JP2015210595A - Vehicle travelling system, operation management server and on-vehicle terminal apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a vehicle travelling system allowing dump trucks to smoothly travel by ensuring the reliability of wireless communication under poor radio situation such as mine.SOLUTION: The vehicle travelling system connects a transport vehicle 20-1 which travels in a mine field along predetermined travel route 60 and an operation management server that manages the operation of transport vehicles which are communicably connected to each other via a wireless communication channel. The vehicle travelling system sets a travel permission segment n+1 so that a communication quality index value which represents the connection state at a permission request point RP, where the transport vehicle 20-1 transmits a piece of permission request information to the operation management server, exceed a predetermined threshold value.

Description

  The present invention relates to a vehicle traveling system for a mine, an operation management server, and an in-vehicle terminal device.

  In the mine, a loader such as an excavator loads ore and earth and sand into a transport vehicle, and the transport vehicle reciprocates between the loading position and the dumping ground to transport the load. Since a plurality of transport vehicles travel in the mine, a control center that monitors the position and travel state of each transport vehicle is provided to control traffic. There are so-called manned dump trucks that are operated by operators on board and autonomous dump trucks (unmanned truck dumps), especially in the case of autonomous truck dumps. A travel permission section that determines which section may be traveled is indicated via, and autonomous travel is performed in accordance with the instruction.

  As an example of the wireless communication technology in the traffic control, Patent Document 1 describes a communication method (polling method / contention method) depending on the degree of data overlap when performing wireless communication between a base station and a plurality of vehicles. A configuration is disclosed in which data can be downloaded even when wireless communication is congested by switching.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 02-301393

  When the instruction from the server is interrupted, particularly in the case of autonomous traveling dump, the dump stops to avoid the danger of collision, leading to a decrease in mine productivity. Therefore, in order to smoothly operate the dump for the mine, it is necessary to improve the reliability of the wireless communication between the dump and the radio base station.

  However, when the dump is traveling at a point where the communication state of the wireless communication line is not good, there is a problem that the dump cannot reliably receive data from the control center. In particular, it is not easy to sufficiently ensure the quality of wireless communication in a place such as a mine where the change in topography is remarkable.

  In Patent Document 1, although it has been considered to solve the trouble at the time of wireless communication congestion by changing the communication method, in the first place, the radio wave condition is bad and the radio wave still does not reach under the situation where the radio communication is not possible. There is a problem that wireless communication is not possible.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and a vehicle traveling system, an operation management server, and an in-vehicle terminal that can ensure reliable dumping and smoothly travel dumps even in a mine with poor radio wave conditions. An object is to provide an apparatus.

  In order to solve the above-described problems, the present invention provides a transport vehicle that travels along a predetermined travel route on a premises of a mine, and an operation management server that manages the operation of the transport vehicle via a wireless communication line. A vehicle traveling system connected in communication, between a front boundary point at a point ahead of the current position of the transport vehicle on the travel route and a rear boundary point at a point behind the front boundary point A travel permission section setting unit that sets the travel route as a travel permission section that permits travel of the transport vehicle, and a communication quality indicator that indicates a quality level of a connection status to the wireless communication line at each point on the travel route. A communication quality determination unit that determines whether or not the value is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold, and permission request information for requesting setting of a new travel permission section ahead of the current position of the transport vehicle. And a communication control unit that controls transmission / reception of permission response information indicating the new travel permission section, and the travel permission section setting unit determines whether the new travel permission section is in accordance with the permission request information. Temporarily set a front boundary point and a rear boundary point, and are located between the front boundary point and the rear boundary point, and the transport vehicle is located in front of the new travel permitted section. A permission request point for transmitting permission request information for making a setting request is calculated, and the communication quality determination unit has the communication quality index value equal to or greater than the predetermined threshold in a permission request section determined at the permission request point. It is determined whether a point is included, and the travel permission section setting unit is temporarily set when the permission request section includes a point where the communication quality index value is equal to or greater than the predetermined threshold. Previous Set between the boundary point and the rear boundary point as the new travel permission section, characterized in that.

  According to the present invention, the communication quality determination unit determines whether or not a point where the communication quality index value is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold is included in the permission request section determined by the permission request point. The travel permission section including the front boundary point or the rear boundary point used for calculating the permission request point is set. The transport vehicle travels according to the set travel permission section, and when it reaches the permission request point determined for the travel permission section, the permission request information for requesting the next travel permission section from the operation management server. Send. At this time, since the point where the communication quality index value is equal to or greater than the predetermined threshold is included in the permission request section, the permission request information can easily reach the operation management server. Moreover, it becomes easy to receive the permission response information from the operation management server. Therefore, transmission / reception of permission request information and permission response information can be performed in an environment where the wireless connection status is favorable, and dump stoppage due to poor connection of wireless communication can be suppressed.

  In the above configuration, the travel permission section setting unit temporarily sets a front boundary point, and the communication quality index value is set in the permission request section calculated based on the temporarily set front boundary point. When it is determined that there is no point that is equal to or greater than the predetermined threshold value, a point different from the temporarily set forward boundary point is temporarily set as a forward boundary point, and the temporarily set forward boundary point is used as a reference. When a new permission request section is calculated, and the new permission request section includes a point where the communication quality index value is equal to or greater than the predetermined threshold, the front boundary point temporarily set again and the rear boundary Set between the points as the new travel permission section,

  According to the present invention, if a permission request section defined by a permission request point based on a temporarily set front boundary point does not include a point having a communication quality index value equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold, it is included. The front boundary point can be shifted as shown. In this case, the front boundary point can be searched in a state where the distance from the front boundary point to the permission request point (that is, the length of the permission request section) is kept constant. In this way, while exchanging permission request information and permission response information with the operation management server, the problem that dumping stops due to exceeding the front boundary point of the current travel permission section is suppressed. Can do.

  In the above configuration, the travel permission section setting unit temporarily sets the front boundary point and the rear boundary point, and temporarily sets the permission request point between the front boundary point and the rear boundary point. When it is determined that there is no point where the communication quality index value is equal to or greater than the predetermined threshold in the permission request section determined by the temporarily set permission request point, the set front boundary point and the rear boundary point Temporarily set again a new permission request point between the points and different from the temporarily set permission request point, and the communication quality index value is set to the predetermined value in the temporarily set new permission request point. When it is determined that there is a point that is equal to or greater than the threshold value, a region between the temporarily set front boundary point and rear boundary point is set as the new travel permission section.

  According to the present invention, a front boundary point is set, and a point between the front boundary point and the rear boundary point and having a communication quality index value equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold can be set as a permission request point. As a result, the transport vehicle traveling in the set travel permission section can maintain a good connection state when transmitting / receiving permission request information and permission response information from a permission request point determined in the travel permission section. . In addition, since the permission request point is changed without changing the position of the front boundary point, even when another transport vehicle is traveling ahead, it can interfere with the front transport vehicle while maintaining a good connection state. It is possible to set a travel permission section.

  In the vehicle travel system, the present invention is a communication that stores communication quality information in which position identification information that uniquely identifies each point on the travel route is associated with a communication quality index value of each point. A quality information storage unit is further provided, and when the communication control unit transmits or receives the permission request information or the permission response information, the communication quality determination unit updates the communication quality information.

  According to the present invention, the communication quality information is updated when transmission / reception of permission request information or permission response information is performed. Therefore, the communication quality determination unit determines the communication quality based on the communication quality information reflecting the latest transmission / reception results. Judgment can be made.

  In the vehicle travel system according to the present invention, the communication quality index value is used for a success rate of a wireless communication connection between the transport vehicle and the operation management server, and for the wireless communication connection received by the transport vehicle. It is characterized in that it is at least one of the received power values indicating the radio field intensity.

  According to the present invention, when the success rate of the wireless communication connection is used as the communication quality index value, a value reflecting the actual wireless connection performance can be used, so that a change in the wireless communication environment, for example, occurs irregularly. It is possible to flexibly cope with troubles of the radio base station. On the other hand, when the received power value is used, if the output condition of the radio wave is unchanged, the radio wave intensity is attenuated according to the distance from the output source, so that the value once measured can be continuously used as the communication quality index value. This eliminates the processing operation for updating the communication quality index value and data transmission / reception.

