Control system for a self-moving vehicle

• US 5,208,521 A
• Filed: 09/03/1992
• Issued: 05/04/1993
• Est. Priority Date: 09/07/1991
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Fuji Heavy Industries Limited (Subaru Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Fuji Heavy Industries Limited (Subaru Corp.)
• Inventors: Aoyama, Hazime
• Primary Examiner(s): IP, SHIK LUEN PAUL
• Application Number:
  US07/940,326
• Time in Patent Office: 243 Days
• Field of Search: 318/568.10-572, 318/585-587, 318/139, 180/167-169, 901/1, 395/80-98, 33/356, 364/454, 364/458, 364/424.01, 364/424.02, 364/426, 15/319, 15/340.1
• US Class Current: 318/587
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/027 comprising intertial navigation means, e.g. azimuth detector inertial navigation G01C21/16; inertial navigation combined with non-inertial navigation instruments G01C21/165
• 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

Abstract

A control system for a self-moving vehicle is provided with a pair of driving wheels on both sides of a shaft of a vehicle, motors for driving the driving wheels, velocity encoders for outputting velocity feedback signals in detecting the rotational velocities of the driving wheels being connected to the driving wheels, a main control apparatus for outputting velocity instruction signals instructing the rotational velocities of motors being given a direction instruction signals, a gyro for detecting a yaw rate of the vehicle, and a motor control apparatus for executing the controls of motors in integrating the velocity instruction signals and the velocity feedback signals with integrators for each period of time, and correcting the integrated velocity instruction signals with the integrated velocity feedback signals. The main control apparatus outputs the velocity instruction signal corrected with the integrated value of the yaw rate in the case where the integrated value of the yaw rate detected by the gyro for each fixed period of time is larger than a specified value or the value of the yaw rate is larger than another specified value so as to obtain an optimum directional and speed control of said self-moving vehicle without receiving an error from said gyro.

Claims

1. A control system for a self-moving vehicle having a pair of drive shafts coaxially provided under each left and right side of said self-moving vehicle, a pair of driving wheels supported on said driving shafts, each motor connected to said driving shafts, and a gyroscope mounted on said self-moving vehicle for detecting a direction to move and for generating a gyro signal, the control system which comprises:

an encoder connected to each driving wheel for detecting each speed of said wheels and for producing a speed signal;

an A/D converter responsive to said gyro signal for converting an analogue signal into a digital signal and for generating said digital signal;

a gyro integrator responsive to said digital signal for integrating said digital signal and for generating a feedback signal;

a main controller responsive to said feedback signal for calculating a rotational speed of said motor and for generating a command signal;

a motor controller responsive to said speed signal and said command signal for integrating both said signals per a predetermined time and for correcting said command signal; and

said main controller derives a correction signal of said command signal by integrating a yaw rate per said predetermined time when said yaw rate is higher than a predetermined value so as to obtain self-moving vehicle without receiving an error from said gyro.

2. A control system for a self-moving vehicle having a pair of drive shafts coaxially provided under each left and right side of said self-moving vehicle, a pair of driving wheels supported on said driving shafts, each motor connected to said driving shafts, and a gyroscope mounted on said self-moving vehicle for detecting a direction to move and for generating a gyro signal, the control system which comprises:

an encoder connected to each driving wheel for detecting each speed of said wheels and for producing a speed signal;

an A/D converter responsive to said gyro signal for converting an analogue signal into a digital signal and for generating said digital signal;

a gyro integrator responsive to said digital signal for integrating said digital signal and for generating a feedback signal;

a main controller responsive to said feedback signal for calculating a rotational speed of said motor and for generating a command signal;

a motor controller responsive to said speed signal and said command signal for integrating both said signals per a predetermined time and for correcting said command signal; and

said main controller derives a correction signal of said command signal by integrating a yaw rate per said predetermined time when an integrated yaw rate per said predetermined time is higher than a predetermined value so as to obtain self-moving vehicle without receiving an error from said gyro.