GB1259720A - Improvements in or relating to vehicle guidance systems - Google Patents

Abstract

1,259,720. Leader gear systems. MOBILITY SYSTEMS Inc. 19 Dec., 1969, No. 61962/69. Heading H4U. [Also in Division G3] A vehicle 10, Fig. 1, proceeding along a guidance path 12 in response to sensors in the vehicle, receives from an encoder 20 a signal indicating that it is approaching a position with respect to a decision point 16 from which it must start a programmed path 18 to intercept a guidance path 14 along which it is to proceed. The circuitry carried by the vehicle 10, Fig. 2, comprises a guidance path steering control and a programmed path steering control. The guidance path steering control comprises sensors 30 for detecting the guide path the output of which is fed, through a normally open gate 32, to an amplifier 34 energizing a motor 36 positioning the steering mechanism 38. A signal from the encoder 20, Fig. 1, is detected by a command box 65 and sets a binary device 66 the true output of which is applied to an AND gate 64. The gate 64, when enabled by a binary device 63, opens a gate 46 to feed a programme signal from an amplifier 45 to the amplifier 34, opens a gate 51 to feed a feedback signal from a transducer 50 to the amplifier and, through an inverter 67, closes the gate 32. The vehicle is thereby caused to transfer to a programmed curvilinear path to the intersecting guidance path. The programmed path steering control comprises an eight-position shift register 40 having function generators F1-F8 providing steering signals representative of successive areas of the programmed path, which is stepped at incremental distances, by a signal from a wheelturning decoder 70 through a gate 71, opened by the signal from gate 64 and a select gate 61. The programme in shift register 40, or an alternative in a shift register 41, is selected by a signal from a command box 60 enabling the appropriate gate 61, 62. The command box 60 simultaneously sets the device 63 to enable the gate 64. On completion of the programme a signal from the last stage of the selected shift register resets binary devices 66, 63 whereby the gate 32 is closed and gates 51, 54 opened restoring the control of the steering mechanism to the guidance sensors 30.