Vehicle guidance software, method and system

• US 20050171684A1
• Filed: 08/29/2002
• Published: 08/04/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 08/29/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Agjunction LLC (Kubota Corporation)
• Original Assignee: BEELINE Technologies, Inc. (Kubota Corporation)
• Inventors: Turner, Paul
• Granted Patent: US 7,277,792 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/200
• CPC Class Codes: A01B 69/008 automatic
• 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 1/0219 ensuring the processing of the whole working surface
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0278 using satellite positioning signals, e.g. GPS

Abstract

The present invention relates to vehicle guidance software for use with an agricultural vehicle having a guidance system. The software includes a processing portion (24) for generating a set of guidance indicators from a set of waypoints. The software further includes an adapting portion (26) for analysing the guidance indicators produced by the processing portion (24) and determining whether the guidance indicators define a path that cannot be traversed by the vehicle due to its minimum turning radius. In the event that a path cannot be traversed by the vehicle the adaptive portion (26) generates a set of alternative guidance indicators that define a path that is traversable by the vehicle.

Claims

1. Vehicle guidance software including:

an input portion for data corresponding to a set of waypoints defining an initial course for said vehicle;

a processing portion adapted to produce guidance indicators usable by a guidance system for said vehicle from the set of waypoints; and

an adaptive portion for generating alternative guidance indicators if one or more of the guidance indicators define a path that can not be traversed by the vehicle due to its minimum turning radius.

2. Vehicle guidance software according to claim 1 including means for determining said set of waypoints associated with said vehicle.

3. Vehicle guidance software according to claim 2 wherein the means for determining the set of waypoints is a GPS receiver.

4. Vehicle guidance software according to claim 2 wherein the means for determining the set of waypoints is via retrieval from a data storage medium.

5. Vehicle guidance software according to any one of claim 1 including means for determining a successive set of waypoints from a current set of waypoints to define a successive path for said vehicle.

6. Vehicle guidance software according to claim 5 wherein said successive set of waypoints comprises a corresponding waypoint for each waypoint in the current set, each said corresponding waypoint being calculated to be offset from a current waypoint by the working width of the vehicle and wherein the tangent to the path at each corresponding waypoint is parallel to the tangent at its current waypoint.

7. Vehicle guidance software according to claim 5, wherein said successive set of waypoints is calculated from the mathematical path defined by said guidance indicators and alternative guidance indicators, each of said successive set of waypoints being calculated to be offset from the mathematical path by the working width of the vehicle and wherein the tangent to the path at each of said successive set of waypoints is parallel to the tangent of the mathematical path at the point perpendicular to each successive waypoint.

8. Vehicle guidance software according to any one of claim 1 the guidance indicators are produced from the set of waypoints via a computer assisted interpolation between the waypoints.

9. Vehicle guidance software according to claim 8 wherein the interpolation is according to a bi-variate periodic bi-cubic B-spline fitting algorithm.

10. Vehicle guidance software according to any one of claim 1 wherein the alternative guidance indicators are on an arc of a circle having a radial length equal to the minimum turning radius, said circle contacting the path defined by the current guidance indicators at more than one point.

11. A computer implemented method for guiding a vehicle having a guidance system associated therewith and a minimum turning radius said method including the steps of:

generating guidance indicators from a plurality of waypoints;

determining whether one or more of the generated guidance indicators define a path that can not be traversed by the vehicle due to its minimum turning radius and if necessary, determining one or more alternative guidance indicators; and

utilizing the guidance indicators, and alternative guidance indicators in the guidance system to guide the vehicle.

12. A guidance system for a land vehicle having a minimum turning radius, said system comprising:

a processor;

a computer program, executable by said processor for generating a plurality of guidance indicators from a set of waypoints and for determining alternative guidance indicators if the generated guidance indicators define a path that can not be traversed due to the minimum turning radius; and

means for utilizing the generated guidance indicators and the alternative guidance indicators to guide the land vehicle.