Proximity detector for ground-based implements
First Claim
1. For use on a ground-riding agricultural equipment having a working implement extending remotely from an operator of the equipment, a system for detecting a proximity of said implement to an optical marking on the ground, the system comprisinga photo-electric sensor means for generating a signal indicative of a presence of said marking in a field of view of said sensor means, said sensor means comprising an optical filter for enhancing a spectral radiation emitted by said optical marking relative to a radiation emitted by soil and vegetation surrounding said marking, said sensor means disposed on said implement remotely from the operator and proximate to the marking,a display disposed for viewing by the operator, the display enabling the determination of the proximity of the equipment to the marking based on the signal, anda means for transmitting the signal to the display.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A proximity detecting system for use with an agricultural equipment or implement such as a crop sprayer, for determining the position of the implement, e.g. the end of a spraying boom relative to the edge of the previously cultivated or sprayed area. The system has an electronic imaging device, e.g. a CCD array, mounted at the end of the implement or sprayer, which shows the location of a marker placed at the edge of a previously cultivated or processed swath. The position of the marker is shown on a visual display located in the operator'"'"'s cab. A deviation of the marker from a predetermined position on the display alerts the operator of an overlap with, or miss, of the boundary of the previously processed swath.
42 Citations
7 Claims
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1. For use on a ground-riding agricultural equipment having a working implement extending remotely from an operator of the equipment, a system for detecting a proximity of said implement to an optical marking on the ground, the system comprising
a photo-electric sensor means for generating a signal indicative of a presence of said marking in a field of view of said sensor means, said sensor means comprising an optical filter for enhancing a spectral radiation emitted by said optical marking relative to a radiation emitted by soil and vegetation surrounding said marking, said sensor means disposed on said implement remotely from the operator and proximate to the marking, a display disposed for viewing by the operator, the display enabling the determination of the proximity of the equipment to the marking based on the signal, and a means for transmitting the signal to the display.
Specification