Vehicle management system

Abstract

A central control device 31 comprises: a charging information calculation unit 312 that calculates, on the basis of the position of a vehicle 20, a travel instruction for the vehicle 20, and a power storage amount of the vehicle 20, a charging amount, a charging section travel speed Vc, a charging section arrival time Tca, and a charging section departing time Tcd of the vehicle 20; a charging section status monitoring unit 313 that determines whether congestion is occurring in the charging section on the basis of the charging section travel speed, the charging section arrival time Tca, and the charging section departing time Tcd of the vehicle 20; a charging section vehicle allocation management unit 314 that generates a congestion-avoidance travel instruction for one or more of vehicles 20a, 20b involved in the occurrence of congestion when the charging section status monitoring unit 313 has determined that the congestion is occurring; and a travel instruction unit 315 that transmits the congestion-avoidance travel instruction to the one or more vehicles 20a, 20b involved in the occurrence of congestion. Accordingly, productivity of an entire mine is improved while preventing a vehicle that performs transport work in the mine from becoming a power shortage state.

Description

Vehicle management system

[0001] The present invention relates to a vehicle management system, and particularly to vehicle management technology at a work site where a vehicle equipped with a power storage device travels.

[0002] In a very large dump truck that operates at an open-pit mine or the like and transports ore and earth excavated by a loading machine, a type that generates electricity with a diesel engine mounted on the vehicle body and drives a motor to travel is widely used. However, since the amount of energy required for the transportation work is extremely large, a problem is that the emission amount of global warming gases is large. In order to solve this problem, development of a battery dump that drives a motor with an in-vehicle battery instead of conventional power generation by a diesel engine has been promoted.

[0003] In such a battery dump, since the amount of electric power required per transport cycle for a series of operations of loading, transporting, and dumping is very large with respect to the capacity of the storage battery, frequent charging is required, for example, every single transport cycle. As charging methods, a method of stopping and charging at a charging station installed in or near the transport route and a method of charging while traveling using an overhead wire as shown in Patent Document 1 are known. In order to perform continuous transport work using these charging methods, it is necessary to prevent the occurrence of power shortage in which the remaining battery level runs out. For that purpose, it is necessary to always secure the remaining battery level so that it can return to the charging facility, and it is required to make a travel plan in consideration of the power consumption amount on the travel route in advance and travel according to it.

[0004] Here, generally in a mine environment, there are a plurality of mining sites and dumping sites, and a large number of dump trucks travel between these two points to perform transport work. Therefore, when all of them are replaced with battery dumps, it is not realistic to install charging stations with an amount of charging that all vehicles can charge simultaneously or to draw an overhead wire. Therefore, a vehicle management system that manages the charging timing based on the power storage amount of each vehicle and improves the productivity of the entire mine is required. Here, as a vehicle management system when the number of charging stations is less than the number of vehicles, examples shown in Patent Document 2 and the like are shown.

[0005] U.S. Patent Publication No. 2015 / 0283907, Japanese Patent Publication No. 2023-90275

[0006] The method described in Patent Document 2 prioritizes sending vehicles with low battery capacity to charging stations, thereby maintaining the battery capacity of each vehicle and improving transport efficiency even when there are fewer charging stations than vehicles. However, in the case of overhead trolley lines, there is a limit to the charging speed of the batteries, so vehicles with low battery capacity need to reduce their speed in the overhead trolley line section in order to extend the contact time with the overhead trolley line. Therefore, if vehicles with low battery capacity are prioritized to enter the overhead trolley line section, when vehicles with high battery capacity enter the charging section later, the higher speed of the following vehicles will cause them to catch up to the preceding vehicles, resulting in congestion in the overhead trolley line section. If the congestion expands as more and more following vehicles enter the overhead trolley line, the transport time for each vehicle increases, and the overall productivity of the mine decreases significantly. On the other hand, if the speed of the preceding vehicle is increased unnecessarily when congestion is likely to occur, the charging time of the preceding vehicle will be shortened, resulting in insufficient battery capacity in the next section of travel and causing a power depletion. When a battery runs out, exceptional battery dump recovery and charging operations become necessary, significantly reducing the overall productivity of the mine.

[0007] This invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and its objective is to provide a vehicle management system that can improve the overall productivity of a mine while preventing vehicles performing transport work in a mine from running out of power.

[0008] To achieve the above objective, the present invention provides a vehicle management system comprising a control control device capable of communicating with each other with a plurality of vehicles traveling on a route including a charging section provided with a power supply device and a non-charging section not provided with the power supply device, wherein each vehicle is equipped with a power receiving device that receives power from the power supply device, a power storage device that is charged by the power received by the power receiving device, a position sensor that detects the position of the vehicle, and a load sensor that detects the load of the vehicle, wherein the control control device receives vehicle information from the vehicle including the position of the vehicle, the load of the vehicle, and the amount of charge stored in the power storage device, and transmits driving instructions to the vehicle indicating the driving route and driving speed, wherein the control control device, based on the position of the vehicle, the driving instructions, and the amount of charge stored in the power storage device, determines the charging section of the vehicle The system includes: a charging information calculation unit that calculates the amount of charge in between, the charging section driving speed of the vehicle in the charging section, the charging section arrival time of the vehicle, and the charging section exit time of the vehicle; a charging section status monitoring unit that determines whether or not congestion occurs in the charging section based on the vehicle's charging section driving speed, the charging section arrival time, and the charging section exit time; a charging section dispatch management unit that, when the charging section status monitoring unit determines that congestion has occurred, generates congestion avoidance driving instructions for one or more vehicles among the multiple vehicles involved in the congestion to avoid the congestion; and a driving instruction unit that transmits the congestion avoidance driving instructions to one or more vehicles involved in the congestion.

[0009] According to the present invention, it is possible to prevent vehicles used for transport operations in a mine from running out of power while improving the overall productivity of the mine.

[0010] This is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of the vehicle management system. This is a block diagram showing the configuration of the vehicle management system. This is a diagram illustrating the flow of power in a vehicle when it is running with the power receiving device not connected to the power supply device. This is a diagram illustrating the flow of power in a vehicle when it is running with the power receiving device connected to the power supply device. This is a diagram showing a specific example of vehicle information. This is a diagram showing a specific example of dispatch information. This is a diagram showing a specific example of map data. This is a diagram showing a specific example of charging section information. This is a diagram showing a specific example of traffic congestion avoidance driving instructions. This is a diagram illustrating the overview of speed changes in traffic congestion avoidance driving instructions. This is a diagram illustrating the overview of route changes in traffic congestion avoidance driving instructions. This is a diagram illustrating the overview of changing the driving order using passing lanes in traffic congestion avoidance driving instructions. This is a diagram illustrating the overview of changing the driving order using passing areas in traffic congestion avoidance driving instructions. This is a diagram illustrating the overview of changing the driving order using intersections in traffic congestion avoidance driving instructions. This is a flowchart showing the processing flow related to charging section information in the charging information calculation unit of the control control unit. This is a flowchart showing the processing flow related to traffic congestion occurrence determination in the charging section status monitoring unit of the control control unit. This flowchart shows the processing flow for calculating congestion avoidance driving instructions in the charging section dispatch management unit of the control system. It illustrates the vehicle's movement during lane changes. This flowchart shows the processing flow in the driving instruction unit of the control system. It also illustrates an overview of speed changes involving changes in charging speed, which are part of congestion avoidance driving instructions.

