Vehicle guidance for offset application of crop inputs
AssigneeDeere & Company
InventorsTyler D. Schleicher, Noah J. Rasmussen
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A data processor can estimate a series of center points between the first row and the second row based on targeting substantial symmetry in the first sensor signal response and the second sensor signal response. A nozzle is associated with the sprayer implement. The nozzle has a nozzle position with respect to a corresponding center point between the rows of plants. An offset module is adapted to shift laterally the nozzle position from or with respect to each center point to a corresponding offset lateral position such that a spray pattern of the nozzle is directed toward target strip of soil or ground around or containing a plant stem, or root zone, of the plants in the row.
Claims16
A system for guiding a vehicle, the system comprising:
- a first arm for pivoting about a first pivot point associated with a sprayer implement in response to contact with a first row of plants;
- a first sensor associated with the first arm to provide a first sensor signal response indicative of a first position or first movement of the first arm with respect to the first row;
- a second arm for pivoting about a second pivot point associated with a sprayer implement, in response to contact with the first row, or second row of plants spaced apart from the first row with a substantially parallel spacing;
- a second sensor associated with the second arm to provide a second sensor signal response indicative of a second position or second movement of the second arm with respect to the first row, or second row;
- a data processor for estimating a series of center points between the first row and the second row based on targeting substantial symmetry in the first sensor signal response and the second sensor signal response as an indication that a longitudinal axis of the vehicle is aligned with the center point, where substantial symmetry is present if an error or difference between the first sensor signal response and the second sensor signal response is less than a threshold for each estimated center point in the series of center points;
- a nozzle associated with the sprayer implement, the nozzle having a nozzle position with respect to a corresponding center point between the rows of plants;
- an offset module to laterally shift a nozzle position from each center point to a corresponding lateral position of an offset point such that a spray pattern of the nozzle is directed toward target strip of soil or ground around or containing a plant stem of the plants in the row;
- and
- a tracking module to determine a difference between the offset point and an observed offset point to generate a steering command to reduce or drive the difference to substantially zero, wherein the offset module and the tracking module comprise logic, software or a set of instructions for the data processor to process, wherein the offset module and the tracking module are stored on a data storage device.
A method for guiding a vehicle, the method comprising:
- detecting, by a first sensor, a first sensor signal response indicative of a first position or first movement of the first arm with respect to the first row;
- detecting, by a second sensor, a second sensor signal response indicative of a second position or second movement of the second arm with respect to the first row, or second row;
- estimating a series of center points between the first row and the second row based on targeting substantial symmetry in the first sensor signal response and the second sensor signal response as an indication that a longitudinal axis of the vehicle is aligned with the center point, where substantial symmetry is present if an error or difference between the first sensor signal response and the second sensor signal response is less than a threshold for each estimated center point in the series of center points;
- laterally shifting a nozzle position from each center point to a corresponding lateral position of an offset point such that a spray pattern of the nozzle is directed toward target strip of soil or ground around or containing a plant stem, or root zone, of the plants in the row;
- and
- determining a difference between the offset point and an observed offset point to generate a steering command to reduce or drive the difference to substantially zero.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.