System for, and method of, controlling operation of a vehicle in a defined area

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10606261-B2
Application number	US-201615292603-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 13, 2016
Priority date	Sep 13, 2012
Publication date	Mar 31, 2020
Grant date	Mar 31, 2020

Abstract

A system 10 for controlling operation of a vehicle 12 in a defined area 14 includes a perimeter 16 defining a boundary of the defined area 14. A user interface 18 is provided for at least one of controlling and monitoring movement of the vehicle 12 as it traverses the area 14 and monitoring the location of the vehicle 12 relative to the perimeter 16. The system 10 further includes a controller 26 to which the vehicle 12 is responsive, the vehicle 12 having a plurality of modes of operation, one of which is an autonomous mode and another of which is an operator controlled mode. The controller 26 is operative, when the vehicle 12 is operating in the autonomous mode and the vehicle comes within a predetermined range of the perimeter, to inhibit the vehicle 12 from crossing the perimeter 16 and, when the vehicle 12 is operating in the operator controlled mode or is converted from autonomous mode to operator controlled mode, to permit the vehicle 12 to cross the perimeter 16 under control of the operator.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A system for controlling operation of a vehicle in a defined area, the system including
a perimeter associated with the defined area;
a user interface for at least one of controlling and monitoring movement of the vehicle and monitoring the location of the vehicle relative to the perimeter; and
a controller in communication with the user interface and to which the vehicle is responsive, the vehicle having a plurality of modes of operation, one of which is an autonomous mode and another of which is an operator controlled mode, and the controller being operative, when the vehicle is operating in the autonomous mode and the vehicle comes within a predetermined range of the perimeter, to inhibit the vehicle from crossing the perimeter, to switch from the autonomous mode to the operator controlled mode and, when the vehicle is operating in the operator controlled mode or is converted from autonomous mode to operator controlled mode, to enable an operator to manoeuvre the vehicle relative to the perimeter and to permit the vehicle to cross the perimeter under control of the operator.

2. The system of claim 1 in which the controller is configured to place the vehicle in an idle mode when the vehicle comes within the predetermined range of the perimeter to enable the operator to switch the vehicle from the autonomous mode to the operator controlled mode to enable the operator to manoeuvre the vehicle relative to the perimeter.

3. The system of claim 1 in which the controller is configured to inhibit the vehicle from at least one of touching the perimeter and approaching within the predetermined range of the perimeter.

4. The system of claim 1 in which the user interface is remotely located relative to the defined area and in which the operator controlled mode of operation is a remote control mode of operation, the vehicle being controlled by the operator located at, and using, the user interface.

5. The system of claim 1 in which the user interface includes an operator console and at least one display screen, the at least one display screen being a haptic display responsive to touch commands from an operator.

6. The system of claim 5 in which the perimeter is displayed as a perimeter indicator overlying the defined area on the at least one display screen, the perimeter indicator having different characteristics depending on which part of the boundary of the area the perimeter indicator is demarcating.

7. The system of claim 1 in which the perimeter is implemented as a virtual perimeter which is surveyed after preparation of the defined area, the virtual perimeter being entered into the controller after having been surveyed.

8. The system of claim 1 in which the perimeter defines a boundary of the defined area.

9. A method of controlling operation of a vehicle in a defined area, the vehicle having a plurality of modes of operation, the method including
monitoring a position of the vehicle relative to a perimeter, the perimeter being associated with the defined area; and
when the vehicle is operating in an autonomous mode of operation and the vehicle comes within a predetermined range of the perimeter, inhibiting the vehicle from crossing the perimeter, automatically switching from the autonomous mode of operation to an operator controller mode of operation, the operator controlled mode of operation enabling an operator to manoeuvre the vehicle relative to the perimeter and to permit the vehicle to cross the perimeter under control of the operator.

10. The method of claim 9 which includes placing the vehicle in an idle mode when the vehicle comes within the predetermined range of the perimeter to enable the operator to switch the vehicle from the autonomous mode to the operator controlled mode to enable the operator to manoeuvre the vehicle relative to the perimeter.

11. The method of claim 9 which includes inhibiting the vehicle from at least one of touching the perimeter and approaching within the predetermined range of the perimeter.

12. The method of claim 9 which includes implementing the perimeter as a virtual perimeter and storing it in a controller of the vehicle.

13. The method of claim 9 which includes providing a user interface including at least one display screen and displaying the perimeter as a perimeter indicator overlying the area on the at least one display screen, the user interface being remotely located relative to the defined area and the method including, when the vehicle is in the operator controlled mode of operation, operating the vehicle in a remote control mode of operation via the user interface.

14. The method of claim 13 which includes displaying the perimeter indicator with different characteristics depending on which part of the boundary of the area the perimeter indicator is demarcating.

15. A system for controlling operation of multiple vehicles, each vehicle having a plurality of modes of operation and each vehicle operating in a defined area, with a perimeter being associated with each defined area, the system including
a controller associated with each vehicle, each controller being configured to control operation of its associated vehicle including a mode of operation of each vehicle; and
a user interface in communication with each controller, the user interface being accessible by an operator for enabling the operator at least to monitor movement of each vehicle and to monitor the location of each vehicle relative to the perimeter of its associated area, the user interface further being configured to permit the operator to issue operating instructions to the controller of each vehicle and to assume control of a selected one of the vehicles by switching that selected vehicle from an autonomous mode of operation to an operator controlled mode of operation to enable the operator to manoeuvre the selected vehicle relative to the perimeter of the defined area in which that selected vehicle is operating, wherein the controller is operative, when the selected vehicle is operating in the autonomous mode and the selected vehicle comes within a predetermined range of the perimeter, to inhibit the selected vehicle from crossing the perimeter and, when the selected vehicle is operating in the operator controlled mode or is converted from autonomous mode to operator controlled mode, to permit the selected vehicle to cross the perimeter under control of the operator.

16. The system of claim 15 in which the controller is configured to place the selected vehicle in an idle mode when the selected vehicle comes within the predetermined range of the perimeter to enable the operator to switch the selected vehicle from the autonomous mode to the operator controlled mode to enable the operator to manoeuvre the selected vehicle relative to the perimeter.

17. The system of claim 15 in which the controller is configured to inhibit the selected vehicle from at least one of touching the perimeter and approaching within the predetermined range of the perimeter.

18. The system of claim 15 in which the user interface includes an operator console and at least one display screen, the at least one display screen being a haptic display responsive to touch commands from the operator, the perimeter being displayed as a virtual perimeter indicator overlying the defined area on the at least one display screen.

19. The system of claim 15 in which the user interface is configured to enable the operator to switch the selected vehicle back from the operator controlled mode to the autonomous mode when conditions again

Assignees

• Tech Resources Pty Ltd

Inventors

• Mchugh Charles Benjamin
• Nettleton Eric William
• Oppolzer Florian

Classifications

• G06F7/00

  Methods or arrangements for processing data by operating upon the order or content of the data handled (logic circuits H03K19/00) · CPC title

• G05D2201/021

  Physics · mapped topic

• G05D1/0038

  by providing the operator with simple or augmented images from one or more cameras located onboard the vehicle, e.g. tele-operation (images analyzed by a computer and used for automatic navigation G05D1/0246) · CPC title

• G05D1/0278

  using satellite positioning signals, e.g. GPS · CPC title

• G05D1/0088

  characterized by the autonomous decision making process, e.g. artificial intelligence, predefined behaviours (using knowledge based models G06N5/00) · CPC title