Collision avoidance system

Abstract

A system for collision avoidance of vehicles, including a first vehicle and one or more other vehicles, wherein the first vehicle has a receiver for receiving vehicle information of the one or more other vehicles, a controller and a brake actuator, wherein the brake controller operates the brake actuator to apply a brake of the first vehicle automatically in response to detection of an unsafe condition determined from said vehicle information.

Description

[0001] COLLISION AVOIDANCE SYSTEM

[0002] Field of the Invention

[0003] The present invention relates generally to a collision avoidance system and, more particularly, but not exclusively, to a method of increasing safety in manned vehicles.

[0004] Background to the Invention

[0005] It is known to provide a collision avoidance system (CAS) for preventing or reducing the severity of a collision. However, the applicant has identified shortcomings of existing collision avoidance systems, including that they are typically reliant on radar, laser (LIDAR) and / or cameras or other vision systems.

[0006] Moreover, the applicant has identified that existing systems rely on V2X message format which was designed specifically for urban roads and intelligent city infrastructure. The V2X format includes messages for traffic signals, parking structures, multi-lane junctions, toll stations and other urban message formats that have little or no relevance to a mine site. The applicant has also identified that staying within the V2X messaging standard increases complexity and reduces performance by sending additional unnecessary data, limiting usage of the technology in an industrial setting.

[0007] Moreover, manned vehicles are generally more prone to erratic or unpredictable behaviour than unmanned (i.e. autonomous) vehicles which typically follow a predetermined or otherwise known path. Because of this, centralised route planning and / or collision avoidance systems that require knowledge of planned vehicle course are generally less suited for manned vehicles.

[0008] The present invention seeks to provide an improved collision avoidance system which obviates or at least alleviates one or more disadvantages of existing collision avoidance systems, or which at least provides a useful alternative. Examples of the present invention may provide control logic to interface with other componentry such as an automatic braking (or "auto-brake") mechanism. Summary of the Invention

[0009] In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a system for collision avoidance of vehicles, including a first vehicle and one or more other vehicles, wherein the first vehicle has a receiver for receiving vehicle information of the one or more other vehicles, a controller and a brake actuator, wherein the controller operates the brake actuator to apply a brake of the first vehicle automatically in response to detection of an unsafe condition determined from said vehicle information. Preferably, the first vehicle is manned, and the one or more other vehicles are either manned or autonomous.

[0010] Preferably, the other vehicle has a transmitter for transmitting said vehicle information of the other vehicle to the first vehicle. The system may be bi-directional, for example in that both the first vehicle and the other vehicle are each able to transmit and receive to / from each other. This may be achieved by dual antennas. Also, the system may include a mesh network such that a vehicle N is able to talk to vehicles N+l, N+2, N+X and so on.

[0011] In a preferred form, the first vehicle has a transmitter for transmitting vehicle information of the first vehicle to the other vehicle.

[0012] Preferably, the receiver of the first vehicle receives said vehicle information of the other vehicle transmitted from the other vehicle to the first vehicle. More preferably, the receiver of the first vehicle receives said vehicle information of the other vehicle transmitted directly from the other vehicle to the first vehicle.

[0013] Preferably, the other vehicle has a receiver for receiving vehicle information of the first vehicle.

[0014] In a preferred form, said vehicle information includes information on one or more of: position, heading and speed of the respective vehicle.

[0015] Preferably, said unsafe condition is determined from a set of defined unsafe conditions referenced by the controller. More preferably, the set of defined unsafe conditions includes one or more of the following conditions: tailgating, potential head-on collision, potential side impact collision, and potential collision at any angle between the vehicles that could collide.

[0016] In a preferred form, the brake actuator is operated to slow the first vehicle. In one example, the brake actuator is operated to slow the first vehicle to a stop.

[0017] Preferably, the first vehicle is alerted of the unsafe condition. More preferably, the first vehicle is alerted of the unsafe condition by an audio and / or visual warning.

[0018] Preferably, the system includes an inner boundary defining an inner working area of the first vehicle and an outer boundary defining an outer working area of the first vehicle. More preferably, the system includes a first trigger which is triggered by the other vehicle entering the outer working area. Even more preferably, the first trigger activates an audio and / or visual warning of the first vehicle.

[0019] In a preferred form, the system includes a second trigger which is triggered by the other vehicle entering the inner working area. More preferably, the second trigger activates operation of the brake actuator of the first vehicle. Even more preferably, the controller automatically releases the brake of the first vehicle when the other vehicle exits the inner working area.

