Data processing: vehicles – navigation – and relative location – Vehicle control – guidance – operation – or indication – Automatic route guidance vehicle
Reexamination Certificate
2001-03-28
2002-10-01
Cuchlinski, Jr., William A. (Department: 3663)
Data processing: vehicles, navigation, and relative location
Vehicle control, guidance, operation, or indication
Automatic route guidance vehicle
C701S024000, C701S025000, C701S026000, C701S200000, C180S167000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06459966
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a method for navigating an autonomous vehicle that enables the autonomous vehicle to track a route accurately along passageways to a predetermined destination and to travel autonomously along the route. The present invention also relates to a device for navigating an autonomous vehicle using the aforementioned navigating method, and an autonomous vehicle provided with the navigating device using the navigating method.
Needs for so-called autonomous vehicles have been recognized in various industrial fields. The autonomous vehicle includes a self-motored vehicle having a power source, guided by sensors, for autonomously delivering goods to designated locations along routes on indoor or outdoor passageways, and a mobile carriage as part of robotic systems. However, the following requirements must be satisfied to navigate such an autonomous vehicle:
(1) The vehicle should by itself be able to measure and recognize its current position;
(2) The vehicle should by itself be able to track a route accurately along passageways leading itself to a destination; and
(3) The vehicle should by itself be able to autonomously guide itself along the found route.
Following conventional navigating methods are known for navigating autonomous vehicles:
(a) The vehicle is mounted with a camera, or an ultrasonic sensor, for visually observing and analyzing the surroundings of the vehicle and determines, based on the analysis result, a route to be followed that leads itself to a destination (the visual-image recognition method).
(b) Lines of light-reflecting tape are applied along passageways. The vehicle is mounted with a light-emitting device for lighting the light-reflecting tape and a light-detecting device for detecting the light reflection of the light-reflecting tape, thereby enabling the vehicle to track the light-reflecting tape. The light-reflecting tapes may be laid at intervals along passageways. As the vehicle travels, the vehicle counts, by a counter mounted on the vehicle, the number of tapes it has passed, and calculates the distance that the vehicle has traveled (the tape method).
(c) Cables generating an electromagnetic wave are laid continuously along passageways. An electromagnetic wave receiver is mounted on the vehicle for tracking the cables (the electromagnetic wave/cable method).
(d) Rail tracks are laid along passageways. The vehicle travels along the rail tracks (the rail-track method).
However, the visual-image recognition method has a problem that it requires a high-quality image processing device for analyzing complex backgrounds and contours of the vehicle's surroundings. The tape method has a different problem that the tapes may become undetectable over years of use because of quality changes the tapes sustain due, for instance, to accumulation of dirt. The electromagnetic wave/cable method would cost significantly for laying cables. The rail track method also costs heavily for laying rails, and moreover, the rail tracks likely become obstacles for other traffics.
On the other hand, another method, using an RFID (Radio Frequency Identification Device), has been known. The RFID is a device that uses electromagnetic short wave (SW) to be exchanged between an information storing element and an information retrieving section as they come in proximity to each other, thereby supplying electricity from the information retrieving section to the information storing element and activating it, which transfers information (such as location data) stored therein to the information retrieving section where the data is then recognized.
One example of the FRID method described above is disclosed in the Official Gazette of Laid-open Japanese Patent Application No. Sho 62-501671.
The structure of the RFID in this application is similar to the structure shown in a block circuit diagram of FIG.
7
. In
FIG. 7
, a numeral
71
indicates an information storing element comprising a memory
711
storing a variety of information (for example, location data indicating its location along a route, which data is also required in the present invention), a power circuit
712
, a control circuit
713
, a modular circuit
714
, an antenna coil (antenna)
715
, etc. The section comprising the control circuit
713
and the modular circuit
714
may be regarded as a transmitting/receiving circuit
11
a
. A numeral
72
indicates an information retrieving section comprising an oscillator circuit
721
, a demodulating circuit
722
, an antenna coil (antenna)
723
, etc. The section consisting of the oscillator circuit
721
and the demodulating circuit
722
may be regarded as another transmitting/receiving circuit
11
b
. Although the information storing element
71
and the information retrieving section
72
are illustrated in the drawing at a distance therebetween, their respective antenna coils
715
and
723
come in proximity to each other in use. A numeral
73
indicates an information processing unit (computer) for processing information (data) which the information retrieving section
72
retrieved from the memory
711
.
In order for the information retrieving section
72
to become able to retrieve information stored in the memory
711
of the information storing element
71
, electricity has to be supplied from the information retrieving section
72
to the information storing element
71
. For this purpose, the antenna coils
715
and
723
are first brought sufficiently close to each other, and the oscillator circuit
721
of the information retrieving section
72
is activated to oscillate, thus transmitting high-frequency electric current to the antenna coil
723
. The antenna coil
723
, in response, generates SW toward the antenna coil
715
of the information storing element
71
. As a result, the antenna coils
723
and
715
become electromagnetically connected, and thus the high-frequency electric current is induced through the antenna coil
715
. After converted at the power circuit
712
, the electric current is supplied to the information storing element
71
in the form of electricity. This electricity activates the control circuit
713
to retrieve information (for example, location data) stored in the memory
711
. Such information is then converted (modulated) by the modulating circuit
714
into high frequency electric current representing the information and transmitted from the antenna coil
715
toward the antenna coil
723
in the form of radio wave. The radio wave received by the antenna coil
723
of the information retrieving section
72
is then demodulated by the demodulating circuit
722
into the original information (such as location data) retrieved from the memory
711
. The demodulated information is then sent to the computer
73
where the retrieved information is compared with a group of information (indicating, for instance, locations of information storing elements along passageways) stored in advance in the computer, and processed so that the information from the memory
711
is recognized and used for creating control signals.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to navigation of an autonomous vehicle and solves the problems of the aforementioned conventional navigating methods. It is an object of the present invention to reduce construction costs of navigation system facilities while providing long-term reliability to the navigating system.
It is another object of the present invention that when a vehicle is about to run off a route, it can detect such a status quickly and prevent the vehicle's deviation from the route, and that it can also prevent navigation errors due to interferences of navigation radio waves.
According to the present invention, an autonomous vehicle is navigated along a route, using the functional concepts of the Radio Frequency Identification Device (RFID). The navigating method of the present invention comprising the steps of:
providing a route for a vehicle, formed with a plurality of elements, which correspond to the information storing
Kihara Yusuke
Nakano Yoshiyuki
Brinks Hofer Gilson & Lione
Cuchlinski Jr. William A.
Donnelly Arthur D.
Kanazawa Institute of Technology
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