# US 11,999,379 B2 · Systems and methods for controlling a work vehicle > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 11,999,379 B2 - Document ID: US11999379B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 17/395,104 - Filed: 2021-08-05 - Published: 2023-02-09 - Granted: 2024-06-04 - Earliest claimed: 2021-08-05 - Applicants: CNH Industrial America LLC - Inventors: Yaseen Suleman; Aditya Singh; Andrew Berridge - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11999379B2 ## CPC - B60W 60/0011: {involving control alternatives for a single driving scenario, e.g. planning several paths to avoid obstacles} - A01B 69/008: {automatic} - B60W 10/04: including control of propulsion units - B60W 10/20: including control of steering systems - B60W 60/0027: {using trajectory prediction for other traffic participants} - G05D 1/663: {docking at a moving base station} - G05D 1/6987: {by centralised control off-board any of the vehicles} - B60W 30/165: Automatically following the path of a preceding lead vehicle, e.g. "electronic tow-bar" - B60W 2300/15: Agricultural vehicles - B60W 2554/4041: Position - B60W 2554/4044: Direction of movement, e.g. backwards - B60W 2554/801: Lateral distance - B60W 2554/802: Longitudinal distance - B60W 2554/804: Relative longitudinal speed - B60W 2710/20: Steering systems - B60W 2720/10: Longitudinal speed - G05D 2105/15: for harvesting, sowing or mowing in agriculture or forestry - G05D 2107/21: {Farming, e.g. fields, pastures or barns} - G05D 2109/10: Land vehicles - B60W: CONJOINT CONTROL OF VEHICLE SUB-UNITS OF DIFFERENT TYPE OR DIFFERENT FUNCTION; CONTROL SYSTEMS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR HYBRID VEHICLES; ROAD VEHICLE DRIVE CONTROL SYSTEMS FOR PURPOSES NOT RELATED TO THE CONTROL OF A PARTICULAR SUB-UNIT - 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) - G05D: SYSTEMS FOR CONTROLLING OR REGULATING NON-ELECTRIC VARIABLES ## Abstract An agricultural system includes a target vehicle configured to harvest crops and a work vehicle. The work vehicle includes a controller. The controller includes a memory and a processor, and the controller is configured to receive or determine a plurality of vehicle paths as well as a location of the target vehicle. The controller is also configured to identify an active path of the plurality of vehicle paths based on the location of the target vehicle. The target path is a path traversed by the target vehicle. ## Claims ### Claim 1 An agricultural system, comprising: a work vehicle controller comprising a memory and a processor, wherein the work vehicle controller is configured to: receive or determine a plurality of duplicate paths for a target vehicle, wherein each duplicate path of the plurality of duplicate paths comprises a duplicate of a primary path of the target vehicle; receive data indicative of a location of the target vehicle; identify an active path of the plurality of duplicate paths based on the location of the target vehicle, wherein the active path is traversed by the target vehicle; determine a work path for a work vehicle, wherein the work path comprises a path for aligning the work vehicle alongside the target vehicle; and control the work vehicle to follow the work path. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The agricultural system of claim 1, wherein each duplicate path of the plurality of duplicate paths is represented as a spline or a clothoid. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The agricultural system of claim 1, wherein the work vehicle controller is configured to determine each vehicle duplicate path of the plurality of duplicate paths based on the primary path. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The agricultural system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of duplicate paths are spaced evenly away from the primary path along a direction, and a first duplicate path of the plurality of duplicate paths is in the same location as the primary path. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The agricultural system of claim 1, wherein the target vehicle comprises an agricultural harvester, the work vehicle comprises a haul vehicle configured to haul a storage compartment, and the target vehicle and work vehicle are configured to perform a crop unloading operation. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The agricultural system of claim 1, comprising receiving data indicative of a heading of the target vehicle, wherein the work vehicle controller is configured to identify the active path based on the location and the heading of the target vehicle. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The agricultural system of claim 1, wherein identifying the active path of the plurality of duplicate paths comprises comparing the location of the target vehicle to each duplicate path of the plurality of duplicate paths. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The agricultural system of claim 7, wherein identifying the active path of the plurality of duplicate paths comprises identifying which duplicate path of the plurality of duplicate paths is nearest to the location of the target vehicle. ### Claim 9 A method, comprising: receiving or determining, via a work vehicle controller comprising a memory and a processor, a plurality of duplicate paths for a target vehicle, wherein each duplicate path of the plurality of duplicate paths comprises a duplicate of a primary path of the target vehicle; receiving, via the work vehicle controller, target vehicle location data, wherein the target vehicle location data comprises location data and heading data for the target vehicle; identifying, via the work vehicle controller, an active path of the plurality of duplicate paths based on the target vehicle location data; determining, via the work vehicle controller, a work path for a work vehicle, wherein the work path comprises a path for aligning the work vehicle alongside the target vehicle during an operation; and controlling, via the work vehicle controller, the work vehicle to follow the work path. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The method of claim 9, comprising controlling, via the work vehicle controller, a speed of the work vehicle to maintain alignment alongside the target vehicle during the operation. ### Claim 11 (depends on 9) The method of claim 9, wherein identifying the active path of the plurality of duplicate paths comprises identifying which duplicate path of the plurality of duplicate paths is nearest to a coordinate of the target vehicle location data. ### Claim 12 (depends on 9) The method of claim 9, comprising determining, via the work vehicle controller, each duplicate path of the plurality of duplicate paths based on the primary path.