Caterpillar Inc.

Larry E Schmidt

Craig L Koehrsen

Carl A Kemner

Karl W Kleimenhagen

Joel L Peterson

Walter J Bradbury

Darrell E Stafford

Louis J Weinbeck

Adam J Gudat

Christos T Kyrtsos

William L Whittaker

Dana A Christensen

Lonnie J Devier

Norman K Lay

Sanjiv J Singh

Dong Hun Shin

Richard G Clow

Prithvi N Rao

Jay H West

Gary K Shaffer

Wenfan Shi

James W Sennott

Baoxin Wu

Michael S Lukich

Paul M Young

Errol W Davis

Ronald J Penick

John J Wunning

Mohamad Z Deiri

The present invention is adapted to provide a method for dynamically determining optimal governor dynamics, i.e., gains, for a fuel control system supplying fuel to an engine. The method determines a mode of the engine, then determines the governor gain in response to the engine mode. The mode or condition of the engine includes a transmission mode, a throttle mode, and a cruise control mode. The governor gains are determined by determining the current engine mode, selecting the appropriate gain look-up table in response to the engine mode, and responsively selecting a gain value from the look-up table in response to at least one of the desired and actual speed. The gain maps are determined using empirical data and classical control system design methods, and storing the results in gain maps, or tables. The governor gain values are used in a forward and a feedback path PID control algorithm. The forward path PID control algorithm determines a fuel command in response to at least one of the desired engine speed, and modified actual engine speed, and the governor gain values. The feedback path PID control algorithm determines a modified actual speed in response to at least one of the desired and actual speeds, and the appropriate governor gain values.

Method for determining governor gains for a fuel control system

A system and method for controlling the navigation of surface based vehicle uses a route that is obtained by manually driving the vehicle over the route to collect data defining the absolute position of the vehicle at various positions along the route. The collected data is smoothed to provide a consistent route to be followed. The smoothed data is subsequently used to automatically guide the vehicle over the route.

Apparatus and method for autonomous vehicle navigation using absolute

A system (400) for positioning and navigating an autonomous vehicle (310) allows the vehicle (310) to travel between locations. Position information (432) is derived from global positioning system satellites (200, 202, 204, and 206) or other sources (624) when the satellites (200, 202, 204, and 206) are not in the view of the vehicle (310). Navigation of the vehicle (310) is obtained using the position information (432), route information (414), obstacle detection and avoidance data (416), and on board vehicle data (908 and 910).

System and a method for enabling a vehicle to track a preset path

A system and method for enabling an autonomous vehicle to track a desired path plans a continuous path to return to the desired path when the vehicle deviates from the desired path. The continuous path is determined based on the vehicle's position, the desired path, and a lookahead distance. The lookahead distance is the distance on the desired path within which the continuous path and the desired path converge. The lookahead distance may vary as a function of vehicle speed. In one embodiment of the present invention, the continuous path is determined as a quintic polynomial.

System and method for enabling an autonomous vehicle to track a desired

A system for generating a path allows a vehicle to traverse a predetermined route. The system stores route data for the predetermined route. The route data identifies a series of contiguous path segments that form the predetermined route. The route data also identifies a series of nodes located at the beginning and the end of the predetermined route and between adjacent path segments. Each path segment represents a series of postures along the predetermined route. Each posture identifies a position, a heading, and a curvature for the vehicle at a particular point along the predetermined route. The system stores the path segments and nodes as compressed path data. In one embodiment, the compressed path data is a function that is continuous in posture, i.e., continuous in position, heading and curvature. The system retrieves the compressed path data and generates a series of postures from the retrieved compressed path data to allow the vehicle to traverse the predetermined route.

System and method for generating paths in an autonomous vehicle

An apparatus and method for controlling a surface-based vehicle provides three operational modes: a manual operation, a tele-operation, and an autonomous operation. In manual operation, an operator directly manipulates vehicle controls on the vehicle. In tele-operation, the operator controls the vehicle from a remote position. In autonomous operation, the vehicle controls itself based on its position and a predetermined path. The apparatus and method of the present invention provides an orderly transition between manual operation, tele-operation, and autonomous operation of the vehicle.

Apparatus and method for surface based vehicle control system

A system and method for controlling an autonomously navigated vehicle uses a vehicle manager to control vehicle subsystems and to respond to commands from either a vehicle navigation system or a remote control panel. The vehicle manager controls vehicle subsystems including a speed control subsystem, a steering control subsystem, an auxiliary control subsystem, and a monitor subsystem. The speed control subsystem controls the speed of the vehicle in response to a speed command from the vehicle manager. The steering control subsystem controls the steering angle of the vehicle in response to a steering command from the vehicle manager. The auxiliary control subsystem controls auxiliary functions of the vehicle in response to an auxiliary command from the vehicle manager. The monitor subsystem monitors the status of each of the other subsystems and provides the status to the vehicle manager.

System and method for controlling an autonomously navigated vehicle

System and method for operating an autonomous navigation system

An apparatus and method for navigating a vehicle along a predetermined route use route data and path data to define the predetermined route. The route data represents one or more contiguous path segments between adjacent nodes along the predetermined route. The path data includes postures of the vehicle along each of the path segments. The postures define the desired position, heading, curvature and speed of vehicle at various locations along the path segments. The apparatus and method use the posture information to generate and track a path thereby allowing the vehicle to navigate along the predetermined route.

Apparatus and method for autonomous vehicle navigation using path data

Integrated vehicle positioning and navigation system, apparatus and

Multi-tasked navigation system and method for an autonomous land based

A control system for an internal combustion engine having a plurality of cylinders and a rotatable crankshaft. Each cylinder has an electronically actuatable intake valve, exhaust valve and fuel injector. The control system includes a sensor which monitors the rotation of the crankshaft and responsively produces a crankshaft pulsetrain. A computer produces operator parameter signals. The operator parameter signals including one of a plurality of operating modes of the engine. A first microprocessor receives the crankshaft pulsetrain, responsively determines the speed of the engine and produces a signal representative of the determined engine speed. A second microprocessor receives the operator parameter signals and the engine speed signal, responsively determines valve and injection events for each cylinder to responsively achieve the one engine operating mode. The second microprocessor produces signals representative of the determined valve and injection events.

Control system for an internal combustion engine

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Peoria, IL, United States of America

Larry E Schmidt