  Further, the present invention is an operation management server that manages the operation of a transport vehicle that travels along a predetermined travel route on the premises of the mine, and is ahead of the current position of the transport vehicle on the travel route. A travel permission section setting unit that sets the travel route between a front boundary point at a point and a rear boundary point at a point behind the front boundary point as a travel permission section that permits travel of the transport vehicle; A communication quality determination unit that determines whether or not a communication quality index value indicating a quality level of a connection status to the wireless communication line at each point on the travel route is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold; A server-side communication system that performs control to receive permission request information for requesting setting of a new travel-permitted section ahead of the position, and to transmit permission response information indicating the new travel-permitted section. And the travel permission section setting section temporarily sets the front boundary point and the rear boundary point of the new travel permission section according to the permission request information, and the front boundary point and the rear boundary point. And calculating a permission request point for transmitting permission request information for requesting setting of a new travel permission section located in front of the new travel permission section. The quality determination unit determines whether the permission request section determined at the permission request point includes a point where the communication quality index value is equal to or greater than the predetermined threshold, and the communication quality index value is included in the permission request section. When a point that is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold is included, the travel permission section setting unit sets the provisionally set front boundary point and rear boundary point as the new travel permission section, And butterflies.

  According to the present invention, the communication quality determination unit determines whether or not a point where the communication quality index is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold is included in the permission request section determined by The travel permission section including the front boundary point or the rear boundary point used for the calculation of the point is set. The transport vehicle travels according to the set travel permission section, and when it reaches the permission request point determined for the travel permission section, the permission request information for requesting the next travel permission section from the operation management server. Send. At this time, since the point where the communication quality index is equal to or greater than the predetermined threshold is included in the permission request section, the permission request information can easily reach the operation management server. Moreover, it becomes easy to receive the permission response information from the operation management server. Therefore, transmission / reception of permission request information and permission response information can be performed in an environment where the wireless connection status is favorable, and dump stoppage due to poor connection of wireless communication can be suppressed.

  The present invention also relates to an in-vehicle terminal device mounted on a transport vehicle that travels in accordance with an instruction from an operation management server connected through a wireless communication line on a traveling route that is predetermined in the mine premises, A vehicle-mounted terminal device mounted on a transport vehicle that travels a predetermined travel route according to an instruction from an operation management server connected through a wireless communication line, and calculates a current position of the transport vehicle A travel control unit configured to control the travel of the transport vehicle according to a travel permission section that is set by the operation management server and indicates a section in which the travel of the transport vehicle is permitted in the travel route, and the transport vehicle Permission request information for requesting setting of a new travel-permitted section ahead of the current position of the vehicle, and permission indicating the new travel-permitted section A terminal side communication control unit that performs control to receive the answer information, and a permission request point that is a point where the current position of the transport vehicle transmits the permission request information in the currently set travel permission section The terminal-side communication control unit transmits the permission request information, and when the terminal-side communication control unit receives the permission response information, the travel control unit transmits the new request included in the permission response information. The vehicle is controlled to travel according to a travel permitted section.

  According to the present invention, since the current position of the host vehicle can be calculated, traveling control can be performed while judging whether or not the permission request point has been reached in the traveling permission section. Then, when reaching the permission request point, permission request information is transmitted from there, and permission response information corresponding thereto is received. At this time, since the communication quality index value at the permission request point is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold, permission request information and permission response information can be transmitted and received in an environment where the connection state is good.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, even if it is a mine with a bad radio wave condition, the reliability of radio | wireless communication can be ensured and the vehicle traveling system which can drive | run a dump smoothly, an operation management server, and a vehicle-mounted terminal device can be provided.

The figure which shows schematic structure of the vehicle instruction | indication system which concerns on 1st embodiment. Hardware configuration diagram of operation management server and in-vehicle terminal device Functional block diagram showing main functions of operation management server and in-vehicle terminal device It is a figure which shows the structure of the information format transmitted / received between an operation management server and driving | running | working dump, Comprising: (a) shows the permission request information format transmitted with respect to an operation management server from a dump, (b) is operation. The permission response information format transmitted from the management server to the dump is shown, and (c) shows the reception confirmation information format transmitted from the dump to the operation management server. The figure which shows the structure of the communication quality information table which concerns on 1st embodiment. It is a figure which shows the setting process of the driving | running | working permission area which concerns on 1st embodiment, Comprising: (a) shows the state which is drive | working the driving | running | working permission area n, (b) shows the state which reached | attained the permission request | requirement point, (C) shows the setting state of the release section and the first front boundary point, and (d) shows the setting state of the next front boundary point. The sequence diagram which shows the flow of the setting process of the driving | running | working permission area in the vehicle traveling system which concerns on this embodiment. The flowchart which shows the flow of the setting process of the driving | running | working permission area by an operation management server. Flow chart showing the flow of dump traveling control processing Flowchart showing the flow of processing in which the operation management server stores and holds communication quality information Hardware configuration diagram of in-vehicle terminal device according to the second embodiment The figure which shows the structure of the communication quality information table which concerns on 2nd embodiment. The figure which shows the structure of the permission request information format which concerns on 2nd embodiment. The figure which shows the structure of another aspect of the communication quality information table which concerns on 2nd embodiment. In 2nd embodiment, the operation management server shows the flow of the process which accumulate | stores and hold | maintains communication quality information. Hardware configuration diagram of in-vehicle terminal device according to the third embodiment Flow chart showing the flow of communication quality information collection processing by a sailing vehicle It is a figure which shows the setting process of the driving | running | working permission area in 4th embodiment, Comprising: (a) shows the case where the communication quality index value of the permission request | requirement point temporarily set is less than a threshold value, (b) The state where the communication quality index value of the set permission request point is equal to or greater than the threshold value is shown. The flowchart which shows the flow of the setting process of the driving | running | working permission area by the operation management server which concerns on 4th embodiment.

  In the following embodiment, when it is necessary for the sake of convenience, the description will be divided into a plurality of sections or embodiments. In the following embodiments, when referring to the number of elements, etc. (including the number, numerical value, quantity, range, etc.), unless otherwise specified and in principle limited to a specific number in principle, It is not limited to the specific number, and may be more or less than the specific number. In the following embodiments, the constituent elements (including processing steps and the like) are not necessarily essential unless explicitly stated or considered to be clearly essential in principle.

  In addition, each of the configurations, functions, processing units, processing units, and the like in the following embodiments may be realized in part or in whole as, for example, an integrated circuit or other hardware. In addition, each configuration, function, processing unit, processing unit, and the like, which will be described later, may be realized as a program executed on a computer. That is, it may be realized as software. Information such as programs, tables, files, etc. for realizing each configuration, function, processing unit, processing means, etc. is stored in memory, hard disk, storage device such as SSD (Solid State Drive), storage medium such as IC card, SD card, DVD, etc. Can be stored.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Note that components having the same function are denoted by the same or related reference symbols throughout the drawings for describing the embodiments, and the repetitive description thereof is omitted. In the following embodiments, the description of the same or similar parts will not be repeated in principle unless particularly necessary.

<First embodiment>
[System configuration]
The first embodiment wirelessly communicates a transport vehicle that transports earth and sand or ore loaded by a loader such as an excavator or a wheel loader in a mine, and a control center that controls the position and running state of the loader and the transport vehicle The present invention relates to a vehicle traveling system connected by a network, and is characterized in that a traveling section of a transport vehicle is determined in consideration of the communication quality of a base station for wireless communication. Hereinafter, a vehicle travel system according to a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

  First, a schematic configuration of the vehicle travel system according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a vehicle instruction system according to the first embodiment. A vehicle traveling system 1 shown in FIG. 1 includes excavators 10-1 and 10-2 for loading earth and sand and ore at a quarry such as a mine, and a dump truck (hereinafter "" 20-1 and 20-2), and an operation management server 31 installed in the vicinity of the quarry or in the remote control center 30.

  Each of the dump trucks 20-1 and 20-2 travels between the excavator 10-1 or 10-2 and an unillustrated earth ground along a traveling route 60 set in advance in the mine, and carries the load. . In the present embodiment, the dumps 20-1 and 20-2 will be described by taking an unmanned dump truck that travels autonomously without boarding an operator as an example. Can be applied.

