Vehicle guidance system for avoiding obstacles stored in memory
AssigneeKomatsu Ltd.
InventorMasato Kageyama
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
If an obstacle (74) is detected, its position is stored in obstacle memory unit (41) on the assumption that the obstacle (74) is common to a plurality of vehicles (2, 2). As vehicles (2, 2) pass by, the content of the obstacle memory unit (44) is updated. When the vehicles (2, 2) are supplied with position data of the respective goal point (72, 72), the vehicles (2, 2) are guided by their goal point (72, 72) in accordance with the content of the obstacle memory unit (41) so that they can avoid the obstacle (74). Vehicles can be thus guided to avoid obstacles by knowing the existence of obstacles in the working sites where the positions of obstacles are always different.
Claims33
A vehicle guidance system for guiding a plurality of vehicles, comprising:
- memory means for storing positions of obstacles at a work site common to the plurality of vehicles when the plurality of vehicles travel simultaneously over that work site;
- updating means for updating content stored in the memory means, the stored content including common data for all of the vehicles;
- and
- guidance means for generating, based on the common data, travel course data for each vehicle that does not conflict with the obstacles, and guiding the plurality of vehicles respectively along each of the generated travel courses.
A vehicle guidance system wherein:
- each of a plurality of vehicles is provided with vehicle position measurement means for measuring current position of that vehicle;
- when position data for target points that should be reached by each of the plurality of vehicles are given, data are generated for travel courses that pass through those target points;
- and
- each of the plurality of vehicles is made to guide that vehicle along its proper travel course while comparing the current vehicle position measured by the vehicle position measurement means with positions on the generated travel course;
- the vehicle guidance system comprising:
- memory means for storing positions of obstacles at a work site common to the plurality of vehicles when the plurality of vehicles travel simultaneously over that work site;
- updating means for updating content stored in the memory means;
- travel course generation means which, when position data on the target points are given, generate data for travel courses that pass through those target points, based on content recorded in the memory means, so that there is no conflict with the obstacles;
- and
- guidance means for guiding the plurality of vehicles, respectively, along travel courses generated by the travel course generation means.
A vehicle guidance system wherein:
- each of a plurality of vehicles is provided with vehicle position measurement means for measuring current position of that vehicle;
- when position data for target points that should be reached by each of the plurality of vehicles and position data for a course area capable of being traveled by the plurality of vehicles are given, data are generated for travel courses that travel inside that course area and pass through those target points;
- and
- each of the plurality of vehicles is made to guide that subject vehicle along its proper travel course while comparing the current vehicle position measured by the vehicle position measurement means with positions on generated travel course;
- the vehicle guidance system comprising:
- memory means for storing positions of obstacles at a work site common to the plurality of vehicles when the plurality of vehicles travel simultaneously over that work site;
- updating means for updating content stored in the memory means;
- travel course generation means which, when position data on the target points and position data on the course area are given, generates data for the travel courses that travel inside the course area and pass through the target points, based on content recorded in the memory means, so that there is no conflict with the obstacles;
- and
- guidance means for guiding the plurality of vehicles, respectively, along travel courses generated by the travel course generation means.
A vehicle guidance system comprising vehicle position measurement means for measuring current position of one vehicle, and being constructed such that, when position data for target points that should be reached by the vehicles and position data for a course area where the vehicle can travel are given, data for a travel course that travels inside the course area and passes through the target points are generated;
- and the subject vehicle is guided over that travel course while comparing current vehicle positions measured by the vehicle position measurement means and positions on the generated travel course;
- the vehicle guidance system comprising:
- indication means for indicating the position of a movement starting point inside the course area, the direction of a vehicle at the movement starting point, the position of a target point inside the course area, and the direction of a vehicle at the target point;
- travel course generation means for generating travel course data wherewith the vehicle departs the movement target point in the indicated vehicle direction, alters the direction of advance thereof, reversing direction at one or more direction reversal points, and arrives at the target point in the indicated vehicle direction, so that, when position data indicating the boundary line of the course area are given, and the position of the movement starting point, the vehicle direction at the movement starting point, the position of the target point, and the vehicle direction at the target point are indicated by the indication means, the vehicle can travel over the interior enclosed by the boundary line of the course area and also turn around with a turning radius equal to or greater than the minimum turning radius of the vehicle;
- and
- guidance means for causing the vehicle to be guided over the travel course generated by the travel course generation means.
An unmanned vehicle guidance system for guiding unmanned vehicles over guidance courses based on travel positions of those unmanned vehicles measured by travel position measurement means and course data defining guidance courses for the unmanned vehicles;
- the unmanned vehicle guidance system comprising:
- means for inputting shape of a course area;
- means for respectively indicating the position of a movement starting point and the direction of advance of the unmanned vehicle at that position, and the position of a movement target point and the direction of advance of the unmanned vehicle at that position;
- means for producing course data wherewith the indicated position and the direction of advance are satisfied at the movement starting point and at the movement target point, and wherewith the direction of advance of the unmanned vehicle changes at one or more direction reversal points provided between the movement starting point and the movement target point;
- means for inferring conflicts between the course area and the unmanned vehicle when the unmanned vehicle is made to travel over a guidance course defined by the produced course data, based on data relating to the unmanned vehicle;
- and
- course data alteration means for altering the course data when a conflict has been inferred.
An unmanned vehicle guidance system for guiding unmanned vehicles over guidance courses based on travel positions of those unmanned vehicles measured by travel position measurement means and course data defining guidance courses for the unmanned vehicles;
- the unmanned vehicle guidance system comprising:
- means for inputting shape of a course area;
- means for producing travel course data wherewith the unmanned vehicle alters the direction of advance thereof reversing direction at one or more direction reversal points and arrives at a target point, so that, when the shape of the course area is input, the unmanned vehicle can travel over the interior enclosed by the boundary line of the course area and also turn around with turning radius equal to or greater than the minimum turning radius of the unmanned vehicle;
- means for inferring conflicts between the course area and an unmanned vehicle when that unmanned vehicle is made to travel over a course defined by the produced course data;
- course data alteration means for altering the course data when the conflict has been inferred;
- and
- mode setting means for causing the unmanned vehicle to be guided using the generated course data when automatic operation mode has been set, and for collecting course area shape data by causing the unmanned vehicle to be guided along a course area and detecting positions traveled by the unmanned vehicle when measurement mode been set.
An unmanned vehicle guidance system for guiding unmanned vehicles over guidance courses based on travel positions of those unmanned vehicles measured by travel position measuring means and course data defining guidance courses for the unmanned vehicles, the unmanned vehicle guidance system comprising:
- means for inputting shape of a course area;
- means for producing course data;
- means for inferring conflicts between the course area and the unmanned vehicle when that unmanned vehicle is made to travel over a course defined by the produced course data, based on data relating to the unmanned vehicle;
- course data alteration means for altering the course data when the conflict has been inferred;
- means for recognizing a course area shape change zone;
- and
- course area shape updating means for updating shape of the course area so that that course area shape is altered only in the shape change zone.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.