Priority-based frequency allocation in collision detection system

Abstract

An apparatus, method, and computer program product for determining a communication frequency based on a collision risk and communicating with a collision detection device at the frequency.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] This application claims the benefit of priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63 / 305,773, entitled “COLLISION DETECTION,” filed in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office on February 2, 2022, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

[0002] The present application generally relates to collision detection. More specifically, the present application relates to determining a communication frequency for communicating with a collision detection device. Background Art

[0003] Mobile mining machines operate in diverse environments. Mining environments are challenging operating environments in terms of collision risk due to limited space, limited light and limited connectivity. Summary of the invention

[0004] According to a first aspect, a collision detection device is provided, which includes at least one processor and at least one memory including computer program instructions, wherein the at least one memory and the computer program instructions are configured to, together with the at least one processor, enable the device to perform at least the following operations: detect a first collision detection device and a second collision detection device near the collision detection device; communicate with the first collision detection device by transmitting and / or receiving a first collision detection message; communicate with the second collision detection device by transmitting and / or receiving a second collision detection message; determine a first collision indicator based on the first collision detection message; determine a second collision indicator based on the second collision detection message; determine a priority order of the first collision detection device and the second collision detection device based on the first collision indicator and the second collision indicator; determine a first communication frequency for communicating with the first collision detection device and a second communication frequency for communicating with the second collision detection device based on the priority order; and communicate with the first collision detection device at the first communication frequency and communicate with the second collision detection device at the second communication frequency, the first communication frequency being different from the second communication frequency.

[0005] According to a second aspect, a method in a collision detection device is provided, the method comprising: detecting a first collision detection device and a second collision detection device near the collision detection device; communicating with the first collision detection device by transmitting and / or receiving a first collision detection message; communicating with the second collision detection device by transmitting and / or receiving a second collision detection message; determining a first collision indicator based on the first collision detection message; determining a second collision indicator based on the second collision detection message; determining a priority order of the first collision detection device and the second collision detection device based on the first collision indicator and the second collision indicator; determining a first communication frequency for communicating with the first collision detection device and a second communication frequency for communicating with the second collision detection device based on the priority order; and communicating with the first collision detection device at the first communication frequency and communicating with the second collision detection device at the second communication frequency, the first communication frequency being different from the second communication frequency.

[0006] According to a third aspect, a computer program is provided, the computer program comprising instructions for causing a collision detection device to perform at least the following operations: detecting a first collision detection device and a second collision detection device near the collision detection device; communicating with the first collision detection device by transmitting and / or receiving a first collision detection message; communicating with the second collision detection device by transmitting and / or receiving a second collision detection message; determining a first collision indicator based on the first collision detection message; determining a second collision indicator based on the second collision detection message; determining a priority order of the first collision detection device and the second collision detection device based on the first collision indicator and the second collision indicator; determining a first communication frequency for communicating with the first collision detection device and a second communication frequency for communicating with the second collision detection device based on the priority order; and communicating with the first collision detection device at the first communication frequency and communicating with the second collision detection device at the second communication frequency, the first communication frequency being different from the second communication frequency.

[0007] According to a fourth aspect, a collision detection device is provided, which includes a device for performing at least the following operations: detecting a first collision detection device and a second collision detection device near the collision detection device; communicating with the first collision detection device by transmitting and / or receiving a first collision detection message; communicating with the second collision detection device by transmitting and / or receiving a second collision detection message; determining a first collision indicator based on the first collision detection message; determining a second collision indicator based on the second collision detection message; determining a priority order of the first collision detection device and the second collision detection device based on the first collision indicator and the second collision indicator; determining a first communication frequency for communicating with the first collision detection device and a second communication frequency for communicating with the second collision detection device based on the priority order; and communicating with the first collision detection device at the first communication frequency and communicating with the second collision detection device at the second communication frequency, the first communication frequency being different from the second communication frequency.

[0008] According to a fifth aspect, a non-volatile computer-readable medium is provided, comprising program instructions for causing a collision detection device to perform at least the following operations: detecting a first collision detection device and a second collision detection device near the collision detection device; communicating with the first collision detection device by transmitting and / or receiving a first collision detection message; communicating with the second collision detection device by transmitting and / or receiving a second collision detection message; determining a first collision indicator based on the first collision detection message; determining a second collision indicator based on the second collision detection message; determining a priority order of the first collision detection device and the second collision detection device based on the first collision indicator and the second collision indicator; determining a first communication frequency for communicating with the first collision detection device and a second communication frequency for communicating with the second collision detection device based on the priority order; and communicating with the first collision detection device at the first communication frequency and communicating with the second collision detection device at the second communication frequency, the first communication frequency being different from the second communication frequency.

