Position locating system for a vehicle
First Claim
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1. A system for accurately locating a vehicle in its environment comprising:
- a plurality of remote beacons each located in a known height relative to said vehicle and producing a unique coded signal;
sensor means on said vehicle for detecting a beacon signal;
means, responsive to the code of the detected signal, for identifying the beacon emitting the detected signal;
means, responsive to said sensor means, for substantially continuously resolving the azimuthal angle from said sensor means to the beacon to establish a radial path from the beacon on which the vehicle lies;
means responsive to said sensor means, for substantially continuously resolving the altitude angle from said sensor means to the beacon; and
means, responsive to the resolved altitude angle and the known height of the identified beacon, for calculating the distance along the radial path from the sensor means to the beacon to accurately locate the vehicle in its environment.
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Abstract
A position locating system for a vehicle such as a mobile robot which includes a multisector sensor for sensing the coded signal emitted by a beacon. There are means responsive to the sensor for generating a code data signal representative of the coded signal and means responsive to the sensor sectors for generating an angle data signal representative of the angle from sensor to the beacon and at least one of the azimuthal and altitude dimensions.
162 Citations
16 Claims
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1. A system for accurately locating a vehicle in its environment comprising:
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a plurality of remote beacons each located in a known height relative to said vehicle and producing a unique coded signal; sensor means on said vehicle for detecting a beacon signal; means, responsive to the code of the detected signal, for identifying the beacon emitting the detected signal; means, responsive to said sensor means, for substantially continuously resolving the azimuthal angle from said sensor means to the beacon to establish a radial path from the beacon on which the vehicle lies; means responsive to said sensor means, for substantially continuously resolving the altitude angle from said sensor means to the beacon; and means, responsive to the resolved altitude angle and the known height of the identified beacon, for calculating the distance along the radial path from the sensor means to the beacon to accurately locate the vehicle in its environment. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16)
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Specification