Mine management system

• US 9,842,501 B2
• Filed: 08/31/2015
• Issued: 12/12/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 08/31/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Komatsu Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Komatsu Ltd.
• Inventors: Osagawa, Kenta
• Primary Examiner(s): Dsouza, Adolf
• Application Number:
  US14/894,959
• Publication Number:
  US 20170061796A1
• Time in Patent Office: 834 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0289 with means for avoiding collisions between vehicles vehicle fittings for automatically controlling speed including means for detecting potential obstacles B60K31/0008; avoiding obstacles by action on the steering system B62D; radar, sonar, lidar systems designed for anti-collision purposes G01S13/93, G01S15/93, G01S17/93
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 29/185 Signal analysis techniques for reducing or preventing false alarms or for enhancing the reliability of the system
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/163 involving continuous checking
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/166 for active traffic, e.g. moving vehicles, pedestrians, bikes

Abstract

A mine management system includes generating unmanned vehicle traveling data including a target traveling route of an unmanned vehicle, acquiring unmanned vehicle current situation data at first time point, acquiring manned vehicle current situation data at the first time point, estimating a range in which the unmanned vehicle may be present at second time point based on the unmanned vehicle traveling data and the unmanned vehicle current situation data, estimating a position where a manned vehicle may be present at the second time point based on the manned vehicle current situation data, and deriving a risk level indicating a possibility of collision between the manned vehicle and the unmanned vehicle corresponding to the second time point at the first time point per position where the manned vehicle may be present based on estimation results of estimating the unmanned vehicle existence range and the manned vehicle existence position.

Claims

1. A mine management system where an unmanned vehicle and a manned vehicle operate, the system comprising:

an unmanned vehicle traveling data generation unit configured to generate unmanned vehicle traveling data including a target traveling route of the unmanned vehicle in the mine;

an unmanned vehicle current situation data acquisition unit configured to acquire unmanned vehicle current situation data including unmanned vehicle region data at first time point and unmanned vehicle traveling speed data at the first time point;

a manned vehicle current situation data acquisition unit configured to acquire manned vehicle current situation data including manned vehicle position data at the first time point, manned vehicle traveling speed data at the first time point, and a plurality of different steering angles;

an unmanned vehicle existence range estimation unit configured to estimate a range in which the unmanned vehicle may be present at second time point at elapse of predetermined time after the first time point based on the unmanned vehicle current situation data;

a manned vehicle existence position estimation unit configured to estimate a plurality of positions where the manned vehicle may be present at the second time point based on the manned vehicle current situation data; and

a collision risk determination unit configured to derive a risk level indicating a possibility of collision between the manned vehicle and the unmanned vehicle corresponding to the second time point at the first time point per position where the manned vehicle may be present based on an estimation result of the unmanned vehicle existence range estimation unit and an estimation result of the manned vehicle existence position estimation unit, wherein

the collision risk determination unit determines that a risk level is higher as a steering angle of a traveling device in the manned vehicle is closer to zero between the first time point and the second time point.

2. The mine management system according to claim 1,

wherein the collision risk determination unit derives a highest risk level corresponding to the second time point at which the risk level is the highest among a plurality of the manned vehicle existence positions at the second time point.

3. The mine management system according to claim 2,

wherein the second time point includes a plurality of time points at different elapse of time from the first time point.

4. The mine management system according to claim 1, comprising

an alarm device control unit configured to output the control signal such that an alarm device issues an alarm in a different form based on the risk level.

5. The mine management system according to claim 1,

wherein the collision risk determination unit sets a weight of a risk level relative to a changed amount of the steering angle based on the manned vehicle traveling speed data at the first time point.

6. The mine management system according to claim 1,

wherein the unmanned vehicle existence range includes a range which is extended by a predetermined distance in a traveling direction of the unmanned vehicle from a range in which the unmanned vehicle may be present at the second time point when traveling at the maximum acceleration from a position where the unmanned vehicle is present between the first time point and the second time point.

7. The mine management system according to claim 6,

wherein the predetermined distance includes a distance from the manned vehicle when the unmanned vehicle starts an operation of avoiding a collision with the manned vehicle at the second time point.

