Automatic End of Row Turn Guidance for Agricultural Vehicles
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current GPS-based vehicle guidance systems require manual operator intervention for end of row turns, which are inefficient and prone to inaccuracies, especially in fields with irregular shapes or obstacles, and do not automatically adjust for signal drift.
Innovation Solution
A method utilizing a vehicle guidance system with a swath generation apparatus (SGA) that determines and automatically guides the vehicle along a planned end of row turn path, incorporating operator input parameters like minimum turning radius and rate of change, and displaying the path for operator verification before automatic execution.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If manual operator intervention is used for end of row turns, then the vehicle can handle irregular field shapes and obstacles, but the operation becomes inefficient and prone to inaccuracies
Solution Approach 1:
The system enables the vehicle to automatically perform end of row turns without manual operator intervention. The guidance system calculates the turn path, steers the vehicle, and returns to straight path automatically, making the system self-sufficient for this operation while maintaining high accuracy through continuous GPS monitoring and automated control adjustments.
2Measurement precision
If automatic guidance system is used for end of row turns, then precision and efficiency improve, but the system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The guidance system is divided into distinct functional modules: GPS signal reception and processing, vehicle position calculation, end of row turn detection, turn path calculation, automated steering control, and straight path resumption. This segmentation allows each module to be optimized independently while working together to achieve high precision automatic guidance.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary calculations of the end of row turn path before the vehicle actually needs to turn. By anticipating the upcoming turn based on the planned field path, the system can pre-compute the optimal turn trajectory and prepare control commands, enabling smooth and accurate transitions without increasing operational complexity during the actual turning maneuver.
3Adaptability or versatility
If the vehicle follows predefined straight paths, then the guidance system is simple, but it cannot handle irregularly shaped fields or avoid obstacles
Solution Approach 1:
The path calculation system dynamically adapts to irregular field shapes and obstacles by continuously monitoring the vehicle's position relative to the planned path and adjusting the end of row turn geometry accordingly. Rather than using fixed predefined paths, the system calculates dynamic turn paths that accommodate varying field boundaries, obstacle locations, and implement widths, maintaining versatility while managing computational complexity through efficient algorithms.
Data Source
AI summary
A GPS-based vehicle guidance system and a method for automatically guiding a vehicle through and end of a row turn. The present invention provides a method and system that automatically guides the vehicle through an end of row turn without manual control. An algorithm using the minimum turning radius of the vehicle and the rate of change of the vehicle creates a set of interpolated data points resulting in an end of row turn.