  The excavators 10-1 and 10-2, the dumps 20-1 and 20-2, and the operation management server 31 are wirelessly connected to each other via the wireless communication line 40. In order to perform this wireless communication connection smoothly, a plurality of wireless base stations 41-1, 41-2, 41-3 are installed in the mine. Then, radio communication radio waves are transmitted and received via these base stations. The radio wave attenuates as the distance from each base station 41-1, 41-2, 41-3 increases. 1 are ranges in which radio waves can be transmitted and received between the base stations 41-1, 41-2 and 41-3 and the dumps 20-1 and 20-2. (Hereinafter referred to as “communication area”). The base stations 41-1, 41-2, and 41-3 are installed so that the communication areas 42-1, 42-2, and 42-3 are overlapped with each other. It is preferable to be able to connect to the wireless communication line 40. In FIG. 1, the call area is illustrated as a circle, but in reality, the call area may not be circular due to the influence of the topography.

  The excavators 10-1, 10-2 and the dumps 20-1, 20-2 are supplied from at least three navigation satellites 50-1, 50-2, 50-3 of the Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS). A position calculating device (not shown in FIG. 1) for receiving a positioning radio wave and acquiring the position of the host vehicle is provided. For example, GPS (Global Positioning System), GLONASS (Global Navigation Satellite System), or GALILEO may be used as the GNSS. Hereinafter, although excavator 10-1, 10-2 and each dump 20-1, 20-2 are demonstrated, excavator 10-1, excavator 10-2, and dump 20-1 and 20-2 are the same, respectively. Since it is a structure, it demonstrates about the shovel 10-1 and the dump 20-1, and abbreviate | omits description about the shovel 10-2 and the dump 20-2.

  The excavator 10-1 is an ultra-large hydraulic excavator, and is provided at the traveling body 11, the revolving body 12 that is turnable on the traveling body 11, the cab 13, and the front center of the revolving body 12. And a front work machine 14. The front work machine 14 includes a boom 15 provided so as to be able to move up and down with respect to the revolving body 12, an arm 16 provided rotatably at the tip of the boom 15, and a bucket 17 attached to the tip of the arm 16. Including. An antenna 18 for connecting to a wireless communication line is installed in a place with good visibility in the excavator 10-1, for example, in the upper part of the cab 13.

  The dump truck 20-1 has a frame 21 that forms a main body, a front wheel 22 and a rear wheel 23, and a loading platform that can rotate in the vertical direction about a hinge pin (not shown) provided at a rear portion of the frame 21. 24 and a pair of left and right hoist cylinders (not shown) for rotating the loading platform 24 in the vertical direction. In addition, the dump 20-1 is provided with an antenna 25 for connecting to the wireless communication line 40 in a place with a good view, for example, in front of the upper surface of the dump 20-1.

  Furthermore, the in-vehicle terminal device 26 for autonomously traveling according to the instruction from the operation management server 31 is mounted on the dump 20-1.

  The operation management server 31 is connected to an antenna 32 for connecting to the wireless communication line 40. The operation management server 31 is connected to each of the excavators 10-1, 10-2, and the dumps 20-1, 20-2 via the antenna 32 and the radio base stations 41-4, 41-2, 41-3. Communicate with.

  Next, with reference to FIG. 2, the hardware configuration of the operation management server 31 and the in-vehicle terminal device 26 of FIG. 1 will be described. FIG. 2 is a hardware configuration diagram of the operation management server and the in-vehicle terminal device.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the operation management server 31 includes a server-side control device 311, a server-side input device 312, a server-side display device 313, a server-side communication device 314, a communication bus 315, a master map information database (hereinafter referred to as “database”). DB 316), communication quality information DB 317, and operation management information DB 318.

  The server-side control device 311 controls the operation of each component of the operation management server 31, and includes a calculation / control device such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a ROM (Read Only Memory), and a RAM (Random Access Memory). , Hardware including a storage device such as HDD (Hard Disk Drive) and software executed by the server-side control device 311. Each function of the operation management server 31 is realized by executing software by these hardware.

  The server-side input device 312 is configured by an input device such as a mouse or a keyboard, and functions as an interface that receives an input operation from an operator.

  The server side display device 313 is composed of a liquid crystal monitor or the like, and functions as an interface for displaying and providing information to the operator.

  The server-side communication device 314 may use a wireless communication device that conforms to the standards of Wi-Fi (Wireless Fidelity) or IEEE (Institut of Electrical and Electronics Engineers).

  The communication bus 315 electrically connects the components to each other.

  The master map information DB 316 is configured using a storage device such as an HDD that is fixedly stored, and is defined by position information of each point (hereinafter referred to as “node”) on the travel route 60 and sublinks that connect the nodes. The travel route information is stored. Further, it may include mine topographic information and absolute coordinates of each node (three-dimensional actual coordinates calculated based on positioning radio waves). Each node is given position identification information (hereinafter referred to as “node ID”) that uniquely identifies the node.

  The communication quality information DB 317 is configured by using a storage device such as an HDD that is fixedly stored, and a communication quality index that indicates a quality level of a connection status between the dump 20-1 and the operation management server 31 at each point on the travel route 60. The value is stored in association with the node ID. The “communication quality index value” here is communication quality information indicating the ease of establishing a wireless communication connection between the operation management server 31 and the dump 20-1, and is used for wireless connection in each node, for example. The reception power value indicating the radio field intensity and the success rate of the wireless communication connection between the operation management server 31 and the dump 20-1. The “success rate” may be paraphrased as a communication connection error rate. In this case, the direction of the inequality sign for threshold determination, which will be described later, is opposite to the case where the success rate is used. Details of the communication quality index value will be described later.

  The operation management information DB 318 is configured using a storage device such as an HDD that is stored in a fixed manner, and stores operation information on the dump such as the current position of each dump and the traveling speed.

  The operation management server 31 is connected to the antenna 32 via the wired communication line 33 and is connected to the radio base stations 41-1, 41-2 and 41-3 via the radio communication line 40. In addition, each said database is provided only with the memory | storage part which memorize | stores master map information, communication quality information, and operation management information, and the server side control apparatus 311 may perform update / search processing of those databases, The database may be equipped with an engine for performing update / retrieval processing of information in the storage unit. The same applies to various databases described later.

  Next, the in-vehicle terminal device 26 mounted on the dump 20-1 includes a terminal-side control device 261, a terminal-side input device 262, a terminal-side display device 263, a terminal-side communication device 264, a communication bus 265, and a terminal-side map information DB 266. , A travel control device 267, an external sensor device 268, and a position calculation device 269.

  The terminal-side control device 261 controls the operation of each component of the in-vehicle terminal device 26, and includes hardware including a calculation / control device such as a CPU, a storage device such as ROM, RAM, and HDD, and server-side control. And software executed by the device 311. Each function of the in-vehicle terminal device 26 is realized by executing software by these hardware.

  The terminal-side input device 262 is configured by an input device such as a touch panel or various switches, and functions as an interface that receives an input operation from an operator.

  The terminal side display device 263 is configured by a liquid crystal monitor or the like, and functions as an interface for displaying and providing information to the operator.

  The terminal-side communication device 264 may also be a wireless communication device that is a general-purpose product that conforms to Wi-Fi or IEEE standards.

  The communication bus 265 electrically connects the components to each other.

  The terminal-side map information DB 266 is configured using a storage device that is fixedly stored such as an HDD, and stores the same map information as the map information stored in the master map information DB 316.

  The travel control device 267 is configured to provide acceleration / deceleration amounts to drive devices (hereinafter referred to as “travel drive devices”) related to travel of the dump 20-1, such as an acceleration / deceleration device, a braking device, and a steering device of the dump 20-1. It is a control device for transmitting a braking amount and a steering angle.

  The external sensor device 268 is a sensor for detecting an obstacle ahead of the traveling direction (traveling direction) of the dump 20-1 such as a millimeter wave radar or a front camera, and the type thereof is not limited. The detection result of the external sensor device 268 is output to the dump-side control device 261, and is used for monitoring the driving position and accelerating / decelerating so as not to leave the driving route in normal times. Used.

