Automobile automatic-parking device

Claim 1

AN AUTOMATIC STEERING DEVICE FOR RIGHT OR LEFT-HAND PARKING OF DIRIGIBLE VEHICLES COMPRISING IN COMBINATION, VEHICLE-DRIVEN FORWARD-TRAVEL MEASURING MEANS ADAPTED TO BE SET IN OPERATION BY THE OPERATOR FOR LEFT OR RIGHTHAND PARKING AT A PRESCRIBED VEHICLE POSITION RELATIVE TO A PARKED VEHICLE FOR MEASURING A PREDETERMINED DISTANCE THE MOVING VEHICLE MUST MOVE FORWARD PARALLEL TO THE PARKED VEHICLE IN ACCORDANCE WITH A PRESCRIBED PARKING COURSE BEFORE THE MOVING VEHICLE IS INTENDED TO BE STOPPED AND SHIFTED INTO REVERSE FOR REVERSE-TRAVEL PARKING MOVEMENT ALONG SAID COURSE; IMPULSE-GENERATING PILOT MEANS RESPONSIVE TO REVERSE-TRAVEL PARKING MOVEMENTS OF THE VEHICLE FOR GENERATING POSITION-PRESCRIBING IMPULSES OPERATIVE TO EFFECT A PREDETERMINED STEERING-WHEEL POSITION FOR EACH GEOGRAPHICAL POSITION OF THE VEHICLE IN ITS REVERSE-TRAVEL PARKING MOVEMENTS, SAID PILOT MEANS COMPRISING VEHICLE-DRIVEN PROGRAMMING MEANS POSITIONABLE IN RESPONSE TO SAID PARKING MOVEMENTS FOR PROGRAMMING THE GENERATION OF SAID POSITION-PRESCRIBING IMPULSES IN ACCORDANCE WITH SAID PRESCRIBED PARKING COURSE, AND POSITION-SENSING MEANS RESPONSIVE TO THE POSITION OF BOTH SAID COURSE-PROGRAMMING MEANS AND STEERING WHEELS FOR GENERATING SAID POSITION-PRESCRIBING IMPULSES IN ACCORDANCE WITH SAID PARKING COURSE AND FOR INTERRUPTING SAID IMPULSE AT EACH SAID PREDETERMINED STEERING WHEEL POSITION, WHEREBY THE STEERING WHEELS MAY BE CAUSED TO BE TURNED BY SAID IMPULSES, UNTIL THEIR POSITION IS IN BALANCE WITH THE POSITION OF SAID COURSE-PROGRAMMING MEANS AT WHICH POINT SAID IMPULSES STOP AND STEERING-WHEEL MOVEMENT CEASES, SAID BALANCE BEING ONLY MOMENTARY SINCE AS THE POSITION OF SAID PROGRAMMING MEANS IS CHANGED BY THE STEADY MOVEMENT OF THE VEHICLE, SAID POSITIONSENSING MEANS IS CONTINUOUSLY SENDING IMPULSES TENDING TO RESTORE A BALANCE BETWEEN THE STEERING-WHEEL POSITION AND PROGRAMMING MEANS POSITION THEREBY TO CAUSE THE STEERING WHEELS TO FOLLOW AUTOMATICALLY THE PARKING MOVEMENT PRESCRIBED BY SAID PROGRAMMING MEANS; AND, STEERING-MECHANISM OPERATING MEANS RESPONSIVE TO THE POSITIONPRESCRIBING IMPULSES OF SAID POSITION-SENSING MEANS FOR CAUSING THE STEERING MECHANISM TO POSITION THE STEERING WHEELS IN COMPLIANCE WITH THE PRESCRIBED IMPULSES, SAID POSITIONABLE PROGRAMMING MEANS COMPRISING VEHICLEDRIVEN ROTARY-DRIVE MEANS INCLUDING A NORMALLY STATIONARY ROTARY DRIVEN-MEMBER AND A ROTARY DRIVE-MEMBER FOR DRIVING SAID DRIVEN-MEMBER, SAID DRIVE-MEMBER BEING NORMALLY OUT OF DRIVING ENGAGEMENT WITH SAID DRIVEN-MEMBER, AND MEANS ACTUATED BY SAID FORWARD-TRAVEL MEASURING MEANS FOR EFFECTING DRIVING ENGAGEMENT OF SAID DRIVE MEMBER WITH SAID DRIVEN-MEMBER AT THE TERMINATION OF SAID FORWARD-TRAVEL MOVEMENT, AND SAID FORWARD-TRAVEL MEASURING MEANS COMPRISING ROTARY ELECTRIC SWITCHING MEANS ADAPTED TO BE ROTATED BY SAID ROTARY DRIVE-MEANS DURING SAID FORWARD-TRAVEL MOVEMENT, FOR ACTUATING SAID DRIVING-ENGAGEMENT MEANS AT THE TERMINATION OF SAID FORWARD-TRAVEL MOVEMENT, SAID FORWARD-TRAVEL MEASURING MEANS ALSO COMPRISING OPERATOR-CONTROLLED MEANS FOR INITIALLY PLACING, AND TEMPORARILY HOLDING, SAID ROTARY ELECTRIC SWITCHING MEANS IN DRIVING ENGAGEMENT WITH SAID ROTARY DRIVE-MEANS.