Transmitting apparatus, sound sensor and autonomous traveling vehicle

• US 7,098,579 B2
• Filed: 01/31/2005
• Issued: 08/29/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sanyo Electric Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Sanyo Electric Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Hirose, Tatsuya, Tokumaru, Tomoyoshi
• Primary Examiner(s): Schuberg, Darren
• Assistant Examiner(s): SAN MARTIN, JAYDI A
• Application Number:
  US11/045,144
• Publication Number:
  US 20050231068A1
• Time in Patent Office: 575 Days
• Field of Search: 310/319, 310/311, 310/339, 367/99, 367/117, 367/118, 367/217
• US Class Current: 310/339
• CPC Class Codes: B06B 1/0238 of a single frequency, e.g. a sine-wave
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 15/931 of land vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0255 using acoustic signals, e.g. ultra-sonic singals sonar systems designed for anti-collision purposes G01S15/93

Abstract

A driving circuit of a transmitting apparatus drives a piezoelectric element in a frequency band different from a resonance frequency at which a vibration system including the piezoelectric element resonates the most strongly. A driving circuit of a sound sensor drives the piezoelectric element for transmitting or receiving an acoustic wave in a frequency band different from a resonance frequency at which a vibration system including the piezoelectric element resonates the most strongly. Such a transmitting apparatus is mounted as a transmitting apparatus of a sound sensor to thereby realize the sound sensor with a small measurement error. The sound sensor is adopted for traveling control and steering control of an autonomous traveling vehicle to thereby enable an autonomous traveling vehicle capable of stopping in the vicinity of an obstacle to be realized.

Claims

1. An autonomous traveling vehicle comprising:

a sound sensor, for detecting a detection-target object, including;

a transmitting apparatus having a piezoelectric element and a driving circuit for driving said piezoelectric element in a frequency band at which acoustic pressure of an acoustic wave rises steeper than the acoustic pressure when said piezoelectric element is driven at a resonance frequency at which a vibration system including said piezoelectric element resonates the most strongly to transmit an acoustic wave; and

a receiving apparatus having a receiver for receiving a reflected wave from said detection-target object of an acoustic wave transmitted from said transmitting apparatus;

a processing circuit for acquiring information on said detection-target object on the basis of an elapsed time till the time when said receiver of said receiving apparatus receives the reflected wave from the time when said transmitting apparatus transmits an acoustic wave; and

a control circuit for performing traveling control and steering control on the basis of information on said detection-target object acquired by said processing circuit.

2. The autonomous traveling vehicle as set forth in claim 1, having a function as a cleaner, wherein said traveling control and steering control by said control circuit is performed so as to travel on routes, in parallel with one pair of walls of a rectangular room facing and in parallel to each other, at predetermined intervals between adjacent routes in a direction along the other pair of walls facing and in parallel to each other, in a zigzag pattern.