SYSTEM FOR POSITIONING A VEHICLE

• US 3,845,715 A
• Filed: 08/24/1972
• Issued: 11/05/1974
• Est. Priority Date: 07/27/1972
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Rolf Hochstrasser
• Original Assignee: Rolf Hochstrasser
• Inventors: Hochstrasser, Rolf
• Primary Examiner(s): King, Lloyd L.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Libman, George H.
• Application Number:
  US05/283,371
• Time in Patent Office: 803 Days
• Field of Search: 104/1R 246/2S,2F,2E 214/16.4A 518/592,593
• US Class Current: 104/307
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 1/0421 with control for stacker crane operations

Abstract

For automatically positioning a vehicle at a desired target stop, e.g. a lifting truck in a warehouse, the vehicle has several inductively functioning reading heads, while each possible stop has its own identification constituted by metallic angle sections capable of causing inductance changes in the reading heads. The output from the heads is passed to a comparator fed with a reference value representing the target. Each stop has a further angle section co-operating with a further reading head on the vehicle so as to provide an activating and de-activating signal for the first-mentioned reading heads.

Claims

1. In a system for automatically positioning a vehicle along a path interrupted by stops in its movement at predetermined locations along said path and for sensing the location of said vehicle coming to a stop at each location by means of inductively functioning reading heads located on said vehicle, coded stop identification means at a side of said path which produce an output in response to the positioning of said reading head adjacent said coded stop identification means, control means to cause the vehicle to move to a coded stop identification means and to stops at said identification means in response to a comparison signal between the output signal read at said stop and a reference signal which determines the ultimate distination at the end of said path that improvement in construction and organization of the stop identification means at a predetermined location and of the inductively functioning reading heads on said vehicle comprising:

a frame member at each predetermined stop position located along said vehicle path adjacent the movement and stopping position of the vehicle under the control of the output signal of the inductively functioning reading heads on the vehicle;

coded stop identification means mounted on said frame member formed of a coded plurality of mutually parallel metallic angle sections detachably supported on said frame member;

a first reading head on said vehicle consisting of an inductance means which, in proximity to said stop identification means produces an output which identifies the specific predetermined stopping position corresponding to said coded stop identification means;

a second reading head spaced from said first reading head by a distance equal to the length of said coded plurality of angle sections which is mounted on said vehicle on the same side as said first reading head to provide a band having ends between which the adjacent stop identification means can be positioned, thereby providing a termination position of said vehicle corresponding to the inductive output signal having a maximum at this precise stop position;

said first and second reading heads having slots to receive said angle sections;

third and fourth reading heads on said vehicle located between said first and second reading heads spaced apart a distance less than the spacing of the first and second heads whereby proximity to said stop identification means produces an output of said third and fourth heads which allows limited movement.