SK50212008A3 - Method of automated motor vehicle driving on roads and system conveyance - Google Patents

Abstract

A method for automatic guidance of the motor vehicles on roads is based on the guidance of motor vehicles (1) with electric actuator (2) on roads (4) is executed only by a board computer (9), which coordinates direction guidance, driving parameters and vehicle (1) actuator (2) in interaction with a mobile data transfer either from a stationary central computer (12) and/or from other locally present board computers (9) of the surrounding motor vehicles (1). Steering the vehicle (1) is derived from the optical scanning of the guideline (6) situated on or in the surface of the road (4) by an optical guideline imaging device (3.1) located on the vehicle (1). Driving parameters of the vehicle (1) are derived from the optical and/or radiof requency scanning of the info-line (7) situated on or in the surface of the road (4) by optical and/or radiof requency info-line imaging devices (3.2, 3.3) located on the vehicle (1). Driving parameters for at least one electric actuator (2) and/or battery (13) of the vehicle (1) are derived the electric energy take-off through at least one electric power bus (5) fixed on the vehicle (1) and at least on one section oriented towards the road (4) and/or to the road barrier (14) from electric traction (8) located on the elevated part of the road (4) and/or in the road barrier (14).

Description

Technical field

The invention relates to unmanned motor vehicles which are controlled by a computer by means of an autopilot on dedicated system roads. The invention falls within the field of the automotive industry and transport.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The persistent increase in the use of motor vehicles is leading mankind to an ecological catastrophe due to the release of CO2 into the air. There are efforts to reverse this adverse situation. Hydrogen propulsion has been developed, but it has not succeeded in the automotive industry due to several times the cost of operating hydrogen propulsion over conventional fossil fuel propulsion, and the problem with the hydrogen pumping station network is not solved.

Electric drives for automobiles are also developed, but they are operated to a minimum for battery weight and a short driving range of about 200 km. Hybrid drives are also only partially addressing the emissions situation, as they have to use fossil fuel energy to power the vehicle.

With the growth of road transport, mortality, injuries and material damage in road accidents due to human factor failure are increasing in proportion.

Therefore, there are ongoing attempts to implement an automatic transport system in which cars would be controlled by computers without the presence of a driver. Especially if these systems would use electric vehicles only, this would have a major impact on the environment, climate change, transport safety and other aspects of the transport system. Many driverless vehicles and vehicle driving systems have been designed. For example, permanent vehicle tracking systems or a built-in electric conductor or light reflection or radio-guided or controlled system or fluorescent material or a satellite GPS guidance system and the like are known. These systems are described as prior art in U.S. Pat. No. 3,935,922. However, these unmanned vehicle steering systems are only useful for special applications and are not suitable for the normal urban operation of motor vehicles.

Also known from the prior art are driverless motor vehicle control systems intended for conventional road communications, which utilize vehicle guidance by optical cameras and road-sensing and road-sensing sensors that provide information to a computer driving a motor vehicle. Such vehicles are expensive and currently operate only as experimental vehicles. This type of vehicle is known as "Boss" from General Motors using a combination of radar, LIDAR optical sensor, visualization systems and GPS. Test drive in the urban environment in 2007, this motor vehicle reached an average speed of only 15 km / h. Obviously, such vehicles are still slow and do not guarantee the reduction of accidents and greenhouse gas production.

US 200800047778 has also suggested a vehicle navigation and control system based on GPS navigation. Communication between the vehicle and GPS satellites takes place over long distances, resulting in slow response time of the vehicle. Therefore, this type of navigation system is recommended for land agricultural machinery.

Also known from the prior art are control systems for driverless motor vehicles controlled by the electromagnetic principle as described in US 4006790, US 4855656, US 4344498, US 5175480, which in principle enable a driverless motor vehicle to be driven along the electrical cables embedded in the roadway . However, this method does not cover all aspects of a conventional automatic transport system such as maintaining a safe distance between vehicles, properly turning vehicles at intersections, auto parking, powering vehicles for long distance journeys and the like.

Electric vehicles are also known in the art in which the electric current is supplied to the electric motor from batteries. The drawback of electric vehicles is their short range, which does not exceed 200 km even with a large number of batteries, which are additionally heavy. The real need for the use of electric vehicles in transport is evidenced by the 'Better Crying' project, in which the Israeli government approved the transition of the transport system across the country to electric vehicles. The project should be implemented in 2011, when the first electromobiiy of this type from Renault - Nissan will be delivered to the market. Electric vehicles should be very economical, consuming only 1.6 liters of petrol equivalent per 100 km. The disadvantage of the “Better Crying” system is the need to stop at the exchange stations, where the vehicle must replace the discharged batteries with new ones. The project is to build 500,000 charging stations in Israel, which is investment-intensive.

