JP6267059B2 - Vehicle management system - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a vehicle management system that manages the travel of a plurality of vehicles that travel along a predetermined travel route.

  In an open pit mine or the like, when a plurality of autonomous traveling vehicles such as a dump truck that transports excavated ore are operated unattended, it is necessary to control the vehicles so as not to interfere with each other. Because of this need, conventionally, a control station that manages the traveling of these autonomous vehicles has been established, and a vehicle control system has been adopted in which information is exchanged and controlled between the autonomous vehicle and the control station wirelessly. Yes.

  Specifically, as a conventional technique related to this type of vehicle control system, Patent Document 1 discloses that the current position of a vehicle is transmitted to the control station at a predetermined time interval or every predetermined distance movement. Instructions such as continuation of travel, deceleration, and stop are transmitted to each vehicle so that mutual interference does not occur due to the mutual relationship between vehicle positions. In addition, vehicles that are close to each other are wirelessly communicated with each other to exchange positional information with each other and travel so as not to interfere with each other.

  In Patent Document 2, the control station instructs each vehicle by wireless communication as a travel permission region in a region where the vehicle can travel without interfering with other vehicles according to the vehicle position. Each vehicle travels according to a given travel permission area, thereby preventing mutual interference.

US Pat. No. 6,246,932 Japanese Patent No. 4605805

  In Patent Document 1, since communication is performed between the vehicle and the control station every predetermined time or every predetermined distance, communication frequently occurs in each vehicle. On the other hand, when long-distance communication is performed in a large area such as a mine, the communication band is generally narrowed due to the characteristics of wireless communication, and the amount of usable communication is limited. For this reason, in the vehicle control system with a high communication frequency as in Patent Document 1, there is a problem that it is not possible to simultaneously manage the traveling of a large number of vehicles.

  Moreover, in the said patent document 2, the interference between vehicles can be prevented even if it does not perform communication within a travel permission area | region by setting a travel permission area | region with respect to a vehicle. In this patent document 2, it is possible to reduce the update frequency and reduce the traffic by setting a large travel permission area to be given at one time. However, if the travel permission area is set excessively long, the travel interval between the vehicles becomes large, and there is a problem that the operation density of the vehicle decreases. This problem leads to a decrease in production volume in the mine and is a very big problem.

  The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle management system in which a plurality of vehicles can travel without interference while maintaining a necessary operation density with a small communication amount.

  In order to achieve this object, the present invention divides a predetermined travel route as a plurality of sections, and manages a plurality of vehicles traveling along the travel route on the basis of the sections. A travel permission section setting unit that sets a part of the travel route as a travel permission section without overlapping each of the plurality of vehicles, section information regarding each section of the travel route, and A storage unit that stores predetermined traveling speed information for each section in the section information, and information on the travel permission section set by the travel permission section setting unit is transmitted to the vehicle that has set the travel permission section. And a vehicle-mounted communication unit that is attached to the vehicle and receives information on the travel-permitted section transmitted by the communication unit, and the travel-permitted section setting unit is stored in the storage unit. Based on the memorized section information and the travel speed information, the number of sections ahead of the predetermined section is set as the travel speed set for the predetermined section, which is set as a travel permission section for a vehicle traveling in the predetermined section. It is set according to the feature.

  The present invention configured as described above is a section set as a travel permission section for a vehicle traveling in a predetermined section based on section information of each section on the travel route and travel speed information predetermined for each section. The number is set according to the traveling speed determined for the predetermined section. That is, by setting the number of sections as the travel permission section according to the travel speed of the predetermined section, it is possible to set a suitable travel permission section to such an extent that the travel intervals of the plurality of vehicles do not become too large. Therefore, since the travel intervals of the plurality of vehicles do not become too large, the communication amount related to the transmission of the information of the permitted travel section can be reduced, and the plurality of vehicles can travel without interference while maintaining the operation density of the plurality of vehicles. be able to.

  Further, in the above configuration according to the present invention, the travel permission section setting unit is configured so that a travel interval between a vehicle that sets the travel permission section and another vehicle that follows the vehicle is a predetermined distance. The travel permission section for each vehicle is set. Therefore, the present invention can manage the travel of each of these vehicles while maintaining the travel interval between the vehicle that sets the travel permission section and another vehicle that follows this vehicle as a predetermined distance. Therefore, mutual interference of these vehicles can be prevented, and each vehicle can be run without lowering the operation density of these vehicles by preventing the running intervals of these vehicles from becoming too large.

  Further, the present invention is characterized in that, in the above configuration, the travel permission section setting unit sets the travel permission section so that a transit time of at least a part of the plurality of sections is constant. To do. Therefore, according to the present invention, the passage time of a part of the plurality of sections on the travel route can be made constant, and the traveling speed of the part of the section is determined. It is possible to maintain the vehicle interval of the other vehicles. Therefore, mutual interference of a plurality of vehicles can be prevented, and each vehicle can be run without lowering the operation density of these vehicles by preventing the running interval of these vehicles from becoming too large.

  Further, in the above configuration according to the present invention, the travel permission section setting unit is configured such that after a vehicle that sets the travel permission section passes through a predetermined point on the travel route, another vehicle following the vehicle The travel permission section is set so that the time interval until passing is constant. Therefore, the present invention can make the time interval from when a predetermined vehicle passes a predetermined point on the travel route to when another vehicle following this vehicle passes the predetermined point. Therefore, since the travel speed for each section on the travel route is determined, the travel intervals of a plurality of vehicles that pass a predetermined point on the travel route can be maintained. Therefore, mutual interference of a plurality of vehicles can be prevented, and each vehicle can be run without lowering the operation density of these vehicles by preventing the running interval of these vehicles from becoming too large.

  Further, the present invention is characterized in that, in the above configuration, the traveling speed information is set for each section according to a change in a traveling direction, a slope, and a road surface state in each section on the traveling route. The traveling speed of each section changes depending on the travel direction change (for example, curve curvature), slope (for example, slope), and road surface condition (road surface conditions such as gravel roads and roads that have been compacted). Therefore, the present invention sets the travel speed for each section according to the change of the travel direction, the slope and the road surface condition in each section, thereby changing the topographical change of each section on the travel route. Correspondingly, it is possible to set travel permission sections of a plurality of vehicles, and it is possible to more appropriately secure the travel intervals of the plurality of vehicles. Therefore, the mutual interference of these several vehicles can be prevented more appropriately, and each vehicle can be made to travel without lowering the operation density.

  Further, the present invention is the above configuration, wherein the vehicle is a dump truck, and includes a load state detection unit that detects a load state of the dump truck, and the travel permission section setting unit includes the section information and the travel speed information. In addition, the travel permission section is set according to the load state information of the dump truck detected by the load state detection unit. In general, the actual traveling speed of a dump truck changes depending on the loading state (for example, the speed decreases due to the weight of the load when the load is loaded, and the weight of the dump truck increases according to the weight of the load. No speed reduction.) For this reason, the present invention sets the travel permission section according to the load state information of the dump truck detected by the load state detection unit in addition to the section information on the travel route and the travel speed information in each section. In addition, it is possible to prevent variations in the travel interval between the dump trucks due to the difference in the load state, and it is possible to more appropriately ensure the travel intervals of the plurality of dump trucks.

  According to the present invention, by setting the number of sections as the travel permission section according to the travel speed of the predetermined section, it is possible to set a suitable travel permission section so that the travel intervals of the plurality of vehicles do not become too large. it can. Therefore, since the travel intervals of a plurality of vehicles do not become too large, the amount of communication related to the transmission of information on the permitted travel section can be reduced, and the plurality of vehicles can travel without interference while maintaining the operation density of the plurality of vehicles. Can do. Problems, configurations, and effects other than those described above will be clarified by the following description of embodiments.

