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Close-spaced leader-follower navigation using control mimic

  • US 8,160,809 B2
  • Filed: 05/26/2011
  • Issued: 04/17/2012
  • Est. Priority Date: 12/07/2006
  • Status: Active Grant
First Claim
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1. A system for automatically controlling a follower vehicle that is to move in a desired manner with respect to movement of a leader vehicle, comprising:

  • in the leader vehicle;

    one or more sensors are configured to produce signals representing amounts of acceleration and bearing being applied to acceleration and bearing control inputs in the leader vehicle that cause a change in acceleration and bearing of the leader vehicle;

    a controller is configured to receive and to process said signals to produce leader control status signals; and

    a radio device is configured to transmit the leader control status signals;

    in the follower vehicle;

    a radio device is configured to receive the leader control status signals; and

    a controller is configured to utilize a plurality of control loops operated at the same or different frequencies to process the leader control status signals and data representing relative position of the follower vehicle with respect to the leader vehicle and to generate adjustments to bearing and acceleration control inputs in said follower vehicle so as to mimic the bearing and acceleration control inputs made in the leader vehicle, wherein each control loop provides different information associated with the leader vehicle to the controller of the follower vehicle;

    wherein;

    in a first control loop that is updated at a first frequency;

    the controller of the leader vehicle is configured to monitor bearing and acceleration control inputs representing amounts of bearing and acceleration being applied to bearing and acceleration actuation elements, respectively, in the leader vehicle that cause a change in bearing and acceleration of the leader vehicle; and

    generate the leader control status signals for transmission by the radio device in the leader vehicle to the follower vehicle, the leader control status signals representing the bearing and acceleration control inputs to the bearing and acceleration actuation elements in the leader vehicle; and

    the controller in the follower vehicle configured to adjust bearing and acceleration control inputs made to bearing and acceleration actuation elements in the follower vehicle based on the control status signals received from the leader vehicle so as to mimic in the follower vehicle the effect of the bearing and acceleration control inputs made in the leader vehicle; and

    in at least a second control loop that is updated at a second frequency that is the same as or different from the first frequency, the controller of the follower vehicle is configured to monitor deviation between velocity of the leader vehicle and velocity of the follower vehicle, generate first bias data for said bearing and acceleration control inputs in the follower vehicle based on said deviation in velocity to counteract the deviation in velocity for a current update cycle of the second control loop, so that the bearing and acceleration control inputs in the follower vehicle are adjusted based further on the first bias data.

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