[0020] Preferably, the first vehicle is operating in a mining environment.

[0021] In one form, the system is adapted to operate without a map.

[0022] Preferably, each of the vehicles transmits its position at regular intervals. More preferably, each of the vehicles transmits its position multiple times per second.

[0023] In a preferred form, each of the first vehicle and the other vehicle is fitted with a global positioning system (GPS). For example, the system may include use of a vehicle to everything V2X module which has an inbuilt global positioning system (GPS). Any short- range digital radio communication system using a connectionless protocol can be used for V2X. Preferably, the communication system can send ad hoc, isolated, message packets that do not require the overhead of the previous formation of a communications channel. Examples of a suitable communication system can be V2X-DSRC or Ultra-Wide Band. Protocols that are not suitable include Wi-Fi, Bluetooth or cellular networks - all of which require the time to form and maintain a specific communications channel before sending data.

[0024] The system can include a third trigger which is triggered by any vehicles entering a geographic polygon that defines an area and can be identified by GPS coordinates. Within the geographic polygon, both the inner and outer working boundaries are located. One or more geographic polygons can be used to activate the collision avoidance system on all vehicles located within these geographic polygons. Multiple geographic polygons can be defined where the collision avoidance system can be active. The collision avoidance system can also be made inactive in areas where movement of a vehicle is more controlled such as in a workshop or a maintenance area.

[0025] In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a system for collision avoidance of vehicles, wherein the system is in the form of a self-determining stand-alone collision avoidance system using V2X and its deployment on manned vehicles.

[0026] In accordance with yet another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for collision avoidance of vehicles, including the steps of providing a first vehicle and one or more other vehicles; and providing the first vehicle with a first receiver for receiving vehicle information of the one or more other vehicles, a controller and a brake actuator, wherein the method further includes the steps of determining from said vehicle information an unsafe situation and, in response to detecting said unsafe situation, operating the brake actuator automatically by the controller to apply a brake of the first vehicle.

[0027] In a preferred form, the first vehicle is provided with a transmitter for transmitting vehicle information of the first vehicle to the one or more other vehicles.

[0028] In a preferred form, the step of determining an unsafe situation comprises detecting the first vehicle and the other vehicle are located within the same or different active geographic polygons and that the other vehicle has passed within a prescribed inner working zone of the first vehicle. Preferably, the step of determining an unsafe situation comprises calculating a size of the inner working zone of the first vehicle. Brief Description of the Drawings

[0029] The invention is described, by way of non-limiting example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

[0030] Figure 1 shows an V2X product adapted to be used as a component in an example of the present invention, using a peer-to-peer communication protocol;

[0031] Figure 2 shows diagrammatically a collision avoidance system in accordance with an example of the present invention, depicting an inner working area and an outer working area; and

[0032] Figure 3 shows examples of product extensions including boom gate activation, standpipe automation and asset protection.

[0033] Figure 4 shows diagrammatically four geographic polygons where the collision avoidance system (CAS) is active and outside of these geographic polygons the CAS is not active.

[0034] Figure 5 shows diagrammatically a geographic polygon in which the CAS is active for the vehicles located within the geographic polygon, but the CAS is not active for the vehicles outside of the geographic polygon.

[0035] Detailed Description

[0036] With reference to Figures 1 to 5, there is shown an improved collision avoidance system which assists in the prevention of collisions between vehicles, such as in a mining environment. As shown in Figure 2, there is provided a system 10 for collision avoidance of vehicles, including a first vehicle 12 and a second vehicle 14, wherein the first vehicle 12 has a receiver 16 for receiving vehicle information of the second vehicle 14. The first vehicle 12 also has a controller 18 and a brake actuator 20, wherein the controller 18 operates the brake actuator 20 to apply a brake of the first vehicle 12 automatically in response to detection of an unsafe condition determined from said vehicle information. In one example, the receiver 16 and the controller 18 may be incorporated into an V2X module 22, as shown in Figure 1. Advantageously, the example of the present invention shown in Figures 1 to 3 is relatively cost-effective when compared with more expensive existing collision avoidance systems. It is also beneficial that this example of the present invention provides great flexibility, with the system being applicable to both unmanned (i.e. autonomous) vehicles and more suitably, manned vehicles.

