SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR USING GEO-FENCED GUIDANCE LINES

• US 20170090479A1
• Filed: 09/30/2015
• Published: 03/30/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Deere & Company
• Original Assignee: Deere & Company
• Inventors: Wilcox, Timothy A., Pickett, Terence D.
• Granted Patent: US 10,386,844 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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: G01C 21/3461 Preferred or disfavoured areas, e.g. dangerous zones, toll or emission zones, intersections, manoeuvre types, segments such as motorways, toll roads, ferries
• 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 1/0274 using mapping information stored in a memory device navigation using map-matching G01C21/30
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/021 Services related to particular areas, e.g. point of interest [POI] services, venue services or geofences
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/024 Guidance services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/46 for vehicle-to-vehicle communication [V2V]

Abstract

Systems and methods for planning a path of a vehicle are provided. One system comprises a location-determining receiver for determining location data representing a current vehicle location and a guidance module for identifying at least one geospatial region encompassing the current vehicle location based on geographical information retrieved from a guidance database. The guidance module is capable of generating a list of potential guidance lines based on the at least one geospatial region, each geospatial region being associated with at least one guidance line, each of the potential guidance lines on the list ranked based on one or more guidance criteria retrieved from the guidance database. The system further includes a user interface for displaying the guidance lines on the list to an operator of the vehicle for selection of a selected one of the potential guidance lines for controlling the path of the vehicle.

Claims

1. A system for planning a path of a vehicle, the system comprising:

a location-determining receiver for determining location data representing a current vehicle location,

a guidance module for identifying at least one geospatial region encompassing the current vehicle location based on geographical information retrieved from a guidance database,

the guidance module capable of generating a list of potential guidance lines based on the at least one geospatial region, each geospatial region being associated with at least one guidance line, each of the potential guidance lines on the list ranked based on one or more guidance criteria retrieved from the guidance database, and

a user interface for displaying the guidance lines on the list to an operator of the vehicle for selection of a selected one of the potential guidance lines for controlling the path of the vehicle;

a data storage device for storing the guidance module and the guidance database; and

a data processor in communication with the data storage device for execution of the guidance module.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more guidance criteria include at least one of a prior usage of the guidance line, a proximity of the guidance line to the current vehicle location, an approach angle to the guidance line from the current vehicle location, and a position of the guidance line in a predefined sequence.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the guidance module is further for automatically selecting a first ranked potential guidance line as the selected one of the potential guidance lines.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the user interface is further for receiving a user input selecting one of the potential guidance lines as the selected one of the potential guidance lines.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein displaying the potential guidance lines includes graphically displaying the at least one geospatial region and the potential guidance lines on a map.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein displaying the potential guidance lines includes displaying a list of names corresponding to the potential guidance lines.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the geographical information includes line segment definitions for defining a plurality of guidance lines and boundary box definitions for defining a plurality of geospatial regions, each boundary box definition including at least one of the plurality of guidance lines.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein at least two of the geospatial regions overlap.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the guidance module is further for providing the selected one of the potential guidance lines to a vehicle controller for controlling the path of the vehicle.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the vehicle controller controls a vehicle steering system based on the identified guidance line.

11. The system of claim 10, further comprising the vehicle controller and the vehicle steering system.

12. A method for planning a path of a vehicle, comprising:

determining, using a location-determining receiver, location data representing a current vehicle location;

identifying, using a processor, at least one geospatial region encompassing the current vehicle location based on geographical information retrieved from a guidance database;

generating, using the processor, a list of potential guidance lines based on the at least one geospatial region, each geospatial region being associated with at least one guidance line, each of the potential guidance lines on the list ranked based on one or more guidance criteria retrieved from the guidance database; and

displaying, via a user interface, the guidance lines on the list to an operator of the vehicle for selection of a selected one of the potential guidance lines for controlling the path of the vehicle.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the one or more guidance criteria include at least one of a prior usage of the guidance line, a proximity of the guidance line to the current vehicle location, an approach angle to the guidance line from the current vehicle location, and a position of the guidance line in a predefined sequence.

14. The method of claim 12, further comprising automatically selecting, using the processor, a first ranked potential guidance line as the selected one of the potential guidance lines.

15. The method of claim 12, further comprising receiving, via the user interface, a user input selecting one of the potential guidance lines as the selected one the potential guidance lines.

16. The method of claim 12, wherein displaying the potential guidance lines includes graphically displaying the at least one geospatial region and the potential guidance lines on a map.

17. The method of claim 12, wherein displaying the potential guidance lines includes displaying a list of names corresponding to the potential guidance lines.

18. The method of claim 12, wherein the geographical information includes line segment definitions for defining a plurality of guidance lines and boundary box definitions for defining a plurality of geospatial regions, each boundary box definition including at least one of the plurality of guidance lines.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein at least two of the geospatial regions overlap.

20. The method of claim 12, further comprising providing, using the processor, the selected one of the potential guidance lines to a vehicle controller for controlling the path of the vehicle.