  The position calculation device 269 calculates the current position of the host vehicle based on positioning radio waves from the navigation satellites 50-1, 50-2, and 50-3 (see FIG. 1).

  Next, with reference to FIG. 3, the function structure of the operation management server 31 and the vehicle-mounted terminal device 26 of FIG. 1 is demonstrated. FIG. 3 is a functional block diagram illustrating main functions of the operation management server and the in-vehicle terminal device.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the server-side control device 311 of the operation management server 31 includes a travel-permitted section setting unit 311a, a communication quality determination unit 311b, a server-side communication control unit 311c, and a communication interface (hereinafter “communication I / F”). 311d).

  The travel permission section setting unit 311a refers to the map information of the master map information DB 316 and the operation management information DB 318, and in response to a request from each dump 20-1, the current position of the dump 20-1 on the travel route 60 A front boundary point is set at a further forward point, and a rear boundary point is set at a point ahead of or at the current position of the dump 20-1 and behind the front boundary point. And the driving | running | working path | route 60 between a front boundary point and a back boundary point is set as a driving | running | working permission area which permits driving | running | working with respect to the dump 20-1 which issued the request | requirement. Further, a permission request point that is a point for transmitting a request from the dump 20-1 is calculated based on either the front boundary point or the rear boundary point, and the communication quality of the permission request section determined by the permission request point is a predetermined quality. When the condition that can be regarded as satisfying the condition (condition for determining that the communication environment is good) is satisfied, the travel permission section is set.

  The communication quality determination unit 311b refers to the communication quality information DB 317, and based on the communication quality index value indicating the quality level of the connection status between the dump 20-1 and the operation management server 31, the permission request section determined at the permission request point. Determine communication quality. In the present embodiment, whether or not at least one point within the permission request section includes a point where the communication index value exceeds the threshold will be described as a criterion for determining whether or not the communication is good, but this criterion is not limited to the above. . For example, if there are multiple consecutive communication failure points that fall within a predetermined margin from the threshold (within an acceptable range that cannot be said to be communication failure), communication is established by repeating communication between the points. Since there is a relatively high possibility, it may be determined that the communication amount is good for the section.

  The server-side communication control unit 311c receives permission request information indicating the content of the request for each dump 20-1, and performs control to transmit permission response information indicating a travel permission section set in response to the request.

  Next, the in-vehicle terminal device 26 will be described. The terminal-side control device 261 of the in-vehicle terminal device 26 includes a travel control unit 261a, a terminal-side communication control unit 261b, and a communication I / F 261c.

  The travel control unit 261a acquires the current position of the host vehicle from the position calculation device 269, refers to the map information in the terminal-side map information DB 266, and is included in the permission response information that the operation management server 31 responds to the travel permission request. The travel control device 267 is controlled to travel the vehicle according to the travel permitted section. Further, the traveling control unit 261a determines the presence or absence of a front obstacle based on the detection result of the external sensor device 268, and also determines the presence or absence of an interference with the obstacle and a collision avoidance operation. Control for.

  The terminal-side communication control unit 261b transmits permission request information for requesting the next travel permission section to the operation management server 31 and the travel permission section set according to the permission request information from the operation management server 31. Control to receive permission response information indicating.

  Next, a wireless communication process between the operation management server and the autonomous traveling dump will be described based on FIG. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of an information format transmitted and received between the operation management server and the traveling dump, in which (a) illustrates a permission request information format transmitted from the dump to the operation management server, and (b) ) Shows the permission response information format transmitted from the operation management server to the dump, and (c) shows the reception confirmation information format transmitted from the dump to the operation management server.

  As shown in FIG. 4A, the permission request information format 400 includes request identification information 401 for uniquely identifying permission request information, and dump information 402 of a dump that has transmitted permission request information. The dump information 402 includes a dump ID 402a that uniquely identifies the dump that transmitted the permission request information, dump current position information 402b that indicates the current position of the dump calculated based on the positioning radio wave, and dump information such as travel speed and tire pressure. It includes state information 402c indicating the state.

  As shown in FIG. 4B, the permission response information format 410 includes response identification information 411 for uniquely identifying the response information, and travel permission section information 412 indicating information related to the travel permission section. The response identification information 411 is information that can uniquely identify which permission request information is the response. Thereby, even when the broadcast is transmitted from the operation management server 31 through the wireless communication line 40, each dump receives response identification information 411 and is response information corresponding to permission request information issued by the own vehicle. Can be identified.

  The travel permitted section information 412 includes front boundary point coordinates 412a, rear boundary point coordinates 412b, and speed limit information 412c.

  As shown in FIG. 4C, the reception confirmation information format 420 includes reception confirmation identification information 421 for uniquely identifying the reception confirmation information, and reception confirmation information 422 including information related to the reception confirmation.

  The reception confirmation information 422 includes a dump ID 422a that uniquely identifies the dump for transmitting the reception confirmation, response identification information 422b for indicating which permission response information is received, and the current position of the dump when the reception confirmation information is transmitted Dump current position information 422c indicating

  Next, a table configuration of communication quality information stored in the communication quality information DB held by the operation management server will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a configuration of the communication quality information table according to the first embodiment.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the communication quality information table 500 includes a “request transmission point information” record 501, a “successful reception count” record 502, a “communication quality indicator” record 503, a “transmission source ID” record 504, and a “communication”. An “occurrence time” record 505 is included.

  A travel route 60 (see FIG. 1) on which the dump truck 20-1 travels is configured by various nodes on the travel route and sublinks connecting adjacent nodes. Each node has a one-to-one correspondence with the point coordinates of the node, and a point on the travel route can be uniquely specified by specifying the three-dimensional real coordinates or node ID of each point. .

  Therefore, the “request transmission point information” record 501 registers the node ID when the dump 20-1 transmits the travel permission request information. When the current position information indicated by the dump current position 402b of the permission request information format 400 indicates a node ID, this node ID is displayed. When the current position information of the dump is expressed by three-dimensional real coordinates, the node ID corresponding to the actual coordinates is displayed. Register.

  The “number of successful receptions” record 502 is incremented by 1 when a travel permission request is received from the dump 20-1. If the reception confirmation information is received, the permission response information and the reception confirmation information indicate that the transmission / reception can be transmitted / received to / from the other party. Note that the same node ID is counted up by 2 because the time required for transmission / reception of the permission response information and the reception confirmation information is short (in milliseconds). It is assumed that the node does not move to the node, that is, the permission response information is received by the same node and the reception confirmation information is transmitted.

  The “communication quality index” record 503 stores an index value indicating the ease of establishing a wireless communication connection between the operation management server 31 and the dump 20-1. The index value can be indicated by, for example, a communication success rate between the operation management server 31 and the dump 20-1, or a radio wave intensity from the base station. The success rate is expressed by the following formula (1).

E = {(Σ_est) / (Σ_req)} × 100 (1)
However,
Σ_est: The total number of times that the wireless communication connection is established between the operation management server 31 and the dump 20-1.
Σ_req: Total number of times that wireless communication connection is requested from the operation management server 31 or the dump 20-1 E: Communication success rate

  In Expression (1), the total number of times (Σ_req) requested for wireless communication connection from the operation management server 31 or the dump 20-1 may be difficult to obtain in practice. For example, when the permission request information wirelessly transmitted from the dump 20-1 does not reach any wireless base station, the wireless base stations 41-1, 41-2, 41-3 and the operation management server 31 are connected by wireless communication. I can't get information that is requested.

  Therefore, the total number of times (Σ_req) requested for wireless communication connection from the operation management server 31 or the dump 20-1 may be used as the communication quality index value. In this case, the “number of successful receptions” record 502 and the “communication quality index value” record 503 indicate the same value, so only one of them is sufficient.

  Further, as the communication quality index value 503, a received power value signal (a signal indicating a voltage converted from a radio wave received by the communication I / F) indicating the radio wave intensity received by the in-vehicle terminal device 26 may be used.

  The “transmission source ID” record 504 records a dump ID that uniquely identifies the dump of the transmission source.

  The “communication occurrence time” record 505 includes the time when the dump 20-1 transmits wireless communication.

