Assistive vehicular guidance system and method

• US 9,464,913 B2
• Filed: 01/22/2016
• Issued: 10/11/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 02/16/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Raven Industries Incorporated (CNH Industrial N.V.)
• Original Assignee: Jaybridge Robotics, Inc.
• Inventors: Brown, Jeremy, Nimmer, Jeremy
• Primary Examiner(s): Tissot, Adam
• Assistant Examiner(s): CASTRO, PAUL A
• Application Number:
  US15/004,069
• Publication Number:
  US 20160238403A1
• Time in Patent Office: 263 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 15/028 Guided parking by providing commands to the driver, e.g. acoustically or optically
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3629 Guidance using speech or audio output, e.g. text-to-speech text to speech systems per se G10L13/00
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3632 Guidance using simplified or iconic instructions, e.g. using arrows G01C21/365 takes precedence

Abstract

An assistive vehicular guidance system for locating a spotter vehicle in a target location near a target machine. The guidance system has a positioning system including global positioning sensors on the spotter vehicle and target machine, and user interfaces providing visual and/or auditory cues. An assist module includes long-range and short-range network radios and an analyzer. The analyzer interfaces with the global positioning sensors, the long-range and short-range network radios, and the user interfaces, planning a path for the spotter vehicle and providing cues in guiding the spotter vehicle along the path to the target location. A communications system includes short-range and long-range networks, the short-range network connecting the short-range network radios of the spotter vehicle and the target machine. The long-range network includes a VPN and server, connecting the long-range radios of the spotter vehicle and target machine with the server via the VPN.

Claims

1. An assistive vehicular guidance system to locate at least one spotter vehicle in a target location near a target machine, comprising:

a positioning system comprising global positioning sensors located on each of the spotter vehicle and target machine;

an operator interface for the target machine, the target machine operator interface configured to provide at least visual cues;

an operator interface for the spotter vehicle, the spotter vehicle operator interface configured to provide at least specific auditory cues;

an assist module for each of the spotter vehicle and target machine, the assist module comprising a long-range network radio, a short-range network radio and an analyzer, the analyzer being configured to interface with the global positioning sensors, the long-range-network radio, the short-range network radio, the target machine user interface and the spotter vehicle operator interface to plan a path for the spotter vehicle to follow to the target location and to provide at least specific auditory cues to aid a spotter vehicle operator in guiding the spotter vehicle to the target location along the path and stopping the target vehicle at the target location to await further action from the target machine; and

a communications system comprising a short-range network and a long-range network, short-range network being configured to connect the short-range network radio of the spotter vehicle with the short-range network radio of the target machine, and the long-range network comprising a virtual private network and a central server, the long-range network being configured to connect the long-range radios of the spotter vehicle and target machine with the central server via the virtual private network.

2. The assistive vehicular guidance system of claim 1, wherein the spotter vehicle user interface comprises a display with an auditory feature configured to provide the specific auditory cues.

3. The assistive vehicular guidance system of claim 1, wherein providing the specific auditory cues comprises providing at least one of type of steering cue, one type of speed cue and one type of proximity cue.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein providing the auditory cues comprises providing at least one type of quasi-verbal cue.

5. The assistive vehicular guidance system of claim 1, wherein the spotter machine user interface comprises a display with a visual feature configured to provide visual cues and an auditory feature configured to provide the specific auditory cues.

6. The assistive vehicular guidance system of claim 5, wherein the visual feature is configured to be disabled when the operator places the spotter vehicle in a reverse gear following the path, leaving the auditory feature operative to provide the specific auditory cues.

7. The assistive vehicular guidance system of claim 5, wherein the visual cues comprise a light bar configured to provide steering cues, a distance bar configured to provide operational cues and a map configured to provide positioning and orientation cues.

8. The assistive vehicular guidance system of claim 1, wherein the positioning system located on the spotter vehicle comprises an inertial measurement unit.

9. The assistive vehicular guidance system of claim 1, wherein the spotter vehicle is a truck and the target machine is a shovel, the shovel comprising a bucket configured to align with the target location.

