	US 7,603,235 B2
	Arrangement for collision prevention of mine vehicle
Hannu Mäkelä, Tottijärvi (Finland); and Thomas Von Numers, Grankulla (Finland)
Assigned to Sandvik Tamrock Oy, Tampere (Finland)
Appl. No. 10/550,310 PCT Filed Mar. 25, 2004, PCT No. PCT/FI2004/000174 § 371(c)(1), (2), (4) Date Sep. 22, 2005, PCT Pub. No. WO2004/086084, PCT Pub. Date Oct. 07, 2004.
Claims priority of application No. 20030449 (FI), filed on Mar. 25, 2003.
Prior Publication US 2006/0190124 A1, Aug. 24, 2006
Int. Cl. G08G 1/16 (2006.01); G06F 17/00 (2006.01); G05B 15/00 (2006.01)

U.S. Cl. 701—301 [701/1; 701/2; 701/23; 701/24; 701/25; 701/26; 701/27; 701/200; 701/201; 701/202; 701/300; 700/213; 700/245; 700/253; 700/255; 700/258; 700/259; 340/435; 340/436; 340/539.22; 340/539.23; 340/901; 340/903; 340/988; 180/167; 180/168; 180/232; 180/271]

12 Claims

1. A method of preventing a mine vehicle from colliding, the mine vehicle comprising at least: a movable carrier that is driven in a first movement direction and in a second movement direction, at least one scanner, and a control system including at least a first control unit arranged on the carrier; the method comprising:

determining for the mine vehicle at least one safe area provided within an area between minimum distances and maximum distances determined with respect to the vehicle;

scanning the environment in front of the vehicle when driving the vehicle in one movement direction;

carrying out a first collision examination wherein the safe area in front of the vehicle is monitored, and issuing a collision warning message if an obstacle is detected within the safe area,

determining also at least one sideward safe area for the vehicle, determining an obstacle-free route on the basis of the forward scanning results, and determining points in a sideward direction of the vehicle to restrict the route;

forming memory points on the basis of coordinates of the points restricting the route, and storing the memory points in the control system,

and carrying out a second collision examination wherein at least one sideward safe area of the vehicle is monitored, and issuing a collision warning message if even one of the memory points resides within the safe area being monitored.