CONTROL, APPARATUS FOR AUTONOMOUSLY NAVIGATING UTILITY VEHICLE

• US 20160109241A1
• Filed: 10/16/2015
• Published: 04/21/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 10/21/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Inventors: Kawakami, Toshiaki, Nishimura, Jin, Eguchi, Junichi, Murakami, George, Okada, Kouichi
• Granted Patent: US 10,670,406 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A01D 34/008 for automated or remotely controlled operation
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/20 Instruments for performing navigational calculations G01C21/24, G01C21/26 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 33/02 Measuring direction or magnitude of magnetic fields or magnetic flux G01R33/20 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0205 Details
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0265 using buried wires
• CPC Class Codes: H03M 5/12 Biphase level code, e.g. split phase code, Manchester code; Biphase space or mark code, e.g. double frequency code

Abstract

In an apparatus for controlling operation of an autonomously navigating utility vehicle adapted to run about a working area defined by a boundary wire which generates magnetic field therearound when supplied with electric current and having a magnetic sensor that produces an output indicating intensity of magnetic field generated by the boundary wire and a position determining unit that determine a position of the vehicle with respect to the working area based on the output of the magnetic sensor, a coded data signal determined to be inherent to the working area is generated and supplied to the electric current, and the position determining unit detects the data signal and determines the position of the vehicle based on a rate of concordance of the detected data signal and a reference signal.

Claims

1. An apparatus for controlling operation of an autonomously navigating utility vehicle adapted to run about a working area, defined by a boundary wire which generates magnetic field therearound when supplied with electric current, to perform working autonomously, and having a magnetic sensor that produces an output indicating intensity of magnetic field generated by the boundary wire and a position determining unit that determines a position of the vehicle with respect to the working area based on the output of the magnetic sensor, comprising:

a magnetic field generator that generates a coded data signal determined to be inherent to the working area and supplies the electric current in the generated coded data signal to the boundary wire;

wherein the position determining unit detects the data signal from the output of the magnetic sensor and determines the position of the vehicle with respect to the working area based on a rate of concordance of the detected data signal and a reference signal.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the position determining unit determines whether the vehicle is inside the working area based on the rate of concordance when a number of matches of values of the detected data signal and the reference signal is equal to or greater than a number of inversions of values of the detected data signal and the reference signal.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the position determining unit determines whether the vehicle is outside the working area based on a rate of inversion concordance indicating a rate of number of inversions of the detected data signal relative to the reference signal when a number of matches of values of the detected data signal and the reference signal is less than a number of inversions of values of the detected data signal and the reference signal.

4. The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the position determining unit determines that no electric current is supplied to the boundary wire when the rate of concordance is less than a threshold value.

5. The apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the position determining unit determines that no electric current is supplied to the boundary wire when the rate of inversion concordance is less than a threshold value.

6. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the generated data signal is of random signal length.

7. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the generated data signal is of random period.

8. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the reference signal comprises a signal that is same as the detected data signal when the vehicle is at one of a location inside of the working area and a location outside of the working area.

9. The apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the reference signal comprises a signal same as the detected data signal when the vehicle is inside the working area.

10. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the generated data signal is a signal binarized as 0, 1.

11. A method for controlling operation of an autonomously navigating utility vehicle adapted to run about a working area, defined by a boundary wire which generates magnetic field therearound when supplied with electric current, to perform working autonomously and having a magnetic sensor that produces an output indicating intensity of magnetic field generated by the boundary wire, comprising steps of:

determining a position of the vehicle with respect to the working area based on the output of the magnetic sensor, and

generating a coded data signal determine to be inherent to the working area and supplies the electric current in the generated coded data signal to the boundary wire;

wherein the step of position determining detects the data signal from the output of the magnetic sensor and determines the position of the vehicle with respect to the working area based on a rate of concordance of the detected data signal and a reference signal.

12. The method according to claim 11, wherein the step of position determining determines whether the vehicle is inside the working area based on the rate of concordance when a number of matches of values of the detected data signal and the reference signal is equal to or greater than a number of inversions of values of the detected data signal and the reference signal.

13. The method according to claim 11, wherein the step of position determining determines whether the vehicle is outside the working area based on a rate of inversion concordance indicating a rate of number of inversions of the detected data signal relative to the reference signal when a number of matches of values of the detected data signal and the reference signal is less than a number of inversions of values of the detected data signal and the reference signal.

14. The method according to claim 12, wherein the step of position determining determines that no electric current is supplied to the boundary wire when the rate of concordance is less than a threshold value.

15. The method according to claim 13, wherein step of the position determining determines that no electric current is supplied to the boundary wire when the rate of inversion concordance is less than a threshold value.

16. The method according to claim 11, wherein the generated data signal is of random signal length.

17. The method according to claim 11, wherein the generated data signal is of random period.

18. The method according to claim 11, wherein the reference signal comprises a signal that is same as the detected data signal when the vehicle is at one of a location inside of the working area and a location outside of the working area.

19. The method according to claims 18, wherein the reference signal comprises a signal same as the detected data signal when the vehicle is inside the working area.

20. The method according to claim 11, wherein the generated data signal is a signal binarized as 0, 1.