System and method for propagating agricultural vehicle guidance paths that have varying curvature along their length
First Claim
1. A method for guiding a vehicle along a series of adjacent paths, comprising the steps of:
- a. moving the vehicle along a first path;
b. receiving positioning information from a navigational system during the movement of the vehicle along the first path;
c. storing the positional information received during the movement of the vehicle; and
d. computing a second path adjacent to said first path by calculating piecewise perpendicular offsets from the first path at multiple locations along the first path as defined by said stored positioning information, said offsets being substantially perpendicular to a local tangent to the first path at said locations.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A system and method provide for precision guiding of agricultural vehicles along a series of adjacent paths to form rows for cultivating a field. In one aspect of the invention the vehicle is moved along a first path while receiving positioning information from a navigational system (e.g., RTK GPS). This positioning information is stored in a processor and is used by the processor to compute a second path adjacent to said first path by calculating piecewise perpendicular offsets from the first path at multiple locations along the first path. The process is repeated to compute a third and subsequent paths so as to cover the field. Because of the offset process, the field may be covered with paths that have varying curvature along their length, while providing substantially no gaps or overlaps in the coverage of the field. In another aspect of the invention, the system may propose alternative paths and the user can intervene by steering the vehicle or using a graphical user interface to select among the alternative paths. A still further aspect of the invention allows for the recording of the paths that provide coverage of a field in the form of a template. This template can then be used to cause the vehicle to automatically steer along a previously calculated path in subsequent operations on the field, and in subsequent years.
52 Citations
24 Claims
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1. A method for guiding a vehicle along a series of adjacent paths, comprising the steps of:
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a. moving the vehicle along a first path;
b. receiving positioning information from a navigational system during the movement of the vehicle along the first path;
c. storing the positional information received during the movement of the vehicle; and
d. computing a second path adjacent to said first path by calculating piecewise perpendicular offsets from the first path at multiple locations along the first path as defined by said stored positioning information, said offsets being substantially perpendicular to a local tangent to the first path at said locations. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18)
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19. A system for guiding a vehicle along a series of adjacent paths to cover an area, comprising:
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a. a receiver located on the vehicle for receiving vehicle positional information from a navigation system;
b. a memory for storing the positional information; and
c. a processor that uses the stored positioning information from movement of the vehicle along a first path to compute a second path adjacent to said first path by calculating a piecewise perpendicular offset from the first path at multiple locations along the first path, said offsets being substantially perpendicular to a local tangent to the first path at said locations. - View Dependent Claims (20, 21, 22, 23, 24)
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Specification