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Control apparatus for autonomously navigating utility vehicle

  • US 9,874,876 B2
  • Filed: 02/04/2016
  • Issued: 01/23/2018
  • Est. Priority Date: 02/10/2015
  • Status: Active Grant
First Claim
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1. An apparatus for controlling operation of an autonomously navigating turnable utility vehicle equipped with a body and a prime mover mounted on the body to make the vehicle travel about a working area delineated by a boundary wire laid thereat in order to work autonomously, the working area including a first area and a second area connected to the first area, a distance between mutually facing segments of the boundary wire in the first area being equal to or less than a predetermined value over a predetermined length, a distance between mutually facing segments of the boundary wire in the second area being greater than the predetermined value, the apparatus comprising:

  • a magnetic field strength detector installed on the body to detect a magnetic field strength generated by electric current passing through the boundary wire;

    a travel controlling unit configured to control the prime mover to make the vehicle turn and travel straight forward every time the vehicle traveling in the working area reaches the boundary wire, based on the magnetic field strength detected by the magnetic field strength detector;

    a value setting unit configured to establish a threshold value that is less than a minimum value of a total magnetic field strength obtained by adding the magnetic field strengths generated by the mutually facing segments of the boundary wire in the first area, and is greater than a maximum value of the magnetic field strength generated by each of the mutually facing segments individually; and

    a first area discriminating unit configured to discriminate that the vehicle travels in the first area when the magnetic field strength detected by the magnetic field strength detector is kept to be greater than the threshold value for a first time period from a first turn to a second turn of the vehicle, or when the magnetic field strength detected by the magnetic field strength detector is kept to be greater than the threshold value for a predetermined time period after the first turn.

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