[0009] According to a sixth aspect, a computer-readable medium is provided, the computer-readable medium comprising program instructions, the program instructions being used to cause a collision detection device to perform at least the following operations: detecting a first collision detection device and a second collision detection device near the collision detection device; communicating with the first collision detection device by transmitting and / or receiving a first collision detection message; communicating with the second collision detection device by transmitting and / or receiving a second collision detection message; determining a first collision indicator based on the first collision detection message; determining a second collision indicator based on the second collision detection message; determining a priority order of the first collision detection device and the second collision detection device based on the first collision indicator and the second collision indicator; determining a first communication frequency for communicating with the first collision detection device and a second communication frequency for communicating with the second collision detection device based on the priority order; and communicating with the first collision detection device at the first communication frequency and communicating with the second collision detection device at the second communication frequency, the first communication frequency being different from the second communication frequency.

[0010] The present invention content is not a comprehensive overview of all expected embodiments, nor is it intended to identify the key or important aspects or features of any embodiment or to describe any embodiment. After reading the description of the following specific embodiments in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, other aspects and features will become apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0011] Now, some example embodiments will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings:

[0012] Figure 1 A block diagram illustrating an example device in which examples of the disclosed embodiments may be applied;

[0013] Figure 2 A block diagram illustrating another example device in which examples of the disclosed embodiments may be applied;

[0014] Figure 3 An example mine is shown;

[0015] Figure 4 An example of priority information is shown;

[0016] Figure 5 An example method incorporating aspects of an example embodiment is shown; and

[0017] Figure 6 An example system architecture incorporating aspects of the example embodiments is shown. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0018] The following embodiments are exemplary. Although the specification may refer to "an", "one" or "some" embodiments in several places in the text, this does not necessarily mean that each reference refers to the same embodiment, or that a particular feature applies to only a single embodiment. Individual features of different embodiments may also be combined to provide other embodiments.

[0019] Example embodiments relate to providing proximity detection, such as collision detection. More specifically, example embodiments relate to determining a communication frequency for communicating with an object of interest.

[0020] An example embodiment relates to a collision detection device, which is configured to: detect a first collision detection device and a second collision detection device near the collision detection device; communicate with the first collision detection device by transmitting and / or receiving a first collision detection message; communicate with the second collision detection device by transmitting and / or receiving a second collision detection message; determine a first collision indicator based on the first collision detection message; determine a second collision indicator based on the second collision detection message; determine a priority order of the first collision detection device and the second collision detection device based on the first collision indicator and the second collision indicator; determine a first communication frequency for further communication with the first collision detection device and a second communication frequency for further communication with the second collision detection device based on the priority order; and communicate with the first collision detection device at the first communication frequency and communicate with the second collision detection device at the second communication frequency, the first communication frequency being different from the second communication frequency.

[0021] Figure 1 is a block diagram of an apparatus 100 that operates according to an example embodiment of the present invention. For example, the apparatus 100 may be an electronic device, such as a module formed by an automation or control system, a chip, or a chipset. The apparatus 100 includes one or more control circuits, such as at least one processor 110 and at least one memory 160, the at least one memory including one or more algorithms, such as computer program instructions 120, wherein the at least one memory 160 and the computer program instructions are configured to work with the at least one processor 110 to cause the collision detection apparatus to perform any of the example functions described below.

[0022] exist Figure 1In an example, the processor 110 is a control unit that is operatively connected to read from and write to the memory 160. The processor 110 may also be configured to receive control signals received via the input interface, and / or the processor 110 may be configured to output control signals via the output interface. In an example embodiment, the processor 110 may be configured to convert received control signals into appropriate commands for controlling the functionality of the device 100.

[0023] The at least one memory 160 stores computer program instructions 120 which, when loaded into the processor 110, control the operation of the device 100, as described below. In other examples, the device 100 may include more than one memory 160 or different kinds of storage.

