Unmanned Vehicle Path Control for Oncoming Lane Obstacle Detection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Obstacles on the travel path of unmanned vehicles in wide-area work sites, such as mines, hinder their operation and decrease productivity.
Innovation Solution
The unmanned vehicle is equipped with an obstacle sensor, a host path storage unit, a travel control unit, and an obstacle presence/absence determination unit to detect and navigate around obstacles, ensuring the vehicle follows a designated path and avoids collisions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If the unmanned vehicle operates on a travel path with two outward and return lanes, then the vehicle can efficiently traverse the work site, but obstacles may block the oncoming path and cause travel delays
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary obstacle detection on the oncoming path before the unmanned vehicle needs to traverse it. By detecting obstacles in advance and determining their impact on the oncoming path, the system can proactively adjust travel plans, notify relevant parties, or alternative routing before delays occur, thus preventing travel delays rather than reacting to them
Solution Approach 2:
The system establishes a feedback loop where obstacle detection data continuously informs the determination unit about oncoming path status. This feedback mechanism allows the system to dynamically adjust travel decisions based on real-time obstacle information, optimizing productivity while minimizing travel delays through iterative decision-making
2Productivity
If the unmanned vehicle detects obstacles early and takes measures, then productivity is maintained, but the system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The determination unit serves multiple functions: it analyzes obstacle detection data, determines whether obstacles block the oncoming path, decides on appropriate measures, and coordinates with other systems. By making a single component perform these diverse functions, the system maintains productivity without proportionally increasing overall system complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The patent combines obstacle detection, path analysis, and decision-making functions into an integrated control system. By merging these previously separate functions into a unified determination unit, the system achieves early obstacle response while avoiding the complexity that would result from multiple independent subsystems
Data Source
AI summary
An unmanned vehicle includes: a travel device; an obstacle sensor; a host path storage unit that stores a host path; a travel control unit that controls the travel device based on the host path; an oncoming path storage unit that stores an oncoming path to be given to an oncoming vehicle; and an obstacle presence/absence determination unit that determines whether or not an obstacle is located on the oncoming path based on detection data from the obstacle sensor.