An information processing method of an information processor includes: obtaining information received from a mobile body through a wireless communication, the mobile body including a movement mechanism and an imaging unit configured to capture image data, the information received from the mobile body including captured image data obtained by the imaging unit, with the captured image data being updated periodically; and generating route guidance information for use in moving the mobile body by the movement mechanism. The captured image data is stored together with data update time information. The route guidance information includes at least two selectable routes. The route guidance information is generated based on the captured image data, position information of the mobile body, and the data update time information.

An automatic travel system includes a prohibition boundary line setter to set a prohibition boundary line beyond which the vehicle is prohibited from entering, a turning circle setter to set a virtual turning circle as a target route for entry turning travel to enter a subsequent travel route, a transition turning travel controller to control tangent following travel using a vehicle body reference point that is calculated during travel to the virtual turning circle as a target orientation, and the entry turning travel using the virtual turning circle as a turning target route, an interference boundary line detector to detect the prohibition boundary line that is present in a moving direction of the vehicle in the tangent following travel, as an interference boundary line, and an interference avoidance travel controller to control travel for avoiding interference with the interference boundary line.

One or more information maps are obtained by an agricultural work machine. The one or more information maps map one or more agricultural characteristic values at different geographic locations of a field. An in-situ sensor on the agricultural work machine senses an agricultural characteristic as the agricultural work machine moves through the field. A predictive map generator generates a predictive map that predicts a predictive agricultural characteristic at different locations in the field based on a relationship between the values in the one or more information maps and the agricultural characteristic sensed by the in-situ sensor. The predictive map can be output and used in automated machine control.

A control device for a work vehicle configured or programmed to travel autonomously includes a vehicle position calculator to calculate a vehicle position, a travel direction calculator to calculate a travel direction that is a front-back direction of the vehicle body, a steering state detector to obtain data on a steering state, a vehicle position estimator to calculate an estimated vehicle position at which the work vehicle is to be present after performing predetermined travel from the vehicle position of the work vehicle, a deviation calculator to calculate a deviation of the work vehicle at the estimated vehicle position from the target travel path, a target steering amount calculator to calculate a target steering amount based on the deviation, and an autonomous travel controller to control steering based on the target steering amount.

Agricultural machines utilize global positioning systems (GPS) to acquire the location of the machine as well as the location of an event, which may be based upon an operation of the agricultural machine. Because of the possibility of outage and/or inaccuracy of the GPS, a GPS augmentation system can be included with the agricultural machine. The GPS augmentation system can supplement the location determination of the GPS, or can be used in place of the GPS when the GPS is not available. An unmanned vehicle can also be used as part of the augmentation system to provide additional information for the location of the agricultural machine and/or the event.

A system for autonomous or semi-autonomous operation of a vehicle is disclosed. The system includes a machine automation portal (MAP) application configured to enable a computing device to (a) display a map of a work site and (b) provide a graphical user interface that enables a user to (i) define a boundary of an autonomous operating zone on the map and (ii) define a boundary of one or more exclusion zones. The system also includes a robotics processing unit configured to (a) receive the boundary of the autonomous operating zone and the boundary of each exclusion zone from the computing device, (b) generate a planned command path that the vehicle will travel to perform a task within the autonomous operating zone while avoiding each exclusion zone, and (c) control operation of the vehicle so that the vehicle travels the planned command path to perform the task.

A method includes receiving a current data sample relating to a tractor spraying in an agricultural block, wherein the current data sample includes a current location; calculating a shortest distance from the current location to each of a plurality of borders of the agricultural block; selecting a current sample lowest distance, the current sample lowest distance being a lowest one of the shortest distances; grouping the current data sample with at least one prior data sample to produce a line of data samples, wherein each of the at least one prior data sample has a corresponding prior sample lowest distance; calculating an average lowest distance for the line of samples; comparing the average lowest distance to a threshold distance; and discarding the current data sample and each of the at least one prior data sample if the average distance is less than the threshold value.

A method includes receiving a current data sample relating to a tractor spraying in an agricultural block, wherein the current data sample includes a current location; calculating a shortest distance from the current location to each of a plurality of borders of the agricultural block; selecting a current sample lowest distance, the current sample lowest distance being a lowest one of the shortest distances; grouping the current data sample with at least one prior data sample to produce a line of data samples, wherein each of the at least one prior data sample has a corresponding prior sample lowest distance; calculating an average lowest distance for the line of samples; comparing the average lowest distance to a threshold distance; and discarding the current data sample and each of the at least one prior data sample if the average distance is less than the threshold value.

Described herein are robotic platforms and associated features that may have applicability in a wide variety of applications and industries, but that may have particular applicability in automotive testing and testing of vehicles having autonomous or semi-autonomous driving features. Robotic platforms may include a low-profile chassis, one or more rotational elements coupled to one or more drive motors and supported within the chassis, and a control system coupled to and controlling the drive motor(s). Also disclosed are suspension systems that may maintain the chassis of a robotic platform above the ground in use but that allows the chassis to ground out when subject to a pre-determined load, thereby spreading the load across the chassis.

A method for operating a higher-level automated vehicle (HAV), in particular a highly automated vehicle, is provided, including: S1 for providing a digital map, which may be a highly accurate digital map, in a driver assistance system of the HAV; S2 for determining an instantaneous vehicle position and localizing the vehicle position in the digital map; S3 for providing an expected setpoint traffic density at the vehicle position; S4 for ascertaining an instantaneous actual traffic density in the surroundings of the HAV; S5 for comparing the actual traffic density to the setpoint traffic density and ascertaining a difference value as the result of the comparison; S6 for checking the vehicle position of the HAV for plausibility at least partially based on the difference value and/or S7 for updating the digital map at least partially based on the difference value. Also described are a corresponding driver assistance system and a computer program.