This paper proposes a new method of vehicle position and heading measurement for the automatic location and guidance of vehicles. The position and heading are determined by measuring the bearing angles of three points set on the vehicle with predetermined distances, and performing the trigonometric calculations by use of the angle data.
In order to demonstrate the above method, we present an on-line automatic position and heading measurement system consisting of a laser-beacon with constant rotational speed on a reference point and micro-processor with three laser-beam receivers on a vehicle.
The experiments of measuring position and heading of a standing vehicle using this system show good results. The standard deviation of the heading and the distance from the vehicle to the reference point are proportional to the distance. The best arrangement of the three points on a vehicle is the regular triangular. The position and heading errors due to movement of the vehicle are in inverse proportional to the rotational speed of the laser beacon and the distance from beacon to vehicle. From experiments and considerations on error, our system is effective and powerful for determining position and heading of vehicle.
This system has salient characteristics that positions and headings of many vehicles are simultaneously able to be measured by only one laser-beacon. Our system will be applied to monitoring and/or automatic guidance for passing ships in strait or harbor, running aircrafts on airport surfaces, vehicles in factory and farm, and so on.
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