Patent · US Expired

Automatic guidance system for vehicles

US4278142A · kind A · utility

98Cited by
5References
7Claims
0Family size

Assignees

Inventor

Key dates

Filing dateMar 13, 1979
Grant dateJul 14, 1981
Priority date
Expiry dateMar 13, 1999

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC G)Physics
  • CPC primaryG05D1/0234
  • WIPO fieldControl
  • WIPO sectorInstruments

Abstract

A system for the automatic guidance of a vehicle along a scheduled road route, which comprises marks of varying shapes possessing respectively specific travel-function information and attached to the surface of roads in the route selected for the vehicle's travel and an ITV camera mounted on the vehicle, whereby the automatic guidance of the vehicle's travel is accomplished by causing the ITV camera to photograph successively the marks on the surface of the roads and recognize the shapes of the marks on the basis of the photographed images of the marks, conveying the travel-function information of these marks successively to the automatic steering unit of the vehicle and thereby allowing the vehicle to be accurately steered along the route.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.