Automatic vehicle guidance system

Claim 1

AN ELECTRICAL GUIDANCE SYSTEM FOR A SELF-PROPELLED AND AUTOMATICALLY STEERABLE VEHICLE CAPABLE OF AUTOMATICALLY FOLLOWING A PATH DEFINED BY A WIRE ENERGIZED BY ALTERNATING CURRENT, SAID SYSTEM COMPRISING A PLURALITY OF SEPARATELY ENERGISABLE LOOPS OF CONDUCTING WIRE DEFINING RESPECTIVE CIRCUITOUS PATHS EMBRACING DIFFERENT OVERLAPPING PIECES OF LAND, ALL THE LOOPS HAVING SECTIONS OF THEIR LENGTHS LYING CO-EXTENSIVELY ADJACENT ONE ANOTHER, A SOURCE OF ALTERNATING CURRENT FOR ENERGISING SAID LOOPS OF CONDUCTING WIRE, SWITCHING MEANS FOR SELECTIVELY CONNECTING SAID SOURCE TO EACH OF SAID LOOPS OF CONDUCTING WIRE INDIVIDUALLY, AND MEANS RESPONSIVE TO THE PASSAGE OF A VEHICLE A PREDETERMINED NUMBER OF TIMES AROUND THE PATH DEFINED BY AN ENERGISED ONE OF SAID LOOPS OF CONDUCTING WIRE TO PRODUCE A TRANSFER SIGNAL, SAID SWITCHING MEANS BEING RESPONSIVE TO SAID TRANSFER SIGNAL TO DISCONNECT SAID SOURCE OF ALTERNATING CURRENT FROM THE ENERGISED LOOP OF CONDUCTING WIRE AND CONNECT IT TO ANOTHER OF SAID LOOPS DURING THE TIME THAT THE VEHICLE IS LOCATED ON SAID CO-EXTENSIVE SECTIONS OF THE LOOPS.