Dump truck with obstacle detection mechanism and method for detecting obstacle

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9442194-B2
Application number	US-201213879458-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 19, 2012
Priority date	Mar 15, 2012
Publication date	Sep 13, 2016
Grant date	Sep 13, 2016

Abstract

A dump truck includes radars attached, facing backward, to a position projected sideward a front fender extended from a lower deck to an upper deck of a front side of the vehicle, in which an irradiation beam has an angle of dip to cross at least a front wheel; and radars attached, facing sideward, to the side of the lower deck, and the radars and the radars are arranged such that a horizontal forward detection limit line of each of the radar and a horizontal backward detection limit line of each of the radar overlap and the horizontal backward detection limit lines of the radar are directed to a side of a center plane of the vehicle to detect the obstacle in the side of the vehicle.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A dump truck with an obstacle detection mechanism capable of detecting an obstacle around a vehicle using a plurality of radars provided on a periphery of the vehicle, the dump truck comprising:
a backward irradiation side-radar attached, facing backward, to a position projected sideward from a front fender extended from a lower deck to an upper deck of a front side of the vehicle, wherein an irradiation beam from the backward irradiation side-radar has an angle of dip to cross at least a front wheel; and
a sideward irradiation side-radar attached, facing sideward, to a side of the lower deck,
wherein the backward irradiation side-radar and the sideward irradiation side-radar are arranged such that a horizontal forward detection limit line of the backward irradiation side-radar and a horizontal backward detection limit line of the sideward irradiation side-radar overlap and the horizontal backward detection limit line of the backward irradiation side-radar is directed to a side of a center plane of the vehicle to detect an obstacle in a side of the vehicle.

2. The dump truck according to claim 1 , wherein a horizontal detection range of the backward irradiation side-radar is equal to or greater than 80 degrees and an angle between a horizontal irradiation center axis of the backward irradiation side-radar and the center plane of the vehicle is equal to or less than 45 degrees.

3. The dump truck according to claim 1 , wherein an obstacle processing unit having the obstacle detection mechanism excludes information of a vehicle area detected by the backward irradiation side-radar from obstacle detection information.

4. The dump truck according to claim 1 , wherein the backward irradiation side-radar and the sideward irradiation side-radar are provided under a vessel.

5. The dump truck according to claim 1 , wherein the backward irradiation side-radar and the sideward irradiation side-radar are provided to an opposite side of a cab with respect to the center plane of the vehicle.

6. A dump truck with an obstacle detection mechanism capable of detecting an obstacle around a vehicle using a plurality of radars provided on a periphery of the vehicle, the dump truck comprising:
a plurality of backward radars arranged in left and right with respect to a center plane of the vehicle in a backside of a rear axle case and between joints of rear suspension cylinders and the rear axle case, wherein respective radars are arranged such that irradiation center axes of the radars in a horizontal direction cross and irradiation center axes of the radars in a vertical direction have a predetermined angle of dip, respectively;
a plurality of forward radars arranged in left and right with respect to the center plane of the vehicle in a front part of a lower deck of a front side of the vehicle, wherein respective radars are arranged such that irradiation center axes of the radars in a horizontal direction cross and irradiation center axes of the radars in a vertical direction have a predetermined angle of dip, respectively;
backward irradiation side-radars arranged in left and right and attached, facing backward, to positions projected sideward from a front fender extended from the lower deck to an upper deck, wherein each of horizontal backward detection limit lines of the backward irradiation side-radars is directed to a side of the center plane of the vehicle and each of irradiation center plane of the backward irradiation side-radars in a vertical direction has an angle of dip to cross at least a front wheel; and
sideward irradiation side-radars arranged in left and right and attached, facing sideward, to sides of the lower deck, wherein each of horizontal detection ranges of the sideward irradiation side-radars includes a horizontal forward detection limit line of the backward irradiation side-radar,
wherein the dump truck detects obstacle around entire surroundings of the vehicle.

7. A method of obstacle detection in a dump truck with an obstacle detection mechanism attached, facing backward, to a position projected sideward from a front fender extended from a lower deck to an upper deck of a front side of the vehicle and capable of detecting an obstacle in a side of a vehicle, the method comprising:
detecting obstacle information by a backward irradiation side-radar whose irradiation beam has an angle of dip to cross a front wheel; and
excluding obstacle information in a preset vehicle area that indicates the vehicle.

Assignees

• Komatsu Mfg Co Ltd

Inventors

• Kurihara Takeshi
• Machida Masaomi
• Tsubone Dai
• Nakanishi Yukihiro
• Tanuki Tomikazu
• Mitsuta Shinji
• Harada Shigeru
• Masutani Eishin

Classifications

• G01S2013/93271

  in the front of the vehicles · CPC title

• B60R2300/105

  using multiple cameras · CPC title

• G01S13/86

  Combinations of radar systems with non-radar systems, e.g. sonar, direction finder · CPC title

• G01S13/931 Primary

  of land vehicles · CPC title

• B60R2300/301

  combining image information with other obstacle sensor information, e.g. using RADAR/LIDAR/SONAR sensors for estimating risk of collision · CPC title