AUTOMATIC TRAVELING VEHICLE SYSTEM, CONTROL METHOD AND PROGRAM

• US 20150260535A1
• Filed: 03/13/2015
• Published: 09/17/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 03/13/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: YOSHIDA, Takufumi, Urayama, Keiichiro, Tanaka, Takashi
• Granted Patent: US 9,703,292 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/00 Conjoint control of vehicle sub-units of different type or different function for propulsion of purely electrically-propelled vehicles with power supplied within the vehicle B60L50/00 - B60L58/00
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/206 specially adapted for indoor navigation
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0297 by controlling means in a control room

Abstract

According to one embodiment, a limited section controller includes a traffic information update unit, a determination unit, a standby position setting unit, and a traveling restart setting unit. The traffic information update unit updates delay information of the traveling vehicle near the junction. The determination unit determines whether to permit the traveling vehicle to pass based on whether there is the traveling vehicle in the limited section. The standby position setting unit sets a standby position of each of the traveling vehicles of a limited number or less present in a standby section. The traveling restart setting unit determines an approach direction into the limited section.

Claims

1. An automatic traveling vehicle system comprising:

a traveling vehicle which automatically controls traveling of the traveling vehicle based on traveling information relative to a forward vehicle;

a traveling path including a junction provided with a limited section to avoid a collision between the traveling vehicles; and

a limited section controller which exercises control whether to permit the traveling vehicle to pass by monitoring delay conditions of the traveling vehicle at least near the junction in the limited section, wherein

the limited section controller comprises

a traffic information update unit configured to update delay information of the traveling vehicle near the junction,

a determination unit configured to determine whether to permit the traveling vehicle to pass based on whether there is the traveling vehicle in the limited section obtained from the delay information updated,

a standby position setting unit configured to set a standby position of each of the traveling vehicles of a limited number or less present in a standby section before the limited section, when the limited section is not passable, and

a traveling restart setting unit configured to determine an approach direction into the limited section for which traveling is restarted and causes the traveling vehicle on standby in the standby section in the approach direction to restart to travel, when the limited section is passable.

2. The automatic traveling vehicle system of claim 1, wherein the standby position setting unit calculates the standby position of each of the traveling vehicles of the limited number or less present in the limited section such that a time from a start to travel from a stopped state before the traveling vehicle at an end finishes passing through the limited section and transmits information to the traveling vehicles.

3. The automatic traveling vehicle system of claim 1, wherein the traveling restart setting unit determines the approach direction in which traveling should be restarted next based on the approach direction passable in a past and the delay conditions of the traveling vehicles in each of the approach directions.

4. The automatic traveling vehicle system of claim 1, wherein the limited section controller comprises a limited number of vehicles update unit configured to update the limited number based on the delay conditions of the traveling vehicles in the approach direction.

5. The automatic traveling vehicle system of claim 1, wherein the limited section controller comprises a reallocation unit configured to reallocate a destination, a route, and a leaving direction such that a time needed to finish passing through the limited section is minimized, when each of the traveling vehicles includes information of the destination, the route, and the leaving direction of the limited section and the destination, the route, and the leaving direction of the traveling vehicles on standby can be interchanged.

6. A control method of an automatic traveling vehicle system comprising a limited section controller which exercises control whether to permit a traveling vehicle to pass by monitoring delay conditions of the traveling vehicle at least near a junction in a limited section to avoid a collision between the traveling vehicles, wherein the traveling vehicle automatically controls traveling;

the method comprising;

causing the limited section controller update delay information of the traveling vehicle near the junction,

causing the limited section controller determine whether to permit the traveling vehicle to pass based on whether there is the traveling vehicle in the limited section obtained from the delay information updated,

causing the limited section controller set a standby position of each of the traveling vehicles of a limited number or less present in a standby section before the limited section, when the limited section is not passable, and

causing the limited section controller determine an approach direction into the limited section for which traveling is restarted and causes the traveling vehicle on standby in the standby section in the approach direction to restart to travel, when the limited section is passable.

7. A non-transitory computer readable medium having stored thereon a computer program which is executable by a limited section controller, the computer program controlling the a limited section controller to execute functions of, wherein the limited section controller exercises control whether to permit a traveling vehicle to pass by monitoring delay conditions of the traveling vehicle at least near a junction in a limited section to avoid a collision between the traveling vehicles:

updating delay information of a traveling vehicle near a junction,

determining whether to permit the traveling vehicle to pass based on whether there is the traveling vehicle in the limited section obtained from the delay information updated,

setting a standby position of each of the traveling vehicles of a limited number or less present in a standby section before the limited section, when the limited section is not passable, and

determining an approach direction into the limited section for which traveling is restarted and causes the traveling vehicle on standby in the standby section in the approach direction to restart to travel, when the limited section is passable.