CONTROL APPARATUS FOR AUTONOMOUSLY NAVIGATING UTILITY VEHICLE
First Claim
1. 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 in order to perform work autonomously, comprising:
- a position detector that detects a position of the vehicle in the working area;
an objective location identifying unit that identifies a location of an objective in the working area;
a route generating unit that generates a target return route for the vehicle to return from the position detected by the position detector to the objective whose location is identified by the objective location identifying unit,the route generating unit selecting, among a first set of radial lines imaginarily drawn on the working area to radiate from the position of the vehicle and a second set of radial lines imaginarily drawn on the working area to radiate from the location of the objective, a first radial line and a second radial line that result in shortest distance from the position of the vehicle to the location of the objective and generating the target return route by the first radial line and the second radial line; and
a travel controlling unit that controls operation of the prime mover to make the vehicle travel along the target return route generated by the route generating unit.
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Accused Products
Abstract
In 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 in order to perform work autonomously, there are provided with an objective location identifying unit that identifies a location of an objective in the working area, a route generating unit that generates a target return route for the vehicle to return to the objective, and a travel controlling unit that controls operation of the prime mover to make the vehicle travel along the target return route. The route generating unit selects, among a first set of radial lines imaginarily drawn on the working area to radiate from the position of the vehicle and a second set of radial lines imaginarily drawn on the working area to radiate from the objective, a first radial line and a second radial line that result in shortest distance from the position of the vehicle to the objective and generates the target return route by the first radial line and the second radial line.
18 Citations
12 Claims
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1. 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 in order to perform work autonomously, comprising:
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a position detector that detects a position of the vehicle in the working area; an objective location identifying unit that identifies a location of an objective in the working area; a route generating unit that generates a target return route for the vehicle to return from the position detected by the position detector to the objective whose location is identified by the objective location identifying unit, the route generating unit selecting, among a first set of radial lines imaginarily drawn on the working area to radiate from the position of the vehicle and a second set of radial lines imaginarily drawn on the working area to radiate from the location of the objective, a first radial line and a second radial line that result in shortest distance from the position of the vehicle to the location of the objective and generating the target return route by the first radial line and the second radial line; and a travel controlling unit that controls operation of the prime mover to make the vehicle travel along the target return route generated by the route generating unit. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6)
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7. A method 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 in order to perform work autonomously,
characterized by the steps of: -
detects a position of the vehicle in the working area; identifies a location of an objective in the working area; generating a target return route for the vehicle to return from the position detected by the step of position detecting to the objective whose location is identified by the step of objective location identifying, the step of generating selecting, among a first set of radial lines imaginarily drawn on the working area to radiate from the position of the vehicle and a second set of radial lines imaginarily drawn on the working area to radiate from the location of the objective, a first radial line and a second radial line that result in shortest distance from the position of the vehicle to the location of the objective and generating the target return route by the first radial line and the second radial line; and controlling operation of the prime mover to make the vehicle travel along the target return route generated by the step of route generating. - View Dependent Claims (8, 9, 10, 11, 12)
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Specification