8. The mine management system according to claim 1, comprising

a cancellation unit configured to generate a cancellation signal for canceling a control signal output from the alarm device control unit.

9. The mine management system according to claim 1, comprising:

a speed sensor provided in the manned vehicle and configured to detect a traveling speed of the traveling device in the manned vehicle;

a steering angle sensor provided in the manned vehicle and configured to detect a steering angle of the traveling device in the manned vehicle; and

a manned vehicle steering angle data acquisition unit configured to acquire manned vehicle steering angle data from the steering angle sensor,

wherein the manned vehicle current situation data acquisition unit acquires the manned vehicle traveling speed data from the speed sensor, and

the collision risk determination unit is provided in the manned vehicle.

10. A mine management system where an unmanned vehicle and a manned vehicle operate, the system comprising:

an unmanned vehicle traveling data generation unit configured to generate unmanned vehicle traveling data including a target traveling route of the unmanned vehicle in the mine;

an unmanned vehicle current situation data acquisition unit configured to acquire unmanned vehicle current situation data including unmanned vehicle region data at first time point and unmanned vehicle traveling speed data at the first time point;

a manned vehicle current situation data acquisition unit configured to acquire manned vehicle current situation data including manned vehicle position data at the first time point, manned vehicle traveling speed data at the first time point, and a plurality of different steering angles;

an unmanned vehicle existence range estimation unit configured to estimate a range in which the unmanned vehicle may be present at second time point at elapse of predetermined time after the first time point based on the unmanned vehicle current situation data;

a manned vehicle existence position estimation unit configured to estimate a plurality of positions where the manned vehicle may be present at the second time point based on the manned vehicle current situation data; and

a collision risk determination unit configured to derive a risk level indicating a possibility of collision between the manned vehicle and the unmanned vehicle corresponding to the second time point at the first time point per position where the manned vehicle may be present based on an estimation result of the unmanned vehicle existence range estimation unit and an estimation result of the manned vehicle existence position estimation unit, wherein

the collision risk determination unit determines that a risk level is higher as a steering angle of a traveling device in the manned vehicle between the first time point and the second time point is closer to a steering angle at the first time point.

11. The mine management system according to claim 10,

wherein the collision risk determination unit derives a highest risk level corresponding to the second time point at which the risk level is the highest among a plurality of the manned vehicle existence positions at the second time point.

12. The mine management system according to claim 11,

wherein the second time point includes a plurality of time points at different elapse of time from the first time point.

13. The mine management system according to claim 10, comprising

an alarm device control unit configured to output the control signal such that an alarm device issues an alarm in a different form based on the risk level.

14. The mine management system according to claim 10,

wherein the unmanned vehicle existence range includes a range which is extended by a predetermined distance in a traveling direction of the unmanned vehicle from a range in which the unmanned vehicle may be present at the second time point when traveling at the maximum acceleration from a position where the unmanned vehicle is present between the first time point and the second time point.

15. The mine management system according to claim 14,

wherein the predetermined distance includes a distance from the manned vehicle when the unmanned vehicle starts an operation of avoiding a collision with the manned vehicle at the second time point.

16. The mine management system according to claim 10, comprising

a cancellation unit configured to generate a cancellation signal for canceling a control signal output from the alarm device control unit.

17. The mine management system according to claim 10, comprising:

a speed sensor provided in the manned vehicle and configured to detect a traveling speed of the traveling device in the manned vehicle;

a steering angle sensor provided in the manned vehicle and configured to detect a steering angle of the traveling device in the manned vehicle; and

a manned vehicle steering angle data acquisition unit configured to acquire manned vehicle steering angle data from the steering angle sensor,

wherein the manned vehicle current situation data acquisition unit acquires the manned vehicle traveling speed data from the speed sensor, and

the collision risk determination unit is provided in the manned vehicle.

18. The mine management system according to claim 10,

wherein the collision risk determination unit sets a weight of a risk level relative to a changed amount of the steering angle based on the manned vehicle traveling speed data at the first time point.