[0011] Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. In each figure, members or elements having the same function or purpose are denoted by the same reference numeral, and redundant explanations will be omitted as appropriate.

[0012] <Overview of Vehicle Management System 1> Figure 1 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of the vehicle management system 1 in this embodiment. Figure 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the vehicle management system 1 in this embodiment. Although only one vehicle 20 is shown in Figure 2 for convenience, there may be two or more vehicles.

[0013] The vehicle management system 1 is operated at work sites such as mines. The vehicle management system 1 is capable of communicating with one or more loading machines 10 that perform excavation and loading operations, and one or more vehicles 20 that travel along transport routes 60 at the work site to transport the soil and sand loaded from the loading machines 10, and includes a control station 30 that controls the vehicles 20. The loading machines 10 load the excavated soil and sand onto the vehicles 20 at the loading area 61, and the vehicles 20 discharge the loaded soil and sand at the discharge area 62.

[0014] The vehicle 20 and the control station 30 are configured to communicate with each other via a wireless communication line 40. Specifically, multiple wireless base stations 41 are installed at the work site, and the vehicle 20 and the control station 30 communicate with each other via the wireless base stations 41.

[0015] Vehicle 20 is equipped with an energy storage device 29 that can retain electrical energy using batteries or the like. In some sections of the transport route 60, there are charging sections where power supply devices 50 are installed, such as trolley lines connected to substations and power supply stations that can receive power from power plants. Vehicle 20 can connect to the power supply devices 50 using a power receiving device 28 such as a pantograph and charge the energy storage device 29.

[0016] <Configuration of Loading Machine 10> The loading machine 10 is a shovel capable of excavation and loading work by operation by an operator. The loading machine 10 is equipped with a vehicle control device 11, an operating device 12, a drive device 13, an output device 14, and a wireless communication device 17.

[0017] The drive unit 13 of the loading machine 10 is driven in response to the operation of the control device 12. The drive unit 13 includes, for example, a hydraulic cylinder for controlling the posture of the boom, arm, and bucket of the loading machine 10 for loading work, and a travel motor for moving the position of the loading machine 10.

[0018] The operating device 12 of the loading machine 10 receives input from the operator driving the loading machine 10 and outputs a signal to drive the drive unit 13. The operating device 12 may be, for example, an operating lever, pedal, button, or touch panel located in the driver's seat.

[0019] The wireless communication device 17 of the loading machine 10 is a wireless device for connecting the vehicle control device 11 and the wireless communication line 40. The vehicle control device 11 of the loading machine 10 transmits and receives information and commands to and from the control control device 31 of the control station 30 via the wireless communication device 17 and the like.

[0020] The output device 14 of the loading machine 10 is a device for presenting control information and other data to the operator of the loading machine 10 via screen display or audio. The output device 14 is, for example, an LCD monitor or speaker installed near the driver's seat of the loading machine 10.

[0021] The vehicle control device 11 of the loading machine 10 is composed of a microcomputer that combines, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit) for performing calculations, a ROM (Read Only Memory) as a secondary storage device for recording programs for calculations, and a RAM (Random Access Memory) as a temporary storage device for saving calculation progress and temporary control variables. Functionally, the vehicle control device 11 has a control information management unit 111 and a drive control unit 112.

[0022] The control information management unit 111 of the vehicle control device 11 receives information such as the load capacity of the vehicle 20 currently being loaded and the load capacity limit from the control control device 31, and displays the information to the output device 14.

[0023] The drive control unit 112 of the vehicle body control device 11 obtains information on the load capacity and load capacity limit from the control information management unit 111, and sends commands to the drive unit 13 and output unit 14 so that the load capacity of the vehicle 20 does not exceed the load capacity limit.

[0024] <Configuration of Vehicle 20> Vehicle 20 is a dump truck that can be driven either by an operator on board, with at least a portion of it being driven manually, or by an unmanned and autonomous control device 31 of the control station 30. Vehicle 20 is equipped with a vehicle control device 21, a driving device 22, a position sensor 23, a speed sensor 24, a load sensor 25, an operating device 26, a wireless communication device 27, a power receiving device 28, and a power storage device 29.

[0025] The vehicle 20's running gear 22 is driven in response to the operation of the control device 26, causing the vehicle 20 to move. The running gear 22 includes, for example, a steering motor for changing the steering angle of the vehicle 20, a running motor for moving the vehicle 20, and brakes, etc.

[0026] The vehicle 20's position sensor 23 detects the position of the vehicle 20 (the vehicle itself) and outputs the detected position to the vehicle control device 21. The position sensor 23 may be, for example, a GPS (Global Positioning System) that uses signals from satellites 80 to determine its position, a combination of GPS and an inertial measurement unit (IMU), or a system that uses radio waves from a ground base station to determine its position.

[0027] The vehicle 20's speed sensor 24 measures the speed of the vehicle 20 (the vehicle itself) and outputs the measured speed to the vehicle control device 21. The speed sensor 24 may be, for example, a rotary encoder that detects the rotational speed of the wheels, a GPS that measures speed from the change in the vehicle 20's position, an inertial measurement device, or a speed estimation device using a combination of these.

[0028] The load sensor 25 of the vehicle 20 detects the weight of the cargo, such as ore or soil, loaded onto the cargo bed of the vehicle 20 (the vehicle itself), and outputs the detected load to the vehicle control device 21. The load sensor 25 is, for example, a pressure sensor installed under the cargo bed of the vehicle 20 to measure the weight of the cargo bed, or a weight estimation device that uses the pressure of the hydraulic suspension.

[0029] The operating device 26 of the vehicle 20 receives input from the operator driving the vehicle 20 and outputs signals to drive the running gear 22 and the power receiving device 28. The operating device 26 may be, for example, a steering wheel, accelerator, brake, buttons, or touch panel located in the driver's seat.

[0030] The vehicle 20's wireless communication device 27 is a radio for connecting the vehicle body control device 21 and the wireless communication line 40. The vehicle body control device 21 of the vehicle 20 transmits and receives information and commands to and from the control control device 31 of the control station 30 via the wireless communication device 27 and the like.

[0031] The power receiving device 28 of the vehicle 20 is driven in response to the operation of the control device 26 and connects to the power supply device 50 to supply power to the energy storage device 29. The power receiving device 28 is equipped with, for example, a pantograph that can be raised and lowered.

[0032] The vehicle 20's energy storage device 29 is a device for storing electrical energy to drive the traction unit 22. The energy storage device 29 includes, for example, multiple lithium-ion batteries and equipment for controlling the voltage and current to them.

