Apparatus and method for autonomous vehicle navigation using path data

US5615116A · kind A · utility

Assignee

• Caterpillar Inc. · US

Inventors

• Adam J. Gudat · Lacon, US
• Prithvi Narayana Rao · Allen, US
• Gary K. Shaffer · Tickfaw, US
• Wenfan Shi · Pittsburgh, US
• Dong Hun Shin · Wonju-si, KR
• William Whittaker · Pittsburgh, US
• Karl W. Kleimenhagen · Peoria, US
• Jay H. West · Pittsburgh, US
• Richard G. Clow · Phoenix, US
• Sanjiv Singh · Pittsburgh, US
• Dana A. Christensen · Peoria, US
• Carl A. Kemner · Peoria Heights, US
• Walter J. Bradbury · Peoria, US
• Craig L. Koehrsen · East Peoria, US
• Christos Kyrtsos · Southfield, US
• Norman K. Lay · Peoria, US
• Joel L. Peterson · East Peoria, US
• Larry E. Schmidt · Peoria, US
• Darrell E. Stafford · Dunlap, US
• Louis J. Weinbeck · Peoria, US
• Lonnie J. Devier · Channahon, US

Key dates

• Filing date: May 1, 1995
• Grant date: Mar 25, 1997
• Expiry date: May 1, 2015

Classification

• Technology area (CPC G): Physics
• CPC primary: G05D1/0268
• WIPO field: Measurement
• WIPO sector: Instruments

Abstract

An apparatus and method for navigating a vehicle along a predetermined route use route data and path data to define the predetermined route. The route data represents one or more contiguous path segments between adjacent nodes along the predetermined route. The path data includes postures of the vehicle along each of the path segments. The postures define the desired position, heading, curvature and speed of vehicle at various locations along the path segments. The apparatus and method use the posture information to generate and track a path thereby allowing the vehicle to navigate along the predetermined route.