Form line following guidance system

• US 6,463,374 B1
• Filed: 06/03/1999
• Issued: 10/08/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 04/28/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Trimble Navigation Limited (Trimble Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Trimble Navigation Limited (Trimble Inc.)
• Inventors: Price, Gregory R., Petrie, Robert W., Keller, Russell J.
• Primary Examiner(s): LOUIS JACQUES, JACQUES H
• Application Number:
  US09/326,801
• Time in Patent Office: 1,223 Days
• Field of Search: 701/50, 701/213, 701/214, 701/200, 701/207, 701/208, 342/357.08, 342/357.11, 342/357.17, 342/64, 342/46, 342/126, 342/357.06, 239/1, 239/11, 239/155, 239/67, 239/170, 172/4, 172/4.5, 700/2, 700/9, 56/102.A, 56/102.F, 56D/IG.5, 56D/IG.10, 56D/IG.15, 111/915, 111/200
• US Class Current: 701/50
• 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: G05D 1/0219 ensuring the processing of the whole working surface
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0278 using satellite positioning signals, e.g. GPS

Abstract

A first form line is defined using two or more terrestrial locations. The first form line may be predefined or may be defined by user during a spraying operation. A second form line is then computed using positioning data obtained while following the first form line and a swathing offset corresponding to the width of a spray pattern. The second form line is updated according to one or more deviations from the computed path. The deviations may correspond to operator inputted corrections which allow for obstacle avoidance, etc. The updating generally occurs by following the second form line as defined by the positioning data and the swathing offset and then deviating from the second form line to accommodate one or more terrain features. New GPS data is collected during these steps of following and deviating from the second form line and new positions are computed from the new GPS data. Finally, the updated second form line is defined using the new positions computed from the new GPS data. A further form line may then be defined using the updated second form line information and the swathing offset. A form line following apparatus may include a vehicle fitted with a GPS receiver configured to-receive GPS data and GPS correction information and to compute form line following information therefrom. The form line following apparatus may also include a display device configured to receive and display the, form line following information.

Claims

1. A method, comprising computing, during a spraying operation, an effective horizontal swath width of a sprayer rig using position and three-dimensional terrain shape information derived from or computed by a Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the position information is obtained during successive form line following operations.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the sprayer rig is equipped with more than one GPS antenna for the GPS receiver.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the effective horizontal swath width is computed so as to account for maneuvering of the spraying rig around one or more obstacles.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising operating spray nozzles of the sprayer rig according to the position information.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein the spray nozzles are operated so as to account for maneuvering of the sprayer rig around one or more obstacles.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein the spray nozzles are further operated so as to account for variations in the elevation of the terrain over which the sprayer rig is traveling.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein the sprayer rig is operated so as to follow form lines computed according to the position information.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein the form lines are computed so as to account for the maneuvering of the sprayer rig.