Apparatus for guiding movement of an unmanned moving body

• US 4,924,153 A
• Filed: 04/07/1989
• Issued: 05/08/1990
• Est. Priority Date: 05/21/1986
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Komatsu Seisakusho
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Komatsu Seisakusho
• Inventors: Kato, Atsuhiko, Nakano, Ichiro, Toru, Suzuki, Hosoi, Mitsuo
• Primary Examiner(s): Ro, Bentsu
• Application Number:
  US07/335,057
• Time in Patent Office: 396 Days
• Field of Search: 318/580, 318/587, 180/167, 180/168, 180/169, 55/270, 55/282, 55/283, 55/284, 55/307, 901/1, 901/50
• US Class Current: 318/587
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/20 Instruments for performing navigational calculations G01C21/24, G01C21/26 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0234 using optical markers or beacons optical beacons per se G01S1/70
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0246 using a video camera in combination with image processing means
• 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

An apparatus for controlling the position and posture of a moving body for inspecting the dust proofing properties of a plurality of filters is disclosed. Marks placed on the filter frames are visually recognized, the position and posture of the unmanned moving body relative to the marks is calculated and controlled to move the unmanned moving body in a predetermined manner.

Claims

1. An apparatus for guiding the movement of an unmanned moving body for inspecting a dust proofing property of each of a plurality of filters laid on the ceiling or on the floor of a clean room, wherein a number of marks are disposed in a spaced relation along a predetermined reference passage on each of a plurality of fitting frames into which said filters are fitted, said unmanned moving body including:

visual recognizing means for visually recognizing the presence of each of said marks;

detecting means for detecting a declination angle and a displacement of the unmanned moving body relative to at least two marks which are visually recognized by said visual recognizing means;

steering control means for controlling the steering of said unmanned moving body so that said declination angle and said displacement detected by said detecting means assume a predetermined value;

a manipulator, having an arm and a probe installed on the top of the arm, for scanning and for sucking air through a specified filter;

a granular material measuring instrument for measuring the number of granular materials filtered by said specified filter from the sucked air; and

a storing device for storing the value of the number of measured granular materials per filter.

2. An apparatus for guiding the movement of an unmanned moving body as claimed in claim 1, wherein each of the marks has a returnable reflectivity.

3. An apparatus for guiding the movement of an unmanned moving body as claimed in claim 1, wherein the marks are provided on the fitting frames for each filter.

4. An apparatus for guiding the movement of an unmanned moving body as claimed in claim 1, wherein said steering control means is adapted to control the movement of the unmanned moving body in row, said movement control being carried out in such a manner that the unmanned moving body moves forwardly from one end of the clean room to the substantially central part of the room and then moves rearwardly from the substantially central part to the other end of the room.