Robot vehicle

• US 4,556,940 A
• Filed: 09/03/1981
• Issued: 12/03/1985
• Est. Priority Date: 09/05/1980
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Mitsubishi Denki Kabushiki Kaisha (Mitsubishi Electric Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Mitsubishi Denki Kabushiki Kaisha (Mitsubishi Electric Corporation)
• Inventors: Fujiwara, Kunio, Katoo, Hisashi, Kawashima, Yoshikazu
• Primary Examiner(s): Chin, Gary
• Application Number:
  US06/299,230
• Time in Patent Office: 1,552 Days
• Field of Search: 364/443, 364/444, 364/449, 364/460, 364/559, 364/424, 364/453, 364/571, 340/23, 340/24, 340/988, 73/178 R, 318/587, 180/167-169
• US Class Current: 701/25
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0225 involving docking at a fixed facility, e.g. base station or loading bay parking aids B62D15/027
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/027 comprising intertial navigation means, e.g. azimuth detector inertial navigation G01C21/16; inertial navigation combined with non-inertial navigation instruments G01C21/165
• 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

Abstract

A robot vehicle for automatic operation in a predetermined travelling route comprises a pair of driving wheels connected to a driving device; means for detecting revolving speeds of said driving wheels; means for detecting azimuth of the travelling direction of said robot vehicle; a memory device for memorizing a travelling program including data of a travelling distance and an azimuth; and a control processor device which control the travelling of said robot vehicle depending upon the travelling program of said memory device under comparing the travelling distance and azimuth of the travelling program with a travelling distance detected by said revolving speed detecting means and an azimuth detected by said azimuth detecting means.

Claims

1. A robot vehicle for automatic operation in a predetermined travelling route which comprises:

a pair of driving wheels connected to a driving device;

means for detecting the revolving speed of each of said driving wheels and providing a travelling distance of said vehicle;

a gyro for detecting azimuth of the travelling direction of said robot vehicle;

a first memory means for memorizing a travelling program including data of a programmed travelling distance and a programmed azimuth;

a control processor device which controls the travelling of said robot vehicle depending upon the travelling program of said first memory means by comparing the travelling distance and azimuth of said travelling program with a travelling distance detected by said revolving speed detector means and an azimuth detected by said gyro wherein said control processor device outputs a control signal;

means for controlling the turning of said vehicle in response to said control signal by individually controlling the speed of each of said driving wheels; and

calibration adjustment means including a second memory means for storing the value of said detected azimuth of said gyro at predetermined locations during said travelling route, means for adjusting said detected azimuth of said gyro to zero at said predetermined locations in said predetermined travelling route, and a means for updating said detected azimuth by the value stored in said second memory means, wherein said calibration adjustment means further includes a path deviation correcting means for correcting a deviation from a programmed straight line segment of travel of said vehicle, wherein said path deviation means provides a compensation control signal to said vehicle wheels in order to return said vehicle to said programmed straight line segment.