[Processing operations and effects]
Hereinafter, with reference to FIG.6 and FIG.7, the processing operation of the vehicle travel system which concerns on this embodiment is demonstrated. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a travel permission section setting process in the vehicle travel system according to the present embodiment, in which (a) illustrates a state during traveling in the travel permission section n, and (b) illustrates a permission request point. (C) shows the setting state of the release section and the first front boundary point, and (d) shows the setting state of the next front boundary point. FIG. 7 is a sequence diagram showing the flow of the setting process of the travel permission section in the vehicle travel system according to the present embodiment.

  As shown in FIG. 6A, the travel route 60 is defined including a plurality of points (nodes) 61 and at least one or more sublinks 62. The travel permission section is a section that is given to each dump and may travel autonomously. FIG. 6A shows a travel permission section n including seven nodes 61 and six sublinks 62 that connect adjacent nodes. In the travel permission section n, the dump 20-1 transmits permission request information while traveling in the immediately preceding travel permission section n-1 (not shown), and the permission response transmitted from the operation management server 31 in response thereto. It is defined by the travel permitted section information included in the information (see reference numeral 412 in FIG. 4).

  In FIG. 6, the rear boundary point of the travel permitted section n is indicated by BP_bn, and the front boundary point is indicated by BP_fn. The permission request section is defined as up to four rear nodes including the front boundary point BP_fn as a reference. Note that the method for determining the permission request section is not limited to this, and the permission request section may be determined based on the rear boundary point. Further, the node located at the rearmost in the permission request section is a point where the dump 20-1 starts transmitting permission request information, and is hereinafter referred to as a permission request point (illustrated as RP in the figure).

  As shown in FIG. 6B, when the dump 20-1 reaches the permission request point RP, the dump 20-1 requests the operation management server 31 for the next travel permission section information via the wireless communication line 40. Information (permission request information) is transmitted.

  When the operation management server 31 receives the permission request information, the operation management server 31 performs a release section setting process shown in FIG. The release section is a section in which the operation management server 31 releases the section set as the travel permission section in response to the previous travel permission request so that travel permission can be given to another dump. The operation management server 31 sets a predetermined distance and beyond as a release section from the node to which the dump 20-1 transmits the permission request information.

  Next, the operation management server 31 sets a new travel permission section. The operation management server 31 sets the rear boundary point BP_bn + 1 of the new travel-permitted section n + 1 as the foremost end node in the released section.

  In addition, the front boundary point of the new travel permitted section n + 1 is temporarily set to one of the nodes ahead of the current position of the dump 20-1 (the frontmost node of the release section), BP_f1. Then, in accordance with a predetermined condition (in the above description, the front boundary point BP_fn is used as a reference, and up to four nodes including this as a permission request section), the permission request point RP_1 based on the temporarily set BP_f1 And the communication quality of the nodes included between RP_1 and BP_f1 is determined. When the communication quality index value of any node does not exceed the predetermined value, that is, when the success rate is lower than the threshold value, reliability is lowered when wireless communication is performed at that point. Therefore, at a point different from the temporarily set front boundary point BP_f1, (d) of FIG. 6, a node further forward than BP_f1 is temporarily set as the front boundary point BP_f2.

  And the communication quality of the area from the permission request | requirement point RP_2 to BP_f2 on the basis of the front boundary point BP_f2 is confirmed. When the communication quality at this point is good, for example, when the success rate is equal to or higher than the threshold, the front boundary point BP_f2 that is temporarily set again is set as the front boundary point of the new travel-permitted section n + 1. As a result, the rear boundary point BP_bn + 1 to the front boundary point BP_f2 is set as a new travel permission section n + 1. The result is transmitted as permission response information to the dump.

  That is, in the permission response information, in the travel permission information format shown in FIG. 4B, the “front boundary point coordinates” 412a includes the coordinates of the node BP_f2, and the “rear boundary point coordinates” 412b includes the node BP_bn + 1. The speed limit 412c is determined according to the distance between the vehicle ahead and the terrain information.

  Next, processing operations between the dump 20-1 and the management server 31 will be described in the order of steps in FIG.

  The dump 20-1 autonomously travels in the travel permission section n in which there is a response from the operation management server 31 in response to the previous travel permission request (S701).

  When the dump 20-1 reaches the permission request point (S702), the dump 20-1 starts transmission of permission request information to the operation management server 31 (S703). More specifically, the terminal-side communication control unit 261d transmits permission request information via the communication I / F 261c and the terminal-side communication device 264. Even after transmission, the dump 20-1 continues to travel in the travel permission section n.

  The radio base station 41-1 transfers permission request information to the operation management server 31 (S704).

  When receiving the travel permission request, the communication quality determination unit 311b of the operation management server 31 writes the communication quality information DB 317 (S705). Details will be described later.

  The travel permission section setting unit 311a sets a section behind the point indicated by the dump current position information (see reference numeral 402 in FIG. 4A) included in the received permission request information as a release section (S706). . The section set as the release section here is an area where other dump trucks can travel.

  Next, the travel permission section setting unit 311a determines a new travel permission section n + 1 (S707). Details of this processing will be described later.

  The server-side communication control unit 311c transmits information (permission response information) indicating the new travel-permitted section n + 1 to the dump 20-1 via the communication I / F 311d and the server-side communication device 314 (S708), and wireless The base station 41-1 transfers the permission response information (S709). The permission response information is temporarily stored in the operation management server 31 for later verification with the reception result information.

  The dump 20-1 receives the permission response information, autonomously travels in the new travel permission section n + 1 (S710), and transmits reception result information indicating that the permission response information has been received (S711). The radio base station 41-1 transfers the reception result information to the operation management server 31 (S712).

  The communication quality determination unit 311b of the operation management server 31 refers to the permission response information temporarily stored, and determines which permission response information the communication result has been established for the reception result information. Then, the communication quality determination unit 311b increments the value of the “successful reception count” record 502 in the communication quality information DB 317 that matches the node ID that transmitted and received the permission response information and the reception result information by two.

  Next, based on FIG. 8, the process of the operation management server for realizing the series of processes described in FIG. 7 will be described. FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating a flow of setting processing of a travel permission section by the operation management server.

  The operation management server 31 starts processing after turning on the main power (S801), and waits for reception of permission request information from the dump 20-1 (S802). If it is not possible to confirm that the permission request information has been received (S803 / No), the process returns to step S802 and continues to wait for reception of permission request information. When it is confirmed that the permission request information has been received (S803 / Yes), the communication quality determination unit 311b writes into the communication quality information DB 317 (S804, corresponding to step S705 in FIG. 7).

  Next, the travel permission section setting unit 311a checks the current position information of the dump included in the permission request information (S805), and determines a rear release section based on the current position information of the dump (S806, S706 in FIG. 7). Equivalent). The rear boundary point is temporarily set at the forefront point of the release section. In addition, “temporary setting” in the present embodiment means a state until it is determined to be used as a boundary point of a new travel permitted section, and the temporarily set front boundary point, rear boundary point, permission request point Regardless of whether there is any change. Therefore, the front boundary point, the rear boundary point, and the permission request point until a new travel permission section is set are all temporarily set.

  The travel permission section setting unit 311a temporarily sets a boundary point of a new travel permission section (S807), and calculates a permission request section and a permission request point calculated backward from the boundary point (S808). In this embodiment, a front boundary point is temporarily set, and a permission request section / point is calculated.

  The communication quality determination unit 311b refers to the communication quality table 500 stored in the communication quality information DB 317 and determines whether the communication quality in the permission request section is good, in other words, the communication quality index value is equal to or greater than the predetermined threshold. It is determined whether a point is included, and it is determined whether the permission request section includes a point where the communication quality index value is equal to or greater than the predetermined threshold. When the communication quality determination unit 311b determines that the communication quality index value of at least one point included in the permission request section is higher than the threshold value (S809 / Yes), the travel permission section setting unit 311a The travel permission section n + 1 having the front end of the release section as the rear boundary point is set as a new travel permission section, permission response information is generated, and the wireless communication line 40 is connected to the dump 20-1 from the communication control unit 311c. (S810).

  When the communication quality determination unit 311b determines that the communication quality of the permission request section is poor, in other words, the communication quality index values at all points included in the section are less than the threshold (S809 / No), the travel permission section setting unit 311a Then, it is confirmed whether the front boundary point can be changed. If it cannot be changed (S811 / No), the travel permission section setting unit 311a transmits a stop command to the dump 20-1 (S812).

