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Guidance system for lift truck

  • US 4,040,500 A
  • Filed: 11/06/1975
  • Issued: 08/09/1977
  • Est. Priority Date: 11/06/1975
  • Status: Expired due to Term
First Claim
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1. An improved, self-guided vehicle of the type which automatically follows an externally defined course and which has at least one ground engaging steering wheel, sensor means mounted on the vehicle for generating a sensor signal representative of both the lateral position of the vehicle with respect to the course and the direction of vehicle travel with respect to the course, steering motor means attached to the ground engaging steering wheel for steering the vehicle in response to a steering control signal to the steering motor means, and steering circuit means supplied with the sensor signal for generating a first steering control signal for the steering motor means to cause the steering motor means to automatically steer the vehicle along the external course, wherein the improvement comprises:

  • enabling logic means supplied with the sensor signal for producing an enabling output signal when the vehicle is being manuallysteered toward the external course and has crossed it, or passed within a predetermined distance of it, and thereafter is moving away from the external course, andswitching means supplied with the enabling output signal to supply the first steering control signal to the steering motor means only after the enabling output signal is generated, whereby the vehicle will become automatically guided along the external course only after it has been manually steered across or just up to the external course and is starting to move away from it.

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  • 6 Assignments
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