Guide wire communication system and method

A system for controlling a plurality of unmanned task-performing guide wire related vehicles by exclusive temporary allocation of guide wire length segments whereby the travel paths and tasks performed by the vehicles are strictly controlled and conflict between vehicles is avoided, the system comprising:

• a plurality of unmanned task-performing vehicles, each vehicle comprising vehicle receiver means and vehicle control means;
• traffic control means by which all vehicles are controlled located at at least one vehicle-remote control site, the traffic control means comprising control transmitter means;
• guide wire means defining transportation paths along which the vehicles selectively travel, the guide wire means receiving messages from the control transmitter means and communicating the messages to the vehicle receiver means;
• the traffic control means further comprising means which electronically identify guide wire length segments, means which electronically identify each transportation task to be performed by any vehicle, means which correlate the transportation task and guide wire length segments needed for carrying out each transportation task, means for reserving the guide wire length segments required for completion of a specific transportation task assigned to one of said vehicles, means causing the traffic control transmitter means to communicate the specific task to the vehicle receiver of said one vehicle and to allocate the reserved guide wire length segments to said one vehicle whereupon the traffic control means cause the one vehicle to perform the specific task using the reserved guide wire length segments, means preventing the specific task and reserved guide wire length segments from being performed and made available, respectively, to a second vehicle during the performance of the specific task and utilization of the reserved guide wire length segments by the said one vehicle.

A polling communication system for controlling a plurality of unmanned task-performing vehicles which are respectively caused to selectively traverse at least one path defined by guide wire means comprising:

• a plurality of unmanned task-performing vehicles, each vehicle comprising vehicle transmitter means, vehicle receiver means, and vehicle control means;
• traffic control means comprising control receiver means and control transmitter means located at at least one control site remote from the vehicles;
• guide wire means in electrical communication with the vehicle transmitter means and vehicle receiver means of each vehicle and the control receiver means and the control transmitter means, the guide wire means defining at least one path to be traversed in whole or in part by the vehicles;
• the traffic control means further comprising means by which a given task and path enablements for performing said task are exclusively delegated to a single vehicle of the system, said path enablements comprising reservation of specific length segments of the path defined by said guide wire means to the single vehicle;
• means by which a predetermined time to perform said task is set and means causing the single vehicle to be polled by the traffic control means at a point in time corresponding essentially to the predetermined time set.

A method for controlling a plurality of unmanned task-performing vehicles which are respectively caused to selectively traverse guide wire means comprising the steps of:

• electrically connecting control receivers and receiver control means in pairs at control sites;
• electrically connecting each control receiver to guide wire means which define at least one path upon which unmanned task-performing vehicles travel;
• electrically connecting the control receivers one to the others;
• communicating, upon receipt at a selected control receiver of a message, to the receiver control means paired with said selected control receiver thereto and issuing a temporarily disabling signal from said selected paired receiver control means to all other receiver control means;
• thereby temporarily disabling all other control receivers;
• thereafter transmitting said message to a specific vehicle along the guide wire means;
• whereby inclusion of an infinite number of vehicles and guide wires is accommodated and control reception is precluded during message transmissin to a vehicle.

A method for controlling a plurality of unmanned task-performing computer-controlled vehicles which traverse at least part of transportation paths defined by guide wire means, comprising the steps of:

• identifying all length segments of guide wire means along which a plurality of unmanned task-performing vehicles selectively travel;
• determining each task to be performed by any of said vehicles;
• correlating said each task to be performed and the length segments available for accomplishment of said each task;
• assigning to a selected single vehicle a specific task and the correlated length segments needed to accomplish the assigned specific task;
• transmitting along the guide wire means to the selected single vehicle the assignment of the specific task and reserving the length segments to the selected single vehicle;
• receiving said transmission from the guide wire means at receiver means carried by said single vehicle;
• causing the vehicle to perform the specific assigned task using the assigned length segments on a short term basis, while preventing the assigned task from being accomplished by and the assigned length segments from being made available to a second vehicle during the performance of the assigned specific task and utilization of the assigned length segments by the selected single vehicle.

A method for controlling a plurality of unmanned task-performing vehicles which are respectively caused to selectively transverse paths defined by guide wire means comprising the steps of:

• exclusively electronically assigning, via a control center and guide wire means a specific task and exclusively allocating specific task-related length segments of guide wire means for performing said specific task to a selected single vehicle of the system;
• electronically estimating the time required to perform said specific task;
• and
• causing a task-related status of the selected single vehicle to be electronically polled essentially at a point in time corresponding to the length of the estimated time.

A two-way communication system for controlling a plurality of unmanned task-performing vehicles comprising:

• a computer control center comprising transmitter means, control means and receiver means;
• a plurality of unmanned task-performing vehicles remote from the computer control center, each vehicle comprising transmitter means and receiver means;
• guide wire means defining a plurality of paths which are selectively traversed by the vehicles, the guide wire means comprising means for transmitting messages to each vehicle and the computer control center;
• means disabling all messages and signal transmissions and receptions from said vehicle to the computer control center when the computer control center transmitter means are transmitting a task-related message to a specific vehicle.