Systems for operating vehicles at work sites

Abstract

The present invention relates to a system for operating vehicles at a work site. The present disclosure relates to a control system (200) adapted to control the operation of first and second vehicles (100, 102, 104) operating at a work site (150). The present disclosure also relates to corresponding computer-implemented methods and computer program products.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a control system adapted to control the operation of first and second vehicles operating at a work site. The present disclosure also relates to a corresponding computer-implemented method and computer program product. Background Art

[0002] For example, in connection with the transport of loads at construction sites etc., work machines in the form of articulated haul trucks, wheel loaders, trucks or dump trucks are frequently used. In their simplest configuration, the machines are arranged to load the platform of the vehicle or a container etc. arranged on the platform of the vehicle at a loading position at the construction site and to drive to an unloading position at the construction site at a certain distance from the loading position and unload the platform of the vehicle there.

[0003] In recent years, such work machines have made great progress in semi-autonomous and fully-autonomous operation, effectively providing operator assistance and safety functions such as general obstacle detection, pedestrian detection, front and rear collision warnings of work machines, etc. Such work machines generally use a plurality of sensors that are configured to detect information about the vehicle's surroundings.

[0004] An example of an interesting solution in this regard is given in US 20120025964, which discloses a method for giving a warning in a potentially dangerous area near a vehicle. Specifically, US 20120025964 proposes means for allowing both passive warnings and active warnings, wherein the active warning is formed by associating pedestrian detection in the potentially dangerous area with the vehicle. US 20120025964 further proposes giving a warning by means of one or a combination of audio devices and lighting devices.

[0005] Although the solution proposed in US 20120025964 significantly reduces the risk to pedestrians or workers arranged near a single vehicle, US 20120025964 obviously does not take into account the complex situations existing at the work site, such as more than one vehicle is collaborating on a work task, and there may be both automatic and manually (manually) operated work machines collaborating at the same time. Therefore, it seems that there is room for further improvement to further improve the personal safety of the workers or pedestrians. Summary of the invention

[0006] According to the scheme of the present disclosure, the above problem is solved at least in part by a control system suitable for controlling the operation of the first and second vehicles operating at a work site, the control system including a control unit, wherein the control unit is suitable for establishing a first communication connection with the first and second vehicles, establishing a second communication connection with a safety key, and allowing the first and second vehicles to perform a first task at the work site, wherein the first and second vehicles are only allowed to perform the first task when the second communication connection is established between the safety key and the control unit.

[0007] The general idea of ​​the present disclosure is to achieve a solution that reduces the risk of accidental and / or unintentional operation of a vehicle at a work site by introducing a so-called "safety key" that acts as a "master switch" for vehicle operation at the work site. In particular, if the (second) vehicle-to-vehicle communication connection fails, the vehicle is not allowed to carry out the first task, for example until the communication connection is established again. Therefore, an advantage of the present disclosure is that the safety of the vehicle when operating at a work site is improved. This is particularly evident in situations where both automatically and manually operated work machines are working simultaneously at the work site and there is a possibility that the driver / operator of one of the vehicles has to move around the work site outside his vehicle.

[0008] As defined according to the present disclosure, a first communication connection is established between the control unit and each of the first and second vehicles. In addition, a second communication connection is established between the control unit and the safety key. Thus, for example, the driver / operator can "carry" the safety key when walking around the workplace, and then only when he is safely located in, for example, one of the first and second vehicles, or in a safe control location separated from the first and / or second vehicle, is the second communication connection between the safety key and the control unit allowed to be established. When the driver / operator needs to move near the first and / or second vehicle, he can then cancel the second communication connection between the safety key and the control unit, and each of the first and second vehicles will stop operating according to the first task. Obviously, the solution according to the present disclosure will significantly reduce the time required to start / deactivate tasks at the workplace. Therefore, deactivating the second communication connection between the safety key and the control unit will act as a "kill switch" to ensure that the vehicle at the workplace is safe for human operators walking around.

[0009] In the context of the present disclosure, the expression "security key" should be interpreted broadly and thus is not necessarily a physical "switch". More precisely, the security key is preferably implemented as a physical key comprising a smartphone, a smart card, a key card, a physical key with a site-specific certificate, thus typically provided as an entity that the driver / operator can easily carry with him at the work site and easily use when establishing the second communication connection with the control unit. Depending on the type of security key used, it is suitable to provide a "security key reader" that matches the technology used by the selected security key.

