GNSS GUIDANCE AND MACHINE CONTROL

• US 20120174445A1
• Filed: 03/21/2012
• Published: 07/12/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 03/20/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Agjunction LLC (Kubota Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Agjunction LLC (Kubota Corporation)
• Inventors: McClure, John A., Feller, Walter J., Whitehead, Michael L., Jones, Keith R., Roberge, Andrè C.
• Granted Patent: US 8,639,416 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 37/197
• CPC Class Codes: A01B 69/004 automatic
• CPC Class Codes: A01B 69/007 Steering or guiding of agricultural vehicles, e.g. steering of the tractor to keep the plough in the furrow
• CPC Class Codes: A01B 79/005 Precision agriculture
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/04 providing carrier phase data
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/14 specially adapted for specific applications
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/41 Differential correction, e.g. DGPS [differential GPS]
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/44 Carrier phase ambiguity resolution; Floating ambiguity; LAMBDA [Least-squares AMBiguity Decorrelation Adjustment] method
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/53 Determining attitude
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/55 Carrier phase ambiguity resolution; Floating ambiguity; LAMBDA [Least-squares AMBiguity Decorrelation Adjustment] method
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/027 comprising intertial navigation means, e.g. azimuth detector inertial navigation G01C21/16; inertial navigation combined with non-inertial navigation instruments G01C21/165
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0274 using mapping information stored in a memory device navigation using map-matching G01C21/30
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0278 using satellite positioning signals, e.g. GPS

Abstract

A global navigation satellite sensor system (GNSS) and gyroscope control system for vehicle steering control comprising a GNSS receiver and antennas at a fixed spacing to determine a vehicle position, velocity and at least one of a heading angle, a pitch angle and a roll angle based on carrier phase position differences. The roll angle facilitates correction of the lateral motion induced position errors resultant from motion of the antennae as the vehicle moves based on an offset to ground and the roll angle. Alternative aspects include multiple-antenna GNSS guidance methods for high-dynamic roll compensation, real-time kinematic (RTK) using single-frequency (L1) receivers, fixed and moving baselines between antennas, multi-position GNSS tail guidance (“breadcrumb following”) for crosstrack error correction, guiding multiple vehicles and pieces of equipment relative to each other, and snow grooming equipment and method applications.

Claims

1. A GNSS guidance and control method for snow grooming, which method comprises the steps of:

providing a snow grooming plan including design elevations for a finished snow surface;

providing a vehicle equipped with snow grooming equipment;

equipping the vehicle with a GNSS system including multiple GNSS antennas, a GNSS receiver connected to the antennas and a programmable controller connected to the GNSS receiver;

programming the controller to compute GNSS-defined positions of said antennas using GNSS ranging information;

determining with the GNSS-defined antenna positions vehicle position and attitude in three dimensions (3-D);

providing a sensor connected to the snow grooming equipment;

outputting from said sensor a signal corresponding to a condition of said snow grooming equipment; and

guiding said vehicle and the snow grooming equipment with the controller based on said vehicle position and attitude, said snow grooming equipment condition and said grading plan.

2. The method according to claim 1, which includes the additional steps of:

preprogramming said controller with GNSS-defined snow grooming information;

comparing with said controller said snow grooming information and said snow grooming equipment condition; and

guiding said vehicle and operating said snow grooming equipment based on said comparison.

3. The method according to claim 2 wherein said snow grooming information includes:

underlying grade elevations;

existing snow base elevations; and

groomed snow surface elevations.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein said controller is programmed to interpolate or extrapolate said elevation data.

5. The method according to claim 4 wherein said interpolation/extrapolation step includes performing an algorithm using approximation based on scaling (ABOS).

6. The method according to claim 5 wherein said ABOS algorithm includes utilizing the elevations of adjacent surface points for interpolating/extrapolating an unknown point elevation.

7. The method according to claim 1, which includes the additional steps of:

providing said equipment with a ground-penetrating radar subsystem; and

determining snow depths using said radar subsystem.

8. The method according to claim 1, which includes the additional steps of:

providing a base including a base GNSS receiver and a base GNSS transmitter;

using said base for providing differential corrections to said vehicle-mounted GNSS subsystem; and

using real-time kinematic (RTK) corrections for said vehicle.