[0033] Here, as shown in Figure 3A, for example, when the vehicle 20 is running with the power receiving device 28 not connected to the power supply device 50, the energy storage device 29 discharges to drive the running gear 22. Also, as shown in Figure 3B, for example, when the vehicle 20 is running with the power receiving device 28 connected to the power supply device 50, the energy storage device 29 is charged by the power supplied from the power supply device 50. In this case, the running gear 22 is driven by the power supplied from the power supply device 50. Furthermore, regardless of whether it is connected to the power supply device 50 or not, when the vehicle 20 is decelerating, the power generated by the regenerative braking of the running gear 22 can be supplied to the energy storage device 29 for charging. When the energy storage device 29 is charging, it is possible to control the magnitude of the current so as not to put a burden on the storage battery by utilizing rapid charging methods established in the field of electric vehicles, thereby enabling charging that takes into consideration the lifespan of the storage battery.

[0034] The vehicle body control device 21 of the vehicle 20 is composed of a microcomputer that combines, for example, a CPU for performing calculations, a ROM as a secondary storage device for recording programs for calculations, and a RAM as a temporary storage device for saving calculation progress and temporary control variables. Functionally, the vehicle body control device 21 includes a vehicle body state management unit 211, a control information management unit 212, and a driving control unit 213.

[0035] The vehicle body condition management unit 211 of the vehicle body control device 21 manages the position information acquired by the position sensor 23, the speed information acquired by the speed sensor 24, the load information acquired by the load sensor 25, the connection status information of the power receiving device 28 to the power supply device 50, and the battery level information of the power storage device 29, and transmits this information as vehicle information to the control control device 31 of the control station 30. Here, the vehicle information is summarized in a table format, for example as shown in Figure 4, and includes the vehicle ID, the current position information of the section currently being traveled, the position information as seen from the starting point of the section, the battery charge level information, and the load information such as the type of load and the load amount. One line of information about itself is output from the vehicle 20, and the control station holds it in a table format as shown in Figure 4. The format of the current location information is not limited to that described in this embodiment. For example, if location information is obtained using a GPS device, any format that allows the vehicle's position at the work site to be identified is acceptable, such as latitude and longitude information, or information converted from these to coordinates on a map of the work site where the vehicle is traveling. Similarly, the format of the battery level information is not limited to that described in this embodiment. Any format that allows the amount of charge to be identified is acceptable, such as the percentage of the current charge level relative to the battery's maximum capacity.

[0036] The control information management unit 212 of the vehicle control device 21 receives the target speed for each section of the transport path 60, the switching section ID, the lane change start position, and the waiting time from the driving instruction unit 315 of the control control device 31, and issues instructions to the driving control unit 213.

[0037] The driving control unit 213 of the vehicle control device 21 monitors whether the actual speed exceeds the target speed for each section instructed by the control information management unit 212, based on the position and speed managed by the vehicle condition management unit 211. If the actual speed exceeds the target speed, it sends a control command to the driving device 22 to decelerate to the target speed. Furthermore, if it receives the switching section ID and the lane change start position, it steers the wheels to change lanes from the lane change start position to the siding lane while driving in the relevant section. In addition, if it obtains the switching section ID and waiting time, it stops the vehicle 20 in the relevant section for the duration of the waiting time. Details of the switching section ID, lane change start position, and waiting time will be described later.

[0038] <Configuration of the control station 30> The control station 30 comprises a control control device 31, a storage device 32, a wireless communication device 33, and an input device 34.

[0039] The control station 30's storage device 32 is a non-volatile storage medium that allows reading and writing of information, and stores the OS, various control programs, application programs, databases, etc. The storage device 32 includes a vehicle dispatch information storage unit 321 and a map data storage unit 322.

[0040] The radio communication device 33 of the control station 30 is a radio for connecting the control control device 31 and the radio communication line 40. The control control device 31 of the control station 30 transmits and receives information and commands to and from the vehicle body control device 21 of the vehicle 20 via the radio communication device 33 and the like.

[0041] The input device 34 of the control station 30 is a user interface for operators to operate the control device 31. The input device 34 is, for example, a mouse or keyboard.

[0042] The control control device 31 of the control station 30 is composed of a microcomputer that combines, for example, a CPU that performs calculations, a ROM as a secondary storage device that stores programs for calculations, and a RAM as a temporary storage device that stores calculation progress and temporary control variables. Functionally, the control control device 31 has a vehicle dispatch management unit 311, a charging information calculation unit 312, a charging section status monitoring unit 313, a charging section vehicle dispatch management unit 314, and a driving instruction unit 315.

[0043] The dispatch management unit 311 of the control control device 31 sets the travel route for the vehicle 20 to its destination based on the location information of the vehicle 20 received from the vehicle body control device 21 of the vehicle 20. For example, if the vehicle 20 is at the loading area 61, it sets the travel route for the vehicle 20 to the unloading area 62. Also, for example, if the vehicle 20 is at the unloading area 62, it sets the travel route for the vehicle 20 to the loading area 61. The dispatch management unit 311 stores the set travel route for the vehicle 20 as dispatch information in the dispatch information storage unit 321 of the storage device 32.

[0044] The vehicle allocation information is summarized in a table format as shown in, for example, FIG. 5A, and includes the vehicle ID, which is the identification information of the vehicle 20, and the driving route set for each vehicle ID. The driving route is, for example, the driving route from the loading yard 1 to the dumping yard 1, or the driving route from the dumping yard 1 to the loading yard 1. The driving route conforms to the conveyance route of the map data and is composed of sections where the conveyance route is divided.

[0045] The map data is summarized in a table format as shown in, for example, FIG. 5B, and includes the ID of each section in the conveyance route divided into a plurality of sections, the distance of each section, the standard target speed, the power consumption amount, and the presence or absence of the power feeding device 50. It may also include information on the coordinate point sequence constituting each section not shown in the figure.

[0046] The charging information calculation unit 312 of the control device 31 acquires the vehicle allocation information from the vehicle allocation management unit 311 and the map data from the map data storage unit 322 of the storage device 32. From the charging plan described in the acquired vehicle allocation information and the distance information of the charging section of the conveyance route in the map data, the traveling speed in the charging section (hereinafter referred to as the charging section traveling speed) of each vehicle 20 is calculated. Further, from the charging section traveling speed and the driving route of the vehicle allocation information, the time of arrival at the charging section (hereinafter referred to as the charging section arrival time) and the time of departure from the charging section (hereinafter referred to as the charging section departure time) are calculated. The calculated charging section traveling speed, charging section arrival time, and charging section departure time are output as charging section information to the charging section status monitoring unit 313. The details of the processing will be described later.

[0047] The charging section information is summarized in a table format as shown in, for example, FIG. 6A, and includes information on the section ID of the charging section, the charging section traveling speed, the charging section arrival time, and the charging section departure time for the charging section passed by each vehicle 20 on the current route. When there are multiple charging sections passed during the route, columns of the above four pieces of information are added for each such section.