[0024] The computer program instructions 120 or a portion of such computer program instructions for implementing the implementation of the example embodiments may be loaded onto the device 100 by the manufacturer of the device 100, by the user of the device 100, or by the device 100 itself based on a download procedure, or the instructions may be pushed by an external device to the device 100. The computer program instructions may arrive at the device 100 via an electromagnetic carrier signal, or may be copied from a physical entity, such as a computer program product, a storage device or a recording medium, such as a USB stick, a compact disk (CD), a compact disk read-only memory (CD-ROM), a digital versatile disk (DVD), or a Blu-ray disk.

[0025] Figure 2 is a block diagram of an apparatus 200 according to an example embodiment of the present invention. The apparatus 200 may be an electronic device, such as an approach or collision detection device, including a personal computer (PC), a laptop computer, a desktop computer, a wireless terminal, a communication terminal, a control device, a computing device, a portable computing device, a collision detection sensor, etc. In the following example, it is assumed that the apparatus 200 is a computing device such as a collision detection device.

[0026] exist Figure 2 In the exemplary embodiment of FIG. 1 , device 200 is shown to include device 100 , display 210 , user interface 220 for interacting with device 200 , and communication module 230 .

[0027] Display 210 can also be configured to serve as a user interface. For example, the display can be a touch screen display. In an example embodiment, display 210 and / or user interface 220 can be external to device 200, but communicate with device 200.

[0028] Additionally or alternatively, the user interface 220 may also include manually operable controls such as buttons, keys, touch pads, joysticks, styluses, pens, scroll wheels, rockers, keypads, keyboards, or any suitable input mechanism for entering and / or accessing information.

[0029] The communication module 230 may be configured to establish radio communication with another device using, for example, a cellular network connection, a Bluetooth connection, a Wi-Fi connection, an ultra-wideband (UWB) connection, a linear spread spectrum (CSS) connection, and / or the like.

[0030] The communication module 230 may be further configured to process the received information. For example, the communication module 230 may be configured to receive information from one or more collision detection sensors and / or determine the distance between the device 200 and the object of interest based on the information received from the one or more collision detection sensors.

[0031] According to an example embodiment, the device 200 includes a collision detection device. The device can be associated with an object of interest, such as a mobile mining vehicle, a miner's headlamp, a fixed location (such as a hole in the ground), or other location of interest. A mobile object is a subtype of an object of interest and can be used interchangeably herein.

[0032] According to an example embodiment, the mobile mining vehicle includes a rock drill, a loader, a dump truck, a load-haul-dump (LHD) vehicle, a ground support rig, an underground transport vehicle, a light cargo vehicle, or any other vehicle or machine capable and / or configured to operate underground.

[0033] According to an example embodiment, the device 200 is configured to communicate with one or more devices. For example, the device 200 can be configured to communicate with a cloud server, a local server, an edge computing server, a mobile computing device, and / or different types of machinery or mobile objects (e.g., a mobile mining vehicle or a miner carrying a collision detection device), etc.

[0034] Communicating with the device may include, for example, transmitting and / or receiving information using a wireless connection or a wired connection. According to an example embodiment, the device 200 is configured to receive information from a plurality of collision detection sensors. The device 200 may be configured to receive information, for example, via the communication module 230.

[0035] According to an example embodiment, the apparatus 200 is configured to receive a radio frequency (RF) broadcast message emitted by a collision detection device. The collision detection device may include, for example, a collision detection device included in a mobile mining vehicle in an underground mine, or a collision detection device included in a miner's headlamp.

[0036] According to an example embodiment, the device 200 is configured to receive radio frequency messages from a plurality of sources. The plurality of sources may include sources of the same type or sources of different types. For example, the plurality of sources may include collision detection devices included in, for example, different types of mobile mining vehicles and / or headlights.

[0037] According to an example embodiment, the apparatus 200 is configured to receive a radio frequency broadcast message from a first collision detection device and from a second collision detection device.

[0038] Without limiting the scope of the claims, an advantage of receiving a radio frequency message from a collision detection device is that the apparatus 200 is aware of the presence of the collision detection device.

[0039] The device 200 may be configured to detect whether the collision detection device is within the detection range of the device 200 based on the received radio frequency message. The device 200 may be configured to determine that the collision detection device is located near the device 200 when the collision detection device is within the detection range of the device 200.

[0040] According to an example embodiment, the device 200 is configured to detect a first collision detection device and a second collision detection device in the vicinity of the device 200 .

