A lock system can be provided at each rear wheel assembly of a four wheel steering system to physically lock the rear wheel assemblies in a fixed direction to safely prevent rear wheel steering when such feature is undesirable. The lock system can use an electronically controlled actuator to hydraulically drive or retract a lock cylinder to lock or unlock the rear wheel assemblies, respectively. Sensors can be used to detect whether the lock cylinders are driven or retracted by their respective actuators, so that a controller monitoring the sensors can determine whether four wheel steering is enabled or disabled.

The present invention is related to a method for harvesting crops from a field and to a method for working a field by towing an apparatus such as a tilling apparatus, wherein the methods of the invention employ manned and unmanned vehicles. The operation and movement of the unmanned vehicles is controlled by the drivers of the manned vehicles which are continuously in the vicinity of the unmanned vehicles. The harvesting method involves at least the driver of a harvesting vehicle such as a combine harvester and the driver of a crop collecting vehicle such as a truck, wherein the drivers control the operation of one or more unmanned crop carts, operated to receive harvested crops from the harvesting vehicle during a harvesting phase and deliver harvested crop to the crop collecting vehicle during a subsequent delivery phase The control effected by the driver of the harvesting vehicle and the driver of the collecting vehicle is such that each driver is capable of visually inspecting the crop cart's operation during the totality of the harvesting and delivery phases respectively. The invention is equally related to a method for working an agricultural field wherein an agricultural apparatus, such as a tillage apparatus, is towed through the field, by one or more unmanned vehicles, while the operation of the unmanned vehicles is controlled by the operator of a manned vehicle that is moving along with the unmanned vehicles through the field.

An operation management system for a vehicle controllable by an operator to perform various vehicle actions, the system including a processor, a memory, and a human-machine interface. The processor is configured to store, in the memory, sequences of operator initiated vehicle actions, each operator initiated vehicle action corresponding to an operational response of the vehicle. The processor is further configured to receive a new sequence of operator initiated vehicle actions, and compare the operator initiated vehicle actions of the new sequence to the operator initiated vehicle actions of the stored sequences. If the operator initiated vehicle actions of the new sequence correspond to the operator initiated vehicle actions of at least one of the stored sequences, identify a recommended sequence based on at least one of the new sequence or the at least one of the stored sequences.

The invention relates to a method for predictively generating data for controlling a drive track and an operating sequence of an agricultural vehicle and of an agricultural machine, the method comprising the steps automatically detecting and storing vehicle and/or machine data through a sensor arrangement that is arranged at individual vehicles or individual machines for generating a vehicle and machine model; collecting and storing data regarding a three dimensional terrain topography and/or data regarding current and/or forecasted terrain properties and/or a weather condition for generating a predictive three dimensional geo referenced terrain model; optimizing imaging of the vehicle and machine model into the three dimensional predictive terrain model and computing drive track control data for defining a drive track and/or machine control data for controlling machine components; putting out and transmitting the drive track control data and/or the machine control data to a control unit of the agricultural vehicle and/or agricultural machine.

Systems and methods for planning a path of a vehicle are provided. One system comprises a location-determining receiver for determining location data representing a current vehicle location and a guidance module for identifying at least one geospatial region encompassing the current vehicle location based on geographical information retrieved from a guidance database. The guidance module is capable of generating a list of potential guidance lines based on the at least one geospatial region, each geospatial region being associated with at least one guidance line, each of the potential guidance lines on the list ranked based on one or more guidance criteria retrieved from the guidance database. The system further includes a user interface for displaying the guidance lines on the list to an operator of the vehicle for selection of a selected one of the potential guidance lines for controlling the path of the vehicle.

Disclosed is an articulated harvesting combine of a forward powered processing unit (PPU), a rear grain cart, and an articulation joint connecting the PPU and rear grain cart. Loss sensor pads in the straw discharge stream are graphically displaying to the operator. Articulation joint sensors rear teeth on an articulation joint arcuate beam and are used to display the degree of articulation to the operator. A jog motor permits the operator to move the feed house forwards/backwards to clear blockages. A right hand joystick and a left hand joystick provided control of all combine functions.

The present invention relates to a support system for determining a trajectory to be followed by an agricultural work vehicle, when working a field, said system comprises: a mapping unit configured for receiving: i) coordinates relating to the boundaries of a field to be worked; and ii) coordinates relating to the boundaries of one or more obstacles to be avoided by said work vehicle; wherein said one or more obstacles being located within said field; a capacity parameter unit configured for receiving one or more capacity parameters relating to said working vehicle; a trajectory calculating unit configured for calculating an optimized trajectory to be followed by said work vehicle; wherein said optimized trajectory is being calculated on the basis of said coordinates received by said mapping unit; and one or more of said one or more capacity parameters received by said capacity parameter unit.

In order to use a manned-travel work vehicle, such as a multi-purpose transport vehicle, for transporting machinery or material or for moving for the purpose of work, a rest or the like, and to cause an unmanned-travel work vehicle to reliably arrive at a destination using wireless communication, the present invention provides a work vehicle transport system. In the transport system, travel trajectory information about a travel trajectory of a first vehicle that is a manned-travel work vehicle to a work location is transmitted via wireless communication to a second vehicle, and it is determined whether the second vehicle is to perform unmanned-travel along the travel trajectory.

A method for planning and optimizing a path of a machinery moving in an area, comprises the steps of: taking coordinates of an area-contour, an operating width of the moving machinery, a distance between the area-contour and a perimetric path within the area-contour as parameters, eroding (mathematical morphological operation) the area by the distance to an interior of the area, thereby obtaining a smaller area delineated by a contour, selecting a lane orientation within the eroded area contour, and partitioning the eroded area into adjacent interior lanes, intersecting the interior lanes with the eroded area contour, thereby generating a lane grid and a corresponding connected undirected transition graph, performing a mathematical algorithm for determining an optimized sequence of position coordinates on the lane grid, wherein a complete area covering path is generated. This method enables a cost-efficient optimized path of machinery through agricultural fields.

Self-propelled vehicles for forming bales of crop or forage material are disclosed. The self-propelled baling vehicles include independently driven real wheels and front caster wheels that allow the baling vehicle to turn with a counter-steer profile. In some embodiments, the center of mass of the formed bale is toward the rear of the vehicle to improve the weight distribution of the vehicle.