US 12,485,939 B2
Method of controlling a direction of a trajectory of a vehicle
Marijn Jesper Geuze, Rotterdam (NL); Sascha Lamme, Zaandam (NL); Bauke Jan Kooger, Rotterdam (NL); and Marinus Wilhelmus Eliza Van Der Meijs, The Hague (NL)
Assigned to Hardt IP BV, Rotterdam (NL)
Appl. No. 16/967,780
Filed by HARDT IP B.V., Delft (NL)
PCT Filed Feb. 21, 2019, PCT No. PCT/NL2019/050114
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Aug. 6, 2020,
PCT Pub. No. WO2019/164395, PCT Pub. Date Aug. 29, 2019.
Claims priority of application No. 2020480 (NL), filed on Feb. 22, 2018.
Prior Publication US 2021/0016814 A1, Jan. 21, 2021
Int. Cl. B61L 27/04 (2006.01); B60L 13/06 (2006.01); B61B 13/08 (2006.01); B61L 11/08 (2006.01); B61L 23/14 (2006.01); B61L 25/02 (2006.01)
CPC B61L 27/04 (2013.01) [B60L 13/06 (2013.01); B61B 13/08 (2013.01); B61L 11/083 (2013.01); B61L 23/14 (2013.01); B61L 25/025 (2013.01); B61L 2201/00 (2013.01)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method of controlling a direction of a trajectory of a vehicle moving in a vehicle guidance system comprising: a switch comprising a first tube, a second tube and a third tube, a first guidance track ranging from the first tube to the second tube, and a second guidance track ranging from the first tube to the third tube, the method comprising:
obtaining a default direction prior to entering the switch;
electromagnetically controlling at least one of a first distance between a first lateral side of the vehicle and the first guidance track and a second distance between a second lateral side of the vehicle and the second guidance track;
receiving a direction instruction corresponding to one of a first trajectory from the first tube to the second tube or a second trajectory from the first tube to the third tube;
after receiving the direction instruction, determining whether the vehicle is closer to the switch than a first safety point is to the switch:
in response to determining that the vehicle is closer to the switch than the first safety point is from the switch, ignoring the direction instruction and continuing along the default direction;
in response to determining that the vehicle is farther from the switch than the first safety point is from the switch, attempting to control only one of the first distance or the second distance to be within a control distance interval, the one of the first distance or the second distance corresponding to the one of the first trajectory or the second trajectory corresponding to the direction instruction;
after attempting to control the one of the first distance and the second distance, determining whether the one of the first distance and the second distance is larger than a safety distance interval, the safety distance interval larger than the control distance interval; and
in response to determining that the one of the first distance and the second distance is larger than the safety distance interval, switching from attempting to control the one of the first distance or the second distance to controlling, within the control distance interval, the other of the first distance and the second distance such that the vehicle travels in the other of the first trajectory or the second trajectory.