Vehicle interference prevention device

• US 6,625,540 B2
• Filed: 07/10/2001
• Issued: 09/23/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 05/31/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Komatsu Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Komatsu Ltd.
• Inventors: Kageyama, Masato
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, THU V
• Application Number:
  US09/901,025
• Publication Number:
  US 20010044697A1
• Time in Patent Office: 805 Days
• Field of Search: 701/1-4, 701/7-9, 701/200-203, 701/207-215, 701/225, 701/300-302, 340/425.5, 340/435-438, 340/463-464, 340/825.36, 340/901-903, 340/961, 340/988-994, 342/29-30, 342/41-42, 342/63-65, 342/70, 342/357.01, 342/357.06, 342/357.08, 342/357.09, 342/357.12, 342/454-458
• US Class Current: 701/301
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 40/04 Traffic conditions
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/26 specially adapted for navigation in a road network
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/161 Decentralised systems, e.g. inter-vehicle communication
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/163 involving continuous checking
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/207 with respect to certain areas, e.g. forbidden or allowed areas with possible alerting when inside or outside boundaries

Abstract

There is provided a vehicle interference prevention device that, by computing a range of possible locations of a vehicle taking into consideration the time at which the location of the vehicle is measured, can safely predict the location of the vehicle, even with minimal frequency of radio contact, and prevent interference among unmanned vehicles or manned vehicles over the entirety of large work site. An unmanned vehicle uses the latest position data for a manned vehicle acquired (received) via an inter-vehicle communication device to determine a position (position at a certain point in time) as the basis for computing a circle having this position as its center and having a radius equal to the distance traveled at maximum speed from this point to a predetermined future point in time, and designates the area within this circle on a prearranged travel route as a range of possible locations for the manned vehicle. The unmanned vehicle then decides whether its own vehicle position interferes with this circle.

Claims

1. A vehicle interference prevention device for preventing interference among a plurality of vehicles, including a manned vehicle, as they travel along a travel route, wherein each vehicle of the plurality of vehicles comprises:

measuring means for measuring a position of its own vehicle;

communication means for exchanging with another vehicle of the plurality of vehicles position information indicating its own vehicle position measured by the measuring means;

transmitting/receiving means for exchanging with the manned vehicle time information indicating either of the time at which its own vehicle position was measured by the measuring means, or the time at which position information indicating its own vehicle position was transmitted; and

the manned vehicle comprises;

processing means for calculating a relative positional relationship of the manned vehicle and the other vehicle on the basis of position information for the other vehicle received via the communication means, and position information of the manned vehicle;

notifying means for notifying predetermined information depending on the relative positional relationship calculated by the processing means;

range estimating means for estimating, on the basis of position information for the other vehicle received via its own communication means, either time information for this position information indicating the time at which the position information was received by the communication means or the time information having been transmitted by the other vehicle and an upper limit speed of the other vehicle, an area of movement of the other vehicle from a position based on the position information to another position at a point in time coming after a predetermined time interval has passed; and

display means for displaying the relative positional relationship calculated by the processing means, and for displaying the area of movement estimated by the range estimating means for the other vehicle in the positional relationship.

2. The vehicle interference prevention device according to claim 1, wherein the range estimating means estimates, on the basis of latest positional data sent from the other vehicle, a region encircled by a circle with a radius determined by a moving distance when the other vehicle moved from a previous vehicle position.

3. A vehicle interference prevention device for preventing interference among a plurality of vehicles, including a manned vehicle, as they travel along a travel route, wherein each vehicle of the plurality of vehicles comprises:

measuring means for measuring a position of its own vehicle;

communication means for exchanging with another vehicle of the plurality of vehicles position information indicating its own vehicle position measured by the measuring means;

transmitting/receiving means for exchanging with the manned vehicle time information indicating either of the time at which its own vehicle position was measured by the measuring means, or the time at which position information indicating its own vehicle position was transmitted; and

the manned vehicle comprises;

processing means for calculating a relative positional relationship of the manned vehicle and the other vehicle on the basis of position information for the other vehicle received via the communication means, and position information of the manned vehicle;

notifying means for notifying predetermined information depending on the relative positional relationship calculated by the processing means;

range estimating means for estimating, on the basis of position information for the other vehicle received via its own communication means, either time information for this position information indicating the time at which the position information was received by the communication means or the time information having been transmitted by the other vehicle and an upper limit speed of the other vehicle, a circle area of movement of the other vehicle from a center point based on the position information of the other vehicle with a radius of the circle area of movement based on the upper limit speed of the other vehicle after a predetermined time interval has passed; and

display means for displaying the relative positional relationship calculated by the processing means, and for displaying the circle area of movement estimated by the range estimating means for the other vehicle in the positional relationship.