System and a method for enabling a vehicle to track a preset path

US5838562A · kind A · utility

Assignee

• Caterpillar Inc. · US

Inventors

• Adam J. Gudat · Lacon, US
• Walter J. Bradbury · Peoria, US
• Dana A. Christensen · Peoria, US
• Carl A. Kemner · Peoria Heights, 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
• Prithvi Narayana Rao · Allen, US
• Gary K. Shaffer · Tickfaw, US
• Wenfan Shi · Pittsburgh, US
• Dong Hun Shin · Wonju-si, KR
• James W. Sennott · Bloomington, US
• William Whittaker · Pittsburgh, US
• Jay H. West · Pittsburgh, US
• Karl W. Kleimenhagen · Peoria, US
• Richard G. Clow · Phoenix, US
• Baoxin Wu · Pittsburgh, US
• Sanjiv Singh · Pittsburgh, US

Key dates

• Filing date: May 1, 1995
• Grant date: Nov 17, 1998
• Expiry date: May 1, 2015

Classification

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

Abstract

A system (400) for positioning and navigating an autonomous vehicle (310) allows the vehicle (310) to travel between locations. Position information (432) is derived from global positioning system satellites (200, 202, 204, and 206) or other sources (624) when the satellites (200, 202, 204, and 206) are not in the view of the vehicle (310). Navigation of the vehicle (310) is obtained using the position information (432), route information (414), obstacle detection and avoidance data (416), and on board vehicle data (908 and 910).