[0037] In the example shown, the second vehicle 14 has a transmitter 24 for transmitting said vehicle information of the second vehicle 14 to the first vehicle 12.

[0038] The first vehicle 12 may also have a transmitter 26 for transmitting vehicle information of the first vehicle 12 to the second vehicle 14. The transmitter 26 may be incorporated into the V2X module 22, and each of the vehicles 12, 14 of the system 10 may be provided with its own V2X module 22.

[0039] The receiver 16 of the first vehicle 12 receives said vehicle information of the second vehicle 14 transmitted from the second vehicle 14 to the first vehicle 12. In the preferred example depicted in Figure 2, the receiver 16 of the first vehicle 12 receives the vehicle information of the second vehicle 14 transmitted directly from the second vehicle 14 to the first vehicle 12. In this way, it is understood that communication between the vehicles 12, 14 may be considered as "direct" or "vehicle to vehicle" communication and is not reliant on the use of an external networks and / or generally centralised systems.

[0040] As described above, each vehicle 12, 14 of the system 10 may be provided with its own V2X module 22, and therefore the second vehicle 14 may have its own receiver for receiving vehicle information of the first vehicle 12. Although the example system shown diagrammatically in Figure 2 has two vehicles, it will be appreciated that other examples of the present invention may have any number of vehicles communicating in a similar manner to that described here, providing collision avoidance, autonomous braking and peer-to-peer vehicle safety.

[0041] The vehicle information may include information on one or more of: position, heading and speed of the respective vehicle. Other information may also be available and may be configured as part of the V2X system detailed here. For example, machine health, fuel levels and / or other information may be available to the V2X module. In the example shown, the unsafe condition is determined from a set of defined unsafe conditions referenced by the controller 18. The set of defined unsafe conditions may include one or more of the following conditions: tailgating, potential head-on collision, potential side impact collision, and potential collision at any angle between the vehicles that could collide. More specifically, the set of defined unsafe conditions may include tailgating (driving too close to the vehicle in front), head on collisions (wandering into an oncoming vehicle's path), and side impact collisions (such as approaching a T-junction too fast that the vehicle could enter the junction into oncoming traffic). The set of defined unsafe conditions may be stored in the V2X module 22 to ensure the system 10 is self-determining and standalone in its design.

[0042] The brake actuator 20 may be operated to slow the first vehicle 12. In one example, the brake actuator 20 is operated to slow the first vehicle 12 to a stop so that it is completely stationary.

[0043] In one form, the first vehicle 12 is alerted of the unsafe condition by an audio and / or visual warning. This audio and / or visual warning may be adapted to draw the attention of the driver of the first vehicle 12.

[0044] As depicted in broken lines in Figure 2, in the example shown, the system 10 includes an inner boundary 28 defining an inner working area 30 of the first vehicle 12 and an outer boundary 32 defining an outer working area 34 of the first vehicle 12. The system 10 may include a first trigger which is triggered by the second vehicle 14 entering the outer working area 34. In one embodiment, the first trigger activates an audio and / or visual warning of the first vehicle 12. The audio and / or visual warning of the first vehicle 12 may be in the form of a horn and in-cab beeper. In this manner, the outer working area 34 defines a "warning vicinity" of the vehicle 12, with the audio and / or visual warning being triggered by the second vehicle 14 crossing the radius thereof define by outer boundary 32.

[0045] The system 10 may also include a second trigger which is triggered by the second vehicle 14 entering the inner working area 30. In this case, the second trigger activates operation of the brake actuator 20 of the first vehicle 12. In this manner, the inner working area 30 defines a "stop vicinity" of the vehicle 12, with the brake actuator 20 of the vehicle 12 being triggered by the second vehicle 14 crossing the radius thereof defined by inner boundary 32. It is also contemplated that the controller 18 may automatically release the brake of the first vehicle 12 when the second vehicle 14 exits the inner working area 30.

[0046] The first vehicle 12 may be operating in a mining environment. More specifically, the first vehicle 12 may be in the form of a manned heavy mobile equipment (HME) vehicle such as a mining bulldozer. The second vehicle 14 may be in the form of a manned light vehicle (LV) which is at danger of being crushed by the much larger first vehicle 12 in this case. Example systems may be HME v HME (configurable), wherein one is manned and the other is manned or autonomous.

