Position measuring apparatus of moving vehicle
First Claim
1. An apparatus for measuring the position of a moving vehicle by utilizing reflection of light, comprisinglight reflecting means disposed along a course for said moving vehicle and positioned in a predetermined relationship to a predetermined reference direction of movement for said vehicle, said light reflecting means having first and second reflectors with an optical characteristic for reflecting an incident light beam back along its path of incidence, said reflectors being disposed in spaced relationship so that said vehicle passes through the space between said reflectors while moving along said course,light emitting means in said vehicle for emitting lights to the outside of said moving vehicle,means in said vehicle for directing light emitted by said light emitting means laterally outward on each side of said vehicle and in such a direction that light strikes each of said reflectors as said vehicle passes proximate thereto,photodetecting means in said vehicle for detecting light reflected from said light reflecting means, and positioned to receive light form each of said reflecting means, said photodetecting means producing first and second electrical signals indicating the detection of light from said first and second reflectors respectively,moving direction measuring means in said vehicle responsive to said first and second electrical signals for measuring the angle of deviation of the direction of movement of said moving vehicle with respect to said reference direction, andposition detecting means in said vehicle for detecting a position of said moving vehicle based on the angle of deviation measured by said moving direction measuring means and said first and second electrical signals of said photodetecting means.
0 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
Light reflecting means 2R and 2L provided on both sides of a road 1 each reflect an incident light at the same angle as the angle of incidence with respect to the plane of incidence. Lights 8R and 8L emitted from a moving vehicle 3 are reflected from the light reflecting means 2R and 2L and returned again to the light emitting source and accordingly they are detected by light receivers 75R and 75L. The position of the moving vehicle 3 is calculated geometrically based on the moving distance of the moving vehicle 3 in a period obtained from the difference between the light receiving time of the light receiver 75R and that of the light receiver 75L or the light receiving angle as well as the moving direction of the moving vehicle 3 and the positions where the light reflecting means 2R and 2L are installed.
45 Citations
12 Claims
-
1. An apparatus for measuring the position of a moving vehicle by utilizing reflection of light, comprising
light reflecting means disposed along a course for said moving vehicle and positioned in a predetermined relationship to a predetermined reference direction of movement for said vehicle, said light reflecting means having first and second reflectors with an optical characteristic for reflecting an incident light beam back along its path of incidence, said reflectors being disposed in spaced relationship so that said vehicle passes through the space between said reflectors while moving along said course, light emitting means in said vehicle for emitting lights to the outside of said moving vehicle, means in said vehicle for directing light emitted by said light emitting means laterally outward on each side of said vehicle and in such a direction that light strikes each of said reflectors as said vehicle passes proximate thereto, photodetecting means in said vehicle for detecting light reflected from said light reflecting means, and positioned to receive light form each of said reflecting means, said photodetecting means producing first and second electrical signals indicating the detection of light from said first and second reflectors respectively, moving direction measuring means in said vehicle responsive to said first and second electrical signals for measuring the angle of deviation of the direction of movement of said moving vehicle with respect to said reference direction, and position detecting means in said vehicle for detecting a position of said moving vehicle based on the angle of deviation measured by said moving direction measuring means and said first and second electrical signals of said photodetecting means.
-
11. In an apparatus utilizing reflection of light for measuring the position of a moving vehicle along a predetermined course, the combination of:
-
light source means for providing first and second light beams at a point along said course, said light beams being positioned in a predetermined relationship to a predetermined reference direction of movement for said vehicle and intersecting said course from opposite lateral sides thereof, said vehicle having said first and second light beams impinge on opposite lateral sides thereof while moving along said course; photodetecting means in said vehicle positioned to detect said first and second light beams when they impinge upon said vehicle, said photodetecting means producing first and second electrical signals indicating the detection of said first and second light beams respectively; and moving direction measuring means in said vehicle responsive to a delay between said first and second electrical signals for measuring the angle of deviation of the direction of movement of said moving vehicle with respect to said reference direction. - View Dependent Claims (12)
-
Specification