9. The method according to claim 1, which includes the additional steps of:

providing a back-office information processing subsystem including an input, an output and a computer connected to said input and output;

transmitting job information from said vehicle GNSS system to said back-office computer input via a data link;

processing said transmitted job information with said back-office computer; and

transmitting updated job information from said back-office computer output to said vehicle GNSS system.

10. The method according to claim 9 wherein said data link includes an Internet connection via the cloud.

11. The method according to claim 9 wherein said data link includes one or more of Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and Android equipment.

12. The method according to claim 9, which includes the additional steps of:

providing a fleet of said vehicles equipped with GNSS control subsystems;

communicating said back-office subsystem wirelessly with said fleet of said vehicles; and

said back-office subsystem coordinating the operation of said vehicle fleet on said project.

13. The method according to claim 12, which includes the additional steps of:

providing a coordinated snow grooming plan with respective routing and snow grooming equipment control instructions for multiple vehicles in said fleet;

loading said snow grooming plan on said back-office computer; and

transmitting vehicle-specific routing and control instructions to respective vehicles in said fleet.

14. The method according to claim 2, which includes the additional steps of:

providing said vehicle with a hydraulic system including multiple piston-and-cylinder units;

connecting said snow grooming equipment to said vehicle through said hydraulic piston-and-cylinder units;

positioning said snow grooming equipment with said hydraulic system; and

controlling said hydraulic system with said controller.

15. The method according to claim 1, which includes the additional steps of:

providing a draw line anchor on a sloping surface;

providing said vehicle with a winch; and

pulling said vehicle up said sloping surface with said winch.

16. The method according to claim 1, which includes the additional steps of:

providing an equipment control subsystem including;

a vehicle sensor suite including one or more of the group comprising;

a steering angle sensor;

a ground speed sensor;

a camera directed towards a snow grooming surface;

an inertial measurement unit; and

snow grooming condition sensors;

connecting said vehicle sensor suite to said controller; and

providing a steering controller connected to a steering system of said vehicle and said controller.

17. The method according to claim 1, which includes the additional steps of:

providing said snow grooming equipment with a snow plow;

connecting said snowplow to said vehicle by a pair of piston-and-cylinder units;

mounting a pair of GNSS antennas on said snowplow; and

monitoring a position and attitude of said snowplow relative to said vehicle with said GNSS system;

positioning said snowplow and said vehicle relative to each other and to said terrain based on said GNSS position and attitude solutions and said terrain map.

18. The method according to claim 1, which includes the additional steps of:

establishing said grading plan by creating a terrain map;

including existing and finished snow surface elevations in said grading plan; and

designating areas needing snow removal or fill based on said grading plan.

19. The method according to claim 1, which includes the additional step of:

defining said design elevation in relative coordinates based on a benchmark reference point placed on the site at a known position.

20. The method according to claim 4, which includes the additional steps of:

providing a benchmark reference point at a known 3-D point; and

converting said relative coordinates to absolute coordinates using an absolute position of said benchmark reference point.

21. The method according to claim 1, which includes the additional steps of:

providing inertial gyro and accelerometer movement sensors on said equipment;

providing output corresponding to movement of said equipment from said movement sensors;

inputting said movement sensor output to said controller; and

controlling said equipment in response to output from said movement sensors.

22. A GNSS-based machine guidance and control method, which method comprises the steps of:

providing a snow grooming plan including design elevations defining a finished snow surface;

providing a vehicle equipped with snow grooming equipment;

equipping the vehicle with a GNSS system including multiple GNSS antennas, a GNSS receiver connected to the antennas and a programmable controller connected to the GNSS receiver;

programming the controller to compute GNSS-defined positions of said antennas using GNSS ranging information;

determining with the GNSS-defined antenna positions vehicle position and attitude in three dimensions (3-D);

providing a sensor connected to the snow grooming equipment;

outputting from said sensor a signal corresponding to a condition of said snow grooming equipment; and

guiding said vehicle and the snow grooming equipment with the controller based on said vehicle position and attitude, said snow grooming equipment condition and said grading plan;

