# US 10,368,475 B2 · Machine guidance for optimal working direction of travel > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 10,368,475 B2 - Document ID: US10368475B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 15/490,791 - Filed: 2017-04-18 - Published: 2017-10-19 - Granted: 2019-08-06 - Earliest claimed: 2016-04-19 - Assignees: CropZilla Software, Inc. - Applicants: CropZilla, Inc - Inventors: Dustin J. Wolters; Brian H. Watkins; Michael J. Thompson - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10368475B2 ## CPC - A01B 69/008: {automatic} - G01C 21/20: Instruments for performing navigational calculations (G01C21/24, G01C21/26 take precedence) - G05D 1/0217: {in accordance with energy consumption, time reduction or distance reduction criteria} - G05D 1/0219: {ensuring the processing of the whole working surface} - A01B: SOIL WORKING IN AGRICULTURE OR FORESTRY; PARTS, DETAILS, OR ACCESSORIES OF AGRICULTURAL MACHINES OR IMPLEMENTS, IN GENERAL (making or covering furrows or holes for sowing, planting or manuring A01C5/00; mowers convertible to soil working apparatus or capable of soil working A01D42/04; mowers combined with soil working implements A01D43/12; soil working for engineering purposes E01, E02, E21) - G01C: MEASURING DISTANCES, LEVELS OR BEARINGS; SURVEYING; NAVIGATION; GYROSCOPIC INSTRUMENTS; PHOTOGRAMMETRY OR VIDEOGRAMMETRY (measuring liquid level G01F; radio navigation, determining distance or velocity by use of propagation effects, e.g. Doppler effects, propagation time, of radio waves, analogous arrangements using other waves G01S) - G05D: SYSTEMS FOR CONTROLLING OR REGULATING NON-ELECTRIC VARIABLES ## Abstract A system and method for determining the optimal machine working direction(s) of travel for a field boundary to be used in a guidance/navigation system for machine control includes, using specific field boundary information and machine specific information to spatially simulate travel path estimates over a plurality of splayed working directions of travel to determine the optimal working direction(s) of travel for the field boundary. Optimizing the spatial field efficiency by simulating travel path estimates to select an optimal working direction(s) of travel may then be used in accordance with a machine's guidance and/or navigation system, via an information transfer system, as the reference working direction(s) of travel for the machine to guide and control itself while performing fieldwork. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A machine guidance apparatus for completing farming operations on a field with operational and spatial field efficiency, the apparatus comprising: an agricultural work machine configured for traversing the field; a farm implement operationally engaged with, and operated by, the agricultural work machine to effect farming operations as the agricultural work machine traverses the field; a GPS receiver disposed on the agricultural work machine; and a guidance system disposed on the agricultural work machine in communication with the GPS receiver, the guidance system having a memory and a processor, wherein the memory includes a stored program executable by the processor, the stored program configured to: (a) capture a boundary and topographical features of the field, to generate a total farmable field area; (b) capture physical parameters of the farm implement, including a dimension transverse to forward movement of the agricultural work machine as the agricultural work machine traverses the field; (c) identify a parallel pass start point along the field boundary, usable by the agricultural work machine to begin farming operations with parallel passes traversing the field; (d) generate a plurality of splayed options for initial directions of travel from the parallel pass start point; (e) generate a plurality of path estimates for the agricultural work machine with said physical parameters to travel to cover the total farmable field area, each of the path estimates extending from and including a plurality of passes parallel to a respective one of the splayed options; (f) calculate a spatial field efficiency for each of the path estimates by comparing the farmable field area to the area covered by the farm implement when following the path estimates, using the formula: Spatial Field Efficiency %=(Farmable Area of the Field)/(Area Covered by the Farm Implement)*100; (g) select the path estimate having highest spatial field efficiency and designate the splayed option of the path estimate having the highest spatial field efficiency as the desired initial working direction of travel; (h) instruct the agricultural work machine to commence farming operations by moving from the parallel pass start point in the desired initial working direction(s) of travel. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said capture (a) comprises using the GPS receiver to capture GPS coordinates of the boundaries and topographical features of a field as the agricultural work machine traverses the field. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said capture (a) comprises capturing coordinates of the boundaries and topographical features of a field from a map. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The apparatus of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of passes extends across the farmable field area within the boundary. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The apparatus of claim 4, wherein each of the path estimates comprise interpolated connectors disposed between adjacent ones of said plurality of passes. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said instruct (h) comprises converting the desired working direction of travel into a format usable by the guidance system. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the guidance system is configured to capture GPS coordinates in real-time to direct the agricultural work machine to follow the desired working direction of travel. