US 2021/0267115 A1 · GUIDANCE SYSTEMS AND METHODS

Abstract

A guidance assembly for an agricultural vehicle includes a pathing system configured to provide an array of swaths. The guidance assembly includes a composite guidance system in communication with an automated driving interface and the pathing system. The composite guidance system includes a turn guidance system configured to guide the agricultural vehicle along at least one turn segment extending between a first zone swath and a transverse second zone swath, and a swath guidance system configured to guide the agricultural vehicle along the first zone swath and the transverse second zone swath. The system includes a comparator configured to compare the agricultural vehicle position with swath departure and arrival locations. An interswath turning element automatically toggles the turn and swath guidance systems between activated and paused configurations according to the compared agricultural vehicle position and the swath departure and arrival locations.

Claims37

Dependent claims

A method for autonomously driving agricultural vehicle comprising:

guiding the agricultural vehicle along a first zone swath with a swath guidance system;
automatically toggling the swath guidance system and a turn guidance system proximate a second zone swath transverse to the first zone swath, toggling includes:
activating the turn guidance system;
and
pausing the swath guidance system;
guiding the agricultural vehicle along a turn segment from the first zone swath to the transverse second zone swath with the turn guidance system;
automatically toggling the swath guidance system and the turn guidance system proximate to the transverse second zone swath, toggling includes:
activating the swath guidance system;
and
pausing the turn guidance system;
and
guiding the agricultural vehicle along the transverse second zone swath with the swath guidance system.

9 more elements

A guidance assembly for autonomously driving an agricultural vehicle comprising:

an automated driving interface configured to control one or more driving functions of the agricultural vehicle;
a pathing system configured to provide an array of swaths indexed to a field, wherein the array of swaths includes at least a first zone swath in a first field zone and a second zone swath in a second field zone, the second zone swath is transverse to the first swath;
and
a composite guidance system in communication with the automated driving interface and the pathing system, the composite guidance system includes:
a turn guidance system configured to guide the driven agricultural vehicle along at least one turn segment extending between the first zone swath and the transverse second zone swath;
a swath guidance system configured to guide the driven agricultural vehicle along the first zone swath and the transverse second zone swath;
a comparator configured to compare an agricultural vehicle position of the agricultural vehicle with swath departure and arrival locations;
and
an interswath turning element configured to automatically toggle the turn and swath guidance systems between activated and paused configurations according to the compared agricultural vehicle position and the swath departure and arrival locations.

6 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Guidance systems and methods

Life of this patent

Guidance systems and methods

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims37