Steering control system for moving vehicle

• US 5,264,709 A
• Filed: 12/14/1992
• Issued: 11/23/1993
• Est. Priority Date: 12/25/1991
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Honda Giken Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha (Honda Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Honda Giken Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha (Honda Motor Company)
• Inventors: Kamimura, Kenji, Nakamura, Toshikazu, Tsuzuki, Sadachika
• Primary Examiner(s): Nelms, David C.
• Application Number:
  US07/990,403
• Time in Patent Office: 344 Days
• Field of Search: 250/202, 250/561, 356/141, 356/152, 356/1, 356/4, 180/167, 180/168, 180/169
• US Class Current: 250/559.33
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 17/931 of land vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0244 using reflecting strips
• 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 steering control system for calculating straight lines connecting reference points which are set at at least three positions around a work area, detecting the advance direction of a moving vehicle placed at a travel start position and the relative angles thereof with respect to the respective straight lines, and selecting as a reference line a particular one of the respective straight lines for which the relative angle is close to a preset particular angle. The moving vehicle is caused to travel a plurality of straight courses extending in a predetermined direction relative to the reference line and placed at predetermined intervals, and to travel transfer courses for moving from one to another of the straight courses.

Claims

1. A steering control system for a moving vehicle comprising light beam scanner means mounted on said moving vehicle for circularly rotatively scanning a light beam around said moving vehicle, and light receiver means mounted on said moving vehicle, wherein said light receiver means receives the light beam reflected at light reflector means which are placed at at least three positions apart from said moving vehicle and reflects light in the direction of incidence, the position of said moving vehicle is calculated on the basis of the light reception signal, and said moving vehicle is steered so that the calculated position follows a predetermined traveling course, the steering control system comprising:

means for calculating lines connecting two of said respective light reflector means to form a polygonal work area,

means for detecting the relative angles which the advance direction of said moving vehicle placed at a work start position forms with respect to said respective lines.

selecting means for selecting one of said respective lines as a reference line, where a relative angle between a selected reference line and the advance direction of said vehicle is close to a predetermined particular angle, and

traveling course setting means for setting, as said traveling course, a path comprising a plurality of straight courses extending in a predetermined direction relative to said reference line, and transfer courses for moving from one to another of the straight courses.

2. A steering control system for a moving vehicle as set forth in claim I wherein said reference line is fixed as one coordinate axis of an x-y coordinate system, and said straight courses are set so that each time said moving vehicle completes the traveling of one straight course on the x-y coordinate system, a predetermined value is added to the coordinates of the straight course for updating.

4. A steering control system for a moving vehicle as set forth in claim 2 wherein said selecting means selects, as one coordinate axis of said x-y coordinate system, one of the lines whose intersectional angle with the advance direction of the moving vehicle is closest to any one of 0, 90, and 180 degrees.

6. A steering control system for a moving vehicle as set forth in claim 2 wherein said traveling course setting means sets the start position of said transfer courses inwardly of the work area defined by the lines connecting said light reflector to means by a predetermined distance.

8. A steering control system for a moving vehicle as set forth in claim 4 wherein said traveling course setting means sets the start position of said transfer courses inwardly of the work area defined by the lines connecting said light reflector means by a predetermined distance.

3. a steering control system for a moving vehicle as set to forth in claim I wherein said selecting means selects, as one coordinate axis of said x-Y coordinate system, one of said lines whose intersectional angle with the advance direction of the moving vehicle is closest to any one of 0, 90, and 180 degrees.

7. A steering control system for a moving vehicle as set forth in claim 3 wherein said traveling course setting means sets the start position of said transfer courses inwardly of the work area defined by the lines connecting said light reflector means by a predetermined distance.

5. A steering control system for a moving vehicle as set forth in claim I wherein said traveling course setting means sets the start position of said transfer courses inwardly of the work area defined by the lines connecting said light reflector means by a predetermined distance.

9. A steering control system for a moving vehicle as set forth in claim I wherein the selecting means selects as the reference line a line which forms the relative angle that is closest to the predetermined particular angle.