54results about "Mechanical steering control" patented technology

A method for dividing a field into zones with similar crop attributes and developing a mission plan for steering the harvester to selectively harvest crops based on one or more of the attributes. The attributes include protein level, starch level, oil level, sugar content, moisture level, digestible nutrient level, or any other crop characteristic of interest. The method can be applied to selectively harvest and / or segregate according to attribute any crop, including grains such as wheat, corn, or beans, fruits such as grapes, and forage crops. Directed crop sampling provides absolute value and variance information for segregated batches of harvested crop.

A method for dividing a field into zones with similar crop attributes and developing a mission plan for steering the harvester to selectively harvest crops based on one or more of the attributes. The attributes include protein level, starch level, oil level, sugar content, moisture level, digestible nutrient level, or any other crop characteristic of interest. The method can be applied to selectively harvest and / or segregate according to attribute any crop, including grains such as wheat, corn, or beans, fruits such as grapes, and forage crops. Directed crop sampling provides absolute value and variance information for segregated batches of harvested crop.

An autonomous personal transportation system for moving passengers and light freights is constructed with a track network and small vehicles on the track network. There are a number of stations and stops for loading and unloading on side tracks off the mainline of the track network. The vehicle width is limited to a dimension for one seat. The vehicles can be coupled statically or dynamically to form a train. The track has side rails for the rigid wheels of the vehicle and a central rail for centering the vehicle on the guideway and providing additional acceleration and braking capability. The control system for the movement of vehicles is divided into three levels: the central control system, the wayside control system and the vehicle control system.

An autonomous personal transportation system for moving passengers and light freights is constructed with a track network and small vehicles on the track network. There are a number of stations and stops for loading and unloading on side tracks off the mainline of the track network. The vehicle width is limited to a dimension for one seat. The vehicles can be coupled statically or dynamically to form a train. The track has side rails for the rigid wheels of the vehicle and a central rail for centering the vehicle on the guideway and providing additional acceleration and braking capability. The control system for the movement of vehicles is divided into three levels: the central control system, the wayside control system and the vehicle control system.

An adaptive control VGR steering system that varies the steering gear ratio between a vehicle hand-wheel angle and the road wheel angle based on vehicle speed and one or more of hand-wheel angle, driver attentiveness and a driver's driving style and skill.

A steering system for a vehicle includes a steerable wheel 1 capable of being steered, a steering wheel 20, and an electrical actuator 3 for altering the steering angle of the steerable wheel. The electrical actuator 3 has three electric motors 31, 32, 33 which act in parallel and three controllers 61, 62, 63 which operate in parallel, each forming part of an electrical control channel for the steering angle. The controller of each electrical channel receives one of the three electrical signals in the control channels and is connected to one of the position sensors and drives one of the electric motors in order to set the said steering angle. The torques delivered by the respective motors are added together in normal operation. The system also includes an interconnection bus 8 for the three electrical control channels, and means for detecting a discrepancy in the status of one electrical channel with respect to the other two, in order to give a malfunction warning and maintain operation in a downgraded mode in the event of a discrepancy.

An in-vehicle switch mechanism for guiding a vehicle along a guideway at converging and diverging points of the guide rails in a guided vehicle system includes a support frame; a pivot assembly; a switch arm assembly pivotably mounted at its proximate end to the pivot assembly; a switch wheel rotatably mounted to the switch arm assembly at its distal end; an actuator for moving the switch arm between a deployed position in which the switch wheel engages a guide rail and a stowed position in which the switch wheel is free of the guide rail; and a biasing device interconnected between the support frame and pivot assembly for pre-loading the switch wheel against the guide rail when the switch wheel is deployed as the vehicle approaches the point of divergence; and an in-vehicle switch system which uses such in-vehicle switch mechanisms.

In a track-guided vehicle wheel truck, a guide frame can be turned relative to a steering axle of a running wheel. A support shaft is adjustably provided on the guide frame. A receiving member is provided projecting toward the vehicle end side. A link lever capable of interlocking the turning of the guide frame and the steering of the running wheel, is provided along the vehicle front and rear direction. A center-side end part of the link lever is rotatably mounted to the receiving member. A vehicle end-side end part of the link lever is rotatably mounted to a connecting rod that enables the steering of the running wheel. A long hole extending in the vehicle front and rear direction, is provided in an intermediate part of the link lever. The long hole and the support shaft are rotatably engaged with each other at a given position.

A rotary paddle sensor for detecting a substance. A paddle or paddles are mounted on a rotating shaft coupled to a motion of the shaft by a slip clutch mechanism. The sensor detects movement of the paddle. If a substance impedes the movement of the paddle, the sensor detects this occurrence. The sensor can be used for many different applications, such as to detect the level of material in a bin, to determine the distance to a wall, to determine the height from the ground, to detect the boundary between two surfaces such as mowed or unmowed vegetation, or to detect the vegetation in a row.

