Guiding vehicle in adjacent swaths across terrain via satellite navigation and tilt measurement

• US 6,703,973 B1
• Filed: 10/05/2002
• Issued: 03/09/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 08/19/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Trimble Navigation Limited (Trimble Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Trimble Navigation Limited (Trimble Inc.)
• Inventors: Nichols, Mark Edward
• Primary Examiner(s): Blum, Theodore M.
• Application Number:
  US10/265,534
• Time in Patent Office: 521 Days
• Field of Search: 342/357.17
• US Class Current: 342/357.36
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/14 specially adapted for specific applications
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/39 the satellite radio beacon positioning system transmitting time-stamped messages, e.g. GPS [Global Positioning System], GLONASS [Global Orbiting Navigation Satellite System] or GALILEO
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/40 Correcting position, velocity or attitude
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/41 Differential correction, e.g. DGPS [differential GPS]
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/43 using carrier phase measurements, e.g. kinematic positioning; using long or short baseline interferometry
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/47 the supplementary measurement being an inertial measurement, e.g. tightly coupled inertial
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/49 whereby the further system is an inertial position system, e.g. loosely-coupled
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0202 specially adapted to aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0278 using satellite positioning signals, e.g. GPS
• CPC Class Codes: Y02A 40/10 in agriculture

Abstract

A method of guiding a vehicle in adjacent swaths across terrain that may slope comprising the steps of: (1) determining the tilt of the vehicle with respect to Earth due to a slope of the terrain; (2) determining the position with respect to Earth of a predetermined location that is fixed relative to the vehicle; and (3) using the tilt and position determinations to provide information for guiding the vehicle to prevent gaps and overlaps between adjacent swaths as the slope changes.

Claims

1. A method of real time guiding a vehicle in adjacent swaths across terrain that may slope by using an optimum trajectory, said method comprising the steps of:

(A) determining in real GPS time the position with respect to Earth of a predetermined location that is fixed relative to the vehicle;

(B) synchronizing said position measurements performed in said step (A) with a GPS clock;

(C) determining the tilt of the vehicle with respect to Earth due to a slope of the terrain;

(D) synchronizing said tilt measurements performed in said step (C) with said GPS clock; and

(E) using the tilt and position determinations to provide information in real time synchronized with said GPS clock for guiding the vehicle by using said optimum trajectory to prevent gaps and overlaps between adjacent swaths as the slope changes.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said step (A) of determining in real GPS time the position with respect to Earth of said predetermined location further comprises:

using the tilt and position determinations.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said predetermined location is at ground level.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the vehicle includes a portion that is displaced from the predetermined locations and whose position with respect to the vehicle is known, and wherein the step (A) of determining in real GPS time the position with respect to Earth of the predetermined location further comprises the steps of:

determining in real GPS time the position of the displaced portion with respect to Earth.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the position is measured with respect to x and y coordinates axes that are horizontal and a z coordinate axis that is vertical.