Autonomous vehicle always facing target direction at end of run and control method thereof

• US 6,138,063 A
• Filed: 02/27/1998
• Issued: 10/24/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 02/28/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Moneual Incorporated (Hong-Seok Park, MBA)
• Original Assignee: Minolta Co., Ltd. (Konica Minolta Inc.)
• Inventors: Himeda, Satoshi
• Primary Examiner(s): Cuchlinski, Jr., William A.
• Assistant Examiner(s): ARTHUR JEANGLAUDE, GERTRUDE
• Application Number:
  US09/031,758
• Time in Patent Office: 970 Days
• Field of Search: 701/23, 701/25, 701/205, 701/69, 701/72, 701/75, 318/568.12, 318/587, 382/153, 29/273, 180/197
• US Class Current: 701/23
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0223 involving speed control of the vehicle vehicle fittings for automatically controlling, i.e. preventing speed from exceeding an arbitrarily established velocity or maintaining speed at a particular velocity, as selected by the vehicle operator B60K31/00
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/53922 Auto wheel with auto chassis

Abstract

An autonomous vehicle includes a chassis, pair of drive wheels, a motor for driving these drive wheels, a gyrosensor provided at the chassis for detecting a direction of the chassis, and a travel control unit responsive to an output of the gyrosensor at the end of a travel of a predetermined run indicating difference from a target direction for providing control of the rotation amount of the drive wheels so that the direction of the chassis is corrected by a predetermined amount to be aligned with the target direction. A method of controlling this autonomous vehicle is also disclosed.

Claims

1. An autonomous vehicle comprising:

a chassis including a pair of drive wheels, said chassis traveling and turning towards an arbitrary direction by independent control of the pair of drive wheels,

drive means for driving said drive wheels, said drive means driving said drive wheels at a speed according to a trapezoid travel pattern,

angle detection means provided at said chassis for detecting a direction of said chassis, and

angle correction means responsive to an output of said angle detection means at an end of a travel of a predetermined run indicating difference from a target value for correcting said drive wheels so that the direction of said chassis is corrected by a predetermined amount to be aligned with said target direction.

2. The autonomous vehicle according to claim 1, wherein said travel of a predetermined run is a turning operation of said autonomous vehicle.

3. An autonomous vehicle comprising:

a chassis including a pair of drive wheels, said chassis traveling and turning towards an arbitrary direction by independent control of the pair of drive wheels,

drive means for driving said drive wheels, said drive means driving said drive wheels at a speed according to a trapezoid travel pattern,

angle detection means provided at said chassis for detecting a direction of said chassis, and

angle correction means responsive to an output of said angle detection means at an end of a travel of a predetermined run indicating difference from a target value for correcting said drive wheels so that the direction of said chassis is corrected by a predetermined amount to be aligned with said target direction,

wherein said drive means drives said drive wheels at a speed according to a plurality of types of trapezoid travel patterns having different speeds from each other.

4. The autonomous vehicle according to claim 3, wherein said drive means drives said drive wheels at a speed according to at least three types of trapezoid travel patterns having different maximum speeds from each other,

wherein said drive means selects in a step-graded manner a trapezoid travel pattern having a maximum speed lower than the maximum speed of a trapezoid travel pattern used immediately before for driving said drive wheels according to the selected trapezoid travel pattern in angle correction.

5. The autonomous vehicle further comprising:

a chassis including a pair of drive wheels, said chassis traveling and turning towards an arbitrary direction by independent control of the pair of drive wheels,

drive means for driving said drive wheels,

angle detection means provided at said chassis for detecting a direction of said chassis, and

angle correction means responsive to an output of said angle detection means at an end of a travel of a predetermined run indicating difference from a target value for correcting said drive wheels so that the direction of said chassis is corrected by a predetermined amount to be aligned with said target direction, and

means for specifying an angle correction mode,

wherein said drive means carries out angle correction at a predetermined first control mode when a first angle correction mode is specified, and

at a predetermined second control mode different from said first control mode when a second angle correction mode is specified.

6. A control method of an autonomous vehicle including a pair of drive wheels for running and turning towards an arbitrary direction by independent control of said pair of drive wheels, said control method comprising:

an angle detection step of detecting a direction of a chassis,

a step of determining difference of an output of said angle detection step at an end of a travel of a predetermined run from a target direction, and

a step of driving said drive wheels at a speed according to a trapezoid travel pattern so that the direction of said chassis is corrected by a predetermined amount to be aligned with said target direction.

7. The autonomous vehicle according to claim 6, wherein said travel of a predetermined run is a turning operation of said autonomous vehicle.