[0048] The charging interval status monitoring unit 313 of the control device 31 acquires charging interval information from the charging information calculation unit 312, and determines whether or not congestion occurs in the charging interval based on the charging interval arrival time and the charging interval departure time of each vehicle 20. The determination result is output to the charging interval vehicle allocation management unit 314. Details of the process will be described later. Note that congestion refers to, for example, a state in which a plurality (two or more) of vehicles 20 are traveling in the same direction at a speed less than a predetermined speed at intervals less than a predetermined distance. The interval and speed can be set to different values depending on the mine. Also, the predetermined speed includes temporary stops. Further, for example, congestion may simply refer to a state in which the vehicle 20 is traveling at a speed less than a predetermined speed (that is, various intended speeds such as the lower limit speed or the target speed set for the charging interval). Also, congestion can be defined by conditions other than speed. For example, congestion refers to a state in which two adjacent vehicles 20 are traveling or stopped at an interval less than a predetermined distance, a state in which there are a predetermined number or more of vehicles 20 in the charging interval, or a state in which a vehicle 20 exists in the charging interval exceeding the required travel time or departure time set for the charging interval.

[0049] The charging interval vehicle allocation management unit 314 of the control device 31 acquires the determination result of the charging interval status monitoring unit 313, and calculates a congestion avoidance driving instruction including information on the speed and the driving route for avoiding the occurrence of congestion by using the vehicle information, the vehicle allocation information, and the charging interval information, and outputs it to the driving instruction unit. Details of the process will be described later.

[0050] Traffic congestion avoidance driving instructions are summarized in a table format, for example, as shown in Figure 6B, and for each vehicle 20 to which the traffic congestion avoidance driving instructions apply, the instructions and the information necessary for each instruction are included. Several methods can be considered for the instructions, such as changing the route, changing the driving order, and changing the driving speed. In this embodiment, as an example of a method of changing speed, we will explain a method in which the driving speed in the charging section of a preceding vehicle 20a, which is driving at a slow speed in the charging section that is causing congestion as shown in Figure 7, is increased to a speed at which the following vehicle 20b does not approach below the minimum following distance. As an example of a method of changing the route, we will explain a method in which, among following vehicles 20b and 20c carrying the same amount of cargo as shown in Figure 8, the destination (route) of the vehicle 20b with a closer destination is swapped. Furthermore, as methods for changing the order of travel, the following will be explained as examples: a method of using the passing lane 70 shown in Figure 9A to allow the following vehicle 20b to overtake; a method of having the preceding vehicle 20a wait at a passing area 71 installed before the charging section shown in Figure 9B; and a method of having the preceding vehicle 20a wait at the intersection 72 before reaching the charging section shown in Figure 9C, allowing the following vehicle 20b to pass first. However, the method of changing the order of travel is not limited to the methods described in this embodiment; any method that can change the order of travel of vehicles 20a and 20b is acceptable, such as a method of delaying the departure timing of the preceding vehicle 20a. In addition, congestion avoidance driving instructions may be generated by combining the above-mentioned methods. For example, if, after changing the route of the preceding vehicle 20a to a shorter route using the route changing method, there is a possibility that the following vehicle 20b will catch up to the preceding vehicle 20a in the charging section, a speed change method that increases the charging section travel speed Vc of the preceding vehicle 20a as long as the amount of charge can be secured may be combined with the route changing method. It should be noted that the traffic congestion avoidance driving instructions are not limited to those shown in this embodiment. For example, if the charging section uses a stationary charging system rather than a trolley overhead line system, any instruction to the vehicle 20 that can avoid traffic congestion caused by charging in the charging section is acceptable, such as a method to shorten the time spent connected to the charging section.

[0051] The charging section dispatch management unit 314, using the above-described methods as constraints that each vehicle 20 does not run out of power and that the cargo to be transported to the destination and its quantity do not change, selects instructions to transmit to the vehicle 20 by determining whether they can be executed in a predetermined order of priority, with the view that the time the cargo arrives at the destination will not be delayed as much as possible from the estimated arrival time of the initially given travel route instruction. In this embodiment, an example will be given in which speed change, route change, and travel order rearrangement are set in descending order of priority. The information required for each instruction is, for example, in the case of a speed change, the section ID of the section to be changed and the information of the changed speed; in the case of a route change, the vehicle ID of the vehicle 20 that will change its route and the information of the changed route; in the case of changing the order of travel using a passing lane 70, the section ID of the section in which the change will be performed, the starting position of the lane change within that section, and the waiting time in the changed lane; in the case of changing the order of travel using a passing place 71, the section ID of the passing place 71 and the waiting time; and in the case of changing the order of travel using an intersection 72, the section ID of the intersection 72 and the waiting time.

[0052] Returning to Figure 2, the driving instruction unit 315 of the control device 31 receives dispatch information from the dispatch management unit 311 and traffic congestion avoidance driving instructions from the charging section dispatch management unit 314. Based on the traffic congestion avoidance driving instructions, it changes the route information and the target speed for each section, and outputs the target speed for each driving section, the swap section ID included in the traffic congestion avoidance driving instructions, the lane change start position, and the waiting time to the vehicle body control device 21 of the vehicle 20. Details of the process will be described later.

[0053] <Details of the processing in the charging information calculation unit 312> Using Figure 10, the processing flow regarding charging section information in the charging information calculation unit 312 of the control device 31 will be explained.

[0054] First, in step S1001, it is determined whether or not a vehicle 20 for which a new route has been set exists. If it is determined that it exists (YES), the process proceeds to step S1002; if it is determined that it does not exist (NO), the process ends.

[0055] Next, in step S1002, for the vehicle 20 for which a new route has been set, the sum of the power consumption in each non-charging section (hereinafter referred to as power consumption Ed) is calculated based on the power consumption amount described in the map data.

[0056] Next, in step S1003, the required charging time Tc to obtain a charge amount greater than the power consumption Ed of the non-charging section is calculated using the following formula, based on the charging speed Cr of each charging section which has been obtained in advance.

[0057] Tc>Ed / Cr (1)

[0058] Next, in step S1004, for each charging section on the route, the travel time is calculated from the distance of the charging section and the pre-set target speed, and the sum of these is taken as Tcs. If Tcs ≥ Tc, the pre-set target speed on the route is set as the charging section travel speed Vc for each charging section. If Tcs < Tc, the charging section travel speed Vc for each charging section is calculated from the distance L of each charging section, the target speed V, and the number of charging sections n using the following formula.

[0059] Vc=L / (L / V+(Tc-Tcs) / n) (2)

[0060] Next, in step S1005, the time to reach each section is calculated from the current position of the vehicle 20, the travel route, the distance of each section, and the target speed, and this time is added to the current time to calculate the time Tca to reach the charging section.

[0061] Next, in step S1006, for each charging section along the route, the time required to pass through the charging section is calculated from the distance L of the charging section and the driving speed Vc of the charging section, and this value is added to the time of arrival at the charging section Tca to calculate the time of exit from the charging section Tcd.

[0062] Next, in step S1007, the calculated charging section driving speed Vc, the charging section arrival time Tca, and the charging section exit time Tcd are stored in the charging section information table shown in Figure 6A, output to the charging section status monitoring unit 313, and the process ends.

[0063] <Details of the processing by the charging section status monitoring unit 313> Using Figure 11, the processing flow related to the determination of congestion in the charging section status monitoring unit 313 of the control device 31 will be explained. Note that if there are multiple charging sections on the road, this processing will be performed for each charging section.

[0064] First, in step S1101, the vehicle 20a with the charging section arrival time closest to the current time is selected from the charging section information.