It is a schematic diagram showing the composition of the vehicle management system concerning a 1st embodiment of the present invention. It is the figure which explained in full detail the conveyance path in FIG. It is a perspective view which shows the structure of the dump truck which is an example of the vehicle which carries out operation management by the said vehicle management system. It is a hardware block diagram of the said vehicle management system. It is a block diagram which shows the main functions of the traffic control server and dump terminal device of the said vehicle management system. It is a figure which shows the travel permission area setting process by the said vehicle management system, (a) is transmission of destination request information, (b) is reception of destination route information, (c) is transmission of area request information, and section information It is reception. It is a figure which shows the various area defined in the driving | running | working permission area setting process in case each area by the said vehicle management system is equal intervals, (a) is the driving | running | working permission area set with respect to each vehicle, (b) is A travel permission section newly set for the vehicle, (c) is a release section. It is a graph which shows the time change at the time of setting a run permission section according to the speed limit of each section by the above-mentioned vehicle management system. It is a flowchart which shows the process which calculates a driving | running | working permission provision distance with respect to the driving | running | working permission request | requirement of a vehicle in the said vehicle management system. It is the graph which showed the change of a position when two vehicles run on the same run route continuously in the above-mentioned vehicle management system. It is a graph which shows the time change of the driving | running | working permission area set to a vehicle in the vehicle management system which concerns on 2nd Embodiment of this invention.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In all the drawings for explaining each embodiment, members having the same function are denoted by the same or related reference numerals, and repeated description thereof is omitted. In the following embodiments, the description of the same or similar parts will not be repeated in principle unless particularly necessary.

<First Embodiment>
In the first embodiment, an unmanned dump truck (corresponding to an unmanned vehicle) that transports earth and sand or ore loaded by a loader such as an excavator or a wheel loader in a mine and travels autonomously without boarding a driver, It is related to a vehicle management system that connects a traffic control server that controls traffic to avoid unmanned dumping interference with a wireless communication line, interfering with multiple dump trucks while maintaining the required operation density with a particularly small amount of communication. There is a feature in the configuration for running without any problems. Hereinafter, a vehicle management system according to a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

  First, a schematic configuration of the vehicle management system according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a configuration of a vehicle management system according to the first embodiment of the present invention. A vehicle management system 1 shown in FIG. 1 is a mine dump truck for transporting loads of earth and sand or ore loaded from excavators 10a and 10b for loading earth and ore in a quarry such as a mine. The unmanned dump trucks 20a and 20b, and the traffic control server 31 installed in the control center 30 near the quarry or a remote control station are connected to each other via a wireless communication line 40. It is a management system.

  The unmanned dump trucks 20a and 20b reciprocate between the excavators 10a and 10b and the unloading ground (not shown) along the transportation path 60 set in advance in the mine, and transport the load. A plurality of radio base stations 41a to 41c are installed in the mine. And the radio wave of radio | wireless communication is transmitted / received via these radio base stations 41a-41c.

  The excavators 10a and 10b and the unmanned dump trucks 20a and 20b are positions for receiving positioning radio waves from at least three navigation satellites 50a to 50c of the global navigation satellite system (GNSS) and acquiring the position of the own vehicle. A calculation device 29 (see FIG. 4) is provided. As the GNSS, for example, GPS (Global Positioning System), GLONASS (Global Navigation Satellite System), or GALILEO may be used. There are actually two or more unmanned dump trucks 20a, 20b, and each unmanned dump truck 20a, 20b,... Communicates with the traffic control server 31 wirelessly, and the configuration is the same. 10a and unmanned dump 20a will be described as examples.

  The excavator 10 a is an ultra-large hydraulic excavator, and includes a traveling body 11, a revolving body 12 that is turnable on the traveling body 11, a cab 13, and a front that is provided at the front center of the revolving body 12. And a work machine 14. The front work machine 14 includes a boom 15 provided so as to be movable up and down with respect to the revolving structure 12, an arm 16 provided rotatably at the tip of the boom 15, and a bucket 17 attached to the tip of the arm 16. Including. An antenna 18 for connecting to the radio communication line 40 is installed at a place with good visibility in the excavator 10 a, for example, at the top of the cab 13.

  FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a configuration of an unmanned dump truck 20a that is managed by the vehicle management system 1. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, the unmanned dump truck 20a has a frame 21 that forms a main body, a front wheel 22 and a rear wheel 23, and a hinge pin (not shown) provided at a rear portion of the frame 21 as a rotation center. And a pair of left and right hoist cylinders (not shown) that rotate the loading platform 24 in the vertical direction. In addition, the unmanned dump truck 20a is provided with an antenna 25 for connecting to the radio communication line 40 in a place with good visibility, for example, in front of the deck 280 attached to the upper side of the front wheels 22 and the rear wheels 23 of the unmanned dump truck 20a. ing. The hoist cylinder of the unmanned dump truck 20a is provided with a pressure sensor (not shown) for detecting the load of the load loaded on the loading platform 24.

  The unmanned dump truck 20a is equipped with a dump terminal device 26 as an in-vehicle terminal device for autonomously traveling according to an instruction from the traffic control server 31. The traffic control server 31 is connected to an antenna 32 for connecting to the radio communication line 40, and communicates with each of the dump terminal devices 26 via the antenna 32 and the radio base stations 41a to 40c.

  FIG. 2 is a diagram detailing the conveyance path 60 in FIG. 1 and shows a configuration example of an open pit mine site where the unmanned dump truck 20a travels. An excavation site 61 by an excavator 10a is provided at the mine site. The excavator 10a loads the topsoil and ore dug at the excavation site 61 into the unmanned dump truck 20a. Therefore, the excavation site 61 includes a loading position.

  In addition, at the mine site, there is a release field 62 for developing topsoil. The topsoil and the like transported from the excavation site 61 by the unmanned dump truck 20a are released at the earth release site 62 and developed in a layered or radial manner. Furthermore, a slaughterhouse 63 in which a crusher (not shown) for crushing the ore is installed at the mine site. The ore crushed by the crusher is transported to a freight car loading site or processing facility by a belt conveyor or the like. The unmanned dump truck 20 a is loaded with topsoil and ore at the excavation site 61. The unmanned dump truck 20a travels on the transport path 60 and transports the loaded topsoil and ore to the earth release sites 62 and 63.

  When the excavator 10 a is excavating the top soil at the excavation site 61, the unmanned dump truck 20 a reciprocates between the excavation site 61 and the earth discharging field 62. When the excavator is excavating the ore at the excavation site 61, the unmanned dump truck 20 a reciprocates between the excavation site 61 and the earth discharging field 63. For this reason, the conveyance path 60 includes a conveyance path that connects the excavation site 61 and the earthing field 62 and a conveyance path 60 that connects the excavation site 61 and the earthing field 63. Further, a curve section 67 corresponding to the terrain of the mine is provided on the conveyance path 60.

  Moreover, on the conveyance path 60, two traveling paths 64 having different traveling directions of the unmanned dump trucks 20a to 20c are provided. Each travel route 64 constitutes an up lane and a down lane. The unmanned dump truck 20a travels on the conveyance path 60 in the same way as a general road, for example, by right-hand traffic. The travel route 64 is given as a coordinate value set on the map. Specifically, the same map information is stored in each of the traffic control server 31 and each of the unmanned dump trucks 20a to 20c. This map information includes a point on the map, that is, a node 65 and a coordinate value of this node 65. The travel route 64 is defined by being divided into a plurality of nodes 65 and sublinks 66 as sections connecting the adjacent nodes 65.

