US5838562A
Expired / Lapsed
US
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System and a method for enabling a vehicle to track a preset path
Assignee: Caterpillar Inc
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Filing: 1995-05-01
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Granted: 1998-11-17
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Expires: 2015-05-01
Abstract
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).
Inventors
- 👤 Adam J. Gudat
- 👤 Walter J. Bradbury
- 👤 Dana A. Christensen
- 👤 Carl A. Kemner
- 👤 Craig L. Koehrsen
- 👤 Christos T. Kyrtsos
- 👤 Norman K. Lay
- 👤 Joel L. Peterson
- 👤 Larry E. Schmidt
- 👤 Darrell E. Stafford
- 👤 Louis J. Weinbeck
- 👤 Lonnie J. Devier
- 👤 Prithvi N. Rao
- 👤 Gary K. Shaffer
- 👤 Wenfan Shi
- 👤 Dong Hun Shin
- 👤 James W. Sennott
- 👤 William L. Whittaker
- 👤 Jay H. West
- 👤 Karl W. Kleimenhagen
- 👤 Richard G. Clow
- 👤 Baoxin Wu
- 👤 Sanjiv J. Singh
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-27 05:47
CPC Classifications
G; G05; G05D; G05D1/00; G05D1/02; G05D1/021; G05D1/0268; G05D1/027; B; B60; B60K; B60K31/00; B60K31/0008; B60K31/02; B60K31/04; B62; B62D; B62D1/00; B62D1/24; B62D1/28; G01; G01S; G01S19/00; G01S19/01; G01S19/03; G01S19/10; G01S19/11; G01S19/38; G01S19/39; G01S19/42; G01S19/45; G01S19/46; G01S19/47; G05D1/0011; G05D1/0231; G05D1/0238; G05D1/024; G05D1/0242; G05D1/0272; G05D1/0276; G05D1/0278; G05D1/0287; G05D1/0291; G05D1/0297; G08; G08G; G08G1/00; G08G1/20; G08G1/202; G01S17/00; G01S17/02; G01S17/06; G01S17/42; G01S17/86; G01S17/88; G01S17/93; G01S17/931; G01S19/13; G01S19/24; G01S19/27; G01S19/40; G01S19/41; G01S19/52; G01S5/00; G01S5/0009; G01S5/009; G01S7/00; G01S7/48; G01S7/481; G01S7/4811
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 12
Claim 1
Independent Claim
163 words
A system for a vehicle for enabling said vehicle to track a preset path comprising: supervisory means for representing a desired path as at least a fourth order continuous function; means for planning steering, by outputting a desired steering angle, based on said desired path from said supervisory means and sensed vehicle positions input from a positioning system; means for controlling steering of the vehicle, by outputting steering servo commands to a steering system of the vehicle, responsive to said desired steering angle from said means for planning steering and to feedback from said steering system of the vehicle; means for setting speed, by outputting a desired speed signal, based on a desired speed input from said supervisory means; and means for controlling the speed of the vehicle, by outputting speed commands to a vehicle speed system, wherein said speed command is based on a difference between said desired speed signal and an actual vehicle speed fed back from said vehicle speed system.
Claim 2
Independent Claim
163 words
A system for a vehicle for enabling said vehicle to track a preset path comprising: supervisory means for representing a desired path as at least a fourth order continuous function; means for planning steering, by outputting a desired steering angle, based on said desired path from said supervisory means and sensed vehicle positions input from a positioning system; means for controlling steering of the vehicle, by outputting steering servo commands to a steering system of the vehicle, responsive to said desired steering angle from said means for planning steering and to feedback from said steering system of the vehicle; means for setting speed, by outputting a desired speed signal, based on a desired speed input from said supervisory means; and means for controlling the speed of the vehicle, by outputting speed commands to a vehicle speed system, wherein said speed command is based on a difference between said desired speed signal and an actual vehicle speed fed back from said vehicle speed system.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
21 words
A system according to claim 1, wherein said at least fourth order continuous function is evaluated from a cubic B-spline function.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
17 words
A system according to claim 1, wherein said desired path is a geometric curve independent of time.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
16 words
A system according to claim 1, wherein said desired speed is independent of said desired path.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
27 words
A system according to claim 1, wherein said means for controlling steering of the vehicle is decoupled from said means for controlling the speed of the vehicle.
Claim 7
Independent Claim
144 words
A method of operating a system for a vehicle for enabling said vehicle to track a preset path comprising the steps of: (1) representing a desired path as at least a fourth order continuous function; (2) planning steering, by outputting a desired steering angle, based on said desired path and sensed vehicle positions; (3) controlling steering of said vehicle, by outputting steering servo commands to a steering system of the vehicle, responsive to said desired steering angle and to feedback from said steering system of the vehicle; (4) setting speed, by outputting a desired speed signal, based on a desired speed; and (5) controlling the speed of the vehicle, by outputting speed commands to a vehicle speed system, wherein said speed command is based on a difference between said desired speed signal and an actual vehicle speed fed back from said vehicle speed system.
Claim 8
Independent Claim
144 words
A method of operating a system for a vehicle for enabling said vehicle to track a preset path comprising the steps of: (1) representing a desired path as at least a fourth order continuous function; (2) planning steering, by outputting a desired steering angle, based on said desired path and sensed vehicle positions; (3) controlling steering of said vehicle, by outputting steering servo commands to a steering system of the vehicle, responsive to said desired steering angle and to feedback from said steering system of the vehicle; (4) setting speed, by outputting a desired speed signal, based on a desired speed; and (5) controlling the speed of the vehicle, by outputting speed commands to a vehicle speed system, wherein said speed command is based on a difference between said desired speed signal and an actual vehicle speed fed back from said vehicle speed system.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
27 words
A method according to claim 6, wherein step (1) comprises: representing the desired path as the at least fourth order function evaluated from a cubic B-spline function.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
29 words
A method according to claim 6, wherein step (1) comprises: representing the desired path as the at least fourth order function that is a geometric curve independent of time.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
16 words
A method according to claim 6, wherein said desired speed is independent of said desired path.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
14 words
A method according to claim 6, wherein step (3) is decoupled to step (5).
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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) | 2001-11-16 | 2002-05-18 | 2002-11-17 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2005-11-16 | 2006-05-18 | 2006-11-17 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2009-11-16 | 2010-05-18 | 2010-11-17 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |