METHOD FOR AVOIDING POINT ROWS FOR QUADRILATERAL FIELDS USING AUTOGUIDANCE

• US 20100262342A1
• Filed: 04/08/2009
• Published: 10/14/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 04/08/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Blue Leaf IP Incorporated (CNH Industrial N.V.)
• Original Assignee: Blue Leaf IP Incorporated (CNH Industrial N.V.)
• Inventors: Dix, Peter J., Wendte, Keith
• Granted Patent: US 8,296,052 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/50
• CPC Class Codes: A01B 69/008 automatic
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0219 ensuring the processing of the whole working surface

Abstract

A method for generating a swath pattern avoiding point rows for a work vehicle to be driven in a region of a field, which region can be described as having a first side boundary and an opposite second side boundary extending divergently between a first and an opposite second end boundary, the method generating a swath pattern including side by side swaths having centerlines that diverge uniformly between the end boundaries, the method also generating a plurality of swath patterns including options for disabling one or more individual rows of an implement for selection by an operator.

Claims

1. A method for generating a swath pattern to be driven by a work vehicle over a quadrilateral shaped region of a field bounded by a first end boundary, a second end boundary opposite to the first end boundary, a first side boundary and a second side boundary opposite to the first side boundary, the first and second side boundaries extending divergently between the first and second end boundaries, the method comprising the steps of:

determining a number of swaths for the swath pattern as a function of a lateral extent of an implement of the work vehicle, and at least one of a first lateral extent of the first end boundary and a second lateral extent of the second end boundary;

generating the swath pattern including side by side individual swaths, each of the swaths having a centerline extending between the first and second end boundaries thereof, the centerlines of the side by side ones of the swaths diverging from the first end boundary towards the second end boundary substantially uniformly across the region from the first side boundary to the second side boundary.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

determining a first swath width as a function of the first lateral extent and the number of swath lines;

determining a second swath width as a function of the second lateral extent and the number of swath lines; and

wherein substantially all of the centerlines of the side by side ones of the swaths are spaced at the first swath width adjacent to the first end boundary, and substantially all of the centerlines of the side by side ones of the swaths are spaced at the second swath width adjacent to the second end boundary.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the number of swaths is determined as a function of the end boundary adjacent to completion of the swath pattern, such that the number of swaths is even when the swath pattern is completed adjacent to the first end boundary and the number of swaths is odd when the swath pattern is completed adjacent to the second end boundary.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the step of determining the number of swaths is a function of a number of individual output controllable rows of the implement, and the step of generating the swath pattern includes generating a final swath having an adjusted first swath width adjacent to the first end boundary and an adjusted second swath width adjacent to the second end boundary, the adjusted first and second swath widths being adjusted as a function of a number of output disabled rows disabled during the final swath.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising the steps of:

generating a plurality of swath patterns for the region;

are

displaying information representative of the plurality of swath patterns for selection of a particular swath pattern.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the step of displaying information representative of the plurality of swath patterns for a region includes displaying, for each of the plurality of swath patterns, information representative of the end boundary adjacent to the completion of the swath pattern, the number of swaths, the first swath width, the second swath width, and the number rows of the implement disabled during the final swath.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the swath pattern is generated remotely and the swath pattern and the information representative of the plurality of swath patterns is communicated to the work vehicle.

8. The method of claim 4, further comprising the step of when the second swath width is larger than the first swath width, increasing the output of at least one outermost individual row of the implement when the implement is adjacent the second end boundary.

9. The method of claim 4, further comprising the step of when the second swath width is larger than the first swath width, decreasing the output of at least one outermost individual row of the implement when the implement is adjacent to the first end boundary.

