, a wire coupling said vehicle body and said vehicle capsule, and resistant load device provided on said vehicle body for limiting the withdrawn quantity of said wire.

9. Operation control system of amphibious traveling vehicle according to claim 8, which is characterized in that said communication means consists of a modulator for modulating instruction information received from said vehicle-side control system an said host-side control system into light beams signals, a demodulator for demodulating received light beam signals into instruction information and a light beam transmitter/receiver, and in that information transmission between said control systems are performed trough light beams including near infrared beam or visible light beam of green-blue color system.

10. Operation control system of amphibious traveling vehicle according to claim 9, which is characterized in that said light beam transmitter/receiver on said vehicle-side control system comprises light shower movable station which generates light beams in radiation manner, while said light beam transmitter/receiver on said host-side control system comprises light shower fixed station which generates light beams in radiation manner.