Hybrid propulsion designs for motor transport vehicles are also known, but they only partially address the emission situation as they use fossil fuel energy to drive the transport vehicle over longer distances.

Hydrogen fuel cells are also experimentally used to drive transport vehicles. However, the operation of these transport vehicles is still expensive and the problem is that there is no network of hydrogen filling stations.

Due to persistent problems, especially in the slow response time of unmanned driving, either due to the huge amount of information coming from optical systems, radars and sensors in Boss vehicles or the long distances between vehicle and satellites in the case of GPS control, a system which would ensure the use of driverless means of transport in the systematic solution of transport by a proposed computer-controlled road system of the proposed type. This would create a computer-controlled order on roads to allow emission-free and accident-free operation of vehicles.

As a result of this effort, the method of automated driving of motor vehicles on the roads and the system transport device of the present invention are described.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The above-mentioned drawbacks are substantially eliminated by the method of automated driving of motor vehicles on the roads according to the present invention, which is based on the fact that in this method only unmanned motor vehicles are considered and which are controlled by the on-board computer on the roads. Motor vehicles with an electrically powered drive unit are considered to be so-called. electric cars. The term vehicle for the purposes of the present invention is to be understood as an automatic taxi of different sizes, buses of different sizes, trucks, motor vehicles of different sizes and special motor vehicles. The on-board computer coordinates the directional guidance of the motor vehicle and the driving and propulsion parameters of the motor vehicle in conjunction with mobile data transmission, both from the stationary central computer and / or from other locally present on-board computers of other motor vehicles. The directional guidance of the motor vehicle is derived from the optical sensing of the guiding line situated on or in the surface of the road by the optical guiding device of the guiding line located on the motor vehicle. Optical scanning device with CCD sensor - camera is mounted on the bottom of the front part of the motor vehicle under the floor exactly on the longitudinal axis of the motor vehicle. Accordingly, the on-board computer controls the steering of the wheels of the motor vehicle in dependence on the guiding line so that the motor vehicle follows the guiding line located on the road. Any deviation of the scanned guideline from the motor vehicle axis shall be evaluated by the on-board computer and commanded to steer the wheels so that the scanned guideline reaches precisely the motor vehicle axis and the motor vehicle direction of travel. For safety reasons, the motor vehicle is also equipped with a backup optical guiding device with a CCD sensor by a camera located behind the first optical guiding device. In the event of any failure of the first optical guide line scanner, the motor vehicle will start to drive the second backup optical guide line scanner.

The on-board computer also coordinates the driving parameters of the motor vehicle, which are derived primarily from the optical sensing of the infoline situated on or in the surface of the road by at least one info-line optical sensing device located on the motor vehicle. In this case, the info line contains a barcode. This bar code in each particular section of the route contains encoded information about the prescribed speed of the motor vehicle and / or its immediate position and / or the turning radius and / or the distribution of the guiding line at the intersection and / or the stopping point at the intersection; on the parking lot and other necessary information. This encoded information is read by the first optical line scanner of the info line. The second optical infrared imaging device containing two CCD sensors - bar code cameras provides information to the on-board computer that steers the motor vehicle only if the guideline is not sensed for any reason or the position of the guideline is missing in the on-board computer - Barcode read incorrectly by CCD camera. In an alternative embodiment, the info-line may also be represented by area code that includes more information.

The on-board computer coordinates the driving parameters of the motor vehicle, which are derived in particular from the optical scanning of the info line situated on or in the surface of the road by at least one info line radio reading device located on the motor vehicle. The info line in this case is represented by the radio frequency code contained in the radio chip. The radio frequency code in each particular section of the route contains encoded information about the prescribed speed of the motor vehicle and / or its instantaneous position and / or the turning radius and / or the division of the guiding line at the intersection and / or the stopping point at the intersection or parking space and other necessary information.

The on-board computer software adapts the speed of the motor vehicle according to the bar code information, by steering the wheels to move the motor vehicle along the guiding line, monitors the motor vehicle movement on the road map, secures the motor vehicle in the necessary direction at the intersection and stopping the motor vehicle designated parking place. The length of the bar code along the information line depends on the prescribed speed of the motor vehicle in the road section. The info-line section on which the same barcode is located is called the info-line section. In the sections of acceleration or deceleration of motor vehicles, the lengths of the barcode sections shall be increased or decreased accordingly.

