Method of automatically steering agricultural type vehicles

• US 4,700,301 A
• Filed: 03/07/1986
• Issued: 10/13/1987
• Est. Priority Date: 11/02/1983
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Howard L. Dyke
• Original Assignee: Howard L. Dyke
• Inventors: Dyke, Howard L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Chin, Gary
• Application Number:
  US06/837,511
• Time in Patent Office: 585 Days
• Field of Search: 364/424, 364/449, 364/444, 364/456, 180/167-169, 342/46, 342/64, 356/1, 356/4
• US Class Current: 701/25
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/16 using electromagnetic waves other than radio waves
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0236 in combination with a laser lasers per se H01S
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0244 using reflecting strips

Abstract

A method of automatically steering a motor vehicle on a preprogrammed course by continuously measuring angles between reference points and using a microprocessor to calculate vehicle position and direction of motion. Points along a prescribed course are sequentially retrieved from a memory and the direction to these points are calculated and compared to the present direction of travel. Steering angle is then set to guide the vehicle toward these points.

Claims

1. A method of automatically steering a vehicle which heretofore consisted of:

(a) location at fixed reference points beacons or rotating lasers in which the emitted light is modulated with encoded directional information corresponding to the instantaneous direction of emission,

(b) receiving the modulated light with two or more detectors located on said vehicle,

(c) demodulating the said modulated light with a demodulator to obtain the bearing of said vehicle from said reference points,

(d) supplying said bearing from the said demodulator and said directional information from said detectors to data processing means located in said vehicle, to provide location and heading of said vehicle,

(e) retrieving prerecorded coordinates of desired future location of said vehicle from a memory,

(f) supplying said coordinates to said data processing means,

(g) using said data processing means to calculate the steering angle based on the said bearing and directional information from said detectors and prerecorded coordinates necessary to guide said vehicle to said future location,

(h) positioning the wheels or guiding mechanism of said vehicle based on said calculated steering angle, and

(i) repeating the above steps,

wherein the improvement consists of using the following simpler and more accurate method in determining said vehicle'"'"'s location;

replacing said beacons or lasers in which the light is modulated with said encoded directional information, with lasers rotating at a constant angular velocity about a vertical axis at each of two reference points, installing an all directional light detector on said vehicle and placing at a third reference point a bidirectional light detector with a means for sending a signal to said vehicle when laser light emitted from said rotating lasers is detected, recording in data processing memory a first count C_1C representative of the time when light from the laser at first reference point hits said bidirectional light detector and recording in said data processing memory a second count C_2C representative of the time when light from the said laser at first reference point hits said all directional light detector and recording in said data processing memory a third count C_3C representative of the time when light from the said laser at first reference point hits said bidirectional light detector on the next time around and recording in said data processing memory a fourth count C_1D representative of the time when light from the laser at second reference point hits said bidirectional light detector and recording in said data processing memory a fifth count C_2D representative of the time when light from said laser at second reference point hits said all directional light detector and recording in said data processing memory a sixth count C_3D representative of the time when light from the said laser at second reference point hits bidirectional light detector on the next time around and supplying all of said counts to said data processing means to determine location and direction of motion of said vehicle.