  Next, hardware configurations of the traffic control server 31, the unmanned dump 20a, and the dump terminal device 26 according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 4 is a hardware configuration diagram of the vehicle management system 1.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the traffic control server 31 includes a server-side control device 311, a server-side input device 312, a server-side display device 313, a server-side communication device 314, a communication bus 315, a master map information database (hereinafter referred to as “database”). 316) and travel permission section information DB 317.

  The server-side control device 311 controls the operation of each component of the traffic control server 31 and stores a program executed by the traffic control server 31 in addition to a calculation / control device such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit). It is configured using hardware including a storage device such as a ROM (Read Only Memory) and a HDD (Hard Disk Drive), and a RAM (Random Access Memory) serving as a work area when the CPU executes a program. Further, the server-side control device 311 may be configured using an integrated circuit (ASIC: application specific integrated circuit) for realizing a function executed by the traffic control server 31.

  The server-side input device 312 is configured by an input device such as a mouse or a keyboard, and functions as a user interface for inputting a status display of the unmanned dump 20a and a manual instruction to the unmanned dump 20a.

  The server-side display device 313 is composed of a liquid crystal monitor or the like, and functions as an interface that displays and provides information to an operator who operates the traffic control server 31.

  The server-side communication device 314 is a communication unit configured by a device that performs communication connection with a wired / wireless network. The server side communication device 314 is connected to the antenna 32 via the wired communication line 33 and is connected to the radio base stations 41 a to 41 c via the radio communication line 40.

  The communication bus 315 includes each component of the traffic control server 31, that is, the server-side control device 311, the server-side input device 312, the server-side display device 313, the server-side communication device 314, the communication bus 315, the master map information DB 316, and the travel permission. Each of the section information DBs 317 is electrically connected to each other.

  The master map information DB 316 is configured using a storage device that stores information such as HDDs in a fixed manner, and the position information (coordinate values) of each node 65 on the transport path 60 and the sublink 66 that connects the nodes 65. And the map information (travel route information) defined by Here, the master map information DB 316 may include mining landform information and absolute coordinates (three-dimensional real coordinates calculated based on positioning radio waves) of each node 65. Each node 65 is given position identification information that uniquely identifies the node 65, that is, a node ID.

  The travel-permitted section information DB 317 is configured using a storage device that stores information such as HDDs in a fixed manner, and includes vehicle identification information that uniquely identifies each unmanned dump 20a, and a travel-permitted section assigned to each unmanned dump 20a. , Position information regarding the actual traveling speed at the current position of each unmanned dump truck 20a, section information regarding a section obtained by dividing the traveling route 64 into a plurality of speeds, and a speed limit determined in advance for each section ( Travel permission section information including speed limit information related to travel speed) is stored.

  The master map information DB 316 and the travel-permitted section information DB 317 include only a storage unit that stores the map information and the travel-permitted section information, and the server-side control device 311 performs update / search processing of the master map information DB 316 and the travel-permitted section information DB 317. Alternatively, the master map information DB 316 and the travel-permitted section information DB 317 may be equipped with an engine for performing information update / search processing.

  On the other hand, the unmanned dump truck 20a is an electrically driven dump truck. In addition to the dump terminal apparatus 26, the vehicle control apparatus 27 that controls acceleration / deceleration and steering of the unmanned dump truck 20a in response to an instruction from the dump terminal apparatus 26, the outside world A sensor device 28 and a position detection device 29 are provided.

  The dump terminal device 26 is wirelessly connected to the traffic control server 31 via the wireless base stations 41a to 41c. The dump terminal device 26 includes a terminal-side control device 261, a terminal-side input device 262, a terminal-side display device 263, a terminal-side communication device 264, a communication bus 265, and a terminal-side map information DB 266.

  The terminal side control device 261, the terminal side input device 262, the terminal side display device 263, the terminal side communication device 264, the communication bus 265, and the terminal side map information DB 266 are respectively a server side control device 311, a server side input device 312, a server Since the configuration is the same as each of the side display device 313, the server side communication device 314, the communication bus 315, and the master map information DB 316, duplicate description is omitted. The terminal-side map information DB 266 stores the same map information as the map information stored in the master map information DB 316.

  The vehicle control device 27 includes a retarder brake 271, a service brake 272, a steering control device 273, and an acceleration control device 274. The vehicle control device 27 is electrically connected to the dump terminal device 26 and autonomously travels the unmanned dump truck 20-1 in accordance with an instruction from the traffic control server 31.

  The retarder brake 271 is a brake used during normal braking. The retarder brake 271 is controlled by operating a motor constituting an electric drive engine as a generator, converting kinetic energy into electric energy to generate regenerative power, and applying this to a resistor to be consumed as heat energy. Get power.

  The service brake 272 is a brake used at the time of emergency braking, and is configured by a mechanical brake. Frequent use of the service brake 272 results in wear of mechanical brake components such as brake pads and discs. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the retarder brake 271 and the service brake 272 are selectively used according to the degree of urgency.

  The steering control device 273 adjusts the steering angle of the unmanned dump truck 20a. The acceleration control device 274 adjusts acceleration and deceleration of the unmanned dump truck 20a.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the external sensor device 28 is attached to laser radar sensors 281 and 282 attached to both sides of the deck 280 of the unmanned dump truck 20a, and to the front center portion below the deck 280 of the unmanned dump truck 20a. And a millimeter wave radar sensor 283. The laser radar sensors 281 and 282 detect the shoulder position of the travel route 64 on which the unmanned dump truck 20a travels. The millimeter wave radar sensor 283 detects an obstacle ahead of the unmanned dump truck 20a in the traveling direction. The detection results of the external sensor device 28 by the laser radar sensors 281 and 282 and the millimeter wave radar sensor 283 are output to the terminal-side control device 261 of the dump terminal device 26, and the traveling position so as not to leave the traveling route 64 at normal times. It is used for monitoring and acceleration / deceleration, and in emergency, it is used for braking operation necessary for emergency avoidance behavior.

  The means for detecting the shoulder of the travel route 64 is not necessarily the laser radar sensors 281 and 282, and the shoulder may be detected by image processing using a camera. In this case, the camera is installed so as to look down at the side of the unmanned dump truck 20a. Further, the means for detecting the obstacle ahead of the traveling direction is not necessarily the millimeter wave radar sensor 283, and may be detected by a stereo camera. In this case, the stereo camera is a plurality of cameras installed in front of the unmanned dump truck 20a. Further, the millimeter wave radar sensor 283 may be installed further above the deck 280 shown in FIG. 3 so as to look down on the road surface.

  The position calculation device 29 calculates the current position (self position) of the host vehicle based on the positioning radio waves from the navigation satellites 50a to 50c. The calculated current position of the host vehicle is transmitted from the dump terminal device 26 to the traffic control server 31.

  Next, functional configurations of the traffic control server 31 and the dump terminal device 26 according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing the main functions of the traffic control server 31 and the dump terminal device 26.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the server-side control device 311 of the traffic control server 31 includes a vehicle allocation management unit 311a, a travel-permitted section setting unit 311b, a server-side communication control unit 311d, and a communication interface (hereinafter referred to as “communication I / F”). (Abbreviated) 311e.

