Assistive vehicular guidance system and method

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
• 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.

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.