The flanged type guide wheel (1) or (2) has a peripheral edge (27) which has within its profile a recess (30), for example, a notch, the shape and position of which maintain the surface cover (28) of the guide wheel at a distance from the travel surface (8) or (9) that exists opposite it on the guide rail (4) when there is lateral force on the guide wheel. This invention has applications for guide assemblies for road vehicles used on guide rails.

The present invention provides the structure of a bogie for a vehicle in a track type transportation system in which the vehicle runs along a predetermined track, which can be simplified, and lightweight and which can be run at a high speed with the maintainability therefor being enhanced, comprising a guide rail 14 laid on the track 12, guide wheels 51 capable of traveling being made into contact with the guide rail 14, a guide arm 48 attached thereto with the guide wheels 51, and a guide wheel support bracket 52 for supporting the guide arm 48 arranged underneath an axle 22 of the vehicle so that the guide arm 48 is pivotable around a pivotal vertical support shat 56, left and right of the vehicle, and the guide arm 48, the guide wheels 51 and the guide wheel support bracket 52 constitute a unit structure which is attached to the axle 22 or a bogie frame 26 of the vehicle.

The present invention provides the structure of a bogie for a vehicle in a track type transportation system in which the vehicle runs along a predetermined track, which can be simplified, and lightweight and which can be run at a high speed with the maintainability therefor being enhanced, comprising a guide rail 14 laid on the track 12, guide wheels 51 capable of traveling being made into contact with the guide rail 14, a guide arm 48 attached thereto with the guide wheels 51, and a guide wheel support bracket 52 for supporting the guide arm 48 arranged underneath an axle 22 of the vehicle so that the guide arm 48 is pivotable around a pivotal vertical support shat 56, left and right of the vehicle, and the guide arm 48, the guide wheels 51 and the guide wheel support bracket 52 constitute a unit structure which is attached to the axle 22 or a bogie frame 26 of the vehicle.

Methods and apparatus are provided for automatically determining the steering system calibration of a vehicle in accordance with vehicle loading. The apparatus comprises a combination of a load monitor and a steering controller. The load monitor senses the actual loading of the vehicle and provides a corresponding feedback signal to the steering controller. The steering controller determines a steering calibration appropriate for the load represented by the feedback signal. As a result, the handling performance of the vehicle can be improved over that of a single, fixed steering calibration for a wide range of load conditions.

A lateral suspension assembly for a guided vehicle system includes a pair of lateral wheel housings each including a lateral wheel rotatable about spaced vertical axes for engaging spaced opposing guide rails of the guided system; a lateral limit link for limiting outward travel of the lateral wheels beyond a predetermined limit; a pair of spaced support arms pivotably attached at one end to the guided vehicle and at the other to the lateral wheel housings; and a biasing device interconnected with each of the wheel housings for urging the lateral wheels in contact with the guide rails.

Electrical Guide Rail Chain Bus (EGRCB) is a train like buses (or vehicles) that use a modify existing freeway center divider as its guide rail system. EGRCB will travel along the most inner freeway lane. EGRCB will run by following the both horizontal and vertical curvature of freeway center divider. Each individual bus will have two sets of wheels, each wheel set have two control guide arms attached to it for guiding the bus and also acts as a bridge to transmit the electrical power from guide rail system to the bus. Bus electrical motor will embed inside each wheel so that it power output can be control independently for balance the traction between the wheels.

A conveyor conveys palletized articles to a loading dock. A bogie movable along rails between different loading docks, supports an independently movable carriage, which may roll out of the bogie once the latter reaches a desired loading dock. The carriage then loads with a forklift provided on the carriage, the articles from the conveyor into a semi-trailer located at the loading dock. The carriage is provided with a linkage pivotally installed on its main frame, the linkage carrying four lateral guide wheels which protrude laterally beyond all other structural elements of the carriage. The linkage integrally links the guide wheels into a common pivotal displacement, with the guide wheels remaining symmetrically disposed relative to the carriage frame. A hydraulic piston biases the guide wheels towards an outer limit position at all times, and the guide wheels are forcibly pivotable, against the bias of the piston, towards an inner limit position. The bogie carrying the carriage is provided with fixed lateral railings, and with pivotable gates which may be pivoted into an opened condition when the bogie is in facing register with the loading dock, until the gates outer free end portions abut against the inner side walls of the semi-trailer. Thus, continuous side panels are formed on each side of the carriage, by the railings, gates and semi-trailer side walls. The carriage may then move between the bogie and semi-trailer with its guide wheels continuously engaging the side panels, for allowing the carriage to self-align and self-center itself into the semi-trailer due to the bias on the linkage of the piston while article loading and unloading operations are accomplished.