[0041] The device 200 may be configured to, upon detecting a collision detection device, initiate communication with the detected collision detection device. For example, the device 200 may be configured to initiate communication with a first collision detection device upon detecting a first collision detection device, and initiate communication with a second collision detection device after detecting a second collision detection device. Initiating communication with a collision detection device may include, for example, sending a message to the collision detection device to initiate ranging.

[0042] Ranging includes a process for measuring the distance between two nodes, such as the distance between the device 200 and the collision detection device. The device 200 may be configured to determine the distance between the device 200 and the collision detection device, for example, by performing ranging, such as two-way ranging (TWR), based on RF time of flight (ToF).

[0043] Ranging includes exchanging messages between nodes, such as the device 200 and a collision detection apparatus, and measuring parameters to estimate a range.

[0044] Ranging may include different types of messages, such as ranging request, ranging response, and ranging result.

[0045] The ranging request includes at least identification (ID) information about the initiating device and a series of requested device IDs. The series of requested device IDs may include, for example, the device ID of a collision detection device detected by the apparatus 200. The series of requested device IDs may be limited to, for example, eight device IDs.

[0046] The ranging response includes information about the responding device ID and the initiating device ID. For example, the ranging response may include the device ID of the first collision detection device and the device ID of the apparatus 200.

[0047] The ranging result includes information about the initiating device ID and a series of responding device IDs and the calculated distance to the initiating device. For example, the ranging result may include the device ID of the device 200 and the device IDs of the first and second collision detection devices, and the calculated distance to the device 200.

[0048] According to an example embodiment, the apparatus 200 is configured to communicate with the first collision detection device by transmitting and / or receiving a first collision detection message.

[0049] The first collision detection message may include, for example, a ranging request transmitted by the collision detection device 200 to the first collision detection device and / or a ranging response received by the device 200 from the first collision detection device.

[0050] According to an example embodiment, the apparatus 200 is configured to communicate with the second collision detection device by transmitting and / or receiving a second collision detection message.

[0051] The second collision detection message may include, for example, a ranging request transmitted by the collision detection device 200 to the second collision detection device and / or a ranging response received by the device 200 from the second collision detection device.

[0052] The device 200 may be configured to transmit collision detection messages at a predetermined rate. The predetermined rate may be fixed or dynamic. The dynamic rate may depend, for example, on the distance between the device 200 and a collision detection device (e.g., a first collision detection device or a second collision detection device). For example, when the distance between the device 200 and the collision detection device is longer, the predetermined rate may be lower, and when the distance between the device 200 and the collision detection device is shorter, the predetermined rate may be higher.

[0053] A low ranging rate may include a minimum rate to detect approaching objects in a particular environment, while a high ranging rate may include a rate that enables a quick reaction to a collision threat in a particular environment.

[0054] The low rate may include, for example, a rate of 1 Hz, while the high rate may include, for example, a rate of 4 Hz.

[0055] The device 200 may be configured to determine when the distance between the device 200 and the collision detection arrangement is longer or shorter, for example based on a predefined safety zone around a vehicle including the device 200 .

[0056] As described above, ranging includes exchanging messages between nodes (such as device 200 and the collision detection device), and based on these messages, device 200 may be configured to determine the distance between device 200 and the collision detection device.

[0057] According to an example embodiment, the device 200 is configured to determine a collision indicator based on one or more collision detection messages. The collision indicator may include an indication of the likelihood or threat level of a collision between a vehicle including the device 200 and a moving object including a collision detection device.

[0058] The device 200 may be configured to determine collision indicators for a plurality of detected collision detection devices, such as a first collision detection device and a second collision detection device.

[0059] According to an example embodiment, the device 200 is configured to determine a first collision indicator based on the first collision detection message.

[0060] According to an example embodiment, the first collision indicator indicates the possibility of a collision between a vehicle including the collision detection apparatus 200 and a moving object including the first collision detection device.

[0061] According to an example embodiment, the device 200 is configured to determine a second collision indicator based on the second collision detection message.

[0062] According to an example embodiment, the second collision indicator indicates the possibility of a collision between a vehicle including the collision detection apparatus 200 and a moving object including the second collision detection device.

[0063] According to an example embodiment, determining the collision indicator includes determining a speed of a collision detection device approaching the device 200. The device 200 may be configured to determine the speed of the approaching collision detection device based on a plurality of collision detection messages. For example, the device 200 may be configured to determine the speed of the approaching collision detection device based on a rate at which the distance between the device 200 and the collision detection device decreases.