10. The assistive vehicular guidance system of claim 1, wherein the communication system selects between the short range network and the long range network depending on network availability.

14. The assistive vehicular guidance system of claim 1, wherein the analyzer of the at least one spotter vehicle planning the path for the at least one spotter vehicle to follow to the target location and providing visual and auditory cues on the display to aid the operator in guiding spotter vehicle to the target location along the path occurs automatically when said analyzer executes the program instructions.

11. An assistive vehicular guidance system to locate at least one of a plurality of spotter vehicles in a target location near a target machine, comprising:

a positioning system comprising global positioning sensors located on a target machine and each of the plurality of spotter vehicles;

an operator interface for each of the spotter vehicles and the target machine, each of the operator interfaces comprising a display with a visual feature configured to provide visual cues and an auditory feature configured to provide auditory cues;

an assist module for each of the spotter vehicles and target machine, the assist module comprising a long-range network radio, a short-range network radio and an analyzer, the analyzer for the spotter vehicles and the target machine comprising a computer program product having a computer readable storage medium embedded with program instructions executable by each analyser to interface with the global positioning sensors, the long-range network radio, the short-range network radio and the operator interface, and by the analyzer for the at least one spotter vehicle to plan a path for the at least one spotter vehicle to follow to the target location and to provide visual and auditory cues on the display to aid an operator in guiding spotter vehicle to the target location along the path and stopping the target vehicle at the target location to await further action from the target machine; and

a communications system comprising a short-range network and a long-range network, the short-range network being configured to connect the short range network radio of the spotter vehicle with the short-range network radio of the target machine, and the long range network comprising a virtual private network and a central server, the central server comprising a computer program product comprising a computer readable storage medium having program instructions embodied therewith, the program instructions being executable by the central server operatively associated with the positioning system and the operator interfaces, the communications system being configured to communicate information processed between the processor of the spotter vehicle and the target machine and the long range network being configured to connect the long range radios of the spotter vehicle and target machine with the central server via the virtual private network.

12. The assistive vehicular guidance system of claim 11, wherein the visual display comprises a light bar configured to provide steering cues, a distance bar configured to provide operational cues, and a map configured to provide positioning and orientation cues.

13. The assistive vehicular guidance system of claim 11, wherein the visual feature is configured to be disabled when the spotter vehicle operator puts the spotter vehicle in reverse gear following the path, leaving the auditory feature operative to provide auditory cues.

15. The assistive vehicular guidance system of claim 11, wherein providing the specific auditory cues comprises providing at least one of type of steering cue, one type of speed cue and one type of proximity cue.

16. A method for assisting an operator in guiding a spotter vehicle to a target location in proximity to a target machine, comprising:

activating a vehicular assist guidance system comprising a positioning system, a user interface for at least the spotter vehicle, the user interface comprising a display with a video feature and an auditory feature, a communications system comprising, and a processor, the processor being operatively associated with the positioning system and the user interface and the communications system being configured to communicate information processed between the processor of the spotter vehicle and the target machine;

moving the spotter vehicle into a queue location;

via the processor, determining whether a path can be planned from the queue location to the target location,

using the user interface, confirming that the processor has planned the path;

via the processor and the communications system, causing the path to be displayed on the display;

after the confirming, causing the spotter vehicle to move into reverse gear;

by causing the spotter vehicle to move into reverse gear, automatically causing the visual display feature to be disabled, leaving the auditory feature operative, and providing auditory cues;

using the auditory cues to steer the spotter vehicle to follow the path to the target location; and

stopping the spotter vehicle at the target location to await action from the target machine.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein providing the auditory cues comprises providing at least one type of non-verbal cue.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein the providing auditory cues comprises providing auditory cues with a frequency of at least one Hertz.

19. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

following the determining, using the user interface, conveying a notification that a path cannot be planned;

causing the spotter vehicle to move forward until, using the user interface, the processor confirms that the path can be planned.

20. The method of claim 16, wherein the action from the target machine is loading the spotter vehicle.