Steering control system for moving vehicle

A steering control system for a moving vehicle wherein a light beam emitted from the moving vehicle is scanned around an axis on the moving vehicle along the circumferential direction thereof, and the light beam is reflected by light-reflecting means disposed at several points around a region in which a predetermined working operation is to be conducted by said vehicle as said vehicle moves along a predetermined traveling course in said region, the reflected light being received at said axis on the vehicle to detect the position of the moving vehicle in said region, said system comprising:

• azimuth detection means for detecting the azimuths of the respective light-reflecting means with respect to an advance direction of the moving vehicle on the basis of a beam receiving interval of the light reflected by said light-reflecting means;
• position calculation means for calculating the current position of the moving vehicle in said region based on the detected azimuths;
• normal steering control means for normally controlling the steering of said vehicle so as to cause said moving vehicle to travel along said predetermined traveling course on the basis of the calculated current position of the vehicle as well as on the basis of information that defines said predetermined traveling course;
• an obstacle sensor installed on said moving vehicle for detecting an obstacle on said predetermined traveling course in an uncontacted manner;
• roundabout steering control means for causing said moving vehicle to leave said predetermined traveling course and to detour around said obstacle in response to an obstacle detection signal from said sensor;
• and
• switching means for selecting said roundabout steering control means to control the steering of said vehicle when an obstacle is detected on said predetermined traveling cause by said obstacle sensor, said switching means being operative subsequently to select said normal steering control means for controlling steering of said vehicle along said predetermined traveling course after said vehicle completes said detour around said obstacle;
• said position calculation means being kept in operation during the time said roundabout steering control means is operative to control the steering of said vehicle, completion of said detour being determined by an output of said position calculation means indicating that the then current position of the moving vehicle is on said predetermined traveling course along which said vehicle was traveling just before said roundabout steering control means was selected.