Patent ID: 7098579

Claim:
An autonomous traveling vehicle comprising: a sound sensor, for detecting a detection-target object, including: a transmitting apparatus having a piezoelectric element and a driving circuit for driving said piezoelectric element in a frequency band at which acoustic pressure of an acoustic wave rises steeper than the acoustic pressure when said piezoelectric element is driven at a resonance frequency at which a vibration system including said piezoelectric element resonates the most strongly to transmit an acoustic wave; and a receiving apparatus having a receiver for receiving a reflected wave from said detection-target object of an acoustic wave transmitted from said transmitting apparatus; a processing circuit for acquiring information on said detection-target object on the basis of an elapsed time till the time when said receiver of said receiving apparatus receives the reflected wave from the time when said transmitting apparatus transmits an acoustic wave; and a control circuit for performing traveling control and steering control on the basis of information on said detection-target object acquired by said processing circuit.