Apparatus and method for guiding vehicle autonomously

• US 6,272,405 B1
• Filed: 07/08/1999
• Issued: 08/07/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 07/08/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Fuji Heavy Industries Limited (Subaru Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Fuji Heavy Industries Limited (Subaru Corp.)
• Inventors: Kubota, Yosuke
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, TAN QUANG
• Application Number:
  US09/349,721
• Time in Patent Office: 761 Days
• Field of Search: 701/23, 701/25, 701/26, 701/28, 701/213, 701/214, 701/216, 342/357.01, 342/357.02, 342/357.03, 342/357.06, 342/357.13, 342/357.14, 342/357.17
• US Class Current: 701/23
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/12 executed aboard the object being navigated; Dead reckoning
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/41 Differential correction, e.g. DGPS [differential GPS]
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0261 using magnetic plots
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0265 using buried wires
• 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: G05D 1/0278 using satellite positioning signals, e.g. GPS

Abstract

An apparatus for guiding a vehicle autonomously to a target point by finding a current position based on radio waives from satellites and comparing the current position with the target point comprises a means for storing a reference position data of a reference point whose accurate position is known, a means for obtaining a position data of the vehicle when the vehicle is located on the reference point, a means for obtaining a correction data by calculating a difference between the reference position data and the position data, and a means for correcting the current position by using the correction data to obtain a real position of the vehicle.

Claims

1. An apparatus for guiding a vehicle autonomously to a target position, comprising:

positioning means for obtaining a current position data of said vehicle based on a positioning information from radio waves received from positioning satellites;

memory means for storing a reference position data of reference point with a known accurate position;

deviation data obtaining means for obtaining a deviation data indicating how much said current position data is deviated from said reference position when said vehicle is located in said reference position; and

running control means for guiding said vehicle autonomously to the target point based on said current position data, said target position and said deviation data.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

measuring means for measuring said deviation data when said vehicle is located in said reference position by calculating offset value of latitude and longitude between said current position data and said reference position data,

wherein said deviation data obtaining means obtains said deviation data from said measuring means.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

data memory means for memorizing a plurality of deviation data corresponding to measuring circumstances including measuring time, reference points and captured,

wherein said deviation data obtaining means obtains said deviation from said data memory means by selecting one of said deviation data whose measuring environment is similar to the present one.

4. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

said running control mean guides said vehicle autonomously to the target point by calculating a corrected data of said current position data by correcting based on said deviation data, and comparing said corrected data with said target position.

5. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

guiding means for guiding said vehicle to said reference point along a guide path furnished beforehand and leading to said reference point.

6. The apparatus according to claim 5, wherein:

said guide path is a buried magnetic guide path,

said guiding means leads said vehicle to said reference point by detecting a magnetic code showing an end portion of said magnetic guide path.

7. A method of guiding a vehicle autonomously to a target point, comprising:

obtaining a current position data of said vehicle based on positioning information from satellites;

storing a reference position data of reference point with a known accurate position;

obtaining a deviation data indicating how much said current position data is deviated from said reference position when said vehicle is located in said reference position; and

guiding said vehicle autonomously to the target point based on said current position data, said target position and said deviation data.