[0047] The system 10 may be adapted to operate without a map. In particular, the system 10 increases safety in manned vehicles by transmission of peer-to-peer situational awareness information between vehicles, without requiring the preloading of maps or road layout information and / or the use of associated perception systems to infer vehicle position on said map or road layout. In this way, the system 10 can be deployed quickly and efficiently in otherwise unmapped environments.

[0048] In one form, each of the vehicles 12, 14 transmits its position at regular intervals. More specifically, each of the vehicles 12, 14 may transmit its position to each other vehicle multiple times per second. For example, the transmission may be conducted at a rate of 10 times per second.

[0049] Each of the first vehicle 12 and the second vehicle 14 is fitted with a global positioning system (GPS). The GPS need not be a high precision GPS unit - rather, the system 10 accommodates use of a standard GPS in each vehicle, also having one or more antennas for communication.

[0050] As will be understood by persons skilled in the art from the above, examples of the present invention may provide a system 10 for collision avoidance of vehicles 12, 14, wherein the system and is in the form of a self-determining stand-alone collision avoidance system using V2X and its deployment is on manned vehicles 12, 14.

[0051] Those persons skilled in the art will also appreciate from the above that examples of the present invention provide a method for collision avoidance of vehicles, the method including the steps of: - providing a first vehicle 12 and a second vehicle 14; and

[0052] - providing the first vehicle 12 with a first receiver 16 for receiving vehicle information of the second vehicle 14, a controller 18 and a brake actuator 20, wherein the method further includes the steps of

[0053] - determining from said vehicle information an unsafe situation; and

[0054] - in response to detecting said unsafe situation, operating the brake actuator 20 automatically by the controller 18 to apply a brake of the first vehicle 12.

[0055] Accordingly, examples of the present invention provide a system 10 which is able to detect potentially unsafe situations without requiring lidar, radar, cameras, or other visionbased perception systems.

[0056] Unsafe situations detected may include one or more of the following:

[0057] Insufficient safe braking distance due to approaching another vehicle too fast.

[0058] Potential of collision by crossing the path of another vehicle.

[0059] Potential of head-on collision due to entering the path of an oncoming vehicle.

[0060] An LV is within a defined warning vicinity of an operational HME.

[0061] An LV is within a defined hard stop vicinity of an operational HME.

[0062] Drivers may be warned via an in-cab sounder and light if these situations occur. If an LV is within a defined hard stop vicinity of an HME, the HME brakes are also automatically applied by the system 10 to avoid collision / crushing.

[0063] As will be appreciated from the above, the applicant has identified that it would be beneficial for there to be provided a method of increasing safety by transmission of peer-to- peer situational awareness information between vehicles. Advantageously, examples of the present invention are able to reduce collisions of manned vehicles with a focus on stopping heavy mobile equipment (HME) vehicles colliding with / crushing light vehicles (LVs). With reference to Figure 1 of the drawings, the V2X module 22 may utilise a peer- to-peer communication protocol, providing technology which is high-bandwidth and low latency giving reliable communication between a broad range of transport and related infrastructure. Advantageously, the technology does not require fixed infrastructure such as cellular or Wi-Fi connection and the system 10 is able to organically expand as more units are added to the environment. Also, the system 10 utilises V2X technology for communication and is able to integrate with HME brakes. By using the example system 10 shown in Figure 2, when a LV or other HME encroaches within a specified avoidance boundary such as the inner boundary 28, the brake will activate on the HME. Accordingly, the system 10 aims to reduce HME to HME and HME to LV interactions. The system 10 may be adapted so as to activate only in defined geofenced zones, such as the zones defined by the inner boundary 28 and the outer boundary 32. As such, when the LV or the HME encroaches within a specified avoidance boundary, the brake activates on the HME. In this manner, it is understood that the V2X technology of the system 10 does not require knowledge of vehicle intention or course, but rather is more simple in that the automatic brake system may be applied when the second vehicle 14 intersects a radius of the first boundary 28 of the first vehicle 14.

[0064] With reference to Figure 3 of the drawings, examples of the invention may be expanded to operate with boom gate activation 36, stand pipe automation 38 and / or asset protection 40. Examples of the invention may also include remote data collection. For example, road-side units (RSU) can report status to a remote location. RSUs can enable the tracking of vehicles and also enable configuration / application updates. The RSU can be equipment mounted on a mast and fitted with a means to communicate to a central computing service (e.g. via Ethernet cable, Wi-Fi or cellular network). The RSU listens to V2X messages from other equipment and forwards them to the central service. The central service can then monitor the position, health and status of each vehicle. The central service can also send configuration and / or product updates to the units via radio.

[0065] There may be multiple RSUs to cover a wider area. The collision avoidance function is still possible without the RSU (e.g. between 2 or more vehicles out of radio range of the RSU), but the RSU can enhance the collision avoidance system by providing remote monitoring and remote management capabilities to the system. The system 10 in accordance with an example of the present invention is able to be used for preventing collisions in manned vehicles involving heavy mobile equipment (HME) vehicles colliding with light vehicles (LVs). There are two safety systems provided by the V2X: Proximity Awareness and Collision Avoidance.

[0066] Proximity awareness uses position, heading and speed of vehicles to calculate stopping distance which is then used to ensure vehicles are keeping a safe proximity from each other. The proximity awareness system may be used to prescribe the size of the boundaries 28, 32 around the vehicle 12. In this way, the "warning" and "hard stop" vicinities 34, 30 may be adjusted or otherwise tuned to suit to provide a level of safety based on operating conditions and vehicle parameters. The boundaries 28, 32 may, for example, be extended to provide increased levels of safety in harsh operating conditions (i.e. low visibility or wet weather) and / or may be reduced in conditions that promote vehicles 12, 14 to operate in closer proximity.

[0067] It will warn drivers of potential proximity incidents such as tailgating, head-on collisions, side impact collisions or collisions at any angle.

[0068] Collision avoidance is specifically designed to stop HME and LV collisions when they are both within an active mine area. Active mine areas are defined by sets of geographic polygons representing the boundaries of dump and load areas at a mine site. There can be many of these (> 100) per mine site.

[0069] The collision avoidance system can become active for any vehicles entering a geographic polygon. As shown in Figure 4, the collision avoidance system 10 is active when a vehicle 12 is located in a geographic polygon 42, 44, 46, 48 but is not active when a vehicle 12 is outside of one or more geographic polygons 42, 44, 46, 48. Although different geographic polygons 42, 44, 46, 48 are represented as a cloud shape in Figure 4 for ease of illustration, the geographic polygons 42, 44, 46, 48 can be a polygon shape made by joining straight lines or by joining points with straight lines.

[0070] As shown in Figure 5, an inner boundary 50 and an outer boundary 52 of the first vehicle 12 can be located within the geographic polygon 42 or outside the geographic polygon 42. Although square or rectangular shapes are used to depict the inner boundary 28 and the outer boundary 32 of the first vehicle 12 in Figure 2 and the inner boundary 50 and the outer boundary 52 in Figure 5, those boundaries 28, 32, 50, 52 could also be circular, oblong or another curved shape. In some examples, the boundaries 28, 32, 50, 52 could have a 20 m radius or a 50 m radius.

[0071] When the inner boundary 50 and the outer boundary 52 are located within the geographic polygon 42 and a LV 14 is within the inner boundary 50, the brake of the first vehicle (in this case an HME) 12 is applied as shown in Figure 5. Another LV 14 that is within the outer boundary 52 located within the geographic polygon 42 receives an alert from the first vehicle (HME) 12. As can also be seen from Figure 5, when the inner boundary 50 and outer boundary 52 are located outside of the geographic polygon 42, the collision avoidance system 10 is not active. Consequently, no action from the first vehicle (HME) 12 in the form of braking or sending an alert occurs even though an LV 14 is within the inner boundary 50 and another LV 14 is within the outer boundary 52 as both the inner boundary 50 and outer boundary 52 are outside of the geographic polygon 42. An inactive collision avoidance system 10 may be desired in areas where movement of a vehicle is more controlled such as in a workshop or a maintenance area.

[0072] The collision avoidance system 10 will warn drivers of HME 12 and LVs 14 if they are within an active mine area and: if the LV is within a pre-defined warning distance of an HME, for example, if the LV is within 50 m of a dozer; or if the LV is within a pre-defined danger distance of an HME, for example, the LV is within 20 m of a dozer; and apply the HME brakes whilst the LV is within the danger distance; and release the brake once the LV is outside the danger distance.

[0073] In developing the present invention, the applicant has identified that existing collision avoidance technologies used in an urban environment are not suitable for industrial applications because: - the V2X message format was designed specifically for urban roads and intelligent city infrastructure;

[0074] - the format includes messages for traffic signals, parking structures, multi-lane junctions, toll stations and other urban message formats that have no relevance to a mine site; and attempting to stay within the V2X standard would have increased complexity, reduced performance by sending additional unneeded data and ultimately would limit how the technology is able to be used in an industrial setting.

