System for automatically steering a utility vehicle

• US 20020189220A1
• Filed: 06/14/2002
• Published: 12/19/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 06/16/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Deere & Company
• Original Assignee: Deere & Company
• Inventors: Beck, Folker
• Granted Patent: US 7,350,343 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 56/10.8
• CPC Class Codes: A01B 69/001 Steering by means of optical assistance, e.g. television cameras steering devices for road marking vehicles E01C23/163
• CPC Class Codes: A01B 69/008 automatic
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 17/931 of land vehicles

Abstract

A system for automatically steering a utility vehicle having an operating implement. The system comprises a controller that is in communication with a scanning sensor. The controller receives an output signal from the scanning sensor and generates a steering signal that is directed to a steering controller for automatically steering the vehicle along a boundary of operation detected by the scanning sensor. The controller is supplied with information on which side of the operating implement the boundary of operation is located. The controller controls the scanning region of the scanning sensor as a function of this information.

Claims

1. A system for automatically steering a utility vehicle equipped with an operating implement, the system comprising:

a scanning sensor is mounted to the utility vehicle, the scanning sensor having a scanning region, the scanning sensor generating an output signal;

a controller in communication with the scanning sensor for receiving the output signal and generating a steering signal based on the output signal of the scanning sensor so as to automatically guide the vehicle along a boundary of operation detected by the scanning sensor;

a steering controller for steering the vehicle, the steering controller is in communication with the controller for receiving the steering signal;

the controller being supplied with information on which side of the operating implement the boundary of operation is located and in response to this information the controller controls the scanning region of the scanning sensor.

2. A system as defined by claim 1 wherein the controller further controls the scanning region of the scanning sensor as a function of the information and additional information indicating an expected location of the boundary of operation.

3. A system as defined by claim 2 wherein the controller has a memory that stores the expected location of the boundary of operation.

4. A system as defined by claim 2 wherein the scanning region of the scanning sensor is controlled in such a way that the scanning region is reduced about the boundary of operation.

5. A system as defined by claim 2 wherein the scanning region of the scanning sensor is controlled in such a way that the scanning region is enlarged about the boundary of operation.

6. A system as defined by claim 2 wherein the scanning region of the scanning sensor is controlled in such a way that the scanning region is shifted about the boundary of operation.

7. A system as defined by claim 6 wherein the scanning region of the scanning sensor is controlled in such a way that the scanning region is shifted symmetrically about the boundary of operation.

8. A system as defined by claim 6 wherein the scanning region of the scanning sensor is controlled in such a way that the scanning region is shifted asymmetrically about the boundary of operation.

9. A system as defined by claim 1 wherein the operating implement has sides and the controller limits the scanning region of the scanning sensor to a scanning region about one of the sides of the operating implement.

10. A system as defined by claim 1 wherein the utility vehicle has a velocity and the scanning region of the scanning sensor is established as a function of the velocity.

11. A system as defined by claim 10 wherein the scanning sensor makes a measurement of a point in the scanning region, at a point of time and a distance from the scanning sensor, the scanning sensor is controlled in such a way that the distance is a function of the velocity in order to obtain a nearly constant time delay between the point in time the measurement was taken and that of the utility vehicle reaching the point in the field.

12. A system as defined by claim 2 wherein the controller is manually supplied with information about to what side the boundary of operation is located relative to the operating implement.

13. A system as defined by claim 12 wherein the controller is manually supplied with information about the expected location of the boundary of operation.

14. A system as defined by claim 2 wherein the controller derives the information about what side of the boundary of operation is located relative to the operating implement from the output signal of the scanning sensor.

15. A system as defined by claim 14 wherein the controller derives the information about what the expected location of the boundary of operation from the output signal of the scanning sensor.

16. A system as defined by claim 2 wherein the controller derives the additional information about the expected location of the boundary of operation from data supplied by an operating implement memory located on the operating implement.

17. A system as defined by claim 16 wherein the operating implement has a width and the operating implement memory contains information about the width of the operating implement.

18. A system as defined by claim 2 wherein the controller derives the additional information about the expected location of the boundary of operation from data supplied by a position sensor.

19. A system as defined by claim 18 wherein the position sensor is a satellite signal receiver.

20. A system as defined by claim 18 wherein position sensor is a width of cut sensor.

21. A system as defined by claim 18 wherein the controller derives a previously traveled path by the utility vehicle from position signals of the position sensor that are stored in a memory, the controller derives the expected location of the boundary of operation from the previously traveled path.

27. A harvesting machine as defined by claim 16 wherein the position sensor is a satellite signal receiver.

22. A harvesting machine comprising:

a supporting structure having a front;

a harvesting assembly is mounted to the front of the supporting structure for harvesting crop material;

a scanning sensor is mounted to the supporting structure, the scanning sensor having a scanning region, the scanning sensor generating an output signal;

a controller in communication with the scanning sensor for receiving the output signal and generating a steering signal based on the output signal of the scanning sensor so as to automatically guide the harvesting machine along a crop edge detected by the scanning sensor;

a steering controller for steering the harvesting machine, the steering controller is in communication with the controller for receiving the steering signal;

the controller being supplied with information on which side of the harvesting assembly the crop edge is located and in response to this information the controller controls the scanning region of the scanning sensor.

23. A harvesting machine as defined by claim 22 wherein the controller further controls the scanning region of the scanning sensor as a function of the information and additional information indicating an expected location of the crop edge.

24. A harvesting machine as defined by claim 23 wherein the controller derives the additional information about the expected location of the boundary of operation from data supplied by an operating implement memory located on the harvesting assembly.

25. A harvesting machine as defined by claim 24 wherein the harvesting assembly has a width and the operating implement memory contains information about the width of the harvesting assembly.

26. A harvesting machine as defined by claim 23 wherein the controller derives the additional information about the expected location of the boundary of operation from data supplied by a position sensor.