Boots – shoes – and leggings
Patent
1987-05-18
1989-03-07
Laroche, Eugene R.
Boots, shoes, and leggings
180169, G06F 1514
Patent
active
048112283
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
The invention is related to a method of navigating an automated guided vehicle.
In industry there is an increased use of automated guided vehicles in transporting goods and material between different stations in storing premises and workshops. Then, the trucks are controlled automatically along predetermined paths between the various stations. In a reliable method of the truck steering the truck control system detects a cable loop arranged within or on the floor, or a painted loop on the floor. Such a control system is very reliable and simple to use but the conditions in the premises where the trucks are being used, are not always such that it is suitable to use a control loop within or on the floor, and in addition to this the system suffers from the no little drawback that the truck movement is limited strictly to the paths defined by the control loop, and that these paths cannot easily be altered because they are permanent installations.
Accordingly, systems of navigating automated guided trucks have been developed wherein the truck movement is not restricted to a permanently arranged control loop, the truck being provided with apparatus continuously defining its current position in relation to fixed objects in the premises through which the truck is moving. The present invention is related to this type of navigation system and accordingly concerns a method of navigating a vehicle moving generally in one plane in which a calculation of the current position and direction of the vehicle is effected by measuring the angles in said plane from a reference point on the vehicle to fixed positions in relation to a reference direction on the vehicle.
In a prior art systems for free navigation of automated guided vehicles a laser beam is used detecting reflectors fixedly arranged in the premises where the truck is moving. This system is called TURTLE and is described in the FMS Magazine, July 1983, pp 232-236. It is based on the fact that the truck for each position to be determined "sees" a number of fixedly arranged reflectors in the premises and that these reflectors can be identified, which is effected by the optical signal emitted from each of the reflectors, being coded. This is done by the laser beam emitted from the truck scanning over 360.degree. and, when passing a reflector, generating a bar coded reflected signal.
Another prior art system described in Journal of Dynamic Systems, Measurement, and Control Vol. 105, September 1983, pp 152-155 is based on a type of position calculation similar to the TURTLE-system, but using instead of laser light ultra sound for locating and identifying the fixed positions in the space. From each fixed position a sound signal is then emitted having a predetermined frequency unique to the actual position. The latter system is similar to the system described in Robotics Age, March/April 1983, pp 31-33 and which is also subject matter of U.S. Pat. No. 4,328,545. However, in that case beacons are provided in the fixed positions for emitting light individually coded such that a receiver on the truck can identify the beacon emitting the light signal.
As far as the inventor of the present invention knows, prior art systems for free navigation of automated guided trucks are based on the fact that the signals received by the truck to be used for calculation of the current position of the truck, are specific to the points from which they originate, and can be used to identify these points. This is a limitation of the prior art systems, and the object of the invention is to make possible the use of simple and inexpensive reflectors providing the signals from the fixed points in the space without the necessity of coding these signals for identifying purposes. At the same time it will be possible to determine the position even if some of the fixed points are temporarily hidden or there are reflectors not associated with the system.
For this object the method according to the invention has been given the characteristics appearing from claim 1.
In order to explain the invention in mor
REFERENCES:
patent: 4225226 (1980-09-01), Davidson et al.
patent: 4533918 (1985-08-01), Virnot
patent: 4729660 (1988-03-01), Tsumura et al.
Inik Instrument Och Elektronik
LaRoche Eugene R.
Mis David
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