  The dispatch management unit 311a sets the destination of the unmanned dump truck 20a, and determines the travel route 64 from the current position to the destination by referring to the map information stored in the master map information DB 316. As an example of processing of the dispatch management unit 311a, for example, when the unmanned dump truck 20a is in a parking lot, it is set for the purpose of the entrance of the loading area including the loading position. And the vehicle allocation management part 311a sets the driving | running route 64 from the parking lot to the entrance on loading. The vehicle allocation management unit 311a may dynamically set the travel route 64 in accordance with the movement of the loading position when setting the travel route 64. Furthermore, when the unmanned dump truck 20a enters the loading position, the vehicle allocation management unit 311a sets one of the dumping grounds 62 and 63 as a destination depending on the content of the load, and a travel route to reach this destination 64 is set.

  For example, the travel permission section setting unit 311b refers to the map information stored in the master map information DB 316 with respect to the unmanned dump 20a, and travels for each sublink 66 defined as between the nodes 65 on the determined travel route 64. Granting or canceling the permission, a section (partial section) including at least one or more sub-links 66 is set as a travel permission section that permits the unmanned dump truck 20a to travel, and travel in the set travel permission section The travel permission section information indicating the position in the route 64 is generated. In particular, the travel-permitted section setting unit 311b sets a partial section on the travel route 64 as a travel-permitted section for the plurality of unmanned dump trucks 20a to 20c without duplication with respect to the plurality of unmanned dump trucks 20a to 20c to be managed. To do.

  The travel permission section setting unit 311b updates the travel permission section information stored in the travel permission section information DB 317 by overwriting the newly generated travel permission section information. The travel permitted section information includes position information including the node ID of the front boundary point that is the frontmost node 65 of the travel permitted section and the node ID of the rear boundary point that is the rearmost node 65. When the travel permission section setting unit 311b receives section request information for requesting setting of a new travel permission section from the dump terminal device 26, the travel permission section setting unit 311b performs a travel permission section setting process in response to reception of the section request information. The travel-permitted section setting unit 311b generates travel-permitted section information for the travel-permitted section when a new travel-permitted section is set. If the travel-permitted section information cannot be generated, a response indicating that travel is not permitted. Generate information.

  The server-side communication control unit 311d performs wireless communication control with the dump terminal device 26. Specifically, the server-side communication control unit 311d transmits the braking instruction information for instructing the braking of the unmanned dump truck 20a and the travel permission section information or the response information to the dump terminal device 26. The server-side communication control unit 311d receives, from the dump terminal device 26, section request information related to a travel section request from the unmanned dump 20a, unmanned dump position information indicating the position of the host vehicle calculated by the position calculation device 29 of the unmanned dump 20a, and The actual speed information of the unmanned dump 20a is received. The actual speed information may be configured as information indicating a speed (vector) including the traveling direction and speed (scalar amount) based on the change amount of the position information, or a vehicle body such as a gyro sensor mounted on the unmanned dump truck 20a. You may comprise as the information which combined the output calculated | required from the sensor which detects the direction of this, and the speed calculated | required from the rotation speed of the wheel.

  The communication I / F 311e is configured by hardware for communication connection with the server side communication device 314, such as a USB (Universal Serial Bus) standard connection terminal.

  The terminal-side control device 261 of the dump terminal device 26 includes an autonomous traveling control unit 261a, a terminal-side communication control unit 261b, a communication I / F 261c, and a request information processing unit 261d.

  The autonomous travel control unit 261a acquires the current position of the host vehicle from the position calculation device 29, refers to the map information in the terminal-side map information DB 266, and causes the host vehicle to travel according to the travel permission section included in the travel permission section information. Control for the vehicle control device 27 is performed. The autonomous traveling control unit 261a determines the presence or absence of a front obstacle based on the detection result of the external sensor device 28, also determines the presence or absence of interference with the obstacle and collision avoidance operation, and brakes the unmanned dump truck 20a as necessary. Control.

  The autonomous traveling control unit 261a performs drive control on the vehicle control device 27 in accordance with an instruction from the traffic control server 31, performs deceleration operation, normal stop operation, or emergency stop operation, and avoids interference between the unmanned dump trucks 20a to 20c. Travel control is performed as follows. In addition, the autonomous travel control unit 261a refers to the speed limit information stored in the terminal-side map information DB 266, and sets each sublink 66 on the travel route 64 for each sublink 66. Drive at an appropriate speed within.

  The terminal-side communication control unit 261b controls wireless communication performed with the traffic control server 31. The terminal-side communication control unit 261b transmits section request information and receives travel permission section information or response information and braking instruction information. The communication I / F 261c is a USB standard connection terminal or the like, and is configured by hardware for performing communication connection with the terminal-side communication device 264.

  Based on the map information stored in the terminal-side map information DB 266 and the current position calculated by the position calculation device 29, the request information processing unit 261d determines whether the unmanned dump truck 20a has reached the point where the section request information is transmitted. When the request point is reached, section request information is generated and section request information is transmitted to the traffic control server 31 via the terminal-side communication control unit 261b.

  The vehicle allocation management unit 311a, the travel-permitted section setting unit 311b, and the server-side communication control unit 311d included in the traffic control server 31 are executed by the server-side control device 311 (hardware) shown in FIG. 4 by a program that realizes these functions. To be realized. Similarly, the autonomous traveling control unit 261a, the terminal-side communication control unit 261b, and the request information processing unit 261d provided in the dump terminal device 26 have a terminal-side control device 261 (hardware) whose program realizing these functions is shown in FIG. Hardware).

  Next, the operation of the autonomous traveling control unit 261a in the traveling management system 1 of the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIGS. 6A and 6B are diagrams showing a travel permission section setting process by the vehicle management system 1, where (a) is transmission of destination request information, (b) is reception of destination route information, and (c) is transmission of section request information. And reception of travel permission section information.

  In the state where the unmanned dump 20a has completed the loading of the topsoil and ore at the excavation site 61 or the state where the unloading at the earthing grounds 62 and 63 is completed, the unmanned dump 20a is as shown in FIG. Destination request information for requesting the destination of the unmanned dump truck 20a is transmitted to the traffic control server 31 of the control center 30. This destination request information is obtained from the self-position detected by the position calculation device 29 based on the positioning radio waves from the navigation satellites 50a to 50c by the autonomous traveling control unit 261a mounted on the unmanned dump 20a. The travel position of 20a is determined and transmitted via the terminal-side communication control unit 261b, the communication I / F 261c, and the terminal-side communication device 264. The destination request information is transmitted from the terminal-side communication device 264, and then received from the antenna 32 of the control center 30 to the server-side communication device 314 via the radio base stations 41a to 41c. To the vehicle allocation management unit 311a.

  The vehicle allocation management unit 311a is unmanned in consideration of, for example, traveling conditions such as traveling position, traveling speed, traveling direction, and the like of the other plain dump trucks 20b and 20c other than the unmanned dump truck 20a corresponding to the sent destination request information. The destination 71 of the dump truck 20a (for example, corresponding to the excavation site 61, the earthing grounds 62, 63, etc. in FIG. 2) and the route 72 to the destination 71 are determined, and the determined destination is determined. Destination route information regarding the route 72 leading to is transmitted to the server-side communication control unit 311d. As shown in FIG. 6B, the server-side communication control unit 311d sets the received destination route information together with the vehicle identification information corresponding to the unmanned dump 20a that has determined the destination route information, the communication I / F 311e, It transmits via the server side communication apparatus 314 and the antenna 32. FIG. The transmitted destination route information is transmitted to the terminal side communication device 264 of the unmanned dump truck 20a corresponding to the vehicle identification information transmitted together with the destination route information via the radio base stations 40a to 40c. The data is output from the communication device 264 to the autonomous travel control unit 261a via the communication I / F 311e and the terminal side communication control unit 261b.