  If it can be changed (S811 / Yes), the temporarily set front boundary point is changed to the front or rear, and temporarily set again (S813). At this time, it is desirable to give priority to changing to the front. Thereby, as a result of the dump 20-1 continuing to travel autonomously, it is easy to suppress the inconvenience that the dump 20-1 passes through the newly set front boundary point.

  Thereafter, the process returns to step S808, and again calculates the permission request section and permission request point based on the temporarily set front boundary point, and evaluates the communication quality (S809).

  By repeating the processing described above, the dump can perform wireless communication at a place with good communication quality. Further, even when there is no place where good communication quality can be obtained, it is possible to stop safely by a stop command from the server.

  Next, based on FIG. 9, the flow of processing on the dump side for realizing the series of processing described in FIG. 7 will be described. FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing the flow of the dump traveling control process.

  The dump 20-1 always recognizes its own position by the position calculation device 269 while traveling in the travel permission section determined by the previous travel permission response (S901). Then, the traveling control unit 261a determines whether or not the current position has reached the permission request point (S902). When it is recognized that the dump 20-1 has not reached the permission request point (S902 / No), the process returns to step S902 and continues to determine whether the permission request point has been reached.

  When it is determined that the travel control unit 261a has reached the permission request point (S902 / Yes), the communication control unit 261b transmits permission request information to the operation management server 31 (S903). The communication control unit 261b starts measuring the elapsed time after transmitting the permission request information.

  And it waits for reception until the permission response information with respect to permission request information is transmitted from the operation management server 31 (S904).

  Since the dump 20-1 continues to travel during that time, the traveling control unit 261a determines whether or not the current position exceeds the traveling permitted section (S905). If the current position of the dump 20-1 is approaching the end of the given travel permitted section (S905 / Yes), the travel control unit 261a may cause a collision with another dump, so the travel control unit 261a The travel control device 207 controls a travel drive device for stopping the vehicle (S906).

  If the current position is sufficiently far from the end of the travel permitted section (S905 / No), autonomous travel is continued as it is.

  The communication control unit 261b also determines whether or not the waiting time for receiving the permission response information exceeds a preset time-out time. When the time-out time is exceeded (S907 / Yes), the permission request information is stored in the operation management server 31 for some reason. Therefore, the process returns to S903, and permission request information is transmitted again. At this time, the value of the time counter is also returned to 0, and time measurement is resumed.

  Before the timeout time (S907 / No), when the communication control unit 261b receives the permission response information (S908 / Yes), it updates to a new travel permission section based on the received information (S909) and continues autonomous travel. . If the communication control unit 261b does not receive a travel permission response before the timeout time (S907 / No) (S908 / No), the process returns to step S904 and waits for reception of permission response information.

  Next, processing of the operation management server described in FIG. 7 will be described based on FIG. FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing a flow of processing in which the operation management server stores and holds communication quality information.

  Until the operation management server 31 receives the permission request information, processing similar to steps S801 to S803 in FIG. 8 is executed, and thus the step number is used. That is, the operation management server 31 starts waiting for reception of a travel permission command (S802) after the start of processing (S801). Until the permission request information is received (S803 / No), the process returns to step S802 and continues to wait for permission request information.

  When the travel permission request is received (S803 / Yes), the measurement of the elapsed time after reception is started (S1001). The current position information of the dump included in the permission request information is confirmed (S1002), and a point where data can be received (hereinafter referred to as “reception point”) is specified. This reception point is a point where the dump sends a request, and the reception point is specified using the node ID at this time.

  If the reception point is already included in the communication quality information table 500 (S103 / Yes), the record corresponding to the corresponding request transmission point information is updated. (S1004)

  Specifically, if the node ID included in the “dump current position” 402b included in the permission request information is already registered in the communication quality information DB 317 “request transmission point information” record 501, “ The value of the “successful reception count” record 502 is incremented by one. For example, if the permission request information includes a radio wave reception value, the “communication quality index” record 503 is updated. When the number of successful receptions is used as a communication quality index, the update of the number of successful receptions is an update of the communication quality index. Further, the dump ID included in the travel permission request is written in the “sender ID” record 504. Further, the communication control unit 311c writes the time when the travel permission request is received in the “communication occurrence time”.

  If the request transmission point information is not included in the communication quality information table 500 (S1003 / No), the request transmission point information is newly added (S1005), and the process proceeds to step S1004.

  When the reception confirmation information is received (S1006 / Yes), the number of successful receptions (reference numeral 502 in FIG. 5) included in the corresponding request transmission point information is incremented by two (S1007), and the elapsed time measurement is finished. Is returned to 0, and the process returns to step S802.

  If the reception confirmation information is not received (S1006 / No) and the reception confirmation result is within the waiting time (S1008 / No), the process returns to step S1006 to continue waiting for the reception confirmation information. If the waiting time of the reception confirmation result is exceeded (S1006 / Yes), the measurement of the elapsed time is finished, the value of the time counter is returned to 0, and the process returns to step S802. Through the series of processes shown in FIG. 10, the operation management server 31 can collect the history of wireless communication that occurred at each point and use them as communication quality information.

  According to the present embodiment, it is possible to set the travel permitted section in consideration of the communication quality information. Accordingly, it is possible to prevent the dump from being stopped due to the inability to transmit / receive the travel permission request / response, and to improve the operation rate of the dump.

  Furthermore, in the present embodiment, the travel permission section is set in consideration of the communication quality itself, not the timing of wireless communication, so the present invention can be applied to any wireless device regardless of the communication method of the wireless device. Can be applied. Therefore, general-purpose wireless devices such as Wi-Fi and IEEE compatible products may be used, so the cost is lower than when using a dedicated device, and a new high-speed and large-capacity communication method is adopted as wireless technology advances. Even if a radio is available, it can be easily replaced with a new radio.

<Second embodiment>
[System configuration]
In the first embodiment, only the operation management server holds the communication quality information and uses it for determining the travel permitted section. In the second embodiment, the dump side also collects and holds the communication quality information and manages it. Notify the server. By collecting and holding the communication quality information on both the server side and the dump side, it is possible to determine the communication quality with higher accuracy, and to determine the travel permitted section based on the information. As a problem of maintaining communication quality information only on the server side, the server side can recognize the fact that reception was successful, but if the signal itself did not arrive despite the fact that the dump was sent, that fact is It cannot be recognized. In this embodiment, in order to solve the problem, the communication history transmitted on the dump side is retained, and the transmission history information is transmitted to the server. Hereinafter, the configuration of the vehicle travel system according to the second embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 11 to 14. FIG. 11 is a hardware configuration diagram of the in-vehicle terminal device according to the second embodiment. FIG. 12 is a diagram showing a configuration of a communication quality information table according to the second embodiment. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a configuration of a permission request information format according to the second embodiment. FIG. 14 is a diagram showing a configuration of another aspect of the communication quality information table according to the second embodiment.

  As shown in FIG. 11, the in-vehicle terminal device 26a mounted on the dump 20-1 according to the second embodiment includes a terminal-side communication quality information DB 1101 in addition to the configuration of the in-vehicle terminal device 26 according to the first embodiment. There is a feature. Since other configurations are the same as those of the first embodiment, description thereof is omitted.

  As shown in FIG. 12, the terminal-side communication quality information table 1201 stored in the terminal-side communication quality information DB 1101 includes a “request transmission point information” record 1201, a “response reception point information” record 1202, and a “communication quality indicator” record. 1203, a “transmission destination ID” record 1204, and a “transmission occurrence time” record 1205.

  The “request transmission point information” record 1200 stores position information (node ID) at the time when the dump transmits the permission request information. The “response reception point information” record 1202 stores position information (node ID) at the time when the dump 20-1 receives the permission response information. The “communication quality index” record 1203 stores the received power value when received, the result of communication success or failure, and the like.

  The “transmission source ID” record 1204 stores the dump ID of the transmission source of the permission request information. However, since the in-vehicle terminal device 26a is basically mounted in the dump once it is mounted in the dump, the same value is registered in all records as the unique information of the dump recorded in the transmission source ID. However, it is useful when determining the communication quality information from which dump when the terminal-side communication quality information table 1201 is transmitted (or output) to the operation management server 31.