An anti-extraction safety device having, for each roller (13, 14), a rotationally fixed, preferably enveloping, shroud element (32, 33) forming a single-component functional mechanical set with its counterpart. The shroud parts are inclined and each has an extension (46, 47), at the base, which extends beneath the projecting flanks (21, 22) of the head of the guiding rail (19) to prevent extraction of the guidance set. At the front, the base of the shroud parts is preferably moulded into a spout for collecting and disposing of objects which may be present on the guiding track. The anti-extraction safety device can be used for rail guidance of road vehicles used for public transport.

The present invention relates to a method and a device for detecting derailment adapted to a vehicle guided by a guiding system including at least one guiding member interacting with a railhead (13) of a rail (1) which is useful for guiding the guided vehicle, characterised in that said device includes: a clamp (4) including a bottom jaw (41) tightly surrounding the railhead (13) of the rail (1) in a contactless manner in the closed position thereof, capable of opening by opening the jaw (41) thereof when interaction is lost between the guiding member and the rail (1), said opening resulting from said railhead (13) at least partially exiting the jaw (41), at least one top rod (421, 422) of the clamp (4) enabling mechanical transmission of the opening of the jaw (41) to at least one switch (51, 52); said switch (51, 52) including two configurations: a nominal configuration corresponding to the closed position of the clamp (4) during correct re-railing and an alarm configuration generated by mechanical transmission of the opening of the jaw (41) to the switch (51, 52), said alarm configuration being suitable for actuating at least one safety system of the guided vehicle.

A system for guided travel over a surface between parallel guide rails includes a first frame including at least one rotatable element for travel over the surface; a first pin connected to the first frame, for rotation of the first frame thereon; a second frame including at least one rotatable element for travel over the surface; a second pin connected to the second frame, for rotation of the second frame thereon; and a base connected to the first pin and the second pin. The first frame and the second frame each include guide wheels for tracking along the respective guide rails and between them. The base can provide transit for people or products.

A system for guiding a vehicle along a guiding rail includes a guide roller device, with at least one rolling bearing roller and at least one lateral roller having a diameter and shape contacting the rail so that the lateral roller has the same speed at a point of contact with the rail as the central bearing roller on a rolling surface on the rail. The system can be used for tramways.

A rail non-contact vehicle includes wheels, a vehicle main body supported by the wheels, and a steering control system. The steering control system includes a control section configured to control a steering of the wheels in a non-mechanical manner, and a drive section configured to mechanically drive the steering of the wheels. The control section includes a first detector configured to detect 1-dimensional coordinate data of a target route, a steering angle holding section configured to hold a target steering angle corresponding to the 1-dimensional coordinate data, a second detector configured to detect a current deviation between the target route and a current position of the vehicle main body, and a control steering angle calculating section configured to generate a control steering angle corresponding to the current deviation and the target steering angle.

The invention relates to a method for active radial control of the wheels (11, 53, 103, 108, 115) of at last one wheel unit (8, 9, 10, 51, 52) on a chassis, in particular a bogie on a tracked vehicle, whereby control movements are applied to the wheel unit (8, 9, 10, 51, 52) and an integrated regulation with control movements in at least two non-identical frequency ranges are carried out. First control movements in a first frequency range and second control movements in a second frequency range, different form the first frequency range are superimposed and applied to the wheel unit (8, 9, 10, 51, 52). The invention also relates to a device for carrying out the method.

A guide device (150) for a guide rail-type vehicle which travels while being guided along a travel track (20). The guide device (150) is provided with: guide wheels (10) which have main guide wheels (11) and branched guide wheels (12), the main and branched guide wheels (11, 12) being in contact with and roll on guide rails arranged on both sides of the travel track; steering arms (110) which steer the vehicle; and elastic support members (120) which each have one end affixed to each of the steering arms and which each have the other end having guide wheels rotatably supported thereon, the elastic support members (120) absorbing an impact load by deflecting about the one end thereof.

Disclosed is an automated system for controlling and operating a vehicle. The system has three primary components: a vehicle, a saddle assembly, and a railway. The saddle is firmly attached to the bottom of the vehicle. The saddle assembly engages and rides along the rail. Sensors ensure that the rail is centered within the saddle. In the event the vehicle loses traction the backbone will maintain vehicle control and stability. The vehicle can change from one roadway to another while always being secured to a railway.

Disclosed is an automated system for controlling and operating a vehicle. The system has three primary components: a vehicle, a saddle assembly, and a railway. The saddle is firmly attached to the bottom of the vehicle. The saddle assembly engages and rides along the rail. Sensors ensure that the rail is centered within the saddle. In the event the vehicle loses traction the backbone will maintain vehicle control and stability. The vehicle can change from one roadway to another while always being secured to a railway.