[0010] Therefore, the solution according to the present disclosure is also easily scalable for situations where the work site includes a large number of vehicles (such as more than two vehicles). The solution according to the present disclosure is also applicable to situations where vehicles are operated in different ways, that is, the work site includes both manually operated vehicles and automatically operated vehicles.

[0011] In the context of the present disclosure, it is to be understood that the expression "communication connection" (first as well as second communication connection) is to be interpreted broadly and may relate to any form of information set to be transmitted between the vehicle and the control unit. In a typical embodiment, at least part of the information transmission between the vehicle and the control unit is wireless, using any form of known or future communication protocols. However, in some embodiments, it is preferred to allow at least the second communication connection to be wired, i.e. between the control unit and the security key.

[0012] Furthermore, the expression "first task" should be understood to refer to a task or a group of tasks to be performed at a work site by the first and second vehicles. For example, the first task may be to transport a workpiece from a first location to a second location at the work site. Other examples include the case where the first vehicle is used to load the workpiece onto, for example, a loading station of the second vehicle. The first task may be performed in a fully manual manner, in a fully automatic manner, or by combining manual (manually operated) tasks with automatic tasks.

[0013] In some embodiments, it is preferred to limit the permissibility of performing the first task by only allowing the first task to be performed when a first communication connection with the control unit is established. Therefore, in such an embodiment, the vehicle must always establish communication with the control unit to be allowed to perform the first task. However, at the work site, such communication (i.e., the first communication connection between the control unit and each of the first and second vehicles) may sometimes be at least partially interrupted for a shorter or longer period of time, and depends on the type of communication protocol used for the first communication connection. Therefore, in some embodiments, the first task may be allowed to last at least for a (short) predetermined period of time. If the operator / driver then wants to move around the first and / or second vehicle (e.g., walk), he can just wait for the predetermined period of time, and then he will know that the first and / or second vehicle has stopped the first task. In some embodiments, the predetermined period of time is set between 0.2 seconds and 5 minutes.

[0014] In some embodiments, the control unit may be adapted to recognize reestablished communication between the first / second vehicle and the control unit. Thus, in case the first communication connection is reestablished, the first mission may be automatically allowed to proceed. As an alternative, the driver / operator in charge and handling of the security key may be requested to manually restart the first mission (e.g. using a user interface).

[0015] Furthermore, within the scope of the present disclosure, geographic constraints may be included in the predetermined time, wherein a longer distance between the first / second vehicle and the control unit can allow for a longer predetermined time. Thus, in such an embodiment, each of the first and second vehicles may include a geo-positioning device that provides for determining an intermediate position of the first / second vehicle. Such a geo-positioning device may, for example, include a GPS receiver or a local positioning device at the work site, such as a Wi-Fi positioning system. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that in situations where the vehicle is operating underground, such as in a mine or the like, an alternative to satellite navigation may have to be used. In some embodiments, for example, it is desirable that the geo-positioning device have a higher reliability to allow the first safe position to correspond to the first position.

[0016] In order to further improve the safety of the workplace, it can be provided that each workplace has only one safety key available. With this restriction, it can be ensured that only the person (personnel) who can directly use the safety key can "start" the vehicle at the workplace.

[0017] It should also be understood that the control system may be arranged at a worksite control location, such as an integral control facility at the worksite. In this case, the security key is typically engaged with a control unit at the worksite control location. However, as an alternative, the control system may be arranged as an onboard component of a third vehicle also arranged at the worksite. The driver / operator then typically operates the third vehicle, and the security key is engaged with a control unit at the third vehicle.

[0018] In a preferred embodiment, the vehicle is a work machine. Such a work machine may include, for example, any form of mobile equipment used at a work site. In addition, the vehicle may be at least one of a pure electric vehicle (PEV) and a hybrid electric vehicle (HEV).

[0019] In a preferred embodiment, the vehicle is a semi-automatic and / or fully-automatic vehicle, as described in further detail below with respect to the specification. However, it should be understood that the vehicle may be a manually operated vehicle.

[0020] In some embodiments, the control unit forms part of a common server arranged remotely from the first and second vehicles. Such a server may be, for example, a workplace server. That is, in some other embodiments, the control unit is provided as an onboard component of the second vehicle.

