Method and system for dynamically positioning a vehicle relative to another vehicle in motion
First Claim
1. A first vehicle configured to automatically maintain a position relative to a second vehicle traveling in a given area, said first and second vehicles being independently driven and being unattached to each other, the first vehicle comprising:
- (a) a vehicle drive system;
(b) an obstacle detection system for detecting obstacles in a vehicle travel path of the first vehicle;
(c) a vehicle state property estimation system for estimating state properties of the first vehicle; and
(d) a microprocessor-based vehicle controller receiving data from the obstacle detection system and the vehicle state property estimation system, the microprocessor-based vehicle controller being configured to;
(i) receive location data on the first vehicle from the vehicle state property estimation system, and to receive location data on the second vehicle;
(ii) determine a legal travel path for the first vehicle in the given area from the first vehicle toward an expected position of the second vehicle;
(iii) automatically control the vehicle drive system of the first vehicle to drive the first vehicle along the legal travel path; and
(iv) repeat (i) through (iii) to automatically move the first vehicle progressively closer to the second vehicle until the first vehicle is at a given relative position from the second vehicle and then to automatically maintain the given relative position as the first and second vehicles travel through the given area.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A computer-implemented method is provided for automatically guiding a first vehicle to maintain a position relative to a second vehicle traveling in a given area. The method includes the steps of: (a) receiving location data on the first and second vehicles; (b) determining a legal travel path in the given area from the first vehicle toward an expected position of the second vehicle; (c) automatically controlling the first vehicle to travel along the legal travel path; and (d) repeating steps (a) through (c) to automatically move the first vehicle to a relative position from the second vehicle and then to automatically maintain the relative position as the first and second vehicles travel through the given area.
121 Citations
16 Claims
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1. A first vehicle configured to automatically maintain a position relative to a second vehicle traveling in a given area, said first and second vehicles being independently driven and being unattached to each other, the first vehicle comprising:
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(a) a vehicle drive system; (b) an obstacle detection system for detecting obstacles in a vehicle travel path of the first vehicle; (c) a vehicle state property estimation system for estimating state properties of the first vehicle; and (d) a microprocessor-based vehicle controller receiving data from the obstacle detection system and the vehicle state property estimation system, the microprocessor-based vehicle controller being configured to; (i) receive location data on the first vehicle from the vehicle state property estimation system, and to receive location data on the second vehicle; (ii) determine a legal travel path for the first vehicle in the given area from the first vehicle toward an expected position of the second vehicle; (iii) automatically control the vehicle drive system of the first vehicle to drive the first vehicle along the legal travel path; and (iv) repeat (i) through (iii) to automatically move the first vehicle progressively closer to the second vehicle until the first vehicle is at a given relative position from the second vehicle and then to automatically maintain the given relative position as the first and second vehicles travel through the given area. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16)
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Specification