Driverless vehicle and guidance system

A driverless vehicle movable forwardly and rearwardly along a guide path provided on a surface over which the vehicle travels;

• said vehicle including a frame having a front end and a rear end;
• wheel means for supporting the frame including a front steerable wheel mounted for steering movement about a steering axis located adjacent to the front end of the frame, a rear steerable wheel mounted for steering movement about a steering axis located adjacent to the rear end of the frame, each of said steerable wheels having a steering motor arranged to move such steerable wheel about the steering axis therof;
• a guidance system for independently regulating the operation of the steering motor for each of the steerable wheels, said guidance system including for each steerable wheel a forward direction sensing unit, a rearward direction sensing unit, means mounting said sensing units forwardly and rearwardly respectively of each steerable wheel for movement with steering movements thereof, said sensing units being adapted to produce steering signals from the guide path when the vehicle is traveling in the forward and in the rearward direction respectively, and separate circuit means for regulating the operation of each steering motor in response to said steering signals whereby each of the steerable wheels is independently controlled to follow the guide path;
• and,
• reversible drive means operably connected to one of said steerable wheels for propelling the vehicle.