The present invention provides a system for conducting agricultural operations in a field using one or more autonomous vehicles in which the agricultural operations may be optimized during run time. The system includes providing a mission plan for an autonomous vehicle, receiving progress updates from the vehicle as it conducts an agricultural operation according to the mission plan, and monitoring for event conditions which may he reported by the vehicle. Event conditions may include, for example, detection of an obstacle, or an oncoming vehicle, or a disablement of the vehicle. Upon receiving an event condition, the system may revise the mission plan to resolve the event condition while providing an optimization based on current agricultural conditions.

The present invention provides a system for conducting agricultural operations in a field using autonomous vehicles in which a collision avoidance mechanism may be provided. The system may include providing a mission plan for autonomous vehicles to conduct agricultural operations, establishing a hierarchy for the vehicles, and monitoring for an event conditions indicating vehicles are traveling toward a collision with respect to one another. Upon receiving an event condition, the system may revise the mission plan to adjust a path of one of the vehicles based on the hierarchy in order to avoid the collision.

A method includes generating a non-continuous curvature end-of-row turn path for an agricultural vehicle, wherein the non-continuous curvature end-of-row turn path includes a plurality of initial segments that are curved or straight, adding at least one continuity segment between each of the plurality of initial segments, wherein the at least one continuity segment includes a clothoid segment, and the initial segments and the at least one continuity segment combine to form a continuous curvature end-of-row turn path, determining, via an iterative process, a maximum drivable speed based on a minimum speed and a target speed, and implementing the continuous end-of-row turn path at the maximum drivable speed.

A removable aerial application system and a method of installing the removable aerial application system in an aircraft such as a helicopter. In one embodiment, a removable aerial application system for an aircraft comprises: a tank insertable into a cabin of the aircraft; a first delivery conduit and a second delivery conduit, the first and second delivery conduits being in communication with the tank and extending aftward beneath a fuselage of the aircraft, a first auger within the first delivery conduit and a second auger within the second delivery conduit; a collector assembly defining a chamber, each of the first and second delivery conduits being in communication with the chamber; a distribution system coupled to the collector assembly; and a hydraulic system in mechanical communication with each of the first and second augers.

The use of self-powered, autonomous vehicles in agricultural and other domestic applications is provided. The vehicles include a self-propelled drive system, tracks or wheels operatively connected to the drive system, a power supply operatively connected to the drive system, an attachment mechanism for attaching equipment to the vehicle, and an intelligent control operatively connected to the drive system, power supply, and attachment mechanism. The vehicle is configured to connect to the equipment to perform agricultural operations based upon the equipment. Multiple vehicles can be used in a field at the same time. Furthermore, the invention includes the ability to move one or more of the autonomous vehicles from field to field, home to field, or from generally any first location to a second location.

A system and method for determining the optimal machine working direction(s) of travel for a field boundary to be used in a guidance/navigation system for machine control includes, using specific field boundary information and machine specific information to spatially simulate travel path estimates over a plurality of splayed working directions of travel to determine the optimal working direction(s) of travel for the field boundary. Optimizing the spatial field efficiency by simulating travel path estimates to select an optimal working direction(s) of travel may then be used in accordance with a machine's guidance and/or navigation system, via an information transfer system, as the reference working direction(s) of travel for the machine to guide and control itself while performing fieldwork.

A robotic mowing system that includes a station and a robotic mower. The robotic mower has a controller and a memorizer, the memorizer stores a working procedure, and after receiving a start command input by a user, the controller executes the working procedure, so as to control the robotic mower to automatically and repeatedly mow and return to the station to be charged until the controller receives a stop command. In this way, the user does not need to input working parameters, and costs are relatively low.

A line acquisition system generates a curvature profile based on initial vehicle states (starting position, heading, curvature and speed), vehicle steering capabilities (calibrated vehicle curvature and curvature rate limits), and initial vehicle position errors relative to the destination path. The curvature profile describes changes in vehicle curvature over a path distance from a current position to a destination path. The line acquisition system constructs an acquisition path from a combination of clothoid, circular arc, and straight lines corresponding with different segments of the curvature profile. The acquisition path can be displayed on a user interface allowing a vehicle operator to observe, prior to automatic steering engagement, the path the vehicle would take from a current state to the destination path.

An apparatus for connecting an implement to a three point hitch of mobile machinery comprises two frameworks, a first framework and a second framework. The first framework is disposed in a first plane and comprises at least two parallel, vertically-spaced apart, laterally extending rails. There are three attachments supported by the first framework for attachment to the three-point hitch. The second framework is slidable generally in the plane of the first framework and is mounted on the rails to slide laterally along the rails. At least two connectors are supported by the slidable second framework for connecting the second framework to an implement that can be pulled or pushed by the mobile machinery. A driver is connected to the first framework and connected to the second framework for driving the second framework laterally back and forth along the rails of the first framework.

A travel route determination system including: a route generating unit generating planned travel routes including work routes along which a work vehicle performs autonomous travel; a control unit capable of causing the work vehicle to perform autonomous travel along the planned travel routes; an information obtaining unit obtaining position information and orientation information on the work vehicle; and a determination unit determining an autonomous travel candidate route at which the work vehicle can start autonomous travel, before the work vehicle starts autonomous travel. The determination unit sets a candidate determination region based on the position information and orientation information on the work vehicle, and the determination unit determines, among the work routes, a work route in the candidate determination region as the autonomous travel candidate route.