Travel control device and method for vehicles

• US 7,742,853 B2
• Filed: 12/08/2006
• Issued: 06/22/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 12/09/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Komatsu Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Komatsu Ltd.
• Inventors: Sudou, Tsugio, Nishijima, Akiharu, Kuromoto, Kazunori, Takeda, Koji, Tojima, Masanori, Mori, Masaki, Ozaki, Tomonori
• Primary Examiner(s): Zanelli; Michael J.
• Application Number:
  US11/636,133
• Publication Number:
  US 20070293996A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,292 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 701/24
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/005 with correlation of navigation data from several sources, e.g. map or contour matching G01C21/30 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0297 by controlling means in a control room

Abstract

A restricted area (60) is created based on positional information of a manned vehicle (20) traveling one of outward/return lanes (51, 52), and a detour course (72) is created based on information of the restricted area (60). Information on the detour course (72) is provided to the unmanned vehicles (10, 11) and the manned vehicle (20). Based on the positional information of the unmanned vehicles (10, 11) which proceed towards each other from the opposite directions with the restricted area (60) therebetween, the unmanned vehicle (11) on the lane (52) which is the opposite side of the restricted area (60) is blocked at a block position (61B) and at the same time a travel permission command for permitting traveling the detour course (72) is issued to the unmanned vehicle (10) traveling the lane (51) on the restricted area side so that the unmanned vehicle (10) travels the detour course (72).

Claims

1. A travel control device for vehicles, which causes unmanned vehicles, which are provided with travel controller for causing the vehicle to travel along an instructed traveling course, to travel toward each other from opposite directions on a traveling road having adjacent outward/return lanes, the travel control device comprising:

a monitor station for creating a restricted area that surrounds one of the manned vehicles on either one of the outward/return lanes, on the basis of positional information of the manned vehicle;

said monitor station creating, on the basis of the restricted area, a detour course which avoids the restricted area, passes the opposite lane, and returns to the original lane of the manned vehicle;

said monitor station providing each of the vehicles with information on the detour course; and

said monitor station providing under the condition that an authorization command for authorizing traveling the detour course is received from the manned vehicle present in the restricted area;

a travel permission command for permitting the unmanned vehicle, which travels a lane on a restricted area side while blocking the vehicle on a lane which is the opposite side of the restricted area, to travel the detour course, on the basis of the positional information of the vehicles traveling toward each other from the opposite directions with the restricted area therebetween,

wherein the travel controller of the unmanned vehicle provided with the travel permission command performs control so as to cause the vehicle to travel along the detour course in accordance with data of the instructed detour course.

2. The travel control device for vehicles according to claim 1, further comprising a keyboard for inputting the positional information of a manned vehicle present in the restricted area, wherein the monitor station creates the restricted area on the basis of the inputted positional information of the manned vehicle.

3. The travel control device for vehicles according to claim 2, wherein a keyboard is provided in a manned vehicle present in the restricted area;

the monitor station and each of the vehicles are provided with transmitting/receiving means for mutually transmitting and receiving information between the monitor station and the vehicle;

information on the restricted area is transmitted to the monitor station from the manned vehicle present in the restricted area;

the information on the detour course is transmitted from the monitor station to each of the vehicles; and

the travel permission command is transmitted from the monitor station to an unmanned vehicle traveling the lane on the restricted area side.

4. The travel control device for vehicles according to claim 1, wherein

the monitor station and each of the vehicles are provided with transmitting/receiving means for mutually transmitting and receiving information between the monitor station and the vehicles;

the information on the detour course is transmitted from the monitor station to each of the vehicles; and

the travel permission command is transmitted from the monitor station to the unmanned vehicle traveling the lane on the restricted area side.

5. The travel control device for vehicles according to claim 1, wherein the restricted area is an area in which a manned vehicle performs a work, an area in which a manned vehicle travels at low speed, or an area in which a disabled manned vehicle exists.

6. A travel control method for a vehicle, which causes unmanned vehicles, which are provided with travel control means for causing the vehicle to travel along an instructed traveling course in accordance with data on the instructed traveling course, to travel toward each other from opposite directions on a traveling road having adjacent outward/return lanes, the travel control method comprising the steps of:

creating a restricted area that surrounds a manned vehicle on either one of the outward/return lanes, on the basis of positional information of the manned vehicle;

creating, on the basis of the restricted area, a detour course which avoids the restricted area, passes the opposite lane, and returns to the original lane of the vehicle;

providing each of the vehicles with information on the detour course providing, under the condition that an authorization command to for authorizing traveling the detour course is received from the manned vehicle present in the restricted area, a travel permission command for permitting the unmanned vehicles, which travel a lane on a restricted side, to travel the course, and

performing control so as to cause the unmanned vehicle to travel along an instructed detour course in accordance with data on the instructed detour course.