[0021] The control system preferably forms part of a work site arrangement which also includes first and second vehicles.

[0022] According to another aspect of the present disclosure, a computer-implemented method for controlling the operation of first and second vehicles operating at a work site is provided, wherein the method includes the following steps: establishing a first communication connection between a control unit and the first and second vehicles; establishing a second communication connection between the control unit and a safety key; and using the control unit to instruct the first and second vehicles to perform a first task at the work site, wherein only the first and second vehicles are allowed to perform the task when the second communication connection is established between the safety key and the control unit. This aspect of the present disclosure provides similar advantages as discussed above with respect to the previous aspects of the present disclosure.

[0023] According to another aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer-readable medium storing thereon a computer program device, the computer program device being used to operate a control system, the control system being adapted to control the operation of a first and a second vehicle operating at a work site, the system comprising a control unit, wherein the computer program product comprises: a code for establishing a first communication connection between the control unit and the first and second vehicles; a code for establishing a second communication connection between the control unit and a safety key; and a code for instructing the first and second vehicles to perform a first task at the work site using the control unit, wherein when the second communication connection is established between the safety key and the control unit, only the first and second vehicles are allowed to perform the task. This aspect of the present disclosure also provides similar advantages as discussed above with respect to the previous aspects of the present disclosure.

[0024] The computer readable medium can be any type of storage device, including one of a removable non-volatile random access memory, a hard drive, a floppy disk, a CD-ROM, a DVD-ROM, a USB memory, an SD memory card, or similar computer readable media known in the art.

[0025] Other advantages and advantageous features of the present disclosure are disclosed in the following description. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0026] Embodiments of the present disclosure cited as examples are described in more detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0027] In the attached picture:

[0028] Figure 1 Trucks, wheel loaders and articulated haulers are shown that allow for selective movement around the work site;

[0029] Figure 2 A conceptual control system for controlling vehicle movement at a work site according to a currently preferred embodiment of the present disclosure is shown; and

[0030] Figure 3 Processing steps for carrying out the method according to the present disclosure are shown. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0031] The present disclosure is described more fully below with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which currently preferred embodiments of the present disclosure are shown. However, the present disclosure may be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as being limited to the embodiments given herein; more precisely, these embodiments are provided in order to fully and completely convey the scope of the present disclosure to those skilled in the art. The same reference numerals throughout the text represent the same elements.

[0032] Please refer to the following for details Figure 1 and Figure 2, shows a work site 150 in which exemplary vehicles operate, the exemplary vehicles being shown here as a truck 100, a wheel loader 102, and an articulated hauler 104. The operation of the vehicles 100, 102, and 104 at the work site 150 is controlled by a control system 200. Concepts consistent with the present disclosure may also be used with any other form of movable equipment operating at a work site, such as automobiles, buses, any form of construction equipment, etc.

[0033] The vehicle may be, for example, an electric or hybrid vehicle, or a natural gas, gasoline or diesel vehicle. The vehicle includes an electric motor (for an electric or hybrid vehicle) or an engine (for example, an internal combustion engine for a natural gas, gasoline or diesel vehicle). In addition, the vehicle may be operated manually, fully automatically or semi-automatically.

[0034] Figure 2 A conceptual and exemplary embodiment of a control system 200 is shown, comprising a control unit 202 adapted to implement the present solution, for example, to control the movement of vehicles 100, 102, 104 at a work site 150. The control system 200 further comprises a transceiver 204 connected to the control unit 202, the control unit 202 allowing communication with the vehicles (e.g., truck 100, wheel loader 102 and articulated hauler 104) at the work site 150. Thus, the vehicles 100, 102, 104 comprise corresponding transceiver devices to allow communication with the control system 200. The communication between the control unit 202 and the vehicles 100, 102, 104 is defined below as a first communication connection.

[0035] The first communication connection between the control unit 202 and the vehicles 100, 102, 104 (i.e., including the first and second vehicles as defined above) is preferably carried out wirelessly. For example, the first communication connection is a wireless network communication using any form of known communication protocol or future communication protocol. Possible known communication protocols that can be used include, for example, vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I) connections, and device-to-device (D2D) communication technologies are also possible. However, an exemplary prior art that is particularly suitable for V2I applications is IEEE standard 802.11p, which is based on the PHY and MAC layers of 802.11, namely OFDM and CSMA, respectively. The data broadcast of IEEE802.11p includes information related to the source location (e.g., vehicle). OFDM and CSMA refer to orthogonal frequency division multiplexing and carrier sensing multiple access, respectively. However, network communications using, for example, satellite, Wi-Fi, radio service, or any form of cellular signal can also be used.

