Autoscaling rows of travel for an off-road vehicle

• US 10,073,457 B2
• Filed: 06/10/2016
• Issued: 09/11/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 06/10/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Autonomous Solutions, Inc., CNH Industrial America LLC (CNH Industrial N.V.)
• Original Assignee: Autonomous Solutions, Inc., CNH Industrial America LLC (CNH Industrial N.V.)
• Inventors: Foster, Christopher A., Turpin, Bret T., Morwood, Daniel John
• Primary Examiner(s): Butler, Rodney Allen
• Application Number:
  US15/179,597
• Publication Number:
  US 20170357261A1
• Time in Patent Office: 823 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A01B 69/00 Steering of agricultural machines or implements; Guiding agricultural machines or implements on a desired track
• CPC Class Codes: A01B 69/008 automatic
• CPC Class Codes: B60Y 2200/22 Agricultural vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60Y 2300/10 Path keeping
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0212 with means for defining a desired trajectory involving a plurality of land vehicles G05D1/0287
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0278 using satellite positioning signals, e.g. GPS

Abstract

A control system for an off-road vehicle configured to traverse an off-road vehicle through a field by determining whether a partial row exist or contour differences exist between opposite edges if a route of traversal is used. If a partial row or a contour difference exist adjust the route to increase overlap of rows of the off-road vehicle to distribute the width of the field evenly among the rows or incrementally adjust each row from a first contour of a first edge to a second contour of a second edge.

Claims

1. A control system for an off-road vehicle, comprising:

memory storing instructions;

a processor configured to execute the instructions to cause the processor to;

determine whether a first contour of a first edge of a field differs from a second contour of a second edge of the field that is on an opposite side of the field from the first edge; and

if the first contour differs from the second contour, determine a pre-planned route of travel through the field for the off-road vehicle, wherein the pre-planned route includes;

a first pass of the off-road vehicle that follows the first contour at the first edge;

subsequent passes of the off-road vehicle to incrementally shift from the first contour to the second contour using partial overlaps of passes of an implement towed by or integrated into the off-road vehicle; and

a final pass of the off-road vehicle that follows the second contour at the second edge; and

control the off-road vehicle to traverse the field based at least in part on the pre-planned route.

2. The control system of claim 1, wherein the first contour is different from the second contour when an acute angle is formed in a corner of the field between the first edge of the field and an adjacent edge of the field.

3. The control system of claim 1, comprising a user interface that provides information to an operator and receives selections from the operator.

4. The control system of claim 3, wherein the user interface is configured to receive a selection of a crop type.

5. The control system of claim 4, wherein the determination of contour differences is used only when a non-row crop type is selected.

6. The control system of claim 5, wherein non-row crop type comprises hay, wheat barley, grass seed, canola, peas, or lentils.

7. The control system of claim 1, wherein the incremental shift from the first contour to the second contour for each pass is a function of a distance of the pass from the first edge.

8. The control system of claim 1, wherein the instructions are configured to cause the processor to:

determine whether a partial row would exist using the pre-planned route; and

if a partial row would exist, adjust the determined pre-planned route to eliminate the partial row.

9. The control system of claim 8, wherein a width of the partial row is divided between overlap areas of each pass of the implement.

10. A control system for an off-road vehicle, comprising:

memory storing instructions;

a processor configured to execute the instructions to cause the processor to;

determine whether a field width is not an integer multiple of a swath width of an implement;

if the field width is not an integer multiple of the swath width, determine a route to establish an overlap of passes of the rows so that the field width is an integer multiple of non-overlap portions of each pass, wherein establishing the overlap comprises determining a width of the overlap as a function of the field width and the swath width; and

control the off-road vehicle to traverse the field based at least in part on the route.

11. The control system of claim 10, comprising:

the off-road vehicle; and

a base station.

12. The control system of claim 11, wherein the processor is located in the off-road vehicle, in the base station, or distributed between both the base station and the off-road vehicle.

13. The control system of claim 10, wherein the width of the overlap for each row is calculated using the following equation:

W_OL=W_PR/n

where W_OL is an overlap width for each row, W_PR is a width of a partial row that would exist if the field were traversed using rows having widths equal to the swath width, and n is the number of full rows that would exist if the field were traversed using rows having widths equal to the swath width.

14. The control system of claim 13, wherein the width of the partial row is calculated using the following equation:

W_PR=mod(W_T/W_SW)

where W_T is a total width of the field to be processed, and W_SW is the swath width of the implement.

15. The control system of claim 10, comprising a user interface configured to provide information to an operator and to receive selections from the operator, wherein the user interface is configured to receive a selection of a crop type.

16. The control system of claim 15, wherein the determination of the route is made only if the field width is not an integer multiple of the swath width and a non-row crop is selected.

17. The control system of claim 10, comprising a spatial locating device that indicates a location of the off-road vehicle that is configured to enable mapping the field for generation and adjustment of the pre-planned route.

18. A method for controlling an off-road vehicle through a field, comprising:

mapping, via a processor, a field using a spatial locating device of the off-road vehicle;

determining, via the processor, from the map whether a field width is not an integer multiple of a swath width of an implement;

if the field width is not an integer multiple of the swath width, determining, via the processor, a route to establish an overlap of passes of the rows so that the field width is an integer multiple of non-overlap portions of each pass, wherein a width of the overlap is established based at least in part on a ratio between the swath width and the field width; and

controlling, via the processor, the off-road vehicle to traverse the field based at least in part on the route.

19. The method of claim 18, comprising:

determining, via the processor, whether a first contour of a first edge of the field differs from a second contour of a second edge of the field that is on an opposite side of the field from the first edge; and

if the first contour differs from the second contour, determine, via the processor, a contoured route of travel through the field for the off-road vehicle, wherein the contoured route includes;

a first pass of the off-road vehicle that follows the first contour at the first edge;

subsequent passes of the off-road vehicle to incrementally shift from the first contour to the second contour using partial overlaps of passes of an implement towed by or integrated into the off-road vehicle; and

a final pass of the off-road vehicle that follows the second contour at the second edge; and

control, via the processor, the off-road vehicle to traverse the field based at least in part on the contoured route.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein mapping a field using a spatial locating device of the off-road vehicle includes circumnavigating a perimeter of the field.