Navigation control system

• US 7,801,677 B2
• Filed: 05/19/2005
• Issued: 09/21/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 10/30/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Harrison J. Howard, John H. Harrison Jr
• Original Assignee: Harrison J. Howard, John H. Harrison Jr
• Inventors: Harrison, J. Howard, Harrison, John H. Jr.
• Primary Examiner(s): To; Tuan C.
• Application Number:
  US11/134,042
• Publication Number:
  US 20060089796A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,951 Days
• Field of Search: 701/200, 701/209, 342/147, 342/357, 342/457, 342/386, 340/988, 340/995, 373/48
• US Class Current: 701/209
• CPC Class Codes: A01B 69/008 automatic
• CPC Class Codes: A01C 21/00 Methods of fertilising , sowing or planting
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/027 comprising intertial navigation means, e.g. azimuth detector inertial navigation G01C21/16; inertial navigation combined with non-inertial navigation instruments G01C21/165
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0272 comprising means for registering the travel distance, e.g. revolutions of wheels measuring distance traversed on the ground by vehicles, e.g. using odometers G01C22/00
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0278 using satellite positioning signals, e.g. GPS

Abstract

A real-time path-directed controller for navigating an object along a desired path is disclosed. The controller comprises: a position sensor which contributes to the production of a conditioned object position signal to a controller summer; a heading conditioning module which contributes to the production of a conditioned heading signal to the controller summer; a control apparatus sensor which contributes to the production of a conditioned control apparatus signal to the controller summer; and a control apparatus null position conditioning module which contributes to the production of a conditioned null position signal to the controller summer. The controller summer sums the signals to produce a controller summer signal to a controller summer conditioning module so as to produce a control apparatus control signal to a control apparatus controller so as to direct the control apparatus and thereby direct the object by feedback control along the desired path.

Claims

1. A real-time path-directed controller for navigating a vehicle along a desired path across a field for agricultural applications, said controller comprising:

(a) a position sensor, said position sensor producing a vehicle position signal to a vehicle position signal conditioning module, said vehicle position signal conditioning module producing a conditioned vehicle position signal to a controller summer;

(b) a heading conditioning module, said heading conditioning module receiving the vehicle position signal and conditioning the vehicle position signal to produce a conditioned heading signal to the controller summer;

(c) a control apparatus sensor, said control apparatus sensor producing a control apparatus signal to a control apparatus signal conditioning module, said control apparatus signal conditioning module producing a conditioned control apparatus signal to the controller summer; and

(d) a controller summer summing the conditioned vehicle position signal, the conditioned heading signal, and the conditioned control apparatus signal to produce a controller summer signal to a controller summer conditioning module so as to produce a control apparatus control signal to a control apparatus controller so as to direct the control apparatus and thereby direct the vehicle by feedback control along the desired path.

2. The controller of claim 1 wherein said vehicle is an agricultural sprayer.

3. The controller of claim 1 wherein said position sensor obtains position input information from global positioning system (GPS) telemetry.

4. The controller of claim 1 wherein one or more of the control parameters governing the operation of said controller are mathematically determined in the distance domain.

5. The controller of claim 1 wherein poles associated with the controller are selected in accordance with a linear multiplicative-integrative object dynamic model.

6. The controller of claim 1 wherein the control parameters governing the operation of said controller are mathematically determined so as to effectuate under-damped control.

7. The controller of claim 1 wherein one or more of the control parameters governing the operation of said controller are dynamically updated.

8. The controller of claim 1 wherein the controller is configured to operate in a multi-mode manner of operation.