8. A control method of an autonomous vehicle including a pair of drive wheels for running and turning towards an arbitrary direction by independent control of said pair of drive wheels, said control method comprising:

a mode specify step of specifying an angle correction mode,

an angle detection step for detecting a direction of a chassis,

a step of determining difference of an output of said angle detection step at an end of a travel of a predetermined run from a target direction, and

a correction step of driving said drive wheels so that the direction of said chassis is corrected by a predetermined amount to be aligned with said target direction in a predetermined first control mode when a first angle correction mode is specified in said mode specify step, and of driving said drive wheels so that the direction of said chassis is corrected by a predetermined amount to be aligned with said target direction in a predetermined second control mode differing from said first control mode when a second angle correction mode is specified in said mode specify step.

9. The control method of an autonomous vehicle according to claim 8, wherein said travel of a predetermined run is a turning operation of said autonomous vehicle.

10. An autonomous vehicle comprising:

a chassis,

a pair of drive wheels,

a motor for driving said drive wheels at a speed according to a trapezoid travel pattern,

a gyrosensor provided at said chassis for detecting a direction of said chassis, and

a travel control unit responsive to difference of an output of said gyrosensor at an end of a travel of a predetermined run from a target direction for providing control of a rotational amount of said drive wheels so that the direction of said chassis is corrected by a predetermined amount to be aligned with said target direction.

11. The autonomous vehicle according to claim 10, wherein said pair of drive wheels rotate at a speed according to a pair of motors corresponding thereto.

12. The autonomous vehicle according to claim 11, wherein said motors drive said drive wheels at a speed according to a plurality of types of trapezoid travel patterns having different speeds from each other, and

wherein said motors drive said drive wheels respectively according to a first trapezoid travel pattern in a normal run and a second trapezoid pattern having a maximum speed lower than the maximum speed of said first trapezoid travel pattern in angle correction.

13. The autonomous vehicle according to claim 12, wherein said motors drive said drive wheels at a speed according to at least three types of trapezoid travel patterns having a maximum speed differing from each other,

wherein said motors select in a step-graded manner a trapezoid travel pattern having a maximum speed lower than the maximum speed of a trapezoid travel pattern used immediately before to drive said drive wheels according to a selected trapezoid travel pattern in angle correction.

14. The autonomous vehicle according to claim 10, wherein said travel of a predetermined run is a turning operation of said autonomous vehicle.

15. The autonomous vehicle further comprising:

a chassis,

a pair of drive wheels,

a motor for driving said drive wheels,

a gyrosensor provided at said chassis for detecting a direction of said chassis, and

a travel control unit responsive to difference of an output of said gyrosensor at an end of a travel of a predetermined run from a target direction for providing control of a rotational amount of said drive wheels so that the direction of said chassis is corrected by a predetermined amount to be aligned with said target direction, and

an operation unit for specifying an angle correction mode,

wherein said motor carries out angle correction in a predetermined first control mode when a first angle correction mode is specified, and for carrying out an angle correction at a predetermined second control mode differing from said first control mode when a second angle correction mode is specified.

16. An autonomous vehicle comprising:

a chassis,

a motor for driving a pair of drive wheels at a speed according to a trapezoid travel pattern,

a travel control unit for controlling said motor, and

a gyrosensor provided at said chassis for detecting a direction of said chassis, wherein

said travel control unit determines whether an output of said gyrosensor at an end of a travel of a predetermined run differs from a target direction, and when the output differs, provides control of said motor so that the direction of said chassis is aligned with said target direction.

17. The autonomous vehicle according to claim 16, wherein said travel of a predetermined run is a turning operation of said autonomous vehicle.

18. The autonomous vehicle according to claim 17, wherein said pair of drive wheels rotate at a speed by a pair of respective motors.

19. The autonomous vehicle comprising:

a chassis,

a motor for driving a pair of drive wheels,

a travel control unit for controlling said motor, and

a gyrosensor provided at said chassis for detecting a direction of said chassis, wherein

said travel control unit determines whether an output of said gyrosensor at an end of a travel of a predetermined run differs from a target direction, and when the output differs, provides control of said motor so that the direction of said chassis is aligned with said target direction, and wherein said travel of a predetermined run is a turning operation of said autonomous vehicle,

wherein a rotating speed of said motor when the output of said gyrosensor differs from said target direction is slower than the speed when said autonomous vehicle is turning.

20. An autonomous vehicle comprising;

a chassis including a pair of drive wheels, said chassis travelling and turning towards an arbitrary direction by independent control of the pair of the drive wheels,

drive means for driving said drive wheels, said drive means driving said drive wheels at a speed according to a trapezoid travel pattern,

angle detection means provided at said chassis for detecting a direction of said chassis and

angle correction means responsive to an output of said angle detection means at an end of a travel of a predetermined run indicating difference from a target value for causing said driving means to stop said autonomous vehicle and for correcting said drive wheels so that the direction of said chassis is corrected by a predetermined amount to be aligned with said target direction.