programming the controller with GNSS-defined snow grooming information including underlying grade elevations, existing snow base elevations and groomed snow surface elevations;

interpolating or extrapolating said snow grooming elevation information with said controller utilizing the elevations of adjacent surface points for estimating the elevations of additional snow surface points;

providing a base including a base GNSS receiver and a base GNSS transmitter;

using said base for providing differential corrections to said vehicle-mounted GNSS subsystem; and

comparing with said controller said snow grooming information and said snow grooming equipment condition; and

guiding said vehicle and operating said snow grooming equipment based on said comparison using a real-time kinematic (RTK) procedure.

23. A GNSS guidance method for a vehicle, which method comprises the steps of:

determining a route for the vehicle;

equipping the vehicle with a GNSS system including multiple GNSS antennas, a GNSS receiver connected to the antennas and a programmable controller connected to the GNSS receiver;

programming the controller to compute GNSS-defined positions of said antennas using GNSS ranging information;

determining with the GNSS-defined antenna positions vehicle position and attitude in three dimensions (3-D);

guiding said vehicle with the controller based on said vehicle position and attitude; and

saving in said computer a series of GNSS-defined positions trailing said vehicle along said route.

24. The GNSS guidance method according to claim 23, which includes the additional steps of:

providing multiple vehicles;

equipping each said vehicle with a respective said GNSS system;

determining routes for multiple vehicles simultaneously traveling a respective road with adequate clearances between said vehicles along said road;

guiding multiple vehicles each traveling a respective said route; and

saving in said computer a series of GNSS-defined positions trailing each said vehicle along a respective route.

25. A system for GNSS guidance and control for snow grooming, which system comprises:

a snow vehicle;

snow grooming equipment movably mounted on said vehicle and adapted for a snow grooming operation;

a GNSS system including multiple GNSS antennas mounted on said vehicle and on said equipment, a GNSS receiver connected to the antennas and a programmable controller connected to the GNSS receiver;

the controller being programmable to locate said antennas using GNSS;

a sensor connected to the snow grooming equipment and adapted for sensing a condition of said equipment and providing an output corresponding to said equipment condition;

said controller adapted for receiving said equipment condition sensor output as input and adjusting said equipment operating condition in response to said equipment condition input; and

said controller being adapted to receive information corresponding to underlying grade elevations, snow base depths and finished snow surface elevations.

26. The system according to claim 25, which includes:

said controller being programmed to interpolate or extrapolates elevation data by performing an algorithm using approximation based on scaling (ABOS).

27. The system according to claim 26 wherein said ABOS algorithm uses elevations of adjacent surface points for interpolating/extrapolating an unknown point elevation.

28. The system according to claim 25, which includes a ground-penetrating radar subsystem on said vehicle and adapted for determining snow depths.

29. The system according to claim 25, which includes:

a base including a base GNSS receiver and a base GNSS transmitter;

said base providing differential corrections to said vehicle-mounted GNSS system for determining vehicle location and attitude; and

said system including a real-time kinematic (RTK) correction function.

30. The system according to claim 25, which includes:

a back-office information processing subsystem including an input, an output and a computer connected to said input and output;

said back-office information processing subsystem being wirelessly connected to said vehicle GNSS system via a data link;

said data link being adapted for transmitting job information from said back-office computer output to said vehicle GNSS system;

a fleet of said vehicles;

said back-office subsystem being adapted for coordinating the operation of said vehicle fleet.

31. The system according to claim 25, which includes:

a hydraulic system including multiple piston-and-cylinder units connected to said snow grooming equipment;

said controller being connected to and adapted for controlling said snow grooming equipment via said hydraulic system; and

a vehicle sensor suite connected to said controller and including one or more of the group comprising;

a steering angle sensor;

a ground speed sensor;

a camera;

an inertial measurement unit; and

snow grooming condition sensors; and

a steering controller connected to a steering system of said vehicle and said controller.

32. The system according to claim 25, which includes:

a draw line subsystem including an anchor adapted for mounting in a fixed position;

a winch mounted on said vehicle; and

a cable connecting said anchor to said winch.