Terrain-Adjusted Land Mapping for Uneven-Field Machine Guidance
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current automated guidance systems for agricultural and heavy-equipment machinery in uneven or sloped terrain rely on either insufficient two-dimensional maps, which lead to inaccuracies, or inefficient three-dimensional maps that require precise data, often resulting in suboptimal performance due to data quality issues.
Innovation Solution
A system comprising autonomously-operated mobile machines equipped with sensors to collect field data, analyze deviations from expected values, and adjust paths to obtain higher-resolution data in anomalous areas, generating terrain-adjusted two-dimensional maps for efficient machine guidance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If two-dimensional maps are used for guidance systems, then device complexity is reduced and ease of operation is improved, but measurement precision deteriorates due to inability to accurately represent uneven terrain
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transforms the two-dimensional map representation into a three-dimensional terrain model by incorporating elevation data and vertical features. This allows the guidance system to accurately represent uneven terrain, summits, breaks, ridges, valleys, pits, and cols while maintaining computational efficiency through selective use of 3D data only where terrain irregularities exist.
Solution Approach 2:
The system applies three-dimensional terrain representation locally only in areas where elevation changes and terrain irregularities are detected, rather than uniformly across the entire field. This reduces overall data complexity and processing requirements while maintaining measurement precision where it is most needed.
2Measurement precision
If three-dimensional maps with high precision data are used, then measurement precision is improved, but data processing time increases and productivity decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The system extracts and processes only the essential three-dimensional terrain features (elevation changes, summits, breaks, ridges, valleys, pits, and cols) rather than processing complete high-resolution 3D maps of the entire field. This selective extraction maintains measurement precision for critical terrain elements while significantly reducing data processing time and computational load.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies three-dimensional mapping at a partial level - using 3D terrain representation only where necessary (in areas with significant elevation changes or irregularities) rather than applying it universally. This balances measurement precision requirements with productivity concerns by avoiding excessive data processing in flat or uniform terrain areas.
3Measurement precision
If more terrain data is collected to improve accuracy, then measurement precision is improved, but device complexity and data processing requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the field into distinct terrain zones based on elevation characteristics and irregularities. Each zone is processed with appropriate detail level - high-resolution 3D data for areas with summits, breaks, ridges, valleys, pits, and cols, and simplified representation for uniform areas. This segmentation maintains measurement precision where needed while reducing overall data processing complexity.
Data Source
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AI summary
A system and method for generating land maps of a land area. The land maps can include two-dimensional and three-dimensional land maps. The land maps may be efficiently generated based on field data obtained by mobile machines configured to traverse the land area, with the mobile machines associated with one or more sensors. The land maps may be used to accurately and efficiently guide other mobile machines as such mobile machines traverse through or operate within the land area.