Implement control for agricultural vehicles
AssigneeCNH Industrial Italia S.p.A.
InventorsLuca Ferrari, Fabio Lisurici, Andrea Rizzi
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method for controlling an implement moved by an agricultural vehicle driving over a path along a crop row includes using a point cloud sensor to scan a portion of the crop row and to generate a point cloud. Multiple crop row volumes arranged along the portion of the crop row are determined. For each crop row volume, a vertical point density distribution is determined by determining which points of the point cloud fall within the crop row volume. The implement is controlled based on the vertical point density distribution of each crop row volume.
Claims15
A method of controlling an implement moved by an agricultural vehicle driving over a path along a crop row, the method comprising:
- using a point cloud sensor to scan a portion of the crop row and to generate a point cloud;
- defining a plurality of crop row volumes arranged along the portion of the crop row;
- for each crop row volume of the plurality of crop row volumes, determining a vertical point density distribution by determining which points of the point cloud fall within the crop row volume;
- and
- controlling the implement based on the vertical point density distribution of each of the plurality of crop row volumes;
- wherein each crop row volume of the plurality of crop row volumes comprises two or more crop row sub-volumes, the two or more crop row sub-volumes of the crop row volume are arranged at different heights above ground, and the vertical point density distribution of the crop row volume is determined by determining which points of the point cloud fall within each one of the two or more crop row sub-volumes of the crop row volume.
A system for controlling an implement moved by an agricultural vehicle driving over a path along a crop row, the system comprising:
- a point cloud sensor configured to scan a portion of the crop row and to generate a point cloud;
- and
- a controller operatively coupled to the point cloud sensor to receive the point cloud, the controller being configured to:
- define a plurality of crop row volumes arranged along the portion of the crop row;
- determine a vertical point density distribution for each crop row volume of the plurality of crop row volumes by determining which points of the point cloud fall within the crop row volume;
- and
- control the implement based on the vertical point density distribution of each of the plurality of crop row volumes;
- wherein each crop row volume of the plurality of crop row volumes comprises two or more crop row sub-volumes, the two or more crop row sub-volumes of the crop row volume are arranged at different heights above ground, and the vertical point density distribution of the crop row volume is determined by determining which points of the point cloud fall within each one of the two or more crop row sub-volumes of the crop row volume.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.