  The “transmission occurrence time” record 1205 stores the time at which the permission request information is transmitted.

  FIG. 13 shows an example of the travel permission information format that the dump 20-1 transmits to the operation management server 31. The travel permission information format 1300 transmits a part or all of the communication quality information 1301 stored in the communication quality information table 1200 as the dump information 402 to the travel permission information format 400 of the first embodiment, so that the operation management server 31 can use the communication quality information on the dump side.

  As another aspect of the communication quality indicator table according to the second embodiment, as shown in FIG. 14, in addition to the configuration of the communication quality indicator table 1200 of FIG. 12, the dump 20-1 includes permission request information or reception confirmation information. A “request transmission frequency” record 1401 that records the number of times of actual transmission may be provided. In this case, the record information of the “request transmission count” record 1401 is added to the travel permission information format 1300 of FIG.

    The “request reception count” record 1401 records the number of times the operation management server 31 has received a travel permission request. The success rate may be calculated by applying the number of times permission request information is transmitted from the dump 20-1 to the operation management server 31 as Σ_req in the above-described equation (1).

[Processing operations and effects]
Next, based on FIG. 15, the processing operation of the operation management server in 2nd embodiment is demonstrated. FIG. 15 is a flowchart showing a flow of processing of the operation management server in the second embodiment.

  The process of FIG. 15 is performed following step S1002 of FIG. 10 of the operation management server 31 according to the first embodiment. That is, after confirming the current position of the dump (S1002), it is determined whether the transmission point of the received permission request information matches the node ID of the request transmission point information 1201 registered in the communication quality information DB (S1501). . The purpose of this process is to match the dump-side transmission history with the server-side reception history. If there is no matching data (S1501 / No), a new node ID is added (S1502).

  If there is matching data (S1501 / Yes), the transmission quality information DB is updated by associating the transmission information with the reception information (S1503). When the permission request information includes a received power value as a communication quality index, the “communication quality index” record 1203 of the communication quality information DB is rewritten. Further, when the number of consultations of the permission request information is used for the permission request information, the value of the “request transmission frequency” record 1401 provided in advance in the server-side communication quality information DB is incremented by one. When the operation management server 3 1 receives the reception confirmation information, the value of the “request transmission count” record 1401 is incremented by two. This is because the transmission of the permission response information from the server side and the transmission of the reception confirmation information from the dump side are added up and counted up by two.

  The communication quality determination unit 311b of the operation management server 31 recalculates the communication quality index value (S1504). The communication quality determination unit 311b divides the number of successful receptions in the server-side communication quality information DB 317 by the number of requested transmissions and updates and registers the communication quality index value. Note that this step can be omitted when an index value that does not need to be obtained by calculation, such as the received power value, is used. Next, the process proceeds to step S1006 in FIG. 10, and processing related to reception confirmation information is performed.

  According to the present embodiment, the server can hold a communication history in which a transmission history on the dump side and a reception history on the server side are associated, and based on more detailed communication history information, highly accurate communication quality information can be obtained. The used permission section can be determined.

<Third embodiment>
[System configuration]
In the vehicle travel system according to the third embodiment, as a method of collecting communication quality information, the dump itself does not collect communication quality information, but a navigation vehicle equipped with various sensors in a general vehicle separately collects communication quality information. It is embodiment to do. Hereinafter, the third embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 16 and 17. FIG. 16 is a hardware configuration diagram of the in-vehicle terminal device according to the third embodiment. FIG. 17 is a flowchart showing a flow of communication quality information collection processing by a navigation vehicle.

  As shown in FIG. 16, the in-vehicle terminal device 26b mounted on the navigation vehicle includes a navigation vehicle side control device 1601, a navigation vehicle side input device 1602, a navigation vehicle side display device 1603, and a navigation vehicle side communication device 1604. , Communication bus 1605, navigation vehicle side map information DB 1606, external sensor device 1607, and navigation vehicle side communication quality information DB 1608. Since the function of each of these components is the same as the function of each corresponding component of the in-vehicle terminal device 26 mounted on the dump 20-1 described above, a duplicate description is omitted.

[Processing operations and effects]
Next, a processing operation for collecting communication quality information of a navigation vehicle will be described along each step of FIG. While traveling on the travel route (S1701), the navigation vehicle transmits a signal for communication confirmation (referred to as a “communication confirmation signal”) at a time point that coincides with a periodic cycle (S1702 / Yes). Then, the measurement of the elapsed time is started (S1703). When it does not coincide with the periodic cycle (S1702 / No), the process returns to step S1701.

  If a communication confirmation signal is transmitted, it will transfer to the reception waiting state of the communication confirmation response signal from a wireless base station (S1704). When the communication confirmation response signal is received (S1705 / Yes), the fact that the communication was successful is recorded in the navigation vehicle side communication quality information DB 1608 mounted on the navigation vehicle together with the position information of the point (S1706).

  Without receiving the response signal (S1705 / No), if the reception timeout period is exceeded (S1707 / Yes), a communication error is recorded (S1708). Within the reception timeout period (S1706 / No), the process returns to step S1704 and waits for reception of a response signal.

  By traveling the mine transport path while repeating the above process, the navigation vehicle collects communication quality information in the mine area in advance and outputs it to the operation management server. Can be used.

  According to the present embodiment, the navigation vehicle collects communication quality information, so that it is possible to reduce data that is not directly related to traveling from the wireless transmission / reception data between the operation management server and the dump. As a result, the amount of data communication can be reduced and congestion on the wireless communication line can be reduced.

  In the above, the navigation vehicle collects the transmission / reception results of the communication confirmation signal between the navigation vehicle and the radio communication station, and the transmission / reception results are used as communication quality information. A log storage unit for storing the transmission / reception results of the above as log information may be provided, and when a communication confirmation signal is received from the navigation vehicle, the log information may be transmitted to the navigation vehicle, and this log information may be used as communication quality information. In this case, after the wireless base station transmits the log information, the log information may be deleted from the log storage unit. Thereby, the storage area of the log storage unit of the radio base station can be regularly arranged (refreshed). In addition, when the storage area of the log storage unit becomes full, it may be configured to overwrite data in the oldest transmission / reception history. Thereby, the latest log information can be left in the radio base station regardless of the storage capacity of the log storage unit.

<Fourth embodiment>
[System configuration]
The vehicle travel system according to the fourth embodiment does not determine the boundary point of the travel permission section so that the communication quality of the permission request point is good, but the boundary point remains fixed and the communication quality is good. This is an embodiment in which the permission request point itself is set. Since the apparatus configuration is the same as that of the first embodiment, description thereof is omitted.

[Processing operations and effects]
Hereinafter, based on FIG.18 and FIG.19, the processing operation which concerns on 4th embodiment is demonstrated. FIG. 18 is a diagram showing a travel permission section setting process in the fourth embodiment, where (a) shows a case where the communication quality index value of the temporarily set permission request point is less than a threshold, and (b) shows Next, a state where the communication quality index value of the temporarily set permission request point is greater than or equal to the threshold value is shown. FIG. 19 is a flowchart illustrating a flow of setting processing for a travel-permitted section by the operation management server according to the fourth embodiment.

  As shown to (a) of FIG. 18, in this embodiment, the driving | running | working permission area setting part 311a sets the front boundary point BP_fn + 1 of the new driving | running | working permission area n + 1 first. The rear boundary point BP_b is set to the node at the forefront point of the release section, as in the first embodiment.

  Then, the front boundary point BP_fn + 1 is fixed, and a point where the communication quality is good is determined at the permission request point RP_1 and the permission request point RP_2 (see FIG. 18B) and notified to the dump. Yes. If there is another dump in the previous section and it is not possible to change the boundary point of the permitted travel section for safety reasons, or you want to change the permitted travel section to increase the number of dumps and improve the operation rate This embodiment is particularly effective when there is no such case.