[0075] Existing systems using V2X technology are limited to positional information and do not directly control braking or raise warnings. Other systems use a centralised control system to apply brakes and raise warnings, with autonomous braking being implemented only on autonomous vehicles.

[0076] Advantageously, the applicant has identified that, in examples of the present invention, a V2X system may not pass on vehicle intention or course. Rather, the system 10 of the present invention may be far simpler in that if one vehicle intersects a radius of the other vehicle, the autonomous brake applies. The system may rely on short range communication without a centralised system and may include a vehicle control system using at least one microprocessor to implement control of subsystems such as the brake actuator. The vehicle control system may be connected to actuators such as the brake actuator. Examples of the present invention may also have advantages relating to the following factors which may be omitted or unnecessary: no centralised platform being required; no perception system, no guidance system or route planner being necessary; and no object classification, no sharing of object information.

[0077] While various embodiments of the present invention have been described above, it should be understood that they have been presented by way of example only, and not by way of limitation. It will be apparent to a person skilled in the relevant art that various changes in form and detail can be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Thus, the present invention should not be limited by any of the above described exemplary embodiments. For example, other examples of the invention may include aspects related to autonomous warehousing, in particular relating to avoidance / danger detection on forklifts and the like. Also, although the system is described as being applicable to manned vehicles, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that other examples of the system could be used with autonomous vehicles.

[0078] The applicant has determined that a collision avoidance system in accordance with examples of the present invention may provide various advantages when compared with existing systems. For example, the applicant is aware of an existing driving support device for a vehicle, however this system relies on a detection of sudden braking and on lane detection. Accordingly, the applicant has determined that this existing device would not be suitable in scenarios such as when used in mining operations. Examples of the present invention may transmit a GPS position of one vehicle to the other vehicle to assist in collision avoidance.

[0079] The applicant is also aware of a previously proposed vehicle control system and method which uses forecasting of an upcoming intersection area of projected paths of vehicles. However, this system uses an electromagnetic pulse for range finding, with vehicle positions being determined with the use of accelerometers which may be prone to errors accumulating over time. Advantageously, the use of GPS as utilised in examples of the present invention, without reliance on path prediction, does not accumulate errors over time and does not require synchronising with beacons.

[0080] It has also been previously proposed to provide a method and system for alerting a driver in a follow-up vehicle of an obstacle in front of a leading vehicle. The applicant has determined that this system relies on determination of a vehicle braking status of the leading vehicle. Advantageously, examples of the present invention do not rely on a braking status as a trigger event, with such examples relying instead on transmission of vehicle position.

[0081] The applicant is also aware of a previously proposed vehicular communications network used for predicting traffic conditions on roads, however this network relies on the prediction of the intersection of vehicle paths. It is beneficial that, in examples of the present invention, there is no reliance on the prediction of paths, nor a requirement to control speed at a merge point of intersecting paths, these examples of the present invention instead using the transmission of specific information being GPS position to determine the distance between vehicles.

[0082] It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the message payload / types of data transmitted may vary from V2X messages. Accordingly, the system is able to be tailored to suit different applications and to transmit information such as machine health and / or fuel levels, provided the relevant user interfaces (UI) are used.

[0083] The reference in this specification to any prior publication (or information derived from it), or to any matter which is known, is not, and should not be taken as an acknowledgment or admission or any form of suggestion that that prior publication (or information derived from it) or known matter forms part of the common general knowledge in the field of endeavour to which this specification relates.

[0084] Throughout this specification and the claims which follow, unless the context requires otherwise, the word "comprise", and variations such as "comprises" and "comprising", will be understood to imply the inclusion of a stated integer or step or group of integers or steps but not the exclusion of any other integer or step or group of integers or steps.

