Automatic guided vehicle system
March 28, 2006. Estimated Expiration Date is calculated based on simple USPTO term provisions. It does not account for terminal disclaimers, term adjustments, failure to pay maintenance fees, or other factors which might affect the term of a patent.Patent References 3009271 Vehicle guidance system employing radio blocking Driverless vehicle autoguided by light signals and three non-directional detectors Driverless vehicle autoguide by light signals and two directional detectors Radio control apparatus with voice transmission capability Automated operatorless vehicles Automated guided vehicle system Robot vehicle Navigation system for unmanned vehicles Optical communication apparatus for a vehicle Patent #: 4691385 InventorApplicationNo. 06/838088 filed on 03/10/1986US Classes:701/200, NAVIGATION180/167, WITH MEANS FOR CONTROLLING OPERATION RESPONSIVE TO ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION, MAGNETIC FORCE, OR SOUND WAVES RECEIVED FROM SOURCE, OR REFLECTED FROM OBJECT OR SURFACE, LOCATED APART FROM VEHICLE180/169, Radiation, force, or waves reflected from external object or surface701/25Storage or planning of route informationExaminersPrimary: Lall, Parshotam S.Assistant: Black, Thomas G. Attorney, Agent or FirmInternational ClassG05D 1/02 (20060101)AbstractAutomatic guided vehicle system for guiding a driverless vehicle over a predetermined path of travel without any tracks, wires or the like. The vehicle is provided with an active optical navigation section for determining vehicle position and bearing by scanning plural beacons distributed within the zone of travel of the vehicle, a passive ground navigation section including a gyrocompass for measuring changes in bearing of the vehicle and a wheel encoder for measuring distance traveled by the vehicle's steering wheel. Memory onboard the vehicle contains a series of path vectors which define a predetermined path of travel for the vehicle. The ground navigation section updates vehicle position and bearing as determined by the optical navigation section. A programmed onboard computer includes driver software for generating steering data so as to guide the vehicle over a corrective arc path from its position and bearing as determined by the navigation sections to the desired position and bearing as indicated by a stored path vector.Other References
| |
