Station control system for a driverless vehicle

Abstract

A station control system for and method of controlling the operation of a driverless vehicle. The system includes a vehicle travel path, a plurality of station tags in readable proximity to the travel path, and a vehicle movable along the travel path. Each of the tags are pre-programmed with a unique and arbitrary tag identifier. The vehicle has a tag reader and a controller communicating with the reader with the tag reader is configured to read tag identifiers from the tags. The controller is configured to receive the tag identifiers from the tag reader and access a correlation table having a function command associated with the tag identifier. The method includes the steps of reading the tag identifier associated with one of the plurality of tags, accessing the correlation table to identify a command in the function field associated with the tag identifier, and executing any identified command.

1. A station control system comprising:
 a vehicle travel path;  
 a plurality of station tags in readable proximity to the travel path, each of said tags being pre-programmed with a unique tag identifier having arbitrarily assigned information for identifying said tag; and  
 a vehicle movable along said travel path, said vehicle having a tag reader and a controller communicating with said reader, said tag reader configured to read tag identifiers from said tags, said controller configured to receive said tag identifiers from said tag reader and access a correlation table having a function command for performing a task, said function command being associated with said tag identifier and independent from other function commands associated with each of said other tag identifiers.  
 
     
     
       2. The system of  claim 1  wherein said correlation table is stored in said vehicle controller. 
     
     
       3. The system of  claim 1  wherein said a correlation table has a tag identifier field and a function field associated with each tag identifier field. 
     
     
       4. The system of  claim 1  wherein said correlation table further includes a location field associated with each of said tag identifier fields, said location field providing a location of the tag. 
     
     
       5. The system of  claim 1  wherein said vehicle further includes a guidance system that operates independent of said station tags. 
     
     
       6. The system of  claim 1  wherein said tags are passive read only RFID transponder tags that transmit tag identification information to the reader in response to excitation by the reader. 
     
     
       7. The system of  claim 1  further including a host processor communicating with said vehicle controller, said vehicle controller communicating tag identifier information to said host processor, said host processor configured to permit entry of function commands in said function fields. 
     
     
       8. A driverless vehicle for use in a station control system with a plurality of station tags in readable proximity to a vehicle travel path, each of the station tags being preprogrammed with a unique and arbitrary tag identifier, said vehicle comprising:
 a tag reader configured to read tag identifiers from said tags; and  
 a controller communicating with said tag reader, said controller configured to receive the tag identifiers from said tag reader and, in response to the tag identifiers, access a correlation table having function commands associated with tag identifiers.  
 
     
     
       9. The vehicle of  claim 8  wherein said correlation table is stored in said vehicle controller. 
     
     
       10. The vehicle of  claim 9  wherein said a correlation table has a tag identifier field and a function field associated with each tag identifier field. 
     
     
       11. The vehicle of  claim 8  wherein said correlation table further includes a location field associated with each of said tag identifier fields, said location field providing a location of the tag along the travel path for traffic control. 
     
     
       12. The vehicle of  claim 8  wherein said vehicle further includes a guidance system that operates independent of said station tags. 
     
     
       13. A method of controlling the operation of a driverless vehicle using a plurality of station tags and a correlation table, each of the plurality of station tags having a preprogrammed arbitrary and unique tag identifier, the correlation table having a tag identifier field and a function field associated with each tag identifier field, said method comprising:
 reading the tag identifier associated with one of the plurality of tags;  
 accessing the correlation table to identify a command in the function field associated with the tag identifier; and  
 executing any identified command.  
 
     
     
       14. The method of  claim 13  further including searching the tag identifier fields in the correlation table to identify the tag identifier field associated with said one of the plurality of tags. 
     
     
       15. The method of  claim 13  wherein said correlation table includes a location field and wherein the method further includes communicating the location entry associated with the tag identifier to a host system. 
     
     
       16. The method of  claim 13  further including reading the tag identifier associated with another of the plurality of tags after executing any identified command of said one of the plurality of tags. 
     
     
       17. The method of  claim 13  further including updating the correlation table if the correlation table does not include a function associated with the tag identifier. 
     
     
       18. The method of  claim 13  further including the step of configuring the station control system prior to operation, said step of configuring the station control system including
 randomly selecting several of the plurality of tags,  
 arbitrarily positioning said selected tags in readable proximity to the travel path,  
 moving the vehicle along the travel path,  
 reading a tag identifier from one of the tags,  
 adding a function command to the correlation table, said function command being associated with the tag identifier, and  
 reading a tag identifier from another of the selected tags.  
 
     
     
       19. The method of  claim 18  further including communicating the tag identifier to a host controller and using the host controller to perform the step of adding a function command to the correlation table. 
     
     
       20. The method of  claim 19  further including communicating the updated correlation table to the vehicle.