Patent · US Expired

Unmanned vehicle control system and method

US4665487A · kind A · utility

36Cited by
5References
4Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateFeb 22, 1985
Grant dateMay 12, 1987
Priority date
Expiry dateFeb 22, 2005

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC G)Physics
  • CPC primaryG05D1/0265
  • WIPO fieldControl
  • WIPO sectorInstruments

Abstract

An unmanned vehicle is so controlled as to travel along a guide line in response to command signals transmitted from a fixed host computer. The steering misalignment (offset) of the vehicle is corrected by a steering DC motor driven by an AC current, the duty ratio of which is adjusted by a steering motor chopper circuit. Since dead zones within which the misalignment is no longer corrected and duty ratio calculating expression on which chopper duty ratio is determined according to a detected offset are both classified by vehicle speed, it is possible to stably correct vehicle steering misalignment at high response speed even when the vehicle is travelling at high speed along the guide line. Further, when the dead zone and the calculating expression are both classified by discriminating an initial offset from the succeeding offset, it is possible to not only to prevent the vehicle from travelling zigzag along the guide line, but also to reduce the number of rush currents generated in the chopper circuit.

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