APPARATUS FOR CONTROLLING AUTONOMOUSLY NAVIGATING UTILITY VEHICLE

摘要

In an autonomously navigating utility vehicle adapted to run a working area defined by a laid boundary wire autonomously having a pair of magnetic sensors installed on either sides of the vehicle at positions laterally symmetrical with respect to a vehicle straight forward center line to produce outputs indicating intensity of magnetic field of the wire, an angular velocity sensor adapted to produce an output indicating angular velocity around a vertical axis of the vehicle, the vehicle is controlled to move to a prescribed position at which an angle of the center line relative to the laid wire becomes a reference angle based on the outputs of the magnetic sensors, and to turn by 180 degrees, and calibrates the output of the angular velocity sensor by outputs of the angular velocity sensor obtained at the turning.

主权项

1. An apparatus for controlling operation of an autonomously navigating utility vehicle adapted to run a working area defined by a laid boundary wire autonomously to perform working, comprising:
a pair of magnetic sensors installed on either sides of the vehicle at positions laterally symmetrical with respect to a straight forward direction center line of the vehicle to produce outputs indicating intensity of magnetic field of the boundary wire; an angular velocity sensor adapted to produce an output indicating angular velocity around a vertical axis of the vehicle, when the vehicle turns, whose time-integrated value indicates a turn angle around the vertical axis; and a controller that controls operation of the vehicle; wherein the controller controls the vehicle to move to a prescribed position at which an angle of the straight forward direction center line relative to a direction of the laid wire becomes a reference angle based on the outputs of the magnetic sensors, and to turn by a predetermined angle, and calibrates the output of the angular velocity sensor by the outputs of the angular velocity sensor obtained at the turning.