US5318143A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Method and apparatus for lane sensing for automatic vehicle steering
Assignee: Texas A&M University System
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Filing: 1992-06-22
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Granted: 1994-06-07
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Expires: 2012-06-22
Abstract
Abstract A lane sensing system (20) comprises a processor (22) operable to drive an infrared optical transmitter (24). Light is reflected by a center stripe (18) placed in the center of a highway lane. Reflected light is received in right and left receivers (26) and (28). The processor (22) uses the information to control a power steering control system (30) and a speed control system (32). Information may be encrypted into the center stripe (18) and used by processor (22) to control the speed of the vehicle (10) or to display information to an operator of the vehicle (10) through a display system (34).
Inventors
- 👤 Donald L. Parker
- 👤 Philip Roan
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-23 03:55
CPC Classifications
G; G08; G08G; G08G1/00; G08G1/09; G08G1/0962; G08G1/0967; G08G1/096708; G08G1/096716; B; B60; B60K; B60K31/00; B60K31/0008; B60K31/0058; B62; B62D; B62D1/00; B62D1/24; B62D1/28; E; E01; E01F; E01F9/00; E01F9/30; G01; G01C; G01C21/00; G01C21/26; G01S; G01S17/00; G01S17/66; G01S17/74; G01S17/87; G05; G05D; G05D1/00; G05D1/02; G05D1/021; G05D1/0231; G05D1/0242; G05D1/0244; G08G1/096725; G08G1/096733; G08G1/096758; G08G1/096766; G08G1/096783; B60T; B60T2201/00; B60T2201/08; B60T2201/087; G05D1/0268; G05D1/0274; G05D1/0276; G05D1/028
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 23
Claim 1
Independent Claim
181 words
A vehicle control system for controlling a vehicle operable to travel over a surface, the system comprising: a transmitter on the vehicle operable to illuminate a first predetermined area of the surface beneath the vehicle; first receiver on the vehicle operable to receive reflections from a second predetermined area of the surface beneath the vehicle; a second receiver on the vehicle operable to receive reflections from a third predetermined area of the surface beneath the vehicle, said second and third predetermined areas disposed substantially adjacent one another and each comprising portions of said first predetermined area; and a processor coupled to said first and second receivers and operable to determine the difference in the amplitudes of the reflections received by said first and second receivers and generate a steering control signal responsive to said difference, said first and second receivers receiving reflections from a stripe broken in predetermined intervals of unmarked and reflective areas disposed on the surface and illuminated by the transmitter resulting in said difference when said stripe is not disposed equally in said second and third predetermined areas.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
181 words
A vehicle control system for controlling a vehicle operable to travel over a surface, the system comprising: a transmitter on the vehicle operable to illuminate a first predetermined area of the surface beneath the vehicle; first receiver on the vehicle operable to receive reflections from a second predetermined area of the surface beneath the vehicle; a second receiver on the vehicle operable to receive reflections from a third predetermined area of the surface beneath the vehicle, said second and third predetermined areas disposed substantially adjacent one another and each comprising portions of said first predetermined area; and a processor coupled to said first and second receivers and operable to determine the difference in the amplitudes of the reflections received by said first and second receivers and generate a steering control signal responsive to said difference, said first and second receivers receiving reflections from a stripe broken in predetermined intervals of unmarked and reflective areas disposed on the surface and illuminated by the transmitter resulting in said difference when said stripe is not disposed equally in said second and third predetermined areas.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
57 words
The system of claim 1 wherein said reflections received by said first and second receivers vary in response to said intervals, said processor further comprising circuitry for counting said intervals to yield a value proportional to the speed of the vehicle, said processor circuitry further operable to generate a speed signal indicating the speed of the vehicle.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
35 words
The system of claim 2 and further comprising a speed control system operable to receive said speed signal and adjust the speed of the vehicle so as to keep the speed of the vehicle constant.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
54 words
The system of claim 1 wherein said stripe incorporates coded information according to positioning of said unmarked and reflective areas within said predetermined intervals and wherein said reflections received by said first and second receivers vary in response to said intervals, said processor further comprising circuitry for determining said coded information in said intervals.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
44 words
The system of claim 4 wherein said coded information comprises information indicating a necessary change in the speed of the vehicle and wherein said processor circuitry is further operable to generate a speed control signal indicating the speed to be adopted by the vehicle.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
37 words
The system of claim 5 and further comprising a speed control system operable to receive said speed control signal and adjust the speed of the vehicle so as to adopt the speed indicated by the coded information.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
35 words
The system of claim 4 wherein said coded information comprises alphanumeric characters, the system further comprising a display coupled to said processor and operable to display said alphanumeric characters to a user of the system.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
39 words
The system of claim 4 wherein said coded information comprises information indicating the location of the vehicle, the system further comprising a display coupled to said processor and operable to display said location to a user of the system.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
38 words
The system of claim 4 wherein said coded information comprises information ordinarily displayed on road signs, the system further comprising a display coupled to said processor and operable to display said information to a user of the system.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
72 words
The system of claim 1 wherein said processor comprises circuitry for generating an attenuation control signal associated with the amount of reflection received from the surface, said transmitter coupled to said attenuation control signal and operable to attenuate the amplitude of the signal used to illuminate said first predetermined area of the surface such that the amount of the reflection received by the system remains substantially constant when the stripe is illuminated.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
250 words