[0065] Next, in step S1102, the system checks the charging section information to determine if there is a charging section arrival time Tca' for another vehicle 20b between the charging section arrival time Tca and the charging section exit time Tcd of the selected vehicle 20a. If the answer is YES, the system proceeds to step S1103; otherwise, the system proceeds to step S1105.

[0066] Next, in step S1103, it is determined whether another vehicle 20b, extracted in step S1102, approaches the selected vehicle 20a to a minimum following distance Lmin within the charging section. Specifically, first, the following distance between vehicle 20b and vehicle 20a when vehicle 20b reaches the charging section (hereinafter referred to as the initial following distance Ls) is calculated using the following formula.

[0067] Ls=Vc×(Tca'-Tca) (3)

[0068] Next, the distance between vehicles (hereinafter referred to as approach distance La) that decreases during the time from when vehicle 20b enters the charging section until vehicle 20a exits the charging section is calculated using the following formula. The speed at which vehicle 20b travels in the charging section is denoted as Vc'.

[0069] La=(Vc'-Vc)×(Tcd-Tca') (4)

[0070] Finally, the difference between the initial inter-vehicle distance Ls calculated by equation (3) and the approach distance La calculated by equation (4) (hereinafter referred to as the remaining inter-vehicle distance) is calculated, and if the remaining inter-vehicle distance is less than the minimum inter-vehicle distance Lmin, it is determined that vehicle 20b is approaching to less than the minimum inter-vehicle distance Lmin. If it is determined that it is approaching (YES), proceed to step S1104; if it is determined that it is not approaching (NO), proceed to step S1105.

[0071] Next, in step S1104, the vehicle IDs of the selected vehicle 20a and the approaching vehicle 20b are output to the charging section dispatch management unit 314, and the process ends.

[0072] Finally, in step S1105, the next vehicle 20b whose charging section arrival time is closest to the current time is selected, and the process returns to step S1101. If the process is performed on the vehicle 20b whose charging section arrival time is furthest from the current time among the vehicles 20 on which the current route is set, the process is terminated.

[0073] <Details of the processing in the charging section dispatch management unit 314> Figure 12 will be used to explain the processing flow in the charging section dispatch management unit 314 of the control control device 31 regarding the calculation of traffic congestion avoidance driving instructions. Note that if there are multiple charging sections on the road, this processing will be performed for each charging section.

[0074] First, in step S1201, it is determined whether vehicle 20a will run out of power when the charging section driving speed Vc of vehicle 20a is increased to a speed that does not bring it closer to vehicle 20b than the minimum following distance (hereinafter referred to as congestion avoidance speed Vta). Specifically, first, the speed at which vehicle 20a can travel the distance L of the charging section is calculated by the following formula, based on the sum of the time from when vehicle 20a reaches the charging section until vehicle 20b reaches the charging section, and the time it takes for vehicle 20b to travel from the end of the charging section to just before the minimum following distance Lmin, and this is defined as the congestion avoidance speed Vta.

[0075] Vta=L / ((Tca'-Tca)+(L-Lmin) / Vc') (5)

[0076] Next, the sum of the current stored energy Bp of vehicle 20a and the amount of energy to be charged in the charging section (hereinafter referred to as usable energy Eav) is calculated using the following formula.

[0077] Eav=Bp+Cr×(L / Vta) (6)

[0078] Finally, the current position of the vehicle 20 and the sum of the power consumption from the current position to the end of the route, calculated from the power consumption of each non-charging section in the map data, are compared with the available power amount Eav. If the available power amount Eav is greater, it is determined that there will be no power depletion (NO), and if the available power amount Eav is smaller, it is determined that there will be power depletion (YES). If it is determined that there will be no power depletion (NO), the process proceeds to step S1202, and if it is determined that there will be power depletion (YES), the process proceeds to step S1203.

[0079] Next, in step S1202, the speed change, the vehicle ID of vehicle 20, the traffic congestion avoidance speed Vta, and the section ID of the charging section being processed are set as the traffic congestion avoidance driving instruction and output to the driving instruction unit 315, ending the process.

[0080] Next, in step S1203, it is determined whether there is a vehicle 20b that can swap destinations with vehicle 20a. Specifically, the charging section information, vehicle information, and dispatch information are first referenced, and a search is conducted to find if there is a vehicle 20b that has the same loading information as vehicle information and a shorter route distance after the charging section, in order of proximity to the charging section arrival time Tca of vehicle 20a. The subsequent processing is repeated until a vehicle 20b that is determined to be able to swap destinations appears, or all searched vehicles 20b are determined to be unable to swap destinations.

[0081] First, the amount of usable energy Eav at the current charging section speed Vc' of vehicle 20b is calculated by replacing Vta with Vc' in equation (6).

[0082] Next, for the searched vehicle 20b, the power consumption Ed during the non-charging section is calculated from the route and map data, assuming that the route after the charging section is replaced with the route of vehicle 20a.

[0083] Next, the calculated available power amount Eav is compared with the power consumption Ed to determine whether the available power amount Eav is greater or less. If the available power amount Eav is greater, the next process is carried out. If the available power amount Eav is less than the vehicle currently being processed, it is determined that the vehicle 20b being processed cannot be replaced, and the process moves on to determining the next vehicle 20b found.

[0084] Next, if the available power amount Eav is greater, the power consumption Ed of the non-charging section when the route after the charging section of vehicle 20a is changed to the route of vehicle 20b is calculated from the map data, and the new driving speed in the charging section is calculated using equations (1) and (2).

[0085] Next, using the newly calculated charging section driving speed, the charging section status monitoring unit 313 determines whether vehicle 20b approaches vehicle 20a to within Lmin by performing the same process as in step S1103. If it is determined that they will not approach, it is determined that the vehicle 20b currently being processed can be replaced, and the process in step S1203 is terminated, and the process proceeds to step S1204. If it is determined that they will approach, the following process is performed.

[0086] Next, with the routes of vehicle 20a and vehicle 20b swapped, the same process as in step S1201 is performed on vehicle 20a to determine whether vehicle 20a will run out of power when its speed is increased to the congestion avoidance speed Vta. If it is determined that vehicle 20a will not run out of power, it is determined that the currently processed vehicle 20b can be swapped, and the process in step S1203 ends, and the process proceeds to step S1204. If it is determined that vehicle 20b will run out of power, it is determined that the currently processed vehicle 20b cannot be swapped, and the process proceeds to determine the next vehicle 20b found. If all vehicles 20b are determined to be unswappable, the process in step S1203 ends, and the process proceeds to step S1205.

[0087] Next, in step S1204, the traffic congestion avoidance driving instruction is set with the instruction content as "route change," the vehicle ID of vehicle 20a, the route after the swap, the section ID of the charging section, and the traffic congestion avoidance speed Vta. Furthermore, the vehicle ID of vehicle 20b and the route after the swap are set on the next line, and the output is sent to the driving instruction unit 315 to end the process.

[0088] Next, in step S1205, instructions are generated to swap the driving order of vehicles 20a and 20b. Specifically, from three methods of swapping driving order using the passing lane 70, the passing area 71, and the intersection 72, the method that results in the shortest waiting time for vehicle 20 is selected. The details of the congestion avoidance driving instructions and the calculation method of waiting time for each method are explained below.