  Then, the autonomous travel control unit 261a transmits section request information for requesting a travel permission section of the unmanned dump truck 20a. This section request information is transmitted from the terminal-side communication device 264 and sent from the antenna 32 of the control center 30 to the travel permission section setting unit 311b via the radio base stations 40a to 40c. As shown in FIG. 6C, the travel permission section setting unit 311b sets a travel permission section 73 based on the processing described later, and the travel permission section information indicating the position of the set travel permission section is stored on the server side. It transmits to the communication control part 311d. The server-side communication control unit 311d transmits the received travel permission section information from the antenna 32 together with the vehicle identification information corresponding to the unmanned dump truck 20a in which the travel permission section is set. The transmitted travel permit section information is received by the terminal side communication device 264 of the unmanned dump truck 20a corresponding to the vehicle identification information transmitted together with the travel permit section information and sent to the autonomous travel control unit 261a. The autonomous traveling control unit 261a permits traveling of the unmanned dump truck 20a over the traveling permitted section in the transmitted traveling permitted section information, controls the vehicle control device 27, and the sublink 66 in the traveling permitted section. The unmanned dump truck 20a starts to travel at a speed equal to or less than the speed limit set for each time.

  Here, the travel permission section setting information related to which sublink 66 on the travel route 64 is permitted to travel to which unmanned dump trucks 20a to 20c is stored in the master map information DB 316 of the traffic control server 31. The travel permission section setting unit 311b is configured to set the travel permission section in response to the travel permission request from the unmanned dump trucks 20a to 20c while referring to the travel permission section setting information stored in the master map information DB 316. Do.

  On the other hand, the unmanned dump trucks 20a to 20c store the travel permission section information received from the traffic control server 31 of the control center 30 in the terminal-side map information DB 266, and the unmanned dump trucks 20a to 20c that have received the travel permission section information are The autonomous traveling control unit 261a determines which node 65 can travel. The setting state of the travel permission section is set to correspond to the section ID set for each sublink 66 in the travel route 64, and the traffic control server 31 side has a memory section (not shown) of the travel permission section setting section 311b. In each of the unmanned dump trucks 20a to 20c, the travel permission section information is temporarily stored in the memory section (not shown) of the autonomous travel control section 261a and is not stored in the master map information DB 316 or the terminal side map information DB 266. It is good.

  Next, the travel permission setting process by the traffic control server 31 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing various sections determined by the travel permission section setting process when the sub-links 66 are equally spaced by the vehicle management system 1, and (a) is set for each unmanned dump truck 20a, 20b. (B) is a travel permission section newly set for the unmanned dump truck 20a, and (c) is a release section. Since the traffic control server 31 exclusively sets the travel permission section, the description of the travel permission section processing also serves as the description of the processing for avoiding interference between the unmanned dump trucks 20a and 20b.

  Unmanned dump trucks 20a and 20b shown in FIG. 7A are dump trucks traveling in the direction of arrow A. The travel permission section 73a is a travel permission section set for the unmanned dump truck 20a. The travel permission section 73b is a travel permission section set for the unmanned dump truck 20b. D1 is a travel permission remaining distance indicating a distance along the travel route 64 from the current position of the unmanned dump truck 20a to the front boundary point (terminal) of the travel permission section 73a. D2 is a travel permission request start distance for starting transmission of section request information.

The travel permission request start distance D2 is a distance longer than the distance at which the unmanned dump truck 20a can be stopped, and is defined as a distance obtained by adding a predetermined offset distance to the stopable distance, for example. This is for stopping within the current travel permission section. The stoppable distance of the unmanned dump truck 20a is, for example, L = mv from the mass (m) including the load of the unmanned dump truck 20a, the current speed (v) of the unmanned dump truck 20a, and the braking force (f) of the unmanned dump truck 20a. It is set as a value obtained by multiplying the distance (L) calculated from the formula ² / 2f by a predetermined safety factor.

  The value of the offset distance is set in consideration of, for example, the time required for wireless communication or the degree of occurrence of wireless communication failure. The speed of the unmanned dump truck 20a may be obtained by measuring the current speed of the unmanned dump truck 20a from the rotational speed of the front wheels 22 or the rear wheels 23, and the travel position is included with respect to the current travel position of the unmanned dump truck 20a. The speed limit (maximum allowable speed) for each sublink 66 set in the map information stored in the master map information DB 316 and the terminal-side map information DB 266 in the sublink 66 may be used.

  When the travel permission remaining distance D1 of the unmanned dump 20a becomes equal to or less than the travel permission request start distance D2, the unmanned dump 20a transmits section request information to the traffic control server 31. The section request information includes the current position information of the unmanned dump truck 20a.

  When the travel-permitted section setting unit 311b receives the section request information from the unmanned dump 20a, the travel permission section setting unit 311b includes a section where the unmanned dump 20a exists (a travel route between adjacent nodes 65) based on the positional information included in the transmitted section request information. 64) (corresponding to sublink 66 on 64). Then, a section extending from the end of the section where the unmanned dump truck 20a is traveling to a predetermined section ahead, that is, the number of sections, is set as a travel permission section toward the front in the traveling direction of the unmanned dump truck 20a. When there is a section where permission is given to another vehicle such as the unmanned dump truck 20b, the travel permission section is up to a section before that.

  In the example shown in FIG. 7B, the section where the unmanned dump truck 20a exists is 80, and the provisional travel permission section 85 is set as a provisional travel permission section. This provisional travel permission section 85 includes sections 81 to 84. However, the sections 83 and 84 are already given to the unmanned dump truck 20b as the travel permission section 73b. Therefore, candidates of the travel permission section 73a that can be newly set for the unmanned dump truck 20a are sections 81 and 82, but the section 81 is included in the travel permission section 73a that has already been set for the unmanned dump truck 20a. ing. Therefore, the travel permission section setting unit 311b sets only the section 82 as a new travel permission section 73a.

  At this time, the provisional travel permission section 85 set in the unmanned dump truck 20a by the travel permission section setting unit 311b is the travel permission section information on the travel route 64 stored in the travel permission section information DB 317 and the restriction for each sublink 66. Based on the speed information, it is set according to the speed limit information set for the section 80 where the unmanned dump truck 20a is currently traveling. Specifically, the travel position information detected by the position calculation device 29 of the unmanned dump truck 20a is transmitted to the server side communication device 314 via the terminal side communication device 264, and the unmanned operation is performed based on the travel position information. The travel position of the dump 20a is calculated, and a provisional travel permission section 85 set for the unmanned dump 20a is determined based on the speed limit set for the sublink 66 including the travel position.

  The travel permission section setting unit 311b increases the number of sublinks 66 as the provisional travel permission section 85 set for the unmanned dump 20a when the speed limit to which the travel position of the unmanned dump 20a that sets the travel permission section belongs is high. When the speed limit is low, the number of sublinks 66 as the provisional travel permission section 85 is reduced. The speed limit for each sublink 66 on the travel route 64 corresponds to the topographic change of each sublink 66. For example, the change in the travel direction of the road surface of the sublink 66, for example, the smaller the gradient, the smaller the speed limit is shown in FIG. Thus, the smaller the radius of curvature of the curve section 67 is, the smaller it is, and the smaller the friction coefficient based on road surface conditions, such as gravel roads, crushed roads, unevenness, and muddyness, is set to be smaller.