Communication of the on-board computer of one motor vehicle by means of a telecommunication system is also important for this unmanned vehicle driving system. GSM with on-board computers locally present in the vicinity of other motor vehicles to deal with immediate situations. Every on-board computer knows its immediate position. address on the road map. He continuously transmits his position information to motor vehicles in front of, behind him or in the adjacent lane. On the basis of information on the movement of other motor vehicles in the vicinity, the on-board computer maintains the prescribed safety distance from the motor vehicle ahead when driving in that lane. All motor vehicles go in the same lane at the same speed prescribed by info-line. Each on-board computer maintains a safe distance from other motor vehicles, even in the event of acceleration, deceleration or even severe braking in a dangerous situation. The motor vehicle brakes in conjunction with passing motor vehicles so as to maintain a safe distance between them. The on-board computer also calculates the correct speed and time to transfer the motor vehicle to another lane so that the changeover is safe and does not collide with another motor vehicle. It proceeds similarly when turning at a junction where it uses the information from the info line and follows the selected guide line.

For safety reasons, the motor vehicle is equipped with a front sensor. front scanner and side sensors. side scanner in case an unexpected obstacle, such as a human or an animal, appears in the track. In this case, the motor vehicle stops quickly. The response time of a computer is considerably shorter than that of a human. The motor vehicle brakes in conjunction with passing motor vehicles so as to maintain a safe distance between them. In the computerized vehicle transport system, precautions shall be taken to prevent people or animals from appearing in the motorway.

The on-board computer is also equipped with a fault diagnosis system on a motor vehicle. In the event of a serious breakdown, he / she will take the passengers to the nearest parking spot, ask them to get off, then leave for the nearest service point.

In such a built-in system of operation of motor vehicles with on-board computer, an essential part of this system is a stationary central computer, which has information about the immediate position of each motor vehicle on the map of the transport system. The central computer commands all motor vehicles in the system, maintains traffic flow and solves emergency situations. The central computer commands are binding for each on-board computer of any motor vehicle in the system.

The method of automated driving of motor vehicles on the roads of the present invention also includes a feature wherein the on-board computer also controls the drive parameters for the electrically driven at least one drive unit and / or the battery of the motor vehicle. In places where it is not possible to locate the electric traction from which the electric current of the powertrain would be supplied, the on-board computer supplies the electric powertrain from the batteries. This mode of operation would be used mainly in urban environments. Conversely, in road areas which contain long sections without intersections or without branches, which is intrinsic to motorway sections or road communications between municipalities and the like, the on-board computer controls the current draw through at least one current bus placed on the motor vehicle from at least one a section directed towards a road and / or a barrier from an electric traction guided on a surface elevated portion of the road or placed in a barrier.

The method of automated driving of road vehicles according to the present invention has been transformed into a system transport device, the nature of which is that one integral part of this system consists of a motor vehicle adapted for driving on a modified road. The second integral part of this system consists of a road adapted for the driving of a motor vehicle.

The motor vehicle comprises at least one electrically driven drive unit, at least one optical line scanner and at least one optical and / or radio line scanner. Each is optically and / or radio-directed to the road and at least one current bus directed to the road and / or to the barrier. It further comprises an on-board computer, at the input data interconnected with at least one optical line scanner and at least one optical and / or radio line scanner, and at the output data interconnected with the current bus, control and electric drive actuators. Furthermore, the on-board computer is connected by mobile communication means to a stationary central computer and / or to other locally present on-board computers of other motor vehicles.

The guide line optical reader and the motor vehicle info line reader comprise a CCD camera. Conversely, the radio sensing device of a motor vehicle info-line comprises a radio receiver with an antenna. In order to make the detection of the guide line and the info line reliable and functional, especially at night, a lamp is placed in front of the optical guide line reader and / or the optical line info reader of the motor vehicle. A cleaning device consisting of a mechanical remover and / or a vacuum cleaner and / or a fan may also be placed in front of the optical guiding device of the guiding line and / or the optical sensing device of the motor vehicle info-line.

The road is provided in or on its surface with at least one guide line, at least one info-line and at least one partial and / or complete electric traction guided on the raised surface of the road and / or in a barrier.

The guide line consists of a strip in the central part of which a longitudinal contrast line is located.

The info line consists of sections of the bar code or area code of the travel parameters: the prescribed speed of the transport equipment and / or the instantaneous position and / or the turning radius and / or the split of the guide line at the intersection and / or the stopping point at the intersection or parking position and other necessary information.

The info line consists of a radio frequency chip with a radio frequency code of the driving parameters: the prescribed speed of the motor vehicle and / or the current position and / or the turning radius and / or the split of the guide line at the intersection and / or the stopping point at the intersection or parking position and other necessary information.

The advantages of the automated road guidance method and the system transport equipment are evident from its external effects. Given that the current problem is air pollution from motor vehicle air pollutants, which in turn causes the greenhouse effect and severe climate change on Earth, the effect is that the proposed transport system will allow the use of electric motor vehicles, thus reducing motor vehicle emissions to zero. This will have major consequences, such as helping to tackle climate change, oil scarcity and oil problems, solve traffic problems such as congestion in cities and highways, parking problems, etc. The problem of current electric vehicles is in their short range. In the proposed transport system, this problem is solved by the use of electric traction guided on an elevated surface of the road and / or in a barrier. This solution will ensure that the range of motor vehicles within the transport system will be unlimited. At the same time, however, in an electric traction system, motor vehicles need to be controlled by computers that drive the motor vehicle more accurately and, in particular, without the errors often caused by drivers.

Another very important benefit of the new transport system is the substantial reduction of road accidents, which are mainly caused by faults and incorrect driving. The consequences of reducing the number of fatal and other road accidents are great and unequivocally positive, both socially and economically.

The proposed transport system can replace all current land transport modes. For example, rail transport becomes inefficient and inconvenient. It will be unnecessary for the passenger to travel to the railway station, waiting for the train to take him to the station of another city from where he has to travel by different transport to the chosen address. The Highway Taxi comes from the system at any moment in front of his house, quickly and conveniently takes him directly to a selected address in another city. Existing railway corridors can be converted into fast transport arteries of the system. Construction and operation of roads of the proposed system will be incomparably cheaper than construction and operation of railway lines. The proposed system can also use metro or tram lines in large cities more efficiently and cost-effectively.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The method of automated driving of motor vehicles on the roads and the system transport device according to the invention will be explained in more detail in the specific embodiments shown in the drawings, where FIG. 1 shows a block diagram of a motor vehicle and the whole system. Fig. 2 shows road communication with a guide line and info line for one lane in one direction. Fig. 3 illustrates a roadway with a guide line and an info line and which is additionally supplemented by an electric traction guided on an elevated surface of the roadway and / or guided on a barrier or barrier also for one lane in one direction.

EXAMPLES

It is to be understood that individual embodiments of the invention are presented for illustration and not as limitations of the technical solutions. Those skilled in the art will find or be able to ascertain using no more than routine experimentation many equivalents to specific embodiments of the invention. Such equivalents will also fall within the scope of the following claims. For those skilled in the art, the dimensioning of such a device and the appropriate selection of its materials and construction arrangements cannot be a problem, therefore these features have not been solved in detail.

Example 1

In this example of a specific embodiment of the invention, a method of automated driving of motor vehicles 7 on roads 4 in operation only from battery 13 is described and can be traced in FIG. 1. It is based on the fact that only unmanned motor vehicles 7 and which are controlled by the on-board computer 9 on roads 4 are considered. Motor vehicles 1 with an electrically powered drive unit 2 are considered to be so-called. electric cars. The on-board computer 9 coordinates the directional guidance of the motor vehicle 1 and the driving and propulsion parameters in conjunction with the mobile data transmission both from the stationary central computer 12 and from the other locally present on-board computers 9 of other motor vehicles 1. The directional guidance of the motor vehicle 7 is derived from the optical reading of the guide line 6 situated on the surface of the road 4 by the optical reading device 3.1 of the guide line 6 located on the motor vehicle 7. The optical sensor device 3.1 with a CCD sensor-camera is mounted at the bottom of the front part of the motor vehicle 1 under the floor exactly on the longitudinal axis of the motor vehicle 1. Thus, depending on the scanning of the guiding line 6 by the control 10, Any vehicle deviation of the scanned guide line 6 from the axis of the motor vehicle 1 is evaluated and commanded by the steering control 10 to rotate the wheels so that the scanned guide line 6 is exactly on the motor axis. the vehicle 1 and the movement directive of the motor vehicle 1. For safety reasons, the motor vehicle 1 is also equipped with a back-up optical scanning device 3.1 of the guiding line 6 with a CCD sensor behind the first optical scanning device 3.1 of the guiding line 6. In the event of any failure of the first optical scanning device 3.1 of the guiding line 6 to control the second backup optical reading device 3.1 of the guiding line 6.

The on-board computer 9 also coordinates the driving parameters of the motor vehicle 1, which are derived primarily from the optical reading 3.2 of the info-line 7 situated on the road surface 4 by at least one optical reading device 3.2 of the info-line 7 mounted on the motor vehicle. in this case it contains a barcode. This bar code in each particular section of the route contains encoded information about the prescribed speed of the motor vehicle 1 about its immediate position, the turning radius, the distribution of the guideline 6 at the intersection, the stopping point at the intersection and the parking position and other necessary information. This encoded information is scanned by the first optical reader 3.2 of the infoline 7. The second optical reader 3.2 of the info-line 7 comprising two CCD sensors - the bar code camera provides information to the on-board computer 9 which controls the motor vehicle 1 only if not For any reason, the sensed guide line 6 is present, or the position of the guide line 6 is missing in the onboard computer 9 or if the barcode has been read incorrectly by the first CCD camera.

The on-board computer software 9 adjusts the speed of the motor vehicle 1 according to the bar code information, swivels the wheels to move the motor vehicle 7 along the guiding line 6, tracks the motor vehicle 1 on the road map, ensures the motor vehicle 7 turns in the necessary direction at the junction and stops 1. at an intersection or at a designated parking position. The length of the bar code along the information line 7 depends on the prescribed speed of the motor vehicle 1 in a given road section. The section of the info-line 7 on which the same bar code is called is the info-line 7 section. In the acceleration or deceleration sections of motor vehicles, the lengths of the barcode sections will be correspondingly increased or decreased.

For this unmanned vehicle control system 7, it is also important to communicate the on-board computer 9 of one motor vehicle 7 via the telecommunications system 11 with the on-board computers 9 locally present in the vicinity of the other motor vehicles 7 for dealing with immediate situations. Each on-board computer 9 knows its instantaneous position. address on the road map. He continuously transmits his position information to motor vehicles 1 in front of, behind him or in the adjacent lane. On the basis of information on the movement of other motor vehicles 1 in the vicinity, the on-board computer 9 maintains a prescribed safety distance from the motor vehicle 1 in the vicinity of the vehicle. All vehicles 1 travel in the same lane at the same speed prescribed by the info line 7. Each on-board computer 9 maintains a safe distance from other motor vehicles 1 even in the event of acceleration, deceleration or even severe braking in a dangerous situation. The motor vehicle 1 brakes in cooperation with passing motor vehicles 1 so as to maintain a safe distance between them. The on-board computer 9 also calculates the correct speed and time for transferring the motor vehicle 1 to another lane so that the transfer is safe and does not collide with another motor vehicle I. Similarly, it proceeds at a junction where it uses the information from info-line 7 a follows the selected guide line 6.

For safety reasons, the motor vehicle 1 is equipped with a front sensor. front scanner and side sensors. side scanner in case an unexpected obstacle, such as a human or an animal, appears in the track. In this case, the motor vehicle 1 quickly stops. The response time of the on-board computer 9 is considerably shorter than that of a human. The motor vehicle 1 brakes in conjunction with passing motor vehicles 1 so as to maintain a safe distance between them.

The on-board computer 9 is also equipped with a self-diagnosis system for faults on a motor vehicle. U In the event of a serious breakdown, it takes the passengers to the nearest parking position, asks them to disembark, then leaves for the nearest service point.

In such a built-up system of operation of motor vehicles 1 with on-board computer 9, an essential part of this system is a stationary central computer 12, which has information about the immediate position of each motor vehicle 1 on the map of the transport system. The central computer 12 commands all motor vehicles 1 in the system, maintains traffic flow and solves emergency situations. The commands of the central computer 12 are binding for each on-board computer 9 of any motor vehicle 1 in the system.

In the areas of roads 4 where it is not possible to place the electric traction 8 from which the electric power drive unit 2 would be supplied, the on-board computer 9 supplies the electric power drive unit 2 from the accumulators 13. This method of operation would be used in particular in urban environments.

Example 2

In this example of a particular embodiment of the invention, a second method of automated driving of motor vehicles 1 on roads 4 in operation with electric traction 8 is described. It takes on the features of the method described in Example 1 but is extended with features where contain long sections without intersections or without turns, which is inherent for highway sections or for roads 4 between municipalities and the like, so there the on-board computer 9 controls the current consumption through one current bus 5 located on the motor vehicle 1 from at least one section directed towards the road road 4 from electric traction 8 led on the surface elevated part of road 4.

