Method and system for efficiently traversing an area with a work vehicle

• US 6,907,336 B2
• Filed: 05/27/2003
• Issued: 06/14/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Deere & Company
• Original Assignee: Deere & Company
• Inventors: Hansen, Shane Lynn, Gray, Sarah Ann, Flann, Nicholas Simon
• Primary Examiner(s): Black, Thomas G.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Gibson, Eric M.
• Application Number:
  US10/445,549
• Publication Number:
  US 20040193348A1
• Time in Patent Office: 749 Days
• Field of Search: 701/23, 701/25, 701/26, 701/50, 701/202, 701/209, 56/102.A, 172/2
• US Class Current: 701/50
• CPC Class Codes: A01B 69/008 automatic
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0217 in accordance with energy consumption, time reduction or distance reduction criteria
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0219 ensuring the processing of the whole working surface
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 2201/0201 Agriculture or harvesting machine

Abstract

A border of a designated area is defined within a work area. A designated axis is determined for the designated area. A series of generally parallel rows are aligned consistent with a travel axis having a known alignment with respect to the designated axis. One of the generally parallel rows is aligned as a starting row. The vehicle is pointed in a starting direction along or generally parallel to the travel axis. The vehicle engages in a turn path segment after an end of the starting row to move the vehicle at least somewhat perpendicular to the travel axis between the starting row and a next row. A turn path segment has a turn radius greater than or equal to a minimum turning radius of the vehicle, where the starting row and the next row are spatially separated by a multiple of effective vehicular implement widths less an overlap allowance. The turn path segment is defined so as to skip one or more intervening parallel rows between the starting row and the next row.

Claims

1. A method for determining a planned path for a vehicle, the method comprising:

defining a border of a designated area within a work area;

determining a designated axis of the designated area;

aligning a series of generally parallel rows consistent with a travel axis having a known alignment with respect to the designated axis;

defining one of the generally parallel rows as a starting row and pointing the vehicle in a starting direction along or generally parallel to the travel axis; and

establishing a turn path segment after an end of the starting row to move the vehicle at a desired velocity associated with the turn path segment at least somewhat perpendicular to the travel axis between the starting row and a next row, a turn path segment having a turn radius greater than a minimum turning radius of the vehicle to increase at least one of a turn-entry velocity, a turn velocity and a turn-exit velocity of the vehicle with respect to that or those of the minimum turn radius consistent with the desired velocity, wherein the starting row and the next row are spatially separated by a multiple of effective implement widths, less an overlap allowance; and

defining the turn path segment so as to skip one or more intervening parallel rows between the starting row and the next row.

2. The method according to claim 1 further comprising:

establishing an additional turn path segment after an end of the next row to move the vehicle at least somewhat perpendicular to the travel axis between the next row and a subsequent next row, the additional turn path segment having a turn radius greater than or equal to a minimum turning radius of the vehicle; and

defining the turn path segment so as to skip one or more intervening parallel rows between the next row and the subsequent next row.

3. The method according to claim 1 further comprising:

skipping one or more intervening rows between each last row and each next successive row of the generally parallel rows for traversal by the vehicle as the vehicle progresses through the planned path from one end of the designated area to an opposite end, each said last row and each said successive row separated by one or more effective implement widths, less an overlap allowance.

4. The method according to claim 1 further comprising:

bypassing one or more previously traversed intervening rows between a last row and a next successive row for traversal by the vehicle as the vehicle progresses through the planned path from one end of the designated area to an opposite end; and

the last row and the next successive row separated by one or more effective implement widths, less an overlap allowance.

5. The method according to claim 1 further comprising:

heading the vehicle in opposite directions for adjacent rows of the generally parallel rows, each of the generally parallel rows having an effective implement width and an offset from an adjacent row by an overlap allowance.

6. The method according to claim 1 wherein the overlap allowance between any two adjacent rows of the planned path is less than ten centimeters.

7. The method according to claim 1 further comprising:

selecting a substantially minimum radius turn for at least one turn path segment in the planned path if the minimum radius turn substantially supports opposite travel directions for the vehicle for adjacent travel rows throughout the designated area to provide a desired coverage or traversal of the designated area.

8. The method according to claim 1 further comprising:

selecting a bulb-shaped turn for at least one turn path segment in the planned path if the bulb-shaped turn substantially supports opposite travel directions for the vehicle for adjacent travel rows throughout the designated area to provide a desired coverage or traversal of the designated area.

9. The method according to claim 1 further comprising:

selecting a generally keyhole-shaped turn for at least one turn path segment in the planned path if the keyhole-shaped turn substantially supports opposite travel directions for the vehicle for adjacent travel rows throughout the designated area to provide a desired coverage or traversal of the designated area.

10. The method according to claim 1 further comprising:

determining a treatment of at least one of soil and vegetation within the designated area.

11. The method according to claim 10 wherein the determined treatment is mowing the vegetation within the designated area to a defined height.

12. The method according to claim 1 further comprising the step of:

activating an implement of the vehicle generally coincident with a border of the designated area upon movement of the vehicle toward an inside of the designated area from outside the designated area prior to or during alignment of a critical portion of the implement with the border; and

deactivating the implement of the vehicle coincident with the border of the designated area upon movement of the vehicle toward an outside of the designated area from an inside of the designated area prior to or during alignment of a critical portion of the implement with the border.