[0064] According to another example embodiment, determining the collision indicator comprises determining a distance between the collision detection device and the apparatus 200. The apparatus 200 may be configured to determine the distance of the approaching collision detection device based on one or more collision detection messages.

[0065] According to another example embodiment, determining the collision indicator comprises determining the type of the moving object comprising the collision detection means.For example, the apparatus 200 may be configured to determine the type of the moving object based on an ID included in the collision detection message.

[0066] According to yet another example embodiment, determining the collision indicator includes a combination of determining a speed at which the collision detection device approaches the apparatus 200, determining a distance between the collision detection device and the apparatus 200, and / or determining a type of moving object including the collision detection device.

[0067] According to an example embodiment, determining the first collision indicator comprises at least one of: determining a speed at which the first collision detection device approaches the device 200, determining a distance between the first collision detection device and the device 200, or determining a type of moving object comprising the first collision detection device.

[0068] According to an example embodiment, determining the second collision indicator comprises at least one of: determining a speed at which the second collision detection device approaches the device 200, determining a distance between the second collision detection device and the device 200, or determining a type of moving object comprising the second collision detection device.

[0069] The device 200 may be configured to use the collision indicator to prioritize moving objects including collision detection means.

[0070] According to an example embodiment, the apparatus 200 is configured to determine a priority order of the first collision detection device and the second collision detection device based on the first collision indicator and the second collision indicator.

[0071] The priority order of the collision detection device indicates the risk level of collision. For example, when the collision detection device has a high priority, there is a greater risk of collision between the device 200 and the mobile object including the collision detection device, and when the collision detection device has a low priority, there is a lower risk of collision between the device 200 and the mobile object.

[0072] According to an example embodiment, the device 200 is configured to store information about the priority order.The device 200 may be configured to store, for example, a table of collision devices associated with priority numbers or an ordered list of collision detection devices.

[0073] According to an example embodiment, the device 200 is configured to update the priority order in response to detecting that a collision indicator or collision detection device has changed, or that a new collision detection device that meets a predefined criterion has been detected by the device 200. The criterion may be, for example, a risk indicator having a value higher than a predetermined threshold value, a risk indicator having a higher value than the lowest risk indicator among the detected collision detection devices, or a risk indicator value that increases rapidly.

[0074] The device 200 may be configured to communicate with the collision detection devices based on a priority order. For example, the device 200 may be configured to determine that the communication frequency for communicating with a collision detection device with a high priority should be higher, while the communication frequency for communicating with a collision detection device with a low priority should be lower.

[0075] According to an example embodiment, the apparatus 200 is configured to determine a first communication frequency for communicating with a first collision detection device, and a second communication frequency for communicating with a second collision detection device based on a priority order.

[0076] Determining the communication frequency may include selecting a communication frequency, adjusting the communication frequency, changing the communication frequency, maintaining the communication frequency, and the like.

[0077] According to an example embodiment, the device 200 is configured to change a previous communication frequency of the device 200 to communicate with the first collision detection device.

[0078] According to an example embodiment, the device 200 is configured to change a previous communication frequency of the device 200 to communicate with the second collision detection apparatus.

[0079] According to an example embodiment, changing the previous communication frequency comprises increasing or decreasing the communication frequency.

[0080] The device 200 may be configured to group collision detection sensors associated with the same moving object.

[0081] According to an example embodiment, the apparatus 200 is configured to group the collision detection sensor parts of the collision detection device associated with the moving object that should be simultaneously ranged.

[0082] Without limiting the scope of the claims, an advantage of grouping collision detection sensor portions of a collision detection device associated with a moving object is that they can be ranged simultaneously to optimize the communication channel and to perform time-aligned measurements of the proximity of the sensor portions of the collision detection device.

[0083] According to an example embodiment, the device 200 is configured to transmit information to the collision detection device at the determined communication frequency to prompt the collision detection device to communicate with the device 200 at the determined communication frequency. The information may include, for example, a ranging rate command.

[0084] The device 200 may be configured to embed information about the determined communication frequency into one or more collision detection messages. For example, the device 200 may be configured to include the information as an additional byte in the user data. Thus, the one or more collision detection messages may include the device ID of the device 200, the device ID of the collision detection device, and the rate at which the device 200 expects to be ranged by the collision detection device.

[0085] According to an example embodiment, the apparatus 200 is configured to communicate with the collision detection device at the determined communication frequency.