Alternatively, in this method of automated driving of motor vehicles 7 on roads 4, the on-board computer 9 can control the current draw through one current bus 5 located on the motor vehicle 1 from at least one section directed towards the road 1 from electric traction 8 guided in the side barrier 14 or it.

In practice, in the operation of the driverless motor vehicles 7 controlled by the on-board computer 9, it is possible to combine with each other the method of automated driving of motor vehicles 1 on the road 9 in operation from battery 14 with the method of automated driving of motor vehicles 1 on roads 4 in operation. with electric traction power supply 8.

Example 3

In this example of a particular embodiment of the present invention, a road motor vehicle is described as one part of a system conveyor device that is adapted to travel on the road 4 as shown in FIG. 1. A motor vehicle such as a motor vehicle 1 comprises one electrically driven drive unit 2, two optical sensing devices 3.1 of the guiding line 6 and two optical sensing devices 3.2 of the info-line 7. Each is optically directed towards the road 4 and also contains one current bus It further comprises an on-board computer 9, at the input data interconnected with at least the optical pick-up devices 3.1 of the guiding line 6 and the optical readers 3.2 of the info-line 7, and at the output data connected with the current bus actuators 5, control 10 and The onboard computer 9 is furthermore connected by mobile telecommunication means 11 to the stationary central computer 12 and to other locally present on-board computers 9 of other motor vehicles. 1. Optical scanning devices 3.1 of the guiding line 6 and optical scanning devices 3.2 of info-1 No 7 of the motor vehicle 1 comprises a CCD - camera. In front of the optical sensing devices 3.1 of the guiding line 6 and the optical sensing devices 3.2 of the info-line 7 of the motor vehicle 1 there is a lamp. In front of the optical sensing devices 3.1 of the guiding line 6 and the optical sensing devices 3.2 of the info-line 7 of the motor vehicle 1 there is also a cleaning device consisting of a mechanical soil remover and a fan.

If the drive unit 2 of the motor vehicle 1 operates at an electrical voltage other than the line traction voltage 8, then the motor vehicle 1 would additionally comprise a voltage converter.

Example 4

In this example of a particular embodiment of the invention, an alternative road motor vehicle is described as one part of a system vehicle that is adapted to travel on the road, thereby extending the particular application of Example 3. The motor vehicle such as a motor vehicle 7 may also include a self-diagnostic system equipment, which is not a necessity in its equipment. In another alternative, a cleaning device consisting of a mechanical soil remover and a vacuum cleaner is also placed in front of the optical guiding devices of the guiding line and the optical sensing devices of the motor vehicle info-line. In a further alternative, the motor vehicle 1 comprises four electrically driven drive units one for each wheel. In a further alternative, the info-line optical reader devices may be replaced by radio-reader information line devices 3.3 comprising a radio receiver with an antenna.

In a further alternative, the motor vehicle 1 may comprise two current buses directed towards the road, if the local road structure permits.

Example 5

In this example of a particular embodiment of the present invention, one embodiment of a road 4 is described as a second part of a system transport device usable in an urban environment adapted for driving motor vehicles 7 as shown in Fig. 2. The road 4 is provided on its surface with one guide line 6 and one info line 7. The guide line 6 consists of a strip in the central part of which a longitudinal contrast line is located. Info line 7 consists of sections of the bar code of the travel parameters: the prescribed speed of the instantaneous conveying device with the turning radius of the distribution of the guiding line 6 at the intersection, the stopping point at the intersection or parking position and other necessary information. The guide line 6 and / or the info line 7 can be produced by a method of color coating or spraying by means of a template. They can also be realized in the form of plastic or metal strips adhered to the road or by other suitable means attached to it, for example by means of anchoring elements. They can be treated with a hard, translucent lacquer coating.

Example 6

In this example of a particular embodiment of the invention, an alternative realization of road 4 is described as a second part of a system transport device usable in an urban environment adapted to drive motor vehicles 7, thereby extending the particular application of Example 5. Road 4 is on its surface. The part provided with info-line 7, which consists of areas of the area code for already mentioned travel parameters. In a further alternative, the road 4 is provided on its surface with an info-line 7, which consists of a radio frequency chip with a radio frequency code for the above-mentioned driving parameters. In a further alternative, the road 4 on its surface portion may be provided with a plurality of guide lines 6 and a plurality of info lines 7.