  The travel permission section setting unit 311b gives the travel permission given to the unmanned dump truck 20b with respect to the sublink 66 through which the unmanned dump truck 20b passes among the sublinks 66 given travel permission to the preceding unmanned dump truck 20b. Release at a predetermined timing. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 7C, the travel permission section setting unit 311b determines that the distance D4 from the end of the sublink 83 to be released to the position of the unmanned dump truck 20b is a predetermined travel permission. When the distance is equal to or greater than the release distance D3, the travel permission given to the unmanned dump truck 20b in the sublink 83 is released. The released sublink 83 can be set as a travel permission section of the subsequent unmanned dump truck 20a.

  In the processing by the travel permission section setting unit 311b, communication between the unmanned dump truck 20a and the traffic control server 31 occurs when the unmanned dump trucks 20a and 20b transmit a travel permission request and the traffic control server 31 travels. It is time to send a section. Therefore, the travel permission section setting unit 311b can cancel the travel permission section set for the unmanned dump trucks 20a and 20b, that is, can set the travel permission section for the unmanned dump trucks 20b and 20a other than the own vehicle. The release is also performed based on the position information transmitted simultaneously when the unmanned dump trucks 20a and 20b request the travel permission.

  Next, with reference to FIG. 8, the time change of the driving | running | working permission area given to the unmanned dump trucks 20a and 20 by the process by the driving | running | working permission area setting part 311b is demonstrated. FIG. 8 is a graph showing a change over time when the travel permission section is set according to the speed limit of each sublink 66 by the vehicle management system 1. In FIG. 8, the horizontal axis represents time, and the vertical axis represents the position on the travel route 64. Here, the vertical axis is the position that travels along the road 64, and the road 64 is not necessarily a straight line. Sections 90 and 92 represent, for example, a straight line area or a section with a relatively high speed limit with good road surface conditions set on the map information stored in the master map information DB 316 or the terminal-side map information DB 266. A section 91 represents a sublink 66 having a relatively small speed limit due to a local sharp curve or a gradient. 94 is a time change of the position on the travel route 64 when the unmanned dump truck 20a travels at an ideal speed within the speed limit based on the speed limit set for each sublink 66.

  The travel permission section when the unmanned dump truck 20a travels is represented by blocks B1 to B3 on FIG. The length in the vertical direction of the blocks B1 to B3 represents the length of the travel-permitted section, and the length in the horizontal direction of the block B represents the time during which the travel-permitted section is maintained, that is, the travel time (travel time). Here, the node 65 that originally represents the boundary of the sublink 66 is predetermined on the travel route 64, but in this description, the node 65 is set on the travel route 64 at a sufficiently narrow interval. Suppose that it is not shown in FIG.

  As parameters relating to the length of the travel permission section, the travel permission request start distance D2 is L1, the provisional travel permission section 85 is L2, and the travel permission release distance D3 is L3. And the change of the driving | running | working permission area based on these parameters is demonstrated.

  At time t0, the unmanned dump truck 20a is assumed to be at a position x0 in the travel permission section B1. The unmanned dump truck 20a travels in the travel permission section B1 in accordance with a speed limit determined in advance for each sublink 66, and the travel position of the unmanned dump truck 20a is equal to or less than the travel permission request start distance L1 from the end of the travel permission section B1. In other words, at time t1, section request information and host vehicle position information are transmitted to the traffic control server 31 using wireless communication.

  In response to reception of the section request information and the own vehicle position information, the travel permission section setting unit 311b permits travel of a predetermined number of sublinks 66 belonging to the provisional travel permission section L2 to the unmanned dump truck 20a that has transmitted the information. At the same time, the travel permission of the sublink 66 that has become less than the travel permission cancellation distance L3 is canceled. The travel permission section for the unmanned dump truck 20a changes from B1 to B2 at time t1 by the travel permission and the release of the travel permission by the travel permission section setting unit 311b. When traveling in this travel permitted section B2, the same processing is performed at time t2 and position x2, and the travel permitted section changes from B2 to B3. As described above, according to the travel of the unmanned dump truck 20a, the travel permission section changes based on the parameters L1, L2, and L3.

  As described above, since communication between the unmanned dump trucks 20a and 20b and the traffic control server 31 occurs only when the travel permission section is updated, the provisional travel permission section L2 is large, that is, the sublink 66 is set as the provisional travel permission section L2. As the number is set larger, the frequency of communication associated with the update of the travel permitted section can be reduced. However, at the same time, since the same travel permission section is maintained while communication is not performed, if the provisional travel permission section L2 set as the travel permission section is too large, it is already set for the subsequent unmanned dump truck 20b. Travel permission cannot be permitted in the travel permitted section, and the travel interval between the unmanned dump trucks 20a and 20b is increased.

  Therefore, a method for determining the maximum provisional travel permission section L2 in which the two unmanned dump trucks 20a and 20b can travel while maintaining a necessary travel interval is required. FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing a process for calculating the provisional travel permission section L2 in response to the travel permission request for the unmanned dump truck 20a in the vehicle management system 1. That is, FIG. 9 is a processing flow when the travel permission section setting unit 311b calculates the provisional travel permission section L2 when the unmanned dump truck 20a makes a travel permission request to the traffic control server 31. In this processing flow, it is assumed that another unmanned dump truck 20b is traveling on the same travel route 64 following the unmanned dump truck 20a that is the own vehicle at a predetermined travel interval, for example, the same time interval as the shovel loading time. The maximum provisional travel permission section L2 is determined such that the unmanned dump truck 20a, which is the preceding vehicle, and the unmanned dump truck 20b, which is the subsequent vehicle, do not depart from each other by a predetermined travel interval.

  Specifically, when the unmanned dump truck 20a updates the travel permission section at the current position Xc, it is assumed that the travel permission section of the unmanned dump truck 20b is adjacent to the travel permission section of the unmanned dump truck 20a, and the travel permission request start distance L1 and Based on the travel permission release distance L3, the travel permission request start position Xr1 of the unmanned dump truck 20b is estimated (step S1, hereinafter, simply referred to as “S1” or the like). Next, based on the speed limit for each sublink 66 on the travel route 64 stored in the travel permission section information DB 317 in correspondence with the travel route 64 stored in the master map information DB 316 of the traffic control server 31, the unmanned dump The time ΔT2 until 20b reaches the current position Xc of the unmanned dump truck 20a from the position Xr1 is estimated (S2).

  Further, based on a predetermined time interval T and time ΔT2 between the unmanned dump trucks 20a and 20b, a time tr at which the unmanned dump truck 20b makes a travel permission request is estimated (S3). Based on the speed limit for each sublink 66 on the travel route 64 stored in the travel permission section information DB 317 and the travel permission request start distance L1, the temporary dump for the unmanned dump truck 20a to make a travel permission request by the time tr A travel permission section L2 is determined (S4).

  As a result, the provisional travel permission section L2 is determined and the travel permission is given to the unmanned dump truck 20a until the unmanned dump truck 20b traveling at a predetermined time interval T makes a next travel permission request until time tP. In addition, the unmanned dump truck 20a performs communication according to the next travel permission request. For this reason, the run permission section which has already run can be canceled to the maximum extent. That is, the unmanned dump truck 20b can reliably obtain permission for the next travel permitted section from the traffic control server 31 when the travel permission is requested at time tP. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the front section from waiting on the travel route 64 without being permitted to travel, and from opening the travel interval more than necessary.

