# US 12,004,439 B2 · Bale retriever that generates driveable path for efficiency and to reduce compaction > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 12,004,439 B2 - Document ID: US12004439B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 17/151,505 - Filed: 2021-01-18 - Published: 2022-07-21 - Granted: 2024-06-11 - Earliest claimed: 2021-01-18 - Assignees: CNH Industrial America LLC - Applicants: CNH Industrial America LLC - Inventors: Devin Cooley; Scott C. Simmons; Kevin M. Smith - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12004439B2 ## CPC - A01B 69/008: {automatic} - G01C 21/005: {with correlation of navigation data from several sources, e.g. map or contour matching (G01C21/30 takes precedence)} - A01B 79/005: {Precision agriculture} - G01C 21/30: Map- or contour-matching - G05D 1/0274: {using mapping information stored in a memory device (navigation using map-matching G01C21/30)} - G05D 1/0278: {using satellite positioning signals, e.g. GPS} - G05D 1/246: using environment maps, e.g. simultaneous localisation and mapping [SLAM] - G05D 1/248: generated by satellites, e.g. GPS - G01C 21/20: Instruments for performing navigational calculations (G01C21/24, G01C21/26 take precedence) - 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 bale retriever includes: a chassis; a steering assembly carried by the chassis and configured to steer the bale retriever; a bale pick up carried by the chassis; and a controller operatively coupled to the steering assembly. The controller is configured to: receive a field signal corresponding to a field map; receive a baler travel signal corresponding to at least one of a baler planned path or a baler travel path of at least one baler; define an expected location of at least one bale on the field map based at least partially on the baler travel signal; generate a steering control signal based at least partially on the expected location of the at least one bale; and output the steering control signal to the steering assembly. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A bale retriever, comprising: a chassis; a steering assembly carried by the chassis and configured to steer the bale retriever; a bale pick up carried by the chassis; and a controller operatively coupled to the steering assembly, the controller being configured to: receive a field signal corresponding to a field map; receive a baler travel signal corresponding to at least one of a baler planned path or a baler travel path of at least one baler; define an expected location of at least one bale on the field map based at least partially on the baler travel signal; define at least one windrow on the field map; define a baler traveled path on the field map from the received baler travel signal; generate a steering control signal, which is based at least partially on the expected location of the at least one bale, as a shortest distance control signal when in an efficiency mode and as a compaction avoidance control signal when in a compaction mode, wherein the shortest distance control signal corresponds to a straight-line path from the bale retriever to the expected location of the at least one bale that does not cross the at least one windrow and the compaction avoidance control signal corresponds to a path from the bale retriever to the expected location of the at least one bale that overlaps the baler traveled path; and output the steering control signal to the steering assembly. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The bale retriever of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to receive a previous bale drop location signal corresponding to a location of a previously dropped bale and define the expected location of the at least one bale based at least partially on the received previous bale drop location signal. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The bale retriever of claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to define the expected bale location based at least partially on the baler planned path and at least one operating parameter of the at least one baler. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The bale retriever of claim 3, wherein the at least one operating parameter comprises at least one of a defined bale size or a travel speed of the at least one baler. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The bale retriever of claim 1, further comprising a communication interface configured to communicate with at least one of the at least one baler or a communication network. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The bale retriever of claim 5, wherein the controller is configured to receive real-time signals corresponding to at least one of the baler planned path or the baler travel path via the communication interface. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The bale retriever of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to predict an imminent travel path of the at least one baler and generate the steering control signal so the bale retriever does not cross the imminent travel path. ### Claim 8 A system for producing and transporting crop material bales, the system comprising: at least one baler comprising: a crop collector configured to collect crop material from a field; and a bale chamber configured to bale crop material collected by the crop collector; and at least one bale retriever comprising: a chassis; a steering assembly carried by the chassis and configured to steer the bale retriever; a bale pick up carried by the chassis; and a controller operatively coupled to the steering assembly, the controller being configured to: receive a field signal corresponding to a field map; receive a baler travel signal corresponding to at least one of a baler planned path or a baler travel path of at least one baler; define an expected location of at least one bale on the field map based at least partially on the baler travel signal; define at least one windrow on the field map; define a baler traveled path on the field map from the received baler travel signal; generate a steering control signal, which is based at least partially on the expected location of the at least one bale, as a shortest distance control signal when in an efficiency mode and as a compaction avoidance control signal when in a compaction mode, wherein the shortest distance control signal corresponds to a straight-line path from the bale retriever to the expected location of the at least one bale that does not cross the at least one windrow and the compaction avoidance control signal corresponds to a path from the bale retriever to the expected location of the at least one bale that overlaps the baler traveled path; and output the steering control signal to the steering assembly. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The system of claim 8, wherein the controller is further configured to receive a previous bale drop location signal corresponding to a location of a previously dropped bale and define the expected location of the at least one bale based at least partially on the received previous bale drop location signal. ### Claim 10 (depends on 8) The system of claim 8, wherein the controller is configured to define the expected bale location based at least partially on the baler planned path and at least one operating parameter of the at least one baler. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The system of claim 10, wherein the at least one operating parameter comprises at least one of a defined bale size or a travel speed of the at least one baler. ### Claim 12 (depends on 8) The system of claim 8, wherein the at least one bale retriever further comprises a communication interface configured to communicate with at least one of the at least one baler or a communication network. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The system of claim 12, wherein the at least one baler further comprises a baler communication interface configured to communicate with at least one of the at least one bale retriever or the communication network. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The system of claim 13, wherein the baler communication interface is configured to output a parameter signal corresponding to at least one operating parameter of the at least one baler, the at least one operating parameter comprising at least one of a current location, a travel speed, or a current heading of the at least one baler. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The system of claim 14, wherein the baler communication interface is configured to output real-time signals corresponding to at least one of the baler travel path, the baler planned path, the current location, the travel speed, or the current heading of the at least one baler and the controller of the bale retriever is configured to receive the real-time signals. ### Claim 16 (depends on 8) The system of claim 8, wherein the controller is further configured to predict an imminent travel path of the at least one baler and generate the steering control signal so the bale retriever does not cross the imminent travel path. ### Claim 17 (depends on 8) The system of claim 8, wherein at least one of: the at least one baler comprises a plurality of balers; or the at least one bale retriever comprises a plurality of bale retrievers. ### Claim 18 A method of controlling a bale retriever comprising a controller to retrieve bales in a field, the method being performed by the controller and comprising: receiving a field signal corresponding to a field map; receiving a baler travel signal corresponding to at least one of a baler planned path or a baler travel path of at least one baler; defining an expected location of at least one bale on the field map based at least partially on the baler travel signal; define at least one windrow on the field map; define a baler traveled path on the field map from the received baler travel signal; generating a steering control signal, which is based at least partially on the expected location of the at least one bale, as a shortest distance control signal when in an efficiency mode and as a compaction avoidance control signal when in a compaction mode, wherein the shortest distance control signal corresponds to a straight-line path from the bale retriever to the expected location of the at least one bale that does not cross the at least one windrow and the compaction avoidance control signal corresponds to a path from the bale retriever to the expected location of the at least one bale that overlaps the baler traveled path; and outputting the steering control signal to a steering assembly of the bale retriever so the bale retriever is steered towards the expected location of the at least one bale.