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the guidance system is configured to terminate guidance of the agricultural work machine once the agricultural work machine has followed the desired working direction of travel substantially completely across the farmable field area. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the guidance system is configured to hand off guidance of the agricultural work machine to an operator upon termination or interruption of guidance. ### Claim 10 (depends on 7) The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the guidance system is configured to automatically turn and direct the agricultural work machine to complete passes parallel to the desired working direction of travel upon termination of guidance. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said capturing (b) further comprises capturing a speed at which the farm implement is capable of traversing the field. ### Claim 12 (depends on 1) The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said identify (c) further comprises identifying at least one exit point along the field boundary, usable by the agricultural work machine to exit the field. ### Claim 13 (depends on 1) The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising identifying or generating at least one headland pass estimate along the field boundary usable by the agricultural work machine to circumnavigate the field and including the one or more headland passes in said calculate (f). ### Claim 14 A method for completing farming operations on a field with operational and spatial field efficiency, the method comprising: providing an agricultural work machine configured for traversing the field, the agricultural work machine including a GPS receiver and specialized machine guidance system including a memory and processor, the memory including a stored program executable by the processor; operationally engaging and operating a farm implement with the agricultural work machine; executing the stored program of the guidance system to: (a) capture a boundary and topographical features of the field, to generate a total farmable field area; (b) capture physical parameters of the farm implement, including a dimension transverse to forward movement of the agricultural work machine as the agricultural work machine traverses the field; (c) identify an entrance point along the field boundary, usable by the agricultural work machine to enter the field; (d) generate a plurality of splayed options for initial working directions of travel from the parallel pass start point; (e) generate a plurality of path estimates for the agricultural work machine with said physical parameters to travel to cover the total farmable field area, each of the path estimates extending from and including a plurality of passes parallel to a respective one of the splayed options; (f) calculate a spatial field efficiency for each of the path estimates by comparing the farmable field area to the area covered by the farm implement when following the path estimates, using the formula: Spatial Field Efficiency %=(Farmable Area of the Field)/(Area Covered by the Farm Implement)*100; (g) select the path estimate having highest spatial field efficiency and designate the splayed option of the path estimate having the highest spatial field efficiency as the desired initial working direction of travel; and (h) instruct the agricultural work machine to commence farming operations by moving from the parallel pass start point in the desired initial working direction of travel. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The method of claim 14, wherein said capture (a) comprises using the GPS receiver to capture GPS coordinates of the boundaries and topographical features of a field as the agricultural work machine traverses the field. ### Claim 16 (depends on 14) The method of claim 14, wherein said capture (a) comprises capturing coordinates of the boundaries and topographical features of a field from a map. ### Claim 17 (depends on 14) The method of claim 14, wherein each of the plurality of passes extends across the farmable field area within the boundary. ### Claim 18 (depends on 17) The method of claim 17, wherein each of the path estimates comprise interpolated connectors disposed between adjacent ones of said plurality of passes. ### Claim 19 (depends on 14) The method of claim 14, wherein said instruct (h) comprises converting the desired working direction of travel into a format usable by the guidance system. ### Claim 20 (depends on 19) The method of claim 19, wherein the guidance system is configured to capture GPS coordinates in real-time to direct the agricultural work machine to follow the desired working direction of travel. ### Claim 21 (depends on 20) The method of claim 20, wherein the guidance system is configured to terminate guidance of the agricultural work machine once the agricultural work machine has followed the desired working direction of travel substantially completely across the farmable field area. ### Claim 22 (depends on 21) The method of claim 21, wherein the guidance system is configured to hand off guidance of the agricultural work machine to an operator upon termination or interruption of guidance. ### Claim 23 (depends on 20) The method of claim 20, wherein the guidance system is configured to automatically turn and direct the agricultural work machine to complete passes parallel to the desired working direction of travel upon termination of guidance. ### Claim 24 (depends on 14) The method of claim 14, wherein said capturing (b) further comprises capturing a speed at which the farm implement is capable of traversing the field. ### Claim 25 (depends on 14) The method of claim 14, wherein said identify (c) further comprises identifying at least one exit point along the field boundary, usable by the agricultural work machine to exit the field. ### Claim 26 (depends on 14) The method of claim 14, further comprising identifying or generating at least one headland pass estimate along the field boundary usable by the agricultural work machine to circumnavigate the field and including the one or more headland passes in said calculate (f).