For clarity, in the city's integrated transport system, motor vehicles 1 of all types, such as passenger cars, buses, trucks, special vehicles, are controlled by on-board computers 9 and powered by electric motors. Motor vehicles 1 move along guide lines 6, all at the same speed as prescribed by info-line 7 in a given section. Passenger motor vehicles 1 are of the Taxi type for two, four or more passengers. The motor vehicles 1 park at the parking places, recharging the batteries 14 from the electric supply point at the parking place from the electric traction 8 located under the motor vehicle 1. The batteries 14 allow the motor vehicle 1 to travel at maximum distances within the city of 20 to 50 km. If the passenger arrives at the motor vehicle 1, the door opens. The passengers board and enter the address to which they want to travel on the onboard computer controller 9. After the credit card has been inserted, the on-board computer 9 has calculated the transport cost. The door closes and when the road is clear The taxi moves from the parking position and passes into the acceleration lane or directly into the lane where it moves at the prescribed speed and maintains communication with the surrounding motor vehicles 1 and a safe distance between them. In this way, it will transport passengers to the default address according to the electronic city map. After the passengers have disembarked, the motor vehicle 7 is ready to transport other passengers. This solves parking problems. Traffic in the city is smooth and fast as the stationary central computer 12 takes care of and controls it. The speed of traffic in the city is adapted to the nature of the road, but it can reach 100 km / h on selected sections. If no motor vehicle is currently parked in the locality, 1 passenger can call it by mobile phone. Passengers do not need driving licenses.

Trucks 1, buses and special vehicles operate on a similar principle. A truck of the desired size from the system comes to order from the mobile phone to the loading location. After loading, the customer enters the on-board computer 9 address to which the goods are to be transported. Inserts a credit card to pay for the transport. The on-board computer-controlled freight motor vehicle 1 transports the goods to a designated address where it is unloaded by the recipient. The freight motor vehicle 7 is ready for further transport. A stationary central computer 12 sends it to the place where it is needed.

Special vehicles such as first-aid, police, fire, service and other vehicles that sometimes need to get outside the computer-controlled transport system are also equipped with manual control, which is controlled by the driver concerned. Other trucks or passenger vehicles that need to be driven outside the transport system, such as on construction sites and the like, are also manually operated. When a vehicle equipped with a manual control system reaches the road 4 of a computer-controlled transport system, the on-board computer 9 takes control of it.

Example 7

In this example of a particular embodiment of the present invention, a second embodiment of a road 4 is described as a second part of a system transport device usable in an interurban environment adapted for driving motor vehicles 1 as shown in FIG. 3. A substantial part of the road 4 is basically described in Example 5 and alternatively also in Example 6. The spreading feature is that it consists of at least one partial or complete electric traction 8 guided on the raised surface of the road 4 and / or in the barrier 14 .

For the sake of clarity, this integrated interurban transport system addresses urban transport. Guides 6 and info lines 7 are painted on the motorways, on which cars or trucks drive. Passenger transport is provided by Highway Taxi, capable of driving at high speeds. A passenger in the city orders a Highway Taxi at his address. Upon entering the address in the destination city and pay by credit card. Highway Taxi will take it to the address indicated by the optimal route. On the sections of freeway without intersections, there is also electrical traction 8 on the barrier 14, the line from which the motor vehicle 1 via the current bus 5 as a trolley placed on the side of the motor vehicle 1 draws electricity for its movement and also for recharging the batteries.

On a four-lane highway, right-hand current is reserved for heavier motor vehicles 1 such as trucks, buses that move at a lower speed. In the left lane, passenger and lighter goods vehicles 7 are moving at high speed. All motor vehicles j. they move at the same speed in a given lane and maintain a safe distance to each other. In the middle of the motorway, there is a common separating barrier 14. In order to increase safety, the individual lanes are separated by lower barriers 14 which, in the event of a motor vehicle failure 1, would keep it in the lane until it stops. The crossing points from the slower lane to the fast lane are behind each intersection. At this point, there is a start-up lane between the slow and quick lanes, in which the motor vehicle 1 increases the speed to the speed of the fast lane to which it will engage at the end of the start lane. A similar process takes place in front of the junction at which the motor vehicle 1 wants to turn. First it moves from the fast lane to the deceleration lane, then goes in a slower lane and then turns at the intersection. At intersections and at the points of shifting of motor vehicles 1 between lanes there is no electric traction 8 as a power line, the motor vehicle 1 is powered by accumulators 13.

