Vehicle and method for steering thereof

• US 7,451,027 B2
• Filed: 10/17/2002
• Issued: 11/11/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 10/18/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Frog Navigation System B.V.
• Original Assignee: Frog Navigation Systems BV
• Inventors: Peteri, Paul Henri Frans, Siebert, Ralf
• Primary Examiner(s): ARTHUR JEANGLAUDE, GERTRUDE
• Application Number:
  US10/493,008
• Publication Number:
  US 20050015187A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,217 Days
• Field of Search: 701/23, 701/33, 701/36, 701/41, 701/35, 701/34, 180/167, 180/168, 180/169
• US Class Current: 701/41
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 1/28 non-mechanical , e.g. following a line or other known markers
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0224 Key guide holders
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0238 Programmable keyboards key guide holders G06F3/0224

Abstract

The present invention relates to a method for steering a vehicle (1) over a ground surface (4), wherein magnetic marking elements (5) are arranged in the ground surface at predetermined locations and wherein the vehicle is provided with a number of sensors (3) arranged adjacently of each other in transverse direction of the vehicle, wherein during travel of the vehicle the substantially vertical components of the magnetic field is measured in each of the sensors, and wherein on the basis of the intensities of magnetic field measured by the sensors an estimation is made of the position of these sensors relative to the magnetic marking elements, and thus of the vehicle relative thereto.

Claims

1. Method for steering a vehicle over a ground surface, comprising

arranging magnetic marking elements at the ground surface at predetermined locations;

arranging a number of sensors adjacent each other in a transverse direction of the vehicle;

during travel of the vehicle, measuring only substantially vertical components of the magnetic field in each of the sensors,

on the basis of the intensities of magnetic field measured by the sensors, estimating the position of the sensors relative to the magnetic marking elements, and thus of the vehicle relative thereto and steering the vehicle based on the estimated position; and

receiving signals representing a path covered and steering wheel movement of the vehicle to aid in steering the vehicle.

2. Method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the sensors comprise magnetic sensors for measuring the magnetic field.

3. Method as claimed in claim 2, wherein the magnetic sensors are arranged over a considerable part of a width of the vehicle in the transverse direction.

4. Method as claimed in claim 3, wherein the sensors are arranged in a measuring beam having at least 25 sensor elements.

5. Method as claimed in claim 2, wherein the measurements of the sensors are sampled at a rate in the order of magnitude of about 20,000 samples per second to 1,000,000 samples per second.

6. Method as claimed in claim 2, wherein the measuring comprises sampling the vertical component of the magnetic field by means of the magnetic sensors, and analog/digital converting of the measured values, relating the values using estimation techniques to a spatial model of this field component.

7. Method as claimed in claim 2, arranging the magnetic marking elements in the ground surface in a manner such that, by use of at least one of the orientations of and the mutual distance between the elements, unique combinations of the elements are created which represent position information or other information.

8. A method as claimed in claim 4, wherein the measuring beam has about 100 sensor elements.

9. A vehicle including a number of sensor elements arranged mutually adjacently and the sensor elements are operable for measuring intensity of a magnetic field of magnetic marking elements arranged at a ground surface, a computer connected to the sensors on one side and connected on the other side to signals which represent at least one of paths covered and steering wheel movement of the vehicle.

10. A vehicle as claimed in claim 9, wherein the vehicle is an articulated bus provided with respective pairs of front wheels, middle wheels and rear wheels, and at least one of the pairs of wheels being steerable.

11. A vehicle as claimed in claim 9, having a CAN system for obtaining the signals representing the path covered and the steering wheel movement.

12. A vehicle as claimed in claim 9, wherein the computer comprise a microprocessor with associated memory.

13. A vehicle as claimed in claim 9, wherein the computer comprises a scanning part and a fitting part connected to each other.

14. A vehicle as claimed in claim 13, wherein the scanning part comprises an analog/digital converter for converting infonnation obtained from the sensors.

15. A vehicle as claimed in claim 9, wherein the computer is operable to recognize combinations in the intensities of magnetic field measured by the sensor elements.

16. A vehicle as claimed in claim 9, wherein the vehicle has pairs of wheels and at least one of the pairs of wheels is steerable.

17. A system for measuring the position of a magnet relative to a number of sensor elements arranged at predetermined mutual distances, the system comprising the magnet and the number of sensor elements arranged at predetermined mutual distances;

wherein the sensor elements sense a substantially vertical component of the intensity of a magnetic field during passage of the sensor elements over the magnet, and means connected and operable to estimate the position of the magnet relative to the sensor elements on the basis of signals coming from the sensor elements.

18. A system as claimed in claim 17, wherein the magnetic marking elements are arranged at a ground surface in a manner for making use of at least one of the orientations of and the mutual distance between the elements, for creating unique combinations which represent position information or other information.