Method of and apparatus for controlling vehicle speed

• US 5,222,024 A
• Filed: 01/15/1991
• Issued: 06/22/1993
• Est. Priority Date: 01/18/1990
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Tsubakimoto Chain Company
• Original Assignee: Tsubakimoto Chain Company
• Inventors: Shibata, Shinjiro, Orita, Tomiyoshi
• Primary Examiner(s): Smith, Jerry
• Assistant Examiner(s): BROWN, THOMAS
• Application Number:
  US07/641,375
• Time in Patent Office: 889 Days
• Field of Search: 364/468, 364/424.02, 364/424.01, 364/561, 364/565, 246/182 R, 246/182 A, 246/182 B, 246/182 BH, 246/182 C, 104/295-300
• US Class Current: 701/93
• CPC Class Codes: G01P 3/54 by measuring frequency of generated current or voltage
• CPC Class Codes: H02P 23/16 Controlling the angular speed of one shaft H02P23/18 takes precedence

Abstract

A method of and an apparatus for controlling the moving speed of a vehicle, which makes a vehicle run at a constant speed independent of applied load by specifically instructing the moving speed according to the difference between the computed number of pulses and the actually detected number of pulses. The vehicle moving speed is properly controllable in correspondence with load applied to the moving vehicle. The apparatus includes a pulse generator which outputs pulses relative to the movement of the vehicle, a unit pulse calculation unit which counts the number of pulses outputted while the vehicle fully passes through a predetermined travel distance and then computes either the traveling distance per unit-pulses or the number of pulses per unit distance, a predetermined position operation unit which computes the number of pulses to be outputted in a specific period of time in which the vehicle from an optional position arrives at the predetermined position after elapse of the predetermined period of time on the basis of the computed number of outputted pulses and the setup speed at the moment of computing the number of pulses, and a present position computing unit which detects the number of pulses actually outputted in a predetermined period in which the vehicle from an optional position arrives at the predetermined position after elapse of a predetermined period of time, respectively.

Claims

1. A method of controlling vehicle speed, wherein a pulse generator outputting pulses in connection with the movement of a vehicle is provided on said vehicle, and a speed instruction is given to a vehicle driving unit so that said vehicle runs at a setup speed on the basis of the result of the counting of said output pulses, said method comprising the sequential steps of:

detecting a predetermined travel distance;

counting the number of pulses which are outputted while detecting said predetermined travel distance;

calculating travel distance per a predetermined number of pulses on the basis of the counted number of pulses;

computing the number of pulses to be outputted in a predetermined period of time on the basis of the calculated travel distance and the setup speed at the moment of computing said number of pulses;

detecting the number of actually outputted pulses in said predetermined period of time; and

giving the instruction of moving speed of said vehicle relevant to the difference between the computed number of pulses and the number of actually detected pulses.

2. The method of controlling vehicle speed as set forth in claim 1, wherein said step of detecting said predetermined travel distance is detected every time said vehicle passes by each of a plurality of gauges of a specific length which are respectively disposed at different positions along the traveling path of said vehicle.

3. The method of controlling vehicle as set forth in claim 1, wherein said step of detecting said travel predetermined distance is detected every time said vehicle passes by each pair of a plurality of pairs of strikers which are respectively disposed at different positions apart from each other at specific intervals along the traveling path of said vehicle.

4. The method of controlling vehicle speed as set forth in claim 1, wherein said vehicle is driven along the predetermined traveling path by means of a driving wheel driven by a motor and a follower wheel, and said pulse generator is attached to said motor.

5. The method of controlling vehicle speed as set forth in claim 1, wherein said vehicle is driven along the predetermined traveling path by means of a driving wheel which is driven by a motor and a follower wheel, and said pulse generator is attached to said follower wheel.

6. A method of controlling vehicle speed, wherein a pulse generator outputting pulses in connection with movement of a vehicle is provided on said vehicle, and a speed instruction is given to a vehicle driving unit so that said vehicle runs at a setup speed on the basis of the result of the counting of said output pulses, said method comprising the sequential steps of:

detecting a predetermined travel distance;

counting the number of pulses which are outputted while detecting said predetermined travel distance;

calculating the number of pulses per unit distance on the basis of the counted number of pulses;

computing the number of pulses outputted in a predetermined period of time on the basis of the calculated number of pulses and the setup speed at the moment of computing the number of pulse per unit distance;

detecting the number of actually outputted pulses in said predetermined period of time; and

giving the instruction of moving speed of said vehicle relevant to the difference between the computed number of pulses and the detected number of pulses.

7. The method of controlling vehicle speed as set forth in claim 6, wherein said step of detecting said predetermined travel distance is detected every time said vehicle passes by each of a plurality of gauges of a specific length disposed at different positions along the traveling path of said vehicle.

8. The method of controlling vehicle speed as set forth in claim 6, wherein said step of detecting said predetermined travel distance is detected every time said vehicle passes by each pair of a plurality of pairs of strikers disposed at different positions apart from each other at specific intervals along the traveling path of said vehicle.

9. The method of controlling vehicle speed as set forth in claim 6, wherein said vehicle is driven along the predetermined traveling path by means of a driving wheel driven by a motor and a follower wheel, and wherein said pulse generator is attached to said motor.