[0036] The control system 200 may be located locally at the worksite 150, such as at a worksite control location 160. In some embodiments, the worksite control location 160 may be a facility that can house a human operator who controls the vehicles 100, 102, 104, for example, where at least a portion of the vehicles 100, 102, 104 are autonomous vehicles. Alternatively, the control system 200 may be included in one of the vehicles, such as the wheel loader 102. In such an embodiment, the wheel loader 102 may be a manually operated vehicle, while the truck 100 and articulated hauler 104 may be autonomous vehicles.

[0037] In another alternative embodiment, the control system 200 is implemented as part of a server. The server can be a so-called cloud server. Therefore, the server is not necessarily arranged near the work site, but is generally arranged at any location where the concept according to the present disclosure is carried out, as long as the server can communicate with the first and second vehicles. However, it may be preferred to arrange the control system 200 (or the server) at the work site, so that communication interruptions can be minimized because the first and second vehicles can be directly connected to the control system 200 (or the server).

[0038] For reference, the control unit 202 can be sequentially exemplified as a general-purpose processor, a special-purpose processor, a circuit containing a processing component, a distributed processing component group, a distributed computer group configured for processing, a field programmable gate array (FPGA), etc. The processor can be or include any number of hardware components for performing data or signal processing or for executing computer codes stored in a memory. The memory can be one or more devices for storing data and / or computer codes, and the data and / or computer codes are used to complete or facilitate the completion of the various methods described in this specification. The memory can include volatile memory or non-volatile memory. The memory can include a database component, an object code component, a script component, or any other type of information structure for supporting various activities of this specification. According to an exemplary embodiment, any distributed or local storage device can be used with the system and method of this specification. According to an exemplary embodiment, the memory is communicatively connected to the processor (e.g., via a circuit or any other wired, wireless or network connection) and includes a computer code for performing one or more processes described herein.

[0039] As mentioned above, the vehicles are preferably configured to communicate, for example, with a radio navigation system, which for example includes a GPS receiver 206 to determine the intermediate geographical location of the vehicles 100, 102, 104. Depending on the arrangement location of the control system 200, the control system 200 may also be configured with a GPS receiver 206. The GPS receiver 206 is then arranged to communicate with the control unit 202 and can be used by the control unit 202 to determine the intermediate distance between the control system 200 and each vehicle 100, 102, 104.

[0040] In addition, the control system 200 also includes a security key 208. According to the present disclosure, the security key 208 is used by the control system 200 to control the operation of the vehicles 100, 102, 104. Figure 2 As shown, the security key 208 is connected to the control unit 202. This connection is defined as a second communication connection below. It should be understood that the second communication connection can be a wireless connection defined above with respect to the first communication connection. However, the second communication connection can also be a wired connection. Possibly, the control system 200 is provided with an interface into which the security key 208 is to be "inserted", similar to inserting a physical key into a "lock". However, the security key 208 can also be provided as a "tag", or, for example, included in a mobile phone (not shown). Therefore, the second communication connection can be provided by any means suitable for connecting the security key 208 to the control unit 202.

[0041] Further references Figure 3 During operation of the control system, processing begins by establishing (S1) a first communication connection between the control unit 202 and the vehicle 100, 102, 104. The control system 200 is arranged at a workplace control location 160 at a workplace 150 where at least one operator is to be located.

[0042] When the operator determines that, for example, he and other persons / animals are arranged away from the vehicles 100, 102, 104, he may decide that it is safe to allow the vehicles 100, 102, 104 to operate at the work site. At this point, he may establish a second communication connection between the control unit 202 and the safety key 208. As described above, this may be achieved by inserting the safety key 208 at a dedicated interface arranged about the control unit 202. Alternatively, the operator may use his mobile phone (not shown) and a dedicated application executed on the mobile phone to establish a second communication connection between the control unit 202 and the safety key 208.

[0043] Once both the first and second communication connections have been established, the control unit 202 can automatically instruct the vehicles 100, 102, 104 to perform the first task. The first task may include separate instructions for each vehicle 100, 102, 104 to perform a separate task, or to perform a task together. However, according to the present disclosure, only the first task is allowed to continue as long as the second communication connection is maintained.

