Automatic guidance system with stability control for an agricultural vehicle

• US 10,114,378 B2
• Filed: 12/11/2014
• Issued: 10/30/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 12/11/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Blue Leaf IP Incorporated (CNH Industrial N.V.)
• Original Assignee: CNH Industrial America LLC (CNH Industrial N.V.)
• Inventors: Korthals, Rodney L., Schubert, William L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Tissot, Adam D
• Application Number:
  US14/567,930
• Publication Number:
  US 20150160655A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,419 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: A01B 69/004 automatic
• CPC Class Codes: A01B 69/008 automatic
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0223 involving speed control of the vehicle vehicle fittings for automatically controlling, i.e. preventing speed from exceeding an arbitrarily established velocity or maintaining speed at a particular velocity, as selected by the vehicle operator B60K31/00

Abstract

A non-transitory computer-readable medium may store computer executable code. The computer executable code may include instructions to identify a turn to be taken by an agricultural vehicle and to receive a first set of data from at least one of a spatial locating system, one or more speed sensors, and one or more measurement devices. The computer executable code may also include instructions to calculate a second set of data based upon the first set of data. Further, the computer executable code may include instructions to select a vehicle action in anticipation of the turn, based on the first and second sets of data and to control a plurality of actuators to perform the vehicle action.

Claims

1. An agricultural vehicle, comprising:

a plurality of actuators configured to control at least one system for turning the agricultural vehicle;

a spatial locating system;

one or more speed sensors;

one or more measurement devices; and

an automatic guidance system configured to navigate the agricultural vehicle, wherein the automatic guidance system comprises;

a receiver component configured to receive a first set of data from at least one of the spatial locating system, the one or more speed sensors, or the one or more measurement devices;

a calculation component configured to calculate a second set of data based on the first set of data;

a decision component configured to;

determine whether one of or both of a steering angle of the agricultural vehicle and a speed of the agricultural vehicle should be adjusted based on the first and second sets of data;

in response to a determination that one of the steering angle or speed of the agricultural vehicle should be adjusted, adjust the steering angle or speed of the agricultural vehicle, respectively; and

in response to a determination that both of the steering angle and speed of the agricultural vehicle should be adjusted, select a preferred vehicle action between adjusting the steering angle of the agricultural vehicle and adjusting the speed of the agricultural vehicle given the first and second sets of data; and

an actuation component configured to control the plurality of actuators to adjust the vehicle speed or steering angle of the agricultural vehicle in response to the decision component.

2. The agricultural vehicle of claim 1, wherein the automatic guidance system further comprises an evaluation component configured to determine whether a current trajectory of the agricultural vehicle should be maintained.

3. The agricultural vehicle of claim 1, wherein the receiver component is configured to receive at least a portion of the first or second sets of data from a computer system of the agricultural vehicle that is not a part of the automatic guidance system.

4. The agricultural vehicle of claim 1, wherein the first set of data comprises at least one of a speed of the agricultural vehicle and a spatial location of the agricultural vehicle.

5. The agricultural vehicle of claim 1, wherein the second set of data comprises at least one of a road slope, an orientation of the agricultural vehicle, and a projected turn radius.

6. The agricultural vehicle of claim 1, wherein the receiver component is configured to receive a third set of data, and the decision component is configured to determine whether one of or both of a steering angle of the agricultural vehicle and a speed of the agricultural vehicle should be adjusted based on the first and second sets of data based on the first, second, and third sets of data.

7. The agricultural vehicle of claim 6, wherein the third set of data comprises at least one of a yaw rate, a slip angle, an actual lateral acceleration, and a predicted lateral acceleration, and wherein the receiver component is configured to receive at least a portion of the third set of data from a computer system of the agricultural vehicle that is not part of the automatic guidance system.

8. The agricultural vehicle of claim 1, wherein the decision component is configured to determine whether one of or both of a steering angle of the agricultural vehicle and a speed of the agricultural vehicle should be adjusted based on the first and second sets of data based on a third set of data in addition to the first and second sets of data, the third set of data comprising vehicle constants.

9. The agricultural vehicle of claim 8, wherein the third set of data comprises at least one of a center of gravity of the agricultural vehicle and a width of the wheelbase of the agricultural vehicle.

10. The agricultural vehicle of claim 8, wherein the third set of data is stored on a memory of the agricultural vehicle.

11. The agricultural vehicle of claim 1, wherein the automatic guidance system is configured to navigate the agricultural vehicle according to a swath map.

12. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing computer executable code that when executed by at least one processor of an automatic guidance system of an agricultural vehicle causes the automatic guidance system to:

identify a turn to be taken by the agricultural vehicle;

receive a first set of data from at least one of a spatial locating system, one or more speed sensors, and one or more measurement devices;

calculate a second set of data based upon the first set of data;

determine, via the automatic guidance system, whether one of or both of a steering angle of the agricultural vehicle and a speed of the agricultural vehicle should be adjusted based on the first and second sets of data;

in response to a determination that one of the steering angle or speed of the agricultural vehicle should be adjusted, adjust the steering angle or speed of the agricultural vehicle, respectively;

in response to a determination that both of the steering angle and speed of the agricultural vehicle should be adjusted, select a preferred vehicle action between adjusting the steering angle of the agricultural vehicle and adjusting the speed of the agricultural vehicle given the first and second sets of data;

control a plurality of actuators to adjust the vehicle speed or steering angle of the agricultural vehicle in response to the decision component.

13. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 12, wherein the first set of data comprises at least one of a speed of the agricultural vehicle and a spatial location of the agricultural vehicle.

14. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 12, wherein the second set of data comprises at least one of a road slope, an orientation of the agricultural vehicle, and a projected turn radius.

15. A method for controlling an automatic guidance system of an agricultural vehicle, comprising:

identifying, via the automatic guidance system, a turn to be taken by the agricultural vehicle;

receiving, via the automatic guidance system, a first set of data from at least one of a spatial locating system, one or more speed sensors, and one or more measurement devices;

calculating, via the automatic guidance system, a second set of data based upon the first set of data;

determining, via the automatic guidance system, whether one of or both of a steering angle of the agricultural vehicle and a speed of the agricultural vehicle should be adjusted based on the first and second sets of data;

in response to a determination that one of the steering angle or speed of the agricultural vehicle should be adjusted, adjusting the steering angle or speed of the agricultural vehicle, respectively;

in response to a determination that both of the steering angle and speed of the agricultural vehicle should be adjusted, selecting a preferred vehicle action between adjusting the steering angle of the agricultural vehicle and adjusting the speed of the agricultural vehicle given the first and second sets of data;

controlling, via the automatic guidance system, a plurality of actuators to adjust the vehicle speed or steering angle of the agricultural vehicle in response to the decision component.