Method and apparatus for steering a farm implement to a path
First Claim
1. An apparatus for guiding a farm implement propelled by a powered vehicle to follow a path, comprising:
- a GPS antenna disposed on said implement for receiving a GPS signal for determining GPS-based positions of said implement;
a sensor for determining offsets between said implement and said vehicle;
a dual guidance computer for steering said implement according to said GPS-based positions to follow said path while steering said vehicle according to said offsets, said offsets being determined while said implement is being guided to follow said path; and
whereinsaid vehicle is steered relatively slowly with respect to more rapid steering of said implement.
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Abstract
An apparatus and method using GPS for dynamically adjusting side-to-side positioning of a farm implement along a geographical path. The apparatus includes a global positioning system (GPS) antenna disposed on the farm implement, a GPS receiver coupled to the GPS antenna for determining a location of the GPS antenna, and a dual guidance computer for comparing the location to stored geographical coordinates of a desired path for providing a guide signal for offsetting the lateral position of an adjustable hitch or angling a wheel or ground rudder in a steerable implement for guiding the implement along the path; and a range extent signal for maintaining the offset of the hitch or steering angle of the implement within its dynamic range.
82 Citations
20 Claims
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1. An apparatus for guiding a farm implement propelled by a powered vehicle to follow a path, comprising:
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a GPS antenna disposed on said implement for receiving a GPS signal for determining GPS-based positions of said implement; a sensor for determining offsets between said implement and said vehicle; a dual guidance computer for steering said implement according to said GPS-based positions to follow said path while steering said vehicle according to said offsets, said offsets being determined while said implement is being guided to follow said path; and
whereinsaid vehicle is steered relatively slowly with respect to more rapid steering of said implement. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6)
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7. An apparatus for guiding a farm implement propelled by a powered vehicle to follow a path, comprising:
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a GPS antenna disposed on said implement for receiving a GPS signal for determining GPS-based positions of said implement; a sensor for determining an offset between said implement and said vehicle; and a dual guidance computer for steering said implement according to said GPS-based positions to follow said path while steering said vehicle according to said offset;
wherein;the sensor determines said offset of a hitch adapted for connecting said implement to said vehicle; the dual guidance computer issues a left-right guide signal based upon a comparison between said GPS-based positions and said path, and issues a range extent signal indicative of said offset with respect to a dynamic range of said offset; and said hitch uses said guide signal for adjusting said offset for dynamically positioning said implement toward said path while said vehicle uses said range extent signal for steering said vehicle for maintaining said offset within said dynamic range. - View Dependent Claims (8)
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9. An apparatus for guiding a farm implement propelled by a powered vehicle to follow a path, comprising:
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a GPS antenna disposed on said implement for receiving a GPS signal for determining GPS-based positions of said implement; a sensor for determining a steering angle between a direction of said implement and a direction of a steering device disposed on said implement; a dual guidance computer for using said GPS-based positions for steering said implement to follow said path while steering said vehicle according to said steering angle, said steering angle being determined while said implement is being guided to follow said path; and
whereinsteering said vehicle includes steering said vehicle relatively slowly with respect to more rapid steering of said implement. - View Dependent Claims (10)
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11. A method for guiding a farm implement propelled by a powered vehicle to follow a path, comprising:
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determining GPS-based positions of said implement by receiving a GPS signal with a GPS antenna disposed on said implement; sensing offsets between said implement and said vehicle; using said GPS-based positions for steering said implement according to said GPS-based positions to follow said path while steering said vehicle according to said offsets, said offsets being determined while said implement is being guided to follow said path; and
whereinsteering said vehicle includes steering said vehicle relatively slowly with respect to more rapid steering of said implement. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14, 15, 16)
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17. A method for guiding a farm implement propelled by a powered vehicle to follow a path, comprising:
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determining GPS-based positions of said implement by receiving a GPS signal with a GPS antenna disposed on said implement; sensing an offset between said implement and said vehicle; using said GPS-based positions for steering said implement according to said GPS-based positions to follow said path while steering said vehicle according to said offset; determining said offset includes determining said offset of a hitch adapted for connecting said implement to said vehicle; issuing a left-right guide signal based upon a comparison between said GPS-based positions and said path; issuing a range extent signal indicative of said offset with respect to a dynamic range of said offset; using said guide signal for dynamically positioning said implement toward said path; and while said implement is being dynamically positioned, using said range extent signal for maintaining said offset within said dynamic range by adjusting said offset. - View Dependent Claims (18)
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19. A method for guiding a farm implement propelled by a powered vehicle to follow a path, comprising:
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determining GPS-based positions of said implement by receiving a GPS signal with a GPS antenna disposed on said implement; determining a steering angle between a direction of said implement and a direction of a steering device disposed on said implement; using said GPS-based positions for steering said implement to follow said path while steering said vehicle according to said steering angle, said steering angle being determined while said implement is being guided to follow said path; and
whereinsteering said vehicle includes steering said vehicle relatively slowly with respect to more rapid steering of said implement. - View Dependent Claims (20)
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Specification