[0086] According to an example embodiment, the apparatus 200 is configured to communicate with the first collision detection device at a first communication frequency and to communicate with the second collision detection device at a second communication frequency, the first communication frequency being different from the second communication frequency.

[0087] The apparatus 200 may be configured to monitor communications with the first and second collision detection devices.

[0088] According to an example embodiment, the apparatus 200 is configured to monitor an error rate of communications with the first and second collision detection devices.

[0089] According to an example embodiment, the device 200 is further configured to autonomously reduce or reestablish the communication frequency. Reestablishing the communication frequency may include, for example, increasing the communication frequency back to the determined value.

[0090] Without limiting the scope of the claims, an advantage of monitoring the communication with the first and second collision detection devices and autonomously reducing or re-establishing the communication frequency is that error rates can be minimized or at least reduced and saturation of the communication channel can be avoided.

[0091] Figure 3 An example use case is illustrated in Figure 3 In the example of FIG. 3 , the mobile mining vehicle 350 includes a collision detection device 395. The collision detection device 395 may include the device 200. The mobile mining vehicle 350 may include a rock drill, a loader, a dump truck, a load-haul-dump (LHD) vehicle, a ground support drill, or an underground transport vehicle.

[0092] The mining vehicle 350 is traveling in the mine 380 in the direction indicated by the arrow 390. In addition to the mining vehicle 350, there are a number of other objects of interest in the mine 380. Figure 3In the example of , the related objects include miners 310, 320 and 330 and a mining vehicle 340. Each miner 310, 320 and 330 carries a collision detection device 311, 321 and 331 integrated into a headlight. Similar to the mining vehicle 350, the mining vehicle 340 includes a collision detection device 360.

[0093] Device 395 is configured to detect moving objects 310, 320, 330 and 340, and perform ranging to determine a distance 351 between device 395 and collision detection device 331, a distance 352 between device 395 and collision detection device 321, a distance 353 between device 395 and collision detection device 311, and a distance 354 between device 395 and collision detection device 360.

[0094] The device 395 is further configured to determine collision indicators for the collision detection devices 311 , 321 , 331 , and 360 , and determine a priority order of the collision detection devices 311 , 321 , 331 , and 360 based on the collision indicators.

[0095] The device 395 is also configured to determine a communication frequency for communicating with the collision detection devices 311 , 321 , 331 , and 360 .

[0096] Figure 4 An example of priority information stored by the device 200 is illustrated. The priority information includes identification information of the mobile object, and the priority of the mobile object. The priority of the mobile object is represented by a scale of P1 to P4, where P1 corresponds to the highest priority and P4 corresponds to the lowest priority. Figure 4 In the example of , the priority information also includes information about the communication frequency with the collision detection sensor associated with the vehicle itself.

[0097] Figure 5 An example method 500 is shown incorporating aspects of previously disclosed embodiments. More specifically, the example method 500 illustrates determining at least one communication frequency for communicating with at least one mobile object. The method may include a computer-implemented method performed by the device 200.

[0098] The method first detects 505 a first collision detection device and a second collision detection device in the vicinity of the collision detection apparatus.

[0099] The device 200 may be configured to detect whether the collision detection device is within the detection range of the device 200 based on the received radio frequency message. The device 200 may be configured to determine that the collision detection device is located near the device 200 when the collision detection device is within the detection range of the device 200.

[0100] The method continues by communicating 510 with a first collision detection device by transmitting and / or receiving a first collision detection message and communicating 515 with a second collision detection device by transmitting and / or receiving a second collision detection message.

[0101] As described above, the first collision detection message and the second collision detection message may include, for example, a ranging request, a ranging response, or a ranging result.

[0102] The method further continues by determining 520 a first collision indicator based on the first collision detection message and determining 525 a second collision indicator based on the second collision detection message.

[0103] The first collision indicator indicates the possibility of a collision between the vehicle including the collision detection device and the moving object including the first collision detection device. The second collision indicator indicates the possibility of a collision between the vehicle including the collision detection device and the moving object including the second collision detection device.

[0104] The method further continues by determining 530 a priority order of the first collision detection device and the second collision detection device based on the first collision indicator and the second collision indicator.

[0105] The priority order of the collision detection device indicates the risk level of collision. For example, when the collision detection device has a high priority, there is a greater risk of collision between the device 200 and the mobile object including the collision detection device, and when the collision detection device has a low priority, there is a lower risk of collision between the device 200 and the mobile object.

