Autonomous vehicle having a means operable therein to automatically stop the vehicle when a body begins to enter the track direction of the vehicle

Abstract

An autonomous vehicle having a tether therein attached to at least one end thereof to a first point in the autonomous vehicle and at the other end thereof to a second and different point in the autonomous vehicle. The tether includes a slack region having a slack so that when the slack changes position due to a change in momentum of the moving autonomous vehicle, the tether acts on the second and different point attachment to stop the autonomous vehicle. Also provided is a method for stopping an autonomous vehicle. The method includes providing a tether, at least one end thereof attached to a first point in the autonomous vehicle, the other end thereof attached to a second and different point in the autonomous vehicle, wherein the tether includes a slack region having a slack so that when the slack changes position due to a change in momentum of the moving autonomous vehicle, the tether acts on the second and different point attachment to stop the autonomous vehicle.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.