VEHICLE GROUP SYSTEM AND VEHICLE ACCOMMODATED IN THE SAME

To provide a vehicle group system allowing a plurality of vehicles to travel in a line while keeping a distance from respective preceding vehicles despite a simple mechanism, and vehicles accommodated in the system.SOLUTION: A vehicle group system 10 allows a plurality of vehicles 13, 14, 15, and 16, each of which includes wheels 11 and a drive source 12 which rotates and drives the wheels 11, to travel in a line in a mutually non-contact condition on a track F on which an overtaking restriction is imposed. Each of the vehicles 13, 14, and 15 followed by succeeding vehicles 14, 15, and 16 respectively receives an identification signal of the succeeding vehicle 14, 15, or 16 originated from the succeeding vehicle 14, 15, or 16, and originates an acknowledgement signal associated with the identification signal. Each of the vehicles 14, 15, and 16 following the preceding vehicles 13, 14, and 15 respectively calculates an inter-vehicle distance D to the preceding vehicle 13, 14, or 15 on the basis of the time elapsing from origination of the own identification signal to receiving of the acknowledgement signal, and adjusts the activation level of the drive source 12 so that the inter-vehicle distance D will approach a predesignated set distance J.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1 【課題】簡素な仕組みで複数の車両が前方の車両と距離を保ちながら連なって走行可能な車両群システム及びそれが備える車両を提供する。【解決手段】それぞれ車輪１１及び車輪１１を回転駆動する駆動源１２を有する複数の車両１３、１４、１５、１６が、互いに非接触な状態で連なって追い越し制限のある走行路Ｆを走行する車両群システム１０であって、後方車両１４、１５、１６が追従する車両１３、１４、１５は、後方車両１４、１５、１６から発信される後方車両１４、１５、１６の識別信号を受信して、識別信号に対応する応答信号を発信し、前方車両１３、１４、１５に追従する車両１４、１５、１６は、自己の識別信号の発信から応答信号を受信するまでの時間を基に前方車両１３、１４、１５までの車間距離Ｄを算出し、車間距離Ｄが予め定められた設定距離Ｊに近づくように駆動源１２の作動レベルを調整する。【選択図】図１