Sensor fusion in agricultural vehicle steering

A system for steering an agricultural machine relative to guidance path, the system comprising:

• a sensor module including:
• a first sensor assembly configured to obtain a first orientation of the agricultural machine relative to the guidance path based on a first measured characteristic;
• and
• a second sensor assembly configured to obtain a second orientation of the agricultural machine relative to the guidance path based on a second measured characteristic;
• an evaluation module configured to obtain a first confidence in the first orientation based on the first sensor assembly and a second confidence in the second orientation based on the second sensor assembly;
• and
• a combining module configured to generate a combined orientation of the agricultural machine based on a weighted combination of the first orientation and the second orientation, the combining module having:
• a weighting module configured to assign first and second weights to respective first and second orientations based on one or more of the respective first or second confidences;
• and
• a combiner module to generate the combined orientation using the weighted first and second orientations;
• and
• an interface configured to communicate the combined orientation to a machine controller.

A method for controlling an agricultural machine according to guidance path, the method comprising:

• obtaining a first orientation of the agricultural machine relative to the guidance path with a first sensor;
• obtaining a second orientation of the agricultural machine relative to the guidance path with a second sensor;
• obtaining a first confidence at the first orientation and a second confidence of the second orientation;
• and
• generating a combined orientation of the agricultural machine by:
• comparing the first confidence with the second confidence;
• assigning a first and second weights to the respective first and second orientations based on the comparison;
• and
• generating the combined orientation using the weighted first and second orientations;
• and
• providing the combined orientation to a machine controller for steering the agricultural machine.