US 11,718,967 B2
Guidance vehicle
Saki Narita, Toyota (JP); Tetsuya Kanata, Susono (JP); Yozo Iwami, Susono (JP); Daisaku Honda, Nagoya (JP); Yuhei Katsumata, Fuji (JP); Hideki Fukudome, Toyota (JP); Takuya Watabe, Hachioji (JP); Naoko Ichikawa, Tokyo-to (JP); Yuta Maniwa, Susono (JP); Yuki Nishikawa, Susono (JP); Daisuke Ishii, Shizuoka-ken (JP); and Daisuke Sato, Susono (JP)
Assigned to TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA, Toyota (JP)
Filed by TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA, Toyota (JP)
Filed on Sep. 16, 2021, as Appl. No. 17/476,792.
Claims priority of application No. 2020-168057 (JP), filed on Oct. 2, 2020.
Prior Publication US 2022/0104457 A1, Apr. 7, 2022
Int. Cl. E01H 1/12 (2006.01); E01H 1/08 (2006.01); E01H 3/02 (2006.01); G05D 1/03 (2006.01); E01H 1/00 (2006.01); A01K 29/00 (2006.01); A01K 27/00 (2006.01); B25J 9/00 (2006.01); B25J 9/16 (2006.01); G05D 1/02 (2020.01); A01K 15/02 (2006.01)
CPC E01H 1/006 (2013.01) [A01K 15/021 (2013.01); A01K 27/004 (2013.01); A01K 29/005 (2013.01); B25J 9/0003 (2013.01); B25J 9/0009 (2013.01); B25J 9/163 (2013.01); G05D 1/0223 (2013.01)] 2 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A guidance vehicle that guides a dog for a walk, comprising:
a leash attachment configured to attach a leash that connects the dog;
a distance sensor configured to detect a dog-to-vehicle distance being a distance between the dog and the guidance vehicle;
a top plate having a riding surface configured for the dog to ride on;
a dog paw position sensor including one or more dog paw position detectors associated with one or more traveling directions of the guidance vehicle, and attached to a dog riding section of the riding surface; and
an electronic control unit configured to execute a travel control of the guidance vehicle, wherein
the electronic control unit includes, as one of a plurality of modes of the travel control, a walk guidance mode that causes the guidance vehicle to automatically travel along a walk route while guiding the dog to walk,
the walk guidance mode executed by the electronic control unit includes a basic walk mode that controls the dog-to-vehicle distance so as to maintain a constant distance when the dog is moving along the walk route, and
the electronic control unit includes a dog operation mode that controls travel of the guidance vehicle based on an input to the dog paw position sensor as one of the modes of the travel control.