Mine Vehicle Position Reporting for Safer Autonomous Passing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing vehicle control systems for autonomous vehicles in mine sites face challenges in balancing safety and productivity, as frequent decelerations and stops reduce conveyance efficiency and increase labor costs, making it difficult to ensure both safety and productivity simultaneously.
Innovation Solution
A vehicle control system that uses a dual communication method, where an autonomous vehicle and a manned vehicle communicate via a wireless channel, with the manned vehicle transmitting location information at a finer granularity when the distance between them is within a certain threshold, allowing for more precise control and reduced unnecessary decelerations or stops.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the autonomous traveling vehicle frequently decelerates or stops to maintain safety distance from other vehicles, then safety is improved, but conveyance efficiency and productivity deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically adjusts the safety distance threshold based on the operational state of the autonomous vehicle. When the vehicle is traveling at low speed or is stationary, a larger safety distance is maintained. When the vehicle is traveling at normal speed, a smaller safety distance is accepted, allowing continuous operation without unnecessary decelerations or stops.
Solution Approach 2:
The safety distance parameter is changed according to the vehicle's speed state. The control server receives position information and calculates the distance to other vehicles, then adjusts the required safety distance based on whether the autonomous vehicle is in motion or stationary, optimizing both safety and productivity.
2Reliability
If the safety distance threshold is increased to prevent collisions, then safety is improved, but the autonomous vehicle must decelerate or stop more frequently, reducing productivity
Solution Approach 1:
The safety distance threshold is made dynamic rather than fixed. The control server adjusts the threshold based on the autonomous vehicle's current speed state, allowing the vehicle to maintain higher speeds longer and reducing the frequency and duration of deceleration events.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the safety distance parameter according to operational conditions. When the vehicle is moving, a smaller safety distance is permitted; when stationary or moving slowly, a larger safety distance is enforced, thereby minimizing unnecessary deceleration time while maintaining safety.
3Productivity
If the autonomous vehicle maintains a small safety distance to improve productivity, then conveyance efficiency is improved, but the risk of collision with other vehicles increases
Solution Approach 1:
The safety distance parameter is adjusted based on the vehicle's speed state. When traveling at normal operating speeds, the autonomous vehicle maintains a smaller safety distance to enable continuous movement and high productivity. When the vehicle slows down or stops, the safety distance is automatically increased to prevent collisions.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements dynamic safety distance adjustment where the control server continuously monitors the autonomous vehicle's position and speed, and adjusts the safety threshold accordingly. This allows the vehicle to operate efficiently at normal speeds while automatically increasing safety margins when conditions require it.
Data Source
AI summary
A vehicle control system includes an autonomous traveling vehicle configured to autonomously travel in a mine, a manned vehicle. The autonomous traveling vehicle and the manned vehicle each include an own position estimating device and a vehicle mounted communication terminal. The autonomous traveling vehicle and the manned vehicle are communicatively connected via one wireless channel. The manned vehicle transmits manned vehicle location information using a first communication method at a first granularity. When a distance from the manned vehicle is determined to be a first inter-vehicular distance threshold or less based on the manned vehicle location information transmitted by the first communication method, the autonomous traveling vehicle instructs the manned vehicle to transmit the manned vehicle location information by a second communication method different from the first communication method at a second granularity smaller than the first granularity.