A01B69/008

Agricultural baling system with controlled tractor steering to balance bale density
11684015 · 2023-06-27 · ·

A method of controlling a travel path of an agricultural baling system including a baler and a tow vehicle includes: receiving a first bale density signal indicative of a first bale density of a forming bale at a first location in a baling chamber; receiving a second bale density signal indicative of a second bale density of the forming bale at a second location; receiving a windrow signal indicative of a width of a windrow; comparing the first bale density to the second bale density; determining a difference between the first bale density and the second bale density exceeds a threshold difference; and outputting a steering signal to a steering mechanism of the tow vehicle to adjust at least one steerable wheel of the tow vehicle by an adjustment when the determined difference exceeds the threshold difference, the adjustment being based at least partially on the received windrow signal.

METHOD FOR AUTONOMOUSLY WEEDING CROPS IN AN AGRICULTURAL FIELD

A method for weeding crops includes, at an autonomous machine: recording an image at the front of the autonomous machine; detecting a target plant and calculating an opening location for the target plant longitudinally offset and laterally aligned with the location of the first target plant; driving a weeding module to laterally align with the opening location; tracking the opening location relative to a longitudinal reference position of the weeding module; when the weeding module longitudinally aligns with the first opening location, actuating the blades of the first weeding module to an open position; recording an image proximal to the weeding module; and in response to detecting the blades of the weeding module in the open position: calculating an offset between the opening location and a reference position of the weeding module, based on the image; and updating successive opening locations calculated by the autonomous machine based on the offset.

SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR GENERATING SWATH LINES FOR A WORK VEHICLE

A work vehicle includes a frame configured to support a plurality of components of the work vehicle. Furthermore, the work vehicle includes a location sensor configured to capture data indicative of a location of the work vehicle within a field. Additionally, the work vehicle includes a computing system communicatively coupled to the location sensor. The computing system is configured to control an operation of the plurality of components as the work vehicle makes a first pass across the field. Moreover, the computing system is configured to record a travel path of the work vehicle as the work vehicle make the first pass across the field based on data captured by the location sensor. In addition, the computing system is configured to generate a continuous swath line formed from a plurality of line segments such that the continuous swath line corresponds to the recorded travel path of the work vehicle.

SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR GENERATING SWATH LINES FOR A WORK VEHICLE

A work vehicle includes a location sensor configured to capture data indicative of a location of the work vehicle within a field. Additionally, the work vehicle includes a computing system communicatively coupled to the location sensor. In this respect, the computing system is configured to control an operation of the plurality of components as the work vehicle makes a pass across the field. Moreover, the computing system is configured to record a travel path of the work vehicle as the work vehicle makes the pass across the field based on data captured by the location sensor. In addition, the computing system is configured to analyze the recorded travel path to determine one or more geometric primitives of the recorded travel path. Furthermore, the computing system is configured to generate a swath line for the pass based on the determined one or more geometric primitives.

PLANNING AND CONTROL OF AUTONOMOUS AGRICULTURAL OPERATIONS

The agricultural control system includes a base control system configured to communicate with a vehicle control system of an agricultural vehicle. The base control system is configured to plan an implement path through an agricultural field for an agricultural implement coupled to the agricultural vehicle based at least in part on at least one characteristic of the agricultural field. The base control system is configured to plan a vehicle path of the agricultural vehicle based at least in part on the planned implement path. The base control system is configured to send a first signal to the vehicle control system indicative of the vehicle path.

SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR VEHICLE STEERING CALIBRATION

A vehicle system includes a spatial location system configured to derive a geographic position of an autonomous vehicle. The vehicle system further includes a computing device communicatively coupled to the spatial location system, the computing device comprising a processor. The processor is configured select a calibration mode via a user input. The processor is also configured to execute an automatic steering calibration based on the calibration mode to update one or more steering parameters, wherein executing the automatic steering calibration comprises driving the vehicle via autoguidance to spatially follow a desired path segment.

AUTOSCALING ROWS OF TRAVEL FOR AN OFF-ROAD VEHICLE
20170357261 · 2017-12-14 ·

A control system for an off-road vehicle configured to traverse an off-road vehicle through a field by determining whether a partial row exist or contour differences exist between opposite edges if a route of traversal is used. If a partial row or a contour difference exist adjust the route to increase overlap of rows of the off-road vehicle to distribute the width of the field evenly among the rows or incrementally adjust each row from a first contour of a first edge to a second contour of a second edge.

PLANNING AND CONTROL OF AUTONOMOUS AGRICULTURAL OPERATIONS

An agricultural control system includes a controller comprising a memory and a processor. The controller is configured to determine a first segment of an implement path that enables an agricultural implement to perform an agricultural operation on a first region of an agricultural field. The controller is configured to determine a first segment of a vehicle path of an agricultural vehicle coupled to the agricultural implement based at least in part on the first segment of the implement path to direct the agricultural implement along the first region. The controller is configured to determine a first end-of-row turn of the vehicle path at an end of the first segment of the vehicle path independently of the implement path between the first segment of the implement path and a second segment of the implement path and to output a first signal indicative of the vehicle path.

SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR AUTONOMOUS VEHICLE COMMUNICATIONS PROTOCOLS

In an embodiment, an autonomous vehicle system includes an autonomous vehicle. The autonomous vehicle includes a communications system configured to communicate with the base station, and a control system communicatively coupled to the communications system, the control system comprising a processor. The processor is configured to receive driving commands from the base station, execute the driving commands to drive the autonomous vehicle, and execute a vehicle controller-to-subsystems latency protocol to determine a communications latency between a vehicle controller and vehicle subsystems, and to stop the autonomous vehicle if the communications latency exceeds a user-configurable latency value, wherein the vehicle controller and vehicle subsystem are disposed in the autonomous vehicle.

AUTONOMOUS WORK VEHICLE OBSTACLE DETECTION SYSTEM

A work vehicle includes at least one sensor configured to detect at least one property of a work area. The work vehicle includes a controller comprising a processor operatively coupled to a memory, wherein the controller is configured to receive a first signal from an at least one sensor indicative of the at least one property of the work area, to determine whether an obstacle occupies one or more locations of the work area by creating or updating a map having one or more cells that correspond to the one or more locations of the work area, wherein each of the one or more cells indicate whether the obstacle occupies the respective locations of the work area based on the at least one property, and to send a second signal based on the map.