Method and apparatus for creating curved swath patterns for farm machinery

A method for creating curved swath path from a baseline swath path for use in an agricultural vehicle navigation system comprising the steps:

• providing a vehicle with an associated implement;
• providing a vehicle guidance system having a vehicle position receiver;
• providing a swath generation apparatus (SGA) communicatively coupled to the guidance system;
• providing an operator input device;
• communicating a baseline swath path to the SGA, the baseline swath path having a plurality of spaced apart position data points defining a first curvature and a baseline length, each pair of adjacent position data points defining a swath path segment there between;
• and determining by the SGA in accordance with its programming if the baseline swath path intersects itself;
• the steps:
• defining a beginning point and an ending point of the baseline swath path, the beginning and end points located at opposing ends of the baseline swath path;
• defining within the SGA a first rectangular examination area bounding a group of three consecutive position data points along the swath path, commencing with the beginning point, the first examination area bounded by sides having minimum and maximum x-axis values defining a first x-axis range and minimum and maximum y-axis values defining a first y-axis range, the first ranges of the x-axis and y-axis values determined by positions of the extreme most position data points in the group, defining within the SGA a second rectangular examination area commencing with a fourth position data point, designating the fourth position data point as the incremental data point, and continuing iteratively for each consecutive position data point along the swath path to the end point, the second examination area bounded by sides having minimum and maximum x-axis values defining a second x-axis range, and minimum and maximum y-axis values defining a second y-axis range, the second ranges of x-axis and y-axis values determined by positions of the extreme most position data points in the group including the incremental data point;
• comparing within the SGA the first x-axis and y-axis range and the second x-axis and y-axis range;
• when the at least one of the ranges is increased by the inclusion of the incremental data point, designating with the SGA that the swath path from the beginning point to the incremental data point, that the swath path does not cross itself, designating the second examination area as the first examination area and the second x-axis and y-axis ranges as the first second x-axis and y-axis ranges, designating the next consecutive position data point on the swath path in the direction toward the end point as the incremental data point, comparing changes in x-axis and y-axis ranges in an iterative manner for each consecutive position data point along the swath path to the end point;
• when neither the second x-axis range or the second y-axis range is increased by the inclusion of the incremental data point, designating within the SGA that the swath path may cross itself examine every swath path segment positioned between two adjacent position data points commencing at the beginning point and continuing to the incremental data point to determine if the swath path intersects itself, and defining within the SGA a total heading change for the swath path as the summation of heading changes for each swath path segment comprising the swath path;
• designating within the SGA the swath path as having no crosses when the total heading change is less than or equal to 180 degrees;
• when the total heading change is greater than 180 degrees, examining within the SGA the swath path to determine if it intersects itself.

An apparatus for defining curved swath paths in a crop growing area of a field for a use with a vehicle guidance system for a vehicle and associated implement, said apparatus comprising:

• a receiver for a vehicle position signal, said receiver providing a location output signal representing the location of said vehicle;
• a vehicle directional controller communicatively coupled to said receiver and a vehicle steering apparatus;
• a swath generation apparatus (SGA) having a digital electronic processor, an SGA memory, an operator input device, a visual display, and software for directing actions to be performed by the digital electronic processor, SGA memory, operator input device, and visual display in the SGA, said SGA being communicatively coupled to said receiver and said vehicle directional controller whereby said SGA is capable of iteratively creating a plurality of curved swath paths, each swath path having a curvature and a plurality of position data points spaced-apart by a spacing interval, each of said plurality of swath paths having curvature differing slightly from an adjacent swath path, said SGA storing a limited number of said plurality of curved swath paths, and communicating said plurality of position data points of a selected swath path to said vehicle directional controller thereby causing said vehicle and associated to be guided along said selected swath path, the limited number of stored swath paths is less than approximately 25% of said plurality of curved swath paths.