Heads-up display apparatus for computer-controlled agricultural product application equipment
First Claim
1. An apparatus for displaying information to an operator of a vehicle used for distributing a product onto a field as said vehicle traverses said field, the distribution of said product being controlled at least in part in response to information contained in a map corresponding to regions of said field to receive varying densities of said product, said field defining a real-world terrain having features, said operator having a field of view encompassing at least a portion of said real-world terrain which changes over time as said vehicle traverses said field, said vehicle including at least one surface through which said operator views said portion of said real-world terrain, said apparatus comprising:
- a memory, said memory storing at least a portion of the map;
a navigational locator, said navigational locator determining a position for the vehicle in the field at a given time relative to the map;
a processor, said processor converting information corresponding to said portion of the map into an image to be overlaid onto the field of view of the operator at said position in the field at the given time; and
a heads-up display device, said heads-up display device projecting said image of said information onto the surface through which the operator views the portion of the real-world terrain such that said information is visible within the field of view of the operator overlaid onto the real-world terrain encompassed by the field of view of the operator,whereby the operator simultaneously views the real-world terrain and the information and selectively compares the information being projected with the features of the real-world terrain of the field.
2 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A heads-up display (HUD) for a self-propelled agricultural vehicle or implement--particularly for applying a product to a field using a computer-controlled agronomic application system encompassing one or more application maps or animated map display systems--the heads-up display having a projection system relying upon selective refraction at the surface of the vehicle windshield (or a reflection-enhancing coating or screen applied to or used in lieu of projecting the animated map image directly on the windshield surface).
150 Citations
41 Claims
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1. An apparatus for displaying information to an operator of a vehicle used for distributing a product onto a field as said vehicle traverses said field, the distribution of said product being controlled at least in part in response to information contained in a map corresponding to regions of said field to receive varying densities of said product, said field defining a real-world terrain having features, said operator having a field of view encompassing at least a portion of said real-world terrain which changes over time as said vehicle traverses said field, said vehicle including at least one surface through which said operator views said portion of said real-world terrain, said apparatus comprising:
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a memory, said memory storing at least a portion of the map; a navigational locator, said navigational locator determining a position for the vehicle in the field at a given time relative to the map; a processor, said processor converting information corresponding to said portion of the map into an image to be overlaid onto the field of view of the operator at said position in the field at the given time; and a heads-up display device, said heads-up display device projecting said image of said information onto the surface through which the operator views the portion of the real-world terrain such that said information is visible within the field of view of the operator overlaid onto the real-world terrain encompassed by the field of view of the operator, whereby the operator simultaneously views the real-world terrain and the information and selectively compares the information being projected with the features of the real-world terrain of the field. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
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10. In a system for distributing a product onto a field using a vehicle driven by an operator, the distribution of said product being controlled at least in part by a map corresponding to regions of said field to receive varying densities of said product, said map being maintained in a processor and containing information relating to an agronomic plan, said field defining a real-world terrain having features, said operator having a field of view encompassing at least a portion of said real-world terrain which changes over time as said vehicle traverses said field, the improvement comprising:
projecting at least a portion of the map within the field of view of the operator such that said portion of the map is overlaid onto the real-world terrain encompassed by the field of view of the operator, such that the operator may simultaneously view the real-world terrain and the map and selectively compare the information contained in the map being projected with the features of the real-world terrain of the field. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41)
Specification