  Next, the relationship between the positions of the unmanned dump trucks 20a and 20b before and after and the travel permission section set by the travel permission section setting unit 311b will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 10 is a graph showing a change in position when two unmanned dump trucks 20a and 20b continuously travel on the same travel route 64 in the vehicle management system 1. Here, the travel route 64 is the same as the route shown in FIG. 8, and the sections 90 to 92 have different speed limits, and the speed limits are assumed to be V1 to V3. Further, it is assumed that the end position of the section 90 and the start position of the section 91 is Xa, and the end position of the section 91 and the start position of the section 92 is Xb.

  Further, the current position of the preceding unmanned dump truck 20a, i.e., the travel position, is set to 94, the current position of the subsequent unmanned dump truck 20b, i.e., the travel position, is set to 95, and the travel permission sections of the respective unmanned dump trucks 20a, 20b are B, C. Show. The travel interval between the unmanned dump trucks 20a and 20b, that is, the time interval during which the unmanned dump trucks 20a and 20b pass through the same position is T. The current time is tc1, and the current position of the unmanned dump truck 20a is Xc. Of the travel position 94 of the unmanned dump truck 20a and the travel position 95 of the unmanned dump truck 20b, the solid line portion is a track traveled before the current time tc1, and the broken line portion is a track scheduled to travel after the current time tc1.

  The unmanned dump truck 20a transmits section request information to the traffic control server 31 when the current position Xc reaches a position that is less than or equal to the travel permission request start distance L1 from the end of the travel permission section B1, that is, at time tc1. . Thereafter, the travel permission section setting unit 311b of the traffic control server 31 calculates a provisional travel permission section L2 for the unmanned dump truck 20a.

The provisional travel permission section L2 cancels the travel permission in the rear section from the position obtained by subtracting the travel permission release distance L3 from the current position Xc of the unmanned dump truck 20a when updating the travel permission section of the unmanned dump truck 20. For this reason, traveling permission to the position where traveling permission is canceled can be given to the subsequent unmanned dump truck 20b. When travel permission to the position where the travel permission is canceled with respect to the unmanned dump truck 20b is taken into account, the position Xr1 where the unmanned dump truck 20b makes a travel permission request later is based on the following formula (1). Is calculated by

Here, the time tc2 at which the unmanned dump truck 20b reaches the current position tc1 of the unmanned dump truck 20a is calculated by the following equation (2) using the time interval T indicating the travel interval of the unmanned dump trucks 20a and 20b.

Further, the time ΔT2 during which the unmanned dump truck 20b travels from Xr1 to the current position Xc of the unmanned dump truck 20a is calculated by the following equation (2).

Using these formulas (2) and (3), the time tr when the unmanned dump truck 20b reaches the travel permission request position Xr1 is calculated by the following formula (4).

The time ΔT1 from the current time tc1 to tr is calculated by the following equation (5).

In order for the unmanned dump truck 20a to make a travel permission request before time tr, it is only necessary to reach the position Xr2 where the travel permission request starts in the next travel permission section B2 within ΔT1. The position Xr2 is calculated by the following equation (6).

Here, Xr2 is calculated by the following equation (7) based on the provisional travel permission section L2 to be obtained.

Therefore, provisional travel permission section L2 is calculated using these formulas (6) and (7). In Expression (6), it is desirable that the difference between both sides is as small as possible. In addition, the calculation is performed assuming a specific travel route 64, but the actual travel route 64 has various speed patterns with different speed limits for each sub-link 66. Generally, the provisional travel permission section L2 is determined from the following formula (8) with respect to the current position Xc of the unmanned dump truck 20a. V (x) in Expression (8) is a speed limit set for each sublink 66 on the travel route 64.

  According to the calculation method of the provisional travel permission section L2 using the equation (8), when the subsequent unmanned dump truck 20b reaches the position Xr1 and requests the next travel permission section, the preceding unmanned dump truck 20a travels. The permitted section has already been released. For this reason, a travel permission section can be given to the unmanned dump truck 20b, the unmanned dump truck 20b does not need to decelerate or stop, can maintain the travel distance with respect to the preceding unmanned dump truck 20a, and the travel distance does not open more than necessary. You can Therefore, mutual interference of these unmanned dump trucks 20a and 20b can be prevented, and each unmanned dump truck 20a and 20b can be run without lowering the operation density.

  In particular, according to the vehicle management system 1 according to the first embodiment, the travel permission section setting unit 311b sets a part of the section on the travel route 64 as the travel permission section for the plurality of unmanned dump trucks 20a to 20c. In doing so, based on the travel permitted section information on the travel route 64 stored in the travel permitted section information DB 317 and the speed limit information for each sublink 66, the unmanned dump trucks 20a to 20c traveling in the predetermined sublink 66 are provided. On the other hand, according to the speed limit information of the sublink 66, when the speed limit is large, the provisional travel permission section 85 is set large, and when the speed limit is low, the provisional travel permission section 85 is set small. Then, based on the provisional travel permission section 85 set by the travel permission section setting unit 311b, a section excluding the travel permission section already set for the other unmanned dump trucks 20a to 20c is set as a travel permission section. The travel permitted section information based on the permitted section is transmitted from the server side communication device 314 to the terminal side communication device 264 of the unmanned dump truck 20a.

  And when each unmanned dump truck 20a-20c travels in each run permission section set up without duplication to a plurality of unmanned dump trucks 20a-20c, mutual interference of these unmanned dump trucks 20a-20c can be prevented. At the same time, by setting the travel permission section based on the speed limit information determined for each sublink 66 in the set travel permission section, a suitable travel permission section is provided so that the travel interval of the unmanned dump trucks 20a to 20c does not become too large. Can be set. Therefore, since the travel intervals of these unmanned dump trucks 20a and 20b do not become too large, the communication amount between the terminal side communication device 264 and the server side communication device 314 accompanying the transmission of the section request information and the travel permission section information associated with the travel permission section. The unmanned dump trucks 20a to 20c can be driven without lowering the operation density. Therefore, a plurality of unmanned dump trucks 20a to 20c can be run without interference while maintaining a necessary operation density with a small communication amount.

  Further, the speed limit of each sub-link 66 is the change in the traveling direction of the sub-link 66 (for example, curve curvature), slope (for example, slope), road surface condition (road surface conditions such as gravel roads, crushed roads, etc.). It depends on. Therefore, the speed limit set for each of the sublinks 66 is set by changing according to the change in the travel direction, the inclination, and the road surface condition in each of the sublinks 66, and the travel permission set by the travel permission section setting unit 311b. By changing the section according to the speed limit, it is possible to more appropriately secure the travel intervals of the plurality of unmanned dump trucks 20a to 20c in which the travel permission section is set.

Second Embodiment
The second embodiment is an embodiment in which a traveling time that is a passing time in the travel permitted section is made constant. The second embodiment will be described below with reference to FIG. FIG. 11 is a graph showing a change over time of the travel permission section set in the unmanned dump trucks 20a and 20b in the vehicle management system 1 according to the second embodiment of the present invention. That is, FIG. 11 shows the positions of the unmanned dump trucks 20a and 20b and the travel permitted sections when the provisional travel permitted section L2 is determined so that the time during which the unmanned dump trucks 20a and 20b travel within the travel permitted section is constant. The relationship is shown. In FIG. 11, the description of the same reference numerals as those in FIG. 10 is omitted. ΔT is a time required for the unmanned dump trucks 20a and 20b to travel within one travel permission section.

While the unmanned dump truck 20a travels at the travel position x1 in the travel permission section B1, a provisional travel permission section L2 for setting the next travel permission section B2 is obtained. The position x2 when traveling for the required time ΔT in the current speed section is calculated by the following equation (9).

