METHOD FOR CREATING SPIRAL SWATH PATTERNS FOR CONVEX POLYGON SHAPED FIELD BOUNDARIES
First Claim
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1. A method for generating a spiral swath pattern to be driven by a work vehicle over a convex polygon shaped region of a field, the method comprising the steps of:
- determining a minimum turning radius, such that the minimum turning radius defines the minimum radius of curvature of the swath pattern;
defining a swath width as a function of a lateral extent of the work vehicle or an implement of the work vehicle;
defining a boundary for the region including first through nth line segments having headings in a direction of rotation and intersecting at first through nth corners defined by first through nth angles;
defining first through nth bases, wherein the second through nth bases are located at the second through nth corners, respectively, and the first base is located at a transition corner defined by an intersection of the nth line segment and a transition line parallel to the first line segment and spaced toward the interior of the region by one swath width;
defining first through nth bisectors having headings toward the interior of the region at the first through nth bases, respectively, such that the first through nth bisectors bisect the transition angle and the second through nth angles, respectively;
generating the spiral swath pattern as a series of concentric swath lines to be driven by the work vehicle in the direction of rotation, each one of the swath lines including first through nth linear portions spaced apart at the swath width and corresponding to the first through nth line segments, respectively, and first through nth curved portions defined along a circle having a radius greater than or equal to the minimum turning radius tangent to consecutive linear portions and centered along the first through nth bisectors, respectively, the swath lines generated as a function of at least some of;
a) the boundary of the region;
b) the minimum turning radius;
c) the first through nth bisectors; and
d) the swath width.
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Abstract
A computationally efficient method for generating a spiral swath pattern for a region of a field bounded by a convex polygon, the method automatically generating curved portions for the swath pattern having radii of curvature greater than a minimum turning radius based on the minimum turning radius and a definition of the field boundary.
27 Citations
20 Claims
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1. A method for generating a spiral swath pattern to be driven by a work vehicle over a convex polygon shaped region of a field, the method comprising the steps of:
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determining a minimum turning radius, such that the minimum turning radius defines the minimum radius of curvature of the swath pattern; defining a swath width as a function of a lateral extent of the work vehicle or an implement of the work vehicle; defining a boundary for the region including first through nth line segments having headings in a direction of rotation and intersecting at first through nth corners defined by first through nth angles; defining first through nth bases, wherein the second through nth bases are located at the second through nth corners, respectively, and the first base is located at a transition corner defined by an intersection of the nth line segment and a transition line parallel to the first line segment and spaced toward the interior of the region by one swath width; defining first through nth bisectors having headings toward the interior of the region at the first through nth bases, respectively, such that the first through nth bisectors bisect the transition angle and the second through nth angles, respectively; generating the spiral swath pattern as a series of concentric swath lines to be driven by the work vehicle in the direction of rotation, each one of the swath lines including first through nth linear portions spaced apart at the swath width and corresponding to the first through nth line segments, respectively, and first through nth curved portions defined along a circle having a radius greater than or equal to the minimum turning radius tangent to consecutive linear portions and centered along the first through nth bisectors, respectively, the swath lines generated as a function of at least some of;
a) the boundary of the region;
b) the minimum turning radius;
c) the first through nth bisectors; and
d) the swath width. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 9, 10, 11, 12, 19)
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8. A method for generating a spiral swath pattern including concentric swath lines to be driven by a work vehicle over a convex polygon shaped region of a field, the method comprising the steps of:
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determining a minimum turning radius, such that the minimum turning radius defines the minimum radius of curvature of the swath pattern; defining a swath width as a function of a lateral extent of the work vehicle or an implement of the work vehicle; defining a direction of rotation of the spiral swath pattern; defining a boundary for the region including first through nth line segments having headings in the direction of rotation and intersecting at first through nth corners defined by first through nth angles; defining first through nth bases having first through nth base angles as a function of the first through nth line segments, the first through nth angles, and the swath width; defining first through nth bisectors at the first through nth bases, respectively, such that the first through nth bisectors bisect the first through nth base angles, respectively; generating the spiral swath pattern as a series of swath lines to be driven by the work vehicle in the direction of rotation, each one of the swath lines including first through nth linear portions corresponding to the first through nth line segments, respectively, and first through nth curved portions corresponding to the first through nth bases, respectively, the first through nth curved portions defined along a circle centered along each one of the first through nth bisectors and tangent to consecutive linear portions, the circle having a radius greater than or equal to the minimum turning radius, the swath lines generated as a function of at least some of;
a) the boundary of the region;
b) the minimum turning radius;
c) the first through nth bisectors; and
d) the swath width. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14)
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15. A method for generating a spiral swath pattern including a series of concentric swath lines to be driven by a work vehicle over a convex polygon shaped region of a field, the method comprising the steps of:
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providing a vehicle with an implement; providing a control system having a processing capability and including an automatic guidance system, a swath generating apparatus, and a memory device; providing a vehicle position receiver for providing vehicle position information for the control system; providing an operator input device communicatively coupled to the control system; communicating to the swath generating apparatus a set of predetermined parameters including a minimum turning radius, a swath width, and a definition of the field boundary including first through nth line segments having headings in a defined direction of rotation and intersecting at first through nth corners defined by first through nth angles; defining within the swath generating apparatus a coordinate system for vehicle position; and generating within the swath generating apparatus, a series of concentric swath lines to be driven by the work vehicle in the direction of rotation using the predetermined parameters, each one of the swath lines including first through nth linear portions corresponding to the first through nth line segments, respectively, and first through nth curved portions corresponding to the first through nth corners, respectively, the first through nth linear portions being generally parallel to and spaced apart by one swath width from the first through nth linear portions of adjacent swath lines, respectively, the first through nth curved portions defined along a circle tangent to consecutive linear portions, the circle having a radius greater than or equal to the minimum turning radius, each one of the swath lines beginning at an end point of the previous swath line wherein the interconnected swath lines form a spiral swath pattern. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17, 18, 20)
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Specification