Guidance system for self-advancing vehicle
US5622236A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | May 22, 1995 |
| Grant date | Apr 22, 1997 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | May 22, 2015 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC A)Human Necessities
- CPC primaryA47L2201/04
- WIPO fieldControl
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
A guidance system for a self-advancing vehicle such as a floor washing machine is provided in an arrangement which does not spoil the beauty of, for example, a floor surface, which can be reused multiple times, which is low in cost and which more reliably follows a guidance line. A guidance line is drawn with a luminous material or with a coating material mainly consisting thereof along a predetermined traveling path on a floor surface. The guidance line is drawn on the floor surface with a mixture in which the luminous material is dissolved or dispersed in a solvent. Alternatively, a mixture in which the luminous material is mixed with a coating agent such as floor polish or wax is applied to the floor surface to draw the guidance line. The luminous material is, for example, an ultraviolet-absorbing material, an infrared-absorbing material or a visible light-absorbing material. A self-advancing floor washing machine using the present invention comprises a traveling device with two casters and two independent drive wheels, the latter of which are guided by a combination of one or more photosensors which track the guidance line and send a signal to a control unit that controls the d…
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.