[0089] <Method for changing the order of travel using the passing lane 70> First, as shown in Figure 13, let Lwc be the width of the charging section, Lwa be the width of the passing lane 70, and θ be the angle of the direction of travel relative to the straight direction at the minimum curve radius determined by the vehicle's performance. Assuming that the vehicle 20 moves from the center of the lane in the charging section toward the center of the lane in the passing lane 70 at a speed Vc in the charging section and at an angle θ, the time Tch required for the vehicle 20 to change lanes can be calculated by the following equation.

[0090] Tch=(Lwc / 2+Lwa / 2) / (Vc×sinθ) (7)

[0091] Next, the start time Tas of vehicle 20a changing lanes to the passing lane 70 is calculated using the following formula.

[0092] Tas=Tca'-Tch+(Ls-Lmin) / (Vc'-Vc) (8)

[0093] Next, the lane change start position Pav of vehicle 20, as seen from the beginning of the charging section, is calculated using the following formula.

[0094] Pav=(Tas-Tca) / Vc (9)

[0095] Next, the following distance Lav between vehicle 20a and vehicle 20b after vehicle 20a has completed changing lanes is calculated using the following formula.

[0096] Lav=Ls-(Tas-Tca')×(Vc'-Vc) -Tch×(Vc'-Vc×cosθ) (10)

[0097] Next, the distance Laf required in advance is calculated using the following formula, so that the distance between vehicles increases by a minimum distance Lmin during the time from when vehicle 20b overtakes until vehicle 20a returns to the charging section.

[0098] Laf=Lmin-Tch×(Vc'-Vc×cosθ) (11)

[0099] Next, the time it takes for vehicle 20b to overtake vehicle 20a (the waiting time Twl for vehicle 20a) is calculated using the following formula.

[0100] Twl=(Lav+Laf) / Vc' (12)

[0101] Finally, the instructions for avoiding congestion are set to include a change in the order of driving (overtaking), the vehicle ID of vehicle 20a, the calculated waiting time Twl, the lane change start position Pav, and the section ID of the charging section.

[0102] <Method for changing the order of travel using the refuge area 71> First, the travel times Tpa and Tpa' for vehicles 20a and 20b from their current positions to the refuge area 71 are calculated using route information and map data.

[0103] Next, the time Tlm required for vehicle 20b to travel a minimum following distance Lmin after passing the passing area 71 is calculated using map data.

[0104] Next, the waiting time Twp for vehicle 20a is calculated using the following formula.

[0105] Twp=Tpa'-Tpa+Tlm (13)

[0106] Finally, the instructions for avoiding congestion are set to include a change in the order of travel (to a passing place), the vehicle ID of vehicle 20a, the calculated waiting time Twp, and the section ID of passing place 71.

[0107] <Method for rearranging the order of travel using intersection 72> First, the section ID of the intersection immediately preceding the one that results in the same section ID is searched for from the route information of vehicle 20a and vehicle 20b.

[0108] Next, the time Tcp and Tcp' required for vehicles 20a and 20b to travel from their current positions to the searched section are calculated from the route information and map data.

[0109] Next, the time Tlm required for vehicle 20b to travel a minimum following distance Lmin after passing through intersection 72 is calculated using map data.

[0110] Next, the waiting time Twc of vehicle 20a is calculated using the following formula.

[0111] Twc=Tcp'-Tcp+Tlm (14)

[0112] Finally, the instructions for avoiding congestion are set to include a change in the order of driving (at intersections), the vehicle ID of vehicle 20a, the calculated waiting time Twc, and the section ID of the passing place 71.

[0113] Next, in step S1206, the method with the smallest waiting time among the three methods Twl, Twp, and Twc calculated in step S1205 is selected, and a traffic congestion avoidance driving instruction for that method is sent to the driving instruction unit 315, ending the process.

[0114] <Details of the processing in the travel instruction unit 315> The processing flow in the travel instruction unit 315 of the control device 31 will be explained using Figure 14.

[0115] First, in step S1401, dispatch information and map data are obtained from the dispatch management unit 311.

[0116] Next, in step S1402, it is determined whether or not a traffic congestion avoidance driving instruction has been received from the charging section dispatch management unit 314. If it is determined that an instruction has been received (YES), the process proceeds to step S1403; if it is determined that an instruction has not been received (NO), the process proceeds to step S1407.

[0117] Next, in step S1403, it is determined what the instruction for traffic congestion avoidance driving is. If the instruction is a change in speed, proceed to step S1404; if the instruction is a change in route, proceed to S1405; and if the instruction is a change of direction (overtaking / waiting area / intersection), proceed to step S1406.

[0118] Next, in step S1404, for vehicle 20 that matches the vehicle ID described in the traffic congestion avoidance driving instruction, the target speed for the section described in the traffic congestion avoidance driving instruction is overwritten with the traffic congestion avoidance speed, and the process proceeds to step S1407.

[0119] Next, in step S1405, the driving route of vehicle 20, which matches the vehicle ID described in the traffic congestion avoidance driving instruction, is changed to the route described in the traffic congestion avoidance driving instruction, and the process proceeds to step S1407.

[0120] Next, in step S1406, for vehicle 20 that matches the vehicle ID described in the traffic congestion avoidance driving instruction, the swap section ID, the lane change start position, and the waiting time are output, and the process proceeds to step S1407.

[0121] Next, in step S1407, the target speed for each section included in the route of each vehicle 20 listed in the dispatch information is extracted from the map data and output to each vehicle 20, ending the process.

[0122] <Effects of this embodiment> In the vehicle management system 1 of this embodiment configured as described above, when a vehicle 20 travels through a charging section on the transport path 60 where a power supply device 50 is installed, the control device 31 takes into account the amount of charge stored in the vehicle 20 and the load status of the vehicle 20 and generates driving instructions to avoid congestion, such as changing the driving speed in the charging section, changing the driving route of the vehicle 20, or swapping the driving order of the charging section with a following vehicle 20b that has a higher charging section driving speed Vc'. The vehicle control device 21 controls the driving device 22 according to these driving instructions. As a result, the vehicle 20 does not run out of power in the non-charging section, and smooth traffic is maintained without congestion of the vehicle 20 in the charging section. Therefore, the productivity of the entire mine can be improved under conditions that allow transport work to continue.

[0123] It should be noted that the method for generating traffic congestion avoidance driving instructions is not limited to the method shown in this embodiment. For example, in this embodiment, the charging speed Cr was treated as a fixed value for each charging section, but if the charging speed Cr can be treated as a variable value by controlling the current flowing to the energy storage device 29 on the vehicle 20 side, then, as shown in Figure 15, the charging speed Cr can be increased in accordance with the increase in the charging section driving speed Vc of the vehicle 20a, thereby ensuring the amount of charge in the vehicle 20a even when the charging section driving speed Vc is increased. As a result, even if the amount of charge stored in the vehicle 20a is small, it becomes possible to increase the charging section driving speed Vc to avoid traffic congestion while ensuring the amount of charge stored in the vehicle 20a. As a result, the proportion of driving order changes in traffic congestion avoidance driving instructions is reduced, and the frequency of vehicle waiting that leads to decreased productivity is reduced, thus improving the productivity of the entire mine. Furthermore, by treating engine-driven vehicles as vehicles with infinite energy storage capacity, the vehicle management system 1 can also be applied to mines where battery-driven vehicles 20 and engine-driven vehicles are mixed.

