Patent ID: 7168661

Claim:
A guided vehicle for use with another vehicle on an expressway having a lane and a plurality of guidepath indicators extending along the expressway for indicating the path of the lane comprising a vehicle body adapted for travel at highway speeds on the expressway and having a front and a rear, a pair of front wheels pivotably coupled to the body and a pair of rear wheels pivotably coupled to the body for steering the body relative to the expressway, a front steering mechanism coupled to the front wheels for pivoting the front wheels relative to the body and a rear steering mechanism coupled to the rear wheels for pivoting the rear wheels relative to the body, a front sensing unit carried by the front of the body in close proximity to the front wheels for sensing the guidepath indicators as the body travels along the expressway and providing a first signal indicative of the position of the front of the body relative to the guidepath indicators and a rear sensing unit carried by the rear of the body in close proximity to the rear wheels for sensing the guidepath indicators as the body travels along the expressway and providing a second signal indicative of the position of the rear of the body relative to the guidepath indicators , a controller coupled to the front and rear sensing units and the front and rear steering mechanisms for receiving the first and second signals and controlling the pivoting of the front and rear wheels as a function of the first and second signals and a coupling assembly carried by the vehicle body adapted for mechanically coupling the vehicle body to the another vehicle while the vehicle body is traveling at highway speeds on the expressway.