Agricultural implement steering guidance system and method

• US 4,555,725 A
• Filed: 08/24/1983
• Issued: 11/26/1985
• Est. Priority Date: 08/24/1983
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Deutz-Allis Corporation
• Original Assignee: Deutz-Allis Corporation
• Inventors: Murray, David L., Geiersbach, Allois F.
• Primary Examiner(s): Britton, Howard W.
• Application Number:
  US06/526,080
• Time in Patent Office: 825 Days
• Field of Search: 358/93, 358/103, 358/107, 358/108
• US Class Current: 348/120
• 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: G05D 1/0234 using optical markers or beacons optical beacons per se G01S1/70
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0246 using a video camera in combination with image processing means

Abstract

A video guidance system for visually displaying a row mark traced on the surface of a field during a previous traverse to the operator of a farm tractor pulling a planter has left and right row markers depending respectively from opposite outer sides of the planter for tracing row marks on the field; a video monitor on the tractor in the field of view of the operator; left and right video cameras mounted on the planter adjacent the outer edges thereof with the optical axis of each camera directed forwardly and inclined at a slight angle to the horizontal so that it images a substantial length of a row mark traced on a previous swath; and switch means for selectively connecting the video monitor to the left or to the right video cameras, whereby each scanning line of the video monitor raster creates a different spot on the image of the substantial length of the sensed row mark and such spots on successive scanning lines of the monitor raster are images of points spaced apart in said sensed row mark so the spots on the multiplicity of scanning lines forms an elongated steering vector which indicates to the tractor operator the direction the tractor is to be steered in order to maintain constant and consistent spacing between rows sown during successive swaths.

Claims

1. A method of visually displaying an elongated indicating marking on the surface of a field to an operator at an operator'"'"'s station on a mobile farm implement to indicate the path to be steered in order for the implement to traverse the desired swath, comprising the steps of imaging a substantial length of said sensed indicating marking forwardly of said operator'"'"'s station and implement on a video camera at a slight angle to the horizontal from a position adjacent an outer extremity of said implement whereby the image includes the horizon and displaying the image of said substantial length of said indicating marking viewed by said camera along a substantial height of the raster of a video monitor in the field of view of the operator, whereby each scanning line of the video monitor raster below the horizon creates a spot representing a different point on said substantial length of said sensed indicating marking and the multiplicity of points created by said raster scanning lines forms a steering vector extending to the horizon indicating the direction the implement should be steered in order to traverse the desired swath and maintain constant spacing between successive swaths.

2. A method of visually displaying an elongated indicating marking appearing on the surface of a field on a video monitor in the view of an operator at the operator'"'"'s station on a mobile farm implement to indicate the path for the implement to be steered in order to traverse the desired swaths and maintain constant spacing between successive swaths, comprising the steps of mounting a video camera on said implement adjacent an outer edge thereof so that its optical axis is directed forward of the implement at a slight angle to the horizontal and said camera images the horizon and a substantal length of said sensed indicating marking, and displaying the image viewed by said video camera along a substantial height of the raster of a video monitor in the field of view of the implement operator, whereby each scanning line of the video raster on said monitor below said horizon creates a different point on said image of said substantial length of said indicating marking which is visible to said operator and the multiplicity of said points on said raster scanning lines forms an elongated steering vector extending to the horizon which indicates to the operator where the implement is currently situated relative to said indicating marking and also the direction the implement is to be steered in order to traverse the desired swath.

3. A video guidance system for visually displaying to an operator at the operator'"'"'s station of a moble farm implement a row mark traced on the surface of the field during a previous traverse of the mobile farm implement comprising:

left and right row marker means adjacent the outer extremities respectively of said implement for tracing row marks on the surface of said field in a direction parallel to the path of said vehicle, a video monitor in the field of view of said implement operator, left and right video cameras mounted on said implement adjacent said outer extremities respectively with the optical axis of each said camera directed forwardly and inclined at a slight angle to the horizontal so that it images the horizon and a substantial length of a row mark in front of said implement traced during a previous traverse of the field, and switch means for selectively connecting said video monitor to said left or to said right video camera, whereby each scanning line of the video raster below said horizon on said monitor creates a different spot on said image of said substantial length of said sensed row mark on said monitor which is visible to said operator and the multiplicity of said spots created by said raster scanning lines forms an elongated steering vector extending to the horizon which indicates to said operator the direction said implement is to be steered in order to traverse the desired swath with constant and consistent spacing between rows sown during successive swaths.

4. In the system of claim 3 wherein said implement comprises a tractor which pulls a planter having a plurality of spaced apart seed planting mechanisms, said row marker means and said video cameras are mounted on said planter, and said video monitor is mounted on said tractor.

5. In the system of claim 4 wherein said seed planting mechanisms are spaced apart by a distance which creates a spacing x between adjacent sown seed rows in said field and said left and right row marker means are mounted on said planter so as to create row marks outward by a distance x/2 from the outboard left and right said sown seed crop rows, respectively.

6. A guidance system for visually displaying to an operator of a mobile farm implement an elongated indicating marking on the surface of a field in the form of a steering vector on a video monitor which displays the image viewed by a video camera mounted on said implement comprising:

means mounting said video camera adjacent an outer edge of said implement with its optical axis directed forwardly and inclined at a slight angle to the horizontal so that it views the horizon and a substantial length of said indicating marking forward of said implement, whereby each scanning line of the raster below said horizon on said video monitor creates a different spot of the image of said substantial length of said indicating marking on said monitor and the multiplicity of said spots created by said scanning lines along a substantial height of said raster and up to said horizon forms a steering vector which indicates to said operator both the current position of said implement relative to said indicating marking and the direction said implement is to be steered for said implement to traverse the desired swath in order to maintain constant spacing between swaths of successive traverses of said field.

7. A method of operating a tractor having an operator'"'"'s station and pulling a planter which sows seeds in a field in a plurality of parallel rows so as to traverse the field in successive swaths with said rows of successive swaths constantly and consistently spaced apart, the steps of tracing a row mark adjacent a first outer extremity of said planter each time it traverses said field from one end to the other, imaging during each traverse forwardly of said planter the horizon and a substantial length of a row mark traced during a previously traverse on a first video camera mounted adjacent the opposite outer extremity of said planter, and displaying the image of said substantial length of said row mark along a substantial height of the raster of a video monitor in the view of the tractor operator at the operator'"'"'s station so that each scanning line of the monitor raster creates a different spot of the image of said substantial length of said row mark and the multiplicity of said spots forms a steering vector extending substantially to the horizon which indicates to said operator the direction said tractor is to be steered in order to traverse the desired swath.

8. In the method of claim 7 and including the steps of reversing the direction of said tractor pulling said planter 180°

after each traverse of said field and again traversing said field while tracing a row mark adjacent said opposite outer extremity of said planter in unworked soil and imaging forwardly of said planter a substantial length of the row mark traced during said previous traverse on a second camera mounted adjacent said first outer extremity of said planter and displaying said image viewed by said second camera along a substantial height of the raster of said video monitor.