10. The method of controlling vehicle speed as set forth in claim 6, wherein said vehicle is driven along the predetermined traveling path by means of a driving wheel driven by a motor and a follower wheel, and said pulse generator is attached to said follower wheel.

11. A vehicle speed controlling apparatus which is provided with a pulse generator outputting pulses in connection with movement of a vehicle and gives an instruction so that said vehicle runs at the setup speed according to the result of the counting of the output pulses, said apparatus comprising:

predetermined travel distance detecting means for detecting a predetermined travel distance;

pulse counting means for counting the number of pulses outputted while said predetermined travel distance detecting means detects the predetermined travel distance;

unit travel distance calculating means for calculating traveling distance per a predetermined number of pulses on the basis of the number of pulses counted by said pulse counting means;

pulse number computing means for computing the number of pulses outputted in a predetermined period of time on the basis of the travel distance calculated by said unit travel distance calculating means and the speed set up at the moment of computing said number of pulses;

pulse number detecting means for detecting the number of pulses actually outputted in said predetermined period of time;

pulse number difference computing means for computing the difference between the number of pulses computed by said pulse number computing means and the number of pulses detected by said pulse number detecting means; and

means for giving the instruction of the vehicle speed relevant to the difference of the number of pulses computed by said pulse number difference computing means.

12. The vehicle speed controlling apparatus as set forth in claim 11, wherein said predetermined travel distance detecting means detects the predetermine travel distance every time said vehicle passes by each of a plurality of gauges of a specific length disposed at different positions along the traveling path of said vehicle;

said pulse counting means counts the number of pulses outputted while said predetermined travel distance detecting means detects the predetermined travel distance; and

said unit travel distance calculating means calculates a travel distance per the predetermined number of the pulses on the basis of the counted number of pulses, and then renews the travel distance every time said vehicle passes by each gauge.

13. The vehicle speed controlling apparatus as set forth in claim 11, wherein said predetermined travel distance detecting means detects the predetermined travel distance every time said vehicle passes by each pair of a plurality of pairs of strikers which are disposed at different positions apart from each other at specific interval along the traveling path of said vehicle;

said pulse counting means counts the number of pulses outputted while said predetermined travel distance counting means detects the predetermined pulse distance; and

said unit travel distance calculating means calculates a travel distance per the predetermined number of pulses on the basis of the counted number of pulses, and then renews the travel distance every time said vehicle passes by each pair of strikers.

14. The vehicle speed controlling apparatus as set forth in claim 11, wherein said vehicle is driven along the predetermined traveling path by means of a driving wheel driven by a motor and a follower wheel, and said pulse generator is attached to said motor.

15. The vehicle speed controlling apparatus as set forth in claim 11, wherein said vehicle is driven along the predetermined traveling path by means of a driving wheel driven by a motor and a follower wheel, and said pulse generator is attached to said follower wheel.

16. A vehicle speed controlling apparatus which is provided with a pulse generator outputting pulses in connection with movement of a vehicle and gives an instruction so that said vehicle runs at the setup speed according to the result of the counting of the outputted pulses, said apparatus comprising:

predetermined travel distance detecting means for detecting a predetermined travel distance;

pulse counting means for counting the number of pulses outputted while said predetermined travel distance detecting means detects the predetermined travel distance;

unit pulses calculating means for calculating the number of pulses per unit distance on the basis of the number of pulses counted by said pulse counting means;

pulse number computing means for computing the number of pulses outputted in a predetermined period of time on the basis of the number of pulses computed by said unit pulses calculating means and the setup speed at the moment of computing the number of pulses;

pulse number detecting means for detecting the number of pulses actually outputted in said predetermined period of time;

pulse number difference computing means for computing the difference between the number of pulses computed by said pulse number computing means and the number of pulses detected by said pulse number detecting means; and

means for giving the instruction of the moving speed of said vehicle relevant to the difference of the number of pulses computed by said pulse number difference computing means.

17. The vehicle speed controlling apparatus as set forth in claim 16, wherein said predetermined travel distance detecting means detects the predetermined travel distance every time said vehicle passes by each pair of a plurality of gauges of a specific length disposed at different positions along the traveling path of said vehicle, said pulse counting means counts the number of pulses outputted while said predetermined travel distance detecting means detects the predetermined travel distance, and said unit pulses calculating means calculates the number of pulses per unit distance on the basis of the counted number of pulses and then renews the number of pulses every time said vehicle passes by each gauge.

18. The vehicle speed controlling apparatus as set forth in claim 16, wherein said predetermined travel distance detecting means detects the predetermined travel distance every time said vehicle passes by each pair of a plurality of pairs of strikers disposed at different positions apart from each other at specific intervals along the traveling path of said vehicle, said pulse counting means counts the number of pulses outputted while said predetermined travel distance detecting means detects the predetermined distance;

and said unit pulses calculating means calculates the number of pulses per unit distance on the basis of the counted number of pulses and then renews the number of pulses every time said vehicle passes by each pair of said strikers.

19. The vehicle speed controlling apparatus as set forth in claim 16, wherein said vehicle is driven along the predetermined traveling path by means of a driving wheel driven by a motor and a follower wheel, and said pulse generator is attached to said motor.

20. The vehicle speed controlling apparatus as set forth in claim 16, wherein said vehicle is driven along the predetermined traveling path by means of a driving wheel driven by a motor and a follower wheel, and said pulse generator is attached to said follower wheel.