Line follower vehicle with scanning head
US4307791A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventor
Key dates
| Filing date | Dec 6, 1978 |
| Grant date | Dec 29, 1981 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Dec 6, 1998 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG05D1/0244
- WIPO fieldControl
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
An automatically guided vehicle wherein a guide line is positioned in a predetermined path on the floor and the vehicle has a sensing head positioned over the guide line to detect the position of the guide line with respect to the vehicle and to generate an error signal representative of the vehicle position with respect to the guide line. A control circuit is also provided on the vehicle to steer the vehicle responsive to the error signal generated by the sensing head. The sensing head includes a scanning head to scan across the guide line and to generate an output signal representative of the detected light values at discreet positions of the scan. The control circuit is adapted to steer the vehicle along the right edge, left edge or center of the guide line and is responsive to control codes positioned on the floor adjacent the guide line. The control circuit preferably includes a microprocessor which is programmed to compensate the output signals for any nonlinearity of the light source, variations in scan distance from the scanning head to the floor surface and for any variations in the port size of the light-detecting device on the vehicle. The microprocessor includes a data …
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.