52results 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.

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 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.

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.

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.

The present invention relates to a steering shaft, and more particularly, to a steering shaft which is provided with a misassembly prevention structure for preventing misassembly when a shaft is inserted into and assembled with a yoke.

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.