Autonomous vehicle navigation system and method
First Claim
1. A system for guiding a powered vehicle moving across a surface, comprising:
- a three-axis magnetometer with three magnetometers sensing along mutually orthogonal axes, for sensing the three components of the earth'"'"'s magnetic field;
a three-axis accelerometer with three accelerometers sensing along mutually orthogonal axes, for sensing the three components of the earth'"'"'s gravitational field;
means for determining the distance traveled by said vehicle; and
means, responsive to said three-axis magnetometer and said three-axis accelerometer, and to said means for determining, for guiding the vehicle.
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Abstract
The invention allows an automated vehicle to reliably and repeatedly navigate any arbitrary area or path after being trained by an operator. This invention uses the Earth'"'"'s magnetic and gravitational fields for directional vectors and uses optical shaft encoders mounted on a non-driving wheel to accurately measure the distance traveled. These sensory inputs are sufficient to accurately locate the vehicle in three-dimensional space and can be compared against a stored map to generate the navigational signal. Training the vehicle involves storing this sensory information in a computerized log as an operator moves the vehicle over the target area. Once the vehicle has been trained, it is able to recognize and navigate the terrain without the need for artificial landmarks or human intervention.
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Citations
18 Claims
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1. A system for guiding a powered vehicle moving across a surface, comprising:
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a three-axis magnetometer with three magnetometers sensing along mutually orthogonal axes, for sensing the three components of the earth'"'"'s magnetic field;
a three-axis accelerometer with three accelerometers sensing along mutually orthogonal axes, for sensing the three components of the earth'"'"'s gravitational field;
means for determining the distance traveled by said vehicle; and
means, responsive to said three-axis magnetometer and said three-axis accelerometer, and to said means for determining, for guiding the vehicle. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
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9. A method of guiding a powered vehicle moving across a surface, comprising:
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a step of sensing the earth'"'"'s magnetic field with a three-axis magnetometer with three magnetometers sensing along mutually orthogonal axes, for sensing the three components of the earth'"'"'s magnetic field;
a step of sensing the earth'"'"'s gravitational field with a three-axis accelerometer with three accelerometers sensing along mutually orthogonal axes, for sensing the three components of the earth'"'"'s gravitational field;
a step of determining the distance traveled by said vehicle; and
in response to both of said sensing steps, and to said determining step, guiding the vehicle. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18)
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Specification