Vehicle guidance system
First Claim
1. A method for monitoring movement of a vehicle system, the method comprising:
- monitoring movement of a structure relative to a vehicle using a sensor system, wherein the structure is connected to the vehicle in the vehicle system;
identifying a number of distances from the sensor system associated with the vehicle to a number of objects associated with the structure;
identifying an orientation of the structure relative to the vehicle using the number of distances from the sensor system associated with the vehicle to the number of objects;
determining whether the orientation of the structure meets a number of criteria; and
initiating an operation for the vehicle system in response to an absence of a determination that the orientation meets the number of criteria.
1 Assignment
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Accused Products
Abstract
A method and apparatus for monitoring movement of a vehicle system. A sensor system monitors movement of a structure relative to a vehicle. The structure is connected to the vehicle in the vehicle system. A computer system identifies a number of distances from the sensor system to a number of objects associated with the structure. The computer system identifies an orientation of the structure relative to the vehicle using the number of distances from the sensor system associated with the vehicle to the number of objects. The computer system determines whether the orientation of the structure meets a number of criteria. The computer system initiates an operation for the vehicle system in response to an absence of a determination that the orientation meets the number of criteria.
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Citations
23 Claims
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1. A method for monitoring movement of a vehicle system, the method comprising:
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monitoring movement of a structure relative to a vehicle using a sensor system, wherein the structure is connected to the vehicle in the vehicle system; identifying a number of distances from the sensor system associated with the vehicle to a number of objects associated with the structure; identifying an orientation of the structure relative to the vehicle using the number of distances from the sensor system associated with the vehicle to the number of objects; determining whether the orientation of the structure meets a number of criteria; and initiating an operation for the vehicle system in response to an absence of a determination that the orientation meets the number of criteria. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 9, 11, 12)
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5. A method for monitoring movement of a vehicle system, the method comprising:
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monitoring movement of a structure relative to a vehicle using a sensor system, wherein the structure is connected to the vehicle in the vehicle system; identifying a number of distances from the sensor system associated with the vehicle to a number of objects associated with the structure; identifying an orientation of the structure relative to the vehicle using the number of distances from the sensor system associated with the vehicle to the number of objects; determining whether the orientation of the structure meets a number of criteria; and initiating an operation for the vehicle system in response to an absence of a determination that the orientation meets the number of criteria, wherein the identifying the number of distances from the sensor system associated with the vehicle to the number of objects associated with the structure comprises; identifying a change in image size for each of the number of objects relative to a reference size for the each of the number of objects; and identifying the number of distances from the sensor system associated with the vehicle to the number of objects associated with the structure using the change in the image size for the each of the number of objects.
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8. A method for monitoring movement of a vehicle system, the method comprising:
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monitoring movement of a structure relative to a vehicle using a sensor system, wherein the structure is connected to the vehicle in the vehicle system, and wherein the sensor system comprises an imaging system configured to generate imaging data and a global positioning system configured to generate positioning data and an angle measurement system configured to generate angular data for the structure; identifying a number of distances from the sensor system associated with the vehicle to a number of objects associated with the structure using the imaging data; identifying an orientation of the structure relative to the vehicle using the number of distances from the sensor system associated with the vehicle to the number of objects; determining whether the orientation of the structure meets a number of criteria; and initiating an operation for the vehicle system in response to an absence of a determination that the orientation meets the number of criteria, wherein the identifying the orientation of the structure relative to the vehicle further comprises; applying weighting factors to the imaging data, the positioning data, and the angular data to form weighted orientation data; and identifying the orientation of the structure relative to the vehicle using the weighted orientation data.
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10. A method for monitoring movement of a vehicle system, the method comprising:
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monitoring movement of a structure relative to a vehicle using a sensor system, wherein the structure is connected to the vehicle in the vehicle system; identifying a number of distances from the sensor system associated with the vehicle to a number of objects associated with the structure; identifying an orientation of the structure relative to the vehicle using the number of distances from the sensor system associated with the vehicle to the number of objects; determining whether the orientation of the structure meets a number of criteria; and initiating an operation for the vehicle system in response to an absence of a determination that the orientation meets the number of criteria, wherein the number of criteria identifies a selected tolerance from a desired orientation for the structure relative to the vehicle and wherein the determining whether the orientation of the structure meets the number of criteria comprises; determining whether the orientation of the structure is within the selected tolerance from the desired orientation for the structure relative to the vehicle.
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13. A vehicle system comprising:
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a sensor system configured to monitor movement of a structure relative to a vehicle, wherein the sensor system is associated with the vehicle and the structure is connected to the vehicle in the vehicle system; and a computer system configured to identify a number of distances from the sensor system to a number of objects associated with the structure;
identify an orientation of the structure relative to the vehicle using the number of distances from the sensor system associated with the vehicle to the number of objects;
determine whether the orientation of the structure meets a number of criteria; and
initiate an operation for the vehicle system in response to an absence of a determination that the orientation meets the number of criteria. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 17, 18, 20, 22, 23)
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16. A vehicle system comprising:
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a sensor system configured to monitor movement of a structure relative to a vehicle, wherein the sensor system is associated with the vehicle and the structure is connected to the vehicle in the vehicle system; and a computer system configured to identify a number of distances from the sensor system to a number of objects associated with the structure;
identify an orientation of the structure relative to the vehicle using the number of distances from the sensor system associated with the vehicle to the number of objects;
determine whether the orientation of the structure meets a number of criteria; and
initiate an operation for the vehicle system in response to an absence of a determination that the orientation meets the number of criteria, wherein in being configured to identify the number of distances from the sensor system to the number of objects associated with the structure, the computer system is configured to identify a change in an image size for each of the number of objects; and
identify the number of distances from the sensor system associated with the vehicle to the number of objects associated with the structure using the change in the image size for the each of the number of objects.
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19. A vehicle system comprising:
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a sensor system configured to monitor movement of a structure relative to a vehicle, wherein the sensor system is associated with the vehicle and the structure is connected to the vehicle in the vehicle system, and wherein the sensor system comprises an imaging system configured to generate imaging data and a global positioning system configured to generate positioning data and an angle measurement system configured to generate angular data for the structure; and a computer system configured to identify a number of distances from the sensor system to a number of objects associated with the structure using the imaging data identify an orientation of the structure relative to the vehicle using the number of distances from the sensor system associated with the vehicle to the number of objects;
determine whether the orientation of the structure meets a number of criteria; and
initiate an operation for the vehicle system in response to an absence of a determination that the orientation meets the number of criteria, wherein in being configured to identify the orientation of the structure relative to the vehicle, the computer system is configured to apply weighting factors to the imaging data, the positioning data, and the angular data to form weighted orientation data; and
identify the orientation of the structure relative to the vehicle using the weighted orientation data.
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21. A vehicle system comprising:
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a sensor system configured to monitor movement of a structure relative to a vehicle, wherein the sensor system is associated with the vehicle and the structure is connected to the vehicle in the vehicle system; and a computer system configured to identify a number of distances from the sensor system to a number of objects associated with the structure;
identify an orientation of the structure relative to the vehicle using the number of distances from the sensor system associated with the vehicle to the number of objects;
determine whether the orientation of the structure meets a number of criteria; and
initiate an operation for the vehicle system in response to an absence of a determination that the orientation meets the number of criteria, wherein the number of criteria identifies a selected tolerance for a desired orientation for the structure relative to the vehicle and wherein in being configured to determine whether the orientation of the structure relative to the vehicle using the number of criteria, the computer system is configured to determine whether the orientation of the structure is within a selected tolerance from the desired orientation for the structure relative to the vehicle.
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Specification