Self-Steering Vehicle

• US 20120179321A1
• Filed: 05/21/2010
• Published: 07/12/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 07/10/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
• Original Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
• Inventors: Albert, Amos, Biber, Peter
• Granted Patent: US 9,104,206 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/25
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0259 using magnetic or electromagnetic means
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0265 using buried wires
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0272 comprising means for registering the travel distance, e.g. revolutions of wheels measuring distance traversed on the ground by vehicles, e.g. using odometers G01C22/00
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0274 using mapping information stored in a memory device navigation using map-matching G01C21/30

Abstract

A self-controlling vehicle, designed for the autonomous movement in an area, is disclosed. The self-controlling vehicle includes driving means for movement and navigation means, wherein the navigation means are designed for the position determination along a closed path surrounding an operating space of the area. The navigation means are designed for creating successive path sectional data, the path sectional data for route sections of the path has assigned orientation information, in particular angle information, and the navigation means are assigned with autocorrelation means, which are designed such that they determine from a sequence of path sectional data corresponding to a movement along the path by determining auto correlation data whether and/or that the vehicle has driven completely along the surrounding path and/or a sequence of route sections already driven is driven again.

Claims

1. A self-steering vehicle which is configured to perform autonomous locomotion on a surface, comprising:

a drive mechanism for locomotion; and

a navigation mechanism, wherein the navigation mechanism is configured to determine positions along a closed path enclosing a working area of the surface, wherein the navigation mechanism is further configured to generate successive path section data items, and wherein the path section data items for route sections of the path each have an assigned orientation information item,

wherein the navigation mechanism is assigned an auto-correlation mechanism which is configured in such a way that by acquiring auto-correlation data items they determine, from a sequence of path section data items corresponding to locomotion along the path, whether and/or that the vehicle has completely traveled along the enclosing path and/or a sequence of route sections which has already been traveled along is being traveled along again.

2. The vehicle as claimed in claim 1, wherein the vehicle is configured as a carrier for a working and/or function unit.

3. The vehicle as claimed in claim 2, wherein the working and/or function unit is one of a mowing device, a suction device, a sweeping device, a fertilizer application device and a watering device.

4. The vehicle as claimed in claim 1, wherein the navigation mechanism is assigned a mapping unit which is configured in such a way that it generates outline map data items of the surface which is enclosed by the path, on the basis of the route section data items and/or the auto-correlation data items.

5. The vehicle as claimed in claim 1, wherein the route sections each have a constant length along the path.

6. The vehicle as claimed in claim 1, wherein a length of the route sections is determined by odometry, and wherein an odometry device is assigned to the drive mechanism and to the navigation mechanism.

7. The vehicle as claimed in claim 1, wherein the navigation mechanism has an electronic memory unit for the sequence of path section data items.

8. The vehicle as claimed in claim 7, wherein a mechanism configured to perform data compression of the path section data items is assigned to the electronic memory unit.

9. The vehicle as claimed in claim 1, wherein the navigation mechanism is configured to interact with a border wire which defines the enclosing path and which provides a signal which is configured to be detected by the navigation mechanism.

10. The vehicle as claimed in claim 1, wherein the navigation mechanism is configured to interact with a sensor unit configured to detect the working area in the surface and the boundaries thereof.

11. The vehicle as claimed in claim 1, wherein the assigned orientation information item includes an angle information item.

12. The vehicle as claimed in claim 1, wherein the mechanism configured to perform data compression of the path section data items is configured to generate a logic operation of orientation information of successive path section data items for the purpose of data compression.

13. The vehicle as claimed in claim 12, wherein the logic operation is averaging.