In the position x2, when the travel permission request distance L1 is subtracted from the end of the travel permission section B2, the next travel permission request is obtained. Therefore, the provisional travel permission section L2 is expressed by the following equation (10). Is calculated by

If the speed limit set for each traveling sublink 66 changes while traveling for a predetermined required time ΔT from the current position, provisional travel permission considering the speed limit changing for each sublink 66 Calculation of the section L2 is required. If the current position is x0 and there are n sections (V1,..., Vn) while traveling for the required time ΔT, the boundary position of the sublink 66 is denoted by xi (i = 1,..., N). −1), the position xT at the time of traveling for the required time ΔT is calculated by the following equation (11).

When the position xT reaches the position before the travel permission request distance L1 from the end of the travel permission section, the next travel permission request is requested. For this reason, provisional travel permission section L2 is computed by the following formula (12).

For a change in the speed limit set for each general sublink 66, xT is calculated by the following equation (13). Also in this case, the provisional travel permission section L2 is calculated by Expression (12).

  Therefore, the calculation method of the provisional travel permission section L2 according to the second embodiment can also update the travel permission section with the required time ΔT, thus preventing the problem that the travel interval between the unmanned dump trucks 20a and 20b is unnecessarily widened. it can. That is, the unmanned dump trucks 20a and 20b are traveled in a predetermined section on the travel path 64 through a predetermined time interval while securing a travel interval between the unmanned dump trucks 20a and 20b traveling on the travel path 64. be able to. Therefore, each unmanned dump truck 20a, 20b can be made to run, without reducing operation density, preventing mutual interference of these unmanned dump trucks 20a, 20b.

<Others>
In addition, this invention is not limited to embodiment mentioned above, Various deformation | transformation aspects are included. For example, the above-described embodiments have been described in order to explain the present invention in an easy-to-understand manner, and the present invention is not necessarily limited to those having all the configurations described.

  In each of the above embodiments, the speed limit set for each sublink 66 on the travel route 64 is stored in the travel permission section information DB 317 and travel permission from the unmanned dump truck 20a traveling on the predetermined sublink 66 is permitted. In response to the request, the number of sublinks 66 ahead of the current travel position as the travel permission section is set according to the speed limit set for the predetermined sublink 66. However, the traffic control server 31 receives the actual speed information of the unmanned dump 20a at the time of requesting the travel permission together with the section request information from the unmanned dump 20a, or the traffic control server 31 calculates the actual speed information of the unmanned dump 20a. It is good also as a structure which sets a driving | running | working permission area according to driving speed.

  Further, since the unmanned dump truck 20a loads a large amount of earth and sand, minerals, etc. on the loading platform 24, the actual traveling speed that can be output varies depending on whether it is empty or loaded. The speed changes. For example, when the load is loaded, the traveling speed is reduced due to the weight of the load, and when the load is empty, the traveling speed is not decreased due to the weight of the load. For this reason, in addition to the speed limit set for each sub-link 66, the travel permission section may be corrected according to the load status loaded on the loading platform 24 of the unmanned dump truck 20a. Specifically, since the unmanned dump truck 20a in the unloaded state has a small total weight and can increase the traveling speed, the travel permission section is set longer, and the unmanned dump truck 20a in the loaded state has a total weight including the load. Since it is large, the travel permission section is made shorter. In this case, the loading state of the unmanned dump truck 20a is detected by a pressure sensor (not shown) attached to a hoist cylinder or the like that supports the loading platform 24, the position on the travel path 64, the travel direction of the unmanned dump truck 20a, and the like. It may be configured to calculate from As a result, it is possible to prevent variations in the travel intervals of the unmanned dump trucks 20a and 20b due to the difference in the loaded state, and to more appropriately secure the travel intervals of the unmanned dump trucks 20a to 20c.

  Furthermore, in the said 2nd Embodiment, although the driving | running | working permission area set to each unmanned dump truck 20a-20c was set so that the driving | running time in all the driving | running | working permission areas may become constant, at least one part on the driving | running route 64 is set. The travel permission section may be set such that the travel time of the sublink 66 is constant, or a predetermined sublink 66 or a predetermined point on the travel route 64 is passed after a predetermined time. As a result, the time interval of unmanned dump trucks 20a to 20c passing through a predetermined section, that is, the traveling interval can be made constant, and the unmanned dump trucks 20a to 20c can travel through the predetermined section through the predetermined time interval.

1 Vehicle management system 20a-20c Unmanned dump truck (vehicle)
26 Dump terminal device 264 Terminal side communication device (vehicle-mounted communication unit)
27 Vehicle control device 30 Control center 31 Traffic control server 314 Server side communication device (communication unit)
317 Travel permission section information DB (storage unit)
64 Traveling route 65 Node 66 Sublink (section)
85 Provisional travel permission section

Claims (5)

A vehicle management system that divides a predetermined travel route as a plurality of sections and manages the travel of a plurality of vehicles traveling along the travel route on the basis of the sections,
A travel permission section setting unit that sets a part of the travel route as a travel permission section without overlapping each of the plurality of vehicles;
A storage unit that stores section information on each section of the travel route, and travel speed information that is predetermined for each section in the section information;
A communication unit that transmits information on the travel permitted section set by the travel permitted section setting unit to the vehicle that has set the travel permitted section;
An in-vehicle communication unit for receiving information on the travel-permitted section that is attached to the vehicle and transmitted by the communication unit;
The travel permission section setting unit sets the number of sections ahead of the predetermined section, which is set as a travel permission section for a vehicle traveling in a predetermined section based on the section information and the travel speed information stored in the storage unit. The travel permission section is set in accordance with a travel speed determined for the predetermined section, and at least a part of the plurality of sections is set to have a constant transit time. Vehicle management system. A vehicle management system that divides a predetermined travel route as a plurality of sections and manages the travel of a plurality of vehicles traveling along the travel route on the basis of the sections,
A travel permission section setting unit that sets a part of the travel route as a travel permission section without overlapping each of the plurality of vehicles;
A storage unit that stores section information on each section of the travel route, and travel speed information that is predetermined for each section in the section information;
A communication unit that transmits information on the travel permitted section set by the travel permitted section setting unit to the vehicle that has set the travel permitted section;
An in-vehicle communication unit for receiving information on the travel-permitted section that is attached to the vehicle and transmitted by the communication unit;
The travel permission section setting unit sets the number of sections ahead of the predetermined section, which is set as a travel permission section for a vehicle traveling in a predetermined section based on the section information and the travel speed information stored in the storage unit. The vehicle is set according to the travel speed determined in the predetermined section, and another vehicle following the vehicle after the vehicle that sets the travel permission section passes through the predetermined point on the travel route. The vehicle management system is characterized in that the travel permission section is set so that a time interval until the vehicle passes is constant . The vehicle management system according to claim 1 or 2 ,
The travel permission section setting unit sets the travel permission section for each vehicle such that a travel distance between the vehicle that sets the travel permission section and another vehicle that follows the vehicle is a predetermined distance. A vehicle management system characterized by The vehicle management system according to claim 1 or 2 ,
The vehicle management system, wherein the travel speed information is set for each section according to a change in a traveling direction, a slope, and a road surface state in each section on the travel route. The vehicle management system according to claim 1 or 2 ,
The vehicle is a dump truck;
A load state detection unit for detecting the load state of the dump truck;
The travel permission section setting unit sets the travel permission section according to the load state information of the dump truck detected by the load state detection unit in addition to the section information and the travel speed information. Vehicle management system.