A vehicle control system for controlling a vehicle operable to travel over a surface, the system comprising: a transmitter on the vehicle operable to illuminate a first predetermined area of the surface beneath the vehicle; a first receiver on the vehicle operable to receive reflections from a second predetermined area of the surface beneath the vehicle; a second receiver on the vehicle operable to receive reflections from a third predetermined area of the surface beneath the vehicle, said second and third predetermined areas disposed substantially adjacent one another and each comprising portions of said first predetermined area; a processor coupled to said first and second receiver and operable to determine the difference in the amplitudes of the reflections received by said first and second receivers and generate a steering control signal responsive to said difference, said first and second receivers receiving reflections from a reflective areas disposed on the surface and illuminated by the transmitter resulting in said difference when said stripe is not disposed equally in said second and third predetermined areas, said reflections received by said first and second receivers varying in response to said intervals, said processor comprising circuitry for counting said intervals to yield a value proportional to the speed of the vehicle, said processor circuitry further operable to generate a speed signal indicating the speed of the vehicle; a speed control system operable to receive said speed signal and adjust the speed of the vehicle so as to keep the speed of the vehicle constant.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
250 words
A vehicle control system for controlling a vehicle operable to travel over a surface, the system comprising: a transmitter on the vehicle operable to illuminate a first predetermined area of the surface beneath the vehicle; a first receiver on the vehicle operable to receive reflections from a second predetermined area of the surface beneath the vehicle; a second receiver on the vehicle operable to receive reflections from a third predetermined area of the surface beneath the vehicle, said second and third predetermined areas disposed substantially adjacent one another and each comprising portions of said first predetermined area; a processor coupled to said first and second receiver and operable to determine the difference in the amplitudes of the reflections received by said first and second receivers and generate a steering control signal responsive to said difference, said first and second receivers receiving reflections from a reflective areas disposed on the surface and illuminated by the transmitter resulting in said difference when said stripe is not disposed equally in said second and third predetermined areas, said reflections received by said first and second receivers varying in response to said intervals, said processor comprising circuitry for counting said intervals to yield a value proportional to the speed of the vehicle, said processor circuitry further operable to generate a speed signal indicating the speed of the vehicle; a speed control system operable to receive said speed signal and adjust the speed of the vehicle so as to keep the speed of the vehicle constant.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
54 words
The system of claim 11 wherein said stripe incorporates coded information according to positioning of said unmarked and reflective areas within said predetermined intervals and wherein said reflections received by said first and second receivers vary in response to said intervals, said processor further comprising circuitry for determining said coded information in said intervals.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
44 words
The system of claim 12, wherein said coded information comprises information indicating a necessary change in the speed of the vehicle and wherein said processor circuitry is further operable to generate a speed control signal indicating the speed to be adopted by the vehicle.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
37 words
The system of claim 13 and further comprising a speed control system operable to receive said speed control signal and adjust the speed of the vehicle so as to adopt the speed indicated by the coded information.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
35 words
The system of claim 12 wherein said coded information comprises alphanumeric characters, the system further comprising a display coupled to said processor and operable to display said alphanumeric characters to a user of the system.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
39 words
The system of claim 12 wherein said coded information comprises information indicating the location of the vehicle, the system further comprising a display coupled to said processor and operable to display said location to a user of the system.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
38 words
The system of claim 12 wherein said coded information comprises information ordinarily displayed on road signs, the system further comprising a display coupled to said processor and operable to display said information to a user of the system.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
72 words
The system of claim 11 wherein said processor comprises circuitry for generating an attenuation control signal associated with the amount of reflection received from the surface, said transmitter coupled to said attenuation control signal and operable to attenuate the amplitude of the signal used to illuminate said first predetermined area of the surface such that the amount of the reflection received by the system remains substantially constant when the stripe is illuminated.
Claim 21
Independent Claim
180 words
A method for controlling a vehicle operable to travel over a surface, the method comprising the steps of: illuminating a first predetermined area of the surface beneath the vehicle using a transmitter on the vehicle; receiving reflections from a second predetermined area of the surface beneath the vehicle using a first receiver on the vehicle; receiving reflections from a third predetermined area of the surface beneath the vehicle using a second receiver on the vehicle, the second and third predetermined areas disposed substantially adjacent one another and each comprising portions of the first predetermined area; determining the difference in the amplitudes of the reflections received by the first and second receivers using a processor coupled to the first and second receiver; and generating a steering control signal responsive to the difference using the processor, the reflections being received from a stripe broken in predetermined intervals of unmarked and reflective areas disposed on the surface and illuminated by the transmitter resulting in the difference in the amplitudes when the stripe is not disposed equally in the second and third predetermined areas.
Claim 22
Independent Claim
180 words
A method for controlling a vehicle operable to travel over a surface, the method comprising the steps of: illuminating a first predetermined area of the surface beneath the vehicle using a transmitter on the vehicle; receiving reflections from a second predetermined area of the surface beneath the vehicle using a first receiver on the vehicle; receiving reflections from a third predetermined area of the surface beneath the vehicle using a second receiver on the vehicle, the second and third predetermined areas disposed substantially adjacent one another and each comprising portions of the first predetermined area; determining the difference in the amplitudes of the reflections received by the first and second receivers using a processor coupled to the first and second receiver; and generating a steering control signal responsive to the difference using the processor, the reflections being received from a stripe broken in predetermined intervals of unmarked and reflective areas disposed on the surface and illuminated by the transmitter resulting in the difference in the amplitudes when the stripe is not disposed equally in the second and third predetermined areas.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
81 words
The method of claim 19 wherein the reflections received by the first and second receivers vary in response to the intervals, the method further comprising the steps of: counting the intervals to yield a value proportional to the speed of the vehicle; generating a speed signal indicating the speed of the vehicle; and adjusting the speed of the vehicle so as to keep the speed of the vehicle substantially constant using a speed control system operable to receive the speed signal.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1997-06-06 | 1997-12-06 | 1998-06-07 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2001-06-06 | 2001-12-06 | 2002-06-07 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2005-06-06 | 2005-12-06 | 2006-06-07 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |