System and method for orienting an implement on a vehicle
First Claim
1. A system for determining an orientation of an implement on a vehicle, comprising:
- a camera mounted to the vehicle;
a sphere within a field of vision of the camera and mounted to the implement, the sphere including a plurality of markings thereon to enable a determination of an intermediate orientation of the sphere with respect to the camera, wherein each of the plurality of markings has a unique shape, and wherein the determination of the orientation of the implement is made using the intermediate orientation of the sphere;
a positioning system antenna mounted to the vehicle at a fixed distance in a fixed direction from the camera;
a positioning system receiver/processor coupled to the positioning system antenna; and
a control system adapted to adjust the orientation of the implement based on a desired orientation of the implement and the determination of the orientation of the implement; and
wherein;
the positioning system receiver/processor is adapted to determine a vehicle position and a vehicle orientation in a world reference frame;
the determination of the intermediate orientation of the sphere with respect to the camera is in a vehicle reference frame;
the determination of the orientation of the implement is in the vehicle reference frame; and
the determination of the orientation of the implement in the vehicle reference frame and the vehicle orientation in the world reference frame enables a determination of a further orientation of the implement in the world reference frame.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A system for determining an orientation of an implement on a vehicle is provided. The system includes a camera mounted to the vehicle, and a target object within a field of vision of the camera and mounted to the implement. The target object includes markings to enable a determination of the orientation of the implement with respect to the camera. A method of determining an orientation of an implement on a vehicle is provided. A system of orienting an implement is provided. A method of installing an implement orientation system is provided. A computer-readable medium having stored thereon computer-executable instructions is provided. The computer-executable instructions cause a processor to perform a method of determining an orientation of an implement when executed.
20 Citations
31 Claims
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1. A system for determining an orientation of an implement on a vehicle, comprising:
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a camera mounted to the vehicle; a sphere within a field of vision of the camera and mounted to the implement, the sphere including a plurality of markings thereon to enable a determination of an intermediate orientation of the sphere with respect to the camera, wherein each of the plurality of markings has a unique shape, and wherein the determination of the orientation of the implement is made using the intermediate orientation of the sphere; a positioning system antenna mounted to the vehicle at a fixed distance in a fixed direction from the camera; a positioning system receiver/processor coupled to the positioning system antenna; and a control system adapted to adjust the orientation of the implement based on a desired orientation of the implement and the determination of the orientation of the implement; and wherein; the positioning system receiver/processor is adapted to determine a vehicle position and a vehicle orientation in a world reference frame; the determination of the intermediate orientation of the sphere with respect to the camera is in a vehicle reference frame; the determination of the orientation of the implement is in the vehicle reference frame; and the determination of the orientation of the implement in the vehicle reference frame and the vehicle orientation in the world reference frame enables a determination of a further orientation of the implement in the world reference frame. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11)
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12. A method of determining an orientation of an implement on a vehicle, comprising:
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detecting at least one sphere with at least one camera, the at least one sphere being mounted to the implement and including a plurality of markings thereon; determining, in a vehicle reference frame, an intermediate orientation between the at least one sphere and the at least one camera, wherein the intermediate orientation is determined using at least some of the plurality of markings, wherein each of the plurality of markings has a unique shape; determining the orientation of the implement using the intermediate orientation between the at least one sphere and the at least one camera, the determining the orientation of the implement being in the vehicle reference frame and based on the intermediate orientation; determining a vehicle position and a vehicle orientation in a world reference frame; and determining a further orientation of the implement with respect to the world reference frame based on the orientation of the implement in the vehicle reference frame and the vehicle orientation in the world reference frame. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22)
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23. A system of orienting an implement, comprising:
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means for detecting at least one sphere attached to the implement, the at least one sphere including a plurality of markings thereon; means for determining an intermediate orientation of the at least one sphere with respect to the means for detecting the at least one sphere using at least some of the plurality of markings, wherein each of the plurality of markings has a unique shape; and means for determining the orientation of the implement using the intermediate orientation of the at least one sphere; and wherein; the intermediate orientation of the at least one sphere is in a vehicle reference frame; and the orientation of the implement is in the vehicle reference frame; and
further comprising;means for determining a vehicle position and a vehicle orientation in a world reference frame; and means for determining a further orientation of the implement with respect to the world reference frame based on the orientation of the implement in the vehicle reference frame and the vehicle orientation in the world reference frame. - View Dependent Claims (24, 25, 26)
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27. A method of installing an implement orientation system, comprising:
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mounting a camera on a vehicle having an implement; mounting a sphere to the implement within a field of vision of the camera, the sphere including a plurality of markings thereon; coupling the camera to a processor adapted to determine an orientation of the implement by determining an intermediate orientation of the sphere with respect to the camera using at least some of the plurality of markings, wherein each of the plurality of markings has a unique shape; mounting a positioning system antenna mounted to the vehicle at a fixed distance in a fixed direction from the camera; mounting a positioning system receiver/processor coupled to the positioning system antenna; providing a control system adapted to adjust the orientation of the implement based on a desired orientation of the implement and the determination of the orientation of the implement; and wherein; the positioning system receiver/processor is adapted to determine a vehicle position and a vehicle orientation in a world reference frame; the determination of the intermediate orientation of the sphere with respect to the camera is in a vehicle reference frame; the determination of the orientation of the implement is in the vehicle reference frame; and the determination of the orientation of the implement in the vehicle reference frame and the vehicle orientation in the world reference frame enables a determination of a further orientation of the implement in the world reference frame. - View Dependent Claims (28, 29, 30)
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31. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing computer program instructions for determining an orientation of an implement, which, when executed on a processor, cause the processor to perform operations comprising:
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determining a position of a camera; determining an intermediate orientation of a sphere mounted to the implement and within a field of vision of the camera, the sphere including a plurality of markings, the determination of the intermediate orientation of the sphere being performed using at least some of the plurality of markings, wherein each of the plurality of markings has a unique shape, the determining of the intermediate orientation of the sphere is in a vehicle reference frame; determining the orientation of the implement using the position of the camera and the intermediate orientation of the sphere, the determining the orientation of the implement being in the vehicle reference frame and based on the intermediate orientation; determining a vehicle position and a vehicle orientation in a world reference frame; and determining a further orientation of the implement with respect to the world reference frame based on the orientation of the implement in the vehicle reference frame and the vehicle orientation in the world reference frame.
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Specification