Steering control device

• US 6,269,897 B1
• Filed: 07/17/1998
• Issued: 08/07/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 08/21/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Honda Giken Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha (Honda Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Honda Giken Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha (Honda Motor Company)
• Inventors: Tamura, Kazuya, Kobayashi, Sachio, Jitsukata, Eishi
• Primary Examiner(s): Mai, Lanna
• Assistant Examiner(s): Restifo, Jeffrey J.
• Application Number:
  US09/116,938
• Time in Patent Office: 1,117 Days
• Field of Search: 180/167, 180/168, 318/564, 340/439, 701/23
• US Class Current: 180/168
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 1/28 non-mechanical , e.g. following a line or other known markers
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0246 using a video camera in combination with image processing means
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0261 using magnetic plots
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0274 using mapping information stored in a memory device navigation using map-matching G01C21/30
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0278 using satellite positioning signals, e.g. GPS

Abstract

A steering control device in which a level of a magnetic signal given by each magnetic nail buried in a road at intervals is detected by magnetism detecting means, an operation of a steering of a vehicle is controlled in accordance with the detected magnetic signal level, and an operation of the steering is controlled in accordance with a vehicle position and attitude angle of the vehicle detected by a vehicle position and attitude angle detecting means when any magnetic signal level is not detected by the magnetism detecting means.

Claims

1. A steering control device comprising:

magnetism detecting means provided on a vehicle for detecting a level of a magnetic signal given by magnetic nails buried in a road at intervals;

steering control means for controlling an operation of a steering of said vehicle in accordance with the magnetic signal level detected by said magnetism detecting means;

no-magnetism detecting means for generating a no-magnetism detecting signal when any magnetic signal level is not detected by said magnetism detecting means;

a plurality of vehicle position and attitude angle detectors for detecting a present vehicle position and an attitude angle of said vehicle by using respective detecting methods which differ from each other; and

selecting means for selecting one present vehicle position value and attitude angle value of present vehicle position values and attitude angle values of said vehicle detected respectively by said plurality of vehicle position and attitude angle detectors, on the basis of the detected present vehicle position values and attitude angle values, and outputting the one present vehicle position value and attitude angle value;

wherein said steering control means controls an operation of said steering in accordance with the one vehicle position value and attitude angle value selected by said selecting means in response to the no-magnetism detecting signal.