Patent ID: 9703292
Date: 2017-07-11
CPC Classifications: B60W,G01C,G05D

Claim:
1. An automatic traveling vehicle system comprising: a plurality of traveling vehicles each having a controller which automatically controls traveling of a respective one of the traveling vehicles based on respective traveling information, the traveling information indicating at least a distance between a current position and a forward vehicle; a traveling path including a junction provided with a limited section to avoid a collision between traveling vehicles; and a limited section controller which exercises control to determine whether to permit at least one of the traveling vehicles to pass by monitoring delay conditions of the at least one of the traveling vehicles at least near the junction in the limited section, wherein the limited section controller comprises a traffic information update unit configured to update delay information of the at least one of the traveling vehicles near the junction, a determination unit configured to determine whether to permit the at least one of the traveling vehicles to pass based on whether there is another traveling vehicle in the limited section obtained from the updated delay information, a standby position setting unit configured to set a standby position of each of a limited number or less of traveling vehicles present in a standby section before the limited section, when the limited section is not passable, a traveling restart setting unit configured to determine an approach direction into the limited section for which traveling is restarted and causes a traveling vehicle on standby in the standby section in the approach direction to restart to travel, when the limited section is passable, and a reallocation unit configured to partially interchange at least one of a destination, a route and a leaving direction of traveling vehicles on standby such that a time needed to finish passing through the limited section is minimized, using stored information of each of the traveling vehicles including the destination, the route, and the leaving direction of the limited section.