[0085] List of Reference Numerals

[0086] 10 System for collision avoidance of vehicles

[0087] 12 First vehicle

[0088] 14 Second vehicle

[0089] 16 Receiver

[0090] 18 Controller

[0091] 20 Brake actuator

[0092] 22 V2X Module

[0093] 24 Transmitter (second vehicle)

[0094] 26 Transmitter (first vehicle)

[0095] 28 Inner boundary

[0096] 30 Inner working area

[0097] 32 Outer boundary

[0098] 34 Outer working area

[0099] 36 Boom gate activation

[0100] 38 Stand pipe automation

[0101] 40 Asset protection

[0102] 42 Geographic polygon

[0103] 44 Geographic polygon

[0104] 46 Geographic polygon

[0105] 48 Geographic polygon

[0106] 50 Inner boundary

[0107] 52 Outer boundary

Claims

THE CLAIMS DEFINING THE INVENTION ARE AS FOLLOWS:

1. A system for collision avoidance of vehicles, including a first vehicle and one or more other vehicles, wherein the first vehicle has a receiver for receiving vehicle information of the one or more other vehicles, a controller and a brake actuator, wherein the controller operates the brake actuator to apply a brake of the first vehicle automatically in response to detection of an unsafe condition determined from said vehicle information.

2. A system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the other vehicle has a transmitter for transmitting said vehicle information of the second vehicle to the first vehicle.

3. A system as claimed in claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the first vehicle has a transmitter for transmitting vehicle information of the first vehicle to the other vehicle.

4. A system as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the receiver of the first vehicle receives said vehicle information of the other vehicle transmitted from the second vehicle to the first vehicle.

5. A system as claimed in claim 4, wherein the receiver of the first vehicle receives said vehicle information of the other vehicle transmitted directly from the second vehicle to the first vehicle.

6. A system as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the other vehicle has a receiver for receiving vehicle information of the first vehicle.

7. A system as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein said vehicle information includes information on one or more of: position, heading and speed of the respective vehicle.

8. A system as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein said unsafe condition is determined from a set of defined unsafe conditions referenced by the controller.

9. A system as claimed in claim 8, wherein the set of defined unsafe conditions includes one or more of the following conditions: tailgating, potential head-on collision, and potential side impact collision and potential collision from any angle between the vehicles that could collide.

10. A system as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the brake actuator is operated to slow the first vehicle.

11. A system as claimed in claim 10, wherein the brake actuator is operated to slow the first vehicle to a stop.

12. A system as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 11, wherein the first vehicle is alerted of the unsafe condition.

13. A system as claimed in claim 12, wherein the first vehicle is alerted of the unsafe condition by an audio and / or visual warning.

14. A system as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 13, wherein the system includes an inner boundary defining an inner working area of the first vehicle and an outer boundary defining an outer working area of the first vehicle.

15. A system as claimed in claim 14, wherein the system includes a first trigger which is triggered by the other vehicle entering the outer working area.

16. A system as claimed in claim 15, wherein the first trigger activates an audio and / or visual warning of the first vehicle.

17. A system as claimed in any one of claims 14 to 16, wherein the system includes a second trigger which is triggered by the other vehicle entering the inner working area.

18. A system as claimed in claim 17, wherein the second trigger activates operation of the brake actuator of the first vehicle.

19. A system as claimed in claim 18, wherein the controller automatically releases the brake of the first vehicle when the other vehicle exits the inner working area.

20. A system as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 19, wherein the first vehicle is operating in a mining environment.

21. A system as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 20, wherein the system is adapted to operate without a map.

22. A system as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 21, wherein each of the vehicles transmits its position at regular intervals.

23. A system as claimed in claim 22, wherein each of the vehicles transmits its position multiple times per second.

24. A system as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 23, wherein each of the first vehicle and the other vehicle is fitted with a global positioning system (GPS).

25. A system for collision avoidance of vehicles, wherein the system is in the form of a self-determining stand-alone collision avoidance system using V2X and its deployment on manned vehicles.

26. A method for collision avoidance of vehicles, including the steps of providing a first vehicle and one or more other vehicles; and providing the first vehicle with a first receiver for receiving vehicle information of the one or more other vehicles, a controller and a brake actuator, wherein the method further includes the steps of determining from said vehicle information an unsafe situation and, in response to detecting said unsafe situation, operating the brake actuator automatically by the controller to apply a brake of the first vehicle.

27. A method as claimed in claim 26, wherein the step of determining an unsafe situation comprises detecting the first vehicle and the other vehicle are located within the same or different active geographic polygons and that the other vehicle has passed within a prescribed inner working zone of the first vehicle.

28. A method as claimed in claim 27, wherein the step of determining an unsafe situation comprises calculating a size of the inner working zone of the first vehicle.

29. A method as claimed in claim 26, wherein the step of determining an unsafe situation includes determining when one of said vehicles intersects a radius of another vehicle.

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