13. The method according to claim 12 further comprising:

defining the border in terms of a series of reference geographic coordinates; and

tracking the operational vehicular coordinates of the vehicle and direction of vehicular movement of the vehicle during operation of the vehicle for comparison to the reference geographic coordinates.

14. The method according to claim 12 wherein the implement is selected from the group consisting of a cutting blade, a mowing blade, a plow, a harrow, a cutter, a thresher, a mowing deck, a harvester, a pump, a sprayer, an agricultural implement, a construction implement, an agricultural attachment, and a construction attachment.

15. A system for determining a planned path for a vehicle, the system comprising:

data storage storing at least one of mapped area data, pattern parameters, and planned path data;

the mapped area data defining a border of a designated area within a work area, the pattern parameters determining a designated axis of the designated area, the planned path data aligning a series of generally parallel rows consistent with a travel axis having a known alignment with respect to the designated axis;

a vehicular guidance module defining one of the generally parallel rows as a starting row and pointing the vehicle in a starting direction along or generally parallel to the travel axis;

a steering system for engaging in a turn path segment under control of the vehicular guidance module after an end of the starting row to move the vehicle at a desired velocity associated with the turn path segment at least somewhat perpendicular to the travel axis between the starting row and a next row, a turn path segment having a turn radius greater than a minimum turning radius of the vehicle to increase at least one of a turn-entry velocity, a turn velocity and a turn-exit velocity of the vehicle with respect to that or those of the minimum turn radius consistent with the desired velocity;

the vehicular guidance module defining the turn path segment so as to skip one or more intervening parallel rows between the starting row and the next row, the starting row and the next row spatially separated by an effective implement width associated with the vehicle, less an overlap allowance.

16. The system according to claim 15 wherein the steering system is instructed to engage in an additional turn path segment after an end of the next row to move the vehicle at least somewhat perpendicular to the travel axis between the next row and a subsequent next row, the additional turn path segment having a turn radius greater than or equal to a minimum turning radius of the vehicle;

the vehicular controller defining the turn path segment so as to skip one or more intervening parallel rows between the next row and the subsequent next row;

the next row and the next subsequent row spatially separated by an effective implement width associated with the vehicle, less an overlap allowance.

17. The system according to claim 15 wherein the vehicular guidance module controls the vehicle to skip one or more intervening rows between each last row and each next successive row of the generally parallel rows for traversal by the vehicle as the vehicle progresses through the planned path from one end of the designated area to an opposite end.

18. The system according to claim 15 wherein the vehicular guidance module controls the vehicle to bypass one or more previously traversed intervening rows between each last row end each next successive row for traversal by the vehicle as the vehicle progresses through the planned path from one end of the designated area to an opposite end.

19. The system according to claim 15 wherein the vehicular guidance module controls the vehicle to head in opposite directions for traversal of adjacent rows of the generally parallel rows;

the vehicular guidance module controlling the vehicle to overlap between two adjacent rows by the overlap allowance.

20. The system according to claim 19 wherein the overlap allowance between any two rows is generally less than ten centimeters.

21. The system according to claim 15 further comprising:

a path planner for selecting a substantially minimum radius turn for at least one turn path segment in the planned path if the minimum radius turn substantially supports opposite travel directions for the vehicle for adjacent travel rows throughout the designated area to traverse a desired portion of the designated area.

22. The system according to claim 15 further comprising:

a path planner for selecting a bulb-shaped turn for at least one turn path segment in the planned path if the bulb-shaped turn substantially supports opposite travel directions for the vehicle for adjacent travel rows throughout the designated area to traverse a desired portion of the designated area.

23. The system according to claim 15 further comprising:

a path planner for selecting a generally keyhole-shaped turn for at least one turn path segment in the planned path if the keyhole-shaped turn substantially supports opposite travel directions for the vehicle for adjacent travel rows throughout the designated area to traverse a desired portion of the designated area.

24. The system according to claim 15 further comprising:

a vehicular controller for determining a treatment of at least one of vegetation and soil within the designated area.

25. The system according to claim 24 wherein the determined treatment is mowing the vegetation within the designated area.

26. The system according to claim 15 further comprising the step of:

activating an implement system of the vehicle generally coincident with the border of the designated area prior to or during movement of the vehicle toward an inside the designated area; and

deactivating the implement system of the vehicle coincident with the border prior to or upon movement of the vehicle toward an outside of the designated area.

27. The system according to claim 26 further comprising:

defining the border in terms of a series of reference geographic coordinates; and

tracking the operational vehicular coordinates of the vehicle and direction of vehicular movement of the vehicle during operation of the vehicle for comparison to the reference geographic coordinates.

28. The system according to claim 26 wherein the implement system is selected from the group consisting of a cutting blade, a mowing blade, a plow, a disc harrow, a cutter, a thresher, a mowing deck, a harvester, a pump, a sprayer, an agricultural implement, an agricultural attachment, a construction implement and a construction attachment.