CONTROL APPARATUS FOR AUTONOMOUSLY NAVIGATING UTILITY VEHICLE

• US 20160282870A1
• Filed: 03/24/2016
• Published: 09/29/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 03/27/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Inventors: Yamamura, Makoto, Shimamura, Hideaki
• Granted Patent: US 9,740,204 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: G05D 1/0088 characterized by the autonomous decision making process, e.g. artificial intelligence, predefined behaviours using knowledge based models G06N5/00
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0225 involving docking at a fixed facility, e.g. base station or loading bay parking aids B62D15/027
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0265 using buried wires
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0272 comprising means for registering the travel distance, e.g. revolutions of wheels measuring distance traversed on the ground by vehicles, e.g. using odometers G01C22/00
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0274 using mapping information stored in a memory device navigation using map-matching G01C21/30

Abstract

In an apparatus for controlling operation of an autonomously navigating utility vehicle to travel about a working area, there are provided a cell memorizing unit identifying a series of cells on which the vehicle has traveled in the work mode, assigning cell numbers successively to the series of cells, and memorizing the series of cells in association with the assigned cell numbers, the series of cells starting from the charging device to the current cell of the vehicle, a cell selecting unit selecting a return locus cell from among the series of cells in the return mode, the return locus cell being adjacent to the current cell, a cell number of the return locus cell being smaller than a cell number of the current cell, and a travel controlling unit controlling the vehicle to travel on the return locus cell to return to the charging device.

Claims

1. An apparatus for controlling operation of an autonomously navigating utility vehicle equipped with a prime mover powered by a battery to travel about a working area in order to perform work autonomously, comprising:

a mode switching unit that is configured to switch operating mode between work mode for making the vehicle autonomously travel and perform work in the working area and return mode for making the vehicle return to a charging device located at the working area in order to charge the battery;

a position detector that is configured to detect position of the vehicle on a map of the working area that is divided into an array of a plurality of cells;

a cell memorizing unit that is configured to identify a series of cells on which the vehicle has traveled in the work mode from among the plurality of cells based on the position of the vehicle detected by the position detector, assign cell numbers successively to the series of cells, and memorize the series of cells in association with the assigned cell numbers, the series of cells starting from a starting cell at or around a location of the charging device to a current cell at which the position of the vehicle is detected by the position detector;

a cell selecting unit that is configured to select a return locus cell to which the vehicle is to move from the current cell from among the series of cells memorized by the cell memorizing unit, when the operating mode is switched from the work mode to the return mode by the mode switching unit, the return locus cell being adjacent to the current cell, a cell number of the return locus cell being smaller than a cell number of the current cell; and

a travel controlling unit that is configured to control operation of the prime mover to make the vehicle travel on the return locus cell selected by the cell selecting unit to return to the charging device.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein, when the vehicle travels on one of the series of cells that have already been assigned cell numbers, the cell memorizing unit deletes the cell numbers that are larger than a cell number of the one, and resumes assigning cell numbers starting from the cell number of the one.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein, when the series of cells memorized by the cell memorizing unit includes a plurality of cells adjacent to the current cell, the cell selecting unit selects a cell whose cell number is smallest among the plurality of cells adjacent to the current cell as the return locus cell.

4. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the position detector comprises an angular velocity sensor that is installed on the vehicle and produces an output indicating an angular velocity occurring around the vehicle, and a travel distance detector that is installed on the vehicle and produces an output indicating a travel distance of the vehicle.

5. A method for controlling operation of an autonomously navigating utility vehicle equipped with a prime mover powered by a battery to travel about a working area in order to perform work autonomously,

comprising the steps of:

switching operating mode between work mode for making the vehicle autonomously travel and perform work in the working area and return mode for making the vehicle return to a charging device located at the working area in order to charge the battery;

detecting position of the vehicle on a map of the working area that is divided into an array of a plurality of cells;

identifying a series of cells on which the vehicle has traveled in the work mode from among the plurality of cells based on the position of the vehicle detected in the step of detecting, the series of cells starting from a starting cell at or around a location of the charging device to a current cell at which the position of the vehicle is detected in the step of detecting;

assigning cell numbers successively to the series of cells;

memorizing the series of cells in association with the assigned cell numbers;

selecting a return locus cell to which the vehicle is to move from the current cell from among the series of cells memorized in the step of memorizing, when the operating mode is switched from the work mode to the return mode in the step of switching, the return locus cell being adjacent to the current cell, a cell number of the return locus cell being smaller than a cell number of the current cell; and

controlling operation of the prime mover to make the vehicle travel on the return locus cell selected in the step of selecting to return to the charging device.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein, when the vehicle travels on one of the series of cells that have already been assigned cell numbers, the step of memorizing includes deleting the cell numbers that are larger than a cell number of the one, and the step of assigning includes resuming assigning cell numbers starting from the cell number of the one.

7. The method according to claim 5, wherein, when the series of cells memorized in the step of memorizing includes a plurality of cells adjacent to the current cell, the step of selecting includes selecting a cell whose cell number is smallest among the plurality of cells adjacent to the current cell as the return locus cell.

8. The method according to claim 5, wherein the step of detecting comprises the steps of detecting an angular velocity occurring around the vehicle, and detecting a travel distance of the vehicle.