Control apparatus for autonomously navigating utility vehicle

• US 10,139,821 B2
• Filed: 03/24/2016
• Issued: 11/27/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 03/27/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Inventors: Yamamura, Makoto, Kawakami, Toshiaki
• Primary Examiner(s): Weber, Tamara L
• Application Number:
  US15/080,164
• Publication Number:
  US 20160282868A1
• Time in Patent Office: 978 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: A01D 34/008 for automated or remotely controlled operation
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0088 characterized by the autonomous decision making process, e.g. artificial intelligence, predefined behaviours using knowledge based models G06N5/00
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0265 using buried wires
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0274 using mapping information stored in a memory device navigation using map-matching G01C21/30
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0278 using satellite positioning signals, e.g. GPS

Abstract

An apparatus for controlling operation of an autonomously navigating utility vehicle equipped with a prime mover to travel about a working area delineated by a boundary wire laid thereat and divided into a first area and a second area connected by a third area that is narrower than the first and second areas, there are provided with a first travel controlling unit that controls operation of the prime mover to make the vehicle travel along the boundary wire based on a detected magnetic field, a third area identifying unit that identifies a location of the third area in the working area based on a detected position of the vehicle when the vehicle is controlled to travel by the first travel controlling unit, and a second travel controlling unit that controls operation of the prime mover to make the vehicle travel forward toward an entrance of the third area whose location is identified by the third area identifying unit based on the position of the vehicle detected from the output of the position sensor.

Claims

1. An apparatus for controlling an operation of an autonomously navigating utility vehicle equipped with a prime mover to travel about a working area delineated by a boundary wire laid thereat, the working area being divided into at least a first area and a second area connected by a third area that is narrower than the first and second areas, the apparatus comprising:

a magnetic sensor installed on the autonomously navigating utility vehicle to produce output indicating a magnetic field generated by an electric current passing through the boundary wire;

a position sensor that produces output indicating a position of the autonomously navigating utility vehicle; and

an electronic control unit having a CPU and a memory,

the CPU controls the autonomously navigating utility vehicle to circuit along the boundary wire in trace mode based on the output from the magnetic sensor, and generates a map of the working area comprised of an array of cells based on the output from the position sensor;

the CPU, in generating the map, identifies boundary cells of the cells in the array passed over by the autonomously navigating utility vehicle during the trace mode, and identifies third area cells of the boundary cells that are located in the third area based the third area cells being within a predetermined range from other ones of the boundary cells;

the CPU identifies the autonomously navigating utility vehicle positioned in the first area, identifies a final target position for the autonomously navigating utility vehicle in the second area, sets a first target position at a first one of the third area cells at an entrance of the third area that is adjacent to the first area and farthest from the second area, outputs control signals which cause the prime mover to drive the autonomously navigating utility vehicle through the first area toward the first target position, sets a second target position at a second one of the third area cells at an exit of the third area, outputs the control signals which cause the prime mover to drive the autonomously navigating utility vehicle through the third area toward the second target position, and outputs the control signals which cause the prime mover to drive the autonomously navigating utility vehicle through the second area to the final target position.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein:

the CPU outputs the control signals which cause the prime mover to drive the autonomously navigating utility vehicle through the third area toward the second target position along the boundary wire based on the output from the magnetic sensor.

3. A method for controlling an operation of an autonomously navigating utility vehicle equipped with a prime mover to travel about a working area delineated by a boundary wire laid thereat, the working area being divided into at least a first area and a second area connected by a third area that is narrower than the first and second areas, the method comprising the steps of:

controlling the autonomously navigating utility vehicle to circuit along the boundary wire in trace mode based on output from a magnetic sensor that detects a magnetic field strength generated by electric current passing through the boundary wire;

generating, at an Electronic Control Unit (ECU), a map of the working area comprised of an array of cells based on output from a position sensor;

wherein generating the map comprises;

identifying boundary cells of the cells in the array passed over by the autonomously navigating utility vehicle during the trace mode; and

identifying third area cells of the boundary cells that are located in the third area based the third area cells being within a predetermined range from other ones of the boundary cells;

identifying, at the ECU, the autonomously navigating utility vehicle positioned in the first area;

identifying, at the ECU, a final target position for the autonomously navigating utility vehicle in the second area;

setting, at the ECU, a first target position at a first one of the third area cells at an entrance of the third area that is adjacent to the first area and farthest from the second area;

outputting, at the ECU, control signals which cause the prime mover to drive the autonomously navigating utility vehicle through the first area toward the first target position;

setting, at the ECU, a second target position at a second one of the third area cells at an exit of the third area;

outputting, at the ECU, the control signals which cause the prime mover to drive the autonomously navigating utility vehicle through the third area toward the second target position; and

outputting, at the ECU, the control signals which cause the prime mover to drive the autonomously navigating utility vehicle through the second area to the final target position.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein outputting the control signals which cause the prime mover to drive the autonomously navigating utility vehicle through the third area comprises:

outputting the control signals which cause the prime mover to drive the autonomously navigating utility vehicle through the third area toward the second target position along the boundary wire based on the output from the magnetic sensor.

5. An apparatus for controlling an operation of an autonomously navigating utility vehicle equipped with a prime mover to travel about a working area delineated by a boundary wire laid thereat, the working area being divided into at least a first area and a second area connected by a third area that is narrower than the first and second areas, the apparatus comprising:

a magnetic sensor installed on the autonomously navigating utility vehicle to produce output indicating a magnetic field generated by an electric current passing through the boundary wire;

a position sensor that produces output indicating a position of the autonomously navigating utility vehicle; and

an electronic control unit having a CPU and a memory,

the CPU controls the autonomously navigating utility vehicle to circuit along the boundary wire in trace mode based on the output from the magnetic sensor, and generates a map of the working area comprised of an array of cells based on the output from the position sensor;

the CPU, in generating the map, calculates a travel locus of the autonomously navigating utility vehicle on the map based on the output from the position sensor indicating a position of the autonomously navigating utility vehicle from start to finish of the trace mode, and identifies boundary cells from the cells of the array passed over by the autonomously navigating utility vehicle based on the travel locus;

as the autonomously navigating utility vehicle advances along the travel locus from start to finish over the boundary cells, the CPU determines whether a boundary cell is within a predetermined range of another boundary cell based on a direction of advance of the autonomously navigating utility vehicle along the travel locus, and stores data in the memory indicating the boundary cell as a third area cell that is part of the third area when the boundary cell is within the predetermined range of another boundary cell;

the CPU identifies the autonomously navigating utility vehicle positioned in the first area, identifies a final target position for the autonomously navigating utility vehicle in the second area, sets a first target position at a first one of the third area cells at an entrance of the third area that is adjacent to the first area and farthest from the second area, outputs control signals which cause the prime mover to drive the autonomously navigating utility vehicle through the first area toward the first target position, sets a second target position at a second one of the third area cells at an exit of the third area, outputs the control signals which cause the prime mover to drive the autonomously navigating utility vehicle through the third area toward the second target position, and outputs the control signals which cause the prime mover to drive the autonomously navigating utility vehicle through the second area to the final target position.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein:

the CPU outputs the control signals which cause the prime mover to drive the autonomously navigating utility vehicle through the third area toward the second target position along the boundary wire based on the output from the magnetic sensor.