Vehicle which is steerable along a guide wire lying in the ground
First Claim
1. In a vehicle comprising steerable wheel means, position control means for controlling the position of said steerable wheel means to steer the vehicle in response to a position control signal, and a system for generating said position control signal so as to steer the vehicle along a signal-emitting guide wire lying in the ground, said system comprising a sensor array including first and second pick-ups which are fixed to the vehicle and aligned with each other in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle and extend each on both sides of the longitudinal center line of the vehicle and are adapted to generate pick-up signals in response to signals emitted by said guide wire, said system further comprising first and second signal-processing circuits respectively connected to said first and second pick-ups to receive said pick-up signals therefrom, said first signal-processing circuit being arranged to generate a heading signal representing the heading angle between the longitudinal center line of the vehicle and the general direction of a portion of said guide wire near said sensor array in response to said pick-up signals from said first pick-up, said second signal-processing circuit being arranged to generate a displacement signal representing the lateral displacement of the longitudinal center line of the vehicle near said sensor from said guide wire, said system further comprising a signal-combining circuit, which is adapted to receive and combine said heading and displacement signals and to generate said position control signal in dependence on said heading and displacement signalsthe improvement which resides in thatsaid sensor array extends only over a small fraction of the length of said vehicle,said system comprises a curvature detector arranged to generate a curvature signal representing the curvature of a bend of said guide wire near said sensor array, andsaid signal-combining circuit is arranged to generate said position control signal in dependence on said heading, displacement and curvature signals when said vehicle is traveling along a bend of said guide wire.
0 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A sensor array which extends only over a fraction of the length of the vehicle generates pick-up signals in response to signals emitted by a ground wire lying in the ground. The pick-up signals are processed in signal-processing circuits to generate a heading signal and a displacement signal representing the position of the vehicle and the direction of its longitudinal axis relative to the guide wire. A curvature detector is provided for generating a curvature signal, which represents the curvature of a bend of the guide wire near the sensor array. The heading, displacement and curvature signals are combined by a signal-combining circuit, which delivers a position control signal to position control means for controlling at least one steerable wheel of the vehicle so as to steer the latter along the guide wire.
52 Citations
14 Claims
-
1. In a vehicle comprising steerable wheel means, position control means for controlling the position of said steerable wheel means to steer the vehicle in response to a position control signal, and a system for generating said position control signal so as to steer the vehicle along a signal-emitting guide wire lying in the ground, said system comprising a sensor array including first and second pick-ups which are fixed to the vehicle and aligned with each other in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle and extend each on both sides of the longitudinal center line of the vehicle and are adapted to generate pick-up signals in response to signals emitted by said guide wire, said system further comprising first and second signal-processing circuits respectively connected to said first and second pick-ups to receive said pick-up signals therefrom, said first signal-processing circuit being arranged to generate a heading signal representing the heading angle between the longitudinal center line of the vehicle and the general direction of a portion of said guide wire near said sensor array in response to said pick-up signals from said first pick-up, said second signal-processing circuit being arranged to generate a displacement signal representing the lateral displacement of the longitudinal center line of the vehicle near said sensor from said guide wire, said system further comprising a signal-combining circuit, which is adapted to receive and combine said heading and displacement signals and to generate said position control signal in dependence on said heading and displacement signals
the improvement which resides in that said sensor array extends only over a small fraction of the length of said vehicle, said system comprises a curvature detector arranged to generate a curvature signal representing the curvature of a bend of said guide wire near said sensor array, and said signal-combining circuit is arranged to generate said position control signal in dependence on said heading, displacement and curvature signals when said vehicle is traveling along a bend of said guide wire.
-
14. In a system for controlling the position of steerable wheel means of a vehicle to steer the vehicle along a signal-emitting guide wire lying in the ground by the operation of position control means for controlling the position of said steerable wheel means in response to a position control signal which system is adapted to be carried by said vehicle and comprises a sensor array including first and second pick-ups which are adapted to be fixed to the vehicle so that they are aligned with each other in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle and extend each on both sides of the longitudinal center line of the vehicle and are adapted to generate pick-up signals in response to signals emitted by said guide wire, said system further comprising first and second signal-processing circuits respectively connected to said first and second pick-ups to receive said pick-up signals therefrom, said first signal-processing circuit being adapted to generate a heading signal representing the heading angle between the longitudinal center line of the vehicle and the general direction of a portion of said guide wire near said sensor in response to said pick-up signals from said sensor array in response to said pick-up signals from said first pick-up, said second signal-processing circuit being adapted to generate a displacement signal representing the lateral displacement of the longitudinal center line of the vehicle near said sensor from said guide wire, said system further comprising a signal-combining circuit, which is adapted to receive and combine said heading and displacement signals and to generate said position control signal in dependence on said heading and displacement signals,
the improvement residing in that the extent of said sensor array in the direction in which said pick-ups are spaced apart is only a small fraction of the length of a vehicle, said system comprises a curvature detector adapted to be fixed to the vehicle and arranged to generate a curvature signal representing the curvature of a bend of said guide wire near said sensor array, and said signal-combining circuit is adapted to generate said position control signal in dependence on said heading, displacement and curvature signals when said vehicle is traveling along a bend of said guide wire.
Specification