  Next, the processing operation of the operation management server according to the present embodiment will be described along the order of steps in FIG. The processing operation of the operation management server according to the present embodiment is the same as the operation in the first embodiment from the main power-on (step S801 in FIG. 8) until the rear release section is set (step S806 in FIG. 8). Since this is the same as the travel permission section determination process of the management server, the step numbers of FIG. 8 are also used in FIG.

  In the present embodiment, when the travel section setting unit 311a sets the front boundary point BP_fn + 1 (S1901), the permission request value point RP_1 based on the set front boundary point BP_fn + 1 is calculated according to a predetermined condition. (S1902).

  If the communication quality in the permission request section is good, that is, if the communication quality index value of at least one of the points included in the section is greater than or equal to the threshold (S1903 / Yes), it is determined in step S1901. From the front boundary point BP_fn + 1 to the forefront point of the rear boundary point BP_bn + 1 determined in step S806 is set as a new travel permission section n + 1 and notified to the dump (S1904). At this time, the location information of the permission request point in the new travel permitted section n + 1 is also notified.

  If the communication quality of all points included in the section is not good, that is, if the communication quality index value of all points included in the section is less than the threshold value (S1903 / No), it can be changed to another permission request point (S1905). If the change is not possible (S1905 / No), a travel stop command is transmitted to the dump (S1907). If it can be changed (S1905 / Yes), the permission request point is changed backward or forward (S1906), and the communication quality is confirmed again (S1903). By this series of processing, the permission request point can be set at a point with good communication quality.

  According to the present embodiment, the next travel-permitted section can be set by setting the permission request point to a point with good communication quality without changing the boundary point of the travel-permitted section. Accordingly, it is possible to secure the connection state of the wireless communication without affecting the dump travel permission section, and to suppress the reduction in the operation rate of the dump due to the interruption of the wireless communication.

  The above-described embodiment is an example for explaining the present invention, and is not intended to limit the scope of the present invention to the above-described embodiment. Those skilled in the art can implement the present invention in various other modes without departing from the gist of the present invention.

  For example, at least one of the second embodiment and the third embodiment may be combined with the first embodiment, or at least one of the second embodiment and the third embodiment may be combined with the fourth embodiment. Good.

  Further, in the above description, the rear boundary point is set at the frontmost point of the release section. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the rear boundary point may be set before the frontmost point.

  In the above description, the travel permission section is described as being between the front boundary point and the rear boundary point, but may be a travel permission section from the front boundary point to the current dump position. That is, the travel permission setting unit may set a travel permission section in which the rear is released. In this case, the permission request point may be calculated based on the front boundary point. Assuming that the dump truck moves forward, the dump truck can travel from the current position to the front boundary point. Even in this case, the effect of the present invention can be achieved by setting the front boundary point in consideration of the radio quality.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Vehicle traveling system 10-1, 10-2 Excavator 20-1, 20-2 Dump 31 Operation management server 40 Wireless communication line 41-1, 41-2, 41-3 Wireless base station 60 Traveling route 61 Node 62 Sublink

Claims (7)

A transport vehicle that travels along a predetermined travel route in the premises of the mine, and an operation management server that manages the operation of the transport vehicle, are vehicle travel systems that are connected to each other via a wireless communication line,
The traveling vehicle travels along the traveling route between a front boundary point at a point ahead of the current position of the transport vehicle on the travel route and a rear boundary point at a point behind the front boundary point. A travel-permitted section setting unit that is set as a permitted travel-permitted section;
A communication quality determination unit that determines whether or not a communication quality index value indicating a quality level of a connection status to the wireless communication line at each point on the travel route is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold;
A communication control unit for controlling transmission / reception of permission request information for requesting setting of a new travel permission section ahead of the current position of the transport vehicle, and permission response information indicating the new travel permission section;
With
The travel permission section setting unit temporarily sets a front boundary point and a rear boundary point of the new travel permission section according to the permission request information, and is located between the front boundary point and the rear boundary point, The transport vehicle calculates a permission request point for transmitting permission request information for requesting setting of a new travel permission section located in front of the new travel permission section,
The communication quality determination unit determines whether a point where the communication quality index value is equal to or greater than the predetermined threshold is included in the permission request section determined at the permission request point, and the communication quality index is included in the permission request section. When a point whose value is equal to or greater than the predetermined threshold is included, the travel permission section setting unit sets the provisionally set front boundary point and rear boundary point as the new travel permission section. ,
A vehicle travel system characterized by that. The travel permission section setting unit temporarily sets a front boundary point, and a point where the communication quality index value is greater than or equal to the predetermined threshold is calculated in the permission request section calculated based on the temporarily set front boundary point. If it is not determined, temporarily set a different point from the temporarily set front boundary point as a front boundary point, and calculate a new permission request section based on the front set boundary point again. When there is a point where the communication quality index value is equal to or greater than the predetermined threshold in the new permission request section, the new travel is performed between the front boundary point temporarily set again and the rear boundary point. Set as permitted section,
The vehicle travel system according to claim 1. The travel permission section setting unit temporarily sets the front boundary point and the rear boundary point, temporarily sets the permission request point between the front boundary point and the rear boundary point, and the temporarily set permission request point When it is determined that there is no point where the communication quality index value is equal to or greater than the predetermined threshold in the permission request section determined by (b), the temporary setting is between the set front boundary point and the rear boundary point. A point different from the permission request point is temporarily set again as a new permission request point, and it is determined that there is a point where the communication quality index value is equal to or greater than the predetermined threshold in the temporarily set new permission request point. When it is done, the temporary boundary between the front boundary point and the rear boundary point is set as the new travel permission section,
The vehicle travel system according to claim 1. A communication quality information storage unit that stores communication quality information in which position identification information that uniquely identifies each point on the travel route and a communication quality index value of each point are associated;
When the communication control unit transmits and receives the permission request information or the permission response information, the communication quality determination unit updates the communication quality information.
The vehicle travel system according to claim 1. The communication quality index value is at least one of a success rate of wireless communication connection between the transport vehicle and the operation management server, and a received power value indicating a radio wave intensity used for the wireless communication connection received by the transport vehicle. It is characterized by being
The vehicle travel system according to claim 1. An operation management server that manages the operation of a transport vehicle that travels along a predetermined travel route in a mine premises,
The traveling vehicle travels along the traveling route between a front boundary point at a point ahead of the current position of the transport vehicle on the travel route and a rear boundary point at a point behind the front boundary point. A travel-permitted section setting unit that is set as a permitted travel-permitted section;
A communication quality determination unit that determines whether or not a communication quality index value indicating a quality level of a connection status to the wireless communication line at each point on the travel route is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold;
Server side communication for performing control to receive permission request information for requesting setting of a new travel permission section ahead of the current position of the transport vehicle and to transmit permission response information indicating the new travel permission section A control unit;
With
The travel permission section setting unit temporarily sets a front boundary point and a rear boundary point of the new travel permission section according to the permission request information, and is located between the front boundary point and the rear boundary point, The transport vehicle calculates a permission request point for transmitting permission request information for requesting setting of a new travel permission section located in front of the new travel permission section,
The communication quality determination unit determines whether the permission request section determined at the permission request point includes a point where the communication quality index value is equal to or greater than the predetermined threshold, and the communication quality index value is included in the permission request section. When the point that is equal to or greater than the predetermined threshold is included, the travel permission section setting unit sets the provisional front boundary point and the rear boundary point as the new travel permission section,
An operation management server characterized by that. A vehicle-mounted terminal device mounted on a transport vehicle that travels in accordance with an instruction from an operation management server connected through a wireless communication line with a predetermined travel route within a mine premises,
A position calculating device for calculating a current position of the transport vehicle;
A travel control unit configured to perform control for the transport vehicle to travel according to a travel permission section set by the operation management server and indicating a section in which travel of the transport vehicle is permitted in the travel route;
Terminal side communication for performing control to transmit permission request information for requesting setting of a new travel permission section ahead of the current position of the transport vehicle and to receive permission response information indicating the new travel permission section A control unit;
With
When the current position of the transport vehicle coincides with a permission request point that is a point where the permission request information is transmitted in the currently set travel permission section, the terminal-side communication control unit transmits the permission request information. ,
When the terminal-side communication control unit receives the permission response information, the travel control unit performs control for traveling according to the new travel permission section included in the permission response information.
An in-vehicle terminal device characterized by the above.