10. A method for generating a swath pattern to be driven by a work vehicle over a quadrilateral shaped region of a field bounded by a first end boundary, a second end boundary opposite to the first end boundary, a first side boundary and a second side boundary opposite to the first side boundary, the first and second side boundaries extending divergently between the first and second end boundaries, the method comprising the steps of:

providing a work vehicle with an associated implement having a lateral extent;

providing a control system operable to guide the vehicle along a swath of a swath pattern;

determining a position of the vehicle as the vehicle moves along the swath;

determining a number of swaths for the swath pattern as a function of the lateral extent of the implement and at least one of a first lateral extent of the first end boundary and a second lateral extent of the second end boundary;

determining a first swath width as a function of the first lateral extent and the number of swath lines;

determining a second swath width as a function of the second lateral extent and the number of swath lines;

generating the swath pattern dividing the region into side by side adjacent swaths extending from the first side boundary to the second side boundary, each of the ones of the swaths including centerlines extending divergently between the first end boundary and the second end boundary, the centerlines of each ones of the adjacent swaths being spaced at the first swath width adjacent to the first end boundary and at the second swath width adjacent to the second end boundary, such that the centerline of a first swath adjacent to the first side boundary is substantially parallel thereto and the centerline of a final swath adjacent to the second side boundary is substantially parallel thereto.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the step of determining the number of swath lines for the swath pattern includes selecting an even number of swaths, such that the work vehicle enters and exits the region along the first end, or an odd number of swaths, such that the work vehicle enters the region along the first end and exits the region along the second end.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein the implement has a plurality of individually controllable rows, the control system is configured and operable for controlling an output of a number of individual rows of the implement, and the step of generating the swath pattern includes generating a final swath having an adjusted first swath width adjacent to the first end boundary and an adjusted second swath width adjacent to the second end boundary, the adjusted first and second swath widths being a function of the first and second swath widths, respectively, and the number of rows of the implement having the output disabled during the final swath.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising the steps of:

generating a plurality of swath patterns for the region; and

displaying details associated with the plurality of swath patterns, the details including the number of swaths, the first and second swath widths, the adjusted first and second swath widths, the number of output disabled rows of the implement during the final swath.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the plurality of swath patterns is generated remotely from the work vehicle and the plurality of the swath patterns and the details associated therewith are communicated to the control system of the work vehicle.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the work vehicle includes a swath generating apparatus and an input apparatus, the plurality of swath patterns is generated as a function of inputs from the operator to the input apparatus, the plurality of swath patterns and the details associated therewith are displayed on the input apparatus, and the operator inputs a particular swath pattern selection to the input apparatus.

16. The method of claim 12, such that when the second swath width is larger than the first swath width, the control system increases the output of at least one outermost individual row of the implement adjacent to the second end boundary.

17. The method of claim 12, such that when the second swath width is larger than the first swath width, the control system decreases the output of at least one outermost individual row of the implement adjacent to the first end boundary.

18. A method for generating a swath pattern for a quadrilateral shaped region of a field bounded by a first end boundary, a second end boundary opposite to the first end boundary, a first side boundary and a second side boundary opposite to the first side boundary, the first and second side boundaries extending divergently between the first and second end boundaries to be driven by work vehicle, comprising the steps of:

providing a work vehicle with an associated implement having a lateral extent;

providing a control system operable to guide the vehicle along a swath line in a swath pattern;

determining a position of the vehicle as the vehicle moves along the swath line;

generating a swath pattern including a plurality of side by side swaths, each swath having a centerline extending between the first and second end boundaries, the swath pattern having a first swath including a centerline parallel to the first side boundary, a last swath including a centerline parallel to the second side boundary, and substantially all of the other swaths having centerlines spaced at a first uniform distance adjacent to the first end boundary and at a second uniform distance adjacent to the second end boundary, the first and second distances being a function of the lateral extent of the implement and at least one of the lateral extents of the first and second end boundaries.

19. A method as set forth in claim 18, wherein the implement has a plurality of individually controllable rows, the control system is configured and operable for disabling a number of individual rows of the implement, and the step of generating the swath pattern includes generating a final swath having the centerline spaced at an adjusted spacing between a centerline of an adjacent swath, the adjusted spacing being a function of the number of rows disabled during the final swath.

20. A method as set forth in claim 18, wherein the implement includes a plurality of individually controllable rows, and when the second uniform distance is larger than the first uniform distance, increasing production of at least one outermost individual row of the implement adjacent to the second end boundary and decreasing production of at least one outermost individual row of the implement adjacent to the first end boundary.