# US 12,761,666 B2 · Obstacle detection system, agricultural machine and obstacle detection method > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 12,761,666 B2 - Document ID: US12761666B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 18/746,108 - Filed: 2024-06-18 - Published: 2024-10-10 - Granted: 2026-10-13 - Earliest claimed: 2021-12-24 - Assignees: Kubota Corporation - Applicants: Kubota Corporation - Inventors: Nagahiro Fujiwara; Shunsuke Miyashita - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12761666B2 ## CPC - G05D 1/622: Obstacle avoidance (predicting or avoiding probable or impending collision of road vehicles B60W30/08) - G01S 17/86: Combinations of lidar systems with systems other than lidar, radar or sonar, e.g. with direction finders - G01S 17/931: of land vehicles - G05D 1/242: Means based on the reflection of waves generated by the vehicle (using passive navigation aids external to the vehicle G05D1/244; using signals provided by artificial sources external to the vehicle G05D1/247) - G06V 20/58: Recognition of moving objects or obstacles, e.g. vehicles or pedestrians; Recognition of traffic objects, e.g. traffic signs, traffic lights or roads - G05D 2105/15: for harvesting, sowing or mowing in agriculture or forestry - G05D 2107/21: {Farming, e.g. fields, pastures or barns} - G05D 2111/10: Optical signals - G06V 10/141: Control of illumination - G06V 10/56: relating to colour - G05D: SYSTEMS FOR CONTROLLING OR REGULATING NON-ELECTRIC VARIABLES - G01S: RADIO DIRECTION-FINDING; RADIO NAVIGATION; DETERMINING DISTANCE OR VELOCITY BY USE OF RADIO WAVES; LOCATING OR PRESENCE-DETECTING BY USE OF THE REFLECTION OR RERADIATION OF RADIO WAVES; ANALOGOUS ARRANGEMENTS USING OTHER WAVES - G06V: IMAGE OR VIDEO RECOGNITION OR UNDERSTANDING ## Abstract An obstacle detection system for an agricultural machine to perform self-driving while sensing a surrounding environment with a LiDAR sensor and a camera includes a controller configured or programmed to cause the camera, upon detecting an obstacle candidate based on data that is output from the LiDAR sensor, as a trigger, to acquire an image of the obstacle candidate, and determine whether or not to change a traveling status of the agricultural machine based on the image of the obstacle candidate acquired with the camera. ## Claims ### Claim 1 An obstacle detection system for an agricultural machine to perform self-driving while sensing a surrounding environment with a LIDAR sensor and a camera, the obstacle detection system comprising: a controller configured or programmed to: cause the camera, upon detecting an obstacle candidate based on data that is output from the LiDAR sensor, as a trigger, to acquire an image of the obstacle candidate; determine whether or not to change a traveling status of the agricultural machine based on the image of the obstacle candidate acquired with the camera; detect an object within the surrounding environment based on data that is output from the LiDAR sensor; when the detected object is the obstacle candidate, cause the camera to acquire the image of the obstacle candidate and determine whether or not to change the traveling status of the agricultural machine based on the image; identify, based on the image acquired with the camera, a type of the object that is the obstacle candidate; when the obstacle candidate is a person or animal, cause the agricultural machine to stop traveling or to change a traveling path of the agricultural machine to avoid the obstacle candidate; when the obstacle candidate is detected, cause the camera to acquire a color image of the obstacle candidate; and exclude, from data of the color image, green pixels from a subject of identifying the type of the object. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The obstacle detection system of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured or programmed to cause the agricultural machine to stop traveling or to decelerate upon detecting the obstacle candidate as the trigger. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The obstacle detection system of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured or programmed to cause the agricultural machine to resume travel or to accelerate when determining not to change the traveling status of the agricultural machine. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The obstacle detection system of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured or programmed to detect an object that is higher than a predetermined height as the obstacle candidate based on data that is output from the LiDAR sensor while the agricultural machine is traveling in a field or on an agricultural road. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The obstacle detection system of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured or programmed to: cause the camera to acquire an image of the surrounding environment before the obstacle candidate is detected; and when the obstacle candidate is detected, cause the camera to capture the obstacle candidate at a higher magnification than that of the image of the surrounding environment. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The obstacle detection system of claim 1, wherein, if a field of view of the camera does not include the obstacle candidate when the obstacle candidate is detected, the controller is configured or programmed to change an orientation of the camera so that the field of view of the camera includes the obstacle candidate when the obstacle candidate is detected. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The obstacle detection system of claim 1, wherein the agricultural machine includes a light to illuminate the surrounding environment; and the controller is configured or programmed to turn on the light or increase an illuminance of the light when the obstacle candidate is detected.