[0106] The method further continues by determining, based on the priority order, a first communication frequency for further communication with the first collision detection device and a second communication frequency for further communication with the second collision detection device.

[0107] Determining the communication frequency may include selecting a communication frequency, adjusting the communication frequency, changing the communication frequency, maintaining the communication frequency, and the like.

[0108] The method further continues by communicating 540 with a first collision detection device at a first communication frequency and communicating 540 with a second collision detection device at a second communication frequency, the first communication frequency being different from the second communication frequency.

[0109] The method may further include monitoring the communication with the first and second collision detection devices. For example, the device 200 may monitor the error rate of the communication with the first and second collision detection devices and autonomously reduce or re-establish the communication frequency to minimize or at least reduce the error rate and avoid saturation of the communication channel.

[0110] Figure 6 An example system architecture is illustrated. Figure 6 In the example of FIG. 2 , a vehicle such as a mobile mining vehicle includes the device 200 and a communication module 650 for exchanging information with at least one mobile object, such as a communication module 660 of a miner.

[0111] The device 200 includes a remote object table 610, a location engine 620, a priority engine 630, and a prioritized remote object table 640. The remote object table 610 may include information about detected mobile objects near the device 200. The location engine 620 may be configured to perform ranging and store information about the distance between the device 200 and the remote object. The priority engine 630 may be configured to determine collision indicators for the mobile objects, prioritize the mobile objects based on the collision indicators, and sort the remote object table based on the priorities of the mobile objects.

[0112] Without limiting the scope of the claims, an advantage of determining priority information and determining the communication frequency based on the priority order is that the device can detect critical situations and react to the critical situations more quickly.

[0113] Without in any way limiting the scope, interpretation, or application of the appended claims, a technical effect of one or more of the example embodiments disclosed herein is that wireless channels may be optimized.

[0114] As used in this application, the term "circuitry" may refer to one or more or all of the following: (a) a pure hardware circuit implementation (e.g., an implementation in pure analog and / or digital circuitry) and (b) a combination of hardware circuitry and software, such as (as applicable): (i) a combination of analog and / or digital hardware circuitry and software / firmware, and (ii) a hardware processor and software (including a digital signal processor), any portion of software and memory that work together to enable a device (e.g., a mobile phone or server) to perform various functions), and (c) a hardware circuit or processor, such as a microprocessor or a portion of a microprocessor, which requires software (e.g., firmware) to operate, but the software may not be present when the software is not required for operation.

[0115] This definition of circuitry applies to all uses of this term in this application, including in any claims. As a further example, as used in this application, the term "circuitry" also covers implementations of merely a hardware circuit or processor (or multiple processors) or a portion of a hardware circuit or processor and its (or their) accompanying software and / or firmware. The term "circuitry" also covers, for example and if applicable to a particular claim element, a baseband integrated circuit or processor integrated circuit for a mobile device, or a similar integrated circuit in a server, cellular network device, or other computing or network device.

[0116] The embodiments according to this specification may be implemented in software, hardware, application logic, or a combination of software, hardware, and application logic. The software, application logic, and / or hardware may reside on a device, a separate device, or multiple devices. If desired, a portion of the software, application logic, and / or hardware may reside on a device, a portion of the software, application logic, and / or hardware may reside on a separate device, and a portion of the software, application logic, and / or hardware may reside on multiple devices. In an example embodiment, the application logic, software, or instruction set is maintained on any of a variety of conventional computer-readable media. In the context of this document, "computer-readable media" may be any medium or device capable of containing, storing, communicating, propagating, or transmitting the instructions for use by or in conjunction with an instruction execution system, device, or device (such as a computer), Figure 2 An example of a computer is described and depicted in . Computer-readable media may include computer-readable storage media, which may be any medium or device that can contain or store the instructions for use by or in connection with an instruction execution system, apparatus, or device (eg, a computer).

[0117] If desired, the different functions discussed herein may be performed in different orders and / or simultaneously with each other. In addition, if desired, one or more of the above-mentioned functions may be optional or may be combined.

[0118] The above embodiments are merely examples, and those skilled in the art may make changes, modifications and / or variations to the specific embodiments without departing from the scope of the description.