[0044] Therefore, the first task is interrupted as soon as the safety key 208 is disconnected from the control unit 202. Preferably, the first task is interrupted immediately, which means that the moving vehicle is stopped directly. However, it is obvious that the vehicle should be stopped in a safe way, which means that the vehicle can be slowly decelerated instead of being stopped suddenly.

[0045] Furthermore, preferably, the first task is only allowed to continue as long as the first communication connection is maintained. For example, in the event of a disruption in the second communication connection, for example due to a poor communication signal between the transceiver of one of the vehicles and the control unit 202, all vehicles 100, 102, 104 will automatically stop performing the work (s) of the first task. However, in order to reduce unexpected stops of the first task, a brief interruption of the second communication connection (e.g., between 0.2 seconds and 5 minutes) may be allowed while still allowing the first task to continue. Such an embodiment generally provides better stability in the operation at the work site 150.

[0046] The present disclosure contemplates methods, apparatus, and program products for performing various operations on any machine-readable medium. Embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented using existing computer processors, or by special-purpose computer processors for appropriate systems, combined for one purpose or another, or implemented by hard-wired systems. Embodiments within the scope of the present disclosure include program products, which include machine-readable media for carrying machine-executable instructions or data structures, or storing machine-executable instructions or data structures on them. Such machine-readable media can be any available media that can be accessed by a general-purpose or special-purpose computer or other machine with a processor.

[0047] As an example, such machine-readable media may include RAM, ROM, EPROM, EEPROM, CD-ROM or other optical disk storage, disk storage or other magnetic storage device, or any other medium that can be used to carry or store required program code in the form of machine-readable instructions and can be accessed by a general or special-purpose computer or other machine with a processor. When information is transmitted or provided to a machine through a network or other communication connection (hardwired, wireless, or a combination of hardwired or wireless), the machine appropriately regards the connection as a machine-readable medium. Therefore, any such connection is appropriately referred to as a machine-readable medium. The above combination is also included in the scope of machine-readable media. Machine executable instructions, for example, include instructions and data that cause a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, or a special-purpose processing machine to perform a specific function or function group.

[0048] Although the accompanying drawings can show a specific order of method steps, the order of steps may be different from the order shown. In addition, two or more steps may be performed simultaneously or partially simultaneously. Such variations will depend on the selected software and hardware systems and the designer's choice. All of these variations are encompassed within the scope of this disclosure. Similarly, software implementation methods may be accomplished by standard programming techniques with rule-based logic and other logic to accomplish various connection steps, processing steps, comparison steps, and decision steps.

[0049] Furthermore, although the present disclosure has been described with reference to specific exemplary embodiments, many different changes and modifications will become apparent to those skilled in the art.

[0050] By studying the drawings, the present disclosure and the appended claims, those skilled in the art can understand and implement variations of the disclosed embodiments when practicing the claimed disclosure. In addition, in the claims, the word "comprising" does not exclude other elements or steps, and the indefinite article "a" or "an" does not exclude a plurality.

Claims

1. A control system (200) adapted to control the operation of a plurality of vehicles (100, 102, 104), the plurality of vehicles (100, 102, 104) comprising a first vehicle (100), a second vehicle (102) and a third vehicle (104), each of the first vehicle (100), the second vehicle (102) and the third vehicle (104) having a transceiver and arranged to operate at a work site (150), the first vehicle (100) and the third vehicle (104) being automated vehicles and the second vehicle (102) being a manually operated vehicle, the control system (200) comprising a control unit (202) and a transceiver (204) connected to the control unit (202), wherein: The control unit (202) is adapted to: - establishing a first communication connection between the control unit (202) and each of the plurality of vehicles (100, 102, 104) using respective transceivers of the plurality of vehicles (100, 102, 104), wherein the first communication connection is a wireless network connection; - establishing a second communication connection between the control unit and a security key (208); and - allowing the plurality of vehicles (100, 102, 104) to perform a first task at the work site (150), in, - said control system (200) is included together with said second vehicle (102) being manually operated, - an operator of the second vehicle (102) manually controlling the second communication connection using the security key (208), - when the second communication connection is established between the safety key (208) and the control unit (202), only the plurality of vehicles (100, 102, 104) are allowed to perform the first task, and Only a single security key (208) can be used for all of the plurality of vehicles (100, 102, 104) arranged at the work site (150).

2. The control system (200) according to claim 1, wherein: When the first communication connection with the control unit (202) is established, only the plurality of vehicles (100, 102, 104) are further allowed to perform the first task.

3. The control system (200) according to claim 1, wherein: The plurality of vehicles (100, 102, 104) are further only allowed to perform the first task as long as the interruption of communication between each of the plurality of vehicles (100, 102, 104) and the control unit (202) is shorter than a predetermined period of time.

4. The control system (200) according to claim 3, wherein: The predetermined time period is between 0.2 seconds and 5 minutes.

5. The control system (200) according to claim 1, wherein: The control system (200) is arranged at a work site control location (160).

6. The control system (200) according to claim 1, wherein: The security key (208) is selected from the group consisting of a smart phone with site specific credentials, a smart card, a key card, a physical key.

7. A work site device (150), comprising: The control system (200) according to claim 1; as well as The plurality (100, 102, 104).

8. A computer-implemented method for controlling the operation of a plurality of vehicles (100, 102, 104) operating at a work site (150), the plurality of vehicles (100, 102, 104) comprising all of a first vehicle (100), a second vehicle (102), and a third vehicle (104), each of the first vehicle (100), the second vehicle (102), and the third vehicle (104) having a transceiver, the first vehicle (100) and the third vehicle (104) being automated vehicles, and the second vehicle (102) being a manually operated vehicle, wherein: The method comprises the following steps: - establishing (S1) a first communication connection between the control unit (202) and each of the plurality of vehicles (100, 102, 104) using respective transceivers of the plurality of vehicles (100, 102, 104) and a transceiver (204) connected to the control unit (202), wherein the first communication connection is a wireless network connection; - establishing (S2) a second communication connection between the control unit (202) and the security key (208); and - using the control unit (202) to instruct (S3) the plurality of vehicles (100, 102, 104) to perform a first task at the work site (150), in, - said control unit (202) is included together with said second vehicle (102) which is manually operated, - an operator of the second vehicle (102) manually controlling the second communication connection using the security key (208), - when the second communication connection is established between the safety key (208) and the control unit (202), only the plurality of vehicles (100, 102, 104) are allowed to perform the task, and Only a single security key (208) can be used for all of the plurality of vehicles (100, 102, 104) arranged at the work site (150).

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein: When the first communication connection with the control unit (202) is established, only the plurality of vehicles (100, 102, 104) are further allowed to perform the task.

10. The method according to claim 8, wherein: The plurality of vehicles (100, 102, 104) are further only allowed to perform the task as long as the interruption of communication between the plurality of vehicles (100, 102, 104) and the control unit (202) is determined to be shorter than a predetermined period of time.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein: The predetermined time period is between 5 seconds and 5 minutes.

12. A computer program product, the computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer readable medium having computer program means stored thereon, the computer program means for operating a control system (200), the control system (200) being adapted to control the operation of a plurality of vehicles (100, 102, 104), the plurality of vehicles (100, 102, 104) comprising all of a first vehicle (100), a second vehicle (102) and a third vehicle (104), each of the first vehicle (100), the second vehicle (102) and the third vehicle (104) having a transceiver and arranged to operate at a work site (150), the first vehicle (100) and the third vehicle (104) being automated vehicles and the second vehicle (102) being a manually operated vehicle, the control system (200) comprising a control unit (202) and a transceiver (204) connected to the control unit (202), wherein: The computer program product comprises: - code for establishing a first communication connection between the control unit and each of the plurality of vehicles (100, 102, 104) using a respective transceiver of the plurality of vehicles (100, 102, 104), wherein the first communication connection is a wireless network connection; - a code for establishing a second communication connection between the control unit (202) and the security key (208); and - using the control unit (202) to instruct the plurality of vehicles (100, 102, 104) to perform a first task at the work site (150), in, - said control system (200) is included together with said second vehicle (102) being manually operated, - an operator of the second vehicle (102) manually controlling the second communication connection using the security key (208), - when the second communication connection is established between the safety key (208) and the control unit (202), only the plurality of vehicles (100, 102, 104) are allowed to perform the task, and Only a single security key (208) can be used for all of the plurality of vehicles (100, 102, 104) arranged at the work site (150).

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