Guidance system for an automated guided-vehicle
AssigneeJervis B. Webb Company
InventorsCornell W. Alofs, Ronald R. Drenth
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A guidance system for guiding an automated guided vehicle along a pathway is disclosed which includes rails for holding the AGV to the generally straight portions of the pathway and a non-rail guidance system for directing the AGV from the end of a first rail segment to the beginning of another. The rails provide the necessary level of control to allow an unmanned vehicle to move at high speeds while the non-rail guidance system eliminates the need for the rail switches that would otherwise be needed to shift a rail guided vehicle from one rail portion to another.
Claims29
A guidance system for guiding an AGV comprising:
- a plurality of noncontiguous rail segments;
- a steering mechanism for guiding the AGV along said rail segments;
- and,
- an electronic controller for guiding said AGV between said rail segments, the electronic controller directing the AGV from one rail segment to one of the other rail segments.
A method for switching an automatic rail-guided vehicle from a first rail section to either a second rail section or a third rail section, the method comprising the steps of:
- providing an off-rail navigation system;
- and
- running said vehicle along said first rail section;
- navigating said vehicle from said first rail section to either said second rail section or said third rail section using said off-rail navigation system;
- and,
- running said vehicle along one of said second rail section or said third rail section.
A guidance system for guiding an AGV comprising:
- first, second and third separate rail segments for guiding the AGV;
- and,
- a controller for directing the AGV from the first rail segment to either one of the second and third rail segments.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.