Industrial usability

The method of automated driving of motor vehicles on the roads and the system conveying device according to the invention find application especially in nationwide transport to supranational systems but also in local industrial systems.

W ^ D - X - 200

Claims (15)

PATENT CLAIMS Method of automated driving of motor vehicles on roads, characterized in that the driving of motor vehicles (1) with an electrically powered drive unit (2) on roads is performed only by the on-board computer (9), which coordinates directional guidance and driving and propulsion parameters motor vehicle (1) in conjunction with mobile data transmission, both from a stationary central computer (12) and / or from other locally present on-board computers of other motor vehicles (1), the directional guidance of the motor vehicle (1) being derived from optical scanning (6) situated on or in the road surface (4) by an optical scanning device (3.1) of a guiding line placed on a motor vehicle (1) and the driving parameters of the motor vehicle (1) are derived from optical and / or radio sensing of infoline (7) situated on or in the optic road surface (4) and / or the radio sensor (3.2, 3.3) of the info line located on the motor vehicle (1). Method of automated driving of motor vehicles on the road according to claim 1, characterized in that the drive parameters for the electrically driven at least one drive unit (2) and / or the accumulator (13) of the motor vehicle (1) are derived from current consumption through at least one power bus (5) located on the motor vehicle (1) and at least one section directed to the road (4) and / or to the barrier (14) from the electric traction (8) on the raised surface of the road (4) and / or in the barrier (14). System conveyor device, characterized in that it consists in one part of a road motor vehicle (1) adapted to travel on the road (4), comprising at least one electrically driven drive unit (2), at least one optical scanning device (3.1) a guide line and at least one optical and / or radio sensing device (3.2, 3.3) of the info-line, each optically and / or radio-directed to the road (4) and at least one current bus (5) directed to the road ( 4) and / or to the barrier (14), further comprising an on-board computer (9) at the input data interconnected with at least one optical line scanning device (3.1) and at least one optical and / or radio reading device (3.2, 3.3) lines and at the output data interconnected with actuators of current bus (5), control (10) and electric drive unit (2), on-board computer (9) is also mobile telecommunication by means of communication means (11) connected to a stationary central computer (12), and / or to other locally present on-board computers of motor vehicles. System conveyor device according to claim 3, characterized in that the second part consists of a road (4) adapted for driving a road motor vehicle (1), the road (4) being provided in or on its surface part with at least one a guide line (6), at least one info-line (7) and at least one partial and / or complete electric traction (8) guided on the raised surface of the road (4) and / or in the barrier (14). System conveyor device according to claim 3 and 4, characterized in that the road (4) adapted to travel the road motor vehicle (1) results in parking spaces. A system conveyor device according to claims 3 to 5, characterized in that the parking stations comprise electrical supply points. System conveyor device according to claim 3 and 4, characterized in that the guide line (6) consists of a strip in the central part of which a longitudinal contrast line is arranged. System conveyor device according to claim 3 and 4, characterized in that the info line (7) consists of sections of the bar code or area code of the driving parameters: the prescribed speed of the motor vehicle and / or the current position and / or the turning radius and / or on the division of the guidance line at the intersection and / or the stopping point at the intersection or the parking lot. System conveyor device according to claim 3 and 4, characterized in that the info line (7) consists of a radio frequency chip with a radio frequency driving parameter code: a prescribed motor vehicle speed and / or an instantaneous position and / or a turning radius and / or on the division of the guidance line at the intersection and / or the stopping point at the intersection or the parking lot. System conveyor device according to claim 3, characterized in that the optical guiding device (3.1) of the guide line and the optical sensing device (3.2) of the motor vehicle info-line (1) comprise a CCD sensor. System transport device according to claim 3, characterized in that the radio sensor (3.3) of the motor vehicle info-line (1) comprises a radio receiver with an antenna. System conveyor device according to claim 3 and 10, characterized in that a lamp is arranged in front of the optical guiding device (3.1) of the guide line and / or the optical sensing device (3.2) of the motor vehicle info-line (1). System conveyor device according to claims 3 and 10, characterized in that a cleaning device is arranged in front of the optical guiding device (3.1) of the guide line and / or the optical sensing device (3.2) of the motor vehicle info-line (1). System conveyor device according to claim 13, characterized in that the cleaning device consists of a mechanical scraper and / or vacuum cleaner and / or fan. System transport device according to claim 3, characterized in that the motor vehicle (1) comprises a self-diagnostic system device.