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Arrangement of area wire for unmanned autonomous operating vehicle and control apparatus of the same

  • US 9,483,053 B2
  • Filed: 02/07/2013
  • Issued: 11/01/2016
  • Est. Priority Date: 02/10/2012
  • Status: Active Grant
First Claim
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1. An apparatus for controlling an unmanned autonomous operating vehicle having an electric motor supplied with power from a battery for operating an operating machine, prime movers for driving wheels, and magnetic sensors for detecting intensity of a magnetic field of an area wire,the apparatus comprising:

  • a circular charging device detecting area set to be used for detecting a position of a charging device installed on the area wire, a center of the charging device detecting area being at the charging device;

    a turn-back portion including a pair of bending wire portions facing each other, the pair of bending wire portions being formed by bending the area wire at a first position on an opposite side of the charging device across an operating area defined by the area wire toward the charging device detecting area and again bending the area wire at a second position within the charging device detecting area toward the first position, the pair of bending wire portions being separated from each other by a predetermined distance, an area between the pair of bending wire portions being outside the operating area so that the operating area is divided into two zones through the pair of bending wire portions; and

    a controller adapted to control the vehicle in an operating mode to run about in the operating area through the wheels driven by the prime movers to perform an operation using the operating machine while determining whether the vehicle is inside the operating area based on signals from the magnetic sensors to allow the vehicle to go across the area between the pair of bending wire portions based on a comparison of a time period that the vehicle is determined to be outside the operating area with a threshold value, and to control the vehicle in a return mode to turn about when the vehicle is determined to have reached the charging device detecting area and subsequently run toward the area wire to be guided to the charging device when the vehicle is to be returned to the charging device so as to charge the battery.

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