IP Library › Granted Patent US 12,503,110
Granted Patent B2
US 12,503,110 · App. 18/273,578 · Granted Dec 23, 2025

Unmanned vehicle management method and system for determining inter-vehicle distance between sprinkling vehicle and unmanned vehicle

Inventors: Kazuma Takeda (Tokyo, JP); Takashi Hiranaka (Tokyo, JP); Kenta Osagawa (Tokyo, JP)
Assignee: KOMATSU LTD.
B60W30/16B60W10/18B60W60/001E01H3/02B60W2300/125B60W2520/06B60W2554/802
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,503,110
App. No.
18/273,578
Granted
Dec 23, 2025
Kind
B2
Abstract

An unmanned vehicle management system includes: an inter-vehicle distance determination unit that determines an inter-vehicle distance between a sprinkling vehicle and an unmanned vehicle traveling behind the sprinkling vehicle in a same direction as that of the sprinkling vehicle based on a sprinkling state from a sprinkling spray provided in the sprinkling vehicle traveling in a work site; and an output unit that outputs, to the unmanned vehicle, inter-vehicle distance data indicating the inter-vehicle distance determined by the inter-vehicle distance determination unit.

Claims (49)

1 . An unmanned vehicle management method in a work site where a sprinkling vehicle configured to travel and sprinkle from a sprinkling spray provided in the sprinkling vehicle, and an unmanned vehicle configured to travel behind the sprinkling vehicle in a same direction as that of the sprinkling vehicle; comprising:

calculating an inter-vehicle distance between the sprinkling vehicle and the unmanned vehicle to be longer than a distance calculated by adding a braking distance of the unmanned vehicle to a distance that sprinkling by the sprinkling spray reaches based on a sprinkling state from a sprinkling spray;

outputting inter-vehicle distance data indicating the inter-vehicle distance to the unmanned vehicle to set the inter-vehicle distance, and

controlling the unmanned vehicle according to the calculated inter-vehicle distance between the sprinkling vehicle and the unmanned vehicle.

2 . The unmanned vehicle management method according to claim 1 ,

wherein the sprinkling spray is disposed at a rear portion of the sprinkling vehicle, and sprinkles water behind the sprinkling vehicle while the sprinkling vehicle moves forward.

3 . The unmanned vehicle management method according to claim 1 , comprising

controlling a traveling device of the unmanned vehicle such that the unmanned vehicle maintains the inter-vehicle distance.

4 . The unmanned vehicle management method according to claim 1 ,

wherein the inter-vehicle distance is longer than a distance by which sprinkling by the sprinkling spray reaches the unmanned vehicle.

5 . The unmanned vehicle management method according to claim 1 ,

wherein an inter-vehicle distance set while sprinkling by the sprinkling spray is being executed is longer than an inter-vehicle distance set while sprinkling by the sprinkling is stopped.

6 . The unmanned vehicle management method according to claim 1 ,

wherein an inter-vehicle distance set while water is sprinkled from the sprinkling spray with a first sprinkling amount is longer than an inter-vehicle distance when water is sprinkled with a second sprinkling amount smaller than the first sprinkling amount.

7 . The unmanned vehicle management method according to claim 1 ,

wherein a plurality of the sprinkling spray is provided, and

an inter-vehicle distance set while sprinkling is sprinkled from a first number of the sprinkling spray is longer than an inter-vehicle distance set while sprinkling sprinkled from a second number of the sprinkling spray less than the first number.

8 . The unmanned vehicle management method according to claim 1 ,

wherein the sprinkling spray is installed at each of a plurality of positions in a vehicle width direction of the sprinkling vehicle, and

an inter-vehicle distance set while an installation position of the sprinkling spray is a central portion in the vehicle width direction is longer than an inter-vehicle distance set while the installation position is an end portion in the vehicle width direction.

9 . An unmanned vehicle management system comprising:

a sprinkling vehicle configured to travel and sprinkle in a work site from a sprinkling spray provided in the sprinkling vehicle;

an unmanned vehicle configured to travel behind the sprinkling vehicle in a same direction as that of the sprinkling vehicle, and a processor as a processing circuit configured to:

calculate an inter-vehicle distance between a sprinkling vehicle and an unmanned vehicle based on a sprinkling state from the sprinkling spray, wherein the inter-vehicle distance is calculated to be longer than a distance obtained by adding a braking distance of the unmanned vehicle to a distance that sprinkling by the sprinkling spray reaches;

output, to the unmanned vehicle, inter-vehicle distance data indicating the calculated inter-vehicle-distance to set the inter-vehicle distance; and

control the unmanned vehicle according to the calculated inter-vehicle distance between the sprinkling vehicle and the unmanned vehicle.

10 . The unmanned vehicle management system according to claim 9 ,

wherein the sprinkling spray is disposed at a rear portion of the sprinkling vehicle, and sprinkles water behind the sprinkling vehicle when the sprinkling vehicle moves forward.

11 . The unmanned vehicle management system according to claim 9 ,

wherein the processor calculates the inter-vehicle distance to be a distance longer than a distance by which sprinkling by the sprinkling spray reaches the unmanned vehicle.

12 . The unmanned vehicle management system according to claim 9 ,

wherein the sprinkling state includes a fist state where execution of sprinkling occurs and a second state where sprinkling is not executed, and

the processor calculates the inter-vehicle distance an inter-vehicle distance during the first state to be longer than an inter-vehicle distance during the second state.

13 . The unmanned vehicle management system according to claim 9 ,

wherein the sprinkling state includes a first state sprinkling a first sprinkling amount from the sprinkling spray and a second state sprinkling a second sprinkling amount smaller than the first sprinkling amount, and

the processor calculates the inter-vehicle distance during the first sprinkling state to be longer than an inter-vehicle distance during the second sprinkling state.

14 . The unmanned vehicle management system according to claim 9 ,

wherein a plurality of the sprinkling spray is provided,

the sprinkling state includes a first state where a first number of the sprinkling spray that executes sprinkling and a second state where a second number of the sprinkling spray that executes sprinkling, the second number of sprinkling spray being less than the first number of sprinkling spray, and

the processor calculates the inter-vehicle distance in the first state to be longer than an inter-vehicle distance in the second state.

15 . The unmanned vehicle management system according to claim 9 ,

wherein the sprinkling spray is installed at each of a plurality of positions in a vehicle width direction of the sprinkling vehicle,

the sprinkling state includes a first state wherein an installation position of the sprinkling spray is a central portion in the vehicle width direction and a second state wherein the installation position of the sprinkling spray is an end portion in the vehicle width direction, and

the processor calculates the inter-vehicle distance in the first state to be longer than an inter-vehicle distance in the second state.

16 . The unmanned vehicle management system according to claim 9 , comprising

the processor further configured to control a traveling device of the unmanned vehicle,

wherein the processor is configured to control the traveling device such that the unmanned vehicle maintains the inter-vehicle distance.

17 . The unmanned vehicle management system according to claim 9 ,

wherein the unmanned vehicle is an unmanned haul vehicle.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jul 21, 2023
From: TAKEDA, KAZUMA; HIRANAKA, TAKASHI; OSAGAWA, KENTA
To: KOMATSU LTD.
Reel/Frame 064337/0672 →
Priority Claims (1)
JP 2021-023449 · Feb 17, 2021 · national
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20240075928A1 · Mar 7, 2024
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