Claims

1. A collision detection device, comprising at least one processor and at least one memory including computer program instructions, wherein the at least one memory and the computer program instructions are configured to, together with the at least one processor, cause the device to at least: detecting a first collision detection device and a second collision detection device in the vicinity of the collision detection device; communicating with the first collision detection device by transmitting and / or receiving a first collision detection message; communicating with the second collision detection device by transmitting and / or receiving a second collision detection message; determining a first collision indicator based on the first collision detection message; determining a second collision indicator based on the second collision detection message; determining a priority order of the first collision detection device and the second collision detection device based on the first collision indicator and the second collision indicator; determining, based on the priority order, a first communication frequency for communicating with the first collision detection device and a second communication frequency for communicating with the second collision detection device; and The first communication frequency is used to communicate with the first collision detection device, and the second communication frequency is used to communicate with the second collision detection device, wherein the first communication frequency is different from the second communication frequency.

2. The device according to claim 1, wherein: The first collision indicator indicates a possibility of a collision between a vehicle including the collision detection device and a moving object including the first collision detection device.

3. The device according to claim 1, wherein: The second collision indicator indicates the possibility of a collision between a vehicle including the collision detection device and a moving object including the second collision detection device.

4. The device according to claim 1, wherein: Determining the first collision indicator includes at least one of determining a speed at which the first collision detection device approaches the collision detection device, determining a distance between the first collision detection device and the collision detection device, or determining a type of moving object including the first collision detection device.

5. The device according to claim 1, wherein: Determining the second collision indicator includes at least one of: determining a speed at which the second collision detection device approaches the collision detection device, determining a distance between the second collision detection device and the collision detection device, or determining a type of moving object including the second collision detection device.

6. The device according to claim 1, wherein: The at least one memory and the computer program instructions are configured to, together with the at least one processor, cause the device to change at least one of: a previous communication frequency of the collision detection device for communicating with the first collision detection device, or a previous communication frequency of the collision detection device for communicating with the second collision detection device.

7. The device according to claim 6, wherein: Changing the previous communication frequency includes increasing or decreasing the communication frequency.

8. The device according to claim 1, wherein: The at least one memory and the computer program instructions are configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to store information regarding the priority order.

9. The device according to claim 1, wherein: The at least one memory and the computer program instructions are configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the device to receive information from a plurality of collision detection sensors.

10. The device according to claim 1, wherein: The at least one memory and the computer program instructions are configured to group collision detection sensor portions of a collision detection device associated with a moving object that should be ranged simultaneously.

11. The device according to claim 1, wherein: The at least one memory and the computer program instructions are configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to monitor an error rate in communications with the first collision detection device and the second collision detection device, and autonomously reduce or reestablish the communication frequency.

12. The device according to claim 1, wherein: The apparatus is comprised in a mobile mining vehicle.

13. The device according to claim 12, wherein: The mobile mining vehicle includes a rock drill, a loader, a dump truck, a load-haul-dump (LHD) vehicle, a ground support drill, an underground transport vehicle or a light truck.

14. A method in a collision detection device, the method comprising: detecting a first collision detection device and a second collision detection device in the vicinity of the collision detection device; communicating with the first collision detection device by transmitting and / or receiving a first collision detection message; communicating with the second collision detection device by transmitting and / or receiving a second collision detection message; determining a first collision indicator based on the first collision detection message; determining a second collision indicator based on the second collision detection message; determining a priority order of the first collision detection device and the second collision detection device based on the first collision indicator and the second collision indicator; determining, based on the priority order, a first communication frequency for communicating with the first collision detection device and a second communication frequency for communicating with the second collision detection device; and The first communication frequency is used to communicate with the first collision detection device, and the second communication frequency is used to communicate with the second collision detection device, wherein the first communication frequency is different from the second communication frequency.

15. A computer program comprising instructions for causing a collision detection device to perform at least the following: detecting a first collision detection device and a second collision detection device in the vicinity of the collision detection device; communicating with the first collision detection device by transmitting and / or receiving a first collision detection message; communicating with the second collision detection device by transmitting and / or receiving a second collision detection message; determining a first collision indicator based on the first collision detection message; determining a second collision indicator based on the second collision detection message; determining a priority order of the first collision detection device and the second collision detection device based on the first collision indicator and the second collision indicator; determining, based on the priority order, a first communication frequency for communicating with the first collision detection device and a second communication frequency for communicating with the second collision detection device; and The first communication frequency is used to communicate with the first collision detection device, and the second communication frequency is used to communicate with the second collision detection device, wherein the first communication frequency is different from the second communication frequency.

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