[0124] (Summary) In this embodiment, the vehicle management system 1 comprises a plurality of vehicles 20 that travel along a travel path including a charging section where a power supply device 50 is provided and a non-charging section where a power supply device 50 is not provided, and a control control device 31 that can communicate with the vehicles 20. The vehicles 20 are equipped with a power receiving device 28 that receives power from the power supply device 50, a power storage device 29 that is charged by the power received by the power receiving device 28, a position sensor 23 that acquires the position of the vehicle 20, and a load sensor 25 that acquires the load of the vehicle 20. The control control device 31 receives vehicle information from the vehicles 20, including the position of the vehicle 20, the load of the vehicle 20, and the amount of charge stored in the power storage device 29, and transmits a travel instruction to the vehicle 20 that instructs the travel path and travel speed, and the vehicles 20 travel according to the travel instruction. The system includes a charging information calculation unit 312 that calculates the amount of charge, the driving speed of the vehicle 20 in the charging section (Vc), the time the vehicle 20 arrives at the charging section (Tca), and the time the vehicle 20 leaves the charging section (Tcd); a charging section status monitoring unit 313 that determines whether or not congestion occurs in the charging section based on the vehicle 20's charging section speed Vc, charging section arrival time Tca, and charging section exit time Tcd; a charging section dispatch management unit 314 that, when the charging section status monitoring unit 313 determines that congestion has occurred, generates congestion avoidance driving instructions for one or more vehicles 20a, 20b among the multiple vehicles 20 involved in the congestion to avoid the congestion; and a driving instruction unit 315 that transmits the congestion avoidance driving instructions to one or more vehicles 20a, 20b involved in the congestion.

[0125] According to this embodiment configured as described above, it is possible to prevent the vehicle 20 performing transport work in the mine from running out of power while improving the overall productivity of the mine.

[0126] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the charging information calculation unit 312 calculates the charging section driving speed Vc based on the amount of charge stored in the vehicle 20, the amount of power consumed by the vehicle 20 in the non-charging section Ed, the distance L of the charging section, and the charging speed Cr of the charging section, such that the amount of charge stored immediately after passing through the charging section is greater than the amount of power consumed Ed. This makes it possible to set the charging section driving speed Vc as high as possible while preventing the vehicle 20 from running out of power.

[0127] Furthermore, the charging section status monitoring unit 313 in this embodiment determines whether the time interval from the time Tca to the time Tcd of the first vehicle 20a, which is scheduled to pass through the charging section, includes the time Tca' of the second vehicle 20b, which is scheduled to pass through the charging section, among the multiple vehicles 20. If it is determined that the time interval includes the time Tca' of the second vehicle 20b, it determines whether the distance between the first vehicle 20a and the second vehicle 20b in the charging section will decrease to a predetermined minimum distance Lmin, based on the difference between the time Tca and Tca' of the first vehicle 20a and the second vehicle 20b, and the difference between the driving speeds Vc and Vc' in the charging section. If it is determined that the distance between the vehicles will decrease to the minimum distance Lmin, it determines that congestion has occurred. This makes it possible to detect congestion in the charging section with high accuracy.

[0128] Furthermore, in this embodiment, when the charging section dispatch management unit 314 determines that congestion has occurred in the charging section status monitoring unit 313, it determines whether the first vehicle 20a will run out of power before completing the route after passing the charging section, when the first vehicle 20a's charging section driving speed Vc is increased to a congestion avoidance speed Vta that prevents the distance between the first vehicle 20a and the second vehicle 20b from shrinking to the minimum distance Lmin by the time the vehicle exits the charging section. If it is determined that the first vehicle 20a will not run out of power, it generates a congestion avoidance driving instruction to increase the charging section driving speed Vc of the first vehicle 20a to the congestion avoidance speed Vta. This makes it possible to avoid congestion in the charging section.

[0129] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the charging section dispatch management unit 314, when it is possible to control the charging speed of the charging section, generates a traffic congestion avoidance driving instruction to increase the charging speed Cr so that the amount of charge stored in the first vehicle 20a immediately after driving through the charging section at the traffic congestion avoidance speed Vta is greater than the amount of power consumed Ed by the first vehicle 20a until it completes the driving section after passing the charging section. This makes it possible to increase the charging section driving speed Vc of the first vehicle 20a to the traffic congestion avoidance speed Vta while ensuring the amount of charge stored in the first vehicle 20a.

[0130] Furthermore, in this embodiment, if the charging section dispatch management unit 314 determines that congestion has occurred in the charging section status monitoring unit 313, and there is a second vehicle 20b that is carrying the same amount of cargo as the first vehicle 20a and has a shorter travel route after passing the charging section than the first vehicle 20a, the charging section dispatch management unit 314 generates an instruction to swap the travel routes after passing the charging section between the first vehicle 20a and the second vehicle 20b as the congestion avoidance travel instruction. This makes it possible to avoid congestion in the charging section.

[0131] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the charging section dispatch management unit 314 generates an instruction to swap the driving order of the first vehicle 20a and the second vehicle 20b in the charging section or the road leading to the charging section, when the charging section status monitoring unit 313 determines that congestion has occurred, as the congestion avoidance driving instruction. This makes it possible to avoid congestion in the charging section.

[0132] Furthermore, in this embodiment, if a passing lane 70 is provided on the roadway of the charging section, the charging section dispatch management unit 314 generates an instruction as a traffic congestion avoidance driving instruction that, just before the second vehicle 20b approaches the first vehicle 20a to the minimum following distance Lmin, the first vehicle 20a temporarily changes lanes to the passing lane 70, and the second vehicle 20b waits in the passing lane 70 until it overtakes the first vehicle 20a, thereby reversing the driving order of the first vehicle 20a and the second vehicle 20b. This makes it possible to avoid traffic congestion in the charging section.

[0133] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the charging section dispatch management unit 314 generates an instruction to change the driving order of the first vehicle 20a and the second vehicle 20b by having the first vehicle 20a wait in the waiting area 71 when a waiting area 71 is provided before the charging section, as the traffic congestion avoidance driving instruction. This makes it possible to avoid traffic congestion in the charging section.

[0134] Furthermore, in this embodiment, if an intersection 72 exists on the road before the charging section and the first vehicle 20a and the second vehicle 20b merge at the intersection 72, the charging section dispatch management unit 314 generates an instruction to change the driving order of the first vehicle 20a and the second vehicle 20b by having the first vehicle 20a wait before the intersection 72 until the second vehicle 20b has passed the intersection 72, as the traffic congestion avoidance driving instruction. This makes it possible to avoid traffic congestion in the charging section.

[0135] Furthermore, in this embodiment, when the charging section dispatch management unit 314 generates multiple traffic congestion avoidance driving instructions, it selects the traffic congestion avoidance driving instruction with the shortest waiting time for the first vehicle 20a as the instruction to be transmitted to one or more vehicles 20a, 20b involved in the traffic congestion. This makes it possible to shorten the waiting time for the first vehicle 20a when the driving order of the first vehicle 20a and the second vehicle 20b is changed.

[0136] Although embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail above, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above and includes various modifications. For example, the embodiments described above have been described in detail for the purpose of explaining the present invention in an easy-to-understand manner and are not necessarily limited to those having all the configurations described.

[0137] 1...Vehicle management system, 10...Loading machine, 11...Vehicle body control device, 12...Operating device, 13...Drive device, 14...Output device, 17...Wireless communication device, 20...Vehicle, 20a...Leading vehicle (Vehicle 1), 20b...Following vehicle (Vehicle 2), 21...Vehicle body control device, 22...Running device, 23...Position sensor, 24...Speed ​​sensor, 25...Load sensor, 26...Operating device, 27...Wireless communication device, 28...Power receiving device, 29...Energy storage device, 30...Control station, 31...Control control device, 32...Memory device, 33...Wireless communication device, 34...Input Device, 40... Wireless communication line, 41... Wireless base station, 50... Power supply device, 60... Transport route, 61... Loading area, 62... Unloading area, 70... Passing lane, 71... Passing area, 72... Intersection, 80... Satellite, 111... Control information management unit, 112... Drive control unit, 211... Vehicle body status management unit, 212... Control information management unit, 213... Driving control unit, 311... Dispatch management unit, 312... Charging information calculation unit, 313... Charging section status monitoring unit, 314... Charging section dispatch management unit, 315... Driving instruction unit, 321... Dispatch information storage unit, 322... Map data storage unit.

Claims

1. A vehicle management system comprising a control control device capable of communicating with each other with a plurality of vehicles traveling on a route including a charging section provided with a power supply device and a non-charging section not provided with the power supply device, wherein each vehicle is equipped with a power receiving device that receives power from the power supply device, a power storage device that is charged by the power received by the power receiving device, a position sensor that detects the position of the vehicle, and a load sensor that detects the load of the vehicle, wherein the control control device receives vehicle information from the vehicle, including the position of the vehicle, the load of the vehicle, and the amount of charge stored in the power storage device, and transmits a driving instruction to the vehicle that instructs the driving route and driving speed, wherein the control control device comprises a charging information calculation unit that calculates the amount of charge of the vehicle in the charging section, the driving speed of the vehicle in the charging section, the time the vehicle arrives at the charging section, and the time the vehicle leaves the charging section, based on the position of the vehicle, the driving instruction, and the amount of charge stored in the power storage device, A vehicle management system comprising: a charging section status monitoring unit that determines whether or not congestion occurs in the charging section based on the vehicle's driving speed in the charging section, the time of arrival in the charging section, and the time of departure from the charging section; a charging section dispatch management unit that, when the charging section status monitoring unit determines that congestion has occurred, generates congestion avoidance driving instructions for one or more vehicles among the multiple vehicles involved in the congestion to avoid the congestion; and a driving instruction unit that transmits the congestion avoidance driving instructions to one or more vehicles involved in the congestion.

2. A vehicle management system according to claim 1, wherein the charging information calculation unit calculates the driving speed in the charging section based on the amount of charge stored in the vehicle, the amount of power consumed by the vehicle in the non-charging section, the distance of the charging section, and the charging speed of the charging section, such that the amount of charge stored immediately after passing through the charging section is greater than the amount of power consumed.

3. A vehicle management system according to claim 1, wherein the charging section status monitoring unit determines whether the time interval from the time of arrival at the charging section to the time of departure from the charging section of a first vehicle among a plurality of vehicles that is scheduled to pass through the charging section includes the time of arrival at the charging section of a second vehicle among a plurality of vehicles that is scheduled to pass through the charging section, and if it is determined that the time interval includes the time of arrival at the charging section of the second vehicle, it determines whether the distance between the first vehicle and the second vehicle in the charging section will decrease to a predetermined minimum distance based on the difference between the time of arrival at the charging section of the first vehicle and the second vehicle and the difference in the driving speed in the charging section, and if it is determined that the distance between the vehicles will decrease to the minimum distance, it determines that the congestion is occurring.

4. A vehicle management system according to claim 3, wherein the charging section dispatch management unit, when the charging section status monitoring unit determines that congestion has occurred, determines whether the first vehicle will run out of power before completing the route after passing the charging section when the first vehicle increases its speed in the charging section to a congestion avoidance speed that prevents the distance between the first vehicle and the second vehicle from decreasing to the minimum distance before exiting the charging section, and when it determines that the first vehicle will not run out of power, generates a congestion avoidance driving instruction to increase the speed of the first vehicle in the charging section to the congestion avoidance speed.

5. A vehicle management system according to claim 4, wherein the charging section dispatch management unit generates an instruction to increase the charging speed as a traffic congestion avoidance driving instruction, when it is possible to control the charging speed of the charging section, such that the amount of charge stored in the first vehicle immediately after driving the charging section at the traffic congestion avoidance speed is greater than the amount of power consumed by the first vehicle until it completes the driving section after passing the charging section.

6. A vehicle management system according to claim 3, wherein the charging section dispatch management unit, when the charging section status monitoring unit determines that congestion is occurring, generates an instruction to swap the driving routes of the first vehicle and the second vehicle after passing the charging section as the congestion avoidance driving instruction, if there is a second vehicle that is loaded with the same amount of cargo as the first vehicle and has a shorter driving route after passing the charging section than the first vehicle.

7. A vehicle management system according to claim 3, wherein the charging section dispatch management unit generates an instruction to swap the driving order of the first vehicle and the second vehicle in the charging section or the road before the charging section, as the traffic congestion avoidance driving instruction, when the charging section status monitoring unit determines that traffic congestion is occurring.

8. A vehicle management system according to claim 7, wherein the charging section dispatch management unit generates an instruction as a traffic congestion avoidance driving instruction to reverse the driving order of the first vehicle and the second vehicle by having the second vehicle temporarily change lanes to the waiting lane just before the second vehicle approaches the first vehicle to the minimum following distance, and having the second vehicle wait in the waiting lane until it overtakes the first vehicle, when a waiting lane is provided on the driving road of the charging section.

9. A vehicle management system according to claim 7, wherein the charging section dispatch management unit generates an instruction to change the order of travel between the first vehicle and the second vehicle by having the first vehicle wait at the waiting area when a waiting area is provided before the charging section, as the traffic congestion avoidance travel instruction.

10. A vehicle management system according to claim 7, wherein the charging section dispatch management unit generates an instruction to change the order in which the first vehicle and the second vehicle travel, by having the first vehicle wait before the intersection until the second vehicle has passed the intersection, when an intersection exists on the road before the charging section and the first vehicle and the second vehicle are to merge at the intersection, as the traffic congestion avoidance driving instruction.

11. A vehicle management system according to any one of claims 8 to 10, wherein the charging section dispatch management unit, when it generates a plurality of traffic congestion avoidance driving instructions, selects the traffic congestion avoidance driving instruction with the shortest waiting time for the first vehicle as the traffic congestion avoidance driving instruction to transmit to one or more vehicles.

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